His rough fingers and calloused hands caressed her petal soft skin. She held his hand to her face, not wanting it to disappear. Closing her eyes to lock in the forthcoming tears and remember everything about this man that was leaving her. The tears started to leak just as he removed his hand from her face. She watched his retreating back and tried to say something but her throat was too tight. Her mouth moved but nothing came out. She reached for the man's back that was moving quickly away from her. She screamed something indecernable. It was slowly turning into a sharp ringing than a slow dull beeping.

Cassandra Olsen's hand came down on the snooze button with vengeance. She eyed the blurry green numbers of her alarm clock. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she slipped on her glasses and looked back at the clock.

8am. She had class in an hour. Ruffling her hair, she removed her glasses and wandered into the bathroom she shared with her college roommates. She pawed weakly at the closed bathroom door.

"Cass?"

"Jess...hurry up.." Cassandra leaned against the sinks opposite of the door as she waited anxiously for it to open. Something caused her to look over her shoulder at the mirror behind her.

Looking back at her was not her own reflection. She was breath takingly beautiful, tho she looked a little dirty. There were smudges of dirt on her face and clothing. Her clothes looked like something a Japanese princess of old would wear, the many layered kimono that appears to weigh as much if not more than the wearer. Her hair was amazingly long. Her small pale hands were pressed against the mirror and had a pleading look in her eyes. Her mouth was moving but Cassandra couldn't hear her.

"Cassandra!" She jumped. Jess was holding her shoulder. "Where were you?" Cassnadra gave her a blank stare. "Bathrooms open."

"Thanks..." she replied distantly.

'I must be stressed out to have that kind of hallucination,' Cassandra thought crudely. She paused while pulling on her shirt. 'But wasn't she in my dream this morning...?' Pulling her shirt on the rest of the way defiantly, she decided 'no', that things like such don't happen in this day and age. Especially to nobodies like her in the middle of frozen wastelands like Fairbanks.

She gave a fleeting glance outside her window of her second floor campus owned apartment, deciding if a jacket would be even necessary or not. She hugged a light jacket while walking down the stairs, pulling her mass of unruly black hair into a half-pony tail. Jess was finishing her cereal as Cassandra started her Toaster Strudels.

"You're so unhealthy," Jess remarked. Cassandra stuck her tongue out at Jess.

"They're quickish..," she retorted. "Is Yumi up yet?"

"No." Cassandra went back upstars, calling Yumi. She opened the door of their shared room to find a lump under Yumi's blankets. Cassandra poked at it.

"ne...okite...kesa, jyugyou ga aru yo."* Nothing. Cassandra made a face. Peeking under one corner of the blanket to make sure it was actually Yumi, she grabbed the blankets and sheets and gave them a hard pull.
"O-KI-TE!" Unveiling a fragile looking Japanese girl that was curled up in a ball that gave a small whine and a yawn.

"ohaiyo..."**she said sleepily.

"ohaiyo," Cassandra said flatly. She started to say something else when a burning smell reached her nose. She hurried down the stairs as Yumi rolled back over and back to sleep.

"Jess~! Rescue those!!" When Cassandra reached the kitchen, Jess handed her a plate of the charcoal remains of her Toaster Strudels. With a defeated look she started nibbling. Jess gave her a look.

"You don't HAVE to eat it, you know..." Cassandra grimaced and choked down the rest of her burnt Toaster Strudel.

" 'Waste not'. Besides...it's not burnt to the point where consumption is inadvisable." Jess eyed the black crumbs on the plate.

"Bullshit." Cassandra brushed the crumbs that her fishnet shirt hungrily kept and cleaned up the dish. She could feel Jess's scrutinizing eyes on her.

"You've changed so much since we first met..." She gave a small laugh.

"What do you want to criticize today, Jess," Cassandra asked shortly.

"Well...when we first met...you were the jeans and t-shirt girl that slept in until the last moment. Rarely cleaned up afer yourself and you always had a cluttered clean mess." Jess was smirking. "And now..." She looked over Cassandra's ensamble; Fushia fishnet stockings under a Lipservice red pleated skirt and black sleeper-tank under a black fishnet shirt. Cassandra also had blood red extensions through out her hair against the modest black eyeliner. Cassnadra just blinked at her a little confused.

"All that means is it's gotten a little harder to buy for you." More confusion.
She felt a boney hand come down on her shoulder.

"happi basudei, Kasshii,"*** Yumi said sleepily.

"What she said," Jess said grinning. Cassandra blinked. 'Birth....day? Already...?' Something hit her in the forehead with such force that it sent her head back.

"You're as forgetful as your brother!!" Cassandra caught the object that hit her as it came back down. Her lighter.

"I'm sorry! I've been too busy to notice..."She gave them a puffy, pouty face.

"ne...Kasshii...osokunatte..”**** Cassandra's eyes flashed to the clock on the wall. 2 minutes till her class started and she had a 10 minute walk to get there.

"Wa~!! I BLAME YOU!!!" She yelled at Jess as she grabbed her messenger bag as she darted out of the door. She started to her class in a brisk walk but was stopped short by bumping into someone.

Stumbling backwards, she grimly thought to herself , 'This is SO not my day'. She looked up and came face to face with a youth whose looks were strangely familiar.

"Gomen! Excuse me!" She said flustered and dashed off to her class.

The youth stared after Cassandra coolly. His silky dirty blond hair was slightly obscuring his cold gray eyes. His features were sharp but smooth and had thin lips that curled slowly into an almost cruel smile. Something dark glittered in his eyes.

"I found you."

Cassandra’s lunch break was very welcomed after running from class to class in the chilled late October. 12:15 couldn’t have come sooner. She wandered down to the commons, meeting her boyfriend, Terry Franceur, on the way. They kissed their hellos, taking turns talking about their days and discussed what kinds of poison were waiting inside of the Commons for them.

“You know, I had a really messed up dream this morning...”Terry said almost dreamily. His ever changing blue eyes looked distant. Cassandra paused her grazing on her borderline rancid salad.

“Oh?” She tried not to sound too interested. “How messed up?

“It was kind’a broken up...”he mused. “I remember leaving someone behind, to go to a battle. There was someone there that I really wanted to just kill,” his voice trailed off. Cassandra watched him steadily. “BAH! I can’t rememeber!” She gave him a half smile..

“Ne. Terry. What’s today?”

“October 30.”

“masaka...”

“What?”

“Really? Is it really the 30th?”

“Yeah. Tomorrow’s Halloween.” He gave her a questioning look.

“I was reminded that Samhain was soon, but I didn’t realize so soon,” she lied. ‘It is my birthday. I wonder if anyone else forgot...’ she thought pitifully to herself. “I was kinda wondering what I should do this year. Jess probably has a party planned,” Cassandra mused poking at her continuously wilting salad as an uncomfortable silence blanketed them.

“I wanna drink tonight,” she said suddenly.

“O-K. I got tonight off..So the Keg?”

“Yeah. I’ll go with you. I want some smokes,” she said subtly hinting to see if he’d remember. He started at her while she fidgited with her food.

“Than I should go to the gas station.”

“No. Let’s go to the Keg. It’s cheaper.”

“O-K.” He looked at her uncertainly. “What’s wrong?” She gave him a weak smile.

“A foreboding feeling. That’s all.”

The monotony of this ‘birthday’ was getting to her. It seemed the apathy of her turning 21 had hit it’s peak. Even her mail box had it in for her. It only had a bill and junk mail. Cassandra meandered downheartedly back to her dorm after her last class. She had another hour before she was suppose to meet Terry. When she walked in she saw Yumi passed out on the couch with the TV on. Cassandra turned the sound down and went to see, halfheartedly, if her parents at the very least left her a message on the answering machine.

Nothing. Nothing but old messages for other people. Wandering out the back door she pulled out her Marlboro Menthols and lit up with the lighter that had hit her in the forehead that morning. She rubbed her forhead absently where the lighter had hit her.

‘Wow...I’m glad this is turning into a really shitty birthday,’ she thought bleakly.

“Yeah...I’m getting plastered tonight,” she mused aloud.

“Are you?” The voice was cold but enticingly smooth. Cassandra looked around, not seeing anyone. Than she looked up, just as a cloud of cigarette smoke drifted above her head.

“Hello again,” he said coolly. She stared at him for a moment. “You really don’t remember, do you,” he replied to her blank stare. Cassandra was looking up at a shadowed face against a bright but dark sky.

“Dare ka,”* she said stiffly.

“Maybe if I came into view,” he said coyly. She made a face. This guy wasn’t making her day any better. She took a long, hard drag off her cigarette. Now she was depressed and irritated. There was a soft clack of rocks falling against each other followed by a cloud of cigarette smoke that drfited past her face. Her face went passive, but her irritation showed clearly in her eyes.

“Is this better,” he asked smoothly. He had come around the corner of the building in full veiw for Cassandra to see. She looked at him for a moment. Studying his face she tried to put his hints together. His dirty blond hair reminded her of Terry’s hair, but it looked as fluid as water that matched the liquid gun metal grey eyes. His gaze was a piecing hot as it was cold. She blinked out of her trance from his almost hypnotic eyes.

She took another drag, taking her time in assessing this person.

“Give up,” he teased. She offered a forced playful smile.

“I bumped into you this morning,” she stated blandly.

“Correct.” His smile and eyes were friendly enough, but there was something deeper that caused her unease to the point of violence. “Allow me to introduce myself,” he said with a flair and flutter of his hands and arms. ‘No,’ she thought viciously as she gave his antics a bored expression. “Cole Stratavis, milady,” he said with a low bow. The last word he had said under his breath as Cassandra looked down at his bowed head. Cocking an eyebrow at him she stated icily, “Now aren’t we full of ourselves...”

Straightening he gave her a smile that she could only assume was suppose to be “dashing”. He stepped closer to Cassandra, who stood her ground, watching him closely. He had a threatening aura that was creeping into her own, causing her to feel cramped and a little scared. The closer her got to her the more tense her muscles became, ready to move at a moments notice. Cole was now standing directly in front of her. She was looking rapidly for a weapon, if need be. Since her cigarette had long since extinguished itself, the porch she was standing on was barren, the rocks laying around the porch were too far away, the only weapon she had close to her were her hands. He leaned in close.

‘What the hell is this guy thring to do?! Kiss me?!’ She was already pressed against the wall next to the door. She felt trapped. His hands were on either side of her, making her escape even more difficult. He was leaning in closer to her face. Cassandra’s right hand came up to push him away, it was too close for her, but he caught her hand. He leaned closer to her ear.

‘No!’ Something inside of her screamed. Even his breath was cold against her ear. She couldn’t say anything, for his aura seemed to be choking her.

“I know you’re in there...Yuri,” he whispered darkly.

‘Who the HELL is YURI?!’ she thought furiously. She struggled against him but her strength seemed to be being drained from her as long as he was this close.

“I can sense you in there too, Adele.” These words were icy and hateful. The way he has said Yuri’s name was almost playful, but the way he had said Adele’s was completely different; spitful and hateful.

Cassandra breathlessly strained against Cole.

“Get...Off...Of... ME!” She tried saying these words loudly and harsh, but it came out more like a small scared kitten cry. Cole’s cold grey eyes looked into Cassandra’s soft brown eyes. He was giving her a gentle but expecting gaze. She closed her eyes, she couldn’t look into his eyes too long, it only increased the drowning sensation.

“Cassandra.” It was a small calming voice in her ear.

‘Whose there,’ she thought wildly. She could feel a sly smile creepp across her own lips.

“You wait here. I’ll send Krad on his way.” Whoever was saying this was smiling, almost mischievously.

‘Who the fuck is KRAD?!’

Cassandra’s eyes opened slowly and violet eyes looked back into Cole’s gun metal grey.

“Hello Krad,” she said with a silky but vemonous tone. A small smile played at the corners of his mouth.

“Hello Adele,” Cole replied soft but curtly.

She slowly moved her free hand across his side.

“Always the same, even after all this time,” she said with a small smile.

"I guess some habits die harder than others," he stated taking the last drag of his cigarette and tossing it aside.

“Still harassing me and causing problems in the current’s life.” His face went stolid and loosened his grip slightly on her other hand, which she tenitively slide down his arm. He gave her a cold look that she returned with an equally cold smile.

“Are you trying to make them fight again,” she asked coyly.

“Yes and no,” he answered cooly.

“How do you mean?”

“You’ll just have to sit back and watch, now won’t you. Since that’s all you do is watch.” Her hands were still sliding down his sides slowly. Krad grabbed them suddenly. She gave no hint of surprise as he held both her hands in front of his chest.

“If you are going to do something, Milady, I suggest you do it now before you confuse poor Cassandra anymore than you have,” he teased. His eyes were smiling at her violet ones. Her lips curled up into a cruel smile.

“More than happy to oblige.”

The push that was given didn’t look like it could have distrubed a paper cup, but it caused Krad to take a step back and his arms to fly up. She placed her hands lightly on his chest and looked at him.

“I’m being nice this time. Let things work the way they will, and stop trying to make things go how you want them to,” she said quietly. He returned her cruel smile.

“It’s all about the power of suggestion.” She gave him a bitter look and lowered her hands. His body began to crumble where her hands had been. He made a sour face.

“What’s this going to accomplish...”

“It was only created to slow you down,” she stated cooly. He gave her a fleeting questioning look as the last of his face crumbled onto the porch.

The door next to her clicked open.

“Hi, hi Kasshii,” Yumi said in her usual tired voice.

“Hey,” Cassandra said in a voice that wasn’t her own. Yumi had already lit her own cigarette and was giving Cassandra a strange look.

“daijyoubu?”* Cassandra’s face changed slightly as her eyes filled with panick.

“Don’t leave her hanging or she might get suspicious,” Cassandra gloated. Adele smiled at Cassandra.

'She’s your friend. I did what I said I would. Besides, now that you know of Yuri and I, I believe we may be talking a little more often.' Adele’s words were plain with no emotion attatched. Cassandra’s eyes blinked a few times as a boney hand waved past her eyes.

"daijyoubu,” Yumi asked again with more concern this time.

“un.” ** Cassandra’s nod was almost vigorous while Yumi raised an eyebrow at her.

“nani ka kangaeteiru no.”*** Cassandra gave her a small relieved smile.

“nandemonai.”****

Shutting her bedroom door behind herself, Cassandra heaved a heavy sigh.

‘I don’t think she noticed...’ She was trying to convince herself that Yumi didn’t realize she had literally been another person. She smiled weakly at herself. ‘I must have snapped when I wasn’t looking.’

“anoo, sumimasuen,”* a meek voice called into her ear.

“Great,” Cassandra spat. “Now I’m hearing things.”

“moushiwakegozaimasen.?aderu sama wa 'kasandora sama ni shoukai nasaimasu' to osshaimasu.”**

“Can I not even be left to my own thoughts,” she asked the empty room.

“honto ni moushiwakagozaimasen!”*** It sounded like a pitiful cry. Giving into her self-proclaimed insanity of audio hallucinations, she chose to talk back.

“At least I’ll get some Japanese practice in,” she muttered bleakly. ”ne. watashitachi ni hanashitara?keigo o tsukauna. kikinikui da ne. sarani, tanjyunna bun o tsukau. watashi no nihongo wa honto ni heta da.”**** Cassandra was tired and it was still early, and she still had to meet Terry for their trip to the Keg. *****

“demo, busahou na...”

“ki ni shinai. keigo wa wakarinikui da. demo, jikoshoukai wa keigo o tsuttara daijyoubu. sorejya...hai, douzo."******

“hai?” The voice was annoyingly perky. “mori yuri to moushimasu?shinta toki wa ??sai degozaimashita! shumi wa shodou dattari?gaigengo o narattari?ryouri dattari?suruno ga daisuki degozaimasu?” Cassandra rubbed her temples.

“shaberuna” ******** She heard a small whimper. “Adele... teach her english.”


“Now, I don’t want to hear either of you tonight,” Cassandra said flatly. “AND when I’m asking myself a rhetorical question, DON’T ANSWER.” Silence. Heaving a sigh, she stood to leave her room. Grabbing her pentacle and a heavier jacket, she left Yumi to the apartment.

She walked slowly and sullenly down the well beaten path to the Wood Center, turning the idea that she was seriously crazy over slowly in her mind.

‘I hear voices now, but there’s no way to prove that.’ She wrapped herself more tightly in her jacket.

‘Ok. Supposing all of this is really happening...who the hell is Krad or Cole or whatever the fuck his name was. What the hell is with me hearing voices? Who the fuck are these people?’ Her questions just mounted continuously until they over lapped into a hard dizzying white noise in her head.

“Cassandra?” Her head jerked up, giving the caller a very wide-eyed expression. Terry was giving her a concerned but odd expression. “Could you even hear me?” She stared at him blankly. “I guess not.” He gave her a gentle kiss and took her arm, which she slide down and intertwined her fingers with his. She liked his hands. They made hers feel small and boney instead of pudgy and clumsy like they had always felt to her.

“So what should we drink tonight,” she asked him thoughtfully.

“Well...if you’re still feeling off. We can do chocolate cakes till we’re praising the Porcelain Gods. Or we can mix if up a little. Have some beers and bitch beers to go with it.” She smiled softly.

“I think I’ll be able to appreciate the latter a little more. I gott’a work tomorrow.” He gave her a sideways glance.

“7-11A or 11-3P?” She gave him a light laugh.

“My lovely usual. 7-11A.”

“Soo...Not too much?”

“No worries. I’ll deal with the hang over,” she stated with a clumsy kiss. Terry swooped her up in a tight bear up and kiss. Her insides squirmed with delight. Her smiled coyly.

“Happy Birthday, Cassandra.” She smirked.

“Did someone tell you or did you remember?” His smile faltered slightly.

“Charity told me.”

“Ah.”

Charity was a friend of hers from her Japanese class. They had actually met in her 101 Japanese class in her freshman year. They ended up having the same history class that was just before their Japanese class. Charity and Cassandra started talking when they realized they had 2 classes together back to back. Charity was the closest thing to a female friend she’s had since middle school. They didn’t do much outside of class together besides hangout at the Table reading manga, having lunch with the others or doing last minute homework. Now she was going to marry Terry’s friend Theo. She still believed it was a bit of a whirlwind romance, she was slowly getting used to the concept of them getting married. She was glad for them but she seemed harbor ill-feelings for their union. She didn’t know why, but she did. This malcontent must have shown on her face or she had been quiet for too long, either way Terry had given her a sideways look and squeezed her hand gently. She looked up at him with a wide eye expression.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah...” Her reply was very halfhearted. Enough so to receive an “Are you sure?” She gave him a small smile.

“Just thinkin’ too much.”

“About?” This was hardly a new topic of conversation for them since she had expressed her feelings several times about their friend’s union, so she excused further inquires with a flustered wave of her hand as if she was trying to swat away a fly.

“O-K.” He didn’t sound convinced.

They entered the small liquor store. The chill from the outside lingered in the entry way as they stomped off the excess snow that clung to their boots. Cassandra went to the tobacco side, while Terry went into the alcoholic side. The clerk eyed them carefully. Trying to see if they knew each other or not, but not dismissing the fact that they came in together. Her eyes looked like they were being very calculating and scrutinizing everyone that walked through her doors.

Cassandra crouched down in front of the display case of specialized cigarettes. The flavored ones. She was trying to decide between her beloved Djarum Blacks and a special blend from Camel. She finally decided on Izmir Stingers. After getting the suedo polite third degree from the clerk about her birth date, she bought her cigarettes. She than she slipped into the liquor side to give Terry her order and stepped out for a smoke.

The air was dry. It hurt to breathe as she packed her cigarettes.

‘He’s here.’ Cassandra turned.

“What did I tell you...” Her voice was terse. She was about to say something else when she noticed a figure walking away from the gas station across the street. The figure was covered by the darkness, like it was their personal lover, even as they strode into the light of the street corner as they waited to cross the street, she couldn’t see who it was, but she was pretty sure she recognized the walk. The door opened behind her as she was about to put the filter in her mouth.

“Oh good. You haven’t started yet.” It was Terry. “They want to card you.” Cassandra let out a laugh of frustration.

“Again?!”


They shuffled out of the Keg and Cassandra lit up her Daiquiri flavored cigarette. Her drag was long and deep,and exhaled it slowly.

“Seems like you needed that.” She gave him a small smirk.

“If I could fully express in words how bad my day has been, you would understand how badly I needed that.”

“How bad was it?”

“You would think I was crazy.”

“Well, I already do, so how is that going to changed anything?” She gave him a punch in the shoulder. He just giggled it off and threw his arms around her. “But you’re MY crazy person, and I love you for it!”

“I love you too, Terry. But this just might be a little out there for you.” She gave him an uncertain look.

“Try me?” She gave him a pained smile.

“I think I’m having audio hallucinations.”

“Like hearing voices?”

“Yeah.”

“Schizophrenia-like?”

“Wouldn’t know,” she replied huffily. “From my understanding the onset of that is in, like, the late single digits to early double. Not exclusively on their 21st birthday.” He considered her for a moment.

“I’ll look into that one..” She gave him a soft smile quietly thanking him for the thought.

When they got back to his dorm room, they cuddled a little to get the warmth back in their strained appendages. They were wrapped up snugly, watching the tiny 20” TV as his arms snaked around her waist pulling her closer. Cassandra liked it when they were close, it made her feel safe. He always had.

They had met on a whim through her last boyfriend. She had gone on a nature walk with Terry, Theo, and her boyfriend. Theo and her boyfriend had struck up a conversation that was slowly turning into an argument. Cassandra could sense that her boyfriend was losing the argument. She looked over back at Terry, who she was having a modest conversation with, and rolled her eyes. He gave her a questioning look as she started counting down with her fingers.

“Now,” she whispered. He looked at her.

“What?”

“His pitch changed. It changes when he starts losing and starts pulling shit out of his ass.” He listened again and a slow smile crossed his face.

From that point on they would give each other a knowing smile when they heard it. Their friendship bloomed very healthily from than on. She was able to talk with him when her boyfriend was too busy getting high in the middle of the woods or hanging out with his friends when they were suppose to be eating together. Terry made her feel wanted and a lot better about herself than her boyfriend ever did. She met many people through her boyfriend and who mutually wondered why the hell they were even hanging around him.

Cassandra was slowly falling for Terry. Probably because he gave her the kind of attention that she wanted and needed. By the time summer rolled around Cassandra had fallen completely out of love with her boyfriend of 4 years and slowly growing more attached to Terry’s company. During that summer, she bumped into Theo while she was on campus for a summer class, traded Terry and his number for a ride down to the Keg to buy some cigarettes.

“Hello,” Cassandra had asked the receiver tentatively.

“Hey.” The husky, clipped voice belonged to Terry.

“Hey,” she said shyly.

“Who’s this?” Her heart sank into the remainders of her stomach.

“You’re mean!” She squeaked into the phone.

“Cassandra?” Terry sounded almost confused and disbelieving.

“Yes,” she stated in a pouty tone. She could hear him smile on the other end while he searched for words to start a topic of discussion.

When word got out about Terry and Cassandra’s flirting became more apparent to the rest of their friends, they both got the individual inquisition squads of friends asking if they were going out. In return, they just gave them an uncertain smile and said, ”Ya’know...I don’t know.”

Cassandra snuggled closer to Terry. He gave a small squeak of giddiness, wrapping his arms tighter around her. She rested her head against his shoulder as he slowly kissed her neck.

“heh... are we even going to get the alcohol tonight?” He muttered a ‘yes’ into her shoulder as he started to get up to retrieve the alcohol. She gave his back a small smile. He passed her a bottle of her more favored flavor of bitch beer as she stared blankly at the TV and he plopped down next to her. She gave a small smile as she tipped the bottle up and drank deeply. Tarry stared at her with the opening of his own bottle poised on his lip. She looked back at him after she drained the bottle.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly. She stared at him for moment as he slowly drank his beer. “Ok... So I’ve never seen you down one like that before.”

“Oh,” she said quietly as she hugged her knees tightly. He offered an uncertain look.

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”

“I-I know,” she stammered quietly. He pulled her closer to him into a half hug.

“You want another?”

“Sure.” He got up to retrieve another when Cassandra started feeling light headed and dizzy. ‘That can’t be the alcohol already...’ Something cold and smooth pressed against the side of her face. Looking up weakly she saw something fuzzy that she tired to focus on. She took the cold bottle carefully.

“You ok?” The voice came to her ears in a warbled sound. Cassandra managed a small nod. “Don’t tell me you’re already gone.” She shook her head almost vigorously. “Oookay.”

Her second beer was already open and mostly gone when she looked down at the bottle. ‘What the hell is going on,’ she thought crossly. Before she had finished her second bottle blackness swallowed Cassandra whole.

Terry was shaking her shoulder lightly.

“Hey. You ok? Cassandra?” His worry increased the longer he tried to stir her from her slumber. Terry’s panic levels were rising quickly when Cassandra’s eyes finally opened. She looked up at him with sleepy eyes.

“Hey,” he told her softly. “You passed out on me.”

“No I didn’t.” The reply was almost curt. Terry just looked at her as she finished the rest of the bottle.

“ookay..” He shifted uncomfortably. “Than what did you do?”

“She passed out on you. I just came forward.” She stated this very matter-of-factly. Terry eyed Cassandra closely.

“Who are you.” A small smile curled at the corners of her mouth.

“At least you know when to ask the correct questions....Henry.” She turned and looked into Terry’s blue eyes with vibrant violet eyes. “My names Adele. And I’m fairly certain you don’t remember me yet.” Terry blinked at her, taking a slow drink from his beer. He was studying her. Almost painfully close.

“There’s no way you’re that drunk yet, and I sure as shit ain’t that drunk,” his voice trailed off as if his next sentence had temporarily escaped him.

“But I am who I say I am and you can choose to believe me or not,” Adele stated curtly.

“So, why now,” Terry asked deciding to play along.

“How do you mean?”

“Why did you choose now, this moment, to show up?” Adele smiled at Terry.

“Two reasons. One - To make sure you didn’t have a panic attack because she passed out on you due to Yuri’s low tolerance for alcohol, and two - To meet the new Henry.”

“Who’s Henry?” Terry’s mind started reeling. ‘She seriously wasn’t kidding. But this is more like multiple personalities.’ He watch ‘Adele’ closely as she answered he questions slowly but without much hesitation.

“Henry was Yuri’s love. The one she chose to be with until she died, but war swept across her country taking her love away from her permanently. She, herself died very shortly after, from a broken heart. She didn’t meet the other that was to keep her company through life..I wonder why,” she mused thoughtfully. Terry eyed her.

“ ‘The other that was to keep her company through life’? What is that suppose to mean? If she had already chosen the one she wanted to life the rest of her life with, why was there another and how the hell would you know?” What this ‘Adele’ was saying didn’t seem plausible or possible. Besides, how would she know of such things about this ‘Yuri’ person or be able to say there was another waiting for her?

“What is your name? So I don’t keep calling you Henry.”

“Terry,” he said shortly. The smile she gave him didn’t make him feel comfortable any degree. It seemed too mischievous, forced, and insincere.

“Well, Terry, I’ve been around a very long time. Enough to learn through the ages, at least as well as a trapped passive learner can. People still have a lot to learn and accept. But that isn’t the point of my being here. My love was destroyed in front of me and torn apart. Now, I’m just a casual observer that watches the lives of the ones who’s lives share this soul and the ones they love. I’m not going to tell what happened in the past to anyone who isn’t sharing this soul, and I will only kiss and tell when they ask.” She gave Terry as faint smile. “So don’t ask any unnecessary questions.” Adele stared at him steadily with a sad expression. Terry cocked an eyebrow at here.

“You look like you’re about to cry.” She looked away from him and down at her empty bottle.

“I remember very clearly what my love was like. Even if our time was brief. You have his gentle inquires and and his gentle ways. I guess is just makes me sentimental seeing you,” she replied quietly. Terry stared at her. ‘What the hell is this girl talking about??’ She placed the bottle on the floor and looked up at him.

“Terry. Would you mind if I were selfish for just one moment? I fear if I don’t do this...I fear I’ll be restless until time stops.” Terry gave her a slow nod, wondering when his 5 beer was going to decide to kick in. She was leaning toward him when he realized that they were starting to kick in. Adele caressed his face like her hands were made of flower petals, soft and gentle. The kiss that she gave him, was one that Cassandra had never given him before. The kiss was over almost in the same instant that it had began.

“Thank you,” she whispered and laid her head against Terry’s shoulder while he remained dumbstruck. “She will be back when she wakes. Hopefully, we won’t see each other again Terry.” Terry put a cautious arm around her, letting her rest.

“What the fuck was that?”