Focus

As if walking for an hour in the cold dark night wasn't enough to calm her anxiety and self-hatred, Cassie decided when she reached her home that she wasn't going to go inside. Instead, she kept walking... and walking... and walking. Breathing deeply before releasing a troubling sigh, a shadow in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She convinced herself it was just a dog and kept walking.

Stupid... stupid and idiotic... you do nothing but fail... what's wrong with you lately? After chastising herself, Cassie's mouth was dry, her legs and hands shaking.

Thinking of Tate made her shiver even more. Distance he wanted. Space? Hell I'd put the universe between us if that's what he really wanted.

Cassie shook her head, disgusted with herself. You are so cheesy... we are not in a romance novel. Ugh Tate... how could he say that. Focus Cassie, focus. ON WHAT? FOCUS ON WHAT? ON THE FACT THAT I'M GOING TO DIE IN ABOUT A MONTH? NO THANK YOU. Chill. Everything's going to be okay.

She exhaled loudly releasing all her angst, the sound echoing down the street. Cassie heard steps. Maybe she was going crazy. A dog would definitely not make the sounds of someone stomping. Cassie wasn't scared but there was a something weird in that neighbourhood. All the houses were the same and she could almost hear the people inside, living out their own strange stories. Cassie wished she could forget about the last week and get back to her boringly tedious life, normal for her but exceptional for anyone else... even if that meant waiting another ten years to be a someone's else's guardian rather than her own.

She hurried to reach a better part of the neighbourhood to at least feel safer. That's when she found herself running down the street, desperately escaping from something that didn't exist physically. Escaping from the past, she pressed through the present while avoiding the future.

Her feet led her to the theatre where she made a presentation some days ago. She snuck in... the old man in the ticket box didn't see her tip-toeing the old marble stairs to go to one of the auditoriums. To her surprise, one of them was open.

Must be destiny, she thought.

Nobody was there... no show for anyone to be watching, she was alone. The stage called to her, empty as if it was waiting for her to arrive. Leaving her phone on the side, she stood on it, her hands folded into fists and jumping up and down like an excited child.

"Ladies and gentleman..." She stood at the edge of the stage, presented herself like a circus ringmaster. "Now prepare yourself to be amazed by a remarkable performance. The next presentation features an incredible dancer from New Zoldova's West Coast... Cascadia Blake!"

The phantom audience applauded, as imaginary lights went on and Cassie began to dance. Not a delicate and perfect ballet, but a strange sequence of weird moves, pirouettes, athletic leaps and cartwheels mixed with contemporary interpretations. Between each move she loudly carried on a dramatic monologue.

"You don't understand anything! Nobody does. I'm alone in this world full of lies... the sky help me to fly! For this dreams to come true, I'm not afraid to die."

She stopped to catch her breath, proceeding to dance in an even more free-flowing manner.

"You think I'm afraid? Well I'm not, I'm a hurricane of strength and determination!" She paused from speaking to execute a back flip. "I'm war dressed as peace; I will haunt you in your dreams." With her back arched back, she started to walk on all fours. "The stars gave me wings, I'm not afraid to fly. You don't understand anything, nobody does. The limit is the one you impose, so I'm leaving this world behind."

She stood up pleased with her performance and said thank you to her invisible spectators, but sadness got in the way and she made just smirked instead of smiled. The tears were struggling to see the light, she held them back as long as she could... making her throat hurt and her eyes burn.

"That was great... Cascadia Blake from the West Coast."

A guy's voice from the distance interrupted. She swore it was Tate's but being so emotional and dazed she was too confused to identify him. It sounded higher pitched than his and it came from the back of the armchairs, where the light equipment was positioned.

"Sorry." She yelled for whomever it was to hear. "I just saw the auditorium was open and I entered. I'm so sorry, I'll get off now."

"Relax, I'm not a guard!" he shouted back.

"Who are you?"

He made his way toward her, walking along the blue carpet leading to the stage. Cassie watched his every move, noticing his black plaid shirt with an old rock band's logo, that seemed it hadn't been ironed in years and jeans too big for him. Standing right in front of her, he was just a few centimeters taller but his back was broad making him look a lot bigger than he actually was.

"Petra... I'm from New Zoldova's north lands."

"Petra?" The name sounded familiar... but probably only from a book or a TV show. "Do I know I know you?" she asked while looking him over, his big nose and lips carved into a thin curved line, brown hair pushed back with gel (too much for Cassie's liking) and stunning hazel eyes.

"I don't think so. I'm new here."

"Oh... nice to meet you," she said. "I-what are you doing here?"

"Same as you... minus the dancing part," he replied with a wide smile on his face. Cassie laughed a nervous giggled and raised an eyebrow. "This place always helps me think... and escape whenever I need to," he admitted.

"What are you escaping from?" she asked.

"Toxic thoughts... bad people... you?"

"The same... bad thoughts and toxic people," Cassie replied honestly... looking down while thinking about the impossible mess she was in.

"Your dancing was extraordinary!" he said, meaning every word of the compliment.

"Thank you. I'd say the same to you, but you weren't the one in a tutu." Petra laughed while scratching the back of his head. A few seconds passed and Cassie joined her hands together saying, "Excuse me, but I have to go now. Nice meeting you."

"The pleasure was all mine, West Coast."

Cassie strode along briskly outside the theater, her lips curved to the side, her eyes sparkling, she waited for about five seconds before turning around. Cassie expected Petra to come out with her phone. He did.

"You forgot this, West Coast." Petra handed her phone.

"Oh!" She pretended to be surprised. "Thank you so much."

"No problem," he smiled. Cassie turned around to head back home and immediately started browsing her contacts on the phone. Petra, had written his on there.

➳

"So she gets to call you Petra and I don't?" Alexander turned on the light. Petra was sitting on the floor facing the painted wall. As he didn't reply, Alexander called him again, this time with a tone of doubt in his voice. "Pete?"

"That's right," he said, the tight words escaping from clenched teeth. "She is the only one."

"The only one?" Alexander replied while entering the room.

"Only she can call me Petra."

Alexander sighed deeply, the room filling with a musty smell. He redirected his view to the window, closed off with shudders so the light wouldn't enter the room.

"And what is you're planning exactly?" he asked, crossing his thick, dark, hairy arms over his chest.

"Right now... to get as close as possible to Cassie," Petra smirked, shaking his head while imagining what it might be like to be with her.

"And then?" Petra turned around revealing the dark circles under his shifty eyes,

"Watch Tate die of jealousy." The boy burst out laughing.

"Please, Petra-- Pete."

The boy's lungs filled with air as he arched his back to yell at his master, "Get my damn name right!"

Alexander took a step back. Petra's face was red, his veins marked on his neck, his aggressive breath heard and felt throughout then entire room.

"Pete." Alexander whispered. Petra smiled and nodded.

"Well, once Cassie is no longer in charge of the Icarus' mission we don't know what will happen to her... will she be transformed into a human again? Will she be assigned as a human guardian? That's when I'll be needing your help."

"Continue."

"I need Cassie out of the way, I need her to move somewhere else where Tate can't reach her."

"So?"

"I need you to change the Aesterdis. I need you to erase her destiny and write a new one."

"I can't do that. You have no idea how the Aesterdis works."

"I know enough to know that you can change somebody's destiny by moving some stars here and there."

"It's dangerous, worlds can collide, volcanoes can explode, big storms will break out, and you'll be launching a fate that cannot be changed..."

"That would only happen if you don't do it correctly," the boy challenged.

"The language of the stars is an ancient one and it is not allowed for guardians to alter it. Why do you need Cassie to be somewhere else anyway?"

"Her presence makes my mission impossible. Tate would like to see her before he dies, and that's only if he knows where she is first. I know he wouldn't die without saying goodbye to her."

Alexander narrowed his eyes, not fully comprehending what his apprentice talking about. He sighed. "I'll do my best... and Pete?" he called him, with a hint of doubt in the last word that any of this would work out.

"Yes, Alexander?" Petra said with his most angelic voice, and for once Alexander remembered fondly what he was like as a child.

"If I get in trouble, you will be the one to blame," the man struggled to get each difficult word out. "I'm your master not your family or friend, understand?"

"Yes, sir."

---------

Hello!

it's been like two weeks since I updated sorry!!! tell me what do you think of the chapter! I don't like Petra/Pete he is like a creepy stalker, and what about Cassie and Tate, how much time will they be separated?

XXMad

--update 5th february 2016. Hey guys! I posted a new thingggg, With magic and steampunk elements, "Of Kings and Thieves is an adventure and fantasy novel which tells the story of two people who come together for a treasure hunt... or something like that. Anyway, check it out! :)