A Few Days Before.

Spoiled by her friend and former employer, Casey had become accustomed to a certain set of expectations while she traveled.  Creature comforts were always available, good company was given and the décor was impeccable.  Getting to France had been a nine-hour dream that allowed Casey to walk around in the cabin freely, get drinks with a push of a button, eat with a simple request from her space-aged seat and even on-demand music that complimented her mood.

By comparison, the return trip proved itself to be nothing less of a disaster and started as soon as she arrived.  Casey had gotten to the airport three hours early as suggested by her travel agent to get through the ticketing process and security in order to be on time for the flight.  Moments before Casey was due to board the aircraft, she watched the signs for departure light up with the word ‘Delayed’.  Subsequent inquiries with the flight staff had been a fruitless effort, because the crew didn’t fully understand what the delay was for.  Another three hours of watching others take off and head to their destinations, Casey had almost rushed the attendant when the boarding finally started.

Escorted to her first-class seat and getting settled in the cozy chair, Casey had managed to close her eyes and start her music when the plane taxied away from the terminal and suddenly stopped on the tarmac.  Casey looked out of her small window and noticed that there were a handful of technicians working diligently on the engine.

-This isn’t good, Rivers.-

Casey sighed and slammed the shade shut when the intercom squawked and the captain’s voice rang through the small space.  “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain.  We’ve had a bit of a delay due to… instrumentation.  I appreciate your patience while we work through the issue.  Thank you.”  Not wanting to dwell on the lie that the captain had just told the entire cabin, Casey flagged down one of the attendants and ordered one of her four complimentary vodka tonic drinks to try and calm her nerves.

-What I wouldn’t give to have you blocking my fear now, Vivienne.-

Holding up the voucher for the drink, Casey took the flimsy plastic and swirled the drink to mix it a bit better with the little stirrer that the lady provided.  One huge gulp later, the former ward took a deep breath and leaned back against the headrest of her seat and let out a little sigh.

“Are you alright?”  A heavy male British accent came from the seat beside her.

Looking at the older gentleman with her lovely chocolatey eyes, Casey nodded politely. “Oh, I am fine.  I am just a little anxious to get back home.  Sitting here not moving is..well getting to me.”

Adjusting his neck pillow for comfort, the man pointed to the covered window. “I could have sworn I saw a few people out by the wing.”  He closed his eyes, “With any luck it won’t be much longer.”

Roughly an hour and two more vodka tonics later, Casey cheered to herself when the plane started moving once again.  Lightheaded and nearly asleep, Casey forced her eyes open when the captain once more spoke to the cabin.  “Sorry about that folks.  We have gotten all the technical issues worked out and should be airborne in about ten minutes.”

Throttling up the engines and the sensation of liftoff was the last thing that Casey remembered before she drifted off to sleep.  While the slumber did provide a decent measure to pass the time aboard the aircraft, it did little to settle Casey due to the couple of bad dreams that accompanied her rest. 

Starting off with her paralyzed and lying on a stainless steel table, she could only see a gallon-sized glass pitcher of peach-laden ice tea being swished over her head. “For…your own good, drink up..we love you down here.  You belong to me, Casey.”  Brian’s deep voice boomed before holding open her mouth and dumping the contents.  Unable to breathe through the constant stream of tea, Casey felt her chest seize and the room seemed to spin and change into a brightly lit room with birds chirping at the windows.  “See?  I told you that it would work.  It’s exactly like I promised.”  She watched as his huge hands turned her away from the peace outside but somehow couldn’t feel anything associated with the action.  Slowly her vision adjusted so that the big man’s twisted face came into view. “No pain, no demon blooded vampires sucking on you.  Just the two of us.”  Reality slammed into Casey as she realized that the reason she felt nothing was that her body wasn’t hers, but that of a full sized doll. “You belong to me.  How do you like my solution?”  Bathed in lime green, Brian cackled as he began wildly fucking the doll he’d converted.

“Oh god NO!”  Casey screamed and jerked her head from side to side, her auburn hair whipping across her face bringing her back to reality.  Half aware of where she was, Casey slapped away the pair of hands touching her arms. “No…no!  Get off…don’t touch me!”  

Stepping back, the flight attendant spoke softly. “Miss.  Miss Rivers?”  The woman paused until she saw Casey open her eyes. “You seemed to be having a bad dream.” She pointed to the blanket.  “I wasn’t trying to do anything, it's just…”

Hearing the crewmember’s explanation, Casey looked down at the cover then to the man beside her with wide hungry eyes.  Quickly assessing that her blouse was torn and that her lace bra didn’t hide much of her ample chest, Casey figured that the man got an eye full during the commotion.  Wrapping herself up as though she were in a towel, Casey nodded to the attendant. “You are too kind.  Thank you.”  Noticing that the seatbelt sign was off, Casey stood up and dug out her carry-on bag and searched through it in hopes of finding another set of clothes.

-Great.  Not only are you dreaming of that bastard, but you also didn’t listen to your mother.  Get it together, Rivers.-

Unable to find another top, Casey stood and tapped her foot and in doing so gave herself an idea.  Remembering that she’d swapped her sneakers for a set of light cloth Mary Janes, Casey found one of her white sneakers and yanked the shoestring free.  “Ma’am?”  Casey turned and came face to face with the flight attendant.

“Yes?”

“Can I get one of those almost useless plastic knives you hand out for dinner please?”  Casey inquired politely.

Once she was done giving another passenger a cup of ginger ale, the woman searched her cart for a few seconds and handed Casey what she asked for. “Of course.”  She spotted the shoestring and smiled. “Good idea.”

Darting off to the lavatory, Casey locked the door behind her and inspected the damage done to her thin top. “Not too bad really.”  She pulled off the blue top and punched a few holes close to where the giant tear down from the ‘V’ neck collar was.  Casey looked in the mirror to make sure that her bra hadn’t been torn as well, then laced up her top and slipped it over her head. “It will just have to do.”  Smiling at herself in the mirror, Casey rolled the blanket up over her arm and returned to her seat.

Ordering her final drink, Casey had just gotten her bourbon and cola when she heard the distinct sound of the engine on her side of the plane power down. “What in the…”  Opening the shade didn’t give her any measure of relief since she couldn’t see the engine as it was dark outside.  

“...What was that?”  The British guy spoke up for the first time since he’d been spotted looking at Casey’s chest. 

Comforted by the fact she could see the entire wing and that it was still in place, Casey turned to the guy and shrugged, “I don’t know for sure, it was just something that sounded odd to me is all.”  Standing up, She pointed at the little window. “Take a look for yourself.”  While the man took care of his own worries and looked outside, Casey noted the time on her watch and did some quick addition. “We have about two hours left, I think.”

-What else can happen today, for fuck sake?-

Wishing she still had her enhanced sight to see if the turbines were still running, Casey’s thoughts betrayed her a couple of minutes later when the seatbelt sign came on and the voice of the captain once again filled the aircraft.  “Ladies and gentlemen.  I have gotten a few calls from our flight crew asking what happened a few minutes ago.  I will confirm that the pilot and I have shut down the number one engine.  It was precautionary only, due to an unconfirmed alarm that we can’t tell if it's instrumental or actual.  Rest assured we are able to get into Virginia Beach on one engine and have more than enough time to do so.  The good news is we had a very good tailwind and it cut our flight time significantly.  We should be landing in about thirty minutes.”

Downing one bourbon and cola, Casey purchased a second one and managed to finish it just before the flight crew went around and collected excess garbage in preparation to land.  When Casey felt the aircraft touch down, she breathed a heavy sigh of relief and gathered her small pile of effects and waited impatiently for the doors to open.

Cool air rushed inside the cabin when the crew opened the door, and Casey didn’t wait for the signal to leave before she was through the door and into the small hallway leading out of the terminal.

-Thank god for small favors.-

Stopping long enough to pull the handle up so her carry-on would roll, Casey made her way to customs where she happily was the first in line. “Nothing to declare, I just want to get home.”  She smiled at the guy behind the small glass and slid her passport to him.

Flipping through the dark blue covered book with the American bald eagle on it, the guy saw the list of stamps. “Had a long trip in Europe, Miss Rivers?”  He scanned the little barcode and then looked at his terminal. “Can you step to your right please, Miss Rivers?”

Raising one of her long eyebrows, Casey smiled nervously at the gentleman. “Why?  I already said I have nothing to declare.  I should be going on my way, right?”  Concern glossed over her brown eyes when two guards came over and pointed her in the direction of a small door.

“This way, Miss Rivers.”  One of the guards offered and obtained her passport from the worker.

Lightheaded from the double bourbon she’d had less than an hour before, Casey was unwilling to press the issue with the two guards and opted to call her attorney instead. “Please pick up…pick up.” Escorted through the pine door, Casey sat down in a plastic and metallic chair as instructed just as her attorney answered.

“H…hello?”  A groggy voice came over the speaker.

Casey spoke up quickly, “Doug.  It’s Casey Rivers.  I don’t know how much time I have.  I am going to make it as fast as I can.”  Casey took a deep breath and explained exactly what happened and waited for him to respond.

“Obviously, say nothing.”  He yawned and let out a groan. “The guard didn’t stop you from making the call, so that means it could be nothing.  I will wait and listen in.”

Five minutes passed before an athletic woman with short brown hair came into the office. “Thank you, I have her at this point.”

Casey sat quietly as the guard left and the woman in a ladies suit and skirt took a seat in a swivel chair across from her. “Doug.  Wake up.”  Casey heard her attorney groan and affirm that he was once again awake.

Flipping out her credentials complete with a bright silver badge, the woman spoke. “Ellie Miller, FBI.  Glad to finally meet you Miss Rivers.”  Ellie offered her badge to Casey to observe.

“It’s alright, I wouldn’t know if it is fake or not.”  Casey pointed to the open line on her phone. “I have my attorney Douglas Dunbar listening in.

“That is certainly your right.”  Ellie typed a few things on the terminal and showed it to Casey. “I had a flag to hold you upon landing.  I have just cleared it.”  Ellie handed Casey back the passport.

“So why is my client being held, Agent Miller?”  Doug sleepily asked.

Opening her small leather carry case, Ellie produced a small manilla folder and opened it. “Routine follow up questions, I have been looking for her about six months since I was handed this case.”

“Is she under arrest?”  Doug inquired. “Casey, you don’t say a word.”

“Informal questioning, really.  So no, she is not under arrest.”  Ellie answered directly.

“Casey, get up and leave.”  Doug confidently announced.

Ellie looked up from the folder with Casey’s name all over it. “Your attorney is correct, Miss Rivers.”  She paused and a cross look came over the agent’s features. “You can leave anytime you want, However..”  She picked up a small bag with a set of dog tags in them. “The moment you exit the airport, the local PD will be waiting to pick you up for being drunk in public.”  Ellie touched her nose and raised one eyebrow. “The longer you spend in here, the less likely you are to be intoxicated should you leave.”

“Casey, that’s entrapment.  Don’t listen to a word she’s saying.  I will have her badge in the morning.”  Doug snarled, “Get up and leave.”

Dangling the dog tags up so the metal would clank, Ellie ignored the upset attorney and kept watching her suspect. “We found these mysteriously in the woods roughly a mile or so away from the bones of the owner.”  Ellie tossed the evidence across the table. “Any idea how they got there?”

Content to say nothing per Doug’s advice, Casey took her inaction further and sat still and looked directly at the wall behind the FBI agent, blinking only when the burn in her eyes forced her to.

Looking over her shoulder at the wall and then back to Casey, Ellie continued. “See, I suspect you knew about the tags there, and even more curious are these pictures.”  Ellie laid out a set of images captured by a drone of the Crow farmhouse.  

“Casey.  Use the video conference and let me see what Agent Miller is displaying.”  Dough requested.

Activating the camera took a few little flicks of Casey’s finger and she held her phone up to each picture one at a time. “Doug, is this what you wanted?” Casey finally spoke.

“Yes, pan across them a few times, say nothing to the Agent.”  Doug carefully studied the images as they came into focus. “How were these obtained?  My client is not in any of these, Agent.”  Doug laughed, “Casey no more of this.  Get up and leave.”

Agent Miller lifted a few more sheets of paper and pulled out two more photos. “These were especially hard to get, Miss Rivers.  Have any idea what’s going on here?”

Reaching his last straw, Doug sighed in frustration. “Casey, scan those pictures as well.  Don’t worry dear, she will be unemployed by noon tomorrow.  However, I do need to see what she is showing you.”  The attorney stopped talking to his client. “The sheer volume of lawsuits I am going to file is …”  He paused as the last two images came into view. “Unbelievable.  Agent Miller, you are looking at jail time for these.”

Laying before Casey were two enlarged photos of the bathroom within the Crow farmhouse.  Finding herself unable to do more than her attorney had asked, once she’d gotten the images she sat there and gazed at a bloody and cracked porcelain sink as well as the edges of a bent tub with what looked like handprint molded into it.

Sweat slowly beaded across Casey’s forehead as she glared at the photos one at a time.  Shortly after, Casey’s hands began to shake uncontrollably as the memories and flashes of what happened in that bathroom combined with the dream’s she’d had earlier on the plane.  Vaguely aware that Douglass was virtually screaming at the federal agent, Casey jammed her hands in her coat pocket and found the strength to stand up and head for the door.

-She can’t possibly know what happened, can she?-

Gathering her thoughts, Casey knew she had to get out of the room and away from the agent so she couldn’t try and bring up anything else that would arouse suspicion.  Using her coat sleeve as a buffer, Casey twisted the little doorknob and let herself out of the interview room.  Hurriedly, Casey followed the exit signs and made her way into an open space with various gift shops, fast-food restaurants and small book shops.  Convinced that no one was following her, Casey tapped the speaker button on her phone and spoke to her attorney one to one.  “Thank you, Doug.  I didn’t think she was going to let me leave.  I was sure not to touch anything..you know to leave fingerprints.”

Clearing his throat, the older gentleman waited for Casey to finish. “You did great, Miss Rivers.  That was a fishing expedition.”  He paused for a breath, “Those last photos were meant to unhinge you, to see if she was right about a hunch.”  He yawned and flipped through the pictures Casey had sent. “I am pretty sure Agent Miller got these illegally.”

Making her way down to the baggage claim, Casey paused on the escalator. “How do you know they are illegal?”

“The attorney that is in charge of that farm has filed multiple injunctions against the local, state and federal agencies so that even the state maintained road through there is under contestation.  There is a twenty-five-foot barrier wall over the property and all of the windows on the first floor have been boarded up.”  He laughed, “Miss Blackwell has done an excellent job thus far.”  He laughed, “I am sure that the email I just sent her with the images will cause a shitstorm in the morning.”

Figuring that the majority of bags would have long since been claimed, Casey walked over to the small office of the airline she’d used and managed to get all of her personal belongings.  Nodding to the kind woman behind the desk, Casey stacked her luggage together and snapped it together with the straps that came with it. “Doug, I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done.  If you need to send an invoice, just send it to me at my mother's house.  That’s where I will be staying for a bit.”

“No need, Miss Rivers.  Doctor Moreau long set aside a fund for you, just in case.”  He laughed and yawned once more. “Now, you get somewhere safe.  I will handle all of this mess in the morning, first thing.  I have your mother’s address on file, so when I send deliveries, just sign and send back.  The FBI will regret everything.”

Smiling for the first time in a few hours, Casey let out a little huff-laugh. “Doug, thank you so much. I have kept you up too long already, let me find a way out of this airport.  Take care.”  She listened to him assure her again that he would take care of everything, and then pressed the button to end the call.

Red exit signs along with huge direction arrows aided Casey through the main part of the airport and she sighed a little in relief when she saw the glass doors and the lines of taxis waiting to take her away from the horrible experience.  Taking a few seconds to zip up her jacket to protect herself from the cool October air, Casey headed through an automatic door and immediately saw a sign with her name on it with the cute little printing of ‘Twilight Tonight’ in stars under it.

Casey walked to the chauffeur, “I am Casey Rivers.”  She raised one of her brown eyebrows, “How did you know I would..”

Bowing slightly to Casey, the man tipped his hat and opened the door for Casey to climb into the long limousine. “Compliments of Martin Shores.  You will find anything you need inside, Miss Rivers.”  He walked up and took Casey’s luggage, “I will take care of this, you get inside and get warm.”

A couple minutes passed before the driver resumed his place in the front of the vehicle.  a small privacy window came down so he could see Casey. “Where to ma’am?  I am available for as long as you need.”

“738 Newcastle Drive, it’s a tan and blue house.”  Casey responded and happened to glance out of the side shadowed window to spot Agent Miller smiling wickedly and waving.

-What the fuck does she want?-

Casey quickly asked herself before she was interrupted with a polite cough.  She looked up with her eyebrows raised, “Yes?”

“There are refreshments in the bottles there, but if you want something along the way, I would be happy to stop.”  He offered and kept looking at Casey.

Figuring that her mother hadn’t eaten in days, Casey smiled and thought of a small pizza place along the way that the two had enjoyed a few times before. “Out in Pembrooke, there is a small place run by a few spectacular Greek women.  I would love to grab a pizza from there, if it isn’t too much trouble.  I hope it’s still open, it is pretty late.”

Aware of the place Casey referred to, the chauffeur grinned widely, “Oh, I know Two-Di-Pie.  Best sandwiches I have ever had..Oh, the place is always packed this time of night.  They don’t usually close until much later.”  He rubbed his stomach playfully, “One quick stop before we head to Newcastle.”

Perking one of her thin brows, Casey tilted her head. “You know where Newcastle is?  I figured you had a GPS anyway, but more often than not I have had people ask me how to spell it.”  She laughed, “Though I think it is common sense.”

“We all know where it is, Miss Rivers.  Mister Shores has spent…um time at the location with Miss Jennifer Rivers.”  He pointed quickly to Casey and dropped his formal tone, “Your mom.  She is a fun one.” Pushing the button to roll up the privacy window, the driver pulled away from the curb and headed into the main city.

Cruising gently through the streets of her former home, Casey couldn’t stop herself from remembering the places she and Brian had once walked and enjoyed hand in hand.  Passing by a set of yellow and white blinking lights attached to an ice skating rink, Casey had the memory of her and what she considered her gentle giant holding each other tightly as he spun them in slow little circles.  Touching her lips lightly, Casey easily recalled how Brian’s short goatee hair tickled her when they kissed after every full circle.

-You knew he was a monster before, Rivers.  Why did you go out with so many others?  Something told you that there was a monster within.-

Sniffling and wiping away the tears, Casey decided to stop resisting the allure of another bourbon and cola.  Dishing out a couple pieces of ice and pouring the brown alcohol over the solid cubes, she cracked open the diet soda and poured it until the bubbles almost came over the rim of the small glass. 

-Just to steady your nerves.  Your day and night has sucked.-

Stopping short of taking a long gulp of the liquor, Casey knew that while her circumstances were awful for her day, being drunk never seemed to do much other than usually get her into more trouble.

-You started drinking heavily when Brian had all but moved in with you.  Remember, Rivers? What did Vivienne call you?  Reckless?  Yeah, that’s what it was.-

Sighing to herself with the realization, Casey put the drink down in a holder then started rubbing the knee her former mistress had once patched up.  Reflecting on the days before she’d met the blue-eyed woman, the problems with Brian had already started cropping up.  Constantly badgering her about where she was going, what she was doing, who she was with.  

She could hear the undertone in the memory of Brian’s voice.  ‘Going out again?  Who was that? Don’t just ignore me.  What if I don’t want you to leave?  Maybe I need you here with me tonight.’  Casey didn’t think about it at the time, but her desperate actions were in relation to how overbearing the big man got over the two years they dated.

-Now I can’t even come home without seeing him all over.-

Aware that her right hand had started shaking, Casey reached over and massaged her palm in an effort to stop the tingling and anxiety she was slowly building up within her mind.  When the car hit a small bump and jingled the ice in the glass, Casey grabbed the cocktail and drained the contents without thinking about it.  

-I don’t want to see him everywhere!-

Casey screamed to herself and started wildly punching the leather seats to either side of her.  Anger fueled the frustration and she pounded until she had no strength left and the alcohol started warming her belly. 

-Every relationship has its issues.  It still doesn’t mean you try and force..-

Flopping her head against the back of the seat, Casey began crying as the limousine passed by her old university residential area.  While there were lots of fond memories of her and her friends outside just goofing off in the student common areas, Casey kept coming back to the last night she’d been with Brian and how they’d resolved to fix what might have been broken.  Without knowing why, Casey heard herself aloud, “I love you, here and now.”  She crushed her eyes closed and tried to erase the gentle smile of the man turned monster that she’d dealt with.

-Somehow you knew, Rivers.  You thought about it a few minutes ago.  The way he grabbed you from time to time, was that just concern or meant to inflict pain?-

Thankful when the dark window rolled down again, Casey wiped the tears from her cheeks and looked at the driver. “I would know that smell anywhere.”  Casey smiled at the man. “Do you want anything when I go in?”  Casey offered.

Shaking his head, the chauffeur waved his hand. “Miss Rivers.  Mister Shores would be very upset if I let you go in there and order. What would you like?”

Roasted garlic and hot bread permeated Casey’s senses and she blurted out, “Mom and I are kinda traditionalists with pizza and bread.  None of this pineapple garbage.”  Casey heard her driver snicker, “Pepperoni and cheese.  Classic and wonderful. Please ask them to brush on the garlic butter for the crust.”  Reaching for her purse, Casey tried to hand the driver her credit card. “Order whatever you’d like as well…”  She paused when he held up his hand.

“Compliments of Twilight Tonight, Miss Rivers.”

Absentmindedly rubbing her wrists, Casey smiled and nodded to her driver. “I will have to thank him personally at some point.”  Relieved when the window returned to its privacy position, Casey settled back in the leather seat and turned on the radio and swapped stations until she found a station playing a soft ballad then closed her eyes.

Clanking of keys forced Casey to open her eyes and look around wondering where she was.  Seconds after her eyesight adjusted to the limo again, Casey held her temples for a couple seconds in the effort to push the swimmy feeling she had from the bourbon that she’d downed a half hour before.  

“Sorry, Ma’am.  I didn’t know that it would take so long to get the order completed.  It was very busy inside.”  The chauffeur handed Casey the items she asked for, through the window that separated the front from the back.

“Oh, um…”  Casey grunted and somehow managed to grasp the pizza box and the little bag of breadsticks. “..It’s alright, I am sure this will be just fine.  I appreciate it.”  Casey blinked a few more times and smiled, “You got yourself something to eat, right?  The place is fantastic.”

“I did, thank you.  We should be at your destination in a few minutes.”  He winked.

True to his word, Casey smiled as the car came to a stop in front of her mother's tan and blue home.  Casey had scooted to the curbside door and was about to open it when the driver opened the door and offered his hand.  “Thank you.”  Casey smiled and stepped out into the fresh but salty air. “Something about coming back home, isn’t it?”

“I agree, Miss Rivers.  Head up and I will get your things.”  The kind driver started calmly.

Much like the last few times Casey came to her mother’s house, she stopped at the small mailbox and pulled the weeks worth of mail from it and placed it on top of their pizza box.  Casey walked up the three steps and had reached for the door when her mother opened the door with a wide smile on her face.  Casey laughed and pointed at the mail. “You’ll never change mom.”

“Good to see you as well.”  Jennifer moved out of the way for her daughter, “Have mercy on my waistline, Caesy.  That smells great.”  Jennifer waved to the chauffeur and then headed to her kitchen. “Paul is a good guy, your things are safe.”  She pulled down a few paper plates and tossed them on the stove. “Well tell me, how was your trip?”

Following her flighty mother quickly through the house, Casey glanced over her shoulder at the man stacking her luggage inside the door. “Paul?  He didn’t tell me his name.”  Smiling when the two tiny plates were impatiently spread out, Casey opened the pizza box and gave her mother the initial two pieces. 

“There you go Miss Rivers, all settled.  Will you need my services anymore this evening?”  Paul quietly asked.

Shaking her head, Jennifer walked over to Paul and gave the man a quick hug. “Thank Martin for me, you go ahead home.  Casey is fine with me, thank you.”  She handed him a quick tip and closed the door after he excused himself. “Pizza time.”  Jennifer announced and ran back into the kitchen.

Already chewing on her second piece of pizza, Casey handed her mother the plate she’d loaded up minutes before.  “I needed this.”  Finally having food in her stomach, Casey sighed happily. “The trip home was awful.  Took way too long.”  Casey took another bite and picked up the box and headed to the living room.

Her mouth half full of pizza, Jennifer held her hand up for a moment while she politely swallowed. “I will admit I was a bit shocked to see you come home so soon.  I thought you’d be in Europe for at least five years.”  Jennifer settled into her well used rope chair and finished the pizza she’d been working on. “So, spill it Rivers.”  

Being in a familiar setting with the comfort of her mother close by, Casey took a deep breath and sat down on the white leather loveseat and enjoyed the heat coming from the fireplace. “I must be getting a little better.”  She pointed at the fireplace. “I am not shaking.”  Casey set the pizza box down and showed her hands to her mother. “Where do you want me to start mom?”  She gave up any idea of hiding the truth from Jennifer. “Pick the point.”

“Vivienne.”  Jennifer raised one eyebrow and took another bite of pizza. “I was under the impression you’d be working with her for life really.”

Hearing the name again made Casey slouch on the loveseat, “You went right for the throat.”  Casey laughed to herself and the ironic comment.

“You tell me and I’ll tell you.”  Jennifer smiled and kicked her feet so the swing started moving slowly. “Just keep in mind that I have spent lots of time with Martin and company.”  Jennifer laughed and saw the questioning look cross her daughter’s features. “Nope, I am the elder.  You go first…and give me more of that pizza.”

Reluctantly Casey pushed herself up from the comfy loveseat and walked back into the kitchen to get the breadsticks that she knew her mother would ask for. “Okay, Vivienne.”  Casey refilled her mom’s plate and continued, “Honestly, that was the plan.  I can’t say much about the terms of employment, but yes, it was for life.”

“Because she’s a vampire.”  Jennifer nonchalantly commented and bit off a hunk of garlic bread and laughed. “Things moms know, right?”  She poked the breadstick at Casey. “Well, go on.”

Stunned into silence, Casey stood there looking at her mother in disbelief.

“I’ll wait, sweetie.”  Jennifer pumped her feet so the chair swing moved faster. “Just do me a favor and don’t drop the pizza, I think we are about to have a very long night.  The food will help.”  She reached beside her and pressed a small remote and the stereo in the living room flared to life, playing piano covers.

Registering those few words about their late dinner, Casey somehow managed to get her body to move after a couple minutes. “Mom..I…”  Casey knew that she was on the verge of breaking a promise that could get her into much more trouble than just one little FBI agent. “...How..how do I go first after that?”

Jennifer waved her hand and laughed, “Martin talks in his sleep, dear.”  She winked and shrugged. “I didn’t believe it at first myself.  It took meeting his mistress to know for sure.”  Jennifer laughed, “She spoke fondly of you.”

Unwilling to deal with her mother’s sexual antics at the moment, Casey sank on the couch once more. “You spoke to Sylvie?”  She watched her mother shake her head and laugh. “Yeah, she and I are friends.  She’s the one who … who helped me with...”

“Brian.  Yes, she told me, Casey.”  Jennifer put her feet down to stop the swing. “We’ll get to him.  Tell me what happened with Vivienne.”

Unaware if it was the need to confess or the alcohol doing the work, Casey took another deep breath and answered her mother. “I never told you how Vivienne and I met, but that isn’t really all that important to what happened.”  Casey sighed, “So there I was, in southern France, having the time of my life.”  She waved her hand, “It was a dream, everything I thought I wanted.  I got to work with a few dive teams to study marine life out in the Med.”  Plucking a pepperoni from her pizza, Casey munched the crispy meat, “I saw the two of them enjoying each other, and I knew I wouldn’t ever really be part of it.”  She tapped her big chest. “I was..that third wheel.”  Casey shrugged, “Vivienne wouldn’t ever have said it, but I saw it.  So I asked her if I could leave.”  Casey paused for part of a garlic breadstick. “She gave me options to stick around and still be her ward, but ultimately I asked her to release me.”  Casey raised one eyebrow, “I guess the best news is that I have nothing to worry about financially for the rest of my life or like three lives.”  Casey chuckled.

“That was a mouthful.”  Jennifer pushed her swing once more. “Do you feel better?”  She asked and looked at her daughter thoughtfully. “I am shocked she freed you, Casey.  I am told that it generally never happens.”

Suddenly feeling a bit thirsty, Casey got up and went to the kitchen to get herself and her mother something to drink. “No, they don’t.  She initially didn’t even know how to do it, since I was her first ever.”  Casey laughed when she opened the refrigerator and saw lines of fruit punch pouches. “Having a craving mom?  This is a bunch of punch.”  Casey grabbed four little packages and returned, handing her mom two. “Turns out that doing it was as easy as freeing Faye.  She simply thought about it and presto, I am myself.”

“Yeah, April called me fruity a few weeks ago and since then it’s been a silly craving.”  Jennifer laughed, “You should see the studio, its...”  She waved her fingers like they were sparkling, “..like aluminum looking in there.  I guess I went a little metallic crazy.”  Rubbing her stomach lightly Jennifer pointed to her daughter once again. “Well, go on. Don’t stop.  I have a feeling there is more going on, much like I did when you tried to cover up the whole thing with your last semester.”

Semi-lost looking at the light yellow flames from the fireplace, Casey nodded. “Yeah.”  Casey cleared her throat, “Since I stopped being a ward, all of the issues I didn’t have to think about have been floating in my head, making me rather miserable.”  Casey poked the little straw into the package and took a light sip, “Fireplace, the tools there?”  Casey watched her mom stop swinging and lean forward. “I..um..hit Brian with a poker.  So, it’s a reminder of the night and…well you get it.”  Casey sucked the fruity drink dry and spread out on the loveseat, then looked up at the ceiling.

Hopping out of her seat, Jennifer walked over to the loveseat and laid down beside her daughter and pulled her into a tight hug. “I know baby girl, I know.”  Jennifer felt the light sobs Casey had started. “It will be alright, we’ll figure something out.”  She rubbed her daughter’s back, content to let Casey get out what pain she could at the moment.

Awakened by a loud rumble that shook the entire house, Casey came out of her slumber to the sound of a Navy jet passing close to her mother's house.  “Mom?”  Casey groggily inquired and opened her eyes to a small piece of sticky-paper on her forehead.  “Cute.”  Registering that it was well into the afternoon, Casey knew that she’d slept off both jetlag and the hefty amount of alcohol she’d consumed.  After pulling the note free, Casey sat up and rubbed her neck and shoulders while she read:

‘In the studio, breakfast or lunch is on the stove.  Come on in when you are ready.’

Once Casey had taken care of her immediate needs and hygiene, She made her way into the kitchen and laughed when she saw her mother’s idea of breakfast.  A plate of three oatmeal bars and two strawberry toaster pastries lay there unopened with yet another note:

‘Sofa Monster.  I left enough for you and I, so grab something to drink and head into the..lair.’

Gathering up the items, Casey opened the refrigerator and grabbed four fruit punch drinks and headed for her mother's studio.  Unlike the last few times she’d seen her mother's studio, Casey was pleasantly surprised when she saw shiny silver paper covering the windows, blotting out the sunlight.  Just as Jennifer explained, the entire place was covered in some sort of silver.  Setting down the items on a silver painted bench, Casey pointed to her mother's small kiln and art chair. “Really, you changed the cushions on the chair?  And how did you get silver on the oven there?”  Casey noticed that the colorful butterflies had been taken down and replaced by butterflies made from solid silver. “That must have cost you a fortune Mom.”

Jennifer looked up from the wood carving she was working on, “Not really.”  She pulled out her phone and tapped it a few times. “It’s about twenty-five dollars an ounce.”  Jennifer smiled and opened one of the oatmeal bars. “The real pain is waiting for delivery.”  Taking a light bite of the small bar, Jennifer walked behind her daughter and rubbed her shoulders once more. “I didn’t want to wake you up after you passed out…although I know that couch isn’t the most comfortable.”  She pointed at the small bottle of acetaminophen beside the door. “Plenty in there, dear.”

Thankful for the pain reliever, Casey took a couple pills and downed them with one of her drink pouches. “I am shocked that you don’t use that metric ton of weed that you are growing to fix pain.”  Casey laughed and pointed to the four bushy plants. “I had forgotten how loud the jets are around here.  That is what woke me up, or I would probably still be asleep.”  Rubbing her temples lightly, Casey pulled up a stool and sat down beside her mom and watched her start carving again. “I didn’t mean to dump all that on you last night, Mom.”  

Jennifer blew a few wood scrapings free from her project and looked up at Casey. “Why on earth are you apologizing for that?”  She tapped the V tool she was using against her chest lightly. “That is what I am here for.  You know, scraped knees, support as you learned how to swim and start winning, yelling at you to get out of trees before you break your neck.”  Jennifer laughed, “Sure, you are grown now.”  She pointed the carving tool at her daughter, “It doesn’t change a thing.  You’ll always be my baby, my little girl.  My role has changed, but my love and support hasn’t.”  Jennifer winked and resumed carving.

Casey looked at the designs her mother was carefully weaving into the wood. “I thought you were into silver.  That looks remarkably like little shooting stars and the moon.”  Casey smiled and took a bite of strawberry pastry.

“If this were for me, I would agree with you.”  Jennifer winked. “It is for someone else.”  Jennifer closed her eyes and brushed her fingers over what she’d created, feeling every curve and point. “I said we’d figure out everything, didn’t I?”

Watching her mother work sometimes fascinated Casey. “I don’t know how you do that blind.”  She paused, “Yes, yes you did.” Feeling a slight chill, Casey rubbed her arms and waited for her mother to respond.

Breathing deeply, Jennifer picked up a small chisel and whittled the wood carving. “It might sound stupid, but it is about seeing the object you want in your head and going with what you see inside.”  Jennifer paused for a breath, “Sometimes your eyes aren’t what you need to see with.”

“How does this fit into last night?”  Casey sighed and picked up a silver plastic pinwheel and blew on it so the points spun wildly and sent streaks of reflective light throughout the studio. “I just want to forget all this and do something.”  Casey sighed, “It is just hard to separate the guilt associated with losing both Brian and Linda.  I know I didn’t kill either of them..”  Casey dropped the toy back on the bench and broke another piece of pastry to eat. “How do I deal with this?  I can’t tell anyone… well I guess I can tell you now…but...”

Jennifer slowly opened her brown eyes and took a steady breath before setting down all of her tools. “Casey.”  She reached for her daughter's hand and patted it lightly. “I am pretty good at reading and understanding people.  You know.”  She pointed to herself and Casey. “I used to be able to look into your innocent eyes and see the world in them.  Your dreams and little tickles of excitement.”  Jennifer kissed the top of Casey’s hand. “Now?  You’ve changed, sweetheart.  I mean you are still you, of course…but there is something just out of alignment.”  Jennifer jumped off her stool and rummaged through her rolled up canvases. “Ah-ha.”  Handing it to Casey, she nodded. “Go on, open it.”

Unfurling the painting Casey saw that it was an image of herself with a smile and frown, one lovely gleaming brown eye and her other eye smeared and misshapen.  Holding the painting back, Casey took in the full image and realized that it was her in two distinct halves. “You’ve felt like I am losing myself for a while, Mom.”

“Nope, I did that two days ago when you said you were coming home.  Your tone of voice made me come back here and paint it.”  Jennifer smiled. “Can you think of anything that will bring the other half of you back into focus?”

Tears began pooling in Casey’s chocolate brown eyes and she nodded slowly. “I…I think so.”  She sniffled and wiped the tears on her battered blouse. “She’s the only real friend that I have left after the mess.”  Casey watched Jennifer smile and shake her head. “Sylvie.”

Picking up her completed project, Jennifer handed Casey the wood chime. “Those are her moons, the stars are just something you wish on.  They are the source that will whistle when the wind blows.”  She pointed to the last part she’d carved with her eyes closed. “Sun.”  Jennifer kissed the top of Casey’s head. “Give her a call, the phone is in the other room..already charged.”  

“What if she…”  Casey rubbed the sun and thought she felt the warmth coming from it.

Jennifer opened another of her fruit punches, “Then sit here with me drinking punch and maybe later we will get stoned and sleep in all this silver.”  She winked and pointed to the other room. “We have a few hours before nightfall, get a shower, for god sake change that shoe-string blouse and make yourself feel better.”

Casey looked at the wind chime and nodded, “I think she’ll love this, Mom.”  Casey headed out of the studio and looked back a final time. “I’ll give her a call.  Thanks, I love you.”  She watched her mother lean on one of her hands, then get an odd look in her own brown eyes. “Okay, okay.  I’m going.”  Casey laughed and closed the studio door behind her.