The True Face Of Destiny

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Cassandra had fallen asleep in front of the TV again. Her sister, Rebecca, did not wake her up. It was four o’clock in the morning and, for the first time in several months, she had two days off in a row. These two days were during the weekend.

– A day when I could have dozed off, I had to wake up this early, she growled, getting up to go to her room.

When passing by her computer, she paused for a few minutes and did a quick search in her browser for John Travis. His photo popped up almost instantly. He was the new curator of Delcima's Museum since May. Cassandra started laughing even though his face was very serious. He didn't seem to smile much and she thought that was unfortunate, because he would be even more charismatic.

– It’s too bad that such a cute guy is also crazy, Cassandra muttered after sighing.

She also did another search for the words Vitus and Destiny. She didn’t’t find anything in particular, but when she searched for Patricia Wolf's name, she unearthed a polemic that spoke of her mission in other terms and was similar to what John Travis had tried to previously tell her.

– Cassandra, for God’s sake, go back to bed! said Rebecca.

She had passed behind her. She woke up to go to the bathroom.

– Hum, hum.

But Cassandra wasn’t listening. She assiduously read the thread of the discussion that paraded before her eyes. A certain Smile007 announced the death of Patricia Wolf. He said that her killer was not found. He also implied that someone else would replace her. He never used the terms John had used with her, but the other site subscribers seemed to know what he was talking about.

Cassandra went back to her bedroom and picked up the pile of documents she had thrown on her bed the night before. She smiled as she saw the "Top Secret" seal that had been stamped in red on the front page. The information on this first page were quite basic. They were about her mother, Helena Rimes, and her mission alongside her father. There were little details about the relationship and the feelings between her parents.

She had been marked by his absence all her life. She found it ironic that someone she had never known, was missed so much by him. Yet this was the case. Her father had stored all the memories he had of her in the attic, in a chest to which only he had the key. Thomas Crowley had a very generous heart, but he never liked to open the pages of his past, and especially to evoke it. He had never really taken the time to tell Cassandra about Helena, even though he knew he should have. It was too difficult for him. The relationship between Cassandra and her father had never been good. Cassandra had not been an easy-going child and teenager. She started to put herself back together and calm down after his disappearance.

The documents had very little details about her father. He was not a main character in his story, but in these few notes, everything was still quite fair. The research had been done with care. The details listed were quite accurate. She skimmed through the information about the Vitus, but the subject didn't really interest her. When she looked at the clock, she noticed that it was already seven in the morning and she had to get ready to go shopping. She was having her friends over for dinner and there was still a ton of stuff to buy.

***

To start, Cassandra went to the supermarket. She smiled warmly at the cashier whom she knew by sight because she was regularly eating with her son at the restaurant. She picked up a shopping basket from the entrance and pushed it towards the fruits and vegetables aisle. Her sister had given her a list of ingredients needed for the recipe she would help her cook to entertain her friends. She was examining the lettuce when she heard shouts behind her. She slightly turned her head so that she could see the two cursing protagonists in her peripheral field.

– What are you looking at? One of them shouted at Cassandra.

She turned to them and didn't even pretend to be embarrassed or apologetic.

– Maybe you could argue outside…

– And then what?

Cassandra gasped when, for a few seconds, she had the impression of seeing the individual's face metamorphose into something she could not describe, the image was so fleeting in her eyes. As she stared at him, the man noticed her reaction. He took the hand of the woman accompanying him and went out of the grocery store, leaving his half-filled basket right in the middle of the aisle. Cassandra followed them as they were looking away a couple of times before disappearing around the corner. He looked scared, but she couldn't understand what she could have done to make him so scared.

– I can hire you as a security guard, a gentleman who seemed to be the manager of the place told her. It’s the first time I see them leaving so fast. They usually come here to stir up trouble. I pity his poor spouse who tolerates his unpleasant and violent behaviour. I do not know what your trick is, but it’s really good.

– I think it has something to do with my killer gaze, Cassandra joked as she continued her shopping.

She had no clue why that man was so frightened. She also did not understand this strange vision she had had while thinking of him. For a few seconds, she thought about John Travis, but she quickly banished that thought. She shouldn't let his stories get to her. Cassandra hurried to finish her shopping to quickly return home. She was close to her house when she came face to face with the man, she had met earlier at the grocery store.

– Are you the new one, he said softly.

He was calmer than at the grocery store. He smiled sourly. Cassandra shivered. She had taken a shortcut into a small, uncrowded alley and she now regretted her choice. She felt like a trapped beast.

– Sir, I don't know what are you talking about. I am sorry for this morning...

– Sir? Sorry? She is polite. That’s new.

Cassandra didn't know what he was talking about, but the situation was starting to seriously scare her.

– What do you want? I only have ten dollars and some cents in my bag…

– I just want to tell you that I don't attack people. I am one of the pacifists. As long as I agree with you and that I am not interested in you, I demand to keep my freedom of action. I scream, but I don't touch anyone.

– What are you talking about?

– I had an agreement with Patricia. She never wiped me out. As long as I do not kill any humans. I would like to have a similar agreement with you. You are the new Destiny, right?

Cassandra dropped her bag on the ground. Stunned. “Don't be bamboozled… don’t be bamboozled…” she kept repeating that in her head.

– But… uhm… How much did John Travis pay you to scare me? How much?

– I don’t know any John Travis. I can give you all the information that you need. I can...Please.

Cassandra pulled herself together. She leaned down keeping eye contact with the person appearing to introduce herself as a Vitus and picked up her bag. Luckily it hadn't rolled over.

– Go away now. Give me your name in case I will need you.

– My name Conrad Firth, I live on 33rd Street, appartement number 5. Thank you. Thank you.

The man turned and ran in the opposite direction. By giving his address, he had signed the peace agreement. Cassandra, still in shock from this encounter, regained her senses and set off again in the direction of her home. She kept looking around to make sure there were no other strange people near her.

When she finally got home, she locked the door and leaned against the door for a moment to catch her breath. She had had the impression of having stopped breathing during the journey, and she was so afraid of falling on a new undesirable.

– Do you have everything? Are you ok? You look like you’ve seen a ghost! Rebecca said while coming out of the bathroom.

– Yes. I bought everything. Can you start without me because I have an important call to make...

– Is this another one of your attempts to get me to do all the work?

– No. Thanks sister.

Cassandra planted a furtive kiss on Rebecca's cheek before running up the stairs. She closed the door from her room and grabbed the documents from John Travis. She found his phone number on the last page and dialled it on her mobile phone. After ringing for three times, she recognized his voice.

– Have you paid that guy? asked Cassandra in a slightly shaky voice.

– Who is this? Cassandra? Is that you?

–Have you paid that man to scare me?

She raised her voice. John didn’t’t answer right away.

– What is happening Cassandra? Who are you talking about?

– He followed me. He said that I am the new one. He told me about Patricia...Have you paid him to scare me? Is that it?

John deeply inhaled before answering. He knew he had to be honest, but above all try to reassure her.

– Cassandra, I didn’t’t pay anyone. I haven't talked to anyone about you, but obviously some groups have heard that you're the new Destiny.

– I saw his face…He was as afraid of me as I was of him. Yet, I am not powerful at all... I could not harm another person...

– Since last night, your strength has increased tenfold.

Cassandra closed her eyes for a moment. She hoped that by opening them again, everything would be erased from her memory and that she would realize that she had had a nightmare.

– It’s so unreal. Impossible...

– I know. If you agree, tonight I could show you your first Vitus.

– To be more accurate, what is a Vitus?

- Let's just say it's worse than hell. It’s a demon like being. With no soul. They are the shadows in the light.

– If it was true. If all of this is true, I need more facts. I want something real. My life has never been easy and you come out of nowhere telling me that I am the chosen one on a science fiction mission. It's a lot to digest.

– I know, Cassandra. It is enormous. You were not prepared for such a discovery about yourself.

John knew it was a very cruel job for a woman of her age and one that would require a lot of sacrifice. Give up her life and dreams. But she had been lucky enough to live a normal childhood and adolescence despite her difficulties, and that consoled him.

– Also, you’re a stranger to me. You can be a psychopath and have the sole purpose of killing me, she said in a soft voice.

Despite everything, John smiled. The young woman amused him, both by her spontaneity and by her overflowing imagination. She was right to some extent.

– This is why we need to learn to trust each other, Cassandra. I will be your guide, your trainer. I will be there for you and I will help you accomplish this mission. Trust is built one day at a time. I am not your enemy. I am your friend. I am honest.

– When are we meeting tonight? And where?

– About six o’clock at my house?

Cassandra hesitated for a moment before agreeing. She did all the steps while holding back her momentum. She didn't believe what had been going on for the last twenty-four hours. She also didn't want to plunge with this man into his madness. John gave her his address and she hung up before going to find her sister.

***

Kristen Devon parked her red sports car in front of her best friend’s house. She admired her reflection in the rear-view mirror and got out of the car. She arrived at the same time as Brian Hunnam who walked there.

– You should have called me! I would have picked you up, she said, while walking towards him.

– You know I like to walk, just to keep my slim figure, he replied mockingly.

It was their weekly meeting. Cassandra had invited them to dinner. A sweet smell reigned in the house. She had asked her sister to help her cook because she was not a very talented chef.

– You cannot imagine how happy I am to see you all here!

Kristen’s face brightened. Her little green eyes, almond-shaped, embellished with large black lashes, shone with that sweet mischief that characterized her so well. She and Cassandra had known each other for two years now, a meeting that coincided with Cassandra's return to Delcima. Both their friendship and their complicity had proved almost instantaneous. Like two soul mates who had found each other.

– Why dinner instead of supper this week? It's so dark outside, Brian complained, setting his black jacket on one of the chairs in the kitchen.

– Of course, we all know very well that you're usually still in bed at this time of the morning, Kristen replied affectionately.

Brian smiled at his friend. She was a tall redhead, whose almost perfectly white skin was comparable to porcelain. Kristen was very pretty in Brian's eyes, but he'd never allowed himself to look at her any differently than through the eyes of a friend. They knew each other better than anyone because they were raised together, and their mutual affection was enviable to those around them. Just like an old couple, if one would start a sentence, the other one could finish it. They had never crossed the line of friendship, even if sometimes a palpable tension could settle. Their friendship was far too important for them to break that trust that they have worked on for years. Brian knew his friend very well. He valued his many qualities but also recognized his flaws. Although she was faithful to him in friendship, she was the promiscuous type in her romantic relationships. She never kept a boyfriend for more than three months and got tired of his romances very quickly. She didn't trust men, anyone for that matter. Brian's heart had been beating for Cassandra for quite a while now. This ray of sunshine had pierced the grey clouds that had inhabited his sky for too long. But he didn't know how to approach her in that direction, without breaking the bonds they had managed to weave.

– I have a date tonight. A date with my destiny! Cassandra said.

– What is the story? Brian asked, suddenly challenged.

– A farfetched story, implausible. I have decided to further investigate and when I’ll know the end of the story, you will know the whole truth.

Kristen remained silent, which was not her habit. She was a woman who loved drawing attention to herself and recounting, in all details, her sentimental and daily adventures. Cassandra genuinely loved her friends. She greatly appreciated their simplicity and the veracity of their being. Her eyes met Brian's. His expressive blue gaze always seemed to relax when it was fixed on her. She smiled at him and he smiled back. He mechanically ran his hand through his dark blond, slightly curly hair. It was a habit that Cassandra had detected in her friend when she felt he was embarrassed.

– You're not that talkative, Kristen, Brian pointed out to break the silence, as Cassandra put the plates on the table.

– I was up sick last night. My stomach is still a little shaky, Kristen retorted, fiddling with her fork.

– Have you been out again, danced the night away, and drank too much alcohol? Cassandra cooked her.

Kristen ignored her friend and prompted her with another question.

– And does this destiny of yours have a name?

Brian turned his head quicker than he wanted to and looked at Cassandra who was already blushing. She covered her mouth with her hand from which she had just taken a bite of her meal and tried to get her words out.

– It’s strictly professional. Let’s just say that he offered me a job that I cannot turn down. But, to answer your question, his name is John, Cassandra finally admitted.

Brian was jealous while Kristen was amused by the situation. Cassandra decided to see John again to put an end to this story which really intrigued her.

– John, is that short for Johnny? It's a pretty common first name, Kristen said with some interest.

– I don’t know and I don’t care. I’d rather change the subject, Cassandra interrupted, a little more curtly than she would have liked.

– Then why start the conversation like this? Brian asked curiously.

– She started the discussion. Not me. It's to avoid talking about her drinking yesterday, she replied, pointing at Kristen.

Cassandra knew for a long time that her friend had an undeniable fondness for her, especially because of the way he looked at her and because of his interest in dating her. She had never encouraged him to do so. She wasn't sure if the feelings she had for him were the basis of true love or if his warm affection heightened the idea that she might be in love with him. Her tormented love past had taught her to take a step back. And if a tender bond was to arise, life would play the cards. Brian and Kristen's relationship also put her in a strange situation. Even though they seemed to have a relationship based on friendship, she suspected there might be something else lurking beneath that facade.

– Brian and I are having a little party at his apartment. If your meeting does not last long, come see us, said Kristen with a mischievous smile on her lips.