"Hey!" Sada screamed as I threw another pillow at her. "I thought this was a slumber party, not an all out war!" She smiled and returned the blow with one of my teddy bears. I fell onto my bed and playfully acted hurt. "Oh, ouch, not the teddy bear!" She laughed and fell onto the floor. "Geez, this is a blast, what time is it?" I looked over at the clock on the wall. "Uh. It's about 3 a.m." "Wow, we're going to be so slumped tomorrow, maybe we'll skip out on Josh and our Tennis practice?" Is hrugged my shoulders, "Maybe." Around five we decided to call it a night. I gave Sada the bed while I slept on the bay window, looking out into the night. We didn't talk about it much, about the night that we almost were killed, but I knew and she knew we still thought about it. I yawned deeply and watched the first rays of the sun start to peak through the neighborhood. "Wherever you are Adam, I love you." I blew a kiss into the window and closed my eyes, falling into a deep and heavy sleep.
"Rise N shine Caser!" Sada screamed into my ear. In a frantic I fell off the bay window and landed on my shoulder. "Hey, knock it off." She laughed and pulled the blanket from me. "Geez, what time is it?" I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and stumbled to my dresser. "Oh, it's well, it's one-thirty." "Ugh, one-thirty!" I ran into the bathroom and grabbed my hair brush. "What's the mat Case?" "I was going to meet up with a guy for a job interview at two-thirty, damn it!" "Whoa hoe, settle down, don't have a spaztic!" She raced after me down the stairs. "I...I gotta get ready, um, yeah." I ran into the kitchen and pulled the orange juice from the frig. "I'll let you be then Case, take care." Sada yelled as she grabbed her car keys and walked out the door. If I wasn't in such a hurry I would have called after her, but I had enough things on my mind as it was.
I looked the building up and down. "Wow." I was lucky that Dad had found me a good job. I was jealous of Sada though, she was going to be an actress and all I was going to be was a desk hopper. I sighed and walked into the sky-scrapper. It took me a minute or two to find myself to the office of my soon-to-be boss, but I found it, around two-forty five. "Mr. Callaway will see you now Miss Graffit." I breathed in deeply and walked in. He didn't look very professional. Long dark hair pulled behind him and a go-tee, figures I would have a freak as a boss. He looked up from his activities and smiled. "Good afternoon Miss Graffit, I was afraid you weren't going to make it." I blushed and shook his hand. "I'm very sorry Mr. Callaway, I had, plans last night." "Never mind Casey, can I call you Casey?" "Yes sir." He looked me in the eyes and I felt a slight of fear in my soul. "Uh, would you like to see my portfolio?" "No thank you, I will just give my faith that you are the right person for the job." "Oh, thank you Mr. Callaway." "Please, call me Mark."
It was late by the time I left my office. I walked through the almost empty parking lot. It was dark and cold. "Next time, I'm parking up close." I walked for what seemed hours to my car. I unlocked the door and was going to sit in, before a strong hand gripped my arm. I looked up at my invader.
"Adam?" He smiled weakly. I jumped into his arms. "Adam...Adam, where have you been?" He looked at me and smiled. "Nowhere, but that's not important now that I'm with you." We hugged tighter then came up into a kiss. It seemed like it lasted for only seconds, but we pulled apart and breathed in deep. "I was worried about you, why didn't you say good-bye?" "Things came up." "Things came up? What things?" "Never mind just, just be happy." I looked at him confused, but felt warm to be with him. "Well, then lets go." I pulled him to the car, but he stayed his ground. "No, I have to go." I felt my heart sink. "Why? We just found each other." He sighed. "I'll find you again Love, now, you should go, please." He kissed me gently and smiled. "Please, don't leave me again." "I will never leave again without saying I love you." With that, he turned and walked away. I felt weak as I sat in my driver's seat, looking into empty space, trying to see him again. Adam stared at the building as Christian walked up behind him. "So?" He breathed in deep. "Not yet. He knows though." Christian nodded. "What are we going to do?" Adam sighed, "We'll just have to wait." They walked away, not noticing the person staring at them through one of the building windows.
"Is Mr. Callaway still in the board meeting?" I asked his personal secretary. She looked up from her typing. "He will see you in five minutes." I sat and waited, holding my paper work. The door opened slowly as the members of the board walked out. "Casey, come in." He yelled at me. I stepped into his boardroom and smiled. "I'm sorry to bother you Mr. Callaway, but I..." "Please, call me Mark, Mr. Callaway is sooo impersonal." "I'm sorry, Mark, I was just wondering if you would go over these with me." He took them out of my hands and threw them in the trash. "Casey, please, let your assistant do the work. Why don't you fo to the gym on the 12th floor?" "Well, I uh, I guess." He smiled. "Great. Now, gon on." I smiled and shook his hand. "Thanks Mark." I left in a hurry to the 12th floor.
"Would you like for me to call in Mr. Knight?" Mark nodded. The man walked in a knelt before Callaway. "Watch Casey close, we can't afford to put the plan in danger." "And if Adam shows?" Mark grinned and looked out the window. "Take care of him."
I pulled the weight up again, then slowly dropped it. I rose and grabbed my towel, wiping the sweat from my face. I stood and stretched. "Guess I should be getting back to work." I picked up my towel and threw it over my shoulder. I walked through the gym and found myself by the boxing ring. Mark was there, throwing empty punches into the air. He looked over and smiled. "Hey Casey, how's it going?" "Fine, aren't you suppose to be in a meeting?" I realized what I had said. "I'm sorry." "No problem, hey you want to throw a few punches?" "No thanks, I'm not a good fighter." "Well, would you like to meet me for dinner?" I thought for a moment. "That would be great, where should I meet you?" "I’ll pick you up around seven. Go home early." I felt myself blush, "Thanks."
"Whoa, dating the boss is a major no no Caser." Sada said while helping me pick out something to wear. "Besides, I thought you and Adam would be a couple again, I know me and Christian are." I pulled out a blue dress and held it up. "It's not a date, it's just dinner. What do you think?" She gave me a thumbs up, "Nice." I smirked at her sarcasm and continued to look. I came upon the black dress that Adam gave me. "Yo, Case, hey snap out of it." "I'm sorry. I'm going to wear the blue one." She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I'll see you later." She left me there alone. I sat on the bed and sighed. "Casey, Mr. Callaway is here!" I ran downstairs to my father's shouts. He was standing there, shaking Dad's hand and commenting on a deal. "You look wonderful Casey." I blushed. "Thank you Mr..uh, Mark." He smiled and grabbed my arm. "Let's go." I walked outside with him, feeling very paranoid for some reason. I looked back and sighed. "You ok?" I smiled slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine."
He opened the door of the car and slid in next to me. "That was wonderful." He smiled and motioned for the driver to go. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." He grabbed my hand, "Maybe we could do it again some other night?" "That would be great." He laughed and threw an arm around me. I felt extremely uncomfortable, but after a few minutes, sunk down onto him. I closed my eyes, and before I knew it, I was asleep.
Mark had me wrapped tight in his arms as I looked down at Adam's body, lying lifeless. Christian and Sada lay not to far away. "You see, it wasn't that hard." I gasped and pulled away from him, staring at the knife buried in my chest. David caught me before I hit the ground and lifted me up again. "Forget." He kissed me as I felt myself die.
"Jesus!" I leaned up and caught myself. "What’s wrong?" Mark asked me very worried. I felt cold sweat on my forehead. "Nothing, I'm fine, really." "Are you sure?" "Yeah, I'm just tired that’s all." We pulled up to my driveway and he helped me out of the car, walking me halfway. "I hope you had a wonderful time." "I did." He slid his hand across my face and gently brought himself down for a kiss. I pulled away and looked up at him. He only laughed softly and walked away. I wrapped my arms around my waist and walked up the rest of the drive. I stepped onto the porch and felt a hand cupped around my mouth. "Shhh, Love, shhh." Adam let go and turned me around. "Adam, what the Hell are you trying to do, give me a heart-attack?" "What were you doing with Callaway?" I looked at him crossed. "What?" "Stay away from him, he's he's....just keep away from him." "Why?" "He's evil Casey, evil." "You don't know what you're talking about, Mark is a wonderful friend..." "Friend? He wants you to be more than a friend." "Adam, just leave it be." I saw the hurt in his eyes. He turned around and started to walk away. "Adam, I'm sorry, please." He turned back and walked up to me again. He hugged me tightly and kissed my deep. "Be careful Love, please, be careful."
Sada started to feel like she was being followed. "I shouldn't have been out so late." She thought to herself. The stare became stronger as she walked faster down the alley. She stopped and listened to the sounds of upcoming footsteps. She began to run, but she couldn't get away. Arms grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth. They brought her in the dark and sat her down. She looked up, "No." Everything went black.
The police left, leaving me crying on the couch. "Honey, I'm sure she's fine." Mom patted my back and held me close. "I...I can't believe she's missing." I cried harder. "Now, they don't know that for sure, she might have ran away." "No!" She hugged me again and stood up to talk to my father. "Sada wouldn't have ran away!" I yelled again. I buried my face in my hands and cried harder. I walked outside and sat on a bench. A hand slipped over my shoulders, "Love?" I looked up to see Adam's face. "Oh, Adam, something has happen to Sada." "I know, Christian told me." "Is he ok?" Adam ignored me for a moment. "He's taking it really hard, I knew you would be too, so here I am." I held him tightly and stroked my hair "Where could she be?" He sighed, "I have an idea."
"Casey, I heard about your friend, I'm sorry." Mark told me. I nodded slightly. "Yeah." He sat down next to me. "If you want to take the day off, I'll understand." "No, no it's ok." He shrugged his shoulders. "I know it's a bad time, but maybe you would like to go out for some capuchino?" "Yeah, that would be fine." "Great, lets go." We walked down and went to the coffee shop on the bottom level. He brought me a cup and sat down across from me. "You know Casey, you're going to go far in this business." I smiled weakly, "Thanks." "This may seem kind of sudden, but..." "Yes?" "I think I'm falling for you." I almost choked on my chino. "Excuse me?" He leaned forward and kissed my lips. I wanted to pull away from him, but for some reason, I couldn't. He released me and smiled. My mind was completely fogged as I spoke, "I think I'm falling for you." He laughed softly and kissed me again. "What am I doing?" The word 'Forget' raced through my mind, and for a short moment, I did.
I moaned as I finally pulled away from him. "Mark, I...I need to tell you something." "It can wait, I have something to show you." "What is it?" He grinned and helped me up. "You'll see." We walked outside and I was surprised to see a limo waiting for us. "Get in Casey." I moved back a little. "Mark, I don't know about this." He pushed my gently. "Come on, get in." I sighed and slid onto the leather seats. He sat next to me and shut the door, "Where are we going?" "Someplace where something special is going to happen." "What?" "You'll see."
The place was unfamiliar to me, and I had explored the whole town. It was a dark place on the West side, and the shadows that stretched across the street, seemed to move and be alive. Mark grabbed my arm tightly and slightly dragged me out of the limo. He placed his fingers on the back and it moved away, leaving a slight trail of leaves and paper behind. He looked down at me and smiled wickedly. I felt a sudden sense of fear race through me, as he seemed to stare into my soul, leaving me no place to run. We walked into the building. We passed groups of homeless people and crack dealers. They moved back as we walked down the narrow hallway. He walked in front of me and opened a door. "Enter Casey." My fear was stronger, but I moved on. It was dark, except for a few lit candles lit around the doorway. "Mark, what the Hell is going on?" He laughed softly as he motioned his hand. Out of the darkness I saw a face I thought I'd never see again.
The sudden shock of seeing Sada there, tied and heavily beaten made me fall. Mark caught me and brought me closer. "You bastard, what have you done?!" A familiar laugh came from behind Sada. "Oh my God." I stepped back as David came out next to her. "Hello Casey." "Mark..." He sat down on a chair, "Don't worry Casey, she's fine." "Fine! You call that fine?" "She isn't going to die, just calm down." He breathed in deep as David moved closer and grabbed me. "Adam should have know that David would not be killed that easily, after all, he is like David. But that's not important now, the time is at hand, and I have you to thank Casey." "Me, why?" "You brought Adam here, just like Sada brought Christian." He pointed over to a near-by spot as it lit up, revealing Christian's body. "Is he..." "No, not yet." "Why don't you just kill us and get it over with?" "I don't want to kill you Casey, I told you I was falling for you, Casey, I wont you in my Ministry." I stopped breathing as he rose, walking towards me slowly. "You have so much rage in you, but your good nature dominates it." He came closer to my face and breathed in my scent deeply. "Let me help you discover it." "Look, I don't know what's going on. What Ministry? Who are you really?" He looked at me and was cut off before he could speak.
"He's the Undertaker Casey, by God, why didn't you stay away?" David's grip tighten as he turned to see Adam standing on the window sill. "Adam..." I groaned out before David's jand cupped over my mouth. "Welcome home Adam, glad you could join us." He stared at David, then at Sada, Christian, and finally at Mark. "What do you want?" "Simply revenge my yound Adam. You betrayed me, I thought you were smarter than that." "Just let them go!" "Or what?" Adam sighed, "Let then go and you can have me." I watch a grin cross Mark's face. He motioned into the dark and out came two large men. "Take them away." They picked up Sada and Christian and took them through the door. "Mideon, Vicera." Another pair of men came and held Adam who put up no resistance. He looked at me with teared filled eyes.
It had been so long since we had been together, though this wasn't what I consider a romantic evening. Our backs were together as they finished tieing us. "You sure do know how to pick em." I thought to myself. They left us in the dark room, leaving one single candle for light. I moved, trying to squirm out of my bonds, but stopped after I heard Adam sighed. "It's no use Love." "How can you say that if you wont even try?" "Casey, you're dealing with some evil shit. I know what the Ministry is capable of." "How do you..." "I was part of it!" He sudden yell stopped the conversation. I felt tears whelm up in my eyes and soon I was crying, out of hurt and fear. "Casey, please, I'm sorry, I just fear what's going to happen to you." "Aren't you afraid for yourself?" He laughed softly, "No, I know my future." Silent slipped between us for minutes. "Casey, Love, please, whatever happens, don't give into him. I always said you were a fighter, don't lose your goodness. He'll try to take it, but you hold onto it until you die, understand?" "I understand." We moved for awhile, loosening the ropes so I could turn around and lay on his chest. He kissed my forehead and laid back. "Sleep Casey, have one more peaceful dream before tomorrow."
I woke up alone. Adam's duster covered me and I pulled it closer. My bonds were gone and I rubbed my wrists were they use to be. A hole in the ceiling shown moonlight on me and I realized that maybe I wasn't alone. Candles lit suddenly to reveal Mark, David, and the other four men I saw last night standing before me. I stood up and backed away, only to fall over. I held my head as I looked at what I tripped over. My screams stopped in my throat as I looked at Adam's body. He laid there, his long hair tangled in the blood that came from the gash on his head and from his mouth. i cried as I cradled him in my arms. "No! Adam...Adam please!" He gave me no response. I stood up again, body covered in sweat, tears, and blood, and walked slowly to face his killers. "You bastard." I whispered. Mark laughed and reached for me. "Casey...come." I smiled and walked closer, "Not this time." I pushed the candle rack next to me onto them, and watched as their robes caught fire. I stepped back and watched the flames spread faster to the black curtains and up the walls. The flames blocked my view, but I could tell that they were gone, all but Mark. He stood there looking at the carnage I had caused. He tossed of his fiery robe and walked mithodictly to me, smiling.
"You see Casey, your darker side is powerful, you just need to release it, let me help you." I was paralyzed with fear at the thought that he could survive that. He grabbed me up into his arms and placed a searing kiss on my lips. He squeezed me tighter as I tried to push my way from him. I heard Adam's voice call in my mind. "Casey, Love, don't give into him." His memory was so faint, but I held onto his words, "don't give in..." Mark finally pulled back, letting us both breath. The room was still ablaze and I closed my eyes, feeling the heat touch my skin. Mark slid his hand across my face and tipped my head up to look at my eyes. "Do you understand now?" I looked over at the opened window where Adam once stood. "Yes, I understand." I pushed him back and ran to it. I grabbed the sill, but felt his hand grip my leg. I stared back at him, struggling to free myself. The flames grew larger behind him. My eyes widened as a hand reached out and grabbed his shirt. Adam pulled himself up. "Casey, go!" Mark tried to push him back, but Adam held him tightly. "Casey...go, now!" I felt Mark's grip loosen and I pulled away, falling through the window. I jumped back up and leaned over the sill, "Adam!!!" The flames were brighter than before, he was gone. The firefighter's ran past me, finally getting the flames under control. I brought the blanket closer around myself and stared at the ruins of the building. "Casey?" I turned and saw Sada and Christian standing behind me. We all came together in an embrace, crying out of happiness and pain. "He didn't make it, he didn't make it." I cried into Sada's shoulder. Christian slid a hand over my shoulder and walked past me to the room where the action had taken place. He bent down and pulled something out of the ashes. He walked back to me and handed me a cross pendant. "It was Adam's" I cried harder and took it from him, holding it close to me smoke covered face. They help me walk away from the site that was forever going to remain in my mind.
It still smelt of smoke as I walked up to the ashes of the building. I wrapped my arms around my waist and stared at the place, remembering everything that had happen. I laid the rose on it and knelt down closer, touching it with my hands. I whispered his name over my lips, but it became lost in the wind roaring around me. I said a prayer and walked away. "I always said you were a fighter." I lifted my head and turned to see Adam standing there, holding my rose. I ran to him and we embraced long and hard. "Adam, I thought I lost you forever." "I told you I'd never leave without saying I love you." We came into a kiss and he looked down at me. He felt cold for some reason and he looked like a ghost. "Adam, what's wrong?" "I told you I'd never leave without saying I love you." He stepped back. "Adam?" "I told you I'd never leave without saying I love you." He turned his back and disappeared. I reached fro him. "Adam, please, don't go." I ran to where he had left. I paced around for a few seconds and stopped to look at a figure standing in the darkness. "Adam?" His laughter was unearthly. Mark stepped out and smiled. "Casey, never forget you have a darker side." The ashes around me caught aflame as he continued to laugh.
I rose up out of bed and screamed. It took a few minutes to gather myself, but I looked over to the clock that flashed midnight. I sighed and laid back down. It had been a week since I had had a good night sleep, tonight as no exception. Many more nights would pass before I would ever sleep them through, but along with those nights, would come a living nightmare.