Dirty Dancing

     Jessica turned off the TV and flipped the remote control into a nearby chair. She had just watched her Chicago Cubs play the Atlanta Braves, and lose...again. Sighing, she crawled off the couch that stood under the huge bay window in her room. Nevertheless, as she looked at the recently decorated room, Jessica grinned. She had chosen to go with a soft yellow for paint on the walls. This gentle color brightened the room in contrast to the natural hardwood floors and the natural wood trim and molding that had originally been constructed in the mansion. The room itself was gigantic. Against the eastern wall, her huge bed stood. Its headboard was simple, but beautiful. The wood of it had been stained to match the original trim and wooden floor planks in the room. On the bed, two quilts covered the smooth white sheets that adorned the two mattresses. Pillows of light, soft shades of green, pink, blue, and purple graced the entire bed.
     Opposite her bed was the great bay window, which lay facing the west. Jessica had picked out this room specifically for its bay window. Even in just the short time that her and her four friends had lived in the mansion, she enjoyed every evening when she could lay on her bed and read a book while watching the sunset. Underneath the window sat an overstuffed couch. Jessica had covered it with blankets to hide the many years of use that the couch had endured. She had found it in a local junk shop. However, with the soft, chenille throws that were a soft cream, it looked exquisite. Behind the couch, soft, flowing, gauzy drapes blew gently in the breeze let in by the bay window.
     A short, small dresser stood in against north wall near the walk-in-closet door. Jessica had bought it in an antique shop. Having it restored, it looked incredible in the room. In its drawers held Jessicas everyday wear, including her many funky toe socks. And if there was one thing that Jessica needed room for, it was her toe socks!
     In the southwest corner of the room sat a TV, VCR, DVD player, and stereo on a cheap stand that Jessica had gotten at Wal-Mart. Considering the extravagances spent elsewhere in the room, Jessica had felt it was necessary to just find something inexpensive to set the TV and equipment on.
     Against the south wall lay Jessica's desk. Many papers, including letters to dignitaries and friends lay on it. Hanging on the wall above her desk, many of Jessica's prized autographed pictures were there, along with pictures of her meetings with famous leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Vladimir Putin. A wooden rocker also stood between the desk and the TV stand, where a few pillows and a cream chenille throw graced it.

     Jessica sighed happily and grabbed a book, and, lying on her bed, was ready to enjoy the evening's sunset. She had only read a few pages when someone knocked on her bedroom door. "Its open!" Jessica called out, her eyes not removing their stare from the pages of the book. Poopsie's head popped in and her periwinkle eyes sparkled as she grinned. "Howdy," she said. "We were just wondering if ordering in pizza was alright with you for supper." Without a word, Jessica slammed her book shut and, climbing off the bed, slipped on her blue fuzzy slippers before grinning back at Poopsie. "Gee...What do YOU think?" she asked Poopsie, a smile playing at her lips. "Well, how was I supposed to know?" Poopsie asked innocently. "We never know with you, you being so picky and all!" Jessica just rolled her eyes, grinning at the same time. "Let's go down to the kitchen and get that pizza ordered!" she said as she steered Poopsie through the doorway adjacent to her bed and closed the door behind her.
     Once in the kitchen, Jessica saw the rest of her friends sitting at the table in their spacious kitchen. Dee was putting a Jewel CD into the CD player that was built into the kitchen wall; Tonya stood by the doorway, braiding her hair; and Sally was flipping through the pages of Country Weekly. "Where's Techno?" Poopsie asked to the girls. "How should we know? Dee asked. She rolled her eyes and said, "He's probably looking at porn on one of his geeky computers and jerking off to it." Jessica just smiled and shook her head. "I'll go look for him," she said. She left the room, but called behind her, "Go ahead and order pizza---just get some cheese for me!"

     Not finding Techno in the basement, Jessica climbed up the stairs and went outside. She then heard a loud bang come from the nearby garage. Her brow furrowing, she continued toward it. Inside, she heard two voices, one of them belonging to Techno. She listened, and heard "...but I just dont know what to do. It keeps making a grinding sound. I cant figure it out!" This voice was new to Jessica and she opened the door to the garage. Once her eyes adjusted to the dimmer light, she saw Techno and another man standing in front of a sleek black Mustang. She moved forward and Techno heard her. He turned around, and said, "Oh, hey Jessica. Didnt see you there." He looked at her as she stood there, her eyes wide with what she saw. The man that was standing next to Techno took her breath away. The stranger's emerald eyes held a burning gaze with her hazel ones. Techno looked at her with a puzzled look and then turned his gaze to the stranger, then back again to hers. "Um, Jessica...This is my friend, Sebastian Lewis. I, uh...I was helping him with his car." Techno cleared his throat and Jessica looked at him and blushed. "Ah, yes...Yes, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Lewis." Jessica extended a hand to him as his gaze held her's once again. "Please, call me Sebastian," his deep voice conferred to her as he took her hand in his. He was about six feet tall, with shoulder length black hair. His face contained high cheekbones, a straight nose, and a black goatee that made an outline to his perfectly formed lips. He wore a pair of jeans with a hunter green turtleneck sweater. A pair of black Doc Martens, a black leather jacket, and a pair of expensive looking sunglasses that were set atop his head completed the ensemble. What seemed to last an eternity was in actuality a few seconds. He firmly, yet gently, shook her hand and released it. However, his gaze still held hers.   Finally gathering her senses, Jessica looked at Techno and told him about their dinner plans for the evening. "Alright, that's fine," he told her before turning back to the motor of the Mustang. "Um, Mr. Lewis..." Jessica began before trailing off. "Please, it's Sebastian," he stated, his lips curling into an adorable smirk. "Well then, Sebastian...Would you care to stay over for dinner? It's only pizza, but we make sure to get the best kind and..." Jessica continued to stammer for words as Sebastian once again held her gaze. "I wish I could accept, but I have plans for tonight," he said to her. "But maybe next time?" Jessica smiled. "Ok, then. Well, I'm off to the house. Good evening...Sebastian." She blushed as she turned and headed off towards the mansion.

     Once arriving at the mansion, Jessica sat down on the front porch swing. Was it her imagination or had she seen a man that looked extremely similar to Sebastian following her around Tequilla Heights for a couple of months now? Her feelings swarmed. She knew nothing of him, except that he was Technos friend. But, there was something about him; something that she felt when their eyes locked. She just couldnt quite put a finger on it!
     Jessica continued to sit there until the pizza delivery boy pulled up to the front porch. Seeing him, Jessica dashed inside. "PIZZA'S HERE!" she yelled as she entered the foray. Techno came from the nearby bathroom, zipping up the fly in his jeans. Jessica laughed at him as she saw him struggle with the zipper. He gave her a disdainful look and muttered, "Oh, shut up!" Finally getting the zipper up, he answered the door on the fourth doorbell ring. Opening it up, he took the pizzas from the delivery boy and then gave him a wad of bills. "Keep the change," he told the boy as he shut the door. Jessica followed Techno into the kitchen, shouting the whole way, "PIZZA'S HERE! PIZZA'S HERE!"
     As she entered the kitchen, her friends arrived behind her. It was chaos for a moment, as the girls and Techno all grabbed for paper plates, napkins, and pizza all at once. Soon, though, all was silent except for the muffled sounds of the pizza being devoured. After eating a slice of pizza, Techno announced to the girls, "I think that Jessica has a new crush." Jessica stopped eating in mid-bite, freezing with her teeth sunk into the cheesy, gooey mess of a pizza. Dee groaned. "JED," she said, using Jessica's nickname, "when are you ever going to learn that men SUCK and that if you dont stop drooling, youre going to end up just like me, hating men! Especially Techno!" she added. Techno decided to ignore her this one time and continued with his story. "Jessica met my friend Sebastian today and was practically drowning in her own puddle of drool before she left the garage." "Oooooo!" Sally oooed. She then giggled her little giggle and continued to eat her slice of pizza. Jessica sat there, picking at the piece of pizza that now lay on her plate. "Techno, I don't know what youre talking about. And, you guys, I think I'm going to take the rest of my meal up to my room and watch TV before I write some letters. I'll catch you all later," she finished. She then picked up her plate of pizza and a napkin and headed upstairs. Once she was out of sight, all the girls shook their heads before continuing their meal.

     After continuing her meal, Jessica popped in a Creed CD into her CD player that sat below the TV on the rest of the stand. She then sat at her desk and began writing a letter to Prince William, thanking him for the hospitality during her last trip to Great Britain. She continued the letter and when the CD she was listening to was done, she kept writing instead of changing the CD. All of a sudden, though, she heard a creak. Sitting straight up, she froze; what had she just heard? Carefully, she sat down her pen and slowly stood up. The creaking sound continued, slow but continual; she whipped around. As she looked across the room, she saw the door to her closet slowly opening. No longer frozen, Jessica screamed and ran out of her bedroom and down the stairs to the long hallway. Having heard her scream, her friends came rushing out of the TV room at the end of the hall. "What is it? What's wrong?" Tonya asked her, a worried look crossing her face. "Its my...my..." Jessica was still breathless from the mad dash from her room. "Your what?" Poopsie asked Jessica. Her breathing now calming down, Jessica told them. "My closet door. It opened on its own. I dont know what happened, I just know that it was opening slowly and it creaked and AUUGH!" Sally sighed, rolled her eyes, and shook her head. "I'm sure it was the wind, JED," Sally told her. But nothing could convince Jessica otherwise. "No, it wasn't the wind. I shut my window earlier this evening because I was getting chilly. AND I had the door to my room shut. How could it be a breeze?"
    Just then, they heard footsteps coming from the other end of the hallway. "Whats all this commotion about?" Techno asked, looking a little mad about all the noise. "Well, gee, you fucking MORON!" Dee told him. "It's obvious that she's SCARED!" Techno glared at her, retorting, "Well, unlike YOU, I wasnt sitting around on a lazy ass watching a stupid movie!" "Stupid? Dee asked, her mouth opened wide. "For your fucking information, the..." Jessica interrupted them. "Would you guys cut the bickering for a moment? Something or SOMEONE was in my closet and I would like to know who it was!" Hearing Jessica, Techno gave a fuming Dee one last glare and then looked at Jessica and sighed. "Alright," he said. "Let's go down to the Cave and we can see what we can on the security cameras." He turned around and headed towards the door that leads down to the Cave. Jessica followed closely behind him, an eerie feeling still haunting her soul.

     Techno sat down in the big black, high backed chair that was in front of the many monitors, keyboards, and various gizmos that he was constantly working on. Jessica pulled up a chair from the table that sat in the middle of the Cave and sat it down next to Techno. Sinking into it, Jessica sighed. She wondered what could have possibly been in her closet.
     Typing in various commands on the keyboards, Techno brought up the security camera tape onto a couple of monitors. He fast-forwarded through it until he suddenly stopped, pausing the image in its place. "Ah, HA!" he exclaimed, grinning. Jessica, who had been watching the fly that buzzed around the monitor nearest her, looked at Techno. "What? What is it? What was in my closet?" Techno snickered. "Take a look," he replied. Jessica's eyes squinted as they took in the image. Then, a sheepish look crossed her face. "Oh," she quietly said. Standing up, she quickly placed the chair she had been sitting in back at the table and mumbled something to Techno about going upstairs. Techno just continued to chuckle as her back moved out of sight as she headed up the winding staircase.
     Feeling rather stupid, Jessica headed down the hallway and to the stairs to go up to her room for the next hour before she went on rounds. As she walked past the kitchen, she noticed the other girls sitting at the table. Quickly, she began to walk past. However, Sally ran out. "JED, wait!" Sally called after her. Jessica stopped in her tracks. "Well?" Sally asked. "What was it?" By now, the other girls had gathered in the hallway. Jessica turned around and looked at them all, a sheepish look still on her face. "Um, it was..." the rest was inaudible. "What did you say it was?" Poopsie asked. "It was Dee's squirrel. He was hiding in my closet smoking one of my joints" The girls looked at each other and broke out into laughter. Even Jessica couldn't help from smiling. She then turned and headed up the stairs as the girls continued to laugh.

     After returning to her room, Jessica turned her TV on to the local news. Leaving it on, she went into her huge closet to decide what she wanted to wear on that night's rounds. She pulled out her favorite peasant blouse and walked out of the closet to set it on the couch. At that moment, she heard from the TV "...and in other news, the Tequila Heights History Museum will be having a traveling exhibit visiting it for the next two months. A copy of the U.S. Constitution will be on display beginning tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. until January 1." Jessica grinned, for history was her passion after music. I think that I'll go check that out when out on rounds tonight, she told herself. Still smiling, she turned to look at the clock. "Crap! I better hurry!" she exclaimed, not wanting to be late to meet the others in the Cave. Quickly, she picked up her blouse and headed into her closet to change.

     Hopping down the last few steps of the staircase, Lucys feet landed on the floor of the Cave. Techno, of course, was stationed at all of his monitors and such, getting ready for the nights set of rounds. Shashani was already in uniform, waiting for Lucy to show up. "Sorry I'm late!" Lucy called out. Shashani looked up from the dagger that she was sharpening. "It's aight," she told Lucy before placing the dagger against her thigh once again. "So, do you want the north half or the south half of the city?" Lucy asked Shashani. "It doesnt matter to me," she replied. "Alright then," Lucy said. "I want the south half." "Ok, then," Shashani said. "Let's head out." Grinning, Lucy headed off to her Volkswagen Beetle. She climbed into it, turned it on, and spun out of the cave. Shashani wasnt far behind her as she disappeared into thin air.

     Once in the southern part of the city, Lucy pulled her VW Bug into a local Dillon's parking lot. Leaving it there, she headed a few blocks west to the history museum. She arrived at the building in a few minutes, slipping through a window that she knew had been left unlocked. She then walked down a long hallway to a staircase that led up to the exhibits floor. Lucy began to walk up the stairs when she saw a flashlight shine through the window that she had just climbed through. Quickly, she leaped over the stair rail and to the floor below. Lucy then went over to a desk that stood near the lobby's entrance and hid behind it. She first heard the sound of a man's voice followed by that of a womans. "I just cannot figure out why you wished to do this tonight, of ALL NIGHTS! You know that the Others will be on guard, especially with the traveling exhibit here now!" said the woman in a thick Russian accent. This was followed by the sound of a pair of boots hitting the floor. Lucy carefully raised her head and peeped out across the lobby to see a beautiful woman reach a hand up to help the other person. Grunting, the foreign woman pulled hard, causing her to stumble backwards. Lucy quickly ducked down as she heard a loud thump. "Can you be a little more CAREFUL next time?" the man said. With that, Lucy silently gasped; she recognized that voice! Once again peering over the top of the desk, Lucy watched as the man reached up to shut the window. As he touched the metal clasp, Lucy saw a spark pass between the man's hand and the metal clasp. He yelped and swore. "I told you not to wear that polyester mess!" the woman spoke up. "Well," the man hissed, "how was I supposed to know that the stupid window would shock me?" The woman just sighed. "Come on," she said. "We need to get into the store room in the basement before we get caught!" With that, she turned around and headed down the stairs near the window. Lucy watched as the man in polyester followed the woman, a huge afro creating a silhouette that caused a sinking feeling in the pit of Lucy's stomach. Finally, she realized who it was; it was Disco Dave!

     Back at the Cave, Techno was still sitting at his area of technology, waiting for Shashani and Lucy to both call in their rounds reports. Bored, he began a game of solitaire on one of the computers. It was at the moment that Shashani, who had been working on her teleportation skills, appeared right behind Techno. Techno, who had been steadily getting involved in his game of solitaire, didn't notice that she was right behind him. "Where's Lucy?" Shashani spoke, causing Techno to nearly jump out of his skin. "DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT!" Techno frowned. With a smirk on her face, Shashani said, "You didn't answer my question." Techno just shook his head. "I haven't heard from her at all. She was supposed to call in a few minutes ago, so I guess she just forgot." Shashani frowned at this. Deciding to find Lucy herself, she thought in her head towards Lucy, "Where are you?"
     As she watched the back of Disco Dave disappear down the stairs, Lucy heard Shashani's voice in her head. "Where are you?" Lucy heard Shashani ask. "I'm in the history museum. Disco Dave and some woman are here. They went down to the store room, but I don't know why," Lucy thought to Shashani. "We'll be there right away," Shashani thought back. Standing up, Lucy knew that she should wait for the rest of the group to get there before she even got near the storeroom downstairs. However, Lucy's curiosity was struck up and she carefully headed down the stairs.

     As Lucy reached the bottom of the stairs, she noticed a light on in a room at the far end of the hallway that stretched out before her. Carefully, she removed her shoes so that she could walk without notice. The concrete floor was cold beneath her feet as she padded down the hallway and stood flat against the wall that was by the doorway. From the light that flooded out onto the floor, Lucy saw the shadows of the crook and his accomplice. "I hope that we haven't waited too long to get this out of here," Lucy heard the woman say. "Look," Disco Dave said. "I've been doing this since 1972, so I think I know what I'm doing. Beside...you know and I know that the buyer wasn't going to arrive until next week. We had to have someplace to store it until now!" Then, the sound of paper and bags being rustled replaced their voices. Lucy frowned as she wondered what they were storing in the museum. Well, there's only one way to find out what it is, Lucy told herself. Taking a deep breath, she spun in front of the doorway and yelled out, "FREEZE!"
     Once her eyes adjusted in the stream of light, Lucy was shocked at what lay before her. Disco Dave and the woman were packing bags of cocaine into multiple boxes. After a moment, Disco Dave grinned evilly. "Why, if it isn't Lucy Diamond!" he said, beginning to walk towards her. Nervously, Lucy held her martial arts stance. "Dont move!" she hollered at him. "Do you think that Im going to let you destroy my means of business?" Disco Dave asked her as he continued to move closer to her. "This is what I have been doing since 1972 in order to open up my own disco club!" Yelling, Lucy then ran towards him, ready to attack him. As her hand moved forward to strike him, Lucy felt a foot in her back pushing her to the floor. It remained there, pinning her down. Disco Dave laughed a menacing laugh. "Well, what do we have here? A little Bruce Lee of the 21st century?" His laugh grew louder as he stepped in front of her. The foot in her back was removed, however, sturdy hands grabbed her by the hair and yanked her to her feet. Lucy grimaced from pain, but did not cry out. "You made the wrong choice, Lucy," the woman said in her ear; it was the woman who had knocked her down! With a hand in Lucy's hair and a hand grasping Lucy's wrist, the woman told Disco Dave, "Is there anything that you would like to say to her?" The woman then snickered and yanked hard again on Lucy's hair. Scowling, Lucy glared at Disco Dave, who now stood in front of her. "You want to put up a fight, Lucy?" he asked her. He then backhanded her across her mouth, sending her sprawling to the floor. Lucy reached her finger up, feeling the blood that was now trickling down her chin. As she attempted to sit up, the woman came up to her and kicked her square in the ribs. The pain was excruciating and Lucy collapsed back onto the floor. "That was to remind you for your mistake," the woman told her. She then pulled Lucy up off the floor and punched her in the stomach and then slapped her across the face, causing Lucy to fall to the floor once again. "And that, Lucy, was to remind you to never, ever cross either me or Dave again." With that, Disco Dave and the woman gathered up the boxes that they had packed and headed out of the room. Groaning, Lucy rolled over onto her back, secretly vowing vengeance as soon as she was able to find the two.
    It was only a few moments later when Shashani and Abra Pirata rushed through the door of the basement storeroom. They saw Lucy sitting up against a barrel, blood trickling from her mouth and a wound on her cheek. Lucy also had an arm wrapped around her stomach and ribs, trying to ease the pain some. She looked up when they entered the room, and then averted her eyes to the floor. "I got beat up pretty bad," she said. She then looked up at them again, tears of frustration falling from her eyes. Sighing, Abra went over to Lucy and helped her up to her feet. "Let's go back to MacMickle and I'll heal you, ok?" Shashani asked Lucy. Grimacing from the pain she felt, Lucy set her jaw. "No," she said. "Why not?" Shashani asked, a bit confused at why her friend didn't want to be healed. "I want to suffer. It will remind me to be more careful next time and it will remind me of what I have to do." She looked straight into Shashanis eyes. "Promise me that you will not even attempt to heal me this time," she said. "Aight! I promise!" Shashani replied, her eyes showing that she was not convinced that this was best. Lucy nodded and then pushed away Abra, who had been helping Lucy to keep standing. Lucy slowly moved towards the doorway, but stopped right before she left the room. "He's selling cocaine to fund his own disco club," she told the two girls that stood in the room. Lucy then shuffled out into the hallway. Shashani soon followed and headed out the door, only to see Lucy collapse and go unconscious in the middle of the hallway.

     Jessica groaned and rolled over in her bed. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Poopsie asleep on the couch opposite her bed. As she moved, Jessica grimaced and grunted from the pain that shot through her midsection and ribs. Sitting up, she tried to remember what had caused her all the pain. She didn't remember going to bed last night or getting home from the being out. Then, suddenly, it hit her: she had been beat up by Disco Dave and his accomplice. "How are you feeling?" Poopsie's voice suddenly broke into her thoughts. Jessica looked over at the couch and saw Poopsie sitting up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Well, I hurt," Jessica told her. "But, I do have one question. How in the hell did I ever get in my room? I don't remember going to bed last night." "You passed out in the hallway last night in the museum basement," Poopsie stated as she stood up and stretched. "We had to call Techno and get him there to help us get you into the van and back here." Poopsie frowned at Jessica before speaking again. "So, are you going to be able to get around? I can still heal you if you want me to." Sighing, Jessica laid back down against her pillows. "I can't, Poopsie," Jessica told her friend. "I need to have this pain to remember last night. For my sake and for the punishment of that disco duck." Poopsie sighed, "Aight, then. I'm going to my room for a little shut eye before it gets later in the day. I'll see you later." With that, Jessica's friend grabbed the blanket from the couch and headed out of her room. Carefully, to make it less painful, Jessica climbed off her bed and padded towards the closet to get dressed for an afternoon at the mansion.
     In a sweatshirt and a worn out pair of jeans, Jessica slowly and painfully climbed down the stairs to the huge hallway on the main floor of the mansion. She heard nothing coming from many rooms of the main floor. Jessica headed towards the kitchen, where she grabbed a granola bar and a Capri Sun. She then walked to the TV room to watch one of her favorite movies on DVD. As she walked past open door after open door in the long hallway towards the TV room, she had no idea that a pair of eyes watched her walk by the library. The eyes turned into a body, as it silently followed her footsteps.
     Jessica grabbed a movie and placed it in the DVD player before settling into one of the comfy couches that circled the TV. As she began to enjoy the movie, a pair of eyes was once again watching her silently from the open doorway. The figure watched on as Jessica battled with the straw hole of her Capri Sun. It smiled as it watched her lips curl around the straw, sucking the juice up. And it continued to stand there as she began to get into the movie she was watching.
     Licking her fingers, Jessica ate the last crumbs of the granola bar and finished her Capri Sun. She then paused the movie so she could go place the trash from her snack in the garbage can. But as she was about to stand up, she heard a small cough. Her body tensed and then she stood up very fast and turned around, taking a martial arts stance. However, from the beating that her body had received the night before, the sudden move brought on a great deal of pain in her ribs and stomach. The pain caused her knees to give way and she collapsed to the floor. Jessica cried out in pain and tears in her eyes blurred her vision. "Oh dear God, what happened to you?" a familiar deep voice spoke from the doorway.
     Almost immediately after she heard the voice speak, she felt strong hands gently lifting her up to her feet and setting her on the couch. Jessica wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up, only to be transfixed by an emerald gaze meeting her own. Realizing that it was Sebastian Lewis that had been in the doorway, Jessica blushed. "It's nothing, really..." she began. "So nothing explains the cut on your lip, the mark on your cheek, and your knees giving way?" he asked her. "Really, it's nothing...besides, it doesn't hurt that bad at the moment," Jessica told him, her eyes looking down at her feet. But then, Jessica frowned and looked up at him. "And just how do you explain watching me from the doorway and scaring me like that?" she questioned him. Sebastian sat on the coffee table that sat in front of the couch and said, "I was here waiting for Techno...In the library. He went downstairs to the basement to get a few things before he and I went out to the garage." Jessica smirked at this because she still found it amusing when people called the Cave a "basement". Even though he did not know of the reason as to why she smiled, Sebastian lips curved into a smile too. Once again, his sparkling eyes held her gaze. Sebastian then took her hand, gently squeezing it. "But I'm sorry I scared you like that. I didn't mean to." Jessica's heart had fluttered as he had taken her hand in his, and it continued to flutter even more. Continuing to look into his eyes, Jessica squeezed his hand back. "It's alright," she told him. "I just hope that I didn't scare you when my knees gave way." Sebastian just grinned. He then took his free hand and placed it on Jessica's cheek. "I hope you feel better soon," he said. Jessica's heart continued to beat even faster as his thumb softly stroked her cheek. "I found the parts!" they both heard Techno call from down the hallway. Sebastian gave her hand one last squeeze and let it go and removed his hand from her cheek, his finger trailing over it. He stood up and walked past the couch and out of the room to meet Techno in the hallway. Jessica just sat there, her heart pounding from that encounter with the mysterious, yet gentle, Sebastian Lewis.

     After she watched her movie, Jessica meandered down the long hallway to the kitchen again. Right before she got to the kitchen, however, the girls' puppy, Bowie, bounded in from the front door with Sally and Tonya right behind him. The puppy's tail wagged as he jumped up on Jessica's leg, his nose pushing against her hand. "How are you feeling today?" Tonya asked Jessica, hanging up her coat. Jessica's hand gave one last pat on Bowie's head and replied, "Pretty sore still. How were classes for you two today?" "Fine," Sally told her. She continued as they walked into the kitchen. "We met Daniel today in the cafeteria for lunch. He said he'd be out here today to work on the lawn." Daniel, Sally's boyfriend, was the gardener for the mansion. "Speaking of Daniel, that reminds me," Jessica began to tell her friends. "Guess who about scared me half to death today when I went to watch a DVD?" "Dee's squirrel?" Tonya smirked. Sally giggled. Jessica just sighed. "No, you nut. Sebastian Lewis!" "Oooo!" Sally said, wiggling her eyebrows. "Is this the same Sebastian Lewis that you drool over?" "I do not DROOL over him, Sally," Jessica told her friend, a smile beginning to play at her own lips. "He was here to work on his car again with Techno. He was waiting in the library and followed me when I went to watch a DVD. About scared the CRAP out of me!" Sally and Tonya just laughed. "Well, I'll talk to you guys later," Jessica said. "I think that I'm going to go out into town for this evening." With that, she grinned one last time at her goofy friends and headed out to the garage to get her car.
     Once in the garage, Jessica unlocked the door to her purple Mustang convertible. She stuck a Garth Brooks CD into its CD player, backed her car out, turned it around, and drove down the driveway to the gate. Pressing the gate opener in on her visor, the gates opened and she drove through them, speeding away into the evening.
     Jessica drove to the historic Haymarket downtown. She found a parking spot that was close to her favorite coffee shop. Getting out of the car, she locked it and headed into the shop. Once she entered through the door, the rich aroma of flavored coffees and sweet pastries greeted her senses. She walked up to the counter and waited to be served. "I'll be right there!" she heard from the back room. In a moment, the owner of the shop, Henry Steele, walked to the front. "Jessica!" his thick French accent spoke to her. She smiled at him as he walked around the counter. "Evening, Henry," she told him. "My world, child! What happened to you?" the aging man asked her as he wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace. She hugged him back and replied, "Got in a little skirmish, but nothing you need to worry about. I'll be fine." "Well, fine or not," he said, "you just sit down at a table here and good old Henry will bring you out a cup of my special hot chocolate and a warm cinnamon roll, ok?" He led her to a nearby table and pulled out a chair for her. "Thanks, Henry. I really appreciate it," she told him as she removed her coat and then sat down.
     She sat there for a few moments and he was soon back at the table with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate and a cinnamon roll covered in icing. He sat one mug of the hot refreshment and the cinnamon roll in front of her and then sat in a chair across from her with a mug of hot chocolate for himself. As she took a bite of the cinnamon roll, he spoke, "So, what is new with you, my dear?" Jessica swallowed the bit of roll and took a sip of hot chocolate before she sighed, "I've met someone, I think." The peppered eyebrows of the man rose in question and she continued on, "He's one of T's friends. Name is Sebastian Lewis. Every time I see him, I lose all my senses. I can't talk, think, nor keep my eyes off of him." Henry chuckled and took a drink of the hot chocolate. "Ah, I remember that I did the same with my dear Lizzy, God rest her soul, before we were married. Couldn't tell time or keep my words straight." Jessica looked at him and smiled. "Are you implying something?" she jokingly asked him, her eyes flashing in humor. Henry laughed and said, "Oh, I don't know, Jessica. That was so long ago, I don't know if that kind of thing even happens anymore." "Well, do you want to know the weird thing about this, Henry?" Jessica asked him. "What is that, child?" he said. "I could swear that he's been the one following me around town the past several months. Remember me telling you about that? How I kept seeing someone go right out of my sight when I turned my head to look? I told you how I once saw a reflection of the persons face in a mirror and how I saw emerald green eyes reflect in them. Well, those are his eyes!" she explained to him. Henry's brow furrowed as he thought. "Hmmm. That's really odd, Jessica," he said. "Do you know this for sure?" "I would never forget those eyes, Henry...Honestly!" she exclaimed. The man's weathered hand reached out and squeezed hers. His kind brown eyes looked into hers. "Go with your heart, love. That's all this old man knows. If you don't, you will regret it down the road." He chuckled again and patted her hand before drawing it back. As she took in this food for thought, Jessica ate the last bite of her cinnamon roll and finished the hot chocolate in her mug. She smiled as she said, "Thanks, Henry. I appreciate being able to come talk to you about things." Laughing, he told her, "Well, even if I can't offer you any advice, I will always have an open ear and a shoulder to cry on. You know where I am." Jessica nodded and stood up, putting her coat back on. "I'll stop by later this week, Henry," she told him as she buttoned up her coat. The old man stood up and once again embraced her. "You take care, child. Promise me that you'll do that," he told her as she returned the embrace. He held her out at arms length and looked into her eyes, waiting for her answer. Jessica smiled and said, "For you, Henry, always." "Good," Henry said. "I'll talk to you later in the week." He stooped over to pick up the plate and two mugs as she headed out the door. "Bye, Henry!" she called out as the door closed behind her.
     Jessica left the coffee shop and walked to her car. But, something caught her eye. She looked at the newspaper dispenser that was on her left and saw a headline that looked intriguing. Jessica fished fifty cents out of her pocket and plugged it into the machine. Opening the door to it, she pulled out a paper from that day and opened it up. The headline made her heart stop with horror. It read, "Fire Besieges Local Church; Police Call it Arson." She scanned the story, finding what she had feared. Disco Dave and his accomplice, Katia Chelosky, were named head suspects.

     It was dark out when Jessica walked down the winding staircase to the Cave. Her friends and Techno were all sitting at the table that stood in the center of the room. Jessica walked up to the table and slapped the newspaper on it. Techno reached for it as she bluntly told them, "The son-of-a-bitch is at it again." Dee looked at her and frowned. "What in the hell are you talking about?" "Disco Dave," Jessica sighed as she sat down in a big, high backed chair. "His accomplice and him burned a church down. I don't know why he did, but he did." "'The church was located at 29th and Main, in the heart of the Tequila Heights business district.'" Techno read to the girls from the paper. Jessica frowned at this. "Why a church that's in the business district?" she spoke out loud. Sally snickered and said, "Was probably for some stupid disco problem he had to solve." It was at this that Jessica said, "Ah HA! The church is in the business district. A lot of clubs are down that way. And, Disco Dave is wanting to open a disco club of his own, funding it with the sale of cocaine..." "And that would be a PRIME spot for him to have his club!" Tonya finished. Jessica looked her friend in the eye and said, "Exactly." "And it says here," Techno began, "that the lot will be sold since the church doesn't have the funds to rebuild." "Hmmm," Sally thought out loud. "Does it say anything about when the property will be sold, Techno?" Techno looked at the article, searching for the information. "Right here," he said after a moment. "Looks like they're going to auction it off. That way, they can get a piece of land cheap and rebuild the church with what's left. And the auction is the day after tomorrow, in City Hall." "Well, I'm going to go," Lucy said. "We'll all go," Dee told her. "Well, why don't you girls go upstairs and find something to eat while I do a little research down here before dinner?" Techno suggested to them. Dee looked at him with a look of pure disgust. "What, do you have fucking POLIO so you can't get up and walk upstairs and help us make dinner that YOU eat too?" she tossed at him. Techno stood up and looked over at Dee. "You're a woman, so your place is in the kitchen!" With that, Dee stood up so fast that her chair tipped over. "Why you son-of-a-bitch, I'm going to cut off your balls with a plastic fork for that one!" And she began to head around the table towards Techno, but Sally and Tonya held her back. "C'mon, Dee," Tonya said while pushing Dee towards the staircase. Sally and Tonya continued to walk Dee to the staircase and eventually up the stairs with Dee yelling, "You're going to fucking regret it, bastard!" Once Dee was out of sight, Poopsie just shook her head, walked across the Cave, and headed up the stairs. Jessica watched a fuming Techno roll his eyes. He looked over at her. "What?" he said, still fuming. "Way to go, dumb ass!" Jessica told him as she walked past him and up the stairs.

     Jessica got a blanket from her room before she went out to sit on the front porch swing. The evening was chilly. There was a light breeze that made the leaves still on trees jingle. She sat on the swing and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, pulling it close to her. It wasnt but a few moments later when she saw a pair of headlights pulling up the drive. The car that the lights belonged to stopped in front of the porch. Jessica just sat there, wondering whom it could be. Much to her surprise, Sebastian Lewis got out of his black Mustang and shut its door. Jessica watched as he walked up to the porch stairs and climbed up them. Sebastian began to walk past her on his way to ring the doorbell. Right before he rang the doorbell, she spoke out, "Techno's downstairs in there." Sebastian jumped a little and turned around only to smirk when he saw Jessica sitting there. "Well, actually," he began and walked closer to her. "I'm not here to talk to Techno." Jessica's heart began to beat a little faster as she asked, "Well, then what are you here for?" "Actually, I was wanting to talk to you," he replied. Jessica moved her feet and Sebastian walked over to the swing and sat down on it next to her. Her heart beat faster. "About..." Jessica began. "Well, about tomorrow night," Sebastian said to her, turning to look in her eyes. Jessica looked into his, the emerald gaze holding hers. "What about tomorrow night?" Jessica asked him, wrapping the blanket even tighter around her. Sebastian reached over and took one of her hands in his. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to dinner...and a movie. Tomorrow night. About 5:00 for dinner and then 7:00 for the movie," he said while giving her hand a squeeze. Jessica grinned and the blushed. She looked down at the porch and whispered, "I'd like that." Sebastian took her hand and placed it under her chin. He then lifted her chin and looked into her eyes once again. "Do the rest of your friends know you're out here?" "No they don't," she replied. His eyes twinkled at her response. Sebastian then moved the hand that was under her chin and placed it on her cheek for the second time that day. "Good," he whispered. Jessica's heart felt as thought it was about to flutter out of her chest. Sebastian leaned in and his face got nearer to hers. She closed her eyes and Sebastian touched his lips with her own. He kissed her, gently and sweetly. Jessica placed her arm around Sebastian's neck as the kiss deepened slightly. Finally, after she had felt time stand still, Sebastian let go. As he backed up, Jessica blushed. "I'll see you tomorrow night at 4:45 then, ok?" he asked her as he stood up. Jessica looked up at him and smiled. "That's perfectly fine," she said. Sebastian smirked his smirk and said, "I'll see you then." "Goodnight!" Jessica called after him as he walked down the stairs and to his car. She watched at he got in the Mustang and started it up. He drove away, the red taillights fading away in the darkness.

     Jessica woke up that morning, refreshed. Her ribs and abdomen didn't hurt her too bad this morning. She had been spared from rounds last night due to her injuries, and she had used the extra time wisely. The night before, Jessica had combed the internet to find all the information she could find about Disco Dave, his drug dealing, and the fire. It had been late when she went to bed, so it was near noon when she woke up. Jessica stretched and rolled over in her bed. She laid there when she suddenly heard a whine and scratching sound coming from the other side of her bedroom door. Hopping out of her bed, she opened the door only to watch Bowie rush into her room and leap up onto her bed. "Bowie! No! Get off!" she told the dog. Right then, Sally ran into her room. "Howdy," Sally said to her. She then looked at Jessica's bed and said, "Bowie! There you are!" Jessica's friend then went over and picked up the puppy. "Dee and I are trying to give Bowie a bath, but he keeps running away from us," Sally told Jessica. Jessica grinned. "I bet Dee is loving this!" Sally giggled. "She'll live." Sally then petted the squirming Bowie that was in her arms and began to walk out of the room. "Hey, Sally! Wait!" Jessica called after her. "What?" Sally asked, turning her head around to look at Jessica. "I won't be here for dinner tonight." "Ooooo!" Sally said, wiggling her eyebrows. "What plans do you have for then?" Jessica just grinned. "Sebastian asked me out on a date last night." Sally shook her head and walked out of the room. "Fine!" Jessica heard Sally call out at her as she walked down the hall. "Just abandon us and make us cry!" Sally then sighed the only way that she can and Jessica chuckled. Walking over to her dresser, Jessica grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of jeans to wear around the house that day. At least, until her dinner and movie date with Sebastian.

     Jessica spent the rest of the afternoon working on some of her history reading. After she had read a couple hundred pages, she looked at the clock and realized that it was already 4:00! She jumped out of her desk chair and grabbed a towel and washcloth out of her closet and ran to the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, Jessica came into the room, the towel wrapped around her body. She then got dressed, put on make-up, and did her hair. It was 4:40 when she walked down the stairs and into the library where the whole gang sat playing the Game of Life. Jessica cleared her throat and stood there as her friends all turned to look at her. Tonya whistled at her, Poopsie nodded her head in approval, Dee glanced at her and then counted out the money she needed to buy a house in the game, Sally oooed at her, and Techno just stared. "Where are you going?" Techno asked her. "On a date, asswipe," Dee spoke up, glaring at Techno. Techno just glared back at Dee and then turned his attention back to Jessica. Techno frowned as he asked her, "With who?" "Sebastian," Jessica told him. This caused Techno to frown even harder. "He never told me about this," Techno said. "He just asked me last night," Jessica replied. Techno didn't say a word more, but continued to frown. It was just at that moment that the doorbell rang. Jessica practically sprinted from the library, down the hall, into the foray, and to the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened it.
     Sebastian grinned at her. Jessica was wearing a pair of dress black, bootcut pants, a shimmering gold tank top, and a light black jacket to wear over that. Black platform boots adorned her feet. Her hair was down loose in spirals, framing her face. Shimmering body gloss was on her skin that was not covered by the low-cut tank. A thin gold bracelet went around her wrist. And Jessica carried a thin black purse, completing the ensemble. "You look stunning," Sebastian told her as he handed her a single red rose. Jessica smiled. "You don't look so bad yourself." Sebastian wore a pair of black dress pants, a nice hunter green shirt, his black leather jacket, and a pair of black dress shoes. His goatee looked newly trimmed and his shoulder length hair flowed loosely and without a tangle. "C'mon," Jessica told him as she turned around. "Let me put this flower in a vase and then we can go." Sebastian nodded and followed Jessica into the kitchen. She put some water in a vase and set the rose in it. Jessica then grinned and said, "Ok. Let's go." "Lead the way," Sebastian said. She walked past him to lead the way out when he took hold of her hand and followed along. Jessica felt their fingers intertwine and smiled. When they got to the foray, she took her nice, expensive leather jacket out from the coat closet and put it on. Sebastian opened the door and held it open for Jessica to go outside. Just as Jessica stepped out onto the porch, she heard, "You kids don't stay out too late!" She whirled around to see Tonya and Sally standing in the foray. They both had devilish smiles on their faces. Jessica just rolled her eyes and shook her head as Sebastian stepped out onto the porch and shut the door. They walked down the steps and to his car. Sebastian opened her door for her and Jessica grinned as she began to climb into the Mustang. However, Sebastian stopped her by placing his hand on her arm. Jessica stared into his emerald eyes and could see the twinkle in them. Sebastian then leaned in and kissed her, sweet, gentle, and heart stopping. When his lips released hers, he whispered into her ear, "Just wanted to tell you again how stunning you look." Jessica blushed and smiled. "Thank you," she whispered back, kissing him on the cheek. She then climbed into the car and Sebastian shut the door. Sebastian then walked to the drivers side of the car and climbed in. He started the car and they drove off.