Fortune Cookies
Cassie was sitting underneath her tree. Well, it wasn't really her tree, but it had somewhat of a calming effect on her. Like nothing could go wrong as long as she was underneath it's branches. Like maybe just for a minute it was just a day, a regular day, with no Yeerks, no invasion, just a day like before. It helped so much at times, that she had begun to unconsciously think of it as her own.
And tonight, instead of being a night of terror, it was just a normal night. But you know, she told her self, it's really not a regular night. New Year's Eve. Not that she needed reminding. A new millennium was almost here, and the 20th century would become a vague memory eventually, as she grew older.
So why was she spending her last moments of the century here? Her parents were in the barn, watching the animals. The fireworks were going to be really major in celebration of the new millennium, and the animals were going to go nuts. Cassie's mom and dad needed to be there to calm the chaos of the sick wildlife. Cassie had been happy to help them, but they urged her to go and enjoy the brink of a New Year.
How to enjoy it though? Jake was at home and staying there. His parents were worried about chaos too, except this chaos was among people.
"The city will be insane. We don't want you to get hurt or killed." Jake said sternly, in an exaggerating impression of what his Dad had told him. "Sorry Cassie." Jake said, the impression over. "You know how much I wanted to celebrate 2000 with you. But my parents are incredibly paranoid about all of this. Tom has to stay home too."
And Cassie had nodded. She understood. In fact she was surprised that Rachel's mom hadn't made the same restrictions for her own family. Because Rachel wasn't spending New Year's at home. She was going to spend it at a,
"Par-tae!" Rachel said over the telephone. She had called up Cassie to invite her.
"Party?"
"New Year's party." Rachel confirmed. "You'll come, won't you?"
"Whose going?"
"Oh, everyone practically. It's at Darlene's. She asked me to invite you."
"Sounds great." Cassie had said dryly.
"Aw com'on. Can't you be social just this once?"
Cassie laughed. "Nope, sorry. Anyway, I kind of want to stay around the farm in case Mom and Dad need any help with the animals."
"Darlene said I could invite whoever I wanted, so Tobias and Ax are coming. Tobias and Ax are going to a party! Willingly! You'll have to be there!" Cassie grinned at her best friend's efforts from her side of the phone. "Sorry. Antisocial I will stay."
Rachel sighed. "This is one of the times where I can't persuade you about anything, isn't it?"
"Yep." Cassie said, cheerfully.
"Oh well. I gave it a shot. Call me if you change your mind, k?"
"K."
But her mind was exactly the same. And here she was, underneath a tree waiting for the year 2000. She wanted her last moment in this millennium to be the tree, the farm, and her, content and happy. Because soon it would only be a memory.
"Enjoy the memories while they last." Cassie said softly to herself. It was what she had read in her fortune cookie last night, when she and her parents went out for Chinese food to celebrate the eve of New Year's Eve, since they'd all be too busy for a proper celebration the next day. And that was Cassie's fortune. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the small, crumpled strip of paper that she had kept. Her eyes ran over the red lettering. Enjoy the memories while they last. A little smiley ended the sentence, deadening the seriousness of the statement.
Cassie held it out in front of her, her fingers becoming slightly chilled from the soon-to-be-January air. Her mind was blank, in a reflective state, and she didn't even hear the footsteps approaching her...
A rabbit hopped across the path and he barked out a laugh. After being face to face with Visser Three he was afraid of a rabbit? His mind eased, and he glanced around, shivering. Stupid of him to wear a jean jacket. It was cold, global warming or not. He shouldn't be here. He should have stayed with his dad and Ms. Robbine...Nora. But he couldn't. Couldn't stand it. They had already celebrated Christmas as a family. But going into the new millennium with Ms. Robinette? No. He was strained as it was. He remembered with a shiver Christmas Eve. Nora was out, at some teacher's meeting.
"Marco," Marco's dad had said in a hushed voice, "I know the perfect Christmas gift for Nora."
"I already got her somethin' Dad." Marco said, only half listening. "I'm fresh out of money." He flopped down on the couch and turned on the TV, but Marco's dad kept talking.
"It won't cost any money." he said.
Marco winced. "Something sentimental?" Then he laughed at something on the TV.
His dad laughed too, but not at the TV. "Very sentimental."
"Can't we just get her a hallmark instead?" Marco asked as he changed the station.
"Marco." Stern.
"Just kidding Dad. What is it?"
Marco's dad flipped off the TV. "Call her Mom."
There was that dramatic pause that you think you only see in the movies. Marco almost expected a break to the commercial. But there was no break. Instead Marco found himself expected to say something. So instead, he said the only words that came to him.
"Are you absolutely insane?!"
"What?" Marco's dad sputtered. "No! But she so wants to be part of the family. I think it would mean more to her than anything."
"No!" Marco said. He stood up. "No!"
"Marco, think about this. Don't you want her to feel like we really love her?"
"NO!" Marco shouted. "Because we don't... I don't. And I never will! Never like a real Mother."
"Marco," his Dad began kindly, but Marco couldn't, wouldn't listen.
"She ISN'T my mother. How can you expect me to call her that? How can you do that, expect me to pretend to have a bond with a stranger?!"
"She's not a stranger!"
"She's a stranger!" Marco said. "A total stranger." To me, at least. Marco thought to himself. To you, I guess she can't really be a total stranger after you got her into bed. Maybe that helped you get to know her a little better, huh Dad?
Marco's dad said nothing, and neither did Marco, he just grabbed a coat and slammed the door behind him, so hard that the poodle-from-hell woke up. He had heard It's yaps behind him, as he cursed under his breath.
Marco had stayed the night at Jake's, and came back the next day. Ever since, he had avoided his Dad, Nora, everyone. And now it was New Year's. Darlene had temporarily forgiven and forgotten, so he had been invited to the party, but after Christmas Eve he just didn't have the spirits to go. And he couldn't spend it at home, among his father and Nora. Marco sighed at the crystal-clear memory. He had no where he wanted to go. Anyway, what was New Years? Just another day. Another day, no different from the one before or the one after it. Just a speck in time. What was the big deal?
He continued walking, shoulders hunched, eyes on the path. He wrapped his jean jacket around himself tighter. He had been cruel to his father, too cruel he knew. He should have listened to him. But his father's hadn't exactly been Ms. Manner's either. How could he expect Marco to accept Nora as a MOTHER so soon? Maybe his father loved her, but Marco didn't. Until he loved her, she couldn't be mother. He didn't care if the fact crushed her so much she jumped off a bridge. He wouldn't lie about something like that. How could that be asked of him?
He kicked at the dirt path in disgust. He looked up at his surroundings, aware of how far he had walked without realizing it. Jake had called him earlier and told him Cassie was around and maybe to drop by and say hi. He could see the lights of the farm dimly in the distance. That's what he noticed the small human figure, propped up against a tree. He couldn't help noticing the figure was of a girl. Cassie. What was she doing out here, alone? Why wasn't she with her family?
Cassie leaned against the tree, her eyes wandering the landscape aimlessly. Did the world know it was almost a New Year? Somewhere was it aware of the preparations, even though it itself had seen so many years each one was simply a minute of life? Did it know about what was going on beyond it? She sighed and looked down at the piece of paper, and her eyes ran over the now-familiar writing.
"Cassie!" a voice shouted jubilantly from behind her. She immediately recognized the voice as Marco's and she turned around.
"Marco!" she said. "Decided to drop by? Jake said you might."
"Yep." he replied. "I've dropped by, and I'm wondering why you're out here in the night, all alone. You're an American girl! Why aren't you drinking? Why aren't you having premarital sex? It's New Year's Eve, after all!"
Cassie laughed, secretly relieved that her parents weren't around to hear the not-so-clean-cut joke.
"You're an American boy, you know." she replied. "Shouldn't you be getting high somewhere?"
Marco paused, as if considering. "I don't know. I thought I'd be doing something more along the lines of getting arrested."
"For what?"
"Getting high?" he suggested. Cassie grinned and Marco sat down besides her.
"So," he said. "What's up with the Tree hugger? She's laughing at my bad jokes. I'm the only one who's supposed to do that."
"It's one of my New Year's resolutions."
Marco stared at her incredulously. "To laugh at my bad jokes?"
She smiled. "To have more fun. Not to say I won't take the war seriously or anything. I will. But in those Yeerk-free moments? I want to relax, have some fun, enjoy the moment." Marco could see her blush a little, embarrassed that she had shared this.
"You know," he said. "maybe I could use that for a resolution too. I need it, to say the least."
Cassie looked up at him. "You? Why?"
"Why not?"
"Well, you always seem to be having fun. I'm surprised you aren't at Darlene's right now."
"I guess I do have fun," Marco agreed. "in some part of me. But lately it's all been automatic. Like, this is what I'm supposed to say, no, don't smirk yet, okay, now you can smirk. But I'm not really behind any of it." He shook his head as if the action would shake away the confusion.
"That's not how it is with me." Cassie said. "I can't do the every day motions. I freeze up." She sighed. "I'm trying to break free from that. Get more in the moment." She didn't blush this time.
"So. In the new millennium we have more fun?" Marco asked.
"More fun." Cassie agreed. Smiled. "We have the same resolutions... Obviously."
Marco smiled back and nodded. He felt a pang of guilt. Why? There was nothing to feel guilty about. "I bet a lot of people have that resolution." he added quickly. "So it's not that big a deal." Why was he being so serious? Why wasn't he being the Marco everyone knew, the laughing, sarcastic, always smirking one?
Cassie looked strangely at him, noticing his change of voice, an eyebrow raised. "You think?" she asked.
Marco nodded and they sat there, a little awkward for a few moments. Marco tried to think of a joke, but came up blank. Cassie watched his face. More nervous than before, less relaxed. Had admitting that his life had become an automatic thing effected him more then she thought? Well it should effect him. she told herself. Did you think he was going to feel fine and dandy after confessing something like that? So much for a relaxing New Year's Eve.
"What's that?" Marco said suddenly.
"What?" she asked.
"That." She followed his gaze to the paper in her hand.
"Oh... That." she said. "Uh, nothing." She quickly stuffed the paper into her pocket. Marco arched an eyebrow.
"Nothing?" he asked. "Mind if I check into that, ma'am?"
"Sorry officer." she replied. "But there's nothing to check."
"Uh huh." he replied. "Suure." Suddenly without warning he lunged for her pocket. Next thing he knew...
"Yaaaaah!" he was on his butt in freezing grass, dotted with mildew. "Owww." He looked up at Cassie with a pout. She broke out into laughter. He stood up ruefully.
"You didn't have to shove me." Marco said. "A simple stop-it-you-freak would have been acceptable."
"That was more fun." Cassie replied. "I'm trying to live up to my resolution, you know. It's never too early."
"Tree Hugger supporting violence because it's 'fun'. I never thought I'd see the day." he muttered, just loudly enough for Cassie to hear. He sat down by the tree again. "Hey, can I just see the paper in your pocket and we'll pretend that I'm actually stronger than you?"
Cassie sighed, and pulled out the paper from her pocket. With a look of regret she passed it to Marco. He took it eagerly, wondering what could have been written on it that had gotten the peacemaker into such of a fuss.
He was surprised to see it was a fortune.
Seriously. The little smiley and everything. He read over the red lettering by the light of the moon and distant farm.
Enjoy the memories while they last. That's what the letters said, spelled out. Why would this mean so much to Cassie? The words were dripping with as much false sap as the monologues Jerry Springer gave at the end of a show. Like the writer had really meant a word of that. Fake! It was advice given by some arrogant guy who thought he could tell people what to do. Arrogant fool. Marco passed the paper back to Cassie. She was looking at him, a little expectantly. She wanted to know what he thought.
"So?" she asked after a moment. "Have you thought of a joke about it yet? It usually doesn't take you this long to come up with something." He couldn't help noticing the sarcasm in her tone, and it hurt.
"Can I see it again?" he asked. "The fortune."
She handed it over again.
Marco read the sentence. Once. Twice. One more time. "I think," he said finally, "that there are only a few more minutes till midnight." He glanced down at his watch. "Yeah." he said. "Ready for the new millennium?" He gave her a maniacal grin.
"No." she said flatly.
"Not much we can do about it." Marco yawned. Once again, he tried to get out of this serious mind set. But he couldn't. He just kept hearing the words in his head.
Enjoy the memories while they last.
Sentiment wasn't his thing. Never had been. But the words sounded nice in his head, and he didn't really want to get them out.
"How many minutes left?" Cassie asked.
Marco glanced down at his wrist. "Three."
He could see her reading the fortune again.
"Am I supposed to be happy or sad or what?" Marco asked. He needed Cassie, her advice, council, whatever. He needed her help.
"Huh?"
"The new Millennium. Should I be glad that this one is over? I mean, 1999 hasn't exactly been a joyfest or anything."
"But what about the years before?" Cassie asked, finishing his thought. "We're going into 2000 fighting. A war." Her fingers were tracing the bark of the tree. Marco sighed. She wanted advice just as much as she did.
"One minute left...now." Marco said. The watch was almost completely accurate. He had synchronized it with the clock on the news, though by now it could have been a second off. Why couldn't time stop, just for a little bit? He pleaded silently for it to stop, and so did Cassie, he could see it on her face. Pleading for an extra minute, extra second.
No such luck. The numbers kept going by on his watch.
He moved in a little closer to Cassie.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"New Year's Kiss." he answered. "We have to start necking at midnight, you know."
Cassie laughed uneasily, not sure how serious he was. It wasn't as if he would do something like that, and they had spent the last twenty minutes of the millennium as friends. But she couldn't help feeling guilty that she wasn't thinking more about Jake. Then again, what was she expected to do? Wallow in self-pity all night? She glanced down at Marco's watch.
Twenty seconds left. The first ten flew by. But somehow, the next ten seconds hung in air. The two looked at each other, caught up in suspense. Slowly Marco's watch clicked the seconds, almost as if it too was in suspense, worrying about Y2K.
"Five..." Marco whispered into Cassie's ear. It was comforting somehow. "Four... Three... Two..."
Both of them took in their last breaths of the millennium.
Beep. Marco's watch beeped, announcing the new hour. Half a second later the distant fireworks went up, and he planted a kiss on Cassie's cheek, as fireworks in another part of town sprung up as well.
Marco glanced at the fortune, lying on the damp grass. It was oblivious to the New Year.
He turned to Cassie. His hand gripped a glass of imaginary champagne, his fingers curving to fit the stem of the glass. He held the glass up in the air, and Cassie did the same with her own imaginary champagne.
"To Chinese food?"
"To Chinese food."
The imaginary glasses met, and both Cassie and Marco swore they heard a click.
The fortune, forgotten on the grass, got swept away by the January wind.
A/N: Sap drenched! Woohoo! Okay, so maybe that wasn't really a romance...not a heavy one anyway. So why the subject 'Romance'? Because I knew it'd get all you romantics to read it so that you could flame me! Bwahahahaha
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