Sarah had thrown an arm around Monica's shoulders. "Monica, Pogue; Pogue, Monica".
He smiled as her held out his hand to her, and she felt her heart skip a beat. "It's nice to finally meet you. Sarah speaks highly of you."
She shook her head a little, trying to clear it, and slipped her hand into his huge one. She felt a shiver run down her back, and she returned his smile. "Thanks, you too. Sarah can't say enough about you guys."
He laughed, shrugging off his jacket, "Yeah, well, that's understandable. We are awesome..."
She grinned at his easy humour, as Tyler called her back to the game. As she concentrated on her shot, she kept picturing those hazel eyes and that smile. God, that smile! She blinked, trying to clear her head again, and drew her arm back, easily sending the black ball into the pocket. Reid groaned and dropped his head as Piper high-fived her team mate.
"Yes!" she cried, "That's the only time I've ever been on a team that had beaten Reid!" She clapped her hands and hopped around on the spot.
Tyler threw and arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze. "Congratulations, Mon, not only have you beaten Reid, but you also got Pip to do the weirdest dance I've ever seen!" Piper just smacked his shoulder and leaned over to give Reid a kiss.
"Hey, what's up guys," she heard Pogue move behind her, bumping fists with the boys.
They were chatting animatedly when a Def Leppard song began playing. Sarah pushed Caleb off her, and towards the guys, while grabbing at the girls' wrists. "Ok, you guys play the next game, while we ladies go and shake what we've got!" The boys had no problem agreeing to that and Sarah dragged Piper and Monica to the back of the bar, where a large crowd was already dancing.
Monica loved this song, and closed her eyes while she started moving to the music. They were dancing up against each other, spinning, ducking and laughing. 'Pour some sugar on me.....!', she sang along while rocking her hips to the beat. Monica could feel a set of eyes on her, and spun around to see a blonde guy leaning up against the bar, watching her dance. He was cute, she surmised, with a hard jaw, wavy hair and bright blue eyes. He sent a grin her way and she smiled back, turning around to dance with the girls again.
Sarah grabbed her shoulders and turned her towards the pool table. She saw that the boys had abandoned their game and were leaning against the table watching them. She waved them over, and while Caleb and Reid came immediately, Tyler and Pogue hung back. She sighed dramatically and weaved through the other couples to stand in front of the boys. She grabbed their hands and tried to drag them, but she was nowhere near strong enough to budge them.
Pogue laughed down at her, "I don't dance!" and pushed Tyler toward her.
Tyler grinned, shrugging his shoulders while she grabbed his hand.
She mock-glared at Pogue before walking off, calling over her shoulder, "It's your loss!" He just grinned and made his way over to the bar to order a drink.
It turned out the Tyler was a decent dancer and they had a ball playing off each other. While they danced close, his hands on her hips, she never once felt uncomfortable. She felt at ease with Tyler, an inner sense letting her know she would be safe with him. They moved around the floor, him spinning and dipping her, her laughing uncontrollably, unaware of the glare she was receiving from the blonde at the bar. The glare, however, did not go unnoticed by Pogue. He had spotted them earlier, smiling at each other, and it seemed that Aaron was none to happy about Tyler taking the spotlight.
He continued to watch Aaron closely, waiting for him to make a move against Ty, but was surprised when he simply dropped his glass to the bar and walked angrily out the door. Pogue settled into a stool at the bar and watched the dancing between his friends. He had to admit, he felt the slightest twinge of jealousy at Tyler, his hands resting easily on Monica's hips while they rocked from side to side. It had been a long time since he had been blown away by a girl. Sure, he'd dated since Kate had left, but Monica had floored him.
When she had turned around, that smile on her face, he had almost forgotten to speak. She was short and when she raised her head, her deep green eyes had bore into his, and it was only at the last second that he remembered his manners and offered his hand to her. As he watched her dancing now, he blonde wavy hair falling halfway down her back, her hands on Tyler's shoulders and her laughing face on his, Pogue tensed a little, then scolded himself for it. Hey, if Ty could be happy, then who was he to stand in his way? He turned back to the bar, staring down at his drink, unaware of the knowing look Caleb had thrown his way.
Later, they had taken residence of one of the tables, and the boys were entertaining Monica with some of their childhood antics. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard. It was much later when they made their way out to the parking lot, ready to head back to their dorms. Sarah decided that since Caleb didn't live at the dorms, and would have to make a special trip, she would go home in the hummer. They said they goodbyes to Caleb and Pogue and Monica was climbing into the car, she could feel eyes on her.
She turned around and spotted Pogue watching her from his bike. He grinned and slipped his helmet on, revving the engine. She smiled and closed the door, watching him through the tinted window. He glanced at the road, making sure it was clear, then shot off into the darkness. She sighed quietly, and noticed Tyler smiling at her through the rear view mirror. She raised her eyebrows at him in silent question and he simply grinned wider, threw the car into gear and made for campus.
The ride home was quiet, everyone beginning to feel tired, and by the time they pulled into the student parking lot, Monica had succumbed to several jaw-wrenching yawns. The halls were eerie and Monica nixed the idea of going for a late shower. The boys walked the girls to their rooms, before heading upstairs to their floor. The girls said goodnight and separated the sound of the locks echoing down the corridor. As Sarah sat down at her desk removing her make-up, Monica changed into short shorts and a racerback singlet, and headed to their bathroom.
She washed her face in the sink and was brushing her teeth when Sarah called out from the bedroom. "So, Pogue, huh?"
Monica paused, mid-brush, leaning back from the sink to glare at her cousin. Sarah just grinned back at her and stripped, climbing under her comforter. "Yurw unbewevable, "came the frothy reply from the bathroom.
Sarah smiled as she heard her cousin rinse her mouth. "What? It's just something I picked up. At first I thought Tyler, but when I saw you and Pogue together, whoa! Talk about reaction overload!" Monica just rolled her eyes at Sarah as she passed the bed on the way to her own.
Stripping off her shorts, she climbed into bed, and lay on her side, facing her cousin. "I'm here one day, and already you're thinking about hook-ups! You're shocking!"
Sarah chuckled and turned to her side, facing Monica. "C'mon, nica, deny it, " she smiled as her cousin dropped her gaze. "I'm not going to push anything, I'm just letting you know that I wouldn't be completely against something happening with you and one of the Sons..."
Monica laughed, knowing the story behind the nickname. She blew a kiss at her cousin, and switched off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. As she settled down against her pillows, an image of Pogue found it's way into her head, and she had to smile.
**
She dreamt of her mother that night. In her dream, it was a warm day, the sun biting into the skin on her back as she walked through the woods behind her grandparent's house. She strolled. She never rushed. There was never any need to. Not here. She paused in her stride, bent down to pluck a daisy from the path and tucked it into her hair behind her ear. As she neared the pond, she felt the calm enter her body, as it always did. She sat on the small patch of grass, her usual place, where she didn't have to reach far to touch the water.
Breathing deeply, she touched the tip of her finger to the still surface of the pond. The water rippled beautifully, and as it cleared, she could see fire everywhere. She could make out a barn and the silhouette of two people fighting. The next scene turned her heart to ice. Sarah was lying, no, floating, among the flames. She screamed, calling out to her cousin, and as she made to reach into the water, she was pulled back from behind.
She whirled around and found herself face to face with her mother. She wrapped her arms around her and sobbed into her shoulder, still calling out to Sarah. Her mother raised her hand, passing it over the water, and as the scene cleared, so did Monica's mind. Her mom held her close, stroking her hair, and in a soft voice, told her, "My love, you can not change what has happened, but instead use that knowledge to change what may happen. The future is not set in stone. It can be altered with a single beat of your heart. Trust in yourself and you will overcome the hardships that will most certainly come your way. Trust also in your cousin, she has great strength in her. Do not dispair, my love. You are never alone. I will always watch over you."
She woke with a gasp, her eyes slowly adjusting to her surroundings. She sat up, quickly looking towards her Sarah's bed, sighing with relief as she saw the slow rise and fall of her chest. She was sweating, and crossed o the bathroom to slash some cold water on her face. Closing the door, so not to disturb her cousin, she turned on the faucet, she studied her eyes with awe, never failing to be amazed by the transformation. As always, when she met with her mother in a dream, or used her craft in any way, her eyes became iridescent green. They shone like a cat's eyes and were utterly mesmerising. Slowly, as her breathing calmed, the colour of her eyes dimmed until they had resumed their normal, deep green shade. She sighed, splashing the cool, refreshing water on her face, making the decision to speak to Sarah about her dream later.
She could sense dawn breaking, knowing there was no way she was going to get any more sleep today, she crossed to her drawers, pulled out a singlet and sweatpants, and grabbing her runners, entered the bathroom again to get changed. Running always calmed her down, no matter what was going on in her life. She grabbed her hoodie of the back of the chair on her way to the door, and as quietly as she could, exited the building.
After stretching her legs, she set off down the stairs, and out the gates, veering off to the right, towards the woods that sat behind the school. She never felt scared about entering dark woods, even when she decided to go for late night walks. She had gown up with nature, and somehow sensed that they would never allow her to come to harm. She followed the trail, winding her way slowly up a hill, her hair billowing behind her. As her heart started to speed up, she could feel her mind becoming clearer, her senses sharper.
She could hear the wind as it rustled the leaves. She could hear the tiny sounds of the animals inhabiting the woods, scurrying out of her path. She could feel their eyes on her, not scared, but curious. She smiled, completely at peace and continued her way to the top of the hill in front of her. As she reached the apex, she spotted a clearing to her right, and the view from that clearing took her breath away. The sun was just beginning to show itself to the left of the school, throwing glimpses of brilliant colour here and there.
She looked down the school itself, noting how dark it looked compared to the breaking sun. How ominous. It was the kind of building that belonged in a really bad teen horror movie. She shook her head, laughing at herself, and began making her decent. She walked instead of running, and chose to stray from the path, making her way directly into the dense trees, wanting to lose herself in them. As she wandered, she ran her hands over branches, the trunks, the leaves, closing her eyes and letting her instinct guide her in the right direction. When she opened her eyes, she saw the school looming in front of her, and regretted having to leave the woods. Taking one more deep breath, drawing the scent of the woods into her, she sighed and began jogging back to her dorm.
She made it back to her room, just as Sarah was waking up. Together they hit the showers and were hunting through their clothes in search of something to wear, when Monica told her about her dream. Sarah had stopped mid-search, and was staring at her, wide eyed. "Wow... uh... I mean... how often do you have dreams like that?"
Monica sighed, sitting down on her bed, "Dreams of mom? All the time. Dreams of seeing something happen in the water, never! It was so strange. I've never felt so scared in my entire life! Do you have any idea why I would see that? With you floating in the fire?" She looked over at her cousin, catching a glimpse of her face just before she stuck her head in her wardrobe again. Monica could have sworn Sarah's face had gone deathly pale.
"Um, no...no... I have no idea what that could have been about..." came the muffled reply from the clothes. "Maybe you should just relax, and see if anything happens..."
Monica frowned at her cousin's evasive tone, but didn't want to push it any further. Sarah sometimes had the tiniest amount of trouble adjusting to Monica's rapidly maturing abilities. But still, something didn't sit right with Sarah's reaction, and Monica knew it was only a matter of time before she discovered the reason.