FUTURE PERFECT
CHAPTER 5
With a soft clunk the airtaxi settled down on the top of an enormous skyscraper. A tremor ran through the floor when the anchors caught hold and the doors of the cabin opened. Paulina followed her friend out of the vehicle and glanced around. Unfortunately it was overcast. On a bright day, at four hundred stories above the Bay the view from the building's rooftop must be grand. As it was, she could barely see her companion when they hastened through the murky gray into the reception area of the building.
"Ania? What building is this? Why did you take me here?"
Ania slowed as the door closed behind them and lowered the scarf from her hair. It was covered with tiny droplets from the fog. Paulina was a little taken aback by the seriousness in her friend's eyes. Ania's grave look caused her to change her mind about the airtaxi trip being one of Ania's prankish ideas.
"I am your friend, Paulina. You know that, don't you?"
"Yes, I do. But that doesn't answer my questions." Paulina shrugged out of her jacket and tied the sleeves around her waist. It was warm inside the foyer of the skyscraper. "Ania, you're scaring me."
"I'm sorry," Ania said. "I can't really tell you anything right now. Someone will be here soon enough to explain. You do trust me, don't you?"
Paulina sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes." She mock-glared at Ania. "This had better be good. We're missing the final episode of Survivor: Stranded On Venus. I hope Sacha wins."
Ania chortled. "It's not like you can't watch it later! Did you ever hear of video libraries?"
"You know what I mean." Paulina refused to rise to the bait. "That's not live. It's not the same."
The brief grin melted and Ania's features settled back into the grave expression that looked so out of place on her usually cheerful face. "All I can tell you is that this is important. This could be the most important day of your life."
Paulina shrugged. "Ri-ight."
She looked away to survey the waiting room. Ania had brought her to one of the many office buildings that cluttered the metro area of modern-day San Francisco. Rows of tiny spotlights hid in the ceiling and cast a warm glow onto the brushed steel columns that lined the lobby. In the spaces between the columns, comfortable sofas and chairs upholstered in warm red and orange hues provided secluded sitting areas. The tiled floor had been polished until it gleamed and cast back the reflection of the columns. To the left a reception desk was visible, and banks of elevators took up the right wall, ready to take people down to whatever floor they needed to go to. Windows at the far end offered a view of the leaden clouds. Paulina assumed that on weekdays the hallway would be filled with milling crowds, business people and office workers coming and going while airtaxis shuttled back and forth between this and other buildings in the sprawling city. Today being a wintery Sunday, the lobby was almost deserted, the reception desk unmanned.
Only two other people occupied the foyer. A man and a woman sat on one of the sofas nearby. The man would be in his early thirties, Paulina guessed. Of course, she could be wrong. She considered anyone over twenty to be ancient and wasn't a good judge of age. The woman with him had to be really old; her hair was going gray at the temples. However, when she got up and walked toward the girls she wore a gentle smile that made her look younger.
"Good to see you again, Ania. And this must be Paulina. I have heard so much about you."
Paulina's threw Ania a questioning look.
Ania offered a reassuring smile in return. "Only good things, Paulina, I promise. This is Elayne McCarthy, an old friend of mine."
The woman held out her hand and after a moment's hesitation, Paulina shook it. "Pleased to meet you," she murmured. It never hurt to be polite.
"And this," Elayne said, gesturing to the man who had walked up beside her, "is Joren."
He gave her a friendly but cautious nod.
"Hi," Paulina said, not sure why she was meeting these people. She wouldn't have come at all except for the fact that Ania had been her friend since she lost her parents, ten years ago. As a little six-year-old orphan, she had been very happy to have the older girl for her friend and confidante. And although Ania enjoyed playing practical jokes on people, she had never gotten Paulina into real trouble.
"Joren is your great-great-great-great-cousin. Or something like that." Ania chuckled. "I might have missed a couple of greats."
Paulina studied the man with more interest. He looked as startled at Ania's revelation as she felt. Paulina hadn't known she had any family left. Even if it was distant family. After the 2310 earthquake killed her father and mother, she was raised in foster homes. If not for Ania, she would have been very lonely. Yet here was a live, flesh-and-blood cousin.
"Is that why you asked me to come here?" Joren asked Elayne. "To meet a distant relative?"
She shook her head. "No. Consider that an added bonus."
Elayne was about to say more when a sudden blast of cold air across her back made Paulina turn around. Two men walked in from the airtaxi platform, bringing chill tentacles of fog with them. The closing doors cut off the misty feelers abruptly and the tendrils quickly faded in the warmer lobby air. Paulina rubbed her forearms to ward off the goosebumps.
"Good," Elayne said. "They're here. Now that everyone has arrived, we can go to my office and answer all your questions."
"This is Elayne's building," Ania confided in a loud whisper.
Elayne laughed, a pleasant sound. "Don't exaggerate, Ania. Although I do happen to rent some office space a couple of floors down, that's true."
Paulina didn't pay the two women much attention. She watched the new arrivals instead, wondering if they were members of her family also. They didn't look anything alike, though. One was of average height with kind blue eyes and blond hair. He wore a retro-styled checkered shirt and jeans. The other was taller, broad-shouldered and had a commanding air about him. Dark curls covered his head while deep blue eyes looked out from a ruggedly handsome face. His gray suit was cut according to the latest fashions.
"Cole, this is Joren Matthews. He is from Paige's lineage. And this is Paulina Winslow. Piper's descendant." It was the blond man who spoke first.
"And yours, as well." The eyes of the man called Cole bored into Paulina's. "So. These are the two witches who will help restore Phoebe back to life?"
TBC
CHAPTER 5
With a soft clunk the airtaxi settled down on the top of an enormous skyscraper. A tremor ran through the floor when the anchors caught hold and the doors of the cabin opened. Paulina followed her friend out of the vehicle and glanced around. Unfortunately it was overcast. On a bright day, at four hundred stories above the Bay the view from the building's rooftop must be grand. As it was, she could barely see her companion when they hastened through the murky gray into the reception area of the building.
"Ania? What building is this? Why did you take me here?"
Ania slowed as the door closed behind them and lowered the scarf from her hair. It was covered with tiny droplets from the fog. Paulina was a little taken aback by the seriousness in her friend's eyes. Ania's grave look caused her to change her mind about the airtaxi trip being one of Ania's prankish ideas.
"I am your friend, Paulina. You know that, don't you?"
"Yes, I do. But that doesn't answer my questions." Paulina shrugged out of her jacket and tied the sleeves around her waist. It was warm inside the foyer of the skyscraper. "Ania, you're scaring me."
"I'm sorry," Ania said. "I can't really tell you anything right now. Someone will be here soon enough to explain. You do trust me, don't you?"
Paulina sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes." She mock-glared at Ania. "This had better be good. We're missing the final episode of Survivor: Stranded On Venus. I hope Sacha wins."
Ania chortled. "It's not like you can't watch it later! Did you ever hear of video libraries?"
"You know what I mean." Paulina refused to rise to the bait. "That's not live. It's not the same."
The brief grin melted and Ania's features settled back into the grave expression that looked so out of place on her usually cheerful face. "All I can tell you is that this is important. This could be the most important day of your life."
Paulina shrugged. "Ri-ight."
She looked away to survey the waiting room. Ania had brought her to one of the many office buildings that cluttered the metro area of modern-day San Francisco. Rows of tiny spotlights hid in the ceiling and cast a warm glow onto the brushed steel columns that lined the lobby. In the spaces between the columns, comfortable sofas and chairs upholstered in warm red and orange hues provided secluded sitting areas. The tiled floor had been polished until it gleamed and cast back the reflection of the columns. To the left a reception desk was visible, and banks of elevators took up the right wall, ready to take people down to whatever floor they needed to go to. Windows at the far end offered a view of the leaden clouds. Paulina assumed that on weekdays the hallway would be filled with milling crowds, business people and office workers coming and going while airtaxis shuttled back and forth between this and other buildings in the sprawling city. Today being a wintery Sunday, the lobby was almost deserted, the reception desk unmanned.
Only two other people occupied the foyer. A man and a woman sat on one of the sofas nearby. The man would be in his early thirties, Paulina guessed. Of course, she could be wrong. She considered anyone over twenty to be ancient and wasn't a good judge of age. The woman with him had to be really old; her hair was going gray at the temples. However, when she got up and walked toward the girls she wore a gentle smile that made her look younger.
"Good to see you again, Ania. And this must be Paulina. I have heard so much about you."
Paulina's threw Ania a questioning look.
Ania offered a reassuring smile in return. "Only good things, Paulina, I promise. This is Elayne McCarthy, an old friend of mine."
The woman held out her hand and after a moment's hesitation, Paulina shook it. "Pleased to meet you," she murmured. It never hurt to be polite.
"And this," Elayne said, gesturing to the man who had walked up beside her, "is Joren."
He gave her a friendly but cautious nod.
"Hi," Paulina said, not sure why she was meeting these people. She wouldn't have come at all except for the fact that Ania had been her friend since she lost her parents, ten years ago. As a little six-year-old orphan, she had been very happy to have the older girl for her friend and confidante. And although Ania enjoyed playing practical jokes on people, she had never gotten Paulina into real trouble.
"Joren is your great-great-great-great-cousin. Or something like that." Ania chuckled. "I might have missed a couple of greats."
Paulina studied the man with more interest. He looked as startled at Ania's revelation as she felt. Paulina hadn't known she had any family left. Even if it was distant family. After the 2310 earthquake killed her father and mother, she was raised in foster homes. If not for Ania, she would have been very lonely. Yet here was a live, flesh-and-blood cousin.
"Is that why you asked me to come here?" Joren asked Elayne. "To meet a distant relative?"
She shook her head. "No. Consider that an added bonus."
Elayne was about to say more when a sudden blast of cold air across her back made Paulina turn around. Two men walked in from the airtaxi platform, bringing chill tentacles of fog with them. The closing doors cut off the misty feelers abruptly and the tendrils quickly faded in the warmer lobby air. Paulina rubbed her forearms to ward off the goosebumps.
"Good," Elayne said. "They're here. Now that everyone has arrived, we can go to my office and answer all your questions."
"This is Elayne's building," Ania confided in a loud whisper.
Elayne laughed, a pleasant sound. "Don't exaggerate, Ania. Although I do happen to rent some office space a couple of floors down, that's true."
Paulina didn't pay the two women much attention. She watched the new arrivals instead, wondering if they were members of her family also. They didn't look anything alike, though. One was of average height with kind blue eyes and blond hair. He wore a retro-styled checkered shirt and jeans. The other was taller, broad-shouldered and had a commanding air about him. Dark curls covered his head while deep blue eyes looked out from a ruggedly handsome face. His gray suit was cut according to the latest fashions.
"Cole, this is Joren Matthews. He is from Paige's lineage. And this is Paulina Winslow. Piper's descendant." It was the blond man who spoke first.
"And yours, as well." The eyes of the man called Cole bored into Paulina's. "So. These are the two witches who will help restore Phoebe back to life?"
TBC