Friday, July 6, 2001 - Matawan, NJ 10:07 a.m.
"Lydian! Grab my hand!" A young man on a black horse called to her. Crystal awakened to the sound of her alarm clock blaring. She rolled over and hit the button to turn it off. Her eyes fluttered open gradually as she began to awaken. A small black Chihuahua started jumping on her and licking her face. "Cut it out Chi Chi." she said as she pushed him away. What the heck was that? These dreams, over and over. Her eyes darted about the bedroom, and she rolled off of her futon. Jeez, why am I up so early? I have off today. Oh well, I'll call Megan and see if she's awake yet. Crystal reached for the phone on her night table and punched in Megan's house line. A sleepy voice picked up on the other end and mumbled, "Hello?"
"Meg, it's me."
"Oh hi Crystal! What's up? And why are you up so early?"
"I forgot to turn off the alarm last night. Oh well…do you want to meet me at Menlo Mall's arcade at 8?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll be there. I just have to take a shower and such."
"Sounds good. See ya then."
"K, bye."
Crystal walked past the living room full of the latest video game systems and anime DVDs to the kitchen. She fumbled through the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a can of dog food, which she opened and dumped in the dog's bowl next to the water cooler. She glanced around her townhouse looking for her dog's leash. The twinkling blue jewel-encrusted leash caught her eye from behind the black leather sectional in the living room. She grabbed it and called to her dog. "Come on Chi Chi, time to go out." The dog ran to the door blissfully wagging his tail.
When she got back from her walk she hopped in the shower. This feels so good, she thought to herself as the soothing warm water coursed over her body. She turned off the water and stepped out, grabbed a blue towel off the rack, and wrapped it around herself. She examined her reflection in the wall mirror above the sink. Pale blue eyes, smooth white skin, and long flowing dark red hair; a picture of perfection. She headed to her bedroom and picked out some clothes, a pair of black flare leg pants with slits up the sides of the calves, a red sleeveless turtleneck sweater, and a pair of black ankle length boots. As soon as she finished getting dressed she headed to the garage to her Porsche and revved the engine a few times, feeling the awesome power under her control. Her fingers glided across the satiny ebony leather seats. God, I love this car. She popped it in reverse and backed out of her garage, heading up to the mall.
The sleek powerful black Porsche sped up the ramp onto the second floor of the parking garage at the Menlo Park Mall. The tires rolled to a stop in a parking spot right near the entrance to the stairwell. The whirring of the engine halted as she turned the car off, and the driver's side door swung open wide. Crystal lit a cherry cigarette and headed up the staircase. As she ascended to the top heads turned. She was used to this. She walked straight past everyone, ignoring his or her stares.
She tossed her cigarette and entered through the large glass doors. As soon as she walked inside she noticed Trinity standing there talking to another security guard, both wearing their ridiculous Mounties' hats. Trinity turned her head and yelled, "Hi Crystal!" Crystal nodded and smiled in acknowledgement, as she was naturally very quiet. Trinity immediately went back to talking to the male security guard, "So anyway, there I was…surrounded by Asian men …." Crystal just shook her head and giggled as she walked inside the arcade. Bob the pedophile was behind the counter. He grinned at her like the dirty old man he is and said, "Where's my hug and kiss Crystal?" She just laughed at him and walked away like usual. She headed around the corner past the air hockey table to find Rob, Megan, Wendell, and Jae were all standing by the Dance Dance Revolution machine. Crystal said hello and gave each of them a hug. They were all focused on the man playing on the machine.
She just stood there and stared intently at him, captivated. He was absolutely gorgeous. Intense sea blue eyes framed by short wavy brown hair and an amazing smile, broad shoulders topped his lean, muscular build. The way he moved was so graceful. He had a style all his own, unlike any other she had seen. It just flowed. As he finished the song routine, he stepped off the machine and glanced over toward her. He smiled at her and their eyes met for a second, then he walked away. A strange peaceful feeling washed over her. She continued to stare at him as he walked out the door. Megan poked her arm. "Hello? Crystal? Are you ok?" She shook her head and immediately asked, "Who was that?" Rob started laughing hysterically. "Crystal has a crush!" Megan smacked his arm and scolded him, "Shush Rob." She turned back to Crystal who still looked a bit dazed. "That was my friend Garan. He's incredible isn't he?" Megan grinned. Crystal sighed softly, "You could say that…." She grabbed Crystal's arm and pulled her toward the door. "So…do you want me to introduce you or what? Come on!"
Chapter 2 >>>