"Isn't this great?" Ariana asked Matthew as she snuggled up against him.
"Marvelous," Matthew sighed, leaning further back in his chair.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, with the help of famed Italian classical singer Andrea Bocelli, successfully drew in a packed audience. Everyone swooned over Bocelli's silky yet puissant voice, which seemed to blend in perfectly with the cellos. The melodies of the performance drifted through every ear in the room, creating a heavenly euphony that soothed everyone in attendance. Everyone, that is, except for Matthew, who sat uneasily with a heavy conscience.
He felt so plagued with guilt that he never had the chance to enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity, especially given the fact that he was there with someone of which he was quite fond. Knowing that his brothers were bogged down with the responsibility of fighting demons while he was gone to a symphony wore him down with every second. In addition to that, lying to his brothers for something so trivial added insult to injury.
"I'm so glad we're here tonight," Ariana whispered in Matthew's ear. "I love Bocelli!"
"Yeah," Matthew replied without emotion, "he's great."
"And to think that we're here seeing him live!" Ariana said sprightly. "This'll never happen again, not in our lifetime! You know how busy that man is? He goes all around the world! And he only sings for, like, famous people!"
"I know," Matthew said. "I guess we're pretty lucky."
"Damn lucky!" Ariana corrected. "You know what's even luckier? Being here with you. I'm so glad that we met."
"I…" Matthew began. "I…I…I can't do this."
"You can't do what?" Ariana asked. "Is there something wrong?"
"Yes," Matthew answered after a slight hesitation. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."
"Wait!" Ariana said, grabbing Matthew by the arm. "What is it? Is it me?"
"No," Matthew assured her, "it's not you at all. It's something at home, a family emergency."
"Oh my God!" Ariana exclaimed, drawing attention from people around them. "Is it serious? Why didn't you say something before? I…oh! Matt! You're so sweet for trying to pretend that everything was okay when it's not!"
"That's, uh…" Matthew stammered, "I just…didn't want you to worry, but I'm sorry, I can't be here knowing that I'm needed somewhere else. I hope you understand."
"I don't understand it all," Ariana said, "but that's the good thing with couples. You don't have to, right?"
"Thanks," Matthew said, kissing Ariana on the cheek. "I'll get a cab. You stay and enjoy the show. Call you later."
Sarah Walker let loose a scream of frustration that permeated through every part of the demolished house. Amidst the rubble of what used to be the basement, she leafed through the endless confetti that was now the destroyed Book of Light. How had Jordan managed to escape from her, she wondered. No matter how he did it, she vowed, she would certainly find a way to find him and finish what she should have started. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. There had to be something that she was missing. Surely someone like her could figure out a way around this obstacle.
She thought back to Jordan's last words before she threw the fireball at him. She vaguely remembered him saying something, then disappearing in a flash of white lights. It had to have been a spell, she knew that much, but with all of the commotion of the moment, it was hard for her to hear exactly what he said. That was the most important part; without that, she had absolutely no idea where he went.
"Think," she told herself. "If I were him, where would I go? He kept talking about that family of his. Could he have…? Would he? I bet he did!"
It all came crashing into her. He most likely traveled back into the past to stop everything from happening. If he succeeded, then everything she had worked to obtain would be lost in an instant. That was something that she refused to let happen. She opened her hand and a pen materialized into it. She conjured a piece of paper in her other hand and began stringing words together, taking extra care so that she would end up in the right place.
Matthew stood outside of the Woodruff Arts Center, where the Atlanta Symphony and Andrea Bocelli performed, waiting on his cab to arrive. His mind finally felt at peace, knowing that he was finally going to do the right thing. Why he hadn't done it before was totally beyond him. He had always been the most rational of the group. For now, though, he needed to put it all behind him and focus on the present.
While he waited for the cab, strange sensations started to nag him in the back of his mind. Something seemed to trouble him, but he had no idea of what it was. It felt like a sixth sense, a sense that danger was on the way. It was a very slight sense that could easily have been mistaken for anything. Matthew turned his head to the right; something compelled him to look that way.
He felt something in the air. He looked around, but saw nothing. The strange sensations he picked up, though, continued to bother him. It was as if a premonition was trying to come to him, but was somehow being suppressed. He closed his eyes and concentrated, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not summon the vision at will. His focus broke as a loud honk from a taxicab snapped him back to reality. He cautiously stepped inside the vehicle, wondering what caused him to feel so strange.