Wow, this has only been out a couple days and already I've got a reviewer! ChristopherWyatt, thanx so much for taking the time to read this...I hope you enjoy it! I won't give any spoilers, so you'll just have to keep reading, lol.
A man sat in the corner of a dark room, staring at what looked to be a Ouija board. To the four others near him, it was a thick, flat piece of wood, but to the man, it appeared to be much more. His eyes glazing over in a mysterious cloudy white hue, he watched some events unfold. The others around him looked on, hoping to see anything but seeing only the slab of wood.
The one seeing into the wooden piece was rather tall, about seven feet. He had a sinister appearance; his eyes, when not clouded over, were a dark orange color, and his skin was a deep crimson. Besides the eerie glow of his eyes and the color of his skin, the man looked like a tall human being. However, he was anything but human.
"This one," he informed his three inferiors, "is the one we shall target. He is the weakest, the most vulnerable. Tonight you will go and retrieve him. Take caution; he has the very rare power to stop time. Bind his hands and prevent him from using his power. Using him, the rest of the Complete will fall easily and the Council will grant me release from this hellhole."
With a wave of his crimson hand, the man summoned a strange power. Each of the four servants' heads glowed an orange color briefly before returning to normal. Afterwards, they knew exactly who they were to ambush and kidnap. Each of them resembled large, scaly, brawny gorillas, except their skin was a grayish brown. Their eyes were narrow yellow slits and claws took the place of hands.
"Are you sure your plan will work?" one of the minions questioned. "The Complete are very formidable. They have prevailed despite many attempts."
"They have overcome countless obstacles in the past," another minion added. "They prove to be resourceful."
"You dare question my judgment!?" the irate leader's voice boomed throughout the dark room. He reached out a hand and an athame materialized in one of the minion's hands. "To defy me is to die."
As if those words triggered something, the one now holding the ceremonial dagger began struggling as the weapon began to control his hand. He was trying to stab himself in the chest, while the rest of his body fought to stay alive. The other three inferiors watched in protest as their comrade wrestled with his own arm. After minutes of resisting, the underling could take no more. Just as he was about to succumb to the athame, it fell from his hand and vanished into nothing. The leader's hand lowered and a sneer rolled across his face, exposing sharp white teeth.
"I will have no more insubordination," he warned. "Next time you will kill yourself. For the time being, we will first test the brothers. One of you will go and initiate a surprise attack. Now, here is what you are to do…"
Matthew opened his eyes as the sunlight hit them. It was late Monday morning, just past eleven o'clock. He yawned as he rolled over in the bed. Ariana was still asleep. He just stared at her; she looked like an angel just laying there. He gently stroked her hair and kissed her on the back of her neck. He whispered "good morning" into her ear as she stirred awake.
"Hey, you," Ariana replied in a faint whisper. "What time is it?"
"Ten after eleven," he said, looking at the clock hanging on the wall. "Did you sleep well?"
"Never better," she replied, stretching her arms out and turning around to face him. "You?"
"It was great," he said, smiling as the two of them embraced each other.
"How about a little breakfast?" she offered.
"Listen," he said, "if you're cooking, how about a big breakfast!"
Matthew rolled out of Ariana's plush queen size bed and walked over to her side of the bed. He gently pulled her out of bed and they both shared a quick kiss before getting dressed. He had spent the night at Ariana's apartment, unbeknownst to his brothers. The last thing he needed, he felt, was to be interrogated by James and Wesley.
Having put on his boxers, Matthew walked into the dining area, where Ariana entered with a pink silk robe. They kissed one more time before she headed to the kitchen to begin cooking. Matthew had felt a bit apprehensive about staying the night, especially because of his dual relationship with both Ariana and Stephanie. He knew that he was treading a very thin line, and that the slightest mistake would ruin everything. His problem was that he could not decide which girl to keep; he wanted to be with them both. Of course, that was the root of the entire situation. For the moment, though, he focused on Ariana.
"Sausage and French toast good for you?" Ariana asked, looking through the refrigerator.
"Sounds perfect," Matthew replied, joining her in the kitchen. "Want any help in here?"
"Depends," Ariana said playfully. "Who's offering?"
"Me," Matthew said, taking her by the hand.
"You're no good in the kitchen," she said.
"How do you know that?" he asked, kissing her hand. "We've never been in the kitchen."
"I'm talking about cooking, you pervert!" Ariana interjected, giggling. "Now kiss me and get out of here while I cook."
Matthew went back into the bedroom as Ariana reached into her cabinet for some pots and pans. He reached down into the pocket of his pants, which lay in a heap on the floor, and pulled out his cell phone. Slipping into his pants, he realized at once why he had not been interrupted before; the phone was turned off. Holding down the power button, the phone switched on, and almost immediately began to vibrate. Stephanie's name flashed across the front of the display screen, throwing Matthew into a state of momentary panic. He peeked his head out the bedroom door to check on Ariana. She was cracking eggs and reaching into the refrigerator for milk. He quickly ducked back into the room and sat on the bed. His voice became an almost inaudible murmur.
"Hey," he tried to say as normally as possible.
"Hey," Stephanie responded. "Everything okay? I thought we were supposed to meet this morning for breakfast. I tried calling earlier but it kept going straight to voicemail. I got a little worried, but I'm a little relieved now that you picked up."
"I know," Matthew said uneasily, forcing himself to lie through the conversation. "I had a long night last night and had a little too much to drink."
"Oh…" Stephanie said hesitantly. Matthew could not tell from the tone of her voice if she believed him or not. "Do I need to bring you anything?"
"No," Matthew replied rather quickly. "I mean, you know it's not a good idea, with Wesley there and everything…"
"Oh yeah, that's right," Stephanie said as if she had forgotten that she and Wesley even had a relationship in the first place. "Well I'll give you a pass for this morning. We're still on for tonight, right?"
"The Italian restaurant," Matthew confirmed. "Brio, right? Go kart racing after. I'm there."
"You like Italian, right?" Stephanie asked.
"I like everything," Matthew answered. "I especially like the company I'll be with."
"You better," Stephanie said with a feigned sternness. "Well since I'm not going out for breakfast, I'm gonna get in the kitchen and see what I've got."
"See you tonight, babe," Matthew said, quickly closing the phone and returning to Ariana's kitchen.
He walked in with a smile, hiding the fact that he had to deal with trying to maintain two simultaneous relationships. That he had forgotten about his breakfast date with Stephanie was most disturbing to him. Usually, he was on top of things in terms of scheduling events and activities. Of him and his brothers, Matthew was always the one who had to remind the others of their various obligations. Was this love triangle starting to wear him down? Matthew worried about how things were going to end up if he made another mistake.
"Smells good," he said walking behind Ariana. "I'll have to give my compliments to the chef."
"I just put the sausage in the pan," Ariana replied, taking Matthew's hands into her own. "You're just giving excuses to start something."
"Is it working?" he wondered, wrapping his and her arms around her waist and gently nibbling her earlobe.
"I better turn off the sausage," she said, shuddering from his touch. "I don't want it to burn."
Taking her hint, Matthew smiled as the two of them slowly dropped to the floor, beginning another round of passion before breakfast. Matthew ran his hands across Ariana's back; she reacted with an approving moan as she caressed his chest. Matthew's gray eyes widened as he leaned in for a kiss. As their lips met, he blindly reached inside his pants for a condom. His hand ran across his keys, triggering a premonition which filled his field of vision… A demon resembling a large grayish-brown gorilla with yellow snake eyes spit something green at the staircase in the living room of his home. Blue and white lights sparkle as they tumble down the stairs. Wesley reappears from the lights, his pants smoking and disintegrating. He broke their embrace. Ariana looked at him with a quizzical expression. Matthew's mind went into overdrive to come up with a way to get out of this predicament. He was going to have to leave, but wanted to make as plausible a reason as possible.
"I…" Matthew stammered, "…can't believe I forgot about Jimmy's appointment! I'm so sorry; I gotta go take him to the doctor. He's gonna be so pissed!"
"I didn't even know he was sick," Ariana said, pulling back and staring intently at Matthew. "What's the matter?"
"It's…a little…embarrassing," Matthew said, thinking quickly before bringing his voice to a whisper. "Hemorrhoids…"
"Oh…eww," Ariana responded, almost instinctively. "I mean…oh. Well, I guess you need to go. Let me know how everything goes."
"Will do," Matthew said, jumping up and heading to the bedroom for the rest of his clothes. "Raincheck on the breakfast?"
"Sure," Ariana said as she turned the stove on again.