Disclaimer: All characters, songs, and movies, except Rose and Kayla are not mine.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The phone beside my bed rang. I picked it up and said, “Hello?” A voice on the other end said, “Jasmine? It’s Demona.”
I smiled. “Hi.”
“I was calling to ask if you wanted to spend the day with me tomorrow.”
“Terrific.”
“I’ll meet you at the new cyber-restaurant at nine A.M.”
“Okay. Bye.” I hung up the phone and walked out of the room. Winter had arrived and out of generosity, Xanatos gave me a fur covered coat to wear. He said my cloak wouldn’t keep me warm during the winter days. He was, as usual, right.
I was glad Demona wanted to go shopping. I was surprised, also. Demona usually hates doing any activities that humans do. I, however, needed a trip like this. It was December 22, 1997. Christmas was in three days, and I still had some gift shopping to do. I had more friends this year than last year. Among them were Athena, Dr. Ares, Angela, Gemini, Kayla, Cassy, and Demona.
I headed for the library, softly singing “Once Upon A December” from the movie Anastasia, which I saw a month ago, then received the CD on December first. The clan told me that I sang the same pitch as the character. I wonder, though.
I sat down at the table and wrote out a list of people who I still had to buy gifts for. I had received wish lists from everyone, so I looked at them and checked off what everyone had bought for everyone else. I paid the list so much attention that I didn’t hear Angela and Elisa come in.
“Jasmine?” Elisa said.
I looked up, startled. “Oh, hi Elisa. Hi, Angela.”
“Can we talk with you?” Elisa continued.
“Sure.” Inside, I wasn’t really sure. I haven’t spoken to the clan very much since I told them I was part fay. That fact made me feel very different from the clan. I had a feeling that my recent behavior was the topic. I was right.
“Jasmine, why are you avoiding the clan?” Angela questioned.
“I feel different from everyone else. Like I don’t fit in,” I admitted.
“You mean because of your magical heritage?”
“Exactly.”
“You shouldn’t let that get in the way. We end up forgetting that you have magic powers. We’re sorry if we make you feel uncomfortable, we just don’t know what to say.”
“I guess I owe the clan an apology for avoiding them.”
“That would be best,” Elisa agreed. The three of us walked out of the library and toward the TV room. I felt very nervous. I knew what I was going to say, but what would the clan say?
Elisa and Angela entered the room, leaving me in the doorway with everyone’s attention focused on me. I quietly cleared my throat.
“I want to say I’m sorry for avoiding you guys for so long. I just feel…different.” There. I said it.
“Jasmine, you not different from all of us. Now, come in and help me watch Rose,” Brooklyn said.
I smiled and sat on the floor with Brooklyn and watched our daughter. She was getting to be a big girl for eight months old. She was almost a steady walker.
The alarm clock beside my bed rang. I woke up, shut it off, and looked at the time. Five forty-five a.m. Good. Sunrise was in fifteen minutes. I got dressed in my usual clothes, fixed my hair, and headed out of the room.
At six o’ clock, I was outside. I watched as the clan chose poses for the day. The sun rose and the clan turned to stone while I changed to a human. I went back inside, before I got too cold.
Three hours later, I was in front of the restaurant that I was to meet Dominique at. She arrived a few minutes later. We greeted each other, walked in, and sat down at a booth with two computers. We spent an hour and a half having breakfast, e-mailing each other, and using the Internet. Afterwards, we left to finally go shopping together.
We shopped on the West Side, then the East. I found what I need to buy for the remaining friends that didn’t have gifts from me. I managed to buy Dominique’s gift and have it wrapped without her finding out.
We had lunch on the Upper West Side. After we ordered and waited for our meal, I casually looked around the restaurant. Dominique was looking at her recipients and adding up the money. Near the front of the place, I saw someone looking at me. No, wait a minute, he was looking at Dominique. Or at least her hair. I looked at the man, hoping that he wasn’t planning on asking her on a date. I almost gasped when I saw who it was: MacBeth.
MacBeth glanced at me and I looked down. Did he know Dominique, just from her hair? Possibly. There’s no way, he could know me. I only saw him once before when he took the Scrolls of Merlin.
When I glanced up, MacBeth was ordering. Just then, the waitress brought our lunch. Once the waitress left, I leaned toward Dominique.
“I think you should know that MacBeth’s up near the front of the restaurant,” I whispered.
“What?” she whispered back. “What is he doing?”
I glanced up. “Watching us.”
“Well, we’ll take a different route in order to get out without him spotting us.”
We ate our meal in silence, occasionally talking about other things, like Dominique’s company, Rose, and Angela. At last, we stood up and took the long way to the front. I resisted looking back. The last thing we needed was Dominique’s enemy trailing her, waiting for sunset to trap her.
As we headed for the bus stop, I heard footsteps that, obviously, was at the same pace ours was. I quickly looked back. Oh, no! MacBeth was behind us! I told Dominique, and she told me that the bus was already at it’s stop. We ran to the stop and got on before the doors closed. We paid the fare and found an empty seat. We got away.
At five o’ clock, Dominique returned to her company and I rode a bus back to where the day had started. It was an easy, few blocks walk back to the Eyrie Building. I paused when I came to the alley where I first met Darkwing Duck, when I felt someone pin me against the brick wall.
I looked at my attacker and saw MacBeth looking back at me.
“Where’s Demona?” MacBeth asked.
“Who?”
“Don’t play with me. You know who I’m talking about. You were with her all day. Where is she?”
“I was with Dominique Destine, not this Demona you’re looking for. Now, can you let me go?”
MacBeth released me and I looked to the west. Sunset was in five minutes! I needed to get out of here. Now!
“Thank you. I need to go home,” I said.
“Do I know you? I think I’ve seen you before. Two years ago, I think.”
I spun around. He did know me! Did he have photographic memory or something? No, it must be security cameras.
“I don’t think so, but we can get know each other. I’m Jasmine.”
MacBeth looked at me and shook his head. “No, I can not be friends with someone who’s friends with Dem-Dominique.”
“Why is-,” I started to ask when a pang of pain hit me. Darn! I didn’t pay attention to the sky and now I was changing. I slipped my coat off and turned from MacBeth. My secret was out.
When I finished changing, I looked behind me and saw the immortal staring at me with recognition.
“You are the female gargoyle with Goliath’s clan I saw two years ago.”
I nodded, “Yes, I am.”
“So, where is Demona?”
“I don’t know where she is,” I lied. I did know, but I wanted to protect her.
“All right. I’ll just find her the hard way.”
“Please. I don’t think you should do that.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want to seem mean, but I think you should leave her be.”
“I suppose you’re right. I’ll leave her alone. For now.”
“Great. I need to get back to the clan. They’re probably worried about me.”
“Well, I hope to see you another time, Jasmine.”
“Same here, MacBeth.” I climbed up the wall, glided into the air, and towards Castle Wyvern.
