From Sunrise To Sunset

Destined 2

Nicholas

"Margaret, Margaret, No, No, No, Noooo!" I scream, waking up in a cold sweat, breathless with my heart beating like it could burst out of my chest. I find myself lying stretched out on my back staring up at a ceiling that isn't the one in my apartment back in Long Beach and I remember that I slept in Noah's apartment and that last night did happen and that she's real. Margaret... Cassandra is real. She doesn't only exist in my dream but also in my reality and she's alive. I rest my left hand on my forehead and smile to myself as my breathing steadies and my heart rate becomes normal.

"I found her," I say to myself. I had fulfilled Jonathan's promise to find Margaret by finding Cassandra. I should have gone after her last night when she ran off but I couldn't move. My feet were bolted to the ground.

I glance at my watch on my left wrist. It's 5:00 pm. The sun will rise in forty-five minutes. I need to go to her. Noah mentioned last night that she'll be at the beach for sunrise this morning.

Riding back to my apartment last night was not an option. After what happened, I needed to stay close to her so I could see her first thing today.

I sit up quickly and look at my tux that's at the bottom of the bed, the same place I tossed it last night when I stripped down to my underwear before getting in bed. I get dressed quickly putting on only the pants and button-down shirt. I roll the shirt sleeves up to my elbows, pick up my camera from the nightstand and hang it around my neck, then make my exit.

As I ride my motorcycle down to the beach I feel a bit nervous to see her again especially knowing now that we share the same dream. I hope I'm right about us sharing the same dream. It's the only thing that makes sense. Why else would she run from me? It doesn't make any sense no matter how many times I think about it, but she's Margaret. She has to be. Someone once described eyes as being windows to our souls. When I looked into her eyes last night I could only see Margaret, but it wasn't just her eyes. I don't know why I didn't notice it before but her features are very much like Margaret's; they both have raven black hair, gray eyes, and olive-brown skin. This explains why I felt so drawn to her the first time I saw her in the photograph I took of the sunset.

I get to the beach and park my motorcycle in the parking lot. I look to my left and see that she's already there sitting on the sand with her knees up to her chest. I remove my helmet and hang it on the left throttle of my bike then make my way to her slowly, unsure of how I should approach her.

The sun begins to rise, and she does something I don't anticipate, causing my footsteps to come to a halt. She stands and stretches out her arms to the side as the ocean breeze rushes towards her and blows her hair in the wind. She closes her eyes, and the waves rush to the shore, wetting her up to her ankles, and causing her to smile. I bring my camera up to my eye and take a quick photograph of her. From where I'm standing, she looks incredible. She stands like this for thirty seconds, then turns in my direction and looks me dead in the eyes like she knew I'd been staring at her the entire time. Almost automatically, I walk toward her, and my heart begins to race. She keeps her eyes locked in with mine till I'm mere inches away from her. She folds her arms against her chest and turns towards the ocean.

"What were Margaret's last words?" she asks with a straight face.

"What?" I heard what she said, but still, I need to be sure.

She takes a deep breath. "Last night you called me Margaret, which means you must have the same dream as I do." She turns and looks at me, "What were Margaret's last words?"

I hesitate for a moment, then reply. "Until you find me."

She looks at me astonished as if she finally received the proof she needed to convince her that she and I share the same dream. She shifts her gaze towards the ocean once more, closing her eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath.

"I have never told anyone about those dreams, not my sister, not my best friend," she explains, shifting her gaze back towards me once more. "How is this possible? Why do we share the same dream?"

"I know this isn't going to make any sense, but I..." I study her face for a bit because I know what I'm about to say is going to sound less than sane. "...I think we were them in a past life."

She looks at me incredulously. "You're right... it doesn't make sense." She shifts her gaze towards the ocean once more. "I have no memory of this so-called past life. All I have is this recurring dream."

"I think the dream...is a memory."

She shifts her gaze back towards me, this time studying my face closely. "You really believe this?"

I nod my head in response.

She unfolds her arms. "How is that possible if I don't remember it?"

I take a few steps closer to her and take her right hand in mine. "Cassie... Cassandra, I felt drawn to you the moment I saw you. I have never felt this way toward anyone before... You must feel it, too."

She takes in my words then looks down at her hand in mine for a moment, and pulls it away.

"You're wrong, Nicholas. I don't feel anything," she says, turning towards the ocean as she folds her arms against her chest once more."Margaret and I are two very different people. She opened her heart to Jonathan and let him in completely. She even tried to protect him from the pain of knowing that she was near her death, but I couldn't do that. I can't give my heart to someone. I can't let anyone in. I won't!... I'm sorry," she looks at me from the corners of her eyes then turns to walk away.

I reach over and grab onto her left hand, stopping her. She looks at me, but this time, she can't keep eye contact. Something about our hands touching seems to make her vulnerable. She looks down at our hands like she's trying to find the willpower to pull it away.

"Feels like you're always walking away from me," I say softly.

"Nicholas," she whispers.

"Spend some time with me...please?" I beg. "I think we at least owe it to ourselves to find out what all this means; why our dreams are connected."

She raises her head and looks me in the eyes. "What difference would it make?"

"I...I don't know... but I think we owe it to ourselves to find out what our dreams mean."

She bites the inside of her bottom lip and then takes a deep breath. "Okay."

"What?...really?" I smile, my eyes wide with hope. I look down at our hands, and caress the back of her hand with my thumb, thinking that my holding onto it may be the reason why she gave in to my request.

"Yes," she clears her throat and pulls her hand away slowly, "We can spend time together but only to find out why we are having these dreams," she warns. "Not to date each other or anything of that sort."

"Okay, no dates." I smile, holding my hands up to my shoulders.

"Give me your phone," she stretches out her right hand towards me.

I push my hand into my pocket quickly and hand her my phone. She taps on the screen a few times and then hands it back to me.

"Here, you've got my number now, so we can set up a date that we can meet."

"I thought you said no dating," I tease.

She rolls her eyes. "Don't get smart with me Nicholas."

"I'm only joking." I laugh.

She gives me a small smile. "Well...guess I'll be seeing you," she turns and walks away.

"Oh, I'll definitely be seeing you," I say to myself while I stare and smile at her as she walks away. "There's no losing you now that I've found you."