ALONE TOGETHER I OWEN GRADY

Before Your Flowers Yet Have Sprung

Before Your Flowers Yet Have Sprung

Blown about by the wind, a worthless little thing

But the world can feel the changes of a butterfly's wing...

Cassandra wiped her brow with the back of her hand as she struggled to keep up with Claire. Where they were now, she didn't know and she didn't care. All she knew was that she could trace this entire trauma back to Claire, who was just being so typically Claire, forcing everyone to obey her insane itinerary, squashing them into her rigid schedule. The trip might have been organised to help Karen but only if it suited Claire, Cassandra becoming caught between them – again.

And as for this meeting with Claire's millionaire or billionaire or whatever, Cassandra's main concern was that Claire had mistaken his enthusiasm for something more; that he might just be an overgrown fanboy who wanted to gush to Cassandra over the feels her work gave him, rather than somebody who could introduce her art to a whole new audience. But even she couldn't fight the thrill such a thought gave; that her life could change on the turn of a dime, the idea exhilarating even as it intimidated.

"God, stop being so uptight, Cassandra!" Claire flung over her shoulder, reading Cassandra's body language like a book. "I bet you've spent the whole trip so far pouting about how Jurassic World isn't the Louvre!"

"You have a cheek to talk about being uptight, you bloody hypocrite!" Cassandra retorted. "You've been scheduling your life down to the smallest sneeze since you were twelve!"

"That's an exaggeration."

"C'mon, it's Space Robinson all the way with you."

"What!?"

"You live like a robot, Claire," Cassandra said coldly, "there's simply no other way to put it."

Claire's face turned red. "Ok-a-ay, I may be a little over zealous when it comes to organization," she admitted against her will, "but at least I don't act as if I have a stick rammed up my ass all the time!"

"I so don't!"

"Lighten up, then!" Claire snapped. "Where's your goddamn sense of adventure!? You always turn opportunities into obstacles!"

Cassandra just rolled her eyes before following Claire down a flight of stairs which became several, the light dimming as they descended.

"Karen was telling me you'd been on a date," Claire then said conversationally, coming to a stop before a circular steel door entrance. "How did it go?"

Cassandra hesitated, the sudden change of subject wrongfooting her. "Um, he was still hung up on his ex," she then shrugged, recovering herself, "just about talked my ear off about her."

Claire snorted in sisterly sympathy. "I went on a date with someone like that last year," she said as she then pressed her palm against the security panel, causing its screen to activate, a flash of blue light scanning her handprint, "absolute total walking disaster."

"Why, what happened?"

The entrance juddered open, its screech making both sisters wince in unison. "He admitted he only asked me out because I reminded him of this 'crazy neurotic chick' who 'flung him over'," Claire continued, stepping through the entrance, Cassandra following close behind, the entrance then juddering shut again. "Those were his exact words, I kid you not."

"The truth hurts though, doesn't it?"

Claire rolled her eyes this time, before leading them down yet another flight of steps, the clip of her high heels echoing oddly in the confined space.