Beyond the Veil

Chapter Three

           "Well," Serena said when they reached her house. "This is my stop. Thank you for walking me home."

          "Be still my heart," Sebastian declared, his hand clutching dramatically at his chest. "Did Serena Whitehall just thank me?"

          "Don't get used to it," she replied, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

          "Is that a smile?" Sebastian asked, leaning in close. "I think it is!"

          "Alright, enough," Serena said in exasperation."Go home, Sebastian, wherever that happens to be. I know for a fact that it is not here."

          "I shall do as you ask, but on one condition," Sebastian stated.

          What now? Serena thought. "What?"

          "Let me take you somewhere tomorrow."

          "What? No," Serena replied feeling a tangled ball of panic forming in her stomach. This was the exact reason why she had been avoiding him. A low rumble of thunder rolled across the sky overhead. Serena looked up to see the gray clouds from earlier had grown almost black. They were in for one hell of a storm.

          "Then I'm staying here," he said.

          "It's going to rain," Serena protested. As though on queue fat drops began to sprinkle down from over head. "You'll get drenched."

          "It's only water, Serena," Sebastian protested with a shrug. "Besides, it might be refreshing."

          Refreshing was't the word Serena would have used to describe the torrential downpour lurking on the horizon.

          "Then again, I could catch a cold, and get deathly ill... "Sebastian said thoughtfully. The wind was beginning to pick up causing his dark hair to flutter around his head. Serena could feel the faint hum of electricity in the air. It wouldn't be long now before that storm unleashed its fury. "It'd be all your fault..."

          "Fine!" Serena snapped irritably.

          "Fine what?"

          "I'll go," she grumbled.

          "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," Sebastian said, leaning in closer. "Could you say that again?"

          "Tomorrow I will go with you to ... wherever," Serena repeated. A particularly strong breeze caused the leaves littered across the ground to dance through the air before settling somewhere further down the street. "Now will you please go home before it starts really raining?"

          "I will pick you up here at nine," Sebastian said as he started walking backwards down the sidewalk.

          "In the morning?" she called out in distress. It was Saturday, she never got up that early on a Saturday. What kind of cruel torture was this? It as inhumane.

          "If you aren't out here, I will come in there and get you!" He threatened. With that he turned and began to jog towards the end of the street.

          "Sebastian, wait! Come on! Nine?" Serena shouted after him. He didn't stop.

          It better be worth it, Sebastian Dewitt, or you're dead. She thought irritably as she made her way to the front door. She reached the front steps of the porch just as the sky opened up and rain came crashing down in thick sheets. Serena looked up as lightning danced through the clouds, lighting in shades of red and violet from within. As the light faded, Serena swore she saw a face within the billowing thunderheads.