City Of Lights

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4   ●  KATHERINE STERLING  ●  PRESENT DAY 

 yoυ're мy вeѕт ғrιend, and we're dancιng ιn a world alone, a world alone, we're all alone. 

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The next day, after her talk with Alexandra, Katherine had decided to find Aphrodite. After going so long without seeing her, it was hard to keep her excitement contained. Usually very bitter about her family's murders, Aphrodite always seemed to make some of it fade and she missed that. If anyone could make her day a little better, it was the understanding and love radiating from Aphrodite. It was something that she loved about her friend. Somedays, she honestly didn't know how she would've made it through all of her grief without her.

As she walked, her mind began to wander through all the things that had changed in New Orleans. It'd been a long while since she'd been here and it seemed as if the city was all grown up now. She smirked at the thought, running a hand through her short dark hair as she wondered how Eris and Alexandra had changed. Though she'd seen Alexandra, they hadn't had an opportunity to talk about everything they'd been doing. She found it interesting that Eris had started an art gallery. She'd known that Eris had always loved art and that she would often paint or sketch her visions, but she never thought she'd let anyone else see her work. She'd never showed it before, even when the girls had asked.

She walked down royal street, immediately finding "Aphrodite's Secret". She had to resist a chuckle at the name, strolling up to the door, hidden behind her cheetah print sunglasses. She pulled open the door, seeing the clumsy blonde scurry out of the back room. Hidden behind her sunglasses, she could tell that Aphrodite hadn't recognized her. She bit back a smirk and pretended to study some of the things in the store.

"Welcome to Aphrodite's Secret! Please tell me if you need assistance!"  Aphrodite said from behind the counter, pausing to check her hair in her reflection in the shop windows.

Katherine chuckled quietly to herself and then shook her head. "Last time I saw you, I could've sworn you were more graceful then this." she teased, glancing over at Aphrodite and sliding her sunglasses down.

Aphrodite's jewel blue eye widened and brightened, causing her to sequel in delight. She threw her arms around Katherine, hugging her tightly; so tightly that if she were human, Aphrodite's grip could've killed her.  Katherine grinned and hugged Aphrodite back just as tightly, though careful not to harm her. 

Refusing to let her go, Aphrodite clung to Katherine. "I-I can't believe you're here!" she whimpered happily, having to bite her lip to keep from screaming with excitement.

Katherine laughed cheerfully and nodded. "Me either! I knew it was time to come back, but I didn't think you'd already be here!" she grinned.

Aphrodite smiled and pulled back to look at her. "My god, you cut your hair! I love it." she said in the midst of her studying with a giggle.

Katherine nodded with another grin. "Thanks! I do too!" she said and then smirked, knowing the best way to compliment Aphrodite."And you're as perfect as a seashell as usual."

Catching the inside joke, Aphrodite beamed and hugged Katherine again once more. "Thank you!" she said and then paused, biting down on her lip. "Kathers, would you happen to know someone who can sketch clothing?" she asked, still not having been able to find someone to take the job.

Katherine grinned at her old nickname and then pursed her lips thoughtfully, about to say no when she remembered what Alexandra had said. Her grin widdened and she nodded, looking at Aphrodite. "As a matter of fact I do."

Aphrodite perked up upon hearing the good news and clapped her hands happily like a small child at Christmas time. "You do?!"

Katherine chuckled quietly and nodded. "I do. Her name is Miss Knight. She recently opened up an art gallery a street over or two on Bourbon street." she said casually, knowing that Aphrodite would get her meaning, even though the beautiful blond sometimes let her hair color define her I.Q.

Blinking, Aphrodite's heart stopped for a moment and her jaw dropped. "E-Eri is here?"

Katherine nodded slowly, noting Aphrodite's reaction. She knew that Aphrodite and Eris had a bond like no other. They'd been together for thousands of years.

Aphrodite had to sit down, looking up at Katherine in a daze. "I-Is she with you? W-Where is she?"

Katherine shook her head. "No, she's not. I trust you got Alexandra's note? I got one too and I know for a fact that she sent one to Eris as well."

"How do you know she sent one to Eri?" she asked, blinking her big blue eyes.

"Because I found her in an alleyway and she told me so." Katherine informed, having nothing to hide from Aphrodite. Okay, well...that was a lie, but nothing worth talking about at the moment.

She looked up at Katherine with a wide smile. "The family's back together! When do we meet?!" she asked with a giggle.

Katherine scrunched her nose, suddenly happy that she'd decided to find Aphrodite early so that she could decipher Alexandra's message. "We're meeting tonight overtop of the underground cavern."

Aphrodite absorbed the new information and nodded slowly. "Okay. Alright."

Katherine smiled and glanced over at her friend. "I missed you." she added. "It's hard not having someone who understands."

Aphrodite put her hand on her friend's shoulder affectionately and nodded. "I know how you feel and I missed you too. I did manage to come up with something to occupy my time, though." she giggled, gesturing around her lingerie shop.

Katherine looked around with a smirk and nodded. "Yeah, I see that. I'm glad you found something you like to do, Dite."

Aphrodite nodded with a smile. "Me too!" she said and then paused, looking over at Katherine."Katherine, I have a feeling that something's going on in this city...." she trailed off, biting her lip.

Katherine paused, taken off guard with Aphrodite's statement. "Like what?" she asked, curiously.

Aphrodite simply shook her head. "I-I don't know." she admitted sheepishly.

Katherine sighed and gave her a smile. "Don't worry about it. We're together again and all is well. Besides, if it bothers you so much, just ask Eris when we see her tonight. She's got that handy little power of seeing things before they happen." she reminded her, though she knew she probably shouldn't joke about Eris's visions, especially with how painful and dangerous they were.

Aphrodite gave her a look. "You know that I can't ask her to do that. We've all see the affects that her premonitions have on her."

Katherine heaved another sigh, suddenly sorry she'd ever said anything. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just saying, maybe she's already had one about it. Besides, she's also really good at sensing weird stuff like that."

Aphrodite pursed her lips and nodded, knowing Katherine was right.