Room of Jars: Cassandra (Book One)

The Secret and The Weight

I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned the rest of the night, only to wake up after a couple of hours of sleep feeling refreshed. I took another shower to wake up and got dressed. None of my clothes fit me anymore, they were too big. I finally found something that fit slightly better than the rest and I quickly gathered my things to head to work. I was in a rush. It was like I felt the need to be there suddenly. The dark hole I called my job was suddenly comfortable to me. As I walked in the door girl took a double take at my entrance.

"Whoa, Cassie?"

I stopped before going through the curtain, "Uh, yes?"

She studied me for a moment before giving me a genuine smile, "Makeover?"

I shrugged, "Yeah, I guess I needed a change."

Before she could say anything else I rushed through the curtain, smashing into Jack. His hands were on my arms, steadying me on my feet once again.

"I'm sorry, are you alright? You're in a bit of a rush huh? Did the door girl send you in to speak with someone or-" He stopped midsentence, his hands tightening on my arms as he realized it was me.

Letting my arms go he grabbed my hand and rushed me to the hallway that led to his office, then he rushed me into the office and shut the door behind me.

"What the hell Jack, I-"

He cut me off, pushing me through the curtain on the wall and into the room of jars.

I turned to face him, "What the hell was all that about?"

His dark eyes were staring at me, studying my face and hair, my body. I should have felt super weirded out by his eyes, but he was making me wanted, and alive. He stepped closer to me, reaching out to touch my hair, and then he slid his hand down the side of my face and neck, brushing my exposed collar bone with his fingertips. I let out an involuntary breath of pleasure.

"You're perfect." He whispered, stepping even closer as he took my hip into one hand and snaked his hand into the back of my hair with the other.

He pulled me tight against his body, the intimate contact taking my breath away. There was no time for me to catch it as he kissed me harder than he had ever kissed me before. My back slammed into one of the shelves filed with jars. I heard them rattle beside my head and for a brief moment I was sure they were going to fall off the shelf and shatter beside us on the floor. He finally stopped kissing me and broke all contact, standing back to look at me again, his breath heavy but he was grinning from ear to ear.

"Jesus you are perfect!" He said again, the excitement in his voice surprised me, but it made me smile.

"Um, thanks, but how? I mean, what happened to me? What did you do? How?"

Jack laughed, pulling me once again by the hand, but this time out of the room of jars and back into the office, "You took your true form, as every soul I collect does, but you still have your soul." The excitement wasn't fading, "I did it!"

I realized why he was so excited now, and I looked at him angrily, "You've never done this before?"

"I wouldn't say ever, but there were a couple of trial and error runs."

"And here I thought I was special." I said, as I crossed my arms over my chest, agitated with him.

"Do you really believe I just woke up yesterday and thought 'I don't want to be the Collector anymore'? No, I didn't, and yes, you are special. You survived and ended up way better than I expected. Man is Abe going to be fooled!"