The Cravers

2. New York

"New York, the nation's thyroid gland." <<<Christopher Morley 

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Carry-ons never stopped darting around. The JFK airport was thick with sweat and suffocating air.  People were as bad as the traffic, rushing to their destination with no look of excuse. 

I brushed my hair back, took in the scene, and found my carriage. It was a glorious disaster. I loved every single second of it.

I saw a young woman in pink stilettos trying to handle her baby as she rummaged through her Stella McCartney bag. She knit her brows and cursed under her breath. The baby almost slipped out of her grip.

I looked around. A little nervous. I hated to admit it but I was lost. Supposedly, John Perry was kind enough to assist me with his men so I wouldn't be lost, but little did they know this girl was a little crazy with directions.

 I finally asked a person and they led me to the way. I watched the people as I pulled on my carry-on. Where were these people going? Were they escaping their past? Facing their future? Starting all over? 

Airport. A mysterious place to meet every type of life story, maybe one day I will have a cup of coffee and interview few humans and catch up on time. 

In the distant from the haze of the running crowd, I saw a man standing in the middle of the way with a phone held at his ear. He was searching frantically; his eyes darting side to side. Right then,  another man appeared behind him holding a large poster with my name on it: DIANA HOLLAND.

I smirked but guilt seized my stomach. Poor guys. Luckily, I had an excuse ready. 

With a confident stride, I smiled at them. "Looks like I have fans." I joked. 

The worried man's face brightened momentarily but only to be clouded again. "Miss Holland. You make quite an entrance." He came forward, shaking my hand firmly. "I'm Frank Mears. John Perry's assistant." He smiled through wrinkly eyes. "Welcome to New York."

I slightly twitched at the mention of Perry's name. Hell, I gave myself a big pep talk in the plane and I already felt my guards melt down. "Diana Holland. Thank you. I am honored to be part of this new case."

The poster man, came forward and gave a curt nod at me. "Welcome to New York, Ms. Holland. I'm Mr. Lowe. We are so pleased to see you today." He smiled genuinely. "But I must say, I did not expect to wait this long but I guess you are worth the wait."

I shrugged slyly. "I just got lost that's all. I forgot how hectic it can get here."

Mr Lowe gave me a warm smile, the kind that reaches the eyes. "I will take care of your bags, Ma'am. I bet you're jetlagged. This way."

"So, how's everything?" I put on my sunglasses as the two men put my bags in the trunk. 

Frank laughed sarcastically. "Good thing you missed all the real commotion. The thing is, we're laying low...for now. So its less hectic than it was a week before."

"Hmm," I nodded and settled inside the car. "Something tells me the real fun is just about to start."

Mr. Lowe started the engine. "The first order of fun is, getting you to your hotel, Ms. Holland. It's about to get dark. Maybe you should rest."

I spread my legs, my combat boots rubbing against the shiny leather. Frank stared at my feet with a dubious--disgusted--look. He looked offended to the pit of his soul.

"So, where is my team? When can we start on this case?" I prompted as we converged into a dreaded traffic line.

"Lucky for you, all your teammates have arrived. You can meet with them first thing tomorrow but due to your trip, I would advise you to take the day off."

My answer was immediate. "No need. Please schedule a team meeting tomorrow. We lost enough time on this case. From the looks of it, some of the Detectors were working on it for few weeks with no clear evidence."

Frank gawked at me. "Really? Are you sure? Because from what I heard, you were..." He left the thought hanging as if he was going to say something wrong. 

I arched my brows. I gave him few seconds to clarify himself but he didn't. "What do they say about me?" I leaned forward, catching his eyes intently. 

I wasn't usually this defensive but "they" hated me as much as I hated them. The Coven. I hated them. I was always faulty in their eyes. Lousy even. I couldn't believe Perry said I was lazy to his...assistant. I was very well annoyed. Fine, be that way, that wouldn't scare me.

Frank shut his lips sternly and changed the subject to how Bridgette was doing. 

I rolled my eyes, giving him a cold treatment. "Fine, everyone's fine. They sent their regards." I lamely said. 

"So, any new deaths?" He said it almost in a restrained voice as if it was hard for him ask.

 I played with my necklace absentmindedly. "Nope, not really. You see, that is one difference between here and France. We have a high watch security system."

I closed my lids and tried to center myself but my heart was a pounding mess. Seeing the Coven people, all those dreaded mentors danced in my vision. I was barely sane in France. What would New York do to me? Maybe it wasn't too late. I could still reject this case. I had a home in France. How could I risk my sanity over this?  I was afraid that my past would be investigated more than the crime itself.

Breathe, Di. Breathe. Surely, something lucky would come out of this. Just think about the dead girl and you'll be fine getting out of the horrifying thoughts of seeing John Perry.

5/10/2016