I twisted the small handle on the glove box in front of me and pulled out a sheet of paper that had what seemed to be directions written on them. The first few lines made sense and held names of familiar streets, but after that, I didn’t recognize anything thing.

“What’s this?” I asked him, wondering why he wanted them.

“They’re directions to the last outing of our date.” He said, vaguely enough to irritate me.

“The last outing?” I repeated his words. “Where are we going?” I asked, my irritation subsiding and being replaced with playful curiosity.

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise. I was cryptic for a reason, you know…” He said, looking at me quickly as giving me a wink. “On the way home, if you still want to, we can stop at the office and you can get the address.”

“Ok then sexy. If you say so.” I said, laughing and excited. I navigated for him, telling him his rights, his lefts, and which freeways to get on. “Eventually, we got to the right neighborhood and we started looking for the streets and addresses we needed.”

It was a wonderful place, filled with more trees than our home. The houses all had large spaces between them, full of tress, bushes, and sometimes gardens. We found our street and turned left. We followed the street all the way to the end and found what seemed to be a forest behind a fence. Kayde parked the car and we got out and looked for the gate opening, a driveway, anything showing us how to get into it.

“Phee, over here! I found it!” Shouted Kayde, about a quarter of a block away.

I jogged up to where he was standing and saw that there was indeed a gate next to him, and what more, it seemed unlocked. “Well, I hope that you have a flashlight or something.” I said to him, noticing how dark it was under the trees.

“Yea, it shouldn’t be too bad of a walk though.” He said, pulling a small flashlight out of his pocket. He wrapped my hand in his and turned the flashlight on, handing it to me. He unlatched the gate and we walked in.

“Kayde, what is this?” I asked him, thinking the forest looked kind of creepy.

“A surprise, remember?” He told me. “There’s just someone I want you to meet, that’s all, don’t worry”, he told me, squeezing my hand lightly.

The longer we walked, the more confused Kayde seemed. Occasionally, he’d take a couple of pieces of paper out of his pocket and seemingly compare them. We walked for about 20 minutes, finding nothing but more trees.

“Kayde, I’m cold and tired. Please, let’s go home.” I asked, almost pleading. I wasn’t really all that tired, but it was a bit chilly out here, and the lack of light was really starting to freak me out a bit.

“I’m sorry babe. You’re right.” He said as we turned around. “I just don’t understand”, he muttered to himself. “The addresses were all the same…”

“Kayde?” I asked, gently getting his attention. “What are you talking about? Forests don’t have addresses.”

“This one did. Right in front, on the curb. It was the same address I had copied down on the directions.” He told me.

“Well, maybe you copied down the wrong address. Who did you want me to meet?” I asked, confused, curious, and slightly worried all at once. It was more the confused and curious that had me asking questions. I tried to ignore the slight worry, assuming it came from the dark forest and the sounds it was making.

“I couldn’t have copied down the wrong address.” He told me. “I was taking you to meet your grandparents.” He said, stopping me in my tracks.

“You were what? My grandparents? They live in this town? Near here?” I asked him so quickly that he didn’t have time to answer any of my questions.

“Last night I went back to the garden to put the fire out and put the cushions away and everything and I saw that you had left your grandparent’s address on the ground next to one of the cushions.” He explained. “I figured since we were going out early anyway, so that I could show you the lights and sunset and all, than afterwards, I would drive you up to see them.

“I just wasn’t expecting things to go the way they did, which got us up here a few hours later than I was pla... What are you looking at?” He asked, stopping mid-sentence.

I could do nothing but raise my arm and point. Kayde turned and followed my hand and saw the lights too. One by one, in the distance, but not to far, lights were beginning to glow. When I saw the first few, I had assumed that they were just fireflies. But as more lit, we saw that they seemed to be forming an arch.

“Kayde”, I asked him. “What is that?”

“They’re probably just fireflies.” He told me, not sounding all that sure of it himself.

“Kayde, have you ever seen fireflies in Oregon? And have they ever formed an arch???” I asked him, incredulously.

“Um. No.”

“Yea, me neither.” I said. Not being able to help myself, I grabbed Kayde’s hand and began to drag him towards the small, bright lights.

“Sweetheart, I don’t think this is a good idea.” He told me carefully.

“Don’t you want to know what it is?” I asked him.

“Well, yes, but it could be dangerous.” He told me.

“All the more reason to come with me. I’m going whether you come with me or not. But if I go by myself, and it is in fact dangerous, and I end up hurt, it would be on your conscious.” I said, dragging him behind me.

Kayde let out a sigh and conceded to my point. He took the flashlight out of my hand. “Stay behind me, if anything happens, run to the car and drive home! I mean it.”

No way! I thought to myself. “Ok.” I told him.

We walked up towards the lights, Kayde in front of me walking carefully and looking back and forth to make sure we weren’t walking into some kind of trap. Finally, we got within a few feet of the lights and saw the most amazing thing ever. In front of me was a simple archway made of vines, but every few inches along the vines were small yellowish flowers. They had a beautifully sweet smell, but the amazing thing was that the middle of each and every flower was glowing.

“Kayde, can you believe it?” I asked in shock, taking my time to examine each and every flower along the vine.

“It’s amazing.” He said, standing behind me staring at the arch.

I walked through the arch, looking for any sign of a wire frame or cords and saw nothing. The minute I walked back under it was when the trouble started.

“What the hell was that?” Kayde shouted at me.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, not understanding why he was yelling.

“I looked up and you were gone! How did you do that? What did you do?” He asked, still yelling.

“I was right here the whole time”, I told him, confused. “I never went anywhere. All I did was walk under it, see?” I told him, demonstrating. As I turned and looked at him, I could tell something was wrong. I rushed towards him, trying to make sense of what was freaking him out.

“You did it again! You walked under that thing and you were gone! I couldn’t see you! You just disappeared!” He said, no longer shouting, just bewildered.

“What are you talking about? I’m perfectly fine Kayde, I didn’t go anywhere.” I tried again to explain to him.

“No, you don’t understand. When you walked into that thing, you were just gone. You literally disappeared.” He told me. “Just watch.”

Kayde stood in front of me and walked forward under the arch. He was right. He completely disappeared.

“KAYDE!” I called out. “KAYDE, COME BACK!”

As if it were completely normal, Kayde walked back towards me from the arch.

“Phee! Why didn’t you tell me what it was like in there?” He asked excitedly.

“What do you mean? It’s just like out here”, I told him.

“No it isn’t! Come on!” He said, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the arch.

“Kayde, no, wait, this is a bad idea! Let go of me—” As he pulled me through the arch I saw what he meant.

It was a short tunnel, made of the same vines with the same glowing flowers. At the end of the tunnel, there was a small doorway. Kayde and I followed the tunnel to the door and saw that the front of it had 4 numbers etched on the front.

“Five nine eight two.” Kayde read the numbers slowly and then pulled the papers out of his pocket, handing one to me. At the bottom of the directions I had been reading to him all night were the same numbers. Five nine eight two, Eireaf Drive.

“Kayde.” I said quietly. “Do you think this is it?”

“There is really only one way to find out.” He responded. “Now’s the hour of truth Phoenix, do you want to find out?”

I nodded my head, and in a voice much to low to even be considered a whisper I said one word, hoping I wouldn’t regret it. “Yes”

“That was amazing.” Kayde said to me as we got up and began to gather our clothes. “I know this probably sounds cheesy, but I’m pretty sure you were the best I’ve ever had.”

“Thanks, and yes, it sounded cheesy.” I told him. “Um, Kayde? I have a question. It’s kind of weird and sort of insane.”

“All the good questions are.” He told me.

Well, here I go… “Sometime during the middle, I started to get really hot and then at the end, I saw there was kind of a cone light that well, went up into the sky.” I told him, hoping he wasn’t going to think I was losing my mind.

“I thought that was just me. You felt it too? Saw it? Really?” He asked, amazed that I saw and felt the same insane and impossible thing that he had felt and seen.

“I did. I thought you could tell me what happened.” I told him. At this point, he and I were both perplexed.

“This is going to sound crazy, I’m sure.” He started. “But I’ve heard of something called sex magick. It’s some kind of ritual that some pagans do. The supposed theory is that sexual arousal and orgasm carry incredibly strong energy and when released, it carries magick wished for by the two lovers.” He explained.

“You’re right.” I told him, surprised that he was into that kind of thing. “It sounds crazy. But it was a pretty crazy experience, so I suppose I have no reason to shut it down as a theory.”

We continued clearing up after our date with a deep silence. The kind of unnerving silence that only works when everyone around is in thought, or else everyone who isn’t deep in thought feels incredibly uncomfortable and worried. We picked up item after item, keeping ourselves preoccupied with thought and responsibility towards the earth to keep it clean.

After we had finished cleaning up packed everything into the trunk of his car, opened the doors and got in. We rode in quiet for awhile and then I remembered my necessary request.

“Kayde, can you drop me off at my father’s office? I have to get the address again. I seem to have lost it.” I asked him, figuring he wouldn’t mind.

“Oh! I’m glad you mentioned it. Will you grab the piece of paper out of the glove compartment for me?” He asked.

We lay on the ground taking a small break, or rather, we lay on the ground as he gave me a small break. The stars were lovely and the sky was cloudless. I kissed his cheek lightly and sneakily slid my hand down his stomach into his pants. I was in no way planning to let what he had done for me go unpaid, but when I went to wrap my hand around what I expected to be soft, I instead found a rigid shaft. I was pretty sure that he hadn’t gotten hard laying on his back looking at stars, and so I assumed that he had been had the whole, or at least most of the time. Instead of fucking me, he decided to get me off first! I thought to myself, incredibly surprised.

I closed my hand around his shaft and softly rubbed it while I thought to myself. Other guys my age would never have done something like that. Although I was sure Kayde was a few years older than me, it wasn’t enough for it to make a difference to me. He was sweet and caring, which was a nice change from the high school boys I had dated.

At some point, he had unbuttoned his pants while I wasn’t paying attention, because he ended up on top of me and was once again kissing my neck.

“Can I have you?” He asked quietly.

“Maybe”, I told him. “Can I keep you?” I asked. I didn’t want to give him up, not yet at least. I was crushing on him hard core, after the dinner, the sunset; he had truly planned a perfect date.

“As long as you want me, I’m yours.” He told me, spreading my legs and pressing his hard cock against me. He lifted himself a bit and pressed the head of his dick into me. “Tell me if it’s too much” He said softly.

Yea, like I haven’t heard that before. I thought to myself. But once he was actually in me, I thought otherwise. He was rather sizable and much thicker than I expected him to be.

“Hold on.” I said quietly, it seemed as though he hadn’t heard me, because right after I said that, he pushed himself a bit deeper. “Kayde, wait. You’re hurting me.” I said, louder this time.

“I’m sorry babe. Should I stop?” He said, getting up on his knees.

“NO!” I said as I pulled him closer. “I want you to put it in faster, it’ll hurt more, but not for as long. It’ll be easier.”

“I don’t want to hurt you Phee.” He whispered as he looked away.

“I want you, Kayde. I can’t wait.” I leaned forward and kissed him and lay back down on my back, pulling him down with me.

Lightly, I bit my lip, bracing myself from the possible pain, knowing that soon after, it would be wonderful. Slowly, as if he was still worried about hurting me, he pressed the head of his dick into me until it slid in, and then almost all at once, he kept pushing until he had buried himself in me. A muffled cry escaped my lips as he was filling me with himself. Once he was in me, he took a moment to allow me to get accustomed to his size and width and took the time to kiss me. As we kissed softly at first, then harder and more fiercely, my hips began to rock back and forth a bit.

Kayde seemed to pick up on this and slowly he pulled out of me and then pushed himself back into me. He fucked me slowly at first, giving me time to get used to him, giving my pussy time to get used to his pain, and giving himself time to figure out how deep he could go before it hurt. After about ten minutes, he begin moving faster, pumping in and out of me as my quiet gasps turned into loud moans. At some point I had lifted my legs and wrapped them around his waist and he was now holding them. Each time he plunged himself into me, I would cry out, whether it was pleasure or pain that caused it, I couldn’t tell, but whatever it was, it was exquisite. He got up on his knees and held my legs up against his chest as he began slamming his cock into me. I could feel his dick throbbing inside of me and I knew that he and I were both on the way to orgasm. We were covered in sweat and for it to be so late at night, it was ridiculously hot.

“Phee, where do you want me to cum?” He asked, probably afraid of a random pregnancy.

“I’m on birth control. You can cum where ever you want babe.” I told him.

He began slamming into me harder, faster and deeper as my moans came louder and more often. I began to feel the familiar tightening in my abdomen and incredible warmth radiating upwards from my waist. As Kayde and I began to cum together, I saw what looked to me like a cone of light radiating up towards the sky. What the hell was that? I thought to myself after my orgasm had subsided and Kayde and I were once again lying side by side.

    “Oh, you mean when you thought I was a maniacal rapist?” He said, laughing.
    “What’s to say I don’t still think you’re maniacal?” I retorted.
    “Oh, just not a rapist, huh?” He asked, laughing so hard he almost fell off the branch, out of reflex I reached forward and grabbed his arm. “And if I’m a maniac, what does that say about you?”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.
    “You just tried to save a maniacal rapist… remember?”
    “You don’t scare me.” I told him.
    “Oh no?” He said as he lunged towards me.
    I jumped out of the tree and ran around to the other side.  As Kayde climbed out of the tree he tripped and heard me chuckling at him and began chasing me around.
    “Not afraid of me, huh?” He yelled “How come you’re still running?
    To busy running, laughing and feeling childlike to watch where I was going, I tripped over a small rock.  I tried to get up and run away, but by the time I was almost up, Kayde had caught up to me and tackled me.  We rolled around a bit, wrestling playfully until I had him pinned on the ground.
    “See? This is why I’m not afraid of you. There’s no need to be afraid of someone you can pin on the ground this easily.” I told him.
    As if it took no effort at all, he flipped over and was straddling me.
“Maybe that’s just what I wanted you to think!” He said, leaning forward and kissing me lightly.  I lifted my head and felt him slide his hand under mine holding the back of my head lightly as he leaned on his arm, his other hand touching my shoulder lightly. My arms were around his neck; my own way of making sure he didn’t stop kissing me before I was ready.  His tongue traced my lips and then retreated as he bit my lower lip lightly enough not to hurt, but hard enough to surprise me. He pulled his head away and kissed his way to my neck. Each time his lips touched my neck, it sent shivers down my spine.  He moved from my neck along my collar bone kissing very softly and sweetly.  He lowered my head and moved his hand to my blouse, taking a break from kissing me.
    “Stop me if I cross the line. Or get to close to it.” He whispered as he began to unbutton my dress. 
The light wind brought a light chill and slowly, small goose bumps began to form on my skin.  He unclasped my bra, pulling it open and laying the cups to my sides. He kissed his way down my chest to my breasts, taking each one into his mouth individually.  He took his time kissing, sucking and sometimes biting each one, not stopping with either until the nipples were hard and erect, as if he knew just which buttons to push to turn me on.
    After he was satisfied with me stiff nipples, he moved his mouth down my stomach, biting lightly, even leaving small red marks on my belly.  As he got to my panties, instead of  pulling them down as I expected and hoped he would, he just spread my legs.  He started by kissing my inner thighs, just above my knee.  As his lips slid up my leg, he added small nibbles to the occasion kiss, usually eliciting a quiet yelp from my lips.  Moving higher up my legs, closer to my pussy, he began to softly lick my inner thigh, causing me body to momentarily tighten and then relax. 
Not until he had kissed, licked and nibbled his way up my thigh did he even touch my panties.  As he slid one arm under my legs and took hold of my waist, he used the other hand to first rub my pussy through my panties and then pulled them to the side. Softly and lightly, he ran his tongue up my slit finally pulling a moan out of me. He pulled my underwear off of me and slipped both hands under my legs and held my waist.
    He lowered his head, once again sliding his tongue up my slit, causing my hips to lift slightly.  He pulled me closer as he slid his tongue into me, I moaned loudly. He pulled his head away momentarily.
    “I take it you enjoy that, hm?” He said with a chuckle, and then returned to licking.  His tongue slid inside me yet again and then moved up between my lips to my clit.  He began sucking on it, lightly as he swirled his tongue around it. As he took turns alternating between sucking and licking my clit I couldn’t help but grab a handful of hair in each hand and pulling him closer.  My moans became louder as I came closer to cumming.
    “Please, don’t stop.” I said between gasps.
    He slid his fingers into me and began to rhythmically slide them in and out of me as my hips rocked. His fingers began to move faster as he took my clit into his mouth and began to suck on it and flick his tongue across it.  I began breathing faster, my hips began rocking faster and I could feel my pussy tightening up around his fingers.  As his fingers and tongue moves faster I felt the familiar pressure building up inside of me. He pulled his head away from me and used his thumb to rub my clit as he fingered me and moved up a bit and took one of my nipples into his mouth and began lightly nibbling on it. 
    My legs tensed up and I felt my lower abdomen do the same. I cried out loudly as wave upon wave of pleasure released itself from my body, pulsing through me. I could feel both my vagina and clit throbbing from my orgasm. 
    I pulled Kayde down onto the ground next to me and laid my head on his arm.
    “That was amazing”, I told him between breaths.
    “I hope you don’t think I’m done with you yet.” He said mischievously. “I’m just giving you a break to catch your breath.” He warned.

We sat down on the cushions he had brought and he began naming the different dishes he had brought for us. Salade Niçoise, Paella Méditerranéen, Riz a l’Italienne, Plat de côte de Boeuf Braisé, Penne a la Monegasque. There was one more dish that he kept covered, but I had no way of knowing what on earth he was hiding. The food all looked and smelled absolutely diving, but I seemed to gravitate towards the more vegetarian dishes. The Salade Niçoise had greens, bell peppers, green beans, potatoes, black olives, anchovies, egg, tomatoes, and flaked tuna, all of which was organic, which is always a nice touch when it comes to my food; the Riz a l’Italienne was risotto with portabella mushroom, baby spinach, cream, and cheese (probably my favorite dish); I had a small bit of the Penne a la Monegasque, penne pasta with tomatoes, basil, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil, and just to taste, I had a few bites of the Paella Méditerranéen: Shrimp, calamari, mussels, clams, sausage & vegetables over saffron rice.

Dinner was calm and quiet with not much talking, I wasn’t sure about him, but I knew I was horribly nervous. I couldn’t help but stare at him sometimes, looking into his sea green eyes and wonder what was going on behind him. Sometimes he caught me looking at him, studying his eyes, his cheeks, the way his hair fell over his left eyebrow when he was looking down. Once we had finished eating he grabbed the last covered dish and placed it right between us and grabbed two forks.

“Ok, so, how much of a sweet tooth do you have?” He asked.
“Oooh, that must mean you brought dessert!” I said, incredibly excited.

“I do, but we’re going to play a game.” He explained with a mischievous grin. “For every question you answer, you get to ask a question and take a bite of whichever dessert you choose, every question you ask must be different from the one I just asked you, every time you pass on a question, I get to ask another one and I get to take your bite of dessert.”

“You know, I think I like this game.” If it weren’t for the dessert, I wasn’t sure how much I would have enjoyed the game, but my sweet tooth always got the best of me.”

Kayde uncovered the dish sitting in front of me and I saw the most delicious looking desserts I had seen in quite awhile. Crème Brûlée, Chocolate Mousse, Strawberry Tarte, a small Brie and Fruit platter, Panna Cotta, and a bowl containing Floating Islands, one of my all time favorite desserts.

“Ok, let’s do this!” I said, with a new found level of craving for sugar.

“Looks like I made a good choice. Let’s start easy. What is your favorite color?”

“Pink in the spring and fall, green in the summer and winter.” I said quickly, and taking a bite of the Floating Islands. “What’s your favorite season?” I asked him.

“Autumn.” He answered, taking a bite of the Brie.

We continued on with each others favorites until we had eaten seventy five percent of the deserts. Finally, he asked the one question I hoped he wouldn’t. Not because I didn’t want him to know the answer, but because I didn’t want to tell him. “How did your mother die?”

“She was apparently sick her whole life. She had cancer. It went into remission a few weeks before she found out she was pregnant with me. A few weeks after my first birthday, she started getting sick a lot. She went to the doctor and it turned out her cancer had come back. They tried a ton of different things, but nothing worked, they gave her 3 months. The day after my second birthday party, she passed away. Everyone said she held on a few extra months to see one last birthday.” I had managed to keep myself from crying for almost all of it. But as the last words left my mouth, I felt tears gathering in the corners of my eyes. I turned my head west and looked towards the sunset, decided to let the tears take their own course. “I’m changing the rules. I get two bites for that one.” I told him.

“Fair enough.” He said “But first,” He trailed off as he reached his hand towards me and took hold of my chin. “You don’t have to look away if you need to cry. It’s natural, and expected. Don’t be ashamed of your tears.” He told me as he turned my head to face him.

I smiled at him and took a bit of the strawberry tarte and the last bite of the chocolate mousse. “Now it’s my turn, and after that one, don’t think you’re going to get off easy.” I warned him. “What are the plans that you have later tonight that were important enough to not pick me up at eight?” I asked, staring into his eyes, trying to find out whether or not he was being honest with me.

“Pass.” He said, looking surprised. “I’ll tell you, but not right now.”

“Fine”, I said, incredibly annoyed. “What do you like so much about me?” I asked “And this time you’re not allowed to pass.”

“You sure are one for changing the rules, aren’t you?” He asked, playfully. “But it’s ok. I’ll answer. I love your playfulness, I love the way you say what comes to mind without a second thought. I love how curious you can be. But I think the thing I like the most is that you seem to have the aura circling you, showing everyone around you how easy it is to love life.” He said, looking into my eyes. “It’s not only refreshing, it’s captivating. So much so that it’s almost intoxicating.” As I watched his eyes, I could tell that he was being completely honest. “Oh, and you’re a great kisser.” He told me as he took the last bite of the Brie.

“Now”, he said. “Part of the reason I wanted to come out here at five is because I wanted you to see this.” He took my hand and together we walked over to the nearby tree. He lifted me up and sat me on one of the low horizontal limbs and then climbed up next to me. As we sat together looking to the west, we watched the sunset. As it got darker, he pointed out on the horizon. “Watch the buildings.” He told me. As we watched, lights slowly began to come on, not randomly, but seemingly in a wave. It didn’t make any sense, but then I realized it must be because of the mountains in the distance. The closer the houses are to the mountains, the less sun they get because they’re in the mountain’s shadow.

I peeked at my watch and saw it was past eight o’clock. “Kayde, it’s after eight. You’re going to miss your appointment, aren’t you?” I asked, hoping he would blow it off.

“What appointment?” He asked.

“Didn’t you have an appointment at eight tonight?” I asked, reminding him.

“No, I never had an appointment at eight; I just wanted to be here with plenty of time to see the sunset and the lights.” He explained. “Did you really think that I had a time limit on our date?”

“I had hoped not, but keep in mind I didn’t know you that well.” I told him, hoping he wasn’t offended.

“What are you doing?!?” I practically screamed at him.

“You know, I think I could ask you the same thing, with more validity.” He said, chuckling. “No, I’m sorry, that was rude. I was nervous all day and so I left early. I was going to drive around town, but my driving around town landed me here. Then when I was about to knock on the door, you turned the music up and started singing, so I thought I’d peek.” He said, sounding ashamed.

“Fine, I forgive you. But if you ever mention this again, I’ll deny it to the end. And kill you. And then deny that too.” I said decidedly. “I hope I’m dressed alright. I knew we were going out to dinner but that was all I was told.”

“Yes, you look beautiful. Oh! I have something for you.” He handed me a rather large box, tied with a pink ribbon. “I hope you like it.”

I untied the ribbon and gently lifted the lid of the box off, and found a canvas bag with thorny stems covered in leaves. “Um, thanks. I hate to say this, but um, what is it?” I asked, trying not to hurt his feelings.

“It’s a Yellow Rose Bush. I know you love plants and so I assumed that meant planting and gardening as well. I chose yellow because they’re supposed to be a symbol of joy and friendship, and I figure, even if we don’t end up a couple, I hope that we’ll at least be friends.” This time, he was the one blushing and it was absolutely adorable.

“Well, you chose a good color, because if you had chosen red, it might have been akin to the creepy dream thing.” I told him, with a light chuckle. “Don’t worry Kayde, I love gardening, and yes, we will at least be friends.” I said, giving him a light kiss on the cheek, thinking back on my bath. At least… “Not to rush things, but, I’m kind of starving. I haven’t eaten yet today.”

“Well, let’s leave the roses here and get some food in you. No offense, but you seem like the kind of person who gets cranky if you don’t eat enough times through out the day.” He said with a wink. I set the roses down to be planted when I got home and before I knew it, his arm was around my waist.

We walked to his car, and ever the gentleman, he opened my door up for me before he walked over to his side of the car. He got in the car and put on some soft classical music.

“Bach?” I asked.

“Yes. You listen to classical?” He responded, obviously surprised.

“I love classical. I love music in general. I feel it should be a much larger part of our society. Native American tribes used to gather and have regular sessions of music and dancing, the way young adults go to bars and night clubs. The difference is that the whole village attended these sessions, not just thirty percent of the village. My theory is that it was part of what made them a much stronger community.” Way to show your neediness on a first date Phee. I thought to myself.

“You know, I think you’re absolutely right. Of course there are other things, like the fact that their living areas were much more closely kept, allowing the tribe to be more closely knit. People didn’t go hungry if they weren’t able to work or hunt. There was always something they could do. Everyone contributed some how, and everyone was fed, clothed and had shelter.” He said. “There was no such thing as being homeless or starving. If you were starving, it was only because the whole village was. It’s one of the things we need to get back to in American society.”

Oh my God! I thought to myself. If it was possible to fall in love with someone you barely knew, this was it, I was in love. “So, where are we headed?

We got to the restaurant and parked. He had brought me to the most expensive French restaurant in town.

“Stay here for a minute, I’ll be right back.” He said as he hurriedly opened his door and rushed into the restaurant. Ok, what the hell is this about? I thought to myself. I tried to twist around to see what he was doing, but from the angle he had parked at, I couldn’t see anything except the tree next to the car. I’m giving him three minutes and if he’s not back by then, good riddance! One minute into my time limit, I heard the trunk unlock and then looked out the back window to see him opening the trunk, closing the trunk, and getting back in the car.

“I hope that didn’t take to long?” He half asked, half said, probably hoping he hadn’t pissed me off.

“No, it wasn’t to bad at all.” I said, still a bit peeved. I guess he was right. I do get grumpy if I don’t eat… “But are we going to go eat now?” I asked, trying to keep my voice from betraying me.

“Yep. Dinner time.” He said with a smile. As I was unbuckling my seat belt, he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

“Oh. I take it we’re not eating here then, huh?” I asked. I wasn’t angry anymore, now I was just straight confused.

“Not exactly.” He answered. We drove for about 20 minutes, up a hill and around some winding roads. Once he got to the top of the hill, he got out of the car and opened the trunk again. “Stay here”, he said again. “And don’t get grumpy this time.” He got out of the car and opened the trunk again. After a few moments, he came to the car and opened my door.

“Ok, unbutton your seat belt and close your eyes.”

I did as he said and was led out of the car and a little bit away from it. After a few seconds of walking he told me to open my eyes and in front of me I saw what must have been the most elaborate picnic I had ever seen. Tons of covered dishes, two large cushions and a small fire pot were just a few things in front of me that he had set up.

“You did all this? For me?” I asked surprised.

“Yes. I wouldn’t be lying if I said that I was trying to impress you by creating the best date you’ve ever been on” He said, smiling. I was beginning to quite enjoy that smile.

Now that it was 4 and I was all set to go, I decided to head into the living room and watch TV while I waited for Kayde.

After flipping through the channels for 10 minutes and not finding anything interesting I decided to listen to some music. I grabbed my mp3 player and connection cord and plugged it into the stereo in the living room. I set it to shuffle and hit play, wondering what song would come on. This was my secret ritual for anything big. The first song that came on was supposed to give me some insight into how the big event would turn out. My first day of school, a first date, anything. It was usually fairly accurate in some way or another. It would show me what to watch for, or work for, or one of any number of things. Some days, I would use it just for a full day, to see what my day would be like. I knew it wasn’t a science, but it was fun.

The first song to come on what Smack, by Three Doors Down, which was kind of a trip since I had actually never heard the song. I had it on an album I had downloaded months ago, but still hadn’t heard the song. I ran to the computer, which was rarely in use, since I had a laptop and Dad seemed to hate them. Soon as it was powered up, I looked up the lyrics so that I could read them while I listened to the song.

“…don't you throw your life away
Just wait until another day.
Don't you throw your life away
cause baby I can feel it.
Don't you ever compromise it.
Don't you even realize it?
Don’t you throw your life away cause baby I can feel it now…”

To me, it sounded like my music was telling me not to waste time and that I was doing the right thing by searching out my grandparents. I couldn’t compromise with my father and wait until he was ready to talk about them; I needed to find them on my time.

Now that I had my song for the night, I had other plans with my music. The next song came on and I knew it would be a good night. I crossed the living room and turned the stereo up and began dancing singing at the top of my lungs “I take these suckers down 'cause they just get in my way!” Right in the middle of an awesome spin kick thing I glanced out of the front window and saw Kayde peeking in at me. I rushed to the door and opened it.

Confused and arguing with myself I leaned forward and began to wash up. There’s no way for the water to heat up without adding heat, or hotter water. It’s impossible. I thought to myself as I drained the tub and got out. I dried off and then wrapped myself in my robe and headed back to my bedroom. I began getting ready for the day, and decided to do gold and purple eye shadow with shimmery black eyeliner and a neutral colored lipstick. I did my hair in a pony tail with a portion of it wrapped around the base of the pony tail to look like it was holding the hair and then added some spiral curls to the bottom of the pony tail. I examined my hair in the mirror and once I had approved my look I put on my clothes. The purple dress was a bit tighter in some places than I remembered, in particular, my chest. I figured that even though it was warm out, it might be a bit windy, so I grabbed a pair of nude tights and put them on under my dress.

Now that I was ready to go, I emptied my purse and then began to add all of my date essentials. First and most important was my cell phone and “Mad Money”, in case he turned into a jerk or cheap or anything, I could call a cab and get myself home. Next, I added the make-up I was wearing to my purse for emergency touch ups, along with some cotton balls and my bottle of eye make-up remover. I grabbed some tampons, in case of an unexpected visitor and then a few condoms, in case the date went REALLY well. Last but not least I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen for my visit to Dad’s office after the date.

I grabbed my bubble bath and bath salts and turned the water on. I turned the hot water on and plugged the tub pouring in some herbal bath salts and some bubble bath. I slid my pants down and peeled off the tank top and dipped my toe in to test the temperature. Finding the water satisfying, I went ahead and turned off the faucet and stepped into the tub.

As I laid my head back against the back of the bath, I remembered the paper. My only option was to go back to Dad’s office and copy the info down again. Luckily, he and I hadn’t had the talk about his password yet. I suppose I could go after my date with Kayde, Dad wouldn’t suspect anything and it would give me a little something to do after the date to keep my mind off of things. Oh crap! I thought to myself. I knew we were going to dinner, but where? Maybe I’ll just wear the purple sundress. It’ll be five, so it should still be warm and it’s versatile enough for where ever we go, as long as we stay in town.

Feeling more relaxed now that I had a plan, I laid my head back and drifted in and out of my thoughts, which for some reason, kept turning towards Kayde, and our kiss last night.

As my thoughts turned towards his lips, I remembered something my friend Kylie (always one to make a shocking statement) used to say. “Those are lips I’d love to feel between my legs.” I used to hate when she would say that, but she hit the nail on the head this time. I couldn’t help but imagine what Kayde’s lips would feel like between my legs and before I thought about it, my hand was sliding down my stomach.

I moaned softly as my fingers parted my lips. I slid my middle finger between my lips, right against the opening of my slit, teasing myself. I closed my eyes and imagined his large hands instead of my small familiar ones. I pushed my finger into myself and gasped. My finger slid out, leaving just the tip. I slid my finger in and out imagining how wonderful it would feel if it was him sliding into me. I added a second finger to the first and felt myself involuntarily rocking my hips. I took my other hand and used my middle and ring fingers to slowly and softly rub my clit, as I began moaning. My back began to arch and I could feel my fingers flying over my clit back and forth quickly as the pressure built. I pulled one hand away from my vagina and kept rubbing my now swollen clit and used the other hand to pinch my nipples.

All at once I felt my body tense up and then release. Waves of pleasure filled me, radiating out from my pelvis as I shuddered. I lay there in the tub reveling in the amazing feelings of orgasm as I realized two things. One, I was really glad that my father had gone to work; and two, as impossible as it seemed, the water in the bath felt hotter than it was when I got in.

I awoke, still at my desk, the sun shining into my eyes. Why oh why did he give me the room that faces East? ARGH! As I stood up I realized that Dad had covered me up sometime in the night. My neck and back ached and I decided a nice hot bubble bath while I tried to figure out what to do was a great idea. I grabbed my robe from my closet and headed to the bathroom.

“Morning sleepy head. You’re usually up earlier than this, you must have had a late night.” Said my dad, as I passed his room.

“Yea, I was out pretty late I guess. Oh, I’m going out this evening. Is that cool?” I knew he would say yes just as he always did, but I thought I would ask anyway, just to be polite.

“Sure, that’s fine. Where you going?” He asked, nonchalantly.

“Well, I’ve got a date. The friend I met last night, actually. He’s taking me to dinner, at five.” I explained, conviently leaving out the fact that last night was the first time I had ever met said ‘friend’.

“Well, I expect to meet him, you know.”

“It’s just dinner, Dad! I mean really? You have to meet him?”

“Yes, not right away of course, but if it get’s serious. You know the drill kiddo.” In my goal to keep it a secret that I had just met Kayde last night, I forgot all about Dad’s long standing four week rule. If one of us dates someone regularly for four weeks, then it’s considered a relationship and the other of us has to meet and pass approval on a scale of 1-10. A one means uncomfortable, five is neutral, and ten, the big one, is somewhere along the lines of “keep this one around as long as possible.

“Oh, I know. I just don’t think it’s going to go very far really.” I said, trying to cover my tracks.

“Alright sweetheart, I’ve got to head to work, I’ll see you tonight after your date. Guess I’ll have to fend for myself for dinner, since it’s your night.”

“Is that some kind of hint, old man?” I asked, laughing as I straightened his tie.

“Why yes, yes it is. But I mean it, I’ll fend for myself.” He said, checking his tie in the mirror, he never trusted me to straighten it without screwing it up. “You just worry about having fun.”

He gave me a hug and a kiss on the forehead and headed down the stairs. I watched him leave and then turned around and headed to the bathroom.

“It isn’t that you made me uncomfortable. It’s just the opposite. I feel so comfortable with you. It’s like I can tell you anything.” I explained to him, hoping he wouldn’t take my decision to stop kissing him the wrong way.

“How about this, I’ll walk you home tonight. You can take care of business and relax at home and tomorrow night, I’ll come and pick you up and take you out to dinner and we can get to know each other?” Kayde asked.

“You mean like, on a date?” I asked, shocked. I’d been on dates before, but every guy who had asked me out was someone I knew at least a bit, usually from school. I’d never been on a date with someone I didn’t know, it was exciting.

“Yes, a date. Is that ok?” It seemed as if my shock and surprise had thrown him off a bit.

“As a matter of fact, Kayde, I would love to go out with you. How does eight o'clock sound?” I said with a smile as I began to stand on the tip of my toes and kissed him on the cheek.

“Actually, eight isn’t good for me. I was thinking a bit earlier. Like, five maybe? It’s just that I had other plans for the night.” He asked, stammering a bit.

“Yes, five is fine.” I answered with a smile. Unfortunately, the smile was only masking my thoughts. Other plans like what? I wondered. Another girl? Is Friday night his marathon date night? God I hope I’m not setting myself up for some kind of weird hook up night.

“Great, let’s get you home, it’s late.” He took my hand in his. “Jesus, you’re freezing Phee, here, wear my jacket”, he said, pulling his thick brown coat off. He held it op for me and I slipped into it. I couldn’t help but feel his warmth as I put it on.

“Exactly how late is it?” I asked, to cold to pull my phone out of my purse.

“Three o’clock.” He said as he slipped his hand into mine.

Hand in hand we began the walk to my house. We were both quiet, with the exception of the occasional question, or calling the other’s attention to something.

As we arrived at my house, he walked me up to the door, took my hand and kissed it lightly, like a true gentleman. “I’ll see you tomorrow Phee.” He said as I opened the door.

I walked in the house and saw a note from my dad on the stair banister.

“Sorry about the argument Firebird, hope you can forgive me. One day I’ll explain this all to you, but I’m just not sure if either of us is ready. Remember I love you always.

“P.S There’s a plate of veggie lasagna in the microwave for you, if you’re hungry”

I grabbed the note Dad had left for me and shoved it into my purse as I walked up the stairs. As I closed my bedroom door, I tossed my purse onto my bed and then lay on my stomach and grabbed the shoebox that held all of the birthday and holiday cards sent to me by my grandparents. Right there on the top was the stationary they had sent me for my 16^th birthday. Lightly lavender scented, I felt it was perfect for writing an invitation to my 18^th birthday party.

I grabbed my purse and stationary and sat at my desk. I rifled through my purse to find the piece of paper that had their address on it, and found only the note from my father. Frantic, I turned my purse upside down and emptied its contents onto my desk, but my grandparents address was nowhere to be found.

It was then that I remembered I had been fiddling with it in Kayde’s garden before I got up to follow the fire. I couldn’t remember exactly to get there, and I had no way to call Kayde and ask him to help me. One after another, tears began to well up in my eyes and fall down my cheeks. Defeated, I laid my head on my desk and cried myself to sleep.

“What were you doing with the keys?” He asked from behind me.
    I jumped, not knowing he was there. “Hm?”
    “When you were on the phone with your dad? Why were you trying a bunch of keys in that door?” He rephrased.
    “Oh, um, I was locking my dad’s office up.” Something told me I could trust him “My father and I got into an argument last night. He and my grandmother and grandfather on my mother’s side don’t get along.  I’ll be eighteen in a few weeks and I want to invite them, but he won’t let me.  I knew he had their address so I went for a late night walk and got their address off of his office computer.  When I left I forgot to lock up and turned around and ran back to lock up.”
    “Which is when you and I bumped into each other, I assume?” He asked, finishing my story.
    “That’s the way of it, I suppose.”
    “Well, I’m glad you did.  If you hadn’t, I don’t think we ever would have met.”  He said in a low voice.  “You’ve got something on your cheek”, he whispered as he lifted his hand to my face.  He brushed my cheek so softly that I almost didn’t feel it.  The cool air hit my cheek as he pulled his hand away. Simultaneously, I grabbed his hand and moved it to my face and tilted my head, pressing my cheek against his palm.  Again, my face warmed as I began to blush, but this time it just didn’t much matter to me.
    “Your name”, I said, my voice barely making it out of my mouth.
    “Kayde… Conner”, he answered as he tilted my head up to look at him.  His green eyes pierced mine as we looked at each other.
    “Kayde, I’m Phoenix.”
    “I know”, he whispered pulling my face towards his.
    “How?” I whispered.
    “You visit my dreams.” He said quietly, and then just as softly, he kissed me. 
    No! I thought to myself. Bad! Stop! I knew kissing this man I barely knew was a terrible idea, but my body knew what it wanted. My arms reached up and linked together behind his neck and pulled my body closer to his.  I felt as if I couldn’t get close enough.   Softly, I pinched his lower lip between my teeth and then ran my tongue over it.  His arms wrapped around my waist, squeezing me closer to him.  They way our bodies fit together reminded me of the jigsaw puzzles I used to do with my father.  You spend forever looking for the perfect piece, but once you find it, it’s obvious that it belonged there.
    I finally pulled my face away. “This isn’t ok”, I told Kayde. “I can’t do this, not here. Not tonight. I’m sorry”
    “So am I”, he said.  “I was totally out of line. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. Of course the creepy dream thing probably didn’t help.”

“Great! Now, where to?” he asked.
    “Surprise me.  All I care about is light and somewhere to sit.”
    “I have the perfect place. Do you like plants?”
    “I love them!” I explained, probably more excited than really necessary.  None of the guys I knew in high school were into plants, which made a relationship hard since they were such a big part of my life and I wasn’t interested in much more.  I mean, the sex helped, but even I couldn’t think about sex twenty-four seven, let alone let it rule my relationship.
    “Well then, let’s get going, shall we?” he asked
    “We shall.  But first, you have to answer something for me.”
    “Sure, go for it.”
    “Are you a serial killer?”
    A shocked look appeared on his face. “No…”
    “Maniacal rapist?” I asked. Better cover all my bases. I thought to myself.
    “Um… No…” Now the poor guy just looked confused, and slightly amused.
    Can never be too careful… “How about a deranged kidnapper?”
    “No.  And that was three questions. And if I was any of those things, do you think I would ever have answered truthfully?” He finished off with a laugh.
    What’s that, self? No, I don’t feel like a complete and utter idiot. Of course not… “Maybe you’re an HONEST maniacally deranged kidnapping serial rapist who kills his victims.” He glanced at me and began to laugh. “What? It could happen... Right?”  I began to laugh with him, realizing how completely ridiculous that I must have sounded.
    We walked in silence for awhile enjoying the night air, rounding corners and crossing streets that were only slightly familiar to me. We came up on what seemed to be an empty lot behind a wooden fence.
    “Ok, ok.” He gasped. “It seems you’ve caught me.  I’m an insane rapist who kidnaps teenage girls and rapes them in my garden of torture! He exclaimed with what could have only been described as a flourish as he opened the gate we had come to and waved me in.
    “This is beautiful, but there are no lights, and probably no benches.” I realized what a terrible idea this was and decided it was a good time to go home. “You know, I think now is a good time to leave. See you around.” I turned to walk away and felt his hand on my arm. No grip at all, just resting there.
    “Wait, please, just give me three more minutes.  Pretend we’re not here yet.  I promise you’ll love it.” The man was practically begging, making me feel horribly guilty.
    “Fine, but if you freaking rape and murder me, I swear I will haunt you until the day your great grandchildren die.” I threaten.
    “Ok, that sounds fair.” He took my hand and led me to the middle of the garden. “Just stand over here, one sec, let me grab a cushion, I’ll be right back.” He wandered off and came back with two large cushions and placed them on the ground side by side. “Ok now sit. Slowly, can’t have you fall on any of the plants. There you go.  Are you comfortable?” He asked.
    “Yes, it’s nice.” I answered, surprised.
    “See? Somewhere to sit, now, light, yes?” He asked, already knowing my answer.
    “Please.”  He sat next to me, a bit to close for my comfort and pulled a lighter and a folded piece of paper out of his pocket.  He lit the corner of his paper and after a few moments, the smoke became strongly fragrant.
    “Sage”, he explained “I come every night to cleanse away any negative energy I’m accumulated through out the day.”  He dropped the small packet onto the ground and I noticed there was a trench in front of us.
    The small hole in the ground began to glow lightly where the paper had been dropped then brightened as it became a fire.  Slowly, the fire crept down the trench, which grew much longer than I saw at first.  It lit up different plants, some which I recognized and some that were new to me.  As I watched it grow, I gasped at the plants, all so beautifully taken care of.  Some I knew, some were new to me.
    My heart began to race and it seemed that the more the fire grew, the faster my heart beat.  I stood up and amazed by the intricacy that must have been required to devise something like this, I began following the snaking flames.  He was absolutely right; I was utterly in love with this garden.

I was about halfway home when I realized that I hadn’t locked up.  I turned around and ran at full speed to make it back to the office.  It’s not an unsafe neighborhood but I would have hated to be the reason that my dad’s office got robbed.  I rounded the corner and slammed into a tall figure that my eyes barely registered before my body.
    “Shit!” I gasped.
    “Hey there, where’s the fire?” asked a deep, unfamiliar voice.
    Shit shit shit! I thought to myself.  Leave it to me to be the first murder of the decade in this town. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going I stammered, as I tried to walk around him.
    He turned towards me, “It’s ok”, he replied with what I was almost positive was a smile, “Most of us pay attention to where we’ve been or where we are headed.  My policy is that it only matters where I’m at, and I can’t think of a better place to be right now than talking to a pretty girl, such as you.”
    Heat crept up my face as I began blushing.  I could feel my cheeks fill with read and tried my hand at willing them not to do so.  “Thanks, but seriously, there must be one other place you would rather be.  At home in bed, maybe?”  Immediately, I began to regret my words, my mouth was always getting me into trouble and now I knew he would think it was an invitation.    
    “Well that depends”, he answered.
    “Oh? On what exactly?” Yep, I was right. Here it comes…
    “On whether or not you’ll be coming with me.” I knew he was going to say that. “But I’m fairly positive that you meant alone, so I think I would much rather hang out here with you.”
    “Here?  On the corner? In the dark? You have got to be kidding me.”  What is with this guy? I thought to myself. I really need to find a way to get to Dad’s office to lock the door.  Crap! Oh! Idea! “Well, ok, but I have two conditions.  One, you have to let me make a phone call so my dad doesn’t flip, and two, we walk to somewhere a bit lighter, maybe with somewhere to sit?”
    “Done”, he agreed. “Do you want some privacy for your call?  I can walk a few buildings down, if you-“
    “No, let me”, I interrupted.  I walked down to Dad’s office dialing the house with my right hand as I fished around for my keys in the purse with the other, as quietly as I could.  Great, no answer. Guess I’ll have to leave a message.  “Hi Dad, look, I know it’s a bit passed midnight, don’t freak. Stop freaking. I’m perfectly fine.” I had tried three keys in the door already without finding Dad’s office key.  “I ran into a friend from school and we’re going to hang out for a while.” I tried a fourth key, which still didn’t work and was beginning to get annoyed with my father’s lack of responsibility when it came to keys. “Give me a call if you want any thing.” I finally found the right key and locked the door.  I hung up the phone and slipped it and the keys back into my purse.

“I don’t understand why I can’t invite them”, I yelled at my father.  “They’re my grandparents!  You could at least let them see me turn eighteen!  I’m the only grandchild they’ll ever have!” 
    “It's just that they’re just not like us, Phoenix.  They have different beliefs and, well, they’re just weird.  I don’t want to call attention from the neighbors.  I know how badly you want to see them, it‘s just not possible this time.”
    “You say that every time.  I’m so tired of being treated like a kid.  I don’t care what you say, they’re my family too, and I’m going to know them whether you say it’s ok or not!!!”  I turned around and ran up the stairs to my room.  He wouldn’t see me cry over this again.
    The problem with my dad was that he didn’t think my mom’s family was a good influence on me.  My mom passed away when I was still very young and as a result, I haven’t seen any one from her side of them family since my second birthday.  They still send me birthday and holiday cards every year, but never with a return address, at my father’s request, of course. 
    But this time, it should be my choice.  I’ll be 18.  An adult.  He simply can’t tell me who I can and can not spend time with any more.  I wish I knew what the big deal was.  I mean, it’s one thing if they were a group of psycho murderous rapist or something, but if they’re just a few weirdoes?  And they’re not even really all that weird from what I understand, just pagan.  They celebrate different holidays, big fucking deal.  They prefer to see the Earth as sacred instead of some guy in the sky that no one can see.  What’s wrong with that? I just don’t get it, you know?
    And that neighbor thing made me crazy.  The nearest neighbors are at the end of the block and I was pretty sure one of them was a prostitute.  Well, ok, maybe not an actual prostitute, maybe just a stripper.  I think that’s enough to keep the “attention” off of us, right?
    I’ll bet my dad has their address somewhere in his files. I mean, he has to, otherwise, how would they know when we move if he doesn’t tell them?  He wouldn’t keep in at the house though, but I’m sure it’s at his office, probably on his computer.  I began thinking to myself.   If he won’t invite them for me, then I’ll just have to invite them for myself! 
    I quit sulking and jumped off my bed, excited about my new plan. I opened up my cherry wood dresser and pulled out my black yoga pants and a black tank top. If I’m going to break into his office, I would do it right. I thought to myself.  I slipped out of my jeans and sweatshirt and into my stealthy, and very chic (if I do say so myself) outfit and put on my lucky tennis shoes. I examined myself in the mirror. Well, if nothing else, I look way hot.  Pleased with my appearance, I decided to get going.
    “Where are you planning on going at eleven o’clock at night?” Dad called from the couch.  He couldn’t see me, luckily, but the man had ears like a hawk.
    “A walk. I need to chill and I can’t do it in my room. I’m sick of the house.” I wondered to myself why I didn’t just decide to sneak out.  I was mad, but I didn’t want to scare him or have him worry about me or anything, I guess.
    “Do you have your cell phone?” He asked.
    “Yes, I’ll check at midnight if I’m not back.” Sometimes I hated how he made me check in, but my decision tonight made me decide not to fuss about it.
    Luckily dad’s office was just a few blocks away.  The night air was dark and damp, almost misty.  The sweet scent of night blooming Jasmine on the fence was amazing for my mood.  This walk was new to me.  The same walk I had made every day all four years of high school was completely transformed in the dark. The street lights are few and far between in this town and there are trees between the sidewalk and the street.  The walls and fences to the right are often covered in vines. Ivy, night blooming Jasmine, Honeysuckle, you almost always found one of the three to your right.  During the way it was an utterly mundane walk, but at night, the chain link fences, the cars, even the concrete seem to all but disappear. The stars and moon combined with the vines and trees turn the mundane into magic, bringing a warm sweet tunnel of trees into the city.
    I turned the corner and there it was. I dug through my seventeen keys (Dad has a bad habit of losing keys and locking them inside of cars and buildings, so I had copies of every one of his keys, for the house, office and car) and found my dad’s emergency office key and let myself in.  The motion sensors on the lights turned the bright fluorescents on, temporarily blinding me.  I forced myself to keep my eyes wide open knowing it would only be a few moments before they adjusted.
    I wandered slowly into my dad’s office and sat down at his computer desk. For a few minutes I just sat there, breathing, preparing myself for what I was going to do, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the deep green picture frame with the word Firebird (Firebird has been his nickname for me for as far back as I could remember) on the top, that I had given him in third grade for Christmas.  It had a picture of me at my second birthday, sitting in my mom’s lap as I opened the present my parents had gotten me.  I shook my head knowing my father’s password and thinking that maybe I should mention it in passing sometime.  It would have been fairly obvious to anyone that broke into the office for computer files that Firebird should be the first guess.
    F-I-R-E-B-I-R-D. Enter.  Now or never, girly. I started browsing files and found what I was looking for. ‘Personal Records and Contact Info’, it read.  I opened it up and right there, virtually yelling at me from the screen, there it was. Just want I needed, ‘Pheo’s Grandparents’.  Quickly I copied down all the info I needed, logged out and left.  I walked out and began humming and then singing to myself. I was going to see my grandparents for the first time in 16 years soon, and I couldn’t be happier.