by EMA LEE
“Of course sir!” She said.
She turned and looked at me,
“This is…”
“My little sister.” Dean said as he put his arm around my neck.
I could barely breath he was squeezing me so tight. The lady handed Dean a card and pointed to the left.
“Your room is on the top floor. Take that elevator up.” She told Dean as she handed a card to him.
“Call that number on the card if you need any help from me.” She said smiling at Dean.
I rolled my eyes and started to walk towards the elevator.
“She doesn’t like it when I keep her waiting. It’s her bed time.” Dean told her as he started to follow me.
The elevator door opened and I walked in. Dean walked in after me and stood next to me. Both of us were quiet. It felt really awkward. Finally I couldn’t take it. I turned to him and punched his upper arm as hard as I could.
“Ow! What was that for?” he said as he held his arm.
“That’s for your little show you played with the lady at the desk.” I told him. "And we don't even look like siblings by the way." I added.
Dean started to smile.
“Awe, is Astra jealous?”
“No! Of course not! I just think you can do a lot better than her.” I said.
I turned away from Dean and stared at the buttons on the side. They would light up to let us know what level we were on.
“Well, thanks for looking out for me Astra.” Dean said.
The door opened and we walked down the hall way to our room. Dean put the key in and opened the door, the room was big and spacious. There were two king sized beds that were covered with Red blankets, a bathroom that looked like it had been made out of gold, and a balcony that overviewed the city.
“I dibs the shower first!” I yelled as I ran towards the bathroom.
Once I was in I slammed the door and locked it. I turned on the shower and started to get undressed. The water warmed my body as it fell onto my skin. I felt refreshed and clean. I started to think about Dean talking to the girl in the lobby. I got really jealous of her and I’m not sure why because I had Dillan to think about. I stepped out of the shower and put a towel around me. I walked over to my bag and looked for my pajamas then I started to panic. I couldn’t see them. I must have forgotten to pack them.
I opened the door and walked out in my towel staring at Dean. He looked surprise and didn’t know what to do.
“Where are you clothes?” he asked.
“I forgot pajamas. Can I borrow some shorts and a t shirt from you?” I responded.
Dean reached over into his bag and tossed me some clothes to put on. He walked over to the bathroom and closed the door to take a shower. I dropped my towel and started to get dressed. Once I was dressed I walked over to the balcony and sat on a chair. The city was beautiful at night. There were so many lights. The wind started to blow and I could smell Dean’s scent from his clothes. It smelt like musk and sandalwood with a hint of vanilla. The smell was incredible. I grabbed his t-shirt and brought it up to my nose.
“What are you doing?” Dean asked walking out to the balcony.
I could feel my face get red. I was so embarrassed that he caught me sniffing his shirt. I had to think of something to say but I had no excuse.
“Your clothes smell good.” I told him as I put the shirt back in its place.
Dean smiled and sat down next to me. This time the scent was stronger coming off of him.
“So you like the way I smell?” he asked.
“It’s not so bad.” I told him.
“Not so bad? The chicks dig it!” he replied.
I started to laugh at him. Dean was such a ladies man, especially after he helped me fight the captain in the city. He was the only thing girls ever talked about. They even nicknamed him Super Stud. What kind of a name is that?
“Well, for the record you don’t smell too bad either.” He told me.
I looked down at the shirt I was wearing and started to play with it.
“What do I smell like?” I asked him.
“Well, to be honest. You smell like a bowl of fresh fruit salad mixed with a hint of coconut. It’s a very refreshing sweet scent. One that I could be around for a long time.” He responded.
A shiver flowed down my spine and I started to get goose bumps. Dean noticed and scooted closer to me to keep me warm. I put my head on his shoulder.
“Dean?” I whispered.
“Yeah?” he replied.
“Do you think we could save this world?” I asked.
“With you, I think anything is possible.” He responded.
I started to smile. And Dean started to play with my hair. That’s when I started to think about Dillan. Dillan always played with my hair. What was I doing? I made a fake yawn and stretched my arms.
“Well, I’m ready for bed.” I said looking at him. “I will see you tomorrow.”
I got up and started to walk inside. I took the bed closest to the balcony. I climbed in and curled my body into a ball. I couldn’t like two boys at the same time. I guess it didn’t matter because I’m sure Dean has no interest in me. We are just working partners and that is how I should keep it. I couldn’t mess things up.
Dean walked inside and I closed my eyes. He walked over to the other bed and sat on it. I could feel his stare. It made me want to turn over and look at him.
“Goodnight Star” he whispered.
He climbed into his bed and fell asleep. I turned over to look at him. He slept so gracefully.
“Goodnight Dean.” I said under my breath.
I closed my eyes and started to fall asleep.
I was in a cold and dark basement. I could barely see anything. Where was Dean? I looked around but couldn’t see him. I tried to move, but I something was holding me down. “Dean?” I yelled. “He can’t hear you Star.” A voice said as it crept closer. I watched as the figure became clear to me. It was the captain. He smelt of whisky and grilled cheese sandwiches. “What do you want?” I asked. The captain reached over onto a counter and grabbed a blade. “Your life.” He then stuck the blade into my side. The metal sliced through my skin with little effort. Instantly, I cried out in pain. A searing burn flared up my side, consuming me in agony and making my mind go blank. He then jerked the knife in a bit further before yanking it out. My vision blurred as tears lined my eyes.
“Astra… Astra!”
I shot up out of my bed in tears. I looked over and saw Dean kneeling next to my bed. I started to burst into tears. Dean wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly.
“It was just a bad dream. It’s going to be okay.” He said.
I dug my face into his chest. I couldn’t seem to let go of him. Dean got off of the ground and sat on my bed. I started to calm down and close my eyes again.
“He was killing me.” I told him.
“Who was?” he asked.
“The captain, he was killing me.” I replied. “I yelled for you but you weren’t there.”
Dean started to run his hand through my hair. He leaned down and kissed my forehead then he laid back onto the backboard of the bed.
“Try to fall asleep. I will stay right here.” He told me.
I nodded my head in agreement and put my head on his chest. It wasn’t easy to fall asleep again, but it was reassuring knowing that Dean was right there next to me.
D.C. Day: 1
Morning came and I opened my eyes. I looked over and saw Dean asleep next to me. I quietly got up and got dressed for the day. I went down to the lobby where they were serving breakfast. They had blueberry, poppy seed and chocolate muffins. I grabbed one of each then I grabbed two glasses of orange juice and headed back up to the room.
I opened the door and saw Dean spread out on the bed. I smiled and put the food down on the table next to me. Then I ran and jumped on top of him. I had never seen someone jump so high before!
“Good morning sunshine!” I shouted.
Dean rubbed his eyes looking lost then turned to me and smiled.
“I got you some breakfast.” I said as I got up off the bed and walked over to grab the muffins.
“Now, I want the chocolate muffin so you can have the blueberry and poppy seed muffin. Okay?” I told him.
“Sounds great!” Dean said.
I handed him the muffins and his glass of orange juice. He must have been really hungry, he ate those muffins so fast. I watched him as he got up and walked into the bathroom, he left the door opened. He started to take off his shirt, his stomach was tan and his abs were tight and toned. He rinsed his face with water then put on a new shirt and walked back into the room.
“You’re still eating?” he asked.
I looked down and saw that I had barely even touched my muffin. I ripped off a chunk and shoved it into my mouth. Dean started to laugh.
“Well, should we go see Washington D.C. for a little while?” he asked.
I nodded my head still chewing my food. I stood up and started to follow him out the hotel room. We walked into the lobby and the lady from the night before was at the desk. She looked over and smiled at us.
“Good morning Dean. How did you and your sister sleep last night?” she asked.
It bugged me that she thought I was his sister. It bugged me that she found him even attractive. I knew he wasn’t mine but that didn’t mean other girls could have him. He smiled at her and waved.
“We slept great! Thanks for asking.” He responded.
He then walked to the door and opened it for me. I walked out onto the streets and looked around. There were a lot of cars and people everywhere. It was a big city. I could feel the adrenaline crawl up my legs. I was so excited to explore the city.
“Where should we start?” I asked Dean.
“Well, there is the National Gallery of Art we could go look at.” He responded.
“Perfect! Lead me to it!” I said in excitement.
Dean grabbed my hand and started walking towards the bus stop. Dean’s hands were different from Dillan’s hands. They were cold and rough but they still gave me the butterflies. The bus arrived and we hopped in.
“In three stops we will be at the National Gallery of Art.” The voice on the intercom exclaimed.
I looked out the window and watched the people walk down the streets. The people here were amazing to me. I loved them even though I hardly knew them. The bus finally stopped in front of the National Gallery of Art. We stood up and started to walk out of the bus. The museum was huge. It was white with large cylinders in the front of it and it had steps that led up to the entrance. We started to walk up the steps.
“This place is incredible!” I said.
“We haven’t even been inside yet.” Dean said laughing.
“I know. I just know it’s going to be amazing.” I told him.
We finally reached the entrance and walked inside. There were sculptures and paintings everywhere.
“Let’s start on this side.” Dean said as he walked towards the west side of the building.
There was a sign that said Vincent Van Gogh and a picture next to him. This must be his work. We started to look at all the paintings. They were absolutely beautiful. We stopped at one in particular. It was a painting of patches of flowers with a girl walking through it. The painting was called ‘Flower Beds in Holland’.
“It’s amazing huh?” Dean said.
“It’s incredible!” I responded. “I love how colorful it is. It makes me feel cozy.”
We continued to walk through the gallery and look at other painters. There were a lot of people in the gallery. It was hard to stay next to Dean. Dean looked back and saw me struggling so he reached his hand out and grabbed mine.
“This way we won’t lose each other.” He said.
We approached a painting that was labeled Mona Lisa. There were people crowded all around it. I wonder what made this picture so special. I stared at her face. Especially at her smile, it was hard for me to describe it. It seemed both alluring and aloof. It was a beautiful painting.
“Come on, let’s go.” Dean said as he pulled my hand.
“Hold on a second..” I said as I continued to stare at Mona Lisa.
“Look on the left side of the frame.”
Dean looked at the side I was pointing to. There was a thin line going down to the bottom.
“It looks like a door.” Dean said.
I shook my head and agreed.
“How do you think it opens?” I asked.
Dean started to look around. There was a sculpture of a head next to it. He pointed at the sculpture.
“My guess is the sculpture, there has to be a button or switch somewhere around it.” He responded.
“Alright, so how do we get to it?” I asked.
“Follow me.” Dean said.
We kept walking until we passed an empty hallway.
“This way.” Dean exclaimed.
We started to head down the hallway that lead to a door at the end. Dean opened it and we walked inside. It was old and dusty, there were rugged clothes covering old antiques.
“It looks like no one has been in here for years.” I said.
“Exactly. We will stay here until the gallery closes.” Dean said as he sat down on the ground next to the side of the wall.
This room felt familiar. I couldn’t figure out why though. I started to walk around lifting the old clothes up to see what was underneath them. There was an old sculpture, old paintings, and a really old board with straps on it.
“What is this?” I asked.
Dean got up off the ground and walked over to the board. He started to look for a description on it.
“Here it is. It was used in mediaeval times? I guess that was a long time ago. It was used to torcher criminals. They would strap them in so they couldn’t move.”
That’s when it hit me. I was strapped to that in my dream. I fell backwards and Dean reached out to grab me.
“Astra, are you okay?” he asked.
“That.. that was what he killed me on.” I said. “I can’t breathe, I need to get out of here.”
Dean held me tight in his arms and helped me sit on the ground.
“He can’t hurt you. I won’t let him. Okay?” Dean said.
I looked at him and shook my head in agreement. Dean got up and opened the door. It was quiet. He started to walk down the hallway and then came back.
“Well, it looks like they closed. No one is here. Let’s get out of here!” he said.
I got up and started to follow him out into the gallery. There was a guard down the hall. Dean started to creep along the side so he wouldn’t be able to see us.
“You better put your suit on.” Dean said as he changed into his suit.
I pointed my hands towards me and changed into my suit. Dean smiled as I transformed.
“Now no one will know who you are. Plus you look super hot in that suit.” He said as he was looking at the statue for a switch or button.
“Great, now you made me feel super uncomfortable in this suit.” I told him as I tried to hide myself behind a pole.
“I can’t find anything Astra.” Dean said.
“What do you mean you can’t find anything?” I asked.
“There is no button or switch here. I don’t know how to open the door.” He responded.
I started to walk over towards the sculpture.
“That’s impossib…”
I was cut off as I tripped over a cord that was on the ground. I reached out to grab something to help me balance. The closest thing was the sculpture. I reached for it trying to keep my balance, but my fingers tapped it just enough to push it over. The next thing my face saw was the ground.
“Oh.. you okay Star?” Dean asked.
I didn’t feel like responding. I continued to lay on the floor with my face smashing the ground. I started to hear a grumbling sound. As if there were an Earthquake. I looked up at the wall. The Mona Lisa painting started to open
and lead to a staircase.
“Nice work Astra!” Dean said as he helped me off the ground.
“Yup, I knew that all along.” I responded.
The Captains Base
We could hear drops of water hitting the ground as we traveled down the staircase. I started to step down and my foot slipped from underneath me. Dean quickly reached down and grabbed my waist keeping me balanced.
“Careful, the steps are really slick.” He said.
“Thanks, I figured it out the hard way.” I responded.
There were little lamps hanging on the walls leaving little light for us to see. I remained close to Dean. I felt secure when I was with him. Especially after being in that creepy room earlier in the Art Gallery.
“Look! There is a door.” Dean said pointing straight in front of us.
I saw a rusty old door that looked like it hadn’t been opened for a hundred years.
“That doesn’t look pleasant.” I told Dean.
“Which is exactly why we should go in there.” Dean said as he started pushing me towards it.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
Dean stopped and stared at me for a moment.
“Unpleasant captain and crew, unpleasant door. Make sense?” he asked.
“Got it!” I said as I continued to walk with him.
Dean reached his hand down and turned the knob slowly opening the door.
“So, I think we found their base.” Dean said as he walked in slowly.
I watched him as he crawled next to the side of the wall. He turned and looked at me. He gestured me to come to him. I got on my knees and started to crawl to him. We could hear computers typing and people talking back and forth.
“How do you think the captain got all of these humans to work for him?” I asked.
Dean looked and observed them.
“You know, I’m not sure.” He replied.
A door slammed across the room. We looked over and saw the captain and black shadow walking into the room. Every one stood up as they entered. They had a middle aged woman with them. The captain was holding her by the neck.
“Please, please let me go.” The woman said crying.
She looked around begging for help but no one moved.
