001: Memento Mori

Valerian took his sister's instructions and memorized them when she gave them to him. The directions however, he did not memorize. Those he had printed out when she gave him the address. Mapquest for the win! He carefully carried his boxes out to the driveway. His black and red smart car wasn't the most logical car to move his things to a new home with, but he had procrastinated, so here he was loading his car at the last minute. He had a total of ten boxes and one three suitcases, most of the boxes held books. Valerian was a book freak. It was the one thing he couldn't live without. That and his family really.

Valerian looked one last time at their house, and turned his back. When his sister said they were moving, he had been the one to pitch a fit. He could be rather difficult at times, but he knew it was for the best. The wind blew some leaves around their driveway as he opened the passenger door and folded the seat down. His Smart Car was small, and he knew he would be pushing it, to fit everything in the car, but he knew it could be done. He managed to fit five boxes in the front, which he was rather pleased with, and the other five were stacked in the trunk, if you could call it that really. The three suitcases were tied to the top of the car. Sure, it wasn't the safest way to get them there, but short of him burning the suitcases and dumping the ashes on the floor of the car, they weren't going to fit on the inside. It wasn't long before they were tied and secured to the top of the car.

His car was packed tightly and he was ready to go. Well not ready really, but he was going nonetheless. Before he got into the car he jogged back up to the house and opened the front door, and inhaled. The smell of their home. It wasn't sweet or spicy, but a mix of the two. He would never forget the Holidays he had shared with his siblings there. He closed the door gently and locked it. The walk back to the car was a slow one, as his mind replayed some of their happiest times in the house. Christmases, Thanksgivings, Fourth of July Celebrations, and New Years. He felt spikes in his throat, as he thought about the good times with his parents, but he quickly got over that. He kept telling himself that they would be back, and when they were, they would be proud of how much he had changed. Although really, he hadn't changed much at all. He had made a friend, here and there. Still not too much of anything significant. His job at Mint had taken off as well. He knew his dad would be particularly proud of him.

He sighed as he got into his car and shut the door gently. He pulled out the mapquest directions and studied them carefully. "This shouldn't be too hard." He said to himself as he turned on the CD player in his car. 'Caribbean Blue' played softly in the background as he drove to the new destination, with only a code. She said that would be all he needed. The car ride itself was uneventful, which he was absolutely grateful for. He hummed to the tunes from the CD. It took him almost an hour to get to the new house. He was astonished to see how big it looked. The house, and the surrounding grounds for that matter were gigantic. He gulped hard as he pulled into the driveway, stopped his car, and put it in park.

It took him a moment to get out of his car and to the front door. The house was beautiful. It looked old, but that was good for him. He liked old things. He hesitated for a moment, and ran back to his car. "Might as well bring the suitcases in." He mumbled as he untied the rope and pulled them down from the top of the car. They hooked together making them very easy to pull behind him. He pulled them up the steps with a little trouble. The keypad even looked old, but he could tell by the buttons, that it was in fact a recent addition, or at least that was what he thought. He remembered the code Eve had given to him and pressed the corresponding buttons. Each button had its own pitched beep. He hummed it to himself after all the numbers had been entered in. He almost jumped when he heard the door unlock. He didn't expect to hear it unlock.

Valerian took a deep breath as he turned the knob and turned around to walk in backwards with his suitcases. It made it easier to pull them inside without ramming them into the door or anything else on the way in. When he turned around, it felt like the breath got sucked out of him. It was absolutely beautiful. He stood there for a moment in awe. He would need a few minutes to take it all in. It was marvelous. He did take a few minutes to just look, before he proceeded, as according to directions, to the keypad that would lead him to his room. He lugged the suitcases behind him, and followed the same routine as before. Enter the numbers, and open the door. He backed into his room and closed the door behind him, and for the second time that day, he felt as if he had died and gone to a very well decorated heaven.

All that day Eve had been traveling between the family house and the Azoth Manor. She was making sure that things were going smoothly. The family had moved before from Pennsylvania after the kidnapping so moving wasn’t foreign to them. However she still didn’t want to move away from the house that seemed so safe. However like before the thought that helped her go through with the move was the thought that her whole family was going to be there. This time her parents wasn’t coming along which made the moving much harder than the first. Her father wasn’t there for comfort them and now Eve was worried about how things were going for them both. Were they both safe? Would she be seeing them soon? Eve was in charge and the move to Azoth Manor was for the best and would keep her family safe. However no matter how hard she tried Eve couldn’t stay away from the house. She found herself returning again and again. Eve told herself it was because she wanted to check on her family but really it was because she didn’t want to leave the place.

At the moment Eve was heading back to the Azoth Manor which wasn’t too far from their home. Some of the other families would be traveling much farther than the Cassidy’s. She left the house with a few sweaters and other small belongings she forgot while packing even though they weren’t important. Eve closed the door behind her one last time knowing it would be awhile before she returned to the place. Taking one last look at the place Eve threw her things in the passenger seat before hoping into the car herself and driving away. Now she was excited to see how her family was doing in the new place or even if they found the Azoth Manor to begin with. Picking up her phone she noticed there were no messages for her or a text from one of her siblings asking for help. They must all be making their way to the house or already there. Eve was certain to give them directions and explain how to get there.

Eve pulled up to the house and parked her car beside Valerian’s. His car was still packed with his belongings, almost overfilling to a point. Eve stared at it wondering how Valerian was able to pack so much stuff into one little car. That was one reason why Eve wanted a Ford Escape. It was big enough to hold whatever she needed and was the car they always took when shopping. Eve grabbed her few belongings and headed into the Manor but then spotted another car there. Slowly the families were arriving.

The place was humongous compared to their home and Eve knew it would be able to house many without any problems. When she first arrived Eve spent a good bit of time wondering through the Manor getting to know where all of the rooms where at and what were in them. Her most favorite place was the library that seemed to have every book she could think of. Eve knew her family would be spending most of their time in there for they all loved to read. Walking past the library and a few other rooms Eve finally made it to her bedroom which was already filled with boxes of every shape and size. Eve decided she was going to finish unpacking later after everyone arrived at the Azoth Manor.

To think that only a few weeks ago I was in the sand.
To imagine that a few weeks ago I was slipping a magazine into a weapon.
To dream that a scant couple of weeks ago I was looking at my battle-buddies.

None of that happened now. There was no sand. No weapon to load. No Friends for support.
It was just him, and his family. Family. The word still felt weird on his tongue. They were real, he acknowledged. It wasn't just some dream at night, or some word for his military-brethren. These were blood relatives. Cassidys. Ethan still found the idea so contrary to his mind...

Semper-Gumbi. Always flexible. It was his very thought as the street light flashed a solid red, and he eased the throttle back on his bike. The half-light of the fading sun caught the edge of the black detail on the Harley Davidson Iron 883. Bursts of red line traced the new silver of the dual exhaust as it streamlined along the bike's right side. Like the simple black color of the bike, the rider was just as styled. The khaki, dark and light green digital coloring of his ACU's simple and non-descript look. Even the black helmet was not much of an eye catcher. The only detail was a trio of green chevrons pointed up above the face concealing shield that locked onto a chin piece.

The light blinked back over to green, and his khaki boot pushed off the cement as his dark green gloved hand twisted the throttle. Once more he was speeding down the roads, with nothing but his mind to aid him. Eve Cassidy. His cousin had given him some pretty simple instructions. Something that a private should be able to follow. Then why was he having problems keeping himself concentrated on the road and his destination? Ethan allowed a sigh to escape his lips as he guided the bike around a corner...

And then he lost his words as he began to catch sight of where he was going. It simply did not make sense. Or did it, he thought to himself. Was this the combination of the Cassidy bloodline and the other families fortunes? If they possessed such a place, what else did they own? What did they control? What could they do? How many were there?
He bit into his lip to forestall the questions that threatened to tear at his mind. Not now, he thought as he pulled into the front gate. The road stretched before him and yet he could barely fathom a response other than just breathing. Better for him to gaze in wonder under the helmet. It would save him the dumbfounded look on his face as he drew closer towards the manor.

The bike's exhaust let out a final moan of power, before it went silent. His tires had reached the parking of several other vehicles. "I figure this is the right place," He spoke under the helmet's embrace. It took mere moments for the cold air to touch his skin, and a cigarette to touch his lips. With a flick of his lighter the tip glowed a deep red. It burned hotter for a long breath, before smoke curled from his nose in gentle streams.

A smile crept along chapped red lips as bright green orbs awoke in the pits of his face. "Welcome, Ethan Cassidy...." He licked over his lips and rolled the cigarette to the other side of his mouth. "Welcome to your new home"