The glare of the bright morning sun shone in Irina's face as she slept. She rolled over and groaned when she heard the sound of the alarm clock ringing. ‘Great...it's morning already. I feel like I haven't slept a wink.' She reached over and tapped it to silence the buzzing sound. She blinked sleepily as she read the time on it. Six-oh-five a.m. She had just managed to doze off a few hours ago after lying awake for half the night with Maestro and her first encounter with him consuming her thoughts. ‘Goodness, why am I up at this hour anyway? What's wrong with me? I usually sleep until seven. ‘  She had thoughts about resetting the alarm so she could get some much needed extra sleep. ‘After all, I have to be alert at work and at the seminar.  Yes, that's what I'll do.'  She used what energy she had to prop her body up a bit, enough to be able to make the desired change on the clock. She yanked her hand away when she remembered something. ‘Wait! I can't do that! I have some important business to take care of before work and that blasted seminar. I can't believe I nearly forgot about that!'  She silently cursed, annoyed with herself for being more distracted than she meant to.

Irina sat up, stretched her arms and legs, and lazily climbed out of bed. Still feeling very groggy, she grabbed her robe and slipped it on, then headed towards the kitchen. She poured some coffee and water into the coffee pot, and turned it on. ‘Hopefully a nice cup of coffee as well as a shower will wake me up...though I can't say I will be able to keep my mind off of Maestro.'  She pulled down her favorite coffee cup from the cabinet and got some sugar cubes and cream whilst she waited for the caffeinated drink to brew. Just in case the coffee wouldn't be enough to give her energy, she pulled out the donuts she hadn't finished eating from the refrigerator. ‘Mmmmm...coffee and donuts...the perfect breakfast.' She smiled to herself, licked her lips slightly and leaned against the counter, patiently waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. Keeping her eyes open had become a chore and she found herself dozing off.

A few minutes later, the timer went off, signaling that the coffee was made. Irina's eyes shot open and she ran her hands over her face. While this was not enough to make her wide awake, she was definitely more alert than she was before. She stood upright and poured the hot, caffeinated drink into her coffee cup, poured a little bit of cream, dumped the sugar cubes inside, then grabbed a spoon, stirring it thoroughly.  She carried her "breakfast " to the dining room table, sat down and  began to slowly eat the unfinished donuts, whilst waiting for the coffee to cool. As she ate, her mind drifted off to Maestro once again. ‘I wonder what he's doing right now, if he's awake...that is, if he even sleeps. I can't wait to see him again. Every time I think of him, I get butterflies in my stomach. I wonder if the same has happened to him after I left, or if he has even thought about me.' She shook her head to rid her mind of such thoughts. ‘No, no, no! It's too early to think of a possible relationship when we're barely even friends! Besides, there are more important matters to deal with than some foolish delusion of romance!' she mentally berated herself as she finished off the second donut.

‘Hopefully the coffee would have cooled down enough by now. There's only one way to find out.' Hunger satisfied, Irina picked up her coffee cup and blew on it, trying to get rid of the slight steam that still rose from the liquid. She took a small sip and let it slide down her throat. It was hot but still drinkable. ‘What a relief. ‘ She continued to drink, feeling herself become more awake bit by bit. After finishing the cup of coffee, she took her dishes to the sink, washed them quickly and went into her bedroom to get ready for work. She took a quick glance at the time before grabbing her underclothing and heading into the bathroom. ‘Approximately seven o'clock...not too bad if I do say so myself. I have to hurry if I hope to accomplish anything, though.'

All of a sudden, Irina's cell phone started to ring, and it rang and rang for several minutes.  Each time the voicemail came on, the person would hang up and call again. This kept up until the caller got tired and hung up, opting to leave her a text message instead.

The red head heard the incessant ringing of her phone over the running water in the shower and got this feeling of uneasiness in her stomach, almost as if she were going to throw up. One particular person came to mind that had the ability to make her feel physically ill. ‘Oh great...it's Eric again. Just when I thought I had succeeded in erasing him from my memory.'  Her heart leapt in her stomach as she wondered what he could possibly want with her this time after sending all those cryptic messages. Seeing them typed was one thing, hearing them uttered from his mouth would be another. She shook her head, rolling her eyes. ‘I wonder what threat he has come up with this time that he hasn't already written to me. One would think he had already said them all.'  She sighed, finished off her shower, wrapped a towel around herself and stepped out of the tub, drying off. She towel-dried her hair as well, and hung up the towel.

After finishing up in the bathroom, Irina took off her robe and tossed it onto the bed. She retrieved her comb from her bureau and ran it through her still-damp hair. She tightly wound her hair around, placed it on top of her head and pinned it in place with a jaw hair clip. She quickly got dressed and slipped on her shoes, taking another quick glance at the clock. It read seven forty-five this time. Right on schedule.  She gave a little smile, relieved that she had not gone back to sleep after all, then her expression became serious when she remembered she still had to check the missed calls on her phone. She was someone who always trusted her intuition, no matter how farfetched it seemed. She retrieved the phone from the smaller dresser and looked through the missed calls. All of them were unknown callers. She frowned. ‘How strange. Eric's number always shows up. But it has to be him! I knew what I felt.' She furrowed her brow as she thought of one possibility. ‘Perhaps he called from other numbers because he is anticipating that I'm on to his scheme. How clever of him.'

All of a sudden, the phone vibrated, indicating that there was a new text message. With baited breath, Irina clicked on it and saw the following message: "Watch your back, because we will cross paths sooner than you think. I hope you are prepared to face your punishment for thinking you would ever be rid of me.'  She nearly choked reading that and cold chills went down her spine, her legs trembling. ‘Calm down, girl. He's a human and you're part witch so he has nothing on you.'  In an attempt to pull herself together, she found her purse and dropped the phone into it. ‘No matter. All will hopefully be taken care of in due time. Of course, I will need a backup plan just in case the authorities do nothing to help.' She smirked slightly, cackling softly at the idea that came to mind. ‘I will not kill him, that's a bit rash, and not my style. I will just show him he trifled with the wrong person.'  Picking up her purse, she turned off the lamp and exited her room. She retrieved her keys from the living room table, using them to unlock the door and stepping outside. She made sure to lock the door behind her and then got inside her car, warming it up. She turned the radio on before pulling out of the driveway, into the street. The music calmed her mind while she drove to the police station.

Soon, Irina spotted the station just up ahead. Once she was approaching it, she slowed down. She noticed the parking lot was mostly empty with only a few cars, which she took as a good omen because she was worried about the place being so busy that she ended up being late for work. She took a look at the clock. ‘Eight o'clock on the dot. Perfect. .I should have enough time to take care of this and change my number.'  She parked her car, made sure she had all of her IDs handy, got out and briskly entered the building.

Maestro was in the music room, playing a brand new musical composition on his grand piano. It was one of the only things that relaxed his mind, which he was in desperate need of at the moment. Irina had completely filled his thoughts after she had left his mansion. No woman had ever captivated him the way she did, and if someone asked him what he found most alluring about her, he would have to answer everything --from her physical beauty to the way she spoke. However, there was a small part of him that had begun to have a few doubts about whether he was letting his guard down too much or not. He knew he had to break out of his shell sometime if he was truly weary of living such a lonely life, but having his trust betrayed numerous times took a toll on him. ‘Stop it! You're being ridiculous!'  a voice in his head chided him. ‘Get to know her first before making any judgment. Time will tell whether she's the one or not.'  He continued playing, trying to shake away his doubts.

A woman with long ombre colored hair entered the music room holding a tray of food. She smiled as she watched Maestro play his piano as if there was no tomorrow. ‘He appears to be in his own world, and I hate to interrupt him. But this breakfast will get cold if I don't give it to him soon.'  

Maestro had been so engrossed in his piano playing that he didn't hear the footsteps, but he did feel a presence. At first he wondered if it was a trespasser who was cunning enough to find a way into the mansion before he could take measures, but he sensed nothing disturbing or dangerous about the aura.  He paused in mid-key, placing his hands in his lap and spun around, swinging his legs sideways. There stood one of his most trusted henchwomen. He nodded and gave her a small smile. "Arisa."

"Greetings, my master. Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine."

Arisa set her mouth in a line and frowned, as if she didn't believe the maestro was being totally honest. "Are you sure? You were more pensive than usual and you seem to be under a lot of stress, almost as if something is troubling you. Did you have another encounter with the mayor? If you'd like, I can create a barrier that would prevent him and other unwelcome visitors from entering the property."

 ‘I would hardly refer to my run-ins with the mayor as visits.' Maestro shook his head, chuckling at the notion, stopping when he realized Arisa was being serious and probably confused about what he found so humorous. "Please pardon my laughter. To answer your question, no, I haven't had a visit from the mayor." Though he had to admit, his servant's solution was the perfect one for dealing with people who insisted on entering his house uninvited, as much as he got kicks out of scaring them away. He looked at her, his eyes full of appreciation. "I appreciate your concern, but there is really nothing to worry about. It's just...I have a lot on my mind."

Arisa nodded, smoothing down her hair. "All right then. If it's something you care to talk about, I am here to listen."

"Yes I know."  Maestro very rarely confided his innermost feelings as he never liked to be a burden, but he decided he just might take Arisa up on her offer if trusting his instincts didn't work. After all, for a long time Arisa had been the closest person he had to a friend. ‘She will probably be able to help me decide what to do if I wish to plan something special for Irina.'

The young woman smiled. "Good."  She had been so busy worrying about her master and whether he had a problem or not that she nearly forgot why she came, only remembering once she realized she was still holding the breakfast tray. "I brought you some breakfast."  

"Thank you. Take it to the kitchen. "

"As you wish. Don't be long, now. You don't want it to get too cold."

"Of course not. I will be there momentarily."

"Okay." Arisa left the room.

Maestro sat down behind the keyboard once again, with the intention of giving the new song one more run-through. He wasn't particularly interested in food at the moment, yet he knew he had to do whatever he could to keep busy until it was time for Irina's arrival later on. Positioning his hands on the keys, he proceeded to play the song once again, tilting his head back and closing his eyes as he got into the melody.

(that afternoon)

Irina was sitting in her office, packing up to leave and tidying up her desk a bit. After stacking up the papers in a neat pile and shutting off the computer, she placed her hand on her forehead, letting out a sigh of relief that her day at work was finally over. ‘Oh, what a day. I thought it would never end. And it didn't help that the seminar was a total bore and not enough to keep me from being distracted. At least I can spend some more time with Maestro now.'  She was about to get up from her chair and gather her belongings when she heard a knock on the door and a voice asking, "Missy, are you in there?"

Irina spun her chair around slightly so that it was facing the door. "Carol?  Yes I'm still here. Come on in. The door is open."

Carol was all full of smiles as she walked in and shut the door. "Well hello there. How was your day?"

Irina had the "don't ask me that" look in her eyes upon hearing the question. "Long and tiresome. In fact, I was just about to leave. You caught me just in the nick of time."

Carol chuckled. "I hear you on how long the day was. It was that way for me, too, "she said, giving the red head a sympathetic look.  "Well I'm glad I wasn't too late. The fact that I arrived a bit late this morning combined with the seminar you were at all day prevented me from checking in with you sooner.  I was dying to, because I wanted to see if you pressed charges against that good-for-nothing prick and changed your number."

Irina giggled, knowing Carol was referring to Eric. She was amazed that her friend was putting it so mildly. "Yes, I did both. However, I am concerned about how long it will be before he is prosecuted."

"I know what you mean. The justice system can be such a disgrace. But I am sure changing your number will help."

Irina smoothed down her skirt a bit. "I believe it will somewhat."  The uneasy feeling from earlier returned. ‘Something tells me it won't be enough and Eric will definitely follow through on his threats.'

"Well whatever happens, know that I have your back."  Carol took a look at her watch, and realized it was past time to be leaving. "Oops, how inconsiderate of me! I imagine you must have important things to do right about now. "

"Somewhat. I have somewhere I need to be in a bit. "

Carol scratched her head and furrowed her brow. "Oh? Where to? That is, if you don't mind me asking."

Irina debated in her mind whether she should say or not. She didn't want to lie to her friend, yet she didn't want to reveal her new associate. ‘You don't have to say the name.'  "A friend I promised to visit." As the explanation rolled off her tongue, she didn't feel guilty since she was technically being honest. ‘I hope she doesn't ask who. I don't know if she even knows who Maestro is, but she might not believe he really exists or may consider him a monster, for all I know.'

Much to her relief, Carol didn't ask any more questions. She just nodded and said, "Oh ok. Well, don't let me keep you. Have fun."

"Thank you. I am sure I will." Irina got up from her chair, pushed it in, and then grabbed her briefcase and purse. "Have a wonderful weekend. "

"I'll try to, considering tomorrow I will have to spend some time in the office getting some unfinished work done." Carol rolled her eyes at the thought, for this was not how she preferred to spend her weekend, but she didn't want the boss to get on her case.

"Ohhh, poor you. Well in any event, stay safe."

"You too. I will talk to you on Monday, if not before then." 

"All right. Ciao." 

"Toodles."  With a wave, Carol left the office.

 Irina exited the office as well and locked up, then went outside to her car, opening the door and getting in. She waved to Carol as she drove away and headed for home. She was never so happy to leave work in her life.

(at home)

 Irina's excitement died and was replaced with dread when she got home, parked the car and climbed out. She had this feeling that she was being watched and something sinister was about to happen whilst walking up to her doorstep. She also thought she saw a head peeping out from behind her house, but she figured it was just her paranoia getting the best of her and shrugged it off, resting her briefcase on the ground. A voice inside her head screamed at her to hurry as she dug in her purse for her keys. Just as she found the keys and was about to pull them out so she could open the door, she heard footsteps coming up behind her. She dared herself to look up and see who it was. The fear inside her increased when she saw she was standing face to face with her ex-boyfriend. Her stomach instantly became nauseous. ‘Oh no. He's here. I suspected I would run into him, but I didn't think it would be this soon. Lord help me.'  It was all she could do not to shake her head in dismay that she was a bit too late in handling the situation.

For awhile, all Irina could do was stare at her ex, stunned. When her voice returned to her, she managed to ask, "What are you doing here?" Her tone was quiet, but filled with displeasure to see the one man that oftentimes made her feel ashamed to be mortal at all.

Eric returned the stare and feigned a wounded expression. "Is that any way to greet the love of your life? Didn't you get my text messages?"

The redhead scoffed. "All right, first of all, you are nothing of the sort to me...you are nothing but dirt beneath my shoes. And yes, I did receive your text messages, but you are not worthy to be given the time of day. What is it you want from me?"

Eric merely smirked at the insults. "Still as feisty as ever, I see. As much as it turns me on, it won't save you. We both know you don't have what it takes to back up your words. After all, what would a woman know about that?"

Irina stuck out her jaw defiantly, not feeling so fearful all of a sudden. "Trust me, there are loads of things about me you don't know.  Now I suggest you get off my property before you regret it."

"You're in no position to make threats. I am in control, not you. I suggest you watch your tongue or else I'll be forced to cut it out."

Irina held back a shudder. ‘That certainly does sound dreadful. No way in hell am I going to give him the satisfaction.' "Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try."

Eric looked as if smoke was going to rise from his ears. He couldn't believe the woman had the gall to stand up to him. Sure, there were times she tried, but never on this level. He brought up a hand to slap her across the face, but she ducked just in time. "I have no time for this nonsense. " She pulled out her keys and went to open the door, but before she could do anything, he grabbed her by the collar of her blazer, forcefully turned her around and shoved her against the door, pinning her against it. She dropped her keys in the process. He grabbed her long, slender neck with both of his hands and proceeded to choke her. "You're dumber than you look if you think I will let you end the relationship alive!"  He tightened his grip around her neck and gazed deep into her green-blue orbs, smirking when he saw fear in them.

Irina coughed loudly and she could feel herself becoming lightheaded. What was scaring her more was that she was beginning to black out.  In her relationship with Eric, he had insulted her constantly, but never put his hands on her. This was the first time he had ever gotten physical with her. She was too shocked to let her fear take over. ‘Come on, girl, you've got this! It doesn't matter that you're only five feet six inches tall and he's six feet one, or that you're a twig compared to him.'  All she was presently thinking of was how to outwit Eric and survive. Then an idea came to her. ‘Aha! He's in for a surprise now. He won't know what hit him.' She let the rage consume her and her eyes flashed bright crimson. She raised one of her arms in a mystic gesture and knocked him off of her with the power of telekinesis, forcing him to release his hold on her neck and making him fall on his backside. She coughed some more and shot a scathing glare at him.

Eric looked at his former girlfriend with a shocked look on his face. ‘I never dreamed she was capable of such power. I can't believe how much I underestimated her!' "What the devil?! Just what the hell are you?"

Irina sneered. "Your worst nightmare," she responded in a chilling tone. She let out a sinister cackle.

Eric quivered as he noticed the woman's fierce facial expression. "Wait! P-Please spare me."

"I don't think so. You should have thought of that before you decided to disrespect me the way you did." Irina emitted some dark energy ribbons from her hands at the shaken man, making sure the energy bursts weren't too powerful. He screamed in anguish as they radiated around him and trapped him in place. He watched as she approached him with an evil grin on her face. She waved her hands around his head and made a ripping gesture as if she were pulling out certain images. "From this moment forward, you will be unaware of my existence. "  Giving a smug grin when her former boyfriend passed out from shock, her eyes returned to its normal color as she went back to her doorstep, retrieved her keys and unlocked the door. She picked up her briefcase and walked inside, closing the door behind her and locking it. She let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose. ‘Oh boy...the things that man makes me do.'  She hated to be that rash, but he more than asked for it. ‘All right. Enough about him. He's just an unpleasant memory now. It's time to think of more positive things. Surely Maestro will help me to forget him this time as well. But first it's time to change into something more comfortable.' She went to her bedroom and shut the door.

Irina set her briefcase down by her desk before taking off her shoes and lining them up neatly next to her closet door. She took off her work clothes and hung them up, then changed into more casual clothing---her favorite pair of black skinny jeans and a new black blouse decorated with drawings of purple roses. She pulled on some thick black push down socks as well as her ankle boots, and then redid her hair. Completing the attire with a pair of black diamond shaped earrings, she took a look at herself in the mirror. ‘Hmm...not bad at all.' She noticed a small portion of her stomach was showing and frowned slightly. ‘Funny...I could have sworn this shirt was longer. Oh well...I have a feeling Maestro will probably like it...don't want him to be too excited though.' She had thoughts about forgoing makeup altogether this time since she would just be hanging around Maestro's house, but her face felt a bit naked without it. ‘Maybe a tiny bit won't hurt. I won't be overdressed or anything.' She reached for the tube of plum colored lipstick and carefully applied it to her thin rosy lips, making sure it wasn't smeared. ‘There. All ready.'

Knowing it was usually chilly outside this time of evening, Irina grabbed her long jacket and threw it over her shoulders like a cape, then got her purse.  She closed her eyes, concentrated her energies, and teleported outside the gates of Normalville. Lucky for her, the gates were open that day, which she took to mean that Maestro was anticipating her arrival. Smiling slightly, she entered through the gates and walked towards the large mansion, her heart racing with exhilaration as she did so. Her legs were starting to feel like jello while walking onto the doorstep.  Her hands trembling, she reached out and rang the doorbell. She was sure the tone sounded very shaky. ‘Ugh...why am I so nervous? I hope he doesn't think I have issues.'  All of a sudden she felt the blow of a cold breeze, making her shiver a bit. She slipped on her jacket and sat on the doorstep to wait.