Talking with an old friend of her

This was a strange day for Nicole. Is not like she complains at all, after all she saw her daughters starting to get along, just like she wanted them to be. Rebekah even seems to be ok with Daniel's presence.

That makes her happy, but for some reason... Confused. But why? She wasn't sure, yet she remembered that everything started when Rebekah brought that beautiful necklace with her... But no. She was on a date with her husband, and that is all she needs to think about.

But then, while walking she heard a woman talking on her phone… "I know this is something big and unexpected, but we can't let this change our plans..." Worried noises over the phone "We all have built this company, even if he leave us we can't lose faith in the work of all the people that count on us, we must show them that we are still on business" More noises "I will talk with him once I get the chance, for now, he needed time alone with his daughter, respect that please" The couple were a few feet where she was talking "Ok, tomorrow we will do a press conference, for now I need time to think." This scene made Nicole smile, as the woman finished her conversation "Good night".

Nicole, incapable of containing her emotion, surprised the woman as she said "I don't need to see your face, to know that only the unbreakable Sarah Wood is the one talking like that!" The woman turned around for the couple to see her.

Sarah recognized her "Nicole?" For her this was an unexpected surprise, one that she was happy to “Just look at you!” Nicole hurried to hug her “It has been years since…” Then she released Nicole as she saw Daniel with her “I'm sorry, where are my manners?" She smiled and politely extended her hand to Daniel "As my old friend said, I'm Sarah Wood, it's a pleasure..." He trembling extended his hand to meet hers.

Daniel wasn't sure what to do. He knew this woman in a business suit, the magazines and media present her as one of the richest and influential women in empresarial world. But that wasn't all, with his boss' sudden retirement, he was worried about his future at Dave Soft, he remembered that barely a few months ago, Dave Soft ended a complicated arrangement with a large accounting firm, which ended with both merging into an even bigger enterprise. And now, he was extending his hand to the next head of the company. He couldn't process how the woman in front of him looked.

“D-Daniel... I'm sorry for me this is awkward, but I've just found out my new boss seems to be an old friend of my wife.”

Sarah was intrigued by that “(This is weird...) If it helps, for me it is rare too, I haven't seen Nicole in years.”

Nicole continued “Ignore him, when we were at dinner he couldn't stop babbling about how good his boss was!” Sarah started to inspect Nicole's mannerism and the way she refered of Dave “It is sad that he won't be working more with you two anymore, he really seems to be a nice guy.”

She realized something was wrong with the way Nicole was behaving "(...) Yeah, I know him for years too, he is... Let's not talk about that. Look, I have some time left, why don't you give me some company before I leave?" Sarah was conflicted about her friend's attitude "(Dave never told me what happened between you all but Nicole, are you really going to pretend to not know Dave? What are you up to?) I have some time to spare, would you like to drink something?".

Since the beginning she has been acting, pulling all the trism to get the result she was hoping for. Even if Mizumi couldn’t predict how Selina turned out to be, that part never bothered her, as things were going as she planned for so long. But then, her daughters and Scott role which was meant to be only of observations until the next day, almost ruined everything. She should be mad at them, but she was more curious about how this might develop. Maybe it will ruin everything, maybe it could make things end up even better. So Mizumi began to observe what will be the final role of Scott in this “What do you see there?” She asked him.

He **** himself to respond “Mom and Daniel, talking with someone... Has she something to do with all this magic crap?”

“Not at all dear, she is just an old friend of Nicole. But like all of us, she has a role in this.”

Minutes ago, they entered one room on a floor above Scott's family room, where there was a bigger view of the beach. There Scott could easily spot his mother, while Rebekah was sitting close to them. Scott wasn't sure what this woman pretended to do with him, so he was afraid of what came after the woman's weird questions. What does she expect him to answer? What exactly is she planning for his family? Plenty of questions on his mind “(I must play along, somehow I might outplay her and...)”

“People much more capable tried and miserably failed.”

“Did you…” He remembered what the girls said before “Right psychic powers…”

She didn’t need functional eyes to notice he wasn’t taking this well enough “I know you must feel you are chained... Somehow you are. That reminds me…” She put a finger on his forehead and then it happened...

Suddenly a powerful scream came from Scott’s mind, which was Kyo “(LESSON LEARNED!!! I PROMISE I PROMISE!!!)”

It was followed by the terrified voice of Aoi “(We won't do that again... Please, don't do that again, we will behave!)”

Scott was curious "Again, what did you do to them?" Mizumi turned around and sat on a couch while she firmly held her cane with her hands.

“I cut all of their capability to talk, to hear, to see, even among them. Imagine being there and desperately wishing to say something, but having no way to.” For Scott this woman was more mysterious the more he learned from her. At first she talked to him with a kind tone, yet that didn't mask her authoritative presence. She gives the feeling of a mother who cared about their children but with no doubt would punish them severely. She didn't seem to be a threat to anyone, but felt that nothing could stop her to get what she wanted. "We have some time, sit there." Scott didn't want to, but the girl did it for him.

Scott took a bet and asked before she said anything "What do you want from us?" He was still scared about all this, but got some time to calm down.

“To set things right.” Was all she answered.

“What does that mean?”

“As you saw before, the necklace can create a new being, like Selina who you met before” While Selina said the same, hearing it from someone else now he was more calm made him understand better how the necklace worked “Those who are born from the necklace without the proper guidance might be a danger for themselves, and that’s what concerns me” She made a pause “Years ago, before you three were born, a group of friends got the necklace and some related jewels like the ring Selina mentioned. Those friends explore the jewels potential, with fear at first, but eventually managing to control part of it. That moment, two souls merged as your sisters did, the same way you saw Emily with that woman. That was the time when Kelly was born. What does it have to do with your family? Kelly was born from the merge from the now dead Karen and your mother Nicole.”

Scott couldn’t believe those words “... Mom? She is like... No no no, this can't be!”

Aoi tried to comfort him “(I know this must be **** for you but it...)”

“****?! Is that the best you can come up with?!”

Kyo reacted “(Hey smartass! She is trying to be nice!)”

Mizumi only watched them argue. She wondered if it was a good idea to let them free to do as they wanted, but Scott wasn’t a silent observant anymore, perhaps he could do something more in favor of her plans, or maybe not. Time will tell “Your mother doesn't remember anything at all dear. But tell me, will she ever remember?”

Somehow he returned to the same question “What does that mean?” There was something in the cryptic way she spoke.

As an answer she said “We don't know what the future will give us, but we can prepare for whatever it ends up being.”

He felt he was running circles around her “Will you ever give me a clear answer?”

Even if she was somewhat mad with him for being rude with her sister, she empathized for what he was experience “(Take your number Scotty, we are still waiting for that)”

He didn’t like nicknames “Don't call me like that!”

And that was an opportunity for Kyo “(Scotty, Scotty!)”

Scott was tired of dealing with the girls “I swear you... Whatever.” He focused again on Mizumi “You mentioned a name before, Kelly... If mom was... Her... Does that mean that she just forgot she was like that?”

Mizumi was interested in Scott's curiosity “Not entirely. Once two or more souls merge with the necklace, only the necklace might take them apart. Nicole was separated from Karen when she died, also her memories were gone because of the ring I gave Selina.”

“Selina... Wait... That means…” He realized what Mizumi wanted “She will make mom remember being…”

Knowing he knew what she was up to, she interrupted him “Will that be a problem?” She wanted to know how he would react to an inevitable future.

Scott just lost it “Of course!! She is not real, she is just…”

To even Mizumi surprise, it was Aoi who spoke the first “(AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT!! Are you going to tell her who she can be or who she can't be?!)”

Scott didn’t know what to say “I mean…”

Kyo never saw her sister react that way “(Sis...)”

Aoi more calmly said “(You never knew her... Yet she existed!)” Even if those weren’t words, one could feel the pain it was for her to express them “(She loved you…)”

This was beyond his comprehension, so he tried to use logic “But... Like she said, she is dead now.”

Maybe Mizumi could get more involved, she thought "Is that so? I said they were separated, not unmerged"

Scott realized what the woman meant. “Then... My mother has been that... Kelly all these years?”

She liked him "I'm afraid is a bit more complicated than that" She took a pause "That will be all for now" Scott was silent while Mizumi seemed to be lost in her thoughts "You are free to go"

"I... Just like that? But I'm still..." He stopped talking as the girls regained control of his body, making him smile and leave the room.

Mizumi finally let herself feel tired, as she has been for plenty of years “(Maybe those three are meant to be something different, but should not be involved in that)” She made another pause “I did all I could for now, it's your turn Dave…”

A melancholic man named Dave Boon questioned every decision he made in his last years. While being a silent father who avoided talking about his wife every time his daughter wanted to know more about it, he wasn't blind to see the pain it was causing to her. He could have told her plenty of lies to make her feel better, but he wasn't going to be dishonest about that. The truth, while painful to endure sometimes, is needed, so if he planned to talk with his daughter with the truth, she must know every part of the story. Even if it ends up destroying the image Sabryna has been forming about her mother.

Unaware of what invaded Dave’s thoughts, Selina walked where she sat as Sabryna before "I'm ready dad, please continue your story" She watched him returning his thoughts to earth as she talked.

But he needed to know something. “I was thinking, what impression do you have from your mother? With everything I've already told you.”

That was a good question for Selina. Was she a daughter of Sabryna and Rebekah? Neither of them yet both of them. But Karen and Nicole immediately came to the picture, and only Selina’s imagination could form an image of Kelly. So many people could be considered Selina’s mother, but she knew Dave was asking for Sabryna’s mother "Mom was..." She sat on the same spot as before "Somehow... Like a friend I would love to have'' She smiled "I've met some of the wives of your business partners and some of your female colleagues like Miss Wood" The smile was slowly fading away "But... All of them seemed to be constantly worried by their lives... I mean, every time was about jobs, or keeping their 'aristocratic' image, their 'nobility' like they were jewels..."

He began to remember the cordial and sweet image of Sabryna on the formal events he dragged her in the past. A smile that only was a mascarade for her real feelings.

She continued "People like Anna for example, always showed their love and compassion towards me, as their little mistress... But somehow that actually felt like true love..." Her smile was no more "Yet I know it was their job, for what they were being paid for... How can someone know what is real, and what is not? (We know that was love from them... But those are Sabryna's doubts)" And abruptly the happiness returned to her "But then you came up with this image of mom! I mean, she seemed to be so honest, caring... Like... She wasn't afraid to learn who she really was..." She didn't realize that it came from what Mizumi told Selina.

Just for a fraction of time Dave wasn't talking with his daughter... He felt like he was back in time with the young Karen sitting in front of him. So optimistic, so honest about her feelings. He was crying now. "Y-You have no idea how much you two are alike" He removed the tears from his face "She was probably the most remarkable woman I've ever met" He took a moment "You definitely a daughter of hers"

Those words were conforming while Sabryna heard them “Please, continue the story.”

But he should maintain his focus. “Before that, you must know something.”

“What is it?”

“Love someone doesn't mean you must agree with everything they do or say.”

That was unexpected “I.. Suppose that is true.”

“Then you must take your time to be objective as the story goes on. Don't think about her and me as your parents while I talk, think of us as two persons you haven't met yet. This is important.”

“(This is weird)” She took a moment to digest those words “I'll do.”

“Then.. Let's talk about Kelly.”

One week before the travel

Magic. The world as you know seems to be so different when you can do something that would be considered imposible by other people. What are the limits before you? There has to be limits on first place? For those friends that didn't seem to matter at all.

It has been two weeks since they all discovered the jewels, they did all of the things with them, except use the necklace to merge someone besides Nicole and Karen that night. Kelly said it wasn't the best choice at that moment. But for what concerned the other jewels, they did everything they could with all of them, to which Dave carefully took note of how they worked and their limitations.

For example, the earrings weren’t much more capable of what Dave showed Eva to Selina, but it was really hard for Eva to become Dave again, a fact that marked him. The rings apparently as Selina was suppousing needed to be close to those they affected. They thought that if they manipulated the minds of the people, they could implant new knowledge on them, but that didn’t work, as they couldn’t order Aaron to ‘learn japanese’. While they didn’t do anything different with the necklace, the two people in the merge must be physically in contact, with clothes not allowing it. And the contact must be at least the size of one hand to work.

While Masako tried to find out more about the jewels, they didn't match any pattern or design that could be found on her books or anything she could remember for her studies. Like it belonged to no place or culture known for humanity.

If that thing came from her family, that was their only lead. Her dad, no matter how she brought the topic, didn't seem to know anything about it. She preferred to not openly talk about the necklace with him just in case. For him it was only a set of jewels from his wife's family.

It was no mystery that Kelly was the most involved in discovering what she was, but Masako’s conclusion was disappointing “How is that possible?” Kelly said trought Karen, that moment she was with Masako and Dave in the villa.

Masako tried to be realistic "Considering their relationship... I'm not surprise" She did her own time travels to the past in her thoughts “Theirs was an arranged marriage, and being honest they never seemed to show real affection towards the other... Yet they respected each other"

Dave knew where all this was leading “Then all we could do is try to dig in... Your mother's history…”

It was no secret Masako would prefer to avoid that part of her life, while she made peace with her mother, the rest of her family was something different. “It's not something I like, but there is no other way.”

Dave sighed “We still have our trip next friday, what are we going to tell your father?”

Masako knew that was the time to drop a bomb “No, I've already arranged that... And that's what I wanted to tell you both…” Both Dave and Kelly as Karen watched directly at her “Even after everything... You both should go there with my dad. I will go alone to Japan with the jewels, to find out where they c…

Before she could continue, Kelly interrupted her "No!" Both of them turned to see a concerned Karen "Sorry... We mean, the trip was going to be the three of us... We don't want to be apart from our little Masako..." She made a lustful smile typical of Nicole teasing Masako.

Dave gave Kelly a look that was yelling ‘seriously?’, then he said “Sometimes I forget that Nicole is watching…” At the same time, Kelly was with Aaron as Nicole, somewhere else “Masako, why didn't you tell us before?”

"Because I knew you both would try to convince me not to... And then..." Karen sat behind Masako's back, and carefully started to move her fingers around her body under her clothes until she reached her breast "She.. They... Might put.... a solid argument to.. Ahhh SHIT" Karen’s other hand was then massaging Masako's clit "Oh FUCK ME!"

Yes ma'am" Karen knew all the weak points of Masako, and if we added Nicole's desire for her... "Come on Masako, it was supposed to be our… Your adventure with Karen and Dave"

Masako said "Loooook Ahhh!... Queenie, I would loooove to (yes.. That's it!) Oh fuck!" She abruptly turned around and pushed Karen over the bed as she took off her shirt "I know how persuasive you could be... "She deeply kissed her "Sooo instead of going to an inevitable defeat I Ahhh!.... I arranged everything before..." She began to undress Karen abruptly "Fuck this! Hey moron! Are you going to do something or just gonna enjoy the show?!" He was hypnotized by the act before him.

Dave had a lot of mixed emotions and couldn’t say anything “I…”

But Kelly ordered him "Let our little Masako enjoy Nicole's gift, it's over there!" She pointed to a box on a corner.

In the next minute, Dave was over the bed penetrating Masako's pussy as he was feeling her hair with one hand and touching her body with the other. Karen was assaulting Masako’s ass using Nicole's present, with her now typical Kelly mischievous smirk on her face, as she grabbed Masako hips to help on her duty.

She raised Masako's body to whisper "You aren't going to leave us... We know you prefer this... Come, stay a little longer" She was liking her neck, until she turned her face to Masakos’s, as their lips were almost connected "We... Need you Masako" But Masako as their lips connected, Masako noticed something that worried her a bit.

A naked Masako silently left the bed where her partners rested. She wanted to talk with them about a few things before leaving, but right now it seemed to be difficult, considering the circumstances. She was a woman who always speaks her mind when something bothers her, but... When the reason for her concern was that person who was important for her, she felt really scared, that she was so small figuratively. She grabbed Dave's shirt and walked outside the villa close to the balcony over the sand on the beach, and watched for a moment waves under the night sky.

She couldn't say the last two weeks were bad at all. Anyone could say that magic was just fantasy for kids, but she and her friends know it is something real. Something she brought to them, and if what bothers her was something more than just a feeling... She would blame herself her entire life. She lowered her face to see her feets sinking in the sand.

Then she heard Dave’s steps coming to her "Hey, got some space for me or is this a private beach?" She left her melancholic thoughts and turned to watch her visitor.

"You know... A joke is supposed to be funny" She made a gesture on her side inviting him "Come here you fool" He went by her side.

“You know, I might be a fool, but not deef one. Since you told us of your trip, I felt you wanted to talk about something else.”

"It is... It's just... I don't know if I want to bring it to you both... Right now is just... A feeling" She looked away "You now what? Don't mind me. The last thing you need is to be worried about my crazy ideas"

“This is the first time in years you seem to be worried about something... Suuuure I won't mind at all.” He mocked.

She raised her eyebrow “Was that your attempt to be sarcastic? Nice try.”

He wasn’t going to bite her attempt to change the subject “You know, I still want to know what this is about.”

"I know..." She put her arm on his back on a little hug, as she rested her head on his shoulder "I'm... Scared... Scared of losing everything we have here... Now"

He wasn’t expecting her to say something like that, "What do you mean?" She released him, like she was ashamed of what was coming next.

She wondered how to explain something that not even her had figured out “You see... Don't you have the feeling something is different?”

“Different?” He laughed, “What exactly is not different these days?.”

“Idiot... I mean... About Karen…”

"Oh" He wasn't so enthusiastic now "Well we haven't been with only Karen for a while... I mean Kelly is Karen, but not only Karen..."

“But the Karen part of Kelly is what I mean, don't you feel like it has changed?” She rephrased “I mean, that Karen has changed”

"Somehow yes, can't say it is the same Karen... But also can't say she is a stranger to the girl who was sitting reading for hours instead of swimming" He put a smile on his face "Maybe she individually is changing for her time being part of Kelly, but the woman for whom I fell, didn't go away..."

But the way Kelly was looking at Masako before, the face Karen was making was something different from what Masako ever saw, even in Nicole eyes, something more than lust for her. But before commenting that to Dave she wanted to be sure “Maybe I'm just overthinking, is just…”

Dave on the other hand, was wondering something entirely different “Masako…” He looked directly into her eyes “I know how you felt about me, but lately I've been wondering, how you felt about Karen?”

That was something she also was wondering lately either "I.. I like her. She is... A good lover I think..."

He didn't seem to be convinced by that answer. “Masako, do you like her... or do you love her?”

She felt cornered “I... Oh shut up!” She got up and went to walk over the sand, for he couldn’t be capable of seeing her reded face.

"Fear not” He said “You have just answered my question" He began to smoke. For a moment they remained in silence until he spoke "I suppose it is too late to ask you to stay with us, and go on our original trip, isn't it?"

She wanted nothing more than to say that she was going to go with them, but she couldn’t “... Yes, it’s late by now... I felt this is something I need to do. Is tomorrow's night.”

Even if he was suspecting that, it didn't make it easier to accept “So soon” He let some smoke out of his sistem “Then you should tell Karen how you feel…”

“I will…” She went back to the bed to cuddle with Kelly while being only Karen's body. She watched her sleeping form so peacefully in the moonlight, while wondering what was going to do the next day.

As for Dave, he began to ask himself “(Is she really changing?)”

Back to the present

Dave continued his story “Like she said, Masako went back to Japan the next day. She took all the jewels with her, as Kelly defused.” He was somehow surprised that his daughter was taking so lightly the fact he has a lover, that he had a special relation with two women.

Selina wondered why he spoke that much about Masako, but he never mentioned her to Sabryna "I'm... Not sure what to think" She suddenly raised her fist on her chest like Emily "Considering, I've never heard before of someone called Masako, I suppose things ended badly at some point?" She thought about something else. “Those that have something to do with mother?”

He sighed "That would have been better than what happened, that she could be somewhere else mad at me" Sabryna put on a concerned and confused face "You see... When we left her at the airport... That was the last time I saw Masako" That raised so many new questions “And… Just after that I found out that your mother… Kelly… Was lying to all of us”

Nothing unusual happened in the conversation between Nicole, Daniel and Sarah. At least nothing that gives Sarah a clue of what Nicole was up to, meaning she needed to try a more direct approach “Nicole, would you like to come with me to the restroom? Need some help with my makeup.”

She was confused about that “Sure? But your..” But her mind gave her an idea “(Oh I see!) Sure thing dear. Daniel, would you wait for these ladies for a moment? 'wink' 'wink'.”

If he knew Nicole, her sudden change of mood was one of those situations ‘don’t ask, just agree with her’ “No problem, should I order something else to drink?”

Sarah said "No, I’m fine. I must be sober for like... the next life (we will talk later Dave)..." Maybe this would be the last time she could have some time to spend out of her job.

Instead Nicole said "That’s not my case, I must NOT remain sober for the next hour, order something strong!"

They both left, leaving him alone "Let's see..." He turned around looking for the waitress "Is that... Rebekah?"

Selina took a risk, and got too close to them “(Shit!)” She needed to improvise “Oh Daniel, mind if I give you some company?”

The two women went to the restroom, as Sarah entered first looking if there was someone else inside "It's empty" She said and took Nicole with her inside, as she put a letter which was close on a corner wich said 'Out of Service' "So, now we are alone" If Nicole couldn't talk freely in front of Daniel, maybe in a secure place she would.

At least that was what Sarah was hoping until she saw the devilish smirk on Nicole's face, while she had a finger on her lips "The makeup, the privacy in the restroom... Girl, you grow some balls!" She licked her lips "Even when I've presented to you my husband... The closet lesbian finally leaves her con..."

"Stop right there!" Her face reflected a mix of embarrassment, and confusion "For the last time... I'm not a closet lesbian!" She clarified her throat, and get a serious tone "I need to talk to you about something different"

"So sad..." She had her expectations "About what?"

"... (Is she serious?) I was hoping you actually told me what this was all about..." Nicole looked confused by that "For starters, why do you pretend to not know who Dave is?"

Nicole was genuinely confused “Daniel boss? But I…”

“Look, I don't know why you keep that charade in front of your husband, and honestly I don't care... Not my business how you manage your marriage”

Nicole's face showed confusion and for a reason she couldn’t explain, guilt "(Why am I feeling guilty?) I..." Nothing coherent managed to come out of her.

"Look, it seems you don't want to mix your past with your current relationship, I get that" An accusatory face was directed to Nicole "What I don't understand is that, how do you pretend to do that, going out with him to this of all places?"

She remembered something “But I used to work here, as a waitress... (I think?)”

Sarah didn't give credit for what Nicole said "... Before Dave announced his retirement, I was planning to bring him here with his daughter, so she could get to know where her mother used to work... I mean, they still have that picture of you all, next to the bar... But Dave told me he needed to talk about Karen with his daughter" She sighed "I know things didn't end up on good terms between you and Dave, but please don't bring whatever this is to him right now..."

“Look, this is (What exactly?)... You said Karen... She was…”

"Dave's wife, your friend?" Since the beginning she has been examining every reaction on Nicole's face "(It's like... She actually didn't know a thing about this) Nicole, I have stuff to do. I believe you have a lot of things to think about, I will leave you to it (I need to talk with Dave, but it can wait until tomorrow). Can we exchange numbers?" At least she wanted to keep in touch.

Sarah was the first to leave the bathroom "I'm sorry Daniel, but duty calls. It was a pleasure, I'm looking forward to working with you" She gave him a cordial smile.

“The pleasure was mine... Boss?”

"It is not official yet, but you are free to call me Sarah in public. Take care" She left the couple on her table.

That was weird for Daniel, then he saw Nicole coming to the table “Did something happen in there?”

"Nothing special, girl stuff (Why am I lying to him?)" She recovered her previous humor "Sooo... Nothing important while we were gone?"

A bit mechanically he said “Nothing at all.”

Author's Note: Sarah Wood was first mentioned on ‘Chapter 92: Chaos’ of ‘The merge necklace’, in ‘writing . com’, by AridWD.