She grew up Pt 1

Elaine Tharani- 29 years old (August 21, 2035)

Beep

Beep 

Beep

I reach out to grab my phone and turn off the alarm. Today was the 5th day of my week vacation and according to my brother's itinerary for me, I'll be having an early birthday dinner with him and his boyfriends tonight in this town of Holbeck. I am excited to see what I can get into before dinner tonight. 

'Since Callum practically threw me on a plane with a hastily packed bag, I've had to buy some things along the way. Now that I know we will be dining at Mer D' Etoiles, I need something fancier than what I have on hand. According to the town app, there should be a clothing store off of main street that should be able to provide me with appropriate attire.' I scroll on my phone for a while before getting ready to face the day.

Since everything is so close, I decide to walk down to the clothing store. I hadn't made it to that side of town yesterday so it's all new to me. As I was crossing the street at one point, I spot the restaurant we would be dining at later. 

'Oh that reminds me I should check to see when the guys will be arriving in town.' 

I put in my ear-pods and then call my brother. 

"Hello, this is Callum the magnificent's phone, who is daring to wake me before 11 am? Do you know what my boyfriends did to me until the early hours of morning?" Hearing my brother's sleepy voice brought a smile to my face.

"It is I, your sister Elaine the powerful, daring to wake thee to check if you will make it in time for the dinner reservation." I parroted his silliness back and took a seat on a bench right in front of the clothing store. "Also I have no desire to hear how Zander and Jacob took turns breaking your back, you nympho."

"You enjoy living vicariously through me. I know you like hearing how bi . . ." 

"So will you make it here tonight or not?" I interrupt him before he can fully get started on describing his partners' bodies to me again. I swear that it is a running joke among the crew that I could match Callum on recognizing his men in one of those blind test situations. 

"Boo, fine I'll tell you about Jacob's new dick piercing later then. On that note, no unfortunately we won't make it in time. We should be there by tomorrow. You will just have to enjoy all that top rated food and tell me how everything tastes. I heard a few acquaintances we know may be there tonight so you should be social if you do see familiar faces tonight. Okay promise me, you will try to be social. Maybe that will also help the restlessness you have been feeling, yeah."

I shrug even though he can't see it. "I'll try, I make no promises. Oh by the way just so you know since I will be needing to buy a dress for my me date tonight, I'm using your credit card so if asked by your bank about any charges just authorize my purchases."

Callum's snort was loud and full of delight. "Sure, that makes sense for the wealthy person to use my credit card. Go right on ahead, dear sister. Just know payback will be coming your way when you least expect it."

"Nope nope nope, this act of using your credit card balances us out because you drove my Arch Motorcycle KRGT-1 two months ago and damaged it to the point I have to get parts replaced. So I nullify your payback attack." I exclaimed loud enough that some walkers were startled. I blushed and waved at them in apology. Thankfully they just smiled back and continued walking.

"Ah you win this round sister but you have not won the war." Callum jokes back.

As I sat there listening to Callum explain that Fran, the band's manager and agent, informed them last night that the photo shoot that was scheduled for next week got bumped up to today due to some scheduling conflict, I couldn't push down the feeling of vague deja-vu I've been experiencing since I arrived in Holbeck yesterday afternoon. 

'This may have been a place I had come to in my childhood. My therapist will have a field day when I tell her, I've been finding places all week that I think are connected to my past.' I'll have to remember to mention this during our session in two weeks.

"So was I right? Are you enjoying the itinerary I planned for you?" Callum's question brings me fully back into the moment.

"You were right. This was exactly what I needed. I haven't been as restless during this trip but I have been getting an increasing feeling of foreboding. Something is going to happen soon, Callum." I've always confided in Callum about my prophetic instinct. I've even told him about the smart thoughts, I have that don't really feel like my thoughts. He never laughed or treated me differently. He encouraged me to embrace it and all my quirks that I feel previously I felt ashamed about.

From day one, Callum had decided he was going to love me and I would learn to either love him or hate him. I was stuck with him and that was non-negotiable. He would physically drag me kicking and screaming to play with him then he continued to do so as we got older to hang out with others from school. 

He told me if I didn't want to do something I had to speak up clearly otherwise he would assume I liked everything and everyone he liked. So I had to start speaking up for myself if I ever wanted to do something else, didn't like someone or just plainly wanted to be left alone otherwise he never left me alone unless I was sleeping or in the bathroom.

Dr. Tharani and Ms. Naomi treated me like their own daughter from the moment Dad chased us in the hospital all those years ago.

They held me when I cried those first few nights from nightmares. They took me shopping for all the items I needed since I came to them with little to no belongings. They were there for each school event, supported me in my desire to learn various martial arts and weaponry, and they laughed whenever I tried to get away from Callum. 

I'll never forget how they teared up when I first called them mom and dad. I asked them soon after if I could just stay with them since by that point it had been a year and they still had not found my other family.

They hugged me, told me of course I could stay with them and they took me to go change my status of being a foster to being their adopted daughter. I was so happy that day. I smiled so big my face hurt. 

I wasn't sure how I knew but I felt this was the first time in a long time I had genuinely smiled so big. It felt strange then and still does now to suddenly have an unexplained body memory to things.

"El, are you still there? Did you get lost in your head again?" Hearing Callum's voice brought me back to the present.

"I'm still here and yes I got stuck in my head. I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was saying, be on guard but enjoy your time. The foreboding feeling could be telling you something good is coming your way. It's not something bad every time you get that feeling. To prove a point, you had that feeling when we interviewed Zane and Jacob for the band and they turned out to be a perfect fit as well as becoming the two loves of my life." Callum advised.

"True very true and are they will be perfect future brothers in law, once one of you pops the question." I teased.

"We are working on that, El. Give us time to get the logistics ironed out" Jacob's honeyed voice announced unexpectedly.