The Art of Knowing [Completed]

7. • new york •

[to all willing to speak up at any signs of wrong doings. to all who are not afraid to fight, no matter who or what you're fighting for.]

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The sudden change in setting was quite overwhelming, aiding in causing Cassandra to feel like a lost puppy right when her feet landed in New York. Emotions seemed to mix from being completely enamored and terrified at the same time. Her emerald eyes traveled across the city with immense jitters, the amount of people actually in the city incredibly shocking. She was sure Jason would freak if he'd seen it, the incredible potential for professional pictures at every corner.

Her first flight had been quite a success, much to her delight, and now she felt more than able to confront any other fears she had along the way. Being in the city proved to be an incredible task as she walked, her maroon boots now finally getting some use as the frigid temperatures continued to plummet. The chestnut curls on her head swayed to the wind's command as she walked, emerald eyes now searching hastily for the designated location of where she would stay for the next week. Her hands gripped onto her luggage, watching the sea of different eyes, faces and hair types drown her as she pierced through the crowd.

It'd been about 2 days since she'd arrived to the city. The hotel room was far more extravagant than her current apartment, mostly due to its impeccable style, something she couldn't really afford just yet. Despite the subtle reminders of home, she wore a grin at the new possibilities up ahead, especially in a place like New York. She took out her artwork, spreading them out on the white sheets of the bed as precaution for what she had to decide to display at the gallery. Relief seemed to seep into her body as soon as she had her drawings and paintings back in her hands, secretly mortified if they somehow got lost or damaged. Along with her masterpieces, she took out her carry-on sketchbook, now filled with even more strangers she'd dreamt of in the last two days. 

She had always wondered if her dreams would alter depending on where she was, and once she dreamt on her first night in New York, she finally got her answer. Regardless of the different setting, the dreams still filled her mind, only now with wandering strangers that lived or where currently in New York. She'd dreamt of yet another stranger last night, yet this specific dream seemed to leave an ominous fear in her. The snippet involved the young man, slightly frightening she might add, trying to push open the locked door in front of him. Incredible rage seemed to radiate from him as he pounded with all he had, pushing and pulling the door knob with evident force.

Cassandra had definitely woken up abruptly that night. A coat of sweat broke out of her skin as she awakened, taken aback by the nature of this new dream of hers. She still wasn't sure what to consider the gift, and after such an unusual dream, her thoughts of it being nothing but a curse couldn't help but resurface with an irritated eye roll. Her dreams weren't usually so graphic, nor frightening, yet she remained confused as to whether the man was chasing someone or if he was indeed the person someone else was running from.

Despite the dream, her plans of going sight-seeing weren't about to be ruined. They didn't involve looking for that specific man, since frankly, the thought of seeing him poured immediate terror into her. So she did what she wanted while she was there, calling Jason and showing him all the incredible things New York had to offer.

"I swear Jason," she exclaimed excitedly, "I've seen about 15 things you have always wanted to take pictures of in the last two blocks." Cassandra felt a smile tug on her lips as she listened to her ecstatic friend on the other end. "Yes! I told you I'm taking pictures, don't worry." Most of her evening had been this way, walking around with Jason on the line, searching for all the landmarks and specific blocks they'd both dreamt of seeing since high school. It was a shame he wasn't there with her, but she took the liberty of taking pictures of everything she would think Jason wanted. Her smile weakened and diminished once she heard muffled arguing several feet away, gripping onto the phone in her ear as she continued her walk.