Cassandra the All Knowing Part 4

Part 3

Sure enough, as soon as Cassandra got back to her apartment she looked up the number of the local television production company and called them. She had considered doing this before but never had but now she was sure that she would succeed, mostly because Anton told her she would.

"This is Channel 10 Entertainment. Lizzie speaking. How may I help you?" a woman said on the other end.

"Hello, my name is Cassandra," She paused for a second and then added. "The All-Knowing. And I was wondering -"

"Wait. Were you the one who was just on Mad Maxwell's show? I was just listening to that on my way to work. You were so amazing. It really sounded like you knew what you were talking about. I mean I don't know if you knew what you were talking about but you sure sounded confident. Did you know you were calling me? Did you know that I was going to pick up?" she said quickly. She paused for a second, thinking to herself, and then asked, "Wait, why are you calling me? It's not bad is it? Oh, please don't tell me that you have bad news for me."

"Actually, Lizzie, I believe you have good news for me. I know your producer, Devin, doesn't typically take calls like this but I do believe with a little convincing he'll take mine. Tell him that I know he has an open slot for an 11:00-11:30 pm show and I'd be interested in pitching an idea for that. Namely, me taking calls live and giving answers. Trust me if he brings me in for that time he has open on Friday he will be impressed and I can make the studio quite a bit of money," Cassandra said.

"Okay!" Lizzie said on the other side. "I'll go talk to him. I'll tell him how great you did on Mad Maxwell's show. Do you mind holding?"

"Dear Lizzie, I was expecting to hold," Cassandra said.

"Okay," she said. The sound of generic hold music played for only a couple of seconds. Cassandra heard the sound of the phone being picked up again.

"Yes, Lizzie," Cassandra said, "If you get me on the show, which I see that you will, you can ask me any question for free."

"Great!" Lizzie said and Cassandra was put on hold once more. Cassandra sighed and moved to the couch. She could see that she was going to be hold for quite a while. After about ten minutes the phone was picked up again.

"Hello?" she heard a man say.

"Hello, Jason, how are you?" she said. She knew that Jason was Devin's assistant.

Jason didn't answer for a few seconds. "Um . . . listen. Devin's not sure about you, he doesn't . . . well . . . he does-"

Cassandra cut him off. "Have an opening on Friday at 1:00 pm. Yes, that will work for me."

"Um, well," Jason said.

"I know. He doesn't want me to audition, even after Lizzie was so persistent. He told you to talk to me and tell me that I wasn't likely to be accepted and try to talk me out of it. But after hearing me say your name even though you didn't give it to me, you are so impressed that you believe I should audition. Right?" she said.

Cassandra waited for a few seconds while Jason didn't say anything. "Why don't I give you a second?" she finally said. And without Jason saying a word hold music came back on.

Just as the hold music ended Cassandra said, "Hello, Devin, my name is Cassandra, the all-knowing. I would like to pitch you the idea for my show. I've seen your future and I know it will be a success."

A deep male voice responded. "Well, I must say you've really impressed my staff. You should have heard the way Lizzie talked about you. Listen, I don't know about this. Shows that feature physics aren't as popular as they were, well, unless your a psychic detective."

"I know. There is a lot of skepticism in my field but if you had a real psychic . . ." Cassandra said.

"I don't believe in psychics in the slightest. But maybe if you act real enough-"

"Trust me, sir. I don't need to act real. I am real. I am a real psychic," she said adamantly into the phone.

She heard Devin chuckle. "Alright, listen, like I said I don't believe in psychics in the slightest, so if you can convince me that you're real, which mind you won't be easy, then you have a spot on my network."

"I knew you would say that. Don't worry, sir, you will be amazed, trust me. I'll see you 1:00 pm on Friday."

"Well, you certainly sound sure of yourself and I guess that's definitely important. I always say if you do anything with enough confidence then people will believe you know what you're doing even if you don't. See you on Friday."

With that Devin hung up the phone and Cassandra smiled to herself. She looked at herself in the mirror and couldn't help but wink at herself. "This will go great," she told herself. "Trust me, I'm a psychic."

Part 5

Index

Cassandra the All Knowing Part 3

Part 2

When Mad Maxwell saw Cassandra he offered her his hand and brought her back on stage. "You ready for round two?" he asked her. She solemnly nodded to him barely taking her eyes off of Anton.

"Okay," Mad Maxwell said into the microphone. "We're back with the beautiful and astonishing Cassandra."

He paused expecting her to say something but she was still pretty shook up. Mad Maxwell continued. "You completely continue to baffle me, Cassandra. How do you do what you do?"

Cassandra snapped out of it and looked at Mad Maxwell. "Just a gift, I guess," she said.

"Well, we're going to continue taking questions for Cassandra. What's your name, sir?" Mad Maxwell asked an older gentleman that came on stage. Geoffrey, Cassandra thought to herself. He's going to ask me about his son being unemployed. This is my chance to impress everyone.

"Geoffrey," the man said.

"And what is your question, Geoffrey?" Mad Maxwell asked.

"Mad Maxwell," Cassandra said before the man could speak. "If I could interrupt, he is wondering about his son who was recently laid off. Your worried because he's struggling finding another job. Is that right?"

The man looked astonished. "Yes," he said.

She couldn't help but smirk. This was going to be a piece of cake. "He will find another job in two and a half weeks on a Wednesday, after going to an interview at a grocery store. They will give him a cashier position which of course isn't ideal and doesn't pay too much. But after about five months or so he will be promoted to manager which even though it doesn't pay that much more he'll enjoy it a lot more." Cassandra faced the audience with a smile, typically she didn't put in that many details but she knew this time that she would be absolutely right.

"Will he get a better job after that?" the man asked her.

She thought about it for a second. "No," she said. "Because he won't look for another job after that. The spirits might tell me something different if he were to look. He will stay at the grocery store until he retires but he will continue to get raises in the current timeline. I believe Melody wants to ask me about her love life."

The girl that Cassandra had seen was Melody looked at her in surprise. Mad Maxwell looked at Cassandra and then at the next girl in line, he gestured for the old man to step down. "Are you Melody?" Mad Maxwell asked her.

"I am," she said. "I recently broke up with my boyfriend and I wanted to see if there were any prospects on the horizon."

"Yes," Cassandra answered. "In three weeks time you will meet a man at your favorite coffee shop, The Brew, while you are with your friends . . . Heather and Jen. This guy and you will hit it off but he won't ask you at until he finds you twice more at The Brew. The second time which will be in five weeks, you will be by yourself, and he will ask you out."

"Will he ask me out sooner if I go by myself the first time?" she asked.

Cassandra played this scenario out in her head. "He will be less reluctant to talk to you but he still won't ask you out until the third time he sees you."

"Is there any way to speed it up? What's his name?" Melody asked starting to get excited.

Mad Maxwell looked at Cassandra cautiously. But Cassandra just smiled back. "Tim," she said. "And, dear, you could always ask him out. I see that he will not be intimidated by this and will accept the invitation. Invite him to get coffee, just the two of you. He will not only say yes but he will insist on paying and ask for another date."

Melody looked excited at Mad Maxwell. "Well, I got to say, Cassandra, you sound really sure of yourself," Mad Maxwell said.

"There's no need for hesitation when you know you're right, Mad Maxwell," she said. "I sound sure of myself because I am sure. We'll see. Melody, if you meet this man in three weeks time, you be sure to give Mr. Maxwell a call won't you."

"Of course," said Melody.

"I look forward to that call," Mad Maxwell said. Ignoring the next person in line he turned to face. "Now I have a question for Cassandra."

She smiled at him. "Yes, Mad Maxwell, your producer will be happy with your show tonight."

He laughed. "That's great. Well, that's all the time we have with Cassandra. Thanks, Cassandra, for coming. We always love having you."

"I always love being here. And if your driving home please avoid Main Street there is about to be a traffic jam," she said.

"Well, we got to go to commercial. Once we get back our next guest, local celebrity, Jasmine aka JazMakeUp, will be talking about her YouTube channel and some of the exciting things she has happening in the future so you're not going to want to miss that." he said.

He turned to Cassandra in astonishment. "How did you know Melody's name and what everyone was going to ask?"

Cassandra winked at him. "I'm a psychic," she said.

"Well, color me impressed," he said. "You'll be invited to be back on my show very soon . . . that is if what you said about my producer is correct."

"It will be," she said. "Thanks, Mad Maxwell."

Cassandra walked off stage feeling pretty smug. This is what she always wanted, she was going to become famous with this gift.

"It's great, right?" she heard from behind her. Anton picked up his pace so he was right beside her.

Cassandra muffled a frustrated groan. She had almost completely forgotten about Anton.

Anton looked at her. "What time is good for a date?" he said.

"Not sure," she said. And she wasn't. For some reason she couldn't foresee what her week would be like.

"How about after your audition on Friday?" he said.

"What audition on Friday?" she said.

"Well, right now, you're already thinking about calling the local tv studio and demanding an audition. That's going to be on Friday," he said.

"How come I don't see that?" she said.

"You can't see everything in your own future," he said. "Because your actions could change based on the visions they're too fluent. Sort of like a paradox. Other people are more set in stone because they don't know what is to come."

Cassandra just stared at him.

"Friday, after your audition then?" he said giving her a weary look.

"Yeah, fine, whatever," she said.

"Great," he said. "Look forward to it."

Cassandra watched him run away and actually did groan. She really wasn't looking forward to going out with him. But as she was thinking about how she didn't want to go with him she got a vision of a loophole. He couldn't take the gift away whether she went with him or not.

Part 4

Index

Cassandra the All Knowing Part 2

Part 1

He smiled at Cassandra and held out his hand. "My name is Anton. I heard you on the radio before. You have a real talent. I came down here because I wanted to see if you were as pretty as you sound. You are," he said.

She gave him a sympathy smile but didn't return the handshake. "Nice to meet you, Anton. So, you're a fan?" she said.

He put his hand down. "Well, sort of," he said. "I'm impressed by your psychic power. It's rare for mortals to have your talents."

"You say that like you're not a mortal," she said.

He winked at her. "Hey, can I get you some food?" he said.

What a weirdo, Cassandra thought, but she'd never turn down free food especially from a fan. "Of course," she said.

"Cool," he said giving her that smile. Cassandra left and went and sat at one of the tables they had set up.

Anton joined her and handed her a chicken sandwich. "Here you go. I know this is what you wanted," he said.

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Anton, I'm a psychic. I'm not impressed by your ability to predict this is what I wanted. You probably saw me looking at the sign and realized that is what I was looking at."

Anton laughed and leaned in close. He looked both ways like someone might be listening and said quietly, "But Cassandra, I really am a psychic. Not only that but I could make you a real psychic too."

It was Cassandra's turn to look around to make sure no one was listening. "Oh, please," she said. "As a psychic I know there is no such thing as psychics. Just people who are in tune."

"But there is. I could turn you into one if you agreed to do something for me," he said.

"Like what?"

"Like if I granted you the ability to really see the future then you would go out with me on one date and give me a chance. I'm actually really charming when given the chance."

This conversation was getting ridiculous. She knew many people believed in psychics, that's why she was able to be successful, but this guy was clearly just a creep trying to make a move on her. Cassandra was not interested in him but she also didn't believe he could give her the ability to see the future. "Okay," she said sarcastically. "If you give me the ability to see the future then I'll go out with you."

He stared into her eyes and she could swear that his blue pupils started to glow. Suddenly she felt like she had just been sleeping and just woken up with a start. The world seemed clearer to her and she could see people all over the world; what they were going to do, when they were going to do it, and where they were going to do it. She was unaware that her brain could handle so much knowledge.

"It is done," he said.

Despite the feeling that she had got, Cassandra still didn't believe him entirely. She did mind tricks so she knew one when she saw one. He had only made her feel like she had gotten some magic ability. "Yes, I'm ready to go," she said standing up.

The radio producer who had been sent to get her gave her a surprised look. She hadn't even been looking at him. Cassandra was shocked too. She walked with the producer for a little while when she saw a man and his daughter about to cross the street that led to the exit. "Watch out," she yelled at them. The man held out his hand stopping his daughter as a car that hadn't been in view sped by. They looked at Cassandra in astonishment and Cassandra looked at Anton in astonishment.

He smiled and waved. "Don't forget our date!" he yelled.

Part 3

Index

Cassandra the All Knowing Part 1

This is obviously based off the myth of Cassandra in ancient Greek mythology which basically goes that Cassandra was a princess of Troy who the God of prophesy, Apollo, fell in love with. He blessed her with the gift of prophesy but when she refused his advances he cursed her that no one would believe her. She predicted the destruction of Troy but was unable to do anything to stop it. You can read more here: http://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com

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Cassandra flipped on the light of the open sign of the psychic shop that she shared with a tattoo salon and prepared for her first client. Cassandra had opened the shop years ago because she was intuitive and good at basic predictions. She loved the respect that she got from her clients and even had a regular spot on a local radio show. Her dream though was to be a TV personality and she certainly thought herself to be pretty enough to be one. Cassandra had long, dark-brown, curly hair and large hazel-colored eyes. She had darker olive colored skin. She had a long, skinny face that matched her long, skinny body-type. Everything was proportionate and she truly believed that people would enjoy watching her on the TV.

Cassandra smiled as her first client entered. He was a regular of hers who came in at least once a month if not more. He was a paranoid man in his forties who came to Cassandra to be consoled and told that everything that would be okay which is exactly what she told him. After him she didn't have an appointment but a teenage girl who had just lost her dog wandered in to see if he was okay. Another one of her regulars had an appointment after that who came in frequently to use Cassandra as a medium to speak to her dead relatives.

Cassandra led the old woman out of her shop after her appointment as the woman thanked her over and over. She stepped outside to watch the sun set. Typically evening was the most profitable time for Cassandra as it was the time that the tattoo salon opened and the night life would come in to get tattoos. If they were waiting for one of their friends or saw the psychic sign they frequently get a tarot card reading as well. But Cassandra had other plans this evening. She was going to be on her regular radio show this evening. She quickly flipped over her sign on her desk and went to the back to get ready. She was really excited for tonight because they were doing the show in front of a live audience as part of a promotion for a car dealership. She typically did her portion of the show in the morning but the host, Mad Maxwell, had specifically requested her for this event. People were actually going to be looking at her so she wanted to look good. She put on a blue dress with a flowing skirt and tight waist. She chose her favorite transparent blue and green beads to wear and her favorite black heels. After doing her make-up and running a brush through her hair she looked at herself in the mirror. Her prediction was that this night was going to go very well for her.

Cassandra drove to the car dealership and walked over to where the radio station had set up. They were playing a song so Mad Maxwell was able to get up and hug her. "You look great," he said looking at her.

"Thank-you," she said smiling at him.

"So, after the next commercial break we'll introduce you in and then we'll start taking questions from the live audience," he said. "Your one of our favorite radio personalities so I know they'll love you."

"This is so exciting. I've never done a live show before."

He smiled at her and put his hand behind her to lead her to the desk. "You'll do great."

Cassandra sat down at the chair that the station had prepared for her and looked out. The booth they were sitting at was specifically designed to be sound-proof as to not pick up any of the sounds of the live audience. There were no chairs set up, which Cassandra believed to be a shame, instead audience members were encouraged to walk around and look at the cars. Some people sat by the building. She noticed quite a few people were staring at her or the other personalities on the stage. One man, in particular, who was standing next to a salesman looking up at her especially caught her attention. He had messy blond hair and a tight light-blue shirt on. He flashed her a white smile.

The commercials ended and Mad Maxwell started to talk. "Welcome back. Right now we're at the Ford Dealership and they have great deals going on all evening. They have food, things for the kids, a lottery, and a lot more. It's a ton of fun so come down here, say hi to us, and enjoy in all of the activities that we have here. I know you'll have a blast. We're now being joined with our next guest, Cassandra Priam. Cassandra is a frequent guest of ours so you've maybe heard her before. She's a local psychic; she deals with love, death, and everything in between. We're so glad to have her today. How are you doing, Cassandra?"

He paused allowing Cassandra to say, "I'm doing really good, Maxwell. So glad to be back on the show and here at the Ford Dealership. They seem to have some great deals!"

Maxwell smiled at her. "They sure do, Cassandra. So we have some guests already here at the Ford Dealership. We're going to have them step up to the stage and ask you a question."

"Okay."

"Okay. Let's get started. Our first 'asker,' since I guess she's not a caller, is Mabel." Mad Maxwell stood up and grabbed a woman who looked to be in her thirties on the stage. He gave her a microphone. "How are you doing, Mabel?"

The woman was pink with excitement and she smiled at the audience. "Good," she said.

"What is your question for Cassandra?" Maxwell asked.

"Yeah, my question for Cassandra is I just went through a divorce about six months ago and I'm struggling to get back into the dating field. I was wondering if you could use your psychic powers and give me any advice," she said smiling.

Really? Cassandra thought. How am I expected to wow the audience if they don't ask me to tell the future? Cassandra would just have to turn it around so she could predict the future. Cassandra smiled at the young lady and started to ask her leading questions and "psychically" giving her answers. Maxwell had her answer two more peoples questions. One, a young man who had just graduated college, asked if he was going to get a good career. The third person was a little girl, about ten, who asked Cassandra what her future was going to be like. Cassandra answered all three of their questions with much ease. She could tell by the audience gathering at the stage and their expressions on their faces that she was wowing the audience just as she wanted to. She also noticed that the man she had seen earlier with the light blue shirt kept moving closer and closer throughout the show until he was standing right next to the stage.

After she was done Mad Maxwell thanked the little girl and Cassandra and then cut to a song. "You never cease to amaze me, Cassandra," he said. "Why don't you go enjoy some of the events? We're not going on for a little while. We're probably going to play a song or two then commercials then you again. I'll have someone get you when we're ready to go back on."

Cassandra's stomach rumbled. She was pretty hungry and she had been eyeing a carnival food stand all evening. She jumped off the stage and went straight to the food stand. A few people stopped her on her way and told her what a fantastic job she had done.

She was waiting in line when the man with the light-blue shirt came up to talk to her.

Part 2

Index

Tales of 5 Kingdoms - Story 3: Alex and Kivi Part 1

The Kingdom of Siqua was one of the most beautiful Kingdoms in the land especially in the Spring. The trees that lined the salmon colored cobblestone streets were full of falling blossoms in white and pink. The colorful houses lined the sat peacefully in a row as the residents, just as colorful, played right outside. And at the end of the street was the grandest castle in the land of Quinque. There lived King Alexander; his wife, Charlotte; and their beautiful daughter, Alexandria who ruled over this happy land.

And what a happy day indeed! For Princess Alexandria, or as most called her Alex, was turning 18 today and the entire Kingdom was invited to her birthday party.

Alex stood in her dressing room as three ladies fiddled with her elaborate hair and large pink dress. "Oh, Alex, you look like a dream!" said the tallest, skinniest woman who was working on her hair.

"Thank-you, Margaret," Alex said. "But really it's because this dress you made is amazing."

Down below with a mouth full of pins the larger lady who was fixing her hem said, "Alex always looks like a dream. We barely did anything."

"Thank-you, Sylvia," she said.

"Oh, we'd do anything for you, dear," the third lady who was the smallest said as she put a silver heart shaped necklace around Alex's neck.

The three stepped in front of Alex to admire their work. Alex's long blond hair fell in large curls around her shoulders and back with the midsection pulled up in the back of her head making a bump. Her dress fit her petite frame perfectly. The top was made of a light-pink, metallic fabric with silver sequins and her sleeves went to her mid-forearm. The bottom of her dress puffed out, the top layer was a slightly darker pink then the top. And it laid on top of about ten fluffy white layers. Margaret was right, Alex did look like a dream. Alex couldn't help but smile at herself in the mirror behind the women.

"You're done," Margaret said extending her arms and smiling at Alex.

Alex curtsied at the ladies and turned to leave the dressing room but right before she got to the door she felt the top of her head and turned in alarm. "My tiara!" she exclaimed. "We forgot my tiara!"

Sylvia immediately grabbed the tiara from it's stand and put it snuggly on Alex's bump. "I'm so sorry, dear."

Alex sighed a breath of relief. "I'm a princess," she said. "I never go anywhere without my tiara." She adjusted the tiara and walked out, head held high.

"Enjoy the party, dear," the shortest one yelled after her.

Realizing that she was running late, Alex picked up the hem of her dress and started moving quickly down the corridor towards the ballroom until she saw her parents standing in front of the doors that led to the ballroom. She instead dropped her hem and approached her parents in a respectful manner. "Father. Mother," she said nodding at them. "Shouldn't you be in the ballroom greeting our guests?"

Her father spoke first. "We wanted to see our beautiful little princess first. Happy birthday, Alex."

Alex kissed her father on the cheek. "Thank-you, Father."

Her mother then stepped forward and gave her a hug. "Oh, you look all grown up! Pretty soon you'll be running this Kingdom. Where does the time go?" She stood back to look at her daughter. "It seems just like yesterday you were our perfect little baby and now you're a full grown princess!"

"And quite a charming one at that," King Alexander added.

"Thank-you, Mother," Alex said giving her mother a kiss on the cheek.

"Well, we'd better go. We'll see you in there," her father said kissing the top of Alex's head. The footmen then opened the door for the King and his partner.

Alex waited patiently in the corridor for her father to make his speech and for the footmen to open the door. Once they did, Alex stepped in lightly her head held high, her back straight, slowly waving her hand. She smiled brightly as she faced her people.

Immediately the people yelled and cheered, calling her name and saying kind things. Alex stepped forward to the banister and stopped waving to blow a kiss. The people cheered even louder. King Alexander stepped forward taking the Princesses arm.

Just as he was about to lead her down the stairs they heard gunshots and a commotion in the back. A guard told Alex and her father to get down and they obeyed.

The people of Siqua started started to scream and back up and Alex was able to see the Fortis soldiers that were terrorizing her people. Alex was alarmed, the people of Siqua and the people of Fortis had been at war since the two Kingdoms were created but neither side had ever made it to the castle. Both mostly just fought defensively.

A few Fortis soldiers saw Alex and her parents and started to go towards them. Alex's father turned to her with wide eyes. "The secret exit! Go! Now!" he yelled at her shoving her away.

"I can't abandon my people!" she yelled, tears starting to stream down her face. "I'll stay and fight!"

"No, Alexandria," her father said sternly, "Our people need a King! Come back when it's safe."

"But-"

"Go!" he yelled giving her one final push.

Alex ran as fast as she could lifting her dress as she ran. Some of the Fortis soldiers started to chase her and were getting closer as she couldn't run very quickly in heels. But right before they got to her, one of her soldiers stepped in allowing her to get away.

She ran into the kitchen where a servant upon seeing her stepped into the fireplace and opened the trap door underneath to let Alex through. Alex quickly thanked her servant dropped through hearing the door slam shut behind her.

Alone, Alex got her hands and knees and started to crawl through the narrow passage way that led underneath the Kingdom's North Wall. She crawled through the end of the long tunnel and started climbing the wooden ladder. Once she got to the top she started to push on the ceiling with all her might with one hand. When that didn't work she secured her feet on the rung of her ladder and started to push with both her hands. Finally the dark-wood trap door swung open with a satisfying whoosh.

She stepped through to the light and looked around. Behind her was the Northern wall standing high. In front of her were the woods. She had gotten out of the Kingdom but she wasn't free yet. She closed the trap door and tried to hide it as best she could and then she bolted for the woods.

She tried to wipe the tears away from her face while trying to keep her dress up and her tiara on. She stepped into a large mud puddle and her heel got stuck sending her tumbling into that mud and into some bushes. She got up and started to limp until she found a small clear puddle.

She stared at her reflection. The princess that had been put together so nicely just about an hour earlier was now in pieces. She had mud and branches in her hair, her tiara was now crooked and the bump it sat on was messed up. Black eye make-up ran down her cheeks. She wasn't even sure what had happened to her necklace but that as well as one of her shoes was missing. Her once beautiful pink dress was now brown and torn up.

Alex glared at her reflection and then deciding she couldn't go any further plopped down in the mud and started to bawl.