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                The

airplane was a massive cargo hauler, which should have come as no surprise. Maggie

commented on its utilitarian nature.

                "Hey! I

have a nice area up front. I'm not wasteful. How many planes does one man need

after all?"

                As they

walked through the massive thing, barren except for the straps and nets used to

contain cargo, they finally arrived at the cabin he spoke of. Inside it was a

totally different world. The walls were appointed in hardwood paneling, and the

floor was padded and carpeted. It had also been sound proofed. In addition to

that, there was a refrigerator well stocked with food, and a bar filled with

alcohol.

Edward smiled. "I take it you don't

have a problem with alcohol?"

"How do you mean? Am I against it?

No. Can I drink it? Not so well."

"Try some once we get airborne. You

might find you'll suddenly have a taste for it."

Maria spoke up. "The stuff turns my

stomach. Even diluted it made me feel sick"

"When was the last time you tried

it?"

"I'd say around nineteen sixteen."

Edward smiled. "Then perhaps it's

time for a celebration!"

              The

plane rattled down the runway, gaining speed as the lumbering Antonov An-124 picked up speed. Once it was

airborne, the vibrations smoothed out to a dull hum.  Everyone settled down, and on a whim, Alexei,

feeling a little daring, pulled out a bottle of Aquavit.

                "I keep a variety of liquors on

board for my guests, and some of them have smelled most tantalizing. This one

has always been a favorite. But what makes you think it will set with me now,

when it hasn't done so in the past?"

                "Trust me on this. Try some."

                Glasses were pulled from the cabinet,

the bottle opened and the contents poured."Tebe!"

                "Cheers!"

                Alexei

sipped the liquid, rolled it around his tongue and swallowed. He waited for the

cramp to start. It remained at bay.

                "Ok,

so what is it then? The ring I assume?" he remarked, holding up his hand.

                "In

part. Once you wear it long enough, some of the temporary effects become more permanent.

Like eating."

                "Yes,

another bit of unpleasantness."

                Maria

cocked her head. "Why is that unpleasant?"

                "Eating

only human flesh? Why, what did you eat?"

                "Anything

and everything! Human yes, but boar and deer are also very good!"

                Edward

cut in. "It seems that whatever causes the eating problem is something in the

environment. Maybe it's just nature taking its course; I don't know. Just because

being of the Kind makes us different, and I suppose you could say more

powerful, it doesn't make us completely invulnerable. We are still living

creatures and thus subject to the laws and the quirks of nature."

                "So

you're saying I can eat normally?"

                "Have

you got anything to eat on this tub?'

                "Tub!"

At first he was going to be indignant. Then he realized he was being teased. "Yes,

I always have food to go with the drinks." He opened a drawer and pulled out a

large tin of caviar and fine mustard, and some silverware and china plates from

another. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a container that had sliced

potatoes in it.

                "Don't

worry, the food is placed in fresh before every flight. I don't normally serve,

but I have learned that on occasion, a client wishes to have our conversation

be totally private. Therefore no servant."

                He

deftly arranged the potatoes in a semi circle, drizzled a thin line of mustard

over them, and scooped a healthy portion of the caviar in the center. It was a

surprisingly simple yet elegant display.

                "Not

bad!" said Edward, as he spread some of the black roe on a slice and ate it.   "Where

did you learn this?"

                "My friend,

I have been around for a long time and have learned many things. I went from being

a boy to being dead. After that, everything else was easy. I worked as a cook's

boy for a while, moving from restaurant to restaurant so that no one caught on

to my never changing looks." He sat back, bit into some himself. His smiled was

genuine. "Oh the things I have been missing." He looked to his sister.

                "Age

has treated us differently sister, but is not the fact that we are still alive

amazing? We must be some of the oldest people in the world!"

                She

smiled back at him. "Yes Alexei. But what of you?" She looked up at Edward.

                "Will

his aging commence rapidly?"

                "If you're

asking if he'll suddenly become old, then I don't know. As for when he will

start to find his body maturing, then I'd say it already has. It's obvious the

ring is working on him."

                Maggie

was listening, still stuck on that uneasy feeling she had at the restaurant. "Father,

can I have a word in private?"

                "Sure

Mags." He stood and followed her outside of the cabin. "What's up?"

                "I

can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen."

                "Like

what?"

                "How

do I say this? When you were out, after first recovering from your feral

overload, I snuggled up next to you. I had some unsettling dreams. One of them,

now that I look back on it, was very similar to the restaurant where you found

Alexei. Only, instead of it being calm and collected, there was gun fire and I...died."

                "But

you didn't die, now did you?"

                "No,

and I'd like to ask you about that. Why?"

                "Why

what? Why didn't you die? Because no one fired a gun. A dream is, after all,

just a dream."

                Her

agitation became apparent. Hair was sprouting from her face. "Father, I know

what I saw! And Alexei was in the dream. I didn't put them together until now,

but the boy in my dream was him."

                "So

what are you saying?"

                "I'm

saying that we were supposed to die in that restaurant."

                He

chuckled. "Were we? What did I say about the future? It can be changed right up

until it becomes the present."

                Her

jaw dropped. "You son of a bitch! You can still see the future!"

                His

hand came down on her mouth. "Keep your voice down!" He let go.

                "But

why did you lie?"

                "I

used to be sort of dense Mags, you know that. Whatever that bullet did to my

brain has changed things in a big way. If too many people found out, then

imagine all the questions I'd get. The fact is, what might happen with

foreknowledge is one thing. Once you know it, you can change it.  So it's not set. You see, if I think of

something, I see it. If I think on it again, it might be the same, or it might

be different. If I think about say, the president of the United States, I see

the same thing over and over. Why?"

                "Because

you have no influence over him?"

                "Correct.

Why do you think I chose the flight plan for this flying tub?"

                "I

don't know."

                "Because

it was going to end up over the Ukraine, and one plane going down because of

those idiots is enough. I chose a different route because we ran the risk of

being shot down. This plane is not Russian military anymore, so it doesn't have

a proper transponder."

                "Holy

fucknuts!" She dropped to the floor. "I thought I was good! Are you saying all

this is on account of that damn bullet?"

                "Yes

and no."

                "Fuck

off father! You know, don't you?"

                "Of

course I do. But here's the thing. The effects may not be permanent. Sometime in

the future I may lose this ability. In fact, part of me is already wishing for

it."

                "But

why? Think of all the things you could use it for!"

                "That's

the problem. I already have. I don't need that kind of moral dilemma Mags. I'm

just me. I never wanted to be more than that, and while I wouldn't trade this

all for the world, the fact is, there are some things we just aren't meant to

know."

                She

sat there in silence for a bit. "Father?"

                "Yes

Mags."

                "Do

you know what I'm thinking right now?"

                "No."

                "What?

Why not?" She was honestly surprised.

                "I

see possibilities Mags. I don't read minds. I can predict outcomes, and logical

progressions, and a host of other things I can't begin to explain. But unless I

touch you..." He put his hand on her head, "...then I can't see into you."

                "What

do you see now?"

                He

smiled. "I love you too Maggie Peterson!"

                She

smiled back. "As long as we're on the same page then."

                Just

then, Alexei stuck his head out. "Is everything alright? If you don't come back

soon, all of the caviar will be gone."

                Edward

hauled her to her feet. "We're coming. We just had a little private discussion;

I think we have things worked out."