One Wild Night

Andy's room was a sanctuary of sorts. Its walls were painted in soothing shades of lavender and white, adorned with framed posters of her musical idols and inspirational quotes about music which she had brought from their old house.

A worn plush microphone sat perched on her nightstand, a constant companion for her dreams of belting out tunes in front of adoring crowds.

Lying on her bed, she surfed the internet, searching for various islands or clues that might lead her to Cassidy.

In the last couple of weeks she had tried her best to put him out of her mind, but no matter how much she tried, she had found herself thinking and dreaming about him a lot.

She couldn't help but wonder if Cassidy was thinking about her too. She also wondered about her little doll, Maribel.

Unable to help herself, she had decided to try to find a way to reach him. Although she planned to ask Harry for help, but she didn't want to disturb his vacation.

So, while waiting for Harry to get back, she busied with trying to find his location. She knew that she would recognize the place if she saw pictures of it on the internet.

There was every possibility that Cassidy wanted to see her too but was waiting for her to make the first move.

Perhaps he was keeping his eyes on her and if he sees that she was trying to find him, he would reach out to her first.

She was so engrossed in her search that she didn't hear Candace as she walked into the bedroom with her laptop and some books.

"What are you searching for?" Candace asked as she plopped down on the bed beside her, startling Andy.

"Nothing serious. Just surfing the net and looking at interesting places," Andy said as she turned the screen of her tablet away so that Candace wouldn't see the islands displayed on it, "Where is Jamal?" She asked, changing the subject smoothly.

"He has cried himself to sleep," Candace said as she opened her laptop and lay down beside Andy.

"Why? What happened?" Andy asked with a worried frown.

"He fell while riding his bicycle and hurt himself," Candace said with a sigh.

"Aww. My poor darling" Andy said, feeling sorry for him.

"So? Any luck?" Candace asked and Andy raised a brow.

"With what?"

"With what you were searching for," Candace said, giving her a pointed look.

Andy opened her mouth to reiterate what she had said earlier about surfing the net and looking at interesting places, but she shut it when Candace dared her with her eyes to lie.

Andy sighed, shaking her head. "Not yet. But I'm going to keep looking. And when Harry gets back, I'm going to ask him to help me find him. I know you probably thinks this is a bad idea and that I'm suffering from Stockholm syndrome or whatever. And maybe you're right too. But that doesn't change the fact that I miss him and I still want to see him," Andy said simply.

Candace stared at her for a moment, "What happens when you find him? Do you want to return to the Island to be with him?"

"You know very well that I can't do that. That's not the kind of life I want," Andy said and Candace frowned.

"Then what's the point? It's not like he can leave the Island…"

"Why can't he? From the little I found out while I was there, he leaves whenever he wants and returns to the Island. I'm sure we can work out something. He could visit me, I could visit him. Anything," Andy said and Candace sighed.

"Do really think he misses you as much as you miss him? Are you sure he would want to do any of this with you?" Candace asked, her tone gentle yet probing.

"I think so. I hope so," Andy replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I think about him all the time. I just wish I knew if he thought about me too."

Candace gave her a sympathetic smile, "Well, I guess the heart wants what it wants. If there's anyway I can help, let me know, okay?" Candace said and Andy smiled, grateful for Candace's understanding.

"You're helping already by not judging me. Thank you," she said and Candace smiled.

"I can't judge you for wanting to follow your heart. Besides, after all you said about him and the reason he did all he did, I think I sort of understand him. I don't see him as a terrible person anymore. I just want you to be sure about your feelings, that's all," Candace said and Andy nodded.

"Sure. Thanks," Andy said before returning her focus to her tablet while Candace sat cross-legged on the bed, with her laptop on her thigh as she got busy with working on her school assignment.

The room lapsed back into a comfortable silence, each sister lost in her own world.

Candace's fingers danced over the keys as she crafted a detailed analysis for her class. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, and she periodically pushed her blue cut lenses up her nose as she looked at the screen.

With Jamal fast asleep, and Aaron yet to return, the house was unusually quiet, providing the perfect backdrop for the sisters to engage in their respective activities while still being together.

After working in silence for some time, Andy looked up, "I can't believe Dad is still not back," Andy murmured, breaking the silence.

Candace sighed, her fingers pausing on the keyboard. "I know. He promised it was just a quick trip. He said he'd be back by Wednesday, yet it's Friday already and he's not back yet."

"Do you ever wonder what Dad's up to in Ludus?" Andy asked and Candace nodded as she looked up from her laptop.

"Of course. I hate not knowing what's going on. I would have been very worried if he didn't sound okay each time he called." Candace said with a sigh.

"Do you think he's really okay? What if he's putting on a show for us because he doesn't want us to worry?" Andy asked, her voice tinged with concern.

Candace shook her head, her brow furrowed. "I don't think it's a show. But who knows? It would have been better if he stayed at Harry's. I can't understand why he's lodged at a hotel and won't even disclose his location so that Lucy and Tom can check on him."

"Well, I hope he is fine. It's hard not to worry about him. And I miss him," Andy said and Candace smiled.

"Yeah. I miss him too," Candace agreed.

Once again, they fell into a comfortable silence, each lost in their thoughts and tasks. The ticking of the clock on the wall was the only indication that time was passing.

The peace of the moment was suddenly shattered by the sound of the doorbell, startling them both.

"Do you think it's Dad?" Andy asked as she set aside her tablet.

"Only one way to find out," Candace said, closing her laptop and sliding off the bed. "Let's go see."

They both hurried out of the room and down the stairs, their footsteps echoing in the quiet house. Andy reached the door first and peeked through the peephole.

"Guess who?" She asked Candace with a grin.

Not wanting to play any guess games, Candace threw the door open, and her eyes widened with surprise and delight as she saw who it was.

"Matt!" she exclaimed, launching herself into his arms and Matt laughed, catching her easily.

"Hey, beautiful. Miss me?"

Candace nodded, burying her face in his shoulder. "So much. What are you doing in Sogal? Didn't you say you were going to be busy until…"

"Yeah. But I had some time off and thought I'd surprise you," Matt said, his eyes twinkling. "Looks like it worked."

"It definitely did," Candace said, still holding onto him.

"Do I get a reward?" He asked with a grin and Candace kissed him long and hard, making him groan.

"Get a room, will you?" Andy asked as she stepped forward, a smile spreading across her face.

Candace and Matt chuckled as they turned to face Andy. "Hey, Andy," Matt said, pulling her into a hug as well. "Good to see you."

"Hey, Matt. Long time no see."

"Come in," Candace said, leading him into the house.

"Why is the place so silent? Where is Jamal?" Matt asked curiously.

"He's taking a nap. You're staying the night, right?" She asked hopefully.

"Do you want me to?" He asked with a grin.

"Of course, you have to. Heaven knows when next I'm going to see you. I've missed you so much I could eat you up whole right now," she said and Matt chuckled.

Andy smiled at the sight of Candace and Matt, feeling a pang of envy. She wanted that kind of certainty, that kind of love. She cleared her throat, drawing their attention.

"I will be upstairs," Andy said, wanting to give them privacy.

"Andy, I actually came to see you too," Matt said, stopping her.

Andy raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. "Oh? What's up?"

Matt smiled, moving to sit on the couch. Candace and Andy joined him, settling in with eager expressions. "So, I've got some news that might interest you, Andy."

Andy leaned forward, her interest fully captured. "Go on."

Matt took a deep breath. "Well, my assistant has been receiving a lot of calls from various record labels. They saw your interview and are really interested in signing you. Since they didn't know how to reach you, and they know about my relationship with Candace, they reached out to my assistant to get to me so I can get to you."

Andy's eyes widened with excitement. "Wait, seriously? Record labels want to sign me?"

Matt nodded. "Yes. They're really impressed with your talent."

Andy felt a surge of exhilaration. This was a dream come true. She'd always hoped to get noticed, but to have multiple labels interested was beyond her wildest expectations.

"Wow, this is incredible!" She said, with tears in her eyes. She felt overwhelmed with joy.

Candace beamed at her sister, her excitement palpable. "That's amazing, Andy! I always knew you had it in you."

"I can't believe this. It feels like I'm dreaming," Andy said, and Candace reached for her cheek and pulled it.

"Ouch!"

"There. You're not dreaming," Candace said and they all laughed.

"This is huge, Andy. I'm so proud of you," Candace said happily.

"You will need a manager to handle all the offers and negotiations," Matt advised.

"I actually have a plan. I was thinking of signing with I-Global Entertainment, if Harry and Tom can make room for me there," Andy said without hesitation.

Matt looked impressed. "Have you talked to them about it? You'd likely be the first singer to be managed by them, but there is no doubt that you'd have a solid support system there with Tom and Harry being in charge. I'm sure they will employ only the best and most qualified people to manage your career."

"Exactly," Andy said. "I trust them, and I know they'll have my best interests at heart. Plus, it would be great to work with family. I haven't told them yet. For some reason I kept pushing it. Maybe it's because I wasn't entirely sure if my talent would be recognized. But seeing as lots of record labels want to sign me, I guess this is a sign to do so. I will talk to Harry and see if they can fit me in."

"I'm sure they will," Matt said confidently. "You're too talented for them to pass up."

"Stop with the self doubt. You're amazing, Andy. And you should definitely tell them today! No more procrastination," Candace said and Matt nodded in agreement.

Andy smiled, her heart swelling with hope and excitement. "I can't wait to see where this leads. Thank you for telling me, Matt."

Candace looked at her sister with pride. "You've got this, Andy. We're all here to support you every step of the way."

Andy felt a surge of gratitude for Candace and Matt. "Thanks, guys. This means a lot."

"Anytime," Matt said, giving her a warm smile. "I can't wait to see you shine."

"Speaking about shining, how have you been dealing with the attention from the press?" Matt asked Candace.

"Please do not remind me of that. I can never understand why anyone would want to be famous and be in public light," she said, and both Andy and Matt laughed.

"Tomorrow is another lecture day. What are you going to do? Skip classes? I doubt your knight in shining armor would be there to save you tomorrow," Andy said and Candace snorted.

"He was hardly a knight. Wouldn't even look at me," Candace said and Matt raised a brow.

"Were you hoping he would look at you?" He asked and she grinned.

"I didn't mean look at me the way you think…"

"What way were you expecting him to look at you then?" Matt asked and Candace shrugged.

"I expected him to acknowledge my gratitude, that's all," she said and Matt nodded thoughtfully.

"Don't worry. I am your only knight. I will take you to school tomorrow," he promised.

"Really? You will?" Candace asked excitedly.

"Of course. If you want them to stop hounding you it's best you give them what they want. I will answer their questions while you go in for your lectures. I don't like other men playing knight in shining armor to my lady," Matt said and Andy grinned.

"Smooth!" She said, clapping for Matt, and as he chuckled, Candace leaned forward to kiss him.

"Of course. You're my one and only knight."