Urge for New York

She had to get away, and Danny had brought up a good point. She could go where she wanted when she wanted. There was no restrictions anymore. So she had come to her favourite place on earth besides London. New York City. She was in a car, having gotten a muggle driving license, she had a pink convertible, her hair flying out behind her, a white scarf around her neck and blowing out behind her as she flew down the road away from the airport.

Sunglasses bedecked her face, the scarf behind her, wearing simple jeans and a pink tube top. She was quite the looker today. Slowing to a stop sign she pulled off her sunglasses and looked around. A van full of rather geeky looking boys were staring pointedly at her. She rolled her eyes and pushed her sunglasses back up, before pushing them up on top of her hair.

Pulling into New York City she heard the familiar sounds, the smells, everything that was New York was here. The traffic, the smog, the people getting money on the streets, the homeless people, the artists, the rich people, the celebrities. Everyone was here. Like normal. She took a deep breath and smiled.

People were staring, seeing a pink convertible didn't seem to be on their list of things they see everyday. Nor the hot British girl in a rather revealing shirt and white scarf, that had laid itself back over the seat when she had stopped. Finally getting to her desitination she parked at the top of a really large parking block and took the elevator down. She was alone for once, her chaperone Mary having gone off to her apartment where she spent Holidays here in to get it ready for her arrival.

In the meantime Chase walked out of the parking block and turned down the street, walking without looking at anyone, her scarf now hanging down her front, her sunglasses back on her eyes as she walked down the street taking in the sites in smells before turning into her favorite coffee shop, Starbucks, and ordered a drink before sitting down by the window and staring at the world outside.

Sterling and his family were touring around New York City. They always took a major vacation once a year, and this year it was New York! He was glad they didn't go to London like they were planning... it would have been so pointless. After all, Sterling lived there most of his life even if the other didn't. They had also agreed that since he was 15, he could go around on his own. He had gotten in a taxi and told it to go 'Wherever the hell it wanted,' and now found himself at a Starbucks. He quickly paid the taxi driver and hopped out cheerfully.

He had a sudden pang of longing for Catalina, which momentarily wiped the smile off his face. He put it back up the next moment, however, and strolled into the shop. "Good day!" he said in his best imitation of a British accent to the cashier, who appeared bored. He sat down on one of the armchairs they had laid out, not really in the mood for a drink at the moment. He picked up his book and opened it to the page he was on, his legs crossed out in front of him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a very pretty girl he didn't recognize at first glance, who was staring out the window. He didn't look again, and instead shifted the way he was facing. Going off and talking to random pretty girls wouldn't be a good way of showing his loyalty to Catalina. So he started reading the book, the light of the city flooding into the large glass window.

Chase glanced up when someone walked into the shop saying a very cheery good Day. That accented sounded British? Seeing as she was surrounded with the chatter of New York accents, this accent stood out the most. She saw him glance over at her but didn't say anything. Possibly he didn't recognize her. She took a sip from her cappuccino before standing up and moving across the room sitting in an armchair. "So you're not going to say hi to a classmate is that how it is?" She asked taking a sip of her drink.

She grinned slightly and looked at him. "Or was it you just didn't recognize me not wearing a pink skirt and a tube top." She said softly trying to hide her accent as much as possible, seeing as it made people stare at her. They probably recognized her so she grabbed a random magazine putting it up in front of her face, not realizing it was HER face on the cover of the magazine. "Hello Sterling." She said softly glancing over the magazine at him.

Sterling saw the girl approach him and tried valiantly to ignore her completely. She started talking to him... recognize? Her voice didn't sound familiar at all... classmate? Was she from Hogwarts?? He dropped his book and averted his view and got a better look at the girl... it was Chase! His jaw dropped into a comical O as he saw her. "Chase?" he asked incredulously. He hopped up and grabbed her by the waist, then giving her a deep hug.

"What are you doing here?" he asked exuberantly. What were the odds of meeting eachother in a foreign city of 7,000,000?

Chase was swept up to her feet. "Well hi Sterling, I didn't really realize you missed me that much!"She said laughing hugging him. "well actually this is my favourite coffee shop in America, and I'm vacationing here for a while, simply because I can really." She said laughing as she hugged him happily. "So what took you so long to recognize me?" She asked picking up the dropped magazine and groaned hiding away her face from the front of it. The big words over it titling.

CHASE MOOR pretty Drama queen or Emotional goth?

More on page 36

She pushed the magazine back onto the table face down, an ad showing up on the top instead. She sighed and let go of Sterling. "What are you doing here?! It's kinda weird to run into classmates after coming straight into town!" She said laughing at him. "Where are you staying anyway? Are you here with you're family?"

"I was trying not to stare, sorry." said Sterling, blushing in explanation of how long it took him to recognize her. He glanced at the heading of the magazine. "I didn't know you were famous?" he said. It fit, he could imagine her being... but he had just never really thought of her as internationally famous.

"Yeah, I"m with my family. We're all here on vacation... but wow!" he pulled her into another embrace. He picked up his wand and pointed to the muggles staring at him. "Traceo finitatum," he said. "Muffliato!" he continued, pointing at each muggle in turn. He didn't want them to be listening in. "How've you been?" he asked now that they could speak more freely.

Chase felt a blush creep into her cheeks. He didn't know she was.. oh it didn't matter. He kept hugging her and then he started to make it so they could talk in private. She felt the blush get darker. "Yeah, Kinda.. I'm a model, that's what I do in the summer, so it's kinda.. yeah." She said hoping he wouldn't ask about the headline. It was true, and they had a right to be questioning it.

"Erm.. that's great, with you're family." She said smiling. "How.. how have I been?" She asked and put on a huge fake smile. "Great, really great." She said smiling at him. She glanced around the room, everyone was peacefully sipping their coffees and she sat back down smiling at Sterling, flashing those award winning white teeth. Well, she liked to think of them as award winning, they really weren't that great, but they were very white.

"You know, busy.. lots of photo shoots, I actually have on in Central Park later today if you wanted to come along and watch." She said and then realized what she had said blushing scarlet. Her current photo shoots had to do with the punker look. Leather Jackets, dark make up, her hair as fluffy as they could get it. All very stressful. She smiled at him calmly, which she realized wasn't her personality, but for some reason felt like he should know.

She shook her head and felt her shoulders sag. "It's been.. pretty hectic.. I just, I'm not feeling like myself lately." She said softly picking up the magazine again and holding it out. The front picture was of her in a black and blue top with a black jean skirt and black boots that went to her upper thigh, and next to it was a picture of her at a photo shoot, a professionally done one. Above it the same title as before,

CHASE MOOR pretty Drama queen or Emotional goth?

More on page 36

Shaking her head slowly she stared at the picture for a long moment. "The press have sure caught on." she said sighing and falling back into her chair, legs spread wide in front of her, staring at the magazine in her hand, a frown on her face.

Sterling noticed Chase was rather distraught, but only because she was being so obvious about it. He wasn't generally particularly intuitive. "Oh, okay." he said, glancing down at the cover of the magazine. It seemed a completely different person the Chase he thought he knew. It was weird learning so much about somebody he had thought he had know so well... maybe that's why their relationship had failed. They hadn't really ever known each other very well.

Sterling considered her invitation to her photo shoot. He already felt awkward enough at the moment, now realizing he was talking to somebody he should lionize rather than talk to so casually... he rather wanted to disapparate. He knew how to even though he hadn't been taught, and he had already used the spell to eliminate the Trace on himself... Although they might have thought that Chase had cast the Muffliato because he hadn't taken it off of her...

He fidgeted uncomfortably and moved his hand to the top of his head and scratching it. He had forgotten everything he had previously wanted to say to her... he now realized he didn't know her very well at all.

"To tell you the truth.. this was my mom's idea." She said slowly staring at the picture on front of the magazine. "Like, seriously, she's the one who makes me where all of these Gothic looking clothing out in public, so that our stupid family gets more reputation." She said shaking her head. "Luckily no one in here seems to read Magazines or something." She said glancing around the room and pushing her hair into her face hiding it. She slid her sunglasses back on and glanced at him. "But seriously, it's been rough lately." She said running her hand through her hair again.

"Just.. crazy." She muttered and then sighed sitting up. "I'm sorry! I bet you don't really care!" She said laughing throwing her head back in the old usual fashion, looking like it was the funniest thing in the world. "But really, how have you been? I haven't seen you in AGES!" She said leaning forward to look at Sterling, her eyes shining with curiosity.

Sterling frowned. He noticed people were staring and pointing at Chase occasionally... some of the boys giggling at a demeaning joke they undoubtably made about the situation. He felt infinitely uncomfortable... he wasn't looking at Chase, the Hogwarts friend anymore, but Chase Moor--Pretty Drama Queen or Emotional Goth?

"I've been okay," he said insincerely and mechanically. He couldn't talk to her with ease for some reason, and found himself backing a step away from her, giving her celebrity personal space. He felt as if he should be asking for an autograph rather than reminiscing about past life at school.