by Rue Volley
“What a waste.” He muttered. Caine flashed into the forest and Erik put his blades away. He looked at Laurie and shook his head and flashed after them.
***
We drove for an hour before he slowed down at a gas station and pulled into it. I sat there, looking at a small girl rocking in a chair on the porch of the broken down grocery/gas station. She smiled at me and then stuck her tongue out and ran into the store. I looked up and saw pelts nailed to the front of the building. It looked like squirrels or beaver or something brown. I shivered and lowered in my seat. Josh finished filling the car up and leaned down in his window then looked at me.
“You hungry?” he asked me.
I looked at him like, “why did you ask me?” He knows that I am hungry 24/7 now. It sucks. He grinned and ran inside.
I sat there looking around and an old man rode by slowly on his bicycle. He looked like a hippy… overalls, long beard… funny hat. Bubbles were coming from his wheels as he moved on. I turned and watched him and then scooted further down in my seat. Suddenly I felt like we were in a carnival, everywhere I went was the same. I jumped when Josh popped up at my window and handed me a candy bar. I took it from him and unwrapped it. It had a lot of peanuts in it and I swallowed it as fast as I could. Josh came around to his side and I crumpled up the wrapper and tossed it in the backseat. He looked at me and tore the top of his wrapper off and spit it out. I looked over at the grocery and the little girl materialized in the screen door. I looked away from her. She looked like a ghost.
“Do you need more food?” Josh asked me. My stomach growled and I pressed on it.
“No… I’m fine,” I said, totally lying. He laughed at me.
“I don’t even know why I ask you… you just lie anyway,” he said as he started to pull out.
I didn’t respond to him. I placed the bottom of my arm on the windowsill and looked down the road. It looked like a normal town… but it was quiet. I watched houses on their main street as we passed them by. No kids, other than the one at the grocery. It was summer, where were they? I looked at Josh.
“Where are all the children?” I asked him. He looked over at me.
“Jonah and Lily probably ate them all,” he said. I flinched and closed my eyes.
It was a brutal thought, but probably true.
“That sucks,” I muttered.
“Not really,” Josh said. I looked at him and turned in my seat.
“How would children being eaten ‘not’ be a bad thing Josh?” I asked him.
He grinned and bit into his candy bar. He ‘mmm’d…
“This is freakin awesome,” he said. I crossed my arms.
“Well?” I added. Josh looked at me.
“Listen… children are not my thing. They don’t like me. I don’t like them… it’s a mutual understanding,” he said. I crinkled my eyebrows.
“So… you don’t want any kids, I take it?” I said. Josh looked at me. He laughed.
“Listen, I enjoy everything that happens before the kids come,” he said to me. I rolled my eyes. “So… you will never have any, then?” I asked him.
He slowed the car down and stopped at a stop sign. He shifted in his seat and looked at me.
“Are you asking me to make babies with you, Rue?” he asked me. I laughed.
“Absolutely not… no… no,” I said as I looked out the front window of the car.
Josh leaned over to me. “Because if you are, we can park and give it a try,” he whispered.
I hit him on the arm and he backed up and hit his head on the glass window. He grabbed the back of his head and we heard a honk behind us. How the only other car in this town ended up behind us I do not know. I turned around and this little old lady sat behind the wheel. She could barely see over her steering wheel. I turned to Josh…
“Grandma’s gonna kick your butt if you don’t move,” I said.
He looked in his rearview mirror and smiled.
“Oh… I am pretty sure I could take her, if push came to shove,” Josh said as he pulled forward.
We slammed on our brakes when ‘bubble bike man’ rode in our way. I hit my head on the dashboard and then we felt a hit from behind. My head snapped back and I grabbed my neck. Josh sat there and hit his steering wheel.
“Really?” he said.
Grandma had hit us… awesome. He looked at me and started to drive.
“What are you doing?” I said as I opened my door and half rolled out.
He slammed on his brakes and jumped out of the car. Grandma opened her door and took about five minutes getting out. I looked at her and saw a little blood on her forehead. My stomach growled and I pressed on it. I ran over to her and leaned down.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
She looked at me with her raisin eyes and deeply wrinkled skin and swung her cane at me. I dodged it. Josh walked up to her with his hands out in front of him.
“We just wanted to make sure that you were okay!” he said to her.
She stopped, without saying anything. She swayed on her cane and Josh leaned forward to help her. She popped her cane straight up and hit him squarely in the ‘you-knows’ so hard it sounded like she hit bone. I put my hand over my mouth as he dropped to his side, cupping himself.
“Oh shit,” I muttered, trying not to laugh. Josh groaned and pointed his finger at her.
“This is why I hate humans,” he said, half winded.
I raised my hand and walked towards him. I leaned down and tried to help him up. He grabbed onto my arm and we awkwardly made it back to the car. I opened the back door and pushed him in. I looked back at the tiny beast of a woman who had taken Josh out with one hit, and smiled at her.
“Sorry,” I said, as I slid into the front seat. I waved out to her and she pointed her cane at me.
I pulled out a little too fast, and Josh groaned in the back seat.
“Oh my god Rue… take it easy,” he spit out at me in between groans.
I smiled and adjusted my mirror to see him cupping himself in the back seat.
“She kicked you into next week, Josh,” I said to him.
He raised his hand to me and flipped me off. I adjusted my mirror and rolled out of town. Another stab at normal… another monumental failure.
***
I had reached over and turned on the GPS system in the car and tried to type in my address. I ran off the road a little and hit a major bump. Josh shot straight up and grabbed the back seat.
“Stop the car,” he said.
I pulled over and listened to the gears grind. I was not a stick shift kind of driver. Too much multi-tasking goes into it. We jerked to a stop and Josh hit the back seat. He hissed and opened his door up. I sat there holding the wheel. He opened my door and I looked up at him.
“I just thought that I would utilize the GPS in this car,” I said to him.
He waved me out of the car and I lifted my foot from the pedal and the car jerked forward. Josh almost fell down. He pushed himself up and reached over me dripping sweat everywhere. I looked away… gross. He moved the gearshift and then backed up.
“Please, get out and get in the other side, Rue,” he said to me.
I pushed out and walked around to the other side. I stood there and looked at him as he leaned over, holding his stuff, and taking a breath.
“I can get us home,” I said.
He waved at me, more like a ‘whatever’ wave. I sat down and shut my door a little too hard. He sat there and clinched his eyes shut and took a breath. I guess I jolted him… oops.
“Are you going to make it?” I asked him.
He didn’t look at me. He started up the car and pulled out. I looked out the window and started to count the lines in the skyline. The sun was going down, my favorite time of the day. The colors faded into each other…red to yellow to orange. I remembered the orange color swirling on my skin in the motel room and looked at Josh. He leaned forward, gripping the wheel. Looked like that grandma who gave him a what for. I smi
led and looked back out the window. I traced my fingers across the ravens on my upper chest and sighed. Josh made a noise and I looked over at him. We looked ahead of us and a car sat off the side of the road… well, half on... half off. The lights were on. We pulled up behind it and Josh looked at it and then at me.
“Stay here,” he said. He opened his door up and stepped out.
He leaned down and pointed at me, “I am serious… stay in the car.”
I nodded at him and scooted up to the dashboard. Josh walked up the car slowly and pulled his blade out. I leaned up, hoping that there wouldn’t be any crazy. He looked in the car and called out.
“Are you okay?” he yelled.
The driver sat motionless in the seat. I opened my door and Josh shot me a look. I closed it and held my hands up at him. He pointed his blade out in front of him and opened up the door. A girl fell out onto the road. I opened up my door and ran up to them both. Josh looked at me very angry.
“What did I say Rue?” he asked me.
I leaned down, ignoring him. I turned her head and her eyes were open. Blood started to pool around her neck. I stood up and looked at him.
“Who the hell would do this?” I asked him.
He looked around us and then grabbed my arm and dragged me back to the car. He pushed me inside and slammed my door shut. I leaned up and thought I saw her twitch.
“Oh my God Josh! I think that she is still alive.”
Josh pulled out, kicking dirt up behind us. I watched as she tried to mouth something at us as we sped off. I looked at Josh.
“I think that she needed help Josh!” I yelled at him. He looked from his rearview to the road. “Nope… nothing we could do for her,” he said.
I hit him and he swerved. He held his hand up to shield himself from one more hit coming his way. He caught my wrist and looked at me. His eyes were swirling. I stared at him and he let my wrist go. I sat back and looked at him as I crossed my arms on my chest.
“You are a dick,” I said. Josh looked at me.
“I am not a dick. She was attacked by a protector; who knows where they were, that could have been a trap.” I looked at him.
“How do you know?” I said. He laughed.
“I could smell it Rue! God we have to hone your tracking skills, I swear!”
I sat back in my seat and gripped at it.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know Josh, I didn’t see any colors.” He looked at me.
“You wouldn’t, it was rogues. I am telling you, they are tricky bastards.”
I turned around, suddenly getting that horror film vibe. I half expected for someone to land on the trunk and bust out the back window. I scanned the road and the fields on either side of us and saw nothing. I turned back to him.
“Okay, I should have listened,” I said really, really low.
I thought maybe that just saying it would be good enough… but no. Josh held his hand up to his ear and grinned.
“What...? I’m sorry, I didn’t get that.”
I turned to him and yelled as loud as I could in his ear.
“I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED!” I screamed.
He hunched his shoulders and then stuck his finger in his ear and wiggled it. He looked at me.
“I would accept being deaf if it meant that I could hear you say that one more time.”
I rolled my eyes and turned away from him. I watched the skyline slowly fade in color and make way for dark blue and black. I looked at Josh and grinned. Blue and black. I bit my lip.
We drove for about a half hour without a word. Josh pulled his cellphone out and hit a button. I looked at it. He had it the whole time? Ass.
“Sam,” Josh said. “Yes, I have her… we are heading back now.” He looked over at me.
“Yes… a pain in my ass,” he said as he smiled at me. “Nothing, well I got hit... no big deal.”
I leaned over to the phone and yelled, “His junk got messed up by a ninety year old woman!”
Josh held the phone away from his ear. I could hear Sam laughing on the other end. Josh looked at me and raised his eyebrows. He put it back to his ear.
“Listen… tell Theodore to whip up a spell for rogues. Yes, I said rogues Sam.” He looked at me while she chattered about something.
“Listen, I will explain when we get there. Okay...? Okay.” he hit the button on his phone and slipped it into his leather. I looked at him.
“Rogues are a big deal, huh?” I asked him. He looked at me.
“Well, considering they are kinda like what a unicorn would be to humans… yea, kind of a big deal.” I looked out the window and realized that I just wanted to sleep in my own bed.
I want to go home.
I closed my eyes and let the car’s hum put me to sleep.
***
Josh tapped me and whispered in my ear. I blinked my eyes and focused in on my house. The only one I really knew. I looked at him and opened my door up then stood up and looked up at bedroom. The light was off. I looked at Josh and felt anger well up in me. He did her in my room… my bed. What a suck thing to do. I started to walk towards the house and the door opened up. Theodore stepped out and looked at both of us.
“Well, don’t we look special?” He said.
I stepped up to him and he placed his hand on my face. I grinned and he winked at me. I entered the house and Johnathan stood up. I glanced at him and then scanned the room. Kai stood up and so did Sam. I looked around.
“Is she here?” I asked them. Sam stepped forward.
“No, I told her to go get a room somewhere, Rue.”
I walked up to her and she hugged me. I kinda sank into her shoulder for a second. I was happy to be there. I looked at Kai and he smiled. I held my hand up to him and he gave me five. I turned around and watched Josh step in. His white leather was all smudged with dirt and blood. I didn’t even realize how dirty it was until I looked at him there, in the light of the house.
Johnathan looked at me and I lowered my eyes from his. What do I say to him? What do I want to say? Oh, plenty. I pulled off my outer shirt of the dress and dropped it on the chair. I had a black tank on under it. Johnathan stepped toward me and then looked back at Josh.
“When did she get a tattoo Josh?” he asked him.
Josh raised his hands and stepped into the kitchen. Johnathan looked at me then followed him.
“You go and get her and you bring her back looking like she joined a Goth band, with a tattoo?”
Josh leaned up from the fridge and looked at Johnathan.
“Really?” he said to him as he walked to the kitchen table and sat down gently.
Johnathan stood there and started to open his mouth. I stepped in and looked at him.
“I wanted it… I got it… It’s none of your business anyway,” I said to him.
I pushed past him and opened the fridge up. I grabbed whatever I could and sat down at the table across from Josh. I looked up at him and he winked at me. Johnathan leaned forward with his arms crossed over his chest.
“What was that?” he asked Josh.
Josh pushed away from the table and stepped up to him.
“Stop while you are ahead,” he said and then he headed for the living room.
I sat there grinning while I ate. Johnathan sat down next to me and I didn’t look at him.
“Rue, we need to talk,” he said quietly to me.
I pushed myself up and walked into the living room. “I don’t think so,” I said to him.
He flashed up to my face and tried to touch me. Josh stood up as quickly as he could just as I hit Johnathan in the mouth with all my force. I grabbed at my hand and squeezed it. Johnathan stumbled back from me and held his face. I pointed my finger at him.
“You will be lucky if I want to talk to you in a hundred years,” I hissed at him.
He nodded and ran upstairs.
I yelled after him, “You can sleep in my bed you ass!”
I heard a door slam and I looked around at the room. Everyone was st
aring at me and quickly looked away when I caught them all doing it.
“What?” I asked.
Theodore walked to me and smiled. “Listen love, he feels terrible for what transpired yesterday. He has been a wreck.”
“Good,” I muttered. Theodore touched my chin and raised my head to look at him.
“It is unlike you to be so harsh.”
I looked at him and hugged him around his neck. I started to cry and he patted my back. I sound ridiculous… I did and I know it. I let it all come out of me like a hurricane and then I backed up from him. Sam stood next to me and I hugged her too. She touched my hair and waved everyone out of the room. Josh pushed himself up and Kai tried to tag him in the ‘you knows’. Josh held out his hand and waved him off.
“Dick,” he muttered to him. Kai laughed.
Sam held onto me as I broke down even further and they left us alone. She led me to the couch and sat me down. I sucked in my breath and pulled myself from her shoulder. She placed her hand on my face.
“Oh my,” she whispered. I wiped my eyes and she stared at me.
I looked at her and asked her the last thing that she expected.
“Could you strip my memory?” I asked in a whisper. She lifted my face and smiled.
“No, I cannot Rue… you don’t want that, not really.”
I sniffled. “How do you know that?” I asked her.
“Because you like who you are and if I did that you would only be a shell of what you are. You don’t want that, not really.”
I cried harder. “I don’t think that I am strong enough to do this anymore,” I said to her.
She touched my hair and pulled me to her shoulder. I leaned against her and closed my eyes to the sound of her heartbeat.
“You are the strongest person that I have ever known Rue,” she whispered.
I grinned. That was a lot coming from her. God knows who she has known in the hundreds of years she has lived. I pushed myself up and looked at her.
“Did he know that I was his sister when he did that?” I asked her. She grinned.
“Well, first of all, he is not your brother and secondly, no he did not Rue. I saw his memory,” she said. I leaned back onto her and sighed.
