by P. S. Power
"Yep, we haven't hung out in weeks. What's with that?" She chuckled, and spoke before the girl could respond, explaining the whole thing. "So, Fritters at noon? Do you need a ride or anything?" Maria did, but Becky had a car.
"I... no, I can be there. Thanks. I was just going to sit here all day anyway. My parents went out of town."
The girl sounded a little sad, but Keeley couldn't tell why that would be, over the phone. It probably just had to do with being left behind like she was. Maybe not though.
"Well, we have a thing tonight, Church. Tomorrow I don't know what's going on. I'm pretty sure that my mother is planning to work. Do you want to come here? It won't be a huge thing, but we can make brunch or something."
"Really? I'd... is that OK? I don't want to be that girl, you know? The one that everyone feels sorry for?"
Keeley nodded, knowing that Becky wouldn't hear it at all, not consciously at least. There was probably a bit of that involved though, Keeley thinking of her that way.
"Never. You, my friend, are incredibly awesome and anyone saying otherwise is a dork. See you in an hour and a half?"
"Yeah. Um, bye?"
"Bye!" She made her voice bright and happy sounding. Becky was a good person. It was pretty clear that she'd been more than a little remiss on the subject, if she was that close to having to spend Christmas alone like that.
Charles had never been a super dad, maybe, but he'd always been there for Christmas. It was part of why Sherry was running from the day now.
Keeley took a quick shower, then spent some time doing her make-up and making sure she was dressed nicely, but not too much so for a lunch date at a hole in the wall cafe. Throwing caution to the wind she wore red and green. It was a horrible and clashing color combination, but no one looking at her would think she was the scrooge at least. She did her make-up normally though and figured that she was within what would be normal for a school girl at this time of year.
Then she drove, being aware of her surroundings the whole time, and parked across the street from the diner, waiting for someone to jump out at her and attack. It was, it turned out, unneeded and almost dangerous, because just outside the door her friend Gary rushed her, grabbing her up into a big hug that moved her feet from the ground.
"There you are!" His muscular arms went around her warmly enough that most people would have thought they were dating. She was the wrong gender for him though, at the moment. It was clear he was pretty lonely. He had been since his boyfriend, Rob, had died. "Everyone else is already here. This is so cool. I thought that I wouldn't see any of you for weeks."
From the contact she picked up that he kind of thought they weren't going to be that close much longer anyway.
After all, he was planning to kill himself the next day.
Keeley forced a smile and shook her head.
"Are you kidding? I couldn't go that long without seeing all my friends."
They didn't wait, going inside directly, after that. It wasn't freezing out, but was cool enough to make the warmth inside seem nice.
Everyone really was there already too.
It was almost nice.
Chapter twelve
They were, as a group, almost everything that teenagers were expected to be in public. A little loud and happy seeming, ordering food that was more junk than main course, and a tiny bit messy. The waitress just smiled, being a tolerant sort, even if it wasn't the normal lady that Keeley recognized. She was tucked between Hally, who was pressed up against her obviously enough the Maria and Darla both clearly got it, exchanging looks and nods every five minutes or so and Becky, who was at least as close, but not as friendly about it. She just felt nervous.
The reason for that wasn't directly on the surface really, but had to do with Keeley not liking her, which was ridiculous, since they were buddies really.
It was Gary that spilled things though, which was a relief, because Keeley didn't really feel like rooting around the slightly heavy girl's feelings and emotions for the information. She'd have to, eventually, but later, when Hally wasn't being so entertaining. She kept having to resist the urge to cuddle back, but that would be a little over the top, considering the other girl had a boyfriend.
"So, Becky, did you ask Mitch out yet?"
There was an awkward moment, and finally she nodded.
"Yeah... that was horrible. He just looked at me like I was a slug and said that he liked someone else already, so couldn't do it. I mean, he was less rude than that, but... I got the idea. The marshmallow girl had no business asking out someone like him." She looked at the side of Keeley's head, and thought about who that other girl was that she picked it up almost instantly.
Her.
Well, that explained a lot, didn't it?
She didn't bother to hide the slightly disgusted look that crossed her face then.
"Mitch Barris? Maria mentioned him at that slumber party we had. Well, his loss then. We'll get you someone that can see how incredible you really are. Kind of dumb of him really." Especially since Becky, for all her slightly straight laced exterior look, was both really nice and willing to do a lot more fun stuff than Keeley ever had.
The girl next to her on the right, sighed.
"Yeah, so, you know, kind of friendzoned there. It's... We should talk about something else. My dad said that the fire the other day across town nearly took out a lot more than it did. That would have been horrible."
Hally turned bright red, but Keeley nodded and didn't let anything show on the outside.
"I was there, for part of it. He's right, your father. The fire hydrants were too damaged to be used, so they had to let a bunch of buildings burn. What if that had been a daycare center or a school? Or near the hospital? We all got really lucky."
She made a point of looking at Darla, who was sitting with her arm around Gary. She knew then, what he had planned. Good. That meant Keeley wouldn't have to tell her about it. Hopefully she'd stop him from doing it, since they really were good friends and Keeley didn't want him to be gone from her life yet. She could handle it, if needed, but the decision as to what to do about it was up to Darla, not her.
They talked about things that, thankfully, amounted to almost nothing for a time. The food was sugary and sweet for the most part, since Keeley treated herself to a giant cinnamon roll and split it with Becky, who still felt guilty about eating it. That had a lot to do with the fact that everyone else at the table was thin and she just wasn't. It was, she was certain, why Mitch had treated her the way he had.
It wasn't really, Keeley didn't think.
The girl wasn't hot, that was true, but she was sweet and nice enough looking. A five most of the time, but she didn't go out with make-up on much or bother to dress up. That would push her up to a seven in most people's eyes right there. It was worth it for her to make the effort at least. For some people it really wasn't.
They chatted and sang a bit, which got the people there to all smile and applaud, since Maria had a nice voice and so did Darla. The rest of them were quiet enough to let that really work too, so no one complained. By two they were all leaving, with Becky following her back to her place. It made sense to her at any rate, as long as she wasn't attacked.
It was a risk, but everything around her always would be. If she didn't do things because there might be an attack, she might as well go and find a tight and cozy cave somewhere. Not wanting to do that, she had Becky with her for the day.
Once they got inside, the cars parked out of the way so that Bertha the van wouldn't be blocked when Sherry finally got home, Keeley moved straight to the kitchen.
"I'm going to make some cookies and cupcakes. For the local police and firefighters? They have to work over the holidays, so, you know, I thought it might be nice. Some decorated things, and all that." She had a plan, but Becky wasn't so hopeless in the kitchen that she just sat, pitching in without even waiting to be asked.
They worked for about four hours on it, with Keeley waiting for the girl t
o leave the room before quickly eating a large jar of peanut butter on the sly. She also made a point of drawing energy from the world around her the whole time, it was nearly even enough. She'd need to get them both dinner later, and sneak more food, but it was doable.
They made the deliveries as soon as they had the decorating on the cookies done, using some of the professional equipment that Clara had left for that kind of thing. It made a big difference in how things looked. They weren't perfect, but the people eating them probably wouldn't notice that at all. They looked handmade, not store bought, but that wasn't always a horrible thing.
In the Police station, the man behind the counter, who was an older officer, named Miller, nodded at her.
"Keeley. I heard from the Chief what you did for Gladys the other day. Good work. She's a distant relative of mine. That little punk Bryce..." He stopped and shook his head. "You heard about that?"
She shook her head. She knew what was coming, but there was no way that she'd actually know about it, was there?
"No?"
"Dead, in his cell. They sent him out for an autopsy, but there were no marks, probably overdosed on something he snuck in. It happens. People don't want the drug charges so they swallow it, or something like that." He didn't seem that upset, considering Bryce had to be a relative too.
She just nodded and moved on, like she didn't care.
"We brought some things, since people have to work tonight and tomorrow? Here." She handed the boxes over, trying to seem a little sad about it all. The whole thing was messed up enough that it wasn't that hard to manage.
"These look great! I'll let everyone know who they're from. Keeley and..." He glanced at Becky and smiled, which seemed almost like work for the man, the expression not really reaching his eyes.
"This is Becky, Becky Hoader. She did all the Christmas trees, aren't they great?" They weren't bad, but the officer acted like they were truly special for a few minutes.
Then, just as they were starting to leave, Roy came out of his office, his face looking completely normal for him. Professional and calm. Not like he suspected his daughter of murder at all. He did, of course, but he wore it really well.
"Keeley. You brought treats for us again?"
The words were kind sounding and she didn't wait to introduce Becky, making sure to pass the credit to her for what she'd done. After all, that made Keeley look good by association and made her seem generous, for sharing the limelight. It even made Becky like her more, so it was a win all the way around.
"Becky, this is Chief Benson. Notice the last name there? This is Eve's dad."
"Oh? Right, we met before, at Maria's Church. I didn't know you were a policeman." She seemed a little awkward then, but it passed after the man took a sugar cookie with mounds of frosting on the top in the shape of a tree, and ate a bite.
"These are really good. Thank you both. Happy holidays." He managed a cheery enough voice for it to seem right and ate more of the cookie.
That let them escape to the fire station, where she didn't know the people there, but they still seemed happy enough to see the junk food. After that, she had nothing in particular to do that was Becky appropriate.
Well, there was dinner...
After that they watched Christmas specials and listened to music, until nearly ten, when they got ready for Church.
The rest of the evening was nice, but mainly just them meeting everyone and sitting in the back, trying to follow along and not seem out of place. The rest of them had come, except Darla and Gary. Eve sat next to her and Becky though, instead of with her dad and his new wife, Karen. Hally was tucked in next to them and Maria was too, even though her whole family was there. Sherry hadn't made it, being gone still when they'd left.
The only real down note was that Gladys wasn't there either. Hopefully that meant she'd gone off with some friends. There was no chance to talk to anyone about that though after the events were over. They all just sort of left, though she managed to give everyone a hug, once they were outside.
She kept Becky with her though, which got the girl glared at a little by Hally. She noticed it, but didn't say anything until they were headed back to her place later.
"So, Hally... does she like you?"
"Yeah. She's sweet. I like her too."
"Oh." The other girl was in the passenger's seat but didn't let it rest there. "I kind of meant, you know, the other kind of like."
"I got that. Yes, I think so. She has a boyfriend though. That's not a problem for you is it? I promise that I like guys enough that I won't insist you do me when we get back."
The girl coughed and sputtered enough that she devolved into laugher at her own antics.
"Sorry, I didn't even think that!" She kept laughing though and finally shook her head. "That, it really isn't my business, is it? I just feel like there's a lot I don't know about people most of the time. It's like everyone is secretly this great person with a full life and what do I have? A job at Taco Bell?"
Keeley watched the road, trying to stay ready, just in case. She didn't let that come out in her voice though.
"Oh, I don't know, you have good friends. A job is nothing to sneer at either. Your own car. What else do you need really? International adventure? Because that could be arranged if you want." She made it seem like a joke, but it wouldn't be that hard to arrange, to tell the truth.
"I know. First world problems, right? Ohhh... Poor me, my hot pocket is still cold in the middle, and my hundred dollar shoes aren't trendy enough." She laughed at herself this time, shaking her head enough for Keeley to be able to see it. "But, the rest of you are so pretty, and you do things. I would have never thought about taking cookies to anyone, especially the police. I'd be at home alone right now if it wasn't for you rescuing me."
There was a moment of silence, one that started to stretch into being uncomfortable, just as Keeley turned into the driveway of her house, parking next to Bertha.
"Hey, mom's finally home." She was probably asleep, but there was someone else there, sitting in her living room, by the feeling of it. Finias. There was no way for her to get rid of Becky either. Not and seem remotely sane. Instead of trying that she just walked in, ready to fight if it turned out to be another trap. If someone could fake being Zack, Finias was probably no harder, at least on a superficial level.
He just sat on the sofa, waiting for them it seemed. He looked like Dan Carmichael at the moment, so was good looking, and seemed about thirty-five, more or less. The suit he wore was too nice and looked very fresh and his smile lit up just a bit when he saw Becky.
"Sorry to be here so late, but I wanted to remind you that we have that thing tomorrow with Zack. I thought we might chat about that first?"
Becky wasn't just her friend, but also smart enough to realize that this conversation wasn't meant for her. The only problem was that she also didn't know if she could leave her friend alone with the strange man in her living room. There could be a problem, but the girl didn't know what to do about it at all.
Keeley just gestured at the man in front of them.
"Becky Hoader, this is Dan Carmichael. My biological father." She grinned. "That sounds kind of hostile, but we get along pretty well, we only met a few months ago though, so you get the idea, he wants to bond with me now. Why don't you go and get some sleep and I'll do the whole estranged parent holiday thing?" It was all even true, so it sounded that way. Becky yawned but shook her head a bit.
"I can stay up, if you..." There was not good way of saying that she wouldn't bail if Keeley needed her there, even though it was what she meant. Anything she mentioned would be insulting to the man though, but leaving her friend to an uncomfortable parental session wasn't exactly what she wanted to do either.
"No problem here Becky. He probably just wants to get me to agree not to get drunk at the family party or something."
Looking over her shoulder at the man, who really was out of place there, the other girl walked out, toward Keeley's bedroom.
There was no sense of magic, so hopefully no one had booby trapped it with snares or something like that either. That would be so hard to explain.
After a few seconds Finias gestured for her to sit near him and took her hand, speaking into her mind directly. It sounded like normal words, but he didn't bother to move his lips at all.
"Zack... How much do you know about that?" There was a flow of slightly confused emotions.
"Not much. Just what we talked about. Is there more that I should know? Like him being a Greater Demon?"
He didn't think anything for a bit and then nodded.
"A lot, the actual situation is more than I can really explain right now. I just wanted to make certain you had a plan in place, in case Xenses shows up tomorrow. If he attacks you directly, or challenges you openly, the rest of us won't be allowed to intervene. In normal circumstances that wouldn't be the case, but there is a loophole, if he takes it." There was no explanation of what that was, since she was supposed to figure that kind of thing out herself.
She had the information, somewhere in that vast and slightly scattered information that she held around her like an umbrella over her head.
"I have some things ready, but I don't know if they'll be enough. The fact is that I have to live that way now all the time, as ready as I can manage. He'll be back, I'm sure. I don't know if it will be tomorrow. That's the problem. If I knew when it was coming, I could set a trap. I pretty much need to work that out anyway?"
She had an idea, using Zack as the bait. She didn't let that slip out though, since Finias might not love to hear all about it. She needed time for that one to work though.
Maybe more than they really had.
"Zack... He can't know about what he really is. No one can. It would be better to just kill him ourselves and make it quick than to let him be known."
She nodded, not thinking anything about that at all. That earned her a smile, since she was hiding the information from the Mind Taker himself, while holding his hand.
