Shot in the Dark IX
Merry Christmas Rajara and Brimo. Sorry it's only one chapter, I've been kinda busy lately. Chapter 13; THE INTRODUCTION OF MALCOLM! *does happy dance* I luuuuuuuuuuuuuv Malcolm and you will to! (I love James more, but you know Malcolm badassed too) He's like an Ordo Daeva TO THE EXTREME! *happy dances again*
Chapter 12
The next evening they got dressed and packed what few things they needed to, James saying they'd wait until Nashville for showers for want of avoiding Ellie as much as possible. As they prepared for departure, Ellie was no where to be found easily much to James's delight but Lena insisted on leaving a nicely written thank you note on the kitchen table.
Once they found their way to the interstate James hit cruise control and relaxed into his seat, Lena looking through her bag for one of the CDs she'd bought on their most recent shopping trip. laughing shortly in triumph she put it in and sat back, putting a foot up on the dashboard. The car May had let them have was really nice, registered under a fake name that she'd provided fake IDs for and Lena wondered how she could do all these things so easily but didn't question. Watching the last of the purple and rose color fade from the sky Lena sank into her thoughts enjoying the peace and quiet for once, wondering what was going to happen this time as it almost seemed too good to be true.
"Penny for you thoughts," James said glancing over at her as he changed lanes.
She shrugged and looked down at her lap. "I was just thinking that something terrible's bound to happen tonight."
"Dear God woman don't say things like that," his voice was flat, but she knew he was amused. "Why do you think so?"
Pushing her bangs out of her face she stared at the road hypnotized by the movment of the dotted lines. "It just sems everytime we have a quiet, peaceful moment we end up being chased, run off the road, or things start blowing into pieces." She turned her eyes to him, her heart catching momentarily at the shadows casting across his perfect profile. "The fact that no one's following us or trying to kill us that this particular moment seems too good to be true I suppose is what I really mean. I hadn't realized how hard it was to relax until now, actually having the chance to do it."
He smiled and it was beautiful. "You're gonna jinx us baby, so just stop there." She smiled to herself feeling a warm sensation enveloping her and looked out the window so James wouldn't see her smile turn into an idiot grin. She really did love him, and for the first time she had thought of it when there wasn't something terrible dramatic going on. "What're you smiling about loser?"
"Oh nothing," she lied, "I just thought of something entertaining."
"Care to share?"
"Not really, I don't think you'd find it too funny that's all." He gave her a squinty eye look that said he knew damned well she was lying, making her laugh. Letting the seat back a little she reclined with her hands resting on her stomach and watched the star come out through the sun roof. "Am I the only one that finds the concept of two vampires in a car with a sun roof hillarious?" He glanced up and started laughing until they were both laughing so hard tears came to their eyes, then the laughter refreshed itself at the thought her comment hadn't been as entertaining as they had given it credit for. All remaining tension drained from the car in those moments and Lena felt herself almost giddy.
"So what's Malcolm like?" She asked, wanting more than anything to ask about James's past, but not wanting to put a damper on his good mood.
James sighed and shook his head keeping his eyes on the road as if he could find the words he was looking for. After a moment he took a breath and rolled his shoulders back. "Well, to be perfectly honest, weird." Lena snickered at the tone of his voice. "I mean, I've known him a long time, even before I came to America so a long, long time," He paused a moment then smiled shaking his head as if he'd just realized how long 'a long time' had been. "But he's gotten weirder the older he gets."
"Is it a vampire thing or a personal thing?" Lena asked, not wanting to spend eternity getting weirder in way James considered strange.
"Oh it's definately a personal thing. Malcom's always been obessed with dark magic and ways it can work for you, even before he learned how to use it, he was always risking his neck to see others do it and almost got me killed a couple of times. But that was back when he was fun and not creepy." Lena liked the sound of this less and less. "We used to party together in Greece, that's where I met him, and he would always be the life of the party. Women flocked to him and he was highly respected and occaisionally paid for his poetry, but he always had that stupid obession..." James broke off shaking his head, and Lena figured he was probably reliving sometihing in his mind that had happened decades before she was born.
"What happened to make him ... creepy?"
Blink a few times before continuing James shrugged. "He found a teacher for the dark arts and became holier than thou acting like his knowledge and practices were obviously better than everyone else's. We parted ways a little before than, but when I saw him years later here, I barely recognized his face and by no means not the man." Images of a man in a black robe with black eyes and gnarled hands hunched over a bloody alter ran through her mind and she felt a twinge of nervousness in her stoamche. James let out a bark of laughter that made her jump and she looked at him in wide eyed surprise. "What?!"
"You're so far off base with your imagry baby, he might be a crooked old man, God forbid he ever hear I said that, but it's not in his back or knees. He's more vain than the day is long and unashamed of it. I think it's why be became a vampire to be young and beautiful forever, then set his sights higher." James shook his head still laughing mildly. "He's hard to describe, you'll just have to meet him." James lost his smile slowly and bit his bottom lip, worrying it with his teeth. Lena shifted in her seat trying to hide her thoughts a bit better and clear away the feeling of anxiety settling over her. Lapsing back into thought she was thinking about what she would do now that she had lifetimes ahead of her when James spoke again.
"Dont' look him in the eye."
"What?"
"Don't look him in the eye, he's got very strong mental abilities and could roll you with his eyes."
Understanding the words didn't seem to help her. "I thought he was on our side? Why would him reading my mind be bad? Not that I would want him in there uninvited, I'm just curious."
James licked his lips dryly. "I don't think you know what roll means Lena, it's not telepathy, though you can use telepathy through doing so. It means he can control you, put you into a hypnotised trance and make you do things, like a puppet without strings."
Lena puckered her lips in the shape of an 'O' and nodded. After a moment's contemplation she asked, "But he's on our side, right? He's not going to be trying this crap is he? Or should I be actively avoiding eye contact?"
James seemed to think about it for a moment before opening his mouth to say something and closing it again. After a moment he nodded his head. "Definately avoid it."
They hit Nashville city limits just in time to get gas again. The ride had beed fairly uneventful with the exception of Lena's road rage that James found highly entertaining and they were both more than ready to stretch their legs. Lena reached her arms over her head and stretched like a cat, her skeleton t-shirt coming up to expose her stomach to the cold. She shivered and pulled it down while looking around the gas station as James tried to start the gas pump but couldn't get it to work. He opened his mouth to say something and pulled back his hand to hit it when a voice came over the intercom. "Sir, pump eleven is prepay only. Please come inside." Lena doubled over with laughter as James stormed inside scowling and payed only to come back out and find Lena still laughing up against the car.
"It's not funny!" he said, but couldn't keeping his voice from cracking and a smile played his lips as he sucessfully pumped the gas this time.
Upon Lena's insistance they stopped at the Opryland mall so the she could get the newest CD by a band they'd heard on the radio and she'd loved immeadiately. James insisted they hurry as Malcolm was waiting on them to show up, Lena pointing out they'd never said what time they'd be there. After finding it and checking out they were headed for the main entrance of the food court when something neither if them had considered possible happened. "Lena?! Lena Davenport?"
Freezing simotaniously in there tracks James cut a look at Lena that said, "Keeping fucking walking", and she did, quickening her pace until a girl with waist length hair and a bright smile hopped in front of them. It was Lena's high school friend Maria who was going to scool in Nashville and Lena had completely forgotten worked at this particular mall. Feeling like a dear in head lights, overjoyed to see someone she knew but terrified of what it would mean, she smiled and tried to keep going, James taking her hand and pulling her... As her other hand was grabbed by Maria and she was suddenly in the middle of a potentiallly dangerous tug-o-war.
"Lena, I haven't been gone that long, it's me Maria retard!"
Not knowing what else to do, Lena stopped, pulling against James for a moment to get him to stop trying to pull her arm out of her socket. "I know Maria, and I'm really sorry, but I have to go... It's kind of an emergency. I'm really sorry!"
Maria knew her well enough to know that Lena was not blowing her off, but then got worried by the tone of her voice. Letting go of her arm, Lena almost rocketed backwards at the forced James was still keeping on the other one as Maria said, "Is everything okay Lili? I talked to your mom about a month or so ago asking if I'd seen you-"
"No! You haven'y seen me! Please don't tell anyone Ri, it's so fucking important you never saw me!" Lena was almost in tears as James was pulling her away wanting nothing more than to bawl on Maria's shoulder and tell her everything having the comfort of Maria having been one of her best friends in school and the sheer fact that she was familliar.
Maria nodded in confusion looking worried but convinced. "Okay, if you can, call me alright?"
Making helpless motions with her hands Lena mouthed "I'll try," knowing Maria would understand even from across the food court now. The cold hit her as a surprise as James dragged her outside before she could turn around. She could feel his anger and concern for what was going to come of this and Lena knew he was going to take it all out of her.
Head down and prepared for the baradement she let James drag her to the car by her arm, getting in when he unlocked the doors. Sitting quietly Lena was bracing herself for the worst as he sat there a moment in silence and jumping when he started the car. Worried more by the fact he wasn't saying anything she figured better now then later. "James, I- I'm really sorry... We should never have stopped, and I totally forgot Maria lived here, let alone-"
"What's done is done. No changing it now." The tone of his voice shot straight to the growing pain in her chest and made it unbearable. Yelling she could hand;e, screaming she expected from him... But even tone disappointment as though that was what he'd come to expect of her was heart wrenching. She looked out the window trying to hide the tears forming in her eyes, cursing silently. As they pulled out of the parking lot she felt his hand gently squeeze her knee before resting there. She looked down then at him with a questioning look on her tear stained face. "I don't expect you to disappoint me all the time Lena, I've just come to understand nothing ever goes as planned anymore and this shit isn't just gonna be easy... Our luck just isn't great." Sniffling a little she looked back out the window and placed her hand over his, putting her fingers through his and curling them gently in a gresture of thanks. "For what?" he said divining her thoughts.
"For not yelling at me."
If there's more people out there to who actually read this story (Not like I really think there are outside of Nighttiger, Rajara and Brimo) but IF there are, feel free to give me feedback.
I can always delete your comments. ^_^