Born Bad

by Sarah Noffke

  “We good?” he said to the guy at the back, his nose pinching from the fish smell that lined the area.

  “Yep. No questions asked. Do what you got to do and then get out of my hair,” the guy said.

  “Thanks,” Haiku said, strolling for the front, ready to wrap up fish and give patrons a show.

  Derek was first pulled to the far stall by the violin music emanating through the market. When he couldn’t find the source of the music then he stopped off to sample hummus at a booth that sold various Greek foods. It wasn’t his favorite, but he wasn’t turning away free food. Actually, Pike Place Market was how he’d figured out how to fill his belly on Sunday mornings. The vendors never seemed to notice that he ate up the samples and never bought anything. Maybe they would soon, but hopefully he’d be making more then and be able to buy some fruit or, even better… a piece of meat.

  His nose pulled him through the market, like he was on a leash. He stopped when he came to the fish market. The wolf didn’t much care for fish, but for Derek it brought back real nostalgia. Growing up in Ontario, much of his diet was based around fresh fish.

  The guys behind the counter took orders, tossing large bass and swordfish before wrapping them up in white paper and handing them over to patrons. Derek watched a large filet of salmon go to a happy couple who ambled off to a corner where a woman was selling large bouquets of flowers.

  “What can I get you?” a guy called in Derek’s direction.

  “Me?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” the guy said. He wore an easy smile and his black hair in a low bun.

  “Oh, nothing,” Derek said, raising his hand in the air like a stop sign.

  “Got it,” the guy said, and pointed to a woman who had just come to stand next to Derek’s shoulder. They stood even. He was used to that due to his small stature.

  “I’ll have that tuna steak,” the woman said.

  The guy nodded and seemed to wince a little as he bent over to retrieve a thick tuna steak off the ice. It was wrapped up and handed over in a matter of a few seconds.

  “Hey, mister,” the guy said back in Derek’s direction. “Are you interested in getting some fish?”

  “Nah,” Derek said, waving him off.

  The guy motioned him forward, checking over his shoulder where the other salesmen were busy serving customers. Derek stepped until he was up close and the guy kneeled forward. He was just a bit taller than Derek.

  “In the back I have some seriously discounted fish. Anything and everything you’d want. I don’t usually tell customers about this, but I’ve been hard on my luck before and can kind of see it in your eyes,” the guy said, his Chinese accent pronounced although he spoke in a hush. Then he slammed his palm to his forehead. “I’m sorry if I offended you. Please don’t get me fired. I need this job.”

  “No, no, no,” Derek said, waving his hands, trying to wave away the guy’s insecurity. “You’re very observant, and I’m definitely down on my luck. I’d love to see what you’ve got, but I can’t pay much.”

  The guy winked at him. “And you won’t have to pay much, I promise. Come on,” he said, waving Derek to the side. “Meet me at the back.”

  Derek picked up his step as he strolled to the back, where it was dark and the crowd thinned. He shimmied around a set of stacked boxes and through an opening at the back of the large fish stall. People were inherently good. He’d always thought that. His parents taught him that at an early age. They’d said trusting people brought the best into one’s life. And now it looked like his honest nature was going to get him a large filet of some sort. It would be the best meal he’d had in months. He could almost taste the tuna, or maybe it would be salmon or Chilean sea bass. Yum.

  The guy met him at the back, where it was quiet in comparison to the rest of the market. He was wearing a large grin that made his brown eyes glow in the dark. “See that van right there?” the man, said, pointing to a white van parked on the other side of a back door.

  “Yep, I do,” Derek said, with his own large smile.

  “Go stand in front of it. I’m going to get the keys. I’ll be right there. I’ve got to fetch them,” the guy said. Derek would need to get the man’s name and thank him with a proper handshake after this.

  “You got it!” Derek sang loudly.

  “And shhhh. Try not to attract attention to you. Face the van and look inconspicuous,” the guy said.

  “Are you sure about this? I don’t want to get you in trouble,” Derek said, noticing the guy was suddenly whispering.

  “I’m one hundred percent sure. This is just some fish that they gave to the workers, but I can sell it to you at practically nothing. We’re brothers bonded by both being down on our luck,” the guy said.

  Derek’s heart swelled with warmth. People were really good. God was good. “All right. I’ll be out here waiting. No one will notice me, I promise,” he said.

  “Good,” the guy said.

  The keys to the van were in Haiku’s pocket. What he had to retrieve was his bag and more importantly what was in it. He pulled out the rag and dabbed it against the open bottle before screwing on the lid. This had been too easy. And hopefully there’d be no struggle because he didn’t need his injury reopening; not that Derek, even as a werewolf, stood a chance against Haiku, he thought, always overly confident.

  Like the good citizen that he was, Derek stood facing the back of the van, his hands in his pockets and chin down. This wasn’t a guy who liked to get into trouble. He’d go to great lengths not to get caught buying fish out of the back of a van. But he was hungry and broke. The perfect combination.

  Haiku’s martial arts training made it so that he soundlessly snuck up behind Derek. Derek was just about to turn around when Haiku sprung forward and clapped the white handkerchief over his mouth. The smaller man struggled, hard at first, but then his attempts to scream made him inhale deeply. That’s what most amateurs did when chloroformed. The experts know not to breathe if it can be helped.

  Checking over his shoulder, Haiku ensured that no one had seen, due to how he’d parked the van. He pulled open the door where two of his men were ready to drag Derek’s body into the vehicle and bind him.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Once a person finds themselves in a dream travel location, they can move on to other locations. However, this should be limited to only a few dozen before waking back to the conscious world. This is because snags can happen with the consciousness if a person travels through too many layers.”

  - Dream Traveler Codex

  Zephyr peered at the map over Rox’s shoulder. “That’s in the middle of nowhere,” he said, standing up tall.

  “Exactly,” Rox said, slapping her hand on her rear end with a smirk.

  Picking up the iPad, Zephyr scrolled through the images of the cabin. “It’s beautiful. Rustic, great land and great views,” he said, pausing on each picture momentarily.

  “Look at that bath,” Rox said, pointing over his shoulder. “It’s claw-footed, just like you.”

  “Ha-ha,” Zephyr said, handing her back the device. “I just don’t get it. When did this become your dream?”

  “Since always. For all of my adult life I’ve wanted, no wait, needed, to buy the perfect home. Not something big or flashy, but rather remote, well constructed and with a huge wraparound porch,” she said, nestling her shoulders up as she stared at the cabin on the iPad.

  “I never much thought of you as the home owner type,” he said, raising a skeptical eyebrow at her.

  She averted her eyes, scrolling to the picture of the garden, which flanked the back of the house. “Well, and the Lucidites are paying me generously and with my FBI money, I’m finally able to purchase this,” Rox said.

  “But why?” Zephyr said, still confused.

  “Because…” she said, dropping the iPad down to her legs, her eyes falling as she tried to pick the right words, no, the perfect words. “There’s no better way to mark success than to buy a home. It’s
the one reward that truly feeds the soul. It’s in our homes that we are safe, both from the world and from ourselves. A home is the one place where we can be our true selves. Walls and a roof are so much more when they belong to a person. They are a refuge away from judgment. They are a sanctuary where our inner child is safe, and the person we are to become can blossom. And… I don’t know. I haven’t had a home since I left my parents’. I think it’s time I did. Something I can call mine.”

  Zephyr seemed to think on Rox’s words for a moment and then nodded. “Are you leaving the Institute?” he asked, no worry in his voice. She knew why this was. The two of them had been candid and finally come to terms with how they’d proceed. It was a relief to them both to know. To be in agreement.

  “Honestly, I’m hoping they offer me a full-time position when this whole doggy business is over, but that hasn’t happened yet. Anyway, this is in the mountains just northwest of Los Angeles, so it will be an easy commute using a GAD-C. I couldn’t imagine not working, just like I can’t imagine not returning home at eventide at least on the weekends or something,” she said.

  “Did you just say eventide?” Zephyr said, a smile tucked at the corner of his pink mouth.

  “Do you need me to define it for you?” Rox said, pulling herself onto the table just as Adelaide approached. She eyed the map on the conference room table and then halted, arms crossed.

  “Roya, because she’s the worst person to ever exist, missed a report on Derek. He’s been taken by Olento Research,” she said.

  “What? How do we know about this if Roya missed the report?” Zephyr said, his back straightening.

  “Because sometimes her clairvoyance works in reverse. Think of it like being paid in arrears,” she said.

  “Did you just use an accounting term?” Rox said.

  “Zeppy, did you hear something?” Adelaide said, looking around like she couldn’t see Rox. “I smell something foul, but I don’t see anything.”

  “Damn it, motherfucker,” Zephyr said, pinning both of his hands to the side of his head. “We can’t afford to lose another werewolf. That’s two.”

  “One plus one does equal two. Good job with the calculus,” Adelaide said.

  “We’re going into Olento Research. We will get Derek and Malcolm. Don’t worry, Z. Mika has some wins, but you know we’re winning this war,” Rox said, knowing this was internally destroying Zephyr. Every member of the pack was connected to him and having them together brought him peace and the opposite brought him torment.

  “Put down your pom-poms, whore face,” Adelaide said. “We don’t do pep rallies here. We work with strategy. And currently we don’t have one for entering Olento Research. So let’s wait on the whole ‘win the war’ speech.”

  “Hey, I’m sorry about your dad,” Rox said, meaning it. Losing a parent at any age couldn’t be easy. She didn’t know how she’d handle her daddy’s death, which she hoped wouldn’t come for a long time. Rox had inherited her skin resistance from him, so hopefully he’d live longer than most.

  “You know, I had always wondered what Rox was short for,” Adelaide said.

  Immediately Rox tensed, her eyes showing her nervousness. “Obviously it’s because I’m hard as a rock,” she said, scoffing at the other girl.

  “It got me to wondering, was your full name Roxanne? That’s why I decided to peek into the files the Institute had on you,” Adelaide said, her voice singsong.

  “Well, Zep, you should probably run along and tell the others about Roya’s mistake. Poor girl. You all should go tear up all her stuff, like a puppy would,” Rox said in a quick rush.

  “True,” Zephyr said, turning to Adelaide. “I’d always assumed Rox was short for Roxanne. What’d you find?”

  Adelaide studied Rox before placing her hand on her hip and smirking at her. “I just can’t figure out why you don’t go by your real name. I know that from now on I’m going to be calling you by your God-given name, Helga.”

  And that was it. Rox couldn’t undo that moment. All her careful planning and hiding and one angry redhead ruined it with one word. Fuck! She hated that name. Hated that it followed her around. She’d wanted to change it for years, but that would break her parents’ hearts since it had belonged to her grandmother.

  The sudden laughter crowded Rox’s head with irate frustrations. However, there was no getting away from this moment. From the teasing. Shouldn’t she be used to it by now?

  “Helga?” Zephyr said, laughing into his hand. “That’s your name? I can’t wait to tell the guys about this.” He strolled for the exit, still laughing.

  “Zephyr, no! I won’t ever call you or the guys a name again. Please don’t tell them,” she pleaded to his back.

  He only shook his head, still retreating. “Nope. Karma is a bitch, you should know that, Helga!”

  “Happy?” Rox said, turning her attention on Adelaide, who looked about as pleased as she’d ever seen her.

  “I’m mildly content,” Adelaide said.

  “Look, I really meant my apology. I don’t know why you had to unload my secret. Those guys will be ruthless now,” Rox said.

  “What do you care?” Adelaide said.

  “The old adage isn’t true about sticks and stones. I can’t stand my name. It’s by far the ugliest name to ever exist,” Rox said, remembering the taunting. It’s one reason that she beat up those boys when she was fourteen and that was the reason they’d locked her in the old shed. Her imprisonment over that long night still lived in her bones, a reminder of the one way she was vulnerable.

  “Well, I think against your resistance to good behavior, you’ve learned your lesson. Don’t fuck with me, Helga,” Adelaide said.

  “I wouldn’t go that far. I’m a bit hardheaded, if you know what I mean,” Rox said.

  “Whatever,” Adelaide said, turning for the door, strolling off.

  “I came to the library yesterday to apologize,” Rox said.

  Adelaide halted in place and turned to face the other girl. “But you got distracted by something shiny and never made it past the entrance?” Adelaide said.

  “I made it all the way to the second story, but decided that interrupting such a sweet moment between you and Connor was unwise,” Rox said.

  “Hey, there’s nothing going on between—”

  “No, by the way you kept shutting him down, it appears that there’s in fact nothing going on. But damn, that boy has it bad for you. Why are you pushing him away so hard?” Rox said, her tone shifting to one that was different from her normal one. It was casual. Kind.

  “This is truly none of your business,” Adelaide said.

  “I’m not going to remind you that you put a hard rule down on dating, which I checked with Trent and doesn’t actually exist,” Rox said.

  “I think you just did. And as the presiding agent on this case, I’d like everyone to stay as clear-headed as possible. So don’t worry. I’m not being a charlatan,” Adelaide said.

  “You seem to think that we control our hearts. That you have reins on yours and can direct its path. But to be honest, the greatest asset any of us can use is our heart, which doesn’t care about having a clear head. Maybe you’ve been approaching this from a black-and-white perspective when you should realize that integrating your life with this case could be the one way that you overcome your demons,” Rox said.

  “I don’t need your advice,” Adelaide said, gnashing down on her lower lip.

  “No, you don’t. And I don’t fault you for falling for Connor,” Rox said.

  “I didn’t fall for him—”

  “Well, I think you should. The lone wolf persona doesn’t fit him anymore and I honestly don’t think it suits you anymore either. You’ve both grown out of it and just think how you could grow together.”

  “I get that you’re just saying all this to give yourself permission to be with Zephyr, but that manipulation isn’t going to work on me,” Adelaide said.

  “I’m saying it because although you
and I have mastered the act of pretending to hate each other, there’s few I respect as much as you. I’m truly sorry about Ren, and I wish I hadn’t said anything about you earning your position because of his influence. My father was a CIA agent and for too long I lived in his shadow. I heard the whispers. I know how it feels, at least I used to. Truthfully, I forgot until yesterday. I forgot how great it is to have a good father and also what a curse it is to never feel you can stand on your own prestige,” Rox said.

  Adelaide didn’t look like she was expecting that answer. And for Rox, it was a surprise too. All of her old demons had surfaced after the events of yesterday. It was the reason she’d decided she was ready to purchase the cabin. That she deserved to.

  “So this isn’t about legitimizing your relationship with Zep?”

  Rox shook her head. “Actually, I’ll admit that although I’m attracted to Zeppy, it would never work out. It tormented me at first because we could get close, but it was never enough for me. There was something missing. Then I figured it out. And I was mad at myself, because I knew it all along, but I’d forgotten that too.”