by Rue Volley
I closed my eyes and drifted off to somewhere completely normal in my world… dreaming.
Chapter Six
Date Night
Caine stopped and took a look around. Many humans roamed around the carnival. He grinned and turned to look at Erik. Erik tilted his head and watched as a family walked by them.
“I know that you have never experienced humans who are free to do as they wish Erik. Do not cause any disturbances here, do you understand me?” Caine asked him.
Erik looked at him and nodded as three children ran past them and one bumped into him from behind. He looked down at the young boy and grinned. The boy looked at him for a moment and then ran off, after his friends.
“I am hungry,” Erik said as he watched him disappear into the crowd.
Caine laughed and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I am certain that we will feed. Jonah is a charming individual… he probably has dinner pre-planned.”
Erik smiled and they both started to walk through the crowd. Caine looked to the right and saw Jonah putting his hat on and Lily adjusting her corset. They walked up to them and Jonah smiled.
“Seems that we must put on a show. Unlike you, we work for our food here,” he said.
Lily smiled at him and her teeth looked normal. He reached his hand out and placed his fingers on her lips. Caine leaned forward.
“Must we watch this show? Or can we retire?”
Jonah tipped his hat.
“Why don’t you stay and watch as we choose the sweets from the crowd. Nod to me when I have chosen one for you.” He winked at Caine and walked up the steps behind the stage.
Caine looked at Erik. “Would you like to scan the crowd and pick your meal Erik?”
Erik smiled.
They both walked to the front of the stage and watched as Jonah came out and tipped his hat to the crowd. He looked up and smiled at Caine and Erik, then he went into his elaborate speech. Erik leaned over to Caine and nudged him. He pointed at a girl with long black hair. She looked about sixteen. Caine smiled as he looked at Jonah. Jonah reached his hand down to the girl, after asking for a volunteer and walked her through the mirror.
Erik leaned into Caine’s ear. “He uses his abilities right in front of them?” Caine smiled.
“These creatures think it is entertainment, they do not understand that it is real.”
Caine looked up on the stage at Lily… she grinned at him and pulled the mirror off to the side. Lily took the young girl’s hand and led her off the stage. She whispered into her ear and girl nodded and smiled at her. She stepped off and stood there, waiting for the show to finish. Erik took a step forward and Caine placed his hand up to stop him.
“Not yet, you must wait.” Erik stared at her and then back to the stage.
Jonah was asking for another volunteer. Caine’s eyes shot to a girl… no more than seventeen, with short red hair. Jonah tipped his hat and chose her for the next trick. He led her to a table and laid her down. He leaned down into her ear and whispered something, she went limp. He raised her hand and pulled out his blade, slicing her palm and ran his hand over the cut. It disappeared just as quickly as he had cut it. The crowd ‘ahh’d’ and he leaned into her ear and whispered. She woke up and looked around. Everyone clapped. She had no idea that she had even been asleep. Jonah took her hand and helped her from the table. Lily took it and led her to the side. She whispered to her also. The girl jumped down and stood next to the first girl.
Caine looked at Erik. “Seems that our meals have been chosen,” he said.
Erik smiled and continued to stare at the dark haired girl. Jonah wrapped up his show and he jumped down and kissed the girls hands, one at a time. He looked up at Caine and nodded. Jonah looked back at Lily and nodded. She came over to the two girls and shuffled them off. Jonah walked to Caine and Erik and bowed to them.
“Did you enjoy the show?” he asked them.
Caine nodded and Erik watched the girls as they disappeared into a tent with Lily.
“When do we feed?” he asked him. Jonah laughed.
“Patience,” he said to him. He looked at Caine. “We will meet up with them in due time. Lily will get them dressed and ready to join us for dinner.”
Jonah started to walk and they followed him. Jonah came to tent and pulled the slit open. He waved his hand and let Caine and Erik step in first. They both looked around at a room decked out with candles and many dishes of food on the table. Erik sat down first and grabbed the bottle of wine on the table. Jonah flashed to him and grabbed the bottle from his hand. Erik looked up at him and tilted his head. Jonah looked down at him and smiled.
“That is for our little friends… let me get you one not tainted,” he said as he sat the bottle down and flashed to a cabinet.
He pulled an old bottle and blew the dust off of it. He spun around and brought it back to the table and pulled the cork out with his teeth. He spit the cork out and poured it into Erik’s glass. He nodded to him and sat down at the head of the table. Caine pulled his chair and sat down at the opposite end. He picked up his glass and filled his glass. He sat the bottle back down and took a drink from his glass. His eyes lit up.
“This is blood,” he said to Jonah. Jonah smiled at him.
“Well, of course it is,” he said as he took a drink of his own.
Caine set his glass down and looked at Jonah.
“So how long has it been?” he said to him.
“Seems like yesterday Caine,” Jonah said as he smelled his glass and sloshed its contents around. “I would guess maybe… fifty years, give or take a year or two, since we last spoke.”
Caine grinned at him. “I have always admired your creative approach to feeding Jonah... you and your sister’s.”
Jonah set his glass down and leaned forward. “Tell me Caine… why are you here?”
Caine picked up his glass again and swallowed all of its contents. He sat the glass down and traced the top of it with his fingers.
“Seems that I would like to employ your services, you and your sister, of course. You have talents of persuasion that would be useful to me.” Jonah grinned.
“And what would those be Caine… surely you are capable of tracking down one little girl,” he said to him.
Caine stopped touching the rim of his glass and shot a glance up to him. Jonah sat back into his chair.
“I meant no insult to you,” Jonah said quickly.
Caine stared at him and a grin came across his face. “Of course not Jonah. We are all friends here… bound in blood are we not?”
Jonah turned as Lily entered with the two girls. They both were dressed in cabaret outfits… red and black. Lily led one to a chair next to Erik and sat her down and the other at the end with Caine. Erik stared at the girl while she looked at the table full of food.
“Oh my god… this is awesome,” she said. Erik looked at Caine and he held up his hand, to let him know that he was to wait.
The other girl looked at Jonah. “I just loved the mirror trick… that was so cool,” she said.
Jonah stood up and grabbed the bottle of wine. He walked to her and she held up her glass.
She giggled. “I’ve never had any alcohol before.” She looked up at him and he winked at her.
She giggled again and looked at the other girl across the table. Lily took a chair next to Caine and reached under the table. She started to rub Caine’s leg and he stared at Jonah. Jonah cleared his throat and Lily brought her hand up to the table and leaned on her hands. She held them out to Jonah and waved them at him. He shook his head and looked back at Caine.
“So, as I was saying… we would be interested to further our conversation with you. You have peeked my interest… I will admit.” Caine raised his glass to him and Erik filled the girl’s glass next to him. He lifted it to her and she took it from him. She laughed.
“Oh what the hell!” she said as she laughed and drank it down.
Erik filled it again for her and she looked at him.
/> “One is probably enough for me… I don’t drink,” she said. Erik looked at her.
“Drink,” he said.
She looked at him and grinned a little. He lifted it to her and she put it to her mouth. She sipped on it and placed it on the table. Erik kept staring a hole into her and Caine cleared his throat. Erik shot a look at him and Erik sighed as he leaned back in his chair. Jonah clapped his hands together and the two girls flinched. He stood up and started to walk around the table. He stopped by the girl with Erik and placed his hands on her shoulders. The girl next to Caine had drank three glasses already and she stood up and started to dance around the room. She pulled at her top and her breasts fell out. She looked down and covered them and started to giggle.
“I feel like I am floating,” she said as laughed.
Lily stood up walked to her. She touched her face and looked at Caine as she bent down and started to lick her nipple. Caine watched them as the girl giggled and Lily came up to her mouth and kissed her. The girl next to Erik watched them and started to sway a little. Jonah held onto her shoulders. He reached under his coat behind his back and pulled out his blade. He placed his hand under her chin and pulled her head back… he sliced the blade across her throat, only cutting it a little. Erik grabbed her and dropped to the floor in a flash. He bit into her neck and the girl moaned under him. He rose up and kissed her picking her up and Jonah pulled the side of tent apart so Erik could carry her into the adjoining room with a bed.
Jonah pulled the tent closed and looked at Lily. She grinned and brought the other girl to Caine. She continued to grab her breasts from behind her as Caine stood up and placed his hand on her face. He looked into her eyes… they started to roll in her head. He kissed her and Lily moaned behind her. Jonah flashed to them and grabbed Lily’s hand. He jerked her from them.
“We will leave you now,” he said as he pulled Lily from the room.
Caine held her face and whispered, “Wake.”
The girl opened her eyes and they got large as Caine kissed her hard on the mouth. She struggled and he pulled her to the floor. He leaned over her and said, “Bind” to her. She started to cry out and he covered her mouth with his hand.
***
I woke up on Sam. She was sat up on the couch but had fallen asleep and I had slipped into her lap. I pushed myself up slowly and looked at her. She was so pretty, not as hard as I remembered her to be. I appreciated the comfort she’d given me.
I stood up and realized that I still had my boots on, probably Lily’s… eeek. I looked down at them and decided to pull them off. I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, pulled out a chilled coffee and headed to the porch. I sat there swinging for a while. I can’t believe that I am the only one up. Well… it was a late night. I sat there and watched the fog roll back into the forest. I shivered a little, remembering Lily’s filed teeth. How creepy. She was such a pretty girl, why would someone do that to themselves? I didn’t get it.
I sat there, barely rocking when the front door opened. I looked over to see Johnathan peeking out. I looked back at the forest and I guess he decided to invade my space anyway. He stepped out glancing my way. I scooted over to let him sit down next to me. Him sitting there did not mean that I had to talk to him. I kept rocking us slowly and he cleared his throat. I felt like he was about to make a speech. I started to rub my neck and he opened his mouth.
“Rue, I have so much I want to say to you,” he said.
I avoided looking at him. I really don’t want to do this.
“Okay,” I said.
He didn’t look at me. I kind of found that odd, coming from him. Normally he stares at me constantly. I waited. I was not inviting his big explanation to me. I already knew that he didn’t know about the brother/sister thing, gross, by the way. I stopped roaming around in thought when he decided to talk some more.
“Okay, listen, I did not know that you were my sister when I did that with her. I also know now that we are not related.” He paused and touched his stomach. I looked at him.
“Do not throw up on me Johnathan.”
He took his hand away from his stomach and looked at me.
“I’m not, I won’t do that,” he said to me. I waited for more. He sighed. “I know,”
I crinkled my eyebrows. “You know what?”
“I know that you really like Josh,” he said to me. I stood up and turned around to him.
“Oh do you,” I said as I crossed my arms. He looked up at me and I stared at him.
“I do and to tell you the truth, I’m glad,” he said. I tilted my head.
What does he mean that he’s ‘glad’? I waited and started to relax my arms.
He looked up at me. “I can’t do this with you,” he said.
I sat back down. I looked at him. I could not believe that he was going for the break-up.
“You can’t do it?” I asked him. He sat back and looked out in the yard.
“Well, maybe I should say that I don’t ‘want’ to do this… that would be closer to the truth.”
I sat there wondering how the hell I was getting the dump. He can’t be serious, can he?
I stood up and looked at him again.
“You want to break up with me?” I asked him. He half smiled at me.
“Well, it kind of grosses me out now,” he said.
“I gross you out now… oh, that’s just fantastic,” I muttered to him. He cleared his throat again.
I looked at him. “That is a disgusting habit,” I said, I guess I just felt bitchy… I really didn’t care. He stood up and looked at me. “I just want to be friends… it’s me Rue, it’s not you.”
I tilted my head and stared at him.
“You did not just use that line on me… did you?” I said to him, as I rolled my eyes.
He rubbed his hair. I waited for his next big jump into ‘dickville’. He walked to the front door.
“I hope that things won’t be weird now.”
I laughed.
He waited a moment. “I still love you… just not in that way, anymore.” I waved my hand at him.
“Oh shut up Johnathan,” I said and he walked into the house.
I sat there and bit my lip. I didn’t feel like crying. I wasn’t even mad, just annoyed that he had the audacity to break up with me. I grinned and stood up, just as I heard someone laughing inside. I walked in and Johnathan stood in front of Josh. Josh leaned around him and grinned at me. I rolled my eyes and walked upstairs.
I entered my room and sat down on the floor. I looked over at my bed and saw that it was a new one. I stood up and stared and walked up to it. It was an awesome bed, large and it had new sheets and a comforter on it. It was black with white umbrellas all over it. I put my hands on my hips and heard a snicker behind me. I turned around and saw Josh leaning in my doorway. I rolled my eyes and sat down on the bed. He walked in and sat down next to me. I sighed.
“Yep,” he said.
“Yep,” I said.
He reached over and held my hand. I looked down at our hands and let it be. We sat there in silence for a moment and then he stood up and turned to me.
“So, I was wondering if you would like to go out, like a date,” he said.
I looked up at him and grinned.
“A date?” I said.
He stood there and shifted to his other leg. He crossed his arms. I waited.
“Yea… like you and me… out, doing something,” he said. I grinned at him.
“Like what?” I asked him. He stood there looking at me.
“I’ll figure something out, something normal,” he said.
“Okay… fine,” I said to him.
He grinned and walked to the door. He turned around and looked at me.
“He’s an ass,” he said to me and then walked out of my room.
I stared at my hands and felt a vibration in them. I slapped my feet together like a little kid, waiting for Christmas morning. I lay back on my bed and smiled, as I bit my finger.
***
I laid there for fifteen minutes, kind of calming the butterflies down in my stomach. I didn’t know how many times it would just so happen that one boy would dump you and another boy would step right up to the plate and take a swing at your heart, but there I was, experiencing just that. I won’t say that I didn’t feel anything for Johnathan, of course I did, but Josh… he was a whole other story. I didn’t know how to navigate him. I was kind of scared and happy all at the same time. It sucks and doesn’t.
I jumped up and walked to my door. I started to close it and then I thought… who cares. I left it open and jumped in the shower. I stood there and let the hot water just blast me. I expected a visitor, but no one came. Weird that I didn’t care if someone popped in. I’ve been tainted, awesome.
I took a long shower. I tested to see just how long anyone could avoid coming in… still no one. I shut the water off and got out. I started to rub my head with the towel and I looked into the mirror. I wiped the steam and leaned in. My hair was no longer blonde. I touched it and grinned. It was dark again. I didn’t know how, but I was glad. I blew it dry and it stood up with static. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I felt different. Without thinking I knew what I could do without a second thought… no more amateur crap. The color swirled behind my eyes and I lifted my fingers to my head. Blue sparks leapt from my hair and into my fingertips, it tickled a little. I held my hands in place and my hair stretched towards it. I watched as it grew; I pulled my hands further from my head and my hair continued to follow. I kept going until it was long again. I leaned in and lost my concentration and my hair fell around my shoulders and down my back. It might be just a little longer than it was before. I grinned, big time. I guess I kinda missed it. It actually looked a lot healthier too. If at any point I failed as a protector. I could fall back on doing hair. I smiled when that thought crossed my mind. I braided it and let it fall over my shoulder.
I cracked out the lip gloss and touched my lips with it then ran to my closet and pulled out my jeans and slid them on. I also decided to wear my black shirt that hung off one of my shoulders, with my French kitty on it. I slipped it over my head and pulled my boots on, over my jeans and zipped them up. I don’t have a lot of… you know… the boobie thing, so I let the bra thing not happen. It felt better anyway. I pulled my shirt over my shoulder and let my brand new ravens show.