Bloodstone Heart

by T. Lynne Tolles

  He could feel every move she made. It was funny though, for as much of her body that was touching him, he wanted to touch her. He wondered if it would be inappropriate for him to touch the outside of her thigh with a little pat or touch her hands wrapped around him in some kind of innocent gesture of affection, but he made himself crazy wondering if it was right or not, so he just opted to not and play it safe.

  After about five hours, they stopped at a gas station to fill up the tank. She got off the bike to stretch her legs and at first she walked around like she had been riding a horse all day. Josh had to laugh at that.

  "So where are we?" she asked.

  "Umm, we are in Grants Pass, Oregon. Are you warm enough?”

  "I'm sweating. Between you and the motorcycle, I feel like I'm hugging a hot water heater."

  "That's good, because it's going to get real cold, real fast."

  "Why's that?"

  "We're about forty-five minutes from Ashland and that is the start of the Siskiyou Mountain Range. We're going to gain some altitude and it will get colder the higher we go. I figure we will be in or near Shasta by nightfall and that's where we can call it a day, unless you'd rather do it sooner than later. We could stay in Ashland. It's a real nice little town just this side of the Siskiyou's.”

  "Shasta's fine." She handed him the duffle and the helmet. "I'm going to use the bathroom while I have a chance. Unlike guys, girls don't have the convenience of peeing any old place."

  "Good point. Are you hungry? Do you want to get anything before we head up the mountain?"

  "No, I'm good, unless you're hungry."

  "No. Not really. Little too wound up to feel hungry, I guess."

  She smiled and nodded at him then she walked away towards the bathrooms as Josh continued to fill the tank. When he was done he walked the bike over to the door and waited for her. When she came out the door, she didn't see him immediately and when she spotted him, she beamed a smile that melted him to his very core. Somehow he knew that things had changed forever. He would never be happy alone again after knowing her. She had somehow altered him. He wasn't sure how or what was different, but it was something significant. He smiled back and started to hand her the duffle, but then said, "You know, if you would rather, we could probably put this between us, if you think that would be more comfortable."

  "Are you uncomfortable with me holding onto you?"

  "No, it feels wonder...I mean, not at all, I like having you hold on, I mean. No. I just thought if you were uncomfortable…"

  "Well, if you don't mind, I think I would feel safer holding on to you and plus you said it's going to get colder and...well, I think I would be warmer next to you."

  Josh blushed, as did Lanie, then he handed her the duffle bag and helped her with the helmet. She stared at his eyes as he buckled the helmet, but he avoided hers for fear of blushing again. He said, "Comfortable?" and she nodded, yes, like a bobble head on a dashboard.

  "Ready?" he asked and she nodded again. She grabbed his shoulder before he could offer his hand and was on the bike behind him like a pro. She adjusted once or twice and grabbed each side of his waist as they headed for the freeway again. She wasn't wrapped around him as tightly this time, much to his disappointment, and she seemed to be taking in the scenery. He thought, she must be feeling more comfortable on the bike now.

  As they passed Ashland they started up the steep grade to the Anderson Pass. As Josh had said, it started to get significantly colder and once again she was snuggled close to him. Once they got up to a spot where the road was straight for a bit, he ventured to pat her hand lightly and pointed at Mt. Ashland and the snow on her slopes. Her body language showed her excitement and she stroked his chest in what he construed as an affectionate gesture of appreciation. Soon they were in California and heading down the grade into the hilly terrain between the Siskiyou and the Cascade Mountain ranges. Once they hit Weed, California, they could see Mount Shasta and Black Butte. It was just getting dark when they pulled into a small town named Dunsmuir. They found a small hotel that was next to a restaurant and though it wasn't fancy, it looked clean. When Josh got off the bike he pulled off his helmet and asked, "Is this okay with you?"

  "Sure. It's fine."

  "Do you want me to get you your own room?"

  "Don't be silly. We may have to live on the money we have for a while. We should make it last as long as we can. Plus, we should probably pose as a married couple. Don't use our real names and don't forget to use cash."

  "Right. I'll be right back."

  "I'll be the one walking around out here trying to get some feeling back in my rear end." He chuckled and headed for the office. A few minutes later he was back with a huge chunk of wood with #6 on it attached to a key ring.

  "Don't tell me; let me guess," she said, "Room 6?"

  Josh laughed and said, "Yeah, don't imagine we'll lose this very easily. Here, let me get the duffle bag."

  She pulled it off over her head and rubbed her shoulder a bit, handing it to him with the other hand.

  "You sore?"

  "No, not bad."

  "Well, when I was packing I didn't know you'd end up having to hold it or I would have gone lighter."

  "Don't say that. It's fine. Besides, I'm going to have to borrow some things from you, so you couldn't have gone too light."

  "That's right. You don't have any clothes."

  "No, but I can get by on very little. Wouldn't mind getting a toothbrush and some deodorant, though. I can get by for a while without, but you might not want to be around me much.”

  "I can't imagine that, I mean - you're right. We'll get you some necessities tonight or tomorrow morning."

  "Thanks."

  "Right now let's dump this stuff off in the room and get something to eat."

  "Sure. I'd just like to freshen up a bit, if you don't mind?"

  "Not at all," he said as he opened the door to the little room. It wasn't fabulous, but it was clean. There was a queen sized bed, a TV, and a large bathroom with a tub and shower. The décor was from sometime in the 70's but the bedspread and matching curtains looked fairly new. He tossed the duffle bag at the foot of the bed and deposited the two helmets on the chair by the door.

  "I'll only be a minute," Melanie said, and then she retreated to the bathroom after taking off Josh's spare leather jacket and her coat underneath.

  Josh unzipped the duffle and pulled a wad of cash out of the bag along with his laptop. He carefully tucked the cash into the lining of the helmets that lay on the chair. Pretty unlikely anyone would look there for cash. He hid the laptop under the bed and moved the duffle to the floor. He sat on the edge of the bed and lay back with arms spread. The mattress was comfortable and it felt good to be in a different position after sitting on the bike all day.

  A few minutes later, Melanie came out of the bathroom and sat next to him on the bed before he could sit back up. She gently patted his thigh and said, "If you need to rest a bit, that's cool. I can wait for dinner."

  "No, I'm hungry. Besides, we have things to talk about."

  "I suppose we do, but I don't think we should really discuss them at dinner. We'll wait until we get back, okay?"

  "Sure. Are you ready then?"

  "Let me grab my jacket," she said as she got up.

  "Let's eat." He smiled as he opened the door for her, making sure to grab the giant key ring before he shut the door.

  The restaurant was really more like a diner, with booths lined up against the window and a counter that ran the length of the entire place. The waitress was friendly, maybe even a bit too friendly to Josh, as far as Melanie was concerned. She was blatantly flirting with him, but Josh never made eye contact with her and he had the sternest face Melanie had ever seen on him. Then all of sudden it dawned on her what was wrong.

  "Oh, Josh, I'm so sorry. It was really insensitive of me not to remember your issues. This place must be deafening to you. Shall we get our order to go? Or you could turn on your music if
you wish. I won't be offended."

  "No, it’s fine. You actually seem to buffer some of it out somehow."

  Before he could say anything else, she went to the waitress at the counter. "Miss? Excuse me, I'm sorry to be a bother, but my husband isn't feeling very well, so I was wondering if we could order something and take it back to our hotel next door, so he can relax?”

  "Sure, we do that all the time. What can I get you two?"

  "I'd like to get a club sandwich with fries and a Sprite." Melanie spun around and asked Josh, "Sweetie, what do you want?”

  Surprised, he said, "Oh, ummm, cheeseburger and fries and a Coke, I guess."

  The waitress said, "How would you like that done?"

  Josh answered, "Medium rare."

  "Okay, no problem. We can take it over there if you tell me what room you're in."

  "That would be great. We're in room #6. How much will that be?"

  "Umm, let’s see. That will be $14.67."

  Melanie handed her a twenty and said, "Thanks so much, keep the change for the delivery."

  "Thanks. It will be about 10-15 minutes."

  Melanie turned to Josh and said, "Come on, Sweetheart. They're going to bring it to us, so you can go rest."

  Josh got up out of his seat and she wrapped both arms around his waist and kissed his bearded cheek. "Come on, we'll get you settled and you'll feel better."

  Josh tried very hard not to act surprised by Melanie's act in front of the waitress. Melanie turned and waved to the waitress and led Josh out the door. Once outside, Josh said, "Well, that was interesting. You really didn't have to do that, but I will say you put on a pretty good act."

  Still holding on to him she replied, "Of course I had to do it. I'm not going to let you be miserable, when I can easily fix the problem. Besides, who said I was acting?" She giggled at Josh's stunned expression.

  "Well, we are supposedly married,” she said. “By the way, what are our names?"

  "Our what? Oh right. Richard and Annie Smith.”

  "Well now, that doesn't sound fake. You couldn't come up with something better than Smith?”

  "Not without it looking like I was making it up."

  "What about Richard and Annie? Your parents’ names?"

  "Yeah, how'd you know?"

  "We're going to have to work on your lying skills."

  "That's not something I ever thought anyone would say to me," Josh said as he opened the door to #6 and let Melanie in ahead of him.

  Melanie took off her jacket. "Okay, Sweetie, you better get into bed and rest. We don't want to mess up our charade. And if you want to give the waitress the thrill of her life, drop your pants in a wad on the floor, get under the covers and take off your shirt. I'll bet you five dollars she drops our dinner on the floor."

  The shocked expression came over his face again and he blushed deeply.

  "What? Like you didn't notice her trying to get your attention, or hear her thoughts, for that matter. I'm guessing they were a bit X-rated."

  "Well, I, umm, no, I was trying to block the voices."

  "Hmmm. I wonder," she said. She was obviously embarrassing him, so she dropped the subject.

  A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. As Melanie figured, the waitress herself came to deliver the order and was looking over Melanie's shoulder trying to see Josh who, much to her disappointment, was in the bathroom.

  "How's your husband feeling?"

  "Oh, not great, but thank you for asking."

  "I could bring some soup if you think it will help."

  "That's so sweet, but no, I think he just needs to eat and get some rest. Could you tell me, though, where the nearest drugstore is, in case I need to get something for him?"

  "Sure. Go up to the first light and take a left. It's up a block on the right. You can't miss it."

  "Thanks again for all your help."

  "Tell your husband I hope he feels better."

  "I will. Thank you," Melanie said and closed the door while the waitress shot one last look around the room.

  She walked to the bed with the bag, set the sodas down on the nightstand, and sat cross-legged on the bed. She started taking things out of the bag, when Josh came out of the bathroom.

  "You doing okay?"

  "Yeah, I'm fine. I see the food came," he said. She smiled and handed him his burger. "Thanks," he said.

  "The waitress told me to tell you she hopes you feel better. She offered to bring you some soup, if you prefer." She smiled coyly as she took a bite of her sandwich. He gave her a sideways look as he sat on the bed and took a bite of his burger.

  "So have we decided where we are going?" he asked.

  "Well, the only place I can think to go is a friend's place near San Francisco. She owns a supernatural bookstore there. She helped me find some information once that really helped me so maybe she can help us."

  "Supernatural bookstore? How will that help?"

  "Well, we are dealing with a vampire. I don't know. I know she will help us if she can. She's very sweet and if nothing else maybe we can stay there until we can get a handle on what this vampire thinks you have. Unless you have an idea of your own."

  "I wish I did. What's left of my family is in the Midwest."

  "How did you end up in Washington?"

  "College. Started out in pre-med at Washington University, then changed my major to computer science and just stayed."

  "Well if you prefer we could head east or northeast."

  "No. I'd rather not have to explain my involvement with vampires to my parents."

  "Have you ever talked to your parents about your abilities? You know they are usually hereditary."

  "They know about it, in fact they've been really supportive all along, but I was adopted, so they can't really help me past being supportive."

  "Have you ever tried to find your biological parents?"

  "No. My parents gave me the name of my biological mother, if I wanted to pursue it, but I never really wanted to deal with all the emotion of it."

  "I guess I can understand that, but they may be able to help you deal with your abilities."

  "Maybe. So where is this place we're headed?"

  "It's in a town called Oljone. It's near the coast, north of Santa Cruz and south of Halfmoon Bay."

  Josh pulled out his iPhone and typed in Oljone, CA and a Google map came up. He was able to zoom out and figure the best way to get there. "Looks like we can take Highway 5, cut over to 80 into San Francisco and make our way to Highway 1 down the coast. It should be a nice ride. Not terribly long, but beautiful scenery."

  "Great."

  "So are you going to tell me what you were doing in the alley when you touched the ashes? I mean, all this time I've been telling you about me, and you've really not offered much info about yourself."

  "Sorry about that. It's not intentional, just habit, I suppose. It tends to freak people out, so I mostly keep it to myself."

  "It can't be that bad."

  "You may not think that after I tell you, then where would we be?” she said.

  "I don't think there is anything you could tell me after what I've seen in the last week that is going to change my view of you. I mean, I've supposedly seen two vampires, one of which I accidentally killed and now I have another following me. You don't suppose they were brothers or something and he's after me because I killed his brother, do you?"

  "I don't think so. That doesn't really mesh with what I saw."

  "What you saw?"

  "Yes. You asked me what I was doing touching the ashes. I was seeing the scene that played out, like a movie. I am psychometric. I can see past events by touching an object or person, in this case, the ashes of the person."

  "Oh, and what did you see?"

  "I saw pretty much what you told me, but from his point of view. There really wasn't much of him there anymore, so his last event was all I could see."

  "So if his body had been there you would have seen more?"


  "Probably. Of course it had been a week, so maybe not much more than what I saw with his ashes."

  "Were you able to get any other information from him?"

  "Just that, like you said, he was looking for something. I got the impression he had stolen it or that it wasn't originally his and that seemed to panic him more."

  "So have you always had this ability?"

  "No."

  "No? You weren't born with it, like me? It's not hereditary?"

  "No."

  "Can you elaborate?"

  She pursed her lips, hesitating, but she knew he was right, she had learned a lot about him and she had not offered him much about herself. She feared that with this new information, Josh wouldn't want to have anything to do with her, as had been the case with so many others when they’d found out the truth. She knew, though, that if she kept isolating herself she would never find the one person that would look past her abilities and love her for the person she was. She hoped with all her heart that Josh was that person. The fact that he too had an ability that made him feel isolated from others might be the common ground needed for love to bloom. She took a deep breath and continued, reluctantly.

  "When I was thirteen, I was in a car accident with my parents. They both died in the accident and I was in a coma for two months. When I came out of the coma, I was terrified. I had no idea where I was, everything hurt, and my parents were nowhere. When the nurse came in to check on me, I grabbed her forearm, and like a streaming videotape in fast forward, I started seeing faces and things unrecognizable to me. I was so scared and I couldn't turn it off, it just kept coming and coming. Images and clips of a life that wasn't mine until I saw an image of her in a mirror and realized it was the nurse's life I was seeing, every tiny detail. That's when I realized that she was screaming and I looked down at my hands. They were gripping her arms so tightly that my nails had dug into her and she was bleeding.

  "The doctors all thought I had some kind of brain damage from the accident or the coma or a combination of both and well, they put me in the psych ward for several months. That's where I learned that if I ever wanted to be out of the psych ward I would have to keep my visions to myself.