"A good name is more desirable than great riches;
to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."
Proverbs:22
"Stay right there, don't move!" Dean yelled over the wailing. I nodded, falling back against the cash register and watched as Dean grabbed a canister of salt that had been laying on a shelf not far away. He proceeded to line the salt along the windows. I watched in confusion.
"What are you doing?!" I tried to yell but the ringing became even louder then before and I swore I heard a voice trying to talk over it. I clenched my hands as tight as they could over my ears and huddled down. I could hear the windows starting to crack and the next thing I knew, Dean had thrown himself on top of me in a protective way as they shattered, sending tiny shards all around us. And with that, the ringing was gone as fast as it had came. The only sound was our labored breathing.
"Dean..." I breathed shyly, suddenly aware of our position.
"Oh, sorry, are you okay?" He asked, genuine concern evident in his husky voice as he stood up, helping me stand as well, dusting some of the glass that had fallen atop my form. I nodded, looking up at him through my big glasses slightly fearful of what had just happened.
"What was that...I mean...that wasn't like before..." It was his turn to look at me in confusion.
"Are you saying this has happened before?" He asked, motioning to the shattered glass all around us. I wrapped my hands around myself looking down at my feet trying to make sense of it all but as hard as I tried, I just couldn't. I finally shrugged looking back up at those stunning green eyes, my knees instantly starting to shake so I resorted to picking tiny glass pieces out of my hair.
"Back when I said someone, or something rather, had told me to come and find you because you needed my help, I got this ringing in my ear before the voice finally came through and I was able to understand it but...it wasn't like that, not that intense."
His fingers came up and picked a big shard out of my bangs and threw it to the ground, causing me to catch his eye and I bit my lip nervously. Like I said, I was a virgin so I wasn't really good around boys, especially one as good looking as Dean, and the situation didn't help.
"Did you hear a voice this time?" He questioned leaning down to pick up the plastic bag he had filled with water bottles and snacks.
"For a moment, I thought so, but it just got so loud, it all became so fuzzy, I'm so confused." I admitted, pulling on my back pack. He nodded in understanding.
"Believe me sugar, I'm just as confused as you, that's why we need to get to my friend Bobby's, my brother, Sam, should be there as well and I'm hoping they can help us..." he gestured between the two of us, "figure out exactly what the hell is going on.
"Okay." I said sighing, it seemed like the best option. I certainly had no idea what was going on and with the opportunity of possibly getting some answers finally in view, I wasn't about to pass it up.
"Lets get to the bus station before we miss it." I said heading for the door before placing some cash on the counter. This earned me a weird look from Dean.
"What? It's for all the stuff you took." I said matter-o-fact. Dean laughed opening the door for me.
"Well aren't you just as sweet as pie." He joked causing me to smile shyly as I walked outside stopping abruptly, causing Dean to run right into me.
"Woah, why'd you stop?" He asked walking to stand beside me so he could get a better look. I pointed at the bus that was currently driving away.
"Oh crap." He simply said, huffing.
"Yep." I said, letting a huff of my own escape my lips.
"What do we do now?" I questioned, looking up at him, taking notice to how tall he was compared to my 5 foot 4 form. His eyes scanned around us, presumably looking for something to help us in our predicament.
"Bingo," he said, "Come on." I followed him to an old run down vintage car as he opened the door and threw the plastic bag in the back before leaning down to rip the dash off and pull the wires out.
"You know how to wire a car?" I asked walking over to the passenger side so I could slide in and place my bag with his as I watched with curiosity. He smirked up at me as he flicked two wires together causing them to spark and the engine to rev to life.
"Among other things." He answered, finding his seat before the wheel and shutting the door behind him. I looked out the window as I rolled it down with raised eyebrows and a slight blush staining my cheeks. Who had I exactly pulled out of the ground, James Dean? Expertly, he pulled out and onto the main road. Beside me, Dean rolled his own window down and began to play with the radio, surprisingly it worked and favorite song of mine by The Beatles, Black Bird, came on softly through the speakers.
"Is this okay?" He asked glancing over at me before returning his eyes to the road.
"Yes." I said smiling as I brushed my hair out of my face as best I could. Long hair and wind don't mix, but it felt good. I saw him nod yet another one of those smirks on his face as his face as his thumbs beat on the steering wheel lightly.
I watched the scenery pass by as I tried to replay the events of the last 12 hours or so and makes some sense of them. Had it only been that long? It felt like ages. Leaning my head against the door frame, my hand propping my chin up causing my hair to whip behind me, I found myself wishing that my mother was here. She may not have known exactly what was going on, but she would have found the right words to say to calm my raising thoughts. I felt tears brim my eyes and I quickly brushed them away. My parents had been gone a very long time, they were older when they had me so natural causes took them in there own way. I didn't like getting into the details, too many bad memories of long nights in the hospital and funeral paper work. I shook my head and sighed.
"You okay over there? Dean asked glancing at me.
"Ya, just trying to make sense of it all ya know?" I said looking over at him. He nodded in understanding.
"Ya I do, but trust me, if anyone knows whats going on, Bobby is the person to go to, my brother too, we'll get this all sorted out, don't you worry." He said, sending a small smile my way.
"I hope so." I said folding my hands over my chest as I tapped my feet on the ground absent mindedly.
"Uh, so, Lavender...that's not a name you hear very often." I heard Dean say. I raised an eyebrow, was he trying small talk me?
"Uh," I laughed lightly, thinking of my name, "Ya, my parents were kind of hippies." He shot a look of confusion my way mixed with amusement.
"Hippies? As in..."
"Flower, love and peace man." I said in a dopy voice, holding up a peace sign as I laughed. Dean followed in suite.
"My mom was actually kind of a psychic or sensitive, she owned a small shop she read tarot cards and palms at, her name was Mina and my father, Jonah he was a herpetologist, he sold them out of the same shop my mom worked at, it was like a joint business so when they chose my name they wanted something special, something with meaning."
"And what does your name mean?" He asked, curios.
"Love, purity, healing, something new and promised." I answered, remembering the night I asked my mom why she had chose my name as she had finished reading her favorite Palms to me like she would every night before placing a lavender flower to mark her place when she was done.
"Seems fitting." Deans voice rang out, bringing me back from my memory. I smiled watching his expression.
"Thank you, I've always loved my name." I admitted, toying with the silver cross resting on my chest, it had been my 18th birthday present from my parents.
"Do you know what your name means?" I asked, he shook his head looking out the window.
"Nah, only that I was named after my grandmother." My eyebrows forward together.
"Your grandmother?" I asked, intrigued. He nodded.
"Ya, on my mothers side."
"That's actually very sweet." I said.
"Thanks." He answered.
"It actually means something Holy, like a church or valley, it also means leader." I said, this caused him to look at me.
"How do you know that?" He asked.
"I just find names interesting, there meanings and origins, I do own a book store after all." I said shrugging, rolling up my window, the sun was starting to set and it was getting colder.
"Huh...we'll aren't you full of interesting facts." He joked.
"Librarian." I added, pulling my own leg. He laughed again.
"We'll be there in a few hours, why don't you close your eyes for a bit?"
"You wont kill me in my sleep will you?" I asked, joking but not really.
"Scouts honor, your safe with me." He answered without missing a beat. I squinted at him but even I couldn't deny the tired sitting behind my eyes and decided resting them wasn't so bad.
"Okay." I said, a small yawn escaping from my lips as I resting my chin on my hand and closed my eyes.
It didn't take long for the sound of very soft snoring to reach my ear as I kept on driving. In the silence of the car I let my eyes rest on the girl sleeping beside me so peacefully. She was an interesting one to say the least but it was refreshing. Defiantly not my type either but she was sweet, her kindness and innocence was almost seeping out of her, I could almost taste it. But behind that gentle face I could see the concern and worry, it looked too foreign for her even if I didn't know her that well. All I knew was she had forsaken her normal life as a librarian, and she really did fit the part to be honest, to travel to the middle of nowhere so she could pull me out of the ground. Which might I add she was handling rather gracefully. If that didn't earn her my trust I didn't know what did. Absent mindedly I rubbed at the swollen burn on my upper arm. What had pulled me out of the pit? I hadn't the damnedest idea but I had a hunch that whatever did had something to do with Lavender being sent to help me out back there and probably was trying to make another attempt at contact back in the store too. Sighing, I came to a stop as we pulled into Singer Salvage.
"Here we go."