Chapter 6: Bloody Mary

Kate and Seth went outside to wait while Richie was changing into his new suit. Seth instantly lit a cigarette and blew smoke straight into Kate's disapproving face ("I can't decide which way the wind blows!"). The sun was sinking below the horizon, casting long shadows on the ground, and Kate could feel a gentle breeze on her legs. It had been late summer when dad, Scott and she had left home, and now the air carried a mild scent of the approaching autumn. Kate tried to imagine herself back at home, going back to school with her friends and living a boring yet secure life, but it all seemed so far away. She realized there was nothing for her left behind.

She wrapped her arms around her and sighed.

Seth was already lighting another cig, when the front door opened and Richie stepped outside. He instantly brought his hand before his eyes, squinting when the late rays of the sun hit his face. He had somehow managed to smooth his hair so that it looked like it used to – sleek and unnaturally shiny.

And the suit – well, Kate noticed she had a hard time taking her eyes off of it. It was similar to the one Seth was wearing, but somehow it was more enchanting on Richie. The contrast between the red and black in the suit and the paleness of Richie's skin emphasized his inhuman appearance even more, making him look anything but ordinary. The suit made Seth look just handsome, but his brother carried it in a way that was compelling.

Kate felt her cheeks burn and quickly turned to look at Seth instead. He, too, was watching Richie, seeming pleased as if the new suit erased the fact his brother was still undead in his eyes.

"Shall we go?" Seth asked. "I know a good bar down there." He pointed to his right, away from the town.

"A bar?" Kate asked. She hadn't realized they were going to a bar to celebrate, but now that she really thought about it – where else would a man like Seth Gecko go?

"Uhm, yeah, a bar. Did you think we'd sit here on the yard, sipping from our juice boxes?" Seth laughed. "No, we're gonna get wasted." He looked at his brother as if to get a confirmation from him, but Richie was busy staring at the moon peeking from behind a purple cloud, seeming oddly satisfied like he was greeting an old friend. He had a dreamy look on his face.

"Well, you and me, anyway," Seth continued, turning to look at Kate.

"I don't know…" she said slowly, not feeling too confident. She was still seventeen, and her parents had always taught her that bars were for drinking alcohol, and drinking alcohol was never a good thing. "Dad said–"

"Kate, hun," Seth interrupted. "Daddy is not here."

Kate frowned. Just because she was alone didn't mean it was wise to do anything that came to her head. Then again, she was almost eighteen. And they were in Mexico – it was not like anyone cared if she went to a bar or not. She shrugged, making Seth grin.

"Let's go then!"

He started walking, and Kate and Richie followed. He threw his arm around Richie's shoulders, and the brothers started chatting together as if nothing had happened between them. Kate let them walk before her so she could only see their backs without hearing much of the conversation, but they both seemed to be in a relatively good mood.

After walking for a while, Kate was able to see a group of small houses not far away from the motel. One of them was clearly a bar of some sort – it had a bright pink neon sign that illuminated the ground in front of it. When they came closer, she could make out the words on the sign. La Derrota, she thought, and wondered what it meant.

There were people outside smoking, most of them middle-aged men. Kate felt their stares as they walked by, and she had a weird feeling in the bottom of her stomach, as if she had just walked into something she wasn't prepared for. She took a couple of longer strides to keep up with Richie and Seth. The three of them went inside.

The bar was already crowded even though the hour was still early. Most customers were men, but there were also pretty Mexican women, leaning on the bar and looking at men in a seductive way. Some of them were wearing really skimpy outfits, and the men were obviously enjoying the attention they were receiving, occasionally putting a hand on a woman's waist. The air was smoky and smelled like cigars and beer. Kate already regretted wearing the dress Pau gave her – it would probably smell like smoke and booze the next day.

Seth headed straight to the bar and Richie followed him. Kate looked around for a moment, trying to see if there were any seats available. She turned around and accidentally bumped into someone.

"Sorry," she excused herself, and thought it was maybe better if she stayed with the Geckos.

She hurried after them to the bar, and arrived just in time to see Seth take a shot of tequila. Richie was standing next to him, looking like an overly attached bodyguard.

"Hey, Kate!" Seth yelled and beckoned her to come closer. She squeezed through the people, trying to make herself as small as she could. (Richie kindly swatted away someone's hand that tried to grab her behind.) She found her place tight between the brothers (a bit closer to Richie than she would have liked), and Seth offered her a shot glass.

"Drink," he commanded.

"What is it?" she asked, eyeing the glass suspiciously.

"What do you think it is? Water?" Seth remarked, rolling his eyes.

"I don't wanna drink it."

Kate had never drunk anything strong, only a few beers and some wine at a family dinner. And now Seth was offering her booze. She knew it was not going to end well if she drank it.

"Aww, c'mon, Kate. It will make you feel better!" Seth encouraged.

"She doesn't have to drink if she doesn't want to," Richie put in. His voice was sounding right next to Kate's ear and she fought against the urge to turn around and face him.

"Who are you, her mom?" Seth looked sharply at his brother and let out a barky laughter.

"Just give it to me," Kate said and took the glass. She wasn't a child anymore. She didn't need to act like one. And what did it matter if she drank one shot? Maybe it would indeed make her feel better. Maybe it would make her forget.

She raised the glass to her lips and downed the drink. It burned instantly in her throat and made her cough a couple of times. Seth only laughed and asked the bartender to give him another shot.

Kate wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and tried to stay very still to see if she felt any different. She could feel the coldness radiating from Richie and turned her head to look at him. He was staring down at her, an unreadable expression on his face (it had really become his trademark).

"You can't drink anything, can you?" Kate asked him. He shook his head.

"I didn't drink much anyway when… I could," he said. Standing so close to him made Kate feel tense, but she decided to ignore it.

"Seth sure likes to drink," she said lightly, and nodded at Seth who was taking yet another shot of tequila. (Apparently he tipped the bartender well because he was served more often than the other customers.)

"His head has always been clearer than mine. He needs it to go away from time to time," Richie said. There was something melancholic in his words, like he was reminiscing about something that happened a long time ago. Kate thought about what he said and knew it was probably true. She had never quite figured out Richie. He had been strange even before he was turned, like he always knew something no one else did. But at the same time it seemed like he couldn't sort out himself. He was a puzzle that had too many corner pieces.

Kate noticed her thoughts were wandering, and she had a hard time remembering what they had been just talking about. She felt a tug on her sleeve and turned around. Seth was offering her a bigger glass this time, filled with something red.

"Drink this, you'll like it more than tequila."

"What is it?"

"Bloody Mary."

Kate took the glass, brought it to her lips, and tasted the drink. Sure, it was better than tequila but still quite horrid. Kate drank some of it anyway just so that Seth would stop giving her more. Seth looked pleased and took a sip of his own drink.

It was getting cramped in the bar and Kate was having trouble with people constantly bumping into her. Richie's frown deepened every time someone got too close, but Seth didn't seem to mind – he was currently eyeing a young woman who was deliberately leaning on the bar so that her body was displayed in the most appealing angle. He had a look of concentration on his face as he poured another shot of tequila and then wiped his mouth clean with the back of his hand. Kate caught his gaze for a second, and he raised his eyebrows.

Kate got the hint.

"You wanna find a more peaceful place?" she asked Richie. He nodded.

They walked through the people, Richie parting the way for them (for some reason everyone seemed to avoid him). They found a less crowded place by a dance floor that was occupied by a drunken couple swaying slowly to a Mexican ballad. Kate sat on a creaky chair and put her drink on an even creakier table before her, hoping it wouldn't fall over. Richie sat next to her and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"How come you can smoke but not drink?" Kate asked. Richie shrugged and lit a cig.

"I mean, you don't even breathe, do you?"

Richie sighed and turned to look at her.

"I don't know why I can smoke. I just can, okay?" he answered, and blew a puff of smoke into the air.

"Okay."

Kate took a sip of her red drink. Her whole body was already starting to feel funny, like she had ants running under her skin. Her cheeks were flushed too, but she enjoyed the sensation – it made her feel all hot and giddy. She took a look at Richie, who was staring at the couple on the dance floor. The cigarette was glowing between his right and middle finger, a small trail of smoke slithering up and dissolving to the smog above his head. She traced his profile with her gaze, stopping at his lips.

Her thoughts went back to the kiss. She had been trying to reassure herself not to think about it, trying to make it seem more like a hazy delusion more than a real memory, but now… Everything reminded her of that moment; the smell of cigarettes, the red lights coming from the bar illuminating Richie's face, and that feeling in the bottom of her stomach. It was difficult to not think about it.

She wanted to know why.

"Richie."

Her voice was surprisingly steady (or maybe it just sounded like that to her own ears). Richie's posture tensed and he turned to face Kate, his eyes appearing almost black when they found hers. His face was entirely expressionless.

"Why did you kiss me?" she blurted, shocked by her own her bluntness. Richie, however, didn't seem surprised by the question, his face remaining blank.

"There's something inside you," Richie said in a low voice. His eyes moved to stare at Kate's lips and the distance between them felt a lot shorter all of a sudden.

"What do you mean?" she asked, and noticed she had been holding her breath.

"It's hard to explain," Richie answered, quickly raising his gaze to meet Kate's. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I was just–"

"There you are!"

Seth had materialized next to them out of nowhere. He was with the woman he had been eyeing in the bar, holding her by the waist. The woman looked from Kate to Richie and smiled at them, revealing a set of straight yet yellowish teeth.

"I wondered where you went," Seth continued, smirking. "Last time you two disappeared together, you ended up–"

Richie stumped his cigarette and stood up.

"I need to do something," he mumbled, and stormed off before any of them had time to say anything.

Seth stared after his brother.

"What's his problem?" he asked Kate. She didn't say anything, just stared after Richie until his back disappeared into the crowd. Her skin was tingling and her head felt funny as if it was filled with cotton. She glared at Seth who had yet again managed to disturb their conversation. Talking with Richie was difficult as it was, but Seth made it impossible.

"Geez," Seth sighed and rolled his eyes, completely missing Kate's glare. The woman whispered something in his ear and his expression turned sly.

"Hey, we're gonna hit the dance floor. You're fine here by yourself, right?" he said, but didn't even wait for Kate to answer. He put his hand on the giggling woman's butt and they headed down to the dance floor, leaving Kate to sit by herself.

She watched as Seth danced with the woman, resting his hands on the small of her back and occasionally whispering something in her ear. Kate felt an urgent need to go someplace else.

She gulped down the rest of the nasty drink, stood up, and started walking away from the show Seth and the woman were putting on. She went past the bar, swaying a little as she walked, and looked around, trying to find the restrooms, when someone grabbed her arm.

And that's when everything started to go wrong.

A/N: If anyone here listens to Kavinsky, you'll probably notice a small part I stole from Nightcall. :) And sorry about the cliffhanger, I had to cut one BIG chapter into two smaller ones.