Chapter 10: Persuasion
Aiden Teague
Sometimes I think my mouth is connected to a completely different person. My body trembles, and I fight the desire to turn in the other direction and keep running so the sun can never set on me again. But then, before I can refuse the words roll out of my mouth- "How do we find out where she lives?" Bingo looked at me as though I had the intelligence of algae. "This phone number has a Vermont code on it… and lets face it. Every man, woman and child will know if there are new people in the area. It'll be easy," she said, conveniently forgetting that Vermont is twice the size of Maryland. "You're kidding me, right? My dad'll put me in military camp until I'm twenty-five if I leave during a school week… besides, what do I tell him? I'm going in search of a pack of murderous werewolves because I feel guilty." Bingo just rolled her eyes. "We haven't even started planning and you're already making as many excuses as possible not to do this. Look, do you think you're ever going to be at peace with this if you don't confront her?" she pointed out, watching my face closely and I gritted my teeth. Here stands my problem, if I go up there for no 'real reason' I probably wont make it out in one piece. I'm beginning to think that I don't really care. But Bingo? I'm not going to risk her.
"Fine, but I'm doing it alone," I said firmly as she unlocked the door. She snorted. "Over my dead, decomposing body." I winced. That was probably exactly what she would be if she came with me. "Look, you screwed up jerk, you stuffed up. You probably almost killed Viv. You probably are the real reason any of these deaths happened in the first place… you said that Astrid was trying to frame Vivian. Oh, and I forget. Did you lie to me or was that just my imagination? Forget it, even if you don't come, I've gotta see her." Now that surprised me. "Why in Gods name do you want to see her? You don't even know her," I demanded and she picked up the taser, causing my to inch back slightly. "Guys. So self-centered. Seriously, you'd think the entire universe rotates around you." She sarcastically told my, flicking up the on switch so a fuzzy line of blue electricity jumped between the two metal prongs.
"I liked Viv. She was a mate. You stick by your mates." She said those words as though they were so obvious. As though it was one of the rules that governed the world. Stick by your mates. If that was something you garnered points for in Saint Peters court I was in serious trouble. "Look at it this way. I'm the brains of this operation, and you're the only one with a full license. You need me." I groaned. Her nose was scrunched up as I'd seen it occasionally before. The time she told her parents she was going to get her nose pierced. The time she told our home teacher to go stick his assignment somewhere painful in primary school. A sure fire sign she wasn't going to give an inch. "Fine," I grudgingly accepted and she instantly grinned. "I knew your better sense would prevail," she told me wisely and I smirked. "Fine, but I mean what I say about not going during the week. He told me that being an 'uncontrollable minor' wasn't the worst he could do if I didn't start wearing some 'normal' clothing."
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Driving slowly past the tall double storied house on the verge of the river bank that wove through these back water suburbs in a reconnaissance, the house looked oddly forlorn with no cars parked outside. Every time I'd come to pick up Vivian there'd almost been a pile up on the street. Bingo yawned into the back of her hand, looking pretty relaxed in her oldest jeans and a silk tee she'd steadily refused to throw out, even when the dry cleaners told her that it was beyond repair and they'd started using it as a rag. Looking up at that house, I kept feeling the darkness of the upstairs room- Vivian's room- burn into my mind. On impulse I parked up and pulled myself out of the too small car and onto the road. I glanced down at Bingo who was cleaning the cuticles of her nails absentmindedly and told her I'd be back in a minute. Glancing suspiciously at the neighboring houses, I crossed the yard and slipped around to the back of the old house and the reedy river bank just a few meters away.
There was the same trellis I'd clamored up that time. I remember that well. I was so confused by how a person could become ill so quickly, and decided that she was just trying to get rid of me. If only I'd known the truth… that's a lie, if I'd known the truth I probably would have freaked out pretty badly and slung myself into a cozy mental asylum. Once again impulse took over and I was pulling myself up the vine trellis before I thought twice. It wasn't difficult, but for some reason my heart jumped into my throat as I reached the top and looked into the room… It was both completely different and exactly the same as the one other time I'd been up here. The incredible montage of the forest and wolves had been half obliterated by slashes of white paint and the mattress was now stripped of everything except a floral mattress that had seen better days. A thick layer of dust lay over everything. Something caught my eye- a perfect imprint of a hand, a distorted, almost mutilated hand, was pressed to the wall. I grimaced and quickly clambered down the trellis. Here was an angle I hadn't considered- I may have injured her so badly she got kinda stuck in the middle. Holy hell in a hand basket.
Some emotion surged into me at this thought. Pity? Fear? Disbelief? Disgust? Repulsion? The best adjective I can come up with is pain. The pain that she must have felt and could quiet possibly still be feeling. I hit the ground and rounded the corner of the house quickly. Picture this; I drive 300miles north, somehow actually manage to find her house. I walk up to the front doorstep, and she answers he door. What the hell can I say to her? Well, presuming I live long enough to say anything, that is. I crossed the clear road and slung back into the low car with ease, slightly depressed. Bingo had completed one hand, silently waiting for me to talk. It's amazing to have a person who knows you better then you know yourself. I wonder if everyone has somebody like that, or if I am one of the lucky. "They're well and truly gone. Place has been deserted." Bingo nodded. "How does next weekend suit?"