Flesh
Chapter Ten
Real/Fake Love
Part 5
The plane touched down in Hasbrouck Heights, New York, only an hour before the sunrise. Lumière wished for an earlier flight, but the selection proved rather limited out of Grand Rapids. She considered herself lucky to find a flight at all within twelve hours. By the time they exited the plane and retrieved their luggage, the bright sunny day would be seen over the horizon. They would not make it to Union City that day.
At the luggage claim the vampire considered her options. The sewer system of New York proved extensive and the connections made it possible for her to traverse her way to the tunnel which connected from Union City to New York City. From there they could walk to Viola, using the shade as cover. Next to her, Éclair's stomach growled loudly. She watched the teenager blush and mumble incoherently to herself. It reminded her that she ought to feed as well. Lumière touched her fingers to her lips and traced her partner's healed neck with her eyes.
Her hunger felt satiated... still. In fact, she hadn't felt hungry since feeding on Éclair.
She shook the thoughts from her mind and made a grab for her suitcase. "You need to get something in your stomach."
"I think everyone in this part of the airport knows that," grumbled the redhead.
"True." Lumière felt her lips tugging into a smile. They headed for the exit. "But you should still eat. You can go out and get something when we get to the hotel."
"You know I won't be able to."
A silent agreement fell from Lumière's lips. The problem of putting distance proved a problem and a blessing. She felt so at ease whenever around the taller girl, but it was such a hassle to not be able to perform the simplest of tasks like errands. Ever since Tweedledee came to the two with her claim of a past life, the vampire spent much of her time analyzing her feelings towards Éclair and how the past lives could have affected their present situation. Any number of things might have occurred: a curse, a spell, or perhaps a horrible death which harmed the souls. Until she was certain, Lumière figured there wasn't much she could do about the current situation. She just had to adapt the best she could.
Éclair flagged down a taxi. The driver quickly put their baggage in the trunk and asked them where they needed to go.
"To a butcher's shop and then the nearest hotel. The quicker you can do it, the bigger your tip." Lumière felt the bills in the pocket of her coat. She'd need to get more cash before they found Viola.
Once they closed the doors the driver tore away from the airport as fast as he could without drawing too much attention. Lumière stared out the window at nothing in particular. She needed a new phone and had yet still to create Éclair's passport and identity. It didn't have to be perfect, she could bypass any personal with her powers. Her brain organized everything into a list. Viola sat towards the top, just after finding sunlight and feeding her partner.
"I'm fine, really. I haven't been hungry since we left Wisconsin."
Lumière tilted her head towards the girl. The redhead also stared out her own window. Her hands were folded in her lap and her posture looked stiff and uneasy. If the vampire could read her mind, she'd know how to comfort her. A lifetime of reading people's minds made many things easy. Now she couldn't and it felt beyond frustrating. To add insult to injury, it had to be a person she cared deeply about. "You need to eat," her voice lowered, ensuring the cab driver wouldn't hear. "Otherwise it could be dangerous. There have been werewolves who've tried resisting their basic desires, but the wolf always wins in the end."
Éclair said nothing but did finally turn towards her. The redhead looked very tired with darkened bags under her eyes and a deeply set frown on her lips. Even though she assured Lumière she slept yesterday, she wondered if the girl actually had. The vampire didn't know because she drifted off shortly after setting up the plane tickets and replying to Viola's message.
"This place do for ya?"
The two glanced at the driver up front and then to the place he was talking about. Lumière nodded and asked the man to wait. She exited the car and watched Éclair do the same, but with greater hesitance. Inside the butcher shop, a portly old woman stood at the counter and wrapped various cuts of meat. Behind her, in another room with a pane-less window, a man chopped up a lamb with a large chopping knife. They played like they didn't notice the two women, but Lumière knew otherwise.
She pushed their thoughts to the side and focused on her partner. "Go ahead and tell them whenever you're ready."
"Let's just go back to the hotel. The sun will be up soon." Éclair hovered near the door and wrung her hands together. Her simple knee-length skirt and fuzzy sweater seemed out of place in such a shop and neighborhood.
The vampire licked her lips thinking the girl looked simply edible. She shook the thought from her mind and took one of the girl's hands. "Just do this, for me?" She didn't want to play that card, but Lumière knew of no other way to get her partner to eat and she didn't want to force it upon her by buying the meat herself.
Like a grumpy child the werewolf trudged to the counter.
"What is your leanest meat?"
Behind the counter, the woman finally raised her eyes. She dropped the meat she'd been wrapping back into the large metal tub and made herself appear annoyed at the interruption. Lumière read her mind as otherwise amused by the out-of-towner's in the shop.
"You want bison. I get you good cut of bison. How much you want?" Her robust voice and accent placed her somewhere in Poland thought the vampire.
Éclair paled at the question and paused. For several moments no one spoke and the woman behind the counter started becoming agitated for real. Lumière almost stepped in but held back when she heard her partner's quiet voice.
"Three pounds."
The old woman smirked and turned to say something to the man in the other room but was cut off.
"No, I'm sorry. Please make it five pounds. And please make it as fresh as possible." The redhead's face looked the shade of her hair and the vampire finally understood why she'd been so hesitant. It can't be easy asking for something so weird. Even if the people didn't know why she needed it, the simple act was likely embarrassing enough.
Before turning the woman paused to make certain that Éclair was finished. When she felt certain she turned and yelled behind her for three pounds of ground beef. Since she said it in Polish, the teenager had no reason to correct her. Luckily a well-traveled Lumière came to her rescue.
"You said she ought to get bison, did you not?" The words came out familiar to hers and the shop owners' ears. All except Éclair knew what was being said. She ignored the curious look from her partner and continued speaking in the Polish tongue. "You may have fooled many people before, but I suggest you not try it with me. We would like the bison meat as requested—the finest cut."
She watched the man and woman stare at one another for several moments until the man nodded and did as he was told. The old woman returned to wrapping meats and slamming them into the tub. "You take your meat and do not bother coming back to our shop," she said still in Polish. "I don't take kindly of being accused of such things."
Lumière narrowed her eyes and smiled a not very happy smile. "If that's how you wish it to be."
Éclair's eyes flicked between the woman and the vampire while the meat was being prepared. It wasn't until they were back in the taxi with the cuts that she talked.
"What was that about?"
The smaller woman scooted so that there remained no space between her and the teenager. She felt tired and the first hints of daylight were working there way through the sky. "Just a few words about their business is all."
"I don't believe you." Lumière lifted her eyes to meet a pair of amused and relieved violet eyes. They danced with the passing lights from the shops. She wondered why it was she liked that Éclair did not believe her but poked fun at her for it. She could wonder a lot of things. Like why she's never felt warmth until now or why the human body has never interested her sexually until now. Why did a mere touch of this girl's flesh spark a thousand feelings inside the vampire? Feelings she'd never felt as a vampire and could only live out through the memories of her human life. The teenager seemed to read her emotions perfectly as she lowered her head to rub noses. When the girl pulled back she turned to the cab driver and asked how much longer.
"It right up here. Good place, not too cheap, not too expensive. We make it here in 23 minutes. Good?"
They could have arrived in an hour and Lumière would not have cared as long as she beat the rise of the sun. She smiled and actually felt happy as she paid the driver likely more than he made in a day. He, in turn, carried their bags all the way into the hotel and gave them a card with his number on it reiterating they should call him for any trip needed anywhere in the city or outside.
Once the two were checked in and in the safety of the hotel room, Lumière immediately took out her laptop and checked for any messages.
Éclair, who busily secured the curtains, asked if Viola had responded.
"No. She must be trying to stay out of sight."
The redhead kicked off her shoes and then sat down on the chair next to the desk. "Out of sight from what?"
Lumière shook her head. "I'm not sure. Something could have happened to Cesario and he wants nothing more than to protect her. She is his only daughter. His wife died giving birth."
"Was his wife also a werewolf?"
"No. She was human, and so was he. He'd been bitten when Viola was only a few months old. She should be around 15 now." Lumière closed the laptop and stretched her limbs. "They're very close. I believe that Viola is his partner."
"Whaat?" The teenager had been unwrapping the cuts of meat and stopped suddenly. "But partners, I mean, love and everything."
An amused look befell Lumière's face. "Partners aren't just lovers. It is a link, a bond, if you will. Who can explain love in just one tight definition? No one can. The more educated and logical mind would view this connection as purely one needed for survival. Rarely is any being able to exist solely on it's own. It needs a reason, a motivation, or simply help to survive. With vampires and werewolves, they must connect on that level to help them survive. So, if you think about it, perhaps this 'curse' placed upon us isn't really a curse at all."
"Wow." Éclair looked down at the floor and sighed. "There's so much to learn. I can't believe there's a whole other part of the world that so many people don't know about..."
"You'll learn it all soon enough. I have any answers you need—for the most part."
Lumière watched her partner give a weak smile and then turn to the bison meat on the desk. The girl stared long and hard at it as if expecting it to jump at her or do something amazing. Her violet eyes glanced back over her shoulder at the vampire and back to the meat. The action happened quick enough that it made the smaller woman wonder something.
"Would you like me to leave while you eat?"
Éclair shook her head vehemently. "No. It's not that."
"Then what is it?" Lumière's growing concern edged the corners of her voice. She didn't want her partner to worry anymore and so she was trying to remain as calm as possible. This side trip to retrieve Viola added to the immense guilt the vampire was feeling already.
There was a pause followed by a sigh. "You haven't been able to feed yet, have you? I know because you haven't left my side since we met. I don't want to be the only one eating. It just seems, I don't know, rude."
The vampire stared at the teenager's back. She unconsciously touched a finger to her lips and once again stared at Éclair's neck. From this angle she could not see the area where she had bitten the girl. Even if the wound had disappeared, she knew she could place her fangs in the exact same position if need be. But the feeling of hunger hadn't come. A part of her knew the werewolf's blood as something rather delicious and craved it deeply. The craving just wasn't strong enough.
"I fed on you the other night," Lumière stated simply.
Éclair turned with wide eyes. Her hand touched the spot on her neck where Lumière's mouth and fangs had been. Red blotches marked across her skin and showed her embarrassment. "I'd forgotten! Didn't you say it was supposed to make you sick?"
It was Lumière's turn to look away. She studied the glowing curtains and then, when her eyes felt pained, the picture on the wall nearby. "It didn't. I haven't felt the need to feed ever since. Even though you're a werewolf, even though your blood should be like poison, it's filled me up and given me enough energy to not have to feed right away." When the vampire retraced a path back to Éclair's eyes, she found the violet orbs swimming with a mixture of relief and happiness. The warmth returned inside of her chest. "Now eat, please. Then come to bed. I think we're both rather travel weary and it'll be better to find Viola when we're rested and the sun is down."
The teenager nodded and shyly picked up a cut of the bison. She kept it wrapped in the paper, like a hamburger, and bit into it. Lumière watched with vivid fascination as her partner struggled to chew quietly and without drawing attention to herself. But Éclair couldn't keep it up for long. Within several minutes she finished off three of the five pounds. Her mouth and cheeks were smeared with the meat's bloody juices and made her look absolutely amazing in the vampire's eyes.
Lumière clutched the blanket on the bed to keep herself from getting up to kiss the girl. They didn't need to do that now. Rest was far more important. Éclair went into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. When she returned she and Lumière changed and slipped into bed. The redhead's long and lithe arms held her tightly as she drifted off into a dreamless slumber.
Part 6
"These are the best you can do?"
Liquide paused just outside of the cabin several doors down from where the twins would be staying. Tweedledee stared through the open door of her own room with distaste. Her brother shared a similar look, though not as strong. She raised an eyebrow and responded, "I may be rich, but I'm not a millionaire. Beside, given the short notice you should be happy you two get your own room."
"Away from us," Caprice added with a grunt. The werewolf grinned at the blonde woman and began pushing her to go inside. "Let's just go in. Maybe they'll forget it's daytime outside and walk by an uncovered window or something."
"Maybe we'll just leave you to the pack," Tweedledee replied smoothly.
The brunette stopped pushing on Liquide and turned to the vampires. "Go then. I never asked you to stay!"
"Maybe we will!"
Before the two could go any further their respective cabin mates pushed them into the small rooms and closed the doors behind them. Caprice tossed the luggage above and plopped down on the small bed. "What a bitch. I don't trust those two at all. She's probably listening to our thoughts as we speak."
"You shouldn't bait her." The blonde sat down next to the other woman and rested her head on her shoulder. "And we do need them. I don't think they'll leave either. I happened to come across that Lumière girl telling them to go with us. They seem to respect her—or fear her, I'm not sure. I don't think they'll go against her."
"Yeah yeah. Éclair asked me to get along with them." Caprice rolled her eyes. "I told her I'd try."
The brunette slipped an arm around the teacher next to her. She didn't know what to feel. The kiss had been amazing, but it hadn't been earth shattering. She always thought that when she found her partner it'd be more moving than an earthquake. If Liquide was her one and only, shouldn't time itself have stopped during the kiss?
Nevertheless she couldn't deny how her skin jumped and tingled at the mere contact of the other woman. Perhaps she was asking for too much. There'd been a time, only a few years after she'd been bitten, that she would have been content with something like this. Her vagabond lifestyle molded her into a person that was content with anyone, anywhere, and anything. Then shortly before the mess with the pack, she felt a growing need to settle down and find her partner. Caprice had never been one to plan things and usually lived on a whim. So after the pack decided to kill her, she figured it best to move on and seek her happiness.
But was this the woman to do it with?
"What'll we do once we're in Canada?"
Caprice shrugged. "We gotta get through Michigan first. If we do make it to Canada, there's someone there who I have to visit. He'll help us, I'm sure of it."
Liquide pulled away and leaned against the wall. She kicked off her shoes and moved into an Indian style sitting position. Her face set into a frown. "Crap, Canada. We need passports and ID's to go there. All I have is my drivers license."
The werewolf smirked and leaned against the adjacent wall of the bed, leaving her legs hanging over the edge with shoes still on. "Borders aren't an issue. No one's really going to stop a woman who can push them through a brick wall." Caprice remembered the two down the hall and added, "Not to mention we got that psychopath on our side."
A laugh escaped the teacher. "You mean telepath."
"Yeah yeah, whatever." Caprice waved her hand dismissively and played with a fray thread on the hem of her shirt. "You know, there's still time for you to ditch us and get to safety. And don't think it's because I want you gone. I'm just worried about you getting hurt."
"I thought we talked about this Caprice." Liquide's stern voice sounded teacher-like indeed. It made her smile and broke the tension a little. "Besides, you three need me more than you think. Someone has to pay for all the luxury travel and hotel rooms to stay in. And now that I figured out what Raoul was talking about when he mentioned us being partners, I want to explore that more."
A socked foot playfully nudged the brunette's leg. She reached down and ran her hand over the foot's bare calf and ankle. The smoothness of the skin slid easily under Caprice's chapped, rough hands and she had to use restraint to keep it from going farther than the woman's knee.
"You figured out what Raoul was talking about, hm?"
"Yes," came the blonde's curt reply. "I didn't understand why he obsessed over me so much. I guess I felt flattered by the attention and thought that was what love was like. You know, one person loving the other and the other feeling loved. I mean, I look back on it now and see how unequal it was. His heart was all there and mine wasn't. But, that's all in the past. When I kissed you yesterday, I felt a lot of things, Caprice. Most importantly, I felt something I never felt with him."
The leg pulled away from the werewolf and she looked up to see Liquide leaning towards her. She could smell the coffee on the teacher's breath as she stared into the woman's bright blue eyes, only inches away from her own.
"I want you, Caprice. I know you want me, too. And I want you to want me, like I want you." Her husky voice seduced the brunette's ears and her body followed in suit. She put one arm around Liquide and pulled the woman in for a kiss.
They kissed, for the third time, with more energy than their second kiss. Tongues danced together over a bed of lips and teeth and when Caprice pushed the other tongue back she bit down on the bottom lip of the other woman. The bite elicited a gasp from Liquide and before the brunette could respond she felt herself being pushed onto her back. She slid both her hands up and down the blonde's curvy body and savored how the woman's larger breasts pressed against her own.
And when Liquide slowly ground hips into Caprice's, she thought she'd die happy from such pleasure. The kiss was know broken with gasps and pants of pleasure. Caprice slipped her hands up the short skit that, somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew the teacher wore just for her benefit. She squeezed the woman's soft ass and slipped her fingers between the full and rounded thighs just below. The action earned her a groan which vibrated against her tongue.
Liquide pulled away from the kiss and nibbled down the side of her face down to her neck and up to her ear. She spent several moments dragging her tongue around her earlobe and underneath in such a way that made Caprice want to fuck her then and there. And why shouldn't she? The werewolf pulled on the blonde's thighs which parted with no hesitation. A single digit slipped inside the fabric of the panties and Caprice was rewarded with the slick, wet skin inside. She traced her finger along Liquide's sex which was very bare at the moment. Again, she couldn't help but wonder if this was for her benefit. Above her, the blonde made her way back up the cheek and resumed kissing. Whimpers barely escaped the woman's throat. Though it didn't matter because Caprice could hear them anyways.
With one hand holding Liquide's thigh, the other guided the woman's panties just down to her knees and then shot back up to the prize above. She didn't give the teacher time to respond and entered her with two fingers. Her thumb grazed over the clitoris as she worked her way into the opening. The blonde broke the kiss to gasp loudly. Caprice wanted her to climax hard and fast. She thrust into her and curled her fingers to look for the spot. Above her, the blonde closed her eyes and bit her lower lip to keep from crying out too loud. Caprice studied her face, waiting for the moment when she knew she had the woman. She wanted to flip her over and take charge, but the bed was too small and it would be too much a hassle.
Besides, the brunette was loving it. She loved the sensations, the tastes, the feelings spreading from her chest to her loins and how great the woman on top of her felt. She loved how her fingers were clenched by the teacher's muscles when she tried to pull out and how the wetness increased with every thrust. Everything just felt wonderful.
But not perfect.
Caprice felt her heart sink a little. She increased the pace of her hand and hoped it'd be over soon. Why didn't she feel it? Why didn't she feel the intense love like she witnessed between Lumière and Éclair?
Her thoughts and actions were halted by the door being shoved open.
"Sorry to interrupt but I thought you ought to know we have visitors."
Liquide scrambled to hide behind Caprice. Tweedledee had no shame as she watched the two women. But her face appeared all business and Caprice could sense the urgency in her voice. She climbed off the bed, pocketing her wet hand with a blush.
"They're on the train?" Caprice looked past Tweedledee to see Tweedledum staring down the hall. His eyes were narrow and dark. She could see his teeth bared under his lips. When she looked back to Tweedledee she saw the woman nod.
"What's the plan?"
The werewolf felt sick. "How far away are they?"
"They're still several cars back. They hid in the storage. They know you're in the last car."
"Is it just the two of them?"
Tweedledee nodded slowly. "Yes, but they're stronger. I can sense it. They know I'm here and yet they're confident they can take us."
Caprice felt the world slowing down. She had to save Liquide somehow, she couldn't just abandon the woman. But she couldn't face them head on. Still, they were in a train. It wasn't like they were fighting out in the forest or in the open. Would they...?
"They're not changed... yet." Tweedledee must have been reading her mind. Caprice couldn't feel annoyed about it at a time right now. Her green eyes flashed to the vampires and the two knew what they had to do. "Okay."
Liquide climbed out from the bed. Her face was flush and there was terror in her wide eyes. "What do we do?" The brunette didn't answer. She took the blonde's arm and led her out into the hall. "My shoes!"
"You won't need them. In fact, take off your socks too."
The blonde paused and then pulled off her socks. Caprice waited and then walked down the hall in the opposite direction Tweedledum was staring. Liquide had to jog to keep up with her. "Where are we going Caprice!? Why aren't we staying with them?"
From down the hall Tweedledee yelled, "We'll hold 'em, but we're not dying for you."
Caprice nodded and kicked open the door at the end of the hall. Outside the scenery whizzed by and the track seemed to come from the train itself. The sun glared from overhead still which did not help the situation. With the sun out it limited the movements of the twins.
"Damnit Caprice! What are we doing?"
"We're climbing. Up." The brunette held her hand out for Liquide. She took in the woman's frightened eyes and how she shook ever so slightly. "Liquide, trust me." The two words must have given the blonde enough energy because she took a deep breath and stepped out onto the caboose's back end. "Hold on tight, whatever you do. But keep moving. Trust me, I've got you."
With Caprice in tow, the blonde reached out and grabbed the ladder. She climbed slowly to the top of the car, which was a feat in and of itself since they had to be moving around 90 miles an hour. At the top of the train Caprice carefully moved Liquide along until they came to the separation between cars.
"Fuck I can't do this!"
Liquide tried to crouch down but the brunette held her up. "You won't have to!"
In a single bound Caprice made it across without even faltering in balance. She held the blonde securely in her arms who had screamed the moment they left the roof of the car.
"Don't do that without telling me ever again!"
The next car proved little difficulty as well. Half way across the third, the car jostled and knocked Caprice on her side. She still had a strong hold on Liquide and made sure the two stayed on the roof. She had just gotten back into a standing position when some sort of metal piping tore through the top of the roof a foot from where the blonde's head was. This caused the teacher to scream again and when Caprice looked in the hole she knew they were in deep shit.
She grabbed Liquide and bound for the next car. Behind her she heard the roof tear open and two large thuds. When she turned she faced what she expected: the two werewolves were changed and standing on top of the roof. Caprice clenched her fist and pushed the blonde behind her. She ripped her shirt off as she felt her body expanding and the hair growing. A roar pierced through the rushing air and loud train. Those two were ready to attack.
The red wolf crouched back and leaped forward. But Caprice met him mid-air and knocked him back to the car. She turned to see the blue wolf heading towards Liquide and grabbed his ankle. He tripped and tumbled towards the edge. A paw smacked her muzzle and the claws tore at her flesh. She turned back to the red wolf and tackled him. The two tumbled towards the edge and would have fallen off if they both hadn't broken through the windows with their forearms.
Caprice struggled to get back on top of the train. The jostling and smooth sides made it difficult for her to climb up. Next to her, the red wolf faired little better. She finally dug her back feet in and jumped back to the top of the train. On the other side the blue wolf struggled to stay on. The brunette ran over and kicked him, making him fall off the train.
She heard a voice in her head.
Get to the next car now!
Caprice glanced back to the red wolf and was about to kick him too but the voice repeated itself louder. When she looked up she saw the two cars moving apart and Liquide yelling for her. The werewolf backed up and leaped towards the car in front of her. She tumbled on top of it but stayed on. When she raised her head she saw the last three cars far behind them and the red wolf running, but unable to catch up.
She helped Liquide back inside and changed back to human form. Her bloodied face remained, but only had three long scratches which were not very deep. The blonde immediately found a blanket and threw it around her naked body. She fussed over the brunette's injuries while the twins sat on a storage box. Caprice noticed this car had no walls and was filled with nothing but crates and boxes.
"They'll catch up eventually. They're hell bent on killing you, Caprice."
The brunette stared daggers at Tweedledee. Her cool voice boiled the werewolf's blood. "You don't think I fucking know that! For fucks sake. You'd think I was all unaware of the situation or something."
"It's alright. We've put some distance. I mean, we've got the upper hand for the moment. I'm just glad you're okay." Liquide began searching the boxes presumably for something to press on Caprice's face.
Caprice looked away from Tweedledee and growled. "Goddamnit. They must have been waiting for an opportune moment. They could have killed me anytime, why wait until the train?"
Tweedledum brought one of his knees up to his chest and rolled his eyes. "I know one person here who knows why. Why don't you ask her?"
She did not need any of this guy's assinine bullshit right now. Regardless of whether or not they helped to save her, Caprice felt it gave them no right to act so high and mighty above her. As she was about to voice these opinions Tweedledee spoke up.
"Save it. I'm just curious to know why you haven't told Liquide why you're being chased. You tell me that and I'll share with you why they waited." The vampired licked her lips and crossed her legs.
Caprice looked to the blonde who had stopped in her actions of searching the crates. Slowly, the teacher turned her head to look at the werewolf. She looked like she was expecting an answer—one that Caprice did not want to give. The brunette looked away with a stubborn grunt.
"If you're going to be like that, I'll tell her myself and you won't know why those wolves attacked when they did."
One easy, clean swipe to the head. She'd have to do it when the vampire was caught off guard but that's all it should take. Of course, even as she thought this, Caprice clenched her teeth because she knew her mind was being read. She growled loudly and smashed open a crate with her fist. Inside were a bunch of wrapped towels. What luck, she thought.
Liquide quietly stepped to the crate and took out one of the towels. She dabbed at the brunette's cheek. "You don't have to tell me."
"That fucking bloodsucker is going to tell you anyways." Caprice took a deep breath. The blonde pressed the towel against her cheek, as if giving her a way out. She ignored the action. "I killed a pack member back in California. Unlike vampires," the brunette shot a dirty look to the twins, "Werewolves don't usually kill their own kind. Because I broke a rule, I'm supposed to pay for it."
The towel moved away from her face and she looked up to see Liquide cradling it in her hands. Caprice sighed and stared down at the dirty floor.
"Why did you do it?" came the small voice of the blonde.
In a bitter and acidic tone that Caprice couldn't fake if she tried, she replied, "The asshole raped me. He said he wouldn't get in trouble because I'm just a lowly pack member whereas he was an elder. He was right, so I took matters into my own hands." She wouldn't raise her head. She didn't want to see Liquide's face, even if it was nothing about concern and especially if it was nothing but pity. Her stomach lurched and she felt the room spin a little.
"Ah, but that's not the whole story, is it Caprice?"
"How'd you like to go through the rest of the trip missing your spine?" The werewolf glared at Tweedledee but the nonplussed vampire just raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to Liquide. Turning so that she looked at nothing but the wall, Caprice relented the rest of the story. "He's not the only one I killed, but he was the one who mattered most to them. There were several others. They seemed to think raping was an initiate into the pack. I murdered them one by one in their sleep."
Even with the jostling of the train it was like Caprice could hear a pin drop. No one said anything, which surprised the brunette because she thought for sure Tweedledee would use this opportunity to press her buttons. She had to give the rest of it, it was her only saving grace.
"But see, that's why I'm going to Canada. There's a pack elder there who, if I can talk to him, will call off this hunt for me. I know he'll understand. If I can just get to him, it'll be okay!" Caprice looked to Liquide who had her head down. The woman clutched the bloodied towel to her chest. The sight made Caprice's heart sink even lower. It didn't matter anything. She was a murderer. Nothing more. She hoped she wouldn't have to say anything to the teacher because she didn't want to face this kind of rejection. But at least now they could get her somewhere safe and away from those who wanted Caprice dead.
The brunette sighed and rubbed the good side of her face. "This is why I knew you shouldn't come. Remember? I told you so. It'd be better for everyone if you just went home at the next stop."
Caprice dropped her hand and stared hard at the floor. What was she thinking bringing everyone into this? Who was she fooling trying to be so optimistic? At least Éclair wasn't involved in this mess... but the girl had problems of her own. She had just hoped she found those who could understand, those who were outcasts like her.
Then she felt Liquide wrap her arms around her. The blonde sobbed into her head.
"Oh god Caprice. Those assholes. I would have killed them too."
The corners of the werewolf's eyes filled with tears. This wasn't right. This shouldn't be happening. She tried to pull back. "But I'm a murderer. I don't-"
Liquide pulled her tighter. "No. You're no. You fought back and have been living on your own since then. And no one helped you. It must have been so frightening... Caprice, you don't have to be on your own anymore. It's not your fault."
The pain, the separation, all of it just felt too much at the moment. For the first time since Caprice couldn't remember, she began crying.
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AN:
So I start these chapters out with everything I want to write running through my mind. Sometimes I've stopped half way through and gone to bed or work or something and come back and finished it. But sometimes, with this chapter for example, I feel like I just gotta work it out to the end. And when I do finish it (in this case, 5 hours later), I have no ability to separate my emotions from the characters and I usually start crying.
And I try so hard to write that emotion out. Because I think, if I can feel it so much, it shouldn't be hard to get you to feel it too. But damn it's hard.