They ate lunch sitting in the living room.
Gavin offered to make something, but Grandma had already prepared sandwiches.
Kendra's favorite was bacon lettuce tomato, but Grandma had neglected to include it. This bothered Kendra more than it should have.
She slouched on the couch, and Gavin sat in an armchair across the room. They ate in silence.
Seth walked in three minutes later. Sensing the tense mood, he said, "Who murdered the clown?"
Kendra rolled her eyes. "Seth, you are only half as funny as you think you are."
Seth smiled. "I've heard worse. So anyway, has anyone seen my wool socks?"
Kendra and Gavin both nodded no.
"Well, if you see them, yell for me. I'm almost finished packing, and if I can't find them by tomorrow, I guess I'll leave without them."
I had escaped from Kendra's mind that Seth was possibly walking off to his death in two days. She felt instantly guilty for spending so much time thinking about Bracken and Gavin.
"Seth... If you aren't doing anything tomorrow, maybe we could rent that zombie movie? You know, the one you've been talking about." Kendra offered, although it was an obvious attempt to make up for the lack of time.
"NINJA DEATH BLOW 4? I'm in." Seth smiled.
"Count me in too." Gavin said. "I love cheesy horror movies." Kendra frowned. She had hoped her brother and her would get some alone time, even if it meant zombies, but she couldn't exclude Gavin now.
But she hid her doubts, not to give Seth anything to worry about. "I'll go pick it up later, in town. I wonder if we need anything else while I'm there. It's a long drive for only a movie." Kendra trailed off.
"Mind if I come too?" Gavin asked. "I wouldn't mind picking out a few shirts and a new toothbrush."
Kendra tensed again. She really hadn't planned on so much time with Gavin. But again, because she didn't want to protest in front of Seth, she said, "No problem. I'm going to go ask Grandma if I can borrow the car. Be right back." She got up off the couch, and left Gavin and Seth to chat.
She found her Grandma outside, working in the garden. She was wearing a floppy yellow sun hat and gardening gloves. Next to her sat a basket full of freshly trimmed flowers, most of them unrecognizable to Kendra. Fablehaven had a prized garden, full of rare specimens Tanu had been growing for potions. Grandma often pitched in with the pruning.
"Hey Grandma." Kendra greeted.
"Hey is for horses, young lady." Grandma scolded, but she kept her smile. "How are you, dear?"
Kendra smiled too. She really did love her grandparents.
"I'm fine, thanks. I want to make sure that it's ok if I go to town tonight, and borrow the car. I want to rent a movie for Seth's... last day tomorrow." She had a hard time saying those words.
"That's alright with me, and I'm sure your Grandfather will allow it. Just drive carefully." Grandma winked. It was a well-known joke that the knights had sped along Kendra's driver's license process, and she rather enjoyed the teasing. Something about a driver's license gave Kendra a sense of maturity and freedom.
Grandma inhaled quickly, as if a sudden thought had occurred, and she said, "That reminds me. Would you mind picking up a few items at the grocery store?"
"Not at all." Kendra replied.
"There's a list on the kitchen counter. Thank you dear."
"No problem, Grandma." Kendra grinned towards the elderly woman. Grandma continued her work, pulling weeds from the plot of dirt she was kneeling over. "Oh, I almost forgot. Can Gavin come too? He says he wants to buy some clothes and toothpaste."
Grandma nodded. "The clothes we ordered him should arrive any day. But I suppose having a few extra shirts won't harm anyone. If you think it's necessary, I trust you, Kendra." Grandma went back to her weeding.
Kendra halfway smiled. "Thanks." she said, and turned to leave.
Over her shoulder, Grandma called, "Ask Grandpa if you can borrow the credit card. Kendra, please only use it for what's necessary."
"Will do." Kendra yelled back. She headed off to find her Grandfather.
After peeking into her grandparent's room with no success, Kendra went to check in the Study. Sure enough, there was Grandpa at his desk. He had his reading spectacles on, and was looking over a pile of paperwork. When he realized she had entered the room, he looked up and smiled.
"Good afternoon Kendra." He said, then glanced at his watch. "Well, not quite afternoon yet. May I assist you with anything?"
Kendra felt a nervous pull in her gut. She wasn't sure why, and she didn't like it. She shifted her weight to her heels, and clasped her hands behind her back. "Well, you see, I am going in to town tonight. To pick up some groceries for Grandma, and run some other errands."
Grandpa raised his eyebrows, interested.
"And she suggested that I borrow the credit card." Kendra spit out rather quickly.
Grandpa nodded. "Very well. It's in the top drawer over there." Grandpa pointed to a wooden chest of drawers. The knobs were made of twisted dark iron, and the wood was dark. It resembled a very old piece of furniture. Kendra yanked open the top drawer. It did not open smoothly, but she managed to shimmy a wide enough gap to grab the shiny silver plastic rectangle through the top of the drawer. She turned to exit the study. "Thanks Grandpa!" She called.
"Remember to wear a jacket, it's supposed to be cold tonight." He said, his eyes returning to his paperwork.
Kendra decided to swing by the living room first, to tell Gavin the plan before grabbing the car keys and the shopping list.
When she entered the room, she noticed Seth was nowhere to be seen. Gavin was lounged out on the couch, reading a book. He looked up when she walked in.
"Hello" he said. His eyes slowly fell back to the pages. She stood in front of the couch. "Hello. Where'd Seth go?" She asked patiently.
Gavin shrugged. "He said he was going to his room a while back claiming books are no fun."
Kendra rolled her eyes. "That sounds like Seth."
Gavin said nothing, apparently engrossed in his book. Kendra tried to glance at the front of the book, but it was a hard copy without the cover jacket.
"Whatcha reading?" She said casually. He looked towards her, finally aware of another person in the room. He sat up, folded his page, and sat the book to his side.
"Oh, some story I found laying around. It's decent. It started with a boy who was in love with a villager, and to win her heart he goes on an adventure."
"Sounds interesting." she remarked.
Gavin nodded. "The girl he pines for is really quite nasty. He deserves much better. But he loves her anyway. He sees a fallen star, and goes searching for it, only to discover the star is a beautiful woman. He has a time limit to get the star back to his love, or she will marry another man."
Kendra frowned.
Gavin continued. "I'm telling it all wrong. I promise, it's much better than it sounds. The best part is that on his adventure, the main character grows as a person. He learns to sword fight, and how to talk to ladies." Gavin smirked.
"But does he end up with the awful village girl? The one who doesn't really love him?" Kendra asked. She gripped the chair she was sitting on, which was odd. She hadn't even noticed sitting down.
Gavin shrugged. "I'm not finished yet."
Kendra wanted to sigh, but thought that might be cliche. "I'll have to read it when you are done." Gavin nodded.
"So are we going tonight?" Gavin asked.
Kendra thought how silly she had been, to be distracted so easily. "Yes. We also have to pick up some groceries for Grandma. It looks like we'll make three stops. One for your clothes, one for Seth's movie, and one for groceries."
"What time do you want to leave?" he asked nonchalantly. Kendra itched her elbow. "Whenever you want to. I just have to grab the list, and a jacket. Grandpa said it's going to be cold tonight."
Gavin frowned. "I don't have a jacket."
"Then I guess I know where we are going to stop first." She grinned, and Gavin chuckled. He said, "Let's go as soon as possible."
"Ok. Be right back."
Kendra ran up the stairs to the attic, skipping two at a time. When she entered the room, she began looking for her favorite jacket. Her room had cluttered recently, and it look a few minutes. She finally found it, hanging on the back of a chair. She slipped her arms in, and looked in the mirror. It was a cream colored coat, with slender arms. Two rows of buttons went down the front, and the neckline was a deep V-neck. The insides were lined with a thin fuzzy material that insulated heat well. It fit Kendra nicely as well as complimenting her dark jeans and t-shirt, and she smiled at her reflection.
She turned, and hurried down the stairs. She entered the kitchen looking for the list. Spotting it on the counter, she grabbed it and put it in her pocket. She opened the top drawer on the left of the sink, and snatched the car keys as well. Satisfied, she headed to the living room.
Gavin was exactly where she left him, lying on the couch. He was reading again.
"Ok, ready when you are." she chittered loudly. As an afterthought, it sounded too enthusiastic.
He stood up, and stretched his arms over his head. Kendra noticed that his T-shirt pulled up slightly, and she glanced at his stomach. She quickly looked away.
"Lead the way." He smiled. She calmly walked to the garage, showing him the way. They jumped into the silver car, Gavin riding shotgun.
Kendra started the engine, and pulled down the driveway. Soon they were outside Fablehhaven and on their way to town.
They chatted politely for a few minutes, and Gavin switched on the radio. After flipping around a few stations, he settled on one. Bubble Toes by Jack Johnson was playing. Kendra liked the song, and it reminded her of a summer romance on the beach.
"Have you ever been to the beach?" Kendra asked so suddenly, it shocked even herself.
"Kendra, I've been alive hundreds of years. Don't you think I've been to a beach?" His tone was playful.
She shrugged. "I meant have you been there recently."
He shook his head. "I haven't been in a long time. Do you like the beach?" She scrunched her eyebrows.
"Yes and no."
"Ok, what don't you like about it?" he asked.
"I don't like swimming in the ocean all that much. I don't like crabs, or anything with claws. And I don't like-" she stopped herself, blushing. "Never mind." she said quickly.
"What?" he asked suddenly over interested.
She bit her lower lip. "Promise you won't make fun of me?"
He held one hand over his heart, and the other in a sign of resignation. She smiled. "I'm not supposed to take my eyes off the road."
"Kendra, there is no one else on the road. Stop changing the subject."
She sighed. "I don't like... sand in my pants."
They both started laughing uncontrollably, although Kendra wasn't sure why. She hadn't meant to say anything funny.
"I don't think anyone does." he finally said, controlling his laughter. "So what do you like about beaches?"
Kendra hesitated. She didn't want to mention that Bracken's affection for her had been discovered on a beach before the trip to Zzyzx. So she focussed on a different memory. "I really love bonfires. You know, roasting marshmallows and singing campfire songs." she sighed, happily.
"When we were little, Seth and I went to a bonfire on the beach. It was incredible. My favorite part was waking up the next morning and my hair still smelled like campfire smoke." A toothy grin extended on her lips.
"You have to take me to one sometime." Gavin said. He reached out and bumped her shoulder with the back of his hand. It was a small gesture, but she froze. She couldn't help it. She felt the lingering touch of his hand on her shoulder.
They continued talking about beaches for some time, and then Kendra drove on to the freeway. It was only two lanes, and hardly any cars were on it. "It will only be about twenty minutes now." she told Gavin.
They silently listened to the radio. When a bouncy pop song came on, Gavin flipped the station. A rock ballad from the 80s began to play, and he turned the volume up. Kendra didn't mind the song, but it wasn't her type of music.
A few songs later, Kendra turned off the freeway.
"Tell me if you see any stores that catch your eye." She told Gavin. He pointed to a popular store after five minutes, and Kendra turned into the parking lot.
She killed the engine and jumped out of the car. The air was crisp, not cold yet. But the sun was still up, and Kendra was glad she was wearing her coat. They entered the store.
"Grandpa said to only buy what you need." Kendra reminded Gavin. He smirked. "What do I look like, a teenage girl?"
She forced a smile, and went to sit down. "Oh no." he said. "You are going to help me." She frowned. She had planned on sitting this one out.
"Ok." she said.
"I'll look for Shirts and Pants." Gavin said. "Just pick me out a jacket."
She was slightly relieved. Picking one item seemed simpler than a wardrobe.
She headed to the male's coat section. First, she looked at a black leather jacket. While the once-dragon in him may enjoy it, she thought it was too showy for him now. She then looked at a light green hoodie, stitched with black stripes. It didn't look like him either. After ten minutes of searching in vain, she found it.
It was a deep brown color, almost chestnut, and made of leather. The inside, however, was a soft, black cloth. It was the perfect mix of comfortable and badass, and Kendra hoped Gavin liked it.
She went to look for him, and found him by the dressing rooms. He had a few items in his hand, and was heading towards her.
"Hey," he said. "I found a few shirts and some jeans. Did you get a jacket?"
She smiled, nodded, and showed him. He raised his eyebrows. "Oh, just try it on." She said.
He grabbed it from her hands, and pulled it on. "What do you think?"
Her heart almost stopped. It fit him perfectly, and accentuated all his best features. His chocolate eyes blazed, and his hair looked strikingly dark. He smiled, as if knowing what she was thinking. "You have to get it." Was all she said.
"I don't think I would have picked it, but it's growing on me. Alright, I'll get it." He smiled confidently. They headed to the checkout line. The total was more than she expected, but not terribly much. They left with only one bag, and Gavin wearing his jacket.
When they got to the car, he seemed to forget something. "Mind if I run back in real quick?" he asked.
"Why?" Kendra inquired.
"I need to uh... use the restroom." He grinned.
"I'll wait here." Kendra replied. She heard the car door slam shut.
After a few moments of boredom, curiosity struck her. She peeked in to Gavin's bag. He had bought two pairs of dark blue jeans and one pair of cream pants. In the bag were four t-shirts. She saw Gavin heading back towards the car, and didn't have time to look at the designs on the shirts. He had his hand in his pocket. She shoved the bag in the back of the car just as he opened the door.
"Miss me?" he asked. She snorted.
"Course you missed me." he said with a smirk.
They drove a mile or two while chatting, something about vegetables, when Kendra pulled into a shopping center. There was a generic grocery store there, and she hoped they rented out movies. That way she could kill two birds with one stone.
They entered the store, and a blast of frigid air hit Kendra in the face. She hugged her arms around herself again glad she had worn the jacket. She would have to thank Grandpa later.
"Ok, can you go find out if they rent movies? Then pick up your toothbrush and stuff." Kendra said. Gavin nodded. "Meet me in the produce section."
"You mean fruit, right?" Gavin smirked.
"Yes I mean fruit. What else would I mean?"
Gavin scratched the back of his head. "You know I'm not sure." He stumbled over a shopping cart he hadn't seen, and fell to the floor. Kendra raised an eyebrow. Bracken was not this clumsy.
He smiled awkwardly, and said, "I'll just go now." she thought he mumbled something along the lines of, "and die in a hole." but she wasn't sure.
Her brain turned to auto-mode as she ran down the list. She grabbed pasta, bread, canned soups, butter, eggs, milk, and other foods. She headed last towards the fruit, and saw Gavin looking at some pomegranates.
She approached him and he shook his head. "How humans ever figured out these things are edible is beyond me." Kendra chuckled. "They look bizarre only on the outside. Put one in the cart, I'll show you later."
He obeyed, and soon they had gathered the apples Grandma requested. "Did they have the movie?" Kendra asked. Gavin held up a DVD cover with the half-asian- half english writing on it. "It's due next Thursday." Kendra smiled.
They headed to the checkout. It took longer than she would have liked in the line. Only one register was open, and they had no choice but to wait.
Gavin looked at Kendra with wide eyes. "What's a matter?" he asked.
"This line is taking forever." she said.
"So?" he shrugged.
"So?" she began. "My Grandparents trusted me with the car and with-" she stopped herself before she said and with Gavin. "with the credit card. And I want to be back as soon as possible."
"That's it?" he asked. She nodded. He laughed.
"Kendra, I thought there was a demon in here or something. You need to learn to relax. Don't take everything so seriously." He grinned.
But she was glaring at him.
He caught her stare, and backed down. "OK, I apologize. But seriously. Take life as it comes, don't stress yourself to death."
Kendra was quiet, but thinking. She had often had this problem with herself, even before she entered the magical world. She put a lot of pressure on herself no matter what she was doing, and as a result she was often anxious. Maybe she should listen to Gavin.
She payed for the food quickly when it was her turn, and Gavin had to help her carry the brown bags out of the store. By the time they got to the car, the sun was setting.
"What time do we have to be back at Fablehhaven?" Gavin inquired.
"Just as soon as possible." Kendra replied quickly.
"So, you weren't given a curfew?" She shook her head no.
"Great!" Gavin cheered. "Why don't we pick up dinner in town?"
Kendra blushed. Was he asking her on a date? She ignored her blush and began to tell him she needed to get home. Then she stopped herself. She thought about what Gavin had told her in the store. She sighed, letting her inhibitions go, and said, "What the hell. Where do you want to go?"
Gavin raised his eyebrows, but he was smiling. He had obviously not planned for her to say yes. "Your choice." he said.
She nodded. "I have to make a phone call. I'll be right back. Think of what you are in the mood for." she said as she left the car. Heading back towards the grocery store, she made her way to the toll phones. She took a quarter from her pocket, slipped it in the machine, and dialed Fablehaven's home number. It rang three times, then Seth picked up.
"Hello?" he said.
"Hey, Seth, it's Kendra."
"Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, everything is fine. Can I talk to Grandma or Grandpa?" she asked, her nerves jumpy.
"Not now Sis. They are both out in the yard, talking to Dale or something. Can I take a message?"
She sighed. "Tell them I'm staying in town for dinner, and not to worry."
The other line was silent for a moment. "Dinner?"
"Yes," she stated.
"With GAVIN?" Seth teased.
"Shut up, Seth. It's not like that.
Seth laughed and she ground her teeth together. After a minute, Seth calmed down. "Alright, I'll tell them. Have fun..."
Kendra hung up the phone. She didn't need to deal with her brother's sass.
Gavin said he was in the mood for Mexican food, so they went to a restaurant called El Plato Joven. They shared an appetizer of taquitos and guacamole as well as chips and salsa. Kendra was impressed when Gavin ordered the food in Spanish. Kendra smiled at him. "You never said you could speak Spanish."
He shrugged, and seemed pleased with himself. "I travel a lot." He glanced down at the menu, and asked, 'Hey, want to try a traditional Mexican drink?" she shrugged. "Sure."
He requested her a specialty drink, telling the waitor, "Por favor, ¿podemos tener un refresco con un trago de tequila cada uno?" The waiter looked at him funny, then shrugged. The drink tasted almost like coke-a-cola, but more bitter, and Kendra liked it. She ordered a second and a third.
For dinner, Kendra ordered a rice bowl, which looked like a burrito without the tortilla, and Gavin ordered the special platter. He and Kendra both sampled multiple dishes from it.
As the meal progressed, she began to feel light headed. It was a good light headed though, almost as if bubbles were lifting her head for her.
"You know what Gavin?" she said, after the waiter had cleared their plates.
"What, Kendra?"
She looked really confused for a moment, then burst out, "YOU'RE ATTRACTIVE!" and giggled like crazy.
Gavin looked concerned. "Kendra..."
"You know what else?"
He froze.
"Bracken doesn't like you. The unicorn and the dragon don't like each other." she chanted. Then she hiccuped.
Gavin blanched. "Kendra, stay where you are. I have to go talk with the waiter. Don't move." He got up, and left the table. Kendra could barely focus enough to listen to his conversation, but she could tell he was speaking in angry Spanish.
He walked back over to Kendra.
"C'mon. Let's go." he said.
"But we haven't *hic* had dessert?" she asked.
"We are leaving. Now." he said. He dragged her to the car.
"The stars are so pretty tonight. You know who likes stars Bracken." Kendra rambled.
He opened the back door, and put Kendra inside the vehicle. "You might want to lie down." he offered.
She was confused again. "Why?"
He looked away from her. "Because your drunk. My spanish isn't as good as I thought... I ordered you a coke with a shot of tequila. That idiot waiter thought you were 21. And you drank three." he sighed.
Someone thought she could pass for 21? She smiled.
"Kendra, have you ever had alcohol before?"
"Nope! But I like ice cream. Can we get ice-cream, Gavin?"
Ignoring her, Gavin sighed. "Stan is going to kill me..." he mumbled. "Unless..." He turned on the car. "What are you doing?" Kendra asked in a sing-song voice that was not her own.
"You'll see soon enough." Gavin said. He drove the car for five minutes, and parked it again. He opened the back door, and grabbed Kendra out of the backseat.
Kendra should have felt shocked that they were in a motel parking lot, but instead she just felt tired. She leaned on Gavin, and he helped her into the lobby. She sat on a couch while he rented a room with the credit card.
"C'mon." He said. He lead her by the hand into an average motel room. Striped wallpaper, and a bathroom off of a bedroom with two beds and a small TV. Kendra had double vision, and she saw four beds. "Which one is mine?" she asked. He shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Pick one, and I'l be back."
He left her alone in the room. She chose the bed by the window, and fell into a light sleep.
Sometime during the night she woke up screaming.
"SETH! PUT HIM DOW, PUT HIM DOWN!" she yelled. In her dream, Seth was being torn apart slowly by a large, grey demon.
She couldn't discern between illusion and reality.
Kendrs wouldn't stop screaming until someone was patting her head. She calmed down. The person stroked her hair, whispering nice things. Kendra was almost asleep, and the person got up to leave.
"NO!" Kendra shouted and grabbed his arm. "Stay" she whimpered. "or they will come back."
He followed her directions, and laid down on the bed next to her. He continued stroking her hair until she fell into a true sleep.
Gavin lie next to her. Careful. Easy. he thought. He was trying not to wake her. The last thing he needed was to cause her more stress.
He couldn't believe how stupid he was. He had to show off for her and order her a drink. He really didn't know the drink had alcohol in it. He had learned choppy spanish, and was not fluent.
Gavin wasn't sure if Stan or Kendra would be angrier at him. He sighed.
At least he had this moment.
He was lying next to her. And she wanted him there. He could barely control his breathing. Things were going better than he planned. She had opened up to him pretty quickly, and he was making some romantic progress. He couldn't help smile.
He was lying next to her.
He was getting tired quickly. But he didn't want to wake Kendra by getting up and moving the bed. He already had his shoes and jacket off, and was wearing his makeshift pajamas (t-shirt and boxers). So he lay his head down next to hers, and closed his eyes. The scent of her hair tickled his nose.
(A/N: Wow, that was pretty spicy. It was SO much fun to write.
Finally, a little Gavin POV. WE NEED TO BE IN HIS THOUGHTS.
So, as always, review please :) Thanks to everyone reading this story.
PM if you want the spanish translations, although they are fairly simple.
Love to MY readers)