Chapter XI : Blood
Would it be rude to ask? Maybe I'll just wait 'til she tells me about it. Damnit, I wish Sookie....
Manfred sighed, feeling even more miserable thinking about his missing sister. He glanced at the clock behind the counter again. He had been sitting at the farthest booth next to the counter for about thirty minutes now. He glanced at the menu to make sure it did infact say "Buttercup Coffee Shop".His last premonition came late last night while he was with Pam. She was extremely unhappy that he wasn't willing to share what he saw, but what was he going to say to her? How was he going to explain meeting Harper in this coffee shop? If asked, how was he going to explain his feelings about Harper when he couldn't even understand them himself? It's not as if he could lie. Pam would smell a lie a mile away.
Caught up in his thoughts, he just realized that Harper already walked in. Apparently it was drizzling outside, raindrops slid down her coat as she pulled back her hood. Manfred cupped his hands around his coffee cup and continued to stare at her. He wanted to call out to her. He badly wanted to see her face , to see if his affections were still as strong as they were when he last saw her in North Carolina. Turn around, turn around and look at me, he murmuredquietly. Harper finally got to the front of the line and ordered some green tea. She then turned and looked around the coffee shop sensing that someone was watching her. She finally met his gaze. She then squinting making sure she wasn't imagining him sitting there. Manfred waved at her and beckoned her over.
Harper walked toward him with a frown on her face.
"Are you following me around?", she asked angrily. Manfred couldn't help but smile up at her. He defintely felt something for her. To what degree? He still didn't know. His mind wandered off to Pam, the way she looked at him and hesitated before going down the basement early dawn. He felt guilty thinking about his love life right now, he should be concentrating on finding his sister.
"Are you even listening to me?" Harper snapped her fingers in front of his face.
"Oh yeah, hey, sorry about that. Just had something on my mind. Why don't you sit down and join me and I'll explain what I'm doing here." Manfred stated.
Harper looked at Manfred suspiciously.
"And just so you know, I've been here for about six weeks now, well as for you... you've been here what? A week? So, no, I am not following you around. As a matter of fact, maybe you're following me." He said flirtatiously.
Harper was speechless. She looked exceedingly curious. She ended up sitting across from him her cup of tea nestled in her hands.
"So what exactly are you doing here?"
"Long story short, Xylda told me before she passed away that I had a sister here in Bon Temps, Louisiana. So I came down here to look for her. Low and behold she does exist. Her name is Sookie."
"That's great! When do I get to meet her?"
"That's the thing. She's missing! I had a premonition last night that we would be meeting here and I just have this feeling that you would be able to help us find her."
"What do you mean by us? Do you have more relatives here in Bon Temps? A brother or maybe two?"
"No, she's the only thing I have. Well, she has another brother but I still have yet to meet him. But you have to help me find her. They found... they found parts of her night gown and some blood splattered south of .. of my friends house. And I wanted to know if you can come take a look. That is if the FBI will give you a day off or two." He said sadly. Should I tell her about the monsters now or later, he wondered.
"Of course I'll come with you but is there anything else you wanted me to tell me?" Harper looked at Manfred expectantly.
"Yeah. Harper I don't know how you would take this and you probably won't believe me....". Manfred hesitated trying to figure out how he was going to tell her about vampires and shape shifters and whatever else that might be out there.
"I already know." Harper said, finally breaking the ice.
"How did you find out?" Manfred looked at her incredulously.
"When the FBI contacted us, they told us to expect the unexpected. It took us a week to decide if we should take this case or not. Let's just say Tolliver was not very happy with my decision and so I left him upstate. I just couldn't turn my head the other way and ignore this case after all those deaths. And so I was curious and here I am. I still can't believe it! And to imagine its just one person... or thing, even that's doing all this." She gushed.
"Wait! What do you mean just one person?"
"I thought you knew? Well, in that case I can't say anything right now". She sat back and crossed her arms in front of her.
"But Harper! I need to know!"
"I can't discuss this case with you. What if what I'm working on is not the same as whatever - uhm "took" your sister? Let's just do thing one step at a time. I'll come check things out and we will go from there."
"But....."
"This is not under negotiation Manfred, I signed a contract! Either you take it or leave it!" She stated adamantly.
"Fine". They sat there staring at each other collecting their thoughts. Manfred admired Harper for moral sense both for taking this case and for not being swayed by Tolliver. Should I ask her about their relationship? He was gathering the nerve to ask when Harper interrupted.
"So, when do you want to do this? I'm off today and tomorrow". Harper said.
"The sooner the better. Today?"
"That's fine."
"It would be after 6:45 pm though."
"Why is that?"
"That's when the sun sets, the time my friends get up."
"Manfred! Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"Yeah". He sighed and shook his head left to right.
She felt the moment the sun had set. It was as if she was a puppet being yanked after sitting still and unmoved for days. Again all she could feel was the heat, the burning in her throat. Sookie again prayed for death to come for nothing could have been more painful than this.
She started pounding on the reinforced plywood box that she was locked in. It seemed that she had been doing this for months now. Her fingernails were broken and filthy. They were almost rubbed down to the nub from all the scratching she did for the past couple days. Her hair was still caked with mud and leaves. With her heightened senses, she could smell the stench radiating from her. It was almost unbearable. She yelled and kicked over and over again, still no one came. Her tears slide down her face, she wiped them away and smelled the blood mixed in with her tears.
The instant her brain processed this, her throat felt even more on fire. It was a part of her nature to lick her fingertips dry. It repulsed her...her very own blood? But she couldn't help it.
She then heard the footsteps. Someone was finally coming for her. Or was it wishful thinking? She laid there and concentrated. She could hear bare feet rushing against the hardwood floors. A door opened, she struggled to hear thoughts but everything was silent. Why was that, she thought. She remembered the discussion that maybe her telepathy was because of the tumor. But since she wasn't among the living that would mean her tumor was gone too, right? How could uncontrollable cells grow in something that was already dead afterall? Her ability to listen to peoples thoughts had to be gone.
That made her heart ache. Growing up she despised her ability. It made her a freak. Weird. An outcast. Different from all the others her age. But now that is was gone she wanted it badly. I guess that song was true... "You don't know what you got, till it's gone". It was as if a part of herself was missing. She concentrated again and still she couldn't hear anyone's thoughts. But she could hear the voices from upstairs. She listened.
"You are going after Manfred next. You will not disobey me this time, I will not spare your mother! You want her to die like your senseless sister? This time I will make it even worst, she will be bleed dry over weeks! She will beg for death Quinn. And this time I will make you watch! You've got twenty four hours to get him.' Another door slammed and then there was silence.
Manfred? What would he possibly want with Manfred? Her thoughts were interrupted with softer footsteps. Another door opened and closed. She peered through the cracks to see who it was. Andre was coming down a flight of stairs.
"Sorry about the accommodations Sookie. Don't you worry though I brought dinner." Andre threw a bag onto the wooden box she was locked in. The bag exploded, leaking blood through the cracks and holes. Sookie lifted her head and opened her mouth to catch some of it. She didn't have the will to stop. Her instincts governed above else. Blood. Blood. Blood.
