Thank you for the reviews. I've always got to mention it or else you guys might think I don't appreciate them. Honestly, thank you so much. Just wanted to say to kykyxstandler - hun, Neko isn't a vampire. Yes, she was near death, but all the blood from her wasn't drained. Godric forced the blood down her throat to make her grasp back on to life. Sorry if I made that a tad confusing. She is still 100% human...for now? Lol. Otherwise, there's another reviewer who said my character was an idiot for leaving Godric. Inside us all, we want the happy ending, but sometimes in stories, the character has to do the realistic thing that'll truly help them. Sometimes, dreams, no matter how much you love them, have to be set aside for a grim reality to face. After that...who knows? Depends on the state of mind of the person. Maybe they've already moved on or maybe they're still waiting for that dream. Anywho, enjoy a drastically shorter chapter than the last one.
Chapter 19 - Going to California
Neko was picked up at LAX just as the sun was falling. She'd hugged Delilah, albeit cautiously at first, and they journeyed to the parking garage immediately after in a comfortable silence.
Driving throughout the city had proved an eventful distraction. Bright lights, enormous business centers, and too many people for Neko to count properly. All of this was a drastic difference from Shreveport. Much louder as well.
"I'm only about a half hour from the airport. How was the trip?"
Observing the awakening night, Neko closed her eyes.
"Exhausting. Forgot about the jet leg," she mentioned.
"Yeah," Delilah trailed off.
And for a brief second, Neko wondered if this was a good idea. Would she be just as cold toward Delilah as she had been to Eric or Godric in Shreveport? Perhaps the trip to Los Angeles was a misplaced sign.
"I understand your reluctance to speak," Delilah suddenly expressed. "I've been much the same way since you told me about Inaki. But like you said...at least we'll have each other to lean on."
Opening her eyes, Neko glanced over at Delilah and smiled.
"Thank you again, for this."
"Oh please. You're practically family.
"I haven't been."
"Neither have I. There's a second chance for everything."
The conversation was left as is, and Neko finally decided that despite all of the heartache she'd stirred up in Shreveport, coming to Los Angeles was the right choice. It was an embarrassingly overdue trip.
GNGGNGGNGGNG
The first month living inside Delilah's studio apartment was peaceful. Take away the persistent nightmares and the blast of a shotgun sometimes too near to their area of residence, and Neko could have seen herself living there forever.
Delilah never pressed the details surrounding Inaki's death even when she had the chances to, and Neko was infinitely relieved. In turn for this act, she attempted to converse with the woman each day even when she didn't feel up to it. And those moments were a little bit too common. But Delilah always understood.
"You're his sister. He meant more to you than anyone else."
Neko tried out this justification of her feelings, but a part of her wondered if she just wasn't being a tad selfish. Hogging Inaki's grief to herself and not allowing discussion of it, especially when she noted Delilah's equally shaken up reserve, made more guilt seep inside. Then again, discussion wasn't easy for either of them. They were both powerfully in synch with him.
So, she waited for another day to do so.
In the city, Delilah interned at a law firm. She wasn't going for lawyer, but maybe a secretary in a year or so. She was especially talented with dealing with the technological aspect of the job, something lawyers hardly had enough time for. Her pay could have easily afforded three studios.
"I get to see how the law works," was her answer after she had asked why the firm interested her.
Neko herself had brought the only paycheck she'd received from Merlotte's and some extra money from her mom's inheritance. There was still discomfort felt at taking out the money, but Inaki wouldn't ever be using it again and to let it sit forever seemed like a dishonor to her mom's memory. So, she used this money to try and pay rent, which Delilah vehemently denied.
"Inaki didn't pay rent, and neither will you."
So, Neko used this money for groceries or other items she'd forgotten to pack. This practice was quickly accepted when Neko found that Delilah could be bribed by one of her favorite snacks - raspberry muffins - a unique delicacy in Los Angeles.
Overall, the living arrangement ran smoothly. Delilah would be gone before Neko woke up, but back before she could eat dinner by herself. They never argued or talked about Inaki too closely. A silly story here, careless story there about the shenanigans her brother would pull. Their silence initially was awkward, but eventually it worked to suit them both. As long as they didn't make it awkward, then there was nothing to fear from it.
And so this arrangement continued on for many, many more months.
Gradually, Neko's fear of being touched, eased. The nightmares, while brutal, made her used to reliving the memories of the night. A few times, she'd wake up in a wave of sweats or ready to pitch a fierce scream. But once she glanced around and realized herself to be safe, the fear decreased.
Along with the drop in paranoia, Neko began traveling out of the studio sometime halfway through the second month. Delilah would offer up a movie to go to or a dinner they could have. To avoid loneliness, Neko accepted and was glad she did each time. Delilah held a very personable attitude toward things and could make the biggest accident seem like it was one of the silly works of life. That and they had a fantastic time wherever they went.
"Inaki and I used to come here for three in the morning type of meals. He'd usually be at work and frustrated over a story whose words wouldn't come to him and I'd be nervous about the newest record system the firm wants employers to manage. Just in our pajamas, we'd travel to this cafe and get something really, really big to eat."
Neko had enjoyed hearing the story, but wished again that she could have shared some of those things with her brother. The more personal memories. She had got him while he was growing up, but as a grown up, they might as well have been distant relatives.
With the nightmares becoming easier to handle and finally attaining the courage to venture out, Neko wondered sometime around the third month if maybe she should try getting a job. Besides clean up the apartment, Neko didn't do much else but eat. Luckily, she and Delilah chatted about the prospect.
"I don't want to sound like I'm putting you down...but would you be alright working?"
"I've got to try. Sitting around here only reminds me of what I did back in Shreveport. Plus, it'll help keep my mind cleared."
Delilah nodded like a therapist analyzing her subject.
"Alright. I know some good places just a few blocks away. Department stores mostly. Usually, they hire once every month because their employees keep stealing."
"And to think those bras made in China are considered cheap."
At this, Neko and Delilah looked up at each other and burst out into childish laughter.
"I-I don't know," Delilah began through giggles, "what exactly they steal. Nothing surprises me anymore."
"Is that a good or bad thing?" Neko asked, her smile bright and carefree.
The next day, Delilah had called a few department stores and just like that, an interview for one was set up.
"I can't thank you enough," Neko praised on the day the interview was scheduled. Her droopy sweats were replaced with respectably modest khakis and a white, buttoned up blouse.
"It's nothing. You just have to find your niche. What'd you do back in Louisiana?"
"Bar tending mostly."
"Maybe your future lies in the alcohol department."
"If that's the case, then so does a decade of AA meetings."
Later on in the evening, the two went out to celebrate. Neko had been hired after a successful interview and Delilah had finally figured out how the new record system worked before any actual employers did.
They were sitting outside at a cafe called 'Quake', exchanging small talk when all of a sudden, Neko wanted to discuss Inaki. It came rushing up suddenly and without warning. But the need only intensified when she tried ignoring the issue.
"There are groups who are dedicated to wiping out vampires because they think they're unholy," Neko started after Delilah had noted the sudden apprehension her features.
"Okay," she replied carefully, understanding where the conversation was going. She straightened up in her chair and clasped her hands dutifully.
"Inaki and his maker had gotten tangled in with one of the groups after they tried getting more information about them. Ronan ended up getting sick so, they went to stay in a Dallas hospital for vampires. Unfortunately, this group somehow found out about the hospital."
At this point, one of Delilah's hands covered her mouth.
"Stormed the place, killed all of the vampires and most of the human workers, then took Inaki and Ronan, the last two left alive from the massacre, hostage."
She didn't implement herself in the story. It was about Inaki, not her.
"The group wanted to send a message so they silvered Ronan and Inaki to a wooden pole and left them to burn in the sun," Neko finished, her teal gaze scurrying away to a passing car.
The intensity at which she spoke caused all happiness to retreat from Delilah's face.
"My God," she murmured.
And the two were left in silence for a little while.
"What uh...what brought that on?" she asked, swallowing down a sob.
"You invited me here, but it would've been cruel if I never told you how it ended. I'm starting to fully accept that it not only happened, but I really could not do anything to stop it. I felt like you should know because you loved him just as much as I did and that you might be suffering along the same lines as I am."
Delilah nodded delicately, her eyes watery.
And Neko realized that tonight, she most likely would not be the only one suffering through nightmares. But at least the woman could finally stop guessing.
GNGGNGGNGGNG
There were some events Neko barely acknowledged as her one year anniversary approached, of living in Los Angeles. Events such as her 22nd birthday, her promotion at Chanay's - the department store she worked in, and men.
They came in and claimed they needed help to buy their girlfriend's something, but only ended up getting hands on with her. In these instances, Neko remembered a the defense moves she'd learned what seemed forever ago, and displayed these moves with calm precision. Not enough to hurt, but enough to get the point across. Needless to say, she did just that.
And while this kept back most, Neko was at a loss. Why exactly did she react so violently to the attentions of men? Not all who came in the store were exactly losers. Some legitimately wanted to chat with her and maybe get to know her better. But something inside her slammed on the breaks and shut off.
Having dated a vampire whose blood she still carried, might have something to do with it. Godric's blood coursed through her every minute of every day. But it also seemed to do something quite odd. Each time she did attempt to acknowledge a man handsome, her body disagreed. As if the blood was physically preventing her from even thinking or acting out on her thoughts. Ridiculous of course, but she couldn't deny the oddity either.
In the end, Neko supposed she should thank Godric for the benefits of his blood, even if that sounded like something a business man does to a whore he snuck out to meet in a motel. She hardly ever got physically sick and everything depressing she had to deal with mentally and emotionally, processed at a rapid rate. Not right away exactly, but she certainly was more prone to acceptance and moving on than she normally would have been without the blood. It seemed to give her a humming comfort that nothing else in her life gave.
So at times, when she found herself alone and in a flexible state of mind, Neko did just that. A simple glance up at the sky or close of the eyes, followed by a gently whispered out thanks.
GNGGNGGNGGNG
"We're going all out tonight."
Glancing up, Neko stretched her arms up and yawned. Ever since she'd gotten the job at Chanay's, her mornings were spent alongside Delilah's.
"For what?" she mumbled, slipping out of the bed.
"Your one year anniversary in LA! What else?"
"Oh honey," Neko pouted, "you shouldn't have!"
"Oh I did, doll. Just for you."
Snorting, Neko rummaged through her drawers.
"What were you thinking?" she asked.
"Well," Delilah mulled, "we could go clubbing. Or to the new theater they just opened up. Whatever you want to do."
Neko thought over the request, hardly believing it'd been a year already. It seemed like forever ago that she left Godric standing on her driveway, staring after her.
Let's not think about depressing matters, okay?
Because despite all of the work Neko had done to get over the actions of the Daywalkers, she had done close to nothing when Godric came to mind. And he did very often in irritatingly heated ways. Luckily, she had a way of shutting him out before he could speak to her in that damned soothing voice and persuade her to come back to him.
There was no denying that a part of her longed for him. Even more than longed most likely. Hell, his words may have even been true about them being meant to be together.
But the events of Dallas changed her attitudes and sealed her off to even those who claimed they cared about her. Godric was no exception. In fact, she only got by so easily because the thought of some lucky woman with him, calmed her nerves.
Claim, schlame. No man waits around for someone who tells him goodbye and then drives over 1,000 miles to maintain that separation.
"If I get an idea, I'll call later in the day," Neko finally promised, slipping a white t-shirt on.
"Your cut looks good," Delilah mentioned from the kitchen.
Neko smiled, running a hand through the bronze locks. Her disproportionate hair finally grew out enough to where she could get it cut at a straight length without one side becoming shorter than the other. It hung carelessly in a wave just beneath her shoulder blades.
"Call me," Delilah yelled, fumbling with her bag.
And out the busy woman went.
GNGGNGGNGGNG
Chanay's was not heavily crowded until later in the evening. On Friday nights, women usually stormed in to put together a last minute style for whatever event they were headed to. Tonight was no exception.
The bell rang shrilly at seven o'clock that night and Neko glanced up as per usual to see how she could help her next customer dress as promiscuous as they could.
"I'm trying to sexify myself up for my vampire date. Tell me what you've got!" the woman declared.
Studying the petite 5'4" raven haired woman, Neko left the checkout desk and gestured for the other worker, Janice, to cover.
Other women had paused to stare at the woman upon her greeting, but quickly grew bored and turned away.
"What's your name, sweetheart?"
"Are you a lesbian?"
"Sorry. Just trying to be friendly."
The woman studied her carefully before sighing.
"Lissa. Two s's."
"Alright Lissa with two s's. What are you thinking about?"
An hour later and Neko nearly wanted to quit on the spot. Lissa with two s's not only was picky, but intent on wearing clothes far too appetizing. And not in a good way.
"Are you saying I look like a slut?"
"No," Neko protested, throwing up an arm. "I just don't want you to be eaten physically before you're eaten sexually."
Lissa paused, considering the statement.
"I guess that makes sense," she finally conceded, throwing down the black tank top with cloth missing in the breast area.
Sometimes Neko wondered how exactly strings of fabric reminiscent of the caveman days, happened to be stylish.
"It's difficult of course," Lissa dramatically stated, her french manicured nails running over an equally trashy, velvet gown, "to talk to someone who has the proper knowledge of vampire fashions. It's all about the sex."
Neko nodded, but Lissa abruptly stopped to peer at her.
"Ever been with a vamp?" she questioned, her voice lowering as a group of women passed by.
Unsure how to answer, Neko glanced away.
"Really?" Lissa said after a moment, her mouth opening. "Wouldn't have ever imagined."
"It didn't work out," Neko responded after a moment. "No matter how badly you want it to, it doesn't."
This time, Lissa retreated at the haunted expression passing over Neko's features.
"Damn...well, I'll have to remember that."
Eventually, Lissa with two s's found a black leather vest which pushed her breasts nearly up to her neck.
"Stay safe," Neko couldn't help but warn as she handed the bag over from behind the counter.
Lissa rolled her eyes, but nodded all the same.
GNGGNGGNGGNG
"Hey Delilah, I'm just leaving. It's been a helluva a night. Should be back by nine. Haven't decided on what to do. You pick. Bye," she called into the answering machine.
With that, Neko gathered her bag and waved at the manager, Penny, before exiting the department store.
Her route home was two blocks down the main road. Cars sped by, almost blind in their observation of pedestrians, but Neko always kept a safe distance away on the sidewalk. A few alleys veered off the sidewalk and appeared like a black, gaping hole of distress. Hordes of questionable activity took place in these desolate cracks between booming businesses.
"Ay, baby!"
Stilling, Neko sighed.
She recognized the voice to belong to a wannabe gangster named Reggie. He usually staked out with his crew within the alley near a bankrupt fast food restaurant. Tonight however, he remained alone.
"Reggie," Neko acknowledged, watching the youth slip out of the shadows.
The night was upon them and a slight breeze whipped around her brown strands.
"Want something that'll take the edge off?" he whispered, watching her carefully.
"Don't you ask me this each time I come by?" Neko countered.
"Yeah, yeah. But I got a good deal for something different. Something that'll make you see, feel, and eat stars."
"Sounds dangerous."
"That's the allure."
"No thanks. I got to get back-."
Her reply was cut off when a soft moan traveled through the alley behind him. Neko's eyes narrowed, glancing into the darkness behind him.
"Just some homeless rat crying about whatever," Reggie shrugged off, crossing his arms.
Neko nodded, but she wasn't convinced. There was something eerily familiar about the moan. Like she'd heard it before.
"Nah, you know what, just get going. You ain't gonna buy, get off my market place."
Ignoring the words, Neko ventured toward the dark, narrow passageway.
"That sounded like a-."
And then it hit her.
The hospital massacre in Dallas. Just before the vampires were faced with true death, their vocal chords managed to bring out one last pitiful moan.
"Are you draining him?" she asked in disbelief.
Reggie immediately swept his hand inside his coat, but Neko's reflexes were incredibly sharp that night. Or maybe they had been since ingesting Godric's blood.
Before he could aim the gun at her, Neko flung a harsh strike upward that caused the gun to slip out of the man's hand. In almost slow motion, Neko jumped underneath the weapon and grabbed it in midair.
By this time, her drug dealing friend had taken off down one of the sidewalks, abandoning his supplier.
Feeling the cool metallic in her palm, Neko's eyes peered at the oppressive darkness of the alley. With short, cautious steps, she began walking forth.
The moan hadn't sounded too far away, but then again, it was only probably thanks to the wind that Neko had heard it at all.
"Hello?" she voiced, keeping her steps clear of any broken bottles.
No one answered, but Neko's gaze detected a flopping from somewhere ahead. Speeding up her pace, she nearly gasped at the troublesome condition of the figure before her.
It wasn't a man, like she thought, but a woman. Her tangled, black hair was matted and she lay struggling in her own blood, making sorry attempts at fighting against the silver weighing down across her throat. Once pale and elegant limbs, were victim to silver and her own blood as well.
Setting the gun down, Neko fell to her knees beside the struggling vampire and reached out her hands. Moans spilled out as she lifted the heavy silver off the woman's neck before working her way down to the woman's arms.
"Are you alright?" Neko asked just as the last restraint was removed.
The vampire didn't speak for a moment, but her golden brown eyes stared intensely at Neko.
Finally, the wounds began closing up, but not without causing the vampire discomfort.
"Name," she whispered out.
"I'm Neko," said girl introduced.
The vampire shook her head, hate spewing from her eyes.
"Name of the fucker who silvered me."
Hesitating, Neko glanced behind her and pondered on the chances of Reggie living into tomorrow. If not, she'd most likely be responsible for the man's death.
"Either tell me or I'll glamor it out of you. And I'd hate to do that to someone who saved me," the woman demanded, not sounding particularly sorry about the latter.
Neko turned back, just to find the vampire standing.
Nodding, she pushed herself to her feet and wiped the grime from the ground on to her pants. They were old and ruined anyway.
"Reggie," Neko stated. "That's what I know him by."
The woman didn't register the information on account of the sudden steps she took toward Neko. Keeping herself still, Neko allowed the vampire to begin sniffing her curiously. On any other account, she'd have been scared out of her mind. But Neko had already witnessed and lived through the worst pain imaginable. There was nothing this vampire could do to displace that.
"You smell strange," the vampire expressed, her eyes calculative.
"Oh."
But that was all Neko could think to say.
"You smell," she tried again, licking her lips, "forbidden."
This time, the woman's fangs shot out and her golden brown eyes receded into a hungry maroon.
"That's because," a male voice suddenly stated from behind them both, "she is."
Dun, dun, dun? Lol, I'm sure most of you know who it is. Some of you even yelled at me for making them break up last chapter. Question is...what's going to happen next? Let me know your thoughts in a review. And don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Inaki's letter.