Chapter 28: One Step Closer
A/N: um…..yeah. LOL
Initially, I was going to split this freakishly long chapter into two smaller ones but thought better of it. Sacrificing the integrity of the story for the sake of being able to post two updates to get more reviews really didn't sit well with me. So I apologize in advance if this seemed too long for you. For someone who had a really bad case of writer's block, it sure came as a surprise that this ended up almost double in word count than my usual 3-5K. Oh well, the more the merrier, right?
Anyway, since it's been way too long since my last update, the least I can do is give you all a quick recap of this story just to jog your memories a bit.
Wanda unknowingly gets herself implanted into Ian's ex-girlfriend's body. She didn't find out about that fact until Nate's group stumbled upon their cell on her first raid in her new host and someone had recognized her as a famous celebrity. She gets into an argument with Ian and leaves with Nate's cell where she meets up with her long, lost twin brother. She gets herself implanted into another body when her human host had started to make an appearance. Loose ends are tied on that front and Ian ends up in bed with Wanda and her new body. But now, it was time to look for ways for their own cell to take back some degree of freedom that they had lost to the Souls. And the answers seemed to lie in New York...
I hope that summary/recap was good enough.
Once again, without the kind and encouraging words from these amazing individuals, I would have abandoned this story long ago. So thank them too for making this update possible. Or not. LOL All my love to: .Ian, alkmin (thanks so much for your help and constructive reviews!), booky-true-false-identity, CherryBlip, xXDreamWriterXx (thanks for all the support! Your encouraging words go a looong way. And gives me a kick in the butt to update sooner LOL), cOn Bites, Dizzien, JasperSaysChillax, Alexandra13, Sandpiper86, Sammicakes, Daddys little crazy bitch, DisneyVampire, and Nekomata-17. And also to Sarah strider for keeping me entertained with all your Portuguese reviews/messages. Yes, you all ROCK!
Okay…I ramble too much. So, without further ado…
Wanda POV
Wolf and I had been crouched down behind a low bush for the better part of the last half hour, surveying the block where the library stood across the street in front of us. New York city's biggest and most well-known public library, the "Humanities and Social Science Library" - also referred to as "Main Branch" - was a white, gargantuan building, situated on 42nd Street and 5th Avenue. Two massive, stone lions guarded the front steps to the entrance like monolithic sentinels; perhaps, symbolisms of a more profound nature? Or, were they simply put there for artistic purposes? With those humans, a Soul can only guess.
Numerous people - or should I say, Souls? - and various standalone food and souvenir stalls milled along the steps and the general area of the library. All of them, going about their days, living their lives as normal humans used to do. A seemingly picturesque scene to the casual observer; if said observer didn't have a care in the world, that is.
I guess it was a good thing that some of us still did.
"$ % & #!"
Wolf's curses rang out like the dragging of nails across a blackboard; sharp, shrill sounds traveled through the concealed earpieces we wore, piercing painfully through our eardrums. And it didn't help that he was right beside me at the moment, too.
Before we left for this 'mission', Andrew had outfitted Wolf and I with our own earpiece and a hidden camera camouflaged into our accessories. Mine was built into the locket of my necklace while Wolf's camera was actually one of the links of his surgical steel chain around his neck. Our earpieces were colored nude and inconspicuous enough that they blended seamlessly with our ear. But if anyone asked, we were instructed to simply tell them these were the new wireless in-ear earphones in the market and were available over at the nearest Best Buy store. I initially wondered why I needed to know that but Andrew simply said that those small things resembled old-school hearing aids and it wouldn't make sense for anyone to be sporting one now especially when the Souls have already figured out a way to cure such disability. Which made sense...sort of, I think.
Not wanting to alert others of our presence - especially when we were trying our best to merge with the flora and fauna around us - I shoved my hand up against his mouth. "Shhh! Don't tell me that something as inane as a mosquito bite has got you cursing up a thunderstorm? It's not even a bee sting! I'm sure you'll live. So perhaps you can keep the curses to a minimum or did you intentionally want to catch everyone's attention?" I admonished, though rather inaudibly.
"Those bloodsuckers are ruthless, mind you!" Wolf mumbled against my hand. But when I kept it there to make sure he remained hushed, he had the audacity to lick my palm.
"Ew!" I yelped, wiping the moisture back into his shirt. "I can't believe you just did that."
His response was a wink in my direction accompanied by a hyena-like snicker. Obviously, he had no compunction over doing something so disgusting.
A low growl sounded in my ear.
Wolf snorted indelicately. "And they call me 'Wolf'. A growl like that can give me a run for my money. How about keeping a leash on your human, Wanda? That temper of his is getting annoying."
I shook my head and groaned in blatant exasperation.
Ian's voice came through the earpiece. "Well, apparently, someone is in need of a reminder." His tone was not too amused.
It was Wolf's turn to roll his amber eyes. "No reminders needed, thank you very much! Consider me effectively warned, Mr. O'Shea. I doubt there's a part of my anatomy that you haven't thoroughly threatened with bodily harm yet. Even the hairs on my balls are wetting themselves right now for having a death threat hanging over their imaginary heads."
"Then I suggest you keep all your appendages to yourself unless you refuse to acknowledge any credence of those aforementioned threats."
"S'not my fault your girlfriend can't keep her hands off of me…or my mouth."
"Wolf," I sighed in a pleading tone. "Don't antagonize him. Besides, need I remind you that they-" (referring to the people back at the Core) "-can see and hear everything we do?"
"He started it-"
"Or at least," I interjected, "not until after we're done getting what we came here for. Please. Besides, what is up with you guys that you seem to enjoy continually trying to get a rise out of each other?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, it's nothing to worry your pretty little self with. If you must know, when a bunch of human males get together, it triggers some sort of innate primal instinct within them that causes them to puff up their chests and argue who has the bigger whatever. You know, kinda like peacocks and their feathers. Having a human Host doesn't exempt me from that. And truthfully, I just happen to like the color red and for some odd reason, I find it quite amusing seeing Ian's skin getting all mottled with it."
"..." Uh, how was I supposed to respond to that?
"Concentrate, Wolf," Andrew snapped at him through the earpiece. "Now is not the time or place to be having a Discovery channel discussion. Finish scoping out the area and get your ass moving! Time is not our friend here."
"My apologies, Andrew," I quickly blurted out. "It won't happen again. Wolf was probably sensing that I was nervous about what we're about to do that he was only trying to calm me by talking about things that would take my mind off of it." It really wasn't a sufficient excuse but it held some degree of truth in it, nonetheless. Despite my brave facade, I really was a nervous wreck inside.
Not waiting for a response from him or for Wolf to correct and claim the blame himself, I swallowed my fear and braced myself for the inevitable. I stood and walked around the bushes we'd been hiding in and stepped into the pavement.
Wolf grabbed my arm and yanked me back, warning me to stay hidden while he scoped the surroundings first and made sure the coast was clear. Surprisingly after only a few moments' pause, I was only too happy to oblige. Though I claimed to have more than an adequate amount of skill to fulfill this mission, all that was thrown out the window the moment Jared had ran the plan by us. Had Ian not been in the room then, I might have considered backing out and claim temporary insanity for having agreed to it in the first place. Ian was right but I wasn't about to admit that to him yet or try to renege on my word. Especially when it was already too late to do anything about it anyway. I simply had to suck in all the courage I can muster and just go through with it.
It only took Wolf a few seconds to scan our surroundings before he signaled back to me that the coast was clear - in other words, no Seekers or those sporting the standard garb of the police force was around. Which was rather unnecessary when we all knew that Seekers have long moved on from New York when 'seeking' had suddenly become an extinct occupation in these overpopulated cities and 'policemen' were not needed as much except to help on emergencies. And those happened few and far between nowadays.
"Good luck," Ian's deep voice broke through our earpiece again. "I lo-" he started to say but somehow stopped himself. "Take care," he said instead.
"I will. Thanks." And I love you, too. I added in my mind.
We ambled silently across the street, maneuvering our way through pedestrians, tourist stands and various carts offering a plethora of edible treats. The aroma of an authentic NY-style hotdog wafted through my nose, tickling my olfactory senses into high alert. My eyes immediately darted towards the hotdog vendor's cart where more than a dozen people have already lined up behind. My tummy grumbled on instinct but I shrugged it off. Food should be the last thought on my mind right now. Add that to the nerves and the pavement underneath us would not like me too much.
When we reached the top of the steps, I extended a tremulous hand towards the handle and paused…
It was only natural to have a moment of hesitation when you're about to step one foot through that proverbial door of the unknown. Dragging the rest of your body in was only slightly harder. But now wasn't the time to be thinking of metaphorical objects when I, myself, was standing right outside the library's ten-foot high solid oak double doors. Oh, the irony of it all.
Later, I would chastise myself for the hesitation. But for now... Now was not the time to be a coward. Or was it really cowardice that scared me? I wasn't too sure. Call it a gut feeling but somehow, I just couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen behind these doors. Would it be something good, or perhaps something bad?
Shaking my head, I brushed the ludicrous thought aside and pulled the doors open.
Miles high of white marble and rock greeted us and we barely were able to hold back our combined Aah's of appreciation at the opulence of the place. But before we could have a few more moments to take in our surroundings, Jared's voice drifted through the earpiece.
"Remember, if you can't get anything from their local computers…"
"-try and gain access to the server room. Yes, Jared. We know the instructions. You all but engraved them to the back of our eyelids before we left," Wolf muttered beside me.
"It definitely boggles the mind how such a sarcastic bunch somehow landed in the hospitality industry. Remind me again why I signed up for this?" Jared mumbled. I had a distinct impression he was shaking his head as he spoke.
"'Coz you like going Big Brother on us, that's why. In fact, you're like the big brother none of us wished we ever had," Wolf kidded.
Choosing to ignore their asinine banter and the nervous flutter in my stomach at the thought of having to deal with Plan B should Plan A prove to be a dud, I made my way across the entrance hall towards the East Wing where the library housed a multitude of computer terminals that were available for public use. A balding, dark-skinned gentleman manned the Information kiosk located off to the far side of the cavernous room.
With our planned speech on my tongue and my heavy backpack perched securely on my shoulders, I went straight to his desk.
As soon as we reached him, he greeted us with a genuine smile plastered on his portly, old face. "How can I help a couple of nice, young kids this fine evening?"
"Um…hi. My name is Goldfinger-" It was a name Rob gave me for this mission and when I had asked what it meant, he merely snickered and waved it off, saying it was the first name that popped into his head "-and this is my friend, Robin." Indicating Wolf with my thumb. "We're students over at NYU and we're doing a paper on the logistics of planet acquisitions and the role of Seekers in the success, or possible failure, of such endeavors. We were hoping you could direct us to the correct section for those periodicals. Or, better yet, you could let us know if there would be resources about it on the communal desktops here?" I asked in the most innocent voice I could manage. The inquiry was precise. Direct. No beating around the bush, as they say. Crossing my fingers, I anticipated he would give me an answer that was just as precise and direct and void of any suspicion.
True to Soul's form, or so I thought, he simply smiled and instructed us to head straight for the terminals. He hadn't indicated how we were to go about and retrieve such information. In fact, he was rather vague and had not been at all useful. It didn't seem as though he was even slightly wary of our reasons and it begged to question if he was just as clueless as the rest of us.
"Thank you-" I paused to glance at his name tag "Dark Night." Cocking my head to the side, I added, "Your name…may I ask what planet you were from?"
With a toothy grin, he said, "The Singing World or Bat Planet. And I must say what a wonderful place it is."
Chuckles suddenly erupted from our earpiece. I glanced at Wolf and he just shrugged, having no clue either as to what made the humans start laughing in their end. I didn't want to chance asking so I simply turned a saccharine smile towards Dark Night and said, "I'm sure it is a delightful place and I can't wait to learn more about that planet," hoping he hadn't caught the blatant fib there.
Despite the awkward exchange, Wolf and I soon found ourselves situated on two available stations beside each other and searching through the library's database with Rob spitting out rapid instructions through the earpiece. It had all proven to be pointless, unfortunately. None of the information we uncovered were any different from what we already knew.
Rob muttered a ripe curse then said, "I'm sorry, Wanda."
I started to say that it wasn't his fault, but then he added, "I guess both of you will be going in after all."
A cold chill ran up my spine. No matter how many times we ran through Plan B, it still never failed to cause butterflies to start fluttering in my gut. It was definitely risky, albeit the only chance we probably had.
Wolf must have noticed my hesitation because he laid a gentle hand on my shoulder and said, "It'll be fine, Wanda. I've done countless recon back in the army. You're in good hands with me."
"The Salvation Army doesn't count, moron." Rob.
"Need I remind you of the hands-off policy, Wolf?" Ian.
"Enough of your macho bravado, O'Shea. It ain't that attractive." Mel.
"I'll show you 'attractive', Stryder." Jared.
"Sheesh," Wolf muttered under his breath, "You'd think these idiots would be smart enough to tone down the sarcasm, threats and unnecessary quips to make sure we weren't distracted with our jobs. But obviously, even as smart as some of them are supposed to be, common sense just ain't so common after all."
For some absurd reason, their barbs actually managed to lessen the nervous jitters and I was able to compose myself again. Makes one wonder if they did that on purpose.
"C'mon. Let's just get this over with," I said, pulling his arm with me as I stood and readjusted my backpack on one shoulder.
We exited the room after a wave and a brief 'Thank You' to Dark Night. On our way past his desk, I grabbed one of the library maps/guides displayed beside him and made to peruse the contents as Wolf led us towards the elevators.
Based on the blueprints Rob procured prior to this trip, the server room would be on the second floor, through the Biography section, located somewhere in between Geography and Ancient History. There should be a service door all the way to the back of the Western wall.
Getting there was the easy part. Going through the door was not. And it wasn't in the metaphorical sense either.
Before my species took over this planet, an access code and a special key card would have been needed to gain access through that door. However now, even Rob wasn't sure if all that had changed and so wasn't able to come up with a fake ID for us or gain a couple of usable codes for entry. Possibly, given more time, he probably could have. And questioning an employee would not only be suspect, but would garner unwanted attention our way.
The only break we got in this dire situation was the fact that the Souls have decided to disable the security cameras in the building, disregarding their use as unnecessary and completely moot.
But being able to sidle among my kind with an agenda of total distrust was something I wasn't entirely comfortable with. Not even all the hours of planning can prepare me for it. Good thing Andrew made sure to have Wolf come with me. I was way over my head when I volunteered, only looking at it from the perspective of being more helpful for once. This wasn't a clandestine affair as it was manageable compared to the time I went into the clinic for Jaime.
No. This wasn't the same at all. And that was why my nerves were shot all to way to Arizona and back.
We entered the elevator with two other scholarly-looking individuals, both seemingly too preoccupied to notice anything else around them. Which was as well since we really weren't in the mood, or in the right mindset, for small talk, anyway.
The bell chimed signaling our arrival to our intended floor. In silence, Wolf and I exited the elevator, brushed past our two companions, and never looked back.
"It looks like the coast is clear…I mean, considering the place is heavily populated and all; there aren't any beings we need to worry about. I don't see anyone wearing an ID badge in the perimeter," said Rob.
"Good," Wolf whispered. "Let's head over to the Geography section and make our way to the service door from there. It'd be too obvious to make a beeline straight from just exiting the elevator.
It didn't take long for us to locate the service door even though it had been partially concealed behind ten foot high bookshelves. But before we could breath a sigh of relief at the sight of a deactivated keypad next to its handle, the sound of male voices close by made us both stop dead on our tracks.
A few feet from the door, two men - probably in their late twenties or early thirties, based on their sizes - were chatting casually on a nearby table; books, periodicals and a few magazines were scattered haphazardly around them. Luckily, they were both faced away from us.
But unfortunately, their chatter ceased when the sound of our footsteps against the linoleum tiles echoed throughout the deserted area, alerting them of our presence.
"Dammit. Wanda, distract them while I think of a way to get us in," Wolf whispered then suddenly slipped down a nearby aisle before one of them turned their heads to face us...I meant, to face me; since Wolf somehow managed to disappear right into thin air. I immediately pretended to be interested in the books closest to me.
From the corner of my eye, I saw their gazes lingering on me before turning their backs on me again.
"What do I do?" I whispered so low into my earpiece, it was barely louder than a thought. I just hoped they still heard me at the other end.
"Just stay calm, Wanda. I'm thinking, maybe you can approach them and ask for help locating a certain book. That'll hopefully draw them away from the door and give Wolf enough time to slip in," Andrew suggested.
A loud growl sounded in my ear followed by a barely audible curse from Melanie.
"What do you mean 'give Wolf enough time to slip in'? I thought we were both going in together," I hissed, sliding behind a bookshelf.
"Sorry, hun. Change of plans," he said apologetically."Wolf needs a good distraction and you're obviously it. Now I hate to do this to you, but you may have to turn up the charm – well, not that you aren't already bursting with it – but just a tad bit more to give Wolf enough time to slip in, scrounge around in the server room, check if Rob's hunch is correct, then leave without anyone noticing."
"Oh, no. No, no, no. I'm not doing such a thing. Try to come up with something else that doesn't involve me having to deal with them or anything regarding turning on my-" (cringe)"-charm," I pleaded.
"You heard her, Drew. Think of something else," Ian barked.
"No can do. The only way for us to find answers is getting through that door. And in order to give Wolf a clear shot towards it without bringing attention to himself would be to make sure we take those men's attention away from it. And it's not like we can create some kind of diversion somewhere else. Wanda's it!"
"I hate to agree with Drew on this one, Wanda, but he's right. Besides, what's so bad about talking to fellow Souls anyway? You do it on a regular basis back at the Hotel," Wolf said, adding his two cents.
"It's just….I dunno. Somehow I just have a bad feeling about this," I admitted.
"It'll be okay. We'll guide you the entire time," Andrew assured me.
Resigned, I sighed, "Okay. Okay. Fine. So what exactly did you want me to do?"
Ian's curse rang out like a gong in my ears and I couldn't help but flinch at the unexpected sound. A loud crash soon followed suit.
"Um…Ian, I think you need a break. You're not helping things here by acting like the jealous boyfriend. C'mon, I'll take you somewhere to cool that hot head of yours," Mel said. Then to Andrew, she asked, "Mind if I took him to your room?"
"No. Not my room. I'm keeping Andrea sequestered there for the time being. I thought it would be prudent to keep her away from you guys for the duration of your stay. She already promised to stay out of your way. And," he quickly added, "let's just say, let that be the end of that. I don't want to hear anything more in regards to her and her past. She intends to move on with her life and she doesn't need to deal with any of this. Can we be clear on that?"
"I wasn't going to say anything. But hey, you brought it up," Mel replied rather flippantly.
Somehow I pictured Andrew rolling his eyes at that. "Just take him to the master bedroom in Room 1313."
"He is still in the room and he can hear just fine, thank you very much."
"Well, good, then you can take your own ass over there and let us do our jobs. Wanda's supposed to be doing the distracting, not you."
"Fine. But if any of them lay a hand on her or anything happens to her, it's your asses!"
"And yes, we like our derrières just fine," Andrew drawled.
"Speaking of asses," Wolf piped in, "I don't really want to act like one – Rob, shut it if you know what's good for you – but we're sort of in the middle of a mission here and I'd like to get back on track, if that's at all possible?"
"Yes, lets," I agreed. "Best to get this over with. So…back to my question – what book am I looking for?"
"Ancient Mating Rituals of the Aboriginal Man: Their Habits and Controversial Practices – Illustrated Edition."
Smack.
Rob's snicker could be heard clearly in the background.
"You'd like that wouldn't you Rob? But I doubt that book's available since I distinctly remember seeing it under your mattress the other day," Wolf hedged.
"Rummaging around my porn stash again, eh, Wolf? The National Geographic one with those half-naked tribal women on the cover not doing it for you anymore?"
Andrew, Jared and I let out a long exasperated sigh.
"Somebody shoot me and put me out of my misery," I beseeched.
Andrew cleared his throat. "Alright. That's enough. We got to focus here, people. Wanda, I'm sorry to ask this of you but you'll have to act like a total ditz and ask them to help you look for a book that's no where within the topics of ancient history and geography; although the title might seem within the scope of both sections. That way, you'll be able to lead them far away from the door. You'll have to flirt a bit to make sure they don't just point you in the proper direction but have them escort you there as well."
"What book am I looking for?" I asked again.
"The Kamasutra."
"The what?"
"The Kamasutra. And trust me; all human males know that book so I'm sure their Souls would have an idea what it is, too."
"Damn, boss. That's even worse than my own book suggestion," Rob quipped.
Andrew ignored him which only managed to peak my curiosity.
"The Kamasutra," I repeated, waiting for him to explain but he didn't seem inclined to volunteer any more information about the book. I drew in a deep breath, as much for courage as it was for luck. "Okay. I trust you so let's just hope this works."
Before I could even take a step out of the bookshelf I'd been using as a buffer, Andrew suddenly told me to stop. "Hold on, Wanda."
Startled, "What? What is it?"
"Uh….loosen up the first two buttons of your shirt and get rid of the hair tie."
"Excuse me?"
"You trust me, right? We need them a bit discombobulated and to do that, you'll need to show some skin. You won't be completely undressed but it'll give them a hint of…um-" He cleared his throat. "-cleavage; just enough to disorient them and make them forget their own names. Just because they're Souls doesn't necessarily mean they have complete control of how their bodies would react; especially how, or when, a certain male appendage of theirs - that I don't need to name - decides to rise up to the occasion when presented with just the slightest provocation."
"You're killing me, Drew." Though I loathe the implications his suggestion would impart, I understood what he wanted and could appreciate the merit of it. Ian had already intimated as much when I'd shown up in yoga class wearing that overtly revealing yoga outfit. He'd said his other head had taken over the thinking process. And even when he refused to expound on that statement, even as a Soul, I knew he meant something in the same lines of pheromones and how it assists gravity in redirecting blood flow from the brain to some other part of the male anatomy.
Tempting fate like this was a vile idea but as Jeb would call it, a "necessary evil." In the throes of war, it was only to be expected.
I was just glad they took Ian out of the room. I would hate for him to see me having to act like this.
Unhooking the top buttons of my shirt – but making sure my breasts were still effectively covered – then loosening my hair from its tight ponytail, I let the waves cascade down my back and hoped to whoever would listen that this little scheme would work. And that Ian would not think any less of me for agreeing to do this.
Without any more disruptions, I stepped out of the bookshelf again and strode straight towards the two men; determination – the only thing on my mind.
"Ahem…excuse me," I said, clearing my throat.
Both men immediately turned around to face me.
From their stunned looks and the phantom thud of their jaws hitting the floor – the term, sucker-punched didn't even come close – I'd say Andrew's foresight on the male psyche was dead on. Well, he is, in fact, male so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that he'd known it would elicit that kind of reaction from them.
Which begged the question, would he have reacted the same way too?
I shook my head; opting not to entertain that particular train of thought.
By the time they finally regained their composures and picked up said jaws from the floor, I'd already sidled up to their table; all the while making sure their gazes were locked on me and away from the direction of the door.
"Y-yes?" One of the men asked. From far away, I hadn't been able to see what they looked like. Up close… Let's just say, I wouldn't be female if I'd said they weren't handsome men - both in their early thirties as I had earlier suspected - with bodies that could only be achieved by having taken permanent residence inside a gym. One had platinum blond hair, steel-grey eyes that seemed more like swirling pools of mercury as he took in my appearance from head to toe. He had pale skin and a build only a seasoned athlete could possess. Except for the straightness of his hair, I would think he was Michelangelo's David come to life; which was a stark contrast to his friend with the olive-toned skin, dark brown hair and striking green eyes that made it look like he just came from a GQ photo shoot himself.
(And yes, that magazine is still in circulation; with some obvious adjustments, of course. It is true that Souls are generally altruistic in nature but that doesn't deter from the fact that we are able to celebrate beauty – much the same way that we celebrate life – without the fear of pride, prejudice and jealousy to get in the way.)
Both wore button-down shirts of varying shades of grey and black slacks that accentuated their well-toned muscles and certain other assets. Their neckties hung loosely around the collars of their shirts.
And despite all that, I wasn't surprised that their perfect, chiseled features did nothing to spur any type of attraction or reaction from me. Except maybe for wariness and a whole lot of nervousness. But it wasn't because they were both unknowingly undressing me with their eyes. No, it had more to do with the fact that I was about to deceive my own species. Again.
"What can I do to you? I mean…what can I do for you?" the one with the blond hair asked, quickly correcting his faux pas. But not before a cherry blush tainted his fair cheeks.
Hooking a stray strand behind my ear, I did what Andrew wanted me to do and asked, "I'm looking for a specific book and I was under the impression I'd find it around this section. But for the life of me, I have no idea where to start looking for it. Oh, by the way, the name's Wa-…I mean, Goldfinger. The name's Goldfinger," I said, introducing myself.
"Caillen," he said, standing up from his seat and extending his hand which I briefly shook before dropping it. "And my friend, Maddox." He inclined his head towards the other man beside him.
The other man also stood up and proffered his own hand to me. His, too, I only brusquely shook.
"Pleasure to meet your acquaintances," I smiled with playful innocence. "I like your names. They're quite interesting. Were those your human host's names as well?"
Caillen nodded. "They were already nice names. No reason why we should change it."
"Besides," Maddox added, "it's easier for everyone else to address us this way than with the ten and eighteen-word names we'd been initially born with."
"Aah. I figured as much. Funny how that happens more often than most."
Maddox shrugged. "Yeah. But we don't begrudge anyone for the assignment of the novel-length names to us. They're actually beautiful names but they sure are a mouthful."
I was about to ask them what they were when Wolf's anxious voice came through the earpiece. "You're doing great, Wanda, but you need to start luring them away from their table. We haven't got much time."
I cleared my throat and smiled. "Someday, I hope to have the pleasure of finding out what those names are. But as it is, I really do need to start searching for this book. You see, a friend of mine mentioned a book that really piqued my curiosity. It was a book that she, in turn, had heard about from another friend of hers. None of us have ever heard of it before and so I was extremely intrigued when even a search on the Internet failed to produce any results. But that friend of hers swears this book exists and I believe her. So I thought I'd pay a visit to the local library, hoping I'd be able to stumble upon at least one copy of it here."
"Too intellectual, Wanda. Try to dumb down your vocabulary and sentence structures a bit," Andrew suggested.
I gritted my teeth. Most people found it extremely difficult to engage in an intelligent conversation yet here I am, struggling to do just the opposite.
"I'm sure my friend and I can help you. What did you say the book's name was?" Caillen asked.
"The Kamasutra?" I supplied, although it came out more like a question.
Grey and green eyes widened; pale and tanned skin suddenly became flushed. Maddox choked on a laugh.
Uh...that's definitely not a good sign.
Then Caillen cocked a brow, a boyish grin lit up his face. "May I ask if you have any idea what that book is? Or were you merely curious?"
"No idea what that book is," I answered honestly. "And based on your reactions, I'm starting to think that I wouldn't want to know. But not enough that it will deter me from finding it, still."
Maddox leaned against the side of the table and crossed his arms around his muscular chest. "I'm surprised your friends are aware of that book. Had my human host not had a copy back then, I'd...never mind," he said, shaking his head with a chuckle.
I shrugged and shifted my backpack up my shoulders. "Curiosity does me in all the time, I suppose. But,"
"Now pout your lips and pretend to play with your locket when you ask them to go with you in search of the book," Rob advised.
Wanda, pretend this is Ian you're flirting with, I told myself. This is all pretend. A farce. This isn't real. Oh, for crying out loud...
I did as he asked and almost immediately, their gazes darted down to my lips and, lower still, to the spot between my breasts where my locket rested. "-when my curiosity gets - oh, how do you say it? - aroused, there's no stopping me until I'm thoroughly-" I paused to run my tongue through my slightly chapped lips "-satisfied."
Both men gulped.
With an innocently seductive smile, I then asked, "So, would you two nice gentlemen care to help a lady in need of desperate help?"
Caillen ran a hand through his platinum blond hair, mussing it up a bit. Then focusing glazed silver-grey eyes on my own again, he said, "Um...yeah. Of course. I'd be glad to help. Let me um...pack up over here and uh..." He didn't finish his sentence.
I turned puppy dog eyes to Maddox, biting my lower lip at the same time. "How about you, Maddox? The more help, the faster we can find that elusive book, I would think."
"Of course! I can never turn down a lady in distress. And might I say, what a gorgeous lady she is," he said with a wink. He, then, proceeded to pack up his things.
Now it was my turn to blush scarlet.
Five minutes later, the three of us made our way back to the elevators and were headed up to the fifth floor for the Documentaries section.
The seemingly long trip it took for us to reach our destination was riddled in silence. Well, at least on my end, it was.
"Rob, you effing genius!" Wolf had exclaimed. We were well aware of that little fact, but regarding what this time? I could only guess that Wolf had managed to slip through the service door right after we left and had gained access to the server room without problems, as well. The animated conversations between the Core and Wolf had revolved around his finding a huge contraption inside that room that obviously wasn't human-made. It wasn't connected to the Internet but, in fact, worked within its own complicated network.
I had been enthralled with Wolf's discovery but quickly realized their voices had made it a tad bit hard for me to concentrate. It was evidenced by the fact that I had stumbled twice on my own two feet and had bumped into Caillen at least once. All instances ending with him uncomfortably keeping me steady and preventing me from planting myself face-first into the marble floors.
"Listen, Wanda. We don't want to get you distracted any more than you already are with all this techie talk so we'll be cutting off communication between you and Wolf for a while. He'll still be able to listen in on your conversations but you'll basically be on your own. Nod if you understand."
Unfortunately, I did understand but it didn't mean I liked it one bit. Reluctantly, I nodded.
"Great!" Caillen exclaimed. "We can head straight there right after we find your book. There's this little cafe a block from here that serves the best tasting espresso you'll ever set your taste buds on. You might also like their extensive selection of herbal teas. Well, I say that only because everyone does," he chuckled.
"I- uh. What?"
"Tea. Or coffee. Whatever you prefer. The place isn't that far from here," he said.
Hold on! I didn't agree to go anywhere with these guys! Or did I just? Oh no. I groaned. Andrew was right. I was too distracted.
And he must have sensed my intention to cop out. "You should go with them, Wanda. Wolf needs another hour or two down there. Keep these guys occupied just to make sure they don't go back to their table."
Oh, joy.
But then again... Now that I don't have to go through with the pretense of having to find the book - a book that I was starting to have a bad feeling about anyway...
"You know what, guys? Now that you mentioned coffee and tea, I am feeling a bit parched. How about we just head straight for the cafe instead? The book can wait another day. I'm sure it'll still be here tomorrow."
"All right by me," Caillen beamed. "Maddox?"
He grinned. "Best idea you've had all day, my friend."
An hour passed. Then two. Not a word came from Andrew or Wolf. Bile slowly climbed up my throat as my mind started conjuring scenarios I didn't even want to contemplate.
Did something go horribly wrong that they didn't want to alert me about? What exactly did Wolf discover in the server room that they decided to leave me out? Granted, Andrew did notify me beforehand they would be cutting off communication in their end. But for two whole hours without a single word? After only an hour of pure silence, I was even willing to settle for one of Rob's crazy quips. That was how bad I had started to worry. Something was definitely going on and it left me feeling queasy in my stomach.
Well, I suppose, that was the thing about panic. It didn't leave much room for sanity anymore.
"Would you two gentlemen excuse me for a bit?" Without giving them a chance to respond, I headed for the Ladies' Room.
Small favors here, the bathroom was for single occupancy only. I pulled out my locket, brought the camera to my face and Immediately called for Andrew.
"Andrew, what's going on in there? It's been two hours without a word from anyone! I can't stall here much longer!"
There was a flicker of static and Andrew's panicked voice came through the earpiece.
"Bloody hell, Wanda! We all thought you've decided to bail out on us!"
I jerked back. Confused. "What? What are you on about? And why would you think I'd do such a thing?"
He expelled a deep breath. Then after a seemingly long pause, he answered, "Look, never mind. Just head on over to the rendezvous point. Wolf's been waiting for you there for the past ten minutes."
"He's already there? Andrew, tell me what's going on!"
"I'll explain when the two of you are back here at the Hotel safely. Try to loose your companions and head straight back to the van. Don't stop anywhere or try to talk to anyone on your way. Do you understand?"
"I do but-"
"No buts. Just go!"
"Okay, okay. I'm going!"
I went through the motions of flushing the toilet and washing my hands before exiting the bathroom.
Caillen and Maddox were in the middle of an animated conversation about sports when I rejoined them.
Without meeting their gazes, I said, "Look, it's been fun, you two, but I really have to get going. My friends are expecting me back at our place soon. So, thank you so much for the company. I really have to run! Bye!"
I quickly strode out of the cafe and didn't look back even when they both had started calling my name. Making sure they didn't follow me out, I slipped into a deserted alleyway and waited a few seconds in the shadows. True enough, Caillen and Maddox both rushed past; clearly searching the streets for me. I brushed off the feeling of remorse that suddenly came over me, knowing this was what I had to do.
Later, I would remember the look on their faces and realize the disappointment that fell there.
The streets were still bustling with Souls walking about despite the lateness of the hour. I quickly made my way through the crowd, making sure to blend in with the background and trying not to draw any attention to me.
Wolf and I had parked the van a few blocks North of the library. Just as Andrew said, Wolf was already in the driver's seat, looking too anxious for wear. A sliver of relief flashed across his features a second before it was quickly replaced with one of apprehension and foreboding the moment he caught sight of me.
I shivered at his scrutinizing gaze, uncertain as to what had caused a shift in their attitudes.
"Where have you been?" he barked as soon as I settled myself in the front seat. "You almost gave me a heart attack! And so you know, I doubt Heal can cure me from that."
"In all honesty, Wolf, I really have no clue what's going on. I've been where Andrew instructed me to be all along."
He sighed, then flicked the ignition on. "You know what? I'm just going to let Andrew explain this one. It's been a long day for all of us and I'd like to go home now. We'll leave everything for the debriefing."
"All right," I agreed. As much as I wanted answers now, my mind was exhausted beyond help. And a few minutes into the drive, it wandered off into the great unknown.
A/N (again): Did anyone catch the hidden meaning of Wanda and Wolf's aliases? Or the librarian's? Special shout out to you if you did. ;)
Disclaimer: A lot of the details I've given about the library are obviously made-up since I've never been inside it and relied only on pictures I've seen on the Internet for a general description of it. Please don't sue me! *wink*
I've added pictures to my photobucket account of Caillen and Maddox and changed also my choice for Mel. Check it out here (remember to take out the spaces):
http : / s1217 . photobucket . com / albums / dd399 / RawSugarX23 / Anything %20 But /
Thanks for reading! Please review. A simple 'yay', 'nay' or 'whaddahey' will suffice. ;)
