Chapter 4
"Before we can even think about heading down to Florida," I say as we walk down the stairs in clean clothes, "I need to give the truck a tune up to make sure it'll last us all the way there." I open the door to the garage and walk through it, letting Avi walk through before shutting it.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Avi says as I move some stuff out of the way and get the tools out, "cause I sure don't know how to help you. I can check the oil and tire pressure and that's about it."
"Relax," I say as I hit the button for the garage door opener, "I got this. My dad taught me a lot of it and this truck has definitely proved to be great practice. I was the one who got it up and running in the first place." Her eyes widen and I chuckle as I pull my keys out of my pocket and run to the truck to pull it into the garage. I throw it back into park and listen to the engine run for a moment before turning it off and hopping out. I pop the hood open and get to work.
I spend over two hours working on the truck, making fine adjustments and checking every last thing. Despite what she said, Avi proved to be a great help with getting tools and being an extra set of hands. I sigh, looking at the fuel filter. I haven't changed that in who knows how long, I think to myself. I pull it out and look into it. It's gunked up for sure. I put it up to my lips and try blowing on it, but I can't get any air to push through. After a few tries, I mutter, "damn it" to myself and sit down on the ground in defeat.
"What's wrong?" Avi says as she comes to sit next to me.
"The fuel filter is clogged," I answer. "The past few times I've been able to blow the gunk out, but I couldn't even get a bit of air through it. It's been due for a new filter for a while now and this thing probably wouldn't get us out of Oregon much less Florida."
"How much would a new one cost?" Avi asks.
"Depends," I answer, "but you can't really find one outside of ordering it online or going to a mechanic who will charge triple the price and force you to pay him to put it in himself." I let out a sigh, letting myself think for a moment before sitting straight up. "I have an idea!" I shout as I jump up and put the fuel filter back in place. I shut the hood before wiping my hands on a towel and jumping in the truck. "Grab the tools and come on!" I shout to Avi.
"Where are we going?" Avi asks as she grabs the toolbox and hops in the passenger seat.
"To the junkyard," I say with a smirk.
"And how is that going to help us?" Avi asks confused.
"This whole truck came from the junkyard," I say, "along with every part I've needed to fix it. We're going to see if we can find a better fuel filter there."
Avi looks confused as I start the truck and begin to back out of the driveway. She chuckles and shakes her head, "I'm starting to think you might be a little crazy."
"Oh, I totally am," I say with a laugh.
"But I'm going to trust you," Avi finishes. I look over and my face softens as she gives me a small smile. I wrap my tattooed arm around her for a moment before returning my hand to the wheel as we head to the junkyard.
I slowly steer the truck toward my hideout in the junkyard, trying to stay out of sight. I take a look around before putting the truck in park and opening the door. "Leave the tools here," I tell Avi as I step out of the truck, "we'll get them out if we find a filter." Avi nods as she hops out and follows me. I turn around and notice her nervous expression as her body barely shakes. A shiver runs down my spine, This is where I saved her from less than 24 hours ago. I grab her hand and squeeze it, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, just stick close to me." Avi nods and I wrap her in a hug until her body stops shaking. "Ready?" I ask gently, brushing the hair away from her forehead. Avi nods and she pulls away as I say, "We're going to check every car to see if they have a fuel filter that will fit in the truck. I would divide and conquer but I don't want you to leave my side. Just in case."
"You don't have to worry about that," Avi says with a nervous chuckle. I wrap an arm around her and pull her close as we walk along. We go towards each car, checking under the hood and looking for the fuel filters. Most are missing, broken, or just as bad off as the one I already have. I kick the dirt in frustration as Avi walks over to a car I didn't even notice buried under leaves. She lifts the hood and pulls out a new looking fuel filter. My eyes light up as she asks, "Would this one work?"
"Toss it here and let's see!" I shout. She throws it to me and walks back over as I blow on it. I little bit of gunk flies out but it's not clogged. "You might be a miracle worker!" I shout looking at Avi. "Let's see if it fits in the truck!"
We dart over to the truck and I pop the hood. I take out the current filter out and notice immediately how much smaller the new one is than the one my truck currently has. My heart sinks as I try to fit the new one in, but to no avail. "Damn it!" I cry out as I drop the new filter to the ground and put the old one back. I slam the truck hood back and slump down in front of the truck. "Damn it," I whisper again. Here I go at letting everyone down again, I think as I fight back tears. I hear Avi sit down next to me and she puts her head on my shoulder.
"I'm sorry," I say with a sniffle.
"It's not your fault," Avi says.
"I don't know how to get a new fuel filter," I say with a defeated tone, "and we can't try to head to Florida without a new one."
"We'll figure something out," Avi says. "Like I told you before, I trust you." She wraps her arms around me and I return the embrace for a few moments. Suddenly, I feel her stiffen as her arms drop from around me.
"What is it?" I ask. I notice her staring to the side and I look over and a chill runs down my spine. I immediately stand up and Avi follows.
"Well, well, well," Nathan Prescott chuckles with bandaged hands, "figured I'd find you here."
"What do you want, Prescott?" I growl, putting myself in front of Avi.
"You know what I want," Nathan says with an evil grin. "I want her." He points to Avi who shivers. I immediately reach toward my belt and find nothing there. The gun…I never grabbed it. I curse to myself, keeping a stoic expression and glare at Nathan.
"You aren't getting her," I say, my arm out in front of her. "Not unless you want to fight me for her."
"Gladly," Nathan says as he pulls out a knife. My eyes widen as he lunges at me. I dodge, looking over my shoulder at Avi before feeling a searing pain across my arm. I look down and see blood already trickling out of a gash in my arm. I grab it and as I fall to my knees, noticing Avi's eyes almost flaming at Nathan now.
"Let's finish the job I should have completed in the bathroom all those years ago," Nathan chuckles. Distracted by the pain, I can't even come up with a way of escape. I see Nathan pull his arm back and I close my eyes, waiting for his strike. But it never comes. I feel something flash past me and hear a…roar? I open my eyes and between me and Nathan stands a saber-toothed cat. The cat's flaming green eyes match the ones that Avi had just moments ago. I scoot back and notice Avi's nowhere to be found. Could it be…
"This," Nathan says almost triumphantly, "this is the power I wanted to see! This is what's going to bring me power! This is exactly what I need!"
"Avi?!" I almost shout in shock. The cat turns to me for a moment as if to confirm my thoughts and my jaw drops. She's a shapeshifter?
The saber version of Avi growls as she steps closer to Nathan. Nathan chuckles, "You are what I need Aviana. There is no use in trying to run now. You're mine!" Nathan tries to lunge at Avi but she swipes at the knife and knocks it out of his hand, sending it flying across the junkyard. Before he can run to grab it, Avi lunges at him and knocks him to the ground, landing on top of him.
She leans in close, claws out, and growls, "I will never go with you. You can threaten me all you want, you can try to hurt me all you want, but I am not yours, I will never be yours, and you will never have me. You will only get one chance to run off once I let you up. If you try to come after me or Chloe, I will kill you." My eyes widen as does Nathan's and he gives a quick nod. Avi steps off of him and he scurries to get up and runs off.
He stops, before turning around and saying, "This isn't the last you've seen of me. I will stop at nothing to have you. Until the day I die, I will pursue you. No matter who I have to take out." Avi roars and he tears off, quickly disappearing in the distance. I go to stand up but searing pain shoots through my arm and sends me back to my butt. I groan in pain as my hand returns to my arm.
Avi's ear twitches and she immediately turns to face me. "Are you okay?" she asks.
"Don't worry about me," I answer, "I'm more concerned with the fact you're a saber-toothed tiger!"
"Technically, the word 'tiger' is wrong since I'm not part of the tiger family," Avi says, "but yes…I guess this is the power Nathan was referring to."
"Can you turn back to a human?" I ask, still gripping my wounded arm.
"Let me try," Avi says. I watch in awe as the saber fades away and she stands upright, paws returning to hands and fur making way for her long hair. She looks down at her clothes, now shredded and she puts her arms across herself to cover up.
"I guess that's what happens to your clothes," I say with a chuckle. "Don't feel embarrassed, I have some clothes in my hideout you can put on." I let go of my arm to stand up, gritting my teeth and hissing in pain as my arm throbs. As I return to my feet, I feel blood begin to trickle down my arm again and I replace my hand and groan.
"Are you okay?" Avi asks concerned as she runs up to me. Her eyes glance down at my arm and I notice for the first time how much blood has already trickled down and stained my skin. "We need to get you to the hospital," Avi says worriedly.
"No," I say adamantly shaking my head, "that's where Nathan would be expecting us to go. Let's just get you new clothes and we can go back to my place. Hopefully Mom or David will be able to help us." Avi's eyes don't leave my arm, clearly not convinced about my plan. I clear my throat and say, "My hideout is that little shed behind the truck. Follow me." I start to walk and hiss as the movement pulls at the wound.
"Can you walk?" Avi asks as she walks up beside me. I nod, but she slides an arm behind my back anyway. She walks with me, refusing to take her arm from behind my back. I walk with her through the opening into the hideout and I lower myself onto one of the benches. I feel a little lightheaded but I point over to the duffle bag in the corner of the shed. "There are some clothes in there that should fit you," I say. "You can look in there to replace what you have on."
Avi digs through the bag and quickly takes off her shredded clothes and puts on a long-sleeved shirt and some jeans. She turns around to face me and I feel tears prick the back of my eyes. A couple slide down my face before I have a chance to hide them.
Avi almost immediately notices. "What's wrong?" she asks as she walks back over to me.
I shake my head, "It's nothing." I pause a moment before adding, "Those clothes were given to me by…by my first love…Rachel." I let my head hang, feeling my throat clench with emotion. I let out a sigh, feeling more tears fill my eyes, "We had planned to run away together and she brought me those clothes the day we decided that." I let out a small chuckle, "Ironically, she got stabbed the day after in this very junkyard."
"What happened to her?" Avi asks in a gentle voice, sitting down next to me now. "Did the stab kill her?"
I shake my head, "Nathan killed her. He…he and the photography teacher at Blackwell had some sort of weird relationship where the teacher was mentoring Nathan. They had been drugging girls and taking pictures of them in an underground bunker to be left outside of their house or dorm the next day. Nathan wanted to try it on his own and he…he kidnapped Rachel at a party and he ended up overdosing her. She was missing for six months before anyone ever found her." Tears now trailing down my face, I curl in as I choke out, "And it's all my fault."
"What do you mean?" Avi asks, gently putting a hand on my shoulder.
"We had a huge fight the night she went missing," I say through tears. "I don't even remember what it was about now but I remember being the one who started it. We were supposed to go do something and she was angry and decided to go to the party instead. I was angry at her and went to the lighthouse to smoke and sat there for hours. I didn't call her until almost midnight to try and apologize to her and she never answered. If I hadn't gotten so angry…if I hadn't picked that fight…she'd probably still be here. And the last words we ever spoke to each other were in anger. I hate myself so much for it." I let out a sob, digging my nails into my leg through a hole in my jeans as I feel the agony that is my grief and self-hatred rip through my chest.
"Hey, enough of that," Avi says as she wedges her hand between mine and my leg. I look up at her with puffy eyes as she squeezes my hand gently. She lets out a sigh, looking at her lap before meeting my eyes again. "I know you're hurting…I know what that hurt is like. I know what it's like to regret doing or not doing something that could have prevented something bad from happening. And you're right, maybe it would have prevented Rachel from going to that party. But you have no idea if Nathan was tracking her down anyway and would have found another opportunity. But hating yourself isn't the answer." I look up at her, her expression soft and understanding. She gently squeezes my hand again, "It won't bring her back. And I have a feeling that no matter how angry Rachel was with you when this happened, she wouldn't want you to blame yourself for her death." I feel my eyes fill with tears again as I lay my head on Avi's shoulder. She lays her head against mine as she continues to grip my hand. I feel her tilt her head down before she says, "If you're not going to let me take you to the hospital, we need to get you home. That wound needs to be taken care of." I simply nod, having no energy to argue with her. Before I can muster the energy to move, I feel her gently scoop me up in her arms and stand to her feet.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
"Carrying you to the truck," she answers.
"Why?" I ask confused. "I could walk."
"I know," Avi answers. "But you're hurting. I thought this might hurt less." She gets to the truck and manages to open the passenger's side door. I start to slide in towards the driver's seat as Avi says, "I hope you don't think you're driving with that arm. I'll drive, you just tell me how to get there."
"Aye, aye, captain," I say with a chuckle. She shuts the door once I'm settled before getting in on the driver's side. I hand her the keys and she starts the truck and begins to head out the same way we came. Maybe I was right, I think to myself. Maybe I'm not just her guardian angel. Maybe we're supposed to be there for each other.