*****
"I know who you are, and I know who your running from"
-Logan to Max "Piolt"
*****
CHAPTER SEVEN
"Insight"
"Damn! that stings like a bitch." Max informed Bling who was cleaning out her
cuts with peroxide. "Can't there be a more painless way of doing this?"
"Sorry, not yet." Bling informed, running the cotton swab over the scrapes
on her leg. "There's a hell of a lot of dirt in here."
"That's what happens when you take a roll on the road." she let him know.
"Small price to pay for bein' alive."
Bling continued to flush out the cuts with water and apply peroxide. he
wrapped an Ace bandage around the bruised area, and safety pinned it together.
"Done, nothing was broken. But the impact caused a sprain on your quads."
Max shrugged "Could've been worse." she looked at her wrapped up thigh,
rolling it around slightly "Don't even hurt that much."
"That's part of my job." Bling told her with a grin.
Max let his cockiness slide "Where'd Logan run off to?" She hadn't
seen him since she had shown up with Cree half and hour ago.
"He's talkin' to that girl you brought with ya, Cr-"
"Cree." Max finished for Bling.
"They're in the computer room." Bling went on. "He wouldn't have trailed too far
while you're still here. He laughed to himself. When Max and Cree had walked
through the door, Logan had taken one look at Max's scruffy and banged up form,
and had snapped into such a concerned mode that Max had insisted that he play
host to Cree somewhere else, 'cause Bling couldn't work with "distraught family"
in the room."
Max got up from the couch she had been sitting on "Thanks for the first aid
Bling."
"No problem girl." Bling answered back.
She headed in the direction of Logan's computer room. He was sitting at his
chair, with Cree on the small couch that was in there. He turned when he heard
footsteps approaching "Hey." his words were soft, and concerned "Feelin' better?"
"Pretty good." she told him "Some cuts, a sprain, but I'm okay, contrary
to popular belief." she looked over at Logan accusingly.
"I was just worried." he told her, watching as she gingerly sat down on
the couch beside Cree. "You could've been hurt worse."
"Well I'm not so don't get all protective of me. I have enough of that
already." she made reference to Zack's over bearing attitude to keep her out
of danger. She looked over at Cree, who sat quietly on the sofa, looking slightly
intimidated. "You can trust us." Max reassured "Threatening to sell ya up the river
was just a tactic to get you to talk."
Cree sighed slightly "I don't trust anyone anymore. Not after-" she faltered "the
positions I've been in."
"That's understandable." Logan agreed, "You don't have to trust us one hundred
percent, just talk to us, it might help."
"That's what my boyfriend said." Cree spat "Just trust me baby, it'll be fine."
she laughed humorlessly "Little shit had me meet him at some club, and he had
two guys put the drop on me. Five hundred to sell me off, ca-ching, ca-ching."
"How old were you when it happened?" Max inquired.
"Fourteen." Cree responded "Most girls in my class had to only worry 'bout their
boyfriends cheating on them, I had a guy who used me as merchandise."
"What about your family?" Max began to run her own background check on Cree.
Cree shrugged "Don't know. I lived in Portland. Guess they could've gone somewhere
since then. Never got to make that "one phone call" like in prison."
Logan could sense the defensiveness coming off Cree in waves. Years of being held
against her will had hardened her. It was the same feeling he felt around Max when
he tried to press an issue dealing with Manticore, the wounds just ran too deep.
"I'm sure your family was worried as hell when you didn't come home." he stated.
"Probably." Cree agreed, trying to sound light hearted "My lil sis. Jade was
gonna meet me at the club later.." she broke off, laughin' humorlessly "I was
goin' down there to sing, it was open mic night." her eyes adapted a far away
look as she thought of Jade. Cree and Jade, such unique names, her mom had
loved symbolism, she didn't settle for Mary or Sara, she wanted uniqueness with
her daughters. "I still remember the song." she smiled slightly. "Hero, by Mariah
Carey. It had been done fifty times before, but I thought I could blow them away."
"You probably would've." Max agreed "With that voice of yours."
Cree shook her head, slightly glad for the change of subject "I chickened
out on that one at the last minute, I went for something more mystical."
she broke off and sang a part of the song
"Spare a little candle, save some light for me
Figures up ahead, moving in the trees
White skin in linen, perfume on my wrist
And a full moon that hangs over, these dreams in the mist."
She stopped singing, turning to face her "audience"
"That was amazing." Logan commented. Max hadn't been exaggerating about Cree's voice.
Cree shrugged it off "Singin' won't save your ass in this world." she shifted
in the chair, grimacing at the soreness that was still there. Another look was
past to Max and Logan "Why do you want to help me?"
Silence hung in the air for several seconds, before it was broken by Max
"Can't really explain it, just something I-mean *we* have to do." she tripped
over her words slightly. Even though Logan was helping out as well, Max felt
a connection with the young runaway.
Logan didn't say anything about Max's slip up, he glanced at Cree. She couldn't
be much younger then Max. But, her eyes had that same "escaped from hell" look that
Max carried around. She was also hard, the ever present stance of a street wise
girl evident in all her movements and postures.
"I know who you are, and I know who your running from"
-Logan to Max "Piolt"
*****
CHAPTER SEVEN
"Insight"
"Damn! that stings like a bitch." Max informed Bling who was cleaning out her
cuts with peroxide. "Can't there be a more painless way of doing this?"
"Sorry, not yet." Bling informed, running the cotton swab over the scrapes
on her leg. "There's a hell of a lot of dirt in here."
"That's what happens when you take a roll on the road." she let him know.
"Small price to pay for bein' alive."
Bling continued to flush out the cuts with water and apply peroxide. he
wrapped an Ace bandage around the bruised area, and safety pinned it together.
"Done, nothing was broken. But the impact caused a sprain on your quads."
Max shrugged "Could've been worse." she looked at her wrapped up thigh,
rolling it around slightly "Don't even hurt that much."
"That's part of my job." Bling told her with a grin.
Max let his cockiness slide "Where'd Logan run off to?" She hadn't
seen him since she had shown up with Cree half and hour ago.
"He's talkin' to that girl you brought with ya, Cr-"
"Cree." Max finished for Bling.
"They're in the computer room." Bling went on. "He wouldn't have trailed too far
while you're still here. He laughed to himself. When Max and Cree had walked
through the door, Logan had taken one look at Max's scruffy and banged up form,
and had snapped into such a concerned mode that Max had insisted that he play
host to Cree somewhere else, 'cause Bling couldn't work with "distraught family"
in the room."
Max got up from the couch she had been sitting on "Thanks for the first aid
Bling."
"No problem girl." Bling answered back.
She headed in the direction of Logan's computer room. He was sitting at his
chair, with Cree on the small couch that was in there. He turned when he heard
footsteps approaching "Hey." his words were soft, and concerned "Feelin' better?"
"Pretty good." she told him "Some cuts, a sprain, but I'm okay, contrary
to popular belief." she looked over at Logan accusingly.
"I was just worried." he told her, watching as she gingerly sat down on
the couch beside Cree. "You could've been hurt worse."
"Well I'm not so don't get all protective of me. I have enough of that
already." she made reference to Zack's over bearing attitude to keep her out
of danger. She looked over at Cree, who sat quietly on the sofa, looking slightly
intimidated. "You can trust us." Max reassured "Threatening to sell ya up the river
was just a tactic to get you to talk."
Cree sighed slightly "I don't trust anyone anymore. Not after-" she faltered "the
positions I've been in."
"That's understandable." Logan agreed, "You don't have to trust us one hundred
percent, just talk to us, it might help."
"That's what my boyfriend said." Cree spat "Just trust me baby, it'll be fine."
she laughed humorlessly "Little shit had me meet him at some club, and he had
two guys put the drop on me. Five hundred to sell me off, ca-ching, ca-ching."
"How old were you when it happened?" Max inquired.
"Fourteen." Cree responded "Most girls in my class had to only worry 'bout their
boyfriends cheating on them, I had a guy who used me as merchandise."
"What about your family?" Max began to run her own background check on Cree.
Cree shrugged "Don't know. I lived in Portland. Guess they could've gone somewhere
since then. Never got to make that "one phone call" like in prison."
Logan could sense the defensiveness coming off Cree in waves. Years of being held
against her will had hardened her. It was the same feeling he felt around Max when
he tried to press an issue dealing with Manticore, the wounds just ran too deep.
"I'm sure your family was worried as hell when you didn't come home." he stated.
"Probably." Cree agreed, trying to sound light hearted "My lil sis. Jade was
gonna meet me at the club later.." she broke off, laughin' humorlessly "I was
goin' down there to sing, it was open mic night." her eyes adapted a far away
look as she thought of Jade. Cree and Jade, such unique names, her mom had
loved symbolism, she didn't settle for Mary or Sara, she wanted uniqueness with
her daughters. "I still remember the song." she smiled slightly. "Hero, by Mariah
Carey. It had been done fifty times before, but I thought I could blow them away."
"You probably would've." Max agreed "With that voice of yours."
Cree shook her head, slightly glad for the change of subject "I chickened
out on that one at the last minute, I went for something more mystical."
she broke off and sang a part of the song
"Spare a little candle, save some light for me
Figures up ahead, moving in the trees
White skin in linen, perfume on my wrist
And a full moon that hangs over, these dreams in the mist."
She stopped singing, turning to face her "audience"
"That was amazing." Logan commented. Max hadn't been exaggerating about Cree's voice.
Cree shrugged it off "Singin' won't save your ass in this world." she shifted
in the chair, grimacing at the soreness that was still there. Another look was
past to Max and Logan "Why do you want to help me?"
Silence hung in the air for several seconds, before it was broken by Max
"Can't really explain it, just something I-mean *we* have to do." she tripped
over her words slightly. Even though Logan was helping out as well, Max felt
a connection with the young runaway.
Logan didn't say anything about Max's slip up, he glanced at Cree. She couldn't
be much younger then Max. But, her eyes had that same "escaped from hell" look that
Max carried around. She was also hard, the ever present stance of a street wise
girl evident in all her movements and postures.