Chapter 23:
"So, Mandy," Delancey #1 said, "How ya been since last we met?"
I'd barely heard the question, as I was sizing the thugs up and planning an escape rout. He didn't like me not responding.
"Mandy, you answer me when I talk ta you!" he bellowed. Great, now he's pissed. Big question in flashing lights, will we get out of this alive?
We were backing up against the wall. No way out. I could feel the deep grooves of old grout worn away between the bricks.
Wait! That's it. We could climb over, if we were quick enough. Climb and run. Add something new to this old hat routine. Coffee apparently gets a similar idea and gives me a look that says work with me.
So I step forward, away from the wall. My intention is to distract them while the others plan. God I hope Bit can pull it off. I'm not worried a bit about Ink and Coffee. Hell, I'd much rather see Ink fall off half way up the wall and get mauled by the mob of stupid skinheads.
"Is this a," Delancy #2 takes a pause to add a dramatic gasp, "Surender?" I just walk straight forward to face Delancey #1 eye-to-eye, or as close as my height will allow me to.
"Can it Morris!" the one that wasn't Morris screamed. I'd take him to be Oscar. Weren't any other Delancys, were there? "That dere's Morris, and me? I'm Oscar." Score! I was right, two points for the Mandy!
"Oh, and there's a reason that you're giving introductions?" I say, giving him a defiant stare. A trademark of my own.
"Well, baby, I'd like to have you apologize using his real name." Proof positive, they are one in the same with the Delancey brothers.
"And who's ta say I plan on apologizing?" I ask, my stare unwavering.
"My little buddy over here," he replied, just barely flashing the blade of a knife. It still had a stain on it from last time. The wound wasn't fully healed.
"We've met, and we don't get on well," I said simply.
There was a whistle from behind me. Way up behind me. It was my signal to run.
So what did I do? I kicked Oscar where Oscar don't like getting kicked and turned to find Coffee hanging half way down the wall with his hand extended in my direction. I took his offer and we put his arms to work. He swung me all the way to the top of that wall. I was amazed.
I jumped down on the other side and hit the ground running. Bit and Ink were already way ahead of me, and I heard Coffee's footsteps close at my heals. With any luck we'd run straight into a rip and go flying out into the early 20th century. I'm feeling lucky today.
And so, Bit fell as her long guy shorts suddenly turned into a dress and comfortable sneakers were made into old-fashioned boots. I stopped to help her up, but we kept running anyway, not letting ourselves forget that the Delancys can hop, too.
I guess I've long since given up on finding the why in all these situations. It's random. Nothing more than that. Really, did I expect that I was supposed to do something special in this time period? I don't think so. We are condemned to this existence, not quite now and not quite then. Oh well.
So, after what I'd say was a half-mile of sprinting (I'll feel that in the morning) we stopped and just walked in silence. Walked until we came across the Manhattan LH, we left Bit there. Then Ink went his separate way to Brooklyn, leaving me and Coffee to make our way to Queens.
Not five minutes passed after Ink had left us and he'd put his arm around my shoulder. It was late, and I didn't feel the need to push him away. Was it just lunchtime when we'd left? It had to be ten o-clock by now. Time flies when you're in another century, don't it?
We walked in silence. After a while had passed, he leaned his head down in front of mine and kissed me softly. I didn't protest at all. When he pulled away, we just looked deep into each other's eyes, searching for a response to what had happened.
"Why'd you do that?" I asked, finally coming to the realization. I said it surprisingly calmly for myself. Now, the more I thought of it, the more I just wanted to get away. So I did.
I didn't wait for his response, just quickly slipped out from under his arm and ran. Didn't know where I was going. Didn't know where I was. Just pounded the pavement for a long time. I don't know if he'd followed me, because even if he had, I lost him after a while.
Just ran, sorting through all the junk that had happened these last few weeks. You'd think I would be a bit happier, with the fact that before that day I'd flown off, I had wanted something to happen to me so badly, and now that it had, I couldn't handle it. So run.
Run right into a moving, living, breathing wall, that is. Oh shit. This could be bad.
___________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~____________________
Yay, a cliff-hanger. Let's all do the wave. OK, one, two, three. You all get an F for poor group participation. 23 chapters. Never thought it would come this far. And I still got a bunch more I need to do. Oh, and Baby, there, you got mine and Coffee's kiss. Happy? Well, shout-outs and I'll be off.
Race- Oh, I know I know I'm laughing inside. But I'm still denying it outside. And really, maybe it's just that you're yelling COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE! At the top of your lungs?
Imaginelet- Yup, broke his nose in the past only to find out he's in the future, too. The plot thickens.
Depends Soloman- Most of the characters are people I know. I think, at least. Grounded for a C? That's harsh.
"So, Mandy," Delancey #1 said, "How ya been since last we met?"
I'd barely heard the question, as I was sizing the thugs up and planning an escape rout. He didn't like me not responding.
"Mandy, you answer me when I talk ta you!" he bellowed. Great, now he's pissed. Big question in flashing lights, will we get out of this alive?
We were backing up against the wall. No way out. I could feel the deep grooves of old grout worn away between the bricks.
Wait! That's it. We could climb over, if we were quick enough. Climb and run. Add something new to this old hat routine. Coffee apparently gets a similar idea and gives me a look that says work with me.
So I step forward, away from the wall. My intention is to distract them while the others plan. God I hope Bit can pull it off. I'm not worried a bit about Ink and Coffee. Hell, I'd much rather see Ink fall off half way up the wall and get mauled by the mob of stupid skinheads.
"Is this a," Delancy #2 takes a pause to add a dramatic gasp, "Surender?" I just walk straight forward to face Delancey #1 eye-to-eye, or as close as my height will allow me to.
"Can it Morris!" the one that wasn't Morris screamed. I'd take him to be Oscar. Weren't any other Delancys, were there? "That dere's Morris, and me? I'm Oscar." Score! I was right, two points for the Mandy!
"Oh, and there's a reason that you're giving introductions?" I say, giving him a defiant stare. A trademark of my own.
"Well, baby, I'd like to have you apologize using his real name." Proof positive, they are one in the same with the Delancey brothers.
"And who's ta say I plan on apologizing?" I ask, my stare unwavering.
"My little buddy over here," he replied, just barely flashing the blade of a knife. It still had a stain on it from last time. The wound wasn't fully healed.
"We've met, and we don't get on well," I said simply.
There was a whistle from behind me. Way up behind me. It was my signal to run.
So what did I do? I kicked Oscar where Oscar don't like getting kicked and turned to find Coffee hanging half way down the wall with his hand extended in my direction. I took his offer and we put his arms to work. He swung me all the way to the top of that wall. I was amazed.
I jumped down on the other side and hit the ground running. Bit and Ink were already way ahead of me, and I heard Coffee's footsteps close at my heals. With any luck we'd run straight into a rip and go flying out into the early 20th century. I'm feeling lucky today.
And so, Bit fell as her long guy shorts suddenly turned into a dress and comfortable sneakers were made into old-fashioned boots. I stopped to help her up, but we kept running anyway, not letting ourselves forget that the Delancys can hop, too.
I guess I've long since given up on finding the why in all these situations. It's random. Nothing more than that. Really, did I expect that I was supposed to do something special in this time period? I don't think so. We are condemned to this existence, not quite now and not quite then. Oh well.
So, after what I'd say was a half-mile of sprinting (I'll feel that in the morning) we stopped and just walked in silence. Walked until we came across the Manhattan LH, we left Bit there. Then Ink went his separate way to Brooklyn, leaving me and Coffee to make our way to Queens.
Not five minutes passed after Ink had left us and he'd put his arm around my shoulder. It was late, and I didn't feel the need to push him away. Was it just lunchtime when we'd left? It had to be ten o-clock by now. Time flies when you're in another century, don't it?
We walked in silence. After a while had passed, he leaned his head down in front of mine and kissed me softly. I didn't protest at all. When he pulled away, we just looked deep into each other's eyes, searching for a response to what had happened.
"Why'd you do that?" I asked, finally coming to the realization. I said it surprisingly calmly for myself. Now, the more I thought of it, the more I just wanted to get away. So I did.
I didn't wait for his response, just quickly slipped out from under his arm and ran. Didn't know where I was going. Didn't know where I was. Just pounded the pavement for a long time. I don't know if he'd followed me, because even if he had, I lost him after a while.
Just ran, sorting through all the junk that had happened these last few weeks. You'd think I would be a bit happier, with the fact that before that day I'd flown off, I had wanted something to happen to me so badly, and now that it had, I couldn't handle it. So run.
Run right into a moving, living, breathing wall, that is. Oh shit. This could be bad.
___________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~____________________
Yay, a cliff-hanger. Let's all do the wave. OK, one, two, three. You all get an F for poor group participation. 23 chapters. Never thought it would come this far. And I still got a bunch more I need to do. Oh, and Baby, there, you got mine and Coffee's kiss. Happy? Well, shout-outs and I'll be off.
Race- Oh, I know I know I'm laughing inside. But I'm still denying it outside. And really, maybe it's just that you're yelling COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE! At the top of your lungs?
Imaginelet- Yup, broke his nose in the past only to find out he's in the future, too. The plot thickens.
Depends Soloman- Most of the characters are people I know. I think, at least. Grounded for a C? That's harsh.
