Chapter 4
(Serenity_Sea@yahoo.com)
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Memphis stared down at his cell phone in shock. Tumbler had just hung up on him. Sage was MIA and Kip wasn't taking his calls. Something was up.
He tried Kip's cell once more and was rewarded with an answer this time. "Where are you?"
The pause on the other end was lengthy enough to make him worry. "On our way to pick Sage up."
"You know where she is?"
"Sure. She's at. a friend's." There was something incredibly cryptic about that sentence, but before he could question it, Kip had said goodbye and hung up.
Things were sort of a blur after that. He remembered getting in the car, turning on the ignition, and pulling out of the parking lot.
And then he was on autopilot, his body knowing what his brain was refusing to register.
* * *
"When we get there, I'm going to beat her."
Tumbler winced sympathetically, knowing exactly what she in for. "Maybe you shouldn't do that."
The anger in his eyes was palpable now. "Oh no, I'm absolutely going to do that. She deserves a hell of a lot worse for ending up where she is now and getting into a car with a stranger. *What the hell was she thinking?*"
"Mirror's not a stranger," Tumbler interjected quietly.
Kip shook his head. "He is to her. She never met him. Donny, Otto-hell, even Atley, I could see, but Mirror? The girl had no brains left in her head."
They were silent for the rest of the drive; words would only make things worse and Kip needed all his energy to remember how to get to Otto's. It had been over ten years since he'd last seen the man and even longer since he'd visited the garage. When Memphis had talked about making occasional visits to Otto's, he'd immediately turned him down, knowing that as much as he loved Sage, if he went back, he'd stay.
He only hoped that he wouldn't get sucked back in now.
* * *
Sage watched as Toby put the phone down quietly. "He's on his way." They had hoped, by having Toby, the most mild member in the group make the call, that Kip would take it easier and calm down a bit. But she knew better.
She rolled her eyes, "Great." Atley put his hand on her shoulder and she sighed. "He's going to be furious." When no one said anything, she looked accusingly at Mirror Man. "He is, isn't he?"
Mirror looked at Otto for guidance, but he shrugged him off and gave him a look that was clearly meant to say, 'hey, this one's all yours.' "Yeah," he admitted. "But that's only if he remembers how to get here."
"What do you mean?" Sage was confused. If Kip had spent as much time here as she thought he had - and that was a great deal of his life - then there should be no problem. "He's been here before."
Otto cleared his throat finally, saving Mirror Man from further interrogation. "Kip hasn't been here in a long time, Sage. And in case you haven't noticed, we're not exactly in the most accessible location."
A snort came from Freb as he took a swig of beer. "Hell, we're in the freakin' boonies, man!"
Donny shook his head painfully and stared at him a second before smacking him upside the head. "Didn't I teach you to think before you open your mouth?"
Freb stuttered a bit and looked bashful when he turned his face back up to meet Sage's. "Sorry."
She smiled easily. "It's okay. I think we're all just a bit nervous about them getting here and-"
The slamming of car doors and a very loud argument that traveled clearly through the windows from the outside cut off the rest of her comment.
"I told you to take that left, man, but you didn't want to listen."
"Hey!" That was Kip and she could tell he was more than annoyed. The men in her family never seemed to deal well with getting lost. "I got us here, didn't I?"
Loud footsteps could be heard for several moments and then stopped.
"Should we knock?" Tumbler asked, his voice muffled by his close proximity to the door.
Inside, Donny rolled his eyes and looked heavenward. Some things never changed. Sage giggled.
"Did we ever knock?" Kip shot back, shoving the door open.
They busied themselves with getting the door closed quickly - 'apparently,' Otto thought, 'old habits died hard' - and because of that, everyone inside got a chance to see them first.
When they turned around, though, the effect was complete, and everyone was silent.
"My god. You've turned into a bunch of sissies." Sphinx, who was the first to recover, spoke in his clear, accented voice.
Sage's eyes grew wide and she along with everyone else, turned to look at the large man. He shrugged and closed his mouth, making it clear that he wasn't going to contribute any more.
For the next few minutes, no one said a word. Mirror had taken off his glasses for the first time in years to rub them and stare at Sphinx intensely. Sage saw her uncle and Tumbler shed about 10 years of their lives, and watched as they regressed before her very eyes.
Kip scuffed his shoe back and forth and chuckled nervously. "Wh-What do you mean, Sphinx?"
Mirror looked over and then tossed a glance at Sphinx. "What he means is that you're dressin' like some trussed up preppy boy from the 'burbs. What happened to the hair, the beard, the coolness? Where'd it go, man?"
Tumbler rolled his eyes self-consciously and a small anxious titter escaped him as he tried to formulate a response that would let them know he was still inside the cleaned-up looking young man.
"Maybe I can answer that for you." A new voice called from the door, demanding their attention.
* * *
Chapter 5 is also posted.
(Serenity_Sea@yahoo.com)
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Memphis stared down at his cell phone in shock. Tumbler had just hung up on him. Sage was MIA and Kip wasn't taking his calls. Something was up.
He tried Kip's cell once more and was rewarded with an answer this time. "Where are you?"
The pause on the other end was lengthy enough to make him worry. "On our way to pick Sage up."
"You know where she is?"
"Sure. She's at. a friend's." There was something incredibly cryptic about that sentence, but before he could question it, Kip had said goodbye and hung up.
Things were sort of a blur after that. He remembered getting in the car, turning on the ignition, and pulling out of the parking lot.
And then he was on autopilot, his body knowing what his brain was refusing to register.
* * *
"When we get there, I'm going to beat her."
Tumbler winced sympathetically, knowing exactly what she in for. "Maybe you shouldn't do that."
The anger in his eyes was palpable now. "Oh no, I'm absolutely going to do that. She deserves a hell of a lot worse for ending up where she is now and getting into a car with a stranger. *What the hell was she thinking?*"
"Mirror's not a stranger," Tumbler interjected quietly.
Kip shook his head. "He is to her. She never met him. Donny, Otto-hell, even Atley, I could see, but Mirror? The girl had no brains left in her head."
They were silent for the rest of the drive; words would only make things worse and Kip needed all his energy to remember how to get to Otto's. It had been over ten years since he'd last seen the man and even longer since he'd visited the garage. When Memphis had talked about making occasional visits to Otto's, he'd immediately turned him down, knowing that as much as he loved Sage, if he went back, he'd stay.
He only hoped that he wouldn't get sucked back in now.
* * *
Sage watched as Toby put the phone down quietly. "He's on his way." They had hoped, by having Toby, the most mild member in the group make the call, that Kip would take it easier and calm down a bit. But she knew better.
She rolled her eyes, "Great." Atley put his hand on her shoulder and she sighed. "He's going to be furious." When no one said anything, she looked accusingly at Mirror Man. "He is, isn't he?"
Mirror looked at Otto for guidance, but he shrugged him off and gave him a look that was clearly meant to say, 'hey, this one's all yours.' "Yeah," he admitted. "But that's only if he remembers how to get here."
"What do you mean?" Sage was confused. If Kip had spent as much time here as she thought he had - and that was a great deal of his life - then there should be no problem. "He's been here before."
Otto cleared his throat finally, saving Mirror Man from further interrogation. "Kip hasn't been here in a long time, Sage. And in case you haven't noticed, we're not exactly in the most accessible location."
A snort came from Freb as he took a swig of beer. "Hell, we're in the freakin' boonies, man!"
Donny shook his head painfully and stared at him a second before smacking him upside the head. "Didn't I teach you to think before you open your mouth?"
Freb stuttered a bit and looked bashful when he turned his face back up to meet Sage's. "Sorry."
She smiled easily. "It's okay. I think we're all just a bit nervous about them getting here and-"
The slamming of car doors and a very loud argument that traveled clearly through the windows from the outside cut off the rest of her comment.
"I told you to take that left, man, but you didn't want to listen."
"Hey!" That was Kip and she could tell he was more than annoyed. The men in her family never seemed to deal well with getting lost. "I got us here, didn't I?"
Loud footsteps could be heard for several moments and then stopped.
"Should we knock?" Tumbler asked, his voice muffled by his close proximity to the door.
Inside, Donny rolled his eyes and looked heavenward. Some things never changed. Sage giggled.
"Did we ever knock?" Kip shot back, shoving the door open.
They busied themselves with getting the door closed quickly - 'apparently,' Otto thought, 'old habits died hard' - and because of that, everyone inside got a chance to see them first.
When they turned around, though, the effect was complete, and everyone was silent.
"My god. You've turned into a bunch of sissies." Sphinx, who was the first to recover, spoke in his clear, accented voice.
Sage's eyes grew wide and she along with everyone else, turned to look at the large man. He shrugged and closed his mouth, making it clear that he wasn't going to contribute any more.
For the next few minutes, no one said a word. Mirror had taken off his glasses for the first time in years to rub them and stare at Sphinx intensely. Sage saw her uncle and Tumbler shed about 10 years of their lives, and watched as they regressed before her very eyes.
Kip scuffed his shoe back and forth and chuckled nervously. "Wh-What do you mean, Sphinx?"
Mirror looked over and then tossed a glance at Sphinx. "What he means is that you're dressin' like some trussed up preppy boy from the 'burbs. What happened to the hair, the beard, the coolness? Where'd it go, man?"
Tumbler rolled his eyes self-consciously and a small anxious titter escaped him as he tried to formulate a response that would let them know he was still inside the cleaned-up looking young man.
"Maybe I can answer that for you." A new voice called from the door, demanding their attention.
* * *
Chapter 5 is also posted.