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Okay, so if you've read my "Premonitions" story then you'll know what I'm talking about when I start back up with the "I Love the 70's" stuff again. And for those of you who haven't read that story, here's the run down: the funniest show on T.V. is VH1's "I love the 70's", without a doubt. Those of you who have seen the show know what I'm talking about; I'm watching it now again and now they're talking about "Charlotte's Web", which I used to watch when I was younger. But, anyway, I was watching "I love 75" last night and they were talking about how it was popular to talk to your plants and Michael Ian Black was talking to his plant and then he ripped it out of the pot and it was sooo funny! Okay, sorry about that...back to something that actually has relevance: the story. Please, review, thanks!
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Chapter Nine
Meeting
Police sirens howled in her ears, her face bathed in red and blue lights, everyone talking in hushed tones. It was a scene that Kimberly had hoped never to experience again. But here she was, another lucky survivor of a freak accident.
But Kimberly didn't feel lucky, didn't feel much of anything as she sat on the chipped curb, letting the scene unfold around her. She felt stupid, knowing that she should have known that there was no way to cheat Death; New Life might have been a temporary solution but it didn't keep her and Thomas off the List forever. If it had, they wouldn't have been set to die in the house explosion that had already killed four people.
She and Thomas were back on Death's list, there were no two ways about it. And so she sat, watching people swarm around her, ignoring her in pursuit of more dire tasks. The Long Island Fire Department had managed to put the dying house fire and were now picking through the charred rubble. Kimberly knew that they would find the remains of three people, who were even unluckier then she was. The Coroners hovered around, waiting to cart off whatever remains they could find; one of the black body bags was already filled with the corpse of a teenage boy. Kimberly had seen what had happened to him and she knew that she would never forget that sight as long as she lived. Which, in the end, might not be so long.
She sighed, scanning the area for Thomas and the teenage girl who'd had the vision; it had been her brother that had gotten killed, and her father had stayed in the house. But Kimberly couldn't see the teenager and she desperately needed to speak with her.
The police officers on the scene had rounded up the survivors, trying to do some questioning. There was no use, however, speaking with Amanda Adams, who was hysterical about the death of her husband and son. Her daughter wouldn't speak at all, sitting numbly on the hood of one of the police cars, wrapped in a thick blanket, red and blue lights reflecting against her black hair. Her best friend and boyfriend stood around her, speaking and trying to comfort her but it appeared to be a lost cause, their words doing nothing to penetrate her.
Thomas stood a few feet away from Altessa, talking to the head officer at the scene. In his hands, he held the report he had gathered from the assorted group of survivors, except for detailed information about the two Adams women. Not including himself and Kimberly there were eight survivors; Altessa was only sixteen and now the only child to Amanda Adams, who had no desire to talk to anyone in uniform, or anyone at all. Altessa's best friend was Morgan Richards, also sixteen and had lived in the area her whole life, as had Altessa's boyfriend, Shane Young, who had once been a football player.
Kristen McAnderson was thirty-five and a teacher at the local high school, who was actually the teenagers teacher. Scott Sanders and Skye Davis were an engaged couple who had been semi-interested in buying the house. They were both young, under twenty-five and both shaken up by the explosion, especially Skye, who was nearly as hysterical as Amanda Adams. Richard Louis was a single guy in his late-twenties, who had been interesting in buying the house as a way to meet women, even though there would have been no way he could have afforded it.
There was a tad bit more information in the file he held but Thomas wasn't truly concerned about the papers. Inwardly, Thomas felt slightly guilty, knowing that if he hadn't decided to take the day off from the station, then he and Kimberly would still be off Death's list. His thoughts all swarmed together but only one thought remained clear: they were back on Death's list.
As he thought about those things, Thomas' gaze flicked over to Altessa, and was surprised to see her staring at him, stone faced and pale. "You know, I'm going to try and go talk to her." He said to the officer beside him, handing the file over.
"Good luck, she hasn't been talking to anyone." The officer scoffed, shrugging his shoulders but doing nothing to stop him. Thomas remained silent, heading over to the teenagers, nodding his head slightly by way of a greeting.
"Altessa Adams? I'm Thomas Burke, I have some questions for you if you don't mind." He began, locking eyes wit the teenager. He found that he couldn't keep her gaze, it was dark and he was unnerved by her; it was almost how he felt around Kimberly at times.
Altessa didn't answer, simply continued to stare at him, arms wrapped around her knees. Her boyfriend finally stepped forward, partially standing in front of her, glaring at the police officer. "She doesn't want to talk to you, why don't you just leave her alone?" It wasn't a request it was a command.
Thomas sighed, knowing that there would be no way to talk to the teenager, especially not with her boyfriend hovering around. Also, he didn't really know what questions to ask her anyway, that was more Kimberly's department. Without another word passing his lips, Thomas turned and headed toward where Kimberly was sitting, staring blankly ahead. He sat down beside the brunette, offering her a weak smile. "Are you all right?" He asked, realizing he hadn't before.
Kimberly shrugged, knowing that she was okay physically but she was still unsure mentally. "I'm not sure yet." She mumbled, looking over at him. "I saw you talking to that girl..." She trailed off, waiting for him to finish the sentence.
Thomas shrugged as well. "I tried but she didn't have a word for me, she's extremely shaken up." He explained, his glance shifted over to the teenager once again, who was still staring ahead, looking at nothing. Her mother had joined the group, continuing to cry as she attempted to speak with them.
"She had a vision, Thomas, or whatever you want to call it." Kimberly's words caused him to return his gaze her way. Her expression was begging him to tell her that she was wrong but they both knew that he couldn't do that. Whatever had transpired in that was almost a mirror image of what had happened on the onramp a year ago. "We have to talk to her, before anyone else dies." She said, almost conversationally, as though she were speaking about the weather.
Thomas didn't answer, averting his gaze; he didn't want to agree that they were back on Death's list, at least not verbally. They had been lucky the first time but that didn't mean that things would turn out the same this time around.
Kimberly turned her body slightly, so that she could see Altessa, who was letting her mother pull her into a tight hug, silently sliding off the hood of the car. Quickly, Kimberly was on her feet, causing Thomas to look at her, slightly confused. "I want to talk to her before she leaves." She said, already heading toward the teenager. Thomas stood as well, but he didn't follow her, simply watched as the brunette headed across the lawn.
"Excuse me! Altessa Adams!" Kimberly called, picking up her pace as she saw the group heading toward a car parked in the driveway. At her words, the group of four stopped and turned around, allowing Kimberly to catch up with them. She wasn't exactly sure where she had gotten the teenager's name from, for it had suddenly popped into her head as she approached.
"Please, let me talk to you for a few minutes, it's very important." She began, already pleading.
Altessa opened her mouth to reply but before she could speak, she was shoved backward by her mother, who stood in front of her like a flustered hen. "Leave my daughter alone, don't you people have any respect? Leave her alone." A fresh set of tears stopped any further words. She turned away and put her arm around her daughter's waist, leading her away.
Kimberly knew she couldn't just let them leave, not without giving them a warning first; there was no telling what could happen to them on the way home. "Wait please, Altessa!" She tried again, biting her bottom lip.
Altessa turned her head to look at Kimberly but let her mother lead her away. "I know what happened, I understand." She shouted, a last ditch effort to talk to the girl. There was a look of recognition, a flicker of hope, on the teenager's face and for a second, Altessa didn't look so forsaken. But before any more words could pass between them, the raven-haired girl was ushered in the car, the door shut behind her.
Kimberly watched the car disappear down the street, the sun winking off its roof. She didn't look over when Thomas joined her side, staring down the empty street. "Did you talk to her?" Thomas asked after the silence settled around between them.
At first, she didn't know how to answer; she and Altessa hadn't exactly spoken but they had connected, there was no denying that. "No, but I will." She told him finally, voice filled with nothing but confidence.
Thomas found that he couldn't disagree.
Okay, so if you've read my "Premonitions" story then you'll know what I'm talking about when I start back up with the "I Love the 70's" stuff again. And for those of you who haven't read that story, here's the run down: the funniest show on T.V. is VH1's "I love the 70's", without a doubt. Those of you who have seen the show know what I'm talking about; I'm watching it now again and now they're talking about "Charlotte's Web", which I used to watch when I was younger. But, anyway, I was watching "I love 75" last night and they were talking about how it was popular to talk to your plants and Michael Ian Black was talking to his plant and then he ripped it out of the pot and it was sooo funny! Okay, sorry about that...back to something that actually has relevance: the story. Please, review, thanks!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Nine
Meeting
Police sirens howled in her ears, her face bathed in red and blue lights, everyone talking in hushed tones. It was a scene that Kimberly had hoped never to experience again. But here she was, another lucky survivor of a freak accident.
But Kimberly didn't feel lucky, didn't feel much of anything as she sat on the chipped curb, letting the scene unfold around her. She felt stupid, knowing that she should have known that there was no way to cheat Death; New Life might have been a temporary solution but it didn't keep her and Thomas off the List forever. If it had, they wouldn't have been set to die in the house explosion that had already killed four people.
She and Thomas were back on Death's list, there were no two ways about it. And so she sat, watching people swarm around her, ignoring her in pursuit of more dire tasks. The Long Island Fire Department had managed to put the dying house fire and were now picking through the charred rubble. Kimberly knew that they would find the remains of three people, who were even unluckier then she was. The Coroners hovered around, waiting to cart off whatever remains they could find; one of the black body bags was already filled with the corpse of a teenage boy. Kimberly had seen what had happened to him and she knew that she would never forget that sight as long as she lived. Which, in the end, might not be so long.
She sighed, scanning the area for Thomas and the teenage girl who'd had the vision; it had been her brother that had gotten killed, and her father had stayed in the house. But Kimberly couldn't see the teenager and she desperately needed to speak with her.
The police officers on the scene had rounded up the survivors, trying to do some questioning. There was no use, however, speaking with Amanda Adams, who was hysterical about the death of her husband and son. Her daughter wouldn't speak at all, sitting numbly on the hood of one of the police cars, wrapped in a thick blanket, red and blue lights reflecting against her black hair. Her best friend and boyfriend stood around her, speaking and trying to comfort her but it appeared to be a lost cause, their words doing nothing to penetrate her.
Thomas stood a few feet away from Altessa, talking to the head officer at the scene. In his hands, he held the report he had gathered from the assorted group of survivors, except for detailed information about the two Adams women. Not including himself and Kimberly there were eight survivors; Altessa was only sixteen and now the only child to Amanda Adams, who had no desire to talk to anyone in uniform, or anyone at all. Altessa's best friend was Morgan Richards, also sixteen and had lived in the area her whole life, as had Altessa's boyfriend, Shane Young, who had once been a football player.
Kristen McAnderson was thirty-five and a teacher at the local high school, who was actually the teenagers teacher. Scott Sanders and Skye Davis were an engaged couple who had been semi-interested in buying the house. They were both young, under twenty-five and both shaken up by the explosion, especially Skye, who was nearly as hysterical as Amanda Adams. Richard Louis was a single guy in his late-twenties, who had been interesting in buying the house as a way to meet women, even though there would have been no way he could have afforded it.
There was a tad bit more information in the file he held but Thomas wasn't truly concerned about the papers. Inwardly, Thomas felt slightly guilty, knowing that if he hadn't decided to take the day off from the station, then he and Kimberly would still be off Death's list. His thoughts all swarmed together but only one thought remained clear: they were back on Death's list.
As he thought about those things, Thomas' gaze flicked over to Altessa, and was surprised to see her staring at him, stone faced and pale. "You know, I'm going to try and go talk to her." He said to the officer beside him, handing the file over.
"Good luck, she hasn't been talking to anyone." The officer scoffed, shrugging his shoulders but doing nothing to stop him. Thomas remained silent, heading over to the teenagers, nodding his head slightly by way of a greeting.
"Altessa Adams? I'm Thomas Burke, I have some questions for you if you don't mind." He began, locking eyes wit the teenager. He found that he couldn't keep her gaze, it was dark and he was unnerved by her; it was almost how he felt around Kimberly at times.
Altessa didn't answer, simply continued to stare at him, arms wrapped around her knees. Her boyfriend finally stepped forward, partially standing in front of her, glaring at the police officer. "She doesn't want to talk to you, why don't you just leave her alone?" It wasn't a request it was a command.
Thomas sighed, knowing that there would be no way to talk to the teenager, especially not with her boyfriend hovering around. Also, he didn't really know what questions to ask her anyway, that was more Kimberly's department. Without another word passing his lips, Thomas turned and headed toward where Kimberly was sitting, staring blankly ahead. He sat down beside the brunette, offering her a weak smile. "Are you all right?" He asked, realizing he hadn't before.
Kimberly shrugged, knowing that she was okay physically but she was still unsure mentally. "I'm not sure yet." She mumbled, looking over at him. "I saw you talking to that girl..." She trailed off, waiting for him to finish the sentence.
Thomas shrugged as well. "I tried but she didn't have a word for me, she's extremely shaken up." He explained, his glance shifted over to the teenager once again, who was still staring ahead, looking at nothing. Her mother had joined the group, continuing to cry as she attempted to speak with them.
"She had a vision, Thomas, or whatever you want to call it." Kimberly's words caused him to return his gaze her way. Her expression was begging him to tell her that she was wrong but they both knew that he couldn't do that. Whatever had transpired in that was almost a mirror image of what had happened on the onramp a year ago. "We have to talk to her, before anyone else dies." She said, almost conversationally, as though she were speaking about the weather.
Thomas didn't answer, averting his gaze; he didn't want to agree that they were back on Death's list, at least not verbally. They had been lucky the first time but that didn't mean that things would turn out the same this time around.
Kimberly turned her body slightly, so that she could see Altessa, who was letting her mother pull her into a tight hug, silently sliding off the hood of the car. Quickly, Kimberly was on her feet, causing Thomas to look at her, slightly confused. "I want to talk to her before she leaves." She said, already heading toward the teenager. Thomas stood as well, but he didn't follow her, simply watched as the brunette headed across the lawn.
"Excuse me! Altessa Adams!" Kimberly called, picking up her pace as she saw the group heading toward a car parked in the driveway. At her words, the group of four stopped and turned around, allowing Kimberly to catch up with them. She wasn't exactly sure where she had gotten the teenager's name from, for it had suddenly popped into her head as she approached.
"Please, let me talk to you for a few minutes, it's very important." She began, already pleading.
Altessa opened her mouth to reply but before she could speak, she was shoved backward by her mother, who stood in front of her like a flustered hen. "Leave my daughter alone, don't you people have any respect? Leave her alone." A fresh set of tears stopped any further words. She turned away and put her arm around her daughter's waist, leading her away.
Kimberly knew she couldn't just let them leave, not without giving them a warning first; there was no telling what could happen to them on the way home. "Wait please, Altessa!" She tried again, biting her bottom lip.
Altessa turned her head to look at Kimberly but let her mother lead her away. "I know what happened, I understand." She shouted, a last ditch effort to talk to the girl. There was a look of recognition, a flicker of hope, on the teenager's face and for a second, Altessa didn't look so forsaken. But before any more words could pass between them, the raven-haired girl was ushered in the car, the door shut behind her.
Kimberly watched the car disappear down the street, the sun winking off its roof. She didn't look over when Thomas joined her side, staring down the empty street. "Did you talk to her?" Thomas asked after the silence settled around between them.
At first, she didn't know how to answer; she and Altessa hadn't exactly spoken but they had connected, there was no denying that. "No, but I will." She told him finally, voice filled with nothing but confidence.
Thomas found that he couldn't disagree.