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CHAPTER 2: RUSTY NAIL

Skye didn't wake up again until the next morning. She groggily got ready for the day and went out into the living room. She'd sloppily dressed and thrown on makeup without even noticing if she'd done it right.

"Morning, Mr. Rainey…" Skye greeted tiredly.

"You slept forever!" Mort exclaimed. "I thought you died!"

"Yeah… headaches do that to me…" she replied and went to the refrigerator and opened it. She pulled out a Vanilla Frapuccino and popped it open.

"Anyway, sleep well?" Mort asked rather cheerfully, joining her at the fridge. She looked at him exhaustedly. He smiled awkwardly and noticed something… "Oh… your… your makeup…"

"What? What's wrong with it?" she asked tiredly.

"Your lipstick." he said. He reached over and fixed her lipstick with his thumb. She blushed awkwardly. "Uh, thanks."

"Sure - my late wife always used to… well, never mind…" he trailed off.

"No, tell me about her." Skye said, interested.

He looked at her. "Well, she… she always used to smudge her makeup before she left in the morning - I always had to fix it for her…"

"You know, I never heard what happened to her - how did she die, if you don't mind me asking."

"No one knows." he told her. "She and the, er, man she was seeing disappeared a year ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry… wait… the… man she was seeing?" she asked confusedly.

"Yeah, we were about to get a divorce - she was leaving me for someone…"

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry…" she said awkwardly, turning away from him. She gulped down some Frapuccino and went over to the couch. She picked up the newspaper and read an article inside it.

"Bodies still not found." she read. Mort sat down next to her. "Tom Greenleaf, Kenneth Karsch-" Suddenly, Mort snatched the paper from her.

"This is old news." Mort told her. "Stupid local paper…" He got up and stuffed the paper in the trash, tossing scraps of breakfast in on top of it. She stared at him for a moment, but shrugged it off.

"Um… I was thinking of going into town today if you've got nothing for me to do…" Skye said.

"Sure - yeah. That's fine." Mort replied.

"Could I… borrow your car so I don't have to take a cab?" she asked.

"Yeah, go ahead." Mort told her. "What are you going to do in town?"

"Oh, I need to buy a Stephen King book - he's one of my favorites." she said, getting up and going to the door. She pulled they keys off the hook next to it. "I'll be back later." Mort nodded and she left.

She drove into town, radio blasting. She finally pulled up to a bookstore and parked. She got out and went inside. After journeying for the book she was looking for, she finally found it and sat down in a chair at the back of the store. A few moments later, a girl came and sat down next to her to read as well.

"Oh, hi - I couldn't help but notice we have the same book." the girl said.

"Oh… yeah." Skye replied, eyeing the covers of both books. "I'm a huge fan."

"Yeah, me too." the girl told her. "Um… you're new in town, aren't you?"

"Yeah. I'm Skye." Skye introduced.

"Nice to meet you." the girl said. "I'm Amanda Greenleaf." Greenleaf… where had she heard that name before…? "So, how long have you been a fan?" she asked, holding up the book.

"Like… eight years, I think."

"Wow! Yeah, I've been a fan for six." Amanda told her. "My grandpa got me into his books. Tom Greenleaf - I don't know if you knew him. He had read most of them… except this one… He died before he could read it."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Skye said. Tom Greenleaf… that's right… the paper this morning… 'Bodies still not found. Tom Greenleaf, Kenneth Karsch…' Mort had been really weird about that paper… Why? She looked at her watch and then up at Amanda. "Oh, man, I'm sorry - I have to go. It was nice to have met you."

"You too." Amanda replied cheerfully.

"See you around." Skye bid. She paid for her book and left. On her way to the car, she realized she needed something from the store, so she hurried in, bought what she needed, and hurried out.

She drove back to the cabin and went inside. Mort was in the kitchen, just about to sit down for lunch.

"I'm back, Mr. Rainey." Skye greeted.

"Oh, hi." he greeted. "Just about to eat lunch. You want a sandwich? I made one for you."

"Uh, sure - thanks." she replied, sitting down at the table with him. "That's sort of… freakishly nice of you…"

"Yeah, I've been in a bad mood the last few weeks - I'm over it now." he said. "I know what I'm going to write about."

"Oh? What?"

"I can't tell you yet." he stated. "You'll have to wait and see. …I have a great ending planned. It's perfect. That's the best part of the story, after all."

"Hm. I can't wait."

"Me either." he said. He placed a sandwich on a plate and pushed it towards her. "So, what book did you get?"

"The Shining." she replied.

"Ah." Mort said, starting on his sandwich. "Great book. Great writer. Seeing people who aren't there and all that - very clever."

"Yeah, it's one of my favorites." Skye told him. "Uh… I met someone in town. Her name was Amanda Greenleaf - she was very nice. Do you know her?"

Mort faltered. "I, uh… I knew her grandfather. Killed a year ago - such a tragedy. …You might want to stay away from that when you talk to her - it's a sensitive subject with her… and everyone else in town, really. You probably don't want to mention me either. I was a pretty good friend of his. Memories, you know."

"Yeah - sure." Skye said. "I understand." That's it. That's why he tossed the paper this morning. He was a good friend of his and just doesn't want to think about it. She took a bite out of the sandwich. "Mm. This is good. Roast beef is my favorite."

"Mine too - what a coincidence." he added.

She smiled and continued eating. He was obviously staring at her because when she looked up, he quickly looked away. He put his sandwich down and went to the fridge.

"You want a drink?" he asked.

"Sure." she replied.

"All I have besides Jack Daniels is Mountain Dew." he said. "Is that alright?"

"Mm hm." she nodded. He handed a can of Mountain Dew to her. "Thanks." He sat down again and they continued eating in awkward silence. "The weather's nice, isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, really hot outside." he replied.

She looked out at the lake. "…Can I go swimming?"

"What?" he asked, taken off guard.

"In the lake." she said.

"Uh, yeah, sure…" he replied.

"Great!" she exclaimed. She finished her lunch and went into her room to change. A little while later, she left her room, carrying a towel. She was wearing a black and red striped swimsuit. It was a two piece: surf shorts and a halter top that came together in the front with a circular link.

"This is awesome!" she exclaimed. "It's like having a private pool, only… better! And a lot bigger! You're so lucky to live right next to this pretty lake!"

"Yeah, it's great…" he replied, distracted by her apparel.

"You going to join me?" she asked, putting her hair in pigtails.

"Uh, I don't think so." he told him. "I'll just, uh… sit on the dock."

"Alright." she said. They headed out to the lake and walked down the dock. He sat down as she dropped two towels on the dock.

"Oh, don't just jump-"

SPLASH! She jumped off the dock and water flew everywhere, soaking Mort. He took his glasses off and cleaned them. She surfaced and laughed at him.

"Thanks." he said flatly.

"Anytime." she replied, smiling.

"So… Miss Rivers, what-"

"Call me Skye." she interrupted.

"Right. Well, uh, what is your family situation like?" he asked. "Always looking for things to think about - writer and all."

"Well, I lived with my mom and stepdad for a while." she told him, idly swimming around. "My stepdad is a huge jerk, but my mom won't listen to me. My dad married off a long time ago and left. My mom, as you know, is crazy - if I didn't agree with everything she said, she'd shun me. I hate being shunned, so I tried to stay in line. Until I got to college, of course, in which case I bought a bunch of goth-punk clothes and dyed my hair and majored in creative writing."

"Interesting…" he said.

"Yeah, that's life." she replied. "Sucks. Hard.My whole life was like... walking on rusty nails. 'Oh, rusty nail!' Sorry, X Japan song. But hey, it happens." She was going to ask about his life, but realized that his late wife would probably into the picture, so she avoided it. She didn't want to stir anything up.

"So, er, so what else?" he asked. "Do you have any other family?"

"Yeah, my brother - he's 26 - pretty much rebelled from my parents. Especially my mom because she's so controlling and crazy." Skye explained. "He's a painter, actually. Lives in Chicago." She continued to swim around idly. "My sister is… what is she now? 17? 18? 17. That's it. 17. Yeah. She totally conforms to my mom. I can't blame her, really. I did until I went to college."

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"A lot of mental punishment - I suffered a ton. But life happens, as it were." she told him. "I conformed because I thought it'd be less painful… Maybe it was, I don't know… Either way, I'm really screwed up."

"You seem fine to me."

"Yeah, you'd think, wouldn't you?" she asked. She sighed. "Well, it doesn't matter, anyway. I'm here now and my mom is far away." She heaved herself up on the dock and sat down next to him. "You're really saving me here, you know. No one's ever given me a chance like this before… I just want you to know how thankful I am to you."

"Oh, well, uh… you're welcome, of course." he said. "Everyone deserves a chance, right?" She nodded. "You're a nice girl, anyway. Don't seem like the type who'd cheat on anyone."

She blinked. That was random… "Yeah… there's no way I'd do that. Those people suck. Terrible."

"Yeah, I agree." he told her. A moment of silence passed. "So… do you have anyone back home? Like… anyone… you're involved with?"

"Oh, no." she replied. "No, no. Not at all. Guys tend to, uh… sense my weirdness. They stay away. Most of them, anyway. Too many eccentricities, I suppose." She stood up. "But… I don't like many of them either, so it doesn't matter. I'm really picky…" He stood up as well. "But whatever. I'll find someone." He nodded. "My mom never stops pestering me about it."

"Eh, she's insane." he said.

"Yeah." she agreed. "You know, the water really is great." She got an idea. He really needs to loosen up… "These are cute." She reached up and took his glasses off and examined them. She put them on and he laughed. "They're kind of big…" She looked out at the lake, taking the glasses off. "What's that?" she asked; he looked out at the lake as well, squinting.

"I don't know, I can't see." he said. "You have my eyes."

Suddenly, she shoved him forward, into the water. He surfaced, looking annoyed; she laughed at him.

"What did you do that for?" he asked.

"You need to relax - you're too uptight." she told him.

"But… did I have to get wet to achieve that?" he asked.

"I certainly think so." she replied, handing his glasses to him.

"Yeah, thanks." he replied, putting his glasses on, once again distracted by her apparel especially since she'd just leaned over to hand him his glasses, revealing more of her cleavage.

She jumped in as well, splashing him and soaking his glasses.

"Great, I'm blind." he said flatly.

"Can you really not see without them?" she asked.

"Well, no, it's not that bad - just a little fuzzy." he replied. "But it's annoying."

"Well, then, I'm sorry." she told him.

"That still doesn't excuse you." he said. "Take this!" He splashed her in the face.

"Oh yeah?" she asked. "You take this!" She splashed him several times. They laughed.

The next few minutes were spent in a splashing battle which ultimately ended in mutual defeat. They laughed and climbed back up on the deck.

"See? It's fun to just let go sometimes." she said. She picked up one of the towls and dried off. She picked up the other one and tossed it to Mort. "This was going to be for my hair, but I think you need it more."

"How gracious. Thanks." he said sarcastically.

They went into the house and went to their rooms to change.

"Let's watch a movie." Skye suggested when they reunited in the living room.

"Alright… which one?" he asked. "I don't think I have very many…"

"Do you have a DVD player?" she asked. "Because I brought my PS2 - I can set that up."

"No, I don't have one - just VHS." he replied.

"That's fine!" she told him. "I'll set it all up!" She happily went back to her room, retrieved her PS2, and set it up in the living room. "Okay, why don't we watch my favorite movie, then?" She took out a DVD and put it in the PS2. He sat down on the couch.

"Which is…?" he asked.

"Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece: Psycho." she replied happily.

"Ah." he said. "A classic."

"Yeah." she replied, pushing X on the controller to make the DVD play. "You know, you'd be surprised how much Norman Bates's mother and my mother have in common." He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Well, not dead… obviously… But the whole mental torturing thing. And I didn't kill her like Norman killed his. Not that I haven't thought about it…" She looked at him. "Sorry, I'm probably freaking you out."

"No, I understand." he told her. "We've all thought about it at some point."

"Yeah…" she said. "Wow… people usually recommend I get therapy when I say things like that."

"Well, we writers usually understand each other pretty well." he replied. "You can always talk to me, Miss Rivers."

"Call me Skye." she stated.

"How comical is it that your name is Skye and your hair is sky blue?" he asked. "Was that intentional?"

She laughed. "No, I… never even connected it before."

"Well, it happens to be my favorite color." he said.

"Really?" she asked. "Well, make sure you spell it right from now on. Skye with an E - Skye blue."

"I'll remember that." he told her. "Maybe I'll mention it in my new book, huh?"

"That would be awesome." she said sincerely. "Oh! Before Marion gets to the Bates Motel, I bought some Bananas Foster ice cream. It's really addicting. I have to have some. You want any?"

"Is it good?" he asked.

"I've eaten about 750,000 cartons of it - yes, it's the best." she replied.

"750,000, huh?" he asked. "Sure, I'll have some."

She fixed them some ice cream and sat down next to him on the couch, handing him a bowl of ice cream.

"Oh, this is good!" he exclaimed, trying it.

"I told you." she said. They concentrated on the movie for a little while.

"Hitchcock is my favorite director - easy." he told her. "I don't see a lot of movies, but the man's a genius."

"Yes! He's my favorite, too!" she agreed happily. He smiled and returned his gaze to the TV. She stared at the TV, but wasn't thinking about Janet Leigh or Anthony Perkins. Mort and she had a lot in common… He was a writer, liked Alfred Hitchcock, liked the color blue (her favorite color as well), and he was just a really nice guy when he didn't lose his temper. And… okay, it can't go unmentioned any longer. He was totally gorgeous.

Later, the movie ended and Skye turned off the PS2 and switched it to some random channel. They had talked about the brilliance of Psycho and were now pretty tired. She sat down next to him once again as the commercial ended and the show started.

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a faithful trip!" the people on TV sang.

"Oh, Gilligan's Island! I love this show." she said.

"Yeah, me too." he agreed.

"Really?" she asked. "I don't run across a lot of Gilligan fans."

"Yeah, I watch it all the time." he told her. "My favorite is the, uh… one with the guy… Where they go to the guy's island and they get their minds put into each other's bodies and get all mixed up and stuff. Have you seen that one?"

"Yeah! That… might be my favorite, too, actually!" she replied happily.

"Wow." he said with a chuckle. She smiled and they watched TV for a little while. Eventually, they both started to get pretty tired, but didn't do anything about it. Skye drifted off to sleep, her head involuntarily resting on his shoulder. Just as that happened, he fell asleep as well, involuntarily resting his head on hers.

No one had ever really understood her before. Not like this. Never like this…

Okay, I realize that chapter was character development and was kind of uneventful, but I promise that chapter 3 will be better! Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE:gets on hands and knees: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! Or I'll do it, I swear I will! Okay, kidding! Anyway, thanks for reading! Please review!