Chapter 2: Slaughter on Tenth Avenue
Kagome POV
Ayame, Sango and I squeeze into a soundproof booth at Moody's Record Bar, listing to "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue." At least, the booth is supposed to be soundproof, but from the musical catacomb we can hear Miroku bowling "Come On-a My House," Inuyasha drumming his finger to "Good night, Irene," and Kouga sobbing "The Little white Cloud That Cried."
Yanking a Coffee Crisp from her saddlebag, Ayame offers it around. Sango shakes her head.
"Not me, I'm on a diet."
"Don't say that word," Ayame shudders.
"What word?"
"Diet…"
"Why?"
"It's a horrible word; it has the word die in it," Ayame take a large bite from her chocolate. "And I bet you're just on a diet because you saw someone you like, for example my perverted friend."
Sango pushes her off to the side. "No, that's so not true."
"Oh yes it is honey."
Sango leans moodily against the perforated wall of the booth, eyes closed. "I bet you don't get any trouble at getting any boy you want Kagome."
"That is not true Sango!"
Ayame joins the conversation. "Have you noticed Hojo breathing heavily whenever he comes near you? All the girls are smitten-and he's so dam nice." She sighs "What I would do to be going steady with anyone just to get out of the rat race."
Sango turns to me. "How come you've never gone steady?" "Yeah, how come?" echoes Ayame. "You get such a b-i-g crush on the guy, and then when he likes you, you don't want him anymore."
Sango's over casual inquiry followed by Ayame's too-quick follow-up warns me that they already discussed this between themselves. My reply is cautious: "Maybe I've never met anyone I've like well enough. Say what is this- the Spanish Inquisition?"
"Don't get huffy old girl," exclaims Sango, "We're just asking. Everybody does. The guys say you use them a couple of times then ditch them."
"That's exactly what I don't do! Why not check out the going-steady girls? Half of them admit it's just for the social security."
"Going steady doesn't mean you have to be madly in love," protests Sango. "It just means you like one boy better than the rest."
"Well I don't. They all bore me. They're so possessive. They make me" -panic as if I were smothering – "bored!" I stand up feeling my head spin with the record. Perforated walls, the color of flesh, press in upon me. "Phew, it's hot in here-"Knocking the phonograph needle across the record with a loud screech, I claw my way out of the booth.
End of POV
Ayame paid for the car, but Inuyasha's driving it. Of course, to call it a car, Kagome thought, it is flattering the thing-the two hundred and fifty dollar bag of scraps metal on wheels. It groans up the last hill. Sango leans over the back of the front seat. For a moment, all six are breathless as they take in the panorama.
"It's the edge of the world," Ayame says. And so it seams for the fraction of a second they are perched there, the rest of their lives spread before them. Straight ahead, below, is the lake- bluer then the sky, freckled with diamonds in the glancing sun. Off to the right, nestles the village of Port Desire.
The car releases a series of relieved back fires as it starts down the other side of the hill. They can see more of the village now: a church spire dazzling, haloed in the westerly sun. Around it, roofs of the houses huddled like toadstools beneath tamed forests of trees.
The highway leads right into town to become the main street. It's lined with parked cars and on the sidewalks dozen of people in shorts and sunglass amble along, eating ice cream cones, gazing into store windows. They cross the street whenever they feel like it, especially right in front of their vehicle. Inuyasha slams on the brakes more than once, muttering hostile names through his open window until Ayame told him not to be more appalling than she has to be.
"Start looking for house numbers," Inuyasha says.
Ayame protested. "But I'm hungry!"
"Well we might have eaten if we didn't stop at that old record store that you wanted to go to so much."
"I couldn't of stayed in that car any longer, I was about to go crazy!"
"You're already crazy!"
"No, you're crazy, making us suffer. The registration people could wait, but my stomach can't."
"If we don't register before five we won't be able to enter blue forest."
"But I'm hungry."
"Eat one hand and save the other for later."
"I'm no carnivore."
"Keep your self occupied, we're dam close."
"Ok then, I will sing."
"So go and sing."
"Here comes the sun shine…" Inuyasha drummed his fingers against the stirring wheel.
"Here comes the La La La, La La-"
"Will you shut up?"
"You see, I can't keep myself occupied if you keep telling me to shut up!"
Sango slammed her fist against the back of Kagome's seat. "Will you two shut up? You're acting like two annoying siblings! Don't you ever keep your mouths closed? I'm also getting tired of this car, Miroku keeps groping me… and look, we're here!"
"Where is exactly here?" Asked Kagome.
"Here!"
Kagome stuck her head out the window and takes it all in. It's tall, it's wide, it's red bricks with crooked, weather-beaten shutters framing fly-speck windows. Hollyhocks sway lazily at the side, and a rickety veranda in need of a good paint job. It's monster of a place and smack on main street.
Inuyasha puts the car in gear, pulls into a grassed-over driveway on the far side of the house, and follows it around to the back, where the car promptly dies in front of a paddle locked garage. They get out with their knapsacks; slam the car doors, and Ayame turns around to make sure the impact hasn't dismantled the car's jigsaw puzzle chassis.
The house is closed tight, blinds down, curtains pulled. No point in knocking because who would answer? They go to the front, but the key doesn't work in the door.
"Wiggle it," says Sango.
"It's the wrong key," Koga says.
Looking for another door, and carrying their knapsacks for fear they might be stolen, they retrace their steps around past the car to the back of the house. Stone steps lead down to a low door cut into foundation. Koga can tell by looking at the keyhole that their key won't fit.
Behind the house, what should be a back lawn is more like a hay field sprinkled with lacy white flowers they've never seen before, or noticed. It goes right down to the water's edge to a lopsided building, its eaves scalloped and scrolled with the same trim as the house-a boathouse.
Kagome lops down for a closer look and pushes open the unlocked door. She calls, "Come and see it!" Her two friends meander down, Sango practically dead on her feet, Ayame who now has the key is frowning over it.
Inside, in the boat slip, in the muted light coming through the cobwebby windows, they make an old wooden rowboat, its oars resting on the seats.
"I'd like to jump right in and go for a little row," Ayame says
"Underwater?" Sango says. "Better get a diving suit."
The boat has a bucket of water in it. Her two friends head back up to the house, Ayame's red hair tangled in the breeze, Sango's swept back tightly , her dark head on an angle.
"You stay out of that boat Kagome!" Sango turns and calls.
Kagome mutters one or two halfhearted insults. She hates when Sango sounds motherish, although she should be used to it.
Looking back at the boat, started to imagine scenes. She could easily imagine seeing her father and mom telling her to come in with them in the boat. Her mothers so sweet and innocent face, her father loud laughter and smile that would make her panic each time she saw him. How his smile curved his lips would want to make her throw up. She never knew exactly why he made her feel this way.
Stepping back she felt insecure underneath her father's stare, she new it wasn't him but he looked so real. Her other side took over
Her breathing started to quicken, she could feel her hands shake. Crouching down, she put her sweaty hands on the wooden dock for support. The room was spinning faster each time she would open her eyes. Looking back at the rowboat, she could see her father grin. He's laughing at her. How could he? She could feel tears prickle down her face. He was laughing even harder now. Her mind was spinning with questions. Why did he hat her? Why?
Slowly getting up, she steadies herself. Picking up a metal bucket, she put over her head. Looking at her father in the eye, she throws it at him with all her might. It goes right trough him, she could hear it hit the bottom of the boat. It wasn't really him, she was imagining him. But why him, why make her father make her suffer so much. All she tried to do in all her life was to make him love her. But daddy doesn't love her. Daddy doesn't love Kagome.
Stepping back she could feel a wood panel crack underneath her foot. Losing her balance, she soon feels herself make contact with the water. An icy cold feeling goes through her body. Closing her eyes she lets herself fall deeper into the water. It gets colder each time she would go deeper. Opening her eyes all she could see was green water and some light filtering through . Daddy doesn't love me. That's all she says to herself. Her head hits something hard, making her go into darkness.
I'm sorry that this short, but I have to go. I won't be writing for a long time because I'm going to my cottage, and we don't have any technology. Please Review!
