Chapter 3: The Turning of the Tide
Back at the crappy little hotel room that he was renting until this was over with, Jack sat in silence. A date. Wonderful. His bosses were just going to LOVE that.
He glanced at the clock. Quarter 'til 8. Where was he going with this? It was not like him not to plan. He thought EVERYTHING through, and when things went bad he just improvised. Granted, it hadn't turned out so well last time, but still...
Images popped into his mind of the first few...days? years?...in the Corridors. The screams from other people's torment the smell of blood and burning skin and death that would never come. Jack shuddered. He was a badass, but no one could think about that and keep from getting the chills.
He looked at the clock again. Time to go.
----
"COMING!"
Nattie rushed down the stairs and threw the door open.
"Hey, hooker. Whatcha doing?" Deb stepped in and shut the door behind her. "Wow. Look at you all sassy in your red skirt. Do you know how long it has been since I have seen you this dressed up? Mary Fielder's bachelorette party at the Rage. That was 8 months ago. Honey, I'm so excited!"
"I'm glad, because I think I'm going to throw up."
Nattie put a hand on her nervous stomach. She had closed her eyes for a few minutes earlier but had been plagued by dreams of screams and blood. She took a cleansing breath and looked in the mirror. She tugged at her red skirt and black tank, pulled up her red and black striped knee socks. .
"Look at me. I look like a Lydia doll."
"A what?"
"A Lydia doll. You know, Lydia. Beetlejuice? Nevermind."
"Nattie. Look at me. You are a beautiful and radiant 22-year-old woman. Tonight is your big night. Now I want you to listen to me. Are you listening?" When she nodded, Deb continued. "You are going to go out with this Jake guy--"
"Jack."
"Right. Anyway...You are going to go out with Jack, and you are going to have a great time, and then, honey, you are going to bring him back here, and you are going to have some sex. For the good of the both of us."
Nattie burst into a fit of giggles just as the doorbell rang. Deb tossed Nattie's red braids over her shoulders and tucked the stray curls back as she walked past.
She took one more steadying breath and opened the door.
He was wearing loose fitting jeans and a tight black tee shirt with the Zero skate company logo on it. His hair was styled with just enough carelessness to have it sticking up in places. Nattie smiled at his shoes. He wore black converse all-stars.
He was quite a remarkable sight.
His eyes raked over her. He took in the black tank top, the red skirt that showed off her long legs without coming off as sluttish (though it wouldn't have bothered him if it had. It would make his job easier.) He could not quite suppress the quick grin at the sight of her socks. Red and black knee socks. How….cute.
He cleared his throat.
"Um. Hi."
"Hi."
"HI!" Deb called from the foyer.
"You want to come in for a sec? I've just got to grab my purse."
"Sure. Take your time. I'm in no hurry."
As they stepped into the foyer, Nattie's cat, Lorien hissed and ran from Jack as he bent down to pet her.
"Don't worry. She does that to everyone. She's sort of…" Nattie searched for the word.
"Nuts? Possessed by Satan?" Deb supplied.
"She's eccentric." Nattie insisted. She turned to Jack. "Are you ready?"
"Yes. You have a lovely house."
Nattie flushed and beamed with pride. "Thank you. I certainly like it."
As they were leaving, Deb called to Nattie, "I'll be gone when you get home. CALL ME!"
Nattie turned around and ran a finger quickly over her throat in the 'shut up' motion and smiled at Deb. Deb held up both hands, showing crossed fingers.
Jack, reading the exchange, smiled to himself.
---------
"I had a really good time tonight," Jack said as he twisted a stray red curl around his finger. He had found that the 'I'm a shy and loveable guy' routine worked best with this woman.
"I don't suppose that I could maybe, um, kiss you goodnight?"
Nattie raised an eyebrow. "I don't see why not."
Don't freak out. Don't freak out, she chanted to herself.
He leaned his head toward hers, his lips just an inch away from hers. She could feel his breath on her lips and was suddenly consumed by a bubble of giggles.
"Oh God. I'm sorry." She said as she struggled for breath.
Jack was confused. He was not used to the feeling and did not like it.
"I'm so sorry. It's just …" God, this was embarrassing. "I've never been kissed before. I know I know…." she said before he could say anything. "It's highly abnormal, but it's true. I just got a little high strung is all. And look. Now I am babbling. That's just--"
Before she could think, Jack's mouth was fused to hers in a passionate battle. The kiss was both hard and sweet. Both tender and intense. It felt glorious.
As he broke away, he was cursing himself.
What the HELL was that? He looked at her. At the glazed look in her half closed eyes. He looked at her lips, usually a pale pink, now red and swollen by his mouth.
Something was wrong with him.
Nattie cleared her throat. "Um. Well, that was…" Hotter than I could have imagined? Mind blowing?
She surprised both of them by saying, "Do you want to come in?"
He looked at her. The hopeful nervousness in her eyes. He knew if he went in that the rest of his plan would soon be done. He should just do it.
Do it, finish this job, and get the hell out of this town. He could get his old position back. Get back on the sea…
"I don't think that's a good idea."
What? Are you fucking CRAZY! Where did that come from?
"Nattie, I've-I've got to go."
He turned and walked down her sidewalk. When he got to her gate, he stopped and turned back to her.
"What are you doing for breakfast?" he asked.
"Deb, Gloria and I eat at the diner," she said.
"Would you like to have breakfast with me in the morning?"
She thought about it for a minute. "Ok. I go in at 6:30. The diner opens at 7:30 so the girls and I usually eat about 7."
He nodded, then without another word, turned and walked into the night.
------------------------
Later, in his rented craphole, Jack lay on his bed in the darkness, thinking.
What the hell was this about? Why didn't I go in, screw her, and then kill her? That's what I freaking' DO. It's what I am here for. I have been doing it for 70 years.
He took out a cigarette and lit it, pondering. He closed his eyes and searched her out. She was at home getting ready for bed.
She was lying awake much like him, wondering why he did not come in. Finally, she drifted off to sleep.
That is where he met her.
She was in her backyard, pulling weeds from her flowerbed and listening to The All-American Rejects. He tilted his head to the side, wondering at the driving lust that twisted his gut and stirred his blood at the mere sight of her.
He walked behind her, placing his hands on her hips. She screamed and spun around, thumping a mud covered hand over her heart.
"Jesus Jack! Put a bell around your neck."
She took her headphones off and put them on the ground. She was entirely too close to him. The way he was still holding her hips pressed them together like lovers. Which, she thought to herself, was just what you asked him to become earlier.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." He continued to stare at her as if trying to find something. It unnerved her.
"What?" She felt herself flush under his gaze.
He kissed her before he could stop himself. She gripped his arms, ran her hands along the firm planes until she clung to his neck, her fingers winding in his hair. He pulled away and she nearly whimpered.
"You're beautiful." He said, and he knew that he meant it.
Jack gasped and shot out of bed. He pulled a hand through his hair and it trembled slightly as he took out a cigarette and lit it.
He took the glass of whiskey off the bedside table and downed it.
Holy Hell, he thought. No. No, it wasn't possible. After 70 years, he was not going soft.
Yeah, right.
He threw the glass against the wall where it exploded into a thousand pieces. "SON OF A BITCH!"
He actually LIKED her.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------