Since their arrival the poor boy had been bombarded with questions about the stranger on the beach and all he could do was shrug and shake his head, his eyes cast down at the ground as he felt their stares pricking at his skin like needles. "I don't know."
Star reached for the boy and pulled him in to the many folds of her skirt, enveloping him in comfort and security. Warmth. "David, enough."
He ignored Star for the moment and pressed again, "She knows you." The words held thinly veiled venom as his eyes flickered from the young man to Paul as his head quirked at an angle, showing a form of sarcastic amusement. "Seems she knows you, too, lover."
Paul's eyes widened and he choked on the sticky air he had been pulling into his lungs from the joint in his hand and passed it off to Dwayne, who smirked and took a few hits before passing it Marko's way. The dirty blonde held up his hands as if in surrender once more and shook his head, wild hair bouncing. "Whoa, dude, whoa. I just met her tonight. Right after I got some of this." He made a motion to the joint that was currently passing between Dwayne and Marko and frowned when they didn't pass it back. "Don't mooch it, bro."
"Yo." Dwayne pulled his shoulder away just in time to miss the swat that Paul had aimed and held the roach out for him to take, grinning like a fiend at the fallen look on his friend's face. "You gonna cry?"
Marko covered his mouth to stifle his laughter and bowed his head, his golden curls falling forward over his shoulders but then looked back up when he heard David clear his throat. Although his laughter had subsided, soft giggles escaped him every now and again.
"Enough." Even though the leader was trying to be serious there was the light of amusement reflected in his eyes that he always had around the boys, which put them at ease more often than not. "Tomorrow we'll go and meet her."
"I don't trust her." David turned his head sharply to stare at Star and finally acknowledged her presence as if he had just realized that she was holding Laddie. "Don't go. It doesn't feel right." The look in her eyes conveyed her fear and her own mistrust of the stranger and cast a look around at the other three as she stroked Laddie's hair tenderly, hesitant to continue. "...She didn't feel like a vampire to me."
David's brows rose high along his forehead in surprise. "Why Star, I didn't take you for one to know the meaning of that word." He grew silent at the hurt look he received and looked away, sucking air between his teeth with a soft "tsk".
Dwayne watched as Star fought to keep her emotions in check and listened as her anger made her grind her teeth together. "Fine." In an instant she swept Laddie into her arms and disappeared to their sleeping quarters. The single word, the sound of the air that escaped her skirts, and the jingle of the coins on her bracelets announced her departure.
"She's got a point, you know." Dwayne was up and moving, leaving Marko and Paul to light up another joint as he planned to sit that round out. "I've never seen anyone move as quick as she did. Quicker than you? Us? That isn't right." In one fluid movement he hopped up onto the fountain and crouched down, arms resting against his knees. Long hair hid his eyes as he bowed his head, fingers of his right hand reaching down to the fountain to pick at something from between the cracks absentmindedly.
"Luck." The only word that David let slip past his lips in response to his second in command as he cradled his chin in the palm of a gloved hand, his eyes unfocused and glazed over in thought.
"And what about her knowing Laddie?" Marko posed his question through a cough of hazy smoke that rolled over his lips as he spoke. "You think she might be related to him?" A fingerless gloved hand came up to wave away the smoke with an annoyed look at not being able to see through it clearly although his eyelids were starting to droop.
It was Paul's turn to voice his opinion as he leaned forward to put the roach out by dragging the edges of the paper lightly across the stone floor. "No way. He's never made mention of any of that. Plus, I've never seen any missing persons flyers plastered anywhere since he's been with us." He leaned back and blew gently across his beloved possession. "Plus, there is NO family resemblance there. Trust me, I was looking." Grinning to himself he double checked to make sure the roach was out before he pulled at the lapel of his coat and dropped it into his inside pocket.
Marko and Dwayne broke into thick chuckles as David finally came back to earth and rejoined the conversation. "You get her name?"
Paul leaned back and slumped into his seat with a nod as he looked up from where the fingers of his left hand were idly picking at one of the bracelets decorating his right wrist. Pink tongue slithered across his slips slowly as he remembered the way she had said his name while on the Boardwalk. "Manny."
"Manny." The way in which David repeated her name made Paul quirk a brow in silent question, the tone striking him as familiar but didn't stop to think it through as he stood and rubbed his hands down the front of his pants. The white material there growing a shade darker every time he did.
"I'm ready to crash." He looked over at Marko to find he was barely keeping his eyes open and smacked him once across the shoulder. This time not missing as he had with Dwayne. "Get up or wake up a crispy chicken meal, bud."
The blonde duo disappeared deeper into the cave while belting out "Addicted to Love" at the top of their lungs, only to be silenced by Dwayne and his threats of tearing up their Playboy magazines once he joined them. David remained out in the main room contemplating the meeting of the next night until just before the sun kissed the horizon on it's ascent into the sky. Questions would get answered.
---
As the sun set Paul awoke abruptly the way he had the night before, again not being able to remember what had startled him so much to rock him out of his sleep. "Fuck." He muttered the word as he released the beam he had been holding onto to land deftly with a bend of his knees, unkempt hair hiding his face as he rubbed a hand across his forehead roughly. Another haze clouded his mind as he tried to recall something, anything, and got nothing instead.
"Paul, you ready?" David's voice echoed through the emptiness of their sleeping chamber, making him realize he was the last to wake.
"Yeah, give me a second." He pulled on his boots in silence as he tried to will the fog from his mind and smirked at the thought that crept through the haze before he cracked a grin to himself. "No such thing as too much weed." He ran his fingers through his hair as he appeared in the main room, giving a silent nod to Star and Laddie curled up on the rundown couch.
David pulled at the collar of his leather trench coat to pop it up as he nodded in the direction of the entrance. "Let's go." He watched the boys almost march out into the dark; Marko heading out first with a mock salute and a chuckle, Paul followed close behind with a nod and a smirk, and Dwayne fell in behind them in his divine silence and impassioned stare.
Star watched as the boys disappeared from sight and finally let the concern she had been feeling from the night before finally wash over her features with questions of how the strange woman knew Laddie or what the woman had to possibly explain involving him. But for now, as she waited for them to return, she would speak to young boy curled up against her side.
--
The ride to the bar had been in silence. No howls or yells had been released, no racing or swerving dangerously close to each other in brief, fleeting games of "chicken". They were acting the age they really were for once. For now appearances weren't what they were going on. Once the bar loomed ahead with flashes of yellow neon they turned into the patch of dirt that had been cleared as a parking lot and shut off their bikes.
As David pulled the key from the ignition he addressed the members of his pack in a low voice. "Watch your back. We don't know if she's got friends in there that are just as lucky as she is." He wasn't going to admit that she had been faster than him. His pride wouldn't let him.
They wore serious expressions as they stepped over the threshold of the bar, the heavy smoke hanging in the air infiltrating their lungs and the sharp crack of someone breaking at one the pool tables rung in their ears. But it was there, in a smoked filled corner, that they saw her standing. The fog in the room curled and danced around the edges of her frame but never really seemed to touch her, which attracted attention but surprisingly enough the patrons kept a distance. Out of her reach.
Manny took a step forward once she saw the pack move toward her as one, watching as their eyes moved over her attire. They were pleasantly surprised to find that she had donned a black, pinstriped buisness suit. The material hugged her curves, accentuating the flare of her hip and making the boys realize just how trim she was. Streamlined. Streaked hair was pulled back into a sophisticated bun, showing off the four studs that embellished each ear, and the only hint of make-up she wore was what appeared to be lipgloss.
"Don't feel underdressed, it's just buisness. A formality on my part." A dazzling smile split her lips to reveal slightly elongated canines that they had missed the night before, her hands tucked into the front pockets of her slacks as she leaned back in a relaxed stance.
All the boys could do from reaching out to touch her was just to drink in the mere sight of her appearance in silence and let the smooth tone of her voice drown out the din of drunken ramblings and occasional cracks that came from the other side of the room.
A slender hand was extracted from her pocket as she motioned to the table she had chosen for them to occupy before unbuttoning the front of her coat to reveal a corset (that amazingly kept her chest from spilling forward) in place where a vest should have been in her ensemble. "Drinks are on me." She pulled at the chair she had been residing in moments before they arrived and jumped up to perch along the seat's edge on the balls of her feet, elbows resting lightly against her knees.
The boys watched her movements closely but remained silent as they dispersed to take their seats around the table. David and Dwayne sat across from her respectfully so that they were able to look her in the eye as they spoke, Marko moving around to sit at her left with his back pressed against the wall and Paul to her right at the end of the table. Once the bartender appeared she let the boys order their drinks first, surprised to find they had such a tame taste for alcohol, and ordered seven shots of his best tequila for herself.
Paul watched her curiously, as did Marko and she cast a look between the two of them with a well placed curl of her lip to show she was amused. It was then that Marko noticed that every look that graced her features seemed at home there, nothing seemed as if it didn't belong. She didn't try to be anything, she just was everything. As the thought passed he smiled to himself and settled back against the wall. Secretly pleased.
It was only after the drinks had been delivered that David spoke, nursing the beer in his gloved hand after his initial drink. "So, how do you know our dear Laddie?"
Manny nodded in silence to signal that she would answer his question as her right hand disappeared into her coat. "For a second there I was half expecting you to ask me just how good my luck is." Blue eyes caught the surprise that he hid behind a smirk.
Once her hand reappeared she fished a clove from the pack of Djarum Blacks now in her possession, lifting the black cigarette to her lips as a glimmer of silver and a CLICK sounded as she popped open the top of a silver Zippo that seemed to appear from thin air. The ridges of her thumb struck the flint sharply to spark the wick to life in a burst of tangerine flame as she lit up with a deliciously slow inhalation.
All four boys watched as the light of the flame danced off her blue eyes rather than be absorbed as it normally would have been. It was inhuman. The sharp snap of her wrist closed the lid, dousing the flame and snapping the boys out of their close observation. She was cat-eyed.
Fragrant smoke was exhaled through her nostrils as the Zippo disappeared from view with a slight of hand. "Let's just start off by saying that you don't give him enough credit, sunshine."
At the mention of the nickname he had been dubbed with the night before his jaw tightened and he leveled his eyes on her, holding his tongue in better judgement. Deciding to insult her after he got his answers. "And how is that?"
Her posture was impeccable, yet relaxed, under the intense stares of the vampires that were in such close proximity. Their very presence shaking the room in unseen vibrations that rolled off each of them in waves. It should have surprised her that they were hanging off her every word... But it didn't. They wanted answers and they were going to get them.
It was then she decided to take the first two shots of tequila from the row of seven she had lined up before her, slender fingers wrapping around each glass in succesion as she shot back the amber liquid without as much as a wince. Silent words fell from her lips as she turned the empy vessels over and brushed them aside with the back of her hand. The alcohol trailed fire down her throat before settling in the pit of her stomach, beginning to radiate heat. Spreading across her skin.
Once the process had been done, she continued, ashing the cigarette with a light tap of her forefinger. "I've known him for years. From afar of course, that is, until you came along." Full lips puckered around the filter of the clove as she took another slow drag, letting the smoke dance around her unseen words. "He seeked me out subconsciously."
Dwayne furrowed a brow as he finished his beer and licked at his lips, sliding the empty bottle aside as Manny had the shot glasses. "You mean in his sleep." Although it had sounded like a question, it had been a statement.
She nodded, "That would be it, handsome." Another nickname. Another invisible bond they didn't know about. "But you already knew about that, didn't you?" A well shaped brow quirked in his direction but she continued, watching as David silently made a promise to Dwayne with his eyes that he would ask about it later. "Even when he's awake he's going at it. Kid's got one hell of a messaging system and doesn't even know it."
The darkest of all four narrowed his eyes at her as he stood and then smirked with a shake of his head, nodding to David to let him know he would explain everything he knew once they weren't in her presence. "I'm getting another round of drinks."
Manny watched him go with a soft "aw" and then put all her attention back to man before her with another gentle tap of her forefinger against the cigarette. "Needless to say, little man's an untapped resource. Only problem is he won't fully come into his potential unless he matures mentally as well as physically."
Paul shot David a look of surprise, Marko following suit but remained quiet even though the question he wanted to ask burned at the tip of his tongue. But like the good boy he was he let Paul speak instead. "Hold up, girl. What are you talking about? What potential?"
Cigarette butt pinched between the nail of her middle finger and pad of her thumb was flicked across the room with a soft smile, not bothering to watch as it landed, bobbed, and then sunk into someone's drink. Another two shots were taken, just like the two before it. More unheard words passing her lips as she overturned the glasses and pushed them away. The delay was for Dwayne, making sure that he was seated and paying attention to save herself the pain of repeating this bit of information over again. Once was enough.
--
"Laddie, how is it that you know that girl from last night?" Star's voice was hushed as her head remained bowed, the blue crayon in her right hand stretching across the picture she was coloring.
The young boy looked up from his own picture, jaw slightly slack at seeming to be caught off guard by her question when in reality he had been waiting for her to ask it since they had been left alone. Shoulders rose and fell in a shrug before he dropped the crayon in his hand on top of the paper he had lost interest in long ago. "I've dreamt of her."
Star looked up and brushed her mass of brown curls away from her eyes as the look of not understanding clearly presented itself on her face. "What do you mean?"
With a sigh Laddie pushed himself up to stand, dusting off his small hands before staring down at them in disgust. He hated how little they were. At how little he was. How was he ever going to help or become a part of the pack for good if he couldn't grow up? Of course he knew things that boys that appeared to be his age shouldn't know, but then again he wasn't a ten year old. He was a frustrated teenager with pent up angst and aggression about how his voice was never going to get any lower and how he was going to be a runt for the rest eternity. Not to mention the questions he wanted answered about sex.
Star's hand running through his hair is what pulled him out of his daze and made him realize that he had wrung his hands so hard that they were a deep shade of red. "I've dreamt of some pretty bad things. But there's just one dream that plays over and over again."
"Tell me about it." She let her nails scratch at his scalp gently in a comforting gesture as he continued.
"The skies are dark. So dark. An inky black that tricks the mind into thinking it's night when it's really just the heavy smoke from the fires burning in the city blocking out the light of the sun. The ocean's disgusting and infested, carcasses of whales and sharks pushed up against the shore to rot. Everything that was once green is brown and withered, dead. Dead." He spoke the words with a vacant expression as the scene played out before his eyes.
He felt as Star retracted her hand from his head and once his eyes focused, mind pulling away from the memory of something yet to happen, he found her kneeling before him. "But what does she have to do with it? Is she the one that causes it?" The shake of his head makes the knot in her stomach loosen a fraction of an inch.
"No, she's the one who saves me."
--
"Homeboy, for those that may have missed this, is an untapped source of power. Meaning that many people, human, inhuman, dead or alive, are coming for him and planning to use him to instill fear and cause hell on earth. An apocalypse, for you believers of the Holy word. Not the kind that you hear from some guy with board strapped to his chest spewing Bible verses along Hollywood boulevard. That's just schizophrenic. But this, this, is for real."
Manny didn't bother to look at anyone else except David, who looked unsure on how to handle the ton of bricks that had just fallen to land on his shoulders. He licked at his lips before leaning forward on his elbows to stare at her. "But if he can't come into his potential- why should we have to worry about it?" The words spoken tentatively, unsure on why he should be believing her.
"Just because his body is suspended in time, his mind isn't and that's not going to stop people from coming to get him. Stop treating him like the child he appears to be and start teaching him the shit he NEEDS to know. He's fourteen now, gentlemen, in my opinion he's been sheltered for far too long."
David hid a frown behind the mouth of the second bottle of beer he was nursing, "Well, your opinion doesn't matter much so don't worry about it." He took a healthy swig, swallowing the acrid brew roughly as he cast his eyes to the middle of the table in thought.
Manny tapped the glass nails that had had the pleasure of meeting his throat on the table, finding the exact spot David was staring at. "As of now it does. This isn't a negotiation, sunshine. Either step up and take responsibility for what you have or step the fuck down." Her words ground deep into David and she saw it when his eyes snapped up to focus on her face. "I'm not here to tell you how things are supposed to go but if you really want me to I will."
The next two shots of tequila were taken as she paid no more mind to the sapphire eyes that burned dangerously with the anger she had just sparked with her disrespect.
There was a curl of her lips but the smirk that made itself present wasn't that of humor or sarcasm, but of annoyance as she rocked forward on the balls of her feet, holding up one solitary finger. "Listen up because I will only say this once. Lock this away in your memory or wipe your ass with it, I don't care, but I will not be repeating myself." Eyes shifted from face to face to make sure she had their undivided attention. "'And the world will turn cold and unclean things will boil up from the ground. And great storms will roll, lightning will light fires, animals will fester and their bodies, twisted, will fall. We will not know the thing which will happen, but the sky will tear apart, and the earth below and the forces of hell will pour up out of the ground.'"
She let that sink into them in silence as she rocked back finally and then turned her head to look over at Marko, "You got something to say?"
The boy look startled for a moment as he held the almost empty bottle of beer to his lips but didn't take the last drink and instead lowered his hand to set it aside. "Yeah. What the hell are you?"
"Ah, the ten million dollar question. About damn time you spoke up, sweetcheeks." The last one. "In dictionary terms I'm classified as an evil supernatural being often described as a malevolent spirit; a devil."
"A demon," Paul spoke up after a long silence stretched between them after her answer, a hint of disbelief in his voice.
"A demon." Came her reply with a nod of her head.
"Jesus Christ."
Manny looked back to David with a grin that signaled that his comment had pleased her in some way. "I don't answer to that name here. Plus, he isn't going to be the one saving your ass."
Just then a loud yell and the crack of someone breaking was heard from across the room but it was then that she leaned forward, David leaning back to catch her wrist but was surprised to find that she had caught the wayward cue ball that had been aimed at him. He stared at her with an uninterested look as she pulled her hand from his grip and balanced the white sphere along the tips of her fingers.
"The one that's been sent to save your ass is me." She popped the ball up and let it land on the table with a dull whump before she scooped up her last shot and held it in toast. "And to the seventh day when the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them."
Author's Notes: "And the world with turn cold..." That quote was brought to you by White Wolf Online, Demon: The Fallen. Manny's a figment of my own imagination and I'm going off my own beliefs in what I think a demon would be like. I just really, really liked the quote that can be found if you click the link "Demon Flash".