Part One: Dark Eyes
Chapter Eight: Mirror Image
She slowly sat up and looked around, the world of sleep still at the edges of her vision. The rain was still coming down, a steady drizzle. Thunder sounded off in the distance every so often, but each time it came a little bit closer. It was dark in her room and as the sleep cleared away from her, she saw that she was alone. Confused, she sat up and then got off her bed, feet silently padding along the floor. Lightning came, a few moments later accompanied by thunder, and the sound was so loud that it seemed to shake the house. She fell to the floor at the sudden motion.
"Danny?" she whispered. Lightning. Thunder. The house shook even more violently and she didn't move up from the floor. The storm was amazing and she wanted more than anything to step outside and witness its power; however, she wanted to find Danny something terrible. "Danny? Where are you?" The rain was coming down harder now. It was becoming a storm that would most likely flood the city and those who lived on the lower end would probably have their homes destroyed. "Danny."
Not a word…not a hint that anyone else was with her. Did he just leave her without saying goodbye? Hadn't he made a promise? Disappointment flooded through her, but she didn't let it rule her. Instead of pouting and doing nothing, she got up and headed downstairs, first changing into a soft, black dress that swirled around her knees, modest and tasteful. She stopped every so often when the thunder threatened to shake down her very house. It didn't scare her when that happened, but it always amazed her. She loved violent rainstorms. She loved most any rainstorms. It always amazed her what nature could do, to see that in so short of a time, it could ruin something that man had worked hard to build.
She made it to the living room. Her heart soared. There was Danny, sitting on the couch, watching a movie. She smiled softly and silently padded over to him, her bare feet treading lightly on the carpet. His eyes flicked over to where she was, but then went back to the TV, a slight grin coming to his face. She fell onto the couch and tumbled into his lap, her hair spilling onto his jeans, and she looked up at him, a beautiful, dark angel. He looked down at her and raised an eyebrow in question. Her smile widened to show her teeth and she suddenly found a pillow smothering her.
"H-hey!" she exclaimed. The pillow was flung off and she let out a huff. He affectionately ran his fingers through her hair. Her hands stopped his, and her large, amethyst eyes looked up into his blue eyes. Her gaze was soft and only described the love and warmth she felt for him. She was confused. His expression was unreadable, his blue eyes revealing nothing more then what seemed sleepy boredom. Her smile faltered, but she caressed his hands with her fingers, reassuring. "Something the matter?" He shook his head and gently cupped her face in his hands. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. She slipped her hands under his shirt and rubbed her hands across his stomach and chest. He grabbed her wrists, immediately stopping her. "Danny…really…what's wrong?"
He swallowed, to rid himself of the extra moisture in his mouth. "I just had an interesting conversation with someone." She sat up and cocked her head to the side…genuine curiosity. He sighed. "It was over the computer." Her brow furrowed in obvious confusion. He curled his hand up into a fist and hid it at his side so that she wouldn't see his anger, his frustration. A deep breath and he stared at her. "It was with Shade." Her eyes widened and she fell back. Her breathing came out somewhat ragged, as if she were cowering in fear. He leaned towards her and grabbed her arms. She flinched. He ignored it. "He gave me a poem." Her bottom lip trembled. She didn't need to hear this, not now. She wouldn't be able to handle it because he was just bringing her from a broken state. She was still fragile. He saw the fear in her eyes. He smiled in a sort of ironic way. "He said that he's my sin, desires, and a darkness that I rejected, but he's taken a life of his own. He's got his own mind…so he's not me." There were tears in her eyes. One came loose and he kissed it away. "It's okay Sam…I swore to protect you." He kissed her again, fully on the lips. "You believe me, don't you?"
She nodded, guilt running through her. "I believe you," she whispered. She curled up into a little ball and snuggled close to him. He was warm, so warm, her protector, but he didn't know that he couldn't protect her from one thing: her emotions. They betrayed her so. It was her emotions that had led her down a dark path she could probably never leave, and didn't want to leave. It was her emotions that allowed her to lay with Shade and realize that she did that because of what she felt for him, what he felt for her. "I love you Danny." She did, she really did. The only problem was…she also loved Shade. "Do you love me?"
"I love you too, Sam. I love you more than anything in this world." He kissed the top of her head and settled down into the couch. Again, he ran his fingers through her hair. Time passed by, the ticking of a clock letting them know that there still was a thing called time. If not for that, they would have probably lost that sense. Whenever together, they never really noticed anything else. They became lost to the world around them. "…What did you dream about?"
The moment was lost and she was hurled back to reality. Could she tell him anything?
He fell beside her, both of them tangled in the sheets. They were covered in sweat, but they didn't care. He turned over so that he was facing her. She looked at him. He reached for her. She didn't flinch. He kissed her and she kissed him back. They both smiled at each other.
"Sam," he said, "my beautiful Sam. I love you."
"I love you too, Shade."
He propped himself up on the pillow so that the sheets fell to his waist, showing off his gorgeous body. Her hand reached out and rested on his chest. Strangely, he wasn't ghostly cold, not like she had expected him to be. In all actuality, he was warm, very warm. In fact, it was the kind of warmth that had been missing from her life. She had found it. Well, maybe it had found her. For once in her life she was truly content. There were no worries or thoughts in her head like: what would Danny do if he found out; did I make the right choice, who is this man, and why?
"You realize that by saying that I won't go away, right?" he asked.
She nodded slowly, but hesitantly. After all, for what she knew, she could have released something evil into her life. At first Shade had been a horror in her dreams, because she didn't necessarily understand the desire and want within him, but now she did, and there was nothing she could do about it. She had finally accepted it, even embraced it, and now there was no conflict within her about him.
He lifted his head up, as if hearing something. With a sad smile, he looked down at his wrist, as if there was a watch there. "Uh-oh Kitty…I'm afraid it's time for you to go home. He's worrying about you." Once more he kissed her, long and slow, as if he was savoring every last bit of her. "Time to wake up…Don't have too much fun without me."
That's when she had sat up in bed and went looking for Danny. And now, sitting on the couch, she became shocked. She had thought of another man who wasn't Danny. How had this happened? When had she crossed the line from being a decent person to becoming the equivalent of an adulteress? When had the areas of black and white become so gray that she could barely tell what was what? After all, she had sex before marriage, but did it count because she had been asleep in some dream world? Did it count that she was cheating on Danny? Did Shade count? Was he anything or just a strong part of her imagination? How could it be that she had fallen for someone that could only fight for her affections in the confines of her mind? Was it even right for her to want him when he wasn't even in the real world?
"I dreamt I was falling into something I'm afraid I can't get out of." She was telling the truth, just…not all of it. "But I don't want to talk about that right now. I just want to be with you."
He lovingly ruffled her hair and grinned. "That sounds good to me." He turned the TV on and flipped through the channels, the strange imprint in his DNA controlling him. It was impossible for him to stay at one channel for more then a few minutes. At least, that was until he would find some viewing pleasure that could capture his attention. He stopped at SciFi, softly placing the remote control on the edge of the couch. Of course it was stupid: Ghost Hunters. "I wonder if I should have them come here. That might be fun."
"That might be disastrous," she countered.
"But it would end with a powerful life long lesson and that would be the end of it all."
"True, true."
They let it stop there, and cuddled together on the couch, relishing in the close contact they provided for each other.
It still rained outside.
Tucker Foley sat on his video game chair. For the fifth time, he played We Love Katamari, and for the fifth time he wondered how much more fun it would be to play the game if he was stoned. With the adorable little alien rolling the items on the screen into a giant ball, and the crazy and wacky colors and sounds, he once again realized that he was indeed a step smarter than this game, but at a steal for only twenty bucks, he was smarter than his wallet, too.
He looked over to the phone that sat on a table beside his bed. The little screen glowed steady, neon blue, with little black words that said charging. He walked over to the phone and picked it up. His thumb rolled over the numbers, and he frowned. He was actually really indecisive about a girl. Normally, he didn't really care and always asked them out after saying, "Hi. I'm Tucker Foley." And then, they'd usually reject him, the reason partially being he had street credibility worse than a pile of dirt.
Damn that dirt!
His fingers started pressing buttons, and before he knew it, Valerie's number sat on the screen, sitting, waiting…watching. And before he really knew what was happening, he had pressed the "Talk" button and that little ringing sound to indicate you had been connected was blaring through the phone. He almost dropped the thing right then and there, but he couldn't, because Valerie had picked up on the third ring.
God damn it!
"Hello?" Her voice was soft, low, like the kind he'd love to hear over phone se—a meaningful conversation! "Hello? Who is this?"
"Tucker!" His puberty decided to show up suddenly and his voice went from a deep sound to the cracking, high pitch he always hated. He coughed once to clear his throat and cursed his un-manliness. "It's Tucker."
There was a pause, as if she had stopped breathing and then, "Tucker…I'm really glad you called." He rolled his eyes. If she was glad then he should get laid at the dance. Come on. Why the hell would he believe that crap? She was a beautiful, gorgeous, curvy girl, and he was a…lanky (nope)…um…smart (he wished)…caring (if he truly cared he wouldn't hit on everything female)…just…forget it. She was amazing and he was nothing. He was a dork, a dweeb, total nerd that didn't even have good grades and she was smart, athletic, and sexy. He never had a chance. Why did he think he did? "Really, Tucker, I've tried calling you all night, but I just got so…embarrassed." She laughed on the last word, as if the idea of her not going through with something was funny. Shit. He wished he had her guts. "But, um, did you need something?"
"Huh?" Damn it! He smacked his forehead, wincing. He was a class A idiot, mucho idiot, number one idiot, and the biggest idiot of all time. Shit! Shit! Shit! "Well, I sort of called you to just…you know…talk." Oh no, he was squirming. He was squirming! What the hell was he supposed to do in the event that he started to squirm or fidget? "I was wondering how life was treating you. It's really boring here. I've been playing mindless video games nonstop and I knew that if I didn't have any human contact soon, I'd lose my sanity."
"Then why didn't you just call Danny or Sam?" She wasn't being rude. She was just being honest. Hey! He figured that out!
"I sort of wanted to talk to you more. I figured you'd be a way better talker. Danny's being…mean, and Sam's having…issues. Besides, they're not really phone people around me. And anyways, I've…I've been thinking about you lately. I've just been wondering what you're doing. I mean, I know almost nothing about you…" He smashed his hands into his lap. He had been twiddling his thumbs! Twiddling! What the hell was wrong with him that he could barely talk to a member of the opposite sex?
"Tucker," she whispered, as if she were truly touched. "Well...I got a new job at the McDonald's they put in over on Crescent Avenue. I'm in the kitchen, but at least I won't get harassed by little kids. Did you know they're paying me eight dollars an hour? Tucker, it's amazing. I'm making so much more money than I used to, but of course, I smell like fast food all the time. I doubt anyone likes that."
"On the contrary, I love the smell of burgers and fries. You forget, I'm a meat lover and about two-thirds of my diet involves eating out. I bet you smell wonderful." Smell wonderful? Okay, that was about one of the worst compliments in the history of all his conversations, and he had indeed come up with some bad ones in his past. "I don't mean that, you see I was trying, I just—"
"Tucker," she interrupted. She gave a low chuckle. "It's okay. It's good to know that fast food can turn someone on. It means I still have hope."
"You're kidding me." It wasn't a question. It was a demand.
"Yes Tucker," she sighed, "I'm kidding." She laughed again and it was like music to his ears. Dark colored angels had nothing on her. She was better than an angel. She…was a goddess. Her laughter died. "So, um, what are you doing right now?"
"Nothing!" Damn puberty too. "What are you doing?"
"Not much." A pause. "So, what games do you like to play?"
Ooohhhh, that's why she was asking what he was doing. Maybe Tucker Foley wasn't as dumb as everyone thought he was. "I play quite a bit." He could feel this coolness come over him. Now he was one, smooth, player. "You know, I bet we could find something to play if you came over. I know of some really fun ones that you'd probably enjoy."
"Yeah I'd lov—I mean, I guess that would be cool."
Score! Score! Score! Foley was so scoring.
"Okay," he said. "Meet you twenty?"
"Sounds good to me."
"Ok."
"K."
"Bye."
"See ya."
He turned the phone off and set it back into its little black, plastic base so that it could charge. After doing that, he just stood in the middle of his room. He was afraid if he moved something terrible would happen. That couldn't be possible, because he had something totally awesome that had happened to him. For crying out loud, Valerie was coming over! Oh yeah! He was so happy that he started to jump around, trying to get rid of the sudden adrenaline rush that flowed throughout his body. He would have give a few triumphant shouts as well, but he was worried that his parents would hear and that would mean they would come up and spoil his little happy, happy moment.
Wait.
Valerie was coming. Oh no. She was coming, and his room was one of the biggest horrors known to mankind. He kicked over a piece of clothing that revealed something green, black and (pink?) peachy on a paper plate. He thought it might have been pizza at one time, but he didn't want to make any assumptions. All he knew that it had been around since at least that one time he had locked himself in his room to play Final Fantasy X for about the millionth time and beat every single thing that could be beaten. He didn't finish it during his campaign but he had spent three out of his four days off of school trying really hard to do so, and ended up with a mild case of carpal tunnel. But wait! Back to the subject, Valerie was coming and he had less than twenty minutes to clean his room and make it seem cool and trendy.
God damn it!
Danny had fallen asleep almost an hour ago. His posture had relaxed, his breathing slowed, and the movements of his hands softly stroking her hair had dropped off. Sam had been able to maneuver herself so that she had taken the remote from him without disturbing him and now had control over the T.V. She flipped through some boring shows and knew once again that there wasn't a single thing on. Hold that thought…There was an episode of Fastlane on. It was one of the few shows she enjoyed and she never let anyone know that she enjoyed watching it. If Tucker and Danny knew, they wouldn't let her hear the end of it, but since no one else in the room was awake…She settled herself back down into the couch to enjoy the show.
Time passed, slowly but surely; luckily the show was making the passing time more enjoyable. She felt the calmness of sleep wash over her. Her eyes began to close at the point where Van had a gun pointed at his crotch. Damn he was hot…
"Sam…"
Her body gave a jolt and she sat straight up, looking at the screen. It was a commercial. That was strange though. She could have sworn she was still far enough awake that he wouldn't try to talk to her.
"Hey Sam." It came from the T.V. The picture began to blur. Normally, she would have been afraid, but now she wasn't. In fact, she felt sort of, excited, as if she was holding one of her many protests. "How you doing?"
"Good," she whispered. "You?"
His face appeared, sort of blurry, but it was definitely recognizable, especially the green eyes. "I'm fine. I miss you."
"Miss you too."
"I have something to say."
She swallowed nervously. "What's that?" Her heart began to pound against her chest furiously, as if it would break free and she would be left in her living room and Danny wouldn't know until he woke up with her as a corpse. She had to shift her weight a little. Danny moaned softly and turned a little. Now her heart was really pounding. She was quite sure that she might have a massive heart attack. "Why can't it wait until I fall asleep again?"
"I'm coming…"
"What does that mean?"
"I'm coming…"
"Shade!" she hollered, and then she quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late. Danny's eyes popped open.
"What the fuck is that?" he yelled as he sat up and pointed at the T.V. screen. Shade just gave a trademark sexy sly grin, only further infuriating the blue-eyed youth. "Shade…I should have known you'd harass us some other way, you prick."
"Danny, Danny, you won't be so cocky much longer."
"What the hell does that mean?" he asked indignantly.
"Just wait and see…"
The screen went completely blank. Danny stared at the screen, trying to muster a few words of disbelief, but his astonishment was so great that he was left completely speechless. Sam's eyes stayed wide with surprise, and she found herself questioning whether or not that she was still dreaming or if what had happened was a sign; a very, very bad sign. Or would that be an omen? Either way, she had a feeling that something was going to happen, something big, and that she and Danny and Shade would be in the thick of it. Danny looked to her, not angry, but confused, just as confused as she was.
"Again," he said, finally finding some words, "what the fuck is that?"
End Chapter
Author's Notes: God, how long has it been since I updated? I can barely remember and I'm so sorry I took so long. I had the worst case of writer's block since one of my old, deleted stories. I knew where I wanted to head, but I had no idea how to write two-thirds of it. Please tell me if you hate it or not. I'd love to have some reviews either way, and you give a signed one that's long enough, I just might reply with a little spoiler! As always, criticism and praise is always wanted, needed, and greatly appreciated. Questions I ask to be sent in the form of a PM and is there anything else? Oh yeah, summer's going to be ridiculously busy so beat me now. Until next time, and don't forget my reviews because I love them sooo much! Ciao.
