"Oh my god Maria, you are so lucky!" Stacy's voice came over the speaker of the phone. Yes, she'd finally remembered and gotten her on the phone.
"And why's that? Oh, wait I know, I got shipped off to some strange state to my uncle, who I never met before now, after my parents died. Great life I have here," she said sarcastically over the phone. She didn't have to be afraid of Monroe hearing her due to the fact he was out, so with someone to finally talk to about these things, she was free to rant in peace.
"Oh come on! You're not in just any state! You're in Oregon, Portland Oregon to be exact. Do you know who's in Portland Oregon?"
"No I do- Oh! Yea, that one guy who makes all of those noises you like. What's his name again, Horrible Cat maybe?"
"Spelled with an 'i' and a 'k', the guy who knows how to rave, it's Retchid Kat!" Stacey said with flare.
"You know, just because it rhymes doesn't mean it's right," Maria said.
"Come on Maria! He is so cool! I would so go to one of his concerts if I could, it's this week! But I'm stuck in New York!" she pouted, causing Maria to roll her eyes.
"Oh yea, New York! Man, it's so boring where you are! I mean, what do you see in New York City if you go down the street anyway? Performers, maybe the statue of liberty? Definitely the Empire State building, nothing exciting about that! If you go down the street here, you find woods! Woods are so cool! There are small animals and plants, oh and if you go deeper into them, you'll find more of them! It's so exciting and great!"
Stacey was not amused. "Maria, so help me. If you don't go to that concert, I will break your arm."
"From all the way in New York?" Maria joked. When all she heard was silence she said "Okay, fine. Too bad they don't really broadcast these things, being illegal and all."
"Lucky you, you have a pretty awesome friend.
"Lucky I have an awesome friend who knows where the illegal rave she's forcing me to go to is?"
"Yes. There's an old building by a river on Front Street. I expect videos on facebook."
"Remember how I said illegal?"
"Fine, not on facebook. Just send them to me, or you can get a glow stick he touched, or an autograph, or something!"
"I won't disappoint. Bye Stacey."
"You better not. Bye Maria," Stacey said before Maria hung up the phone.
That was the worst idea in the history of ideas. Maria groaned as she climbed back through her bedroom window, nursing her pounding skull. Seriously, she was never listening to Stacey again. The music was so loud, and the lights were ridiculous. Who needs seven spot lights flying around while you're covered in glow sticks people practically forced on you? Retchid Kat wasn't even music. It was just a bunch of noise with some voices here and there. As she struggled to get the various glow bracelets, she had no recollection of receiving earlier that night, she heard the front door open signaling that her uncle was back.
So I made it home just in time, she thought goody.
When every stupid glow stick was removed, she carefully walked across the attic floor to the wardrobe and placed them inside so she could throw them out later.
God it was hell to climb up here, she thought, I gotta get a ladder. But he'd notice that. Maybe curve a few shingles next time? Now look at you, thinking like a criminal. It's not like you'll be doing this all the time is it? I mean, it was kind of fun and all, but it's a school night. You're going to be tired tomorrow, and you're nearly failing science. What does that woman have against you anyway? Whenever you raise your hand she acts like you aren't even there!
She slid a hand down her face in thought as she laid down on her bed, curling up for what she could get of a good night's sleep.
"Reinigen? They're bottom of the food chain man. And let me tell you, the food and they're chain? Gourmet is not their forte" Monroe said, cracking open a few bears on his butcher's block.
"But they're rarely violent unless they're pushed to the limit right?"
"If you know all that, why are you here?" Monroe asked.
"Well, I actually want to talk to Maria," Nick said, causing the Blutbad to choke on his beer a bit.
"Maria? Dude, really?"
"Yea, I mean, if you're okay with it. You see, there's this kid about her age. His name's Roddy and he's just brilliant. Plays the violin and got a scholarship to Von Hamelin Music Institute!"
"Is this about that teacher that ended up as ratatouille?"
"Look alright, this kid is a stick of dynamite waiting to happen. He knows I'm a Grimm-"
"And a cop, yada-yada!"
"The point is I just think he needs someone to talk to about all of this."
"Yea, a heart to heart yea. But you think he'll listen to her just because they're in the same age group? Just so you know, Reinigen and Blutbaden aren't exactly buddies. Not to mention the Grimm half. I'm not sure if it's safe and…"
"Monroe, this kid just needs a little bit of help."
"He's not a rapper is he? I don't want Maria bringing that into the house. I mean, nothing against rappers just, where's the melody?" he joked, opening the fridge.
"So that's a yes?" Nick asked.
He stood up. "She's in the living room. So you'll have to see what she says." He said, leading Nick to the living room.
Monroe dropped Maria off with a promise to pick her up in exactly thirty minutes, leaving her to wander around the outside of the trailer. Sweet notes of a violin came from the windows before she knocked on the door, the music stopping abruptly. The door soon opened to reveal a tall boy with dark brown hair under a ski cap and grayish eyes.
"Are you lost or something?" he asked Maria after she'd been standing there for a few moments.
"Oh my god, you're Lacey's friend," she said after soon recognizing the boy from the picture.
"You're a friend of Lacey?" he said, appearing to try closing the door when Maria stopped him.
"No, she and her friends kidnapped me for a night in hell, and you were the topic of conversation. But, they never said your name which is odd I'll admit, but hey aren't they all?" she said, shrugging her shoulders.
"So, why are you here?" he asked.
"Well, another friend of mine is Nick. You may know him as Detective Burkhardt?"
The door was then nearly slammed shut, and Maria got the brilliant idea to stick her hand in the place it would close at, resulting in her right hand being crushed under the pressure. Her yelp caused Roddy to open the door for her to retract her hand as he gave her a worried look.
"Oh my god why the hell would you- I mean who sees a door about to close and does that?!" he asked.
"I don't know, it just seemed like a good idea at the- OW! This hurts like a bitch!" Maria said, closing her eyes before the world went gold.
"I don't think anything's broken," he said, "come on I've got a first aid kit."
"It's mostly bruised," Maria said, following him inside anyway. "You're kind of a wimp at closing doors."
"Tell that to your whining," he said with a grin, opening up a can of bandages and pulling out a sanitizing rag. "Now give me your hand."
"Thanks, but no, I got it," she said, putting out her good hand.
Roddy handed her he towel and she touched it to the open cuts, pain coursing through her body, she let out a growl as she woged out for a minute before gaining control once more, a terrified Roddy pushing himself against the wall of the trailer.
"You're a Blutbad! But, but you're also a G-Grimm! That isn't possible, this is my worst nightmare!"
"No! It's fine, you see, well, how do I put this?"
"You're the cop's kid!" he said, suddenly anger in his voice.
"Oh, god no. I didn't even know Nick until a few weeks ago!" she said, hands up in defense. "Or that I was a Grimm."
"How do you not know that?" he asked, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall.
"Stupid family members who try to keep everything from you," she said, looking down. "It's like, nothing really counts for anything. They all just said 'You'll understand when you're older!' but they never planned to tell me anything."
"Yea, I get it, people can be lame sometimes."
"Lame? Really?" Maria asked with a laugh.
"What?" he snapped back.
"Do people still say that? Like really?"
"At least I don't say 'like' every sentence like a prep."
"One, you just said like. And two, what exactly is a prep to you?"
"I just used it, and a prep is… well…"
"A popular jerk?"
"Yea, there it is. Like those preps that ruined my life! They got me expelled, killed the only guy to ever give me a chance, and now my dad's in jail because of them! Who do they think they are anyway?"
"The people who will be working for us later?"
"Exactly!" he said, turning to her.
Maria worked on her hand as she talked, being a bit more careful with the sanitizing wipe than she was earlier. "Yea, I used to walk around people like that, because they're everywhere. Now it seems like I'm a magnet."
"Yea, I went through that phase too. Watch out, or you'll start playing along but inside you feel, what's the word?"
"Patronized?" she said, looking up and pointing to him with the hand holding the wipe.
"Yea! There we go! Patronized, and all I can do is shrug it off because if I tell anyone then I just get more of it"
"You don't know the half of it! I went into actual therapy, court assigned it for a few weeks. I wanted to kill the woman! Maybe that's why she quit on me," Maria laughed out. "You know, it's been a while since I've really talked about any of this. Feels nice."
"Well, don't get too comfortable! You're still leaving as soon as you're done with your hand," he said.
"Hey, you feel better too! I can tell," Maria said smugly.
"Oh, really? And how can you tell?" Roddy asked
"You stopped glaring at me," she said, finishing her dressings.
Their conversation was cut off as the phone began to ring "Is he okay?" Roddy asked before slamming the phone down in anger.
"What's going on?" Maria asked.
"Get out," he said.
"What?"
"Get out!" he yelled this time, turning to Maria with an angry look on his face.
"No, I'm not gonna let you do something stupid!"
"Like what? What do you think I'm going to do? Kill somebody?" he asked, turning around and throwing up his hands in disbelief.
"Maybe!" she said, and they shared a long stare. "Look, I know how it feels to have the people around you threatened."
"No! You don't!" he said, turning around to her again, pushing her into a wall.
It didn't hurt, as much as she was surprised by the blow. The Reinigen then woged as he ran through the door. She got up then, reaching her left hand into her pocket and fishing out her phone.
"Uncle Monroe? I think I screwed up."