Chapter 8

Hello all my readers! I'm currently bed-ridden with an illness, which is bad for me, but good for story-writing! Maybe? Lol!
I don't have much of a commentary this chapter. I hope you like it. :)
Please review, review, review! :D

Loki lay on a thing Deidra called a hammock in the backyard the next day after lunch. Deidra was nearby weeding her garden. It was a lovely summer afternoon and the two were fully enjoying it.

Loki continuously flicked his wrist slowly. He was attempting to remember how he produced his magic. It used to come second-nature to him, but now he didn't have the slightest clue how he did it. It was frustrating, but he hadn't really expected any results.

"I think if you wave your hand about a hundred more times, you'll finally get it," Deidra commented from her garden.

He turned his head slightly and looked at her from the corner of his eye. He looked away and continued. 'Ha. Ha.' he thought dryly.

She smiled and went back to gardening.

Suddenly her phone rang shrilly from the grass nearby. Loki frowned and looked at the device on the ground. "What in the Nine Realms is that noise?" he said.

"My phone," she answered, picking it up. She looked at the screen. "Amelia," she said brightly, answering the phone. "Hi!"

Loki sat up and watched her speak into the phone. He realized it was a speaking device. He wondered who this Amelia was.

Deidra spoke a few minutes longer, said goodbye, and then hung up. "My friend Amelia is on her way over," she told him. "She's a couple of minutes away."

"Fantastic," he said with a smile that plainly showed that he couldn't care less in the slightest.

"Yep," she replied getting to her feet, ignoring his sarcasm. She went up the back steps and went into the house.

He lay back in the hammock and looked up at the sky. He was much too comfortable to get up and be bothered with some woman. 'Why do we not have hammocks in Asgard?' he thought lazily, closing his eyes and letting himself rock gently side-to-side in the breeze.

He could have easily fell asleep out there, but soon the sound of a vehicle crunching over the gravel driveway roused him from his relaxation. He opened his eyes and held his head up to look towards the sound. From where he was, however, he couldn't see the vehicle or its driver.

He lay back and closed his eyes again. 'Oh well,' he thought. 'Maybe that Amelia woman will leave soon.' He couldn't help but wonder, though, about who Amelia was. Obviously she was a good friend of Deidra's.

He shook his head and closed his eyes again, trying to rid himself of his curiosity, but couldn't. He opened his eyes and looked towards the house. 'Maybe just a look,' he thought.

Deidra was already walking out onto the front porch when Amelia pulled up in her black Honda. "Hey!" she greeted. "What's up?"

Amelia greeted her in return and went into the house. "You haven't called or texted in a while. I was in the area so I decided to stop by," she said. "Bill says you haven't been to work in a couple of days. You ok?"

"Yeah," Deidra said nodding. "Yeah I've just been really busy lately."

"Busy?" Amelia asked, going into the kitchen to help herself to a drink. She opened up the cabinets for a cup.

"Yeah, I-" but she didn't get to finish. Loki had walked through the back door, causing Amelia to scream in surprise and jump back against the stove.

"Who is that?!" she exclaimed, looking at Deidra through locks of her short dark brown hair that had fallen in her face.

"Oh, that's-" Deidra started.

"Loki," Loki interrupted with a charming smile. "Of Asgard."

Amelia looked at him and gave a wary smile. "Hi," she said, still shaken from his sudden entrance. She walked warily away from him and to Deidra in the living room. She leaned close. "Who the hell is he?" she asked her.

"Loki, like he said," Deidra responded with a shrug.

"No, who is he? Where did he come from?" she asked. "Why didn't you tell me about him? Are you two-?"

"No!" Deidra said quickly. "No. I only met him a couple of days ago. He's staying here for a while."

"You're letting a total stranger stay in your house?" Amelia asked, wide-eyed.

Loki watched the two women converse, able to hear every word. The woman Amelia was slightly taller than Deidra and just a little more heavy-set. She had short dark brown hair that barely fell below her ears.

"He needed help," Deidra said. She looked into her friends eyes. "Can you promise me that you can keep a secret?"

"You know I can," Amelia said frowning. "What is it?"

"Loki is..." Deidra paused. She knew it all sounded insane, but Amelia was her best friend and she kept nothing from her. She took a breath. "...He fell. From the sky the other day. I found him in the woods. He's not from here."

Her friend stared at her, obviously not following the story. "Then where is he from?"

Deidra shuffled her weight, unsure if she should continue. "He's kind of...He's a god. He was banished from his home and he fell here and I found him. I promised I would help him." she finished pathetically, knowing how it all sounded.

Amelia's face suddenly changed to an expression of pity and worry. "Oh honey," she said in pity. She reached out and hugged her friend. "You've gone crazy."

"What? No!" Deidra said, still being held in the hug.

"I have a number for a good psychologist." Amelia said. "We'll get you help."

Deidra pulled back. "It's true. His brother was here too. He's legit."

Amelia shook her head sincerely. "Then he's crazy too. Or he's running a scam or something."

"I can hear you, you know," Loki spoke up dryly, leaning against the counter, his arms crossed.

Amelia looked back at him, his black hair, wavy and parted, hanging naturally. He wore a white button up shirt and dark jeans with black loafers.

"You need to leave," she said to him. "I'm sorry if you're on hard times or whatever, but you can't be making her think you're a god! That's crazy."

Deidra shook her head. "No, he's not going anywhere," she said defensively. "I'm not crazy. He's not crazy." This was not how she had expected this conversation to go. But then again, how else should she have expected it? "Do you remember that alien attack in New York? Do you remember that man Thor? Who helped fight off the aliens?"

"Vaguely," she said. "He looks nothing like him."

"No, Loki is his brother...He's the one who...he's the one who caused all of it."

She looked over at him and noticed he was looking at the ground, a serious, scornful look on his face. Was it guilt? Remorse, maybe?

Amelia wasn't impressed. She pulled out her phone. "Loki's his name, right?" She started to Google him. She looked over at him and then back at the results on her phone.

"Well," she said with a tilt of her head. "I have to admit he's spot on from the news articles. Just slick back the hair and that's him..." She looked at him again. "What, you don't have any hair gel on Earth?"

She pulled Deidra further away from Loki.

"If he's who you say he is, for real, then he is dangerous, Deidra," she said seriously. "Look what that guy did. Do you really feel safe?"

Deidra looked back at him. She knew he heard the question. He was looking up at her expectantly. "Yes," she said honestly. He had promised her the night before that he would never harm her and she believed him.

Loki heard her response and smiled. It pleased him that she felt safe with him. He had meant what he promised her.

Amelia sighed. "Well you're a big girl. You can make your own decisions I guess," she said, though clearly displeased. "Just please tell me you haven't done him yet."

"No!" Deidra exclaimed, turning bright red. "Wow. No!"

"Good," Amelia said. "You might catch something you can't give back."

"I'm standing right here!" Loki said loudly, a tinge of pink. He had decided that he really disliked this Amelia.

Amelia looked at him, but didn't say a word. She walked to the door. "So how long are you going to be out of work for this guy?" she asked Deidra cooly.

"I'm going back to work tomorrow," she responded going to the door as well.

"Good," she said. "Don't let that guy get you fired. And if you ever need me...For anything, just call me and I'll come get you. I don't care what time it is."

She shot Loki an ice-cold look and walked out the door after hugging her friend tightly.

Deidra shut the door and watched Amelia leave through the window.

Loki walked into the living room. "Well that could have went better," he commented.

Deidra turned and walked close to him. "Yeah," she sighed. "That didn't go well at all."

He gave her a smirk. "Well you did sound a bit mad," he said teasingly. "She might come back and have you locked away."

She smiled and nudged him with her arm. "Well if she commits me, she'll have you locked away too," she reminded him.

He smiled and nudged her back, then suddenly got serious. "Though truly, I believe she will cause trouble."

She frowned and looked up at him. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I am not sure, but I feel trouble will follow her," he said.