CPOV
That was best night of sleep I've had in awhile. It is 5 a.m. I am showered and making breakfast for the other slowpokes I live with. "Gwen! Karla! Get downstairs before your eggs and pancakes get cold!" I scream up the stairs.
"Alright, alright, we're coming!" I hear Karla yell back at me. She comes flying down the stairs finally smelling that I had made her chocolate chip pancakes. Gwen follows a little slower, but only until she gets her shirt on (Gwen has never had modesty of any sort), then she also flies the rest of the way to her blueberry pancakes. I've always been short order cook (if it's easy to be). I enjoy making people happy.
"BLUEBERRY PANCAKES! I love you!!" Gwen exclaims right before she gives me the biggest hug possible. Let me remind you, she is not a small girl.
"Gwen, I can't breathe." I gasp out.
She lets me go. "Oh, sorry."
I laugh, "It's okay. Just go eat your food before it loses all its heat." I finish making the scrambled eggs and dish those out to everyone. I eat my banana pancakes and eggs, figuring the dishes can wait. I hear the door open and Lot announces himself.
"Hey everyone! Mmmm, who made breakfast?"
I bounce over to him, "I did. Want anything?"
"No, I'm good. I had breakfast at my house, but thank you." With that, he kissed me on the tip of my nose. He knows exactly how much that aggravates me too. I playfully smacked him in the chest to prove the point, once again, that I don't like having my nose kissed.
"How many times have I asked you not to kiss my nose?" I ask him.
"About a million and two, do you think it will stop me?"
"Not in a trillion years would it stop you."
"That sounds about right."
Gwen clears her throat. "Okay, you love birds. It's time for work."
I groan, "Why does it have to be time for work?" She opens her mouth to answer me. I instantly cut her off. "I know why, I know exactly why. Thank you Gwen, I will be ready to go in another two seconds. You two slowpokes can leave right now if you wish and I bet I would still beat you to the shop."
"Haha, yeah right. You will get caught up playing kissy face with Mr. Wonderful over there." Karla sneers from across the room.
"Laugh all you want Karla, you're just jealous."
"Sure, sure, I will find a man one of these days. I am just waiting for the perfect piece of hunky Italian man flesh to come along." Sarcasm was dripping from her every word.
"A word to the wise, Karla, be careful what you wish for." I raised my eyebrows just a tad to emphasize my point. I had the perfect idea to set her up with a friend of mine. He's Italian, sarcastic, witty, and single. They match perfectly. Another day, another time, now is the time for work.
Because of all the bickering, we all show up to work at about the same time. No one could claim that they arrived first. To appease everyone, I gave Karla first pick of duties, and again she chose to work at the café. I am grateful that she loves working over there. I seriously needed to talk with Gwen. As long as we did not get too busy, this would be the perfect chance.
"Hey Gwen, mind if I hang out over here, or do you have something you need to get done?" I asked knowing that there is nothing she needs to do that cannot wait.
"I don't mind at all. I was actually hoping you'd stay close so that we could continue the conversation we started last night."
"Good, I was hoping the same thing too." I looked at her, not sure how to start this off. I started off the simplest I knew how. "It happened again. I fell asleep on the couch and, for lack of a better description, had an out of body experience. I saw myself lying on the couch and you staring at the counter with your coffee."
"Really? How did you do that?"
"Well, I am not sure. Raven called it jumping. He did not say who could or could not jump, just that I jumped in a peculiar manner because I brought not only the idea of my corporeal form with me but also speech and the ability to manipulate space around me, I think. I don't know. He said so many things but he did answer some of my questions too before it was time to return back to my body."
"What did you ask and how did he answer?" She asks in wonder.
"I asked him if he was a vampire. I felt ridiculous asking, I mean who knew that legendary humanistic beings existed." I let that sink in for a few seconds, watching the realization hit Gwen. I felt like I was watching a flower open its petals all at once. Beautiful.
"He is?? WOW! I was right." She just allows the thought to move through her mind. It's how she is.
Deciding it was time to continue, "I also asked what Charlie is. He also is not normal by logical human standards. Raven said he was a were-dog because werewolf has too many negative connotations."
"Again, wow," was all that Gwen could cough out. She had to process all this information just as I was trying to last night.
"So, last new slash updated piece of information is that he still won't tell me exactly who I am in relation to some prophecy."
She sighs at me, "Okay so we know this prophecy had to be made in the human world as well. Us humans have a tendency of being short sighted as we are have most likely forgotten it. Next time you see him you should ask him who, in a human's recognizable name, gave the prophecy."
"Alright, I can handle that. What about everything else?"
She pauses to think saved by a customer needing to purchase a book. He pays for his book and she turns back to me. "Well, I would say just roll with it. He hasn't tried to hurt you yet and Charlie seems to adore you. Just be careful. What have you decided about the night we first saw Raven?"
"I haven't. I believe it ties into everything Raven has hinted at, everything he refuses to tell me." I say with a frown.
"Oh well, we'll figure it out."
"Yes, yes we will." I respond with newfound determination.
I meandered off to deal with bills and paperwork because I had put it off by shelving books yesterday. That was something I did, procrastinate. I couldn't concentrate on anything and as usual it was due to exhaustion, or at least that's what I told myself. I finally gave up and looked up at the clock. It was about one o'clock. YAY,I thought, LUNCH!
I round the corner into the main book store, "What do you girls want for lunch?"
From the counter I hear, "PIZZA!" Simultaneously from the Café, "CHINESE!"
"Alright," I mutter to myself. To everyone else, "How about we compromise and I go get Mexican?"
"Okay, jinx you owe me a soda!" They yell in unison. "Jinx squared, you owe me another soda!" Karla yells without Gwen.
"Aww, shucks! I lost." She says with a pout.
I just laugh at them as I collect the keys to the car. "See you guys soon!"
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-imagine a line drawn here-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
The next week goes by much in the same manner. I had dreams, vivid dreams, but no jumping. These dreams were too surreal. In one, Raven grew fangs all the way to the bottom of his chin. I ended up scaring Lot that night by startling awake.
"What's wrong?" He asked me.
"Oh, nothing. I just had a bad dream, love." I kissed him on the lips and he immediately returned to slumber.
I was brought out of my reverie by a minor emergency. A little girl had spilled Hot Chocolate everywhere and was bawling her eyes out. Gwen couldn't stand messes so she already had a mop and bucket. Karla was already preparing another drink. Dealing with the child became allocated to me.
I knelt down to her level and looked her in the eye. "Hi, what's your name?"
She calms down enough to answer me and through the sniffles I hear, "Lily Smith."
"What happened?" I asked her understanding that she had a perspective that needed to be shared.
"I dropped my Hot Chocolate." She states done completely with the bawling.
"Did you spill any on yourself?" I asked to be sure she hadn't burned herself with the hot liquid.
"No, I don't –" She was interrupted by a loud scream quickly followed by Gwen yelling, "NO BAD DOG! BAD DOG!"
I slowly turn around already guessing who I was going to see.
Yep, I was right. "Charlie! What are you doing drinking this little girl's Hot Chocolate?"
He looked at me sheepishly only to turn to the little girl and nuzzle her side. The sight of a large Irish Wolfhound nuzzling a small child is amazing. It is almost like watching a horse nuzzle a cat.
She turned into the happiest little girl in the world. Karla came over the Hot Chocolate and I took it so Lily could continue to pet Charlie. He was enjoying it.
"Ah, guess I should know by now how to find him when he bounds off. His weaknesses are food and pretty women." says this all too familiar velvet voice.
"You seem to pop up at the oddest times, don't you?" I asked mostly rhetorically.
"Well, I try." He shrugs.
I glare at him. "That was a rhetorical question." I pause, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to make sure my favorite Jumper is still alive. I haven't heard from you in quite some time."
"Oh, I'm alive and well." I said standing up and turning in a circle to show I was whole and not broken. Charlie decided it was time to follow me so he licked Lily on the face and walked away with me. I bent down to wipe off her face and hand her the hot chocolate with a warning to be more careful.
I walked back over to the book section assuming he was also here to find books. Some people always are. "What else brings you here today?"
A small smile plays around his lips, "I've found myself with more time than I have things to do. Therefore, I am looking for something to read. Have any suggestions?"
I had to think about this dilemma presented to me. What would keep this vampire busy for awhile and interest him. "Do you enjoy reading Charles Dickens style of writing?"
"He is not bad, a tad long winded, but not bad."
"Okay then, I know just the thing." I proceed to find Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Thirteen books of long winded adventure and plot, if that doesn't take up his time I don't know what would.
"I hope you enjoy these. How many of them would you like, if any at all?" I hastily add not sure of his feelings toward the selection.
"I think I will buy the first two today. It gives me an excuse to come and check on you again." He smiled that smile of his, you know, the one that melts my kneecaps and makes my heart flutter wildly.
"Okay follow me." He seems to be following me a lot today. I rang up the books, glad no one was waiting in line. "That will be 15.63."
He hands me a fifty dollar bill and says, "Keep the change."
I just stared at him like he had grown another head. He just smirked at me for the second time today.
"I cannot take this from you." I stated bluntly.
"Sure you can, watch." He commanded, proceeding to place the money on the counter, pick up his purchase and walk away.
"Wait! What can I do for you in return?" I ask muttering, "Since you obviously have decided to be supremely stubborn."
"I heard that first off, second, how about a movie Thursday night?"
First thought that ran through my head VAMPIRES GO TO MOVIES?! "Sure, I have to make sure Lothar is okay with it, and if he is how will I contact you?"
"No need, I will pick you up at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Wear something nice." He smiled like he could predict the future. It was rather annoying, like I have no choice in the matter. Annoying men,annoying vampire men!
"I suppose I shall see you Thursday then." I responded trying to gain footing. It did not work in the slightest.
He smile THAT smile again and walked away waving goodbye. Charlie saunters over putting his paws on my shoulder in what I can imagine is a hug. I hugged him back whispering, "Thank you."
After they had left I turned to Gwen, "UGH, the nerve of that…" I stumbled on what to call him, "that thing!"
I stormed back to the office, organized it during the next two hours then collapsed in the chair. I looked around the room. Anger reflex, I thought to myself, Could be worse though.
Now all I have to is wait for Thursday.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Amazing fact: Most of this chapter was written on calculator paper at work.
Sorry it's been taking so long between chapters. I love you all, really I do. :)
OH ANYONE WHO REVIEWS WILL RECEIVE A SNEAK PEEK INTO THE NEXT CHAPTER!