Night's Children: Cetera Desunt
Chapter Four: Ambition
Aria was vaguely aware of the sun setting and later the sounds of her parents and little brother going to bed as she lay on her back, her eyes staring blankly into the pure white ceiling of her bedroom. Her hands were clasped resolutely on top of her stomach, and her face felt sticky and dried out from all of the tears that had fallen down it.
The past few hours that she had lain there, her mind drifted over everything and nothing, trying to make some sense of the world that was slowly slipping through her fingers like sand. So far, her thoughts had focused on one of the four things: her mother had been a Daughter of a previous generation, all the other Daughters of her generation had been attacked by some sort of invisible affliction, they all felt betrayed, and the fact that she had a rather massive literature test that she hadn't studied for yet tomorrow.
The last thought aside, Aria knew that her options were now becoming desperately limited. Her previous goal of ignoring all things mythological and continuing a relatively average life was shattered with the revelation that her own mother was once a Daughter of the Moon. The added pressures of having to face not only Imy and Riley if, when, they recovered at school but also Art, and everyone else had also snuffed the life out of her once plan.
Her fingers clenched automatically, as she knew what the only alternative was if she were to ever live a normal lifestyle again.
She'd have to leave Los Angeles, the only city she had ever known, and go to a place where no one knew who she was, nor the mark upon her. Away from her family, away from Jimena and the Daughters, and away from her friends. It was the only choice, and though it would be difficult, perhaps her removal from the scene would quell the constant guilt trips and bouts of conscience that kept resurging through her as she attempted to mentally defend her actions.
Coming to a resolution, Aria slowly shifted herself up from her resting spot, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed as she stood up. Her eyes drifted to the room's only window, where, sure enough, there was no moon in the night sky. Sighing to herself and agreeing it was some sort of omen, Aria gathered up some clothes and quickly began to pack them into a red duffel bag.
A few moments later, her footfalls fell almost silently against the floor of her parents' bedroom as she sauntered in. All was quiet for a moment as Aria watched the two sleeping forms of her parents, her mother's usually pristine dark hair in tangles and disarray and her father's shock of red hair peeping out from underneath the comforter. Smiling sadly, Aria undid the clasp around her neck, the moon amulet of Selene falling perfectly into her palm as she gently placed it on her parents' nightstand.
Tears stung her eyes momentarily, but they went unheeded as Aria quickly exited the room, wiping them away frantically with the heel of her hand as she shouldered the red duffel bag and walked towards the stairs of her home. On her way out, she passed Dylan's room, and heard his snores reverberate throughout the house. She decided not to enter his room as he was an incredibly light sleeper, and instead settled for the bought of nostalgia that overcame her.
She would miss her family terribly, but with her here, all she managed to accomplish was to place them in danger. With her out of the picture, everyone would be better off-protection for her parents and brother, and a normal life for herself.
Looking back one last time at the tranquil and everlasting piece of her home, Aria turned quickly on her heel and headed out towards the door, into a night that would mark the beginning of a new life, one not riddled with obligation and pain.
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"That'll be fohrty-tree, sevenny five," Came a gruff voice and an extended, greasy hand.
She felt her jaw drop as she stared at the back of the cab driver's head, "Excuse me?" Aria asked hesitantly.
"I said, dat'll be fohrty-tree, sevenny five, da cost for yer ride," He reiterated, beginning to look slightly annoyed.
Aria numbly slumped back against the backseat of the cab that she had taken to the nearest bus station as she dug into the inside of her jeans pockets, thankfully pulling out two wadded-up twenties and a five, cringing when she realized all that left her with was another twenty and some odd change, "Here," She muttered with chagrin.
Sniffling his nose the man grabbed it, no even offering her the change as he pocketed the cash. Put off by his attitude, but even more compelled to just keep moving, Aria settled for huffing indignantly and rudely slamming the cab door, before the vehicle left immediately after she had grabbed her duffle bag.
As soon as the yellow car drifted off into the distance, Aria felt herself stiffen as it finally dawned upon her that she was truly alone. Her fingers, slightly cold from the night air, clenched around the nylon strap of her bag as she hoisted it onto her shoulder. Amber eyes locked onto the rickety-looking bus station, blinding fluorescent lights the only indicator that it was still even open, as there appeared to be no one else in sight.
For a fleeting moment, resignation and terror filled her, as she doubted her sanity when reaching this decision. Aria's palms began to sweat and she took a hesitant half-step back, before shaking her head. Determination and stubbornness settled over the teenage deity as she watched the station for a few more moments before taking a courageous step forward, it was now or never. She had not ran away from her only source of comfort to chicken out now.
Yet when she entered, Aria had to shake the instant sensation of repulsion as she looked around. The inside of the bus station smelled like urine and sweat, graffiti sprayed all over the cracking cement walls. On the far left side of the complex, what appeared to be a bum was crashed on a plastic bench, a brown-bagged bottle clutched endearingly to his chest.
Once again the animalistic urge to flee crawled through her mind, but she steeled her resolve and approached the counter.
Working there, she saw a rather pretty girl who looked to be in her early twenties. Her eyes, almond-shaped and an odd shade of bluish gray, were staring blankly out into space as her fingernails, bitten to the nub, drummed along the counter. She had clean, long hair, which was so black there appeared to be blue highlights, that was pulled into a loose ponytail, arbitrary chunks of it spilling out onto her face.
"Excuse me?" Aria asked hesitantly, as her eyes searched for some sort of nametag, finding nothing on the girl's uniform but an embroidered '7' she sighed and said a little louder, "Excuse me?"
The girl immediately ceased the drumming, her eyes shooting up to meet Aria's as she stifled a yawn, "Uhhuh?" She muttered dispassionately.
"I need a ticket."
"Where to?"
"Anywhere."
The sleepy-seeming girl's eyes deadlocked with Aria's, and she felt herself falling into some sort of entranced state as she gazed at them, for the strange light blue color of her iris appeared electric, "You'll have to be slightly more specific." She stated flatly, her tone picking up some sort of intensity.
Aria found her self backing away slightly, confused as to why this strange girl made her so uneasy, "North?" She supplied meekly.
A cruel smile made its way upon the girl's features, "There's no busses going north-"
"East, then I don't care." Aria muttered.
The ticket seller's eyebrows lowered in annoyance, "You didn't let me finish, there's a train that's going north in about an hour. To Portland."
Aria shook her head, curls flying, "I can't afford a train ticket."
A smirk replaced the smile, "Then you're in luck that at most train stations, once it reaches a certain time," At this the girl flicked her wristwatch, "And in this case, since it's almost one in the morning you're more than fine, they start letting people travel for free." She thoughtlessly played with a bit of bluish black hair, "To take up space, you know."
Aria felt her eyes narrow, the girl's story seemed sketchy and highly unlikely, "And where is this station?"
The smirk widened to reveal a pair of remarkably sharp canines, "A block down the road," Her thumb jerked to the left, "Better hurry, it leaves in about twenty minutes."
Knowing that her options were already desperately limited, Aria only nodded numbly and once again shifted the weight of the duffel bag as she turned away, "Thanks." She muttered flatly. She wasn't sure if Portland was her destination of choice, but the uncomfortable feeling that had settled in the bus station convinced her that anywhere away from this strange girl would suffice.
"No problem," The girl's voice had lowered and Aria felt her paces increasing in tempo as she left, "Enjoy your trip."
Needless to say, Aria didn't look back as she proceeded to walk towards the train station. Had she turned to look around, she would have noticed the menacing aura that had surrounded the clerk and the malevolent darkness that had entered her oddly colored eyes.
But the almost otherworldly influence over the bus station ticket operator went unnoticed as Aria stomped off to hopefully receive a free trip to Portland, anything to get away from the sinking sensation in her chest.
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"You should consider yourself fortunate, the train was just about to pull away," Came the reproachful voice of the elderly lady that sat stiffly behind the ticket counter.
Aria concealed the urge to sigh heavily as she placed her hands on the counter, "Just one ticket to Portland, please." She whispered again, hoping that the strange ticket vendor at the bus station knew what she was talking about.
"Hm," The old woman tsked in a patronizing tone, as she expertly began to shuffle through a pack of odd-looking cards, "There's no tickets little girl," The way she addressed her was reminiscent to addressing an unpleasant fungus, "Just fill out the seats."
Aria shuffled uncomfortably, her grip tightening on the nylon strap, "Um, well thank you Miss-?"
"Agatha," Her head snapped up, and Aria got her first glance at the woman's eyes, hidden behind a pair of tortoise-shell glasses. They were a deeper shade than the girl working at the counter, like the purple of an amethyst, and they glowed with the same odd intensity. Her eyes betrayed her obviously old age, as she had a purple-gray shade of hair that was put up in a no nonsense bun and a high-end dress that was in fashion decades ago, "You may call me Ms. Regan, little girl."
"Right," Aria drawled out slowly under her breath, before swerving on her heel and making her way towards the train's seating, "Well, thank you Ms. Regan."
"It was no trouble, even for one of your impertinence," Came her clipped tone from behind her.
The old lady continued to watch the teenager walk towards the train's platform, her weathered lips pressing in a grim line as her eyes almost hissed and crackled in vivacity.
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When she first boarded the train, two thoughts hit her almost instantaneously. First, the décor of the cab she had entered was tasteful and exuded the air of prosperity. There were several 'booths', a pair of plush looking chairs that faced each other with a small table in between them, that were seemingly made with a dark oak and vermillion velvet. They were set up across from each other, with an aisle in between the two rows that faced the windows.
The second thought that hit her, was that the bus attendant was far from kidding when she had stated the need to 'fill up space.' In the entire cab, Aria only caught a glimpse of two people, the first being an elderly man, clad in an olive knit cap and dirty denim jacket. His weathered hands clutched a gold pocket watch almost nervously and gray stubble jutted out at odd angles on his chin. The loud, reverberating snores signified he was out cold.
Across from him sat an intense looking young man, who appeared to be in his mid twenties. His head was almost shaved completely, with only the barest covering of black, short hairs. His arms were crossed and he sat as stiffly as a soldier on guard duty. The man was clad entirely in black, a trench coat with a high collar propped up concealing the lower half of his face, in addition to black sunglasses that were tinted which effectively hid his eyes.
Immediately deciding that neither of them would be good conversationalists, nor friendly, Aria quickly slid into the first empty booth available-
"Hey!"
-Or so she thought.
As soon as her butt had landed on the seat, it had come into contact with another person's leg, realizing this, Aria shot up as quick as possible, slightly tripping over her own feet, the weight of her bag throwing off her balance as she almost crashed face first.
But a warm hand gripped around her bicep, holding her securely as she managed to regain her footing, her face ten shades scarlet, "I'm so sorry-" She muttered, still not looking at the person whom she had sat on.
"No worries," Came a decidedly male voice with a bit of a chuckle, "But you seriously need to chill, you almost face planted."
Aria looked up, her face still glowing in embarrassment, and her breath caught as she looked at her 'rescuer'.
Although she would normally scoff and roll her eyes when her friends, such as Amanda and Yvette, told her some guy was 'gorgeous' she found that to be the only suiting word for the person whose face was approximately three inches away from her own. He had slightly long dark hair that was collected behind his triple-pierced ears. His eyes were a strange shade of brown that bordered on a sepia or maroon color. His skin was a caramel color similar to Aria's own and she soon found her mouth hanging open slightly.
"You okay?" He asked, his voice deep, "You look kind of nauseous."
Mortified, she snapped her jaw shut and slammed her palm in her face, "I'm fine," She whispered, "Sorry for sitting on you."
He laughed, and crossed his arms behind his head, "Hey, no problem, I don't mind it when pretty girls land in my lap."
Poor Aria. That blush wasn't going away anytime soon.
She backed away and readjusted the strap on her bag, "Still, it was rude, thanks for catching me." With that she started to walk away, not quite knowing to handle the situation.
"You know," The stranger drawled, patting the seat across from him, "This train's kind of lonely, I wouldn't mind some conversation."
Aria paused in her step, worrying her lower lip between her teeth as she stared at the stranger, to the strange men in the back, to empty seats, and back to the stranger. Despite the circumstances that brought her to the train, she found herself finding that she would want some company. She exhaled, it was, after all, a long ride to Portland and odds were she'd never see this guy again.
"Sure, why not?" She muttered, sliding into the seat across from him.
The stranger beamed, revealing bleach-white teeth and a solitary capped silver tooth, "Awesome." He stated happily, extending a hand across the small table, "My name's Chuck, what's yours?"
"Aria," She said quietly, placing her hand in his.
"So where're you heading to at this lovely night, Aria?" He started off, amiable enough, as he resumed the slacked-off pose of placing both his arms behind his head.
"Portland," She said evenly.
His grin grew, "Me too! Last stop on the ride, if I'm not mistaken."
Aria took a moment to reevaluate Chuck. He was wearing a pair of baggy Hawaiian swim shorts, flip flops, and a dirty white tank top. The only thing that seemed out of place was the gold ring around his thumb that sent of the vibes of being an antique. Surfer bum, she concluded mentally before correcting her self, Incredibly hot surfer bum.
"What's a girl like you doing on a train at such an ungodly hour?" He asked conversationally.
She froze, "Uh…"
Her awkward response was fortunately spared when the train's lights flickered and began to lurch forward at a creeping pace. She exhaled slowly in thanks, and quickly decided to steer the questions in his direction.
"So how old are you, Chuck?" She asked.
"I'm sixteen," He smirked, "and yourself?"
She played with the zipper of her bag beside her absent mindedly, "I'm fifteen."
His eyes widened, "Really? You feel so much older."
Aria rose an eyebrow, confused by his verb choice, "'Feel?' Not look?"
Chuck laughed before languidly stretching yet again, "I dunno, there's something about your posture," He gestured with a calloused hand, "Your back's stiff, your legs evenly crossed-"
"And why are you looking at my legs?" Aria retorted, her tone light to destroy any illusion of offense.
He blushed slightly but covered with a forced throat clearing, "Anyways, those are just the physical observations. You have this air about you, like you're someone important," He shrugged, "Eh, what do I know?"
She looked at him in amazement, and also a tiny bit of fear. If this kid, a surfer bum only about a year older than her, could recognize that something was off, why wouldn't a Follower in Portland be able to? She sighed forlornly as her eyes drifted to the floor underneath her feet, the train speeding towards its destination.
After a few moments of unbearable and awkward silence, Aria decided to pick the conversation back up before Chuck thought he had made her uncomfortable, "So why are you going to Portland?" She asked with a forced casualness.
"Heh," At first he looked taken aback by the sudden interruption of quiet, before he quickly recovered. A strange, almost afraid look crossed his face before he muttered sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck, "It's kind of a long story."
She exhaled heavily, already deciding that if he were to share his story, she'd have to share hers, "Oh, never mind then."
He laughed again, a deep throaty sound that Aria rapidly decided she enjoyed, "Calm down, it's a pretty long ride."
She gave a meek smile, leaning back in the seat to signal with her body language that she was comfortable and ready to listen.
"Well, you see, my dad owns this surf shop down in Maui," He started off.
Aria smirked, Called that one.
"And, well, lately he's been acting kind of mental," He stated as if he were talking about the weather, "Paranoid."
Silence reigned, and Aria fought her impatience to blurt out a 'So? Get on with it!', but instead settled for fidgeting slightly in her seat.
"Oh, sorry, lost in thought," He replied, "Anyways, it all started when he started getting mail from my mom," At the look of confusion upon Aria's face, he clarified, "My parents are divorced."
"Sorry." Aria muttered sympathetically.
He waved his hand, "Eh, no worries. They've been split up since I was baby." He cleared his throat, "Anyways, he started making all these off-hand comments that seemed sketchy, and when I mentioned coming to L.A. on my fall break to see mom he flipped." He tilted his chin up cockily, "So I pooled my savings and bought a ticket to come see her anyway." he proclaimed proudly.
Aria's eyebrows drew together in confusion, "But if your mother lives in Los Angeles, why are you on a train heading to Portland?"
At this, the arrogant attitude he seemed to be exuding deflated slightly, "Heh, um, well, I, uh…You see…"
"You chickened out, didn't you?" Aria guessed.
"In a manner of speaking."
"Why, if you were in such a hurry to see her?"
He laughed yet again, only this time it was strained and stretched, "You don't know my mom. Hell, I hardly know my mom. I like seeing her and all, but she's a very intimidating senorita, if you know what I mean." He sighed, looking down at his practically bare feet, "I panicked, you see, the last time I saw her was last summer, and then it was only for a couple of days. I didn't understand how to handle the situation, you know?"
Aria thought of her own decisions the past couple of days, "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean." She paused, and both of them sunk into the previous conversation mentally before she piped up, "So why Portland?"
Chuck shrugged, "I can't afford a plane ticket back, probably wouldn't want to even go back knowing my dad, and going to my mom's was out of the question, so when some old broad told me about the free trip on the train I was all for it."
Aria's eyes widened before she hesitantly asked, "Did she have, uh, scary eyes?"
He once again hunched his shoulders, "Beats me, I wasn't exactly in an observant mood. Why do you ask?"
She returned his shrug, "No importance."
The two sat in silence for a little while as Aria stared out of the train's window to the quickly vanishing scenery of Los Angeles and a pang of homesickness hit her as she once again realized all she was giving up for a chance at a normal life.
A normal life with no family or friends.
"So," Chuck drawled, his eyes trained on Aria, "Compartment buddy, what brings you here?"
Aria snorted, "Compartment buddy?" She asked, incredulously, her almost melancholy mood evaporating quickly, "You're such a dork."
He wriggled his eyebrows, "What would you prefer? Angel? Sweetums? Goddess?"
She paled at the word goddess, "Just Aria's fine," She all but whispered.
Chuck regarded her change of expression curiously, "Well, Aria, what brings you here?"
She sighed, "I'm visiting a sick relative," She lied quickly.
"Uh huh," Chuck said, obviously not buying it, "At almost two in the morning?"
Her face settled into frown as she switched her attention from the zipper of her duffle bag to begin to fiddle with the hem of her long, spaghetti-strapped tank, "I'm running away too." She finally admitted.
"From what?"
"Responsibility."
Chuck looked at her skeptically, and was about to speak, when the train suddenly lurched to a stop. The surfer was literally catapulted out of his seat and onto Aria as her head slammed back harshly into her chair. The lights flickered off, and the train was left in darkness.
"Shit," He muttered, propping himself up, "That sucked," He stated bluntly, then he winked on his human pillow, "At least I landed on something comfortable."
She looked at him incredulously and quickly shoved him off of her, "Pig," She responded, exhaling in irritation, "What happened?"
The lights began to flicker on and off rapidly, as Chuck also situated himself at Aria's side, "The train just stopped." He muttered, his eyes drifting towards the back of the cab. Aria followed his sight to see that the old man had woken up and looked scared to within an inch of his life.
But that wasn't what caught her attention, it was the other man.
The man with the shaved head and concealed face slowly stood up, reaching within the inside of his jacket, "Everyone, stay calm," He stated, his voice husky and with an obvious Russian accent. His hand retracted from within the jacket, holding a shiny, .45 handgun, "This is a robbery."
Aria paled and Chuck summed up both of their feelings with his next statement, "We are so fucked."
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Next Up: A group of seemingly desperate robbers board the train, making Aria instantly paranoid when they request only jewelry from the train's passengers.
Thank you to Shadow Goddess Akhet and Henna once again for help with the names!
Author's Notes: I'm so sorry that the two week hiatus transformed itself into a MONTH long hiatus, but moving turned out to be much more stressful than I anticipated. Updates are going to be sluggish for a bit as I try to get a grip on two jobs and school, but there will be updates now that I have internet up and running again. Thanks for reading and sticking with my stories J
Till next time
!nym!