Holy crappers. I don't even have a real sense of direction for this story yet everyone seems to like it. Lol.
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One month later…
SHANGHAI?! Why?! I stood frozen in my small kitchen. I'd gotten a decent sized apartment closer to the city sometime ago but it hadn't stopped Cayden's guardianship duties. No, he spent many a night here. Though I'd wake up and he'd be gone, but ol' Ironhide would still be in the driveway. I couldn't figure out how that worked. Yeah, apparently the Topkick wasn't my uncle's after all. It was Cayden's. Now here I stood in my itty bitty kitchen, staring down at the chopped up bits of carrots. Cayden and his team were being dispatched to Shanghai for an undisclosed amount of time. I've only known the brute for two months but now I can't imagine what it'll be like without him. Will he be alright? Will he come back to me in a body bag?!
So many horrible thoughts and situations were going on inside my head that I lost touch with reality until I was pulled into the warmth. The warmth being Cayden's chest, one arm holding me to him.
"You've got that face."
I pouted. "What face?"
"That face."
"There's no face! This is my face."
He laughed to himself and held me closer. "I'll be fine, Tani." He planted a quick kiss on the top of my head and a light blush came over me. Would I ever get used to his small tokens of affection? Would I ever know them again?
"But that's what everyone says, then next thing ya know- KABLOOY!" I imitated an explosion with my hands.
He laughed again and ruffled my hair. "Yeah, but I'm the one makin' the kablooy."
"But still."
"Shh." Another light peck on my temple. "I'll be back before you know it. Sam's getting ready to head to the east coast for college."
Hope he doesn't have the same experience that I did.
"But Mikaela's staying here. Why don't you visit her in my absence?"
I sighed. I could use some girl time. My aunt was great and the older women I worked with in the local bookstore were awesome, but the generation gap was strongly felt. Mikaela was only a few years younger than I, so we got along pretty well. Maybe I should take Cayden up on that offer. I lowered my head in defeat.
"Alright, Cayden. You win."
"I always win." He whispered into my ear. I shudder ran down my spine from the heat of his breath.
……………….
Maybe this was a bad time? I poked my head through the garage doorway. Mikaela was on her cell, going on about getting stood up for a web-cam date. Wouldn't want to be in Sam's place. She smiled at me and beckoned me in with her arm. I stood off to the side examining some of the odd tools in the shop. I didn't know crap about cars let alone what half these tools were for or called. Oh look! I found a wrench! I know what that this! Mikaela suddenly became very quiet. I looked over my shoulder, she was just talked in a hushed voice, but she had a concerned look on her face. Again that feeling that I wasn't being told something crept back. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe Sam's just having a rough time adjusting to eastern coast weather or something? I heard a loud 'snap' suddenly. I jumped a little at the sharp sound. I didn't think anything of it; Sam had said once that the garage had a mouse problem. At least, that's what I thought it was.
The younger brunette inched quietly towards where the snap had come from holding what I could only describe as the Jaws of Life and a blow torch. There was an awkward scream then someone shouting 'is that the best you got?!'. My curiosity got the better of me and I crossed the room. Mikaela had caught a… an I don't really know what the hell it is. It looked like an RC truck toy, but it had a face! Did I suddenly get dropped into a Jim Henson-based world where trucks have personalities and call women bitches? Was I over tired? Did someone slip LSD into my coffee this morning? Was I dreaming?
"What're you doing here?!" she bellowed at the little thing and blew an eye off with the blow torch.
The truck creature screamed out before lashing back at Mikaela. "That was my friggen eye you dumb bitch!"
"Mikaela!" I barked and ran over to them. "I don't know what the hell that thing is!" I pointed to the RC. "But I doubt it deserved to have its eye blasted clean off like that."
"OH! Thank you, oh Merciful Goddess!" the small dark blue truck put what I guess served as its hands into a prayer-like position. I arched an eyebrow. I'd been called a lot of things throughout my life but that certainly wasn't one of them.
"Tani you don't know what you're saying. This little freak-" she slammed it harder against the rack she'd pinned it to "doesn't merit any mercy from us."
"Well what is it first off."
"He's a Decepticon." Again the blow torch was raised to the RC. "Now what're you here for?"
Decepticon?
"The shard! The piece of the cube!" poor thing was frantic as it watched, with its only remaining eye, the flame inching closer. "The Fallen commands it of me! I'll be scrap if I don't get it! Gimme the shard Warrior Goddess!"
"No."
She locked the whatever it is inside a tool box then grabbed her phone again.
"Mikaela, what's going on?" I watched the box rock violently as the RC tried to get out.
"Right now we've got to get to Sam. Pack only what you absolutely need. We've got a plane to catch."
"We? What's this 'we'? There is no 'we'! YOU dragged ME into whatever it is you're into!"
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More later. K? J
