Diligo Est Amicitia

Chapter 5: Night Out (Part 2)

"Hey, it's twenty to midnight." Fin yelled into Lilith's ear. "We'd better grab Jamie and get out of here before William sends his dogs."

Lilith, whom had been bopping with Reid, nodded but as she turned away to follow Fin, Reid grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?" He asked.

She tapped her wrist to indicate the time. "Curfew." She mouthed. Reid grimaced in sympathy, and then followed her. Once they were a safe distance from the blaring music, Lilith turned around. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"I'll go back with you." He said simply.

Lilith shrugged. "As you wish. Right now, I need to get Jamie." They returned to their table. Tyler and Fin were already there with Sarah, Caleb and Jamie.

As Jamie stood to exit Nicky's, the others announced that they would return with the three girls as well. "Sure." Jamie had shrugged. "I'm sure there's space for all of you guys." Pogue had to be called out of some dark corner where he had been having a heavy making out session with Kate. All nine of them exited the bar in high spirits. Tonight had been one of the best nights out. No more Aaron after that little fight, they had done everything that could have possibly been done and a breezy night to drive in. What could beat that? Pogue, Jamie, Lilith and Fin walked off to get their vehicles, leaving the others at the entrance of Nicky's. When Pogue reached his bike, he whistled.

"Damn… whose bike is that?" He surveyed a shiny, brand new-looking Aprilia.

"It's a Caponord." Fin provided, a hint of pride in her voice. "It's got specially designed pistons and combustion chambers… for smooth constant engine torque."

Pogue spared a moment to look at Fin with surprise before turning his attention back to the bike. "How do you know so much about it?"

Fin walked over to the bike and threw her right leg over the other side. Pogue looked on in awe. "Y-you're joking? Seriously, Fin, stop it before you scratch that thing." He chuckled though it was short-lived as Fin inserted a key and revved up the engine. Pogue's eyes just about popped out from its sockets.

He started laughing. "Oh my god! So tame little Fin Gray can ride a bike?" Fin didn't laugh, just looked at him amusedly as she pulled her jacket zipper to the very top.

"Hey, I can take a race, anywhere anytime." She challenged him. Before Pogue could answer to it, however, a Cadillac XLR pulled up in front of the two bikes parked side by side.

"Over my dead body you're gonna race, Fin!" Jamie yelled from the driver's seat. Lilith was nowhere to be seen. "That's a touring bike."

"And since it's seen Rome, Spain and America, I say it's lived up to its name." Fin declared. "It's time for the Caponord to try something new."

"You're on." Pogue accepted her challenge. Then, he looked around. "Where's Lilith?"

"Right." There was a screech of tires. "Here." Lilith dashed up and stopped her car beside Jamie's. Pogue stared in appreciation at the red Mazda RX-8 Challenge. "Whoa… you guys have a loaded guardian, huh?"

"You bet." Fin replied before she placed on her black helmet before she rode off to the entrance of Nicky's where she was met by appreciative whistles from the exiting bikers and the others. The other two guided their cars and parked right behind Fin with Pogue following.

"Dude!" Reid slapped a palm onto Jamie's car. "Who's car did you hot-wire?"

"Get your hands off my baby, Reid." Jamie replied. Reid raised his hands in surrender, turning his attention to Fin. "And since when did she ride a bike?"

"She actually wanted a Tuono." Lilith said. "But William… disagreed so she settled for this."

"Ah…" Fin sighed dreamily, thinking of the bike she had originally wanted. "A Tuono. It's practically sex on two wheels."

Pogue chuckled. "I'll take your word on that."

Jamie frowned. "William would be six feet under before he saw Fin speeding on a Tuono."

"Hey, enough with the talkie." Lilith interrupted. "You wanted a ride, now hop in." Reid made to move towards Fin but before he could, Fin had already invited Tyler on. Reluctantly, he slid into the passenger seat of Lilith's Mazda. Kate hopped onto Pogue's bike and Sarah sat in the back seat. Only Caleb stood on ground.

"Hey, where're you going dude?" Reid asked. "Hop in."

Caleb hesitated. "I'm going back home and you guys are going to the dorms. Isn't it going to be a huge detour?"

"Get in, Caleb." Jamie invited. She was the only one without a passenger since her car was a 2-seater. "I'll take you to the Danvers Manor and then I'll head back."

"Alone?" Caleb asked doubtfully. "That's not safe."

Jamie merely shook her head. "Hey, this is Ipswich. I know Ipswich. I'll be fine." Grudgingly, Caleb leaped into the convertible and with a roar of engines; all four vehicles were on the road, their trip smooth as silk.

Jamie switched on the radio and Nick Lachey's charismatic voice blared out. Caleb leaned back in his seat, and then jerked back up. "The music's coming from the headrest." He stated.

"Uh-huh. The speakers are placed there. Sorry, is it too loud?" When Caleb shook his head, she just nodded, and then concentrated on the road. Suddenly, a whir of yellow went whizzing past them, mixed with a feminine scream. Pogue and Fin were on that bet and they had taken two innocent people with them. "Fin!" Jamie yelled at the passing blur of black.

"Don't worry!" Came the reply. Jamie just huffed in frustration.

"Are they gonna be okay?" Caleb asked, concernedly.

"Yeah. Fin's a good driver. Tyler will be fine as long as he holds on tight, don't worry. God, if William ever knew…" She trailed off to leave Caleb guessing with the consequences.

"Hey, if we keep mum, how will he know, right?" Caleb assured her. Jamie just flashed him a kind smile; the type that told him that he didn't comprehend the full situation. Suddenly, sparks emitted a good distance in front of them. "Fin!" They could hear Lilith shrieking. Fin was scratching her metal on the road and she was doing it hard.

"Whoo!" They could hear Tyler howling, his voice getting softer and softer as the Caponord blasted off into the night. They soon caught up with Pogue whom had slowed down at the request of his girlfriend who had gone hysterical and had ordered him to stop so that she could transfer into Lilith's Mazda. At this opportunity, Reid hopped onto Pogue's bike instead and they rushed off again. At a fork in the road, Jamie took the right path while Lilith turned to the left.

Now, Jamie and Caleb were alone, driving in the mist of the night yet only one heart was thundering wildly and it belonged to Caleb. He couldn't help but think back to the time when Chase had been lurking and he had seen 'darklings'. He glanced at Jamie's peaceful face and wondered how she could be so tranquil. Then again, Jamie hadn't faced anything out of the ordinary before but on the other hand, she had been a child before, hadn't she? There had been a time when monsters existed in her imagination and was it so impossible to think that they might actually exist? Might actually emerge this very night out of the sinister fog? Suddenly, Caleb didn't feel like letting her back onto the road after she had sent him back home. She would spend the night at Danvers Manor, he would make sure of it. There was no way he was sending her back out here alone.

Will you take what's left
Will you take what's left of me?

Nick Lachey's number ended and a sweet beat started its song. Jamie seemed to know the lyrics and started to mouth the words to Caleb's amusement. At the last note however, she pulled to a stop and patted the steering wheel. "Your stop." She announced. Caleb who hadn't noticed that they were outside the gates of the Danvers Manor looked about him in surprise. Realizing that Jamie was right, he hopped out, and then leaned against the door of the passenger side.

"Listen, thanks for the ride." He started but she dismissed it with a wave of her hand. She was about to move off when he spoke. "Er… look, I really don't feel good about letting you off into the night especially since it's midnight already. You wanna stay over?" She raised an eyebrow, and then shook her head.

"Caleb, I told you; it's okay. I can take care of myself." She reminded him gently. Inwardly, Caleb groaned. Why does she have to be so stubborn? He was unaware that she thinking exactly the same thing of him.

I'm not like other humans, Caleb. She wished she could tell him. I have my own powers and I can protect myself. I know your secret but I won't tell Lils or Fin. Not just yet until you do something to change our current status. Maybe I won't even have to tell them. Maybe you will. But our secret must remain forever hidden. It's not just about us. It's about the whole world.

"Seriously--" Caleb started but Jamie interrupted him.

"Seriously I can protect myself." Jamie persisted. Yeah, right. Caleb thought but there was nothing more he could do. Stay safe, Jamie. He wished her as he watched her drive off and disappear into the hazy night.

Jamie sped along the road she had come from, her fingers drumming lightly to the beat of Beyoncè's 'Check Up On It'. The volume had been lowered ever since she had gained a distance away from the Danvers Manor. She needed to listen to any sounds of danger. Rebellions lurked in the woods and she knew it. The lycan guards roamed the forests of Ipswich every night but it was no use. The Rebellion could only be found when they wanted to be found and right now, they chose to stay very silent. A sudden howling pierced the silence and Jamie switched off the radio completely. Her ears pricked up as she heard something else moving in the forest. It was moving fast. Her heart sped up, as did her Cadillac. Another howl sounded, this one much nearer.

She stopped the car and stepped out. "Who is it?" She yelled into the darkness and the unknowing fog. "Come out! I command you!" The movement had stopped. The creature was very near her, she knew. "Who are you? Show yourself!" The creature snarled, a sound, which came from her right. She whipped around and peered into the darkness that the forest provided, her hand on the ready. She could see a pair of glowing yellow eyes and hesitated. "Speak again." She said, her voice much softer now. The creature obliged her, growling again.

Jamie sighed in relief, recognizing the bark. "Soren?" She asked. "Next time, stop scaring me like that. I know Lord Lycan asked you to keep an eye on us and you must know that Lady Lamia and Lady Sun have returned to their lodgings. I know it is past the embargo but I was sending a friend back home. Nevertheless, if you must report this to Lord Lycan, I will take full blame." The creature in the woods was silent, and then it growled again. Jamie grinned. Her secret was safe and Soren, her lycan shadow, would not tell. She got back in her car, blasted the radio to full volume and hastened back to the safety of the dorms.

A/N: Whew! I had a particularly hard time writing this chapter and I'm sure it turned out still crappy! This is a continuation of the previous page since it's text was too much for one chapter. So, what quick facts did we get from the chapter? One: Jamie has a few skeletons in her closet that she's not particularly eager to share, two: Aaron grows more and more of an asshole with the passing minute, three: Lilith has healing abilities, four: Jamie knows acupuncture and five: lycans are watching the girls' every move thus telling us just how much control William wants over these three. Review and tell me what you think! Please be kind; my fingers are aching like mad after typing this 5317-word chapter!

Crickes