Author's Note: Thanks for all the feedback! I appreciate that people take time out of their day to read my story :)
Chapter 17: Toxic Encounters
"Even if Soul is miles away, I won't let you ruin any of my weekend plans!" Maka snapped shoving Travis aside to walk away from him.
"Alright then, but don't say I didn't warn you." Travis whispered.
Maka growled and turned back around ready to just pummel Travis's face, but noticed he had already disappeared amongst the crowds of people.
'Great. This weekend getaway was supposed to be my chance to relax and get away from all the stress in my life lately, but now I'm going to be worried about not only keeping my secret safe, but keeping my friends and myself out of danger.'
Maka sighed and grouchily stomped towards her room. After getting some help from a passing bellboy, Maka was able to finally find her room located at the top of the tower.
"Wow you really do get an amazing view way up here!" Maka whispered to herself as admired Nevada's mountainous landscape from her window.
"Though I have to admit this is a lot of space for just one person." Maka mumbled turning back around to observe the room.
Tuscany Tower was based on the Tuscan luxury of Italy that was reflected in the velvet red bedding and linens of the pillows on her bed and the Italian portraits that hung around the walls. The Florence Suite that Maka was even in had an additional mini living room area for guests to hang out in.
Maka plopped down on the bed and snuggled into the soft sheets. 'It would be nice if Soul was here with me, but I'm sure he would get bored and find all the stuff Liz had planned for us to do to be uncool.' Maka mused to herself with a smile.
Maka's cheeks reddened as she then remembered back to the moment she and Soul had shared just before she had left. "If Soul was here with me right now than it would just be us two alone and we could take advantage of that European tub and maybe even…" Maka suddenly shook her head cutting off her thoughts.
"Oh I've been spending way too much time around Liz and Blair if I'm starting to get perverted thoughts like that!" Maka whispered to herself rubbing her flushed cheeks.
For the next two hours, Maka spent her time lazily reading through the hotel's guidebook until her cell phone suddenly buzzed next to her. Maka picked it up and realized somebody had texted her.
Hey Maka were about to head to dinner now so meet us all in the lobby. – Tsubaki
Maka smiled and placed the book back on the desk as she headed out of room.
"Hey were you guys able to check out the stunning views of the sunset outside?" Maka questioned as she approached her friends.
"Oh I was much too busy reading over the Spa specials and the shopping centers this hotel offers!" Liz stated giddily.
"Sis did you see that they offered 24-hour room service, I'm going to order so much!" Patty stated just as excited.
Maka watched the two sisters chat with each other in amusement before turning towards Tsubaki.
"So did you find anything interesting that you might want to check out?" Maka asked.
"Hmm maybe lounge by the poolside and like Liz mentioned do a bit of shopping." Tsubaki said casually.
"Hey guys let's finish talking over dinner I'm starving!" Liz spoke up, interrupting Maka and Tsubaki's conversation.
"What restaurant did you want to eat at anyways?" Maka asked following Liz's lead.
"There's this casual restaurant called Oceano that serves seafood that I would like to try out." Liz replied back.
Once everyone got seated and took in the aquatic atmosphere of the restaurant, a waiter came by and took their orders.
"I'll have the Chilean Sea Bass." Liz said looking at the specialties section.
"I think I want to try the soup." Maka said also looking under the same section.
"I'm more in the mood for a sandwich so I want the Oceano Club Sandwich and make sure to bring extra fries!" Patty said cheerfully.
"Um I just want the Oceano Salad, I'm not that hungry." Tsubaki said quietly.
"Alright thanks ladies for your orders, your food will be ready in a few minutes; just let me now if you need anything else!" Their waiter said happily before taking the menus back from them and walking away.
"We sure are spending a lot of money and it's only our first night here!" Maka mentioned thinking about how expensive most of the items were.
"Maka I told you already that there's no need to worry about the prices of anything it's all already been paid for!" Liz stated with a grin.
Maka just sighed and shrugged her shoulders as she took a sip from her Iced Tea.
Not even a few minutes had passed when suddenly Liz was sending her a teasing grin.
Maka arched an eyebrow. "Why are you giving me a look like that?"
"Don't look now, but I can see a guy on the other end of the restaurant checking you out right now." Liz said with a smirk.
Maka's eyes widened a bit in horror as she felt her heart speed up. "Oh crap that might be Travis!" Maka thought worriedly.
Quickly, Maka took a brief glance behind her and realized with dread that indeed the guy Liz was talking about was Travis.
Travis flicked his messy black hair out of his eyes and smiled when he met Maka's eyes. He smirked and sent her a small wave before Maka hurriedly turned back around.
"Look at you Maka already attracting the attention of guys on your first night here!" Liz stated joyfully.
Maka only groaned. "I don't want his attention! And you know I like Soul anyways!" Maka grumbled angrily.
"Well's it's about time that you at least admitted that out loud! And if you don't want him than at least let him get to know me better!" Liz continued on with grin.
"No!" Maka snapped angrily causing all 3 of her friends to look at her in confusion.
Maka frowned and settled down. "That guy is creepy and into some weird stuff! I don't want any of us to be close to him."
Liz didn't look convinced. "How do you even know all that? Isn't this the first time you've even seen this guy?"
Maka sighed and just shook her head. "No, I've seen him a few times at school; he's flirted with me before and asked me to be his meister. You just have to trust me that he's not a normal guy."
"Maka aren't you being a little too quick to judge him?" Tsubaki questioned thinking over everything Maka had just told them.
"Yeah! I agree with Tsubaki just because he doesn't fit up to the standards you have Soul on doesn't mean he's a bad person!" Liz stated.
Maka huffed. "What standards do I put Soul on? He's lazy, rude, constantly teases me –"
"Yet none of that has seemed to stop you from still liking him has it?" Liz pointed out cutting Maka off.
Maka blushed and looked down. She really had no come back for that.
"Anyways there's no use trying to stop that guy since he's already heading our way!" Patty chirped out.
Maka immediately glanced back up and paled as she watched Travis stroll towards their table.
"There really is no getting away from this guy is there?" Maka thought in frustration.
~X~
"Soul I'm bored let's find some game to play!" Blair pouted out trying to pounce on Soul.
"Blair I'm never going to be in the mood to play any of the 'games' that you have in mind go bother someone else!" Soul stated grouchily as he pushed Blair away.
Blair huffed before sauntering away. "Fine, but I'm sure you wouldn't mind playing a 'game' if Maka was the one asking instead of me!" She finished teasingly before heading out the door.
Soul sighed and brushed a hand through his snowy white hair. It was only Friday night and even though only a few hours had passed and he would never admit it out loud, he silently wished Maka was still around to keep him company in the apartment.
Soul was lazily finishing up washing up the plate he had used for dinner when an idea popped into his head.
'Oh yeah, I still haven't called Black Star yet to see if he found out any information involving Maka and that other creep!'
Soul wiped off his hands and took out his cellphone to call him. It took a few rings before he heard Black Star's familiar voice yell into the phone.
"Hey, you are interrupting me in the middle of an important training session this , had better be good!" Black Star yelled from the other end of the line.
Soul scoffed and moved the phone away from his ringing ears before bringing it back.
"Look man I just wanted to ask if you were able to find anything from when you followed Maka around the other day." Soul asked calmly.
The other end of line grew quiet for a minute and Soul began to think for a second that Black Star had either just hung up on him or they had a bad connection when suddenly he spoke up again.
"Nah man Maka doesn't really do much while you're busy training with Kid. She went to the library and checked out a book and stopped by a café for a smoothie and then from what I saw she just went home." Black Star lied.
"What about that other guy with the black hair and grey eyes? Was he anywhere near her again?" Soul questioned gruffly.
"Whoa Chill man. All I was able to find out on that guy was that he's into some creepy stuff and that he knows more about people than he lets on." Black Star stated honestly.
"Well I figured that much out already. You really suck at investigating people! None of anything you just said really gave me any clue to what's really been up with Maka lately." Soul stated angrily.
"Don't take your problems out on me! Guess you'll have to find some other way to find out what's going on with Maka." Black Star snapped back before hanging up.
'Sorry Man, but I promised Maka I would keep her double life a secret. I just hope she doesn't plan on keeping a secret for too much longer…' Black Star thought to himself before going back to his push-ups.
Soul growled and nearly slammed his phone against the wall in anger, but just sighed and sat back down on the couch.
After a few more minutes had passed, Soul had gone back to just flipping through channels when suddenly a knock at the door broke him out his thoughts.
'Who would be knocking on the door at this time of day?' Soul mused glancing at the clock. It was currently a little past 8:30 pm.
The banging at the door only increased so Soul forced himself to sit up and at least check and see who it was.
'Blair probably forgot her keys to get in again.' Soul thought grouchily as he peeked through the keyhole of the door.
To Soul's confusion though, he saw a girl he didn't recognize looking anxious.
Soul sighed and was tempted to just leave the girl out there, but she didn't look like she planned to leave anytime soon so he just decided to open the door.
"Um can I help you?" Soul asked not sure what this girl wanted.
Rachel just looked at Soul up and down before squealing in excitement. "Wow I can't believe that I actually get to be this close to you again and as myself this time!" She babbled out before making her way inside.
Soul frowned becoming even more annoyed. This random girl that he didn't even know had just made her way inside his apartment without even being allowed in first!
Soul growled and followed the girl into the living room. Whoever this girl was, she fit the bill for being one of his typical fan-girls who liked to dress basically half naked in short tank tops and miniskirts to try to appeal to him.
"Nice apartment you got here! Maka isn't around is she? I know how annoying she can be at times." Rachel said snottily as she took a seat and looked around to make sure Maka wasn't in hearing range.
"Oh really? Well I would rather be dealing with Maka right now than some random slut who thinks she's going to get lucky with me tonight. You can just see your way out." Soul sneered out coldly pointing back to the open door behind him.
Rachel looked taken aback. This wasn't how she expected her plans to go. She had even managed to sneak away from the girl's dorms and her friends questioning to try this plan out!
"Maybe I should have just waited on Travis's orders before making any moves." Rachel thought nervously before straightening up.
"Wait hold on I have some information I'm sure you would like to know concerning your precious meister Maka!" Rachel stated cowering a bit under Soul's glaring.
Soul snorted. "Like hell you do. Just get out of my apartment before you really try my patience."
Rachel pouted. "Even if the information I have involved Maka's case with Travis?"
Soul eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How the hell do you know about that?"
Rachel smirked and feigned confusion. "Wait you didn't know about it? Well I guess Maka was too nervous to tell you after all…"
"Whatever you are trying to pull won't work." Soul stated in boredom, but inwardly what Rachel had said had made him a bit curious. Black Star had pretty much been no help to him, but that didn't mean he should trust what this random girl had to say though.
Rachel scoffed and sighed. "Well I was going to give you more details on why Maka spends time around Travis, but I guess you don't care about what she does then right?"
Soul rolled his eyes. "I already know that Travis is into some disturbing stuff and he isn't someone you can trust so Dr. Stein asked Maka to make sure he doesn't try anything against the school."
Rachel just shook her head. "Oh Soul, that's only part of the story, but I have the rest of the details of the story if you really want them."
Soul growled and bit back a curse. "What's the catch?"
Rachel gave Soul a sickeningly sweet smile. "The only catch is that I want you to go out with me on Sunday night."
~X~
"Hi ladies! It's nice to see other students from the DWMA taking a mini-vacation also!" Travis stated with a laugh that caused everyone to smile except Maka who only sneered and rolled her eyes.
"What area of the hotel are you staying at anyways?" Liz asked flirtatiously.
"I'm in the Tuscany Tower." Travis replied back with a wink.
Maka resisted the urge to gag or just simply stab Travis with her knife. "Of course this bastard would make sure he would be in the same area of the hotel as me! He planned everything ahead of time."
"Did you travel here with your partner?" Tsubaki asked politely.
"No unfortunately I'm still meister-less unless Maka here would mind taking that place!" Travis stated with a grin placing an arm on Maka's shoulder while he sneakily dropped a blue pill into Maka's drink.
Maka grabbed her fork and promptly jabbed it straight into Travis's hand causing him to back away and clutch his hand in pain.
"You'll pay for that!" He whispered quietly enough so that only Maka heard him.
"Yeah well stop trying to show off to my friends you asshole!" Maka whispered back just as pissed.
"Maka did you really need to hurt him like that? He was only doing some harmless flirting!" Liz stated checking to see if Travis was okay.
Maka just shrugged her shoulders not really caring that her friends were giving her disapproving looks at the moment.
While Liz checked his wound, Travis gazed carefully and watched to see if Maka would take another sip of her Iced Tea.
"Well I guess Maka didn't stab you too deeply since I don't see any blood." Liz stated after checking both sides of his hand.
"Hmm? Oh okay then well I guess I'll see you around ladies enjoy your dinner!" Travis said turning back his attention to all four of them.
Maka huffed. "Hopefully we don't see you for the rest of the time that we're here!"
Travis only walked away and hid himself away in a corner of the restaurant to watch them eat the rest of their meal. The pill he had developed had already dissolved into Maka's drink. Now all she needed to do was just take a drink from it again and his plans would finally be in motion.
As all of the girls meals arrived, everyone went back to happily eating and talking. Travis waited impatiently for Maka to take a drink again and grinned when she finally took a few sips again after eating about half of her salmon.
'Finally I'm one step closer to adding Maka's grigori soul to my collection! Now as long as that idiot Rachel keeps Soul busy, not only will Maka see him for a cheater, but she'll definitely start to trust me and see in a different light with the help of that pill.'
X~
The following Saturday morning, Maka woke up with a slight headache that she brushed off as still feeling tired from staying up half the night talking and hanging out with the girls.
Stretching, Maka got out of bed, took a quick shower, and changed out of her pajamas. Maka had hoped that by eating breakfast her nagging headache would go away, but it only seemed to persist.
"Hey Maka are you feeling all right? You aren't still mad about what happened last night are you?" Tsubaki questioned.
"I'm fine Tsubaki. I just have a small headache that's all." Maka replied back rubbing her forehead.
"Ooh you should come with me to the spa then! We can both get manicures and pedicures that I'm sure that will make your headache go away!" Liz stated.
"Okay! Let's meet back in the lobby in an hour I need to get my bathing suit from my room and a towel." Maka replied back.
"Sounds good to me! Tsubaki what are you and sis going to do?" Liz asked turning towards Patty and Tsubaki.
"I'll be exploring the hotel and will probably be by the pool if you need me!" Tsubaki said.
"I'm probably going to sneak into the casinos and try my luck at poker!" Patty said grinning at the thought of making millions.
As Maka was expecting, Travis was waiting for her just down the hall as she walked back to her room again.
"Enjoying yourself Maka?" Travis asked calmly.
"Ugh why can't you just leave me alone? Hiro doesn't blackmail me for getting help from him with music so why do you have to blackmail me and mess with me just because I've talked to you and spent a little bit of my time with you?" Maka snapped.
"Well for one don't compare me to Hiro who's just a complete loser and second of all you have something that I want and threatening to ruin your reputation or embarrass you is just one way I can get it." Travis replied back easily.
"Wait a minute what could I have that you would want? Money? Fame? I only get those things as Emerald really and not as Maka!" Maka hissed before clutching her head in pain a bit more.
Travis smirked. "Are you feeling alright Maka? Looks like your head is really bothering you."
"I'm fine!" Maka snapped angrily.
Travis sighed. "It's too bad that you continue resist my help so much. You'll definitely begin to regret it once you see Soul for who he truly is."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Maka asked.
"The reason you continue to keep Emerald a secret is because you want to get better at music without him making fun of you for it and you don't want him to know you had to work with Hiro and eventually me to improve right?" Travis asked.
Maka's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but she nodded in response.
"Well guess what? It's pointless to try and impress Soul with your musical abilities or anything really when he already has another girl on the side that he's kept a secret from you." Travis said with a smug grin.
Maka only scoffed. "I know you like to make up crap, but this might be your most desperate attempt yet."
Travis just shrugged his shoulders. "You don't have to believe me, but you'll see once you come back on Sunday what I really mean." And with that he walked off laughing.
Maka huffed and tried to push what Travis said out of her head once she reached her room and began to change into her swim suit.
'I have no reason to believe anything that Travis says he's just trying to mess with me as usual and make Soul look bad.' Maka reasoned to herself trying to ignore the sudden sharp aching of her head and the brief passing thought that Travis could be right.
Author's Note: That's it for Chapter 17, let me know what you think with a review and as always thanks for reading!