Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I told you I would be back with another chapter. I really want to explain something though before I start. Some of you may be asking why I chose to make Casey "change" (others are sending PM saying that you don't think it was a good idea) well I did this for more than one reason. 1. I don't want you to think that I wanted to make Casey "pretty" because I thought she was "ugly" everything I do in my story I do it for a reason and Caseys transformation is going to have her go through a lot of hardship as well as some self discovery. 2. I want to make sure I stay true to the history of the "fairy". I just want the readers to know that I was left with a tough decision and that was to either change Caseys looks to make the story go in a different direction... or to have her stay the same and change the entire story that I had already written. Casey is still CASEY I don't want any of you thinking that she is going to loose her spunk and sass just because her appearance is different. With that said please continue to enjoy the adventure of the new "NOT IMPROVED" Casey Cortez.

Things were actually starting to look up for me. I felt great. I looked great. And I had a HUGE tip from Travis. I thanked Sam one more time for his birthday gift and glanced at my watch. 5:30... I should be at Sookies by 6:00.

I never mind walking. I see it a being therapeutic. To think about how my day was.

I was ten minutes into my walk when I came upon Wheelers Wheels. "So this is where he works huh?" I said to myself. Something told me to keep on walking but...well...to put it simply I have my moments where I decide not to listen to the little voices in my head and toss caution to the wind. When you spend you life fighting for your life against the undead you tend to underestimate "humans"

God…listen to yourself...humans…you are a human. You're normal just like everyone else.

The place didn't look like anything special. There was a garage that had a pickup truck with the hood up and the insides were…how can I put this…ripped out. And the other car was a 2007 blood red, Plymouth Prowler I saw a prowler once when I was 14 and one of my foster parents worked in a chop shop just on the outskirts of Washington D.C. Well Mr. Hayz my foster father or as I liked to call him, the drunken lush who couldn't tell his ass from his elbow, owned a Prowler. That was probably the reason why I stayed there for so long. Looking at that car was like therapy to me.

I looked into the small shop that was filled with hubcaps, cables, wires, air fresheners and other "car"ly goodness.

Focus you jackass!

I cleared my mind and headed into the shop.

Why the hell are you in here?

I asked myself

Buying parts for a car you don't have?? Get the hell out of here before you embarrass yourself.

Shut the hell up better judgement!!

"He probably doesn't even work here…just because he owns the place doesn't mean he works—

"May I help you?" Came a voice from the back room.

"Uh—" was all I could manage to squeeze out of a throat that was not sealed shut.

Smooth Casey…you're just a regular fucking Casanova.

"Well…holler if you need anything" came the voice.

"uh."

Words damnit!!

"Is Mr. Wheeler in?"

NOT THOSE WORDS!!!

"Who wants to know?" The voice said form the back.

I froze…I didn't know what the hell else to say. I shouldn't have even been there in the first place. Why didn't I listen to…well…myself?

"My name is Casey Cortez." I said simply.

"Casey Who?" the voice seemed to be getting louder…which means he is getting closer…which means…well…hell if I know what that was suppose to mean.

I immediately turned around and was about the head for the door when the back door swung open. I I instanty turn around to face Mr. Wheeler himself. I was wearing beans and a tank top and had a clean towel wiping the some oil from his hands. God the man was a walking advertisement for premarital sex.

Get your mind out of the gutter!

"Casey from the bar?" He asked.

"Yeah." I managed to say

"What can I do for you Miss Cor—" He paused when he looked at me … God why the hell did you come in here?

You know why? I thought. You wanted to see if you would have the same effect on him as Travis. YOU HARLOTT!! YOU JEZEBELLE!!

"Leaving so soon?" He asked. I didn't have to look at him to see that there was a smile on his face. I slowly turned around. And saw the smile vanish and be replaced with…something I had never expected…I didn't know any better I would say it looked like disappointment.

"you look different." He said simply.

"Yeah…that's probably because the first time you saw me my face was covered in blood. How's your computer doing? I hope it didn't get hurt or anything. Oh and my face is fine thank you for asking." I don't know why but the look he gave me hurt. I guess I really haven't changed that much.

"Did you come here for any particular reason…other than rubbing that in my face. I apologized if you can remember." He said with a smile growing on his face.

"No. That entire day was a little bit fuzzy…must be because of the concussion." I said curtly. " I was headed to a friends and I decided to come on here and see if maybe you…uh…had something t-t-that I could get for my boss." I managed to put together.

James let out a small sigh. "Boss is into cars I guess?" He asked.

Fortunatly Sam was. And I did want to find a way to thank him for finding me that book so the lie quickly turned into a warped truth I guess.

"Yeah…but I don't know what it is he would want" I said wandering around the small shop. Hub caps? No that would just make me look like a retard. 'Here you go Sam…I got you this hubcap to show you how much I appreciate our friendship.'

"What's you're budget?" He asked following me around the store.

"I'm not quite sure yet." I said letting out a nervous breath hoping it would come out as a sigh.

"What kind of car does he drive?" James asked.

" 2004 Ford F-150 Pickup, black, with 310 hp engine." I love Sams pickup. Right then it hit me…Sam was complaining about a filter that he wanted to get but had been putting it off he just didn't have to time…GOD…what was it again.

"You seem to know a bit about cars." James said.

"Do you have a K&N filter for that make and model?" I asked ignoring his comment. I was a gear head and I wouldn't mind talking shop any other time but at this point I didn't care if I had to spend my entire check to get out of this stupid situation I had just put myself into.

"You look different?" he said ignoring my question.

"thanks" I said before realizing that it wasn't a compliment just a statement. I then turned around to look at James and immediately the smile was once again wiped from his face.

"Hold on let me check." He went into the back.

Now's your chance Case just run you stupid ass out before he comes back.

It didn't seem like such a bad idea but then I thought. This guy knows where you work and everything. Just see if he has it and if he does get it and if not that will give you a perfect excuse to high tail it out of here.

A couple seconds later he came out with a box. "got it." He said simply as he waved the box in the air.

"How much?" I asked.

"You look taller." He then said. All of these subject changes were making me dizzy.

"I grew." I said flatly. "How much?" I asked again.

"$95.99" He simply said.

I almost wanted to die right then and there. Even with the 83 dollars Travis had given me I couldn't afford to loose any money.

"Happy Birthday Case." I mumbled.

"What was that?" James asked as he headed to the back room.

"Where are you going with that?" I asked quickly.

"Judging by your facial expression I was putting it back." He said simply.

Alright now your pride is on the line case.

" I still want it." I said.

James cocked a brown. "You have the cash? I don't do lay-away."

Son of a bitch!

"I have the money" I said through grit teeth. James just stood there for a while staring at me. I ignored it and headed to the counter. Eventually he followed and rang me up.

"that'll be $96.27." I took out the $83.00 Travis had given me and laid it on the counter. I then went to my wallet and took out all my money.

God please let me have enough.

$1.44…that is all I would be left with after leaving. But I could do it…all I had to do was wait till next Friday…I mean I had already paid for the room until that time…so what if you wont be eating for a week or so. Youre pride is more important than any pop-tart.

As I laid my wallet on the counter, James peeked over glanced at my i.d. and chuckled.

It was about 2 years old and I hated it. During that time I didn't really have much to smile about so in that picture I looked totally miserable. When I tried to grab, it he immediately snatched it up. I was so shocked I couldn't said anything but…"motherfucker."

He ignored my rude comment and looked at my I.D.

"well, well, well…happy birthday. He then took the liberty of doing some more investigations.

"$1.00?" That's it. Youre blowing your last bit of money on this?" He asked with a shocked look on his face.

"give me back my damn wallet. Not that its any of your business but my boss gave me a very thoughtful gift and I wanted to thank him" I said answering his question.

"you get a gift on your birthday and you feel the need to get other people gifts because of that? Never heard of that before."

I just simply help out my hand and didn't say anything.

After a long moment staring at me. He let out a sigh. Tossed the wallet on the counter and took out a pair of box cutters. I stared at his actions confused as he flipped the box over so then bottom was facing up and led a small scratch along the bottom.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked.

"Im sorry but this box appears to be damaged so, I wont be able to sell this to you full priced." He said with a sigh. "That'll be $10.00"

For a moment I couldn't believe what I had just heard. "Why would you do something like that?" I asked.

He ignored my question. "sorry its store policy. All damaged merchandise comes at a discount."

"So you immediately decided to take off 80% off?" I asked.

"Consider it a birthday gift." He said not looking at me.

"Look buddy." I said squaring my shoulders. Although it was a fine gesture I didn't want this guy thinking I was some poor waitress who couldn't afford air…it was true but that's besides the point. I still had my dignity. "I appreciate the help but I would rather you just get me another filter." I said with a sigh.

James mouth quirked up into a slanted grin. Damn that boy had a nice smile. "Sorry no can do. That was our last filter for that make and model…I guess you're stuck with it…unless you decide to wait for me to order another part…even then though, there's no guarantee the box is going to come in any better condition."

Son of a batch of cookies…is he hitting on you via discounts?

I let out a sigh and weighted my options. "Could you please just check and see if you may have overlooked one?" I glanced at my watch. It was almost going on 7:00.

James let out a small huff of annoyance and went to the back.

Now's your change. Get your goffy ass out of there!

I recounted my money and made sure all the money was there, slammed it down on the counter. Grabbed my wallet and the filter and ran out the store.

I was a good 40 yards from the store when I though I heard the door to his shop open…

Wait, that's impossible. I thought but just as a precautionary measure I decided to put a little pep in my step. I didn't realize that I was in a full sprint until I wounded a corner and saw that I was at Sookies.

I looked at my watch. "ten minutes? Wow impressible." I said to myself. I ran to Sookies house and banged on the door.

"Please be there. Please be there. For the love of GOD please be there!" I silently prayed.

Her car was in the driveway so things were looking good.

"Who is it?" Came a voice on the other end of the door.

"Its Case, Sookie, open up." I said with a sigh of relief. I grabbed my clip and put my hair up so it was out of my face.

When I heard her jiggle the doorknob I froze. "You've got to be shitting me!" I whispered. I sense someone else was there and I had a good idea of who it was.

When Sookie opened to door I ignored the shocked look on her face and entered.

"What happened to y—" She asked with her eyes widening.

"I don't know…I'm dying." I said placing Sams gift on her coffee table.

"Well…isn't this interesting?" said a familiar voice.

I saw Eric leaning against the threshold. A small smile touching his lips.

I ignored his little comment and went back over to Sookie.

"Look," I began. "I don't know how this happened I just woke up and all of a sudden," I undid my clip and my hair tumbled. I glanced over at Eric and he went stiff and let out a long breath. "my hair looks like I just stepped out of a shampoo commercial and," I made a gesture with my entire body. "Ka-POW."

"Well…you look great." Sookie said with a shocked look still plastered on her face.

"You couldn't have come at a better time." Eric said as he made his way over to the living room and sat in the loveseat so he was sitting as far across from me as possible.

"We were getting ready to come and get you." I stared at him confused but then remembered what he was talking about. Fangtasia…that was tonight?

"Look I think considering the circumstances I should…well…sit this one out." I said with a wary look on my face.

Sookie took a step towards me.

"Casey, are you sure you even want to get mixed up in this mess?" Sookie asked. I was guessing that Eric had filled her in on a few things. "I mean, I did it and it was a big mistake." She said. Hurt crossed her face for a moment.

If you need money, I'll five you some Sookie thought.

I cant I have him my word and I don't back out on a promise

To hell with promises you could get killed.

Stop being a damn hypocrite! Look im going and that's the end of that.

Sookies threw up her hands in defeat and went to the kitchen.

"Is there something I am missing here?" Eric asked not being about to listen in on our conversation.

"Several things." I said with a sigh of exhaustion. " but most importantly, a functioning brain."

Sookie let out a mental laugh and I fought to keep my smile internal.

Eric didn't look as amused as me and Sookie apparently.

"Look," I began changing the subject. "I cant go…I don't even have anything to wear."

"Sookie does." Eric said 'matter of factly'.

I was small but I wasn't SOOKIE SMALL. This girl must have been about 2 to 3 sized smaller than me.

"I can't fit any of Sookies clothes." I said with "DUH" plastered all over my face. When rising.

Eric rose as well and slowly made his way so he was stand right on from of me. " I don't care if you have to go there in what you're wearing right now, you're going and that's final."

I took a step back but not in fear but to square up for another one of my "oh no you DIDN'T!" moments.

"When…the…fuck did you become my father! I'm telling you I'm not going and that is the END of the discussion"

I didn't see a glow…a spark…nothing. One moment I could breathe just fine and the next Eric had his hand around my neck and was massaging me to death.

"I have had just about enough of you smart remarks and demands." He said through grit teeth.

"Eric get your damn hands off her!!!" Sookie hollered.

"Someone needs to teach this child some manners. Something her parent obviously didn't do properly."

It started as only a funny feeling in my stomach. Like when you are kinda hungry and your stomach starts to growl. My entire body went cold then hot then cold then back to hot. The fear I was feeling, was quickly being replaced with anger. Without warning my hand grabbed Erics and began to pry his fingers from around my neck.

Erics eyes widened for a moment. The muscles in my arm were burning in the process but the anger I was feeling kept me motivated. It didn't even register what I was doing…or what I did next. One moment my other arm was by my side balled into a neat little fist, and then next moment…excruciating pain was shooting through it. I moved so fast that I didn't even see it…but sure enough Eric had now put a good space of distance between us and was licking a small spec of blood from the corner of his mouth.

I was howling in pain as I looked at my hand. My knuckle was caved in.

You broke your hand on an ancient vampires face!!!

"You…hit me." Eric simply stated. I could tell that he was shocked I could read it in his mind.

Tears were streaming down my face at this moment. "Yeah…and it felt great and if you say another thing about my parent…ill do it again asshole."

"For gods sake Case your hand. I think you broke something." Sookie shrieked. "Eric!" Sookie glared at him.

"What?" He asked sounding almost human. "Who's the one bleeding here?" He said pointing to his mouth.

"You—" Sookie was interrupted my a car pulling into her driveway.

"That would be the driver…don't keep me waiting ill give you each ten minutes." Eric said grabbing a handkerchief and wiping the blood form his mouth.

Sookie was about to protest something but Eric was already out the door.

"Come on. Let's just get this over with." I said while standing straight and whipping my eyes.

"You can't be serious?" Sookie said with a sigh.

I ignored her comment. "Look, do you have anything that has a lot of stretch to it…I would wear this but I don't want a load of bloodsuckers know where I work."

Sookie sighed as a sign of her giving up and stood. "Look, I have a few things. Just go to my room, upstairs, second door on your left and ill come up with some ice for your hand." She said.

"No need." I said bracing myself. I raised my shirt so I had something to bite on and popped to bone back into place. A single tear ran down my face. Sookie stared in horror.

"It will be better in about a day or so. I've broke this hand dozens of times." Which was true. I had never been in any fights really. Nothing serious but I did manage throughout the years to fall a few times completely dislocating my thumb, dropping my bed while trying to move it, and breaking three fingers. That and a slew on other injuries and a klutz like me managed to do. I was all healed in 48hrs.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

After looking in the mirror I decided that I didn't look all that bad. It was a bit too short for my liking but comparing to the other dress I tried on I looked like a saint…at least you weren't able to see my ovaries in this dress like you could the last one.

It was a halter dress which had a built in bra…thank GOD…which mean that I could finally take on that death contraption that I managed to survive the day with.

It was white with black and red roses on it. Thank GOD Sookie and I were the same size as far as shoes went. I was never much of a heel person so I decided why start now. I slipped on some white sandal with a thing heel not even an inch high. Something tells me that the vampires wouldn't appreciate me coming in there with tennis shoes.

"You can have that if you want." Sookie said.

"Oh no I couldn't do that." I said, not meaning it.

"Just take it. It looks great on you anyway."

"It DOES doesn't it?!" I said and gave a purr.

Sookie just rolled her eyes and finished getting dressed. She decided to sport a KILLER and I mean K to the ILLER strapless dress. All black with heels that would make a supermodel break her neck.

"Hey baby!" I whooped. "What YOU doing later on tonight?" I said trying to so my best GQ impression.

Sookie just laughed as I followed her downstairs. I took one last look in a mirror that Sookie has on her dining room wall.

I don't know what made me change. Maybe someone up there saw all of the bullshit that I had gone through and though that maybe I deserved a break. Maybe it was Super AIDS all I know is that I was finally feeling good about myself. And even though I was about to get into a limo with a mind reader and a vampire, I finally felt normal.

** PLEASE READ!!!!Authors notes**

Just a heads up you guys this story is going to be ending kinda soon but DON'T worry I wrote this as a to part segment. I did this because I didn't want this story to have 80000 chapters and junk. When I finish this story PLEASE read the authors notes because it is going to give you INFO on where to find the next part of A Normal Life