***Author's Note***
It took me a long time to write this chapter even though it doesn't look like it…
Honestly, normally when I write a chapter, it's all in one go. Or two… and it just takes
me a long time to get around to actually writing it. This time however took me five or six
times… But really I have plenty of good excuses… I went on a short vacation two
hundred miles from where I live so I drove there. Bad idea since I wrecked my car…
(RIP Malibu…) And then I finally got a job since I think I shared that Subway fired me…
Anyway… I am now an employee of Walmart… So yay~ But that means even less time
to write. I will try to keep up posting since I know I'm currently mad at some of my
favorite fanfiction authors for not posting in a couple months. I know it kills me. And I
secretly hope that there are some of you out there that stalk my story updates like I do
theirs… I mean… I have their alerts sent to my phone after all…
Anyway~ So apparently I forgot to add my list of Thank You's last time. I have an
excuse for that again. I took my laptop to a wifi hot spot but didn't bring my charger.
I realized just before I published the chapter that it must have come unplugged at my
house because my battery was almost dead…
Right. So where was I? Thank You:
xXKiraXx101 & CandyCornQueen
I Love reviews! Really! My muses eat them for lunch and dinner and stuff… But they tend to starve occasionally…
Chapter 20
The world sped by faster as Nina tightened her hold on the throttle and leaned forward, cutting air resistance as she picked up speed, spraying gravel as she almost took a turn too fast on one of the deserted streets. She would only admit it to herself but she was probably a little too familiar with the back streets…
An alley caught her eye, one she hadn't been down in a long time so she cut through it, having to slow down significantly but not caring. The graffiti was worth the loss of the rush since it was always changing, always growing… Occasionally a brave building owner would repaint over all of the vandalism only to have the walls covered again faster than most would find possible.
There were always more teens that joined the groups that went 'tagging' and it wasn't surprising that their ranks filled faster than the police could catch them. Most that got caught only turned around and started tagging again as soon as they got a hold of a can of spray paint.
It was illegal, yes, but, to Nina, it was one of the most beautiful things in this city that was full of drug users, gang members, and homeless. It was ironic that the things she didn't like about the city were the things that created her favorite part…
It was also perhaps a little ironic that she, Kira, liked things that were rather illegal… Graffiti, racing, killing people…
She shook her head as she looked over the wall. There were territory marks, bored teenager marks, as well as odd symbols that homeless used to help each other out. She could tell the difference between what each meant and had, on occasion, met a few of the artists that had marked many of her favorite places.
She cut her engine and pulled out her sketch pad. She had a couple hours to blow before she had to be at the station so she decided drawing was how she intended to waste some of her wait time.
She stood there around twenty minutes working on the basic layout of the wall, making sure the largest marks were in scale when she noticed at the corner of all the marks was a little ship, one that was obviously meant to look like the ones at the bottom of Maria's work. She reflexively took a step back, completely unnerved by the simple little addition.
Did someone want her to draw the alley? Was someone daring her to? Was it a rude gesture? Was it meant as a compliment? A warning? A joke?
She decided not to draw it, taking a picture of it with her phone instead, sending it instantly to Anne. She didn't know what was meant, but she didn't like it.
Leaving the unknown message behind her, she went on ahead to the police station so she could get in a few extra hours of community service. She wasn't in any hurry though and continued to take every back road she knew there, managing to double her travel time even as she traveled top speed through narrow alleys.
She slowed down when she had to get on the main roads close to the station, and by then she was in a much better mood, the strange mark in the alley practically forgotten; she felt like she was ready to take on anything…
As soon as she cut her engine and pulled off her helmet her eyes connected with a pair of ice blue ones.
"Nina," Scott seemed to purr, "Nice bike you've got there…"
Of course… things always seemed to happen this way…
She grinned sheepishly, keeping in mind that she was still pretending to keep her bike a secret, "Thanks…"
"So this is what you typically drive? Your Ducati could probably beat the bikes around here in a race…" he trailed off with a smirk that Anne would have paid for, "Provided you could even keep it upright over eighty five…"
"What do you know?" She snapped before she could bite her tongue. No one insulted her riding abilities. No one that she was ever around on her bike these days anyway… She was too used to getting the respect her Ducati had earned her in the race last November, so she wasn't used to being so blatantly called out.
His eyebrows rose at that, "Oh? And pray tell; why have you even had it above sixty?"
She wanted to glue her mouth shut, "I plead the fifth…"
He just shook his head but watched her as she dug out her shoulder bag before heading towards him since he was in the way, blocking the front doors with his presence, "Aren't you going to ask me what I'm doing here?"
"Aren't you going to ask me if I care?" she replied, glad that Light seemed to have disappeared again since he would defiantly feel he must inform her that it was best to make ones enemies like them…
He actually laughed for a moment, "Okay, that's fair, but I'm sharing anyway. I'm here because of…" he paused as if thinking about it before pointing to her, "you."
Nina's reply was to roll her eyes as she walked past him, "I'm flattered. But I'm going to have to decline…"
He sighed dramatically as he turned to follow her in, "You are well programmed… but that's my very point. We can help each other."
To Nina, it seemed like he thought about adding something but decided against it… "Unless you've been demoted and are now my rank, which, I'll add, is coffee fetcher, then I doubt you'll be much help." She wasn't denying that she could help him. Not that she even planned on telling him anything that would help in the Kira case, but she was certainly not useless.
He stopped walking and crossed his arms, "Fine. I'll promote you."
If he thought she would stop walking, he was wrong, "I'm not on the pay roll. 'Volunteer' means slave labor. Remember?" She refused to let him think she was enthusiastic about joining him.
"How about civilian consultant then?" A soft voice asked as Near's shape disconnected from the doorframe in front of them, effectively trapping her between the two strange 'special agents'.
She pretended to think about it, "You want me for slave labor as well huh? Hell, why not?"
She could feel Scotts glare, he had been pretending to be nice and she had seen through it. Nina knew he didn't like her and that he would never need her or admit that he did as long as he was thinking for himself. Near however… He probably couldn't care less if she joined or not, though it did seem he would prefer to have another's educated deductions to add to his and Scott's. She would work for him, not the red head and she was making it clear.