Chapter 12 – From the Eyes of a Dark Soul
The afternoon summer sun was directly overhead, blaring down on Fang's back unbearably. He paused for a moment, resting his shovel against the fence, to wipe his brow with the back of his hand, the only clean part of him. He used the break to inhale deeply before getting back to his work.
It was Saturday, and judging from the position of the sun it was about noon. He was out earlier in the morning with Max and Ella for their first shift, but luckily the three of them were able to go through the routine quickly since he was now used to the system after five days of obeying their every command. Attend to the sheep, goats, pigs, horses. Clean them, feed them, wrangle them, exercise them… It was an endless cycle of care that would never be reciprocated. What was the point of having these animals if they served no purpose? He understood the need for sheep and horses, but all the others? Unless they ended up on the dinner plate, which they didn't, there really was no point.
Rays of heat blared down, causing objects in the distance to appear hazy, like a mirage. It wasn't unusual for the temperature at this time in September to have random spikes, but this was uncomfortably hot. There were no clouds in the sky so there was no relief from the discomfort. It seemed like time wasn't passing, and the heat was making the small beads of sweat drip down his olive skin.
Today girls scrambled their way to and from the barn, preparing their horses and gear for a major horse show tomorrow. He was beginning to recognize some of the faces of the women and girls who passed through, seeing them throughout the week when they would exercise their steeds or pick them up for a riding lesson. Even all the Martinez's were busy preparing. He'd never seen one of these events before – he'd never worked on a farm before – but he had no idea it took so much… time. So much work. His idea of taking care of an animal was cleaning a litter box or walking the dog, but horses were on a completely different level.
When he finished cleaning the riding ring from all traces of feces, he walked with shovel in tow to the barn. Which he just realized was pointless to clean, since more horses would be there the rest of the day. He walked through the large breach that led to the stalls. Dr. Martinez was standing by the rack where he placed the shovel.
"Hey Fang," she said to him with a smile. "How's the ring looking?"
He grabbed a towel from a shelf, cleaning his hands off. For the past five days, though, he felt like the stench of manure had permanently settled within the cracks of his callused hands. It was a very unattractive odor every time his hands neared his face, especially when he was eating food.
"It's clean," he replied, "for now."
She chuckled quietly. "That's the downside of owning horses, but it's worth it."
"Worth it for you," he muttered, more to himself.
She placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "It might seem like there's anything in it for you, but we really appreciate all the work you're doing for us. And an extra set of hands makes all the work easier. Especially having a guy around helps when we have to carry a heavy load. It's the joys of our family; we work as one and have fun as one. I hope you're not finding life too boring here. Max and Ella really enjoy having you around."
"I'm not thinking of leaving," he reminded her, a little shocked hearing that Max liked his company. Ella was a given, but Max? She was a lot harder to impress. "I need to get used to the work."
She smiled again. "I'm sure it will get better. Were you planning on joining us for the show tomorrow?"
With that he peeled off his permeated t-shirt, which he was thankful that was black or else the sweat would be visible, and draped it over his shoulder. "No, I'm staying here. I can handle getting up at five AM, but any earlier is where I draw the line."
"But the season ends next month."
"I'll go later, once I'm better adjusted."
Does she ever stop smiling? he wondered, as she sent another one in his direction. "I understand, and I think you're almost done for the day. You deserve the rest of the day off, but before you go in I want you to move the hay bales from the roadside to the supply shed."
"Okay," he said, relieved that he was about to get the rest of the day to himself. He was ready to lie down in front of the air conditioning and drink a jug of water.
He exited the barn, heading down the long driveway to the road where he could already see the large piles of hay that had been delivered earlier. He had no idea why the deliverers couldn't take it to the shed themselves, but he wasn't going to bitch about it. It was mindless, easy work that only required a bit of brawn. He wasn't terribly muscled, but he was strong, stronger than Max even, and that was saying something.
On his second trip to the roadside he noticed Ella and Monique, the rich girl who he met on Tuesday, trotting their horses together along the fence surrounding the Martinez's property. He never asked Monique, mostly because he couldn't get a word in with her and really he didn't want to, but he knew her family had money if they drove a Bentley. As they approached, they noticed him without a shirt on and giggled uncontrollably, their faces flushed with excitement. He ignored their enjoyment with the scene, but not without smirking and feeling a little satisfied.
When they thought they were out of earshot, they gushed to each other about him. "Oh, my God, did you see his abs!"
"Yeah, and they're hot!"
"You're so lucky you live with him!"
"I know, riiiight?"
Their laughter faded the farther they got from him. He sighed; the attention was a burden, especially from Ella. It was hard not to enjoy when others find you attractive, but when it's obsessive, it's downright annoying. He bent his knees to help lift the bales, and once he got a good grip he preceded to the shed.
He was on his last trip to the shed, and he felt his lips twitch into an involuntary smile. It was hard to break his usual mask of impassiveness, but this was a special occasion. Relief was minutes away…
Max walked out of the shed, detangling her blond hair from its braid to fix it into a messy bun. She was in a tank top and her riding pants and boots. Once she finished, she grabbed one bale and was heading toward the barn until she spotted him standing several yards away. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't help but stare at her for a little too long, noticing how the form-fitting outfit accentuated her curves, something that she usually hid. She didn't seem to observe his keen glance, though.
He walked up to her and she raised an eyebrow, looking at his topless self. "Whoa, who are you showing off for?" she asked sarcastically.
His returning smile was smug. "Why, you like it?"
She rolled her eyes. "Uh huh, oh Fang I can't keep my eyes off of you," she mocked, and they instantly thought of the same person once she said it.
"Where you going?" he asked, taking the hay into the shed.
"I'm taking this to Gale and the other horses." She lifted a smaller bale to prove her point.
When he finished, he slumped unto a stack like it was a seat and let out a collective sigh. Max was still standing in the doorway, watching him. He brushed his long hair off his neck and removed the moisture that was building up there.
"Hot day," he said awkwardly, for once trying to initiate the conversation. It was obvious he didn't have much practice in this department.
She nodded. "Yeah, it's supposed to reach ninety. You should get a haircut. Or at least pull it back so it won't be as hot."
He snorted. "It'll be fall soon, so it won't matter."
"Whatever, don't cut your precious locks then." He shot her the bird and she grinned back. She was so annoying, he thought, but nothing like her father. Thank God for that.
"So you do this all year long, not taking any breaks?" She knew what he was referring to.
"Yup, all year."
"Even in winter?"
"Yeah, it can get rough, but if you bundle up you're good. We don't do as much when it's colder, mostly because we can't exercise the horses outside. We usually take the horses to an indoor facility a few times a week instead."
"So there aren't any days off?"
"Only when someone is sick, but taking a day off sucks for the others because they have one less pair of hands to help them."
He thought of the day when Max had that migraine and Dr. Martinez gave her the day off, volunteering to do the work for her. Before he had no idea why she offered to help Ella, but the past five days made him realize that doing the work alone would be torture. It would probably never get done.
"Why? Are you already sick of all the work?" she asked with some undertone of superiority.
"No, I'm just tired of shoveling the shit,"he admitted honestly. "The rest is okay."
Glad that his day was over, he rose from the hay bale. "What are you doing now?" she asked him.
"Going in. Your mom gave me the rest of the day off."
"That's not fair," she joked. "Act like a man and stay with us all day."
"Yeah right," he said with a quick laugh. "I want to go in to the land of air conditioning and fresh clothes. Have fun the heat."
He ducked around her, but not without receiving a quick jab to the arm. She laughed and shook her, walking off toward the barn. He stood outside for a moment, watching her go, before heading back to the house for a much needed shower.
As promised, this was a Fang chapter. I think it has a little of everything to make everyone happy, so I hope I didn't butcher people's view of our favorite Dark Soul. And FreeSpirit329, the summary said that it was a Fax story, so there are hints of a one-sided Fax so far, but nothing serious is gonna happen... right now anyway.
Thanks a bunch to everyone who reviewed. It totally made my day!! :D I think I found my mojo again. He was hiding in the closet, or at least that's what he said he's been doing for the past few days. *rolls eyes* And no HaLf CrAzY HaLf DaRk. AlL JeSs, he isn't nerdy looking at all. He's quite hot, once he takes off the glasses, but he's really shy so I only see him once in a blue moon. But a special thanks goes out to Blissful-x-Optimism for your awesome review!! And in appreciation, I wanted to answer your questions, but WARNING: IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE INSIDER INFO ABOUT THE STORY, DON'T READ!!! Now that I put this down everyone will read it. :P
1) Well, originally I had planned for them to, but now I'm not so sure. To me it seems a bit awkward to all of a sudden have fourteen feet wide wings popping out of your back randomly. It would be like, "Hello, um, where were you all of my life?" I could do the whole Total thing and have them sprout tiny and then grow… but that seems really weird too. I haven't decided officially what I'm doing as far as the wing situation is, but I'm getting there.
2) Jeb? Evil? Nah. ;) No seriously, he's strange and creepy in this story, but honestly he is by no means evil. He just is a little socially awkward, so everything he says comes across as unusual.
3) Yes and no. She understands that Max has a purpose, but she doesn't know the extent of it.
4) Yeah, I seriously hate pigeons. And I'm afraid of flying crap too. So the two together don't make a pleasant combination.
5) She thinks Fang is hot, but if/when Max finally realizes it too, Ella isn't gonna interfere. She has Middle School boys to occupy her time with.
6) Yes, most, if not all, the powers will be incorporated at some point. I may even add new ones, but I'm not completely sure yet.
7) Is Max going to have a Voice? That's like asking if I have a Voice.
8) Who knows? You might even have voices in your head at some point.
9) Fang's history isn't completely explained yet – he'll tell Max everything he knows later on – but there are parts of it that he doesn't know. As far as what Jeb said, I'll elaborate a bit. When Fang was a baby, he was adopted by a woman who he worked with. When he was 5, she died, and since they couldn't locate any other family he was put in foster care. He'd been placed in several homes, but at every one he felt really uncomfortable so he either a) ran away or b) did something to either make the family not want him or make Social Services believe they weren't capable of taking care of him properly. He's a clever little one.
10) Hmmm… I didn't know that. I'll have to try it sometime.
11) Okay…not really a fan personally. But that's just little ol' weird me. They filmed part of the second movie right by where I play hockey at. I never saw cameras there, but it was at an old steel factory that has the coolest looking furnaces I've ever seen.
12) As of right now, no. Please refer to question 1 again.
13) Yummy! Quesadilla! Sure, I'm hungry too. I'll ship it out to ya right now!
14) No, actually the first time I read this I was laughing so hard. I needed some good entertainment; it's hilarious!
15) Seriously, no, refer to the previous question. It was a good up lifter
16) Not really, I'm really random too, so I understand. :)
17) Yah to boredom! :P
18) I didn't know that either. I'm so out of touch with anything mainstream, I'm lucky I knew that Michael Jackson died.
19) That'd be a new one. Add that to the list: vampires, werewolves, freakishly-hot mutant bird kids, autobots.
20) Hahahaha!!! Now that's cruel. ;)
21) … to you too
22) I've been like that before. Lack of sleep puts me in a bizarrely drunk state of mind. Not that you sound drunk or anything. ;)
23) FANG!!!!!
24) Ralph Lauren? Lacoste?
This was fun. Let's do it again!
Review please!!! And take the poll!!!!!