My amazing readers! Thank you for your patience! Even if you weren't very patient at all, in which case, thank you for your loyalty! I have been super busy with mi bambino, and on top of that, my housemates crashed the computer. (not that they let me use it too much, anyway). I am currently on vacation to see my family, who kindly rendered me usage of their computer so I could continue writing. One day, I'd love to be able to own a laptop…
So, my humble apologies, but please enjoy the next chapter of the story. Again, you are amazing, readers!
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Logan gave a sideways glace to his new passenger and saw her chewing nervously on the side of her bottom lip. His eyebrows descended very close to the tops of his eyes as he grunted and turned his eyes back to the road. She had settled into an odd mood the second she sat down in the copilot seat. Now, Logan wasn't a man who cared to make small talk, but he at least expected some words out of this girl who seemed to have no trouble vocalizing when they had first met.
"Kid, you're makin' me nervous," he said bluntly. Lowen seemed to return from her stupor and turned her head to face him without moving her elbow from the ledge of the glass window.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, her voice a soft, timid whisper. Logan found himself irritated at this reaction.
"Why the total 180-turn, kid? One moment, you're keeping your mammoth friend from trying to knock me out, then you beg me for a ride as if you've been tortured, now you're bein' all meek, like you're scared shitless. Care to explain what's going on?" He was open and blunt. Why beat around the bush to get answers you want? Just out and ask, was his philosophy. Lowen's uncurled herself from the seat to rest her feet on the floor, only to find they barely brushed the top of the truck's floor mat. She sighed and swung her legs as if to distract herself.
"You know.. you could have gone after him," she said quietly.
"Who? The mutant? Crossfire or whatever the hell his name was? Naw." He grunted yet again. "Those days are over and done. I have the answers to my life now, and I'm content with my position in everything. You can't chase every crazy who comes your way. It's bound to happen when you've lived a life like mine. And before you ask, it's a long story, one that I don't care to tell right now." Lowen nodded, her eyes not leaving him for a moment. For some odd reason, she felt reverent of this man without even knowing his struggles." He shifted his gaze onto her once more. "But that didn't answer my question, darlin'."
Lowen lowered her head and felt her face redden slightly at the endearment. She knew that it was just something he most likely called all girls, but she couldn't help but like the way it sounded when he said it. After all, who doesn't like to feel flattered? The window made a hollow sound as she thumped the side of her head against it. She was quiet for another minute before she spoke again.
"He came after me first, you know," she said quietly. Logan nodded.
"I'm aware," he replied, his eyes on the road. Lowen frowned out towards the scenery that rushed by.
"It makes you wonder who else out there is hunting for us." Logan gave her a skeptical look.
"Kid, I'm no sage, but believe me when I say that not everyone's the enemy."
"No, no, I know that. I have the belief that people are basically good until they make the decision to be bad."
"To each their own," Logan shrugged. Lowen mirrored his action and continued.
"I guess what I mean is that because we're different, because we're…" she paused. "…mutants," she said slowly, "it means that we're not guaranteed peace…maybe ever."
"That's a pretty dismal conclusion for a hippie to come to, kid. But I can't say I follow you."
"I hate to be paranoid, but sometime made me realize that there could be someone out there looking for me, all because I'm a mutant. If that person happened to find me, who's to say that they won't hurt the people I'm with when they find me?" Logan took a deep breath.
"Hmm.. that's a tough one, kid," he said. Lowen nodded, waiting for him to offer some kind of advice or say something more, but the both of them remained silent. In a way, she was relieved, part of her not really wanting a lecture on the opposing side, and the other part just plain tired. Yet, she could help the nagging feeling of her statement hovering over her like a dark cloud of doom, lingering above her head due to her lack of answers over the issue that warred in her mind.
"Did you know that I'm actually a teacher?" Logan's voice cut into her brooding. Lowen's face contorted into an expression of shock.
"What?" she asked dumbly. "Seriously?" Logan chuckled at her awestruck reaction.
"Yeah, I'm serious. I go out into the woods to work on jobs when my students are out for the summer. It keeps me sane to be out of the cities and just be in my…'natural habitat', if you will," he chuckled, seeing her stare and knowing that he had her full attention. "I work at a school for mutants. We're probably like any other school out there, except for the fact that we also teach kids to control and tap into the potential of their powers. If you're really worried, maybe you should-"
"No," she cut him off with the short reply. Now it was Logan's turn to be surprised. She cast a look of regret in his direction.
"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like…"
"No, that's fine. I guess it ain't for everyone. I was just putting it out there," he said, not all too offended by her frankness. "May I ask why, though?" he inquired.
"I hated school. Hated it with the passion of a million suns," she fumed quietly. Logan couldn't help but smile a little. "It was too much for me.. especially with my mutation. My parents kind of understood. I was home schooled from when I discovered my mutation until I was 16, then I decided to go back to public school in hopes that I could maintain a normal lifestyle. Pfft.. what a joke that was." Logan could hear the anger and resentment in her voice. He saw Lowen open her mouth to say more, but then shut it suddenly and settle into loathing silence. "I'm sorry," she offered, timid once more. Logan nodded and gave her more silence to determine whether or not she wanted to continue. She took his offer.
"Long story short, maybe my mutation has made me too introverted to fit in with 'normal' society. I'm so in tune with feelings, both other people's as well as my own, that I've become scared of humanity itself." Suddenly, she cried out in frustration, causing Logan to jump. Then there was silence again. The sun was going down, causing the sky to rip open to reveal its blood made up of crimson and violet hues. The melancholy quiet seemed to lift off the passenger and her driver as the colors swirled in the distance.
"Pull over at the next exit, if you could. I think this station is my stop," Lowen requested. Logan's stubble twitched as he nodded and maneuvered the monstrous truck off the highway.
"What about your friend? The guy with the bedhead and tooth necklace," he asked. Her eyes closed slightly, a sound between a light gasp and a quiet sob escaped from between her lips, and once more she composed herself.
"Spooky…" she started and trailed off before she could get anything else out. She struggled for words, trying to justify her leaving the caravan. "…he understands that I had to go," she finally said. A snort from her driver, but nothing more. His feelings suddenly radiated off him and stuck to her like a dart in a board. Disbelief, sadness, pity… the truck was hardly stopped before she opened the door to jump out into the parking lot.
You're lying. You're lying. You're lying.
"Thank you so much, Logan." She finally said, embarrassed with herself, ashamed of her brash actions. The last thing she wanted him to think was that she was ungrateful. If anything, she felt the urge to throw her arms around this man's neck and cry out all her frustration about the world and its injustices, but she only stood there, bags on her shoulders, biting her chapped lips. Logan quirked a smile as he looked down at her.
"Kid," he spoke. "I'm the last person who would ever deserve to judge you. If you ever need help, the mutant school's in New York. Who knows? We might even meet up again." She gave a sad smile.
"Thanks, but I'm not sure a school would be a place where I'd belong," she said sadly. Logan's eyes turned deathly serious for a moment as she stared up at him from the ground, her green eyes wide and her hair tangled and crazy around her face. He tilted his head up but kept his eyes firmly locked on hers.
"There's a place for you here somewhere. Don't ever doubt that."
So much meaning in such a simple statement. She watched the truck turn out of sight, carrying the man that left her there with her mind crying out for answers she so desperately wanted, but never thought she'd find.
She wanted to believe him so badly.
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Her butt hurt from sitting on the sidewalk for so long. The automatic lights from the road had come on long ago when the sun had dipped below the line of darkening land. The manager of the gas station was cool enough to let her at least stay there without a problem for as long as she need, just so long as she didn't cause a problem. Lowen was thankful. With any amount of luck, maybe she could hitch a ride and meet up with another caravan somewhere. She leaned her tired back against her bags and closed her eyes, relishing the feel of peace that washed over her as she blocked every single thought, worry, and idea out of her head for a single moment and relished the simple noises; the buzz of fluorescent lights, the buzzing of insects, the clanging of bells on the door of the gas station, the hum of gasoline being pumped into waiting cars, the crickets in the distance, the raging roars of semis as they cruised to the pumps, hoping to quench their thirst on the poisonous, clear liquid while their drivers hoped the same for themselves, only a different type of cocktail they craved after the long drive.
"FUCK OFF, MAN!" The loud voice startled her out of her pondering and back into reality, all feelings came flooding back as her mind wildly tried to find the source of the yelling. A loud clang was heard. There, by a gas pump, a man being held in the air, his back jammed against the machine by another man. Lowen gave a shrill gasp, her body resisting every instinct to screech like a mad woman and bolt in the opposite direction.
The night suddenly turned from lazy to perilous in a matter of seconds. Patrons started screaming and running, some shouting into phones, others crying out for their companions to gather in safety far away from the man holding another.
Blood red skin. Coal black hair. Icy blue eyes. His form was adorned in a high, wide-collared jacket that was clasped across his chest with two rows of old-style military buttons. The collar the barely rested below his chin. Lowen thought all sanity had left her: a long, twitching red spaded tail.
Demon.
And that was the moment those eyes turned to lock onto hers.
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GASP. SHOCK. DON'T FAINT. Keep reading. I hope to have the next chapter up hopefully within the week. This is when the action will really kick off. Curious, should I change the rating to M due to all the bad language, do you think? Please review. It does mean a lot to me. Thank you again.