Okay. I've been thinking about setting. And I have absolutely no idea. Each character's little story happens to conflict with the one I've got brewing. : ( I'm thinking between seasons on and two. I'm not including Mary Ann, which also means to Eggs for Tara (sucks to be her.) I'll do something about it.
So, Jason's on the verge of Jesus (totally weird sentence, huh?), and no longer arrested.
Jessica IS in the picture. We'll meet her soon enough. :]
Um… I have no idea when we're going to get to hear from Emily, as in her POV, I think it's better to keep you guys confused for the time being. Haha.
Okay, I think that's it. I'm officially on summer vacation again!!! Summer gym finally ended, no more gym class EVERRR! It's spectacular. I'm happy. AND I'll be able to stay up till all hours and write you guys some stuff. :]
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Reviews: [since there were only three, I'm just responding to all of 'em.]
Vanilla Sunset in The Sky: You SOO get the cookie. ;P My title's a song too, if you're up for the challenge.
Diagnosis – MusicObsession: Haha! Thanks a lot.
Murgatroid98: Thanks. I'm glad it was interesting.
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Chapter two: Somebody Told Me.
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"Sookie," Bill whispered roughly into my ear, "Sookie, you're home."
I tried to pull my eyes open, but the slight movement caused my head to seize with pain. I clenched my jaw, but it only caused the pain to move deeper into my skull, pounding on the inside of my head.
"Sookie?" his voice was so… satisfying. I felt safer hearing him next to me.
I reached forward and grabbed Bill's hand, squeezing a little to let him know I understood. He reached under me, and moved me a little, like he was adjusting me on the couch. After few minutes of internal struggle against the part of me that willed the other to fall asleep, I finally got the strength to open up my eyes and choke out, "What happened?"
"A lot," he answered simply, smiling a little at me, "Everything's fine now, you'll remember after you get some sleep." He leaned forward to stand, but I kept him down.
"I don't want to sleep," I lied, sitting, up slowly. I wanted to remember what happened – everything that happened. I willed my brain to make some sort of connection, but it only made my head hurt even more, "Where's that girl who helped us… the one with the straight brown hair?" I did remember thinking about how weird straight hair was in Bon Temps, since no one really bothered on account of the humidity. Then I'm guessing I faded back into unconsciousness, because the rest in completely blank.
"At the bar, last time I checked," Bill said, his hand on the die of my face, I leaned into the icy chill of it, my head slowing to a jog as opposed to a full-blown run, "she's glad you're all right."
"I… want to see her," I shut my eyes again, remembering the silence of the car, the complete and total silence of the car. That car should not have been silent; my state should have at least made it more possible for the girl's thoughts to invade my own. Yet, I don't remember hearing a thing. I could feel a puzzled expression work its way onto my face, and I struggled to recall even the faintest whisper of what was going on in her head.
"It's late, she's probably left the bar by now," Bill tried to sort out some excuse to keep me in my house, but my mind was already set. There was something different about that girl, there had to be.
So I tried to make myself sound sterner, without sending my head into anarchy, "Bill, I need to speak to her."
"Sookie, that's not a good idea, it's late, you can't-"
"I couldn't hear her, Bill," I tried to explain, "Just like I can't hear you." Bill seemed curious, but his face stayed soft.
He tried to ease my mind, his voice soft and subtle, "You were tired-"
"No. It doesn't matter if I was tired, Bill. I can still manage-" I stopped. "Wait. We were at Merlotte's?" I felt like slapping myself, but quickly decided against it.
"Yes. I told her to stop there… I needed something to drink."
"She talked to Sam?"
"Well, yes, they were having a conversation prior to my entrance," Bill said, "Why?"
"He offered her a job," she leaned back, "He had to, we… we need another waitress down at the bar. She was new, pretty," I sighed, "You don't think there's any possibility she's…"
"She's not vampire," Bill said, "Ordered a Coke."
"Then why couldn't I…" she thought for a second, "I can hear Sam…"
"I told you, you're just tired. Everything's fine," Bill cooed.
The rest of that day, night, whatever (I did wake up at two in the afternoon), I slept like a log. I couldn't have dreamed, even if I wanted to.
It was about three forty-five when I hit the road for Merlotte's, since my shift starts at four, and I sat patiently at the bar, dressed in my uniform, waiting for this girl to show up. Sam was behind the bar, waiting as well; his thoughts were moving back and forth between me, my seemingly healthy appearance, and Emily.
Every time I heard Sam thinking about me, I quickly tried to put a stop to listening. It always made me feel strangely guilty to know that this man who I cared for so much was so… in love with me. It made me feel awful and extremely annoyed simultaneously. Though, if his thoughts on the new girl were any particular sign, it may not stay that way for long. A girl can dream.
She came in at four on the dot, and apologized for being a little late.
I hadn't really realized how pretty she was in the car. The straight brown hair was still there, looking reddish and warm in the bar's light. She had it cut choppy and layered, and relatively short; it ended at about her shoulders. She had large, vibrant green eyes that I didn't even notice before. Her nose and mouth were both smaller, and fit her face perfectly. She was a bit short, came up to about my eyes, but had long legs that made her appear much taller.
She made a bee-line for me, and looked slightly surprised. "Sookie, right?" she asked.
"Yes ma'am, Sookie Stackhouse."
"Oh, good," she sighed, "I'm Emily, and I'm so glad you're feeling well again, you look so much better than you did last night… I'm honestly surprised to see you here today." I looked at her and tried my hardest to listen, but nothing came. I almost sighed in exasperation, but held it in, luckily, before my frustration was apparent, Sam cut in.
"You told me she was fine," his voice was a little surprised, very accusing.
She looked around me and smiled, "Well, I lied," she tested the water a bit with a look of sheepishness, "You looked so… angry. I didn't want you to over-react. Or worry, really." She seemed genuinely worried about the look on Sam's face, seeing as he looked a little… well, I couldn't really describe what he looked like.
He looked at her for a moment, and then nodded, "Sookie, take her to get dressed." He was annoyed, but wasn't angry by any means, I could tell. A little further investigation revealed that he didn't care at all, and I could see him smiling to himself despite his currently irritable demeanor.
"Oh, right," I said, "Come this way please, Miss…"
"Emily. Emily Galloway."
"Emily," I smiled, "So, you're a medium, I think?"
"You've guessed correctly," she grinned, following me back into Sam's office.
"We'd better hurry, the usual people start coming in pretty soon." At Merlotte's our clientele is pretty staple until later in the evening. The later it gets, anything goes.
I tossed her the clothes – the staple Merlotte's white t-shirt – and looked for a pair of shorts. She moved to the back of the office and changed her shirt, studying the pictures by Sam's desk, along with the other crap he left laying around. She pulled the shirt down over her jeans, and turned to look at me, "Any luck?"
I sighed, "No. I think you'll have to do with the jeans for tonight. Make sure you pick up some shorts," I looked over at her, and she was once again studying the things on Sam's desk, looking back at me. I still heard nothing.
It was so annoying.
She replied, "Okay. Good," and smiled.
We started out the door, and I felt like I should say something, so I said, "Bill wanted me to thank you, again, for last night."
"Really?" she asked, "He's real quiet, I find it kind of surprising he speaks at all," she said sarcastically, though she was smiling. I felt a little confused, like I was missing something.
"Yeah, he's one to keep more to himself," I said.
"I can see that. Very polite, though."
I nodded, smiling a little.
"So, where are you from?" I knew the answer, but I may as well find out what I can for myself.
"New Orleans, came down to Bon Temps to pick up some stuff after my aunt died, she lives just outside this town… well… lived."
"I'm so sorry-"
"Don't be. We weren't close by any means. The only reason I'm getting anything is because I'm her only living relative," she rolled her eyes.
"So what did you do in New Orleans?"
"I was a journalist," she said, "I lost my job, though. I was involved with some individual who happened to have a less-than-appropriate reputation." I had stopped in front of his office, directly behind the bar. I kept looking for whatever I was supposed to be looking for, but I stopped caring about the silence. I had forgotten about the silence. She was pretty pale, especially, for living in New Orleans. Despite my earlier suspicions, she seemed nice enough, honestly. I started to wonder what exactly I was worried about; she seemed harmless.
I tried to tell myself that it was possible that it was just a fluke; maybe she was just on a different frequency than the usual people I picked up, like on the radio.
"What do you mean?" I asked, leaning against the wall.
"Vampires, of course," she elaborated, without any real interest, shrugged, "I worked on a local news channel, and they don't like their TV personalities fraternizing with the non-living."
Click. I blinked, my eyes suddenly making the most remote and random connection I could have possibly imagined. I was getting a huge feeling of déjà vu. I knew who she was; I'd seen her on TV, in the papers, on the internet, practically everywhere just a few months ago. "You're the Vampire rights activist!" I could feel my mouth drop, "Oh my god, just wait until I tell everyone! You're practically a celebrity!"
"I wouldn't say that," she laughed a little, looking down, "I was arrested three times…"
"Who cares? Here, come on, I've gotta go tell Arlene!" I couldn't believe it. Just a short time ago, this girl was at the head of one of the biggest social issues facing the country, and now… now she's here, of all places. I didn't understand what she was thinking. I wanted to know what Bill would say when he hears about her, everything she's done… I felt… like we were on our own special team. Us, against everyone who tries to put people like us down. I didn't know what to think, overall, though. I had no idea what kind of trouble she must have gotten into the flee down here.
I had so many questions. My own situation had left me judgmental of those too small-minded to see the reality of vampires existing, being beings themselves… But I always had my doubts. It was always hard to know what you were preaching was as correct as it felt in practice… There was always something to show me that yes, vampires weren't all good.
I found Arlene quickly, "The new girl is the same girl who did all those protests for the vampires in New Orleans," I rushed.
"What is she doing here?" was her immediate response, followed by a look of subtle discomfort. It looked a little like the look she gave Bill the first time she met him, a little curious, very suspicious.
"I have no idea," I said. "It makes no sense to me." I laughed a little, and went on to fill Arlene in on the protests. The movement this girl coordinated. They broke into soda machines and stocked them full of Tru Blood. They've been a representative group at most political outreaches and conferences, and oh, I really had no idea all she's done. I do know it was a lot. Then she just resigned and disappeared from the papers.
Somehow she ended up in Bon Temps, in Merlotte's, to be exact.
"Um," Emily interjected, "Actually I moved out here to… resign myself from politics as a whole. The whole political thing wasn't really a perfect fit for me, honestly."
"Oh!" I said, turning and realizing that she had been standing there the entire time.
Sam came out from behind the bar, "Why aren't you girls working? People aren't going to want to just sit around here," he laughed a little, "I'm not that entertaining. Why isn't she dressed?"
"We lost our spare shorts," I said, "Where they could go in that little office of yours is beyond me, but they're missing."
Emily nodded to back me up, "Nice little setup you've got back there. Very quaint."
"Um, thank you," he said, "It works."He looked away from her and back to me, "Seriously, move on, come on, Arlene, take table 13, he's been waiting for a good ten minutes. Sookie, uh, please show Emily around. Give her the run down."
"I know, Sam," I said, "But, um, do you know who exactly you hired to work here? I don't think you realize."
"Sookie, that's really not necessary," she said, but I wasn't listening. Sam just had to know, everyone just had to know!
"Uh-"
"Emily Galloway – the AVL group supporter. The protestor? The one who organized that sit-in at the high-school-"
"You did all that?" he asked, looking at her curiously, and totally cutting me off.
"Well, yeah. Someone had to," she shrugged, "It's really no big deal, I wasn't even that good at it. Besides, vampires can be a very moody bunch. It can get a little annoying."
I laughed. Sam looked shocked.
"That explains your reaction when Bill came in…" he said, "You seemed… fine."
"Oh, Bill's nothing compared to some of the characters I've met," she said, "He's kind of a sweetheart. You're really lucky to have him."
I couldn't help but smile at her compliment. It felt as though when she was talking about Bill, she was talking about me. I loved that all she had were compliments.
"So… you're what, exactly?" He asked, running a hand through his hair.
"Former protester," she smiled sheepishly, "Current waitress."
"Don't be so humble!" I said loudly, "You're amazing! I wish I had the same amount of courage you do, to do so much in such a little amount of time!"
"Well, you do have Bill," she said, "that's pretty much my whole message in a nutshell… That being with someone is being with someone, no matter what that person is." She grinned with confidence, I'd guessed it was the kind someone gets when they talk about something their passionate about. The shy girl I'd met just minutes ago seemed completely gone.
"I…" Sam tried to come up with a response, but fell flat, "I'm going to get back to work, as you all should be." He seemed nervous, probably a little star struck. I was too dazed by the girl's presence to delve deeper.
I grabbed Emily by the arm and started taking her around, the bar. I showed her table numbers, introduced her to Tara, who's shown up a good fifteen minutes late and was really not in the mood to talk.
I almost forgot to take her back by the kitchen but did so quickly, practically shoving her into Lafayette's window.
That all took less than fifteen minutes, I took the rest of my available time – up until all the later workers come in – to introduce Emily to the people of Bon Temps, and chat about… well… a lot.
"This," I said, on person number four, "Is Jason, my brother." Jason's eyebrows raised as he took in Emily's figure. I rolled my eyes.
"Hey," he said, "Jason," he held out his hand.
"Emily," she replied, "Nice to meet you."
It'd been going like this pretty much the entire time. The person would re-introduce themselves, she would say, 'Emily, nice to meet you,' we would move on.
"Em here is our new waitress!" I said excitedly.
"You new in town?" he asked, turning a bit and focusing on her.
"Yep, just moved in."
"Really,that's-"
"Jason, give her a break. She's been in town for about a day," I scolded. It was so like Jason to instantly hit on every female he sees, especially if that female is… fresh meat.
"What are you talking about Sookie?" he asked, "I'm not like that anymore. See?" he picked up his glass, "Coca Cola." I had forgotten about Jason's new personal code, and, honestly, was unsure of what to think. It was good that he had decided to turn over a new leaf and everything, but I didn't know how to act about it. I didn't know what Jason was going to become. As of now, though, he seemed fine.
"You're not drinking?" Emily asked.
Jason shook his head, "You don't drink?"
Emily shook her head, "Clouds your judgment. Not for me. You?"
"Trying to keep myself pure, you could say."
"Jason has introduced himself to God," I whispered in Emily's ear, "I don't know what that means, but he's not drinking, so it can't be horrible." I laughed a little.
"Good for you," Emily said, she then turned to face me, "I'd better get to waitressing. Sam keeps looking over here."
I smiled to myself, he was looking over here a lot, and I had reason to believe that it wasn't because we weren't waitressing, but I didn't want to make assumptions.
"Okay, let's get this party started. You can take this table. You've got… um… four to eight, and whatever else I throw at you."
"This is four?"
"This is four."
"Good," she nodded, "Thank you so much, Sookie."
"Oh, it's no problem – OH! You have a place to stay, right?" The thought just jumped into my head like it was hiding there the entire time.
"Well, no, not yet. I was going to stay the night at a motel or something, until I could get a place-"
"You should come to my place. Here's the address," I took out a piece of paper, and started scribbling down.
"Really? Sookie, I – That's a bit much. You don't have to." She looked extremely surprised, and I didn't understand why she was. It was the least I could do for someone who's done so much already.
"No, take it. For at least a little while, you really did help us last night."
"I, um… I, uh…okay. Sure. I'll stop by."
"Great. I'll see you later, then."
She smiled, and I turned to go to table one, leaning over the bar as I passed and saying to Sam, "Good job!"
He looked at me, confused for a moment before his face rearranged into a smile.
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Eh. This chapter was okay. I have some stuff I'm going to get to, but it's taking longer than I expected. I hope you all like it, really. I ended it here because I'm at eight pages on word, and I'm ready for things to start getting more interesting.
Next chapter's in Jason's POV. I should have it up REAL soon. Should be fun.
Please, please, please leave a review. You have no idea how happy they make me. Really. :)
I really hope it's awesome so far!!!!!!!!
