wasn't too sure where i was going with this, but i've figured out what i want to do now. I made some changes so hope you enjoy and all. It might get a bit dark so...
I own nothing at all :)
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Marie took a sip of her thick chocolate milk shake as the words on the page flipped over, side-ways and backwards. They kept on chasing each other around her head with no regard for logic or order. It seemed an exploration on string theory had not been the best choice of reading material. The sciences were where Irene excelled. In a misguided attempt to join in the conversations between her father and older sister at the dinner table, Marie had decided to try the non-fiction section of the common grounds book box. Unfortunately despite her best intentions, theoretical physics went right over her nine year old head.
"Any luck?" asked a friendly voice behind her shoulder. Marie spared a quick glance up into the kind eyes of the owner of the coffee shop and smiled despite her frustration.
"I still don't understand what any of it has to do with strings," she slid the book away from her in annoyance and the pages flipped closed, "It just makes no sense."
"You know I've got a great new book in," a wry smile crept across Oliver's face as he sat down slowly in the seat beside her, "I think you'd really enjoy it, it's a historical fantasy about King Arthur and the knights of the round table."
"You've had it in there a month, I read it three weeks ago," she twirled her straw round the ice at the bottom of her cup, "and I need to start reading more serious books, fiction is for babies."
Oliver leant back in his chair and regarded her with the slightest touch of a frown.
"Fiction is not for babies," his tone was edging on serious, considering how rarely he was anything resembling serious around her it made Marie straighten up a little in her seat, "Fiction is where you find the greater truths that science and philosophy could never hope to explain or understand... and I picked this one up yesterday."
She felt herself pouting a little at being told off and fiddled moodily with the side of the paper back on the table. The pages slapped lightly against each other with a faint zipping sound.
"And Merlin has a dragon..." Marie's head snapped up to watch Oliver swallow a grin.
"A dragon...?" He nodded solemnly in response and Marie quickly looked away throwing her eyes out the window onto the scorched spring street with an annoyed huff. In doing so she missed the amused grin that spread across the face of the first friend she had made in Morganville, two and a half long years previously.
The book box at the coffee shop had been the first thing to catch her eye and it had dragged her back there so often that Marie had become more than a regular. She had her own table in the corner where she would sit and read the most interesting books that found their way into her little library, and on an almost daily basis Oliver would pop his head into her solitude. Sometimes if the shop was quiet like it was that day, he would sit and talk with her a while asking about her book and her life, sometimes suggesting a novel for her to try. Occasionally she would come in to see a new paper-back waiting for her on the table. Other days if the shop was busy he would stop by and say a quick 'hello' and if he was in a really good mood he'd drop her off a milk-shake she hadn't ordered on the house.
Settling in at school had been tough, and it hadn't been home she'd gone every day after six hours of hard work and rejection. She would walk in to the coffee shop tired and sad, and grab a book to sulk in her corner and within fifteen minutes of her arrival he'd come over with a smile and some quick story to cheer her up before sending her on her way back home before it got too late. Occasionally he'd deposit a couple of cookies on her table in a small white paper bag, before sending her off with strict instructions to share them with her brother and sister and to give his regards to her parents.
"I wish dragons were real," said Marie turning back to look at him.
"Stranger things exist in this town," his eyes seemed ancient as an odd thought pulled at the edge of his lips. Marie often thought he was the wisest person she knew, "who's to say they're not."
"If they were real," Marie leant forward her voice dropping to a whisper as she glanced around nervously, "If dragons were real they could protect us from them... from him."
A small frown crept onto Oliver's forehead his hand tightening barely perceptibly on his chair arm.
"Has he been giving you trouble again? I told you to tell me if he was..."
"No, no he hasn't done anything..." said Marie shaking her head so quickly that a bit of her hair ended up smacking against her glass, "It's just... he's just... evil... and he's always there."
"Come on now Marie don't be silly. Richard Morrell isn't evil," he said earnestly, "he's just a rebellious teenage boy. You don't need a dragon to protect you from him."
"I'm not worried about me," she exclaimed sending him a glare, "I'm worried about Billy. I'm worried Rich will get him in trouble and if he gets in trouble then... then..."
"Marie," Oliver's voice was gentle as he slid her empty milkshake glass away from her, "Your brothers cleverer than you give him credit for, he'll be fine. Richard is from a good family they know the way things work here. The pair of them will get through their rebellious phase without too much incident."
"I just don't want them to give Brandon a reason to hurt him," the bracelet on her wrist felt cold against her skin as her eyes darted nervously around. Marie hadn't seen the monster in over six months. He had stopped by to menace her family a little and lord his protection over their heads, something he did every once in a while. Despite the fact that it was two o'clock on a Sunday afternoon and she was well aware he couldn't come out before dark, Marie still felt nervous even mentioning his name.
"Hey," said Oliver with a reassuring smile, "I promised I'd keep you as safe from Brandon as I could. If he ever tries to hurt you, you call me straight away you understand."
"Thank you," she looked up at him with a sad smile, "but what can you really do, he's one of them, and humans like you and me, we have no chance against them. I don't want you to get hurt Oliver, I don't want anyone to get hurt."
Oliver let out a wary sigh and leant back in his chair, his eyes shadowed in the dark corner, he still had a hold of her glass and he fiddled absentmindedly with the edge of it.
"Don't worry about me, I'm stronger than I look," the kindness in his eyes made Marie doubt it. Oliver always appeared so gentle to her, there wasn't a person around who didn't seem to respect or like him, but being well liked wasn't strong enough protection in Morganville.
"How do you manage to keep them off your back so well?" asked Marie with a small frown.
"I have my ways," he grasped onto her cup as he made to stand up, "how about I go grab you that book and bring you over another milk shake huh?"
"It's ok I'll look through the box," the door jingled as a group of students jostled in and her friend was called away. Slipping off her chair Marie went to rummage through her little library. She deposited the compendium of modern physics gently back down and scanned the titles looking for the book of Arthurian legends that Oliver had suggested. Her eyes instead fell on a small book with a dark blue cover. The writing on it was printed in silver and the patterns down the cracked spine caught her interest. There were no words on the back and the pages were a yellowing colour. Out of curiosity she opened it. 'The Morganville Survival Guide' was scrolled across the second page and Marie gulped uneasily. Glancing around the quiet shop she saw Oliver up at the counter taking the College kids order, he saw her looking and gave her an open friendly smile. Marie smiled back trying not to look guilty and glanced away fast when he broke eye contact.
Had he known the book was in his box, wondered Marie uneasily, she almost immediately decided he couldn't have, Oliver would never do something so silly. If a vampire had found it in there he would have been in serious trouble. She gulped glancing down at the dangerous object in her hand. Had someone planted it in there to get him in trouble. It seemed like the sort of horrible thing that someone would do and if a person found it and reported him... Marie realized it would be better if he didn't know the book existed since it was almost impossible to lie to a vampire. She returned to her table and quickly slipped the book into her rucksack. If she didn't tell him it had been in there then he could truthfully deny all knowledge of its existence and hopefully that would keep him safe. You had to look out for your friends in Morganville, even if they'd never know you had done so.
She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder heading towards the exit, as she passed the college students they were laughing loudly at something the barrister had said. Marie waved quickly at him and made to leave.
"Marie," he called out, the barest hint of accusation in his voice, she stopped staring at him with innocent eyes, "You forgot your milk-shake."
He pushed the plastic cup across the counter towards her, and she picked it up gingerly wondering how he'd known she'd be taking it to go. He threw her a big smile and she immediately relaxed, his smile always made her feel like he was a guardian angel looking out for her.
"It's on the house, give my best to your folks," he told her warmly as one of the college kids began to shift impatiently at the delay in him taking their order.
"Thank you, I will do," said Marie readjusting the bag on her shoulder and heading out the door, she didn't want to cause him trouble with his customers.
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Irene swung slowly back and forth on the tyre-swing. It was in the front garden of their house and it had a great view up and down the street. From it she could watch Marie turn the corner to the start of their block, and clearly witnessed her pausing by their neighbours bin to throw something plastic in. It was about three in the afternoon and there was the faintest rustle of a breeze on the too hot day. It tugged lightly at her hair as she tapped her foot on thin air.
On that particular Sunday afternoon she was thirteen years and two months old, but Irene felt far older. She also felt guilty. Slowly she let out a deep breath as she watched her sister make her way down the road. Marie halted often, stopping to stare at a patch of the sidewalk as if it held the answers she had been searching for, for many years, or walking the wrong way a little to commune with the neighbours scraggly cat.
Tybalt the grouchy tabby, or Sir Tibbles as Marie referred to him was the least friendly animal in the neighbourhood. An attempt to stroke him would be met by varying degrees of bites, scratches and occasionally flying excrement. Half the street was wary of him, including his owner, and the other half would actively cross the road to avoid the feline, even the late night hordes of maraudering un-dead gave him a wide birth. The only person who had ever managed to go near him unscathed was Marie. Tybalt would shamelessly rub against her legs and even role onto his back to allow her to stroke his underbelly, anyone who observed him around the girl would be completely shocked to discover the casual violence he could release on an unsuspecting passer-by. After a good three minutes of being scratched behind the ears the cat caught sight of a small unsuspecting rodent on the other side of the garden and snuck off to deliver death and judgement.
Her cotton top was feeling tight against her lightly perspiring skin and the rubber of the tyre swing dug into her stick thin upper thigh. When she'd sat down it had been so hot she thought it had burnt her but slowly it had cooled down. Now it was just warm against her skin. She checked the screen of her phone seeing if her friend Ellie had texted her back yet but there was no reply. The guilt gave a sharp tug under her ribs, but it was guilt born of fear not regret. Irene had figured out two years ago that fear was a lot easier to deal with than regret.
"Hey Marie," called Irene as she finally made her way across the lawn, "Where have you been all day? or should I even bother to ask?"
Marie glanced up at her looking fleetingly guilty, but the look was gone before it appeared.
"Common Grounds," she said shortly, "I tried to get my mind around a book on string theory but it just didn't make any sense."
"Theoretical physics isn't everyone's cup of tea pretty," Irene couldn't help the smile that spread across her face, "At least you tried."
"When's dad home?" asked Marie leaning against the tree. At the mention of their father she felt a sharp stab of guilt, she had only changed a few numbers, just a slight alteration really...
"He got called in earlier, evidently his boss had some sort of emergency he needed help with," she tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice but it was hard. Her quiet Sunday afternoon was supposed to have been spent in the back garden with her father, they were working on building a transistor radio. Irene could have easily done it on her own, but it just wouldn't have been the same. It was their personal project and it had been put on hold again because of her dads temperamental employer, "He probably won't be home till late."
"That sucks," said Marie fiddling absentmindedly with the end of her pony-tail "is Billy in?"
"He's out with Rich," Irene shifted a little in annoyance, "he pulled up in that stupid car of his about an hour ago, Billy jumped in and they were out of here so fast they almost ran over Sir Tibbs."
Just a few small alterations, it was for the best really, it had been the right thing to do... hadn't it? It would just look like someone had made a mistake. A scowl split Marie's brow at the sound of Rich's name, Irene knew she really didn't like the boy, and she herself had to admit he was a bit of an arse, but he wasn't all bad.
"I really wish he wouldn't hang out with him so much," muttered Marie.
"Richards harmless," said Irene with a smile, "he's just a bit spoilt but I'm sure he'll turn out alright. Plus a Morrell is a good friend to have in this town."
"He's trouble Ria, we've don't need any more trouble!"
"You sound like an old woman sometimes," she joked despite how heavy her chest felt at that second, "why don't you go see if mum needs some help."
Marie shot her a parting glare before stamping off in an undignified huff, if there was one thing her sister hated, it was when someone didn't take her seriously. Irene felt a smile tug at her lips as she once again rested her arms on the top of the tyre. Slouching forward she returned to her thoughts. She tried to ignore the fear curling in the pit of her stomach, they wouldn't notice, it had been such a small change. They deserved it, after everything they had done.
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The dinner table was quiet that night, Billy had stumbled in just after sunset smelling faintly of beer and their mother had hit the roof. With their father still not home from work at 9:30 in the evening, the air of tension at the table was palpable. Marie gently pushed her food around her plate and Irene avoided looking at anyone. On a night like tonight the slightest word would be enough to send their mothers fragile nerves into overdrive, and no one had the energy for a shouting match. The sound of the clock ticking was the only noise in the house until Mark Anderson shuffled wearily into the kitchen. He looked utterly exhausted, and it was only Sue who noticed the residual fear in her husband's eyes, it was hidden quickly before the children could see it. It must have been a difficult day at work.
"Daddy you're home," said Irene a smile splitting across her face as she jumped up from the table to give him a hug. "I think I figured out what was wrong with the circuit, the resistor was soldered in the wrong place, we'll have to re-do it. Do you think you can pick up some more mercury solution?"
"Ria, give him a little space he's tired," said Sue gently, and a look of relief spread over Marks face. He loved his daughters excitement as much as he loved her, but at that time he barely had the energy to talk, "Sit down Andy, I'll heat up your plate."
Mark sat down warily and smiled at his children, "the resistor, so silly of us to make that mistake. I'll bring some home from work tomorrow and we'll fix it huh Ria."
Irene's smile widened and she nodded in excitement, " do you think you'll be able to come home early tomorrow I mean especially since you had to work so late tonight?"
"I'll see what I can do," he couldn't promise anything, but it broke his heart to let her down, "how was everyone's day?"
Billy's eyes flicked warily too his mothers, but she seemed content not to tell his father about his indiscretion. He might have been thanking his luck at that second, but he would have been horrified to know that the reason Sue didn't bring his father into the situation was because she honestly didn't think Mark was in any state to deal with the families problems. She was the only one at the table who knew how close the man was to crumbling, and she was terrified.
Later that night as Marie opened up 'The Morganville Survival Guide' and read it cover to cover by the faint light of an old torch, as Irene lay tossing and turning trying to smother the guilty fear in her belly, and as Billy smoked an illicit cigarette he'd gotten off of Richard through a small gap in his window, Mark lay with his head on Sue's chest and she stroked her fingers through his hair calming him as she would a child.
"He's getting more unstable," he admitted in the warm glow of the bedside lamp, "He's going to snap soon... and I don't know how to stop it."
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Anyone figured out who Mark Anderson's working for, or what Irene changed?