A/N: So here's chapter 2 it gets dark and deeper. I don't have a Beta right now, but I hope to find one.
Enjoy!
~HQ~
Chapter 2
I woke up and it was 6 pm. My stomach grumbled...of course that's why I woke up I'm hungry. I jumped out of bed and threw my clothes on pulling a brush through my hair as I ran to the mirror. It was being very tough so I finally decided just to braid it. My braid hit my mid back and I walked out of my room into the trailer to see Linn sitting on our couch waiting patiently.
"Mia what happened why'd you run off like that?" Linn asked patting the spot next to her on the couch.
"I just wasn't feeling well...I think all the driving just really exhausted me," I sighed sitting and putting my head on her shoulder. I wasn't feeling much anymore about Draco Malfoy or now Luc being here. All I felt was a grey gloom settling over my head, and I wasn't really in the mood to talk about it. Linn put her arms around me and I settled into her embrace sinking deeper. "Come on let's get something for dinner yeah?" Linn asked giving me a slight smile. She stood up and held her hand out to me.
"What's everyone else doing?" I asked looking up at her.
"I think they want to go to this wizarding restaurant." She responded. I grabbed her hand and pulled myself up. Turning and walking into my room I said,
"I'm in the mood for diner food tonight I need a shake."
I sat on my bed and started pulling on some cowgirl boots that had been a gift from Linn.
"I totally feel ya on that one!" She shouted to me.
"Ask the others if they want to join us and I'll unhitch the trailer," I shouted to her. I soon heard the sound of the trailer door shutting and followed my friend out to start unhitching the trailer. My task was done quickly. So I slid into the drivers seat and started the truck. 5 minutes later Linn came out with Leslie and Benny and Luc following behind. She slid into the front seat and they all slid into the back.
"So Linn where's this diner?" I asked. She slid her phone out of her pocket and recited the first few directions to me and I pulled out of the drive. The rest of the car was oddly silent for a while.
"So Mia how are you feeling?" Leslie asked breaking the silence. I smiled at his polite concern.
"Oh I'm much better... I think the drive just took it out of me and when I finally stopped the exhaustion hit you know?" I said glancing at him in the rear view mirror.
"Yeah must've been a long drive."
"Been driving since sun up non stop plus it's not like I can let your cousin drive...not if I want to live anyway," We laughed knowing that the statement was pretty true.
"Heeeeey! I'm not that baaaad!" Linn screamed from next to me.
"Oh hush you are too I'm surprised the truck is still in one piece since you go get the coffee in the morning," I laughed and heard a chuckle coming from the backseat.
"So Mia do you have a last name?" Luc randomly asked me from the back. I narrowed my eyes at him in the rear view mirror and said,
"I don't actually its just Mia. What about you LUC do you have a last name?" He just chuckled.
"Nah I can't be bothered with that shit." I just nodded and focused back on driving. I couldn't figure out what game he was playing. Do you have a last name? What kind of question is that?
I pulled into the diner parking lot and quickly walked into it ignoring everyone else. I was irked now. Luc was irking me.
"How many?" An old bored looking woman asked me in a grumpy tone. "Five please and make one of them a kids menu," I told her grinning like the Cheshire Cat. She led me to a corner booth and by this time everyone had caught up to me. When we sat down she handed out the menus looking at me questioningly. I nodded my head to Luc and she rolled her eyes handing him the menu. He frowned when he saw it. I tried to hide my smile.
"I think there's been a mistake," he said looking at the hostess, "I've been given a kids menu."
"Oh I told her to give you one I just thought you needed something a little more suited for your mental age group," I told him. Then he surprised me and laughed really laughed. He full on belly laughed.
"Oh you are a funny one aren't you," he said still grinning and chuckling. He handed the kids menu back and the hostess stomped off grumpily to get him another menu.
"I don't think she found it very funny," he whispered chuckling. I just cracked a small smile at him. This was weird just plain weird. Why didn't he insult me or get mad? He seemed so unaffected by my clear assault on him. I have never heard Draco Malfoy laugh. At least not in a cruel way, but I guess this isn't Draco Malfoy it's Luc. I mean after all I'm Mia not Hermione Granger the two are completely separate. Regardless this needs to be addressed. We need to talk at least. I need to figure out his game or whatever he's doing. I came out of my thoughts when the waitress came to ask for our orders. I was surprised when Luc ordered the exact same thing as me. I know he didn't do it on purpose because he ordered before me. A cheeseburger with all the works extra fries and a chocolate shake.
We spent our waiting time talking about what needed to be done and the plan for tomorrow. We were going to clean in the morning and go out on the lake in the afternoon. When our food came we all dug in too distracted by our gurgling stomachs to really talk.
"Woah Mia where'd your burger go?" Luc asked staring at me wide eyed.
"In my tummy," I replied over a mouthful of fries. He just shook his head and smiled at me. This was starting to get weird. He smiled too much. It was starting to make me really uncomfortable.
"You smile too much," I said. He looked at me weirdly.
"I spent most of my life frowning and sneering so I've decided to change my direction. Plus you can't smile too much it's impossible," he was doing the smiling thing again. It annoyed me, because it made me smile too. It was one of those if you smile at me I can't help but smile back smiles. Those are dangerous and they make me uncomfortable. Linn had one of those but she kind of pushed her way into my life like the little 5'5" bulldozer that she is. I finished my fries and sat there with my full milkshake sitting in front of me. I looked over at Linn who sat next to me and grinned.
"Are you ready?" I asked. She grinned right back at me.
"Ooooonnneee," She said.
"Twoooo," I said leaning in closer to my shake.
"Three!" She shouted quickly going to her shake and looking at me out of the corner of her eye. I went for my shake the same time she did and we both rushed to suck it all down the fastest. I could feel the cold chocolatey goodness freezing me from the inside, but I didn't care I had to win. This was one of our traditions. Every time we get shakes we race to chug them down. About a quarter of the way through we both get brain freezes, and take a break; about halfway through we both call mercy, and get the rest to go. Of course this time was no different. I was about a quarter of the way through my shake when I felt the painful freezing sensation snuck into my brain. Both Linn and I stopped screaming,
"Ugh! Brain freeze!" We clutched our heads, and the whole table laughed at us. I jumped a bit having totally forgotten other people were here. I just looked up blushing slightly and gave them a light smile, and rushed back to sucking up my shake. As soon as I started again so did Linn and we were racing again. After another quarter we both had to call it quits though.
"To go?" She asked grinning and dramatically panting like she had run a marathon.
"Of course what else would we do?" I asked back giggling.
"What was the point of that?" Leslie asked with a very perplexed look on his face. I just giggled some more and Linn said,
"It's tradition Lez besides I'm determined to finish first one of these days,"
"We all know that's not going to happen though Linn because I am going to finish first," I said. She narrowed her eyes at me playfully.
"You're on!" She said, and we both stared at each other for moment before breaking into laughter and practically collapsing on top of each other in the booth. The waitress came up and placed our ticket on the table.
"I got it!" I said, but I was too late Luc had already slammed his money down and pulled the ticket towards him. I narrowed my eyes at him. What's he trying to do now buy my silence or something? We definitely were going to have a talk.
"It's alright this is on me," he told me giving me a dazzling smile. Why is he being so nice and like a stranger? I really couldn't figure him out. I just nodded my head and stood up. Muttering a soft excuse me I turned and hurried outside. I ran to my truck and grabbed the pack of cigarettes sitting in the door. I quickly lit up and breathed a sigh at the familiar feeling of the smoke poisoning me from the inside out. I didn't start smoking until after I ran. Even after the shrink, but before I met Linn. I was still in England in fact I was hiding out in a shady hotel in London. The crowds of London freaked me out a lot. I was constantly looking over my shoulder and jumping at every sudden movement. My nightmares were at an all time high. The night I started smoking I was in a gross pub in a shady part of town and a creepy man had just hit on me. I ran out of the pub and into the small ally behind it. A guy who looked to be around my age was there leaning against the wall. He was tall with long dark hair and almost black looking eyes. He glanced at me leaning up against the wall next to him panting slightly. I could feel his curious eyes on me inadvertently encouraging me to go into even more of a panic attack.
"You look like you could use this," he said holding out a flask to me. I just stared at him and panicked even further. He chuckled darkly.
"No strings I'm just offering because you look like you need some. I'm not going to hurt you or even go near you really," I felt myself being pulled into my panic attack even further so I desperately reached for the flask. I threw back whatever was in the flask quickly. I almost immediately felt the strange sensation of whiskey searing down my throat. I coughed and tears came to my eyes. It was burning me from the inside out...poisoning me. He held out a fag he had lit, and I took it hoping to relieve myself of the burning poison. I inhaled deeply and realized that this was just another poison. I coughed and huffed. The boy chuckled.
"Here let me show you," he turned to face me and took the cigarette from me. He took a drag then handed it to me and said,
"Breathe," I did, and handed it back. He took another drag and passed it back.
"And again," We repeated the process.
"Again," he said. We kept going like this until the cigarette ended and our noses were almost touching. He handed me the flask and lit another one. I took a sip and then he handed me the fag. This time it was drink smoke drink smoke. Embers and amber embers and amber. The burn from the drink and the burn from the smoke. Separate but the same. Clear but foggy. Then before I knew it me and this boy were pressed up against each other nose to nose breathing deeply. I felt clear not like I had all the answers but like I didn't need any.
"Do you want to get out of here?" He whispered. I nodded and the next thing I knew we were in a worn down old warehouse flat. I don't remember much of what happened we were a blurry bonfire of amber liquid, smoke, embers, and limbs tangled and drowning in a sweaty haze.
I woke up the next day with a heavy hangover and a vaguely familiar soreness between my legs. He was there standing looking out the window. He handed me a fag without even turning to look at me. I lit it and smoked it chasing the clarity I had found with him the night before. When I found it was gone I ran. That was the day I left England. Then I found Linn and she pushed her way into my heart. She became my friend, and showed me how to live. She pulled me out of the darkness I was drowning in, and when she couldn't pull me out it meant she was drowning with me. One day she walked out of the trailer while I was smoking. I had a terrible nightmare and cigarettes had helped. She came out of the trailer so silently I jumped when she said, "those things will kill ya, you know?"
I just shrugged.
"That's the goal," I said. Then she sighed and lit one of her own.
I knew smoking was weak. It was the coward's way out, but then again what have I done lately that wasn't the cowards way out. I was drowning in the black smokey waters containing the blood and screams of my soul cut open and tortured by war. Every time I smoked those waters became clearer for a moment, but as soon as I dropped the butt they were darker than ever. I knew the cigarettes were pulling me deeper, but I had Linn pulling me out and I would do anything for those few minutes of clarity.
I was shaken out of my thoughts when I heard my best friend come up behind me and light her own cigarette.
"What's up with you today Mia you've been weird since we got here?" She asked. I just shrugged and kicked the dirt with my boots.
"I don't want to talk about it Linn." I said firmly and she just shrugged and shook her head in return. Pretty soon I had finished my cigarette. I quickly threw it on the ground and stomped it out.
"We should probably head out," I said and turned to go in and call everyone to leave.
The ride back was silent and tense. The playful mood from earlier had quickly died and was replaced with tension so thick you could slice through it like a hot knife through butter. When we pulled into the driveway I softly said,
"Luc could I talk to you in the trailer alone please," I made eye contact with him in the rearview mirror.
"Sure," he said. He had a look of shock and slight fear on his face. I wonder what he has to be scared of? We walked to the trailer in silence and I showed him to my room. It was the only room that was completely silenced, and I didn't want to lock Linn out of the trailer.
"What are you doing here?" I asked as soon as he shut the door.
"What am I doing here what are you doing here!? I was here first!" He shot back at me. Looking threateningly down over me.
"Are you here to take me back because I won't go back! I can't!" I screamed freaking myself out. I started to hyperventilate a little. The thought of going back was the most terrifying thought I have ever had. Not the thought of Bellatrix Lestrange torturing me into insanity. Not the thought of failing every class. Not the thought of my parents and friends dying. Not even the thought of being inadequate. The thought of going back and having to face everything that I left behind froze me in my spot and almost had me passing out. I was already trembling and hyperventilating.
"Mia…Mia calm down I'm not here to take you anywhere in fact I don't even know you okay," I stopped freaking out enough to snap my head up to look at him at this. What did he mean did he really not know who I was?
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I'm just a guy named Luc who moved to South Carolina after I graduated from school…I never went to Hogwarts," He flashed me a small smile that calmed me down a slight bit. I took a deep breath and thought okay I can do this.
"Oh me either, and I never met Harry Potter or Ron Weasley," I told him.
"I never met Vincent Crabbe or Gregory Goyle," he took a step closer to me.
"I never knew adventures or rule breaking,"
"I never knew name calling or bullying," I gave him a slight smile at that because I knew that was his way of apologizing.
"I never knew prudish bookworms,"
"I never knew Sex Gods or cronies,"
"I never knew war," I whispered tears starting to stream down my face.
"I never knew evil," he said with a painful look in his eyes.
"I never knew torture," I said allowing tears to wash over me.
"I never knew murder," he replied shedding a tear of his own.
"I never knew expectations," we both said at the same time.
"I never knew Dumbledore," he said.
"I never knew Severus Snape," I replied
"I never knew Voldemort,"
"I never knew Bellatrix Lestrange,"
"I never knew Vincent Crabbe," he looked pained at this name.
"I never knew Lavender Brown," I said.
"I never knew Nymphadora Tonks," another tear slipped down his face at this one, and I knew that was because it was true. She was his cousin and he never even met her.
"I never knew Remus Lupin," I said the tears flowing faster and more furious.
"I never knew Fred Weasley," he said tears of his own falling and a look of guilt in his eyes. I could tell he thought Fred's death was his fault.
"I never knew David or Jean Granger," I said with a quiet sob escaping my lips. He looked surprised.
"I never knew Lucius or Narcissa Malfoy." He then looked me in the eyes and held out his left arm face up and said,
"I never knew tattoos,"
"I never knew scars," I grabbed his hand with my arm held up so he could see my mudblood scar.
"I never knew Hermione Granger," he whispered shocking me. I looked into his eyes. We were still holding hands. With a tear-filled gaze I whispered back,
"I never knew Draco Malfoy." He brought his hand up and wiped my tears away.
"I'm glad we understand each other," he said before turning and walking out of my trailer. I just stood there for a second feeling more confused than ever before running into Linn's room.
"Linn," I said with hot tears still rushing down my face from my encounter with Luc. She looked up at me and just opened her arms for me. I ran to her and collapsed into her arms sobbing softly.
"What is it Mia?" She asked. And I spilled everything to her. I told her who Luc really was and how he bullied me for years. I told her about how his final comment scared me.
"We may understand that we are both different than before, but Draco Malfoy was a mean, cold, sarcastic, nasty, school yard bully. He was safe, constant, predictable. I don't know this Luc. He's different and unpredictable. He's a wild card." I said. We were lying on her bed now. She snuggled closer to me.
"Mia did you ever think that maybe you never knew Draco Malfoy? Yes, you knew the bully side, but did you know his hopes and dreams and what he liked and disliked."
"I guess I see your point," I said.
"All I'm saying is give him a chance. Don't shut him down before you actually get to know him," I nodded.
"Okay," I said.
"Mia will you sleep here tonight?" She asked. I nodded and cuddled closer to her. We soon fell asleep the problem of Draco Malfoy or Luc far from my mind, and no longer a problem