3 - Knowledge
Taking a deep breath I closed my eyes and concentrated on calming down, the specialized undershirt that I wore would block the sound of my heartbeats to a certain degree but I did not want to push its limits. It had been a while since I had dealt with these creatures and it would be inconvenient to be found out at this point in time. As soon as possible I would have to discover the limit of their senses, it would have to be done swiftly and without detection. The procedure was nothing new to me, part of my job was monitoring the experiments without being seen and I had gone through these procedures a countless number of times. It might be beneficial to contact Sassy and Kendrick since they had been operating in these woods for several years, but that would have to wait for another night. This night there were other things that needed to be done.
I circled the house and peered through the rain smudged window of the small and crowded living room. Knick-knacks and various bits of what could only be called junk covered every surface of the room. If the rest of the house was similar to this room I might have a hard time moving through the rooms silently. The older woman which I assumed to be the mother was settled in a side chair watching the late news, it looked like the weather man was predicting rain for tomorrow - there was a big surprise. This was followed by nearly five minutes dedicated to the coverage of the local pie eating contest, I was amazed that the wolves had not entered since they would have been guaranteed to win. Maybe they did not like apple pie, though my understanding is that they pretty much ate anything - one of the consequences of their quick healing ability was a high metabolism. Tomorrow night I was willing to guarantee there would be some real news to report; the macabre scene I was planning on leaving behind would most certainly make the news. I knew how to kill in a swift and bloodless way but my current mood demanded guts and gore flung slung across the ceiling.
Sitting together on my couch was my reason for being here, it was just like the vision Aodh had shown me a few minutes ago. The boy on the couch was sitting next to the young woman, love and affection apparent in his smiling face. My spirit was being very helpful in showing me exactly what I needed to see, possibly for the first time in my entire life our goals were perfectly aligned.
Perfect.I quickly refined my plans for this evening. The mother yawned yet again, signaling the fact that she would soon head to bed leaving the two sitting on the couch alone. Ten more minutes until the top of the hour, so maybe she would leave after her show ended. Although the need to watch these news shows was incomprehensible to me, why would you waste your time on this diluted version when you could get far better information by simply reading? Phila was determined the issue was that people in these times were incapable of reading, but she was somewhat biased considering the fact that she taught college. I had seen her grading their tests, some freshman really should go back to high school because they did not yet have the skills necessary to survive college. Apparently reading, writing and arithmetic were concepts that you did not have to master before obtaining you high school degree.
I smiled when the events unfolded as predicted, twelve minutes later the mother stood and stretched. "All right children I am going to bed, please don't stay up too late."
"Thanks for dinner mom," the boy said as he watched her heading for the stairs. The girl picked up the remote and changed the channel to some rerun, less than half an hour later the pair were pressed up asleep against each other. The smile that wreathed my face would have made most people shit their pants, but no one saw me tonight so they did not realize that death stalked the night. I checked my mental cloak of invisibility, it was sturdier than usual - Aodh must be helping me along, he did that when he truly approved of my plans.
I moved closer to the house, and stepped up to the front door. To my knowledge no one had locked up for the night but the creaking of the door might wake up the wolf so I would need to find a quieter entrance. I closed my eyes and listened to the sleeping woman upstairs, she was out for the night but I added an extra layer of sleep. She would not wake up, no matter how much noise the two downstairs made when they noticed my presence.
Keeping my eyes closed I touched the door, feeling the individual molecules underneath my hand. It took minimal effort to shove enough aside to make room for my body to simply pass through the door as if it did not exist. The television was still on, some rerun of an eighties show, every minute or so the fake audience would laugh adding to the cacophony of sounds. There was enough noise that my muffled footsteps would go unnoticed, despite my invisibility I stuck to the shadows of the room as I circled the pair on the couch.
The girl might have been considered pretty by some standards if it was not for the large scars that crossed her cheek. So this was the Emily Young, the girl who had betrayed her family, the one who had hurt my mate. I had come here to rip apart the wolf who had his hands wrapped around her, but destroying her would be so much sweeter. From what I remember about imprints it would be enough to shred the woman and this Sam would fall apart.
Normally killing was not the first step when dealing with experiments but this time I was justified, they had harmed my mate. Leah was but a shell of the laughing woman that I had seen in my visions, and these two had helped do that to her. They were the reason my mate had sat silently during dinner while her mother and bother chatted pleasantly. She did not seem capable of participating in the conversation almost like she was no longer aware of life moving around her. Her breathtaking eyes were bracketed by lines of strain, her shoulders drooping. At first I had thought it was just one night, but nothing had changed in the four days I had been following her. My mate, the one whose mere existence had brought such joy into my life was miserable - that was unacceptable.
Emily moved around a little, did she sense her impending death? I was not foolish in thinking that killing these two would make my Princess feel any better, but it would make my anger dissipate enough that I could function again. After this I would implement the rest of my plan, I would become anything and everything she needed. My Princess, just like in the story about the princess in the tower. She was all alone up there, trapped with no means to escape; though from the looks of it it was her mind that had her trapped. I had been following her around, trying to gather as much knowledge as possible before approaching her. My restraint was starting to wear thin, soon I would have to talk to her not just listen in on her conversations with others. Not that she spoke too much, mostly she growled and scowled at everything around her; despite all this I still needed her presence. It was with much reluctance that I had left her sleeping fitfully on that small bed, her long limbs half falling off the twin mattress. Even in her dreams she could not seem to be able to find peace.
It was these two sorry excuses for human being that forced me to leave behind my girl. Their existence was an insult to my mate, but that would soon be changed.
My pocked vibrated slightly indicating that I had a new message. I considered not checking it but realized it would most likely be something from Phila regarding the fact that I bailed on her yet again. I had been more than reluctant to tell her about meeting my mate, it would have to be soon but I wanted to have a solid plan before speaking to my family. That way they would have to give me their support, instead of trying to push their unwanted advice on me.
Where the hell are you? Phila's text message was like a bucket of ice water on the flames of my fury. For a moment the red haze of fury cleared from mind allowing for some logical thought. Hmmm maybe killing these two might not be the best way to help my mate, but when she had whimpered his name with such agony I had to do something. Wiping him off the face of the planet seemed the best choice at the time.
Contemplating skinning someone alive, and leaving her carcass for her boyfriend to find. I wrote back so that she would not send out the cavalry.
Having a conversation with my partner might be helpful, Phila did not have the spirit so she might be useful in knowing how to get over being dumped. Maybe she would know what to do about Leah's depression, a cool and distant assessment of the situation is what was needed here. That clearly was not going to come from me, especially with these volatile feelings rushing through my mind.
What planet are you on? Phila obviously was mistaken in thinking this was an assignment. Some alien experiment that had crossed the boundaries and needed to be warned. Since there were not that many experiments on Earth she assumed I had gone elsewhere.
I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, refusing to contemplate how much I would enjoy destroying this boy and his reason for existence. With great reluctance I found my way out of the house and into the damp night. It was not until I was safely back at the cabin that I replied to Phila's last message. "Aurora call Phila," I whispered to the air.
The volume of my command did not really matter since she heard anyway, there was a small blip on my phone to acknowledge my request. Humans of the early 21st century seemed enamored with their technology, they knew nothing about the technology that used to exist on this planet when the "gods" ruled this place. My family had preserved and added to the knowledge of those ancient aliens, however due to various circumstances it had been deemed best not to share our information.
Aurora was one such technology, she was actually located on the island but remote versions of her existed inside the chip that was embedded in every family member's skull. Her artificial intelligence was centuries ahead of anything on this planet, there were times when she felt like another member of the family.
"That job did not take long? Are you in a hurry or something?" Phila asked instead of saying hello.
"Never mind about that, I need help. How do you get over being dumped?" I needed information and I needed it now. My need for murder and destruction had not been satisfied, and I needed something quickly to distract me from that line of thought.
"Wait, what? Seriously Phil what is wrong with you? I know your spirit has been giving you a hard time but you need to get that shit under control." The concern in her voice was evident as well as the warning. If I did not show improvement soon she would report me to Uncle William, with the powers we possessed it would be dangerous to let one of us get out of control.
"Everything is under control, I finally figured out what my spirit wanted and everything is cool." I was impatient to get on with her explanation, my mate was in pain and I needed to help her. Standing over a pair of children and contemplating murder would not accomplish that.
"When did this happen, and you could not tell me this? I was seriously worried and you can't even pick up the phone and call me." Phila was starting to waste my time, obviously my partner of nearly two thousand years could not be bothered to help.
"Have you been taking lessons from mother in the nag department, I was gathering intel. Now tell me how to get over your boyfriend breaking up with you." Phila was starting to piss me off, I needed her to cooperate.
"Well, well, well. Did you get your mojo back now that your spirit has been appeased? You should have gone dancing with me on Wednesday there were several women of loose morals you could have taken home." She switched from harassing to amused in less than thirty seconds.
"I don't want those women, I want this one. Some jerk ripped her heart out and stomped on it, now tell me the best strategy for making her feel better." I practically growled at her, maybe I should have called someone else for advice. Due to the experimentation done to her father Phila was not the most compassionate of individuals when it came to those outside of the family.
"Oh that is easy, just hit on her. Rebound sex is amazing, she has been knocked down by some guy and took a hit to her self esteem. All you have to do is make her feel a little bit special and her panties will practically disappear." Phila was well aware of the type of women I tended to be interested in as well as my reason for doing so.
"I don't want to get in her panties," well that was a lie but my priorities lay elsewhere right now. "What I want is to make her feel better, not be be rebound boyfriend for a couple of weeks."
"Phil you know you can't give her anything more than a few weeks. Remember Siboniso," Phila's voice became soft and understanding. She knew what it was like for me, the keeping the distance and never settling down.
"Yeah well that is not a problem so do you know how to help her or do I have to call someone else? Blossom might be good," I started to hang up but the loud scream made me pause. Phila usually did not scream so loud, I was a little worried.
"Phillip! Why did you not tell me you have bound to some girl." Her voice came out loud and clear despite of the fact that the phone was nowhere near my ear. Less than a minute later she was standing in front of me with fury in her eyes. Phila really hated when I hid things from her.
Three hours and a case of wine later Blossom, Phila and I were sitting around the cabin fireplace a plotting. Technically speaking Blossom and Phila were plotting - my role seemed to be more along the lines of a waiter, someone to refill their wine glasses. Phila had convinced me to call in Blossom since she was a psychiatrist and might have more insight into the problem.
"This is a really good bottle of wine, where did you get it? Napa?" Blossom asked as she sipped the ruby red drink.
"Actually it is from Oregon, there are several underrated wineries just outside Portland." This seemed to be the extent of my addition to the conversation, I was not allowed to voice my opinion regarding Leah.
"Oh yeah we went there this summer, I should have recognized the the label." Phila added as she examined an empty bottle. What had really happened was I drove while Phila got plastered. Phila usually drank far more than I did, during my doctor years I tended to consume very little alcohol unless it was a family party. Currently I was still nursing my first glass of wine, unlike the other two who were slowly starting to feel the effects of the alcohol.
"The problem with Leah is that you are considered an outsider and in such a tight community it will be next to impossible to move in without garnering a great deal of unwanted attention." Blossom finally got back to the topic I wanted to discuss.
"The town of Forks is not any better, you would have to go all the way to Port Arthur to be unnoticed and that would be too far to justify hanging out on reservation grounds." Phila only added to the list of problems with approaching Leah. "You might be mistaken for some pedophile trying to find you next victim."
"So long as you don't drive the pedo-van you should be fine," Blossom added with a giggle.
"All right that is enough, can we get back to the task at hand. How can I help Leah," the need to throttle these two was starting to rise. I took a deep breath and reached for what little of my patience remained.
"You know it might almost be better if one of us approached her, she might be a little less hostile towards a girl. So Phila do you want to make a new friend?" Blossom seemed to think this was funny.
"All right you think this is amusing? You think some nineteen year old girl who in the past few months has lost her father and her hopes for the future to be entertaining?" I stood up, prepared to leave them to play this game without me for an audience. "I knew you were cold hearted bitches when it came to those outside of the family but I never realized you would treat my girl the same way." I might have done something childish like slam the sliding door on my way out.
A cool mist hit my face but that was not important right now, I needed to get calm again - not an easy thing to do for someone like me. My father's people tended to be a violent lot, it was not a personal flaw but a way to survive. We had extra organs, stronger bones and muscles as well as an immunity to most poisons. My father's planet was harsh and even a glimmer of weakness would get you killed either by the natives or just the freaking planet. Everything from the air, water or even the food had the potential to kill you; the only reason my mother was able to survive because of the genetic modifications she had inherited from her parents, that and the fact that she literally ripped the head off of a person who pissed her off hours after arriving. It gained her enough respect that people did not outright attack her, though not enough that they still did not plot her death from the shadows. Along with the extra sturdy body I had also inherited a vile temper that once aroused was very hard to push down without violence. I placed my hands on the railing while making sure not to imbue my hands with extra strength, Sassy would be pissed if I destroyed her cabin.
Looking out into the gloom I picked a leaf on the shrub below me and followed the stem as it branched into the small veins all the way to the edge of the leaf. I followed this slow and tedious process several times while taking deep breaths.
In the back of my head I was aware that the sliding door opened behind me, but since I could detect the slight scent of roses I ignored Phila behind me.
"I am not being a very good best friend right now," she leaned against the railing next to me. "Tá brón orm."
"It has taken me nearly two millennia to find her, you have no idea what it is like to finally be able to settle on one woman." The playing around gets old after a couple of centuries. "It feels like that one piece that has been missing from my life is finally within my grasp, a companion instead of something to fuck."
"I am sorry, sometimes I forget what it is like to have the spirit." Her words were merely a whisper. "You would think after all this time I would remember." Out of the corner of my eye I could see a flash of her smile, it was the only warning she gave before she tried to push me over the railing.
I grabbed her arm and we both landed in the shrubs below us, if I was going to land in mud I would make sure to take her with me.
"Joik's balls, did you have to do that now my pants are all muddy." Phila complained as she tried to wipe herself off.
"Hey you were the one who started it, I just brought you along for the ride." The mud on my jeans would be much easier to wash out than the dirt on her cream wool pants. For some reason I did not feel any pity for her wardrobe troubles.
"All right, I deserved it. Do you forgive me now?" She gave me her full on smile again, luckily for me she had already pushed me in the mud so it was safe to say she would not try it again. Blossom was waiting for us when we got inside, I noticed she had switched to water.
"Oh good, did you two work things out?" Blossom asked as we settled back down on the couches.
"Something like that?" Phila said in a nonchalant tone. I noticed she has used her talents to remove the dirt, it sure as heck beat taking it to the dry cleaners.
"I was thinking about some stuff. It would be best to stick to the truth as much as possible because some day you will have to tell her everything and it would piss a woman off to no end that she had been lied to." Blossom got more comfortable on the couch and put her feet up. I would have to make sure to get rid of the scuff marks on the coffee table, Sassy tended to be somewhat sensitive about such things.
"I can't tell her the truth, Bee has already given me strict orders to keep the Cullens and the wolves in the dark about our family until after the Volturi have come and gone this January," and the problems just kept piling up. "Though she is considering giving the Cullen family and the wolves the full protection of our family as far as the Volturi are concerned."
"I talked to great-uncle Peter and he spoke of allowing the Cullens into the family. They are not power hungry like the Volturi and understand the importance of family." Blossom's words made me feel a little better. Peter was one of three elders along with Bee and Mari, if he told Blossom this then it would be something they were truly contemplating.
"It also helps that Leah's little brother is Sassy's, that is added incentive to include the wolves in our family." It was starting to be apparent that the only way to do this was to bring everyone in, I explained about the Edward Cullen's mind reading ability coupled with the werewolves sharing thoughts while shifted.
"It seems this is going to be tell all or reveal nothing," Blossom finally understood the dilemma, but it did not bring me any closer to being able to tell Leah who I really was.
In the end we decided to stick to the truth or most of it, I would be on vacation from my real job; staying at a friend's house. I was ordered by both Blossom and Phila to keep things on friendly terms only. No romantic overtures, she needed to feel better about herself first before she needed a new boyfriend. They did not understand the lengths I would go to just to see her laugh again, it would be next to nothing to keep my hands to myself if it meant seeing her smile.
It took three more days for me to find the perfect opportunity to meet her. Our bumping into each other would have to look accidental; the events of the past few months would have made most people suspicious, so my reason for all of a sudden showing up would have to be extremely mundane.
It was a dreary Saturday morning, Sue Clearwater was cleaning up her kitchen and preparing some sort of casserole. I was in my usual perch of a tree, it was becoming somewhat tiresome just sitting here doing nothing.
"Can I come along mom?" Leah asked as her mother prepared to leave to see the Chief of Police of Forks.
Even through the wall I could hear the awkward pause as Sue Clearwater tried to tell her daughter that she did not want her presence. "Can you come along?...Well are you sure you want to?"
"Don't worry mom you don't have to be seen with me, you can just drop me off at the diner." Leah's bitterness appeared to reach a new level as it became apparent that not even her own mother wanted her around.
"Oh.. all right, if that is what you want," her mother replied with relief evident in her tone.
Unlike the two in the house I was excited by this plan, the local diner would be the perfect place to meet her. I stuck around for a few more minutes while they solidified their plans before jumping back to the cabin. Removing my wolf stalking gear I quickly stepped into the shower before getting dressed in plain jeans and a t-shirt.
Aunt Katie thought we should be nominated for oscars, not even hollywood actors spend as much time and effort preparing for their roles. My family and I did not get paid the millions for our acting skill, our only payment was the fact that we could go undetected among the humans. I had been taught from birth to blend in, both in the way I behaved as well as the clothing I wore.
The people around here were very much middle class and it would be conspicuous if I wore the clothes of the doctor from LA. My costume would have to change to reflect this, as well as my behavior. My current role was some guy who normally works hard but was currently taking some time off from all that mess - no one would suspect that I was actually working.
Grabbing a coat to ward off the drizzle that constantly fell in this region I headed for the garage. Should I take the small truck or my bike? The bike was cooler and it would add to the image of my transient status. I can imagine that after being dumped by the good boy Sam that everyone seemed to love, Leah would probably not appreciate another golden boy. Not that I could claim that title, I liked bending the rules a little too much. The deviant behavior was beyond my control, had my family been a bunch of rule followers my grandmother would have never figured out a way to rebel against the gods and kick them off of the planet.
The dark gleam of my extra helmet caught my eye as I hopped on my bike, would it be presumptuous to take it? Not that I assumed she would just jump on the back of my bike or anything, that was just wishful thinking on my part but it might be better to be prepared if she ever wanted to.
The ride from the solitary cabin to the surprisingly busy diner took me less than fifteen minutes, but I was pushing my bike to the limits. It had been a while since I had used my bike on a regular basis so this was a good opportunity for my body to remember the tricks, for me riding a bike was all about instinct. Due to our enhanced abilities it was very hard for us to turn off our minds, usually it took a lot of effort to minimize the amount of thinking we did - one of the best ways was meditation, but that was not as much fun as going seventy miles an hour on slick and winding roads.
The small eatery was busy this morning, a mixture of smells including bacon grease, eggs, and coffee hit me as soon as I stepped through the creaky door.
"Just find a seat," the harried looking waitress told me over her shoulder as she carried three plates at once and not so gently placed them in front of the patrons. The fourth customer sitting at the booth gave a furious frown when he noticed his meal was not present. Hmm. The odds of her getting a good tip from that table just diminished.
I gave a small smile and a nod, hoping to convey my infinite patience. The excessive speeds to which I pushed my bike guaranteed that I had beat Leah and her mother to Forks by at least half an hour. In my haste to meet Leah in an inconspicuous way I did not take into account the fact that being too early would hinder my plans.
Luck was with me because the single waitress was too busy to pay too much attention to me. At one point she threw a worn looking menu in my direction and promised to come back for my drink order soon. Ten minutes later she was still busy trying to settle the gaggle of little girls that had stormed inside bringing with them a noxious cloud of perfume. The waitress tried to encourage them to sit somewhere other than the booth but they were determined to occupy that spot despite of the fact that they were practically in each other's laps. It soon became apparent why the little girls needed to sit in that particular booth, as a group of similarly aged boys came through the door less than five minutes later and then proceeded to squeeze into the booth right next to them.
It was kind of cute, they were playing the 'I am not paying attention to you in order to flirt with you' game. I don't actually remember doing that in high school, but I guess at that age I was already doing college level classes. Plus it did not help that at fifteen I was less than five feet tall and skinny as a rail. It was not until twenty that I hit my full height and put on some bulk; it was part of the package deal that I inherited from my mother. The spirit somehow delays our bodies maturing for a while, and then it all comes along...the height, the extra strength and the mental powers. And our sex drive sort comes along at full strength right along the time when we are forced to leave society in order to learn to control our powers. Let me tell you how much that sucks.
It was another good twenty minutes before my waitress came back with my water. Several of the tables had left making the place a lot less packed, and in my mind a lot more peaceful - there were fewer people for me to take into account as I went through the how to kill everyone in the room scenarios.
"What can I get you?" Sally the waitress asked with her pen poised over the note pad. She was a woman of small stature, clearly smelling of cigarettes. I guess that explained where she had gone for those five minutes. Her hair was in need of another dye job, the inch of salt and pepper brown hair at the roots showing that she clearly was not a natural blonde. Generally speaking she had the right idea, it was better to go lighter as you got older since the grey hairs would blend in better that way but it was also good idea to keep a regular schedule of coloring your hair. I gave her my order in a clear and concise manner, I might almost get what I asked for that way. She seemed impressed with my order, especially since I ordered the greens as well as the mixed vegetables.
I sipped my cold water after discarding the lemon while watching her clear the now empty tables. Some of the locals were giving me quick peeks over their newspapers trying not to appear too curious. Well most of them were, the two little biddies in the corner booth did not bother to hide their inquisitiveness as they called the waitress over and tried to quiz her about the tall stranger sitting at the bar.
Blossom had been correct in her assessment of this small town, I had not been here more than thirty minutes and they were already looking at me with suspicion in their eyes. "Who is that?" they asked Sally in hushed tones, not realizing that I could hear them clearly across the room.
"Has he been here before," the other one asked without waiting for an answer. I sighed and turned away, barely resisting the temptation to wink and wave at them in order to show that I knew what they were doing. My clothing had been appropriate and fit in with the local fashion, it was my height and obvious foreignness that raised red flags for most people. Hopefully I could talk my way around that with Leah, of course she would have to speak to me and from what I had seen for the past week she does not speak to anyone. Suddenly all the factors that I could not control came to the forefront, what if she refused to speak to me? What if she thought I was some sex offender? What kind of a person tries to pick up girls at a diner? Someone that is absolutely desperate and can't seem to get a date any other way, the person that is over forty years old and still lives with their mother. Maybe I could find another way to meet her, something more conductive to meeting strangers.
The big issue was that the girl never went anywhere, not to college where I could bump into her on campus or even to a freaking bar where I could ask her to dance. The thought of dancing with her was appealing, it would be nice to see her moving that lithe body of hers to the music. The only problem was getting her on the dance floor, she had not left the house for anything other than patrols for the past week. I could feel my confidence in the plan waning, and it would not be good to show my turmoil of emotions when I had half of Forks watching me. I forced my muscles to relax before I casually stood up and headed across to the door marked as the restroom. Grabbing the sink with both hands I stared at the mirror trying to reshape my expression into something resembling disinterest. My current role was the tourist that just happened to be staying in a friend's cabin. I was not the guy that after nearly two thousand years finally found the girl he wanted to spend eternity with. I was not about to throw up in the nasty toilet because I was so nervous and excited at the prospect of talking to her. I looked at my eyes, my very boring brown eyes since the pale green would have marked me as different.
"This is just for shits and giggles, you have no worries and no job to think about. All you are doing is having a little fun. You are not about to fucking freak out like a virgin little pussy. You could pick up a woman in your sleep." But it has never mattered before now, all those other women were easily used and discarded. This girl was irreplaceable, if she shot me down I could not move onto the next available woman. Suddenly I could no longer see myself in the mirror instead there was an image of a smiling Leah, her cute nose crinkled in humor.
I took another deep breath as a true calm finally settled over me, that was my goal for now: to see her smile. I wanted to see the corners of her mouth curl up in real life instead of in my visions. Baby steps, I would worry about eternity later. For now all I needed from her was a smile, maybe two and that would be what I strived for. It would have to be enough for now, that is all I required.
I washed my hands two times before heading out the nasty bathroom with a confident stride, never show weakness. Almost missing a step I looked up to see her sitting at the bar looking in my direction. On the inside I was doing the touch down dance because she was looking at me - for a moment I seriously wanted to kick my own ass for being this pathetic. But that thought was quickly abolished as I finally looked into her eyes, something that had been impossible to do for the past week considering I was being an invisible stalker. Her eyes might have been called brown by some but when surrounded by those dark eyelashes they appeared almost golden. The same pretty eyes that were at this moment looking at me filled with curiosity, that was far preferable to anger. She looked me up and down for a moment before meeting my eyes again, it seemed that we were having a staring contest. Her chin lifted a fraction of an inch indicating her absolute refusal to look away from this battle, my girl was a competitive little thing. While she was checking me out it would not be out of place for me to check her out as well. Dressed in a poorly fitting t-shirt that disguised her true shape and a pair of ragged jean shorts she should not have been able to take my breath away but that is what she did; it did not help that I knew exactly what she looked like underneath those borrowed clothes. That is what they have to be considering that no teenage girl in her right mind would wear those unless the alternative was going naked. The short sleeved shirt was so long on her that it covered her supple arms from my sight, the jeans that looked like they had been full length at one time had been shortened with more enthusiasm than skill and fell just below her knees. Much to my pleasure her pretty little calves were visible as her legs dangled from the tall chair. The pants were very loose on her meaning that I would not be able to get a proper look at that fine ass of hers, though that might be a good thing because a raging boner might not be the best way to introduce myself.
Here I was admiring the most beautiful woman I had seen and she was still glaring at me with determination to win the staring contest. I suppressed a smile while looking away first, what she did not understand is that I was not her enemy. In fact my role in her life would be the exact opposite of that. I would be her champion, always at the ready to watch her back in times of trouble, I would even be willing fight her battles for her if that is what she needed.
"Here is your food honey, is there anything else you need?" Sally was being a lot more attentive now that the crowd had dispersed. She need not worry, I was always a good tipper.
"Ketchup," the food looked like it would require something to mask the taste. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Leah move a little, could it be that she liked the sound of my voice. Hmm I wonder how she would react when I whispered naughty things into her ear. My body did not need much incentive as it went through several scenarios, but now was not the time to be thinking of such things. Instead I concentrated on the food in front of me, the food was not horrible as I initially feared just really bad for you. What did they use in this meatloaf? Bacon grease and lard?
I watched as Sally placed a tall glass in front of her filled with some sort of pink concoction. The difference between the two woman could not have been more glaring. Leah's darker complexion was smooth and clear of all blemishes while Sally's was filled with lines which probably were a testament to the poor lifestyle choices she had made as opposed to the time she had lived. Sally had attempted to cover the fine lines she gained from smoking by applying heavy doses of makeup that only accented the problem. Leah on the other hand was clean faced, and completely natural; there was something refreshing about a woman who was capable of putting herself out there without trying to hide behind the perfect clothes, hair and makeup. I might have been slightly biased but after dealing with women that never show their true selves it was nice to deal with someone like Leah. It was kind of ironic that I, the perpetual liar that never showed their true self to the world was attracted to someone who did not hide behind a mask. Though I guess she had some secrets, like the fact that she was a wolf.
I frowned when noticing she had only ordered a milkshake, that could not be enough for her. As a werewolf she would need to eat a lot more food than that, and I know she had not eaten lunch yet. Maybe poor finances prevented her from getting more to eat, she was not working at this time - at least not a job that paid. A great deal of her time was spent patrolling which made it hard for her to have a steady job. Would it be too much to offer to buy her food? That would go against the whole casual tourist look but it was against my nature to not feed her if she was hungry. Anything she needed I would help her obtain, even if it was as simple as food.
I looked over at her, prepared to offer to buy her something else when I noticed her stab her drink. It was not the let me mix this thing up a little bit more stab either, no this was the I hope you die and burn in hell for eternity jab at the poor defenseless cherry. I was not trying to read her mind but sometimes when someone's thoughts are strong enough we can't help but see them. It looked like she was remembering something about an older man eating the cherry for her, I identified him as her father from the pictures around her house. That was irrelevant at this point, what was more important was that she looked to be in pain and a distraction was necessary.
"Are you going to eat that?" I asked her with a slight smile.
"What?" Her voice was a combination of anger and sorrow, she was still mourning her father's death.
"The cherry, you gonna eat it or kill it?" As much as I hated butchering the english language she needed some humor right now. It was with much reluctance that I looked away from her, not wanting to seem to invested in this conversation.
"I don't like maraschino cherries," she told me sounding a little confused, but at least some of the sorrow had left her face. My head automatically swung back towards her voice, I needed not to make eye because if I looked into her upset eyes once more it would be impossible to resist the need to hold her in my arms.
"I see," I looked away again trying to not look interested. She went back to drinking her shake but with little enthusiasm, it appeared her memories were too much for her right now. My hands tightened into fists, but it was that or grabbing her in a hug and I don't think she would appreciate some stranger trying to comfort her right now. Not five minutes later she stabbed her drink one more time before storming to the front to pay for the drink she had barely touched.
The door closed with a bang as she left, only I was able to hear her growling before the door slammed shut. It seemed the memories were too much for her, and there was nothing I could do about it right about now. Frowning I turned back to my food, only to notice a plaid piece of fabric a few stools down from me. In her haste she had left her jacket on the back of the chair, my frown turned into a smile as I finally saw my opportunity. I quickly finished my meal, and signaled for my check.
Luck was with me as no one notice as I place my jacket over hers before grabbing them both. Though technically she would not get cold it did not mean that this would not be a great excuse to find her and talk to her. It would be easy enough to locate her in this small town.
A/N: Sorry this took so long, other things have been occupying my time. If it was up to me I would have spent all my time with Leah and Phil. Though I have been bad and stalking Buffy and Angel (now there is a yummy vampire.) Wow I have not updated in a month and I have been so many reviews, though most of them are asking for an update. Maybe I should not update as quickly, just joking. Seriously though I have been working on real life stuff and it took up every waking moment, getting more than four hours a sleep a night was a luxury for a while but that is much better now.
December Duchess: Glad you like the story and my totally perverted Phil. I guess this is the Phil that Leah did not get to know yet, the one with all those lifetimes worth of experience and memories. By nature he is a violent person but he is always patient and sweet with his Princess so I am playing with that characteristic right now.
Toshii519: Lol yes he met Leah and now he is stalking her, but you know what they say it is not stalking if you do it with love. I am quoting Blossom here, I am sure she would have said something along those lines.
Jaime2772: Hopefully you found some tasty cookie recipes, glad that you liked the last chapter and that it helped you feel a little better on your crappy day.
Ms Animegoddess: I see you are switching personalities, and yeah he is male so sex is on his mind a lot. He is just good at pretending like he does not want it. :D
Inosolan: I would think that Phil would think Leah was hot, even at the beginning of Leah's story she noticed him checking her out with admiration. Though that might have just been because she tried to punch Sam, something Phil's can't do without risk of exposure.
Connect2tjb: Having fun getting ready for the holidays? Thanks for your continued support.
Lady Forrest: I don't know if you have made it this far in the story yet but I am glad you like this Leah, I think she is one of the most fun characters to write. I tried Bella at one point but she is just too freaking nice; it is so much more fun to let out your inner bitch every once in a while.
MargotTenser: Wow what a review, if I could I would give you a cookie. Though I have not time to bake yet so you would be getting a cupcake flavored goldfish... it is tastier than it sounds. Leah always thought that Phil helped get her out of a dark place, but what Leah did not realize is that she did the same for Phil. They are both better off together than apart, or at least I hope so. The sum is worth more than the parts, that sort of thing.
Hgmsnoopy: Hi snoopy long time no see, yeah Phil is a pig but then most males are.
Jada91: Well what do you think of the first face to face meeting. Did Phil act all cool :D.
Edana Brietta: Glad you like Phil's point of view, it has actually been fun to write in some parts.
31Elizabeth: Well I got the update up if not the soon part, happy that you are enjoying reading this.
Anon: Whoever you might be, thanks for the prodding I was kind of slacking off. Seth's story, might start up on that one after this...maybe one more chapter of Phil.
MeMeMeMeeeeee: Lol, that is an awesome name. Was working on it, but it took me a while.