Hey everybody. I'm so sorry its taken so long to updated. School and work is dragging me down right now and I didn't want to just throw out something that I couldn't be proud of. I have been working very hard to get all of my work done while also writing for this so I hope you can forgive me and I hope you enjoy.
"Can't you ever just stay out of trouble?" Clay asked as he wrapped gaze around my scratched knuckles. I gave him a sheepish grin and shrugged.
"Guess not." I admitted. Clay laughed at me and started wrapping my second hand. Liz sat next to me on the counter of the BPRD medic bay.
"Has she done stuff like this before?" Liz asked. Clay and I shook our heads and started laughing.
"Oh no she's always careful." Clay said, rolling his eyes at me.
"Hey, I am careful. Circumstances just choose not to favor me."
Clay ruffled my hair as if I was a toddler. He put away the bandages and a few more medical tools that the doctors had left out before leaving us so that he could get back to work.
"You two seem really close." Liz said. I looked at her and smiled. "He's a mentor to me, almost like a second father. I don't know what I would do without him." Liz grinned and hopped off the counter. I followed her out the door and down the hallway.
"I hear the museum was destroyed and the whole tunnel situation is being covered and controlled." Liz suddenly said, trying to make conversation.
I nodded my head, pretending to pay attention to her. In reality, I was thinking about other things. The fact that I had nearly died twice in just one week was one of those things.
In my short career working for the BPRD, I had come close to death how many times? I thought about it and made the number out to be a solid 6 and a half.
Once on my first day, twice on the kraken mission, once where I was nearly eaten by wolves, two times with Liz present, and the half being a compilation of Hellboy wanting to kill me. Compared to how life was before this job I'd say that my chances of survival were getting smaller. Back then the only thing I had to worry about was getting hit by a bus or a taxi, now look at me.
"Rai? Um… Rai?" I looked up and found Liz staring at me. "Were you even listening to me?" She asked. I gave her a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I guess not." Liz smiled at me as if to tell me it was ok.
"Liz!" We both looked up when we heard the voice. Hellboy had just turned the corner and was standing near the end of the hallway. Liz smiled and I looked away quickly, trying to hide my face from him.
"Rai what's wrong?" Liz whispered to me as she looked back at me. I shook my head.
"I just forgot something back at the library. I'll see you later." With that, I turned and practically ran back the way we came. I left Liz and Hellboy standing there confused. I wasn't comfortable being in the same facility as him and defiantly not when Liz was there as well.
I hadn't even been back long enough to visit the library so there wasn't anything I could have forgotten there. Nevertheless, I felt I needed somewhere to relax and it had been forever since I'd red a good book.
The room was as warm as it always was and I checked to make sure the Professor wasn't there. I suspected that he would still manage to pop up out of nowhere and scare the living shit out of me but I could deal with that when it happened. The couch looked like a promising place for a nap and the fire was going. Abe's tank appeared to be empty and the rest of the room looked vacant as well. I turned my attention to the books.
I browsed the bookshelves and found myself completely absorbed in the titles and subjects. I pulled out one book after another and became more and more curious with each leather cover and yellowed page. Finally I made up a large pile of books and stacked them near the couch. I sat on the floor with my back resting against the couch and sorted through the book while the fire warmed me up.
"What?" Hellboy barked when I punched him in the arm. I gave him a glare. "You are such a jerk sometimes." I punched him again and swallowed a large gulp of my coffee. "Why am I the jerk?" He asked as he grabbed a beer from the fridge. "You don't have to be so horrible to her, Red. She just wants to fit in. We all do." He just grumbled into his beer and looked away.
"Red." I demanded. He looked back at me and tried to fain innocents.
"Oh come on." He shouted when I didn't respond to his 'innocent' look. "She nearly killed you. You're really going to defend her?" Hellboy asked. I nodded. "It was as much my fault as it was hers. I lost control and blew up again. I forgave her for what she did and she forgave me." I said. Hellboy rolled his eyes.
"Hey I'm serious. Do you know she thinks you want to kill her?" I asked giving him an angry glare. Red's eyes widened in surprised.
"What? No. She's just annoying. I wouldn't…" He didn't finish his sentence and instead downed the last of his beer. He sat down in a chair and stared at the ground as he thought. I watched him in silence.
"I didn't want her to replace you on the team." He muttered. It was my turn to roll my eyes.
"She wasn't going to HB. If I didn't want to be here then I wasn't here. Rai joining the team shouldn't have had anything to do with that." I explained. Hellboy glanced up at me and then down at the floor again.
"I guess . . . I just missed you and she reminded me too much of you." He whispered. I sighed heavily and sat in the chair next to him.
"It's ok for you to miss me Red. But Rai and you are friends now. Well… not right now but you were. You can't just blow her off because you want to replace her with me. She's a completely different person than I am and I think she can be here for you even when I can't."
I placed a hand on the side of Hellboy's face and made him look at me. His eyes searched my face. He wanted to argue about the last thing I said but in the end he didn't. I smiled at him and hugged him really quick before getting up and grabbing some more beer from the fridge. He took a can from me with a slight smile on his face and I opened my own.
"Blood Elves: Their Original Glory." This book was longer than the others in the first pile and was bound with a worn leather cover. Mythical wars and battles sprawled out along the pages.
"Trolls are known for their size and strength but not their brains. A large group of them is said to have founded a legendary, hidden troll market." I read from another book. A third book explained more of their weaknesses, their point of origin, and a list of foods they enjoyed eating.
"The Flurry of the Hell Hound." I red followed by several more books concerning demons and ghosts.
"Mount Everest: Legion of Snow Beasts."
"Sammael: the Son of Resurrection."
"The Aztecs: Their true demise."
Title after title, I flipped through the pages of each book. This was what I was going to work with. This was my job. I suddenly realized I had no idea what my job entitled. Now I was figuring it out and I wondered if all of these legends and scientific studies were real. I had a lot to learn if I wanted to keep up with what Hellboy and Abe knew about the mythical world. I was reaching for another book when a voice startled me.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" I jumped and bumped into the large tower of books I had created. I tried to save the tower, but the books crashed down anyways and I was left wincing at the mess before me. I turned around slowly, lifting my head so that I could see above the back of the couch and faced whoever had seen my embarrassing scramble for the books. Abe's tank was no longer vacant as the fish man appeared in the water, staring at me through the glass. If he could have smiled I swear he would have been smirking at me.
"Apparently you are." He said. I smiled sheepishly and stood up so that I could collect the books.
"Sorry Abe. I didn't mean to take all your books. I was just . . . reading them." I explained lamely. Abe nodded. "Clearly. You seemed so encompassed in your reading. I'm sorry I disturbed you." He said politely. I shook my head with a smile. "Don't worry about it. You have a really great collection." I said as I walked towards the bookshelves with an arm full of books.
"Thank you. You have never red much about mythological creatures." Abe said, not asking, but stating the fact.
"Yeah. I had no idea how clueless I was. I mean, this is my job." Abe nodded as he watched me put my used books away.
"If you ever need to know something I'll do my best to find information on it. That is my job after all." He explained. I smiled at the fish man.
"Thanks but I was just browsing and entertaining myself."
Once all of the books were away, Abe verbally picked out a few books of his own and I placed them near his tank. I then repositioned myself near my second tower of books. Several minutes later I decided I'd better be Abe's official page turner. After placing one of the comfortable chairs near the book stands, I picked some things to read through and settled in to relax.
"Wait so vampires aren't immortal?" I heard the voice as I got closer to the library. Abe's voice replied. "No they drink the blood so that they can stay immortal but they are not given immortality when they become vampires." The sound of rustling pages followed his explanation and then the voice asked another question. "Are werewolves immortal?"
Before Abe could answer the question, I pushed open the doors and stepped in to see Rai sitting near Abe's glass tank. She was leaning forward, hanging off the edge of her seat. Whatever the two had been talking about, Rai had been very interested. Her boots disappeared behind a mass of text books. Two books sat one on top of the other on her lap and a third sat suspended above the others, nestled in Rai's hands.
At the sound of me entering, the two glanced over to the door. Abe's face didn't change but the color in Rai's face seemed to drain as she sized me up.
"Hi." Rai said; her voice cracking. Abe interrupted her embarrassment. "Do you need something, Red?" I shook my head and then realized I did. "Yeah, I was looking for Father. Is he in?" I asked, trying not to look at Rai's tense form. Abe shook his head.
"Alright. What's going on here?" I asked nonchalantly. "Reading." Rai said bluntly, trying to make up for her weak reply earlier. I glanced at her and her head turned slowly to look at me. "That is what people generally do in libraries." She bit, sarcastically.
I glared at her as she stood up and gathered her books. She brushed passed me and started putting them away.
"You falling for it too, Blue?" I whispered to my fish friend behind the glass. He sighed, a few bubbles appearing and floating to the top of the tank.
"I'm not falling for anything, Red. She is an enjoyable person to discuss paranormal studies with and she is welcome here."
I growled. "What a load of crap." Rai finished her clean up and, after hearing my comment, chucked a heavy, leather-bound book at the back of my head.
I turned around ready to chew her out but found that she had already fled the room. I shot Abe a look and found him shaking his head at me disapprovingly.
Great now everyone thinks she's the victim. How many people are going to take her side in this damn building?
"You don't realize that you were the first, Red." Abe said, pulling me out of my thoughts. I growled at him and then decided waiting for father wasn't worth all of this crap. I marched out of the room leaving Abe with his books.
Liz wasn't staying. Everyone seemed to understand this except Hellboy. After a month, Liz once again decided that the world of paranormal activity wasn't where she belonged. I did my best to teach her self control with her powers, but she wasn't getting it. Liz and I had become close and although it hurt to hear her talk about leaving, I still encouraged her to follow her heart.
She loved photography. Stacks of pictures littered her room. They were obviously amateur photos but I found myself gazing at them in awe. They were amazing and I loved seeing the angles and the awkwardness. It was art and no one could deny it and live.
Liz and I enjoyed taking field trips outside the BPRD once I was physically able. We took turns picking where we went once a week, finding something fun to do in New York. It almost always involved ice cream and photos.
Outside the BPRD we had a lot of fun. Inside it was a different story. We were separate when we were inside. I referred to it as "Hellboy territory" where she was his friend not mine. I steered clear. Liz understood and did her best to keep Hellboy away from me.
I spent my time indoors doing one of three things.
The first was studying with Abe. His books and knowledge fascinated me. I learned everything I could and spent time with Abe reading, researching, or simply cleaning and reorganizing the library.
The second option was tagging along with Clay. We would train or work out together and it always ended with him on his back. He showed me new guns and taught me how to fire them. If we ran out of things to do, I followed him around for his errands and helped him file paper work.
The third activity was risky but much more fun. It involved pitting Manning and Hellboy against each other. It didn't take much. All I had to do was pull a prank on Manning and frame Hellboy. Once Hellboy was busted he tried to get revenge on Manning and I made sure to relocate the red giant's green paint bombs from manning's desk to HB's locker. The chaos was hilarious and kept me laughing for hours every time it happened because yes, it happened more than once.
"HELLBOY!" Manning's shouting disrupted the whole building. Agents and office workers scurried out of the way when they saw the balding man heading down the hall in a furry.
He entered the break room where I was sitting with my feet propped up on the table, pretending to read a newspaper.
"Where is he?" Manning growled at me. I lowered my paper to look at him. "Who?" I asked with false innocence. Manning's whole frame shook with anger and I could see why. His face was covered in marker and his remaining hair was dyed blue. I suppressed a giggle as I examined my handy work.
"Hellboy, I want him now!" Manning shouted.
"I'm guessing his room. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not exactly his favorite person either." I said. Manning said nothing else to me, he simply stormed out of the room. Luckily, I heard about the confrontation between the boss and Hellboy later from Liz.
"I swear Hellboy is pushing it. One of these days Manning will find some way to punish him and then that big red idiot is going to regret it." Liz was completely serious but I couldn't help myself as I busted up in laughter.
"What?" Liz asked. I shook my head with a laugh. I left her for a second so that I could cross the street to a small convenient store. I brought back a Popsicle for me and a cup of black coffee for her.
"Thanks." She said and then asked me about what I had been laughing about before.
"Don't you wonder how Manning suddenly got good at pranking Hellboy back?" I asked. Liz shrugged her shoulders.
"Yeah, there's no way Manning could beat Hellboy. Why? Do you think someone else is planting Hellboy's pranks in his own locker?" I nodded and laughed. "Of Course. Manning is an idiot. That's why he's been pranked so many times before." Liz laughed and we started our walk.
A few minutes into the walk Liz turned and laughed at me. I gave her a curious look as I bit into my fifty-fifty bar.
"What's so funny?" I asked; my mouth full of ice cream. Liz kept laughing. "Seeing you eat ice cream like a five year old." She replied. I laughed at that and kept eating.
"Why do you love ice cream so much?" She asked. I swallowed another bite of my ice cream.
"When I was really little I couldn't eat sugar because my mom was a major health fanatic. After a lot of negotiating between her and my dad they decided that once a year, on my birthday, I was allowed to have one ice cream cone. I was only eight when she left us. It was a week after my powers showed up. She didn't like my dad's job and she had a problem with her daughter being a human battery. After that I didn't have anyone to tell me I couldn't eat sugar but my dad and I still had the tradition of eating ice cream on my birthday. Later on, when we had hard times or a failed expedition, we would go out for ice cream with the guys, instead of a bar or something. We did it sort of as a joke. We would get 'drunk' on ice cream as a way of spiting my mother and every evil thing in the world." I laughed and threw a smile at Liz. She smiled at me apologetically.
"I was eleven when my powers appeared." Liz said softly. Her smile faded and I watched fear flash through her eyes. "Liz." I whispered, hoping she didn't feel pressured into saying something she didn't want to.
"I was living in Kansas and my powers scared me. I blew up, sort of like I did when we fought, only much worse. My family, my friends, my home, all of it was gone. People called me a freak. They hated me and attacked me for what I had done. I don't blame though. I deserved it." Tears fell from Liz's eyes and she hugged herself as she tried to keep everything under control.
"No. Liz that's not fair." I said, stopping mid step and placing an arm around her. Liz stopped as well and shook her head at me. "No it isn't. I killed them." More tears fell. I forcefully grabbed both of her shoulders and called her name again so that she would look at me.
"Liz, trust me. I've been there. I know what it feels like to be called a freak. I know what guilt feels like after letting someone die." She whipped a tear from her cheek and searched my eyes.
"You have such control, Rai. Your powers can be helpful. What can I do? My powers are dangerous, even more so when I don't know how to use them." Her shoulders shook and I hugged her before holding her at arm's length again so that I could see her face.
"But you do know how to use them. Take it from someone who's been beaten down by them. You can use them as an offense for an even greater defense. Liz!" Her eyes had started to wander away from me and hearing her name made her snap back to attention.
"You are so much stronger than I am and you don't even realize it yet. If I had a power as scary as that I would have given up forever ago. You haven't. So hang in there. If you don't think you can get stronger at the Bureau that's ok. Just don't forget that we're here and we care about you."
Liz smiled through her tears and hugged me. We laughed together as we headed back to the BPRD, my arm still resting on her shoulder in comfort.
Thanks for reading. I hope I can gets some reviews and then I can get you the next chapter.
I have some surprises in store.