Next Part
And how will Marissa respond to that not-so-little bomb?
Jason stared down at his hands, afraid to see what emotions might be playing through her expressive eyes.
“Nikki?” Marissa repeated quietly. “But, isn’t Nikki the name of you…” The question trailed off.
“Yes.”
“You were engaged to my…” once again her question trailed off.
“Yes.”
Marissa was silent, she was silent so long that Jason could not help himself in looking to her face and instantly regretted it.
Horror and anger warred for control over her features. What finally won out was a painful mixture of the two. With her lips pressed in a hard flat line Marissa arose with utmost care. “Excuse me.”
Desperate to make her understand, Jason quickly reached out and caught her hand to stop her.
“Let go of me.” Her words were clipped and hard.
Jason arose also to block her way, refusing to release his hold on her hand. “Please, listen to me.”
The floodgates burst, “Doncha touch meh! I donna know wa kinda game you be tryin ta pay wit meh, but it gonna end here ah now! I wonna be no one’s stand in. Ever’ one’s telling meh how simlar I beh I meh ancestor, but I ain’t her. I wonnat-”
Jason spoke over her steadily rising voice. “I never intended for that. I know you are not Nikki. I would never presume for you to be her stand in. I am not with you because of that.” Jason had by now taken hold of Marissa’s shoulders in an attempt to get her to look at him.
“Oh? Dat be so? Den why ar ya wit meh?” Marissa was fuming beyond belief.
“Why am I with you?” Jason was taken aback by her question, rather than make him think about an answer, it served in making him angry. “That is a good question, at the moment I do not even know why. Will you just calm down and listen to me?”
“Calm down, ya wan’ meh ta calm down?” Suddenly Marissa went still.
Thinking she was attempting to do as he had asked, Jason took the opportunity to try and explain himself.
Marissa wasn’t listening to a word he said. Something in the air had changed. While they had been sitting by the bonfire the wind had been blowing the smoke away from them. Now she caught the small of smoke. Her wide eyes whipped to the bonfire, the smoke made wispy grey curls in the air and drifted off to the water, away from them. If it wasn’t from their bonfire; maybe somewhere up or down the beach…But no, the wind was wrong, the direction of this smoke was not from their section of the beach. Heedless of Jason’s grips on her arms Marissa pulled her body so she could soon in the direction they had come. Off in the distance an odd glow illuminated some of the buildings; it was from that direction the smell came.
Jason watched as Marissa’s face went from livid with anger to deadly pale. He saw her eyes grow wide as they followed the tendrils of smoke from their fire out to sea. As she wrenched her body around he followed her lone of sight and saw the same glow. His sharper eyesight was the dance of smoke against the night sky. As he studied the glow Marissa was gone in an instant, slipping from his loosened grasp and sprinting down the sand. For the sand being so fine and loosely packed she was able to move amazingly fast. With Jason’s speed eh could have easily caught up with her, but he was very much aware of the people along the boardwalk and Marissa’s sprint had already begun to attract attention. It was not the playful running about that was seen commonly on the beach. This sprint was a one teeth purpose, with a life or death motivation. Jason had to hold himself back to a normal person’s speed and be resigned to follow her.
Jason stared down at his hands, afraid to see what emotions might be playing through her expressive eyes.
“Nikki?” Marissa repeated quietly. “But, isn’t Nikki the name of you…” The question trailed off.
“Yes.”
“You were engaged to my…” once again her question trailed off.
“Yes.”
Marissa was silent, she was silent so long that Jason could not help himself in looking to her face and instantly regretted it.
Horror and anger warred for control over her features. What finally won out was a painful mixture of the two. With her lips pressed in a hard flat line Marissa arose with utmost care. “Excuse me.”
Desperate to make her understand, Jason quickly reached out and caught her hand to stop her.
“Let go of me.” Her words were clipped and hard.
Jason arose also to block her way, refusing to release his hold on her hand. “Please, listen to me.”
The floodgates burst, “Doncha touch meh! I donna know wa kinda game you be tryin ta pay wit meh, but it gonna end here ah now! I wonna be no one’s stand in. Ever’ one’s telling meh how simlar I beh I meh ancestor, but I ain’t her. I wonnat-”
Jason spoke over her steadily rising voice. “I never intended for that. I know you are not Nikki. I would never presume for you to be her stand in. I am not with you because of that.” Jason had by now taken hold of Marissa’s shoulders in an attempt to get her to look at him.
“Oh? Dat be so? Den why ar ya wit meh?” Marissa was fuming beyond belief.
“Why am I with you?” Jason was taken aback by her question, rather than make him think about an answer, it served in making him angry. “That is a good question, at the moment I do not even know why. Will you just calm down and listen to me?”
“Calm down, ya wan’ meh ta calm down?” Suddenly Marissa went still.
Thinking she was attempting to do as he had asked, Jason took the opportunity to try and explain himself.
Marissa wasn’t listening to a word he said. Something in the air had changed. While they had been sitting by the bonfire the wind had been blowing the smoke away from them. Now she caught the small of smoke. Her wide eyes whipped to the bonfire, the smoke made wispy grey curls in the air and drifted off to the water, away from them. If it wasn’t from their bonfire; maybe somewhere up or down the beach…But no, the wind was wrong, the direction of this smoke was not from their section of the beach. Heedless of Jason’s grips on her arms Marissa pulled her body so she could soon in the direction they had come. Off in the distance an odd glow illuminated some of the buildings; it was from that direction the smell came.
Jason watched as Marissa’s face went from livid with anger to deadly pale. He saw her eyes grow wide as they followed the tendrils of smoke from their fire out to sea. As she wrenched her body around he followed her lone of sight and saw the same glow. His sharper eyesight was the dance of smoke against the night sky. As he studied the glow Marissa was gone in an instant, slipping from his loosened grasp and sprinting down the sand. For the sand being so fine and loosely packed she was able to move amazingly fast. With Jason’s speed eh could have easily caught up with her, but he was very much aware of the people along the boardwalk and Marissa’s sprint had already begun to attract attention. It was not the playful running about that was seen commonly on the beach. This sprint was a one teeth purpose, with a life or death motivation. Jason had to hold himself back to a normal person’s speed and be resigned to follow her.