Between Love and Hate - Chapter 2
Title: Between Love and Hate
Author: sue
Rating: PG13 (for the moment at least)
Show: DA
Pairing: M/A? we’ll see..
Genre: Major Angst (considered yourself warned)
Type: Work in Progress
Summary: Anything and Everything’s sequel. Will Alec finally remember who Max was to him?
A/N - Wow.. I'm updating. What a shock! I'm so sorry it took a while to write this and I do appreciate how very patient you all have been in waiting for this update. You guys rocks!
Anyway, this is for those who without fail had reminded me time and time again that I haven't updated in months. Yup, you know who you are! Thank you, you're all the best :D
Just to warn you all, I see this chapter as a more of a preliminary chap, the ground for the story. Yup, there's not much MA action going on but we'll get to that soon :)
Probably.
Possibly.
Yeah, I'm evil mwahahahahah
A big thank and a huge hug to Alexis who keeps my appalling grammatical mistakes to a minimum. Without her, this chapter won’t be as polished as it is today. You're the best dear!
Enjoy this one people! Cuz I have no idea when the next one's coming. Just kidding! Chap 3 is being written as we speak. Two more scenes, three tops, and it's done.
Chapter 2: The Unseen Path
A small, lone figure sat by a window, unaware of how the room dwarfed its occupant. The long fingers, decidedly feminine, played with the edge of the heavy drape almost unconsciously as the emerald eyes stared unblinkingly out the window.
But those eyes, once startlingly too big and too bright for the small face, were presently dulled into jagged green stones set in a pale, withdrawn face. The head lowered and with a whisper, thick black hair cascaded down to shield those reserved features.
He walked in, the thick Persian rug muted the sound of his footsteps but the bent head lifted almost immediately. Andrew Saddleworth’s set face cracked around the edges to produce a small smile. Only for this girl did he lower his guard. After all, he practically raised her.
Deep dimples flashed as a hint of a smile hovered over her lips at his appearance and she stood silently, waiting for him to come to her.
‘Sandy, is he here? You said he’d be here today.’ However, the smile disappeared with the question.
She had been raised that way. Never show your emotions to others. You’re too vulnerable that way. She had learned it the hard way.
His footsteps faltered before resuming their crisp pace. ‘I’m sorry Miss Charlene. He called earlier to say that he will not make it to dinner tonight. He’s too...’
The butler’s next words died in his throat as the girl’s face lost its dimple. Without another word, she resumed her seat by the window and continued her vacant stare.
With a preoccupied glance her way, the stately butler delivered the rest of his news, ‘The master reminds you to pack a suitcase and I already instructed Nancy to see to it.’
‘A suitcase, huh?’ She asked without a hint of emotion, ‘You can tell him I’m not going anywhere.’
‘I’m sorry Miss Charlene. It is your father’s wish that you stay there for a while.’
‘His order you mean?’
He sighed, ‘No Charlie.’ Not even her old nickname amused her this time. ‘You know your father wants what is best for you.’
‘Right.’ One dark brow rose as she challenged him. ‘That’s why he’s packing me off to… where is it this time?’
‘He only wants you to be safe.’
The green eyes under the dark brows gleamed furiously, and he knew her only too well to know that she was livid. Beyond that even. ‘He wants a lot of things but he’s not getting any. I’m staying.’
‘Please Charlie, be reasonable. You know it’s not safe for you to be here now.’
‘If he’s so damn preoccupied with my safety, why didn’t he tell me all of this himself?’
A beat of silence passed before he sighed again. ‘You know why. It’s not that he didn’t want to, at this moment he just...’
‘Can’t.’ She finished his sentence dully. ‘Won’t. It’s the same thing. You know what, Sandy? Tell that damn bastard that I’ll go but he’ll never see me again. Ever. If he comes within a mile, I’ll give myself to the enemy. Make him understand that I mean every word.’
‘Charlene, no!’ The elderly man gasped in shock, ‘Don’t say that, he’s still your father.’
‘A father who is never around? Who wouldn’t even remember my birthday if you didn’t remind him every year? Who I last spoke to a year ago?’ She turned and the green eyes hardened, her shoulders straight and stiff. ‘He’s nothing to me now. Nothing. And make sure he knows that too.’
-*-
The night’s daily veil had not been lifted yet but not everyone was snuggled in their own cozy, warm bed. Silhouetted by the dancing candle flame, one figure moved constantly around the small, confining space. Without a word, he paced the bare floor unhurriedly, knowing that he had time to spare before breakfast.
Last night’s storm was probably the reason why the need for candles this morning. He’ll have to check if the generator was fine. They’re going to need it until electricity kicked in again. He made a mental note to check the gasoline as well, but he knew they’d be fine even if the blackout went on till next week.
Moving about the small space, he tidied up the bed, tugging the taut sheet for the perfect fold. He stopped and frowned as he became conscious of his action. A second later, he shrugged and went on with his task. He looked at the sparse room, devoid of any personal keepsakes, but this was not something that bothered him anymore.
After the accident, the empty room freaked him out a little bit but over a period of time, he realized that maybe it was his nature after all. Given the chance, he would opt in being at the back of a crowd instead of having the limelight on him. No, he would rather blend in than stand out. He was a very private person after all and they lived in this isolated farm in the middle of nowhere, so it all made sense... a little.
Walking towards the door, he picked up his jacket and stood by the doorway as he shrugged into it. The dusky dawn bought a small smile to his face as he drank in his surroundings. In the dim light he barely saw the big house, but he knew Mary and Buddy were already up and running.
Without feeling, he saw the dark, empty rooms beside his. For some reason, the thought of being alone in roomful of empty worker’s quarters made him sleep sounder during the night. No unexpected visitors in the middle of the night… no sudden footsteps in the hallway.
He had embraced the silence with the enthusiasm of a newly found religion.
Stretching his eager muscles, he took in deep lungful of crisp morning air and turned towards the stables. He needed to check on the horses before heading towards the big house for his breakfast.
A typical day for Adam Thompson has started.
-*-
The sound of a door crashing open at the crack of dawn drew muttered groans from the other apartments. But none of that mattered to her as she streaked past the couch to her bedroom where she started tossing her belongings around.
‘Damn, where is that bag?’ A few frantic minutes later, she triumphantly drew an overnight bag from under her bed and then she started to pitch in whatever was within hands reach. She drew upright and stiffened before she ran and threw her closet open before starting to hurl her belongings onto her bed, obviously looking for something in particular.
After minutes ticked past and a small mountain of tops and jeans grew by her feet, she unearthed a bag and slowly took it to her bed, the bag Dr Fowler had thrust into her hands months ago. She fingered the rough fabric for a while before she unzipped the bag decisively. Green notes stared serenely back at her and quickly she grabbed some of the notes and crammed them into her bag.
She’s going to need the money now and if he dared to bitch at her about using his money to look for him... Max blinked back the quick tears. She’d do anything, damn it anything, to have him nag again.
Max stood and hurriedly looked around her room again. ‘Toothbrush!’ she yelled and ran to the tiny cubicle they had to use for a bathroom and rammed her knee against the side of the bed. ‘Goddammit! Ugh, I’ll just buy one then.’
She massaged the tender area unconsciously, her mind already on less trivial details and she gasped, ‘OC!’ She ran towards the next bedroom and suddenly stopped. She couldn’t just barge in there, right? For the last couple of months, OC had endured her zombie-like appearance and now…
She’ll understand. Max shook her head and knocked softly. ‘OC, you’re up, right?’
She pushed the door slowly and when she didn’t hear any response, she sighed, the room was empty. Her feet treaded on the carpet slowly as she made her way to OC’s bed and for a few seconds, she glanced around her best friend’s room.
She had been so wrapped up in her personal pain, she had neglected her duties to others who were still around her and she knew without a doubt that OC was the one who had felt the full brunt of her ‘betrayal’. Max took a deep breath and fingered OC’s alarm clock that was lying on her bedside table.
She opened one of the drawers and took out a piece of paper. Dear OC, she wrote silently.
I am so very sorry I have been such an ass the last couple of months. Yeah, you were right… as usual, and I was wrong (for once ha!). And now you already know what I’m supposed to do, right? Yup, I’m gonna find his sorry ass and haul him back here, whether he wants to or not. Sorry I didn’t listen to you sooner, but apparently I like taking my time on matters like this.
Oh yeah, make up some excuses to Normal, will you? I’m sure he won’t flip… much, but I was (and still am) his employee of the month!
Max signed her flippant note with a flourish and propped it by the bedside table. Without a backward glance, she walked out of OC’s room and grabbed her light bag. All was still silent as she closed the door to her apartment and walked out of the building. She hitched her bags up and filled her lungs with the crisp morning air. It was too early for the usual polluted air and she was thankful for that.
The road was still devoid of its never-ending traffic and with each step she took, her heart was lighter. All those burdens that she was carrying started to dissipate as her resolve to find him hardened. And even though she knew that the road in front of her was winding at its best and treacherous at its very worst, nothing could dampen her spirits now.
She sighed, now that she can actually think clearly without having an emotional breakdown, everything was becoming clearer. Why he acted and said the things he did. She berated herself for why she had let it come to this, she should have done this months ago. Max heaved a troubled sigh; maybe she was not ready to face the situation then. She took a deep breath after she jumped on her bike and within seconds, she was off.
-*-
Adam grabbed a bale of hay and tossed it into the stables. His muscles moved easily, not finding the task beyond their limit or anything. He had found out that he could work practically all day and still have the energy to do more.
Mary had laughingly called him a stallion and he recalled being bewildered by it. His arms never lost their momentum as he heaved the hay into its respective stalls. He never had the time to ponder on the fact that there was only the three of them running the farm.
Adam was too comfortable with the absence of humanity to push the subject further. And yet, something niggled at the back of his mind, but that only happened once or twice, so he was more than happy to let the matter drop. He petted one sleek neck before turning to get more hay.
A loud whinny made him turn towards the farthest stall on the left. A big stallion with a gleaming black coat and proud eyes stood impatiently, tossing his thick dark mane. The powerful front leg pawed the ground restlessly. Annoyance was apparent on every line of his body.
Without missing a beat, Adam continued with his task, keeping the black stallion in the peripheral of his vision. But the big horse refused to acknowledge the man’s lack of attention. He pawed the ground, whinnying loudly behind the veil of dust he stirred up.
After he tossed the last bale, Adam straightened slowly, stretching his back in the process. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the black devil’s rising impatience. With a small smile, he petted the sleek neck, feeling the pent-up energy swirling just below the surface.
‘I’m sorry old friend, can’t take you out right now. What about later this afternoon?’
The stallion tossed his big head in reluctant agreement but the glint in his dark eyes dared the man to go back on his words.
The hesitant smile flickered again at the dictatorial glance, ‘Yeah, yeah... you’re the boss.’ He ran his fingers over the muscular neck in a farewell pat before turning towards the big house for his breakfast.
Adam pushed the kitchen door slowly, leaving silence behind as he entered the noisy kitchen. His feet faltered for a second, his typical response to being assaulted by this rowdy, brightly lit room before he purposely took the next step. It never failed to amaze him how a mere two people can produce such level of racket, but now it kinda grew on him.
‘Adam!’
He stiffened the urge to stand still but produced another smile instead.
‘Did the storm bother you last night?’
He shook his head, ‘No Mary, not really.’
It was true, storms had no effect on him. Rather, he loved hearing the sound it made as the rain pounded against something; the windows, the walls, the ground. There was just something about rain that calmed him down. Maybe it was the sort of freedom every raindrop had in deciding where it should land that appealed to him.
And the air smelled absolutely wonderful after it rained. Last night, he took a quick walk around the farm after the storm stopped, filling his lungs with frosty, fresh air as he surveyed the extent of the damage that the storm left behind. Maybe that was one of the reasons why he had woken up feeling so nostalgic all of a sudden.
‘You look absolutely famished, my boy,’ Mary beamed at the cautious young man. ‘Come on, sit down. I haven’t made all this for myself.’
‘Go on, Adam. You know how Mary is with her cooking. Grab a plate, son.’
Without further urging Adam sat and Mary puts down a heavily laden plate. ‘You boys need a lot of energy. So dig in.’
Adam let Mary and Buddy’s chatter swirl over him for a while as he dug through Mary’s marvelous breakfast. His own thoughts started to wander around his tasks for the day as Buddy suddenly turned towards him and asked, ‘Adam, do we need more gasoline?’
‘No, we’re fine for now but I think we should get more, just in case. I’m still going to the town for the supplies today, right?’
‘If you feel you’re up to it,’ Mary interrupted. ‘Oh, since you’re going, would you be a dear and grab me some more wool for my knitting? I just need some more to finish my project.’ Mary winked at him and Adam smiled.
He had a feeling the project was probably a sweater for him, from the way Mary had made excuses to suddenly measure him or her sudden quiz on his favourite colour and all.
‘Sure Mary. Just give me a sample and I’ll get it for you.’
‘You’re such a sweetheart,’ she kissed his cheek, beaming in her delight.
‘Anything for you, Buddy?’ Adam turned towards the older man.
‘No, thanks. One second,’ Buddy frowned, ‘did I tell you that we’re going to have a houseguest? I got the call last night but with the storm and everything, it must’ve slipped my mind. Andrew called last night,’ he turned to his wife. ‘Remember him? Andrew Saddleworth?’ After Mary nodded in agreement, he continued, ‘He asked if we could have Charlie over for a couple of weeks or so and I said it was fine. Andrew mentioned something about Charlie needing a change of scenery and I told him that there’s no better place than our farm.’
‘Oh, that poor little child,’ Mary sighed, ‘Charlie was always a delight to have over. Those dark hair and those green eyes...’
‘There she goes again,’ Buddy chuckled, ‘You’re talking like that child is still five. If I’m not mistaken, I think Charlie must be almost eighteen this year.’
Adam pushed his empty plate and took his mug filled hot coffee. He took a sip and the mere taste worked wonders on him. ‘Mary, you make the best coffee ever.’
‘What a charmer,’ but she smiled indulgently. ‘Make sure you get our Charlie here safe and sound, and I’ll cook whatever you want to eat.’
‘It’s a deal,’ Adam smiled and put down the empty mug. ‘I’ll see you guys later.’ He grabbed his Stetson by the door, waved his goodbye and then he was gone.
-*-
The big mansion was as still and silent as a tomb. Andrew Saddleworth shook off the clinging sensation of being watched and went on with his duty to inspect the household chores. As he passed the library, the phone rang, shattering the overwhelming silence. He picked up the phone, feeling grateful for the sudden interruption.
‘Stephen Kirlington‘s residence.’ His straight posture stiffened to attention, ‘Yes, Mr Kirlington.’
‘How’s everything over there? Do you have any problem with Charlene?’
‘No, sir. She’s on her way now as we speak, but I think there is something you should know.’ As the butler continued to inform the Master about his daughter’s reaction to his sudden order, silence grew on the other side of the line.
After a long pregnant pause, the Master spoke, ‘I see.’
‘Yes, Mr Kirlington. I did remind your assistant to fit your schedule for the dinner, however…’
‘Never mind,’ Kirlington waved it aside without concern, ‘Just make sure she gets there… and stays there.’
Andrew Saddleworth sighed as the line was disconnected abruptly, leaving him with the flat dialing tone. He put the receiver down slowly, his frown deepened with his dark thoughts.
However, a second later, he picked the phone again before dialing rapidly. He sighed heavily as he waited for his call to go through, his brow crinkled in his preoccupation. ‘Yes Miss Charlene, this is Saddleworth speaking.’
‘Yeah Sandy, what is it?’
‘No, it’s nothing really. I just want to make sure everything is fine with you. Do you need anything else?’
The girl was silent for a moment before she shook her head weakly, forgetting that he was unable to see it. ‘No, I’m fine. Thanks for asking, Sandy.’
‘Take care of yourself, Charlie. Mary and Buddy are good people, they’ll take care of you. If you need anything...’
‘I know, Sandy.’ She smiled weakly but tears were already glistering, coating her green eyes. ‘I know the drill.’
‘Very well,’ his heavy sigh broke her heart and her tears slid down her pale face.
‘I’ll talk to you soon, okay? Take care of yourself, Sandy.’ Without another word, she hit the end button and turned towards the window, watching the whizzing scenery with hot and blurry eyes. She scrubbed the tears from her cheeks roughly. This is the last time I’ll cry. No more tears for me.
Saddleworth turned from the table and walked towards the window, the spot where his little mistress often spent her time, whether reading, studying, thinking or just day dreaming. The worry in his old eyes was apparent as he stared out into the serene garden. ‘You’ll be fine, Charlie... stay safe, dear.’
-*-
Behind the heavily tinted windows, not a soul was aware of the thick atmosphere that was smothering its occupant. The men in their perfectly pressed suits exchanged uncomfortable glances with each other. They had their orders, but human nature such as curiosity could not be easily stifled, even though they were hardcore army personnel.
One of them shot a nervous look at their single passenger. She was looking with no concern out the window, watching the passing scene with bored eyes. Her heavy black hair made it difficult for any of them to gauge her feelings, but from her nonchalant posture, this girl didn’t give a damn what was in store for her.
The driver mentally shook his head. She was one cool customer, this Charlene Kirlington. Throughout the journey, the only time she showed a hint of human emotion was when she got that call. After she hung up, she was as stiff as a statue... and as emotionless as one.
As far as anyone could say, she could be heading off for an afternoon of leisurely shopping, instead of being sent away by her own father. No one really knew what had really happened, especially the lower staff. Oh, the gossip and self-made assumptions have been flying around about what they assumed and what they guessed to be the truth.
Miss Charlene had another row with her father and now the old man had disowned her, or she had had an affair with one of the stable boys and now she’s pregnant. There was also something about Mr Kirlington’s business rivals who were trying to ruin him through his daughter.
The most famous rumour that was flying around the mansion was that Miss Charlene didn’t agree to an arranged marriage and now she’s running away and apparently the butler has a hand in helping her flee the country. After all, it was always the butler.
The master only dropped by the mansion occasionally, the most frequent visit he ever made was twice in a year and his daughter was like a pale ghost floating around the mansion, all alone. Everyone felt sorry for the young girl, she had grown up all alone without a parent and since the Master forbade the girl from fraternizing with them, she really didn’t have anybody to talk to.
Add to that, Saddleworth the butler was uncompromisingly tight lipped about the whole situation and since the three main players weren’t talking, the audience felt the need to write their own script. That was the human nature, after all.
However, there was something that made a dent in their last theory. The master himself had called personally, ordering a set of men to ‘chaperone’ Miss Charlene. That had been quite a blow to the employees’ rumour mill but nonetheless that was not the last of the bewildering turns this story was taking.
Those men were asked to drive Miss Charlene to a pre-determined spot where they were to drop her off. After that, she will be driven to her unknown destination by Mr Kirlington’s personal assistant.
The mystery continued to suffocate the employees as one of them mentioned the fact that tinted limos practically screamed mystery and secret agents. The driver shook his head, hard. He had been listening to the kitchen gossip a little too much before he snuck a glance at the rearview mirror.
As usual, she was looking out the window with hooded, bored eyes and slowly, his interest in the whole matter dissolved and he turned his attention back to driving.
-*-
In the heat of the late morning sun, Adam piled the supplies onto his truck, tying the gasoline containers securely to make sure they stayed put during the ride home. He glanced at the rising sun and kept on with his task. The milling crowd around the truck moved hurriedly as they raced to their destination. Under the shadow of his hat, Adam’s eyes moved restlessly, crowded areas always had the effect of making him uncomfortable.
He always had the weirdest sensation of being followed or someone was ready to drag him back to… somewhere. Hell, most probably. He had no idea how he got it. Traumatic childhood? Maybe one of these days he could gather the courage to ask Mary or Buddy about his earlier years. He always thought about asking them about his history and such but there was always something holding him back.
Like some people say, ignorance is bliss. Maybe his subconscious was just warning him about an evil stepfather who beat him up to a pulp and almost sold him into slavery perhaps? There were some things you’re better off not knowing.
His keen eyes made another thorough sweep of his surroundings. He had no idea how he knew that he was safe at the moment, but somehow, he just did. And somehow, that fact didn’t make him feel any better. On the contrary, it fueled his restlessness. A ragged breath slipped through his lips and he forced his bunched muscles to relax a bit, his customary reaction on days like this.
He took another quick look around the town of Silver River and he came to the same conclusion as before. Silver River was one big bustling town and as was customary with other big and bustling towns, the occupants of these places tend to keep to themselves, as everybody mind their own business.
You could be living next door to the town’s dentist but you wouldn’t know it if he didn’t happen to be your regular dentist. Because of the large number of people, most of them tended to disappear into the background and he can’t honestly say he found fault with that.
-*-
One slender leg emerged from a black car before its partner followed suit. A second later, the figure of a petite girl in a demure green summer dress stood by the door, boredom and cold composure painted heavily across her features. She grabbed one small backpack, ignoring the driver’s shock as he saw the suitcases she had left behind and without a word to him, walked towards the bustling crowd.
Charlie reached upwards and ran her fingers through her long black tresses, flipping them over her shoulders. No one will order her around anymore; she’s her own woman now. The brisk walk faltered when she saw a glittering signboard across the road and a beat passed before her eyes lit up mischievously and a satisfied grin whisked across her small face.
Her green eyes flitted towards the window of the shop as she tilted her head, watching how the light played with her silky black hair. Charlie tossed her hair over the shoulder with one careless flick and entered the shop.
An hour later, the long straight black hair was cut just above her shoulders, framing her face, making it rounder... fuller. And without the heavy hair to hide behind as she customarily did, she stood straighter as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. And indeed it had.
She lost the need to make her father notice her, the need to be someone for him, someone he could be proud of. The desperate need to make him love her, need her, want her. To have his attention on her for a full five minutes.
She knew now that it was a lost cause and after last night, she finally understood that. And she made her peace with it. It will be a very long time before she can forgive her father however, but now she won’t kill herself over him. It still hurt, definitely, but she’ll find a way to cope.
Sandy had told her countless times that she was a fighter, a survivor, and she’ll prove his words true. He’s one fine man, her Sandy was, and her eyes lightened in response. She ran experimental fingers over her new hairdo and smiled. She loved this new side of her and wondered briefly why she didn’t do this years ago.
Charlie stood in front of a window and posed, watching the sunlight glinting against the bright purple highlights. The old man would flip if he knew what she had done to her hair, and that was one of the reasons why she decided to do so. The purple clashed merrily with her glassy green eyes and her smile widened.
Perfect. Just perfect.
She turned her wrist and frowned, she still has time to spare. Her stomach chose that very moment to growl and within seconds, the young woman walked towards the nearest diner. She was supposed to meet Mary and Buddy there anyway.
The heightened noise and constant movement hit her immediately and Charlie faltered for a second. Her eyes moved warily across the packed room before she resumed walking and head for the back of the room where she had seen a couple of empty tables. She only sat for a full two seconds before a harassed looking lady materialized besides her, handing her the diner’s menu.
‘Welcome to Slim River, the best diner in Silver River. What can I get you today?’
‘Coffee, sugar and cream. Lots of both.’ She pushed the unopened menu towards the waiting waitress and added, ‘And can I have a plate of waffles too?’
‘Sure sweetheart. Anything else?’
‘No thanks, that’s all.’ Charlie missed the preoccupied smile the waitress gave her as she turned towards the window and stared unblinkingly out at the moving crowd, waiting for the people who were going to take her off her father’s hands.
So, that’s what I am, Father? A problem you can hand over to others? But I can promise you something, dear Father, they’re going to regret the moment they said yes to your little proposal.
-*-
Adam patted the last bag of groceries, satisfied with the day’s work. He double-checked everything again, just to make sure he got it all and breathed out a sigh of relief. All done.
He wiped his dusty hands on the seat of his jeans before he ran a finger unconsciously along the rim of his Stetson, lowering the rim further down his face. The slanted shadow hovered over his face, hiding his inscrutable features from view. He pushed the hint of apprehension away and then he realized that it was almost time to meet with Mary and Buddy’s new houseguest. His eyes tried to locate the diner where Buddy had mentioned he’ll be waiting.
Adam ran a hand over his flattened hair before he put the Stetson back on and hoped dearly that he’s not going to baby sit a hormonally-charged adolescent with nothing but girls on his mind. He didn’t need the additional job, which would most likely distract him from his tasks at the farm. Too bad for the kid, with only the four of them on the farm and no immediate neighbours for miles.
‘Let’s hope he has some kind of hobby to keep him busy… and away from me,’ Adam muttered under his breath.
He spied a diner, filled with customers to a bursting point and wondered for a second how he was going to find this boy Charlie. After staring a few seconds at a sea of unfamiliar faces, he knew that it wouldn’t work. All he knew about this Charlie was that he had green eyes and black hair. Right, that was something.
With a sigh, he moved towards the counter and waited for the waitress to notice him.
Charlie frowned and glanced at her watch before craning her neck to see if the waitress was approaching with her order. God, she was hungry enough to devour whatever was put in front of her and what does she have in front of her? Nothing.
She stood and made her way to the counter, and being on the small side, she managed to push past the crowd without apparent injury. As she was congratulating herself, the side of her head connected with someone else’s hard and very sharp elbow.
‘Hey, watch it!’ she glared at the heavily built man, rubbing at her still tender head.
The man turned his 6’ 4” frame towards her and his massive brow shot upwards at the sight that glowered at him.
‘Sorry lil girl, I didn’t see you there.’
She bristled at the tone and glared heatedly at the man, even though the fact that she didn’t even reach past his shoulder did not faze her. ‘Say that again?’
He looked down at the little spitfire cracking beside him and shrugged, ‘Sorry.’
Charlie pushed past him, her jaw set in a frigid line, her temper was near the bursting point now. She took a deep breath and slipped past an elderly couple who were making their way out. As she managed to secure a place at the counter, she heard something that caught her attention.
‘... Saddleworth. I’m supposed to pick the boy here. He’s around eighteen, I think.’
‘Hey, can I have a plate of fries? I ordered it like ages ago. Lots of ketchup on it, okay?’ someone yelled from somewhere by the window.
‘What his name again, dear?’
‘Charlie Saddleworth. He has dark hair and... green eyes, I think.’
Charlie frowned heavily as she scrutinized the man talking to the waitress. What? What’s he talking about? She stared openly, noticing that his cowboy-styled hat hid half of his features from view. And she almost jumped out of her skin when the waitress hollered, ‘Is Charlie Saddleworth here?’
Charlie only took two seconds to make her decision. She had no idea why this cowboy thought that she was a Saddleworth but that didn’t worry her one bit. In fact, she was more than happy to drop her father’s name. The part that he thought she was a boy irked her but she was willing to put it aside for a moment.
She pushed past a beefy man in sunglasses who was devouring a plate of eggs. One waitress was handing a full tray to a waiting waitress over the cowboy’s shoulder. A sudden push from behind her made her surge forward and she called out as she did so, ‘Hey, I’m Charlie!’ and the extra momentum carried her much further than she anticipated.
The blond cowboy turned towards the sound of her voice and she saw his eyes widen in shock. She put out a hand, an instinctive reaction but the waitress took that very second to turn and her hand tangled with Charlie’s outstretched ones.
The people around them widened their eyes in shock, as in slow motion the plate of fries clattered noisily down Charlie’s green summer dress, leaving a trail of sticky red ketchup.
Adam leapt from his seat and managed to catch the almost empty plate, unknowingly moving too fast for an average man, but no one noticed it as their eyes were all trained on the girl.
She broke the silence with a taut, ‘I think you’re looking for me.’
He felt his brow rose and he straightened slowly, ‘Excuse me?’
‘Charlie Ki... Saddleworth... that’s me.’
He was silent for a few seconds, his brow furrowed, and all around them the conversation started flowing again as everyone lost their interest in their little fiasco.
The waitress fluttered anxiously over her stained dress but the girl pushed her impatiently away. He saw a petite girl, probably not even 5’ 2” with straight shoulder length black hair. His eyes strayed at the bright purple highlights before he realized that she owned a pair of large... dead eyes. Beautiful emerald eyes but they were so expressionless that he felt a chill racing down his spine.
‘You’re... Charlie?’ he asked slowly before he realized that this girl had dark hair and green eyes.
‘He asked if we could have Charlie over for a couple of weeks or so and I said it was fine. Andrew mentioned something about Charlie needing a change of scenery and I told him that there’s no better place than our farm.’
‘Oh, that poor little child. Charlie was always a delight to have over. Those dark hair and those green eyes...’
‘There she goes again,’ Buddy chuckled, ‘You’re talking like that child is still five. If I’m not mistaken, I think Charlie must be almost eighteen this year.’
‘Make sure you get our Charlie here safe and sound, and I’ll cook whatever you want to eat.’
Damn, come to think of it, he didn’t really hear Buddy and Mary told him that Charlie was actually a boy.
‘Yup, that’s me,’ she stood so straight and stiff, and just by looking at her you forgot that she was standing with half a plate of ketchup splattered over herself.
‘Right, sorry about the... umm... misunderstanding,’ Adam cleared his throat uneasily. ‘Do you want to eat something before we head back to the ranch?’
‘I did order coffee and some waffles half an hour ago,’ she said clearly. There was no malice in her tone but the woman behind the counter instantly replied with forced cheerfulness, ‘Coffee and waffles, coming right up.’
‘Sugar and cream, lots of both.’
The woman nodded silently as the girl made her way to the back of the diner, followed closely by the blond man.
They sat in front of each other and the silence grew by the minute. Adam took off his Stetson and put it next to him, ruffling his hair as he did so. ‘So...’ he coughed discretely, ‘You must’ve known Mary and Buddy since you were small. I heard you stayed with them when you were younger.’
Charlie stared at the man in front of her, noticing the strong jaw and intelligent eyes. She gave a noncommittal shrug as an answer. ‘No, I don’t remember anything.’
‘You must have been too young,’ he nodded. The silence dragged on and he tried to take another stab at it, ‘I’m sorry about your dress. Do you want to go clean up for a bit?’
This girl in front of him sure was a puzzle. The hair and the makeup did not go well with her demure summer dress. It was like two different sets of people had put this all together. Charlie pursed her lips and stared at the red splotch. At that very minute, a waitress stopped by their table and put in front of her a cup of coffee and her plate of waffles.
‘Enjoy.’ She turned to Adam, ‘And what about you, do you want me to get you something?’
‘No thanks, I’m fine.’
Charlie took the coffee without a word and sipped carefully, the hot liquid sliding down her throat with a murmur of gratitude. His puzzlement mounted as she just continued to enjoy her coffee.
‘I don’t mind waiting if you want to go freshen up.’ He didn’t think he had met anyone, especially a girl, who would rather sit there drinking coffee with a plateful of ketchup on their lap.
She waved it aside, with a new glint in her eyes, ‘No worries, you’re gonna take me shopping later.’
‘What? When did I say that?’
‘Since you look like a nice guy, I just assumed you’re going to do it. Plus, I don’t have anything else with me. And I never did like this dress.’
‘Right,’ his eyes narrowed suspiciously. ‘If you really didn’t like it, why did you wear it in the first place?’
Her face darkened, ‘That was stupid of me, I thought it’ll make him happy... but that will be the last time I did something for anyone else. From now on, it’ll only be about me.’
Adam was starting to think that there was something seriously wrong with this girl, but since she’s not exactly his responsibility, why the added headache?
She leaned forward and perched her chin on her hand, staring at him with interest, ‘And maybe you should offer to buy me some clothes?’
‘And why should I do that?’
‘Isn’t it… the polite thing to do?’ she leaned back and continued to drink her coffee, apparently losing interest in him.
Adam narrowed his eyes as he tried to contemplate her. Even as she sat there peacefully drinking her coffee, he could sensed this prickly wall erected around her, designed to push everyone away.
‘I mean,’ she said suddenly, ‘since it’s almost your fault that I’m covered in this gooey mess.’
‘Whoa! I had nothing to do with that!’
‘Don’t you whoa me, I’m not one of your horses, cowboy,’ she glared. ‘Because I was heading towardsyou, the waitress dumped this on me. You’re partly responsible.’
‘That is ridiculous.’
‘Not in my book,’ she said dryly. She put down her cup and pulled the waffles towards her. She ate a mouthful and grimaced, pushing the plate away. ‘I do love shopping, do you?’ she said brightly, her dimples flashing and he glowered.
They had not taken ten steps into the store and he already had his hand full of clothes. It was a good thing that she didn’t put some item of clothing up for his inspection and force some sort of opinion from him but just pulled the clothes from the rack and straight into his arms. T-shirts, jeans and tops flew towards him and he was starting to think that black was her favourite colour. Everything she dumped into his arms was black.
‘Okay, I’m done,’ she announced, ‘You can go and pay for those. I want to check out those.’ She pointed her hand to nowhere in particular and vanished.
Adam grumbled under his breath and walked towards the cashier and dropped the clothes with a clatter of hangers.
‘I wish my boyfriend wanted to go shopping with me,’ the cashier said enviously as she scanned the barcode.
‘She’s not my girlfriend,’ he muttered darkly.
‘Hey, hon!’ A voice sounded to his right, ‘Are you done here? I need a pair to change into.’
The cashier raised her brow questioningly but didn’t say a word.
Adam felt his face flush a delicate shade of red while beside him, Charlie was tugging at her spoiled dress regretfully. Her arms were laden with a number of bags already. When did she get those, by the way?
He grabbed her by the arms and steered her further away. ‘What the hell are you doing?’
‘Entertaining her,’ she cocked her head towards the cashier who was straining to hear every single word. ‘Do you have any idea how dull it is to just sit there while she’s scanning stuff?’
‘That’s her job, I’m sure she knows how to keep herself entertained.’
‘Aww come on. Live a bit, will you?’ She marched to the cashier. After he paid for the clothes, she took one bag and grinned at him. ‘Do you want to help me out of this, dear?’
‘Come on,’ he grumbled and pulled her away. She just laughed at his murderous expression and the cashier’s scandalous look. He pushed her into the nearest fitting room and stand guard outside the door after he hissed a, ‘Be quick!’
This girl was really trying to test his limits, he thought irately. How long does it take to take off an outfit before slipping into another? He was positively considering the idea of banging the door down when it swung open. He almost did a double take. Gone was the little girl in a green dress but in her place was someone else he barely recognized, apart from the bright purple highlights.
Her pale face was unadorned; she had wiped clean any traces of lipstick or blusher. This resulted in making her green eyes the dominant feature in her small face. She had done something with them with black kohl and dark eye shadow. She was wearing a black t-shirt with an abstract graphic at the front in red with dark jeans.
‘Don’t you think you should add a bit more colour to your wardrobe?’ he asked bluntly.
‘Nope.’
She’s gonna be one hell of a houseguest, Adam thought ruefully and followed her into the busy street.
-*-
The door to the small, dark bar was yanked open and for a few seconds, its occupants were bathed with bright neon lights. And when the door swung back on its hinges, the room delved back to its original gloomy atmosphere. The long counter stretched at one corner of the room, where a lone barman was lazily drying a few clean glasses.
One customer was perched on a stool; one hand was supporting his head while the other twirled the half consumed scotch uninterestedly. His eyes followed the amber liquid’s slow movement as it sloshed idly in its glass chamber. Behind him, a number of people were moving to the music that came from a jukebox, someone had chosen Lonestar’s Amazed and they were dancing languidly as the slow music filled the air.
Every time our eyes meet
This feeling inside me
Is almost more than I can take
Baby when you touch me
I can feel how much you love me
And it just blows me away
I've never been this close to anyone or anything
I can hear your thoughts
I can see your dreams
A few tables were filled with groups of people who were too lazy to make it to the makeshift dance floor. Their hum of conversation mixed with the song and they intertwined with each other, resulting in a new blend of sound.
The smell of your skin
The taste of your kiss
The way you whisper in the dark
Your hair all around me
Baby you surround me
You touch every place in my heart
Oh, it feels like the first time, every time
I want to spend the whole night in your eyes
The man at the bar ignored the rising noise behind him; he seemed to be in a world of his own as he continued to nurse his untouched drink, staring broodingly into its depth.
Every little thing that you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I want to spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby, I'm amazed by you
He watched how the dark liquid almost hid whatever was behind it but if he swirled it just so, tendrils of light snuck through, illuminating the glass for a few seconds.
How appropriate, he almost sneered. He had been living practically in the dark ever since he woke up in that hospital, and his recollection of the past and the information the others had given him about the present did not tally in any way.
Yeah, trapped inside a beautiful cage with ferocious waves that kept trying to pull him down. He could almost see what was outside of his glass prison, but every time he tried to reach out to free himself, his fingers would feel hard, cold glass underneath them.
Manticore was not your typical home-sweet-home place to grow up in, but in a way, it had been the rock that anchored him. Apparently, his anchor believed in torture and re-indoctrination, but hell, the world was not perfect, right? C’est la vie.
He drowned his glass in one gulp and he welcomed the hot blaze that ran down his throat. Like Ares had said, pain was just Nature's way of saying ‘Hey! You're alive!’ Something he had caught while flipping through the pre-pulse show.
Yup, televisions can be as addictive as a cup of steaming coffee, probably why Manticore had them banned, except for mission related tasks, of course. It would be hard to maintain a genetically engineered super soldier who rescheduled his hit list around old ‘Fear Factor’ reruns. God, that would be unthinkable.
He caught himself in mid-thought. That didn’t sound like 494 at all.
No, there was no more Manticore and before he got back to Seattle and pried every morsel of Intel he possibly could from the girl, there was no reason to revert back to his old training. But old habits die hard, that’s for sure.
The girl.
494 picked up his empty glass, turning it slowly in his hand as he stared unseeingly into its clear depth. The image of her plagued his dreams and he had lost count how many times he had woken up from sleep, drenched in sweat with his pulse thundering erratically in his throat with a wild desire to keep her safe.
From what, he had no idea but the almost daily occurrence was slowly draining his professional desire to despise her on sight. That girl must’ve done something and he wanted to know everything.
The barman filled his glass and from the corner of his eyes he saw two people approach the counter. They slipped onto their stools and signaled for the barman, ‘Hi, two beers, please.’
The man was tall, with muscled arms and spiky blond hair while the girl he was with has long never-ending legs that look awesome even in faded jeans. Her brown hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and she was frowning at her friend.
‘Look here, Mark. You can’t just bail out on me like that! If you really want a day off then go and find someone to cover your shift, for god sake.’
‘Chill out, it’s no big deal. I’ll find someone.’
‘You always say that.’
‘Yeah, and I always come through, right?’
‘What are you doing exactly, tomorrow?’
‘Something.’
‘Oh, come on Mark. Grow up! You can’t live your life like that, you’re not a kid anymore.’
Mark took the beer and rolled his eyes in response. ‘Whatever, Amy. You’re just saying that because you can’t see me with those girls, right?’
‘Yeah right! Give me one reason why I should be jealous of you. It’s not like I’m not seeing anyone right now.’
‘Ha! That’s a laugh. He only sees you as a girl who delivers his pizza.’ He saw what Mark had also seen in Amy’s eyes and he almost laughed as Mark frantically tried to backtrack, ‘Oh god, I’m sorry. No, I didn’t mean that…’
He took a swig of his glass and smirked inwardly. What a complicated story. At least there’s no Logan to screw up everything at every corner.
His hand stiffened in midair.
Logan.
That was another question he wanted to ask her and defiantly ignored the rush of emotion the mere word ‘her’ had conjured.
He left the couple, Mark still trying hard to make Amy talk to him, and he made his way to the back of the room. He went past a few people grinding down to MJ’s Beat It and slipped into one of the empty tables.
From his back spectator seat, he surveyed the sparse room. There was only a handful of people scattered around the darkened bar. One disco ball was hanging crookedly from the ceiling but from the look of it, it hadn’t been used in years. He could spot the tendrils of cobwebs that hung listlessly from it. It was a dreary place, but he wasn’t choosy about the places he hung out at and this was just one of many.
After a while, shadows of her face invaded his thoughts again, as it usually did. In reaction, he gulped down half of his glass, probably wishing to chase away the thoughts of her as he got drunk. The thing that irked him the most was not the fact that she invaded his mind.
Hell, at these desperate times he’d even welcome Renfro herself if she could shed some light into his darkened mind, but what he hated was how he can only see glimpses of her.
Her eyes… her long hair… how she looked when she smiled… or if she was hopping mad. He had no idea what she was doing glaring at him from the corner of her eyes but that was the extent of his memory. He remembered images but he couldn’t put a scenario with it.
After all these months of traveling, his thoughts on her were probably less… hostile than in the past but there was this nagging feeling that he was forgetting something major.
He rolled his eyes heavenward; that would be the understatement of the year. That and how the word heaven had snuck in. He never believed in something as whimsical as heaven, something obviously man made up to compensate for their fear of dying.
He chased away the taste in his mouth in one long swallow and when he lowered the glass, two girls were smiling in front of him. His brow rose on their own accord and he noticed the long gleaming legs first, and his eyes traveled upwards appreciatively.
One of them had a clingy red leather skirt that showed off her legs to perfection while the other was wearing a white lacey slip where the hem was fluttering seductively against her tanned thigh.
He leaned back in his seat nonchalantly and one of them started to twirl her glossy dark hair.
‘Hey there,’ she smiled down at him. ‘Want some company?’
His lips quirk in an interested smile but his eyes remained cold and calculated. ‘Sure.’
They both sidled up to him and sat down on each side of him.
‘What are you doing here all alone?’
‘Waiting for you two?’ he answered dryly and they giggled as Lace’s hand started moving up his thigh.
‘You’re not from around here, are you? I’ve never seen you in here before.’
‘I’m just passing by.’
‘Then you must be really lonely tonight,’ Leather whispered in his ear and Lace’s hand inched upwards.
‘Yeah, you can say that.’
‘This is your lucky night, then.’ The shadowy lights above reflected the red in her outfit to her eyes and without another word, she kissed him hard, her tongue already forcing its way in. On the other side of him Lace has straddled one of his thigh and her hands were tugging at his belt buckle.
His eyes softened, a warm twinkle lit up his green eyes and his heart was thrashing wildly against his battered ribcage. Something he didn’t dare to do after he had laid his eyes on her happened, a tiny seed of hope was planted deep in his wounded heart and slowly, gently, the seed grew. Embracing his bleeding heart with its warm glow and he looked at her hopefully, something he had refused to let himself do.
Now, he started to let the glow of her love wrap itself around his haggard body.
And dammit, that sure felt good.
He growled deep in his throat and broke the heated kiss, shaking his head as if to clear it of something. Lace let go of his pants and pulled him towards her and he smelled cheap beer on her breath. He fisted a handful of her hair to give him better access to her roving mouth while Leather was grabbing his other hand towards her.
She had her eyes fixed on his, unconsciously letting the warmth in his guide her trembling legs to him. She clenched her teeth firmly and closed the gap between them, step by step; her eyes were still locked with his.
Dark brown on greenish hazel.
She stopped when she was standing right in front of him, drowning in the depth of his emerald gaze and she hardly noticed that she was trembling. He smiled when he saw how terrified she looked and when she saw how his expression had softened, tears started to well in her beautiful dark eyes. Her lips were trembling and she lowered her lids a bit, trying hard to get herself under control and then she saw it.
He was holding out his hand towards her.
She sobbed, deep in her throat as a solitary tear slide leisurely down her smooth cheeks. Slowly she lifted her hand and with equal slowness she placed it over his warm palm, her heart beating like a mad thing as her skin touched his. Another tear flew down as he closed his long fingers over hers tightly, enveloping her chilly hand in his warmer one.
He pulled Lace tighter against him as if he could block the flashes in his head with her nearness. Lace moaned and attacked his mouth while Leather had started to lick her way to his ear as she made her way to the back of his neck.
‘..But the naked fear I felt, it made me feel like I was better off dead along with you so that I didn’t have to feel anything like that again.’
He remembered her words, ringing insistently in his ears as he thrashed between asleep and awake. It bounded constantly against his battered soul and every time it did so, a deep mark was left behind.
No… no… he can’t let her do that…
His head thrashed against his pillow, he was sweating so hard it looked like someone had just poured a bucket of water all over him.
‘…I was better off dead along with you…’
Nooo!
He shot up in his bed, eyes glazed and fear was imprinted on them.
With a start, he pushed them both away, terror in his eyes and panting hard. The girls moaned at the lost contact and tried to snuggle up to him. Still breathing hard, he put up his hand, ‘No.’
They looked at each other, bewildered at his abrupt change of mind and before they could utter another word, he snatched his almost empty glass and marched towards the counter. Amy and Mark were already gone and he deposited his glass none too gently on the counter and slapped a twenty next to it.
Behind him, Lace and Leather were glowering at his brusque dismissal when he pushed the door apart. He walked quickly for a couple of blocks before he slowed down, his eyes were wide with unspoken panic. He grasped the rough wall desperately and he didn’t even feel how the sharp surface was cutting into his flesh.
What was that? What does that mean?
The cool night air whipped against his heated skin but there was nothing that could douse the fire that was rampaging within him. He growled and ran a trembling hand across his hair and something wet trickled down his cheek.
Without emotion, he stared at his bleeding fingers, watching how the deep red fluid was dripping down his palm.
He needed her… he needed 452. At least, she could stop this nightmare once and for all.
To be continued..
Next Chapter.. Ahoy!!