Chapter 9
They
drove
that
Mustang like it was any other car--a fact that was killing Eric
slowly on the inside. It was a Mustang! He should
be
able to tear up the road!
Unfortunately,
that
kind of behavior was sure to get them both arrested, if not
worse.
From Subaru to Mustang and there wasn't a goddamn thing he could do
about
it.
The
sun
was carefully falling into an evening sky when they finally stopped
again for a bathroom break and to pick up something to eat. It
was
surprisingly simple this time, in a sandwich shop at some travel center
off the highway. They ate inside the building that time, just for
something different.
Eric
had
found a map on the wall, admiring it from afar. Keeping his
voice
low, he suggested, "Maybe I should just keep driving until we get
there."
Frankly, anywhere near the desert sounded like a good idea. If
they
kept to the main highway, they'd pass right through Arizona well by
dawn,
changing roads to wherever they wanted. Maybe Sedona was nice...
"You
shouldn't
exhaust yourself." She suggested, unwilling to look
over
her shoulder at the map. She'd catch a glance on the way out.
"That's
what
coffee's for." He responded, grinning.
The
mere
mention of the dark, bitter liquid caused a shudder in her.
It was a good thing that she rarely needed the rest of sleep.
"Oh,
it's
not that bad." He joked.
"Where
are
we going?" she finally ventured the question on her mind since
leaving
the sandwich shop.
"We'll
run right into a place called Flagstaff in about an hour or so."
He had stared at the map with the intent of memorizing it... but all he
remembered was Flagstaff and Sedona. Oh well, that wouldn't
likely
present a problem. "I think we can stay there for the night, then
go... wherever else we find." The hotel would likely have
maps.
It was close enough to the Grand Canyon to be a tourist trap, and
tourists
were always in need of maps. And spoons and shot glasses.
One
never knew when they'd need state-themed spoons or shot glasses.
She
stretched in her seat, glancing over at the small coffee that he'd
gotten
for her... that she hadn't touched. He had insisted that it was
called
a "gas station cappuccino" (half coffee and half cappuccino from one of
those automatic machines), and that they were "almost as good as
cheesecake".
She hadn't believed him. But, she had to admit... the cup was
still
warm to the touch and she was suddenly curious. It hadn't smelled
badly, at all... she just didn't trust Eric's taste after regular
coffee.
He
watched out of the corner of his eye, enthused with how she poked at
the
waxed paper cup like a curious animal might attempt to comprehend
something
that appeared completely dangerous. He'd moved on from the
sweeter
drinks long ago, going straight to heart of the black, caffeineated
beverage...
but he'd had the idea that maybe all she needed was the proper
introduction.
She
remained careful, very slowly pulling the tab back from the cup's cover
to take a deeper smell. Not bad, certainly... just
extremely
different. She could still smell the coffee, but it was nearly
drowned
out by something much sweeter.
"French
vanilla." The driver spoke quietly, almost worried about scaring
off her curiosity if he raised his voice any more.
So
you claim. Her eyebrow raised slightly... then she grasped
the
cup fully, bringing it slowly to her lips... and drank. The first
taste was SWEET. Then... something mildly spicy... right
underneath
the SWEET. With another slow swallow, she truly tasted the drink,
letting it slide down her throat and experiencing the aftertaste as one
might do with a fine wine.
"Well?"
he couldn't help himself, seeing no indications in her face that he
could
read.
Further
putting on the appearance of a wine connoisseur, she swirled the cup
around
a bit to blend it all together and took another drink before
responding.
"This is much better than coffee."
He
grinned widely, feeling exceptionally proud of himself. "I'm glad
to hear it."
"You
should be." She teased, leaning back to enjoy the drink.
The
inevitable shakes were almost worth it.
It
didn't
take long before the route became rather... puzzling. The
hills they had been venturing smoothly across were growing into small
mountains,
the temperature outside noticeably cooler through the windows.
Putting
the heat on in the car in the desert... it seemed ludicrous.
Glancing
around, Eric got the distinct impression that northern Arizona was not
the same Arizona he'd heard referred to as hot, dusty, and over-all
very
desert-like. Only a few miles from Flagstaff (so the sign he'd
just
passed had informed him), he couldn't help but mumble exactly what was
on his mind. "Jesus Christ. This is Arizona.
It's
not supposed to be cold. Or have pine trees."
His
passenger, however, had been staring out the window the entire time,
taking
in the sights. There was something... about the place.
Something
so mundane and nearly desolate on the surface, but... something much
more
alive underneath. The air was different... but beyond that, there
was simply something outside. Perhaps not enough to dwell
on, but certainly enough to attract her attention on the subject.
Some gut instinct told her to be aware, to listen.
Finally
arriving on the outskirts of the town, they didn't have to travel much
further to find a bevy of hotels... and restaurants. "And where
would
you like to eat?" Eric instantly brought everything back to food again.
Charlotte
would have glared at him... had she not found herself to actually be a
bit hungry. "Your choice."
"Denny's!"
he shouted excitedly,
turning the wheel.
She
just had to hand the power over, didn't she.
They
sat
in the very back of the nearly abandoned, diner-style Denny's,
waiting
for their waitress to find them again and get them their drinks.
It was a nice place with a good smell and not too much activity; a
place
Charlotte could relax a bit, outside of the car.
Until
something tingled though her spine. The feeling one got when they
knew someone was staring at them. Distinct and impossible to
ignore.
She froze the first moment she felt it, only her eyes moving ever so
slowly
across the room, trying to find the one who was looking. The idea
of eyes that may have found her... nearly stopped her heart. She
wanted so badly to be able to say something, to give Eric an indication
or an order to run, but time was too short and she'd discovered the
watcher
a mere heartbeat ago--
It
was at that moment, her eyes met another's. An old woman with
young
eyes, all the way across the restaurant. Then, suddenly... they
weren't.
Quite quickly, they were growing closer.
That
was when Eric noticed an older woman of sun-worn skin coming toward
them.
He was not... entirely certain of what to do, if anything should be
done
at all--but the gap between them and the woman had closed all too soon
to escape.
Not
that it mattered, ultimately. There were tears in the woman's
eyes,
a tremble to her features--and she threw open her arms to embrace
Charlotte
as if she'd known the girl all her many years. Stranger still,
there
was no air of "crazy old bat" around her. It seemed, extremely
odd
that it was, nearly... "natural".
And
for some reason... Charlotte relented to the touch. Even returned
it. There was something about the woman... something so...
familiar...
"I
see you." The stranger sobbed softly into her hair. "I see
what you are."
And
that sentiment made more tears surface for both of them. Eric,
however...
was either too surprised or disturbed to move for the moment. He
couldn't quite make up his mind about what he was feeling, or how he
should
react. What he did know, though, was that they had to get out of
there, food or no. "Let's get to a hotel room." He
suggested
in a whisper. It would be much safer there.
He
took
the initiative, paying for a relatively nice hotel room (but not
too
nice, of course) in cash, telling the front desk that the two women
were
his mother and his little sister. When the clerk simply stared at
the vast differences between everyone's physical features and flesh
tone,
Eric quickly interjected with, "We're adopted." Whether it had
completely
worked or not didn't matter--he got the keys and they went up to their
room immediately.
Door
closed
and locked, all windows inspected, all things seeming secured...
he finally voiced the only thing going on in his mind. Eyes
carefully
centered on the strange woman, he kept his tone even but stern.
Couldn't
be too careful... "How can you know?"
She
seemed
truly surprised at the question, inviting herself to sit on the
bed as she answered. "How can you not know?"
Well.
He
supposed he actually had to agree with her on that. Looking
back
at his "doctor days", he'd known, yes... but he'd shrugged it
off.
Assumed it was just a fascination, an inkling, a desire perhaps to know
a pretty girl.
The
woman
turned to Charlotte, seeming full of a grandmotherly
sweetness.
"But you're not... complete. Not quite."
The
girl
shivered, not quite knowing what to say. So... maybe other
things
were just as obvious to certain people.
"And
who
are you?" Eric demanded lowly, feeling the need to be extremely
protective.
"Sophie."
The
woman introduced, completely unconcerned about the growl in his
voice.
"You know, I've lived here all my life and I never have seen the inside
of this hotel before..."
Her
change
of subject came as a mild surprise, to put it lightly. He
didn't let it throw him off the path, though. He supposed
something
like, "What are your intentions with my half-angel?" would have
been a bit too direct, if not exceptionally rude to all parties
concerned.
He was having a hard time forming a question that made any sense at
all,
in fact.
"I'm
not
here to harm." The woman's voice, as well as her eyes, became
crystal clear.
And,
powers
that be help him, Eric believed her somehow. Maybe it was
the feeling he got off of her... almost that she could read his
intentions,
but without the desire to use them for her own purposes. An odd
thought
to have, but one that his deepest instincts could not deny. "Then
what are you here for?" he inquired softly, his tone still uncertain.
She
noted
his mild accusatory tone with hardly a blink. It wasn't as
if she didn't understand where he was coming from. It seemed to
her
that he and the girl had been together for quite some time.
"Well,
I hadn't planned on this happening."
The
sheer
surprise of Charlotte having broken into the conversation assured
that her question, as well as its context, was certainly heard.
"What
do you know?"
The
newly
introduced Sophie turned to face the girl, taking only a moment
to
properly compose her answer. "Scriptures. Well, hidden
scriptures. Not to mention my own intuition."
The
answer
was no more solid than the situation itself... and Eric
protested
quietly, making an annoyed sound under his breath. Everything
about
what was going on at that moment worried him. Really, thoroughly scared
him; that someone could so quickly and easily
recognize her
for what she was...
Sophie
went
on, seeming to read his mind through his sour expression. "I
was looking for something out of place, though. Were I
not
a person to do that regularly, I may have missed her. I think
perhaps
she may need another appearance."
The
swirling,
leaping subjects that the strange woman was presenting was
eerie
enough. The fact that she was right about them all was almost too
much. "And what would you suggest?"
The
woman
turned completely to Charlotte, addressing her entirely.
"You'll
probably have to change your appearance. Hair color, clothes,
make-up...
as much as you can."
"Not
make-up."
Eric protested; looking a bit embarrassed about having
spoken up after the fact. It was just that he couldn't bear the
thought
of hiding her natural beauty under all that... teen-aged whore stuff.
Sophie
smirked
a little. "Lip gloss, then. A little blush.
Something
to hide the paleness."
Well,
he
couldn't argue with that... He took a long look at the girl
gazing
back curiously, trying to picture her in other clothes. "What
color
would you like your hair?"
Having
choice
in the matter was a new and interesting thing--not to mention
somewhat
exciting. "Black." She responded almost immediately.
"And purple."
He
felt
his jaw drop, just a little. "You're kidding."
Sophie
slapped
her knee and chuckled warmly. "No one will suspect that!"
The
travelers
supposed that was the point at which they felt a little
more...
trustworthy of the woman. Her reaction seemed genuine
enough.
There was a clear insanity in their suddenly trusting a stranger... but
without speaking it to one another, they both sensed... something
of the woman.
And
just
like that, the newcomer shattered the silence with a well-placed
self-invitation.
"We'll venture to the mall in the morning and get everything you need."
Eric
couldn't
help himself. "We?"
"Why
not?"
Sophie almost seemed to pout. "You paid for the place,
there
are two beds and a couch. Be charitable."
That
last
comment had included an interesting sort of non-wink. Crafty
woman. "Now, let's get introduced properly." She stood up,
advancing a step toward Eric. "You are?"
While
he
still felt the urge to bite at the inside of his cheek with
nervousness
about the whole damn thing... he extended his hand. "Eric."
Sophie
grasped
it, shaking thoroughly and nodding politely. "Pleased to
meet you, Eric." With that, she stepped toward Charlotte with a
held
breath. "And you?"
"Charlotte."
She
introduced easily, finding the extension of her hand a bit awkward
due to never having done it before.
The
woman
grasped it softly anyway, holding it rather than shaking.
"Pleased
to meet you, Charlotte." Glancing back at Eric, she suggested
just
as naturally as anything else, "How about some room service?"
He
grinned
in spite of himself. Not that he cared to admit it.
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