Grounded (6 page)

harpies existed before they ever tried to kill her. He took awhile but jerking to life, he pushed one hand through his black hair and let out a hissing breath.

“My car is destroyed.”

Avery blinked, thrown at first, before she put it together. The hood of Nate’s pride and joy had been torn up. The shiny black was now tattered and scraped with distinct claw marks. The window had been cracked in several places so severely that chilly wind penetrated the inside of the car. Most likely, further inspection of the outside of the car would only reveal more damage.

She swallowed the lump in her throat.

“Yea, sorry. Listen, I can help pay for that when we get back.”

He shook his head in immediate disagreement.

“Okay, for one minute pretending your boyfriend didn’t just try to kill us, where exactly do you think we’re going?” He asked sharply.

Avery’s mind whirled with possibilities while her eyes continued to scan through the fog outside.

“I’m not sure.” She admitted after a painful moment. She wasn’t even sure where they were, much less where they were going. “I think he’s only after me. We should probably split up.”

“You think? Probably? Don’t be dumb, girl. Don’t you ever watch the horror movies?”

“What?” She snuck another glance at him. He’d animated quite a bit and leaned into the wheel.

“We can’t split up until we get rid of whatever that bird was is gone or dead. If we split up he can pick us off one by one. Or worse, catch one of us and have the other come running!”

Whether or not she believed Nate would come running for her, he made a good point and Avery had to

give him credit for it.

“Okay. Well, I think we should hit up the next city. It’ll be harder to find us there than at school. And I have a friend that can help us. I just need to call him.”

“A friend?” Nate questioned immediately.

Avery worded herself carefully.

“A harpie too. But he’ll help. You’ll just have to believe me.”

“You are insane. Stop making friends with monsters. We should go to the cops.”

“And tell them what? They’ll think we’re insane!”

He grumbled.

“Well at least scoot.” He said. “I don’t like you sitting on my lap.”

Avery flushed, finally realizing that she’d still been pressed close to him. Squirming towards the opposite door, she separated from him. Her back still stung, prompting her to finger the wound. Sticky blood met her fingertips when she did. The blood had slowed but a sinking feeling in her stomach made her wonder if she needed stitches. Clasping her hand to put pressure on the injury, she looked back toward Nate.

“Where are you driving? We’ll need to get to a hotel or something.” She needed to get some clean towels and a few make shift bandages. Actually, she just needed a phone and she needed Mason here ASAP.

Nate drummed his fingers on the wheel, a contemplative look stealing over his angular facial features.

“Moose Pass.” He said suddenly.

“What?” Avery looked outside for a visual clue.

“Moose Pass is close to here but it’s woodsy as hell and out of the way. I know a lodge there. I used to go there as kid.”

Avery thought it over. It was sure better than a few more hours in a car, especially since she was hurt. Her eyes trailed over Nate next. She’d had quite a bit of negative dealings with the guy and the unprecedented change in their relationship left her a bit mystified. Her feelings for him were complicated to say the least. A year ago she’d thought she loved him, falling for the smooth talking bad boy. A day ago she’d thought she hated him. The jury was still out on what she thought now.

“Okay.” She finally responded. “Moose Pass it is.”

Six

Referring to Moose Pass as woodsy would have been a drastic underestimation. Nate pulled off the interstate and took them down a dirt road that was difficult terrain for his low clearance Lexus. The pathway had a thick canopy of ancient trees that leaned in to make the fit a tight one as the road wove farther into the forest. Just as Avery began to wonder if they were heading in the right direction, the car rumbled into a clearing.

A two story log cabin sat across from a massive blue lake. The scenic picture could have belonged on a post card or a vacation advertisement. The trees, warm green and brown, mixed with the coloring of the fluffy white snow. Little technology disturbed the country style lodge. With only two cars outside, Nate cruised into an open spot near the doors.

“Will they even let us get a room if we’re not eighteen?” Avery finally broke the silence in the car.

Since they’d decided their location, they’d done very little speaking. She’d expected a barrage of questions about harpies but surprisingly he didn’t ask anything. She figured that Nate still resided in the disbelief stage. She knew it would take a fine amount of brain rewiring to believe in something that was supposed to be fictional.

“I know people here.” Nate said with a pretentious laugh.

“I guess I forgot the rules were special for you.” She said halfheartedly. Her eyes scanned the skies before she popped the car door open.

Nate slinked inside and she trailed after him. The hotel had a woody musk and a huge main room. A fireplace was built into one wall and was surrounded by cushy red chairs. An old man stood behind the desk and he immediately perked up to stare at them through thick rimmed glasses.

“Can I help you kids?”

“We need a room for a night.” Nate said smoothly, taking quick strides up to the desk.

The desk attendant gave them the up-down look.

“We don’t typically take minors without a credit card and parental consent.”

Avery bit her lip, ready for the man to turn them away. Nate apparently had other ideas.

“Usually I wouldn’t come without my parents but you see, I was driving to Anchorage and we hit a moose. The car is still running but it’s pretty torn up. I know my parents wouldn’t want me to try and drive it to town.”

“Oh my.” The man screwed with his glasses. Outside, just enough of the Lexus’ torn up hood supported the story.

“I have a credit card, an extension of my parents account. There won’t be any problems.” He pulled out a slick platinum card and waved it around.

The hotel clerk didn’t hesitate twice. Within minutes, they had a key in hand and a room in the back. Avery and Nate just made it inside, the door clicking shut, when he turned on her.

“Hurry up and call your friend before someone else tries to kill us.” He said sharply.

All composure rapidly left his posture and his face. Panic showed.

“Yea. I’m right on that.” She took one look around the room to locate the cream colored phone in the back.

“And you’re still bleeding. You’re bleeding everywhere!” Nate noticed next, his voice still twisting.

Avery tried to wave him off but she knew that the wound needed attention. Snatching a towel on the way over to the phone, she pressed the white cloth up to her back. Picking up the phone, she dialed and pressed the cold phone receiver to her ear.

“What is it?” Mason answered on the very last ring. Refusing to jump into the bad news immediately, she tested the waters.

“How is harpie-ville?”

“I know that’s not why you’re calling.” He answered quickly and his voice sounded raw.

Avery swallowed the growing lump in her throat. Fingers twirling into the phone cable, she admitted everything.

“Caught me. Look, that harpie named Patrick just tried to kill me. Like really tried to kill me.”

A prolonged silence took over the line. Before Avery could conjure another appropriate explanation, Mason finally spoke but this time his tone sparked with distinctive anger.

“Where are you? Where is he?”

“I’m in some hotel in Moose Pass. It’s near Seward. I don’t know if he followed me here but I haven’t seen him. I think his wings are torn up so I’m hoping he won’t show back up.”

“Did he say why he wanted to kill you?”

Mason’s tone had twisted with a cold fury. Avery was afraid to answer and instead she attempted to change the subject.

“I’m not sure. Can you make it back?”

Mason cursed darkly.

“Fine. I’ll call you when I’m in the state. Stay hidden and don’t be stupid!” He snapped just before the phone clicked dead.

More unsettled than ever, Avery cradled the phone for another minute. A clock glowed its red digits, reminding her that it’d take Mason at least a day to arrive. The thick mix of emotions rising in her chest didn’t make the wait feel better.

“Is he coming?”

She’d almost forgotten Nate was in the room until he spoke. Avery twisted to face him.

“He is. Then we’ll take care of the Patrick thing and you can go home.”

Nate studied her for a full minute.

“Did you name the harpie that tried to kill us?”

“No!” She protested weakly. “He already had that name. I just happen to know it.”

“And you’re not planning to go back to school then? Is this the same reason you disappeared a few months ago?”

Avery liked to think of Nate as a dumb jock but he was sharper than that and she owed him some credit. His brown eyes lit up when his brain connected the pieces.

“Guilty as charged.” She said, waiting for the Q and A to take on a new level. It never did. Nate suddenly held his hand up.

“Okay, you know what? I don’t want to know. I just… I don’t want to know.” He shook his head, a clear sign that the clash of the believable and unbelievable in his head was making him uncomfortable. He clearly wanted to move on, but what he added next took her off guard. “And you should take off your shirt.” He said.

Avery choked on her own spit.

“What?”

He rolled his eyes and made a vague motion towards her shoulder.

“Take off your shirt and I can bandage it right. There’s a first aid kit in the bathroom.”

“Uh… I guess that’s okay.” She answered after a lag but Nate had already taken the liberty to bring out the white first aid box and set it on the bed. Inside was gauze and medical tape.

“Just face the wall.” He ordered. Avery hesitated, fighting with herself before finally tugging the cotton shirt off. The chilly air immediately crawled over her skin and gave her goosebumps. She wrapped her arms around herself, faced the corner, and reluctantly blushed.

She heard Nate come up behind her with the kit but didn’t turn to watch him. The situation was too awkward for her to handle maturely. A long time ago, she’d been intimate with Nate and being shirtless in front of the guy stirred conflicting memories. He touched her back with a cloth. The thick scent of alcohol wafted into the air and the cloth he drew over the wound burned. The pain momentarily distracted her and she recoiled.

“Chill out. I’m not making a pass at you. I have a girlfriend.” He said misinterpreting her pained reaction as skittishness. “Well, I had a girlfriend.” He amended himself.

Hearing the downturn in his voice, she couldn’t help but point out, “For the record, I don’t think Leela is cheating on you.”

“And you know that how?”

“I don’t think you’d believe me if I told you. It’s complicated, like harpie complicated.”

Nate growled.

“Great, more bad news. Why do freak shows always follow you around? Now I should be more worried about Leela.”

He roughly pressed the gauze up to the puncture wounds on her back and began ripping up the tape.

“Why do you care so much? It’s just...unlike you.” Her curiosity brewing, the words slipped from her.

“You don’t know me.” He finished and recoiled. She used the opportunity to replace her shirt and turn towards him again.

“I know you better than Leela does.” She pointed out brazenly.

Clearly pissed, he stormed across the room. The display of anger wasn’t harpie worthy but it got her attention.

“That doesn’t count.” He growled, a threat to end the conversation but Avery wasn’t intimidated.

“Then tell me that you’re not going to use Leela just like every other girl you’ve been with!” By every other girl, Avery meant herself. He must have known that too.

“I don’t need you to remind me what my reputation is. But Leela is different and people change.”

“Wow, I’m glad to hear the change in heart.” She said sourly.

She knew the sarcastic shot was immature, but she also couldn’t help the surge of anger and jealously that twisted in her heart. She’d honestly been over Nate but even now, hearing him dismiss her like nothing still stirred bad feelings. She hadn’t been different. She hadn’t been worth it. But Leela was? The girl he’d just met and started dating? Something about that didn’t sit right with Avery.

Nate let out a groan and beat his hands into the air like he needed something to vent his frustration.

“You don’t have to tell me that I've been an asshole to you. I know. And I know I should probably apologize.” He said, his words forced and short. “But it's hard when you're still trying to get between me and Leela.”

“Then apologize! And treat her nicely. Then you and I will be fine!” She shouted back, surprised when she heard herself. Of everything she’d thought about saying to Nate for years, this wasn’t it. She didn’t want to give up Leela to him or to give him to Leela. But saying it now, she suddenly felt okay with the idea.

“I’m sorry, okay. I’m sorry for being an asshole, you didn’t deserve it. But I’ve changed since then and I think I’ve found someone I really care about. Besides, you and I both know we would have made a terrible couple. Are we done with this moment now?”