A Parallel Journey

[Evangeline Carter]

No response. The man stared ahead, letting his brain turn over this new information. He couldn't help but question the validity of it; she looked no more than one hundred pounds. Taking a body at face value wasn't always beneficial to one's health, however. Himself, he might have been a refugee by appearance alone. His figure was gaunt, his skin pale, but he was still alive.

Would the same truth apply to this girl in another ten years? "So why do you carry a gun, then? New Haven's bad, I know, but..."

[Kale Allerion]

"Well..." MariAnne began, searching for the words. "Why not? I mean, you never know what could happen here."

In other words, I'm a paranoid freak who's afraid of her own shadow, she was tempted to add, but bit back the words. It was probably obvious by this point, but David was probably already tempted to pull the truck over and throw her out, and she didn't want to risk adding to his judgments.

[Evangeline Carter]

"And how long did you have to live in New Haven before this became apparent to you?" There wasn't the same edge of sarcasm here. David was very new to the city -- was still unfamiliar with the inner workings, with the directions, the culture of the place. It was one reason for electing to ask her assistance.

Conscious of the wet clothing, he subtly flicked the heater on, producing a not-as subtle wheeze from the vents. This noise joined the other grunts and complaints typical of an old vehicle; the rush of air over the cab, the sound of the earth moving beneath them, the low melodies from the cassette player in the dash. His fingers re-assumed the ever vigilant 'tap-tappa-tap' on the steering wheel, even as his listened to her.

[Kale Allerion]

She shut her eyes, as if that could keep the painful memories away. With David's latest question, though, there was no hiding from them now.

"I've always known," MariAnne replied. "At least...since I was little."

Should I trust him? the girl wondered, twirling her hair faster and with more force with every passing second. At length, she decided to reveal the cause of her fear and anxiety that had plagued her for more than a decade.

"My sister was kidnapped...by a vampire," MariAnne said softly. "I saw it happen."

And now she was seeing it happen again in her mind. She, and only she, knew that a vampire had taken Issie, her baby sister. Her parents didn't believe in vampires, or any of the other "mythical" beings of New Haven, for that matter.

David did, though. That was one reason she felt somewhat safe telling him what she seldom told even her closest friends.


OOC: Oh my wow, that was my 100th post!! XD

[Evangeline Carter]

The heaviness of the confession was absorbed into the atmosphere in that cab, sucked into the creak and clatter and the grumble of the engine. David, as before, let her words -- those delicate words -- lie there, naked on the air while he paced circles around them. His face surrendered no immediate reaction, save for the slight draining of the already sallow pigment. Finally, he cleared this throat, those nervous fingers busying themselves with taming again that lonely pink strip of hair and then turning the volume of the tape-player up another notch. “That --” he cleared his throat again, chasing the gravel back down. “--That must have been difficult. How old were you?”

[Kale Allerion]

MariAnne wiped a lonely tear away, willing the others that threatened to fall to stay in the reservoir from whence they accumulated.

"I was seven," she replied. "Issie was only three when she was taken."

We were so young and carefree, MariAnne remembered, feeling yet another hot tear slip down her cold cheek. No child should have her innocence robbed like that, especially at such a young age!

[Evangeline Carter]

David nodded, blinking slowly, his lips forming into a tight line. Inwardly, he felt that familiar knot of sickness. Vampires had the audacity to call slayers the murderers. His knuckles grew white on the steering wheel. “You want revenge.” He asserted it, catching sight of a minute point of light far down the wide asphalt road. Cheap food, cheep coffee, cheep distractions.

Never would the world succeed in convincing him that that vampires were not accountable for the rot and decay of the world. Their disease destroyed without touching and survived despite their corrosive effect on their surroundings. Human beings had once been the world-wide sickness.

Not any more.

[Kale Allerion]

"More than that," MariAnne breathed. "I want Issie back. Or at least the chance to know what happened to her." She shook her head sadly. "But...that's asking too much, isn't it?"

The possibilities really were endless. Over the years MariAnne had imagined them all. She could be dead. That was the most likely scenario, she knew. She could have escaped her captor, but that left more possible scenarios in itself. Was she living on the streets? Had a loving family taken her in? Was she in a foster home or orphanage?

Or...did they change her?

She shuddered at the thought of her sweet Issie as a vampire.

"I'm not sure what would be worse," MariAnne said quietly. "Finding out that she's dead...or undead, or spending the rest of my in agony, wondering what has become of her."

[Evangeline Carter]

Demonstrating his innate comprehension of the female psyche and the need to handle the topic delicately, David stated in all of his gruff bluntness “--She’s dead, most likely.” Was there no mechanism inside that rusted brain of his for speaking kindly? “We both know it could be worse, though. There’s a pretty good likeliness, too, that these b#@%^&$% have some connection with your sister’s kidnappers. Pardon my French.”

It seemed he was doing what ever it took to erase the air of vulnerability the conversation was rapidly cultivating in the truck cab. His was the most painful way to cauterize a wound. No breaks in his armor any more; just the scars.

[Kale Allerion]

David's words hit MariAnne like a freight train. She recognized the harsh truth in them, but hearing them come from the mouth of someone else...well, it made her realize that she wasn't just being pessimistic. She was embracing reality - cruel, bloodthirsty reality.

"Yeah..." was all she could manage to say.

Only after a few silent minutes did the last part of what he'd so colorfully said truly sink in. These people they were after right now could have a connection with Issie's kidnapping.

"What makes you think so?" MariAnne asked, feeling new hope swell in her heart.