Day 22: The Blog With No Name Has Returned!

So I went to Boyfriend’s this weekend and he had to work Sunday night so I took the time to write. Yes! I wrote! I wanted to keep writing but he called to say he was almost home and Sami wanted us to come see her. Plus he’s a writer so I didn’t want him to see me writing and laugh at me. He understands grammar really well and I almost completely clueless when it comes to that sort of thing. Anyway the creative juices started to flow and I wrote just for you internets. And what is great about that is the next part has Bren in it and we get to see Bren unleashed! Crap… I’ve said too much. Oh, well, have fun! Oh, yeah, leaves the comments. They are much appreciated.

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The lobby of the hotel was just as slow as any other day and I found Vi stirring around behind the front desk. I smiled at her and waited for her to blush and look away from me like she always did but to my surprise she smiled back and emerged from behind the counter. I leaned against the stair case and watched her saunter up to me looking unbelievably like her sister.

“So, I saw you sleeping on the couch this morning,” she said. She leaned against the banister and shyly smiled at me. “Bren said you got beatin’ up pretty bad.” She reached out and rested her hand on my shoulder. I looked down at her hand as she said, “I hope you feel better soon. If you need anything, and I mean anything, just let me know, okay?”

Her hand was soft and warm and I could tell from the reddening in her cheeks her offer had meant to be completely innocent. I reached up and touched her hand as gently as possible and nodded my head, “I’ll do that.”

I pulled away and began to climb the stairs. I could feel her eyes on me as ascended and I looked back over my shoulder to find that she was still watching. A smile that matched her sister’s was on her face and she gave me the same tiny wave I had received from Bren that morning. I flashed my best charming smile and waved back to her. It would seem that both of the Davis girls were carrying a torch for me.

I reached my room and stood by the bed trying to decide my next move. My muscles ached and the bed seemed to beg me to pile into the middle of it. I began to slowly easy the shirt up over my head and as I lifted my arm the odor burned my nose and I tried to remember the last time I had showered. A shower would do wonders for the throbbing in my back and shoulders.

I climbed in and let the hot water rush over me. I breathed in as deeply as my bruised rib cage would permit and allowed the steam to fill my head.

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Sitting on the foot of the bed was a stack of clothes with a note on the top. In Bren’s long scrolling print was a memo to let me know that she had had Vi bring more clothes over for me. I plucked the shirt from the top of the stack up and held it out in front of me. It was a red button up collared shirt.

I slid my arms through the holes deciding it would be easier to put on than one that I would have to pull over. I didn’t think my aching ribs could take another big stretch. I buttoned the shirt from the bottom up and found Bren’s scent embedded in the fabric.

I gave the cuff of the sleeve a quick sniff and memories of the previous night flooded into my mind. The way her honey brown hair had fallen around her face, her perfect cheek structure that stood out when she smiled, the glossy shine of her lips, and her deep smoky brown eyes. I found myself standing there grinning like a fool with my shirt only half buttoned. Maybe I’ll go back and see her again tonight.

Leaving the hotel I walked down the street. Tiny flakes had begun to fall from the sky and tiny mounds of snow were beginning to form on the cars and roof tops. I had finally gotten something to cover my arms and it had gotten colder. I ducked my head down against the brisk wind and wondered if Bren had any spare jackets that her ex had left behind.

“How are you today, Jason?” I looked up to find Phillip walking out of the post office; a big mail bag sagging at his hip. He rubbed at his arms and grabbed the collar of his jacket and flipped it up. “Getting’ cold out, huh?”

I jogged over to him, hoping to get my blood flowing, and greeted him with a handshake. I nodded my answer to his question. “I’m doing pretty good today,” I said with a smile and then rubbed my shoulder, “Kinda stiff though.”

Phillip flipped open the mail box that stood in front of Sam’s store and dropped a single envelope into the box. “We don’t get a lot of mail here,” and then he laughed, “I bet you are stiff.”

I gave him a puzzled look. Had he seen me fighting the Oni or had someone told him about it? It was possible I guess. I’m sure that I’m not the only person the Oni woke up last night.

“I saw you leavin’ Bren’s place this morning.” He gave me a nudge in the ribs and I flinched a little, “She’s a sweet heart, isn’t she?”

I felt the blood rush to my face and tried to smile through my embarrassment, “Oh, nothing like that happened. She was just bandaging me up from the scrap I got into last night.”

He raised his eyebrow and leaned his head back, “Ah, I see. Well, she’s still a great girl.” He bent down and dropped a letter through the mail slot of Bren’s place and then knocked on to a window that looked in on Bren’s office. Peaking in I could see her sitting at a desk wearing a pair of black rimmed glasses that gave he a bookish and cute appearance.

Phillip wrapped his knuckles against the glass and gave Bren a wave when she looked up. Seeing me her face began to sparkle and her eyes lit up. She pulled her glasses away from her face and pinched at the corner of her blouse. Smiling at me she mouthed the words “nice shirt.” I flipped up the collar and raised an eyebrow trying to look both sexy and goofy at the same time. I was happy to see that my attempt was rewarded by Bren’s charming laugh that makes her entire face light up.

I looked around for Phillip and discovered that he had already made his way halfway down the street. I turned back to Bren to let her know that I’d be back later. Trying to make my intentions innocent I pointed to my back and grimaced a little. She raised her hand giving me the “okay” symbol and then nodded her head in a way that said she knew why I’d really be back.

With a wave and quick glance back I chased Phillip down the block. I had almost reached the older man when Zoe strolled out of the sheriff’s office and her whole body seemed to glow at the sight of me. I slowed my jog realizing that she wanted me to stop. She had forgone her usual cheongsam for a lacy white blouse and a pair of dark jeans that were covered by a flashy multicolored skirt and furry boots.

She climbed to my face and kissed me lightly on the lips, “Hey, you. Where’ve ya been?” She linked her arm in mine and then rested her head on my shoulder. I was finding it incredibly hard not let my discomfort show as she squeezed my arm and started leading me back to her house.

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The floor in Zoe’s den was actually very comfortable. She had insisted the floor was the best place to sit for the procedure she was about execute. All around us candles flickered and a bowl of sage burned in between us. The smoke rose up and assaulted my nose but Zoe inhaled deeply savoring the scent.

“Not everyone likes sage,” she said with a smirk. I must have been making a face.

“Sorry.”

Holding out her arms she flexed her hands motioning for me to take them into my own. I reached out reluctantly never knowing for sure what she would do next. “C’mon already. We don’t have all day.” I held my palms out to her and she took them and I immediately noticed that her hands were not clammy like they had been last time. “I can’t believe you’ve been out fighting with the Oni.”

“I thought that’s what I was supposed to do. You said I was here to stop them.” Confusion washed over my face and she laughed out as if what I had said was absolutely absurd.

“No. You’re supposed to stop the person who is bringing them here.” She opened a black jar and poured it contents into the smoking bowl. Rocking the bowl around is a circle she spread the oily substance around as the sage hissed. She sat the bowl down and returned her hands to mine. “That’s why my dad doesn’t want you around. He thinks having you around is too dangerous,” and as she spoke she dropped her eyes to the floor away from mine and her voice trailed off.

“I see. Well, I don’t think I’m all that dangerous,” I squeezed her hand to try and make her feel better.

“Anyway, what I’m doing now is making a mixture that’s going help with the bruising on your back and if I do it right then you should be healed.” She took her hands from mine again and spooned a grainy powder into the bowl. I was beginning to get the feeling that holding my hands had nothing to do with whatever concoction she was working up. “I was reading more today and I discovered something new.”

My head popped up from the contents of the bowl, intrigued to hear about her new discovery, but she didn’t seem like she was in a hurry to tell me what it was. She began to crush the mixture together while speaking inaudibly.

“And,” I asked becoming impatient.

“I just need one more thing.” From behind her back she drew a knife and swiped the blade across my palm before I had a chance retract. A stripe of red oozed from my hand and I looked at Zoe with shock and dismay. Her eyes seemed to twinkle as she watched, fascinated, as the line formed a puddle in my palm. “It’s beautiful.”

I could feel my mouth hanging open and my brain kept telling me to close it but I couldn’t. She flipped my hand over and the tiny puddle dripped into the bowl. I tried to act like her action hadn’t bothered me and questioned her about her previous statement. “What was the new information you found?”

“Oh,” she pulled a tissue from her pocket and shoved it into my hand and then clasped it in her own grasp. She squeezed me hand and said, “Squeeze this. The pain and bleeding will be over in a moment.”

She went back to her mortar and started grinding her ingredients together in silence. I was beginning to think that she was trying to avoid telling me what she knew.

“Zoe!”

She jumped slightly, surprised by the bass I had added to my voice. I had to know what she did and I couldn’t wait a second longer. She stopped grinding her concoction and looked at me harshly, “Okay. I’ll tell you. Just drink this first.”

She held the bowl up to me and I recoiled unwilling to drink the stinking sage, my own blood, and what else she had added to it. She gave me a stern look and thrust the bowl at me only to have me push it away.

“Jason, just drink it already. I know it seems gross but I promise it’s worth it.” She spooned up some of the thick liquid and pushed it into my mouth. Holding my breath, I swallowed hard, trying to keep the vile potion off of my tongue. As it slid down my throat I felt the muscles in my back begin to burn and my rib cage popped as the bones fused back together. The pain increased with every second and I wrapped my arms around my chest. I cried out in pain as Zoe grabbed me and pulled my head down into her lap. She ran her fingers through my hair and stroked my aching back as I squeezed a tear from my eye.

The pain raged through my body and then, suddenly, it was gone. I could feel the swelling under my arm dissipate. I climbed to my feet and scanned my back in a mirror that was mounted on the wall. The bruises had melted away and all that was left in their place was my bronze skin.

“Wow…”

“I told you it was worth it.” Zoe had climbed to her feet and had snaked her arm around my waist resting her head against my shoulder. She kissed my freshly healed muscle and asked, “Do you still want to know what the book said?”

I turned to face her and met her captivating blue-green eyes, “Yes.”

Her eyes dropped to her feet and I saw a single tear plunge to the floor. “It said,” she stopped and looked up at me sorrow feeling her sparkling eyes, “It said that you would betray the woman who loves you.”