The Black Limousine

They eventually caught me. Well, Luke did. Curse his mind-reading, I think, watching Luke roll his eyes.

“You’re so desperate some times.”, Luke mutters.

“Hey, can we get a bunny someday?”

“What?”

“I dunno. I just started thinking of rabbits, gosh.”

“That’s not the best idea. We have enough temptation with you around.”

“Yeah, I heard,” I mutter under my breath, rolling my eyes.

“Kristina, where were you?!”, Keith growls, picking me up.

“Is it too late to get my gun back?”

“You’re not able to committ suicide, but still no.”, Luke says, rolling his eyes.

“I only threw ice at you!!”

“I don’t frickin’ care!!”, Luke mimicks, rolling his eyes. Keith sets me down, and I plop down on the couch. “Okay, we gotta move!!”, Luke says quickly, running a hand through his dark brown hair.

“No, we don’t! Gosh, Luke! Just trust me with this! Beth won’t tell anyone, and nobody will know it’s me! And in the mean time, I’m going to be searching for Rebecca’s spell book. And practicing my shooting, if someone would hand me my gun.”, I say, out stretching my hand, as Luke digs in his pocket, handing me the gun. “Now, excuse me, I have to go find Drake,” I say, standing up.

“Kristina, look, what if your plan doesn’t work? What if everyone figures out that you didn’t die. Then what?”, Keith asks, frowning.

“I’ve already thought of plan B, Keith. Don’t worry,” and I walked away, dialing Drake’s number.

“Hello?”

“I need your help.”

“With what? What’s going on?! Where are you?!!”

“Paraniod, much? I’m at home. And I need you to go looking for Rebecca’s spell book.”

“Oh, that old thing? I found it a couple years ago. I’ll have to do a little digging, but I’ll find it.”

“Thanks, Drake,” I say, smiling as I hung up. “I’m going out.”

“I’ll go with you!”, Keith says quickly, smiling at me.

“Umm, Keith, I really think it’s best if you stayed here.”, I say uncomfortably.

“No, I’m coming with you.”, Keith says, already pulling me out the door. He picks me up, running deep into the forests, probably the thickest part, before setting me down. “We need to talk.”

“And in all honesty, that was exactly what I was trying to avoide.”, I grumble, sitting down.

“What are you trying to prove, Kristina?”

“Okay, I’m trying to show you that I can take care of myself. I don’t need to be constantly watched, Keith! And I don’t need to be locked up in that house!!”

“I just want you safe, Kristina!!!! You’re my first real girlfriend, and hopefully my only!!! I don’t wanna loose you!!!”

“I get that, Keith!! I get that all you want is what’s best for me!!! But I’m a twenty-first century girl, Keith! I shouldn’t be locked up in a house!! I don’t care how safe it is!!”, I yell, tears filling my eyes. “One snuck in, and looked just like you!! I thought that was you!!!”

“Kristina, it’s okay,” Keith says soothingly, pulling me against him. “I won’t let that happen again.”

“You better as hell make sure that it doesn’t!! That guy frickin’ kissed me!”, I say, feeling the tears pouring out of my eyes at the memory.

“He what?!!”, Keith growls. “You should’ve let me kill him.”

“Keith! He was my problem!!”, I say, giggling slightly.

“Umm … soooo … who was better?”, Keith asks uncomfortably.

“Keith!!”, I whine, whacking his arm.

“What? It’s an honest question!”, Keith says, holding his hand up defensively. “Demon or me? And just for the hell of it, that Connor Ass?”

“Are you jealous?”, I ask, smiling. Keith stays silent, and my smile grows. “I’ll answer your questions, if you answer mine.”

“Alright! I’m a little jealous!”, Keith says, smiling sheepishly.

“So sweet,” I say, kissing him. “And Connor beat you both.”

“Seriously?”

“I don’t know. I don’t compare the boys I kiss. Besides, then the list is much longer.”, I say, deep within my own memories.

“I don’t wanna know!”, Keith says quickly, smiling at me. “Are we officially back together?”

“Yeah,” I say, smiling up at him.

“Then I don’t care. Because I won the prize.”

“Get out of whatever century, Keith. I could choose to leave any moment.”, I say, rolling my eyes. “But I don’t know if that’ll ever happen.”

Keith grins hugely at me, kissing me quickly, just as rain slowly began seeping through the leaves. I start laughing, as Keith picks me up, running into the house.

• • •

It was late at night. I couldn’t sleep. I pull out my guitar, tiptoeing through the house, toward the theater. I sit down, strumming the guitar as words just spilled out of my mouth, from one of my favorite songs.

“Look at this photograph
Everytime I do it makes me laugh
How did our eyes get so red
And what the hell is on Joey's head

“And this is where I grew up
I think the present owner fixed it up
I never knew we'd ever went without
The second floor is hard for sneaking out

“And this is where I went to school
Most of the time had better things to do
Criminal record says I broke in twice
I must have done it half a dozen times

“I wonder if it's too late
Should i go back and try to graduate
Life's better now than it was back then
If I was them I wouldn't let me in

“Oh, oh, oh
Oh, god, I

“Every memory of looking out the back door
I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor
It's hard to say it, time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye.
Every memory of walking out the front door
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for
It's hard to say it, time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye.

“Remember the old arcade
Blew every dollar that we ever made
The cops hated us hangin' out
They say somebody went and burned it down

“We used to listen to the radio
And sing along with every song we know
We said someday we'd find out how it feels
To sing to more than just the steering wheel

“Kim's the first girl I kissed
I was so nervous that I nearly missed
She's had a couple of kids since then
I haven't seen her since god knows when

“Oh, oh, oh
Oh, god, I

“Every memory of looking out the back door
I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor
It's hard to say it, time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye.
Every memory of walking out the front door
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for
It's hard to say it, time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye.

“I miss that town
I miss the faces
You can't erase
You can't replace it
I miss it now
I can't believe it
So hard to stay
Too hard to leave it

“If I could I relive those days
I know the one thing that would never change

“Every memory of looking out the back door
I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor
It's hard to say it, time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye.
Every memory of walking out the front door
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for
It's hard to say it, time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye.

“Look at this photograph
Everytime I do it makes me laugh
Everytime I do it makes me...”, I sing, smiling as I strum the last of the cords.

“Nice,” Luke says, smiling at me.

“Umm, thanks,” I say, staring at the guitar as I felt my cheeks heat up.

“Nickelback?”

“Yeah … it was Benjamin, Francis, and I’s theme song. Kind of.”, I say, smiling sheepishly. “We’d hear it and end up singing to it every time. And, of course, they’d tape me singing.”

“They sound like pretty good friends.”

“More like my only,” I mutter. “I knew them since day one. We’d be perfectly comfortable if someone duck taped us together.”

“Seriously?”, Luke chuckles, sitting down next to me.

“Well, I mean, it’d be a little awkward. But if someone duck taped me to Keith, that’d be …”

“Scary?”, Luke guesses.

“A little.”

“What if someone duck taped you to me?”

I stare at him oddly a moment, rolling my eyes. “That’d be kind of weird and awkward. But I wouldn’t be worried about you raping me.”

“Yeah … and you might wanna be careful with Keith.”

“Why?”

“He’s just a player, Kristina. But, I’m so sure anymore. He’s still Keith, kind of. He’s … changed.”, Luke says, frowning. “I never thought I’d see the day Keith went for more than a week with a girl. And still hadn’t slept with her, makes it all the more shocking.”

“So, what? Am I like his first girlfriend or something?”, I ask, propping my head up on my hand, with my elbow on the head of the chair. 

“He’s told you, Kristina. You’re his first real girlfriend. You’re not just a fling with him. He’s never getting bored with you.”

“So he just thought of girls as toys or something?”

“Yeah,” Luke sighs. “Too many to count. Rarely did he bring home a decent girl. And sometimes he’d be so bad, I couldn’t even stay in the room for weeks at a time.”

“Are you trying to get me to break up with Keith again?”, I ask sarcastically.

“Nah, I’m just doing what I always do. Trying to warn the girls before they get their hearts broken.”, Luke says, shrugging. “Habit. Sorry if I’m scaring you.”

“No, no … I think that I should know this.”, I say, sighing. “It’s just …”

“He’s so much like Connor?”, Luke guesses, forcing a smile.

“So much. It scares me alone.”, I say, staring down at the guitar.

“Umm, you wanna sing something?”, Luke asks, probably trying to change the subject.

“Umm, yeah, sure,” I say, thinking a moment. I set the guitar down, staring up at the ceiling as I began singing.
“I remember years ago
Someone told me I should take
Caution when it comes to love
I did, I did
And you were strong and I was not
My illusion, my mistake
I was careless, I forgot
I did
And now when all is done
There is nothing to say
You have gone and so effortlessly
You have won
You can go ahead tell them

“Tell them all I know now
Shout it from the roof top
Write it on the sky love
All we had is gone now
Tell them I was happy
And my heart is broken
All my scars are open
Tell them what I hoped would be
Impossible, impossible
Impossible, impossible

“Falling out of love is hard
Falling for betrayal is worst
Broken trust and broken hearts
I know, I know
Thinking all you need is there
Building faith on love is worst
Empty promises will wear
I know (i know)
And know when all is gone
There is nothing to say
And if you're done with embarrassing me
On your own you can go ahead tell them

“Tell them all I know now
Shout it from the roof top
Write it on the sky love
All we had is gone now
Tell them I was happy
And my heart is broken
All my scars are open
Tell them what I hoped would be
Impossible, impossible
Impossible, impossible
Impossible, impossible
Impossible, impossible
Impossible, impossible

“Ooh impossible (yeah yeah)

“I remember years ago
Someone told me I should take
Caution when it comes to love
I did

“Tell them all I know now
Shout it from the roof top
Write it on the sky love
All we had is gone now
Tell them I was happy (i was happy)
And my heart is broken
All my scars are open
Tell them what I hoped would be
Impossible, impossible
Impossible, impossible
Impossible, impossible
Impossible, impossible
Impossible, impossible

“I remember years ago
Someone told me I should take
Caution when it comes to love
I did,” I sing, yawning tiredly even though I was smiling. I close my eyes, leaning my head against the chair before falling asleep.

• • •

I felt someone shaking me slightly, and grunt stubbornly.

“Kristina? Are you awake?”

“Keith?”, I ask tiredly, opening my eyes slowly.

“Yeah, I’m here. How’d you get down here?”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I came down here and sang a little.”, I say tiredly, yawning.

“Oh.”

“And then Luke came down …”

“He did, now?”

“Yeah …”, I yawn tiredly, my eyes slowly closing.

“What did you two talk about?”

“You.”

“Me?!”

“Luke told me how I’m your first real girlfriend. And how you’re a player.”

“He did?!”

“Keith,” I say quietly, reaching my hand out to grab his. “I love you.”, and I fell back asleep.

• • •

My eyes fluttered open and I looked around. Keith had his arms wrapped around me, and I was lying on top of him. I lift my head up to look at him, watching as his eyes open and a smile spreads across his face.

“Good morning, beautiful,” Keith says, leaning up to kiss me. “How’re you?”

“Good. Why are you so cheerful?”

“I just woke up with the girl I love on top of me.”, Keith says, smiling as he kisses me again. “And I feel kind of lucky,” he whispers in my ear.

“Keeiiitttthhhhh!!!!!! Don’t — stop!”, I giggle uncontrollably, as he continues kissing my neck. “Keith, stop it!”

“Maybe,” and I felt the smile against my skin.

“Keeiiitttthhhhh!!!!!! Stop it!”, I say, trying to pull away.

“But you like it, right?”

“Yes! Now let go!”

“Naahhh.”

“Keeiiitttthhhhh,” I whine, pouting.

“What?”

“Stop … please?”

“Okay, fine,” Keith grumbles. “As long as I don’t have to wait thirty-six years.”

“I was kidding, Keith,” I say, laughing as I stand up off of him. “I didn’t actually mean you’d have to wait that long!”

“Oh,” Keith says, smiling at me. “So, in all honesty —”

“Maybe when I’m twenty,” I say, rolling my eyes. I walk out the door, not bothering to fight with Keith on privacy. “Hey, where’s Luke?”

“Hunting, he’ll be back in a few. And then I’m gonna be gone for the rest of the day.”, Keith says, smiling sheepishly. “Demons eat more than vampires.”

“Oh,” I say, chewing on my lower lip.

“And don’t worry, nobody’s gonna rape yah with Keith gone.”, Luke says, rolling his eyes.

“They’re staying?”

“Yep.”

“Well, have fun. I’ll be back tomorrow.”, Keith says, smirking.

“’Kay. Stay clear of the forests back there. I’m gonna be training with Drake.”

“Thanks for the warning,” Keith says, kissing me quickly before walking over the door.

“See yah, Luke. Drake’s waiting outside.”, I say, heading out the back door.

I immediately noticed the giant scaly beast at the edge of the forests, snoring slightly. His scales were a bloody red and black, and the spikes on his back were a golden-yellow.

“What. The. Hell,” I breathe, my eyes wide. “Drake?”

I step toward the dragon, noticing the faint flames forming while he breathed. I roll my eyes, feeling fire form in my hands. I throw the fireball at him, watching as he jerked awake.

“’Morning, Drake!”

And the dragon transforms into Drake, as he stares at me disapprovingly. “What are you doing out here?”

“Ready to train. Keith’s out hunting, which is the perfect time.”, I say, smirking. “And I’ve been keeping everything in that tree right there. So Anna wouldn’t have another reason to flip.”

“Smart,” Drake comments, studying the tree. “Hollowed out, and in excellent condition!”

“Thank you,” I say, peeling back the bark on it. “It’s perfect for storage.”