Written in the Stars of Heaven

Having the camp packed up into heavy bags that everyone had to carry, Nikolai and Blaze with two apiece, we were once again on the move. And I had a bit of a problem. There was no bathroom or plumbing in this stupid forest.

“Uh, Nikolai…” I said, scrambling to catch up to his crazy-person-super-fast walk, “I need to… um… take care of some bodily waste.” Wow, that sounded so much better in my mind. Why did I constantly have to make a fool of myself?

He looked over at me with an expression that turned my cheeks a bright shade of pink.

“Go over there, behind those trees,” he instructed, pointing to an area that wasn’t visible from the path. “Leona, go with her.”

“I don’t need a bus-buddy to get over there. I’m perfectly capable of walking myself,” I snapped.

“I don’t doubt your ability to make it there. I doubt your ability to refrain yourself from taking off once you are out of sight. I don’t want to overuse the Tracker if it’s unnecessary.”

Damn him.

“Fine, but I don’t believe that you don’t relish the mere thought of shocking me.” Lame comeback, I know. But it was all I had at the moment.

“If I knew it would shut your incessant rambling, then I’d be doing it constantly. Sadly, I don’t think there’s a force known to man or God that could make you be quiet,” he retorted, un-phased by my glare. My disheveled appearance probably didn’t help my ferocity much either. The stupid light, shower of rain had matted my hair in the most ridiculous manner.

“Ha ha. I’m laughing my head off, Boris. At least I don’t have to eat borg everyday in the dumb RSSR,” I shot back.

He had the nerve to laugh at me. Can you believe that? Laugh!

“There are so many things wrong with that statement, I won’t even bother,” he chuckled, the first time I’d ever seen him smile. It suited him very well, I had to admit, even in the midst of our little World War of Words.

“Yeah, because it’s all very accurate. You are just trying to save face because you know I got you.”

By this point, everyone in our lovely little troupe had stopped to watch, hiding smiles, or in Leona’s case, not bothering to politely shut her stupid cackling up when Nikolai got the better of me.

“Do I now? Hmm, for one, there’s no such food as ‘borg’. You’re looking for borscht, which isn’t the only food in my native country. I never even liked it. The ‘RSSR’ is meant to be the USSR, which doesn’t even exist anymore. And I haven’t even been in Russia since I came here, ten years ago when I was thirteen. So Melani, I believe you were wrong on several accounts.”

Had I mentioned, damn him?

“Yeah, well you look good when you smile,” I shot back.

Just as I’d thought, that quieted him really quick. In fact, I took great pleasure in the confused and slightly shocked way he stared back at me.

“Leona, yip yip. Let’s get on this peeing thing," I commanded with two snaps of my fingers before pointing in the general direction we'd be heading.

Avan cracked up, partially because of my Aang reference and mostly because of how I pulled one over Nikolai. Blaze was quick to follow suit, leaving a shocked Russian boy and a scowling bitch. How had I managed to find such great company?

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

“Alright, isn’t there supposed to be some port-a-potty thing around here?” I asked, scanning the immediate area for the smelly, plastic bathroom.

“You aren’t a bright one, are you?” Leona simply asked. Somehow, that little comment packed as much punch as… well, a punch.

“I’ll have you know that I’d be at the top of my class at home if I actually turned in my assignments. But those tests… Yeah, the don’t stand a chance against me.”

“Whatever makes your life worth living, brat. Now come on! Nikolai isn’t going to wait forever.”

“I have to squat? For real?” I groaned.

“Did you expect a public bathroom to just appear?”

“This is a magical kingdom. A girl can have her petty dreams.”

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Let me just say right now that I was never meant to survive in the wilderness. I couldn’t live without Starbucks, a nice comfy bed, or plumbing. And that whole ‘going in the woods’ thing doesn’t really work for me. I had a few minor scratches on my butt to attest to that, thanks to my little tumble Leona found absolutely hilarious. I’m sure everyone else thought Hell had frozen over or something at the sound of her wild laughter. At least until we made it back to them and she divulged all the juicy details. Then everyone shared a nice laugh. Even Nikolai, boring and stoic, cracked a smile at the retelling of my bathroom adventures. So glad I could brighten their spirits. Jerks.

“Has anyone else noticed that it is very damn freezing out here? I think my legs might fall off. Or turn into shapely and toned ice sculptures. Whichever comes first,” I rambled to no one in particular. “And I’m really getting tired of this stupid drizzle. Why can’t the sky just make up it’s mind one way or another? Huh? Either begin the heavy showers, or dry up for God’s sake!”

Karma or fate or destiny, whatever you believe in, has a funny habit of making me eat my words. In this case, it was about the rain. The instant I got my comment out, large droplets of frigid water began to fall from the dark clouds, far above the tall treetops. Now this was the torrential downpour Blaze had referred to earlier. Usually I liked the rain too, but not like this. It was so cold, soaking me to the bone seconds after it began, making my teeth chatter loudly. This was miserable.

“Nice going, Mel,” Avan moaned, pulling the hood of his dark parka over his head. “Cure at the weather, why don’t you?”

“Shut it, pretty boy. At least you have a hood! I’m out here in nothing but very not waterproof fleece and a dress. Stupid Felix and his stupid wardrobe impracticalities.”

He remained silent, like the rest of the group for a brief moment before asking me in a subdued tone, “Do you really think I’m a pretty boy?”

“I don’t know, why?”

“Because I hate that type of guy! So prissy and-”

“You’re not a pretty boy!” I interjected, sparing us all his complaints.

“Thank God,” he sighed.

Rolling my eyes, I failed to pay attention to where I was going and bumped into something solid. I was shocked to see Nikolai crouched down, digging through on of the huge bags he was lugging around.

“What gives, Boris? I want to get to this Jeep!”

“We won’t be there until later tomorrow, if we hurry,” he mumbled, not paying me any attention, focused on his task at hand.

“Well that bites. No pun intended. Was that even a pun? You know, with the whole ‘you’re a bloodsucking Reaper’ thing…Whatever,” I rambled on, my undiagnosed ADD at it’s finest.

By the time I’d finished, Nikolai found what he’d been searching for and stood to his full height, which I have to say is quite imposing. Of course, I thought a tall man was very attractive. And the way those bright blue eyes stared back at me, you’d never guess he was blind. Then again, he wasn’t when it came to me. Oh, and the hair. Dark brown silk reaching down to his eyebrows, curling out in an almost boyish manner, contrasting with the pure manliness of the stubble on his chin, jaw line, and upper lip. If he wasn’t such a jerk, I’d have a very difficult time keeping myself from touching him. Hell, that might become a problem regardless of his poor social skills if he kept looking at me like that.

“Melani, shut up and put this on,” he said, snapping my full attention from his hotness and to what he was holding out to me.

To my utter surprise, he was offering a very warm looking black parka, hood and all. “For me?” I asked like an invalid.

“No, for the tree over there. Yes, now hurry and put it on, or you’ll freeze.”

“Too late for that Boris,” I retorted, peeling the drenched fleece off of me.

Bad idea.

In the short time the bodice of my white dress was exposed to the elements, it was soaked. And you know what that means. My favorite ice green bra was visible for all to see, including a gawking Avan and Blasé and very dumbstruck Nikolai. Leona just glared.

I won’t deny it, I have a nice body. One that the girls at home covet and the boys drool over. And this dress showcased it all. My C cups, exotic curves, somewhat wide hips, sleek legs… see-thru material clinging provocatively to it all.

“Freezing here,” I said, shivering violently.

Immediately, Nikolai snapped out of the trance he was in and helped me into the coat, pretending I hadn’t had any effect on him. Blaze and Avan didn’t quite have that same grace, still openly staring as if hoping they’d get another flash. Typical boys.

“Let’s just move,” Leona snarled, storming ahead on the trail.

Finally, the attention was shifted from me and back to our journey while I reveled in the warmth the parka provided my upper body. Sure I was still wet and tired, but the coat went a long way in brightening my dismal mood. Well, maybe not a long way. I was still a prisoner on my way to a crazed vampire king, so things weren’t looking very well for poor Mel.

Stumbling along, having had to abandon the trail, I remembered the river I’d fallen into before waking up to find the Herllow Hunters.

“Hey, wasn’t I drowning in a river before you found me?” I asked Nikolai, nearly tripping over a fallen branch in my haste to catch up to his fast pace.

“Yes.”

“And? How did I wake up on dry land?”

He glanced over at me like I was insane. “How do you think? I pulled you out after the vision made you lose consciousness.”

Oh. That made some sense. But that seemed like an awful lot to risk just for some money. That river was wild.

“Mind if I ask why? Is the reward really that important? How much money is the king dude offering?” I inquired, reeling at the casualness in which I spoke of such monumental events regarding me.

“I don’t care about the money. That’s not why I’m doing this.” He refused to meet my gaze as he spoke, trudging along faster. It was a miracle I managed to stick with him.

“So it’s for the glory? Bringing in the famous Chosen One, or whatever you guys call me. Or the prophesy? You want the Reapers to finally win the war?”

“You don’t know what you are talking about.”

“And how is that?” I asked, sarcastically. “What other reason could all this trouble be worth? What other reward is the king offering? Please, it’s my life you’re ruining. I think I deserve to know.”

Nikolai stopped abruptly, an odd expression clouding his handsome face. For a moment, I was worried that he’d hit me and was very aware that we’d lost the others. Obviously they’d be not too far behind, but it would take enough time that no one would be around to calm the Russian’s mood. But then I realized the look he had wasn’t one of anger, as I’d anticipated. It was full of unbridled pain.

“You really want to know? I’m doing this for my mom. Those bastard Herllow imprisoned her when she went in to protest my not graduating Keeper training. They said she was plotting against them the entire time, because of her previous relationship with my poor excuse for a father. One’s reputation tends to be tarnished after being married to the Reaper king back on Earth. I am bringing you in because he promised to help me free her if I did. It has nothing to do with money, glory, fame. I couldn’t even give a damn about the prophesy. I just want my mom back.” And with that, he turned and rushed ahead, leaving me gaping, standing in the pouring rain like an idiot.

I couldn’t believe it. Well, after what Felix said and seeing this guy in action, I could believe it. But still. Nikolai was the Reaper king’s son, trying to save his Herllow mother. What did that make him? Before, I’d just assumed he was Reaper, but now I wasn’t so sure. And more importantly, what did this mean about him as a person? I couldn’t really fault him for stopping at nothing to get his mom back. If there was any possible way to save my own, I wouldn’t have hesitated. And that glimpse of his pain he just showed me… He was just a lost child, desperately trying to get his mom back. For that instant, he wasn’t the plotting, cruel man planning to turn me over to a miserable fate. No, he was a real, pained man with a lot to lose. And I could relate to that more than I thought possible.