Storm Brew

"I don't like this."

I rolled my eyes, thinking how many times he'd said that. At the same time, I tried to hide my apprehension. It wasn't like we had a plan—Nate wasn't the plan-making kind and, unfortunately, Anna was as headstrong as he was on that issue. After arguing back and forth, he relented on the whole matter. Exchanging me wasn't an option—if I was being completely honest, there was nothing I wanted less—this Cult was capable of dismembering and threatening innocent people to get me. But Parker was my friend despite what he had done—leading Aric to me. Even that, though, if I hadn't met Aric... would I have found Nate? Who could I have turned to then? Pacey… what would I have I done if Aric had hurt Pacey like he'd told Parker? Aric was right. Blood was thicker than water. My friends were all I had left. Parker was part of my life—more than my parents had been. I wasn't letting him die for me.

Anna was on the slight, cramped, backseat of the Mustang. She wasn't much taller than me so I guess she was doing alright, apart from her fuming. It wasn't that she didn't want to save Parker—it was her first day on Melissa-patrol and she was already being faced with a death-decision.

I looked to Nate who stirred the wheel stiffly. He didn't like this one bit. I don't think danger was the issue—he was jealous. I should know, by now, that he got jealous very easily. Nathaniel had to understand Parker was my friend. That wasn't going to change just because he was my boyfriend, now. There was a world of variables at play, though. He had never been in a relationship, something's took time—we'd sort through that later.

The paper that came with the… cooler said to meet at a house near Tilly Willy Bridge. Where was that? I didn't know until I googled it. The results weren't what I'd call appeasing…

"We're heading for a haunted bridge…" I muttered. In all this, I just had to cling to the urban myth around it.

"They're a Cult, what did you except? It wasn't like they'd pick the mall…" Anna sulked along with me. "What did it say about the woman again…?"

Yeah, okay so we were a little freaked by anything related to supernatural—Vampires, Werewolves, Mummies, Ghosts—we had a problem with it. We couldn't sit through one spooky movie without jumping.

"That in the fields you can see a woman twirling her white dress…" Anna shuddered as I looked over my shoulder, I sunk into the leathery seat.

"Oh for the love of…" Nate trailed off shaking his head. "You two are so stupid—" I gave Nate a slight enraged look, though my eyes were shaking and he saw it—giving me a smirk. "I can't believe you're scared of something that doesn't even exist."

"I suppose you're not scared of anything?" Anna leant between our seats, propping her head against my headrest.

"Yeah." He shrugged.

Anna scoffed with disbelieve.

"You're never afraid?"

"No, not really." He offered a cheeky smile.

If you're not locked up in a small, dark space… I thought, as the sad reminder of his face in the mine came back—then the blood under his nails from scratching the cell door, trying to get out. I'd never tell Anna, though.

"Liar." She slid back. "Everyone is afraid of something, if you were never afraid you'd be dead by now."

True; if you weren't afraid of anything you'd—for example—just cross the street without hesitation, without stopping to see the lights.

"Just don't drive us off the bridge." I said as it came into view. "I don't feel like going for a swim."

"Do you want me to stop the car before we cross? They say if the windows fog up hand prints start appearing—"

"Nate!" I squeaked as the car began slowing down. "Nate, stop being a jerk." I asked when he killed the engine.

"Oh come on," He said in his laid back manner. "Take some pictures, post them on a ghost web site or send them to a newspaper. I can see the headlines—"

"Belanger, if you don't move this car I swear I'll throw you off the bridge." Anna said strongly.

We were probably near the house and they were arguing over ghosts?

"Like you could." Nate mumbled between chuckles.

Looking at Anna I could see she meant it. She would throw him off the bridge—she wouldn't do just that, she'd drown him.

"Can you stop being an ass? Parker's—"

Anna and I jumped and Nate recoiled momentarily surprised, as I latched onto his arm—well I pretty much flung myself onto him. For a moment I was shaking and he was silent—then he laughed. The rich laugh he only seemed to do around me—a sound I hadn't had the privilege of listening to, for two weeks. It was the first time since I'd rescued him. I just wished he wasn't laughing at me and Anna…

"There's your ghost," Nate was able to say when his laughter died. "A floating plastic bag… you're right I've got the chills."

I wanted to hit him, but he was right. I hated when he was right, still I closed my eyes when Nate's hand stroke my hair.

"If you want me to drive us to the other side, you'll have to get off, princess."

Anna peeked to my position; I sent her a look when she pointed grinning. Well, she'd been scared too—so why did she get to laugh? Ah well… I slid onto my seat.

"You weren't wearing your seatbelt." Nate mused.

A smirk itched onto my lips, Anna looked from me to Nate—faintly, I heard her mumble "what's so funny about seatbelts". It was mine and Nate's personal joke, sort of.

"Whoops," I shrugged putting it on. "There, now can we go?" I pleaded.

When we crossed the bridge, immediately, we searched the landscape for houses—broken down houses, Nate said. They were probably in an abandoned place.

A house, even one that was falling apart, should be easy to spot in the void landscape around. It wasn't until two minutes later that Nathaniel slowed down his car behind a tall, untrimmed bush. Its color wasn't healthy even though it had grown alone in the wild, it was sick brown. I watched as Nate cocked his head, Anna did the same for a minute. It was like they were studying the outline of it all. The three-stair porch, the damaged column that seemed ready to give out under the lightest breeze—there were windows hanging from the second floor.

"What are we waiting for?"

Nate's frown lines became visible as his head whipped toward me. He had that look about him—the 'there's no chance in hell' look.

"You're not going in there." He said what I'd feared.

"Oh, because leaving her alone is much better." Anna snapped her fingers ironically. "Splendid idea! Why don't we just light fireworks to let them know where she is?" Nathaniel hadn't been paying attention to her, he was busier, checking his gun. "Are you even—"

"You'll stay here with her, she's not going to be alone."

My mouth parted, my hand reached out grabbing his T-shirt at the last second. He turned, halfway out the car.

"Are you nuts?" Anna spoke the words I wanted to say.

My head shook silently, eyes catching his—mine were scared, begging him to take Anna, his were determined, burning with that usual inner flame.

"It'll be fine." He said in a cocky fashion. "How many Order members have killed me?" I tilted my head thinking he was really going insane. "Zero's the right answer, you know." I tugged on his T-shirt, not wanting him to go alone anyway. "How many have I killer? All of them."

All of them except Aric... but that one didn't really count. He hadn't attacked us.

"You should've told me Nattie-boy was suicidal..." Anna muttered slipping into the driver's seat.

My breath caught.

"Don't call him that." My voice was sharp.

Anna looked from where Nate was, advancing toward the house, to me.

"Suicidal? What else can I call a person who walks into a—"

"No," I said controlled. "Don't call him... Nattie, he doesn't like it." Anna's impish smile started showing and I knew she had no intention of stopping calling him that... "Please, Anna." My hands twisted in my lap. "Just don't... please."

If I could, I would wipe every moment we had spent with Drew from my mind—but before that, I would erase that cursed pet name from Nate's brain. I still didn't know why it affected him so much. He became a statue every time he heard it which was enough for me. Anna dissolved her smile. She was playful, but when I begged for something—she knew it was important, even if I didn't tell her the reason. Clearing her throat she locked eyes on Nathaniel's back.

"You should go with him." I whispered inching my head over her shoulder. "He's crazy."

"He's your boyfriend." My friend muttered, eyes slit as Nate held the gun in one hand and opened the door with the other. "I'm not leaving you alone. Reed assigned me to keep you safe. Parker might be my friend—but you're my priority. You're not brainwashing me like you did to that poor fellow."

"Stop mocking him." I poked her back. Any other time I'd let her—not now, though. Not when Nate could be walking into another trap.

I don't know what I was waiting for—evil auras, evil laughter—because that damned place looked like a haunted house from Halloween.

Come on, I thought feverishly, What's going on inside?

There wasn't a sound... maybe it wasn't the right one? Maybe they fooled us and were waiting around, preparing to jump us.

"Something's wrong—"

Anna unlocked the door, my eyes focused onto the house anew—Nate's blond head poked through the opening—He didn't make it off the rotten porch completely throwing his body forward—

"Nate!" I screamed loudly.

But even my scream was no match for the massive explosive sound—the windows burst from the pressure, shattering into tiny pieces, the column broke—the fire licked every inch of wood, slithering to the grass...

And Nathaniel...

"Nate!" I yelled again only this time I was running from the car and onto the dead yard. "Nate!" I screeched when he didn't move. My knees crashed beside him, my hands didn't know what to do. What if he had broken something and moving made it worse? What if he was... "Nate!" I yelled vigorously.

Anna was approaching, having checking around the area. Just as she knelt beside me, still looking in every direction—I saw his fingers twitch, the ones that weren't holding the gun. I gasped, chest filling with relief. Happiness. I took his head gently, lifting it a few inches, not wanting to hurt him.

"Nathaniel," I whispered this time around, his eyelids fluttering. "My Nate," I whispered softly. "You're alright? Say you are, please Nate..." It was incredible how many times I could say his name, it was so beautiful. "Nathaniel?"

He groaned again, fingers moving, this time, they curling over my thin wrist.

"Mel," I heard. "I'm alright." He said just like I wanted. "I'm okay." He repeated when I kept staring into his face tying to see if he was lying or not.

Thank God, I turned him onto his back with Anna's help. He coughed shaking his head, the smoke was rising, filling the air. Clouds of smoke began forming over the clean weather—there was something more among brunt wood and plain smoke... there was... it was a gruesome smell...

"He's... dead..." I looked down at Nate's head—now in my lap, his eyes were looped in mine. "Parker... he's... dead..." He breathed hurriedly trying to recuperate all the air that had been squeezed from his lungs.

Parker was dead... that smell...

"Burning flesh..." I muttered already Anna was wrapping an arm over my shoulders. "Parker's dead... he was in the house... it exploded and he..."

"Nate's alright, we should be going—like now, Mel." Anna tugged Nathaniel into a siting position. "Come on, big boy—Mel, a little help?"

My aquamarine eyes fixed themselves on the flames threatening to lick the skies. I knelt for a little longer until I stumbled to my feet.

What happened? Why did the house blow up, where were The Order members? So many questions... but Nate—Nate needed help getting to the car.

I took his other arm, and together with Ann's help we hurried over to the black Mustang.