Between a Rock

Prologue

                "I don't know what's up," I answered her comment, shrugging.

                "I'll say." Lucy pushed back her bangs and tapped me on the cheek. She was very touchy-feely. "What's it been, five months? You'd think the fools would get over it already."

                I shrugged in response and greeted the next customer with a perky smile. "Hey, welcome to Starbucks! What can I get for you?"

                An hour passed. Mondays were always the busiest for Starbucks. I asked Lucy about it once. She said, "Honey, after a long weekend of nothing but relaxation, you really want to come back, half asleep, to work or school?"

                In any case, customers kept me busy throughout the morning. I'd gotten a few more odd looks, but nothing particularly out of the ordinary. I wasn't worried about anyone outright recognizing me anymore, but by the end of my shift I was so exhausted mentally that I wanted to go home and punch a pillow or something. As noon swung around, I had to keep myself from strangling the snippy customers.

                Angelina, Starbuck's resident beauty queen, was part of the problem. She pretty much made it her mission to make what's rest of my life living hell. After finding out that I'd committed a felony (and yet didn't get charged for it), she severed any ties with my previous friends and tried to get me fired at least twice a week. I was lucky that Lucy and I were such good friends, because if not I definitely wouldn't be able to find a job anywhere. The girl was all looks, no brain, except when it came to that razor sharp wit that I was almost grudgingly impressed of. Now if only she used that power for good, instead of antagonizing people who could kill her in five different ways with her sparkly rhinestone belt.

                I was packing up for my shift and ignoring Angelina's incessant gripes when a commotion outside of the Starbucks caught Lucy's attention. She frowned, peering outside as dozens of vans drove up. "What in the world?" she muttered.

                Turning to me, Lucy called, "Maya, could you see-"

                "Already on it," I answered, happy that she trusted me enough to go check out what was happening. I pulled on my Starbucks hat to at least partially hide my face and opened the door, ready to give somebody a piece of my mind.

                The first thing I saw was the bright flash of a camera. My stomach dropped, but my foot was already a step out of the door. There was a swarm of photographers outside our humble little Starbucks, and they were all focused on a toned, tan figure striding purposefully towards me. His hair had been cut but was still blonde as ever. Oddly enough, he still looked childish, despite the fact that he'd turned twenty, my age, a month ago. And as his brown eyes locked with mine, I realized he hadn't really changed a bit.

                My mouth popped open anyways. "Rocky...?"

                "Hey babe," he smirked. Within seconds he closed the gap between us and, without warning, put his hands on either side of my face and kissed me.

                                                                              ***

                                                                        Elsewhere

                The man slipped into the car, subconsciously checking his pocket to be sure his prize was there. As he turned the key in the ignition, the navigation panel lit up and another man's face flickered onto the screen. It was partially obscured by shadows, something that was completely unnecessary and perhaps a little too dramatic for his tastes. Either way, however, this man was his boss, and he wasn't about to be criticized for it.

                His superior stared him down, waiting patiently until he was actually on the road before speaking. "Did you find him?"

                "Of course," he said pleasantly. "I told you, he was easy to track down."

                "Because of the ring." The man sounded unimpressed. "Speaking of--"

                "Yes, yes, I've got it," he sighed, patting his pocket again. "No need to worry."

                "We're Redfangs, Dawson," the man chastised. "We stay alive by worrying."

                And wasn't that the truth. Dawson tapped an absent beat on the steering wheel. "Have we got a location on the girls?"

                "They saw no need to hide," his boss said, sounding amused. "Both are in Corpus Cristi, Texas. I trust you know what to do from here?"

                Dawson did know. He pulled out the ring and peered at it, wondering just why it was so important that his boss get ahold of it. "What about the ring?"

                "Keep it on you," his boss ordered. "We have one down and there's only two to go. Make sure you get what you need and dispose of them."

                He rolled his eyes, having heard this spiel before. "I've got this, don't worry."

                The boss gave him a look, like he was pushing his luck, and the screen flickered back to the map of Washington DC. Dawson turned up the radio and smiled slightly.

                He loved his job.