Chapter 8
We arrived at the small, Podunk diner just before the sun reached the tops of the scarce trees. The diner was slightly shoddy, but had a welcoming feeling. The first thing I noticed was the vacant quality that put my mind to rest.
"See, hardly anyone is here." I hear whispered into my ear. I pivoted quickly on my heel a little bit stunned by the closeness. I turned to see Payson's half asleep form clinging onto Seere's neck. We sort of looked like a dysfunctions family.
The inside of the diner was much more attractive than I had expected. There were only two other people in the diner beside us, and one of them was the waitress. Being cautious, we took the window booth closest to the door. Seere gently layed Payson down on the seat next to me. She seemed to wake up a little more, her brain now registering that we were in a public place. Why is she so tired? I mean she's usually tired but this is excessive, even for her. Could she be getting worse?
The waitress took a good five minutes to get over to us, even thought there's only two customers in the place. I ordered a coke and a water for Payson. The waitress seemed taken aback by our appearances, especially Seere's. Seere's dark features looked out of place in the quaint Iowan diner. He was the type of guy you saw on the cover of a magazine, not in a small town food vendor. With messy brown hair, and deep chocolate eyes to match, he was not your usual customer. The waitress seemed to think so too. It was obvious she was trying to get his attention, but all he did was sit there like an idiot, not absorbing any of the flirtatious vibes coming from the overly friendly server. He got a coke too.
"Umm... quick question Seere, how are we gonna pay for this?" I asked, probably a little too late. Payson and I left with 20 bucks, just enough to fill the tank of gas needed for the old clunker.
"Well, I guess we're screwed then!" He sarcastically remarked.
"I'm being serious." I managed to get out while laughing.
"Well, when your 19" He said loud enough for everyone to hear (smooth Seere, smooth) "You tend to acquire a fair amount of money."
"Riiiiight..." I said incredulously. Being with Seere has put me on need-to-know-basis. The waitress brought the drinks back and we ordered our food. This was beginning to feel routine, almost comfortable. That's when I know this is bad. What have I gotten us into? I can't do this! I can't play 'house' with Seere anymore. Social services and the authorities get closer and closer while we just sit here enjoying a nice breakfast. The time I've spent with Seere has flown by without me even noticing. Was it only 2 days ago that I was promising myself that I would get Payson to a hospital soon. Now here she sits not eating anything and sleeping her days away. I have been far too selfish for far too long. I need to end this. We'll need gas money and money for a cheap motel, I don't know how much more Payson can handle sleeping outdoors, even if the alcove is a protective shelter, it's still below 40 degrees into the night.
"Lena?" I barely heard Seere's voice over my own thoughts.
"Oh, Huh?" I said regaining the world of the living.
"You zoned out there for a minute, You ok?" He said sounding concerned. His chocolate Carmel eyes seemed to pierce right through me, as if they knew something was wrong.
"What? Oh no, I'm fine," I laughed it off, " just a little tierd that's all." It was getting easier and easier to lie. Every word spilled from my mouth as if I didn't have a filter for it all. One lie just came after another. Lying is the easy part though, being honest is the hard part, especially when someones emotions are involved.
"Why aren't you eating anything then?" Seere pointed out. Crap!
"Who? Me? I just haven't gotten started yet!" I said as I dug in to the soft syrup coated pancakes on the plate before me. Nice save! Why did he not look convinced? Breakfast was over before we knew it and we were on our way out, Payson in tow. All I could think of was what I'm going to do now. Maybe the best thing to do is just leave in the middle of the night. My chest got tight. Yeah leave in the middle of the night... just like my mother.
************************************************************************************************************
Seere's POV
The car ride was quiet for the most part, but it was the silence that screamed louder then any words. Payson had fallen asleep...again.
I don't think Lena noticed the speed gage slowly wind down, or the fact that I took the longest route possible. I know what she's thinking. I've lived for thousands of years, I know how to read people.
She knows what must be done, so she will do it, end of story. Period. The end.
That's just Lena's personality. I haven't known her for very long, but I can tell that she'd do anything for Payson. Something else I learned about her is that for some reason, Lena has a problem with letting herself be happy. Maybe she believe's that if she's happy for even just a second something bad will happen. I want to tell her that everything will be alright, and that I won't let anything bad happen to her. But if there's one thing I know, it's that a broken promise is the worst form of betrayal.
************************************************************************************************************
Lena's POV
The car ride was quiet and prolonged. I was starting to get the feeling Seere was taking the long way back to the cave on purpose. Not that I minded. Leaving Seere was going to be the most difficult thing I've had to do since burying my father, and that's pretty hard to top. But I can't be thinking of myself all the time. Payson doesn't remember our mother, and now she's lost our father. She needs a constant in her life, and it looks like she's stuck with me. Being responsible for her life is my job right now, and part of that job requires me getting her to a doctor as soon as possible. The alcove came into view, a sinking feeling in my gut fabricated the effect of small fluttering wings in my stomach. I could sense Seere's muscles tighten beside me. Payson stirred in the backseat before passing out again. We arrived at the alcove, Seere parked the car and took the key from the ignition without saying a word. We sat in silence for a couple of minutes. He knew what was coming.
"We probably shouldn't try to wake Payson... she looks weak." Seere's voice broke the silence.
"Yeah... it's best if we don't..." My voice trailed off.
"...Listen Lena... I know you think your doing the best thing for Payson here, but I can help you... just let me help you, it doesn't need to be this way.." Seere pleaded. I thought my respose through before answering.
"Yes it does Seere, yes it does..." I must be easy to read, am I really that see-through? Without another word, I hopped from the car, slamming the door closed. I made my way over to the alcove to grab the car blankets, we're gonna need them.
Why does it have to be this way? Why does someone always get hurt at my expense? This is why I can't be happy. People get hurt when let my guard down. When I let people in... when I have to let them go. Folding up the blankets, I made my way back to the car. Might as well get this over with now. Turning around, Seere appeared right behind me. Startled, I took a step back, trapped by the cave wall. Seeing my retreat, Seere placed his hands on the wall on either side of my head. I felt safe. Like I wanted to leap into his arms and forget all my troubles. But I can't do that. I can't surrender to my own selfishness.
"Lena! Listen to me! I want to help you! Just let me help you!" Seere pleaded once more.
"Seere I can't-" I began to say before I was stopped by Seere's lips crashing into mine in a fiery kiss. I kissed back with the same intensity. I'm such a hypocrite. Here I am saying that I can't let myself be happy, and then I go and kiss the Seere, the only guy that makes me happy. What the hell... I'll enjoy it while it lasts! Lost in the fierce kiss, I almost didn't hear the distinct and blood curdling screams of Payson...
*************************************************************************************************************
*We added some pictures and people to be the characters for the story. Lena is played by Daveigh Chase and her picture is on chapter 2. Then Seere is played by Sean Faris and his picture is on chapter 3. Lastly for Payson we found this little girl that isn't really a actress or anything but she looked exactly like our picture of Payson. Her name is Helena and she was on an ad for a photographer and her picture is on chapter 1.
Comment and Vote(: