Chapter Eleven
“That comic store sucked,” Shanna sighed as she left the shop, holding the door open behind her for Cameron. “I felt like the walls were going to collapse on me.”
“I don’t know,” Cameron smirked. “It seems appropriate that it has the feel of a parent’s basement.”
Shanna glared at him. “Well, I don’t know about where you came from, but in Minneapolis, we had some very respectable stores. Big Brain. The Source.”
“There are some good ones in the city,” Cameron assured her. “Next time we go that way, we should swing by and hit one of the stores. In the meantime, you should think about ordering on-line.”
“Or reading them on-line,” Shanna returned. “I suppose I should just start a pull list somewhere. Too bad.” She started as her phone rang in her purse. She stopped short and yanked it out, staring at the number for a moment. “I really need to start inputting people’s numbers,” she said to Cameron as she flipped it open. “Hello?”
She smiled and nodded as Cameron looked on. “Yeah, I think... Okay, that sounds fine. Yeah. I think I remember seeing it. See you in a bit.” She grabbed his arm after she returned her phone to her purse. “We’re meeting up with the others.”
“Already?” Cameron asked, disappointment creeping into his voice.
Shanna laughed. “We’ve been on our own for hours. I’m feeling a little shopped out anyway. Plus, it’s almost dinner time.”
“Time flies when you’re having fun,” Cameron murmured, then squeezed her hand. “I’ve been waiting to have some time, just the two of us, for a while now.”
“It’s been nice,” Shanna agreed, smiling. “Now we can have a nice evening with our friends before we go home. Who knows? We might get another day tomorrow.”
“We rarely get days off without at least a big training session.”
“Yeah, but you never know.”
They turned a corner on the sidewalk of shops and Shanna pointed to the restaurant where they were going to dine, a semi-fancy Italian place. Shanna steered them toward the doors with a little bounce in her step as she told him “all that shopping worked up an appetite.” Cameron couldn’t help but smile at that, and found himself in good spirits as they entered the restaurant.
“I wonder if they’ve already found us seats,” Shanna said as she scanned the tables beyond the entryway.
“Can I help you?” a blonde college-aged girl asked, then did a double-take when she caught sight of Cameron’s scar. She averted her eyes once the shock wore off, and focused her attention on Shanna. “Just the two of you?”
“We’re meeting up with friends,” Shanna told her, still searching the dining area, oblivious to the hostess’ reaction. “I think Rachel made the reservations. She’s the one who called me, at least.”
“But you got here ahead of me,” Rachel said, coming in the door at that moment. She gave the hostess her last name and she confirmed the reservation.
“It’ll be just a few minutes before your table’s ready,” the girl informed them, taking one last look at Cameron’s face before darting into the dining area.
Cameron had gotten quite a few looks while spending the day shopping with Shanna. They’d also watched a movie, and the boy behind the concessions stand had stared at him the entire time he was up there, like it was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen. After all that, he should have been used to the looks, the gawking, the stares…but he wasn’t. He was used to admiring looks, not feeling like a sideshow freak.
When he looked beyond the others into the dining area, he noticed two waitresses looking his way, standing with the hostess. When he caught their eyes, they looked hastily away. He felt his face redden. He really wanted to leave, but didn’t want to rain on the others’ parade, especially Shanna’s, who was conversing excitedly with Rachel about some of the clothes she’d purchased, pulling out a pair of Jeans and unfolding them for her inspection.
“They are so adorable,” Rachel approved, touching the shredded material at the knees. “Where did you say you got these? I didn’t think there would be anything worth looking at in this little town.”
Shanna hadn’t seemed to notice any of the looks they’d gotten during their excursion, or at least ignored people well enough where it didn’t show. What was even worse was when guys would check her out, then send Cameron confused looks, probably wondering what she was doing with a deformed freak like him. It made him want to never leave the mansion again. But if Tessa could be trusted, this nightmare would be over before he knew it. Then he would be deserving of Shanna’s affection again.
Jordan and Jade arrived shortly, just before the hostess returned to seat them. They ordered drinks, but insisted on waiting until the remainder of their party arrived to order their meals. As expected, Natalia had opted out of the trip into town, but everyone else had been enthused. Even Krystal had managed to convince Hunter to let her go, and she was the next to arrive at the restaurant, with Amelia in tow, several bags in hand. Immediately, Krystal began talking to Rachel about everything she’d purchased, gushing about some of the little gift shops she’d come across that she thought the older hunter would approve of.
“She’s exhausting,” Amelia confided in Cameron as she took a seat next to him. “It reinforces any thoughts against having children.”
Cameron snickered.
After waiting for another five minutes, Rachel called Brett’s cell phone again, and not a minute later, he entered the restaurant, looking rather chummy with Quinn. The two of them had ridden into town later than the others, Brett unsure if he wanted to join them in the first place, and Quinn because of Valor’s testing of his abilities. But Quinn had had to replace personal items and clothing he’d left behind when he’d joined The Agency, and without a car, Brett had decided to be his chauffer. They came in talking quite familiarly with one another about something to do with cars that Cameron couldn’t follow.
“I wasn’t expecting those two to find much common ground,” Shanna whispered to him, surprised. “They really look like they’re getting along.”
Cameron shrugged. “Brett’s a guy’s guy. Makes sense to me.”
Shanna looked doubtful, but all throughout dinner, the pair seemed content with conversing with each other, only conversing with the larger group when something about the mansion came up. In such a public place, talking monsters was out of the question, and it seemed some people had more in common outside of that area than others. Shanna seemed a little hurt by Quinn’s aloofness, but Cameron, for one, couldn’t have been happier. One less thing he had to worry about.
There were no more embarrassing incidents at the restaurant for Cameron. The waiter they’d ended up with had seemed to care less about Cameron’s scar, even daring to look him in the eye without any reaction. Cameron had given him a large tip to show his gratitude.
Upon finishing dinner, they all agreed to meet back in the game room at the mansion, and proceeded to return to the same vehicles they’d arrived in, filling the trunks of their cars with their new merchandise.
Rachel had rode out to Lime Bay with Cameron and Shanna and had purchased three times the amount of Cameron and Shanna put together, some of it having to sit in the backseat of the car beside her. Shanna held her Styrofoam box of leftovers in her lap as Cameron pulled out of the parking lot. She leaned back into the head rest, and let out a contented sigh, having thoroughly enjoyed herself for the day, surrounded by her friends. It felt wonderful to do nice, normal stuff for once.
Her phone rang as soon as they pulled out of the lot, and Shanna smiled as she listened. “Yeah, I think we can do that. I don’t remember seeing a video store though.” She paused as Cameron snuck a peak over at her, questioningly. “Alright. Yeah, we’ll go too. See you soon.” She closed the phone and smiled. “Brett thought we should grab a movie or two to watch tonight.”
Rachel scoffed from the back seat. “More
like Quinn suggested it. I don’t think Brett has a thoughtful bone in his body.”
“Well, either way,” Shanna continued, “we’re going to meet them at the video store. It’s a little ways from campus though, about five miles up forty-three.”
Cameron nodded. “I think I remember seeing it on the way back from New Jersey.”
“As long as we don’t watch some stupid guys’ movie,” Rachel murmured, staring out the window.
“Should we torture the guys with a rom-com?” Shanna suggested.
Rachel met her gaze with a smile. “I can’t even stand rom-coms usually, so I think the boys are safe for the night.”
“Thank god,” Cameron muttered, earning a faux-dirty look from Shanna.
At the next stoplight, Cameron turned right onto a lonely two-lane highway that very quickly left the lights of the shops and college campus behind. There was a covered wooden bridge that they had to cross at one point that Shanna really liked. It was one of the few left standing in the state, and she loved the novelty. But it was a little scary. It was pretty dark on the inside, the dirty wooden walls with snatches of graffiti highlighted by the beams of Cameron’s headlights, the tires making loud sounds as they rolled over the wooden planks. Shanna was sure it was quite safe, or it wouldn’t still be standing, but there was something unsettling about the noise the car made, the boxed-in feeling that she got. But it looked so picturesque that she couldn’t help but admire it at the same time, connecting the road from one side of a sharp rocky incline to another, a river flowing lazily below, having carved the ravine.
And then they were on a quiet highway, surrounded on both sides by tall Pines and other conifers, which were very tall and majestic, but blotted out the sun for all that height, throwing the evening into premature darkness. The sun would set shortly anyway, but Shanna was still sad to the see the day slipping away from them, especially as they pulled off into a small strip mall at the head of a road lined with residential buildings and saw the sun red on the horizon, ready to disappear from sight.
Amelia and Krystal had gotten a ride from Jade and Jordan in Jordan’s Porsche, and were already waiting for them at the store, Amelia leaning against the side of Jordan’s Porsche, as if she’d been expecting them for hours. Quinn and Brett had rode in Brett’s truck, which suddenly roared loudly as it appeared up the road. Shanna glanced back at the truck, noting what an obnoxious vehicle it was. She scowled and turned to find a similar look of disgust on Amelia’s face. They laughed together as they entered the little video store.
“What do you think of a Woody Allen movie?” the witch-hunter asked casually, quickly sidestepping the row of new releases, in favor of the older movies.
“Maybe,” Shanna shrugged, eyeing the rows of comedies she walked along. Then her eyes gravitated toward a back corner where the category sign proclaimed “Horror” in bright red letters that dripped like blood. She smirked and headed straight for the area. Her eyes roved the covers and she felt a warmth spread through her chest as she spotted The Hellraiser movies, recalling when Kelly and her had had a marathon of the classic and all of its sequels. She picked up the box for the original and turned it over, scanning the contents. Kelly had actually owned the first film - it had been one of her favorites. Shanna had borrowed it on more than one occasion over the course of their friendship, but it hadn’t been until last year that they’d had the idea to watch its sequels, most of which were terrible. But they’d had fun watching them nonetheless, enjoying cracking jokes at the cheesy parts. Kelly was always very witty, and knew just when to interject something to make Shanna laugh.
“Have you seen Night of the Demons?” Quinn suddenly asked to her right, a DVD in hand, featuring a disgusting demon on the cover.
Shanna smiled. “No, but I remember that cover. A friend and me used to always browse the video store for horror movies. Never got around to that one though.”
“It’s great. Very Eighties, and pretty ridiculous. If you like blood, gore and nudity, and a few decent scares, you can’t go wrong though.”
“And who doesn’t like blood, gore and nudity?” Shanna laughed, picking up the DVD and turning it over to read through the summary. “Who writes these descriptions? It sounds terrible.”
“That’s it, we’re getting it,” Quinn said resolutely, snatching it from her hands.
“There’s no way anyone else will be interested in watching that.”
“Then we’ll save it for another time.”
Shanna shrugged. “You’ll get no arguments from me.”
He grinned. “Good. Then I’ll rent the sequel too.”
“That might be too much,” she groaned happily.
“Find something?” Cameron suddenly appeared in their midst, glancing at the cover of the DVD in Quinn’s hand with distaste. “I think we’re renting a Quentin Tarantino movie.”
“It’s cool,” Quinn told him. “We’re watching this another time.”
“We?” he asked, looking sharply at Shanna.
But Shanna was distracted by another DVD, and flashed it at Quinn, explaining how she’d watched it with a friend of hers and had rolled around, laughing, all night. Cameron watched them for a moment, before turning away in annoyance, hands clenched tightly at his sides. He suddenly felt the urge to hit something very hard. Repeatedly.
“I think we’re set,” Amelia called back to them after another minute.
“Coming!” Shanna yelled back, striding toward the door.
Quinn took an extra moment to rent the movies he had in his hand, then made for the exit himself. As he was about to step outside, Cameron stopped him. “Hey, man. Can I talk to you for a second?”
Quinn frowned. “Sure. What’s up?” He let the door close and sent Cameron a questioning look.
Cameron took a deep breath before he pointed to his scar. “See this? This is what happens when you do the sorts of things we’re doing. This isn’t all fun and games.”
“I know that,” Quinn scowled. “I’m committed to this. You have no idea how much I need to be a part of this.”
“And Shanna and me are together,” Cameron continued. “This scar isn’t going to come between us. Neither are you.”
“What? Are you crazy? I have no intention of moving in on-”
“I’m just warning you. Stay away from her.”
“Or what?”
Cameron sent him a cold smile. “Or I might ask for a second wish.”
Quinn shook his head. “Dude, you’re making no sense.”
“Just honor my request.” He jostled Quinn on his way out the door as he added “You don’t want to see me mad.”
Quinn watched him walk away, following him with his eyes until he reached his car, where he gave Shanna a kiss, sending Quinn a look over her head, as if daring him to step out of line.
Quinn didn’t know what the guy’s problem was, but he didn’t much care for him. Shanna deserved much better.
Lost in dark thoughts, he stepped into Brett’s truck, and the other hunter immediately peeled out of the parking lot. After a few minutes on the road, Brett seemed to sense his passenger’s stoic mood and glanced over at him. “Dude, what’s up? You seem down now.”
Quinn smiled weakly. “I’m fine. I just…” He glanced out the window at the passing trees for a moment. “How did Cameron get that scar?”
“The scar?” Brett asked, frowning. “I don’t know. I know he was hiding it under a glamour for awhile, but I have no idea. This is a dangerous job we do. I have plenty of scars on my back too, from the monsters I’ve beat up and shit. It’s just how it goes.”
“What about Jade’s arm?”
Brett shrugged. “More of the same. Monsters.”
“Specifically.”
“A siren tore her arm off. She would have died if Natalia hadn’t been quick on her feet.”
They drove on in silence for a while after that before Brett turned to look at hi
m. “You having second thoughts? ‘Cause it’s cool. The scholars do a lot of good for us too. You don’t have to get your hands dirty.”
“But I do,” Quinn said softly. He frowned and looked up as they drew near the wooden bridge. For a minute, they were bathed in darkness. When they came out the other side, Quinn realized he’d been holding his breath. There was something about this quiet road at night that seemed really creepy.
“Whoa!” Brett stepped on the brakes sharply, propelling Quinn forward into his seat belt, surprised.
“What is…?” Quinn’s question died on his lips as he noted the tree blocking the road ahead. A large pine tree, completely blocking their path. “Can you go around it?”
“And go into a ditch?” Brett frowned. “I don’t think even my truck would make it. Help me move it.” He stepped out of the truck, the interior lights going on.
Quinn swallowed hard. “I have a bad feeling about this.”