As the train skidded to a halt the breaks kicking in as we were launched forwards so hard the metal railing digging into what was left of our stomachs.
I was suddenly greatful that we hadn’t had lunch yet else anything still disgesting inside us would’ve been spattered across the already rotting tracks with the ferocity of jet a propelled rocket.
With no time to recover our twisted intestines now bubbling beneath the surface as I pictured them poping back into shape like plastic car panels of ancient times at an olden day panel beaters workshop.
We were surounded by armed head to toe honey badgers known for thier bad attitudes and tendency to bite off more they they can chew.
“Line up slumers while we take a blood sample and no funny buisness you hear!?”
Blood sample?
Since when was that on the agenda for criteria needed to enter upper class territory?
Helpless I looked to Seth for what to do hopeing like hell he had a plan to get us the fuck out of this.
“Is that really required here. As a detective from precinct 209 you should already have my DNA on file. As for my assistant here I’d be happy to take the test myself if you’ll allow it?”
“Orders are orders detective from precinct 209.”
Mister Honey badgers honey pot must have been soiled somewhere along the way as he ozzed with a conceitedly high opinion of his non existant status on the food chain.
I wanted nothing more then to show him just how much I would relish the opportunity to prove his desparate need of an attitude adjustment.
“Stand still and hold out your index finger.”
Luckily the required blood sample consisted of a well placed jab with a stick without the need of touching any part of my atomic bomb of a body.
The blood began to creep out of my index finger as mister badger with a gun had so nicely put.
Emphesis on the nice in a ironic way.
The just a drop being more then my fair share of life source swiped across a card, that’s then placed inside a machine to punch out a bunch of numbers like this weeks lottery ticket which I’m guessing the winnings was not going to be a slice from the grand prize pool of, “you’ve won a million dollars!” when you took into acount current company and co.
I stood there biting my tongue wondering if this was the precurser to a trip down the disgestive track in reverse while Seth’s hand twitched ever so slightly like he was two seconds away from swiping honey drip here’s side arm at a moments notice.
Behind Comander bites alot were a stack of larger Guns that looked straight out of an episode of firefly.
While they aimed at various parts of our anatamy from multiple angles including one very immature cub whose infered titered on the side of snatch and grab warrenting a very nasty, “Wanna raise that barell before I show you how to use it boy?” From beside me as Seth’s very real wolf growl had the cub sneering at just how much he cared that he was close to being torn apart by a fully wolfed out male twice his size.
“Do as he says. We’re not vermin here. We leave that for the waste of space slumers.”
Ever so seductively the glowing red spot made it’s slow way up my body only to rest on my left breast which in hind sight wasn’t much better.
“Control you’re cub commander before he finds himself behind the bars of a jail cell for an overnight visit.”
Fucking honey badgers.
“You just worry about yourself buddy or I’ve a mind to turn this bucket of bolts around and send you both back into the pits of whatever hole you two crawled out of.”
“That’s enough commander Wieller I’ll take it from here.”
It was as if the very air around us parted.
The crowd of badgers split in two to allow the owner of the voice to enter thier ranks like king kong had just arrived to sling around a helicopter or two.
Approaching present company like the second coming his grey eyes sneering down at Seth inparticuliar like he’d found his next victim to maim and torture under an interrogative leer of, “what can we extract from this one.”
My almost polite with an edge of, “this should be good.” Hit the new comer with a level stare while my voice sounded more like a six year old whose just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
“Hi dad. How’ve you been?”
You couldn’t discribe the look on Seth’s face as my father’s lips went from stern, “take him down slowly.” To doting father in the time it took for Seth’s chin to lift off the ground where it had uncermoniously detached from his jaw at the sight of the rather large wolf shifter still muscled to max with a head of greying tendrils dressed in a suit and tie like some acountant just crunching the numbers while standing in front of us his head held high with all the grace of a king greeting his new court.
“Would be better if you visited more often. Why didn’t you tell us you were coming? You’re mother’s been worried sick.”
Still star struck and staring like a over zelous fan about to break out the, “will you sign my chest line.” Whose oblivious to everything but the idol standing before him as my father dismissed the honey badgers enterage offering to escourt us the rest of the way into the uppers least we get into any more trouble.
He knows me too well.
It wasn’t until my father insisted on us visiting my childhood home upon our arrival before Seth blurted out the long awaited.
“This man is your adopted father!”
“I prefer father young man we don’t have titles between family members.”
Facing me with a well placed side pointer at the very real man beside him I was taking immense pleaser in seeing Seth in a state of awe at who had raised my tragic arse.
“This man. The man that single handedly took down a Rhino shifter in full form. Bane Silver. The legend who has solved more murder cases then any detective in all our history put together. This is the man you’ve been refering to all these years?”
“Makes me sound rather contrite don’t you say. I think he’s forgetting about the time I rangled the lion shifter pride with my bare hands.”
“Or the time you ponyed up on the brumbies herd while riding on ones back.”
Seth’s eyes narrowed in fury at our fun.
“You’re mocking me now?”
“What do you think Alrexia. Are we mocking him?”
I couldn’t help the laugh the came out as I answered.
“Oh we are so mocking him.”
“So this is where she gets it from. Now it all makes sense.”
“Does it? If my great sense of humour was going to be passed down to anyone I’m glad it’s my little girl.”
Closing in my father wrapped his arms around me in a chest shattering air stealing bear hug that had my feet lifted off the ground like I was still that little girl he could still sling around his shoulders while watching the sunset from the safety of his 6″7 inchs of hieght.
Seth’s sudden urge to intervene halted mid step the fear in his eyes replaced with a deep hurt that would definatly require some explanation.
His shoulders drawing back the pain disappearing as a cold steel entered his usually soft features.
Something I’d never seen in him before.
His hands that had reached out to stop my father from touching me dropping like wieghted dunbells of a hundred kg to rest besides his hips.
His gaze suddenly not interested in meeting mine were pinpointed to the ground like he wanted nothing more then for it to swallow him whole. This chapter was taken from novelping(.)com without permission.
A pit of dispair encasing his being causing my heart to sink like a fishing line in the deep blue sea.
Shit.
“What’s the matter with you lad. Cat got your tongue.”
When Seth’s eyes turned my way his pain became mine.
His voice like molten lava that burned it’s way through my very soul making me visibly flinch at the heat in his under tone.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
Owch.
I cringed at that one.
My memory of that day now tainted with this moment.
“Seth. You don’t understand.”
“What’s going on here?”
Ignoring my father I desparately tried to explain.
“Please you have to hear me out.”
Cutting me off from going any further with a quick glance towards his once hero now turned object of his distain Seth lashed at me like knives hitting thier mark at target practice.
Only this wasn’t target practice this was the make or break of our friendship.
One that I hoped like hell would survive.
“We’ll talk about this later.”
Fuck!
This is exactly the reason why I hadn’t told my parents we were coming.
For this moment.
The train coming to a complete stop with another jolt towards the whack to our guts, only this time for an entirely different reason.
Seth turning his back on me headed towards the platform in erie silence.
An aura of, “stay the fuck away.” Stamped on his arse for the whole world to see.
“What was that all about?”
Scowling at my father I growled my best, “why did you have to do that.” imitation of his wolf shift to silently shake my head with a depressed.
“Nothing. Let’s just go.”
“Alrexia?”
I was already off the train and trailing after Seth keeping my distance knowing the last person he wanted by his side right now.
Was me.