A Hunger to Share ( Book One )

chapter 25

Ada    

Ada cast a glance at Maggie, who sat beside her in the back seat, staring out of the window, lost in her thoughts.
She wanted to talk to her but Jack's car was heavy with silence.

Maggie's grandfather's grave was in gustow cemetary. Once they got there, Ada practicaly flew out of the car, taking a deep breath of the crispy fresh air.  

Jack got the duffle bag from the trunk, and they started walking through the empty cemetary.

There wasn't much left of the greenary, only lifeless trees, silent sentinels of the dead, standing firm on a ground covered with yellowed grass, and fallen leaves.

A light mist snaked through everything, giving the place a creepy feeling, as if ghosts  floated over their graves, looking at the living with dead, envious eyes.

Ada ran her fingers on the cold headstones, looking for the name Weber.

"Found it." Maggie exclaimed after a while.

They headed towards her, where she was standing by a small, plain looking grave marked by a stone cross.

Maggie crouched down, caressing the name etched into the tombstone. "I can't believe I'm actually here."

Ada put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

"We better get to work." Jack fished out two shovels, and handed one to his brother.

"What about us?" Ada demanded.

"Yeah, where are ours?" Maggie backed her up.

"We've got this covered." Jack dug his shovel into the hard soil.

"This is my grandfather's grave. If anyone has a right to exhume it, it's me." Maggie snapped.

"I didn't mean to be disrespectful..."

"Maggie's right." Ada said in a lighter tone. "We're going to use this cure, we should contribute to finding it..."

"You are, by being here." James leaned on his shovel.

Ada scoffed. "Seriously?"

"You've done more than enough." Jack adressed Maggie. "Let us do this one thing for you."

"What makes you better grave diggers than us?"

"We're hunters." Jack clarified, trying not to sound patronizing.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"We have to dispose of the bodies somehow..." Jack explained patiently.

"When it's not possible to burn them." James finished his brother's sentence.

"Plus we've been doing this for a long time. We work better together. I don't imagine either of you has ever dug a grave?" Jack cocked an inqusitive eyebrow at them.

"He's got a point." Ada told Maggie in a soothing voice. "Let them do what they're good at."

It looked like Maggie wanted to protest, but finaly gave in. "Fine."

Ada shot the brothers an apologatic look, took Maggie's arm, and led her towards an open area of withered grass.
She sank down, and watched her do the same.

"You shouldn't have talked to them like that." Ada told her as she absentmindedly ripped out some of the dead grass.

Maggie sighed. "I know. I don't even like graves but I feel like it's my job, you know. I owe grandfather that."

"I know." Ada said in a low voice. "but they're our friends, and they like to help somehow."

Maggie crossed her legs in front of her and leaned over, arms on her tighs. "You're right."

"They're good people." Ada watched the half dug out grave.

"Yeah."

Ada felt Maggie's fingers brush hers. It was light as a summer breeze and send her heart racing, mind whirling with possibilities. Ada wanted to be closer to Maggie, to hold her, and kiss her, to rediscover her curves.   

Ada wanted to hear Maggie's soft moans again when she brought her to the edge. She was aching all over with desire. If she didn't find a way to quench it, she would die of thirst.

Digging her other hand in the hard soil, Ada willed herself to stop.

But how could she stop wanting Maggie? How could she stop not noticing the way her hair fell into her face, and not push it back while kissing her? How could she ignore the molten lava flowing through Maggie's veins matching her own.

They avoided eachother's eyes. The brothers were preoccupied with their job, but Ada felt their gazes nevertheless. She drew her hand back. Even if it was a mare hand holding, it spoke volumes. It was as intense as a kiss, as passionate as sex.

"I'm sorry." Maggie whispered, looking at Ada sideways. "I didn't mean to..."

Ada cleared her throat. "We can't do anything else in front of James. It wouldn't be fair."

Maggie tucked a short strand of her behind her ear. "I'm afraid if I don't touch you constantly, if I don't make sure you're there...you might disappear for good. And I can't...I can't be without you again..."

"I feel the same."

"I'm sorry things didn't work out the way you wanted them to."

Ada smirked, pulling a knee to her chest. "I knew you were eavesdropping."

"You're not mad?"

"Nah." Ada gave her a reasurring smile. "You saved me from the burden of having to explain it all over again." She withdrew her hands from the soil.

"You're not mad about Jack and I sleeping together either? I mean not that it meant anything, but still..."

Ada chuckled. "Maggie we wern't together back then. And you know I wouldn't mind if you want to sleep with other people, as long as you tell me afterwards."

"I didn't come here to mess up your life. Just to find the cure, and share it with you. After that...if you want me gone, I'll be gone."

"If you think there is even one part of me that wants you gone, then you are a fucking idiot."

"But you have a whole life here..."

"What I have here is fear."

"What about James?"

"He made his choice and I wasn't in it."

"But you don't even really trust me..." Maggie said matter of factly.

"I'm willing to try again...I miss you Mag. I miss us."

"Me too." She sighed longingly.

"Then let's get to know eachother again. You can start by telling me what you've been doing, why you didn't let me know you were alive sooner."

"I wasn't ready yet. There were things I had to take care of. And then when I heard about the cure, I couldn't come back to you without it."

"I get that but what about the rest?"

"Not now." Maggie looked away.

"Mag, if you're afraid I'll judge you, I won't..."

"I just..." Maggie ran both hands through her face, exasperated.

"Girls, you can come over now." Jack called out.

"Later then." Ada scrambled up to her feet, and hauled Maggie up.