NaNoWriMo Story Snippets

35. Excerpt from MOON-MARKED: QUINTESSENCE

Author's note: Continuing QUINTESSENCE. Subject to editing, etc. Still need to think of a good ending for the story, but at least I have some ideas for the magic aspect.

"Did it have to be shaped like a coffin?"

Becky chuckled as she glanced down at her new amulet ring. Seth might have been the first one to say it out loud, but she had wondered the same thing. The ring was nice enough, she supposed, but not really her style. Paige had been eyeing it enviously ever since they had left Emily's and if it wasn't keyed to her particular malady, Becky would have happily traded with her. "It doesn't mean anything," Becky said firmly. Then she looked at Paige, who was suffering yet again through another human meal. "It's just another 'hiding in plain sight' thing, right? If the vampire dresses like a Goth, then if they do anything... vampire-y, people will just roll their eyes and figure it's drama."

"Drama." Paige let out an inelegant snort as she sipped at her coffee. "Do the Irish not have a word for fashion, Bex?" Then she waved her fork at Seth. "And he's just embarrassed that a woman gave you a ring before he did."

Becky forced herself to focus on her blood supplement. Since she had already had so much—the bottle she had drained when Paige first arrived and then half a cup before heading to Emily's—she was trying to ration the rest. Thankfully Cesaro had given Seth some small espresso cups for Christmas the year before, and they were the perfect size for small doses of the blood substitute; she just hoped that the red gloopy liquid didn't stain the cups or their matching saucers. When she glanced up at Seth, she shook her head slightly. "I was just hoping for more of a bracelet, really," she said, hoping her voice sounded level. "Easier to wear, especially during matches. Rings have to be silicone if you want to wear them, and necklaces are dangerous—"

"Doesn't stop Jeff," Seth pointed out. "Or Damian. Or Champa." Whether it was because he was a guy or Emily simply didn't have any rings in his size, Becky didn't know, but his suppression amulet was on a knotted leather bracelet. It rasped against her forearm as he leaned over and tilted her ring to the light. "Why are you wearing it on your right hand?" he asked. "You're right-handed, so it's just going to get in the way."

The coffin-shaped part of the ring—a thick piece of highly polished hematite—was raised and Becky had already caught it on her shirt a few times. She wasn't used to wearing rings or earrings, which was another reason why she had wanted a bracelet: the new piece of jewellery was bound to draw attention, and if she had worn it on her left hand, then a lot of people would have automatically assumed it was an engagement ring, even if it wasn't on the third finger. "It's not for long," Becky insisted. "Finn will be here tomorrow." She twisted the ring nervously. Emily had opted for gold, just in case her werewolf nature returned unexpectedly. "So hopefully we won't need them for that long...."

Paige reached for her hand and brought it closer so she could admire the ring. "Dibs on your ring," she announced. "Gold's not really my thing, but I'll make it work. The polish on that hematite is amazing."

Becky tried to catch Seth's gaze, but he was already clearing the table. "As soon as I don't need it, it's yours," she promised, draining her cup and trying not to wince. After that first dose of the blood substitute, when her body had been craving blood without understanding the urge, the sense of euphoria hadn't returned when she drank it; now it tasted sour and vaguely metallic, and she had to chase it down with a cup of very strong coffee. She rose to take her things to the kitchen while Paige was still struggling to finish her food, and she stopped just behind Seth as he was loading the dishwasher. "Hey," she said softly, setting her cup and saucer on the counter and stroking his back. "You okay?"

Seth stood and straightened, turning to face her. When he licked his thumb, she frowned in confusion until he wiped at the corner of her mouth. "Not quite the same as having coffee for breakfast," he noted dryly. Then he leaned in to kiss her, and Becky hoped the blood substitute didn't taste as sour to him as it did for her. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just thinking about tomorrow, that's all. Figuring out times and stuff."

"I can come with you," she offered, wrapping her arms around his waist and looking up at him. "Might make the trip back less awkward."

After he kissed her forehead, Seth gestured to the living room area. "What about Paige? It's not that I don't trust her in the house on her own," he added quickly, "but if something happened and she vamped out, I don't want her going after the neighbours, you know?"

Becky did her best to stifle her laugh. The thought of a vampire on the loose in Seth's mild Davenport neighbourhood was absurd. As ridiculous as a werewolf staying over on the weekends? a snide part of her mind fired back. How many times had she endangered his neighbours, his family, his businesses when she was there? "Paige can go too. Or...." She paused. Maybe Paige wasn't the real issue; maybe she was. "If you want me to stay behind, I can."

Paige entered the kitchen, her plate still a quarter full. "Sorry, but I can't finish this. Just looking at it is making me queasy. I'm sure it's delicious if you're... a solid-food eater," she allowed, "but my brain's still in vampire mode, even if the rest of me isn't." Then she leaned against the opposite corner. "What's this about someone staying behind? Is this like that fox-chicken-corn problem?"

Seth and Becky shared a look before turning their attention to Paige. "Fox-chicken-corn?" Seth asked.

"Corn. Rice. I can't remember. It's a logic puzzle. Some guy has to get a fox, a chicken, and a bag of corn—or rice, whatever—across a river, but for some reason, he can only take one at a time. He can't leave the fox and the chicken together, because the fox will attack the chicken, but he can't leave the chicken and the corn together, because the chicken will eat the corn." She stretched her arms wide and yawned. They spent more time at Emily's than they expected—their conundrum intrigued her and she kept consulting various books to see if she could find a solution—and then Seth did stop for a quick run before they grabbed a quick take-out meal for Paige on their way back to his house. "So who's what? And don't say I'm the corn just because I'm the human now."

"We're all... ourselves," Seth muttered. "And we can all go to the airport. I don't care. I just don't think it's wise for any of us to be alone until we're more settled. I still have a lot to learn about being a werewolf, and if either of you reverted without notice, someone might see."

"Or the magic might do something else entirely," Becky noted. That, strangely, was her biggest fear. This switch had come out of nowhere, so who was to say what else might happen? While Seth was having his run, she had looked up other astrological phenomena, but there wouldn't be another blue moon for years and the next eclipse was months away. "It's probably easier if we all just go. If Finn's flight gets in at two—well, even if we have to leave here at noon, that still gives us a chance to sleep."

Paige rolled her eyes. "Sure. Sleep." Then she yawned again. "Holy fuck, being human is exhausting." She shot Seth a look that was half sympathetic, half acidic. "How did you ever get anything done?"

Seth just laughed. "Well, I ate a lot more, for starters. Drank more coffee. But I guess that was just what I was used to."

"Yeah, well, don't expect me to get used to it." Paige came over and kissed Becky on the cheek. "Sweet dreams, sis. Hopefully Finn will be able to fix everything." She gave Seth's arm an awkward pat before she stepped back. "Sorry again about the food."

"Don't worry about it. If I don't want it, I'll just throw it out. There's not much there." Glancing up at the kitchen clock, he added, "If we want to be ready to go by noon, just in case, we should all be up by ten so we can eat and get ready. The Chicago-Davenport flights can be early a lot of the time because of the winds." He pulled Becky close to his chest and kissed the top of her head as he added, "And yes, we'll be getting sleep."

"Sure." Paige was smiling, though, and she waved as she left the kitchen and headed for the stairs.