Kill Or Be Killed

Chapter Twenty-Two

Scale Number: 1

Kalayavan glanced over to see her woman slowly flipping through the individual pieces of paper. Most of which were covered in smudged lines that he imagined turned the side of her hand a shiny black at the time. He wanted to scold her for sitting cross-legged in the front seat, lying the open leather folder on the tops of her thighs. But she'd defended her position, saying it was more comfortable for her injuries. So he let her sit that way while she looked through the old sketches, ones that varied in subjects.

There were some cartoons, animated people and items. All sketched out in different moods or settings; smiling, serene, crying or in pain. Some were filled with extreme features while others looked half finished, never to be touched again.

Only a very select few realistic flowers mingled in with all the childish doodles. Even a couple of venues, such as a river side park, the store where she worked, even the playground outside of her old profession at the elementary school. A couple of them had figures in them, people; never their faces, just their silhouettes or a slight stick in the distance.

The only one with any detail, contained a set of eyes that were strikingly familiar. His own.

But it was clear that the box in which she'd stored the old work hadn't been touched in some time. Let alone been added to in the last week, so when exactly had she gotten a reference to draw them with such clarity?

A question that must have been running through his pets mind as well, stopping on the picture he was just thinking of. Picking it up and staring at it closely before turning to look at him and the scrap of paper in her hand. "That's uncanny," she breathed, holding it up the next time he turned to look at her directly, "This could almost be you."

Kal held his hand out, pretending to examine the sketch between looking at the road and her. "You're right," smirking darkly as he handed it back to her, "Who's been watching who?"

He would have called it a coincidence himself, if he hadn't recognized the angles that make up the half sketched background behind the man. Not only had she nailed the blank murderous gaze her used to see when looking in the mirror, but she'd nearly captured the entirety of a living room to one of his properties. The penthouse in Clubs, down to the panel of windows that made up an entire wall, looking down over the city in which it was located. And the corner where it met the wall of mirrors, even added the outline of the back of the corner bar.

Despite the severity of the subject, or just not understanding it, his innocent little woman cracked a smile, taking the picture back and returning to her skimming.

It wasn't until she was closing the thing and winding the old brown cord around the silver button to keep it closed did he notice her shifting uncomfortably. At which point he pulled into the next available rest stop, forcing her to get out and stretch her muscles. When he thought she was going to argue, she just motioned for him to exit first.

Although he could have sworn as he was getting out of the well tinted truck that she muttered something about the garlic being useless. A remark he would be sure to ask her about later, once they weren't around so many nosy mortals. All of whom cast looks in their direction like they could tell he was something dangerous, transporting an innocent woman, who he definitely kidnapped.

Judgmental little fucks.

They were practically right of course, but still, wasn't there some saying that prohibited them from judging by looks?

Making his way over to her door, he opened it, offering her a hand to help keep her balance as she climbed down from the tall thing. One of her stray sketches fluttered out of the cab to the ground where Kal caught the edge of it with the toe of his boot. Bending down to capture the item before her smaller hand could come even close.