Mari: Year One [Completed]

Chapter Nine: Parting of the Ways

Jessamine waved at Mari as she boarded the taxi, a bit bashful yet touched, at the same time, saddened that she had to go home.

"Make sure she gets home safe." Mari commanded the taxi driver, who quickly nodded, as if intimidated and allured by Mari.

"Opo, ma'am." the taxi driver assured her, "Ako na po ang bahala."

"You better, I have your plates and I will find you if any harm comes to her." Mari told him jokingly, well, maybe not jokingly.

"Hey, stop harassing the poor man." Jessamine said now, "I'll see you tomorrow right?"

"Of course." Mari said seriously, staring into Jessamine's watery eyes, "Now stop crying, it's not like it's a one night thing or something."

"You better make sure it isn't!" Jessamine said as the taxi started its engine.

"Call me!" Mari said in a sweet and energetic voice that she obviously faked, and Jessamine giggled as the taxi raced off.

She stared at the taxi as it disappeared into the depths of Manila City.

"Well then, what shall I do next?" Mari told herself, her hunger was satiated, her wrath was confined.

"Might as well fire up that PS2." Mari said as she made her way to the apartment, as she did, a man bumped into her. She immediately realized what was going on and easily pretended that she was thrown back a bit.

"Ouch." Mari said in false pain. She stared at the man who bumped into her, it was a policeman.

"Look where you're going, little girl." the obese man said, his uniform barely held by his stature.

"You're the one who bumped into me." Mari said coldly, the man was around 5''8 and Mari stood at 5'11, the gall of him to call her a little girl.

"I'm an officer of the law, do you really want to do this?" The man taunted her and Mari rolled her eyes. She could easily tear his head off in one strike, but it feels unearned.

The man's feelings bore down on her, it was something mixed with a dark desire and something morally bankrupt. In a sense, Mari was used to these feelings, but these coming from a uniformed officer?

"Yeah, whatever." Mari muttered and went her way, but the man grabbed her by the shoulder, trying to turn her to face him, which Mari, in pretense, allowed to happen.

"Don't disrespect the police ah?" he said threateningly, "I can make your life a living hell."

"For bumping into you, which by the way, is something you did?" Mari told him, her eyes shifting slightly.

"Yes, even for something as small as that, little girl." the man continued, sneering at her, "I will let you off with a warning, if you give me your number."

Mari's eyes immediately flickered to his ring finger, there was a wedding ring. She let out a smile herself, allowing a brief release of her chained up powers.

"Sure officer, you can have my number." she said in a seductive voice, "If you can run around the block fifty thousand times."

The man's eyes turned hazy, he could smell the aroma of lavender, honey, and other things, was it ash and earth, overpowering his senses.

"Yes, ok." he said blankly as Mari went her way, while the police officer started to jog.

"That should keep him busy, or at least give him a heart attack." she muttered as she made her way home.

—

"Police activity is getting severe here, but as usual..." Mari whispered as she walked down the familiar street that leads to her apartment building, her phone vibrated interrupting her musings.

"Are you home yet?" it was Jessamine.

She immediately calculated the time, and saw that Jessamine would still be in transit, still in the taxi.

"Not really, but I'm close. Anything wrong?" she replied.

"No, I just miss you, maybe." it was sent with a smiley face using a colon and a closing parenthesis.

"Maybe? Please don't leave me, Jessamine, I'll change, I swear." Mari replied, grinning to herself.

"Oh stop it! You're making me miss you more." Jessamine answered her text at once and Mari laughed, dialing her lover's number, who answered immediately.

"As I miss you, my dear one." she said seductively, hanging up before she could answer.

She was immediately bombarded by calls from Jessamine, laughing, Mari entered the apartment building.

"The girl is very pretty." Miss Matulin commented as Mari passed her window, she could not help but smile at the warm compliment.

"Thank you Miss Matulin, I think so too." Mari answered honestly.

"Ah, to be young and in love." the older woman sighed, "You should be careful, iha. Not many people like to see two girls like this ha?"

"We'll do our best." Mari said gently.

"Back in my day, ay naku, we would be chased out of the barangay! It's always have a family, be with a man!"

"But you did end up with a man." Mari commented, and Miss Matulin laughed.

"Oh yes, but I also have a former lover that was a woman!"

"What happened?" Mari prodded, a bit curious now.

"Oh this and that, it doesn't help na ano, people at the time did not like it. It's the work of the devil apparently, like the devil has time for that crap!" Miss Matulin said not seriously.

"That's a bit sad, Miss Matulin."

"It's in the past, but you, Mari, be careful okay? If you love this girl, never, ever let her go. You seem like two parts of one thing!"

Mari smiled, and waved goodbye.

She thought so too, but she was also fearful that someday, her control may break, spiraling everything out of control.

She turned on the TV and browsed through the games she bought, looking for something, anything that strikes her fancy.

How about flesh and blood, that always gets us going, a thought whispered, and Mari shook her head.

No? Really? Don't tell me you didn't feel the need for flesh when you were in bed with Jessamine, the voice continued.

"Shut up." Mari said through gritted teeth, "We aren't hungry right now, not for human flesh anyway."

That policeman deserved it, he is scum of the earth, the voice goaded her now, why did you not act?

Mari closed her eyes and focused, there was no hunger, there was nothing yet the voice inside of her was making attempts to wrest control.

"You've had your fun, now let me have mine." Mari muttered, "Everything else can happen in due time."

She picked a non violent game, as if it were created for children and lost herself in the world of gaming.