Way Down We Go

Chapter 10

Rory typed on her keyboard with the ferocity of a woman possessed. She was determined to pay attention to the lecture. It was turning into her favorite class, Violence and Society, and the current conversation on interpersonal violence was fascinating, but her mind was a million miles away.

"Keep an eye on that boy for me, would you?"

What the hell did that even mean? Why did she have to keep an eye on Kevin? The kid looked pale and was sick a lot. But he was nice enough to her. He mostly kept to himself. He hadn't done anything odd the past two days, just sniffled a bit more than usual.

Meanwhile, she was here pounding away at the keys because, God forbid, after a whole conversation about the importance of communication, he should tell her why she should keep tabs on her co-worker. That would be far too simple. And she didn't have any way to contact him unless he deigned to pop up nearby.

Rory sighed a bit too loudly and the girl sitting next to her gave her a sideways glance. She didn't bother to look at the girl; she just kept typing until the end of the lecture.

When the professor finished the class, she shoved her books in her bag with a bit more force than necessary and hurried out of Strum Hall. She didn't really have anywhere to be, having done a morning shift at work and only having one class that day, but she just needed to burn off her irritation. She thought she'd go to the gym, but she came up short when she saw two figures a few feet from her, standing near where she'd parked her car.

"What the ever-loving fuck, Asa," she hissed under her breath, walking cautiously to the car, keeping one key between her knuckles, just in case.

He nodded in greeting as she neared, and she nodded back, careful not to show any emotion. She didn't know who this was. She didn't want to get either of them in trouble if she showed her irritation right now.

"Rory, this is Sora, Sora, this is Rory," he introduced them both.

She nodded at the blonde, taking note of his piercing blue eyes, and slight grin, before turning her attention back to Asa.

"He's an old friend of mine," Asa explained. "His research is relevant to you,"

"Oh," Rory was very aware of the many people around. "Why don't we drive somewhere?" She suggested quietly.

"Good idea," Asa agreed, and she got into the driver's seat, with Asa beside her and Sora in the back. She took a moment to get out of her spot and onto the street before deciding to break the silence.

"So, Sora, you're researching... something?" She caught a glimpse of him in the rearview mirror. The blonde grinned at something, though she couldn't fathom why.

"Does she know Myron?"

"Who's Myron?"

"I'll take that as a no."

"No, Sora, she does not know Myron," Asa's fingers twitched. "As I told you before we left."

Rory clutched the steering wheel tightly. Whatever was happening, she didn't like it, and she didn't want to be in this car any longer. She started driving towards Observatory Park. It was a five minute drive, and this time of day, there would be a good amount of people there.

"Baby girl, where are you going? We need to get away from people," Blondie asked from the backseat.

Rory had to suppress her snarl but readjusted her course.

"Don't call her 'baby girl,'" Asa snapped at Sora, who merely shrugged.

"Asa," She said quietly, not turning to look at him, "Why is your 'friend' joining us today? Is this the person you told me about? The one you gave the blood to?"