The Species of Power [Draft 1]

Chapter 6

Ruth didn’t even bother going back to the condo. Ruth pick pocketed a rich looking guy and managed to snag his wallet on the street, she then checked in to a nearby motel. She could have chosen anywhere, but she thought that the place had character. It had faded red brick walls and a flashing neon flamingo sign on it. Of course the motel was called The Pink Flamingo, located in what Ruth assumed was supposed to be the sketchy part of the city.

Ruth loved it when she looked like a scared weak teenager who was alone wandering a city. Every once in a while, if she was lucky, a guy or two would follow her down a back alley; then they would get a little surprise... sadly no such luck tonight. She got to the motel safe and sound, and she had nothing left to do but sit and wait for Joseph. Ruth was lucky that Joseph didn’t find her sooner; if she had really wanted to run away, it would take a lot of planning to evade Joseph. Ruth guessed it would take him another hour to find her, I’ve got time to kill, she thought as she lay in her bed.

Ruth paused as she heard a metal headboard constantly banging against the wall along with the moaning of a female voice saying 'yes' every once in a while. Ruth guessed they were about three rooms down from her. She overheard the story of the couple in the lobby: a rich business man, cheating on his wife with her sister. The sister told him they should stop, that she only came that night to tell him no more sneaking around, blah blah blah. Ruth thought about her shadow dagger, I do literally have time to kill, and it could use a recharge, she thought. Ah what the hell. Ruth slipped out her dagger and made her way to room 2B.

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Ruth was lying on the bed with her eyes closed and her hands behind her head when Joseph rammed the door open. He was panting and his face was red, Ruth opened one eye and glanced at the alarm clock to her right; he was seven minutes late.

“Where the hell have you been?”

“Here,” Ruth said, with a smile on her face; a cocky grin that mimicked Joseph’s. “Enjoying the peace and quiet.”

“What did you do?” he said as looked into the bathroom; Ruth had carelessly washed her hands in the sink and didn’t bother to clean up the blood.

“Would you believe that I am currently menstruating?”

“Not even that would explain your behavior for the past twelve hours, or the blood.”

“Mood swings,” Ruth said. “Sometimes you crave chocolate, other times you crave going on illegal investigations, being chased through traffic and murdering a couple in a motel. You know, girls stuff.”

“But you didn’t take the taxi straight to this motel Ruth,” he said. He plopped himself on the bed beside her; Ruth shoved over and made some room. “At this point, I can confidently say that I know you,” Ruth’s heart skipped a beat and her stomach twisted; she kept her expression blank. “And I know that you’re smart, and that you don’t do shit like that unless there is a reason, so do you mind telling what that reason is?” Ruth honestly wanted to tell him the truth, but the fact that Ruth even entertained the possibility that Margaret was telling the truth, would have been a scandal to any other Child of Rage... even though Margaret was right.

“I met the foster sister of Mark Patel today,” Ruth started. “She’s a Shape Shifter.”

“Since when do Shape Shifters live with Humans?”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to find out,” she said. “So I got her records so I could get some information about her, maybe even some black mail material, I was going to tell you but you followed me and that really pissed me off Joseph-” Ruth couldn't finish. She pushed herself up from the bed and rushed towards the window, she gripped both of her hands on the windowsill.