Faline

8:06 pm

"Great, so now what do I do?"

I pace from the computer, to the front door, then back again. Kierra left about five minutes ago, and I've been pacing since. Heaving a sigh, I storm back to the computer after looking out the window that's situated right next to the door. It's in the living room, so it's not a far walk. I boot up the machine, then go back to the front door.

Biting my lip in indecision, I finally open the door, letting in a cool breeze. Kie will probably have a shit fit, but I don't particularly care at the moment. Turning, I put the breeze to my back and glance around the room.

It's not fancy, with floor to ceiling bookshelves lining the walls, the only open spaces are taken up by the computer desk, a cat tower in front of the corner window, a large flat-screen T.V. situated in the middle of the room, and a couch not far away. The shelves hold mostly books, a few knick-knacks here and there. Movies galore were put on the lower shelves with various video games.

There are small sections put in them to hold other things as well, mostly small items that we have no other place for. The books are my sister's pride and joy. A small area off by itself holds the three novels that she'd gotten published most recently.

I walk back to the desk, leaving the door open for the fresh air. Even from inside the house I can hear the nightlife outside. Mostly late-year crickets, too late in the season for frogs. Plopping down into the swivel chair, I put in my password for my account.

Kierra and I have different accounts, she says so it doesn't mix up our stuff, but sometimes I wonder. She's said more than once that she doesn't want to burn my eyeballs. I just think she doesn't want me to see the naked male anatomy, A.K.A her porn.

Like I've never seen it before. I mean, come on, I am twenty-one; what hot-blooded twenty-one-year-old female hasn't seen nude male flesh? Even if it's by accident. Riiight.

Watching the background come into focus, I see the character Lestat from the movie Queen of the Damned. He's so yummy. Happens to be part of my obsession, but let's keep that between us.

Logging into my current messenger, I've gotten a few off-line messages. One from Nicolaus and one from my mother.

Ever since my sister and I moved in together, into a place of our own, we haven't seen her much. We talk when able, but we keep different hours. My sister works from home, an artist and writer, usually making her own hours and having a screwy sleeping pattern, whereas our mom does factory work and puts herself on a pretty strict schedule.

Opening her message, it reads that this weekend's plans to get together have to be some other time due to some stuff coming up on her end. She's probably sent my sibling the same message. After sending a reply, I open Nicolaus's message. I get butterflies doing the tango in my belly, anticipation jitters as I read on:

To My Darkest Maiden,

I know it hasn't been that long since we last spoke,

but I miss you dearly already.

I cannot wait to see you.

It is time for us to meet.

Forever Yours,

Nicolaus

I read it over and over before it begins to sink in. Meet? We can't meet, my sister would kill me! Yes, Nicolaus is my friend, an online acquaintance, but to actually meet? I'm not quite ready for this...not yet.

Turning off the screen, I pace back to the front door, my mind whirling into chaos and confusion. Thinking back to his message, it gets repeated in my head. He has a habit of speaking plainly, like he can't get out of his role-playing character's mind. 'Darkest Maiden' is one of my aliases in our R.P. stories.

Pushing open the screen door and walking out to the porch, I lean onto the railing and look off into the woods that surround the house. The wind picks up, blowing fallen leaves around like macabre dancers. Before long, I see a big dog running towards town, the moonlight acting as a backdrop behind it and the trees it's weaving through.

Kind of weird since the closest neighbors are a ways away, and as far as I know, they don't have any dogs; a horse or two and a cat, but no dogs. With that on my mind, I turn to go back into the house but stop when I see someone standing silhouetted at the end of the porch. At first, I think it's my sister, but she isn't that tall.

This person is over six-foot, in the shadows, and staring at me. Something brushes up against my legs; I jump and make an "eep" sound as I look down.

"Tigger!"

Meowing up at me, the stupid cat looks like he's grinning from ear to ear. Looking back up to the corner, I'm about to yell at whoever's there, just to see nothing. No one is standing there.

I didn't even hear them move. Picking up the cat, I quickly go back into the house and shut the door. Locking it, the cat gets put down and I look out the window. Still no one around.

"Oh, this isn't creepy at all..."

I look to Tigger who's on his cat tree, which is in the far corner of the room, grooming himself like nothing happened.

"Stupid cat, trying to scare the shit outta me..."

Reaching for the cell phone in my pocket to call Kierra, someone starts banging on the door. Startled, I jerk it open in reflex just to have it not move an inch. Remembering that it's locked, I unlock it and swing it open, just to have my sister revealed on the porch, bleeding, Tristan standing at her side looking worried, his eyes wide.

"Oh my God, what happened?"

Kie holds a hand to her shoulder as she walks in, her friend following after.

"She was bitten by a dog."

His hair had looked red in the pale light outside, but in the bright light, it's orangey-red. Light freckles seem to stick out even more with his blue-green eyes opened wide on his pale face. With a height of around five-foot-ten shortened from him being slouched, he helps her into the kitchen.

Slamming the door and re-locking it, I run after her, trying to see her shoulder. Blood is running down her arm to drip onto the hardwood floors, shirt soaked where her hand is pressed. Where's her coat?

After seated in one of the kitchen chairs, Tristan asks where the first-aid kit is. Telling him, I grab some paper towels off the counter semi-absently, eyeing her shoulder. He's been here countless times before, he should know where it is.

"What happened?"

Asking my sister while trying to get a better look at the wound, I get batted away as she gets up to retrieve the scissors from a counter drawer. Sitting back down she cuts the sleeves at the seams on down the rest of her shirt, so it becomes two pieces that stick to her from the blood. Reaching back up, she slips the scissors under the sticky material and cuts the bra strap that's edging the holes.

Wincing, she pulls the shirt off, revealing the bite holes in her shoulder. Tristan hurries back in, pausing only slightly after seeing her pull the cut strap out from her body. He puts the stuff he grabbed on the table, eyes riveted to her blood-covered upper arm and back.

My sister isn't thin by any means, but she's not overly fat either. She's bigger boned and all muscle with a bit of chunk. She also has a big bust, so I can just imagine how Tristan is keeping from blushing too bad.

Her shoulder is seeping blood and has some torn cloth stuck to it. Looking at me, she tells me to get her a towel, preferably a big one. Watching her move her long hair away and pulling off bits of bloody cotton, I hop off to get one that won't show blood too badly.

***

Kierra

9:04 pm

After sending Faline out for a towel, I ask Tristan to look at my back to see if there's any cloth stuck to those holes as well.

"You know, you should go to a doctor, this looks like it needs to be sewn up. Plus there's no telling if the dog had rabies."

I look over my shoulder at him; he's looking a little paler than usual with his bright red locks.

"He didn't have rabies. He wasn't feral; you just spooked him is all."

When Faline returns with the towel, I wrap it around my chest, hook it under my beefy arms, and cover my belly. Reaching for the alcohol, it gets opened and poured over my shoulder.

"Holy shit that's cold!"

Gasping in pain, I slam the bottle back onto the table. Liquid flies out and lands all over the tabletop. Faline grabs more paper towels, wiping up some of the bloody alcohol dripping from my body. I jerk from it being real tender.

"We really should get that doctor, those holes are deep."

Tristan speaks from behind me while I help my sister wipe away some dried and clotted ick. It's so nice to have thick blood, clots real quick. Makes for great-looking gore.

"No, no doctors. We don't have the money for them to just tell me what I already know. Besides, this is more fun and a whole lot cheaper."

I smile as he moves to stand in front of me, the scowl on his face and turquoise eyes showing his disapproval. I don't think he's getting my humor, especially considering he knows how well off I am. He also knows just how masochistic I can be, but he seems to have forgotten that to.

"We have to do something, you could get an infection."

Shaking my head, I point to the half-empty bottle of rubbing alcohol. I'm also not worried about that, since I have to actually try to get anything like that to happen.

"There. I got most of it; the wounds have slowed their seeping."

Faline takes up more paper towels to dry the table, then dumps them all into the trash. Still scowling, Tristan goes to my left side and gets a better look now that they're cleaned up.

"Shit, I thought the punctures were bigger with all that blood, but there's no real tearing, just holes. Real clean...considering."

I look at my shoulder, the turn on the muscles pulling at the wound. Of course, once I really began to look at it, that's when it starts to really hurt. Can see what he means though, awfully clean for an animal bite.

It throbs, but I rotate it anyway so the muscles don't lock up, wincing as pain shoots through my whole arm. Faline begins to wrap my shoulder up in gauze and tape. I feel ridiculous.

Least it's not my dominant arm though, I guess. Breathing through the pain, I look at Tristan. He looks worried but determined. Smiling to show him I'm okay, he shakes his head at me and takes a seat.

Poor thing should be used to my antics by now. I watch my sibling as she finishes, my arm looking like a bad movie mummy. Gauze wrapped down under my arm, I look at it, a bit confused, wondering why she didn't just put a patch bandage over it.

"Thanks, Chicky."

She nods happily, proud of her work as she throws away the empty gauze boxes. I just shake my head and smile. Slowly getting up to get a drink from the fridge, the left side of my back twinges a bit, but not too much.

"Want something to drink, Tristan?"

"Sure, what you got?"

"Uh, apple juice, water, some milk, orange juice... Oh, and some flavored Bacardi. Yummeh."

"I'll take a Bacardi."

I pour myself a glass of juice, then hand him his drink while Faline wanders around the kitchen. She's patched me up many times before from other random things, so I don't think she's that worried. Turning to me, she proves me wrong.

"What did this dog look like?"

"Huge, black, mixed breed."

Tristan replies before I can, but I don't mind. I salute him with my glass.

"He didn't have a collar or tags either. He was really calm till Dopey here spooked the poor thing."

I grin at him good-naturedly, letting him know with a genuine smile that I don't blame him for it happening. Shit happens.

"I think I saw the dog you're talking about earlier, he was running towards town."

My head snaps towards her, my shoulder protesting the movement with a shooting burn of liquid fire.

"Towards town is the opposite way I went, which means you saw him after I was bitten. Why were you outside?"

I can see she regrets speaking up and saying anything. Looking uncomfortable, she switches from one foot to the other. Eyes meet mine without flinching...too much.

"I didn't go outside. I just opened the door for the breeze, that's all."

I hold my tongue but scowl and show her with my eyes that I'm not thrilled. Yeah sure, I open the door at night, but I'm here to make sure nothing happens.

I look at Tristan, who's finding his Bacardi bottle very interesting. Smart man.

~

Later that night, after Faline goes to her room for bed, Tris and I are in the living room talking on the couch.

"So you'd wanted me to meet you to talk about Gabriella?"

Gabriella is his fiancé, or was, they just had a really bad break-up.

"Well, yeah. I can't very well talk to my brother-in-law, he's weird, and my sister is being a twat."

I laugh but nod as well. We talk for a couple more hours about this and that, and then he leaves. I offer him a ride home, but he declines, so I tell him not to spook any more of the wildlife.

After he leaves, painkillers become my friend, shoulder and arm feeling like someone's sticking me with hot railroad spikes. I go to my room knowing I probably won't be able to get any sleep, but I might be able to come up with some art projects to do with one arm. This oughta be fun.