First Chapter
On a deserted desert highway in the middle of the night, he traveled. Sitting behind the wheel of his shiny, black El Camino, a tarp pulled tight over the back to keep his belongings dry. His dog sits in the passenger side next to him, a black lab with his tongue lolling out. His black cat in a carrier between. He surveys the road in front of him, slick with rain, shining black in the head lights. Then he grins, he's just passed a sign that states it's 150 miles from Erie, Pa. and just another 20 before he can stop and rest. Within an hour he reaches his first destination. He swings his Camino into the lot in front of the managers' office. He pulls his keys from the ignition and slides them into his pocket. Then sits back a moment and relives what brought him here. Then he sighs and as he slides from the car he speaks to his pets.
"I'll be back guys, gonna get us a room."
He pats his dog and grabs his belt pack full of cash before closing his car door. His dog watches him as he stands in the rain a moment, his face tilted to the sky. Then he walks through the door, listening to the bells jingle upon his entrance. The manager looks up and grins. She had her nose in a book but puts it down, her long blonde hair shines in the lights and her green eyes twinkle.
"Man I'm happy to see you hon." He raises a brow in question.
"You the first business I had since 8 pm this evening. Gets damn spooky round here at night."
"Oh. Well glad to brighten your evening then." He studies her a moment and thinks that if she knew who and what he really was she may not be all that thrilled. Then he wondered if she'd be any good in the sack. Mentally shrugging off the thought, he runs his hands through his hair and gives her a slow easy grin.
"So what can I to do for you this evening hon?"
"I need a room for the night," He says. Traveling a while and I'm ready to crash, before I run up on a median or something."
"Sure thing hon."
She hands him papers and a pen then turns to get him a key. He fills out the papers and slides them across the desk to her.
"So where you heading?"
He laughs. " Over to Erie, got some unfinished business to take care of."
"Pity your only here tonight."
She looks at him thoughtfully, and then slides her hands down the front of her shirt suggestively. He laughs again, then shakes his head.
"No ma'am. I'm really tired. Perhaps if I come back this way another time."
"Awe. Well ok, but I tried." She grinned.
"Ok, what do I owe you?"
"$20 dollar deposit, but you can pick it up in the morning before you go. Since your only here for a night, only $39 dollars for the room."
He handed her the money careful not to touch her. He didn't want to hurt her, yet. She handed him his key.
"26a, it's on the first floor across the lot. Go on hon, go get some shut eye." He turned to go and as he walked out the door to his car, he heard her say she'd be here every night 3rd shift and to please come again. He grinned as he slid into his car.
"Hey Chino, you hungry man?"
The lab looked at him and grinned. " My friend you have no idea. What's on the menu?" " Depends whatcha want I'm betting?" Came a voice from the carrier.
"Ah Teaka, your awake."
"Yep old hoss, I'm awake."
"Ok so what do you want?"
"Corbin I'll be happy with burgers, I don't know bout you all though." Replied Teaka.
"Me," Chino grinned. " I wouldn't mind some of the lady behind the desk. She looks delightfully delicious in more ways than one." He showed his teeth in a big doggy grin.
Corbin shook his head and laughed. " Sure but before you get her, do you think Teaka and I could go get our burgers?"
"Oh, no problem. So long as you bag me the slim blonde beauty, I can wait." " Sure thing Chino."
Then he started the car and pulled out of the lot, slid into the center lane and stopped at the red light. He sat tapping his fingers impatiently on the wheel. He hated sitting at red lights, and at 2am in the morning he was impatient to sleep.
He glanced at Teaka. " You want out of there angel?"
"Sure why not, I could use a stretch right now."
He reached over and popped open her carrier door just as the light changed. She slunk out and sat beside Chino, then scratched her ear. He pulled the car up beside McDonalds in the drive thru and glanced at Teaka.
"So how much do you think you can devour tonight Teak?"
She looked thoughtful for a moment. " Mmmm, I think three will do me but order me a fourth just in case."
"Ok. Sure you don't want any Chino?" " Eh, I'll take two to hold me over till you nab me beautiful."
Teaka laughed. " One track mind, Chino?"
Chino grinned. Corbin laughed then ordered their food and drinks.
"You may pull up to the window."
Corbin slid the car up to the window, paid and took their food and drinks. He parked the car in the lot over by the shadowed picnic table, grabbed their stuff and held the door with his hip.
"Come on guys, food and restroom. To the picnic table we go ."
They jumped out and he slammed the door with his hip. They sat down at the table and he passed around the drinks and the food. He poured Teaka's milk into a salad bowl he'd asked for and set the other two aside for later. Then he set her burgers in front of her. She nipped the wrapper open with her teeth, then used her paws to pull the wrapper off the top and began to eat. Corbin set the extra large vanilla milkshake in front of Chino, Then his two burgers. Chino took a sip of the shake and daintily started to pull the paper away, and took small bites of his burger. Corbin shook his head, they looked up at him a moment then went back to eating.
"What is it?" They asked in unison between bites.
He laughed as he sipped his coke and unwrapped his burger. " Just thinking that if anyone's watching us, they probably won't believe what you guys just did."
"Yeah, well let them think what they want." Said Teaka.
"Yeah." Said Chino. " Better they disbelieve than see what we really are." He grinned.
Corbin shook his head and sighed as he finished his first burger and unwrapped his second. " Yeah I know, look at some of their own who are different. Because they're different they treat them like shit. So you can imagine how they'd treat us." He sighed, rolled his eyes and sipped more of his coke. Chino started his second burger, then looked at Corbin. " For such an intelligent species, humans are pretty ignorant and stupid."
Teaka stopped eating her second burger and looked thoughtful. " You know Chino your right but about 5 to 10 percent of the population isn't and they accept us and the inevitable."
"Yeah Teaka, I know. But it would be nice if more of them were like that." Chino looked disgusted, and he snapped up the rest of his burger and chewed fiercely.
Teaka sighed and took another bite, Corbin sipped his drink.
"You know guys, we're staying in Erie with Dana and Talbot. Right?" They both stopped chewing and grinned big.
"You mean the High Priest and Priestess, right?"
"Yep. They won't mind us being ourselves." Corbin Laughed. " The ones who not only are not affected by our touch, but who are also unaffected by our appearances."
"Yeah we know who you mean Corbin. The Pagans." Teaka's grin was huge.
"I love those two," Chino grinned. " they're great, and such lovely cooks too." Light danced in Chino's eyes.
"Chino you're a bottomless pit, you know that."
"Yeah I know Teaka, but they really are good at providing what we need."
Corbin laughed and opened his third burger. Teaka started her third and Chino grabbed his garbage in his teeth, jumped down and deposited it in the trash. Then he walked a few feet to a tree, lifted his leg and peed. Then he slid into the bushes out of sight to do his other business. Teaka hopped off the bench and went to another part of the bushes to do her own business.
Corbin sipped his drink and munched his burger. Then he finished and got up to throw away his trash. He stood at the barrel staring at it for a time deep in thought. Chino and Teaka returned but he didn't notice. He was wondering why he shouldn't just turn the earth into a smoldering chunk of rock. It was within his power to do it after all. Then he thought of Dana and Talbot, he knew why he wouldn't. It was because of people like them, who he saw as friends that he wouldn't do it. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Chino and Teaka sat watching him.