Blood

I squint my eyes against the sun and watch Reid come back towards the house.

“No,” I say.

Reid is stopped in front of me, likely because I’m blocking the only door leading into our house.

“Come on, Lorna,” he says, “I have to work.”

“I don’t care,” I say, which makes Reid frown.

“It’s only, like, ten miles there and back.”

I cross my arms across my chest. “Twelve. Six of which I get to spend in a car with Justin Fionn, alone.”

Reid tries to move me out of his way, but I’m too stubborn to let sheer force move me. “Uh, Mallory actually.”

“Even better,” I say, although I would prefer to be around Mallory than Justin. Mallory likely won’t stare at me.

Reid sighs. “He’s not that bad, Lorna. Actually, I’d reckon he’s better company than you are. Can you please just let me into the house?”

“I’ll follow you till you say I don’t have to go,” I say and step back into the house, letting Reid in.

He looks at me in a mocking kind of way as he walks past into our kitchen, which is really the whole main floor. “Into the shower?”

I roll my eyes. “’Course not, idiot. I’ll yell at you from the hall.”

Reid reaches above the counter and grabs a mug from the cupboard.

I lean against the wall and watch him.

“Well, that’s a bit of a predicament,” he says, “as I told Justin it’d be back by nine,” he glances at the clock on the stove, “And it’s already quarter past, so you best be off.”

I scowl at him without moving.

He pours a mug of coffee from the pot and turns, smirking just a little bit. “Go on then.”

“You’re a bastard!” I call as I head out the door.

“Yeah, love you, too,” he laughs, making me wonder whether or not he really has to work or not.

I turn around and he stops with his coffee cup half way to his mouth. “What about your truck?”

He shrugs, “I’ll get it later, I don’t have time to try and figure it out. Now, seriously, go.”

I roll my head around and step outside.

The sun is crisp this morning, as if it hadn’t totally abandoned us yesterday. The storm hadn’t been as bad as my dad was afraid it would be, but it did last for most of the night. It woke Sean up twice, which resulted in me and Reid waking up as well.

Sean and Reid have to share a room, since there ain’t enough for all of us, since my Gram needs her own room, and so does my dad. Gram figures with me being the only girl and all, it makes most sense for the boys to share a room and for me to get the little one at the very end of the hall. It doesn’t really do much though, me having my own room. I may as well just share one with Sean, since he’s in my room every second night, saying he hears faeries and such whispering around his room. I don’t think he quite realizes yet that people breathe when they sleep, ’cause I always figured he just hears Reid, and I tried to convince him of that, but he’s set on it being faeries.

Of course, being on Faer and all, it’s entirely possible he’s right.

I guess I got lost in thought, since I’m already inside Justin’s car, and I hadn’t even realised I’d left the doorway.

The sun isn’t quite in my eyes, and I’m glad I ain’t the one driving back from the Fionn’s, because the sun would be in my eyes and I hate driving like that.

The engine takes a couple turns of the key to catch and roar to life. I can already smell gasoline, and she just turned on.

God, Reid’s got me calling fucking cars people now, too.

I feel like I’m in a white death trap, but it is only about a ten minute drive, it won’t kill me. I hope.

The whole dashboard is covered in a layer of dust that the sun illuminates. The air is filled with dust too, you know how the sun does that, makes little dust pieces look all shiny.

I look around for the seat adjuster. Since I reckon a girl’s never driven this piece of crap the seat’s way too far back for me. I find a bar under the seat and pull on it, which brings the seat forward an inch or two. I try again and get it too far forward so my knees hit the steering wheel.

“Piece of shit,” I mutter and push the seat back with my heels, finally getting it to a decent place.

It’s got an automatic transmission with a little shifter thing in the middle.

At least it won’t stall.

I put it in reverse and pull out of our drive, pulling a cigarette and the lighter from my pocket and starting towards Kappamor.