Chapter II

Chapter 2 of the novel Reapers

  The last of Scottie's regular customers slowly made their way out to the parking lot as the clattering of dishes being tossed into the large, black dirty dish pan filled the room. November was armed with a bleach rag in one hand and the pan tucked under the opposite arm in a mission to get the place cleaned up. Meanwhile, Marielle was scrubbing down the bar adjacent to the main dining room while Emery had emerged from the kitchen to assist November. Luckily for them, Scottie's decour was more rustic and seasoned and didnt require a level of five star cleaniless. It wasn't like the stuffed deer heads mounted on the wooden panel walls over the pool tables were going to complain.

"Nothing like scrubbing hardened bits of old food off of tables to get the blood pumping!" Emery Cooper ranted as he flopped a soaked rag down onto the dark wooden table to rid it of any mess that had been left by their patrons. Emery was another of November's best friends and a waiter at Scottie's. They'd known each other for as long as they could remember and there wasn't much he didn't know about her, and vice versa. And while he considered himself an excellent worker, his current table cleaning routine had been brought to a sudden halt by the fifty-inch plasma television hanging in the main dining area.

"Emery!" November shouted. "Emery! Hello!" November bellowed, continuing to raise her voice and flail her arms like a madwoman until Emery awoke from his gaze.

"Sorry! Did you see that? Have you and your mom ever looked into those experimental treatments they're always going on about at that V.A.M.P. Corp. place? Maybe they could help out with, you know, Nathaniel's situation?" Emery stated softly, trying to tip-toe around the tender issue.

"Yeah, I mean I've seen the ads and stuff, but it's just that it's not really an option, you know. I mean, considering all the medical bills my mom already has to try and pay. C'mon, Let's go see if Marielle is ready," November quickly changed the subject as she finished off her last table.

November and Emery made there way back to the bar area where Marielle was just finishing wiping down the long wooden bar top.

"Ready to head out?" Emery asked the girls, flashing them his familiar wide, gleaming smile from behind his pouty lips. "I've got places to be. My soul mate could be out in Raven's Pass waiting for me, right now." He moaned, slumping over to rest his head in his hand on the bar.

"Yeah, I bet he's out there, right now. Wearing flannel and spitting tobacco juice into a plastic cup. I can hear big, gay wedding bells already," snorted Marielle, rinsing her cleaning rag out in a nearby sink before wringing it out and placing it under the bar.

"Well, I mean, what can I say? Who wouldn't love me?" Emery replied smugly, leaning up from the bar and pointing to himself with both hands. If anyone could give Marielle a run for her money in the narcissism department, it was Emery. While November knew it was just a front to keep the fact that he was painfully lonely at bay, she played along. It wasn't that he was bad looking, in fact, Emery had always been the extremely handsome, captain of the football team type. His short, choppy brown hair always found itself perfectly fixated on his head above his large, chocolately brown eyes and sharp jawline. It was simply that while almost everyone in Angel's Crossing were accepting, it was a difficult place to live for any sort of alternative lifestyle. There simply weren't that many people, leaving diversity fairly sparse.

"Emery, we know you're loveable and all, but I think I'm actually just ready to go to bed." November responded.

"Really November? Can't you just come out with us just once? We're heading down to Raven's Pass. You don't have to stay long." Marielle pleaded with November. Raven's Pass was a hot spot in town that consisted of a large open field deep in the nearby woods where most of the town's youth got together for bon fires and the like, but it seemed not even that could drag November away from her routine.

Since her brother had gotten sick November hadn't been in much of a partying mood. She thought her time was best spent at her brother's side. Although she hated disappointing her friends, she knew she was doing the right thing.

Marielle and Emery continued to try and coax November into joining them for some fun at Raven's Pass all the way out to the parking lot, but to no avail. As they got to their cars to leave, November turned to tell her friends goodnight but noticed a black BMW 640i Coupe, with blacked out windows, parked on the opposite side of the parking lot. The car was running and the headlights were on. When they noticed November looking their way, the car quickly sped out of the parking lot.

"Have you guys ever seen that car around here before?" November asked her friends as she fumbled for her keys.

"Maybe they were lost?" laughed Emery.

"By the looks of that ride, they were definetly lost. It was worth more than half the town!" Marielle responded.

"Goodnight guys. Be careful. Don't have too much fun!" snickered November as she jumped into her car and closed the door.

"Ugh, you suck!" Marielle exclaimed, giggling, as she waved good-bye to November, her tail lights leaving the parking lot hastily and fading into the distance.

Scottie was the last to leave, as always, and was locking up as he noticed Marielle and Emery still standing in the parking lot.

"You guys have any plans tonight, or do you need a ride, Mar?" He asked, shaking his head at his step-daughter's lovely choice of words to November.

"I'm gonna head to Raven's Pass with Emery tonight, Scott, so let mom know I'll text you guys when I'm on my way home. Don't wait up. I know the routine, so you two can rest easy!" Marielle answered, offering him a reassuring smile and touching him lightly on the shoulder before turning to walk in the direction of Emery's Ford Bronco.

"Alright, girl. You two be careful. I'll see you at home," Scottie sighed, knowing there was no fighting her, no matter how uneasy her being out late made him.

"Okay! Bye, love you!" She called out as she strutted off towards Emery's vehicle, untying her apron as she went.

"You too!" Scottie responded, climbing into his truck.

November's drive home seemed longer than normal, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Maybe it was because she was eager to get back to her brother or maybe she was just excruciatingly tired. It was probably a combination of both, since she never saw much rest these days and Nathaniel's well-being was always her number one priority. However, after a seemingly never-ending blur of dark trees and highway lines, she was finally in her neighborhood.

As she rounded the corner towards her house, November noticed a car coming in her direction. The lights were extraordinarily bright, but that was nothing alarming. Plenty of people around there always kept their brights on for good measure when driving around the expansive rural area. November flashed her brights twice to let them know they needed to adjust theirs, however she received no response. Squinting, she grumbled to herself as they passed, yet something peculiar caught November's attention immediately. The car seemed to be the exact same black BMW that was parked outside of Scottie's right before she left. Surely, it was just a simple coincidence.

November simply brushed the car thing off and made her way into her driveway. Rushing inside, she found the living room to be empty and silent. Clearly everyone had already gone to bed, leaving November with basically no choice but to join them. She made her way slowly upstairs, stopping quietly at Nathaniel's door. November leaned slightly against his cracked door, peeking her head in just enough to catch a glance of her brother sleeping. It was the only time she knew he was truly at peace, and nothing made her happier. With that, November let out a small sigh of relief and crept into her own bedroom only to drift off into her own peaceful sleep shortly after.