Studio 30 Plus: Meeting the Storyteller

Yay!  I finished the Studio 30 Plus prompt two weeks in a row!.  This week we had raconteur and/or storyteller as our words.  Please check out other great responses to the prompt through the badge below.  The other writers at Studio 30 Plus have some wonderful pieces they share and would appreciate the love!

                I took the proffered motorcycle helmet and climbed onto the bike.  While there was that part of me that took notice of his strength and warmth, much more of me cued in on the tension he held.  Cables on a suspension bridge had nothing on Caiden at that moment.

                We took off down the driveway faster than I thought safe, but I wasn’t driving and had no way to talk to Caiden.  He turned onto the blacktop.  We cruised for almost an hour before I saw the first landmarks I’d recognized.  Edward had taken me somewhere along the edge of the Superior National Forest.  I knew Virginia, MN only because I’d gone up there with an ex-boyfriend about a year ago.  The epic fight happened on that trip.  We broke up within a week of returning home.  I had not yet forgotten that trip.

                When we reached Hwy 169, we turned off.  That caught me off guard.  I knew I35 was just a little further south and the fastest way home.  So, where were we going?  Asking was out of the question.  Once again, I was at someone else’s mercy when it came to control over where I went.

                We stopped at a gas station in Grand Rapids.  He put gas in while I waited.

                “You need anything inside?”

                “Some apple juice would be nice.  Where are we going?  Home is in a different direction.”

                “I know.  It’s time to take you before the council.”

                I froze.

                He must have seen my panic, “Remember.  Your training was rather skewed.  The council isn’t what you think.”

                “Really?”

                “Yes.  You need to learn the truth about our kind.  Not the half-truths and scare tactic stories you were given before.”

                “Not like I really have a choice here, do I?”

                Caiden jerked back from me as if I’d slapped him.

                “Is that what you think?  Look, Shayna.  I’m not that kind of person.  If you want to go home instead, I will take you.  Please, though, trust me.  I do have your best interest in mind and I want to help you.  Goons like Edward and his kind are not going to leave you alone and I want you to be ready to deal with their ilk when they skulk around again.”

                I stared at him.  A voice screamed in my head for him to take me home and let me get back to my blissful and ignorant life where I could just ride the high of a storm as I shepherded it through the area to minimize the damage it did.  The quiet whisper got my attention instead.  Trust him.

                I nodded, afraid of what I’d say if I tried to speak.  The tension left him and he smiled at me.

                “I’ll be right back.  We’re not far from the council.  It’s between here and, well, Bemidji.  In the Chippewa State Forest.”

                I laughed, “There’s nothing between here and Bemidji but the Chippewa National Forest.”

                He walked away laughing and returned a few minutes later with two bottles of apple juice for me and two bottles of Mountain Dew for him.  We headed off.  The ride was beautiful, with a crystal clear blue sky, and the ditches speckled with dabs of bright color from random wildflowers.

                An hour later we turned off the highway onto a dirt road.  It wound around Lake Winnibigoshish a way before ending at a massive gate.  Caiden punched in a code at the control box tucked against one post where I had missed it entirely.  We passed through the gate and up the dirt driveway to a huge rustic style house.  Or maybe mansion.  A man waited outside as if he knew all along we were coming.

                “Shayna, this is Marcus.  Marcus, this is Shayna,” Caiden said as he got off the now parked bike.

                I shook Marcus’s outstretched hand.

                “Marcus is our Raconteur.”

                “I’m sorry, your what?”

                “Caiden means I am our people’s storyteller.”

                “Like a historian?”

                “Yes,” he smiled, “Very similar.  Only there’s a little more to it for our kind.”

                “What do you mean?”

                Marcus gestured to the door, “Why don’t you both come inside.  We can talk there.  I promise all of your questions will be answered and you will understand why it was so vital Caiden bring you here.”

Studio 30 Plus: Problem Solved

Yay!  After several weeks of craziness, I finally just made myself write the Studio 30 Plus prompt this week.  We got humiliating and/or ignominious.  Here's the next part of the Weather Riders story.  Be sure to check out other great responses over at Studio 30 Plus through the button below.

                “Then let us hear the lagniappe you propose.”

                “Let me ask you this first.  Have you used anyone who was strong and healthy from your group to try to fix this?”

                Edward’s brow furrowed as he rubbed his chin and stared at the ground.  Then he looked up at me and shook his head.  I went on before he could put words to it.  The words he’d use didn’t matter.
                “I think that’s the problem.  The weather takes what is given to it.  The very atmosphere is influenced by the smallest stimuli.  I think that if you repeat the ceremony with someone from here, it may work.”

                Edward and Micah looked abashed.  Neither would meet my eye.  The silence drew out until I began to fidget and stared at Caiden, begging him to do something about it.

                “Well, this is humiliating.  Edward and I have been searching for an answer for more than a month now.  We bring you here and within a couple hours you see something we’ve missed all this time.  And you offer it as a bonus to the terms releasing you.”

                I reddened a little, “I just didn’t want the children to die.  They’ve lost enough already.”

                “Then the person we must use in the ceremony must be me.”

                Micah whipped around to stare at Edward, “Why??  There is no way we can sacrifice your powers.  What will we have left?”

                “What will we have left if I do not, Micah?”

                Micah looked away.  The rider who’d accompanied Caiden here signaled to Caiden he was leaving.  Caiden made a couple quick gestures that looked like some kind of sign language.  Then the rider took off, careful to stir up as little dust as possible.

                “I have a dumb question as you two are still at odds over who should and should not sacrifice himself for this.”

                “What is your query?”

                “Do you have to give up all your powers?  I mean, what if you both gave up a little.  Would that be enough?”

                “I do not know.  We have not tried what you suggest.  We have followed the old texts.”

                “I hate to break this up, but now that Shayna’s solved at least some of the problem here, I am taking her and we are leaving.”

                Edward and Micah sketched slight bows toward me.

                “We appreciate your assistance.  Do not fear.  You are free and will not be harmed again by me or mine.  Micah will guide you back to the main highway.”

                “Don’t worry about it.  We got here just fine.  We can find our way back without help.”

                There was something in Caiden’s tone that brooked no argument, and scared me.  He did not like these people on a level that went beyond a philosophical disagreement.  Venom lurked behind those words just waiting for the fool who prodded enough to discover it.

Studio 30 Plus: The Deal

I haven't visited Studio 30 Plus lately and, with the first spring thunderstorm here, felt the need to revisit the Weather Riders serial.  So, Studio 30 Plus gave us lagniappe or bonus this week.  I kept it just under 1,000 words.  Let me know what you think!  Also be sure to check out other responses via the button below.

                A commotion rattled out in a quick staccato from the front.  Edward and I cut around the corner, not bothering to go back through that death laden house.  Two motorcycle riders were just cutting the engines of their mean looking bikes.  With the black leathers and matte helmets with tinted face shields, I couldn’t even tell if they were male or female.  I presumed male simply because the bikes looked to be the kind men would ride – big, heavy, powerful.

                “May I help you?” Edward’s voice sounded too loud in the silence.  His arms were crossed and he moved toward the riders, blocking their way to the house.

                The first rider reached up to remove the helmet.  In that instant before I saw the rider’s face, I knew it was Caiden.  I’m not sure if it was something in the way he moved, or if I’d grown telepathic powers in the time since I was abducted, but I was so certain it was him I staked my life on it.

                I ran past Edward.  His arm shot out to block my way, but I ducked under.  I missed Micah, though.  He’d been angling behind the bikers and managed to tackle me just short of my goal.  Caiden.

                “Let.  Her.  Go.”

                I’d never heard Caiden’s voice sound like that, not that I’d spent all that much time with him.  That tone was one I generally put high on my “do not mess with that person when I hear that tone” list.  I also noticed in that moment that the temperature was dropping.  From my position half twisted toward the sky I realized the sky had grown to an ominous dark greenish yellow.  Any good Midwesterner knew that meant nasty storms and tornados.

                “I do not know who you are, but you are on private property and I must ask you to leave.”

                Edward was sealing his fate with that statement.  A bolt of lightning arced down to connect to the ground just a few yards from where this vignette played out.

                “I didn’t offer an option.  Let her go.”

                Edward stood for a few seconds studying Caiden and the other biker.

                “Let us negotiate a deal.  Her value to me is greater than you can imagine.”

                The way he said that, I knew Edward was trying to angle for his little ceremony to go off before he let me go.

                “Fine.  Let us parley.”

                “Ah.  The old terms.”

                “I know who you are,” Caiden hung his helmet from a hook on the rear of his bike and swung his leg over, “Now.  Let the lady up.  If you know the old ways, treat her as she deserves.”

                Edward ducked his head, “Touché.  You have caught me out.  Micah, help her to her feet please.”

                “But- “

                “No, Micah.  It does not matter what she did.  A lady does not merit such treatment.”

                Micah helped me to my feet.  I jerked my arm away from him when he held it a little too long after I stood.  Dusting the dirt and grass off, I watched as Edward and Caiden bent their heads together to speak in low tones.  After several minutes of this, Caiden gestured to the other biker, who got off the bike and joined them, still helmeted.

                I tried to inch my way closer to hear what was being said, but Micah stopped me, “That is parley.  It is not to be interrupted or attended by any who are not leaders.”

                “I am my own leader, thank you very much,” I said trying once again to inch my way closer.

                “Not here you’re not.”

                I sighed and gave up.  Micah would likely call his crony in if I kept trying to push it.  So, I started to mull over the whole deadly illness issue Edward had abducted me in an attempt to address.  While I didn’t know that much about Weather Riders and such, my parents were both doctors and I knew a decent amount about illness.

                “Micah, what happened to start the illness?  Who got sick first?”

                Micah stared at me for a long moment saying nothing.

                “Come on!  I’m trying to help here.  That is why your boss kidnapped me.”

                “Abducted.”

                “Whatever.  Are you going to answer my question?”

                Micah scrubbed his hands over his face, “There was an ancient ceremony.  It was meant to bring an end to the drought that’s been killing us as surely as this is.  But, there had to be a sacrifice.  Jana volunteered.”

                “Wait a minute.  Ya’ll killed someone?”

                “No!”  Micah looked as if I’d slapped him.  Hard.

                “You said you sacrificed someone.”

                “Sacrificed, yes.  Killed, no.  Jana was ill.  Her powers were a burden to her, so she volunteered to sacrifice her power in order to fuel the ceremony.”

                “Then what?”

                “People started to get sick after that.  We tried the healing ceremony on our own first.  Marcus volunteered his power.”

                “Was he ill too?”

                “No.  Old.  Nearing the end of his time and he said he didn’t feel like he’d miss the power.”

                An idea was starting to form in my head of what may have been happening to these people.

                “It didn’t work, did it?”

                “They started to die.  Even when we brought outsiders here for the healing ceremony, it didn’t work.”

                Caiden, Edward, and the biker gestured for us to join them.

                “We’ve struck a bargain for your release,” Edward said.

                “Is it a done deal?” that idea blossomed into a plan, “Or can I add a bonus to the deal for not harming me?”

                “A lagniappe?  That has not been done in centuries.”

                Caiden grabbed my elbow hard and whispered in my ear, “What the hell are you doing?  We need to get out of here!”

                “I need to save these people first.  At least the kids, and I think I might know how.  Help me!”

                Caiden shook his head and let go of my arm.

                “Yes.  She is offering Lagniappe.”

Studio 30 Plus: Choices

I've been meaning to get this posted for a few days.  Unfortunately my son has not been feeling well.  So, I've been a little distracted.  This week Studio 30 Plus gave us cliche and/or banal.  I managed to work both into the next installment of The Weather Riders.  Let me know if my efforts ended up rather cliche!  And be sure to check out other great responses to this post via the button below!

                Then it struck me.  Everything seemed so cliché.  The old farmhouse, the abduction, the power grab, wishing my white knight would ride in and save me.  I couldn’t help it.  I started to laugh.  Not just a giggle or a short burst.  I mean I laughed until I cried and I hurt.

                Micah and his crony backed off.  Maybe they thought what I had was contagious.  Edward’s lack of response at all made me think he was panicking over screwing up again, thinking I’d lost it and could no longer be of use.

                Well, I didn’t want to be a damsel in distress like in the banal books my mother used to read.  I moved through the house.  Emaciated bodies, pale and toxic, littered the floors.  In a back room I discovered my Achilles’ heel.  Children.  Five of them.  All under the age of seven.

                I noticed they didn’t seem as bad off as the adults.  I turned to find Edward trailing in behind me.  No sign of Micah or his friend, though.

                “Why aren’t they sick like the rest?  An, come to think of it, why aren’t you, Micah, and his friend not sick?”

                Edward scrubbed at his face and ran his fingers through his hair, “Micah, Jeremy, and I were not here when this happened.  We do not know why the children do not suffer so, but we are glad for it.  It gives us hope that they may outlive this even if the cure cannot be obtained.”

                “Obviously.  What happened to everyone?”

                “They said a storm came.  But not one of the elements.  They said it was as if ghosts rose up to become parasites, sucking away any energy they could.  None of us knew how to stop them.”

                “Us?” I arched one eyebrow.

                “I returned just before the storm dissipated.”

                “And how is my power supposed to help fix this?”

                “Your power is siphoned off in an ancient ritual.  Then it is shifted in to them.”

                “Whoa!  You’re talking vampire type stuff.  Isn’t that rather extreme?”

                Edward shook his head and gestured for me to follow him.  He led me out the back door.  What I saw stopped me cold.  Row upon row of graves, black earth still stark against the patchwork of snow and dead grass.

                “This is the fate they all face if I cannot stop this.  And I fear what may happen once there are no more living bodies to contain this plague.”

                “So, I participate in this ritual – hypothetically of course – and it heals everyone in the house.  What happens to me?”

                “You return to your life.”

                “That’s it?”

                “Minus your powers, of course.  They would be stripped from you to sustain and heal my people.”

                I stepped back.  No more storms?  No more weather sense?  Part of me couldn’t help but laugh again at the banality of the situation.  The other part knew Edward was serious, and wouldn’t quibble at such details as my consent for this.  That part of me was terrified.

There's still time to link up for this week's Don't Panic Picture Prompt!  Check it out!

Studio 30 Plus: An Answer

Studio 30 Plus gave us spring and/or vernal this week for our prompts.  I had an idea of how to use both in this scene from my Weather Riders serial, but it got too long to work vernal in.   So watch for it next week!  Also, be sure to stop by Studio 30 Plus to check out other great authors via their button below.

                There really wasn’t much more I could do.  I still couldn’t move very well, though that was improving every minute.  I didn’t recognize where we were and had no idea how long I was out.  It was overcast, but no storms, so I was struggling to even figure out which direction we were going.  I was in a world of hurt and had no way out.  I found myself wishing Caiden would turn up somehow.

                We drove for at least two more hours, all of which were in the middle of nowhere.  After an eternity, we turned off the highway onto a dirt road that ended at a dilapidated farmhouse.

                We’d gone north.  I could tell that from the vestiges of snow under the trees and in the shadow of the house as we pulled up in the almost non-existent driveway.  The spring thunderstorms hadn’t made it this far north yet.  However, there were no other clues so I still didn’t know much more about our destination.

                Two men came to the car.  I’d missed them at first, though they had been waiting on the porch.  They pulled me out of the car with a disturbing nonchalance.  They were neither taking special care to assist me, nor were they deliberately cruel.  I was no more than a bit of luggage to them.

                “You sure she’s the one?” the taller of the two men asked.

                “Yes.  There is no doubt.”

                “You said that last time, Edward.”

                “Enough, Micah.  It is not as if the ones we seek will advertise their presence to us.  Besides, she was able to fulfill what we needed with her talent.  She lacked the strength.  This one is stronger.”

                “Any of you want to fill me in on this?” I glanced around.

                “What have I not answered for you?  I have explained that we are in dire need of your assistance.”

                I blinked several times.  Had I heard Edward right?  He really thought he’d explained it all to me even though he’d told me nothing.

                “You never told me what you need me so badly for.” I couldn’t help the sarcasm that crept into my voice at that point.

                “As I said previously, that will be made plain soon.  Please, step inside.”

                Micah and his partner still had me by the arms so I didn’t have much choice but to follow Edward through a screen door that dangled by one hinge and was lacking most of the screen.

                The smell hit me first while my eyes worked to adjust to the dim interior.  Unwashed bodies riddled with disease.  The house wasn’t unsanitary, but filled with many people who gave the distinct impression there was something seriously wrong with them.  Visual details started to solidify.  Most of the people in the house were male.  Thin.  Clean.  Sick.

                “Do you see what we face?”

                My jaw worked for several seconds before my voice caught up, “Yeah.  But what do you want me to do?  I’m a chef, not a doctor.”

                “It is not a doctor they need.  They, we, need your power.”

                “You want me to guide a storm here?  How would that help?”

                “It would not, and that is not what we need.  We need your power directly from your body and soul.”

                Yep.  Caiden could come riding in any time to rescue me as my shocked brain worked to process what Edward really wanted from me.  All I heard was a gust of wind catch the screen door and slam it against the jam on its one poor abused hinge.

Also - the Don't Panic Picture Prompt is live and you have until Sunday at ll:59 pm CST to take the challenge!

Studio 30 Plus: Layers of Mystery

Studio 30 Plus gave us provenance and/or origin this week.  I went back to my Weather Riders serial for this.  Here are the previous parts of the story.  As always, please let me know what you think and be sure to stop by Studio 30 Plus to see other great writers answer the prompt.

                Even after I woke up in the back of that sedan, it took me a while to figure out what had happened.

                I’d answered my door.  That jerk of a stranger did something.  I’m not sure what.  All I remember is he made some weird gestures, only for a second or two and it was like I went on vacation from my body.  He took my hand and had just walked me out.

                “I see you have regained consciousness.”

                I tried to sit up, but couldn’t, and I wasn’t sure why.

                “Your incapacitation is temporary.  In a few minutes, now that you are awake, it will pass.”

                “Who are you and what the hell are you doing with me?”

                “Ah, ah.  Do not use your power in this vehicle.  It would have deadly consequences for both of us.”

                I hesitated.  I wasn’t sure what he was talking about.  I took a breath and tried again.

                “Who are you?  Why did you kidnap me?”

                “The correct term is abduct.  I do not intend to force matrimony upon you.  You may call me Edward.”

                “Okay, Edward.  What are you intending to do with me?” I was starting to be able to move, though I still felt weak.

                “I must beg your forgiveness for my actions, but I must secure your assistance and I could not risk you refusing me aid.”

                “With what?” I levered myself up to sit relatively straight.

                “That is a more complicated answer than time currently allows.  Suffice it to say, the origin of your question is well understood and the answer has much to do with your own history.”

                “So that gave you the right to kidnap,” I saw his body tense as he readied to correct me, “Abduct me?”

                I wish there had been an alternative, but time is precious and I had none to sacrifice convincing you of my need.”

                “Let me clue you, Edward.  This is not endearing you to me or convincing me to help you.”

                “Please.  Let us renegotiate once we arrive at our destination.”

                “We didn’t negotiate to begin with.  Where are we going?”

                “Believe me.  I am aware of this and I beg for your patience.  Please.  All will be made clear once we arrive and you will understand.”

                I tried the door.  Child locks.  It looked like I had no choice but to see where this ride took me.  Literally.

And - there's still a little time to write for the #DontPanicPicturePrompt this week!

Weather Riders: In Over My Head

Studio 30+ afforded me a great opportunity to continue my Storm Riders series this week with their prompt quirky and/or odd.  If you've missed the previous pieces of the story, click here or follow the tab above.  And, be sure to check out other responses to the Studio 30+ page this week through the button below.

                I sat in the kitchen long after Caiden left, still trying to decide what to believe.  He seemed so odd.  Cultured and refined, yet ruthless and unrelenting.

                Joe interrupted my confused musings, “So?”

                “So, what?”

                He snorted as I studied my hands to avoid the look on his face, “You two looked pretty cozy out there.  I didn’t know you were capable of laughing like that without it killing you.  When do you see him again?”

                “Very nice, Joe.  Just because I take my work seriously doesn’t mean I don’t know how to have some fun.  And I don’t know when I’ll see him again.”

                “What do you mean you don’t know.  A man like that won’t be on the market long.”

                “Trust me.  I do know that.  I just,” I trailed off.

                Joe knew though, like usual, “You don’t want to seem impulsive or crazy.  You like him.  You want to say screw it all and be reckless with him.  You like him and that scares you.”

                “It’s more than that,” I blushed, knowing he was right.

                “Like what?”

                “He’s different.  Not in a cliché way.  More like he’s got quirks that I’m not sure what to make of yet.”

                “And you don’t, my friend?” Joe always could make me smile, “Go.  Live it up while it lasts.  We got the restaurant and God knows you have more than enough time off coming to be gone for several months.  We’ll be here to pick up the pieces when your fun is over.”

                I looked up at Joe, unsure of how to answer his insane suggestion.

                “Shay, it’s time to experiment with the rest of your life, not just your food.”

                I laughed, “Thank you, Joe.  I’m not totally sure yet what I’m going to do, but you’ll be in charge if I am gone a while.”

                Those words turned out to be prophetic.  I never made it back to the restaurant the next day like I’d planned.  I also didn’t get to see Caiden again, like I’d really wanted to.  Call it fate.  Call it the Boogey Man.  Call it what you will.  But, it came knocking later that night.  I opened my apartment door to find yet another strange Storm Rider standing in the hall.

                The next thing I knew I was waking up in the back seat of a sedan cruising down an unknown highway.

And take a stab at this week's Don't Panic Picture Prompt!

Dinner Gone Awry

I managed to get a Studio 30 Plus prompt done this week!!!  I picked back up with another serial on this one.  Studio 30 Plus gave us clever and/or adroit.  I'll be honest, I just couldn't figure out how to use adroit in a sentence that didn't sound overly contrived.  Maybe it's just not in my voice.  Anyway, I did get clever worked in.  The rest of the story is found under the Weather Riders tab up on top.  Let me know what you think!

Caiden must have picked up on my nervousness.  Maybe it was the way I stomped up to the table, or he caught that I’d come from the kitchen.

“Evening,” he pulled out my chair for me.

“Hi.”

“I assume you work here?”

I unfolded my napkin in my lap to hide my face.  So much for being clever.

“I’m a chef.”

“Interesting.  I wouldn’t have expected that.”

I arched a brow at him, “Why?”

“Because you seem to be more of the management type.  Albeit one who would be down in the thick of things willing to lead by example.”

I smiled, “I do get my way.  I just do so from the kitchen.”

“Executive chef, then.  Please, if you will, I would be honored if you ordered for us both as you know the menu in exquisite detail.”

I didn’t know how to take Caiden’s attitude. He was such the polite gentleman sitting here with me, but I know for a dead certain fact that polite gentleman was nowhere to be found during that storm a few days ago.  The small talk continued until after our food arrived.

After the first few bites Caiden set his fork down, “Is this a dish of your creation?”

I nodded, uncertain of my voice and having no idea why I didn’t trust myself to speak.

“It is amazing.  The way in which you balance the spices with the subtle caramel flavor while allowing the flavor of the steak to still dominate the dish is impressive.”

The look on my face must have said it all because Caiden started to laugh.  I stood, ready to flee the disaster this dinner was turning in to.

Caiden gestured for me to sit while he took several sobering breaths, “I am not what you expected.  Clearly.  I meant no insult by it and I apologize for your discomfort.  In all honesty, these manners are a bit of a stretch for me now, it’s been so long since I’ve had call to use them.”

“I can imagine from your line of work.”

“How long have you had the scar?”

“Three years.”

He nodded, “Young for one of us.”

I didn’t know how to answer.  Caiden saved me from trying to figure it out.

“You haven’t had much training with this particular job, have you?”

I shook my head, “My teacher went rogue about a year into my training.”

Caiden glanced up at the ceiling for several seconds, “Must have been Joseph Ramirez?”

“Yeah.”

“I knew the Monitor who confronted Joseph.  Didn’t end well.”

I snorted, “That’s one way to put it.  That Enforcer didn’t give Joe a chance.”

Caiden flinched ever so slightly at that, “There was more than you realize to what happened with Joseph.”

“Try me.”

“Joseph was looking for a way to take your powers as well.  He was looking for a better high from the storms.”

“Whatever.  I’m done.”

“Please, Shayna.  I’m not trying to speak ill of him.  You wanted to know.”

“True.  If you’re right, prove it.  How was Joe going to try to hurt me?”

“What did Joseph tell you of your ability as a Rider?”

“I had enough talent to train, that I needed to be trained so I didn’t hurt anyone.  I’d probably never be one of the great Riders.”

“That’s the first part of the proof.  You’re not just a Rider.  I’m guessing you’d make one hell of a Monitor.  You have an intuition about storms and Riders that few of our kind can match.”

That caught me off guard.  Caiden didn’t give me much time, though, to digest that news.

“The second part is that I knew one of the others who trained under Joseph.  I believe he would have been Joseph’s apprentice just before Joseph started to train you.  Michael?”

I nodded my head.  Joe’d told me about a guy named Michael, “I was told Michael’d burned himself out trying to take on too big of a storm by himself.”

“Not true.  The Master Counsel’s belief is that Joe was trying to ride the storm through Michael.”

“Thinking he could magnify his high because of the added ability from Michael.”

Caiden nodded.  He let me chew on that discovery for a few minutes before continuing.

“Now.  Back to what I said about your abilities.  Shayna, you need more training.  Your potential will not let you live in peace.  With talent like what you have, if you don’t accept the training, the chances of you ending up rogue are quite high.  And I don’t want to think of what it would take to stop you if that ever were to happen.”

I blinked.  What was there to say to that?  

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Dinner Date

Studio 30+ gave us the opening line this time - "What are you doing here?".  I used it to further my Weather Riders story.  If' you've missed pieces, click here, or follow the tab above to be taken to the rest of the story.  As always, concrit is most welcome.

“What are you doing here?  I thought you were off until Monday,” Joe asked me when I walked into the back door of the restaurant.

“I’m not working.  I’m supposed to be meeting someone here.”

“Oh yeah?  You got a date?  Damn.  Never thought I’d see the day Shay agrees to go out with a real live human being.”

“Shut up, Joe.  Just because I turned you down doesn’t mean I won’t date.”

“I ain’t giving you crap because you turned me down.  I’m giving you crap because we’ve been cooking together for the last two years here and I have yet to see you out with someone.”

“Well, now you know I do go out.  And don’t spy on me!”

Joe just grinned at me.  I knew he’d keep an eye out in between the rushes.  To be honest, that was part of why I chose to meet Caiden at my restaurant.  I knew Joe was working and I knew he’d intervene if anything bad started to go down.

Now I just had to wait until Caiden got here.  Tonight’s house manager knew to watch for him and seat him before coming to let me know he was here.  Maybe it was stalkerish of me but I wanted a chance to watch Caiden for a minute before sitting down to dinner with him.  Something still bugged me about him.

Turns out I didn’t have to wait for the house manager to tell me Caiden had arrived.  Something in me knew before I even saw him following her to a table that he was here.  I didn’t think I liked that I was that aware of this man.  I still had no real idea of who he was, aside from the fact that he and his kind were essentially the boogie man to most weather riders.  The ripple of stares and hushed whispers that trailed behind Caiden was also a dead giveaway.  After all, even dressed as roughly as he was earlier today, he was one hot man.  From the service area outside the kitchen I could see that, cleaned up and dressed for a fancy dinner, he was Hollywood gorgeous.

I really felt out of place now.  Joe leaned in from behind me and whispered, “Damn, woman.  Now I know why you accepted this date.”

I elbowed him in the gut just hard enough to get him to back off but not hard enough to really hurt him.  I heard the rush of breath come out anyway.

“You’re not helping.”

“You losing your nerve?” Joe wheezed still catching his breath.

“No.  Just feeling a little like the ugly duckling at the grand ball.”

“Way to mix your metaphors.  Now go mix with him.  You don’t want to leave a man like that waiting.  Any available woman in the entire house will be on him faster than you can dice a carrot.”

Joe was right.  Even as I took a deep breath to steel my nerves, I watched as Caiden turned one woman away.  Another was already making her way to his table.  I brushed past Joe out of the service area.  Possibly to my eternal humiliation and doom.  Certainly to dinner.

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In the Aftermath

This is the next part in my Weather Riders series.  To find the rest of the story up to this point, follow the Weather Riders tab above.  As always any concrit is most welcome.  I know there are a few things I need to do to seam these pieces together better - such has having changed my narrator's name part way through the series and needing to make sure it's consistent through out the posts.

I don’t know how long it took for the ambulance to get there.  I told the paramedics Isaac had tripped and hit his head.  They didn't ask what we were doing out in the park during the storm.  I didn't care what they thought as long as Isaac was okay.

I couldn't remember the ride to the hospital with Isaac.  So much was swirling through my mind.  Caiden was so not what I had been told to expect from his kind.  Sure.  He came across cold-blooded mercenary.  But that kind of person wouldn't have cared about trying to save Isaac’s life.  Or soothing my fear.

Spending the next several hours in the emergency room was not part of my plans for the day.  I wanted to stay long enough for Isaac to wake up, or at least for the doctors to tell me he was fine.

I must have dozed off because I woke to Isaac nudging me.

“Shay?  What happened?”

I handed him a glass of water with a straw to ease the burr in his voice, “Don’t you remember?  You went rogue.”

“What do you mean I went rogue?  I was out in the park making sure the storm passed through without major issues just like I always do.”

“No, Isaac.  I was there.  You were riding the high and totally drunk on the storm surge.”

Our conversation was interrupted by a knock at his door.  A short blond-haired man with the most intense blue eyes stood with one hand in his pocket and the other resting on the door frame.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need to finish my job.”

“You’re on clean up?” I didn't want to give out too much information where anyone besides Isaac could hear me.

“Yes, ma’am.  I was also told to send you on down the hall.  You’re wanted down that way.”

I arched an eyebrow.

He held both hands up in self-defense, “Hey.  Don’t shoot the messenger here.”

“All right.  But I’ll be back to check on Isaac.  If things go downhill there is nothing on this Earth that will stop me from hunting you down.”

“He’ll be fine, ma’am.  Not trying to brag, but I am one of the best in the area.”

I brushed passed him as he headed for Isaac and I went down the hall.  At the main entrance Caiden leaned against the wall.

“I wanted to make sure you had a ride home.”

My breath caught a little against my will, “I’ll be fine.  Thanks for checking, though.”

“You did good out there, Shayna.”

My silence must have bothered him, “You did what you had to do.  You helped save his life and you didn't panic.  No one was hurt and the storm was controlled,” he continued, his voice low enough I strained a little to hear him.

“I still feel like I betrayed him somehow.”

“Trust me.  You saved his life.  Look.  Let me take you out to dinner.  Consider it a work dinner.  There are things we need to talk about.”

That made me nervous.  But I wasn't sure what was worse, that Caiden wanted to talk to me or that I was being asked to dinner with one good looking man.