Chapter 28: Cigarettes & Feelings

Chapter 28: Cigarettes & Feelings

I spent the first hour of the night alone in a swamp getting eaten alive by insects. More of my blood went as an unwilling donation to a vampiric mosquito sect than I think Id ever lost to them before. My only consolation was that my cellphone still had two bars of service. Not enough to make a call, but enough to send text messages.

Romeo ignored the three colorful messages I sent. Couldnt blame him, if I got a text calling me a walking sack of alligator shit from my dumb nephew, I probably wouldnt have responded either. Understand that, like a lot of things in my life, didnt make me happy. So I chose not to consider things from his point of view. New novel chapters are published on

Took about two hours for me to get desperate. After that, I asked Bruno for help, which the big guy was willing to do for me. Problem was, I didnt know where Romeo dropped me off. All I saw around me was the dark swamp. It raised the question of how my Uncle planned to find me in the morning, especially since in my anger I stormed off from the spot on the road hed left me. I had the sickening realization that Id made things worse in my self-righteous anger. I tried to tell the big guy not to worry and that Id manage, better not to involve him.

At the end of the day, I got myself into this. It was my problem to solve. Even if it meant spending my Friday night lost in a swamp. Awesome.

I let myself wander a bit more since it couldnt make things worse. Puzzling over the point Romeo kept trying to drive in my head. He was right. It was a bit strange how the dice came up with triple fours every time Id used Fickle Fate in the casino. Id bet on triplesnot a specific number. So why hadnt it shown up as different types? Triple twos, fivesany other number. If Fickle Fate was just gambling, why would it have forced a certain number?

Moreover, why had the luck worked to keep me from falling off the car and hurting myself? Why hadnt it given me a way to stay on top of the car and still hit Romeo? Was it just the amount of energy I had? My foot began to slip, and I desperately wanted to stay up there to hit Romeo. After that need, Fickle Fate sprang outward to save me.

But what did that mean?

I was a far cry from a genius, and I didnt have the patience to reflect on a problem I couldnt solve too hard. So, for now, I chalked it up to a fluke. I had a weird ability with some odd intricacies. Because from a practical standpoint it didnt change all that much.

Only it kind of did. Hadnt Romeo gone out of his way to prove that to me? Annoying bastard. As much as I tried to tuck it away, the questions ate at me. But I kept coming up empty.

It was actually a relief to see a message from Eve, even if I didnt like her much. Of course, the first line of her text called me a dumbass. But then shed said Bruno called her, and Kayson. She told me to stay put with her own form of colorful language.

So it was, at two in the morning, that I sat on a muddy swamp road in the middle of nowhere, bored out of my mind. Im not proud. About ten minutes in, I caved and sent an angry message back to Eve calling her a dick, just to try to start a fight for entertainment. Because it beat sitting here alone with nothing to do.

She kindly informed me it took balls to be a dick, and shed rather have balls than to be a dumb bitch like me.

Girl had a way with words.

After a chuckle, I put my phone on vibrate and tried to clear my mind. Shoving my hands in my armpits under my jacket to stay warm. I was useless outside of a city. I didnt have any survival skills. Ask me to change a tire on a bike? I knew that, if I ran into any real issues I could look details up online. Fix up an engine? Maybe stood a decent shot. If you needed to know which bus route took you Downtown, or what parts of New Valentine to stay outta, hell, I was the guy.

Well, I didnt message ya, I reached out to Bruno. Tried to tell him not to bother when I realized there was no point. Because even I didnt know where I was. I scratched the back of my head. Trying to riddle out what exactly her Soul Ability was. Sound? Were ya trying to blast out my ears?

She paused giving a sheepish grin. Maybe a bit. Scares off anything nasty out here. Kayson told me to do it since Im the only one that had a shot at finding you. I saved your dumbass. You owe me.

Owe you?

Yeah, I got something in mind too. Get on the bike. We got a quick errand to take care of before I drop you off.

I wasnt sure how to feel about that. Nervous? Still, I got on the bike and she kicked the engine to life. I sighed. Beggars didnt get to choose. Id much rather be driving back to my home. But because of her, I wasnt doomed to wander the swamp paranoid about something coming from the depths and eating me. Eve leaned down and began to speed away.

My arms wrapped around her, and I felt anxious to be this close. Riding double with a girl who regularly took the piss out of me left me on edge and I couldnt quite get my head straight. What Romeo said earlier still gnawed at me. I didnt know what my Soul Seed was. If I didnt know my own Soul, what else was I missing?

Then there was the suspicion I wouldnt like Eves errand Id gotten dragged into.

She pressed on the gas, speeding far quicker on these dirt roads than her bike shouldve gone. Her motorcycle was almost purringless audible compared to before. Wowthis thingI paused, my voice a lot quieter than it should have been.

Eve chuckled as she noticed me stumble over my words. Her laugh was light and airy, barely present. Slowly the sound of her bike and laugh faded closer in. The engine roared far closer to what I expected from a bike like this. Her mocking laughter rang outdamn, I hated being this close to her.

Your Soul Seed controls sound.

Wow, put that together dumbass? Id have thought youd connect the dots when you saw me blow out the Crimson Eagles ears. Oh well. Were you being honest when you told Kayson about yours?

I sighed. Yeah, aint much better than a coinflip.

Well, thats a bit shit, aint it?

Sometimes its a bitch.

She laughed again, shaking her head. She flipped her stereo on, guess we were done talking. euro-rock flooded around uslouder than the engine and passing wind. Eve banged her head as she droveadjusting the pace of the bike to match the tempo of the music. Her fingers tapped along to the rhythm. I didnt know what to make of her. But, maybe, well, this night wasnt as bad as I worried about. I let myself fall the music toosoon we loudly belted out songs while zooming down the highway.