Chapter 18 - Gen 2 - Tapestry

We are standing frozen in the dark alleyway faced by three vampberrys.

All three of the vampberrys are just standing perfectly still and staring directly at me, River is right next to me and gripping my arm tightly, but they are not showing the slightest interest in River, it is me all three of them are intensely staring at.

I wander for a moment if these are vampberrys from back home who have caught up with me, Jazz has told River we should be pretty safe now, he doesn't think there are any vampberrys following us from home and there are no dens in this town or the surrounding area because the sun is too hot for them ... these three vampberrys shouldn't be here ... so what is the reason for them being here? ... it has to be me.

I can feel myself starting to shake slightly as I wait for one of them to make a move.  Me and River are both just frozen to the spot, there is nothing that we can do but wait for them ... to turn out the lights ... and I know it's going to be painful, I've already nearly had my lights extinguished once.

If we move it might provoke them into making a move, if we try to run I know we are never getting very far .... there isn't anything that we can do to get out of this ... there are three of them and three of us, Storm is okay, but me and River don't stand a chance ... we are done for, I just know it!!!

We seem to be standing there for ages ... it feels like time has frozen with us, my nerves are jangling just waiting for them to do something ... what are they trying to do prolong the agony?!

I'm not sure my nerves can take this suspense of them staring and not moving.  I feel like if I make the slightest movement, even daring to blink, that is when they are going to pounce.  I almost prefer what happened to us in the vampberry den, it was so quick we didn't know what had hit us, there was none of this waiting and wondering WHEN?!  If they are going to do it they may as well get on with it ... I really can't see us getting out of this ... if this is IT ... then better they do it quickly.

"STORM HELP!!"  I shout because I don't know what else to do ...

Even with Storms help this is going to be impossible, I know he is stronger than they are but Storm can only do so much, he is not superman ... he can't fight all three of them and keep them away from me and River all at the same time.  We might have stood a chance if we had our wooden stakes with us but we don't ... we never expected there to be any vampberry's in this town, or we would never have been out during the hours of darkness, we have only just started to relax and stopped looking over our shoulders for them all the time ... now see what has happened ... we are stood facing three of the damn creatures ... we are doomed!!!

"Don't worry Tap ... I'm onto it"  he shouts as there is a sudden flash as Storm flys past me taking one of the vampberry's with him.  They start fighting right behind the other two vampberrys who still aren't reacting, not even to Storm taking their mate ... they are too wrapped up in continuously staring intensely at me.

"Is it me Sam ... or is he totally silent?"  The one vampberry says to the other, pointing in my direction.  The vampberry, who's name I now know is Sam, is frowning at me, he looks really puzzled.

"Yes Don, he's totally silent, I can't even hear his heart beating."  Sam stands there scratching his head.  Suddenly Don pokes me a few times in the chest with his icy cold finger, almost like he's very wary and nervous of me, like a child would poke at something that they have never seen before that they are very unsure about.  Well isn't this just comical ... they, the blood sucking vampberrys, seem to be nervous of ME!!

The two vampberry's exchange another confused glance.  The vampberry called Sam sniffs the air  "I can't smell him either!!  How odd is he??!!  I thought I was going mad for a minute!!"  The two vampberry's glance at each other again and I can't really read the expressions on their faces.

I suddenly realize what is going on ... I am confusing them because they can't smell my blood or hear my heartbeat and thoughts ... they haven't done anything yet because they are very confused by me - just like Jazz and Celeste were the very first time they came across me.

These vampberrys couldn't have been looking for me, or they would have known all about me and just faded me straight away.  These two vampberrys are definitely confused and don't understand me, they were probably just out hunting for food ... they have never come across anyone like me before and it has thrown them!!  They are trying to work out what I am!!  But I know their confusion isn't going to last for long ... they will do something eventually.

I can't take my eyes off them, like they can't take there eyes off me while they are trying to work me out.  I feel like I'm standing here holding my breath as I wait for one of them to make a move ... strangely I can feel myself relaxing a little, I'm not as scared of them as I thought I would be if I ever had to face one again ...  even if I don't like the thought of what is probably coming to both me and River unless Storm can pull off some kind of miracle ... but if they stall for long enough Storm might just be able to take out two of the vampberrys before the third vampberry gets a chance to go for either me or River ... I have a little hope that at least one of us might survive this!!

I keep catching glimpses of movement in the corner of my eye as Storm continues to knock the defenseless third vampberry around the alley way, I'm now willing him to hurry up so that he can come and take out the second vampberry.  I'm surprised that the other two haven't reacted to this, they are not attempting to help their mate or even act like they know or even care about what is going on behind them.  Actually, what can they do to help their mate ... nothing!!  They can't touch Storm, he's ethereal, all the vampberrys can do to save themselves from Storm is run and hope his doesn't catch them.

"He just spoke to that spirit too ... this one is seriously not normal!!"  the vampberry called Don leans a little closer towards me  "You just spoke to that spirit didn't you boy?"  he snarls at me   "How can you see him? What are you?"  I just stand there ignoring his questions, hoping somehow I might be able to stretch this out a little to give Storm a little more time.  I feel Rivers grip tighten around me as he moves really close holding onto me, I can feel him shaking so I put my arm around him ... his movement attracts there attention, they look at him but only for a second then the two vampberrys suddenly exchange quite a shocked look with each other.

"Impossible!!"  Don says as he leans even closer to me then looks at River again, poking him like he had poked me not long ago, I seriously don't understand all the poking that they are doing, what exactly does that tell them?  "Now they have both gone silent! ... I can't hear either of them now can you Sam?"  he looks back at his mate, who shakes his head and agree's we are both totally silent to him now too.

What?!  How can we both now be silent to them?  Me and River look at each in confusion as the two vampberry's study us shock and confusion clearly written all over their faces.

They try to seperate us, one of the vampberry tries to pull me away from River, his ice cold fingers dig painfully into my arm as he tugs me away.  River is determined to hang onto me so the vampberry hits River quite hard, sending River flying away from me, I watch as he smashes into the wall and hits the alley way floor with a thud.  I try to get to him, as he's just lying sprawled out on the floor looking winded and totally dazed, but the vampberry just holds me back from going anywhere near River.

The two vampberrys stand there for a second even more confusion on their faces as they look between me and River then start talking among themselves  "I can hear him again now ... it's like the silent one has just totally hidden his mates from us ... !!!"  I watch River slowly picking himself up off the floor.

"Mate ... we are seriously out of our depth with this one ... I think we need to take the silent one back with us ... he isn't right ... this is definitely one for the originals ... I think they will be VERY interested in the silent one ..."  they smile at each other almost like they are gloating ... like they think they have just found something wonderful that is going to earn them brownie points with the originals ... little do they know I've already been seen by an original and she was so scared of what I might be capable of, all she wants to do is fade me.

This worries me, not only do I not want to be taken by them to another vampberry den, but I'm worrying more for River's safety, if they take me they are not just going to leave him go free, they are going to fade him so he never tells the secret of their existence.

"Hold on Sam ... is he even mortal?"  They start frowning at each other again.

Suddenly the vampberry who already has a hold of my arm, grabs for my wrist lifting it to his mouth and tears his sharp teeth through my flesh, I winse with the pain as his pointed fang leaves quite a deep cut in my arm.  The vampberry turns my arm over and holds it up ... we watch the blood start dripping from the deep cut he has made just above my wrist.  He licks the blood slowly off my arm, just the feel of his cold tongue slithering over my skin makes my stomach turn.  "B negative like his mate ... he's mortal alright!!"  the vampberry says as he drops my arm.

Storm is now standing behind them alone, the third vampberry has disappeared, I presume and hope that he has disposed of it.  Storm is trying to catch my attention, when he sees he's got it he points at me, then to his eyes, then at the vampberry, then he points quickly between the two vampberrys and runs his hand across his throat.

Our own brand of sign language has always been one of our specialties, especially when we are plotting stuff in the middle of a fight or behind an adults back ... its the way we always used to communicate without having to use any words that could be heard  ... I get what he's trying to tell me straight away ... he's telling me to do that eye contact thing on the vampberry, and I think he's trying to tell me to get the vampberrys to fade each other or themselves.

Nice idea Storm, but how am I going to do that, unless he realizes he will have to hold the vampberry down and still long enough for me to actually do it.

The vampberry sees me smile and shrugging at Storm so he spins round to face him

"Spirit ... what is this boy? ...  he is not an ordinary mortal ... how is he communicating with you ... how does he even see you? ... what is he? ... we can't tell he's blocked off from us?!"  he growls at Storm.  I wander why neither of the remaining vampberry's have even noticed let alone commented on the third vampberrys disappearance.

"He's just a normal mortal mate."  Storm says to him quite calmly, he calls him mate, which reminds me of our first encounter with the vamperrys on our travels, when he was talking to one outside our motel room window, pretending to be his friend to help keep things calm  "Look through his eyes mate and you'll see he's just an ordinary mortal like the other one!"  I laugh to myself, I can see what he is trying to do, he's trying to get the vampberry to make eye contact with me.

The vampberry turns back round to studies me for a moment then he grabs me firmly by the chin ... and I think he's stupid enough to fall for what Storm said so easily ... River tries to lung at the vampberry, he can't hear Storm so he probably thinks the vampberry is about to drain me, he doesn't realise that he's just looking into my eyes.  The vamperry just swipes River away effortlessly and I hear him crying out in pain as he goes flying into the brick wall again, even harder this time.  The vampberrys both laugh as they glance at River who is sprawled out on the floor moaning, I presume he is saying something in his head that is amusing them both.

I wasn't impressed when the vampberry ripped off my glasses and I heard them hit the floor, now I'm done for because I can hardly see past my nose without them.

The vampberry leans towards me as his cold fingers dig painfully into my face, our noses are virtually touching, I can feel his cold breath on my face, I can vaguely make out his face, but I can see his glowing eyes as they are looking into mine, I laugh in my head, he's trying to go through my eyes just like Storm told him too, he's just made the biggest mistake of his sorry life!!  I hope!!!

I wait for what's coming ... that strange sensation burning behind my eyes ... and it comes ... straight away I say in my head  "LEAVE THE MORTALS ALONE ... FADE YOUR VAMPBERRY MATE ... THEN FADE YOURSELF!!" I shout angrily in my head.  I see his eyes start glowing brighter as his face starts to move away from me ... Man I hope this works!!!

The vampberry lets go of my face suddenly and just stands there doing nothing at first.  I can barely see him, feeling like a blind bat I crouch down and scramble about on the floor feeling around trying to find my glasses.  Luckily I find them quickly and put them on, thankfully they are not broken.

I freeze for a moment as I see the other vampberry has a hold of River and it looks like he might be thinking about draining him, he has him hoisted up in the air, River's feet are no longer touching the floor.  Storm flies in a blur towards River knocking the vampire flying across the alleyway and River falls to the floor, Storm quickly grabs River pulling him out of the way as the compelled vampberry flies towards them.

I was beginning to worry that the eye contact hadn't worked, it had taken him a while to react?  I start to relax a little as I watch the two vampberrys who are now facing each other ... they stand growling at each other quite nastily.  The compelled vampberry flies at his mate taking him across the alleyway and smashes him into the wall so hard dust and small pieces of the wall start flying around.

As I watch them start fighting each other, I think it might just have worked!!! River who is now back up off the floor moves towards me awkwardly, grabbing me and tries to pull me away.

"What just happened, what did you just do?  Why are they fighting each other?"  River asks confused as he glances towards the fighting vampberrys, so I tell him about what I'd said during the eye contact, he laughs momentarily because his mind is on other things "Storm that wooden fence, get us a few pieces"  River shouts at Storm

"Forget the wood we should just run while we've got the chance!!"  I say to him wandering why he wants to stay here and see this through.

"We can't ... we need to dispose of those vampberry's they know about you ... we can't let them leave here, they were planning to take you to the originals ... if either of them get away, they will tell them about you and we are seriously going to be stuffed!!"  I can't help but notice, the expression on his face, he looks like he's in pain.

"If this works neither of them are going anyway but disintegrating!!"  I laugh at him

We stand and watch as the two vampberrys are smashing each other around the alleyway, dust and rubble is flying around everywhere making us cough, at times it feels like the whole alley way is shaking under our feet.  We start backing away a little, sometimes they are getting a little too close to us for comfort.  As I watch them fighting I'm starting to worry ... what if the vampberry I compelled loses this fight?! ... then what are we going to do?!  I am praying that one of these vampberrys are disposed of in this fight then Storm can sort out the last vampberry ... I think we might just be okay!!

Storm is now back and has two strips of the wooden fence which River snatches, to him probably out of thin air, and hands me one.  It doesn't take long for the one vampberry to finish off the other one who has now disappears to the floor ... I stare at the pile of dust floating to the floor and collecting in a pile ... it amazes me and distracts me for a moment ... it's the first time I've seen what happens to a disposed vampberry, I remember Cosmic telling me they disintegrate but watching it just blew my mind ... its almost like a D.I.Y. cremation.

The vampberry that I had compelled just stands there then, looking a little confused,  I wander what he's doing ... Is he thinking?  I did tell him to fade himself didn't I?! ... Can he actually fade himself?!

I think about the piece of wood in my hand.

"Hey Vampberry!"   I shout him and he ignores me and just carries on standing there looking confused, he's obviously in some sort of trance. How do I even do that?!  This ability that I appear to have really makes no sense to me at all ... its not even like I know what I'm doing ... I just say things in my head and they do it.  I'm not sure telling this one to fade himself is working though ... I wander if he even has the capability to fade himself.

I call the vampberry a few times but he carries on just ignoring me, standing doing nothing.  I think about when Jazz was shouting Maizie in the den, when I told her to get me a glass of water, she hadn't reacted to being shouted either ... Fudge!!  He is just standing there doing nothing ... maybe he can't fade himself?!  I look down at the wood in my hand.  Maybe he could if he had the wood in his hand, but he hasn't got the wood ... I have!

"I'll finish him"  Storm says as he starts moving towards him

"NO!!  He's MINE!!"  I yell as I run at him, I want to do this!!!  I remember River saying it had to go through the heart ... I plunge the wood through his chest with every ounce of strength that I have ... holding my breath ... hoping I've hit the right spot.

The vampberry starts to disintegrate in front of my eyes ... one minute he's there, the next he's gone ... another pile of dust falls to the floor ... along with the wooden stake, the sound of the wood echoing around the alley way as it hits the floor a few times before it settles on the ground and lies there silent and still.

It has gone so quiet you could almost hear a pin drop ... Me, Storm and River stand there silently in shock for a while just staring down at the dust remains of the vampberry and the stake on the floor in front of us.

"Oh Berry!!"  River finally breaks the silence, you can hear the shock in his voice  "Did that seriously just happen?!  I thought it was lights out for us two for sure!!!"   his gaze is still fixed on the floor where the last vampire fell. "Did you seriously just do that?!"

"GO TAP!!"  Storm starts laughing  "The vampberry brainwasher!!  Something else that Cosmic told me about you that I didn't quite believe ... but I do now!!!  Man you are one serious freak!!!  ... We could turn this into a profession and become vampberry faders" 

"Shut up Storm you idiot!!"  I laugh at him  "If I ever look at another vampberry again it will be too soon!! The last thing I want to do is go looking for them so we can dispose of them!!!"  River looks at me and frowns then starts looking a little distressed, he can't hear what Storm is saying, and I guess he doesn't fully realize what just happened then, but he didn't give me a chance to explain.

"Come on we need to get out of here just in case there are any more!!"  River says grabbing my arm in an attempt to get me moving, we start running out of the alley way and don't stop running until we reach the motel ... I couldn't help but notice that he is limping quite badly and struggling to keep up with me, I have to slow down a little for him.

As soon as we get into the safety of our room and the door is locked behind us, the curtains are drawn tightly, it feels like we have slipped straight back into the old routine we've had for the past few months, I sit on the bed staring at the window, waiting for movement outside ... I think it was only then that it fully hit me ... exactly what has just happened and what we have managed to do ... escape and dispose of three vampberrys.

River  pulls out his phone and starts dialing a number.

"Jazz ... you are a damn idiot!! ... relax you said ... there wouldn't be any vampberry's in this town or for miles you said ... well we've only just escaped from being a midnight snack!!"  he says angrily as he limps into the bathroom listening to whatever Jazz is saying to him  "Only three of the damn things up close and personal!!!" I hear him say as he closes the door behind him.

I sit on the bed just staring at the closed door for ages.  I'm sick of this ... I'm an adult now and he is STILL ... they are STILL having their hidden conversations away from me, they are still hiding things from me.  why is River constantly hiding away in the bathroom while he's talking to them?  I'm just thinking about barging into the bathroom and demand to know what they are plotting or hiding now when the door opens suddenly and River limps out holding the phone out towards me  "Here ... Jazz wants to talk to you."

I take the phone off him and look at it for a moment, I haven't spoken to Jazz since we left the vampberry den and I suddenly start feeling nervous ... and I'm not even sure why?  I take a deep breath and say hello.  He needed me to tell him everything that happened from start to finish because River is at a disadvantage where Storm is concerned, he can only see half of it.  I didn't speak to him for long, he told me not to worry, he thinks they were just hunting out of their own area and we were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As I stay sat on the bed, suddenly tears start streaming down my face, and I'm not even sure why, I've got so many emotions running through me, I'm confused because I've never felt like this before ... normally by now I would have gone off on one, my head would have blown and I would have had one of my outburst ... but strangely I don't, I just sit there calmly crying.

I'm still a little shocked by what has just happened, I seriously thought we had both had it, I never imagined we would both make it back to our room in one piece ... we were very lucky this time ... it doesn't mean we will be next time!!  Berry ... what if that had happened last night ... what if we had been as drunk tonight as we were last night ... we definitely would have been goners right now.

River winces like he's in pain as he sits down on the bed with a bag I recognize, I just look at him as he silently wipes the tears off my face.  He's playing doctor and starts pulling medical things out of the bag and onto the bed.  He cleans the bloody mess on my arm and starts to stitch up the deep cut that runs across the inside of my arm.  It had completely slipped my mind until he starts cleaning it, it wasn't until I look down at it that I can actually feel just how much it is hurting me, the shock or adrenalin running through me must have blocked it from my mind.

River suddenly starts chuckling to himself as he is stitching up my cut.  I frown at him wandering how he can even laugh at a time like this.  "It appears you have another ability to add to your string of supernatural oddities."  he starts laughing again, I carry on frowning at him  "I asked Jazz about when we both went silent ... the vampberry said you hid me from them ... Jazz recons he thought he'd noticed you hiding Honey a few times but it was only for seconds so he thought he was imagining it ... he thinks whatever is blocking you off from them, when anyone gets very close to you, as in when you put your arm around me, you are either transferring it or pulling them into your 'bubble' thats hiding you so it hides them too ... we can't test it out properly until we get home."  he frowns at me  "You remember our first encounter, I think you did it then, when we were sitting on the bed together, we had our arms around each other then, I was convinced that vampberry outside the window should have heard me ... I think he didn't hear me because you hid me."  River stood up, and cried out in pain.

"You're hurt, you took quite a battering and I saw you limping! Where does it hurt?"  he smiles at me and tells me he's okay, but I know he isn't, you don't limp for nothing or wince in pain when you sit down.  I demanded he tell me whats wrong with him, he rolls his eyes sitting awkwardly back down on the bed and lifts up his top turning his back to me, he says his back hit the wall a little too hard but it's nothing.  I can see there is already a really nasty large bruise forming on over half of his back.  He really must have hit that wall hard and that doesn't look like nothing to me!!

"A bruise doesn't make you limp ... you need to get your back x-rayed ... you might have broken something!!"  he laughs at me then tells me to stop fussing ... he's a doctor remember, he says it's just badly bruised and if its still hurting when we get to Rainbow Valley he'll get it looked at.  He got up off the bed awkwardly and I noticed him taking some painkillers.

We both went to bed feeling nervous and on edge again, Storm after only having one night off from his duty is back outside on vampberry watch ... it took me ages to fall off to sleep.

The next morning when we get up after both of us having a restless nights sleep, River really didn't look well, I'd heard and felt him tossing and turning and moaning in pain during the night, I'd also seen him get up and take more painkillers a few times, but he still insisted he's fine.  I doubt he'd had any sleep at all.  I tried to talk him into getting himself checked out at the hospital, but he wouldn't have none of it, he said I am fussing for nothing ... but somehow I don't think I am.

He said he just needed bed rest.  Great!!  I really don't like the idea of being cooped up in here all day. After he ate some breakfast he settled down on the bed lying flat on his back, with his book. I sit down on the carpet and start drawing, after about an hour I watch him get up and hobble painfully to the toilet after taking more pain killers.  I couldn't help but notice his dressing gown fall open a little, before he pulls it round him I caught sight of the bruise on his chest.  He is really starting to worry me.

"Hey, you need to lay off that coffee!!  that's the third mug you've had today already ... moderation I said!!"  he snaps at me as he walks past me heading in the direction of the bed.

"My nerves are still jangling from last night, and you are really worrying me ... what's the bruise on your chest?"  he looks at me sheepishly holding his dressing gown tightly closed so I can't see the bruise on his chest.

"It's nothing ... it's just where the vampberry's fist hit me."  he pulls a face at me  "Just lay off that coffee Tapestry!!  No more today!!"  he snaps, he goes back to the coffee probably trying to steer the conversation away from his bruises and pain.

"You can't say anything to me about coffee while you are eating painkillers like they are smarties and pretending there is nothing wrong with you, when there clearly is!!"  he didn't say anything as he made his way back to lying down on the bed.

"I hope you don't think I'm going to be cooped up in here all day ... I'm going to end up climbing the walls!!  I'm going out in a bit to stretch my legs."   I say to him, even though I hate that he's in pain, but with him being bed bound this will probably help me achieve what I've been plotting since yesterday, to go out on my own today without him, which was always going to be the hardest part of my plan.   He looks up from his book and pulls a face.

"I'm sorry!!!  I don't feel up to going anywhere, I'm in  ..."  it was almost like he was about to tell me how much pain he's in and he stops himself from saying anymore ... he doesn't have to tell me how much pain he's in because I can see!!  "I don't like the idea of you going out there alone, especially not after last night!!"

"I'll be okay with Storm, it's daytime, can I go and check out the orange shop to see if they have a guitar ... I can check on the car too if you want."  he looks at me still pulling faces  "It's day time PLEASE I won't be long and I'll be perfectly safe with storm!!" 

"Okay, you can check on the car and the orange shop ... but leave it until about 2pm, the suns hottest then, but you are going nowhere without Storm."  he says then changes his mind  "No, actually leave the repair shop, I'll phone them, you just go to the orange shop ... straight there and straight back!!"  he looks around suddenly  "Storm you don't let him go ANYWHERE else!!  Don't let him go wandering off like he does!!"  Two o'clock couldn't come quick enough!! Storm laughs because I think he know's I'm up to something.

I set off on my mission really excited with Storm in tow ... it was the only way River was letting me out on my own, but that didn't matter because I need Storms help to pull this off anyway ... I have $400 burning a hole in my pocket ... if everything goes to plan, it won't be there for long!!

I make my way out of the motel and walk down the road a little to the 'Green' shop, walking past the window I see the guitar is still there, I smile to myself.  I can't help but stop and look at it again.

I WANT that guitar and I'm going to get it.  I notice there is a woman behind the counter today, not the guy who I had a tiff with yesterday.  I walk away from the window and around the side of the Green shop, as it is the end one in the row and lean against the wall and so does Storm.

"Storm as soon as you see a green berry tell me!"  I say quietly to him

"River is going to go mental ... are you not even going to look in the orange shop first?!"  he laughs  "And how do you know they aren't going to do a runner with your money?  You know what green berry's are like ... sour inside!!"  This makes me laugh for a moment, I know he's having a dig at his mother and evil siblings.

"Are you off your head .... YOU KNOW what that guitar is!!!  I'm getting that guitar even if it fades me!!"  I smile at him and he knows why  "and they won't do a runner with my money, because if they try ... you are going to stop them!!"  he just laughs at me.

We stand for ages, watching different people wandering around the street, Storm keeps calling out different colours when a new person comes into view ... but its never green and I'm starting to get a little irritated.

We were standing there for about half an hour before the first green person came into view, Storm jumps up and says we've got one!  The little old lady who is just crossing over to this side of the road, he points towards her.  I smile, a little old lady, even better this is going to be easy!!  I start walking towards her.

"I'm sorry to disturb you but I've got a problem and I'm wandering if you would be so kind as to help me out with it?"  I smile at her sweetly, she looks up at me suspiciously saying nothing, I hope she doesn't thinks I'm going to mug her or something as I notice she grips tightly onto her bag.  "It is my best mates birthday, he is green and I've seen something in the green shop that I want to buy him for his birthday, but because I'm orange the guy in the shop won't let me buy it for him."  she seems to relax a little, so I smile at her again  "I know I could just give him the money to go in and get it, but I really want it to be a surprise, I want to see his face when he opens his present!"  she starts laughing  Oh man!!  If this doesn't work, I don't know what else I can say to her

"You want me to go in and buy if for you?!"  she smiles at me

"Would you?!  I would be eternily grateful, and so will my mate when he sees his surprise!!"  I grin at her like a cheshire cat, she laughs again

"Okay, I shouldn't ... but seeing as its for your green friend and you asked so nicely." she smiles at me.  I take $300 out of my pocket and hand it to her and tell her its the guitar in the window.  she smiles at me, she puts her shopping bag down on the pavement and asks me to watch it and hobbles off towards the shop.  I stare down at her bag wandering why she would trust me with it after she had looked at me so suspiciously to start with ... but then I suppose I have just handed her $300.  My stomach is doing somersaults waiting for the old woman to come back out of the shop.

"You are a jammy pig!!"  Storm starts laughing at me

Finally the old woman comes out of the shop carrying the guitar in a large black rubbish bag, which Storm had to tell me, I had worried about the colour of the bag that it might come out in, because I couldn't have carried the green guitar through the streets, especially not in a bag that might have 'Green shop' stamped all over it,  but I was prepared I had a very similar black rubbish bag folded up in my pocket.  These colour coded towns are just ridiculous ... I can't wait to get home and back to normality where nobody gives a damn about what colour anything is!!

I thanked the old woman about 100 times, and gave her a $20 note for her trouble which at first she just stares down at with wide eyes when I placed it in her hand.  She said she didn't want it and tried to give it me back, but I made her have it, walking away and giving her no choice but to keep it.  I skipped off down the street like an excited child holding onto the bag tightly.  We have one more stop before we can go back to the motel.

I walked into the car repair shop, I notice as I walk past the repair bay they have the bonnet up on River's car and they are working at it.  I walk into the shop part of the garage and have to follow Storms directions as he points out what I need ... primer, orange spray paint and lacquer.

Being colorblind for me is not really a problem back home, but in colour coded towns it is going to be a total nightmare ... but with Storm following me around he is going to have to become my eyes and help me look like a normal person who isn't colourblind or breaking the colour code, which amuses me a little but also annoys me at the same time.

I pay for the spray paint then head back towards the motel feeling like I've just won the lottery.

When I get back to our room River is just coming out of the bathroom and I notice he's got himself dressed, he'd still been in his dressing gown when I left.  "Tapestry where have you been?!  What took you so long ... I was starting to get worried!!"  I just smile at him as I put the guitar down on the floor on its stand but leave the bag over it, I really need to pee because I've got myself over excited, so I run off into the bathroom.

"T-A-P-E-S-T-R-Y!!!!"

I was expecting and waiting for him to start yelling when he sees the guitar in the bag is that green guitar from the green shop!!  I chuckle to myself as I'm taking a pee.  When I walk out of the bathroom he's still up on his feet with his hands on his hips, a face like thunder.

"What the hell did you do? .... how did you get this guitar? ... it's got to go back!! ... we can't keep this!! ... Berry I should have known better than to let you go out on your own!!  I notice Storm is as bad as you for not doing as he's told ... he's let you go wandering!!!  Please tell me you haven't be causing trouble with that guy in the Green Shop again!!"  he's stressing.

I take the spray paint out of the bag and hold it up so he can see it and tell him to stop stressing ... the green guitar will be orange before he knows it!!  He's still not happy ... he still says its got to go back.

Now I'm getting annoyed.  I take the black bag off the guitar and put it back onto its stand on the floor in front of him while I'm telling him I've caused no trouble explaining to him about the old woman going quite happily into the shop to buy it for me and that I gave her $20 for being so kind.   He's still scowling at me.

"Do you know what that is?"  I ask him and he just shrugs his shoulders and says a guitar which makes me laugh  "It's an Iconic Jam Guitar ... Google it ... that guy in the Green Shop ... he is pissed!!!  or he would be if he knew just how much money he's just thrown away ... $300 I still can't believe it!!! ... $300 ... that's probably not even how much one string costs!!"  I start laughing as River is frowning down at the guitar  "Go on google it ... I bet the cheapest one you'll find for sale, if any, is between $8,000 - $10,000 ... there were only so many made and it's VERY hard to get your hands on one ... I've been throwing tantrums trying to get Dad to buy me one of these for years but he won't have none if it ... wait till Prelude sees this guitar ... he's going to have a hissy fit!!"

I start laughing, he pulls his phone out and starts looking on the internet.  $300 man ... that is just ridiculous!!!  I pick the guitar up off it's stand, I've got the biggest grin on my face, I can't believe this guitar is actually MINE!!!  I start playing it ... something I thought I would never get to do in my lifetime.   River looks up at me after a while and just watches me playing.

"STOP!!"  he shouts suddenly  "You are not playing that guitar again until it's orange ... if you annoy anyone with your playing they might come banging the door down and might see that its green ... can you even spray paint?"

I take it that means he's okay about me keeping the guitar now.

"No, but Storm can ... he's doing the spraying."

"Well tell Storm to get it done quickly ... you aren't touching it again until its orange!!"

"Yes boss!!"  I smirk at him as I put the guitar back on it's stand and hand him the $70 I have left in my pocket.  He just frowns down at the money in his hand  "Your change, so I owe you $330 ... $300 for the guitar, $20 for the old woman and $10 for the paint."  I smile at him, he laughs at me and says he can see Storm has been counting for you again!!  We both laugh because he's right.

"Forget it, you don't owe me anything ... it's your birthday present, seeing as you never got any!!"  I smile at him, that makes it even better ... that will be the best present I'll probably ever have!!  I go to throw myself at him but he grabs my arms to stop me  "Don't even think about it ... you are going to hurt my back!!  Besides I'm still not happy with you for the little stunt you've just pulled!!"  I just pull a face at him. "Come on ... get yourself ready, we are due at work in half an hour!!"

"Oh so we are still going ... only after last night I thought you wouldn't want to, and with your back hurting so much, I didn't think you'd be up to it."  I'm surprised after our vampberry encounter that he would even consider going to the bar seeing as it will be after midnight and dark again when we come out.

"We are catching a taxi there and back so I don't have to walk far ... plus I'm well prepared tonight!!"  he unbuttons his jacket top and pulls it back so I can see something.  I start laughing when I see he's got two half sized wooden stakes in his inside pocket that are taped to the inside of his jacket to keep them from moving about or falling out.

"Has anyone ever told you your a nerd!!"  I laugh at him

"Yes plenty of times .... now get a wriggle on or we are going to be late for work!!"

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Song: Undefeated - Daughtry
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Note - Yes I know the vampire fighting pic is a tacky in game one - but I do try to keep the pics as tame as possible, I try to avoid violent pic etc as much as I possibly can, even though sometimes it's not easy.