Regenesis (Book 1): Impact (23 page)

She
and Jordan sat with Ian, with whom Jordan chatted with while Rachel merely
waited for another opportunity to drag Jordan out to the dance floor, though
the couples’ songs felt drastically sparse. She knew he wanted to spend time
with his newly recovered friend, but it still pained her to be second place in
his thoughts.

Her
young Romanian friend approached their table to tell her of the lovely time he
had. “I really must be leaving though.”

She
frowned, “You haven’t even danced once yet. You can’t leave without dancing at
least once,” she told him.

“Well
I am uncomfortable with most of the dancing I have witnessed thus far, and the
couples’ songs are…well, I do not have anyone to share that dance with.”

“I’ll
dance with you.”

At
that moment Jordan returned to Rachel. “Wait, what if I–”

Rachel
stopped him. “It’s only one dance. Just stay here and talk with Ian and I’ll be
back once the song’s over.”

Without
letting Jordan have another say in the matter Rachel took Vladimir by the arm
and led him down to the dance floor right as another slow song began.

He
admitted he didn’t know how to dance. “It’s easy,” Rachel told him, “Place your
right hand at my waist, I’ll set mine here on your shoulder, and we hold
hands–” she shivered once she touched his hand, “You’re freezing.”

“Yes,
I’m anemic,” he confessed.

“Oh.”
She returned to their dance and told him, “Normally the guy leads, but since
this is your first time I’ll lead.”

The
two slowly turned while they quietly talked and Vladimir nervously tried to
follow her. “Are you still worried about your bracelet?” he asked.

She
nodded, “I’m really afraid that I lost it on the bus.”

Perplexed,
Vladimir asked, “You do not trust in Jordan’s word?”

“No,
it’s not that…It’s just that it’s been in my family forever and if I lost it
I’d-I wouldn’t know what to do,” she told him.

“Well
if you brought it with you, you would still have it with you, right?”

“I
don’t know…I never leave home without it, so I don’t know if he’s right and
that I just didn’t wear it, or that I did and it slipped off my wrist on the
bus.”

“I
understand. Jordan did not sound entirely sure when you two talked about it
earlier,” Vladimir spoke, “He may not have been paying attention.”

“He
really doesn’t…” she began. “He’d rather hang out with his friends than me.
It’s not beyond him to completely blow me off when we’ve already planned
something too. And it’s always because of one of his friends or some stupid
game he wants to go to or…” She stopped and apologized, “I shouldn’t be
venting.”

“No,
no it is fine,” he assured her, “If you need to, go ahead and, as you said,
vent.”

She
hesitated, but continued, “He’s really a great guy, but he’s always rude, to
everyone, including you…” she paused, “And I know he’s dealing with a lot now,
but that’s no excuse for him to be able to say whatever he wants.”

“Although
he has no right to say those things, you must remember, it should only be
temporary. He could return to normal as soon as he is done dealing, as you
said,” he told her.

“Maybe
not,” she continued, “He’s always been like this. I don’t know why I put up
with it,” she sighed again but stopped herself from continuing. “Sorry…”

“You
are a very good dancer,” he told her as he changed the subject for her.

“Thanks,
you dance well too.”

“No
I don’t.”

She
smiled, “You dance beautifully.”

“I
believe that is supposed to be my line,” he said as he took the lead from her,
“But thank you Rachel.”

“You’re
welcome.” She looked into his eyes and quietly asked, “How do you like it here
so far?” Her voice quieted, became calmer, and her eyes never moved from his
and his gaze never left hers.

“It
is very nice here, crowded and over paved, but nice nonetheless. I do still prefer
my home over this, though.”

“What’s
it like there?” asked Rachel as she inched closer to him.

“There
are fewer towers there, or at the very least from where I am from,” he
explained. “The world is harsher though, colder, and it seemed hostile, though
I do at times feel hostilities here as well.”

“I’m
sorry,” Rachel frowned.

“I
imagine hostility is everywhere, so I try to ignore it.”

“That’s
good.”

“I
agree. Your world here is far greener than mine.” He stopped for a moment and
admitted, “My home is so vastly different than yours and I fear it would take
me far too long to reveal everything to you.”

She
set her hands around his neck and Vladimir placed his hands around her waist.
Rachel set her head on his shoulder and whispered, “I’d love to hear it all
someday.”

“Maybe
you will,” he said. “One of these days you and I should go out somewhere and
simply get to know one another.”

“I’d
love to.”

The
song ended and he released her. Vladimir rubbed his eyes and apologized, “It is
getting late and as such I believe I should find my host brother and leave. I
thank you for the–”

“Wait,”
she stopped him. “One more dance.”

He
blinked and failed to find the words he needed to. Vladimir agreed and the two
waited for the next couple’s song to begin on the opposite side of the room
from where Jordan and Ian sat. She remained close by and kept his hand with
hers.

--          --          --

Nick
and Amy spent the majority of their time together in an attempt to have a
conversation, though the bass, treble, and overall noise made that a challenge.
They could talk easier during the slow songs though, which they utilized at
every opportunity. Amy quickly realized that Nick wasn’t much for dancing or
much of a dancer for that matter, but still enjoyed his willingness to
accompany her and stumble his way through the same simple slow dance each time.

Nick
and Amy agreed to go on their date as a method to reduce their stress from the
when they witnessed Crystal’s murder, but he didn’t feel much relief. He felt
he needed to impress her, as such Nick tried to choose his words wisely, yet
often regretted his actions or responses or questions. He felt she was judging
him as to whether he was actually worthy of being there with her. Because of
the additional stress, he felt that he needed a moment to simply breathe after
four hours with her.

They
sat with Drake, his newest find Hiromi, Coop, Wally, Ian, and an irritable
Jordan. Nick told Amy he needed to use the restroom and left her there. As soon
as he took a step into the bathroom he stopped, waited for the door to close
behind him and buffer out most of the noise, and he listened closely to discern
whether anyone else occupied the room. After a brief moment he felt he was
alone and truly walked in.

The
urinals and stalls stood on the left side of the room with a light stench of
piss emitting from the stained floor beneath the porcelain depositories. The
sinks were on his right and when he passed them he noticed soap stained the
sides and the worn metal drains in each of them. Nick headed for the end of the
room where a wooden bench was attached to the wall and claimed a seat there. He
set his head in his hands, with his fingers in his hair, and let out a shaky
sigh.

Not
a second after he’d sat down the door opened, the music flooded in for a
moment, and an Asian man in a navy dress shirt, black slacks, and a trench coat
emerged. The man wore gloves, which he removed as he walked over to one of the
sinks in the middle of the room. He set the gloves aside and washed both his
hands and his face before he spoke, “Quite a party, right Nick?”

“What?”

“The
party.”

“N-No…Do
w-we know each other?”

The
Japanese man grinned as he dried his hands with a paper towel. “No, we don’t.”
He slipped his gloves back on and asked, “Did you know that your brother was
shot without so much as a word from his murderer?”

Nick
felt all of the hair on his neck and arms stiffen. His heart beat harder,
faster, and Nick even believed he could hear his pulse in his head. He watched
the man take a seat on the wooden bench beside him and continue.

“And
did you know that one of the seven living witnesses to the murder of Crystal
Marie Valentine committed suicide only six days after she witnessed the
murder?” Nick’s eyes widened. “Tiffany Shapiro, born April seventeenth in
twenty-thirteen, had suicidal thoughts all through junior high and previously
made an attempt at her own life at the age of fifteen, a few months after she
began slitting her own wrists. Her friend actually invited her out to lunch on
the day of the accident to try to help her, as her friend knew about Tiffany’s
depression and tendencies. Tiffany killed herself yesterday Nick. She went into
her mother’s medicine cabinet and downed an entire bottle of painkillers as
well as a sixteen year old bottle of vermouth.”

“H-How
do y-you know that?”

His
eyes flashed and he answered Nick’s next question before he asked it, “I’m not
a stalker or the one who killed your brother, but I want to help you find the
person responsible.”

Nick
frowned and asked, “How d-do I know y-you’re n-not the k-killer?”

“You
don’t. But if I had killed your brother, I wouldn’t come here to talk to you or
offer you help to catch me,” he explained. “And if I wanted to kill you, I
would have done it by now, or rather, a long time before you walked into this
place.”

“Why
do you w-w-want to help m-me?”

“Because
I have a goal that I want accomplished and I believe you can help me,” he told
Nick. “I don’t have the time to fill you in on the details now, but if you do
agree to help, not only will I unveil my plans to you, but I’ll help you catch
the man who killed your brother.”

Nick
took a moment to think about the Asian man’s offer, though the man asked if he
knew that there was someone who had witnessed Victor’s murder. Nick’s eyes shot
up, “Who was it?”

The
Asian man smirked. “Go ask Ian.”

Without
another word, he left the bathroom and though Nick followed after him Nick lost
the man in the crowd of partiers. Nevertheless he walked back to the table but
didn’t take his seat. Jordan, Wally, and Coop had all left by then, yet Drake,
the girl he chatted with, Amy, and Ian all remained.

Ian
looked at Nick, who stood with his eyes fixed on him and his hands balled into
fists. Ian asked, “What’s up Nick?”

He
didn’t hesitate, “Did y-you see my brother die?”

All
four of them looked at Nick at that moment. Drake tried to say something but
Nick angrily told him to stay out of it. “Did you Ian?” Nick repeated.

Ian
shook a bit but admitted it.

Nick
grit his teeth. “Wh-Why didn’t you t-tell me?”

“Because
he was in shock Nick,” Drake told him.

“Damn
it stay out of this!” he snapped at Drake. He turned back to Ian, “Who k-killed
Victor?”

“Nick,
I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking clearly–”

“Wh-What
did you see?”

Ian
swore. Frustrated, he told him, “I saw you kill him.”

Nick
stopped. He felt a cold fear overtake him. He trembled and asked, “Wh-What do
you m-mean I k-killed him?”

“Nick
he wasn’t sure what he saw.”

“Nick
what’s going on?” Amy asked, “What are you talking about?”

“You
think I k-killed my own brother?” Nick nearly whispered.

“No.”

“B-But
you said, you said I-I killed him.” His pulse raced, “Why would y-you think
I-I’d kill m-my brother?”

“I
don’t know.”

“He
didn’t Nick.”

“What’re
you all talking about? What’s wrong?”

“Who
was it?” Nick asked Ian.

“Nick!
Leave it alone.”

“What’s
going on?”           

“I
don’t know who it was Nick.”

“You
said it was me!” he screamed.

The
cry attracted a small amount of attention in the club, but Nick didn’t look
away for a second. He backed away from the table and headed for the door.

Amy
stopped him though, “Nick, stop. What’s going on?”

He
apologized to her, “I-I have to get a-away from here.” Tears flooded his eyes
as he apologized again and ran out the front entrance and into the rain.

He
didn’t have any direction as he wandered through the rain soaked emerald city.
Streetlamps bathed the city in an amber glow and through it, the rain, and his
tears he tried to search for solace, truth, or anything with meaning. People
passed the crying boy on his left and right and never said a word.

Someone
took him by the collar and pulled him into the nearest alleyway. It was the
Asian man from before. “I gather you’ve–”