Morning Rising (7 page)

“It’s gonna be real good shit,” Dylan said.
She turned to meet Kara’s eyes. Her glare was cool and defiant, the
half smile had faded to nothing. “You know the shit I get in the
city is half-assed. What’s your fucking problem today?”

That was the last straw. Kara’s anger had
been building with each step away from the bus station and into the
frigid day until that moment. Maybe things would have been
different if Dylan hadn’t given her such attitude, or if it wasn’t
so cold. As it was, tension had been building between the two of
them for days, ever since Kara asked Dylan to lay off the drugs.
Kara snapped.

“You are,” Kara answered bitterly. “You don’t
need this shit, and right now I don’t feel like dealing with your
shit.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Dylan said, shaking her head.
“Sorry if I want to have some fun now and then like a normal
teenager. I don’t need you trying to tell me what to do all the
time. You’re not my mom.”

That hurt. “Sorry if I care about you,” Kara
said and glared at Dylan to hide how much her words had stung.
Dylan could get to her in a way no one else in her life could.

“You just care about getting in my pants,”
Dylan said. “You’re just like every other asshole that’s ever come
my way.” The words tumbled free without thinking. Kara could see
the regret in Dylan’s eyes even as she finished speaking. It was
nice to see, but a little too late.

“Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?”
Kara asked, biting off each word. Her eyes narrowed as the hurt
from Dylan’s words rushed through her.

“Kara, I didn’t mean that,” Dylan said, open
and pleading for the moment. She opened her arms and grabbed Kara’s
arms. Her hands squeezed warmly through the layers of clothing. The
touch invited Kara to give in. “I’m just in a shitty mood.”

“Screw you,” Kara said, pulling her arms away
from Dylan’s grip. “I can’t believe you could even say that. Like I
haven’t been your best friend in the world and asked you for
absolutely nothing. I wasn’t the one who came onto you, remember? I
never would have worked up the nerve.”

“Well I knew what you wanted,” Dylan said, on
the defensive again now that Kara wasn’t accepting her apology. “I
figured if I gave it to you then you would keep being my
friend.”

“You’re an asshole. You know that wasn’t how
it was.” Kara turned and walked away, shaking her head. She felt
tears pricking at the back of her eyes, but wouldn’t let them
fall.

“Kara,” Dylan called after her. “Please come
back, I want you to come with me.”

“I’m not some charity case,” Kara called
back, without turning around. “I don’t want to waste your time.
Just go see if maybe this guy will be your friend if you fuck
him.”

It was the last time Kara saw Dylan. She
didn’t remember how she’d ended up in the pit, but she was sure it
was tied to that guy from the party. She could only remember him
vaguely, but there had been something weird about him. It was like
his eyes were too dark against his pale skin and his features just
a bit too perfect.

Kara woke in the semi-darkness, shaking with
cold even though the room was warm. She felt like she was going to
be sick as she remembered the horrible way she and Dylan spoke to
each other on that last day. Kara couldn’t help but feel like
everything since then had been her fault. When she thought of Kade,
the man Dylan snuggled against at the club, she knew he was the
same man Dylan went to meet. If only Kara followed along with Dylan
like she always had before. Maybe none of this would have
happened.

Curling up on her side, Kara dredged through
her memories, trying to find something good to hold on to. She knew
she’d had so much happiness with Dylan. Why was it she could only
remember the bad times? Closing her eyes she pictured Dylan, her
perfectly tan skin, wide brown eyes, and infectious smile. She was
undoubtedly one of the most beautiful girls Kara knew, but there
had to be more than that, right?

Half dozing off again, memories began to swim
into focus. Dylan smiling at her mischievously, then one of Dylan
leaning against her on the couch. Her body was always so warm
against Kara. Dylan always seemed so much more at ease when it was
just the two of them, like for once she had nothing to prove.

It had been only a couple weeks after they
met in the alley that Kara first invited Dylan to her house. If she
hadn’t wanted to be alone with Dylan so desperately she never would
have done it, but her mom and her boyfriend were going to see a
movie and she thought they’d have a few hours to themselves.
Usually they spent their time with Dylan’s boyfriend and his
friends and if they were alone it was always somewhere in public.
Kara couldn’t shake the feeling that if she had a few hours alone
with Dylan something might come of the spark between them.

“You sure know how to show a girl a good
time,” Dylan teased as Kara pulled the frozen pizza out of the
oven. She was always teasing like that, acting like she knew Kara
had a crush on her; acting like maybe she was interested.

“Nothing but the best,” Kara replied with a
nervous smile. She dug through the drawer, looking for the pizza
cutter. Her body buzzed with nerves and she didn’t realize what she
was doing until her finger slipped over the blade of the knife.
Letting out a cry of pain and surprise, she jerked her hand out of
the drawer.

“What happened?” Dylan asked, stepping
forward.

“I cut myself,” Kara said, staring as blood
welled along the cut. She felt strangely numb looking at it. It ran
down the inside of her index finger from the second knuckle to the
tip.

“Shit,” Dylan said at Kara’s shoulder. She
reached out to cup Kara’s finger just in time to catch the first
drop of blood. “Come on, rinse it off, that looks bad.”

Dylan’s hand pressed gently against the small
of Kara’s back, leading her to the sink. Kara wasn’t sure if she
was lightheaded from the blood or from Dylan’s hand on her back.
Dylan ran cold water over the wound and wrapped the cut in a paper
towel, squeezing and apparently unconcerned as Kara’s blood coated
her hand.

“Thanks,” Kara said breathlessly. She knew
Dylan was right to put pressure on the wound, but it hurt.

“You’re okay,” Dylan said, brushing a piece
of hair behind Kara’s ear. She smiled. “You’re really pale, do you
want to sit down?”

“No.” Kara shook her head. They stood almost
pressed together and she didn’t want to move an inch.

“What idiot puts a knife like that in a
drawer?” Dylan asked

“Mom’s boyfriend,” Kara said with a
snort.

Dylan pursed her lips and shook her head.
“What a jerk.”

Carefully, Dylan let go of Kara’s finger and
pulled off the paper towel. After running it under water again it
was clear the wound was deep, but not too deep. A red welt was
spreading around the wound.

“Oh wow, that looks bad,” Dylan said. She
frowned. “Are you allergic?”

“Yeah.” Kara nodded, looking up in surprise.
“To iron. How did you know?”

Dylan smiled. “I am too.”

“No way! That’s crazy. I’ve never met anyone
else.”

“Me either.” Dylan let out a small laugh and,
with more gentleness than Kara ever expected, spread ointment on
the wound and used two band aids to cover it. When she was done she
lifted Kara’s finger to her lips and kissed it.

“There, all better,” Dylan said, smiling.

“Yeah,” Kara said, twisting her hand in
Dylan’s to squeeze gently. “Thanks.”

When she thought back on it, she could never
be sure who moved first, but then they were hugging, Dylan
squeezing her tightly. Shutting her eyes and inhaling the body
spray and smoke that lingered in Dylan’s hair, Kara knew she would
cut herself a dozen times if it ended like this.

When Kara opened her eyes
again, a warm peace had taken root in her chest. While the first
memory had terrified her, the second made her remember everything
she loved about Dylan.
Looking out the
window, it was hard to tell what time it might be. The sky outside
seemed marginally brighter though and sleep felt impossible after
the memories. The idea of slipping back into that dream terrified
her. When Kara opened the bedroom door, she saw a small pile of
clothes sitting just outsider her door. She smiled and brought them
inside. After lord knew how long wearing the same clothes, the
fresh ones were a welcome change.

The light coming through the windows was dim,
but enough to see by. Kara dressed without turning on a light. When
she was done, she looked at herself in the mirror on the back of
the door. The jeans were a bit small and hugged her body tighter
than any she had ever worn; same went for the shirt which fit like
a second skin, its long sleeves covering her thin arms. None of it
was her style, but as she stood looking in the mirror there was
only one thing she could think of to describe herself.

“Bad ass,” she muttered approvingly, turning
to see herself from another angle. Her hair was cut in a bob so the
front reached her chin, but the back was much shorter. It had been
a drastic change when she decided to cut it. Back then, she hadn’t
known if she liked it. Now with the new clothes it was suddenly
working for her. She never would have worn the outfit in the human
world, it was way more Dylan’s style, but she liked it.

Her stomach growled, distracting her from her
self admiration, and she headed for the kitchen, hoping to find
something edible in the fridge. Baron was still fast asleep on the
couch with one arm over his eyes. She did her best to be quiet as
she pulled what looked like a half eaten chicken from the fridge.
She pulled a small piece of meat off and ate it. It wasn’t chicken,
it was too chewy to be chicken. It had been rubbed in herbs and
salt though and tasted delicious, that was all she needed to
know.

Was the meat something she ate all the time
as a kid? It didn’t taste familiar, but maybe it was one of her
favorite foods. It was weird to consider. Kara took another bite,
chewing thoughtfully. Suddenly not remembering the food she liked
as a child seemed bigger than not remembering her real parents,
even though that was stupid.

“Breakfast already?” Baron’s sleepy voice
seemed extra loud in the silent apartment, and Kara jumped at the
sound of it. Her mind had been a million miles away. Kara grinned
sheepishly at him as he pushed himself off the couch and stretched
before joining her.

“I couldn’t sleep anymore,” Kara said. She
frowned and pushed the chicken thing towards him. “Bad dreams or
memories, I don’t know which.”

“Sleep will bring them out,” Baron said as he
put a piece of the bird into his mouth. “I have something that will
help with that though. Pull the memories out all at once instead of
waiting for them to dribble out.”

“What do you mean?” Kara asked. She held a
forgotten piece of meat in her hand.

“It’s hard to explain, but trust me, it’s for
the best,” Baron assured her. Kara nodded and took a bite of the
meat.

“Is it even morning yet?” she asked.

“Yeah.” Baron nodded. “It’s early, but it’s
morning.”

“How can you tell?” Kara shook her head. “It
would drive me crazy living here, never knowing if it was morning
or night.”

“You get a feel for it. In about an hour
you’ll notice its a little less dark out there,” Baron said. “It
doesn’t really matter though; people are out at all hours. Nothing
ever closes here. All the semi-normal people tend to move about
during the daytime hours, when things are marginally safer. At
night, it’s anyone’s game. The sane people are locked up tight at
home if they can help it.”

“It’s so weird.” Kara popped a piece of meat
into her mouth and reached for another one. Instead, she pushed the
plate away, full for the moment. “So if I use this thing and you
put my memories back properly, it will help with the dreams?”

“Yeah and maybe give you a bit more
confidence,” Baron said. He wrapped up the chicken and slid it back
into the fridge. “We should go up to the roof if you want to try it
though. I don’t want to wake Alster.”

“Is it safe up there?” Kara couldn’t help but
think about the trouble they had started the night before.

“This building is probably the second safest
after Demitar’s own,” Baron promised. “Plus, I know I said people
are up at all hours here, but this is a pretty quiet hour. Most
people are heading to bed, or haven’t woken yet.”

“Alright,” Kara agreed. She felt like she had
to trust him. It wasn’t like she had a better plan. Her mind
strayed back to Glint’s warning of truth and lies. She had to
believe that Baron was on her side, she couldn’t let herself worry
that he was out to hurt her. It would only drive her crazy.

She watched as Baron pulled on his shoes.
Together, they slunk quietly out the front door. Baron locked it
behind them and slipped the key into his pocket.

“We have to take the stairs from here.” Baron
led the way to the stairwell at the far end of the hall. He used
the same key card he had used on the elevator to let them into the
stairway. He stepped back to wave her through.

Kara halted just inside the stairway door.
The steps were metal. Most likely at least partly iron. She tried
to step back; being in such an enclosed area with that much iron
seemed like suicide. She could already feel her lungs tightening
and her skin itching. Baron caught her by the shoulders.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, frowning with
concern.

“I can’t touch the stairs.” Kara tried to
push past him, back into the hallway where it was safe. “I’m
allergic to iron.”

“There’s no iron here.” Baron laughed. Kara
stopped struggling and frowned up at him. Her heart still hammered
in her chest, but confusion overwhelmed her fear.

“What do you mean?” Kara asked. “No
iron?”