about anything really. Her voice is so enchanting. And then I pull up to her fortress of a house, looming up on a hill. It's always so sad because I know I have to say goodbye. When I pass the stone gargoyles that crane their necks to watch my taxi creep up to the great doors of her house, my heart drops because I know she'll disappear behind the blackened oak doors and I won't be allowed to follow. But this morning is different. Usually I'm picking her up now, not taking her home. She leans back into the seat quietly as we drive out through the rolling hills and the morning dew. Her hair flails, a tattered flag over stormy seas and her eyes stare out, unblinking. What must she be thinking? The gravel cracks underneath the wheels as I stop before her doors and turn off the car. Immediately there settles a crushing silence. Only out here can there be so little to make sound. I step out and around to her side of the car, breaking the silence by crunching gravel under my boots, and open her door to let her step out. She takes a few steps, making no sound at all, and lingers. She hasn't said a word since we left my house. Closing her door, I lean on the taxi, pretending like my mind isn't going crazy trying to figure out what keeps her. "You okay?" I finally say.
"Yeah... it's just..." she turns around, something is obviously bothering her. "I don't know... could you..."
"Yes?"
"Could you come in?... Just for a little bit. I mean. You don't have to. It's just. I don't know... I just..." She's stumbling over her words. Is she nervous? What's going on?
"I will," she starts a little, surprised by my quick response. I'm surprised myself.
"What?"
"I'll come in." I say, trying so desperately to stay cool and pretend like my insides aren't churning over themselves. Why does she want me to go with her?
"Oh... okay..." She turns and takes a few cautious steps towards her door. What's eating at her? "I just... I don't really want to be alone right now."
"It's okay, I understand." She relaxes upon hearing this, "I'm here for you Val, you know that." I tell her, causing her to stop and turn back to look at me.
"Yeah... thanks Cabbage, it means a lot." She says this, the quiver in her voice fading. Suddenly she digs a heel into the gravel and turns back to her door, her black hair whipping around as she strides to the door, confident again. This makes no sense. "You coming?" she's stopped at the door, turned just enough to give me a piercing look as though I'm taking too long again, suddenly defiant. I follow her, pausing for a brief moment at the threshold before following her into the dark castle that I've only ever entered in daydreams. My deadened eyes aren't adjusting very well to the sudden dark, but as they tried I catch a glimpse of Val walking off. My foot catches and I fall forward with a groan, my face crashing into cold concrete. Stairs... should've known there would be stairs... Val starts before laughing a little, such a sweet sound. "Oh yeah, I forgot, you probably can't see much in here can you?"
"Not particularly." I groan as I push myself up from the stairs. She's suddenly right back by me, helping me up with a strong hand. I hate it when she does that.
"I'm so so so sorry, I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I'll get some lights, just stay right there." She sounds nervous again. Why is she being so weird? She leaves a blast of air behind as she rushes off into the distance.
And it's quiet. I can't see anything, the silence is pressing in on me. What was that? Did I hear something? Surely not. I must be imagining things. I swear I heard something. She's still not back yet, I don't like this. I hope she's alright, maybe she tripped while she was running off, maybe she's hurt and needs help. I should go look for her and make sure she's okay. She's taking an awful long time. I'm gonna get up and go look for her. I could call for her. No, I would look stupid... and scared. Hmmmm....I'll just get up casually and look for her. Okay, here goes. As I move to stand, there's a whoosh and bursts of flame explode along the wall knocking me onto my back, my retinas scorched by the sudden light. They adjust slowly to the light, I can make out the high arches that must be the ceiling, they're a soulless obsidian, gold accents tracing up along the walls, all coming to a point. The light seems to grasp at this point but falters as it nears. Maybe I didn't want to come in after all.
"That better?" Val's voice echoes through the halls. I guess that means she's alright. I feel a breeze and now Val's staring down at me, her head cocked to the side. "Why are you laying down, Taxi-man?" Hate that name. She picks me up and sets me down on my feet. "Sorry for being so weird right now, I'm still working on getting my thoughts together. Last night just reminded me of something I try to forget ever happened. Somethings are best left forgotten." She says, almost matter-of-factly. Uhh, okay. I look around and my eyes are met by ghostly arches and aged concrete blocks with black ivy growing across them.
"Woah... it's so..." Why did I say this, how am I supposed to finish this sentence? I'm already worried about what I'm doing here, who am I to comment on this place? Crap, what to say... Why am I so awkward?
"So, what? Old? Decrepit? Dusty? Lonely? It mostly feels lonely to me. I don't really like it all that much." She walks up the stairs, stroking the wall with her hand and letting her hair fall while her kilt sways from side to side outlining her toned legs. Don't stare. She'll know if you stare. Stop staring. She stops at the top of the stairs as she says, "You can pick your jaw off the ground now, Taxi Driver. I know what you're thinking." She does? Oh crap. I shouldn't be here. I should go, I've stayed too long. This isn't good.
I pick my jaw up and put it back on with a sickening sucking sound. "You do?" My voice quakes, belying my nervousness. You've done it now man, she knows you're nervous.
"Yeah, you've never been inside a castle, you're shocked by it. I can't deny, it's pretty impressive." She says, chuckling. "Unless you have to live in it that is." Not at all what I was thinking but okay. "You okay to stay here for a sec while I grab a shirt for work?" This comes out bubbly, she seems much more normal now. Well, normal for her anyways. I guess whatever it was that was bothering her is gone now, but somehow I doubt it. Maybe I'll hear about it some other time, probably best to drop it for now.
"Sure." I shrug, trying to be nonchalant, and put my hands in the pockets of my tattered black jacket. Something is in the left pocket, it's silky. My gut feeling says it's best to wait until she's rounded the corner of the stairs before checking what it is. After the last bit of her kilt disappears, I quickly pull it out hold it up. Oh crap. It's silky aright. A blackened square with blue embroidery. Why do I have this and when did it get in my pocket? Val keeps most of her possessions at home to keep others from taking them. She all but never relinquishes anything of her own and never gives someone a gift from her own belongings. And this little silk square is one of the few items she ever takes out of her house and only then to keep a tighter hold on it. With an eloquent V in the center it is unmistakably one of her six. But why do I have it? And in my jacket of all things? Did she put it there? Was she wearing my jacket? She keeps only one of these at a time and it rarely comes out of her pocket. I only know because she told me one day on the way back to her house while she was reminiscing on them being one of the few things she had from when she was still human, however long ago that was. And yet somehow I have one. Do I tell her? Or should I keep it and hope she doesn't notice? That would be creepy. Maybe... no. As I'm standing there trying to come up with an answer she swings around the corner of the stairs with a twirl so graceful. Hurriedly I shove the handkerchief back in my pocket and pretend like nothing happened. Hope she didn't see that. "Ready to go?" I say through a half-baked smile. Play it cool. Trying to stay cool around her is so hard.
"Aren't I always?" She answers brightly. Her concerned demeanor from earlier is completely gone, Cthulhu knows where. I turn to face her and she's already waiting on me again,
