OLDER
CONTACT ME
DIARYLAND
2003-08-19 - 2:00 a.m.
Nikki jumped at the sight of them, being caught slightly off-guard by it. I sat there patiently, I knew the sheriff wasn't coming for me, or any of us, but was just bringing Martin home. I reached up, touched Nikki's arm, and she sat back down. I heard Sheriff Sikes' boots on the stairs coming up to the porch, but I didn't hear Martin's shoes.
Sikes knocked loudly on the door, I walked over and opened it. "Good evening Sheriff Sikes. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" He took off his hat and looked me straight in the eyes. "We had a little trouble down at Platinum about fifteen minutes ago. Your sister is fine. Martin got into a fight with Aaron Brown. The other patrons said that Aaron was making passes at Natalie all night and Martin wasn't happy with it, so he hit Aaron. Now that boy is as big as an ox, almost as smart some days, Martin really didn't stand a chance against him. Aaron threw him outside to the sidewalk. Now this is where the story gets a little fuzzy. Some people said that you helped Martin, others said that Martin fought back on his own, and a few others said that Aaron was attacked by the shadows themselves. Martin is at the hospital being checked out for internal injuries, and Natalie is with him. Right now we don't know where Aaron is, but when we find him we'll bring him in for questioning. Now Seven, if I were you I'd watch my back for a while, Aaron can carry a grudge like no other; and don't go too far if you leave, I'd like to talk to you later." When he was done talking he slipped his hat back on his head, tilted it towards the girls in the living room, and walked back to his squad car. At least I wasn't being taken to the station for questioning. Natalie or Martin would be calling soon to let me know what was going on with his condition. At worst I can imagine he had a few bruised ribs, but nothing that would make them keep him overnight. "He seemed nice. Do you always make friends with the local authorities when you live somewhere?" Amy asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Funny Amy, very funny. I dated his daughter, Charlotte, in high school. She dumped me and he thinks he owes me because of it. It's nothing like Officer Bob, God that was a nightmare." I sat back down next to Nikki. Nikki looked at Amy, "What's an Officer Bob?" Amy threw her head back and laughed. "Before I explain Officer Bob, you have to understand Seven. The man... boy... child... demon, whatever he is has lived here in Shawston, up north in Ranger Park, and down south in Palmero and Redstone. His family is here in Shawston, so he always comes back here. He doesn't know why he leaves, he claims to be searching for something, but not knowing what it is, but he always comes back. He's a wanderer and an artist; if this were the middle ages he might be revered, but it's not and he isn't. He lived in Palmero first, which he doesn't talk about much if at all. Then he lived in Redstone where he met myself, Mary, and Tessa. Mary and I are the cause of a few of his scars, sort of; but we'll get to that later. Then he lived in Ranger Park last summer. Now he's back here." Nikki just kept nodding, taking in all this information. Amy leaned forward, elbows on knees, and continued. "In Redstone Seven would wander the streets aimlessly and sometimes the police had to bring him back home because he was lost. Most notably was Officer Bob. Officer Bob was the first to take Seven home, he was also a fan of our band, 'Powerfly'. Seven and Bob started hanging out after our shows, going out and doing things together, just being friends. Seven thought he was just making a friend in the police force, Bob thought they were dating. It wasn't until Bob saw Seven and Mary making out after a show that he thought otherwise. Officer Bob wasn't happy with that. How many times were you arrested after that?" I raised four fingers on my left hand and three on my right while staring at my shoes. "That's right, Officer Bob arrested Seven, seven times for vagrancy. He thought it was ironic or cute or something, then he was suspended for harassment. And that concludes the Officer Bob story." Nikki just sat there processing what she had just heard. She began looking from Amy to me and back again, then she just broke out laughing. Within seconds all three of us were laughing at the sheer stupidity of that story.
