Skippin' Rocks(Finished)

[Phoenix]

Fall

Phoenix had just sent a text to Elizabeth asking if she wanted to hang out some and that he was on his way over. Only Elizabeth, no Vara. He jumped into his Chevy truck and headed toward the Coon's lake house. He pulled in the drive and decided to head down to the lake sure to check-out any activity going on. Seeing as how it was late fall nobody was boating and there would only be a few fisherman if any. He took off his shoes and socks and left them on the grass as he continued on the still warm sand. It was getting late in the afternoon though the sun had yet to set the mosquitoes were starting to leave their nests to feed on the poor individuals that dared waltz around outdoors yet. This included Nix making this one of his least favorite times of day. Mosquitoes liked him like flies to a carcase. Though they never seemed to bother him nearly as much when he was in wolf form. Nonetheless, he started picking up the smoothest and flattest rocks he could find and started skipping them. He had long since found out that the bigger the rocks were, about the size of his hand, the better they skipped. Nix did this until Elizabeth would come down to meet with him. Atleast he hoped she would come down anyway.

[Elizabeth Coons]

Elizabeth looked down at the thing buzzing by her leg. A text message. Elizabeth ignored it and kept reading. About five minutes later she remembered it again. Looking from her book back to her phone, Elizabeth contemplated putting down the book she was reading for the annoying piece of buzzing technology. She sighed, giving in. Grabbing up the phone, she slid it open to see who the text was from. It was from Nix. Elizabeth opened the message, curious. The curious expression turned to one of incredulity and mild annoyance. Nix had just asked her to hang out, without Vara. A pinched frown crossed her face.

She stood up, and looked out the window. A familiar truck pulled up along the road. Elizabeth gave an annoyed huff, and ducked away from the window. She stood there for a moment, pondering what she should do. While she was annoyed at Nix inviting himself over, she didn’t want to just leave him outside. She peeked cautiously out the window, to see her friend heading for the lake. He quickly traveled out of sight of the window, and Elizabeth went to the next, where she could see him by the lake. He bent over, and picked something up off the sand. Elizabeth sighed, got a jacket hanging off the back of a chair, and went out the back door.

After pausing to evaluate the temperature on the back porch, Elizabeth headed for Nix. She came up behind him, not speaking. The girl was pretty sure her friend knew she was here, so she didn’t feel a need to announce her presence.

”Ya know, it’s rude to just invite yourself over like that.” Elizabeth said, breaking the silence.

[Phoenix]

There weren't too many good skipping rocks Phoenix noticed. He found another decent rock and flung it as hard as his werewolf muscles could but didn't get the angle right and the rock just slipped right into the water. That got him to wondering if he could KO a fish from the surface with that method. Hmmmm, where could Elizabeth be? Maybe she was watching a movie or reading a book. Surely she wouldn't just stand him up even though she'd probably see it as inviting himself over. Ahh well. He heard the soft thud of the door up the bank on the house close. As he picked up another rock to skip, Nix snatched a quick look to make sure it was E that was coming. He threw the rock and managed to get enough of the right angle for it to skip fifty or so feet. Elizabeth stopped a few feet behind him with a slightly unconventional greeting. "Well, perhaps. But your grandparents don't mind when I just stop by and I thought that you might enjoy getting to see me again. But I feel like we need to talk. About stuff that can't really be talked about at school." Nix replied. "Or we can just hang out if you'd rather not talk." He suspected she'd find something witty to say back at the very least.

[Elizabeth Coons]

Elizabeth crossed her arms in front of her, watching Nix. She watched his arm strain at the throw of the rock. Watched the rock hit the water with such force. It seemed that he was trying to skip rocks. Elizabeth stepped forward, standing beside him. She bent down, picking up a reasonably smooth rock. Turning it over a couple times Elizabeth felt the surface with the tips of her fingers. It would probably make a poor skipping rock, but there weren’t many other rocks to choose from.

”Brawn doesn’t beat skill.” Elizabeth said, giving Nix a teasing smile. With a flick of the wrist, Elizabeth sent the rock flying over the water. The rock skipped once, and then plopped dully into the water. Elizabeth paused. Well that sucked.

”Then again, it helps to actually have skill…” Elizabeth said contemplatively. With a light chuckle, Elizabeth turned to Nix, rolling her eyes at herself. Picking a dry spot on the shore Elizabeth sat down content to watch Nix some more. She pursed her lips slightly at what Nix said.

”Yeah but it’s common courtesy to ask to visit the person you actually want to hang out with. Unless your real intention for coming was to hang out with my grandparents.” Elizabeth teased, chuckling. When Nix said that he needed to talk to her, her eyes wandered to the opposite bank of the lake. She had a thoughtful expression on her face as she stared across the watery expanse. Sighing quietly, Elizabeth looked back at Nix.

”No, that’s okay. We can talk. You first though.” Elizabeth said, handing the floor over to him. While she had an idea of what he wanted to talk about, she let him start the conversation anyways.

[Phoenix]

Nix was...pleased...that Elizabeth had finally made her way down to the shore. Sometimes it seemed like it took so long for humans to move from place to place on foot. They don't know what they're missing out on he thought. E picked up a rock off the ground and looked it over some and thought it to be good enough to try her arm at the sport. The rock skipped once and stalled into the water. Nix picked up another rock and said, "It helps to try and throw it as parallel with the water surface as you can. And flick your wrist like this." And with that he tossed the rock across the water successfully skipping it several times before it stalled out and slipped into the glossy reflective surface. Phoenix kinda half turned to face his friend. He looked at her captivating eyes and realized how much he had actually missed her in her absence. She almost could have given some vamps a run for their money when it came to looks of admiration. Nix regathered his bearings and broke his gaze. "Eh, theres nothing in particular I felt that we needed to talk about. It's just that we haven't really talked hardly since you've gotten here. Nothing but a hushed whisper in class or a tense one in the presence of your vampire friend." He realized that Vara had likely only scared Elizabeth with the dangers of werewolves. "Is there anything you want to ask me? You know, maybe about me being a werewolf or something? Maybe you don't care." Awkward (kinda) was the only thing in Nix's thoughts.

[Elizabeth Coons]

Elizabeth frowned when she saw the rock skipping nicely over the lake. Show off. She thought sullenly. That didn’t last long though. She rolled her eyes once, and looked back at Nix, over her burst of sullenness. That’s the way it worked with Elizabeth most of the time, little flashes of emotion, then gone. It took skill to keep her feeling the same way throughout the whole conversation. And if she did have one emotion throughout the time, it was most likely annoyance.

Suddenly Nix’s eyes caught hers. He had an unusual expression in his eyes, but Elizabeth recognized it. Her face suddenly got hot, and she looked away, flustered. Man I better not be blushing. Elizabeth hoped to herself. She was glad when he started talking again. Though the way he callously said ‘your vampire friend’ set her off a bit. There was something disdainful in his tone. Elizabeth stared back up at him, her gaze no longer meek. Her irritation could be seen in her eyes. And also maybe… distrust? But, she didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about Nix being a werewolf, but she wasn’t very comfortable asking him such intimate questions. Elizabeth’s jaw clenched momentarily then loosened as she spoke.

”Oh don’t give me that. Of course I care. Excuse me for giving you time to tell me what your ‘condition’ is all about.” Elizabeth said sharply. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again, calming herself. She also took a deep breath for good measure.

”What’s it like, being a werewolf?” Elizabeth asked, trying to move the conversation past that awkward point.

[Phoenix]

Nix hadn't meant for the part about suggesting that "maybe you don't care" that she really didn't care, but more as something that wasn't that big of a deal to her. Though how could it really? She had left and her old best friend was still a normal human being and then some odd years later she comes back to find out he's a werewolf. He decided he had better put a bit more thought into his word selection. The question Elizabeth chose to ask first didn't surprise him a bit, "Oh being a werewolf is great. Usually. You have to be really careful of where you area and what's around you when in wolf form. But the speed and stealth that comes with it is fun. I don't know all of what Vara has told you or if she really knows anything about werewolves. But unlike some, I have good control over the urge." It felt a bit odd referring to the desire for human blood and needing to hunt as an urge especially considering that he hunted wild game regularly but had had his first taste of human blood the other night. He continued anyways, "It's all fun and games...until u have to morph back to human form, specifically outside the comfort of your own home, because, well...clothes fail to come back when the skin does." Nix wasn't sure if she knew that part or not nor how she would handle the fact. He found it harder to read her expressions since she hadn't even been back a whole year yet. Phoenix took a seat on the beach next to her yet keeping what he thought to be enough distance so as not to violate her personal bubble. He buried his feet beneath the sunbaked grains of sand further to where it was still cool and moist which reminded him of some lyrics "toes in the clay, ass in the sand. Not a worry in the world..." With the song playing in his head he pondered the no worries part of the song and sighed thinking of how his life had been different if he was never bitten and how much more relaxed it would be with no worries. "No worries=Hakunamatata" he recalled from the Lion King movie. Nix snapped back to the current world and turned his attention back on his friend resting his eyes on her hairs taking note of the color. "What else might she want to know?"

[Elizabeth Coons]

After Elizabeth was done with her question, she looked out across the lake again. Though her eyes were looking at the lake, they were out of focus, not really seeing. She was thinking about what Nix was saying about being a werewolf. Imagining also what it would be like to run along in a wolf’s body, all the sights and smells, the sounds. What would it feel like, the extra strength and senses? Elizabeth sighed with her imaginations. Then he mentioned the Urge. What would that feel like? Elizabeth had the feeling she could not experience anything like that, unless she herself was a vampire or a werewolf. The fact that he had good control over the Urge was somewhat comforting.

Elizabeth’s imagining came to a screeching halt when Nix mentioned clothes. She looked back up at him, a mix of shock and amusement on her face. The not morphing back with clothes on wasn’t something that Elizabeth had put much thought to. She looked away and blinked.

”Wow that would suck.” Elizabeth said emphatically. Her face scrunched in an odd way, her facial expression to show the feeling of awkwardness at whatever she happened to be thinking. Her mouth was open slightly, completing the expression. Then as quickly as it came, it disappeared. Once again, Elizabeth swung her head up to look at her friend again.

”So you probably go through a lot of clothes then eh? Or do you try and ditch the clothes before you morph?” Elizabeth asked, a wicked and teasing smile on her face.

[Phoenix]

Nix chuckled to himself at the reaction Elizabeth had when he told her that clothes don't morph back onto the body. She looked a little set back at the idea. "It does kinda suck. But like everything else, you get kinda used to it eventually. And when it's something inevitable such as that, you just get through it as fast as you can" he said. He caught her eye again as she glanced at him. Nix again got lost in her eyes for a second or two and then started looking through the sand for another rock. Feeling the rough grains pass under his hand. He turned his attention back to his friend as she continued the conversation. "Well you usually take the clothes off and hide them somewhere before you morph. That way they aren't just laying somewhere for random people to see. This way you can come back to them and put them on after you've morphed back as a human. Unless your being chased or in an emergency where you'll just leave the clothes where they fall and then you can just follow the scent back to wherever they are." Phoenix was enjoying finally getting to talk with E like this. It had been too long. At this moment they could've talked about anything in the world and he wouldn't've cared a bit. He found another pitiful rock and threw it without any regards for making is skip as it just fell into the water.

[Elizabeth Coons]

Elizabeth cracked a chuckle along with Nix. Seems like werewolfism had it’s downfalls, just like most everything in life. Even fairy tales weren’t all they were cracked up to be. Like vampirism. Elizabeth thought to herself. She shook her head, stuck by the absurdity of their situation. Sitting here on the shore of a lake, on a fine fall day, talking about supposedly mythical creatures. Even though Elizabeth was pretty much used to it, having been friends with Vara that long, she still found humor in the situation. After she was done with her moment, Elizabeth looked back at Nix, catching his eye again, though not for long. He started looking for more rocks to skip apparently.

With that, Elizabeth got up off the ground, slowly making her way to the water. She hadn’t put shoes on when she came outside, so she didn’t stop when she came to the edge of the water. Gentle waves washed over her bare feet, the cool water raising gooseflesh on her legs. Hm. Maybe jeans would have been a better idea. Elizabeth thought to herself. Oh well, too late for that now. Elizabeth stood ankle deep in the water, listening to what Nix was saying about shifting. Again, this brought up imaginings of what being a werewolf was like, mainly what shifting would feel like. Suddenly another thought popped into Elizabeth’s mind.

”Hey, you know how vampires don’t age and whatnot? What about werewolves? You guys age right? How long to werewolves live?” Elizabeth asked, still standing with her back to the shore.

[Phoenix]

Nix continued to search for rocks in the grainy sand as E stood up and strode to the waters edge allowing the wakes to run over her feet. With his exceptionally good wolf vision, Nix could just make out the small little goosebumps on her legs. Must be a bit on the cool side he decided. He found another ok sized rock and chucked it only skipping it once. Ohhh well he thought. Elizabeth asked another question about being a werewolf keeping her back turned toward him. "Well, first off. Werewolves are just as immortal as vampires are. We'll live forever unless something tragic happens. Though we have more ways to die then they do. Vampires need to be burned. But you don't necessarily need a silver bullet to kill one of us. But I'll never live to see the end of my immortality. As for when we stop aging, we're not sure about. The oldest werewolf I know isn't even thirty years old but we have a theory that once our brains stop developing, we stop aging, and brain development isn't complete until mid twenties." This had got Nix to wondering if Elizabeth had met the head honcho of the mini pack that ran this town. He wasn't able to recall if Twilight had told him that they had met. He knew that her and Vara had met, but he didn't think that she had mentioned anything about a human girl with the vampire. "Hey E, have you met any other immortals since you've came to Hush Hills?"

[Elizabeth Coons]

fElizabeth watched the rock skip once, then plop into the water. Seems like they could both use some practice skipping rocks. Staring down into the water now, Elizabeth swirled some water around with her foot. It was normal, brownish lake water. Elizabeth sighed, walking back to the part of the beach Nix had been sitting on, restless. She sat down, fidgeted a bit, then leaned back, elbows resting on the back of the bench, her legs stretched out in front of her. She mulled over what Nix said about being immortal. Seems both her friends were going to outlive her by a long shot. Elizabeth’s face turned sullen with a frown. This just wont do. Elizabeth thought to herself. She had never really entertained serious thoughts about being an immortal, but she had often thought about her growing old and dying while her friend –friends- stayed young. Nix’s question snapped her out of her thoughts.

”Um… well, I met that one vampire… Heinrich Drake or something.” Elizabeth said thoughtfully.

”No one else though I don’t think. Why?” Elizabeth asked, looking at Nix now.

[Phoenix]

E must have had enough of the chilly, brown lake as she glided over to the bench that was far enough away from the wake. Nix turned to face her but remained in the sand; he decided best so that E didn't feel like he was following her around trying to get cozy with her "bubble." For a moment, Phoenix had wondered if Elizabeth was going to answer his question about meeting other immortals scouring the small town because her face had seem to have gotten lost and her eyes set in place and out of focus. Finally she came to her senses and reported that she had not yet met any other werewolves or vampires that she was sure of.

"MMkk. I was just wandering," replied Nix. "There's at least five or six other werewolves I think that are around here. And I think only one other vamp besides Drake and Vara. Worse of all though, I fear that there is a human hunter hired by the government for special "opps" missions. This is their insignia, the Ravenwood corporation." Phoenix pulled out a patch he tore off one of the dead men and showed it to Elizabeth so she would know what it looked like.

"Anyway, the alpha of the pack I'm apart of is Twilight. She owns the vet clinic in town." Nix was going to continue, and then started to second guess how much he should tell her because he wasn't sure how much Twi would be okay with her knowing. Withholding the pack name for now, Phoenix continued, "Sooo, nobody, no immortals that is, is allowed to hunt within 50 miles of Hush Hills otherwise you better tuck tail and run if you do 'cuz Twilight will be hot on your heels. Haha. Yeaa, soo, just keep an eye out. I'm sure you know how to identify a vampire easy enough at least." Nix felt like he had said enough about who's who in Hush Hills. But if his friend were to ask he would likely be more than willing to answer her. *SWAT!!!* URGH how I hate them mosquitoes Nix thought smacking his neck.

[Elizabeth Coons]

Elizabeth shifted again. She gathered her limbs closer to herself. She clasped her hands, placing them in her lap and also crossed her legs in front of her. Nix turned to face her, but didn’t move from that spot. Elizabeth tilted her head slightly, a curious expression on her face.

”You wanna sit down?” Elizabeth asked, scooting over a bit on the bench for extra measures. After inviting Nix to the bench, Elizabeth shifted position again. Uncrossing her legs, Elizabeth leaned forward, resting her arms on her legs, her hands still clasped in front of her. She sat still, continuing to look over the lake while Nix spoke. The amount of immortals in the town really surprised her. The wolves had the clear majority, and Elizabeth wondered why.

When Nix mentioned something about the government, Elizabeth’s eyes snapped to him. Him. Elizabeth thought. Could the man she met in the park have been a Ravenwood agent? Most likely. He showed a CIA badge, but it could easily have been a fake. Well this makes a lot more sense. Elizabeth thought. Again, she stumbled across another useful piece of information to give to Vara.

Now Nix began talking about this woman named Twilight. What a name… Elizabeth thought. She wondered if her parents named her that. It was unusual, but Elizabeth kind of liked it. Nix continued on, mentioning the rules for immortals, and telling her she should probably keep a look out for other immortals. Vampires were easy enough to spot when you knew what they were, but how would she tell werewolves?

”Can you even…” Elizabeth started but was interrupted by a loud smack. Elizabeth jumped slightly, looking at Nix, who was just taking his hand away from his neck. Suddenly, Elizabeth burst out laughing. She shook her head, then continued speaking.

”Can you even tell a werewolf from a normal human just by looking?” Elizabeth asked, still chuckling.

[Phoenix]

Phoenix watched his friend shift her position on the bench and then move over a little bit to make room for him when she offered. "Nah, I'm fine down here for now. Besides, this way I can actually talk to you instead of beside you." Nix replied. He was obviously too late at smothering the blood sucker on his neck because there was a small amount of smeared blood on his palm. Now he was going to be even more paranoid of the pests and start swatting at stuff that isn't really there. He wiped his hand on his jean shorts and replaced his arms over his bent legs with his left hand holding onto his right wrist. He too then shifted his own position placing his hands in the sand behind him keeping him propped up and unbending and crossing his legs before him. Nix had to think about her second question for a bit. You would think that he of all people would know how to tell the difference. However, this was not entirely the case. "Well," he started, "hmm, werewolves can sometimes be more attractive to regular humans, I think. Also if they're a male such as myself they might be a bit hairier and also they have an injury, that injury will heal faster than humans too." There were probably several other details that escaped his mind at this time. It'll have to do though. Again Phoenix swatted at some persistent bugs that seemed to have one goal and that was to suck the lifeblood out of him. He constantly thought that the one worse thing than death by vampire would be death by hordes of mosquitoes.