Lost Girl Ch. 03

"You like Nirvana?"

It took a few moments before she realized that he was referring to her T-shirt, and after briefly glancing down at it, she said, "Yeah, they're one of my favorite bands."

"I like them, too." A thoughtful expression came over his face as he seemed to contemplate his next words, which came out tinged with sadness. "It really sucks that he committed suicide, but I totally get why he didn't want to stick around any longer."

Claudia's ears perked up at these words, and with morbid interest, she encouraged him to elaborate on his statement. "I know that everyone has their own theory about his death, but why do you think he did it?"

"Inner turmoil." He punctuated his words with brief silence before adding, "Some people have some pretty heavy demons, and I guess for them their only way out is to take their own lives."

After exiting the double doors that led out of the school, both Claudia and Tristan made their way towards the parking lot, and on reaching the designated pick-up zone area, Claudia began to slow down.

"So I guess I'll see you later," she said.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks for the lesson and I'll see you on Friday."

Tristan headed for his car, which was one of only five vehicles that was still left in the lot, but before he could get very far, he turned back around to face her.

"You need a ride home?"

"Sure. I was going to wait for my mom to come pick me up, but I could always text her to let her know."

She retrieved her cell phone from the pocket of her messenger bag, and with a few quick movements of her fingers, sent a text message off to her mother. She then joined Tristan's side and followed him toward a 70's era Lincoln Continental that was parked in the very back of the lot. More than a little surprised that he drove what she considered to be a pimpmobile, Claudia eyed the chocolate brown exterior with a mixture of curiosity and mild amusement.

A gas guzzler if she had ever seen one, the retro automobile was large in both width and length. Along with a spare tire that was mounted on the trunk, it also had a padded vinyl roof and opera windows, along with faded white wall tires that had clearly seen better days.

It was a bit of an eyesore in Claudia's opinion, but she did have to admit that there was something a little badass about the bloated monstrosity. Wanting to see if the interior was just as garish as she expected, Claudia eagerly climbed into the vehicle the moment that Tristan popped the locks.

Featuring pillow-top seats that were made from dark-brown crushed velour, the front of the car was roomy enough to comfortably sit three. The woodgrain instrument panel was outfitted with a radio and an 8-track player, as well as a digital clock that was stuck in the 4:20 position.

The wall to wall carpeting was thick enough for her shoes to leave behind an impression, and as she settled into her seat, she caught the woody scent of an air freshener that was hanging from the rearview mirror. The engine sputtered a few times before reluctantly coming to life, and with a quick turn of the wheel, Tristan backed out of the parking space and drove them out of the lot.

For someone with such a quiet demeanor and reserved personality, the Lincoln Continental was an unusual vehicle for Tristan to be driving, and yet at the same time, it seemed to fit him perfectly. It was almost comical watching him maneuver such a big old car down the road, and with unabashed interest, she studied the way that he handled the steering wheel.

She didn't know why, but for some reason she had always had a thing for men's hands, and couldn't help noticing that Tristan had palms which were not only wide, but also long fingers that were probably pretty agile at doing a number of things.

As this thought passed through her head, she immediately found herself wondering how experienced a quiet guy like Tristan was, and couldn't help but wonder if he was still in possession of his V-card. Perhaps noting how quiet she was, Tristan awkwardly cleared his throat and with a brief glance at her face, he posed a question.

"How's your mom?"

"Fine." A faint smile crossed her lips as she realized he was nervous, and finding it cute that he had suddenly grown uncomfortable, she waited for him to speak again.

"You going to the pow wow this weekend?"

"First time I've heard anything about it. What time is it starting?"

"11 am, but grand entry doesn't begin until half past one."

"Are you going?" She asked.

"I don't know. My mom wants me to, but I don't really feel like it."

"Why not?"

"I hate large crowds," he said. "Makes me feel weird, like everyone is staring at me."

"I'm sure they wouldn't be," she assured him. "And even if they did, you'd have Kimi there to distract you."

"Kimi's going?"

"I assume she will," Claudia said. "Isn't it a big event that pretty much everyone on the rez will be attending?"

"Yeah, I guess." He maneuvered the steering wheel so that the Lincoln turned down a road that was filled with potholes, and with admirable skill, managed to weave his way around the majority of them.

"You should definitely go," she said. "It'll give you a chance to hang out with Kimi and show her some of the signs you learned."

"I don't know if I'll be ready by Saturday, but I'll think about it."

As they continued along the poorly maintained road, Claudia's eyes drifted to a leather bound sketchbook that was tucked into the door pocket of the passenger's side. Too curious to resist, she picked it up to have a closer look but before she could flip the cover open to have a peek inside, Tristan suddenly questioned her.

"What are you doing?" He gave her a look that didn't just convey unease, but practically screamed it.

"I just thought I'd have a peek inside," she said. "But if you'd rather not, I won't look."

His eyes drifted from her face to the book and then back again before he finally eased a soft sigh out through his nostrils, and with clear reluctance in his voice, he said, "Go ahead."

The scent of treated cowhide wafted into Claudia's nostrils as she flipped open the leather cover, and with more than a touch of anticipation, she began to slowly flip through the pages.

"Wow..."

Rendered nearly speechless by the bizarre drawings that filled the pages, Claudia was unable to do much more than flip through the journal, which consisted not only of fantasy and science fiction inspired art, but also hyper realistic sketches that combined elements of both mysticism and horror.

Completely blown away by the collection of illustrations, she flipped through page after page until she came across a particular drawing that was so utterly strange, she just had to question him about it.

"What is this?"

With eyes focused intently on the detailed sketch, Claudia noticed that it looked like a cross between a cyclops and a mutant alien. It's claws, which extended from two long arms that were attached to a frighteningly broad torso, had been sketched with such detail that they almost seemed three-dimensional.

Rather than skin, the devilish-looking creature had a body that was covered in oozing sores, and possessed long, sharp teeth with serrated edges. Both unnerved and blown away by the realism of the pencil drawing, Claudia took a long moment to simply admire it in silence before finally turning her gaze on Tristan.

"That's one of my inner demons." He reached out to grab the sketchbook from her hands, yet instead of relinquishing possession of it, Claudia only held onto it with a firmer grip.

"One of your inner demons?" She asked.

"Yes." The defensiveness in his tone suggested that he expected her to express disdain, yet all he received in return was complete silence as she continued to study the drawing.

"Interesting," she finally said. "And It's neat how it's almost 3-D like. How did you do that?"

"It's a simple technique. Something I learned in art class."

"Very impressive," she said before asking, "Which one of your inner demons does this monster represent?"

"Self-destruction."

Although she'd noticed them before, the oozing sores that covered the demon's body suddenly took a whole new meaning, and as her eyes slowly drifted back to Tristan's face, she found her curiosity nearly overwhelming.

"Please don't look at me like that," he said with eyes still fixed on the road.

"Like what?"

"Like I'm some kind of a freak."

"I don't think you're a freak."

"Then why are you watching me from out of the corner of your eye?"

"Because I'm curious. But I definitely don't think you're a freak."

Seemingly satisfied with her response, Tristan fell quiet, and with only the sound of gravel hitting the underside of the car, they rode in comfortable silence. With her attention back on the sketchbook, Claudia flipped through a few more pages, silently admiring the detailed drawings. But as she came across a sketch that was far stranger than any of the others she'd seen yet, she felt more than a little unnerved by the sight of it.

"What's this scribbly thing?" She asked. "Is it some kind of a ghost?"

Consisting of black squiggly lines that vaguely resembled a human shape, the odd drawing didn't just give Claudia the creeps, but actually inspired goosebumps to break out along the back of her neck. Shifting his gaze to the sketchbook, Tristan noticed that she was intently eyeing the drawing, and without a moment of hesitation he pulled the sketchbook from her hands and slipped it into the door pocket that was located on his side of the car.

"It's a shadow person."

"What's a shadow person?"

"You don't want to know."

"Yes I do. Tell me."

"You really don't," he said.

"I think I can decide for myself if I want to or not." The look that she gave him reinforced her statement. "What are they?"

A few beats of silence passed, then several more before he finally decided to speak. "Supernatural beings that feed off of negative emotions."

"Are they demons or ghosts?"

"Neither."

"Then what are they?"

"Spirits from a darker dimension. They're pure evil, and usually hang around places that are filled with a lot of negative energy."

"Have you ever seen one?"

"Yes."

"What happened?" She briefly paused before asking, "Did it try to attack you or scare you or what?"

"The first time I saw one was when I was a kid. I was laying in bed and I saw this dark figure out of the corner of my eye. At first I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me, but when I turned my head to look straight at it, I realized it was an actual figure."

Intensely interested yet simultaneously creeped out, Claudia listened with ears wide open as Tristan continued to recount his experience.

"I remember thinking how weird it looked, because it didn't have any defined shape. It was just this freaky black mass with scribbly outlines that moved. And it didn't have a face, but I could tell from the way it was positioned that it was staring right back at me." He turned off of the gravel road and onto a dirt one that was bumpy enough to jostle them in their seats. "By that point, I was too scared to move so I pulled the covers over my head and closed my eyes really tight. Eventually I worked up the courage to take a peek and see if it was still standing in the same place, but it had vanished."

"And did you ever see it again?" Claudia asked.

"Not in my room, but I have spotted a few others over the years."

"Where at?"

"Different places." His body tensed just slightly, as if the mere thought filled him with unease.

Sensing that he wasn't comfortable with continuing the conversation, she decided to take in the passing scenery instead, which consisted of little more than plain, simple houses that lined the country road. They traveled another block before Tristan maneuvered the Lincoln into the driveway of the house where Claudia resided, and as he put the car in park, she unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed her messenger bag from the floor.

"Thanks for the ride."

"No problem." He watched her get out of the car, and as she offered a wave goodbye, he returned it with one of his own.

"Don't forget to practice signing the alphabet, and I'll see you in school tomorrow."

Tristan nodded, and after uttering a "later," he began to slowly back the large vehicle out of the narrow driveway.

If not for the sudden squeal of breaks, Claudia wouldn't have even noticed that the car had come to a sudden stop, and as she turned her head to look over her shoulder, she noticed that Tristan was maneuvering the car back up the driveway. Thoroughly curious, she waited for him to come to a stop, then patiently waited as he rolled down the window so that he could be heard without the barrier of glass.

"There's a message I'm supposed to relay," he said. "It's something I meant to tell you earlier at school, but I was afraid it would freak you out."

"Okay." Uncertain of what it could be, she steeled herself for his response.

"That email you sent your dad the other day..."

"Yeah, what about it?" She asked, but on realizing that it was impossible for him to know about the digital message she'd sent to her deceased father, she quickly added, "Wait. How did you know I sent him an email?"

Rather than immediately respond, Tristan only gave her a look that seemed to telepathically answer her question before finally opening his mouth to actually speak. "He wanted me to let you know that he enjoyed reading the email. And he also wants me to tell you that whenever you smell his cologne, he's right beside you."

Completely stunned, Claudia stood there with her mouth hanging open. Her skin tingled as if an electrical charge had just raced through her body, and although she was still standing fully upright, she feared that her legs would give way at any moment.

"How...how could you know..." Struggling to catch her breath, she swallowed dryly before attempting to push out a complete sentence. "Tristan, you better not be shitting me."

"I think you know I'm not," he said.

And without so much as another word, he backed the Lincoln out of the driveway and took off down the street.