Ch 15: A Psycho, A Fairy, and A Banana Peel

“Sookie,” Godric said reaching down and pulling me to my feet. “Are you injured?” I looked down at my body, a portal stone still in each hand. “No,” I shook my head. “I don’t think so. Are we back in the True Blood world?” He looked around at the surroundings. We were in the front yard of my Gran’s house. The exact location I was picturing in my mind. “Yes, I believe we are. I can feel Eric’s presence over our bond.” “Will he come here looking for you?” I gasped. “No,” he said. “The maker-child bond does not work in that manner. We can not track each other. The bond only allows us to feel each other’s presence and emotions.” “Does he know you’re back?” I asked. “Yes,” he nodded grinning. “He is worried, angry, and overjoyed. I imagine when the connection was severed he assumed I had met the true death.” “You should go to him at Fangtasia and let him know you’re all right.” I could only imagine that Eric had been tearing this world apart trying to figure out what happened to Godric. I knew how much he loved his maker. “I will go speak to him and we will return here.” “Okay,” I said nervously looking at my hands. Two delicious vampires around me at once? How was I going to handle that? “What has you so unnerved little one?” Godric stepped closer to me and took my hand in his. I shrugged. “You know. I haven’t exactly met Eric face to face yet. Well, at least not officially. Merlotte’s didn’t count since he was acting like he had no idea who I was.” “I see,” Godric chuckled. “I am positive that it is not the first time my child has laid his eyes on you. I taught him to be clever and cunning.” He looked up at the house. “There is an elderly human watching us out of the window.” I turned to look and smiled. “That’s my Gran. She’s probably been worried sick about me. I should go talk to her. Then I think I will go to the shack and see if Eric took care of the serial killer I told you about.” “I do not smell any scents here except the elderly woman. No one has been here in days. However, perhaps it would be wise to wait until Eric and I return instead of going to the shack in the dark by yourself.” “No one knows about the shack except Eric. It’s in the middle of nowhere. It’ll only take a few minutes to run inside and check. I’ll be fine.” Godric could be gone for hours for all I knew and it was important for me to find out Rene’s status. I needed to know if I should be wary or if Eric had taken care of the slimy little bastard. Godric’s hesitated before speaking. “As you wish my beautiful Sookie. If you are sure.” My lips parted in surprise when I heard him say ‘my.’ Did Godric just claim me as his? It was so subtle but I decided not to mention it for the time being. Like my silence mattered though. The vampire was so adept at reading body language I didn’t have to say a word. The corners of his mouth turned upward in unspoken acknowledgement of my thoughts. It struck me that Godric wasn’t claiming me but rather he wanted to see my reaction to his words. If I didn’t know better I’d say he saw me as an exhilarating challenge. What I would give to be able to read vampire minds. He reached out and ran the back of his hand down my cheek then he was gone, launching himself in the sky like a rocket. I craned my neck to the stars and watched him disappear within seconds. Show off! I turned and walked to the house. Gran was already running down the porch steps. “Oh Sookie! Oh Sookie!” “Gran! I’m sorry I was gone so long.” “You’ve been gone two weeks! Why didn’t you call over the last few days. I’ve been worried sick.” She grabbed a hold of my neck and hugged me tight. “I’m sorry Gran. I sort of got pulled into the other world. We just now found a way back.” “I’m so glad you’re safe. That vampire came around like you said he might. Boy, he is one handsome fellow.” “Eric Northman came here?” I gasped. “Yes, but don’t you worry dear. I didn’t let him glimmer me.” “Its glamour Gran,” I laughed. “What did he want?” “Wanted to know where you’d gone off to. I told him you were out of town. He seemed quite worried. Quick let’s get inside before the monsters get us.” “Gran.” I said exasperated. “There aren’t any monsters around. Besides one sniff that Godric was here and they will run for miles.” “That boy?” Gran’s face was questioning and her mouth was open wide. “Oh yes Gran. That boy is a 2000 year old vampire.” “Oh my! How extraordinary.” She put her hand on her chin in thought. “I wonder if he was in the South during the war.” “You will have to ask him. He’s coming back tonight with Eric.” “Oh dear lord, we’re having company? Why didn’t you say so? I need to go tidy up!” She started bustling back to the house at a quick pace. You’d think her pot roast was on fire. “Hey Gran, I have to go somewhere but I’ll be back in a few minutes to help you. I shouldn’t be gone long at all.” She stopped and turned, her tone becoming firm and scolding. “Where in the world are you going this time of night?” “I just want to go see if Eric responded to my note. It’s only a short drive then I’ll come right back.” I tried to assure her. “Well, okay,” she said worried. “But hurry back dear. You probably haven’t had a decent meal in two weeks.” I was pretty hungry to be honest. “I’ll whip something up for you to eat when you get back.” A few minutes later, I was clunking along highway twelve in my Gran’s car (my yellow beater was still in Dallas). I was swaying my head and jiggling my shoulders to Beyonce’s ‘Girls run the world,’ and eating on a banana Gran had shoved in my hand on the way out of the door.    . I turned the music off when the shack came into sight in the distance. It wasn’t directly off the road, but a short muddy dirt patch led right up to it. I pulled up and my headlights brightened the eroded wooden structure. Getting out I stumbled on my feet. Opening the portal with the depleted stones had drained my energy and left me physically weak. I felt completely emptied. A good night sleep was sure to replenish me and make me as good as new. I took another bite of my banana and walked into the shack. I was delighted to see a note peaking out from under the yellow dog bowl. I smiled and unfolded the paper to read it. I have been watching you from a hidden camera mounted above the shelves since your second drop. What!? Oh my god! That means Eric Northman watched me… oh god he watched me pleasure myself! I felt embarrassed as hell but also a thrill ran through my body at the thought of the scrumptious vampire watching me in such an intimate moment. My face flushed a deep red and I stood on my tip-toes to look above the shelf. Sure enough, there was a camera there peaking back at me. He knew I was the source all along. That’s how he knew where I lived when he visited Gran while I was gone in Dallas. “Son of a…” I gasped. “You sneaky vampire!” I couldn’t believe I didn’t anticipate this. Of course he would do something like that. I glared at the camera and frowned before continuing to read. After your last drop the serial killer followed you and took your note after you left. You are in danger Sookie. Come to Fangtasia and let me protect you. I have been unable to identify the killer and you are his next target. – E All irritation forgotten about the camera I gulped and took in a sharp breath of air. Gran could be in danger! I needed to get home immediately and I needed to call Fangtasia for Godric and Eric to hurry to the house. I quickly turned around and all color drained from my face. The little hairs pricked up on my skin and shivers ran down my spine. Rene was standing in the doorway with a smug look of victory. He held up a white piece of paper in his hand that I recognized as my last note. It was addressed Dear Vampire. It revealed that Rene was the killer, where he lived, who he was, who he’d killed. And, to top it off it asked Eric to deal with him. “Looking for something,” Rene sneered holding up the note. “How did you know I was here?” I hissed. “I’ve been staking out your house for two weeks waiting for you to come back to town. There’s quite a good view from the hills. I set up a scope and everything. I followed you here after the vampire left you standing in your front yard. I knew you were a nasty little fangbanger.” I glared at him and clenched my fists. Holding up the banana and pointing it at him I said. “You better not have harmed one hair on Gran’s head after I left to drive here.” “I’ll take care of her after I deal with you,” he said taking a step closer to me. “Stay back Rene,” I shouted taking a few steps back and bumping into the counter. “You have no idea what I can do.” “You are nothing but a sleazy little girl.” I realized his Creole accent was completely gone just like it disappeared when he attacked Sookie in the books. “We can do this the hard way or the easy way. Either way I suggest you start praying.” I lifted my hand with the note and tried to smite his ass but nothing happened! I was too exhausted from using the portal stones. Then he was on me in less than a second, his closed fist backhanding me across the jaw. I let out a yelp as my body twisted. I fell to the ground on my stomach, scraping my hands from instinctively trying to catch my fall. A sharp pain surged in my wrist. It was either severely sprained or broken. I snapped my head up to look at him, cradling my aching jaw in my hand. He was already pulling his brown leather belt out of his jean loops. He wrapped one end around his palm so that the metal buckle dangled on the other end. He was going to strangle me with it! “What are you…” I cried. He lifted the belt and whipped it down on my side, the hard metallic buckle stinging my body, and I screamed in pain well aware of the sickening crack in my rib. I fell to my side writhing in agony and all control of my telepathy was lost. I unwilling dived into his sick mind and what I saw there was disturbing. Through his eyes I saw myself laying on the ground. My face was devoid of eyeballs, leaving only hollow black spaces and I was smiling up at him with my hips gyrating in the most provocative way. My mouth was covered in red lipstick which had carelessly been spread all over my lips and chin like a 2 year old clown. In his fucked up hallucination of me I opened my red stained lips and said, “Sucky Sucky five dolla?” Then I raised the banana to my face and licked my tongue slowly up the side of it as I batted my eyelashes over the hollow holes in my head. What the hell! None of that was happening. I was crying on the ground. Shit the banana was squeezed to mush in my hand. “Whore!” he roared as he swung the belt back down on me. I screamed again and he hit me over and over relentlessly. I tried to grab his leg and bite him so he started kicking me in the side with his hard work boots. When he landed the tip of his boot in my face I saw stars. I knew I was about to die. I never thought a sniveling piece of shit like Rene would be my undoing but he had been lucky. He had caught me when I was too weak to use my fae magic. Oh Gran! He was going to kill Gran next. I whimpered and moaned on the ground. I will not give up! If I’m going to be taken down; I’m going down fighting. I raised the mashed up banana in my hand and pointed it at him. I remembered something from my high school chemistry class. It was a lab that my teacher had done for the students. Banana’s were apparently slightly radioactive from the potassium in them. This radioactivity combined with my fae magic just might be enough to work in my weakened state. He started laughing. “You are a dumb little fangbanger aren’t you?” With every fiber of my being, with every ounce of my humanity, in all that is holy and with all the raw emotion of a woman fighting for her very survival; I summoned every bit of strength I had left and poured it into that banana. The banana peel hovered above me and wrapped into a tight ball that gave it the appearance of a tiny little yellow stone. Rene gasped and stepped back. It shot toward him and hit him right between the eyes. He fell over with a hard thud on the ground beside me, completely unconscious. I tried to lift myself but I couldn’t move. I was now laying in a pool of my own blood and rapidly bleeding to death. I was a broken battered mess of cracked bones and lacerated flesh. I wasn’t long for this world, but I closed my eyes in bitter-sweet victory. I saved a life. I saved my Gran. Godric and Eric would arrive and keep her safe. She would tell them about Rene. I would be dead by then but she would be safe. A/N: Eric stalks toward you like a hungry predator. “You are allowed to touch.” He purrs. “Start by putting your hand here.” He moves your hand to the review button.