Pawprints of the Panther
By: Lord Gavin Black
Disclaimer: I am not JK, therefore none of the HP characters are mine. I do, however, own RJ, Gina, Gabe, Joe, Ez, and any other characters who appear that are not cannon characters. But I'm sure you guessed that. This is a slash fiction (Male/Male). The rating is for the obvious slash, language,and drug use.
A/N: Harry will be in this fic, I just need to establish a bit of background first. He does make an apperance in this chapter though. Also, sorry for all you H/D shippers, none of that in here, although I will say there is slash in store for both. ;-) ENJOY!
Chapter 1
RJ stood underneath the soothing cascade of hot water. His muscles ached from the grueling practice he just endured. His high school swim team had advanced to the State Finals for the first time in six years, so Coach Maddigan was pushing them hard. He smiled at his reflection in the mirror as he passed through the shower room to his locker. The white towel hung loosely around his slim waist; another smaller towel hung around his neck, draping onto his toned chest. His large smile lit up his face, and his brown eyes shone with happiness. He ran the towel through his shaggy brown hair, reaching out and turning the dial on his lock.
"Getting pretty fast there, Fannon," a voice from a few lockers away called out to RJ.
RJ laughed and snapped his locker open. "Yeah, but that's not fast enough, according to Coach M."
"Nothing's fast enough for coach," the blonde said, pulling out a pair of jeans and slipping them on over his boxers. RJ took in the young man's slim form and smiled to himself. He had been harboring a crush on his best friend, Gabriel Sands, for quite some time. He shook his head slightly to clear the slightly dirty thoughts that had filled his sixteen-year-old head. Gabe laughed and jumped back as he felt himself being showered on. "Hey, Flash, knock it off. You're getting me wet over here."
RJ's head snapped up as he stared at Gabe with an unreadable expression on his face before he chuckled and shook his head again.
"I guess you're easier than what Joe said," he laughed. He had known from the moment that he met Gabriel that something was different about him. It wasn't until the beginning of the school year when Gabe admitted he was gay that RJ finally realized what it was. He didn't mind that his best friend was gay; in fact, Gabe, his sister Ez,and Joe were thethree people who knew he felt the same way about guys, and he liked it that way.
"Hey, now don't bring him into this," Gabe laughed, snapping a towel towards RJ. He quickly ducked out of the way and popped back up smiling.
"Whatever," he laughed, pulling a stick of deodorant from his locker. "You know you'reeasy."
"So what's up for you tonight?" Gabe asked, throwing a t-shirt on and spraying on a bit of cologne.
"My sister's birthday. We're going out to eat or something. Then Honors English awaits. Why?"
"Ez invited me to her apartment. She's having another get together."
RJ smiled at the mention of Gabe's sister, Ez. Her actual name was Esmerelda, but only her parents called her that and only when she was in deep trouble. Her legendary parties were all the more impressive because she had never gotten caught. RJ sighed and shook his head. "Too bad I can't go. I missed her last one. Heard it was awesome."
"It was, dude. But there's always your birthday. You know she'll throw you a party. She threw one for Joe."
"My birthday is two months away!"
"I'm sure she'll have one in the meantime," Gabe laughed, "and then one for your birthday."
RJ finished dressing and glanced at the time as he put on his watch. "Fuck! I'm going to be late. See ya, Gabe!" he said, throwing his book bag over his shoulder and running out of the school. Fifteen minutes later, he neared the edge of town. He turned off of the highway and down a small path lined with trees. He finally pulled up at his home about five minutes late.
"Ralston, I thought we told you to be home at five-thirty," his mother said from the couch as he walked in.
"Sorry, mom. Practice ran over, you know how Coach M. can be, especially with the finals. But, it's cool because all I have to do is change and I'll be ready. Where are we going anyway?"
"The Olive Garden," his sister said, walking down the stairs. "'Bout time you got home, bro."
"Sorry, Becca," he said, as he passed her on the stairs. "I'll be right back down."
RJ ran up to his room and threw his book bag on his bed. Opening his closet, he pulled on an ice blue button down shirt that brought out his tan skin and a pair of khaki pants that hugged his body just right. He pulled a small box from his desk drawer and put it in his pocket, checking his hair as he walked down to the living room.
"Alright, I'm all ready."
"Good! Come on," his sister said as she bounded off the couch, practically running to the front door. "I have been craving breadsticks for a month."
After a short drive and another short wait at the restaurant, they found themselves seated in a quiet corner away from most of the patrons.
"How is practice going, son?" RJ's father asked from across the table.
"Pretty good, Dad," he said, looking up from the menu. "Coach thinks we have a chance to win this year."
"There's a first," Becca said, causing RJ to lightly punch her arm. "Knock it off,"
"What would you know? You're only a freshman."
"And what would you know? You're only a sophomore," Becca replied.
The playful banter was cut short when the waitress arrived to take their orders. The rest of the meal was enjoyable and filled with laugher, stories, and wonderful food. After the dishes were cleared and the bill was in front of them, RJ pulled the small box from his pocket.
"Here, Sis," he said, handing the gift to her. "Happy birthday."
Her face brightened as she slowly opened the lid. She pulled out a small emerald four-leaf clover hanging on a delicate gold chain. She quickly clasped it around her neck and smiled at RJ when she felt the charm against her chest. "Thank you, so much" she said, pulling him into a tight hug.
"It's not a problem, Sis. I just thought you could use a bit of luck anyway, ya klutz. I've seen you trip more than once in the hallways."
RJ's parents brought out their gift: a hundred-dollar gift card to the mall and a few free movie passes for the theater. RJ smiled around at the three people he called his family. Anyone who looked at the small family could tell that RJ wasn't actually Roger and Alice's son. Roger Fannon was a tall, muscular man with blonde hair and blue eyes. Alice was a slightly shorter thin Irish woman, her red hair framing her freckled face and bright green eyes. Rebecca, their natural daughter, had her mother's red hair and her father's blue eyes. RJ however, with his brown hair and eyes didn't fit in with the Fannon family color scheme.
He knew, deep down in his heart they weren't his real family, but it would seem that his biological parents didn't want him. He had always wondered where his true parents were, but was still very thankful for the Fannon family. They were the only family that he had ever known and had never treated him as anything less than their own son. He also respected them very much, even though they weren't his true parents.They still told him the truth about how he had come to live with them.
There was a day when he was eleven that he came to them asking why he didn't look like them. They sat him down at the kitchen table and told him the whole story. Roger and Alice were having an evening out together after a couple of stressful weeks at work and trips to the doctor. Alice had just discovered she had a miscarriage; Roger was trying to keep her happy and juggle his work as a lawyer at the same time. They returned home to find a small bundle in front of their door. Alice scooped up the small child in her arms and noticed the small note that was attached to the blanket.
"Please… take care of our son, Ralston Jeremiah. It is too dangerous for us to have him. Care for him as your own."
They hadn't shown him the note, but he found it in his father's filing cabinet a few years later. When he saw that and realized what it meant, he shut himself in his room for the night and cried for the family he never knew and for the family he had come to love.
"RJ!"
RJ snapped back to reality when he heard a voice call his name. He looked around and noticed their garage around him. He must have zoned out during the ride home.
"Yeah?"
"Get out of the car," his sister teased. "Or we'll make you sleep out here."
"Oh stuff it, Becca," he laughed.
The rest of the week passed by quickly, filled with school, homework, practice, and his job. He worked at a clothing store in the mall named Moves. Joe worked there with him and on his free evenings, Gabe could be found in there "shopping" or so he called it. Almost before he realized it, Friday afternoon was there and the swim team was getting ready to board the bus to the Sate Finals. The coaches decided, since the matches were set to begin at 8 the next morning and they had a six hour drive ahead of them, they would stay in a hotel overnight so the team could rest properly before the early morning.
As RJ approached the bus he noticed that the women's swim coach, Gina Vaughan was checking off their permission slips. He was still amazed at how his next door neighbor, and long-time babysitter, had become one of the teachers at his high school. It was difficult from him to separate the image of her as a PE and Healthinstructor from the girl that used to make him S'mores and watch horror films with him. Gina smiled and gave him a sly wink as he passed her.
RJ climbed onto the bus and made his way to the back, throwing his book bag onto one of the seats before scooting in himself. He turned and smiled as he saw Gabe fill the seat across the aisle from him.
"When do we get our room assignments?" he asked, turning so his back was against the glass.
"Probably when we get to the hotel," RJ shrugged, shifting to get himself comfortable in the seat. RJ watched as they made their way out of town and into the country roads. He pulled his CD player out of his book bag and closed his eyes, allowing the music to surround him.
"RJ!" Gabe yelled, shaking the young man awake.
"Shit," he muttered, rubbing his eyes, "I must have fallen asleep."
"Don't worry Bro, I think most of us did," Gabe laughed, making his way to the front of the bus, the back of his hair standing up in wild angles. RJ laughed and made his way off of the bus, smiling when he heard Coach M. say his name along with Gabe's for room assignments. He walked up to the coach and got the room keys and entered the lobby of the hotel. The two men made their way up to the fourth floor where their room was located.
"Coach wants us to meet him back in the Lobby in a half an hour for dinner," Gabe said as the elevator doors opened to their floor.
"Alright, I call the first shower!" RJ said, rushing off in the direction of their room.
After a quick wrestling match over who got the first shower, RJ hopped into the shower and changed, waiting for Gabe to do the same. The phone to their room rang, causing RJ to jump from the bed and land on the floor in surprise.
"Hello?"
"Hey RJ! It's Megan. You and Gabe wanna walk with us over to Hooters? Coach M. said we could go where ever we wanted within walking distance," a girl answered.
"Hold on, let me ask Gabe," RJ answered, smiling at the voice at the other end of the line. "Gabe! Wanna walk with the girls over to Hooters for dinner?"
"Sure!" the voice called from the bathroom.
"Alright, meet you down there in 10," RJ said, putting the phone back on the cradle.
Their dinner was loud, full of laugher and too many breast jokes from the gay men, but RJ enjoyed the time he got to spend with his friends on the girls' swim team. The group paid their bill and made their way back to the hotel, deciding on a soak in the hot tub before they turned in for the night. They knew they had a long and important day a head of them, and they wanted to get as much rest as they could.
After a while, a group ofupperclassmen marched into the swimming pool area and grabbed theunderclassmen from the hot tub.
"We have some business to attend to, ladies, so we shall say good night. You should be heading to bed, as we all have an early morning ahead of us," the captain, Jake Morgan,said as they left.
"Guys, what's going on?" RJ asked as the seniors led the small group to a room where the rest of the swim team waited.
"Yeah, who called the team meeting?" Gabe asked.
"I did," Coach M said, coming out of the bathroom. "We made a deal at the beginning of the year. We made it to the state finals."
"It's time to shave some heads," Jake said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them in excitement.
Gabe and RJ sighed, hoping the entire team had gotten a selective case of amnesia and forgotten about the deal. They knew there was no way around it, so they waited in line as Coach M. buzzed each team member and the captain shaved them smooth with a razor.
"RJ, you next," Coach M. called all too soon.
RJ stood up and nervously pulled his shaggy hair away from his face.
"That's the last time you'll be doing that for a while," Gabe laughed nervously.
"Thanks for the moral support, Gabe," RJ said, sitting in the chair and hearing Coach turn on the clippers. "It's just hair. It will grow back. It's just hair."
RJ felt rather than saw the hair starting to fall from his head. It seemed like an eternity until Coach M turned off the clippers and rubbed the rough patch of hair left on RJ's head. He mechanically moved over to the next chair and almost jumped out of his skin as the team captain squirted shaving cream all over his head.
"Gabe, let's go," Coach M. said.
The team finished with the head shaving as Coach shaved the team captain and Jake, being the only senior, shaved Coach M's head. Coach sent them all to bed, reminding them of what time to be in the lobby in the morning. RJ was in such a state of shock and disbelief, he fell asleep before his head hit the pillow.
RJ found himself walking deep in a forest, the light of the full moon his only guide. His tennis shoes snapped the twigs and brush underneath them, his arms moving the branches out of his way. He traveled for what felt like an hour before coming to a clearing with a glowing stream running through it. He stooped and took a drink, the cool water quenching his sudden thirst. He stood again and looked around the clearing. The trees grew in a perfect circle around the stream, the only other object with in them a large rock a few yards away from the flowing water. He slowly made his way to it and gratefully sat down, resting his tired feet. He stared out into the darkness surrounding him, wondering why he was here. As if someone had heard his unvoiced question a pair of strange blue eyes began to glow within the darkness of the trees. The eyes weren't normal, instead of being one solid color of blue, the iris was separated into three separate colors. First, around the pupil a brilliant robin's egg blue, followed by a ring of pure silver, encased within a circle of the deepest midnight blue. RJ felt his breath quicken within his chest, unable to tear his eyes away from the beautiful eyes.
"Who's there?"
"Your time is coming soon, dear Prince," a soft female voice called from the direction of the eyes.
Suddenly the dream world melted and RJ found himself back in his hotel room, tangled within his blankets.He glanced over at Gabe and sighed in relief when he found his friend still sleeping. He grabbed the alarm clock and turned it so he could see the time. He had five minutes before the main desk called with their wake up call. He untangled himself from the blankets and made his way to the bathroom, grabbing his warm-ups from his bag.
He screamed when he saw himself in the mirror for the first time. Within seconds, Gabe was at the door, rubbing his eyes.
"My hair," he said, staring into the mirror.
"It'll grow back, Fannon. Now get out of my way, I've got to piss like a racehorse." Gabe said, pulling RJ away from the sink and shutting the door in his face.
The door swung open again and Gabe grabbed RJ by the hair.
"What the hell, RJ? Is this some kind of sick joke?" Gabe asked. "Did Coach M. shave your head last night or was that all a dream?"
"They shaved it. I remember everything. I don't know how the hell this happened. All I know is that we better fix this and FAST. Go find the clippers," RJ said, shoving Gabe out the door.
RJ growled at the closed door and made his way over to his bed, his warm-ups scrunched into a ball on his lap. His mind played over the last evening, from dinner to the shaving and then finally the strange dream he was having when he awoke. He gazed down at the floor and tried to remember what the woman in his dream had called him.
"Hurry up, we've got to be in the lobby in ten minutes!" Gabe said, tossing the electric clippers at his friend.
RJ snapped out of his daydream and shook his head. "Shit!" he said, running into the bathroom.
Gabe heard the clippers turn on as he quickly climbed into his suit and warm-ups. He walked over to the bathroom to see RJ shearing the hair off the top of his head.
"Let me help," he said, taking the clippers and starting at the six inch hair on the back of RJ's head.
"Dude, you have to believe me that I don't know how this happened," RJ said, rubbing his hands over his face.
"I do believe you. This is just some major fucked up shit. That's all," Gabe said. "No time to worry about it right now. Right now you need to worry about shaving seconds off your time, not shaving your head."
"And in first place, our new State Champions... The Yorkville Panthers!"
RJ stood on the platform his ears ringing at the sheer volume of the cheers. He held his hands up in victory, his face shining in pure bliss. He turned and grabbed Gabe into a tight hug.
"My sister is SO throwing a party for us" Gabe yelled, straining to be heard over the cheering.
"Damn right she is!" RJ smiled and looked back into the crowd, his eyes searching for his family. He smiled as he caught sight of them, clapping and waiting wildly.
"What happened to your head?" Becca asked as RJ came over to hug his family. "Did you get attacked by a weed whacker?"
"Quiet or I'll do the same to you tonight when you're sleeping," RJ said, hugging her.
He quickly told his parents his plans for that night and asked their permission to go to the party that Ez was holding for the team. RJ was ecstatic when his parents agreed to let him go. After one last round of hugs and kisses RJ waved at his family and made his way back to the waiting bus. The bus was nearly rocking back and forth from the excitement and energy from winning the championship.
RJ quickly found a seat as the bus door closed and the bus's engine roared to life. As they traveled back to town, Coach Vaughan made her way back to where RJ was sitting.
"So RJ," Gina smiled, brushing her long black hair back over her ears. "You've just won the State Swimming Championship, what are you gonna do now?"
"Glad to see you're still as corny as ever." RJ smiled at her. "Ez is having a party tonight, so I planned on going over to her place and celebrating a bit."
"Play hard, but play safe." She winked at him. "Just don't forget you're supposed to mow my lawn for me tomorrow. I don't want to have to come over and wake your lazy butt up…again. And don't think I don't know where Esmerealda lives."
"Don't worry, Coach, I don't need you pounding on my door again and waking up the entire neighborhood." RJ rolled his eyes and laughed.
"You could try calling me Gina. Everyone else does." She winked a final time and made her way back to the front of the bus.
"If I were straight, I'd so be doing that." Gabe leered over the back of RJ's seat.
"Shut up!" RJ pushed his friend back into his own seat. "She was my fucking babysitter, you ass!"
"She could baby sit me anytime she wanted,"a voice called from the back of the bus.
RJ groaned and pulled out his CD player again. It was going to be a very long night, and he knew that he should be conserving as much energy as possible. Little did he know just how long that night would turn out to be.
Harry tossed and turned in his bed at Number 4 Privet Drive. His head was filled with the dark robes of Death Eaters, the vibrant color of blood and the chilling sounds of screaming, and finally the bright green flash of the Avada Kedavra curse. Harry sat up in bed, a loud scream caught deep within his throat. He calmed his breathing and swallowed his terror, staring out into the night.
He had been plagued by this dream since the end of his sixth year, since the night he witnessed the twisted scene at the Shrieking Shack. It had been a Hogsmeade weekend and the day had been going well for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They sat in the center of the town, munching on Honeyduke's candies and chatting idly when screams suddenly filed the air. The trio grabbed their wands and ran to the source of the screams until Hagrid had stepped in their way.
"Hagrid, you have to let us pass," Harry said, frantically. "We have to help!"
"I'm sorry, kids. I can't do that," the half-giant said, shaking his head, his arms outstretched blocking their path.
Hermione sighed and dragged the two boys back to the gates ofHogwarts castle, trying to keep Harry from turning around and watching the horrifying scene unfold.
Harry stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the Death Eaters converge around the half-giant, their shrieked curses filling the air. Hermione's hand had been clutching the sleeve of Harry's robe and his abrupt stop caused her to loose her footing and tumble to the ground. Her hands instinctively rose out in front of her in an attempt to break her fall, she snapped her head up when she heard Harry's gasp. The bright green flash of the Killing Curse filled their vision as she scrambled to her feet.
"Harry, Ron, let's go, NOW!" she screamed, pulling them into the wards of Hogwarts where they would be safe.
Harry's now glassy eyes stared blankly at the bare walls in front of him, as he willed himself to stay awake. But, from sheer mental and physical exhaustion, his eyes closed on their own accord. He found himself once again lost in dreams. But now he was walking through a seemingly familiar forest.
The trees grew high around him, the moon hung low in the sky, her silvery light the only source of illumination. Harry instinctively checked his pockets for his wand, but he couldn't seem to find it. He carefully walked back the way he had come from and searched the ground as best he could. He shook his head as he brushed off the knees of his pajama pants and looked around. A large clearing spread out before him, with a shimmering stream flowing on one side and a large rock on the other. He heard a twig snap behind him and a figure approached from the forest. Her long black hair cascaded down her bare shoulders, ending just where her strapless red dress began. The red of her dress reminded him of the warmth of summer and the joy of fall when he went back to his true home. Her tri-colored eyes glowed in the darkness. She made her way to the small boulder and tucked her leg under her as she sat.
"Your prince shall return soon, my young lion," she said, her voice echoed in the deafening silence. "Many questions fill your mind, Harry, but I cannot give you the answers, yet. Sleep now, and rest, dreamless, and without worry."
RJ jumped off of the bus and made his way to his car, throwing his bookbag over his shoulder.
"RJ!" Gabe called out from his car. "I just called Ez, she says the party'sa go. Meet you over there in a few."
RJ nodded and unlocked his car, smiling. He tossed his bookbag into the back seat and was glad he remembered to pack an extra change of clothes for the next day. He quickly started up his car and pressed a button on his cd player as he pulled out of the school parking lot. He smiled again as the sound of Queen's "We Are the Champions" filled the interior of his car. He sang along at the top of his lungs and made a mental note to get the cd out of his changer in the trunk before going into Ez's house. He made his way to the outskirts of town and turned into the small farm house that Ez rented from her grandparents. He laughed when he saw the short train of cars follow him into the yard, parking haphazardly on the grass. RJ stepped out of his car and laughed as he heard the Queen song blaring through the open windows of the house. He made his way to the door and made his way in, pushing past a few of his team mates before finding Ez behind the bar set up in her living room.
"Jesus, Ez. Think you've got enough people here?" he asked, pulling a soda from the cooler next to her feet.
"No," she said, handing a can of pop to one of the girls standing in front of the bar. She smiled and pulled him into a tight hug. "We've still got a few more coming. Nice hair, Flash."
"Bite me, Ez," RJ said as she rubbed her hands on his head before planting a kiss on his temple.
"You know where the guest room is. Throw your bag in there and put your keys on the peg in my room. If you're staying, that is."
"Of course I'm staying, Ez," hesaid, smilingat her, moving in close and whispering in her ear. "We're supposed to party tonight, remember?"
"How could I forget? You missed my last one," she said with a mock pout on her face.
"Oh knock it off, sis. It was his little sister's birthday. Give him a break." Gabe laughed and pulled RJ's bag off his shoulder. "I'll put it in our room," he said, making his way to the stairs that led to the second floor of the house, Joe following behind.
The party continued for a few hours, the music loud and the spirits high. But as soon as the musicals went into the changer, the heterosexuals were out the door.
"Finally, I was getting sick of the breeder sex in here." Gabe laughed, throwing his arm around Joe and planting a light kiss on his lips.
"Need I remind you that I am straight." Ez smacked Gabe on the back of his head. "You seem to always forget that, Alec, dear brother of mine."
"Alec?" RJ asked, walking behind the bar and mixed himself a drink from the alcohol hidden in the cabinets under the bar.
Gabe turned to Ez and gave her the finger. "It's my middle name, RJ. Which I hate. And she knows it."
"I always wondered what that A stood for," Joe laughed, pulling away from Gabe and beginning to dance. The two flew into a choreographed dance from the previous year's school musical.
"Damn, guys. I couldn't even remember the choreography from this years show, let alone last year." RJ laughed and tried to join in but flopped down on the barstool near Ez instead.
"RJ, are you sure you're a queer? I thought all fags were required to remember every damn step ever created," Ez laughed, throwing an arm around his neck and rubbing his head.
RJ ducked out from under her and laughed. "I may not be the Fosse Queens over here, but I still do know my dances."
"What, Nstink, and the Backdoor Boys," Joe laughed, pulling Gabe down into a theatrical dip.
"Fuck you, bitch. And I'll have you know that Nsync and the Backstreet Boys are good music, thankyouverymuch." RJ laughed and took a sip of his drink. "And only two of them get it through the backdoor."
Ez pulled a small camera case from under the bar and unzipped it. She laughed as all three heads turned in her direction.
"Is that what I think it is, sis?" Gabe asked, still in the dip.
"The sound of a zipper being undone, why yes, my wonderful sibling, it is. I knew for sure you'd recognize that sound," Ez laughed, pulling out a small pipe and a film case.
Joe laughed and pulled Gabe up, and narrowly avoided a smack on the back of the head from him. Gabe turned to Ez and rolled his eyes. "Fuck off, Princess," he said. "Wait, never mind. You actually would since it's your fantasy to ..."
Ez shot him a glare, her fingers skillfully packing theweed into the pipe. "I figured since you guys got first, you might as well partake of the ganja," she said, pulling out a lighter.
"Princess?" RJ asked sarcastically, his lips curled in a smirk.
Ez rolled her eyes and passed the glass pipe over to RJ. "What would you know, Queenie?"
RJ laughed and placed the pipe to his lips. As he took a drag, he felt a strange cold sensation flow through his body. He closed his eyes and blew out the smoke, not noticing the look that passed between Gabe and Ez at the sight of the slightly red smoke fog that hung in the air. Ez reached behind her and noticed the blue stripe on the outside of the film canister. She quickly looked over at Joe and let out the breath she'd been holding when she noticed he was bent over looking through her cd case.
"Hey, RJ. Pass me that bowl real quick," she said, holding her hand out to him.
RJ shruged and passed her the pipe, a questioning look on his face.
"I think I used the wrong bowl. I got a new one for the occasion and I wanted you guys to break it in with me," she said, pulling on her ear, glancing at Gabe.
Gabe bit his lower lip quickly and stood. "I'm going to go change into my pj's, I'll be right back," he said, placing a kiss on Joe's forehead before walking up the stairs to the guest room.
Ez quickly packed the case up and stood. "I think I left it up in my bedroom, I'll be right back,"
Ez took her time as she walked up the stairs, not wanting to draw any attention to herself. She bit back a yelp of surprise as Gabe's hand shot out of the open guest room doorway, his fingers digging into her upper arm. With a hard pull, he yanked his sister into the room and quietly closed the door.
"How could you fuck up like that?" Gabe made sure to keep his voice as quiet as possible. "You better pray to any god that's listening neither of them saw that red smoke or our collective ass is grass."
"And not the kind you smoke either." She flinched as Gabe's hold on her arm tightened painfully. "Ok, enough with the death grip, asshole. They were totally oblivious, so calm the fuck down."
"I'm sorry." Gabe sighed and released his sister. "You know how important this is, and we can't have anything fuck this up."
"I know." She smiled and patted his shoulder. "You hurry up and change. I'm going to go grab that bowl."
"Did you really get a new bowl?" Gabe asked, pulling the shirt up over his head.
"I kinda had to, the other pipe you guys were using broke. The cat knocked if off the counter and it shattered. I told Mum it would happen." she laughed.
"Midnight got at it, didn't he?" Gabe dropped his jeans and stood there in his red boxer-briefs.
"Jesus, Gabe. Wait till I'm out of the room, would ya?" Ez growled and turned towards the door, before turning back to Gabe. "Make sure they don't suspect anything," she whispered before gently closing the door.
RJ looked up from the cd player as Gabe walked down the stairs in a pair of black pajama pants and a white wifebeater. He felt something shift within him and the outline of a taller, older man appeared around Gabe. He closed his eyes and blinked a few times before looking back at him, no longer seeing the apparition.
"What's up bro, you look like you just saw a ghost," Joe asked, looking up from the stack of cd's on the side of the bar. He turned and saw Gabe standing there. "Oh, hey babe,"
"It's nothing, must be the shit in that bowl. It's got me feeling tingly already."
"Yeah, sorry about that, RJ. That's some of the stuff I brought back from my trip to Amsterdam. Pretty potant stuff, huh?" Ez said, making her way down the stairs and into the living room.
RJ exchanged a couple of disks in the stereo and jumped on the top of the bar. Ez smacked him on the shoulder and glared at him.
"The bar is for glasses, not for asses or feet. Get off, now,"
"Are you sure, Ez? Right here?" RJ joked, his hand reaching for the zipper on his jeans. He laughed lightly as Gabe and Joe pumped their fists in the air. Ez smacked his hand away from his crotch and rolled her eyes.
"Smartass, get off my bar or no more smoke for you,"
"Fine, be that way, you fucking weed nazi," RJ said, laughing as he jumped off the bar and made his way to the couch.
"Damn straight, she is," Gabe laughed.
"At least one of us is," Ez laughed, handing the now packed bowl to Joe.
The night progressed slowly, each person smoking a bit more than their normal tolerance would allow. RJ took the bowl on it's ninth rotation around the four of them and felt a familiar shiver run down his spine as he placed it to his lips. Suddenly, his vision shifted and the living room became a dark garage. He recongnized the tools hanging on the wall and the shadows of the two cars in the center. He noticed the driver's side door of his father's SUV was open and a pair of legs were sticking out. With a loud roar the engine flared to life and the figure emerged from inside, shutting the door as silently as possible. The man stayed in the shadows as he made his way to the second car, silently picking the lock and opening the door. A far away voice grew louder as the vision faded.
"Ralston!" Ez yelled, her face inches away from his own. RJ jumped back, the bowl flying out of his hand and landing on the carpet with a soft thud.
"Jesus Christ, RJ. You scared the shit out of us," Joe said, bending over and picking the pipe up from the ground in front of him. He scooped up the ashes that were left over and deposited them in the ashtray next to him.
"What happened?" RJ asked, waving his hand at Joe as he tried to pass him the bowl.
"You just sat there for five minutes staring out into space. Your face went pale and you wouldn't answer us. We started getting freaked out when you didn't notice Gabe punch you in the arm," Ez said, her voice filled with concern.
"So that's why my arm hurts," RJ said softly, his hand reaching up and rubbing his bicep. "I'm so going to have a bruise in the morning."
"I don't really give a shit if you're going to have a bruise or not, bro. What the fuck just happened?" Gabe asked.
RJ shook his head, and shruged. "I honestly don't know. It's probably nothing. Too much weed, and not enough sleep. I think I'm going to bed," he said, standing slowly, his legs still a bit shaky from the experience.
Joe quickly stood next to him and placed a hand on his elbow. "Yeah, I'm pretty tired myself. Thanks, Ez. See you in the AM."
Gabe and Ez watched as the two made their way up the stairs. When they heard the door close they moved close together and began to frantically whisper to each other.
RJ slowly opened his eyes and groaned as the bright sunlight pierced through the fog that clouded his mind. He rolled over and untangled himself from the near jungle gym of arms and legs that made up Gabe and Joe. He cautiously made his way out of the room and shut the door quietly so he wouldn't wake them. He inhaled the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee and smiled as he made his way downstairs. He placed a kiss on Ez's cheek as he passed her on his way to the coffee pot.
"Afternoon, Sleeping Beauty. Feeling any better?" She asked, not bothering to look up from the Sunday comics. "It's a fresh pot, help yourself. I figured it'd wake you three up,"
"No weed references, please. Thank you. And what do you mean, 'afternoon'? It can't be any later than nine thirty."
"It's eleven o' clock, babe."
"Shit! I've got to cut Coach V's grass today. Fuck!"
"Go upstairs and change. I'll pour you a mug of coffee and get your keys from my room. You've left your travel mug here for at least two months now, it's about damn time you take it home. Besides, we don't want Gina coming out here again to look for you. You remember what happened last time," Ez laughed, setting down her mug and folding up the comics.
"Yeah, I remember. I'd rather not have a fog horn blown in my ear again." RJ laughed before running back upstairs and throwing on a pair of jeans over his boxers. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder as he slid down the banister.
Ez stood at the front door with a mug of coffee and his keys in her hands. "Drive safe, don't speed, and don't get pulled over," she said, placing a kiss on his cheek, refraining from making a comment on how quickly his hair had regrown.
"Thanks, Ez. Come on over after the boys wake up, we'll go shopping or something," he said, a carefree smile on his face as he ran out the door to his car.
RJ pulled into the driveway and sighed with relief when he didn't see Gina's car anywhere around. He opened up the garage door and his eyes went wide when he saw both of his parents car's running. He quickly shut off his car and ran into the house, not bothering to shut off the cars or close any doors behind him.
"This isn't happening," he said to himself. "This is all just a really bad trip. It's a nightmare, that's all it is."
He continued his mantra as he slowly made his way up the stairs to his parent's bedroom, calling out their names as he picked up speed in the hallway. He stopped just outside the door and took a deep breath to try and calm down.
"It's all just a dream," he tried to remind himself.
He slowly opened the door and felt his stomach drop to his knees. He quickly turned away from the motionless forms of his parents and rushed down the hallway to his sister's room. He threw open her door and let out a strangled sob as he fell to his knees beside her bed, cradling her head to his chest. He faintly heard the sound of hurried footsteps from the stairwell, making their way towards him. He slowly turned and saw Gina standing in the door way with her hand over her mouth.
"They're gone," was all he could say as she scooped him into her arms and rocked him as his body shook with sobs.
Gina closed her eyes, shielding their sudden glow, as she rubbed the young man's back in soothing circles, tears now cascading freely down her cheeks. "And so it begins," she thought to herself.