I sat in the kitchen, tying up the laces of my new butter-yellow converse, almost giddy with happiness to be out of my black jumpsuit. Soa walked into the kitchen, the others from the attic following close behind her. We began distributing the clothing and spread throughout the house to change. Calvin walked over to my side and looked me up and down, taking in my shoes, dark blue skinnies and bright green tee. He smiled wryly.
"Now I've got my memory of you back. You always did go for the bad color combos."
"Haha," I replied, standing and shoving my knapsack at him, "I don't remember you making any complaints in the past."
He rummaged through my pack and his face lit up as he pulled out a blindingly orange pair of trainers. Mulholland strolled over and grimaced at our clothing.
"You couldn't have bought anything in dark colors, brown, gray?"
"Well, we had been planning on getting dressed in an airport and then flying off to Japan where we'd be safe, not trudging through the woods with the fuzz after us," Calvin replied, starting to smile again. Mulholland looked at my clothing and remarked,
"Well, it's definitely an improvement over the nightgown."
I kicked him in warning, but Calvin's face was blank. That worried me. Calvin's face was never blank. I hoped he wasn't about to go Wolfman on Mulholland's arse. Then, without warning, he flashed a smile.
"Can I speak to you in the other room, soldier?" he asked in a jovial voice, "Scotsman to Scotsman."
Mulholland, looking surprised, nodded in agreement.
"Oh, Mulholland, we knew hardly knew ye," Soa joked, walking over and watching with me as the two men walked into the parlor. I eyed her with a smirk.
"Oh, I don't know. Cal might rough him up a bit, but he'll stop once Mulholland confesses that he's got the hots for someone else."
Soa shot me a wide-eyed look.
"He's got the hots for someone? Who?"
I smiled again and shook my head.
"Not for me to say. He seems the type that likes to handle his own affairs."
Soa glanced down.
"Well, it won't matter if he turns on us anyways."
I gave her a one-armed hug of reassurance.
"Actually, he's starting to grow on me. I don't think he'll betray us. Wouldn't it be something if him and Campbell (I've decided the driver's name is Stuart Campbell:bleh:) joined us?"
"Well I wouldn't mind," M said from the kitchen doorway, "That Campbell sure is pretty. If it weren't for Finn, I might be all over that."
"Amen, sista," I said, looking into the hallway at Campbell, who had stripped off his jacket and shirt and stood inspecting the walls in a tank top, pants, and boots. Raising a muscled arm, he rubbed at a spot on the wall and leaned in to see it better. He tilted his head and turned to glance at us.
"Hey ladies, you should come see this."
Finals...papers, so many papers...no sleep....head....hurting.....brain....dying.....*faints dead away*
