Human Blend (2 page)

“Really, it's no problem. We were just
hanging out,” Austin said, quickly.

Julie chewed on her lip. She didn't want to
take Austin away from his friends, but she didn't feel like being
alone at the moment. “Um, okay. I'm just gonna throw out my trash,
and I'll meet you at the front of the marketplace,” Julie
relented.

She gathered her trash and looked up. Austin
stood with his hand out.
Gentlemen still exist,
she thought.
She took his hand as he helped her to her feet. They stared at each
other for a moment before Julie pulled her hand back.
What are
you doing
? she admonished silently. Julie managed a smile
before she turned away and scowled at herself. She knew better.
He is just going to show me around, that's it. Nothing more,
she told herself. She disposed of her trash in a nearby receptacle.
She didn't look back toward Austin and his friends.

Julie made her way up to the front of the
marketplace, arguing with herself along the way. She had made a
promise to not involve anybody else in her new life.
I just want
somebody to talk to, spend time with,
she reasoned. She hated
this weakness she felt. Her thoughts were interrupted as Austin was
beside her once again.

“So, where do you wanna go first?” he asked,
clearly very happy to be helping her.

Julie shook off her fluctuation and smiled,
“How about you show me that hotel in town.” She wanted to get rid
of the duffel bag that seemed to scream tourist.

“Okay, it's just a block and a half up this
way,” Austin
said and gestured for her to
follow
. They began to stroll casually up the street.

“So how long have you lived in Marion?” Julie
asked.

“I was born here, actually,” Austin answered.
“I will probably die here,” he said, his mood darkening.

Julie was surprised at the negativity she
felt coming from Austin. She tilted her head to the side when he
looked at her.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “It's just that my
mom owns the laundromat in town and expects me to, like, take over
the business someday. Not my dream job,” he finished.

“What is your dream job?” Julie asked,
curiously.

“I... never mind. You'll laugh,” Austin
muttered.

Julie put her hand on Austin's arm, stopping
him. “I won't, I promise. Tell me,” Julie pleaded, softly.

“I want to teach. I want to be a teacher,” he
said.

Julie smiled, “That's a great profession. Why
would I laugh at that?”

“My mom thinks it's stupid. She said they
don't make any money,” Austin recounted. “I just feel like I would
be good at it, ya know? I was a camp counselor the last two summers
at Hungry Mother,” he stated.

“Hungry Mother?” Julie asked.

Austin smiled, “Yeah, that's the name of our
park here. There is a story behind it,” he said, but elaborated no
more.

“Don't leave me hanging!” Julie said with a
laugh.

“It's an old legend,” Austin laughed. “But,
here we are,” he motioned to the front of the hotel.

“I wanna hear it, later,” Julie smirked.
Austin grinned playfully before following Julie inside the
building.

Upon entering the hotel, Julie was struck by
the beauty of the three arches that lined the far wall above the
staircases. The multi-tiered chandelier that hung in the center was
a gorgeous black, wrought iron design. The flooring was a
checkerboard black and white pattern that flowed to the red
carpeting of the stairs.

“Wow!” Julie exclaimed, looking around the
lobby.

“Told ya it was nice,” Austin said.

“Nice isn't the word. It's breathtaking!”she
proclaimed.

“It was originally built in the 1920's. It
was restored a few years ago,” Austin stated. Julie turned to look
questioningly at Austin. “My great-grandfather was part of the
construction crew that built it,” Austin explained, seeing the
curiosity in her eyes. “I grew up hearing his stories about it over
and over,” he testified.

“Looks like I found the best tour guide,”
Julie said, smiling.

There were a few people milling about in the
lobby. Julie made her way through them to the front desk.

“Hello, and welcome to the General Francis
Marion Hotel. How can I be of assistance?” the woman behind the
counter asked.

Julie looked at the woman's name tag. “Hi,
Patricia. I'd like to inquire about a room for a few nights. Can
you tell me what you have available?” Julie asked.

“Certainly, for two adults,” The clerk
started to quote.

“Oh, no, just one,” Julie corrected her.

The woman looked up at them and then
rephrased herself. “One adult, would you like full, queen, king, or
suite?” she asked.

“I don't need much room, a full is fine,”
Julie said.

“It's seventy five a night plus tax. How long
will you be staying?” Patricia asked.

“I would like three nights, please,” Julie
requested.

The clerk handed Julie a form. “Thank you.
Please fill out the top of this. Will you be paying cash or credit
card?” the clerk asked.

“Cash,” Julie replied, filling out the paper
quickly. Patricia took the form and entered Julie's information and
printed out a copy. She circled the amount Julie owed. Julie
counted out the money from her pocket and paid in full for the
room.

“Thank you, Miss Miller. Your room is number
205. Would you like me to call you a bell hop to show you the way?”
the clerk asked.

“No, thank you,” Julie answered.

“Okay, then just take the stairs to your
right and at the top of the stairs, make another right. Your room
is the third door down,” the clerk instructed. Julie took the room
key that Patricia handed her. She was surprised that it was an
actual key instead of a card that most hotels seem to be so fond of
using. “Enjoy your stay,” the clerk said before continuing on with
another task.

Julie grabbed her bag and started for the
stairs. She turned around and noticed Austin hanging back, his
hands shoved into his pockets.

“I'm just gonna be a few minutes. You're
welcome to come up,” Julie called to him.

“Um, yeah, sure. I've always been curious as
to what the rooms looked like,” he said, approaching her. Together
they made their way up the staircase.

Room 205 was the third door on the right,
just as the clerk had stated.

Julie unlocked the door and pushed it open
wide before stepping inside. Upon entering, she passed the bathroom
that contained a full bath. Further inside was a small but very
quaint room with matching drapes and bedspread. Over the full bed
was a canopy with a lace trimmed sheer covering. The room was very
warm and cozy.

Julie put her duffel bag on top of the
dresser table that faced the bed and went to the lone window. She
pulled open the drapes and looked down below. Her room looked down
upon Main Street. She turned back to Austin.

“You never saw the inside of this place, and
you lived here all your life?” she asked.

Austin shrugged his shoulders, “I never
really gave it much thought,” he answered.

Julie accepted his response and turned back
to the window. She reached up and unlocked the clasp and lifted it
open, letting in fresh air. She closed her eyes and breathed in the
freshness. When she opened them again, Austin was standing beside
her. They stared at each other for a few moments before Austin
raised his hand, brushing back a loose strand of hair that had
fallen out of her pony tail.

“What are you running from?” Austin asked,
softly.

Julie gave a quick smile, “I must be a mess.
I'm gonna go freshen up,” she said.

She moved quickly away from Austin's
perceptive eyes and opened her duffel bag. She pulled out a smaller
bag and headed into the bathroom.

“I'll just be a minute,” Julie said, and
closed the door.

Julie placed her hands on the edge of the
vanity and hung her head.
Intuitive little tour guide
, she
sighed. Julie raised her head and looked in the mirror.
I am a
mess
, she thought. She removed her rubber band from her hair
and brushed it.

Tread carefully
, she admonished. She
hated the lies, although they were necessary to her survival. She
decided diversion was the right plan of action. She splashed cool
water on her face, and patted it dry. Taking a deep breath, she
went back into the room.

Austin stood near the window. He was leaning
against the wall, his arms and ankles crossed. He said nothing to
her, just looked thoughtful.

Julie kicked off her sneakers and sat down on
the end of the bed.

“Tell me about Hungry Mother Park,” she
requested.

“How about you tell me some things about
Julie Miller?” Austin asked.

He pushed away from the wall and sat down
next to her.

“I'm not very interesting,” Julie
replied.

“Somehow, I doubt that,” Austin smiled.

He's too cute
, she thought. “What do
you want to know?” Julie sighed.

“How about where are you from?” he asked.

“Florida,” she lied.

“One word answers, okay. How old are you?” he
asked.

“Eighteen,” she said. “How old are you?” she
quickly asked him.

“I just turned eighteen a few weeks ago,”
Austin said.

“Happy Birthday,” she said, fighting a
smile.

“Thank you. I guess we are playing twenty
questions. What about your family?” Austin laughed.

“What about them?” Julie teased.

“Ah, Julie, it's like pulling teeth!” he
exasperated.

“Maybe you should be a dentist instead of a
teacher,” she kept up the game.

“Why do you have so many secrets?” he asked.
She paused, unsure how to answer that one. She stared at him for a
few moments before answering.

“It's... complicated.”

“I'm a good listener.”

A muffled ring could be heard at that moment.
“I think your pants are ringing,” Julie smirked, thankful for the
save.

“Saved by the bell,” Austin kidded before
standing up, and digging his cell phone from his pocket. He looked
at his watch before answering it,.“Shit,” answering, “Yeah, hey, I
know. I lost track of time. Okay, alright. I'll be right there,”
Austin snapped the phone shut, obviously irritated. “I hate this,”
Austin mumbled to himself, but loud enough that Julie could
hear.

“Problems?” Julie queried.

“I gotta go relieve my mom at the
laundromat,” he answered, grumpily.

Julie felt bad. “I didn't mean to take up
your Saturday.”

“You didn't. I just feel bad I didn't get to
show you anyplace else,” he said.

“It's fine, I like exploring,” she said with
a smile. “Go help your mom,” Julie finished, standing.

Austin started for the door then back tracked
to her. “Can... can I see you again? ”

This is your chance, cut him off now.
“Sure,” Julie said smiling.
Idiot.

“I'll take you to this breakfast place, it
has great food,” Austin smiled.

“Sounds great,” Julie replied.

“Tomorrow morning then, around eight?” Austin
asked as he opened the door.

“I'll be ready,” she answered. Austin gave a
final wave and started back down the hallway. Julie closed the door
and slumped against it. “You just ask for trouble,” she grumbled to
herself.

Pushing aside her thoughts on Austin for the
moment, Julie walked back to her duffel bag. She had more things to
organize to secure a safe lifestyle here.

She dug down deep and pulled out the case
that contained the cash she had taken from them. She had counted it
on one of her stops along the way. Over 200,000 dollars in cash.
She hated carrying around that much money, but it was
necessary.

They would be monitoring banks, looking for
large deposits. Not to mention, if things collapsed she needed to
be able to grab it and run. “I'm going to be more careful this
time,” she told herself.

She could easily get more money if she needed
it, but the way in which she could achieve it, well, she didn't
feel good about it. Julie had an unfair advantage. She possessed
another ability, one that they favored most. Julie could foreshadow
lottery numbers, horse winners and really anything containing
numbers. The numbers just appeared in her mind. She remembered
being small and rattling off the lottery numbers before they were
even drawn. She could even see the combination to any lock.
Numbers. She didn't want to get money that way, it was dishonest.
If she had to live lies, she wanted to live it as honestly as
possible. She chuckled at the irony of that thought.

She opened up the closet in her room and
opened the safe. She put the cash in there. Julie read the
directions and set her combination. She went back to her duffel bag
and grabbed a change of clothes. She wanted to shower before going
out to continue her exploration of the town.

Julie felt better after her shower. The
traveling was really wearing her down. She was ready to stay in one
place, and hoped this would be the town where she could begin a new
life. Dressing in nice slacks and blouse, she traded her sneakers
for sensible flats. Sitting down, Julie opened up the local yellow
page directory. She looked up the hospitals and clinics within the
town.

“Smyth County Community Hospital sounds like
a good place to start,” she decided. After committing the address
to memory, she headed down to the lobby.

Patricia was no longer on duty. In her place
was an attractive gentleman. He smiled brightly as Julie
approached. “Hello,” Julie greeted the man, as he appeared to be
unable to get any words out. “I'm trying to find the Smyth County
Community Hospital,” Julie stated and gave the address. “Is it
within walking distance?” she asked.

The gentleman, whose name tag read 'Anthony',
found his vocal cords. “It is about a 35 minute walk from here,” he
managed to say. “I could call a taxi for you, Miss...”