United Service (12 page)

“I thought you didn’t like these trashy magazines?”

“I don’t. I just find the statistics in that article hard to believe.” Sterling continued reading the article about kids having sex early in life.

“What statistic? The one about how many women have never had an orgasm before?” Kate asked lightheartedly.

“What? No, I’m talking about the other article. I find the stats hard to believe how many girls have sex before the age of sixteen.”

Kate returned to the article. “Sadly the statistics are accurate. Actually, it’s all related to my thesis called ‘Recycling Motherhood: When grandmothers parent their grandchildren’”

“Really?” Sterling said in a surprised tone. So the magazines were more to Kate than immature ramblings. He studied Kate as she continued to scan the articles. He hadn’t pictured her as the bookworm, collegiate type, although she did have an air of sophistication about her.

Kate skimmed the article to find the statistic. “Sixteen for girls to have their first sexual encounter sounds about right. One of my psych classes last semester dealt with changing sexual behaviors over the last century. Kids are engaging in sex at earlier and earlier ages. In fact, in Colombia, where much of my thesis data is coming from, one in five girls age 15–19 is or has been pregnant. That’s nearly triple the U.S. rate.”

Sterling wasn’t sure what to do with that information. First, the sheer numbers alone appalled him, but second, Kate appeared … well, scholarly. He had never gotten to know any of his past women. Many had been so drunk or strung out on drugs during the brief encounter that he never got to appreciate them on an intellectual level. Honestly, other than the women of the Colony, he had no idea women could be so smart. He felt a queasiness overcome him, and recognized the sensation as shame. If he ever questioned whether he was a lowlife user of women, he now had his answer. He had never appreciated them for the whole package that they were.

“The numbers keep climbing every year too.”

Sterling bit his lip and realized he had looked away from Kate and the magazine during his sad little epiphany. He was now solidly focusing on his boots, not wanting to make eye contact with her. He had only gone through high school, and then had only barely managed to graduate. He winced at the memory. He had been young, unable to compel his teacher to let him slide by and stand with his small class that totaled six graduates. If he had not been sleeping with his teacher, he wouldn’t have graduated. He sighed as he realized he didn’t even remember the teacher’s name.

“If I can, I’d like to go over to Columbia one day. Really see and experience what these young mothers have to go through on a day by day basis.”

Good lord, Kate was still talking about her research and sounded so proud of her accomplishments. Sterling hadn’t even been listening the last few minutes, so he nodded in agreement with what she had said and started to truly listen to her, not just the content but also the conviction she had to her studies.

“Anyway, not to bore you, but it’s not only a problem with kids having kids; there is also the whole issue of diseases too. If people could just practice abstinence until they’re older, that one act would solve several issues.”

Over the years, Sterling had noticed the young twenty–year–old women he would sleep with had much skill and practice in the bedroom. That wasn’t the case in the 1800s and early 1900s. “You’re right. It’s ridiculous to be that young,” he finally said.

“Hah. Like I’m so sure a handsome guy like you waited. Statistically, boys have sex even earlier than girls.” She pointed to the number on the page. “These boys are having sex with someone. Usually their partners are these young girls.”

The compliment did not go unnoticed. He took great stock in the fact that she had referred to him as handsome twice already. A slight smile claimed his lips. “You think I’m handsome?”

She replied with a smile, but he noticed she also had blushed. He couldn’t remember the last time he made a woman blush, if ever.

“Says here girls as young as middle school are engaging in sex,” she read.

Sterling furrowed his brows as he glanced back down at the article. “What would possess these girls to have sex at such a young age?” He thought back to Alicia, who was still a virgin at seventeen when she had been attacked and killed. She went against these odds.

“They think they are in love maybe? Pressure from peers? Raging hormones?” She shrugged her shoulders. “There are many variables. Some are curious.”

Sterling shook his head. “Curiosity isn’t a good reason to flop on your back.”

“Kids are
curious
all the time,” she commented.

He kept reading the article. “This is nauseating.” He turned away from the magazine.

“If you want to read over my shoulder, and you want something more constructive to read, you could read the ‘How to tell if your man is pleasing you in bed’ article? You can always pick up pointers.” She grinned at him as she nearly sang the last sentence.

Sterling noticed that her voice changed when she said something racy like that. It sounded just like her bathroom offer – hollow. He glanced up at her. “I do fine. So, no thank you.”

“Yes, but do the women do fine?” she said again in her sexy bedroom voice.

He had been down this road many times with the vampire women he had met in the past. Now that he thought about it, he wondered if he came across to those women as an uneducated idiot. He did have world knowledge. He had traveled extensively and had a good job. Now reflecting, there were a few reasons for their rejections, with him being a half–breed to top off that list. He mustered up his courage, but couldn’t look her in the eye. In a softened voice, barely audible by human standards, he offered, “You could always find out for yourself, Kate.”

From the corner of his eye he noticed Kate’s eyes widen and her cheeks grow red in a blush. She didn’t even comment, just picked up the magazine and continued reading, doing her best to ignore the remark. It was his second invitation to her for sex, and, of course, the second rejection. She probably only dated purebred vampires. Sterling wasn’t sure, but felt the sting of rejection regardless the reason.
Strike two.
He wasn’t sure if he was willing to try for a third strike or not.

While Sterling brushed off the rejection, tiny television screens descended from the ceiling of the plane. The usual preflight instructions were now recorded and he realized how much time had passed since he had last flown anywhere. The plane started to taxi and climb into the sky. He took a few deep breaths as his head pounded with the pressure.

“You want some gum?” Kate offered.

He shook his head and winced again. He couldn’t talk; he waited for his ears to pop from the pressure, or death from his headache. Either one would have been fine with him. After a few agonizing moments, the pressure subsided and he felt better. Kate looked too engrossed in her magazine to notice, which was a good thing. He didn’t want her to think he was afraid of flying or anything else equally as silly. He took out his eye drops and put a drop of the soothing, refreshing liquid in each eye. Instantly feeling the comfort of the rain, he merely shook his head when Kate questioned what the bottle contained. His eyes became less irritated and itchy, and the relief was a blessing. He put the container away without explaining its significance to Kate.

Before much time passed, Sterling heard Kate doze off, but she quickly woke up again. The woman was tired, but obviously restless. She had witnessed a kidnapping and was worried about Tiffany. Kate put up a brave front and Sterling suspected the teasing was her way of getting her mind off her stress.

Ben nudged Sterling in the shoulder. “Dude. What’s going on with Kate?”

“I don’t know. She’s having problems falling asleep, I guess.”

“This entire time she hasn’t given off the scent of a predator. At first I thought she might be a half–breed because of it, but when she falls asleep you can tell she’s a purebred.”

Sterling could sense a predator was nearby, but assumed he was picking up on Ben. Now he focused on Kate as she slept and realized the sensation was coming from her.

“Whenever she falls asleep her aura becomes visible too,” Ben commented. “The vision is not crystal clear, but I can see an outline. But she wakes herself up and the aura’s image goes away.” Sterling looked at Kate who had a fitful sleep.

“Sterling, her aura is blue. She’s in pain.”

Sterling checked the seat and couldn’t discover anything that would cause her any discomfort. “You sure?”

“Yeah. It’s a blue aura like yours. I’m guessing her pain is what is keeping her awake, and it’s what’s keeping me from seeing her aura better.”

Sterling thought about that as he watched Kate shift in her seat while still asleep. “Or maybe whatever is keeping you from seeing her aura disappears when she is asleep, and for some reason she just happens to be in pain.” Sterling readjusted the seat for Kate and turned on the air above her.

Ben shook his head. “Whatever the case may be, she’s miserable.” He paused before he added, “I thought I’d see red streaks mixed into her aura, or maybe even a red aura, but that’s not the case. I really thought she was into you. Especially the way she looks at you when you’re not noticing. BTW, your aura does have red in it, Sterling. I’m not too surprised. She’s beautiful.”

She was beautiful. She was also intelligent, sophisticated, and had a graceful appeal to her – except for the tripping. “I figured she was a total flirt,” Sterling said as dismissively as he could, not wanting Ben to know how he felt.

“What happens when you touch the skin of someone who is in pain?”

Sterling glanced down at his gloved hands. “It depends. I usually can only read that they are in pain. It’s not like I can feel it at all. Women in pain usually can’t soothe my skin issues though, so I avoid them.”

“I’m guessing she’s not in pain when she’s awake,” Ben commented.

At first, Sterling had seen Kate as a remedy, but he knew her now, and it wasn’t so cut–and–dry to him anymore. He lifted the armrest between the two of them and gave her more room. She woke several times from her restless nap. At one point, she had placed her head on Sterling’s shoulder and leaned into him. He wanted her to get a reprieve from the pain, so he didn’t mind if she used his shoulder as a pillow.

********

Once they landed, Sterling couldn’t leave the Powel Airport fast enough. His head ached with the sensation of air pressure changes and he was just in a bad mood. Even a new set of raindrops in his eyes didn’t lessen the migraine by much.

Ben pulled Sterling aside. “Yo, Sterling. Your aura is getting to be a deeper and deeper blue. How much pain are you in?” Ben asked.

“I’m fine.” Sterling hit the door handle and the metal frame swung wildly in, making a thud against the wall. Sterling then walked into the car rental place without another word to Ben. Overall, the wait wasn’t long and soon they were back outside and approaching their rented Lexus. Ben offered to drive because of Sterling’s headache.

“Where are we going, Kate?” Sterling asked. “Tell Ben where to drive.”

Kate stared back at him and Sterling knew she had picked up his irritated tone. She wasn’t used to him being in pain, and there was no reason to bark orders at her. He feigned a slight smile to clear the air between them, but he figured the tightness of his face only made him seem creepy.

“I wrote the address down.” She handed Ben a slip of paper and he punched the address into the car’s GPS system.

Ben studied the readout. “Looks like a house address, and the place is about a 30–minute drive from here.” He drove the car off the lot and turned on to the highway indicated by the GPS system.

Kate’s gum chewing grew even louder in the car, and even more annoying. Sterling turned on the radio to drown out the sound. He didn’t care what music played, just as long as the tunes masked Kate’s chewing.

“I don’t like that music. Can you please turn to a different station?” Kate asked.

Sterling rubbed his temple. “Well, you’re out of luck. I don’t know how to work the radio other than turning it on.” There were neither dials nor switches, only a computer readout display and dozens of channels. Even if he were feeling fine, he still wouldn’t know how to work the stupid thing.

“It’s Internet radio. What’s to understand? Just hit a button.” She leaned across the car and selected a modern music channel. As she did, her body slid against Sterling’s shoulder which caused him to shift his body closer to the car door. He remained completely covered by his skin covering and long shirt, but still didn’t want her skin to impact his pain just in case she too were in pain.

As the different music filled the car, Sterling commented, “That’s not even music.”

“What kinds of music do you like, Sterling?” she asked. Sterling stared at the road and did his best to not to focus on his pain.

Ben was the one who answered. “He loves rap. Put on a rap station.”

Sterling growled at Ben when rap music filled the car. “I hate rap.”

“Then you should have answered her.” He looked over at Kate. “Seriously, he likes country. Check out his cowboy boots.”

Kate reached over to change to a country and western station as she tried to see Sterling’s boots. “Are you a cowboy, Sterling,” she said smiling at him.