Piggyback Ride $5

Cora nodded absently, twirling an errant strand of hair between her fingers. There was quite a lot that she could show Elith. Be it something out of the raw footage that had slowly been piling up on her hard-drive or one of the finished, tweaked things that had already found its way onto her youtube. It mattered what she picked. The first impression was important, and it woudn’t do to show the other something not tailored to her tastes if Cora could help it.

Finding the perfect clip would take more snooping on the ghoul’s part, however.

“I have a youtube channel!” She hummed after a long, quiet moment. “I’ll show you it next time! Figuring out something to make between us shouldn’t be too hard. I’m sure you have lots of talents that would lend themselves to film! Most do.”

Her hair, though. That was hard to explain. Cora held the strand she’d been twirling up to eye level. It wasn’t like she didn’t do it herself? But dye wasn’t really involved, was it? It had been once or twice. Did that make it only partially accurate to call it a shifting thing?

“I do my own hair, yes.” She settled on, chuckling softly. “I think the dye I used last time was Manic Panic or something. Do you like to dye yours?”

“Well, I bleach and tone it regularly. Fortunately for me, my hair grows quite slowly so I do not have to do my roots that often,” Elith replied. The vibrancy of Cora’s hair made Elith jealous, though she was not one to admit such an ugly emotion as jealousy. “This is my real hair color,” she continued, ruffling one of her ashy blonde shaven sides. “It is too much of a pain to bleach it every time, and I like how it looks in contrast.” 

She had finished her sketch of Cora a few minutes ago but she kept herself busy, adding details anywhere she could because she so enjoyed her bubbly personality. She knew that was extremely selfish of her. She had so generously granted some of her time to be sketched, and now Elith was being silly. Even though Cora had said that she wasn’t in any rush, she had been going somewhere to do something.

Cheeks still warm with shame, Stevie gave a weak smile and looked back down at her hands as they fidgeted in her lap. As the centaur spoke, she nodded slowly, and took a few moments to gather up a proper sentence, hoping she didn’t come across as a completely tongue-tied idiot. “A-ah, yes, I- uh, I b-believe that’s often the case w-with, um, h-human-written works. They do tend to be a little, ah, liberal with the truth, d-don’t they?” Though she was loath to immediately identify her own supernatural status to the centaur, she could easily relate to the feeling of misrepresentation in human literature. Demons and their hosts had yet to even really find their place in supernatural-written literature yet - understandably, as it was quite hard to romanticise such an unpleasant living situation.

At the sight of the ancient phone, the girl’s nose wrinkled in amusement. God, she hadn’t seen one of those in years - not since she’d been at school, certainly. Quickly concealing her expression for fear of appearing rude, she ran her thumb over the screen of her own phone, saying lightly, “I-I’d like to, um, to be able to s-say that I could be th-that, uh… tech-free but I th-think I’d rather, uh, lose m-my right arm than give my phone up.” She’d gladly read a hundred scathing articles about millennials and their technological dependency problems - she probably already had, given the rate at which bitter middle aged journalists seemed to churn them out - before she’d lose her phone. After all, how else would she be able to simultaneously text her girlfriend and feed a small army of virtual cats? Resisting the urge to use the cliched quip that she hadn’t yet given her name, the host ducked her head and said, “I, uh, I’m S-Stevie… Harker. Stevie Harker.”

“Well, it is lovely to meet you, Stevie Harker,” Elith replied with a small nod of her head in the girl’s direction. She saw the girl eyeing her cellular phone, no doubt noting the age of its technology. It put a smirk on her face.

Elith flipped her phone open in one swift motion, like a businesswoman from the 90′s. “I really hardly ever use it. It is quite difficult to text when you only have nine keys and 26 letters. And I have never been very good on the phone. Talking to people in general is a bit difficult for me, not to mention not being able to read their expressions, and relying solely on tone of voice,” she explained. Stevie probably understood where Elith was coming from, because she seemed to have a very nervous disposition. Despite this, Stevie was a very cute girl. Perhaps it was just the fact that she didn’t hide her nervousness like Elith did. 

At the sound of hooves, Stevie jerked around, barely hiding an expression of wonder at the centaur before her. It was not, of course, that she was particularly surprised by the concept of the vast number of creatures on the campus - that was to be expected, and something that she largely relished. It was just that… well, a centaur. In a laundromat. Carrying a copy of a Harry Potter book. It was not the sort of education experience she’d expected when she was leaving home. Discreetly, she put a hand over her mouth and hiccoughed a mouthful of smoke as the… centaur drew closer.

“W-well, uh, now I wish I’d b-been a little more, um, prepared.” She gave a sheepish smile, skinny arms twitching up to wrap around her torso. “I s-suppose that’s n-not a good omen, um, c-considering I’m studying Literature.” Glancing down at her phone, she tapped the screen awake and chewed her lip at the lack of messages. Ever the millennial, she was always reliant on her phone to help her avoid social situations, but it looked like she was on her own. “It’s, uh, a v-very good series though… There’s, um, some centaurs, I th-think.” Her almost-smile faded abruptly as her stomach lurched. What if she wasn’t a centaur, and she’d just made some horribly offensive generalisation? Hot shame crawled up her throat and she blurted, “I mean, uh, I m-mean- I a-assumed, um… sorry.”

“It is quite alright, I am a centaur. Most of my kind are not the type to get into a huff over anything like that,” Elith assured the girl. “But I see now, you study literature. I read lots of old literature, but this is one of the first modern books I have ever read.” Elith looked at the cover and traced her fingers over the cover. “It was suggested to me because I despise the portrayal of centaurs in most literature like Homer’s Odyssey and its counterparts. I was told this book had a much more realistic and less offensive representation.” 

Elith looked back and realized that she really was rambling on at this point. She could talk about literature for hours on end, and she was glad that this girl studied it so it perhaps wasn’t boring her too much. 

“I like your phone. I used to have one just like it with the touch screen an all. It was very useful and easy to use, considering I am not the most tech savvy creature,” Elith chuckled as she remembered stepping on the expensive piece of technology and breaking it in as many pieces as was probably possible. “I have to use those old flip phones now, though,” she said as she reached in her bag and pulled out a very slender pale blue flip phone. 

It had, as was often the case, been the demon’s fault. Stevie had irritated it, taking caffeine pills and eating spoonfuls of sugar to keep herself awake so she could finish her essay, and it had retaliated by pouring an entire bottle of expensive wine into her laundry hamper when she finally crashed out and slept for fourteen hours. Awaking to a bedroom stinking of wine and the harsh laughter of the demon ringing in her ears, Stevie’s mood had only worsened when she realised she only just had enough change to pay for the laundromat. God, she wished she could just sleep for another day.

Bleary-eyed and headachey, the girl walked unsteadily under the weight of the bag of laundry, crossing the campus and heading for the neon glow of the laundromat as clouds drifted across the moon behind her. Jesus - night, already? She was quickly becoming nocturnal. Huffing out a curl of dark smoke as she shouldered open the door, it took only a few seconds for Stevie to realise that there were no free machines. Bloody hell! After all that effort! Sitting down on the metal bench and propping her chin in one hand, she settled in for a long wait. After a few minutes, passed in the relative silence of the whir of washing machines and the chattering of the demon, the door behind her swung open. Without looking up, Stevie called, “Th-there’s, uh, no empty machines right n-now… I h-hope you, uh, brought a book.”

As she entered the laundromat Elith looked down upon hearing the small voice. She was surprised to see a very tall and thin girl looking up at her. The girl’s voice sounded very nervous, or perhaps just caught of guard. Elith was a monstrously big creature, after all. She noticed that the girl had dark circles around her eyes, no doubt from lack of sleep. It was quite late already. 

“I see. I always bring a book with me in case of a situation like this,” Elith replied steadily as she produced a large book from her shoulder bag and turning the cover towards the girl. The title read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling.

It left her giggling instinctively as the other trailed off.

“Only 208 bones.” She huffed. 208 to mimic. 208 to chew or dispose of. 208 too many. Cora supposed ideally, in a prey sense, humans wouldn’t have bones at all. But alas, fish are friends, not food. Or both, really. Humans had lives and families, and now that she had other means to feed, that was supposed to matter more. “You sound like you know a lot. I hope your… schooling, goes well!”

Cora tilted her head to better brush away a strand of hair; frowning just slightly when a white strand came away with her hand. Pesky.

“Oh no, I do not know all that much. Relatively, of course,” she replied to the comment about her intellect. “But thank you, I hope your schooling goes just as well,” Elith said. She really did hope she was successful with her education. She seemed like a nice enough person. 

“Yes, I would love to see your work sometime,” Elith replied, putting her pencil to the paper once more. She quickly glanced up once more, pretending to look at the texture of Cora’s hair, when really she tried to read the girl. “And I will make something with you, if you will have me,” she added on a slightly more neutral tone. 

He shrugged and continued walking, hands planted firmly in his jacket pockets. Elith seemed like the more sheltered type. She was strong, no doubt about that, and suspicious enough of strangers, but still a bit too nice. He continued her efforts in lightening the heavy midnight mood.

She didn’t see any reason that she shouldn’t tell Sergei what she was really doing out here. It was a very silly reason, but if he decided to tell anyone most people would not believe him. She looked like she was a force to be reckoned with, and she was, but only if she had good reason. Very good reason. “I am out here because I had seen some flowers earlier this morning. I decided to come out this late so that I could pick them in peace, without being seen doing such a childish thing,” she answered, giving a small chuckle into her hand. 

She reached in her bag into a little tupperware box that had three of the flowers she had found, and opened them up pulling one out. “I believe they are a type of lily, but I have forgotten the specific name,” she told Sergei. They were a redish-orange bulb type flower with little speckles all over it. 

“Um, I’m not sure they’ll be to your liking, but we could definitely arrange a movie night of sorts!” He wasn’t sure if his excitement was entirely truthful. It’s not like he didn’t want to have a movie night, but showing Elith anime seemed so surreal. What if she thought he was a loser? It’d be competely justified, but there was a pang of nervousness. Oh god, what did he just sign up for.

“Well, I do not really have a taste in movies or television, but I do like Epic Poetry like Dante’s Inferno,” Elith replied. “I really do despise Greek Epic Poems, however. Centaurs and Centauresses are portrayed as heathens. The same goes for satyrs too, it is quite unnerving to read,” she rambled on. 

She didn’t know much about him, and the coldness and defensive air about him only made her more curious. While he didn’t seem to be the most friendly of fellow students, he had a certain aura that intrigued Elith. Something about him that tipped her off that he was not like anyone she’d met before. 

But, looking at her own thoughts, she realized that she was making assumptions. And she didn’t even know his name!

“I’m a visual arts major. I’m going to be a film maker! Maybe not the flashy Hollywood kind. I don’t think that would go so well with the undead thing, you know? But I’ll find a way. I have stuff to put out there!”

It might be stuff that she spent years putting together. It might be stuff she did now, and that sat in the corner until such a time as her shifting abilities improved and she could fully pass for human. But Cora wasn’t particularly interested in the spotlight that surrounded the film making process. She just wanted to tell stories. And anyways, it always felt better when she worked alone.

“But a surgeon? That’s a pretty interesting career choice. Definitely more than I could take on, I think. What got you into it?” The ghoul folded herself over in interest; chin resting atop her knuckles, elbows atop her knees. Though it was only momentary – realization of her action catching up seconds later and propelling her back into her previous stance.

Elith really wanted to be an M.E., someone who did autopsies and figured out how people could have died, especially under suspicious circumstances. She had an incredible sense of justice, and wanted to do her part to bring people answers. 

“Well, I have always been interested in anatomy, but I only started studying humanoid anatomy this year. Human feet are fascinating you know? They are just like the hands but elongated for balance and, of course, without opposable thumbs. I am especially not used to counting two ribcages... Humanoid figures only have 208 bones,” Elith answered. She realized that she was rambling to herself and begun to draw Cora’s hand that was holding up her chin as a skeleton. It looked very cool, but almost seemed too “edgy.” 

“Well, I do watch some television, but I tend to stay away from most electronics... Remotes and cellphones very easy to crush when you weigh approximately half a ton,” she replied with a smile and a little laugh. She had broken many things by stepping on them accidentally. She wasn’t really a klutz at all, but it was just hard to see under herself all the time. 

“Where you live? Over there? I will walk with you, you’re looking spooked.”

Sergei kept his hands firmly rooted in his pockets as he stumbled over the phrase “will walk with you.” English “w” was such a weird and difficult sound to master. The cuts and bruises on his knuckles had certainly healed by now, but the leftover blood staining his hands might not be so welcome in this conversation. He didn’t bother explaining what kind of creature he was. This wasn’t the first day of classes and this chance encounter late at night certainly wasn’t some awkward, teacher-supervised ice breaker.

She did however want to put out an air of confidence, so that she wouldn’t give away her real emotions towards the stranger. “Ah, no need I am only slightly cold. I am out here for... a reason, after all,” Elith explained, not wanting to be a burden to the man.