Chapter 1

Jeremy Parker, native on weekend leave from the rez needs to find a ride home. He finds one who happens to be Kin.

    Jeremy Parker didn't consider the times he'd been going through all that rough, but the wider public social opinions would say that he was living on the border of poverty. He would find that funny since he wasn't starving or living on the street, but he did live in a house with nine other people. Most of those were in the same boat as he was and they would say the same thing. You could go to their neighbours, both sides and across the road and they would agree. That's the thing about living on the rez, keeping up with the joneses became a moot point when everybody was striving to keep up with 'the cost of living' and staying just ahead of 'the cost of surviving'. Yet, Jeremy didn't find it very often that he had a whole lot to complain about. Except for that night.
    The winter had been warm one, the snow was almost all gone save for the few pockets of the stuff huddled in the dark corners where the sun couldn't reach. Or the mounds of snow that the snowplows piled up in the out of the way places. Those piles of snow had been rained on, then frozen by colder weather, then survived longer than the regular stuff. Like most things that brawl to the bitter end, it was a beaten looking thing. A pile of dirty, gray snow that just refused to go down with the rest of the season. Every day the sun would pummel it down, smaller and smaller and it would bleed away into the gutters. These last remnants that become a fixture would one day completely gone. Leaving behind its remains in the form of pebbles and sand. Until the spring would roll around, the entire large town, or very small city as the folks at city hall would remind its citizens, the place would remain a dusty and gray waste land.
    It was during this time of year that Jeremy found himself stuck in town without a ride back to the rez. It happened pretty often, Jeremy would get cabin fever and bust out of the rez to go see a movie or visit friends in town. Sometimes groups of the young folk from the rez would make the weekly mass exodus. Be it friday or the following monday, they would be hitching rides back home.
    Jeremy didn't find anything of interest to keep him in town longer than the friday he was there. He went to check at the local hockey arena to see if there any folks there playing in any rec hockey teams. Or if there was anybody going to be around for the late night ice-time. There wasn't anybody at the arena he knew. A quick walk down to the bingo-hall, he went around asking and either people were already gone or they were full up.
    It was 10 o'clock and Jeremy was getting a bit on the nervous side. The movie theater was only half way through their second running and he didn't want to stand around there. A rez native hanging around the theater only meant a couple of things. The worst of which would be the suspicion that he was responsible for a vehicle  broken into or even stolen. It was a regular occurrence around town.
    Jeremy did have his back up plan, which was to give his buddy a call and ask to crash there for the night. Of course, his buddy would tell him that he was more than welcome to come over if he needed. More than likely though, Jeremy would show up at a party that was just hitting its stride. There would be a fight or two, with a slight chance at a stabbing by one of the less savory characters. That was if the cops weren't called before too long. Which they usually were, it was just the course of things at a friday night party at his buddy's place.
    The reason Jeremy really didn't want to go there was that nobody would be able to come and pick him up. Jeremy would have to walk through a few bad neighbourhoods. Places which were always mentioned on the towns small AM news station. People being beaten and hospitalized by roving groups of young natives guarding their territory. The town wasn't exactly getting to the stage of having fully formed and recognized gangs, but they were starting to split into specific groups. Jeremy wasn't young enough to be in the know about the kids in those groups, but he wasn't old enough to command a little respect from those groups.
    Jeremy was a few weeks into 24, which was the middle ground. However, buddying around with the teenagers was becoming a little tiring. What entertained them made Jeremy question his own teens. He went through it all with the same lanky strides he still made. A gait of cold nights and somewhere else to be. If you know what that's like, then you know Jeremy. This version needed a hair cut, he kept throwing his head to the right to get his hair out of his eyes. When he was younger, he kept his hair dyed. One month he would be blond, the next he would be red headed. If one were to take a picture of him every day and make a animation out of them, his hair would look like a flashing sign. Black growing out then changing to various colours.
    What stopped him from doing it was a short stint as a boyfriend. The woman that Jeremy took up with was actually the same age as he was, but he learned the hard way that he was still basically the same kid that he was a decade previous. She was actually trying to accomplish more than whatever meager dreams that Jeremy had. Which weren't all that grand, Jeremy really only want to make enough money so that he could get his own place. What his girlfriend wanted was to have an actual career, and she was actively working towards it. It all fell apart when one night when Jeremy was over visiting at her apartment. She found a small baggie of weed in his pocket and that was it for her. The argument that followed and the walking that Jeremy had to do was a large step towards him growing up.
    Still, there he was on a cool late winter night trying to find a ride back to the rez. Jeremy pulled his hand out of his pocket and pulled the sleeve of his jacket up to look at his watch. A cheap little digital job that served only the only purpose Jeremy thought it should. He pressed the light button and then had to lean his wrist over to try to catch some of the orange street light.
    “F**k.” Jeremy looked down towards the theaters from the corner.
    There were a lot of vehicles crowded along the streets in front of the theater, the parking lot across the way from there was full of more vehicles. Whatever everybody was watching had to be a good one. Jeremy would definitely find a ride, but having a cop car pull up and ask you what you were doing would usually wind up with the conversation ending in a cliché. Move along, nothing to see here.
    Jeremy decided that he was going for it, to see if he could make it to his buddy's place without getting into too much trouble. The night would probably be pretty empty around that area since everybody seemed to be at the theater. One thing that Jeremy had on his side was the ability to outrun most of the people that would try to jump him. He began to walk. Taking the streets with the most lights.
    Still, there were the dark spots that he ran into as he reached the residential areas. The bright whites of store fronts and gas station lights gave way to the occasional oranges. The wind that blew in his face was one of the last northern ones of the winter. While not cold enough to bring any new snows, they were cold enough to cut through Jeremy's jacket. He picked up the pace and jammed his hands further into his pockets.
    Jeremy kept his eyes trained on the ground right in front of him for the most part. Keeping his lips tucked into the zipped up collar. Looking up only to make sure he was headed in the right direction and not walking into traffic. Of which, only a few cars drove past, probably people heading home. Jeremy was almost stepping on the heels of someone before he even noticed that he was catching somebody up. He jerked his head up and almost laughed. Then realized that it would seem like he snuck up behind this person and this is probably how the muggings and beatings started. He decided he would turn at the next corner and walk up to the next street. The person talked and then he changed his mind, maybe two is company. Or to put a different spin on it, maybe a little white-knightish thought came over him.
    “Whoa! Jesus! What the f**k you doing? Sneaking up on a girl like that?”
    “I...I... “ Jeremy wanted to say that he was just walking and, what, she reverse bumped into him? “I was just headed up the street and didn't,” Jeremy grinned, “well, I didn't even see you.”
    “Right, what with me being in front of you.”
    Jeremy noticed that, whoever this woman was, she was put together pretty well. They were standing in the darkness between streetlights and only the dim lights from the houses from one side of the street and the apartment building on the other lit them. She had her shoulder hunched against the cold, hands jammed into her pockets.
    “Man of few words I see, where you headed?”
    Jeremy took his hand out of his pocket and pointed up the street and shrugged.
    “Me too, I didn't even see you coming.” She looked up the street, then back to Jeremy. “I guess it's too cold to pick up girls tonight.”
    Jeremy burst out laughing.
    “Okay.” She shrugged and turned.
    Jeremy watched her take a few steps then huffed a little laugh down into his jacket and jogged up beside her.
    They walked for a few minutes before she started in again, Jeremy guessed that she didn't like all the quiet.
    “Okay, this is getting weird, at least tell me your name.” She finally asked into the wind.
    “Jeremy.” He lifted his head and spoke over his collar then put his chin down again.
    “Are you shy or something?” She asked.
    Jeremy just shook his head.
    “I can see you smiling under there. Can't see if you're blushing though. Aren't you even curious about what my name is?”
    Jeremy shook his head.
    “Okay, that's just rude. Say something, you're starting to creep me out here.”
    “Well, I know this isn't a safe place and here you are walking alone in the middle of the night with nobody around.” Jeremy looked over and lifted his shoulder so his mouth would remain tucked away.
    “Katrina.”
    “Oh.” Jeremy only nodded.
    “People around here know me, my friends are bigger than theirs so they just leave me alone. Besides,” she pointed across the street, “see there?”
    Again, he nodded.
    “Watch.” Katrina plucked a phone out her coat pocket and mashed a few buttons on the screen. She waited for a few seconds before someone had answered. “Hey girl, you asleep? Yeah? Okay, hey, can you look out your front window and wave? No, really. Yeah I'm just walking by. No. Stupid b***h borrowed my car then I think she got drunk at some a******s party so I have to go get it. No, I think I'll enjoy the company. Okay.” She laughed and nudged Jeremy with her elbow then nodded over to the window. There was someone poking her head out between the curtains with a phone held to her ear.
    Whoever it was waved and Katrina nudged Jeremy again.
    “Well, wave.”
    Jeremy pulled his hand out of his pocket and waved.
    “Far as I know his name is Jeremy. No. I doubt it, he didn't even give a lame pickup line. I think so. Okay, I'll let you get back to your business. I don't know, maybe later. Okay, yeah. Okay. Bye.”
    “Lame pickup line?” Jeremy asked when Katrina put her hand back into her pocket.
    “You didn't even ask my name.” Katrina laughed.
    “Well, I'm just trying to find a ride home. Last thing I want to do is try to pick up womens.”
    “Well, since you were nice enough to let me have the pleasure of your company, where is it you call home? I might give you a ride.”
    “Out rez way, look, I already have somewhere to crash tonight so you don't need to.” Jeremy shrugged.
    “Which rez?”
    “One that's too far, I don't want to,” Jeremy gave it a little thought, “impose on your kindness.”
    “Aw, too shy to ask a girl for a ride?” Katrina teased.
    Jeremy didn't mind asking for a ride, but not from someone he didn't know. Also, it would be an hour long drive both ways. That and she was kind of right, he was a little shy, but more embarrassed about asking. A guy as old as he was is supposed to have, at least, some sort of rust-bucket. He thought of trying to lie to her, that his car was in the shop, but what would be the point? It was a small town and they'd see each other again some time down the line and he didn't want to give anyone that kind of impression. So he answered the way he usually did when he didn't have any words. Jeremy shrugged and smiled.
    It was a few more blocks when Jeremy saw that a few people were walking in the same direction they were. They looked back once in a while, maybe they were trying to see if they would have to run. Maybe they were seeing if there was anyone else around, any witnesses. Jeremy hoped they wouldn't have to find out. If he had to make a break for it, he would be fine, but he wouldn't just leave Katrina alone. The last thing Jeremy would consider himself was a hero, but he wasn't a jerk either. He would try to talk their way out of any trouble if there was any. Katrina must have seen what was in his eyes, the way they flicked up and checked on the people ahead.
    “Hey, don't worry about it.” Katrina took her hand out of her pocket and gave Jeremy's elbow a little bump with her forearm.
    “Hmm?” Jeremy looked over, shoulder raised so all she saw was a pair of eyes and a nose.
     “No worries, these guys are nothing.” Katrina was smiling.
    Just as if they heard her saying that, they stopped and turned. Their hands were in their pockets and they hand their hoods pulled up. Jeremy knew that it was bad. These two didn't mean to stop them for conversation. The common thing around town was to get maced and mugged. Or at least threatened with bear-spray so you'd give up your goods.
    “Just keep walking, don't stop, don't say anything at all, let me do the talking.” Katrina didn't seem to even try to keep her voice down. Whatever she was doing, she knew something he didn't.
    Jeremy just nodded, keeping his head down but his eyes pointed forward. If he had to do anything, he'd get Katrina behind him before anything happened.
    They both walked, their pace didn't change. Jeremy's stomach started to churn a little. As they got closer, Katrina reached out and stopped him. He almost kept going forward since she told him to keep walking no matter what. Jeremy stopped and looked over. Katrina was sweeping the hood off her head. All she did was keep her eyes trained on the two guys who stood in their way.
    Jeremy saw that she had long dark hair, smoothed back from her forehead. Whoever she was, she had a click of guts in her. The two guys stepped back. Jeremy just looked over at them, then back at Katrina, she just stood there, letting the wind take a few strands of her hair and blow it free. She smiled, there wasn't anything sinister in it, but the two guys turned at that smile and did everything but run for the hills.
    Jeremy watched as they hunched their shoulders and made their way up the street and disappeared around a corner. He looked over and Katrina was pulling her hood back up.
    “What the hell was that?” Jeremy just blurted out.
    “Aren't you glad I gave a gentleman company tonight? Right now you'd be handing over your money and hoping that you wouldn't wake up in hospital tomorrow.”
    “I guess.” With one look, Jeremy saw that this woman was beautiful. Almost a caricature of the typical native princess pictures that plagued the internet. Long and shiny black hair. Dark, hooded eyes that sparkled with a unknown smile somewhere inside. High cheek bones arrowing down into a sweet little chin. Smile actually verging on demure, but commanding in its own right.
    “But, if they decide to actually come back, don't wait for me, you'll only see my heels kicking as I run like holy hell.”
    Jeremy jerked his eyes away from her face and looked up the street. The way Katrina talked made the innocent face she wore a baited trap.
    Katrina kept trying different ways to get Jeremy to open up a little. Maybe even have a conversation of sorts, but he would only reply in his single word answers, grunts, and nods or shakes of his head. Normally that would annoy a lot of people, but Katrina found it funny. She laughed harder every time she's ask a long and detailed question and Jeremy would only look over, grin and nod.
    A few expected coincidences happened. First, they were both going to the same place. A duplex that was surrounded by small plastic kids toys, from weather beaten swings to little scoot cars. That's what Jeremy always called them. The second coincidence was that they both actually hated these kinds of gatherings.