44: Truth behind the gift
1512 Words
As Quintin drove up to the Kalahari he was deep in thought. Two Anubis women in less than a month, he could smack himself, he really did feel like a man w***e.
He looked over at Katja, she sat staring out into the semi desert, with her now knowing his little run in with Naomi and Kishra, she probably felt he was just a playboy, she'd never be interested in someone like him. He shook his head, already thinking of the next girl, 'Quintin you asshole!'
"So, how old are you?" He asked and she looked back at him.
"Nineteen, and you?"
"Twenty"
"Oh, didn't think you'd be that young, you being so tall n all"
He chuckled "Yeah, many people get that idea" He lied.
"Thank you" She said and he frowned at her.
"Why?"
"For saving me"
"Nah, I, well"
"I know you're thinking the fact that I got bitten isn't really a save, but I'm still alive, and I'm grateful" She said, her soft smile made his face warm.
"Any time Katja, as long as you know you shouldn't be afraid of me"
She gave a giggle "You know, I was terrified, but when I saw you slap that dismembered arm away scolding yourself for eating it, I almost laughed"
"You did?"
"Yeah, I almost say you were cute that time"
Quintin frowned at her.
"No, what I mean was, uhm, you know? As that cat"
"Oh"
"Which is kinda badass if you ask me" She said smiling.
"Badass hey? Never thought I'd hear that from someone who threw me with an arm"
She burst out with laughter "I'm sorry, I just grabbed the first thing I could find, and it happened to be someone's arm"
He chuckled "I don't mean to scare you, but that probably saved your life, if you threw anything else I would have probably killed you"
Her smile didn't really fade, instead he could see she was thinking "Guess, that guy, who ever he was, saved me"
"What guy?"
"The guy who's arm I threw"
Quintin couldn't help burst out with laughter "You know, you're right, he did save you didn't he?"
"Bless his soul" She said.
She was such a down to earth girl Quintin couldn't help thinking she's almost just like him, the poor jokes, the better outlook on life. She's, flat, plain, and fun, how else could he describe her?
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry about all of this" He said wanting her to understand he never wanted this for anyone.
She sighed "You couldn't prevent it, if you managed to save me from the bite, I still got attacked by a werewolf, and if you turned into that cat, well..." She got a fox smile on her face "Then you would have to have paid me to stay quiet"
"Pay you?"
"Well not in currency, maybe like, uhm, being my bodyguard or something"
Quintin laughed "You serious now?"
"Yeah, do you know how many people dream of meeting someone like you? A monster with control over what he becomes, it's so cool!"
"I don't really have control"
"Ok, well, after you eat someone's arm"
"I don't! It doesn't have to be someone's arm you know! It's just every time I find myself in that position, the only meat laying around just happens to be body parts!" He said making her laugh.
"Ok, ok, I get it. Tell you what, if your doctor manages to fix me, then, well can we remain friends?"
Quintin lifted an eyebrow 'Friends' she already regards him as her friend, even if he just dragged her to the gates of hell?
"Why? You see what kind of situations I find myself in, it's dangerous"
"Please? I know it's dangerous, but you're, a sabertooth cat! Or at least can change into one, that's considered cool in my eyes, and I always wanted a friend that's supernatural, you know? Like a vampire or a werewolf, but now? A sabertooth!? New level of awesome"
Quintin smiled shaking his head "Where on earth have you been all my life?"
"Why?"
"You're such an easy person to talk to, it makes me more comfortable with who, or what I am"
"Well I have been considered weird by my friends, maybe that's why I don't really have any"
"You? Don't have any friends? I refuse to believe that, your bubbly personality is like a friend magnet"
She sighed "Sometimes I wish it was, I guess that's why I went to work on that cruise ship, you don't really get to make friends there, it's only work, work, work, day in day out"
He looked at how she watched the road ahead, that cheerful smile off, she was remembering those times.
"Ok, sure" He said and she looked at him.
"Huh?"
"If doctor Ezbar can help you turn back to normal, I'll still be your friend"
Her smile returned 'That's better' he thought to himself.
"Awesome" She said.
Quintin returned his focus on the road, he was speeding now, trying to get to Ezbar as quick as he could. As for Katja, Quintin decided it's better to have a friend now than to fall in love, he got hurt once with Naomi, and he hated that feeling, he'd rather not walk down that path again.
The last part of the trip to Ezbar was a full off road stretch, Quintin tried hard to remember the way there, since there were no roads, it was all about learning how the bush looked. Ezbar had the location mapped on his phone so he could always find it.
"Is this the right way?" Katja asked looking around.
"I, think so" He said scanning the bush, it all looked the same.
"We're lost aren't we?"
"Sort of, this doctor's lab is completely off grid, no roads lead there" He said driving onto a small hill and looked out from the vantage point, in the distance he saw something shimmer then immediately drove in that direction.
"Dis you find it?" She asked.
"Maybe" He got to the point where he saw the shimmering and to his relief it was Ezbar's land cruiser which caught the sun as it stood in its hiding place.
"Here we are" He said forcing the pickup into the bush next to Ezbar's vehicle.
"Where? I don't see a lab?" She asked.
"Oh it's here, trust me"
They walked to a different bush and Quintin led her down into the bunker.
"Holy s**t it's under ground!"
"What better way to hide it right?"
"Your life is so full of interesting things!" She peeped excitedly making him chuckle.
Just as before he wanted to knock but Ezbar opened before he could.
"Hey doc"
"Quintin, I'm glad to see you're safe"
"Thanks, I have a favour to ask?"
"Ok, come in quick, the heat out here will kill us" Ezbar said ushering them in.
"It's even air conditioned down here" Katja said.
"Uh, yes, who's this?" Ezbar asked.
Quintin told Ezbar about what happened on the cruise ship whilst they had a glass of water, he then explained how Kishra was the daughter of Cleopatra and Akmah-ra, this made his eyes widen and he put his glass down.
"Can you possibly save her doc?" He asked referring to Katja.
"I might, come with me" He said leading them in, Katja was over joyed. When they entered the labs Ezbar's phone was ringing so he picked it up.
"Koos?" Quintin heard him say.
"Yes, I'm listening"
Ezbar sat there for a while, Quintin could see something was being explained to him, he then slowly turned to Katja.
"Ok, I'll, look into it" He put the phone down.
"And?" Quintin asked.
"Katja dear, would you mind sitting down quick?"
She came over and climbed onto the reclined bed, Ezbar took an injection and held it to her "Mind if I take a small sample of your blood?"
"Sure" She said allowing him to draw the blood.
Quintin stood in silence watching Ezbar work, when he finally turned away from the computer he took his glasses off and a sense of amazement was on his face.
"What's wrong?" Quintin asked.
"Well, I'm going to be blunt Quintin, I can't prevent her from becoming a werewolf"
"What? Oh no" She worriedly said.
"But bare with me on this" He cleared his throat "Because Kishra was a direct descendant from Cleopatra, Katja here won't become a werewolf on the next full moon, in fact, she might only become one much later"
"How so?"
"The venom is more focused on aiding the host as it should have years ago, instead of now where it's like a parasite and changes the body as quick as possible"
Quintin wasn't sure he followed so Ezbar explained to him what Koos told him about Frits' theory, understanding it better he looked at Katja.
"So what does that mean for her?"
"It means if she becomes a werewolf, she will be able to control it"
Quintin felt shocked, is this what Kishra meant by a gift!?
- Writer
