Jacie sat, her legs folded, her right arm stuck out at an awkward angle. Acuzio pulled out the shards of glass slowly but surely, and Jacie could hear the *plink* they made as they hit the marble bowl he held them in. She glanced at the pile, and blanched. There was skin still sticking to some of the shards, and blood on all of them. He tugged at one, and she yelped, and he smiled grimly,"There. All done." He snatched a roll of bandage from the table, and wrapped it around her wound tight. He straightened,"Okie-Dokie. So. Any idea of why a strange man was trying to kill you?" Jacie glared at him, cradling her arm. "Yeah. I was a drug dealer." He blinked,"Really?" Jacie snorted,"Of course not." He smiled,"You've reached a new level of sarcasm. Congratulations." Jacie tried to hold it in, but grinned widely at him anyway. He sat on a dark stool in front of her hospital bed, and stared thoughtfully at his hands. Jacie frowned,"What are you thinking of?" Acuzio frowned, but didn't look up,"What the 'Book' is." Jacie shrugged.
He stood suddenly, and she scowled,"Where are we going? I need rest and relaxation." He smiled down at her,"Your welcome to stay", he drawled, his smooth silky voice floating with perfect articulation. She sighed,"Fine. Lets go." She followed him out, and said,"Wait, how are we going to get there?" He snorted,"You think I only have one car?" He pressed his fist against a button on the wall, and a door spun, and revealed a snowy white car. She shook her head, and walked to the passenger side,"How many cars do you have?" He grinned, his milky white teeth gleaming, and didn't answer. She swung open the car door, and jumped in, squishing into the soft black seats. She leaned forward and closed the door. She took a deep breath, smelling the smell of new car in the air. Acuzio inhaled deeply,"Don't you just love that smell?" Jacie smiled,"Yes", she admitted. He laughed softly, and absently ran a hair through his tousled black hair. Then he gripped the steering wheel, and grinned at Jacie, a glint in his eyes that she didn't trust. Her heart swelled. That glint reminded her of Simon. Jacie's eyebrows pulled together,"Wait, what are-" But Acuzio interrupted her with a slam of the gas, and the engines hungry snarl, like a furious panther. Jacie's voice rose drastically,"NO DON'T." But her head snapped back as they flashed away from the big house. She slammed her fist into Acuzios arm as many times as possible, and he growled,"Ouch", and slowed. Jacie took a deep breat, and he glared at her. "Ruin the fun", he muttered.
They drove on, (at a normal speed, thank you very much), in silence. Acuzio leaned foward and fiddled with the radio. She caught his hand, and pulled it down. She shook her head,"Don't. I hate music." He ogled at her, mouth hanging open. She frowned,"What', she said defensively. He spoke slowly, as if in fear of being mis understood,"You don't...like music?" Jacie nodded. He let out a huff, and rubbed his forehead. He stuck out the fingers rubbing it, and said,"And, dare I ask, why?" She frowned,"It irritates me." He paused, then shrugged, and fiddled with the radio again,"Too bad."
...
She rubbed her ear,"I think I got a bug bite on my ear...." Acuzio glanced at her and shook his head sadly, as if fearing for her sanity, deflecting the statement. She glared. They walked further, and Jacie played with her bandage. Acuzio snatched her hand, and pulled it down,"Don't do that. If that messes up, your going bandage-less. And then you'll get an infection." She stuck her tounge out, but was slightly warmed at his care. They walked more, and the sky got darker and darker as they went. They heard a soft yelp, and both their heads snapped towards the sound. Jacie got closer. "Jacie..." Acuzio warned. She crouched down, and pushed the small bush around, seeing a tiny bulldog laying on the floor behind it. She squealed,"Awwwwww." She grabbed the small, wrinkly puppy and hugged it to hr chest "Look, Acuzio!" Acuzio peered curiously, then frowned,"A dog." She glared,"An adorably cute dog. Im keeping him." Acuzio opened his mouth furiously, then closed it and sighed. She looked around, not seeing anything. "So where are we?" He smiled,"Remember at Kallista's house, you didn't see the true picture at first?" Jacie frowned, but nodded,"Yes. You called it a....a Veil, I think." He nodded, and said,"Veil's are things that cover the true image of something, as if a glamour, or a sheen. Mortals can't see, because they don't look hard enough." Jacie stared, thinking hard. What if she had seen Veil's before, not realizing what they were. The thought turned her stomach over. She looked ahead of her and stared, trying to see past the Veil. It flicked off, and Jacie stifled the gasp this time. A huge building, about the size of two of Kallista's homes, appeared, painted onyx. The doors were a deep ruby, and two lanterns hanging on either side of the door, illuminating the night. They stepped forward, and Acuzio muttered,"They always do themselves well, them...." Jacie looked at Acuzio.
"Are you going to knock?"
"Eh? Oh, no."
"....How do we get in?"
"We say an ancient secret spell."
Jacie stared,"Really?" Acuzio nodded once, then broke and said,"No. We just knock." He leaned forward before Jacie could even try to hit him, and knocked once. The doors opened, without an owner, and they stepped through. "Can I bring him in here?" She asked, guesturing towards the puppy craddled in her good arm . Acuzio smiled, "They're very animal-friendly here." She furroWed her brows, "Really? Why?" Acuzio hesitated,"You'll see." Jacie looked around, etching everything into her memory forever. Acuzio strolled calmly, his shoes clanging, and Jacie crept. She tried not to brake the eerie silence of the building, and cringed when she heard Acuzios loud clangs. They climbed up the stairs, and this floor was much louder. There were sorcerers bustling around, muttering to themselves or looking at papers. Animals crawled the floors, panthers and rabbits and mice and lions. Jacie gasped as a squirrel transformed into a portly man with gray, sandy hair. The puppy in her arms sniffed around, perking its droopy ears up. She ran a finger along the fur on his head, and the puppy's eyes drooped blissfully.
She had always wanted a pet.
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