Younger Body, Older Soul

Return.

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 06:35:06 GMT

Lorenzo Scaglianni was the proud owner of Krystal Kleen Pool Cleaners, a company he had won the rights to after beating out Mitch Gonzales in one of the most edge-of-your-seat nailbiter poker matches six years ago.

The company had done well since it changed hands, as Lorenzo was a crooked businessman who paid little in taxes because he paid all his employees under the table. The business headquarters was located on the east side of town, a small two room office squeezed inbetween a bookstore and a coffeeshop. Lorenzo spent a great deal of his time infront of a television set and behind a phone, settling his pudgy hairy body in a shredded leather chair with a sandwich in his hand.

He knew literally nothing about cleaning pools and didn't care to; as long as his three men went out, did their jobs, and came back with the money, he was a happy man. Of his employees, two had been with the company since Mitch had run it. Jordon had done most of the training, and Leo did all the grunt work. Eli had been hired on to lighten some of the work load, and Lorenzo had been entirely grateful that the young man excepted his paycheck in cash and worked hard without any questions.

Lorenzo had to wonder one day, however, when the black and white Crowne Victoria Interceptor had pulled up infront of his business, and the Italian watched with wide eyes as the meanest looking cop he had ever seen exited the vehicle and strode up to his front door.

The bell chimed and the cop removed his sunglasses, and judging by the chevrons emblazoned on his sleeve, the owner of Krystal Kleen could tell he was of a high rank. The pudgy man swallowed hard, wondering if his business practices were somehow under the scrutiny of the law.

"Can I help you with something, officer?" Lorenzo asked, clearing his throat and setting his sandwich aside.

The cop pulled his sunglasses off his square face and approached the front desk. "Mr. Scaglianni, I'm Lieutenant Levi Bowman with the LVMPD," he stated in way of introduction. His brown eyes took in the sight of the man behind the desk. "I'm not here to bust you about your unlawful business practices. I'll let it slide if you can tell me where I can find Elian DeMattéo."

Lorenzo looked around nervously. "I don't know this Elian you speak of," the man answered.

Levi gave him a flat look. "Do you want me to arrest you for not paying your taxes, Mr. Scaglianni? Because I can haul your ass down to the station right now and put you in a jail cell with a man who likes to be called Sally. It's your choice. Tell me where Elian is and I turn a blind eye to your under table payment situation."

The fat man sighed. "Eli is out on call right now," he answered finally, then gave the cop a quizzical look, "He not in trouble, is he? He a good kid."

"He's not in trouble, but I do need to speak with him," Levi answered, "So if you could be so kind as to tell me where he's working right now, that would be super."

After the address of the client's house was easily obtained, Levi replaced his sunglasses on his face and drove his vehicle south towards a small suburban area with larger scale homes. As he drove, he listened to the banter crackling off his radio, the dispatcher relaying messages to his fellow officers. A robbery in progress had been reported on Decatur Ave, and Levi wrinkled his nose as he chose not to respond. Judging by the amount of response over the radio, a large handful of his officers were already on their way there.

Several things meandered in and out of Levi's mind as his cruiser travelled towards it's desination. He thought about Sam having a kid, and then figured if Jessica was still alive, his own kid would be about the same age. He wondered if his unborn child was a boy or a girl, then pushed the idea out of his mind when he realized he would make the worst father on the planet.

He thought about Chloe some more after he thought about having children, and then his thoughts turned to Elian and his own conscience and how thankful he'd be when this whole thing was over and done with. He had a gigantic mess to clean up, and he'd better get it over and done with soon before Grace was beating down his door again. Or even worse - Meredith. That girl was like Mary Jane Watson from Hell. No wonder her and Grace were friends. It definately figured.

When Levi had reached the appropriate house, he parked his cruiser behind the Krystal Kleen van and pushed the gearshift up into park. The house was a moderate size, and as he approached it, he walked with even strides and a determinate air. The owners of the house were curious that the police were interested in speaking with their hired help, but allowed the officer to enter their home and make his way towards their back yard.

One of the employees was cleaning the pool deck with a power washer, and Elian was fishing leaves and debris out of the water with a long handled net. Levi appeared from the patio doors and both men looked up when they caught sight of the crisp brown uniform.

"Elian," Levi stated in way of greeting as he approached the sandy haired man, pushing his sunglasses up off his nose and rested them ontop of his black hair.

The man in question looked a bit startled to see the cop where he was working, seeing as the last time he saw him, it was at the Solstice Party. "Levi," Elian answered, pulling his net out of the water, "What uh.. what can I do for you?" He was clearly embarassed. Having a cop visit you in full uniform where you worked never looked good.

Levi was probably one of the most menacing officers employed by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He was menacing not only in his stature, but in his demeanor. The cop was notorious for taking down criminals with his presence alone, and the steely hardness of his dark eyes was enough to scare juvenile offenders into submission. This instance was no exception, and Levi approached Elian with a stern and commanding presence.

Elian was almost as tall as the hulking officer, only an inch or two shorter. He saw pretty much eye to eye with Levi when he approached, smiling politely, unaware of the purpose of this impromptu visit.

"Let's go for a walk, shall we?" the cop suggested, putting his hand on Elian's elbow and began to lead him towards the side gate of the house.

"You go ahead," Elian's co worker called after him, "We're almost done here. I'll meet you back at the office."

No words were exchanged between the two until they reached the street, where Levi stopped beside his cruiser and turned to Elian. "Alright, let's drop the act now, Elian," he stated firmly, "There's no one else around but you and I, so you can cut the amnesia bullshit and talk to me like a man."

Elian blinked a few times, suprised that the cop friend of his friend had turned from genial to alarmingly stern. "Sorry?" he asked, then looked around curiously. "I don't know what you're talking about. Seriously."

Levi's brow narrowed and he moved closer to the younger man. "I'm not buying the memory thing, Eli," the cop repeated, his voice low and menacing, "But Chloe's not around and you can stop playing this little game. You know damn well what happened to you back in the summer and I want to know exactly what the hell Randy did to you."

Elian stared dumbly at the cop, and leaned back slightly as he felt his personal space was being violated. "Randy? What?" he asked, then he looked questioningly back at the cop. "You know who I am, don't you? You lied to me at the Solstice. You know exactly who I am."

"I said cut the fucking crap, Elian," Levi snarled, "You know damn well who you are too. I don't know what happened to you after Randy blew your fucking brains out, but you better stop playing this little Lost Boy routine and get your ass back home to your green boyfriend before Meredith comes after me again."

"B-blew my brains out?" Elian stammered, "What are you talking about? Who's Meredith?" he gaped slightly, his mouth open as he looked inquiringly at the cop who bore down on him, his brown eyes wide with total confusion. The part that didn't sit well with him though, was the mention of the words 'green boyfriend'. Now that wasn't right at all. That was just wrong.

Levi pursed his lips. "Alright, i'll humor you then," he snarled, "Meredith is your friend. A real conniving, lying, deceitful pain in my ass," he told the blonde man, "She's pals with Lorne, that flaming green homo who runs the Green Room. The three of you were tight, and you and him were best friends or fuck buddies or whatever for about a decade because you used to work for him at Caritas in LA."

Elian absorbed that information, but winced slightly at the heinously inappropriate way the cop spoke about him and Lorne. Obviously, he wasn't on good terms with the demon. But that was the least of his worries. "But I died?" he asked, incredulously.

"A man named Randy shot you in the head and splattered your brains all over the wall of an abandoned warehouse," the cop answered, hands resting on his hips as his piercing gaze continued to bore holes into Elian.

Elian shook his head in disbelief. "Sorry if I don't buy that," he apologized without sincerity, "But I don't really look like a guy who's been killed like that. Besides - why would anyone want to kill me? What on earth could I have done?"

"You knew something and wouldn't speak," Levi answered, "Let's just say you were witholding pertinent information. So was Meredith. Neither of you would tell me what I wanted to know. You weren't supposed to die though, but Randy was a bit of lunatic who got carried away. Bottom line though, you were dead. Infact, i've never seen anyone more dead than you and i've been on the force a long time. I don't know what kind of gun Randy was packing, but it was enough to take half your skull off. Fucking gruesome."

By instinct, Elian's hand went up to touch the side of his own face. "I don't believe you," he muttered, continuing to feel his face as though it were just reconnected with his head.

Levi licked his lips and put his face right up to Elian's. "And I don't believe that you don't remember what in the hell happened to you," the cop snarled. "You came back from the dead without a scratch on you and you're wandering around like nothing ever happened. Meanwhile i've got Grace doggin' me about this whole fucking ordeal, riding my ass about it. Sure it was my fault to begin with, but you need to get back to Lorne before Karma Bitch comes after me."

"This is all because of you?" Elian spat back, regaining his composure and starting to feel a bit of heat under his collar. His friendly face creased with lines as his brows narrowed and eyes became hard. "I've been fumbling around in a world not knowing who the hell I am all this time, and you have the audacity to act as though it's all my fault? You had me killed for God knows what reason, probably putting my so-called friends through hell, and you're the victim? Wow, Levi, you're a real piece of work, you know that? Does Chloe know what an upstanding guy you are? Jesus Christ man. If i'm to believe for one second that I actually did die, I hope to God that whoever comes after you as a result of it gives you what you deserve."

A meaty fist reached out and grasped itself in the material of Elian's collar, pulling him inches from the angry cop's face. "Listen, you little punk," the Lieutenant snarled, "I'm going to do you a favor. I'm going to take you back to your demon buddy where you belong. And no, I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for me, because i'm sick and tired of people riding my ass about it. I don't care if you're faking your memory loss, and I don't care if you're not. Either way, this little game ends here. If you're not going to tell me how you managed to survive losing half your face to a gunshot at pointblank range, then I guess I don't give a shit about that either."

With a rouch shove, Levi pushed Elian towards his squad car and opened up the back door. "Get in the car," he demanded, "I'm taking you home."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Elian spat back, "You had me killed once, what's stopping you from doing it again?"

Levi grit his teeth and with a quick swipe of his hand, unholstered his gun and pointed the barrel straight in Elian's face. "Two angry bitches and a beautiful trusting brunette," he replied. "Now get. The fuck. In. The car."

--

LVMPD Cruiser #4591 barrelled west with lights and sirens blazing.

"I don't really see why all this is necessary," Elian shouted from the back seat, pounding a fist on the metal cage wall inbetween him and the front cab. He shot a disapproving glare towards the cop, who looked indifferently back at him through the rearview mirror. "You might as well just handcuff me while you're at it. Chain me up back here like a damn dog." He latched his fingers into the holes in the cage.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight until I get you where you belong," the cop answered, then as if he were done talking, unhooked his radio and began to join in on the banter going on over it.

Elian slammed his fist against the cage again in frustration as the cruiser barrelled along, then lopped himself backwards, his back hitting the hard fiberglass bench he was forced to travel on. "Yeah well what if I told you I didn't want to go back there?" he shouted once Levi had finished his conversation with dispatch, "What if.. what if I said I don't associate with demons and vampires? That my life has changed and I can't be that person anymore? That i'm not that person anymore? Whoever Lorne or this Meredith want me to be? I'm not that guy."

Hard brown eyes looked back into the rearview, "Then i'd say you were shit out of luck," the cop responded. He reefed hard on the wheel suddenly to turn a corner, and Elian flew to the other side of the backseat, slamming his shoulder into the side of the locked door. "I don't buy your change of heart, kid." He turned another sharp corner, his mouth turning up into a hateful grin as Elian tumbled into the other door. "I don't buy your memory loss, and I never once bought your fucking goody two-shoes act."

Booted foot slammed on the brakes hard, and Elian slammed into the cage infront of him.

The car lurched backwards to signal it had stopped, and when Elian pulled himself off the floor of the car, he looked out the window to see they were parked infront of the Green Room. It was obviously still closed for repairs.

Levi had since thrown the gearshift into park. "I'll be back in a minute," he informed Elian, then smirked. "Don't go anywhere."

Elian said nothing as he watched Levi get out of the vehicle and strode up to the front doors. Sullen, the former bartender sat in the back seat like a scolded child, scowl on his face, arms folded infront of his chest.

Levi's heavy hand began to bang on the front doors. Elian continued to watch as the cop stepped backwards off the curb and looked upwards to the windows above. He pounded on the door a couple more times, tried the lock, pounded a fist again, and then ran a hand through his dark hair. He turned and looked back at the cruiser, gave Elian a flat look, and then with his hand on his utility belt, made his way down the side wall of the club and disappeared around back.

The rear entrance of the club was open. Levi climbed up three cement steps and made his way inside, hand resting protectively on the gun holstered in his belt. He came across no employees when he made his way down the back hallway and into the main part of the club. The lights were on, and a few people were bustling about cleaning up the rest of the debris.

One of them, a stocky darkskinned man with a shaved head, turned and looked warily at the cop who entered into the club. "Can I help you with something, officer?" he asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

Levi approached him and towered over him. "Where's Lorne?" To the point. The question was simple.

Russell looked up at the cop with an unamused expression. His eyes drifted left to read the man's namebadge. Right. Him.

"Lorne's out for the day," the bartender replied flatly. "I'll tell him you stopped by. I'm sure he'll be pleased to know you were here."

Tongue ran over an incisor, and the Lieutenant bore down on the smaller man menacingly. "I suppose you don't mind then, if I have a look around?"

"Be my guest," Russell replied flatly. "But you wont find Lorne here. He's out with a friend."

"Meredith?" the cop responded in a tone just as level.

"Not that it's any of your business, but no."

"Where's Meredith then?"

"Not here."

Levi glared at the man momentarily, and then turned on his heels.

Elian had his head rested up against the glass in the backseat of the cruiser. His breath fogged the window with every breath, and he contemplated using his finger to spell out words frowned upon in society. He turned his head when he saw Levi appear from the back of the brick building, and lifted his head up straight when the cop got back into the car. "What? Not there?" Elian asked with mock disappointment, slumping back and putting his feet up against the cage. "Oh, darn."

Levi pounded a fist against the metal divider and once Elian had taken his feet off it, started the car and threw it into gear. "No. I'm not leaving you with just anyone," the cop replied as he pulled into traffic, cruising back down Circus Circus Dr towards the Strip, "So we're going for plan B."

Elian rubbed his fingers into his eyes wearily and sighed, returning his arms to a folded position. "Goody," he muttered, but the statement was unheard by Levi who turned the sirens back on and began to drive back towards the east.

They drove in silence for the span of five or six minutes, until Levi killed the sirens as entered into a suburban area. His speed slowed to a casual gait as the cruiser nudged down side streets eventually making it's way towards a rather modest apartment complex. An investigatory look around at the cars in the parkinglot, and the Lieutenant spied the red Honda Accord. Satisfied that his plight had now come to an end, he drove the cruiser up to the front door of one the units and killed the engine. He immediately got out and ascended the wooden stairs, and Elian watched curiously from the backseat window as the cop rang the doorbell.

Meredith had been home for exactly sixteen minutes. She had been digging around in her fridge for something to eat when the sound of the doorchime went off. Brows furrowed curiously, the brunette suddenly wondered if GW had stopped by for a visit. Closing the fridge, she pushed hair out of her face and approached the door and pulled it open.

Levi's granite stare was what greeted her instead.

"You son of a .."

The snap of a wrist, and Levi held his hand up infront to silence the brunette. "Before you decide to go Lizzie Borden on me," he told her, his mouth forming a serpentile grin, "I have something that belongs to you."

Inside Meredith's mind, her supernatural gift began to build steam. The very sight of Levi made her blood boil, and she was about to unleash her fury on him when she stopped, hanging by what he had just said.

The cop turned and walked down the stairs. When he got to his vehicle, he reefed open the back door and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Get out," he commanded, and Elian appeared from behind the door, standing to get out of the car.

"Asshole," the younger man spat as Levi slammed the door closed behind him then gave him a hard shove into Meredith who had since descended the stairs infront of her apartment. The bartender nearly fell into his former friend, a strange woman who he did not recognize, but steadied himself and found his footing.

Levi pulled open the driver's side door to his car and pointed at Meredith, "You have what you want," the cop told her. "Now leave me alone." Slamming the door behind him, Levi fired up his engine and tore out of the parkinglot, kicking up a trail of dust in his wake.

Before the Crowne Victoria had even disappeared down the street, Meredith had turned to Elian and in disbelief and an overwhelming sense of relief, threw her arms around the shoulders of the taller man and embraced him fiercely. "Oh my God, Elian," she nearly cried, choking back both joy and anguish and a rehashing of everything she felt at his very loss, "Where have you been?"

Elian stood almost rigid. It was a reuinion he could not comprehend. The woman latched onto him a so-called friend, someone who he was supposed to know but couldn't possibly remember. His hands were hesitant to lay themselves upon her in return. "I uh.. " he started to say, not knowing what to add. A reluctant pat on her back, and he felt awkward and out of place.

Meredith had released her grasp on her friend, and allowed some space to come between them. "Aren't you happy to see me?" she asked him, her brown eyes wide, looking imploringly at him.

"I don't even know who you are," came the hesitant reply, and he gave the brunette an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I don't."

Confusion swept across Meredith's face. "What?" she asked him, eyes narrowing cautiously as she looked him full in the face, "It's me, Meredith. I'm one of your best friends."

Elian absently scratched at his stomach and shrugged. "So I hear," he replied, chewing on his lower lip. "But I don't remember you."

"Or Lorne?"

"Or Lorne."

"Why not? What happened?" Meredith asked him, head tilting as she guaged his response.

"If I knew the answer to that, I would tell you," he answered her, "But I don’t. That bastard cop told me I died in the summer, but all I remember was waking up in some hotel room not even knowing my own name. I’ve spent the last six or seven months wandering around this city without a single clue to who I was or where I came from."

"You did die," Meredith affirmed and used both hands to nimbly tuck curled locks behind her ears. She smiled at him. "And I don’t know how you’re alive now and I don’t even really care. You’re here and that’s what matters."

Elian smiled back at her. He may not have known who she was, but he had to trust his instincts. He’d been searching for months to find someone who knew him. After each and every disappointing day, she was the first person who actually did.

"Do you believe that I’m your friend?" Meredith asked him.

A slight nod of the head in response. "I believe you," he answered.

The brunette smiled and reached forth and took his hand in hers. "Good," she stated, and began to pull him up the stairs towards her front door. "Now come inside for awhile. I’ll tell you everything you need to know."

Of pencils and purses.

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 05:21:13 GMT

It seemed like a great idea at the time. Hit the bars, go out for a drink, maybe a play a bit of cards. See what the slot machines had to offer. The entire city of Vegas was at Elian's fingertips, and as the normally social character he was, he decided to hit the town in attempts of seeing what kinds of new and interesting people he could meet. And maybe win some money in the process.

But, as expected, the slot machines weren't entirely all that giving, and Elian realized he wasn't as good at blackjack as he would have hoped. The real mode of day, however, was conversation, and he had met a couple of cool guys while trying his luck at cards. The blackjack table was shared with three men around his age who all appeared to be friends. One of them was stalky and went by Brian; the second had flaming red hair and went by Patrick. The other was covered head to toe in tattoos and went by Greg. Elian seemed to befriend them in no time, making idle conversation and sharing a joke every now and then with them as the cards were being dealt.

As time wore on and money ran out, Elian had eventually excused himself from the table, deciding to press on. He'd decided to head back home before he had the urge to gamble away his rent money. Perhaps the shortcut he chose to get home, however, wasn't the greatest of ideas.

"Hey, where you goin, Eli?" came a familiar voice from behind him, "Thought we were all friends back there. Now you're ducking out on us."

Elian turned around and saw the three men from inside the casino. "Hey, no hard feelings, guys," he replied with a friendly smile, "Just had to get home. I gotta work early tomorrow."

"And you're not going to invite your pals?" Patrick asked, and the three men laughed heartily and approached the solo Elian. "C'mon, I thought we were getting along kinda great back there, don't you think, boys? Couldn't you at least invite your new friends over for a bite to eat?"

"Uh, heh, hey now," Elian told them with a forced smile, stepping back as the three of them approached. This was definately an odd way to treat a new acquaintance. "I uh, I really gotta go, guys. No offense, really."

"Oh, there's lots of offense, Eli," Greg told him, face suddenly changing, eyes yellowed, fangs protruding. His two other friends followed suit. Before Elian could react, he was being absolutely mauled by three larger men.

Chloe had spent the day making soup. Actually, it was clam chowder. It was one of her specialties. Thick chunks of bacon, hearty potatoes, the best clams she could find in Nevada, a little bit of celery, and lots of cream. Her little house smelled heavenly.

Cooking helped her take her mind off of things for a little while, but it didn't work quite as well as cards. For one thing, she was alone in her kitchen. Chloe wanted interaction. She wanted noise in her head and cards in her hands. There wasn't any tournament on this night, but there were always poker tables with empty seats.

It was after sunset when Chloe pulled her mustang into the parking lot. Hitting the alarm, she locked the car and stretched her lower back before slowly making her way towards the rear of one of the casinos.

"Oh boy this one's a fighter," Brian whooped as he sent his fist into Elian's stomach and laughed as the former higher-being barrelled over and fell to his knees. "Let's rough him up a bit, huh? I like my meat tenderized."

Patrick's powerful arm came down and scooped itself under Elian's chin, pulling him up roughly to his feet. His mouth close to Elian's ear, licked his greedy lips with vampiric tongue and his yellow eyes blazed. Elian could smell the stink of his breath and choked as the powerful forearm squeezed into his windpipe.

Elian had seen a guy like these ones in the GreenRoom. He'd also seen enough TV to know what they were, but never once in his life ever expected he'd actually meet one. Let alone that they actually existed. But from the kinds of things he saw in that nightclub, he was willing to believe anything. Especially that demons were actually real.

He also knew if he didn't do something and fast, he wasn't going to live to see another blackjack table.

With his head in Patrick's clutches, Elian sent feet flying, knocking Greg solidly in the chin and sent the vampire flying. Not to match the strength of a vampire, Elian was six foot three and solid muscle. He could probabay hold his own. At least until he could figure out a way to get away. Feet swung out again and caught Brian in the side, pushing him far enough away to wrench himself free from Patrick's arms.

Chloe paused, tilting her head. She thought she'd heard something. There! A scuffle or something. Voices. Was that a...a growl?

She was half way between two casinos. It was dark now. She wasn't sure what she should do. Run inside for help? But maybe it was just a few kids. Chloe slipped her hand into her purse and turned the corner, her Mace spray at the ready. "Oh God." Nope, definitely not kids. That poor man was being attacked by vampires!

Quickly she looked around. She had a small bottle of holy water in her purse that she'd gotten from the book store. Without thinking, Chloe opened the top and threw the water onto the back of one of the vampires. "Look out! Run!" she told the poor man being beaten. She needed wood. Was there wood around?

Patrick's voice wailed out and Elian could feel the slightest spatter of water on the side of his face. He felt the vampire release him immediately, and heard a small sizzle. Almost like a burning. Incredulously, Elian spun around and saw the woman, his eyes wide. What the heck had she just done? In an instant he looked and saw the shattered bottle and the vampire began to howl in pain.

"You probably shouldn't be here!" Elian called to her, but couldn't say any more as he was tackled from behind. Greg's bulk ended up on top of him and Elian hit the pavement hard. He sent his elbow up into the vampire's face, feeling the bone of his joint making contact with sharpened teeth.

His concern now, wasn't getting these guys off of him, it was getting that woman out of there before she got herself hurt. "Run!" he called to her, "Please!"

Greg's arm made it's way back under Elian's chin and pulled the mortal up hard from off the ground. "I'm done playin' with you, boy. It's dinner time. And now we've got ourselves dessert. Brian, get the woman."

Chloe's eyes went wide with surprise. She glanced around and saw a steel bar next to a dumpster close by. She reached for it, snagged it quickly, and screamed as she smashed it against one of the vampire's knees. She heard a crunching sound.

Chloe really wanted to run, but she couldn't just leave that man here. "Wood! We need wood! In his heart!" Chloe cried out to the man. Brian, the vampire she'd hit with the metal bar, was bent down clutching at his knee, groaning. She knew he'd recover quickly, if what she had read was right. She glanced wildly around again but was so scared she could barely see straight!

"Wood?!" Elian cried before Greg's hold on him tightened, causing the living man to emit a squeak from his throat. Greg's fingers then covered Elian's mouth to further him from speaking as the two of them wrestled it out on the ground.

Mortal teeth bit down hard, and Greg howled as Elian sent his head backwards, the back of his skull then making contact with the vampire's face. A quick roll onto his side and he pried himself free, and stumbled to stand as Patrick had recovered and grabbed a hold of him around his torso.

"Like a stake?!" Elian gasped finally, his fist plowing into the side of Patrick's head, before Greg had come up from behind and grabbed the material of his shirt, pulling the startled Elian away from the other vampire.

Chloe saw that Brian was about to recover. Quickly she brought the iron bar down on his head. He fell flat on his face with a groan. His hands went to the sides of his head and he bent his legs to try and sit up. Chloe kicked him in the side. "Yes. A stake. Stake him in the heart and they...turn into...dust." Chloe gasped as Brian grabbed her ankle. "Let go!"

Her eyes scanned the parking lot. Nothing! Where was a wooden picket fence when you needed one?!

Elian just couldn't get a break. He wasn't having as much luck as that woman was with the metal bar, and he silently wished he had one too. Fist swung up around, and caught Greg in the side of the jaw, and as Elian turned he grabbed the vampire's shirt and pummelled him a few times for good measure. But it didn't seem enough, as the monster was able to down Elian in one backhand, and the human fell again to the ground.

"Well if you have anything on you that could possibly help, please let me know now before I, you know, die," Elian told her as he was being lifted and thrown onto the trunk of a nearby car, before he rolled off over the bumper. "A pencil or something!" he called in suggestion from behind the car, his voice followed by a groan.

The two vampires were on him again, Patrick grabbing Elian by the neck and lifting him high into the air.

"Anything at all," the human choked, "Really."

Legs swiftly kicked out and knocked Greg to the ground, the momentum of his movements jarring him out of the red haired vampire's grasp and landing him solidly ass-first back down to the ground.

"Oh! A pencil!" Chloe almost laughed in joy. The vampire still had her ankle, but she was kicking and trying to shake herself free with all her might. She reached into her purse again, and grabbed up the pencil tucked next to her check book. Pulling it free, she turned back around to the vampire. He was still occupied with her ankle, and darn if he wasn't dragging her foot closer to his mouth.

Chloe vaguely wondered how she got herself into this mess. And how come she'd lived her whole life here and never seen a cockroach, let alone a vampire. Yet now they seemed to be coming out of the wood work?

Closing her eyes, Chloe slammed the pencil down into Brian's back, between his shoulderblades. It didn't go in easily. Skin and bone were resistent. But Chloe was persistent. She never opened her eyes even once to see Brian's face of surprise, and then he was no more.

"Sweet Jesus!" Elian called out as the vampire exploded into a cloud of dust. He figured he would never live to see the day when he would hold witness to spontaneous human.. or entity.. combustion. Wasn't that always a myth?

Feet kicked out and sent Patrick to the ground and Elian scrambled to his feet and ran over to where the woman stood. "Heh," he chuckled for no apparent reason other than the fact that he was incredibly cheeky, "Can I borrow your pencil?"

Without even waiting for an answer, Elian swiped the writing instrument from the woman's hand and grasped it like a knife, and turned to send it straight into the chest of Patrick. With a flash and a poof, the air was suddenly filled with acrid black ash which caught in the wind before it even hit the ground.

"Patrick! Oh, damnit, you're going to pay for that now," Greg snarled as he made his advance on Elian, whose eyes widened and his grin fell the second he realized he was about to be tackled yet again. Pencil flew from his hand as Greg downed Elian like a linebacker in the endzone. Both men hit the ground with an 'oof', wind expelled sharply from Elian's lungs on impact. "I'm done fucking around," the vampire snarled, and sent his teeth into the flesh at Elian's neck.

Chloe sneezed. Dust went up her nose, in her ears, coated her clothes. "Oh Gross!" She scrambled up when Elian grabbed the pencil and jumped up and down, trying to shake the dust of the vampire off of her as best as she could. When the second vampire turned to dust, Chloe almost clapped. But that's when Greg grabbed Elian again. "Oh no!"

The sight of the vampire's teeth in the other man's neck froze Chloe for a moment. It was so surreal and frightening. Her knees started to buckle. "Oh God, oh god oh god." Taking her purse, she grabbed it with both hands and whacked the vampire on the back of his head. "You let him go! Let him go right now!" Whack, her purse came down on his head again.

Losing his concentration on the mortal in his arms, Greg swatted at the pursed being rammed into his skull, swearing loudly with Elian's blood dripping from his mouth.

With a wince, the former bartender grit his teeth and pushed the vampire off him, hand moving to hold the wound on his neck. Sticky warm blood seeped between his fingers and Elian breathed heavily as he rolled himself away. The pencil had landed and rolled underneathe a car, and spying it, Elian stumbled away as the woman continued her relentless purse beating. Hopefully it would distract the vampire long enough for him to grab it.

He dove to the ground beside the car, letting go of his shoulder long enough to make a wild grab for the instrument. Fingers wrapped around it nearly breaking it in two, and Elian stumbled back towards the vampire. One last burst of energy sent his foot upwards in an arc, catching the vampire square underneathe the chest as it fell to the ground. Falling to his knees, Elian sent the pencil down between shoulderblades and the vampire burst into dust before it had the chance to protest.

On his knees and panting hard, Elian swallowed and closed his eyes, teeth gritting. "I am never, ever, doing that again," he managed to joke as he swallowed another breath, and looked up at the woman with a thankful gaze.

"You're...hurt." Chloe was gasping for breath after wielding her purse. Falling onto her knees, she put her hand inside the bag once again and this time pulled out some tissues. She held it to his neck. "Are you okay?" Biting her lip, she continued to hold the tissues on his neck. Then suddenly she felt dizzy. "Oh boy," she whispered. It was a good thing she was kneeling because she thought she might have passed out if she was standing.

"I'm okay, really," Elian told her as his hand moved to grasp the tissues over his neck. He turned his head and looked down at the wound after he lifted the make-shift bandage to have a look. It had nearly stopped bleeding. "He didn't get me that bad. Really."

His face scrunched up slightly as he put the bandage back down, then flopped backwards to sitting flat on the pavement, knees bent infront of him. "I gotta say, that was definately the first time anything like that has ever happened to me," he told the woman as he forced a lopsided grin. Leave it to Elian to always make lighter of any situation. "Don't think I would have survived if it weren't for your Purse of Power."

He chuckled at that and continued to hold the tissue to his neck. "Thanks," he said to her, though somewhat sheepish that a guy with his build had been saved by a woman with a purse. "I'm Eli."

Chloe blushed. "I'm Chloe." She smiled softly at him. They were quite a sight, the two of them sitting on the ground of the parking lot. She glanced over at her purse and her smile widened. "Not even a scratch. I guess it was worth the money." She leaned forward and inspected his wound once again. "It doesn't look too bad. I don't think you need stitches. But...definitely should clean it really well."

"I just saw my first vampire a few weeks ago," Chloe told him. "Ever since then, I've been reading everything I can get my hands on. I was even scared about coming out at night for awhile, but then I decided that I can't let fear run my life." Chloe cocked her head. She'd decided fear shouldn't ruin her life in regards to her father's death, and Levi either. Her father was right. She needed to get out more. She smiled a little. "We did good though, don't you think?" Chloe was proud of herself, and her purse.

"I think we did damn good, Chloe," Elian told her with a grin, despite the fact that he almost ended up as some creature's dinner. "Considering being outnumbered all. But I thank endless hours of Bruce Lee movies for that one."

He pulled the tissue away and much to his relief, the bleeding in his neck had subsided. "They write books on this stuff?" he asked her and then knitted his brows in thought, "Yeah, I guess they would. Occult and all, now that I think about it. Funny, everyone knows what a vampire is, you know? But I didn't actually think they actually existed. This wasn't my first encounter though, sad to say. Wandered into this nightclub the other night and I saw one there. But you know? Worst part about it, was the vampire wasn't the scariest thing in there."

Elian shuddered to think what other kinds of creepy-crawlies were lurking in the shadows.

Chloe blinked. "What could be worse then a vampire? And what kind of nightclub?"

She shivered and glanced around. "Maybe we should get you home? Personally, my quest for adventure has been sated," she teased him. The truth was, Chloe was still scared out of her mind but was trying not to show it. She really just wanted to be in the safety of her house. "I have some books you can borrow if you'd like, or there is this really great book store in Searchlight. Emmy is the owner and she's helped me a lot."

"I don't know what kind of nightclub it was," Elian answered her truthfully, "I guess it was one that catered to things. Demons. Nasty ones. I went in there to look for someone, and I ended up with my hands full of horns and red eyes and fangs.. and oh God it was awful. The GreenRoom - if you ever want to live to see your next birthday, don't go there. It's insane."

Hand went to rub the side of his face then pulled the hat off his head to run tired fingers through his sandy brown hair. "This whole town is nuts," he told her with a sigh before he worked his way up to standing. He held out his hand to help her up as well.

"If it's all the same to you - and I thank you kindly for your suggestion - I think i'd much rather learn how to fight these things than read about them." He thought about the absurdity of that statement for a moment then laughed. "Although I am sure reading about them might actually help me. Searchlight, huh? Never been there."

He rubbed his hands together and eyes panned around the emptiness of the parkinglot. He turned his attention back on Chloe. "I feel I should at least buy you a drink or something before we part ways," he told her with a smile, "You know, to thank you for saving my life, you Wonder Woman of the Parkinglot."

Chloe blushed. Wonder Woman? Hardly. Did he have any idea how terrified she'd been? Wonder Woman was one cool cucumber. Chloe wasn't even a card fish, let alone a card shark.

"I guess one drink would be okay," Chloe said softly. After all, she'd driven all the way out here, and now survived a horrendous brawl in the casino parking lot. It seemed like a waste to just turn around and return home now. She stood up, brushed herself off, and held out her hand to help him up. "Just one though. I have this incredible urge for a hot bubble bath after that dust bowl." She gave him a little smile.

"Do you come here often, Eli?" Chloe had to ask. She didn't ever recall seeing him before, but it wasn't like she noticed everyone. Only those that were frequent players at the poker tables, mostly. Or hard core fans, of which she had none. That was one thing she didn't mind, however. Some of those fans were plain crazy! She'd rather face another trio of vamps then be stuck in a room alone with one of those rabid fans!

"If by 'here', you mean 'this dark back parkinglot', then no," Elian told her with a grin as he bent over and with his hands, brushed the remnants of vampire ash off his navy blue Dickies. "But if by here you mean Vegas, then yep. I live here."

He stood up to his full height and his hand went to check his neck. It was a damn good thing he was wearing a black teeshirt. He pulled his hands away and gave them a good once over, finding little to no fresh blood on his fingertips. Thankfully, it appeared to have stopped.

"What about you? Tourist?" he asked her conversationally as they walked out into the brightly lit street towards the Strip. "I'm going to assume no, because i'm super crazy intuitive like that."

"Ah, between my wonder woman purse skills, and your intuition, we make quite a team." Chloe had to chuckle lightly as they entered the casino. "I live here too. I have my whole life."

"Hey Chloe!" Phily Ivey gave her a grin and a thumbs up as he headed into the high stakes poker room. He was signing autographs as he went, and a camera was close by filming for the World Poker Tour. Chloe just smiled and gave him a little wave before his attention went back to the bevy of beauties clamoring for his name on a napkin, shirt, or bra.

"What do you do here in Sin City?" Chloe asked Eli. She was very proud of herself. Not only had she helped kick vampire butt tonight, but she was conversing with a man! And not freaking out or anything!

"I do what I like to refer to as preventative aquatic maintenance," Elian explained to her in a casual manner as he walked side by side with Chloe into the casino as they made their way towards the bar. One hand in his pocket, the other scratching idly at his chest, Elian dodged in and out of patrons with his tall height and smiled as he went, as though he hadn't nearly just gotten himself killed in some dark parkinglot.

He guaged her reaction to his pretentious explanation of his profession, and then grinned at her. "I clean pools," he corrected with a chuckle, "It's not very glamorous but at least I get to work on my tan."

When they reached the bar and Elian slid onto a stool, he turned and craned his neck back towards the poker room. "Hey was that Phily Ivey?" he asked Chloe as he continued to gaze through patrons, then brought his attention back on her and grinned, "You know him?"

"A little," Chloe said with a little smile and shrug of her shoulders. "We've played a game or two." Or about fifty. Chloe had never won, of course. That's why he was Phil Ivey.

"Ah, a pool man. I bet you have a lot of women then," Chloe giggled. "Isn't that how it is in the movies? The rich wife is always having an affair with either the pool man, or the gardener."

The bartender came over and smiled at them. He set a Seabreeze in front of Chloe and then nodded at Eli. "What can I get for you, son?"

"Cleaning pools is so overrated," Elian divilulged with a grin, "Trust me when I say there are no bevvy of beauties in my line of work. Just eccentric old dudes with more gold than Mr. T around their necks and a great percentile of older folks. Not once do I get the bikini-clad soccer moms and their, 'Hey do you want some lemonade, big boy'? Life is so unfair sometimes, you know?"

His meandering ramble had been interrupted by the bartender, who waited expectantly. Sheepishly, Elian smiled at him. "I'll just have whatever's on tap," he said as he placed a couple of bills on the counter, "And i'm getting hers, too."

Curiously he eyed Chloe's coral coloured beverage and grinned while he reached over and tapped on the small blue paper umbrella which rested on the rim of the glass. "Seabreeze, right from Tahiti," he noted wryly, "Equal parts cranberry, vodka, and grapefruit. Freshly squeezed, not the kind you pour from a can."

He laughed just then and looked at Chloe with a dumbfounded expression, shaking his head and grinning, "I was a bartender in my past life," he joked, "I honestly don't know where that came from."

"Pool boy, huh? With your keen sense of observation, I should take you to a poker table." Chloe smiled and sipped from her straw. "I'm not a big drinker. One is my limit. I like to keep my senses, and...I like fruity drinks so I don't taste the alcohol."

The bartender set down Eli's beer and gave Chloe a wink before heading off to help another customer. Chloe watched him for a moment with a smile fading off her face. Sam, the bartender, had been a friend of her dad's. He was a regular at the Road Kill. She was glad he hadn't mentioned anything. She took a steadying breath and turned back to Eli, hoping she hadn't blanked on him for too long.

"I was serious about Unseen Insight, the bookstore I was telling you about," Chloe continued. "The owner is so nice and helpful. I was really worried that she'd think I was off my rocker," Chloe said in a conspiritorial whisper. "You can't imagine how relieved I was to know that...well, that she understood."

Thoughtfully, an index finger came up to Elian's mouth as he regarded Chloe for a moment. Half of his brain was thinking about vampires and occult bookstores, gathering thoughts in his mind to form into words to ask her more about the bookstore in general.

The other half of his brain was wondering just how in the hell he knew what a Seabreeze was, or well, what was in it. Okay, that crazy demon named Lorne who he met awhile ago said he used to be a bartender, so he supposed that would account for it. Maybe a lapse in memory. Weird, but all the same. Not something to be overlooked entirely.

"Well I never really thought I was off my rocker," Elian told her with a grin as he gulped down the first mouthful of tasty beer. A drink like that seemed to taste so damned good after one nearly lost their life. It was as though all things were fresh and new in the world again. Or maybe that was just overexaggerating and Elian was just thirsty.

"The world on the other hand? Completely, totally nuts," he added. "This city in general. I think one day I woke up in some alternate universe where demons and vampires roam freely, sucking the life out of people as they go. Like politicians, only not as ugly."

He chuckled again. "I think i'll check out that bookstore, though," he added finally. "Searchlight, you say? Never been there. How far we talking?"

"It's about sixty miles south of here, about an hour drive I guess, depending on how fast you go." The corner of her mouth quirked a little. "It's the only bookstore in town, so you can't miss it."

Her fingers snagged the straw in her drink and she played with it, twirling it this way and that. "I think you can find a book for about anything in that place. And candles and potions. It really seems like an amazing place. I need to go back some time when I'm not so nervous and really explore the place."

Elian shrugged and helped himself to more beer. "I dunno about the potions though," he said as he gestured towards her with the rim of his glass, "Sounds kind of hokey if you ask me. Then again I did almost get eaten to death by vampires, so maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge."

More beer tasted, and then the bottle was set down. "Here's an odd question for you," he posed suddenly. "Why do I have this urge to twirl my pretend moustache and thoughtfully lament on some so-called 'other-time' when potions and demons and junk never existed? Am I weird to think that there ever was a time like that, or was it always like this and this is just the kind of world I woke up in?"

The bottom corner of Chloe's mouth quirked downwards in thought. "Honestly, my entire world was turned inside out and upside down in the last month or so. I'm beginning to think that anything is possible." She returned her straw to her drink and took another sip. "Especially...evil. I feel like I was quite naive. I know I was...sheltered I guess. But all that was shattered quite abruptly one morning not long ago."

Chloe blinked and turned to look at him, a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so maudlin. I guess I just meant that I don't think it's weird at all if you feel that way. In fact, you are probably more sane then most people. And after tonight, I believe more then ever that knowledge is power. If you doubt or...have a closed mind...knowledge can't creep in, you know?"

"I gotcha," Elian told her with a smile. "Pickin' up what you're puttin' down, little sister."

He supposed in his own little way he'd been running around a little naive himself. Imagine that, how he'd been galavanting around town, doing his thing, partying his face off, meeting all these new people, and not once did he even know about the dangers he could have been facing. But now that he knew, he was that much more wary.

"How was your life turned upside down, if you don't mind me asking?" he questioned curiously. "Seems to be a lot of that going around."

Chloe glanced down the bar at Sam. His back was to her. From this view, he looked a bit like her father. "My dad was killed," Chloe said softly. "He was...well...he was my whole world. And now he's gone, and I'm trying to figure out how I fit into everything without him." She pushed her half empty glass away. "Then, not long ago, I was surprised by a vampire. A woman. Surprisingly, she didn't attack me. It was as if she knew how...stupid I was. She enlightened me. And now, I'm afraid every second that I'll run into her again. So...I have to be prepared."

Elian gave her a comforting smile and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry about your dad," he told her, "That's always rough to lose someone like that."

Empathize as much as he wanted, Elian had never known the loss of a loved one. Not in this life, anyway. He had, however, known the loss of everything else, memory inclusive. Sometimes in that regard, knowledge would have been the power he would have liked to have had the most. In that very instance, if the saying were true, then Elian would possibly be the weakest man alive. He literally knew nothing.

"I have no memories before the summer," he divulged suddenly, as though he didn't really mean to say it but did anyway. He looked at her rather sheepishly after he had said it. "Sorry, that really sounded a bit weird."

Chloe gave him a funny look, which she quickly covered as it changed into one of sympathy. "Were you in an accident of some kind?" How terrible that must be for him! At least she had all those lovely memories of her father. To wake up one morning and not know anything about your past, where you had been, who you loved...she couldn't even imagine that! She leaned towards him slightly on her stool.

"I have no idea," he admitted, "It's possible. I woke up at the Rio and I didn't even know my own name. How weird is that? You ever seen the Bourne Identity? You know - Matt Damon? I was all over that movie thinking it had happened to me, except I realized well, that idea was pretty lame."

He finished off the rest of his beer before the bartender came by and took away the empty glass. "But anyways, I've been spending the last couple of months wandering around like a total imbecile, which.. " he paused thoughtfully and gave her a sheepish look, "Is how I totally feel right now. Here you were pouring your heart out to me about your father and I totally grabbed the conversation by the horns and rode it into the ground. I'm really sorry. And I am sorry about your father, honestly."

Chloe reached out and patted his arm gently. "Oh, no need to apologize. Are you staying at the Rio now? Isn't there anyone that can help you? Family pictures at your home...anything?" Suddenly Chloe really wanted to help this man. He was a stranger to her, but evidently he was also a stranger to himself. But then, Chloe could be too trusting as well. The thought that he may be putting her on, or that he was sinister and evil, never even crossed her mind.

She vaguely wondered if Levi could help. He was a policeman. Certainly he could investigate missing persons or something that might help Eli? She'd have to ask him!

"I don't have anything to go by," he explained to her as he leaned forward on his barstool and pulled the brim of his ballcap around back. "Well, I didn't exactly wake up with no memories, just that all the important ones which tell me who I am were kind of ... erased, I guess you could say."

He purposely left out the part where in all his memories he seemed to be the same age. Or how that Lorne guy surmised he may not even be human. That kind of information was a bit too weird to tell someone you just met and hardly knew.

"I spent the first while fretting about it, living sleeping eating breathing trying to figure stuff out," he said and then shrugged indifferently. "Now, I guess I don't even really care anymore. I figure if I had friends, or a family, they'd come looking for me. So far there's been nothing. Maybe I just wasn't meant to be found?"

Chloe pursed her lips. "I have a friend that's a police officer," she finally told Eli. "He helped solve the murder of my father." Chloe hadn't said earlier that her father had been murdered, only that he'd been killed. But she thought in this case Eli should know more of the truth. "I'm sure if he can't help find out who you are, he knows someone that could. He'd have connections with other departments. If you'd like, I could talk to him about you? Maybe eventually introduce you to him?"

Elian put up his hands infront of him. "Thanks all the same, but no thanks," he said to her as he sucked in air through his teeth and shook his head, "I haven't gone to the police for the sole reason that if I happened to be some kind of hardened criminal before the summer, I don't want to get my ass thrown in jail before I can even get my memories back."

Then again if he was in jail, he'd have a whooooole lot of nothing to do except spending the rest of his days trying to remember who he was. Then by the time he figured it all out, it'd be too late because by then he'd probably already have died of old age.

"I do appreciate the offer though, it's very sweet of you, but if I can remember the ingredients to a Seabreeze without ever having remembered making one, maybe there's hope for me yet," he added with a shrug before he eventually stood from off his barstool.

"Anyway, it's getting a bit late, and I really gotta scram. Gotta work early in the morning," he explained as he took one last look at his shoulder and brushed his hand over the wound a couple of times. The other hand was held out to her for a shake. "It was nice kicking ass and taking names with you, Chloe. We should do it again sometime. You know, form a super hero team or something. You can be the Gucci Avenger and I'll be your sidekick. We'll even have a secret handshake."

He winked at her just then and grinned. "Maybe i'll see you around," he said and then something occurred to him as he extended a finger and pointed at her, "Maybe at the Solstice Celebration? I'm going, are you?"

Chloe understood his need to not seek help. She doubted he was an evil criminal, however. She tended to believe that it was a trait you were born with, or because of your conditions and surroundings. Eli seemed much too nice to have such darkness in him.

She slid off the stool and took his hand. Smiling, she nodded. "I will be there, yes. It would be nice to see you again." She reached into her killer purse and pulled out a post it note. Grabbing a pen from the bar she scratched her name and phone number on the card, suppressing a smile. Look at her, giving her number to a man! But it was strictly friendship, and perhaps curiosity. Levi was the only man that made her heart flutter. Still, it felt good to hand her number over to Eli. She was definitely making progress. "If you want, I'll go with you to the bookstore in Searchlight. I'd love to poke around there more myself."

"Awesome possum," Elian quipped as he received the phone number before he pulled out his wallet and tucked it inside. "It's a date! Well, not an actual date, but you get what I mean." He shrugged and slid his wallet back into his back pocket. "I suppose I wouldn't mind checking it out with you, hokey potions and all. That and, well, I don't exactly own a car."

He grinned widely at her and twisted his cap back around to the front. "Well, I'm outta here. I'm going to leave by the front doors this time though. Think I've leared my lesson for one night. You going to be okay getting home? I suppose you would be, owning a purse like that and all."

Another outrageous wink and Elian waved goodbye to her. "Take care, Chloe. And thanks again."

Hands slid into his pockets and he left the casino feeling somewhat better than when he arrived. Yeah his back ached, he was bruised, and his neck sported two new puncture wounds, but he was a tough guy and he wasn't going to let it get him down.

Besides, he'd made himself a new friend. Seemed to him that's really all that mattered. If he really had friends from the past, they certainly didn't seem to care enough to find him.

So forget the past.

The future was really all that mattered now.

Move over, Matt Damon.

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 04:10:41 GMT

If you ask anyone what their earliest memory was, they'd more than likely tell you it was the time they fell off the tire swing in kindergarten and sprained their ankle, or the time their dad moved them out to the city from the country when they were four years old and they had to leave their dog Sparky behind. Or maybe even it was when Grandpa died and Uncle Lester got drunk at the funeral and fell into the casket.

My earliest memory was two hours ago.

I awoke in a hotel room on the 9th floor of the Rio, staring up at my reflection on a mirrored ceiling wondering who the heck the guy in the rumpled blue teeshirt was. Then I realized it was me, except there's a lot to be said about the feeling you get when you don't even know who 'me' is.

I knew Las Vegas, and I knew exactly where I was - I figured that out by looking out the window. Sparkling lights on the strip stretched out for miles in the distance, and there I stood wandering why I could recite verbatim hotel locations on the map and yet my own face in the mirror was as unrecognisable to me as any stranger i'd ever yet to meet. I knew my shoe size, I knew I didn't like carrots, and for some reason, I knew I happened to be a really big Jimmy Eat World fan then wondered why I'd never been to a concert.

I suspected initially I was probably still asleep, but half wondered to myself if it was really sleep from which I had actually awoken from in the first place. You regain consciousness in a hotel room without knowing how you got there, and there's bound to be some questions. But I guess in times like these, I suppose the first thing someone would do was panic, and once that feeling came and went, it began to nag at me when I realized I didn't even know my own name.

The wallet in the back pocket of my shorts revealed nothing but a credit card, which I assumed was mine because it was one of those super-duper platinum Mastercards with a photo on it that looked my reflection. The name at the bottom read 'Elian DeMattéo', and for lack of a better reason, I figured that's who I was.

I held the card up and looked at myself in the mirror in the bathroom. "Elian Deh-Muh... tay-o?" I asked aloud, enunciating syllables yet not recognizing the sound of my own voice. I looked at the card and then back at myself. "Is that French? DeMattéo?"

A long pause. "Am I French? I don't sound French, do I?" I asked my reflection with a perked eyebrow. "Bon-joore?"

On that note, I assumed I probably wasn't French.

"What the hell kind of name is Elian?" I asked, the corners of my mouth turning downwards, half in confusion, half in distaste. I flipped the card over in my hand and continued to examine it as I walked back into the main part of my hotel room. Maybe i'll just call myself Eli. Chicks'd dig that.

And on that note, I assumed I probably wasn't gay, either.

The credit card was well-worn though. My signature on the back had half worn off, and the date on the front said I got it in 2007, which totally blows my 'I was created on the spot' theory out of the water.

I ended up back infront of the window, looking out to the Strip in the distance. The spotlight on the top of the Luxor could be seen clear and bright in the night. In the back of my mind I thought about that movie, The Bourne Identity, you know, with Matt Damon. Guy wakes up full of bulletholes and a wicked case of amnesia. I also thought about that other movie, Memento, about the guy with the loss of short term memory and the polaroid camera and the tattoos all over his body. Funny how I remember both of those movies, but don't actually ever remember watching them.

I lifted up my shirt and found no tattoos, but apparently, I have a set of abs you could do your laundry on.

A calculated and thorough search of my hotel room in it's entirety revealed absolutely no clues that I may or may not have left behind before I ended up on the bed. No notes, phone numbers, no personal items. Not even a gum wrapper. Just the bible in the top drawer of the desk by the bathroom door. So much for short-term memory loss. I supposed I should also rule out the special agent theory.

After I realized there was nothing left in the room that would help me, I figured it would be best to try my luck on the streets, although if I woke up in a hotel, I wondered if even lived in Vegas to begin with. But there's a big city out there, full of people. Chances are, sooner or later, maybe i'd run into someone who knew me.

However, before I left my room, there was one last question that boggled me more than anything.

Where the hell was my other sandal?