A Tale of Two Sirens

Author's Note: Donjo here. This is a part of the story where Ashley gets a lot more "screen time" than Dani. Don't worry, though... she'll be back! Thanks to everybody who has enjoyed this so far, as well as those responsible for the DRU :)

“Are you feeling any better?” Max asked me as we started our drive out of town.

“Yes. Thank you. I just needed some sleep,” I told him with a smile. Despite my nightmare last night, I felt surprisingly refreshed. Aka Manah was starting to confuse me, too. Why was he being nice to me? Why did I feel that I could actually trust in him to keep his word? Why did he keep insisting that I was changing when I obviously wasn’t? I let out a soft sigh as I realized that I probably would never get the answers to these questions.

“Something on your mind?” Max asked, knocking me out of my reverie.

“I’ve been having a few nightmares lately. I was just wondering if they meant anything,” I told him.

“Were you so tired last night because you hadn’t slept in a while?”

“I know it’s stupid, but there’s just something about them…”

“They’re just dreams, Ashley. They can’t hurt you,” he said gently.

“I did say it was stupid,” I replied, laughing slightly, “Anyway, just where are you taking me?”

“The mall in Brendson,” he said.

“You’re going that far?”

“Well, I know that you probably missed them from back when you lived in California, so I was hoping that I could cheer you up a bit with this little surprise,” he said, giving me a cute smile.

“That’s very… thoughtful of you,” I said. I was surprised that he would go so far just to try and cheer me up. Was it that obvious that all of this was bothering me? I needed to toughen up. Either way, this trip should be interesting. A mall might have some things that the little shops in Ravencrest wouldn’t have… and I was in the market for some new clothes. Of course, there were some things that I couldn’t buy with Max following me around, so I’d have to save those for later. I smiled a little just thinking about it.

“I’m glad that my efforts are paying off,” Max told me, misinterpreting my smile. When I didn’t answer, he just continued to drive along the highway, until he reached a town that was much larger than Ravencrest. I didn’t think it was quite a city, though.

“Seems like a nice place,” I commented.

“Yeah. My family doesn’t come here very often, but it’s a nice break from the small town life,” Max said.

“I can see why some change could be good once in a while,” I smiled.

“Definitely. The mall is right over here. It’s bigger than you’d think,” he told me, turning into the parking lot.

“Wow. It is a big place. Not as big as the ones in San Francisco, though,” I said.

Max laughed. “I’d bet that it’d be pretty difficult to beat the size of California malls.”

“So, did you choose this for our date just because I’m a girl?” I asked.

Max looked hurt. “I already told you that I thought you might miss malls. We don’t have to shop.”

“I’m just messing with you! But, as long as we’re here, I might see if there’s anything around that I can’t find in Ravencrest,” I said.

“I was thinking that, too. Shall we go in?”

“Sure. Let’s see how a New York mall looks,” I replied. We got out of the car and walked into the mall hand in hand. It wasn’t terribly crowded, but there were enough people around to really cement the fact that this town was much larger than Ravencrest. I resolved to stay close to Max at all times, lest any other girls think that my man is unattached. To start, I grabbed higher up on his arm and leaned into him. “This is a nice place.”

“Yeah. Even if I don’t shop, it’s great to just walk around here,” Max said, blushing a little bit. I giggled.

“Am I bothering you?” I asked.

“Well, no, but—“

“What’s wrong with showing a little affection?” I asked.

“Isn’t this a little overboard for public?”

“It’s not like we’re making out in the middle of the walkway. There’s nobody from Ravencrest here, anyway. I just want to enjoy your company,” I told him.

“I guess you’re right,” he conceded, but he still seemed a little nervous. I leaned closer to whisper in his ear.

“Don’t you want to enjoy my company too?” I whispered huskily.

Max immediately blushed. “I-I do enjoy your company.”

I laughed, leaning backward again. “You’re so cute when you’re blushing.”

Max sighed. “I swear. Since we’ve gotten closer lately, it’s almost like you’re a different person.”

“Is my teasing that bad?” I asked.

“I think it’s more my fault than yours. You keep throwing my mind straight into the gutter!” he sighed.

“Oooh, this is fun! I think I’ll keep it up,” I said with a giggle.

“You are impossible,” he said, sticking his tongue out at me.

“And I’m the most beautiful girl you’ve ever seen,” I smiled.

“Nah. You’re just the most modest girl I know,” he retorted.

“And I’m your girl,” I lied, kissing his cheek.

“So don’t let your eyes wander, okay?” he asked in a joking tone.

“The same goes to you, buster. Out of town girls are off limits!” I said, matching his tone. With a quick kiss as Max’s answer, he pulled me further into the mall. I looked around at all the people around us. I couldn’t help but smile as I saw many of the guys, and even the girls looking me over. But it didn’t matter; I was with Max, and he was just fine for now.

“So, what do you want to do today?” he asked.

“Would you like to help me try on some clothes?” I asked.

“I don’t think I’m allowed in the dressing room with you,” he said, blushing again.

“I wouldn’t mind,” I said honestly.

“You are such a tease,” he replied, laughing.

“I’ll stop doing it when you stop being so cute about it,” I told him, despite the fact that I wasn’t actually teasing him.

“So what you really mean is that you want me to watch you try clothes and tell you what I like?” he asked.

“Bingo!” I chimed.

“I think that might be fun, then,” Max said.

At that, we spent a good few hours shopping for me. I made sure to tease Max with plenty of revealing outfits and buying all of the ones that really made him blush. I also found that I was starting to like how I looked in darker colors, especially black. I wanted to buy some lingerie, too, but I felt that I would be torturing the poor boy too much. I could do that shopping later, back in Ravencrest. After filling two or three bags, I pronounced my own shopping to be done, letting Max take the helm. He bought some stuff for himself, and we continued to wander the mall well into the start of the evening. I hung on his arm the entire time, and it seemed like he was getting more used to my closeness. Once we got to the parking lot to go back home, I got his attention with a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks for taking me out today,” I told him.

“It was my pleasure,” he said. I smiled again as we got into the car to go back home. We busied ourselves with some small talk over the half hour drive back to Ravencrest. As we sat in front of my house, Max turned to me.

“I had fun today,” he said.

“I did too,” I replied, “it was fun to tease you so much.”

He sighed. “You’re having way too much fun with this, Ash.”

“But you’re such a good sport about it,” I said, leaning closer to him. I took off my seatbelt.

“Because I know you’re only teasing,” he said. If only he knew.

“Is this teasing?” I asked, leaning across the driver’s seat to kiss him.

“No. That’s a kiss,” he said, giving me a silly smile. I smiled back.

“No. This is a kiss,” I told him, leaning back in. While he returned my affection, I slowly brought my legs in a position to straddle him in the driver’s seat. I found myself moaning in pleasure as we really got into the rhythm of our kissing. We were finally making out, and it was amazing. I was the one who finally broke the kiss. While Max seemed surprised that we had gone on so long, I wanted to go longer… but now wasn’t the time. I leaned into his shoulder.

“Your parents will still be gone tomorrow night, right?” I whispered.

“As far as I know,” he said back.

I smiled out of his sight. “Good.”

“Ashley?” he asked.

“Yes?”

“Why have you been so affectionate lately?”

“Because I like you.”

“But isn’t this going a little fast?”

“I don’t think so. We’ve spent too much time going nowhere, Max.”

“Maybe you’re right,” he said softly.

I gave him another kiss. “I am right.”

He laughed slightly as I made my way back into the passenger seat. “Well!” he started, “That was one heck of a good night kiss.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks again for taking me out,” I said.

“I’m just happy to spend more time with you,” he told me.

I moved to get out of his car. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

“Good night, Ash,” he replied as I closed the door. I waved to him as he drove away. I smiled as I thought of what I would be doing the next day. I was shopping with Leslie and Jan in the morning and then spending the night with Max. It would be busy, but oh so fun. After saying good night to my parents, I went to sleep, still smiling.

True to his word, Aka Manah did not visit me in his dreams that night. Instead, my dreams took a much more erotic turn than usual. I couldn’t help but blush when I saw where my hands were as I finally woke up. I did feel perfectly refreshed, though, so the night’s dreams weren’t so bad after all. I smiled as my mind continued to dwell on them.

After a good shower, I went downstairs for breakfast, finding Mom in the kitchen.

“Good morning,” I told her.

“Good morning, honey,” she chimed, “did you sleep well?”

“I slept just fine,” I said.

“You haven’t brought up any nightmares recently. Have they stopped?” she asked.

“No, but there’s no need to worry about them,” I assured her.

Mom gave me an odd look. “You seem confident.”

“Do you doubt me?” I asked, slightly irritated.

“Of course not, honey. It just seems odd that you’re reacting so little to what we originally saw as a serious threat,” she said.

I shrugged. “So we overestimated him. It’s better for us, isn’t it?”

“I suppose it is. Why don’t you go sit down? I’ll get your father and then we can eat, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks, Mom,” I said, taking my seat. Once we actually started to eat, Mom dropped the subject of my nightmares. She kept giving Dad looks, though. I had a feeling that she would give him a nice long talk once I left with Leslie and Jan. Why didn’t she trust that I was beating Aka Manah? Regardless, I was sure that she’d see the truth eventually. In the meantime, I had things to do.

By the time Leslie and Jan did come to pick me up, the conversation hadn’t gotten any livelier. I was actually glad to leave. The three of us all shared smiles and waves as I got in Leslie’s car.

“Hey there,” Jan said first.

“Morning,” I answered.

Leslie turned around to face me. “How did your date with Max go?”

“It went fine,” I said.

“And you’re spending the night with him tonight?” Jan asked.

“Yep,” I said, smiling.

“You’re so lucky, Ash, getting a guy that nice,” Leslie sighed.

“I’m fond of him too,” I said. Jan gave me an odd look when I said that. Was she expecting me to say something different?

“So, are we ready to do some shopping?” Leslie asked, backing out of the driveway.

“You know it!” Jan replied, turning back around to face the road.

“Yep. Nothing’s better than a fun day with friends,” Leslie chimed.

“And the shopping has nothing to do with it?” I asked.

Leslie giggled. “That might play a small part.”

Jan grinned. “That’s our Lez.”

“You know it!” Leslie said, continuing toward downtown.

“So, where should we go first?” I asked.

“Let’s go to the Teen Scene. I heard they got some new stuff in,” Jan suggested.

“They do get some interesting stuff sometimes,” I mused.

“It definitely can’t hurt to take a look. We might find a new style for ourselves,” Leslie said.

“I think our styles might be pretty much set for the moment,” Jan said.

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about making a couple of changes,” I chimed in.

“Like what?” Jan asked.

“We’ll see,” I said, smiling coyly. Jan laughed.

“I guess we have no choice but to go then. You aren’t escaping without showing us what you’re planning!” she said.

“She probably wants to get something Max will like,” Leslie suggested. She parked next to the Teen Scene, but she didn’t get out of the car.

“Lez, is something going on?” Jan asked, noticing it too.

Leslie turned to face me. “Ash, we need to talk.”

“About Max, I’m guessing?” I answered.

She nodded. “Ash, Max called me last night. He’s worried about you.”

“Why would he be worried?” I asked. Jan seemed confused by the situation as well.

“He told me that you don’t seem to be acting like yourself, and I’m seeing it too. What’s going on?” she asked.

“Nothing’s going on,” I insinuated, “and I’m not acting different at all.”

“Don’t you see it too, Jan?” Leslie asked.

“I think so… but it’s little things, I think,” Jan said.

“Exactly. Like when you started kissing Max with more fervor right before break. Ash, Max thinks that you’re acting too suggestive toward him. He’s really uncomfortable with it,” Leslie explained.

“And he couldn’t say that to my face?” I asked.

“He thought that I might have a better chance of talking to you,” she said.

I sighed. “I still don’t get what you’re talking about. If he’s uncomfortable with the way I’m acting, then he’s the one who is changing, not me.”

“What?” Jan asked, surprised. “How can you say that?”

“It’s the truth. Are you calling me a liar?” I asked, starting to get a little irritated.

“No, but—“

“If Max has a problem with me, we can discuss it tonight,” I said.

“Just… don’t try anything funny tonight, okay? Max won’t react well,” Leslie told me.

“I’ll decide for myself what I want to do with him,” I said, crossing my arms. Leslie and Jan gave each other a surprised look before turning back to me.

“Why don’t we just go inside?” Jan asked, pointing to the shop, “It looks like we won’t get anywhere by arguing about this.”

“…Yes. Let’s not ruin our day,” Leslie agreed. I followed as they moved to get out of the car. What in the world were they thinking, accusing me of not being myself? After months of being friends, I thought they’d know me better than this. As for Max, he had even less of an excuse, especially after going to Leslie before me. I’d have to talk to him later tonight, but I had no doubts that we could come to an agreement. After all, tonight was going to be very fun for both of us.

Despite Jan’s attempt to get us back on track, our moods had already been dampened. There was an uncomfortable tension between all three of us. Leslie and Jan seemed more interested in watching me than actually shopping. The trip didn’t go so well once the focus was changed like that. In the end, none of us bought anything; I was okay with that, since I still had good options for what to wear to see Max.

After a nearly silent ride home, Leslie turned to me before I could leave the car.

“Have fun tonight, okay? And… I’m sorry for doubting you. If you say you aren’t acting different… I guess we should trust you,” she told me. I got the feeling that she wasn’t being entirely honest, and was instead just trying to appease me.

“If you really think I’m acting different, then I’ll keep an eye on myself,” I told her.

“That sounds like a good idea. We can figure out which one of us is actually going crazy,” Jan said, finding a smile. At the mention of the word, crazy, my mind went straight to my Mark. Was it actually changing me? No, I thought, I felt no different at all. But, why were my friends insisting that I am changing? They were obviously wrong. My parents were understandably worried about me being home early, but I didn’t feel like talking about what happened. I just wanted to look forward to being with Max tonight.

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