WAR: A writer gets an unexpected audience by Sonja Launspach with Linda Rose Pierce, Carrie Krumtum and the Knighties Time: Thurday, August 7th--morning Place: Nick's loft Sonja paced back at forth at Merc Central waiting for her client to deliver the package to her. She acquired a messenger's uniform, the better to look the part. The delivery wasn't going to be a problem but since this was her first independent job she wanted to do a good job. The car was ready and she'd studied the Toronto map to be sure that she didn't get lost. She'd checked with Abby earlier to make sure that her target would be in. Everything was ready. She checked her pocket watch again. The doorbell rang. Her package had arrived. Great. Showtime. She grabbed the keys and went out. After a short uneventful trip across town, she arrived at Nick's loft. She got out of the car carrying the manilla envelope. She rang the bell and waited. "Yes, who is it?" "Special Delivery for a Nicholas Knight." Sonja tried to look as messenger-like as possible. Perri must have thought she was ok, since she buzzed her in. She rode the elevator up. She looked around at the loft full of Knighties, looking for Nick. "You can give it me." Perri told her, she held her hand out for the package. "I'll sign for it." She reached for the clipboard in Sonja's hand. "I'm supposed to make sure he gets it personally." Sonja reached for the clipboard now scrawled with Perri's signature. "I'll see that he gets it......" but she was talking to empty air. Sonja was already across the loft; she handed the package to Nick "Specially Delivery, sir." "Uh, Thanks." he took the envelope and begin to open it. The attention of the Knighties were on Nick so nobody noticed the little camera that the merc had put on the wall to record the scene for her client. It had a limited battery life so it would be useless for recording anything else. Sonja drove car around the block and pulled over out of sight of the loft. She checked the sound and picture quality on the little monitor she'd brought. One thing her professor had drilled into her was always check the sound on a recording. So far so good, she waited watching as the drama unfolded. It was a quiet drama Nick opened the envelope carefully, under scrutiny of his body guards, just in case. Inside he found a note. Dear Sir, I believe the enclosed short stories would be a interest to you. The author of the stories is someone of your close acquaintance and is too shy to share these literary works with you herself. Therefore I have taken it upon myself to put these works in your hand for your perusal, knowing the constraints of daylight on your activities. It is my sincere hope that the reading will ease that burden and make the time fly quickly for you. It is also hoped that you might gain a truer understanding of the esteem you followers hold for you. Yours, the fledgling Natpacker Enclosed with the note were two stories "Breaking Dawn" and "Knight Confessions" both by Carrie Krumtum. Ignoring the looks of curiosity from his followers, Nick settled on the leather couch, after clearing a space and began to read the first story. "What, ..wait a minute, you don't mean..." Nick started to murmur as he realized he was the main character in the story. "Problems, Nick? Perri asked "Uh , no" he said and held the pages away from prying eyes behind him. "Now why would she do that?" . Nick looked around the room, searching for Carrie, but she wasn't there. The pages rustled as he set them down next to him and continued reading, "What? he'd never say that." came after a few more minutes. The knighties were trying to go about their various tasks but this was becoming difficult. Nick's periodic outbursts as he read were piquing their curiosity about the mystery packet. Stories, they'd figured that out from the note lying on the couch, but whose. A wistful look appeared on his face, longing tinged with unhappiness as he read the parts with Natalie in them. They reminded him of her. He came to the end of the story. He sighed. Everyone watched him. He sat quietly for awhile, thinking of Nat, and he did wonder about Carrie, what possessed her, really, the bottom of the lake? But, he looked so pensive that Perri asked "Bad news, Nick? She couldn't stand to see him sad. "Uh, no, just nothing.." he replied. He turned to the second story, unsurprised to find himself as the main character this time. "Well, desk duty, huh?" this one started out ok, from a desk to undercover. He continued reading, frowning as he went along. "Now, wait" he said after a time, startling a couple of the knighties.He reread a few pages and shook his head in disbelief. "I wouldn't do that." more pages, more frowning. "How'd she know that?" the frown had lifted, coming as he did to a part about Natalie. The parts about Nat distracted him from the way the rest of the story was going. "How dare she?" Nick put down the pages he was reading and scanned the loft again, looking for his absent follower. "How dare she what, Nick?" He was asked, but he didn't reply, going back his reading. "They wouldn't" He sighed, "it just isn't right, it isn't." The loft door slammed as Carrie tired to maneuver it open with her hands full of bags filled with donuts and other pastries. She'd gone on the breakfast run. "Hey guys, I think I got what everybody wanted, but.. ." her statement trailed off into sudden silence as she realized Nick was standing there staring at her, piles of papers scattered at his feet and on the couch. "You" he said, "You, you-how could you?" "What?" she squeaked, "what did I do?" It's one thing to know that Nick is a vampire, another to be facing an angry one. "This," He picked up some pages, crumpling them in his hands. The bags she was holding threatened to slide right out of her hands, fortunately a couple of the others rescued them before the donuts joined the story pages on the floor. He thrust the note into her now empty hands. "How dare you, How? He paused, "I'm only going to ask once. did you write "Breaking Dawn" and "Knight Confessions"?" He turned and paced down the loft as she read the note. Her face became pale. She nodded. "I thought you were my friend, I thought, I don't know. I know these last couple of months have been hard. But I never expected this." His voice was soft now, regretful. Carrie looked down at her Birkenstocks, unwilling to meet Nick's eyes, her usual cheery smile gone. She wished she was any where but here, oh to be a vampire and fly away through the skylight. " I guess this means you didn't like them" she said, trying to stall. Silence greeted her statement as the entire loft watched her and Nick. Nice try, Carrie, she thought to herself. " I , uh, I was possessed by, uh, aliens, " she muttered as she began to edge around Nick toward the stairs at the loft's end. "Aliens" "Yeah, in my dreams, they forced me. " She backed further toward the stairs. "Now, Carrie," Nick began. But whatever he was going to say was lost in her loud sobbing, "I'm sooooryy," as she bounded up the stairs and slammed the bedroom door shut behind her. Carrie lay face up on the bed, the black silk sheets were soft and comforting beneath her. She was going get whoever did this, she was. But for right now, she wasn't going anywhere, not until Nick left and then, then there'd be hell to pay. Perri came down the stairs; nothing she'd said had been of any use. Carrie would not come out. Perri couldn't tell if she was mortified or mad or both. "She says she's not coming out." "Great, with followers like these, who needs enemies," Nick muttered, exasperated, to no one in particular. Back in the car the tape ran out and the monitor went dead. Sonja smiled, her client would be pleased. She started the car and drove back to Merc Central to enjoy her payment.