Echo woke grumbling to the sounds of crashing and banging. She rolled out of the pile of blankets and crawled along the supports; looking down through the ceiling grates she glared at the humans in the black shirts. These she knew worked on the machines called slots. She disliked them from the day she was born., they always made way too much noise. Echo sighed and stood up making her way through the space between the ceiling of the casino floor and the roof of the building. She instinctually made her way though passages remembered from years of use. She arrived at her exit and crouched low, peeking around the corner to check for the other workers that sometimes come up to her level. Seeing none she slipped out and took out the key she had and unlocked the trapdoor and climbed onto the roof and into the cool night air.
The night air was crisp with cold, not that it mattered to her. Not only did she have warm things to wear, but she had her own fur to keep her warm. Large ears swiveling here and there as she tuned into familiar noises of the security men and women talking in the cigarette place. She smiled to herself and spread her wings out and leaped off the edge of the building into the night air.
The land and lights from cars blurred in her vision as she flew as quick as she could, dipping and turning tight spins squealing with joy from the sheer rush of flying. This was one of her favorite things to do, work up her hunger by flying around over the grove. It provided her sport and a way to check and make sure it was safe, she started doing this shortly after a frightened worker out late shot at her. It missed but scared her enough that she no longer forgets to check for humans. Humans to her were fascinating. Able on one hand to be quick, smart, and funny, and on the other hand they would kill her on sight or at least catch her and sell her to the circus. Being a walking, talking, bat has its drawbacks.
Echo dove down and landed as silent as the dead and started to walk around looking for the best oranges to eat. She had plenty of fruit at the Casino but fresh oranges were much better. She spent the good portion of the next few hours wandering and flying around the grove. After which she started on her way back home.
As she flew back she watched the cars below her the people coming to work and play on the slots. She landed on the edge of the the building and crouched down to look over the lot waiting for her favorite human. This human was great. Not only was she pretty but she was fun and had lots of jokes. She watched the cars coming and going and smiled wide when she saw her humans car pull in, gather her things and walk into the building. Echo spun around and opened the trapdoor slipping back down into the casino and making her way to her bed to neaten up and hide her things. Echo had learned early on that if she didn't hide her things, the humans that came up to her area would take the stuff back and she would have to find it all over again. After she shoved her stuff in her hiding spots she made her way back to watch her human work.
She had been following her human around for about a year fascinated at her work. She delighted in watching them emptying dazzling coins from the machines as reflective objects had always held a special allure for her. Echo could scamper about unseen for hours watching in wonder at all the gleaming coins they moved around. From her vantage points she would laugh and giggle now and then at the jokes and the way her other humans made fun of each other. Some of the words they used she didn't understand what they meant but they sounded funny to her. Sometimes when they would talk none of the words made sense to her, she had no way of knowing this but they were speaking Spanish.
Echo followed her humans around the casino until they went to lunch, At that point she made her way back to the offices where her human had gone. She watched from above her as she counted out more shiny disks remembering that it was here she had learned of her name. She had been watching her count things again and someone called out Victoria and she had answered, leaving the shiny things on the table which Echo promptly slipped down and took one of them before departing. Echo still had that shiny, she had made it into a necklace and kept it around her neck as good luck.
As Victoria got out of her car she looked around with the chilling feeling she was being watched. Victoria had had this feeling many times before, sometimes when she was on the casino floor doing her job. She made her way into the casino and started her nightly routine.
When she got out on the floor and started pulling the money with her team she still felt eyes on her. She turned to Paco and Sergio, the only others on the team that knew Spanish.
" ¿Hey, Paco? ¿Se siente como nos están mirando?"
Paco looked around and shrugged not seeing anyone in particular watching them work.
" No. No veo cualquier persona que mira a su paranoico justo qué con ese individuo que nos sigue alrededor de ayer”
Mark the Newest member of her team glared a little as they spoke in Spanish as he didn't understand what they were saying and that bugged him.
" Hey you know it would be rather nice if you spoke ENGLISH sometimes, you know so I would know what's going on."
He turned back to opening the slot machines grumbling a little as Paco told him to shut up and keep working, although Paco was doing nothing more than running his mouth instead of actually helping the team.
Victoria consoled Mark agreeing that they should be speaking English and not to worry about Paco. She looked up at the ceiling again as she could swear they were being watched.
After the team had done three of the four zones for that night, they broke for lunch. Victoria decided to go to the office to do some paper work needed for the next day. when she got back there and sat down she had that feeling again and glanced around the room finding nothing. As She was filling out forms she couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched, so she got up and slammed the office door thinking it might be the security camera outside that could look into the office.
Echo had been day dreaming as Victoria was filling out paperwork When the door slammed it startled her and caused her to loose her balance on the beam she was on, She squealed and just barley caught herself from falling through the ceiling panels her ears straining to her Victoria as she doubted her fall went unnoticed.
Victoria indeed had heard and now was looking around the office, under the desks and behind the bookshelves swearing it was a rat .. a big rat. After She looked around and found nothing, she looked up at the ceiling in wonder. She thought the sound came from above her but that couldn't be... Victoria pulled a chair over and climbed up onto the desk and pushed up a panel looking into the darkness. What she saw made her white as a ghost, she saw something dart around a corner in the space up there, and her grandmothers stories of ghosts and spirits haunted her mind. She put the panel back in place and started on her way to lunch still shaking a little as her mind still tried to grasp what she saw.
Meanwhile in the Break room Mark and Paco were having a friendly argument Over which was better Science-fiction or fantasy. Mark was saying that basically they were the same both dealing with things that were not found in the ' real world ' while Paco was trying to get his point across that science fiction was things that could happen and Fantasy were things that couldn't. They both looked up at Victoria and asked almost at the same time if she was okay. She nodded and looked at Mark and asked him to come have a smoke with her. Mark laughed a little and reminded her he didn't smoke but the look she gave him quickly changed his mind
“I guess I can just come out and talk or something while you smoke”
“please?”
Victoria looked desperate so Mark nodded and grabbed his food and followed her out to the smoking area outside. Once outside he looked at Victoria and frowned slightly concerned
“Your not okay are you? You look like you saw a ghost”
Victoria laughed and smiled with a nod “Well I think I saw something but it could have been a Rat...a huge Rat that lives in the ceiling above the office. Or my Grandmothers stories could be true and there are such things as ghosts.”
Mark nodded slowly as she talked and looked around before answering making sure no one was paying too much attention. “Victoria you know my beliefs are slightly different .. and that I do whole heartedly believe in the supernatural. So what you are asking is do I think it could have been a ghost ?”
Victoria nodded a little looking around some feeling a little childish about all this. But part of her just couldn't let go of that possibility.
Echo huddled under her blanket in a far corner of the casino nervously shaking as she peeked out now and then
“I think she saw me....n..no she would have screamed momma said they do..and..and the guy that shot at me..he screamed ... she didn't scream .. maybe I was fast enough?”
She sat there for a while not really knowing how long it was until she heard her human back out on the floor. She crawled out of her blankets and looked through the grates until she spotted her. Victoria was checking machines for something in the side and looking at some paper she had and making marks on the paper with each machine she looked at. After a little while longer Echo decided that she would go to sleep as her humans were leaving until the next day.
Echo woke up the next night to a sound that made her grin..It was silence. She quickly hid her things and darted out over the casino floor and looked down with a giggle. the whole floor was empty, a few drunks stumbling back to there rooms with Security following to make sure they made it back okay. Echo raced along the beams to the other side of the casino and laid along one as she watches her favorite humans pull out all the funny big boxes that they put the shinies in. they use four a night..except on days like this when they clear the floor and use all eight and open every machine .. LOTs of shinies for her to look at.. Tonight was going to be fun!
Mark pulled the last cart out of the Magnetically sealed room and stood a moment to catch his breath with Sergio. Sergio, the shortest member of the team, opened up the cart and stood on the bottom shelf so he could look in and count the cans making sure all were there before they went and placed them next to the machines they belong too. Mark looked out over the empty floor and then back at Victoria and Sergio
“Man..it sure is quiet with everyone gone and none of the machines ringing for service or jackpots. Just the music and the machine sounds..without everyone here ..it gets pretty quiet hu?”
Victoria and Sergio nodded as they counted. and Sergio hummed a creepy tune that he knew of making everyone laugh. as they started to pull the heavy carts out onto the casino floor.
Echo ran along the beams to the back of the casino away from the team as they worked and peeked through the grates checking to see if anyone was around. The security sometimes did a second check of the floor as the team worked. When she saw no one, she fixed the cameras like her mother showed her making a loop so she could go unnoticed down on the floor. After that she pulled up the grate and dropped down to the casino floor and stretched a little before looking around for things left behind by all the humans that made the machines make the noises.
She chirped happily as she found a purse and sat down in a chair to dig through it. Echo was rewarded with a few shinys and a mirror which she quickly stuffed in a pocket. She loved mirrors, they came in handy and were so shiny that she could see herself in them!. She pocketed the shiny disks she found at the bottom of the purse and then put the rest of the stuff back and set the purse down where she found it, moving on to more machines.
Echo wandered a bit then stopped in her tracks as between the machines only three rows away was her human! She froze .. how did they get this close? did she just not pay attention ... were the cameras working here? No she shut them off ... yea .. that is why her human is just sitting down.
Mark and Victoria sat down after Security had called and informed them that for some reason the cameras were not showing them at all. Almost as if they were a loop like in a bad spy movie. They had sent a team to go look and had told them to wait there. Mark shoved Victoria playfully to get her attention as she was staring off into the distance.
“Hey..wonder what is up with the cameras? Maybe they just made an excuse because they were not paying attention to were we are at.”
Victoria laughed at that and nodded
“Yea they must be playing Xbox or something up there, a mass Halo game on all the TVs in there. Cameras in a loop..come on..that's just crazy.”
Mark nodded a little more and then shrugged closing his eyes and leaning back to wait for security to tell them to go.
Echo made her way around the machines back the way she came and then froze, there were more humans there and they were climbing up into her area. Echo looked frantically for a place to hide and ended up slipping into the womens bathroom. Once in there she sighed in relief and spent a few moments looking at herself in the giant mirrors. She then walked by and hissed in alarm at this strange box that just started to make noise and dispense white soft paper that the humans use to dry there hands. She chuckled to her self remembering a situation like this when she had first came down on the casino floor. She had made her way down and walked up to one of the machines and watched the lights and pictures on it. She had seen a flashing button and pressed it and all of a sudden it started whistling and ringing and buzzing. Echo had ran in terror and hid for the rest of the day after that. She later learned that the machines wouldn't hurt her and just didn't push anything on them anymore.
Victoria stood up and told Paco she was going to use the bathroom and and had the security tell surveillance that she was going.
Echo walked by the dispenser again giggling as more paper poured out onto the floor. She waited a moment till the red light turned off walked by and hopped up and down excitedly at this new toy. Echo stopped suddenly and her ears shot up as she heard footsteps She ducked into the first stall and shut the door locking it and crouched up on the toilet so her feet wouldn't be seen.
Victoria made her way into the bathroom and stared a moment at the pile of paper towel on the floor that lead up to the dispensers like someone just kept letting it run out onto the ground. She tore off the paper towel and threw it in the garbage before walking to the stalls. Victoria pushed on the first door to find it locked. She sighed and grumbled about stupid pranks as she didn't see any feet in the stall. After finding the first one locked Victoria used the second one beside it.
Echo peeked out the crack of the door and her eyes opened wide. There was her human. Right there so close! She watched as Victoria picked up the mess she made and then almost squeaked in fear as she came up and pushed on her door. Echo held very still her heart pounding in her ears as Victoria grumbled about pranks and went into the next stall. Echo let out her breath silently and peeked between the crack in the wall and the stall seeing the side of Victoria's head her scent so strong as she was mere inches from her. Echo trembled with fear and excitement as she sat there beside her most favorite human, so close..yet so far away.
Victoria finished up and walked to the sink and started to wash her hands when she got that feeling of being watched again. Victoria looked in the mirror and turned quickly as she thought she saw someone in the stall watching her. She walked over to the first stall again and placed her had on the door then shook her head and walked away
“there is no one here Victoria your just paranoid”
Echo waited a few more moments after Victoria left and peeked over the top of the stall her ears straining for any sound of humans. Hearing none she squealed with joy at being so close to her human. She stepped out of the stall and walked to the entrance peeking around the corner. Seeing no one around she jumped up and with a sweep of her powerful wings reached the ceiling grates and lifted one to get back up where she was safe.
Victoria and the rest of the team finished the drop and went home for the night. The whole time she was thinking of the feeling she had in the bathroom and her thoughts went back to the ghost stories and such starting to think that there must be some truth to them.
Several weeks later Echo raced along the beams and made her way to the back of the casino. It was another full floor drop and she had an idea. Echo ran around to some of the cameras and waited until the team was in the same spot as they were last time and pulled out some of the wires on the cameras around her before racing to the bathroom again and slipping into one of the stalls and locking the door.
Victoria and Paco were talking in Spanish when Mark walked up and nudged Sergio
“Hey man...didn't this happen last time we had a full floor drop? You would think that they would have fixed the cameras already. This is cutting into our lunch time!”
Sergio nodded to mark and looked up at the cameras
“they just is lazy Mark they didn't fix or they broke again.”
Mark shrugged as he watched Victoria leave to go use the bathroom
Victoria walked into the bathroom and used the first stall unawares that someone was in the bathroom with her.
Echo held her breath when she heard Someone coming and then smiled to herself as she looked through the crack and saw her human. She crouched on the toilet and just watched her wash her hands and leave. This went on for a few months. Echo would break a few cameras every time they had a full floor drop and then wait to get a look at her human each time. This time was different though. Echo had seen that her human was acting funny this drop. Holding onto chairs as she walked and not as peppy as she normally was. Echo made her way to the cameras and as the team moved under them yanked out the wires and scrambled to the bathroom.
Victoria leaned against a chair and gripped the back a little squeezing her eyes shut in pain, mark looked at her with concern.
“You okay? You don't look too good.”
Victoria shook her head and said she was going to the bathroom as she walked off.
Echo watched through the crack as Victoria walked in and right to the sink. Echo leaned against the door and peered out at her human. She didn't look good...
Victoria leaned on the counter short of breath. She had been feeling bad all week and today it was very bad. She had to come to work but she didn't think she could make it there rest of the night. She looked at herself in the mirror as she sweated and her vision blurred.
“I have to go home..a hundred and three temp is nothing to be at work with...”
Victoria splashed watter on her face and took a few steps before her head swimmed and before she knew it she was falling and her vision blurred and went out.
Echo stared in horror as her human fell to the ground. Echo watched a moment or so as her mind raced..
“Should I help? She could see me...I might scare her away..But she is hurt....she needs help...but if they take me away...no! She needs help...”
Echo timidly stepped down off the toilet and opened the door to the stall as quietly as she could. She peeked around the corner and saw that Victoria wasn't moving much. Echo went over and kneeled beside her. Echo wasn't sure exactly what to do but she knew that when her mother was there that when she felt bad her mom would have a wet cloth and place it on her head. Echo looked around and then saw the roll of paper in the dispenser and walked in front of it making some come out. When she couldn't get it to come out fast enough she dug her claws into the sides and tore the front of it off and pulled a large handful off the roll. She then went to the faucets and held the paper under it until the water soaked it. Echo looked at the paper and squeezed out the extra water knowing that it was too wet, She crouched beside Victoria and started to lay the cool compress on her head delicate fingers moving a lock of hair out of the way.
After a moment Echo saw that she wasn't waking so taking a huge chance she walked to the entrance of the bathroom. She looked out and saw the rest of the team sitting there waiting and she cried out for help as loud as she could. Once she saw them jump she ran back to check on Victoria and stopped only for a second as she saw her looking right at her. She jumped into the nearest stall and up into the ceiling running back to her hiding spot panting a little.
Mark and Sergio were talking when they heard someone scream for help. They both jumped out of the chairs almost tripping over each other as they ran for the bathrooms where they heard the scream.
Victoria woke up feeling the cool towel and someone moving her hair, She kept her eyes closed savoring the cool feeling until she realized no one should be here and sat up, but her head spun again and she heard someone scream. When she opened her blurry eyes she saw what she thought was a beverage server, but the server darted past her and her clothes bellowed out a bit before she dove into a stall. Victoria squeezed her eyes shut and she heard pounding feet as Mark, Sergio, and the rest of the team sprinted to help. The scooped her off the floor and called for the EMT on duty to meet them outside the women’s Restroom. Victoria looked back at the stall and asked Mark if he saw the beverage server. He looked worried and said no one was in here. Mark and Sergio handed Victoria over to the EMT saying that her skin felt cold and clammy. As they all left Mark glanced back at the paper towel dispenser, torn in half, and laying on the ground.....
Echo spent the next week worried sick over Victoria, She had not come back the next day or for that matter the next few days. It seemed like forever to her. Echo laid out on the beams above the office the whole time listening to them talk about her. She heard them saying that she was sick, that she would be back soon but that she was going to do office work for a bit. She also heard Mark talking about the thing she tore up. She heard him saying that it looked like it didn't get broken, but torn off. They all said that Victoria must have grabbed it on the way down. Echo giggled a little to herself and thought she was lucky that they thought Victoria broke the thing.
A few weeks later Echo was sprawled out on the roof of the casino when her keen ears picked up the familiar sound of Victoria's car. Echo sat up and looked over the edge and beamed ear to ear as she saw her human walking into the building she scrambled up and dashed to her entrance and almost tore the hatch off as she slipped in and made her way to the office. She looked down from a corner and shrank back as Victoria wasn't alone. Mark was there with her.
Victoria sat down and looked up at mark debating what to say.
“Mark? You remember when I said I think I am being watched right?”
Mark nodded
“Well when I was in the bathroom. I, well Its hard to explain. I thought I saw a beverage server..but no one should have been there. I didn't call for help. You guys showed up after the server screamed. But she didn't look right there was something different about her. I just can't place it.”
Mark thought a moment then leaned back in the chair “Well I think your 'ghost' is a helpful one. I think you should say thank you.”
Victoria nodded and started to gather some paperwork to do as mark left to start the drop.
Echo laid out on a beam thinking to herself about all she just had heard and her ears twitched as she heard Victoria talking.
“If you can hear me..whatever you are. This is silly...but well I'll feel better if he is right. Whatever you are; thank you for helping me a while back.”
Echo smiled and before she knew what she was doing she replied “Your welcome” Echo's eyes went wide as she heard Victoria jump up. She covered her muzzle tightly with her paws and silently prayed that she had not been heard.
Victoria Leaped up as she swore she heard someone say 'Your welcome' She turned and looked all around before bolting out of the office and running through the casino to find the rest of the team. She saw Mark and grabbed his arm turning him around quickly as she blurted out “Something is in the office! It said 'You're welcome!' I swear I heard it!”
Mark chuckled a little “Either your nuts, or you heard it say thank you. You shouldn't worry as it seems like a friendly ghost. Maybe you just need to go back and relax as you do that paperwork”
Victoria sighed and laughed a little before turning back to the office shaking her head in disbelief as she went
Echo stayed still as stone as she heard the door open again. She smelled Victoria come back in. She stayed silent as she heard Victoria's breathing was a little quicker than normal. Echo whimpered softly to herself knowing that it was a sign that she was in-fact heard.
Victoria stood in the middle of the office after closing the door and took a deep breath. She calmed herself and looked up at the ceiling “If you are there and you can hear me thank you for helping me again..sorry I ran like that you startled me....if you are there...can you say something again so I know I'm not crazy....”
Echo peeked through a hole in the corner of the ceiling battling with herself “If I talk she will know I am here...but she already knows....but if I say something she might call more humans...but she wants to hear from me....” Echo held her breath a moment longer and timidly answered
“I..I am here..p..please don't call anyone else.....”
Victoria looked up in shock at actually hearing the voice again. She sat down in a chair staring at where the voice was coming from “A..are you a ghost?”
Echo blinked having never heard that word before “What's a ghost?”
“You mean you aren't one?”
“Well i don't know what one is so I guess not no”
Victoria thought a moment as she heard this wondering to herself what was going on. She was sure that she wasn't just hearing things But what could this be, it defiantly sounded female and a little frightened by the shakiness in it's voice. She thought to herself “Well if I am crazy at least it seems safe to talk to, and I will be by myself here for a while” She looked back up at the corner and leaned back in her chair
“So miss voice. Do you have a name?”
Echo smiled to herself and was close to tears of joy as she was actually talking to her human. She was talking to Victoria! She quickly composed herself realizing that she was asked a question.
“Uh hu. My mother called me Echo because she said when I was born that my first cry echoed throughout the space up here.”
“You and your mom live up there? Both of you? What do you eat ?”
Echo frowned a little and sighed some “No..My mother hasn't been back in a very very long time. She went out one night for food and never came back.”
Echo chirped as she heard the outer door opening “Please don't tell anyone..someone is coming..please..don't tell them..they will take me away”
Victoria nodded and was a little surprised to hear the door open and shortly after that the office door opened and Mark and Sergio came in with there lunch.
Mark set his plate down on a desk and handed a second plate to Victoria “Here ya go it's lunch time”
Victoria looked up at the celing and then started to eat thinking of Echo and what she said.
Echo listened in as they all ate and chatted about the workload and what was going on out on the floor. Once they were done and gone Echo peeked quickly to see Victoria closing the door.
Once the door was closed she turned around and looked up at the celing again and smiled some.
“Echo are you still there?”
Echo chirped softly “Yes..Thank you for not saying anything. Mother said that if humans knew we were here that the men in the suits would come take us away. I don't want to be taken away.”
Victoria walked under the corner where she heard Echo's voice and looked up at a small hole in the panel and saw a deep emerald green eye looking down then quickly darting back.
“I promise I won't tell anyone. I have to go But I will see you tommrow okay?”
Echo smiled to herself “Okay I can't wait!”
Victoria left for home the whole time wondering what was going on. She went home and decided she would get some good sleep and see if she heard the voice the next day.
Echo ran through the beams and raced along o the roof and egearly watched the parkinglot as Victoria got into her car and drove away. Echo then launched into the air to go flying squeealing with pure joy she dove down and glided along with Victoria's car down the street a little way before she pulled away and flew to the orange grove to have some fresh food.
The next day Echo was watching the road and saw Victoria's car on it's way. She quickly shot back inside and made her way to the office waiting for her to show up and be alone again.
Victoria sat in the office after everyone left and waited wondering if the voice would return, she smiled as she heard some movement above her and the soft whisper of the voice.
Echo shifted a little to get a look in the room and whispered down to her human
“Hi. I am glad your back I missed you I saw some neat things today, I saw lots of shinieys and lots of lights and they brought new slots and they moved some and there were three birds on the roof they were eating something they brought up. I had some oranges after you left Oh and I got a new blanket! It is much warmer than my old one...”
Victoria chuckled a little at the rambling of the voice and wondered to herself if crazy people ever wondered if they were crazy, as she looked up at where her voice was coming from.
“sounds like you did a lot today, I would love to have the whole day to myself like that to be able to do what I want when I want to. Do you have fun up there? Why do you hide?”
Echo laid out on a beam directly over her human thinking to herself. After a moment she answered.
“Mother said that the humans were bad and that they would take us from our home and to hide all the time from them. But then you are nice so I don't want to hide but I have to hid because it is safe here so I can't show myself and hide. Yea I have lots of fun i watch the shinies and I fly and I eat lots of fruit and I follow you all over the place and stuff. It's fun watching you”
Victoria laughed at what she heard thinking of all the times she felt eyes on her and finding out that there really were eyes watching her.
“So you have been watching me this whole time? That's why you knew I would be ....hey..is it you breaking the cameras all the time? Because every full floor drop we have the cameras break and then we have to wait and I use the bathroom everytime..and there is a locked stall every time as well..has that been you?”
Echo giggled a little and shifted as she was getting a little sore.
“Yes, My mother showed me how to make me not seen on them so I did and then I would find stuff then go back. When I did it the time you had to stop I got trapped so I went into the place where girls use the bathroom. Then you came in and I locked the door. Then you were so close. I didn't watch you use the bathroom that would be rude. But it was exciting ebing so close. So I did it all the time so I could se eyou again. Then you fell down and I helped you. I almost didn't I was really scared, But I knew I had to help...”
Victoria nodded a little and leaned back in the chair thinking abck to that day and what she thought she saw.
“I know you look different because of what I remember It that another reason you hide? Are you afraid of what people might say if they saw you?
Echo shivered a little at that thought, the thought of Victoria screaming like the other human that saw her did. The thought of her running away and never talking to her again, that scared her almost as much as the bad humans her mother talked about finding her did
“I..I hide because my mother said that your kind would take me away if they saw me, they would poke me and cut me up into tiny pieces and put me in a jar.”
Echo peeked through the hole in the tile watching Victorias reaction.
Victoria looked up at the hole with a look of concern and confusion. She pulled the chair over and stood on it hearing nmovement above her. Victoria slid her hand up past the tile wiggling her fingers a bit
“please don’t leave I promise I will not look I just want to touch your hand so I know you are real, so I know for a fact that this is not all some strange spirit thing that my grandma talks about.”
Echo almost fell backwards as she saw Victoria coming over. She trembled as she saw her humans hand come up through the tiles her fingers wiggling so close. Echo leaned forward and with a hand that shook from terror and longing, she reached out and touched Victoria’s fingers. Echo’s eyes got wide as plates as she touched someone else after so long, she found the touch comforting and warm a feeling she hadn’t felt in so long living by herself for most of her life. She scooted closer bringing her other hand over and holding Victoria’s hand in hers still shaking but more from excitement than fear.
Victoria shiverd in excitement as she felt a timid hand take hers, she then gasped a little as she felt this hand was not exactly human. She fel the short claws brush against the tips of her fingers and then the silky fur or hair glide past as her hand was held by her strange benefactor voice. She smiled up into the darkness and felt the other hand join the first. They held hands for a a little long as the door suddenly opened. Victoria pulld herhand back quickly and turend around to see Paco staring at her.
“What exactly are you doing Victoria? What are you hiding?” paco looked up at the ceiling panel and stood on the chair poking his finger up through the hole then shrugged and sat down to start work. Victoria looked up at the panle and told Paco she had to go use the bathroom and would be right back.
Echo pulled back as she heard the door open silently cursing herself for missing the footsteps.She watched as Paco stuck his finger up through the hole and for a moment she wanted to bite it. She shook that thought out of her head and smiled as she heard that Victoria was going to the bathroom. She raced through the rafters and when she got to the bathroom she ws a bit disappointed to hear that there were other people there. She went back to her hiding place and sat there going over in her mind what had just happened.
Victoria got to they bathroom and found that it was full so she just walked back to the office looking up at the ciling with curiosity wondering to herself what the voice looked like. She Had an Idea that when and if she saw it, she would be greeted by something of the likes she had never seen before. Through the whole drop Victora was thinking of her friend to the point of making a few mistakes and even once slamming her fingers in a slot machines door making her fingers bleed. At lunch she walked over to mark and almost dragged him outside she sat down on the other side of the smokeing area and sighed
“Mark… I don’t know how to say this..But I don’t think the spirit thing is as accurate as we thought. There is something there but it is defiantly alive. She says she fears us, that she thinks that if we see her we will chop her up and put her in jars. Maybe she is an alien?”
Mark shook his head a little “I don’t think so but maybe. I mean if she is an alien why is she living in a casino..and how do you know she is a she?”
Victoria laughed “because ‘she’ has a girls voice duh remember she has been talking to me I know what she sounds like I held her hands today it was strange but exhilarating a the same time. I want to see what she looks like..But I don’t think she will let me.
At that same time Echo was convincing herself that it would be okay to let her human see her She. “I held her hand, I talk to her, she didn’t run away and she said she wanted me to stay It’s okay she will not be scared of me I can show her..I will show her! Tomorrow yup I will and if she isn’t scared maybe we can hold each others hands again!
That next night Echo sat trembling with excitement as she waited on thr rooftop for Victoria. She saw her car coming and darted back into the building. Echo waited until She heard Victoria's footsteps and lifted a ceiling panel up a little.
When Victoria walked into the office she was greeted by an exuberant hello from her friendly voice. She saw the lifted panel and the intensely deep green eyes watching her she could sees the happiness in them almost as bright as a star twinkling in the night. She waved at Echo and sat down in a chair looking up at the eyes “You have beautiful eyes they are a very nice shade of green”
Echo blushed a little and giggled as she tried to get up the nerve to do what she was about to do. She stopped her shaking and lifted the ceiling panel a bit more before stammering out “P..please ..um can you lock the door please I..I kinda..um..I want to show you something”
Victoria quickly went over to the door and locked it her excitement bubbling up As she turned around and sat back in the chair. She looked up at where Echo was hiding and smiled. ”Are you going to come down here? Because I would like to see what you look like”
Echo watched her lock the door then when Victoria asked her if she was coming down she almost leaped into her arms right there But she just whispered “Please close your eyes..and please..please promise you won't scream”
Victoria chuckled good-naturedly “Hon i will not scream not at all I want to see you and I know you look different, please I promise I will not scream” She closed her eyes and smiled with anticipation at seeing her friend for the first time.
Echo lifted the panel and slipped down into the room almost fainting with fear and excitement, this would be the only other person ever to see her so close on purpose. She walked up as silently and tapped Victoria's hand to get her attention “Y..you can open them now”
Victoria opened here eyes and her jaw hit the floor. Standing before her was a painfully shy and nervous five foot bat girl. She was wearing bits and pieces of casino uniforms to cover her velvety looking chocolate colored fur her ears were quite large but laying back in nervousness but even then you could still tell they were big. Her wings were folded under her arms which were held behind her at the moment as she looked at the floor. Victoria admired her slender form for a moment noting the rather pleasing curves here and there. She reached out and gently lifted Echo's chin looking down her short muzzle into her deep green eyes and smiled. “you look amazing Echo, you are defiantly different but very pretty and your fur feels so soft like velvet.” Victoria slid her hand down Echo's arm to illustrate the point.
Echo shivered as she stood there trembling with nervousness as Victoria looked her over. She lifted her eyes when Victoria lifted her chin and almost fainted with relief to see the smile on her face. Echo smiled timidly as Victoria ran her hand down her arm making her shiver happily at the feel of someones touch. Echo piped up a little at the fur remark “Well..um it's not fur really..it is hair..But you can call it fur, momma said everyone always called it fur when she was small.” Echo looked up and squeaked softly “someone is coming” Echo hugged Victoria and jumped back up into the ceiling and replaced the panel she peeked down at Victoria and waved before slipping into the shadows. She darted along the beams and burst out onto the roof taking a few steps and launching into the air. She cried with joy at finally having someone see her after so many years, to actually be touched by someone was almost too much to ask, and yet it happened. Echo flew around for hours until she wore herself out and landed on the roof laying in the gravel and staring up at the stars.
Victoria thought the whole night about Echo and how exotically beautiful she looked. At lunch she pulled Mark aside and grinned “I saw her! I really saw her But you can't tell anyone you promise?” mark nodded “Not a soul” mark nodded again. Victoria smiled “She is beautiful absolutly beautiful and soft too she looks like a bat but not ugly like you would think most bats are. She is slim and powerful but also timid and shy. She is cute.
Mark laughed a little “you sound like you have a crush on her. But seriously is it safe for her here? I mean what if she gets hurt or sick? Don't you think we should tell someone she is here? They can help her.”
Victoria shook her head. “I don't think so Mark. I don't think she would be so terrified of the people if they were going to help her. Please keep this quiet, besides who will believe you anyhow? I can see it now. 'Yes mayor I want to report that a huge bat that talks is living in the casino.' They would have you commited”
Mark thought a moment and nodded “Yea I guess you are right But still...If she becomes a problem or gets hurt we can't help her and should consider calling someone who can.
After staring upat the stars for a while echo heard Victoria's car start. Echo jumped up and took to the air following Victora for a while Echo turned back when se saw the slight change in light on the horision signaling that the sun ws on its way. When Echo got back she found her entrance locked She tugged at the hatch but it would not open. Echo cried in alarm and frantically ran around the root looking for a way in. After she found none Echo tried to find a place to hide. When the sun came over the mountains echo cringed in fear. She had never been outside when the sun came up. When the light hit her bidy she clench her teeth in agony as her eyes burned and her wings felt like they were on fire. She frantically searcehd for some way to get out of the light crawling blindingly over the roof. Echo found some shade behind an air duct and curld up in it sobbing with pain. After a few hours Echo realised that her shade was shrinking andhad now curled up into a small ball and pressed herslef up against the duct as the sun started to touch her again. Echo mintally kicked herself for leaving and letting her hatch be locked. She whimpered as her shade finalyw as gone and the sun hung up in the air. Many hours latre the sun started to go away Echo painfully crept out from behind her hiding spot when she heard Victoria's car again. She crept slowly to the edge of the building and when she was close called out to her “Victoria please help me..”
Victora stopped dead in her tcaks when she head Echo. Echo's voice sounded harsh and weak she had never heard her outside either. She looked up and saw Echo looking down at her from the roof. And her heart skipped a beat, what was she doing outside and calling out like that. Anyone could see her. Victoria called back quietly “echo what are you doing? Why are you outside and what do you need?”
Echo winced a little as she shifted a bit to look down at Victora happy that she had hear d her, it was hard to talk her throat felt like she had eaten sand. “Please help i am stuck my hatch is locked please come open it.”
Victoria nodded and took out her keys and threw them up on the roof she heard echo moving up there and hurried into the building. She found a securty guard and ran upto him “Hey Lou I kinda need a favor and don't laugh okay. I was messing around tossing my eys up in the air and catching them right, well I kinda tossed them a but high and they ended up on the roof Could you maybe go get them for me?”
Lou shook his head in disbleif and then started on his way “sure Victoria I will go get them for you just wait right here okay? I have to go get the key to the hatch there on the roof be right back.
Echo listened intently as she heard the hatch open She slowly made her way around the human thath was coming to get the thing Victoria threw up there and finally slipped back inside. She made it to the office with agonizing slowniss each time her wings touched anything it sent tendrels of pain through her body causing her to have tears streaming down her face when she finally made it down into the office.
Victoria got her keys and rushed to the office as fast as she could she got in and locked the door quickly and waited for Echo. When echo finally made it Victoria almost cried when she saw her firend. Echo's wings and ears were badly sunburned Victoria looked at her and quickly told her to sit down if she could and she would be back with some stuff to make her feel better.
Victoria went to the first aid station and grabbed all the burn ointment she could find and ran back to the office to find Echo with her head under the water cooler water spilling down her cheeks as she drank in huge gulps at the cold water.
Echo opened her eyes looking at Victoria though blurry vision, she still had trouble seeing as the sun hurt eyes not used to that much light. She squinted and still sucked at the water as it came out in a cooling heaven sent flow. She stoped after draining almost half of the bottle and then sat on the floor. “I got stuck outside. The sun felt like fire on my eeys and wings I have never seen the sun and never wanna see it again it is bad..it hurts..how can you stand it? You must be very strong.”
Victoria looked at Echo and chuckled a little. “No hun I just stay out in the su more so I gut used to it. Here let me put this stuff on you it will make you feel better. Can you open yoru wings up so I can get all of it?”
Echo nodded and opened her wings up and cried in pain but held her wing out straight as she could. When the ointments were put on it felt like a numbing cold spread through her wing taking the pain with it. Echo smiled happily as she watched Victoria put the stuff on her wings and then giggled and twitched as she put it on her ears too. “It feels all slimy but very good. It doesn't hurt anymore But I feel very tired and my head hurts a lot too, I think I am going to go to sleep I wills see you later okay?
Mark came to work that night and his thoughts were dark. He had found out that the bank was going to take his truck if he didn't come up with nine hundred dollars by the end of the week. He didn't get paid till a week after that and if he paid for the truck he wouldn't be able to pay rent on his house. Mark stepped into the office and stared in shock as he saw a huge standing bat in he office with Victoria The bat screamed in alarm and then in pain as it jumped up at the rafters and then dragged herself up into the ciling.
Victoria coverd her ears as Echo screamed and jumped at the ciling causing her burns to burst into tendrils of pain. Victoria turned quickly and kicked the door shut and looked at Mark and sighed…
“You are not going to tell anyone are you? Please don’t she isn’t causing any harm”
Mark just looked up at where the bat had gone
