Hush, Hush: Chapter 26 (Part 1)

[zelda_queen]

ZeldaQueen: ...I just want through this chapter as fast as possible. Now

Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...

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Chapter 26 (Part 1)

ZeldaQueen: Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay with this chapter. It's just....this chapter. I hate it. I hate it very much. It is creepy and leaves a horrible taste in my mouth and I want it to die in a fire. If we hadn't had that bit with Patch chasing Nora around the motel room, I'd say this chapter is the most disgusting and depraved point in the story. Actually, in some ways it is even worse. So...please make sure there are no sharp implements within reach while reading this.

Right.

Nora arrives at the movie theater, and apparently it's very crowded because it's Sunday and just before Spring Break. Oh look, a time reference! I will be honest, ladies and gentlemen, I completely forgot what time of year it was. When Nora was in Portland, I thought it was October or November. It wasn't until I looked over my sporking notes for the first chapter and saw that this is all supposed to be in April. Anyway, Nora spends this entire time being paranoid that Dabria will snatch her up or something. I really don't know. Dabria is so pointless and has such a faint presence in this story, I honestly don't care about her. We all know she's not going to succeed in killing Nora, if only because there are three more books in this horrible series.

And then Nora spouts off what will give us a taste of the creepy to come

"Of course, deep inside, I knew Dabria wasn't my biggest worry. Sooner or later Patch was going to figure out I wasn't at Delphic. Based on past experience, I didn't have any illusions about being able to hide long term from him. He would find me. And then I'd be forced to confront him with the question I was dreading. More specifically, I dreaded his answer. Because there was a shadow of doubt at the back of my mind, whispering that Dabria had been telling the truth about what it would take for Patch to get a human body"

ZeldaQueen: I really have nothing to say to that. That's just sickening. Do you know what that sounds like? It sounds like Nora is scared that Patch will beat her for disobeying his orders and going places he does not approve, and that no matter how far or long she runs from him, he will track her down and teach her a lesson



ZeldaQueen: Thank you so very much for that, Fitzpatrick. That's exactly what this story needed, especially after that incredibly creepy dominating "I can kill you if I wanted to, and I'm going to put you in your place for seeing things I didn't want you to see" scene in the motel.

And I'm not touching the bit about Nora seriously thinking that Patch might be planning to sacrifice her for a human body. It's going to be something of a running theme for this chapter, and I don't want to keep repeating myself. So, I shall save it!

Nora then starts going on about how she's at the movie theater and is checking the show times, because of course that's much more engrossing and worthy of attention than the fact that your boyfriend might be planning to murder you. Priorities!

Yep, I'm saving my rants for later in the chapter.

For some random reason, Nora decides to go in to see a movie herself. I mean, I know she's looking for Vee, but she just spontaneously does this. We get no insight into her thought process and have no idea why she makes this decision. Seriously Fitzpatrick, you can't do this in first person narration. I know that it's clunky to write down every single thing passing through the protagonist's head, but I'd imagine that motivations for doing tasks is important! Even just having her think "I couldn't see Vee, Elliot, or Jules in the lobby, so I went to purchase a ticket. Maybe, just maybe, I could find them inside one of the theaters".

Anyway, Nora asks for a ticket to see The Sacrifice, because I guess if it's good enough for one ham-fisted, overly symbolik usage, it's good enough for two in Fitzpatrick's book. Nora tosses a lot of loose change and small bills at the girl taking tickets, and we get a very pointless bit where Nora identifies the girl as someone she vaguely knows from school, "She was a senior, and I was pretty sure her name was Kaylie or Kylie". This is the first and only time we see Kaylie or Kylie, so I fail to see how important it is to name her. Anyway, Kaylie or Kylie bitches Nora out for paying like that, telling her to use a credit card next time. Meanwhile, everyone in the line starts getting pissed with Nora as well. Um, was she paying entirely in pennies? The average ticket price in the United States when this book was published was seven dollars and fifty cents. Even if Nora only paid in one dollar bills and nickles, it shouldn't take that long to count it all up.

Nora makes an unfunny joke about cleaning her piggy bank out, and I really don't care. Nora asks if Kaylie or Kylie saw Vee at all, and Kaylie or Kylie is extremely bitchy, telling Nora that it's a busy night and she can't remember everyone who came for a movie. I personally would have asked if Nora honestly expected me to know every single person in the high school, especially since Vee is in a different grade and apparently wouldn't know this girl from any classes or clubs.

If I might pause here for a minute, am I the only one who noticed how unbelievably nasty the various people who have waited on Nora have been? The waitress at the diner, the guy running the motel, the security guard at the library, and now this chick. Yes, I know people who do jobs like selling tickets at the movie theater aren't always in the best of moods especially on long nights, but all of these people are like that! Is this some mysterious world where customer service standards aren't upheld? Or did Fitzpatrick have a really bad experience with a waitress and was permanently soured to everyone in the service industry? It's almost as bad as Stephenie Meyer thinking that all salespeople kiss ass just because a customer has a shiny credit card.

So yeah, Nora goes to the theater the movie is showing in, and apparently it's a ridiculously small theater, with only two screens. And yes, I am aware that there are movie theaters that small, but a few seconds on Google shows us that right now, the Coldwater Cinemas is showing no less than ten movies right now. Even if Fitzpatrick just ignored real life (which she probably did), how is just two movie theaters going to make any money? I wasn't aware that the town was particularly small, and apparently people come crowding in there. How do they handle big crowds with two theaters???

*sigh* In any case, Nora checks out both theaters and, of course, does not find Vee. And so our Intrepid Heroine, with her friend in danger and her boyfriend possibly out for her blood, makes a daring move. She sits down in one of the theaters and starts watching the movie and collecting her thoughts.

Our Heroine, ladies and gentlemen.

We get a very brief bit of wangsting over how stressed she is from learning about Nephilim and fallen angels and whatnot, and if this were a better-written story, I could buy that she's having a bit of a breakdown. Given how Nora is a complete idiot? I don't feel generous.

Anyway, Nora is checking her phone for missed calls when we get...oh Christ, it's creepy time!

"I was tucking the phone in my pocket when a carton of popcorn materialized beside me.

'Hungry?' asked a voice from just over my shoulder. The voice was quiet and not especially happy. I tried to keep my breathing calm. 'Stand up and walk out of the theater,' Patch said. 'I'll be right behind you.'

I didn't move.

'Walk out,' he repeated. 'We need to talk.'

'About how you need to sacrifice me to get a human body?' I asked, my tone light, my insides feeling leaden.

'That might be cute if you thought it was true.'

'I do think it's true!' Sort of. But the same thought kept returning-if Patch wanted to kill me, why hadn't he already?"

ZeldaQueen: Well, this is a lovely prelude to what is to come? What's the creepiest part about this?

- That the creepy bastard just appears behind her as calm as you please, complete with a quipt that sounds like something Freddy Kruger would say?

- That Patch's little "Walk out of here and I'll follow you" piece sounds exactly like what a guy would say to a hostage that he's holding a gun or knife to the ribs of?

- That Nora instantly starts getting terrified as soon as he shows up, even though we're supposed to believe that he is in True Love with her and will never hurt her?

- All of the above?

And as for Nora's constant bit about "Well if he wanted to kill me, why hasn't he done it already?", I have a reason. We will hear it in a minute.

Anyway, there's apparently just one couple in this theater besides Nora and Patch, even though we were told that it was a very busy night and that there are only two theaters. The guy starts hissing for Nora to shut up. Patch seizes the opportunity to outright tell Nora "Walk out, or I'll carry you out".

*blinks*

*stares*



ZeldaQueen: NORA. RUN. RUN AS FAR AND AS FAST AS YOU CAN AWAY FROM THIS PERSON.

I'm serious, what is that? "Walk or I'll carry you"? THE UNHOLY FUCK?

And oh, surprise, surprise, Nora is an idiot who is offended by that, but not frightened in the least. Nora, this guy has repeatedly proven that he (A) can easily overpower you and (B) clearly does not respect your wishes. RUN.

The guy continues to tell Nora to be quiet, and Nora tells him to be angry with Patch, not her. And considering how Patch is clearly trying to drag her off and seems to want to kill her, she's being remarkably calm about this entire thing! The creepy calm is decidedly not helped when she tells the guy to bring security to arrest Patch because "he wants to kill me". Nora, darling, SHOW A BIT MORE EMOTION ABOUT THIS! I BELIEVE FEAR IS THE APPROPRIATE RESPONSE RIGHT ABOUT NOW!

The guy's girlfriend chimes in at this point and begins bitching at Nora to shut up and that no one is there. Suddenly, Nora realizes what's going on

"'You're making them think they can't see you, aren't you?' I said to Patch, awed by his power even as I despised his use of it"

ZeldaQueen: Awed by his power.

She is awed by his power.

She is awed by his ABILITY TO DOMINATE AND THREATEN HER WITHOUT FEAR OF BEING CAUGHT AND GETTING HIT WITH REPRECUSSIONS FOR IT! SHE IS AWED THAT HE CAN ENABLE HIMSELF TO STALK AND FRIGHTEN HER AND POTENTIALLY HARM HER.

FUCKING A -



ZeldaQueen: On another non-explosive note, I'd like to point out exactly what Patch is doing. He is effectively cutting off all forms of escape for Nora. He is making it impossible for her to go to anyone else for help. This is absolutely chilling. It just drives home how sick and twisted this guy is. No matter how much Nora may want to, no matter how far or how fast she goes, no matter who she goes to for help, he will always be there, mindraping everyone into not knowing he's around. And that can include Nora, because she's not immune. She can not escape from this person.

And that's not even touching on the fact that he could easily have visited Nora without the mind rape and calmly and nonthreateningly asked for a word with her in private. Heck, he could have mindraped the other people in the room to not notice Nora or himself, and thus let them talk freely right there. Instead, he chose to approach her in a manner which not only prevented her from going for help, but which also completely discredited her and made her look like a crazy wimmunz who should not be taken seriously. What an absolutely winner.

The guy tries to bribe Nora with his Coke to get her to be quiet, and I must have a spite fic here, or else I'll lose my mind

"I ignored the guy and went back to staring at the screen. I ignored Patch as well, though I could sense him behind me. I dug my nails into the arms of my seat. If he thought he was going to force me to leave here, he had another thought coming.

'Nora,' said Patch, in a sing-song voice. 'Time to go!'

'God damn it, leave me alone!' I snapped, not caring if the couple behind me got pissed.

'Oy, do you mind? We're trying to watch the movie!'

'Look, I told you it's not my fault!' I said, turning around furiously in my seat. 'It's his - oh.'

The guy and the girl were gone, probably freaked out by my seemingly talking to thin air. There was another couple behind me that I hadn't noticed before. The guy was pale, with dark, shaggy hair. The girl had curly hair and was wearing a grey sweater of some sort. The guy had a carton of popcorn he was munching on, while the girl was snuggled next to him. They were staring at me, him annoyed and her curiously, but then...their eyes slid over to Patch.

'I wasn't talking to you,' said the man, glancing back at me. He returned his attention to Patch 'Hey, tall, dark, and creepy, mind leaving the girl alone?'

A murderous look flashed across Patch's face, but he quickly smoothed it over with a smile, one that pretty much said Ignore me, or I'll shank you. 'I'm sorry to disturb you,' he said. 'Just a spat, we were going.'

He grabbed me by the upper arm and tried to pull me out of my seat. 'What the hell? Get off!' I shouted, trying to pull free. No matter how hard I tried though, I couldn't break his grip.

The woman jumped to her feet, a look of absolute disgust on her face. A second later my arm was free, but I hardly noticed. I was too busy staring as Patch went flying ass over tincups across the theater.

'I don't think she's ready to go, hot stuff,' said the woman.

Patch was on his feet in a second. 'How did you -?'

'Annie! Mitchell! Can you believe what they charge for popcorn here?' Patch was cut off as another man stepped into the theater, a drink and small popcorn at hand. 'And if you ask for butter, they glare at you and - what's going on here?' He looked from Patch to the woman - Annie - and back. 'Annie, did you lose control again?'

'No,' said Annie, tossing her head. 'That was on purpose.'

'Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy,' said the dark-haired man - Mitchell - as he chewed on more popcorn.

'Who are you people?' roared Patch, his patience at an end. 'How come you can see me?'

I cringed. He was going to do something. Make a scene. Hurt them. I knew it. 'It's alright,' I said, starting to get out of my seat. 'I'm going! They have nothing to do with this!'

'No, no, you stay where you're at,' said Annie.

'Right,' said Mitchell. 'Let's get this over with. I want to go back to this very stupid movie. I am a vampire. George here is a werewolf.'

'Just announce it to the world, why don't you!' cried George, and I'm sure he would have thrown up his hands if they had been empty.

'And Annie here is a ghost,' said Mitchell, ignoring George's outburst. 'That's us. Now if I was to guess what you are...hmm. I've never seen one before, but Herrick did mention it. You smell very...well, 'airy' was how Herrick put it.'

'Really?' George sniffed. 'I caught a wiff of that, but thought it was his detergent.'

Patch sneered. 'What are you getting at?'

'You're an angel,' said Mitchell bluntly.

'A what?' asked George, nearly dropping his popcorn.

'I would have pegged him as a bastard,' muttered Annie.

'And I'd also say you're a fallen angel, given that I'm not bothered by you're presence,' Mitchell continued on. 'Well, more bothered than I would be normally by an asshole like yourself.'

'Nora come on! We're leaving,' snapped Patch, grabbing my arm. He tried to yank me towards the door, while I dub my heels into the ground. A second later and a head jerk from Annie and Patch was on the floor again.

'Good God, does he treat you like this often?' asked George.

'Only on days ending in the letter 'Y'.'

'And hold on, you said he's a fallen angel? As in a demon?' asked George, turning to Mitchell.

'Precisely.' It was hard to tell in the darkness of the theater, but I swear something changed in Mitchell's eyes. I couldn't look very hard though, because Patch was on his feet again, trying to drag me away.

'Oh my bloody hell, give it up!' snapped Annie.

George beat her to the punch though. Within seconds, he was down the aisle and socked Patch right in the kisser. It didn't hurt Patch, but he was knocked backwards and was clearly stunned.

'Good thing it's a full moon in two days,' I heard Annie whisper to Mitchell.

'Right,' said Mitchell. 'Annie, George, why don't you show...'

'Nora,' I said.

' - Nora the lovely concession stand.'

'Fantastic. Right this way,' said George, leading me up the aisle and through the door. Annie trotted out behind us. I glanced over my shoulder as I left. Mitchell was advancing slowly towards Patch, making a terrifying hissing sound. As the door swung shut behind me, I could have sworn I saw him lunge for Patch's throat."

ZeldaQueen: Oh man, now that is catharsis! And if anyone wonders why Nora can see Annie, either pretend that it's because Nora is part Nephilim, or that it's one of the earlier seasons, when everyone could see her.

Anyway, of course that spite fic never happens. Instead, Nora obediently gets up and leaves the theater, with Patch breathing down her neck along the way. Yes, really. Fitzpatrick even writes him as being "unsettlingly close, not quite touching", and you can not convince me that she was not listening to the theme from Jaws when she wrote this.

And Nora. Nora, the alleged Havard-bound girl. Nora, who is walking off with this guy of her own free will, without making the slightest effort to defy or escape him. Nora. You are a dumbass.


And the spite fic made things run a bit too long, so we will stop here. Part two should be up soon. And no, the fact that this is the only chapter beside Chapter Twenty-Three to be a two-parter is not a good omen. Why do you ask?

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Onward to: Chapter 26 (Part 2)

Back to: Chapter 24

Return to to: Table of Contents

Comments

[carmyn]

Well, seeing how my town of 70,000 has a 10 screen theater and the town next to us that is SMALLER has a BIGGER theater, I call bullshit on the two screen theater. I've been to one but it was in Terrace BC (which is three hours away from the Alaskan Boarder) and that town had less than 10,000 people in it. Probably not even close to that number. That town was fucking TINY and I was stuck there for a week and a half. I don't see Fitzpatrick putting her beloved characters in a town that small.

I've never seen Being Human, so it's pretty tiny I recognized the characters. I just don't know which version.

[(Anonymous)]

My aunt lives in a town that used to have a two-screen theater, but it got torn down in order for a bigger theater to be built. There are only about 7,000 people living in that town (however there is a nearby ski resort...), so I think a town would have to be *really* tiny to have a theater that small. Reading the sporking, I never got a sense that Nora's town was that tiny.

Also, the spitefic was amazing. Points for using "Being Human".

[das-mervin.livejournal.com]

Right. Let's see. You wrote a spitefic? Soooooooo now we have my turn. It got big, so sorry about that.

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I stepped out into the parking lot with Patch, who was still standing close enough so that I could feel the heat from his body. I wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do or what he wanted—would he kill me now? Was that his plan? Would—

“Bezaliel.”

The voice that spoke the unfamiliar word was not loud or harsh—it was almost a greeting, and the voice that uttered it was rough and low. But the way Patch reacted, you’d think he’d been shot.

Patch’s gasp was loud and shocked, and I shrieked when he grabbed my shoulder and yanked me around, keeping me firmly behind him as he whirled to face the newcomer, his other hand clenched into a fist. I squirmed in his vice-like and near-painful grip, struggling to find whoever he was looking at. It turned out not to be very difficult.

He was nondescript, just wearing a regular black suit with a white shirt and a blue tie, and a tan overcoat completed it. But the way he stared at Patch unsettled me—it was a gaze that had no right to be that intense, particularly when his eyes were that blue and dreamy.

I felt Patch relax minutely when he finally saw who had spoken, but his posture was still rigid and ready to spring at a moment’s notice. “Out of all of the brothers I figured I would somehow run across, I’ll admit—you were not one on my list,” Patch suddenly said, and I could not help but hear how his sneering tone was rather…loud. Like he was overcompensating to hide how he really felt.

The man just stared at him, still and straight. When he said nothing, Patch continued. “So. What—you here to just stare at me, bro?”

“You know why I’m here,” the man responded, low and dangerous. The man took a step towards us, and Patch tensed again.

“Do I?” Patch suddenly burst. “What—you here to kill me? Really? For Falling? Come on—why would you do that, Cas? You, of all people—”

“I have no intentions of killing you for Falling or Disobedience. It would be…hypocritical,” the man—or Cas, whoever he was—interrupted evenly.

Patch stared, shifting his weight. “Then why’re you here?”

“Because I am going to kill you for what you do with your freedom.”

I gasped when I saw the man—Cas, or whoever he was—twitch his right hand and a wickedly-gleaming silver blade sprang obediently into his hand. Patch saw it, too, and I heard his intake of breath.

[das-mervin.livejournal.com]

“Cas—hey. Cas. Castiel. This is Bezaliel you’re talking to!” Patch was babbling, backing up and taking me with him.

“Patch—what are you—” I whispered, but I felt his hand on my arm suddenly twitch and my eyes widened when I realized I couldn’t talk anymore.

“Castiel, look—I’ll let her go. Okay? I’ll let her go and she can leave and won’t be harmed. I’ll even wipe her mind—she won’t remember any of this. Come on!” Patch’s tone was already desperate, even as Castiel advanced slowly and deliberately towards us.

“I found it hard to believe that you would Fall to this, brother. To preying upon young, innocent girls, spinning elaborate false scenarios with them, using the humans around you to create your state because you cannot simply make the stage yourself, like an archangel can. All for what—your own entertainment? The pleasure of mating with them in the end?” Castiel said, his tone full of disgust.

“What—you gonna tell me I’m all bad and shit because I dare mess up the lives of a few incredibly stupid teenaged girls? Why don’t you look a little closer, huh? She thinks she’s living dangerously. She thinks this is some kind of awesome fantasy! She’s got no self-preservation! She’s an imbecile! Yet you’re gonna sit there and tell me you wanna kill me for knocking stupid girls like her down a few pegs?” Patch scoffed, and the situation had muddled me so badly I didn’t even think to be stung by his words. None of this made sense—he was Patch, not Bezaliel, and who was that man, what was—this couldn’t be all just an act, no, this wasn’t—

“She only believes that because you force her to. I see her mind. You have no right to do what you do to humans, Bezaliel. Humans are God’s most—”

“Don’t you bring Him into this,” Patch suddenly snarled, his voice venomous. “God—if He wants me to stop so badly, He should’ve made me stop. I refuse to obey some bastard I’ve never even met—”

“Enough.”

I heard and felt a great, thrumming beat of wings, and if I still had my voice, I would’ve screamed when suddenly Castiel was right next to us, his arm swinging wide and fast. My heart nearly stopped beating when I realized Patch was flinging me in front of him, trying to get me in the way of Castiel’s fist—no, that wasn’t his fist, the blade, he was going to stab me—!

In an eyeblink he dodged me, his motions never stopping, and Patch screamed when the knife slashed through the air and down his back. Castiel missed a killing blow, but did not miss Patch—and I squinted against the bright, blinding flash of light that burst from the long slice Castiel had carved into Patch’s flesh.

Patch stumbled and fell, and I felt the wings beat again as I collapsed. I managed to get to my knees and look up in time to see the knife coming down, glinting in the light of the streetlamps, and I heard Patch screaming, “No! Please, Cas—!” but then there was a horribly wet sound as the blade slammed home.

Castiel stood quickly, stepping back as Patch’s screams became inhuman, a great roar sounding as he arched upwards, the knife glowing white, everything was glowing white, his eyes, his hands, his mouth—

And I screamed when there was a sudden and great shockwave that burst from his body, knocking me backwards, my head colliding painfully with the pavement.

[das-mervin.livejournal.com]

It was over as quickly as it happened. Shivering, I slowly managed to sit up again, blinking rapidly, trying to clear my head and knowing it was impossible, not after—not after—

Castiel was pulling the knife out of Patch’s chest. I stared, numb with disbelief, as he wiped it clean on his coat and then easily slid it back into his sleeve. When he turned, I barely noticed the blood had disappeared from his clothes.

“You killed him,” I whispered. “You—why would—”

“I do what must be done,” Castiel said simply. He looked at me and I shrank away from the gaze of the savior I couldn’t help but think was a murderer, but he wasn’t, no, my head—it hurt, and I felt…

“I cannot change what has happened to you. But I can set things right for you.”

I wanted to run as he walked to me, but I could only sit and stare, holding my breath as he reached for me, two of his fingers outstretched, touching my forehead—

“Nora Grey!”

I jerked awake, my elbow skittering off of my desk and sending my papers flying. I felt hot blood slam into my face as I heard the entire class start snickering, and I stumbled to my feet to try and get my scattered paper.

“Uh—yeah—yes, Mr. McConaughy?”

McConaughy was just looking wryly at me, one eyebrow arched. “So I take it you can’t answer the question?”

Somehow, my face got hotter as I stared resolutely at the notes in my hands and hurried back around to my desk. “No, I guess not. Uh—sorry. Didn’t…didn’t sleep well last night. Bad dreams.”

He rolled his eyes. “Try not to let it happen again, Miss Grey,” he ordered. “Now, for those of you who aren’t taking naps, what is the third stage of cellular mitosis?”

I sighed. No more late night snacking for me, then.

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Chose Bezaliel as Patch’s real name because apparently, he’s a disputed angel from the Book of Enoch. That was also unbeta’d and written on the fly, so sorry about the lack of quality.

[zelda-queen.livejournal.com]

"I don't see Fitzpatrick putting her beloved characters in a town that small."

That's just it. I never got the impression that the town was anything but average. Why would the theater be so tiny? Between that and some bathroom fail in part two, I'm seriously thinking she's never been to a movie theater.

"I've never seen Being Human, so it's pretty tiny I recognized the characters. I just don't know which version"

Oh, they're from the British version. That's the only version I watch regularly. ^^; I saw a bit of the American version, but it was pretty much the same thing, but blander, and without the English accents. So...BBC for me! :D

[zelda-queen.livejournal.com]

That. Was. AWESOME! :D

And it is scarily accurate too, by way of Patch's massive sense of entitlement and "Well she was asking for it!". Although according to Fitzpatrick, Patch WAS an archangel before he fell, which boggles my mind.

[das-mervin.livejournal.com]

Well, that's the beauty of the spitefic. It's all a bunch of lies to make the fantasy he had Nora stuck in all the better. :D

[angel-renoir.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, I have NEVER seen a cinema in the US that only has two theatre halls. I know back home there's a town with a cinema that only has ONE theatre hall, but that's an entirely different story. Not many people like the cinema there and prefer to rent DVDs.

How small IS this town anyway?

[angel-renoir.livejournal.com]

I guess it's good that this town is a made-up town, meaning that Fitzpatrick isn't messing up any real town?

At least, I hope it's a make-believe town. I can't find "Coldwater" in Maine and Google kept on giving me Hush Hush-related stuff.

And a fourth book is about to come out. Here I was thinking that the third one was the last. I want to tear my hair out >.< I'm reminded of Christopher Paolini extending his series into four books because the third book is overflowing with unnecessary crap. Ugh.

The comic looks better than Twilight's, though.

[thecuriouskitty.livejournal.com]

Woah. Woah. Patch achieves a whole new level of creepy in this one - I didn't think that was possible. I am feeling an intense amount of anger at Patch and his author right now. Although I'm almost as angry at Nora's stupidity, but at least she notes that she 'despises' his use of power.

I just had to comment regarding small theatres, because I grew up in a small town that had a one screen theatre. Population less than 5000. It shut down eventually because movies showed there months after they came out in the cities. My family moved nearer a city after I left home - population 43000, three screen theatre. So it doesn't sound unrealistic to me if the population of whatever town Nora's in is somewhere between 5000 - 43000. Mind you, this is in NZ. Maybe the US has a much higher screen-to-person ratio.

Here Comes The Usher

[greenerygripes.livejournal.com]

Wow, only two screens? Dude, I grew up in a teeny-tiny town, and at the minimum our theater had six screens. The only place that had two were those tiny theaters that played decade-old movies for the sake of nostalgia or something.

And you know what? Have more spitefics. In fact, have two.

1. What should have happened if that couple was disturbed.
"Walk out, or I'll carry you out".

Out the corner of my eye, I noticed the woman stand up and leave, her boyfriend pulling his cell out and punching some numbers. "I'm not going anywhere," I said, shaking, but firm. He couldn't carry me, really, could he? Even if there was now only one other person in here, there was still a witness. And even if he were a fallen angel, even if he did have supernatural powers, even if he killed the man (I shuddered at how easily I could see it happening), even that would be noticed, right? And did movie theaters have security cameras?

Patch growled, but before he said anything further, his face was suddenly illuminated by light. He cried out, shutting his eyes against the blinding glow of the usher's flashlight. I noticed the girl standing behind him as he kept shining his light at Patch's face. "Is there a problem here, sir?" he said coldly, hand steady.

Patch opened his eyes--or tried to, anyway--tried to glare at the usher, but it was pretty hard to look threatening with a flashlight shining right into your pupils at point-blank range. "No, problem, sir," he said, voice smooth again. "My girlfriend wasn't feeling well, so I offered to take her home--"

"Bullshit," the girl muttered. Her arms folded as she glared down at Patch herself, expression mirroring the usher's. "Tony and I aren't deaf, you know. You were threatening her--and I know you didn't come in with her, the movie started half an hour ago, and she came in at the start. Alone."

The usher's glare deepened. "Sir, I suggest that you come with me immediately."

Patch glowered--then cried out as the usher decided to shove his light closer to his face. Unprofessional, but I was starting to like this tactic. "You can't--!"

The girl's boyfriend--Tony--walked up just then, an arm going to my shoulder. "Hey, do you wanna come with me and Claire?" he asked, guiding me out of my seat. "Let's get you outta here...and hey, don't worry about the movie, I'm pretty sure we can get a refund or free tickets thanks to this asshat."

"You--!" Patch snarled.

A few police officers walked in just then, one of them already taking out the handcuffs. Tony smirked as he and Claire led me out of the theater, away from Patch and his muttered obscenities. "See, Claire--tolja it was better to not turn my phone off," he joked.

---
Really now, what kind of people hear such disturbances, but don't alert the usher, huh?

2. In Which There's an Abusive Creep

[greenerygripes.livejournal.com]

2.Well, so far we've had two spitefics for this where some paranormal folk have a go at Patch...now let's have the guys from one of my fandoms have a go. *cracks knuckles*

----
I stepped out into the parking lot, no one with me but Patch. I'd tried to send some sort of signal to the employees, the other patrons, Kaylie, had glanced at them pleadingly, but no one seemed to notice my peril. Patch poked me in the back when I slowed down. "Keep walking," he growled.

"Where are we going?" I couldn't help the whimper in my voice.

"Hey, 'scuse me."

That wasn't Patch. Both of us turned our attention to the person in front of us. I thought Help me help me help me at the person, as if he were a mindreader and would do as I asked. I didn't have to look to know that Patch had turned his expression back to that nice, "perfect boyfirned" one. "Yes," he asked, in a voice that made my skin crawl, it was overly-sweet. "Can I help you, little boy?"

The person in front of us, a young man with thick glasses and unruly red hair, suddenly glared. I barely heard a muttering "I'm twenty-four," before he stood straighter, apparently deciding that it wasn't important at the moment. "Hey, look, I just got a call about some bad energy at this theater, and I was wondering if you knew anything?" he asked me. Not Patch, me.

But I couldn't tell him the truth, that Patch was a fallen angel, something that should be called a demon, technically. He'd never believe me. (Or would he? He'd said "energy...") "I--!" I started.

Patch cut me off. "No, no, everything's fine," he said, voice tense. I could feel him trembling behind me--wait, trembling? Why? I risked a quick look behind me, noticed his nose wrinkled a bit, like he smelled something dead. Weird. I couldn't smell anything. "I'm just taking my girlfriend home, now if you'll excuse me--"

"Are you sure she's your girlfriend?" The redhead's tone suddenly sounded colder. "She seems in an awful hurry to get away from you..." He turned to me again, suddenly smiling. "Hey, how 'bout you come here?" He held a hand out--why was he holding a marker? Was he a tagger?--and took a few steps closer. "You shouldn't mess around with demons-I should know-and I don't think you meant to get into this mess anyway, so come on before things get wo--"

Patch snarled, letting go of me and starting forward. "You impertinent--!" he started to say, advancing on the redhead. Before he could get any further, another figure who'd somehow managed to avoid notice by either of us, stood in front of him. I couldn't help but wonder why his skin was green, Halloween was a ways off, wasn't it? The other, much taller, man glared down at Patch, as if daring him to try something. I saw Patch flinch nervously, that glow of the stranger's eyes probably had something to do with it.

"Izanagi, take the lady away from here, I'll be fine," the redhead smirked, suddenly looking more dangerous than he had at first glance. I saw him uncap the marker, sleeves rolled up as he started to scribble something on his forearms and start forward. A strange, blue glow started to surround him as his grin suddenly looked more maniacal...and Patch's glare completely vanished, replaced by confusion and fear. "I can take this one down in two minutes."

The taller man turned me around by the shoulders, gently guiding me away from the parking lot and to a nearby payphone. "Don't worry," he muttered. "Hanna knows what he's doing." I glanced behind me before I was forced to look away again, the last thing I saw being the redhead jump on Patch.
----

No, really, I think Hanna would love to have a go at a creep like Patch...I just wish I could have found a way to incorporate Veser into this spitefic.

[albion-witch.livejournal.com]

Are we sure this isn't actually a horror novel?

Patch is more and more like one of the villains in my stories, specifically someone who slowly sucks away a bit of a person's soul before completely devouring them. I initially based him off Edward Cullen, but Patch is without a doubt a much worse monster.

[tsukasabuddha.livejournal.com]

The town is fictional, but located an hour Southwest of Portland. Looking at the towns in that area, it seems to resemble my area in terms of population. And I have a two screen theater :P .

The problem is that I never got the feeling the town was like this. She's gone on roller coasters, stayed in hotels, went to seedy bars, etc. I thought she was in an urban area until just now, to be honest.

[stormswift]

To be completely fair, my grandparents live in a town of about 2,800 and their movie theatre, which closed in the eighties and reopened a few years ago, has only ONE screen. They show whatever happens to be really popular for a week or so before cycling in another, and show the Packers game on Sundays.

Prior to the theatre reopening, we had to drive out about half an hour to get to the nearest town with a theatre.

THE MORE YOU KNOW...!

Still doesn't excuse the other horrific, horrific BS that goes on in this chapter. I don't even want to know what comes next.

[turtlecrackers.livejournal.com]

Do you know what this story starts to remind me of? Let me tell you. Stephen King's Rose Madder. Especially the chapters where the main character is telling us about all the horrible things her husband has done to her, and how she's so afraid that he'll find her, because he is an expert in finding people. The only difference is that her husband is really the only one who is completely nasty.

You know, I don't really like using my credit card for amounts lower than about $10, because I have a hard time keeping track of how much money I've spent otherwise, and I can't remember anyone being nasty at me for it. Most cashiers I've met are happier about getting change and smaller bills than if you go in and try to pay for something that costs a dollar with a $100 bill.

I was also thinking about weird it is that every single person in public service seems to have some kind of grudge towards Nora. It makes me start to think that the whole narration is completely unreliable, because people are not this nasty all the time. But I'm not at all convinced that it's meant to be unreliable.

[chibi-regalli.livejournal.com]

*Shudders* I'll take D., all of the above, thanks. Augh, I just want one of those spitefics to actually happen and for Nora to get out of there.

[parrinoyed.livejournal.com]

That is so completely beautiful.

Happy, happy thoughts. Good thing I'm alone in the office or everyone would see me with this stupid grin on my face.

[parrinoyed.livejournal.com]

This 'book' is terrible and I don't want to think about it. So I'll talk about my local theaters!

Itty-bit town that's also technically in California, just shy of 3,000 people. We have a one-screen theater that could only afford to operate as a non-profit and only shows one movie and only on weekends. I can think of 2 'local' towns within an hour drive that have similar setups in similarly sized towns, though they aren't nonprofit.

Drive another hour, either north or south, the closest 'big towns' approx. 17,000, one has a 2-screen theater and the other a 6-screen.

Once I visited family way out in Minnesota, a small town just a few miles from the Canadian border and I'm pretty sure their theater had only one screen. And so I say tiny theaters like such are different enough from the behemoths that a good or even decent writer could use them to great effect. Which is clearly not the case here, I just thought you might find the information interesting. Also, loved loved loved the spork. Can't say I ever would have expected the Being Human cast to show up but it totally worked! Loved George going after Patch and then escorting Nora out. (I only watched the first season).

[a-lovesuicide.livejournal.com]

Have I told you lately that you are totally awesome and that I love you?

Because you are totally awesome and I love you. YOU ROCK.

[zelda-queen.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :D Those three wouldn't put up with Patch for an instant. Annie would have hated him because of Owen and an educated Jewish guy like George would know about the fallen Watchers. And Mitchell wouldn't put up with a supernatural being harassing someone like that!

[zelda-queen.livejournal.com]

Well, there's a Coldwater Michigan. I have no idea if Fitzpatrick used that as a model or not, especially since she named a place near Toronto as somewhere Nora allegedly spent the night.

Yes, a fourth book is coming out. >_< The fans wouldn't stop squeeing, because clearly they couldn't get enough of this bullshit in three books. Myself, I'm only looking forward to it out of morbid curiosity. I hate this book, I loathe the sequel, and I've only read the prologue of the third and already want to slap Patch silly.

Yeah, the artwork does look better, though Patch looks FAR from the sexy dude we're supposed to think he is. (In my opinion, at least)

[zelda-queen.livejournal.com]

True, true! XD

[zelda-queen.livejournal.com]

I honestly don't know. Apparently it's right next to an amusement park/arcade/promenade and the high school sounds like it's about the same size as mine (and my neighborhood wasn't very small). I do know that Nora conveniently lives on the far edge of nowhere, but other than that, I'm stuck.

[zelda-queen.livejournal.com]

Going off of what happens in Part 2, I'd believe it's some sort of horror kink-porn.

Christ in a hat, Patch is a waste of space at the very best and a monster! He does nothing useful, he does nothing helpful, he treats even the people he cares about like SHIT and we're supposed to find him attractive for it. Bloody heck, even Jace Wayland wasn't that bad! He was an angsty bugger who killed demons because he liked attention, but at least he was doing something that helped people out!

[zelda-queen.livejournal.com]

I know! >_< It sounds like something straight out of the Battered Housewife Handbook.

Some stores do prefer credit cards to cash, but it's because it saves work at the end of the day (there has to be a set amount in the cash register, so they don't have to count it all to make sure it's the right amount). For someone to complain about getting seven dollars in change? That's just lazy. Even if she didn't like it, it's rude as heck to complain to the customer's face!

I have no idea what's up with this. I think Fitzpatrick was trying to make it gritty, but it's just weird.

[zelda-queen.livejournal.com]

Yes, local theaters. Much nicer than this! :)

Yeah, I've seen tiny movie theaters. The way the theater was described though, it really didn't sound like one. Not to mention that if there were two theaters and it was hugely crowded, you'd think there'd be more than two people in the theater, being pissed at Nora for talking to herself. :P

Thank you! Yeah, Being Human is possibly the best thing I've seen recently with dealing with non-human beings living amongst humans. (And if you get a chance, I highly recommend the next few seasons. They're fantastic and funny and the last one handles the idea of the morality of vampires killing people, and does it beautifully. In other words, it does everything right that Stephenie Meyer screwed up. XD)

[angel-renoir.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the artwork does look better, though Patch looks FAR from the sexy dude we're supposed to think he is. (In my opinion, at least)

You agree with me, yay! I looked at the art samples and laughed at it because Patch totally ISN'T sexy at all. Kim Young's Edward was actually better-looking IMO.

[turtlecrackers.livejournal.com]

It really does. Patch is reminding me of when it's implied in the book that since Rose's abusive husband is a cop, his co-workers will cover for him if he's accused of anything, so nothing will happen to him even if she does tell anyone.

Ohh, I see. Well, that makes sense, I guess. But yeah, I can't imagine complaining about it to the customer, and especially not snap at the customer for it. Then again, I suppose there's a reason bad_service exists.

[zelda-queen.livejournal.com]

Which is saying a lot, given that Edward in that graphic novel appears to have crawled out of the uncanny valley. O_o

Although I guess it's not all the artist's fault that Patch looks like that. Apparently Fitzpatrick thinks that baseball caps are another Bad Boy sign (along with pool and fondling the hips), so Patch is rocking the backwards-hat look, which no one except for schoolchildren think looks badass. XD

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

First, much love for all of the spitefics that everybody has written so far! They are much needed and appreciated after this horrible dreck.

As for the despicable text itself. *mood darkens*

/If I might pause here for a minute, am I the only one who noticed how unbelievably nasty the various people who have waited on Nora have been?/

Nope. I don't know if Fitzpatrick meant to emphasize Nora's isolation to the ridiculous extent that nobody else in this universe likes or helps her, or if she, like you said, had a terrible experience with customer service and now thinks that everybody who works in the service industry is a rude jerk. If it's the former, then that's just a lousy contrivance and if it's the latter, then... *sighs* Ms. Fitzpatrick, not everybody who works in customer service is rude. Many of them are actually very friendly and polite and would never act like this. Unless, of course, this is more of Patch's brainwashing.

/- That the creepy bastard just appears behind her as calm as you please, complete with a quipt that sounds like something Freddy Kruger would say?/

And isn't it just lovely that for all his and Nora's panicking about how Dabria is such a dire threat that needs to be taken care of right away, he can apparently put that job off to the side for a moment so that he can take some time to frighten and order around his girlfriend? Nice priorities, you sick, controlling creep.

/She is awed by his ABILITY TO DOMINATE AND THREATEN HER WITHOUT FEAR OF BEING CAUGHT AND GETTING HIT WITH REPRECUSSIONS FOR IT! SHE IS AWED THAT HE CAN ENABLE HIMSELF TO STALK AND FRIGHTEN HER AND POTENTIALLY HARM HER./

Please tell me that Nora is just being Fitzpatrick's sock puppet here. My Lord, she and Bella Swan are bosom buddies, I swear. If somebody wrote an AU fanfic where Bella was in Nora's place, I really don't see how this would end very differently.

/And that's not even touching on the fact that he could easily have visited Nora without the mind rape and calmly and nonthreateningly asked for a word with her in private. Heck, he could have mindraped the other people in the room to not notice Nora or himself, and thus let them talk freely right there. Instead, he chose to approach her in a manner which not only prevented her from going for help, but which also completely discredited her and made her look like a crazy wimmunz who should not be taken seriously./

*flatly* Our love interest, ladies and gentlemen. The guy that we're supposed to swoon over and ship with Nora until the end of the time. Be still, my beating heart.

I'm going to have to use the LiveJournal user Baeraad's term for this: paranormal pain porn. That's what this is.

[angel-renoir.livejournal.com]

It's not the baseball bat that made him look not-hot. It's his face, period. He's simply not as hot as I expected him to be.

This is not hot. Not bad looking either, but still disappointing. The one in the cover is actually better-looking IMO. Maybe they had a different artist work on the cover? *shrug*

[greenerygripes.livejournal.com]

*sighs* Ms. Fitzpatrick, not everybody who works in customer service is rude. Many of them are actually very friendly and polite and would never act like this.
Especially since being rude would cost us our job. :I I work in food service, and I'm always on my best behavior with a customer, even the ones who are being rude to me.

[zelda-queen.livejournal.com]

I mean, I have had people who waited on me be very grumpy, so I could buy it once or twice. But like you said, it's as if the entire world hates Nora, who really isn't that offensive of a person. (Idiocy aside I mean. It's not like she's rude first or is aggressive at all)

[turtlecrackers.livejournal.com]

The time she dressed up to try to get information, I could see staff being annoyed with her, because it was stupid as all hell. But that's more of a thing you can laugh about with the rest of the staff later in a "Can you believe what that chick tried to do?" way, not something to be nasty about.

Wait! D8 I just thought of something. I could see that Patch would mess with Nora's head so that she just thinks that people are being nasty to her, so that she won't try to reach out to anyone when he's being abusive towards her. In turn, the people who really aren't being rude at all are affected by Nora's reactions and will turn away because of her increasingly anti-social behavior.

What if it's just a tactic Patch uses to isolate Nora more and more? It's the same reason why Nora's mother is so distant. Nora just can't see that her mother is worried and trying to reach her, because Patch won't let her.

I have no other words to say...

[watermage100.livejournal.com]

*applauds*
You make me want to cry happy tears.

[zelda-queen.livejournal.com]

I can only conclude that Ms Fitzpatrick is unaware that customers can (and often will) write up complaints to the owners of places.

[winki-pop.livejournal.com]

OMG, you used Being Human in your spitefic! :D I was so happy when I read it! And you capture their characters so well, it was amazing! I loved especially how George was so typically George - 'Just announce it to the whole world, why don't you!' Although reading the spitefic has me lamenting once more the loss of Mitchell (spoiler alert!) Damn hobbits :P But I would give anything to read the story where Patch is ripped to shreds by Ireland's Finest… :P

And how the hell would no one even notice that Nora is being hassled in the theatre by someone? Doesn't anyone have any common decency to help someone out? You think it would raise some concern, especially when there's ushers always coming in and out of theatres to check things all the time and when the theatre is half-empty anyway it would be all the more obvious.

And although it's already been said, I, too, was thinking that Patch is also brainwashing and manipulating everyone around Nora to treat her with disdain instead of helping her out just so she can feel all the more helpless around him, even keeping her mother away from her… *shudders* This story becomes more and more nightmarish with every chapter! This is not how you do romance, this is how you do one of those midday movies where the woman is at risk of being murdered by the guy she thought was gorgeous and sensitive and who reveals himself to be a total monster!:O There hasn't been any evidence of romance at all! Patch doesn't even try to hide the fact he's a monster!

*sigh* I still don't get where this narrative is going. I have no idea why Patch is after Nora, even though it's been explained. I just don't get this story. It's just a bunch of random shit and contrivances happening that's wasting a shitload of paper.

[zelda-queen.livejournal.com]

You know, if I didn't know what an absolute dick Patch is, I'd actually think he looked rather charming, in a laid-back way. Given the way Nora's looking at him, he's probably just done something incredibly rude, though. >_<

[zelda-queen.livejournal.com]

"What if it's just a tactic Patch uses to isolate Nora more and more? It's the same reason why Nora's mother is so distant. Nora just can't see that her mother is worried and trying to reach her, because Patch won't let her."

Dude...you're right. D: That's horrible! Gah!

[zelda-queen.livejournal.com]

Yes I did! :D

And of course it would be Mitchell who ripped Patch to bits. He certainly wouldn't have been impressed with Patch's bad-boy routine. ;)

Bleh, this story is pointless and stupid and creepy. It needs to die in a fire.

[angel-renoir.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't think Patch was EVER not rude in the book >.

[zelda-queen.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you're right. >8(

[katistrophe.livejournal.com]

"Of course, deep inside, I knew Dabria wasn't my biggest worry. Sooner or later Patch was going to figure out I wasn't at Delphic. Based on past experience, I didn't have any illusions about being able to hide long term from him. He would find me. And then I'd be forced to confront him with the question I was dreading. More specifically, I dreaded his answer. Because there was a shadow of doubt at the back of my mind, whispering that Dabria had been telling the truth about what it would take for Patch to get a human body"
He'll hunt her down and hurt her. How romantic.

And so our Intrepid Heroine, with her friend in danger and her boyfriend possibly out for her blood, makes a daring move. She sits down in one of the theaters and starts watching the movie and collecting her thoughts.


'Hungry?' asked a voice from just over my shoulder. The voice was quiet and not especially happy. I tried to keep my breathing calm. 'Stand up and walk out of the theater,' Patch said. 'I'll be right behind you.'
Holy crudmuffin, it sounds like he has a gun.

"'You're making them think they can't see you, aren't you?' I said to Patch, awed by his power even as I despised his use of it"
Awed. She's fucking awed by his mindraping skills.