There's Something Bad [tag: Sebs]

[KRISTINE "LOTTE" DAY]

The trail of crumbs you left somehow got lost along the way
If you never meant to leave then you only had to stay
But the memories that haunt us are cherished just the same
As the ones that bring us closer to the sky, no matter how grey

Washington Square was bitterly cold, and Kristine didn't care for it, but Oskar did. There was a small enclosement off the side of the park where dogs could go and play with other dogs, and there were usually one or two his size. Kristine went with him, of course, but insisted he wear a sweater. He pulled her across MacDougal and through the gates of the square, content in his striped doggy cardigan.

Things were bleak for Kristine these days, and her dog was one of the only things that made her happy anymore. She recalled having this same feeling just after her father died, before... well, before everything went to hell. She wouldn't let that happen again; she'd sworn to herself that she would never go back to that place.

"Oskar," she said, tugging at him a little when he tried to jump a smaller dog. She pronounced his name always with a funny little German accent. It was times like that that her Swedish shone out; since she'd learned English so early, she didn't really have an accent, except when she was very upset. Some people stuttered and gasped, but she spoke like she had as a child. It seemed fitting.

Kristine sat on the stone edge of the well in the center of the square--it was a pool of sorts. There was usually a fountain there, but not in the winter--just stairs going a few feet into the ground and a stone slab. She released Oskar's leash and let him trot around by himself--he never left her side to chase. She lowered her head, then, and forgot about him for a moment. The music in her ears was loud, but she could hear something louder. Something that sounded deep in the city--a dubious hum that rose in waves even over the constant traffic. Like it was waiting.

Oskar whimpered and sat, then stood, and sat again. Kristine followed his gaze and saw a man walking by with his tiny dog--a dog so tiny it could probably walk right under Oskar! He trotted right up to the edge of the fountain and sniffed at it.

"Sorry," she said to the man, keeping her head down and yanking Oskar back.

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[SEBASTIAN TIMOTHY MARTIN]

Sebastian was indifferent to winter. He'd never been fond of it, but he wasn't the type to moan and groan for a warmer climate either. One has to be accustomed to the cold if one wants to live in New York City... But Data always hated getting out during the freezing months. He'd rush back inside the moment they stepped out the door, so Sebastian would have to drag him until they were a relative distance away from their home.

When they did reach Washington square, however, Data perked up. Sebastian sipped his coffee as his dog dragged him underneath the arch and proceeded to walk around the the large circle that in summertime is a large fountain, sniffing and looking around as was his custom (though they'd been there many times before). Seb merely followed him because he knew eventually Data would let them sit down and enjoy the day peacefully.

However, just as it started snowing again, Sebastian heard a growl that could only come from Data, as it was followed by a very high pitched, puppy-like bark. He looked down and saw another dog, a large greyhound sniffing at Data's backside. He backed up a bit when the dog's owner, a young blonde woman, dragged her the animal away. "That's alright, darlin'," he replied. He nudged Data with his foot so that he would stop growling. "Mind your manners!" he whispered.

He bent down, resting his coffee on his knee and rubbing the back of Data's neck. "He likes to protect me, or something, especially from bigger dogs," he chuckled, but at that moment Data caught eyes with the larger dog and headed straight towards him. He dipped under the gray dog's legs, dragging Sebastian with him by the leash. He cried out as Data wrapped both dog and the blond woman with the rest of the leash, and made Sebastian run into her, spilling his coffee all down her clothes!

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, backing away and going to untangle Data's leash from their legs. "Data! Bad dog!" He bopped the dog's ear, and Data whimpered. He felt a little bad, but he felt more guilty about spilling his drink on the girl. "I dunno what's gotten into him..."

As he stood up, Seb had to do a double take. He stepped back, his eyes swimming not with a chilly, New York day, but with the dank corridors of an underground hideaway. His nostrils filled with the stench of the Subway, but the place was empty and dark... He looked all around, everything becoming blurry. He was terrified, but not for himself. There was a voice, muffled but clearly female, and then a loud crack. He wanted to scream, to run to the girl and help her, but it was too late...

Fade to black. The snow was back, and there was the blonde woman staring up at him. He rubbed the bridge of his nose under his glasses, shaking his head. "S-sorry, I black out sometimes..." He opened his eyes wider, to rid himself of the vision. For some reason, he felt like it had to do with the girl in front of him... "I'll pay for that, I'm so sorry, I really am." He felt his cheeks redden at his embarrassment. He felt Data, however, rub against his leg in comfort. The dog always knew when he'd just had a vision...

[KRISTINE "LOTTE" DAY]

The trail of crumbs you left somehow got lost along the way
If you never meant to leave then you only had to stay
But the memories that haunt us are cherished just the same
As the ones that bring us closer to the sky, no matter how grey

Kristine moved slowly, processing what was going on slowly. She was going to have to talk to a person, and she always had to prepare herself for that. However, her thoughts were cut short when she knocked into the man and felt a searing hot pain down her chest and stomach.

"Ow!" she squeaked, instinctively letting go of Oskar's leash and bringing her hands to her chest. Her flannel was stuck to her chest, and it steamed in the cold air. She felt tears of embarrassment and pain coming to her eyes, but just mumbled over and over that it was okay and she would be fine.

Kristine wiped at her face and grabbed Oskar again, kneeling down. The dog nudged his way past her hands and began to lick at the coffee spill on her chest. "Stup it. Ve- we're going home..." she said quietly, and stood up.

Something stopped her from leaving the man--he looked frightened. She blinked and moved forward, going to stand in front of him. "Sir?" she said, tilting her head. When he finally came to, she wasn't sure if she believed him--black out? No, he was definitely looking at something. Kristine looked over her shoulder and started getting the unshakable feeling that she was being watched.

She looked back at him. He had a cute accent and bright eyes, and was obviously (at least to her) gay. "It's fine," she said, her accent returning to normal. "You don't look so good. Why don't we just get inside or something, and you can sit down, and I can clean up..." Kristine suggested, still blinking back tears.

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[SEBASTIAN TIMOTHY MARTIN]

Sebastian held up his hands in protest, along with the mostly empty coffee cup. "Oh, no I'm fine, honey, it happens all the time," he began, though he realized that was not a good way to start off a conversation. "... But we can go inside so you can clean up. I feel so awful, let me make it up to you."

His hands were still slightly sticky with coffee, so he wiped his right on his jeans with annoyance. He hated getting dirty when he was in his nice clothes... He held out that hand and with the other held Data's leash tighter and held the coffee cup at the same time. "I'm Sebastian Martin, by the way." He nodded toward the main building of NYU behind them. "I work over there, and I have a bunch of extra clothes in my office, if you're not close to your home..."

That bad feeling was still crawling up his spine, and with his protective instinct Sebastian didn't really want to leave the girl alone. He barely knew her, but he knew something bad was going to happen to her, and if he didn't care so much he wouldn't consider himself human.

[KRISTINE "LOTTE" DAY]

The trail of crumbs you left somehow got lost along the way
If you never meant to leave then you only had to stay
But the memories that haunt us are cherished just the same
As the ones that bring us closer to the sky, no matter how grey

Kristine managed a little laugh, her dark brows knitting together in confusion. "A bunch of extra clothes in your office?" Maybe the clothes were from his last victim. She felt ashamed, thinking that, because she was sure he was very nice. NYU was always full, anyway, so he wouldn't catch her alone. And she couldn't walk all the way home like this.

"Well, okay," she muttered, carefully adjusting Oskar's cardigan.

She straightened up and noticed he was holding out his hand, and she extended one of hers. She wore fluffy brown fingerless gloves and many heavy-looking rings. "I'm Kristine, but you can call me Kris or whatever." She thought of the nickname she used online--Lotte--and figured it wasn't necessary to mention that one. Still cautious, she didn't say her last name.

"I'm nowhere near--Oskar and I walk all morning. He needs his exercise. We live in Brooklyn." Kris looked up at the brick building across the square, NYU.

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[SEBASTIAN TIMOTHY MARTIN]

He hadn't realize how odd it was that he did have extra clothes in his office, so when she mentioned it, he laughed nervously. Sometimes when you didn't talk to people you forgot what you could and couldn't tell them... "It's a little odd, I know, it's just I'm pretty accident prone, and I tend to spill coffee on myself a lot..." He didn't, really, in fact he was an expert at keeping his elixir in his cup. He wouldn't let one drop go to waste if he could help it, but he couldn't very well tell her that they replaced bloodied clothes...

When they shook hands Seb's body was shot with a volt of electricity, but he hid his discomfort well. The bad feeling still wouldn't go away... It never once crossed his mind that the girl herself might be dangerous, as he tried to think the best of people in all situations. If he had, he would have brushed such thoughts aside.

He began walking towards the English building slowly. "That's a pretty long walk! I used to live in Brooklyn until I got a job at NYU. Data and I live in Greenwich Village now."

Data looked up at him as he spoke, and sent him a look that said "you're doing that thing again." Well what am I supposed to do? he shot back with his eyes. Silence would be more awkward... He really should just stop talking, because he was making a complete idiot of himself. "I really am sorry again... I-I know it must have been painful, I mean..." Sebastian rubbed a hand over his forehead, closing his eyes and sighing. He burrowed his mouth into his scarf, in lieu of saying things that would make him seem even more crazy than before.

[KRISTINE "LOTTE" DAY]

The trail of crumbs you left somehow got lost along the way
If you never meant to leave then you only had to stay
But the memories that haunt us are cherished just the same
As the ones that bring us closer to the sky, no matter how grey

Kristine tugged at Oskar's leash a little, encouraging him to come along with them. "Well, I'm not sure I'll look great in your clothes," she said honestly. She didn't mind mens' clothing, but she didn't even know this guy. "But, ah, I guess if you're not a serial killer or anything." She smiled a little bit, and hoped he knew she was kidding. There must still be nice people in the world.

"We need our exercise," she said with a little nod. "He used to be a race dog... see how his tail is docked? So he likes to go lots of places a lot, a lot, a lot." Kristine smiled down at her baby, and then looked over at Data. "That's a cute name," she said, nodding to the stout little beagle.

When they finally reached the building, she took a glance around and moved to tie Oskar's leash to a nearby pole, assuming that she couldn't bring him in. He whimpered, but she just kissed his nose. She didn't like leaving him, but there wasn't much else she could do at this point. She needed a change of clothes.

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[SEBASTIAN TIMOTHY MARTIN]

Sebastian might have laughed uneasily at her comment about serial killers, if it wasn't for his reflex not to. He'd been in too many situations in his life where his awkwardness had been his undoing, so he just kept his laughter lighthearted instead of suspcious. "I know you can't be too careful in New York City, believe me, I know..." He shoved one hand in his pocket, still holding his cup and the dog's leash in the other. "My boyfriend... he was murdered by a serial killer. So I'm always cautious, myself."

He didn't like bringing up Andrew, especially to people he didn't know, but he didn't know how else he could reassure this girl that he was alright. Sebastian felt so compelled to take care of her after that vision that he didn't want to risk scaring her off. And he needed friends anyway, and she looked like she could use some herself. "But I'll stop being dreary. Hard time being optimistic when you live in New York..."

When they reached the building Sebastian also tied Data a pole that was near (but not too near) to Oskar. "I'll be right back," he told the dog, and motioned with a flick of his head for Kristine to follow him. When they got to his room, he fumbled through his jacket for his keys, though behind them he felt eyes fall upon him, as well as stifled giggles. He sighed, unlocking the door and stepping inside. He motioned Kristine in as well, not bothering to look at what student or faculty member was staring at him.

Without glancing up he shuffled to his office door and unlocked it, opening it to allow Kristine to step inside. the windows had blinds on them and the door had frosted glass, so he couldn't see inside. "You can change in there. The clothes are just in the cabinet right there. I think there's a few tee-shirts, actually, and those might fit you better." He smiled kindly, though it was a distant smile that must have told her he was somewhere else.

[KRISTINE "LOTTE" DAY]

The trail of crumbs you left somehow got lost along the way
If you never meant to leave then you only had to stay
But the memories that haunt us are cherished just the same
As the ones that bring us closer to the sky, no matter how grey

Well, that was something you don't hear every day--their boyfriend was murdered by a serial killer. Kristine's brows furrows and she wondered what she should say. The only thing she managed was a half-hearted, "Oh, I'm sorry." Really, what was she supposed to say? She wondered how on earth he knew it was a serial killer--she hadn't heard about a serial killer in New York.

She decided not to ask, and just followed him into the building. She looked around with bated breath, surprised at how big it was--yes, she'd been in the building before, but she'd forgotten how impressive it was. She kept close to Sebastian and avoided eye contact with the people they passed.

"Thanks," she said once they reached his office. She took a look behind her, almost frightful, before closing the door and going to the cabinet.

The cabinet opened without a key and sure enough, there was a stack of clothing folded neatly inside one of the drawers. Kristine became aware of a stale feeling in the pit of her stomach, like she shouldn't be there--was she looking through his things? Was this wrong? No, he'd given her permission...

With a deep breath, she began to carefully set aside the clothes. She found a v-neck sweater and an undershirt she could wear, and quickly put them on. Pants were a different story. There were definitely no skirts in there. She found one lone pair of jeans and a belt, and managed to fit into them, though she now looked like she was some highschool kid.

Kristine began to fold her own clothes away when she saw something out of the corner of her eye--a manila folder under the stack of clothes. She stared at it for a moment, glanced behind her to make sure no one was looking, and then took it and opened it up on one of the nearby desks.

There were newspaper clippings and print-outs of webpages, but one clipping stood out at her. It was dated as an archive from nearly fifteen years ago! She picked it up with shaking fingers. D.C. STUDENT BRUTALLY MURDERED IN OWN HOME. The next one said: LONG ISLAND CRAIGSLIST KILLER STRIKES AGAIN.

Oh my god, he really is a serial killer. She closed the folder quickly. Perhaps he was just interested--maybe he was an undercover agent or something. It would explain all the clothes. Her heart racing, she opened the folder back up and began to sift through the papers more rapidly, trying to find an explanation.

DID THE SWISS MAKE A MONSTER? Kristine frowned. Now that was interesting. It was a clipping from some dopey science fiction magazine, but it caught her eye anyway. She read it over--necromancy? Reanimation of the dead?

Who the fuck was this guy?

Kristine stuffed that article in her purse and grabbed her bag, making sure her cell phone was out in case she needed to call the cops. Sebastian was knocking at the door now--it had been several minutes and she'd not made a peep. Slowly, she unlocked the door.

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[SEBASTIAN TIMOTHY MARTIN]

When Kristine was inside the office, Sebastian went to sit at his desk in the front of the classroom. He rested his elbows on the oak and clasped his hands together, leaning his mouth against them in contemplation. He shouldn't have mentioned Andrew to Kristine. The moment he even thought the man's name his memories rushed forward and slammed against his brain, full speed ahead like an express train. They couldn't wait to dance around his mind, couldn't be fast enough to make him hurl.

Seb took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. He blinked rapidly, to make the tears disappear so when she came out she wouldn't see them. He'd been doing well, not thinking about him. His nightmares, when they weren't visions, were mostly about his mother now... He thought he was moving on, but he can't stop seeing the same words over and over again in his mind. "I'm sorry - Andy" on a typewriter, left for him to find with his morning coffee. Instead, it was found with blood on his hands, tears staining his heart.

Somehow, he'd seen in this girl's eyes that she'd lost someone dear to her as well. Everyone has felt such loss, but no one seeks to comfort one another. He wished he wasn't being such a creep, so emotional today. If he could just act normal for once, maybe she'd at least like him... Instead he had to go and spill coffee all over her! What was wrong with him?

Sebastian calmed down for a few minutes, and then breathed deeply for a few more. When he realized she hadn't come out yet, he stood up slowly and went to knock on the door. "Er... Kristine? Hi, um... Are you alright? Er... I don't..." He planted a hand to his face, sighing and putting back on his glasses.

When she opened the door he wanted to laugh a little at how his clothes looked on her, but he refrained from doing so by reminding himself that it was his fault. "Sorry that the pants don't fit... I can wash your clothes, if you want... Or I mean... pay to get them washed, I mean I..."He stood there awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. Suddenly his eyes caught the image of his desk behind her, and saw that something was open that shouldn't be open. Goddammit, he forgot those were in there...

He stood stock still, not sure what to do in this situation. If he rushed forward to cover it up she'd probably call for help or something. If he just said "it's not what it looks like" then he'd REALLY be in trouble. "I... God... I..." His face heated up like a ruby, and he continued to rub his neck, looking away.

[KRISTINE "LOTTE" DAY]

The trail of crumbs you left somehow got lost along the way
If you never meant to leave then you only had to stay
But the memories that haunt us are cherished just the same
As the ones that bring us closer to the sky, no matter how grey

Kristine took a step inside, like a cat approached by a large wolf, ears folded back and back hair sticking up. She clutched her cell phone a little tighter, and followed his gaze to the manila folder. Shit. She had forgotten to put it back where it came from.

She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry- I didn't know what it was and I... I'm sure there's... you're a policeman, right?" Her brows knitted together. She hoped in her innocent little heart that he wasn't planning on hurting her. "Please, I'm sorry..."

Kristine backed into the window and looked down at the street, where Oskar and Data were sitting next to each other and waiting patiently. He left his dog out there--it would be a stupid move to hurt her now, wouldn't it? She looked back at him. He didn't look angry, just... worried. Worried and almost as scared as she was.

"I didn't mean to snoop..." she started again, biting her lip. "But why all this? Why d'you have all this weird stuff?" Kristine shook her head and closed her eyes. "You must be a policeman..."

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[SEBASTIAN TIMOTHY MARTIN]

Sebastian's heart was racing. What if she ran? Could he explain it to her? There's no way she would ever believe the truth... He could tell her a lie, but what the hell kind of a lie could he come up with that didn't make him out to be the bad guy? He wrung his hands together, stepping inside and closing the door. He locked it, but then realized how that must look. "I'm not... I mean I'm not locking the door because... I just... I don't want anyone to hear-- That's not what I mean! I just..." He groaned, smacking his hand to his face and shaking his head.

She looked so scared, and he could hardly blame her. He moved to the desk and started to close the manila folder, but he saw one clipping stick out from the rest. TEA SHOP OWNER BRUTALLY MURDERED NEAR HOME. He fingered the clipping, taking it out and putting the rest away where Kristine found them. He ran the article over in his hands, and turned back to her. "Maybe you should sit down. I'm not going to hurt you, I've never hurt anyone in my life. I'm not a police officer, but I do help people. I just... need you to listen, and then you can think what you want."

This was most certainly not how Sebastian had wanted his day to go, but there was nothing he could do now. The only person he'd ever told about his visions was Andrew... And the paper in his hands showed how well that ended.

He sat down himself, not in his own chair but in one of the ones on the other side. Seb was shaking. He barely knew this girl, and he was going to tell her his secret? There had to be something else he could do, something else he could say that would make her understand...