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 Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 8:15 pm
I placed the phone back upon the reciever, delighted to hear the news that Harmony was coming for a visit. I knew that Sreas would leap for joy, and so I couldn't wait to tell him. But on the other hand, I was worried about Nio. Perhaps I should be looking for him? I didn't even know much of what happened to begin with.
I leaned upon the kitchen counter and played with the telephone cord, around my forefinger. "Hey Sreas." I called down the hall, trying not to hard to strain my voice. I wanted to make it seem calm. Like nothing was happening. That way, it's more fun when you tell them.
"Yeah?" I heard a muffled noise come from the hall.
"I was wondering if you would mind if I let someone stay over for a short time."
"Sure, why are you asking me? They can just sleep in the extra room."
Cier walked by, filling up the sink with some ice cold water for a bath. Why a man made of ice needs a bath, I really don't know.
"Oooh! Is it the president?" Serelin said, flying through the opening to the family room.
"No, Serelin. It's not the president. He lives on another part of the world."
"No he doesn't. He lives in our living room. That box. He was talking to me yesterday. I didn't understand him, something about electricity. I think he likes me."
"The box is a television, sweetie. It shows you things from other parts of the world. I thought I've told you this before."
By this time, Sreas had walked from his room and into the kitchen.
"Sreas..." I said, a hint of excitement in my voice. "Harmony might be coming over for a while."
Sreas started to blush, trying to hide the massive grin on his face.
"Oh cool." he said, walking back towards his room. Let's just say that the remainder of that day resulted in Sreas bouncing around the house.
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 8:33 pm
Harmony hadn't done much to convince her current guardian, Aunt Dragonfly, to let her stay at her friend's house. She had explained how she felt bad at all of the new people Dee would have to worry about, what with the babies, and Donny, and she mentioned how she really didn't want to be in the way. Truth be told Harmony would have probably been the least in the way out of all the children; but Aunt Dee hadn't minded the idea one bit, and so Harmony was shipped off to go stay with Atriz and Sreas. Donny had given her a stern talking to, but deep down she could tell he wanted to go with her. Sadly, that was the last thing she wanted.. she loved her brother, despite how annoying he was, but he was becoming so much of a brat that she welcomed the break. He had attached himself to her a lot lately, it had become.. unnerving.
Her Aunt Dee had placed her in a taxi and sent her off, and within the hour she had arrived. She would have been more excited about visiting her best friend, but a deeper worry was settled in her stomach concerning her father. Mom was so mad.. and she still didn't know all of the details. All that she knew was that her father was missing, and the family had been sent off to stay with Aunt Dee or other friends and family until her mother had retrieved him. It left a heavy sense of dread on the entire family; even Donny had quieted down some.
As she exited the taxi, which had already been paid for, she took her little bag and slung it over her shoulder. She looked up at Sreas' house, and took a deep breath. She hadn't seem him since the wedding.. the memory of it made her just that much sadder than she had been a moment ago. Sreas had left so quickly, perhaps.. perhaps he hadn't wanted to dance with her at all.
Perhaps he didn't want to be her friend anymore.
She stood frozen in front of the house, at the sudden and late realization that she may have just put herself where she wasn't wanted, and she paled in response. Maybe Sreas didn't want her here, after all..
There was still time to go back..
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:01 pm
Sreas had heard the car go by, and glanced up for the 43rd time. Another red one. Not very attractive either.
He continued to wait by his bedroom, sulking as each car passed without Harmony. Another car. He glanced out the window. Not car. Taxi. TAXI? Sreas came running out of his room, and ran down the hall where I sat in the living room.
"She's here! She's here! She's here! I think. I'm pretty sure."
Serelin went running for the window. She stared at the "mysterian", and glanced back at Sreas. "She's pretty.. for a monster."
I gave Serelin one of those parenting looks. You know the one that means 'Quit it.'
Serelin turned back to the window while Sreas flipped her the finger. I gave him the look. Something told me I would need this look a lot.
"Now, now, Sreas. This isn't like you."
But Sreas was already opening the door. "Harmo..."
Sreas stared at the front of our yard for a minute, so I slowly arose from my seat and walked towards the open door.
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:19 pm
Her foot had already taken a step back when the front door swung open, and she froze once more. Her hand clutched her bag tightly, gripping it so hard she feared it would rip if she didn't lighten up. There was Sreas, standing there, staring at her. She didn't know if this was a good sign or a bad one.. but the fact that he didn't run out to greet her as was custom made her stomach sink. Nevertheless, she had enough dignity to deal with the situation, rather than do what her gut urged her to and just run for it. She took a few cautious steps closer, and stood a foot or so away from him. It was easier to stare down at the steps to the house rather than up at him, but every so often she tried; only to look down again.
"H-hi, Sreas.." She whispered quietly under her breath, before a soft pout touched her lips and she finally looked up at him straight out. "I'm sorry if you don't want me here." She blurted out, though her voice was still quiet. "I can go back to my Aunt's if you'd rather.."
If he chose to let her go, she knew she would go with her gut and run. Silently she prayed he wouldn't, but she would rather he turn her away than force her presence on him and his family. That all depended on if she was right about him no longer liking her anymore.
She looked up at him one last time, offering him a frail and gentle smile even if it was laced with a touch of hurt.
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:25 pm
Sreas blushed a mile wide, there was no hiding it. He just kept staring at Harmony, slowing inching closer. "Harmony... you're..."
"She's like as old as you!" Serelin squealed, awaiting to talk to "Harmony".
Sreas ran up to Harmony and threw his arms around her. "Harmony! Don't go anywhere!" He hugged her tightly, and took a step back to look at her. His cheeks were still blush red, and he had a smile a mile wide. "You... you... look really nice. Come on in! I want to show you the house!"
Sreas took flight, and started to flutter towards the door.
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:31 pm
He was turning red; was he that mad? She had no idea what could have-
Harmony... you're...
She's like as old as you!"
Harmony looked up, searching for the author to that second voice, but before she could find her a pair of arms wrapped around her and her fears were brushed aside. Her eyes widened for a moment as she was pulled into the hug, and she had hardly enough time to even lift her arms let alone return the hug before he pulled away and regarded her.
That's right, this was the first time he'd seen her since..
Sreas' blush became contagious as her cheeks flushed faintly at the compliment. Well, she felt somewhat assured that he didn't hate her, at least.. though it didn't excuse why they had never danced. Still, she had been so worried, and now.. everything seemed all right again.
With a slow step she entered the house, looking around. Her eyes settled on Serelin, and she assumed her to be the voice she had heard before. A meek wave rose from her fingertips for Serelin, and her eyes lifted to find Atriz. She gave the man a grateful smile, and curtseyed quickly.
"Thank you so much for letting me stay here, sir." She offered him, truly grateful for this time away.
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:40 pm
Serelin smiled at the new guest. "Hi. I'm Serelin. But you can call me Elin. My real name is Serelin though. It's like Serenity."
Arilith slowly drifted up beside Elin. She looked surprised to see the guest. "Atriz, are we having company?"
"No, Ril. It's Sreas' girlfriend."
Sreas blushed at the word, and began trying to drown out the Feiens by waltzing down the hall, pointing out the rooms and talking about them.
"You're welcome to stay here anytime you wish, Harmony." I said, smiling at her pleasurable manners.
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:50 pm
"It's a pleasure to meet you Elin! My name is Harmony." She greeted the Feien, giving her a soft smile. She gave a similar smile to the one called 'Ril', though she had the opposite reaction to Sreas at being called his girlfriend. It was certainly one way to make Sreas uncomfortable, if people started talking like that.. which meant he may not want to be with her anymore. That would make her very sad. She was thankful, then, to follow him as he went down the hall and gave her a tour.
She felt Atriz was very hospitable, letting her stay like this and impose on the household with her presence. She would have to make up for it somehow, perhaps do some chores or bake something; though Mieke was the chef in their household, so she didn't know if anything she made would be good enough.
At the last doorway, she gave the room a look before turning to look up at Sreas, offering him one of her more traditionally bright smiles. "I'm really glad you all let me stay here, Sreas."
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:59 pm
Sreas smiled at Harmony. "Of course we'd let you stay here. It's great to see you again." Sreas paused for a second, and wondered into his room, retrieving the rotting carcass of an ex-flower which was now kept in a glass box.
"I kept the flower you gave me. I died a little, but it's still just as good." Sreas fumbled the box between his thumb and forefinger, staring deep into thought, and thinking about one thing. Sreas leaned slightly forward and gave Harmony a quick peck on the cheek. He smiled a little, but started to doubt himself.
"I'm sorry Harmony... I didn't mean to. It was an accident." He walked back to his room to place his flower on his desk.
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 10:12 pm
Harmony stopped at the doorway, unsure as to how proper it would be for her to enter his bedroom, especially if he was in it. She watched him take out the flower, and her face lit up brightly. "Oh, silly. Let me show you how to keep flowers forever!" She opened the display case from it's side, and turned the lid around. Leaving the flower inside, she slid the lid in backwards and it went all the way to the bottom, so that it pressed the flower against the two walls of glass. "See, if you keep it flattened, it drains all of the water out of it and helps it not to rot, or smell.. bad." How horrible of a time to be talking about rotting and smelling bad.. her words slowed to a stop as she realized he had kissed her cheek, and the world seemed to slow to a sluggish halt. Her hand lifted to her cheek, brushing fingers against the skin he had kissed, which was quickly flushing with color. She had been caught completely unaware, and could not have expected that Sreas would ever do such a thing.
She let him take the flower out of her hand, and stood still as a statue. It took her a minute to realize that he had apologized for what he had done, which was 1. the proper thing to do, and 2. Something she really, really didn't want him to do.
"N.. oh. No! I mean. Don't be sorry.. for.. um. No. I mean..!" She bit her tongue, And covered her forehead with one hand. A nervous laugh left her, and she backed away from the doorway. "An accident?" She giggled out, as her nervous demeanor suddenly caught her with a case of giggles.
Before she knew what she was doing, she got up on her tiptoes and planted a tiny feather of a kiss on Sreas' cheek, plopping back down onto her heels again with a giggle.
"Sorry. Accident!" She grinned childishly, and turned to head back down the hall where everyone was before he could reply.
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 10:26 pm
Sreas didn't know what had come over him. He would never do it again. That was a mistake. It was rude and not like him. He was getting too excited. It wasn't like him. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to hide himself in his room for the rest of the... And then the little feather-like kiss upon his cheek. He blinked and stared at a thread on the floor. The shock hit him like an apple turnover without the apple filling. He kept his focus on the thread. He was going to look up. Yes, he was. It was hard... and when he did, she was gone, back in the kitchen with everyone else.
"Atriz, Atriz! Can we play a game! I want to play Trouble!"
"You certainly are trouble. Alright. I'll get it out, but it's up to you guys. Harmony, would you like to play?"
Sreas paced his was back to the kitchen, happy, confused, and somewhat sad. He did something so bad that apologizing didn't seem to make up for it. He didn't know what to do. He forced himself to go back to the kitchen. The game was a great time to make it seem like he didn't mean to. Maybe if he brought it up enough, he'd feel better. He smiled at his new optimism and ran back to the kitchen. "I'm in!"
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 10:41 pm
Harmony blinked at the question, pressing her fingertips against her chest. "Me? Well I've never played the game before, but I'm sure I can learn. Sure, I'd love to! That is, as long as Sreas wants to play.." She turned and watched him enter the kitchen, smiling up at his answer.
"Well then, it's settled! Someone will have to teach me how to play, though. I hope that isn't too much trouble."
She was still blushing faintly, her cheeks rosy with color. It had been her very first kiss, and she could still feel it on her cheek. It made her feel funny, almost giddy. As though she had been spinning and spinning until she was dizzy, but maybe a little better. Maybe this was what it felt like to be up in the clouds.
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Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 11:10 pm
I walked to the cupboard and pulled out "Trouble", and proceeded to remove the game board from the box.
"Basically, Harmony, you have 4 pieces. You roll a dice and try to get all your pieces back to your spot. But if someone lands on your piece, it goes all the way back to the start." I paused, realizing the game might not be all that easy to explain. "Uh, also, you have to get a 6 to get out of "home". Just so you know. It'll get easier as you start playing it." I placed the pieces on the table, and put the box to the side.
"You're all going down!" Elin bragged, pointing her finger at everyone at the table. "I call red!"
"I'm not feeling well, sorry." Sreas said suddenly, standing up. "I'm just not too well today. I don't seem to be myself. I'll be back in a minute."
Sreas wandered down the hall to the washroom, and upon locking the door, he sat upon the counter. Now to just wait. He was pretty sure that he was believable. He was sure Harmony would understand why if she knew he was sick. But he had to keep going. He waited a few minutes, flushed the toilet so it would sound like he had thrown up, and turned on the tap. Before leaving, he turned on the hairdryer, and placed it next to his ear. Once it was scorchingly hot, at the point no human could bear, he walked opened the door. He put on his "pale face" and wandered back to the kitchen.
"Sorry, I think I have a fever. I'm feeling a little warm. I'm just not feeling like myself."
I ran to the bathroom and opened the first drawer. Where was that thermometer. I couldn't find one, but I noticed the hairdryer was out, and plugged in. I don't know why Sreas was trying to act sick, but he's pretty obvious when he is. I walked back to the kitchen, hands empty.
"Sorry, I can't seem to find it. Here... let me feel your cheeks."
Sreas took a step back. But there was no way out of this. I leaned forward and felt the sides of his cheeks. Ice cold; just what I thought. But it was his decision to make. "Ouch, they're pretty heated!" I said. "Why don't you head off to your room."
Sreas looked a little shocked, but headed towards his room. It's what he really wanted... but at the same time didn't. He waddled into bed as a single tear emerged from the corner of his right eye.
I walked back towards the group, who had hardly even gotten the pieces together. "Alright guys, I think we should head off to bed now."
"But..."
"No buts. It's time. Lights out soon too." I ushered Elin, Arilith and Cier towards their shoeboxes and freezers. I turned to face Harmony. "You're welcome to stay up a little longer if you would like, but the bed in the first room on the left is empty. You can sleep there. If you need me at all, I'll be in the farthest room on the right. Don't hesitate to wake me up if there is a problem."
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Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 1:56 am
Harmony listened to the instructions, nodding softly. It did seem a little confusing, but all games do when you begin them. She looked at the colors, but before she could choose one she heard Sreas. Turning quickly to watch him go, her stomach sank in despair. Oh no, was he sick? This was terrible, she came to visit and he fell ill..
Her concern continued as she waited for him to return. When Atriz proclaimed him feverish, her brow knitted in worry. He was sent to bed, without so much as a goodnight. She felt defeated, and her heavy pout remained upon her lips.
"No.." She murmured quietly, a note of sadness lilting her voice. "I think I'll just go to bed." She turned to smile gratefully at Atriz for his hospitality, before heading to the room she had been assigned to.
Something was wrong. Something was wrong and it made her sick with worry. She stayed up half the night, tossing and turning, while trying to figure out just what it was. Cuddling her pillow close, she finally fell asleep when the first blue kisses of dawn crept through the window.
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Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 8:18 pm
I took one last glance down the hall to watch for following eyes. All seemed clear, so I proceeded to turn the knob entering to Sreas' room. He started hacking, and I looked at him inquisitively.
"So what's going on." I said, closing the door behind me, slowly turning the handle so as not to make a sound.
"Oh, just not feeling great. You know."
I kept staring at the wall. It wouldn't take much to push him over the edge; he was in a fragile state already.
"You know, Sreas. It's okay. Don't worry about it. Let's talk." I looked back at him.
"I don't want to, please." he said, burying his face into his pillow.
"Okay, well, I'll talk, you listen. Maybe just help me out a little. Is it about you?"
Sreas bobbed his head up and down into his pillow, letting out a little sniff. "You and Harmony?"
He turned slightly from the pillow, letting loose a stray tear. "I kissed her... and I didn't mean to. It was an accident. It was a mistake. And I didn't mean to and it wasn't supposed to happen. And it didn't happen like the movies.
I stood there silently, for a moment, letting everything collaborate in my head.
"Awwww. Don't worry about it, Sreas. Everyone gets a little "different" now and then. It's just part of who we are." I hugged the ball of covers he had hidden under. "Let's just work on fixing the problem."
"H...h..ow?" he asked, looking at me with streaks of red across his face.
"Well, how about a note. We'll write Harmony one tommorow. Tell her about it all. It'll be good to get it off your mind."
"O...okay." he said, reluctantly. "But she kissed me back." He nearly burst into tears again.
"So she still likes you, I guess. That's a good thing." The sniffles slowly stopped. Once all was calm, we sat for a second, listening to the empty sounds of the house.
"She's going to think I'm a big wuss. I haven't cried that much since I was little."
"Don't worry. I won't tell. Now get some rest, and we'll make everything better tommorow. I promise."
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