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 Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 3:15 am
It was a long walk between her apartment and Chase's and she was cold and freezing before she was even halfway to halfway. The rain soaked her to the core and the chilling wind bit at her freezing fingers. Her shoes were wet all the way through and made an uncomfortable squish when she walked. Even the overstuffed bag at her side was drenched, which meant every change of clothes she had would be.
She hadn't thought it through well, she had just wanted to leave.
She stopped beneath a shop awning long enough to dig her phone out of her pocket and flip it open. It was damp, but nothing that would destroy it. She pressed down a number on her dial pad and her speed dial picked it up, displaying 'Chase' in bold letters across the screen. When she put it up to her ear it rang and rang and rang until his voicemail picked up.
She closed it and tried again. Then again.
She sighed and shoved it back in her pocket, glancing back up at the sky that didn't show any signs of relenting. She had hoped he'd pick up and could come get her, but she knew he was busy sometimes. It didn't make it any less painful to step back out in the rain though and it certainly did nothing to uplift her mood.
She walked the rest of the way to his apartment in the rain, bent over slightly and trying to keep the rain from pelting her in the face. When she finally crossed the threshold and was safe from the storm, standing in the center of his hallway, she felt the first rays of hope starting to break out of her pain. She walked down the hall and stopped as his door, bringing up her fist so she could knock.
Only she stopped when she heard an argument explode behind the wood. An argument with her name in it.
She paled and took a few steps back, hand still raised halfway to knock. The little rays of hope she'd felt spark to life were already in danger of choking.
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 3:38 am
If Chase had known that Kaia was calling him, he would have picked up the phone in a heartbeat. He felt terrible about having cancelled their date, again. It was probably the third time in a row. He hadn't seen her in a couple of weeks, between his father's demands and the demands of the negaverse he hadn't had much time to spend with her. Most of his time was spent with his father, however reluctantly that was or at the bar trying to cope with the stress that came with his father's intrusion in his life. However, because his father had caught him glancing at his phone hoping for a text from his girlfriend he had been scolded and the phone had been discarded upon his bed where it vibrated almost noiselessly against the cotton sheets.
Whenever his father was around, he demanded nothing less than his son's full attention, especially when guests were involved. The guest in question was none other than Fiona Watson who had rescued him from the bar only a few nights previously. She stood quietly as his father lectured him about the need to pay full attention when business matters were concerned. The boy simply nodded hollowly in response, going through the motions without really listening.
"Chase!" His father snapped glaring at the teenager as he snapped to attention. "This is what I'm talking about! This is the kind of behavior that is unacceptable," his words were harsh, cruel and his tone clearly angry. While Chase did not react, Fiona did shrinking back slightly in reflex. For a girl who considered herself to be fearless she was unashamed to admit that Mr. Black was a man who could instil fear into nearly anyone. "When I say listen you need to listen!"
Chase swallowed, staring blankly at his father before speaking. "I am listening," he replied stiffly. "You've been telling me that I need to pay complete attention, you have my attention. You've had my full attention for the last three weeks!" He had snapped, an action that would cost him. He watched as his father's mask unraveled and his dark, angry side shined through the cracks.
"How dare you speak to me like that," he hissed advancing on the boy.
"Mr. Black," Fiona interjected, gingerly reaching out a hand to touch the man's arm. "Please, this isn't necessary," she pleaded wanting to spare her friend the verbal beating that was soon to come. "I assure you that Chase is just stressed," she tried to explain knowing full well what lengths the boy's stress had led him too, even after he had left his dorm at Azure. In fact the redhead was fully aware that Chase's situation was worsening. She had been called more frequently and the numbers were only increasing.
"Stay out of this Fiona," he snapped though there was a softness in his tone, his expression even when he looked upon the girl he thought so highly of. "This is none of your concern."
"Dad, I-" Chase was cut off before the sentence had really begun to form on his tongue.
"Be quiet," it was a demand, not a statement and Chase was quick to comply, this was unlike anything he had ever seen his father do. He never attacked in front of company regardless of Chase's words. It had always been his protection, company and now it was clear that even that was failing him tonight. "You listen to me, I did not waste all that time, money and favors so you could play with that stupid Kaia girl of yours. I did not spend my money, my hard earned money just so you could fool around with this girl who probably has no future, who probably won't stick around once I cut your funds," he hissed eyes narrowing to slits as he backed Chase against the wall. "She's probably nothing more than some filthy gold digger who will use you, wring you out and leave you dry."
"Stop," Chase's voice was quiet, nearly pleading. "You stop right now," he snarled pushing the older man back physically. "You can talk about me however you want, you can degrade me and even treat me like s**t but you can not ever talk about Kaia like that," he wasn't telling but instead kept his voice at a controlled tone unlike that of his fathers which were yelled loud enough for anyone to hear. "I will put up with a lot, but I will not put up with that."
His father let out a harsh, cruel laugh as he shoved his son backwards sending the boy stumbling to the ground. "I've raised you better," he replied shaking his head.
Fiona hurried to Chase's side, ignoring the possible wrath that the man might inflict upon her even as she knelled. She pushed back the hair from his face, concern written all over hers.
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 3:59 am
Kaia swallowed against a lump in her throat and leaned back against the wall opposite of Chase's doorway, shutting her eyes like that would just shut out the rest of the world she was finding herself more and more incapable of dealing with. She could hear the argument raging inside, though only Mr. Black's words were extremely clear to her. They were all she needed to hear though. Those hateful, angry words that spewed lie after lie about her.
She heard Chase coming to her defense, weakly. She couldn't bring herself to open the door and try to rescue him from what was obviously abuse - both verbal, and physical if that thumping was what she assumed it was. She had never met his father and he only talked about him briefly, but she knew the consequences would be dire regardless and she could really only help as Alkaid. She couldn't break down the door as a Dark Senshi and expect to have no consequences.
She just leaned into the wall and let her eyes drop to her soaked sneakers, trying to tell herself she could deal with the indirect abuse as long as Chase would be there on the other side once he was gone. The small uplifting she'd felt when his door came into sight was guttering now though, all but dead and forgotten beneath the reawakened pain. She brought a hand up and pressed it into the damp hoodie over her chest, holding it there and trying to shut out the angry words that still reached her through the door.
Couldn't anything be okay today?
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 4:03 pm
If Chase had been aware that Kaia was standing just outside his door, listening as his father attacked her ruthlessly then he probably would have been more vocal about his own feelings instead of struggling to remain calm. To keep the volume of his voice in control so he wasn't shouting, it would make things worse. His standing up to his father had made things worse. He could feel the back of his head throb where it had knocked against the hard wall.
If he had known that his girlfriend had come over because she needed him, needed him in a completely different way than usual he would have done whatever it took to get his father to stop, to make the man leave so he could help her. Instead, he sat there uselessly listening as he continued to bash on the girl he loved. His head was spinning and it took most of his concentration to even try and pay attention.
He let himself lean against the girl trying so desperately to help him. He knew it was useless, until his father was gone there was little he or Fiona could do about anything. He struggled to stand, relying on the redhead to hold him up as he gingerly touched the back of his head. "I don't get it," he mumbled shaking his head, wincing as it only increased his throbbing headache. "Why do you hate her so much? She's done nothing wrong! Hell she's probably the best thing that has happened to me, the best thing that has happened to you! Because of her you got me! You got everything you wanted because I just wanted a shot at her!" He was close to screaming, he hated that no matter what he did that he couldn't please his father. It was useless to even try but dangerous not to.
"Good for you?" His father sneered as he moved towards the door ripping it open to find the girl right before him. His lips were pressed together in a mocking grin. "This is the girl you've 'given everything' up for?" He stepped into the hall reaching an arm out to touch the tips of the girl's dreads. "This is the girl that you claim to be so beautiful. The one that you'd do anything for," he jeered glancing at his son with a slow shake of his head. "She's ugly," he didn't even try to be civil at this point, he cared little of what the girl thought of him. "Anyone with that repulsive hairstyle is nothing but classless."
Chase's expression was unreadable as he stared, mouth slight agape at the sight of Kaia standing in the rain, soaked. What was she doing here? "Kaia," her name was nothing but a whisper from his mouth as he started forward stammering to find something, anything to say. Had she heard the whole thing?
Oh god, what was he going to do?
"I've told you this before and I will tell you once more, you should have picked Fiona, at least she has class," Mr. Black commented coldly stepping from his son's apartment without another glance. His eyes glanced at Kaia, shaking his head once more as he left. "I advise you to rethink both your choices and priorities." He was gone before Chase could say anything else.
Of course, there wasn't much else he was saying other than, "Kaia."
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 4:20 pm
Kaia wished that Chase's words were enough to save her from the pain of his father's, but she was already down and hurt and broken. There was no wall left to filter out the hatred and each word stabbed her right to the core, making that sinking pit in the middle of her chest feel like a black hole trying to swallow her. By the time the door swung open she was already fighting to breath and she couldn't imagine it could get any worse.
But it did.
Her eyes shot up to the man standing there in the doorway, then flickered slowly to Chase as she said her name. Chase, with another girl. She couldn't imagine that Chase would be with another girl, couldn't even really believe it now when she had just heard him trying to fight miserably for her. It still hurt though, to watch the way the girl supported him, to know that she was here for him when Chase kept her away from this.
To know that she was someone his father would support, always, above herself.
She grimaced when the man came close and, if it had been any other time she would have come back with her own sharp words. She would have argued for herself, for Chase, for them. She couldn't though, it all hurt beyond what she could imagine when she was already dealing with raw wounds. She just stuffed her hand into her hoodie pocket and curled it around her henshin pen, reminding herself who would win if Mr. Black met Alkaid on a dark night.
Then he was gone, leaving his destruction behind him, and her gaze looked up to see Chase staring at her again. The pain and the hurt was plain on her face because she didn't have the will or energy to hide it. She just shook her head and pulled the hood back over her dreads - drenched as it was, it didn't help anything.
"Nevermind," was all she managed before she turned and headed back the way she had come, wishing she could just henshin up without caring about the civilians around, so she could teleport somewhere less.. painful.
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 4:32 pm
The look on her face, the pain that decorated made his chest constrict painfully. He let out a soft gasp as she just looked at him, not saying anything while he was trying to control the pain in his chest threatening to overtake him. It was like everything had happened in slow motion, from the movement of her lips forming the word to her turning and running down the hall.
No.
No, no, no, no!
This couldn't be happening, he couldn't handle this not now. She was one of the few things that he could always rely on to make him happy, to be there when he needed her and for him to be when she needed him. He was failing her, that much was clear even as he yanked himself from Fiona's grip scrambling down the hallway, sliding on the slick concrete desperate to catch up with her.
He had to reach her, catch her before she could disappear from his view. He needed to explain, to tell her that he didn't care about what his father wanted because he knew what he wanted. He wanted her, but she had disappeared into the dark, rainy night long before he even had the chance.
"KAIA!" He let himself scream hopelessly. He'd ******** up and he probably couldn't fix it, not any time soon.
He'd try calling her several times, only to receive the automatic voicemail that would answer instead of a ring and he left a desperate message.
Kaia, I'm sorry. We really need to talk, please. Just give me a chance. I...I... he didn't finish his last sentence, instead he let the words die on his lips. Maybe he didn't deserve another chance, even if he had done nothing wrong. Even if it had been his father's action that had hurt her, he had probably done equal damage to not defend her better.
He had failed her, so much for being the light in her darkness.
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