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 Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:50 pm
The Letter So if the reciprocal of x was 3/5, then that makes y… wait, no, she forgot to square root the original equation. Lee was hunched over her Calculus textbook scribbling answers to the practice problems she’d been assigned for the evening. She flipped the pages back and forth, desperately trying to make sense of it all.
“Number 9 should be 7.4 for x.” Lee whipped her head around to find Akira stand behind her, comparing Lee’s answers to her own. “And number 13… how’d you even get that answer?” She was giggling with amusement. Lee sighed and sat back in her chair, just now noticing all the other desks were empty.
“How long has school been out?” Lee hastily stood up and jammed her papers into her book, asking the teacher’s permission to take her work home before heading for the door.
“Don’t worry. It’s only been a few minutes.” Lee smiled as a “thank you for waiting.” The two headed into the nearly-empty hallway while Akira rambled on about the gossip she’d heard that day. Lee only caught bits and pieces of what she was saying; those damn math problems continued to mock her. She struggled to mentally work out the equation she’d been stuck on as she reached for her locker.
“No, that’s not mean, she did look bad in those pants,” Lee tried to sound interested while she spun the lock combination and pulled open the door. She lifted out her book bag and carelessly dropped her book inside. An unusual crinkle sound caught her attention. Peeking in, she found a half-crushed envelope under her book and pulled it out. It was addressed to “Miss Lee Katan” and had no returns address.
Akira’s interest was perked. “Is that a love letter?” she winked and snatched it from Lee’s hands. “Did they spray cologne on it?”
“I don’t think guys do that…” Lee reached for the letter, but Akira pulled it away. “Just give it to me, ok? It’s not a love letter, what kind of guy would write ‘Miss Lee Katan’?”
Akira put it up to her nose, but quickly pulled it away. “Ugh, it smells like my rabbit.”
Lee’s patience was growing thin and she ripped the letter from her friend’s hands. What was this, anyway? Was it from the school? Were they notifying her of her poor grades? Was she going to be expelled?! She tore into the letter and quickly unfolded it, completely skipping the heading and greeting to scan through the contents. A word caught her attention. “Essentics.” Lee unintentionally read the word aloud. Her anxiety level skyrocketed. Weren’t those banned? Right, her class had read about it in history. Essentics were dangerous; her teacher said they were trying to take over the world or something. Convinced the letter wasn’t from the school, she scanned back up to the top. Essential Biotics Inc.? She’d never heard of it. She read on.
Quote: Dear Miss Katan,
According to our records, you’re in need of a powerful tool. Here at EBI, we offer such tools to a select few we feel can handle the responsibility. If you have any interest in obtaining the limitless capabilities that essentics offer, do not hesitate to give us a visit. Our establishment can be found in Vargash’s lower district.
As a measure of safety, we ask that you do not mention the contents of this letter to anyone. To be clear, do not contact the authorities regarding this matter. We hope to see you soon.
-EBI Staff
Lee’s hands started shaking. Do not contact the authorities. She couldn’t let anyone see this. Akira leaned over to peek at what was written. “What’s wrong? What’s it say?” Lee stepped back and folded the paper up, stuffing it into her bag.
“I-it’s nothing.” Closing her locker, she turned and hurried down the hall without another word, leaving her friend concerned and slightly bewildered. She ran through the doors and continued down the sidewalk. She’d never been more thankful that her house was within walking distance, but every step along the way she was sure everyone was watching her, that everyone knew what was in her bag. She started to walk faster as she saw her house in sight. She pressed in the security code and ran up the driveway, through the entrance and down the corridor until she was in the comfort of her bedroom.
Throwing her bag on her bed, she pulled the letter out again. She re-read it; essentics, EBI, authorities. It gave her the same panic the second time. Checking the envelope, she confirmed it was addressed to her. Why in the world would they send this to a minor? She let herself fall on the bed. The mountain of blankets and pillows engulfed her, and her nerves calmed a bit. Taking a deep breath, she went over her options, completely skipping over actually seeing these people, and decided disposing of the letter would be best. She pulled over a small trash can and grabbed the paper, quickly ripping it up into small pieces. A few pieces were still slightly legible, and she tore them once more. She was satisfied. No one would ever know of this letter’s existence. The rest of the day, Lee avoided conversation and was cautious about giving away any suspicious information, but when night came she fell asleep content and fully confident nothing would come of the letter.
As she awoke the next morning, she rubbed her eyes while they adjusted to the light. “She’s awake.” Lee’s eyes shot open. She found her parents at the other end of her room staring back at her. “What’s this?” Her mother held up a baggy filled with ripped up bits of paper as if it were drug paraphernalia and hurried over to Lee’s bedside. They’d been looking through her trash? What were they looking for? Lee stammered for an answer but could think of nothing. “Why would you rip this up?” Huh? Lee tilted her head in confusion. They knew about the letter?
Her father chimed in. “After all the trouble we went through to contact Mr. DeLonghy and this is what you do.” Wait, her parents were responsible for this?! “Do you know how hard it is to find that man?”
“Bu-but they’re illegal,”Lee muttered. While she was shocked, knowing her parents had set everything up helped put the whole situation in perspective. How scary could these people be? Her parents seemed to trust them, right?
Her mother put her hand to her forehead in frustration. “Lee. You’re failing half your classes. What kind of future are you creating for yourself with those kinds of grades?” She tossed the baggy onto her bed and folded her arms, giving her a sense of motherly authority. “You need a tutor. A really good one.”
Lee shook her head with irritation. “Why didn’t you just buy it? Why’d you have to get me involved in the illegal part?”
Her mother raised a hand to her chest, clearly offended. “What, and link the cops back to us?” She looked to her husband and rolled her eyes.
Her father saw the expression on Lee’s face and tried to comfort her. “They won’t throw a 17-year-old in jail,” he said while patting her on the head. She knew that was probably a lie. He dug into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Taking out a few bills, he rolled them up and tossed the wad onto Lee’s lap. Lee opened the baggy and picked through the contents until she found the two pieces of paper she’d been searching for. She held the edges together, the ripped bits now reading Vargash's lower district. “We'll have your ride ready in ten minutes. Go make your pop proud.” He flashed a toothy smile and turned for the door.
"Wait." Her words stopped him and he turned. "Why'd you tell them where I go to school, where my locker was, all that? You don't think that's even a little dangerous?"
Both her parents turned to each other with puzzled looks. "We didn't tell them any of that." They shook their heads and smiled, and her father put his arm around his wife's waist and led the two out of the room.
Lee, now alone and panicking more than ever, pulled the bed sheets over her head. “I hate my parents.”
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Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 11:46 am
What's in a Name? The ride home from the EBI office was filled with pleas and cheap threats, all to get a look at what was in the box Lee protectively clung to. Her parents were relentless, and after the sting of a line involving something along the lines of "after all we do for you" broke her. She took the lid off and revealed the spark, the green glow of ectoplasm lighting the faces that stared upon it. The parents looked at each other briefly, and Lee hoped they were at least somewhat impressed.
"You know, I never actually saw the 'spark' stage before. When I was a girl, my parents had so many of these around the house that I..." Lee figured as much. The conversation was shifting more and more to her mother's youth, and Lee couldn't be happier. To be honest, she was still worrying about the "Influences" speech she'd heard earlier, and there was no thought more horrifying than her essentic gathering influences from her mother. She looked down and frowned at the pretty little rock. So much could go wrong. Lee replaced the lid of the box and wrapped her arms around it once more, vowing to keep her parents away from it as much as possible.
The car pulled into their driveway, and Lee was eager to run to the seclusion of her room. On the way into the house, her father put his hand on his daughter shoulder. "Have you thought about naming it yet?" A name? She was supposed to name a rock? "Not really..." she shrugged. "I have a few suggestions." He smiled down at her. So he'd really been giving this a lot of thought, hadn't he? She didn't even know what an essentic actually was until an hour ago, and hadn't even known she was getting one until yesterday. Lee didn't say anything, and Mr. Katan assumed that was his cue. "I was thinking you could name it after your uncle." James? No thanks. Not to mention, she wasn't too fond of the man. "I'll think about it." Lee said with a slight smile.
She broke free from her father and headed for her room. What was she going to name it? It's got to be something fitting, and a name that she could never hate. She headed up the staircase. Was this a boy or a girl? Did Miss Longway mention anything about that? She didn't think so... She headed down the corridor, and finally reaching her door and pushing it open, an idea popped into her head. Her old teacher, Mrs. Lauss. She'd been the only one who didn't give up on her when she entered her first year in high school, when her grades were at their worst. It'd been a while since she'd seen her, but she was still her favorite teacher; probably her favorite person, even.
Lee gently placed the box on her bed. Once more revealing the spark, she gave one of her rare, genuine smiles. "Hello, Lauss."
The essentic had a big name to live up to.
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 8:52 pm
Poison and Poofy Dresses The familiar sound of flipping pages woke Lee up one Sunday morning. Lauss was doing his reading ritual that he had done every morning before Lee awoke, something that better helped him prepare pop quizzes (which were after she ate a hearty breakfast, of course). Lee rubbed her eyes, but they adjusted quickly as it was a rather dull morning outside. Lifting herself from her bed, she prepared herself for a round of quick questions from Lauss on her way to the bathroom, not really intending to answer any of them.
More pages flipped, at a faster than his usual pace, but... no questions yet. Oh, but it'll happen soon, he'll look up at her and pester her like he always does.
...Nothing. That's weird.
She got to the door and looked back at him, waiting for him to glide up beside her at any second. He stayed in place, staring down at the book in front of him, seemingly unaware of Lee's presence.
"Lauss, are you okay?"
No comment.
"Lauss!" The proto jolted, apparently quite surprised. "Miss Lee! I have much to discuss with you!" His voice seemed... unusual. Much more emotional than he'd ever been before, or at least as far as Lee remembered. But what he was saying was very much the same old Lauss.
"Yeah, yeah." Lee almost smiled, a bit relieved.
"Miss Lee, were you aware that the Victorian Era had the most poison-related murders of any time in history?" "No..." Lee opened the door and headed down the hallway; so, it would be an ordinary morning after all. "And did you know that cats were a fashionable household pet for the first time in a few hundred years during the Victorian Era?" "Nope." He must have just gotten to that chapter in the History book. But... was this really the kind of thing he should be quizzing her on? It seemed more like useless facts than what a history book would be teaching. "Miss Lee, those living in the Victorian Era had a life expectancy of only 40 years of age."
This... wasn't normal at all. Shouldn't he be saying "What is the definition of..." and "Please tell why..."? He wasn't quizzing her, nor was he relaying educational information. "Miss Lee, I saw a picture of a woman whose dress was much wider than anything I've seen thus far. And she had a hat that--" "Lauss, what have you been reading?" Lee voice held suspicion, but she was actually genuinely concerned. "I was reading through your history book when I came upon the chapter entitled 'Victorian Era, 1837-1901' and the contents were quite interesting. I searched the study and found a few books pertaining to the subject and have been gathering more information regarding this time period. Miss Lee, did you know about this 'courtship'? How fascinating..." Lee, once more, almost smiled. He... has an interest? She continued down the hall, and Lauss continued his one way conversation about his new hobby.
Maybe this will keep him from pestering me.
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 10:38 pm
When Master is Away Lauss sat in front of a clock in the kitchen and watched it go by tick by tick. Only 4 hours, 15 minutes, and 23 seconds until Lee got home from school. Make that 19 seconds. 17. 16. 15....
He'd done everything he could possibly do while she was away. He'd run out of pages in his Victorian Era book a week ago, and he'd even re-read it last on Tuesday. He was up to date with Lee's study material, and even skipped ahead a bit. He asked the help about themselves as a refresher, and can now list the name, occupation, address, spouse, and birthdate (they wouldn't tell him their Social Security numbers...) of every person that works for the Katan family by heart. There was nothing to do, and Lauss, for the first time since becoming a proto, was bored.
4 hours, 13 minutes, 54 seconds. Lauss made an odd noise that could be interpreted as a sigh. He needed to find something to do. Nothing in the kitchen worth looking at. Just a bunch of food, cooking utensils, and cookbooks...
Books? Lauss turned and looked up at a neatly set up row of cookbooks that were places on a long shelf next to the refrigerator. Lauss crept up to them, taking the one farthest to the left and cracking it open to the first page. Citations. Interesting. He flipped the page. "Desserts Galore," the proto read aloud. He flipped through the pages in a hurry, collecting the basic gist of information on each page. "An instruction manual".
The scanning stopped abruptly as he came to a specific page. The top read "Strawberry Pastry Strudel", though Lauss never quite saw that part. The flaky looking dessert was cut very similar to something he'd seen before... Ah, fig newtons, yes. That was Lee's favorite. Lauss carried the book over to the pantry with him as he searched for said snack. They were all out. He looked down at the cookbook. They looked the same, so they'll probably taste the same. He purred a bit at the thought and looked at the ingredients, then the directions, and quickly got to work.
---
Lee snuck in the front door, ready to be mauled by Lauss and go through the torture she endured everyday when she got home. Miss Lee! Let's work on school stuff and do quizzes and stuff! she mentally mocked. Slowly easing through the entrance, her eye was caught by a flash of blue in the dining room.
Lauss was rushing back and forth from one end of the table to the other. What exactly he was doing, Lee didn't know. She quietly stepped closer and peeked inside. He was setting the table, arranging silverware and cups. Where'd he learn to do that? Lauss turned toward the door where Lee was and headed for it, Lee spinning around and hiding behind the wall as to not be seen by him. What is he up to? He glided into the kitchen, coming back out with a plate in each hand and some sort of food on it. "Miss Lee!" He sounded more excited than she was used to. "Please follow me!" Lee sighed and did as he asked, and he continued on into the dining room. "Please sit." She did so, in the closest seat to the door. Whatever it was, it smelled... pretty good. He hurried to his end of the table and placed a plate down, and then hurried back to Lee, gently placing the plate with a delicious looking strudel in front of her. "Who did this for you?" Lee was surprised. She didn't think their cook was here yet, after all. "I did, Miss Lee. It's a fig newton." Lee picked up a fork and poked at it, unsure if it was actually edible. "Lauss, this isn't a fig newton, thi--" Lauss had picked up a piece of strudel and jammed it in her mouth, overly eager to please his master.
Lee's eyes watered with delight. "Sho dewishush." She swallowed and quickly dove in for another bite. Oh, if he kept this up she wouldn't fit in her uniform soon. Scraping the plate clean, she looked up at Lauss, who simply observed the whole scene. He knew it was good, he didn't need her to tell him that; he'd followed the recipe exactly. "Milk, please." Lauss rushed out of the room and back in with a bottle and fulfilled his master's request. She nodded to him, letting him know that, for once, he'd done well. Very well.
"So, Miss Lee, please tell me the basic equation for..."
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 3:56 pm
Guns Don't Kill People, Lauss' Kill People ...
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 6:24 pm
Attack of the Inconvenient Growth 2 A.M. The night sky was littered with the sparkle of stars; the only sound was of the breeze passing through the trees outside. A very cool, very peaceful night. The Katan residence had cranked up the heat, but Lee's bed was still piled with layers of blankets, and she was curled up in a cocoon of satin and silk. "Mmm..." A rustle of sheets was heard before complete silence overtook the room once more. Lauss looked up from his new napping spot: the foot of Lee's bed. Was she awake? No? Good. Still Asleep, though perhaps not as peacefully as she looked. A small whimper escaped Rosco, who had stole Lauss' old bed on the floor made of plush pillows. "Stolen" makes it sound negative, when really it was an upgrade for them both. The proto floated over to the pup, stroking his head as he'd seen Lee do many times before. They'd grown a strange bond; Rosco was always willing to "learn" from Lauss, who could babble on for hours to him without either losing interest in the other, and Lauss was always willing to offer the attention that Rosco so desperately wanted and needed. A boy and his dog. Almost.
Lee rolled over once more, and Lauss once more mistook her for being awake; far from it. Her mind was busy reliving a fond, rather interesting memory from not too long ago. A beautiful campus, an early morning, a wonderful man, a ruckus.
***
"Wow..." Lee and the man from the college they were visiting were taking a small tour of the art department, and currently had their noses pressed up to one of the windows overlooking an empty studio classroom. Impressive. It was grungy and paint covered in nearly every spot, but for that reason it was beautiful. Lee tugged at the book bag at her side currently holding a small blue and green spark. A future in such a room -- the rest of her life in one would be heaven. And this man, this angel next to her would be her only chance at such a future. The girl longingly stared into the room, dreaming of a future that would likely never be possible. Somehow, she knew it wouldn't happen; she'd never be in that room.
Poof. Rustle. Panic.
No... Now? It was growing now? Lee felt her book bag shake, and, as quickly as she could, planned her escape. Waving her arms at the man to her side, she stuttered, "I-I'm sorry. This is... I have to go." If he saw Lauss (as it had been earlier named) this man would know that she was technically a criminal. Criminals and nice, prestigious colleges didn't mix, and her dream would be shredded in an instant. Her paced quickened as she hurried down the hall, almost running to get out of sight of the man she'd left behind. The hallway seemed to stretch longer and longer with every step she took, growing no distance from the one she was running from. But it was really useless at this point. Her bag was floating. It seemed the creature within could hover. She pulled in down to her side again as she continued her power walk, cursing to the creature within the bag as she was merely steps away from rounding a corner when a dragon/kitty/fish tumbled out and onto the ground. It's all over. Lee could have started crying; she was defeated. The best she could think would come out of this was a few days in jail and a hefty fine.
But he surprised her. The man, the angel was hiding her and her new companion. The three huddled into the studio to avoid any passer-by's eyes, and the creature before her floated a few feet above the ground. "Hello." A simple and harmless voice, though it was a bit creepy to hear it speak without any sort of face. Lee was a bit too preoccupied with explaining herself, and would have to converse with the one later. Already starting out on the wrong foot it seemed.
Lee bowed to the man before her, apologizing in any way she could think to. "I didn't-- I shouldn't have--! It's for school! A tutor." The essentic beside her nodded in agreement, paying careful attention to the first words and actions it saw of its master. The man didn't look upset, instead a bit empathetic. Strange, but Lee wouldn't complain.
Footsteps could be heard from down the hall outside the room, coming closer and closer to the studio they were hiding in. Best to meet them out there than wait to see if they'd peek in here. Lee quickly opened and closed the door behind her, stepping into the hallway to face whoever was coming. A woman, very neat and professional looking, hurried her step at the sight of the girl. "Miss Lee, there you are. Your tour is ready, if you'd kindly meet us in the lobby." "Oh, that..." What to say, what to say... "Um, I already got one. From someone just walking around. But thanks." "Are you sure, Miss? We could give you an official tour like you requested." Lee shook her head. "Really, that's okay. I should get going soon anyway." Go away now. The woman eyed her suspiciously, about to open her mouth once more to question, but instead walked off with a slightly puzzled look on her face. Lee leaned against the wall with a sigh, and the other two poked their heads out the door. She turned to face them, and the essentic slipped out of the room and, bowing as he had watched her do a moment ago, purred, "Hello, Miss Lee." Good boy. Gold star for calling her "Miss". "Hello, Lauss," she peeped with a small smile. Sadle, no "Mister" for the proto -- it was too odd looking for that to fit. More like a pet than a person. Plus, she wasn't entirely certain it was a boy.
But Lee could talk to him later. With their short initial greeting out of the way, the girl looked at the man and bowed her head. "We should be going, I think." Yes. That would be best. He didn't protest, and Lee opened her book bag and looked to the proto beside her. "You'll just have to be in here a little longer..." She looked apologetically to it, hoping it wouldn't hate her after this. It bowed to her for the second time, giving no sign of annoyance or protest. "As you wish, Miss Lee."
***
Lee's eyes shot open, scanning her bedroom in the darkness. A small rustle was heard as she sat up, searching for her proto at her feet. "Lauss...?" "Good morning, Miss Lee!" How long he'd been waiting for her to wake up. "It's still night," she muttered as she focused her tired eyes on him in the distance. "You should sleep more..." a small remark before falling back into the comfort of her mountain of pillows. An unsettling mood overtook her as she thought on her dream. What happened to that man? What happened to that reccomendation? What happened to me and Lauss getting along? This last one really got to her. He tried, didn't he? He was always trying. Give him more credit... Be nicer to him. Perhaps it was the sleep talking, but Lee was ashamed of herself.
"Well, Goodnight, Miss Lee..."
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