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 Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:52 pm
Does This Come in Khaki?[link]Zachary goes on a shopping trip for some uniform essentials, running into future classmates Elzo and Marlo while in the checkout line.
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Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 11:51 am
Packing it Up[link]Zachary leaves work for his last time, only to encounter a Crystal lacrosse player. He isn't quite sure what to make of her.
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Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 9:19 am
A New Day Begins
(Backlogged to the first day of classes)
The actual process of moving all of his possessions into a white-walled room had been relatively short and painless. His parents offered some encouraging words, and Evelyn had cried as she gave him a hug before they left, but through it all Zachary couldn't help but feeling like the whole situation was surreal, that someone would jump out and yell surprise and admit that the whole thing was a joke, that he'd be attending Meadowview for his last year of school, and that he wouldn't have to stay in this old, broken-down place.
"Any time now would be good," he murmured to himself, staring up at the concrete ceiling from his thin, cardboard-like bed. He was still in normal pajamas for now, but his Hillworth uniform sat neatly folded on his desk for his first day of classes, the green and black taunting him from its lofty perch. Zachary found that he couldn't bring himself to like the color combination even now: despite all the jokes about the ugly orange they had at Meadowview, it seemed like a far-off relief now. Green felt too moldy, too sickly, Zachary decided, and he didn't like it one bit.
Finding himself frustrated at the ceiling, he shuffled his way onto his side, scowling at himself from the dusty mirror opposite his bed. The whole thing was stupid. He hadn't done anything wrong, other than having a stupid little crush and writing a stupid little letter. Isn't that what guys were supposed to do? Sure, he could have texted her, but it's not like he had her number, and he wasn't about to look it up without asking, now that would have been sketchy. Slipping a note into her bag at checkout was about as innocent as it comes, though in hindsight Zachary should have just let sleeping dogs lie. It was too easy nowadays to misconstrue words, and it was all too easy for him to get pegged as the school's creepy kid. He would have used the word 'introverted', but apparently those were the types you had to look out for. Zachary huffed, his brow furrowing. It was all so stupid!
Zachary half-heartedly beat a clenched fist into his lumpy pillow, in the hopes that it would release his pent up anger. It didn't, and somehow that seemed to piss him off even more, forcing him to let out a shout to the ceiling and anyone who happened to be passing by in the nearby corridor. He sucked in an angered breath, as if he were going to yell even louder, but slowly, he exhaled, shaking his head. Anyone who had been in the hall had certainly been treated to the strange way he was acting, and that would spread even more rumors. The last thing he needed was to confirm his status as the weird kid, especially at a school like Hillworth.
No amount of anger or regret was going to change his situation. Zachary repeated the mantra in his head, and it seemed to calm him down, leaving him a lethargic lump of boy on his bed again. When he finally felt in control of his emotions, he looked at the uniform, determined not to be affected by the difference. It was easier than he'd thought, and experimentally he rose, picking up the tie with a curious touch. Still nothing. As long as Zachary understood that nothing would fix things, then he would feel nothing about the whole ordeal.
He might even get to appeal if he kept up good behavior.
With this thought on his mind, he stripped from his polo and jeans, the starchy white shirt fitting neatly and rather stiffly against his body. The pants and vest went on just as easily as the shirt had, and as Zachary adjusted the tie in the mirror, he thought to himself that the black was even somewhat slimming. If anything, he didn't have to wear those boyscout shorts from Meadowview any longer. That was a positive.
They were small steps, but Zachary found, gazing at himself in the mirror, that they were necessary. Bit by bit, this would finally stop affecting him. He could accept that he was at Hillworth, and then before he knew it, it would be over. He would graduate soon, and there was always college. There was always something to look forward to. Perhaps if Zachary looked to that hard enough, the process would be easier.
And then the morning bell rang so loud that Zachary thought he would jump out of his skin. He looked up to the small speaker in the center of his room, amazed that a little thng could produce so much noise. He supposed it was for the better, though, since it made him snap out of his existential crisis. He reached for his bag, already packed the night before, then glanced at his schedule, trying to decipher the bland-looking map.
It was going to be a long year.
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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 3:48 am
Shh! This is a Library!
[link]
Zachary gets interrupted from his letter-writing zen by one Alexander Riviera.
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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 3:50 am
Fall Meanderings
The world was getting colder, but that seemed to make no difference to Zachary. There wasn't much that made a difference to Zachary, other than the fact that Hillworth didn't seem to get to him as much as it used to. Sure, there were the fights, the overwhelming egos and the general sausage-fest going on, but that was an all-boys academy for you. He heard rumors of a panty raid, and wanted no part of it, but made no efforts to stop the other boys' fun, either. If they got caught, that was their problem, not his.
There was the mystery of that Crystal girl, Rea, but he had yet to call her, the crumpled piece of paper hidden in a desk drawer out of sight and (not entirely) out of mind. Zachary figured that as long as his roommate didn't press the issue, he could stop thinking about her and there wouldn't be a problem, not that he saw much of his roommate. Occasionally, he found the odd beer bottle or so under his bed, but he decided that whatever the kid wanted to do was his own business. Again, he wasn't about to be at the wrong end of a bunch of pranks of blackmail, and so far as he knew, none of his own personal belongings were stolen. Maybe he shouldn't have been so complacent, but it was better than being too aggressive. And then, one day the boy was gone, along with all his belongings, and Zachary heard the other boys gripe about the loss of some secretary he'd never actually met. And even though Evie had most certainly always been at Barren Pines, Zachary couldn't help but feel even more distant from his little sister as the months gre colder.
He'd tried writing letters and calling on the phone, and that seemed to work for a while. Mentions of some play, of friends and bullies, of preparing her singing act for some festival. It kept his spirits up to know that she was at least thriving at a better school, since she was talented enough to belong there, but the good feelings were not to last. The phone calls and emails slowed at the start of November, and even though it was starting to be crunch time for finals, Zachary knew his sister better, and he worried. Messages went unresponded, and if he did get word from her, it was brief, uncharacteristic of the talkative girl. And so, when he heard of a cross-school battleship tournament, he couldn't help but put his name on the list, even though he was never quite the type to be good at board games. It was a half-assed attempt to reconnect, but it was all Zachary had. He could only hope that it worked.
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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 3:51 am
Save Me, Save Me![link]Zachary goes out on a weekend home, only to get attacked by a youma and saved by Sailor Flora, much to his chagrin. He should probably read the news more often.
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 11:33 am
Want to Play?
[link]
Zachary offers up a game of lacrosse in exchange for some girl advice from Marlo. Mud is flung. Bro-bonding is done.
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 8:35 pm
In the Dead of Winter
Home for the Holidays. It should have been a good feeling. However, sprawled upon the couch of the Esther den and flipping channels, Zachary couldn't help but be bored. Christmas had come and gone the day before, though it'd been surprisingly lonely without Evie there, her pile of presents still waiting patiently under their tree. Zachary understood that the school she went to had all sorts of special attendance requirements, but he felt like the girl should have at least been home for Christmas. It just didn't feel right without her around, and on top of that, the family's caroling tradition was somewhat lackluster without a certain alto leading the rest of her tone-deaf kin.
Hitting a channel that was nothing but loud static, Zachary jumped, then moved on, going past cooking shows and cartoons and something about jaguars.
It frustrated Zachary that he couldn't be outside, conditioning for the upcoming season, but it was snowing and he wasn't about to get himself sick, on top of bored. It frustrated Zachary that he couldn't gather the courage to call the number Rea had given him, which had been given an upgrade from being written on an old piece of paper to a listing on his cell phone. It frustrated him to know that he should be working on college applications, when in actuality he couldn't care less. Whether he liked it or not, boredom had glued him to his seat.
Normally, he wouldn't have given the local news a second glance, but the camera shot was shaky and the announcer sounded excited, which might mean something along the lines of a car chase. Zachary paused curiously, looking down from some bird's eye view of a crowd of people in the woods.
"--several dozen teenagers were recovered from the organ trafficking site, once known as Barren Pines Academy--"
Zachary's heart stopped.
"Dad?" He wanted to stand, to get his parents, but he was still glued to his seat, now in utter horror. "Dad? Are you watching this? They're talking about Evie's school." Somehow, Zachary found use of his legs, and he jumped to his feet just in time to see his father enter the room, glancing at the television from under his spectacles. The two Esther men stood in silence as the reporter spoke of the deaths of dozens more students that were either found as organless shells or were still missing.
Zachary's eyes glazed over the footage of the survivors, their eyes censored because of their minor status. "Dad," he said, his voice almost a whisper. "Dad, Evie's not there."
Mr. Esther glanced down at his son, then back at the television, doing his best to remain calm. "That couldn't be everyone, Zach, don't worry about it--"
"She's not there, Dad, she's not there," interrupted Zachary's rising voice. "Why aren't they showing her? You know she'd want to be on the news!" He looked back to the screen, trying to catch a glimpse of the green hair he was so familiar with. "Why--why wouldn't she have called us yet? s**t, dad, why didn't we know?"
"Language, Zach," Mr. Esther warned, but before Zachary could respond, the sharp ring of the house phone caused the both of them to fall still. Finally, Mr. Esther moved for the den phone, but froze when he heard his wife pick it up from the next room over. Nevertheless, he checked the caller ID, hoping it was just a family friend. 'Destiny City PD' glowed back up at him in a rather unfriendly way.
Mrs. Esther's voice grew frantic, and in a heartbeat Zachary and his father were running for the door, anxious to hear the news.
"--families all over Destiny City are mourning the loss of their children--"
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 10:27 am
Reserved for Zachary/Sirius rp
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 10:28 am
Is Senshi-Hunting Even In Season?[link]Zachary reconnects with Tate and walks her home. Then he gets kissed. Cue Zachary's confusion.
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 10:40 am
Reserved for post-Tate solo
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 10:45 am
She said...Yes?[link]Zachary finally got the balls to call Rea, and they go to the park for a friendly game of one on one.
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 3:28 pm
Symphony of Blase[link]Zachary has a girlfriend! ...Wait, how did that happen?
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 3:30 pm
Shadowland (Nightmare Solo 1)
She hummed something vaguely familiar and turned away, slowly spinning. Bare feet scraped against the plush spring grass that grew across the Esther living room floor, tossing up dandelion grains and dirt that sparkled as it slowly fell away. Her golden eyes looked up, a dotted tribal design smiling on her cheeks from where she'd painted it on with white eyeliner, and despite the mournful, broken strain she murmured to, her lips curved upwards as she made eye contact. Her hair was braided, beaded, and twined with plastic feathers, and over her school uniform draped the tatters of an old shirt. Her voice was beautiful, tragically beautiful, and the faces in the faded picture frames beamed in approval.
Evie Esther knelt before her elder brother and bowed her head, and then her song ended, the unsung chorus continuing without her in a low buzz. Quickly, she looked up at Zachary again, pouting. "This is the part where you wave your staff around and bless me for the long journey ahead. I just gave you your cue."
Zachary tensed, as if awoken from a reverie, looking down at himself. He was wearing his Meadowview lacrosse uniform, but it too had tatters of clothing, and he curiously noted similar white tribal dots lining his arms. He was holding his lacrosse stick, decorated with bits of string and feathers. He touched his head, and found another tattered strip of cloth holding his hair back. That's right. They were acting. Evie had dragged him home after practice, shown him where to stand, and decorated him up, all giggles and happy trills while she dolled him up for her scene. This was his cue. He was supposed to say something here.
He looked at Evie and opened his mouth, slowly inhaling to recite the broken statement she had told him a thousand times, but nothing came to mind. He should have looked into the eyes of his sister and saw the words, but he was blinded by a sudden rush of grief, of anger and sadness that had no name or no purpose. He felt an urgent need to hide his sister away, to keep her safe from harm, but he couldn't place why. And so, his mouth remained open and slack-jawed as her frown deepened and she stood with a huff.
"'Bless you, child, and good luck with the journey you face.' It's not that hard, Zach!" Evie replaced the face of a tortured young woman with that of a perturbed young teen, and she stormed over to a CD-player that hadn't been in the room moments ago, slamming down on a button that caused the room to fall into silence. "I mean, it's not even the original African! It's just one line! Can't you focus on this for one second?"
Retaliation rose in Zachary's chest, but it was strangled by the ceaseless feeling of peril, and despite his frustration, he found himself reaching after her as she began to stomp off. "Evie--wai--I'm sorry, I promise I'll remember it, just wait a second--"
--He was running. The ball was his, and he cradled it with a snap of his wrists, and he rushed for the other side of the field, the lights of the stadium blindingly bright, burning his eyes. It was only when the defense was on him that he noticed the other team's uniform, all-white and bloodied. They didn't look like lacrosse players at all. They looked like EMTs, and instead of lacrosse sticks, they held giant scalpels, masks covering their faces instead of helmets. He dodged the gait of one, and doubled around another, but just as he was reaching the goal someone knocked him to the ground, his stick out of his hand and tumbling down the field uselessly. Zachary spun, reaching for his stick, then recoiled with a shout. In his net was a human heart, still beating.
"You always focus on your stupid games! You never want to act with me anymore! When did you turn into such a big jerk?"
He saw Evie halfway down the field, still angrily marching away, and he tried to call out to her. He scrambled to his feet and ran as fast as his feet would carry him, but he felt heavy, sluggish. Slow. Too slow. EMTs ran for her, and he screamed her name. She heard nothing, not even when one raised his scalpel, the blade gleaming hungrily in the light. He screamed again, into the crowd. The stands were packed, faceless onlookers decorated in skirts and gossamer bows watching objectively. He screamed and ran for his sister. No one noticed.
He could feel the tears falling down his face as they cut down her sternum, holding her to the astroturf as she wailed. His running was slower still. One of them held up her heart to the light, examining it closely, then put it in a clear labeled bag. One of the lights over the bleachers fell dark. Another reached for the ropes of her intestines. The senshi in the bleachers began to applaud. A second light died. Two reached for her lungs, just as both sides of the scoreboard cleared to black. As he neared the writing crowd of white and black and blood red, the field shook as one by one, the lights clapped out at an increasing speed. Evie let out a piercing shriek, cut off by a strange gurgling, and the world fell to black, dominated by the sounds of a standing ovation.
Zachary awoke with a start, clutching at the edges of his tear-soaked comforter mid-scream. He stuttered and shook in his sheets, eyes wild as he frantically searched his room with rushed glances, then down at his whitened knuckles. The boy shuddered, choking back a sob. He'd been holding her barren, white skeleton. He could still feel the way the broken ribs had felt against the flat of his palm.
Slowly, the boy hung his head in the fabric surrounding his hands, pulling his eyes as tightly shut as he could muster. He wanted to scream, but he knew it would do no good, not anymore, and so he just cried, still haunted by the visions his mind had presented him.
They had done nothing while she died.
Nothing.
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 3:33 pm
Want Some Awkward With Your Awkward?In ProgressIn progress!
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