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 Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 12:10 am
Drifting into a state of unconsciousness, Izzy wasn’t aware of the pain as Mikel operated on her.
*Dream Sequence/Flashback Memory*
Isabella, age 8, sat at the edge of a king-sized bed with dark green sheets. Playing with a Rubix cube and swinging her feet back and forth, she seemed as if she was waiting for something. Getting one side of the cube completely red, she lifted her gaze and looked outside a pair of nearby French doors. The summer sun was slowly starting to set, the light fading from the room she currently occupied on her own.
Placing the toy down on the blankets next to her, Isabella skipped over to the light switch, flicking it on to brighten the room and its features with a glow from the orb of light that hung from the ceiling. An oak wood desk stood by the head of the bed, a pen and a pile of papers littering its top. A lamp rested on a night stand, unlit. Two doors led to the room, one shut, another slightly ajar to reveal a dimly lit bathroom.
Isabella walked over to the French doors, opening them and stepping out onto the balcony. Propping her elbows on the railing, Isabella rested her head on her hands, sighing as she stared at the sun’s descent. A few minutes seemed to past unhurried before she heard the click of a door closing behind her. Spinning around with a smile, she bounced into the room, exclaiming, “Brother! Welcome home!”
The seemingly eighteen year old smiled back at his sister, after placing a bag on the floor and, shedding his suit coat, hanging it behind the door. Tousling her hair, which was the same shade as his, he asked playfully, “Hope you haven’t been too bored without me, my Izzy.”
Isabella giggled and turned away, going back to edge of the bed and picking up the Rubix cube. “No, I was playing with your toy.” She began to try once again to complete the puzzle as her brother walked over to his desk, emptying his pockets and, taking his gun, with his name ‘Jace’, engraved on its barrel, out of its holster, hid it away in a drawer. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to Isabella.
Isabella had her tongue peeking out from the side of her mouth as she concentrated on the puzzle, unable to solve it. Dropping her arms, she whined to her brother, “It’s too hard! I can’t do it!”
Seeing her pout, Jace gave a chuckle then gave in to her unspoken request. “Alright my Izzy, I’ll help you.” Reaching an arm around her to envelope her in something of a hug, he took her hands in his own as he guided them towards solving the Rubix cube. Isabella watched the cube as the colors matched each other, leaning her face against her brother’s. Jace moved the last piece into place then turned his head, pecking a kiss on Isabella’s cheek, “Congratulation, you’ve finished the puzzle.”
Izzy scrunched up her face then jumped out of her brother’s grasp, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand as she complained, “Ew… gross!” Her brother actually always gave her kisses and it made him smile when she made funny faces about it, so she did it. Having the puzzle finished, she lost interest in it, leaving it on the bed as she looked curiously over at the bag Jace had brought in. “What is it?” She asked innocently.
Jace smiled then walked over to her and the bag, reaching into it and pulling out a dark green dress and holding it out to her, “A present for my pretty Izzy. Do you like it?” He already knew the answer when he saw her face light up as soon as he revealed the gift. She took it from him and held it against herself, making a little spin. “I’m gonna wear it!” She started to the bathroom.
“Wait, someone has to unzip you first.” Jace said, coming up behind her. “Watch your hair.” Isabella moved her hair out of the way, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. Jace, though, took his sweet time, saying absently, “You might as well change here, Izzy. You need me to zip you up too.” to which Isabella replied, brightly, “Kay!”
She stepped away from him, pulling the dress off and dropping it on the floor, completely unconcerned with his presence. When she felt his hands rest on her bare shoulders though, Isabella pouted as she looked at her new dress, “I want to do it myself.” She struggled with the zipper, it seemed to be caught in some of the cloth.
Jace held his sister’s small body close, giving her a kiss on the top of her head, to which she gave no reaction. Slowly he slid his hands down her arms, amazed by how soft and delicate they were. He leaned close to her and, unable to resist, gave her ear a little nibble.
Isabella felt this and jerked away, dropping the dress and giving her brother a confused look. She wasn’t sure but something seemed wrong. Looking into his dark blue eyes, she got the feeling that she saw something different in them, something… strange.
Jace was slowly beginning to give in to his desires, feelings he has tried to reign in for years, walking towards Isabella, arms outstretched, “Izzy, my Izzy. I want you.”
For some reason she couldn’t place, Isabella felt chills run down her spine as she heard her brother speak to her. She felt rooted to the spot, unsure of what to do. When he hugged her close and gave a slightly rough kiss on the lips, she broke free of her trance, trying to push him away. “No! I don’t want to!”
Flinging her arms about, she knocked him in the jaw. Jace let go, mostly out of surprise. With this chance, Isabella ran over to the door, starting to open it, when it closed with its own strength, it seemed. Looking up, she found herself looking at a stranger with her brother’s face. With a shriek, she ran away towards the desk, pulling open the drawer and aiming the gun in there at Jace. Her brother told her once that the gun made the bad men go away, Isabella wanted this bad man who pretended to be Jace to go away.
Jace looked at his sister, not believing she would be able to fire the weapon. “Izzy, put the gun down. It’s not a toy.” He slowly walked towards her, realizing that he had frightened her. Isabella, though, was too scared see this movement as anything more than a threat. “No! Go away!” Turning her head away and squeezing her eyes shut, Isabella pulled the trigger.
The bang of the gun rang loudly throughout the room, alarming the other members of the house that something was wrong. When Sean O’Donnell, who was enjoying a good book a moment earlier, opened the door to his son’s room, he was thrown back by what he saw: Jace, prostrate on the floor, blood flowing freely, staining the carpet as Isabella sat in nothing but her underwear, her hands wrapped loosely around the handle of Jace’s gun, staring at the body of her brother blankly as tears flowed heavily down her cheeks. Turning her head numbly towards her father, Isabella tried to explain, “Papa, he… he wanted-” before being cut off by her father’s embrace. As it began to sink in what had happened, Isabella screamed her anguish.
**
Snapping her eyes open, Izzy woke up from her comatose state, screaming without knowing why, being unable to recall any detail of the dream, only of the feeling it left with her. She wasn’t even aware of the dull pain the operation left her, nor of Mikel, who remained faithfully by his patient.
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 12:24 am
 Felix's eyes flashed to James's hand again, Wow... she thought to herself, He was probably feeling for that thing this entire time., and I didn't even notice until now.. Laughing at her own stupidity and scratching her head, Felix explained, "My monitors usually notify me immediately when there are trespassers on our property, but you came up as a high alert because of your weapon. I probably wouldn't even have bothered with you if it weren't for that." As she spoke, Felix punched a few more keys into her computer, demonstrating how she could tell Draven and Daren were both carrying as well. "It's interesting though," she said, as the new guest's guns lit up with a red light on the screen,"You said you were 'so used to carrying it,it would be dangerous not to.' This isn't exactly the nicest area for a person with a, shall we say, clean slate? Most people here are thieves, dirty cops, or gang members...I'm starting to wonder which one you could be?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 12:26 am
Kyrin walked slowly down the stairs, in somewhat of a trance. She fingered the railing with one hand and held her cub in the other. She snapped back to reality when she heard Izzy’s scream. Accidentally dropping Osiris to the stairs, she took of at a run. Skipping steps on her way down, her hair flew wildly behind her. “Izzy!” She cried. She made her way to where Izzy was, panic in her eyes.
Grabbing Izzy’s hand and dropping to her knees, she talked quickly, “Mikel, what happened? Is she in pain!?” Her voice was frantic, though it held a commanding tone. Not waiting for the answer to come straight away, Ky turned to Izzy, “Izzy, what is it? Izzy darling, what is it?” She tried to keep the worry from her voice as she talked to Izzy as gently as one would to a child.
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 12:30 am
"I'm used to concealing my weaponry, and none of the above. Thank you, though." He smiled. He was more than used to being considered dangerous. Then again, he was also used to being considered a flirt, a horrible excuse for a human being, an idiot, an a**hole, an amazing lover, or a spoiled brat. None of those bothered him. The ones that did were not appropriate for the situation, or the context. "I'd really prefer not to divulge my abhorrent past to someone I've only just met. Suffice to say, it required running from, and the ability to carry and conceal a dangerous weapon. How did you wind up with such an interesting group here, if you don't mind my asking?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 12:47 am
When Draven knocked into him, it set Craig off; pulling his gun from his pocket, he pointed it at Draven’s back, “I don’t think it’s in your best interest to be leaving this room.” He said darkly. Craig didn’t see how the guy could go from freezing cold to moving around in ten minutes time, but he was sure the only thing the guy could do would be walking, considering his before state. Flicking his eyes over to the still naked Daren, he said, “And I wouldn’t try anything if I were you either.”
Hearing Izzy's scream, Craig's heart sunk. He restrained himself, as he felt the urge to run to her. He knew, though, that his job was to watch the prisoners. Izzy is fine... Ky will tend to her. Was all Craig could think to keep himself steady.
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 12:51 am
Izzy stopped screaming as Kyrin took her hand. Looking at the older girl, Izzy shook her head as she sobbed, confused about everything that had happened, "I dont know..." Her heart was racing and she was starting to acknowledge the pain that resided in her body as it grew as she became more conscious. All she knew for sure right now was that she wanted a hug.
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 1:09 am
Just then, Felix heard terrible screams coming from downstairs. "Hold on," she said quickly, not bothering to answer James's question. Typing in a few commands, Felix brought up another translucent scream that revealed Izzy, alive and awake, screaming wildly, while Kyrin and Mikel huddled around her in concern. Although Felix was glad to see that Izzy was alive, and well enough to scream her lungs out, her heart still fell to her stomach with the noise. What is going...on??? she asked herself, pushing away the dangerous possibilities that kept forming in her mind.
Getting up from the monitors quickly, Felix reached over and grabbed James's arm. "You're going to have to come with me," she said hurridedly, guiding him toward a seemingly blank wall. Punching in a key code that would open a portal to the hall way, Felix clutched James's arm tightly, too worried to care if she was being forward, rude, or even hurting him. "Hold on." she ordered as the portal opened beneath their feet.
In mere seconds, that felt like a life time to Felix, the two were in the hallway. Dropping Jame's hand as soon as they touched the ground, Felix broke out into a run, racing to the table Izzy was on. "W-what happened?!" Felix demanded, breathing heavily in the doorway, "Is she okay?!"
Mikel blinked in surprise at seeing his second aunt appear almost immediately after Aunt Kyrin did. Trying to steady himself, for all the demands and commotion was making him very uncomfortable, Mikel tried to think of something to say. However, "Err..." and "Aahh..." were the only statements he could make. He had just finished preparing a small speech for his Aunts, stating that Izzy would be just fine, in order to escape with minimal akward hugs and blushings. However, as soon as he had finished his final stitch, Izzy had suddenly sat up and started screaming.
Coupled with the sudden intrusion of, well, everyone, Mikel felt very flustered and confused. Dark bangs began falling in his face, as he blushed at all the excitement and questions. All he could do, was turn a concerned, if more frightened, eye to Izzy. "A-ARE you alright?" he asked timidly. "If it's the pain, I'm sure my assistant will be coming with medicine for you soon."
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 1:20 am
James gasped as he was forcibly yanked along, stumbling after Felix nervously, worried about the girl he had seen on the monitor screaming. He stood to the back of the room, fidgeting his hands, unable to help. All he wanted was to do something to help her. He didn't like to see people suffering, unless he knew they deserved it. And he hadn't seen anything that made him think that the girl deserved to suffer. He watched the insane bustle around the girl, backing as far away as he could, trying to be out of the way without getting in the way of something else. He stopped the boy who seemed to be the one who knew the most, the blushing one, with a hand to his shoulder. "Is the girl going to be alright?" He asked, quietly, under the noise of everyone else.
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 1:28 am
 As Izzy began to sob, Kyrin’s heart twisted in her chest. It was always her job to protect Izzy and some how she had failed. “I’m sorry, Izzy.” She whispered; it was barely audible. Holding tightly to Izzy’s hand, for fear that if she let go something bad would happen to the girl, she turned to her cousin, “What the hell is going on?” She asked. Her tone wasn’t angry, it was more fear that could be heard. This was the first time, in her whole year as boss, that something had gotten beyond her control.
We’ve had so many missions… She thought blankly, And nothing ever happened. She tried to soothe Izzy as best she could. She stroked the girls hair, “I’m here now Izzy.” She said, “Everything is going to be okay.” The last bit was said to reassure herself, as much as it was to reassure Izzy. We were going out for furniture… She squeezed Izzy’s hand, And this is what happens?! She shushed Izzy’s sobs and stroked her hair again, What the hell did I do wrong!? She thought.
Looking to Mikel, she looked utterly lost, tears began to form in her eyes, “Do something…” She begged him quietly, “Please…” She noticed the new man, standing next to Mikel, but was in no state to question his existence at that moment.
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 1:37 am
Draven’s eyes flashed as he heard the girls cry, “shoot me if you will, but I will see the girl”, his voice was far from steady and it was starting to break with emotion, but he did his best to hide it. Draven slowly began walking towards the commotion; no longer caring about the gun to his back, there’s nothing he could really do to resist Craig. Draven was weak and had enough trouble holding himself up, let alone fighting off a man.
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 1:45 am
Mikel jumped, feeling the hand on his shoulder, and looked up into the handsome stranger's face for only a moment before looking at the floor, turning a deeper shade of red. He began to mumble an inaudible reply, before hearing Auntie Kyrin's choked up voice, begging him for reassurance. Agitated, Mikel began wringing his bloodied hands, "She...she's going to be fine...?" Mikel said softly, not sure he would ever find the right words to say. As far as Mikel could see, he had already done his job. Izzy was all sewn up, and would be on her feet in a matter of days, depending on how the healing went, everything should have gone according to plan. However, all these intense emotions being flung at him, were making him feel off balance. "The...bullet....," he tried to explain, feeling almost useless, "Missed anything vital...and I stiched her up, so...she just needs to lie down, and not...move...and....err...,"
Just as Mikel's mumblings began to fade away again, his beeper went off. Richard! Mikel sighed, very relieved, He's brought the medicine!!
Looking up at his family, plus one stranger, Mikel's blush lightened up a bit, knowing that this medicine would be his chance of escape. "Err...Richard's here...," he said timidly, feeling a little bit guilty for running away, "...with...with her medication...so...I'm....just going to step out into the courtyard...and get...some air....I-I mean, get the medicine!"
Feeling his face heat up even more, at his mistake, Mikel all, but ran out of the room, his eyes glued to the floor the entire time.
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 1:50 am
Craig’s eyes narrowed, “I don’t want to shoot you.” He said, coming up behind Draven in a swift movement. In his better judgment, he found it more fitting to leave Daren in the room then to let Draven wander off. “But I swear to you, if you go anywhere near that room, or near Izzy, you will not live through the night.” He said, putting the gun to Draven’s back, “Kyrin and Felix are already at the end of their tolerance for you, and if you so much as set foot in the room where Izzy is, you will not be safe.” Setting his free hand on Draven’s shoulder, he added, “I understand that you want to be sure she is alright, but there is no place for you, or your friend over there, within the bounds of that room.”
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 1:53 am
James laughed, altogether too amused by the boy's reaction. He looked up, around the room, recognizing Felix and a girl whose name he could not recall, only that he had seen her at gatherings of all the families in the area. He couldn't remember speaking to her more than once or twice, but only when they were smaller. He remained in the background, watching the mayhem and looking for an opportunity to ensure in person that the girl would be alright, and to reintroduce himself to the other girl, the unharmed one, whom he had ascertained was their leader, and who he would like to know again, if only to be safe. Anyone here was completely capable of killing him, and he didn't like those odds.
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 2:00 am
Draven, no longer able to hold his emotions in exploded, he whirled around to face Craig, his face a mix of emotions varying between anger, sadness, hatred and even anxiety. With his fists clenched at his sides Draven was having a hard time holding back his tears, “I care more about the girls life than my own” it was more a realization than a statement directed towards Craig. He lowered his head, as the tears finally broke free, he was slowly loosing control of what little stability he had built for himself.
Draven fell to his knees, his shoulders bobbing with the constant sobs. He felt truly pitiful sitting there, crying in front of a man he barely knew, “P-p-please, let me see her”, he stuttered between sobs.
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Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 2:08 am
Though not in the least reassured by Mikel’s statement, Kyrin looked around at those in the room with a completely different look in her eyes. She had been fighting with herself, trying to regain her control. Letting go of Izzy’s hand, she stood. Kyrin knew, from being around Mikel that Izzy would need to be moved to a bed, as to not tear her stitches. Her new outfit was wet with blood from the table, but she dismissed it and turned to her cousin. Determination replacing distress, Kyrin knew that if she didn’t quit feeling guilty for what had happened, then things could just get worse. ”Felix,” She said in a demanding tone, “I need you to turn up the heater in the ballroom to get it warmed up. Get the lights on in there, as well.” She then turned to Jamie, the only other person in the room at that point, she’s seen him enter shortly after Felix earlier. “You,” She said sharply, ”Make yourself of some use!”
Pointing to the sink she said, “Run the hot water, there are towels in the second drawer. I need two, put them under the water and then leave it on.” Looking once again to her cousin she said, “We’re also going to need one of the cots in there and a change of clothes for Izzy, now!”
There was no way they were taking Izzy up stairs in her condition; not to mention Izzy’s room was still covered in yellow paint. Kyrin resolved to use the ballroom, as Izzy seemed to like it in there. Turning to look down at Izzy, Kyrin said, “I’m going to get you cleaned up and you’re going to rest a while, kay?”
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