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Redecorating



Time: Monday
Where: LuLu's room
Who: Josh and LuLu
What: LuLu makes a mess
Status: Complete



Josh had arrived from his job as a tennis instructor at his usual time, 2pm exactly. He was in a particularly good mood as denoted by the bounce in his step. Bobby had not pitched a fit. Even Susan, the notorious drama queen, had kept her shenanigans to a minimum. The boy had a feeling today was going to play out into a beautiful day.

He was wrong.

Josh made a quick trip to his room to drop off his equipment and change before he paid a visit across the hall to LuLu.

That was a mistake.

He knocked on her door briefly before he turned the knob and invited himself in. Josh froze for a few moments before it occurred to him just what he was seeing.

LuLu was covered in paint.

LuLu and LuLu’s floor were covered in paint.

LuLu, LuLu’s floor, and LuLu’s entire room were covered in paint.

LuLu, LuLu’s floor, and LuLu’s entire room were covered in red, non washable paint.

Josh could not contain the noticeable twitch that caused the corners of his lips to spasm. He drew a few ragged breathes to calm down his voice a few notches before he spoke. It came out as a low, pained mumble, “LuLu… What is this?” His hand pressed against a wall. It gained a fresh, red coat of paint. He held it up to the raevan.

LuLu’s ears gave a gentle shake before she responded. Her lips melted into a dazzling smile before she chimed, “Red. Pretty. Room is pretty now.” She giggled and held out a paintbrush and a bottle of paint to Josh, her weapons of destruction. “Help?”

Josh could no longer contain himself. His shout ripped the smile right off the rabbit’s face, “LULU YOU DO NOT TO THINGS LIKE THIS!!!” He stomped over to yank the offending paint drenched objects from her slim fingers. “BAD LULU!” He huffed and lowered his voice once more. Just barely. “You are going to get a time out now.”

Lulu frowned. Those words were all foreign to her. She was bad? A time out? What was her guardian talking about? LuLu floated lower to the ground to avoid Josh’s scathing glare and biting tone. She found herself inching closer and closer to her beloved closet. Her ribbon completely dragged behind her, like the train of a dress, as she approached the familiarity of the closet’s darkness.

Josh slammed the closet door closed.

“No.” He picked her up gently and carried her out into the hall. He placed her nose first into the barest corner of the wall. Josh himself was familiar with this spot. He had visited it many a time when he was young, but generally it was following a good beating. Josh shook the thought from his head.

He was not like his dad.

LuLu looked up at him with the most pathetic look a child could muster. Her lavender eyes were filled with unshed tears. The boy almost felt his heart give way; however, his brain quickly beat away that feeling. He directed her head back into the right angle the two white walls produced. “No, we do not make messes in our rooms LuLu. You will stay there just like this until I get back. Then you will help me clean up the mess you made.” Josh walked into his room.

He paused in the doorway, “If you help nicely we can watch cartoons afterward.”

His heart may have won just a little bit over his brain.

Spill In Aisle Four



Time: Weekday fternoon
Where: A supermarket
Who: Josh, Kinsey, LuLu, and Varun
What: Shopping
Status: Complete
Post-note:



When LuLu arrived home she was much livelier than her usual timid disposition. “Hold on Lulu,” Josh chucked as he opened the door that the raevan was nearly clawing at. She burst through the front door and practically bounded through the living room to her room. Josh watched her curiously until she took a sharp turn, practically knocking over picture frame in her rush, to disappear through a door and arrived at her destination. The rabbit frei flopped onto her bed, barely used, and began to rummage in the space between the mattress and the floor.

The raevan pulled out a small, red notebook Josh had gotten for her. She flipped to one of the front pages. Some were already filled with her first attempts at writing. Others were filled with drawings. But this entry was going to be special. She needed to find an empty page for this. Once found, she began to scribble a crude picture of the first raevan she had met: Varun. Next to his face she scribbled a heart or two to demonstrate how much she had enjoyed his company. It was an average rating.

She considered it satisfactory for her first encounter.

Girl Time



Time: Weekday
Where: The Mall
Who: LuLu and Josh's mom
What: Spending girl time together
Status: Complete



Jannet hated being bored.

I should repeat that.

Jannet HATED being bored.

Today was a particularly boring morning. She had been spending the last few days cooped up in her house. The most she had been able to do was catch up on her knitting. Of course, LuLu was always nearby when she did that. The girl loved to sneak a meal and the woman loved the raevan’s company. However, Jannet could only take so many handicrafts before she felt like she would jam the needle into her head. Eve LuLu has moments where nodding off was more entertaining than forcing herself to stay awake. All of this boiled down to one fact. Monotony was okay… in moderation.

LuLu watched as Jannet expertly maneuvered her knitting needles. One over the other. She was threading pink into blue at breakneck speed. The rabbit frei was absorbed into the show. The flashes of new color along with the sweet taste of creativity permeating through the air left her giddy. The frei felt her eyelids lulling closed for the fourth time that day. Everything was going smoothly until...

Jannet fumbled in a stitch.

LuLu looked up.

Josh’s mom never fumbled a stitch.

Jannet breathed a sigh before she spoke. Her voice drifted through the room. It was not directed at anyone particular. It was more comparable to a quiet request, “I should go have fun today,” her hazel eyes met LuLu’s own lavender orbs, “We should go have fun today.” A few seconds passed. The woman’s words clung heavily in the air. LuLu twitched in anticipation.

What did Josh's mom want? LuLu felt like she was having fun. It may have been a bit less eventful then the standard person's morning; however, the rabbit raevan was quite content with watching Jannet work.

The woman soon rose from her chair and tugged the raevan up by her one red patterned arm. “Let’s go Bunnybear!”Th raevan gave a squeak of surprise but obliged. She was not to worried about where Jannet was taking her. She had grown to trust the woman over the few weeks she had been with Josh's family. The woman had not done anything wrong yet in her eyes.

As she dragged LuLu along, Jannet spared a glance at the clock. They had four hours before anyone would be home. With that bit of information weighing her down, Jannet tried her best to plot a secret getaway for her and the frei. She would hate to have Chris or Josh nosing about in their girl time. So that left one question: Where should they go? It had to be somewhere close by. One location stood out to her instantly.

The mall!

LuLu needed to get out and experience more social places. The mall would be a perfect opportunity for that. Plus, the mall always had a way of providing the some of best 'girl times' out there. Jannet grabbed her keys off a hook by the front door and disappeared outside with LuLu. The image of their day out was painted vividly in her mind.



The duo had managed to waste three hours perusing the various shops that lined the mall. Jannet had managed to drag LuLu into even the deepest bowels of the department stores. Likewise, LuLu had managed to drag Jannet to every pink or red adorned shop there. So far LuLu has been enjoying herself. At first, the large amount of people had turned her off. With time, she had grown more comfortable with her surroundings though. It seemed like observing the mall was becoming a new game for the young frei.

Like clockwork, the rabbit would pause once every ten paces to float in front of a display window and observe the trinkets that laid behind the well polished glass. Eventually she would grow tired of the stylish clothing or sparkling accessories and then she would continue forward another ten steps until yet another storefront caught her interests. The process repeated itself over and over.

Float.

Stop.

Observe.

Float.

Stop.

Observe.

Float.

Stop.

LuLu broke her monotony, to Jannet’s delight, when she stopped in front of a Store entitled “Claire’s”. The inside piqued her interests instantly. The store smelled of saccharine sweet perfume and appeared like one big tween block party. The frei squeaked gently, “Go inside.” The woman she had in tow had no objections and followed LuLu into the store. The rabbit raevan was awestruck by all the wonders that were held within one ten by ten square. The walls were lined with pink. They practically dripped and oozed the color. Femininity was practically blasted into LuLu’s retinas at each turn.

Her hands grazed over the stuffed animals affectionately. Then they wandered over to fiddle with the cell phone jewelry contently. She even gave a few seconds to look at the gem studded shoes wistfully. She stared at her reflection in them. Her soft eyes trailed down to her ribbon. Maybe one day.

Jannet was doing much of the same thing; examining the shop’s wares. Her movements had a bit more vigor and excitement though. Toys were knocked over, carts were pushed to the side, and displays were left a mess. The woman was much like the proverbial bull in the china shop. Jannet let out a high squeal when something exceptionally good caught her eye. Her arm flailed behind her blindly until it hooked on a slim arm. She yanked the limb whilst crying to the heavens, “HUGGYBUNNY LOOK WHAT GRAMGRAM FOUND!!!”

A mortified oriental woman stared back at her. Her gently accented voice peeped, “Let go!” She ripped her small arm away and quickly vacated Claire’s. Jannet waved to the fleeing woman, “I am sorry!” She shot her an apologetic smile before she turned back around to search for the slim arm she was originally trying to find. Sure enough, a familiar tattoo flashed in front of Jannet. The woman reached out and tugged LuLu towards her. The rabbit gave a mild protest due to the fact she was being pulled away from the necklaces. She has just spotted an exceptionally adorable one. It was cluttered with charms. Some of them resembled birds and other rabbits. She had fallen in love with the accessory instantly. With her attention torn away from her beloved find LuLu chirruped, “What?”

Jannet pulled a pair of earrings from a stand and brought them to one of LuLu’s fur covered appendages. The ear flopped lazily around in Jannet’s hand as she centered the jewelry. “Want to get your ears pierced LuLubuu?” She pulled the earrings away and jingled them enticingly in the raevan’s face. Two metallic roses stared back at LuLu. The girl cocked her head to the side quizzically as she followed the dangling baubles. She had earrings already. Did Josh’s mom want her to get more? She did not see the point. She had shinies and did not feel the need for more. Jannet cooed, “Come oooooon. I’ll get them too!” She flipped back her hair to reveal a perfect, matching set of studs. LuLu hesitantly nodded. If Josh’s mom was getting more than she should too. A feeling of obligation was swelling in her chest. Jannet cried out, “GREAT!” She approached the front desk and made her desires known to every clerk in the store. LuLu could not help but feel a twinge of embarrassment due to the woman's boundless excitement. She would get over it though. For now, Jannet and herself were getting their ears pierced again. Right then and there.

LuLu was the first victim.

The first employee to respond to Jannet's outbursts was a bit hesitant to pierce rabbit ears at first. It was not usually a part of the employee training sessions. However, after some persuading, poking, jumping, and shaking from Jannet they were finally swayed. The rabbit’s ears were sanitized, marked, and ready to go in a matter of seconds. LuLu seemed to be handling the experience swimmingly as compared to most children who had to undergo the same procedure. Most likely the frei did not know what was coming. They say that ignorance is bliss after all. LuLu was cool and collected, even as the gun touched to her skin. She gave a small flinch due to surprise yet remained calm.

Then there was a pause.

It continued.

CA-CHAK!!!

The raevan’s face contorted with horror as the first needle was slammed into her ear. The poor frei was so startled and frozen with fear that she did not fight against the second puncture that was made. Now her right ear contained three piercing and her left one. It may have been a testament to Jannet’s horrible sense of balance. Or perhaps, LuLu had made an attempt at forming her own unique style.

LuLu’s eyes were filling with tears. The girl had no idea that piercing involved pain. Her hands wormed their way upwards to sooth away the dull sting radiating through her ears. She had been betrayed by Josh’s mom! The woman had hurt her!!! Additionally, her ears were now annoyingly heavier. LuLu’s ear gave an agitated twitch before she floated out of the chair. She glared up at Jannet. A fierce pout was spread over her face. Even her cheeks were pushed out in anger. LuLu's words came out as a slow threat, “Your turn.” Jannet almost regretted flopping her butt into the seat. It was like awaiting a death sentence. The woman tried to make an appeal, “It was not that bad LuLubuu. Here. I will let you pierce mine.” She gave a glance at the employee as if seeking the authority to allow such an occurrence. The teenage girl just gave a shrug.

She was not getting paid enough to care.

Jannet smiled and allowed her ears to undergo the same treatment as LuLu’s. The only exception was that the rabbit frei was allowed to give the final blow. LuLu's hands were a bit unsteady with the gun. Of course, she was angry at Jannet but she would never want to actively hurt Josh's mom.

The rabbit would have preferred if someone else had to do her dirty work for her. Plus, she enjoyed Jannet's company too much to off her for such a frivolous reason. Nevertheless, when Jannet gave her a gentle coax, the job was completed without too much damage. The personal involvement in Jannet’s ‘torture’ helped ease LuLu’s feeling of betrayal.

LuLu even let out a giggle when they were both allowed to look at themselves in the body length mirrors that lined the store. Even though they were a bit irritating, LuLu could not deny the fact that the new gold studs were cute.

Both LuLu and Jannet left Claire’s with a matching pair earrings and a matching pair of smiles.



The two seemed to have grown even closer during the drive back home. Jannet was competing with the clock to arrive at their house on time yet she still found moments to listen to LuLu’s spiels about glitter and rainbows. The woman enjoyed the rabbit’s company. It was a refreshing affair in her opinion. Josh was never around long enough to have a long discussion with. As well, her day spent with LuLu had been much cheerier than her husband’s idea of a good time.

Likewise, LuLu enjoyed that Jannet had plenty of time to listen. The timid frei had plenty to say when she wanted to say something. The possibility existed that, with time, she may even develop into a regular chatterbox.

The woman turned to the frei, “I am glad we went to have fun today.” LuLu paused in an important part of her conversation, she was just getting to why kittens were better than puppies, to reply, “I am glad too GramGram.” Jannet felt the corners of her lips tug upwards at the mention of her self given nickname. LuLu gave her a smile in return and continued on with her conversation without missing a beat.

Jailbreak



Time: A Friday in Spring
Where: Josh's neighborhood
Who: LuLu and Zul
What: LuLu meets with Zul
Status: Complete
Post-note:



Josh had been up in arms with himself over where his frei had disappeared to. He had only left LuLu outside for a few moments. However, that seemed to be just enough time for the girl to escape without a trace. The teenager had felt a wave of nervousness when he first took account of the fact that his raevan had gone missing. After fifteen minutes he turned panicked. After an hour he had turned alarmed. Now his condition was quickly deteriorating into hysteria. Not one stone in their yard was left unturned or bush left unshaken. The boy could not get rid of the obscene images that had started to plague his mind like a building fever. A car would make an innocuous path by his house and Josh’s mind would play reels containing LuLu’s demise. Her small body would be laying in a ditch somewhere on the edge of town. Josh let out an audible gasp. A hand went to clasp his aching chest. His breath had become ragged long ago. How could he let this happen?! Christopher’s words kept playing on a loop in the boy’s head; it was harsh like nails on a chalkboard. No authority, no authority, no authority!!! Josh was on the verge of breaking down. The only thing that stopped him from tottering off the cusp of madness and curling up into a sobbing ball was a knock on his door.

Josh rushed to answer it and was shocked to find a pair of blond ears bobbing in greeting.

Just like that, LuLu was in his arms again and the boy’s rampaging guilt had begun to settle down. The person who had given him deliverance was a familiar raevan and his guardian. Josh barely shared a word with the duo. He was afraid that engaging into too much chit chat would lead to him getting scolded. He thought he saw Zul give him a look or two, but he dismissed them. In the end, only a few terse greetings and goodbyes were shared between them. During their dealings, LuLu was passed off as though she was a part of some candid drug smuggle. With the rabbit frei back in his possession, Josh underwent a sudden change of heart. He had been given yet another chance. He concluded that he would not fail LuLu again.

Things were going to be different from now on.

The Bonds We Share



Time: Weekend
Where: Josh's house
Who: LuLu and Josh
What: Josh apologizes
Status: Complete



A day had passed in the Peterson household. Josh had remained vigilant to any sign of LuLu attempting to rebel. Meanwhile, LuLu had actually remained in her room with no protest. This surprised Josh given the fact that the girl had practically proclaimed that he had no power over her. It was a bit relieving. Perhaps, deep down, she had not completely forgotten about him.

At around 3pm, LuLu’s usual TV time, Josh decided that enough was enough. LuLu had endured her punishment sufficiently.

She may have also had a chance to cool down

He slowly opened up her door and peeked in. After a scan of the perimeter the boy found the rabbit frei curled up in her makeshift den. She often went in there to mull over things. He approached the bundle of blankets with care. His voice seeped out honeyed and sweet, “LuLu. You listening?”

A muffled voice sounded through the first layer of sheets, “Yes.” Josh felt a small weight lifted off his shoulders when she replied. She was no longer ignoring him. That was always a good sign with women. “Sweety, I just want you to know I care about you. I want to show you that to you. I won’t ever leave you again. Okay?”

LuLu’s ears gave an interested twitch. The prospect of the boy actually trying to redeem himself was intriguing. She was fond of the idea. It was much better than him just suddenly claiming ownership of her like she was a mere toy. If he really thought he was up to the task, she would allow it, so long as the boy did not cross his bounds again and claim that she was 'his'.

LuLu was never one to deny receiving attention.

Plus, Josh had never really been bad to her; rather, he was just not a prominent force in her life. LuLu had people she loved, like Jannet, and people she hated, like Chris. Josh was just… there. Perhaps, he could prove himself to be more like his mother than his father.

The bundle in the closet shifted until her head poke out from a Sesame Street quilt, “Fine. Another chance.” Josh smiled. He felt as though he had just passed a great judgment of some sort.This was a good start on the right track. “What is the first thing I can do to show you I care?” LuLu pondered this for a moment before she spoke.

“New brush.”

Your Serve!



Time: Weekday
Where: Tennis courts (Aekea Racquet Club)
Who: LuLu and Josh
What: Josh teaches LuLu about tennis
Status: Complete



After a few days LuLu’s wounds had healed. Only a small number of pale scratches still remained on her palms as a testament to her run in with Eiry. The frei was still bitter about the whole incident. Josh could tell. Whenever the raevan caught sight of her hands, she would pause few a few seconds to stare at the scratches resentfully. Josh decided to mark the occasion with another attempt at a father/daughter outing. He only prayed that no one would get injured again. LuLu needed a nice day out and not another thing to trouble herself over.

So her they were. At the Aekea Racquet Club that resided just outside of Josh’s neighborhood. It was the closest place where the boy was able to get his tennis fix. The boy had decided that, perhaps, introducing LuLu to the new activity would be pleasant as well. It also helped that he happened to coach said sport here regularly. Josh even noticed a few of his students walking towards the exit as he entered with LuLu. It put a smile on his face to see them enjoying themselves.

Josh found a court for LuLu and himself in a matter of seconds. In no time, he had his equipment out and was making his way towards the rabbit. The frei watched his actions curiously. She knew that they were there to have ‘fun’. However, she did not know much other than that. When Joshed placed a racquet in her hands she was even more confused. The frei rotated the metal object in her grasp then tapped it on the ground gingerly. It made a hollow clank but nothing aside from that. Josh chided softly with a laugh, “No Lu. You use it to play. Like this.” Josh demonstrated a perfectly executed stroke to the girl. LuLu’s brows knitted together as Josh demonstrated the movements one more time to her. The action was simple yet she could not shake the underlying feeling of difficulty. Whatever. She would give it a try if it would please Josh and maybe earn her a hug or two. The rabbit wrapped both her hands around the racquet as her guardian had done. She then turned her body as shown as swung with all her might.

The racquet slipped from her grasp and clattered harshly against the fence at the other side of the court.

A few people took the time to look over and see what had transpired on their court. Josh waved the sudden attention away and went to recollect LuLu’s racquet. When he returned he began the lesson again. He used the same care as when he taught the six year olds on his Sunday classes. “You grip firmly Lu. Like it is a dolly you really want.” The boy handed her the racquet and let her try again. The rabbit hesitantly took the handle. She awkwardly fumbled with the racquet until it her fingers were threaded around it properly. LuLu tried Josh’s movements again. This time the racquet sliced through the air cleanly. Yet, it did not stop. LuLu kept up with the motion until the racquet smacked into her back. She gave a frightened yelp and dropped the dreadful device on the ground. Josh sighed. It was exactly like teaching a six year old. It would take some practice.

The boy picked up LuLu’s racquet for the second time that day. He approached her and gave her a rub on the back to sooth away any sting that might still remain in her shoulder blades. “That was good Sweety. You just need to remember to stop once it gets to the top. Try again.” LuLu shook her head quickly. Her voice chimed, “No. Hurts.” She did not like pain. She did not like getting hurt. Why should she do something that did that to her?

Josh smiled, “It was not that bad. See.” The boy took his own racquet and swung at full force. It was a blur that arched around him. He copied his frei’s actions and slammed the edge of the racquet on his back. He did not make a peep and tried to not let a sign of the intense sting cross his features. He soon began to laugh loudly into the air. The action was hiding the fact he was near tears. “You live Silly. Try it again.”

The boy sighed. It was never fun teaching kids to get over their fear of a sport. It was a pain… in the back.

LuLu’s eyes were large and terrified. Had the boy really just done that to himself? The sight was frightening; yet, the raevan could not deny the fact that the boy was still standing and seemingly unharmed. Fine. There was her proof that the sport was safe. She would try again.

The raevan took up her racquet again and reattempted Josh’s motions from earlier. This time her arms stopped just before her racquet collided with her back. Josh clapped. LuLu reveled in the burst of praise. Oh, how she loved attention. Josh was pleased that she had picked up on a backstroke so rapidly. That did not mean the lesson was over though. It was far from it. The boy gave the girl a grin, “Wonderful. Now do it again.” LuLu was taken aback.

Again?

LuLu was shocked at first but complied. She did not like over exerting herself but she would play along. After all, this was getting her attention and was making Josh happy. The rabbit could put up with it for now. The girl swung along back and forth with her racquet apathetically.

Back and................................................. forth

Back and......................... forth

Back and... forth

She was unwittingly gaining momentum. Between the third and fourth strokes LuLu felt a rush of energy. The raevan was left giddy because of the abrupt exhilaration. She was also left in awe.

LuLu was even more surprised to find that she had quickly grown to enjoy tennis.



Many hours passed by that day as the two enjoyed themselves on the courts. Josh had managed to fine tune LuLu’s technique until he could maintain a short rally with the rabbit. He enjoyed the fact that she was a quick learner. Maybe it was because she was a raevan? Maybe it was because she was a rabbit? The boy did not fret too much over the details. All he knew was that LuLu gave him a genuine smile that day and that was all that mattered.

For Me?



Time: Soon after Not Photogenic
Where: Josh's house
Who: LuLu
What: LuLu gets a gift
Status: Complete





LuLu had not been expecting a gift in the mail. She could not complain though. The girl was very pleased with the attractive bracelet that resided under the quaint wrapping paper. The person it was from, Ebony, she remembered vaguely from the Christmas party earlier that year. She vaguely wondered what had spurred the sudden present, but the frei did not ponder this for too long. She was too absorbed in gawking at her newest treasure.

LuLu examined the trinket on her wrist again, probably for the fifteenth time that day. The rabbit spun it gently around until the glittering gem faced her. She could not help but feel a flutter in her chest. The vibrant gold and the lush purple of jewelry left her mystified.

LuLu could not help but question how she could get more like this.