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 Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 5:00 pm
Ah, so this one did carry a bit of luggage with her. Lantis thought quietly, the thought didn't register upon his calm features and he moved on as if he hadn't heard. He tilted his slightly. "You know that's not true, I believe someone will miss a pretty thing like you. Family, your friends back home...your boyfriend..." Lantis liked believing the best in other people, no matter how many times he'd seen how ugly people could really be. At the offer of a little company and perhaps something hot to drink, Lantis wasn't exactly sure weather to take the offer or just move on. But since the girl wanted to make it up to them, he didn't want her to feel bad. She already had enough to think about. Strangely enough Lantis found himself wishing that just once, he could see her smile, and he meant really smile. He bet Rae would be really beautiful. With that secret thought he didn't object. "I would feel a lot better if you changed out of those soppy wet clothes. It doesn't take long for hypothermia to set in." He remarked off handedly. Really, sometimes Lantis wondered what was wrong with him. Plenty of other ways to say it and not sound so damn disinterested.
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 1:46 am
Serena smiled, but shook her head. "Oh, I had coffee this morning... But, maybe a rain check. It's a small town, and I doubt it'd be hard to find me at all.." she said, before fishing in her jacket pocket, pulling out a small, rectangular card. "Here's my contact information," she said with a nod and a small wink. "Call me for that rain check, but I best be off for the moment... I've got to get back to my apartment and get these photos developed," she said with another smile.
Getting up, Serena grabbed her things. "it was nice meeting you both, Rae, Lantis... Ciao," she said, and with that, camera and jacket in hand, Serena walked off and back towards her apartment. Of course, she could have taken a taxi, which would have saved her the walk, but she doubted any taxi driver would really want to pick her up, especially because of her dampness. It might ruin their cars.
Turning down a street, a little girl suddenly turned the corner, bumping into her. "Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly, not having been prepared for that small bump. She held out her hands and caught the girl in mid-fall. "Jennifer, what did I tell you abotu running?" a woman's voice said, and Serena looked up, seign what looked to be the little brunette's mother. "I'm sorry about that, miss," the woman said, looking down at her daughter before grabbing her hand and walking off. Serena, though she desperately wanted to smile, could not bring herself to do it. These days, just seeign children made Serena's heart jerk with sorrow, and she sighed, continuing her walk, but at a slower pace. Was she ready to be a mother? A single mother, nonetheless... It would be difficult.
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 1:33 pm
Rae nodded at Lantis words not sure what could be said to that. It may have been warming up but the waters were still freezing as the water seemed to soak into her very bones. Looking to Serena she was a little startled that she was leaving so quickly but as she opened her mouth to say something she automatically took the card though thankfully stopped before putting it in her pocket. Scanning over it she thought about taking her seriously, about the thought of having a friend but that was something for another time. Taking a deep breath she turned to Lantis, "So do you still want to get some coffee with me or-" Rae left the sentence to hang. She wasn't going to hold it against him if he changed his mind but she didn't want to spend the day alone. Alone was a horrible feeling that could pull you under at any moment. As she rang out her hair once more she continued, "Of course I should change first. Walk with me or meet me there?" Rae asked brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:32 pm
((Please read the Annoucements!!))
The wind blew gently, brushing against her body like a smooth caress. Vaguely she wondered if maybe that was the way a fathers embrace was supposed to be, warm and welcoming, rather than cold and occupational. Shrugging away the thoughts and the small chill that accompanied them, Nikki turned suddenly and changed her route. For some reason the idea of going to the dock today scared her and she was loath to face that fear. After all, she had been facing her fears for a good portion of her life. Then again, not so much facing them as bearing with them. Sighing, she slipped her hands into her pockets and headed towards the town, towards one of her favorite cafes.
Hugging her jacket to her, Nikki was once again lost in her thoughts, though these were not just gentle strands of confusion. These thoughts, these horrible, unwanted memories, were of the last time she had seen her father. Nikki remembered waking up the day of her 18th birthday, happy and excited, but not in the way that a normal person would be. She was excited that she would be able to leave her house, to leave the devil's grasp that was her father. When the sun rose she was already awake and grabbing the boxes that sat at the end of her bed. She'd been packing for almost a week now, in the quiet of night when Jonas, her father, wasn't awake.
Grabbing the keys from her dresser and pushing the door to her room with her foot, Nikki quietly stepped outside the room and slowly made her way to the front door. She was outside within seconds, pushing the box into the bed of a friend's truck that had just pulled up. He sat behind the wheel for a moment, waiting on her, before quickly following her back inside, and as quietly as possible, helping her get her things. They had gotten all but one of the boxes out side and in the truck and he was waiting in the car for her then, as she went inside to grab the last one. But then, just as she was about to enter her room, something hard and blunt slammed into her side, sending her crashing into the wall.
Nikki grunted as she slid down to the floor, staring up in surprise at Jonas. Her father glared down at her, his eyes an icy grey pool of hate. In his fisted hands, he held a crowbar and she realized that's what he had hit her with. She was only down for a moment, before he jerked her back up by the elbow and brought his face closer to hers. "Just where do you think you're goin?" he asked. And this was the thing that she hated the most, the fact that his voice, even when he was like this, was so deadly calm. "I never said you could leave."
"Get your hands off me! I'm 18 today, you can't touch me anymore!" She jerked her arm away from him and quickly stepped around him, only to be pushed into the wall again, this time trapped by his much larger frame. Before she could utter a word, his fist connected with her jaw, sending black spots flying into her vision. Nikki wasn't down yet and she was going to stop him from touching her anymore. A snarl dropper her small lips and she quickly brought her knee up and slammed it into his groin. He grunted and loosened his grip enough for her to get away, but she wasn't quick enough. The next thing she knew she was lying on the floor, blood dripping into her eyes. She jerked away then, when a hand touched her cheek, calming only when a warm voice entered her ears. David. The friend that had come to help her. Nikki let him pull her up and dizzly, she pointed out the last box.
As they finally began to leave the house, she saw her father lying on the ground, glass glittering around his head, the crowbar on the other side of the hallway. She hesitated for only a moment, before pushing David ahead and quickly making her way to her fathers office. Underneath his desk was a safe which she knew the combination to and Nikki easily opened it. Inside she knew was what amounted to $50,000. She took it all, before stepping over her father and rushing outside, blood running down her face and dripping onto her blouse.
Nikki was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed she was getting closer to the cafe. It's where she went on a daily basis after work or when she got home and decided to walk, which was often. Her hands had fisted in her jacket pockets and her face had paled a great deal at the memory. As she took another step, she could hear her favorite song playing from somewhere behind her and the sound of cars seemed to fade as she passed the cafe. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize she was stepping out into mid-morning traffic. Again she caught another chord of the guitar in the background and a verse of her song.
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Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 4:09 pm
The game had ended. Of course the Spirals had been triumphant, the kids couldn't seem to keep their feet on the ground. But Laurence felt like he'd lost. In a crowd of at least three hundred, the mob could be hiding. It was something he'd never be able to get rid of. He grabbed his duffel bag and waved a solemn good-bye to his team.
The streets were bustling with activity. To Laurence, the world seemed to go in slow motion, the world barely moving. His gaze stayed to the ground at his feet, for fear of seeing something he didn't want to see. His duffel bag swung beside him with some invisible beat, matching the rythmn of his feet.
His shoes made a clicking sound on the pavement, the spikes of his cleats seemingly making his steps loud. To everyone else, he was only a person in the crowd. But to himself, Laurence was a target. Waiting to be hit. Of course, thoughts drew him into dreamland and you can't avoid bumping into someone for long.
Without seeing her, Laurence ran into a blonde girl. Only when he stumbled backward, did he realize he'd actually hit something living, not just a metal pole. His gaze snapped as he looked at the girl.
"Sorry 'bout that," he said, averting his gaze.
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Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 4:50 pm
"If someone said three years from now
You'd be long gone
I'd stand up and punch them out
Cause they're all wrong
I know better
Cause you said-"
Gabriel broke off the lyric as his eyes wandered to a woman with curly brown hair across the street... who was stepping into traffic. Without thinking he dropped the guitar on the concrete, making an awful din, and raced forward, dodging cars himself to pull her out of the way of an oncoming SUV, and into the meridian between the two lanes. The sound of blood pounding in his ears and the sounds of his heavy breathing were so loud that it took a moment before he heard Marisol calling his name.
"Gabriel! Gabriel!" She sounded terrified - and who could blame her? He cursed himself slightly for making her fear for him.
He turned and saw the little girl standing at the edge of the concrete. "Stay there," he commanded. "We're okay." He turned to the curly-haired girl again. "You are all right, aren't you?" he asked concernedly. It was then he really got a better look at her. She was... beautful, in a subtle girl-next-door way. Her hair was tied back in a sensible ponytail, which led him to wonder why she hadn't realized she was walking into the street. Maybe he ought to introduce himself. Then again, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. The last time he introduced himself to someone his age, it was Melissa. All things considered, that hadn't turned out well. He wondered where she was now. The last day he had seen her was in the court room. No, he had to move forward from that. Regardless, he found he couldn't utter a word. Easier said than done as they all say. So he simply decided to let her answer the question. If she didn't care about his name, that was fine with him... wasn't it?
Gabriel supposed his problem was that he could never come to a decision on anything. His mind was constantly doubting his own thoughts, warping them, so that he no longer knew how he felt about anything. Possibilities, past mistakes, and the present were all jumbled in his head. Lucy had said he needed a psychiatrist or something, but Gabriel didn't want to see a shrink. He just needed something to do to clear his head. Like singing. Though that had been quickly interrupted.
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Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 2:17 pm
One minute she was standing upright, the next she was being knocked to the ground and secured in a pair of strong arms and disconcerting body heat. Nikki was more than a little dazed at the sudden sensastion of being little more than tackled and pushed out of on-coming traffic. Her hip acked from where it had hit the median and the palm of her hand was scratched slightly. As her hip started to throb she realized then what exactly had happened. Tilting her head back somewhat, Nikki felt a blush rise to her cheeks at his sharp features, before quickly looking back down. "Yeah, I'm okay. I...don't really know how that happened. Sorry for causing you worry." Pulling away from him slightly, she looked across the street and noticed the cute little girl. Guild suddenly reared it's ugly head and she quickly turned to him again. "I'm so sorry! That must have scared you're daughter very much. You should go make sure she's alright!" Seeing as her job was to work with children around that age, Nikki knew very well that some children would break into histerics at the sight of their parents being so close to harm.
((And yes, I know she's not actually his daughter...))
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 2:21 am
Serena had been so immersed in her own thoughts. Why did Devon have to leave her like this? Maybe she should just move on... Give up the child... Leave it at that and just allow herself to rot away. She couldn't be happy after losing him... She didn't want to be happy. Oddly enough, she felt that she would feel guilty if she ended up infatuated with another man. A single tear ran down her cheek, silent... Hitting the ground with a loud crash.
She sighed. The lines in the sidewalk were monotonous, and if she really wanted to, she could memorize each and every one of them... Maybe one day, if she were truly bored, she would do it, but today wasn't a day to do that. Right in that moment, she couldn't think of any other place that she wanted to be but in her dark room with pictures... Snippets of moments that she could look at and remember... She had so many snippets of Devon... His bright smile flashing at her... His beautiful, blue eyes looking at her... The way his dark hair flipped perfectly... Everything. How she wanted so bad to disappear into that dark room and never emerge again...
The wind that seemed to pick up in tune with her thoughts almost seemed to be pushing her onward even faster... Or maybe, it was juse her growing need to be in the confinements of her apartment... She hated to let people see her cry. It was such an odd shame... She wanted to just collapse in the middle of the sidewalk at times and hug her knees to her chest and cry... In fact, she had once, but that was once, and it was strange. People are odd. Some stop and ask if you're alright.. others will glare, whereas others will cross the street, just so that they can avoid you. She wondered what would happen this time if she did it. The wind, however, was perfectly blowing her hair in her face, so even if she began tearing up, no one would really be able to see the crystal tears drop from shattered blue eyes.
And it was this lack in vision that caused Serena to bump into the second thing of the day, stumbling back slightly, almost loosign balance, but catching herself, snaggign her hand against the stranger's shirt to balance herself out. Realizing she was clutching the man's shirt, she blushed, letting it go. She heard his voice, saw his face, his build, everything... And this man in front of her... She could almost swear it was Devon... or his twin. Nonetheless, she shook her head. "Oh, it's okay... It was partially my fault... I tend to zone out a lot," she said with a smile and a nod.
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:15 am
Laurence was taken by surprise as the girl reached for his shirt. His face gained a light pink tinge. He finally looked up at her, his brown eyes meeting her blue eyes. And he was surprised to see what he saw. He expected a girl of such beauty to be happy, but her eyes betrayed her.
"It was my fault. I'm Laurence. Laurence Monroe," he said suddenly.
He immediatly regretted that. Out of all the things he could do, he had to introduce himself. If Laurence were alone, he would have smacked himself.
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 3:41 pm
Lantis wasn't sure what to make of the situation. It's been awhile since he felt compelled to be in the company of another, usually, after work he went straight home to sleep. He had been offered to hang out with his co workers, but he always felt uneasy, perhaps that came from the fear of them ever finding out who he was really, what he was. Lantis didn't want to risk that. All his years of treatment, of seeing doctors, all the masks he'd made to protect himself from others, or vise versa, it would all be destroyed.
But it was different when he crouched next to her. Perhaps because she was very pretty with eyes that echoed of a sorrow that he knew only too well. Maybe it was true, misery loved company. He couldn't ruin what was already broken right? Everyone had perfect lives, unmarred, and he didn't want to be the one to ruin it. But some how, he felt it was okay if it was her. Maybe she'd avoid all the questions he feared because she would fear that he would ask the same. Like walking on thin ice, they were dancing a most delicate dance.
The young man turned his head to the side as if to consider her question. "I'll walk with you. Just to make sure you get back to your place safe and not fall into another body of water by accident. Are you sure it's fine? I mean you don't have to do this, you barely know me and anyone would have done the same for you. It's ...natural right?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:56 pm
As her mind warned and reminded her of what talking to others could, how precariously close she sat to the edge of sanity and complete despair and why this was a bad idea she tried to push it away. She had always been taught, The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. The heart withers if it does not answer another heart. Rae wanted desperately to believe there were still good people in the world though experience had shown her otherwise. Looking into his eyes and the fragile conversation they had formed based on lies and half truths, she tried to ration there was nothing to loose. A razors edge that she hoped would keep away the questions that could destroy her mask and reserve of emotion.
A faint blush crept into her face with a carefully composed smile, "I'll try not to make you rescue me again, but I can not promise anything. I have a feeling this is going to be one of those days where I could trip over a flat surface." Shaking her head as she stood, "I wish I could believe that it was natural to want to help others yet every time I turn on the TV someone else has been shot or stabbed." Another half truth. Let him believe her life was better than it was though she doubted that someone who's eyes held wisdom could be so easily fooled, "Thank you for the offer to walk me home." she said with earnestness, "You do not have to come out with me if you do not want to. I do not want to be a bother."
Looking at him she meant that. Rae didn't want to make him uncomfortable or annoy him and he was right, she did barely know him though something in the back of her mind wanted to know him better. Her heart had been broken so many times she often questioned if there was anything left. Anything else the world could do to make her suffer more and as much as she wanted to believe that a handsome man could not be evil, she knew better. Taking a step away from the edge of the dock back towards the park she paused, looking over her shoulder to see if he would come.
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Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 3:22 am
Unsurprisingly, Serena's face melted into that of gentleness and she nodded her head, wanting to laugh a little from the faint pink tone on his cheeks... He was probably as embarrassed as she was due to the shirt-grabbing incident. Her eyes were no longer clouded with thought of her future life, but rather, clear, as if the slate had been wiped clean. But, Serena knew better in her heart. The slate could never be wiped perfectly clean... Maybe smudges would be left, but who knew? All she had to do was put up that wall, and poof. No one would know what was truly going on inthat mind of hers, behind blue windows into her soul.
"Well, how about we settle for the fact that it was more likely both of our faults," she said with a kind smile on her face, laughing a little. "Oh, and where are my manners? My name is Serena Ambrosine... It's nice to meet you Laurence Monroe," she said with yet another smile. Serena liked being around other people, because being around people meants distractions from her own little world with its clocks counting down to her delivery. She didn't like thinking of it all the time. Frankly, it just depressed her, and she would rather not break down and cry every five minutes.
Serena looked Laurence up and down. Indeed, he was a very attractive man, with a gentle face, but his eyes were dark, nto only in color, but in thought too. It seemed he was thinkign hard about something. Figuring it would be rude to address such touchy subjects, she smiled at him and cleared her throat a little. "Soccer?" she asked him and giggled a little. "I used to play a little back in highschool, btu I was never any good," she said with a laugh. What? She had to be honest, right?
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Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 7:49 am
Again Lantis looked away as if to consider what she said, but he stood, hands shoved into his pockets as they were a bit cold from handling wet people. She seemed to be playing coy with him, a game girls used to find out more about the guy indirectly. While she hadn't dismissed him, she left it open for him to stay or go. A deciding factor no doubt to show how much he was interested in her.
Lantis knew the game, had played it quiet a few times before and at least this time, didn't mind engaging in it again, despite the risks.
He made his way up to where she was waiting for him, and gave her a light, little-nothing, smile. Lantis didn't have to pretend this time, but she was just so sad, her emotions were so tangible, that it made him want to make her feel better in some way. Even if it meant taking her with his own bloodied, unworthy hands, Lantis wanted her to feel better. And so giving her a small honest smile was the least he could do for her. "The news I find is biased, they enjoy it when something bad happens, and they forget good things happen as well. The humane society is boosting it's efforts to get the animals in it's shelters adopted, a little boy who cares about the enviorment creates a movement where people can go to recycle their old computers and electronics safely...." He trailed off thinking of a few more good things, but since he felt he'd already driven his point home, he moved onto the next topic. "And besides, I already said I would come with you. I had only asked you to make certain that you were comfortable having me for company. But if you are fine with it, we should be off, you're still dripping wet and it concerns me. You'll get sick that way." He nodded his head to indicate that they best get moving. "I've got a car in the parking lot, it's not the best looking, but I'm not concerned with looks that try to compensate for anything that I lack. It does what it's suppose to. I can drive you back, but you'll have to show me."
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Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 11:34 am
Watching him for a second over her shoulder a smile flicked across her lips as he came up beside her. Careful games meant to learn what they were afraid to ask and admit to though the honesty in his smile suprised her. Listening to Lantis speak about the humane society and those who cared seemed to give way for a spark of hope in the world. Just because it was to late for her didn't mean it was too late for the world as long as someone, somewhere still cared. "That's great about the animals. I love dogs and its heartbreaking to here they had to be put down because they were not adopted in time. I hope one day they will have the funding to all become no kill shelters."
As they walked she let him lead since she didn't know where he parked, "I'll try not to get your car to wet, I live just on the other side of the park so its only about two miles away. Any car is better than no car." Rae laughed lightly slipping out of the grip the past held over her for a mere moment, "I personally prefer junkers to nice ones because then I don't have to give myself a heart attack if someone hits my car or slams it with a cart at the store."
Thinking about her home with the Gothic Victorian look and the wrought iron gate she remembered when that place had been a haven and now seemed more a living hell full of nothing by memories. The only thing that had changed since her parents died there was she cleaned it then took over the master bed room. The rest was still the same, "My house is pretty easy to find. Its the only Victorian on the block and I'm pretty sure I left the gate open all night and forgot to close it when I left." Rae had been forgetting to close that gate every time she stayed there and though it wasn't the safest thing in to do, it was a small town. What could happen?
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Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 2:01 pm
Laurence smiled, revealing two rows of Crest Whitestrip white teeth, ones you might see on a commercial. His brown eyes cleared, but it's hard to hide something that's been imprinted on your heart and mind. When Serena mentioned soccer, his smile grew wider.
"Used to play. Now I just coach," he said brightly. "Why I treat you to some Starbucks. Unless, of course, you're not hungry."
He shifted his bag on his shoulder, looking around. The world had returned to normal speed. And Laurence felt oddly lighter. Like something was being lifted slowly from his shoulder.
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