Welcome to Gaia! ::

Victoria had pretty much appeased her sister, Lucifel, and her parents when it came to obtaining some form of a life beyond Philip. She did not have to worry about appeasing her best friends because she had put on a good enough front and had made it a point not to say much at all. Her willingness to appease only lasted just a couple of days. Slightly less in a daze and more on track than the previous week was a good thing… at least to them. She, however, had not exactly come to see it that way.

Having the ‘apartment’ above, the garage meant that she had the ability to come and go as she pleased. Nevertheless, on a general basis she was a ‘good girl’ and let her parents know exactly where she was going and how long she would be when it strayed from her usual routine. She wanted, had to see Philip… and today was the perfect day. She had practice today and would have no reason to tell her parents where exactly she was going.

----

Philip in seconds was right beside Tori after practice- he had not even given her time to put her violin back into its case. “Been a while,” he whispered teasingly. He smirked as he ran a hand from her shoulder to her elbow.

A shiver ran from toe to ear. “Parents,” Tori murmured with a roll of her eye. She sighed as she remember a conversation with one of her friends about how parents acted the way they did because they cared.

“They mean well,” he said as he held out his arm. “I’ll walk you to your cab. I’d hate to have your parents angry with me.”

“My dad is temperamental so that isn’t hard to do,” Tori sighed once more. “I suppose it has something to do with dragon or vampire or both…” She hooked her arm with his and smiled. Her smile was different for him, not that she realized it.

His eyes lit up for a moment at the mention of vampires but played it off with a smile for her smile. “Is that the reason you haven’t invited me over?” He supposed that they were ‘going steady’- well as steady as a pair of twelve year olds could. The question or topic had never really come up. Nevertheless, their actions spoke loud enough. Meeting her parents would have been the proper thing but he respected her wishes.

“I don’t have an answer for your question,” Unsure if it was shame or embarrassment that was setting in she looked away from him and sighed once more. If she had had a free hand she would have been twisting her curls around her fingers.

“You’ve to pretty a face to be so busy flicking through your emotions via facial expressions. You try to hide from your feelings but in the end you give yourself away,” he laughed and pulled her closer. He liked when she smiled and the sooner she wore a smile the better.

For a number of reasons Tori was immediately blushing. To her disappointment any further banter on the topic was halted the moment the door was opened. It was raining and she was sighing once more. By the time she could catch a cab she would be soaked and she knew it… She could deal with a ruined dress but she could not deal with looking like a drowned rat in front of him.

“Come on I’ll give you a ride.” A ride to where he did not say and before she could protest or debate he was already dragging her out in the rain. His driver was waiting just off to the side of the build and he knew that they could make it without getting to terribly soaked.

‘How and the hell is he so fast?’ Tori thought to herself as she forced to start jogging just to keep up with him. She was sure that he meant well but still she wished she had been given an option about their plans or at least some warning… she was not even thinking about her parents in all of this. Suddenly she was sitting inside the vehicle with his arms around her. She half wondered how it had all happened so fast.

Not that Tori would notice but he had gone to great lengths to secure their violins. Now that he was settled into his seat and pretty much facing her, she had his entire attention. He reached up slowly and brushed a few loose curls from her face.

Tori was blushing brighter than Rudolf’s red nose and she hated herself for it. She had not been this close with Philip and she half wondered if it was proper… she’d kissed Evari, she’d kissed Kay, and now she was suddenly realizing that this is where things were going with them. To hell with feeling shame or the like. She swallowed a little harder than intended as she looked up and give him a mischievous grin.

… A combination of things but mostly this was Tori’s turning point. A point where she realized that she did not want to be inhibited. She wanted to be spontaneous, wild, unconfined… and to hell with the world if they caught her!

Now that she had had this epiphany of sorts she was not going to give Philip room to speak, to act before she could. “Stop the car!” She demanded as she pressed a finger to his lips. Before the car could even come to complete stop (not that they had been going more than 25 due to the area they were in) she was flinging the doors of the vehicle open and dragging him out into the street.

For once Tori had completely caught Philip off guard. The sudden change of hers was a surprise, but in many ways, it was a welcomed one. Outside of the vehicle, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up off her feet…

Somewhere in all off that mess of emotions, their lips had met and Tori had lost all sense of self and track of time. It was about two hours later when they ended up back at his place. Although being slightly out of place and covered in mud and heaven only knew what else their clothes remained intact.

----

“Thank you for the use of your shower,” Tori said with a giggle. It felt so good to be free, to plan just not care for a change what people thought about her.

“Not a problem,” Philip chuckled. “How many changes of clothes do you carry around in that bag of yours?” He could not help but ask. After all, the damn thing was apparently bottomless.

“Just a few… I like to be dressed properly for the occasion,” she grinned. She was still in the process of drying her hair as she moved towards the mirror. “I wonder when the storm will pass… I am getting zero reception and I know my parents are probably worried about where I am.” It was then that she realized what his place was missing… his parents. “Where are your parents?”

“Dinner I suppose,” he said lamely as he came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. His heritage and extended years gave him many, many things to aid him in surviving. The ability to lie, what he needed most to make his stories plausible he did not have, and could not seem to grasp.

“You suppose…” Tori’s voice gave away her confusion. When she looked into the mirror to check just how much of a mess her hair was she let out a startled yelp. The man in the mirror was not her Philip at all. Well maybe, but he was aged. This man that she was looking at was nowhere near twelve. Maybe twenty but that was being generous with her assumptions. She took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm. There was a logical explanation to all of this… and if not… well she was ******** because her daggers where all the way across the room.

Philip who had dropped the act of being twelve turned Tori around to face him. The age difference between them did not matter he waned her and was going to got to any length to get her. She was a strong, smart young woman with so much ahead of her and before anything else happened at all between them, she deserved the truth… Sadly though he knew that if he gave her the truth she'd run away.

Having the same gentleness with her as before caused Tori to ‘stay put’. Although half of her wanted to run she was captivated. If Philip was saying anything she'd couldn't hear him for her memories racing backwards to remember her time with Philip. She was picking her brain for anything out of place. Though everything about Philip did now seem out of place this was Gaia and everything was out of place.

“I know you know. You’re too smart not to know." Philip finally said despite having not left her any hints. If she didn't know he wouldn't be angry... He'd still do his best to get what he wanted and that was Tori.

Finding herself unable to speak she simply nodded her head. With one question turning into another, the questions started to pile up. Part of her wanted to know but most of her did not. The less she knew… but that was not like her; even though it got her in trouble most of the time she just had to know.

He brushed a hand against her neck. “Join me?” He asked despite how little she knew. He probably should not have asked her considering he was supposed to be the adult of the two. However, something about her made him what her that much more.

Tori’s eyes got large. Sure she could have played dumb asked him what exactly he meant. Nevertheless, she knew. She sighed softly. It was flattering to think that he wanted her for an eternity. However, her logical side wondered why and how worth it was. She looked away for a moment. What if down the road in a month or two things turned for the worse? Much later on in life when she was ‘old’ she would still look twelve. Looking twelve forever would suck! She probably could use a little; scratch that, a lot of makeup to make her look older. However, she would still be short. That was not something that even a pair of high heel shoes could change. Then suddenly her mind did a one eighty and she remember her epiphany from earlier… where was she going to get in life if she constantly calculated the outcome of things. “Sure,” she said with a nod of her head.

This probably should have been one of those more thought out type of things but to hell with it!

----

Victoria kept her eyes clamped shut. She was scared. She was floating but on what she was unsure. She was sure that it was not water because she did not feel wet. Matter of fact she did not feel anything at all against her skin. She took a deep breath and forced herself to open her eyes. She was shocked to find out that she was falling and not floating. With the exception of the pitch blackness there was nothing around her.

Without warning of any sort, she felt herself hit bottom. To her relief she felt grass. Perhaps it was not nothingness that surrounded her but instead just a moonless night. Even if it was a slow process, she forced herself into a standing position. She had to get home…

When she turned around, she noticed a long pathway. Ancient, massive trees with fresh leaves and lots of moss lined both sides. It was then that she realized it was not nothingness or a darkened night but instead it was just the thick vegetation of the trees that caused the darkness.

“I hope this isn’t another damn bubble trap,” Tori mumbled as she started forward. She could not remember seeing one much less touching one. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something white and fluffy. “White Rabbit!” She called out. She found a moment of comfort but it quickly doused as she had the sinking feeling that it was not a bubble but instead she was drunk.

What had Philip done? He was not like that was he? She was starting to question him and her choice.

“No time! No time!” She heard the White Rabbit chant. It wiggled its tail, teasing her. It hopped in place before darting off down the trail.

“Wait up!” Tori called out as she started to jog after the White Rabbit. She cringed when she heard the twigs crack beneath her and cut into her bare feet. She was starting to wonder if this was some sick joke thought up by both the bubble and Philip. She shook those thoughts from her head.

The White Rabbit stopped atop a small hill to watch Tori.

Tori reached out in hopes of touching her goal, but to her disappointment, he had darted off again. She bent over and put her hands on her knees. She inhaled quickly. Each breath sent sharp pains throughout her body. She really did not feel like she could go on.

“I can do this!” She told herself. Slightly, oddly more confident she stood up straight. It was time to stop doubting herself and to face her fears, face her worries, face her confinements… to face herself- the person she was now. It was only then that she could grow emotionally as a person.

Determined to catch the rabbit more so than before she broke out into a run.

“Just up that hill,” she told herself.

At the top of the hill however her White Rabbit was not alone. A person that could be Tori’s twin stood there with the White Rabbit in her arms. She growled out of disappointment that someone else had gotten her rabbit.

“Seriously Victoria,” the girl chuckled. “Grow up… It isn’t all ways about you, you know…” the girl reached out and touched Tori’s cheek with the back of her hand. “If I can have your White Rabbit then I can have your life,” she smirked.

Tori’s eyes grew large as saucers. Her first instinct was to reach for one of her daggers. To her surprise and dismay, she wore not even one of her daggers. Next best thing she reached up, gripped the girl’s hand, and growled

“That’s it,” the girl whispered lustfully. “Give in…”

Tori’s breathing quickened. “Give in… What the ********? I’m no quitter.” She growled and clenched her free fist. She wanted, no needed to tear this girl apart. She knew then that the girl would know exactly who was who’s boss… not to mention the White Rabbit would be hers.

“That’s the problem,” the girl chuckled. “If you’d just stop fighting yourself you’d find this to be much easier. You are who you are and you cannot change it… but you can mold yourself to your liking.” With her free hand she freed herself from Tori’s grip. “And, most importantly don’t forget to give in,” she traced Tori’s lips and smirked.

Tori dumb struck stood there and blinked.

The White Rabbit worked himself from the girl’s arms. He sat there perched for a moment before jumping into Tori’s arms. He twitched his nose.

The distraction of the White Rabbit caused Tori to lose focus of the girl. When she looked up again the girl was gone. “How odd,” she told the White Rabbit who just continued to twitch his nose.

Tori had her rabbit… did this mean it was over? No, it meant that things were just beginning for her. Even if she had not had the opportunity to put what she had learned about herself to use at least she had the knowledge.

She took a step forward and smiled. Change was different but change was good. She was positive she was going to continue on the path she had found while standing in the rain with Philip.

----

Tori woke to find that she was tangled up in blood stained bed sheets and that what she thought was the White Rabbit was no more than a pillow. She rolled over and groaned. “What have I done,” she mumbled as she rubbed her temples. She had half a clue but sadly that wasn’t much of a clue at all…

Tori's fingers caressed the material of Philip's shirts. It was amazing how incredible it felt. All of her senses had been magnified due to her whim. She took in a deep breath and held it there. She could smell him and fresh tears ran down her cheeks. She hadn't stepped outside of the room again but she knew with certainty that Philip was dead and that her hopes of him walking through the door were pointless. She released the breath and pulled the shirt off the hanger. When it came to something to wear this was the best she could do at the moment. Thankfully for her Philip was 'thick' with muscles so there was a good chance that the shirt would be able to cover her rack without busting buttons. Next was a pair of jeans since they looked a lot better than black slacks.

She took her time slipping into the jeans and buttoning up the shirt. Taking her time meant that she didn't have to rush out the door and push herself back into a house of horrors. But, like everything else 'unpleasant' a time came when she could no longer delay the inevitable.

The carpet soaked through and through with blood now dried was stiff and hard against her soft bare feet. It was like the world was anew again. She was refusing to breath in through her nose for fear of smelling nothing but death. She wanted to run right on out of here but she knew that would be foolish- she needed to know, needed to remember...

She turned the corner and entered the parlor. She looked down to see what her foot had kicked. Coming to a stop due to the desk was Philip's head. She crumpled to the floor helplessly as she covered her mouth before she could scream. Fresh tears again flowed. She couldn't count the bodies in this room because there wasn't a single body that wasn't in pieces...

She crawled towards an empty chair. There she sat and stared at the carnage. She was clueless as to whether or not it was her doing whether it be all or none with the exception of Philip... She would never harm him. Among the mass of body parts were guns, swords, and various other odd looking weapons.

She noticed a hand clutching a piece of paper and immediately went to obtain it.

Tori was lost and alone, or so that's how she felt in the world. Her world was dark and empty and terrifying. She'd confined herself to her room since she'd been back- it had been at least a week now. Her laundry had been piling up, and she was getting weaker by the minute.

Contently she sat looking out the window as she did the same every other day. She wanted badly to go outside, but she was scared. She was scared that they would come after her again. Life on her own had been much easier because she didn't have others to worry about. No one suffered due to her choices.

And, like most other days there was Natalia, her cousin or something. This family was so confusing to understand at times. She couldn't help but to notice how alone and lost the girl looked. She only knew half the story and didn't know if she really wanted it all.

Tori thought perhaps they could use one another. Cautiously she poked her head out the front door. Damn it was bright... she had nearly forgotten how bright sunlight was. Seeing that no one, not even family was out and about she headed out in the world.

Natalia looked towards the stable doors when she heard someone approaching. She wasn't use to anyone coming to the stables. "Oh, it's you Victoria," she said with a small smile.

"Yes, I suppose it is... me," Tori said rubbing her shoulders as if she was chilly. "I couldn't help but to notice how often you come here."

"And I couldn't help but to notice how less of you I see now a days."

"I never realized that anyone payed attention."

"You'd be surprised." Natalia reached out and rubbed the palm of her hand against Lir's muzzle. "It isn't like I have much going for me..."

"What do you mean?" Tori questioned as she got closer to where Natalia was standing. It was impossible to get side by side as Natalia was in the stall.

"You know... I know you do..." Natalia whispered. "You've got about just as much memory as me when it comes to recent events."

"Oh," Victoria said as she looked down at her hands. She had to blink and tell herself they weren't blood covered.

"I get glimpses too... I know something isn't right but no one will admit it." And within the next few seconds Natalia was atop her horse and leaning forward to unlatch the stall. "Join me?" She stretched out her hand so that she could pull the other girl onto her horse.

"Okay..."

Amelia who had been watching Lucifel doodle her name and Lily's all over a piece of paper decided she wanted to write her name also. There was just one problem... she didn't know how to read or write. She only knew that Lucifel was doing those things because that is what her sister had said she was doing. So, Amelia did the next best thing, she doodled the head of a unicorn on the paper. "My name," she giggled as she pointed to the picture of the unicorn.

Lucifel glanced over to her sisters piece of paper and tried not to laugh. She could tell her sister was proud of her accomplishment even if it was wrong. "Not like that si..." she caught her her self before calling Amelia silly. "Like this," she said as she wrote out her sisters name on her own piece of paper. "A.M. E. L. I. A." As she wrote each letter she said it out loud.

"Okay," Amelia said confidently enough. What Lucifel had just done didn't look hard at all. Letters were just a bunch of connected lines. She took her crayon and writing it larger than Lucifel had she wrote out her name. "Still like my way better," she said as she looked at the letters.

"Then write your name and put a unicorn doodle next to it... Other wise someone might confuse you with some other unicorn," Lucifel grinned. "And, the last thing we want is to loose track of you." Which wasn't that hard to do with how quiet she was... unless of course she turned into a unicorn (so long as she wasn't with other unicorns).

"Okay," she said. Crayon still in hand she picked up her paper. She was tired of coloring and was going to go put her things away. "Thank you," she said as she got up and headed out of the living room.

"You're welcome," Lucifel chirped.

As Amelia put her crayons away she wondered what exactly those things were that she had written on the paper. She knew it was her name but that was about it. Her name didn't look anything like Lucifel's or Lily's... She could have gone back and gotten the answer from Lucifel but decided instead to go find Tori.

Tori wasn't all that hard to find when she was at home. She was either in her room sleeping or out at the stables just sitting. It was when she was out and about that she was nearly impossible to get a hold of, even with her having a cell phone.

As luck would have it... Tori was home but she was asleep. Amelia sat her paper by the pillow and with everything she had pulled herself up and into her sisters bed.

The moment Tori felt the bed move her eyes fluttered open. She yawned and stretched and muttered something about having to find a better hiding space in the main house for the key to her mini apartment. "Thank you for having the courtesy to not be a unicorn while on my bed," she said when she realized who was in her bed. She could only image what would become of her sheets if her sister had or did decide to s**t.

"Hooves are no good for this," Amelia said cheerfully. She smiled as she grabbed her paper and held it up for Tori. "What are these?" She was pointing to the A on the paper.

Tori sat up as she glanced over at the paper. "Those are letters," she grinned. "You use them to make words... like your name. How about I teach you the alphabet." She reached out and pulled Amelia closer.

Amelia settled against her sister and nodded her head but didn't talk for a second. She was trying her best to put things together. "So, the alphabet is what all the letters make... even if it isn't an actual word."

"Something like that," Tori giggled. "I'll even teach you how to speak with your hands if you'd like. It gives you more ways to communicate with people."

"Okay," Amelia smiled.

"A," and as Tori said it she made the letter with her hands. "B," and she repeated the same process.

Amelia was right behind Tori in ever action she made. She was almost as smart as Tori was when it came to picking up on things.

"and Z."

"That was pretty easy," Amelia giggled and did the entire alphabet by herself with her hands as she said the letters.

"Along with letters there are numbers," Tori mention this while Amelia was still fascinated by what she learned. She was sure that now was when Amelia would want to know more most.

"Numbers?"

"Yes. Like one, two, three," Tori smiled. "You use numbers to count things like years, and money."

"Oh, so that's how everyone knows how old I am and how much we have to pay when we buy new books."

"Yep," Tori giggled. "I'll teach you one to ten today and then we'll slowly work our way into bigger numbers. Eventually I'll show you what else you can do with your numbers. Lucifel can help you out a bit as well."

Amelia wasn't totally sure about this when her sister mentioned Lucifel. Sure her sister was smart but she was also all over the place. "She means well I guess," she finally said.

"She's got her own way of doing things... we all do."

Amelia nodded and then watched as Tori counted one to ten. "So, like this," she said as she held up one finger and said one. She continued until she got to ten. It was at about nine when her tummy started talking.

"You best go and eat breakfast," Tori grinned. "You've got it. Count frequently so you don't forget!"

"Okay," Amelia said as she climbed out of the bed. Completely forgetting her paper she headed to the door. It was breakfast time and she looking forward to counting her bits of apple.

Tori picked up the paper and smiled. She was wide awake now and decided she'd take a bath and get ready to start her day. She carefully tucked the paper into her drawer. She'd give it to her sister later.