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 Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2005 12:17 am
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Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2005 12:19 am
Okay, okay! *puts his hands around her waist* I promise. No more cop cars.
*Aimee leaned down to kiss him and Luke returned the kiss. When it broke her said.* At least until next semester.
*Aimee punched him soundly in the shoulder.*
Ow, ow! Okay, okay ... I get the program ... Jesus, woman...
*From there, they were able to pick up where they started. Luke kept his word - about making it up to her at least.* wink
**End "After Party"**
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:21 pm
**As the crowd in front of Luke thins out, a very familiar figure can be seen. Leaning coyly against the wall next to the entrance of Luke's dorm is The Seraphim. As the crowd between them disapates, thier eyes catch eachother. The Seraphim smiles, knowingly, and with what can only be described as deadly purposefulness, he stands up straight and putting his hands in the pockets of his coat, takes a menacing step forward and stops.
Time seems to slow to a crawl as the two face eachother from across a sea of people. For a moment, all sound seems to simply vanish. Its only for a moment, however, as a person walking between them severs their line of sight and instantaneously the world springs back into fast paced and noisy motion.
The Seraphim is gone.**
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:58 pm
**Start "Silent Threat"**
The clock struck three, and Lucas Blaize was out of class. Conversation started up on the way out.
"Test on Friday, my a**. We just started like three freakin weeks ago."
"A month ago."
"Whatever."
Luke smirked as they walked outside of the building and back into the cold. "Practice is gonna be a b***h tonight."
Pete looked to him. "What, with this weather? It's ******** tropical out." He snapped his fingers. "Bring me a Margarita. I want to sit by the pool!"
Luke threw back his head and laughed. "You're insane."
"And you're not? Who were you dancing with last night? Oh yeah, that's right. A bar stool."
Luke grinned. "Hey. That bar stool was hot."
"Don't talk about that stool that way."
"Can't help it. It wanted me."
Someone pushed him from behind. "You're such a manwhore."
Luke shrugged and started walking in the opposite direction. "That's no secret."
Pete called to him. "Hey, we're going to Ollie's. You want in?"
"I'll be there later." He pointed over his shoulder. "I gotta stop back by the dorm."
"Alright, man. We'll see ya."
Luke walked away. "See ya." Luke hurried across campus to his dorm hall. He shifted his bookbag over his shoulder and got out his keys as he walked.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 7:59 pm
*Fear held Luke in place. Then, it pushed him forward. Before he knew what was happening, he bolted in a run towards the Seraphim. Just in time to see the Seraphim disappear before his eyes.*
*Luke knocked over a few students, both in his run and then his halt. Luke's face filled with a cold sweat.*
*He was here. Son of a b***h. He was here.*
*Ignoring the bitching of people behind him, Luke fell into a dead run around the dorm building, searching.*
*Breathing hard, Luke stopped and looked around him. ********. ********, he couldn't see him. Even if he was here... he couldn't...*
*Luke's lips felt curiously cold. He felt fear twisting and churning inside his stomach. He walked around the area, half expecting to be attacked from behind. Luke canvassed the area, not certain of what he was doing, just making sure ...*
*Fumbling, Luke grabbed his cell phone. He dialed his sister's number.*
*After one ring it picked up.* "Hello?"
*Luke felt muted relief.* "Hey. Are you alright?"
"Yeah. Fine. .... Luke. Luke, you there?"
"... Yeah." *He sounded like s**t.*
"... What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"Where are you?"
"Getting out of class. I'm at McGowan."
"Alright. Just .... Stay there. I'll meet you there."
"Luke, what's going on?"
"Nothing. Just give me a sec. I'll be right over."
*Luke ran to the other side of campus, uanble to tell if he was running from the Seraphim or running towards him.*
**End "Silent Threat"**
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 7:44 pm
*Enter Luke from Main Room Pg. 964*
*Luke faded back into his dorm room. Once there, he continued shouting.* "That son of a b***h when he com---"
*Luke stopped immediately as he realized that he was back in his dorm room. He was alone and his door was shut. Thank God. Luke ran his fingers through his mat of hair. The last thing he needed was another weird look from Max and Chuck. They knew something was up. The way he went in and out of conversations, mostly with them....*
*They probably thought he was losing his mind. Luke looks back down at the pictures. Scowling, he chucks them onto his bed. He storms away. Then, after he gives himself a moment, he stomps back.*
*Luke picks up the pictures and holds them together, side by side.*
*Tavin could do this, and for some reason, he couldn't stop the Seraphim from beating the s**t out of Maggie, her kid, and possibly every other person than came in the Brink. That was BULLSHIT.*
*Luke does everything but growl as he looks down at the pictures. He couldn't count on Tavin to keep everybody safe. Hell, He'd basically told Luke that in the Brink.*
*But Luke did have this power. He couldn't use it yet, but that didn't mean he couldn't at all. Hell, Tavin just spent a good hour lecturing him on how he COULD if he could just get his act together.*
*Luke didn't trust Tavin. Not by a long shot. And it was just for that reason that Luke thought: If Tavin can dig up a photograph of a table he JUST put a burn mark in.... If he can make a martini without using his hands.... If he can make a TV appear from its shelf onto the floor of the rec room....
I can move a ******** beer bottle.*
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Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 3:49 am
*Enter Luke from The Main Room Pg. 965*
When Luke faded back into his dorm room at the University of Pennsylvania, he raked in a gasping breath. Just like that, here he was, back at his computer, with his business law term paper, in the soft light of a desk lamp. As if nothing had happened at all. Right where he left.
When he left... He didn’t tell Cora. He didn't tell her that when he looked at Hajime… That when he thought of her and Maggie and Bard and Nora… When he thought of himself. The thoughts attacked him one after another, each one bringing Luke’s face further down into his hands. I watched someone die. I watched Hajime die. She died right in front of my eyes. I didn’t even know her. I just stood there. (There were millions, as far as I could see). I couldn’t move. I couldn’t ******** move! I watched him kill her, and I didn’t tell Cora...
Alone in his room, Luke muffles a miserable sob. He can feel the tears pounding in his temples. No matter how he tried to block it, the thought stayed anchored front and center. (I didn’t tell her…)
Luke stared down into his hands. In his mind's eye, a blur flew past his eyes. He could see flashes of a cabin, winter-time. Luke involuntarily shivered and violently shook the image away. Once again, he could feel his throat turn to dry glass.
Luke tried to curb his sobs. He pounded a fist onto his desk, but they wouldn’t go away that easily. Christ, he had to stop. He had to… Luke clenched his eyes shut. He pinched the skin of his hand with his fingers until it went white. Max and Chuck were next door, and the walls were about as thin as ******** seran wrap.
With some effort, Luke got a hold of himself, but even he knew this was temporary. When he could stare forward and see his room clearly in front of him, Luke picked up his cell phone. He ran down the names in his phone, selected one, and waited to see if the call would be answered.
On the forth ring, a tired voice asked, “Hello?”
Luke thought he’d gotten control of his voice. He was wrong. “Nora?”
“Luke?” There was a pause as Nora took in a breath. Her voice grew serious. “Luke, are you okay?”
His voice cracked. “No.”
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “Luke, what happened? Did you-”
“I need to get out of here.”
Nora’s voice took command. “Okay. It’s okay. Listen …my roommate’s gone for the night. She won’t be back until late tomorrow morning. You could come over here.”
Luke nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay. You know my room number?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
*
Chuck kicked back in his favorite couch in the living room, looking through the email on his labtop, while Max played Madden Football across from him. “Yee-EEAH!" Max whooped. "Hail Mary! For the win! ******** the Raiders!"
Chuck shook his head. “You’d think it was real.”
“It is real. It takes skill to be a winner. Gotta keep your head in the game.”
Chuck laughed a little, and then stopped when he heard Luke’s bedroom door creak open. He arched his neck. “Hey!” Chuck called. “You finally had enough, scholar? You’re just in time. Max is about to win the imaginary super bowl.”
Luke stalked past the doorway with a black hoodie pulled over his head. He hurried through the kitchen, before going out the door and shutting it behind him.
Chuck raised his eyebrows. “Alllright.”
As per his own advice, Max kept his head in the game. “Booty call.”
“Yeah… Yeah. Must be nice, right?” But the words came out flat and uninterested. Chuck’s eyes followed where Luke left, and he frowned.
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Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 12:25 pm
Luke purposely avoided the main path through campus and walked at a quick pace through back parking lots and patches of green campus grass. He hunched over, taking long strides and staring at the ground as much as he could. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was run into someone he knew now.
Luke entered the main girl’s dorm building without being stopped. He dug into his pocket and handed his student ID to a secretary being the main desk. The older woman in her sixties checked the ID and then scrunched up her nose as she looked up at Luke’s face.
Luke turned away, shaking his head, as he put his ID back in his wallet and got on the elevator. Yeah, I know. I look like s**t, lady. Go ahead, say something about it.
He hit the button for the fourth floor. When the elevator doors opened, he stalked down the hall. It had to be at least 11 ‘o clock on a Sunday night, but things weren’t terribly quiet. Luckily, Nora’s dorm room was just around the corner.
Luke knocked on the door of room 409, and the door opened almost immediately.
A girl Luke’s age, exactly Luke’s age, stared back at him. His sister, Nora Blaize, had the same dark hair, olive skin, and green eyes. Those eyes stared up at his now. “Luke …?”
Luke could feel warm tears in the back of his throat. He let out a ragged breath, and Nora drew her arms around him. “Shh, it’s okay,” she said. “It’s okay. C’mon.”
They went inside her room, and Nora closed the door behind them.
*
Nora led Luke inside and she sat down beside him on her bed. Before the phone call, she had gotten into her pajamas and was just about to fall asleep. She should have been tired, but ever since Luke’s phone call, she’d been wide awake.
Nora held her arm around him, as Luke hunched over, propping up his head with his fists. Was he crying? She didn’t know. Oh, Lord, but he had been on the phone… Nora looked on with concern in her eyes. They’d lived on the same campus for the past two and a half years, and she wasn’t even sure she’d even seen him in the past two weeks, let alone actually spoken to him. This was the first time in, God, she didn’t even know how long, and....
She asked again, “Luke? Luke, what happened?”
Luke shook his head. He seemed to be trying on responses and then discarding them. He sat there like that until he said, “I don’t know. I just don’t know what’s going on any more. I just don’t know what’s going on.”
Nora’s face scrunched as she felt a wave of pity for him. “Luke, it’s okay,” she reassured him. “It’s gonna be okay, you know that right?”
He spoke in a breaking, childish voice that frightened her. “No, it’s not. It’s not okay.”
Nora’s mouth parted open as she realized. He was opening up. He was letting her in. Something happened. Something reminded him, and… “Shhh. I know.” To her surprise, she found her own voice filled with urgency. “I know it wasn’t okay. It wasn’t. Nothing about it was okay.”
At the validation, Luke’s shoulders fell, and he rested her head on top of hers. She could feel his tears in her hair. “I couldn’t stop it. Nora, I tried…”
Nora pressed her lips together as tightly as she could. “I know, I know.”
“No,” he said. “You don’t.”
Nora flinched as if slapped. Tears wet her eyes, and at the words, she thought she might lose it right along with him. Luke must have realized what he said and how he said it, because she could feel him slump down even further.
“Luke…”
“I’m sorry," he got out. "I’m sorry! I just… I just can’t do this any more.”
Nora shut her eyes, and they were silent for a long time. When she finally spoke, she was surprised by the clarity of her voice. “Luke. I don’t know what you’re feeling. I won’t know. I can’t. But I can tell you.” She said what she’d been wanting for months, maybe years to say. “It doesn’t have to be like this.”
At that, Luke stopped. Some realization had come up inside his eyes. “You don’t have hide,” Nora continued. “You don’t have to run from it any more. I’m here for you, Luke. I’m always here for you. You don’t have to go through this alone.”
At that, Luke's shoulders shook again and grabbed her in a tight hug. Nora cried with him now, remembering … She felt uneasy, hot, and uncomfortable at having to relive it again. She didn’t know how he felt, but she thought she knew what he was wrestling with. “You don’t have to hide it, Luke. I know it’s there, okay? You don’t have to be alone.”
Luke nodded against her. They held each other like that for what felt like a long time. When he pulled back, he looked right at her. He was pale and his eyes were red and swollen. “I love you,” he said suddenly. “No matter what happened, you know that, right? That I love you?”
Nora nodded and returned his hug. Then she sniffed back. “Of course, I know that. Luke, I love you, too.”
As she sat there holding him, she stared forward. Something must have happened. Something big… or maybe - maybe nothing at all. Maybe nothing big needed to happen. Maybe today it just all came to a head.
“I’m sorry,” Luke whispered. “I knew… but I couldn’t…”
He was blaming himself, Nora thought. It angered her in a way she hadn’t expected. Blaming himself for something that was no more his fault than a thunderstorm would have been. She would have liked to have told him so, partly because he needed to be scolded for his self-indulgence and partly because she loved him.
But she didn’t tell him. To do so would be to lose him for who knew how much longer. So she just held onto him instead, whispering things she had before. About how he was okay and about how everything would be all right.
*
Later Luke was almost unable to believe his watch, which insisted that they had spent an hour and a half sitting with Nora in her dorm room. They sat now on separate beds, both holding cans of Pepsi that Nora got from her mini-fridge.
Across from him, Nora smiled wearily, her eyes matched his swollen ones now, too. “How you feelin’?”
“Like s**t.” He laughed a little. Though there wasn’t any humor in the laugh, he was pleased to find that he still could. He even managed a smile. “I think the woman who took my ID downstairs thought I smoked a bunch of crack before I came here though.”
“Aww, no crack today, huh?”
Luke shook his head. He kicked back his soda, and then said, “Nah. Market’s too high. Gotta know when to sell.”
Nora stopped and studied him.
Luke made a noise. “Oh, I got you.”
She rolled her eyes and made a disgusted noise, but she was smiling, too.
“Are you serious? That’s great. My sister thinks I sell crack now. That’s fantastic.”
She pinned him with her stare. “Hey. For all I see of you, I don’t even know if you’re still on this campus, let alone packing heat on South Street.”
“That is a bald-faced lie. You see me every day.”
“No,” Nora said in a hard voice. “I don’t. Luke, I haven’t seen you in weeks. Let alone-” She stopped, cutting herself off.
Luke stared away. He knew she was right, but he didn’t want to ******** talk about that. Not now. This was the first decent conversation they’d had in a long time, and besides, Luke was far too tired to fight. So he seceded. “I know.”
Nora nodded, looking hurt but grateful.
There was a moment then in which the silence was so heavy that Luke found it painful. So he asked, “How’s Trevor?”
“You mean the ‘******** tree-hugging bong-resin hippie?’”
“It’s nice to know people listen.”
“He’s fine.”
Luke started, “Well, I would be too if I was-”
“He doesn’t smoke pot.” Nora cut him off, knowing exactly where Luke was going.
“Yeah, and I don’t drink alcohol.”
Nora shook her head. “I don’t need to defend him to you. I just don’t know why you hate him so much.”
“He’s a pill,” Luke said. “He flaked out the last time you brought him over.”
“Your frat brothers tried to tie him to a ceiling fan!”
Luke laughed and gazed away at the pleasant memory. “Yeah. Well, you know those guys, once they get started there’s no sense trying to stop them. It’s just better to let them tire themselves out.”
Nora glared at him, but it wasn’t completely convincing.
Luke wasn’t going to apologize, but he did say, “He just makes it too easy, Nora. You know I'm right.”
“Yeah, well. I don’t think he’ll be ‘making it too easy’ any more. After that little incident, I think it’ll be a cold day in hell when he goes to another frat party.”
Good, Luke didn’t want him there anyway. He had enough sense not to say it though.
Nora blinked and changed the subject. “How about you? Are you dating… any one?” She couldn’t even really keep a straight face onec Luke looked at her. She laughed and put up her hands. “I’m sorry. I had to ask.”
“Whoa, whoa, Lucas Blaize does not date,” he said, waggling a finger. “Lucas Blaize-”
Nora rolled her eyes. “I know, I know. You sample.” Unfortunately it was impossible to live on the same campus as Luke and not hear the sordid details of his escapades. She felt sick to her stomach and said, “God, sometimes you’re vile.”
“It’s not like they don’t know I’m not dating them.”
“So what? They know you’re cheating on them?”
“It’s not so much cheating.” Luke searched the ceiling for the words. “It’s more like time management.”
“Oh, and what was Lisa Reyes? A scheduling error?”
“You heard about-” Luke cleared his throat. “THAT had extenuating circumstances.”
“Yeah. I bet.”
Exhausted, Luke stared at Nora and smiled. Despite the subject matter, he was calm for one of the first times that night. It wasn’t what they were talking about. It was how they were talking, just like they used to. Just like they always did. The smile fell when the subject mattered faded away and he remembered what had brought him here.
Nora frowned. “Luke? What?”
Luke opened his eyes. He spoke in a soft voice. “Nothing. I’m just glad I got to come over tonight.”
Nora smiled back. “I’m glad you did, too, Luke.”
Luke looked away. Soon enough, he looked down at his watch.
“What time is it?” she asked.
“Two in the morning.”
Nora let out a long sigh.
“I should let you sleep. I know I woke you up.”
“You know, my roommate’s gone until sometime tomorrow. You could probably take her bed if you wanted.”
“Nah. I should probably get back.” Luke stood up from the bed. He finished the soda and put the empty can down on the dresser. “I got a paper to write, and I didn’t exactly give the guys a lengthy explanation of where I was going off, too.”
Nora didn’t protest his reasoning. Instead she got up and she gave him a hug. “Well, go back and get some sleep.” She stood on her tip-toes and kissed him on the cheek. “Call me tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay.” Luke broke their hug, and he grabbed his hoodie from off the bed. “Nora?”
“Yeah?”
Luke put his hand out and ran it over her head. “I’m glad you’re my sister.”
Nora smiled sadly and sniffed. “You’re not so bad yourself.” Before he left, she caught his arm. “Luke, I meant what I said. I’m here for you all the time, okay? I don’t care what time of night it is or what happened. Just come see me. Whenever you need to talk, okay?”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Nora.”
She wondered… “All right. I love you, Luke.”
“I love you too.”
Nora climbed back into her bed, and Luke left the room, carefully shutting the door behind him. He let out a long, exhausted sigh. He scratched his head, running his hand through his ragged hair. He got into the elevator, but instead of going back down, he took it up to the ninth floor.
Luke walked quietly through the floor until he reached a familiar dorm room. He knocked tentatively on the door, seeing if any one was still awake.
It took a moment, but someone stirred inside. Someone got up and came to the door. Luke really, really hoped it was the right person.
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Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 12:44 pm
On the other side of the door, Aimee Whittaker opened the door and strained her eyes against the light of the hallway. She figured she must have still been dreaming when she saw Lucas Blaize standing there expectantly.
She blinked double-time, still on the edge of sleep. “…Luke?”
“Hey,” he said quietly.
“Luke…what? What’re you…?” Then as Aimee came more awake, she looked into his eyes. They were red-rimmed, like a man who spent all day fighting a brushfire. “Luke…is? Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m fine. I was just in the dorm building, and I figured I was here anyway. You were only a couple floors up.”
Aimee focused her eyes on his. She still wasn’t fully awake, but she could understand quite clearly that for some reason Lucas Blaize had been crying, that he needed someone, and that he had come to her for comfort. As she thought this, someone stirred behind her on the other side of the room. “Luke,” she said. “My roommate’s here. But we can-”
“Aimee, that’s not. I’m not looking for…”
Realization came up in Aimee’s eyes. She nodded. “Right,” she said. She looked back at Stephanie. She was cool. The rule was that it was okay, as long as they didn’t. But they wouldn’t; Aimee understood that now. That wasn’t what this had been about at all. Aimee reached up and hugged her arms tight around his neck. Luke lifted her off the ground and held her close. Aimee had no idea what this was about. She didn't know what had happened or why Luke had been crying. But he was safe. That was the important part. He was here with her, so she said, “It's okay, honey. Come on. Come on in. Let’s get you to bed.”
A hint of a smile touched Luke’s lips and he stared into Aimee’s eyes gratefully. She understood. He didn’t even have to spell it out for her, and she understood. He gently dropped Aimee back down on her feet, and she quietly led him inside, where they both climbed into bed.
Luke wrapped his arms around her, and Aimee turned her head to kiss him on the cheek. At that, Luke pressed his lips against hers in a hard, needy kiss. He drew away, and Aimee looked into his eyes. He’d been through something. He wouldn’t tell her, not tonight, and she wouldn’t push him.
They held each other, both closing their eyes. After some time passed, Luke could feel Aimee’s rhythmic breathing as she slept silently in his arms. He lay in her bed, staring at the wall, not moving. He didn't think that sleep wasn’t possible, but he tried anyway.
At some point in the night, exhaustion took its toll and Luke fell into a heavy dreamless sleep.
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 2:01 pm
:::Luke appears back in his seat, staring back down at his notes, but he's not alone this time. Cora is standing next to him wearing clothes suprisingly similar to some of the other late teen, early 20's library occupants.
She wants to comment on how Luke goes to bars and libraries like he doesn't get enough of them in the Brink... but notices right away how quiet the place is and decides not to attract any attention by speaking. Instead she begins to take it all in:::
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 8:05 pm
**Begin "Call It What You Wanna Call It."**
*Luke stands up. He looks around and finds this section of the library thankfully uninhabited. After all, it was why he'd picked this section anyway. Luke looks around for any video cameras that could have caught their entrance.... and sees none.*
*Luke grins.* I know. Just where you want to be. A library, right? It's not as big as the one in the Brink, but it is just as boring.
*Luke packs up his LSAT study guide and an array of papers.*
Let's get out of here. I'll show you my new apartment.
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 8:07 pm
You're not living in the domicile you were the last time I came here?
:::She looked hopeful:::
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 8:16 pm
*shakes his head* Nah, it's nicer. We got upgraded last year. *smile* They have to thank their Division II Lacrosse players somehow.
*Luke leads her through the library and into the main hub of campus. Cora blends in as a normal college student -- which is quite a leap from her last appearance in her cop uniform.*
*They walk through in a different direction towards a tall campus apartment building, which has been newly renovated for the 2002-2003 school year. Luke walks in, flashes his ID, and takes Cora up to the 6th floor.*
Just so you're warned. We haven't cleaned the place in...WELL we just generally don't clean the place. Oh, and Chuck may or may not go apeshit when he sees you. *Luke digs around in his bag for his key.* And I think he's home.
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 8:22 pm
:::Her hopeful expression sinks when Luke says that the place hasn't been cleaned. Hearing it was new made her think just maybe it wasn't...:::
What's apeshit?
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