Kedrick Suwa's Estate

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

She was glad she had made her move after she introduced herself, or she and Dimitri would most likely be standing outside looking more like the awkward, shabby, teenagers that they probably were at that moment. Maria found herself smile gently as Dimitri’s mother asked her own son for confirmation about what she had said. She shook her hand in response and nodded, preferring her first name over her last name. “It’s a pleasure to meet you then, Mrs. Emma,” Maria responded, her gentle grin on her face. She was partially caught off guard about Dimitri’s last name being different than his own mother, but she knew that it wasn’t uncommon for most people to have different last names when their parents remarried (unless the person who remarried was the father, then that would’ve been different).

Maria partially forgot that they had been standing outside until Mrs. Emma asked for them to come inside. She was grateful to be out and into some kind of warm structure, even if it was her boyfriend’s parents’ home. She looked around, taking it all in and couldn’t help but find it such a nice cozy home. So this is where Dimitri lived at one point, Maria thought before she looked over at Mrs. Emma. “You have a really nice home, Mrs. Emma,” Maria started, “Thanks for letting Dimitri and me in. I mean, you wouldn’t leave us out there, but still, I thank you.”

As soon as Jared entered the room, all of a sudden Maria’s back went cold. She couldn’t explain why something like Dimitri’s step-father entering the room would harbor such an effect, but somewhere in her gut, there was this feeling that she honestly didn’t like him. Maria knew that if her back went cold or if she felt like the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up, then her “sixth sense” was going off and something seemed to be out of place. This is the guy Dimitri avoided talking about…, Maria thought, mentally scrutinizing him, but still keeping her sweet smile on her face. There’s something…off about him, and I don’t like that.

She quietly observed everything, waiting until Jared took notice of her. While he was reuniting with his stepson, Maria watched both of their actions carefully, especially Dimitri. She had been around Dimitri long enough to know that being around this man made him act completely different. Immediately the part of Maria that was most like her crime-solving father was stepping in. She had to mentally applaud Jared for acting calm and cool, especially when she knew that something was amiss. However, when Jared hugged Dimitri, she almost wanted to swear. She was worried about her boyfriend, especially how his entire atmosphere had completely changed.

My poor Dimitri.., Maria thought, her heart aching, My poor, poor Dimitri.

Eventually the hug broke apart and Maria almost wanted to walk towards her boyfriend. She couldn’t explain all of her recent feelings, but when her “sixth sense” went off, she was willing to do anything to protect the person that was involved. However, Dimitri used that time to step back and introduce her to Jared. She just couldn’t shake off the feeling that Dimitri was acting, and she couldn’t blame him, especially if he didn’t want to make a show out of everything. Why must you hide so much from me, Dimitri? Maria thought sadly, her thoughts coming back and adding more questions. Do you not trust me?

Maria took Jared’s hand and shook it, smiling kindly at him. “It’s nice to meet you as well,” she started off cautiously, wanting to choose her words carefully, “Sometimes I think it was Dimitri that stole my heart, but whatever the case is, I’m just glad to have him by my side. But don’t worry, I’ll take care of Dimitri very carefully, because I don’t want anything bad to happen to my Dimitri. It’s not because I’m his girlfriend, but I care so much about him. You understand that as his parents, don’t you?”

Maria’s words were overly sweet, but she didn’t want to make them suspicious either. She wanted to sound like the sweet doting girlfriend, but her words had a different meaning. If they wanted to act, then she would act along with them. There was a quick change in her eyes, that not even Jared may have noticed, but it was that of a warning. If there was one thing a person should never do, it was mess with a Vázquez. She felt her thoughts mess with her again and instead of pushing them away, she slowly embraced.

Whatever’s going on, Maria thought as she let go of Jared’s hand and walked over to Dimitri, holding onto his hand, I will get to the bottom of this. No matter what.

(Gotta love Maria when she’s like this. She’s one tough cookie~)  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Jared smiled as Maria shook his hand and he absorbed her words as she spoke. Jared looked completely unfazed by her words, but his mind was working, always working. 'This girl is smart. Smart is dangerous.... He though, and like Maria, kept a completely genuine smile on his face. 'Your Dimitri hmm? Is that right? Well...you're wrong there girl....more wrong then you can possible know, unless...' He thought, for a moment experiencing a flicker of doubt. He looked over at Dimitri, reading the boy's carefully masked emotions. 'No,' Jared convinced himself. 'No, he hasn't told her, I knew he wouldn't....' Jared smiled reassuringly at Maria, nodding his head once. "Of course we understand." He said.

Dimitri looked over, feeling Maria's hand in his. He smiled a little, trying to fall back into the habit of acting, of lying. It made his stomach twist uncomfortably to lie to Maria, but he had to, he had no other choice. If Jared caught him letting one thing slip, even the tiniest hint or flaw in his act, Dimitri was sure he would be punished for it, and Jared's punishments where cruel and brutal things. But none the less, Dimitri swore to himself that if he somehow managed to get out of this unharmed then he'd tell her everything.

Dimitri's mother smiled at the other three in the room. "So, Dimitri, why don't you tell us what brings you two here so late?" She asked, tipping her head to the side in curiosity. She was glad to have her son here, she loved him so dearly and had missed him in the past few years.

Dimitri smiled sheepishly. "Well, Maria and I where camping with Kedrick and his girlfriend Arielle," He began uncertainly. He saw Jared raise his eyebrows slightly in acknowledgment of the statement. But Dimitri knew what he was thinking. Jared hated Kedrick nearly as much as Dimitri hated Jared, because at thirteen, Kedrick had taken Dimitri out of Jared's reach, and Jared hated him for it. But his face certainly didn't betray these feeling. "Actually," Dimitri said, looking at his mother particularly. "we where at the campsite that you took me to when I was like...six." He said with a sheepish smile.

Mrs. Emma's face lit with understanding. "Oh that's right! I remember," She said with a small smile. She looked over at her husband, touching his arm to draw his attention. "That was the week that you where out of town, I wanted to take Dimitri somewhere fun for the week but I didn't have the means to go anywhere far, or expensive."

Dimitri smiled, he had, of course, remembered this bit of information once he had seen the house. But when you're six years old, you hardly pay attention to where a place is. "Well," He continued, " The four of us decided we would take one of the trails, but about half way down it, we split off down two different paths to race to where they joined up again..." He paused a moment, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "We got caught in the storm that blew though here and ended up staying gin a little cave for a few hours while it rained. Once it stopped, we started walking, and ended up here." Dimitri finished with a small smile. "So now, we just need to call Kedrick and Arielle so they can come pick us up."

Mrs. Emma bit her lip. "Uhm...Dimitri, honey," He said uncertainly, and Dimitri was positive that he didn't like the reluctant tone in her voice. She sighed softly, not enjoying being the one to give bad news. "The storm knocked out our phone lines, and we don't have any service up here for a cell phone. The only place that has any phone service is that little corner store a few miles from here, and that's already closed for the night."

Dimitri mouth opened slightly, his eyes widening a little bit. "What..." He asked incredulously, unable to believe it. "But-" He started again, and then couldn't finish.

"It's alright," His mother said encouragingly, stepping up and putting her hands on his shoulder. "look, here's what we'll do, You two stay here tonight, you can shower, change into something clean, get some good food, and sleep in a comfortable bed. The, when Jared goes to work tomorrow morning, he can drop you off at the store. Form there, you can call your friends and have them pick you up okay?" She asked in a reasonable tone.

But Dimitri was already shaking his head. To avoid telling her that he really didn't want to stay here he defaulted to Kedrick and Arielle. "Mom," He said, his voice cracking a bit. "Kedrick and Arielle will be worried sick! We've got to call them!"

"Dimtiri," She said firmly, giving him a 'look' that only a mother can give.

"Mom!"

"Dimitri Jameson Hunter." She said, her voice quiet, but carrying a definite note of authority. She placed her hand on her hips, taking in the slightly stricken expression on her son's face. Dimitri wasn't used to hearing his full name and knew his mother meant business. She sighed, taking his wrist and leading him into the hallway. "Wait." She instructed, holding up a finger before dissappearing though the doorway. She retured a moment later with two piles of clothing. She gave the first to him and tucked the other set under her arm. "Go shower." She said, "I can have your clothing washed by morning. Maria," She said, turning to the girl. Mrs. Emma smiled kind. "Why don't you come with me and I'll get you something to eat. You can shower once Dimitri's done." She told her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Jared stepped over. "I'm going to go finish that report for work, I'll be done soon." He told his wife, and then kissed her on the cheek and left the room.

Dimitri walked, slightly stricken down the hallway, still unable to believe it. Not to say that food and a shower wasn't a very attractive idea, but his mind kept coming back to one thing. He was back within Jared's reach, back in danger. The dark haired boy closed the bathroom door, undressing in a bit of a daze. He turned on the water as hot as it would go and stepped under the stream, feeling the water run down his back and hair. With a sigh, the boy rested his forehead against the shower wall. 'what in the world am I going to do?...'

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

“I’m so glad you do,” Maria replied, still using her sweet tone of voice. She couldn’t help but find it overly surprising that she was enjoying the fact that Jared was a tough nut to crack. At this point, she knew that Jared was now suspicious of the fact that she herself was suspicious and because of that, she knew that he would do everything in his power to keep playing like everything was just fine in his world as well as Dimitri’s.

It would be stupid of her to act too quickly without proper evidence and she knew that Dimitri wasn’t stupid about her actions either. She had a feeling that Dimitri knew she was suspicious about what he was hiding from her, but she had backed down about asking him that after their date at the ice cream store and even stopped trying to figure out from Kedrick when Arielle had come home from the hospital. At the same time, the matter left her mind completely until it started bothering her again ever since the camping trip begin, almost as if it was a premonition of some sort.

She felt herself smile back at Dimitri and leaned into him, letting her body relax. Everything was coming too fast for her somewhat, almost like it was too much to deal with. As soon as she let her body relax, her exhaustion washed over her and she honestly felt like she was going to pass out right then and there. Maria never realized just how brutal that day had been to them, a day that was supposed to be special with just their friends. I wonder how stable they are now, Maria thought with a small sigh because all she really wanted right now was to be back with them.

Maria listened as Dimitri explained to his mother how the two of them got there, all the while keeping subtle, yet cautious, glances at Jared. His poker face was still a bit hard for her to crack, but she knew that all the pieces would come together soon, and when she did, she would know what to do. However, her mind wasn’t too pressed on unmasking the truth right now since giving too much away would be costly for not only her, but Dimitri as well. Instead, she sleepily yawned and listened to Dimitri continue on with the tale of how they came to be at his mother’s and stepfather’s home.

The young Hispanic teen was just as shocked when she found out that they couldn’t call Kedrick or Arielle until the next day since they had no power or service. This is such a cruel joke, Maria thought bitterly, They’re probably worried sick about us and don’t even know if we’re alright or not! We can’t just wait until the morning! She had to keep her thoughts in her head, knowing that losing her temper wasn’t a good idea. She was more or less juts upset with the fact that they had to leave the people they cared about back at the camp and worrying about their safety. We should’ve never split up from them, she added in her thoughts sadly.

Maria appreciated Mrs. Emma’s way of encouraging them that everything will be fine, and she could almost kiss Dimitri’s mother on both of her cheeks for offering to let them stay over. It was a very kind gesture, and she knew that she didn’t have to do such a thing. Maria also knew that Mrs. Emma wouldn’t just turn away her son after not seeing him for who knows how long. Of course, Maria still couldn’t help but share her boyfriend’s feelings on what was pressing them both the most, but there was no point in arguing with a mother, especially when she called out your full name to get her way.

Maria stood up straight and made room for Mrs. Emma to get to her son, there was no reason for her to be in the way of things when it came to a mother and her child. When the attention was focused back on her, Maria immediately wanted to start eating, especially with how hungry she was, but she wanted to eat with Dimitri. All she wanted at that moment was to be near Dimitri as much as she could in that house hold. “Thank you Mrs. Emma,” Maria responded kindly, “But I hope you don’t mind if I wait for your son to be ready to eat as well? I just don’t want to eat by myself and I don’t want him to eat alone. I like having him near.”

The real reason why Maria was doing that was because she definitely did not trust being alone unsupervised with Jared in the house and she didn’t want to keep her eyes off of Dimitri either. She knew that it couldn’t be helped when she went to shower, but she was still going to do as much as she can to be near her boyfriend.

As Jared left, Maria observed him with cautious eyes, almost wishing that her stares could be felt, but knew that it would look strange if she kept staring at Jared. Maria didn’t trust Jared one bit and she knew that he knew it as well. The clock was ticking and she knew that she had to start thinking about some kind of plan, quick. Maria knew that she was getting herself into a serious amount of danger, but if it was to protect her boyfriend, she would do anything for him. The things I do…, Maria thought with a small tired sigh.  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Mrs. Emma looked up, slightly surprised at Maria's statement, but then a gentle smile touched her face. "Alright," She said, nodding once. "I was going to warm up some meatloaf we had for dinner in the microwave, but it'll be much nicer if I do it in the oven anyways, that'll give both of you enough time to shower." Emma Grey had already decided that she liked this girl, she was sweet, and polite, and there was an air about her that told Emma that she could handle herself in rough situations.

Mrs. Emma walked over to the refrigerator, pulling out a pan of meatloaf. She paused a moment, a thoughtful frown on her face. "Maria," She started hesitantly, turning to put the food in the oven and set a timer. "There's uh...There's something I'd like to tell you, just so you don't worry." Mrs. Emma turned to look back at her, the small frown still lingering on her face. She sighed softly "Dimitri....Doesn't always get along with Jared as well as I would like, and...it's mainly my fault." Her lips tightened slightly and she rested her back against a counter, her hands folded in front of her. "I think....I think I introduced the idea of Jared being Dimitri's father too quickly. You see, after Jared and I got married, Dimitri would just call him 'Jared' and I didn't mind...After a little more then a year though, I tried encouraging Dimitri to let Jared be a father to him..." She sighed, lowering her head slightly. "He wouldn't have any of it, and it seems that he's kind of alienated Jared ever since. I've tried to gently encourage him in the right direction a bit more over the year but he still won't even call him 'dad.' And Jared loves Dimitri, He really does." She said anxiously, looking up at her.

Mrs. Emma sighed and shook her head. "I suppose...I just wanted you to know, Just so that you didn't worry if you saw Dimitri acting...differently towards Jared. " Mrs. Emma's face was open and honest. There was no trace of a lie there, because Emma Grey didn't realize that she was lying. This was the only truth she knew, and once she had divulged the quiet fear to Jared, he had tactfully strengthened the belief.

Dimitri stepped out of the shower, steam rising off of his bare arms and shoulders as the cold air came in contact with his warm skin. Water ran from his arm down his back and pooled at the soles of his feet. Now that he was clean, and warm, and in anticipation of a good meal, Dimitri was feeling alright. He was still scared, and worried, but at least he felt like he could handle the problem now.

Dimitri snatched a towel up from the bathroom shelf, and dried off as best he could. He looked over at the pile of clothing his mother had given him, and his heart sunk. It wasn't his clothing, of course, Dimitri's mother only had clothing of his that would have fit a fourteen year old, not a boy who was nearly seventeen.

Dimitri picked up the shirt off the of the top of the pile, unfolding it. Instantly he could smell the deep, rich scent of the coffee, and it nearly made him gag. The boy swallowed, and dressed hesitantly, having to roll up the sleeved nearly to the elbows just to be able to use his hands. Taking a deep breath, Dimitri opened the door and stepped into the hallway. He closed the bathroom door, and turned to face the hallway. His heart nearly stopped in his chest.

Jared was leaning against the door jam of Dimitri's old bedroom. Gone was the warm genuine smile and the soft expression. In it's place, was a cruel smirk, and dark, merciless eyes that held no pity. There was a gleam of greed in his eyes as well as he studied the boy.

Dimitri lowered his head, drawing an involuntary gasp of fear. Vaguely, Dimitri was aware that his mother was talking to Maria in the kitchen. He wasn't sure weather it was a good thing, or a bad thing that they wouldn't hear if something happened. 'Just walk past him... Dimitri though, numb with fear. 'Don't look at him, and walk right past him...'

But Jared wasn't so easily ignored. He shifted forward, stepping to Dimitri's path. Dimitri, his sense of self preservation overriding his original plan, stepped back quickly, trying to back away from Jared. Jared merely compensated the distance, walked towards him. Dimitri continued backpedaling, when suddenly, he felt the unforgiving feeling of the end of the hallway behind his back.

Jared nearly lunged the last step, putting both hands flat on the wall, trapping him in place. He took a deep breath, that dark, dangerous smirk still playing on his lips. Sliding one hand free of the wall, Jared reached forward, taking a strand of Dimitri's wet hair between his fingers.

Dimitri, back flat against the wall, jerk his head back to try and get out of Jared's reach. He made no effort now to conceal his emotions and Jared could see all to plainly the hate, terror, and revulsion on the boys face. Yet it didn't seem to bother him. Jared touched the side of Dimitri's face, his fingers brushing lightly along his cheekbone. Dimitri jaw locked, his teeth gritting together. "Stop..." He whispered hoarsely, still trying to pull away from him, but with the wall behind him, and Jared standing chest to chest in front of him, there was really nothing he could do. Tears blurred the boy's vision and his throat was tight with fear. Dimitri could feel the blood rushing to his face, pounding in his hears.

Jared smirked, canting his head to the side, the smile didn't reach his frigid eyes. "After so long Dimitri?" He asked in a dangerously soft tone. He gave a quiet laugh, tipping the boy's chin up with one fingers. "I'd say we have a lot of catching up to do."

Dimitri swallowed hard, and suddenly his hatred flared over his fear. "I hate you..." He said, his voiced thick with loathing, eyes just as bitter and heartless as Jared's.

But the man merely smiled, as though this was hardly news to him. "That's funny, I love you." The effect of the words on the boy was instantaneous. All the color drained for Dimitri’s face, and he saw the instate horror that filled the boy's eyes and was rather pleased with the effect of the words. Jared lived to see Dimitri like this, helpless, terrified, completely under his power.

For Dimitri, it was more then he could handle. He lunged, crashing into Jared's arm and breaking past him, trying desperately to get away. But Jared was fast. His arm flashed out, grabbing Dimitri with deceptive strength, and forcing him back against the wall, pinning him there, one hand grabbing the boy's face so tightly that his jaw ached.

Dimitri stared at Jared, his heart pounding, there was no more room for hate in him, just fear, a terrible, cold fear that Dimitri was painfully familiar with. He looked directly into Jared's grey eyes. There was suppressed violence there, and Dimitri was suddenly fully aware that Jared would be a much, much more dangerous person if he was not in complete possession of his senses. Jared was many things, he was cruel, perverted, and utterly merciless, but he was not insane, and in many ways that was the most disturbing thing about him. Jared knew exactly what he was doing, and knew exactly the pain it caused the boy he had chosen as his victim, and yet he felt no guilt, not pity or remorse.

Jared canted his head to the side again, the momentary flash of violence in his eyes gone. His demeanor seemed to relax, but his hand still painfully gripped the lower half of Dimitri's face, preventing him from saying anything. "no..." Jared said thoughtfully. "Maybe you're right...maybe it's more of an....unhealthy desire..." He said softly, his lip’s brushing Dimitri's temple as his spoke.

Tear's slid down the boy's cheeks as he could no longer control the terrible fear and vulnerability he felt. The tears slid over Jared's tensed fingers, running down his wrist. The man gave a final smirk, and let go.

Dimitri didn't need the opportunity presented twice. He bolted down the hallway, Jared quiet laughter still echoing in his ears. As he reached near the end of the hall, Dimitri had the presence of mind to stop. He skidded to a halt, wiping the tears off of his cheeks with the back of his hand. He was glad that his eyes didn't redden when he cried or else it would have been very obvious. He took a deep breath, reminding himself just how important his acting was, he would have to play his part convincingly. But none the less, Dimitri couldn't help but risk a glance backwards. As he didn't he saw Jared disappear into the office, apparently paying him not more mind.

Once again, Dimitri took a deep breath, and walked into the kitchen. He plopped himself down in a chair, putting his feet on the table with a sigh. "It's feel so good to be clean." He said, smiling lightly at Maria.

His mother looked up, studied her son with a small frown, and then, abruptly rolled up a new's paper, and smacked the tops of his bare feet. "Dimitori! Watashi wa, anata ga tēburu kara fītodate oku koto o nankai itta ka? To rōka de jikkō shite iru? Shōjiki ni dimitori." She said in japanese. 'Dimitri! How many times have I told you to keep you're feet off the table? And running in the hallway? Honestly Dimitri.'

The boy gave a yelp of surprise and quickly pulled his feet off of the table, grinning sheepishly. "Gomenasai Haha." He apologized with a small smile 'sorry mother.' Dimitri was caught off guard by how easily the Japanese that was spoken so frequently in his home came back to him. It was kind of like riding a bike, how he had never really forgotten.

His mother raised her eyebrows, giving him a suspicious look. “Anata wa shibaraku nokoshite, watashi ga imamade tsukutta subete no rūru o wasurete shimatta... Watashi wa anata no tsugi no kanzen'na anata no kuchi o yubi de taberu to gozen no hanashi o sa rerudarou to katei shimasu.” ’ You leave for a while and forget every rule I've ever made...I suppose you'll be eating with your fingers and talking with your mouth full next.’

Dimitri couldn’t help a smile, and for the first time since he had entered this house, he felt like it was genuine. Mrs. Emma switched back over into English, directing her next statement to Maria. “Maria,” She said, picking up the second set of clothing from on the counter and setting down on the chair next to the girl. “Whenever you’re ready to shower, you can change into these, they should fit you alright.” She said with a gentle smile. Mrs. Emma had chosen from her clothing, a long, simple white nightshirt, and a pair of soft, comfortable looking blue shorts. Despite the age gap, Dimitri’s mother was so slight and had such a light bone stricter, and she and Maria where amazingly close to the same size.

Having made sure Maria knew what she could change into, Dimitri’s mother turned back to the oven. She pulled a pair of thick hot mitts over her hands and opened the oven door. Instantly, the wonderful smell of the meatloaf drifted out, and Dimitri realized just how hungry he really was. Having eaten nothing aside from the small amount of sausage early that morning, Dimitri found his stomach growling loudly. “It’s smells amazing…” He said, his mouth watering.

Emma smiled over her shoulder at him, “Glad you think so,” She said, serving up two plates and setting them in front of the two teenagers. “Eat up, I can only imagine how hungry you two are.”

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"Meatloaf sure does sound delicious," Maria said with a somewhat sleepy grin. Just the idea of food made her stomach growl and she had to hold her hand over her stomach. She was surprised that she hadn't passed out from barely having any food in her system since hours before. She just lost all track of time after they split up and at that point just gave up about knowing just how long they had been separated from their friends.

Maria quickly looked up in surprise when she heard her name being called. She looked at Mrs. Emma and wondered what was eating at her, nodding at what she was saying, knowing that she wasn't going to worry.

She took everything in, her eyes widening almost in surprise when Mrs. Emma blamed herself for why Dimitri and Jared never got along. She was a bit confused by it, but she took everything in, playing around with the information in her head. Maria knew there was a real reason why Dimitri probably acted the way he did and she knew it had nothing to do with Mrs. Emma. Her negative thoughts came back and aligned themselves with her questioning thoughts, and Maria felt like she was going to have a headache because too much was going on. Despite that, she still took that in, knowing that her search to figure out what was going on was starting with Mrs. Emma's words.

"Thanks for telling me, Mrs. Emma," Maria replied gently, a kind smile on her face, "This helps me understand just a little bit more about their relationship." Not as much as I wanted to know, but she probably knows nothing more than what she believes from him, Maria thought, already returning back into her thoughts, This guy... This man is definitely clever. Poor Mrs. Emma, she's so oblivious of whatever's happening, living in a house of lies...

During the time that Dimitri was being confronted with by Jared, Maria felt completely fidgety. She wanted to go check on her boyfriend, not caring that it may be a bit suspicious to Mrs. Emma, but then she would just lie and say that she wanted to make sure Dimitri was done and ready for her to shower. Just the idea of lying to Dimitri's own mother made her feel sick. She could never lie to this woman that she just met. She knew that she must have dealt with many lies, but she didn't want to add anymore onto her plate. Still, she felt completely on edge and knew that at that moment, he could be in some kind of trouble, and she hated the fact that she could barely do anything at this point.

Before Maria felt like she was just going to scream in annoyance from being so worked up, she heard someone running and knew that it was most likely Dimitri, there was no way that Jared would run in the hallway. It made her heart sink to know that something most likely happened and then she felt sudden burst wave of rage very different from the one she felt when Arielle was hurt by Jonesy. Of course, she couldn't let it show, any sign that she was onto something wouldn't help her or Dimitri at all.

She smiled back gently when Dimitri sat down and looked at his face. She yawned, making her facial expression look tired but in reality was making sure that her boyfriend's face was alright. She could already noticed the somewhat dried off spots on his face from his tears and gritted her teeth, her hand covering her mouth so that no one would notice. He did something to Dimitri to make him cry, Maria thought angrily, but tried not to be too focused on her thoughts at that moment.

Maria now had the opportunity to look at Dimitri and his mother in confusion when they spoke Japanese in front of her, now realizing that Dimitri probably always felt like that when she did that to him. Despite the difference in language, the sound of a mother scolding was a universal language, no matter where you're from, and she found herself giggling somewhat at just watching her boyfriend get scolded at by his mother. However, just that kind of communication made Dimitri smile like he normally would and it made her happy just to see him smile like his real self.

She looked over at Mrs. Emma and smiled at the clothes she picked out for her, taking them in her hands. She looked at them and realized that the clothes were surprisingly close to her size. She looked back at Mrs. Emma and smiled at her. "Thanks so much, Mrs. Emma," Maria said gratefully, "You honestly didn't have to lend me your clothes for the night. I would've just slept in what I wore..."

Before she could continue, the smell of the food filled her nostrils and her stomach growled so loud in the quiet kitchen, causing Maria to blush out of embarrassment. "And I bet it tastes amazing too," Maria added, smiling at her meal before she looked at Mrs. Emma, grinning and giggling a bit. "We're completely famished, but if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go wash my hands."

She stood up, wishing that she could just dig in, but she didn't want to with her hands being so dirty. With a small smile, she pushed her chair in a bit and walked over to the bathroom, realizing that after she ate, she couldn't wait for her shower.  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Mrs. Emma looked back at Maria, a smile on her face. "Of course I did," She replied as she set the two plates on the table, turning back to the counter to get them forks. "I wouldn't have stood for you staying the the same clothing that you've been in all day, besides, that clothing has been soaked, it's dirty, and most certainly not comfortable. Once you've finished showering, I'll wash you and Dimitri's clothing for you and it'll be ready to wear again tomorrow morning." She said, placing the forks down on the table.

Dimitri looked as Maria stood to go wash her hands. For a second, he thought that he should do the same himself, but then he remember that he had just showered and his hands where cleaner then they had been all day. As he watched her disappear around the corner, Dimitri felt a flicker of fear in the pit of his stomach. 'she knows something...she must!' he thought, the fear slowly penetrating his mind, pushing nagging doubts to the forefront of his brain. 'This is a nightmare....What'll I do if she finds out...what will she do?'

Dimitri realized suddenly that Maria finding out his past was the least of his problems right now. He was stuck for the entire night in the same house as Jared. The only question that remained was weather or not Jared would try something with a different person in the house. Jared knew his mother very well, what time she woke up, what time she fell asleep, how deeply she slept, weather or not little noises would wake her and cause her to come investigating. Jared didn't know these things about Maria, but still. 'What if he hurts me?' Dimitri wondered, his skin prickling with fear, just the thought was enough to make his stomach twist in a knot.

Dimitri mother looked over at him. "You alright?" She asked gently, noticing that he wasn't eating. He looked a little bit sick, but then, she reasoned that after being soaked by a torrential downpour and then being out in the cold woods for several hours, there was a good chance that he was sick.

Dimitri blinked the disturbing feelings away, although they still lingered in his mind, just beyond conscious thought. He smiled convincingly at his mother. "I'm fine, just waiting for Maria to get back" Dimitri said, realizing that he had almost made the fatal mistake of letting his mask slip around his mother.

It was at that moment, that Jared re-entered the room. Dimitri's mother looked up, smiling at her husband. "All finished with your report writing for tonight?" She asked, kissing his cheek.

Jared smiled, "All finished," He said, sitting down in the seat across from Dimitri. The boy hardly looked up at him, breaking apart the meatloaf with his fork to allow some of the heat to escape. If Jared had heard his near slip up with his mother, Dimitri could be in big trouble. "Careful," Jared said to him with a small smirk. "You eat that too fast and it'll burn your mouth."

Dimitri forced a smile and nodded. What Jared had said seemed innocent enough, but it was the first word that was important. 'careful' Jared had heard his slip, and he was warning him not to let it happen again, or else. "I wouldn't forget." Dimitri said cryptically. Even if Maria didn't know, even if she couldn't help him, Dimitri desperately wanted her back. Just having her close by helped him to keep his head about him around Jared. He knew she'd be back from washing her hands any second, but he needed her here, or else he though he might break.

Mrs. Emma walked over, placing her hands on Jared's shoulders. It made Dimitri heart ache to see how much his mother loved this man. 'oh mom...if only you knew, if only I could tell you...' Mrs, Emma leaned over slightly. "Honey, could you lend me a hand and do the hand dishes, since you're not doing anything."

Jared took one of Emma's hands, kissing the back of it. "Of course," He said with a smile, and stood, walking over to the sink and pushing up his sleeves. Dimitri risked a glare at Jared's back while his mother wasn't looking. 'keep your hands off her...' he thought bitterly, but none the less, was glad to have him at least half the room away from him.

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

Maria found herself smiling, knowing that Mrs. Emma was telling the truth. There was no way that she would actually sleep in dirty clothes in a nice clean bed. Maybe at her own home she would, but that was because she was also at home and she could wash her things at her own time. But since it was her boyfriend’s parents’ home, she rather not dirty it up so much. I honestly can’t thank her enough for her hospitality, Maria thought as she walked to the bathroom. She realized that she probably should’ve asked to find out where it was, but eventually, she found out where it was. She closed the door behind her, realizing that she had a strong urge to use the restroom as well.

During her short time in the bathroom, she heard footsteps walk by and could only assume it was Jared since Mrs. Emma was in the kitchen with her son and Dimitri was eating his heart away. She opened the bathroom door and looked both ways, almost like she was crossing the street before eyeing the room that was Jared’s study. There was a strong desirous urge to go inspect the room, but she was almost afraid that it would look fishy. However, curiosity killed the cat, and Maria couldn’t help her feet from walking. She also wanted to inspect the house itself since she had no idea when she’d ever see this place again.

Maria, you’re going to get yourself killed like this for sure, she thought to herself with a dry laugh. She was smart enough to know that walking into the study would be a dumb idea, dumb and bold of herself on the first night. So instead, her eyes quickly glanced around to the inside of the study room. Maria felt stupid for thinking there was anything revealing in there, but she only took it in briefly. Despite the fact that she was ridiculously tired, she would stay up long enough to thoroughly inspect the study room. She had to find something, but with her luck and Jared’s ease of deception, she knew that it would be unlikely to find anything.

“I need to stop getting ahead of myself,” Maria muttered to herself in Spanish, “Any wrong move and I’m done for… We’re done for…”

Maria walked back into the kitchen and saw that Jared had joined them in the kitchen, washing the dishes and being helpful. There was a quick facial expression of annoyance, but that was more in her eyes. However, her stomach growled loudly again and Maria sighed, wishing it would be silent, but looking at that meatloaf just made her mouth water and she sat back down happily, ready to dig in.

“Hello sweet meatloaf, I have returned to eat you,” Maria said playfully, forgetting that her mind was still in Spanish and no one in the house understood Spanish. She blinked and laughed, a faint blush of embarrassment on her face. “My apologies for the change in language,” Maria apologized shyly, “My brain has a tendency to go into Spanish automatically and when I speak aloud, I tend to forget that I’m around people who don’t understand me. Dimitri knows since it happens all the time when we’re together.”

She looked over at him when she said that, smiling at him before giggling and eating her meatloaf. Her body happily accepted the cuisine and she sighed happily, never realizing just how hungry she was. Had her mother been there, seeing her eat like she had no table manners, she would be the one being scolded and being embarrassed in front of her boyfriend. After her fifth bite, she slowed her eating down, trying to act a bit more “ladylike”, almost as if she was home. I still eat like my brother though, Maria thought amusingly to herself.

At that same time, a thought came into her mind and it was about the matter of where she would sleep for the night. With her mind so pressed about Jared, Dimitri, and food, she barely thought about sleeping. Then again, she had a feeling she probably wouldn’t do much sleeping that evening either. It’s been such a long day…, she thought, glancing at Dimitri, noticing there was some food on his face and wiped it off with her thumb. “Do I have to put a bib on you, Dimitri?” Maria teased with a playful smirk.

“Oh, Mrs. Emma, I forgot to ask you something,” Maria started, looking over at Dimitri’s mother, “I hope you don’t mind this, but is it alright if Dimitri and I share a room tonight?” She was calculating, planning in her mind. Maria assumed that as any mother would, that the last thing they wanted was their child to be in the same room, the same bed, with a person of the opposite gender, even if they were dating them. Still, she felt like that even though she was in the house, Jared would try and pull something under her nose, and she had no intention of letting him do so, well, not again of course. Maria had to play her cards right, say the right words to convince Mrs. Emma to agree. Maria had a bit of a silver tongue which she wasn’t afraid of admitting, but she usually used it when she was flirting or trying to get someone annoying away from her. She had barely used her words of persuasion since she started dating Dimitri (well, she honestly didn’t think so but she had a feeling that Dimitri would probably think differently about that), but it was time to use it again.

“I know that you probably wouldn’t let us do that, and I could understand you completely,” Maria continued, “However, I feel a bit more comfortable if I was besides Dimitri. I mean, I’ve slept with Dimitri before.” She stopped and realized that she was probably implying the wrong thing and then she had to quickly correct herself, which was exactly, what she wanted to do.

“N-Not like that of course!” Maria exclaimed, blushing in embarrassment as she realized her “mistake”. A part of her felt bad for doing this to Dimitri’s mother, a woman she liked and respected, but she had a boyfriend to protect. Please forgive me for adding more lies, Mrs. Emma, Maria thought sadly before continuing. “When Dimitri and I hang out with Kedrick and Arielle, we sometimes slept on the couch against each other. Then again, usually they had us do some kind of tiring activity… Also…,” she paused again, starring at her meatloaf and sighed, every word needing to count, needing to strike home, “Dimitri’s the only one who can calm me down from my fears, Mrs. Emma. We’ve been out all day and I’m very worried about my friends Arielle and Kedrick and how they’re handling our “disappearance” right now. Even the fact that we can’t even contact them unsettles me even more…”

Another paused and she sniffed, realizing she was getting all teary. Maria knew that Dimitri knew she wasn’t the one to get so easily emotional, but from the viewpoint of someone who just met her, plus having to deal with a tiring and stressful day could definitely make someone want to break down. “And, this may seem a bit superstitious to you, but my family… We’re a bit superstitious. A Vázquez knows when a storm is coming… And I am simply terrified of thunder and lightning storms, but your son was able to cheer me up, keep me calm and relaxed. If it wasn’t for him, I’d probably be crying my heart out in the woods every time I saw a flash of lightning or heard the rumble of thunder.”

“I of course am not saying that a storm will happen, but I would so very much like to be near Dimitri, just in case,” Maria continued on, taking a bite out of her meatloaf, pushing a loose strand of hair back, “Dimitri can sleep under his covers and I can sleep on top or vice versa. Sometimes when I’ve been terrified by storms, I have a tendency to have a hard time sleeping and may be up for a while before I finally go to sleep.”

Almost everything Maria said was true, except for her family being able to predict storms and being a troubled sleeper. She was so exhausted that even the idea of lying down in a bed would most likely make her fall asleep in a heartbeat, but she was relaying somewhat of a secret message to Jared. A message she knew that the man would easily pickup, and it was that she wasn’t leaving Dimitri’s side so easily and that he’d better not try a move with her around. You try and lay a hand on him around me, Jared, Maria thought, almost wishing he could hear her thoughts, And I’ll make you regret your entire existence.

“But I beg of you,” Maria pleaded, everything in her voice actually meaning her plea, “Please let me do this and I promise no funny business that we aren’t allowed to do. My own mother would kill me if I broke my word.” All Maria hoped for was that Mrs. Emma would accept her request, for both Dimitri’s sake and her own. She found herself using “the face”, a face that Dimitri knew so well and known by basically everyone that was close to her that it was just about irresistible. It wasn’t a pouting face, per say, but it was something about her expression that you just didn’t really want to say no and turn her down. She was barely aware of it, but if “the face” worked, then all the best for her.

“Also, I would feel bad, like I’m betraying your trust if I snuck into Dimitri’s room because I was scared,” Maria finally added, her fork gently hitting against her meatloaf. She felt like that if she was rejected, she was still going to sneak in afterwards, but she already felt like she lied enough and she was telling the truth. She was a bit scared and worried and she rather be near Dimitri, even if it’s in his own bed, than nowhere near a person she could trust.

If this works out…, Maria thought, Then my only concern is who’s going to go with Jared to make a call to Arielle and Kedrick…If it’s Dimitri, I’m playing him right into his hands, but if it’s me… If it’s me… She couldn’t manage to get herself to think that far since she still had to hear an answer from Mrs. Emma, her entire body feeling tense for an answer.  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Dimitri looked up, feeling a flash of relief when Maria walked back into the room. He smiled at her, his smile widening into a grin when she began talked in Spanish, he assumed, without realizing it. The slight, dark haired boy was amazed at how, even here, Maria could still make him smile. "Maria," He said, to call her attention to the face that he had no idea what she had just said.

Mrs. Emma looked up in surprise, looking at Maria with raised eyebrows. She laughed slightly as Maria explained herself, shaking her head. "That's alright, I suppose we tend to do the same thing, as you must have noticed." She said gently, exchanging a secretive glance at Dimitri, who smirked and leaned over his meatloaf again.

Jared turned slightly, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Disfruta, pero no dejes que eso te quema la boca, eso sería una vergüenza." He said in flawless spainish. 'Enjoy, but don't let it burn you mouth, that would be a shame.'

Dimitri looked up with a slight frown. That was another thing about Jared, the man picked up languages with immense speed. When he had first married his mother, Jared could speak English, French, and Spanish, and since then he had become fluent in both Japanese and Italian. This made it even more difficult for Dimitri, he would have hinted to his mother as to what was going on in Japanese, but Jared, by the point the abuse had started, had enough of a grasp on the language that he could have easily picked up what Dimitri was saying.

Dimitri looked up, surprised when Maria brushed her thumb across his cheek. He swallowed his mouthful and then smirked at her. "I don't think that'll be completely necessary." He joked, scrapping the last forkful of meatloaf up.

Mrs Emma looked up at Maria's suggestion, and her surprise was quickly overwritten by doubt. She opened his mouth as though to despell the idea right away. She hesitated however, listening to Maria's reasoning. Of course the moment she had "Accidentally" mentioned sleeping with Dimitri before, her face registered shock, and she turned a quick glance on Dimitri and Maria. The boy quickly opened his mouth to speak, but Maria corrected herself. The look of shock slowly faded from Mrs. Emma's face, setting back into one of curious, albeit suspicious interest.

Dimitri bit his lip, watching his mother’s face closely/ He hoped that she’d agree with Maria, it would be so good to have Maria there close by all night, and it would make sure that he was safe. There was simply no way Jared would try anything with Maria there in the room. The only question that remained was whether or not his mother would agree.

Slowly, a sympathetic look replaced the one of suspicion on Mrs. Emma’s face as Maria expressed her fear of storms. She understood what the girl was thinking, she herself was very nervous about thunder and lightning. She sighed softly, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. “Alright,” She said gently. “I trust that you two won’t get into any trouble.” Mrs. Emma offered the two of them a small smile. "But you must be tired, it's been a very long day, so you should both get ready for bed.

Dimitri smiled, feeling a wave of relief wash though him as his mother agreed. "Right," He agreed quickly, standing up and putting his plate in the sink, pausing a second to kiss his mother on the cheek. He almost wanted to thank her, but he knew that that would be too suspicious, and both his mother, and Maria would catch on. If she hadn't already that was, Dimitri couldn't imagine that as clever and observant as Maria was that she wouldn't have noticed that there was something very, very wrong with his relationship with his step father.

He looked over his mother's shoulder, still standing close to her. He saw Jared steal a glance over at Maria, it betrayed no feeling in his gaze. Dimitri knew that Jared had had something in mind, now Maria had intervened, and she could very well have saved him. Jared turned, seemingly with little interest back to the hand dishes.

Dimitri looked back at Maria, giving her a warm smile. "So, once you're finished with your shower we can get ready for bed hmm?" He asked, not really wanting her to leave him by himself, but knowing she would need to shower and get into clean clothing. Besides, Dimitri reasoned, if he stayed close to his mother, and didn't let Jared get him by himself, there was no possible way he could do anything more to him tonight.

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

“You know I can’t help it, chico,” Maria responded with a small flirty grin, giggling again as she looked at Dimitri. Laughter seemed like such a perfect thing after everything they were dealing with to relieve her of her stress. Brown eyes glanced over at Mrs. Emma as she responded back to her comment and she nodded. "That's very true, but it's still pretty easy to understand when a mother is scolding her child," Maria added as she continued eating her meatloaf.

Maria found herself pause mid-bite into her meal as she heard Jared warn her about eating too quickly in Spanish. She blinked but found herself grinning to herself. So he knows Spanish, she thought, noticing the smirk on his face, even if it was small and subtle. "Sí, definitivamente sería una lástima. Gracias por su advertencia de tipo," replied to Jared politely. And thank you for letting me know that you can understand me in Spanish, Maria added in her thoughts, and could only assume that he may have picked up Japanese after living with Mrs. Emma for so long.

Whether you know it or not, Jared, Maria thought to herself as she was eating her meatloaf, You're helping me understand the little bits and pieces of you slowly. So I thank you for that as well. She knew that there was most definitely more, but she had to start off from somewhere, and that was farther than where she was before they came across this home.

"So you say, mi querido," Maria responded with a light roll of her eyes, "So you say. But since you're meatloaf is gone, guess you really don't need one." She giggled as she continued joking with Dimitri.

Maria was completely focused on Mrs. Emma's reactions to what she was saying just as much as Dimitri was. Had she even given one glance over to Jared the entire time she was speaking, she knew that she would immediately give her plan away and everything she had tried would be lost. Luckily for her, Jared was busy washing the dishes, but she wasn't stupid or naive enough to think that he wasn't paying close attention to her at all.

She couldn't help explain the bit of excitement she felt when Mrs. Emma was looking sympathetic to her as she had continued on. She had weaved as much of the truth as she could, which may have been all of it, and was glad to see that it was working. Maria felt like celebrating when Mrs. Emma agreed, but instead, she smiled politely and finished her meatloaf.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Emma," Maria said as she sat her knife on the plate, "I know it takes a lot to trust someone you just met, but I promise that I'll keep my word to you. But you are right... It has definitely been a long day and that shower sounds like a better idea the more that I think about it."

She felt eyes on her and looked back at Jared, allowing herself a small sweet smirk with a subtle look of wickedness in her eyes. She had managed to intervene Jared for the evening and she knew that at that moment, Jared was probably going to dislike her more than he may already have. Maria looked back down at her plate around the same time that Jared looked away and finished the last bite that she had somehow managed to miss.

Maria stood up from the table and picked up her plate, looking at Dimitri as he asked his question and nodded. "Sounds like a great idea," Maria replied happily, walking over to the sink and sitting her dishes beside Jared and quietly thanking him for washing her dish. She walked back over to Dimitri and ruffled his hair. "And then you can listen to more of my childhood adventures since you told me all the ones you and Kedrick had."

She picked up the clothes that Mrs. Emma let her borrow and looked back at Mrs. Emma. "Do you have a brush that I can borrow, Mrs. Emma?" Maria asked, "For after my shower of course. I know that you may want to catch up with your son and all, so I don't mind waiting. But I thought I'd ask."

mi querido= my dear>  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Dimitri smiled tiredly at Maria as she mentioned telling him more about she and Arielle's childhood adventures. "It sounds like fun," He said, feeling fatigue wash over him. "But I may just fall asleep before we get to it, I'm exhausted." And while this was true, Dimitri knew that he wouldn't sleep easily tonight. Even with Maria there, just knowing that he was in the same house as Jared, being back in the same room that he had hurt him in all those times...Dimitri took a deep breath, he would have to prepare himself for the nightmares and flashbacks that would inevitably come.

Mrs. Emma smiled, picking up the pan with the left over meatloaf in it and putting it back in the refrigerator. "Of course," She replied to Maria's question, "There's one on the sink that you can use." The slight woman turned to look at her son. "Dimitri, would you help me get your room ready for you and Maria tonight?" she asked, still thinking that it sounded slightly wrong in her head, but she shook the notion away. 'The poor girl is just scared, that's all...after a day like she's had I don't blame the poor dear...'

Dimitri smiled gratefully, this would give him the perfect excuses to pretty much tail his mother until Maria was out of the shower. A long time ago, Dimitri could remember feeling bad when he did something like this, like he was using his mother as a shield. But then the boy had to reason with himself, his mother was in no danger, Jared had no intention of hurting her if Dimitri played his part well enough.

Jared never had, and never would threaten to kill Dimitri, the boy was too valuable to him. Instead, when Jared needed to force Dimitri into something, weather it into keeping something quiet, or going into a situation where they where along, there was a different kind of threat he would use. Jared would threaten to hurt his mother, and then, following that, he tell Dimitri that he'd take him somewhere far away where no one would find him, and it'd be just the two of them. Dimitri wanted to protect his mother even more then he wanted to protect himself, and the idea of spending the rest of his life just with Jared, somewhere where no one would know where he was, was too much for the boy to bear. Even now, just the thought made his throat tighten with fear.

Bringing his thoughts back to what was happening right now, Dimitri turned to Maria with a small smile. "Have a nice shower, I'll have everything ready for sleep when you get out." He said, kissing her forehead gently. Dimitri wanted to hold that contact for some time, to let her, and himself know that things would be alright, that somehow they'd get out of this safely. But, once gain, as in the case with thanking his mother, Dimitri didn't dare for fear of making her suspicious. He pulled back, still smiling.

Mrs. Emma smiled at the small exchange and touched Dimitri's shoulder. Dimitri looked back and nodded, "Coming," He said with a light grin, and followed her from the room.

Mrs. Emma walked down the hallway, Dimitri close behind her. She stopped in front of a closet, opening the door and looking up to where there was a stack of blankets on the top shelf. Dimitri smiled, he may be small for his age, but he did have a little height on his mother. The dark hair boy stood on tiptoe, pulling down two of the folded blankets. His mother smiled in dry appreciation. Like Dimitri, Mrs. Emma was well aware of her slight stature, and it was comically annoying that her own son still had a few inches over her.

The two of the walked shoulder to shoulder down the hall and turned into Dimitri's bedroom. The boy stopped in the doorway, the blankets still loaded in his arms. He stared around the room in shock. If he hadn't known better, it looked like the room hadn't been touched since the day he had left nearly three years ago know. Books and magazines still littered the floor, his own blankets still tangled on his bed exactly where he had left them that morning. The room was still decorated to the tastes of a fourteen year old, with movie posters and pictures of well know bands pinned to the walls. "You didn't touch anything?" He asked, his voice slightly hushed as he took everything in.

His mother shook her head, stepping into the room and turning on the light. "No," She replied with a small, sad smile. "I couldn't make myself, I wanted to make sure it was the way you liked to for when you came back..." She stepped over a stack of old homework and began straightening the covers on the bed like any good mother would do. "I've been telling myself for years that I should just clean it and get it over with, but I never did."

Dimitri smiled, walking in slowly and setting his armload down on the bed. "No, it's okay, It's kind of nice..." He said with a small smile. Dimitri touched the mattress gingerly with the tips of his fingers, and as he did, sudden flashes of what had been done to him there flashed though his head. Sounds, images, feelings, all rushed though his brain in a matter of second, painting a vivid picture in his mind of what had happen here for so many nights. It drained the color from his face.

His mother looked over, touching his cheek gingerly. "Dimitri," She said quietly, her eyes flickering with concern. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Dimitri looked up at her, forcing a smile. "Fine mom, just...feeling a bit nostalgic..." He said hesitantly, looking around the room. Like Maria, he felt terrible about lying to his mother, but he had too, to keep her safe, to keep himself safe. And now Maria was added to that list, he had to keep her safe too now...

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"Way to leave me hanging, Dimitri," Maria jokingly responded with a playful pout on her face. Still, she was tired herself and they both needed their sleep, but she wasn't sure how much she would be able to sleep knowing that if she let her guard down near her boyfriend, Jared could make his move. And though she wanted to inspect the office room out of curiosity, she knew that that kind of move would be something Jared would use against her. I don't know why I'm giving myself the feeling that I'm under house arrest..., Maria thought, mentally laughing at some of her foolish thoughts.

Maria repeated what Mrs. Emma said in her head, keeping a mental note about the brush. "Okay, I got it. Thanks, Mrs. Emma," Maria said with a smile, looking down at her clothes and finally taking in just how dirty she was. I did say a shower was a good way to clear your thoughts, Maria thought to herself, realizing just how much she needed to clear from her mind and at the same time feeling like if she had done so, she would probably not be feeling perfectly fine.

She looked back at Dimitri and smiled, nodding. "Don't worry. I'll make sure to have the best shower ever. I'll see you when I get out," she responded, smiling as she felt his lips kiss her forehead. If her hands weren't so full, she'd hug him back and cling onto him and to never let him go, but she knew that doing that would give so much away. So she held in her urge and watched as Dimitri and Mrs. Emma walked away to Dimitri's room. I love you so much, Dimitri, Maria thought sadly, as well as quietly mumbling this to herself before walking to the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

She sat the clean clothes on top of the toilet and stripped herself down, glad to get out of her dirty clothes. She undid her hair, which she had braided, and folded her clothes neatly. Her eyes scanned a clean set of a towel and a washcloth, and she smiled at the idea of being clean. Grabbing the washcloth, Maria stepped into the shower and turned it on, making as hot as she liked it, but no too hot that she felt like she was burning herself alive.

Maria just stood there, sighing in relief as the water hit against her skin. Normally when she got in the shower, she would just let herself soak for a little bit before washing herself off, but that time, she felt like she could be in that bathroom for a full hour, with most of that time being spent to soak in the water. "This sure does feel nice," Maria said to herself with a pleased smile.

At that moment her thoughts came back in full force. The negative nagging ones from last night, the suspicious ones now adding on top, and the ones of her plotting. Clearly her mind was a mess and she couldn't find the beginning or even an end to any of her thoughts. This is just too much! she shouted in her mind, already feeling nauseous again. Her hand slapped against the tiled wall and she just stared at her feet. Too much and too frustrating... Why do they always do this to me? Just... Just why?

Her mind sent her back during the times that Arielle had to deal with Jonesy. Even when the young girl found out from her friend, she still felt like Arielle was hiding so much more from her. Like she didn't trust her, even though she knew she was doing it to protect her. Now she had to deal with it again with Dimitri and it scared her to death. She knew that Dimitri wasn't telling her certain things to protect her, and who knows what Jared would do to her and him if Dimitri told her, the sneaky conniving devil.

Why are all the horrible people in my life the ones that harm the people I love? And what's worse, their names begin with the letter "J", Maria thought sadly, glad that the shower was loud enough to hide her small sobs. This situation was a whole different level from Jonesy. Sure, Jonesy had weapons and important people that he manipulated underneath him, something Maria was grateful that Jared didn't seem to have, but what made it worse was the power he had over Dimitri as well as his mother.

"I know absolutely nothing about this man... About how he came across Dimitri and his mother and his purpose," Maria muttered to herself bitterly, punching the wall and wincing slightly at the pain.

What's even more worse is the fact that Dimitri is blatantly trying to make you think that nothing's wrong. Just think about it Maria. He had all this time to tell you, but of course you'll never know everything. Maybe he doesn't want you to know. Maybe he doesn't want your help at all, Maria. And even if he wanted your help, why wouldn't he let you know. Or better yet, the people who care about him, Kedrick and Arielle, how come they never prewarned you Maria.

Just face it and admit defeat, Maria. You're going to play yourself a fool and get yourself hurt one way or another meddling in this affair. And then there's that Jared guy, who already knows you're onto something. You're not going to be able to make him crack open as easily as Jonesy was.

Just give up on all of them now, Maria, you don't deserve to be put through all this. People who LOVE and TRUST you would never keep secrets from you and make you feel like you don't matter at all.

Maria had to stop her thoughts right there because they were becoming too hurtful and malicious for her. Truths, doubts, and speculations were interweaving with one another and causing the young woman to feel like she needed to puke again. She finished cleaning herself off, glad to get all of that dirt off and got out of the shower. The only thing that she was able to get off of her were those thoughts, which had once again disappeared into the back of her mind, waiting for another opportunity to show up and make her feel miserable.

She wrung out her washcloth and folded it neatly as she sat it down on the top of the sink besides the brush. She grabbed her towel and dried herself off slowly, looking at herself in the mirror and noticed that her eyes were just a bit pink, and if anyone saw directly, she knew she would have to explain herself with some kind of truth, or another lie. Too many lies and deceptions for one evening..., Maria thought with a sigh, Too much to handle...

When she felt like her hair was dry enough, she walked back over to the clean folded clothes and put them on. Maria was completely surprised when she noticed how perfectly they fit her and just how comfortable they were against her skin. She walked pack over to the sink, picking up her dirty clothes along the way, and took the brush with her as she left the bathroom and headed towards Dimitri's room.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Emma," Maria said as she entered the room, taking in the site of her boyfriend's room before looking at his mother. "What would you like me to do with my dirty clothes? Is there any place you want me to sit them at?" She looked around again and knew that if she took too long to brush out her hair, it would become tangled and then it would just a nightmare to deal with. And I just had to have naturally curly hair, Maria thought to herself with a small smile.  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Dimitri and his mother both looked up as Maria entered the room, and Dimitri felt the same wave of relief wash though him that he did before. He smiled, taking in her appearance, her tangled wet hair, and the water droplets that clung to her long eyelashes. She really was breathtaking, even in pajamas and without her hair brushed out. But then again, one of the things that his mother had always said was that if a man couldn't take the sight of a girl in her pajamas with morning breath then he didn't deserve to see her in a wedding dress.

Mrs. Emma smiled at Maria, walking over to her. "I can take them, I'll get them washed up." She turned, looking over her shoulder at her son. "Dimitri? Where did you leave your clothing?"

Dimitri thought for a second, "Uhhh...They're still on the bathroom floor." he admitted sheepishly. shifting from foot to foot. He looked over at Maria, and suddenly realized that something seemed off about her. The girl's eyes where slightly reddened, like she too had been crying. Dimitri resolved not to ask, but now he was certain beyond all doubt that Maria knew something, and whatever it was that she knew was bothering her. Dimitri's stomach twisted with guilt, seeing her like this was nearly more then he could stand.

Mrs. Emma rolled her eyes to the ceiling, "Of course..." She said with a sigh. She knew, always had, that Dimitri was a bit of a slob, his room clearly showed that. If she could see his apartment, that would only strengthen her belief. "Well," She said, stepping over to Dimitri. "I suppose I have laundry to do then, Goodnight." She kissed Dimitri's cheek, feeling his forehead for a minute just to make sure that he really didn't have a fever. She did have to worry about the boy, he had been acting strangely today and she did hope that he wasn't ill. Mrs. Emma looked to Maria in turn and gave the girl a gentle smile. "Sleep well Maria," She said putting a hand on her shoulder. Dimitri mother took one more glance between the two of them, smiled, and turned to leave the room.

Mrs. Emma picked up Dimitri's clothing from the bathroom floor, putting he and Maria's into the washing machine so that they could be ready for the two teenaged to wear the next day. She finished getting the clothes ready and then walked into the bedroom.

Jared was lying on his side on the bed, a book in his hand. He looked up, smiling at his wife. "Ready for bed?" He asked, closing the book and reaching over to set it on the nightstand.

Emma smiled and lay down next to him, pulling the sheets up over her shoulder and kissing him gently on the lips. "Of course," She said, brushing the thick dark hair away from his face. She sighed softly, and resting her head on the pillow. A small frown appeared between her eyebrows, and she shifted uncertainly.

Jared allowed a small smile. "What is it love?" He asked, turning the lamp by the bedside off.

Emma shook her head. "Oh, nothing important..." She said softly, giving a quiet laugh "I...I just worry, I don't want Dimitri to get into any trouble....that's all...I don't want him to end up getting hurt someday...."

Jared smiled, the irony of the expression lost in the darkness. "Don't worry," He said gently, the deceptive lie falling easily and smoothly from his lips. "No one is going to hurt Dimitri, I promise you." But what Emma didn't know, what that someone had, and had been doing so for a long time.

Meanwhile, Dimitri straightened the covers on the bed, not that his mother hadn't done so sever times within the last half hour. He flopped down on the far side of the bed, shuffling the blankets into a comfortable position underneath him, figuring that he let Maria sleep under the blankets, the house could get chilly at night. He looked back up at Maria, smiling at her with a trace of embarrassment. "Ready?" He asked uncertainly, despite the situation feeling a hint of shy embarrassment.

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"Oh, alright," Maria answered handing Mrs. Emma her dirty clothes and taking the brush from off the top of the pile, "I thank you so much again. You have no idea just how grateful I am to your kind hospitality." She listened as Dimitri answered his mother's question about where his clothes were and found herself laughing, now understanding that the clothes on the floor when she was in there was his. "Don't worry, they're already folded. I saved you the liberty of having to do such a thing."

She felt eyes on her again and realized that Dimitri had noticed her eyes. She was now afraid that he was going to ask her what was wrong, and all of a sudden last night seem to happen before her eyes again. Dimitri...

Maria escaped her thoughts and watched as Mrs. Emma said goodnight to her son, kissing him on the forehead. A wave of homesickness came over her as she suddenly realized just how much she missed a simple goodnight from her parents and as much as she was enjoying the time with her boyfriend and friends, minus the separation, she really wanted to be back with her mother and father.

She blinked when she felt Mrs. Emma's hand on her shoulder and she smiled sweetly at her, glad the woman had stopped her from starting another round of waterfalls, this time for missing her parents. "Thank you Mrs. Emma," Maria responded with sweet smile, "And may you sleep well yourself."

Maria watched Mrs. Emma leave Dimitri's room and she started brushing her hair finally, taking small steps as she continued to look around Dimitri's room. She was lucky enough that Mrs. Emma even allowed Maria to stay in Dimitri's room, and thought about how things would've been if they were staying over her house and Dimitri offered to sleep with her for the night. My dad would have more of a fuss over that than my mother, Maria thought with a grin as she continued to brush her hair somewhat distractedly, And if Eneas and Ulises were home, they would start making Dimitri and I feel so embarrassed and make things worse.

Her thoughts made her smile, even if they were thoughts of home and almost made her forget about the craziness that was happening so close to her. She looked up at Dimitri when he started to speak again. She looked at the bed and instantly remembered that this would be the first time that they had actually shared a bed together. Her cheeks flushed worse than his and she nodded, walking over to the bed and sitting down on her side.

"Well, this is definitely a new experience," Maria commented shyly, looking over at Dimitri with a playful smirk, "You make it seem like we're getting ready for something big. Are we on our honeymoon already? Did I miss the ceremony?" She started laughing, brushing the last bit of her hair and sitting the brush down. She only hoped her humor would make her shyness disappear.  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Dimitri looked up at her words and his cheeks flushed a deep scarlet. "N-no, of course not," He stammered, not sure why he was taking this so unusually. On a normal day, Dimitri would have teased her right back, not get all flustered and almost uncomfortably embarrassed. 'It must be the stress,' Dimitri decided, 'it's getting to me...just relax, you know she's only joking....' He offered a weak smile. "I just wanted to know if you where ready to go to sleep..." Dimitri finished, pulling the blankets over his shoulders.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Dimitri. If he and Maria did end up married, on their honeymoon, would he be able to stand the feeling of it? The only intimate physical contact Dimitri had ever know was what Jared had done to him, and he didn't ever want to feel anything like that ever again. Subconsciously, Dimitri wondered if Maria would consent to waiting a while, ever after they where married, just until he would be comfortable with it. Even with Maria, someone he loved, the thought of it still made him feel uncomfortable. But Dimitri knew he was getting ahead of himself. He had no idea what was going to happen after tonight, or especially after tomorrow when she would start to ask questions as he knew she would. When he thought about it that way, marriage in the future seemed like a very, very vague 'maybe.'

Dimitri reached over Maria, grabbing hold of the string on the lamp, giving it a tug and turning out the light. "Good night Maria, sleep well..." He whispered into the darkness, even though he could only see her fuzzy outline next to him. He was glad she was here. If she where here, Jared couldn't hurt him.

Dimitri willed his body to relax, and his breathing slow. Yet while he looked like he was asleep, Dimitri was completely alert, a tense ball of nerves, internally jumping at every creak or groan of the house. Despite how hard he tried to keep them at bay, Dimitri couldn't keep the flashbacks and the memorys from flooding his brain. In his minds eye, Dimitri could see Jared, clear as though he where standing directly in front of him, reaching towards him, trapping him in some corner where he couldn't get away. He shifted slightly, trying to dispell the disturbing image, but it left only to be replaced by another, even worse then the one before it.

Eventually, and without hardly being aware of it, Dimitri slipped into a shallow, restless sleep that was plagued by nightmares. But Dimitri's nightmares where more of warped memories then anything else, his brain didn't need to fill in any gaps to create a horrifying picture in his mind. The first, was a series of quick flashes, all little pieces of being trapped in a room, alone with Jared. but then something else began to take form, a memory, Dimitri's was sure.

"Are you alright?"
Thirteen year old Dimitri Hunter crouched with his back to the brick wall of the school building, crying so hard that each sob wracking his thin frame violently. A blond haired boy of the same age crouched in front of him, a look of concern on his open, honest face. "Are you alright," He asked again. "Calm down, it's okay....tell me what's wrong..." The boy prodded gently. Dimitri quelled his sobs just long enough to shake his head viciously before another violent sob tore from his shaking body. The blond hesitated, and then decided to try again, something different this time, something to distract long enough to cox him to calm down a little. "Your name's Hunter, right?" He asked, calling to memory what he had heard the slight boy addressed as in school.

He shook his head again, opening his mouth to speak but another gasping sob interrupted him. It took him a moment, but finally, scrubbing the tears from his face, the boy managed to reply. "D-Dimitri....Dimitri Hunter..." He said, his voice hoarse and thick with emotion.

The other boy nodded, "Okay..." He said hesitantly, "I know a lot of people call you Hunter, but do you mind if I call you Dimitri?" He asked, and was rewarded by a small shake of his head. The blond smiled slightly. "My name's Kedrick Suwa." He said, hoping by this point that he would have been calm enough to tell him what was wrong. He watched as Dimitri reached up to to scrub the tears from his face again. As he did, His shirt road up slightly, creating a gap between his shirt and his jeans. But that wasn't the problem, the problem was what he saw. Kedrick could clearly see dark, black and purple bruises on the boy's hips that disappear in his waistband. He felt his insides tighten with fear and realization of what those bruises meant. "What...is..Where did you..." He started, reaching over, trying to see the bruises better.

The dark haired boy let out a cry of fear, scrambling back away from him. Fresh tears spilled down the boy's cheeks as he flinched away from Kedrick, desperate not to let him touch him.

Kedrick held up his hand quickly, his voice cracking as he spoke. "No, no, it's okay, I won't touch...." He said softly, and then his face became more tense, anger flaring in his eyes. "Who did this to you?"

Slowly the memory faded, changing instantly back into nightmares. The boy shifted in his sleep, kicking at the blankets to try and free himself from Jared's imaginary grip. He murmured softly, soft sobs escaping form between his lips. "No..." He whispered hoarsely, squirming and thrashing in his sleep. "S-Stop it, stop...L-let go, Stop!" He cried, tears sliding from the corners of his closed eyes, trickling across his temples and into his hairline. His struggling became more violent, and still he couldn't break free from the terrible nightmare that snared him.

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

Maria was partially surprised at the fact that Dimitri didn't use that opportunity to make a smart comment back at her. It seemed like she was the one making him do most of the blushing, but the more she thought about it, the idea of sharing your bed with the person you love for the first time can be a bit embarrassing and awkward. She gently smiled at him and nodded, "Y-Yeah... Sleep sure does sound nice right now."

Even though Maria said that, she didn't know if she could sleep. She was probably just as tense as Dimitri was. What if Jared was going to come in at night? Even if she was there, would he still try and do something? Again Maria had to stop her thoughts right there, knowing that going down that road was not right for that time of the evening.

"Good night, Dimitri," Maria responded with a gentle smile as he reached over to turn off the light. "Sleep well yourself," she added with a whisper, leaning back into the bed. She would've joined him under the covers, but she told Mrs. Emma one would be on top of them and the other underneath. She looked over at him and gently touched his hair before moving her hand away with a small sigh.

This is going to be a long night, Maria thought as she glanced to the open doorway, wondering if she should've closed the door. Her thoughts tried to creep up on her, but she did her best to ignore them, even if at some times that failed. She honestly wanted to sleep, but her body just couldn't accept the idea anymore.

She didn't know how long she had been like that, her body almost in an exhausted limbo. She felt her eyes droop every so often but somehow her body caught itself and stayed up. Of course, she found herself giving in completely and finally found herself drifting off.

Maria woke up with a start when she heard Dimitri shouting and protesting. She immediately thought that Jared had slipped in, waiting for her to sleep before making a move on Dimitri, but in reality Maria saw that he was having a nightmare. She quickly turned on the lights and saw that whatever was terrifying Dimitri was making him cry. Her heart sank when she saw Dimitri like that and once again an anger she had never felt before overwhelmed her, but it died away just as easily as it had come. There was no time for her to be angry when she had a boyfriend to calm down.

"Dimitri. Dimitri it's alright! Dimitri I'm here," Maria whispered to him worriedly, trying to regain his attention. "Dimitri sweetheart. Can you hear me? Dimitri?"

Maria felt like she was going to panic. She had never seen Dimitri like that before and felt like she didn't know what to do until an idea came to her. She smiled to herself and gently stroked Dimitri's hair and face, repeating the actions that her mother would do for her when she herself or even her brothers were having a nightmare. What she was doing was finally as clear as day.

"A la nanita nana, nanita ella, nanita ella," Maria started singing, in a somewhat hauntingly beautiful voice. The tone of it sounded a lot older than her age, but Maria was partially trying to recreate the feeling and mood that her mother had when she did this. Her voice rose somewhat as she continued singing, gently wiping Dimitri's face. She still found it interesting that the song was about a little girl, but she still loved the lullaby nonetheless.

As she finished the song and held the note, she bent down and kissed Dimitri's forehead before fixing his covers. She laid down next to him, turning off the light again, and wrapped her arm around him, her hand intertwining with his. "I'm here for you Dimitri," Maria whispered as she felt herself drifting off to sleep again, "I'll always be here."