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 Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2005 6:56 am
Chapter 1 Welcome home, Onoway!
Good luck... "I'm telling you, she came out of the damn book!" Noharu hissed. Lockee didn't seem phased as she leaned back in her chair. She was too busy examining her new, expensive-looking ring to so much as glance at the other.
"I believe you," she said in a tone that made it clear she 'believed' only so the subject would drop. "Did you get the paper?"
"Are you LISTENING?! We have some little brat in my house! I want her OUT! NOW."
"If you don't want her here, why didn't you just leave her at the store?" Lockee asked. That was fair, right? Her eyes finally moved from her jewelry, only to glare at the small girl. "You end up with the smallest kids, Noharu, she looks as little as Karoko almost. They're probably diseased."
Ignoring the last part, Noharu growled, "I DID try and leave her. She followed me. What was I suppose to do, claw her to death?"
"Why not?"
"...." Thwap. Noharu had to smack herself in the face to avoid hurting someone else very, very badly. "Lockee, it's highly frowned upon to slaughter children, you know."
"This is true," she agreed, sounding dissapointed. "They're horrid beasts, I've no idea why. When I was Queen of my kingdom, they did nothing but obey or their hands were chopped off and-"
"Will you focus on THIS subject?!"
"Fine, fine!" The spirit threw her hands up in the air defensively. "What did the guy say?"
"What guy?"
"The one at the counter," said Lockee slowly, raising an eyebrow. Noharu paused.
"...AH! That's brilliant! I'll just take her back to him!" Something tugged at her pants leg and she glanced downward. Somehow, Karoko had made her way over without anyones notice.
Well, almost. Onoway had apparently noticed, as she was staring right at Karoko and had been since she wandered into the room. Didn't this girl ever need to blink?
"What's wrong, Karoko?" Noharu asked as calm as she could, barely managing to ignore the horrible mood she was in.
"Mommy," her daughter whispered back. "Who is that?"
"She doesn't have a name. I found her."
"You found herrr? Like you found Karrroko?"
"Sort of," she grunted, nudging the bat girl away with a hand.
"So...then she's my sisterrr," Karoko pondered. Again, Noharu froze.
"Karoko, she's not-" Damn it, too late.
"Yay!" The Eden cheered suddenly. It was the first time since she'd come here she'd truly sounded excited over something. "I have a sisterrr too!" With no hesitation, she snatched her new siblings hand and half drug her into her room.
Noharu's mouth hung open. "...s**t."
"Oh, God, this is great!" Lockee shook with laughter, nearly dropping the dishes she'd just picked up.
"Oh, it's wonderful. Guess who's gonna babysit her, Lockee?"
"Oh, no way!"
"And congratulations," Noharu smirked. "You just named her. Onoway it is."
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2005 8:15 pm
Chapter 2Onoway Meets Sylvester "Stay."
Holding up her hands, Noharu backed slowly away, not turning even the slightest bit away from the Tale. "Stay," she repeated more demandingly.
Onoway's response was this: blink, stare, and 'stay'. "I'm going to find that guy and ask what the hell you are," Noharu explained. Said guy wasn't here at the moment, so maybe he was close by. Mostly, she wanted to ditch this creepy butterfly kid and take off, but her other 'daughter' had become attached to her so that was out of question.
The Tale watched keenly as Noharu vanished outside, the door closing with a light 'thud'. Well then... What to do until she was back? In her arms she clutched a teddy bear with a silver locket and green butterfly wings not all that different from her own.
She dare set it down only to lift up a book and examine it curiously. "...."
Chucky hated taking care of one kid, let alone two, but Smerdle was sick and Sylvester wanted to go out, so here he was. The giraffe boy was half a block ahead of his uncle now, but every time Chucky broke into a jog, the blade-winged girl he held would shriek and slice some new part of his body open.
"Sylvester, wait," Chucky said.
The Tale stopped but didn't turn around. Instead, he looked up at the building they were in front of. "Hey, can I go in here?" he called back down the block.
Chucky stopped in front of Sylvester and put Brownie on the ground at his feet. "Why?" he asked, looking up at the sign.
"It's where I was born." His voice had a 'duh' quality to it and Chucky would have responded with an eyeroll if his gaze hadn't been caught by his toddling child making her way toward the car-filled street.
"Brownie, no!" he said angrily. "Just... go inside then. I'll meet you later." Chucky directed this at Sylvester as he hurried after his daughter.
All right, then. Sylvester smiled as he pushed open the door and looked around. He removed his windbreaker and threw it on the ground near the door before noticing Onoway. He was normally shy around strangers, but her wings were... so cool! "Hey," he said, inching toward her. "Who're you?"
The sudden arrival startled her, obviously. Onoway stumbled back a bit, once regaining her balance glancing up at the newcomer. The place had been so eerily silent only seconds ago, this was quite a surprise. However, one she welcomed.
At first, she provided no answer, scanning the stranger over caustiously before seeming to determine he was no threat. Her eyes shot warily around the room until she managed to locate a newspaper.
Carefully, she ripped out various letters in various sizes and text until she had the appropriate ones. Back to the stranger she went, placing the letters before him in the order: O-N-O-W-A-Y.
Sylvester looked on curiously as Onoway arranged the paper bits in front of him. Wow, it might have helped in situations like this if he had known how to read English. He guessed she couldn't talk. That must stink. He examined the letters, looking for ones he knew. His hand brushed across the table and stopped near the first letter. He knew that one! It was his favorite! And the one next to it was part of the phrase, "Oh no!" which Mama had taught him how to spell since she said it so much when Brownie was over. He'd remembered that one because it meant things weren't going wrong because of him, for a change. The rest of those letters he didn't know at all, but he wasn't sure it mattered. His nickname only had three letters, after all. He decided to try it.
"Ono? Can I call you that? I don't know the rest of these letters, is all. If you don't like it, I could say all the sounds I know or something, 'til I get it right?" He smiled, hoping that he hadn't offended her. He liked meeting new people and he didn't want to make her mad if he could help it.
Ah. So he couldn't read. Well, that was just her luck now wasn't it? Briefly, that blank expression became a thoughtful one. With the question of refering to her as a nickname, she nodded. Noharu called her 'that thing' or 'you', and she had no problem with that.
"I.. can speak," she said, sounding very angry despite not looking it. She'd have to hurry before she either upset or offended this boy. "Forgive me, this is not my voice, I have none of my own. The person I borrowed this from is a very angry one, and that is why it sounds this way."
"My name is Onoway," she continued, barely managing a weak smile. Admittedly, she had already realized though she was far from falling into the 'anti-social' category she wasn't the best conversationalist. "You may call me whatever you wish."
Oh, she could talk! He was a little scared by the tone of her voice, but far too curious about the mention of 'borrowing' it to really be worried. "You really got your voice from someone?" he said, nearly leaning in to examine her, but catching himself at the last minute. "Does it hurt? Can you talk with anybody's?" He left little room for answers to his questions, and certainly didn't realize he might have been disturbingly overenthusiastic until it was too late. He stopped his barrage of questions and leaned back on his heels.
"Sorry. I'm Sylvester," he added as an afterthought. "Nice to meet you."
This time, when she smiled, it was for real. There was a small glint of amusement in her eyes. My, my, how curious this Sylvester was! "Yes, that's right on both accounts. I can only use someones voice if they agree to let me, though." Except Noharu's. It had been the only one she could speak in when she'd first arrived.
Far as she knew, though, Onoway was mute. "It doesn't hurt." And she couldn't see why it would, really. "Nice to meet you as well."
Neat. "I can't do anything cool like that," he said, already mostly used to her borrowed voice. Well, he could do things, but they weren't intentional and he didn't really want to get into it, seeing as he wasn't sure what he did himself. He sat down on the ground, suddenly tired of standing up. "Did you come from here too?" he asked.
"Oh, I'd hardly consider it cool." Of course, her voice was as angry as before, but she was frowning now. It wasn't so much of lacking her own voice that bothered her (though it did), but having to use this one was...enough to make someone never speak to another. "Besides, I'm sure you can do many 'cool' things." To his question she nodded. "Yes, that's right. You're very smart."
"Nah, I just watch TV. Not cool at all," he said, choosing not to respond to her comment about his smarts. He sure didn't feel smart. Of course, she could be being sarcastic too, but he really hadn't had much luck identifying sarcasm in anyone except his mother and uncle.
His eyes lit up. "Has anyone else let you try theirs?" he asked. "You could use mine! If you won't get stuck talkin' like a boy, that is." He wondered if she would be able to talk like him any time she wanted. She could answer the phone like him and get people all confused in general, not even on the phone. He still thought it was pretty cool.
"TV...?" Blink. Interesting. She'd have to meet this TV one day, and find out just why it was such an interesting past time to watch him or her. "My sister has offered, however her voice is so soft one can barely hear it, and she sounds frightened all the time." Onoway didn't know yet if she could only sound like the person did when she was allowed to 'copy' their voice, for lack of a better word.
Quite frankly, she'd rather sound angry and have to explain that than if she had her siblings voice and made it seem like someone was about to beat her to death with a bat or something.
When she spoke again, it was indeed in his voice. "Thank you, that's very nice." Depending on the person her sometimes over-baring politeness could really get annoying. "This one is much better, even if it's for a boy. At least it doesn't sound so angry, hm?"
"That's really something," he said in response to his voice coming out of her mouth. "And it is... nicer." He never thought he would be saying that his voice was nice, but there it was. "Do you fly?" he asked, eyes drifting to her wings for the first time since he walked in. "I met someone else who could, but it seems scary."
She couldn't help but sound cheerful--she seemed to have various ranges of tone with this voice--and look it, too. It was nice to not sound like Noharu anymore!
Onoway shook her head. "No," she answered thoughtfully. "I'm not certain if I ever will. You see, my wings are very light. They're not strong enough. Perhaps in time they will be." Suddenly remembering the winged-teddy (otherwise known as 'Flutter) she'd placed across the room, calmly, she collected the stuffed toy.
"Are you afraid of heights? Or crashing?"
"Heights, I guess." He hadn't even ever considered crashing. Not good. "I kinda just don't ever want to leave the ground," he clarified. "It might not be so bad in a plane or something, but just hanging there," he raised his arms and flopped his neck like a ragdoll, "I wouldn't like it."
He looked at her wings again. "Well, they may not be strong, but your wings are pretty. Shiny, even."
"Thank you." How many times had she said that? A lot. "I find your appearence very interesting, and..." Now what was that word again? "Cool," she finished quickly. Yes, cool, that was a good thing.
"I'm not all that interested in flying, anyway." Or at least, not right now. She'd only been alive for such a short time! That seemed like something that needed practice to learn, and currently tending her plants took up all her extra time.
On to more important matters, "Tell me, are there more of us? More from this place?"
Sylvester smiled. "Yeah, there're a bunch. The one who can fly, his name's Angelus. And Aido and Jiro and Viddy and Lyris... yeah lots. I met them all here, and they all came out of there." He pointed at the closed Study door. "Mama said it was scary when I was born, so I try to keep away from there. But none of the other kids are scary, so I guess it's all right."
"I see..." So that was quite a few, and she'd safetly assume there were more. That would make them all the same type of...something. Like her sister was an 'Eden'. That meant she needed to try and meet more of her own kind! Hopefully, they'd be just as interesting. "I'm glad for that. I hope to meet all these people with the names you speak."
As if fate was slapping her across the face, the loud voice of Onoway's own 'mother' called from outside, "Onoway, get your a** out here!"
The Tale frowned. She couldn't even take the time to walk back in here? Ah, well, probably for the best. She was a bit much to handle for someone easily scared, and Onoway wasn't sure how much yelling her new friend could take. "Can you come here again sometime?" she whispered.
Sylvester heard Noharu's call and quickly turned toward the door. Was that Ono's mother? He swallowed. Well, she'd better get outside then.
"Yeah," he said, a little quieter than before, as if he didn't want the owner of the voice outside to somehow hear him through the door. "Too bad I don't know my way around or I could meet you somewhere else, but I'll tell Mama I want to come back a whole lot until we're here at the same time again." He grinned.
Onoway smiled back, and seemed ready to say something else, but before the words could even begin she was cut off.
"Onoway, NOW."
Though she'd been with her but a brief time, she knew better than to test Noharu's patience for very long. Muttering a near-silent 'farewell', she nodded quickly and hurried outside.
Sylvester waved goodbye to Onoway as she left and stood up, grabbing his coat. He hovered by the door for a few minutes until he thought Ono and her mother had gone and then started to push it open, getting a face full of it instead.
"Ow," he said from the floor.
"Sylvester?" Uncle Chucky said.
"Yeah."
Chucky peered around the door. "Sorry. Brownie won't get near this place without screaming her head off. We've got to go."
"I'm coming," Sylvester said as he stood again.
"Did you have fun?"
"Oh yeah! I met Ono. She's got wings and talks just like me!"
Chucky sighed. He shouldn't have gotten the kid started.
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Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 9:13 pm
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2005 6:49 pm
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Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:59 am
Things had been...quiet.
More importantly, Onoway herself had been quiet. Even with three families and constant visitors in the house, her silence left her unnoticed. And, lately, she had let things be that way.
The girl really didn't feel the need to seek out anyone's attention. For quite some time, she'd barely left her room. Maybe something was wrong with her because of that...
Her shoulders lifted and fell in a carless shrug directed toward the wall she was staring at. It had been months now, and nothing really bad had happened, so if anything was wrong... Let it be wrong. She was content this way.
"Onoway!" Noharu's voice called from the livingroom. The tiny form on the bed jerked in surprise. Pushing herself up on her elbows, she stared in wonder as her 'mother' entered her room and plopped down a large, brown box with holes poked throughout the cardboard.
"Onoway," she repeated more forcefully, and said one more thing before leaving, "This came for you. Come when I call next time."
The butterfly hesitated, and she herself wasn't sure why. Slowly, very slowly, she sat up and swung her feet over the bed. Step by step, she approached the box, and once close enough set her hand on it.
A loud squawk made her draw it back and her eyes widen. Then, in what looked like one swift motion, she opened the top and gazed down at the odd looking creature who stared back at her, tilting it's head.
It was a...bird?
Now throughly confused, she lifted the box carefully (being as the creature remained inside it), and stared at the letters.
TO: Onoway
FROM: Chailyn
She nearly dropped the box in surprise. That girl who had helped with the flowers sent her this?! But that was so long ago...!
Carefully, she picked the bird--or whatever it was--up and hurried from her room, nearly running into Noharu. Luckily, she didn't, but she did reach her hand out and tug on her pants leg until she turned around.
"Mother," she said in the voice of her sibling. "I want to go to the park." 
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