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 Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:41 pm
It had been fairly quiet in the Darnell household, almost too quiet. Irelia had quickly become part of the fold, even more so after she quit sharing a room with Jace and moved in to the old office. Irelia needed personal, quiet time and there was rarely any of that to be found in the small apartment shared between one adult and three rowdy preteens. It was in the middle of the fiercest, hottest heatwave of the summer when all of them reached their breaking point.
Flipping through her large textbook lazily, Irelia twirled her hair between her fingers, muzzily focusing on the text but too spent to actually read it. Their thermometer wasn't working, at least not since the day before when it topped out over 110 degrees. Cool showers and lots of water were about the only things keeping them all sane and without heatstroke, and they had just run out of fresh water. Drinking from the taps was not an option, not with the need to boil it every time they wanted to drink it. So, the Darnells and Irelia quietly eyed each other, waiting for one of them to crack, and propose a trip to the supermarket.
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:03 am
It was Jace who eventually cracked. Wisp had taken to lying on the couch looking pained and pathetic, and Beatrix was so frustrated and short with everyone that she had retired to her office with an electric fan -- she and Wisp would at least be out of the house that night, at Jack's, whereas Jace and Irelia were relegated to stay at home (and work on a maths assignment) (what the hell).
She clanked to her feet and dangled her hand in front of the book. Her hair was stuck to her forehead in red spikes, and she looked hot and bothered and basically mad. Well. Madder than usual. "Come on," she said, "it's got to be cooler outside. Let's go get some ice pops."
"Can I have an ice pop too," said Wisp plaintively. Her eyes remained closed. "A lemon one."
"We'll think about it. And by that I mean we'll think about totally not doing it," said Jace. "C'mon."
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:22 am
Crosseyed, Irelia looked up and scowled at Jace.
"It might be cooler outside but i have to get out there first."
Irelia shut her book with a dull thump and massaged her temples. Reading was so terribly hard when she was having trouble focusing, but she accredited it to the heat. She knew it wasn't that but glasses... ugh. Irelia shuddered momentarily. She already put up with crap from Jace about being a bookworm, glasses would just add to the nonsense.
Irelia grabbed her change purse from her bedstand, and stripped off her soaking dress, grunting at the effort of pulling it over her head. She had sort of tamed her hair in to a sorta bun, but it took multiple clips and looked like some retarded three year old had attacked her hair with plastic butterflies. Irelia didn't much care, and pulled a light cotton shift over her head, pushing the straps under the metal band running over her chest and wishing that it wasn't there yet again. All it did was cause her trouble.
Slightly less hot, and a lot less damp, Irelia smoothed the fuzz on the top of her head and joined Jace by the door, who was waiting for her impatiently.
"Ok, I'm ready. Lets take Captain Fingerpaint's old wagon, I'm not carrying 50 pounds of waterbottles in this heat."
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Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 11:11 pm
Unfortunately, Captain Fingerpaint's old wagon was covered in graffiti on every single inch, complete with seahorses that were (for no apparent reason) eating icecreams. They dragged this uncool article behind them as they loped their way outside; the sun beat down on their heads as they stamped on the pavement, itchy with heat, Jace's sunglasses making her look like a disaffected aviator.
"This temperature," said Jace, "is gay."
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Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 11:28 pm
"Ugh." Irelia grunted in agreement. It was too hot to even make a coherent answer.
The pavement was broiling with heat, the cement so hot that their shoes gummily tried to stick to the pavement. Shading her eyes with her hand, Irelia took a look around blearily, squinting at the too bright blue sky. There was a shaded alleyway to the side of the street, shaded by large trees inside the fences of the yards encircling it.
"Why don't we go through there? Looks cooler. Maybe a shortcut."
Irelia's sense of adventure had fled when the heat rose. Now she was just suggesting things for survival.
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Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 12:16 am
Jace was more than glad to take her up on it -- the wagon clattered as they went into the alleyway, which provided immediate relief from the terrible and overpowering heat. You could still feel the heat, but it wasn't so oppressive; the sweat dried cold on their skin as they trampled along.
The alleyway was deserted, and by the stoop of a closed door lay a whole bunch of abandoned cardboard boxes. Boxes might have been good for helping cart the water (the wagon was pretty shallow); Jace immediately made for them.
"Scha-weet," she said, "Freeganism."
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