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 Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 7:34 pm
The first night was always the hardest-- or so they say. Tepin couldn’t quite been sure. Most the night had been spent sobbing-- first in her makeshift bed, finally in a larger bed-- with a friend.
At least she wanted to call him a friend. The voice in her head said he would be kind-- a deal had been made. But just what did that mean? Who was this voice making deals with? How could they be so sure? Her brow knitted together in thought-- nothing really made sense.
But she was warm. And she had eaten that morning-- waffles, which were ever so kindly prepared for her, along with a toddler who had very bright eyes.
Her eyes used to look like that, back when she was still ‘Katrina.’
She never once gave her name. At least not her real name, her old name. The voice had told her not to do so-- not to ever tell anyone that name: it was not her name anymore. By accepting her fate, she had discarded her past. She no longer had parents, she no longer had a history.
And, he had suggested, with a light tone in his voice, she also no longer needed to go to school.
The thought cheered her slightly, though was quickly lost behind the wave of curiosity. This house was big-- well, big in the sense that it had two stories, and more rooms than her house did. Quietly, as her friend was tending to the girl-toddler and Mr. Slinky was napping along the windowsill, she snuck away.
Houses such as these needed to be explored.
‘Her’ room, which was quite clearly a boy’s room, though it lacked the bad smell, was where she would start-- it was the first place she had really looked around when she arrived. From there, she would look at all the rooms before sneaking back downstairs and getting a look around.
Or that was the plan. After carefully opening the cracked door of the adjacent room-- carefully sneaking a peak in-- She jumped!
There was someone in there!!!
Regaining her composure from the sudden shock, she looked back, a small blue-red eye looking over from behind the door, as if she were hiding like a child.
There was definitely someone in there, alright. Although they were sleeping on the floor. And was quite… flashy. Her nose wrinkled in distaste-- she hoped this… person (She wasn’t quite sure if it was a boy or a girl, but she hoped a boy, since she could tell that its back was naked!) wasn’t another stray, like her and Mr. Slinky.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 7:50 pm
Quinn yawned loudly, and stretched on the floor. He had been walking home from a long day of work, and realized that to get to his house he would have to cross an entire street.
Oh the humanity.
So, instead of doing so, he decided to slip into Vale's house and crawl into Sydni's room. He had hid under her bed, so Vale and Sydni didn't notice him when they had woken up. He tended to move while he slept, though, and had tossed and turned his way into the center of the room.
He was used to sleeping on flat, hard surfaces; being nearly narcoleptic meant you couldn't be picky about where you landed. His back didn't hurt, and he was generally comfortable.
But he was not a morning person.
Quinn's heavy lids slowly pried open, and he glared up at the cieling. He needed a chocolate bar. Now. He reached into one his pockets for one, and couldn't find anything.
He would settle for a chocolate covered espresso bean, even.
He checked his other pocket. Nothing.
He sat up, slowly, and glared at the wall. He needed sugar, or any sort of sustenance. And he needed it now.
When he finally rose to his feet, he had to hold himself up against Sydni's bed, for fear of tottering over back onto the floor.
"Food," He croaked out, turning towards the door and shuffling in its general direction. He was reaching for the door when he spotted the eyes peeking out from behind them and his own eyes shot open as he leapt backwards.
"What the hell?"
He reeled back suddenly, falling down on his backside.
Still thinking rather groggily, he squinted at the girl.
"I will forgive you," he stated, simply, "If you have breakfast."
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 8:13 pm
She darted back-- several times faster than the man, propelled by sheer fear. What? What?! What did she do!? From the half open door, she stared at the boy, her eyes wide with shock.
It was as if the door was a mirror: both sides seemed to reflect the same shock and position for only an instant, before the boy continued on, rambling some nonsense about breakfast and forgiveness.
Excuse me?!
She pulled herself back, to her full height of just under four foot, looking down on him with as much scorn as she could. Who was he to forgive her? She hadn’t done anything wrong! It was his fault for going and screaming like that, anyway! Arms crossed, she continued her cold stare.
It was as if she were flat out telling him: No, I do not have breakfast and I would not give it to you even if I did, so hah!
But, looks alone could not fill the situation, so her small mouth quickly added to that.
“And who are you, anyway!?
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 8:19 pm
Quinn glared right back at her, with the same intense stare, only his said something more along the lines of 'If you aren't giving me breakfast than you are in my way and I am going to dislike you, so hah!'
He looked at her scrutinizingly. "I'm Quinn. I'm Vale's boyfriend. Who are you?"
He pushed himself up off the ground, standing a foot and a half taller than her, looking down at her eyes.
She has pretty eyes.
He began walking out of the door, and jerked his head to have the girl follow him. He was off to get some food.
Cereal, maybe.
Chocolate cereal, if Vale had it. Then he sighed.
Probably not. Vale was too healthy, he'd never let Sydni eat stuff like that. He'd have to tell Sydni to cry and whine for some next time they went to the store.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 8:35 pm
“Tepin. No relation.” She continued her stare-down. She would not lose! Not to someone like this! He was a hundred years too young to deal with someone like her!
Or so she hoped, at least. It would be awfully embarrassing to be beaten by someone so weird.
⁞⁞His eyes-- ew. Looks like a slug. And he looks like a peacock.
Trailing behind, hands clasped behind her back, she swished her stolen shirt as she turned the corner to descend the stairs.
“Hey…. Why do you look so weird? Because you’re dating a boy?”
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 8:44 pm
"Oh, did Vale pick up another stray?" He grinned at her, and made his way to the kitchen, searching the pantry for food. He came out with some cereal. It wasn't sugary, but he had also grabbed the bag of sugar Vale kept for cooking. He tossed both things on the counter and began searching for a bowl and spoon. Quinn eyed her, warily.
"Vale doesn't look as wierd as I do. Does that answer your question?" He found milk and held it up in the air triumphantly along with his spoon before pouring it into the bowl with the cereal and sugar.
"I'm a player in the game. It happens, you know? We all turn out looking wierd at some point or other." He realized she might not know what he was talking about. "Has Vale told you about the game? If you're going to be around this house, you should know about it. We're both a part of it. Ugh, probably the hardest part about our relationship." He leaned against the counter, one leg crossed across the other, bowl in hand. He took a bite.
"'Cause, at some point, he knows he has to kill me to win. Kind of awkward, huh?" He laughed. "Look at me, talking to some kid about my problems. Look, who ARE you? Where did you come from? Isn't your dad worried about you, or something?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 9:07 pm
In the open entry, just between the living room and kitchen, she watched him. Those strange eyes taking in every movement.
When did the house empty out? They were here just minutes ago. Was she really alone with this guy?
“He still looks weird.” Her retort seemed nothing short of obvious-- the man had cat ears for gods’ sake!!
But he continued-- talk of this game. The details of the game! All this, all that, the info about the game. It had to be true. It just had to. There was no way there could be so much information about this game without it being real. It wasn’t like someone had arranged a huge conspiracy to trick her!
But-- He stopped. His tone, his mood, everything! What had once been mildly scornful yet informational had turned to what she perceived as pure malice. Her face grew red, and while her eyes began to water, no tears would fall-- she had too much pride to let herself cry in front of him.
She was supposed to be strong, she wasn’t supposed to cry. And she was supposed to be a new girl! The past wasn’t supposed to matter!!
So just why was it as painful as it was to hear those words?!
The balled fists at her sides trembled, before she turned around in a flurry of motion. She wasn’t going to stand for this. She wasn’t going to let him see her like this.
The door slammed behind her for the second time in two days.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 9:20 pm
Quinn winced as the door slammed. He stared at the door for a second, then snorted sardonically and returned to his cereal. She'd live, for a few minutes. He finished his cereal, then put it in the sink, rinsing it out but leaving it there. He stretched up in the air again, and opened the door, following her.
"So, mentioning dad isn't smart, I gather? I don't blame you. My dad wasn't so great, either. He dissapeared when I was ten. Not so much as a word, and my mom wouldn't talk at all for months. She still barely talks. No reason to go slamming doors in people's faces, alright?" He smirked at her. "I'm the dramatic one around here, little girl. Remember that."
He sighed. "And I know crying eyes when I see them, I've faked it enough times. Don't cry, please." He searched for an excuse as to why, so that he wouldn't look compassionate. "You'll get Vale's floors all wet. He'll have to...clean, and stuff." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
Women were not his thing.
"So...Vale has no T.V., or I'd offer to watch some with you. You wanna come over to my house? I've got cable there." He offered, awkwardly. Vale had obviously gone to work, and Sydni to the babysitter's, so he didn't want to leave her all alone in the house full of green bottles with skulls on them. She was a kid, she could get hurt. Or mess up Vale's clean floors. He shuddered to think about THAT.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 9:41 pm
Her knees were drawn up close to her chest, her arms resting on those and then her forehead resting on those in turn. She had realized, in that short time alone, that she had nowhere to go. The front steps had offered a less-than-satisfactory answer, but she had left her belongings inside.
“At least you had a dad!” Spit out, the words tasted dirty on her mouth, and she hoped that they would feel the same once they reached his ears. “Y-You stupid a**!” That word felt even worse-- she hoped felt like the knife it felt like on her tongue. She hoped he was see how mature she was-- she was cursing even-- and back off.
The tears, which she fought to hard to keep to herself, dribbled down, hidden by her body and sped along by that darned gravity. But she was mature. She was not a child, like everyone treated her.
“Just leave me alone.” Her head moved back and forth, as if shaking ‘no’. The last thing she ever wanted to do was spend time with someone like him.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 9:47 pm
"Yah, if you can call him that. He was a real a*****e, always running around town. I think he cheated on my mom a few times, too, but I don't know for sure." He sat down on the step next to her, shaking his head, and noticing all the loose hairs. He laughed. "You shouldn't be talking like that, little girl. I'll have to make you wash your mouth out with soap!" He laughed.
"Do you know how to braid hair, little girl? I could do it on myself, but it's easier if someone else does it for me." He sighed, and carefully snaked an arm around her shoulders, letting it lightly hover just on them, without putting his arm's weight on her.
"I don't leave people alone, either. That's something else you'll have to remember." His other hand tapped on the ground nervously. Comforting women was another thing he didn't do well.
Women just didn't come naturally to him. At all.
"Look, if you quit crying, I'll let you pick the channel." As if that solved all of life's problems.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 10:00 pm
Hurricane Katrina had blown in-- The girl quickly whirled, facing the man with such a look of pure unadulterated rage that it could not be contained by mere looks alone.
And so, in one quick, unforeseeable motion, her leg both raised and fell-- like a piston, as her heel collided with the most precious spot of all (For men anyway.)
“STUPID!!”
The tears freely flew from the girl as she darted past him, sure to slam the door shut behind her and twist the lock-- safe! She was safe.
At least until the cat came back. But then, then she might have some sort of ally against this weird boy and his weird habits.
Her chest rose and fell with her spurred breath-- Hopefully the man would have some empathy and not hate her too much for crushing his boyfriend’s special parts.
….. Maybe she should have thought that plan over better.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 10:11 pm
Quinn doubled over in pain, curling up on the stairs. "OW. OW. ******** OW. YOU LITTLE--" He wanted to jump up and grab her, but was too busy being in pain. He managed to curve away from it a little before it had hit him, so it wasn't as bad as a full on shot, but it still hurt like hell.
"I'm going to KILL you, you little BRAT!" He growled, and finally got up, the pain in his groin lessened to a dull ache. He ran down the steps and turned around to the fire escape, jumping on it and running up as fast as he could. He got to the window he was looking for, and tore it open, diving into Vale's parent's room. He bolted through the house, running down the stairs and into the living room to find her.
"You will never, NEVER, kick me or ANYONE ELSE there again, do you hear me, little girl? If you EVER, EVER touch me, EVER AGAIN, I will personally get Vale to kick you out of this house!" He growled, and glared at her, small lightning bolts jumping around his body. He took a deep breath, and the bolts died down.
"That said, my favorite show is on in five minutes, and this is your last chance to come and watch."
He was trying to be civil. Really.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 10:31 pm
She screeched when she saw him. The kind of screech that only little girls can do-- the kind that start at one wail, play out, and then continue in a series of never ending screaming at the highest and most annoying pitch of voice that anything human could ever muster. This screeching was accompanied by another thing that little girls were prone to do when they sensed danger, and that was run. Madly. Wildly. All the while emitting that horrible high pitched noise.
When her strange eyes caught sight of the lightning, the screeching intensified, her tiny body rushing with adrenaline and pure fear as she bolted up the stairs-- her lithe arm smacking against the wall where the stairs curved abruptly. From there, however, it was a strait bolt to the bathroom. Bathrooms had locks, right? She’d be saved there!
With one final sprint of terrified energy, the girl had thrown herself into the bathroom, her leg bashing against the tub as her hands groped towards the door. Sliding on her socks and struggling all the while, the door was flung shut-- and looking at the knob in horror-- There was no turn lock! She was screwed!
Even Tepin knew she would be unable to hold the door shut against the strength of a man-- frantically, she stared at the door in disbelief before finally, so small she had not noticed it, she noticed the tiny button lock beside the round knob. Pushing it in as hard as she could, she finally slumped against the door-- she was wiped out.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 10:53 pm
Down the block he heard it. Over the chatter of the old hens he heard it. Waving goodbye to Sydni and the babysitter for the day, he heard it. It rang through his ears like a siren - screaming. From his house. Turning on his heel, he raced the sidewalk - feet beating against the pavement almost as fast as his heart was thudding. The door was open; he whirled through it, ready for anything. Carnage, massacre, robbers and muggers. Lions or tigers or bears.
He got Quinn.
"V'hat are you-" he began, stopped, started over again, "V'hat did you do?" He growled, heart-rate returning to its normal pace as he crossed his arms.
No. No, he could guess well enough. It was something terrible, and Vale probably didn't want to hear it, and there was no telling how much wasn't exaggerated. Quinn was here, his stray was missing, and Vale could put two and two together.
"V'here ee's she?" He finally sighed with an exasperated slump of his shoulders, though his ears already picked up the sound of a small girlchild's noises up in the bathroom. "You didn't scare her, did you?" He asked, already heading up the stairs with a swish of his tail.
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Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 10:57 pm
"I'm not-- I didn't do any--" He huffed and followed Vale up the stairs. "She's in the bathroom," He yelled, over the sound of the screaming, "And I didn't scare her. She stomped me in my...you know." He winced. "In my man-parts. It still hurts! Still!" He crossed his arms like Vale, frowning. "She kicked me in the balls, and then when I told her off for it, she ran in here screaming. Overdramatic little..."
He reached out and stopped Vale before he got to the bathroom, though, hopping up a step and standing on his tip toes to give the other boy a quick kiss. "Sorry for surprising you here at home. I slept over again. Under Sydni's bed. You really should let me sleep in yours; It'd be a lot more comfortable," he paused, then smirked mischievously, "For both of us."
He glared at the bathroom door as he waited for Vale to do whatever it is he was going to do to shut the girl up.
"I tried to invite her over to watch T.V., too!"
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