The Scientist

 

A collab by Katie and Brooke, for the lovely Dianna:kiss:

 

 

 

Part Four!

 

 

“OM NOM NOM, yummy tea! OM NOM- OH MY GOD!”

 

Guy nearly spilled his cup all over as he abruptly stopped. He and Will had only been gone for a minute or two, tops, but when they came back, Dianna was unconscious and Phil was nowhere to be seen.

 

"What is it?" Will asked as he made his way into the room. His reaction to seeing Dianna was a little less dramatic than Guy's. Actually, it was a lot less dramatic. "Oh, my!"

 

"I wonder what happened?"

 

"Well, Phil did think she looked sick," Will pointed out. "Then again... where's Phil? If he thought she was sick, you think he'd have stayed. Especially after going through the trouble of making that tea."

 

"Which tastes awful, by the way," Guy added, making a disgusted face at his cup.

 

"I do have feelings, you know." Guy and Will turned around to see Phil standing in the corner of the room, hidden in the shadows. Only half his face was visible. "And ears."

 

"We thought you'd left," Will unnecessarily explained.

 

"What's wrong with Dianna?" Guy asked.

 

"She's sick," Phil said, in a tone implying Guy was stupid or something. "I told her that before, but she didn't believe me. Maybe when she comes to, she'll realize that I was right."

 

"Why did you just leave her lying like that?" Guy pointed at Dianna's body, still spread over the table in front of her.

 

Phil took a look at Dianna and shrugged. "She looked comfortable enough."

 

For a few moments Will and Guy just stared at Phil. Well, they stared as much as was possible with the shadows blocking him from view.

 

"Whatever," Will finally said, "we need to get her examined or something. I mean, if she passed out, whatever she has can't be good."

 

"Will is right," Guy agreed, "Maybe... maybe we should call Jonny. He knows a little about this stuff."

 

"I'll do it!" Phil immediately said, running off into the other room where the phone was.

 

But as soon as he walked in there, he continued right past the phone, and sneakily slipped out the door. He crept around the side of the building and ducked under the large window, the only window in the place. As soon as he got past that, he was in the clear. He ran to his car and drove away as quickly as possible.

 

"Did you hear that?" Guy asked Will from his seat next to Dianna.

 

"Hear what?"

 

"A car... why would a car drive past here? This place is desolate... unless..." Guy stood up and took the same path Phil had into the other room. While he was gone, Will looked over at Dianna. Even though he figured everything would be all right, he was still really worried. He just hoped that Jonny would have the answer.

 

"Damn it!!"

 

"What is it?" Will called.

 

Guy reappeared in the doorway, his face beginning to turn red. "Phil's gone."

 

"He's gone?"

 

"He left. That's what the sound was, it was him leaving."

 

Will's mouth fell open a little, and he shook his head. "That bastard!"

 

"Yeah, well, I think we need to forget about him for now. I know he's one of our best friends, but Dianna is more important at the present." Guy realized that he was starting to sound a little suspicious, so he coughed to relieve some of the awkwardness. "I'll call Jonny."

 

"Yeah, you do that."

 

Guy fulfilled his promise, and twenty minutes later Jonny showed up at the door, accompanied by Chris. When Guy opened the door to let them in, Dianna's words replayed in his mind and he suddenly noticed how often Jonny and Chris followed each other around. But he tried to push those thoughts back and focus on the more pressing matters at hand.

 

"Where is she?" Jonny hurriedly asked. He didn't need to be told, though, because as soon as he walked in he saw her laying on the small sofa, eyes shut tightly.

 

"Oh no," Chris quietly whispered as his eyes caught sight of Dianna. "Jonny, you have to fix her!"

 

Jonny rolled his green eyes over Chris and sighed. "I'll try. I'll definitely try."

 

"You can do it, you can fix her. I know you can," Chris said with a tiny smile. Then he gestured towards Dianna, as if to tell Jonny to get a move on.

 

Jonny slowly stepped forward and knelt down beside Dianna. He placed his hand over her forehead and determined the severity of her fever. It actually wasn't too high. Then he gently opened one of her eyelids and examined her eye. The other men in the room tried to look away, frightened by the creepiness of the image, but too captivated by it to do anything other than stare.

 

What Jonny saw told him everything he needed to know. On any other normal day, Dianna had nice blue eyes. This day, though, her eyes were tinted an odd dark green. He had only ever encountered this particular sort of spell once before, but the signs were all there and easily recognizable.

 

"She's been poisoned," he sadly said as he looked up to the other men. "Has she been drinking anything?"

 

"Phil made her some tea earlier... I'll bet that's why he left!" Will exclaimed. "He poisoned her, and now he's gone God knows where! I wouldn't be surprised if we never saw him again."

 

"Is it fatal?" Guy softy asked. "Is there any cure?"

 

"There's a cure, yes, but..." Jonny sighed, "it might be a bit difficult to find."

 

"What's the cure?"

 

Jonny looked back and forth between the other men and Dianna, hesitating to reply. "It's...true love's kiss."

 

 

Legend Has It

 

 

 

A legend exists that tells of a man

with big blue eyes and a lack of a tan

who one day was so hungry he did the weirdest thing;

he went up to his friend and he started to sing!

 

William! he sang, with a booming voice,

then he sang yet again and gave him a choice:

Either make me some lunch, or suffer the worst-

I'll say a few words and you shall be cursed.

 

Will snorted and turned his head away;

Will? Make lunch for Chris? Yeah, that'd be the day.

And Chris could curse him? He didn't think it so,

and he laughed and his laughter then started to grow.

 

It grew and increased until it filled the whole room,

then Chris muttered something and there was a BOOM!

a CRASH! and a big puff of smoke.

Will inhaled too much and he started to choke.

 

He fell to the ground and let his eyes close,

and it was another few hours before he once again rose.

Chris was still there, grinning like a Chesire cat,

and he leaned forward, saying, I think we need to have a chat.

 

What about? asked Will, rubbing his eyes.

And what did you do to me? That wasn't very wise,

I'm bigger than you and could probably beat

you and there's no way that you could even compete.

 

Will, chill out, man, Chris nonchalantly said,

All I did was just mess with your head.

You're not really cursed, though I must make my claim,

I cleverly decided to eat your middle name.

 

That's right, dear friend! My hungry is no more,

but only because I killed our rapport.

At least, I assume that you'll not want to be friendly with me

after discovering you're now only a W and a C.

 

Will was angry, no doubt, but there was nothing to be done;

during his unconscious period Chris had already won.

This is why he has no middle name, yet Chris has two-

Or so the legend says, who knows if it's true?

 

Chapter 4

 

 

 

Chris awoke early even though he had only gone to sleep 4 hours earlier. He noticed that the sun was beginning to rise, so he wrapped himself up in a blanket and crept out of his room to the back porch to watch the sun rise. He made himself comfortable on the old wooden steps with his back against the railing.

 

Hues of orange, yellow and the very lightest purple were painting the sky that morning. Soon the light was engulfing Chris in a warm bath and the blanket was no longer needed. Leaving the blanket on the steps Chris decided to go for a run to help clear his head and mentally prepare him for the task ahead.

-----------------------------------------

Katie heard the door squeak open and the pitter-patter of shuffled feet make their way to the side of her bed. Then the aroma of coffee filled her nostrils and she smiled. It had to be Chris that man was always so thoughtful and woke her up in the most delightful ways. She opened one eye, but instead of Chris it was her father.

 

“Oh! Good morning daddy!” Katie said as she sat up in bed.

 

“Morning Katherine.”

Katie cringed; she knew this was going to be on of those talks.

 

“Katherine, how serious are you with Christopher?” Katie’s father asked with clenched lips and penetrating eyes.

 

“You have know Chris as long as I have daddy, we grew up as the best of friends. But.. but things have changed. He has always been there, always supporting me in everything, lending his hands for mundane tasks, taking care of me with I’m ill,. Quite frankly daddy, I’m infatuated with him. To have a light so bright it blinds my eyes and finally I see, how it feels to live a dream, that’s what it’s like daddy. Chris does that to me.”

 

Katie’s dad sat there with his eyes closed and his fist clenched under his chin. “Katherine, I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into. I know I have known him for a long time. He is practically the son I never had, but I swear Katherine if he even so much as hurts a strand of hair on your head I will kill him.”

 

“Hush daddy! You know that he is a perfect gentleman. I don’t know why you would even say such a thing! This little chat is over!” Katie stood up and walked out of the room making sure she slammed the door shut.

 

----------------------------------------------------

 

Black and yellow, that’s all the Chris saw when he looked down. The black pavement, the painted yellow lines and the flash of his shoes. It was soothing and intoxicatingly relaxing. When he was running nothing fazed him. He could tune the world around him out and sink into the depths of his mind and unravel the stray thoughts and ideas.

 

Katie’s dad was a fierceum sight to behold. He was a stocky man with piercing eyes that could rip your soul apart. Even though Chris had known him for years, the man still sent shivers down his spine. Chris came to the conclusion that the best approach to talking to the man was complete honesty. Tell him his intentions and desires for his and Katie’s life and share his complete and utter love and devotion for his daughter.

 

------------------------------------------------------

 

Katie was trying to relax by doing yoga in the front room. She was in one of those obsqure postitions where one of your feet is up and you hands are in a bizarre manor when Chris came in. He grinned and just leaned against the doorframe watching her. He decided he wanted a go at it and joined her. Trying to mimic the complicated shape that Katie was able to form with complete grace, Chris ended up falling over and taking Katie down with him as he tumbled to the ground.

 

“Chris! Eww you stink and your all sweaty!”

 

Chris just laughed at Katie’s comment, then rolled over and pinned her to the ground.

“Hmm.. I thought that you would enjoy a little err sauna time with me?”

 

“Tempting but I prefer my own sweat thank you!”

 

“Well that’s too bad.. Cause at my sauna we give out kisses to stunning girls like your self.” Chris said with a seductive look.

 

“ Kisses huh? Sauna du Chris does have a nice little ring to it, how much does it cost to join said Sauna?”

 

“The cost is you being perfect as is.” Chris said with grin.

 

“Then I will join this Sauna! Now where is this kiss?”

 

Chris leaned over Katie radiating in her glow and began to kiss her neck. He moved softly and slowly up her throat. After each kiss he would whisper sweet nothings to her and finally he made his way to her soft lips. He kissed her passionately feeling the sparks tingle and dance upon her lips. Chris thought to himself how this is what it must feel like to touch the sky, Katherine is the sweet angle that carries him there and it would be if it wasn’t for her love.

 

 

I had a short writing assignment today that had to include an arguement, so this came out of it....

Birthday Cake

 

 

"Why are you so mad at me?" Chris asked in a high-pitched tone. That was his nervous voice.

"You know why! Don't act like you didn't do anything." Jonny replied. He was furious.

"I really don't know what you're talking about."

"I can tell when you're lying. I hope you know that."

"No you can't. I laugh at all your bad jokes and you never seem to tell then."

"Oh, so now my jokes are bad?"

"If you told them to a man on laughing gas, he wouldn't even smile."

"Well I won't worry about my jokes until they're as bad as your hair."

"My hair?!" Chris touched his head quickly.

"It looks like there's a dead cat on your head in the mornings."

Chris gasped.

"I get it styled every two weeks!"

"Don't bother. You shouldn't waste your money," Jonny retorted.

"I can't believe you'd say that."

"I can't believe what you did either."

"So we're back to this again? I didn't even do anything!"

"But I saw you do it!" Jonny stomped his foot like a child.

"When?" Chris asked.

"When you were in the kitchen with Will. Do you remember now?"

"I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to make me confess to something I didn't do! That's what it is." Chris nodded his head decidedly. Suddenly, Jonny's face turned a deep red.

"YOU TWO ATE MY BIRTHDAY CAKE!" Jonny threw a lamp at the wall. Before it could break into a thousand pieces, his alarm clock went off. He rolled over to silence the loud buzzing and sat up.

"What a weird dream! Birthday cake? Really?" he said out loud. Chris entered the room.

He looked surprised and said, "I didn't think you were up yet."

"Chris, I had the funniest dream. We-"

"Hold that thought." Chris ran to the kitchen and returned with a large cake. "Happy birthday, Jonnyboy!"

 

 

 

I don't think my teacher would've got the cake reference, so I had to make it appear to make some sense. :D

 

Dressed To Please

 

A little poem. It isn't much. I am no poet. But this is what came to mind when I saw the newest photos of Chris.

 

 

 

I was late

For a very important date.

This was one I could not miss.

I had to see Jonny.

On this I did insist.

 

So to my room I go

And under a pillow

Was a shirt.

I put it on.

Sure, that’ll work.

 

I grab a pair of pants

And I do a little dance

Because they’re black,

And black goes with everything.

Unless I’m on crack?

 

Now I needed shoes

But I found it hard to choose.

It was muddy outside,

And I needed to look nice.

So the sandals I denied.

 

Now with boots on my feet

I stepped out onto the street.

But weather was not warm.

So I went back inside

To give my dress a quick reform.

 

I wrapped a scarf around my neck

And was toasty in a sec.

For good measure I added a hat.

I felt much better now

And was out the door in seconds flat.

 

Hurriedly I made my way

Down London streets by the light of day.

Soon I reached the desired place.

I moved my eyes around

And they it lit up when they saw his face.

 

He was just standing there

His beauty more than I could bear.

He smiled at me.

Then held me close.

“You’re just the man I’ve been waiting to see.”

 

He looked me up and down then laughed.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to chaff.”

“Your clothes just look so funny.”

I frowned and so he kissed me hard.

“But it’s okay, I still love you honey.”

 

 

The Scientist

 

A collab by Katie and Brooke, for the lovely Dianna:kiss:

 

 

 

Part Five!

 

 

"What?" Will said, almost laughing.

 

At the same time, another voice said, "Aww!" and the men turned to find Chris standing with his hand over his heart and a most sympathetic look on his face. "Sorry."

 

"It's cheesy, I know," Jonny said to Will, "but trust me, that's what the cure is."

 

The room went silent as brains began to work, desperately searching for a way to find this so-called true love. It seemed to be one of the most difficult things they could have been asked to do, though it was not so tough for everyone.

 

Before anyone really knew what had happened, Guy was bent down by the couch, his hand slowly reaching out to brush Dianna's hair out of her face.

 

"I think the answer may be easier than you all think," he said, then looked up at them. "Sometimes... sometimes you just know, when you meet someone. Right?"

 

Jonny and Chris both stole glances at each other, neither of which went noticed by anyone in the room, including themselves.

 

Guy moved a rebellious lock of blonde hair behind Dianna's ear, and he lightly ran his thumb over her cheek.

 

"Well," he said, "here goes nothing."

 

The spark between the two was felt by everyone in the room as Guy brushed his lips against Dianna's. Chris looked down at the floor with a look of utter despair, wishing that he'd have the courage to do something like that.

 

Guy pulled away slowly, and in a matter of seconds Dianna gasped and her eyes flew open. Panting, she looked over and saw the men gathered around her, all looking rather cheerful.

 

"What happened?" she asked in a hazy voice.

 

"Phil poisoned you," Guy said. "Jonny figured it out, and we fixed you. You're all better now, love."

 

Dianna smiled at Guy, the knowledge of her cure brought to her without having to hear it. Somewhere deep down, she had always expected something like this to happen. She brought her hand up and touched Guy's face, feeling the rough stubble strewn against his jaw and the smooth skin underneath.

 

Then suddenly something clicked in her mind, and she sprang up from the couch and bounced into the other room, where she prayed that her concoction was resting, still intact. She was extremely relieved to find that it was exactly where she'd left it, and seemingly in the same condition as before.

 

She spun around to fetch the others, but they were already in the room with her. She smiled brightly and them and rushed over to Chris and Jonny.

 

"Come on, you two," she said, grabbing both of their arms and pulling them over to the table. "You're going to be test subjects."

 

"We are?" Jonny asked in a slightly unenthusiastic tone.

 

"Jonny, this is gonna be fun!" Chris told him. "Isn't it? I mean, I don't think Dianna would have us test anything that could be dangerous, right?"

 

"Right," Dianna agreed. "Now, let's see..." Dianna grabbed the two cups from the table, and one to Chris and the other to Jonny. "There you go. On the count of three, you both take a sip, OK?" Both men nodded, and Dianna reinforced her smile. "One... two... three!"

 

Chris and Jonny drank at the same time, and once the liquid hit their tongues they both cringed. It was the bitterest, most disgusting thing either of them had tasted, but there was little they could do about it now. Dianna bit her lip in anticipation as she watched their eyes meet.

 

"Jonny," Chris began, slowly setting his cup down. "Has anyone ever told you that you're the most beautiful creature on the planet?"

 

Jonny shook his head. "Nowhere near as beautiful as you."

 

"And you're so kind-"

 

"The sweetest person I ever met-"

 

"You make me laugh like no one else can-"

 

"That smile-"

 

"Your smile-"

 

"Your laugh..."

 

Chris tried to say more, but all that came out were the beginnings of love-strained sobs. Instead, he leapt forward and pulled Jonny in as close as he could. He closed his eyes and reveled in the feel of Jonny's arms wrapped around his waist, his nose grazing Jonny's neck.

 

"I wanted to tell you... since I met you, I've wanted to tell you, Jonny, but I couldn't," Chris whispered into Jonny's ear. "I love you."

 

"I love you, too," Jonny whispered in return.

 

Across the room, Dianna stood with Will and Guy, tears of happiness drowning her eyes as she witnessed the moment she'd been waiting for just as long as Chris and Jonny had been waiting.

 

"See," she said to Guy and Will, trying to speak through the tears, "I told you."

 

"You sure did," Guy replied, reaching out and grabbing Dianna by the waist. She let out a surprised gasp, but smiled at Guy and leaned into him.

 

Just as her dream had predicted, Dianna was finally at peace with the world. Everything was right.

 

Well, almost everything was right. There was still that unattended matter of where Phil had run off to.

 

Somewhere along the path of his journey, on a lonely country road, his car broke down. Call it karma, or forgetting to fill the gas tank, or whatever. His car broke down, and there was no one around to help.

 

Phil had to walk for miles and miles before he met up with any sort of civilization. And when he finally did, he wasn't all too pleased with what he saw.

 

"Excuse me! Can you help me?" he called out to a few men dressed in black. They smiled and walked up to him, as friendly as can be.

 

"What's the problem, sir?" one of them asked.

 

"My car broke down, and I was wondering if you could help me," Phil explained. "I think it just ran out of gas, is there maybe some way that one of you could run me down to the nearest gas station and-"

 

"Sorry," the man interjected, "but we don't have cars. And I'm not even sure where the nearest gas station is."

 

"What?" Phil asked, a little too incredulously.

 

The man just smiled at him, though. "I'm afraid we can not help you in that way. But you are welcome to stay with us until anyone who can help drives by."

 

"Well, thank you. How long do you think it will be before anyone comes around?"

 

"Well, the last person before you was... How long ago was it?" he asked one of the other men in black.

 

"About three months."

 

"Oh my," Phil said. "That's a really long time... I suppose I could stay. You wouldn't mind if I stay for that long?"

 

"Of course not," the man replied. "So long as you do your part and pitch in with the chores around here. That's all we ask."

 

"Oh, absolutely," Phil agreed. "I can't thank you enough for being so kind. But, may I ask you a question?"

 

 

"Sure."

 

"Why don't you have cars around here?"

 

The man gave Phil a knowing smile and kindly replied, "Because we're Amish."

 

 

 

THE END!

 

 

Chapter 5

 

 

Katie was taking a nap in the sitting room and was awoken by the sweet singing of her mother in the kitchen. She stood up and made her way to the kitchen looking for Chris on her way. Where is that sneaky man?

 

“Oh hello dear! Did I wake you?” Katie’s mom asked as she dusted off her flour-encrusted hands on her apron.

 

Katie grinned at the sight of her mum. She had flour on her forehead and all over the hardwood floors. It reminded her of Chris and his sorry attempts at cooking.

 

*** Flashback***

Chris and Katie had been living together for just about a year and half now, Jon ended up being one of their best friends after Chris realized that Jonny had a girlfriend and wasn’t out to bang his best friend. Chris finally got the courage to ask Katie if she would go on a date with him and she said yes of course. Chris decided that he would make them dinner and then take her out to the roof to gaze at the stars and make some s’mores.

 

Katie walked into the flat to the sound of Chris singing and the banging of pots and pans. Chris singing was normal, but the song in particular made her stop and back track to peek into the tiny kitchen.

 

“Yo I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want, So tell me what you want, what you really really want, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really,

Really really wanna zigazig ha.” Chris was dancing around the kitchen singing into a spatula a Spice Girls song, he was wearing Katie’s ruffled apron and had some strange orange goo in his hair and every surface of the kitchen was covered in the same strange goo that resided in Chris’ curls.

 

Katie bit her lip to hold back the laughter and crossed her legs to prevent any accidents down south. All of the sudden Jon appeared out of nowhere in the kitchen and was wearing his bed sheets in a toga form and was singing right along with Chris into a bottle of ketchup. The two of them soon made there way to the kitchen chairs and stood up on them dancing.

 

Katie gave up standing and just slid down the wall, She was laughing so hard, tears were rolling down her checks and her face was quickly turning a bright shade of pink.

 

The boys were at it for a good ten minuets before they realized that Katie was watching them. They all sat on the floor laughing together after that. Needless to say the concoction that Chris was trying to make for dinner didn’t make it to the table that night. But a whole lot of laughter was included.”

 

***End of flashback***

“ No mum you didn’t” Katie lied, but it was so she didn’t hurt her moms feelings. “Have you seen Chris? This house is far to quiet and that makes me suspicious of what things Chris could be up to.”

 

“Your dad took him hunting about an hour ago.”

 

“WHAT? Daddy will shoot him or make him the ‘practice’ target!”

 

“Katie, it twas Chris’ idea love. He wanted ter’ be spending some err time with yer dad.”

 

“Oh great, I’m going to have a boyfriend with a hole or a missing arm! Wonderful!” Katie left the kitchen and went back to her room. On top of her pillow was a cut out paper heart. It looked like a 4 year made it, but it wasn’t the paper heart that made Katie swoon, but the message written on it..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you couldn't read my handwriting here is what it said : ‘A drop in the ocean, A change in the weather, I was praying that you and me might end up together. It's like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert, But I'm holding you closer than most, 'Cause you are my heaven.’ -Chris

 

 

 

 

 

Sleepless

 

 

 

Chapter One

 

 

 

Chris walked into the room like he did every Saturday morning.

He sat down beside the bed, as usual.

The woman looked over and smiled at him.

“Good morning, Christopher,” she said.

“Good morning, Gigi,” he smiled back.

But she could not see his smile.

She had been blind for many years.

Her family placed in her the nursing home when they decided they could no longer handle taking care of her.

They rarely visited, except for the occasional holiday.

But Gigi didn't mind.

She had friends in the place, even if they weren't much of an entertainment.

And every Saturday morning, she had Chris to talk to.

Every Saturday morning, Chris volunteered his time at the nursing home.

Most of the time he would be there for a few hours before Jonny came.

He and Jonny would always talk with Gigi.

They thought she was hilarious.

She would tell them stories about her life, her late husband and her children.

She'd tell them about the grandchildren she barely saw.

She'd tell them about the mischievous things she did when she was young.

Jonny and Chris would listen intently, appreciating every word.

They'd share stories of their own, too.

Stories of their attempts to start a band, and the obstacles they kept facing.

They'd talk about their neighbors in the small flat they shared.

And they would talk about how tough their college courses were.

The three of them loved spending their Saturday mornings together.

Today, everything was going as it normally did.

Except Jonny wasn't going to be coming in to visit.

And Chris's eyes were filled with tears.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Two

 

 

 

It was late at night.

Jonny snuck into the flat, though he had a bit of trouble being stealthy.

One problem was that he was drunk, and his perception was less than perfect.

He bumped into the table by the door, making an obnoxiously loud noise.

The bigger problem, though, was that Chris was standing in the living room, glaring at him.

“Why?” he simply asked.

“Why what?” Jonny slurred.

“You know what.”

Chris folded his arms across his chest, trying to appear more angry than upset.

Jonny stumbled over to the couch and collapsed.

“So, I went out, what do you care?” he said.

“I care that you're out getting drunk at all hours of the night when you know that tomorrow we have class and if you don't pass this exam, you're going to fail.”

Chris stood still, catching his breath. Then he quietly continued, “And I'm worried about you.”

“There's nothing to worry about,” Jonny stubbornly said.

Chris sat down beside him.

He looked at Jonny with sad eyes.

“Promise me it won't happen again,” he whispered.

“What do you mean?” Jonny asked.

“I mean, promise me that you won't go out at night like this anymore. At least until we've finished school.”

Jonny thought for a while.

It was hard to do, since he was so drunk.

But he tried.

“Fine,” he eventually said, “I won't go drinking until classes are done.”

Chris nodded slowly.

“Thank you,” he said.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Three

 

 

 

Two nights after the previous incident, Chris went to bed at his normal time.

The dim light on the clock said 10:00.

He laid his head down on the pillow, but he knew he wasn't going to be able to fall asleep.

Jonny had not yet come home.

Chris knew where he was.

He knew what Jonny was doing.

It ripped him apart inside to know that for some reason, Jonny felt it necessary to harm his body with the disgusting liquid that was alcohol.

He didn't want to see Jonny suffer.

He didn't want to see Jonny fail his classes because of this new-found addiction.

But most importantly, he wished that Jonny would just talk to him about his problems.

After all, they were supposed to be best friends.

Someone to lean on when they were feeling down.

But instead of relying on Chris, Jonny just went out and drank his life away.

What worried him most was the thought of Jonny taking one too many drinks.

Chris was well aware that alcohol poisoning really did happen.

There had already been a few deaths on campus because of it.

He didn't want Jonny to become one of them.

Chris laid in bed for three hours before he heard the sound of the front door.

But he decided not to get up.

Yelling at Jonny while he was still drunk wasn't going to do any good.

Instead, he would wait for morning.

Jonny would probably be hung over, but maybe the blaring headache being increased by Chris's grating voice would teach him a lesson.

So Chris continued to lay in his bed.

He closed his eyes and tried in vain to get some rest.

 

 

 

 

“You promised me,” Chris quietly said as Jonny entered the kitchen.

Jonny took a seat in one of the chairs and laid his head down on the table.

“I feel like shit,” he said.

“You should. Did you ever think that maybe it's a punishment?”

“Please, Chris, don't start,” Jonny begged.

“I wouldn't need to start if you'd stop!” Chris yelled.

Jonny slowly lifted his head.

“Can we please talk about this another time?” he asked in a gruff voice.

“What if there isn't another time?” Chris asked. “Jonny, what if you go out tonight and you don't come back?”

“What?”

Chris stood up and walked over to where Jonny was.

He bent down so that he and Jonny were eye-level.

“I'm just worried about you,” he said. “Don't you remember what happened to those girls last semester?”

“That's not going to happen to me,” Jonny said with confidence that Chris thought he should not have had.

“You don't know that,” Chris quietly said.

“And what about you, huh?” Jonny asked. “You don't look like you're all that healthy these days, either. You're pale, a little thin, and you've got bags under your eyes the size of Texas.”

Chris did agree with Jonny on that one.

“But the only reason I look like crap is because I spent the last week, including all of last night, worrying about you,” Chris told him.

Jonny sighed.

“Well, you won't have to worry about me anymore,” he said, “I'm moving out.”

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Four

 

 

 

“You're what?” Chris asked, disappointed.

“I'm moving out,” Jonny repeated, “so you can go get some sleep now.”

Jonny stood up, pushing his chair back with so much force that it almost fell over.

He realized that the quick motion would only further agitate his pounding headache, but he didn't care.

He walked out of the kitchen and towards the door, Chris following behind closely.

“Where are you going?” Chris asked.

Jonny stopped with his hand on the knob and he turned around.

“My parents' house,” he said. “I'll stay there until I can find another place.”

Jonny opened the door and was almost halfway out when Chris spoke again.

“Wait!”

Jonny stopped again and looked expectantly at Chris.

“What?” he asked, dozily.

“It's Saturday,” Chris said in a small voice.

Jonny just looked at Chris for another few moments.

“Tell Gigi I'm sorry,” he said, and left.

The sound of the door closing was like a gunshot to Chris.

The bullet pierced right through his heart and he fell to the ground.

He meagerly tried to crawl up against the wall.

It seemed like forever before he finally reached it.

He leaned back and tears began to flow freely down his cheeks.

Despite his best efforts, he lost the very thing that he was trying to save.

He lost his roommate.

He lost his best friend.

Worst of all, he lost the love of his life.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Five

 

 

 

Gigi was in the middle of telling Chris about the time she stole a car when she was in her teens.

She was actually making up the whole thing, and there were some very ridiculously untrue details thrown in.

But Chris didn't catch any of them.

He was too distracted thinking about Jonny.

Gigi knew he wasn't paying attention, which is why she told the story.

When she stopped, she waited patiently for Chris to realize.

It was nearly five minutes before he did, but Gigi didn't mind.

She understood that he was troubled.

“You and Jonny had a fight, didn't you?” she asked.

He looked up at her with great surprise.

“How did you know?” he asked her.

“Christopher, Christopher, Christopher,” she replied, “I'm blind. I'm not senseless.”

Chris raised an eyebrow. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“I could spend five seconds in a room with the two of you and have no doubts whatsoever that you are in love,” she said.

“I...” Chris stammered for a bit. “It's not like I intended on-”

“Oh,” she interrupted, “no one intends on falling in love, they just do. And it's painfully obvious that you have.”

Chris frowned and looked at his hands.

“He told me he's moving out,” he sadly said.

“And you're just going to sit here and let him?” she asked. “Sit here, talking to a boring old woman, while the boy you love is out there trying to remove himself from your life- you're not even going to try to stop him?”

“I don't think I can stop him,” Chris told her.

“Oh, Christopher,” she said, shaking her head, “you are so young. Now is not the time in your life that you should be wasting on wishing. You should be out there, chasing after what you want.”

“What do you think I should do?”

Gigi reached out slowly and placed her hand on Chris's shoulder.

“I think you should tell him how you feel,” she said with a wink. “And maybe he will tell you how he feels.”

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Six

 

 

 

The door was big and scary.

Chris had only ever been to Jonny's parents' house once before, when he was helping Jonny move in.

Jonny had been so excited to be living on his own, without his parents.

He had told Chris that he never wanted to come back to this place again.

But his words had crumbled just like his promise to Chris.

Chris slowly lifted his arm and knocked.

At first he was worried that maybe no one would be in.

Then he worried that maybe Jonny would know it was him and just ignore the knocking.

But the door opened eventually, and Jonny's mother greeted Chris with a smile.

“Hey, Chris,” she said. “What can I do for you, sweetie?”

“Is Jonny here?” he asked. “I'd like to speak to him, if that's all right.”

“I'm sorry, he's not feeling too well right now,” she frowned. “But if you'd like, you can come in and wait for him to wake up. I've made some tea, I could pour you a cup, and we have plenty of food around, too.”

“That's very kind of you,” Chris halfheartedly smiled. “I would like to wait, but I'll pass on the tea and such, thanks.”

Jonny's mother opened the door to let Chris in.

They settled in the living room, where Jonny's father was sitting, reading the newspaper.

“Honey, Chris is here,” she said. “He's waiting for Jonny.”

“Hello, Chris,” he said as he lowered the paper. “You might be waiting a while.”

“That's all right,” Chris said, taking a seat and clasping his hands in his lap. “I've got nothing better to do today, anyway.”

“Really?” he replied. “You'd think a boy like you would have a million other things to do rather than sit around and twiddle your thumbs. Don't you have a girlfriend or anything?”

“Uh, no,” Chris said, blushing a little.

“Well, you should change that! They can be nagging and clingy at times, but even I have to admit that nothing's better than knowing that you have someone who cares about you that much.” He leaned forward and made a strange gesture with his hand. “You know?”

“Yeah,” Chris said with a nervous laugh.

“Chris, dear, are you sure you don't want anything to drink or eat?” Jonny's mother asked him.

“I'm sure, thanks,” Chris smiled. “But, uh... I do need to use the restroom.”

“Of course, it's right down that hallway,” she said, gesturing out the doorway, “first door on the left.

“Thank you,” Chris said.

He stood up and began to make his way out of the room.

When he turned the corner into the hallway, he nearly stepped on a lump curled up on the floor.

He soon realized that lump was a person.

And not just any person.

Jonny looked up at Chris with anxious eyes.

“I thought I heard your voice,” he started to explain, “so I came downstairs to see.”

“I need to talk to you about something, Jonny,” Chris said.

Jonny slowly stood up next to Chris.

“Chris, I'm scared,” he whispered.

Chris nodded, the tears welling in his eyes once more. “So am I.”

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Seven

 

 

 

“I don't really want to move out,” Jonny admitted.

He and Chris were now sitting upstairs in his room.

“But,” he continued, “I'm not sure living with you will do me much good, either.”

“Why?” Chris asked.

Jonny tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out.

Instead he sighed, and said, “It's complicated.”

“Do you know why I'm so worried about you Jonny?”

Jonny looked up at Chris and shook his head.

“It's not because you're my friend,” he said. “It's not even because you're my best friend. It's because I love you. I'm in love with you.”

Jonny gaped, unable to think clearly.

Chris looked at him wearily.

“I don't know what I would do if I lost you,” he said in a cracked and broken voice.

Jonny was frozen for only a few moments longer.

Then he started to laugh.

It was not the reaction Chris expected or wanted.

He felt like crying again as he waited for Jonny to explain his odd behavior.

Jonny stopped laughing when he noticed the look on Chris's face.

“This is gonna sound so stupid,” he said with a smile on his face.

“Chris...” Jonny shook his head and laughed again. “I'm so sorry.”

“How is that stupid?” Chris snappishly asked.

“No, that's not what's stupid. What's stupid is everything else!”

Jonny realized that his vagueness was not getting through to Chris, so he sighed.

“The only reason I started drinking was to ignore that... well, that I suddenly found myself unable to think about anything else other than you,” he quietly said. “I'm so sorry.”

“You won't move out, then?” Chris asked.

Jonny shook his head.

“And you won't drink anymore?”

Jonny shook his head again.

“And you'll kiss me?”

Jonny smiled and leaned forward, brushing his lips against Chris's.

“All right,” Chris pleasantly sighed. “I guess I can forgive you.”

“Good,” Jonny smiled. “Let's go home.”

“Actually, I think there's somewhere else we need to go first,” Chris said.

“Since if it hadn't been for a certain elderly woman, I'd probably be at home crying right now.”

 

 

“Christopher, I'm proud of you,” Gigi said before he and Jonny were even entirely in the room.

“Gigi, I can never thank you enough,” he happily replied, “for helping me realize that I can't just sit around and wait for things to happen.”

“Yes, Gigi, thank you so much,” Jonny agreed.

He moved his arm and slipped his hand against Chris's.

“You boys are very welcome,” she smiled. “It's always nice to have dreams, but there's no point if you're sleepless.”

 

 

THE END

 

Look what has returned from the grave! :o :P

A Rush of Blood

 

Chapter XXII

 

 

Removed, please PM me if you want to read it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I'm going to have to ask you your name, sir.”

 

The name-tag pinned to her shirt said NANDA, and in smaller letters underneath SECURITY.

 

“And I'm going to have to tell you,” he gulped, a little frightened by Nanda's dominating appearance, “it's Jonny.”

 

Nanda scanned her clipboard, which Jonny swore came out of nowhere, and found his answer satisfactory. She stepped aside and Jonny went up the small set of stairs.

 

The first car was the foyer, mostly empty except for a few little decorations here and there. A subtle door in the back led to the coat room, which Jonny had no use for. He walked instead through the large doorway highlighted by flashing neon lightbulbs and into the second car.

 

The place was phosphorescent, the ceiling giving a means of attachment to several dangling glowsticks- pink, green, yellow, orange. A few people were standing in there, mingling with each other and sipping from black plastic cups.

 

Jonny continued right on through to the third car, which was even more intense. He was instantly submerged in total darkness, but a mere three seconds later a bright white light hit him. The spotlight followed as he made his way to the center of the car, at which point there appeared a large crowd gathered around him.

 

There were a few disappointed groans drawn from the assembly, and utterances about mistaken identity, but one man emerged who grabbed Jonny by the arm and dragged him to the side.

 

“You're nearly late,” the man snarled, “he'll be here any minute.”

 

“Terribly sorry,” Jonny replied. “I've never been to one of these before.”

 

“Obviously.”

 

Moments later another man walked into the spotlight, and the crowd erupted into boisterous cheering. From his scalp sprouted spiky reddish-brown hair, and he wore a classic tuxedo accessorized by a light pink scarf.

 

Jonny only vaguely knew that he was supposed to clap along with them.

 

“Please,” the man tiredly said. “Give it up already.”

 

“Yeah, I'll give it up to you!” a woman shouted from across the room. A few more feminine voices cooed in agreement, and the man smiled.

 

“Now, that's what we like to hear.”

 

Suddenly, everything in the room was lit up in a red glow. The wall behind the man prominently displayed the words TRENO ROSSO in large, black letters.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, pausing to feel the buildup of anticipation in the air. He buckled his knees a little, bent his torso toward the crowd, and smiled as the crowd went wild with suspenseful silence. Then he all but whispered the two magical words, “All aboard.”

 

Lights sparked and everything went black once more. The crowd hushed in awe and waited for the show to start. Soon enough, one tiny light was lit just moments later. The light expanded itself to its right for a while, then abruptly popped and split in two. Then both lights expanded, and split once more, producing four separate lights. And those four continued the cycle until there was a seemingly random blob of light glowing on the wall. The lights slowly faded into different colors, the combination of which produced the image of a young woman. The men let out a few howls and whistles, and the woman sighed at how beautiful the lady was compared to themselves.

 

Jonny patiently watched as the lights transformed in front of his eyes. Up to that point in his life, he had never seen anything so spectacular, though he was certainly in for a surprise later on. At that moment, it was all he could do not to let his jaw drop to the ground.

 

The young woman looked around the room, almost judging the people in there, then she turned. The audience screamed in madness as the lights shifted in a most spectacular way. She looked back once, winked, and walked away. Slowly the lights died until there was only a single one left.

 

Then a bright blue line of light dashed across the wall and trickled down to the floor. Tiny waves of white light simulated some sort of ocean. Jonny had almost convinced himself that he even heard the sound of the ocean nearby. After a minute or so, he heard something else.

 

“Enjoying yourself so far?” Jonny turned to see the man with the tuxedo standing next to him. “I see this is your first time here.”

 

“It is, yes, and yes, I am. It's pretty cool.”

 

“Well, I'm glad you think so. A lot of work goes into these shows. They're not easy to plan.”

 

“Well, you do a great job.”

 

Then, as if to prove him wrong, the lights did something odd. Well, at first they were fine, and from the depths of the ocean emerged a frighteningly large whale. It swam and moaned its awful cry, then a circle of yellow light flew from its mouth and up into the imaginary sky.

 

The bright yellow sun started to flicker, until the light burst completely. The crowd gasped loudly and then the entire car shook.

 

“Shit!” The tuxedo man stormed off and the rest of the lighted wall died. The red glow returned, and where the man was headed Jonny could see another man, though he looked more like a frightened boy. He was holding some sort of board, shaking his head at the tuxedo man with his eyebrows scrunched together in terror.

 

Jonny leaned over to the person next to him and said, “I assume this isn't part of the show?”

 

“Hell no,” the man replied, “but it's freaking awesome!”

 

“Well, what do you think is wrong?”

 

The man turned to Jonny and gave a look of total disgust. “I don't know, man, but who cares?”

 

“I was just curious,” was what Jonny had intended to reply with, but moments before the sound left his mouth the car shook again. This time it was so forceful that several people were knocked to the ground.

 

The man in the tuxedo straightened his posture and spun around. His eyes were much wider than before, and even though he tried to present himself in a calm manner, it was obvious that he had no clue what was going on.

 

“Everyone please remain calm,” he ordered, then went back to talking to the man with the board.

 

Jonny looked around at the other people in the room. Despite the recent jolt, none of them seemed to be too worried about the present situation, distracted by conversations with their friends. But Jonny had no one to talk to and keep him relaxed, and very suddenly he felt the sick feeling in his stomach he always felt whenever he rode an elevator. It wasn't his usual reaction to anxiety, but he didn't think to attribute it to anything else.

 

He walked around the room a bit to settle his nerves. He listened to the mass of people speak with itself as he weaved in and out of the clumps of chatterers.

 

“And he said there was no way to fix it, I'd have to get a new one, and I told him that if he loves me and would like to keep being my husband, he'd best go out and buy it, because I couldn't go out with my hair all wet like that and there's no way I can let it air dry, I'd look like a giant ball of poof!”

 

Jonny wondered just how legitimate this woman's marriage was if she'd consider leaving her husband over something as small as a hairdryer. Judging by the look on her friend's face, it was not an unexpected or even unusual threat on her part.

 

A few feet over stood a man with the largest mustache Jonny had ever seen. It was dark and trailed all the way to the floor. When he talked his mouth barely moved, the sound muffled by his great hair, and it was almost amazing how capable the man was of supporting such a weight. Of course, he was rather large himself, which probably helped.

 

He must have caught Jonny staring, because he stopped talking to his companion and glared at Jonny with an evil look pinned to his eyes. Jonny shivered in fear and decided to continue on. Eventually, he found himself wandering over to the tuxedo man and his terrified subordinate.

 

“I swear I didn't do anything!” the man with the board said. “N-Not anything that I don't normally do.”

 

The tuxedo man watched him suspiciously through narrowed eyes.

 

“Fine,” he finally sighed. “And what the fuck was up with that whale? What did you think you were doing?”

 

“I...I was just... I'm sorry,” he replied in a low voice, bowing his head in shame. “It just kinda appeared. I-I had this dream last night and-”

 

“I don't really care to hear about your crazy night-visions. You know what these people come here for, and I- as well as they- expect you to deliver. Make sure this... whale shit doesn't happen again.”

 

“Yes, sir!” The board man nodded his head fervently, and the tuxedo man rushed off to find some other source of the problem.

 

“That's quite an impressive contraption you've got there,” Jonny said of the board, and the man, who had been watching his boss leave, shot his head over to Jonny's direction. He quickly looked from Jonny to the board, then back again, all the while with large eyes.

 

“It controls the light,” he explained. “That's what it does, it controls the light.”

 

“Really? How does that work exactly?”

 

The man and his board quickly slid down to the ground, Jonny soon to follow. The man laid the board across his lap and silently admired it for a few seconds.

 

Several round buttons, all various colors, lined the right-hand edge of the board. The rest of the board was completely blank. The man ran his left hand over the empty spot, carefully and appreciatively.

 

“The board does everything. All I have to do is hit one of these buttons, whichever color I want to show up. A-And then I just draw.” The man traced a few invisible figures on the board, then he looked up at Jonny. “The board does everything.”

 

“Except draw whales,” Jonny said in an attempt to be witty. But the man simply frowned in return.

 

“I-I didn't mean for that to happen.”

 

Now that he had seemed to have put this man in a bad mood, Jonny tried to make up for it with compliments. “I thought it was spectacular.”

 

It took a few seconds, but the man's eyes softened, and he even smiled a little. “Have you ever been trying to focus on one thing, but you keep thinking about something else, and that something else just kinda slips? A-And then it mixes with what you're supposed to be doing.”

 

Jonny thought for a moment. “Oh, you mean like in school when you're supposed to be taking notes or something, you accidentally fill the page with hearts around the name of the girl you like?”

 

“I never went to school,” the man replied, shaking his head. “B-but I guess it could be like that.”

 

“You never went to school?” Jonny asked with curiosity.

 

“I know what it is, I've heard about it plenty of times before,” the man said, “but I've never gone. I-I don't think I've even seen a school in person before. But it could be like what you said.”

 

“I'm not judging you or anything,” Jonny held his hands out, “I've just never met anyone who has never gone to school.”

 

“Neither have I,” the man replied. “I'm the only person I know... l-like that.”

 

“Just out of curiosity, how old are you?”

 

“T-Twenty,” the man shyly answered. Jonny was certainly surprised by his response; he thought the man had been much younger.

 

“Twenty? My, you look so young even for your age.” Jonny pressed one of his hands against his chest and continued, “I'm twenty, also, but I've been told I look closer to thirty. Or twenty-five or whatever. You are tall, though, but you look pretty young.” Jonny examined the man a bit further. “You're very skinny, too.”

 

The man seemed to take offense to this, or at least he grew rather defensive. “I'm not that skinny, I'm normal. J-Just like everyone else, I mean, I eat one meal a day!”

 

“One meal?”

 

“Yes.” Jonny suddenly realized that the man was much closer to him now, leaned in with big eyes that asked Why won't you believe me? “I'm normal.”

 

“That's not really normal,” Jonny slowly said in an apologetic tone.

 

“W-well, then, what do you suggest is normal?”

 

“Most people eat, like, three meals a day. Some even more than that.”

 

The man began to look even more terrified than when he was being reprimanded by his boss. He turned his head to the ground and started breathing heavily. After a minute or so, he looked back to Jonny and forcefully demanded, “W-what's your name?”

 

Jonny calmly and politely told the man his name, and the man then turned away once more. He drew his knees up to his chest and held onto the board with both arms.

 

“What's yours?” Jonny quietly asked.

 

“I- AH!” he exclaimed, as a third shake of the car had sent his head smacking into the wall behind him.

 

“Are you OK?” Jonny watched as the man rubbed the back of his head. Then he realized that the weird elevator sensation he had felt before was gone.

 

“HOLY SHIT!” someone cried out. Everyone's heads turned to the center of the room, where the tuxedo man was looking through some sort of periscope. He thrust it back up into the ceiling and nervously looked around at the crowd, wringing his hands like they were made of flimsy cloth.

 

“What's going on?” someone from the crowd shouted. A few murmurs of agreement followed, and the tuxedo man's nervousness increased tenfold.

 

“It appears that... Well, it seems that somehow... we are... you see, I'm not sure just how it happened, but-”

 

“Spit it out already!”

 

“We're floating in the sky.”

 

A burst of outraged cries emerged from mostly everyone in the room. The sky? Was this guy joking? Did he think this was funny?

 

The only person in the room who wholeheartedly believed him was the man with the board. And he believed his boss not only because he was his boss, but because the man knew this was going to happen. He couldn't have flat out told anyone, but somewhere in his subconscious he had predicted it.

 

“My dream,” he quietly said, but no one heard him. He looked down at his board and drew a small whale. Then he looked up and tried to respond to Jonny's earlier question, but Jonny was already gone by that time.

 

He was halfway to where stood the tuxedo man, trying to shrink himself into nonexistence to escape the sudden mob upon him. Jonny wasn't being threatening, though, he merely wanted to be closer in order to hear better whatever else the man had to say.

 

“I promise you,” he sweatily told them, “I will have this fixed as soon as possible.”

 

The mob did not seem too thrilled with the tuxedo man's assurance, and so a blended bomb of angry outbursts exploded in his face.

 

“How the hell are you going to fix something like this?”

 

“He's probably lying to us to begin with!”

 

“Just having a laugh at our expense- Well, I'll tell you something. I did not pay my hard-earned money to be made a fool of!”

 

“Excuse me?” Despite the excessive loudness of the mob, Jonny's polite speaking stuck out like a yellow piano key.

 

The mob silenced, and one by one the people turned around to see who had the audacity to be so patient in the current situation. Jonny felt very much uncomfortable with the sudden and massive attention focused on him, his shirt collar seemingly suffocating him as a result.

 

“Yes?” the tuxedo man replied through the path the mob had opened, assuming his former manner of lording over everyone else.

 

With two fingers Jonny pulled at his shirt, trying to relieve the smothering feeling. “How far up are we?”

 

“Um...” The tuxedo man stuttered for a bit, fumbling to find the words he needed. “P-past the trees, it seems. Or we're in a very desolated area... I think we're past the trees.”

 

Jonny blankly stared and the man for a few moments, then said “OK,” and turned to walk away. The mob started up again, their noise threatening to drown out all other sound in the world. He wasn't sure where to go from here, as there was not much to do without the entertainment of the light show, and it was obviously impossible for him to leave the car, unless he wanted to die. Which he didn't want to do.

 

While walking he was startled by the board man, who popped up out of nowhere and said in a mass of jumbled words, “T-There's no way to fix it!”

 

“Oh my god!” he exclaimed, clutching his chest and breathing heavy. He shook his head and tried to think clearly. “I'm sorry, what did you say?”

 

“There's no way to fix it,” he repeated. “The car. We're stuck here for a while.”

 

“Always good to know,” Jonny said with a hint of sarcasm. “But just out of curiosity- you're pretty certain about this. How is that so?”

 

“I-I had this dream last night, and this happened. I remember. It happened.”

 

“So there's no way to fix it?” The man shook his head. “Do things at least get better?”

 

“It depends on who you are,” the man vaguely replied.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I-It depends on who you are.” His eyes shifted to the massive mob, though when Jonny turned he realized they were focused more on the tuxedo man. Jonny looked back to the man with the board, who in turned looked back at Jonny. “Things won't get better for everyone.”

 

 

END OF PART ONE>>>>>

 

 

 

STORY ONE, CHAPTER SEVEN

 

 

 

Finally, the chapter is up! This one is dedicated to someone who really wanted this chapter, (you know who you are!). This amazing person also is in this chapter.

Sorry for the wait, to everyone! I'm probably the lazyest author ever.

 

 

You’ll Never Be Lonely

Chapter Seven

 

Chris’ POV

I walked back to mum’s room, making sure to walk slowly. I honestly didn’t want to be entertaining a five year old when I could be with Jonny. I liked Jonny, he was a nice boy who was very silent and let me talk a lot. He was also kind of like a rock; he was so calm and didn’t break down easily.

 

As much as I wanted to stay with Jonny, I knew he was perfectly fine in Nurse Brooke’s care. She treated him as if he were her own; Jonny’s mum, but not quite. Which was also something I had but, he didn’t. I also had a brother, when he had just lost his. To myself, I felt greedy and wrong, I thought I shouldn’t be allowed to have a family when Jonny didn’t. Jonny deserved one more than I did.

 

I didn’t realize I had neglected my family so much until after I got back to the room. I saw a little blonde head in the crib next to mum’s bed. I had another brother or sister and I had completely forgotten- I didn’t know its name, or what it was. I sneaked over to the crib quietly so I wouldn’t wake mum up or wake the baby.

 

The baby had the same blonde, curly hair everyone in our family had. The baby had a pink set of pajamas on, so I assumed she was a girl. My little sister then opened her little eyes and I immediately noticed they weren’t the same light blue mine were. They weren’t the brown Al’s eyes were but, dad’s eye color. My little sister’s eyes were the bright jewel green. And of course those bright green eyes reminded me of the boy hurting in the other wing of the hospital.

 

“Her name is Cathleen. Cathleen Allison Jennifer Martin.” Dad whispered as he stood behind me. I almost jumped; I didn’t realize anyone else was in the room. “Do you want to hold her?”

 

“Um… would it be alright?” my dad nodded, swept Cathleen into his gentle arms, then instructed me how to hold her. He helped me carry her a little bit, until I got the feel for her weight “Hi there, Cathleen!” I chirped happily. “Welcome to the world, you hear?” I welcomed. She already felt a part of the family as I stood together with her in my arms, my dad at my side, my brother napping at the foot of my mum’s bed, my mom now seated up, looking at us. Her eyes were thrilled that I already loved Cathleen- I looked over and saw a tear roll down her cheek. I made my way over to her, and put Cathleen into her arms. I gave mum a hug, and quickly she wrapped one arm around me.

 

These weren’t sad tears, I could tell. Tears of joy rolled down her cheek; of joys for the future, for our family growing, for the baby, for me and Al, especially for dad. I began to cry as well, not only out of joy, but still of sadness. I knew Jonny could never experience something like this, not with his real family, not now, not ever. Mum squeezed me tighter, but she didn’t have my reason for crying completely right. I cried my own happiness, but I cried the sadness Jonny wouldn’t show, and my pity.

 

After a while, I fell asleep next to Al. I dreamt peacefully, until I heard a loud cry.

 

“Cathleen, shh…” my mum cooed. I rubbed my eyes to see better, and it turned out Cathleen had just wanted her diaper changed. I wondered how long it would be until she started talking and walking. I started to get curious if she’d even want to talk to me, or if she’d keep more to herself, like Jonny did. I wondered if she’d be as energetic as Al, or if she’d be half as loud as he was at home. I also wondered if she’d be a kind soul, or she’d end up being meaner than me and Al combined. Though I had no specific reason for thinking that, you never know what could happen.

 

I leant that from Jonny. Anything could happen; you just have to be careful because you never know, Nurse Brooke had said about it. I kept thinking about the possibility of anything, to never leave anything out, to think of everything possible. Only because anything is possible and I know it must be true, if even adults have said it. I looked up to the ceiling, imagining the bright long lights to be separate stars in the sky.

 

“Chris look; a shooting star!” Al whispered to me while tugging at my jumper. I took his hand as I ran towards the window. He closed his eyes tightly, and then squeezed my hand. After looking over at him, I closed my eyes also. Together we took a deep breath before he spoke up. “I wish my big brother, me and Cathleen stay happy forever,” he announced.

 

“I wish that whatever happens from now on is always good. Not only for us, but for someone else who really needs it too,” I sighed. Why so many bad things happened to just one caring person was unbelievable to me. More than ever, now he needed some good things to happen to him. I hoped with the very life of me that I could be some of that good, or at least help him along the way.

 

“Someone else?” Al asked me. I had no idea I never told him about Jonny. I explained what happened, but in a more five-year old friendly way. “His parents are in a better place? Like, up there with God?” he pointed upwards. I nodded at him, and he understood. I suggested we go visit him, and he quickly agreed.

 

I peered my head through the door, as usual, I was greeted with a welcoming “Hi, Chris! Come in,” from Jonny. I introduced him to my little brother. “So you’re the little brother Chris mentioned,” Jonny looked thoughtfully towards Al. “No matter if he calls you an annoying bugger, don’t take him seriously. He’ll be annoyed for a few minutes, but he loves you forever.”

 

Al smiled brightly at both Jonny and me. I figured that’s how he felt about his little brother, Tim. Jonny cracked a very faint smile, but it told me everything I needed to know. After a few minutes, I told Al he should go back and help mum with Cathleen. I handed him off to my parents and made my way back to see Jonny. Instead of talking about my brother, or daring to bring up his, I began asking him questions, saying he could ask anything he wanted to know about me as well. This was a game my teachers used every year, to get students to introduce themselves to everyone else.

 

“Alright, my turn,” he said. “What’s your favorite animal?”

 

“I love sheep!” I announced. Jonny laughed at my excitement. “They’re so soft and cuddly, and they give the stuff that people use to make clothes!”

 

It continued on like this for a few hours. He asked questions from what my favorite sport was, to if I ever did chores at home. The answers to these were football- much to Jonny’s content, as it is his favorite sport- and only when I was really being nagged. We spent the remainder of the night discussing our favorite team, Tottenham Hotspur.

 

About two days later, I realized I had already spent six of the seven days of my week here at the hospital with Jonny. He still wasn’t allowed out of his bed, only when he needed to go drop a penny. I decided I probably should remind him that I will be leaving soon, then ask him if there’s any way I could still talk to him. On my way there, I heard an argument between adults. I noticed Nurse Brooke was becoming angry with a man I didn’t recognize.

 

“What do you mean, I can’t adopt him?” she hissed at him.

 

“You’re single, Brooke. The agency looks for married couples with a stable, happy home that want kids, but for some reason, are unable to have them,” the man explained.

 

“As if that’s ever stopped me from anything! My home is stable a-and h-h-he’ll have plenty of family support and love, even if it’s not coming from a man that happens to be my husband,” she struggled to retort. I knew she sounded kind of desperate, but she found the point she was trying to make near the end of her sentence.

 

“You don’t have a fiancée; you don’t even a boyfriend, or anything remotely close to a father figure,” the man reminded her.

 

“Have you ever heard of independent women, Jed? The phrase I don’t need a man comes into play, I do believe. Besides, this classifies as discrimination based on my sex. Which, I think is excruciatingly low of you to succumb to- as you know I would be able to feed him, love him, and provide for him as well as anybody else. You just don’t want to admit this fact, which is exactly what your body language is telling me right now,” Nurse Brooke retorted. The man named Jed quit fiddling with his hands and surrendered.

 

“My final answer is no, Brooke. You can’t adopt him, and that’s final,” he stormed off. To me, it looked more like a strut than a casual walk. Apparently, it looked that same way to her.

 

“Hrrrggghh… I walk around like I’m Prince Shit…” I had heard her mumble, then some other things that I couldn’t hear enough to say what they were. I stayed hidden around the corner, thinking. Nurse Brooke wanted to adopt Jonny, but she couldn’t. Married couples with a stable, happy home that want kids I thought. Suddenly, I was hit with genius.

 

 

 

 

 

Fate

chapter 1

 

 

English Countryside 1850’s

 

It was the fourth time that week that he had had the same nightmare. He was three years old again and he and his sister were in the corner of the old library. His fathers body lay across the room in a distorted position and his mother was standing in front of him in her night gown screaming out, “Kill me, kill me! Don’t harm my children; they have done nothing to deserve this. Kill me!” He didn’t remember too much after that except the trail of ruby red blood from his mother’s throat and the black boots of the man who killed his father and mother.

 

He awoke in a cold sweat and tumbled out of his bed in a heap of sheets. Quickly he untangled himself and crawled over to the toilet basin and threw up in it. When he felt he was finished he laid his head against the cool tile of the bathroom and tried to clear his mind of painful images. He soon realized that it was no use and stood and walked back into the bedchamber.

 

Lighting a candle the man searched for his riding boots and an overcoat. Upon finding the items he placed them on and flung open the chamber door. The man strolled down the candle lit hallway to the grand staircase. He quickly stormed down the stairs only pausing at the entrance to the library, painful images flashed before his eyes causing his stomach to churn once again. The man spun on the heels of his boots and took great strides to the heavy oak entrance hall doors. In one fluid motion he took hold of the brass handle and opened the door.

 

He ran down the steps and out into the field where the stable was held. It was early morning, the sun had not risen only a faint light showed over the horizon. The fields were wet with the early morning dew and the nightfall’s rain. Mud quickly splattered the base of the man’s boots and the hem of his trousers still he stalked onward.

 

Upon his arrival at the stables he was quick to grab the saddle and reigns for his black stallion Rochester. He threw the saddle onto his muscular shoulders and walked to the keep of his stallion. Rochester was his favorite horse, he was the strongest and fastest and responded well to the hands of his master. In his keep was the stable boy, he was grooming the horse and did not hear the man approach.

 

“John move aside.” The man directed toward the stable boy.

 

“I’m so sorry Master Buckland, I didn’t not hear you.” The boy backed away with his head bent down in shame.

 

“John, I will be away for a few days, make sure you are to tell Mr. Champion and make sure that upon my arrival home that he has found a teacher for my sister’s daughter. The girl needs a proper education and I will not stand for her to play with dolls in her chamber any longer.”

 

‘Master Buckland, I believe that the deed has been done, a man has responded to the ad placed in the village. And Mr. Champion has assured me that he is a man who is of many tongue and intelligence.”

 

“Very well, make sure that he is to start immediately, I will not tolerate my niece’s daydreams any longer.”

 

“But of course Master Buckland.” John said as he bowed his head.

 

The man then mounted his stallion and rode out of the stables into the morning fog. He was unsure where he was riding to but knew that he couldn’t stand to be in Berkshire any longer. He had lost too many he cared dearly for there, his mother, father, recently his sister. He was so lost in thought that he almost trampled a man on the road. He quickly pulled on the reigns and was able to avoid the man who too tried to avoid the horse by falling into the mud. Master Buckland looked back as he rode on and wondered who the devil would be walking out here at the early in the morn. He didn’t stop or turn around to see if the man was okay but just continued riding, he didn’t care about the man he didn’t care much about anyone.

 

 

*ahem*

 

 

PLAY GOD! MESS WITH CHRIS'S FATE. :awesome:

 

The Beginning

 

 

Chris walked down the sidewalk, hands shoved deep in his pockets. He was on his way to the small convenience store on the corner. He went there almost every morning, and usually bought one or two really, really small things. He never actually needed anything from the store, but the boy behind the counter had become something of a friend to him. And he didn't have many other friends.

 

"You know, if you didn't always buy something, I'd think you were just here to see me," the boy joked. Chris laughed, bowed his head nervously, and shuffled his feet a bit.

 

"Why would I come just to see you?" he asked, playing along.

 

"Maybe because if I like you well enough, I can get you a ten percent discount."

 

Chris raised his head and narrowed his eyes at the boy. "You can not!"

 

"No, I can't," the boy admitted. "So, then, why would you come just to see me?"

 

Chris mentally told himself not to blush, but he wasn't thoroughly convinced that it worked. "Well, Jonny, for starters, you're a much better conversationalist than my wall is."

 

"I don't doubt that."

 

"And then there's the fact that..."

 

"The fact that what?" Jonny asked.

 

"Well, I don't know," Chris said. "I just get lonely sometimes, and you're good company." He looked up at Jonny, trying to hide what was behind his eyes. "That's all."

 

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Jonny said, his voice sounding more sad and sincere than it had before. "I get lonely, too."

What is that, some kind of hint or something? Ask him out!

Shhhh, don't say anything. People get lonely sometimes, it's not like he's trying to tell you anything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

<<<<<COMMENCE PART TWO

 

 

“Tell me more about yourself.”

 

The man blinked a few times. “I-I'm not really sure where to start.”

 

Jonny shrugged and said, “You could start with your name. You never did tell me, since we were interrupted.”

 

“Oh yeah!” The man smiled brightly, and through his grin he continued, “I don't have a name.”

 

Jonny had been sitting with the board man for quite some time as he was recollecting his dream. Jonny only made sense of half of what he was saying, and even then he didn't bother to really piece any of it together. He was much too tired for that. The man was not, though; it seemed like he was constantly in a state of super hyperactivity. Although, his alertness seemed to be more of a paranoia.

 

Deep beneath his blue eyes, glowing almost purple in the red light, was some crazy and possibly tragic tale, Jonny could tell. And for some reason he felt desperate to find this man's story and read and reread it until he knew it by heart.

 

“How is it that you don't have a name?” Jonny asked.

 

“I-I don't know, I was just never given one.”

 

“Well, what do people call you?”

 

“Oh, well, the only person who talks to me is my boss, Mr. C,” he began, “and he just calls me kid.”

 

“Uh...” Jonny paused for a bit, tapping his thumb against his leg. “What about your parents? They never...”

 

Jonny trailed off as the nameless man shook his head. “I've never had parents either. I-I mean, I must have had them at some point, but they were gone before I could remember them. Mr. C took me in,” he said, smiling in the direction of the tuxedo man. “He said I have real talent.”

 

“How long have you been working for him?”

 

“Since I was... well, for as long as I can remember. M-Maybe I was five or so.”

 

Jonny was just about to respond when suddenly a loud noise emerged from the middle of the room. It was a deep rumbling noise, much like thunder, but there didn't seem to be anything visibly causing it. Slowly, the people in the room began to panic, all backing away from the center and towards the walls.

 

One woman wasn't watching as she stepped backwards, and she nearly bumped into Jonny. She stopped a mere two inches away, and he stood up to avoid being stepped on in the future. The nameless man stood up beside him and craned his neck to see past the people in front of him.

 

“J-Jonny, this is it,” he quietly said. “It's coming.”

 

Jonny thought back to the man's long recollection, trying to remember any single word he had mentioned that would give Jonny even the slightest clue as to what “it” was. But, sadly, he found nothing in the back of his mind, so he just pretended he knew what the man meant.

 

“What do we do?” Jonny asked.

 

“There's nothing we can do,” the man replied with frightened eyes. “We just have to... stand and wait.”

 

The woman in front of Jonny spun around, her long hair whipping through the air and over her shoulder. “Stand and wait for what?” she nosily asked.

 

“For the dream to end,” he vaguely responded. He tightly gripped the board in his arms and stared at where the rumbling was still sounding. A tired look washed over his face momentarily, then was quickly replaced by more fear.

 

“Are we going to be all right?”

 

The man looked over to the woman, still clutching the board with all his might. “W-what's your name?” he asked her.

 

“Rachel,” she kindly answered.

 

“You will be more than all right, Rachel,” he said, shifting his view back to the noise. He took a deep breath, and with grave confidence began to walk away from Jonny and Rachel. Jonny watched him, wishing that he'd been able to pay more attention to the man's dream.

 

The man slowed down as he reached the center of the room. He looked at the people around him, then with a look of utter sadness, he dropped the board. It fell to the ground, tumbling so that when it collided with the hard surface, the multicolored buttons smashed.

 

The only reaction from the people was a confused silence. Only Jonny knew the significance of the now-broken board, and even then he hadn't realized just how important it was, if not only to the nameless man.

 

Right on cue, the tuxedo man came storming into view. He stopped in front of the nameless man, his eyes fervently moving back and forth between the man and the ground. He huffed, clenching his jaw and flaring his nostrils.

 

“What are you doing?” he hissed.

 

“T-Things change. Sometimes.” The nameless man held in his fear, staring with the best blank expression he could muster. Then he drew a sharp breath and closed his eyes, as if preparing to be struck. No one hit him, but moments later the rumbling grew louder until it roared and the car began to shake.

 

Then, quite abruptly, the two men vanished, and the car settled. Jonny wasn't sure what sort of weird force pushed him to do so, but he thought it would be a grand idea to check the periscope. He shoved his way through the chattering crowd, all discussing how strange everything was. Perhaps this was a new edition to the show?

 

Jonny knew very well that it was not an act whatsoever, but he didn't bother telling anyone else that. As far as he was concerned, revealing any information to these people was like adding fuel to the fire.

 

He stopped under the periscope and reached his arms out to grab it. It took a few tries, but he finally caught it and pulled it down. He waited a few moments before looking, preparing himself because he had no idea what he was going to see when he finally did look, and judging by the way things had already gone, it was not going to be anything good.

 

Unfortunately, the only thing he could see was absolute nothingness. It was a possibility that some large thing was blocking his ability to see out of the scope, but if that was true, it didn't make much of a difference.

 

“Look!” someone shouted. Jonny lifted the periscope and shot his head in the direction of the woman's gesture. The whole crowd turned to see that the wall had begun to light up once more as the red glow in the room dimmed.

 

The lights at first were unidentifiable, until the blobs began to form coherent human shapes. The two men stood on some sort of platform in an otherwise empty sea of darkness. They faced each other, silently, but their body language spoke wonders more than any words could have.

 

The tuxedo man nearly towered over the nameless man, a clearly cross expression strewn over his dominating face, but the nameless man stared back at him with poised confidence. Without the board, neither men amounted to much, and they both knew it. The only thing left to do was to find out which was worth more in the end.

 

The tuxedo man opened his mouth to speak, and perhaps in his own little world the words came out, but to those left remaining in the car the words merely appeared on the wall written as if they were dialogue in some video game.

 

“What have you done?” a man read aloud. “You've ruined everything!”

 

Whispers emerged around the room; the people asked themselves what they thought was happening. No one knew but Jonny, and even then he only had a vague idea.

 

“No,” the man continued, this time reading the words of the nameless man. “I'm fixing it.”

 

“What is there to fix? Things are going great for us, wouldn't you agree?”

 

“W-well-”

 

“We've got plenty of people coming to see our shows. We're making more money now than we ever have before, and you've gone and destroyed the one thing we need in order to make this all work.”

 

“That's not true. T-The board does everything... except I control it.”

 

“So what?”

 

The lights changed so that the only thing visible was a close-up of the nameless man. Jonny began to walk away from the periscope and closer to the wall.

 

“I'm not very useful without it... but it's useless without me. You said it yourself, I have talent!”

 

“Please!” Now the tuxedo man was being displayed. “You really think you're that special? Anyone with two hands and a brain could do what you do.”

 

“Yeah, well, they don't even need those to do what you do.”

 

The crowd let out a simultaneous hushed gasp. The view pulled out so that once again both men could be seen. The tuxedo man raised a clenched hand, the nameless man remaining defiantly standing, and as he brought his hand down to strike an item materialized in his hold.

 

He hadn't meant for it to happen, he wasn't even aware that it could have happened. But as the tuxedo man brought his hand down, the sword that suddenly appeared pierced right through the nameless man's chest, dropping him to the ground in an instant.

 

Thoroughly entertained, the audience began a small applause. Jonny's heart sank at the sight; he was convinced that not only was this not an act, whatever actions occurred in this strange place the men were in would be as real as if they were still in the car with the crowd. The nameless man's body lay motionless on the floor of the platform, the tuxedo man gaping over him.

 

Then the lights simulating his dead body went out, and only the tuxedo man was left on the platform. He looked around, now totally confused at what was going on. He had no clue where he was, or what had caused him to do what he had just done. He worried briefly that the nameless man had been the one who brought them there, and now that he was finished there would be no way to get out; he'd be trapped in this foreign world forever.

 

His worry was cut short by another rumbling sound. He alertly looked around, eyes wide with fear. The ground he stood on began to tremble, and he collapsed himself to avoid being knocked down by force. Out of the darkness grew a large pair of eyes. But there were not any old eyes; the pair belonged to a giant whale, which showed itself moments later.

 

Dramatic irony set in as the tuxedo man cradled back and forth, staring at the ground where the nameless man had been, completely unaware that a giant whale was headed straight for him. The whale stopped a mere foot away from the platform and sounded a loud cry. It became more apparent that this was all reality when the cry made its way through the car. The people looked up at the ceiling, as if it would provide some sort of information.

 

It then seemed to dawn on them the true nature of the nameless man's fate, and they began to shout angry phrases at the tuxedo man. They urged the whale on, though unsure of what its purpose was. It cried again and the man looked up at it frightfully.

 

“Your reign has lasted long enough, mortal,” the whale bellowed. “It's time you understand what it's like to be treated inhumanely.”

 

The man's tuxedo was gone, replaced with tarnished rags barely covering his pale skin. He seemed to accept his destiny quite readily, nodding along, though still with fearfulness in his every move.

 

“And the kid,” he softly spoke, “is he... is he dead?”

 

The man blinked with sadness, staring at the whale until he began to fade. Then the whale turned to the audience and addressed them.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen,” it began, “I regret to inform you that you have seen the last of the Treno Rosso days. There was once a strong magic instilled in these walls... and it still exists. But you'll find that when suffocated, the will to perform is diminished...”

 

“Tell us more!” someone shouted, a few others yelled out in agreement.

 

“There is no more to tell,” it said. “You've seen it all, only the future holds what the past does not. Please, if you will, the lights-”

 

On cue, the wall darkened and the whale was no more. But the red light did not rise again; instead, the room was left in black. It was impossible to see anything or anyone else in the room, and so the people all stood still as they wondered what to do.

 

Several minutes passed in the dark, and all Jonny could think about was how he should have just stayed home. The sight of the nameless man laying unconscious prodded his mind over and over. He felt helpless, like maybe, just maybe, there was something he could have done. The fact that there was no way to stop it just made him feel worse.

 

The spotlight slowly returned to the middle of the room as it had before the whole fiasco began. The crowd half-expected the tuxedo man to return and make an announcement, but they were sadly reminded that such a thing would not ever happen again.

 

So they thought nothing of the new light, and turned away to continue their conversations. Some thought of leaving, but were too engaged in speculation to actually to do so. The feeling swept over Jonny that something important was about to happen, and as a result he forced himself to stare into the light.

 

As quickly as he had once vanished, the nameless man reappeared under the spotlight. But this time, he was floating in midair, his arms dangling limply from his bloody torso. His eyes were closed and his lips barely parted; his youth shone brightly through his illuminated visage. He looked almost peaceful.

 

The audience oohed and ahhed; some turned away, but most were fixed on the man's body like it was some sort of magnet, pulling them in and refusing to let them go. Then slowly the sword pulled itself out of his flesh, the blade suspiciously clean and shining in the spotlight. Once it had removed itself entirely, Jonny thought he saw faint movement in the man.

 

Sure enough, the man's chest gently rose and fell every few seconds. Jonny made his way over as close as he could get without stepping into the light. The sword straightened itself, then plunged to the ground. Following suit, the man's body dropped lightning-fast. He nearly hit the ground with a dull thud, but before his body fell that far, he was caught by Jonny. His eyes remained closed for a few more moments as he rested in Jonny's arms, until a loud alarm sounded.

 

The people began to panic, but took the alarm as a hint to leave, and so bodies quickly began to fill the exits. The man's eyes flew open and he blinked at Jonny a few times.

 

“You have to leave,” he urgently said.

 

“Not without you,” Jonny replied.

 

“The siren... you have to leave.”

 

“You're coming with me.” The man tried to smile, but shook his head.

 

“Jonny, this is my home.”

 

“What will happen if you stay?”

 

“Nothing will happen. But you have to leave.”

 

“Why would you stay? There's nothing here to stay for-”

 

“Something will happen if you don't leave,” the man said, in a much more serious tone. “Please.”

 

The man sat up, though shakily at first, to allow Jonny to stand. Jonny continued to sit and stare at the man, stunned by his stubbornness. But he eventually came to his senses and joined the mass of people leaving. Before he got through the door, he took one last glance back at the man, sitting on the ground and playing with the sword that was not too long ago a part of him.

 

All the occupants of the glowstick room had disappeared, and as Jonny exited the train completely he noticed that Nanda had gone, too. He wasn't sure what to make of everything he'd witnessed that afternoon, and another disruption to his thought process did nothing to help.

 

Once all of the people were in a distance far enough from the train, an explosion burst on the site. Mostly everyone spun around to see what had blown up- unsurprisingly, the train. But it seemed to have vaporized rather than exploded, since there was no trace of it after the dust settled.

 

Jonny took a little longer than the others to look away and start for home. When he finally did, he hung his head low and frowned at the dirt beneath his feet. Steadily, his feet moved across the land, and since he was not looking at much else, he didn't notice that he'd been accompanied by another person.

 

“I wonder what my name would have been. Something... Greek. Maybe. Or... I don't know what else.”

 

Jonny almost slapped himself to make sure he was sane. “What?”

 

“You think German?” the man asked. “I don't know any German names. Then again, I don't know any Greek names, either...”

 

“Do you have some fixation with Gs? Maybe it would have been French.”

 

The man tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “What, like Jean-Claude or something? Do you think I look like a Jean-Claude?”

 

“No,” Jonny replied. He took a few moments and examined the man's features, his bold, blue eyes and rather large nose, and just underneath, bright pink lips. “You look like a... Christopher. Is that Greek?”

 

The man stared for a few seconds, then shrugged. “I don't know. I don't any Greek names. But it works for me?”

 

“Hmm...” Jonny paused for a few moments. “Well, I had a fish called Christopher once. I guess it's good enough for you.”

 

“A fish, how lovely.” The man was silent, pondering his new name while they continued to walk. “Aren't you going to ask me?”

 

“Ask you what?”

 

“What happened.”

 

“Oh... what happened?” Jonny asked.

 

The man stopped walking and looked at the ground for a few seconds. Then he lifted his eyes to Jonny and said, “I've never had a home.”

 

It seemed almost as if this man's job was to evoke sympathy. If it was, he was certainly quite the professional.

 

“Would you like one?” Jonny asked him. “I mean, I don't live in a glamorous mansion or anything, but you're welcome to stay with me if you like.”

 

“Is that really a home?” the man hesitantly asked.

 

“Home is... whatever you want it to be, I guess,” Jonny said. “I don't think there's really a clear definition out there.”

 

The man absentmindedly nodded for a while, then said, “OK,” and began once more to walk with Jonny. “Thank you, Jonny.”

 

“Uh... you're welcome.”

 

“Thank you for saving me,” the man clarified. “It's all thanks to you, believe it or not.”

 

“...How?” Jonny asked.

 

“My dream,” the man said, pointed his finger in the air with relevance. “You have a birthmark, do you not?”

 

“Yeah,” Jonny agreed, “on my ankle.”

 

Jonny stopped and lifted his pant leg up a bit. He had never noticed it before, but at the present the mark seemed to take a definite shape. And the more Jonny thought about it, the more he realized it looked like-

 

“A whale!” the man exclaimed. “I knew it was you all along!” He clapped his hands a few times, nearly ready to start jumping up and down. “Thank you, Jonny.”

 

Jonny shook his head as he started to walk yet again. “I think I need to eat or something, I feel like I'm going crazy.”

 

“Well, I hardly think not eating makes you crazy,” the man obliviously replied.

 

“Right,” Jonny said dismissively. “On the way back we can stop and get some food.”

 

The man waved one of his hands in the air. “Oh, I'm fine, I already ate this morning.” Then, upon seeing Jonny's reaction, he said, “Three meals. OK. I'm gonna have to get used to this.”

 

“I'm sure you'll catch on quick enough,” Jonny laughed.

 

“What's my name again?” the man suddenly asked, snapping his head in Jonny's direction.

 

“Did you agree to Christopher?”

 

“Christopher, right,” the man smiled, “Christopher the fish. But I'm not a fish. It's all good.”

 

“Are you sure not eating doesn't make you crazy?” Jonny asked, and the man shrugged.

 

“I don't see why it would,” he replied. Jonny said nothing more, but allowed for silence to fall between them as they took the last few steps to Jonny's car. Christopher, as he was now officially called, was rather intrigued by such a machine, having never really been anywhere or seen anything apart from the train.

 

Turning around the corner onto the road, they passed a large sign stuck into the ground. It was wooden, mostly rotted and broken now, but on its surface were white letters just barely visible spelling out TRENO ROSSO. Christopher glanced for as long as he could at the words that, very much like several other aspects of his life, had always been with him, yet he never truly understood, before the car sped ahead and it was behind him forever.

 

A CLOSET, A RING, A PIECE OF CLOTHING.

 

 

 

 

“Will, I think I’m going to ask Chris to marry me.” Jonny told his best mates during a secret meeting, one late March afternoon.

 

“Awwwwwe…” Guy cooed and Will laughed at his friend’s foolishness.

 

“Are you serious? You two have only been together almost a year. How do you know you want to stay with him?” Will asked.

 

“It’s like you and Marianne, how did you know you wanted to marry her? When were you ready to ask her hand?” The drummer sighed in defeat, knowing full well Jonny was trying to point out the fact Will had only known his wife a few months when he popped the question.

 

THE NEXT DAY

 

Jonny had been digging through the closet he shared with Chris. Jonny was hoping that after five years of friendship, one year of dating and several years of living together, both men would be ready for marriage. Jonny had bought a simple band with the letters CM JB engraved inside and made of a simple gold. He then hid it in the mess of a closet Chris never bothered to clean making it a grand hiding spot.

 

This day Jonny was spending his time looking for said ring in said mess. Chris was out with Guy for the day and Jonny called Will over to help him with the mess.

 

“Will? Will Marianna let you out of the house to help me out today?” Jonny asked when he called.

 

“She went out actually, so yeah I can come over. I’ll be there in ten minutes or so.” They hung up and Jonny waited for Will to help him find the ring.

 

Fifteen minutes later the men were digging through the mess.

 

“Wellies from Glastonbury, J?” Will asked as he tossed aside the rain boots that were covered in seven year old caked mud.

 

“Chris’s chocolate wrapper. Where’s the pile?” The bald man pointed towards a pile next to the bed, filled with assorted wrappers from around the world.

 

“Are those Japanese Smarties?!”

 

“Yupp. Chris was craving them back in Osaka last month.”

 

The two continued on like this for hours, finding many rare and disturbing items including, band merchandise, used tissues, Chris’s history textbook from University, and several volumes of classic novels and Guy’s box of broken strings he collected. Eventually only a few items were left in the closet, one of them was being a bra.

 

“Will…” Jonny choked back a sob, and held up the piece of fabric. Will stared at it for a long silent minute.

 

“Chris doesn’t wear bras does he?” Jonny shook his head.

 

“Shite. That must mean…” Both men’s minds began to reel every possibility as if they were watching films but they came down to one conclusion.

 

“He’s slept with a girl.” Jonny sobbed, heartbroken by Chris’s affair. Will took the bra away from Jonny and held it up.

 

“Marianne,” He pointed to the little M embroidered into the fabric, “She has all her bras done up with her first initial.” Jonny and Will sat there in melancholy, hurt by their spouse or soon-to-be spouse cheating on them, with each other.

 

“She told me she’s with Guy today. He invited her to hear a new song, Guy’s too shy to show her material. I shouldn’t have believed her, but I trusted her.”

 

“Chris said he was going drinking with Guy… He’s too straight edge. He can’t stand alcohol.” They shared a knowing look then called Guy. Guy told them he was in London shopping through antiques and that neither Chris nor Marianne had talked to him.

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

Marianne was sitting in the dark room. “Chris, do you think Jonny ever found my bra?”

 

“I dunno, Marianne. Let’s just hope-‘’ The phone began to ring cutting Chris off.

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

“Jonny, I’m home!” Chris shouted as he slammed the apartment door. Jonny straightened up and braced himself. Chris walked in with messier hair then usual and his button up shirt wrinkled and off-buttoned. This was not the way Jonny had buttoned it up this morning after their shower.

 

“Chris…” Jonny whispered, which was the second Chris noticed Will holding the bra in his hands. Chris paled and began fidgeting.

 

“Where did you find that?” Chris asked quickly.

 

“In our closet.”

 

“Don’t play stupid Christopher. You banged my wife!” Will shouted as he stood up advancing toward the curly haired cheater.

 

“Will?” Marianne’s sweet voice filled the room; she stood there with hair just as messy as Chris and a worried look.

 

Will and Jonny advanced towards them and Will ended up shoving Chris into a wall violently. He raised his fist when Marianne cried out: “NOO!” Everyone stopped to look at her. “Don’t hurt him Will, you are his best friend and I- I- I- I love him!” She then collapsed and began crying.

 

Chris and Jonny looked at each other and Chris nodded at him. He walked toward her and put his arms around her. Chris began singing softly to her and smiled sweetly. Will and Jonny glanced at them with their eyes becoming misty.

 

A tear almost fell from Will’s eye when Marianne jumped up. “I have made Will Champion cry!” She cackled, though to Will it sounded beautiful still. Jonny looked up shocked at her heartlessness when Chris wrapped his arms around his waist.

 

“April Fools, honey!” He whispered into the guitarist’s ear but loud enough for Will to hear.

 

“WHAT?!” The victims screamed in unison. Marianne glanced at Chris then they ran.

 

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

 

“Christopher Anthony John Martin, my love. Though you can trick me I see it as you, keeping me your best friend while still staying my boyfriend. Since the day I could admit to myself it was love I have dreamed of the day I can call you mine. That is why I wonder,” he dropped down to one knee, “Will you marry me?”

 

“Yes! Yes! Wait, this isn’t a joke, right?”

 

“Of course not! Just be mine you fool!”

 

 

 

Anniversary

 

 

 

 

 

 

An oldie from January, enjoy!

 

 

 

Ten years ago last month, we met.

In those ten years we’d become something I almost regret,

In those ten years he looked more dashing with everyday.

In those ten years I had fallen for him in every way.

In ten years I had made a huge mistake,

In ten years I made both our hearts ache.

Four years ago he told me he was in love.

After I admitted mine he had nothing to hide.

I had messed it up though in these past four years,

Realizing I’d admitted it to the wrong one

A few months ago he told me it was final,

He told me he’d decided on his life from now on.

That day was the day he had made up his mind.

Today was the day I had made up mine.

As we all dressed in our ties and watched the cake make it in safe.

As we watched the wedding party files into the church,

I hoped to myself this would not be another mistake.

As they said their vows and opened their hearts,

I opened mine and told the room my thoughts.

The bride was offended but, no less shocked,

While her groom stood with a smile upon his face,

“How I waited for those words to come out of your mouth,

Oh Chris, finally could we stop the game.

I’m sorry for before, I was not ready, you see,”

The man beside me’s smile grew as we finalized the wedding,

We finished the day off in bliss, with the sealing kiss.

Today marked a day just like I said,

The day my life with Jon came out of my dream.

 

 

 

Fate

Chapter 2

 

 

 

“Miss. Georgiana the noon day sun is a risin’ and you is in bed? Tut tut tut! If yours Uncle was to finds out, mmmm girl! Yous you be in for a whopin’!”

 

“Gracie, if that would be true then where is my uncle? I don’t hear the pounding of his feet in the hallway?”

 

“Miss. Georgiana hes is left. He is gone away. Now Mr. Champion has found yous a teacher. He will be arrivin’ very soon and you besst not bes in that bed when he’s come!”

 

Grace heard a little sigh and then the tiny feet of the little girl emerge from under the feather down comforter and hit the floor. The tiny feet shuffled across the dark mahogany wooden floors to the bath chamber. Grace smiled and whistled a little tune as she walked over to the overbearing wardrobe and choose an outfit for the Masters niece.

 

When Georgiana reappeared Grace beckoned her toward her to help tie her into her dress. Grace was lacing up Georgiana’s corset when she heard booming sound of Mr. Champion outside in the drive.

 

“Its sounds likes yours teachers is heres Miss. Georgiana.”

 

Georgiana ran over to the window and looked down into the gravel drive where Mr. Champion was waving his hands about shouting and pointing at the man that stood before him.

The man was exceptionally tall and was wearing a long dark overcoat that reached past his knees. He wore dark pants with the hem tucked deep into his worn boots. All seemed normal about the man except that he was coated from head to toe in a thick layer of mud. It almost looked as if he had laid with the pigs the night before. His hair had a fine layer of dried mud soot, and his face was smeared with dirt. All that stood out from the man that wasn’t brown or black were the crystal blue eyes that seemed to illuminate his very persona.

 

“Oh Gracie! Look that man there! He is absolutely filthy! And he has no horse? He must be a beggar! I do hope Mr. Champion gives him some scraps and sends him on his way, he is an atrocious sight to behold!”

 

“Miss. Georgiana, I do believe yous are lookin’ to make some enemy’s with the world. Come here child, I need to finish dressin’ yous and then yous need to head down to Mr. Berrymans in the kitchen. You knows he doesn’t like it whens he has to make yours breakfast afters everyone else.!”

 

Georgiana rolled her eyes and walked back to Grace for her to finish.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Good Lord! Just look at you! How do you expect me to talk to you when you look like like the scum of the earth?”

 

“Sir, I was on my way here, clean as a whistle when a man came charging at me on a horse and nearly killed me. Thanks to my quick thinking I was able to avoid the tragic death and managed to find the only mud hole on the path. That is why I stand here before you covered in what you call the scum of the earth.”

 

“You may refer to me as Mr. Champion. I am the Masters butler. I am the man who saw to it that you were hired to teach the masters niece. Now if you wish for it to stay so I would recommend you not disrespect me. Now leave your trunk in the hall, I will have John our stable boy bring it to your chamber. If you will please follow me, I will show you to you chamber where upon I would highly recommend you bath.” Mr. Champion gave the man a cold stare and simply turned and walked into the home.

 

The man with the blue eyes stuck his tongue out and then followed pursuit of Mr. Champion into the estate.

 

He was lead to his chamber and pointed in the direction of the claw-footed bathtub and then left alone.

 

---------------------------------------------------------

 

“Oy! Champion, come here ole’ man!”

 

“Ahh Mr. Berryman how are you this morn?” Mr. Champion asked as he gave a warm pat on the back to Mr. Berryman. “Oh and who are you calling old? I believe I see some gray hairs on your head.”

 

“What?” Mr. Berryman reached for a pan and gazed into the reflection quickly searching for the abominable gray strands.Seeing none he slowly lowered the pan and shot Mr. Champion a dirty look.

 

“One day Mr. Champion you will be eating my fire roasted apple pig and then you might just not get up from the table, you be warned! Now that man, what come of he?”

 

“Nothing beside his disgusting appearance. Shows up at the door caked in mud. I’ve never heard of such a thing. Master won’t be pleased to know that his niece is being taught by a dirty commoner and he will only chastise me for it.”

 

“Geez, what’s the dirty scum bags name?”

 

“He calls himself a Mr. Martin. Well I say that Mr. Martin best be an excellent tutor or he will be gone by the scruff of his neck upon the arrival of Master.”

 

 

Chapter 6

 

 

 

The crackle of the twig echoed through out the woods. Chris had been trying to be quite and avoid the twigs, roots, branches, and stumps but he felt it was like trying to avoid a mine in a minefield. Chris quickly looked up and saw the coal eyes bearing into his soul. Katie’s father simple shock his head, and tightened his grip on the trigger of his rifle. The man was continuously sending shivers down Chris’ back.

 

They continued creeping through the woods till’ Mr. O’Connell stopped; he crouched down behind a bit of shrubbery and focused his eyes on the clearing in front of him. Chris kneeled down slightly to the side of him and then focused his point of view the clearing also. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for but he pretended to. In fact he had never gone hunting before nor had he held a gun in his hands before. It felt cold and heavy in his hands.

 

‘This is it Chris, be a man! BE A MAN! Talk to him already; tell him how you feel, and how you want to marry his daughter. You won’t get another opportunity. Jonny will tell you what a chicken you are if you return back and Katherine doesn’t have a ring on her finger. Just.. just do it dammit!’

 

“Uh Mr. O’Connell?” Chris paused for a response. He heard a faint grunt.

 

“Sir I just.. I have known Katherine for 24 years sir. We have grown up in diapers together, we have scrapped our knees on the same sidewalk and had our hearts broken in the same season. I know this sounds cliché, but I want to take care of her forever, never let her heart be broken again and be there to put the band aid oh her knees and well I wanted to.. uh.”

 

There was a white flash and a deer ran out into the clearing, Mr. O’Connell closed one eye and focused his gun on the deer and was about to squeeze the trigger.

 

“Sir I want to ask your permission to Marry your daughter.. I looov..”

 

Mr. O’Connell turned his gun at the last moment towards Chris after being distracted by the question and all that was heard was the reverberation of the sound of the bullet being shot.

 

The deer ran off into the woods unharmed, but Chris lay still on the floor of the woods. A gapping hole in his chest where the bullet had entered. His warm blood was seeping out, running down his torso staining his shirt and forming a pool by his side. His chest was slowly rising and falling. His breath was short and labored. Slowly his vision became blurred and soon all was black. The last thing he remembered seeing was the moss on the branches above his head and an eagle soaring and the eyes. The eyes that normally could make you cower in a corner, but these eyes were no longer displaying that, but they were raw and full of emotion, full of fear.

 

Chris still couldn’t see when he came to, but could hear. He heard the tearing of fabric and felt pressure being applied to gunshot wound. He felt himself being lifted and carried. His head rolled back and forth with the motion of Mr. O’ Connell walking as he was carried out of the woods. He heard the scream of Katie and the rushed footsteps. He heard the frantic shouts. He heard the opening and closing of the car door. He felt the vibration of the car engine. Then everything stopped. He heard no sounds and could feel nothing. All was quiet.

 

It was as if he was lost in time. Like his soul was gone. Like all hope was sucked dry. Nothing. There was nothing.

 

 

Tangled Up In Blue

 

Chapter 1

 

 

 

The water was a cool and gentle kind of blue.

It was soothing.

Guy dipped his hand into it.

Tiny ripples formed around his fingers.

Gently he swished the water back and forth, reveling in the refreshment it provided for his hot skin.

Then he baited his hook and cast his fishing line into the lake.

The force of the motion rocked the boat just a little.

Guy sat back to steady the craft.

He felt the sun on his face.

Powerful rays burned down on his well-tanned arms with the high intensity of mid-summer.

Guy stared out across the lake and waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

The sun sank lower and lower in the sky.

Finally he felt a tug on the line.

He did nothing at first.

Once a fish was hooked it was good to let it gain some distance.

The fish in the area were quite large.

Guy didn't want to risk the small boat capsizing as a result of a sudden, powerful movement from the fish.

He wanted to wear it out first.

When the fish was a few yards back, he put just enough pressure on the line to keep it from getting any farther out.

Now it was time to wait again.

Guy sat and waited while the fish thrashed around in the water.

All the while he held a firm grip on the pole.

It took a long time.

But finally the fish had appeared to wear itself out.

Guy began the final step in the process.

Slowly but surely he began to reel the fish in.

Every few seconds he would stop, and wait.

Wait to see if the fish had any excess energy just waiting to escape.

The sun was beginning to disappear behind the reeds.

Finally the fish was close enough to be pulled up.

Guy slowly began to drag the fish out of the water.

This part always took the most stamina.

The fish there could top one hundred pounds.

It was no easy task to get it out of the water.

And unfortunately for Guy it never did make it all the way out.

The fish, perhaps using up a last bit of energy, suddenly began to thrash violently.

Its muscles flexed.

Its scales reflected a rainbow of colors in the dying light of the evening.

Guy used all the strength he had.

But it was no use.

The four foot long fish snapped the line clean in two with one flick of its tailfin.

It plunged back into the water with a splash that made the boat rock violently.

Guy watched as the deep blue of the water engulfed the fish once more, relentlessly staking its claim on the creature.

He watched as the fish swam away.

The water owned the fish, and the fish belonged to the water.

The fish was determined that nothing was going to change that.

Guy didn't blame it.

He knew there was nothing that could be done.

The fish was tangled up in blue.

 

 

this story is not very long or interesting, but it is for dearest katie :heart:

 

Wind, Trees, and Bitches :charming:

 

 

It was a cold evening. The wind blew gently in the trees, causing the leaves to scratch against Chris's window.

 

If those leaves don't stop Chris thought to himself Imma have to cut a bitch.

 

The leaves refused to stop; in fact, it seemed as though they grew even more rambunctious after Chris's empty threats. Chris, sick with not being able to sleep, threw off the covers and went to the window. As he opened it, he yelled out, "STOP IT, WIND AND TREES AND LEAVES, I AM TUH-RYING TO SLEEEEEP!"

 

"SHUT THE HELL UP, MARTIN! SOME OF US HAVE TO BE AT WORK IN THREE HOURS!" one of Chris's neighbors kindly shouted back.

 

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT THE WIND IS BEING A JERK!" Chris retorted. He shut his window as his neighbor began to yell again, not really caring what the guy had to say.

 

Slowly he made his way back into his bed, and there he found a shadowy figure staring at him.

 

"Oh... did I wake you?" Chris asked.

 

"Um, kinda," Jonny said. "But it's OK. I understand that you needed to yell at the wind. I probably would have done the same thing."

 

"Good. Now, I hope that worked, because if it didn't, I'm seriously going to have to cut a bitch. If I can find one." Chris looked around for a while, then he was hit with an idea. "Heyyyyyy, our neighbor is a bitch!"

 

"So he is," Jonny replied. "I guess you could cut him if the wind doesn't stop."

 

"Ah, Jonny," Chris said as he slipped under the covers once more, "you are so understanding. I love that."

 

"And I love.... um, you. Goodnight!"

 

Jonny flipped over and fell asleep almost instantly. Chris stared at him, wishing that he had the ability to do that. But sadly, he was kept awake for another few hours, though not by the wind.

He merely just could not sleep when he could be using all that time to watch the man he loved.

 

 

 

awww :wacky:

 

Tangled Up In Blue

 

Chapter 2

 

 

 

Guy wiped the sweat from his brow.

Then he rowed the boat to shore.

He rolled up his pants and stepped out of the boat.

The ankle deep water felt good on his hot and calloused feet.

Tiny rocks crunched beneath his toes as he dragged the little boat onto the bank.

He picked up his fishing pole and rested it on his shoulder.

In his other hand he held on to his tackle box.

Once more he glanced at the lake.

Then he walked up the shore to the small wood cabin he called home.

He wiped his feet on the worn down welcome mat lying pathetically in front of his door before entering.

No one’s feet but his own had ever used it.

He kneeled down on the cool wooden floor and began to disassemble his beloved fishing pole.

Gingerly he rubbed each piece with a cloth so that it shown like new.

He grabbed his special box from the table beside him and placed each piece gently inside.

Then his stomach reminded him that he had eaten nothing since noon.

He stood up and went to examine the state of his tiny kitchen.

Luckily he still had some leftover fish tucked neatly in the freezer.

He fried it up on his stove’s sole burner.

Quickly he ate up the small portion and sat at his table to eat, facing the empty chair across from him.

The smartly curved edges gave him a teasing smile.

All of his furniture was home-made.

Each piece had been crafted with upmost care.

But Guy had no idea why he ever made that damn chair.

It spent its days mocking him.

He washed down his modest meal with a cold beer.

Beer was the one thing Guy was willing to splurge on.

It made the long, lonely silences more bearable.

Now it was nearly dark.

Guy returned to the main room to sit in his favorite chair, a large and comfortable armchair in a corner of the room.

All the upholstery had been done by Guy, too.

The look and feel of the fabric was just to his liking.

He switched on the only light in the room, a small reading lamp by the side of the grand chair.

After making a quick visit to his bookshelf he sat down in the chair and smiled.

The book he had chosen was an old favorite of his.

Its title was etched in gold letters and its pages were protected by a cover in a rich, dark blue.

For a while he just stared at it, a smile still playing on the edge of his mouth.

Then he opened it up and began to read.

Quickly he became engrossed in its contents.

He could sense the hours passing by.

He knew he should put the book down.

But he couldn’t do it.

He was lost among its every page, its every word.

Time after time he tried to close it for the night and save it for another day.

But he could not pull away from it.

The book’s every sentence was skillfully written and the feel of the blue cover felt good in his hands.

Slowly but surely, Guy was tangled up in blue.

 

 

 

Lunar Love

 

 

With your dark green cap

and lovely green eyes,

and that sweet, kind personality

that no one can despise

 

It's no wonder for you

I've fallen so hard.

Oh, boy, if you left me,

my heart would be scarred.

 

I guess that comes as

no surprise, really.

OK, and I'll try not

to be so touchy-feely.

 

But I just want to state

what I know is true-

You're the greatest man ever,

and I'm so in love with you.

 

I know you know it,

because you tell me the same.

And while I think you're far greater,

I love the way you say my name.

 

“Hey, Chris,” like there's no one else

on this over-populated earth.

I know I'm nothing compared to you,

but you make me feel I have some worth.

 

Oh, my dear love,

I'd like to be with you soon.

Hey, here's an idea:

Let's run off to the moon!

 

Don't laugh, I'm serious,

let's go right now.

We'll take a spaceship,

and we can exchange our vows.

 

It'll be lovely,

We'll have Bruce come and sing.

Will and Guy can come, too;

They can hold our rings.

 

Or maybe we don't need rings,

I'm fine either way.

I'd just like to come back to Earth

and be able to say

 

Jonny is my husband, ooh :wacky:

 

Fate

Chapter 3

 

 

“Excuse me, but have you seen Mr. Champion? I wish to enquire as to where I am to teach Miss. Georgiana.”

 

“Ah you must be a Mr. Martin then.”

 

“You are correct my good man, and whom are you?”

 

“I am Mr. Berryman, the long time cook for Master Buckland. I suspect that Mr. Champion is out dealing with John the stable boy.. I guess I should call him stable man seeing as he a wife and child, but I have known him since he a young lad and can’t seem to break the old habit.”

 

“I see, well I shall just take up place in the library. It seems a fitting location to teach Master Buckland’s niece. Do you know how she came to reside here? She is not that old, where are her parents?”

 

“That I do, but it is not my place to say. If you should wish to know I would recommend you ask the Master himself. Not that he would tell you.”

 

“Well thank you Mr. Berryman, I look forward to your meals and more of these err pleasant encounters.”

 

There was a loud clang as a knife was swung and sliced through the chunk of meat on the counter. “ I too Mr. Martin.”

 

Mr. Martin flashed a quick nervous smile in the direction of Mr. Berryman and took off down the hallway. He was unsure of what to think of Mr. Berryman, he seemed pleasant for the first bit and then turned cold and masochistic. A flash of blonde curls disappeared around a corner up ahead and the sound of running succeeding. Mr. Martin smiled and chuckled out loud, he had a good feeling that his pupil was spying on him and had almost been caught doing so.

 

“Mr. Martin! There you are.” Mr. Champion came strolling up the hallway with a bundle of parchment, quills and inkwells in his arms.

 

“Here you are, supply to teach Miss. Georgiana, I have had the chalkboard brought up from town and Mr. Berryman informs me that you wish to use the err library? If that be I will have the board brought in there, unless you want to use a different room.”

 

“Yes, Mr. Champion that would be my ideal location. Let me take those from your hands and I will head in there and set up.”

 

Mr. Champion dropped the pile of supply into the outstretched arms of Mr. Martin, gave him a short smile. “Here you are, good luck with the library.” He replied with a sly grin.

 

Mr. Martin was left standing in the hallway gawking at the back of Mr. Champion’s frame as he quickly stalked away. What the deuce was that? Why would he have bid me good luck with the library? Was Miss. Georgiana a problem child? Was there something wrong with the library?

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Georgiana pay attention! The snow is nothing you haven’t seen before. I know that your uncle would be very upset at your behavior and lack of attention span!”

 

“But, we have been here all morning, my hand tires from writing and wait a minuet, you’ve never met my Uncle.” Georgiana stuck her tongue out at Mr. Martin and threw her quill down on the table, splattering ink across her books.

 

It was true, Mr. Martin had been working for Master Buckland for 6 weeks now and had yet to see the mysterious man. He had been away for quite sometime, but according to Mr. Berryman it was a common occurrence. He didn’t have fond memories of Berkshire and was oft gone.

 

“Regardless of whether I have meet your Uncle or not, I was hired to teach you and teach you I will.” Mr. Martin took a deep breath and sighed he knew that they had been in here for quite some time. “Alright Georgiana, go get a snack from Mr. Berryman, when you have finished you are to return here, where upon your return we will pick up with your Latin.”

 

“Oh thank you!” Georgiana bounced out of her seat and ran out of the library, leaving Mr. Martin to shake his head and allow a small smile to emerge from his lips.

 

Mr. Martin took the time to examine the library while Georgiana was away; he had been teaching in the room for six weeks now and had not taken the time to examine the many books within. On the far side of the room was a grand fireplace with a hearty fire dwelling within. To the right of the fireplace was an old cherry wood desk. It had a fine gold embellish around the edges giving it sophisticated yet classy look. On top lay miscellaneous objects that were of great wealth, a marble globe, a unique pocket watch, delicate quills and an intricate inkwell that held many fine colors. There was the assortment of books and then there were a few portraits in gold frames.

 

One of the frames caught the attention of Mr. Martin it was a picture of a family. There was a mother and a father and two children. The children were of a very young age. What struck out was that this was drawn in the same room that Mr. Martin was standing in. It was drawn over in the corner by the worn leather chair and the tall bookshelves that ran from the floor to the ceiling.

 

Mr. Martin walked over to the corner running his hand over the smooth leather. It was a smart chair from the looks of it, probably had been used often but had not seen a person in many a year seeing as there was a fine layer of dust that coated the chair. Mr. Martin paused by the chair and looked up at the shelves to view the books. He started at the top and let his eyes skim downward. When his eyes got to the bottom he noticed a faint stain on the floor by the base of the shelf.

 

Bending down to examine further he noticed a faint red tint to the stain. He rubbed his hand against the floor and tried to conceive where this stain could have possibly come from. Images of a struggle and screaming erupted in his mind. He pictured a beautiful women like the woman in the portrait, slain and bleeding. He was so fascinated by the stain and the ideas in his mind that he didn’t hear Georgiana come back into the room.

 

“What are you doing in the corner? Uncle tells me I should never go over there or I would be in dire trouble.”

 

“What? I umm I dropped the top to the inkwell and I thought I saw it roll over here, I guess not. Now where were we in your lessons? Latin?”

 

 

-

-