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Post by Pete on Nov 26, 2007 20:28:47 GMT -5
Another awkward silence. The moments between the ding of the doorbell and the door sliding open seemed like an eternity. Anna? He could barely contain his laughter, holding his head down so Anna wouldn't notice. She would always be Arai, she had been from the time they met. Besides, Anna was a bit... feminine. And Arai wasn't exactly... girlish. Someone opened the door.
She looked just like Arai. About five foot four inches, the same auburn hair, the same everything. Of course both of the Lycans were borderline malnourished, but the similarities were unmistakable. This was her mother. And then she passed out. Sure, it might have been shocking to see one's daughter after she attacked and killed a local, vanishing into thin air for a year. Pete sighed, he was about to introduce himself. She just had to go and faint. Wonderful. I suppose we should drag her inside before someone calls the police? Of course it was more of a statement than a question. He carefully hefted the woman onto his shoulders, gesturing for Arai to enter. Ladies first.
The house was great. Of course Pete had been living in an abandoned factory as of late, but none the less, the place was fancy. He took a quick look around, setting Arai's Mother down on the couch, immediately raiding the refrigerator. After all, who knew the next time he would eat. That and he didn't want to interrupt the reunion. Unconscious or not, he figured Arai would want to at least tell her mother she was still alive.
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Post by Arai on Nov 26, 2007 21:02:59 GMT -5
Following the tall blonde, Arai carefully shut the door behind her, locking it. She didn't know who all had seen them; couldn't be too careful. Anxiously she sat beside her mother, waiting for her to recover. She hadn't meant for her to faint like that; hadn't realized what a shock that would be. Pete went for the fridge, and Arai didn't stop him. Knowing her mom, they were well-stocked anyways. She wondered what he thought of the house, and of her name being Anna. It was fancy, but that was the life she lived. And Anna used to suit her, before she became a wondering vagrant. "Mom?" she whispered as the older woman began to stir.
What had happened? She had dreamed her Anna was back. But it was a dream, only a dream. Now her voice called out from the distance. Would these horrible dreams ever stop? Opening her eyes slowly, she saw someone kneeling beside her. Her face wrinkled in confusion. As the face came into focus, she gasped. It was her daughter! "Oh, Anna, my baby! You're alive!" she softly said. Then, throwing her arms around her daughter, she began to cry.
Arai had thought she had gotten out all the tears. But no, there were more there. Tears streaming down her face, she clung to her mother and sobbed against her shoulder as both murmured incoherantly. "I missed you so much," she choked out, "It's been horrible...I know you hate me....I'm so sorry!" Finally, she drew back, sniffling. "Oh mom, I have so much to tell you. That night....I know I'll never be forgiven. But please....can't I at least get some things from my room? I need them." "Of course, my daughter, of course," her mother said, wiping away tears, "I could never hate you, the love of my life. You have no idea what it's been like without you." Hearing a rustling from the kitchen, she looked up in alarm. "What was that?" she asked. "Just Pete," Arai said, patting her mother's hand reassuringly, "he's helped me a lot." A slight flush crept up her cheeks, and she called out, "Pete! C'mon, I'd like you to meet my mother!"
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Post by Pete on Nov 26, 2007 22:00:53 GMT -5
With a sigh he set down the enormous sandwich. Sure, Arai's Mother knew that she was a werewolf, but did she know that he was as well? She might not be so keen on werewolves moving into the neighborhood. Oh well. They hadn't spent more than about ten minutes as a "couple" and he had to meet the folks already. Maybe this won't be as horrible as I think it will be... ah who am I kidding... First impressions were everything, and here he stood, horribly in need of a bar of soap. Not to mention he was a ten foot tall killing machine with claws that could rip through steel like a hot steak knife through butter. Could be worse he supposed.
Maybe if things went well they could crash there for a while. A little rest and relaxation could go along way. But with Pete's luck, the locals would lay siege to the house with torches and pitchforks in the next ten minutes. He tried to straighten his unruly hair before stepping into the room, another unsuccessful attempt. "Hi Mrs.... Arai's Mom, my names Pete. You could say I'm a friend of your daughter's." He said with a glowing smile. Crap... whats her last name?!
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Post by Arai on Nov 26, 2007 22:23:35 GMT -5
Anna's mom's eyes widened a bit in surprise. This boy was certainly the opposite of Anna, that was for sure. He was tall and muscular, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Anna was petite with red hair and light gold eyes. A small, slightly nervous smile crossed her face. "You can call me Mrs. Johnson, Pete," she said kindly. She was used to teenagers, and he was certainly a teenager. His unruly hair and boyish face indicated that much. She suspected, with a mother's intuition, that the two were somewhat more than friends. But for now she held her peace. Wait......Arai? Turning to face her daughter, she said, "Anna? You changed your name?" It nearly broke her heart again. Her poor daughter! What had she been through?
Arai smiled as Pete came into the room. He looked just as unruly as usual, but at least he tried. Her mom seemed to like him, which was good. "I had to, mom," she explained, "I couldn't keep the name...the memories." It was hard enough leaving home; a new name gave her a new identity of sorts. But enough emotional trauma for now. "Well, I'm gonna go get some stuff," she said, standing, "You two can talk, or I can give you a tour, Pete," she offered.
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Post by Pete on Nov 29, 2007 16:35:10 GMT -5
((looks... so familiar...))
What a touching moment. Too bad it was harshly interrupted by life itself. If they wanted to keep on living their lives, they would need to get out of here as fast as possible. That and Arai wouldn't have said anything if she didn't want him to take the tour. It was Arai language for Lets get out of here before the sobfest starts. Or so he thought. Following her up the stairs, he gazed around at the house. It was huge, and he guessed now why she disliked the roaming life of a lycan so much. If he had a place like this, he'd never leave. His mind flew back to the meeting with Mikel. Arai had truly seemed at home there, among all the richness, in her lovely dress, and now he could see why. Arai was obviously from a rich family; losing that must have been hard. And very emotionally draining, judging by all the crying between mother and daughter. Once he was sure they were out of hearing range, he caught Arai by her arm, turning her to face him gently. "Arai," he said in a low voice, "you never told me you were rich! Or that you had a place like this!" Pete felt a little hurt that she had not mentioned that to him.
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Post by Arai on Nov 29, 2007 23:07:09 GMT -5
Walking up the stairs with Pete close behind, Arai felt as if she walked through a dream, one that had haunted her sleep for months. The whole situation was painted with a surreal quality, and she half wondered if she would just wake up. But then Pete's large hand, gentle on her arm, snapped her back to reality. Turning slowly, she gazed up into his blue eyes. "What good would it have done?" she said with a slightly sad smile, "It wouldn't have changed anything or made life easier." In fact, it would have made it harder to remember. She had her reasons for not telling the other lycans about her previously rich life. Coming to the end of the hallway, she climbed up another set of stairs, opening the door to her room. It took up the whole attic, for she had requested that her room be on the very top of the house. It was painted in a calming light blue. Arai knew it had not been entered since she had been driven out, because the air inside was a bit stale and thick. Her queen-sized bed still sat there, slightly rumpled from where she had sat less than a year ago. The deep blue comforter looked so inviting right now, fluffy with down. All her stuff was still here, like a shrine to her old life. Even her guitar lay untouched. Sitting by the side of her bed, the instrument was coated in a fine layer of dust. In a trancelike state, she crossed over, picking it up. It felt good to have the weight in her arms, and she strummed the strings lightly. The gentle notes sounded loud in the silence of the room. Sitting gently on the edge of the bed, she motioned with her eyes for Pete to come in.
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Post by Pete on Dec 5, 2007 22:42:36 GMT -5
Indeed, the bed did look quite inviting.Bed. He'd forgotten people sleep in beds. She didn't need to tell him twice to come in, it took less than a second for Pete to belly flop onto the bed, sprawling the length of the mattress. "Comfy." He mumbled from underneath the pillows. Maybe they would stay for awhile, after all, warm food and a roof to sleep under was a tempting offer. And for the first time in ages, there wasn't any hostility. He fell asleep to the sounds of the guitar.
He woke up as a rock shattered the window, sending shards of glass about the room. He was still a bit groggy, but by the time rocks two and three passed through where the window used to be, he was on full alert. It could have just been a group of troublemakers, but rocks number four and five shot down that idea. Covering his head he walked over to the side of the window, quickly glancing outside to see what in god's name was going on. It appeared as if nine out of every ten people in the town had congregated just outside... carrying torches and pitchforks... Another rock flew through the 'window', this time hitting him in the head.
He woke up again, the room upside down. His feet were still on the bed. He sighed, blinking the world back into focus. He suddenly realized that Arai was still in the room. "How long have I been out?"
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Post by Arai on Dec 5, 2007 23:22:03 GMT -5
Her slender fingers gently plucked the strings, a soothing melody softly filling the air. Arai knew by the steady rise and fall of Pete's chest that he was asleep once he hit the pillows. The song played softly on, lulling him and soothing Arai's troubled soul. Music had been so important to her, and now with the guitar in her arms, she felt at peace again. Pete appeared to be at peace too, judging by the fact that he was happily asleep on her bed. Smiling, she put the guitar down and looked at him. His young face was relaxed in sleep, his mouth slightly open. Every once in a while, his eyelashes would flutter as if he were having a dream or some kind. His unruly blonde hair rested on the pillows, in even more dissarray from his rest. Arai slowly, cautiously, reached out a hand and gently ran her fingers through his hair, smoothing it a bit. He was so peaceful-looking in sleep. When he woke up, she was just sitting next to him, gazing at him as if trying to memorize every feature in his face. "Not long," she replied, smiling down at him, "only about twenty minutes. So what do you want to do now?"
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Post by Pete on Dec 6, 2007 16:45:41 GMT -5
Pete loved it when she messed with his hair. He awoke to Arai's beaming smile. It hit him how incredibly lucky he was, he would see that smile every morning for perhaps an eternity. All he had to do was not mess up. No pressure. He stretched out the length of the bed, cracking his knuckles as he did every time he woke up. Sliding over to Arai he wrapped his arms around her. She had been through so much, Pete wanted her to know he would always be there for her, he would never let go. He just wanted to hold her, protect her from the world. "I've followed you this far, you tell me. What do you want to do?"
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Post by Arai on Dec 6, 2007 16:59:58 GMT -5
Snuggling against Pete, Arai leaned her head against his shoulder. She was dwarfed next to the large Pete, but she was happy with that. His muscular arms rested gently around her waist, and his blue eyes smiled down at her. She smiled back at him, her red hair contrasting sharply with his blonde hair. Finally, after so long, she felt like things might be going her way. "Well," she said slowly, wrapping her arms around his neck, "I never did thank you for all you've done for me." Keeping her light brown eyes on his, the gold flecks dancing merrily, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his, softly bringing him into a slow kiss, lingering on his touch. Her heart lept at the feeling. It had been so long...she knew that right now this was all she wanted to be doing, just sitting here in her room with this boy.
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Post by Pete on Mar 3, 2008 22:34:50 GMT -5
The kiss? The kiss was great. Pete had only dreamed of this moment, now his dreams were coming true. But as for the few moments after the kiss, both parties sat completely silent. For lack of a better word, it was awkward. Perhaps even more awkward considering the fact that Anna's mother was standing just outside with her ear to the door. The downside of a Werewolf's super hearing abilities, making the first kiss that much more awkward. Pete was still a little dazed, he just sat there with a silly grin on his face. It was overly apparent that the only thought crossing his mind was whoa... But he always was a hugger. Without warning he wrapped his arms around her in a bone-crushing bear hug, with a quick peck on the lips. Whens the last time I told you how much I love you?
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Post by Arai on Mar 3, 2008 22:53:49 GMT -5
Too long ago she replied, smiling up at him. Arai knew her mom was listening at the door. She had done the same thing with her and Jason. The thought of her old beloved brought a small ache to her heart, but she was beginning to heal. No amount of sorrow would bring him back. For the first time in a while, Arai was truly happy. Are you trying to crush your girlfriend now? Arai thought teasingly, wincing a bit as he held her tight. Boy did Pete enjoy hugging. Then she froze. A car door slammed in the driveway. Pulling away, she sat upright. "Dad's home," she whispered, her fingers moving up to brush against the ribbon like scar running down her cheek. This did not bode well.
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