|
Post by J on Sept 11, 2011 22:49:58 GMT -5
September 4, 2011
Ryan disappeared first. It had taken Logan nearly three days to notice and five days to realize he should take action. After two solid weeks of searching he instructed his gang to cease looking for her. She was young, it was possible she had found a way back to Chicago. If he remembered correctly she had said her dad lived in Chicago before she ran away. He was only slightly bothered by her sudden absence, as Desiree pointed out, “She wasn’t exactly an asset.” He remained unconcerned when two girls from The Wings vanished in the middle of a gang fight a few months later.
It wasn’t until a girl was taken in broad daylight that he began to wonder if he should watch his own girls a little more carefully. It was strange to believe that a girl could be taken in the middle of the day; especially after he heard she had been escorted by a male member of her gang. He wasn’t surprised when Kim, a girl member of his gang for only a little over a year was taken while on a late night walk. Kim wasn’t the brightest bulb in the tanning bed and he had made his orders clear about not going out alone after dark.
Desiree didn’t have to follow his orders or course, she was his partner. He considered her an equal and made it known to the gang. She was a co-leader, her commands were to be obeyed alongside his. Desiree, had gone out on her own, she always did, even after he asked her not to. In fact, his last words to her had been filled with anger. They had had a fight about her going out, it was so simple, she wanted to go alone. He knew she was capable of taking care of herself, she didn’t need him or anyone else to protect her. Even with this knowledge, he dreaded the thought of something happening to her.
They fought three times on this issue over a period of abut six months, their last fight ended with angry words that wouldn’t be forgotten easily. She had left early in the evening, just as the sun was dipping below the Sears tower. He had fallen asleep alone that night and awakened the next morning to find her still missing. She had a quick temper that often held a grudge, although he was unfamiliar with being the brunt of her anger. After a full day of nothing his stomach began to twist; he texted her without receiving a response. He tired to convince himself she was probably just upset with him. However, after two whole days with no response he knew something was wrong. He waited another four days before revealing her disappearance to the others. After three months the others gave up hope. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. Only James, Westley and Brooklyn knew he still looked for her. The rest of his gang believed their female leader was lost forever. He had heard them whispering about her and about his never-ending search to find her again.
He didn’t feel like a real leader of the gang anymore, his heart just wasn’t in it. James and Westley relayed all of his orders and reported back to him at the end of everyday. Brooklyn remained glued to his side wherever he went. He refused to lose another precious female of the gang they were far and few between. “Brooklyn.” He said reaching out his hand, she slipped her small one into his as the two of them headed out of the convenient store and down the busy streets of New York City. He held onto her tightly, her arm looped through his, fingers intertwined. It was nearly two years since Desiree had disappeared, a little past four since Ryan. He had a feeling if he found one he would find the other.
In those two years he and Brooklyn had formed a tight bond, she never left his sight. He never voiced his worries to her, although she seemed to understand without him having to. She and Desiree had been close, it was only natural for them to gravitate toward one another now with her gone. “I’m getting hungry.” He said as they walked past a hot dog stand. It was late afternoon, he had hardly eaten today. He had made a bad habit of eating only during the night spending his days searching for Desiree. Brooklyn smiled, she always did, even when everything was turning upside down, he could always turn to her for a smile or a good laugh. Maybe that was why he clung to her, she was his little ray of light in the dark tunnel that had become his life. “Me too, I want pizza.” She said simply, he nodded. His phone vibrated in his back pocket, he sighed. “What now?” He muttered. Westley was calling him for the third time that day. “What?” A slight pause on the other end made Logan sigh loudly. “What Wes?”
“I found a lead.” Logan froze in his tracks. “What?” He was dreaming he had to be.
“Where are you? I can’t talk about this here.” Westley said, the noises in the background suggested Westley was at the house. Logan and Desiree owned a building that housed their gang. Almost everyone had their own room. Logan had once shared with Desiree, now Brooklyn slept beside him every night. It wasn’t the same, but at least if Brooklyn slept near him he could keep a close eye on her.
“9th and Broadway, get your ass over here.” Logan ordered into the phone before snapping it shut. “He found a lead.” He said, growing very still, he didn’t want get his hopes up. It might be nothing. Or it could be everything.
~
Westley swallowed a bite of pizza and continued, “So I figure James and I track this guy down and interrogate him. We get him to describe everything and I can sketch out what he says, that way we have a better visual. “ Logan nodded, “Good, bring him to the spot tonight, Brooklyn and I will be waiting.”
Westley’s lead would bring him more information than even the NYPD had on the missing girls. Another girl had ben taken, two guys from her gang had been with her. It was fairly impressive that whoever had taken her had managed to take down both guys and snatch the girl. All three of them were bottom of the barrel gang members, but Logan wondered about the “kidnappers” numbers and skills. He had wondered about this before, how many of them were there? This group had to have a good number of people who all had skill, strength and intelligence. How else would they have managed to take Desiree and elude him this entire time? One of the boys had seen a van drive away with the girl inside, he may have also seen one of the kidnappers. Westley nodded, “Okay, give us an hour.” He and James rose from the table and headed out of the restaurant.
~
Brooklyn had made the first move. Logan had seen it coming long before anything officially happened. At first he didn’t notice how close she was getting to him. He was comfortable holding hands while they walked, initially for her protection. Over time he noticed she had started intertwining fingers and looping her arms through his. She even began walking slightly closer to him, her cheek and hip often brushing against him. They slept in the same bed every night and he had tried to ignore her nightwear, at first, but Brooklyn loved to cuddle in her sleep. He didn’t mind having her curled against him, he and Desiree had slept wrapped in one another arms. However, cuddling with Brooklyn was completely different. She somehow tangled her body with his within seconds. She made it impossible to resist thinking about her bare thighs wrapped around his or how he could feel her heart beating against his side. She even went so far as to use his chest as a pillow. After months without Desiree he longed for someone and Brooklyn was there.
~ March 29, 2010
Logan climbed into bed and sighed, another day full of empty searching for Desiree. She had been gone for nearly eight months. He wasn’t going to stop looking but he was beginning to lose hope. He looked up as Brooklyn stepped out of the bathroom and climbed into bed beside him, her emerald green eyes bright even after a long day. She snuggled in next to him, he rolled onto his side and slid his arm around her, their faces inches apart. She gazing into his eyes, he knew that look, she was in love. He waited, he knew if she wanted to be with him she would make a move. He would simply have to decide how far he would allow things to go. She was twenty so at least if and when anything happened, it was legal, not that it mattered. From experience he had seen,Brooklyn got what Brooklyn wanted and so did he. They stayed that way for a few minutes, the scent from her shower gel strong and intoxicating. He couldn’t deny that she was beautiful, sexy and here she was lying in his arms wanting him. She made a small movement closing the distance and kissed him, softly at first and then passionately. He had gone back and forth over the past few months wondering what he would do if this happened. Should he let himself enjoy her company or reject her and possibly send her running in the opposite direction. It occurred to him, that a rejection could send her into the arms of another, Westley, James or even an outsider. Selfishly he didn’t want to be alone, even if he didn’t care for her the way she cared for him. He was lonely and she was in love. A retched combination if and when Desiree returned. He pushed the battle of thoughts from his mind and kissed Brooklyn deeper, for now at least, he needed her.
~
September 4, 2011
Logan pulled Brooklyn closer against him, his arms wrapped tightly around her middle. A part of him wished they were at home in bed enjoying each other. It was only a little past midnight, they wouldn’t be heading home for hours. The two of them were waiting for James and Westley at “The Spot”, passing the time by making out. Brooklyn was a professional at distracting Logan from everything around him. When they were alone he could pretend he wasn’t the leader of “The Rat Pack” gang or that the love of his life was missing. He could get lost in the fantasy that he and Brooklyn were lovers so wrapped up in one another that the rest of the world didn’t matter or even exist. He slid his right hand into Brooklyn hair and tilted her head back a little; she was a little short to kiss while standing. It was much easier when she was sitting on his lap or lying in bed. He was leaning against a wall with his feet planted a foot away from it; his lower back and butt pressing against the wall for support. “The Spot” was an abandoned car garage underneath a demolition office building, no lights, no people just the random critter or crazy homeless guy. His gang used this area as a way of confusing other gangs of their real home which was over a restaurant Logan had opened a few years back.
The sound of footsteps broke Logan and Brooklyn apart, James and Westley had finally shown up. They were over an hour late. He wasn’t sure what to make of that other than being irritated by having to wait. The boys headed towards the center of the room where a single fluorescent light still buzzed on and off periodically, it was going strong tonight. Logan stepped forward into the light leading Brooklyn by the hand. He glanced back at her, her lips were red and swollen from kissing, her hair was a little rumpled as well. It was a good thing he had his hormones in check otherwise he and Brooklyn would be heading home right now. As Brooklyn stepped into the circle of white light behind him, Logan noticed Westley’s eyes take her in and then quickly look away. He had a feeling Westley had somewhat of a crush on Brooklyn ever since she had joined their gang. After all Westley was the one who had found her and brought her to the house. Despite feeling possessive over Brooklyn it didn’t bother him that Westley had feelings for Brooklyn. Brooklyn was in love with him, he doubted if she even noticed other men.
“Well?” LOgan asked, Brooklyn slid her arm around his, he body pressed against his side. He sometimes felt like one huge piece of metal and she was a little magnet. Each time he moved she moved right along with him.
Westley pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and opened under the light. “This is the van,” He paused as Logan studied the sketch and then turned the paper over to reveal a figure. “And this one of the guys that took her. The guy that saw everything was her boyfriend, he cracked like an egg.” Westley glanced at James, the two of them shared a smirk and then continued. “She fit the description too. Brunette, not from New York, thin, over a B cup and she had blue eyes.” Each of the girls taken had each of these attributes, only one of the girls had hazel eyes, a minor detail but important all the same. It was the reason Logan had kept Brooklyn close, she fit each description except her eyes were green. “How tall?” Logan asked, the only girl taken who had been below 5’6” was Ryan, she had only been 5’1” being only 14 at the time her height might have changed. Whoever was taking the girls had a type and they stuck to it.
“5’7”.” Westley said, “He gave us the direction the van was headed and where she was taken.
Logan nodded, “Good. Let’s go.”
A while later the four of them arrived at the scene, Logan was unsurprised by the lack of police tape or interest of New York city. No one cared if a girl already considered missing was taken. Moreover, no respectable gang would go to the police for anything. it was highly likely that the cops would end up blaming them for something rather than searching for a lost gang member. Logan, Brooklyn and James watched as Westley surveyed the area, he climbed on top of dumpsters crawled on the ground and even sniffed the mud. A stranger walking by would believe Westley belonged in a mental hospital, but Logan knew better. One of the main reasons he had taken Westley into his gang was his undeniable tracking skills. Westley and James had grown up in Colorado deep in the mountains. Westley had said his grandfather was an old indian man that taught him everything he would ever need to know to survive in the wild. Westley belonged in the mountains, not in the jungle city that was Manhattan. Logan was often confused about why Westley and James had come here in the first place. James never said a word about his past, but Westley spoke fondly of his family and his upbringing. Why leave a happy home for this?
“Got it.” Westley stood, his jeans smeared in muddy water from the street. The three of them followed Westley as he lead them east, “That kid was a complete idiot,” Westley muttered glancing back at them. “Oh, yeah it went north.” He imitated the kid’s voice and shook his head. “Seriously, it’s embarrassing when a man doesn’t even know where the sun goes down.”
20 blocks later the trail dissolved sending Westley crawling over things and turning around and around like a dog after a bunny. He growled in frustration and turned to Logan. “It’s gone. I don’t get it, it’s like...”
“They switched cars.” Logan murmured, the van Westley had sketched out was parked in an alley just out of sight, the license plate missing and the windows smashed in. “Damn it.”
|
|
|
Post by J on Oct 7, 2011 19:13:01 GMT -5
September 16, 2011
Ryan sat up in bed gasping for air, another nightmare. She pressed her palms to her denim blue eyes, she was not going to cry. She was safe here. Aaron wouldn’t let anything happen to her. She winced remembering her swollen cheekbone. She climbed out of bed and studied her cheek in her vanity mirror and frowned. A navy mark had formed above the swelling, Aaron would not be attracted to this. She turned away from the mirror and opened her lingerie drawer, even if her face wasn’t perfect she was going to be irresistible physically. A quiet knock on her bedroom door made her jump and turn around. Paul opened the door holding a thin white box with a yellow bow.. She beamed, wincing as her hurt cheek resisted the motion. “Yes!” She grabbed the box from Paul and opened the card tucked under the ribbon.
To My Ryan, A little something for what happened yesterday. All my love, Aaron
She ripped open the box and lifted out a silk golden yellow nightgown with matching panties. “Not bad.” Paul commented, she looked up and saw him gazing at her. She tossed the empty box at his leering eyes. “Watch it or I’m telling.” She said with a giggle. She danced around the room holding the nightgown against her body; the camisole and cotton panties she was currently wearing paling in comparison.
She knew he loved her, she just knew it. Yesterday morning had been a little rough, he had revealed to her that a new girl was arriving and she had gotten upset. She regretted even saying anything to him, it wasn’t her place. She was lucky to have someone who care about her as much as Aaron did. He had hit her, but he hadn’t meant too. Sometimes his emotions got out of hand, but didn’t everyone’s? She wasn’t exactly the best at handling hers, why should he be any different?
“Is he coming?” She asked Paul, he was leaning against her doorway, still watching and she was trying not to get irritated.
“Oh he’s coming, not with you.” He snickered.
Ryan gasped and glared at him, “Now I’m telling.” She threatened stepping towards the door. Paul put out a hand to stop her. “Now, now, if you go screaming’ down the hall he’s just going to get upset with you for interrupting.”
Ryan paused, Paul was right. If she dared to even knock on his door while he was occupied with another girl he would get upset with her. Even if Paul bore the brunt of his anger along with her, she certainly didn’t want any part of that.
“Get out.” Ryan muttered and tossed her gift into her drawer for another day. She dressed in a t-shirt and jeans before going to the kitchen for something to eat. What was the point in looking adorable when Aaron wasn’t around to see it? Kim and Cara Maria were sitting at the table eating ice cream out of the carton. “Get a peek at the new girl yet?” Ryan asked opening the fridge, nothing seemed appealing. “Nope, no name yet either.” Cara Maria said stuffing the spoon in her mouth.
Ryan watched both girls pig out on the ice cream disgusted. She almost wanted to say something about how Aaron liked his girls thin, but if she did that would help them out. She just smiled at them, grabbed an apple and headed out of the kitchen. “Enjoy your ice cream girls.” She said taking a loud crunchy bite out of her apple. A few feet down the hall and she heard the metallic clank of a spoon hitting the table. “Ugh, b*tch.” She giggled and shook her head. Too easy.
She paused at Desiree’s closed bedroom door. It was so strange to her that her former gang leader acted as if they had never known one another. Desiree rarely even spoke to her unless provoked. Ryan understood that she wasn’t Desiree’s favorite person and she was only in the “Rat Pack” because of Westley and James’ training. However, it confused her why anything that dealt with the past mattered here. She wanted to be friends with Desiree; she couldn’t stand Kim and Cara Maria so Desiree was her only option. She tossed her half eaten apple and knocked on Desiree’s door. “Hey Desiree?”
The door flew open, Desiree’s tall form menacing. “What do you want?” Ryan swallowed forgetting why this had seemed like such a good idea just a few seconds ago. “Um... I was just wondering if um... Did you wanna talk or watch a movie or something?” She had tried this a few times before and each time Desiree slammed the door in her face preceded by an insult or profanity filled answer. Ryan wasn’t one to give up on anything, she wanted her and Desiree to get along, it would make Aaron happy. At least she thought it might, he seemed to like that Kim and Cara were friends. She hoped to please him by making friends with his favorite, Desiree. Maybe their friendship would even cause her to move up in the ranks. She didn’t know exactly where she fell on the favoritism pole for Aaron, but it was extremely clear that Desiree was his number one girl. Ryan envied her and hated her a little for it. Desiree didn’t even care about being his favorite. It didn’t seem fair that Ryan tried so hard for so little and Desiree did nothing and got everything.
“No cookies today, thanks!” Aiden’s voice boomed from inside Desiree’s room. Ryan peeked around Desiree to see Aiden lounging on the couch a new guitar on his lap. Ryan frowned, she knew what the guitar meant. Every time Aiden performed well for Aaron he got a reward, usually in the form of an extremely expensive guitar or amp or whatever it was Aiden collected. Aiden’s new guitar was probably connected to the new girl. Aiden was the one that did all of Aaron’s dirty work. Aiden was the one that had brought Ryan to Aaron four years ago.
~
April 5 2007
The bass throbbed inside Ryan’s chest as she dodged around the room. She was just tall enough to continually be elbowed in the face and every so often this bump was followed by a splash of foul smelling liquid. Her right shoulder was completely soaked as was part of her hair. She had lost Westley and James in the crowd and she was trying not to panic. Even after an entire year being a part of the Rat Pack she still felt like a long lost orphan, not a tough gang member. “Watch it!” A blonde girl shrieked at Ryan as she clumsily stepped on the girl’s toes. The blonde shoved her aside easily. She was nearly a foot taller and outweighed Ryan by at least fifty pounds. The shove landed Ryan inside a small alcove in the long hallway. She sighed heavily, “Okay this is not fun.” she muttered running her fingers through her hair. The beer soaked ends now a little crunchy, she shuddered and turned away. The night was young, she would be stuck smelling this way for hours. She could go home, she even wanted to. More than anything she wished she was curled up in her bed reading or watching a Friday night movie on TV. No, she wasn’t going to do that. She was here, Westley and James had taken her out with them. How would it look when they noticed her not only missing but at home?
Ryan made a move to leave the alcove as Desiree drifted by. Ryan watched her entranced, she envied the way Desiree slid easily through the crowd. The sea of delinquents parting for her without making it obviously they were doing so. Ryan jumped as a tall thin guy was shoved out of the crowd and into the alcove with her. “Chill...” The guy said, his face calm and unfazed by his surroundings. He looked down at her and stood up a little, “Hey.” He dragged out the word a second too long. Ryan swallowed hard, his golden brown eyes captivating her freezing her against the wall. A bookshelf was digging it’s way into the back of her neck but she hardly noticed. “Hi.” She breathed, her voice lost amongst the music. He gave her a half smile and then cocked his head. “Aren’t you a little young for this party?”
Ryan stood up straighter, hoping to grow an inch, not only in height but around her chest as well. “I’m sixteen!” She declared. Lie. She was fourteen and had only been so for a month. He shrugged and glanced around the room, “Alright, if you say so.” She liked the way he spoke, he enunciated each word so carefully. He suddenly stumbled forward as someone slammed into him from behind. The movement pushed him towards her, her face smashing into his chest. He waited until the commotion passed before he slowly pulled a few inches back. He sighed, his breath brushing against her face. He smelled minty fresh and something else she couldn’t pin point. It always fascinated her when boys made an effort to smell nice. It seemed required for girls to wear perfume and use scented soaps.
He looked down at her, his golden eyes freezing time for a few more seconds. She felt like a deer caught in headlights. She was afraid yet intrigued. She enjoyed the fear his gaze brought her. “We should find a better hiding place for you little one.” He said, he wasn’t smiling but his eyes were laughing at her. She tried to frown, “I am not--” He covered her mouth gently with his hand. It was warm and dry, his fingertips rough. “C’mon.” He whispered his minty breath washing over her face as his hand dropped from her mouth to her wrist. “I know a good spot.”
|
|
|
Post by Free on Nov 1, 2011 21:14:50 GMT -5
The difference between them and me is that I came voluntarily.
The admission didn’t make her feel any better about the situation. Desiree sighed. Who was she kidding? You’re just as trapped as they are, Honey. Where they were bound physically, at least initially, she was bound by something she couldn’t break through.
“I’ll find a way out,” she said to the door. It was closed, but not locked. Even as she said it, her heart sank. Is there a way out?
It has been a long time since she’d seen Aaron, but there were some things that time hadn’t changed. He was still attractive with his short brown hair and light brown eyes. He was still taller than her and he was still always right. They clashed on that point. What she couldn’t quite figure out was if he still cared for her or was just punishing her for running away.
She thought back to the moment when she’d been given a choice, at least it had seemed like one at the time. She’d been out by herself, despite Logan’s incessant worrying. She was old enough. She was strong. She was smart. She didn’t need to be babysat. She could have told everyone that Ryan needed it. Of course they didn’t have any conclusive proof that she just didn’t run off back home. She didn’t exactly have what it took.
She’d been dancing with some guy who was so sure he was going to get lucky. He’d bought her a drink and now he had his hands all over her waist. If anyone from her gang had seen it, they might have perked up, waiting for the inevitable outburst, but tonight she was blending. She just smiled and danced. Blending was easier with shots.
A guy about her age with an easy air and flirtatious smile had cut in. Drink Guy put up something of a fuss, but he gave up when he was ignored. This guy was cute and he seemed nice enough, but something about him left her feeling uneasy. There was something in the way he looked at her. She was usually one to trust her instincts, but she was here to have to a good time and to prove that she didn’t need anyone keeping an eye on her.
They danced for a while. The music was loud, and its rhythm pulsed through her as she moved. He motioned toward the bar and she followed him. It was a little quieter over there, and she heard his voice for the first time.
“Hey.”
She smiled. “Hey.” Logan wouldn’t mind.
“You looked pretty good out there.”
“It’s natural.” Chit chat was not her thing. He was smiling at her. It felt good, even with the lingering question.
“So I’ve heard.”
She frowned slightly and forced a laugh. “What do you mean?” She wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d heard of her, but to know who she was, what she looked like, her dancing skills? That was weird. The “something’s off” feeling was growing and she started thinking that maybe it was time to go.
Before she could make up her mind, he leaned in close to her so she could smell him. “I know what you did.”
She immediately pulled away and stood there staring at him. The cold was seeping in. Yep, time to go. Who is this guy? Curiosity was the devil. Walk away. She ran over all the possibilities of what he could be talking about. It wasn’t exactly a secret that she was tough. It wasn’t exactly a secret that she’d been in a number of fights. It wasn’t exactly a secret that there was a member of the [insert gang name here] that no longer had the voice of the man. What could he possible know that would be this?
“Excuse me?” she asked.
“He told me everything,” the young man stated. He glanced around the room for a moment. Was he scoping things out? “I wasn’t surprised. In my line of work, I’ve heard it all.” He paused. He was watching her now. Checking her for a reaction no doubt, but she had that under control. “What I can’t help but wonder is…does he know?”
This is ridiculous. Desiree took a deep breath, her way of suppressing all emotion. “If he told you everything, then why wouldn’t he know?” She “struggled” to hold back another laugh. “I’ve gotta go.” She walked away, working her way in a zig-zag pattern through the crowd and toward the door, hoping he would take the hint and leave her alone.
“Aaron really miss you!” he called out from behind her.
She froze, mid-stride.
“He wants you to come home.” He was closer to her now.
Memories of scrambling through dry creek beds and sneaking into each other’s room in the middle of the night came flooding back. She remember decking Marcie, another orphan, for telling on them. It had been indescribable. It was the first time she’d felt like she’d belonged somewhere. Sure, they’d had a few tumbles, he could be so obnoxious sometimes, but they’d also had a lot of fun. Boys were like that. It was all so long ago though. Aaron misses me? They hadn’t exactly parted on the best of terms.
Desiree continued walking, hoping that he hadn’t noticed. She’d left that life behind her. She had a new one now. She had a new family. She was a part of something again. She didn’t need him dragging her backwards.
The guy didn’t seem to be taking the hint. He kept following her. He didn’t get too close, but he was still there. Unfortunately, he was taller than her, so out-running him probably wasn’t an option unless he wasn’t in very good shape, which didn’t look to be the case. If she was going to lose him, it would be in a crowd or because he didn’t know the streets as well as she did.
“Do you honestly believe that Logan would understand if he knew? Just imagine the look on his face if you tell him. The way his eyes suddenly shut down. An imaginary wall that you have long feared is built between you.” He was close.
Desiree’s vision blurred and she stopped. For the first time in a number of years, her face betrayed her. She couldn’t hold back the tell, and she knew he could see it as she watched the movie he was playing for her unfold. It was something from her nightmares. She could see Logan’s face, the look in his eyes for a moment. Then he’d look at her the way he looked at everyone else, his expression cold and unfeeling. And she could feel the space and an emptiness she didn’t know existed. After all they’d been through, Logan knew almost everything about her. But this was the one thing that he could never forgive her for and she knew that.
She struggled to regain her confident stride. She struggled to find her mask. They were gone. She kept walking until she reached the edge of a dark, narrow alleyway. This was tactically incredibly. This was a dead-end alley, but she didn’t care.
She looked him directly in the eyes. “What do you want?”
“Follow me. I’ll take you home.”
Desiree hesitated, tried to imagine that there were still options. She forced a more confident stance that was usually as easy as getting dressed in the morning. No one saw her vulnerable like this. No one. How could she be so stupid to let him see her like that? The first rule of a fight is don’t show your opponent your wounds or let him know he’s hurting you. Otherwise you’ve already lost.
“I am home. You can go tell Aaron that, errand boy.” Her tone was cold. Something about this exchange was too easy. He knew he was going to win somehow. What game is he playing?
"Aaron accepts and cares for you in spite of everything. Can you say the same for your precious Logan?"
Desiree didn’t bother to consider his comment this time. She let pass over her like a gentle breeze. “I see what you’re doing. Let’s not play games. Tell me what he wants from me.”
“He wants you. He wants you to be with him. Forget the streets. Forget Logan and be with him.”
This wasn’t exactly what Desiree had expected. There had to be a bigger story here. The Aaron she knew wasn’t quite this romantic. Of course they’d been just kids then, but he’d always dreamed of something bigger. He used to play king of the world when they were little, one of his favorite games.
“And what exactly do you get for handing me over?”
The boy smirked. “$3,000 and a guitar signed by Keith Richards.”
Desiree didn’t know who Keith Richards was, but she was a little insulted. For all the “trouble” Aaron was going through, he certainly didn’t price her very well.
He continued, “The best prize yet, although it does fit the job. Darling, you are my Everest.”
Despite herself and the situation, Desiree laughed at the next part. “There have been others? What did you do, lure them into your van with promises of candy?” Although he didn’t have her yet, she didn’t consider this exchange to be a particularly challenging endeavor. It was a game of chess, not a struggle. But then maybe the others had been unarmed.
Aiden chuckled. “Something like that. Ryan was so easy, like putty in my hands. He looked awkward for a moment, like he hadn’t intended to reveal that.
So Ryan didn’t go home. “Well if he has all those others, I don’t see why he needs me.”
“I don’t know and I don’t care. My job is to bring you there.”
Desiree looked him up and down. So far, he hadn’t made one aggressive move toward her. Either that wasn’t his style, or he’d heard about more than just her dancing. He was taller than her, but fights weren’t always about brute force and strength. She’d brought down opponents much larger than her by playing smarter rather than harder.
“Okay, well this has been fun. I’ve got places to go, things to do…” She paused for a moment, wondering if he was going to try and stop her because she started off.
“It’d be a shame if Logan found out,” he called after her.
She stopped. She kicked herself mentally for letting him get inside her head. This is why you never show your opponent your wounds. Desiree sighed. She could see where this was going. She’d say something, calling it a bluff or maybe implying that it didn’t matter. He’d seen her earlier, so he’d move his piece. They were playing their chess game on the edge of a cliff and it was her life, not his, at stake.
Desiree paused for a moment, then turned around. This was a business decision for him. It was not personal, you could tell by his demeanor that he didn’t really have any strong feelings for Aaron, other than his rewards. “Look, I’m not really in the mood for this right now, and I don’t want this re-surfacing. Is there something I can offer you to let this go?”
He paused.
Desiree took it as a good sign. He was at least considering her offer.
“No.”
She frowned. “No? I can offer you more money, instruments, if that’s what you like, contracts… I think you underestimate this offer.”
He was smiling. That wasn’t a good sign. “Not as much Aaron. A lot has changed since the last time you saw him. There’s nothing you can give me that he can’t top. Just meet with him, hear him out.”
Desiree sighed. She could see where this was going. She’d say something, calling it a bluff or maybe implying that it didn’t matter. He’d seen her earlier, so he’d move his piece. They were playing their chess game on the edge of a cliff and it was her life, not his, at stake.
“Fine, have it your way. I’ll go see him.”
~~~
“Desiree?” Aaron was standing at the far corner of the room, an open book in his hands. His eyes lit up upon seeing her.
Looking around, Desiree noted that this room was obviously his office. There was a bookshelf full of leather-bound books, a large, polished mahogany desk, a few comfortable-looking dark green chairs and a large, ornate rug on the dark wood flooring.
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you, you’ll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar?” The attack was only semi-intentional. Aaron had never known his mother.
“Well perhaps if she had, we would be in this situation.” He laughed. “I see you haven’t changed much. Still can’t stand not to have your way.” He walked toward her, arms open. “How have you been?”
“What do you want?” Desiree stood with her hands on her hips. She couldn’t believe that he was pretending like they were friends. Maybe hadn’t seen each other in a week or two and were now meeting on the street. What game is he playing?
He feigned a wounded look. “Desiree, I thought that Aiden made it clear that I missed you.”
She glanced back toward where the other guy had been standing in the doorway, but he was gone. “Look, I don’t know what you told Ryan to make her come here with that guy, but your games aren’t going to work on me.”
“It’s not a game, Desiree. You are free to go. No one’s going to lock the door behind you.” He paused, looking directly into her eyes. “I just wanted to remind you that I still care for you, that there’s one person you can truly be yourself around. Because I know everything about you and I’m still here.”
“That’s a little different story than you told last time we spoke.”
He sighed. “I know.” He paused again, as if searching through the pile of words in front of him, trying to find the right one. Normally, he didn’t show people his softer side. Most of them didn’t deserve it and still other couldn’t be trusted. It was hard not to though with her standing in front of him after all these years. And although admitting everything to her now would probably serve his purposes well, but too much time had passed. More of a wall was between them now than he imagined there would be.
Desiree waited for him to continue, but he didn’t say anything else. Was that supposed to be an apology? “Well…I guess I’ll get going then...”
“Hold on.” He put an arm on her shoulder as she turned to leave.
Desiree pressed her lips into a thin line and fought the urge to grab his hand, flip him around, and make him kiss the nearest wall. He must have noticed the look in her eyes because he released her immediately.
“He’s never going to be able to accept you,” he said softly, looking into her eyes. “Hate everything else about this situation, but you know I’m right. There will always be that gap between you.”
She didn’t say anything, just pulled away from him.
“Stay here.”
“No.”
“I didn’t really want to do this, but you force my hand.” He looked stern now, a father scolding his daughter.
Desiree didn’t like the feeling it gave her.
“You have nothing left there. If you leave, I will be forced to tell him what you did.”
Yeah, forced I’ll bet… She glared at him. She didn’t care if he knew that she was mad. He already had everything he needed.
“Your room is upstairs, I’ll take your cell.”
In a slow and deliberately passive aggressive manner, Desiree reached into her pocket and handed him her cell phone.
~~~
It had been about two years since Desiree had first walked into Aaron's office, irritated and unaware of her true predicament. Now, she stood looking in the mirror and wondering what had just happen. It wasn't something she'd planned. But she'd done it. She needed time to herself to sort things out. She hadn't wanted to cuddle afterwards the way they had. He must have been able to tell something was up because after a little while, he'd gotten up, gotten dressed and left her there even though they were in his[\i] bedroom. He hesitated at the door, like there was something he wanted to say to her, looking her directly in the eye, but then he was gone.
Does this mean I've given up?[\i]. Two years was a long time and Desiree never let herself think about Logan. That was over. It was better that he always think of her as he'd known he because she would have lost him either way.
Besides, Aaron had qualities to admire. He was ran a very successful underground business and owned another above ground business. He'd really come a long way from the kid who wet his bed at six. He was charming. She couldn't deny that. He took her out to nice restaurants and sometimes he'd take her to the opera or to a play so they could make fun of the people who took themselves too seriously. He always had flowers for her, which was something no one had ever done before. She didn't know what to do with them, but it was such a nice, normal thing: getting flowers. And she'd missed a lot of those things over the years.
She'd never even started high school, there was no Prom or dates or parties like they show in the movies. No one made inappropriate comments to her because they all knew better and no one had tried to hand her a beer so she had to decide to give into peer pressure or be a cool part of the crowd. No one had ever been waiting up at home to yell at her for staying out too late or ground her for bad grades. And they didn't hug her before bed and tell her not to let the bed bugs bite.
Aiden walked in at that moment and Desiree quickly moved away from the mirror and say down on her bed. She couldn't look directly at Aiden.
|
|
|
Post by J on Nov 18, 2011 21:31:49 GMT -5
September 20, 2011
Aiden settled into a booth made for two and stretched his legs onto the seat across from him. “.....’s” was mildly busy, making it easy for him to stay hidden while still being able to eavesdrop. Logan was sitting in a corner booth with his arm draped around Brooklyn, he was stoic but she was smiling brightly, her laugh easy and carefree. Two guys sat across from them, he couldn’t recall either of their names. One was blonde, stocky, and tall, while the other had dark hair, was a little thinner and shorter. He knew from research the two had come to the city together and were somewhat close to Desiree. He knew the blonde was responsible for Ryan and Brooklyn being a part of the “Rat Pack” ((I like the name, but is it too much?)) and was skilled at tracking. So far Aiden had been able to elude him; he hoped Paul and Mitchell hadn’t screwed anything up when they recruited Zoe.
Aiden kept his eye on Logan and Brooklyn as he pretended to study the menu. He had eaten here a few times before while researching Desiree and was looking forward to their shoestring fries. As much as he couldn’t stand Logan he did make a great restaurant with really good food. “Hi my name is Martha. Can I get you something to drink?” A petit blonde girl with large brown eyes appeared beside his table. Aiden looked up at her, “ I’ll have shoestrings and two chocolate shakes. One for me and one for Bright Eyes.” He said nodding toward Logan’s table. Martha turned to look and frowned. “She doesn’t eat those.” She said firmly. Aiden raised an eyebrow, “She doesn’t eat milkshakes?” his tone annoyed and skeptical. He had never known a girl to turn down free chocolate and he doubted brooklyn would be any different. He didn’t have time for this girl’s jealous games. “Nope.” Martha said and crossed her arms across her chest.
Aiden sighed, “All girls love milkshakes and anyways I’m paying for it. What’s it to you whether she eats it or not?” Martha shook her head, the look on her face indignant. “That’s Logan Lebeau’s girlfriend!” She said as if he should already know and fear this statement. Interesting, it’s common knowledge. “I don’t see a ring. Give her the shake.” Martha shook her head once more and marched over to LOgan’s table. Aiden watched as she blabbed to Logan who glanced at him and shrugged. “Bring it, chocolate extra cherries.” He said giving Brooklyn a kiss on the cheek. Brooklyn flashed Aiden a smile, “Thanks!”
“I want one too!” The blonde spoke up smiling slyly at Aiden, Logan’s entire table ordered shakes on Aiden and Martha took them happily. Aiden shrugged, he didn’t mind paying for them he already had all the information he needed. He stayed to finish his own shake, only slightly concerned Martha may have tampered with it. He also wanted to observe Logan and Brooklyn’s relationship. It didn’t matter really, the fact was they were together. However he was interested in knowing how close they were. Did Logan still care for Desiree? Was this Brooklyn girl simply a passing ship in the night? Was she only a way for Logan to keep himself occupied until Desiree returned?
LOgan made a big show of bragging about Brooklyn as i she weren’t in the room. He went on and on about how flattering it was to have someone every other guy wanted. He showered Brooklyn with affection, kissing her and keeping her tight against his side. Alright we get it, she’s yours! Why don’t you just pee a circle around her and be done with it?[/] Aiden tried to keep his eye rolling to a minimum, it wasn’t important what they saw. He would be forgotten as soon as he stepped out the door. He did have an itchy feeling that Brooklyn may have seen him more than once. There was no reason for her to be suspicious of him but he needed to be careful all the same.
The commotion Logan made over Brooklyn made Aiden wonder if he was still searching for Desiree. He knew from follow ups that Logan had kept up his search far longer than expected and there had been no end in sight. It was odd that he now seemed completely over her, two years had gone by. Was Desiree so quickly forgotten? The group had not spoken of her once throughout their lunch nor had they mentioned anything about a search or project. He hadn’t though of Logan as someone who would give up easily and according to Aaron Logan had sent a voicemail to Desiree’s phone recently. As far as Aiden knew Aaron didn’t listen to them, what Logan had to say wasn’t important, but him sending them after all this time was.
The two guys got up from the table and headed outside leaving Logan and Brooklyn alone in the booth. Aiden sighed and rose, he left a tiny tip for Martha, she didn’t deserve anything anyways, nosy b*tch. He stepped outside the restaurant and smoked a cigarette before heading back uptown to Aaron’s place. He would have to time his conversation with Desiree carefully. She seemed a little shattered after her night with Aaron. Aiden hadn’t expected such a thing to happen and the thought of it made his sick. He hadn’t planned for that. He hadn’t planned for any of this really. He had never imagined falling for one Aaron’s girls and now he had. Desiree. He longed for her, every time they were alone it was all he could do to keep his hands and words to himself.
This whole thing with Logan and Brooklyn might give him the chance he needed with Desiree. He could sell a few guitars and they could pack up the bare minimum and escape into the night. They would drive and drive listening to music, moonroof open and windows down and be free. Free from Aaron, Logan, her secret and everything that held them bound to this awful place.
~
Aiden closed the front door behind him to be ambushed by Chelsea, “Ryan’s in the bathroom, she just got her period.” Chelsea didn’t seem at all concerned for Ryan, she actually seemed to take pleasure in the younger girl’s discomfort. He nodded and headed to Ryan’s room. Just another day in the life of taking care of Aaron’s girls. It was strange how much he was required to do for them. He cooked, cleaned, did the laundry, did the grocery shopping which included tampon and ice cream runs, and on the occasion when one of them was sick he had to nurse them back to health. Ryan suffered from extremely painful cramps. The other girls just whined about their’s but Ryan always had trouble with hers. She usually couldn’t get out of bed for the first two or three days, or laid on the bathroom floor vomiting and curled in a ball. Never having experienced menstrual cramps Aiden had no idea whether Ryan was in a serious amount of pain or if she just couldn’t handle pain in general. The other girls claimed she was just trying to get attention and he had suspected as much a time or two. However, it never failed to cripple her every month so he felt maybe she really did feel as bad as she acted.
He grabbed an ice pack, heat pack and bottle of ibuprofen on his way to Ryan’s room. He knew every trick by now, ice for her back and heat for her stomach, switch every other hour and keep the pills coming. He knocked lightly before entering Ryan’s room, from the door he could see her lying on the tile in her bathroom. She was curled slightly her pale cheek pressed to the floor, tears streaming from her tightly shut eyes. “I’m here.” He said quietly sliding the ice pack beneath the back of her camisole and prying her arms away from her stomach to apply the heat. She opened her eyes a little and whimpered shutting them once again. “Is Aaron upset with me?” She asked her voice quivering. “No,” He said quietly shaking three pills into his hand and pouring water into a cup from her sink. “He knows this happens to all girls every month. No big.” He knelt down beside her and coaxed her to take the medicine. “But... he...” She started to cry again and doubled over clutching the heat pack against her stomach.
Aiden sighed, he was used to taking care of her but where was Aaron? it didn’t make any sense, if Aaron really did care about the girls the way he said he did, where was he? Not once did Aaron bother to visit the girls when they were sick or having cramps. He avoided them like the plague, acting as though they didn’t exist, that is until they were well again. The only one he had ever tried to see was Desiree. She had been sick once since living here. It was only a bad cold that took a turn for the worse after she refused to take anything for it. Aiden and Desiree had already become friends so he was the only one she let near her. Aaron was out of his mind with anger after Desiree refused to let him into her room. It had almost been comical, Desiree could hardly speak but as soon as Aaron tried to enter she threw a fit and began screaming profanities at him. It had taken a long time for her to calm down after that, Aiden wondered if she had been upset about something else. Something that had nothing to do with Aaron, and everything to do with the fact that she had been there for exactly a year.
Aiden carefully scooped Ryan up from the floor and tucked her into bed. A teeny tiny part of him held a soft spot for Ryan. She was the youngest girl here, the first even, and she didn’t have a single friend in the house. She had had Aaron all to herself for four months before the next girl arrived and after that she was largely ignored by Aaron. He pretended to care for her by Aiden knew better. He enjoyed Ryan’s body, he didn’t care for her otherwise. Aiden didn’t feel guilty for bringing her here, Aaron would have found a way with or without him. He brought the girls here and after that he didn’t hold himself responsible for what happened to them. They had a choice, any of them could leave at any time. No one was forcing them to stay. He knew each of their secrets as well as Aaron did, their secrets was the only thing that caged them in. He didn’t really see how their secrets could do that to him, but when he thought about it everyone had a skeleton or two locked away in a deep dark closet.
The only secret he didn’t know was Desiree’s. At first he didn’t care, it was nothing to him. Over time he had begun to get curious and wonder if he could figure it out. Now that they were close he often wondered if she would reveal it to him or if she already had and he hadn’t realized that it was “The Secret.” He did hope that she would tell him someday, it couldn’t possibly be as bad as she believed it to be. No one’s secret’s ever were, they only seemed outrageous and awful because it was your own.
Aiden left Ryan after getting her to stop crying and fall asleep, he checked on a few other girls before heading to Desiree’s room. It was probably not the right time to tell her about Logan and Brooklyn, or maybe it was. He would feel it out, he didn’t want to rush it or accidentally allow it to slip out. He wanted to word it carefully an gauge her reaction. If she was upset by it, then she wasn’t over Logan. If she was indifferent she could possibly be into Aaron. He really hoped that wasn’t the case. She couldn’t love Aaron could she? Aaron was her captor, the evil guy holding a secret over her head in hopes of winning her over by keeping her trapped in his lair. No, she couldn’t love him, who could love someone like that? He paused in front of Desiree’s door, he didn’t always knock, but he need to be cautious. She had slept with Aaron, the rules may have changed. The ever moving line that was the boundary of their friendship may have shifted. He knocked and waited, “Hey Dez?”
|
|
|
Post by J on Nov 20, 2011 1:08:11 GMT -5
September ? 2011
Logan gently massaged the back of Brooklyn’s neck, the two of them were joining Westley and James for lunch. The four of them were occupying their usual table; it was a circular booth reserved for their gang only. The table was jokingly referred to as “the mafia table,” he kind of liked the title. He wasn’t italian as far he knew but it was entertaining to think of himself as a mob boss. He, James and Brooklyn were all listening to Westley tell one of the many stories of his life before NYC. Westley was a true mountain man, or as he called it “A man after adventure.” Logan often wondered how his friend could put up with the concrete jungle. Westley was in the middle of a story of “his first hunt,” apparently hunting involved more than just shooting an animal. Westley spoke of it as more of a religious experience.
“The trail faded off, I quietly climbed into a nearby oak to get a better lay of the land. About a quarter mile out there she was. I slowly raised my bull and carefully pulled back my arm. At the last second before I released the arrow there’s this moment of clarity. Time stands still. Nothing moves. It’s just me, the arrow and the doe. With just a light movement from my fingers the arrow disappears from my hands, too fast for me to see it fly I see her go down. I wait in the branches high above the world as the life passes from her. I mourn her death for moment, winds brushes leaves against my face and I almost regret killing her. ” One great thing Logan enjoyed about Westley was his storytelling abilities; there was never a dull moment. Half the time he wondered if the stories were true or if Westley made them up as he went along, either way he loved it. Brooklyn did too, she hung on his every word.
Westley story was suddenly rudely interrupted by Martha, one of the many servers at _____’s “That guy over there wants to buy Brooklyn a milkshake. I told him who you are, but he doesn’t seem to get it.” Martha smacked the pink gum in her mouth and Logan sighed. He had told her about that nasty gum chewing. How could anyone find food appetizing while the waitress rolled a wad of gum around in her mouth? Logan turned away from her and glanced at the guy she was referring to and shrugged. “So let him buy her a milkshake. Chocolate, extra cherries.” He said smiling down at Brooklyn and kissing her cheek. She grinned up at him green eyes sparkling, truth was he adored her. He hated to admit it or even show it, especially in public. However, a lot had changed since Desiree disappeared. Desiree had left a huge gaping hole in his life; he hadn’t realized how much he depended on her until she was gone. He spent most of his time with Desiree. They were partners, out of respect and companionship they made decisions together, not matter how big or small. With her gone he had tried to learn to stand on his own. Brooklyn had stepped up to the plate, ready and willing to stand close by him. He has tried to keep her at arms length but over time he had been the one to draw her in. He tried to convince himself that it was all her, she was the one pining for him. He was just an innocent bystander. Right. Something about her pulled him in, the joy she had brought into his life was something he had never imagined. She somehow knew how to make him laugh or bring a smile to his face just when he needed it most. She claimed he was too serious and needed more fun in his life that was’t induced by alcohol. Who was she kidding? He felt nearly drunk on her at times.
Brooklyn leaned around him and thanked the guy for buying her the shake. “I’ll have one too.” Westley chimed in grinning at the guy who was probably getting ticked off by now. Logan chuckled, “Yeah, y’know, I could go for something sweet. I’ll have Oreo, James?” James nodded and gave Martha his order as well; she headed off to the kitchen proud of herself. She was most likely expecting a good tip off of this guy, which was dumb on her part. He wondered why he had hired Martha in the first place and then remembered she was another one of Westley’s strays.
Logan watched Milkshake boy out of the corner of his eye and pulled Brooklyn closer to his side. She slid even closer making him smile, something he was doing more and more. “Y’know, when I think about it. This is a great compliment. “ He said as Martha delivered their shakes. “I have someone every other guy wants.” He said holding a cherry just above Brooklyn’s nose; she caught it between her lips and bit it away. He playfully tossed the cherry’s stem at Westley. “It’s a good thing to be reminded of, “ He smiled down at Brooklyn as she sipped picked an Oreo out of his glass. “You are beautiful and I am proud to call you mine.” Normally he tried to keep compliments like this for more of an intimate atmosphere. He wasn’t great at showing genuine affection in public, especially with Westley and James watching. He didn’t ant to appear soft and that was difficult to do when he felt the way he did about Brooklyn. A while back he had actually insisted she refrain from taking part in gang fights. He couldn’t concentrate on an opponent knowing Brooklyn was also fighting one nearby. It was something he and Desiree had struggled with also and she of course had refused to step down. She was a leader, she was going to fight.
His hand was still loosely wrapped around the back of her neck. He massaged a special spot with his thumb making her squirm in delight. He grinned and slid his hand down to her waist wrapping his arm tighter around her. He could see the guy watching them carefully, was he jealous? No... He looked more like he was studying them. Strange. He looked over at Westley and James and noticed Westley look away. Well, at least someone’s jealous. It was almost laughable, Westley had been the one to persuade Logan and Desiree into bringing Brooklyn into their gang. Now Brooklyn was tied to him and Westley was just a good friend to her. He often wondered why Westley had never made a move on Brooklyn. He and Brooklyn used to spend a lot of time together and Westley wasn’t shy around girls. At least not that he had seen.
Westley and James shoved their empty dishes aside and stood up from the table. “Alright see you guys later.” Westley said and then stuffed his hand inside his back pocket. “Ah crap, I forgot.” He pulled out a flattened Kit-Kat bar and slid it over to Brooklyn. “I guess it’s the thought that counts?” He said laughing at himself. Logan snickered, “Gross, you sat on it.”
~
October 12, 2004
Room by room, floor by floor, Logan was determined to create the perfect house. The first floor he was remodeling into a restaurant. The rest of the house would be bedrooms, a kitchen, living rooms, and possibly a library. It was nowhere near the size or quality of his father’s mansion, but he didn’t want what his father had. He wanted to make his own way in the world. He would work hard for everything he got and without the help of anyone. He had been working hard for nearly a year on a four story building and the restaurant was almost finished. Every day he woke up and went to work smashing down walls and rebuilding them. Manual labor was harder than he had expected; it was hot, sweaty, dusty and exhausting. Working out in the gym inside his father’s mansion was nothing compared to using s sledgehammer and ripping out old moldy flooring for several hours a day.
He was extremely proud of his work and the buff body he had obtained from it. He did miss a few things from his old life, hot showers, endless amounts clean clothes and money to burn. He could have those things again, it would just take time to get there and he was going to enjoy every second of it. He had come to New York City with thousands of dollars he had squirreled away ever since his mother had died two years prior. Now he was putting all of it to good use. He hardly thought about his father or the younger brothers he had left behind. They were nothing to him now. He was his own man building his own empire.
He awoke one morning in a great mood, first floor was nearly done and he wanted to celebrate by planning his next move. He had three whole floors to plan out, he had taken one of the rooms on the top floor as his own bedroom. He like the idea of being able to climb out onto the roof and look out over the city. He didn’t have much in the room yet just a mattress on the floor and the few belongings he had. He dressed in jeans and a t-shirt; he really did miss having tons of clothes to choose from, especially clean ones. He did his best in the cold shower water to clean his clothes and sheets but it was not nearly as effective as a washing machine. He made his bed and began his exploration of the other rooms on his floor. No matter how long he had been away from home he couldn’t break his old habits. He liked having things just so. It felt wrong to leave his bed mussed and his clothes tossed about. He had always had servants to do this for him but he couldn’t help but make sure it was done now that he was on his own.
He wandered around a large room in the center of the fourth floor, he planned out a way to turn it into a living room. An L-shaped couch and entertainment center, the perfect area for having people over. After spending some time in there he ventured into one of the empty bedrooms, well at least that’s what he was going to remodel them into. He froze at the sight of a girl laying on the floor beside an open window. She was covered in a huge coat completely at peace in slumber. She looked about his age, but it was hard to tell through her outerwear. He walked lightly across the room and squatted beside her, he examined her for a few seconds before deciding it was disrespectful to stay in someone’s home without an invitation. Especially if that home belonged to him. She was lying on her side, curled slightly with a balled up sweater as a pillow. He carefully reached out and took hold of the sweater and whipped it out from underneath her. Her cheek smacked the floor and her blue eyes snapped open in surprise. “Good Morning!” He shouted, he had started out a little ticked off but now he was glad for some entertainment. "Hey!" The girl snapped at him. She was cute, he was starting to feel guilty for jolting her awake like that. "So now that you're up, how 'bout some breakfast? I make great pancakes." He said smiling warmly. After a year by himself h was willing to welcome any company. Even if she only stayed for one meal. At least he would get to talk with someone besides the contractors he bought supplies from.
|
|
|
Post by J on Nov 24, 2011 19:43:08 GMT -5
May 9, 2006 7:02AM
Paperback library books, two pairs of jeans, three t-shirts (two short one long), toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, Dylan’s iPod (sorry Dyl!) 4 pairs of socks, the shoes on her feet and one gray hoodie. Ryan’s entire life was now folded neatly into the backpack she used for school. It had been so strange cleaning all of her schoolbooks and notes from class out of it. She wasn’t going to need any of that where she was going. School was a part of the past and she was going to “Keep Moving Forward.” A fine quote from a fine movie. Alright, so it was a Disney movie, “Meet the Robinson's.” It wasn’t even her favorite, but the line, “Keep Moving Forward” would be her personal mantra from now on. She knew there would be times when she wouldn’t want to take another step or maybe wouldn’t feel able to do so, but this mantra would keep her going. It had to. She was dying for change. Any change would be a better alternative to what she had lived with for thirteen years. She was going to step out into the world and discover it.
No one knew she was leaving. Not even Dylan, who would soon realize his precious iPod was gone when he pulled it out on the school bas in approximately 13 minutes. She had even been clever enough to realize she would need the charger which is why she swiped it three weeks ago. She had felt insanely guilty when he blamed his brother for losing it, she was there to witness the fight and she was not proud of how she had ebbed Dylan’s anger. “He always takes your stuff, you say that all the time.” Dylan would never suspect she had taken the charger or the iPod itself. Besides, his parents would probably buy him a new one for his birthday. The mountain of presents he always got filled her with jealousy. It wasn’t fair, why couldn’t her dad buy her presents, or even remember she had a birthday. Which by the way was TODAY! He hadn’t even so much as spoken to her in almost a week. The last thing she remembered him saying to her was, “Where are the cheerios?” She had sighed, he had eaten all of them, again. She picked them our specifically for her own breakfast but he always ate all them. One day I’m going to have a huge pantry full of all different kinds of cereal and I’m not going to share!
Ryan raced across a busy street, it was an early spring morning in Chicago and the city was alive with people and white noise. She so badly wanted to pull out Dylan’s-- no her Ipod and drown out the sound of the city, but now wasn’t the time. She had to find a quick form of transportation, and it needed to be free. Hitchhiking was out of the question. She had seen enough movies and TV to know a young girl should never ever hitchhike. There were only two types of drivers: the kind that took you straight back home or the kind that kidnapped you and well, she didn’t want to think about what happened after that. She slid into an alley and gazed around; she had envisioned all sorts of way to stowaway but putting them into action was a completely different deal. Then suddenly opportunity slammed a door open in her face, it was a huge tow truck. The kind that carried multiple vehicles cross country, currently there were six riding along. The truck was parked next to a small coffee shop, perfect. It was still early enough that he might be in line for his morning beverage for at least another five minutes. She had to act quickly and be smart about it. She moseyed up nest to the cars as if she were just a curious child gazing at pretty cars. A bumped up gray compact looked like her best bet. The door handle was mangled and rusted, which meant there was a high possibility it wasn’t long locked. She she reached out and checked it. Yes! It was unlocked. The door opened a little, she listened for a creak but it remained silent. Good, her exit would be much easier that way. She pulled the door open far enough to slid inside and close it behind her. She resisted glancing around, that would only make her look suspicious. If anyone had seen her climb into the car, they would believe they had imagined the whole thing. She curled up on the floor of the backseat and pushed her backpack underneath the bench of the seat in front of her. The back of the seat’s pocket had been ripped away leaving it draped over her. She was small enough that it nearly covered her completely. She wrapped her hood around her head and settled in for what she assumed would be a long ride. Her heart was pounding from sheer thought of what she had just done. She was hiding in the back of a car on her way to God know’s where and no one knew it! It was thrilling and yet she was still a little afraid. A lot afraid actually, what if the world wasn’t as kind as she hoped it would be? She shut her denim eyes tightly and took a deep breath, the carpet smelled of cat pee and cigarettes. Gross. No, it’s not that bad. You’re fine. She scolded herself and gasped as her hiding place lurched forward. No turning back now. Look out world, here I come.
|
|
|
Post by J on Nov 28, 2011 0:40:30 GMT -5
April 8 2007
Westley paced back and forth in front of Desiree and Logan’s bedroom door. It wasn’t his fault, it really wasn’t. So why did he feel so guilty? She had disappeared. One minute she was tagging along, glued to his heels as usual, the next she was gone. He couldn’t even remember what color shirt she had been wearing, or if she had a jacket on. She wasn’t his responsibility, he wasn’t her big brother or a babysitter. He shouldn’t have to feel like he needed to keep an eye on her at all times. However, after a year the kid had grown on him. As much he hated to admit it, he liked her a lot. Ryan had been following him and James around for nearly a year now and he had taught her everything he knew about living on the streets. She was a quick learner, she just wasn’t as skilled as the other members of their gang. For this reason she was largely ignored by most of them, especially Logan and Desiree. Westley doubted either of them would care that Ryan was missing, if anything they might start a party or take a shot in celebration.
The bedroom door swung open as he walked past it for the umpteenth time and Westley jumped a little. Logan stood in the doorway one eyebrow raised, “Wes, what are you doing?” Westley paused unsure of how to start. “Uh... Well, funny you should ask... um... I need to talk to you and Desiree, when you get a chance.” Logan shrugged, “Alright,” He turned and stepped back into the room leaving the door open for Westley. Westley sighed and stepped inside. Desiree was laying on a chaise lounge nursing a cut on her arm. Logan plopped down on the couch and gestured for Westley to join him.”Wes says he has something he needs to talk to us about.”
“Is it that your little apprentice neglected to join in the fight yesterday?” Desiree asked, her voice filled with disdain. She couldn’t stand Ryan. This comment wasn’t so much directed at him so much as stabbing at Ryan for being afraid to fight. Westley hesitated, Ryan was afraid to fight sometimes. She had a competitive spirit but she was a lot smaller than most of the gang members of New York City. The size difference often intimidated her into wanting to run and hide rather than face Goliath.
“Sort of...” Westley trailed off, maybe this was a bad idea. He should have looked harder or longer before bothering them with this.
“Wes, just spit it out. I have things to get done.” Logan said checking his watch, never a good sign. Logan only checked his watch when he felt his time was being wasted. Westley took a deep breath and spilled his guts, “Alright the thing is, I lost Ryan. She was at the party with me the other night and then she wasn’t behind me anymore. I didn’t think anything of it until I couldn’t find her later on and she hasn’t come home since then.” He sighed and watched as Logan and Desiree took this information in.
“She probably just went home, she’s young that happens. We done here?” Logan started to stand up but Westley tried to stop him. “Wait, we’re not even gonna look for her?” Logan shrugged, “I don’t really see the point. If she’s gone, she’s gone. No skin off my nose.” He turned to Desiree. Westley had seen them do this many times before, the two of them were in sync with of their decisions. He had yet to see them disagree in public, whether or not they did in private was a mystery. If one of them said something they would turn to the other as if “checking,” he assumed this was for visual purposes only.
|
|
|
Post by J on Nov 29, 2011 0:27:44 GMT -5
July 29, 2007 ((First phone message from Logan on Desiree’s phone))
Logan rolled over and slid his hand across the bed, the sheets were cool. He opened his deep brown eyes and sat up on his elbows. “Dez?” He croaked, he cleared his voice and called out for her again. Silence. He sat up more and checked his phone for missed messages from her. Nothing. He groaned and laid back down on his bed, she was still pissed, not a good sign. It was so rare that they go into arguments that he was almost unsure of how to proceed. His pride wanted to block her out, force her to come back to him. He had a feeling her own pride would be doing exactly the same thing. Great. He slid open his phone and dialed her number, after five rings it went to her voicemail. Her outgoing message was only her first name, no fancy or silly greeting. After the beep he paused, was he backing down too soon? He should really just hang up, although she was going to see the missed call anyway. “Dez...” He sighed, he was horrible at voicemails. “About last night,” he sighed again, why in the hell was he about to apologize to an answering machine? “Come home Dez, I didn’t like sleeping without you last night. I know didn’t either. Just come home. I love you.” He hit “end” and groaned, he sounded so pathetic over the phone. He should’ve just weeped into it like a guy in a cheesy chic-flick. He didn’t expect her to respond to that and if she did she would mock him for it. Oh well, something to break the tension between us.
|
|
|
Post by J on Dec 14, 2011 21:04:23 GMT -5
May 9, 2006 2:30PM
Ryan slowly peeked out the window and dropped her head back down. She really needed to go to the bathroom. She had brought two gatorades along with her but she really didn’t want to use either of them for that. Besides one was unopened and the other wasn’t empty yet. The truck had stopped at a huge gas station that had a McDonald's attached to it. She would take a chance, what did she really have to loose? If she wasn’t able to get back into her car she could tag a long somewhere else. She grabbed her things and headed into the store, she quickly did her business in the bathroom and began wandering around. She had filled her nearly empty water bottle at the water fountain by the restrooms. Hopefully the fruit punch flavor would override any funny taste the water might have in it. The smell of burgers and fries was overwhelming. No. She had to refrain. She had plenty of fruits snacks and granola bars in her bag, she would ration her food until it was gone. She was a little ashamed that she had stolen her father’s savings. he was actually pretty dumb to keep a handful of hundreds in his sock drawer. Everybody knows that where adults hide stuff; semi-religious people hid money and valuable documents in Bibles. She hadn’t counted the money yet but it was a fairly thick wad and she hoped it would last her a while. Her father didn’t trust banks, which meant every time he made money on one of his books he hid the money all over the house. Thank God for that.
Her truck was still parked and the driver was nowhere in sight. Ryan stood near the McDonald’s counter and weighed her options, she could steal something from the gas station or use one of her precious hundreds to buy a meal. She glanced back at her truck through the window and decided time was worth more. The driver could leave when she least expected it. She wandered down the aisles of the gas station and dropped her bag on the floor. A bag of Chex Mix was laying on a shelf, someone must have bumped it in passing. She stuffed it quickly into her pocket and headed out the door after pretending to decide not to get any gum at the register. She let out a sigh of relief, now to get back to her truck. She walked around a few cars as if searching for the right one, with a look back at the gas station she climbed back into her silver car and curled up on the floor. Her heart was pounding, how much longer could she keep this up? She checked her watch and sighed, life out in the world was boring when you were all alone. If only she had a partner with her, someone to share the excitement or to talk over the next move. It was nearly 20 minutes before the car started to move again, after another ten she allowed herself to sit up and relax. The driver would never be able to see her from here, passing cars might wonder but there was nothing they could do about her. It seemed like hours before a sign passed by indicating the miles from certain cities. New York City 400 mi. Apparently she was on I-80 whatever that meant. Why hadn’t she though to bring a map along? The sign listed a few other cities she didn’t recognize and she nodded. Okay, NYC it is.
Night fell hours later and Ryan was pleasantly surprised to find that the overhead lights still worked in the car; she was able to switch on the little light above her head and read for awhile. She only did this for an hour, she couldn’t chance something happening to her transportation. Another hour passed before the truck stopped again this time she only climbed out to relieve herself near the vehicle. In the darkness no one could see her and she felt almost invigorated at going outside for the first time in her life. She had a dinner of one granola bar and one bag of fruit snacks. Her stomach begged for more but she resisted. Once she got to NYC she would have a better idea of how to eat and how to spend the money she had. For now she had to be smart and cautious about each decision she made regarding both.
May 10 4:15AM
Ryan jolted awake for what felt like the tenth time and for the tenth time panicked about where she was. She was having trouble remembering that she wasn’t asleep in her room in her bed, but in the back seat of a silver car in front of a Motel 6. Well, actually, she was on the floor, the parking lot lights were bright enough to make her nervous someone might spot her in the car. She was laying on the floor using her bag as a pillow. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to shake, “Keep moving forward.” she murmured quietly into the darkness. “Keep moving forward.” It was comforting to hear a voice aloud even if it was her own. She finally relented and pulled out her ipod, she turned it on to a random playlist leaving the headphones out of her ears. She turned the volume up just enough that she could hear it. She was afraid to put the headphones on, she needed to be aware of her surroundings at al times. “As Ross would say, I must have Unagi.” She said aloud trying to make a joke but failing to make herself smile. A tiny whimper at the back of her mind whispered, “I wanna go home...” She shoved away the thought. No, she was not going home. She had made it this far, she had to keep going. She had to “Keep moving forward.” What would have happened if Christopher Columbus had said “Y’know I’m gettin’ kinda sea sick turn this Santa Maria around!” She smiled a little at that one. After ten minutes of music she turned off the ipod and willed herself back to sleep.
May 10 9:43AM
“OhMyGod I hafta pee!” Ryan said loudly, no one was there to hear her complaint or to help her decide what to do about the problem. She had awoken just as the driver was pulling away from the motel which meant she hadn’t peed since dinner the night before. Her first gatorade bottle was empty and she was shamefully thinking of a way to fill it. “I can’t that’s disgusting!” She said aloud to herself. She sighed heavily and squeezed her knees together. “Alright then, find another way.” She climbed into the front seat and opened the console, nothing but papers and bottle of Advil. She stuffed the Advil into her bag after checking to be sure it really was Advil and not something else. It would have been a more exciting find if she didn’t desperately need to use a bathroom. She opened the glove compartment and found more papers, three one dollar bills and a map of Ohio. She took the money and the map just in case. A strange thought occurred to her, what was in all of the other cars on the carrier? Maybe there was a way to get into another one of them. If anything she could ew no. That was not going to happen. Unless... Alright, last resort. She rolled down the window of her car, it was old enough that it still worked by hand rather than a button. Thank goodness. The carrier was double wide, her car was beside a dusty red suburban. The carrier was shaky and moving fast, she carefully moved her way between her car and the suburban and then had an awful thought. What if the suburban had a car alarm? she couldn’t believe this hadn’t occurred to her before, she couldn’t take the chance of an alarm going off and the driver finding her. Her own car battery still worked which meant this suburban had a possibility of an alarm. If only she knew more about cars! She looked around, the pair of cars in front of her looked promising. One of them had a broken front window which meant she could crawl inside. Perfect! She crawled back into her car and slid on her hoodie to protect her from broken glass then carefully made her way to the broken window. The car was a mess, and she doubted it would have anything to help her but she had to check anyway. What else did she have to do? The urge to pee was growing unbearable and the “last resort” option was looking better and better. She crawled into the car and open up the glove box, empty. She opened the console and found a lighter and a manual for the car itself. She pocketed the lighter and left the manual. She climbed into the backseat and searched it, nothing. “Okay, here goes.”
Ryan sat on the floor of her own car and gazed at the map of Ohio. Her bladder was newly empty and she was trying not to think about how that had come to be. She was just going to pretend as if that had never happened. She leaned forward to peek out the window again, they were nearing bigger cities and she needed to start thinking about her exit. There was more to the world than this backseat and she was going to explore it. At the next stop she would leave this carrier behind and start walking.
May 27, 2007 1:36PM
Ryan dodged in and out of the crowd running at full speed. He was still chasing her and she had to loose him somehow. She turned a sharp corner and slammed into a hard surface, two strong arms grabbed her as she fell backward. She kicked and fought against them as her pursuer came closer. “Let me go!” She screamed in the face of guy holding her. He was over a head taller and strong enough that her arms and legs were flailing while he held her body still against him. The cap that had been chasing her down appeared before the guy holding her could say anything. “You!” He shouted pointing in Ryan’s face as the guy set her on the ground and wrapped his arms around her. “There you are!” he cried hugging Ryan to his chest, as the cop looked on confused and red faced from his run. “Where have you been? Ma is beside herself with worry!” The guy said patting her back hard making Ryan cough a little, her face was smashed against him making it hard to breathe. She was really confused about what was going on, was this guy trying to help her? “Is she yours?’ The cop demanded, as the guy loosened his hold on Ryan, turning he to face the officer. “Yes, she’s my half sister. Well, more like step sister, but don’t tell her, she think’s we have the same mom.” The last part the guy yelled whispered at the cop as if she wasn’t meant to hear it. The officer raised an eyebrow. “Oh really?” He stared Ryan down, “Is this true?” The guy slapped Ryan’s back hard forcing her to speak. “Yeah!” She said jumping and then steading herself, “Yeah, he’s my brother.”
The cop looked back the guy who Ryan could now see had longish blonde hair and dark green eyes. “She stole something from a hotdog vendor.” The officer accused, the guy shook his head and grabbing Ryan’s face in his hand. “What have I told you about stealing?!” Ryan paused, he was making her nervous but if he really was helping she should play along. “Um, to do it?” The guy looked back at the officer and laughed, turned back to her and slapped her hard across the cheek. “Shut the hell up.” Ryan gasped, frozen in shock, had this random guy just slapped her? “I’ll get her home right away, so sorry.” He stuck his hand in her pocket pulling out the pretzel she had taken and tossed it to the cop. “I promise it won’t happen again. C’mon Katey, time to go home.” Ryan’s cheek was on fire, tears were running down her cheeks despite her efforts to hold them back, he guy was now pulling her along side him. After about ten feet he pulled her down another street. “Oh-kay sorry about that,” He looked down at her for a second, she was now desperate to get away from him, but how? He was still holding onto her right upper arm with an iron grip that was bound to give her a bruise. “C’mere, I really am sorry about your cheek, honey.” Is this guy bipolar? “ I’m Westley and this is my buddy James.” He said touching his palm gently to her cheek, she flinched away and he sighed. It wasn’t until he introduced his friend that she saw him. Has that guy been here the whole time? “We should get some ice for that. By the way, your performance back there was genius!” She finally looked up at him, “What?” He laughed, “Um, to do it?” He said mimicking her, and smiling. “Couldn’t have planned it better myself. What’s your name honey?” She hesitated, was this guy actually nice or was this a trick? He had hit her once, who was to say he wouldn’t do it again? “Ryan.”
Westley took in the small girl he had rescued from the cop. She had auburn hair and blue eyes with tons of freckle over her cheeks and nose. She was trying to look tough while tears ran down her reddened cheeks. He did feel a little guilty about slapping her, he hadn’t meant to get so caught up in the moment. “You live around here Ryan?” He asked, her eyes darted back and forth before she started to speak. “Yeah, kinda.” He nodded, “Kinda? As in you take the subway and you’ll get home or climb into a dumpster and go to sleep?” He asked, her clothes were stained and dirty. Her hair was a complete mess and she smelled like she hadn’t had a bath in a few days, maybe longer. She hesitated and he sighed, this girl couldn’t be any older than fourteen, fifteen at the most if she looked young for her age. “I’m fine.” She said with a determined look, she pulled away from him and started to walk off. With in seconds she was nearly run over by a man lugging a huge suitcase behind him. She bumped back bumping into him. “He laughed, “Okay, if you say so. I was gonna by you lunch in apology for smackin’ you. But if you wanna go no skin off my nose.” He said starting to walk away from her, easily dodging the crowd of people that always littered the streets of New York. She turned quickly, “Wait. Lunch? Really?” He shrugged, “Yeah I was going to, but I mean I wouldn’t want to force you into eating a cheeseburger and a milkshake.” Her eyes lit up and she started to look a little desperate before trying to cover it up. “Yeah? I mean, I guess I could eat lunch with you. I mean, you did hit me for no reason.” He smiled, “Okay, right this way.”
He liked her already, she had spunk, she was terrified but trying her best to look like she had everything under control. It was only two block to the house and he was surprised at how she managed to keep up with his long strides. She was a little short but her her strides were quick and she did her best to weave in and out of the crowd. He had done this a few times, he was constantly bringing in runaways to Logan and Desiree in hopes of helping people. So far his efforts hadn’t succeeded. Logan and Desiree only wanted the best fighters for their gang, this did not include girls who were sweet, stupid or pathetic. He was also pretty sure they wouldn’t want a young teeny bopper either. He had to try though, everyone deserved a chance to make it in the world. He opened the door of the restaurant and let Ryan walk in ahead of him, from here he could see Logan and Desiree lounging in the corner booth. “There’s some people you have to meet first.” Westley told Ryan, who was sniffing the air and trying not to look hungry. He led her over to Logan and Desiree and pulled her in front of him. “Hey guys, I have a surprise!’ He said excitedly. Logan frowned, his eyebrows drawing together in the middle. “Oh god, not again.” Desiree sighed loudly and slid crunchy ice from her glass into her mouth. Westley ignored them, “This is Ryan. I helped her out and kind of hit her in the process so I said I’d give her some lunch.”
Logan nodded, “Well, that wasn’t smart, was it? If you remember correctly, Desiree and I own this place. Not you. You can have anything you want, but your new pet has to dig through the dumpsters like the other rats.” He lifted his glass to his mouth keeping his gaze on Westley. He hadn’t taken a second look at Ryan who may have bolted if Westley wasn’t hanging onto her arm.
~
September 23, 2011
Ryan looked up from her book, “Aiden what do you think a yoga fire breath is?” She asked, this had been repeated over and over again by different characters in the series and she was dumbfounded on what it was supposed to be. Aiden shut the fridge and poured milk over his coca puffs. “Hmmm...” He paused thinking it over, “Well, I don’t know what it actually is, but my idea is that it is making a noise like an angry dragon.” He opened his mouth wide and made a roaring air exhale. She laughed and nodded, “Makes sense to me. Probably better than the real thing anyways.” She turned back to her book as Desiree glided into the kitchen. Ryan sniffed, she had tried to be friends with Desiree just a few days ago but she had knew information now. According to house gossip Desiree may have slept with Aaron. Ryan hadn’t believed the news at first. Desiree had lived here for two years, why now? Why did she all of the sudden want Aaron that way? Ryan knew that Desiree and Aaron made out occasionally and it was no secret she was given special privileges and taken on private outings. Ryan was pissed. After four long years of trying everything in her power to win over Aaron Desiree had stomped out all of it in one swoop.
Ryan watched Aiden and Desiree over the top of her book, they were talking about something quietly. So many secrets. The little devil that lived on Ryan’s shoulder perked up. There was one way she could hurt Desiree, it was a dangerous approach. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Ryan had no idea whom had first said this, but she had heard and read it many times and it seemed to fit they way she felt right now. A while back when Desiree had first arrived she had heard rumors from Kim that Desiree and Logan had been “together” before she was taken. Ryan didn’t know if that was true or not, she had never figured out exactly what Desiree and Logan’s relationship was. She knew they were always together and as far as she had seen they had never had a fight between them. They always sat together at meals and shared a bedroom so it would make sense if they were dating. However, they were so hard to read, she had never seen them kiss or show affection. She had never asked Desiree about Logan or their life before Aaron. Desiree probably wouldn’t have answered anyway. Also Ryan feared if she asked Desiree any questions pertaining this she would get really angry and hate her even more. Now she didn’t care if Desiree hated her or not. Desiree had slept with Aaron, now it was personal. “So Desiree...” Ryan said loudly, Aiden and Desiree both turned to her. Aiden had moved to the kitchen table to eat his cereal while Desiree was searching the fridge. “Do you think Logan still misses you?” Ryan waited, her heart was pounding in her ears. She felt certain her cheeks were bright red with anticipation and fear. She had stepped into uncharted territory and there was no turning back.
A knife ripped open scars at the sound of his name. Longing flashed across her face before she could stop it. It was gone in an instant, but she hated herself for reacting at all. He was in the past.
Desiree couldn’t imagine why Ryan would lash out like that. For as long as Desiree could remember, Ryan had been trying to make friends. Why such an aggressive move? There was hunger in Ryan’s face. And fear, but when wasn’t that girl afraid of something? Then it hit her. She knows. Why wouldn’t she? The house was small and had a thousand eyes and ears. She kicked herself inwardly. Why had she given in? Because it was inevitable?
“Aw…Ryan. Are you jealous?” Desiree said in mock compassion. She forced a smile to her face, like everything was fine. Like she was okay with what had happened. Like maybe she was even good with it. Like she was okay with hearing his name. Like it didn’t matter what he was doing right now. Like she hadn’t spent the first six months here not breathing.
|
|
|
Post by J on Dec 28, 2011 0:56:45 GMT -5
Ryan smiled, her bedroom was cloaked in darkness but she would know that smell anywhere. One whiff of Aaron’s cologne and she was instantly at peace and filled with excitement. She hoped her perfume did the same for him, he always said it did but she feared he said the same to all the other girls. She felt the left side of her queen size bed dipped as Aaron climbed into bed beside her, lifting the covers and sliding in. It was the middle of the night and he didn’t normally need her at such short notice and the spontaneity of the moment thrilled her. So what if he had slept with Desiree, he still wanted her. That meant something didn’t it? His arms slid around as his body covered hers, the strong scent of peppermint filled her nose and made her want to sneeze. That was odd, Aaron didn’t chew gum very often and his toothpaste was sweet-mint. She prided herself on knowing these intimate details of his life. Who cares what mint it is, he’s in my bed! She tried to stop smiling and kiss him, he was being a little more aggressive than usual. A tiny voice in the back of her mind was whispering a warning that something didn’t feel quite right. In the two years she had been “intimate” with Aaron she felt she knew his body as well if not better than her own. It wasn’t that he felt a little heavier than a week ago, more like meatier. His kisses began to deepen and then he was removed the thin cotton t-shirt she liked to sleep in. His chest felt wrong... “Aaron--” A loud “SHHH!!” Cut her off as soon as she started to speak. Okay, that wasn’t right, he had always encouraged her to voice how she felt when they were being physical. He always said he liked to know if she was enjoying herself or feeling uncomfortable or wanted more or less of whatever they were doing. Her chest tightened as he moved lowered on her body pulling blankets with him, this wasn’t right. “Wait.” She said quickly, as she felt two strong hands tugging on her underwear. She knew Aaron’s hands and these were rougher and the fingers were shorter, the thumb even felt stumpier. In one quick movement she shifted her knee hard into his groin. The impostor cried out in pain. Paul. She slid out from underneath him, desperately wishing her upper body was covered and tumbled onto the floor.
“Get back here.” Paul grunted slumping to the floor. She tried to stand as he pulled her back down beside her. Even in the dark she felt the need to cover her chest with one arm. “No,” She snapped kicking wildly, the room was so dark she could barely see her hand in front of her face. She had always liked the darkness, it was the light she feared. Light in a dark room made shadows and the shadows made her more afraid than the never ending blackness of night. She couldn’t fight him if she couldn’t see him, at least she had handicapped the thing he loved most at least temporarily. His hadn’t was still wrapped around her wrist, one twist and he could brake her arm if he wanted to. He bragged enough about his strength that she knew what he was capable of. “I’m telling Aaron.” She said, her voice sounded so weak and quiet. When had she become this girl? Where was the strong, brave, and adventurous creature that had run away from home at thirteen? “You kissed me first.” Her breath caught in her throat. He was right, she had initiated the first kiss just moments ago when he slid in beside her. “No, no, I--” He interrupted her again. “You let me take off your clothes, why would you do that unless you wanted this?” He had found her in the dark now. She hadn’t hit his area hard enough he was bouncing back quicker than she had anticipated. His free hand was now gripping her hip bone. She kicked wildly glad she could at least aim better now. He cursed and forced her flat on her back, her thighs trapped underneath his waist. He gathered her hands into on of his and she heard one of her drawers slide open. No. Aiden, where are you? Paul hadn’t been smart enough to realize he needed to shut her up. She opened her mouth and let out a bloodcurdling scream. A hard hit to her face and she was seeing stars, neon purple and yellow flashing before her eyes. She screamed again and he hit her over and over. He couldn’t see in the dark either, his fist was blindly flying flying in the dark connecting with her face, shoulders, head and arms. She kept screaming until his hand closed around her throat. She gasped for air, hoping that Aiden or anyone had heard her screaming and would come to her rescue. She forced herself to uncover her chest with her free arm and try to pull his hand away from her throat.
A loud thud behind Paul made him pause, warm light filled the room from the hallway. She was still seeing stars and everything was too bright but she could see a silhouette standing in her bedroom door. “What the hell?” Aiden. Paul jumped away from her and she nearly forgot she was half naked. Aiden had come to save her, anyone else would have let Paul continue. She hoped Aiden would ensure Paul would receive punishment for this and protect her.
Aiden eyes golden eyes snapped open, one of the girls was screaming. He jumped out of bed dressed in only his Kermit the frog boxers and ran down the hallway towards the scream. It was cut short but he had reached Ryan’s room as it did. He slammed the door open and froze. Paul was lying on top of Ryan and she was wearing almost nothing. He knew Ryan adored Aaron. Ryan would never do anything to upset Aaron, she was faithful to him in ways the other girls often mocked her for. It was a little funny at times, they would be watching a movie and a male character would remove his shirt. Ryan would look away insisting she only wanted to see Aaron, and that looking at anyone else was cheating. The others girls laughed at her but he knew Ryan believed this completely. “What the hell are you doing?” Aiden growled as Paul made a pathetic attempt to jump away from Ryan with a innocent look on his face. Paul began to stand up, he made the mistake of taking a glance at Ryan out of the corner of his eye and Aiden chose that second to pounce on him. He toppled Paul back onto the floor banging his head on the dresser drawers on the way down. Ryan slid out of the way, he paid no attention to her, she knew enough to stay out of his way. “You bastard!” Aiden growled punching Paul square in the jaw, his opponent was nearly down from their fall. He reached up and grabbed a silk scarf on Ryan’s desk that she sued as a belt and tied Paul’s hands, making sure the fabric was cutting off his circulation. His wrists wouldn’t be tied long, he just needed to make sure there was no way for him to escape.
Paul tried to speak and each time Aiden clocked him again. He hit Paul three more times for good measure, the rage he felt toward him needed to be set free. “You are done.” He muttered, “Trying to take advantage of sweet little Ryan.” He looked up from Paul satisfied he was down for the count and turned to find Ryan pulling in a ball underneath her blankets. He carefully pulled them back, her face was buried in her pillow her knees pulled tight up against her chest. “Tell me what happened.” He used his gentle voice, complete opposite from the one he had used on Paul. She pulled her face away from the pillow a little. “I thought he was Aaron.” She said in a tiny voice before bursting into tears. Aiden sighed and reached under the covers for her, “C’mon.” He gathered her in his arms and carried her to his room. His door could be locked from the outside or the inside, he had insisted on it for privacy. It made him feel like it was truly his own space that way. He set Ryan down on the couch in his room and covered her with a blanket. She had put on a t-shirt while he was beating Paul, but she still looked uncovered and terrified. “I’ll be right back. I need to let Aaron know what happened.” He said stroking her hair and turning to leave. “No! He’ll think it’s my fault.” She cried and wiped at her tear sodden face with the blanket. “He won’t believe me.”
He sighed and sat down beside her, “Ryan, you and I both know you love Aaron way too much to ever even think about another guy let alone sleep with one.” Ryan shrugged, her blue eyes huge with sadness. “Aaron won’t care about that. I let some stuff happen before he... and then... when he was... “ She burst into another fit of tears. He sighed, he was reaching the end of his comfort zone. Saving her and protecting her was easy, dealing with her like this was a lot harder. “Okay, well, I still need to tell him. I’m going to lock the door, so you’ll be safe. Alright?” She gasped and looked up at him, “Please. Please don’t leave.” She grabbed a hold of his arm. He shook his head, “I’ll only be gone for a minute.” He pried her fingers off of him and rushed out the door securely locking it behind him. There were a few obstacles in his way: One, it was the middle of the night, Aaron would not be please to be awakened at this hour. Two, Aiden wasn’t allowed into Aaron’s room. He paused in the hallway just outside an “Aaron Privacy Zone”, he needed to get the one person that was allowed everywhere. Desiree. He turned around and headed to Desiree’s room. She was not going to like this, but he didn’t have any other options. He reached Desiree’s bedroom and was about to knock then figured it might be better to gently wake her. He slowly turned the knob and entered her room, the light from the hallway preceded him inside. He quietly tiptoed to one side of her bed and reached out to touch her shoulder. “Dez...” He whispered loudly.
|
|
|
Post by J on May 3, 2012 13:28:35 GMT -5
July 30, 2007 ((Second voicemail on Desiree’s phone))
Logan paced his bedroom, it was nearly four in the morning. Desiree had been gone for over 48 hours now. Where was she? A tiny flicker of anxiety feared she might have been taken like the other girls. It wasn’t possible, Desiree was too strong to be brought down. However, the odds were against her. She fit the profile of the other girls, and she had been alone. Well, at least she wasn’t with any of her gang members, for all he knew she had been in a crowded movie theatre or a bar. What was he thinking? Of course she hadn’t been taken. She was just blowing off steam. That was all, nothing to freak out about. He sighed and tried calling her again. His pride had stopped him from calling her since the morning before. She hadn’t called him back. Not a good sign. The outgoing message was her name only again. “Dez, it’s me. You’ve made your point. I get it. It’s not my place to tell you what to do. I’m...” He paused and groaned, why couldn’t he just man up and say it? “I’m Sorry.” He waited, if she listened to this voicemail she was going faint from shock. He hated apologizing. Absolutely hated it. It was worse than admitting he was wrong. First it meant someone else was right, second that you were in the wrong, and lastly that you had to say all of it out loud and beg forgiveness. He knew Desiree well enough that just saying the words, “I’m sorry,” weren’t enough. He had to make it up to her, or at least promise to do so and follow through. He smiled a little, “I’ll make it up to you.” He smiled imagining all the ways he could do so. “Come home tonight and I’ll do that thing you love as long and as much as you want.” He tried not to laugh as he added, “And I’ll strip tease.” Perfect, there was no way she would be mad after hearing that. “I love you Beautiful, call me when you get this.”
|
|
|
Post by Free on Sept 15, 2020 17:44:17 GMT -5
[[Desiree's response to Ryan's post is above.]]
Desiree wished the screaming had woken her up because that would have meant she’d been sleeping. She crept to her door in the dim light emanating from under it. She leaned against the door and sank to the floor. Don’t go out there. This is not your gang. These girls arenot your problem. Her heart pounded.
Before she could change her mind, she was up, pulling on some PJ bottoms over her navy panties and unlocking the door. No one was in the hall. She moved silently in the direction of the screaming. In living the living room, she saw Aiden appear.
She sank back into the shadows of the kitchen. She watched him continue in the direction she’d been headed. By the dim glow of the living room nightlights, she noted the firm lines of the muscles on his legs and chest.
He was clearly focused on the commotion because he didn’t seem to notice her follow him to Ryan’s door. She watch from the doorway as Aiden dealt with Paul. He was hard to figure out.
They were friends, sort of. She trusted him to a point. It’s hard to hate the guy that does your laundry. The point she had trouble getting past was that he was the reason she was here. It was partly ridiculous. If it hadn’t been him, it would have been someone else. It wasn’t like he carried around the reason she stayed around in a locked box on his neck.
She wondered sometimes, when they spent time together, what he thought of her. Aaron had always said he was the only one that could ever accept her, knowing everything…but hadn’t Aiden used that information? Didn’t that mean he knew too? And he doesn’t seem to care… But then Aiden also wasn’t trying to date her. That’d be suicide in Aaron’s house.
The thing she was had trouble figuring out was exactly what he wanted. He seemed to care about people, but not enough to care if he blackmailed them into staying here. He protected people, obviously, she’d just see that. But what did he want? You can’t live your whole life for someone else for a little cash and some musical equipment, can you?
She watched Aiden carry Ryan back to his room from the shadows before slipping back into hers. She wondered if he would get in trouble for that. She considered locking her door, but there way no way anyone have the guts to come after her.
She leaned back against the door and let herself drop to the floor again. The house may be quiet now, but she was more awake than ever. She closed her eyes, counting seconds. There are so many in a lifetime. There was a song about that, right?
She jumped when she heard her door knob turn. She moved out of the way as a figure approached her bed.
Aiden’s voice called out softly, “Dez?”
She moved toward him, forcing the tension out of body so she looked relaxed. Because it's totally normal to be hanging out by the door to your bedroom in the dark in the middle of the night.
“A little late for girl talk, isn’t it?” she asked.
|
|