Authors Note: In the first chapter here when Margaret is finally introduced please keep in mind that characters will be a bit OOC. I'm trying my hardest to keep it realistic. I actually do like Margaret! She's a super cute character, but I can imagine her being territorial, especially when it comes to Mordecai. You'll notice that in the episode with Cloudy Jane. She gets really jealous when she thinks Mordecai is dating her. I'm sure if the story line had progressed on the subject, she wouldn't have been too friendly with her.
P.s. The short poem under the title DOES NOT belong to me. I found it online here: [ clubs/angels/articles/101858/title/curse-poem-abou t-fallen-angel] All credit for that piece goes to it's rightful owner. Also, of course, I don't own anything related to Regular Show or it's characters. Those belong to J.G. Quintel. I only own this story idea and the Character Juliette Amethyst-Rose Waters (a.k.a. Julia Winters)
P.s.s. Last thing, I promise! In my story all characters have been humanized!
Anyway...here's chapter one! Enjoy.
A Life Less Ordinary
"My wings are broken, frozen, stiff and bare…but I must find someone,somehow, somewhere.To help with the search, to help with my goal,I must capture an untainted new soul."
Chapter One: This One's For The Birds
'Step, inhale, step, exhale, step, inhale, step, exhale'. I repeat to myself as I start my walk to the office of one Mr. Benson, the local park manager. I moved to the city of Twin Pines after taking some classes at the community college of my previous town in the major of English and a minor in Music and the Arts. I completed the first few classes but decided that sitting in a chair and staring at a board was no way to improve my creative skills…let alone satisfy my passions for them.
I hoped moving to this new town would give me a better edge to start succeeding in life. My home town was small and boring and I never was very popular; especially in high school. But, I'm 20 now, so no need to reminisce on something so long ago. Anyway, point is I didn't have the best life there and there are some people I just had to get off my mind for good, which, considering I've had memory troubles since I can remember, it wasn't too hard to forget. The only bad part about it was…I can't for the life of me remember anything about me, my past or my entire life before the age of 16…but more about that little problem a bit later because…I'm here!
I knocked on the closed door and waited for Mr. Benson's voice to call me in. He replied with a "Come in" almost instantly, but it felt like a good few minutes had passed for me; probably the nerves. I never was one for communicating with strangers. So, as I slowly open the door I'm greeted by the sunshine of the open Venetian blinds and a nice but focused man sitting at his desk, staring at me; probably waiting for me to introduce myself.
"Ah, hello? Mr. Benson, is it?" I asked, shy and a little quiet. "Yes, and you must be Ms. Waters. Juliette, right?" He asked me with a small smile on his face. I just smiled sweetly and nodded a bit before sitting down in the chair in front of the desk he motioned me to. "It seems you've got quite an impressive résumé, Ms. Waters. You are fluent in four languages including English, German, French and Italian. You've waitressed at a number of cafés and your former managers raved about your polite and soft demeanor. That and your well-known for your cleanliness and it's written here that: '[you] do windows'. "Aha! I like you already, Ms. Waters! I'd like to be the first to welcome you as a new member of the crew!" He said hefty and with great pleasure as if he didn't get the chance to compliment his employees often. But, that couldn't possibly be true…right?
As part of my contract I get free room and board, as long as I bring my own furniture and accommodations. A more than fair agreement if I've ever seen one. I take my reasonably sized suitcase…okay reasonably sized suitcase for a girl...and lug that sucker up the stairs. After what feels like an hour…but was probably only 3 minutes tops, I reach the top and look for the room number marked number '5'. I put the key given to me into the keyhole and unlock it. I hear the levers click and go to turn the knob…but…it's stuck. The door won't open! I bang my shoulder against it a bit, but nothing. I bang my head against the door in defeat and groan when I hear a voice behind me call out.
"Oh hey! Sorry about that, this old boarding house is a piece of crap and things get stuck all the time. Let me help you with that!" I hear an almost too familiar man's voice call out behind me. I'm frozen in shock just a bit, head still pressed against my door and I hear his increasing pace come towards my back. "That voice…but, it can't be…can it? No! No, of course not Juliette, you silly girl! That would be absolutely ridicu…" My train of thought was broken by him reaching the door and gently guiding me to the side while he attempts to open the door they way I tired, but only with much more force. A few bangs later and this demon door from hell still won't open and all I can do is just stand there dumbfounded staring at this man trying to open my door.
Just then another man swings around the corner, a really tall, incredibly muscular man with shoulder length white hair and a matching beard. Despite the white hair on him, he only seems to be in his mid to late 40's. "Hey, Skips! Do you think you can help us get the new girl's door open? This piece of crap is majorly stuck!" "Oh, sure, no problem, Mordecai." The man apparently named Skips said as he made his way down the hall to us. When he reached the door, he had a go at it. Within a split second he had it opened. It was incredible; it didn't even look like it was any sort of challenge for him. "There ya go, Miss." He said sweetly and smiling. "Uhm, thank you…" I said soft and almost inaudible as I looked at the ground. "No, problem, what's your name, Miss?" He asked. And I just stood there frozen again and in a panic. "Oh yeah, I forgot to ask you that! Ahaha. Also, you look kind familiar, have we met somewhere before?" Mordecai asked while laughing.
'Okay, Juliette, you're a smart girl and you can totally figure this out! What's a totally realistic fake name that you can totally just spit out?' As I was trying to be what I thought clever was, they just looked at each other and then at me with each an eyebrow raised and looking at me quizzically. 'Oh no, Juliette, you're taking too long! They're staring me! Quick!' "Uh…my name is Julia…Yeah! Julia Winters! I said proud of myself until I actually thought about it in the next second. 'Oh Holy Jeezis, Juliette…you're so stupid!' I said scolding myself. "So uhm, aha, no I don't think we've ever met…uh…Mordecai was it? Well, anyway, thanks so much you guys for helping me open my door! But, I got to get going; Unpacking and all aha. You know how it is ahaha! I said, louder than a typical inside voice and also more than in a painfully obvious uncomfortable tone as I slammed the door behind me.
They both just stand there somewhat dumbfounded trying to figure what might have just happened. "What a strange, girl." Mordecai said. Skips looks at him unamused and says "Oh and you're the epitome of normal?" To which Mordecai just stared at him, nodded and shrugged and both walked off back to their own lives.
"Ugh, this is awful! Painfully awful!" I said freaking out alone in my room. "What am I going to do? Mr. Benson knows my real name, but I can't let anyone else know that!" I said pacing around my room. "Ahhh! Of all the places and of all the jobs in this entire freaking world, why'd I have to wind up at the same one as him?" I said falling onto my naked bed. "My life is officially hated by the Gods!"…
After unpacking everything and putting it in its place, I lay down on my freshly made bed and hugged one of my pillows tight. 'Jeez…This is a nightmare.' I think to myself. 'The last time I was in the same place as Mordecai, it was literally the most embarrassing day in my entire life. I literally wanted to die that day…' I think as I close my eyes and relive that awful day my sophomore year.
~*~Flashback~*~
"Oh my gosh…WHAT is she wear..." I heard one blonde say to one red head. "Dude, isn't that that really weird gir…?" I heard one jock say to another. I got that a lot. Loud whispers around every corner. Nasty surprises being left for me all over. But, that wasn't so bad. What did I care what people I didn't even know thought? I doubt I'd see them again after high school anyway. Well, accept maybe at our school reunion, but by that time, I'd be a successful artist or novelist and they'd all be washed up slubs. That's right! There's only one person whose opinion truly matters! And that's mine: Juliette Amethyst-Rose Water's! Well…almost only mine. There's this boy…who's super nice and totally handsome whose opinion matters just as much as mine. And his name is Mordecai. He's the most beautiful boy in the whole school!
Mordecai was super charismatic, popular, simply gorgeous and most important of all totally sweet! Well, to his friends at least. I hardly ever saw him interact with anyone else. So, it wasn't any wonder that I would fall for someone like him. I shared a few classes with him, Art History, Music and one Independent Study class. I always knew he wasn't the brightest boy in school, but when it came to his art work, he was brilliant! He went for a more abstract approach, but the feelings and emotion he portrayed in his paintings made me feel as if I was one with them.
I never had the courage to tell him how I felt about his masterpieces, but he'd catch me admiring them from time to time before I quickly turned away and hid my face behind my hair. So, on some level, I'm sure he knew.
Of course, I'm not so shallow as to just fall for some pretty face who can work his way around a paint brush! No, there's another reason. One straight out of a fairy tale! Okay, maybe not a fairy tale, but at least a really cheesy romance novel. You know, the ones with the obligatory half naked woman on them lying in the arms of the famous Fabio? The ones strictly targeted to desperate and lonely housewives who read them when their impassionate husbands are at work.
I was helping around the school, cleaning and raking the yards for some volunteer work. I was working contently until I heard some light chirping. Not regular chirps though…it sounded scared and distressed. I followed the soft sound and noticed it came from a pile of leaves under a tree I had already finished raking.
I brush away some leave and found a tiny baby blue jay. I look up and sure enough there was a nest with three other little baby blue jays squawking about; most likely waiting for their mother to return with lunch. I decided that I had to help the poor dear, but also to hurry, lest his mother return before I can place him back in. It wasn't scared of me, however. It seemed calm and relaxed. Maybe it liked me, maybe it was finally warm in my grip, or maybe it was the lemon lavender perfume I was wearing giving him a calming effect. Either way, I found it a bit strange, but nice.
As I tuck the tiny dear in my chest pocket on my autumn coat, I started to carefully climb the tall maple. It was a bit of a struggle but once I finally reached the branch right below his home, I saw his adorable siblings and placed him in said nest, after kissing his tiny head. As I was admiring the miracle of nature I heard a series of cracks. I looked down at the branch I was on and it was starting to break. I panicked and tried to climb to the end of the branch, but it was futile; before I knew it, it snapped and I was tumbling a good distance down. I was guaranteed to break at least a few bones from this distance. As I closed my eyes, I screamed and prepared for the worst. But I didn't land harshly on the cold, frost-bitten ground. No, I landed in something. Something warm, something soft…something that smelled like a really good men's cologne!
When I opened my eyes after a few long seconds, the first thing I was his worried expression. "Are you alright?!" He asked loud. "What were you thinking? You could have gotten severely hurt!" He continued to speak loudly. I wasn't listening, though. All I could think about was the pretty boy who was an abstract master just saved my life. Okay, well not life, but bones! He definitely saved my bones.
"Juliette?" He said in a worried, questioning voice. That made me snap back to reality. 'Did he just say me name?! He knows my name?! Oh my gosh! This is amazing!' I thought. "Uhm…I'm sorry." I said meekly, looking at him with a rather noticeable blush. He gently placed me down back onto my feet and turned to walk away. "Just be more careful." He said. "Ah…thank you…" I said softly as I watched him walk away. He stopped, turned slowly, looked at me, closed his eyes and smiled the most absolutely heart-melting smiling anyone could ever smile and I swear I heard my heart beats; every last one. Ever since then I haven't been able to stop thinking about that amazing, wonderful, absolutely beautiful boy.
After that, things ultimately returned to normal. He'd paint, I'd admire from afar and we'd never spoke to each other again. Well, we did one more time, quite a few weeks later the day after the big home game, or whatever was so special that was sports related. I paid no mind to such a useless pastime, but my best friend Thomas made me go with him. He liked sports like most men, but was more interested in the cheerleaders…like most men.
So we went and sat on the cold, hard bleachers, in the crisp autumn air watching a bunch of burly men run into each other. Well, it didn't take long for me to focus on other things. I brought my sketchpad and started scribbling down some doodles. However, when I looked up for a second, I saw Mordecai, sitting there a few rows in front of me and decided he was a much more interesting thing to observe.
I placed away my sketchpad and pulled out my faux leather bound journal. I started to re-live that day Mordecai had saved me and thought that I had better write it down lest I ever forget such an important moment!
I started carrying this journal around after realizing that if I didn't, I'd very well forget all the important pieces that ever made my life special or made me who I was today. Plus, I could use this particular memory perhaps in an upcoming story of mine, if nothing else.
As I was observing him, I saw him observe her, the beautiful, classy, polite, captain of the cheer squad, Margaret Smith. She was doing her flips and tumbles and stood proudly atop the pyramid of girls. They did it without any fat chicks at the bottom, either, so needless to say even I was a bit impressed.
Margaret was perfect. She was super bright, always cheerful, incredibly popular and the object of Mordecai's affection. As jealous as I was, I couldn't hate Margaret. She'd never done anything to anyone and it made me sick. I hated that I couldn't hate her…At least at first I felt that way. Then I'd just feel bad at the thought of me wishing to hate another life. I just don't feel they should be together, however. I feel like she uses poor Mordecai. Always making plans with him and then cancelling at the last minute for a date with another man, getting his hopes up and then crushing them. I think she cares about him…but not in the way he wants her to…not in the way I could. Then again, my perception is completely biased, so what do I know?
The thing about Margaret though is that she has one major flaw. Her temper when crossed. I have never once see her angry until the day I accidentally set her off. Sometime in between the end of the game and the hustle to get out, I must've dropped my journal. When I got home and couldn't find it, I went crazy, destroying my room searching for it, retracing my steps until the only logical thing I could think of was that I must've dropped it at some point on the field.
I grabbed my jacket and ran as fast as I could back to the school's football field. When I got there I noticed the more popular people set up a party on the field. I hid behind a tree and listened as I heard my name spoken my Margaret's best friend, Eileen.
Eileen was another really sweet girl and while she was considered popular, it was only popularity by association. Eileen was the smartest girl in school; she was meek and was captain of the debate and math team. Side by side with Margaret was about chest level to Margaret. She was a tiny 5'1" to Margaret's impressive 5'11". Two inches taller than me, even. I thought I was tall for a girl, but I guess I didn't have much on Margaret…again.
"Hey, Margaret, check this out!" Eileen yelled over to her. "What is it, Eileen?" Margaret asked with a happy smile. "I found this journal on the field over there and far be it from me to ever invade someone's privacy, I opened what I thought was the front cover, but turned out to be the back." Eileen said exasperated. "Uh…what's the point, Eileen?" Margaret said confused. "The point is, Margaret, that when I opened it, I saw an entry that was about Mordecai!" Eileen said a bit concerned. Most likely due to the fact that she knew that Mordecai was Margaret's property; even if Margaret would never put it that way out loud. "Mordecai, huh? Let me see." She said, motioning to Eileen to hand over the journal. She started reading the entry, very focused.
By this time all the people at the party were gathered around when suddenly, who else but the object of this nightmare I'm in appears. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late, I had to go help Rigby with something." Mordecai said running up to the group.
Rigby was Mordecai's best friend since the age of 5. He's the crush of little Eileen and it makes her and quite a few sad that he decided to drop out of high school during the 10th grade. He was never very bright but was always funny and made the environment fun to be in.
"Hey, what's everybody looking at, anyway?" Mordecai asked confused. "Oh it's Mordecai the lady killer!" One unimportant jock yelled. "Yeah, I'm jealous!" Another on yelled. "What?" Mordecai says really confused walking up to Margaret who's face seemed to turn sour rather quickly.
"It seems you're the handsome hero to this infatuated girl, Mordecai." She said with venom in her voice, shoving the book close to his face. He began reading it, slightly embarrassed as he read on. "So who was it, Mordocool?" One of the guys asked, still laughing. "Uh…I mean…It was that Juliette girl, I think." He said, giving the journal back to Margaret. Everyone gasped at that and started talking to each other again. "You mean that weird girl?" One girl said. "Oh man, that girl is a world class fool!" Another guy laughed.
'Jeez! This is the worst moment of my entire life!' I thought. 'I have to get out of here now! If I don't they eat me alive for sure!' I said as I backed up slowly…right onto a tree branch, ironically. It was a loud snap and everyone shot their glanced towards the noise…towards me.
"Hey it's her!" Some girls exclaimed. At this point I was wishing for a swift death right then and there, but like most things you wish for, it didn't happen and all I could do was stay frozen in fear. I couldn't move any part of me and the only things I could focus on was Margaret's figure walking slowly towards me; her eyes a little more narrow than what they usually are and her usual happy go lucky smile completely gone into a narrow straight, unamused line.
As she closed in, invading my personal space, hovering over me with her slightly taller stature she spoke, "I'm sorry…Juliette was it? I hate to burst your delusional bubble, but you're just nowhere near good enough for someone like Mordecai." She said almost effortlessly like it was a true known fact of the world. My eyes grew wide after that. I heard murmurs and snickers from behind her and she continued on. "I mean even he could tell you himself. Isn't that right Mordecai?" She asked, smiling turning around to face him. My heart dropped that instant.
"Uhm…Well…" Mordecai said hesitantly and confused. "Oh don't be so coy, Mordecai! Tell her that the only one who could ever be the best match for you is me." She said proudly. This, I noticed, had caught him off guard. Like the words he'd been waiting forever to hear have finally been spoken. "Let her know, Mordecai, that she needs to back down." Margaret announced.
At this point my legs feel weak, I can't breathe and I'm becoming more and more nervous by the second. I reluctantly look over at Mordecai and his eyes are wide and his mouth agape. "Do you really mean that, Margaret? Do you really think we'd be a good match?" He questioned her, astonished. "Of course, my dear Mordo! Just tell little Juliette here that there's no hope, so that this little issue is no longer a waste of anyone's time." She replied. Almost instantly he said "Huh? Oh yeah yeah, Juliette you're obsessions with me needs to stop. You're definitely no Margaret and it's obvious to everyone around that you're not right for me." He spoke, never once removing his gaze from Margaret.
My heart shattered right then and there. The whole crowd started laughing. "There, now that wasn't so hard. Problem solved, right?" She said, returning to her usual cheerful disposition as she threw my journal to my feet. By this time my body allowed me to finally unfreeze. I slowly bent down, picked up the book and ran. I ran as far as I could as fast as I could. When I finally returned home I threw my journal on the floor and my body onto my bed.
For the rest of the school year I got teased but after the initial first month it became "yesterday's news". Margaret, naturally, never kept her word and continued to play with Mordecai, making excuses as to why the current man she was with deserved a chance. I saw that one coming. After that I avoided them at all cost and never spoke to them again.
~*~End Flashback~*~
A knock on the door wakes me out of my nightmarish trance. I realized by that time I'd been crying. I quickly wipe the tears from my cheek and eyes and meekly say, "Come in."
"Ah, Ms. Waters, sorry to disturb you but here I wrote and printed out your schedule and daily duties." Mr. Benson said as he handed me a manila folder of papers. "Oh thank you, sir!" I said cheerfully and tacked the schedule to my wall. "Anyway, I have to get back to work; some employees here don't have your superb credentials." He said a little annoy looking out my window. Outside you Mordecai and Rigby play fighting with each other instead of what I'm assuming was a job of raking leave by the looks of the messy lawn and rakes strewn about.
"If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask!" Mr. Benson said returning to a calm, happy disposition as he headed towards the door. "Uhm…Mr. Benson?" I hesitated, thinking about how to ask this silly question. "Yes, Juliette?" He turned around to look at me. "Could…could you please refer to me as Julia Winters from now on? I realize that's a silly request, but I've always preferred that name and wished it as my own." I said, looking past him at the wall outside in the hall. "Well, sure Juliette…erm Julia. I guess I could do that." He said a bit confused, but happy to oblige. "Thank you." I said sweetly and watched him leave.
'Oh boy…what have I gotten myself into now?' I thought a bit distressed. "I wonder how long I can keep up this charade before he figures it out.' I think as I watch him out the window. He appeared to be stacking chairs on top of each other and started climbing them as some of the other employees cheered him on. It didn't take him long to fall down and hurt himself. I stared down in exhaustion. 'Then again…maybe this might not be so hard, after all.' I said relived quite a bit.
