I have been tossing this story around in my head for a time now and finally found the words I wanted to use to describe it. I will not abandon my other stories even though it may seem like I already have...they are in the works. This fic will be darker yes but there will also be light. It's not all doom and gloom I promise but certain events kind of lean that way. Even still I hope you enjoy reading this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold.
Chapter I
The front door creaked loudly as it opened, the hinges grinding from the weight of the door and their lack of maintenance. Small flakes of rusted metal chipped off and fell to the floor behind the door. Windows were boarded up leaving the inside veiled in an eerie darkness. Some light managed to flood through small cracks and areas the thin wood could not fully cover. Tiny balls of dust danced in the rays of sunlight, some movements becoming erratic with the small gust of wind the door managed to produce upon opening.
Drawing in a deep breath, she stepped across the threshold. The floor boards emitting a low groan at the added pressure of her weight, the sound echoing throughout the hollow structure. Another step on the dusty, dirt covered floor, silent but even that seemed to carry its own sound. By observation, the house had been cleared quite some time ago. The walls and floors were now bare excluding the thick layer of dust that covered every surface.
She reached over slowly and flipped the light switch…nothing. A low weary sigh escaped her lips as she turned her attention back to the surrounding area, "Should've known."
Turning now to face the living room area, she stepped forward relying solely on memory to guide her. Bright sunshine flooded the entryway behind her forcing the darkness to recede and slowly warming the area now void of shadow. Where the warms rays of the sun could not reach, the darkness reined and pushed all warmth out. The darkness befitted this place; dreary memories filled the halls and rooms. This place never held any real warmth.
A soft tapping on the door frame drew her attention, "Hello?" An equally soft voice fell on her ears and she turned to walk back towards the front doorway.
"Hi Phoebe, it's been awhile huh?" A soft smile played on her lips as she looked at the petite girl standing cautiously in the open doorway.
A small tear ran down the girl's cheek and she smiled up at her, "It sure has, Helga." She stepped forward slowly and wrapped her arms around Helga tightening her grip once she was certain it was no figment of her imagination. Helga wrapped her arms around Phoebe and buried her face into her shoulder. The two stood still for a moment, needing the contact more than the other knew before finally pulling away.
Phoebe looked up at Helga and began to rub her upper arm in a nervous fashion as her eyes scanned the area around them. "Helga, I'm so sor-"
Helga cut her off with a wave of her hand, silencing the small girl. "Look Phoebe there is no need to apologize. I have gotten enough of that over the past six months to do me a lifetime." She let out a huff and turned to look over her shoulder at the empty house, "If anyone should be apologizing it should be me. I should have come back sooner after what happened." Her eyes dropped to the floor as she turned her head back towards Phoebe and raised them to make eye contact.
Phoebe reached a hand out and placed it on Helga's shoulder, "No, you shouldn't. Everyone deals with life differently. No one expected you to come running back after this happened." Her eyes flickered around Helga and then back, "It was a shock to us all."
Helga nodded her head slowly as her focus dropped to the floor once more. She furrowed her brow and bit her lip in concentration, "I should be hurting, they were my family." She looked back up to Phoebe and shook her head, "I have experienced a lot over the last six years. Some things I do not wish to speak of, some things I probably should for the sake of sanity…what little I have left. But this," she gestured to the house with her right arm, "This just isn't hitting a nerve like I thought it would. I am upset, yes, but I can't find it in myself to shed even a single tear."
"Like I said," Phoebe smiled sadly at her childhood best friend, "Everyone deals with things differently. Don't feel bad because you cannot show remorse now. Honestly, I don't think they would want you to. They knew you were strong and in the end they were proud of you."
Helga's eyes burned, tears forming in the corners but dared not to fall. Of course Phoebe would understand her way of coping with life better than anyone else she had ever known. Even better than her own family did and she was eternally grateful to have found such a friend in Phoebe. As long as she still had Phoebe in her life she still had family.
"Okay," Helga drew in a deep calming breath, "I need a breather."
"Want to join me for lunch?" Phoebe chimed in, her voice more chipper but still low. "I can take you to this new sub shop I found and we can catch up a bit if you would like? Trust me when I say it's good, I go there often."
"Yeah, let's do that." Helga turned to grab the door handle, pausing to take one final look inside before closing the door and locking it. She turned to face Phoebe who was now standing at the bottom of the stoop waiting. "Mind if I ride with you?"
"Not at all." Phoebe gestured for Helga to follow her to her car which was parked just across the street. She hit the unlock button on the key fob and opened the driver side door to get inside. Helga followed suit and opened the passenger side door getting inside careful not to bump her head.
"Nice car." Helga examined the clean interior and state of the art design.
"Thank you, Helga." Phoebe started the car and the sound of '90s pop music filled the cab. Helga giggled and looked to Phoebe, "What?"
"Interesting choice of music." Helga pointed towards the radio and smiled brightly.
Phoebe giggled, "I like to shake things up a bit from time to time."
"Well played." Helga hummed nodding her head to the beat. Phoebe put the car in gear and pulled from the curbside parking area heading in the direction of her favorite lunchtime spot. It wasn't long before the atmosphere in the car lightened and the two found themselves singing along to the music.
…..
The little sub shop was warmly decorated, inviting and the soft melody coming from the speakers was relaxing. Nothing like what Helga had expected and that she liked.
They both walked towards the counter side by side when a large man standing behind the counter looked up and smiled a bright welcoming smile. "Phoebe! How are you?" With a quick wave of his hand he was walking around the counter towards the small girl.
"Hello Mr. Thomas, I'm doing fine. How about yourself?" She smiled and gave a small wave in return.
Mr. Thomas walked up to Phoebe and enveloped her in a firm hug chuckling loudly. "Oh I'm about as fine as fine could be." His attention flickered to Helga and he beamed. "Now who is this lovely young lady?"
"Mr. Thomas, this is Helga. My best friend and non-biological sister." Phoebe giggled as she looked to Helga. "She just got back to town and I wanted to bring her here for lunch."
The large burly man focused on Helga and smile extending a hand in a friendly manner, "Nice to meet you Helga."
"Nice to meet you as well." Helga took his hand and gave a friendly handshake.
"Well now," Mr. Thomas stood tall placing his hands on his hips, "What can I get for you two today?"
"Umm," Phoebe tapped her finger on her chin and looked to the display board with the various specials. "What's it today?" She questioned looking back to the man.
"Smoked turkey with all the fixin's." He beamed. "My own recipe."
"Sounds good. I'll have that please." Phoebe turned to Helga, "What about you Helga?"
"Hmm? Oh, um, I'm not really hungry to be honest. Maybe something small?" Helga shrugged looking at the menu.
"We can share mine. I can never finish it all by myself anyways." Phoebe suggested and received a nod of approval from Helga.
Mr. Thomas clapped his hands together, "Alright, comin' right up!" He moved swiftly stepping back behind the counter.
Helga and Phoebe found an empty booth and seated themselves while their lunch was being prepared. The shop had only about a handful of customers at the moment so light chatter filled the air mixing with the melodic sounds of the music being played.
"So," Helga turned to Phoebe, "How's life?"
"Hectic but enjoyable." A small frown appeared on Phoebe's face as her eyes darted towards the window.
"Care to share?" Helga urged softly. Normally she would not care to bother someone into elaborating any details but Phoebe was family to her and she did care for her a lot.
"Some things change as we all know and I have to learn to accept them just like anybody else." A soft shrug and deep sigh were all that followed the statement.
"Phoebe." Firmness now present in Helga's tone as she took in her best friends current state, "What's going on?"
"Oh Helga, you have enough to deal with right now so don't worry about me, okay?" Phoebe tried for a small reassuring smile but failed miserably when her eyes meet Helga's.
Raising an eyebrow, Helga leaned forward placing her elbows onto the table and spoke in a hushed tone, "You worry about me, I worry about you. It's a vicious cycle that I don't intend to break. Now what's going on?"
With a defeated sigh Phoebe looked down at her lap wringing her hands, "Gerald and I broke up." Her voice was low, a nearly inaudible whisper but Helga caught it. She immediately straightened back up and looked at Phoebe, studying her body language trying to find any indicators of foul play. "I…we, just grew apart I guess. There was more stress than anything else and it was making the relationship unbearable. We finally reached our breaking point."
"When?" Helga asked evenly still studying Phoebe as she spoke.
"About two weeks ago." Phoebe's eyes trailed back to the window as she fell silent.
"Phoebe, I'm sorry." Any and all encouraging words were blanked out. Helga knew how much her friend cared for Gerald and how happy and excited she was when he had finally asked her out four years ago. Phoebe had called Helga's phone squealing in delight saying that Gerald had finally done it; he had finally asked her to be his girlfriend. And now she sits here before Helga, crushed.
A soft chuckled left Phoebe's lips as her eyes met Helga's, "Don't apologize, Helga. I thought we already covered this?" Helga smiled at Phoebe as she let out a long sigh, "It was for the best, I think."
Helga was about to speak again when a large arm blocked her view, "Here you are ladies! Enjoy!" Mr. Thomas smiled and turned walking back towards the counter just as the doorbell rang signaling the arrival of more customers.
"Well," Phoebe drew in a deep breath and smiled, "let's eat."
….
"Oh my," Phoebe covered her mouth with her hand, "That sounds horribly painful."
Helga nodded in agreement, "As soon as my foot slipped I knew I was in for it. The grip on the bottom of my boots just wasn't enough so down I started to go. Luckily I wasn't too far from the ground by the time I let go so that didn't hurt as much as the rope burn."
"How bad was it?" Phoebe asked now completely enthralled by the story.
"Bad enough that my company medic deemed it a bad idea for me to attend the days weapons training." Helga shrugged tapping her finger on her chin as the two continued to walk through the park. "I still went of course." She smiled down at Phoebe.
"Of course." Phoebe giggled.
They were silent for a moment before Phoebe spoke again. "So, um, how was it? Is it as intimidating as the commercials and movies make it out to be?"
Helga laughed lightly, "Nah. To be honest the movies hold some truths yeah, but they are also full of crap. I really can't even watch a military related movie now without sitting there pointing out all of their mistakes." She chuckled again waving her hand, "The experience is…different. Intimidation is a factor of life; it's not specified by life preferences. You could be put in a situation that overwhelms you just by going to the local grocery store." Helga shrugged looking to Phoebe.
Phoebe nodded, "True."
"It's really no different from any other life choice. You work for it, you dedicate yourself to it, and you strive to improve and move up, accomplish goals and set new ones. Yes, there are differences but the relationship that you build with those that stand next to you help you follow through. It is much less intimidating so to speak when you have others standing around you in the same situation as you trying for the same things you are." Helga's face turned serious for a moment and her eyes dropped to the ground. "They become another family to you. A family that you train beside and may one day, die beside."
"Wow, Helga," Phoebe looked up at Helga with wide eyes, adjusting her glasses on her nose. "You feel very passionate about this don't you?"
A small smile appeared on Helga's face but her eyes never left the ground in front of her, "Yeah." She breathed.
A comfortable silence fell between the two as they continued to walk. Eventually coming to a stop by the entrance to the park not far from where Phoebe had parked her car. A light breeze blew through the trees rustling the leaves stirring up the squirrels nestled in the branches. The sound of their chatter filled the air as well as the fluttering of wings from the birds once perched peacefully among them.
Helga hummed as she looked up; taking in the beauty the day had to offer still before turning back to Phoebe. "So, where to now?"
"Well, do you have a place to stay set up yet?" Phoebe asked as she pulled her keys from the small purse that hung over her shoulder.
"No, not yet. I was thinking one of the hotels here but I haven't decided which." She glanced across the street, her eyes landing on two familiar figures as they strolled casually down the sidewalk.
Phoebe noticed Helga's focus had changed and followed her line of sight. Her eyes met with another's and she quickly looked away, turning on her heel and walking briskly towards her car. Helga had to jog the short distance to catch up but she remained silent as they continued on. Neither spoke a word until both doors were shut and the engine was running. They sat in the car of a silent moment, listening to the radio before Helga reached forward and hit the power button filling the car with silence.
"Phoebe?" Helga looked to the distraught girl sitting next to her.
Phoebe was breathing in and out slowly, her eyes focused on the steering wheel and hands clasped around it tightly. Her knuckles began to turn white as she squeezed the steering wheel tighter and then released flopping back into her seat with a defeated sigh. "Well, that was horrible timing." Her attempt at a small joke lightened the tense atmosphere in the car briefly.
"Yeah." Helga breathed facing forward now, lazily staring out the windshield. An idea popped into her head and she looked over to Phoebe, her attention still drawn elsewhere. "Hey Pheebs?" The old nickname pulled Phoebe's attention towards Helga as she hummed in response. "What do ya say to dinner tonight? On me, wherever you want."
A small smile pulled at the corner of Phoebe's lips, "Sure Helga."
First chapter complete. I understand that this story has just begun but I would like to know the opinions of those taking the time to read it. Of course more will be explained in the following chapters so if there is any confusion just know that explanations are coming.
