LOOSE ENDS
If any of you out there are familiar with Michelle Walker, commonly known as "boribaby" on dA, then you'll recognize these characters. These are the humanized versions of her horse characters from her comic "Book of Days", which is a real piece of art, in my humble opinion! I do hope she gets that thing published someday. I've been a major fan of Michelle's work for a good couple of years now, and she's turned out to be a pretty good friend too. Since this is a fan piece, I'm okay to post it here, right? And yes, I have permission to use these characters.
Chapter 1
"Aerynne…Aerynne…oh, Aerynne…"
Aerynne Walker moaned softly, and struggled through the layers of unconsciousness that enveloped her. A strangely familiar voice was speaking to her, as if from the end of a long, dark tunnel.
"Aerynne…hey, Aerynne, wake up…" The voice was growing progressively louder and clearer by the minute; ultimately, Aerynne got to the point where she was able to open her eyes.
As her eyelids fluttered open, the face of a handsome, rugged young man swam into view above her. The sight woke Aerynne up completely. She gave a start at first, then realized it was only Pierce—her younger brother, and her only brother at that. He was perched on the edge of her bed, leaning over her, gazing down directly at her.
When it dawned on Aerynne just how close he was to her, she reactively jerked her blanket toward her chin.
"Pierce!" she said sharply. "Do you mind?!"
"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty," said Pierce grandly, flashing his sister a broad grin that revealed his perfectly straight, white teeth.
Aerynne wrapped her blanket more securely about herself, just to make absolutely certain her brother couldn't see her sleeveless white nightgown with the eyelet lace trimming. "What are you doing in here, Pierce?" she demanded. "You know this room is strictly my territory!"
As if she hadn't spoken, Pierce said conversationally, "Did it ever occur to you that you talk in your sleep, Aer?"
She narrowed her eyes at her brother. "Get off," she commanded.
Pierce obediently sprang to his feet. Unlike Aerynne, he was already dressed for the day. His outfit consisted of an oversized white tank top over baggy navy-blue shorts that extended beyond his knees, white gym socks, and black sneakers with broad orange stripes. His face was clean-shaven, save for his sideburns and the one spot on his chin that he reserved for his goatee.
While Aerynne remained in bed, Pierce strode over to the window and drew the curtains, permitting entrance to a flood of brilliant morning sunlight. The light reflected off the young man's vivid red hair, giving his head the impression of being on fire.
Aerynne slowly sat up, one hand still clutching her blanket to her body. "Next time, Pierce," she told him, "I'd rather you set the alarm clock. And when did you get up, anyway?"
"About a half-hour ago," Pierce said casually, as he toyed absentmindedly with the cord that controlled the curtains, "maybe an hour."
"You didn't spend all that time sitting around spying on me, did you?"
"Relax, sis. I haven't been in here for more than five minutes."
Aerynne jutted her lip in a scowl. She found it rather hard to believe sometimes that, out of all the people in the world to be related to, she had to be related to this wise guy.
Aerynne and Pierce Walker had lived together as roommates for quite some time, ever since they'd left home a number of years earlier, and everyone claimed they were about as different as water and oil. Pierce was loud and wild and enjoyed hard rock; Aerynne was a lot quieter, but very outgoing, and a great deal more sensitive than her brother. Pierce was somewhat of a smart-aleck, and had a tendency to stick his toe over the line without realizing it; while Aerynne always knew when to keep her mouth shut.
Aside from that, Aerynne was a very neat and organized kind of person, and kept everything in her room shipshape; Pierce's bedroom always gave the impression that a tornado had just struck. Pierce liked dark, drab colors; Aerynne preferred colors that were much brighter and friendlier. And Aerynne had lots of interests and hobbies—art, poetry, music, shopping, making jewelry, and so on; all Pierce cared about was his car.
Even their outward looks varied.
Although Aerynne was eleven months older, Pierce was eleven inches taller—and getting very muscular. He was constantly working out: doing no less than fifty push-ups a week, as well as executing fifty bicep curls, fifty chin-ups, fifty leg-presses, and bench-pressing no less than a hundred and fifty pounds. Plus, with his square jaw and smooth, angular face and large, deep-set blue-gray eyes, he was about as attractive as a guy could get. Aerynne had small, green, almond-shaped eyes, skin that was a vibrant gold-brown, and long, thick hair that came all the way to the small of her back. She was a little on the skinny side, but very limber. Pierce once mentioned to his sister that she looked good enough to be posted on the cover of a magazine, but didn't elaborate when she asked him exactly what kind of magazine he had in mind.
Stepping away from the window, Pierce commented, "I gotta say, sis, you do look quite cute when you sleep—especially in your lovely, lacy little nightdress," he added, raising his eyebrows up and down slyly.
That did it. "Get lost, buster!" Aerynne ordered, seizing one of her pillows and hurling it at him with all her might.
Pierce promptly stepped to the side, so that the pillow missed him altogether.
"Ha, ha!" he taunted. "You throw like a girl!"
This time, Aerynne snatched up her prized hairbrush from her bedside table and chucked it in her brother's direction. He ducked down just in time, so that the brush ended up striking the wall behind him instead.
"Don't make me get up and come after you," Aerynne threatened. "Now, beat it!"
"Your wish is my command," said Pierce suavely, with an elaborate bow at the waist.
And then he turned on his heel and swept grandly from the room, with that smug grin still attached to his face.
Eventually Aerynne got out of bed, gathered some clothes together, and headed down to her bathroom to take a shower. There was at least one good thing about her and Pierce living under the same roof—they both had separate, individual bathrooms. Aerynne shuddered at the idea of what it would be like if she had to share the same bathroom with her lunkheaded little brother. She started the water in the tub, turned it up as hot as she could stand it, and then she enjoyed a nice, long, steamy shower.
Afterwards, when she stepped out and had toweled herself dry, she changed into her favorite outfit: a soft, peach-colored blouse, baby-blue jeans that ended just above her ankles, and lime-green loafers. She then brushed her long, thick hair and styled it, then applied her favorite perfume and hand lotion. After applying a touch of peach-flavored lip gloss to her lips, she smiled and nodded approvingly at her reflection in the mirror.
Later, as she sauntered into the kitchen, she found Pierce sitting at the table, leafing through the morning mail. Her eyes fell upon a copy of the latest edition of her favorite fashion magazine, and she promptly snatched it up and proceeded in thumbing through the glossy pages. At least her brother had been courteous enough to leave the magazine untouched, until she came into the room.
"Sleep well last night, sis?" Pierce asked her at length.
"I'm surprised I managed to get any sleep at all," said Aerynne, with her eyes on her magazine. "Your stereo blared half the night."
"I must have fallen asleep with it on. Sorry, Aer." But one look at Pierce's smiling face told Aerynne he wasn't the least bit sorry.
"Do I really talk in my sleep?" she asked him, changing the subject.
"On occasion, yeah," Pierce replied casually.
"What do I say, exactly?" Aerynne inwardly cringed at the notion of what came spilling out of her mouth, if Pierce was right about her speaking in her sleep.
"Oh, nothing of great importance, really," said Pierce as he raked his fingers thoughtfully through his goatee, separating the long hairs from the short ones. "Just how incredibly cool and smart and good-looking you think I am, and how much you admire me, and how you wish you were more like me…"
Aerynne smacked him in the back of the head with her magazine. "I do not, you big liar!"
"How would you know?" he said smugly. "You've never heard yourself sleep-talk, have you?"
Aerynne's face felt hot, and she knew it was turning red.
She decided not to respond to Pierce's query, and instead made a beeline for the refrigerator to see whether there was anything edible for breakfast. When she opened the door, all she could find were two eggs, half a quart of milk, one can of diet cola, and a head of lettuce that looked as though it had inhabited the fridge for quite some time.
Turning to her brother, Aerynne asked, "Didn't you go shopping yesterday, Pierce?"
"I thought it was your turn to go shopping," he countered.
Next to the fridge, the kitchen calendar was taped to the wall. Upon a quick consultation of it, Aerynne saw that it had, indeed, been Pierce's turn to go to the store.
Well, that was just fine and dandy.
"Isn't there anything good left in the kitchen?" Aerynne questioned, as she opened the cupboard and peeked inside.
Pierce replied nonchalantly, "Well, we used up the last of the bacon yesterday, we got less than a cup's worth of granola, we used the last of the fruit for our salad at dinner last night, and we're fresh out of cereal and coffee and yogurt, too."
"Well, for goodness' sake, Pierce, we don't have to let our shelves get completely bare before we buy groceries!" Aerynne slammed the cupboard door shut with slightly more force than necessary, then she threw her magazine down onto the table and plopped into a chair next to her brother. "Now what are we supposed to eat?" she demanded.
"Hey, don't sweat it, Aer," said Pierce smoothly. "We'll just go out to eat today. What do you say we head on over to that new Pancake Parlor downtown? I'm buying."
"Fine," said Aerynne. "But you had better bring your whole bank account with you, because I plan on eating everything they've got on the menu."
"Be careful," Pierce cautioned her. "If you don't watch yourself, sis, you're gonna 'blossom as the rose', if you know what I'm saying."
Aerynne responded to this insinuation by landing a punch to his shoulder. Even though her slim, willowy figure was considered ideal in the eyes of most other girls, she was nonetheless quite sensitive about her weight; so, Pierce tried to tease her about it as often as he could.
Aerynne stepped out into the bright, sultry morning, with Pierce strolling along in her wake. Pierce now wore an old black leather jacket with the sleeves cut off over his tank top, exposing his bare, muscular shoulders and forearms, and he'd also donned a pair of black wristbands with orange stripes, and tied an orange bandanna around his forehead.
He looked somewhat like a gangster.
"Oh, come on, Pierce," Aerynne had objected earlier, "you're seriously not going to show your face in public looking like that, are you?"
Pierce merely grinned at her and flexed his powerful biceps, saying, "The ladies dig tough, rugged men, Aer."
To this, Aerynne had sighed and rolled her eyes, but she said no more about the matter.
As soon as they were both outside, Pierce closed the door and proceeded to lock it. While Aerynne stood on the curb and waited for him, tapping her foot impatiently against the pavement as she did so, she felt someone poke her in the shoulder.
"Knock it off, Pierce," she commanded.
"Huh?" Pierce, who at that time was inspecting his wallet, looked up in genuine confusion.
When Aerynne realized her brother was right there, she immediately became puzzled.
If Pierce was there, then who…?
Very slowly, Aerynne turned to look over her shoulder—and found a tall, lanky young man with a sallow complexion staring back at her.
"Hello!" the man greeted her.
Aerynne cried out in surprise and backed away from him at once, accidentally bumping into Pierce's chest as she did so. Then she quickly realized it was only Randell.
Randell was a shabby, seedy, disorderly punk who obviously hailed from the wrong side of town. Although he was well into his twenties, he didn't have the good sense of a grasshopper. Aerynne felt that even Pierce acted more mature than Randell did, even though Randell was older than Pierce by a good five or six years.
It was clear from a glance that Randell didn't give much regard to his looks. He looked like he could use a good shave; and his hair, which was jet-black and came down to his shoulders, looked like it hadn't been washed or combed in several weeks. In spite of the heat of the day, he wore a black ski cap, and a drab orange jacket (with both sleeves still attached) over a faded gray shirt and denim cutoffs. On his feet, he sported a pair of black hiking boots that appeared to be three sizes too large. Several chain necklaces hung around his neck, and a silver stud glittered from his left nostril.
Plus, he had sprayed himself with some kind of unfamiliar cologne; so he not only looked weird, he smelled weird, too.
"What are you doing here, Randell?" Aerynne demanded, as soon as she'd recovered from her temporary shock.
"Just thought I'd drop by and say hello," said Randell, in a voice that was about as oily as his hair. "That ain't a problem, is it?" His jet-black eyes roved over Aerynne, absorbing her like a sponge absorbing water. "Might I say, Aerynne, you're looking particularly ravishing today," he commented. "Hard to believe you're still single."
"Forget it, Randell," said Aerynne, knowing full well what he was thinking. "There is absolutely no way in the world I'm going to be 'your girl'!"
Randell's raven eyes glinted—not with anger or annoyance, but with glee.
"Playing hard-to-get as always, eh? I like that in a girl!"
Before Pierce could react, Randell stepped closer to Aerynne and locked one arm possessively about her waist, bringing their faces together. From this close up, Aerynne could detect a trace of alcohol and a whiff of cigarette smoke on the guy's breath. Randell lowered his face to Aerynne's neck and breathed in deeply. "Mmmmm…you smell like peaches." His lips curled into a lewd grin. "I love peaches!"
Aerynne promptly broke away from him. "Get off me!" she ordered sharply.
"Hey, buddy," said Pierce tersely to Randell, jerking his thumb over his shoulder, "why don't you take a hike?"
As much as Pierce liked to tease Aerynne, he had zero tolerance for anyone who harassed her, or attempted to put the moves on her. In spite of his wisecracks and antics, and overall quirky attitude, he was actually very protective of his sister.
"Pierce, my man!" Randell raved, throwing his arms wide open, as if greeting a long-lost friend. "Long time, no see, dude!" He promptly strode over and flung his arm good-naturedly about Pierce's shoulders. "Hey, what do you say you and I go spray-paint a couple of blank walls by the local park sometime later on today?" he suggested. "This'll be a great opportunity for us to reveal some of our artistic talent and ingenuity to the public." From the casual tone of his voice, Randell might as well have been offering Pierce an invitation to a picnic.
"I don't think so, pal," Pierce said, without hesitation. "All that stuff's behind me. I don't do that kind of junk anymore."
When Pierce was in his early teens, he'd used to run with a rough crowd, breaking more laws than he cared to count, until he was caught by the authorities and sent to a youth detention center. He stayed there for a solid year, until at last the day came when he was pronounced clean and sent home.
Nowadays, Pierce was careful to avoid trouble, especially trouble with the law. He never wanted to go through something like that ever again.
"Aw, come on, man," Randell cajoled, "where's your sense of fun?"
"Defacing walls in a park isn't really my idea of 'fun', Randell." Pierce then forced Randell to remove his arm from his shoulders.
Randell slowly took a step back from him. "Boy," he said, "those juvie people really sucked the delinquent out of you, didn't they?" He shook his head and tsk-tsked. "Bit of a shame, really. Why must such people always go around sticking their noses into other people's private affairs? Why must they always interfere with our fun? What shame is there in being reckless and everything? Personally, I don't see what the whole point is in living life unless you're going to have an adventure. Life's short, ya know? You may as well make the most of it."
"Adventure?" Aerynne repeated incredulously, staring at Randell in disbelief. "You call running around breaking the law an adventure? When you set that old, vacant building on fire just a few weeks ago, you assumed that was just plain 'fun'?"
"Hey, no one was hurt," Randell rationalized. "And those firemen had the fire out in no time, didn't they? These things are always getting blown way out of proportion."
Pierce merely rolled his eyes at this, and shook his head in disdain.
Now digging into his jacket pocket, Randell fished out a pack of cigarettes. He extracted one from the box, and offered it to Pierce and Aerynne. "Care for one?"
Aerynne quickly scrunched up her face into an expression of pure disgust. "Eww! No way!"
"I'll pass," said Pierce coolly.
So Randell placed the cigarette between his own teeth, and put the rest back in his pocket. "More for me, then," he said, as he now took out a small lighter and lit the other end of his stick. Aerynne and Pierce simultaneously backed away as he inhaled deeply and blew a cloud of smoke in their direction.
Aerynne stuck her tongue out in repulsion, and pinched her nose tightly to block out the horrible smell. She had never liked people who smoked—or smoking itself, for that matter. It was a nasty habit, a habit that resulted in yellow teeth, ill-smelling breath and clothing; and worse, health problems, and even death. Personally, Aerynne couldn't understand why anyone would even want to smoke in the first place. There ought to be a law that banned smoking for all people, in all areas, at all times.
Pierce had once tried smoking a few years back, but he had barely breathed in his first cigarette before he instantly launched into a sudden, violent coughing hysteria. He never touched another cigarette again after that.
Randell drew his stick out of his mouth just long enough to ask, "So, where are you two headed today, then?"
"That's really none of your business," said Pierce bluntly.
"Whoa, hey, chill out, man. This ain't some cross-examination, or nothing. I'm only asking a simple question. I thought we were free to speak our minds in this country."
"If you really must know," said Aerynne, "we're heading out to town this morning, and Pierce is going to buy me breakfast. Is that a sufficient enough answer for you, Randell?"
"How sweet," Randell mused, after pulling in another draft. "Your baby brother's giving you the royal treatment today. Wish I had someone to wait on me like that."
"What about Lisa, your old girlfriend?" Pierce inquired. "Isn't she supposed to be tagging your heels like some eager puppy?"
"We broke up weeks ago," said Randell impassively. "Lisa's now hanging around some other dude."
"Well, good for her," Aerynne muttered beneath her breath.
"She wasn't much of a girlfriend, anyway." Randell shifted his gaze to hers as he went on seductively, "You're the one and only girl whom I've really got my eye on, sweetcakes."
"Don't you have someplace to go, Randy?" said Pierce, before Aerynne could react.
Randell took a deep breath and blew out three smoke rings before he answered. "Now that you mentioned it, Pierce, I do. In that case, I guess I'll just go on and ship out." Just before he turned to leave, he pointed his index finger at Aerynne like a shotgun and said with a click of his tongue, "Catch ya later, babe."
And then he set off without another word, leaving a thin trail of smoke in his wake.
When he was out of sight, and the smell of his cigarette had evaporated into the morning air, Aerynne shook her head and muttered, "What a creep. I would love to see what the cops would do to him, if they ever get their hands on him."
"Don't mind him, sis," said Pierce, clapping her reassuringly on the shoulder.
"He thinks he's such hot stuff," she continued bitterly. "Guys really aren't as tough as they claim to be."
Pierce cocked an eyebrow at that last part. "Oh, we aren't, are we? I can change that assumption." He therefore led his sister down to his car, then growled in her face, "Get in the car, girl!"
"Make me, Mr. High and Mighty," Aerynne replied, going along with the gag for once.
"Hey, I'm bigger and a whole lot stronger than you are; so I suggest you do as I say!"
"Watch it, buster. Just because I'm a girl, and we're related, that doesn't mean I can't make hash out of you!"
"Don't press your luck, little missy!" Pierce said in mock admonition, stepping closer to Aerynne and drawing himself to his full height, to make himself appear more intimidating.
Laying a single hand on her brother's warm, broad chest and pushing him back from her, Aerynne said, "Not so close, if you don't mind; I'm allergic to sissies."
"You calling me a sissy?" Pierce's eyes flashed mischievously.
"And a wimp," Aerynne added on. "What's the matter, little brother? Are my words too strong for your delicate little ears?"
"Oh, that does it! You are in big trouble, missy!" And so saying, Pierce reached out and seized his sister in a gentle, playful headlock.
They pretended to scuffle for a minute, before Aerynne finally broke away from her brother, saying, "Okay, okay, can we get in the car and get going? I'm starving."
All at once, Pierce switched from a bully to his sister's personal chauffeur. "After you, madam," he said in a dignified voice, opening Aerynne's door for her and bowing deeply.
Aerynne didn't hesitate to take her seat, and Pierce shut the door as soon as she was inside. Within less than a minute, he appeared in the driver's seat next to her. He pulled out a pair of dark sunglasses from one of the compartments and put them on, before fishing out his keys.
No sooner had he turned on the ignition than hardcore rock music blasted from the radio, at top volume. Aerynne nearly jumped right out of her skin at the noise, then she clapped both her hands over her ears. Pierce quickly reached for the knob that controlled the volume, and turned down the music until it was barely louder than a whisper.
"Geez, Pierce…must you crank your radio up so darn loud?" Aerynne complained, as she rubbed her ears.
"Sorry, Aerynne," said Pierce, looking and sounding somewhat genuinely contrite this time.
She continued to rub her ears, amazed and thankful that she hadn't gone permanently deaf.
Pierce backed the car expertly down the driveway, and they were on the road in no time.
For the first few minutes, they drove in silence, silence penetrated only by the music flowing from the radio. Then, when a particular song cropped up, Pierce's face lit up. "Oh, awesome!" he cried. "I haven't heard this song in ages!" Immediately he turned up the volume—but not so loud this time that Aerynne would have to cover her ears again.
Soon, he was totally caught up in the song: bobbing his head to the rhythm and singing along with the singer, while drumming his hands metrically against the steering wheel.
He became so enthralled with the music that he began to slowly lose his focus on his driving.
"Uh, Pierce?" said Aerynne after a time. "Shouldn't you be paying attention to the road?"
"Relax, Aer," he assured her, "there is hardly any traffic today. Besides, I know this road like the back of my hand—"
Right at that very moment, a young, petite girl with thick auburn hair and a heart-shaped face dotted with a galaxy of freckles cut in front of their car.
She didn't appear aware of them at that time, as her attention was focused on an open book in her hands.
"HEY, WATCH OUT!" Aerynne shrieked at the top of her lungs.
Characters © boribaby (Michelle Walker)
Story © unicorn-skydancer08
All rights reserved.