FLAWED MEMORIES
***
SUMMARY:
It's a mild day. Set after the hunt, three years later, in some random city in a random country.
Amy and Dan are cycling through the streets when they run into their beloved*cough*nightmarish*cough*cousins. What happens next?
Strictly an absurdly long one-shot. Insanity guaranteed.
***
Dan was bored. He'd blown through all of his recently-bought ninja video games, watched practically every cartoon that he could possibly find, blown up a couple of cars, conducted a total of thirty-nine experiments on various cat food with Saladin as his indulgent tester, humiliated his sister for a grand count of twenty-three times, fought with Nellie over thirteen tubs of ice cream and had finally resorted to reading a book, which he threw away after the first sentence.
"Amy," he called in a singsong voice to his sister, who was currently at her desk, a huge book propped up against the wall as she annotated it.
Amy looked up and saw her brother lounging on the sofa, out of things to do. When Dan was out of things to do, she knew that it would be a disaster.
She whipped out a piece of illustration board and chalk, drew a line between the sofa area and the desk area, wrote something on the board, and placed it on the chalk line.
Dan sat up so he could see it better. In Amy's bold black scrawl were the words, DO NOT CROSS THIS LINE. STAY AWAY.
As if that could keep him away.
With zero regard for signs and a negative perception of rules, Dan picked up the sign and tossed it out the window which was followed by Amy's alarmed gaze. Then she slammed the book closed, filed away her papers and pens, and spun her chair around to face Dan.
"You are not coming near me," she warned. It had been an embarrassing week for Amy and she didn't particularly want to relive it, thank you very much.
Dan stepped over the line. "Uh, you might have placed some electric wire over there to make it more fun," he observed. "I quit believing in signs, rules and chalk lines since the day I could read."
"Look, I've had enough of your antics and I really just want to be left alone," said Amy, raising a hand. She didn't stand, though; Dan had gone through a growth spurt and although she was older, she was now shorter than him. There was more dignity in just sitting down.
"I'm bored," he stated flatly.
"I know you're bored," Amy replied. "In fact, I wish you weren't, because you are very dangerous when bored, Dan. The last time that happened, I was soaking wet from a paint balloon fight in the middle of an art museum."
"I won't do anything like that today, promise," he said, looking at her with those hopeful green eyes and I'm-your-little-brother-you're-my-older-sister-so-please-give-in face.
"Only today?" Amy demanded.
Dan frowned. "Well, fine, how does a week of nothing sound? So long as you agree to what I say today."
"Let me think that over." Amy closed her eyes then opened them. "No."
"Aww, Amy, please?" He went down to his knees and pouted.
Don't be fooled, Amy. He's fourteen, you're seventeen, you know that he's baiting you and if he wins you're dead meat. Don't agree, be harsh, no, be brutal! Tell him no, no, no…
Amy blinked.
But he's pleading. I mean, he's on his knees. Besides, how bad could it be? she argued.
At your own risk. Well, it's your life. Her inner voice sighed at this girl's soft side. It wasn't so soft back during the Hunt. But…well, Amy was a girl, and girls were sensitive. Plus the solid fact that they easily gave in to guilt trips.
"Let me hear what you plan to do first," Amy said.
"Cycling!" Dan exclaimed in an excited voice, and Amy wondered if her brother would ever grow up.
"Fine. But no crazy stuff, okay?"
"Aww---"
"Okay?"
Dan nodded somewhat disappointedly.
"Hey, Nellie!" Amy called to where Nellie sat, perusing a cooking magazine as she bobbed her head to her newly-updated iPod touch. She continued bobbing her head as she glanced their way, taking an earphone out to hear them better.
"What, kiddo?" she asked.
Amy scowled at kiddo, but decided to ignore it for the time being. "We're going cycling outside. Is that all right with you?"
"Sure. Fine. Go wild. Whatever. But be careful. Watch your backs, kiddo."
"Come on, Amy!" Dan pulled at his sister's arm and Amy was propelled forwards, upending the swivel chair she was sitting on. She was in awe of her brother's boundless energy as he ran out to the garage where their bikes parked in the gloom. Dan let her go and hopped onto his bike. Amy gingerly lowered herself to the uncomfortably hard seat and found the pedals with her feet. She clipped on a bike helmet hanging from the handles. Dan waited until she was ready, his head clear of anything save for his hair --- he didn't like helmets. Then he began to pedal.
The rush of wind was invigorating as they cycled through dusty, gloriously empty country roads. Their home was now situated in a back-of-beyond town, nondescript and unknown. It was the best place to be, away from the threats that shadowed their every step in prominent cities. The nearest house was a long way off, separated by fields which Amy and Dan had bought on the pretext of growing an orchard. That was why the said fields had clusters of apple trees, although there was space enough for them to zip past the trees.
"Hey, Amy, race you to Big Oak!" Dan called and zoomed forwards on his bike towards a relatively huge tree. Not to be outdone, Amy upped her speed and managed to keep level with her brother.
They were so engrossed in their race that they almost missed the white car in the distance. When they did, however, they simultaneously braked and glanced at each other.
"A car? Here?" Dan said, skepticism evident in his tone.
Amy's eyes narrowed. Her heart began to race and she felt her mouth dry up. She pushed back the rising levels of panic. "Not a car," she managed. "A limousine."
The limousine drove nearer to them, its tinted windows offering no idea of who could be inside, although Amy had a dreadful notion that she knew just who exactly it was.
"A limousine?" Dan was saying. "That's even more absurd than --- oh." His hand tightened on the handlebars.
"Oh indeed," she muttered.
"Why don't we go and meet them?" Dan suggested, trying to make the most out of the situation. Because, you know, they might just be passing by and asking for directions…?"
Amy couldn't see just how exactly a limo would be passing by and Dan knew that as well as she did. However, she decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. "Okay," she agreed.
They jumped off their bikes and Amy unlatched her helmet, slipping its straps through the handlebars. Then she and Dan walked to the edge of the field, marked by the dry soil where grass didn't grow. The limo pulled up in front of them and the window was lowered.
"Well, well. If it isn't our wonderful cousins." Natalie's voice dripped with fake sweetness.
"Now, Natalie," Ian chided. "Don't be a boor."
"What are you doing here?" Dan demanded.
"Why else, cousin? We have business to do," Natalie replied.
Amy tensed, her hand slipping down to the dagger she had taken to carrying ever since the Hunt had ended. She had never used it before save for target practice, but she had no hesitation to use it now, although the thought of inflicting harm on anyone was hard to stomach, even if they were the Cobras. Her grip tightened on the ornate handle, fingers tracing the 'M' that was carved into it.
"What kind of business exactly?" she asked.
Natalie shrugged. "Land."
"Land?" Dan repeated.
"Yes," Ian affirmed. "Our parents are planning on building a summer house somewhere and heard of this secluded spot. Of course, never in our wildest dreams did we think you would be the owners. After all, you look far from the Greta Robbins and Alfred Robbins that we expected."
Greta and Alfred Robbins? Amy thought, confused. Then she remembered. When they had put up a sizable portion of land for sale, they had used those aliases. The land had been empty and, concerned that it might become wasteland since it was rarely used, they had decided to give it up.
She cursed the fact that the Kabras just had to be so rich that they found out about it.
"How come you didn't call the number provided?" Dan asked.
"I wasn't aware that a number was given. It said, 'Go to this address for any further details.' And so we did."
"Can't you go find someplace else?"
"We'll see. We'd like to talk about this first," Ian said.
The Kabras stepped out of the car. Natalie was dressed in a light summer frock in a pale yellow shade, sunglasses pushed up on her head. Ian was wearing a white polo shirt, brown slacks and formal shoes.
Dan frowned at their get-up. "What did you think this was, Paris Fashion Week?"
Natalie eyed him imperiously. "You might be too lazy to make an effort, Daniel, but we happen to like being fashionable."
"Calm down, Natalie, or this negotiation will blow up in our faces." Ian placed a reassuring hand on his sister's shoulder. "Shall we?"
Amy turned on her heel and walked ahead of them to the land that was on sale. It was actually a good place: vast, fertile soil, near the lake and would be quite beautiful when tended. However, she couldn't help hoping that the Kabras would be repulsed. She wanted nothing more to do with them and would turn them down if she could, but business was business.
"Hmm. Seems wonderful," Ian observed. Amy gritted her teeth and crossed her arms before she got violent. "This would serve our purposes nicely," he continued.
"The land doesn't matter. Only the space and the mansion to be built," Natalie said, examining her fingernails with a scowl. "Oh, blast, the nail polish is chipping off."
"Look, can't you find someone else to bother?" Dan piped up. "Hurry up and decide."
Ian smirked. "We'll take it."
Dan's eyes narrowed as he took in the arrogant seventeen-year-old. "Fine," he hissed. "Now go. Out. We'll mail the deeds to you. Come back when you get a life."
"So rude," Natalie sniffed. "When we have nothing in mind but only the best for you."
"Go," Amy said frigidly.
"Don't be so harsh, love," Ian said, taking her hand in his.
Amy yanked it back and glared at him. "You will not call me love, I don't care if I'm harsh, and you will leave immediately if you still want to hold on to the deal."
Ian chuckled, unfazed. "What is a title deed to a beautiful girl such as you? Really, asking me to make a choice --- the answer is ridiculously simple. I can turn down the deed in exchange of a day with you, yes?"
"That's non-negotiable," Amy spat. "A violation of privacy!"
"But didn't you imply it?" he told her in a silky voice.
Amy rapidly flipped through everything she had said for the past few minutes. "I don't think so," she said coldly.
He shook his head in regret. "Shame."
"I need a drink of water," Natalie announced.
"Go get it yourself," Dan retorted.
She glowered, and before anyone could think, whipped out her dart gun in a nanosecond, pressing it against his throat. Dan gulped.
"Natalie. Put that down," Ian reprimanded her, frowning.
"Get that off my brother!" Amy exclaimed, about to take a leap for it when Ian's hand clamped on her arm, holding her in place.
"Don't interfere, love, you'll get hit."
Dan glared at the she-devil aiming the gun at him. "Fine. I'll give you some."
"That's what I want to hear," Natalie simpered. She moved the gun so that it was inches away from Dan, though still in position. Dan's hand went up to his throat and he scowled, but led her inside the house.
Ian and Amy were left alone with each other.
"Why don't we take a walk?" Ian suggested pleasantly.
"You're asking me to take a walk when your sister is probably about to murder my brother?" she shot back at him. "I'm go---"
Her next words were never heard as Ian pulled at her arm determinedly, dragging her to the "orchard".
"No worries, Natalie will not act that rashly. She will have to answer to me when she does that," he said, smiling serenely.
"Answer to you? She didn't even listen to you when you told her to put that thing down!"
"When you're me, Amy Cahill, you will understand just who exactly my sister is. And Natalie is fond of threatening others, but a killer she is not," he replied, chuckling darkly. "Now, there is something I need to talk to you about."
"If it's the deal, it's been sealed. If it's about anything else, I'm not in the mood," Amy said.
"Trust me, this isn't---"
His sentence was cut off abruptly. For some reason entirely unknown to even Amy, an apple began to fall, until it bopped him on the bed with quite a thunk, bouncing off to the ground. Ian's eyes were unfocused.
"Hello? Earth to Cobra? Did you just discover a contradiction to the Universal Law of Gravitation?"
He turned his blank stare on her and it made her feel nervous.
"Who are you?"
***
"I can't believe this! What did you have in that apple, lead?" Natalie shrieked in a mix of dismay and fury. Ian was sitting on the sofa, confused, looking at the scene before him as if he didn't understand it.
Which might have well been the case, for all they knew.
His sister paced back and forth, berating everyone else for half an hour now. Amy's ears were starting to hurt, and Dan had managed to find a pair of ear plugs to block out the sound. "You say an apple fell on his head and made him lose his memory? Are you sure?"
Amy waved vaguely in Ian's direction. "Ask him."
Natalie's teeth were clenched; she was clearly agitated. "How am I supposed to tell our parents this?"
"I don't know," Amy shrugged. "Why don't you go and find out?"
Natalie turned her back on the reddish brown-haired girl. "Daniel, I need a phone," she ordered.
Dan was not listening. In fact, he could hear nothing at all.
Natalie ripped out the ear plugs from his ear and he yelled "Ouch!" in pain. "What do you want?" he asked irritably, rubbing his ears.
Natalie didn't answer his question. "You're coming with us, too," she barked to Nellie. Before the two could object, she'd pulled them through the door.
Amy scowled. Why had they left her to guard this extremely annoying fop?
The extremely annoying fop in question was staring at her.
"What?" she asked after about a minute of his stare.
"Lady," he said in a confused tone, "Would you mind telling me who I am?"
She sighed. She went up to where he sat and looked into his eyes. "You. Are. Ian. Kabra," she said, slowly and deliberately. "Jerk extraordinaire to all who know you." Okay, so that last part might have been a little out of the line but it was fun to see him looking unhappy.
"Did I do anything to you?" he asked somberly.
"Aside from nearly killing me, betraying me, hurting me a million times? No, you did nothing at all," she replied sarcastically.
He frowned. "I don't seem to remember anything like that."
"You don't remember much of anything, then," she beamed rather enthusiastically. "Like the time you fed me to the sharks. Or, right, that time you pushed me into a cave to die. Better yet, how could you ever forget the time you pretended you loved me?"
Something flickered in Ian's eyes. Did she really think this way about him?
"You seem to have flawed memories," she continued. "Isn't that right…Cobra?" She leaned in with a fake smile.
Oh. So that was going to be the way they would have to go, would it? He smirked. Well, two can tango. And this was a game he happened to like playing.
Before she could stand straight back up, his hand shot forward and pulled her face to his. Amy's mouth opened in shock, giving him a chance to move in and kiss her. When he let go of her lips, he tugged on her hand and she ended up on his lap, face to face, her cheeks blushing with ferocity.
"Your memories seem to be flawed, love," he whispered in her ear. "I regret ever doing those things and that doesn't change now, but you never realized that I didn't have a choice. I'm not going to say I'm sorry; it's far too late for that. Maybe…let's start over?"
Amy stared at him. Then she slapped that handsome face with the molten amber eyes. Ian's face twisted to the right. The sting of the blow faded and he turned to look at her again.
"Really, Amy," he teased. "That was pretty weak."
She flushed angrily and raised her hand, but this time he caught it. He was dangerously close to her and Amy was rather uncomfortable.
"You love me and you know it, Amy Cahill. You think you hate me. It's only because you can't help falling and you're angry at me because of it," he breathed. Amy was at a loss for words. With a self-satisfied grin, Ian pulled away from her.
"Oh and Amy? I never forgot. It was quite amusing to see you believing it, love." He slipped something into her hand and walked away. When his hand was on the door knob, he glanced at her. "I'll come back for you tomorrow. Wouldn't want anyone else stealing you, would we? Not that anyone would dream of doing so, especially when they see it." He opened the door and walked out, "See you, love" thrown casually over his shoulder.
"Jerk." Amy's face heated up. What had he meant by "it"? She remembered him slipping something into her hand. With some trepidation, she glanced at her hand.
There, glittering on the ring finger of her left hand, was an ostentatious diamond ring that screamed, "ENGAGED! BACK OFF!"
Panicking, she tried to take it off. It wouldn't budge. When she glanced at the underside, the stupid thing had a stupid lock mechanism that held it in place and required some miracle lock-picker to take it off.
Geez. So basically, he forced me into a proposal. Typical. How much more arrogant can he get? she groaned. I hate him so much!
Ian's face involuntarily popped up in her mind and the accompanying actions and words were enough to make her blush, as well as cringe. Particularly at the kiss.
Amy sighed.
"Damn you, Ian Kabra."
***
So heck yes, this was random. The idea took root when I imagined a mango falling on my head while I was cycling past a mango tree.
The engagement thing was totally unplanned. I just pulled it out of nowhere for some reason. It was just going to end with Ian leaving, promising he'll come back, then I thought, why would he? And so the ring was inserted into this monster one-shot of epic proportions.
It is now 2:45 in the morning. I couldn't sleep, and my grandmother fell ill, so we had to rush her to the hospital. It's pretty late and I still can't sleep.
Okay, enough about me.
Godspeed,
~troubadour12~
[I've never stayed up this late before! *squeals*]