Vienna, Austria.
The room that was once furnished by the meticulous hands of a kind woman was now sparse and empty. A boy in his young adulthood stood among the room, his emotions flying about as he walked through the threshold. Anger raged inside of him, his fear and sorrow not far behind. However, loneliness reigned upon them more than anything else.
"What else do I know?" He stood besides the mantle of the fireplace where gray, dusty ashes remained.
A lady, perhaps a relative or an old friend, pursed her lips, her wrinkles growing deeper as she frowned. Finally, she spoke, "Not much. Not much that you remember, grandson."
She set a hand of comfort on his shaking shoulder. "You'll live with me. I know you can't forget that god-forbidden scene - who wouldn't? - However there are things and people that will help you demolish some of the pain."
"I'm not going to a shrink, if that's what you're implying, Grandmother Anne… Or taking anti-depressant pills either, should I add," he muttered sullenly.
Her eyes twinkled with a glaze of hope, "No, Leon, that's not what I'm implying, silly boy." The lady pushed back a strand of gray hair behind her ear and stepped towards the window that held a full-view of Vienna, Austria.
He was an English-Austrian, Leon was. Yes, yes… Mother still had her British accent before she died. She was English, like her own mother who was with Leon in this very room, at this particular moment. And his father was full-Austrian… But Austria! He had lived here all his life; it was his home! Leon choked back tears and rubbed his sore throat. The adolescent watched the old woman as she stared wistfully outwards, her eyes seemingly more distant than, in reality, were.
"Please… Take me home. To your home, I mean… This place… I can't bear it any longer! It's sickening! I feel as if I'm going to bring up my breakfast if I look at this place, my home, any longer! Please, Grandmother," he pleaded, holding his head as if it were to start shaking violently if he had nothing to support it.
Leon's grandmother turned, her expression alert, but nonetheless dignified as she looked him over. Poor, lad… A small painful smile rose slowly upon her lips and she stepped towards her kin, embracing his shivering body.
"Now, now, love… I'm sure you'll be fine soon. I'm sorry that I wasn't here sooner," she whispered, a single tear cascading down her cheek, "I'm neither going to give you the medicine nor the doctors that come along with those odd pills. I was just hoping, maybe, that this hurt heart of your's would be mended by friendship of those you'd meet in London… And maybe that you'd learn to trust people more, love…" Leon pushed her away slightly, "Not trusting anyone," he crooned questioningly, biting his lip, "How is this a matter of not trusting anyone!" Leon snapped at her viciously. His voice was hurtful. Very much so.
She looked taken aback and almost baffled by his sudden uproar, and soon, her grandson continued to rage once more.
"My parent's were killed in a bloody traffic accident! Why wouldn't I not want to trust anyone!"
Anne watched him, her expression pained. However, she knew what it was like to loose people you loved. Leon's grandfather was one of them. "Calm down, love. We know… I know. I was only trying to admit that it's not hard to trust others, even if the death of your loved one wasn't a matter of betrayal." She looked at her calloused hands and smiled with a tinge of regret. "I've been one of them, Leon. I should know."
The young man felt guilty at this abrupt statement. "I-… I'm sorry, Grandmother. Forgive me.."
She felt the need to accept his apology without hesitation, "You're forgiven, love."
He looked at her once more before turning his back. "Let's go now, though. I wasn't bluffing about before," he groaned quietly.
She barely stopped to talk to him before heading out the door. There was a sudden need for her to make the atmosphere more cheerful, but Anne knew that it'd be a while before he could really appreciate that kind of scene. "To England, now, then," she whispered, nudging him carefully out the front door.
London, England.
"London Bridge is falling down… Falling down… London Bridge is falling down… My Fair Lady…"
A voice, sweet and child-like, rang throughout the apartment floor, enveloping any other short or small sound. A happy, but deeper voice soon greeted it.
"E', Goo'mornin', Eevee, m' lass." A young man's dark, emerald eyes smiled at the passerby's tune. "And how was your first day bein' a sophomore?" The receptionist called after the girl at his neat desk. He wore a brick-red uniform, black-framed, rectangular glasses, and a bright smile that showed off his cheery personality.
He was fairly young, mid-twenties, a very thick mound of auburn hair atop of his head. The shape of his face was only deserting his child-like appearance. His nose was slightly crooked (perhaps from a fight when he was younger). The accent his voice carried was thick and was somewhat hard to understand if you hadn't lived in England for long (good lord, if Leon meets him, he'll have trouble, even if he does have a slight accent himself). This was Thomas Kingsley.
Eevee smiled with a full-set of bright, white teeth. "A fifteen year old has to do what a fifteen year old has to do… Well, I'm almost sixteen, so buahaha. Another birthday party to savor soon enough!" The girl made a face. Like Thomas, Eevee was only slightly deserting her child-like facial appearance, so her face was still slightly round. Her eyes were a deep ocean-blue, and she had a short, pretty nose. The teen's hair was cut short - just above her shoulders and hovered around the nape of her neck.
Thomas chuckled, "Las' year's par'y was… le's say, interesting'." He smiled as he recalled the girl shoving Adria's face into her slice of cake - being considerate that if she did that to the whole cake, itself, that no one would be actually eating cake - so the sly fox pushed her sister into her own piece. It was fairly amusing at the time, but her sister never forgave her for it completely. "Bu', I doubt, I' miss one of your next ones if you ever to do have anotha'. They're always exciting'." He laughed as she blushed, "Anywho, what does a fifteen year old have to do in their second year of high school," he asked, remembering some of her last words before he started reminiscing about last year's events.
She shrugged, "More or less dodging drama and food fights, but the best thing y' should learn is outwittin' classmates." Eevee nodded solemnly for the first second, but her grin reappeared slyly.
Thomas beamed, "How so, lassy?"
She started out fumbling her fingers with a shy look of excitement. She was always acting in fickle manner. "Well, there's this new kid coming 'round t' London soon and teach' needed t' have someone show 'im 'round the school. Everyone's excited 'bout it… Y'know, kids think all the foreign exchange students are always gonna be extremely pretty…" Eevee caught herself growing in color and ordered herself to stop immediately. "..And, I, uh, where was I? Ah, yes, since I was smart enough to be the only one not raisin' my hand, so the teach' picked me." She giggled and smirked with pride before adding, "He's supposed to come t'morrow."
The man grinned, "Sounds exactly like somethin' y'd do, no offense."
"None taken."
"But tricking… Well, in this case, outwitting, is a good trait to know." "True that is."
There was piercing silence for a little more than two seconds, but Thomas broke it quickly because of his own desires, "Aye, your sister home, yet," he winked.
"Ah, sadly, not at the moment… She off work fourty minutes after four, so you've about a half hour left." She winked back. "I wish you luck, Tiger." He laughed, "And I to you with that exchange student, might I add."
Eevee gave the man a friendly peck on the cheek before stepping back and saluting him, "Goodbye, Captain Thomas. I'm returning to my quarters."
He did the same, "Have a safe return, lass."
The girl soon ran off with a smile, shouting a soft "see yah" as her legs took her to her apartment. Can't wait 'til Adria kisses 'im…' She thought quietly to herself, a grin of satisfaction spreading across her lips as her eyes shone brightly. It wasn't much longer until she reached a comfy couch… And she made it. After locking the door, Eevee threw her petite body onto her couch and let her limbs colapse into it's comfy lining.
She sighed. "I hate being at the house alone," she murmured crossly, "But I guess she can't be here to entertain me all the time, either…"
It wasn't long after that she was out the door again, set out to cure her boredom and loneliness. Eevee never did take off her backpack or look for a quick snack when she had been in the house, instead she was out as soon as she was in.
Retracing her steps back out the apartment, she passed a bored-looking Thomas, then shot out the front door. Time to find something to do…