~ Chapter Two ~
Tia
I could have regretted pressing the button. After spending an hour walking home with Saffron, the only thing that I did start to regret was inviting her to spend the night at my house. Jessica never let me hear the end of it, for the hour left of our class period.
"What if that thing is connected to one of the alarm systems here? We might be sent straight to the office, or worse."
To be honest, the idea of the office calling my parents was the last thing I'd worry about. Now, the score on my Devil May Cry game…well, that was a different matter. Safer wasn't the type to play those sorts of games, and if anything, she'd smother her face in pillows whenever a cut-scene would appear on the screen. Blood and gore wasn't her thing – normally.
A mistake on my part was inviting her to stay the night at my house. Dealing with hyperactive people wasn't my area of expertise, unlike the passive 'Neko-chan' whom so easily could put-up with Safer tackling her to the ground in a bone-breaking grip. I never understood my choice of befriending the girl. She wasn't the type of person I would consider conversing with, not that I was much into socializing anyway.
Light danced over the red ribbon that was tied back in her hair. Saffron let out a sigh as we stopped in front of my house. I fished in my bag for the keys, ignoring her distant humming.
"You don't think that Kale is here tonight, do you?"
I shrugged at the mention of my younger brother, "I wouldn't know, and I don't really care."
"But if he's not here, then how do we know that the house won't be broken into by a pervert?"
"What does that have to do with Kale?"
The key slid into the lock, only to stick in place as I attempted to turn it. Mom had nagged my father for over a month to replace the locks on the door. It had taken at least a week to get more than a grunt out of him. Tonight he was supposed to have a meeting with his Gaming Group. The guy in charge of the group was really rich, and my dad attended the meetings like it was some sort of religion. Apparently the most recent expansion for World of Warcraft had been more than sufficient in keeping their plotting occupied.
"It has been proven that if there are men present in a household, there is less of a chance that it will be raided by desperate or cold-hearted perverts. If Kale is here, then nobody will want to break in and rape us!"
I jiggled the keys irritably, cursing under my breath when they didn't budge. I'd have to go around the house and try the pet door. Damnit.
"Saffron, if you'd take a look in my brother's room, I think you'd see that the 'desperate pervert' role is already filled. And nobody would want to rape or kidnap you. They'd bring you back before morning."
My best friend followed me as I trekked through the back yard, ignoring the signs that read in bold letters 'Our Pet Likes New Toys' and 'Leave Now or Die'. The pet door was open, thankfully.
"Yes, but what if-"
"Nobody is going to break into the house. Quit being paranoid. Now, will you please help?"
I gestured toward the back door. I wasn't earning points for patience, but it didn't really matter. Saffron shrugged off her jacket and bag, handing them to me. She strode toward the door dutifully, crouching down to peer through the small opening. She swept the plastic back with her hands and pushed her petite figure through it. If it wasn't for the fact that she wasn't the average size for someone her age, I might have been concerned that someone could fit through there at all.
"Kale's home." Saffron announced from the other side.
"Good. Tell him to order pizza."
The following clicks confirmed that the house was open for entrance. The door opened almost immediately, Saffron reaching forward to grab her things from me.
"You didn't really mean it when you said that he's a desperate pervert, did you?"
"Pfft. Please. He hasn't even had a girlfriend yet. From the way things are going, it looks like he'll be lucky if he ever has sex in his life."
"Well," She smiled, bumping the door closed with her hip, "You never know. He might find the right girl."
Footsteps thudded through the ceiling, verifying Saffron's declaration. I treaded up the stairs, Safer close on my heels. The house was silent, warmth humming through the vents. Kale let out a grunt when we walked into the kitchen. Half of a bagel dangled from his mouth, and his hands stilled on the keyboard of the laptop in front of him.
"Hey, Asshole, order some pizza."
Kale rolled his eyes, reaching up to pull the damaged bagel from his mouth.
"Do it yourself. I'm on a quest."
Saffron waved politely, only to earn a grin from Kale. The guy had no concept of manners.
"I'll show you where to find the Elder."
My brother was a complete Gamer, just like my father and myself. Our parents were thrilled to learn that their children adored all of it as much as they did. I have a vague memory of my brother's first word being 'zombie'.
Kale's eyes lit at my offer, "Sure."
I smiled to myself, stopping to ruffle his hair on my way out.
"Order one for yourself, too, buddy."
His blond hair turned messy quick, a shy smile pulling at his lips. As much of a jerk as he could be since he got past the beginnings of puberty, he could also be a softie at heart.
My cat was the only resident in my room when we reached it. One yellow eye slid open, peering at us almost suspiciously. Upon seeing Saffron, though, his head lifted and a soft purr vibrated through his chest.
"Hey, Erik!" She whispered, walking over to stroke his ebony fur.
He arched his back against her willing hand, his purrs growing louder.
"Traitor," I muttered vaguely.
I assume Kale had called for pizza, because the doorbell went off about twenty minutes later. The pizza guy was five minutes late, and Kale lost his wallet in the laundry. So instead of going to look for it or asking for money, he yelled at the guy for his incompetence. Needless to say, the pizza was free.
Saffron and I spent the next few hours eating a box-worth of melted cheese and pepperoni, and reciting every line from the Labyrinth – except for the ones that were said by the Goblin King himself. She insisted that those lines were far too sacred to repeat, not to mention that no one could sound as good as him while saying them. After that we played some games and watched Phantom of the Opera until we fell asleep. It truly had turned out to be a great night.
What I didn't know then was that it was the morning that would change everything.
It wasn't an alarm clock that woke me up. I didn't wake up by myself until noon, either, on a good Saturday. And it certainly wasn't my cat's butt in my face, which of course was his way of demanding food.
It was a scream. To be more specific, Saffron's scream.
My eyes flew open, and I practically fell out of the bed. My head pounded in response, cursing me for the interruption of lethargic brain cells. In the distance I could hear what sounded like distinct thudding, almost as though something were being beat with a paddle.
"HEY! OW! STOP!"
Saffron didn't respond to the outraged voice, instead screaming her lungs out in protest. I stumbled toward the noise, acutely aware that the closer I got to the mess of voices, the more my head throbbed. I pried my eyes open, squinting in the sunlight that poured in the room. My room was a relatively clean place, thankfully, so it wasn't too difficult a task.
What looked like a blurred stick was waving through the air, contacting something black, tall, and lean. It took a moment before my vision shifted into focus, and when it did, I was so stunned that all I could manage to do was blink like a dumbfounded idiot.
My best friend's eyes were squeezed shut, her arms stiffly stretched out in front of her as she waved a baseball bat up and down repeatedly. She looked like she was attempting to hit anything she could reach, which happened to be the man that was hissing words through clenched teeth.
"Where the hell is my rope?" He growled, his eyes darting around him.
He had only just spoken the words when the baseball bat came swinging toward him again, and he narrowly ducked his head out of the way. Raven-gloved hands reached toward Saffron, only to be swatted away by her blind rampage.
"Hey, you!" I hollered, and even to my muddled, sleep-deprived brain, my own voice sounded loud.
The situation seemed to freeze. He had been so occupied with the problem at hand, that it appeared the stranger hadn't even noticed my approach. I have no clue how the hell I hadn't woke up sooner with this sort of chaos going on.
"HEY!"
The baseball bat hit the carpet with a soft thump, her wide green eyes flying open and seeking me out. I was about to raise my voice – perhaps run for the hall and my parents' bedroom to find my father's pistol – when my eyes froze on him. It was as though all body functions were cut-off mid-stride.
A smooth white mask was the first thing that I registered, eyes as dark as midnight glowering at me from behind its recesses. His gloved hands were clenched, an silky black cloak draped behind him. It was as though he had stepped straight out of the book.
"…Erik…?" I murmured.
Saffron stared at him as though she had just looked at him for the first time, her mouth falling open. Her face had been pale only moments before, and now it flushed scarlet.
"Erik!"
It was more of an exclamation from an eccentric child than a statement. In response my cat meowed, his head poking out from under my bed.
"Where am I?" Our living-dream asked slowly, though there was clearly an underlying threat under the surface of his tone, and it could have had to do with the fact that two strange girls somehow knew his name and were looking at him like he was some sort of god.
"Erik!" Saffron blurted.
"My h-house."
Erik's eyes slid over my figure, perhaps calculating whether I was worth harming.
"How did I get here?"
"Erik!"
I swallowed, "How should I know?"
My cat meowed irritably.
"Where is Christine? Are you an accomplice of the Vicomte de Chagny?"
"No…"
"Erik!"
"Who are you?"
"Erik!"
The Phantom's gaze darted to Saffron, aggravation sparking their depths.
"You. Be silent. I'm not in the best condition of mind, and if only I had a rope, I would be more than inclined to punjab you."
Saffron's eyes clouded over, "Erik."
My cat hissed, indicating that he was more than sick of his name being repeated. I turned to look down at him almost absently, and in that one moment, Erik – the non-feline – flew out of the room. Saffron let out a shrill little yelp like the obsessive fangirl she obviously was. She didn't even pause, the baseball bat long forgotten. She ran out the door, shrieking Erik's name as I ran after her.
The cat with said name followed, mewling excitedly as though he believed we were running downstairs to retrieve his food.
Okay, so this isn't really a fanfic I'm doing seriously. It's just something for a friend. But if anyone else enjoys it - yay, bonus! So, continue it? Don't continue it?
*sigh* Let me know.
Whitewolfffy~