Author's note: Thanks for the reviews all you people! :) This is the last chapter I may submit for an undetermined amount of time but I promise I will have Chapter 10 up before August 9th. As usual though, keep R&R-ing guys!
Love is a Lake
(A 'TFA' fan fic romance)
Chapter 9 The Yellow Lily
(Thursday- 5:00pm: Cynthia)
"Put your sister on the phone now, please Mandy."
"Mom, I told you, she's sleeping. When she gets up, I'll tell her to call you. I promise!"
"Amanda Anne Preston! Do as I say now!"
The youngest rolled her eyes. She forgot that was one of her ulterior motives for leaving New York alongside Cynthia. Her mother was beginning to torture her and pester her about doing something with her life. Helen Preston, the widow of Robert Preston, wasn't really a domineering tyrant but she did dislike it when she was ignored by anyone, especially by her two daughters whom she hadn't seen in nearly four weeks. It particularly incensed her that he first born, Cynthia, was never around to talk to her.
Regrettably, Amanda entered Cyndi's room. The blinds were pulled down and the room was pitch black. She switched on the overhead light, flooding every nook and cranny in the room. Cynthia squirmed in her bed and turned over on her side.
"Cyndi," her sister called. "Mom's on the phone. Get up."
"I'll call back in an hour," she groaned. "I got to get enough beauty sleep."
"Please, now. She's pissed off."
"Fine…"
With a yawn, she sat up in her bed. She rubbed her eyes and Amanda handed her the phone. Cynthia grabbed it and held it up to her ear.
"Mom?" she said groggily.
"It's about time, Cynthia Rose Preston!" Helen huffed. "What have you been doing lately? Why haven't you returned my calls? Do you have enough money? Tell me now!"
"It's all good. Things are great over here in Detroit. I love it. I don't regret moving here at all…"
"What are you doing sleeping in so late? Are you getting enough rest? Is it affecting your grades?"
"Mom, don't worry! I'm okay. I just needed to take a nap. I won't lie: I was up all night last night."
"You're really telling her?" Mandy whispered harshly. "Are you completely stupid with love?"
Cynthia winked at her.
"Why were up so late?" Helen pushed. "Were you studying for your upcoming final exams?"
"I don't know how to explain this to you," Cyndi got up from her bed. She stood beside Amanda. "But I've got a boyfriend."
There was an eerie silence on the other end of the line. Mandy could hear their conversation clearly. A little bit of worry seeped into her eyes.
"Oh my God!" the Preston matriarch finally said. "Cyndi, this is why you must talk to me! You have to keep me updated with your life! What's his name?"
She couldn't say 'Blitzwing'. Cynthia faced her sister, hoping for some kind of assistance with selecting a more earthly name. Amanda tried to quickly come up with a suggestion to reduce the potential awkwardness of the situation. Then she came up with one.
"Johann," she offered, "he's got that German accent, right?"
She mouthed 'thank you' to Mandy.
"His name is Johann," Cyndi resumed. "He's from Austria. He just came to America at the start of the spring semester."
"Ooh, that's nice," Helen commented. "The foreign boys are very nice. How is he?"
"He's very quirky. Last night we told each other how we felt for one another… It went along perfectly."
Then she decided to mix it up. She had the desire to express her love and say how happy she was but Cynthia saw she could never tell her mother the true nature of the romance. So she decided to play with her a bit.
"No, I'm just joking!" Cynthia lied. "I don't have a boyfriend! I just felt like messing around with you, that's all!"
Amanda was relieved she decided to play that card. She gave her sister the thumbs-up signal.
"You actually fooled me there!" said Helen. "I was starting to get really happy with that misinformation too! I'd love for you to get one…"
Cynthia grinned wickedly.
"It doesn't matter, Mom," she said. "I'm perfectly happy with what I have now. To be honest, I couldn't be happier."
(10:30pm – Blitzwing)
"Tell me, do I look handsome?" Random fretted. "Maybe I ought to polish my servos and make sure zhey are spotless."
"Stop vhining!" growled Hothead. "Of course ve look attractive! Zhat's one of zhe reasons she loves us, right?"
"Forget our looks," Icy said. "I zhink it is appropriate to present Cynthia vith a small memento of our affection for her. Now vhat is it zhat zhe Human males give to zheir ladies?"
Blitzwing had no clue of where to start with Human dating customs. If Cyndi was a fellow Transformer, he would've presented her with a box of oil-filled energon candies. A bouquet of chrome flowers would've been a good choice too. He didn't know exactly what to present her with and he felt that if he didn't get her anything, she'd be disheartened.
"It's not like ve can just valk into some store and ask someone to help us find a gift for her!" Hothead said. "Do ve even know remotely vhat to do?"
"I zhink she likes flowers," said Random. "Every femme likes zhem, no?"
"Ja, but vhich color and type?" Icy wondered. "She never did say vhat flower she liked but if I remember correctly, yellow is her favorite color. Vere zhe both of zhou negligent in paying attention to her? It is razher rude to ignore zhe ladies. Zhey don't like zhat. I vill not let either of zhou jeopardize zhis romance because zhou have zhe attention span of an insect!"
"I vas just about to say to get her a yellow flower!" the angrier side yelled. "I've paid attention!"
"Not only zhat, but I have to zhink about vhat song I'm going to sing to her vhen I see her!" Random said. "I've scanned a lot of songs but I can't pick vhich ones! I like zhem all!"
"Isn't zhere some store zhat sells flowers around here?" Hothead pondered. "I could've svorn I saw one vhen ve fly here to zhe meadow."
"Zhou're right," the cool personality said. "I believe it's called a florist or somezhing along zhose lines. It's closed but nonezheless, ve vill get vhat we vant. It's only about two miles from here. Let's go see vhat ve can get before midnight."
(Sunny's Flower Shop – 10:33pm)
Sunny Clematis was hoping she'd be home an hour earlier. There were so many things to do and not enough time. Displays needed to be rearranged, pots needed to be filled with water, documents needed to be sorted, phone numbers needed to be written down and the list just went on and on. Her five year old daughter, Leah Clematis, would've been more than willing to help her mother but she didn't place too much trust in the spirited youth.
The young parent sat at her desk, listening to voicemails she missed earlier on in the day. Leah played out at the front of the store, placing flowers in her bleach blonde hair. She flitted from one corner of the store to another, pretending she was a flower fairy princess.
"Mama, I'm gonna go out to the car and get my fairy wand, okay?" Leah stood in the office's doorway. "I'm a magical flower fairy princess!"
Sunny glanced up from a piece of paper. She was writing down a client's phone number. Her little Leah stood before her looking like an angel sent down from Heaven. She was the light of her life. There was no way she could deny her innocent request.
"Okay, baby," Sunny approved. "Just come back in as soon as you get what you need. I don't want you alone out there for too long. The car door should be unlocked. I should be ready with everything within ten minutes then we'll go home."
"Okay, Mama!"
Leah outstretched her arms as if they were large and vibrant gossamer wings. Giggling with glee and innocence, the little girl ran to the door on the opposite side of the store. She pushed the door open and skipped merrily the two hundred feet to her mother's car.
"'Ring around the rosy, a pocketful of posies, "ashes, ashes", we all fall down!'" she sang.
With two hands, she opened up the passenger's door. Without much effort at all, she found her pink wand (complete with streamers) on the floor. Leah snatched it up and closed the door.
"Oh, aren't zhou zhe most precious fairy I've ever seen!"
Her head instantly snapped to the direction where she heard the voice come from. In front of the parked car, there was a wooded lot which contained a grove of coniferous trees. When she looked in that area, she spotted a red fiendish set of eyes and a sharp-toothed mouth of the same color peering at her from the cover of darkness.
Blitzwing stepped out of the shadows and treaded silently towards her. Leah titled her head up high to look at him. He stopped a few feet away from her and knelt down so he could get a better look at her. She didn't flinch or move at all. Rather, a gigantic smile was what she wore.
"A giant robot!" she blurted. "Cool! Will you play with me and be my friend, Mr. Giant-Robot-Person? I'm a flower fairy princess and you can be my giant friend! We have to destroy the evil witch before she can put a spell on the kingdom!"
"I'd love too!" Random laughed. "If zhou don't mind, allow me to set zhe vitch on fire! Or maybe I can zhrow some vater on her and vatch her melt!"
"Um, no sorry, ve cannot," Icy interrupted.
Leah's eyes widened in confusion and awe when she saw him switch faces. Then she began to laugh.
"Your eye is funny!" she smiled. "Change faces again!"
Blitzwing had no clue how to handle this situation. He had never dealt with a Human child before. What he thought was peculiar was that he didn't see the girl's guardians anywhere. Yet the triple changer didn't doubt they'd have to be around somewhere.
"Vhere is zhour mother and father, little girl?" he asked.
"My Mama is in the store," Leah replied. "My Daddy and my Mama split up… My name is Leah! You're really tall! Can I ride around on your shoulder? Pretty please with sugar on top?"
"Enough of zhese games, little fleshling!" Hothead said with rising impatience. "Ve did not come here to play silly games vith zhou. Ve came here for adult matters."
Leah only laughed harder when she was confronted by this personality.
"You look and sounder funnier than the other two!" she giggled. "You're really funny and cool, Mr. Robot!"
"Leah, vill zhou please do a favor for me?" Icy said gently, showing care not to scare or sadden her in anyway. "Vell, first, let ask zhou a question: do zhou have any yellow flowers?"
"Of course! But all we have are yellow lilies… They're really pretty though."
"I would appreciate it if zhou got zhat for me."
"I'll give you one because I don't want my Mama to yell at me for taking too many. Is that ok, Mr. Robot?"
"Ja, zhat's fine."
"Why do you want one?"
"None of zhour business, pipsqueak," said Hothead. "It's adult matters like I said."
"Do you have a girlfriend? Is she pretty?"
"Zhou know nothing!"
"Okay, give me a minute!"
Leah pranced over to the flower shop, leaving Blitzwing alone in the parking lot. The door bell chimed when it pushed open and Sunny looked up from her files to see what her cheery daughter was up to now. The little girl went over to the pot that held a beautiful and flawless bouquet of yellow lilies. She looked through them carefully, trying to see which one was the best out of all the others.
"Baby, what are you doing?" Sunny inquired.
"I'm getting a lily for my new friend, Mama!" Leah beamed. "He's a giant robot with three faces! He's funny!"
"Is that so? What's his name?"
"I don't know. But I call him Mr. Robot. Do you want to come see him?"
"Oh, no. I'm almost finished with these papers, honey. You go on and finish playing."
"Okay! I'm gonna go give it to him and come back!"
Leah selected the most perfect lily out of the present bunch. She bolted out the door and ran to her mother's car where Blitzwing patiently waited. Hoping to please him, she held up the delicate flower to him when she reached his side. He extended a hand and she placed the lily in it.
"It's free!" she said. "Do you like it?"
Blitzwing admiringly studied the yellow lily. It was simply perfect. Cynthia would have to love this present.
"Yes, it's perfect," he said. "Zhank zhou, Leah. Now I must be on my vay."
"Will I see you again?"
Her deep brown eyes were filled with sweet innocence and life. She looked at him pleadingly. Normally, he didn't have a soft spot for Humans but Cynthia was a rare exception. And now he began to feel the same for Leah. Ignorant bliss was all she knew. Because she was child, he decided to treat her nicely.
"Maybe or maybe not," Blitzwing told. "Can zhou keep zhis a secret between zhe two of us? Don't tell anyone else zhou saw me, alright?"
"I promise," Leah swore. "I'm good at keeping secrets!"
"Zhat's a good girl. Now remember zhour promise."
"Bye, Mr. Robot!"
Random decided to have the last word. He patted her gently on top of her head cautiously, trying not to crush her.
"Good luck on zhour quest to kill zhe vitch!" he said. "If fire and vater don't vork, try dropping a house on her!"
She watched as he quietly walked back into the veil of the darkened woods from where he emerged minutes earlier. Humming 'Ring Around the Rosies', Leah headed back to the flower shop as if nothing happened.
(Friday-12:15am: the peninsula)
"This is absolutely beautiful!"
Cynthia held the yellow lily in her hands, marveled by how beautiful it looked. She moved it to her nose and she breathed in the sweet aroma it released. A sigh of joy followed a few seconds later.
"Zhou like it?" Random said. "I vas zhinking about zhou, my sveet!"
"Blitzwing, you're such a thoughtful gentleman," Cyndi commented. She kissed him. "Thank you very much. I think when I go back to my apartment, I'll put it between some pages in my notebook. A dried lily lasts much longer than one that disintegrates remains in a vase for a few days then wilts."
"I also have a song I vant to sing to zhou! Vould zhou like to hear it?"
"Of course. Sing away."
"'Remember zhose valls I built, vell baby, zhey tumbling down. And zhey didn't even put up a fight, zhey didn't even make a sound. I found a vay to let zhou in but I never really had a doubt. Standing in zhe light of zhour halo, I got my angel now. It's like I've been avakened, every rule I had zhou breaking, it's zhe risk zhat I'm taking. I ain't never gonna shut zhou out. Everyvhere I'm looking now, I'm surrounded by zhour embrace. Baby, I can see zhour halo, zhou know zhou're my saving grace. Zhou're everyzhing I need and more, it's vritten all over zhour face. Baby, I can feel zhour halo. Pray it von't fade avay. I can feel zhour halo, halo, halo! I can see zhour halo, halo, halo..!'"
All she could do was smile. She knew he was sure no Beyoncé Knowles but she thought it was very adorable and touching to have him sing that song to her. Blitzwing's singing wasn't necessarily choir material either but it didn't matter to Cynthia. Love flowed through her and she felt she couldn't get a better catch in the vast and uncertain lake of romance. She hoped he would always be her only yet greatest catch.
Cyndi sat through the rest of the song and she wanted to laugh out loud at some parts where he sang out of tune. At last, it ended.
"Zhou liked it?" he asked, hoping for her approval and praise.
"I didn't like it," she said. "I loved it."
"Vonderful! I vill sing zhou a new song every time ve meet again. Zhou know, nobody else likes my singing… Ooh, I've got a brilliant idea! I vill learn zhe choreography for zhe song I selected and I vill sing and dance for zhou!"
"Okay, zhat's enough!" Hothead interrupted. "Zhou vill drive her insane if she is exposed to zhou for too long."
"It takes a lot more than an eccentric, three-faced giant robot to drive me insane." Cyndi twirled the lily around in her hand. Her fingers delicately touched the petals. "Do any of your Decepticon friends wonder why you're gone so frequently?"
"No. I'm not zhat reckless vhere zhey vill suspect somezhing. No one vill know. I'm no ratter!"
"We'll be able to spend more time with each other as soon as I finish college next week. And I'm going to make sure it's the best summer I will ever have…" Her joy then crashed back down to earth. "I won't be around Detroit for too long though."
"Vhy? Vhat's zhe problem? Does zhis mean ve're breaking up?"
Cyndi laughed when he overacted to her news. She knew she was going to have loads of entertainment lovingly teasing his angrier self and getting away with it.
"I'm going to be visiting my mother who lives in Upstate New York," Cynthia revealed. "That's where I lived before I moved here July of last year. I know I should be happy to go home but I'm happy here." Her eyes softened as long as she was looking at Blitzwing. "I don't mean to sound corny or cheesy but now that I have you to be with, I almost never want to go back."
"Zhour mother vould suspect somezhing is brewing if zhou didn't go back home," Icy said. "Go vhen zhou can. Enjoy zhour time at home. Maybe I vill stop and see zhou sometime."
"I won't be up there too long. I don't want to be the clingy girlfriend but I agree with you. I will be back when I can."
"Don't be brash, Cynthia. It's our secret, remember? Ve must act as if nozhing is happening. During zhe day, ve cannot be seen together. But zhe night belongs to us." Blitzwing fell silent, remembering something. "Cynthia, may I see zhour phone? I promise it vill be brief."
Without saying a word, she took it out of her pocket and handed it to him. Cynthia leaned in closer, eager to see what he was up to. She had her hand propped up against the side of his helmet, supporting herself. A small blue spark of electricity flared up before her very eyes in the palm of his hand where he held her cellphone. The miniscule current entered the device.
Just as Blitzwing promised, he returned it to her a minute after he asked for it. At first Cyndi hesitated, afraid she would be electrocuted somehow by her phone. Overcoming her concern and caution, she grabbed it and examined it carefully, wondering what he had just done to it.
"What in the name of God did you do?" she asked not in horror but in calm curiosity.
Blitzwing grinned.
"Now zhou can talk to me zhrough zhat phone of zhours," he answered. "Zhat small spark transferred data regarding my com code. I should be a listed contact now."
Cynthia checked her address catalog. Seconds later, she saw that indeed his name was listed. Instead of a ten digit number, the number bar was completely blank. Her eyebrows were raised in confusion and she truly felt stupid in front of him. He noticed this but he didn't deem her foolish or empty-headed. After all, it was a process of higher technology.
"Vhen zhou vant to call me, it vill send out a signal to my com and I will receive it," he explained. "No offense but zhat phone is still somevhat primitive so zhat's vhy zhou don't see numbers."
"And I guess you can call me too?"
"Vhoever misses zhe ozher more at zhe moment, zhen zhey can call…"
"I'll take that as a yes."
At this point, Blitzwing knew it was completely pointless to deny that he was in love. He didn't care that Cynthia was Human. His optimism about their forbidden and peculiar bond brightened and he became increasingly hopeful about their future. As long as he was in love with her, he was confident that it just might work out after all.