Awakening: Second Stage

Chapter Five

"Waking"

Saturday

Tino awoke to a noticeably cooler cabin, the sound of Dixon's muffled snoring stirring the atmosphere. Lazily, Tino rolled over in his own bed, thinking dreamily upon the perfect start he already had on his weekend. Their weekend. Tish was really open in this place, much moreso than usual. He didn't think of her as very uptight, but she was definitely less inhibited. Tino blushed slightly, thinking of how willingly she had exposed her childish side to him the night before. The dichotomy was by no means lost on him. After the swinging contest which Tish had inevitably won (even swinging wasn't a sport Tino could perform competitively in), they had shared a double header ice cream come, two scoops on each side. The night was rounded out by a not unpleasant hour underneath an oak tree, sharing their respective hopes and dreams, silly stories from their childhood, and the occasional kiss when there just wasn't anything else to be said on a subject.

Much to Tino's chagrin, he still didn't consider himself much of a kisser. Their desire to maintain discretion back home had made this a natural state. Tino ducked his head under the covers as he came to the realization that Tish usually took the lead and set the rhythm, it was a little embarrassing!  His face red, Tino wondered if Tish wasn't doing a little research in her spare time, it wasn't beyond feasibility at all. In fact, it would be just like her. He made a mental note to ask her about it. It never paid to underestimate Tish, she was undeniably coy and clever, but certainly not dishonest. It was an admirable trait. Tish would never apologize for being herself, she expected people to accept her as she came. That attitude, combined with the intimidation of her being such a brain, had not afforded her many friends in life, though the ones she had, their loyalty could not be denied. Perhaps that was why their small circle had stayed together for so long—no matter what happened, they were all true blue friends.

Yawning, Tino rolled over to face the new day. Was it 7:30 already? Ordinarily, he would've stayed in bed until his mother forced him to get up and be subjected to some sort of breakfast his stomach wouldn't be ready to face. But not today! Dixon was in charge of his breakfast today! Beautiful eggs sizzling in a frying pan, with pancakes, toast, and bacon...glorious bacon! Maybe a glass of orange or cranberry juice, yeah that was the ticket! "Man I'm hungry!" Tino expressed aloud, his heart sinking as he saw Dixon still asleep. "Aw man, this just isn't right! Hey, Dixon, can you get up?" Tino asked, shaking his chaperone gently. "I hate to be a pain, but I bet mom is already awake, and I'm afraid she'll come running over here with breakfast if you don't beat her to it!"

Dixon responded by opening one eye, blinking it several times until the image of the alarm clock became clearer. "7:32?"

"Yeah, I know, it's early."

"And you want breakfast?"

"Um, yeah. I hate to be a pain."

Dixon yawned, then rubbed some sleep out of his eyes. "Well, it's not too early. I guess now is as good a time to get up as any. Besides, no sense in wasting good daylight. The weekend never lasts as long as the rest of the week."

"Tell me about it."

"I brought a carton of eggs with us."

"And bacon?"

"And bacon."

"Bread for toast?"

"Yeah."

"Bisquick?"

"I'm going to have to start calling you Betty Crocker! Actually, I didn't bring any, but I think I saw some in one of the cupboards. I wonder if it's still good. Otherwise I guess I'll have to buy some..."

"I'll help get us setup."

"Yeah, I'm definitely going to need your help."

"No prob! This may be one of the few meals of the year I don't have any qualms about eating!"

"You know when your mom finds out what I let you eat for breakfast, there will be retribution."

"Liver and onions?"

"Definitely."

Tino took a deep breath, running a risk/benefit analysis in his head. "It's so worth it!" He said at length.

Dixon smiled, sliding out of bed. "Just let me brush my teeth."

Will did not greet her as she sat upright in bed, stretching her arms out over her head in yawning. Odd. Oh, right, this wasn't her bedroom. Tish's yawn brought the scent of wood deep into her nostrils, instantly reminding her where she was. It had been awhile since she hadn't slept in the comfort of her own bed, but the accommodations in her cabin were more than adequate. She blinked several times, her eyes adjusting to the sunlight. She frowned when her vision refused to clear, a battle she fought nearly every morning, then she fumbled about the nightstand for her glasses. Her hands brushed against a half-full glass of water, warm from being left out overnight. Moving on, she felt the smooth edges of the cheap necklace Tino had won for her the last time they had visited Tesla Park—it was a trinket she kept out of sentimental value. One of the best evenings of the past year. Lor had won a fried dough eating contest, Carver rang the bell on the strength tester, bringing his coolness factor up a notch or two, and Tino rode the Whip-A-Canoe twice in a row without spewing. Best of all, Tino had reluctantly agreed to accompany her on the Shakespeare ride, And Tish was overjoyed to see that he genuinely had a good time, and not just because she was there. Of course, there was the part where the ride broke down and they were caught in one of the tunnels for fifteen minutes. "Well, how else were we supposed to pass the time?" she muttered, blushing. "More importantly, why am I trying to justify myself to myself?"

Tish felt her hand come into contact with a familiar thin, plastic edge. Success! Gently reaching out to get a solid grip, she deftly hoisted her sight off the stand and affixed it to her face. Ah, much better! She glanced to her right, finding the other bed empty. "Guess she got up already." Undaunted, Tish swung her legs out from under the sheets, planting her bare feet onto the floor. Her toes immediately flexed in surprise, the hardwood floor noticeably cooler than she was accustomed to. Coming to a standing position, she walked across the floor, past the double mirrors that stretched along the wall, over the length of the dresser. She took stock of herself, feeling a little silly in the very plain white nightshirt draped over her, which pleasantly  came all the way down to just above her knees. Releasing another yawn, Tish stepped into the bathroom to brush her teeth, a most unusual scent catching her nose as she stood at the sink. Breakfast? She shrugged, focusing on the task at hand before worrying about her morning consumption of mass quantities. After repeating the vigorous brush, rinse, and spit routine twice, Tish decided to venture into the kitchen to see just what would be on her plate that morning.

"Morning, Miss Tonitini. Making breakfast?"

"Oh, you're up already? Nice to see you, Tish. Did you sleep well?"

"Almost like being home. It's a little colder than I expected, though."

"Higher elevations."

"Of course! I can't believe I didn't anticipate that. Oh well, it's only a few degrees. But my feet did notice." She giggled.

"Mine too. Like I said, it's been a long time since I've been out of the city. Now that Tino's older, maybe I should go away like this more often."

"You think so?"

"Well, being a single mother, I haven't done everything with him I'd like to. Pretty soon he'll be too old, be too involved with school, work...you." She winked.

"Gee, do you really think I could compete with you? You're his mom, and studies show, men are attached to their mothers."

"Oh, we get along pretty well, but I don't think you'll be competing with me too much. I've seen the way he is with you."

"You watch us?!"

"Relax!" Tino's mother laughed. "It's not like you're thinking. I just know my son. I saw you two in the car yesterday, he's very comfortable around you. And I think that's because you've already been very close friends, so there's much less friction. You're already comfortable with each other, you know what your respective likes and dislikes are. You don't have to impress each other. I'm going to be honest, relationships forged out of friendships usually end up very happy or miserable, not much of a middle. But you've already been together for a whole year, that's why I think you'll have a happy ending. I really admire the mature attitude you guys took, and I feel it will make all the difference. I'm sure there are plenty of girls in Bahia Bay, but I can honestly say that I think you're one of the best suited to Tino."

Tish wasn't really sure what to say in response. "Um...thanks. I'm sorry, I just...I never thought of it like that before."

"I just thought we should get it out in the open, so you wouldn't feel like I'm silently judging you all weekend. You're okay in my book. Now, you were asking me about breakfast?"

"Yeah." Tish blinked, trying to organize her thoughts. She looked into the pot Miss Tonitini was stirring on the stove, surprised at what she saw. "Is that...grass?"

"There's some in there, yes. Specially grown without any chemicals. But that's for flavor."

"Kind of like bay leaves?"

"A little more pungent, but yes."

"That's....interesting." Tish spoke, a nip of hesitation in her voice.

"Don't worry, I know that you're a vegetarian, so rest assured I took that into account when thinking about what to cook this morning."

"Thanks. Tino's told me some pretty crazy stories about some of your delicacies."

Miss Tonitini smirked. "We mustn't be afraid to try new things!"

Lor's face felt warm. That was weird. Grimacing, her head lolled to the side in an effort to cease the sensation. The effect was not what she had hoped for. Hovering between sleep and consciousness, she rolled her entire body to the side. She came to a rude awakening when her legs suddenly lost all support, and she nearly fell off of the couch. Couch?

"Ooof!" Lor blinked several times in confusion, her mouth full of unpleasant morning breath. Her tongue felt heavy, like she had spent the night with a wad of cotton in her mouth. She felt a web of eye crispies begin to shatter with her blinking, the sun boring into her face.  She wondered how deep she had been out, but that question was the least of her worries when she looked up. Carver was sprawled across the couch, a thin stream of drool hovering on the corner of his mouth. Blushing slightly, Lor ran her left arm across her own mouth, removing any traces of her own drool. Guess they had stayed up too late watching Teen Canyon episodes and had passed out on the couch. Her hypothesis proved true as she looked towards the TV, where indeed, an episode of the show was still playing. There were worse things that could have happened. What immediately put her mind into overdrive was Carver's appearance. His hair was covered in whipped cream, with a cherry where his nose presumably was. Silly string had covered most of the remainder of his body.

Involuntarily, she drew in a deep breath, then looked down at her own outfit. Lor bristled as she saw her favorite shirt had been a canvas for at least one of her brothers, who had chosen to work in a medium of ketchup and mustard. Fuming, she stood up, only to feel something brown and sticky begin to run down her face. Chocolate syrup? Someone was going to die.....

How could she have been so stupid? She knew better than to be vulnerable anywhere outside of her own room or the bathroom! Her brothers could smell weakness from several miles away. By sleeping out in the open, she had invited them to prey upon her and Carver. Lor's gaze fell downward to Carver's shoes, relieved to see that they appeared unscathed. She was certain that he would have been thoroughly traumatized had any harm come to them.

Ignoring the mess that was her hair for the moment, Lor tried to shake Carver awake. "Carver? Hey, c'mon, wake up! We fell asleep on the couch!"

A drop of drool streamed down her friend's face in response to her shaking. Frustrated, she raised the boy's eyelids with her thumbs in an attempt to rouse him. "Carver! I'm being serious! Wake up now!"

"Wha? I'm awake! I'm awake! I'm.....ahh! I'm blind! I'm blind!" Carver cried. Lor laughed, wiping whipped cream away from his eyes. "I'm cured, I'm cured....is this whipped cream? What the heck is going on?"

"We fell asleep watching those episodes." Lor sighed. "It's kind of an unspoken rule in our house, letting your guard down outside of your own room or the bathroom is pretty much an invitation for, well, this." Lor indicated the mess of her shirt.

"Great....my shoes! Are my shoes okay?!!"

"Relax. They're fine, I already checked. It's a good thing my brother's don't know they're your weakness, otherwise they'd so be toast. Like my favorite shirt here?"

"You can't wash that?"

"I dunno. Do I look like I know how to do laundry?"

"Girl, it's simple you just need to get to know the magic of the Spotter."

"Spotter?"

"Yeah, it's this stuff you spray on your clothes when they get stained. It keeps the stains from setting in deep, so you don't have to wash them right away. So whenever your mom, or whoever does the laundry, gets to it, they'll still come out just fine. Trust me, I've used it on various pairs of shoes over the years."

"Um, thanks."

"I'll hook you up with some if we swing by my place. Which looks like it'll be a necessity, I can't walk around like this. I gotta take a shower."

"Yeah, I think I should consider one of those. And maybe I should change." Lor growled. "They are so going to get it!"

"Your brothers?"

"Yeah, who else would I be talking about?"

"Ah, forget them. Between the cash the lovebirds gave us and that thirty bucks we won of Laird last night, we're sitting pretty. I thought we were gonna find the perfect way to spend it today."

"Man, Tino's gonna be so jealous when he hears about how we sent Laird crying for his mama. It's too bad Hunter wasn't there too, we could've really cleaned up."

"Yeah, but we also needed to get away with the loot. I don't wanna get jumped outside of Funville."

"Good point. But still, Tino and Tish missed a real victory."

"Maybe we can make it happen again."

"Sh'ya, right! Didn't you see the crowd around our table last night? We were unstoppable. Dude, how come you and Tino never win? I mean, Tino's not THAT bad."

"I guess I never take the game too seriously when I play with him. Usually I just start messing around near the end."

"Well, I'm glad you stuck with it last night."

"For thirty bucks? You better believe it."

"Alright. I'm gonna go take a shower and get a change. Um, word of advice, don't let your guard down. I've got way too many brothers to keep track of, so there's no telling where they are. Whatever you do, don't fall asleep."

"I can handle it. Just don't be gone too long."

"Nah, I'll be quick. Don't worry."

Lor closed the door to the bathroom behind her, peeling off her sullied shirt and taking a long look in the mirror. Her hair was a total mess, and even her white undershirt had a few small stains where ketchup and mustard had managed to bleed through. Her jeans were wrinkled beyond belief, a casualty of sleeping in her clothes, and on the couch, no less. Sighing, Lor reached for the bottle of mouthwash, pouring some into a bathroom cup and using it to clear up her morning breath. Whilst rinsing, she had time to wonder how it was that the unpleasant taste of morning breath could only be defeated by the application of an equally unpleasant dose of mouthwash, which not only tasted bad, but stung to boot. Spitting the painfully minty solution out into the sink, she gazed into the mirror again. Frowning, Lor spread her palms out, rubbing them over her face. As she expected, there was no change. She was just as ugly as she was every other morning she came in here. Dark thoughts passed through her mind as she turned away from the looking glass that seemed to mock her; she quietly stripped down the rest of the way and began running water for her shower. It took a few moments to achieve the desired temperature. Satisfied, she stepped inside, closing the curtain in front of her as though it were the door to a prison cell.

Another week, another chapter, that seems to be the tradition at this point. You guys got so spoiled when I wasn't really working, and you got to see a new chapter every other day or so. Now you've got to make due with just the weekly doses. I know it's hard for some of you to wait that long, but I'm afraid it's all I can manage for the time being. I appreciate everyone's patience.

Before it becomes a big bone of contention, I want to make one thing from this chapter painfully clear. I do NOT think that Lor is ugly. I'm trying to illustrate that Lor feels that she is ugly. I just want to get that out there so no Lor fans start hating on me. I don't personally think she's ugly at all, folks!  :)

As you may have noticed, this chapter was very heavy on description. There was a whole bunch of words but not much really happened. It was kind of an experiment on my part. I'm pleased with how it turned out, myself, but I'd really appreciate feedback on the more descriptive aspects, especially the whole Tish sequence, of course."

Wow, have I finally run out of things to say? Yeah, it looks that way. Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this, please take a moment to let the author know how he is doing. Even if you've already done so in the past. ^_^ In other news, I'm working on my commentary for the fourth chapter of the First Stage, hopefully I'll have that out in the very near future. If you're reading this story on Fanfiction.net, head over to the fanfic forum at The Weekenders Shrine for links to the commentaries that have been done so far, comments by Kaon, Blaster Bob, and yours truly.

See you in seven days!

Lord Malachite

6/27/03

11:31 PM

E-mail: ranger_writer@yahoo.com

AIM: Asukaphile26