***Hey everyone, sorry it took me so long to start the story up again, I've started school
and dorm-life isn't as easy to get used to as you might think! *smiles* thanks for sticking
with me!***
Four teenagers sat in a circle on the carpeted floor of Tavie's bedroom. They'd never met one
another before this night, and yet they were all united by a common knowledge: Fiona. The
friend that dissapeared, yet inside both Cary and the girl had a feeling that she wasn't
completely gone. Cole wanted to find her too, though wasn't so optomistic. Travis was mostly
just along for the ride.
"We need to get to her computer, it's the only connection I can think of that could tell us
where she's gone."
"No," Tavie pondered for a moment, running her fingers back through her hair, it sliding back
down like liquid flame around her cheekbones and shoulders. "They're watching the house. And
if this has a lot to do with her computer, I don't have any doubt that they've probably
deleted everything on it."
"So... did you ever think of getting a modeling contract?" Travis interjected at random.
"Don't patronize me, asshole," Tavie said, her voice like syrup poured over gravel.
"Ooo, I like a woman who's not afraid to defend herself.."
"You like women?"
"I was just about to ask you the same thing."
"Ouch, with a smooth sparkling wit like that, -you- could be a superhero."
"Dude, don't mess with him. He's super," Cary said with a wide-eyed sarcastic nod.
Travis opened his mouth a bit to say a retort, but closed it again and made a face once he
realized that he didn't have one and was outnumbered. Tavie promptly clamped a hand over her mouth to prevent
herself from bursting out in laughter. Cole, the ever-practical one, smirked
"Are we quite through with the childish fighting?"
"I know you are but what am I?" Cary said in a nasal mock-voice.
"Enough! I didn't come here to babysit."
"Alright, the only other place I can think of would be at school. Every student gets an account
there at the beginning of the year and there could be something on there. It's not too far to
walk."
The four of them got to their feet and walked (or stumbled) down the stairs to the front door
just in time to see Tavie's parents pull out of the garage. The car swung into the street, then
drove off, its headlights leaving a fading trail in the night.
"Awww, do we have to walk?" whined Travis, crossing his arms nervously as crickets recommenced
their chirping from the bushes.
"Yes, unless you just happened to bring your inflatable car that so convenietly fit in
the carry-on baggage compartment on the plane," Cary said bluntly, blinking at Travis.
"Here," Tavie dissapeared into the garage for a moment, then came out. She trotted over to
Travis, then held up a large box saying unenthusiastically "Cardboard box." she put it onto the ground, then held
up a pair of wheeled shoes with two fingers, "Rollerskates," and dropped them unceremoniously
into the open cube, a clatter sounding as they smacked against one another. "You do the math.
If by some miracle you actually make it move, we'll be at the school." She took a step over to
Cary, slipping her arm around the crook of his elbow "Come boys, we have a friend to find."
The two of them started off down the sidewalk, talking with each other.
"What a woman.." Travis moaned, goggle-eyed.
"Travis?" Cole questioned, giving his friend a steady look and starting to walk with him about 15
feet behind the other two.
"What?"
"She thinks you're a doofus."
"I know..." he sighed dreamily. Rolling his eyes, Cole punched his friend in the arm.
*~About 20 minutes later~*
The four teenagers stood in a back alley behind the school building, rain pouring unmercillesly
on the lot of them. The light from a nearby street lamp glowed in the night, outlining
each fleeting drop like a faerie falling from the sky. The sound of pattering water
mostly drowned out their voices as they huddled closely together under an overhang. Just above
their heads was a small oblong window about 10 feet from the ground.
"This is the only way in that I don't think will set off any alarms."
"I still don't understand why we have to do this -now-," Travis squeeked, letting his
eyes drift upwards towards the blackened sky.
"Listen Travis," Cary said calmly, looking over at him. "We're running out of time. We
might even be already too late, but we won't know unless we try. I'm not going to give
up on Fi now, and I hope that you might think the same. We might already be being watched,
and the longer we wait the worse it will get. If we don't do this now, it might mean her
death, or maybe -our- condemming."
There was a sound of two hands being brought together in a clap, that echoed against
the close walls of the alley. Then another, each a few seconds between. The three boys
looked back to see Tavie, her face a quiet shadow, but her eyes bright.
"Let's do this."
She glanced around for a moment then shrugged her wet hair behind her shoulders, staring up
at the window. Moving over to where she was positioned under it, she bent her knees
then sprung up, catching her hands on the outside windowsill. Bringing her leg up, in a painfully
flexible and somewhat physically impossible way, she hoisted herself up enough for just
a moment to be able to turn the handle on the window and have it swing open. She pulled herself
up, and slid through the window, easilly fitting through then dropping down onto the tile
flooring on the opposite side. Cary examined the jump and bit his lower lip, then followed
Tavie's example. He had a more difficult time fitting through the small window, and he had to
turn to let his feet through first. Looking down at the upturned faces of Cole and Travis, he
said as he dissapeared
"Meet us by the front entrance in an hour."
"How come I don't-"
"Oh shut up Travis," Cole sighed "You know neither of us are small enough to fit though that
window."
"Go go gadget, skinny!" Travis cried, bringing his elbows together and squeezing himself
together as much as possible, his face pinched up like he'd just eaten a lemon. He remained
there for a moment, then stood back up again, his face deadpan. "You're right. Let's go
around front to wait."
Cary had already let himself slide down onto the opposite side of the window, landing
softly on his feet. In the darkness, he was just barely able to make out a line of mirrors
to his left, and a few white flimsy walls.
"Is this the bathroom?" asked Cary, his voice bouncing off the empty walls.
"Yes," Tavie responded simply, letting her hands travel over the wall to the door. Her
male counterpart followed, seeing his shadowy image trail him in the mirrors. The girl
spread her palms on the smooth surface of the door, and pushed it outward into the large
hallway.
"How many people go here?" asked Cary in a hushed whisper. Tavie glanced over her shoulder
to look at him for a moment before responding in a normal voice as though she wasn't worried
that anyone would hear them,
"Nearly 2000. The classes are difficult, but not if you study."
"Ah, nothing focuses the mind like the thought of being shot in the morning."
Tavie smirked softly and started walking off down the tiled hallway, keeping her hand on the
wall to maintain a sense of direction. The only lighting was the occasional red
glow above a doorway spelling out 'EXIT'. "Here, if we cut across the pool bleachers it'll
save a lot of time."
"You guys have a pool??"
"Don't you swim?" Her hand found itself on a familiar handle, which she attempted
turning. It joggled slightly, but was apparently locked. Before Cary could do anything, she
pulled out an earring and began ticking at the lock.
"Yes, but never on a team."
There was a click sound, and the door swung open with a creaking screech. Immediatley
the smell of over-chlorinated water wafted out and encircled the two. In front of them
was a flight of stairs that they promptly ascended, Tavie much more sure of herself than the
other. They emerged onto a mezzanine about 50 feet above the rather impressive swimming
pool. There were lights on underneath the water that caused eerie white shadows to dance
across the walls and the two teenagers like they were alive. Her hips brushing on the railing of
the very edge of the balcony in front of the cascading upward seats, Tavie suddenly slipped on something
unseen and fell backwards with a tiny cry. Cary caught her under her arms just before she hit
the cement, and stood her back up on her feet.
"Thanks.." Tavie said lightly, turning to face him with a little smile. Cary was surprised at this,
having expected her to just brush him off. He'd figured she was the sort of person who cared, but
wouldn't outwardly show it in a soft way. His hand was still lingering on her waist, and when
she didn't brush it off, he felt all logic sort of slip out of his head and both were lost
in each other's eyes. Tavie took a step forward and brushed her knuckles up across his jawline,
so close enough for him to feel her breath curl up across his lips and disperse chillingly.
Tavie suddenly blinked, grabbing his shoulder gently, but not moving anything else but her
eyes, which were glancing around down by the pool with a suspicious look.
"Did you hear that?" she hissed between her teeth. Cary twitched slightly, about to move his
head to look, but Tavie gripped his shoulder hard, "Don't move."
"Hear what?" Cary asked, his voice low.
and dorm-life isn't as easy to get used to as you might think! *smiles* thanks for sticking
with me!***
Four teenagers sat in a circle on the carpeted floor of Tavie's bedroom. They'd never met one
another before this night, and yet they were all united by a common knowledge: Fiona. The
friend that dissapeared, yet inside both Cary and the girl had a feeling that she wasn't
completely gone. Cole wanted to find her too, though wasn't so optomistic. Travis was mostly
just along for the ride.
"We need to get to her computer, it's the only connection I can think of that could tell us
where she's gone."
"No," Tavie pondered for a moment, running her fingers back through her hair, it sliding back
down like liquid flame around her cheekbones and shoulders. "They're watching the house. And
if this has a lot to do with her computer, I don't have any doubt that they've probably
deleted everything on it."
"So... did you ever think of getting a modeling contract?" Travis interjected at random.
"Don't patronize me, asshole," Tavie said, her voice like syrup poured over gravel.
"Ooo, I like a woman who's not afraid to defend herself.."
"You like women?"
"I was just about to ask you the same thing."
"Ouch, with a smooth sparkling wit like that, -you- could be a superhero."
"Dude, don't mess with him. He's super," Cary said with a wide-eyed sarcastic nod.
Travis opened his mouth a bit to say a retort, but closed it again and made a face once he
realized that he didn't have one and was outnumbered. Tavie promptly clamped a hand over her mouth to prevent
herself from bursting out in laughter. Cole, the ever-practical one, smirked
"Are we quite through with the childish fighting?"
"I know you are but what am I?" Cary said in a nasal mock-voice.
"Enough! I didn't come here to babysit."
"Alright, the only other place I can think of would be at school. Every student gets an account
there at the beginning of the year and there could be something on there. It's not too far to
walk."
The four of them got to their feet and walked (or stumbled) down the stairs to the front door
just in time to see Tavie's parents pull out of the garage. The car swung into the street, then
drove off, its headlights leaving a fading trail in the night.
"Awww, do we have to walk?" whined Travis, crossing his arms nervously as crickets recommenced
their chirping from the bushes.
"Yes, unless you just happened to bring your inflatable car that so convenietly fit in
the carry-on baggage compartment on the plane," Cary said bluntly, blinking at Travis.
"Here," Tavie dissapeared into the garage for a moment, then came out. She trotted over to
Travis, then held up a large box saying unenthusiastically "Cardboard box." she put it onto the ground, then held
up a pair of wheeled shoes with two fingers, "Rollerskates," and dropped them unceremoniously
into the open cube, a clatter sounding as they smacked against one another. "You do the math.
If by some miracle you actually make it move, we'll be at the school." She took a step over to
Cary, slipping her arm around the crook of his elbow "Come boys, we have a friend to find."
The two of them started off down the sidewalk, talking with each other.
"What a woman.." Travis moaned, goggle-eyed.
"Travis?" Cole questioned, giving his friend a steady look and starting to walk with him about 15
feet behind the other two.
"What?"
"She thinks you're a doofus."
"I know..." he sighed dreamily. Rolling his eyes, Cole punched his friend in the arm.
*~About 20 minutes later~*
The four teenagers stood in a back alley behind the school building, rain pouring unmercillesly
on the lot of them. The light from a nearby street lamp glowed in the night, outlining
each fleeting drop like a faerie falling from the sky. The sound of pattering water
mostly drowned out their voices as they huddled closely together under an overhang. Just above
their heads was a small oblong window about 10 feet from the ground.
"This is the only way in that I don't think will set off any alarms."
"I still don't understand why we have to do this -now-," Travis squeeked, letting his
eyes drift upwards towards the blackened sky.
"Listen Travis," Cary said calmly, looking over at him. "We're running out of time. We
might even be already too late, but we won't know unless we try. I'm not going to give
up on Fi now, and I hope that you might think the same. We might already be being watched,
and the longer we wait the worse it will get. If we don't do this now, it might mean her
death, or maybe -our- condemming."
There was a sound of two hands being brought together in a clap, that echoed against
the close walls of the alley. Then another, each a few seconds between. The three boys
looked back to see Tavie, her face a quiet shadow, but her eyes bright.
"Let's do this."
She glanced around for a moment then shrugged her wet hair behind her shoulders, staring up
at the window. Moving over to where she was positioned under it, she bent her knees
then sprung up, catching her hands on the outside windowsill. Bringing her leg up, in a painfully
flexible and somewhat physically impossible way, she hoisted herself up enough for just
a moment to be able to turn the handle on the window and have it swing open. She pulled herself
up, and slid through the window, easilly fitting through then dropping down onto the tile
flooring on the opposite side. Cary examined the jump and bit his lower lip, then followed
Tavie's example. He had a more difficult time fitting through the small window, and he had to
turn to let his feet through first. Looking down at the upturned faces of Cole and Travis, he
said as he dissapeared
"Meet us by the front entrance in an hour."
"How come I don't-"
"Oh shut up Travis," Cole sighed "You know neither of us are small enough to fit though that
window."
"Go go gadget, skinny!" Travis cried, bringing his elbows together and squeezing himself
together as much as possible, his face pinched up like he'd just eaten a lemon. He remained
there for a moment, then stood back up again, his face deadpan. "You're right. Let's go
around front to wait."
Cary had already let himself slide down onto the opposite side of the window, landing
softly on his feet. In the darkness, he was just barely able to make out a line of mirrors
to his left, and a few white flimsy walls.
"Is this the bathroom?" asked Cary, his voice bouncing off the empty walls.
"Yes," Tavie responded simply, letting her hands travel over the wall to the door. Her
male counterpart followed, seeing his shadowy image trail him in the mirrors. The girl
spread her palms on the smooth surface of the door, and pushed it outward into the large
hallway.
"How many people go here?" asked Cary in a hushed whisper. Tavie glanced over her shoulder
to look at him for a moment before responding in a normal voice as though she wasn't worried
that anyone would hear them,
"Nearly 2000. The classes are difficult, but not if you study."
"Ah, nothing focuses the mind like the thought of being shot in the morning."
Tavie smirked softly and started walking off down the tiled hallway, keeping her hand on the
wall to maintain a sense of direction. The only lighting was the occasional red
glow above a doorway spelling out 'EXIT'. "Here, if we cut across the pool bleachers it'll
save a lot of time."
"You guys have a pool??"
"Don't you swim?" Her hand found itself on a familiar handle, which she attempted
turning. It joggled slightly, but was apparently locked. Before Cary could do anything, she
pulled out an earring and began ticking at the lock.
"Yes, but never on a team."
There was a click sound, and the door swung open with a creaking screech. Immediatley
the smell of over-chlorinated water wafted out and encircled the two. In front of them
was a flight of stairs that they promptly ascended, Tavie much more sure of herself than the
other. They emerged onto a mezzanine about 50 feet above the rather impressive swimming
pool. There were lights on underneath the water that caused eerie white shadows to dance
across the walls and the two teenagers like they were alive. Her hips brushing on the railing of
the very edge of the balcony in front of the cascading upward seats, Tavie suddenly slipped on something
unseen and fell backwards with a tiny cry. Cary caught her under her arms just before she hit
the cement, and stood her back up on her feet.
"Thanks.." Tavie said lightly, turning to face him with a little smile. Cary was surprised at this,
having expected her to just brush him off. He'd figured she was the sort of person who cared, but
wouldn't outwardly show it in a soft way. His hand was still lingering on her waist, and when
she didn't brush it off, he felt all logic sort of slip out of his head and both were lost
in each other's eyes. Tavie took a step forward and brushed her knuckles up across his jawline,
so close enough for him to feel her breath curl up across his lips and disperse chillingly.
Tavie suddenly blinked, grabbing his shoulder gently, but not moving anything else but her
eyes, which were glancing around down by the pool with a suspicious look.
"Did you hear that?" she hissed between her teeth. Cary twitched slightly, about to move his
head to look, but Tavie gripped his shoulder hard, "Don't move."
"Hear what?" Cary asked, his voice low.