Okay, uh, well, no ones reviewing but I don't care. I want to put this up!
^^ And Kurama, I don't care if you didn't give me permission to screw with
your life. Kammy did! Blame her! And oh, yes, Kammy and I are working on a
fic called Mazes of the Heart. Will be up....soon...I hope. We keep getting
sidetracked. (AGGRR!!!)
Okay, uh, yeah..
Five minutes later, I found that my feet had carried me directly to Setra's house. Vance was sitting on the swing out front, very slowly going back and forth, absorbed in a book. He didn't even look up when I surreptitiously began to edge my way up the walk, using every ounce of cunning I had, trying to avoid catching the young boy's sharp eyes.
I got to the door alright, but when I pressed the doorbell, Vance's head shot up and his eyes burned holes into the back of my head.
"Ningen," I thought I heard Vance hiss in an undertone. It took a minute, but he heard a lock scrape open and the door cracked enough to show a bright blue eye that widened when it located the person who had run the bell; in other words, when Setra saw me.
Setra said 'no' to something behind her and pushed the door open the rest of the way. She was wearing a white summer dress, her hair was pulled back in a ponytail on the back of her head and her feet were slipped into white flip-flops. She smiled and leaned against the door jam, toying with a piece of her hair.
"Hey," She said, grinning. "What brings you here?"
"Err," I rubbed the back of my neck and nervously shrugged. "I just got back, so I thought I would come and make up for blowing you off like that."
Setra laughed. "Really, it's no big deal. Want to come in?" She stepped back and motioned me inside; I stepped into the cool of her house.
"Are your parents out?" I asked, looking around. There were portraits on the wall of a smiling family..Well; most of them were smiling at least. A boy who had to be Vance was standing a little apart with his arms crossed and was wearing a slight frown.
Setra's smile faltered and failed; she looked down at her feet and toyed with the edge of her dress.
"They.they're dead," she said, shutting her eyes and sighing. "They left everything to me, and told me to take care of Vance. I'm old enough to take care of myself and stuff, so it's okay, but.."
She glanced up at me, as if seeking my approval.
"Oh." I shifted nervously. "Oh, I'm sorry, if I'd known, I wouldn't have asked..."
Setra laughed, a quick, nervous sound, which she cut off quickly and returned to playing with her dress. "No, no, it's okay, really, you didn't know!"
I smiled. "Okay, well, what have you been doing?"
"Reading," She said, motioning me towards the den, where a thick book was lying open on the couch. She sunk back down onto the couch, tucked a leg underneath her, marked her page and put it aside, then turned to look at me. "It's an okay book, but it takes a while to get into it."
I got a glance of the title, but it was in Spanish; Why did I skip that class?! Why?!
"Oh," she laughed, seeing the infuriated look on my face; well, not exactly angry, just incredibly annoyed. "It's in English inside the book, go on.."
I picked it up and flicked it open. The title page had been ripped out.
"Oh, wait, I'm sorry, I forgot," Setra said apologetically, "It was my mothers, she gave it to me. She.She had found it on a bench in the park."
I set it back down. "So, what's the title anyway?"
"I don't know!" Setra exclaimed, shrugging, "I don't know Spanish, either!"
I sighed and sank down next to her. "Oh.Well, I don't need to know what the title is anyway." I heard the door open and a loud bark issued from the other side of the house.
"Down, Uri, down!" Vance's voice drifted through into the den. "Down, I said!" Vance started to laugh. "Stop it, girl! Cut it out!"
I watched Vance as he backed into the den, hands out to stop a large white dog from tackling him. He had taken off his shirt; it was draped over his shoulder. He glanced over his shoulder, caught sight of me, and scowled. In the second his attention wasn't focused on Uri, she pounced and flattened Vance, licking his face furiously.
"Aaaakch! Uri! Off! Down, bad girl, bad girl!" Vance tried to shove the dog off, but Uri continued to lick him. "OFF!" He heaved at the dog and it backed off, whining. Vance's expression softened and he laughed.
"Oh, alright, c'mon, let's go upstairs, Uri!" Vance and Uri took off, racing each other, or so it seemed.
Setra laughed. "Look at that! Uri is the only thing he'll show compassion for." She sighed and rubbed her temples. "Ever since his parents died, at least..."
I frowned, a bit confused. "What about you?"
Setra laughed again and shook her head. "Well, yes, but he does prefer the dog. Says she at least doesn't order him around!" She looked rather sad as she said this.
Vance came back down the stairs, rubbing his fingers through his hair. "Set, where'd I leave my book? I know I took it in.."
Setra glanced around and picked up a book off the table. "Here," she pressed it into his hands; he smiled, thanked her, gave me a deadly glare and shot back off up the stairs, whistling a tune.
I stared after him, confused. "Why doesn't Vance like me? I mean, it's not like I'd take you away from him!"
Setra sighed and got to her feet, brushing off her dress. "Well, he's never been a people person.I mean, he doesn't even miss his parents at all! He never wishes he was back with them, and he can't stand being in school.."
She started to walk off; I got to my feet and followed her into the kitchen. She was leaning against the sink, wrapping the vine of an elegant flower around her finger and then letting it go to study the curl it made.
"He hates it here, Kurama." She said softly, now staring out the window to the garden beyond. "He just wants to go home, only..." She turned to look into my emerald green eyes. "I don't know where home is anymore, Kurama..It's not here, it's not where we were last time, it's.not anywhere." She stroked the petals of the flower; it seemed to croon softly and lift the petals against her fingers.
I watched her for a moment, then my eyes moved to a liquid sunbeam that was tracing its way down her cheek. It took me a moment to realize she was crying before I lifted his hand and brushed the tear away. She gave a choked little laugh and sniffed.
"Look at me, crying in the kitchen.." She straightened her dress and motioned for me to follow her outside. She knelt by a large rose bush and began to check each rose until she came to a perfect one. "Here," she said, snapping it off smoothly and handing it to me. "Keep it. They.They don't wilt very easily." She smiled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Okay, uh, yeah..
Five minutes later, I found that my feet had carried me directly to Setra's house. Vance was sitting on the swing out front, very slowly going back and forth, absorbed in a book. He didn't even look up when I surreptitiously began to edge my way up the walk, using every ounce of cunning I had, trying to avoid catching the young boy's sharp eyes.
I got to the door alright, but when I pressed the doorbell, Vance's head shot up and his eyes burned holes into the back of my head.
"Ningen," I thought I heard Vance hiss in an undertone. It took a minute, but he heard a lock scrape open and the door cracked enough to show a bright blue eye that widened when it located the person who had run the bell; in other words, when Setra saw me.
Setra said 'no' to something behind her and pushed the door open the rest of the way. She was wearing a white summer dress, her hair was pulled back in a ponytail on the back of her head and her feet were slipped into white flip-flops. She smiled and leaned against the door jam, toying with a piece of her hair.
"Hey," She said, grinning. "What brings you here?"
"Err," I rubbed the back of my neck and nervously shrugged. "I just got back, so I thought I would come and make up for blowing you off like that."
Setra laughed. "Really, it's no big deal. Want to come in?" She stepped back and motioned me inside; I stepped into the cool of her house.
"Are your parents out?" I asked, looking around. There were portraits on the wall of a smiling family..Well; most of them were smiling at least. A boy who had to be Vance was standing a little apart with his arms crossed and was wearing a slight frown.
Setra's smile faltered and failed; she looked down at her feet and toyed with the edge of her dress.
"They.they're dead," she said, shutting her eyes and sighing. "They left everything to me, and told me to take care of Vance. I'm old enough to take care of myself and stuff, so it's okay, but.."
She glanced up at me, as if seeking my approval.
"Oh." I shifted nervously. "Oh, I'm sorry, if I'd known, I wouldn't have asked..."
Setra laughed, a quick, nervous sound, which she cut off quickly and returned to playing with her dress. "No, no, it's okay, really, you didn't know!"
I smiled. "Okay, well, what have you been doing?"
"Reading," She said, motioning me towards the den, where a thick book was lying open on the couch. She sunk back down onto the couch, tucked a leg underneath her, marked her page and put it aside, then turned to look at me. "It's an okay book, but it takes a while to get into it."
I got a glance of the title, but it was in Spanish; Why did I skip that class?! Why?!
"Oh," she laughed, seeing the infuriated look on my face; well, not exactly angry, just incredibly annoyed. "It's in English inside the book, go on.."
I picked it up and flicked it open. The title page had been ripped out.
"Oh, wait, I'm sorry, I forgot," Setra said apologetically, "It was my mothers, she gave it to me. She.She had found it on a bench in the park."
I set it back down. "So, what's the title anyway?"
"I don't know!" Setra exclaimed, shrugging, "I don't know Spanish, either!"
I sighed and sank down next to her. "Oh.Well, I don't need to know what the title is anyway." I heard the door open and a loud bark issued from the other side of the house.
"Down, Uri, down!" Vance's voice drifted through into the den. "Down, I said!" Vance started to laugh. "Stop it, girl! Cut it out!"
I watched Vance as he backed into the den, hands out to stop a large white dog from tackling him. He had taken off his shirt; it was draped over his shoulder. He glanced over his shoulder, caught sight of me, and scowled. In the second his attention wasn't focused on Uri, she pounced and flattened Vance, licking his face furiously.
"Aaaakch! Uri! Off! Down, bad girl, bad girl!" Vance tried to shove the dog off, but Uri continued to lick him. "OFF!" He heaved at the dog and it backed off, whining. Vance's expression softened and he laughed.
"Oh, alright, c'mon, let's go upstairs, Uri!" Vance and Uri took off, racing each other, or so it seemed.
Setra laughed. "Look at that! Uri is the only thing he'll show compassion for." She sighed and rubbed her temples. "Ever since his parents died, at least..."
I frowned, a bit confused. "What about you?"
Setra laughed again and shook her head. "Well, yes, but he does prefer the dog. Says she at least doesn't order him around!" She looked rather sad as she said this.
Vance came back down the stairs, rubbing his fingers through his hair. "Set, where'd I leave my book? I know I took it in.."
Setra glanced around and picked up a book off the table. "Here," she pressed it into his hands; he smiled, thanked her, gave me a deadly glare and shot back off up the stairs, whistling a tune.
I stared after him, confused. "Why doesn't Vance like me? I mean, it's not like I'd take you away from him!"
Setra sighed and got to her feet, brushing off her dress. "Well, he's never been a people person.I mean, he doesn't even miss his parents at all! He never wishes he was back with them, and he can't stand being in school.."
She started to walk off; I got to my feet and followed her into the kitchen. She was leaning against the sink, wrapping the vine of an elegant flower around her finger and then letting it go to study the curl it made.
"He hates it here, Kurama." She said softly, now staring out the window to the garden beyond. "He just wants to go home, only..." She turned to look into my emerald green eyes. "I don't know where home is anymore, Kurama..It's not here, it's not where we were last time, it's.not anywhere." She stroked the petals of the flower; it seemed to croon softly and lift the petals against her fingers.
I watched her for a moment, then my eyes moved to a liquid sunbeam that was tracing its way down her cheek. It took me a moment to realize she was crying before I lifted his hand and brushed the tear away. She gave a choked little laugh and sniffed.
"Look at me, crying in the kitchen.." She straightened her dress and motioned for me to follow her outside. She knelt by a large rose bush and began to check each rose until she came to a perfect one. "Here," she said, snapping it off smoothly and handing it to me. "Keep it. They.They don't wilt very easily." She smiled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.