-CHAPTER 1-
-TWO YEARS LATER-
Alucard sat down in the chair next to the bed, holding his sword in his hand, testing the way it held in his palm. He looked over at the alarm clock which he had turned off just a few minutes before it was set to go off at 6:30 AM. Now it was a quarter until 8, and he still hadn't woken up.
"This..." he said, looking at the slumbering boy, "is Transylvania's future... how sad," he said, holding the blade horizontally over his face, opening the curtains to let in the new light. He moved his blade until the light reflected off of it and onto Eric's closed eyelids. He squinted for a minute, groaning and opening his eyes. Upon seeing the blade, he let out a yelp and sat up quickly, looking over to the alarm clock, a look of dread falling over his face.
"Shit!" he shouted, throwing the covers off, moving Alucard's arm away and stumbling across the room, grabbing a black t-shirt and throwing it on haphazardly, and pulling a pair of blue jeans over his boxers, rummaging through his underwear drawer for a pair of socks. "Dammit, Gramps, why the Hell didn't you wake me up!"
Alucard gave Eric his classic blank stare. "You should have gone to bed earlier, thus been able to awaken at an earlier hour."
"Don't give me that bullshit! I have to prepare for mid-terms!" he growled, pulling on his socks and shoes, forgetting to tie them. "I'm gonna be late thanks to you, Gramps!"
"Eric, wait—"Alucard grimaced when he started to run out of his room and tripped over his shoelaces, landing on the carpet with a loud thud. Eric cursed himself, sitting up and tying the accursed laces before taking off towards the kitchen, threw a couple of pop-tarts into the toaster and ran around, grabbing his books and papers that he had left out.
Alucard walked calmly into the kitchen, catching the pop-tarts as they came up and putting them on a plate and onto the table, casually standing back as Eric snatched them up and ran out the door, nonchalantly shouting. "Bye, Eric."
"I'm gonna kill you when I get home!" he shouted back.
Luckily for him, John Morris High School wasn't too far from the Belmont Estate. It was a five-minute run, easy, it was just getting to his class which was on the other side of the school.
People moved out of the way as he ran towards his Honors English 3 class. He ran into the room, skidding into his chair just as the bell rang, and his chair fell sideways with the force of his entry, falling into the girl next to him.
"Eric!" Clara Belnades shouted, catching him and helping him sit his chair up. "Sheesh, what's going on with you?"
Eric panted for breath before he spoke. "Alucard turned off my alarm clock..."
"...Oh." She just blinked and pushed her glasses further up onto her nose. They both turned to get their books as the teacher began to call roll based on the seating arrangement.
She scanned her paper and looked up, seeing the empty chair next to Eric. "Sora Tonitrus?" she called, looking around the classroom. "Sora?"
"Is she gypping?" Eric asked bluntly. Clara just elbowed his ribs.
The teacher reached for her pen and began to mark the student absent when the door opened and a tall girl, about 6'3", walked into the classroom, a few locks of her blood red hair hanging over her left eye. Her clothes were tight-fitting, mostly because she was so thin it was hard to find clothes that would fit her. She had a backpack carelessly slung over her shoulder. She sat down in the seat next to Eric, and leaned back in her seat. The teacher looked at her, giving her a stern look as she repeated. "Sora Tonitrus?"
"Here," she replied dully. She looked over to Eric. "You were late, weren't you, Failure?"
"Actually, no, not this time," Eric replied.
"Eric Belmont?" the teacher called.
"Here," he replied, and Clara replied the same even before the teacher called her name. She leaned forward in her desk. "I'm getting that new foreign exchange student today."
"Where's he or she from?"
"He's from Germany, if I remember correctly."
"We're gonna have a kraut in our home?" Sora asked bluntly. Clara just gave her a hard stare before straightening in her chair.
"I have to stop by the library after school to pick him up. Oh, and Sora? Please be nice to him."
=-=-=-=-=-=-
Sora walked into the girl's bathroom after the bell rang to wash her hands, picking the clay out of her fingernails that she had acquired from sculpture class. She stood in front of the mirror as she dried her hands, wadded the paper when she was done and tossed it into the nearby trashcan. She stayed in front of the mirror for a second, and moved her hair out of her eyes, looking at the scar that clearly defined her appearance.
Well... from what people could see, that was.
She rubbed her shoulder as past memories came flooding back to her, moving her shirt collar aside to look at the ugly bite scar that had been inflicted on her that night. There were more than just this, and there probably would have been more if Clara and Eric hadn't come to help her...
"Sora?" Clara called, opening the door, looking in. "Hey, I thought I'd find ya here. C'mon, we gotta go to the library."
"Coming," Sora replied, pulling the collar back over the scar. She picked up her backpack and followed her friend.
Two years had passed since that night, and her father hadn't tried to contact her. Perhaps that was a good thing. Maybe he knew that she was friends with a Belmont? Whatever it was, Sora didn't want to see him again.
The library was empty, save for the two librarians and Eric, who had beaten Clara and Sora.
"Gee," Sora mused, "doesn't look like he's here, eh?"
"Who isn't?" Ms. Renard, the younger librarian asked. "Oh, the foreign exchange student?"
"Yeah. Do you know when he's coming in?"
"No idea," the other librarian, known as Mazier, spoke. Mazier hated being formal, so he insisted all students call him by his first name. Both he and Ms. Renard were friends of Eric's family, the Belmont clan.
Sora just sat down at one of the reading tables, looking over at Mazier. "Yo, are you two going hunting tonight?"
"Yup. Lili dug up the whereabouts of a few really old demons. One's hanging around Transylvania, and there's one that's kind of hiding around Romania, but we have a feeling he's gonna be running off soon. Fuckin' coward."
"Any bounties?"
"None whatsoever. Mazier's in this for the thrill of it," Ms. Renard replied, picking up a few books and putting them back on the shelves.
"Do you even know their names?" Eric asked, setting his backpack on the table. Clara just ignored the conversation and walked over to the forbidden collection of books in the library where only her family, the Belnades Clan, and the Belmonts were allowed to check out from.
"Actually," Mazier leaned over the desk and rested his chin in his palm. "No. We don't even know what kind of demons they are. Lilith still wants to go looking for Jadin Tray and his kid, but we haven't seen them around since Dracula's last defeat."
"Speaking of that," Clara spoke up when she heard that part of the conversation. "Eric, I need to talk to you and Alucard tonight about the locket. I'm worried about it."
"Yeah, okay," Eric replied.
Sora's eyes followed Clara as she pulled a book of spells off of the shelf and put it on the desk, leaning over the computer desk and accessing the check out files, typing in the name of the book and checking it out to her name. She was a proctor for the library during third period, so she knew how to check out books on her own and not get yelled at for it.
"Hey, think I could hire you two to look for my dear old loving father?" Sora asked sarcastically.
Ms. Renard turned around and quirked an eyebrow. "Your real one or your adopted one?"
"Both would be cool, but I'm more concerned about that miserable fuck who left me here to die two years ago."
"Name?"
"Lucian Tonitrus. I know I can look him up myself, and believe me, I've tried, but he's been reported as missing, more than likely dead. I know it's not like him to get himself killed that easily."
"We'll look into it," Mazier replied gruffly. "No promises, though."
Clara was putting the book away when the library door opened, and a student came in, his backpack slung over his shoulder, a sleeve of his flannel jacket torn and he walked with a very slight limp, but Clara could recognize it.
"Clara Belnades?" he asked when he saw her, a German accent in his voice. Clara smiled and nodded. He tweaked the side of his mouth in what would probably be a sheepish smile. "Kurt Wagner."
"Hi," she replied, then nodded towards the torn sleeve. "You okay?"
"Huh? Oh..." he moved his hand and adjusted it. "Tripped..."
Sora leaned over to get a better look at Kurt. "Who beat you up?" she asked bluntly. Kurt blinked, confused. Clara let out a slight 'eep.'
"Oh. Kurt, this is my roommate, Sora Tonitrus, and my boyfriend Eric Belmont," she said, gesturing to them as she said their names. Eric weakly waved, and Sora gave him the same greeting she gave everyone else – her classic blank stare.
The silence was broken when Mazier cleared his throat. "Alright, you all are here, now get out, the school's gotta close soon and that includes the library. Eric, Lilith and I'll be at your place later tonight if Clara wants to talk to us." Eric nodded.
*
Out in the parking lot, kids were still lingering around, honking their horns at each other and trying to be smart by blocking the exits. Clara led Kurt to her car and unlocked it, but before she got in, she turned to Eric. "You need a ride?"
He shook his head. "Nah, I'm fine."
"What's wrong, fuckup?" Sora asked. "Too afraid you'll ruin your girlfriend's car?"
"Would you stop calling me that?"
Sora smirked. "What? It's the truth." With that, she climbed into the shotgun seat.
Clara rolled her eyes and turned back to Eric. "You sure? It's not really out of the way..."
"Clara, I'm fine. If I can run here in five minutes, I can walk back in ten," he said, giving her a quick peck on the lips. Clara shrugged. "Okay."
"Love you."
"Love you, too."
Clara got into the car and started up the ignition, turning to check around her, and halted upon seeing Sora, who was pulling out a pack of cigarettes. "...What are you doing?"
"I'm eighteen, Clara, leave me alone," she replied.
"Put those away! You're gonna choke my car!" Clara exclaimed, grabbing them from her and shoving them into the glove compartment. Sora shrugged. "Not like they're gonna hurt me..."
"So... Kurt, why'd ya decide to come to Romania?" Clara asked, trying to start up a conversation.
Kurt shrugged. "Foreign Studies. I'm supposed to stay here from the middle of second semester to the end of Summer Break."
"Where's your luggage?"
"It's in my backpack."
"No books or papers?"
Kurt shook his head. "No, the school said they'll supply those later; they want me to get settled down first."
Within minutes, they pulled into Clara's driveway, and they got out. Clara tossed the keys to Sora to unlock the door while she unloaded hers and Sora's backpacks, and even grabbed Kurt's.
Kurt halted outside of the car door. "This is your house?"
"Yup."
"It's huge!"
Clara shrugged. "Eh, I guess. My parents let me move out of their clan and closer to Eric's family. Come on in. Oh, and don't mind Sora. She hates strangers. I forgot to ask you, are your parents mailing you anything extra? Like extra clothes, belongings, etcetera?"
"Yeah, it will take about a month before they get here, though..."
Clara smiled. "Eh, if you get too uncomfortable we can just take you out shopping. Come on."
When they went inside, Sora was laying on her stomach on the sofa, staring at a wall. Clara tossed her backpack at her, and Sora caught it in midair.
"I'm going to show Kurt his room. You stay here," Clara told her as if Sora was a disobedient child. Sora just held a thumbs-up to her.
Clara led him upstairs and unlocked the door, opening it. "Alright, here we go. I painted the walls white and gave you white sheets. Y'know; a blank slate so you can decide what you want to do with it. I have thumbtacks you can use for posters and stuff, and extra bed sheets, don't be afraid to ask for them," she said, walking over and hanging his backpack on the closet door.
Kurt nodded, stepping into the room. "Um... are there any rules that I need to know about?"
"Oh yeah! Rules. Um, just the usual, keep everything tidy, don't feed the Sora, no partying if we're out... there are some extras, though. Sora, Eric, and I tend to stay up really late for reasons that are our own – we're not party animals or drug abusers or anything – so we sleep in the afternoon a lot, just be quiet from around three to six or seven if we take a nap. Um... there's plenty of food in the kitchen, so help yourself if you're hungry. Oh, speaking of which, I'm going out for supper in a little bit. You like tacos?"
"Yeah."
"Cool. You and Sora can stay here, I'll be back in a little bit," Clara said, heading towards the door.
"Whoa, wait," Kurt spoke up, "You're gonna leave me alone with her?"
Clara couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, I'll talk to her. She's really not such a bad person once you get to know her. She's just afraid of men."
"Why?"
"Bad childhood. Very bad. I didn't say anything, okay?"
Kurt nodded, and Clara left. She ran downstairs and stopped at the door, turning back to Sora. "Can you be nice while I'm gone?"
"Where you goin'?" Sora asked.
"Tacos. Want one?"
Sora made a face. "...But tacos have vegetables on them..."
Clara paused. "You need to eat vegetables. You're part human, remember?"
Sora just hissed at her. "Get me a burrito, and this time, not a sancho. Those have veggies too. Ick."
"Whatever. And leave Kurt alone. Try and be friendly to him; y'know, bond?"
Sora blinked in disbelief. "You want me to engage in bondage? With a man?"
"Sora!"
"Alright, alright! Go!"
Clara rolled her eyes and left, closing the door behind her. Sora watched her leave, listening for the car door to close, the engine to start up, and for the car to pull out of the driveway. She sighed in relief, reaching under the couch cushion for the pack of cigarettes she had hidden along with an extra lighter. She lit a cigarette and hid the pack again.
"Those are bad for you..."
Sora didn't turn to look at Kurt. "They don't hurt me."
"They will eventually."
This time Sora did turn to look at him. "They won't hurt me," she said confidently. Kurt swallowed when he saw the scar across her left eye. He didn't seen it earlier because her hair had covered it. "Don't ask about the scar," she told him, "I don't know when I got it or what from. I've had it my entire life." She took a puff on the cigarette and exhaled before turning back around.
Kurt just stood there, confused. He shook his head and walked over to her, sitting at the other end of the couch. "Look, I know you're anti- social, but is there anything in particular that I did to upset you? If so, I'm sorry."
Sora stayed silent for a moment, flicking off her ash in an empty glass cup left out. She held the cigarette in her hand casually and looked at him. He looked at her hopefully. "Well?"
She just stared blankly at him. "You're a man. That's why I don't like you. Stay on my good side and maybe I'll smile for you. Until then, sorry in advance if I'm a bitch to you if you don't deserve it."
"Fair enough."
She finished the cigarette and snubbed it out in the glass, standing. She stood in the middle of the living room for a moment, hearing a car pull up. "Clara's back," she announced dully, picking up the glass and dumping its contents into the trash. Clara walked in the door holding a brown paper bag and set it on the table. "Alright... got ten tacos, we can all share, Sora, you have two burritos; Kurt, I got a mixture of soft and crunchy tacos. Didn't know what you liked," she explained, pulling out the platter that held her taco salad and distributing the tacos out and tossing Sora her food.
*
After supper, Clara ran upstairs to grab something and came downstairs. Sora looked over towards her. "What, we going to Failure's house now?"
"Stop calling my Eric that," Clara hissed back. "Kurt, you have to come, too; we can't leave you alone at the house, sorry. It won't be long."
-TWO YEARS LATER-
Alucard sat down in the chair next to the bed, holding his sword in his hand, testing the way it held in his palm. He looked over at the alarm clock which he had turned off just a few minutes before it was set to go off at 6:30 AM. Now it was a quarter until 8, and he still hadn't woken up.
"This..." he said, looking at the slumbering boy, "is Transylvania's future... how sad," he said, holding the blade horizontally over his face, opening the curtains to let in the new light. He moved his blade until the light reflected off of it and onto Eric's closed eyelids. He squinted for a minute, groaning and opening his eyes. Upon seeing the blade, he let out a yelp and sat up quickly, looking over to the alarm clock, a look of dread falling over his face.
"Shit!" he shouted, throwing the covers off, moving Alucard's arm away and stumbling across the room, grabbing a black t-shirt and throwing it on haphazardly, and pulling a pair of blue jeans over his boxers, rummaging through his underwear drawer for a pair of socks. "Dammit, Gramps, why the Hell didn't you wake me up!"
Alucard gave Eric his classic blank stare. "You should have gone to bed earlier, thus been able to awaken at an earlier hour."
"Don't give me that bullshit! I have to prepare for mid-terms!" he growled, pulling on his socks and shoes, forgetting to tie them. "I'm gonna be late thanks to you, Gramps!"
"Eric, wait—"Alucard grimaced when he started to run out of his room and tripped over his shoelaces, landing on the carpet with a loud thud. Eric cursed himself, sitting up and tying the accursed laces before taking off towards the kitchen, threw a couple of pop-tarts into the toaster and ran around, grabbing his books and papers that he had left out.
Alucard walked calmly into the kitchen, catching the pop-tarts as they came up and putting them on a plate and onto the table, casually standing back as Eric snatched them up and ran out the door, nonchalantly shouting. "Bye, Eric."
"I'm gonna kill you when I get home!" he shouted back.
Luckily for him, John Morris High School wasn't too far from the Belmont Estate. It was a five-minute run, easy, it was just getting to his class which was on the other side of the school.
People moved out of the way as he ran towards his Honors English 3 class. He ran into the room, skidding into his chair just as the bell rang, and his chair fell sideways with the force of his entry, falling into the girl next to him.
"Eric!" Clara Belnades shouted, catching him and helping him sit his chair up. "Sheesh, what's going on with you?"
Eric panted for breath before he spoke. "Alucard turned off my alarm clock..."
"...Oh." She just blinked and pushed her glasses further up onto her nose. They both turned to get their books as the teacher began to call roll based on the seating arrangement.
She scanned her paper and looked up, seeing the empty chair next to Eric. "Sora Tonitrus?" she called, looking around the classroom. "Sora?"
"Is she gypping?" Eric asked bluntly. Clara just elbowed his ribs.
The teacher reached for her pen and began to mark the student absent when the door opened and a tall girl, about 6'3", walked into the classroom, a few locks of her blood red hair hanging over her left eye. Her clothes were tight-fitting, mostly because she was so thin it was hard to find clothes that would fit her. She had a backpack carelessly slung over her shoulder. She sat down in the seat next to Eric, and leaned back in her seat. The teacher looked at her, giving her a stern look as she repeated. "Sora Tonitrus?"
"Here," she replied dully. She looked over to Eric. "You were late, weren't you, Failure?"
"Actually, no, not this time," Eric replied.
"Eric Belmont?" the teacher called.
"Here," he replied, and Clara replied the same even before the teacher called her name. She leaned forward in her desk. "I'm getting that new foreign exchange student today."
"Where's he or she from?"
"He's from Germany, if I remember correctly."
"We're gonna have a kraut in our home?" Sora asked bluntly. Clara just gave her a hard stare before straightening in her chair.
"I have to stop by the library after school to pick him up. Oh, and Sora? Please be nice to him."
=-=-=-=-=-=-
Sora walked into the girl's bathroom after the bell rang to wash her hands, picking the clay out of her fingernails that she had acquired from sculpture class. She stood in front of the mirror as she dried her hands, wadded the paper when she was done and tossed it into the nearby trashcan. She stayed in front of the mirror for a second, and moved her hair out of her eyes, looking at the scar that clearly defined her appearance.
Well... from what people could see, that was.
She rubbed her shoulder as past memories came flooding back to her, moving her shirt collar aside to look at the ugly bite scar that had been inflicted on her that night. There were more than just this, and there probably would have been more if Clara and Eric hadn't come to help her...
"Sora?" Clara called, opening the door, looking in. "Hey, I thought I'd find ya here. C'mon, we gotta go to the library."
"Coming," Sora replied, pulling the collar back over the scar. She picked up her backpack and followed her friend.
Two years had passed since that night, and her father hadn't tried to contact her. Perhaps that was a good thing. Maybe he knew that she was friends with a Belmont? Whatever it was, Sora didn't want to see him again.
The library was empty, save for the two librarians and Eric, who had beaten Clara and Sora.
"Gee," Sora mused, "doesn't look like he's here, eh?"
"Who isn't?" Ms. Renard, the younger librarian asked. "Oh, the foreign exchange student?"
"Yeah. Do you know when he's coming in?"
"No idea," the other librarian, known as Mazier, spoke. Mazier hated being formal, so he insisted all students call him by his first name. Both he and Ms. Renard were friends of Eric's family, the Belmont clan.
Sora just sat down at one of the reading tables, looking over at Mazier. "Yo, are you two going hunting tonight?"
"Yup. Lili dug up the whereabouts of a few really old demons. One's hanging around Transylvania, and there's one that's kind of hiding around Romania, but we have a feeling he's gonna be running off soon. Fuckin' coward."
"Any bounties?"
"None whatsoever. Mazier's in this for the thrill of it," Ms. Renard replied, picking up a few books and putting them back on the shelves.
"Do you even know their names?" Eric asked, setting his backpack on the table. Clara just ignored the conversation and walked over to the forbidden collection of books in the library where only her family, the Belnades Clan, and the Belmonts were allowed to check out from.
"Actually," Mazier leaned over the desk and rested his chin in his palm. "No. We don't even know what kind of demons they are. Lilith still wants to go looking for Jadin Tray and his kid, but we haven't seen them around since Dracula's last defeat."
"Speaking of that," Clara spoke up when she heard that part of the conversation. "Eric, I need to talk to you and Alucard tonight about the locket. I'm worried about it."
"Yeah, okay," Eric replied.
Sora's eyes followed Clara as she pulled a book of spells off of the shelf and put it on the desk, leaning over the computer desk and accessing the check out files, typing in the name of the book and checking it out to her name. She was a proctor for the library during third period, so she knew how to check out books on her own and not get yelled at for it.
"Hey, think I could hire you two to look for my dear old loving father?" Sora asked sarcastically.
Ms. Renard turned around and quirked an eyebrow. "Your real one or your adopted one?"
"Both would be cool, but I'm more concerned about that miserable fuck who left me here to die two years ago."
"Name?"
"Lucian Tonitrus. I know I can look him up myself, and believe me, I've tried, but he's been reported as missing, more than likely dead. I know it's not like him to get himself killed that easily."
"We'll look into it," Mazier replied gruffly. "No promises, though."
Clara was putting the book away when the library door opened, and a student came in, his backpack slung over his shoulder, a sleeve of his flannel jacket torn and he walked with a very slight limp, but Clara could recognize it.
"Clara Belnades?" he asked when he saw her, a German accent in his voice. Clara smiled and nodded. He tweaked the side of his mouth in what would probably be a sheepish smile. "Kurt Wagner."
"Hi," she replied, then nodded towards the torn sleeve. "You okay?"
"Huh? Oh..." he moved his hand and adjusted it. "Tripped..."
Sora leaned over to get a better look at Kurt. "Who beat you up?" she asked bluntly. Kurt blinked, confused. Clara let out a slight 'eep.'
"Oh. Kurt, this is my roommate, Sora Tonitrus, and my boyfriend Eric Belmont," she said, gesturing to them as she said their names. Eric weakly waved, and Sora gave him the same greeting she gave everyone else – her classic blank stare.
The silence was broken when Mazier cleared his throat. "Alright, you all are here, now get out, the school's gotta close soon and that includes the library. Eric, Lilith and I'll be at your place later tonight if Clara wants to talk to us." Eric nodded.
*
Out in the parking lot, kids were still lingering around, honking their horns at each other and trying to be smart by blocking the exits. Clara led Kurt to her car and unlocked it, but before she got in, she turned to Eric. "You need a ride?"
He shook his head. "Nah, I'm fine."
"What's wrong, fuckup?" Sora asked. "Too afraid you'll ruin your girlfriend's car?"
"Would you stop calling me that?"
Sora smirked. "What? It's the truth." With that, she climbed into the shotgun seat.
Clara rolled her eyes and turned back to Eric. "You sure? It's not really out of the way..."
"Clara, I'm fine. If I can run here in five minutes, I can walk back in ten," he said, giving her a quick peck on the lips. Clara shrugged. "Okay."
"Love you."
"Love you, too."
Clara got into the car and started up the ignition, turning to check around her, and halted upon seeing Sora, who was pulling out a pack of cigarettes. "...What are you doing?"
"I'm eighteen, Clara, leave me alone," she replied.
"Put those away! You're gonna choke my car!" Clara exclaimed, grabbing them from her and shoving them into the glove compartment. Sora shrugged. "Not like they're gonna hurt me..."
"So... Kurt, why'd ya decide to come to Romania?" Clara asked, trying to start up a conversation.
Kurt shrugged. "Foreign Studies. I'm supposed to stay here from the middle of second semester to the end of Summer Break."
"Where's your luggage?"
"It's in my backpack."
"No books or papers?"
Kurt shook his head. "No, the school said they'll supply those later; they want me to get settled down first."
Within minutes, they pulled into Clara's driveway, and they got out. Clara tossed the keys to Sora to unlock the door while she unloaded hers and Sora's backpacks, and even grabbed Kurt's.
Kurt halted outside of the car door. "This is your house?"
"Yup."
"It's huge!"
Clara shrugged. "Eh, I guess. My parents let me move out of their clan and closer to Eric's family. Come on in. Oh, and don't mind Sora. She hates strangers. I forgot to ask you, are your parents mailing you anything extra? Like extra clothes, belongings, etcetera?"
"Yeah, it will take about a month before they get here, though..."
Clara smiled. "Eh, if you get too uncomfortable we can just take you out shopping. Come on."
When they went inside, Sora was laying on her stomach on the sofa, staring at a wall. Clara tossed her backpack at her, and Sora caught it in midair.
"I'm going to show Kurt his room. You stay here," Clara told her as if Sora was a disobedient child. Sora just held a thumbs-up to her.
Clara led him upstairs and unlocked the door, opening it. "Alright, here we go. I painted the walls white and gave you white sheets. Y'know; a blank slate so you can decide what you want to do with it. I have thumbtacks you can use for posters and stuff, and extra bed sheets, don't be afraid to ask for them," she said, walking over and hanging his backpack on the closet door.
Kurt nodded, stepping into the room. "Um... are there any rules that I need to know about?"
"Oh yeah! Rules. Um, just the usual, keep everything tidy, don't feed the Sora, no partying if we're out... there are some extras, though. Sora, Eric, and I tend to stay up really late for reasons that are our own – we're not party animals or drug abusers or anything – so we sleep in the afternoon a lot, just be quiet from around three to six or seven if we take a nap. Um... there's plenty of food in the kitchen, so help yourself if you're hungry. Oh, speaking of which, I'm going out for supper in a little bit. You like tacos?"
"Yeah."
"Cool. You and Sora can stay here, I'll be back in a little bit," Clara said, heading towards the door.
"Whoa, wait," Kurt spoke up, "You're gonna leave me alone with her?"
Clara couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, I'll talk to her. She's really not such a bad person once you get to know her. She's just afraid of men."
"Why?"
"Bad childhood. Very bad. I didn't say anything, okay?"
Kurt nodded, and Clara left. She ran downstairs and stopped at the door, turning back to Sora. "Can you be nice while I'm gone?"
"Where you goin'?" Sora asked.
"Tacos. Want one?"
Sora made a face. "...But tacos have vegetables on them..."
Clara paused. "You need to eat vegetables. You're part human, remember?"
Sora just hissed at her. "Get me a burrito, and this time, not a sancho. Those have veggies too. Ick."
"Whatever. And leave Kurt alone. Try and be friendly to him; y'know, bond?"
Sora blinked in disbelief. "You want me to engage in bondage? With a man?"
"Sora!"
"Alright, alright! Go!"
Clara rolled her eyes and left, closing the door behind her. Sora watched her leave, listening for the car door to close, the engine to start up, and for the car to pull out of the driveway. She sighed in relief, reaching under the couch cushion for the pack of cigarettes she had hidden along with an extra lighter. She lit a cigarette and hid the pack again.
"Those are bad for you..."
Sora didn't turn to look at Kurt. "They don't hurt me."
"They will eventually."
This time Sora did turn to look at him. "They won't hurt me," she said confidently. Kurt swallowed when he saw the scar across her left eye. He didn't seen it earlier because her hair had covered it. "Don't ask about the scar," she told him, "I don't know when I got it or what from. I've had it my entire life." She took a puff on the cigarette and exhaled before turning back around.
Kurt just stood there, confused. He shook his head and walked over to her, sitting at the other end of the couch. "Look, I know you're anti- social, but is there anything in particular that I did to upset you? If so, I'm sorry."
Sora stayed silent for a moment, flicking off her ash in an empty glass cup left out. She held the cigarette in her hand casually and looked at him. He looked at her hopefully. "Well?"
She just stared blankly at him. "You're a man. That's why I don't like you. Stay on my good side and maybe I'll smile for you. Until then, sorry in advance if I'm a bitch to you if you don't deserve it."
"Fair enough."
She finished the cigarette and snubbed it out in the glass, standing. She stood in the middle of the living room for a moment, hearing a car pull up. "Clara's back," she announced dully, picking up the glass and dumping its contents into the trash. Clara walked in the door holding a brown paper bag and set it on the table. "Alright... got ten tacos, we can all share, Sora, you have two burritos; Kurt, I got a mixture of soft and crunchy tacos. Didn't know what you liked," she explained, pulling out the platter that held her taco salad and distributing the tacos out and tossing Sora her food.
*
After supper, Clara ran upstairs to grab something and came downstairs. Sora looked over towards her. "What, we going to Failure's house now?"
"Stop calling my Eric that," Clara hissed back. "Kurt, you have to come, too; we can't leave you alone at the house, sorry. It won't be long."