Chapter Three:
Clinging to Hope
Disclaimer: I don't own WHR or the characters, blah blah blah. I do own the made-up characters and this story, so don't steal them, please
The alarm clock buzzer sounded annoyingly throughout the little house. A pale, feminine hand reached out from under the covers and groped over the bedside table until it finally found the alarm clock and hit the snooze button. The hand then retreated back under the sheets. Within minutes, soft snoring could be heard throughout the room.
A large and beautiful Golden Retriever suddenly entered the room. Jumping up onto the bed, the dog began digging at the lump just barely visable underneath the comforter; barking happily.
A groan came out from under the sheets.
"Alright. Alright, Sky. I'm up." A soft voice said bitterly. A young woman suddenly appeared out from under the covers. Her hair was medium length, ended halfway past her shoulders, and was a lovely chestnut color.
The woman kept her body covered with her sheets, due to the fact that she was naked. Rubbing her eyes, she looked down at the dog dubbed Sky, who was now sitting on the floor; staring happily up at her.
The girl smiled back at the dog. Then, suddenly hearing footsteps, she looked towards the door to see an older woman with long brown hair that ended in the middle of her back.
"Good morning, Tera. I trust you slept well." The girl stated politely to her obvious roommate. The woman, Tera, smiled at her young friend.
"Why, yes I did sleep well. Thank you for asking, Robin." She said. The girl, none other than Robin Sena, smiled as she brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
"What time did you get home?" She asked, giving Tera a look that suggested she really admired her. "It was around 11:45 when I finally got into bed."
Tera sighed as she placed Robin's cloths, fresh from the laundry, into her white, wicker drawers.
"I got in around one or so. My boss has been working me rather hard." She said. Indeed, she did sound tired. It took Robin only a minute to notice. Giving poor Tera a look of sympathy with her emerald eyes, the younger woman cleared her throat so as to get her roommate's attention. Hearing the sound, Tera turned and gazed at Robin as the girl pointed to her closet.
"Tera, would you mind getting my white, button-shirt and levi jeans from the closet?" She asked as politly as she could. The twenty-year-old woman smiled and nodded her head. After stuffing the last of Robin's clean cloths into the chest of drawers, she made her way over to the walk-in closest and pulled out the garments that the girl had asked for.
Nodding her thanks, Robin took the cloths from Tera and got out from under the covers while her roommate shut her eyes. Then, after hurridly retrieving a pair of clean underwear and a baby blue tank top from the drawer, she went to her bathroom and shut the door.
The dog, Sky, walked over to the bathroom door and scratched at it tentively. A giggle was heard behind the wood. Hearing the sound, Sky scratched again; this time, adding in a whine for effect.
Tera smiled at the dog. She then walked over and grabbed Sky's collar, pulling him away from the door. After she had gotten him out of the way, Tera called through the door to Robin.
"Hey, Robin. I'm going to make some coffee. Do you want any?" She asked, jerking at Sky's black collar when he tried to claw at the wood once again
"Yes, please. And could you please make it dark, Tera?" Robin answered.
Tera smiled at her roommate's strange quirks and shook her head.
"Will do." She called back. Then, dragging Sky with her by the collar so that she could put him outside, Tera walked out of the bedroom.
Meanwhile in the bathroom, Robin had just finished putting up her chestnut locks into her trademark hairstyle. After doing that, she opened up her mirror and took out her toothbrush along with her toothpaste.
However, before she began to brush her teeth, she looked into the mirror and gasped when she saw what looked to be the figure of a man leaning against the wall. He had long, red hair and the coldest magenta eyes she ever saw. Strangely enough, he was wearing black mascara.
Panicking, Robin quickly turned around and got ready to set the intruder on fire with her Craft.
Only there was no one there...
Raising an eybrow out of confusion, Robin turned back to the mirrior to see only her reflection staring back. Breathing a sigh of relief, she grabbed ahold of the toothpaste containor and squeezed some of the stuff on to her toothbrush.
Who was that man? She asked herself as she stuck the toothbrush in her mouth. Brushing up and down with the object, Robin could only think about the man that had been standing behind her not a few moments before.
Maybe he was just a figment of my imagination Robin thought. Her eyebrows, however, furrowed.
He sure seemed real to me though
Robin walked slowly down the hallway, her mind still troubled by the thought that there might have been a criminal in her and Tera's house. Sighing in frustration, Robin rubbed her forehead.
"I wonder what Amon would do?" She said to herself quietly; she gasped almost immeadiately after. She had not thought about her old partner for a while now. Why would he suddenly pop up now?
Robin halted just outside the door leading into the kitchen. Her mind had suddenly exploaded with images of Amon's face. It was a little creepy at first, but after a couple of minutes, Robin kind of began to enjoy thinking of him. It was a strange comfort after the scare she had in the bathroom.
A blush came to Robin's face as she continued to see his picture in her mind. Continued to play his voice in her head....
"Amon..." She breathed quietly. She raised her hands to her face as she felt it get warmer. She was smiling from ear to ear.
Why was she suddenly feeling this way? She had never acted this way around Amon. So, why was this happening when he was no where in sight?
"What are you so happy about? You weren't acting this way a few moments ago." A kind voice asked; drawing Robin back to reality.
Tera was standing in the kitchen doorway and holding a mug full of coffee out to her roommate. Robin smiled and took it gratefully, nodding her thanks. The older woman smiled. It was a rather mischievious smile, too.
"Alright, so who is he?" She asked, catching Robin's attention. The younger woman jerked her gaze up to stare at Tera with her wide, emerald eyes. Her voice quavered as she spoke.
"W-what do you mean?" She asked quietly. Tera rolled her eyes.
"Oh, come on, Robin. Spill the beans. You can't be that happy about just any old thing. You've got a crush on someone and I know it." She said, jabbing her pointer finger at Robin's chest.
Robin stared at her roommate; too startled to speak. She then shook her head, trying her best to come up with an excuse for her strange behavior.
"I really don't know what you are talking about, Tera. I don't think I have a crush on anyone." The young Craft-user said, trying to cover her tracks so that her nosy roommate would not pick up a scent. Tera, however, rolled her brown eyes.
"Oh, please." She scoffed, shaking her head and turning to go back into the kitchen. Robin watched her go, breathing a sigh of relief when she was sure Tera was out of earshot. She was going to have to control her emotions from now on. Especially when thinking about Amon...
Another wave of heat flowed over her as she thought of his name. Shaking her head to get rid of his image, Robin put on a straight face and finally walked into the kitchen.
The small television that sat on the counter nearest to the refridgerator was on and tuned into the news. Sky was sitting next to the island in the middle of the room; staring up at Tera as she made bacon. Sitting next to the Golden Retriever was Tera's large German Shepard named McCollie. Both of the dogs had big, puppy eyes, clearly thinking that if they did this long enough, they would maybe get a couple of scraps.
Perched on top of the kitchen table was Robin's black cat she had dubbed Mauli. The sleek feline was washing and tidying up her tiny paws.
Lightly brushing the cat with the tips of her fingers, Robin sat down at the table and placed her chin in her hands. She was still wondering why Amon had suddenly come to her mind after a whole year apart. I mean, it's not liked she missed him or anything...
Ok, yes. She did miss him. A lot. Terribly. Immensely.
Robin sighed sadly. She missed everyone back at the STN-J. But for some reason, she missed Amon the most. What was it about him that made her feel this way all of a sudden? Was it the way he looked? The way his unruley, black hair fell around his pale, angular face? The seriousness he always had in his eyes? Or maybe it was the way he always had to wear that jacket of his. Or maybe it was because he looked like this incredibley hot God that could take over your mind in just over a second of intense staring. Or maybe it was...
Robin quickly shook her head before she could even finish the next thought. She was getting a little ahead of herself.
Sighing pitifully, Robin looked over Tera, who had just started to make the eggs. The young girl watched as her beautiful roommate used a spatula to push the eggs back and forth as they cooked. Blinking, Robin cleared her throat to get Tera's attention.
"Tera. Did you..." She paused, trying to think of word that best described her situation. Tera turned to look at her, now ignoring the eggs in her curiosity.
"Did I...what?" She asked, her brown eyes getting rather wide in her confusion. Robin sighed, finally opening her mouth to speak.
"Did you ever know someone that you cared about so much that you lose control of your emotions everytime you thought about them?" She asked quietly, closing her eyes so she could keep in control of her own emotions.
Tera's eyes widened even more, if that was humanly possible. A huge grin suddenly broke across her face and she squealed; causing Robin to jump and Mauli to hiss.
Running over to the table, Tera then jumped into the chair beside Robin's and shoved her face into her roommate's.
"I knew it! I knew there was someone! Oh, who is he, Robin! Tell me!" She cried out excitedly, getting strange looks from the young witch.
Robin tried to scoot a little ways away from Tera, who was screaming up a storm right next to her. Doing her best not to blush again, she began speaking in a slow voice.
"Well, his name's Amon. He was...my partner back in Japan." She said softly, getting interrupted by Tera as she shouted a question into her ear.
"You mean you two were partners when you worked for that witch hunting thing? Oh, what was he like? Was sweet, was kind, was he sensual?" She paused for a second, gesturing her hand in the air as she tried to search for another adjective to describe Amon.
"Was he cute?" The older woman finally manged to say, looking back at Robin. This brought a smile to the young girl's lips.
"Yes. Very." She said with a nod, pausing to take a sip of her coffee. Tera squealed a second time and scooted closer over to Robin.
"Well, out with it! What was his personality like?" She asked loudly, balancing her chin on her folded hands as she waited for Robin to continue.
Robin sighed, placing her mug carefully on the table.
"He was very...serious. And very rude towards me." She said slowy and softly. This comment brought a frown to Tera's face.
"Was he really? Well, if he treated you like that, why do you feel so strongely about him? Why not forget about the jerk?" She asked, leaning in closer so that she could hear Robin's next sentence.
Robin shurgged her shoulders and looked up at the ceiling, as if she were looking for Amon up there.
"I don't know. I don't think it was his personality or the way he treated me that drew me to him. It was the way he protected me..." She paused, her smile returning.
Tera raised her eyebrows, mouthing to herself what Robin had just said. The older woman then placed a long, slender hand on her young roommate's forehead.
"Sweetie, are you feeling alright? You just told me that this guy was extremely rude to you, yet he protected you. I...really don't see the connection." Tera told her. Robin just smiled and shrugged her thin shoulders a second time.
"He saved my life a couple times, that's all." She said softly as she continued to stare up at the ceiling. "He wasn't all that cruel to me..." She trailed off, her green orbs getting a slight misty look to them.
Tera raised an eyebrow and narrowed her brown eyes at Robin's strange behavior.
"Right..." She said slowly and sarcastically, as if she had not believed a word her young, naive friend had said about the mysterious Amon she seemed to have such a fascination over. For
all Tera knew, this man could possibly be just a figment of Robin's imagination and she was just getting her leg pulled. The older woman then looked at her watch; her eyes now having a bored look to them. She then showed the watch to Robin.
"Hey, just to let you know, it already 6:15 in the morning. Arn't you supposed to be heading off to work right about now...?"
Robin's eyes widened when she heard Tera tell her the time. She quickly swallowed a mouthful of very hot coffee and jumped up from her chair.
"Goodness, is it that time already?" She asked helplessly, changing the T.V. station to channel fifty-two to see if it was the right time. Behind her, Tera checked her watch again to make sure she had gotten it right. She then pulled her cellphone out of her purse, which was currently sitting on the table in front of her. After turning the little machine on, she pressed a couple of buttons and stared at it.
"The cellphone never lies, my friend. It is the right time." Tera drawled, waving the open cellphone at Robin's back.
Robin clutched on to her pigtails in frustration.
"Oh! Mrs. Jacobs is going to be so upset with me! This is the fourth time in the last month that I've been late to work!" She cried, her voice never really raising into a yell.
Tera watched in near amusement as her roommate began hurrying around the kitchen, grabbing things she might need for work. Her mind must have been messed up, however, considering she grabbed a carving knife by accident and threw it into her bulky handbag.
After gathering all of her misplaced items, Robin quickly patted both of the dogs and the cat on the head and headed straight for the door. She barely even heard Tera when her roommate called after her.
"Are you sure you don't need a ride?" Tera called, cupping a hand around her mouth. A below-the-yelling-point voice shouted back to her.
"No, I'm fine! It's just a few blocks down the street! I'll make it!" Robin reassured her roommate before slinging her bag over her shoulder. And with that, she opened the door and quickly walked outside; slamming the door as she went.
Tera stared out into the front foyer from her seat in the kitchen. Then, standing up with a sigh, she proceeded to make the rest of her breakfast. Picking up the discarded spatula, she began stirring the eggs a bit more.
"Looks like I'll be dining by myself again." She said solumnly as she tossed a few bits of bacon to the dogs, who had been sitting in their places the whole time.
Me: Aww, poor Robin. She and Amon are both going through hell. I'm so evil. :)
Amon's Angel of the Darkness: Yes, Michael is allowed to leave the STN-J without permission, now. I'm pretty sure the first thing he did was go and visit his family. As for Amon...he can be a dickhead, sometimes. :)
Dark Mistress Meli: Well, I guess Amon is just one of those people who gets annoyed very easily by anything and everything. A song by Linkin Park is no exception.
Thank-you to all of those who have reviewed.