A Change of Faith

Chapter Three

June 17th, 2004 10:27 P.M. Maxwell Home

"I'm sorry that you got dragged into this, Hilde, but I really don't think that Relena and I can be friends anymore."

"Why not, I know you two had a fight, but . . . " I trailed off.

Dorothy sighed. "Sorry, I wish you could understand"

"Of course I don't, yesterday we were all having a great time together and then you call me all teed off about something Relena did this morning. I'm really lost."

"She and I went shopping this morning, Apparently she was still pretty disgusted about finding out about Duo, 'cause she kept going on about how she can't imagine why a respectable guy like Heero would bother being his friend. She said people like him don't deserve to have descent people that like them," she groused.

"I can't believe that Relena would say something like that. She's always been so nice."

"Nice my ass, Hilde. Relena is slut who is mean, disrespectful and makes Paris Hilton look like a saint," Doro paused. "I called her a slut too, in retrospect, I'm thinking that I probably shouldn't have."

I gasped. "You really called Relena a slut?"

"She is, isn't she?"

I didn't answer but I knew it was true. I doubt I could name the guys she's slept with, and naming them . . .

"I'm sorry, Hil, but Relena is a dirty slut who doesn't know when to shut her mouth," she paused. "Be careful, I think that she has some kind of implication that Heero likes her. It's up to you to make sure she doesn't do anything dumb . . . to make sure that someone doesn't get hurt. I'm not going to stay around."

"Why? This is just a small fight with Relena. It's no big deal."

"You're wrong Hil, I told her something I never should have. I'm going to stay with your Auntie Une and Aunt Sally. You can visit me, kay?"

Confused I answered. "Yeah, okay."

"Good girl," she said and then hung up.

I numbly put my phone back and lied down in my bed. That was really weird. I could understand why you wouldn't want to have Relena as your enemy. She has caused five people to transfer schools in the time that I have known her (since I was fourteen).

I was awake for a few more hours, trying to get to sleep. But with my mind too confused and cavorted with thoughts, I was afraid it might be awhile.

Eventually I fell asleep, not real sleep where you just conk out, more like semiconscious dream-state.

I woke up in my room, I turned over in bed and stared at the clock, 10:00 P.M.. I thought I had fallen asleep at eleven. I looked around and realized I wasn't in my bed, I was in Dorothy's, in my room. I got up and walked to my door, I peeked out and saw Dorothy, it was the back of her, her yellow pajama pants sticking out from the bottom of her knee-length hair.

I could see another person's hands clutching the back of my friend's head and their legs from behind Doro's.

I walked out and it felt like I was walking up a steady incline and my head was very light feeling. I walk around, to the front of Dorothy and the back of the other person. The other person was a girl and she was kissing Doro.

I growled and pulled the girl off of Dorothy. She looked like and older version of my younger sister, Mariemaia with electric blue hair. Doro smiled at me and I smiled back. The light-headed feeling left me as she put her arms around my waist.

I put my hands at the back of neck and pressed my face against her collarbone. She was warm. Dorothy rested her chin on my shoulder.

"I love you," she whispered.

I shot straight up in my bed, covered in cold sweat. What the hell was that, I asked myself, swearing for the first time ever in my life.

Why aren't I scared like I should be?

I slowly pulled myself out of bed and traipsed out of my room and down the hall to my younger brother's bedroom. His door was closed, but not latched shut so I just pushed the door open a little bit more to allow myself to go through.

I looked at the mattress and boxed springs Duo had on the floor in a sad excuse for a bed. He was squished up against the wall and Heero was on the other side of the mattress, he was in a semi-spread-eagle position, his head half-falling off of the pillow and his left arm was draped over the side of the bed, his hand brushing the once-white carpet of my brother's punk bedroom.

I quietly stepped toward the bed and pulled myself over the sleeping mass of Heero. I sat down in between the two boys and crawled underneath the black, starry-sky bedding. I felt Duo wake up, but I just closed my eyes and didn't say anything, neither did he. I know Heero woke up too, he just didn't move as much as Duo and is way better at hiding physical reactions than any person I have seen.

The limited space on my brother's twin sized bed made it cramped with two other people in bed with me, but being pressed up against another person's warmth like that comforted me. I fell asleep much faster than I had the first time, in my own bed. I slept, for real I slept, I didn't dream, I didn't wake up halfway through. I just purely slept.

June 18th 2004, 7:54 A.M. Duo's Bedroom

I woke up with a sudden jolt, realizing that this wasn't my room, it took a while for my groggy brain to compute where I was. Duo's bedroom, his tangerine colored walls and posters of various punk rock groups invaded my vision. It was a far cry from my own lavender colored walls and framed pressed flowers.

Duo and Heero were long gone, probably downstairs watching cartoons, maybe not so much Heero but I can promise you that Duo was watching Dexter's Laboratory right now. Or maybe his South Park tape he managed to hide from mom, he liked that too.

I dragged myself out of the messy bed and walked away from the eclectic room. That room almost matched Duo perfectly, if you gave him a vintage wrought iron bed, then it would match him perfectly.

I trudged down the hall to my room to get dressed. I open my door and greet my sunny, girly room. I then walk to my wardrobe and yank my tee-shirt with a picture of a footless bunny and the words "There isn't anything lucky about a bunny with no feet"(1) and my whiskered blue jeans off of their hangers. Without thought, I pulled them on and, more awake, walked downstairs.

Sure enough, Duo was lounging out on the sofa watching the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy on the TV. Heero was on the floor doing the infamous ladybug puzzle. The ladybug puzzle is infamous because none of us have been able to complete it is less than three hours. It is a picture of rows of the little red and black cuties all lined up and incredibly redundant, so much so that is almost impossible to tell the pieces' spots just from looking, you have to fit them in.(2)

"Hey, Hil, d̀ya mind tellin' me an' Heero why ya decided to join us last night?" Duo said from the couch.

"I had a nightmare," a nightmare was what I have decided to call what I had dreamt last night.

"Oh? Care to elaborate?"

"No, really I don't," I answered simply.

"Fine then, but next time ya join us, I'm shovin' ya on the floor," he sniped.

Laughing, I answered. "Good luck."

"Ha, with your fat ass I'll need it!"

Heero chocked on the smoothie he was drinking and Duo peeked up over the back of the couch to grin at me. He had a bowl of Lucky Charms in one hand and the remote in the other. That's how we should take a picture of him, in his natural state, not primped up in a suit and tie. Although, I think, mom would rather put the later up on the mantle. I'm sure she wouldn't want to advertise he son's weirdness.

"He's just kidding Hilde. You don't have a fat ass. It's actually very pretty, much nicer than that boy crazy friend of yours, Relena," Heero told me in all seriousness, looking up at me from the floor.

"Why thank you, Heero. But I really should warn you, Lena thinks you like her and plans to pursue you," I warn, grinning broadly. This is my natural state, happy, joking, and hanging out with my brother. Maybe the gap between us isn't as deep as I thought . . . maybe it doesn't exist at all.

I told Duo to shove over so I could watch the gross-humored cartoon he watching with him. I stole one of the Chewy bars from the table Duo was probably saving for later and ate it. I was too lazy to get breakfast from the kitchen.

Heero finished the puzzle, I don't think it would be possible for him to have started it earlier than 6:30, so I was really impressed. I told him so. He smiled at me and then crumbled it and put it back in the box. He's nuts, this Heero guy, he is sick of New York, crumbled the world's hardest one hundred piece puzzle less than three seconds after completing it. I guess he goes with my brother.

I looked at Duo who was smiling serenely, Heero had leaned against Duo's legs that he had draped over the side slightly, Heero held my brother's smaller hand underneath his and Duo was stroking the other boy's messy hair. With love like that, so blatantly real, I really am starting to question the Sunday sermons my dad does. I'm starting to wonder if it really could be possibly true that this is something you are born like, not just a form of perverted rebellion like I was taught that it is.

End Chapter Three

1- I really have this shirt, I got it at Gadzooks.

2-I also own this puzzle and I swear it's from Hell!

Guess what chickies! I have carpal tunnel syndrome! I went to the doctor on Wednesday and he was really surprised since people my age don't usually get it. But since I type things for school a lot, I type this fic, and I play guitar, I should have expected it. But no worries, even though it really hurts to type and play my totally sexy guitar, I will go on in the name of art and free expression! And cause I love everyone who reads my fic and likes it, especially those who review it. That makes me so happy, so review this chapter! Give me ideas even, go ahead, I'm open to everything! Oh, and a special note to Lolly Sister, when I saw your screen name, I freaked out because I have and eighteen month old sister named Lolly.

Hugs and Kisses,

Terra Cotta Fox (Ada)