Chapter 2
Stanton took her arm, and dissolved into shadow. In a few minutes, they were at the steps of his large house. As soon as they got in, a yawning Rachel was walking down the stairs in her fuzzy light blue robe. When she saw them, she shaded her eyes, as if she had never seen the light of day before. "Hello?" she asked confusedly.
"Hi Rachel." Serena said.
"Huh? Oh! Hi Serena!" Rachel said, her mood switching to instant cheer.
Serena smiled. Before she got to know Rachel, she hadn't liked her. But now she found her adorably bubbly, and unusually kind. "I thought I could help Stanton pack."
Nodding, Rachel asked, "Could someone make my breakfast? I'm really exhausted."
Stanton checked his digital watch, then asked, "At 1:23 in the afternoon?"
Her jaw dropped, then her eyes shifted, and she blushed. "Oh. It's that late?"
Stanton and Serena walked by her, and he asked with big brother smarts, "When did you get to bed last night?"
She shook her head. "Not too late...I just didn't get to sleep until about 3:30."
Serena's brows arched. "Reading?" Rachel nodded jerkily, and followed them into the kitchen.
"Yeah. A great book." Stanton got down the bread, and went to the back.
"Oh? Which one?" Serena raised a brow at his question as he reentered with a plastic container of tuna. He winked at her, making it clear he was interrogating his sister, who clearly had her own little secret. Serena grinned, and played along.
"My new one." Rachel said urgently.
"But you haven't been to a bookstore in days." Serena stated simply, handing Stanton a butter knife.
Rachel put her hands behind her back; a sign that she was getting tense. "Well, it's new as in I haven't read it yet. I bought it a month ago."
"Please! Rachel, knowing you, you would've delved into that book the second you bought it." Stanton said in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone.
She scoffed, then wrenched the tuna sandwich out of Stanton's hands. "Well, I didn't have too much interest in it."
"Then surely a voracious reader like you would never have bought it in the first place." Serena countered easily, only half sure that what she just said was true.
Rachel, catching on, crossed her arms, then said, "Oh? Well you must not know me as well as you claim to then." Just then, a loud yawn came into the kitchen, and Tymmie walked in. He stretched, clad only in a hideous faded blue robe. Rachel paused, then turned back to them embarrassingly, not saying a word. Serena bit her lips to restrain her laughter.
"Reading huh?" Stanton said slyly. Rachel looked at him, and the blood rushed to her cheeks. Tymmie's eyes opened, and after his tired eyes took in his surroundings, his cheeks went red as well, then he tightened his robe.
"Uh...hi Stanton. Serena." Serena raised her hand to wave, but shot it down to cover her mouth.
Stanton looked at Rachel in mock curiousity. "Does he want a sandwich too?" Unable to take any more, Serena burst out laughing.
Rachel's face then turned blood red, and she said, "Why don't you ask him?"
Serena grinned widely, and asked mock politely, "Tymmie, would you care for a sandwich?"
His face even redder than Rachel's, he said, "No thanks." The phone rang, and obviously grateful for the rescue, Rachel ran to the phone.
"Hello? Cassandra, hi...the beach...um yeah, you could say that...NO!" Her face turned beet red again, and she started talking again. "Yeah...yeah? No kidding...I though he was gonna show up......oh. Huh, too bad." Rachel continued to talk as Stanton put away the bread and tuna, and Serena tossed the plate and butter knife into the sink. "Who? Yeah...yeah he's here, why? Sure...he's standing right in front of me." One of her arms tucked under the other, she looked at her brother. "Yeah...sure hold on." She held the phone out to Stanton, and said, "Cass wants to talk to you." Stanton's brows pinched. He and Cassandra hadn't talked much lately.
He took the phone, and spoke. "Cass? Yeah...yeah I planned to...no, why?" He started laughing. "Not necessarily...I don't think so...I haven't asked...why do you want to know all this?" After a very long pause, Stanton's eyes widened, his ears went pink, and he said, "It is not! Never thank you...I do not!" His ears went even pinker, and even a tinge went into his cheeks.
Serena looked at Rachel and Tymmie questioningly, but they only shrugged. She licked her lip, then went into his mind. His looked up, alarmed, and shoved her out, making her stagger back from the power. He looked back at the phone, and waited after a long pause. "......it is? Soon." Stanton's eyes suddenly began to shine with some emotion that no one could place. "But I don't think I should......Thanks Cass...sure...bye."
He hung up, then put the phone back on the hook. When he turned to look at them, they all stared with curiosity. He spread his arms. "What?"
Serena crossed her arms, then asked, "What are you up to?"
Stanton shook his head, then sized up the embarrassed couple. "Nothing that concerns anyone right now. The girls are coming over, so you two better get dressed."
Rachel nodded, then asked, "What are they coming over for?"
Stanton shrugged. "Same excuse as always. Nothing else to do."
"Typical." Rachel stated, and rolled her eyes.
"They always do that?" Serena asked curiously at the other side of the counter.
"All too often. And usually when they say that, it usually translates to: Grab your money, we're playing poker." Rachel said in irritation.
"I thought you liked that game?" Serena questioned, going out of the kitchen to get the deck.
"I do. But if they want to play, they can just ask." Serena came back in, and dropped the deck on the table.
"You guys getting dressed yet?" Rachel nodded, and hurried out, followed by Tymmie. She turned back to Stanton, but he wasn't there. But in the back the door was swinging, so he must have gone back to get some snacks or something. She pulled out a chair, then sat down. Stanton stepped back in, a plate with sandwiches stacked on it. "I think I'll just watch." she said.
Stanton nodded, his face empty. "You okay?" She leaned in to see his eyes.
He shrugged, and took a place by her. "It's just weird to see something like that." Serena blinked, and even though he didn't even look at her, he explained, "Tymmie was her first last night." She shrugged, still confused.
"Isn't that a good thing?" He took the box, then opened it, and began shuffling the cards with great dexterity.
"To some people I suppose." Her mouth opened, but at a quick peek into his mind, she sighed in understanding.
"It had to happen sometime."
"I know. But after 769 years of innocence, it's hard to see her grow up that way." Serena put a hand on his arm.
"You're her brother, you're supposed to think that. Doesn't she think that way about you?"
Stanton stopped, and turned to her. "Why would she?"
Serena's brows pinched, then her eyes widened. "Wait a minute, you're not a...?" She pointed to him, her question obvious. He shook his head. Her jaw dropped, but as three shadows appeared, she realized the issue would have to wait.
Okay, I should tell you, I'm starting to relax a little, so things are going to be updated a little slower. Just a warning.
Stanton took her arm, and dissolved into shadow. In a few minutes, they were at the steps of his large house. As soon as they got in, a yawning Rachel was walking down the stairs in her fuzzy light blue robe. When she saw them, she shaded her eyes, as if she had never seen the light of day before. "Hello?" she asked confusedly.
"Hi Rachel." Serena said.
"Huh? Oh! Hi Serena!" Rachel said, her mood switching to instant cheer.
Serena smiled. Before she got to know Rachel, she hadn't liked her. But now she found her adorably bubbly, and unusually kind. "I thought I could help Stanton pack."
Nodding, Rachel asked, "Could someone make my breakfast? I'm really exhausted."
Stanton checked his digital watch, then asked, "At 1:23 in the afternoon?"
Her jaw dropped, then her eyes shifted, and she blushed. "Oh. It's that late?"
Stanton and Serena walked by her, and he asked with big brother smarts, "When did you get to bed last night?"
She shook her head. "Not too late...I just didn't get to sleep until about 3:30."
Serena's brows arched. "Reading?" Rachel nodded jerkily, and followed them into the kitchen.
"Yeah. A great book." Stanton got down the bread, and went to the back.
"Oh? Which one?" Serena raised a brow at his question as he reentered with a plastic container of tuna. He winked at her, making it clear he was interrogating his sister, who clearly had her own little secret. Serena grinned, and played along.
"My new one." Rachel said urgently.
"But you haven't been to a bookstore in days." Serena stated simply, handing Stanton a butter knife.
Rachel put her hands behind her back; a sign that she was getting tense. "Well, it's new as in I haven't read it yet. I bought it a month ago."
"Please! Rachel, knowing you, you would've delved into that book the second you bought it." Stanton said in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone.
She scoffed, then wrenched the tuna sandwich out of Stanton's hands. "Well, I didn't have too much interest in it."
"Then surely a voracious reader like you would never have bought it in the first place." Serena countered easily, only half sure that what she just said was true.
Rachel, catching on, crossed her arms, then said, "Oh? Well you must not know me as well as you claim to then." Just then, a loud yawn came into the kitchen, and Tymmie walked in. He stretched, clad only in a hideous faded blue robe. Rachel paused, then turned back to them embarrassingly, not saying a word. Serena bit her lips to restrain her laughter.
"Reading huh?" Stanton said slyly. Rachel looked at him, and the blood rushed to her cheeks. Tymmie's eyes opened, and after his tired eyes took in his surroundings, his cheeks went red as well, then he tightened his robe.
"Uh...hi Stanton. Serena." Serena raised her hand to wave, but shot it down to cover her mouth.
Stanton looked at Rachel in mock curiousity. "Does he want a sandwich too?" Unable to take any more, Serena burst out laughing.
Rachel's face then turned blood red, and she said, "Why don't you ask him?"
Serena grinned widely, and asked mock politely, "Tymmie, would you care for a sandwich?"
His face even redder than Rachel's, he said, "No thanks." The phone rang, and obviously grateful for the rescue, Rachel ran to the phone.
"Hello? Cassandra, hi...the beach...um yeah, you could say that...NO!" Her face turned beet red again, and she started talking again. "Yeah...yeah? No kidding...I though he was gonna show up......oh. Huh, too bad." Rachel continued to talk as Stanton put away the bread and tuna, and Serena tossed the plate and butter knife into the sink. "Who? Yeah...yeah he's here, why? Sure...he's standing right in front of me." One of her arms tucked under the other, she looked at her brother. "Yeah...sure hold on." She held the phone out to Stanton, and said, "Cass wants to talk to you." Stanton's brows pinched. He and Cassandra hadn't talked much lately.
He took the phone, and spoke. "Cass? Yeah...yeah I planned to...no, why?" He started laughing. "Not necessarily...I don't think so...I haven't asked...why do you want to know all this?" After a very long pause, Stanton's eyes widened, his ears went pink, and he said, "It is not! Never thank you...I do not!" His ears went even pinker, and even a tinge went into his cheeks.
Serena looked at Rachel and Tymmie questioningly, but they only shrugged. She licked her lip, then went into his mind. His looked up, alarmed, and shoved her out, making her stagger back from the power. He looked back at the phone, and waited after a long pause. "......it is? Soon." Stanton's eyes suddenly began to shine with some emotion that no one could place. "But I don't think I should......Thanks Cass...sure...bye."
He hung up, then put the phone back on the hook. When he turned to look at them, they all stared with curiosity. He spread his arms. "What?"
Serena crossed her arms, then asked, "What are you up to?"
Stanton shook his head, then sized up the embarrassed couple. "Nothing that concerns anyone right now. The girls are coming over, so you two better get dressed."
Rachel nodded, then asked, "What are they coming over for?"
Stanton shrugged. "Same excuse as always. Nothing else to do."
"Typical." Rachel stated, and rolled her eyes.
"They always do that?" Serena asked curiously at the other side of the counter.
"All too often. And usually when they say that, it usually translates to: Grab your money, we're playing poker." Rachel said in irritation.
"I thought you liked that game?" Serena questioned, going out of the kitchen to get the deck.
"I do. But if they want to play, they can just ask." Serena came back in, and dropped the deck on the table.
"You guys getting dressed yet?" Rachel nodded, and hurried out, followed by Tymmie. She turned back to Stanton, but he wasn't there. But in the back the door was swinging, so he must have gone back to get some snacks or something. She pulled out a chair, then sat down. Stanton stepped back in, a plate with sandwiches stacked on it. "I think I'll just watch." she said.
Stanton nodded, his face empty. "You okay?" She leaned in to see his eyes.
He shrugged, and took a place by her. "It's just weird to see something like that." Serena blinked, and even though he didn't even look at her, he explained, "Tymmie was her first last night." She shrugged, still confused.
"Isn't that a good thing?" He took the box, then opened it, and began shuffling the cards with great dexterity.
"To some people I suppose." Her mouth opened, but at a quick peek into his mind, she sighed in understanding.
"It had to happen sometime."
"I know. But after 769 years of innocence, it's hard to see her grow up that way." Serena put a hand on his arm.
"You're her brother, you're supposed to think that. Doesn't she think that way about you?"
Stanton stopped, and turned to her. "Why would she?"
Serena's brows pinched, then her eyes widened. "Wait a minute, you're not a...?" She pointed to him, her question obvious. He shook his head. Her jaw dropped, but as three shadows appeared, she realized the issue would have to wait.
Okay, I should tell you, I'm starting to relax a little, so things are going to be updated a little slower. Just a warning.