Me: (Sits on the floor, Cookie at her side. As usual, does not notice readers for quite some time) I'm booo-red.
SD: Deal with it.
Me: But I'm booo-red.
SD: (Glares) And what do you propose to do about it?
Me: Ooh, ooh, I know!
SD: (Rolls eyes) What?
Me: DTOD!
SD: What?
Me: DTOD.
SD: What the hell is that?
Me: (Slowly and patiently) Drunk Truth Or Dare.
SD: (Amused) Sure, why not?
Me: (Claps giddily) Yay!
SD: (Still doesn't realize how much danger he has put himself in) But just where are we going to get alcohol?
Me: Right here! (Pulls bottle out of bag)
SD: (Eyes uneasily) Where'd you get that?
Me: Never mind that. You go first.
SD: (Starting to see what he got himself into) Uh oh.
Me: (Sweetly) What is it, dear?
SD: (Quickly) Nothing.
Me: You're not getting cold feet, are you? (Puts hand over mouth in surprise)
SD: Err...
Me: I see. (Sighs in melancholy tone) And here I was thinking that you were actually brave. Silly me.
SD: (Angered) Hey!
Me: What?
SD: I'm not a coward.
Me: (Tauntingly) Oh, but you just said you were a tad afraid to get drunk around me.
SD: But I'm not...
Me: Then prove it.
SD: All right, truth or dare?
Me: (Takes swig of drink) Mmm. Truth.
SD: Who's the first person you ever kissed?
Me: That was weak.
SD: Answer.
Me: Fine. Fabio.
SD: (Blinks) What?
Me: I told you. Fabio.
SD: (Looks extremely disturbed)
Me: You don't need to worry. It was kind of a dare.
SD: (Doesn't answer)
Me: Err, yeah. So we can get back to the game, the characters aren't mine, nor will they ever be. Unless for some strange reason or other Tamora Pierce gives them to me under the influence of crack. Which she won't. So no worries. (Turns back to SD) All right, truth or dare?
Memory by Eveiveneg
A six-year-old girl watched a man nervously. His white hair and sharp gray eyes made him very frightening, especially to such a young girl.
"Hey, hon." He had a slight accent. It was hard to tell what it was. Kind of European and Southern at the same time.
He held a hand out. "I'm your grandfather, you mom's dad. It's nice to meet you."
She looked up at him. Suddenly she saw the kindness in his hawk-like eyes. Her mother's eyes. She smiled and put her hand in his. "I'm glad I finally get to meet you Grandpa."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
A girl with scarlet hair looked at her grandfather with an excited expression. She had learned within five minutes of meeting him that he was a mischievous man, and despite his old age, was full of a zeal and vigor that made even small children seem tired and old.
"Come here, hon." She followed eagerly, allowing him to make her close her eyes.
He was taking her to the stables. She knew his ranch well enough by now to know that. The smell of horses and straw reached her nose.
"Grandpa," She started.
"Not now, hon."
She would have given him a skeptical look, had she been able to see. For the moment, though, she would have to keep it to herself and focus on not falling on her face.
They came to a stop. "All right, open your eyes." She did as she was told and her mouth fell open in a gasp.
"Grandpa, she's beautiful."
A mare stood in one of the stables, calmly watching the seven-year-old gaping at her. Her dazzling white coat shone like fresh snow; coal-black strands hung low, uneven and wild. She watched the little girl with dark eyes, blinking occasionally.
The redhead approached her and held out a hand. The mare sniffed it and sneezed. She smiled and started stroking the beautiful horse.
She turned to her grandfather. "Oh, Grandpa. I love her." She said with utmost sincerity. He smiled down at her. "I'm glad to hear that, hon."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
A ten-year-old sat on her horse, looking at the valley with curiosity. It was lush and beautiful, just like she remembered it from last year.
She turned and called back to her companion. "Grandpa!"
"What is it, hon?" He shouted back.
"I found it!"
He hurried up to her and sighed admiringly at the sight of the hidden valley. "I'm glad to be here again." He told her. She grinned at him and looked back at the view. "It's so beautiful." She commented, half to herself, half to her grandpa.
"I know. I know." He seemed to retreat mentally. She knew he was thinking about her grandma, who had died many years ago, long before she'd been born.
She moved closer to him and put her small, pale hand on his large one. He looked down at them. "Don't be sad, Grandpa." She said quietly.
He smiled at her. She was so like her grandmother. The same eyes, looking up at him with worry; the same hair, though untainted by age. She had inherited the same white skin. It burned easily, though she took great care to keep it from happening. Not for the sake of appearance, though. Just because it hurt when you tried to do anything at all. Her smile. Her laugh. But there were some things that made her different. His wife had always been as easy to read as an open book. But her granddaughter was more withdrawn. She could be open, like Anna, but then could shut herself off from everyone and everything all at once. Like a book that was being read and was entirely intriguing, but suddenly snatched away and hidden.
"Grandpa?" He shook his head and smiled at her. "Don't worry, hon. Don't worry about it at all."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Come on, hon. We gotta hurry if we want to get there before noon."
The the thirteen year old, red-haired girl looked over at him and nodded, smiling slightly. She urged her horse, Maria, on, catching up with her grandfather.
He grinned at her. She grinned in return. "Race you." She challenged. He nodded, anticipation on his face. "On three."
"One."
She licked her lips.
"Two."
He fidgeted, getting more comfortable.
"Three."
They took off, grass turning beneath the horses' feet. She laughed as the air slapped her face, reveling in the feeling of power she had. Maria's muscles churned and bunched, propelling the two forward quickly.
They soon reached the small wood that came before the valley. She competently weaved through the trees, slowly getting ahead of her grandfather.
"C'mon Grandpa! Ya can go faster 'n that!" It was odd how she'd picked up his way of talking. She remembered how odd she thought his accent had been at first. Then she came to love it and how it made everything sound so interesting. Not long after she'd started talking like him, too. It made her seem all the more strange to others.
Her mood suddenly dropped. Why did they do that? She'd never done anything to make them think that. The weirdest thing that had happened was-
"You're losin' hon! I thought you could go faster 'n that!"
She started and looked over at him. Indeed, he was at least five yards ahead. She grinned and urged Maria to go faster, which the mare quickly complied with. She sped past him, sending a triumphant smirk his way.
How she loved the wind rushing past her. It was such a good feeling. Some of her hair was coming out of its bindings, flying behind her. Though this usually bothered her, it didn't right now. Why think about that when it felt as if you were flying?
She glanced along side her. There were the cliffs, the ones she knew so well. The ground suddenly dropped and there was only air. A lush green meadow filled her vision, a clump of trees every now and then. This was her valley, her grandfather and hers secret place.
Suddenly she heard a shout. Startled, she turned around. Her grandfather was no longer in sight. Another shout. Oh no. That was him.
"Grandpa!" She called out. Now it sounded as if there was a struggle, then an unearthly screech.
She quickly turned Maria around set off in the direction of the noise. "Ya leave her be!" He yelled. Then there was the panicked neighing of his own mare, Shadow Spreader. That wasn't a good sign. She didn't scare easily.
She pushed her mare into a flat out gallop, not even thinking about how tiring it was for her at the moment, which showed just how worried she was.
Suddenly he screamed. Not just shouted. Screamed.
Maria stopped, throwing her out of the saddle. She rolled over, struggled to her feet and started running.
She burst through a thicket of bushes and saw Shadow Spreader lying there, unmoving, next to the cliff edge. A piece of cloth clung to a stick growing out of the side of the cliffs, fluttering in the wind. She walked up to it and pulled it off. It was a green bit of a shirt, with a button hanging onto it.
No. No, no, no, no. This couldn't be happening. She just sat there, staring in utter horror at the cloth in her hand. Then she lost it.
"NO!" She screamed. "NO, NO, NO, NO!"
She hugged herself, sobs shaking her body.
"GRANDPA! GRANDPA! DON'T LEAVE ME!"
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Gayle sat up straight, breath short and labored.
She pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them, sobbing. "Grandpa." She whispered hoarsely. "Why did you have to leave me? Why did everyone have to leave me?"
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Hee hee. Short chapter. Don't kill me. This thing needed a bit more heartbreaking stuff. Ooh. Hm. Birthday is in two days. Hm. This will probably be the last time I put on a story as a... person my age. Sorry, I'm a bit paranoid about these kind of things. Ho hum. I'll write more later. Toodles, all.
Eveiveneg