.The Hawaiian and the Hunchback
Glass fixtures
A.N.: Oh, look at that... another chapter. This is odd... so... unexpected... how is it that it happened? Maybe, Mlle Guille was bored enough to realize that she actually had a story to finish... or at least to write. I'm not sure whether or not I'll ever come to the end of this story... I haven't had much support from readers lately, so I might not find a point for doing it anymore... (Hint hint: REVIEW). Nah, I won't force you. But, the reason I write isn't only for creative purposes, though that is one of the biggest reasons, but it is also for the readers. If there are no readers, then I should just keep my stories to myself and... blah. SO!!!! If you want to see this story continue... REVIEW! Please! I'm on my knees and begging you, give me a reason to write! I know, I'm a pathetic loser but – Rant continued on closing notes – okay... now, in this chapter, which I hope is better than the last two pieces of crap that I tried to pass as chapters, I try to write an angry Quasimodo... Not as good, I think, as it should have been... but still. Okay... now read. And review. But most of all, read. My pixy stix are running out....
Quasimodo rushed through the gloom of Notre Dame, swatting away cobwebs and jumping over beams as he searched the darkness, screaming the name of his little friend, whom he swore he heard screaming just moments before. Dust and missed webs clung to his arms and shoulders, the light cast between the wooden floor slats above shedding intermittent shadows along his façade, creating a sort of imprisoning sense. Quasimodo ran on, yelling Lilo's name, begging her to tell him where she was, or what had happened. He hoped quietly that she did hear him, and hoped even more that she was able to respond.
"Lilo!" Came another of his screams, his hysteria worsening as he continued down the dark way, passing in and out of the moonlight. He had come into the place without either a torch or candle; he was too worried to bother with such things...
Lilo.... The poor girl... what had happened? Why had she come to scream like that? What ungodly creature had managed to frighten the little girl, who had been able to take the sight of him without a sickened glance? His eyes flitted back and forth, searching through the shadows that he had long since grown accustomed to. Nothing, not a sign, not a second scream nor cried out answer to his calls. Where was she? Why did she remain silent though he yelled in concern, running like a madman beneath the levels of the bell tower?
He hoped nothing had happened, that neither man nor creature had come to harm her. She was his first friend, well... first human friend for that matter. She meant so much to him, though he had only known her for, perhaps, less than twenty-four hours, many of which she had been sleeping in his own berth and he had been watching over her, wondering who she was. She was important now, another of the few rays of sunshine that lit up his drab and lonely life, and if he lost her, he wouldn't know what he would do.
Suddenly, he realized the path that he was moving down was somewhat... familiar... it had been a while since he had been down that way, but, still... he knew he had been there before... He continued on, his pace slower as sudden remembrance entered his mind... Yes... that secret place, the one he used to visit so often as a child...
He rushed forth, pushing through more cobwebs until he spotted before him a shimmering of pale moonlight, not from above but from ahead. With a sudden gasp of joy, he burst forward, into the fringes of the light.
A few feet in front, Lilo stood motionless, staring down at the dust-filmed floorboards of the clearing, silent as the grave. Behind her, the candle that he had given her for light when he had left the tower spun in wide circles, toppled over, its flame just barely floating above the floor.
"Lilo!" Quasimodo screamed, happiness and relief filling him with warmth. "I thought that something had happened to you... I heard you scream and I... Lilo? Lilo, what's wrong? Lilo... Lilo, what are you looking at?"
Quasimodo began to step forward, his hand stretched out to grab her little shoulder. There was something eerie about the whole thing... Lilo's uncharacteristic silence, the candle... and what was it that she was staring at? He could hear the floorboards creak as he stepped forward, a frightening noise considering the situation. Had something happened to Lilo?
Suddenly, she spun around, her face pale, her eyes wide and troubled. Quasimodo half jumped at the expression, the fear and trepidation that shone in those brown eyes, her ever quivering mouth... It was as if she had something to say but was unable...
"Quasi..." She finally managed to whisper out, the arrival of tears accumulating at the corner of her almond-shaped eyes. And, again, her stammering began, and no comprehendible word escaped those tremulous lips.
"What is it?" He asked again, shaking his head, worry once again beginning to seep into his mind. "Lilo, what's...?"
Quasimodo approached her, glancing forward to see just what she was staring so somberly at for the past few seconds after his arrival.
Suddenly, he stopped. Stopped talking, stopped wondering, stopped breathing... he thought, perhaps, that his heart had as well stopped beating for some seconds after the sight.
Finally, Lilo found her voice, and started screaming out apologies at the dumbfounded hunchback, her tears beginning to stream down her cheeks, her fingers clutching the sleeve of his shirt as she wept.
"I didn't mean to!" She cried, wiping her tears on her sleeve. "It was an accident! I dropped my candle, and... and I'm sorry!"
Quasimodo was still silent, staring down at the floor just as Lilo had been... Of all the things for her to have destroyed, that she could've bothered toppling, dropping, maligning... Why this?
Before them, the remnants of a once beautiful thing lay in shattered pieces, strewn across the floor. The silver of the moon's rays reflected off of the once shimmering pieces of glass, now dull and lifeless, the edges glinting horribly off of the sharpened edges. The once beautiful backdrop of pillow soft clouds and sweeping blue sky was now naught more than a jagged, ugly mess. The angels' wings lay disconnected from their masters, the golden round of the haloes now cracked and broken in twain. Every piece of the glass puzzle seemed to be molested in one way or another, from scuffs and scratches to cracks and fractures... It was a horrible thing for Quasimodo to set his eyes on, and his tears found a path down his pallid face, a brief and meaningful silence in mourning for the death of such a sentimental thing.
Lilo glanced up at Quasimodo, her own tears streaming down into the collar of her dress, trying her best to read the feelings in his expression, in his eyes. She was frightened of how he would react, knowing that she had broken the stained glass. It wasn't that she thought that he would hurt her, because she knew he wouldn't. But, if he were angry with her... what if never wanted to speak to her again?
Don't be ridiculous, Lilo told herself, pouting inwardly. Quasimodo is my friend, she offered her emotions, he would never do that! After all, I said I was sorry, and I am... It was accident, right? So that makes everything okay...right? Lilo suddenly felt uncertainty creeping up on her, gripping her heart mercilessly as the hunchback towered above her, silent and unmoving as mountain stone.
Finally, Quasimodo made a motion. His eyes, once planted on the shattered mess before him, now turned, eerily blank, to face the young girl below him who was still clutching onto his sleeve. Another bout of quietude followed, then, in a gradual motion, the empty shock gave way to utter ire, those pools of green usually so full of kindness now flaming with anger. Quasimodo's glance at Lilo was not eerie anymore... It was downright frightening! Lilo felt her heart pounding scared in her chest as that cavernous mouth opened to speak.
"Lilo, how could you?" The words spoken were at first soft, dripping with sadness. "Why were you... you shouldn't even... How could you have...? You shouldn't have touched it, Lilo!" He looked away, breathing harder. "What are you doing here anyway? You shouldn't be here, you shouldn't have come here, and now look what you did! God, Lilo, you... you... look what you did!"
"I said I was sorry!" Lilo exclaimed, the tears coming down more freely, and anger rising up in her bosom. How dare he get angry at her even after she apologized!
Quasimodo wasn't affected by the point, just shaking his head angrily, glancing up at her with eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness.
"No!" He screamed, his jagged teeth glinting in the moon's silver shine. "You don't understand! That was my... my... Go home, Lilo!" He yelled. "Get out. Just, get out!"
Lilo's eyes were shining with tears as she ran through the jumble of beams and shadows that had lead her to that place. She didn't know where she was going to go, what she was going to do, or what was going to happen to her. She just knew that she had to get out. Just get out.
Quasimodo fell onto his knees before the sprawl of glass and iron, his anger giving way to heart-jerking sadness. His grief splattered upon the creaking boards as tears, and his mouth was releasing weeps and cries other than angry yells. Why had she touched it? That question repeated itself over and over again in his head, the worry that he had felt for her before buried and forgotten.
That window, that stained glass window, was something that he had held onto ever since he had first found it when he was a child. It was unfinished, hidden in one of the tower's shadows, and supposedly never to be touched again. He had found it there as he wandered, lonely, and had finished it himself. It took him years to complete, and he had formed some sort of connection with it. It brought him happiness, and he visited about once every month after it was done, keeping it in a secluded place for his own private pleasure. But now... now it was gone... and it was all Lilo's fault.
He sighed gently, sweeping the remains of his creation into a shimmering heap, and, staring quietly at the pile for a few moments more, he turned away, weeping still.
His venture back to the main of his "apartment" was made in silence, untouched cobwebs clinging nonchalantly in his flaming hair, his white face unmoving, his green eyes staring. The tears had long since stopped their flow, and he felt little emotion anymore. He felt blank...empty. He scanned the area with not a word escaping his lips. Lilo's things had disappeared from the floor, though he noticed several stray crayons left as a result of a quick escape. Lilo was gone, he thought, sighing harshly. She had left him.
Well, whatever, he thought, shaking his head, doing as well as he could to banish any sympathetic thought toward the girl. She shouldn't have stayed so long anyway.
He sat at his table, not yet feeling sleep creep on him, quiet and unsure of what he was to do. He stared at the table, but closed his eyes, supporting his head on his hand. Scrump was still there- another thing that Lilo had forgotten. Quasimodo picked up the rag doll gently, staring into the mismatched eyes, shaking his head and standing up. He needed to take a walk. The bell tower wasn't helping him much at the moment.
Quasimodo trekked outside, feeling the wind of evening against his face as it toyed with his hair. Scrump was still in his hands. The moon was shining ever so brightly in the sky, surrounded by a heaven of shimmering stars. But his heart could not yet be healed. He made his way downward, into the somber cathedral, where the chants of the priests and deacons continued monotonously.
He paused before the door, his heart skipping a beat for a second when he saw a young figure weeping on the bottom step. It was Lilo, her head leaning against the jamb of the entrance, bent over herself, hugging her bag that was lumpy with careless packaging. She was mumbling to herself as she wept, shaking with every breath she took. Quasimodo felt a brief moment of sympathy for her.
Lilo turned round, probably sensing his towering presence and her crying eyes slitted angrily.
"Are you going to toss me out of the church now?" She asked bitterly, wiping away the wet path of her tears.
Quasimodo frowned, shaking his head in annoyance.
"I thought I told you to go home," he said, his voiced edged with anger.
"You're not the boss of me," she returned, turning back to her original position, slumping over her bag.
Quasimodo sighed, throwing Scrump onto her lap as he took a seat beside her.
"You forgot this," he told her, crossing his arms over his legs as he hugged them to his chest. He stared out at the candle-lit place before him, waiting for another snappy remark from Lilo. There was an awkward silence that followed, and suddenly, the little girl began making noise. It wasn't as he had expected. It wasn't snide, or spiteful, but the sound of sad but thankful sobs.
Quasimodo turned to look at Lilo, who sat, staring at Scrump in tears. She didn't hug the doll, only stared at it, as if in utter disbelief. The hunchback watched her quietly, unsure what emotion he was supposed to feel still. Was he supposed to be angry, as he still felt? Sad for himself, as he felt as well? Or Sad for her, which was also there, more obvious now that he realized her sadness. He sighed yet again, a usual thing for him, and he reached out to touch her shoulder.
"Maybe you should go home, Lilo," he said, his voice quiet. He was still angry, but not so much as to start another scream.
Lilo's sobs continued, but they soon quieted down into a quiet contemplation. Tears still fell, dampening her collar.
"I can't," she finally answered, rubbing her eyes again, leaning her cheek against Scrump's little body.
"What?" Quasimodo asked. "No, Lilo, I mean it. I know you're probably still sad about your sister and everything but-"
"No!" She interrupted vehemently. "I can't!"
"I'm sure your sister will understand," he said. "Why don't you try before you-"
Lilo shook her head angrily and groaned. Oh, how was she going to explain this? She couldn't tell him that she was hurled from the future and into the bell tower... That wouldn't make any sense! Not to him, anyway. She knew he was going to keep this up until she left for home... but she wasn't stupid enough to go off somewhere at night alone, at least not without a flashlight and a nice hard bat...
"You don't understand!" She said, the cries yet again bursting from her chest. "I don't' have a home!"
Quasimodo was silent after this statement, the only thing heard being Lilo's sobs.
"You don't..."
"I don't have a home," she repeated, cushioning her forehead with her bulky bag. That was the only thing she could think of at the moment as an explanation... and it was somewhat true, now that she thought about it. Not here... she didn't have a home here... She was stuck here until she found the transmitter and the bracelet was no where in sight. So, she didn't have a home. She was homeless. She was nothing but a crying, homeless little brat that made everybody mad. Nani, Quasimodo... probably Pleakley and Jumba too, now that she was lost... they were probably in trouble and Nani was blaming it all on them... And what about Stitch? Was he mad at her too?
Quasimodo watched her as she leaned on her bag, all sound and movement stopped yet again. He didn't know... He hadn't known. And all her talk about family, and fights and such... but in truth, she was lonely... just like him. And worse, she hadn't a place to stay. He hit himself inwardly. How could he have ever been so heartless?
Quasimodo brought Lilo in his arms into a tight hug, his anger melting quietly away, empathetic tears falling. Moments later, Lilo was asleep on Quasimodo's mattress, wrapped away in his arms and clutching Scrump close to her heart. The night wind could not break through their dreams.
A/N: -I really really like reviews! I mean... You know what...? Nevermind.
Wow! That really was a piece of crap. Nah... I kind of liked this one, though I had to endure several visits from the repetition police of repetition. Tears and tears, sighs and sighs. Sorry, but I'm not that creative. Heh... Well, review, as I mentioned. PLEASE!!!!!!! The chapter didn't end up quite as well as I would've liked, but I like it better than the other ones I've written. Hope you liked it to. Tell me if you do. Please?