All characters that are from the TWILIGHT saga by Stephanie Meyer belong to Stephanie Meyer. All others belong to me. I do not receive profit for these stories except for the joyous enjoyment of reviews.
This story follows right after When I'm Gone: Third Installment to GONE Saga, so if you haven't read that one or the two before, please do.
The timeline of the story will coincide with Gabriel Michael Laskaris' growing up years, starting at Seth and Rosa's wedding day, April 12th and will progress from there.
AN: Jillian, 2months/Bailey, 13yrs, 8thgrd/Vivi, 11yrs, 7thgrd/Nika, 11yrs, 7thgrd and as always, Gabe's age is next to the chapter.
I apologize it's taken me so long, these past two weeks have been hellish and depressing. But I've already started the next chapter so yay! Question, though...I'm in the mood for some good lemonade particularly with Rick and Leah...so if you're interested in that, leave a review and let me know.
Enjoy as you read and PLEASE REVIEW! I need the pick-me-ups.
Disclaimer: The prayers and the song are not mine. Just letting you know.
Chapter Forty-Eight (11yrs old)
June 27th, Thursday
Pulling the door opened, he stepped into the main foyer of the La Push Community Center, his eyes roaming over the decor before he headed towards the receptionist's desk, "Excuse me."
She looked up from the book she was reading, her dark brown eyes widening in recognition, "Yes. How can I help you?"
He grinned at her, reaching out to tap at one of the bright green leaves of the bamboo in a panda shaped coffee cup, "I'm looking for –"
"Lian," Seth walked across the wide foyer, fingers in the front pockets of his black slacks, "What are you doing here? Aside from causing Mikki's heart rate to go up, that is."
The receptionist laughed, tossing back her long black hair as she gave Seth a teasing smile, "You're sounding jealous."
Seth laughed as he reached his cousin's side, "Well, hell, Mikki. For the longest time, you've been sighing over me then my cousin shows up and you don't even offer me a lollipop."
Mikki rolled her eyes as she opened the side drawer of her desk, pulling out a rainbow lollipop, "Here, you big crybaby. Did you complete the paperwork?"
"Yes, you paper Nazi," Seth plucked the lollipop from her fingers, placing it into his pants' pocket, "I filled out every single highlighted portion, just like you told me too."
"Hey, not my fault you didn't do it right the first time around," Mikki handed Lian a lollipop, giving him a wink, "And this is for you, handsome."
Lian laughed as he took the offered sweet, "Thanks Mikki. My wife really likes these."
Mikki let out an exaggerated sigh of disappointment, "Go figure -I meet a gorgeous guy and it turns out he's married...such is the story of my life."
"Yeah, Cade won't appreciate hearing that," Seth pointed at her with a disapproving look, "He may be butt ugly but he's a good guy."
"Yeah," Mikki took the photo frame she had sitting next to her lucky bamboo, holding it up for Lian to see, "He may not be drop dead gorgeous but he puts up with my shenanigans so that makes him Prince Charming in my eyes. Now, if you two will excuse me, I gotta go back to studying for my microbiology test."
Seth and Lian chuckled, the cousins moving away from her desk, "So what are you doing here?"
"Rose told me you'd be here."
"I see," Seth stopped just inside the glass doors, the sun unusually bright in their part of the peninsula, "I had to fill out some paperwork."
Lian slipped the lollipop into the front pocket of his jeans, "What for?"
"Well, you know how old Quil Ateara passed away a month ago," Seth asked, continuing when his cousin nodded, "There's an opening in the council now, which normally would go to Quil -his grandson -but since he's heading to L.A. in August now that Claire is starting her freshman year at UCLA , he's declined the position. Which means nominations and guess who won?"
"You?"
Seth inclined his head, shifting his shoulders as he ran his fingers through his hair, "Yep...some of the more close minded people around here weren't too happy to see my name on the list because of Rose and the twins but...they're in the minority so..."
"Then you're going to be very understanding with my situation."
Seth cocked his head to the side, seeing a flare of anger flicker in Lian's eyes before it disappeared, "What's going on?"
Lian took a deep breath, pushing down the rising anger he'd been dealing with for most of the morning, "I went to Makah earlier today to put in a request for a naming ceremony for Jillian."
"Your dad's in the council."
"Yeah," Lian ran his fingers through his hair, his jaw tight as he looked out the floor to ceiling glass windows, "I don't know what he said to the rest of the council but they declined...being her mother isn't Native American -"
Seth interrupted, being able to see where this was going but completely shocked his Uncle Robert had actually gone that far, "You are."
"And they know that," Lian growled under his breath, gripping the back of his neck, "But my dad implied...he..."
"Lian," Seth clasped his cousin's shoulder, wishing he could punch his uncle, "I'm sorry, man."
"She's my daughter, Seth," Lian swallowed back the tears of rage that had been hovering in the surface since he left Makah, "She's my daughter and she deserves to know who her people are...she deserves every right and privilege that comes with being...how am I going to tell Julie, uh? How do I explain to her that my baby girl is being rejected by my family –my tribe –because my father thinks...goddammit!"
Seth looked over at Mikki, her nod as she stood up and quietly left the foyer letting him know she got his silent message for privacy. Turning his attention back to Lian, he gripped his cousin's upper arm in a show of support, "Lian...I have...an idea but it'll mean...it'll mean giving up your status as Makah...becoming Quileute...letting us claim Jillian as one of ours."
Lian wouldn't look at Seth, still working hard at fighting back the angry tears as he tried to breathe, attempting to find his inner peace, "How?"
"I'll talk to the rest of the council," Seth looked away as a tear escaped out of the corner of Lian's eye, studying the mural that covered the entire back wall of the foyer to give his cousin time to collect himself. The colorful mural was one of his own works -his submission had been chosen out of many back when he was a junior in high school and it had taken him most of the summer and senior year to complete the entire thing, "Billy, Sam, mom...they're all very understanding. I know they'll be in agreement once I explain the situation."
Lian watched the trees, their slight movement testament to the light breeze outside. If he were to do this...Lian knew despite his father's bigoted attitude, he would be hurt to have him deny not only his parentage but his very roots...he would be denying his own parents.
But Julie and Jillian were his family…he couldn't –wouldn't –let anything hurt them, especially his father's disregard of the importance of them in his life.
If his father didn't care about him enough to care about his family then he shouldn't care about the effect of this decision on his father…but he did –it mattered because that was his father…and in denying his Makah heritage, he would be denying his father…
But Julie and Jillian…they were his family, his heart and soul, his very world…
"I understand if you need to time to think it through –"
"No."
"Okay," Seth didn't ask why, understanding the difficulty that came with having to choose between those that mattered, "I'm sure Julie will –"
"No," Lian interrupted Seth's assumption, shaking his head twice before looking over at his cousin, "I meant I don't need time to think about it…you talk to the council then what?"
Seth stared into his cousin's dark eyes, seeing in them the certainty of his decision, "Then we have a ceremony for you. Sam's head of the council so he'll ask –"
"Who do you belong to?"
Lian stood before the four council members, Julie standing beside him with two month old Jillian cradled in her arms. Looking at his daughter's face, her sweet smile and bright purple eyes gave him the courage to answer.
"I belong to no one. I have no people. I have no nation."
"What do you seek from us?"
"I seek a people. I seek a nation. I seek to belong."
Julie slipped her hand into his, Jillian babbling softly as she sucked on her fingers, the light breeze tugging at the soft black curls around her oval shaped face.
"As your people and your nation, we seek allegiance –will you give to us what we seek?"
He squeezed Julie's hand, his thumb rubbing a circle against the inside of her wrist, "I will give my allegiance."
Sam turned to Billy, taking a folded woven blanket he was holding, turning to face Lian as he stepped forward, "We bring you into our fold…Julian Matthew Young, we are your people…we are your nation."
Lian took the folded blanket from Sam, Julie's hand between his shoulder blades as Jillian kicked out her chubby legs, the tiny beaded moccasins on her feet a gift from Aunt Sue.
Sam stepped back as Billy moved forward, holding out his arms to take over now that his ceremony was complete and Jillian's was beginning.
Taking Jillian from Julie's arms, Lian wrapped the blanket around her, kissing her soft curls before placing her in Billy's arms, her big purple eyes studying the weathered face above her for several seconds before she gave him a smile, tiny hands waving in exuberance.
Smiling into her china doll features, Billy kept her secure in his hands as he held up slightly away from his chest, looking at Lian and Julie, "Who claims this child?"
Lian took Julie's hand in his, having explained to her what was about to happen, "I claim this child."
"What will you name this child?"
"I name this child Jillian Sying Young."
Billy lowered her until she was snuggled against his wide chest, her babbling bringing another smile to his face as he spoke, his voice deep and somber, "Listen to the words I speak, little one, and keep this prayer in your heart."
Jillian let out a soft squeal, her little fingers gripping one of Billy's braids and bringing it to her mouth, nose wrinkling when the edges came in contact with it.
Billy cradled her in the crook of his arm, reaching up to gently tug his braid out of her tiny fist, "Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds. And whose breath gives life to all the world. Hear me, I am small and weak. I need your strength and wisdom.
"Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset. Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice. Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people. Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock."
He smiled down at her as he caressed her soft cheek with one finger, her tiny hand taking hold of it and pulling it to her mouth, "I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother but to fight my greatest enemy –myself. Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes. So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my Spirit may come to you without shame."
The silence that followed his fading words was rift with emotion, Sue taking Jillian from Billy, the two month old letting go of his finger without complaint.
Holding her high up on her shoulder, Sue placed a soft kiss on her forehead before she whispered the same blessing Harry had give their own two children, the same blessing she had bestowed upon her own grandchildren, "May the warm winds of heaven blow softly upon your house. May the Great Spirit bless all who enter there. May your moccasins make happy tracks in many snows, and may the rainbow always touch your shoulder."
Julie and Lian watched as she got passed from person to person, each holding her wrapped in the blanket as they whispered blessings of their own –Seth, Sam, Emily…Jared, Kim, Paul, Rachel –they were all there, forming a circle of unity around Lian and Julie, bringing them into the fold, welcoming them with open arms.
July 10th, Wednesday
Humming under her breath, she pulled open the top cupboard where mama kept the cereal, taking down the box of Cap'n Crunch.
Setting it on the table, she opened the fridge and took out the gallon of milk, tipping it at an angle to inspect the milk. Bradley had this disgusting habit of drinking straight from the gallon and sometimes there was backwash, which was really very gross.
Satisfied the only thing in there was milk, she closed the fridge and moved around the table to sit down, pouring a generous helping of sugary cereal into her bowl before pouring milk over it. Picking up her spoon, she kept humming to the song in her head as she ate her breakfast, bobbing in time with the drums.
ZZ Top at its best –totally bitching.
Looking up as the front door opened, she smiled at Brady as he walked in; swallowing her mouthful of cereal before asking, "Want cereal?"
Brady grinned at her, pulling out the chair next to her and turning it around to straddle it, "Sure."
Standing up, she grabbed a bowl and spoon for him, setting it on the table before sitting down to go back to her own cereal.
"What you up to this morning," Brady asked as he poured cereal and milk into his bowl, setting the box and gallon back in the middle of the table.
Shrugging, she spooned more cereal into her mouth, bobbing her head as she chewed slowly before swallowing, "We're working on the bridge for our track –Uncle Rick agreed to help us build it and all. We're using one of Uncle Embry's designs."
"Cool," Brady ate several spoonfuls of his cereal before looking over at her with a smile, finding amusing how she always seemed to have some song playing in her head, "What's the song for this morning?"
"Thug," Bailey grabbed the box and poured herself some more cereal, "ZZ Top."
"Bitchin' band."
Bailey grinned at him as she set the box aside, "I know, right? What I would give to go to a concert of theirs."
"Never gonna happen, Bales," Brady set his spoon aside, picking up his bowl to drain it of the leftover milk, "They're retired."
"Can't hurt to dream," Bailey went back to her cereal, reaching up to tuck a hank of hair behind her ear, the only sound in the small brightly lit kitchen the slurping of milk, "They might decide to do a come-back tour."
They were comfortable with each other, rarely hanging out since Bailey had her cousins and Brady had his schooling but whenever they did get the chance to be around each other, it was natural…normal really.
Bailey knew the stories, had heard them many times along with so many others but she also knew that nothing was expected of her –Brady was such a cool guy, laid back and easy going, never demanding anything of her, something that made her happy.
She was only twelve –well, about to be thirteen –and having to think any deep thoughts about imprints and ever after just wasn't her thing.
Nah, he was her friend, someone she knew she could always count on having her back and she liked it that way.
"Excited about your birthday weekend?"
Bailey's eyebrows lowered over her eyes as she turned her head to look at him, "Not much –we asked mom and dad to skip the birthday party so we could save the money for dirt bikes."
Brady pursed his lips in that weird way that Bailey knew meant he had a secret pertaining to her –he was a very lousy liar.
"There's no party, right," Bailey gave him an intense look, "'Cause I want that dirt bike."
"Well, it's not a party exactly…"
"What," Bailey dropped her spoon into the bowl, turning in her chair towards him, "Exactly is it?"
"Well," Brady grimaced as he avoided looking into her chocolate brown eyes –sometimes, he found it unfair how he couldn't keep anything from her just because, by some strange twist of fate, she was the very definition of who he was, "See…I didn't know your mom was planning it as a surprise."
"Planning what as a surprise," Bailey looked away from Brady as her mother walked into the kitchen, Lili tagging along behind her, still in her pajamas with the pink flying pigs stamped at random on the soft white cotton, "What's going on this weekend?"
Brown eyes –the ones all three of them had inherited –widened as she looked over at Brady, the poor guy lifting his shoulders in apology, "Sorry…didn't know she didn't know."
"Ma," Bailey frowned at her mother, "I don't want a party."
"Well, it's not exactly a party."
"Okay," Bailey let out a sigh of frustration, "If it's not a party, then what is it?"
"It's a girls' day…at the mall."
Bailey grimaced in distaste, "Mama, I love hanging out with you and Lili but the mall? Really?"
"Well," mom bit her lip for a couple of seconds before giving her a big smile, "Not me and Lili."
Bailey stared at her, horror slowly dawning in –there was only two girls she knew of that her mother would force on her but just in case, "Then who?"
"Bailey, you need friends your own age that are girls –"
"Who?"
"And you three seemed to be getting along at the Halloween party last year…"
"Oh god," Bailey slumped back into her chair, the horror and betrayal bright in her dark brown eyes, "The mall…with Vivi and Nika? You gotta be kidding me!"
"Bailey –"
"No," she shook her head with vehemence, "Mama, I don't like them…I don't like the mall…I don't want to spend my birthday with them at the mall…that's like…hell twice over."
"Don't be so dramatic," mama gave her the look but Bailey didn't care –she wasn't going to spend her birthday at the fucking mall with two of the most girly girls to ever set foot on the damn earth, "They're nice girls and I think you should give them a chance."
"No."
"Bailey," mama stared at her, knowing very well what the tense jaw and stubborn flat line of her mouth meant, "I've already talked with Kim and Rose, Brady's agreed to drive you three there and back, I don't see why –"
"Because I don't want too."
"Bailey," her name came out in a sigh of frustration and although it made Bailey feel slightly guilty because her mom was the sweetest person ever, she wasn't going to give in –no way in fucking hell, "You're being unreasonable."
Bailey shrugged, the stubborn look on her face saying it all –it wasn't going to happen.
"Okay," mom let out another sigh before pulling out a chair and sitting down, Lili climbing up into her lap as she avidly watched her big sister digging in her heels, "What if I give you your birthday money to spend however you want?"
Bailey narrowed her eyes as she studied her mother's face, seeing nothing but sincerity –to spend her birthday money instead of putting it in a savings account… "How much?"
"Two hundred from me and your dad," she smiled at her daughter but didn't see her softening, "And a hundred from your Grandma Mae..."
Bailey thought it over…three hundred dollars…nope, not worth it.
"And another hundred from your Grandma Linda."
Well…four hundred dollars… "I can spend all of it on whatever I want?"
"Yes."
Bailey bit the inside of her cheek, rubbing a finger against the wooden surface of their kitchen table, looking over at Brady as he quietly observed the entire thing –he wasn't dumb, after all, and to take sides would have definitely been dumb.
"Well…" Bailey bit her bottom lip as she bounced her knee, "I guess…a few hours at the mall with them is tolerable…Okay, I'll do it."
Bailey felt slightly rotten when her bother beamed at her, "You'll have fun –give them a chance, Bailey, okay? I don't want you ignoring them."
"Well, for four hundred dollars, I suppose I can restrain myself from causing any harm –"
"Or saying anything rude."
"Okay, ma," Bailey let out a sigh, taking her bowl with the soggy cereal and standing up –she had to go meet the guys to get started on their bridge, "I'll be on my best behavior."
July 12th, Friday
"I'm gonna be in the arcade so whenever you three are ready to go, let me know."
The three girls watched Brady as he bounded off to the indoor mall arcade, the tension between them vibrating like a tuning fork.
Turning to look at each other, none of them knew what to do next.
Letting out a huffing sigh, Bailey looked at Vivi and Nika with a serious look that brooked no argument, "To make this trip tolerable for all of us you are to avoid three things."
She held up her fist, ticking off the items on her fingers, "Boys, clothes and make-up. Got it?"
Vivi and Nika nodded in unison, shifting on their feet as they looked at each other, Vivi finally asking her in a shy voice, "So what do you want to do?"
Bailey frowned as she stuck her hands into the back pockets of her skinny jeans, looking around the crowded Seattle mall, "Where's the music store?"
They both lit up at that, "The second level –they have the best collection of pop music ever."
Bailey arched her eyebrow at Nika, twisting her mouth a bit in distaste, "What about old school rock?"
"Marc gets all his music from there."
"Well, then…let's go."
The walk up to the second level was silent but not as tense as before, Bailey's eyes moving from one store window to the next, taking note of the ones that looked interesting. Once in the music store, they split up, Bailey heading over to the marked rock section, hoping she could find ZZ Top's latest album, La Futura. She definitely enjoyed the rocking blues courtesy of Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard and Dusty Hill.
Nika and Vivi headed to the pop section, neither really looking for anything specific. Several minutes later, they met up at the listening center which, lucky them, had three empty high stools, the headphones hanging off hooks next to the little touch screens.
"What did you find," Vivi asked Bailey as they sat down, Nika in the middle.
Bailey held up the CD, excited beyond belief because it had been the last one, "ZZ Top. You?"
Vivi held up a CD of her own, "Snow Patrol. I've been wanting this one for a while now."
"Some of their songs are decent," Bailey shrugged as she took the headphones, plugging them into the audio port, "I prefer Coldplay, though…when it comes to British pop, that is."
Vivi chuckled at the dry humor in Bailey's words, picking up her own headphones as Nika tapped on her screen, flipping through the selection of music as she voiced her own preference, "Black-Eyed Peas –they're the best."
Bailey looked over at Nika, "The only thing that makes them good is Fergie."
"No argument there," Nika slipped on her headphones, still able to hear everything but in a muted tone, "She's ubber great."
"Oh god," Bailey dropped her head back in exasperation, "I'm hanging out with the PBS girls."
Nika flushed, biting her bottom lip as she picked the Jason Mraz icon, flicking through the song list, "Sorry."
"No, no," Bailey shook her head as she looked over at Nika, "It shouldn't take me long to get you using grown up words."
"Grown up words?"
"Yeah," Bailey tapped the screen connected to her headphones, rolling the volume dial up high so she wouldn't have to put them on, "Damn, shit, crap, fuck, sonofa –"
"Stop!" Vivi's face was flushed as she stared at Bailey in wide eyed shock, "You have a filthy mouth!"
"Yeah, I do," Bailey grinned at her, feeling pleased with herself, "It's what makes life colorful."
"It should," Nika gave her a disapproving frown, "You've practically painted the air blue."
Bailey laughed, finding a song she really enjoyed, leaning over Nika to tap on Vivi's screen, quickly finding the song before doing the same with Nika's, "This is the only pop song I really, truly like."
Nika and Vivi turned wide eyed towards her as the music filtered through their headphones, "Katy Perry?"
"Yep," Bailey lowered the volume a bit before slipping the headphones in place, "Best damn song ever."
Vivi flushed but she couldn't disagree –it was the best of Katy Perry's songs.
It didn't take long before they were bobbing their heads to the music, all three rocking side to side, Nika and Vivi jerking in surprise when Bailey stared to sing out loud, her eyes closed and a look of blissful abandonment softening her usually scowling face.
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no
Throw your sticks and stones
Throw your bombs and blows
But you're not gonna break my soul
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no
Nika and Vivi looked at each other in complete astonishment –Bailey had a beautiful singing voice, a rich soprano that throbbed with feeling. Without thinking of it, they joined her, their own voices sweet clear altos that served as back up to Bailey's richer tone.
I just wanna throw my phone away
Find out who is really there for me
You ripped me off, your love was cheap
Was always tearing at the seams
I fell deep and you let me down
But that was then and this is now
Now look at me
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no
Throw your sticks and stones
Throw your bombs and blows
But you're not gonna break my soul
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no
None of the three girls were aware of the small crowd gathering behind them, all three singing in perfect harmony as they finished off the best girl power song ever written –in their opinion, anyway.
Now look at me, I'm sparkling
A firework, a dancing flame
You won't ever put me out again
I'm glowing, oh woah oh
So you can keep your diamond ring
I never liked them anyway
In fact, you can keep everything
Yeah, yeah
Except for me
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no
Throw your sticks and stones
Throw your bombs and blows
But you're not gonna break my soul
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no
The applause came as soon as they finished singing, all three jumping in surprise, ripping their headphones off as they turned to stare wide-eyed at the small audience they had garnered during the impromptu performance.
Bailey was the first to start laughing, placing the headset back on the hook before she got off the stool, her ponytail swinging forward as she gave a little bow before moving towards the checkout counter, Vivi and Nika following behind her.
They paid for the CDs, all three giggling as they left the music store, not stopping until they reached the indoor fountain.
"That was somewhat embarrassing," Vivi reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, the rest of it in a French braid that ended midway down her back, "But kind of fun."
"Yup," Bailey chuckled, hooking her thumbs into her jeans' pockets, "So what next?"
"There's a bookstore around the corner."
Bailey's grimace had Vivi explain further, "They have a really good graphic novel selection."
"Mhm," Bailey shifted her weight from one foot to the other, some of the water droplets from the fountain landing on her dirt streaked Converse sneakers, "I suppose I could buy Brad's gift –sure, let's go."
They spend a good hour at the bookstore before making their purchases, heading to the food court afterwards, Vivi insisting on paying for their pizza and drinks, Bailey's eyebrows lowering as she watched her hand the cashier a shiny card, "You have a credit card?"
Vivi shook her head as she explained, "It's a money card. Tia Rosa puts money into the card every month for us to use."
"Marc has one?"
Vivi nodded, all three sitting at a booth, Bailey on one side, Vivi and Nika on the other. They ate their food, talking about music and books, Bailey surprised to find out she shared reading interests with Vivi.
"So what's next," Nika looked at her watch, surprised they've been at the mall for almost four hours and they were all still alive, "We have another couple of hours, I think."
Bailey slurped up the last of her Coke through the straw before setting the cup down, "I've got one more thing to buy but I don't know where I can find it…or if they even sell them here."
"What is it?"
She looked across the table at Vivi, reaching up to tuck her long bangs behind her ear, "A skateboard."
"Mosaik is in the first level," Nika answered as they stood up, dumping their trash before heading towards the stairs, "They have really awesome boards."
Bailey was surprised to hear the enthusiasm in her voice, "You like skateboards?"
Nika nodded, her shoulder length hair swinging forward as the bounded down the last steps, "Ian has a Buston Board –every once in a while, he lets me use it since Daddy won't let me get one of my own because it's too dangerous."
"That's what my dad said when I asked for one but since they also said I could buy whatever I want," Bailey gave them a grin smacking of satisfaction, "I'm getting a skateboard."
Vivi laughed, shaking her head at Bailey's brilliant circumvention of the rules, "You're a troublemaker, Bailey."
"Damn right I am."
Her mother had tricked her.
Filling up the glass with water, she sat down at the kitchen table, jaw hurting from grinding her teeth in anger for the past three hours. Had she been told the girls' day included a night of giggling among sleeping bags and pillows in her living room floor, she would have said hell the fuck no.
Four hundred dollars was not enough to put up with that girly shit. Unfortunately for her, dad had been right next to mom when she was told about the rest of her birthday celebration so she hadn't been able to bitch about the injustice of it all.
God, it was like her mother didn't know her!
Draining the glass of water, she let out a heavy sigh as she glared down at the table, able to hear Vivi and Nika whispering in the living room –probably talking about what a bitch she was.
Not that she cared.
A slight noise had her looking up, eyebrows lowering over dark eyes as Vivi shyly moved into the kitchen and pulled a chair out across the table from her to sit down, "I was hoping we could talk."
"About what?"
Bailey watched as Vivi bit down on her bottom lip, those strange colored eyes of hers dropping to study long fingered hands, "I know you hate me –"
"I don't hate you," Bailey muttered, both knowing she was lying…in all honesty, she could somewhat tolerate her, in small doses but today hadn't been a small dose –at all.
"Well, you don't like me."
Bailey lifted a shoulder without any embarrassment or remorse for that matter, "You already knew that."
"Well, it's just that…" Vivi slowly turned the salt shaker in tiny circles on the table, not looking at her but at the patters she was drawing, "You're such good friends with my brother and…I just thought…"
"Look," Bailey let out a sigh of aggravation as she slouched into her chair, "Marc is…did he tell you about what happened to Einstein?"
"Yes."
"Something like that –it can really forge something strong despite differences. I just…I guess seeing Marc being…human, helped me see who he is despite of what he is…know what I mean?"
Vivi nodded, her long hair in braids down the sides of her face, "You managed to look past the surface…into his heart and soul."
Bailey's lips hitched into a small smile, "Which he insists he doesn't have. I just…I won't lie to you and say it doesn't matter anymore –what he is, that is. It comes natural to me, to feel this…need to destroy when I'm around him…and you. But I hold back because, well…you're not all bad."
"Are you including me in that assessment?"
Bailey dropped her eyes to the table, sheepishly answering, "Yeah, I suppose…you try really hard to be something you're not. I guess…in a way, that's something that makes you human."
"I am human."
"Only half of you," Bailey looked up to stare into Vivi's eyes, her words heavy with serious intent, "I know you fight the part of you that could take away your humanity much like Marc does but it's still not enough."
Vivi let out a sigh of disappointment, nibbling on her bottom lip for a few seconds before letting it go, "We're never going to be friends."
"No."
The silence was heavy, throbbing with so many emotions –regret, sadness, exasperation… "But I suppose if I was able to look beyond what Marc is, I could do the same with you…we'll never be friends but maybe…maybe I could learn to respect you as a person. Would that be enough?"
Vivi's smile was sad yet sincere, her eyes bright as she stood up and pushed her chair back in place.
"It would have to be, wouldn't it?"
