or·phan
/ˈôrfən/
noun
1.
a child whose parents are dead.
That takes care of the title.
As for the desctiption, just because it's a bit slow, doesn't mean it isn't getting there. Someone doesn't just jump into it.
Rusty isn't dead, Mr. Stiles is still alive, then there is Jackson. Shinji is involved with some shady stuff along with the work she does, which is currently orriented at taking down a branch of a gang. Got stuff set up and things will come into play.
Not to mention, a bunch unsupervised kids, still dealing with a tragedy and things developing.
I don't want them to fall apart all at once.
Be patient with me.
Week 7 late Wednesday evening
Lori sat on the toilet, holding a small plastic cup and waiting. She felt a little grose. She felt a little turned on, remembering what Linc hand done with Leni. Mainly she felt a whole lot of worried.
She heard the door downstairs open and all of her little sisters were making a racket. She didn't know if she should smile or cry as two little blue pluses finally appeared on the cap.
She chose neutral. She still had to tell her little brother and their sisters.
He might have been excited that day in the shower, but she knows what is said in the heat of the moment. Too many stories from friends and examples in movies. Then there was what her sisters woukd think.
She looked off to her left. "What would you perverts do?"
She sighed. "Nope, no, that didn't help at all." She said to herself.
There was a knock at the door. "Yeah?"
"Gotta go, Sis!" Lynn called.
Lori tossed the cup in the trash and washed her hands. She was so caught up that she didn't even try to hide the evidence. The moment the door was open Lynn rushed past and Lori stood there.
"Hey, Lincoln wants to see you since you didn't get to go today." Lynn informed.
"Okay." She stood there with her arms crossed staring at the floor.
"You alright, Lori?" Lynn asked.
"Oh, yeah. Just... Long day. I think I'll have to fire Jacque." She yawned and stepped out of the bathroom.
"Yeah, I don't like that guy." Lori heard Lynn agree as the door closed.
Lori's day got instantly better. She felt a familiar presence and it wrapped it's arms around her from behind as she reached the kitchen door. "Lincoln!" She said happily.
He loosened his grip just enough that she could turn in his arms. He hugged him back tightly, careful of his injuries, and breathed in his scent. "You're home!"
"How was work?"
"Rough." She walked with him to the couch and they sat close together. "I got a little help at the end. Bella, she set Jacque in line."
"Who?" Lincoln asked.
"Bella, she is one of the Kanaans' cousins. Just, showed up. Started helping." She smiled. "Like a miracle!"
"They are witches." He told Lori
She laughed and Lincoln put his hand on hers, stood up and led her to his room. He closed the door and urged her to lie down. He got in and lay with his back to her, like when he was little and got scared.
"I think I'm being haunted." He told her seriously. "That is why I haven't been sleeping." Lori got worried. She could tell that he was being serious. "But... I also think that... it might be why I'm still alive." He handed her his phone. A picture was already on the screen.
It was Lincoln, but she also got the feeling that it wasn't him.
The posture, the expression on his face, the way he grinned, but most of all, those black eyes. Only after she looked closer did she see him drenched in blood and notice the timestamp at the bottom. The night he was attacked.
"I think I can deal with this now. But, I think you have some competition for me." He added.
"What does that mean?" Lori asked.
"This thing, it's a female." He admitted. He kissed her arm down to her hand. "I love all my sisters! You guys share me all the time, but... I am a little scared about if this spirit wants to share or not."
"Lincoln, What would this thing do if we had a baby?"
"Agree we name it Lorin?" He tried to joke but only made his sister upset.
"I'm serious!"
"I'll ask her tonight, if she wants to talk." He rolled to face her. "I'll have to sleep alone." He kissed her softly then really looked at her. "You seem to have a glow around you." He smiled. "My sisters are angels, so I guess that makes sense."
He rested his hand on her hip and cuddled into her as best he could. "Stay with me while I take a nap? I'm still a little tired and tonight will really take it out of me." He yawned. "Also, don't tell the others. I'd like to let them know what's going on."
Lori hugged him to her and kissed the top of his head. She didn't know what to think. She lifted the phone to stare at the creepy selfie on his phone. She found that she couldn't handle it and turned the screen off.
An hour later she woke to Lincoln kissing her. His hand ran along her side and arm. She hummed happily and became more active in the kiss.
"I had a dream." He told her.
"Are you okay?" She asked with worry. He only smiled and moved his hand over her stomach. "I dreamt we would need the linen closet back." He admitted. "A guy can dream right." He kissed her again.
Lori's mind was sent racing and she felt the worry she had fade. 'Oh gosh he was serious! He's serious!' She grinned happily. "Lincoln."
"I want you to stay. I also want to find out what is wrong with me. I can't decide any more. What should I do tonight?"
Lori sat there recalling the conversation when they had lay down. He planned on talking to the thing in his nightmare.
"I... I want to protect you. I really do, but, can I really?" Lincoln shook his head no. Lori wanted to cry, but she sucked it up and kissed him. "For luck." She slid over him, careful again of his wounds. "Lincoln, I'm always upstairs."
"I know." He held her hand lightly until their fingers slipped apart as she backed away.
He lay there in the dark until he was overcome with his exhaustion.
It was the same setting as he made his way through the dream.
Black and grey brick, some built into natural rock. Almost as if someone had built this castle out of a cave.
The fact was confirmed by stalagmites and stalagtites along the edges of the path or hanging over head as he went deeper. These were mixed in among the manufactured pillars within the hall.
The floor had been progressively paved as the work went on. From big bricks at the entrance which were often irregular to fine tiles matched in pattern and size as he reached what he called the throne room.
He blinked. The place was awash in color.
Blue and white streamers overhead against the grey stone made it look like clouds in the sky.
The floor rose up from the black and ash tiles to a floor covered in green with the odd tile of yellow, pink and blue, the occasional purple tossed in. If he squinted it looked like a field of grass with wild flowers.
Even more surprising was the living version of Genairre surrounded by small buckets of tiles. Various colors within them and ranging in texture and shape. She wore headphones and bit her tongue in a way that he felt was cute as she added the physical pixels into the plaster upon the wall.
He was surprised to see Dio's Rainbow Rising album cover fully recreated behind her throne.
"Take your seat, Mortal." She told him when she glimpsed him standing there. She added the last few tiles that she held to the wall and left the room.
He walked to the throne and noticed that it was blanketed in yellow, red and orange cloth. A cusion was under these lengths of cloth, and it padded the back and the seat.
He nearly jumped out of his skin as she appeared by him.
"After the last time, I decided to look around for once." She took her seat, displeased that she wasn't in his lap. "Colors are rather pretty. I spent so long working or hiding from father that I never noticed that I was missing anything."
He stare at her.
"I think I prefer red. It seems to go with my darker skin." She ran a finger up and down her deeply tanned arm.
"As for music, hard to decide. That Robert Johnson has a certain something. I can't put my finger on it."
"You seem to like metal." He gave a nod towards the mural behind her.
She looked back. "Yeah." She drew out the word.
"You did all of this?" He asked a bit impressed.
"Time doesn't really exist here. I was raised pretty much in the dark ages, you know." She turned back. "So I had all the time I needed."
"It does feel like forever when..."
"When what?" She asked leaning foreward and grinning as she does.
"When you use me." He said coldly as he remembered.
"That's another thing. I still want you!" She reached out and popped a button on his shirt. "I thought all men would love being ravashed by a female. You, you're different. I think I like this." She popped another button. "No spells, no tricks, just, accept it and we can have lots of fun!"
"That isn't what I want."
"Oh!" She let her finger continue to play on his shirt. "What do you want?" She motioned to the room then herself. "I've changed my appearance. Redecorated. Listened to music. What more could you want?"
"More answers. Honesty. To know you. For you to know me and not treat me as some toy." He listed. "So, why me?"
Genairre growled in frustration. "Get out!"
"Fine with me." He turned and started walking, calling back to her. "You know where to find me."
Lincoln woke and it was only eleven. He felt better about himself. He headed upstairs to check in on his sisters. As he finally opened the door to Leni' and Lori's room he saw Lori look to him.
"I'm fine." He assured her. Leni lay in Lori's arms and slept soundly. "May I?"
Lori patted the edge of the bed. "Got a spot free." She told him with a smile.
He crawled into the bed and Leni reached out and pulled him to her, squishing Lori between them. "San-wish!" She spoke happily. "Linky!" She added. In the dim light he saw that they were both nude. "Mmmmmmm keep eating!" Leni slipped a leg over Lori.
"Good night Lincoln!" Lori yawned.
"Good night Lori!" He leaned across her and kissed Leni. "Sweet dreams, Leni!" He kissed Lori as he moved back. "I love you both!"
Week 7 thursday
"I can't believe we ignored Fourth of July." Clyde sat up.
"Fireworks are too exspensive any more. I have other things to spend my money on." Lincoln stare out the window as the boys took a bus ride to see Eddie.
"Like what?" Clyde asked.
"Nothing." He replied a bit quickly. "Just guess I'm turning into an adult faster than I thought."
"Seriously, Lincoln, I know you man. What is more is more important than fireworks on the fourth?"
"I was also in the hospital."
"You're avoiding something." Clyde accused.
"I'll tell you later, probably." Clyde frowned at Lincoln. "It's hard to explain, okay, Clyde." He told his best friend.
"So, Eddie, you think he can hear us? They say people can hear you when they're in a coma." Clyde decided to change the subject.
"Offer him a hit of weed he'll wake up." Lincoln chuckled.