I DON'T OWN SKYHIGH.
If I did, I would have never unleashed Warren to the public. He would be locked in my basement. :U
Dude. Dude. Reviews; 24. Favs; 6. Alerts; 23. Wait for it, wait for it…Hits; 928! SWEET JESUS, that's amazing.
Reviews;
tailendwriter: Thanks! Enjoy your ninja button. C:
missy lu-lu-lune: It wasn't a very soon update I'm afraid. :c Hopefully the taco zombies will be kind to me. =V
rainbowclownzombies: I agree. The kittens deserve our love more than the children.
xxNewMoon29xx: But Warren doesn't KNOW she's a girl. So a punch in the face is okay. I'm still making him pay for it later. C;
Wee: MORE request completed. C:
ink-and-ash: Nope. It was Kat attempting different ways to add spaces between different scenes. :c But I like your literary device idea MUCH better. Much thanks!
Kelly: HERE'S YOUR NINJA BUTTON! :D
Ilovefanfiction: Good! I didn't want anyone to know right away. I'll be dropping hints until her powers are revealed straight out. J
KenkonNoMegami: I'm afraid it wasn't fast but it is an update! :D
Raine44354: I'm glad you like the ninja button.
Ninja buttons to all reviewers I didn't respond to!
I was updating these responses as they came but then I abandoned the story for awhile. A long while. And I didn't save the reviews I have received since then. Very sorry! I'll respond next time, promise. C:
NOW. ON WITH THE STORY.
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Jaden squirmed in his sleeping bag. He still hadn't fallen asleep yet and it was nearly eleven. He was so tired. But he was more terrified of his dreams than anything else right now. They were too vivid. Too painful. Perhaps sleeping meds would help? But he was afraid he'd be too tempted to take the whole bottle and escape life altogether.
"Grnnnnghaaah", growled Jaden's stomach, startling him into an upright position. He snaked a hand over his abdomen, pressing the soft skin that covered it.
"I should probably get something to eat, huh? I did throw away my lunch…" He ran a hand through his hair, combing the longer black locks behind his ears. The two ivory strands broke free, they always broke free, and took up their places on either side of his face. Jaden sighed and hopped to his feet. Another sleepless night it would be for him, wandering the streets of Maxville. He missed the hustle and bustle of New York. When night fell in Maxville, there wasn't much going on. Some people milled the streets but it wasn't the crowds of his home town.
He stretched his arms into the air, wincing as the skin pulled tight across his back. It seemed like no matter how many plants he killed and absorbed the burns just wouldn't heal any faster. There was no explanation for it that he could think of. He picked up his crumpled jeans and hopped into them, one leg at a time. He then shoved his feet into his Converse. A black wife beater was his shirt of choice, a black zip-up hoodie to go over it. And last but not least, his black leather gloves. Down the tree he scrambled, opting to throw himself off the trunk halfway down to cut climbing time. With his hands jammed into his pockets and his hood pulled low over his eyes, Jaden set off to find some food, life, and perhaps some courage to sleep.
It wasn't long before the short, dark clad boy was strolling down Restaurant Row, scowling in the shop windows of the places that were open. Maxville wasn't New York but it still had some metropolitan charm. There were several places still open this late on a week night. A coffee shop, a diner, several bars, a McDonalds, a laundromat, a Chinese restaurant…A CHINESE RESTAURANT? Jaden hadn't had Chinese since…since his last date with Jack. The Saturday afternoon before the ball that night had been spent gallivanting around China Town. Jaden loved the oriental culture. The music, dress, and most of all…the food. He skipped across the street and yanked on the handle of the glass door before realizing it said push. He giggled and thrust his weight against it. He was notorious for disobeying the directions on doors. An assortment of bells hanging from the top of the door signaled his entrance. He heard a woman from the back call out what sounded like a greeting. Or perhaps it was a death threat. He wasn't sure, after all, she had spoken in what sounded like Mandarin Chinese.
He slid into a booth in the corner. With his back to the wall he could survey the entire restaurant and look out the window to his right. He was in the process of gazing out said window, examining the flickering streetlights when a muffled cough announced the arrival of someone next to him. He glanced over to see a waist wrapped in an apron. Attached to the waist? Mother fucking Warren. Couldn't Jaden get a break from this guy?
"I'm leaving, I'm leaving so don't hit me okay?" Jaden sighed, scooting out of the seat. Warren made a disgruntled face and shoved him back into it. "Dude! Chill! I'm going, don't hassle me!" It was now Warren's turn to sigh.
"Shut up, what's your name, Jaden? I'm not going to hit you. I'm here to take your order," Warren said, pulling a notepad from his apron pocket. Jaden shot him a questioning look.
"You're not going to hit me?"
"No."
Jaden stared at him, his mouth pulled into a straight line. Warren seemed to be telling the truth but…eh. Whatever. He wanted some food. He quickly scanned over the menu on the table but he already knew what he wanted.
"Well…okay. Can I get a sesame chicken with white rice and a….strawberry milkshake please?"
"A strawberry milkshake?"
Jaden glanced up at the scoff like tone Warren had questioned him with.
"Do you not have those?" he asked, flipping over to the beverages section. Nope, they had milkshakes like every other American restaurant.
"We have them but…that's just such an odd combination and kinda, well, girly," Warren replied, his mouth twitching into a smirk. Jaden suddenly noticed the large purple-blue bruise that had formed across his jaw. A split lip too. Man, he hadn't realized how hard he had hit the guy. Oh well. He deserved it. Ass.
"So I like strawberry milkshakes. Doesn't make me gay. Now go get it waiter boy," Jaden hissed, snapping his menu shut and handing it to Warren. The pyro snatched it from his outstretched, gloved hand and stomped away. He'd probably spit in Jaden's food now but Jaden didn't really care. The boy turned his attention to the items on the table and realized a set of crayons hidden was behind the salt and pepper. Probably for the kids to entertain themselves with when coming here with the old folks. He dumped the box onto the table and began to sort through them. Picking out purple, blue, black, and green, his favorite colors, he plucked a napkin from the dispenser and started doodling. Swirl upon swirl. Leaves, flowers, feathers, Jaden tended to lean toward more organic doodles. He always did this when he was bored. He used to have a box full in his room in New York. Napkins and menus and tissues and fliers and tickets. Things he had doodled on when he had the chance. Most of them had been from dates with Jack.
A lock of white suddenly obstructed his view. He sighed and reached up to flip his bangs out of his eyes. No one else knew but his white forelocks had been trimmed to above eyelevel a mere four days ago. Now they were about the length of the rest of his hair. The ivory streaks were mind baffling to Jaden. No scissors could keep them short. No dye could darken them. No pin would hold them. It was if they weren't a part of his hair at all. As if it was another entity altogether.
A sudden clank brought Jaden out of his reverie. Warren had placed the sesame chicken in front of him, steaming hot, along with the strawberry milkshake. The milkshake had whipped cream and sliced strawberries and everything. He was actually looking forward to this meal. Jaden glanced up to Warren and flashed a genuine smile.
"Thanks, even if you did spit it in it," he said, picking up a pair of chopsticks as he thanked him.
Warren looked down at the boy and noticed that Jaden had extremely blue eyes. The exact same shade of blue that covered the fine china in the kitchen with intricate designs. And that he had long black lashes. And a small nose that curved up at the end. And a pair of poutish, almost impish lips. And that when those lips broke into a smile, it somehow made him smile back.
And that there was a sudden fluttering feeling in his stomach.
And his heart beat a little faster.
'What are you thinking? I think you're a little confused, heart. Guy. He's a guy. Male. MALE. You're not attracted to MALES.'
"Uhm. You're welcome." Warren backed away and scurried behind the waiter's station. "What the hell, Warren. Seriously. What. The. Hell." He leaned against the counter and heard a crunch. He winced and reached his hand into his pocket. His fingers curled around and withdrew a shattered fortune cookie. "Whoops. Crushing your fortune? I wonder what that means for me." He opened the plastic wrap and dumped the cookie crumbs into his hand. His brow furrowed. "Well. That's odd. No fortune at all."
"Crap!" he suddenly heard someone exclaim. Warren peeked over the partition that separated his area from the customers'. Jaden was glaring at what appeared to be a piece of sesame chicken on the table. Warren watched as the black haired boy removed his gloves and set them in the booth beside him. Having a sudden urge, Warren grabbed another fortune cookie and ambled back to the booth.
"Here," Warren said, tossing a wrapped fortune cookie onto the table. Jaden jumped, startled by his sudden appearance and picked up the cookie.
"T-thanks," he stammered, still a bit shaken up. He was further surprised as Warren slid into the seat across from him. 'Whaaaaa-?' Warren didn't say anything more. Just stared at him. Almost…scrutinizing. "Um…is there something else?" Jaden asked slowly, suspicious of this sudden human contact.
Warren didn't answer him right away. Jaden's suspicions were right. Warren was scrutinizing him, evaluating him closely.
"I was just wondering why you had taken off your gloves. Never seen you without them before," he said, his voice, low, and suspicious itself. However, Jaden mentally sighed in relief.
'Was that all? Phew. I thought he knew EVERYTHING for some reason and he was going to out me, here and now.' "Oh. I was having a hard time with the chopsticks. My fingers aren't so graceful in gloves," he replied, ripping the plastic wrap from the cookie. Warren noticed that the skin on Jaden's hands was as pale as his face. His hands were also small and decidedly delicate looking.
"Why do you wear gloves anyway? It's still hitting eighty outside," Warren said, reaching over to take a red crayon to begin his own doodling session on a napkin.
"I'm always cold," Jaden quickly replied, too quickly. As if it was an automatic response. Warren glanced up at him.
"I also wonder why I have a big bruise and you don't," Warren commented, his eyes narrowing. But Jaden had been wondering about this too, a reply anyway in case Warren asked. He started thinking up an excuse as soon as he saw how badly he had marred Warren's face.
"Have you ever heard of sickle cell disease? Where your blood doesn't clot easily?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I have it. I don't bruise very easily," he answered smoothly. Jaden's finger curled around the piece of white sticking out of the fortune cookie and pulled it out. Two slips of paper fell out. Two fortunes.
"I was actually going to apologize to you about this afternoon but since you're just fine and dandy, I won't," he said.
"I accept your apology anyways."
Warren fell silent, his eyes studying Jaden very closely. Jaden glanced up fleetingly.
"Is there something else?" he asked, reaching for his two fortunes.
"I also wonder why you were crying in the library today," Warren said softly, staring straight at Jaden's downturned face. He saw the muscles in the boy's hand freeze as they reached for the fortunes. Slowly, the ebony haired boy looked up, his blues eyes wide, scared.
"And I wonder why you're asking me so many questions," said Jaden in a strangled voice, suddenly scooting out of the booth. He threw a ten dollar bill on the table and made a bee line for the exit. Warren called after him but it was no use. Jaden disappeared onto the street. Warren sighed, stood up and began to clear the dishes from the table before he noticed a small black heap in the corner of Jaden's seat. His gloves…Warren snatched them up, yanked off his apron, and called to Mrs. Lei in the back to tell her he'd be right back.
Warren hurried out into the dark. It was nearing midnight now. He saw a flash of white at the end of the street. Jaden with his oddly colored hair. Warren broke into light jog, aiming to catch up to the boy but for some reason…not wanting to alert Jaden to his presence yet. He followed the small boy for several streets, the whole time ducking into shadows when Jaden happened to turn around. Warren didn't understand his own wish to remain hidden, he just knew that he had to. Eventually, Jaden and his stalker had reached Maxville Park.
'Why the hell is he going to a park at this time of night?' Warren wondered. Surely the kid didn't think that this was a safe shortcut. There are freaks in the park at night. And they would just love a pretty little thing like him-WHOA WHOA WHOA. 'Did I just think Jaden was fucking pretty? What. The. Hell. Mind. What. The. Hell.'
The ebony haired boy circled a particularly large tree in a secluded picnic area. He suddenly glanced at his hands as if he noticed that they were bare for the first time. He cursed. And put a palm to the trunk of the tree before quickly withdrawing it. He then crouched and touched the grass at his feet. Warren squinted at the figure. He couldn't be sure…but he thought he just saw the grass around Jaden darken. Must be his shadow.
Warren continued to watch as the boy finally climbed up the tree, very quickly, and disappeared into the darkness at the top. The pyrokinetic moved closer and realized that there was a treehouse hidden in the shadows of the oak's branches.
'Why is he…surely he doesn't…he can't…he can't live there can he? No…he lives in Layla and Will's neighborhood. He must be just stopping here for something. Maybe it's where he plays.' The boy snorted. Playing in a tree house. What a little kid. But as long as Warren remained, Jaden didn't reemerge from the wooden enclosure. Getting curious by the minute, Warren finally moved even closer and discovered that the grass at the base of the tree wasn't in shadows…it was dead.
'What…is going on here?' He glanced up into the branches and shook his head. He didn't like this. Not at all.
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Jaden cursed his stupidity into the confines of his pillow.
"How could I have left my gloves? Dammit…what will I do at school tomorrow? And Warren! Geez…who would've thought it was him in the library…" 'And why did he ask so many questions? That boy is too observational for his own good.' He sighed, burying his face even more. 'I need those gloves for school tomorrow…I'll just have to avoid everyone and see if Powers doesn't have any hidden away in her office.'
At least he was sufficiently tired out now. Warren had wreaked havoc on his nerves. He rolled over, checking his alarm clock. 12:14. Not too bad. He closed his eyes and settled deeper into his sleeping bag before he jolted upright.
"I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO HAVE ANY OF MY MILKSHAKE!"
The boy screamed in frustration and pulled the pillow over his head.
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As soon as Warren entered the Paper Lantern, a string of curses pelted him. It was Mrs. Lei, standing there with both hands on her hips. He hadn't exactly been 'right back' as he had promised her.
"Bu hao yi se," he said. "I'm sorry. I'll clean up right away." He scurried over to the last dirty table which was incidentally his and Jaden's. His and Jaden's… 'STOP MIND STOP.' He picked up the plate and swept the uneaten cookie crumbs onto it before noticing the slips of paper remaining. He picked them up. One said:
You are in for troubled times ahead. Be true to yourself and you will make it through them.
The other:
You will meet someone who will change your life. Beware what secrets they keep.
Warren's mind began to whir.
"Mrs. Lei. A customer complained about not having a fortune in his cookie. What do I do?"
"Tell him someone else has it."
"What?"
"Someone else has his fortune. While his cookie has no fortune, someone else will have two."
"How would that help? That'd make me mad that someone else stole my fortune."
Mrs. Lei giggled.
"No, no. His fortune is WITH someone else. His fate is twisted with theirs. He'll have to find them to get it." Warren stared at the little old woman as if she were crazy and returned to the table with the disgruntled customer. Amazingly enough, he didn't get mad. He simply smiled and seemed to ponder over the information Warren had supplied.
Warren had gotten a big tip that day.
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Alas, a chapter.
Not very long.
Not very detailed.
In all, one of my crappiest.
I'm sorry. :C
I'm trying to recapture my muse.
Little hussy escaped from her jar several months ago.
Please review. Might give me some energy to go chase her.
I don't have anything to offer my faithful reviewers besides depression. D:
I'm so emo. Gah. REVIEW.
xoxo,
Kinetic Kat