A Porcelain Heart – A Neverland Story
Written by N.L.P.
Chapter Two - Pale Lips for Pale Hooks
She was everything he'd ever imagined he'd want in a girl. Short messy hair stood up from her head slightly, her breath left clouds billowing out of those sweet lips, trailing behind her. Short and thin to the point of angles she walked down the street with a purposeful feel. She'd been walking since she'd gotten off of the giant red monster of a bus came screeching down the street to a halt.
He'd seen her then, rembered, and of course followed. It was those collar bones that reminded the shadow that crept along behind her of a certain someone he knew long ago. Back when he was ten or eleven the memories were clearer then, clearer than where he'd gotten his single meal yesterday. She was shorter then, and dirtier, the hair was the same though. It was the comment that she should look more like a girl that had gotten him into acquaintance with her. Or rather her fists.
"Ay! Chick-a-Dee! Didn't your crazy washed up Mum ever show you how to be a girl?" He suddenly bust out, appearing from the shadows into a single streetlight, reciting the line he'd stupidly uttered years ago. What his shadow made to seem a wiry frame- he was thin but strong in a lithe way, insane Dark curls fell around his face escaped from the hair he'd tied back with string to keep it away from his face. His face had a devilish grin to it, as she came to a halt not looking behind her. She was clean, though her messy habits of her golden hair did not leave her though she was clean. For a moment he envied her, his clothing was old, worn and mismatched, the back on his back was filled with all the items he'd ever possessed in his entire life. It passed the next moment though
Turning He saw her face again, pale and smooth, the way she tilted one corner of her mouth up when she gave a close lipped smile- Still the same Rose. "James," the whisper had barely escaped her lips before the bag she carried was dropped and she ran towards him, Laughter escaping both of them as she collided into him, knocking both of them down onto a snow covered stoop with the force of your embrace. "Good god! Have you any idea how much I've missed you!"
He knew her arms wrapped around him must be innocent, but still, her neck was dangerously close to his pale lips, and her thigh pressed to the inside of his leg must have been done unknowingly. "Not a fridged inking," he said, pretending that she knew what she was doing to his insides. "Babe, while you were off becoming a proper woman you went and grew up on me!" When she pulled away the look on her face was slightly hurt, though he couldn't think of the slightest idea why.
"Well I'm glad I'm back" was the soft voice that he rembered speaking to him as a smile widened her face. As they took a moment to untangle themselves she used it to talk about how horrible her school was, and he took it to study her closer. His statement before had been true, under her sweater and jacket he could see the bloom of pert breasts and her skirt bared long shapely legs for her figure, covered by he guess a few layers of black stockings and tucked under a short plaid skirt. "However horrible it was, babe, I am digging the school girl look." He said and she gave him a scowl while getting some of the snow off of her self before its pure white melted and soaked her small frame.
"Yes, well... What have you been up to..." her eyes saddened slightly, made her softer. "Where have you been living out of?" a pale thin hand gripped his forearm gently as those grey eyes stared up at him expectantly. His pale lips parted for a moment before they closed again. What was he going to tell her? She wasn't really one of them anymore. She had a place to sleep.
"You know how it is. A door step here, a soup kitchen there." He tried to smile but it came out as a grimace. "Rose you should go." He said quickly as she leaned forward to wrap those long arms around him again.
"What?" Her face was confused and hurt. Suddenly he hated himself for being the cause of that face. He reached out to her, trying to quickly fix his mistake.
"No, only meant that we should go, you backs are just laying there and your aunt will kill you if you're not home on time, you told me that." For a few dark seconds she looked like she didn't believe him and he searched her face. Finally she gave a sigh and abandoned her near hug.
"Maybey I can sneak you in tonight, James... Rember when we used to leave my mother for a week at a time and you'd ride with me on all the busses till we were lost?" she grinned, looking over her shoulder at him as she walked back to her bag, dropped in the snow bending over he fallowed close behind, cursing himself for being a man as he watched to see if her skirt would lift a little; Scolding himself silently even more when it did not for being so disappointed.
"Yeah and we'd sleep together to stay warm, even though I was twelve and you were nine." He wondered if she had ever been awake any of those nights, because he never slept, always holding tight to the only person who'd ever cared for him and stroking her hair while she slept. He whispered endearments to her. From that first day when he insulted her and she tried to fight him, when she was seven and he was ten they had been inseparable.
Until her mother died that is.
"Yeah well now I'm sixteen and you're nineteen, I've not forgotten what you said one of those nights so come on." She said with a jovial grin and started walking. Billions of thing he said rushed through his head and he froze for moment. What had she heard so long ago.
"What- Whhaattt did I say?" he asked after a quick sprint to catch up.
She gave another slightly lopsided smile that made her eyes look silver, those long dark eyelashes blinking swiftly for a moment. "That I could always find warmth with you, and no matter what you'd never deny me that." She said simply, looking back to the sky as he stared in wonderment at her. "It's going to snow." She added after a moment, grinning.
The first brilliant white snowflake landed near her eye and she laughed, "Beautiful," and he would have said something like- 'yes you are,' but it was too cheesy and that would break up time for him to stare at those beautiful lips.
It wasn't long before the twirling around in the snow stopped and the talking began, and it wasn't long before they were caught up over the past year she'd been away from him. But it wasn't long enough before she stopped in front of an old blue town house, looking over towards him, "Climb up to the veranda then in about an hour?" she asked softly and he grinned.
"Of course milady." He said bowing flourishly. This plan had been enacted many a time, but never at night and never before had she suggested that he spend the night in a soft bed with her soft form in his arms. Sitting down under a hedge cover he watched her disappear inside the wooden doorway, then tightened the old scarf around his neck againt the wind.