could i just thank my anonymous reviewer (are you really anonymous? your name only shows up as () ) seriously, you're really helping me out here.
Disclaimer: i don't own any of these characters. but i swear, if they're ever given up for auction, i will give my entire life's savings for them... maybe.
Once he returned to the house, he felt something change. No longer weighed down by his grief or pain, he moved faster, just as he once had. He earned the title of 'fastest boy alive' right there and then
"Wally? Are you okay? You were gone for a long time…" Dick worried for his friend. The overwhelming amount of angst that boy pent up… it could kill a man.
"Yeah dude, I feel fine." Wally smiled at his friend, trying to prove he was okay. "I just needed some time alone." He looked over the boy's shoulder and smiled at Raven. "How's it going?"
Raven stared up at him in confusion, a rare display of emotion from the otherwise stoic empathy. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, fine." He shrugged, swerving around dick to reach the girl. "Hey, we got any strawberries?"
Strawberries? "Uh… yeah, maybe. Just gimme a sec." Dick said incredulously.
Kori stood awkwardly off to the side, standing next to Karen, who was currently explaining all the new faces.
"…so you see, Gar's quite strange. As you should know, werewolves and vampires are like, sworn enemies, but he's different. His pack was so strange. The leader, and Gar's adopted father, wanted him to fight just as he commanded, no straying, while his mother, also adopted, wanted him to be free. He was so confused. We found him on the edge of a road somewhere. Still so young, we thought he'd die in the cold."
"But he's tough. Tougher than most of us. He's always had a great sense of humor… although his jokes lack the 'funny' quality; he can always make you laugh one way or another."
Kori nodded, looking at the strange boy who was currently stationed next to Raven, tail wagging and the same goofy tongue-out-of-his-mouth smile.
"Garth was drowning, and that's all we know. Roy's like, sworn secrecy or something."
"Raven… well; I'm sure you've heard the story. Tyrant father and all that?" Kori nodded only half paying attention. "Yeah, I'll just let her explain it." Karen opened her mouth to explain more, but was cut off by Victor's loud booming voice.
"BB, you know we'll all be eatin' meat in here! Don't even try to pull that face on me!" Garfield's head drooped as he trotted along beside the man, knowing it was true.
"Oh man… fine then. You can eat your stinky tofu… just keep it away from me." The wolf's head snapped up as he yipped gleefully, rubbing his snout up against Vic's leg.
Still not paying attention, Kori nodded her head to a song that only played in her mind.
that's when she said I don't hate you boy
I just want to save you while there's still something left to save
that's when I told her I love you girl
but I'm not the answer to the questions that you still have
I don't hate you
don't hate you, no
"Hey Kori!" Dick called to her.
"Yes, Dick?" she asked, shaking the lyrics from her mind.
"I know you've only just met Wally, but doesn't he seem strange?"
"I cannot answer that Dick. I do not know what he has gone through, and part of me does not wish to know. All I can tell you is that he no longer wears his ring."
Dick stared at his friend's hand, which was currently rested warily on Raven's leg. Sure enough, his silver promise ring was gone, making his hand seem bare.
"Perhaps he took your advice…" Kori said.
"He broke a promise that was meant to be broken. I expected him to be in tears right now, probably breaking this house down."
"What do you mean? Who was this promise made to?" Kori looked at him in wonder, trying to decipher this myth.
"Jinx… he made a promise to her… he promised that he would always love her. That even when time tested them, he would never feel anything for anyone else. He stayed faithful, even when she forgot her feelings. Now sure, there was the occasional one night stand, in hopes of forgetting his promise. But every day, no matter what, he would always wear that ring. Always."
"He truly loved her…" it was not a question, but a statement. But was this past-tense? Had he finally given up? Dick did not believe so; knowing that his friend had spent decades running after this girl, no matter what it did to him.
"I'm going to go ask Raven what she thinks. You should go and talk to Roy. He may come off arrogant and cocky, but he's really sweet if you get to know him." And in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
"I do not believe that I will ever get used to that."
"Used to what?" a melodic voice asked her. Spinning around on her heels, she came face to face with a boy, about her age, with dark purple eyes and long black hair that fell past his shoulders. He was mesmerizing.
"Um, just the um… speed of your… kind." She stuttered. He chuckled at her flustered explanation and held out his hand.
"My name's Garth." So this was the mysterious Garth…
"Kori."
"Pretty name." She blushed at the comment, making her orange skin darken.
"Hey Unitard-guy, leave Dick's girlfriend alone!" Roy called from across the room. Kori and Dick both opened their mouths to object but were cut off by a loud groaning noise.
"You want the ball?" Victor taunted Garfield, who was currently sprawled out on his back, tongue lolling out again.
"Just give him the ball Victor." Raven said in a monotone voice, not looking up from her book.
Groaning, the man dropped the plastic ball for the canine, which quickly leapt on it, making satisfied growling noises. He trotted over to Raven and placed his head in her lap, still gnawing on the ball. He looked up from the broken ball for a moment to bark at Raven before returning to his toy.
"You're welcome." She said, showing no signs of emotion. The room was silent for a while, except for the sound of bacon sizzling and Garfield's small growling noises.
Trotting up to Kori, Garfield dropped the ball at her feet.
"Ruff!" he yipped before walking circles around her.
"He wants you to throw the ball." Raven explained.
"Ruff!" he agreed.
"Okay…" she picked up the slobbery ball and threw it down the hall, watching as he scrambled to catch it.
"He does that a lot." Dick said.
"So Kori, what are your interests?" Roy asked, sending her one of his winning smiles. Dick glared at him from over her shoulder, causing his friend to smile sweetly.
"Um… reading? Journalism…" she shrugged, not quite knowing what to say.
"Ya read any good books lately?" Wally smirked. "I've got a pretty big collection up in my room…"
"Okay guys. Kori, y'wanna go for a walk? Here come on." Dick said, wrapping his arm around her waist and dragging her out of the room. He sent a glare over his shoulders, warning his giggling friends to back off.
"He's so in love."
"Watching the sun rise is normally relaxing. But right now, the rising sun was just like a sand timer. He was running out of time. His eyes burning a fiery red and his throat burning, he walked slowly, dragging his feet through the warm desert sand, he watched as the sun broke free from the mountains. Spreading his arms wide, he caught the sunlight, catching fire and finally ending his reign."
"Those two are complete hams." He mumbled, leaning on the stone rail that surrounded the balcony.
"Dick, why are your friends a type of meat?" Dick looked at her strangely, realizing that she was serious, he began to laugh.
"It's a saying…" he trailed off when he met her eyes, watching with curiosity as she examined him.
He hadn't changed at all. Ten years had no effect on him. He seemed six-teen in everyway. His voice, his clothes, his emotions. All but his eyes, which seemed to be brimming with years of wisdom. He had old eyes. She remembered a quote from a TV show she'd seen once…
How can a man so young have eyes so old?
I do a lot of reading…
She chuckled to herself, remembering his comeback.
"What's so funny?"
"Oh nothing…." She paused. "Dick… is that short for anything? Or rather, another name for something?"
He paused, turning to lean on the railing again, staring off at the stars. "Richard. That's my real name."
"Richard." The name felt foreign on her tongue. "I like it."
"Thanks." There was a silence between them. Not awkward, but comfortable. She leaned over into him instinctively, resting her head on his shoulder. She felt him tense beneath her when she realized what she was doing.
"Sorry!" she pulled away, stepping back.
"No… it's okay." He said, although she could hear the strain in his voice as he pulled her to him. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he held her protectively to his side.
She stiffened for a moment before relaxing into his side.
"Richard?"
"Yeah Kori?" Dick answered, turning to look at her. He wasn't expecting her to be so close, and they were barely inches apart.
"Where will I stay? For the night?" she breathed, eyes flashing across his face, searching for her answers.
"You could um… stay with us…" he stuttered, watching the light from the setting sun make her orange skin glow. "I mean, if you don't want to have to deal with Jinx…"
"Thank you…" she leaned in slowly, not realizing the effect she had on him. He inhaled deeply, breathing in her warm, sweet scent.
"You should um… go talk to Raven…" he stuttered, leaning away from her. "She can give you some old clothes…"
"okay." Dusting herself off, she walked toward the door. Upon opening it she was hit with the smell of bacon and almost knocked over by a rushed Garfield, who burst out onto the deck. Circling a few times, he flopped down, burying his nose in his paws.
"Sorry boy." Dick whispered, scratching him between his ears.
Skirting around the half opened door, she made her way to Raven, passing an upside down Wally, who was currently throwing popcorn in his mouth.
"Um… Raven?" the empath looked up at her, raising her eyebrows questioningly. "Do you have any clothes I could borrow?"
"Yeah, come with me." Raven pushed her self up off the couch, motioning for her to follow.
Raven's room was dark, but not as terrifying as you'd expect. Purple and black with strange knick-knacks and books lining the walls. Candles sat un-lit on the shelves, lining the walls. What stood out was a large toy chicken, sitting in the corner.
"Present. It was from Beast boy." She explained without looking up. Handing her some clothes over her shoulder, which Kori accepted gladly, she began digging through her items, searching for something.
She pulled out a small stuffed animal, a toy raven with a small gem atop its forehead. The resemblance between the two was uncanny.
"Here, I'll show you to your room." The way the girl walked… it was unearthly. She almost seemed to float, making no sound as she crossed the squeaky wood floors. It made Kori feel awkward and clumsy.
Pointing to a door, Raven nodded for her to open it.
"Thank you!" Kori called to the girl, who had already begun to walk away.
Turning back to the door, she turned the knob gingerly, as if it would break off if she used too much force.
Inside the room, was a large four poster bed with red silk curtains that surrounded it. The walls were bare, except for the few photos and paintings that looked like they'd been there for years. Shuffling her feet through the thick carpet, she placed the clothes on the bed and began getting changed.
After getting changed, she rolled up her clothes and put them on the dresser at the foot of the bed. Peeking outside, she noticed that the whole group had left the living room, and was now crowded around the door.
In the silence she could hear the relentless pound of the rain against the house. Wait, when did it start raining?
"You should probably go into your room. There's a girl there and she's… a bit unpredictable." Garfield warned. His voice was oddly high-pitched. She turned around only to find a boyish looking teen with spiky blonde hair and green eyes. She couldn't help but notice the slight point his ears had.
"Who is this girl?"
"She's an old… friend I guess, of Dick and Wally's. Kind of rogue. She traveled with our rivals for a while. Right now we don't know where she stands. All I can tell you is that her eyes are seriously red right now. She's probably just itching to find out what you're doing here."
The group parted, to reveal Roy dragging a girl with brown hair by the arm down the hall. The girl froze at the sight of Kori, her jaw dropping in surprise.
"Come on Kori…" Garfield pushed her back into her room. "Just stay in there. Keep your door locked, and don't let anyone in."
Like a deer caught in headlights, Kori struggled to understand what she was supposed to do. Shaking herself out of it, she walked over to the door. Twisting the knob she locked it and then shuffled to her bed. Crawling under the fluffy quilts, she closed her eyes, and willed herself to get some sleep.
this house is based off the house of a friend of mine's. her house is huge, with three floors and a basement, plus they own the surrounding forest and stream. the roof is covered in skylights and some of the walls are all windows. i seriously love her house.
Tests are all this week, plus i've got a 'my life story' project for monday. next chapter might not be up for a while.
