It's TohruEmber here! I'm so pleased with all the comments! It makes me want to write so much more! I can't tell you how much fun I'm having writing all of this! Now that I'm well into the Set One, I'm not rushing and I don't have to introduce a lot, except other characters. I think if I get enough reviews to do Set Two, I will go more into the nature of the curse and the pasts of all the Zodiacs.
Ooo, and you should also know that the fan girls are plotting even now! It will be shown in another chapter purely dedicated to them in the future hehe.
Anyway! Please enjoy the next chapter of Blessed!
Blessed
Chapter Three
Warning! Remy: The Stalker
Hello! Mah name is Marie Darkholme an' last month mah Aunt Irene informed me that she was gonna stay with her daughter f'r a while, while she gets some money to buy a new house in Bayville. Ah was determined to stay in Bayville because ah really didn' want to have any time off from high school.
So that's how ah ended up living in a tent in the middle of a forest. The Prince of mah high school, Joseph Xavier, discovered me in mah tent and kindly offered for me t' stay with him and Hank Xavier, his cousin, permanently, an' in the end ah agreed.
But ah also found out that the Xavier family have a deep and terrible secret! Its members are possessed by spirits of the Chinese Zodiac! They transform into their chosen animal when a member of the opposite sex embraces them! Which … because o' mah stupid clumsiness, happened a lot recently. But ah really do want t' get t' know them, even if mah memories are erased like Joseph said they could be!
Ah wonder what adventures await me today?!
~~~~~ Bayville High School ~~~~~
Waking up in the Xavier's house felt incredibly unusual today, but in a good way. Ah cooked Joseph and Hank some breakfast, which they seemed to like, and then rushed straight to school ahead of Joseph. Ah didn' wanna cause any more panic f'r his fan club.
Betsy, Tessa and Marie were strolling down the hallways of their school having nothing to do before their lessons started. Betsy's remarkable lilac hair was tied up into a bobble as usual, and she wore a longer version of the skirt that made up their school uniform. Tessa's long, raven-coloured hair cascaded down to her waists, flowing as if it were alive with vigour. As always her expression remained impassive. Marie had her hair down today, but tied her white streaks on both sides to the back of her head with a blue ribbon to match their cobalt-blue uniforms.
'Jeez, those girls give me a headache,' complained Betsy as she, Tessa and Marie passed the dedicated admirers of Joseph Xavier, glaring wildly at a worried-looking Marie. Earlier this morning Betsy had caught them shouting at Marie. 'Their prince hasn't shown up yet so they have to bother someone, but why you I wonder?'
Marie smiled apprehensively. Ah can' imagine what they'd do 'f they knew ah was stayin' at Joseph and Hank's house. Ah think even Betsy and Tessa would b' upset 'f they knew.
They day went by somewhat quickly, and before Betsy and Tessa could ask her any questions, Marie was off back to Joseph's house.
On returning, Hank greeted her with a sing-song hello which made her laugh. She mentioned that she hadn't seen much of Joseph at school, but he reassured her he wouldn't be avoiding her. But when Marie thought about it, Joseph had been put in a lot of the top classes, where as she was in the average ones.
After changing into more appropriate clothes for the house, Marie went into the kitchen and set out to make dinner when she realised there was no vegetables or hardly anything to cook a basic meal with.
'Ah think ah'll go t' the shops t' get some food f'r us,' smiled Marie. Hank had insisted she take his money since he wasn't ever expecting her to pay to buy food for all of them.
After a quick stop at the supermarket, Marie hastily went home before it got dark.
Walking down the pathway that would lead to the house, Marie spotted a figure ahead of her. Curious, she continued on. It soon became clear that the figure was Remy Xavier, his back turned to her as it was most times she had seen him.
'H-Hello,' Marie uttered, holding her plastic bags with food packed in tighter. She didn't know why she was nervous.
Remy slowly turned to face her, glaring at her as usual with those stunning demon-like eyes. She couldn't help but observe him: he was a little taller than her; he had dishevelled brown hair, a strong figure though not buldging with muscles, and was extremely handsome like most of the Xavier's she had met so far. She gulped.
'E-Erm, i-is there somethin' ya wanted?' she asked.
There was no reply.
'Did ya need somethin'?' she asked again.
He continued to glare at her.
'Ya know, it's rude not t' answer someone,' commented Marie, not exactly knowing why she was getting irritated. When he still did not answer, she walked passed him, trying to ignore his penetrating eyes.
'I don' know why dey letcha int' dat house, fillie, but you'll definitely regret it,' he called to her. Despite what he said, his voice sent a warm shiver through her. His accent was perfect.
She craned her neck. 'Ah like it here,' was all she could think to say.
He sneered at her which surprised her.
'Are ya here t' see Joseph?'
'Dat damn rat won' beat me dis time,' Remy growled, talking more to him self than to her.
'Why do ya wanna fight 'im so much?'
''Coz he's de rat, an' I'm de cat! He's de bastard dat ruined mon life!'
Marie was a little startled. She had never met anyone so aggressive before, or someone who would talk about Joseph in such a way. She would have to agree with the other girls at school; Joseph was simply like a prince: kind, generous, and handsome. She couldn't possibly find a logical reason why Remy hated him so –
''Coz he's de rat, an' I'm de cat!'
'When the Cat found out what the Rat had done, he was furious. The two became worst enemies. An' that was the reason why cats are not one of the twelve animals'
Marie bit her lip in thought. Maybe the legend affects the relationship on the people who are cursed by the zodiac. Maybe that's why Remy hates Joseph so much. He blames him f'r not bein' part of the zodiac.
'Basically,' began Joseph, 'there are twelve of us in the Xavier family who transform into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac …'
Joseph said there were twelve. But he forgot t' mention the cat. Marie could picture the cat she imagined when she was little, sitting alone in a dark corner whilst the rest of the Zodiac animals had a magnificent banquet with God, and then the cat that she had held in her hands the other day. Even now … even now the cats left out!
Marie stared at Remy as he waited for something – or rather someone. An overwhelming sensation of sympathy washed over her. He's still left out! Her eyes began to water. The cat Mom tol' me about so long ago is still all alone …
'H-Hey! W-Why de hell are you cryin'?!' Remy shouted. He had had a quick glimpse in her direction to see if she had gone, but instead he saw tears falling down her cheeks, her face scrunched up.
'I-I-It's jus' really sad. A-Ah grew up with the zodiac story. An' always … an' always the cat was mah favourite!' Marie stepped closer to the puzzled Remy. 'He was always the one ah felt a connection with the most! Ah even wanted t' join a Zodiac Cat Club, 'f they had one! Ah'd even b' th' year o' the cat 'f ah could, too! Ah really love you!'
Remy blinked, completely stunned by her unexpected words. She was looking up at him with her gleaming emerald eyes, her lips pursed, looking so innocent as she expressed her bizarre feelings for the cat.
No one has ever been interested in de cat, Remy thought. Who is dis fille?
Remy forced himself to look away from her gaze, his cheeks a little red. He suddenly felt annoyed, enraged by what she had said. Who would be a fan of the cat? No one cared about the cat. She was just insulting him on purpose. Yes, that's right! A little inside joke she and the rat had. She was mocking him with her fake innocence. She was the worst kind of person. He abruptly despised her!
'Why don' you come inside,' said Marie kindly, wiping away her tears. 'Ah can make some dinner 'f ya like. Ya must b' hungry jus' standin' here ––'
'Get lost,' he muttered.
'H-Huh?'
'I said get lost.'
'B-But ah thought … erm … that is …'
Remy turned to face her, his expression livid, his eyes seeming as though they were on fire. Marie felt quite frightened.
'Stay de hell away from me, damn it!' he bellowed.
The moment he had said it he felt a strange wrench in his stomach. Joy? Relief? Guilt? Happi-. No. Guilt. Definitely guilt. What else could it be as he watched her sweet face become taken aback then deeply saddened?
'Erm …' he said. 'I er …'
Marie narrowed her eyes slightly at him, swivelled round and stomped back towards the house. He didn't really know what to do. Scratching his head, Remy grunted and folded his arms, waiting for his enemy to return home.
Dat stupid fille don' matter. It's not like I care. I don' even know who she is.
'An' always the cat was mah favourite!'
He glanced back at the house where he could see Marie's figure becoming smaller and smaller.
'Ah'd even be th' year o' the cat if ah could too!'
His angry expression faltered for a moment.
'Ah really love you!'
He shook his head and retained it. Like I care.
~~~~~ Home Sweet Home ~~~~
Still becoming accustomed to the kitchen, it took Marie a little longer to cook dinner, which turned out to be a good thing because Joseph still had not retuned from school.
Ah wonder what he does there … Ah heard he helps students who've fallen behind. She smiled. That's jus' like him.
She had almost forgotten about her encounter with Remy – the cooking having distracted her. Marie was still annoyed and saddened on how he had spoken to her, but she felt that somehow it was her own fault.
Placing Hank's lasagne on the table – him licking his lips furiously – Marie took her own seat, and stared at the empty chair where Joseph would sit. She hoped his dinner would not get cold.
'So erm, does Remy come here a lot?' asked Marie.
'Oh. Well you see Remy pulled a bit of a vanishing act on us. He just up and disappeared for four months. And you know where he disappeared to? He was up on a mountaintop training,' explained Hank. 'Maybe you guess the reason he was training for…'
So Remy spent all that time training so that he could beat Joseph, an' Joseph really doesn' seem t' like Remy either. This is jus' like the ol' story. After the rat tricked the cat the cat must have been angry f'r a long, long time. Maybe that's why Joseph and Remy don' get along.
'Oh yes, I hear there's a man who is stalking young ladies in Bayville,' mentioned Hank. 'I'd be extra careful from now on, Marie, okay?'
Marie nodded. 'Don' worry, ah can look after mahself.' She lifted her arm high in the air proudly as if to demonstrate her strength.
Hank chuckled. 'I don't doubt it, dear.'
'Stupid cat,' they heard someone mutter.
'Welcome home, Joseph,' greeted Marie as he came into the living room.
Joseph stopped in his tracks. Indeed Hank had said that before to him, but when she said it, for some reason it did feel a lot more like he was home.
'Did you come through the back door?' asked Hank.
Joseph looked to Hank. 'Yeah. I saw that idiot waiting for me at the front, so I just walked round. Honestly, he really is a stupid cat.' He seated himself at the table and began to eat the lasagne. 'If I'd fought him though I wouln't have been able to taste Miss Darkholme's delicious dinner. I definitely couldn't miss out on that.'
They smiled at each other.
As soon as Joseph looked away to eat, Marie frowned unhappily. Even though he said those mean things t' me, ah can' help but feel sorry f'r Remy. He's out there right now, in the cold, in the dark. All alone. Just like the cat was in the zodiac, waiting for the rat to wake him up. Marie took a mouthful of her food. Maybe ah should go an' give him some dinner! Bring 'im out a nice cup of hot chocolate!
'Stay de hell away from me…!'
Her head dropped. Then again …
~~~~~ The Next Night ~~~~~
After seeing Betsy and Tessa for a while – pretending she still had not been removed from her apartment - Marie walked back to Hank's, quite tired.
It's been such a long day, she thought. An' it's tiring t' have t' lie to mah friends all the time. Ah'll have t' tell them sometime that ah'm staying with Hank and Joseph f'r a while.
There was a sudden noise behind her. Marie stopped. She looked around her. Footsteps. She could hear steady footsteps. But where? When she listened more closely, she realised it was from behind her. Fear dominated her.
It's the stalker Hank was tellin' me about! W-What should ah do?! Ah got no weapons ah can use!
The person was closer, his footsteps louder, and louder, and louder, until she could feel the presence behind her.
Without thinking, Marie swung round with her fist clenched, and smacked the stalker squarely on the cheek. When she opened her eyes, however, not only was it not a stalker but none other than …
'R-R-R-Remy!' Marie stuttered. 'Ah'm so so so sorry! Ah didn't know who it was!'
'It's … It's alright,' he whispered, holding back his anger. Her punch didn't appear to have hurt him at all, which she was grateful for, but also disappointed – if it had been a real stalker, she would be in a lot of trouble.
'A-Are you sure?'
'Yes!' he shouted, causing Marie to jump back. 'Look … About … About yesterday … I'm … I'm … well … what 'm tryin' t' say is … erm …' With his head hung low, Marie couldn't see the expression on his face. ''M sorry, okay? 'M sorry.'
Marie blinked, surprised.
'Sometimes my anger gets de better o' me,' he explained. 'An' I take it out on de wrong people.'
'Ah forgive you!' Marie said instantly.
Remy rolled his eyes. 'An' … you can hit me as much as you like 'f I offend you …' he said.
'Oh no! A-Ah didn' mean t' hit you!' she said, laughing, casually adding chirpily, 'ah jus' thought you were a pervert is all.'
Remy's face went blank. 'A ... pervert?' he repeated.
'Yuh-huh! But now ah know your not.'
'Whatever,' he mumbled, avoiding eye contact.
The cold wind whisked Marie's hair around, both she and Remy shivering a little.
Marie hesitated for a moment. 'Erm … Do ya … maybe wan' t' come back t' the house. Ah'm sure Hank'd like t' see ya,' she said.
'I'll pass,' he said. 'I gotta go.'
'But where will you stay?' she asked.
'I found a place near by,' he replied.
'A place near by … that sounds familiar,' she mused. 'By any chance, is it near a waterfall on this estate?'
Remy flinched. And then said, 'O' course it isn't!'
'Oh okay,' she said quickly, not wanting to make him angry again.
He clenched his fists, struggling to maintain his quick temper. 'Oh forget it!'
And with that, he stormed off into the woods.
~~~~~ Later on ~~~~
Marie lay in bed, thinking about the cat from the zodiac. The more she thought about, the more she could understand Remy's personality, and where all his hatred came from.
She turned to her side, hugging her cover. She had an inkling that he was staying where her tent would still be. Hank had mentioned he had been training in the mountains for four months, his parent's had never allowed him to live in the house since he was six, and that he was not allowed to live at the main House of Xavier. He had no where to go.
Jus' like ah didn'.
Without thinking, Marie climbed from her bed, grabbed her dressing gown, a cover and a torch, slipped some shoes on and left the house with a plastic bag with a few treats inside.
Making her way through the cold woods, she managed to avoid from falling, keeping her torch light on the ground to see if there was any obstacles. She finally made it to where her tent was, a little battered, but still in good condition. She quietly unzipped it, and peered inside with her torchlight.
Remy was there, lying on his stomach, snoring loudly.
He's asleep, thought Marie, smiling. He must've been tired. She put the extra blanket she had brought with her carefully over him, and left him the small plastic bag with some cookies she had brought from the shops yesterday beside him.
Slowly and quietly, she zipped the tent back up again, and made her way back to the house.
~~~~~~~~ The Next Morning ~~~~~~
When Marie woke up and got dressed for school, she did not expect to see Remy in the kitchen with Hank, glaring at him with his red eyes.
' … and it won't even take long,' she heard Hank say. 'It's what Charles ordered.'
Remy ground his teeth.
'E-Erm, ah'm sorry t' interrupt,' said Marie.
Remy stared at her for a moment, as did Marie, neither sure what to say to one another. But, as always, he glared at her and looked the other way.
'Its okay, Marie,' said Hank, taking a sip of orange juice. 'It was nothing important.'
Marie heard Remy growl; looking at him, he was trembling; his arms folded and eyes shut tight. It was as though he were trying to restrain his fustration over something.
Before she could ask what was wrong, Remy dashed out of the kitchen door, and out of the house.
'Remy!' called Marie.
'He'll be back,' said Hank. 'It's not like he has anywhere else to go. But never mind him; can you come in here for a second?'
'Oh sure,' said Marie, following him into his study room, Joseph already there.
'I had a little talk with Charles today,' Hank begun. 'He's decided that as long as you can keep our secret, you can stay here.'
'So then there's no punishment?' Marie asked.
'Punishment?' repeated Joseph, a little amused. 'Why would we punish you?'
'You can keep the secret?' asked Hank.
'Yes!' exclaimed Marie.
'Then everything will be fine,' he smiled.
Marie beamed. That's great news! A won' have t' lose mah memory. Plus ah get to live with the Xavier's!
'So now the room you've been staying in is officially yours,' Hank pointed out. 'You can decorate it how you like.'
'This is great!' Marie shouted, excited. 'Ah'll go put all mah clothes in the wardrobes right away!'
As soon as she exited the room, Joseph turned to Hank, somewhat irritated.
'Hank, it all seems too easy, doesn't it? I can't help but think Charles has something else in store for us … for her.'
'I don't know,' said Hank, sitting in his chair and opening a page of a book. 'But don't worry so much. Everything's going well; enjoy it. For now, let's just trust Charles to do what's best.'
But Joseph did not seem convinced.
'Anyway, I better go and find Remy,' Hank sighed. 'We have something to do. We'll be back at dinner.'
Joseph didn't like the we.
~~~~~~~ That Night ~~~~~~~
'Mmm, it's delicious,' commented Joseph as he took a sip of the soup Marie had made for dinner.
'Ya don' think it's too bland?' Marie asked.
Joseph swallowed. 'Umm! The best lunch I've ever had.'
They both laughed.
'That reminds me,' said Joseph. 'I wonder where Hank and that stupid cat ran off to.'
'Ah don' know; you said they'd be back by dinner time, but ah guess not …'
'Well shame on them; it's rude to let a meal this good get cold.'
Marie smiled. It's so strange. Ah guess ah still haven't gotten used to the idea o' livin' here. But here ah am having lunch with Joseph.
'Stop, Remy, just listen to me!'
They heard the front door open, and in stomped Remy being perused by a cheerful-looking Hank.
'I don' want t' hear it; you t'ink its fun jerkin' me 'round like dat?!' Remy yelled.
'It was for your own good. And don't forget, it was Charles's decision,' mentioned Hank.
'Shut up! I don' give a damn about Charles!'
'Oh, umm are ya hungry, ah made some soup?' said Marie in a quiet voice, not sure what was going on.
'Shut up!' Remy shouted at her as he went back out of the dining room.
'Remy, don't take this out on Marie, and take your shoes off next time!' Hank yelled.
'And you're setting a fine example,' muttered Joseph, pointing out Hank still wearing his shoes.
'Ah! Dinner is ready,' said Hank as he seated himself. 'Yum yum! I've been waiting for your dinner all day, Marie!'
'Oh but what about Remy?' Marie asked him.
'Oh, him. He just needs to let off some steam. He's angry that I made him enrol.'
'Enrol?'
'Funny you should ask,' laughed Hank. 'As of today, Remy is officially the newest student at Bayville High. Oh and he's also going to be living with us from now on too.'
Hank was suddenly shadowed by the presence of Joseph hanging over him.
'Don't you take a single bite; get out!' Joseph snarled.
Hank laughed nervously. 'Well, I had a feeling you'd be upset …'
As Marie absent-mindedly watched Joseph bicker with a grinning Hank, she couldn't help but smile.
It looks like things will be okay. Even after everything that happened, the Xavier's have still invited me t' stay in their house. So ah guess this will be mah home f'r a while! An' Remy's too!
'End 3/22 ~
Maybe some people want the usual Remy? The flirty Remy? The Cajun Spice Remy? Well, he's still that Remy inside (ha), but there are reasons why he's not like that much now, and why he is so angry, and it's not just because of the rat situation! I made it so Remy felt uncomfortable with Marie, because no one had ever treated him so nicely, or like he was worth something. It's a shock to him, and he doesn't know how to deal with it, you know?
I didn't include Charles's talk with Hank, not because I didn't want to, but for the element of surprise. At least I think that's why I did it.
No transformations in this one! I don't think I'll do a lot, because the story will be emotional more than comedy. I know you haven't seen much of that yet, but you will soon when it really gets into it.
Rogue is different in this; she's a lot more polite, kind and panicky. But I really want her to catch everyone's hearts, you know? You might find as we go along, Marie, although still lovely, will become feistier like the comic book Rogue. Maybe I should have put this in one of those sections, but since it's high school and such, I put it into the X Men Evolution one.
PLEASE REVIEW so that I know I should continue posting or not!!! =D
Next Chapter!!! Marie: With Remy livin' with me, Joseph and Hank now, tension is bound to fill up the uncomfortable silences! But luckily, with the school festival, we'll all able to have so much fun that Remy might even forget his conflict with Joseph! But … somethin' tells me my hope is in vain.
Betsy: What's with all the girls all over the Cajun all of a sudden?
Remy: Get away from me!
Marie: Poor Remy. It mus' b' so hard for the members of the zodiac, especially if they go t' school surrounded by girls.
Remy: Where'd that rat go?
Marie: Oh no! Somehow, Joseph's transformed into a rat! At school!
Joseph: Help me…
Marie: Join me, Marie, in the next chapter to find out what happens next!