- A Beautiful Tomorrow - An Ambient Generation
. . . Landing . . .
I figured you guys might like to read one chapter before the Holidays. Yes I'm being nice and it's during my finals. XD After the Holidays I'll begin the next. Wow… my rough estimate is about 6, 7 more chapters? Maybe more. Haha yes I know this story is looooong, but I have it all planned out. Have fun!
This also takes place a few weeks from the incident. I'm sorry I just couldn't come up with anything in the mean time!
Miss Iasant smiled when she spotted the restless brunet young man sitting at the back. She couldn't understand why her students always thought they were in trouble when she told them she wanted to see them after class. She wasn't that bad of a teacher was she…?
Miss Iasant brushed it off and gave the class their homework assignments just before the bell rang. She waited patiently for the rest of her AP class to file out so she would be able to talk to Mr. Hyuga and Ms. Elliot privately.
Yuri slowly dragged himself before her, silently followed by the light-haired female.
"You wanted to talk to me--us?" He glanced briefly at the girl beside him, polite curiosity on Alice's face.
Even his voice sounded a bit timid, Miss Iasant noticed. Reproachful. She beamed at him. "Yes Mr. Hyuga, I wanted to tell you that I am very pleased on how well you scored on my test!"
His eyes stared at her wordlessly, so she continued. "You too, Ms. Elliot! In fact, I am very pleased with the two of you that I've decided Mr. Hyuga no longer needs a tutor! And don't worry!"
She laughed, "I've removed the thought of taking you off Martial Arts. You are excellent at it Yuri, congratulations and keep it up!" she turned to her best student, "And I'm all set in giving you extra credit, Ms. Elliot. Because of you, Mr. Hyuga has succeeded."
An odd, strangled noise came from Alice but the teacher didn't notice. "But, if you are still interested in tutoring another student, I have the perfect one in mind! He's in Martial Arts also!"
The woman actually threw the girl a wink. "He needs help also. I've seen an utmost downward slope in his studies, I was wondering if you could help him--if you had time to, of course."
Miss Iasant said quickly. "His name is Nicholai Conrad."
The girl standing before her turned a bright shade of red, leaving the teacher confused before Yuri answered for her.
"Actually Miss Iasant I thought maybe Elliot could still tutor me for a while until I'm confident that I can manage myself," he widened his eyes innocently. "Would that be okay?"
Miss Iasant clapped her hands, shifting her gaze away from Alice. "That would be just fine!" she cried reassuringly. "That's excellent. Well, that's all really, you both may leave." She flashed them a big smile.
The teacher watched them leave with a pleased expression on her face. Once the door was closed, she shook her head with a wry smile and sat back, trying to re-sort her papers.
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Alice pushed the school doors open and was greeted by a cold wind. She buttoned up her light blue pea coat and walked down the step before milling around the students. The bus pulled up the curb, waiting for students to climb on but she went past it at the moment.
Today she was going to walk to avoid everybody else on the metro.As sad as it may have seemed, Karin usually rode the metro.
Her black shoes stepped over dead leaves and sticks as she headed down the sidewalk. Her hair whipped her face due to the wind, causing her to tuck any loose strands behind her ears. She was considering whether to button up her coat all the way or not when someone stepped right up next to her and began walking with her.
"You're walking home?" Yuri inquired, keeping up with her pace and also keeping his voice light.
Alice took sight of him, a slight surprised look on her face. She quickly looked back straight at the ground. "Yeah…" her voice mumbled.
"Mind if I walk with you?"
"Don't you have a car?" Alice's eyes stayed glued to the concrete she was walking on.
"Yeah, but my dad's borrowing it cuz his is in the repair shop." Yuri explained, staring hard at her bent down head. "Something wrong?"
"No." Alice responded quickly. "Nothing. Anyway it's going to be a long walk." She lifted her head.
"Yeah, maybe. I live a little close to your house."
Alice finally looked at him, raising her eyebrows. "Really?"
He smirked, mistaking her voice for doubtfulness. "Yes really. You know that store down the street? Ye-ah, it's the neighborhood after it."
"That's pretty far." She remarked.
"I'll live." It was Yuri's turn to avert his gaze. "You okay now after Friday?"
"Mmhm."
"What'd your mom say?"
"She's not here." She said shortly. "She won't care anyway." Alice bit her lower lip, recalling that her mother was arriving tonight.
She won't find out. Its not like she'll lift up your shirt for no reason, she told herself. Remembering her busted lip, she ran her tongue over the swollen area. Just tell her you bit yourself.
"You should tell her." Yuri said bluntly. "She'd want to know."
Alice pretended as if she didn't hear him. Suddenly he grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop walking. She gave a soft cry of alarm.
"You wanna get some ice cream?"
Alice gaped at him. "What?"
"Ice cream," he repeated, brushing away a brown lock from his eye. "You wanna get some?"
Her response was continuing to stare at him in disbelief, so he took her by her shoulders and gently turned her around.
Alice blinked. Braums. "Ohh," she suddenly found herself fighting back an urge to smile. "Oh sure, I'd love to."
They entered the small Ice cream parlor and Yuri held the door open for her of course.
Alice followed Yuri in line behind a visibly small Asian lady who was sporting an obviously expensive towering feathery hat. She had bright red lipstick painted on her lips and red finger nail polish to match. Her perfume was so strong it was stifling. Alice knew she looked familiar…
Yuri looked towards Alice.
"What do you want?" he asked, reaching into his rear pocket for his wallet. "Money's on me."
"It's okay," Alice insisted. "I have money."
She herself felt around in her pocket for the five dollars she always carried around for just in case. "I'll pay when--" Her fingers searched hopelessly for the bill. "I'll pay you back." She finished, flushing.
Yuri waved it away. "Tell me what you want then go save us a table." He said while busily looking at himself in the metal counters.
Alice made a curious face at him. She couldn't resist, "What are you doing Yuri?" She started to giggled like crazy at his weird actions.
Yuri glanced at her, a bit startled before answering almost lazily. "Hey, if you had looks like me you'd look at yourself all the time too."
He then did his famous smirk and pushed her gently out of line. "Go get us a table, okay? I'll get you something good."
Alice didn't bother to argue and went to save them one. She slid herself into a booth and patiently waited, believing that she wasn't watching the half Japanese guy but glancing at him every now and then anyway.
His turn came up and when the Asian lady finally got out of line, she found the lady still oddly familiar but maybe it was because she wasn't paying much attention that she couldn't recognize her, Alice was able to see the cashier. A pretty Hispanic college-looking girl.
The female immediately gave Yuri a smile and said in a sugary voice that reached Alice; "What can I do for you, hun?"
Alice averted her attention and busied herself with the salt and pepper. She was toying with the napkins, creating childish origami animals when Yuri arrived and slid his lean body into the seat across from her. He pushed a large Chocolate Sundae across the table.
"Why is it so big?" Alice asked, "I just wanted a small cone." She looked up at him as he tossed her a spoon. "How much did this cost?"
He shrugged. "I don't know." Yuri answered nonchalantly. Alice then realized that there was only one ice cream sundae.
"I can share with you though, right?" Yuri said smiling, as if reading her slightly frantic thoughts.
She gave him a tentative grin, "Sure." I hope no one sees us, she thought grimly.
Yuri was spooning himself ice cream and surveying the store they were in while Alice took careful bites.
He looked at her with a slight sad look. "You're not hungry?" his voice sounded a little dismayed so she quickly reassured him that the ice cream was delicious.
So cute, Alice found herself staring at him wistfully as she spooned herself another bite of ice cream a bit clumsily.
A small drop of ice cream trickled down her lower lip and before she could take a napkin to wipe it off, Yuri suddenly leaned forward and with his thumb, he wiped her chin clean.
Their gaze met and Yuri gave her a small smirk before sitting back.
Alice wanted to pass away.
She didn't know whether from embarrassment or because she enjoyed it.
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That evening, Alice pulled open the front door and her mother stepped in.
"Oh Alice!" Mrs. Elliot squealed, "I haven't seen you for so long! A week in fact! Business is booming, which of course means that I'll have to continue my business trips every now and then--but commerce is simply marvelous!"
Alice nodded. "Okay mom."
Mrs. Elliot's smile faded a little but she quickly collected herself. "Well how about you? What have you been-oh my, who is this?"
Alice followed her mother's gaze. "Oh this is Yoshiko, mom. She flew here from Japan."
"Good lord!" Mrs. Elliot exclaimed. "From Japan? To come here? How on earth--why? Why—what's going on?"
"FSE, mom." Alice said, in the same monotonous voice. "Foreign Student Exchange. At school."
"But nobody has ever mentioned it to me!" Mrs. Elliot said indignantly. "I didn't know--"
"You were never home." Alice cut her mother off, now a hint of coolness in her voice.
Mrs. Elliot blushed a bit, but turned away from her daughter and to the Asian girl.
"Why hello Yoshiko, I am absolutely delighted that you came! I am entirely sorry for not being here on your arrival, dear."
"No, that's okay." Yoshiko shrugged, sticking her hands in her short belted miniskirt pockets. "Alice has been er, a very good host."
Mrs.Elliot smiled and nodded. "Of course! My little Alice is good at everything!" she quickly looked at her daughter to see if she got a reaction. Nothing.
Alice's face was blank and her lips pursed. Mrs. Elliot sighed. "Well um, why not… we all go eat out tonight?" she beamed brightly, trying to get the two teenage girls to crack. Nothing. Again.
Yoshiko smacked on her gum but didn't say anything. Alice folded her arms. "Sure. Where?"
"Uh, well… I'm sure Yoshiko has had enough oriental food, so… why don't we go to Steak House or something?" Mrs. Elliot suggested. "Have you ever been there, Yoshiko?"
Yoshiko shrugged, hands still in pocket while she chomped on the piece of gum.
Alice noticed how her mother did a quick over take on Yoshiko's appearance and shake her head. Alice's guest was dressed at her usual standards. Nothing that bad, in her opinion, after seeing what else the Asian girl could put on.
Sure Yoshiko's skirt was really short and covered only 1/3 of her thighs but wasn't that why they called it a miniskirt?
Yoshiko's shirt was tight and small and showed her bare navel, which had the ring in it. Mrs. Elliot shuddered and turned away. "Well, why don't you two lovely girls go and--and change so we can go have dinner!"
"Sure." Alice said once again, before heading up the stairs, gingerly holding her ribs. They were still aching, but only slightly. It stabbed whenever she climbed up the stairs, followed closely by Yoshiko.
"You and your mother aren't close?" the girl inquired, trailing close behind.
"None of your business." Alice snapped. She knew she was being rude and unreasonable, but her mothers' suggestion that they ate out made her angry.
Why can't she cook dinner like a decent mother? She wondered angrily.
Do we always have to eat out? She banged around her room to change.
Yoshiko stood in her spot by the door. "My mother never used to be home either." She said, offering a chance for the two of them to relate. Alice laughed bitterly at herself. Sure. Relate.
"That's nice." She hissed. "Now get lost. My mom said for you to change."
Yoshiko didn't move. "I already did." She replied. "I'm comfortable in this."
"You're comfortable with looking like a slut?" Alice spat. She immediately regretted saying so when an odd expression overcame Yoshiko's face.
"I'll talk to you when you're more comfortable." Yoshiko said coolly and left the room.
Alice bit her lower lip, contemplating whether to run after her and apologize. She felt terrible. Just because she was in a bad mood didn't mean she had to take it out on Yoshiko. Alice took a deep breath and grabbed a plaid skirt resting on her dresser.
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"Oh my goodness." Mrs. Elliot breathed.
Alice sighed. It was like the fifth time her mother said that. The first two times were because she read something on the menu which she ate while she was on her business trip. The other two were because she spotted two of her old friends from who-knows-where. And now… now, she was doing it again.
"What?" Yoshiko asked politely.
Mrs. Elliot clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my goodness! Alice, look! Oh look! Don't you recognize him?"
Alice didn't bother looking up. "No, sorry." She pretended to be deeply engrossed in the menu. "I think I'm going to have the barbequed steak with--"
"Nicholai! Isn't that him?"
"What?" Alice dropped the menu and swung her head around. She couldn't see him anywhere and looked back at her mother.
"Are you sure, mom?" she asked doubtfully, wondering if her mother or Yoshiko could hear her hammering heart.
"I'm sure of it!" Mrs. Elliot leaned over the side to get a better look.
Alice however, frowned. "How do you know how he looks like?" she asked. "You've never seen him before."
Mrs. Elliot waved it away. "He came over once." Her eyes were still searching and didn't see her daughter's jaw drop.
"When?" Alice demanded suddenly, "Mom--hello? MOM!"
Her mother finally looked at her. "Yes? What?"
"When did he come?"
Mrs. Elliot returned back to the menu. "A couple of days before I left for my business trip… two weeks ago maybe." A smile lit her remarkable features. "He was such a gentleman. Very nice and polite indeed."
Alice noticed Yoshiko was watching her, but didn't say anything and didn't pay attention either.
She snorted derisively. "Gentleman." She repeated. "Right."
Mrs. Elliot now frowned. "You shouldn't be so rude, Alice. This isn't like you." She scolded. "And why on earth would you lie that he was moving away?" She tsk tsked, "I asked him if he was, you know… he's quite nice looking."
Yoshiko coughed.
"What?" Alice raised an eyebrow. "You've never seen him."
She shrugged, a smile playing on her lips. "What was he wearing, Mrs. Elliot?"
Mrs. Elliot thought. "Hm, I think a--"
"White shirt and Khakis?" Yoshiko guessed. Mrs. Elliot smiled. "Yes. That's right."
Alice narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her friend. "How do you know that?" she asked.
Yoshiko shrugged. "Because he's walking towards us right now." She wrinkled her nose turning her attention to Alice's mother. "You think he's nice looking, Mrs. Elliot?"
Alice's body froze and it seemed as if her heart had stopped hammering also. Afraid to turn around, she wondered desperately what she should do. Making a run for the bathroom sounded good, but then again, it wasn't as if he was going to do anything while in the presence of her mother.
She was about to relax when she heard his voice. "Hi Alice!"
"Why Nicholai!" Mrs. Elliot gushed, "How wonderful to see you! I was just telling these girls how I thought it was you!"
Both Yoshiko and Mrs. Elliot were looking up at the someone standing beside Alice, but the pale girl didn't bother to crane her neck.
"You remember my daughter of course, don't you?" Alice wished her mother would shut up. How could he forget? She thought bitterly.
"Yeah, sure I do. We were dates weren't we?"
"Well why don't you come sit with us?" Mrs. Elliot suggested, earnestly.
"No." Alice said without thinking. Her mother looked stunned.
"Why Alice, what a rude thing to say! You should apologize to Nicholai for being so--"
"That's okay, Mrs. Elliot." Nicholai said easily. "I'm used to her… hm. Her outbursts…"
Alice grinded her teeth as her mother laughed, "Outbursts? Oh dear, I've never experienced any one of hers. Come! Why don't you join us?"
"Mom--" she cut in desperately.
"Sure, I'd love to."
For a fleeting second Alice was happy that she was sitting beside Yoshiko, which meant that Nicholai had to sit next to her mother. But after he sat down, she suddenly wasn't so sure now that they were facing each other.
Nicholai had his dark blonde hair slicked back and Alice actually dared to throw him a disgusted look which he returned, allowing his eyes to survey below her face also and making sure she saw.
She turned her face away and stiffly crossed her arms in front of her upon the table as her mother chattered away.
Nicholai was nodding and smiling at everything she said, but his eyes remained glued to Alice.
"Please hurry and finish," Alice whispered urgently to Yoshiko who raised an eyebrow. "I want to leave." She gave the Asian girl a pleading look. "Please. We have to go."
Yoshiko sipped her coke. "But we didn't even order yet."
Alice bit her lower lip, glancing quickly at Nicholai to find him still staring and watching, but also talking to her mother.
"Act sick. Please Yoshiko, I'll do anything. Anything. I'll give you anything." Her blue eyes stared into the girl's dark brown ones despairingly.
"Tell me why." Yoshiko said, enjoying Alice's discomfort a bit. "Give me a reason and I'll do it."
"He's a rapist." Even though Alice never wanted to say it, and Nicholai never really had raped anyone, but she knew it was the only way Yoshiko would give in. And she was right.
The darker skinned girl froze for a second and then studied Alice's desperate expression and voila, her face screwed up and she clutched her stomach.
Alice silently thanked her.
"Ohhhhhh." Yoshiko moaned. "Mrs. Elliot?"
"What is it?" Mrs. Elliot asked, alarmed. "What's wrong dear?"
"I know I'm being impolite but…" Yoshiko uttered another pitiful moan. "Can--can I stay in the car?"
What! Alice stared hard in anguish at her friend. Yoshiko didn't look at her.
"Why? What's wrong?" The older woman cried worriedly. "Are you alright?"
"My stomach is cramping, and I have really bad cramps, but I don't want to bother you guys and trouble you to take us all home early so maybe I can just stay in the car--"
Alice suddenly saw what Yoshiko was doing. She was making her mother feel guilty, it was obviously the only way to get her mother to leap from her chair and rush them home. Alice smiled idly despite herself.
Yoshiko was one smart person.
"No! Of course not! No trouble at all! We'll just eat Chinese take outs instead, alright dear?" Mrs. Elliot stood up in her seat, her gaze turning upon her daughter.
"Oh, Alice," her eyes laid upon at Nicholai then back. "You can stay here and eat with him if you want." She offered.
"No!" Alice herself leaped to her feet and tugged at Yoshiko's arm. "I--I mean, Yoshiko needs me. She doesn't know you much, mother. She won't feel comfortable. It's alright, I'll come home. Come on Yoshiko."
She pulled her friend to her feet and started pretended to help her as Mrs. Elliot apologized to Nicholai.
When Alice finally steadied a swooning Yoshiko, she turned to Nicholai and smiled, her smile faded quickly however when she spotted the cold look he was wearing while watching Yoshiko.
A sudden fear stabbed Alice. What if he did something to Yoshiko? She thought, turning away from the boy and steering the smaller girl out the restaurant. He won't, I know he won't. But how much she knew about him, wasn't very comforting.
Finally Nicholai enters the story once again! Mwhahaha. I'm REALLY sorry but I can't give you guys comments this time. I'm really busy, I shouldn't have even written this chapter, but I felt bad for everyone waiting so long for each of my chapters.
I loved every one of my reviews I have gotten so far, they really make me smile. :D