Runner says I don't own him. I beg to disagree. He is one of the few things I do own. Psych is not one of them.
Sorry for the slow, short update. I've been a bit preoccupied and ill recently. Also, look for the Mulan moment in this.
Shawn stared at his face in the cracked edge of the motel mirror, watching the thin rivulets of water, like tears, roll around the thick ridged scars that covered his face. His clean shaven, tattoo- less face. One hand went up to brush gently across his jaw, coming up with a thin sheen of cover-up.
He hated hiding. Hated every goddamn moment spent in crappy motel rooms, sleeping in chairs with his back to the wall and getting eaten alive by the bed bugs anyways. He hated the memories. He could almost imagine being there again, in the first few months, trapped in a cell with everything he used to love a distant memory. He could feel the burning shame and the track marks up his arm from injections, not all doctor prescribed. He had hated himself, blaming himself for everything. He'd lost everything.
Now, with the prison being examined the way it was, he wouldn't have Jackal by his side for a few days at least.
Turning away from his fractured reflection, Runner snarled and punched the wall. That prison had changed him. They said that if you didn't go in a criminal, you'd sure as hell come out one. He'd tried to protect them. He did. All of the young clean shaven boys with the wide, frightened eyes and frail shoulders. All of the aged faces lined with remorse from years of suffering through the guilty nightmares that haunted them.
And then the innocent ones. All of the innocent ones. He had tried to protect them all but still the faces flashed before him, the faces of the ones he couldn't save.
It wasn't just inside, though. These… trips… had started as a way to reduce their sentence. The CIA, FBI, the whole fucking alphabet wanted someone like him. A genius with eyes that missed nothing. Not that there weren't others like him, but there were so few in their control.
At first, he had no choice. He was a good tool, a good… weapon. It was because of that that they pretended not to notice when he began to branch out. When things spread beyond the prison walls, they turned a blind eye. Their weapon now worked both ways, too powerful for them to stop. But he was good. In more ways than one.
The Kid had been right. Runner was good. Even if he tried to hide it behind the pain and darkness that haunted the sad hazel eyes. He was damn good.
Runner brushed a towel lightly over his damp face, then, with gentle but firm fingers, molded the soap slices over his cheekbones. The paste he had created on one side let them stick. He powdered over them gently, changing the shape of his face with everyday bathroom items. Next, he grabbed the tweezers and ghosted over his eyebrows, molding them slightly differently with a hair here or there. With unfailingly steadfast hands, he ran wet hands through his hair, slicking it back.
While this process took the course of two minutes or so, Runner's posture gradually changed. He favored one leg, but held his chest out and his body erect, giving the illusion of a greater height. Plugging the base of the sink, he filled the sink basin with hydrogen peroxide and dunked his hair in it. The cold mixture tingled running down his scalp. He left it in, giving it time to do its work and lighten the tone. He was almost ready. Tomorrow the Brothers in Orange had a new assignment.
Two hours later, he emerged from his room. The whole space had been wiped clean.
Not that that was necessary…
He had talked to the warted man years ago and gotten his hands on a coveted pineapple. It wasn't for eating though. Using the citric acid in the pineapple and a needle, Runner had burnt away his finger prints, the final signs of who he used to be.
If he could get rid of DNA, he would. Then he'd have no more connection to his alcoholic father who ignored him and his mother who'd abandoned him one to many times. There would be no record of him or all that he had been.
Indeed, as the tall, blond business man in the Armani suit and Ray Bands swaggered with the slightest limp away from the motel, presumably to find more suitable lodgings, he looked nothing like Runner, let alone the infamous Shawn Spencer.
High cheekbones and quizzical brows gave the appearance of arrogance, while the outfit spoke of money. His bearing spoke of power and his gait spoke of experience. The only thing that related that man to the bedraggled criminal who had slunk in a few hours earlier was the hazel eyes. Cold and determined, they swept the world around them vigorously… yet somehow gave the impression of looking into the distance, of looking into tomorrow.
You! Yes, You! Reviewers, you know who you are! Just in case you don't...
Destany Mitchell:
Everybody loves badassery, m'dear. Stumbling is quite good. Very good indeed. However, another way besides stumbling is: If you'd like the names of some good Psych stories, go to my account and in my favorite stories click organize by category and scroll to Psych. I really hope I didn't irritate you with all of the waiting for the next chapter and that tomfoolery of mine. It's lovely to get a review from you and to know you're reading. - SylverSpyder (p.s. It's late, so if I sound crazy... who am I fooling? I always sound crazy !) Bye Mate!
ProudtobePurple:
Don't worry your lovely head... I'm dying over here, too. No time to write! I'm like the white rabbit and I feel so darn guilty for putting it off because of wonderful people like you. Jules is in for a major load of guilt, by the way. I owe you one for all your lovely words (I feast on them), so if you send over something specific you want to see, I'll do my best to stick it in. -SylverSpyder (p.s. have you ever been targeted by the purple people eater? I hear purple people are nearly extinct now because of that devilish fiend.)
Thewarpedmind1:
... Thank you... Man, for someone who writes and feasts on words as I do, it is rare that I'm speechless. (I can count the number of times on one hand, actually.) Thank you. (I love your name.) Weird story, the other day I said I was going to go eat a nice, juicy, golden pineapple and someone thought it was a euphemism. Thank you for reading. I hope you tell me what you think of this chapter. I know it's incredibly short, but I'm doing my best to keep up with life in general. - SylverSpyder
p.s.I can always take people of any age (that goes for both you and your first born) into my ranks for world takeover.
p.p.s. I.O.U. one pineapple
p.p.p.s. can you tell at all that I'm sleep deprived?
Kalvinanne:
In the state I'm in, I'm not sure what to say to do you justice. You are awesomer? Your awesomnitude is stunning? I will make my next update as freaking huge and freaking awesome as I can? I wonder how many new, nuesome words I can make up in twenty-four hours? (Not that that has anything to do with anything.) How about: I'm glad you're touched. I'm a bit touched, too (in the head), I love badassery, too, and these characters are awesome and if anyone needs a short bio on any of them I can provide one in my next chappie.
-SylverSpyder
p.s. I felt I owed you a ps since everybody else got theirs already.
Psychic101:
If a Runner fight you want, a Runner fight you'll get.
p.s. because of your wording, I also had the idea of having a bit of Shawn vs. Runner as in internal, possibly external, arguing. What say you, dear Reviewer of Awesome Name?
Torchil:
The first time I read your review I was on Nyquil, so expensive was (of course) registered as explosive and new side made me think of squares... Of course, I'm one to talk! I'm still on Nyquil. Best stuff ever. Until you read the warning label. Four doses in twenty four hours can cause liver failure. I stick to three (and a half). I like to err on the side of caution. Which is one saying I'll never understand... I'm ecstatic, too. Combination of Nyquil and your review. You gave me the warm and fuzzies better than my fluffy bunny slippers. -SylverSpyder
Pineapples to all, and to all a goodnight. Err... Morning. Apparently it's morning already. Who knew?
Final Promise: The next chappie will be longer than my replies to my reviews. Review a lot and I'll write a freaking huge chappie!