Diligo Est Amicitia
Chapter 6: Start of Something New
A/N: Thank you very much for reviewing for my last two chapters. I am really relieved that I got positive comments for it, as I didn't know what to think of it; I had just about squeezed my brain to get that chapter out! Hahax... the title of this chapter is actually the title of my other story (I wasn't feeling very creative when I decided upon the title)... one that I've dropped for a while in favour of finishing this one! Okay, then, I hope you will enjoy this one! It's a chapter devoted to Reid, Lilith, Tyler and Fin!
RedRogue: The first thing that made my heart beat faster about your Chapter 4's review is that you commented that Lilith seemed entirely too 'goody-goody' for him. I realize that it was my mistake, as I did not bother to go into details of their attire as I thought that too much info on clothes would cause the chapter to be rather draggy. To get an image of the clothing that I had imagined Lilith to wear, please go to my homepage (you can find it in my profile). And about the beating of Aaron… well after you see the shirt, it may change your mind. If not, well, let it be evidence to my previous statement of how loyal and what a fierce friend Lilith is. And, yes, (blushes) I have been researching the story of the Sons of Ipswich because I like to really know their backgrounds and all before I write a story. Just a habit of mine! As for your Chapter 5's review, I am glad that it put new hope in your heart. The relationship between the four of them (Reid, Tyler, Fin & Lilith) will not be easy. In fact, it will be complex. Stay tuned to see what will happen to them! And thank you for your praise about my dialogue editing; I am glad that it was to your liking. The plot of the girls and the Lycan Archos was unsure at first but you have brought new ideas for me to use! Thank you very much! This is what I love about reviewing! You give ideas to the author so that she or he can make the story better! What I hate about reviewers is that sometimes I have to disappoint them because I have my own idea of what's going to happen and such! Not talking about anyone here so don't get any ideas! As for your stories, I wish I could come by and read and review to see how that wonderful plot of yours is going but I really don't have time: my family's bustling to get on with the Turkey trip! I'm lucky I can even update!!
Marah: Hey! Your reviews are one that I look forward to reading! Yes, even the ones that say I made errors because you were honest and you said it in a way that didn't hurt me at all! Comments about your review: aside from me borrowing a few names (because I'm not creative enough to think up of cool names like that!) from 'Underworld' there are really no crossovers! I don't exactly understand what you mean by 'the bit with lycan's ' but I'll try and edit whatever I think sounds a little too crossover-ish!
BlueFlameDancer: Your review made me laugh! And in totally the good way! I'm glad that you can relate to my three main femmes. And you're right! Fin did win the race! LOLz!
elffy: I'm pleased to hear you liked and enjoyed my story and Jamie! And you're right! Situations will change as the story goes on! After all, who likes a boring story where nothing happens?
queenie180: Get together soon? Possibly but definitely not too soon! This story needs drama! Thank you for reviewing!
Draco's Secret Lover: Hahaha! The first part of your Chapter 4's review made me lol! You're wishing Aaron touched her??!! Haha… may happen! After all, I don't plan for Aaron to back off after getting a second beating from Lilith… in one day, no less! Muaaahahahhahah… I'm damn evil for the Aaron-bashing, ain't I? Nope, instead he's gonna be back… and badder! And yes, that's what Diligo Est Amicitia means! It is 'in the ballpark' as you say! Haha! Score one for DSL! I was hoping to save the meaning for later but since three people already know about it, including you, never mind then!
And now, to continue with the story…
Lilith sat in the library, contented with the tranquility and the smell of dusty tomes and old leather. It had been a week since their arrival and things had been crazy for a few days with her and her 'sisters' until they had really settled down. Caleb, Pogue, Reid, Tyler, Sarah, Kate and Jane had been great help; Lilith could still remember when they had tried to help out in moving in the last of their stuff.
:: Flashback ::
"Uh…Lils, could you help bring this stuff over to your room?" Jamie asked, pointing to a large cardboard box, one of the many they had brought over from Aurelius Manor. It held her and Fin's mementos from their trips around the world. Lilith, who had been arranging photos on Jamie's side table shrugged.
"Sure, why not." She picked up the box, weighing forty kilograms from the floor rather easily as if it contained nothing but feathers. She had a hard time getting the doorknob to turn so she could get across the hallway and into her room. Once she did though, a surprising sight met her. Pogue and Tyler were walking down the corridor, Tyler holding an equally large cardboard box that he seemed to have no problem handling. When he got close enough for her to recognize the box – and she did – a furious blush coloured her cheeks almost instantly.
The duo stopped outside Lilith and Fin's dorm room and Pogue knocked. Noticing Lilith's load, he asked if he could help her with it. Lilith quickly declined, keeping her eyes on the box Tyler was carrying. What had Fin been thinking when she had sent the two to get the last of the boxes out of her Mazda? Sarah, to Lilith's surprise, opened the door and welcomed them in. Lilith widened her eyes as she saw the number of people invading her and Fin's privacy.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What the hell is going on?" She squeaked, her eyes surveying the small room, now even smaller by the number of people occupying it. Reid lay on Fin's bed, listening to his MP3, an arm folded underneath his head. Caleb sat on the edge of Lilith's bed, Sarah stood, arranging stuff that didn't need arranging, Kate was in the small washroom with Jane, organizing the toiletries and Fin just stood around helplessly, watching as their friends disrupted whatever systematization she and Lilith had worked on.
"We know how hard it is to just suddenly move in to one place so we're helping out!" Kate gave Lilith a one-arm hug. Honey, you helping out is exactly what I do not need. Lilith thought dryly. I can just see Reid helping out by not trying to help. And Caleb isn't just sitting around; he's warming my bed for me. How thoughtful. She managed to plaster a fake-sincere smile on her face just in time as Kate pulled away.
"What's in this box anyway?" Tyler asked, tapping the side of the taped up cardboard box he had just brought up.
"Ooh… let's see." Reid's mouth curled up into a devilish grin. He jumped up from his lazy position speedily. Lilith tried to grab it from his reach but was too late; he was already undoing the tape. "Reid!" Lilith cried out in vain.
"Ooh…" He suddenly sang. "Someone's been a verrry naughty girl." He held up a pair of black thongs.
"Oh, dude!" Pogue said, bending over in hilarity while bumping fists with Reid. Tyler seemed to shrink with embarrassment, as he had been the one to question the box's contents. Still it was plain to see that he was trying to hide a smile, biting his bottom lip to prevent himself from laughing out loud. Caleb had looked away, cursing himself for being there at all. The rebellious grin he was trying to fight made its way up to the surface after all to Reid's delight, proving that the righteous leader had a dirty sense of humor as well.
"Pig!" Reid was suddenly attacked by a soft object that took a swing at his head.
"Hah! No one can beat me in a pillow fight!" He declared as he grabbed a pillow from Fin's bed and started attacking Lilith. This brutal battle lasted for a good ten minutes, with support from everyone in the room except for Fin who felt horrified on her pillow's behalf and Caleb who remembered that it was beneath him to humor such displays of misbehavior. Which ended with Lilith breathlessly, admitting defeat.
"Cheater." She stated once Reid had loosened his hold on her. "It's a pillow fight, not a tickling contest."
"Who owns that anyway?" Sarah asked. As in answer to her question, Jamie burst in through the door, stopped and stared at the crowd in her best friends' room, then addressed the said owners.
"Hey, did you guys see my--- oh there it is… over by Reid. What's he doing with it anyway?" She stalked over to the box, grabbed the black thong, stuffed it into the box and stormed out.
:: End of Flashback::
"Hey, Lil!" A sudden shout pierced through the quiet. Lilith glanced at the source of the noise. Reid was making his way to her, all the while, avoiding the glares and stares of the other students.
"Hey." He said again, softly this time as he dropped himself into a seat across her. She just offered him a quick smile before returning to her book. Although she wasn't a mind reader like Fin, she knew what Reid had come for and it broke her undead heart.
"So, what are you doing here alone?" Reid asked, looking around uninterestedly at the library. For all the years he had studied and boarded here, he had only been to Spencer's library a total of five times.
"Reading." Lilith replied quietly.
"Oh… uh, yeah… stupid question." He mumbled under his breath as he, for the first time, noticed that a book was laid under her nose on the table, Lilith absorbing every word. What he didn't notice was that she was only pretending to and the only reason she had her head hung like that was so that he wouldn't notice the tears that were threatening to come out from her eyes. "Listen, have you seen Fin?"
"Yeah, she's at the grocery store with Tyler." Lilith replied casually. She had mastered her tears and was looking at Reid to study his reaction to this. Reid had gone stiff, his expression unreadable. "Stocking up the room." Lilith added. Reid just nodded.
"Yeah… uh, I'll see you later." Reid said in a hoarse sort of voice, and then hurried off. Lilith eyed him all this while until he was out of sight, then sighed and turned back to her books. Sending the three of us to Spencer was the worst decision William ever made, she decided.
"Uh… so what do you need?" Tyler asked as he followed Fin into the small grocery.
"Oh, I dunno. Me and Lils like to pig out in the middle of the night so I guess junk foods are top on the list." Fin replied airily.
Tyler frowned slightly. "You guys don't sleep much?"
Fin nodded slowly. "You could say we're more of night creatures than day." She laughed. "You'd find us still awake at some times of the night. Like Lils would have a craving for chocolate at three a.m. and we'd go into a tizzy just to find a bar of it in the house. That's why we need to be well stocked."
The two of them went all around the little store, picking out chips, sodas, candy and the like. Finally when they had paid, Fin registered how much her shopping weighed. "Oh, I'm so glad you're here with the car." She said as the two of them dumped it into Tyler's back seat. "My bike wouldn't be able to take this and I couldn't find Jamie or Lilith."
"No problem." Tyler smiled. "If you need help like this in the future, give me a call."
Fin winked at him gratefully as they started on their way back to Spencer.
Tyler sighed as he trudged up the stairs from Fin's room. His dorm was a level above Fin's and it made it easy to visit them as his room was near the stairs. He unlocked the door, closed it and turned around to see a most unexpected sight. Reid was sitting on his bed, his head in his hands.
"Reid?" He called tentatively. "You okay, man?"
"Where were you?" Reid asked abruptly. He raised his head from his hands and Tyler was stunned to see the fiery blaze in his witch brother's eyes.
"Out at the store. With Fin." Tyler replied absent-mindedly. He was more concerned about Reid at the moment. What was wrong with him? "You didn't answer my question. Are you okay?"
"Are you interested in Fin?" Reid interrupted.
"What's it to you?" Tyler asked cautiously.
"Just answer the question, Tyler!" Reid shouted.
"Dude, what the hell is wrong with you?" Tyler yelled back.
Reid seemed to catch himself before he began another rant. He visibly deflated, waved Tyler off and stormed out of the room.
Tyler was left wondering what had happened and what had caused his best pal in the whole world to get so worked up.
Reid rushed out of the room, his fists clenched, his temper hanging on a thin thread. Once he was sure Tyler didn't follow him, he drew back his fist and punched a nearby glass window, shattering it and withdrawing a bloody fist. He drew in slow breaths, willing himself to calm down. But the thought of Fin and Tyler out having a happy time caused him to fly into a rage all over again.
"Reid?" A voice quietly asked.
Reid turned around to see Lilith staring at him concernedly. Her eyes flew to his hand, which he quickly hid behind his back. "Is… is your hand bleeding?" She asked. She walked over to him and with amazing strength, pulled his hand for her to look at despite his resistance. She looked around, then seeing the window, realized what had happened. "Come on." She pulled him to the deserted Science Lab where he sat on the workbench as she hurried to the storeroom to get the first aid kit.
"I'd bring you to the staff room." Her voice drifted from the other room. "But they'd be asking what happened." Reid didn't reply; he just stared out the window, barely registering what Lilith had just said to him.
Lilith, getting no answer, hurriedly peered around the doorway to check that he was still there. To her relief, Reid was still perched on the workbench but a just a hint of sadness tugged at her heart to see Reid so preoccupied, with thoughts of her best friend, no less. Returning to the current task of bandaging Reid's hand up, she surveyed the room, then finding the white box with a red cross across it, tried to open it. It was locked. Looking over her back, she made sure that no-one was watching, then tapped into her hidden strength to break open the first aid kit box. Getting what she needed, she returned to Reid's side and dressed his wound. She did all this without any struggle, not even a yelp of pain from him as she dapped medicinal oil gently onto his hand.
This being done, she jumped up onto the workbench beside him and looked at him though he did not return her gaze. "What's the matter, Reid?" She finally asked although she already knew. Reid didn't answer.
"Oh, come on. I may not know you that much but well enough. Is it… Fin?"
"Tyler's going out with her." Reid mumbled, looking down at the ground.
"And?"
He looked at her, then sighed in frustration and looked away. "Well, Tyler's never been good with girls anyway and I… I've always been doing things that made him worry. Like he's the only one that takes me seriously among the other guys, ya know."
"Why are you friends with them anyway?" Lilith asked. "Caleb and Pogue."
"The same reason you, Jamie and Fin are." Reid replied.
"Hey, don't compare you guys to us girls." Lilith shot back. "We… care for each other. I mean, maybe we have the occasional fights but in the end, we always make up. Besides, they're like my sisters. And we're all under the same guardian." And oh, we also have these super cool powers that unite us but I'm not allowed to tell you that. Lilith thought.
"So do we." Reid said. "We've been friends since we were thirteen. They may see me as immature and reckless but I'm still their brother." I think. "And brothers… sacrifice. I've made out with almost all the hot girls here. And Tyler… I haven't seen him with one yet. And I don't even know why. I bet you have a crush on him too. He's a total chick magnet; he's got the income, the looks – okay maybe not as fine looking as me or attractive - but he's a cute kid. Strong and mysterious and sort of compact but well-muscled..."
"You know what…" Lilith said, staring at the blonde next to her. "I'm not having a crush on Tyler… but I'm starting to think you are."
Reid gave her an offended sort of look. "Uh, thanks… but I don't roll that way… if you get what I mean. What's your orientation?"
"Straight. Just like Fin." She added.
"And Jamie?" He asked, noticing that she left out her other friend.
"She's controversial." Lilith joked.
"Are you telling me she speaks fag?" Reid asked, buying Lilith's lie.
"Oh, fluently." Lilith replied, trying to hide her wild grin.
"Finally!" Reid exclaimed, realizing that it was all a joke and taking it one step further. "Now me, Tyler and Pogue don't have to listen to Caleb speaking gay language any more!"
"Caleb's gay?" Lilith's brow furrowed.
"Why do you think his shirts are unbuttoned?" Reid replied, wiggling his eyebrows. The two of them burst into cackles, which ebbed away only after a few long minutes.
"I like you, Lilith." Reid said once he had finished laughing. Lilith's heart almost jumped out of her throat. "You're a real good friend." Her heart dropped back down.
"I'm glad to be here for you." She said sincerely… in a strained sort of voice. But how I wish you would think of me differently. For now, I'm happy to be your friend.
A/N: So this chapter tells of the first signs of complexity in the love…er 'square' of the four characters, Reid, Tyler, Fin and Lilith. You might think it's too soon but I really have a lot of ideas and I can't get them out of my mind! If anyone's confused how come Reid is suddenly interested in Fin when just last chapter he was freak dancing with Lilith, it will all be explained. For now, sit back and let the plot unfold. Review to tell me what you think about it!
Crickes