Hailey jumped off Ace's motor bike by holding his hand. He made sure that she got off and landed without trouble. Her hair was windblown back from the ride and she had washed her face, by order of Nami, at Luffy's place. So her natural flushed cheeks were finally showing... o well... she looked better this way. Ace thought so, and so what if the dragon lady that her mother was didn't like it. He suddenly found that he hadn't let go of her hand... and now she was just waiting there, oh god was she expecting him to do something, what was he supposed to do? Kiss her or something! No that was a horrible idea, and extremely unprofessional.
And yet as he thought all this in his head he was still not going to let of Hailey's hand. What could she do? What should she do... she was extremely attracted to this man, but doing anything about it would be going against fathers orders. And besides even if she would do something about it then she wouldn't even know where to start. She had never flirted with a man before... she wouldn't even dare to do it. But she found herself extremely fond of him... though she didn't understand it.
"W-well goodbye…" Ace sputtered out and squeezed her hand…
"Yes bye, I had a really good time." she let out and smiled softly… "i…I would like to see you again sometime soon…" she said shyly and slowly let go of his hand… she looked up in the air and saw the moon slowly make his way up to the sky. It was just a little sliver in the sky for the moon had been full a few days ago. She remembered because that was the day that she came here, to this city that is.
"Yes that would be fun… depends on where you want to go then, I'll be more than happy to take anywhere…" 'You're on a danger zone Ace, leave now!' he started yelling in his mind at himself, some parts of his mind and body knew weary well that this was one of the worst things he had ever done. He couldn't be feeling like this… there were no reasons for him do feeling like this, but a million reasons for him not to be feeling this. And he was supposed to protect her, not date her! But he just couldn't help it…
"When are you free to come…?" she asked and blushed, she felt so awkward… she had never asked a man this before, and she was never supposed to. Not ever…
"I don't know, I know I don't work late on Saturday"
"Saturday it is" she said and started to back away from the man; she didn't want to let her eyes of him. She just didn't want to.
"I'll come for you" he said and she nodded. So sure that she was going to have another day like this… it was Wednesday today and she had two who days to be nervous about Saturday… it would be so much fun.
"alrig-eep!" she was still backing away from him and her head was in the clouds so she didn't remember about the hotel. She didn't know about the pissed of mother waiting by the window. And she certainly didn't remember about the damn stairs.
Ace snapped to when he saw the girl trip on the stairs and start to fall backwards. He jumped to and grabbed her hand, ignoring his precious motorcycle falling to the side. He quickly pulled her up and prevented her from falling. He pulled her up rather roughly and let her go down by his side. She blushed a great deal when she pressed her up to the side of his body. He looked down on her and saw her red face and let go of her instantly.
"Sorry, I tripped…"
"Yeah…" was all he could think of saying. When she backed away from him again and now walked over to the stairs. Slowly she walked up them and listened for the sound of Ace driving away, but she only heard the sound when he pulled his bike up and that was it.
His eyes for a second gazed up from her well shaped legs and round butt… her jacket hugged her waist so perfectly; he had been holding back his eyes all this time. But now she was leaving and he thought it was safe to admire her for a few minutes before he left… he sighed when he got to her head and hair, her face came to mind as he watched the valley open the doors for her. She hesitated when she stood in the doors. She slightly glanced back at him... just too properly stamp it into her mind how he looked like. So she could remember it for ever... oh you silly girl what are you thinking… it's not like you'll never see him again, your gonna see him this week end…' she said and smiled she then walked into the hotel. The door boy closed the door and she relaxed…
She walked up to the elevator and pressed the button. She then met with a bell hop boy that stood over at a large suitcase and held bug white box in his hands
"Aren't you Miss Cross?" he asked and suddenly started sweating
"Yes I am, what's your name?"
"K-Koby madam. Ah witch floor would you like madam?"
"Oh, top floor please…" she said and waited.
"Yes madam" he said and
"You don't have to call me madam you know." Þ
"Y-yes I do, your mother said that I should." He said with an incredibly shaky voice. Like he was afraid or something…Hailey's mood immediately dropped when she knew that she was back here… into the world of proper standings and correctly speaking… of the world of being the straight laced girl that her mother and father wanted her to be…
"Well I say that you may call me Miss Hailey, and that's that. We just won't tell mother about it" she said and winked him he smiled a bit and nodded. He seemed to relax a little more after that but she could tell that he was still a rather nervous…
"So whose luggage is those?"
"Oh these are supposed to go up to your suet mad- I mean Miss Hailey"
"Oh? I wonder if there is any special occasion?" she said and reached over to touch the wide flat box. The top lid was coated with white silk and the cover had a pretty pink bow lined on it… "Is it a present?"
"i-I don't know miss… but it sais on the card to: Hailey Cross from: Hancock dress design. Perhaps your mother ordered"
"ough that sounds like mother indeed." She reached over to take the package "it's probable some sort of pink princess bubblegum wedding dress…" she opened the box to revile the front of a white and black laced torso of a dress…
"Wow, it's really pretty" Koby said and smiled. He was just seemed to be just about her age… or perhaps a little older.
"yeah… I guess…" Hailey mumbled and closed the box. For she did really appreciate the fact that her mother bought a new dress for her but she didn't really see the reason… she had a bunch of dresses that she didn't know what to do with… she kept asking her mother if maybe she could reuse the dresses for formal occasions, no that would be horrible. To use the same dress twice… being and outfit-repeater as her mother liked to put it pronouncing it like it was the plague…
"do you know anything about Hancock dress design…?"
"erm I don't know weary much, except that they make the best quality dresses in the entire land… there known for their quality. And feminine design, rumor has it that not one man works there." Koby said explaining it as well as he could. She seemed weary interested by it.
"hmm… well that's interesting…" Hailey said and held the back of the box close to her body.
"you don't really seem happy about it…?" the purple haired boy besides her asked carefully and reached over to get the box from her.
"well of course I am… but I suppose I just don't see the point…"
"wha-" Koby was cut off by the elevator opening into the living room of the king suet… and what do you know her mother Emily was standing In the door of the elevator…
"mother!"
"at last I thought that you would never come home" she said with disappointments smile. "and thank god you found your way home. I take it that this delinquent boy that came for you…"
"Ace is not a delinquent…" in the back ground Koby slipped over his own feet and stared on the two of them with a look in his eyes that could only resemble horror.
"oh it has a name?"
"mother please stop this. I'm fine…"
"yes alright…" Emily glanced over to the bell hop that was just staring there. "don't you have somewhere to be little boy?"
"erm yes."
"THEN LEAVE, LEAVE THE BOX AND THE BAG AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" the older woman screamed out and threw her cup of coffee on to the floor. Koby shouted yes maim and placed the box on the table and ran back into the elevator and shivered in the corner of the little chamber.
"mom-"
"mother!" she corrected her with a dragon glare in her eyes. the same glare that she used when she was disciplining time was in order… her shoulders shivered and she looked down.
"mother…I'm sorry that the fact that my bodyguard is not pleasing you… but I'm really confident with him and he is so friendly and so professional…"
"oh are you kidding, this mobster guy that clearly hasn't got a noble man's thought in his mind!"
"I don't want a noble man I want a-"
"THAT IS NOT YOU DECICION!" she screamed at her and raised her hand flat open. Hailey clenched her eyes close and flinched getting g ready for a blow on the face. Her parents used to do that when 'discipline' was deeded…
But there came no smack… she didn't hit, for a second she was relived about that Emily didn't hit her.
"There is no need to bruise that pretty face of yours…" she reached down and put both hands and her head and roughly pulled her face up "you need to look your best for this Saturday…" she then swept a tear that fell down from her eye. There was a clear cur sign that she was terrified… it was always this scary, but slowly she had gotten used to the hard hitting every once in a while. But she never could shake off the tears that came every time that her own so-called-mother would raise a hand against her own daughter…
"WH-why?" she shuddered out…
"You need to look your best to meet a possible future husband" hailey froze in her steppes. Husband? What? How? When did they decide on that? And what would Ace say about it. What could she do she was supposed to meet Ace this Saturday and, what was she about to get married? She felt her body turn in a little state of shock… she couldn't move, she felt the blood go from her head and sweat from everywhere on her body. Her nose felt itchy and she felt the tears form in her eyes.
"Oh don't give me that look. I have done absolutely nothing wrong, and you know that. You just have to be grateful that I'm making sure that I leave you with the best thing possible. He is weary right and he will ensure you a safe life." she said and walked over to the table where the white box was, and then she walked over to a little table where the phone was. She pinned in a few numbers and put it up to her ears. "yes I would like to get contact with the most skilled and most expensive makeover department in this entire city" she waited for few seconds and then put on the face smile that she prided herself with. "oh Mr. 3 darling how are you?...aha… yes she is adorable… oh aha…aha… oh I need you desperately for a makeup session this Saturday. My little girl has been invited to the Supernovas ball this Saturday…yes it is incredible… oh you are too kind, oh Mr. 3 you are a doll… alright bye" she put the phone down and looked at her daughter.
"I said don't give me that look…" she said and opened the box. Then she pulled out the white dress out of it and reviled the whole thing. The white dress had no long sleeves and felt like a princess dress altogether… she then opened the suit case and reviled the rest to go with this dress…
In it were two pairs of shoes clearly for her to choose, there was a black shoulder cover and a belt also with white gloves to top of the dress they had a black lace at the top with a ribbon threw it… she could see herself in it looking all black and white… still she was too scared to oppose to it…
"If this works out you will be left with a great match…" she said "I'm sure that you will be weary happy with him"
"But I don't even know him, I've never ever met him…" she whispered just loud enough for her mother to hear it.
"That is not important" her mother stated and went over to the jewelry box to see the white pearl collection… Hailey obediently walked over to the bed and held the dress up to her body. Her mind was not responding well with the things that just happened. She couldn't believe it…
"c-can I at least know his name?" her mother sighed as she picked out a long black pearl necklace. The mother let out a large groan and then sighed.
"Who taught you to ask questions like that?" she sighed out and walked over to the kitchen area. "He is known as Sir Crocodile"
"bu-"
"STOP! TALKING!" mother screamed. She reached up and roughly pulled her chin up and measured the black pearls around her neck. "O thank god you have such milky skin or ells these black pearls wouldn't have matched your skin tone and then I would have to throw them out" Lady Emily mumbled more to herself than to her daughter. She then pushed her head down and pulled her bangs out of her face and tucked then behind her ears. Then she fitted the black pearl earrings to match the necklace…
Hailey suddenly felt faint…
"Now remember little darling this is all for your own good…"
'Or it could be that you just don't want me anymore…' she thought and fought back the tears. She walked to the bed and fitted the dress up to her body, it looked her perfect size. Like always…
"Don't look so gloomy. This is entire thing is the best thing to do, and you will be happy with him. Divorce is not an option and I want three grand-children…" hailey got chills up and down her body when she thought about the 'little-detail-of-having-children' and when would have to come with that… she didn't want to give her virginity to some stranger… she didn't even know how old he was…
"Ace will come for me on Saturday…" she whispered and prepared herself for the screech…
"Why… does he think that you can be friends…? Does he? Does he perhaps think that he can protect you? Really? I doubt that he will ever come for you again…" she said with a sort of mocking tone in her voice, she didn't have any faith in the man that was so good to her, she doubted as well that he mother even approved of the gang that she had hung out with… just like a normal girl, just like them… Usopp even played video-games with her, a thing that she had never done before. She sucked but at least she tried it… and when she had seen the fire… the fire that destroyed Franky's workshop. Then Ace had just walked into the fires and saved people inside, why wouldn't he protect her like any other person in the world… she wanted him to protect her… not some stranger…
And what kind of name is sir crocodile any way… she wondered if he just really liked alligator skin products… well if anything then her mother liked them as well… so perhaps there was a connection…
"Erm mother c-can I have permission go down in the lobby to get a little fresh air…"
Her mother let out a long and frustrated groan, "why can't you just stay in the house and do anything I tell you to do…? Ough fine but just for a short while…"
Hailey walked calmly over to the door, with her head held high and her back as straight as a board. She opened the door as gracefully as she could, even though inside she felt like tearing her hair out and run all over the hotel screaming her lungs out…
"Oh and hailey…" lady Emily said just as she was about to close the elevator door.
"Yes mother?" she answered without looking at her...
"You look into my eyes when I talk to you." She said with a small but cheerfully threatening tone in her voice. So cold was her voice that hailey didn't dare to do anything but obey her words…
"my…our house is ready, so we will be moving into there by the time you get back from the ball… and after that if things go well…" she paused to light a cigarette, she took a long satisfying smoke of it and blew out a large cloud of air…th was anon smoking area, mother didn't care about anything. Except her own comfort… "…we can start to make a house for you to move into…" this didn't sound like a suggestion, it sounded like a threat… she looked at her mother stone face. This was all decided wasn't it…?
"y-yes mother…" she said and walked into the elevator… she waited for the elevator door to close. Then when it was moving down she slammed her back onto the wall and threw her head back and she let out a small cry. She covered her mouth and waited for the door to open, she tried as hard as she could to keep the tears that were forcing their way up the surface…she couldn't do anything about this she clearly was supposed to make this work and get married… she was taken she would never be free again…not now not ever…
XxxxX