Before anyone knew it, nearly a year had passed since Elaine's arrival. The summer had turned into fall, shortly followed by winter, and it was now spring. Elaine had changed from the sulky, somewhat rude girl she'd once been into a beautiful young woman with a very pure heart.
Mosca, Riccio, Hornet, Bo, and Prosper were pleased to be her friends, and in time they all had developed a strong connection towards Elaine that couldn't have been broken by a herd of wild horses. She had a unique kind of personality they all liked: she was very open about her views and yet accepting of others'; she always seemed to have a calm attitude that could sometimes be annoying but yet comforting. Elaine would have risked her life for any one of them in a second, and always had a helping hand extended.
And then there was Scipio.
Elaine and Scipio were like a pair of magnets. They were always finding an excuse to goof off, or spend time together, or just talk late into the night. In what seemed like no time at all, they had reached the unspoken status of best friends. Both of them had violent scars in their past, but neither of them knew it quite yet.
Perhaps this was what made them so close.
One way or another, however, they always could feel comfortable around one another, and as the seasons changed, their relationship grew.
"Bo! Come back here!" Elaine ran after a giggling Bo as he zoomed through the theatre. This particular evening, Bo was feeling like getting on Elaine's nerves an awful lot more than usual. When he ran off in the direction of the stage, Elaine couldn't help but feel quite annoyed - and tired.
And I thought Riccio acted like a kid, she thought.
When she finally found Bo at the bottom of the stairwell leading up to their bedrooms, she quickly grabbed ahold of him as he tried to escape once more.
"Lemme go! Lemme go!" he shouted, fighting to get away, but Elaine was stronger than he was and he failed in his attempt. Finally, he calmed down enough for Elaine to get in a word:
"Bo, Prosper said to make your bed! You heard him! Now get up there!"
"Prosper's not here!" he said, beginning his struggles again. "He's at the store!"
"I know that. But it doesn't mean you don't do what he tells you to."
"But...but..." Bo stumbled over his words, trying to find an argument. "It's his bed too! Why can't he fix it?"
Elaine rolled her eyes. She loved Bo, but she wasn't in the mood for this right now. "Just get up there, Bo," she said. Bo obediently headed up the stairs with Elaine following close behind to make sure he did what he was supposed to.
She passed Hornet and herself's room, where Hornet's hair was out of it's braid, for once, and being combed. "Hey," said Hornet as Elaine went by. "What's up?"
"I'm trying to get Bo to make his bed," she responded. At that moment, however, she heard a loud knock come from downstairs and Mosca jump up to answer the door.
"Scip's here, can you make sure Bo makes his bed?" she asked Hornet quickly. The other girl nodded and Elaine dashed down the stairs.
Riccio, Mosca, and Scipio were standing around the stage, where Scipio had put the burlap bag he always carried. They were sifting through its contents and Scipio was taking off his bird mask.
"Scipio!" Elaine flung herself into his arms and gave him a hug, her usual greeting. "Hi!" She noticed Riccio pretend to gag and promptly flipped him off.
" 'Ello, Elaine," Scipio said, giving her back a pat. He'd never admit it (around the guys, anyway) but he lived for these moments: when he could see that someone, especially Elaine, was genuinely happy to see him.
Elaine pulled away from him and joined Riccio and Mosca, noticing that tonight's pile of stolen goods was rather small. As if reading her mind, Scipio said from behind her, "I'm really sorry, you guys, but I...haven't been feeling that good for the past few days, so I couldn't get much stealing in."
"Hey, it's okay. Stuff happens," said Elaine, turning around and smiling at him. In the bright of the theatre, her features were suddenly lit up. What stood out the most, however, was her eyes. Bluer than a robin's egg they were, and in the light, they shone. Complete with her healthy, rosy skin, dark brown hair, and simply stunning smile, she looked truly beautiful.
Staring is rude, he thought, just as he realised he was doing it. He looked to the right, where Hornet had come into the room from. It took him a second to realise something was missing. "Where's Prosper?" he asked.
"Store," said Hornet, after nodding her acknowledgement of Scipio. At that moment, Elaine yawned hugely. Her attempt to hide it was unsuccessful.
"Don't let me keep you up," said Scipio. "If you're tired, go to bed."
Elaine smiled at him. "Thanks. I think I will."
After saying goodnight to everyone, Elaine walked up to Hornet and herself's bedroom and simply fell onto the bed. She curled up under her covers and listened to the soft voices coming from downstairs, waiting, in particular, for one. After hearing Scipio's deep voice respond to something one of the others had said, she smiled contentedly into her pillow and closed her eyes.
Author's Notes: Yeah, this was more of a filler chapter, but I can guarantee you that the next one will be much more exciting. It'll probably be my favorite chapter so far, so when you see it's posted, get some popcorn and soda and make yourself comfortable. Lol. D Review, please.