Bulletproof Heart, My Chemical Romance.
Derek POV
I was kicking back on one of the chaise lounges by the pool, eyes closed, letting the sun burn away the memory of what had transpired earlier. Just please, make it go away…
Then, a shadow crossed over me. I frowned, unhappy at the sun being taken away. I opened my eyes to find Kit looming over me. I frowned deeper.
"What do you want?" I muttered with as much scorn as possible. He flinched, but stood his ground.
"I just wanted to clear things up with you about, uh, earlier." I sighed and rolled my eyes. Taking that as a sign to go on, he started to continue. But he had gotten the sign wrong.
"Kit, no," I hissed through my teeth, and he shut his mouth. "I don't want to hear about your secret life as a cross-dresser, or how you actually look hot in women's jeans, or any of your crap. I'm trying to erase that event from my memory, so please, go away. Now."
He sighed sadly at my brash words, and then turned away, shoulders hunched. He looked back for a moment, but I turned my head away.
Harsh? Yes. But that man needed to understand that I was more scarred from that experience than from the time when Simon had decided to show me Two Girls One Cup. When I was 8. Gah.
I returned to my sunbathing, trying as hard as I could to forget…
It didn't work. As hard as I tried, I couldn't forget. Angrily, I stripped off my shirt and jumped in to the pool. There were no other patrons around to be scared of big, mean Derek. I swam a couple laps, enjoying the cool rush of water and managing to focus on something other than my anger.
A couple minutes later, the creak of the pool gate alerted me to another guest. I looked up and saw Chloe. She had a sundress on, bathing suit straps visible underneath, towel under one arm.
Oh yeah. Who's Kit?
She set her stuff down on another lounge, and shed her sunglasses and flip-flops. I noticed that her hair was back to its normal, beautiful blonde color. I hated the fact that we might have to dye it again if her father's ad went national. If it wasn't already. But I shook that thought from my mind.
She took off her sundress, and I died. In a good way.
She was wearing a candy red bikini with a halter-style top. The wolf in me howled its approval, and I itched to mimic it out loud.
Chloe slid in to the water on the shallow end, and I suddenly regretted that I was all the way in the deep end. But she swam quickly over to me, ducking under the water and coming up a foot in front of me.
Hi. What's your name?
I held her waist, grinning, as she pressed her lips to mine. Hers kept a steady, intense pressure on mine that I loved. Her lithe hands went straight to my chest, tracing it underwater and leaving me with a tingling that I found I enjoyed. A lot. I moved away from her lips for a moment so I could speak.
"I like your bikini." I felt her smile.
"I thought you might."
We continued kissing for a while, and I eventually moved us to the steps at the end of the pool, not wanting to have to focus on treading water. The sun-warmed water was an amazingly warm temperature, and we kept mostly under it as our lips explored the other.
But soon enough, the sun hung low in the sky, and we had to call an end to my therapy session and go back to the room. Chloe had brought me a towel as well, and I dried off at the poolside. I threw on my shirt and slung the towel over my shoulder.
I looked beside me and found Chloe standing there in her light dress, ready to go. I regretted that we had to, because the inner wolf was screaming for the dress to disappear again. Shut up!
Upstairs we headed, and found everyone congregated in the girl's room, again. What up with the discrimination against the guy's room. Did it really smell that bad?
No one had the guts to tell Lauren about what had really happened to the pair of her jeans that were mysteriously sitting in the hamper, though she had no recollection of putting them on. Personally, I had been all for burning them, but it was decided that Lauren would notice their absence too easily.
"We're going to have a movie night!" Tori exclaimed with fake enthusiasm and sarcastic jazz hands, to which Lauren scowled. But she turned to Chloe with a real smile.
"I picked out some of your favorite movies, hon," she told her, trying to make her amends. Chloe, being nicer than me, smiled back and allowed her attempt.
We all got ready for the movie, changing in to PJ's and popping some popcorn. Even though it was mostly for Chloe's benefit, we were all going to sit down and enjoy a couple of movies.
I moved the coffee table away and sat on the floor in front of the couch. Predictably, Chloe came and curled up next to me. Simon got one of the chairs, and rather suspiciously, the adults sat on the couch together, though at opposite ends. Lucky Tori got to cock block in the middle.
The first movie we were watching was a chick flick, Midnight or something like that, and I didn't pay much attention to it. Chloe was riveted to the sparkly characters, as were the other people in the room. Surprisingly, that included Simon. I mean, he gasped at the right parts, and even ooh'ed a little when the main guy ripped off his shirt. Honestly, sometimes I wonder about my brother…
By the time the movie was over, everyone but my father, Chloe, and myself were asleep. I popped in the next film, a horror. I settled back in, a smile on my face.
"I love horror movies," Chloe murmured in my ear, and I grinned.
"Good. This one is the one to end them all."
By the time the opening credits were rolling, my dad had already fallen asleep. We watched it the whole way through, Chloe screaming very quietly at the appropriate parts, and even cringing in to my shirt at a particularly terrifying part. I held her and patted her back, cringing a little myself from the scene on the screen.
When the movie was over, we each recounted our favorite parts to the other in whispers.
"And then when he turned around and then the knife and they used the fan and editing, like phwooh!" Chloe said excitedly, mimicking the motion of the spray of blood with her hands. She started cracking up at herself, and I had to smile.
"You're something else," I told her, kissing the top of her head. She smiled and me and shrugged.
"I'm a movie geek."
"That's one way of putting it." I leaned in closer, ready for my next daily dose of Chloe. She kissed me eagerly, knocking me down hard, to my surprise. A small boom reverberated through the thin floor and no doubt to the room below us. I smiled in to the kiss.
"Whoa there, careful, don't wake the dead," I cautioned her, and she rolled her eyes, smirking. And then she sat bolt upright on top of me, expression calculating and thoughtful.
"What is it?" I asked, sitting up and moving her carefully in front of me.
"Yes, yes, it would work," she whispered, tapping her finger against her chin. I could see the cogs in her brain working as she thought hard. Then she smiled, the sun coming from behind a cloud.
"SASDOBKA strikes tomorrow!"
Chloe POV
I had the best prank idea ever. Even better than the original pink hair dye one. Much better.
Seeing as Simon and Tori had upped the level to disturbing with the switched rooms prank, I saw no problem with throwing the same right back at them. And besides, they had missed the horror movie. They deserved to have a little scare.
I was going to set up a scene in which Derek had been murdered. Cornstarch blood, the room askew, the whole shebang. Simon and Tori had announced that they were going to the beach tomorrow. They had invited us to go, but we'd declined. I'd set it up when they were out.
Then, I was going to call in Liz, who'd play both lookout and special effects. She'd tell me when they approached, and then when they were right outside the room, she'd ram a "blood"-covered knife through it. Terrifying? Yes. Satisfying? Also yes.
The next morning, when Simon and Tori, along with Kit, left for the beach, I went out for cornstarch and red food dye. Derek was going to stay behind and explain the concept of the prank to Lauren, who, if we were lucky, would play the murderer. That would be hilarious to watch.
I hurried back to the hotel room and discovered that Lauren would be happy to oblige in our mini-movie. I grinned and thanked her.
We had once done a project similar to this in my art school. We had to set up a macabre scene, and the more gruesome it was, the higher your grade. My group had set up the aftermath of a prom attacked by zombies. Blood had figured prominently here, covering the group members who had volunteered to play dead. Add in some ruined scenery, heavy makeup, and a fog machine, and we had the best score in the class.
I was relying on my experience from that to guide my hands here. I mixed the proper amounts of the starch, water, and dye in a couple of paint buckets (borrowed), and came up with something that looked remarkably like blood.
To avoid the wrath of the hotel cleaning staff, we used plastic wrap to cover the floor, overlapping the sheets. That way, no dye could leak through. But I wasn't going to spread the blood just yet. I instructed Lauren to go get her makeup kit and Derek to sit very still in the chair.
When Lauren returned with the makeup, I took the darkest shade of eye shadow she had. I coated Derek's eyelids with it, and dusted the rest of his face to look as pale as a wax mannequin. I also did his hands and neck, so the look would be complete.
Getting excited, I asked Derek to help me start moving furniture. We flipped the table over, scattered magazines on the floor along with a vase containing flowers, skewed chairs at odd angles, messed up the bed sheets, and opened cabinet doors, placing bloody handprints, courtesy of Lauren on them. I knew they would come out (hopefully).
Tapping a finger on my chin, I analyzed what would be missing from this scene. We had a victim, a murderer, a screaming bystander (yours truly), a crime scene, lots of blood, and details. The only thing missing was…
"A murder weapon!" I exclaimed. "I need a knife."
Lauren, looking thoughtful, cocked her head.
"You know, I think Kit carries a knife. Derek, can you check in his suitcase?" He nodded and went to check.
When he returned, he came back with a switchblade about 12 inches long when extended. I raised my eyebrows.
"Just a tiny knife," I commented, taking it from Derek. Aunt Lauren's eyes flashed when she saw me holding a weapon, and half of my teenage mind considered brandishing it at her. But that would get me nowhere quickly.
I dipped it in the paint bucket and gingerly spread it around with my finger to look realistic. I was relying on movie knowledge here, because no weapons had been allowed on our sets at school. Besides, zombies use their teeth, not knives.
I then called upon Liz, who answered extremely promptly. I gave her the skinny on what we were doing and what her role was, and she nodded, looking eager. She went over and took up sentry in the doorway, and it was then that we hit our first snag.
"How is Liz going to shove the knife through the door?" I asked, face going blank with shock. Had we come so far only for the effect to be somewhat ruined? I kicked at some of the magazines on the floor angrily. Then Derek's face lit up.
"What if we stuck a piece of cardboard on the inside of the door, and then when they approach, Liz rams it through that, making a loud noise but not actually hitting the door? Then, when they hear the noise and your scream, they'll open the door and find the knife, point first through the door." I grinned at him.
"That'll work perfectly! You're a genius!" I went in to the kitchen and found a cardboard box. I dismembered it and cut a small square. I taped it, brown side out, to the door. The shades matched perfectly. I told Liz to aim carefully, and she nodded determinedly.
I then set to work arranging the blood on my actors and the scene. I thought for a moment, and then instructed Derek to lie on his back, facing the ceiling, feet towards the door. I told him to leave his face blank and empty, eyes unblinking, chest not moving when they came in. He nodded, saying he could hold his breath for a full minute. Long enough for our prank to set in.
I took a pair of scissors and cut a small hole in his white t-shirt, seeing as we'd be ruining it with the fake blood anyways. I placed it where a fatal wound to the chest would go. I poured some of the cornstarch blood in, and soaked the area around it. I ran a stream down his side and pooled it next to him.
I appraised it for a moment, and decided it needed a little more pizzazz. I asked for the makeup again, and drew a wound on his face and all the way down his left arm. I poured a little on each place, making sure it ran down the side.
I then moved on to Lauren, warning Derek not to move an inch or else. I bloodied her hands, and smeared some on her face and shirt. I told her to put on her best "rabid killer" face. I got a weak baring of the teeth. I sighed and demonstrated.
"Think, feral snarl," I told her, and she did her best. I frowned, and painted her face a little more thoroughly with the blood. That helped.
I used the rest of the blood to decorate the scene, because there's more blood in the human body than one would expect. When I was finally satisfied, I took a step back. Then, I paused.
I bloodied my own hands in a way that looked like I had been trying to resuscitate Derek, and then when that failed, defend myself against the killer. The knife would be a dodged attack, lodging itself in the door behind me. I took care to streak it across my forehead and arms.
Then, I stood on bed and mounted the video camera on top of the television camera. From there, it would get footage of the entire room. I would switch it to record when Liz called.
I set up still cameras from other vantage points, and even managed to set up one that got Derek from a particularly dramatic angle, and another that would capture the reaction faces perfectly..
Then, all we could do was wait.
"Liz, how do you think this prank is going to go over?" I asked the poltergeist, who shrugged.
"This is an amazing prank, but scary too. I wouldn't like it, myself."
"Sure, but this is for Tori and Simon. And possibly Kit."
"Well, I know Tori's going to be scared at first, and then maybe pretend later that she wasn't."
"I'm kind of hoping she's gonna cry. You know how many kinds of awesome that will be as blackmail?"
Liz giggled. "Yup."
"What about Simon?"
"Well, he's proved to be girlier than I originally thought," she murmured, cocking her head. "I think he's gonna scream, and then when he sees Derek, he'll either be in shock or burst in to tears."
"This prank is kind of depressing, huh?"
"Yeah."
"But Kit's reaction is the one I kind of want to see the most. After all, it'd be his own son killed by the woman he was just getting freaky with."
Liz's eyes popped out, and I realized that I had some explaining to do. As I did, Lauren turned away, face reddening as I recounted her humiliation. Derek showed no signs of hearing. Damn, he was good.
By the time I finished, Liz too was scarred and I was fairly certain they'd be back soon. I was proved right.
"They just came out of the elevator!" Liz reported. I handed her the knife and ran to switch on the video camera. The stills would go off at 5 second intervals.
I ran to my place just in front of Derek, cowering against the wall. I forced myself to start crying, though I had no acting experience whatever. I just imagined the scene as I saw it in front of me. Lauren assumed her pose over Derek, scowling fiercely, hands forming claws.
I could hear their footsteps when Liz signaled me. She then rammed the knife with a terrific thump through the cardboard, and I screamed as shrilly as possible. I heard two shouts, a shriek, and a responding thump, as though someone had hit the wall in surprise. Liz giggled as the door was thrown open.
I continued screaming, bloody, dripping hands put out in front of me, a wild look in my eyes. The reaction faces from the three were priceless. Then, they noticed the rest of the room. Lauren towered over the still, non-breathing body of Derek, both dripping blood. There was a terrible glint in Lauren's eyes, and I realized that she was a better actress than I had thought her.
When Tori took in the scene, she screamed, as Liz and I had predicted, and dropped to the grounds, hands clawing at her face. She then proceeded to drag herself a little closer, hesitate, and then scoot back. She scooted forward again, leaning forward, before screaming again at seeing the large pool of blood and throwing herself backwards. She then began sobbing, tears streaking down her face faster than floodgates opening. I had to hide my smirk, as there were more scares to be had.
Simon too screamed shrilly, and ran up to see what had happened. Then he slipped in a pool of blood and fell backwards, arms wind milling. When he looked at what he had slipped in, his eyes and mouth turned in to 'O's. He backed away, managing to get blood all over himself. His yell choked off abruptly, and he wrapped his arms around his knees, bloodying his jeans too. He rocked back and forth, opening and squeezing shut his eyes, as if to change the picture in front of him.
Kit's took the cake though. When he saw his son lying there on the ground, obviously dead, covered in his own blood, he let out a hoarse yell and leaned against the wall for support. He noticed the knife behind him, and the blood dripping off the handle, and yelled again. He mentally traced the path it had taken, and found it to be lined up with Lauren. When he saw her, eyes wild and covered in his son's blood, he lost it. He ran up as if to tackle her, but only made it halfway. He too slipped in the blood, which was slick against the plastic wrap. His momentum carried him forward though, and as if in a cartoon, he smacked against the wall bodily, his entire body hitting at once. He then crumpled to the ground, dazed and confused. He looked up and saw Lauren towering over him, still snarling, and screamed like a child. He covered his face in his arms and began to sob.
I couldn't take it anymore. I busted out laughing. Soon enough, Lauren joined in, as did the dead body. I had to hold myself against the wall to stay upright, and Lauren slid a little on the floor as she walked forward, still laughing. The others looked up, confused, and then realized what had happened. All three now had tears on their faces.
"Wha-?" Simon started, as Derek rose off the floor. Then, somehow, it got even funnier. Simon screamed.
"It's the zombie apocalypse!"
Right, so this chapter idea is from the reader Suzi1811, who happens to have some of the bestest ideas ever. Thank you so much, girlie!
Gah, nothing to say.
Over and out, tumbleweeds.