A prezzie for the lovely Anni's birthday :) How you enjoy it, sorry if you don't, and if it's not very canon :S Ah well :) Happy birthday amazing person!
Also, I couldn't remember Cillian's eyes colour, sorry D: I just went for icy blue like Blaze in the end, if that's wrong, do say and I can edit it XD
Cillian is Anni's, Steve is Megan's, Bryony is mine :)
Summer Children
She was born on a warm day in April when the apple blossoms were blooming and a gentle wind was drifting through the streets of Arbour Bay. She weighed almost seven pounds, and when she opened her eyes they were already the shade of dreamy blue as her father's. When she was three months old, her parents were killed in a car crash while she was at home with a babysitter, their car slipping on the icy roads and spiralling over the edge of a bridge. She was sent to relatives first, her grandmother, where she lived until the fatal stroke when her grandmother was fifty six and she was four. She was passed around a series of foster homes, but they were always too full, or she never really fit in. She was five years old when she arrived at Arbour Bay Children's Home.
She walked anxiously up the gravel driveway in her brown leather patent shoes, her social worker holding her firmly by the hand. She and her suitcase were deposited outside the head care workers office whilst forms were filled out and conversations were held in muffled voices. She stared resolutely down at her lap, not even bothering to look around. She'd probably move on from this place soon enough. She remained perfectly still, like a little statue, playing a game with herself to pass the time, to see how long she could go without moving. It was hard, especially as her feet were a long way from the ground, and her hat was itchy, and she was getting too hot in her scratchy red woollen coat. It was only when her leg started to cramp that she moved, fidgeting and stretching. It was only then that she saw the boy.
He had iciest, most piercing eyes she'd ever seen, and she immediately looked back down at her lap, the eye contact making her uncomfortable. After a moment, she slowly peeked up again. He was gone.
-x-
She saw him again at dinner. It was tinned spaghetti and toast, and the toast was burnt and the spaghetti was tepid at best. She was miserably poking at it when she saw him and another boy walk into the room, deep in conversation. It was only when they sat down opposite to her that the boy seemed to notice her again, and he fell silent. She looked back down at her meal instead of meeting his eyes, playing with the slimy strands.
"Not very nice, eh?" The other boy, the blonde one piped up. "They look like worms, don't they? Worms in blood!" He grinned and picked up some in his hand, beginning to suck them up into his mouth with a loud slurping noise. Bryony watched in disgust, but said nothing, not wanting to alienate anyone talking to her. The boy grinned, scooping up another handful, but he stopped when the dark haired boy spoke for the first time in a low voice.
"Stop it, Steve you idiot. You're going to get in trouble."
Steve scowled. "But they do look like worms!"
"I'm not saying they don't. But if you mess with your food you'll get another penalty and then you won't get pudding. Plus you've got yourself in a mess."
Steve glowered, muttering darkly to himself, but did as his companion said before allowing the dark haired boy to wipe his face and hands with kitchen towel from the roll left on the table.
"I'm Steve, by the way!" The boy said, after he'd been cleaned up, still trying to interact with Bryony. "And this is Cillian, my cousin. His name's spelt weird, but mine's easy. I can write, you know, with joined up letters." He shovelled food in his mouth, but continued to talk around the mouthful. "And I'm on the purple reading level. But Cillian's on dark blue. But I can draw better than him." He swallowed. "What's your name?"
She said nothing, still poking her food with her fork, refusing to meet his eyes.
He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I heard that your name's Bryony. I bet I could spell it, if you wanted."
There was another pause as she focused her attention on the limp toast instead. Poke. Poke.
"How old are you?"
Poke poke. Poke poke.
"Five?"
Poke poke. Poke poke.
"I'm older than you. I'm six. But Cillian's going to be seven soon! He's really old! Like, a whole month more than me! We're cousins, did I say?"
Poke poke poke. Poke poke poke.
"Hellooooooo? Bryyyyyyony?"
"Leave her, Steve." The other boy said in bored voice. "She's not interested. And neither am I."
Poke poke poke poke poke. Poke poke poke poke poke.
The blonde boy shrugged, before shoving his last piece of toast down his gullet. He swallowed before glancing over at Bryony's plate. "You going to eat that?"
-x-
Somewhere someone was singing a very out of tune rendition of 'Hark The Herald'. Bryony stared out of her bedroom window at the snow drifting past the panes. The building was Victorian, and no one seemed to have discovered double glazing yet, so she was wrapped up in a thick woollen cardigan, and she was wearing two pairs of socks over her school tights. Her reading book lay on the bed next to her, but she wasn't really interested in the adventures of Biff and Chip and Kipper the dog right now; she was watching the snow and remembering how the ice had shone when the lights flashed on it as her grandmother pulled her across the surface. She had been all arms and legs and knobbly knees, flailing around all over the place like Bambi. Her grandmother had been disappointed.
"Sophia was a natural," she had remarked. "Pity."
She seemed to regret that comment when she saw how Bryony's body automatically slumped in defeat at the words and said no more about it, treating her to a hot chocolate afterwards. But she'd see her eyes on her, every now and then, see her wondering how the child who looked so much like her daughter could have inherited none of her talents.
Bryony was jolted out of her thoughts by what sounded like a herd of heffalumps galumphing down the corridor.
"JINGLE BELLS! BATMAN SMELLS! ROBIN BLEW AWAY! UNCLE BILLY LOST HIS WIL-"
There was a muffled yelp as the singer hit the floor with a thump.
"Cilliaaaaaaan! What did you do that for?!"
"You're not meant to actually trip when someone trips you." An exasperated voice replied. "You're meant to catch yourself."
"Well I obviously didn't!"
"That's because you're an idiot."
"I'm not an idiot! I've moved up to navy blue too now, and I can add numbers, I-"
The blonde boy continued protesting, but the dark haired boy didn't seem to notice. He'd seen Bryony peeking curiously around the door at them.
Bryony felt herself go bright red as his eyes met her and she quickly darted back inside her room, shutting the door tight. It was silly, to want friends. She'd probably be moving on soon anyway. But she still wanted them, nevertheless.
-x-
The lump of snow whizzed past her ear and disintegrated against a fence. She quickly spun around, her eyes wide, wrapping her arms protectively around herself.
"Soooooorry!" he blonde boy called, giving her a cheeky grin.
The taller, dark haired boy said nothing, running his eyes over her as if she was an interesting experiment in a laboratory.
She moved a little away from them and sat under a tree, poking around in the snow. She could feel it near, the fading life…
She took off her glove and gingerly poked her fingers into the snow. Slowly, the life grew stronger, and stronger. When it was completely healed she stood up again, heading back towards the house, but she was hit in the back of the head by a snowfall and fell flat on her face, winding herself. She lay on her front, not moving for a moment, trying to remember how to bring air into her lungs. At last she managed to break through the heavy, constricted feeling around her lungs and gasp in pure, cold air. When she opened her eyes, she saw two booted feet by her head. Rolling onto her back, she found herself staring up into eyes as icy blue as the compact snow she was lying on. It took her a moment to realise that he had extended a mittened hand to her.
It was a moment longer before she took it.
He pulled her to her feet, and she slowly brushed snow down off of her coat.
"Sorry," he mumbled, and she gave him a tiny nod to show that the apology was accepted before turning and heading back towards the house once more.
It was only after she was gone that he saw the lone daffodil blooming under a tree amidst the snow.
-x-
It was a balmy March day when he found her in the main office. She was standing by the desk, her fingers buried in the earth of a small pot plant. He wondered what in the world she was doing until he saw the dead, withered flower stretch and turn green. He cry of surprise startled her so much that she spun around, knocking the plant off the desk all together. The clay smashed on the floor and earth spilled out over the worn carpet, but he stepped right forwards, trampling the mess further into the carpet, seizing her wrist.
"You," he said hoarsely, staring at her face. "You're like us."
And that was when she shoved him so hard away from her that he fell on his behind. It didn't stop the grin from spreading all over his face. Another person. Another person like them with an ability which didn't make sense, an anomaly. She was an another anomaly. An angry another anomaly.
"Why did you do that?" She cried, looking both furious and miserable at the same time.
"Do what?" He said, frowning.
"Make me break it! And then step on it!" She wiped tears from her eyes, before crushing down and cupping the rather crushed plant in her hands.
He blinked. "But…it's only a plant."
"It's something alive." She said, her voice shaking. "And that makes it beautiful."
Slowly, the plant began to heal, it's broken leaves twisting together.
Cillian carefully shuffled forwards and picked up the broken shards of clay. The girls eyes narrowed, but she didn't stop him. He grabbed a reel of sellotape from the desk and slowly, carefully, stuck it back together. He scooped what dirt he could scavenge back into the pot and she carefully repotted the plant back inside.
"What do you mean?" She whispered, as they both watched the plant settle itself into its new home. "When you say that I'm 'like you'?"
He smiled, the first time she'd seen him smile, and he began to tell her in a low voice about their abilities, whilst outside the first buds of blossom began to bloom.
-x-
"Come on Bry! Hold on!"
"I'm going to die!"
"No you're not. We won't let you."
"Oh God I am! Oh no, please, Cillian, no, don't let go, don't let go, OH MY GOD NO!"
Bryony screamed at the top of her lungs as Cillian let go of the bicycle handlebars and she was left to freewheel down the small hill, clinging on for dear life.
They found her in a bush at the bottom, pulling bits of twig out of her hair.
"I forgot how to use the brakes." She mumbled, looking rather embarrassed and bedraggled.
"You'll learn eventually, Bry!" Steve said, grinning and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I did! Cillian taught me, and he taught himself, so he could teach me. Although I scream a lot less when he let go of the handle bars."
"You wet yourself." Cillian said, following them back up the hill with the bike. "Literally."
"Liar!"
"It's true."
"Is not!"
-x-
They walked on either side of her as they entered the front yard, and she was vaguely reminded of bodyguards.
"Right." She turned to Steve. "Got your lunch?"
"Yes."
"Got your second lunch for when you've eaten the first one at break?"
"Yes."
"And your after school snack?"
"You can't call that thing a snack."
"Steve, it's an apple! It's a healthy piece of fruit."
"I don't want it! It's manky, Bryony! Give me something else."
"I don't have anything else, you should have said earlier."
"But Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry!"
"Here, take this." Cillian rolled his eyes and pressed something round into Steve's hand. "I don't like them that much anyway. Right, I'm going to take Bry over to the other Year Seven's now, okay?"
Steve watched as they headed inside the building, before glancing down at the orange fruit in his hand and shrugging. He'd never really had one before. Surely it couldn't hurt to try one…
-x-
"…And she's always hanging around with those two boys. The good looking ones in the year above, you know."
"Yeah, well it's not like she's exactly going to have anything going on with them, is it? I mean, she's not exactly…" The speaker trailed off, trying to think of an accurate description. "Their type."
"That's true." There was a pause. "Wait. What are you saying?"
"No! No! Oh God no! They're cousins!"
"Yeah, but they're first cousins." Another voice piped up. "So you have your cousins and then your first cousins…"
"Yeah, honey, that's not right."
"That's so not right."
"Look, all I meant was that they normally go for girls with a bit more…figure. You know, the leggy ones with swishy hair and boobs and stuff."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Still I bet she thinks she's in with a chance. Why else would she still be lurking around them when it's obvious that they don't want her there?"
There was a loud thud as a trainer dropped to the floor, and the girls spun around in time to see a red faced Bryony making a swift exit from the room.
-x-
"Steve, put some sun cream on now or you'll burn!"
"But Bryony, it's smeeeelly!"
She rolled her eyes, beginning to rub it into his face.
"But Bryony, I taaaaaaaaan!"
"Tanning doesn't stop you getting skin cancer."
He huffed, but his protestations ceased as she began rubbing it into his ears.
"Surely a fifteen year old can do their own sun cream?" Cillian drawled from where he was lying lazily on a rug, basking in the sun like a lizard.
"I'm not taking any chances. I know that you'll do yours properly, but he's going to miss patches and then he'll just have random patches of burnt skin all over him." Bryony said stubbornly, rubbing the cream into Steve's back. "Right. You're done."
"Great. What's for lunch?"
She sighed. "Aren't you going to go swimming?"
"Yeah, but I want lunch first."
"You'll get cramp. We can have lunch later."
"No I won't! My digestive system is amazing!"
"It's not even twelve yet!"
"Buh I'm hungry!"
"Didn't you have breakfast?"
"Yeah…but I want another breakfast!"
"Well this is your lunch so you can't have it."
"But I want it! We can buy another lunch?"
"We don't have the money too."
"But Brrrrrrrry!"
"Steve. Shut up." Cillian muttered, sounding irritated. "Bryony made the lunch, so she chooses when we eat it."
"Thank you, Cillian." Bryony sighed, brushing sand off of the picnic blanket. "I'm going to go swimming. Any of you coming?"
"Don't want to." Steve mumbled sulkily, flopping down on the rug.
"Suit yourself. Cillian?"
"You go. I'll come in a minute." He waved a hand lazily.
She stood up and pulled off her t-shirt and shorts and started heading towards the sea. It was a moment before Cillian realised that Steve was ogling her.
"Steve!" He snapped. "What are you doing?"
"Just checking her out."
"She's our friend, not one of your…girls."
He shrugged. "I'm just looking. I've never seen her in a bikini before. She's got a nice butt. And the top half isn't bad either-" He yelped as he received a thwack across the ear. "What was that for?!"
"Just…stop talking about her like that." He mumbled, unable to meet his eyes.
-x-
Summer finally faded away, along with green leaves and wildflowers. Autumn drifted in, painting the world gold and red, and then she too, in her turn, died and was replaced by frost in the mornings and finally blankets of snow over the fields. But all things have their time, and winter too finally melted away, and once again the trees began to grow leaves, plants began to arch their bodies up towards the sun. She had been born on a warm day in April, and all though this was March, the blossoms were still beginning to flower. They all lay on a carpet of pink and white petals, under the tree where a daffodil had bloomed years ago. This year, the tree itself had needed help, and she'd successfully managed to cure its infection, although it had taken some effort. But now it was healed, and she was warm and sleepy and safe. She was just drifting off, when one of the boys spoke her name.
"Bryony?"
"Hmm?" She mumbled, turning to look at him.
"When we're at University, or working or, whatever we do after school…you'll visit us, right?"
"Of course I will." She smiled. "But that's not going to be for a while."
"I know," the boy said, giving her a small smile, "I just…was thinking about it."
"Well I promise, okay?" She smiled back, pushing her short golden curls out of her eyes with one hand.
"We'll take you out to all the parties and get you drunk." Another voice piped up, from the other side of her. "That'd be hilarious!"
"Thanks Steve." She said dryly, but when she turned to him, she was still smiling. "I can safely promise you both that it'll take far more than a university to separate us."
She closed her eyes, again, tilting her head up towards the sky and the sweet smell of blossom. The pink blooms above them were already filling out. But although she'd cured the tree's infection, some of the blossoms were still black and withered at the tips.