A/N: So, you know I said about this being the last chapter? I lied. No way is this anywhere near the last chapter. So anyhow, onto the continuation of A Different Deal.
Disclaimer: I do not own All Time Low or Jaguar. The reasons for me saying this shall become apparent.
Slowly, Ellen awoke. She was lying in a sleeping bag, with a young girl. She began to panic, but quickly calmed down as she remembered the events of the night before. Then she began to panic again, but this time for an entirely different reason.
Somehow, in the night Viola had rolled over onto her. Her arms were wrapped tight around Ellen's body, her head in the crook of her neck, and her weight, though not great, created a slight pressure on her chest. Ellen could barely think straight. What the hell is this? Why do I feel so differently about her than I do about Angie, May or Rue..? Well, no use thinking of that now. What I want to do now is to get her off of me.
Delicately, she rolled Viola over onto her side, the sleeping girl's weight pulling on the sleeping bag, which in turn pulled Ellen over onto her own side, and their momentum carried Viola onto her back, and then the bag pulled Ellen on top of Viola. Ellen's head was carried forward, and before she knew it, her simple, innocent attempt to get Viola off of herself had ended with her lips locked to the other girls. She was caught off guard, unsure of how it had happened, but mostly she was surprised at how much she enjoyed it. Quickly breaking the contact, she managed to lie by Viola's side, looking at her. She stared at the girls face, wondering once again why she felt this way.
As she watched, Viola's eyes fluttered open and she noticed Ellen. Ellen, being as distracted as she was by her thoughts, did not notice that Viola had awoken, and so continued to stare thoughtfully (and a little dreamily) at her. Viola waited for a few minutes, then smiled widely as she said, "So, are you going to stare at me all day?"
Ellen blinked twice in surprise. Then she recoiled in shock, a deep red blush spreading over her cheeks. "I… uh… I wasn't staring at you…" She stammered, struggling to think up an excuse as Viola giggled.
"It's okay." Viola replied. "It's actually kind of flattering, to be honest. So, how long have you liked girls for?"
"I... uh... I'm not... I mean... I haven't really ever thought about relationships... ever. Last night was the first time..." Ellen couldn't form a coherent sentence. I... guess I have to accept that I like girls. Viola looked a little taken aback, and then remembered what she had learned last night.
"Oh, right..." She murmured, a slightly embarrassed expression on her face. But she quickly perked up, and her grin returned. "So, I'm your first crush?" She asked.
"Umm... Yeah, I suppose you could say that..." Ellen responded. I guess she is. Who would have thought? She wondered what time it was. "Viola, you wouldn't happen to know the time, would you?"
"Hold on a second..." She pulled her arm up and out of the sleeping bag, and looked at her watch. Ellen wondered briefly why she hadn't noticed it last night, but then again, it was quite a plain and unremarkable one, designed just to do its job. "Half past nine... well, as near as makes no difference..." Viola said. "We should be getting up now." She crawled out of the sleeping bag, and Ellen followed her. Viola then put on her shoes and stepped outside, whilst Ellen looked at the tents other occupants for the first time since the night before. Rue was still sleeping, Angelica curled up in her arms, with her face obscured by her hair, and Ellen assumed she was asleep. May, on the hand, was awake and reading a book. She looked up at Ellen and smirked.
"Good morning." She said. Ellen was a little worried that she'd heard the conversation, but when she thought about it... the only thing new she knew was that Ellen liked girls. And considering the way she was friends with Angie and Rue, she probably didn't care. However, Ellen was still a bit annoyed that it wasn't her and Viola's little secret.
"Good morning to you too May." She replied. May smiled back at her, and then gently shook Rue's shoulder. Rue's eyes snapped open and she looked at May.
"Hey there. You guys going to get ready?"
"Yeah, we'll pack up the stuff up outside. You wake Angie up and we'll pack up in here once she's awake."
"Okay". May and Ellen moved to the door, putting on their shoes. Stepping outside, Viola greeted them with a smile. She'd packed the cooking equipment into a small bag, and was currently trying to fold down the table. Ellen and May decided to help her. Together, they quickly got the job done, and Ellen was surprised to find that the table had folded down into quite a small bag.
With all the stuff outside the tent packed up, they turned back to the tent just as Rue stepped out. She pulled out all their bags, and another bag which contained two of the three sleeping bags. She then looked at Viola apologetically. "She's getting up."
May smirked, whilst Viola smiled at Rue. "It's okay, I understand."
Ellen looked at Viola with a quizzical look on her face. "What do you mean?"
It was May who answered her. "We always wondered why Angie, who was such a shy, quite girl, couldn't manage to get into school on time more than half the week. She was only ever ten minutes late, but we couldn't work it out. She was so obedient, and other than being late, she never did anything wrong. However, the first time we had a sleepover, we worked it out. She does not like waking up."
"Oh, I see..." Ellen said.
"Of course, she got better when she started going out with Rue. The desire to see her even manages to counterbalance her desire for sleep." Viola said with a giggle. At this moment, Angie stepped out of the tent. She had her bag on her back, and she had her sleeping bag and another bag in her hands. Putting her sleeping bag in with the rest, she looked at them all with an extremely tired expression on her face. "I heard that..." She mumbled, looking at them with an expression of complete apathy. Then she kissed Rue. "Morning..." She said with a soft smile, staring into Rues eyes. Rue hugged her and they both continued like this, until-
"Ok guys, we need to get the tent packed, can you stop for a few minutes?" May's voice cut in and the two of them giggled as they turned to start on the tent. Within a quarter of an hour, they were packed up, bags on their backs and they started walking in an eastern direction. They spent a short while walking through the woods, before they came to a field, and then they crossed a stream, all the while talking, before quietly slipping between a small barrier of trees to come to a small square parking area. There were a couple of jeeps and a few family cars, but one car stood out – A dark green Jaguar F Type. The sports car was a standout not only for the very fact it was a sports car, but because a familiar figure was leaning on the roof, waving at them.
"Loki!" Ellen said in surprise. Viola and the others turned to look as Ellen walked to him.
"Hey there Ellen." He said with a smirk. "How's my little sister doing today?"
"Little si- Oh right. Hehe... I'm doing just fine." She replied with a giggle. "Where'd you get the car?"
"Well, from a dealership of course. Totally didn't just create it because I wanted it. I also happen to have a very nice house – Which of course is obvious, considering I'm an architect and an interior designer – But I'm going to need some ideas for your room. And you're my little sister who's about to start school in the town where I live." Loki smiled as he rattled off the details of their new life. There's something... different... about him. What is it?
"Wow. That's fast moving." Ellen replied as she looked at him. "Loki, have you gotten... taller? And older? And your voice is different..."
"Ah, you noticed, I was wondering when you would. Well, it occurred to me that I might need a way to explain why I'm not in school, have a job, driving licence etcetera. So I decided that the best way to do that would be to be about 25. So I changed my physical age. As for my voice, well, most humans would consider my original voice weird"
"Oh, okay, that explains it." Ellen said. She turned to look at her new friends. "I'll see you in school, right?"
"Of course!" They all said. "Unless I see you first." May added with a giggle.
"Here's our new address, if you fancy visiting us earlier than that." Loki said, handing them a small slip of paper. With that, he opened the door and stepped into the car.
"Goodbye for now..." Ellen said as she got in on the other side. Fastening her seatbelt, she looked at them all and waved as they waved back at her. Then there was a growl as Loki started up the engine, which settled into a noise which was almost like a purr. They backed away as he reversed the car whilst turning to the left, till he was at a right angle to his original position, then he shifted into first gear and went to his right. Now they were facing the exit, and he opened up the engine, turning the purr into a roar as they accelerated down the road.
Viola looked after them with a smile. May then nudged her in the side."So, how long till your dad's due here?"
"About 20 minutes." She replied.
"So, long enough for a little questioning. Well, I want to know something. Do you like Ellen?"
Viola gasped in shock. "What are you on about?" She said.
"Yeah, what are you on about May?" Rue asked. Angie pulled Rue down into a sitting position, snuggling in next to her.
"Well, Ellen and Viola had an... interesting conversation this morning. Turns out Ellen has a crush on Viola."
"Really? Well, maybe that's a good thing. I mean, you've never had any kind of thing for boys Viola – In fact you said that boys were disgusting. Yet you deny being a lesbian? Perhaps Ellen will... open your eyes to the possibilities." Rue replied.
Viola sighed, defeat in her eyes. "Okay, so I like her a bit, but I don't have a crush on her." However, as she said this, her thoughts turned to Ellen, and a slight smile graced her lips, whilst her cheeks became just a little pinker...
A little later...
"Angie?"
"Yes Rue?"
"I... I think we should tell our parents... about us."
"Oh, well... okay. Um... Will you help me?"
"Sure, of course I will, if you need me. But I'd rather you weren't there with me when I tell my parents."
"Why not?"
"I... I'd rather you didn't have to experience my mother's all too predictable reaction first hand..."
Ellen sat back in the car as it powered down the road, its constant roar fading into the background. Loki smiled at her from the driver's seat. "So, how are you feeling about having a normal life?" He asked her.
"Pretty good." She replied. "But I'm a little nervous about what the other children at school will think of me."
His smile didn't even waver. "Don't be afraid. I mean, you've already made friends, and I have a feeling they'll stick by you no matter what. Besides," And now his smile turned into a wicked grin, "If anyone does try to bully you, just tell your 'big brother' and I'll sort them out."
"Thanks." She said with a smirk. Yes, the idea of Loki sorting out the bullies is... quite amusing.
Loki looked at the controls in the centre of the car, clicking a few of the buttons. There was a moment of silence, and then a song came on. At first there was just a guitar riff, but soon a voice came in as well.
"Make a wish on our sorry little hearts, have a smoke, pour a drink, steal a kiss in the dark..."
Ellen looked down at the console, noting the song name and the band name. A Love Like War, by All Time Low. She smiled as she listened to the rest of the song.
"Failsafe trigger, lock-down call, wipe the dry clean-slate, quick, sound the alarm
No escape from the truth and the weight of it all, I am caught in the web of a lie
"And the bitch of it all is that I'm running from, the desire of the people to whom I belong
At the end of the day you can tell me I'm wrong, 'cause you went to all of this trouble."
Ellen caught herself tapping her feet to the song and quickly stopped in embarrassment. However as the song once again captured her attention, she failed to notice that she had begun to tap her feet again.
"We go together or we don't go down at all
We go together or we don't go down at all
We go together or we don't go down at all, whoa
Is this the end of us or just the means to start again?"
Ellen looked at Loki as the song finished. "What was that music?"
"Apparently it's called rock music. I like but... what do you think?"
"It's really good... I barely even know what music is, and the only music I've ever heard is classical. Not exactly the most interesting thing to listen to." She paused for a moment and thought. "I think I'd like some of this music for my room."
Loki gave her another warm smile. "Of course. We're almost there actually." He said, easing off the throttle and slipping into a lower gear. He turned onto a smaller road, which led into the town. It wasn't big, like some of the worlds more famous cities – London, Paris or New York for example – But then it wasn't exactly small. As they drove through, Ellen counted at least three high schools, not to mention numerous shops and even a cinema.
Finally, they pulled up outside of their new house. The look of amazement on Ellen's face was all Loki needed to reassure him that it was perfect. He clicked a button on his key ring. The garage door lifted up, and he drove the car inside. Then he shut the door and turned off the engine. "Well, time to get out." They both got out, walking through a small side door into the main room.
The living room was mostly blue and green, and there were three sofas around a coffee table, which was in front of a large television. There were shelves against the walls, most of which had books on them , but some contained DVD's and a few had ornaments – there were seashells and gemstones amongst other things. Towards the left, there was a desk with a computer on a desk, and a sound system for music. On the right there was a large fish tank filled with what appeared to be an artificial reef, filled with little colourful fish. There were three doors – The door she came through, another on the wall to the right and a glass sliding door to the left, which lead to a beautiful garden.
"Wow, you've really outdone yourself." She gasped as she looked around. "What's the rest of the house like?"
"Why don't you come have a look?" He said as he opened the door to the right. Walking through, Ellen found herself in the hallway. Next to the front door was a coat rack as well as a set of low down shelves that looked like they were for shoes. Further down the hall was a staircase, which Ellen assumed led to the upstairs bedrooms. Finally, at the end of the hallway there was another door, which Loki was walking towards. The walls of the hall itself were white, as was the carpet. The door led to the dining room, which had a large wooden table and six chairs in the centre. The walls were the same colour as those in the living room. There was a cupboard to one side that on closer inspection contained all the plates, dishes and cutlery. They quickly moved through this room, into the kitchen. Everything in the kitchen was black, white or silver, and it was very well equipped. There was another glass door in here, and Ellen could see it lead out into the same garden she'd seen from the living room.
"Let's go up the stairs now." She said. He merely nodded and grinned as they went back through the dining room and into the hallway. Up the stairs, the colour of the hallway was continued on the landing. There were four doors, and Loki quickly showed her a guest room and his own room (Quite simply done, but once again with that blue and green colour scheme). There was a large batroom, which Ellen had expected to be blue again, but was she surprised to find that it was actually yellow. Finally, he showed her to a completely empty room. "What's this for?" She said.
"Well, it's your room. So I geuss the first question is: what colour do you want the walls?"
"Well, I guess I would like them... Lilac?" He snapped his fingers, and the walls became a light, soft lilac colour. "Yeah, I like that colour."
"Good, now you need a bed. Any ideas?" Loki aaled her
"Big and soft. Purple sheets and lots of pillows." Ellen replied. Loki grinned as one of the most luxurious beds Ellen had ever seen appeared with the headboard against the wall. It had a dark wood frame, and purple bedsheets. Then a small tableade from the same sark wood materialised next to it, complete with an alarm clock and a lamp. A warddrobe then appeared on another wall. Ellen opened it to find a selection of clothes.
"I couldn't work out what you'd like, so there's a selection. Just tell me what you like out of them, and we'll find you some that are similar. Anything else?"
"Maybe some books... and some music?" A bookshelf, a rack for CDs, and a set of speakers linked to a CD player just appeared against the walls. Loki paused before the shelves and rack filled up with books and CDs.
He turned to her and looked at her with a smile. "I hope you like the ones I chose, I just chose the ones that were like what I know you like."
"Yeah... well, I suggest you get ready for school tomorrow. Try getting your things together, there's school stuff in the wardrobe. Then, if you want some food I'll get you some. After that I'm going need to do some work, but I know Viola's mobile number if you want to maybe go out and do something. Oh, and that reminds me..." He pulled out a mobile phone. "This is yours. I already saved Viola's number."
"Okay, thanks... Wait how did you get Viola's number?"
"How do you think?"
"Ah... yes. Well, do you mind if I get washed up?"
"Not at all. Would you like a meal once you're done?"
"Yes please... thank you." On that note, Loki stepped out of the room. Ellen looked in her wardrobe, finding a black shoulder bag and various bits of school equipment in the bottom. Quickly packing up the bag, she found herself a simple change of clothes (Blue jeans, a black shirt and underwear). Walking out into the bathroom, she put the clothes on top of a small wooden seat (Why it was there she didn't know, till she pulled on the 'seat' and realised it contained towels). She turned on the shower, before quickly undressing and stepping in. She gave a short, high pitched scream as the cold water hit her. She tried to turn up the temperature, but it took her a good two minutes to figure out how the controls worked. Strange, for something so easy to turn on, it's a nightmare to adjust. However, once it was right, she was in heaven. She'd never had a shower before, and the new sensation was very enjoyable. So much so, she 'accidentally' took over three quarters of an hour.
When she was finally out and dressed, she walked down the stairs to go to the kitchen, but just as she got to the bottom, the doorbell rang. Who could that be? She wondered. She walked to the door and opened it, just as Loki opened the dining room door.
Rue stood there, her eyes red from where she'd been crying and a despair filling her eyes. She grabbed Ellen and started sobbing into her shoulder. Ellen tried to comfort her, putting her arms around her and just holding her.
There was a crack of thunder, and Ellen looked up to see storm clouds gathering far too quickly. She looked around and saw Loki, his eyes dark with anger, before his expression softened slightly. "Take her into the living room." Ellen nodded and led her there, the door swinging shut behind them.
So, how was it? As always, please review and tell me your thoughts. I have two quick messages.
Firstly, the whole thunderstorm thing... If you're smart enough to guess what happened to Rue, then let's just say Loki knows too. And he is pissed. Really, really pissed. When a creature as powerful as him gets that angry, well... you get the picture.
Secondly, a personal message to a guest by the name of ihavenoidea: Sorry for making you wait, it was a long wait between updates. That's life for you. However, I hope this will keep you satisfied.
Thanks for your support,
JJ4622, Over and Out.