Gloom and shadow enveloped every form and hid this world from the illuminated city. The creaking of bones, the straining of muscles, the gasping of lungs, and the wild thudding drum of the heart, beating, pulsing blood in every vein, all at once. Diving to the side, the rush of winter air, invigorating when contrasted to the heat of conflict, soothing any aches that were overlooked for the moment.
Vlad smashed his sharp knuckles into a nose and felt the wet blood spurt into the crevices between his fingers before the foreign body staggered away and hit the ground with weakened knees. The blood soaked up the cold air as the fingers splayed out and Vlad spun to catch hold of a jacket. He used the other teen's momentum to help drive his enemy into the black grime of the concrete, the filth marking the jacket on contact. Vlad gave his stunned foe a kick in the gut. Satisfied by the grunt and gasps for breath that filled his ears afterwards, the red eyes darted about for the next assailant, but none offered themselves to him. The enemy was retreating, yelling to one another as they fled.
Vlad peered about in the gloom, observing the victory as he coughed into a bloody hand. He eventually picked out Jake among the other boys. As his steps started forward, they halted and shifted back to the teen he had kicked on the ground. Unable to run away, the injured teen was doing his best to protect himself from the trio that had decided to take advantage of his vulnerable position. Their ring of assault was broken when Vlad snarled, tearing a boy away from his place in the ring. The others stopped, throwing glares at Vlad until they realized who he was. Then they backed down and wandered, hesitantly, away while the red eyes burned. "Pathetic vultures." The pale teen muttered, never looking down at the mute and bloodied boy on the ground. The black, starred converse abandoned him and went to catch up with Jake who was turning a corner, about to be lost from sight.
But, before the pale boy reached the corner, yells started up from the direction the other teens had taken. Vlad heard voices and running feet heading for the back lot of the storage building, made into a natural dead end by the two brick buildings that acted as walls on either side of it. Vlad pivoted, gazing back at the three sides of wall, noticing the teen on the ground as his eyes swept over the area. He picked the wall to his right and took a running start at it. As his shoes dug into the spaces between the bricks, police officers reached the back lot. His hands were pulling him up the wall to help him climb when he heard voices yelling at him. The cops that were just arriving were told to run around to the front of the building, to go to the roof in order to pursue the escaping suspect.
Why did this wall have to be so damn tall?
Vlad cursed as his vision became a fuzzy and a trembling hand caught the ledge of a window. The boy hung from it for a moment, losing his footing as his shoes slipped from the crevices. He was panting and becoming light headed. A savage cough almost cost him his grip on the ledge, bringing a sense of urgency to move his arms and dig his shoes into the bricks. He struggled to conquer the last few feet to reach the roof. The concrete that jutted out from the pattern of brick offered him a place to pull himself up. With a groan, the boy managed to bring himself over this last obstacle and he collapsed, falling onto the flat rooftop, where he lay, gasping for air that darkened his mind. Blindly, he attempted to crawl to his feet. Barely on his knees, he tried to stand. He swerved as he staggered forward and swayed when he stood still. Eventually his knees gave out and the teen hit the concrete of the roof. Vlad closed his eyes and his world became darkness.
The next thing he knew he was being carried past the back lot where his eyes were allowed to see that it was now empty. Panicking, he jerked and fought the hands that were holding him under his arms and carrying his legs. There were gasps and a struggle to catch Vlad before he hit the ground, but he still fell, hitting his back and busting up his elbow. The boy let out a feral snarl, glowering up at the cops as he tried to get his bearings. He got into a crouch, flattening the pads of his fingers on the asphalt, ready to dive in either direction to find his escape. But he paused, blinking away the murkiness in his mind as he saw that the two uniformed men were waving their hands and speaking to him. The voices finally registered.
"Hey kid! Hey! Calm down!" "We know you, remember? Chief Integra's boy brought you to the station one time. Calm down!"
"Vladimir." An approaching voice turned the pale face to the woman that had a creasing frown on her lips. "You're coming with me…there's no way to connect you to the fight, so it's okay. Sit down…" She motioned with her hands. "You fainted…and you have a fever…"
Vlad gazed up at her, in a daze. Without knowing what to do and unable to make sense of what was going on, the boy followed her instructions and sat on the ground, taking deep breaths to collect his thoughts. His eyes gazed at his hands in his lap and saw the obvious smear of blood on his knuckles. He scrubbed it off on his jeans as Integra stood over him, pretending not to see. It was obvious from the blood stains and the state of the teens clothes that he had just been involved in the street fight. Whether or not it was gang related was the only question on the cops' minds right now. But, with Integra's persuasion, they had chosen to let Vlad off with a warning that she would give the boy, along with some medicine and a warm meal. Anyone could see from the boy's weak appearance that he was in no state to be hauled back to the station and questioned. He needed to rest…and Integra said he was a good kid.
"Vladimir?" Integra touched his shoulder with a gloved hand, but the boy didn't look up.
"I just need a moment, Chief." He mumbled. The woman nodded and chose to wait for him, telling the other officers to leave the boy in her care.
Integra took the boy home with her, presenting him with no other alternative (other than being carted off to jail). Vlad understood what she had done for him, so he easily consented and got in her police vehicle.
"What were you thinking?" Integra demanded, a glare fixed on the road as Vlad sat, slouched, in her passenger seat. Her fingers shifted on the steering wheel. "Going out there…doing THAT in your condition! You're sick! When was the last time you ate a proper meal? You need red meat! That's probably why you fainted, Vladimir! Your blood needs iron!..." She continued for a time, until her voice gave way to a sigh. Then it was quiet.
Now the woman spoke calmly, expecting answers. "What did you eat today?"
Vlad's unfocused eyes were on the dash board. He didn't want to speak, but couldn't refuse. "You have to let me explain…" He said slowly, causing the woman to glance at him as he hid his hands in his sweatshirt's pocket. "I needed to pay the rent…so my water and power were turned off last night. I got the money and paid the rent so everything would be turned back on by tonight. I would have eaten something, because I do have food. I was going to have soup, which is good for sick people, right? I ate some of those dried out noodles earlier today, but they hurt my stomach, so I just decided to wait for the power and water to come back on."
Integra's expression darkened, her hands tightening on the steering wheel before her. Vlad's landlord had just succeeded in making himself a very powerful enemy. The woman gritted her teeth. "So you haven't eaten anything since last night."
"I ate a little." The low voice grumbled back. This was humiliating. Vlad slumped deeper into the seat, trying to hide his face in the collar of his sweatshirt. He managed to hide it up to his nose, and he made his bangs cover the rest. Integra noticed, somewhat amused by the odd sight. She decided not to comment for the time being, hoping that he would feel like answering more of her questions if she didn't. The woman stopped at a light and flicked on her turning signal.
"I see that the blood on your hand wasn't your own."
Vlad didn't answer, keeping his mouth closed as he shut his eyes.
The light changed so Integra followed the green SUV in front of her as they both turned. When she was driving in a straight line again she looked at the boy and then the road. "What was the fight about? I'm not going to ask you for any names, unless you'd like to give them to me, but I'm just naturally curious."
Again, Vlad owed the woman too much to deny her. "Guys doing stupid stuff…so we had to get them to stop."
"We?" Integra asked with twitching lips. She frowned, though she accepted her assumption. "What gangs were involved in this, Vladimir? I'd like to know since gang rivalry is dangerous for both the gang members and the people in the area…luckily, the police have managed to keep gang activity low so there aren't any large fights, usually. But, even for the small street gangs…"
Vlad listened to the woman, his eyes creaking open. She was wrong about most of the stuff she was saying. There weren't multiple small-time street gangs littering the city, sometimes permitting territorial disputes to become contained fights. There was one super-gang, and then two smaller gangs that had recently allied with one another, and now had even combined, towards the edge of the city, primarily the east ghetto area. There was one large gang that was controlling the streets and keeping gang violence at a record low for the area. The police weren't responsible for the regular absence of shoot outs. The one who should get the credit for that…was his uncle. Vlad focused on her voice again when she restated her question.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Integra stared at the black bangs, listening to the slightly muffled words. "It was just a bunch of punks slinging it out because of…stuff."
Integra scowled quietly, watching the road. "What kind of stuff, Vladimir?" Vlad knew that she wasn't buying the bull he was trying to give her, but he stuck by what he had already said, giving a bit of the truth this time.
"A few punks sprayed graffiti on a few houses and some guy's work, so we went to tell them to cut it out."
Integra was silent for a time. She didn't approve of anything that was coming out of the teen's mouth at the moment. "If I catch you doing it again, Vladimir, I'm going to arrest you…you got that? You inform the police about…this kind of harassment or defacement of private property. You don't take matters into your own hands. That's how you get in trouble."
Red eyes blinked open and then moved to reflect in the side window, looking though it to see the open sky and the passing trees. "If they do it again, I'll tell you Chief." There's no way after the beating they got today that they'll be back anytime soon. Vlad glanced at himself in the side mirror and sat up when he saw how stupid he looked right now. Integra watched him shift around in his seat, out of the corner of her eye. They drove in silence after that. There was no need to push for answers right now. Integra had all night, and more, to do that.
They parked in the garage, next to Anderson's car, and Integra led the way to the kitchen, that seemed to be in use at the moment. Vlad rounded the curved wall and slowed his pace, reluctant to reveal himself.
Seras was rummaging around in the fridge while Anderson was gathering the silverware. The scent of food was in the air, making Vlad's stomach shudder and yowl for sustenance. The boy smothered the sound the best he could, but he still thought that the family of blondes heard it. When no one looked at him, he calmed and dropped his hands to his sides. On a second thought, he moved to hide them in his sweatshirt as Integra told Anderson to set an extra place.
The green eyes questioned the woman, so she threw a thumb back at the curved wall where Vlad was idling. Anderson flinched and stared at the pale face. Then he returned to the drawer to grab the rest of the silverware, though, he still doubted why they really needed silverware for what they were eating. His mother was so demanding sometimes. He sighed as Seras finally noticed Vlad and slammed the refrigerator close, jostling the bottles inside, with a startled gasp.
"Vlad!"
Integra frowned at the girl, unaware of the shopping trip incident. "You know Vladimir?"
Seras smiled at the boy and then her mother. "Yeah. We ran into him while we were Christmas shopping. I thought he was a ho…"
"Hey, Vlad?" Anderson's loud voice drowned out his sister's, making her pout while Integra knew better than to stick around and allow her daughter to say something she shouldn't. "Wash your hands and help me out with the plates, will you? You remember where they are, up in there." A handful of forks indicated the wooden cabinet as Vlad quietly went to the sink. When he passed Seras who was grouchily leaving the kitchen to bring the drinks to the table, the girl gasped and stared after him.
"What happened to your CLOTHES? You're like covered in black gunk!"
"Thank you for your input, Female Anderson." The boy muttered crossly, having wanted to avoid bringing his clothes into consideration. Anderson was staring at him with a deepening frown.
"Did you go dumpster diving or something, Vlad…because, God, she's right. You're filthy…"
"I do not have a hobby of rummaging around in dumpsters, fat ass."
Seras, who was still gawking, sputtered at the name and looked to her brother to see if he would be angry. To her amazement, Anderson didn't seem to notice, though Integra's voice came from another part of the house as she headed for the dining room.
"Alexander. Can you get him a change of clothes and throw what he's wearing in the washing machine? Seras can set the table. Then, you need to make sure he eats some meat. I'll wash his mouth out with a bar of soup later."
Anderson eagerly dropped his collection of utensils on the nearest countertop, ignoring the indignant huff Seras gave him and the frown on Vlad's face. He grabbed the dirty sweatshirt, and then let go and decided to just tell Vlad to follow him as he brushed off the dirt that now marked his hands.
When they reached the carpeted stairs, Anderson noticed when Vlad stopped to take off his shoes and socks, both of which had a generous layer of dirt that could be rubbed off by the shaggy carpet. Vlad left his socks tucked into his shoes on the tiles and then ascended the stairs to go to Anderson's room.
*~*~::..+..::~*~*
He probably should have taken a shower first, thought the teen as he pulled on a bluish-grey T-shirt. Remnants of dried blood crumbled from the gaps between his fingers so Vlad bent down to try and pick up the flakes so he could throw them away. Luckily, Anderson had left to put some of his clothes, along with Vlad's stuff, into the washing machine, so no one was able to watch the boy go into the neighboring bathroom and wash the persistent blood off his hands. Once they were white and clean, he went to the dining room and found that Anderson hadn't returned from doing the laundry yet. A huge box of pizza acted as the centerpiece of the table while the two blonde females sat with empty plates, waiting for the boys. Seras was chattering about what gifts she had bought today. The girl spotted Vlad and grinned at him and then her mother. "Vlad called me cute today."
Integra looked at the boy, blinking at his puzzled frown.
"No I didn't."
Seras puckered her brow at him now. "Yes you did. Remember?"
Anderson walked into the room with a smirk ready for his sister. "He said that you were 'too cutesy' to look like Mom." The boy encouraged Vlad to sit while Seras demanded to know what the difference was. Vlad sat with a nod, recalling the incident.
"But you still think I'm cute." Seras asked him, uneager to lose the compliment.
Vlad paused and then shrugged. "I guess… Cute like a…" Seras was beaming as the rest of her family watched Vlad lift his hands from his lap to show a round shape. "…like a fluffy little rat or something."
Integra snorted and leaned her face over her armrest as she struggled not to laugh too enthusiastically…like her son. Anderson had gotten a kick out of what Vlad had said and he was loudly professing his agreement with his howling laughter, while Seras' face was red and she scowled at the pale boy who couldn't understand what he had done wrong.
"Cute like a rat?" She growled at her plate.
Vlad stared at her and then snapped at Anderson. "Shut up. What's wrong with rats when they're clean and fluffy? People have pet rats. I know a guy who has a few. They're kinda cute, and there's a blonde and white one that squeaks a lot, so she reminded me of your sister."
Seras' face only got redder and she bit her lip and glowered at the boys sitting across from her while Anderson laughed at her face. "Oh, be quiet Andy-Alex!"
That shut Anderson up and his head refused to turn to see the red stare. He cleared his throat and folded his hands. "Time for grace? I know I'm pretty hungry…"
Anderson sighed when Vlad didn't comment on the nickname and they were able to say grace and then distribute the veggie, sausage, pepperoni pizza. Anderson took three while Vlad took two, and Seras and her mother took one each.
When Anderson was pouring himself a glass of cranberry juice, Vlad smiled. "Can I have the juice after you, Andy-Alex?"
Seras giggled triumphantly at her brother's hiss and Anderson glared at Vlad. "If you call me that I'm going to pour all of this on your head, runt." He continued to pour the juice.
"No you won't, Alex." Integra held out her empty glass with her own glare. "I intend on drinking some of the cranberry juice I paid for." Anderson, shame faced, poured her drink and then gave the container to Vlad while Integra nodded. "Good boy, Alexander, you do know your manners."
Vlad snickered with Seras while Anderson filled his mouth with pizza. Taking time to think while he chewed, he grinned when he swallowed. "So Seras looks like a cute little rat?"
Thus reminded, Seras glared at her brother and then Vlad. She pointed her crust at the red eyes. "You don't have a girlfriend, do you?"
Vlad's face was blank when the attention turned to him. He lifted a piece of pizza. "No." He took a bite, trying not to show the relief his stomach felt, on his face. He took another bite before he had swallowed, but Seras was ignorant of his empty stomach as she dwelled on his rat comment.
"You'll never get a girlfriend if you say they remind you of squeaky rats."
"But everyone says it's a cute rat." Vlad was halfway through his pizza and rarely looked up at the blonde girl.
Seras flushed. "That doesn't matter! No one wants to look like a rat!" She turned on her mother, searching for an ally. "Mom, would you want to look like a rat?"
The woman didn't make eye contact with her daughter as she smiled to herself. "That depends on how cute the rat is."
Deflating, the girl slumped into her chair and nibbled on her pizza. Her eyes flicked to Vlad, watching him begin his second pizza. "Who told you rats are cute?"
This time Vlad looked up. "Jack-bean."
"Oh." Seras' eyes widened as Anderson paused, reminded of the giant. Integra stopped eating as well, pondering the odd name. She looked at Vlad, laying her wrists on the side of the table, waiting for an explanation. Seras cocked her head thoughtfully. "Well, to a guy like that, I guess rats would be cute. They'd be like little mice in his hands."
Anderson snorted in humor while Vlad simply nodded and went back to eating. Integra waited for a moment and then asked her question. "Who is Jack-bean? Why do you…" She looked at her children. "…know him? He…is a person…right?"
"Jack-bean's a giant Vlad has befriended." Anderson offered, having mixed feelings about Jake. He didn't mention them as he ate.
"A giant?" Integra blinked and directed her eyes to Vlad who looked up in mid-bite. She let the boy chew and swallow before asking more about the mysterious giant. She was a bit cautious…about allowing her children to mix with the crowd Vlad was acquainted with.
"He's a friend of mine." Vlad explained.
Alright, Integra thought. That doesn't make me feel any better, Vladimir. "Is Jack-bean a nice boy, then?" She asked politely, not wanting to expose her inner thoughts.
Seras and Anderson glanced at one another and then watched Vlad smile awkwardly and nod. "I guess so…though…he's not exactly what you can call a boy." Integra blinked. "He's almost seven feet tall."
The woman eyes fluttered, replacing a flinch, and she stared at the red eyes that were ignorant of the problem containing a probable juvenile of that…size. Now that she thought about it, she only knew a few shady characters that were that tall. "And his name is Jack-bean because he's like a giant?"
"No. We make a point of saying that Jack is the human. He doesn't like being thought of as a giant…and Jack is just similar to Jake, so…." Vlad stopped when he saw the woman's eyes grow and her body stiffen significantly. Anderson and Seras were as alarmed as Vlad when they saw this response in the woman.
Integra's eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched for a moment, watching Vlad's surprise. "Is he a big…young man, about 24 or 25, dark brown hair and a…medium complexion?"
Vlad watched the woman, wary now of her profession. "He's 23, Chief, but yeah…that sounds like Jake."
Integra took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose with one hand while the other clenched into a fist. She folded her hands on the table and glared at Vlad, bringing out inherent hostility from the boy. "Vladimir…you're a good kid and we like you. I…approve of you." This caused Vlad's lips to dip into a frown. "But, I do not want you introducing…strangers to my children. They might be good, nice people, but I like to know…."
"Is this about the car theft thing?" Vlad cut in bluntly. Integra didn't respond, but her look told Vlad that it was. The red eyes closed with disappointment. "The reason why he was arrested and then released is because he didn't do it. He was framed." Red and blue watched one another, and eventually Vlad looked at the table with a sigh. "Jake's a part time mechanic and some guy didn't want to pay what he owed, so he thought that he would get out of the bill if he got Jake into trouble…and he was right for the most part. Only paid half price while Jake got locked up for three weeks for no reason…getting out when the charges were dropped."
Integra nodded slightly at this, but didn't lessen her eyes. "But he does have a record, Vladimir. Petty theft, violence, assault with and without a deadly weapon."
Everything's a freaken deadly weapon…hell, even a freaking toilet if you swing it around. Vlad didn't look at her, but he shrugged, slouching down in his seat and playing with the end of his borrowed shirt. "A lot of guys like to pick fights with him…trying to be tough or whatever."
The woman shook her head now. "We had him tested, Vladimir. A psychiatrist wanted to put him on mood stabilizers but he said that it was just a scam to take his money and he refused the prescription."
Vlad had stopped playing with the shirt and his arms were crossed, gazing down at the tablecloth. "He's not crazy, Chief. He's fine…"
"Medication doesn't mean he's crazy, Vladimir. It just means he has an…illness, and needs the medicine to help control his behavior." She looked at the boy and regretted having introduced this topic because of the strain that had been created between them, but she knew that this was serious. If Jake was dangerous for her children to be around, he was dangerous for Vlad to be exposed to, as well. The fight came to mind, widening her eyes. She concealed this with a blink. Calmly, she questioned Vlad, cautioning the limits of his comfort zone. "Have you ever noticed any problems he might have with impulse control? Or problems with rage and anxiety? Varying moods?"
Vlad bit his lip, aware of these characteristics within his friend. "Everybody gets moody." The boy mumbled, eyeing his pizza when his stomach gurgled for it. He wanted to sit up and eat, but he wasn't able to move with the three sets of eyes burning into him. He felt like he was on trial for murder or something. "There's nothing wrong with Jack-bean…and he's calmed down as he's gotten older, you know? More mature, or whatever. He's a pretty laid back guy, Chief. And he's my friend. I don't consider many people as being actual friends."
Integra closed her eyes, loathe to do this, but she did it anyway as she opened her eyes and watched the boy's face. "Has he ever hit you? Or hurt you badly?" A twitch appeared in Vlad's features but he hid it with a scowl. The woman hissed through her teeth now, tiring of the game. "Vladimir!" Vlad jolted. "Sit up and look at me when I'm talking to you! Has he hurt you or other people before? With or without intending to? Because maybe there is a way to get him some cheaper pill that might help…"
Vlad cut her off with a wolfish snarl that shocked the woman into believing that the boy before her wasn't the one she knew. Her face hardened over but was opened by surprise as Vlad growled at her.
"So he needs a pill? Because he's rough around the edges, eh? Well, the whole goddamn world is rough around the edges! Look at you!" He gestured at the woman, unnerving her as he strummed her temper. "The first time you met me you tried to arrest me! And what was I doing? Just walking around at night with my hands in my pockets! Are you paranoid? Do YOU need some goddamn pills, Chief? You forced my face into your counter top without considering why, if I was robbing you or whatever the hell you thought I was doing, I would be eating soup?" Integra was mute but her eyes narrowed and she almost protested when Vlad turned his hand to Anderson. "And what about your son? He's slammed my head into a tile floor! Twice! In succession! I was seeing fucking stars! Is he a violent, crazy, troubled teen? Does he need freaken medication?"
No one spoke as Vlad sat up and directed both of his hands towards himself, never looking away from Integra as his eyes danced with a flickering light. "And what about me? Should I be medicated? I mean, I yelling like a flippin' insane person! I had to beat the shit out of some guy I've never seen before, today, and I didn't even want to! If I hadn't, he'd have beat the shit out of ME! Will you dope me up with so many drugs that I can't tell an ass from a face? Oh, but at least I won't be VIOLENT?"
Vlad was glaring at the woman, instinctively baring his teeth at her, but after his final outburst, he heard the dead silence and instantly lost his anger and was overcome with shame and remorse. He ducked his head and glanced at Anderson whose expression made him cringe and cover his face with his hands, resting his elbows on the table. "I'm…sorry Chief…" His voice was weak and he swallowed, taking his hands away to look at the woman who had gained control of her features, removing the fear and pity she had worn moments ago. Vlad demeanor was sullen and drooped with sagging shoulders. "I'm just tired…and I shouldn't have yelled at you. You didn't say anything and you even gave me food and helped me out… And I… I'm sorry." It was quiet for a while as the atmosphere calmed with Vlad's regret. "I should just go home, Chief. I can walk, you know…it's not really too far. You or Anderson always drive me…but you don't need to."
The woman sighed, glimpsing Seras' horrified expression for a moment. Afraid that Vlad would look at the girl, she made herself into her usual, gruff…self. "Don't be a fool, Vladimir. You're still sick and you fainted barely over an hour ago. And I told you…" She watched Vlad as her children looked at her. "…we like you. Alright? Now eat your pizza, and you won't be excused until you've eaten three slices and the third one better be loaded with meat, boy. I don't permit fainting in my house."
Vlad nodded and began to eat again, to make the woman happy. But he wouldn't lift up his head or look anyone in the eye. Slices of pizza moved to individual mouths and Seras reached for another slice and then gave one to Vlad as well. Anderson got another slice and bit into it as he observed the boy. His eyes caught on something red, speckled with black.
"Hey, Vlad." He pointed at the teen's elbow, but Vlad didn't move. "I think you're bleeding."
"No. It's not bleeding anymore."
Integra took interest in this. "What are you talking about?" She looked at both of the boys while Seras did the same.
"I just scraped my elbow, Chief, when the cops dropped me…I busted it up a bit. But it's not bad…and I heal fast…don't need a band aid or anything. It'll be scabbed over soon."
"You should at least use disinfectant, Vladimir, or wash it out."
The boy's hair moved as he shook his head. "It didn't touch the ground…it was covered by my sweatshirt…the sleeve."
Those at the table recalled the filthy article of clothing and wondered if touching it was the same as rubbing the wound in the ground. Integra told Anderson to show Vlad where the hydrogen peroxide was after dinner, and then changed her mind and told him to make the boy shower, and that would be enough. Anderson nodded as Vlad drank some of his cranberry juice. The pale hand paused and suddenly Vlad found that he had drained the glass in one sitting. He guessed he was thirsty…since his water had been turned off for a while. He asked Anderson for more juice and he filled his glass and drank most of it, somehow feeling that the juice was too syrupy…and that he would much rather have water. Integra caught on to this, taking a sharp breath.
"Vladimir…" She paused and looked at Anderson. "Would you like some water?"
Vlad didn't say anything at first. He drank the last of the juice and then got up. "I'll get it. I know where the sink is."
"No, we have a water dispenser on the refrigerator, and that water has been filtered so it's better for you."
Vlad just nodded to the woman and left the dining room, disappearing down the hallway. The Andersons looked at one another once he was gone. Anderson spoke in a low voice.
"He fainted?"
Integra watched her pizza. "I found him passed out on a roof… He climbed up the side of a building and, I've been told, that officers were waiting below to catch him…because he seemed like he was going to fall. He was shaking and his movements became sluggish near the top." When her children continued to watch her she explained that there had been a fight 'between two groups of delinquents', as had been reported, and Vlad was observed fleeing from the scene. One boy had been sent to the hospital, but there was nothing seriously wrong with him. Just some damage done by repeated blows to the back and shoulder, and come cuts on his face that needed to be cleaned out. She had finished and was drinking from her glass when Vlad returned. He sat in his chair and tried to eat his final piece of pizza. Once he got halfway, he couldn't take another bite. Anderson was done and ready to be excused as well, but he waited for his mother to let Vlad go.
"There's only a little bit left, Vladimir. You need to eat it even if you feel full. Your stomach has…shrunk because you never eat much in one sitting…like for someone with an eating disorder." She waited for Vlad to touch the slice again, but he didn't. She sighed. "Eat the pizza if you think you won't throw up."
Vlad thought he would throw up so he left his chair and went with Anderson into the kitchen. He had filled up any space that might have been able to take in more pizza, with water, unfortunately. So he couldn't do as Integra asked. This bothered him as he watched Anderson rinse off their plates and put them in the dish washer.
After this, Anderson got Vlad a towel so he could take a shower. When Vlad was done, he put his borrowed clothes back on and walked to Anderson's room. The door was open, so he went in. Anderson was sitting on his bed, reading a college magazine. This seemed to depress Vlad further, but he hid this feeling when Anderson noticed him and put the magazine under his bed.
You idiot. Vlad's mouth twitched as he watched this. That's where you're supposed to hide your freaking porn…not college crap.
That cheered the boy up a bit and he got the wheeled chair and moved it to the desk when Anderson told him too. They sat and waited for their entertainment to be provided by the technology of the laptop. Neither of them knew what they wanted to do on the laptop, but once they were on the internet, Anderson decided to type in Youtube and search 'piano songs'. Vlad corrected him by reaching over and back spacing, typing in 'piano music', instead.
*~*~::..+..::~*~*
Seras heard the pipes rush with water as the boys' occupied the showers. She was sealing the lid of the tubberware that contained the left-over pizza from dinner. When she moved to the refrigerator, she passed her mother as the woman rinsed off her dish in the sink. "How well do we know Vlad?"
The fridge opened just as Integra opened the dishwasher. She closed it again and looked at her child. "He has stayed at our house before…and I know a bit of his background. He won't hurt Anderson, or you for that matter…or even me. How you saw him towards the end of dinner is how he acted, for the most part, the last time he stayed here." Seras was leaning on the door of the fridge as she listened to her mother, watching the light hit the white tiled floor. She looked at the woman as she continued to speak. "As for his anger…and the hissing sounds…" Integra shook her head and gave a worn sigh, allowing her eyes to keep the tiles company now that Seras had abandoned them. "…I guess he does that when he feels threatened…or in this case, Jake, who he believes is his friend. But the boy is not a threat to us, Seras."
The girl waited a moment, and then changed the subject. "Vlad didn't introduce us to Jake…" This caught Integra's attention, and she stared at the girl who crossed her arms and tried not to fidget like her younger brother, but failed. "Alex and I met Vlad this afternoon and then Alex wanted to visit Vlad…at his apartment, I guess. But we couldn't find his room, or the number, so we asked around." The girl frowned suddenly, tightening her arms unconsciously around her chest. "And we met this really rude…little man who gave me some pretty lewd looks, and he called Vlad 'Street-Shit'…" Seras shook her head in disgust as Integra's eyes became slits for a moment, holding the same feeling. "And we met Jake on the stairs…well, he was on the stairs, we weren't… But, anyway, Vlad had nothing to do with it. He didn't even want us around there. He kept on telling Anderson to leave…and for me to leave too, but we wouldn't listen." She looked at her mother, able to conquer her timid nature. "I think he knows he lives around dangerous people…and I can't help but think…would he…" Her eyes dropped to the floor and she relaxed her posture, to create a pause. "…would he make those strange sounds…would he curse and get involved in street fights if he hadn't grown up in that kind of environment? Because…sometimes…I see him like he's two people." Seras was quiet after that, and the look in her mother's eyes told her that she wasn't alone in her opinion.
Integra turned away after telling her daughter that she was a good girl, and wished her a good night. Yes. Vladimir was like two people…as were most kids his age. One was the child he was when he was younger…and one was whoever he was becoming. But that doesn't only involve teenagers. You look at any individual and you will find that something of who they were as a kid, is still in them. You see it in a fifty-five year old business man who bends down to pet and throw a ball for a dog. A prisoner that adopts a hurt animal and makes it their best friend, buying it toys with the little money he or she can earn. So Integra couldn't help but see an abandoned child in Vlad, even when he snarled and bared his teeth like a dog. There was a look in his eye and a ring in his laugh that spoke of hollowness…that he needed people to care about him and see the child within him without taking it as a sign of weakness and pummeling him into the ground.
The woman retired to her bedroom with these thoughts.
*~*~::..+..::~*~*
Big blues eyes blinked from the doorway, observing the two teenage boys that were watching a computer screen. But…what were they doing? The girl asked when Vlad glanced back at her. "Are you guys listening to classical music?"
Vlad sat, swiveling back and forth in his chair as Anderson answered, moving to show the girl the computer screen. "Pianists. We're looking up pianists or just piano music on Youtube."
Seras frowned, baffled by the response. "Why?"
"Because Vlad likes the piano."
Red went to the blonde boy and then his sister, interested in how she would react while he didn't appreciate the fact that Anderson hadn't asked him first if he could tell the girl this information. Seras' face showed even more confusion as she focused on Vlad. "Do you play the piano?"
Pale lips parted to answer, but Anderson cut them off by readily responding with a hint of antagonism in his tone. "He's awesome, amazing, a hundred-million times better than you, Seras." The boy grinned as his sister's features darkened. Rivalry sparked from the girl, but Vlad would have none of it as he shook his head and jabbed Anderson in the shoulder.
"Stupid fat ass doesn't know what he's talking about." He hissed and bit down on the inside of his cheek when Seras ignored this.
"Andy-Alex…bring your friend downstairs. I want to show him how to really play the piano." She marched off while Vlad stared at her and Anderson chuckled, rubbing his shoulder. He pulled the reluctant Vlad from his swivel-rolly chair…dragging the chair halfway across the room before it snagged, sinking into the lush carpet, and toppled over. Muttering heinous curses at the jock, Vlad took his time making his way down the stairs, burying his hands into the oversized jean's pockets. Once they made it to the white chairs and sat down to listen to Seras who was waiting smugly on the white bench, Vlad's cheek felt like he had bitten right through it. He stopped biting his cheek as some interest passed through him, and he left the chair to stand behind Seras to watch as her fingers poised for the first note.
She was good…all of her notes were exactly as the music sheets instructed…but it didn't have enough emotion. It was…a little flat in Vlad's opinion, but he didn't care. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen a live 'performance' like this, so when the girl was done he was smiling, surprising Seras when she turned to smirk at him. She looked questioningly at the expression until Anderson's loud voice made her brow furrow and her eyes glare at Vlad and the blonde boy.
"Vlad would beat you easily. You'll see…hey Vlad, play a song. Or, play the song you wrote." Came the haughty voice. Vlad glowered at the teen in the chair while Seras pouted.
"So you compose?" She patted the bench and got up, crossing her arms. "So play…make my little baby brother happy, Vlad."
Vlad stood like a fixed statue, narrow eyes hidden by his hair. The siblings waited patiently, but to their amazement, Vlad left them. When Anderson went after him, asking why he wouldn't play, the boy locked himself in the spare bedroom and refused to answer no matter how many times Anderson knocked or rattled the door. Anderson kept his hand on the doorknob as his sister watched him awkwardly, back by the stairs.
"Alex…" Anderson didn't look away from the door as Seras chewed on her lip and gazed at her baby blue socks. "Don't make him play if he doesn't want to."
"But he's good at it!" Anderson spun around, his mouth heavy with confusion and frustration. He gave up and marched to his room and shut the door. Why did Vlad have to do this? Now he felt so guilty…when he hadn't done anything wrong!
Seras went to her own room and closed the door behind her, going to her alarm clock-radio and switching it on. She knew that the wall separating the guest room from her room wasn't good for blocking out sound, so she turned up the volume and switched it to her favorite channel. Alex wouldn't be able to hear the music because the bathroom spaced the two siblings' rooms too far apart.
The girl knew that it would be better to let the boy chose to play on his own…and that her indirect persuasion was more effective than banging on the door. To her disappointment, she wasn't able to hear Vlad play the piano that night.
*~*~::..+..::~*~*
Anderson was reading his magazine, glaring at the words as he had to reread a sentence multiple times to make sure he was listening to his own thoughts and could remember what it had said. He remained on the same page for five straight minutes, and never managed to get any further. Vlad opened his door. The green eyes turned their glare to him and Anderson dropped his magazine on his bed. "What was that all about? Why wouldn't you play? Why did you lock yourself in…"
"I told you, Anderson. I don't play for just anyone at any time."
It was quiet as the teens eyed one another. Anderson couldn't recall having been told this before. "What are you talking about?"
Vlad frowned at him and then lost the expression as he realized his mistake. "I told the Chief that…not you." Oh…. You retard. He crossed his arms to take back some of his dignity. "Sorry. But…now I've told you. I don't play just because someone asks me too. I play for someone, or I just play in general, because I want to."
Anderson sighed and then furrowed his brow. "What's the big deal? It's just Seras. You don't hate her, do you?"
"No, it's not that Anderson." Red was wandering about the floor, finding the upturned wheely chair and a left shoe poking out from under the bed. "I don't know her very well, and I didn't want to play just to compete with her or show off. I'm not into that kind of stuff, Anderson."
This time the boy understood and he lowered his gaze to the floor as well, exhaling an 'oh'. Opps. The one being stupid here…was him. "Sorry…didn't mean to pressure you or anything like that. I thought you wouldn't mind…that you'd enjoy it…for some reason."
They didn't say anything for a while. Then Vlad told Anderson to stop hiding his college magazines with his porn, and left the room to go to bed.