Oh my gosh why did this take me so long?
I do not understand what is wrong with me an updating. I just don't understand. I'm sorry friends. I'm so sorry ;-;
But here it is, the next update. I tried to make this chapter long for you guys.
I tend not to plan ahead at times. It is just how I have always rolled.
Just hope something good happens, and if it does, great! So some how managing to score this job was a very big success for me.
I was now employed. I am officially scratching my name off the unemployed list! Thank you! (Commence the wiggling of my jazz hands~)
My conversation with Max Winters was surprisingly very nice. He was a very tall and bulky man, one I would almost consider a wrestler if he hadn't been wearing such a professional suit. Even then I still might consider it. Perhaps as a hobby? He actually might be a wrestler too; I need to look that up. I've never been too big on the sport.
Anyway, his voice was smooth; his words precise and pleasant to the ear, yet his eyes were calm and warm. I felt very comfortable talking to him. It felt like… he understood me, if that makes sense. He was kind, but somewhere through the conversation, with the way he talked about all the old antiques he had collected, I detected a note of sadness. As if he had lost so much in the time it took him to get there. Like me.
But what am I saying? I only talked to him for an hour.
He talked of the position he required for me to be in, explaining the roles and how Michelle had told him I was a star in organizing and paper work; which I was. He told me I would be in a way his assistant, which I felt was a very big job to instantly be put as the head boss' assistant.
I told him I had never done such a thing before, but he assured me that it was fine. He was desperate for a worker, and trusted Michelle's judgment. She had been in the company for so long that her family was good friends of his. I hadn't known about that and Michelle definitely hadn't mentioned it.
So, with that said, I got the job and would be starting on Monday.
There was a bounce in my step during the way home.
"I'm walking on sunshine, Ohh-oohhh!" I sang with glee, "And don't it feel good! Bah! Wah wah, dum dum da dee da doo~ And don't it feel go-AHHHH!" I jumped when something heavy tipped over behind me. What in the world was that?!
Looking around, I glanced to the oddly shaped form at my feet. Stepping back, it became clear that it was a… person? A collapsed man?!
"Oh. Oh my gosh! Sir! SIR!" I gasped, kneeling down to the man to shake his shoulder. "Are you alright?" The man didn't respond, but groaned softly. His eyes were shut, his body limp and his face pale. My hand moved up to his forehead, his skin burning at my touch. "What a horrible fever."
Horrified, I Iooked around helplessly. How did I always manage to get caught up in these situations?! It was as if my soul was drawn to people in distress or something.
"Okay Arinna," I told myself. "Try to remember what you learned from Nicole's Dad that one time he attempted to teach you first aid. Always check your surroundings. Look for hazardous things that may hurt you." I glanced around, seeing that the area seemed to be clear. "If you are there because you heard a similar scream of help, aid the victim. Even if they are surrounded by multiple armed criminals. Think not of the consequence that may be death. Remember, fear is an irrational emotion. You should ignore it. Police are irrelevant too. Think not of calling them…" I trailed off, frowning.
Wait… that doesn't seem right.
Now that I think about it… maybe I shouldn't take safety advice from a guy who thought it might be cool to cut off his own thumb just for him to be able to tell his buddies about it later.
Makes me wonder how Nicole became a person so bent on not doing dangerous things.
Well, no, that is a lie. Nicole does a lot of dangerous things. But the one thing she treats with the utmost care is a stranger. Especially welcoming said stranger into her house.
But she would gladly meet a creepy guy under a bridge in the middle of the night if he asked. The fool.
So, I did the next best thing I could. I checked for breathing and a pulse, relieved to find both. Then, I began to yell towards the crowded streets down the alley. "S-Someone!" I screamed. "Please! Help!"
It didn't take long for someone to notice me and send an ambulance. When the medics arrived they asked me what happened, but I didn't have a clue, so they whisked us both into to the ambulance all the way to hospital.
Not that I'm this guy's family or anything, but it wouldn't feel right to find him and just abandon him. I had an obligation as the one who found him to make sure he was okay, or at least wait until his family got there.
They never showed though. The problem was that this guy didn't have any identification. From his clothes I assumed he lived on the streets.
Similar to myself before I moved in with Nicole, he was on his own. For now, I just have to call Nicole and tell her what happened.
I used the hospital phone to do so and felt so relieved when she answered, "Y'ello~ This is Nicole speaking."
"Nicole!" I sobbed into the phone.
"Arinna?" Nicole asked, startled. "What's wrong? Where are you?"
"The Hospital…"
"What?!" there was a crash and violent noises, as if she dropped the phone and was scrambling to pick it back up, "Are you okay?!"
"I-I'm fine." I say, "It isn't me who needed to come here. On my way home I found this guy and he was unconscious and… and now he is in the emergency room."
"….Your soul is just drawn to people in distress, isn't it?"
I had to take a double take when Nicole said the exact same thought I had earlier.
"I… I dunno, maybe?" I shrugged. "Can you just get down here?"
"Yeah, sure, let me just stabilize my soap guardian and I'll be right there."
"Your what?" I asked
"Well, I was telling Michelle about that year my Dad sent me off to summer camp and I learned how to sculpt ancient warriors out of Soap, and she didn't believe me. So I'm making one now to prove to her I can. I'm at a crucial point, so once I finish that off I'll be right there." There was a pause. "Michelle, I'm about to head out and go pick up Arinna, can you watch everyone for me while I'm gone?"
"...Well I am already here, so might as well." I heard Michelle reply on the other end, sounding in awe at what I assumed to be Nicole's soap warrior. They tended to be very impressive.
"Gah!" Suddenly I heard Picasso's let out this sound. It sounded like he was eating something.
"Picasso no! Don't bite on LeatherHead's tail! Leatherhead, stop him!" Nicole yelled. I almost sighed when I heard that.
"I apologize. It is hard to say no to him." Leatherhead said softly.
"Nicole, you're leaving?" Elizabeth's voice rang through the phone, "I wanna come too!"
"Elizabeth you can't. I have to go to the hospital-"
"I wanna come!" the younger girl insisted. Sighing, Nicole was quiet for a few second.
"…Okay. Okay. But you are wearing the hat and scarf I gave you. I don't want anyone seeing your face." She sighed. "Arinna, I'll be right there with Elizabeth."
"Okay. See you soon."
With that I hung up. I waited at least 30 minutes before Nicole shot through the doors, scanning wildly through the waiting room. "There you are. You are like a magnet that attracts trouble, you know that right? Trouble just can't avoid you." she pointed to me.
"What?" I questioned.
"I'm trouble!" Elizabeth appeared from behind Nicole.
"Uh oh!" Nicole faked a gasp, "You're pulling Elizabeth straight towards you Arinna! Ahh! Elizabeth noo!"
Elizabeth began to walk towards me, looking as if she was trying to go against the pull but couldn't. "I can't go against it!" she wailed.
The sight made me wonder how long they took to rehearse this before they actually walked through the door.
"Ahhhhh!" Elizabeth leapt into my arms, "The magnet too strong."
"The magnet was too strong. Even for others who have nothing to do with Arinna and her life, but they find her anyway." Nicole gave me a pointed look.
"Hey, I never intend to find unconscious guys on my way home. That is my least favorite thing to discover." I frown.
"Sure it is." she sniffs, plopping down next to me, "So is the guy good or what?"
"I don't know. The doctors haven't approached me yet." I tell her. "I'm waiting for the news."
"...So we are actually sticking around?" she sighs.
I hit her on top of the head, "Of course we are. I found him so I'm responsible."
"And that is why you get thrown into trouble so often." Nicole shook her head. "Well, random unconscious dude aside…" she says, "How was the interview?"
"I think it went fine." I shrugged.
"That's it?" She frowned.
"Oh, I got the job, so yeah." The grin on my face couldn't get any brighter.
Nicole blinked once, then hit my shoulder, "Girl! Good job!" She cackled. "Knew you could do it!"
'Yay for Arinna!" Elizabeth didn't really look like she understood what we were talking about, but clapped anyway. "You got to wort!"
"Work." we correct her.
"Wort."
"Work."
"...Wort?"
"Know what, forget it. Close enough." Nicole pats her head.
"Excuse me?" a nurse suddenly approaches us, "You are Ms. Arinna yes, the one to come in with the man you found off the street?"
"That is me." I nod.
"Thank you for doing so. I came to let you know that his condition has stabilized and he is resting as we speak."
"So he is going to be alright?" I asked, worried.
"Yeah, is what he has curable?" Nicole nodded.
"Well, yes. With our diagnosis he seemed to have received food poisoning."
"Food poisoning?" Nicole's eyes widened. "That's it?"
"Well, Food Poisoning can be very dangerous in it's own sense. It is a good thing you found him when you did miss." The nurse turned to me, "With care and rest he should be back on his feet in no problem at all." she smiled. "The problem is though, we have no records on this young gentleman."
"None?" Nicole questioned
"Quite. We searched his belongings for any sign of an ID but nothing came up. We don't know his name and can't consult with his medical file for more information, which is causing a lot of problems for what steps we should take next. What we can tell is that he is suffering from Malnutrition and dehydration at the same time as when the food poisoning took place. Besides that there are no other injuries or problems. We set him up to an IV and he will need to start consuming more calories to ramify this problem." she glanced at us, "Are you sure you two have never seen this man before?"
"We don't know him. I don't even know what he looks like." Nicole folded her arms.
"Perhaps we could ask his name when he wakes up?" I suggest.
"If you want you can go into his room." the nurse offered. "We can't locate any family of his at the moment, but you are the ones who found him."
"Thank you." I move past her, headed straight to room. Elizabeth trailed behind me, but Nicole motioned for us to go on without her, taking a few extra minutes to talk to the nurse about something.
After a while Nicole moved to join us, and we stayed with the man for a good hour before he became conscious. I rose the second he began to stir. "Sir?" I asked, "Sir, can you hear me?"
He groaned, turning his head. Then his eyes opened.
"Oh thank goodness you are awake." I smiled as I bent over the man to stare at his face. He blinked blurrily at me for a few seconds, not sure how to comprehend what was happening.
"Where-?" he croaked.
"The hospital. I found you collapsed." I explained.
"Mister. Mister alright?" Elizabeth was trying to peek over the bed at him. He glanced wearily at her, confused.
"Who are you?" he inquired softly.
"That is Elizabeth." I tell him, "And I am Arinna. What is your name?"
The man stared at her his eyes slowly widening, "I'm… I'm Jake. Jake Brookfield." He said softly.
"Jake Brookfield." I noted. "I am so relieved you are okay."
"What happened?" panic began to seep into his eyes as he discovered where he was. "Why did I end up here?"
"Food poisoning." Nicole tells him, "Something you ate wasn't sitting well with ya."
His hand moves to his stomach and he nods slowly, "Oh… And you helped me?" he gave me a puzzled look.
"What I just suppose to leave you there?"
"I… well, no. Thank you." he takes a few deep breaths, "Will I be okay?"
"The doctors said so, yes." I smile, "You'll make a full recovery and will be out of here in no time!"
Taking that in, Jake looked around rapidly. After a few seconds, his breathing got a little heavy, as if he was going into a panic. He gripped at his shirt, licking his lips and saying, "I…I c-can't pay… I mean- I don't…" the anxiety in his voice growing larger with each new phrase he attempted to choke out. "I can't pay."
"Jake. Hey." Nicole placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I got you covered."
I was just as shocked as Jake to hear this news and we both turned to her, "W…What?" he whispered.
"I paid for the treatment." Nicole announced. "And don't worry about paying me back, just focus on getting better, alright?"
"You… You did?" Jake was dumbstruck. "But why?" his voice was so quiet Nicole almost didn't hear him.
"Because I am an angel sent from the heavens above to watch over the souls who need aid in this world." She said valiantly, "So just shut up and be grateful."
I nudged her, "Nicole."
"It is true." she gives him a nod, "Rest up. You are going to need it. We'll go get a nurse." she turned, dragging Elizabeth and me out with her.
"I can't believe you paid for it." I say in awe when we get out into the hall.
"Like he was going to.," she snorted.
"Very nice." Elizabeth pats her knee.
"It is very nice." she says with pride, "I'm a saint." she waved her arms and moved down the halls slowly, attempting to be graceful but only slamming her knee into a cabinet. "GAH!"
A little while later, after telling the doctor that we learned Jake's identity, we started to head back home.
I paused though after seeing the doctor that helped Jake out before we leave, I wave to Nicole. "You two go ahead. I'm going to go thank that doctor."
"Got'cha." Nicole salutes and heads off with Elizabeth. When they were gone I go up to the doctor, beaming.
"I wanted to thank you for helping Jake."
He smiles, "All in a days work. Thank you for finding him." he glances at some paperwork, with a frown. "I don't think anyone else would if you hadn't."
"What do you mean?"
He shook it off, 'I…" he glances down at the hall, "We attempted to contact that young man's family." he informs me. "It wasn't until we- I shouldn't be telling you this. I'm sorry."
"Wait-" I grab his arm. "Tell me what?"
000-NICOLE-000
Arinna visited Jake for the next two days after that. I figured she would, but there was something different about these visits.
Arinna was very gentle when it came to Jake, which wasn't unlike her, but something was just odd about it. Everything he wanted she would get, and she'd talk to him so softly, like she was worried he would break. It hadn't really started until after her talk with that doctor. I don't know what they talked about, but it was something serious I guess.
Not serious enough to keep him in the hospital though.
With how dehydrated his was and wanting to make sure the food poisoning was completely out of his system, she was relieved when the Doctor said he could leave this afternoon.
I on the other hand, couldn't really understand why Arinna always felt this obligation to help those she discovers. I ended up telling Agatha about this, and she said it was wonderful that Arinna was so kind.
"Yeah." I try to agree, "But it could get her into trouble one day."
"Perhaps." she smiles, "How is the young man doing anyway?"
"He is being released today. Not sure what he is going to do though. From the looks I'm getting from Arinna, I'm sure she'll want him to move in with us."
"Would you let him?"
"My apartment is full." I gag. "And we can't just take in people willy nilly. We've known him two days, hardly enough time to become room mates."
Agatha rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "What exactly is he like?"
I shrug, "Short attention span. Easily distracted. You should see him just trying to get through a conversation, the guy is all over the place." I pause, "Not saying I can spot the systems easily, but I swear he's got ADHD. Maybe OCD too?" I trailed off. "Always gets so nervous, like he expects Arinna to disappear out of thin air or something. You should see him around Elizabeth. It's like he thinks she'll shatter or something if he speaks too loud. He get's along well with her though. He is like a shy little kid around her." I smiled, thinking back to what happened this morning.
Elizabeth had brought Jake some apples to help make him strong again and started cutting them for her. Jake has gone completely pale when Elizabeth pulled out the knife and tried to stop her, going shaky and stuttering, "T-T-That is really dangerous. Who gave you that knife? You shouldn't have a knife-"
She sliced that apple into perfect slices so fast, he barely had time to blink before she was holding out the first piece to him. "Ahh." she commanded, wanting him to open his mouth. "He comes the choo-choo twain~"
He didn't say a word the entire time he ate, staring at he with such bewilderment.
Agatha was chuckling as I told her this, "He sounds very sweet. You should bring him by when he gets out of the hospital."
"That is the plan. Arinna wants him to have dinner with us." I said with dread. This was how it starts. He comes for dinner, and then he stays forever. Glancing down at my wrist when my watch began to beep I sighed, "Well, gotta go pick him up. Arinna insisted on giving him a ride." Arinna insists on a lot of things with Jake, even if he doesn't always agree. I don't think he has the heart to say no to her though since she helped him.
Grabbing my bag, I got my keys out a waved goodbye to Agatha, heading straight for the hospital. From there I found Jake waiting in the lobby as Arinna signed him out.
"Jake." I wave to him.
"Nicole." he nods, "Thanks for the ride." he pauses, "Where are we going again?" he is messing with the button on his shirt, flicking it around continuously.
"My place. Arinna wants you to join us for dinner, remember?" Which I wasn't sure how that was going to work at first with our other roommates, but Michelle agreed to let Leatherhead and Picasso stay at her place for the night.
'Right, right. Dinner. I like a good dinner. What is for dinner?"
I shrug, "I dunno. What do you like?"
"Anything."
'...Really helps give me an idea of what to make, thanks." I frown at him. He visibly shrinks into his shirt.
"Sorry." he shuffles his feet, "I don't mean to make things difficult for you… or for Arinna. You've both done so much for me already. I don't deserve it."
"You sure don't." I snort, nudging him. He doesn't take the joke and looks a little heart broken. "Joke. Totally a joke." I say quickly. "You are a nice guy Jake. I mean, Arinna doesn't mind talking with you, if that is what you are worried about. She's grown pretty attached. She does that with every person she finds collapsed on the ground for some reason-"
"That sounds like she finds a lot of people like that."
"...More or less." I sigh.
"I'm glad she found me. I would have died." Jake nodded to himself.
"Well, I wouldn't go that far, but you were pretty bad off-"
"She was really loud when she found me. She was screaming and screaming and screaming." Jake was rambling, interrupting me every chance he got. I didn't mind, I suppose, and only nodded when he spoke.
"Yeah, Arinna can be pretty loud." I chuckle, "Though, I'll tell you right now, sometimes I get pretty loud too."
Through the entire conversation I couldn't help but catch the active motion of Jake's hands. He was always messing with something. Whether it was his shirt- medical robe thing-, the band on his arm, the sides of the bed or even the contents on the table next to him, he was always messing with them. Like he was adjusting them, making them perfect in whatever way he wanted them but moving so often that if he wasn't doing something then everything was wrong.
I was blunt to ask, "You got OCD or something?"
He gave me a wild look, "You- how did you know?"
"A guess." I humored him.
"When I was younger I was diagnosed with OCD." Jake said with a nod. "I've also been told I am ADHD. Is that obvious too?"
"No." I try to say, but can't keep a straight face, "Yeah. Yeah, it is. Really obvious. Not that anything is wrong with it. I'm going to medical school right now, and I have 3 classmates who have OCD. Which really doesn't help with the field they are going into. You are a lot like them, so I was just wondering. I like to get things out in the open."
He nods a few times, looking to his right when Arinna approached us. "Okay! Lets go!" she pumps her fist.
Jake mimicked the motion and they ran out of the car. I groaned, "I don't want to run." I jog after them. Cramming into the car, we made our way back to the apartment where Arinna and me went through books upon books of cooking recipes to get an idea of what to make for the night.
Finally deciding it was going to be simple spaghetti I got it cooking, "So Jake, what are you gonna do now?"
He moved the fork to his right, glancing at me, "..." he shrugged.
"Good life plan." I roll my eyes, "You could get a job." I suggest.
"I'm not good at finding jobs." he says, "I struggle to- that is a nice plant." he points to the plant in the corner of the room.
"Thanks!" Arinna gushes. I sigh at them.
Deciding to drop the subject and lets things just happen as they happen, we finished our dinner in peace. Jake didn't like to talk much about his past or how he ended up on the streets, and we didn't push him to tell us. His business was his business.
"I am curious though." I admit, "What did you eat the day you got food poisoning."
Jake struggled to remember, "I drank some water. Someone gave me a bagel, which was nice of them. And an egg."
"An egg from where?" Arinna frowns.
"..." he purses his lips and I knew he was going to say the garbage. With how skinny he was, he was probably starving.
"It was probably the egg." I conclude.
"Yeah, probably." he agrees.
"Well, hey, think of it as a lesson. Never eat eggs you find in the garbage ever again." Arinna chuckles.
Jack nodded, "Definitely." he glanced around, "So, it is just you two that live here?"
"No- I mean, yes." Arinna panics for a second, slipping up. "Just Nicole and me."
"What about Elizabeth? I noticed her isn't here." he looked around. Arinna glanced at me, hoping for me to explain.
"She is my niece." I tell him, scowling at her for putting me on the spot. "She doesn't normally live here."
"Where is she now?" he sounded as if he was sad she wasn't joining us.
"Day camp." Arinna lies. "Or something."
"Or… something?"
"Day camp." I kick Arinna from under the table. She flinches.
"Day… camp." she says through gritted teeth.
"Oh." nodding a few times, Jake messes with the silverware. "How long have you two known each other?"
"Since preschool." We say
"Long time."
"The years went by before we even realized it." Arinna chuckles.
"They tend to do that." Jake agrees with a small smile. "...Do you two videogames?"
"Yes." I raise my hand.
"More or less?" Arinna cringes, "I like watching people play them more than actually playing them myself."
"Because she is really bad at them." I snort. She elbows me.
"I try my best." she insists.
Jake gives us a small chuckle, "Well, thank you for the dinner. It was really good."
"No problem." we rise from our seats to walk him towards the door.
"Do you have somewhere to stay for the night?" Arinna looks worried.
"Well, yes and no? I'd have to go by and make sure." he says nervously, "B-But don't worry, I'll figure it out."
Arinna looks ready to invite him over to stay the night, but I stop her, giving her the best subtle look I can to remind her that there is a turtle and giant alligator mutant living with us. Sighing, she lowers her gaze and nods.
"If… If anything happens, don't be afraid to stop by." she tells him.
"You've already done enough." he glances at his feet, "Thank you, again."
"Don't sweat it." I pat his back.
"Have a nice night." he waves to use and disappears down the elevator.
After that we didn't see him for a couple of days.
Surprisingly enough, Jake didn't stay like I thought he would. I mean, I'm sure Arinna will go to visit him, but he wanted to go off and find his own way. Get a job, something he can stay with, and pay me back for paying his medical bills. I kept telling him he didn't need to worry about it, but he was very insistent.
I was actually super proud to watch him walk out that door, his head held high with determination. I went to work with a happy feeling, hoping Jake could find the job he was searching for.
That feeling turned into confusion when I came back to the apartments to find him there again.
"Wait, what?" I blinked rapidly when I noticed Jake standing in the middle of the lobby, messing with a bouquet of white daisies. "Jake?"
He lifted his head at the sound of his name. "Hi Nicole." he waved.
"What are you doing here?" I approached him.
"Ms. Agatha invited me."
"...Why?" I inquired suspiciously, narrowing my eyes.
"Nicole." Agatha tsked, coming back from the back room, "Don't give that kind of look to my guests."
"You don't have guests." I accused, dreading where this was going, "Why is he here?"
"He'll be living here. I just hired him." Agatha smiled at Jake who smiled sheepishly.
I was shocked, "You're letting him stay and work in the apartments?"
"Yes." Agatha nodded. "He'll be your new neighbor. You seem to be getting a bunch of those." Agatha mused.
"I- you- well I mean… Okay?" so much for him not staying forever, "Sure, why not? He can stay. But…" I point to her, "Speaking of which, am fine with Jake moving in. Nice guy. But Stockman?"
"Oh." Agatha scoffs, "Nicole, honestly, you need to let this go. Stockman, while he may be a little… odd, if a very nice young man. You are over exaggeration."
"Hardly!" I disagree, "You don't know that little creep ball like I do! He is weird and annoying and self centered-"
"He is moving in within a couple days Nicole, nothing can change that." she goes behind the desk and pulls out some keys, passing them to me. "Now be a dear and show Jake to his new home."
Clumsily catching the keys I glare at her, sighing, "I don't like this." I call to her when she disappears into the back. Waiting a few seconds to wait for her reply, I turned to Jake when she didn't. "Okay fine, come on Jake." we head up the elevator.
"Are you sure you are okay with me living here?" he asks.
"Yeah, why not?" I grumble. He looks around awkwardly. "I do have some rules." that catches his attention.
"Rules?" he inquires.
"You are not allowed to come into our apartment without permission. If you hear a lot of noise, you ignore it. If you see something strange, like something big or little that theoretically doesn't look like it should exist, come and tell me about it before you tell Agatha. That is the most important rule."
Jake frowned at this, "Those are some odd rules."
"Michelle thinks they are fine."
"Then Michelle is weird." he mumbled.
"She is." I agree, "...But so am I, and Arinna, and you, Mr. Egg eater."
"It was one egg." he jumped, startled, his voice raising. Shocked since it was the first time he spoke up with me, I smirked.
"But you did still ate it and got sent to the hospital because of it. I'm never letting you live that down." I inform him.
Red dusting at his cheeks, he clutches his bag close to his chest and turns, "I was starving. I didn't have any other choice. You would have done the same thing probably. Or- Or something!" he sticks his tongue out at me.
It was childish and cute.
"Oooh," I nod, sticking my tongue right back at him, making a face. "Sure thing, whatever helps you sleep at night."
Exiting the elevator, I hold my arm out to stop him. He looks confused by this, but I give him a blank look as I peek out and look down both sides of the hall. No one was out of the room, meaning he wouldn't see Picasso or Leather Head.
"What are you doing?" he asks, trying to get around my arm and step out.
"I'm uh-" I pause, smirking, "I thought Agatha told you about this?" I lean a little closer to him. He shrinks a bit, frowning.
"About what?" he whispers.
"She didn't." I cringe, "Oh boy. She probably should have before you agree to live here." I shake my head, hoping I could keep a serious face with this.
Jake's eyes double in size, "T-Tell me about what?" he demands.
"Well, you see, there is this old lady that lives one floor below us. Her name is Revenbard. Wonderful lady, but she is known to have a little… tick, if you will."
'Tick?"
"Every day after she has a meal, she wonders the halls of this apartment complex. It is a well known fact that you need to be constantly aware of your surroundings when you leave your apartment because if she sees you… she charges."
"...Charges?" he went pale.
I nod, "Drops down on all fours like a ragging pig and sprints at you. If you are fast enough you can get to elevator, she never goes in there. The metal walls remind her of her childhood that consisted of her father making her pull of the can openers of soda pop."
"...You're lying." he frowns
"Am I?" I asked innocently. "Then maybe you should ask Jimmy. He lives right below you, you know. He's seen it. Barely escaped her midnight snacking frenzy when he came home from work late. There is a chunk of his lower shin missing."
Jake looks terrified as we make our way down to his room. As I unlock it he looks around the halls wildly, "W-When does she usually eat?"
"It is different every day." I sigh sadly, "Agatha would do something about it but, bless her soul, the last time she tried Revenbard almost tore of her head. Agatha barely escaped by locking herself in a maintenance closet for two hours. Would kick Revenbard out too if it wasn't for her delectable cinnamon cookies she brings to Christmas parties."
Nodding numbly he steps into his apartment, looking too numb to truly appreciate that he has a new home. "Um-" he licks his lips, "T-Thanks for the warning." he glances around, putting his coat down. "So this is mine?"
"Yup." I nod, "Welcome home." I put the keys on the hook, "But uh-" I scratch my head, hoping I didn't scare the poor guy too much, "If you need anything Arinna and me are right down the hall. Michelle is super nice too, so I'm sure she would help you with anything you need."
Eyes still caught on the room around him he runs his hand over the top of the table, "Thank you." he sounds a little choked up and clears his throat, "Thank you again Nicole."
"Don't thank me." I tell him, moving to the door, "Arinna is the one who found you."
He smiles brightly, "Yeah. I'm grateful for that. My life- my whole life seems to have turned around because of that."
"Arinna tends to do that." I chuckle. Giving him a wave, I close the door and leave him to his new room, going back to my own apartment to give Arinna the news. She squeals, jumping wildly.
"He's our neighbor?!"
"Yeah, Agatha gave him the keys today."
"Oh! Oh how lovely! I'll have to bring him a house warming gift!" she cheers. In which she ended up bringing him a cactus of all things. Not sure what convinced her to do so, but Jake accepted it without question. Not really sure he knew how to take care of it though since he gave Arinna the most bewildered look when she gave it to him.
"...Thanks?" A day later Jake came out of the elevator with a "Dummies guides to taking care of cactuses."
As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, I had to laugh at both the book and the fact that he pressed himself against the wall to take a look of his surrounding, looking wildly for Revenbard.
"Hey Jake." I wave to him from down the hall, trying my best not to giggle.
He straightens and looks at us. "Hello Nicole." he smiles, "Hi Elizabeth."
"Hi Jakey!" Elizabeth yells. She calls him Jakey for whatever reason now.
"Taking good care of that cactus?" I ask him. He attempts to hide the book behind his back.
"Yup."
"Need any help with it?"
"Nope." he pouts a bit and walks backwards towards his room to avoid us seeing the book. "Gotta go. Gotta go wash my… shorts." he frowns at his own words and disappears into his room. Elizabeth chuckles.
"He is silly."
"He sure is." I pat her head and we move inside. Once within I tell Arinna that Jake is really putting in an effort to keep the Cactus she gave him alive.
"Aww." she cooes, "That is so sweet." she is currently feeding Picasso, who is being difficult. "Picasso." she sighs, "Come on now-" he hits the spoon away, "It is just carrots."
"No one likes carrots." I pull out the paper.
"Carrots are yummy for you." she tells him, "C'mon now. Here comes the train." she makes train noises, which only seems to heighten his attempts to hit the spoon out of her hands. He had officially begun to walk on his own at this point, with a few shaky steps here and there.
We couldn't believe our eyes when he pulled himself up to his feet using a chair. I knew he was enhanced, I just never thought he would walk one day like leatherhead. The world sure is strange.
"Picasso." Arinna scolds when he spits the carrot out onto her face. "No no. No thank you."
He looks away, throwing his arms to the side and hitting the bowl of carrots off the high chair. I laugh at the sight.
"You aren't helping." she turns to me with a huff.
"I'm not trying to help." I snort. Scowling, which feels weird for Arinna to do, she kneels down to pick up the carrots, her expression softening again.
"How about something else then?" she asks him. Picasso glances at her, pointing to the fridge, which meant yes.
Watching her go to make some other elaborate meal for the baby turtle, I glance around, noticing how quiet it was. "...Where is Elizabeth?" I frown when I realize she isn't around.
Arinna takes a few looks around the room and calls, "Elizabeth?" she doesn't answer. Frowning, I moved into the two bedrooms as well as the bathroom and closets- she wasn't there. I saunter back to the kitchen, confused.
"What in the world-?" I question. I just saw her five minutes ago, where could she have gone?
"I don't even know where Leather head went." Arinna huffs, "Did they go visit Michelle?"
"They didn't say they were." I shake my head; worried they just walked out of the apartment. "I'll go ask Michelle-"
A piercing scream echoed through the halls before it suddenly cut off.
Freezing at the noise, I shot a look at Arinna, who had jumped at the sound. That was Jake.
"Jake?!" we barrel out the door and into the hall. Scrambling to the other side, finding that his front door was wide open. "Jake?" I run inside without a second thought, "What is going on?! What happened?!" I turn into his bedroom, shocked at what I find.
Jake is pinned the floor by a single large palm, while another covered his mouth. His muffled screams were ecstatic as he thrashed against his captor… who was a big alligator.
"Wha-" the dumb confusion and panic is something I can not describe, "Leatherhead?!" I scream at him, "What are you doing?!"
Leatherhead looks at me, his eyes wide and frightened. "He… he screamed. It startled me." he stammered.
Jake, who was still screaming in a muffled sound, glancing wildly from Leatherhead to me, raising an eyebrow, his screams sounding a bit confused.
"Leather head." Arinna sighs, holding her hands out in exasperation. "Why did you come over here?"
Leatherhead glanced over his shoulder, shifting. It was only when he moved that I noticed Elizabeth standing behind him. She shifted her weight nervously, tugging sheepishly at the bottom of her shirt.
"...Elizabeth." I frown at her, placing my hands on my hips, "What did you do?"
"I-I just… I just wanted Jakey to meet my friend." she said so quietly I almost didn't hear her.
"What is all the commotion about?" Michelle peeked her head in, rubbing at her eyes as if she had just woken up from a nap. "Have none of you ever heard of a good night's rest? I would really enjoy having a night of peace." she hobbles in and takes a look at her surroundings, "Oh Leatherhead, let the poor boy go. Heaven's know he probably needs as much rest as I."
"...Michelle. Think it through." I frown at her, realizing she was half awake.
She blinks dully at me. "... Oh, Jake. What are you doing in Nicole's apartment?"
"He isn't in our apartment. We're in his." Arinna tells her. '
"...Oh." she nods then freezes, " AH! Leatherhead!" she yelps, "What are you doing in here- Oh Jake, this is not an Alligator. It is a man in a- a suit! Yes, a big man in a big alligator suit!"
"Michelle it is too late." I sigh.
"Shh." she hushes me as if she still thinks we could wiggle our way out of this. "He does not realize."
"I think he does realize!"
"He does not. Let me handle this." she approaches Jake then, taking his hand into her own, "Listen Jake, this is all a simply illusion."
"Hmph?" he question, Leatherhead's hand still over his mouth.
"Yes, a big illusion consisting of Nicole, Arinna, Elizabeth, and myself." she nods.
"And Leatherhead." Arinna adds in.
"Leatherhead is not here." Michelle waves her off, "He does not exist."
"I don't?" he asks.
"You do, but you do not." she agrees
"Heaven give us strength." I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Michelle, this is not working. This is the opposite of working."
"Come on Nicole, give it a chance." Arinna insists.
"Did I take crazy pills?!" I demand, "He knows! Look at him! He knows!"
"He definitely will if you keep screaming about it." Arinna folds her arms with a huff.
"AGH!" I turn around and throw my hands into the air, "Forget it! I give up!"
"An illusion~" Michelle wiggles her fingers at him. "An illusio-" she trails off when something small crawls on top of Leatherhead's chest and rolls onto Jake's chest.
"Pic-" Arinna covers her mouth and I turn to see what happened only to find that Picasso has some how managed to get out of his high chair, into the hall, all the way down here.
"HOW?!" I point at him. He was only going to make this worse.
"This is a doll!" Arinna screams in a panic, picking up Picasso. "A fake doll that can kind of move and make noises."
"He is also a baby." Elizabeth tells Jake.
"Elizabeth stop talking to him. Stop talking." Michelle motions for her to step away. Elizabeth does as she is told, blinking rapidly.
"I can't handle this today." I groan, "I mean, how did I even expect for us to keep this a secret? Of course we can't! Because I'm the only person in this whole world who knows how serious it is to keep this secret, but not all of you! Oh no! You all just prance around cheering about it." I do a little dance and Arinna hits me. I hit her right back.
She gasps, looking appalled. Putting Picasso down on the couch she hits me again.
Ooohhhh the gloves are off here. I pop my knuckles and tackle her. Together we roll on the ground, Elizabeth pleading with us to stop only to leap onto my back. I shriek at this and we tumble into the table.
"Girls! Girls!' Michelle roars at us, patting Jake's face, "Remember, illusion." Jake is breathing heavily, his eyes wide and searching. "Oh, Leatherhead let up a bit, the poor dear looks ready to pass out."
Leatherhead nods and lifts his palm a bit to let Jake breath, "Should I do something?" Leatherhead asked Michelle.
"Might as well." she shakes her head. "If you do not Agatha might just come up here to see what all the commotion is."
Thus we were separated from Leatherhead and placed in chairs in front of Jake.
"So… talking alligators." he asks. We nod. "And a mutant turtle baby?" we nod again. "... Should I just assume this isn't actually your niece then?" he points to Elizabeth.
"They found my on the streets when I was chased by the ninja clan called the Foot." Elizabeth tells him.
"..." Jake lowers his hand and nods, not even able to comment on that one. "Right. Is there anything weird about you three I should know then?"
"I work at a Bakery dude." I sigh, "This is super weird for me too."
"My soul is attracted to the abnormal and bizarre." Arinna admits,
"It's true." I whisper to him.
"And I am… a photographer who just so happens to take pictures of weird things. Honestly a pretty normal life for anyone in my profession." Michelle admits.
"Dude, none of this is normal." I frown at her, "Don't even pretend it is."
"Would you rather I go into a panic?" she inquires.
"Maybe?" I huff, "I dunno. You do realize I just take this day-by-day, right? I have no plan or preparation for any of this and just wing it."
"Me too." she said in understanding.
"So… this is all a big secret?" he concludes.
"Yes." we all nod.
"And you want me to keep this secret." it wasn't a question.
"It is really important that you do." Michelle agrees.
"And if you don't we will have Leatherhead eat you." I say as unthreatening as possible while completely being threatening. Jake tenses a bit and glances at Leatherhead, who bares his fangs at him. He squeaks a bit.
"We wouldn't let him eat you." Arinna puts her hand on Leatherhead's hand to stop him. "But this is important to us Jake." she pleads with him, "We'll explain everything if you just listen."
Glancing at her, Jake hesitated. "I… I owe you my life Arinna." he tells her, "I owe all of you just as much actually." he glances around at his house. "I'll listen and try my very best to understand and keep this secret of yours."
"Yay Jakey!" Elizabeth ran to him. "Okay, I am kind of being hunter by a ninja group." she tells him
"Wha- kind of?" he stammered.
"Let's just get this out of the picture, the only one we fully know the background story of and why they are the way they are is Leatherhead here and even he says he was experimented on by aliens, which would mean aliens exist." I say heavily.
"The Kraang." Leatherhead growls.
"Right, the Kraang." I roll my eyes, "I have no idea who they are, but knowing our luck, we'll find out one day.
Jake struggles for a second, "And I thought my life was messed up."
"You've never really told us much about that," Arinna points out. "I mean… you never told us how you ended up on the street."
Jake looks nervous, "I'm not good at finding a job."
"And you couldn't go with your parents either…" Arinna looks away. There is a sad look on her face, "I didn't mean to pry on your life Jake."
He turns back at her, "What do you mean by that?"
"The doctor informed me of your past. They- they tried to contact your family while you were at the hospital. When they looked into it and asked the police, they told them that your parents…"
Jake looks startled suddenly and looks away.
"Your parents passed away when you were young." Arinna finished. I hadn't expected this information, and it hit me like a brick. The whole room goes quiet.
"I… had no idea." I admit
"It was a long time ago." Jake sighs, "I'm surprised they had records on it."
"If it means anything, I know how you feel." Arinna tells him softly. She reaches out for his hand, giving it a squeeze, "My parents didn't pass away but, my mother left me at a young age, and my Father was- well, he was absent too, so I know what it feels like to grow up without parents."
Giving her a wide look, Jake squeezed her hand back.
"I-" Michelle clears her throat, "My father passed away when I was younger. Killed by a despicable man."
Definitely not expecting that, I whip around to face her, "You… never told us that." I tell her breathlessly.
"It was something that was hard to just bring up." she sniffs, "He was the reason I moved here to New York- to try and start a new life- or move on from the one I left behind."
Feeling a melancholy tone fill the room, I leaned back, "I can't say I understand how any of you feel cause my parents are still with me, but I know what it feels like to lose people… important people. And I know this is probably really weird for you right now Jake, trust me. But we keep each other's secrets and protect one another. We're family." I emphasize that, "So, as a friend to another, please don't tell anyone about these guys. I don't think I could handle after to part with another important person." I was quick to add, "And I would be really angry if I had to say good bye to these guys. I mean, I just started to get use to them."
Elizabeth giggles at that, hugging my leg.
"Well…" Jake smiles, "If you promise not to assault me again, I'll keep your secret."
"..." I cringe, "I honestly can't promise that. I attack Michelle on a daily basis for her antics."
"Just this morning she threw a milk carton at me." Michelle sighed, "Granted it was partially my fault, but it was still a full carton."
Jake suddenly snorts, covering his mouth and turning his body to look away. "T-That- why?" he laughs.
"She stole my newspaper." I say, because that situation is completely reasonable to throw a milk carton.
Jake is clutching his stomach, ready to fall on the floor and roll around. Arinna can't seem but giggling herself, and eventually, we all are. Whether I realized it or not, and while it didn't go exactly as the others did, Jake was here to stay.
YAY! It is done! Hallelujah!
This chapter took me so long and I didn't mean for it too, again, so sorry.
Hopefully the next chapter won't take too long? A lot of it is already written, but that means nothing in my sense of updating.
That aside, I really hope you liked this chapter and our new character Jake. I really enjoyed writing him and I hope I did him justice. He belongs to the amazing Jack Rusell! Thank you again for sending in your character.
For all of those who have characters already within the story, if there is something you want to see, don't be afraid to request it. Such as, if you want to see your character visit somewhere or do/say something, don't be afraid to tell me!