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Post by Elda Forever on Oct 21, 2009 20:33:38 GMT -5
Yukito Maki
Yukito pointed to his face, his anger flaring up considerably at the blank, cool stare into the distance that was all the response he received. "Look at me. I don't think you need me to tell you that Cassie and I got off easy today. What the hell are you trying to pull? You can not like me all you want, you can hate me, even, I'm cool with that. But you left her. What. The. Hell."
Slowly, Shelby looked up at him. He waited for her answer without breathing, still steaming from the shock, the fight, the getaway, and the strange return. She watched him without seeming to blink. With nothing in her face that looked sympathetic. "You...would've done...the same thing." His eyes snapped.
"No."
"You would have."
He reached over at the nearest possible object, found a television, and hurled it across the room until he slammed heavily against the wall, tearing down posters with it. "I. Didn't." He shouted at her with a surprising amount of volume, staring directly into her face, livid. "I stood up for her, and you were too afraid to even make a phone call to the police. Sacrificing yourself for your problems is one thing. Letting others suffer for yours is another entirely. S***, she's your sister. Don't you remember her? Because that girl is gone now." He whirled around and slammed the door behind him, storming down the stairs until he had reached the door. Yukito hesitated, staring out into the front yard with a dark look on his face. Will she ever be able to come back, I wonder? It won't be easy now, never easy. But I've got to hope the best for Cassie... He glanced back up the stairs, decided that somehow, Shelby would be selfish enough to keep herself alive, and made it to the car. If he hadn't been quite so infuriated, he might have taken precautions to let her know he was coming before he tried the handle, and he immediately cursed himself for not doing so. Go ahead and scare the hell out of her.
"Cassie, it's me..just me.." he said, gently now, but each word emphasized and clear. "Can you let me in?"
It was a loaded question. Can Cassie not put up a wall? Is it early enough for her? She would need someone to be there, and he had happened to come up the walk. Her sister had left her for dead - and worse - and her parents were too wrapped up in their own problems to know yet. He would have to become her brother, at least for now.
Would I let me in?
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Post by The Phantom of Paris on Oct 22, 2009 9:51:12 GMT -5
Shelby Wright
"No." Yukito's eyes were full of anger, probably hate too. But Shelby couldn't bring herself to look away, even though her mind registered dimly that she probably should. She met those fiery eyes with her own dull ones, not even bothering to blink. You came here to talk to Shelby. She doesn't live here anymore. So go away.
But he didn't. He just stood there, glaring at her as she repeated, "You would have."
Although Shelby saw the next sequence of events in normal time as it unfolded before her, in her out-of-body experience as she seemed to watch from above, it happened in slow motion. Yukito grabbed her television and took it up into his arms, seeming not to feel it's weight at all as he yanked the plug from the wall and threw it across Shelby's bedroom. The glass screen shattered as it hit the wall, shards scattering in all directions. The rest of the TV then fell to the floor, shaking the floorboards as it landed. One of her FullMetal Alchemist posters, the one of Ed and Al as children, was ripped from the wall entirely, while the Tsubasa one next to it lost the bottom half to Yukito's throw. The remaining pieces of poster dangled strangely from the wall, the stubborn tape still clinging. There was a sizable dent in the wall now--Shelby could see it from where she sat--but other than that it had sustained no damage. It made sense--the walls had to have been strong to have lasted as long as they did.
She turned back to him calmly--she hadn't even flinched when the TV had been thrown. "I. Didn't." he screamed at her. "I stood up for her, and you were too afraid to even make a phone call to the police. Sacrificing yourself for your problems is one thing. Letting others suffer for yours is another entirely.
Shelby didn't move.
"S***, she's your sister. Don't you remember her?"
Do I?
"Because that girl is gone now."
With that, he slammed the door, once again shutting Shelby off from the world. She sat there for a minute, then stood up slowly and screamed, so loud that her voice shredded more than it ever had before, "So is this one."
She fell backwards onto her bed, staring at the wreckage left behind, so still she might have been sleeping.
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Cassandra "Cassie" Wright
Huddled on the floor of the Volvo, hidden from the world, Cassie sat, trying hard not to cry again. He said my whole world would be different now. Just like it was when we found out about what Mom did, just like it did when Dad moved out, just like it did when Kagayaki kissed me, just like it did when the divorce got finalized. I'm sick of my world changing all around me. I'm sick of being left behind in the rubble and trying to pick up the pieces of a life that's been broken too much already....I don't want to do that again. I don't.
And I don't even know if I can do it again.
I don't even know if I want to try.
She heard the sound of someone trying to open the door to the car, and she screamed, eyes wide with terror. "Yukito!" It had to be Mike--who else could it be? He'd come back to finish what he started. Cassie had spent enough time with the man to know that he hated to lose, no matter whether it was at Monopoly or tennis or anything else--he was the worst sore loser that Cassie had ever met over the age of twelve. Why should this be any different. He's back, he's found me already, and he won't let Yukito save me this time and I'm all alone and he won't let himself lose this time! He won't! He's back!
But instead, it was Yukito's voice she heard. "Cassie, it's me..just me.." She looked up to find him peering through the window at her. It's just Yukito...not him. It's just Yukito...just Yukito... "Can you let me in?"
Still seated on the floor, Cassie reached up to unlock the car doors. Her hand froze, however, in mid-air above the button that would unlock them. She knew she wasn't in any danger--at least, she thought she did. It's just Yukito. He wouldn't...it's just Yukito.
But then again...he was 'just Mike.'
She glanced at him, still waiting patiently to be let into his car. She guessed a minute or two had passed since he's asked, but still she didn't move. Her heart was still racing, the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. Finally, she pressed down on the button, and the doors unlocked.
She looked up at him. "Is...is she okay?" she asked in a small voice.
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Post by Elda Forever on Oct 22, 2009 11:03:37 GMT -5
Yukito Maki
He could see the fear in her eyes, even after they locked on him and realized that it was Yukito, only strange, odd Yukito who always showed up at the weirdest times. Yukito who always said the wrong things. Yukito who understood what it was like to feel like a wild animal being cornered by wolves. "Cassie, it's just me....just me..." he said gently, waiting outside the car door for her to unlock it. Cassie looked up at him, and he could almost hear her going through the self-assuring phrases. It was always a toss-up whether they would work or not.
"Can you let me in?" he asked, half-bent to the window watching her, not looking away or blinking because that would mean losing something he needed to help her understand and believe. I'm not going to touch you, Cassie. I'm not the one who needs to.
As he waited, he decided that it might be best to let her know he was willing to wait until she was ready to open the door. But how to explain that without ending up sounding creepy, which was definitely not what he wanted right now? He let out a sigh just as Cassie reached over and tentatively unlocked the door. Yukito wordlessly got back into the car, closing it and letting out another sigh before looking over at her.
Thanks, Cassie.
"Is...is she okay?" Cassie asked, fearful of his answer. Yukito hesitated, then gave a few nods.
"Yeah. As okay as she was before." He leaned back into his seat and crossed his arms on his chest. "He never went up there." His statement almost came out as a question, a wondering out loud that he realized he believed, even if he hadn't confirmed it. After a moment he turned to look at her, speaking slowly, "Where do you want to go now, Cassiechan?"
"You need to find someplace to move on to from here..." he smiled, "And to be honest, I'm afraid I'm doing a very bad job of helping you through this. Do you want me to call my mom, or Erin..or anybody? Someone you can..you know..talk to about it?"
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Post by The Phantom of Paris on Oct 22, 2009 12:19:41 GMT -5
Cassandra "Cassie" Wright
It took everything she had to unlock that door. Cassie wanted nothing more than to keep him out, stay locked away in that car, the one place at that moment that she knew for sure that she was safe. She was alone; no one could touch her here. No one could come in and hurt her, hardly anyone could even see her as she sat huddled on the floor, leaning up against the glove compartment. She was untouchable, off limits. In the car, she was forbidden and unreachable. In the car, behind those sturdy, locked doors, she was safe.
But finally, she let him in, reaching up to unlock the doors and gazing at him fearfully. No matter how shocked and upset she still was that Shelby had left her, she was still worried for her...still worried that Mike had gone after her after Cassie and Yukito had escaped. Shelby was never out of her room for more than a few minutes at a time anyway, and therefore didn't talk to Mike much, and as far as Cassie knew Mike had never said anything to Shelby about how pretty she was or how much she looked like Kristen. It's because she doesn't, really...I look like Mom, Jake's a carbon copy of Dad, and Shelby looks like both of them. What's the word, from that one movie? An amalgam. That's what she is. An amalgam. But still, Cassie couldn't help but worry. "Is...is she okay?" She sat up slowly, settling herself onto the edge of the car seat, obviously tense.
There was a pause, and Cassie felt her heart leap into her throat as she looked at Yukito, fearing the worst. He went looking for her, he looked for her and found her and hurt her and I left her, just like she left me! I let him hurt my baby sister! I left her!
But then Yukito nodded. "Yeah. As okay as she was before. He never went up there."
Cassie breathed a huge sigh of relief, sinking back onto the seat. "Oh, thank God," she said, her voice breaking. "Thank God."
"Where do you want to go now, Cassiechan?"
Cassie sighed. "Anywhere. Everywhere. It doesn't matter. Just away from here."
"You need to find someplace to move on to from here...And to be honest, I'm afraid I'm doing a very bad job of helping you through this. Do you want me to call my mom, or Erin..or anybody? Someone you can..you know..talk to about it?"
"No," Cassie said quickly, shaking her head. She looked at him. "Not now. I can't. I'm not...I can't...I'm not ready. Not now."
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Post by Elda Forever on Oct 22, 2009 18:41:29 GMT -5
Yukito Maki
He took his time before nodded for her sake, letting out a sigh. He could feel the tension in the car as she waited for his explanation, and he elaborated. "Yeah. As okay as she was before. He never went up there."
Cassie breathed a huge sigh of relief, sinking back onto the seat. "Oh, thank God," she said, her voice breaking. "Thank God."
He held the wheel in both hands, "Where do you want to go now, Cassiechan?" The relief washing over her about her sister would likely be short-lived, in his opinion. It was something that had to be dealt with like every other uncomfortable part of this escapade. The worst part to Yukito was that the one to blame was the only one who didn't have to deal with the aftermath here.
Cassie sighed. "Anywhere. Everywhere. It doesn't matter. Just away from here."
"You need to find someplace to move on to from here...And to be honest, I'm afraid I'm doing a very bad job of helping you through this. Do you want me to call my mom, or Erin..or anybody? Someone you can..you know..talk to about it?" Unfortunately his voice made it very clear that he wasn't confident about his part in all this. Was it okay that it had been him to be here? Or was a guy like him the worst possible scenario for Cassie right now?
"No," Cassie said quickly, shaking her head. She looked at him. "Not now. I can't. I'm not...I can't...I'm not ready. Not now."
He nodded, then turned the wheel and pulled away from the house, "I have to be honest, I don't have a typical place to take you that I 'always go to feel better' or whatever the heck that means. A place can't do that for you. The only thing I have is to drive." he paused, then elaborated, "It's probably horrible for the economy or whatever. But I drive." A dark smile played at his lips. "You let me know when you decide where you want to go." He fell silent as they continued, making random turns and going the long way around the city. New Orleans, he had discovered quickly, was really a pretty place, even with all the rough edges that cities always had. Driving around here had been more enjoyable than other places he had driven. Back home, it had gotten to the point of not being helpful anymore, since he was able to memorize different streets too quickly, and that made it hard for his direction to be random and unprecedented. He had guessed a long time ago that the driving thing had to do with Natalie, and he had then decided not to think of it that way. It made things too complicated where he wanted them to be simple.
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Post by The Phantom of Paris on Oct 23, 2009 9:39:36 GMT -5
Cassandra "Cassie" Wright
"You need to find someplace to move on to from here... Yukito said, obviously trying hard to figure out just how to help her. The problem is, I don't know if you can. Can you? How can you help me if you couldn't even help yourself when the same thing happened to you?
"And to be honest, I'm afraid I'm doing a very bad job of helping you through this. Do you want me to call my mom, or Erin..or anybody? Someone you can..you know..talk to about it?"
She didn't even a take split second to think about it before refusing. Cassie couldn't even imagine trying to talk to Erin about something like this, not when the scene was so fresh in her mind, not when her shoulders still tingled and ached from his unwanted touch. The pain was too immediate still, and Cassie wasn't sure if she could handle it. And Erin...how can I tell her something like that? She knew that something wasn't quite right with him, too...she told me to be careful, that I should go over there to be with her so I wouldn't have to see him. Will she be mad at me for not listening, or being so unbelievably f------ stupid? Or will she be mad at herself for letting me tell her everything was okay, for taking no for an answer?
And which is worse?
I can't. I can't do it. I can't do that to either of us. Not yet. Not today.
"Not now," she said quietly. "I can't. I'm not...I can't...I'm not ready. Not now."
Thankfully, he seemed to accept her answer, backing out of the long, curving driveway and setting off down the street. "I have to be honest, I don't have a typical place to take you that I 'always go to feel better' or whatever the heck that means. A place can't do that for you. The only thing I have is to drive. It's probably horrible for the economy or whatever. But I drive."
Cassie nodded, leaning her head against the cool glass of the window. She could understand that. Art had once had that power over her, before the divorce had all but taken that away from her. These days, she could still draw, but it wasn't quite the same. She guessed that Erin's escape like that was music, and maybe Kagayaki's too--she tried to think of what they would do in this situation, where they would want to go.They'd be so much better at handling this than I am.
"You let me know when you decide where you want to go."
Another nod, her gaze never leaving the window as New Orleans raced by. She didn't know how long they'd been driving, but after a while she lifted her head and said softly. "Here. Pull over here."
It was a small park, not anywhere near the size of Devereaux, in a forgotten, out-of-the-way stretch of road. There was one tall, rusty metal slide standing next to a swing set with three swings, with a worn path leading away from the tiny playground that Cassie suspected led to hiking trails of some sort, the kind of places mothers would take children to for nature walks on a lazy summer day. She stepped out of the car and slowly walked over to one of the swings, sitting on it without a sound and immediately beginning to pump her legs back and forth, the swing creaking as she tried to swing as high as it would allow, wondering what it would take for her to fly away.
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Post by Elda Forever on Oct 23, 2009 11:21:30 GMT -5
Yukito Maki
She refused his offer to take her to someone more capable of talking to her, and helping her through this. He felt really out of place and wrong for this. All he could do was tell her how he had handled it, and it had been so different. He had taken it all so wrong. Yukito knew he had made it harder for himself, he had hidden it and dwelled on it, remembering every second while he sat locked in his room, deaf and dumb to everything else. His mother had written it off for months as just 'your typical teen angst', and he supposed that after time, it had come to mean that. Yukito wanted more than anything right now to stop Cassie from becoming that. I want you to have a real life. Being able to hug and tease and not be so careful as I have to be with Erin and myself. I want you to be happy in your art and your life.
He stared ahead for the most part, unable to tell Cassie all the concerns he held for her. He found himself muttering nonsense, and she didn't say anything back. "I have to be honest, I don't have a typical place to take you that I 'always go to feel better' or whatever the heck that means. A place can't do that for you. The only thing I have is to drive. It's probably horrible for the economy or whatever. But I drive." He glanced over at her, and her head was leaning against the window as she stared out at the road as it passed. The road with no direction right now and no end. "You let me know when you decide where you want to go."
He glanced over just in time to see her nod, and from then on they drove in silence across the expanse of perhaps half an hour. The car was utterly silent, and it was impossible to not brood on past events with no one speaking. But they needed it, he could believe that. I should tell Erin.
"Here." Her voice was soft enough to have been easily overwhelmed by any other sound, but the utter lack of speech or noise in the car allowed her instructions to be heard clearly. "Pull over here."
He nodded, pulling in and parking next to a small park that seemed to have been abandoned despite the summer weather, turning off the car but waiting for her to get out first, for some reason preferring to follow her. This was her stop, anyways. Not his. Why was he even here? He stood nearby while she slipped solemnly onto a swing, wondering if he should have just stayed in the car. He looked up and saw Cassie, staring blankly ahead and pumping her legs to pick up momentum on her swing. A small smile crossed his face, and he sat down on the swing next to her. He didn't push off or start the swing up, though, deciding to just sit there.
"I guess you're really the survivor type now, huh?" He kicked at the ground below him, kicking up dust. "You had a rough start and a rough life and now you had a really, really rough day. But you're one of those strong girls who pull through it, Cassie. You've gotta believe that." He stared hard down at his feet. You're like a sister to me, Cassie. And you have no idea how much I hate that guy right now. The guy that in my eyes, looked just like my father. Like so many men that have done that to others, to us. "I made the mistake of trusting the wrong people. I guess we all do that. And some of us get the --- luck of getting forced into a memory we'll always hate and be ashamed of."
"I could say I made the mistake of not knowing after everything he said to me, and that I should have locked the door. I could have. Sometimes I did, when I didn't want to go to bed when my mom told me to. I'd lock the door and pretend to be asleep whenever she came knocking on it, and really I was on the computer or listening to music on my earbuds. I should have known, I should have said something...But really, Cassie...who goes through life automatically thinking that everyone could be against them?" He sighed, and his eyes flickered up to a car passing by in the distance. "You don't get paranoid without something that started you thinking that way, right? And if you haven't experienced it, you don't understand it. You know I'm messed up, Cass... everyone can see it. But I didn't have what you have. I'd already pushed people away, and no one around me was close enough to get in, and nobody tried." His head dropped, and his expression became interlaced with bitterness. "Nobody tried, Cass..and I didn't fight for them to know, and so I learned to not tell them. But everyone still sees it. But you've got people who you know, and who care about you... and they aren't just playin' at it...." he glanced up at her but his eyes automatically flickered away from her face. "And I'm going to make sure someone tries, so you'll have it good again, okay?"
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Post by The Phantom of Paris on Oct 23, 2009 15:53:57 GMT -5
Cassandra "Cassie" Wright
Creak. Creak. The rickety old swing set sounded as upset as Cassie felt as she went higher, higher, highest, the chains going slack every time she reached the top of her arc and making her feel like she would fall. Falling wouldn't be bad. Just plummeting to earth, being absorbed by the ground and never having to come up for air again. Cassie didn't think she would mind that. Creak. Creak.
She didn't acknowledge him as he sat down beside her.
"I guess you're really the survivor type now, huh? You had a rough start and a rough life and now you had a really, really rough day. But you're one of those strong girls who pull through it, Cassie. You've gotta believe that."
You're wrong. How can I be strong when I wasn't even able to help myself? I try to help everyone I see, but I wasn't even able to keep myself safe. How is that strength? Faking a smile, going on with life, that's not strong. Pretending everthing's okay, that's not strong. I'm not strong.
"I made the mistake of trusting the wrong people," he said.
Cassie swallowed hard. "So did I" So did I. "I guess we all do that. And some of us get the --- luck of getting forced into a memory we'll always hate and be ashamed of. I could say I made the mistake of not knowing after everything he said to me, and that I should have locked the door. I could have. Sometimes I did, when I didn't want to go to bed when my mom told me to. I'd lock the door and pretend to be asleep whenever she came knocking on it, and really I was on the computer or listening to music on my earbuds. I should have known, I should have said something...But really, Cassie...who goes through life automatically thinking that everyone could be against them?"
Cassie knew the answer to that, but she didn't respond.
"You don't get paranoid without something that started you thinking that way, right? And if you haven't experienced it, you don't understand it. You know I'm messed up, Cass...everyone can see it. But I didn't have what you have. I'd already pushed people away, and no one around me was close enough to get in, and nobody tried. Nobody tried, Cass..and I didn't fight for them to know, and so I learned to not tell them. But everyone still sees it. But you've got people who you know, and who care about you...and they aren't just playin' at it....And I'm going to make sure someone tries, so you'll have it good again, okay?"
At that, Cassie drove her feet into the sand beneath the swing set, hoping to stop. It was a mistake--she'd been going to high, too fast. She had been thinking that it would be safe for her to stop, that she would never get hurt that way. And as always, she was wrong. She flew off of the swing, landing in a heap on the ground, covered in sand.
She moved to get up, but stayed put. "Why?" she asked Yukito helplessly. "Why does it have to happen, to people like..." she blinked to get rid of the tears forming in her eyes. "People like us? Why did it have to happen to you? Why did it have to happen to me? Why?"
She looked up. "I don't want to end up like her. Not like Shelby, not like my mother...what do I do?
"And why do you want to help me so much?" she added, fresh tears spilling over.
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Post by Elda Forever on Oct 23, 2009 19:29:30 GMT -5
Yukito Maki "You don't get paranoid without something that started you thinking that way, right? And if you haven't experienced it, you don't understand it. You know I'm messed up, Cass... everyone can see it. But I didn't have what you have. I'd already pushed people away, and no one around me was close enough to get in, and nobody tried. Nobody tried, Cass..and I didn't fight for them to know, and so I learned to not tell them. But everyone still sees it. But you've got people who you know, and who care about you...and they aren't just playin' at it....And I'm going to make sure someone tries, so you'll have it good again, okay?" Without answering him, Cassie dug her feet into the ground to stop her swing. For some reason, something between the lines of 'go' and 'stop, Cassie hit a bump in the road, sending her to the ground with a thud. Yukito jolted, his instinct to jump forward, but he stayed in his swing, clinging roughly to the chains. Cassie started to get up and ended up voting against it. "Why?" she asked Yukito helplessly. "Why does it have to happen, to people like...People like us? Why did it have to happen to you? Why did it have to happen to me? Why?" "Because," He pushed a little on his swing, making it sway back and forth. "We let ourselves be easy targets, I guess." "I don't want to end up like her. Not like Shelby, not like my mother...what do I do?" Yukito shrugged, "I dunno..." he pushed a little more on the swing, then turned to her, "Get angry, I guess. Because you know what? I never really got a change to. I was frustrated, scared, helpless, sad, broken, self-pitying, stupid. I felt everything all at once, but I never got a chance to show how angry I felt. Be angry about it, Cassie." he hesitated, then added, "But not bitter. Bitter is different. I guess it's anger that wasn't shown."
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Post by The Phantom of Paris on Oct 24, 2009 9:59:34 GMT -5
Cassandra "Cassie" Wright
"We let ourselves be easy targets, I guess." Cassie nodded miserably. He's right. I was an easy target, because I never saw it coming. I just never...and then I didn't even try to fight back. He did it because he knew he could get away with it. He will get away with it, too...because he knows I won't tell. He knows my mind better than I do right now, and I hate that.
"I don't want to end up like her. Not like Shelby, not like my mother...what do I do?"
"I dunno...Get angry, I guess. Because you know what? I never really got a change to. I was frustrated, scared, helpless, sad, broken, self-pitying, stupid. I felt everything all at once, but I never got a chance to show how angry I felt. Be angry about it, Cassie. But not bitter. Bitter is different. I guess it's anger that wasn't shown."
Cassie nodded, sitting up and brushing the sand off of herself. "Get angry. Don't be bitter. Tell someone about it, don't keep it bottled up inside. I guess...I guess I can try. But...what do I do about him?"
She stood up shakily, wrapping her arms around herself. "Yukito...I'm sorry, but...can you take me back?" She couldn't call it home. It wasn't her home, not anymore. Just a house. And she couldn't stay here. Parks are for children. I'm not a child anymore, am I? I can't be here anymore.
"And, Yukito..." her voice broke. "Thanks. For everything."
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Post by Elda Forever on Oct 25, 2009 13:47:08 GMT -5
Yukito Maki
Cassie nodded, sitting up and brushing the sand off of herself. To see it made him want to smile, but he didn't. He was glad she was going to try and pick herself up on this one. I won't do it for you, Cassie. But I'll be here for you. "Get angry. Don't be bitter. Tell someone about it, don't keep it bottled up inside. I guess...I guess I can try. But...what do I do about him?"
Yukito looked dead serious for a moment. "I don't think you should ask me about how to deal with him when you see him again..." There wasn't an 'if' in his statement. He offered a grimace. "I'm bitter, Cassie. Very bitter. But you know you should report it. Or at least tell your parents. That's the best way to give him what the law says he deserves." He stared at the ground, kicked at the sand absently with his foot. "It's hard for me to say whether that's full-time or part-time justice. But it's more than I got...You deserve to know he's been called out on it. That someone is gonna help keep it from happening again." He sighed. "You should have that."
She stood up shakily, wrapping her arms around herself. "Yukito...I'm sorry, but...can you take me back?" Yukito lifted his head to meet her eyes, and nodded. It may not be okay, Cassie. But you're gonna move forward somehow. We all do. He stood up from the swing, hearing it creak behind him like a farewell.
"And, Yukito..." her voice broke. "Thanks. For everything."
He nodded. "You're a fighter, Cassie, even if it doesn't feel like it." Even if you feel like the most vulnerable life form on the planet. Like you're so torn up inside you're not even human anymore. He shifted uncomfortably, his voice lowering to almost inaudible. "I was too afraid to do anything. I still am, when it comes to..." He sighed, "But you should know...I'm serious. I've got your back."
Yukito halted a moment, then held his hand out to her to take if she would. If she could. His words came out like he'd wanted to say them a long time. "You know you're like a little sister for me, Cassie. The closest thing I've ever felt to that. And...yeah..." he shrugged, a grimace on his lips again, "I know you already have that already, but...I'm still here if you need me, you know?" He sighed, then put his hands in his pockets, indicating towards the car with a movement of his head. "Let's go."
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Post by The Phantom of Paris on Oct 25, 2009 13:55:05 GMT -5
Cassandra "Cassie" Wright
She was almost afraid to ask. " But...what do I do about him?"
"I don't think you should ask me about how to deal with him when you see him again...I'm bitter, Cassie. Very bitter. But you know you should report it. Or at least tell your parents." She gave a miserable nod. Yeah. That'll happen. Mom is so blind she can't see any faults in him, and Dad's too damn busy feeling sorry for himself I'm not even sure he'd listen, much less believe me if I told him. "That's the best way to give him what the law says he deserves. It's hard for me to say whether that's full-time or part-time justice. But it's more than I got...You deserve to know he's been called out on it. That someone is gonna help keep it from happening again. You should have that."
A sigh and a quick mustering of courage and she was back on her feet, folding her arms around herself as if the thin protection of muscle and bones would keep her safe from the entire world. I wish it were that simple. She did the only thing she felt she could do at that point--she asked him to take her back. Back to that horrible house, back to what had just happened. She didn't want to in the slightest. But she knew it had to be done, and sooner rather than later. And finally, even though it seemed like such a shallow gesture for all he had done, she thanked him.
"You're a fighter, Cassie, even if it doesn't feel like it."
She shook her head.
"I was too afraid to do anything. I still am, when it comes to...But you should know...I'm serious. I've got your back." Yukito held out a hand, and for a fraction of a second Cassie reached out to take it, before the fear seized her again, like a bucket of freezing water being thrown at her face. She yanked her hand back as quickly as it had ventured out, apology in her eyes. "You know you're like a little sister for me, Cassie. The closest thing I've ever felt to that. And...yeah...I know you already have that already, but...I'm still here if you need me, you know?"
Cassie nodded, the tiniest ghost of a smile flickering across her face. "Thank you," she whispered, before reaching out a shaking hand, letting her fingers brush his sleeve for the briefest of moments before she snatched it back. It was all she would allow. "Let's go."
She nodded, and got back in the car, looking back all the way home at the small, forgotten park they left behind.
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Post by Elda Forever on Oct 25, 2009 17:31:09 GMT -5
Yukito Maki
"I was too afraid to do anything. I still am, when it comes to...But you should know...I'm serious. I've got your back." He held out his hand to her, his logical side screaming that it would be too soon. Another side of him said it would never be soon enough to erase today. He watched this new Cassie started for his hand automatically before that easily recognizable look crossed her face. One of fear. Panic. Her hand pulled back, and his face didn't change. He wasn't exactly disappointed. He didn't expect much like that from her now.
"That's okay..." he told her apologizing eyes. "You know you're like a little sister for me, Cassie. The closest thing I've ever felt to that. And...yeah...I know you already have that already, but...I'm still here if you need me, you know?"
Cassie nodded, the tiniest ghost of a smile flickering across her face. "Thank you," she whispered. He turned from her and started for the car, more sensing than feeling the butterfly touch of her hand on his sleeve, tickling the skin there and raising goosebumps.
"Let's go." he said in a mutter. Wishing that justice would do some mercy on them all for once.
Done here methinketh. ^.^
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Post by The Phantom of Paris on Nov 21, 2009 16:24:20 GMT -5
Shelby WrightHer ipod blasting Vic Mignogna's English version of Guilty Beauty Love, Shelby paced back and forth in front of the locked community theatre. She had called the owner of the theatre the day before, asking if she could meet with him to discuss the possibility of using the stage for some of the scenes she was planning to film for Phantom of the Opera, and to see if he had any good makeup artists he could recommend to her for Yukito's deformity. That is, if Yukito was going to take part at all. Since his outburst at the first meeting, Shelby had remained unconvinced about his loyalty to the project. 'Oh no, Erin and Aidousan have to kiss! I quit! I cannot work like this! Are you trying to ruin my absolute perfect happiness?' Please. He's being a bigger prima donna than Carlotta about this. Maybe it would do some good for him to see Erin interact with other people, ever think about that? Deflate his big ego a bit? God, he's perfect to play Erik, isn't he? Ugh. For God's sakes, it's just acting.Shelby sighed impatiently and checked her watch. According to their phone call, the manager should have been there to meet her fifteen minutes ago. How professional. This is ridiculous--I know that theatre people like to be fashionably late, but this is just rude. She paused in her pacing to gaze first at the parking lot, and then up and down the busy street in front of her. No one turned in to the deserted lot, and Shelby glared at nothing in particular as she started up her mad tirade again. After five more minutes, she was still alone and was almost ready to give up. Shelby sighed again, this time more dejected than frustrated. Alphonse? Are you there? Please. I'm lonely. I miss you.But like always, there was nothing. She spoke out loud. "Alphonse?" No response. "Alphonse, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't help Cassie, Al, but I was afraid! Don't you see that? Just because you don't let your fear take over you like I do doesn't mean you have to get mad at me because I do it, right? Right? I really miss you. Please come back. Please talk to me again, Al. I love you." She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and she snapped her mouth shut. She couldn't take the risk of being discovered talking to herself. That was one thing she couldn't handle today. I love you, Alphonse...please come back to me.
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Post by More than Music on Dec 12, 2009 12:11:40 GMT -5
Clarence "Ren" MorganClarence stood, leaning against the building, watching Miss Shelby Wright as she stood outside of the theater building. He'd followed her here and parked out of immediate sight - because it wouldn't have been any fun if she'd seen him coming. She was waiting for someone. Who it was, didn't particularly matter. Shelby was here, and it was probably something about the musical project. That meant it was good he'd followed her. One earphone in, he was listening to "I Will Possess Your Heart" by Death Cab for Cutie, which had come on by random but was ironically fitting for this situation. ' Stalker song. Ha, great.' She'd been pacing for about twenty minutes now, and he couldn't keep the amused smile off his face. Leaning on his car, his hands in his pockets, Clarence just watched her become anxious. She sighed, and he smiled. ' Growing stark crazy, aren't you? Don't you just hate it when people forget you're there? Maybe we have something in common, doll.' Then she did something he hadn't expected: she spoke. And not only did she speak, but she spoke to a non-existent person. "Alphonse?"Clarence raised an eyebrow and stayed quiet as she looked around expectantly. "Alphonse, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't help Cassie, Al, but I was afraid! Don't you see that? Just because you don't let your fear take over you like I do doesn't mean you have to get mad at me because I do it, right? Right? I really miss you. Please come back. Please talk to me again, Al. I love you."' Sorry you didn't help Cassie? Help Cassie what?' His eyes shimmered. ' Who's Al?' So he let his curiosity get the better of him and walked over to it. "Sheeeelby Wriiiight," he said, drawing it out like he had seen something he shouldn't Maybe he had. Clarence wasn't sure yet, but by the expression on her face when she'd seen him coming, he probably had seen something he shouldn't have. At least in Shelby's mind. "How long have you been waiting here, anyway?" He shot her smirk as he looked around the parking lot. He let some silence lapse before he looked her right in the face, his hands in his pockets but a determined look on his face. "Who's Alphonse?"
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