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Post by Jake Wallace on Jun 11, 2006 11:03:18 GMT -4
*grumbling* ...stupid books my sister reads... *perks up* no really they're like retarded if you read them... welll...probably some people here do so i won't say anything but yeah they're like, "I'm rich! and lame!"
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Hadley Chase
Full Member
Your body looks better on me.
Posts: 140
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Post by Hadley Chase on Jun 11, 2006 11:05:30 GMT -4
So they're books. Not magazines...weird name for a book. Very...preppy...and a tad fake. -Shrug- Whatever rocks your boat.
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Post by Jake Wallace on Jun 11, 2006 11:12:18 GMT -4
Are you accusing me of read Gossip Girls? Now I know you read them.
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Hadley Chase
Full Member
Your body looks better on me.
Posts: 140
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Post by Hadley Chase on Jun 11, 2006 11:14:32 GMT -4
I have no idea. I prefer humanity books like Jodi Picoult. Things that are a bit more meaningful than...whatever that is. -Shrug- Actually no. I've never even heard of them. Do they even print in Australia?
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Ni Gustov
Junior Member
That makes me all frowny with pure nougat-filled-hatred...
Posts: 56
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Post by Ni Gustov on Jun 11, 2006 11:17:30 GMT -4
-heh- I should hope not... -my idiotic cousin reads them- and attemps to explain that they have a plot... -snick-
-sorry- just butted in on your conversation
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Hadley Chase
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Your body looks better on me.
Posts: 140
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Post by Hadley Chase on Jun 11, 2006 11:23:57 GMT -4
-PouncesRed- -Hides behind- I read books about princesses and furry animals once that talked. And then I read books about crimes where people were decapitated. I guess I missed the Gossip Girl stop.
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Post by Jake Wallace on Jun 11, 2006 11:30:54 GMT -4
Okay no My sister not only reads them and tries to convince me that they have a plot She reads them, tries to convince me they have a plot, and keeps them in my house. She leaves them in my room so when my friends come over they can laugh about how i read Gossip Girls... I do have to admit, though I don't mind when she leaves The OC in my room Guilty as charged Mischa Barton makes out with another girl on that show! Someone knows what sells...anyway.
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Ni Gustov
Junior Member
That makes me all frowny with pure nougat-filled-hatred...
Posts: 56
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Post by Ni Gustov on Jun 11, 2006 11:39:46 GMT -4
Ha! -i still read about people who get decapitated- its called Johnny the Homicidal Maniac -and i'm addicted- -have been for years- Never read about princesses and talking animals though... -snick-
Blarg... -what is with teenage girls and stoopid- -plot-less- books? -well, not all teenage girls...but quite a few- -nodnodnod-
-snick- never seen that show (the OC) -but heard of it- kind of like a Soap Opera at night kind of thing? -am i right?-
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Post by Jake Wallace on Jun 11, 2006 11:59:36 GMT -4
Yeah, I guess But I just put it on mute and fast forward to the parts with Mischa Barton and Rachel Bilson
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Ni Gustov
Junior Member
That makes me all frowny with pure nougat-filled-hatred...
Posts: 56
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Post by Ni Gustov on Jun 11, 2006 12:47:26 GMT -4
Haha... -niiiice-
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Hadley Chase
Full Member
Your body looks better on me.
Posts: 140
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Post by Hadley Chase on Jun 12, 2006 8:38:56 GMT -4
Lol. I know two boys that are far from gay that watch OC. Don't feel ashamed. I'm not a huge fan anymore. I was obsessed at one stage...never got around to watching second season. Now LOST that is an amzing show! -Grins- -Bounces- But don't tell me anything! We're behind in Australia!
I'm going to post. If Flick wants to join he can at any time. -GrinNod-
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Hadley Chase
Full Member
Your body looks better on me.
Posts: 140
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Post by Hadley Chase on Jun 12, 2006 9:15:13 GMT -4
The sky was an unblemished blue, the clouds were tainted a light purple. It was early morning and hardly anyone was up and about. Hadley found herself absorbed in just being.
Beneath her the stone of the steps felt cold and hard and at the same time, secure. She stared upwards at the clouds, imagining rabbits and hot air balloons. When she was little they’d use to lay on the grass in the front yard and exclaim the descriptions of the wonders the clouds could make. ‘I do believe that magician is eating a frog!’ ‘Hey look it’s a princess in a castle.’ ‘Look there is it’s guts and there’s it heart…’ ‘A pretty princess in a long gown with flowing hair and…’ ‘It’s a magician and a frog!’ ‘It’s a princess!’ ‘IT’S A FROG!’ ‘PRINCESS!’ They didn’t do that any more. Imagination’s were unlimited and all depended on the how you let them grow.
Crash.
Hadley launched herself to her feet in shock. The sudden presence of Ni Gustov became very apparent next to her bare foot. Reseating herself she crouched beside him, concern and suppressed laughter creased her face. Hadley’s teacher in primary school had always said, Comedy and Tragedy are closely joined, it all depends on where you’re standing. In Hadley’s case, she was not the unfortunate one who had just fallen down a flight of stone steps, which, with a rap of her knuckles, proved to be as hard as she had first presumed.
Hand hovering in mid-air Hadley bit down on her lower lip and tilted her head towards the ground, a veil of red fell in her eyes, a smile spread. She bit harder. This was not a laughing matter. This was not a laughing matter. This was not a laughing-
She caved. A laugh escaped her lips. “Agh. I’m sorry but-”
She shook her head and leant back onto her heels. He was funnier than he was coordinated; she’d give him that.
“You reminded me of my brothers. For a second I was almost fooled.”
A raise of an eyebrow, her laughter faded to a smile. The hovering hand of hers reached forward and flicked him on the nose. Ni bore no physical resemblance to any of her brothers but there was something in his antics, which screamed home, family, life. Her brothers were as different in personalities as they were similar in looks. It was easy to tell a Chase by the look at their face and the gleam in their eye. It spelt mischief, excitement and something mysterious but find yourself blindfolded and you couldn’t group them with any relevance.
While William dappled in all areas, as any cherished all-rounder should, the second eldest of the boys found a keen interest in well, blowing things apart. He had a mechanical brain and could create things before your very eyes from, what one might mistake as, useless artefacts. Marcus was also a very keen artist and had a steadied hand with any medium that he came into contact with but his talent had been suppressed. It wasn’t ‘cool’ to be able to paint and draw. Michael was a little more obscure and science was his fascination. Hadley had avoided going into his room for sometime now, the jarred dead critters let of the most pungent of stenches. Her only sister Charlotte had a beautiful talent with dancing. In her tiny frame and mind of utmost determination she was set for ca career in ballet and the three younger boys seemed to closely mirror Will with natural ability as any child should at a young age.
Her family was couldn’t be put into words. They were normal but in a world where normal meant fighting all the time and bending to stereo-types, they were one of a kind. It could have considered perfect. So- So why had their dad chosen ruin over perfection?
Hadley grimaced, her smile faltered a knot and she shook back her long hair. The smile returned and she leaned forward slightly.
“Okay soldier, where does it hurt?”
Her keen blue eyes roamed his body. Okay so she wasn’t having a perv! She was just checking to make sure he hadn’t lost a limb in the fall and to make sure that he didn’t have any new holes where there shouldn’t be holes. A fall like that must have left him some injuries, he wasn’t superman after all. She mentally hit her own stupidity. He may not have been superman but perhaps his power was healing. She’d personally never asked.
Ah. The life of a superhero [in training].
[[-Doublegrin- I'm i nsuch a good mood! NO MORE EXAMS! Post isn't that great though...]]
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Ni Gustov
Junior Member
That makes me all frowny with pure nougat-filled-hatred...
Posts: 56
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Post by Ni Gustov on Jun 12, 2006 10:36:48 GMT -4
Ni had that effect on people. He was just shocking. You’d look at him and think “That kid is going to be such a downer to have around…He’s going to complain about how bad life and shit is.” But Ni didn’t lean into his gothic mood too much. He only complained about how terrible life on rare occasions. There was that song from Monty Python that always seemed to make him laugh: Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life. Ni took that song’s hilarious message to heart, and tried not to be too depressing. His appearance was shocking as well. You’d think people would be used to seeing the Goths wander about, but there were few of them at the Academy, so the students seemed pretty shocked when he first came. (they had long since gotten used to him) He had the not-so-strange ability to sneak up on people, even if he was playing his trombone as loud as he could. (which, ask anybody in the boy’s dorm, was loud) So he wasn’t really shocked when Hadley jumped.
“Sorry to have surprised you.” Ni laughed, sitting up, and rubbing the back of his head. There was a sticky spot, and he sighed. He knew that that sticky spot was not glue, or hair gel. “Crap.” He muttered, as he drew his hand back from the back of his head, and looked at the blood. “Hmm…Maybe I should just wear a crash helmet everywhere I go…” He said grimly. But he realized then that he was acting depressing, so he snapped out of it, and laughed, as if he was making a joke.
Ni laughed as Hadley laughed. It was funny, he’d seen lots of people fall down stairs, and always had laughed when it happened. There was something funny about people just tumbling head over heels, down stairs, just like a slinky. Even as he pictured that in his head, Ni started laughing hysterically. “Its alright, see, I’m laughing too…” He said in response to her apology about laughing. Then he heard the last part of her statement. “Oh…well, I’ve been told I remind people of their crazy uncle before, but not their brothers. This is a new one.” He laughed. Actually, there was no one who ever said he reminded them of anybody, but it sounded funny in his head.
“I’m very tricky…like…uh…like a moose. So it is no surprise that you were fooled by my mastery of…erm…resemblance.” He grimaced, and tried to figure out if what he had just said actually made any sense at all. “Did that uh…make any sense to you? I’m not sure it made any sense to me.”
Hadley didn’t really remind Ni of anybody he knew. She was just herself. She wasn’t like his sister, who was extremely annoying, and that was the only other person Ni knew back home. Ni had friends here, but at home, it was a different story. There was NO ONE who would associate with him. That was the problem with living in a town of about 152 people, there weren’t many choices in friends, and Ni was kicked out of those choices once he shadow shifted for the first time.
Ni sighed when she asked where it hurt. “It hurts everywhere, especially in the rib, and back of the head areas. These stairs should be made out of sponges…it would make falling down them so much less painful. I know it’ll hurt more later today, I’ll feel like I have head explody…that’s how bad the headache will be.” Ni got monster headaches, well, they were more like migraines, at the drop of a hat. Massive head trauma would not help the prevention of his headaches. He laughed a bit, and grimaced. “Maybe I should watch where I’m going next time, huh?”
“Wait…Hadley?” Ni asked. “You’re not a healer, I know that…Though I don’t have any idea what your power is…I did once, but I forgot. Anyway, how are you going to heal that massive head and rib trauma? If that’s indeed what you were going to do…”
Ni sighed. His words were scrambling. He knew it, he could hear it. This wasn’t good. He didn’t want to seem like more of an idiot than he actually was, especially in front of Hadley.
“Blarg and other such words!” he said. “Why don’t they make stairs out of sponges?!”
-sorry- -that is a terrible post- -blarg…- Maybe I’ll re-write it later -it was really scrambled.-
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Hadley Chase
Full Member
Your body looks better on me.
Posts: 140
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Post by Hadley Chase on Jun 13, 2006 8:57:01 GMT -4
With a wistful expression, Butt pressed to her heels Hadley watched Ni steady himself into a seated position. It wasn’t until he brought his hand back into view that she found focus. Blood. It shone red and sticky against the contrast of his pale skin, a shocking red that darkened in the shadows of his skin. The same red of the tie William had bought for their dad for father’s day. The same red that in a spot just off from the curve stained their driveway in unforgiving memory. Something within Hadley’s stomach lurched. For a person who was expected to battle the enemy and hold together in the worst of situations Hadley had found herself sick at the sight of blood since Otter and Ely’s fourth birthday.
They’d both received identical tricycles for their birthday, one in red and one in blue and with the excitement of youth they had raced each other all morning with endless energy. Hadley was thirteen and all knees and elbows, with red hair that billowed behind her but for today hung in two braids. She sat on the step at the front of their house watching them ride up and down the driveway. She hadn’t wanted to watch them. She’d wanted to call Emma and tell her all about the boy from the video store but instead she’d be given specific instructions but no where in there did it say she couldn’t talk to Emma while watching the boys. Shouting orders for them to stay off the road, she’d dashed inside snatched up the handhold and just as Hadley dialled the number there was a crash from the front yard. She’d dropped the phone just in time to see a car jolt to a stop, a red car and to the left its wheel a red tricycle lay broken. Ely had been fine, his leg and arm had both healed without any major scaring. He’d been lucky and so had she. But still the sight of blood made Hadley squeamish.
Wrinkling her nose and trying to look better than she felt Hadley wrapped an arm around her stomach. It churned.
“Please tell me that you have a secret desire to look like me and that’s hair dye on your hand.”
Running a hand through her red locks Hadley averted her eyes. Wasn’t the sky a lovely colour today? A powdery blue with clouds stretching lazily to each other. And that tree. Gee that was indeed the most attractive tree she had ever seen. No one ever looked so good in green. With a shake of her head she glanced back at him, his words weren’t making much sense. A side affect perhaps? Would she be expected to carry him to the infirmary? She wasn’t exactly made of muscle.
“My power?”
A tilt of the head. She had heard him fine but there was a need for her to repeat the question to clarify that yes, she did have a power. Yes, she was gifted. It had just…gone into an early hibernation.
“I’m a shape-shifter.” She paused. It didn’t sound as useful as the other powers like that of a Healer and still although no one was challenging her she felt protective over her one true talent that set her apart. “It could be a useful power if I got control over it. I still have mastered how to do it at will.”
Perhaps that was why she was so mad about the absence of her power. Hadley was a child of eight. It was hard competition for any form of attention. In fact it was competition for most things. Over the years Hadley had just stopped asking. It didn’t matter, however, what her other siblings could do. Whether they had a natural ability in dancing like Charlotte or a mechanical brain or a gorgeous face, Hadley could shape-shift. That set her apart and she’d just relied on that individuality for so long that now that had it temporarily deserted her she felt, not quite herself. Powerless and a bit of a freak. How ironic.
“Look- I think we should get you to the infirmary.”
She wanted to ask him his power but the blood had startled her. Wasn’t bleeding from the head a bad thing? Hadley was no Healer or medic but she was pretty sure it wasn’t something that you wanted to have.
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Ni Gustov
Junior Member
That makes me all frowny with pure nougat-filled-hatred...
Posts: 56
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Post by Ni Gustov on Jun 13, 2006 17:03:18 GMT -4
“Hey…Hadley?” Ni asked. “You alright? It looks worse than it is, it’s just a little blood. Its not like its gushing out like Old Faithful…” he smiled, but it was grim. She looked really uncomfortable, and that made him uncomfortable. His bright green eyes narrowed slightly, and his mouth drew into a thin line. Ni didn’t like when people were troubled, and Tenna had used to say that he would make a better therapist than a superhero. Another grim, distant smile appeared on his face as he thought about Tenna. It was a sad thought, but also one that was needed. Maybe I should explain who Tenna is.
Tenna Andrews had been new in kindergarten. She was the tallest one in the class, whereas Ni was the shortest. They hadn’t been friends then, but Ni could remember feeling sorry (as sorry as a kindergartener could feel) for the ‘skinny tall girl.’ She got picked on just as much as he did, if not more. She didn’t have the necessary time in the small town needed to make friends. (it was about three generations of family members (or 50 years in the town), and if you married your cousin, your time in town didn’t count) Ni could remember asking his mother about her family, and Mrs. Gustov said she didn’t know and didn’t care. ‘Her parents are too high and mighty to make buddies with us farmin’ folk. Don’t you go wanderin’ about with her, just leave her alone Johnny.’ Was what she said exactly. Ni had taken her terrible advice as if it was the holy Bible. Ni didn’t know anything about her home situation (which was a single parent, who drank like no other) or anything about her. It wasn’t until second grade that they even talked.
Tenna was the one who found Ni during what she called ‘Shadow Ni’s first shadow-shift.’ The name Shadow-shifting had stuck ever since. She was the one who consoled Ni, who was hiding in the shadow of the lockers, blending in completely, except for his teeth. She had asked ‘What happened to your teeth?’ and Ni had replied. “Nothing happened to my teeth, something happened to my skin…I think I’m sick.” They had discussed (in second grader talk) how Ni was going to ‘Go back to the normal Ni.’ After a few hours (school now long since out) Ni was able to switch back. Tenna had stayed with him until he relaxed, and consequently shifted back to his normal form. She had been the one who had led the tired, and slightly hysterical second grader Ni into the boy’s bathroom, to show him his ‘funny looking teeth.’
Tenna had been the first to notice that Ni’s teeth (which, had they not changed, would have needed braces for about a year) had become bright white, straight, and slightly pointed. She had waited patiently until Ni was done touching his too-large-and-pointed canine teeth, and had then walked him home. She was the one who explained to his parents (in very intelligent and calm second grader speak) what had happened when Ni didn’t feel like talking to anybody. They had been best friends ever since.
Then, in eighth grade, Tenna got a boyfriend.
Ni and Tenna had been best friends since second grade, when Ni’s issues had started, and everybody thought the two of them would hook up. Ni thought so too, until Tenna got a boyfriend. This guy was really disrespectful to Tenna, and it made him sick to watch. When the three of them would hang out (Ni feeling uncomfortable all along) this guy would not stop calling Tenna ‘Fat’ or ‘Bitch’ and a number of other disrespectful names. When he started to beat Tenna, Ni had told her ‘dump him.’ Tenna had responded ‘You’re just jealous.’ It was true, but Ni really did have her best interests in mind, and didn’t want to see her hurt.
One night, he had shadow shifted, and snuck into the guy’s house. Once there, he waited for him to come into the kitchen. (it sounds creepy, but Ni didn’t care, this was his only friend, and she was being mistreated) After this guy came in, Ni proceeded to kick the crap out of the guy. (Which is not expected, seeing as he’s on the short side, and really thin) Tenna never forgave Ni, and now rarely ever spoke to him. It hurt Ni to see his best friend protecting a jackass, and to see her hate him. But ever since then, he had a strong sense of respect for women. Tenna had never spoken to Ni again, and it hurt, but now was not the time for fond memories of Tenna, now was the time for making sure Hadley wouldn’t puke. She certainly looked as if she was about too. But he wasn’t going to lie about the blood. It may have bothered Hadley, but blood was something that Ni had accepted, and even imitated in his artwork.
“Hadley…I like to dye my hair crazy, unnatural colors, but you have natural red hair that I would never try to imitate.” He looked at the blood again. “Though I think I had this color hair, this blood red, over the summer…But uh…yeah that’s blood.” Way to go Ni, way to have no tact. Mentally, he slapped his face with his palm. “Sorry Hadley…”
He slouched for a moment, but then sat up again, smiling. “Wow, that’s an awesome power…! Can you just shift to people, or other stuff? I.E. Animals, inanimate objects?” he tilted his head, and the shooting pain of a headache went to his brain. ‘Exactly why you don’t drink or do drugs Ni…Your brain hurts too much too often…’ he thought sarcastically. It was then that he caught the fact that she hadn’t yet mastered it. “Aw man, well I’m sure you’ll figure out how to soon. It just comes later to others.” Another grin.
Ni relaxed a minute, and almost shut his eyes. Then he remembered that if you have head trauma, don’t shut your eyes, you might go blind or something. His dad had told him that when Ni had sat up under the tractor too fast, and bashed his head so bad that he couldn’t see straight. Ni’s eyes shot open again, and he tensed up. The thought of going blind freaked him out, he needed his eyes, if he couldn’t see, he couldn’t read music, or paint, or do anything else! Suddenly nervous, his eyes shot from corner to corner, just to make sure he could still see.
“I uh…I…”
Ni could basically control his powers. He was good at shifting at will, if he was calm. Alas, sometimes when bad stuff happened, he got nervous. The teachers had always told him that he needed to concentrate on shifting when he was nervous, or rather, keep from shifting. If he was put under pressure, sometimes even for tests, he would shadow-shift. He usually could feel it coming on too.
This time was no different.
His skin became a darkened, transparent, black-ish gray color, and his features (facial, hair, glasses, clothes, all that stuff) disappeared. All that remained was a Ni shadow, and Ni’s bright white, sharp teeth.
He sighed. He knew it would happen…but deep down he hoped it wouldn’t. He liked his power, but man, it defiantly wasn’t as cool as some others…especially shape shifting. Really, he could shape shift, but only as a shadow…And even then he couldn’t do anything cool as a shadow like imitate people’s voices and all the stuff. All he could do was slip under doors and in between cracks in the wall…Oh, and hide behind people.
But at least now he was calmed down, if only because he was extremely pissed at this terrible timing shadow shift.
“Well…” Ni (or rather, Ni’s teeth) said bitterly. “At least this way you won’t have to look at the back of my hideous, blood gushing, head.” There was no joke to be made here. Shadow shifting was fun when you were by yourself, but not when you were sitting on the steps, talking to a girl who happened to have an awesome power. He sighed and thought about gliding across the steps and hiding in some tree’s shadow.
“Blarg and other such words…” Was all he could say though.
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