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Post by Lainey Carson on Jun 24, 2006 0:27:39 GMT -4
The Debriefing House had been complete and utter Hell to clean. Not only had there been broken glass everywhere, but the bedrooms had all been messed up too. Even hers. Her “personal belongings” were no longer that personal. Her bras had been strewn all over the floor, and she sincerely wanted to throw them all out, but she didn’t have much more money to buy any more. Not only that, but her bed sheets were messed up as if somebody had been sleeping and forgotten to make the bed. Except, she was pretty sure whoever had spent their time there hadn’t been doing any sleeping at all. Lainey washed her sheets four times just to be sure and still felt sick sleeping in them at night.
The worst of it all was the kitchen. Jade, of course, had to blow up almost everything in there. And they couldn’t just tell the Dean about the party. Blair had offered to pay for most of it, and while Lainey encouraged the idea that Jade should pay for the rest she was shot down by Jade throwing a punch at her. Lainey had dodged at the last minute, otherwise she’d be sporting a nice bruise on her cheek. In the end, they said that Jade had gotten mad at Lainey and the Dean took money out of the Team’s own salary to pay for the refrigerator. Although the story was completely believable, everyone had a feeling Dean Woodman didn’t buy it. Lainey didn’t mind in the end, as long as she could cook she was happy. Once the kitchen had been repaired, Lainey treated her house mates to an extravagant three course meal: caesar salad, chicken parmesan with pasta on the side, and a moist chocolate cake. There had been absolutely no complaints that night; Jade had remained completely silent.
The living room had to be vacuumed many times. There were beer stains on the carpet that everyone managed to scrub out and in places all sorts of left over drug items that Jake promised to “take care of.” Lainey’s hands had been healed in an instant by Paige the next day, and whatever Lainey had that night kept her awake for two days straight. Monday morning she was dragging during all her classes. She spent the afternoon in the infirmary, missing field hockey practice for the first time and hating herself for it.
Except, as Lainey cleaned up a nice pancake breakfast next Sunday morning, something was bothering her. She’d had a peculiar dream the night before, and she couldn’t tell whether it was a vision or just a dream. When she awoke she had been in horrendous pain as if she had a vision. She seriously hoped it was just a dream, because if not, then everyone was in for a horrible future.
Most of it were just flashes. The Manhattan she knew today was crumpling apart. The sky wasn’t blue, but a horrible, lifeless gray. There were people walking around stiffly, looking paranoid, but there were also people on the ground. Most were unmoving, just lying there. Others were convulsing, and yet others were surrounded in blood. She saw a woman lying face down, except she knew her. Lainey just couldn’t place her for some reason. She saw herself, her eyes completely black. There weren’t any whites left in her eyes, no trace of chocolate brown, just black. The blood on her hands told Lainey she had killed.
And then came the pain that woke her.
Lainey scrubbed the plates clean, the warm water soothing her senses. She didn’t understand what any of it meant. A few hunches lingered in her mind that she didn’t want to address, but did anyway. Could it have been the Devil sending her some sort of sick vision to confuse her, annoy her, and tear her apart from thinking about it too much? Or could it have been a true vision, a warning of what she could become, telling her to change before it was too late? Change what? What could she possibly do differently now?
Whenever she was faced with a decision or a predicament of some sort, Lainey went running. The steady flow of her feet, the way her legs would ache and her lungs would beg for air calmed her down. The rush she got when she was running didn’t make her giddy, it cleared her mind and gave her time to think without getting worked up about anything. So after finishing with the plates and wiping the counter clear, she changed into a tanktop, shorts, and spandex. Lainey shoved her feet into socks and sneakers, grabbed her Ipod, and headed out the door. She passed people she knew, giving them a little wave and a smile as she went. Her eyes took in how beautiful the Academy looked this morning and how the tiny breeze rejuvenated her whenever she needed it. Lainey ran for forty minutes straight, not even getting all the way around the Hawthorne Academy campus, and promising herself to find out what else was out there next time.
She took a cold shower, changed into simple shorts, a t-shirt, and flip flops. Lainey found a place of solitude near a gorgeous willow tree and a bunch of bushes with flowers in it. Lainey stuck a flower in her hair that probably wouldn’t come near to matching her outfit. She wished she had blown her hair straight, knowing her long hair would dry wavy and it would take forever to straighten later on. Lainey leaned back against the trunk, slipped her flip flops off, and let her toes feel the grass. She sighed contentedly. She was alone, yes, something Lainey didn’t usually enjoy, but it was nice here. She had time to herself. She could just think.
“Lainey.”
She stood up quickly and looked around. Someone had just said her name: a man. Lainey checked behind the tree, walked in a large circle around where she had just been sitting. Nothing. No one was there. Pain was prickling in different parts of her body: her feet, her hands. She checked to see if she stepped on something sharp, and once again there was nothing. Had she just imagined it? Or was someone playing a trick? She sat back down, leaned back against the tree. Silence.
“Lainey.”
Once again. This time she could identify where the voice was coming from—inside her. It was coming from inside her head. More pain erupted in her body, stretching to her legs and arms, making her clench her fist and grit her teeth. What the hell was going on?
“It wasn’t a dream.”
This time the pain made her gasp. It enveloped her body, and she couldn’t even describe it. It was like being stabbed, squeezed in a too-tight space, stretched more than any limb could handle all at once. It was something she’d never ever felt before. And as soon as it came, it had stopped. She had curled into a ball, as if to shield herself. Her hands had been grabbing her head tightly. Slowly, she stretched back out, bracing for any more pain. None came. She felt open, insecure, unsafe. Whoever it had been had been with her for awhile, while she had the dream, while she contemplated it. And they’d given her the answer to her question. It wasn’t a dream at all.
She played with a strand of hair, looking at it, seeing the wave. She felt the flower, still secure in her hair. It wasn’t a dream after all. Welcome to the future.
[Sorry it took so long, Brando!]
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Post by Luke Rice on Jun 24, 2006 9:43:25 GMT -4
Luke Rice didn't have much to do on this day other than walk around and go with the wind. He wasn't sure where it would take him, or what he might find waiting for him, but he was sure that the entire day would be wasted if he didn't do something, and that wasn't needed. Luke was a genuine nice guy. People liked him. He liked people. It was a nice world that way. At least, some of the time it was. Some problems did arise, but that is true for anyone -- especially true for some others. Luke was alright, though, since today seemed problem free, at least so far. That was able to change like the wind he followed, however, and he knew that from experience.
Luke was currently walking down the street, hearing his shoes tap against the ground as he walked, but not paying attention to much else. Luke was lost in thought today and a group of rabid monkeys could run by him snarling and he'd only half pay attention to it. His was lost in thought, but not about anything in particular. His mind was wandering from one topic to the next, from thinking about his favorite television show to wondering where any of his friends were and what they were doing. He hadn't tried to call anyone before he went for the walk, and he had no way to get in touch with them now. Not that it mattered at all, he was just curious.
Luke had just rounded the corner when he saw a stray dog running around, and he smiled for a moment. He liked dogs, but then again, don't most people? The dog, which appeared to be a yellow lab, was just running free. As Luke stopped walking to watch it for a moment, it seemed to notice him and it ran up shaking it's tail and panting out it's long tongue. He bent down onto his knees to pet it, and the dog reached up and licked his hand. Luke smiled for a minute, and noticed the dog seemed to have no collar. Odd, but not unheard of. Then, all at once, the dog barked at something across the street and ran towards it. Luke had seen no one or anything, but dogs could smell and hear things he could not.
... Though apparently it had seen seen the car coming. Luke instinctivly jumped out and pushed the dog out of the way of the car, although in doing so he narrowly avoided it himself and wound up lying in a puddle by the edge of the road, dirty water now covering his t-shirt and shorts. He sat up spit some from his mouth, making a gagging face as if it tasted badly when the dog licked his face and ran off down the street. Luke shook his head and stood up, but by the time he was standing the dog was gone. Oh well, it was worth getting a bunch of dirty water all over him. So Luke continued on his walk, although now he was less comfortable.
Then, as he cut across the Hawthorne Academy campus to get back to his room, he noticed something. It was a girl balled up beneath the willow tree, having some kind of fit or something. As the girl stretched back out, Luke realized it was Lainey and wondered if something was wrong. He quickly dashed over to where she sat and, realizing she looked alright now, decided not to worry too much.
"Lainey?" Luke asked, wanting to make his presence known. "Is everything alright?"
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Post by Lainey Carson on Jun 24, 2006 11:17:19 GMT -4
[This is probably going to be the hardest post to respond to ever. I suck. Sorry.]
She gasped again, hearing the calling of her name. She had thought it was over. Lainey braced for pain, but none came. The call had come from outside her head. She glanced over to see Luke Rice jogging over, looking like he just swam in his clothes. Lainey forced a smile, but she wondered if he’d seen the whole thing. He had to have seen it, why else would he come over? Awkward much? How do you explain something like that. Well someone was talking to me, inside my head, and it was really painful and stuff. He’d think she was crazy, even though he’d probably be right. It was just that she had figured it out already. The man talking in her head had to be her father, the Devil. And talking about what had just happened could open up some questions that she couldn’t answer.
All in all, Luke was probably one of the nicest people she’d ever met. He was a good guy. He had a lot of friends, treated absolutely everyone with respect, and cared about other people. If she could talk to anyone about anything, it would probably be him, even if she didn’t know him that well. He was the kind of guy who would listen to your side of the story, even if it wasn’t convincing enough. And she opened her mouth to say it, she was ready to, when she chickened out.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” she asked, a teasing smile crossing her face as she motioned to his clothes. “How’d you get all wet?”
She had just avoided the question all together, it was easier than lying. Besides, she was a horrible liar. And she didn’t even know what Luke’s powers were; they could have something to do with mind reading. She seriously hoped not. While everyone else on Campus seemed to be sharing their sordid tales and secrets with everyone else, Lainey had simply ignored hers. Any question about was answered simply, but avoiding the real intent. So, Lainey, how’d you get here? The train. And while anyone else would answer the question with how their parents hated them or they were almost killed and the Dean found them and invited them to the school, Lainey didn’t bite. No one needed to know. And it wasn’t their business asking.
Even though she could remember asking someone the same question. Oops.
The thing is when you have something to hide, you can’t let any little details go. Because more questions get asked and then eventually they get too close. The person gets too close to you and then suddenly they can tell when you’re lying. Suddenly, they can tell you’re hiding something. More questions come and then out your secret goes. And then, everyone doesn’t trust you. You’re hunted, labeled a traitor, and if they find you they swear they’ll kill you. Any of your friends you trusted will break the bond, because suddenly you’re evil. And the only place you could possibly turn is the place you tried to avoid. At least that’s how Lainey saw it. She’d spent many nights staying up and contemplating how it could work out. She’d lean up against her bed, looking at all the bright colors on all her different walls, knowing it would end soon. Because how long could she possibly keep this a secret? So she was just going to make the most of the time she still had here. The only person who would know the real truth about her would be the Dean. And everyone else could have their opinions.
Lainey brushed a strand of hair back and glanced over to the Debriefing House which was a short walk away, much closer than the boys’ dorms. “Do you want another change of clothes or something? You’d probably fit into Aidan’s and Jake’s, and they wouldn’t mind sharing.”
Well, she hoped they wouldn’t. It wasn’t like she had asked them or anything.
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Post by Luke Rice on Jun 24, 2006 17:51:50 GMT -4
Luke had to grin as she reminded him about his clothing. Yes, he was covered in muddy, dirty water, but that was hardly of concequence. Being uncomfortable and rather cold was a bad thing, it was no where near as bad as being in what looked like was horrible pain. Still, Lainey didn't know him that well and the same was true for him, so he didn't want to intrude on anything personal. He decided to allow the subject to change without hassel or questions and instead he addressed her own query.
"I fell in a puddle." Luke explained simply, and he explained about the dog that had been in danger and his decision to sacrifice his shirt for it. It was better to leave a gigantic pool of details out of this one. He shrugged it off and decided to take her up on her offer. Truth be told he didn't care to take the long walk back to his dorm, but at least this way he wouldn't be alone. Not that he minded it, but things seemed to be more fun when there were other people around.
"Sure, I wouldn't mind getting cleaned up, but... ah, forget it."
Luke highly doubted that, just on a whim, Lainey had asked either Adian or Jake if they minded sharing clothes with someone who came in off the street and happened to be covered in dirty water. He couldn't invision that coming up in day to day conversation, but he also didn't want to wind up walking around alone again, so he would take her up on the offer. Besides, they could always refuse the request and he'd be on his way.
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Post by Lainey Carson on Jun 25, 2006 22:21:16 GMT -4
How cute it was that he would sacrifice his clothing to save a dog. While anyone else would have just cringed or ignored it, Luke would be the only person to care. She smiled. He deserved to be in comfortable dry clothes. Aidan wouldn’t mind sharing. Luke could just get them back to him later. So, she shook her head as they approached the Debriefing House and gave him a smile.
“No it’s fine, seriously.”
She pushed open the door, allowed him to go in first and then closed it behind her. She was surprised to see that the House was deserted. Lainey would have guessed that Sam would have been playing video games and Wynne might have taken over the dining table and spread her homework all over it. She didn’t mind that no one else was there, she just hated the quiet. For having hosted a party the last weekend it looked pretty fabulous. The only remnants of the party had to be a few of the spots underneath the dining table. But no one would ever notice something like that.
She led him into the hallway and opened the first door on her left: Aidan’s room. She hadn’t ever been in there before and the room was a nice soothing blue color. His bed was neatly made and there were books, notebooks, and sketchbooks spread on his sheets. Lainey made her way to his dresser, opening the top door and then closing it quickly when she realized it was socks, undershirts, and boxers. She hoped Luke wasn’t expecting another pair, because that might be going a little too far. She opened the next drawer down to see t-shirts and left it open as she opened the drawer below it a little farther that contained shorts. She patted the drawers and went over toward the doorway.
“Take whatever you want,” she nodded and smiled. “And give me your clothes when you’re done; I’ll wash them.”
Lainey closed the door softly and went back into the main room. She headed over to the refrigerator, grabbed a water bottle, and took it back to the couch with her. She grabbed the remote control and started flipping through the stations. Lainey stopped for a second on a Spanish soap opera to giggle and sip her water, then passed by networks like TBS (which was playing reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond) and TNT (Stepmom—again, some kind of marathon). She stopped at MTV for a few seconds and watched Next for awhile—a dating show that was currently about gay guys. She heard movement behind her and turned around as Luke returned to the room. Lainey hopped off the couch, grabbed Luke’s clothes and threw them down the stairs to be washed later.
“Want something to drink?” Lainey asked, gesturing to her water bottle and leading him back into the kitchen area.
The kitchen had a tile floor with white walls. It was very simple and classy. The new microwave stood out, black against the white walls, while the new refrigerator seemed to fit in well. Their cups, plates, bowls, and silverware were all white with blue patterns. It was homey and fresh, and Lainey knew she loved the kitchen space when she arrived. In fact, it was her favorite place in the house. Not because she loved to eat, even though she did, but because cooking was her favorite thing to do. Even if she didn’t get to eat whatever she made, she was happy to cook. She loved the appreciative looks on people’s faces when they ate her food, the small “Mmm” sounds they made before they swallowed.
“And I made cookies the other day, if you’re hungry. They’re pretty good if I say so myself.”
The cookies sat in a glass jar, tempting even the blonde girl herself to open the jar and take one for herself. But she waited and turned her attention toward the refrigerator. She opened it, looked through it to see if there was anything to drink. Even if Luke politely denied her food and drink, she wanted some juice to go along with her cookie. She pushed the mustard and cheese out of the way. Their refrigerator had everything, thanks to Lainey who had gone food shopping the other night. With all of the things she did, field hockey, French Club, community service, etc., she managed to find time to go food shopping and cook for her friends.
She wasn’t even sure how she did it.
“So, Luke, where are you from?” Lainey asked, still inside the refrigerator. “And how’d you end up here?”
[Wasn't on for a day or so. Eek. Sorry.]
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Post by Luke Rice on Jun 26, 2006 16:04:13 GMT -4
[Sorry for not posting yesterday. Went to the movies.]
Luke followed Lainey into the house and didn't make much noise. He looked around as he entered to see if anyone was around, but he couldn't see anyone. Then again, maybe someone was in another room or another part of the house. He didn't know; he didn't live here so he really had no way to judge. Although it was a lot nicer than his dorm.
After he got back from getting dressed he excepted her offer to have juice and some cookies, since he hadn't eaten that day. He had planned on going to lunch later that day, but after the dog and spotting Lainey from across the street he had forgotten about it.
"Hey, these are good." Luke said, talking about the cookies. However, when she asked about where he'd come from and how he had gotten here, Luke hesitated. He didn't like to lie to anyone, nor did he like to be rude by not addressing her question -- but his past wasn't as nice as he was. Luke ran a hand over the back of his neck as he usually did when he was nervous.
"Ah, well, when I was younger there was an incident. When I first learned about my powers... I was so afraid that I ran away from home, got a lot further than I thought it would. I was lost, alone, and I had just found out I could do things other people couldn't. It was pretty scary. I wound up here and I was taken in. Never did go back home, but I grew up in a orphanage anyway so it doesn't matter."
Luke spoke about these things, trying not to seem down or sad, but in his eyes he did look much less than happy. Then he shook his head and smiled.
"Anyway, what about you?"
[Shoooooooort.]
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Post by Lainey Carson on Jun 26, 2006 22:41:24 GMT -4
[This is kinda weird. I apologize ahead of time.]
“Thanks,” Lainey said toward the cookie compliment, grinning as she took out her own cranberry juice, poured it in a glass and sipped it for awhile.
He was nervous as he told her story. She knew all the signs of nervousness or embarrassment, since she had become a master of hiding things like that. The way he rubbed the back of his neck and averted his pretty eyes away gave him away. He looked so sad. And she felt bad for him, orphanages must suck. Being cooped up in a room with tons of other kids without parents, eating slop food, having lived on the streets. She didn’t really know anything about it. Compared to most people, Lainey had the ideal childhood: big house, tons of toys, and cooks who would make whatever she wanted, whether it was an ice cream sundae or chicken cordon bleu. She basically had whatever she wanted at the tips of her fingers, except for her mother.
He had asked her the question. It was straight to her face, and the way he had told his story, there was no way she could just avoid the question. He’d had a much harder childhood than she could even imagine. She was scared. She bit her lip in apprehension. He would be the first person to know what she was all about besides the Dean. Of course, Lainey wasn’t going to tell him the whole story.
“Well,” she started, mulling over how to start her story. “my mom was never really around much when I was a kid. She hired cooks and nannies when I was really little. And she got me into sports and gymnastics and kickboxing and all that when I was around four. I’ve always been really busy. And then, when I turned nine she decided to fire all of the hired help because I could ‘take care of myself’ by then. She came home once a week, maybe, and when she did she didn’t really talk to me very much. So I became really independent.”
Which was of course, still true. She could have added how, at age ten she had entered a gymnastic tournament, the youngest in the whole tournament, and had gotten an award for being second best. Lainey would have loved her mother to have been there, to see where all the work she had done had gotten her. But Julie Carson never came to any games or tournaments. Ms. Carson had never once made dinner for her daughter, or any meal for that matter. Julie never spoke ‘I love you’ or ‘I’m so proud of you,’ two phrases Lainey had prayed to hear. But they never came. It was sad and an important part of Lainey’s childhood, but Luke didn’t really need to hear it. He had probably gotten the gist. Her mother didn’t like her that much.
“And a few days before I came here, I got my powers at a football scrimmage. My friends wouldn’t speak to me even after I saved them from some creepy guy. I ended up killing him.”
She said it without remorse. Sick as it sounded, Lainey hadn’t been affected by the death than most people. In fact, she hadn’t really been affected by her friends calling her a ‘Freak’ and telling her to leave. At the time, she’d been upset by her friends, but it never really hit her that she killed someone. Even now, Lainey didn’t feel sorry or traumatized by it. She felt like he deserved it, and that disgusted her, but she couldn’t change it. Lainey had killed him so easily, so naturally. She had received a feeling in her stomach that applauded her. Obviously, her father had given her more than just powers and a huge strength boost, but also the affection for killing.
“The same day I got the letter inviting me here, and a letter saying my birth mother died. And then I learned that I was adopted, my ‘mom’ didn’t feel the need to tell me the truth. It was weird, like I was living a lie my whole life. So then I stole some money, she had enough, and came on the train here.”
It had been weird. So weird, that for the first time Lainey had blown up at her mom. She’d felt betrayed and incredibly mad that Julie could hide something that big from her own “daughter.” And for once her mother had been home (lucky timing?) and Lainey yelled and yelled at her, tried to make her feel guilt. In the end, she had gone through her mom’s purse and taken enough money to ride the train and last her a few months. But the money was drying out quicker than she had anticipated, and sooner or later Lainey knew she’d need to get a job, along with everything else she had to do. It wasn’t like she could ask Julie for money after she’d deliberately come to Hawthorne when Julie had forbidden it. Oops?
But Lainey smiled at Luke, hoping it wasn’t too weird. She had a long story, not nearly as bad as Luke’s. She’d never lived on the streets or in a depressing orphanage. She let out a happy grin and said, “Let’s talk about something happy.”
And in a teasing voice, she followed that statement with: “Like how great it is to live here.”
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Post by Luke Rice on Jun 26, 2006 23:14:35 GMT -4
Luke felt badly for her. Having a mother who wasn't around wasn't a good way to grow up, and then to learn she wasn't even her real mother must have made it even worse. Worse... or better? Maybe the knowledge that she wasn't her real mother offered some comfort in a odd way. Maybe Lainey found some comfort in the knowledge that the woman who had never showed her much love or support wasn't truly her mother. Maybe she could take comfort that her real mother would have loved her and treater her correctly -- or maybe not. Luke had no idea, since he had no memories of his real parents. They had died when he was too young to walk or talk, much less vividly remember things.
It had been a bad day. He was out of the house with one of his parent's friends who also had a baby. The family friend was watching him while the parents were having the house renovated, but a accident happened and they died. He couldn't even remember what his parents looked like, much less anything about their personality.
Then he'd gone to live in a Orphanage in another part of New York State, though far from the actual city of the same name. It wasn't a nice place. It was at this place that he learned to get along with everyone. The orphans were nice to one another, although the woman in charge didn't give a damn about any of them. She just ignored them and sometimes they had to go without food for a day or two. Things there hadn't been any good for a long time. Because of that, he understood what Lainey meant by having a mother who was never around. She hadn't mentioned her father, but Luke decided not to ask since she had changed the subject to happy things.
Luke would gratefully change the subject. Talking about his life as a orphan or her heartless mother didn't really go down smoothly. Frankly he didn't want to talk about such things, and also it wasn't everyday Luke got to talk to such a pretty girl and he'd rather not ruin it by talking about tragic things from the past.
"I can't complain about living here. It's been all good for me so far, and it's only getting better." Luke said, taking a positive outlook on, well, everything.
"So, what do you do for fun around here?" Luke asked with a smile.
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Post by Lainey Carson on Jun 27, 2006 0:09:27 GMT -4
By Luke’s face it seemed he understood and sympathized. But neither of them really wanted to talk about sad things. They were alike that way. Lainey loved to think positive and dwell on absolutely everything happy. She loved to please people. She hated it when people cried. Although she was a good listener, she’d rather talk. And while she did, in the end, like to get to know people through their heartaches and stories, she could only take that for so long. Sad stories weren’t the only way to get to know people.
She paused. What was there to do around here? Lainey glanced around the room. They could watch TV or a movie or play video games. But Luke could probably do that in his own room. They could go to the basement and work out. Even though Lainey loved exercise, not everyone else did. Luke was in shape, but he might just be because of necessity, not because he liked it. They could cook…but once again, only Lainey found that fun. She could take him into Jade’s room and find something to possibly black mail her. Or they could just trash it. That sounded like a winner to her, but Luke might not agree. In the end, they could just go out to Manhattan and find something to do there, but that took so much work, and he had asked what was fun to do around here. Lainey found it funny how she was thinking that hard about it.
“Okay, well I’ll give you the options and you can pick mister,” she paused, thought it through again. Lainey flashed a little pout across her face as she thought and pushed her unruly, wavy, not straight hair, behind her ears. “We could watch TV, play video games, exercise downstairs, cook, blackmail another Team member, trash Jade’s room, or go somewhere else.”
She took a deep breath and then grinned. None of it sounded appealing. She wanted to apologize for being boring, but it would almost be like fishing for a compliment. Then he’d have to say, No, you’re not boring. And it would just go downhill from there. And as she waited for another answer a sharp pain returned to her head, not as bad as before, but a painful reminder of the dream she had. She got up, stretched, touched her head lightly, and smiled.
Lainey grabbed her drink and went searching through the cabinets, looking for Tylenol and finding it. She took two, washed it down with cranberry juice, and turned back to Luke. “So, what do you think?”
[Um.]
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Post by Luke Rice on Jun 27, 2006 3:17:38 GMT -4
Luke had to think about this one. Any of those options had the potential to be fun, but they also sounded quite uneventful. It was odd how something could sound fun and boring at the same time, but it was apparently true because that was how Luke felt about the majority of what she had suggested. Then again, some things could be fun. Going to Manhattan almost always resulted in some kind of excitement -- it was a quality of the city.
Then again, the last time he was in Manhattan he had jumped into a dirty puddle of water to save a dog. He wasn't complaining, but the person he'd just borrowed clothes from might mind if he got these all ruined. Luke wasn't sure about Manhattan. They could go to a resturant, or a movie; but how was that different than eating cookies in the kitchen or watching TV? It was afternoon, so none of the clubs would be open, and any that were would be slow. Then again, not finding something to do in Manhattan was virtually impossible -- right?
Still, something else she's said happened to sound oddly appealing, in a odd way. Luke was never the type to cause trouble, one of the reasons he had so many friends and no real enemies. He couldn't figure out why Lainey would want to blackmail someone or trash Jade's room. Then again, Luke didn't really know Jade, so he didn't know if Lainey was friends with her or not. And while Luke wasn't one to get in trouble or cause problems for others, that could get very boring. When everyone else was involved in some kind of prank, Luke played peacekeeper whenever it was over and a argument broke out. It was rewarding to be the voice of reason, but it was also quite boring.
Besides, Luke had never really done anything like that before, and maybe it was fun. It would have to be, since he constantly saw people doing things to one another. Although, was it wise for him to make enemies? If he helped Lainey blackmail someone, they probably wouldn't like him too much -- and trashing Jade's room wasn't a great way to make or maintain a friendship with her.
Still, Luke wasn't a member of The Team. He didn't live in this house, and he could easily avoid anyone he made mad, right? Still, it just didn't sit well with him to bother someone. It wasn't his style, or his character. Of course Luke never did anything that could jepordize a friendship. He hadn't had friends before Hawthorne, not even in the orphanage (since people came and went so quickly) so he didn't want to risk losing them. Then again, if he appeared too boring to Lainey, she'd probably not want to hang around him, and that was a shame since she was a really great girl from what Luke had seen.
"Well," Luke said at length. "I've never gone to Manhattan and had a boring time, so I'm sure that would be, ah, interesting to say the least. Then again... I've never actually played the bad boy and messed with someone, but I hear it's fun." He smirked slightly.
"So I'd say either we go for a trip, or cause some trouble." Luke shook his head. He couldn't believe he was actually going to go for something like that. Ah, well, it was all in the harmless spirit of fun... right?
"Or better yet, we could trash Jade's room and then high-tail it to Manhattan before she gets back and catches us." Luke usually tried to combine good ideas, though he still wasn't sure if causing trouble would be his knack. Yet how can you know until you try it?
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Post by Lainey Carson on Jul 6, 2006 23:58:33 GMT -4
[I'm so sorry this took forever Brando. Please forgive me?]
Lainey watched his face amused as he thought. He looked serious as he mulled things over inside that blonde head of his. It was cute. And as he came up with his answer, Lainey couldn’t help but grin wide. Luke, the notorious good boy of Hawthorne Academy, did have a bad streak. She had always wanted to ask if good boys were really that good. And they tried to put up the act like they were. But truth was, they were boys; they were humans. No one can be good forever. She felt some sort of pride because she was the one who got him out of it. Or should she have felt upset?
Either way, Lainey grabbed his arm, adrenaline surging through her veins. You know when you’re about to do something you shouldn’t really be doing? Can you pinpoint that feeling that you get when you’re doing something completely, totally, and morally wrong? You know how it’s like a climax; you make a decision and it’s like you can never turn back. That feeling was enveloping, exciting, invigorating her. She felt like she could take on the world. And yeah, it was only trashing her least favorite Team member’s room, but it was Jade. And for some reason it was a huge deal to her. Not only that, but doing it with Luke made it better. She enjoyed his company and she hoped they’d end up being close friends.
They headed down to the basement where Jade’s room was. Big surprise, right? Of course Jade had tried to find the creepiest room in the house. On the white door it seemed she had written ‘Jade’ in permanent black marker. She had one of those paper door knob signs that said ‘Do Not Disturb’ except it said it on both sides. Lainey pushed open the door cautiously, even though she knew Jade wasn’t there. It still felt as if she was being watched closely. And as she entered Jade’s room, she checked for cameras or microphones. It was just the kind of thing Jade would do; she was so paranoid.
But maybe she had a reason to be paranoid.
Her room was entirely black from the carpet to the wall. She had black and white sheets with a mahogany dresser and shelves for her books. She had one small mirror, big enough to just see her face in it. Her dresser had many eyeliner pencils laid out on it. Her bookshelves were full of dark depressing poetry and anarchist Russian writers. Lainey pulled a drawer out checking out Jade’s shirts. She pulled out one that was just plain black, then a black long sleeve t-shirt that said ‘The New Republic’ on it, and another black one that had a sad face on it. She pulled the whole drawer out, then dumped the contents on Jade’s bed. A sad pile of black clothes sat on the black sheets. There was a common theme here.
Lainey picked up a shirt, showing it to Luke and smiling. “Lots of variety.”
Jade’s bathroom was a little better. It had black tiles on the floor and half of the wall, but the ceiling and other half of the wall was white wallpaper. Everything was hideously neat. Jade would freak if a few things were out of order, let alone her bathroom be a disaster. And that’s just what Lainey was going to do.
“So,” she called from inside the bathroom, “I’ve never done this before, but I’m just going to go for it.”
She took all of Jade’s towels and put them under the bath faucet, soaking them completely and leaving them all over the bathroom floor. She squirted toothpaste all over Jade’s sink and put her tooth brush in the toilet. Lainey tipped over soap, shampoo, conditioner bottles, letting their contents spill slowly out and onto whatever surface they were. Jade’s medicine cabinet—alphabetized and neat was thrown all over the floor. She used Jade’s shaving cream and sprayed hearts and smiley faces all over the walls and floor. Lainey crossed her arms over her chest surveying her handiwork. She tilted her head and called Luke into the room.
“Have any suggestions mister?”
[And yeah it's sucky. Writing camp is taking it out of me.]
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Post by Luke Rice on Jul 14, 2006 0:49:03 GMT -4
Luke could not help but grin as he watched Lainey terrorized Jade's bathroom. Luke did not know Jade exceptionally well, but he did know she was rumored to have something of a temper. This made Luke want to trash the place, but do so in a way that they wouldn't get caught. Not that he'd be suspected -- Luke Rice was the good boy of the Academy. He never broke the rules, he never did anything wrong and her certainly never trashed a Team member's bed and bathroom. Or did he? Since he was about to, it looked like he wasn't quite as good as his reputation led people to believe.
"Nice job, but there's still more to be done." Luke said with a smile to Lainey. He had grown up in a orphanage, after all, and some of the people he grew up with loved pranks and practical jokes; and Luke had picked up a few tricks. He could do many things that wouldn't be so obvious at first glance, and would instead be a annoyance later, after Jade had cleaned and though she'd gotten everything finished.
Luke bent down on his knees and turned the knob on the pipe beneath the toliet. This controlled the water, and he was turning it off. It was a frustrating annoyance, and he was sure someone as neat as Jade wouldn't be pleased. He then did the same to the knob beneath the sink's drain, which would turn off the water in the faucet and leave her doubly annoyed. Luke could have done more -- like taking the hot water knob out of the shower so all she had was cold; but he could not do that without causing very costly damage, and he didn't want to take this too far. It went against his nature.
"The bathroom looks good, Lainey, but if you really want to do this right we need to get her bedroom too." Luke told her, and then he headed into the main bedroom.
There were, of course, many things he could do. Some would be much meaner than others; and he didn't want to get too destructive. After all, while he was safe because no one would ever suspect him and he didn't live in the house; Lainey couldn't say the same. However, he did hurry upstairs for a moment, grab a bottle of soda from the refridgerator, and hurry back down. He unscrewed the lid and poured the contents of the soda into one of her clothing drawers. She would not be amused, but Luke and Lainey would be, so that was alright with him.
Luke then paused to think. What else could he do? Hid her shoes in the bottom of the trash can? Take her pillow cases and her bed sheets and soak them in the tub? Scatter her unmentionables across the lawn? Well, that might be a little too mean for Luke; but maybe it wasn't.
Luke began to wonder why he was doing all of this. Jade had never done a thing to him. Maybe it was because of Lainey. Maybe it was because Luke had found her incredibly cute ever since he met her, and he was enjoying the excuse to spend time with her. Luke turned back to the lady in question, and spoke again.
"What else can we do in here? I mean, I know of a lot of things, but most of them are really mean. Not sure how mad you want to make Jade." Luke could remember when a fellow orphan had taken his favorite jacket and put it in the oven... that was pretty bad.
(Yes, I'm sorry mine isn't all that great. Had a long day.)
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Post by Lainey Carson on Jul 31, 2006 14:34:28 GMT -4
She watched him work, turning knobs on pipes and such. His tricks weren’t as obvious as hers and they’d annoy Jade even more. For example, soda on all her clothes? She’d be so pissed off, and Lainey couldn’t wait. Unfortunately for her, it would be easy to guess who trashed Jade’s room. It would be either her, Blair, or Jake. And while Jake was more the pranking type, he would have to deal with Wynne who would never let him get away with it. Blair, while she would love to piss Jade off and trash someone’s room, just wouldn’t have the energy. She had so many other things to do—styling her hair, painting her nails, picking out her outfits, and torturing boys because none of them could ever really have her. So that left Lainey who everyone knew hated Jade. And everyone knew Jade hated Lainey. She’d just have to deal with it later. She’d get appreciative slaps from mostly everyone in secret. Unfortunately, Wynne might have to stop talking to her on Jade’s request. And Seth might even get upset about it. She hoped not, though. The last thing she wanted to deal with was her angry leader.
But Lainey never did anything halfway, and there was so much more to do. She wanted to spread her bras and underwear all over the house and leave some in the freezer. She wanted to clog her toilet with feminine necessities. They’d have to stop sooner or later.
She turned back to Luke, “Okay, I’ve got two more things I want to do and then I’m done. You can put the finishing touches on it, if you’d like. Be right back.”
First, she went through Jade’s top drawer—always the designated ‘panty drawer.’ She grabbed all her bras and underwear (all black, of course) and headed up to the kitchen with it. Lainey opened the refrigerator and shoved them to the back so they sat nonchalantly next to the frozen chicken and the ice cream bars. She grinned to herself and shut the door, but she wasn’t done. No where near close. Lainey pulled the trash out of the trash can and tied it. She replaced the old bag with a new one in the trash can, then grabbed the full bag of trash and brought it back down to Jade’s room. It was already starting to smell. She could pick out the scent of coffee mixed with rotting food. Lainey shoved it under Jade’s bed, where the covers on all sides would hide the sight of it, but certainly not the smell.
“Well, I’m done,” Lainey grinned, then went into Jade’s bathroom to wash her hands. Taking out, or in this case, in, the trash always made her feel dirty. “Any more ideas?”
She paused for a second, pulling her hair back into a ponytail, strands falling on either side of her face. Lainey looked over their masterpiece with a smile. They’d done well. Sure, she’d probably get shit for it later, but she’d had fun. And she hoped Luke had had fun as well. She checked the clock on Jade’s wall, seeing the time had passed quickly. It was already five thirty.
“Want to head out to Manhattan soon?”
[Sorry.]
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Post by Luke Rice on Aug 1, 2006 1:51:28 GMT -4
When Lainey returned from freezing Jade's underwear and brought a bag of trash back with her, Luke smiled at her. She was pretty good at pranks, his only worry was that she would get caught and take all the fall. After all, Luke was the good boy, the innocent one who never stepped a toe out of line. It'd be too bad if she took all the blame, so he hoped that didn't happen. Oh well, if he heard that it did happen, he'd just confess to the crime and hopefully turn Jade's wrath on him, rather than Lainey.
"Manhattan? Yeah, let's get going! We should probably get out of here before Jade comes home and finds this mess. I'd hate to still be here if she walked in." Luke said, and then he had to check the door to make sure no one was coming in. Since she was nowhere to be found, Luke returned his gaze to Lainey, and he smiled at her once more. He hoped they'd become good friends, since she seemed to be able to make him smile easily.
He wondered exactly what they could do in the city. Of course there was a million things to do in that city, but he wasn't sure what would appeal to Lainey. There were places to shop, tourist attractions, a different club on every street, resturants, bars, everything imaginable. Well, it didn't really matter. She could be in charge of where they went, he was just happy to be having such a fun day. Sure, there was a chance it would end with Jade finding out and they'd both be up shit creek without a paddle, but that was a place he'd been before, and at least this time he wasn't alone.
"Come on." He said, heading out of the door of Jade's room and hurrying upstairs to get into the main house. The sooner they made their escape to Manhattan, the sooner he'd feel like they actually got away with something. His heart was pounding and his adrenline pumping; he wasn't used to pulling pranks, and it was fun.
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Post by Lainey Carson on Aug 1, 2006 13:19:37 GMT -4
She followed him out of Jade’s destroyed room and up the stairs. She was still surprised that no one was in the house yet. They were lucky. As she opened the door and they both stepped outside, a feeling of relief washed over her. Sure, they could be discovered later, but they were okay. The two blondes walked side by side, passing people by and walking down the long driveway. Halfway down the driveway, she took a look back at the Front Building looking magnificent. So pretty, so regal. Her chocolate eyes turned back in front of her as they got toward the gate. It was like a strong wall between the safety of Hawthorne Academy and all the unknown dangers of Manhattan. She opened the gate slowly, held it open for Luke, and then followed him out.
Lainey had always thought Manhattan was scary before she came. Julie had told her about countless times she’d had to travel on the high speed line and would get continuously hit on by hairy old men. And Julie had been late thirties early forties at the time. Imagine what hairy old men would do to a young girl. She had shuddered to think of different freak accidents that could happen in the city: a horrible car crash, a train falling off the tracks ending up in a huge gore fest, a window mysteriously falling out of a building, plummeting to the ground and killing many gruesomely, a fire in a building and no one could get out where people would resort to jumping out of windows to get away, and a plane crashing into a building, causing it to fall to the ground and killing thousands and thousands of people. The scary thing was that these things had all happened before.
But her first taxi ride through Manhattan had showed her it was more than a scary mechanical jungle. It was never boring. There was always something to do. The lights at night are beautiful—in fact she couldn’t wait till Christmastime, when the tree at Rockefeller would be gorgeous enough just to stand under and watch for awhile. She wanted to go ice skating. The shopping was first class, you just couldn’t get any better. And the pizza was awesome, well actually all the food was awesome. You got all different varieties from incredibly expensive gourmet food that only celebrities can touch (unless you’re Blair Banks) to the fast food but good food. And Lainey loved food, so of course she had to love Manhattan.
She turned to Luke giving him a grin, “I’m guessing you’re not the shopping type, plus I’m pretty hungry, so do you want to get something to eat?”
She didn’t mind who would pick the place, but afterwards Luke could pick what they would do. Lainey was pretty much up for anything. She was easy to get along with that way. She never really cared what she ended up doing. Her chocolate eyes wandered over the city noticing how pretty it looked when the sun was just beginning to set. The orange-yellow-pink glow surrounded the buildings and skyscrapers, the colors reflecting on all the windows. Lainey smiled to herself.
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