Cherubplay

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Well then. That's one way to settle things. I stumbled my way through the fog for a second. God dammit why is this here?! I turned and saw Madison, arms crossed and that /same fucking smirk/ on his face. "Oh. Hi." I greeted. Well he looked a lot better in person than in Zane.

2015-07-09 08:45:37
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Of course I was smirking. It widened at that. "Why, thank you. You too, gorgeous."

2015-07-09 08:53:56
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"So in here you can read my mind?" Well that one was easy to figure out. "Wonderful. Just don't be like Clarenz and we'll be fine. Pray he doesn't show up here either or he might try to stop us. Key word /try/."

2015-07-09 08:55:04
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"Of course. Difficult to do that on purpose. It's not as if he'd actually be able to do anything. I'm not praying to anyone, though. In any case, we have to damage this place somehow, correct?"

2015-07-09 09:04:26
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"On it." I reached into my pocket and pulled out an ivory pistol. "Fits, doesn't it?" I commented before turning the safety off, cocking the pistol, and shooting the ground.

2015-07-09 09:06:25
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"Are you sure you should be going to that party, Ivory?" Lance's voice echoed into the room.

Ivory moved her phone off the desk onto the vanity. Her hair was in a towel-turban, and a towel was wrapped around her body. "Oh, don't worry about it Lance. I'll be fine. I haven't gone out and ages and James said he'd be there for me." She removed the towel turban and started to brush her still-wet hair.

"I don't know, from what you've told me about that guy, he doesn't seem right. You sure you can trust him? He might be a gator, as your friends call it."

She laughed. "Yes, I am very sure he is not a 'gator'" she put air quotes around 'gator', but of course he couldn't see them.

"Okay, but I'll call you later to see if everything is going well."

"Alright then."

Music blasting. People laughing. It was obvious a few hours passed. Ivory entered the large house. That was the best thing about living in Miami, everyone lived in big house. "Ivory!" A familiar voice shouted to her.

Someone about Cale's height ran up to her. A woman. "I thought you wouldn't be able to come! Kane was afraid you wouldn't come."

"Well here I am!" She smiled, her makeupless face now apparent. "Have you seen James?" She asked. "he said he'd be here."

"And is this James me?" A male voice spoke from behind her. Ivory turned around, smiling. "There you are!" She greeted.

He was about as tall as the woman, dressed as if he was from some Victorian era. A long purple coat covered his arms and most of his legs. To compete the look, he wore a tophat, and it was something she never saw James without.

Some time had pass. More laughter erupted and headed her way. "IVORY! IVORY!" the same woman shouted. "HERE! GO! GO! TAKE THIS AND GO! HURRY BEFORE JAMES COMES!" She shoved the same top hat he had on when James first arrived into her hands. "YOU'RE THE FASTEST! RUN!"

Without thinking, she took the tophat, and bolted, only once glancing behind her. Looks like he was following her now, and wasn't really even running either. Wonderful. Easy. Good thing she wore her converse to this party. She ran outside, and circled the home a few times in the dark before heading back in. That should lose him. She slipped inside and glanced behind her. Yep, not there.

Out of breath, she ran to her friend once more, top hat still in hand.

"Holy shit! Good job!" She exclaimed before looking behind her. "Wait, look out!"

She slightly turned, he was right there. He grabbed her and put her in a tight, hug-like choke hold.

As she gasped for breath, she felt the top hat be ripped out of her hands. She couldn't scream. She couldn't fight. He had a firm grip on her. As if her throat was being crushed.

Once she noticed she didn't have his item anymore, he threw her into the wall. Hard. With great force. The sudden turn caused a pain to shoot through her left ankle as she hit the wall. He moved away from her.

Silence. That's all there was for the longest time.

Her phone buzzed. It was Lance. She quickly got up and retreated to the bathroom, pain worsening as she moved.

"Hey!" She breathed, trying to sound completely fine. It was all a ruse. She wasn't fine. She was far from fine.

"Hey, how are things going?"

"Great!" Wait, that was too forced. "I uh, fell a bit trying to find a bathroom in here but I'm okay. It was my fault. for tripping, I swear."

It was her fault.

Yeah, her fault. That's it.

"Are you alright? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

She moved her pants leg up. GAH! That hurt. Nothing, yet.

"No I'm fine. I promise."

"Okay good, and James?"

"Completely harmless." She was trying to hold back her tears right now.

2015-07-09 09:44:22
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"Wait, so you were being serious about the firea--" There was a sudden quake and I fell to the ground, arms flailing behind me to catch myself. BECKETT, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU MAKE US DO?!

A young Zane, maybe eight or so years old, standing before a man with spectacles and gray-streaked blonde hair. He was already tall for his age, but that height did nothing to cancel out the panicked look on his face. He held a white kitten in his arms, its body wasted and bloody. "Dad, it's dying, we need to get it to a vet!" "No. It's done for. Just put it out of its misery." "Put it out of -- ?" The man's hand flew up to clout him on the ear, sending it ringing. Zane's hand went to it with a whimper. "ARE YOU DEAF? IT'S YOUR FAULT IT'S IN THIS MUCH PAIN, SO YOU HAVE TO PUT IT DOWN!" There were tears welling in the boy's eyes now. "B-b-but it's just a baby, the vet can save it, right...?" "The vet costs too much and it's dead anyway, you can do it yourself, SO DO IT ALREADY!"

He looked down at the tiny, wheezing creature staining his t-shirt red, blood and expression draining out of his face. That's right. It was his fault. If he hadn't dragged it home, it might not have bled as much from being jostled by his run, and now it was in immeasurable agony....he had to. He'd made it hurt. Dad would hit him again if he didn't. But he waited too long. Another blow landed on the back of his head, but he didn't react. Just knelt, and mechanically, eyes empty but dripping tears, put a hand to its fragile neck. And twisted.

There was a dull snap.

Eleven-year-old Zane. Under a weeping willow tree sitting on a picnic blanket with a little girl in a brown ponytail, drinking imaginary tea from a plastic cup and laughing with her over a face she'd made. Their laughter echoed throughout the small, empty woods, giving his sister an idea, and she began shouting "HELLO!" to no one in particular, but to everyone and everything that inhabited this little makeshift Eden. Zane smiled softly, but shushed her. They didn't want to bother Dad.

That would ruin everything.

A hand on his shoulder. Gripping tightly, not to provide comfort, but to keep him from running and to show him /what he had done/. The pile of rubbish gears and machinery blurred before him past the tears on his blank face. "See, Zane? This is your fault. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU INTERRUPT DADDY." The fingers tightened further, drawing blood, and Zane grimaced but didn't cry out. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." He truly was. This was his punishment.

And he deserved it.

Thirteen now, curled up on the couch with his sister, watching one of the Twilight movies with the sound muted and the lights off. Dad had gone to bed, and they knew what would happen if they woke him up. It was funnier this way in any case, though they had to silence their giggles as well. Zane had made them both pancakes earlier, Dad was too busy working to eat, and he never cooked for them anyway. He believed they were old enough to fend for themselves at this point. Mom made nice meals when she was home, but she hadn't been for weeks now. She'd said she'd be back from her trip soon.

Where was she?

Age fifteen, standing by helplessly as Bird screamed at their father, for selling her bed, supposedly to buy new materials for work. Dad shouted right back, about how she could just sleep with her brother until he bought her a sleeping bag, or she could sleep on the porch, he didn't give a fuck. She shrieked a swear word right back at him, and he stepped forward. And slapped her, across the face, hard. Hard enough to knock a baby tooth loose. Blood trickled from the ten-year-old's mouth and she buried her face in her hands and began to cry. At this sight Zane stepped forward, shaky but sure. His face was completely emotionless, the eyes even more so. He was six foot three by now, and his shaggy, white-blonde hair hung in his face. Dad made a move for him too, but he caught the swinging hand in midair, robotic expression never once faltering. Grabbing his father's shoulder for leverage, he twisted the captive arm and jerked it downwards. There was a strangled cry of pain.

There was a dull snap.

Hours later. He lay in his room, huddled on his bed, covered from head to toe in bruises, oozing scrapes, and fingernail marks. His shoulder was at an odd angle and he tried not to move too much as he sobbed in pain. Dad didn't need both hands to hold a wrench.

But he deserved it.

It was his fault, after all.

All his fault.

They couldn't afford the hospital bill.

Not with all the supplies Dad needed.

He ran out so quickly.

Because they all broke.

His fault.

And gas for the car.

Because he'd been grudgingly taught to drive.

So he could get to school.

They wouldn't even need a car if it weren't for him.

They could walk to the grocery store.

He would need to buy softer food for Bird for a while.

He should've done something then.

Sooner.

His fault.

He shouldn't have done something then.

She'd be in for even more pain when Dad got out.

His fault.

Everything was his fault. Even if he had acted differently, even if he hadn't been there, his fault, his fault, his fault. He was sorry. So, so, so sorry....

This beating. It wasn't near what he deserved. But he was too scared to accept the pain that would be justified for his mistakes. He had so many mistakes, all that would balance the scale would be the loss of all his senses, to sit in utter darkness, silence, nothing forever, with his lack of any emotion but guilt, rightful guilt. If he could feel more, like competent people, would he have made so many mistakes? It didn't matter anymore. It was too late. Those would only make him hurt more.

And there could only be more mistakes to come. He would accept them along with the punishment he deserved.

Sixteenth birthday.

Parents signed the divorce papers.

Diagnosed with polycythemia.

All of which he accepted with silence, no panic or sadness in those empty black eyes, no distraught look on that pale, impassive face. After all. He deserved it, right?

2015-07-09 10:20:54
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Ivory awoke with a sudden jolt, gasping for breath. Where was she?! What happened?! What- What did she see? She rubbed her eyes. She pulled them back and they were completely black. Shit, she smudged her, wait, was she crying? SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!

2015-07-09 10:34:15
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He'd woken up first. Zane sat huddled over, expression blank except for traces of shock and dismay, tears streaming down his fever-flushed face, sniffling, hiccuping between sobs. What was....? Who were........? They were horrible. So horrible. Those weren't friends. Those were torturers.

2015-07-09 10:42:18
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Immediately Ivory moved herself as far away from Zane as she could, and ended up falling on the floor in the process. He saw something too? Wait, if she something of his, that meant- FUCK! NO! She stumbled to her feet. She didn't care what he saw, she just knew it was something he shouldn't.

2015-07-09 10:45:48
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He saw her fall and recover out of the corner of his eye. He reached out slightly to help her up, but stopped and pulled back. No. He'd hurt her. She'd hurt him. No she wouldn't. He trusted her. But he still didn't want to. He hugged himself and tried to stop the tears to no avail. But she had Lance now. Like she did then. That was something, right?

2015-07-09 10:54:05
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She felt herself tremble. No! NONONONONONONONO! NOT HERE! NOT NOW! The tears wouldn't stop as she started to gasp for breath, feeling lightheaded with each breath she took. She needed to get out of here. She needed to fun. Tears streamed down enough that her vision blurred. Everything ached in her body as the shaking tired her out. Her chest was hit with waves of pain as she tried to contain her breath.

The sound of waves crashing. Ivory stood at the waters in a hoodie and a black skirt, her feet in the ocean as she squinted into the sun. Her friends were off in the distance. It was starting to get warmer out, so that meant she was covered from head to toe. As if she wasn't always covered. Her hood was up, keeping the wind out of her face. She looked to the left of her. There they all were, laughing and hanging around. She preferred to be alone, it was better. Why did they drag her here? They knew she burned so easily, even if it was only March.

"Hey." a male voice spoke from behind her. She jumped.

He chuckled. "Don't worry, it's just me."

She turned. A spikey brown haired tann male was before her. "Sorry, just didn't think anyone was behind me."

"Yeah, I figured. So you decided to block James on all your social media accounts?"

She looked forward. "Yeah, it's for the best."

He moved to her side. "I agree. Hey, maybe I can teach you some self defense?"

"Nah, I don't think that-"

"BLOCK ME!" He raised a first at her.

Immediately she fell to her knees, gasping and hyperventilating. The same reaction as what triggered the memory. He just stared at her confused.

Once she calmed down, she stared back at him, just as confused, still gasping for breath. "What...what happened?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, maybe you're just crazy."

"yeah,maybe."

2015-07-09 11:05:55
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What was happening? Was she okay? Oh God. Oh God oh God oh God. Discarding his worthless and immaterial feelings, he pushed himself up and stumbled over to her, holding her up. "P-p-please, j-just breathe....."

2015-07-09 11:09:42
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She couldn't fight back. Ivory couldn't do anything except cling to him like a small child clinging to their mother. That's what she was right now. A child that's all she ever could be. She inhaled deeply, her breath becoming a bit less desperate.

2015-07-09 11:12:41
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His body was hopelessly tense as she clutched him, just as tightly as the instinctive fear gripping his mind. He wanted to let go, to hide in the corner and not touch or look at anyone, ever...but she needed him. And he couldn't just leave her.

2015-07-09 11:18:36
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Slowly, the trembling lessened, her death grip lessened and she pulled away. Her breath even, but the soreness still remained. She moved herself away from him, keeping her distance.

2015-07-09 11:21:17
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He stumbled backwards, back towards the couch, whimpering slightly and rubbing his arms. What he'd seen. Should he say something? Was it only a dream?

2015-07-09 11:23:10
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She sat there silent as rubbed her eyes on her sleeve. Oh God, this was embarrassing. She was ashamed that he saw her in this state. She never wanted him to. Slowly, the tears stop coming and she sniffled, falling silent.

2015-07-09 11:29:37
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He didn't say anything either. If it /had/ been real, though...had it been mutual? Had she had to watch that over again, or...?

...did she see something that happened to him?

If she did, he felt terrible. No one should have to see that. ".......I'm sorry........I'm so, so sorry............"

2015-07-09 11:33:44
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"No." She held up both her hands. "Please. Stop. Don't....apologize. Please. It's not.....your fault."

2015-07-09 11:36:10
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"It is, I....I do not know what happened, but somehow..........I'm sorry......" His voice grew quieter and quieter, and his head ducked lower and lower, until he was propping up his face in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees, fingers tangling in his hair.

2015-07-09 11:38:34
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"...So you....you saw it too?" She asked, looking away. Of course he did.

2015-07-09 11:40:31
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"....I.....yes....whether we saw the same thing though, I do.....not know........." He was hardly speaking at all now, only breathing the words out.

2015-07-09 11:42:31
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She went quiet now. There was nothing she could do. There was nothing she could say to fix this.

2015-07-09 11:44:22
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...he had to know. He wouldn't ask about hers, but... ".........what did you see? If it is not.....too much to ask....." he said, slightly louder.

2015-07-09 11:46:53