Bandwagoning

I caved and hopped on the bandwagon that is Tumblr. It's like twitter.... meets facebook... meets blogger. It's a microblogging site, and I'm still getting a feel for it, but I think I'll be posting my art and such there. This will remain my story place because Tumblr has a very limited space for large text posts. It's more of a quick update share pictures sort of place. But if you want to stalk me on the everyday side of things, stuff that doesn't go on facebook, or here, feel free to poke around on my tumblr. It's doctors-girl.tumblr.com.

Well, I promised you an update with Perfect Strangers, so here it is. Not as long as usual, but I kinda hit a roadblock there at the end of the chapter. I couldn't remember for the life of myself where I wanted to go with that. But, I'm working through it, and I promise that I'll get going on the next chapter again soon. School is putting a real damper on my writing time. And every time I get on the computer I seem to get distracted by Doctor Who, so..... yeah.

Enjoy.

Chapter Twenty Five

I looked at Stitch, the voice wasn't his either. I knew his voice, and had—still not sure why—heard his voice in my head before, and this one was different. It was definitely masculine, but not one I recognized. Who did it belong to? Stitch's finger was still under my chin, and he was looking at me more intensely now. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks as his free hand slipped around my waist and pulled me into him. Everything about the feel of his body against mine felt right, familiar, comfortable, but I hadn't a clue why. Only people who had been together for years felt like this. I had only known him for a month, there was no reason for me to be feeling like this. My thoughts were scrambled when I felt Stitch's lips against mine. My body ignited in a frenzy of feelings, my mind raced, and I felt gravity tilt again. I moved closer to him, pressing myself against his lean hard muscles, reveling in the sensation of it all. His hand moved to the back of my neck, gathering my damp hair into his hand. It felt like time had stopped when he kissed me, and I could have been standing like that with him for an eternity, and when he released me, I came crashing back into the present. Our breath mingled in the air between us, his forehead against mine, staring into each other's eyes.

“Do you remember now?” he whispered.

“Remember last night? No, but I'm sure if we go at it again, I'll remember.” I joked, giggling.

He sighed, his shoulders dropping. He turned away from me, stepping across the room. “I don't understand. This never happens.” he muttered to himself.

I stared at his back, feeling guilty for ruining the moment. He continued to speak quietly to himself, so low I could hardly hear what he was saying. I glanced at myself in the mirror. My hair had started to frizz. Stitch didn't notice me leave the room and grab the moose from my bathroom; quickly I ran the product through my hair, defining my curls, and eliminating the frizz—for the most part. When I came back, Stitch was sitting on my bed, staring at the doorway.

“Nothing? Really, you don't remember?” he asked, sounding suddenly weary.

“Remember what, Stitch?” He was starting to worry me.

He sighed, and whispered so low I had to strain to hear it. “Us...”

Sitting down at my dresser, I began to do my makeup, and in an attempt to change the subject, I asked, “This morning Kitty called me, Laelais.” I watched his head jerk up, his eyes wide, staring at me. “Do you know where she heard that name?”

He sighed again. “No,”

“It startled me when she said it.”

“Why?” Suddenly he sounded hopeful. His mood swings were frightening me.

“I've been having these... dreams since I moved to England. In every dream, I'm not addressed as Laela, well sometimes it's a variation of my name, but I'm also called Laelais, but only by...”

“By?” he pressed, his eyes twinkling.

“By you. Except your name isn't Stitch either... It's Everard. Which is a weird name if you ask me.” I waved my blush brush in the air.

He was silent for a long time. “When did these dreams start?” he asked.

“When you gave me that necklace, why?”

“No reason; we should get out to the guest house, we can't make the others wait forever.” he said, standing up so abruptly, I felt as if I had whiplash.

“Oh, uh, yeah...” I said stupidly, finishing my make up.

Together, the two of us went to the guest house, and found everyone sitting in the living room watching tv without a care in the world. Cam lounged on the couch, spreading himself lazily and making room for no one. When we entered the room, everyone looked up, and Cam automatically stiffened upon seeing Stitch. I wondered what had happened after I left the room the other day; Cam seemed extremely on edge. His eyes narrowed into a glare and the room chilled. My skin tingled as goosebumps crawled up my arms. A strange sensation washed over me, making my insides feel like they were on fire for a moment, but then it was gone. I felt as if someone had done something to physically alter the environment around me, I could sense that something had just happened, but didn't know what it was. I glanced quickly around the room to find the source of my unease, but couldn't find any.

“You okay, Laela?” Cam asked.

“Oh,” I gasped. The disturbance was suddenly clear. It had come from Cam, I knew it. I could feel it. But what was it? “I'm fine, yes. Sorry.”

“Don't apologize, there's no need.” He smiled, and then Stitch moved out of the corner of my eye. “What's the plan?”

Smiling, I pushed the strange feeling to the back of my mind and focused on the present. “We're going to one of my favorite places that hasn't been completely destroyed by what happened with Tony. I've always loved going there, ever since I was little. You actually get to go to two of my favorite places today. So, without further adieu, let's go.”

I turned and left the house, heading straight for the garage. Luckily, my car was big enough for all five of us. When we entered the garage, Stitch smiled, eying my car under the tarp. I stepped up to it, turning to face the others.

“This, while it isn't really a place, per say, is one of my favorite places to be. It's my escape from the everyday.” I pulled the tarp off as if revealing an ancient treasure.

As expected, the boys lit up instantly, and babbled loudly about how amazing the car was, and how jealous of me they were. They approached it quickly, Stitch staying at a distance since the car hadn't proved such a joy the second time, hovering over the car, but never touching it. Kitty smiled and admired it from a distance, standing by Stitch's side. While the boys admired the car, I slipped around to the drivers side and stepped in. With this, the others quickly piled in, Cam fighting—and winning—for the front seat. Jay Kitty and Stitch slipped into the back. When the engine roared, Cam and Jay shivered, smiles creeping across their faces.

“Jay, you act like it's Christmas,” Kitty said, staring at her boyfriend with a look of concern. “It's just a car.”

“It's not just any car, Kitty. This is a 1969 Dodge Charger. Classic muscle cars of America, and this one seems to be in prefect working condition. It's a collector's item Kitty. This—this is like sitting on a deposit of gold.” he said, breathlessly. “I can die happy now.”

 “This is all it takes to make you happy enough to die? Jay, that's sad.”

I giggled; those two were just so cute. As I watched them through the rearview mirror, I caught Stitch's eye. He smiled and winked at me making my heart flutter. Though not the quietest drive, Cam asked where we were going at least twenty times, I enjoyed sharing it with my friends. We rolled up to the gate, after having driven well into the more lush parts of the area, and I handed the gate keeper a five dollar bill.

“Welcome to the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.” I said. “I know you guys probably think this is a weird place to consider one of your favorites, but I love just being out in nature and having a good time! My family used to come here every weekend. There was always something new to see.”

I parked the car, and we all stepped out.

“I'm going to get eaten alive.” Kitty said, her voice was flat, clearly unamused. “You didn't tell me I needed to wear sleeves.”

I glanced back at her. She was wearing a bright purple halter and white shorts with gladiator sandals. She had a point. I probably should have warned her. I smiled apologetically, it seemed like all I could do at this point, and then tossed her the bug spray. I wasn't dressed much better, but I had been here so many times, it didn't seem any different to me. Giving them a second to douse themselves in bug spray, I practically skipped off into the lush trail, humming to myself. I took in a deep breath, and my whole body felt reguvinated as if the air had cleared away all the awful feelings and confusion. I had clarity of mind, and suddenly I realized something. The air felt... tangible. Like I could reach out and grab it. I stopped in my tracks, staring at the path ahead of me, expecting to be able to see the air, but I couldn't. I spun in a circle, nearly toppling to the ground, trying to figure out what was different. Nothing looked like it had changed. Sure, it was humid, but it was always humid. I had grown up in it, I was used to humidity. But why did this feel different?

The others had stopped behind me a few steps, staring at me strangely.

“Is this what you come here to do?” Jay asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

The looks from the others were different.

They looked at me as if they knew what was happening. What I was feeling. Why I was feeling this way, and I wanted to know too.

Did someone call for a Doctor?

So...... I'm a complete nerd.  I love Doctor Who. I will marry the Doctor if given the chance. I'm not even lying. I mean who wouldn't want to go on all those crazy wonderful adventures!? I most certainly would. And so, I have nerded out my computer. I've now got a Doctor Who slideshow desktop, my login sound is the Doctor Who theme, and when I log off, my computer plays the TARDIS noise, and that's not all. When I shut it down, it's the doctor saying, "Anyway, come on, allons-y." Thats how nerdy I am.

Here's the best part.

Yesterday, I was watching Doctor Who pretty much all day, when after the home teachers left, Zenna grabs me and shoves her phone in my face and is all, "Alex, this text message isn't from this month." I looked at the screen, and sure enough, the time stamp said 11:30 pm December 6. The best part was the year. 2019. That's right, Zenna got a text from the future, and I have blog views from the past. Mine are from the 31st of December 1969.

I could only think one thing.

The Doctor is coming.

I'm getting on that TARDIS and not looking back.

As for Perfect Strangers, the next chapter is coming, I promise.... I've been writing lots of papers.

ALSO CASTLE STARTS TONIGHT!!!! HECK YES BABY!

What to do if You Become Suddenly Bored

Step 1: Go upstairs and get some food. A granola bar will suffice.

Step 2: Try, and fail, to read When Jesus Came, Corn Mothers Left for your history class.

Step 3: Play Sims Social on Facebook for an hour.

Step 4: Repeat step 2.

Step 5: Repeat step 3 and 4.

Step 6: Stop trying to read the book, put it off till tomorrow, and begin writing.

So more out of boredom than anything else, as you can see by my list of steps above, I decided that I wanted to write some snippets to music like we did in Mr. Park's creative writing class. Soooo I pulled up itunes and went to my soundtracks, hit shuffle, and off I went. Now, I can't put all of them up here because they're huge spoilers for my other stories, but I'll put up what I can. There's one that I wrote to the song Old Souls from the Inception soundtrack for Perfect Strangers (it's a long song, so the thing was like three pages....) that has a huge WTF ALEX?! moment in it, so we're holding that one off. I told Erin about it, and I'll tell you what I told her. When I wrote it I even went wtf. That's how major it is. It's a huge plot twist, but it makes everything make sense. I was proud of myself. Anyway, enough about that. Have some story bits. The song title is above every piece. They're not very long, but I hope you enjoy them anyway.

Escaflone

His feet pounded against the cold cobblestone as he tore down the dark street. Fog licked his heels as his cloak flew behind him, whipping the air, the rush of the material echoeing with his footsteps in the empty alleyway. Directly ahead of him loomed the spire of the chapel, the full moon making it nothing more than a sillouhette on the horizon. He needed to get the book there before they found it. He needed to hide it; it needed to be safe, or all Hell would break loose. Literally. Father Lokai had instructed him to hide the book in the basement of the chapel, there he would find a seal to bind the book to Earth. But it had to happen when the full moon was at it's peak in the night sky. He had only minutes. Just as he cleared the buildings and dashed up the path to the door, he heard the growls. They were catching up to him.

Allegro—Battlestar Galactica

There was something almost otherworldly about the way she danced across the floor. Her feet moved with such grace it seemed as if they never touched the floor, her body moving fluidly, like a river. He watched her curiously from his chair, his eyes roaming over her half exposed figure. She was a rare jewel, and his father had bought her just for him. Dancing into the center of the room, she tossed her head back, black hair falling like a waterfall, her eyes were closed, taking her to another world. He ached for her, though he had only just laid eyes on her. He wanted to feel her body, to touch her skin. He wanted to dance with her, be taken to her world, and never return. She twisted and turned across the floor, making her way around the room, entertaining the several men that sat within the tent. All the while, her eyes remained closed as her body expressed the story of the dance, but then, she turned, knowing exactly where he was, moving toward him. Closer and closer she came until she stopped, her knees touching his, and opened her eyes.

“My lord,” she whispered breathlessly.

Orchsong Age of Wonders

Fog floated around her ankles, a cold wind tickling the back of her neck, chilling the metal collar. On either side of her walked a man, stone faced, and unfeeling. They held chains that connected to the sides of the collar, marching her up the hill. At the top she could see dark figures waiting. They were leading her to her death. She knew it, and they knew it, but she would not be afraid. Like so many of her people before her, she would face death at the hands of the fearful. They couldn't accept her gift, feared it even, and sought to destroy any who possessed it. She would walk the same path as the others, up the steep hill where her accusers waited to see her executed. Reaching the crest of the hill, she felt the spirits of the many who had died before her, their power was strong here.

“Any last words, witch?” Spat a purple-faced townsman.

She raised her chin, peering down at the man through narrowed eyes. “I am not the last.” She said, her eyes clouding over with the Sight. “In years to come, my people will flourish here, and the sight on which we stand now will become a place of refuge for those in need. But the descendants of the villagers now, will forever be cursed, unable to return to this place, even when their lives depend upon it.”

Angered, the men holding her chains forced her to bend to the ancient bloodstained stump, pressing her cheek against the cold wood.

“Rot in Hell with the others.” the executioner growled, dropping the ax onto her neck.

The Funeral—Firefly

She was the last to leave, standing over the grave for hours after the others had gone back to their lives. As much as she wished she could return home, she knew she couldn't. Tears filled her eyes as she bent to the headstone, brushing her fingers across the carved name. Russell C. Lang. Loving husband. 1985-2011.

“You left,” she sobbed. “I can't believe you left me at home! I should have died in that accident with you!” She slammed her fist against the cold stone. “Why not me? I should have died.... I should have died.”

The cold fall air bit at her nose, making her tears feel like ice running down her cheeks, blowing the leaves around her. In the whisper of the wind, she heard his voice, one last time.

Because I love you...

Battlestar Sonatina—Battlestar Galactica

Georgia shuffled across the room in her socks and short silk nightgown. It was two in the morning, but she couldn't sleep. Rarely did she have a hard time sleeping, and if she ever did, it was only for one reason. The nightmares. They kept her awake at night, forcing her to relive the awful memory of the gruesome murder of her best friend Keisha. She hated remembering it. And so, when the nightmares came, she wandered her apartment aimlessly in the dark, until she came to the piano by the window overlooking the city.

She sat down, the polished black wood was cold on her bare legs, the keys chilly beneath her fingers. Quietly she began to play a woeful tune, swaying in time with the music. Closing her eyes, she let the soft sounds take her to a better place, somewhere safe where she could be with her friends, and not worry about having the FBI on her tail. This con on Wall Street was taking all the brain power she had. It was hard enough to convince investors to buy into her “stock,” and now she had to dodge the FBI poking their noses into everyone's business. She had outsmarted the feds before, and then it had only been her and Brittain. Now she had a whole network of people that would be caught before her, and if one so much as disturbed a string on her web, she would cut it off, and rebuild.

A noise behind her startled her, her fingers mashing the keys. She turned around to find Brittain standing near an armchair, his hands running up and down its surface to ensure it was a chair he had just run into, and not something else.

“You know, you are horrible in the dark.” Georgia sighed, turning around on the bench to face him.

He smiled. “You rearranged on me. I hardly think that's fair."

She stood up and walked slowly across the room, taking deliberately quiet steps until she was inches from Brittain. “Life's not fair.”

He started, his hand twitching at the closeness of her voice. “How did you get so close without me hearing?”

“I'm a ninja,” she joked.

He smirked. “Let's see you get out of this then,” he slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her into his chest. “Mmm. Silk. Nice, any lace?”

“Wouldn't you like to know.” Playfully she twisted herself out of his grasp, his fingertips still lingering on her waist, nearly out of reach. “Don't you wish you could see me now?” She took several large steps, again, careful to make little noise until she reached the hallway. “I'm ninja.”

He turned on his heel toward her voice. “When you can vanish like that around people who can see, we'll call you a ninja. For now, you're a cheater.”

New In Town

Remember when I talked about Georgia and Brittain? Well, now you get to meet them. This is just for fun, they probably won't have a story running on the blog, but if you really want to read this story (whenever I get around to it) leave a comment and I'll email it to you whenever I write more. Anyway, here's the first chapter... or part of it. I drew the two of them, which you can find below the story. Let me know what you think!

Horns blared around her, the drivers of the hundreds of vehicles on the crowded Manhattan street voicing their anger through their horn. Her breath clung to the crisp November air around her; often she wondered why she stayed out at the cafe so long on days like these, but when a tired looking woman sat down at the table nearest her, she remembered. She had a phone pressed to her ear, trying--in vain it seemed--to convince the individual on the other end of her plight. Georgia closed her eyes, drowning out the sounds of the bustling city and listened closely to what the woman was saying.

"You don't understand, Will." she said, sounding desperate. "I need the money to make rent. You told me you'd have the money this month. They're your kids too, and I swear if you don't come through this time, I will take this to court. I knew when you asked the stupid Margaret years ago to marry you, I should have run for the hills, but we're here now, and that's that. I want my money, Will."

Georgia took a long look at the woman. Late twenties, early thirties. Multiple children. Father figure abandons family, promises to pay certain sum in order to continue seeing children. Perhaps something else. Easy target. She was already desperate to make some money. Georgia smiled to herself. When the woman hung up, Georgia made her move. She gathered her things and moved exuberantly to the table where Margaret sat, a smile splitting her face.

"Margaret! I thought I recognized you!" Georgia said, putting on her Southern drawl. "It's been so long, girl! How you been?"

Margaret looked at Georgia, her eyes had dark circles beneath them as if she hadn't slept for days. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" she asked.

"Well of course you do! We only went to grad school togther! It's me, Crissy Henderson!"

Margaret stopped to think, but before she could say anything, Georgia continued. "How are the kids? And Will? Tell me about the family, I want to know everything!"

This was enough to convince Margaret. Poor thing. "A mess. Will's run off chasing some wild dream of his again, and he's using all our money. He told me that he'd have some profit turned up by now, but to tell you the truth, the whole thing is a waste of time. I need some money to pay the rent, but he doesn't seem to have any money. I'm sure he's wasted it all on hookers."

Georgia pouted. "Aww, baby that's too bad. I'm sorry he's such a loser." she sighed. "You said you're short on cash, right?"

"Yes, rent for next month is due at the end of the week."

"How much is rent?"

"Thirty-five hundred a month."

Georgia whistled through her teeth. She started slipping a ring off her finger. Diamond. Or at least, that's what it appeared to be. "This is from an old boyfriend, can't stand the thing anymore. I know you've got rent coming up, but I'll sell you this ring for twenty-five hundred right here. You can take it to a jeweler and get it appraised and sell it for more. It's worth at least thirty thousand."

Margaret stared at the ring. "I couldn't take that from you." she pushed Georgia's hand away, blushing at the thought of accepting the offer.

"I insist girl, you need it more than I do." Take it, you know you want it. Georgia thought to herself.

Margaret reached for her purse. She riffled through everything and extracted her checkbook. Shit, cash is preferred. She wrote out the amount with tears in her eyes. Tearing the paper away she handed it to Georgia, who in turn handed her the fake ring.

"It was nice seeing you, Margaret. I hope we see each other around again." She stood up. "I've got to get back to the office now, but good luck." You'll need it.

Georgia pulled her soft cashmere sweater up around her neck, the soft white of the fabric contrasted sharply with her dark chocolate skin. Glancing around, she put the chekc in her pocket and made her way down the busy street. Waiting at the corner by a pawn shop was a tall man with messy black hair, fiddling with his black and white striped scarf. Georgia approached him quietly, spotting his wallet in his back pocket. It wasn't usually her style to pull such small street heists, but she needed to move her base of operations soon or the feds would be right on her tail. With three feet between her and the man, the perfect oportunity arose. A woman turning the corner quickly, ran into him, causing him to back up into Georgia. Quickly and expertly she dipped her hand in his pocket and extracted the black leather wallet, and turning to leave, she was seized by the wrist.

"I do believe that's my wallet." the man said, his lips pressing together into a tight line. The scruff on his face gave him character, it made him look intimidating, and as he held onto Georgia's wrist, she was intimidated. How had he caught her? "Better luck next time, Georgia."

"You amaze me, Brittain. Nothing gets past you."

He chuckled. "I see everything."

She smiled, though she knew he couldn't see it.

"Even that smile. How much?"

"Twenty-five hundred."

"You sold someone the ring, didn't you?"

"Guilty. We've got a problem though. She wrote a check, so get Monty on that right away."

Georgia began walking, Brittain still holding her wrist as they went.

"Whatever you say boss. The entire underground is at your command."

She smiled, remembering the days when she had started as a mere street scammer. She had moved onto bigger and better things these days, and had plenty of people behind her, all of which were desposable. Her next scam was going to be huge. She would be remembered forever for this one. Her next stop was Wall Street.

College Life.

It's not as bad as I thought it would be, honestly. I'm not scared to death of anything, except maybe my Biology class. Science and I don't get along very well. Same with math, unfortunately I'm not taking a math class this semmester, because my ACT score wasn't high enought to get into a class.... I'm going to have to fix that. Working on it. And in between classes I was writing this chapter. And partly in Institute... I know, I'm a sinner. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and Jody, I got your issue from Nikki, and I'll work on making my characters not so bipolar. I didn't realize it was that bad. If you don't understand the lingo in the dream sequence, I can tell you its 1920s speak....
Enjoy chapter twenty four.

Chapter twenty-four

“Come on baby,” I whined, tugging on his arm, my red silk glove sliding against his shirt. “You promised me we'd go out tonight!”

I took a long drag on my cigarette, blowing the smoke into his face. I knew it infuriated when I smoked, and even more so if I blew the smoke at him, and maybe if I could get him angry, I could move him toward the door. I could hear the sax music from the street below the apartment flooding through the window, and it made me itch for dancing, but not only that, I wanted to have fun.

“Everard, you promised!” I pouted as he glared through the smoke.

“You gotta call me Everett babe, someone might hear and think we're gangsters or something, and we don't need trouble.” he chided. Always so uptight. “I just don't feel right about going out tonight.”

“You always say that when I bring up the speakeasies.” I walked over to the window, playing with my string of pearls while looking out at the band of black men below, wailing away on their instruments making beautiful jazz music. “I know you're worried about him and all, but I can't spend my life hiding from him. We don't even know if he's in New York yet.”

“We'll only run as long as we can't fight him. You're not powerful enough yet, Laelais.” he replied.

“So you can call me Laelais, but I can't call you Everard?” I was changing the subject purposefully. He knew it.

“I know you're angry. I want to go out too, but remember all the raids last week? Bootleggers are getting caught left and right, doll.”

I tapped my foot against the wooden floor, taking another long drag. “ Oh, applesauce! So we can magic ourselves out of there. What good is our power if you're too afraid to use it? The Everard I know wouldn't worry about something so small as that.”

There was a knock on the door. I hurried to get it, the tassels on the bottom of my dress bouncing up and down as I shuffled across the floor. I threw open the door. Standing outside were Daisy and John from the apartment across the hall. He was dressed in his black zoot suit, and she wore a black tasseled flapper dress to match. He was a gangster, and a real powerful one to boot—and Daisy was head over heels for him.

She was all smiles, “Hey Lila, Everett. John an' I were gonna go out dancin'. Wanna come?” her voice was shrill and nasally.

Before he had a chance to reply I spoke up. “Sure thing!” I turned and grabbed Everett and dragged him out the door.

We followed the two down the stairs and out onto the street. Music roared around us, and many people crowded the streets, dancing to the music, and bustling around to get to one of the many night clubs. I knew our plans for dancing would involve the speakeasy that John's gang ran, and sure enough as we entered the morgue, I knew exactly where we were going. John approached the receptionist, looked her straight in the eye and said,

“We're here for Mr. Lovegood's funeral.”

She smiled. “Mr. Lovegood's family will be so happy to see you.” She said, pointing down the hall.

We walked down the hall, and as we reached the last room, a door slid away on the wall, and I could smell the smoke and alcohol. We quickly made our way down the steps and into the commotion below. The gang and their girls were all over the place. I smiled as Daisy pulled me to the dance floor. Together the two of us danced while our boys watched from the bar. Soon enough they joined us, and we danced for hours before everything fell to pieces.

I had excused myself to use the ladies room, but as I was turning the corner, a tall blonde man approached me. My stomach turned icy cold, and a chill ran over my skin. He smiled at me, putting his arm around my waist, pulling me into his body.

“Hey doll, what say you and me get a wiggle on?” He winked.

I glared at him. “Sorry, but you're all wet, and the bank's closed.” My voice was venomous.

He leaned in, kissing my neck as I tried to push away from him. “Laelais, don't be this way.”

“Scram, Phoenix.”

His blue eyes sparkled under his blonde mop. “One day you'll be mine forever.”

My body felt like it was on fire in his grip. I pushed away from him, and fell into the wall, crying out as my back struck the corner and I fell to the ground.

I sat up, gasping for air, and covered in a cold sweat. My sheets stuck to my body, which was odd. I lifted the covers and looked at myself. I was in my bikini. Furrowing my brow, I stared at my exposed flesh, trying to remember what had happened last night. It was all a haze, a smoky blur of colorless memories. I remembered coming home from the hospital with Stitch, and going to my room. What had I done next? I paused to ponder, and then there was a warm feeling on my lips and a flutter in my chest.

I had kissed Stitch last night. It was like the stars tilting, gravity shifting, and all I could think was “Hello Sexy,” and then everything had gone dark. I couldn't remember anything else, but somehow I felt different. I couldn't explain the feeling, but I felt stronger, more—I don't know—powerful. I slid out of my bed and walked across the room, staring at myself in the mirror on my dresser. Taking a deep breath, I stopped at the dresser, putting my hands on the surface and staring sternly at myself.

“You will have a good day today, Laela. You're going to take your friends to your favorite places, and you will not think about Tony.” I told myself. “You're going to move forward. Last night was amazing, and you need to talk to Stitch about it. Ask what it means. But don't be clingy. Only stupid girls are clingy. Explore other options. It's been years since you were single, don't jump into something you aren't ready for.”

“Morning pep talk?” Asked Kitty from my doorway, hiding a giggle.

I jumped, surprised by her voice. “Goodness, Kitty, you scared me.” I gasped, then started laughing. “It's not a usual occurrence—the pep talk.”

She stepped into my room and sat on my bed. “If I heard correctly, you said that Stitch kissed you. Um, details girl! Did you snog, or was it just a polite good night kiss?”

I stared at her. “Snog? That sounds disgusting.”

She laughed. “You Americans are funny. It's a Brit's term for making out. Sooo, did you?” she waggled her thin brows with a smile.

“No, just a kiss. To tell you the truth, I don't really remember what happened. I remember he kissed me, and then I think...” I blushed. “I think I passed out.”

“Talk about swooning over a gentleman!” Kitty started laughing. “Did you really pass out?”

“I think so. I don't remember anything after he kissed me. My memories go from the kiss to waking up this morning, sadly. I wish I could remember what happened. But I was out in the hot tub, trying to force myself to forget about all the crap that happened yesterday, when he showed up and asked if he could join me. I let him, and went to watching the stars. I complained that I couldn't see very many, when suddenly the stars I swear got brighter and I could see all of them. It was like magic, Kitty! And then...” I remembered the shooting star, and the scar on his chest lighting up. “There was this shooting star, and this scar on Stitch's chest lit up when the star fell. I'm not crazy, I know I saw it.”

She was staring at me, one eyebrow raised, a scowl on his lips. “Are you sure that's what you saw?”

“Positive, Kitty. He denied it of course, and then I put my hand on his chest, the scar made my hand tingle, and he shivered when I touched him, then.... then he told me he was falling for me. And we kissed.”

“Do you feel... different?”

“Different? Like I could take on the world? Sure. But I don't think that has anything to do with Stitch. Maybe just a little bit.”

“Take on the world in what way?” She pressed.

“I don't know. I can't explain it but I just feel... powerful.”

“Laelais—Laela, you are powerful. Heck, you're amazing, don't you remember?”

“What did you just call me?”

“Laela,”

“No, you said Laelais. Where did you hear that name?” I stepped toward the bed, and she looked uncomfortable.

“Hey, girls, it's time for breakfast.” Jay's voice floated through the door. “Laela, are you in a swimming suit?”

I turned around, looked down at myself and blushed. “Um... yes. I'll be down in a minute. And Kitty, we are not done with this conversation.”

Without saying a word, Kitty slipped through the door with Jay and went downstairs. I still needed to shower, so I threw on a sun dress over my suit and went downstairs to join the others. My family was still home, which meant one of two things: One, it was before seven thirty, or Two, my brother was skipping school and Dad had quit his job. I went with the first option. Cautiously, I approached my dad, who was brooding over the morning paper, and said good morning. As usual, he glanced up over the top of the pages and mumbled a hello, and went straight back to reading without a word. My mom on the other hand was much more enthusiastic despite the long shift she worked last night.

“Good morning Laela, how are you feeling? How's the finger?” she glanced down at my immobilized finger and smiled. “It should heal fairly quickly since we didn't have to break it again.”

I sighed. Nurses. She was a little too enthusiastic about things like broken fingers. “It didn't hurt before, and it doesn't hurt now.” I said. “What's for breakfast?”

“Pancakes!” she shouted, causing all my friends to laugh. “I haven't had a reason to really cook a meal in the mornings before now, so I figured with your friends here that I should make something.”

“And we appreciate it,” Cam said politely, flashing the smile that I knew my mom couldn't resist. She, like me, was a sucker for a good smile. “So Laela, what are we doing today? You did say that while we were here, we would be visiting your favorite places.”

I sighed, remembering how most of those places had been wiped off the grid after what happened with Tony. There were a few places I could take them, but there was no way I could come up with four places if only one and a half remained. One of them wasn't even a place. It was my car. But a car could be a place if I decided it was.

“Well, I can tell you that I didn't forget that I was supposed to take you to my favorite places,” I said, taking a bite of my chocolate chip pancake. “but I have to tell you that most of those places have now quickly become my least favorite because of Tony. I have one and a half places that I can take you, and we'll just have to go explore for the rest of them.”

“One and a half? Care to explain how that one works, love?”

“Well, I'll have to take you to the first place before I can really explain why the other only counts as a half of a place. But for not, just eat and we'll go as soon as everyone is ready. It's not like we have to go very far.”

My mom smiled, knowing exactly what I was referring to. She still told me that she remembered the day I got that car as a gift from my grandfather. I had coveted that car since the day I was old enough to truly appreciate a good looking car, and this car was hard to come by. When my grandpa had brought it over to the house on my sixteenth birthday with a gaudy ribbon on the top, I passed out in the doorway upon the announcement that it was mine. I came to hours later and nearly hyperventilated when they told me again that it was mine now. Though I was a girl—and if I was playing gender stereotypes, I shouldn't like cars—I was in love. It was my first love, and would probably be my last. I would love it until the day it died, but I wouldn't let that happen for a long time. My car would take me far, and I took good care of it.

Everyone finished their breakfast by the time a horn started honking incessantly in the driveway. Panic took hold as I looked at myself still in my “sleepwear” and I nearly fell off the stool until I remembered that I wasn't going to school here anymore. Thank goodness for that. I don't think I would be able to face the public again after the fiasco with Tony. It would have been tent times worse had I still been here while they were secretly dating. Tony wouldn't be alive, I can tell you that much. I growled, I wasn't a murderer, but he had really pissed me off. I wondered vaguely how he was doing, and how Victoria was handling the whole situation now that everyone knew she was a home-wrecker. I wondered if her friends even cared, with the crowd she associated with outside of my circle, probably not. They'd probably congratulate her for ruining my life, and if she kept Tony, she scored brownie points with them. I bit my lip in anger thinking about Victoria, and what she had done to me, but remembered what I had told myself when I got up. I wouldn't let this ruin me. The boys left for the guest house after they finished eating, and since Kitty was already dressed, she followed them. I excused myself to shower, not that anyone was really listening, and went back upstairs. When I reached my room, I stopped at the linen closet outside the door, and grabbed myself a towel, and proceeded straight to the bathroom. The cool water on my skin made it easy for me to think of exactly what I wanted to do with the others, even if it meant exploring, I could easily make a few new favorite places.

Stepping out of the shower, I dried off, and then rigorously ran the towel through my hair, watching it curl up with the water. Rubbing away the fog on the mirror with the side of my hand, I cleared enough space away that I could see my face. I always had to get my hair combed and parted before it started to really take hold or my hair would be a wild mess all day long. As I stared at myself, moving unruly pieces of hair, I saw something move behind me. I turned around, but nothing was there, and the door was closed. Without thinking too much on it, I turned around again and continued with my hair. A flash of teal caught my eye behind me, and it wasn't my hair, I knew as much. Staring in the mirror, I saw a bright teal butterfly perched on the wall behind me, its wings beating lightly as it rested. I had never seen a butterfly that color in Florida before, and how had it gotten into the bathroom? There weren't any windows. I turned to look at it, but as soon as I had turned, it was gone. I shook my head, dismissing the absurdity of the whole thing, and stepped out of the bathroom, right into Stitch.

In the moment of surprise, I almost dropped my towel, but kept it in place. He was smiling down at me, almost smugly it seemed, that smile that screamed 'I know something you don't know.' I felt my cheeks flare up, and my body felt warm, remembering the kiss from last night. I wondered if he could tell what I was thinking, and by the smile on his face, I guessed he knew as much.

“Hello, Laela.” he said, his voice was soft and gentle. It made me shiver. “Sorry to catch you jumping out of the shower, I really didn't mean to, but I.... I really wanted to see you.” There was something in his voice that suggested that wasn't all he wanted to do, or all he needed to say.

“I... I wanted to see you too, Stitch.” His face fell when I said his name. “But I'd like to get dressed first.”

I stepped around him, adjusting my towel so it was tight around my back, and went into my room. Quickly I picked a pair of brown shorts, an olive colored shirt, and threw them on, ran the towel through my hair again, and went to the door. As my fingers brushed the cool metal of the doorknob, I heard voices outside the door.

“I don't think she remembers,” it was Kitty's voice.

“What did she tell you?” Stitch asked.

“That she remembered you kissed her, and she said something about a scar on your chest lighting up? What's that about?”

“It's nothing, I don't think she was thinking straight. I know I wasn't, watching her stare up at the stars like that. I wished I had my sketchbook.”

“That's not the point, Stitch. She doesn't remember. Something's wrong.”

I opened the door, plastering a clueless face on, and greeted the two in surprise.

“Oh Kitty! I didn't know you were up here. I thought it was just Stitch.” I said, smiling and doing my best to give the impression I had no idea what was going on.

“Oh—I uh, just came to find you and tell you we were ready when you are.”

“Okay, well I just have to do my hair and make up and then we can be out and exploring. I'll meet you in the guest house, okay?” I was looking at Kitty, hoping that Stitch would get the hint that I wanted him to stay.

She looked at Stitch, understanding exactly what I wanted. “Okay, see you in a sec.” She turned around and walked down the stairs.

Stitch made a movement to follow him, but I put my hand out to stop him. Surprised, he looked down at my hand and then at me. I grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him into my room, closing the door behind us. He stood in the middle of the room, looking anywhere but at me.

“So, last night...” I started, not knowing where I wanted to go with this conversation. “Did I really pass out?”

Stitch smiled. “Yes, you did.” he chuckled. “It was a tad strange, but I managed to get you up here.”

I blushed. “Thanks, um, for getting me here. And sorry I passed out, that really must have killed the moment.”

I had looked down at the floor, and hardly noticed that he had moved closer—that is until his finger was under my chin, lifting it so I was looking at him. There was a shine in his eyes, brighter than usual, that made me shiver. The way he looked at me felt so familiar, as if I had looked into those eyes for thousands of years. You have, a voice whispered to me. I jumped, startled at the voice; it wasn't mine.

So many ideas!

Lately I've been entertaining many a new story lines in my head, laugh at me now because I actually role play as my characters when I'm alone, and these new ones are pretty interesting. Thanks to Erin I've become attatched to two in particular. Georgia, a spunky con artist, and her best friend Brittain, a blind informant/hacker. For being blind, the guy sees more than I do. I might put the story up here if I ever really figure out where it's going, because right now, these two are just plauging the streets of New York City while dodging the FBI. Maybe I'll do a doodle of them and put it up here for you guys, but we'll see.

I'm also still very obsessed with The Vampire Diaries, and want to read the books, so if any of you have them, let me know and I will gladly take them off your hands for a while.


Anyway, I'm sure you've all been itching to find out what Stitch does to Cam after last chapter, so here, have chapter twenty three. I must warn you, the beginning was rewritten so that it is the way you read it now. When I first wrote it, I was just getting home after getting my wisdom teeth taken out, and when I reread it after sobering up, I died. I swear I'd have to be on crack to write something so messed up. If I get enough people telling me they want to read it, I'll post it, but for now, just enjoy the sober version.

Chapter Twenty-three

My face turned three shades of red in an instant. I backed myself into the corner of the couch as far away from Cam as I could get. I wished for nothing more than to be able to melt into the couch and disappear to somewhere no one would find me.

“You sure recover quickly,” Stitch said, his voice was bitter, though a hint of amusement crept into it. He looked at Cam. “You could do so much better than him.”

Cam was off the couch in an instant, squaring his shoulders while he clenched his teeth together. “Jealous you didn't get to her first?” Cam asked, cocking his head to the side in an awkward twitching motion.

I stared at him in shock. Was I a plaything? Something to be “claimed” by the first guy who walked along? I stood up off the couch, marching up behind Cam and shoving him forward. He stumbled a few steps and then righted himself, turning to face me. He looked confused, staring down at me with those blue eyes, but something about them had changed. They weren't bright and sparkling anymore, they were dark as if they had changed shades completely and devoid of life. He glared at me, and my hand suddenly started to ache. I hadn't done anything for the swelling, and it was starting to catch up to me. Grimacing, I ignored the pain and kept looking at Cam, but the longer I looked at him, the more my hand hurt; it felt as if someone were applying pressure to it.

“I am not a plaything, Cam.” I said, giving him the crustiest look I could manage. Before going back up to the kitchen.

I pulled an ice pack out of the freezer and wrapped it in a towel. I looked at the clock. It was nearly nine thirty. I needed to call my mom. Moving slowly across the tile, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed her number. She wasn't supposed to answer her phone while she was working, but she did.

“Laela, honey, are you okay?” she asked.

“Mom, you aren't supposed to be on your phone at work.” I reminded her. I didn't want her to lose her job. “I'm fine, I just found out some shocking news today, though I'm sure Rush has already filled you in on that.” She sighed, and I knew I was right. “Listen, when I punched Tony earlier, I think I might have broken my finger.”

“What does it look like?”

I pulled the ice off my finger. “The knuckle joint is bruised, and the middle joint is swollen. I can't move it without wanting to scream, and when I punched him I heard a crack and a rocket of pain shot up my arm. I've been asleep or I would have called sooner about it.”

“Sounds like it's broken. Why don't you come down here to the hospital and I'll fix it up. Bring your friends if you'd like.”

“I don't know where they are, but I'll invite them.” I sighed. “See you soon.”

“Love you, drive carefully.” She hung up.

I turned around, finding Stitch sitting at the bar, watching me.

“I'm sorry about what I said down there, it was uncalled for.” He apologized. “Forgive me?”

I sighed., I couldn't be mad at him, not when his apology was so sincere. “I forgive you. Hey, listen, my finger is broken and my mom wants me to come down to the hospital so she can fix it up, come with me?” I asked, speaking altogether too quickly for him to understand me. I took a deep breath and started again. “My finger is broken, my mom wants me to come get it fixed, come with me?”

A slow smile broke on his lips. “Sure,”

“Where is everyone else?”

“Bed, we played an exhausting game of chicken in the pool, and they haven't quite caught up to Florida time.” He chuckled. “How are we getting there?”

It was my turn to smile. “My pride and joy. You should feel privileged, Stitch. You'll be the first to see one of my favorite places.”

I lead him into the garage, where only my car sat under its tarp. I walked across the garage and pulled the tarp off the car and watched his jaw drop. He walked toward my car, his hands out in front of him, eyes wide.

“This is yours?” he asked in awe, gawking at the car. Gently he put his hand on the hood, trailing it slowly toward the window-shield with reverent respect. “Where did you get a hold of one of these? This is a 1969 Dodge Charger. These are so hard to come by!”

I smiled. He was so in awe of my car it was cute. A pang of sadness struck me again, realizing now that I could think that Stitch was cute without having to feel guilty about it. It was a relief, but an agonizing feeling none the less.

“Do you want to drive?” I offered, jingling the keys in front of me.

He smiled. “Can I?” The excitement was obvious in his voice.

I tossed the keys to him. “Just be careful with my baby.”

We slid into my car; sitting on the passenger side was an odd thing for me, but strangely comfortable with Stitch as the driver. The garage opened, and he turned the key, listening to the engine roar to life. The smile never left his face as we rolled out of the driveway and headed down the street. I directed him to the hospital, but that was the only speaking done in the car. Occasionally he would glance over and look at my hand, but never said anything. When we pulled into the parking lot, he was sure to park away from any other cars, which is exactly what I would have done. I went to open my door, and Stitch tutted at me, shaking his head and stepping out of his side and quickly coming around to mine, opening the door. I blushed as he offered his hand to me, helping me out of the car. I sent a quick text to my mom telling her we were here, and walked inside. The nurse at the desk looked up when we came in, waving at me, and paged my mom. We waited in the lobby until she came out the elevator, smiling tiredly.

“Come on back,” she said, “Thanks for coming, Stitch. I'm glad she hasn't shunned the world.”

I glared at her back as we walked.

“She hasn't shunned the world yet, just most of it.” Stitch said, winking at me when I turned to look at him. “She's coping well.”

“I'm right here, thank you.” I growled, raising my hand to hit Stitch, but he tutted at me, reminding me my hand was injured. Why had I punched Tony with my good hand? Right, because I wanted it to hurt.

My mom took us to a small room for an x-ray. I hadn't been back here since I had been in the accident at the beginning of my junior year. I ended up with a few broken ribs and a concussion, but those were the least of my problems. The accident was the day my mom found out about my addiction.

My finger was indeed broken, but there wasn't much that could be done about it. She gave me a finger cast, kissed me on the head and sent me away with Stitch. When we got back to my house, all the lights had been turned off; my dad must have turned them all off on his way through. I walked Stitch to the guest house. We lingered at the door, standing in awkward silence, just staring at each other. I shifted my weight from foot to foot, twisting my hair in my hand.

“I'm going to go to bed now,” I said, looking up at him. “Thanks for taking me tonight.”

He smiled, “You're welcome. Love” He suddenly embraced me, tucking me in against his chest, his arms locked around me. “Sweet dreams, Laela.”

He released me and stepped through the door. My face was on fire, and my head was spinning. I walked back to the house in a sort of daze, climbing up the stairs to my room. I wasn't tired, so I went to my drawer and pulled out my favorite black bikini. I looked out the window, the lights were off in the guest house, so I changed quickly and grabbed a towel and crept back downstairs. I disarmed the security system and slipped out the door. I turned on the lights in the hot tub and dropped my towel at the side of the steps. The water was hot, but it was comfortable. I sunk into the water, basking in the feeling of the warm water against my skin. Before I moved, coming out to the hot tub at night to clear my head was something I did quite often. It had been a long day, and I was ready to just forget about it and move on.

Tipping my head back I gazed up into the starry night sky—well, what should have been a starry night. Instead of seeing the blazing pinpoints of lights in the heavens I was forced to imagine them as I always had been. That was the downfall of living in a big city, with bigger cities surrounding you. You never really could see the stars. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and letting my imagination paint the sky for me. Millions of tiny stars dotted the inky black sky, swirling together to create a masterpiece worthy of the gods. I smiled to myself, giggling a little as I slid slowly under the water, imagining the stars. There was only one place I had ever been where I could see the stars without having to imagine them. And it wasn't like I could just hop in my car and go there. Not if I didn't want to drive for hours beforehand. Keltie had once taken me with her to her family's cabin in Virginia, which had been by far one of her favorite vacations because I was with them. I enjoyed it there. Being in the forest felt right, like I had grown up there, although I knew I hadn't. Keltie and I sat on the balcony outside her room one night and watched the stars, talking about if there was life on other planets, and if they watched the stars too. We hadn't really come to a decision since our conversation quickly turned from aliens to serial killers—even we didn't know how that had happened—and we stopped talking.

I wished she were here right now, sitting in the water with me. I wouldn't have to hide how hurt I was, how broken I felt. But I felt as if I owed it to the world to put on a strong face, to not be one of those girls who hulled themselves up in their rooms for ages because their significant other cheated on them, broke their heart in to pieces and stepped on it. I had the potential to be one of those girls, I knew as much, but I refused to let that happen to me. If I did, I don't think I would ever recover from the blow.

“Out for a midnight swim?” Asked a dark familiar voice.

My eyes snapped open so quickly my head started spinning. When I could finally see straight, I found Stitch standing above me at the edge of the hot tub. “Uhm... yes?” I said, sinking under the water, suddenly self conscious of my attire.

“Mind if I join you?” he waited for a moment before saying, “I couldn't sleep.”

I stared up at him. “Oh, um, sure.”

I moved across the small circle to the other side, staring at him. He took a deep breath and lifted his tight black t-shirt over his head. I shivered watching him step slowly into the water. He was smiling at me, but I turned away, staring back up at the sky. Daring a glance back at him, I noticed a splash of pale white across his tan chest. I didn't linger on the mark too long before looking back at the sky.

“Enjoying the stars?” he asked.

I laughed. “Of the few I can actually see, yes.” I replied. “I wish I could see more of them.”

I sighed; in time with my exhaling, the sky seemed to clear and the stars were shining brightly overhead. I gasped. What had just happened? Without remembering that Stitch was sitting across the pool from me, I stood up in the center, staring up at the sky. The stars were sparkling brightly above me unlike any other night before. Even up at the cabin the light didn't seem so bright.

I looked at him, and if looks could be breathless, mine was. “Did you see that?” I asked. He shook his head. “The stars, they were suddenly really bright! It was almost like—”

“Magic.” He finished, sounding breathless himself.

I was still watching him, and out of the corner of my eye I saw a bright star fall out of the heavens, but the light seemed to be amplified ten fold. Blinking, I noticed the light wasn't coming from the sky, it was coming from Stitch. The scar on his chest suddenly flared up, but in an instant it was gone just as fast as the star had fallen from the sky.

“What just happened?” I asked, staring at his chest, and not caring to hide it.

He fidgeted uncomfortably. “What do you mean?”

“That scar on your chest, it lit up with the star.”

He looked down at the scar that branched out like a snowflake, small wispy lines branching out from thicker stalks in the center of his chest. “No it didn't. I think you're imagining things Laela.”

I waded through the water, stopping when my knees touched his. I leaned forward and put my hand on the mark, feeling my fingertips tingle when they made contact. I felt him shiver under my touch and immediately drew my hand away, but he caught it, and put it back on his chest so my palm covered the scar entirely.

He breathed deeply for a time before he opened his eyes, and even in the dark his eyes sparkled like emeralds. “I know this is hardly the time to say this after everything that's happened to you today, but it needs to be said.” He whispered. “Laela, I'm falling for you, I have been since the first day I met you.”

I felt my heart begin to race in my chest, my cheeks flushed with blood and my whole body felt warm. Something inside of me screamed out in joy that those words had finally been said, and that there were no more questions about what he felt, those stares he gave me, the way he watched me. It was all for a reason now, and it seemed like an immense weight had been lifted off my chest though I didn't know why. He stood up, the two of us moving backward together into the center of the small pool, my hand still on his chest, our bodies only inches apart. He stared down at me with those beautiful eyes, as if he expected me to say something, but my thoughts were racing through my head at a million miles a minute I hardly had time to compose a complete thought before something new took its place. Then, just as I was about to give up on it entirely, instinct took over.

“Kiss me.” I whispered breathlessly, moving so our bodies touched, my skin against his.

He put his hand on my cheek, caressing it softly with his thumb, and leaned in. When his lips met mine it was as if a firework had gone off in my head, and my world went dark. The last thing I remember was his voice calling my name and the warm water engulfing my body.