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Post by Caroline on Jul 10, 2011 12:24:40 GMT -5
I was about to skim over the rules to refresh Erika's memory when I noticed how quickly the girl was becoming more and more dazed. She watched my tapping fork, her eyes looked as if they were about to turn outwards. I followed her to the couch and placed a noodle cup on the coffee table before her, impaling it with a fork. I ignored her question about the game, almost forgetting about it completely. "You alright there? You look a bit... out of it." I asked, curling up in the corner of the opposing couch and twirling up a forkful of noodles. "We don't have to play if you're too tired, I just thought it might be fun." I told her.
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Jamie
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Post by Jamie on Jul 11, 2011 20:55:38 GMT -5
Erika straightened and picked up the cup. "I-I'll be all right," she murmured, pulling her legs onto the couch. Erika stabbed a few noodles and rubbed her eye again. "I'd really like to play, I'm just--sleepy, I guess," she said. Erika could tell Kadence was up for a game. She didn't need to be a telepath to figure that one out. Maybe she could stay awake for just one game... "You should start us off," Erika told Kadence as she sucked a noodle into her mouth that had stuck to her nose. "I'll be all right." Erika stuck another forkful of noodles in her mouth and looked as cheerful as her exhausted facial muscles would allow.
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Post by Caroline on Jul 12, 2011 13:07:04 GMT -5
"If you insist," I said through a mouthful of food, chewing then swallowing. Judging by the looks of it, Erika was bound to crash within the next ten minutes, but I guessed a round or two couldn't hurt. I scraped the side of the cup with my fork, thinking of how to start. "Hmm... Never have I ever..." I paused, frowning as I realized I had done the majority of the "scandalous" things usually suggested in this game. "...enjoyed Nutella." I blurted the first thing that came to mind, raising my gaze to Erika suspiciously as I brought another heap of noodles to my mouth. Not a strong start, but I figured most people liked Nutella. "Tick your finger, Sweetheart." I said. Maybe Erika would have a better one for me. Actually, she could probably get a lot of dirt of out me now that I thought about it. I was still under the impression Erika hadn't been involved in nearly as much rotten stuff as me. Oh well, I was sure I could pull plenty of creative ideas out of my sleeve as needed.
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Jamie
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Post by Jamie on Jul 12, 2011 21:14:54 GMT -5
A faint smile appeared on Erika's face at the mention of the hazelnut spread. She laughed. She had definitely lost a finger. Erika looked down at her cup of noodles for a moment, almost wishing it was a small jar of Nutella. "You got me," she mumbled with a happy little gleam in her eye. "It's my turn now, right?" Erika thought for a moment, tapping her lower lip with the tip of her finger. "Never have I ever tasted alcohol in any form," she said, confident that she had Kadence at that one. She didn't even need to read her mind to figure it out.
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Post by Caroline on Jul 13, 2011 10:57:19 GMT -5
I chuckled lightly as Erika's face lit up at the thought of Nutella and she closed a finger in defeat. "I never cared for the stuff, honestly. Too sweet. Plus chocolate kinda grosses me out." I admitted. There I go again, being socially unacceptabe. I stuck my tongue out a little to express my disgust. Erika fired her turn at me next, which caused my jaw to drop. "Not a sip of alcohol? Christ, then what the hell is your vice is for coping with this shitty town?" I laughed, setting my empty cup on the coffee table before holding out my long hands and closing a pinky. I was far from being an alcoholic, in fact I only drank once or twice a week to conserve it, but it definitely made things better when I did. Even if it was just for a few hours, getting dizzy could wash away all your negativity. "Okay okay, um..." I pressed my lips together while I thought, popping them with a loud smack when I made up my mind. "Never have I ever had a real boyfriend." I confessed, which was for the most part true. I was confident enough in my looks, yeah, never gave a fuck about other people's ideals of beauty, but it took me a while to learn that many of my habits were major relationship turn-offs. Like forgetting to brush your teeth? Spitting in public? Or better yet, escaping your parents dinner table by turning into a weasel and scampering away? Who knew!
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Jamie
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Post by Jamie on Jul 13, 2011 21:04:44 GMT -5
Erika's face drifted between a bright red and a pale white at Kadence's next question. She closed another finger and then looked at the digit for a moment. "I-It was a while ago..." she mumbled, her eyes beginning to glisten with tears at the memory. "He was really grumpy and he didn't like to say he loved me, but I think we both knew he did... He was taken away to a camp and--yeah." Erika fell into a gloomy silence, staring blankly into her half-eaten cup. She set it down and brushed away her tears. "It wasn't totally official, but he was boyfriend enough for me, so I'm down two now," she said, trying to forget the memories of one of the happiest times in her messed-up life. "Okay--" she said, looking at Kadence again, "how about this one? Never have I ever smoked a cigarette."
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Post by Caroline on Jul 14, 2011 8:16:49 GMT -5
My question had definitely struck a nerve in Erika, I almost felt bad for bringing it up. She looked so upset, a couple tears even leaked from her eyes. I listened to her, managing a small, empathic smile. It was the best I could offer. I too, knew what it was like to have someone important ripped away from you. This guy, whoever he was, must have meant the world to Erika. A light pang of jealously washed over me, I wished I was lucky enough to share that sort of bond with another human. To mean that much to another person, I fantasized about it frequently. If only, I thought, pushing the hopelessness aside. My attention refocused when Erika spilled the beans next. Again, hers wasn't a big shocker. I rolled my eyes and wordlessly ticked second finger. A little yawn escaped my lips and I dropped my head to the couch arm, starting to feel a bit sleepy myself. "Never have I ever seen the ocean." I said, closing my eyes.
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Jamie
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Post by Jamie on Jul 15, 2011 20:14:05 GMT -5
Erika shook her head. "Me neither," she said. "I've lived in this hell-hole practically my whole life, so I've never been to the ocean." She gave a mighty yawn as Kadence's sleepy thoughts drifted through her consciousness. "Never have I ever--" she mumbled between yawning, "eaten a fish taco." She shuddered. The whole concept grossed her out. Erika stretched her legs out across the couch and laid her head against the armrest. "Just so I know," Erika added, "your brother's power isn't to suck the life out of people while they sleep, right? That would make him even scarier than he is now and I probably wouldn't be able to sleep." Erika paled slightly at the possibility.
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Post by Caroline on Jul 16, 2011 7:02:25 GMT -5
I forced gag at the thought of a fish taco and scrunched up my nose. Who the hell actually did like that stuff, anyway? I had never tried seafood before, but in all honesty the smell was more than enough to turn me off. And there certainly wasn't anything "okay" about a idea of a fish taco. It took me a moment to process an answer for Erika's next question. First of all, my brother scared her? I laughed inwardly. Secondly, David could technically suck the life out of her if he really wanted, but I wasn't about to inform Erika of that. Plus, I knew there was no way my brother would ever abuse his power; maybe because he was too scared of it himself. I opened my eyes and let out a weak laugh, shaking my head. "Nah. You're quite safe here," I promised. "Does David really scare you?" I asked in all seriousness, my eyes glistening with amusement. I tucked my arms underneath my head as a pillow and shifted my legs, trying to find a comfortable position. "Oh, by the way, never have I ever been a ginger." I said. There was no hiding my cheeky smirk.
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Jamie
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Post by Jamie on Jul 16, 2011 21:48:15 GMT -5
Erika frowned thoughtfully as Kadence's thoughts came to her. He could suck the life out of her if he wanted. Erika looked up and blushed a bright red. "In all honesty he scares the crap out of me," she admitted. "I'm not sure why I'm so unnerved around him, but everytime he's in the same room I see my life flash before my eyes." Erika shook her head and rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. It was stupid, she knew it was stupid. But everyone was afraid of something, and she just happened to be terrified of David. She stuck her tongue out at Kadence at her next words. "Guh, I hate this game," she murmured, ticking her finger. She was probably going to say something super clever and witty after that but she just let out a mighty yawn. "Don't tell your brother I'm going to sleep okay?" Erika said, falling into a state of delirium. The girl was asleep in minutes, having completely forgotten about the game, her generous host, and the giant sleeping somewhere nearby.
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Post by Caroline on Jul 19, 2011 9:30:26 GMT -5
Afraid of David; that was a new one. "I won't," I promised Erika, giggling to myself. I still wasn't entirely sure what the girl saw in my brother, but for whatever reason she was dead terrified of him. Maybe having grown up with him made me blind. I knew his weaknesses, his strengths, his fears... I knew everything about him, and vice versa. He was basically my second half, and I knew he would never hurt me. Thoughts about earlier crossed my mind, I wondered why David had been so easy going about Erika being here, and why he hadn't blown a microchip over the situation. Did he really believe my stupid lie about water-manipulation? Probably not, but why hadn't he questioned more? Why had he decided to drop his suspicions? This was all a mystery to me. Maybe he thinks she's cute, I thought with a soft snort of laughter. I looked over to Erika, who was nearly fast asleep, then grabbed a blanket from the back of my couch, choosing the obvious cleaner of the two and draped it over my dozing guest. "Night," I whispered hoarsely, returning to my couch with a little yawn. I was out within minutes.
David tossed and turned in the night, his thoughts restless. No matter which way he rolled, he could not achieve a comfortable position. Frustrated, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed (which was merely a floor-bound mattress) and sat up, clutching his head between his hands and huffing. This wasn't uncommon, David regularly struggled with insomnia. He reached behind his pillow and pulled out a bottle of extreme strength sleeping pills, popping a double dose and swallowing them dry. The young man ran his hands through his hair and pulled on it roughly, then rolled onto his back and stared blankly at the rafters. He lay there for several hours, the pills seeming to take no effect on him. Pink light peeked through the curtains, David guessed it was nearly six in the morning and sighed, deciding there was no point in trying to rest now. He heaved himself up, stretching and rubbing his shoulders, then slid into a pair of clean jeans and a T-shirt before heading into the makeshift living room where the girls slept. Kadence was out cold, sprawled across the couch with her head nearly hanging off the edge and arms spread, one dangling over the armrest, the other brushing the floor. Her bouncy black hair was tangled and greasy, threads of it clung to the side of her open lips, her blankets had been kicked off and bunched up at her feet. David glanced at Erika as he passed, who appeared to be a lot more peaceful in her sleep than his sister. He had to admit, he was still pretty skeptical of the girl and Kadence's story, but he didn't see any reason to take the girl as a threat. Yet, anyway. David pulled on his boots and departed down the rickety stairs, hoping not to disturb the girls' slumber.
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Jamie
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Post by Jamie on Jul 19, 2011 21:30:50 GMT -5
Erika mumbled something in her sleep, the sound of heavy boots tromping down the stairs rudely waking her. Her scattered mind caught something about threats from David and she shot up and looked around. Satisfied that she was safe for the moment, Erika rubbed her face and let out a mighty yawn. The couch had given her a sore back but she was pretty used to that sort of discomfort. Erika looked at her sleeping host and wondered what time it was. She rumpled her hair as she realized it was probably the crack of dawn. She groaned and layed back down, pulling the blanket over her head. "Why is he up so early?" she complained softly, making a mental note to give him what for next time she saw him. Erika couldn't help but giggle at this uncharacteristic thought of hers. She'd never dare to face David. Ever.
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Post by Caroline on Jul 21, 2011 7:04:19 GMT -5
With the slam of the downstairs door, I awoke with a little jolt back into reality. Remnants of my dreams fluttered away, leaving me in a groggy daze. I let out a little moan and collected my body into a ball, rolling over and curling up in the nook of the couch. Uncomfortable from sleeping in a bra throughout the night, I instinctively reached my hand around my backside and unclasped it. After a moment of fussing about within my shirt, I slipped it through my arm hole and tossed it aside. Knowing how to remove a bra without removing your shirt was a useful skill. Suddenly, I remembered Erika was here. Glancing over my shoulder, I gave her a little wave, then looked down to the discarded Wonder Woman comic strip patterned garment and casually stuffed it between the couch cushions with my foot as if it were never there. I sat up and rubbed my face, making sure to get the crusts from my the corners of my eyes. "Sup." I mumbled.
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Jamie
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Post by Jamie on Jul 21, 2011 20:08:56 GMT -5
Erika laughed as she watched the whole thing and then remembered how tired she was. "Apparently me," she mumbled unhappily, rubbing her face. "Why is your brother up so early?" she asked as she rested her head on the armrest. Erika knew normal people had no problem getting up at the crack of dawn and Kadence probably did it every day. Still, she was tired and on a good day she could sleep until noon if it was possible. Erika supposed she was a bit spoiled. That, or she was simply lazy. She yawned again and realized it was probably the latter.
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Post by Caroline on Jul 23, 2011 19:59:27 GMT -5
"Hmmm?" I shifted my body to face Erika, mismatched eyes still drooping with drowsiness. My morning attention span was no more that of a goldfish. It took about three seconds longer for my brain to process information. "Oh, I don't know. He usually waits until like, uh, eight-ish. But he's got sleeping problems, soo..." I answered lazily, voice croaking. "Aw, shit, what's today? Sunday?" I looked to the single calender sheet tacked to the wall that displayed the month, which was obviously torn from a book. Sitting up to get a better look, I pouted and released a long, drawn-out breath that blew the hair from my eyes when I saw the date. It had reached that time of the month again. No, not the bloody time of the month, but time to get a move on. I knew well staying in one place too long was dangerous, and that kind of risk was one neither David nor I could even afford right now. It was such a drag to change homes so frequently, I hated it, but I figured we fortunately didn't have many belongings, so packing was simple enough. However, hunting down and settling into a location was a different story. Don't get me wrong, I'm an adventurous person, but after a while the adventure part wears off, it turns into more of a chore, especially when running becomes your life. Suddenly, a curious question popped into my head. "Where do you live?" I asked Erika, just now realizing I was without a clue. Where did she spend her days? How did she handle herself?
OOC; I am so tired right now, so if that last bit was already explained earlier on just ignore it. I can't remember, and I'm not flipping through the pages to check.
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