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Post by Jude Dorrian on Dec 25, 2007 21:37:31 GMT
Bah, humbug.
Everyone was gone this Christmas. Dakota was gone; back to her adopted home. Maddox was gone; whisked off to her parents sides. Lee and Kira were gone; back to the greenery of Ireland. Mike, Brian, Ellie and Jack had all sauntered on home. Macy was gone- so he'd no more people to ride with. Tameron was gone- yes, Tameron, the little traitor, who'd gone to a friend's for Christmas!
And for all he knew, Ailith had probably gone home too!
This Christmas sucked.
Still, Jude thought as optimistically as he could as he wandered down the empty hall towards Dorm 11. It didn't feel right... being happy that Steve hadn't gone home this Christmas. He was happy- not for Steve, of course, but for himself. He meant he wasn't doomed to a Christmas of solitude. He didn't like the circumstances, sure. He'd much rather have gone home to a pair of warm loving parents.
He'd much rather Steve to have gone home to that.
Now, that would've been one hell of a Christmas...
Stopping at the door, a scruffily wrapped parcel tucked under his arm, Jude took a deep breath, and knocked.
"Steve?" he called. "Y'all up?"
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Post by Macy Deltine on Dec 25, 2007 21:55:35 GMT
Steve lay on his bed, his head buried among his pillows. It was Christmas, and everyone had left him. Macy, Rachel, Anke, even stinkin' Caleb had gone, and his dorm was empty now, which wasn't always a bad thing.
He dragged himself up, when he heard a knock on the door. "Steve, y'all up?"
"Wha-?" Steve shouted, heading towards the door. He opened it to reveal Jude on the other side.
"Oh, hey. Merry Christmas. Didn't know you were left behind. You wanna come in?" He asked, feeling his voice become very scratchy. He turned back into his room, and headed towards his bed. On the way, he glanced into a mirror on the wall, finding that his eyes had rather large red patches under them, his hair was a strange mix between purple, blue, black and some hints of green. He hated when he was tired, un-medicated and his emotions were completly mixed up.
"Sorry, 'bout the mess." He said, sitting down on his bed. "So, um, what'd Santa bring you?" He asked, glancing to the parcel under Jude's arm.
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Post by Jude Dorrian on Dec 25, 2007 22:05:19 GMT
"Charity," Jude grinned. "I got whatever he had left to spare. But this is for you..." He held out the present, and it hovered awkwardly between them, as though waiting for something to happen.
It wasn't bad, he hoped- a novel from a book stall down in the Cardsdale Market. The book was the one he'd just finished, the Grapes of Wrath. He'd also considered getting that Mice and Men one for himself, but realized that if he did, he'd would've had to sacrifice Dakota's scarf.
So that book would have to wait.
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Post by Macy Deltine on Dec 25, 2007 22:16:25 GMT
"Oh, wow, thankyou." Steve said, taking the package from Jude. He then felt kind of bad, as he had nothing for him. He opened it up, and took out a book, the Grapes of Wrath. It looked slightly worn, but Steve hated new books. "Thankyou so much. I wish I had something for you..." He said, scanning his desk. He walked over to it, and looked in the drawers, under piles of old drawings, for something sutible. "Um...here." he said, giving him a sheet of paper. It was a drawing that he had done a few weeks earlier, of the Pigeon Fountain in Cardsdale. "Sorry it ain't that good, but I'll draw you something better, in return of the book. Thank you, again, I'll begin to read it later." He spoke, not realising that he was tapping his desk rapidly, staring intently at the floor. "And, um, gosh, I've lost my words. It's getting colder, isn't it?" He changed the subject, his mind beginning to run faster and faster.
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Post by Jude Dorrian on Dec 26, 2007 16:27:42 GMT
Jude's eyes flickered to the frosted windowpanes; barely holding up in the fierce winter winds. They were clogged with ice and snow; outside, it was a barren winter landscape. Really, Steve's words were a bit of an understatement.
"It's not so bad once you get outside," Jude shrugged. "When the snowballs start flying, it's okay. It can be fun."
Steve looked a bit on edge. Jude noted the deep purple pools beneath Steve's eyes with sympathy. Had he slept at all last night? And his hair was a kaleidoscope of colors- but all were on the darker end of the scale. Jude watched Steve's agitated movements closely, wondering if he should leave. He felt like he was putting some sort of strain on Steve...
... but he hadn't done anything, had he?
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Post by Macy Deltine on Dec 26, 2007 22:22:10 GMT
"Yeah, I'm terrible at snowball fights, I'll always explode them and ruin the game. I usually sit out, when they happen. And, um.." He said, stratching his head with one hand, the other still rapidly tapping the desk. "Sorry, I'm just tired, I guess. I need to wake up." He shook his head, attempting to get his system to stop running so fast, but he knew that the only way to make it stop, was to go and get his medication. But the thing was, he didn't want to take it. And he wasn't going to, they can't make him.
"Hey, why do we seem to spend the holidays together?" He laughed, looking at the window, at the ice that had grown up the sides of the panes, the frost that was biting away at the glass. "So, um, how do you usually spend Christmas?" He asked, trying to look at Jude, but his eyes were drifting across the room, like marbles.
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Post by Jude Dorrian on Dec 26, 2007 22:36:34 GMT
"Doing nothing," Jude replied, watching Steve's eyes wander. "Steve, y'all okay?"
Because y'all ain't okay. Y'all are far from it. Far, far from it.
The obvious thing to ask was, "Have you taken your medication?" But something told Jude he shouldn't. Something also told him that whatever Steve did next, he shouldn't ask many more questions. Something was up.
He wished that hair would stop changing.
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Post by Macy Deltine on Dec 26, 2007 22:48:57 GMT
"Wha? Um, yeah, yes, uh, I don't know, no, yes, I have. Wait, no, and, I don't know." He kept saying words, not really knowing what answer he should give. You haven't, you haven't, you haven't. Shut up, shut up, shut up. His mind kept saying things, it kept talking, and wouldn't stop talking, and he felt dizzy and "I'm okay. No, I'm fine. I think I'm sick, though, but it's Christmas! Wow! It's never Christmas, and I'm fine, are you fine?" He mouth kept saying words, it kept talking. "And I'm just tired, you know?" He said, straching hishead again, pulling it his hair, and plucked out one, looked at it, it was blue, before dying and turning his natural brown. "And, um, I'm sorry, I'm acting all weird, and hey, the formal was good the other night, wasn't it?" He tried to get the attention off of him.
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Post by Jude Dorrian on Dec 26, 2007 23:01:08 GMT
"Steve..." Jude said slowly; feeling almost criminal in how slow he seemed to be speaking. With Steve carrying on at that pace brought a strange temptation to match him. Jude's thoughts surfaced and melted like mud. He hadn't seen Steve like this before.
"Steve."
What could he do?
"I'm sorry, Steve, are y'all sure?"
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Post by Macy Deltine on Dec 27, 2007 14:41:19 GMT
Jude wasn't answering his question. He hated when people didn't answer his question. "Yeah, I'm fine, just the medication is giving me a headache, so it's better if I don't take it, you know? I'm thinking." He said, tapping his head. "And, um, yeah, are you okay?" He asked in return, tilting his head, looking at Jude, from his eyes that kept darting around his head. "I think I just need some water. I'll be back in mintue." He said, jumping up, and heading out, towards the door. His feet felt really strange, and his legs were weak, but after some water, he'd be okay.
He went out, and started to head down the corridor, past the empty dorms, towards the bathroom, buut his head was getting heavier, and not nice. He tried to continue, but his legs were going weaker, and wouldn't hold him up. Darkness washed over his eyes, and in the distance, something exploded.
He just felt his head hit the cold floor, and then, everything was gone.
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