Post by Kira & Lee Norris on Aug 7, 2007 18:26:23 GMT
Kira slumped at her favourite little table, her eyes reaching outwards to the brightening horizon. So Madeleine was there now, was she? So... she really was out there, fighting the fight for Macy's life? It seemed surreal, that out there, in the waning scarlet light, that people could be dying... they could be... screaming... calling for some help- any help... But she wouldn't be able to hear them.
How was it that as she sat here now, people were dying, and she would never even know their names?
How was that?
"You look a bit tired- that school over-working you, or something?"
Kira jumped, looking up at the brown-haired waiter who was grinning down at her. She blushed in spite of herself. How stupid she must look... eyes glazed; drooping shoulders; miserable expression as she stared out into the warm morning sky...
Why was the sky the colour of blood?
"It's early," she said weakly, leaning backwards in her chair. "It's just... really early."
"10.00 a.m. by my last check," he replied, jerking his thumb back at the large clock that hung overhead.
Kira gazed at it for a few moments. "Yes... yeah, well... it feels early."
He laughed. "It feels late. I've been working for two hours straight and I'm ready for my break."
"Since 8?!" she cried, a little surprised. "Who was coming in here at...?"
"Not from Orchid," he said, a strange smile on his face as he nodded up towards the outline of the great school. "You're the first of that lot. Nah... we don't revolve around students- plenty of villagers come in here too."
"You're laughing at me."
"Never!" he cried, his eyes snapping back to her.
"Then why are you smiling?"
"Orchid Hill students tend to focus on themselves and the school," he smiled, "and some see this village as an extension of the school."
"I don't- " she began heatedly, but he cut her off.
"What were you thinking about?" he said quietly. "Just there? Orchid Hill affairs?"
"I..." She didn't really know how to respond to him. That smile was back, but this time, there was an air of triumph about it. Though triumph over what she couldn't tell. Pulling a face, she focused on his appearance as well, and gave a start.
"Yes?" he said sweetly.
"You're... what? 16? 17? You should be at the school. What are you doing...?"
"Nah," he shook his head, "I ain't magic."
"Wh... what?"
"You deaf?"
"But I thought..."
"For the Gifted. Surely you know that refers specifically to magic?"
Kira didn't answer. Of course she knew. She'd just forgot. And now... if anything... she felt weird. Awkward. She hadn't- in her memory- ever actually spoken to a non-magic person. And... for some reason, it felt a little weird. She was half-ashamed of herself for admitting it, but she couldn't tell why.
"I thought Prof. Hoodham stood for..."
"He stands for lots of things," the boy replied happily. "But let me in? You mental? That bold a move, and we'd all be shot in our beds. Nah... he's moving slow... ish."
Kira giggled. "Ish."
"Ish," he repeated, one eyebrow shooting up at her giggle. "You gonna order any time soon?"
"Eh... yeah," she said quickly, snapping back to her senses. "I'd like... oh... one of those cream scone things, with a cup of tea- no sugar."
"Cream scone thing and sour tea," he repeated, scribbling it down with an air of derisivement, but the smile on his face told her he didn't really mean it. "Righteo, miss. I'll be back in a jiffy."
Scooting around the edge of her table, he edged across the room and passed over the page with her order on it to the back room... kitchen, sorry. There, great. Her mind was a jumble, and she was lost to it. She tried for a few more seconds to focus on the battle outside, or at least the pattern of wood criss-crossing the floor, but after a while gave it up and took out the book she'd chosen instead. After all... she might as well lose herself in something, if only to occupy the time...
After a while, there was a rapping on the back of the book, and she raised her eyes to find the waiter's olive ones peeping over the top of it.
Frustrated, she slammed it down. "How long have you been there?"
"Just arrived," he said setting her scone and tea down on the table. "What? Did you think I'd been waiting there for the past five minutes, ready to shout, 'boo'?"
"I..." Only silence escaped her lips. Again.
Chuckling, he grabbed a chair and pulled it up beside her. She started, looking at him.
"It's my break," he said happily. "I always spend my break with customers. Means I get to meet new people. And if you're the only customer in here..."
"I thought you said you'd been busy with customers all morning?" she said suddenly. "Where are they?"
"Work?" he offered. "And there's cleaning to be done as well. How else d'you think the windows get so sparkly?"
"Okay..." she muttered. "Well, what if I don't want to be bothered while I'm eating?"
"Hey, no worries," he said, leaning forward in his chair, which he'd twisted around so he was leaning against the back of it. "I'll go to the back of the shop with Tammy and nag the smokers. They hate that."
"Aha, so you're an annoying person, are you?" she grinned.
He considered her for a moment. "Only when I'm bored."
"And when you're not bored?"
"I'm not annoying."
"Uh huh. So you're here because you're bored?"
"Would you rather I said I was here because your brilliant blue eyes entranced me?"
"Something like that," laughed Kira, rolling them at him.
"Sorry," he laughed, holding up his hands. "I'm not much of a lady-charmer."
She eyed him for a few moments. "What's your name?"
"Ladie's first."
"I asked first."
"Alright, alright, don't get your knickers in a twist!"
Kira snorted, bringing up crumbs of the scone she'd just swallowed. "Don't get my what?"
"My mum always says it," he said quickly, looking a little sheepish. "I'm Deron, Deron Miles."
"Kira Norris," she smiled, extending her hand.
He shook it enthusiastically. "Great. I made a new friend. Mummy will be so proud."
"What?"
"You just don't understand my sophisticated sense of humour yet," he winked. "Give it time."
"See, that implies that I'm going to see you again."
"Well, you come here a lot," he said matter-of-factly, leaning backwards. "And so do I! Course, you come here willingly... I'm driven here by the man... but still!"
She laughed. "Am I that regular a customer?"
"Very regular," he replied, grinning. "You get to know the faces. I'm just pleased to finally have a name to go with the face."
"Sounds like that old kid's game... match..."
"With the cards?" he chipped in. "I gotcha'. Bet your version was different than ours."
"What?" she blinked. "How can there be a variation on...?" The answer was in her head before she'd finished her sentence. Magic. The cards floated, and arranged themselves on the child's command. But of course it must be different for Deron.
"We use are hands," he smiled, waving them at her. "Weird, huh?"
"Just a little..." she replied sheepishly.
"What powers do you have anyway?" he asked her lightly, his eyes hovering on her hands.
"Em... shadow-control (wow, that sounds weird), water-control, super-speed and... hypnoses."
"Nice," he smiled. "But that's four... people are rarely born with that many. The average is three."
"How would you know?" Kira asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Just because I ain't got magic it doesn't mean I don't have to be well-read," he shrugged. "I can still know things, can't I?"
"Sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean- "
"I know you didn't, Kira!" he laughed. "But it's so funny watching you squirm everytime you make a mistake!"
"You're teasing me," she pulled a face.
"Of course I am," he winked. "I like annoying people, remember?"
She sighed. "Still bored, are you?"
There was a moment's pause, as he gazed at her, giving her the impression he was calculating exactly what he should say next...
"Not really. Not anymore."
How was it that as she sat here now, people were dying, and she would never even know their names?
How was that?
"You look a bit tired- that school over-working you, or something?"
Kira jumped, looking up at the brown-haired waiter who was grinning down at her. She blushed in spite of herself. How stupid she must look... eyes glazed; drooping shoulders; miserable expression as she stared out into the warm morning sky...
Why was the sky the colour of blood?
"It's early," she said weakly, leaning backwards in her chair. "It's just... really early."
"10.00 a.m. by my last check," he replied, jerking his thumb back at the large clock that hung overhead.
Kira gazed at it for a few moments. "Yes... yeah, well... it feels early."
He laughed. "It feels late. I've been working for two hours straight and I'm ready for my break."
"Since 8?!" she cried, a little surprised. "Who was coming in here at...?"
"Not from Orchid," he said, a strange smile on his face as he nodded up towards the outline of the great school. "You're the first of that lot. Nah... we don't revolve around students- plenty of villagers come in here too."
"You're laughing at me."
"Never!" he cried, his eyes snapping back to her.
"Then why are you smiling?"
"Orchid Hill students tend to focus on themselves and the school," he smiled, "and some see this village as an extension of the school."
"I don't- " she began heatedly, but he cut her off.
"What were you thinking about?" he said quietly. "Just there? Orchid Hill affairs?"
"I..." She didn't really know how to respond to him. That smile was back, but this time, there was an air of triumph about it. Though triumph over what she couldn't tell. Pulling a face, she focused on his appearance as well, and gave a start.
"Yes?" he said sweetly.
"You're... what? 16? 17? You should be at the school. What are you doing...?"
"Nah," he shook his head, "I ain't magic."
"Wh... what?"
"You deaf?"
"But I thought..."
"For the Gifted. Surely you know that refers specifically to magic?"
Kira didn't answer. Of course she knew. She'd just forgot. And now... if anything... she felt weird. Awkward. She hadn't- in her memory- ever actually spoken to a non-magic person. And... for some reason, it felt a little weird. She was half-ashamed of herself for admitting it, but she couldn't tell why.
"I thought Prof. Hoodham stood for..."
"He stands for lots of things," the boy replied happily. "But let me in? You mental? That bold a move, and we'd all be shot in our beds. Nah... he's moving slow... ish."
Kira giggled. "Ish."
"Ish," he repeated, one eyebrow shooting up at her giggle. "You gonna order any time soon?"
"Eh... yeah," she said quickly, snapping back to her senses. "I'd like... oh... one of those cream scone things, with a cup of tea- no sugar."
"Cream scone thing and sour tea," he repeated, scribbling it down with an air of derisivement, but the smile on his face told her he didn't really mean it. "Righteo, miss. I'll be back in a jiffy."
Scooting around the edge of her table, he edged across the room and passed over the page with her order on it to the back room... kitchen, sorry. There, great. Her mind was a jumble, and she was lost to it. She tried for a few more seconds to focus on the battle outside, or at least the pattern of wood criss-crossing the floor, but after a while gave it up and took out the book she'd chosen instead. After all... she might as well lose herself in something, if only to occupy the time...
After a while, there was a rapping on the back of the book, and she raised her eyes to find the waiter's olive ones peeping over the top of it.
Frustrated, she slammed it down. "How long have you been there?"
"Just arrived," he said setting her scone and tea down on the table. "What? Did you think I'd been waiting there for the past five minutes, ready to shout, 'boo'?"
"I..." Only silence escaped her lips. Again.
Chuckling, he grabbed a chair and pulled it up beside her. She started, looking at him.
"It's my break," he said happily. "I always spend my break with customers. Means I get to meet new people. And if you're the only customer in here..."
"I thought you said you'd been busy with customers all morning?" she said suddenly. "Where are they?"
"Work?" he offered. "And there's cleaning to be done as well. How else d'you think the windows get so sparkly?"
"Okay..." she muttered. "Well, what if I don't want to be bothered while I'm eating?"
"Hey, no worries," he said, leaning forward in his chair, which he'd twisted around so he was leaning against the back of it. "I'll go to the back of the shop with Tammy and nag the smokers. They hate that."
"Aha, so you're an annoying person, are you?" she grinned.
He considered her for a moment. "Only when I'm bored."
"And when you're not bored?"
"I'm not annoying."
"Uh huh. So you're here because you're bored?"
"Would you rather I said I was here because your brilliant blue eyes entranced me?"
"Something like that," laughed Kira, rolling them at him.
"Sorry," he laughed, holding up his hands. "I'm not much of a lady-charmer."
She eyed him for a few moments. "What's your name?"
"Ladie's first."
"I asked first."
"Alright, alright, don't get your knickers in a twist!"
Kira snorted, bringing up crumbs of the scone she'd just swallowed. "Don't get my what?"
"My mum always says it," he said quickly, looking a little sheepish. "I'm Deron, Deron Miles."
"Kira Norris," she smiled, extending her hand.
He shook it enthusiastically. "Great. I made a new friend. Mummy will be so proud."
"What?"
"You just don't understand my sophisticated sense of humour yet," he winked. "Give it time."
"See, that implies that I'm going to see you again."
"Well, you come here a lot," he said matter-of-factly, leaning backwards. "And so do I! Course, you come here willingly... I'm driven here by the man... but still!"
She laughed. "Am I that regular a customer?"
"Very regular," he replied, grinning. "You get to know the faces. I'm just pleased to finally have a name to go with the face."
"Sounds like that old kid's game... match..."
"With the cards?" he chipped in. "I gotcha'. Bet your version was different than ours."
"What?" she blinked. "How can there be a variation on...?" The answer was in her head before she'd finished her sentence. Magic. The cards floated, and arranged themselves on the child's command. But of course it must be different for Deron.
"We use are hands," he smiled, waving them at her. "Weird, huh?"
"Just a little..." she replied sheepishly.
"What powers do you have anyway?" he asked her lightly, his eyes hovering on her hands.
"Em... shadow-control (wow, that sounds weird), water-control, super-speed and... hypnoses."
"Nice," he smiled. "But that's four... people are rarely born with that many. The average is three."
"How would you know?" Kira asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Just because I ain't got magic it doesn't mean I don't have to be well-read," he shrugged. "I can still know things, can't I?"
"Sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean- "
"I know you didn't, Kira!" he laughed. "But it's so funny watching you squirm everytime you make a mistake!"
"You're teasing me," she pulled a face.
"Of course I am," he winked. "I like annoying people, remember?"
She sighed. "Still bored, are you?"
There was a moment's pause, as he gazed at her, giving her the impression he was calculating exactly what he should say next...
"Not really. Not anymore."
