Post by Kira & Lee Norris on Oct 30, 2007 11:51:08 GMT
ooc: Madeleine, this is set before you yelled at us all & before Halloween party. Kind of in between times.
Finally- she was back.
It'd taken the school over a week to sort itself out after the battle. Be it the funerals, the abrupt end to classes early for half-term or the melodramatic awakening of Madeleine from her coma, only now where things finally returning to a shaky normality. Perhaps more so than Kira would've liked...
Word was spreading fast that the Head of the Warriors was back with the Head of the Spies chess champ of a cousin. Kira guessed this was why Levi had chosen to try and target her a few days ago. He'd sensed this was coming. If Madeleine had died like everyone said she was going to, he wanted to make him look the shiniest candidate for the new Head of the Warriors. And if she didn't die... as she hadn't... well, it must've been blindingly obvious to him she would get back together with Lee.
Kira was stuck a little between opinions. Lee was happy- happier than she'd seen him in a long, long time, but she couldn't quite shake the feeling that some of the terrible rumours that'd sprung up were true...
"She's only using him as her little safety net..."
"She always had him eating out of her palm anyway..."
"What better way to recover from a coma than with your own personal slave?"
"I can't believe she would do that to Levi! He actually shouldered some responsibility when she was out for the count..."
"Why Lee? He's beneath her, and she knows it."
"Why Madeleine? Can't he see she's just using him? Is that what he wants...?!"
Yes, believe it or not, Levi was getting the sympathy vote. Some even thought now that he would make the better Head of the Warriors. Of course, a few faithful Warriors (Kira and Lee's friend, Jack, prominent among them) were arguing fiercely that Levi had been a controlling, tyrannical prick, but if you weren't a Warrior, you didn't understand quite where they were coming from. Levi was a good-looking, polite, brave Warrior who'd just had his heart torn from his chest and tossed across the room.
Yeah, right. Good looks really were an excellent cover-up for all of your lesser, more despicable qualities.
Maybe if they knew about Levi asking her out... maybe then people would wise up. Somehow though, she doubted it. Levi would work it to his will. God, she hated him.
And she hated what he'd said... about Deron.
So finally- she was back.
She was back at Deron's house- in Deron's neighbourhood, and standing in the very place he'd last unleashed the horrific news of the Cardsdale Youth. She'd been waiting for so long to get back here... and now that she was... god, she was scared. She didn't know what had happened to him. She didn't know what had become of Kerry. She didn't even know if he was back here, back in the estates were she usually was able to find him lying about outside.
She hated knowing nothing.
"Kira?"
She jumped, turning to see Armelle standing at the door, her arms folded and pale lips pursed. The girl looked every bit as enraged as ever to see her there. Kira pressed her lips together, clasping her hands and bowing her head.
"I'm sorry."
"What for?" Armelle snorted, and Kira was reminded irresistably of Deron. Except this time she had an answer.
"For everything my school has put your village- and your family- through," Kira said softly. "I really am. I know that doesn't mean much, coming from me... but still."
Armelle stared at her for a couple of seconds in silence, her emerald eyes popping. Kira met them tentatively, and all of a sudden, to her surprise, they filled with tears.
"Kerry is a stupid, stupid sod," Armelle whispered fiercely, scratching angrily at her leaking pupils. "She should've listened to Deron, she should've. But she's gone now. She ran off with... with Serrius... and... and I dunno what happened to her..." Armelle's voice quavered. "So much more of 'em died than you lot."
"Armelle?"
A bold, unfamiliar voice leapt out like a lightning bolt towards them. The girl shook her head for a couple of seconds, but not before two warm, rough hands pulled her into a tight squeeze. Armelle hiccupped slightly, and the woman who'd appeared from the house cradled the child to her chest.
"There now," she said softly. "There. You're fine." She looked up, and a pair of rich brown eyes studied Kira closely. "Deron's schoolgirl?"
Kira nodded once, uncertainly.
"Come inside then," the woman replied, beckoning Kira into the little metal dome. "S'not all that cosy... but I daresay you've been here before..."
Entering into the empty little lounge again, Kira found Zara lying on the floor quite happily, painting after painting spread out. From what she could see, it was stick figure upon stick figure- each one with a bright, multi-coloured crop of hair. Kira smiled to herself, reminded irresistably of Steve.
Armelle didn't stay, but fled into the hall, and down into one of the dark, pokey rooms Kira knew was her bedroom. The woman sat Kira down the threadbare sofa, and turned to give the flickering lamp a good kick.
"Never works, the bloomin' piece of junk," muttered the woman darkly, then turned, suddenly businesslike to Kira. "Right- so you're the girl my son has been hanging around with."
"Y- your son?" Of course. The final family member.
The woman pulled herself up to her fullest height. "Mrs Miles- widow of Frank Miles, mother of Deron Miles and aunt to the trio of princesses, two of which currently reside here. Oh, but you can call me Sophie."
"Sophie," Kira repeated, a little dazed. "I'm... I'm sorry I couldn't visit before now. Orchid Hill's been really... edgy, ever since the battle, and- "
"You're fine, you're fine," Sophie Miles said, waving it away. "Deron knew it would be something like that anyway. Poor boy's mad in the head- saved your life, put his own in jeopardy- and chose to hide out at the Square Coffee and Bookshop? Well, he's safe, I guess, so it paid off-"
"The Square Coffee and Bookshop?" Kira echoed weakly. "He... he went to the...?"
"Stupid, crazy boy," his mother said fondly. "It's fine. Really! Don't look so horrified, girl! Anyway, you can't see him now."
"Wh... why not?"
"He's out," the woman explained kindly. "He's been getting a few plans sorted out. Tell ya what, I'll tell him you called, and he'll send a letter up to the school when he's ready to talk about it. I'm sure you'll be interested. Besides, he suspects that you may have quite a bit of influence up at the school."
"Why would he think that?" Kira half-laughed.
Sophie gave her a strange smile. "My dear, how should I know? You're the one he's gonna fall in love with. Why don't you tell me?"
Finally- she was back.
It'd taken the school over a week to sort itself out after the battle. Be it the funerals, the abrupt end to classes early for half-term or the melodramatic awakening of Madeleine from her coma, only now where things finally returning to a shaky normality. Perhaps more so than Kira would've liked...
Word was spreading fast that the Head of the Warriors was back with the Head of the Spies chess champ of a cousin. Kira guessed this was why Levi had chosen to try and target her a few days ago. He'd sensed this was coming. If Madeleine had died like everyone said she was going to, he wanted to make him look the shiniest candidate for the new Head of the Warriors. And if she didn't die... as she hadn't... well, it must've been blindingly obvious to him she would get back together with Lee.
Kira was stuck a little between opinions. Lee was happy- happier than she'd seen him in a long, long time, but she couldn't quite shake the feeling that some of the terrible rumours that'd sprung up were true...
"She's only using him as her little safety net..."
"She always had him eating out of her palm anyway..."
"What better way to recover from a coma than with your own personal slave?"
"I can't believe she would do that to Levi! He actually shouldered some responsibility when she was out for the count..."
"Why Lee? He's beneath her, and she knows it."
"Why Madeleine? Can't he see she's just using him? Is that what he wants...?!"
Yes, believe it or not, Levi was getting the sympathy vote. Some even thought now that he would make the better Head of the Warriors. Of course, a few faithful Warriors (Kira and Lee's friend, Jack, prominent among them) were arguing fiercely that Levi had been a controlling, tyrannical prick, but if you weren't a Warrior, you didn't understand quite where they were coming from. Levi was a good-looking, polite, brave Warrior who'd just had his heart torn from his chest and tossed across the room.
Yeah, right. Good looks really were an excellent cover-up for all of your lesser, more despicable qualities.
Maybe if they knew about Levi asking her out... maybe then people would wise up. Somehow though, she doubted it. Levi would work it to his will. God, she hated him.
And she hated what he'd said... about Deron.
So finally- she was back.
She was back at Deron's house- in Deron's neighbourhood, and standing in the very place he'd last unleashed the horrific news of the Cardsdale Youth. She'd been waiting for so long to get back here... and now that she was... god, she was scared. She didn't know what had happened to him. She didn't know what had become of Kerry. She didn't even know if he was back here, back in the estates were she usually was able to find him lying about outside.
She hated knowing nothing.
"Kira?"
She jumped, turning to see Armelle standing at the door, her arms folded and pale lips pursed. The girl looked every bit as enraged as ever to see her there. Kira pressed her lips together, clasping her hands and bowing her head.
"I'm sorry."
"What for?" Armelle snorted, and Kira was reminded irresistably of Deron. Except this time she had an answer.
"For everything my school has put your village- and your family- through," Kira said softly. "I really am. I know that doesn't mean much, coming from me... but still."
Armelle stared at her for a couple of seconds in silence, her emerald eyes popping. Kira met them tentatively, and all of a sudden, to her surprise, they filled with tears.
"Kerry is a stupid, stupid sod," Armelle whispered fiercely, scratching angrily at her leaking pupils. "She should've listened to Deron, she should've. But she's gone now. She ran off with... with Serrius... and... and I dunno what happened to her..." Armelle's voice quavered. "So much more of 'em died than you lot."
"Armelle?"
A bold, unfamiliar voice leapt out like a lightning bolt towards them. The girl shook her head for a couple of seconds, but not before two warm, rough hands pulled her into a tight squeeze. Armelle hiccupped slightly, and the woman who'd appeared from the house cradled the child to her chest.
"There now," she said softly. "There. You're fine." She looked up, and a pair of rich brown eyes studied Kira closely. "Deron's schoolgirl?"
Kira nodded once, uncertainly.
"Come inside then," the woman replied, beckoning Kira into the little metal dome. "S'not all that cosy... but I daresay you've been here before..."
Entering into the empty little lounge again, Kira found Zara lying on the floor quite happily, painting after painting spread out. From what she could see, it was stick figure upon stick figure- each one with a bright, multi-coloured crop of hair. Kira smiled to herself, reminded irresistably of Steve.
Armelle didn't stay, but fled into the hall, and down into one of the dark, pokey rooms Kira knew was her bedroom. The woman sat Kira down the threadbare sofa, and turned to give the flickering lamp a good kick.
"Never works, the bloomin' piece of junk," muttered the woman darkly, then turned, suddenly businesslike to Kira. "Right- so you're the girl my son has been hanging around with."
"Y- your son?" Of course. The final family member.
The woman pulled herself up to her fullest height. "Mrs Miles- widow of Frank Miles, mother of Deron Miles and aunt to the trio of princesses, two of which currently reside here. Oh, but you can call me Sophie."
"Sophie," Kira repeated, a little dazed. "I'm... I'm sorry I couldn't visit before now. Orchid Hill's been really... edgy, ever since the battle, and- "
"You're fine, you're fine," Sophie Miles said, waving it away. "Deron knew it would be something like that anyway. Poor boy's mad in the head- saved your life, put his own in jeopardy- and chose to hide out at the Square Coffee and Bookshop? Well, he's safe, I guess, so it paid off-"
"The Square Coffee and Bookshop?" Kira echoed weakly. "He... he went to the...?"
"Stupid, crazy boy," his mother said fondly. "It's fine. Really! Don't look so horrified, girl! Anyway, you can't see him now."
"Wh... why not?"
"He's out," the woman explained kindly. "He's been getting a few plans sorted out. Tell ya what, I'll tell him you called, and he'll send a letter up to the school when he's ready to talk about it. I'm sure you'll be interested. Besides, he suspects that you may have quite a bit of influence up at the school."
"Why would he think that?" Kira half-laughed.
Sophie gave her a strange smile. "My dear, how should I know? You're the one he's gonna fall in love with. Why don't you tell me?"
