Chapter Nine - A Revelation

Emma pulled away from the wall, hardly registering the shallow dent on the wall's white surface. Her eyes were still trained on the closed door across from her. Kneeling on her hands and knees, her lips trembled and her tongue twisted until a weak voice pushed out the word, "Pet."

Never had that word ever come out of Logan's mouth before. They had always addressed each other by their names, thinking they were beyond the typical mush of romantic relationships. They were something real; they were something that was meant to last. The amount of ice that carried the word from Logan's mouth to Emma's ears left her in a constant state of frigid disbelief. "Pet," she muttered, leaning back against her feet and dusting her hands off on her rumpled white dress. 

She stood up slowly, brushing her hair out of her eyes, and attempted to smooth her dress out. Nothing seemed to make sense to Emma, and she wasn't sure she even wanted to make sense of it, so she headed down the hallway, through the double doors, past her room, and into the cafeteria.

The cafeteria looked big and empty with the tables pushed to the side and no guards surrounding the area with their beady little eyes. Emma walked across the cafeteria, her feet slapping against the cold linoleum, and found Jason squatting behind a large metal counter. 

Jason looked up at Emma. He stared at her hard, trying to size up what happened while he stood up with a cutting board. Without saying a word Jason handed Emma a peach before beginning to chop a head of lettuce. 

Emma looked at the peach. It was a simple gesture, and would not have even been a big deal at home. But here, in a place where kindness appeared fake and forced by adults in lab-coats, and everyone else just seemed to have given up, this one act or random kindness brought Emma to tears as she squeezed the peach in her fist.

"We were supposed to get married." Emma cried between choking sobs. "We were different!" Emma dropped the peach and sunk to the floor, the weight of her new world crushing her. 

Jason slid down next to Emma. He didn't say a word to her; he knew all she needed was time, and when you've been disappointed like she has, time drips slowly like a shut off faucet with a leak. 

Emma took deep, shaky breaths until she no longer shook all over. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her head on her knees. "He threw me out of his room by just grabbing my arm." She said, staring at a large metal fridge. "He said he didn't love me, then he just threw me out... Just like that. And you know what bugs me more than any of that?" She asked, still not looking at Jason. "He called me Pet." 

A chuckle caught Emma's attention. Jason had a hand over his mouth, but there was no doubt that he had laughed at Emma. "I'm sorry." He said through his hand. "It's just... You'll take an abusive boyfriend over someone who gives you a nickname?" 

A smile crossed Emma's face. "When you put it like that it sounds kind of lame, doesn't it." She said with a sad little smile.

"It's not your fault." He sighed. "They changed him. I think it's safe to say we're supposed to be some kind of weapon, and their techniques for changing us worked a little too well on pet-boy. When I felt his mind, all emotions unnecessary to war seem tied off." Jason explained. "His strategy and reflexes are all super enhanced, and even his physical strength seems to surpass our own." He mused.

"So what does that mean for us?" Emma asked.

"We may become obsolete. Our wills are too strong for them to manipulate, no matter how much drug induced food they feed us."

"So that's why you never eat."

Jason nodded and stood back up. "The others don't know, if we all stopped eating they'd find another way to drug us, which would probably be more effective, so I act like I'm not hungry, and then I make myself food during the evening."

"Won't they notice the foods missing?"

"Nah. Cooks take stuff with them all the time." Jason lent a hand to Emma, helping her up. "Want a salad?"

"Yes please."

Chapter Eight - Logan

Emma quickly brushed past the suave dark figure, eager to search the hall for the door that held Logan behind it. She knew, after the march to the cafeteria, that each door held a number that correlated to the black tattoo that each resident carried. So, with a strong sense of determination, and the flickering lighter light going on and off, on and off, Emma knew she had to confront the boy she loved, and the man he became.

"You don't want to do that." Jason said, stepping away from the wall and trailing behind Emma. "I told you he is not safe."

"No!" Emma cried, turning around to stare at the dark outline of Jason. With a hushed voice Emma stared hard at the shadow, "You don't know him. You can't know him like I do."

Jason shifted his wait to his left foot, and looked down at the lighter. "You're wrong. He's not who he was before, the look in his eyes, and the feel of his mind... it's all wrong in there." Jason drew closer to Emma, speaking in an even quieter and more urgent tone than before. "He's not like the rest of us."

"Us?" Emma scoffed. "I've been around one day and I already know you're not apart of anything but yourself." Turning away, Emma found two metal doors leading down another hallway. Jason's hand grasped her arm as she tried to push through the doors.

"Stop."

Light began to leak in from the next hallway, a soft yellow glow from a headlight hanging in the middle of the hallway just beyond the double doors. Emma looked at Jason, now having enough light to see the bags under his eyes, and the way they squinted at Emma in the newly lit area.

"Never mind." He said, dropping his hand and stepping away. He gave a little shrug and headed for the opposite end of the hallway where the cafeteria was.

The curiosity got to Emma. "Where are you going?"

"I'm hungry." He said, tossing the cafeteria doors open and disappearing behind the doors' swing squeaks.

Whatever, Emma thought, finding herself standing in front of a door with a large six in the top left corner. To keep her mind off of the nervousness, Emma set her mind to opening the door, and quickly found the spot to push. The door made a few clicking sounds, then, slowly, it pulled away from the left side of the wall and slid into the right.

Taking a deep breath, Emma stepped onto a plush red carpeted room, and saw the large figure of Logan under a single white sheet.

"Logan." She whispered, stepping gingerly towards the bed.

Logan's eyes bolted open and he jumped out of the bed, landing on the opposite side of Emma, wearing  a tight white shirt and navy blue sweats. "Get out." He said, eyes wild, and blond hair sticking up from his pillow.

Emma took another step towards him, careful to move slowly. "It's me, Logan. It's Emma."

"Emma?" Logan looked like a frightened animal, his cobalt eyes darting around the room. He looked back at Emma, and the posture she had seen in the cafeteria came back. Logan stood up straight, eyes growing more distant, and arms folded behind his back. "Get out." He said again, his voice harsh and cold.

Emma thought to take another step towards him but faltered back instead, shocked by the coarseness of his voice. "But it's me... Emma. I love you."

Logan placed a hand on his bed and hurdled over the bed, landing right in front of Emma, a mocking smile pulling at the side of his mouth. "Love?" He said, tilting his head to the side. "There is no love here, pet." With a feeling of hurt, Emma reached out to Logan, but he quickly caught her wrist in his hand, the smirk fading into a scowl. "Now get out." He said, tossing Emma out the door and into the opposing wall.

Emma looked up in shock as the door slid back into its place, hiding Logan's smirk once again.

Chapter Seven - After Hours

The room was full of darkness and cloth restraints were tied to her wrists. Emma took deep breathes, trying to clear her mind from the fog of what was most likely a tranquilizer. After a minute or two had passed, she pulled her arms forward, easily breaking out of the restraints. Sitting up, Emma looked around to trying to see anything in the dark, but there were no windows in this imprisonment, meaning light had no chance of creeping in.

With an uneasy sickness knotting in her stomach, Emma carefully slid her feet to the familiar cushion of a plush carpet. At least she knew she was in her room, which sat along the great hallway before the cafeteria. Stepping carefully, Emma made her way to the wall and felt along for some kind of light switch. After twenty minutes, she grew furious at the realization there would be no light switch. Just like everything else around here, it must be set on a timer, and right now it was time for sleep.

Sitting down on the carpet, Emma felt defeated. She also did not know what to make of the event with Logan. He seemed different in demeanor, and even his hair seemed more militant than before, leaving Emma with a heavy sadness. She wondered if the others felt like this all the time, the heaviness of their burdens constantly pulling them down. Having lived such a cushioned and opportunistic life, Emma hardly saw the strife other's lived daily. Maybe she should have felt some kind of remorse over her parent's divorce, but she let it empower her instead, it was something to gain from to her. But here she was, sitting in the dark thinking she knew the pain of losing a loved one just because her boyfriend turned harsh. Who could blame him really, after what had happened to him? Emma was convinced he just needed time, and the gentle boy would be back.

Emma threw her first down into the plushness of the carpet, determined to let things push her farther instead of holding her back, when she could suddenly see. It came in flickers. One moment she could feel her eyes gather all the light she could, and then it would be gone. Again, and again. Drawing closer to the heavy door, Emma realized the light flickered through the cracks between the door and the wall, the source sitting just on the other side.

Placing both hands on the cool surface of the door, Emma tried to find some kind of trigger, but, like the light switch, found none. Biting her lip in frustration, Emma tried to figure out a way to get to the light. Then, gradually, a warmth began to seep through the door, slowly and casually, until Emma felt the heat move across the door, guiding her hands to the edge. Once in place, the heat was gone, and Emma used what force she could to press on the door. Her first try yielded nothing, but gave her the frustration and power to push harder. The door groaned under the pressure, and then began clicking until Emma felt the door pull away to slide back into the wall.

Emma let out a small gasp of excitement, a goofy smile crossing her lips. She wanted to cheer for joy, but knew better. Smoothing her dress out, Emma stepped into the hallway to see a tall boy flicking a lighter, causing Emma to see, then not see, to see, and not see.

"Jason." Emma stated.

Jason flicked the lighter again, allowing Emma's eyes to see his cavalier expression. "Guess you are smarter than you look."

Chapter Six - Mystery Meat

The two white coat workers from before ushered Emma down the long white hallway. Emma tried to glance behind at the others, who were also being led by their own pair of white clad scientists, or terrorists, or whatever they wished to be. After passing by several metal sliding doors with numbers etched into them, two clear doors slid open to reveal a bright white cafeteria with metal lunch tables at the center of attention.

Hands guided each Emma to the table, and prodded her with firm fingers until she sat stiffly on the cold bench of the far left table. Each table could sit four, so Emma found herself sitting across from Jason, with Chandler next to him. Raven and Travis were seated at the far right table, causing Raven's face to from in frustration.

A few middle-aged women in white aprons appeared, dropping plates with some kind of meat and green-beans. Emma glanced about, taking note that each escort was standing in stiff army-like poses against the walls, surrounding the tables.

After prodding the weird meat a few times, Emma sighed, not feeling the least bit peckish, which was a bit curious as she could not even remember the last time she had eaten.

Looking up at Chandler, Emma asked, "Why are we separated? They could just push the tables together."

Chandler's eyes shifted a little. "My sister and I are too co-dependent." He said matter-of-factly. Also, be careful what you say. They here everything, and will act against you.

Emma gaped at Chandler before quickly shaking her head, realizing her mind was connected to everyone else's mind. Everyone's, that is, except Jason's.

Jason kept his head down, not touching the food.

Is the food always this strange? Emma asked Chandler.

Chandler shrugged. Jason is the only one who doesn't eat it. I'm not sure he's ever eaten a meal.

Emma looked to Jason, her eyebrows furrowed. She nibbled on the green-beans, but left the weird meat to itself, confused by the dark haired boy's resolve.

Everyone ate in mostly silence for a few minutes until the two doors swooshed open and two armed men came into the cafeteria. The two men stepped aside, and two more stepped forward, ushering someone to Raven and Travis' table. Once the character was seated, the four armed guards lined against the wall closest to the table.

Emma stared at the new stranger, frozen stiff. Without a doubt it was Logan sitting next to Raven. He had a smug look upon his face, sandy-blonde hair combed neatly, and was wearing a tight white shirt that showed his football muscles, only they seemed a bit bigger to Emma now. With a panic rising within her, Emma lurched up. "Logan!"

Logan glanced at Emma, but did not get up. Instead he stuck a forkful of meat into his mouth.

Just as she was about to dash across the room, Emma's arms were grabbed a stabbing pain filled her side, causing all bodily function to shake spasmodically and then stop completely. Falling to the floor, the room began to shake and twist in front of Emma's eyes as she heard a voice say ever so quietly, He's not safe.

Chapter Five - Raven

"And sometimes they like to put big red noses on us while we balance balls on our heads." Raven said, confirming that Emma was no longer listening. Raven stared at the girl, somewhat bewildered by her, and she could easily see the image of a boy in Emma's mind, if a person could scream images, Emma would be doing just that. It was like a strange obsession.

Raven looked to Chandler, and he too had a worried expression. It was true there was commotion about one of the new guests, but usually that meant they were losing them. Raven couldn't help but feel sad for this new girl. She seemed so young and doe-eyed. It sparked a motherly concern in Raven, a feeling she had only really had for Chandler since being here. Not like it was before she and Chandler were taken.

~~~

It was unseasonably cold in Texas at the time. Raven looked out the window as her two younger brother's played out in the cold rain. Normally she would have kept them inside, fearing they might catch a cold, but on that day Raven's mother lay on the faded red sofa, barely hanging on to life, and at only nine years old, Raven felt her younger siblings deserved some small fraction of joy on such a grim occasion.

Walking back to the front room, Raven's father and older brother, Samuel, sat in wooden chairs. Samuel was the oldest at seventeen, three years older than Raven. Raven's father held her mother's hand gently, his white skin no longer a bright contrast to his wife's olive complexion as she paled with her sickness.

Raven sat in the empty chair next to her mother's head. Carefully, Raven's mother reached a hand to Raven's cheek, a weak smile pulling at her lips. "Mi'ja," She whispered, a sense of love and urgency coaxing out her last words. "promise to take care of my boys, for me." She asked, squeezing her husband's loving hand.

"I promise, mama." Raven said, kissing her mother's forehead.

Raven's mother passed away a few hours later, and as Raven promised, she did everything she could to take care of her family. Samuel moved out as soon as he could, finding that living at home was too painful. He was not heard from much since then, only the occasional call to ask for money, which her family never had. Raven's little brothers did well over time as they learned to rely on Raven as the mother of the household. Perhaps it helped that they had each other. Raven's father was the one who took it hardest. He spent his life fighting to have his wife, their love being forbidden by both of their families when they were younger. Without her, he was nothing, at least he never tried to be anything. Many times Raven would come home from her waitressing job to find her father half asleep on the coach, having had no strength to even go to work.

For a while Raven felt it was just a phase, a type of mourning he was going through, but when Raven was twenty-one, and still having to work restaurant jobs to support her family, she understood this was how things would always be with her father. It was worrisome, and with her brothers now sixteen and old enough to work, her father completely quite working his job at the office for a full-time job of watching television. It was a hopeless battle, and each day seemed to grow grimmer and grimmer.

One day, after an early morning shift, Raven came home to an envelope addressed to her, but with no return address. Raven took it to the kitchen table, where Chandler was found eating some soup, home from school with a "stomach bug," which really meant he spent all night up making sure their father did not choke on his own vomit.

Raven opened the gold-sealed letter and a shiny announcement fell out. It was for a new product that was said to cure any form of depression or anxiety with no side-effects. It had been on every other television commercial and news program as the new hit medical discovery, but the Delarosa family never had enough money to even invest in health insurance. Another card was found within the envelope, saying that their family was chosen to receive this new medicine for free, as whoever sent this has heard of their family's struggles.

Chandler begged Raven to let him go with her, and after a minute of silent puppy-dog eyes, Raven gave in. After making sure their father was tucked under a blanket on the sofa, Raven and Chandler were on the first train to Austin for their miracle. Everything seemed to go well. The train was a bit busy because it was a friday and people always seemed to have weekend plans, but Chandler and Raven just sat smiling goofily at one another.

"This could be it." Chandler blurted in excitement. "Maybe papa can go back to work, and you can go to school like you always wanted."

Raven smiled, trying not to get her hopes up too high, but deep down she knew this was what she wanted more than anything. Half-way to Austin the train suddenly came to a halt, tossing it's passengers forward like a bucking bronco.

A static-filled intercom crackled through the train, "Sorry for the inconvienence. We are experiencing some slight difficulties, and will continue with our scheduled rout as quick as we can."

Chandler and Raven looked at each other, a bit confused by the commotion, but thought nothing more of it. A minute later one of the workers came up to Raven.

"Excuse me, miss. Are you Raven Delarosa?" She asked. The woman had sharp features, and a high, sleek, ponytail.

"Yes..."

"Ah, splendid." The woman said with a single clap of her hands. "I need you to come with me please, it won't be but a moment I assure you."

Raven stood up awkwardly, and Chandler did as well, refusing to let Raven out of his site.  The woman seemed a bit hesitant at first, but Raven explained, "This is just my little brother, Chandler."

"Oh, uh... yes, well come along then." She said, reclaiming her composure. She led Raven and Chandler outside of the train, and onto a small platform in the middle of no where. It seemed odd to Raven that the train seemed to breakdown right at an abandoned train-stop. "They will be along in just a moment." The woman said, shutting the train door.

Raven glanced at Chandler briefly before noticing it was starting to snow. Just as she was about to say something about the astonishing weather, fast foot steps sounded on the wooden platform, and the rest of Raven's memory is a painful blackness.

~~~

Raven's hand rocketed towards her head, as if she was reliving the pain all over again. She took a few deep breaths and then let her hand fall back down. Emma was looking at Raven now, and her green eyes looked upon her sadly. Raven knew instantly that Emma had relived each moment as Raven felt it. Straightening up, Raven reassumed the motherly posture she had felt before.

"Dinner will be ready soon." Raven stood up quickly. "I will go gather my things." Raven took long strides toward's the other side of the room, where she had left a book of poems she was reading. As she walked past the piano, Jason looked up to Raven, causing her to stop.

Raven looked to him, but his mind was blocked off as it always was. An awkwardness grew within Raven, as if Jason was a fragile thing that few could successfully handle, and she felt she was not one of those people.

"I, uh, dinner is soon." She blurted.

Jason looked at Raven blankly.

An anger grew within Raven. "You know, we have both been here a while, and you know all there is to know about all of us, while we know nothing about you. And maybe you think that's some kind of power you hold against us, but it's not. Rudeness does not make you stronger." She huffed.

Raven quickly walked over to where her Emily Dickinson book lied, her face red with embarrassment and anger as a descending tone expressed that dinner was ready and everyone's escorts were on their way to collect them.

Chapter Four - Delarosas

Emma found herself occupying the side of the room left vacant by the others. There wasn't much on that side of the room, except a row of white folding chairs and a small wooden table covered in a bright layer of white paint, which had old magazines stacked neatly to one side. Emma reached for one of the magazines, but was once again taken aback by her own hand. The black number seemed to scream at her against the pale glow of her fair skin. She also noticed how nice and manicured her nails were, instead of chewed with red nail-polish chipping off as they usually were.

A voice cleared its throat next to Emma, startling her enough for her to jump out of her seat. The girl Emma had seen before, with wavy dark hair and olive-toned skin, stood in front of Emma. The girl's blue eyes shifted back and forth, reflecting hints of green under the light.

"My name is Raven Delarosa." She said, awkwardly sticking out her hand, looking incredibly stiff.

Emma took it, relieved one of the boys had not been the first to approach. "Emma." She said, shaking Raven's hand. "Emma Hart." Emma glanced a bit past Raven, and noticed the boy who had sat next to Raven's feet earlier.

Raven followed Emma's line of sight. "That's my little brother." Raven said, tossing her head towards the timid boy standing several steps behind her. "His name is Chandler."

Chandler was taller than Raven, and more gangly looking, with close cropped dark hair and big brown eyes. He looked about sixteen, while his sister looked more like she might be twenty. Chandler moved over to us quietly, keeping just behind his sister's shoulders. He gave off an impression of innocence and fear, all wrapped into a young mind that Emma felt should could almost look into if she tried hard enough; It was an eerie feeling, and it weirded Emma out. People's thoughts are things others should not have access too, they are not pretty like the piano music, Emma felt.

Sitting down slowly, Emma tried to calm her mind down. She turned her head back to Raven, who had a maternal look about her. "Where am I?" Emma finally asked.

Raven looked to Chandler, then both looked back to Emma, a sad look tugging at their faces. "From what we understand, we are in some kind of experimental facility, far underground." Raven explained. "There's not a single window in the building, and it has a slow upward incline when you move towards the west."

Both Raven and Chandler pulled a chair out and sat across from Emma. Chandler gently took Emma's hand and traced the five with his finger. "This number means you are the fifth member of this group." Chandler let go of Emma's hand and showed her the "3" inscribed upon his own. "They choose people who are least likely to be missed when taken, and then create an event where you should have died, or are forever missing, but really they take you, and they change you." Chandler pressed his lips tight together, letting Emma's hand slide back into her lap. 

His sister laid a hand on his back. She used her other hand to tuck some hair behind her ear, and Emma noticed the "2" on Raven's hand, looking larger and more clumsy than the five on Emma's when she thought about it. "They don't give us any information unless they think it would help their purposes." Raven glanced about the room, and looked at Emma with complete seriousness. "I think they're making us into weapons." She whispered. "We are faster, stronger, better at solving problems, and at the very least we can all see into each other's minds, which allows us to communicate without speaking." Raven glanced over at the boy sitting at the piano. "Well, if you let us, anyway."

Emma looked over at the dark boy who sat at the piano, and got the sense his name was Jason, which she probably got from Raven. So that was why Emma could hear the music, and then could no longer once she had been noticed. It was a lot to take in, and most of it raised even more questions in Emma's mind. Yet, there was one thing that seemed to especially stick out. If this was supposed to happen to people who wouldn't really be missed, then why her? She was dearly loved and fought over by her parents, each constantly seeking her affection at every opportunity.

Emma looked into Raven's eyes, and with a tone of great concern asked, "Why did they chose me? I was being expected somewhere, and my parents would be hysterical if anything ever happened to me."

Chandler and Raven exchanged a quick glance. "Were you alone?" Raven asked.

Emma shook her head slowly. "No... I... I was with my boyfriend." She squeaked, growing exceedingly nervous.

Both siblings pursed their lips, looking more like siblings with their furrowed brows. "There was a bit of commotion yesterday with a new patient, and since you're here it must not have been you." Raven speculated. "Sometimes the people they pick don't always cooperate with the changing process, and they take special care, or just don't make it. So they bring in new people to fill in the empty spot every time they lose one of us. Two months ago we had a young girl who just wasn't strong enough to withhold to change, so they must have gone for your boyfriend, not thinking you'd be with him, and when you were... well two for the price of one. Just like us." 

They may have gone on to explain other things, but all Emma could think about was Logan. He was alive, at least he had a greater chance of being alive that is. The small sliver of hope grew within Emma, and a goofy smile, regardless of all the bad news she had been given, found its way onto her lips.

Chapter Three - Travis

Travis was a bit mystified by the frazzled girl in the doorway. She seemed small and fragile, a feeling none of the other's ever portrayed. Travis looked down at the "1" carved into his hand. He had seen everyone who came through here, and not all of them had made it, their numbers being placed on a new subject after disappearing.

Becoming transfixed Travis took a step towards the girl, but faltered back seeing the panicked condition she was in. The poor girl probably thought this was an insane asylum... if only. Following the path of the girl's eyes, Travis noticed she was looking at none other than the brooding Jason, who was probably playing the piano in his mind again. We had all been blocked out of his head the moment he found a way to do it, but without even realizing there was someone new, this girl would be able to hear the notes.

Jason seemed to realize what was happening, and as always built his wall up even higher. The idiot. If this had been a few years ago, before Travis had been captured, he knew he would have swept this girl off her feet and would have had enough time to finish some early Christmas shopping. He was fast and he was good, but it never did make him feel any better.

~~

Travis Peterson was an only child, with parents who were often gone on business trips. His parents never seemed to understand the kind of loneliness they forced upon him, the least they could have done was give him a sibling to feel like orphans with. But no, instead they gave Travis fancy gifts, and let him drive their Porsche when they were gone, but it always seemed to have a flat. Useless. Travis spent a majority of his time throwing parties in the huge and empty house he was left in, and sweeping the ladies off their feet, which he seemed to excel at.

Checking his calendar, Travis saw he had a date with a girl who had been playing hard to get. This was the ultimate challenge for Travis, and he couldn't wait to show his friends how good he could really be. He checked the time, and briefly ran his fingers through his hair, perfecting the rolled-out-of-bed look. His parents had left a note in the kitchen next to the key bowl,

"Samuel,
We're off to Paris, will land around 6:00am tomorrow. Car still has a flat, but the air in your bike tires look fine. Be good.

Mom & Dad"

Travis crumpled up the note and tossed it at the trashcan, not caring that it missed. His parents still called him Samuel, insisting that he go by the name on his birth certificate: Samuel Travis Peterson II. Travis refused to go by the name Samuel, not because it was confusing, but because he just wanted nothing to do with his parents if he had any say in it.

After a brief bike-ride to the local coffee shop, Travis glanced through the window to see Kat Brown looking a bit annoyed. Perfect. The first step was completed, she is eager to see Travis, and will be grateful when he walks in. A smirk crossed Travis' lips as he sauntered into the shop.

Kat looked unimpressed as Travis slid into the booth across from her. She pulled her wavy red hair into a ponytail and sighed. "You're late."

"I know, i'm really sorry about that. My Porsche had a flat." Travis shrugged.

"Uh huh... Is that supposed to impress me?" Kat was having none of Travis' usual charms.

"You're right... I'm sorry." He said. "What would you like, I'll get you whatever you want." Kat looked at the menu and seemed to lighten up a bit. Travis ordered for the two of them, and he listened patiently to all of Kat's plans for her family vacation in Canada. Travis was sure his attentive listening would get him somewhere since nothing else seemed to work with this girl. After their tea arrived Travis started in on closing the deal. "My parents are actually off to Paris right now." Travis shrugged.

"Oh really? That's neat, what are they doing there?" Kat asked.

"Oh business stuff." Travis reached his hand across the table, his fingers softly sliding on top of Kat's. "Anyway, I've got a giant house to myself, now, and it gets pretty lonely sometimes." Travis looked up through his bangs, the puppy-dog look that always seemed to work.

Kat's face went sour and she snapped her hand back. Before Travis could even process what was happening Kat had collected her things and was heading for the door. "Just because you're lonely, doesn't mean you should use people for your own advantage." She paused right in front door, and looked at Travis with an almost sad look. "I do pity you." The words loomed in the air, long after Kat was gone.

After a minute of processing, Travis stood up, knocking the tea off the table. "Who needs you anyway!" He yelled at the echo of her words. Running out of the shop, Travis didn't care to grab his bike, and just started running for home, hoping to burn off some steam. After taking a turn down a street hardly used by townspeople, Travis slowed to a walk. Trying his best to repress his emotions, Travis almost didn't notice a car speeding down the road. Travis did his best to run out of the way, but in the end the car jumped up onto the curb and crashed into his side.

~~

Travis took another look at the girl with the nervous look on her face, and turned away from her, sitting against one of the plain white walls, feeling all kinds of remorse and sickness in the center of his stomach.