Mia Kerova
November 09, 2008 12:54 PM
Out with the old; in with the new, but the new what? by Mia Kerova
In the nearly empty Pecari Common Room Mia sat cross legged on the couch with her yearbook in her lap and her camera from nearly two years ago in one hand. The other hand propped up her chin as she stared at her page without really taking anything in. The school year was drawing to a close and it should have been an entrancing mix of excitement, anxiety, pride and every other emotion that could possibly come into play. And while she was a raging whirlwind of emotions that were trapped under her even facade, they weren't a majority of good ones.A few days ago when RATS ended, Mia had been in her dorm examining the calendar that hung over her bed's headboard. She marked down just about everything because she had been practicing to organize herself. It didn't take as strong an effect until her seventh year because she really wanted to do well on her RATS, which meant organizing study time and rests. Or attempting to. She had tests written down, longterm homework assignments, key events, anniversaries and anything else she could think of that might have been important. The squares were pretty full.
But some of her ink was for her eyes only and was magically masked on the calendar. Things like when she could expect that hellish time of the month when she couldn't be completely held accountable for what came out of her mouth. Speaking of which, Mia had noticed something as she looked back through her last year at Sonora, or more specifically her last two months, and the markings on her calendar. She hadn't had to write any more numbers or frowning faces in that time frame. Insane conclusions flashed through her mind that she knew couldn't possibly be true.
Or that she pleaded couldn't possibly be true. They just couldn't!
She immediately accredited the both welcomed and nerve-wracking absence of cramping to stress over RATS. They had certainly made her ill enough to do other weird things to her body. She sent an inquiring letter home to her mother trying to make her words sound as casual as possible and got an answer back saying that stress could mess with hormones and blah blah blah. Mia only absorbed the key meaning. Stress was messing with her. It was the answer she had hoped for. And yet...
What did it mean now that the source of her stress was gone and she still had nothing to mark down in her hidden ink? Nothing, she assured herself for an uncountable time and once again she didn't feel the least bit assured.
Back on the couch in the Pecari Common Room, Mia was leaned forward resting her elbows on her yearbook trying to snap herself out of the fog that only trapped the worst thoughts. She had hoped flipping through the book would calm her or maybe thoughts of all the scrapbook pictures she could get before graduating would help. And for a short while it did before her concentration became fleeting and put her in her current daze. She only looked up when she was fairly certain someone had addressed her.
"Sorry. What did you say?" she asked trying to refocus her thoughts.
0
Mia Kerova
Out with the old; in with the new, but the new what?
0
Mia Kerova
1
5
Stephen Baxter
November 11, 2008 2:14 PM
One last thread, before I fade... by Stephen Baxter
Stephen took the stairs three at a time, jumping all the way. There was just something about the encroaching freedom that filled him with an almost impossible amount of energy. Energy that he had to offload in any way that presented itself. Of course, as prisons go Sonora hadn't been bad. There had been loads of cool things and people and events and ... loads of cool things. But freedom to be out there doing your own thing wasn't really an option. Freedom to be and do what you wanted. Freedom to get ahead.He glanced around the room to see who was about and saw Mia with a yearbook. And a camera. A smile flittered across his face as he was reminded strongly of Ty and that CoMC lesson back in first year. Making a quick decision he turned tail and dashed back up the stairs, along the corridor and into the room he shared with Ash - not for much longer though. That'd be seriously weird. He wondered briefly if he could convince Sorrel to join him in barricading themselves in the room with a 'do not disturb' notice on the door just to mess with Ash's head, something he'd been thinking about for far too long, all things considered
Of course, if things were to progress he didn't think he'd object.
Spotting his yearbook, he flipped through it quickly looking at his own page briefly, his best memory specifically.
Nah, he though. There would definitely be no objection from this end. Sorrel, on the other hand, was a different kettle of fish. Prickly, and kind of like an untamed animal at times. The kind you had to keep a careful eye on while talking calmly and not presenting it with any vulnerable parts of yourself unless you were fully prepared for the consequences. He flipped her her page, looked at it for a moment and then snapped it back shut, turning on his heel and heading for the stairs again, an indecipherable look on his until he hit the first step and started bouncing back down.
"Hey Mia," he said, arriving at her side. There was no response at first, so he repeated the words, and added a wave in front of her head to boost its effectiveness.
She looked up. "Sorry. What did you say?"
"I said," Stephen said with a show of infinite patience, "'Hey Mia'. Twice. I wanted to sign your yearbook. And have you sign mine." The fact that he was holding it out towards her even before he said that might have clued her in earlier though. "You ok? Test are over. Freedom is in the air. Taste that freedom, Mia. This is no time for being down. If you are being down. Cheer up," he said, thinking of something his mother said sometimes. "Maybe it won't happen."
It was a stupid saying actually, he reconsidered after the words had left his mouth. 'Maybe it won't happen'? What kind of rubbish was that?
"I could pose for a photo, if you like. We all know the camera loves me. Is it really fair to keep it away, pining over the lost chance that it might never have again?"\r\n\r\n
39
Stephen Baxter
One last thread, before I fade...
49
Stephen Baxter
0
5
Mia
November 11, 2008 6:28 PM
Everyone knows <i>you'll</i> never fade. by Mia
It took Mia another moment to fully register Stephen's presence, but her thoughts finally focused. It was hard not to the way he bounced around like a greedy toddler with pockets full of candy. Where on Earth did he get the energy from? It was amazing, but he had always been like that since she met him. He was just a goofy guy and she knew she would miss that a lot come September. She already kind of missed it, even hearing him call her Princess less often, which could've been why she didn't immediately acknowledge him. She tended to avoid him when he was near the Craven Creeps and that was a lot of the time considering he was dating one of them. She left the shudder to her thoughts."Oh! Yeah, definitely," she said as she took his yearbook, closed her own and passed it to him.
He didn't seem to have a pen or a quill and ink with him, which made it rather difficult to sign anything. Mia took her wand out and gave it a habitual masterful spin through her fingers learned through many moments of wandering thoughts during her seven years. She silently cast 'Accio inkwell,' followed by the same for the quill in her room as well and held her hand up waiting to catch them as Stephen spoke again. She was about to tell him she was fine when he shocked her with,
"Cheer up. Maybe it won't happen."
Her head snapped towards him with a confused look and she nearly missed catching the inkwell and the quill, fumbling them in her hands and luckily catching both upright without spilling ink or stabbing her hand on the quill's point. For the tiniest fraction of a second she thought he knew what was going on in her head, like he had seer powers he failed to mention, but immediately afterward she realized it was impossible. Besides, nothing was really going on. She had to believe that.
He offered to pose for a photo and Mia laughed, dismissing any strange or bothersome notions from her mind. "I could never deny it such a chance. Hopefully you'll forgive that we don't have a kneazle to pose with you." She stuck her tongue out through her playful grin as she brought up the memory from first year. She remembered thinking Stephen was such a weirdo and look where they ended up. "But it better have the chance again," she pretended to threaten as if her tiny self could ever be truly threatening without proper provocation. "You need to keep in touch."
"And I'm not down. It's just that end of the year nostalgia thing happening, you know?" she corrected him. "It's really weird knowing we're not coming back in September. To be honest, I don't have a clue where I'll be in September." As she explained herself, she cast another silent spell changing the ink from black to green. The same bright green as the desk in Transfiguration and the box Stephen put his poem for her in. It was just an insightful touch to his addition to her yearbook. "You, though," she continued in a joking manner, "will probably be with your darling werewo--I mean, panda be--I mean, Sorrel."
She still found the pairing hard to believe, but if it made him happy, however that was possible, who was she to judge? It wasn't like she had dregs of lingering feelings for him that pierced her whenever she saw him and Sorrel together. No, it was more along the lines of having residual frustration wondering if she had done something wrong like she might have done again only a billion times worse...if there were truly anything to worry about.
"But before pictures, sign." Mia passed him the well of green ink and, realizing she needed ink of her own, summoned one more well and quill for herself.
0
Mia
Everyone knows <i>you'll</i> never fade.
0
Mia
0
5
Stephen
November 15, 2008 8:24 PM
Aww, Princess... by Stephen
"Keeping in touch is a two way street," Stephen said mock-seriously while starting to look around. The mention of the kneazle had put something in mind, and he nodded absently at her next words while he bobbed around, trying to work out where a cat might be hiding in the commonroom. Where was Silk? "Hmm?" he reflectively asked as he heard his girlfriend's name. "Sorrel's not a werewolf or I'd be one now too."He paused in his search and looked at Mia, rewinding what had just been said and reviewing it. He glanced around again, this time looking for something much larger than a cat. The lack of results was, this time, something of a relief.
"That wasn't nice," he told Mia reproachfully. "I mean, I know that Sorrel isn't always the easiest person to get on with, but calling her names like that isn't going to help. Have you seen Silk around lately?"
It was as though she wanted to distract him from the cat, and, to be perfectly frank, for a moment she succeeded.
"This ink is awesome!" Stephen declared as he took it from her and noticed the colour. "Green is the best colour," he told her confidentially, "red only beats it for making things faster, and Pecari colours come close, but green is easily the best all rounder." He took the spare quill that he noticed she'd summoned and flipped open her yearbook, looking for a spot to write. Finding one, he dashed his message and a messy signature. "Phone number is the same," he said, "at least for now. So I won't be that hard to reach once we've finished here."
It didn't occur to him that she might have got rid of the number when they broke up.
He paused, reminiscing slightly before he noticed a familiar-looking head looking around from the side of an armchair. All seriousness put aside Stephen thrust the quill, inkwell and yearbook back to Mia and dashed over to the armchair.
"You better be ready with that camera," he tossed the words back at her as he cornered her helpless cat, "photo op time won't last long."
It was weird the way neither kneazles nor cats seemed to enjoy the chance for a photo opportunity on Stephen's head. But that didn't mean they shouldn't have the chance to try it out.
39
Stephen
Aww, Princess...
0
Stephen
0
5
Mia
November 22, 2008 4:47 PM
Yeah, I'm a sweetheart. by Mia
"Sorrel's not a werewolf or I'd be one now too." Mia stared up at Stephen wide eyed."What?" she asked incredulously, but clearly her tone didn't demand or desire a response. Instead he continued to speak, reprimanding her about talking of his darling Sorrel in such a way. As if anything about Mia that left Sorrel's mouth wasn't ten times worse and as if there were anything to help between the two girls. Mia was about to say so, despite that she was partly kidding, but Stephen quickly jumped topics. Mia shrugged when he asked about her cat, her other always faithful companion at Sonora Academy besides the magical suit of armor. "She could be anywhere. She knows this place better than me."
As she looked for a good space to sign Stephen's yearbook, Mia smiled and nodded along with his speech more from understanding than agreement. When he finished his color tirade she answered, "Of course. Of course," while writing her message in her loopy cursive. She nodded again about his phone number. When was the last time she called him? Not last summer. Had she really been that upset over breaking up? No, she assured herself. Last summer had just been crazy with the whole moving business. And maybe she had felt a little weird about calling. But she was sure Stephen's number was still in her phone.
Mia only just had time to set Stephen's yearbook aside before hers was pushed back into her arms and Stephen walked off. She watched his retreating back curiously while thinking maybe it had been for the better that she hadn't had the chance to speak to him much. Her mind was at work again with the same questions plaguing her from before as they tried to shunt aside the confidence she had gained two summers ago. And now with the new turmoil--that was it. She had to know. She just had to. She didn't care how stupid it seemed to anyone else. It was bugging her a lot. Too much.
Her cat's piteous mews made sense of Stephen's passing words and Mia shook her head good-naturedly. The cat could've been anywhere and she chose that time to stay nearby. Bad move. "Only you, Stephen," she noted mostly to herself as she lifted the camera and snapped two shots of her cat wrestling her way out of the boy's grip. Enough squirming and clawing seemed to gain her a victorious moment and she pounced from Stephen's head and scrambled upstairs. "It's going to take so many treats to get her to forgive me," Mia laughed as she watched Silk dash away. When she looked back at Stephen the laughter slowly petered out like she was going to say something else. And a few seconds later she did.
"Stephen," she paused for a moment, but didn't really have a choice now but to ask. She wished she had thought ahead more. "Why did you want to break up with me?" She kept her voice and face as casual as possible as if continuing a friendly conversation. She was sorry to bring it up again, but she felt compelled to. The break up hadn't been too rocky and she hoped an explanation wasn't too much to ask for this long afterwards. She had to know.
0
Mia
Yeah, I'm a sweetheart.
0
Mia
0
5
Stephen
November 22, 2008 5:39 PM
A sweetheart asking the difficult questions by Stephen
Stephen winced, gingerly rubbing a scratch that Silk had left him as a gift. "Yeah," he said to Mia, without much apologeticness in his tone. "But it was totally worth it for the shots, right? Don't forget to send me copies."The laughter stopped, and Stephen started to feel distinctly uncomfortable. Why was Mia looking at him like that? Was the scratch worse than he thought? Was it disfiguring?! His hand wandered up his head again, feeling the length and breadth of the wound (and summising that it couldn't be that bad... probably). He let out a breath, and right at the same time Mia said his name. there was definitely something going on. There was something in her tone that...
Stephen stood there, a little taken aback by the question. "Why did I... Geeze, Princess, you pick your moments!"
He stood there a moment longer, looking at her and trying to work out what to say. A glance over his shoulder at the stairs - still no sign of Sorrel - and he took a perch on the arm of the chair she was sitting on, looking down at her with a quizzical look on his face.
"Honestly?" he asked her, then figured it had to be a rhetorical question he was asking, as the answer was obvious. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back away from his face and frowned. Two years ago. He brushed his tongue over his lips and then bit the lower one, somewhat consumed with several thoughts. Two years ago.
"It wasn't you," he said. "It was... it was a lot of things really. You are definitely just as .... well, you know you're pretty, right? And Merlin knows I'm only human. But I suppose..." he drifted off again before rallying. "And it wasn't because you're not nice either, because you know I still think you're a really cool chick and worth the chatting with. Thing is, I'm trying to decide if it was me. I suppose," he said, looking at her carefully, "that it might have been me.
"Two years ago... I was in a pretty dark place, you know? I mean... there was that whole thing with Geoff's family and my grandmother - Geeze, talk about an old fashioned witch according to all the definitions. Although I don't know if she has a warty nose or not. Geoff never said, and I never met the bi- Well, let's just say I never met her. But yeah. I..."
"I think," Stephen said carefully. "I think it was a lot of things. I think it was guilt and anger with myself. And I think it was that the spark just couldn't sustain itself in that. You know? Geeze, listen to me! I sound like a freak. It was over. And I got the impression from you that it was over from your end too. Maybe," he said, giving her a nudge and a grin, "I should be asking you about that, eh?"
39
Stephen
A sweetheart asking the difficult questions
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Stephen
0
5
Mia
November 22, 2008 11:49 PM
Well somebody has to. by Mia
Mia bit her tongue a few times at the start of Stephen's explanation like when he first acknowledged her question. For a moment she thought he might prove Tally right in that he really couldn't have a serious conversation. Not for very long anyway. She let her subtle facial expression show she wasn't kidding and for just a short while she didn't want him to kid either. Her eyes never left him as he moved to the arm of the couch and spoke again making Mia hold back an obvious retort.It sounded like he was heading in a clichéd, "It's not you. It's me," direction that wouldn't make Mia feel any better. It made her even stronger in her belief that it was something she had or hadn't done. But she listened anyway because in the way he spoke, he sounded sincere and serious. Looks like Tals was wrong, Mia thought.
Mentioning the incident at midterm two years ago was the first time Mia let her eyes drop briefly. She knew what she went through didn't compare in the least to his ordeal, but it certainly hadn't been fun. And the overpowering feeling of uselessness. Maybe there was more she could've done, but he didn't seem to even hint at pinning anything on her. It made sense. It all made sense. A lot of things were going on for both of them, but instead of guilty she felt a bit selfish. Her goings on were much different from his.
Mia felt a grin tug at her own face when she saw his, but it was a little less comfortable. "Yeah. It was a mutual thing." Well, while they were both being honest. "Sort of," she added. She looked at her hands, her hair falling from behind her ear to partially hide her face. The glittering promise ring was now covered by her right hand as she held it like it would give her the right words to say. Then again, Dino had been part of the problem. Well, it wasn't really a problem. He was part of the situation. Close enough.
"I guess...I wasn't a hundred percent on how I felt when I got back to school last year. Weird summer. My dad showing up out of nowhere. I just--" She paused for a moment trying to quickly sort out what was important and what didn't need to be said. She looked back at Stephen.
"I just started thinking that, well, maybe I had said yes to you for all the wrong reasons. Stupid reasons, not that I didn't have fun because I did and not that you aren't an awesome guy because you are. But I didn't think I'd know my choice for sure until I saw you again and then it didn't really matter because you said we ought to end it and I wasn't going to make a scene for something I could be okay with. But then I spent most of the year kind of questioning myself, hence the 'sort of mutual.' Not that I blame you because I don't." She hated to sound stupid and defensive and again wished she had thought everything through beforehand.
"But I'm perfectly happy with this." She motioned back and forth between the two of them. "I mean, I guess it really was a lot of things getting in our way. With all of the nonsense going on that year, maybe it was just the wrong place and the wrong time for both of us." She shrugged and picked up Stephen's yearbook, handing it to him as she spoke again. "I was just wondering," she ended lamely with a smile to play it off.
It was a more genuine smile now that a weight had finally been lifted from her after two years of useless, quiet wondering. She felt immensely better just having them both speak their piece and feeling more confident that if worse came to worst, at least one break up wouldn't be her fault.
0
Mia
Well somebody has to.
0
Mia
0
5
Stephen
November 23, 2008 8:04 AM
*sighs* by Stephen
"Now you're just talking crazy-talk," Stephen said firmly when Mia mentioned that she thought they shouldn't have got together in the first place. "Last time I checked, people could date because they liked each other, without it having to end in love and marriage and babies or whatever it is you women want."He grinned at her, to show that he wasn't being entirely serious about that last bit. It wasn't something that he thought about all that much - why would it be, when there were so many other things to be thinking about? - but he didn't think he'd mind some of those things. When he was older, anyhow. Definitely not now.
"And we had fun, didn't we?" There was a hint of wistfulness. Stephen had certainly enjoyed corrupting Mia. She'd started out all kinda-prissy and she'd definitely changed in the time they'd been together. In some ways it had been much easier than his current relationship with Sorrel. Which was odd, but something that Stephen just had to deal with, and hopefully work through eventually. "I know I did," he said, eventually with a somewhat lecherous wink. "And who am I to disgree with you saying that I am awesome? I think that's a well established fact in these hallowed halls."
There was something shiny on her finger. It had taken a while, and eventually it was the gesturing between them that led Stephen to finally notice it. He raised an eyebrow.
"Whoah. Maybe I was wro- Princess, did you forget to tell me something?" he asked, looking at the ring. Mia getting married? Whoah.. that was like... it kind of made him feel old.
39
Stephen
*sighs*
0
Stephen
0
5
Mia
November 23, 2008 9:55 AM
Cheer up. Not all the questions are tough. by Mia
Mia was about to correct Stephen's assumptions on why she thought she had agreed to date him, but quickly labeled it under information that didn't need to be said. He was partly right anyway. The seriousness of a relationship was something she thought about and had thought about over the summer after fifth year. His words made her stomach give an odd pull that she ignored and smiled back, shrugging like he was repeating something obvious."We did have fun and you are awesome," Mia agreed in a similar tone. "People here are going to be talking about the adventures of Stephen Baxter for a long time. And I'm not about to forget any time soon." She stuck out her tongue playfully. It wasn't quite that Stephen couldn't be serious. It was that he could still make her laugh and lighten up while being at least semi-serious. She was sure that once upon a time a joke like that would be far from her thoughts.
"Huh?" Mia asked to Stephen's unspecific question. She was pretty sure she had just spilled all of her guts. Not that he would really know if she hadn't unless her face gave it away or he really did have seer powers he hadn't told her about. And then Mia felt like an idiot for not guessing what he meant. He wasn't the first person to look shocked.
"Oh relax," she said, pulling her hand back and rolling her eyes. "It's just a Christmas present." Okay, it wasn't just a Christmas present. Giving out three-quarter-karat diamond rings wasn't typical of a Christmas present among teenagers. So much so that she had charmed it to sting anyone who tried to remove it or put it on other than her so it wouldn't be stolen. "I'm not getting married yet...then again," she changed directions after a brief pause with a smirk, lightly biting her bottom lip to stifle any laughter. "It might not be too far in the future now that I've found someone who can tend to my," she pretended to think of a good word, "expensive tastes. A girl has certain needs and I just don't think you could've fulfilled them. That's the real reason it couldn't work between us. You're just not high enough quality for a princess such as myself."
"But don't feel bad. You're still awesome in your own right." Mia patted his arm sympathetically while keeping her focus trained on her ring. She outstretched her arm pompously, but the smirk was more of a poorly suppressed grin by that point.
0
Mia
Cheer up. Not all the questions are tough.
0
Mia
0
5
Stephen
November 23, 2008 1:24 PM
If you say so by Stephen
Stephen jumped up, mostly so he could pull a properly martyred pose."You wound me," he told her dramatically. "You wound me most greviously, Princess. Just because I'm a poor, honest man..." He pulled out of the pose and grinned at her. "Ah well. You'll regret it when I'm rich and famous one day. Then you'll come back, begging for me to take you back." The grin was definitely venturing into smirk territory by that point.
"Of course, by then I'll have my own collection of hot supermodels at my beck and call, so tough luck." Stephen paused at that, and thought about things again. That was actually, while kind of cool to think about, pretty unlikely. Not that he didn't think that he could do it if he wanted, and not that he didn't think that other people thought he would if he could, but when it all came down to it, he didn't think it was really him. Going all whatever-the-dude-with-the-playboy-bunny-mansion-was-called was kind of gross, not to mention a waste of all those beautiful women on an old guy.
Maybe if he was that successful before he turned 30.
But probably not.
It was almost a certainty that Sorrel would kill him if he ever did anything of the sort.
The last thought made him laugh, and he chucked to himself for a few moments, shifting back to lean against the side of the seat.
39
Stephen
If you say so
0
Stephen
0
5
Mia
November 24, 2008 10:45 AM
I do indeed say so. by Mia
Mia quickly snapped another picture of Stephen in his pose when he stood. She pretended to gape at the idea of begging for Stephen to take her back when he became rich and famous surrounded by supermodels in whatever fantasy world he was describing. Although she supposed some people got lucky breaks. It wasn't impossible that he could end up in a guy's fantasy of being surrounded by beautiful women all day. Beautiful women...and Sorrel. The situation was merely improbable."Oh, really?" Mia countered, the smirk returning as she jammed her hands on her hips. "I'll believe that when I see it. Maybe one day your forever lacking," she quickly cleared the couch and lay down on the cushions so her head was nearest to Stephen and struck a muted sultry pose, kicking a leg up a little and holding her skirt a few inches shy of her knee, "collection of supermodels will show up on one of the wide screen TVs in my mansion. Then maybe I'll reconsider letting you have me back because I know you'll want me." She winked and then lowered her leg lest her timing prove truly awful and someone, namely Sorrel, walk in on Mia's harmless fun and break every bone in her body. She stared at nothing in particular on the ceiling thinking for a moment. "Talk about dreaming big, huh?"
Pretty? Sure. Supermodel thin? Nearly. Supermodel hot? Not a chance. But she could pretend if he could. She dropped her arm and her fingers scraped over her yearbook. Even just thinking about what the fantasy future would bring made her wonder what reality's future had in store for her and her friends. Through all of the typical 'keep in touch,' talk, would it really happen? Life had a bad habit of messing up communication. She would just have to work on not letting life screw too much up and enjoy the lasts of the regular conversation she would get with her friends. Speaking of which...
"I should go." Mia pushed herself to a seated position. "I need to find Tally and get her to sign my yearbook. She keeps disappearing on me." She shrugged and stood adjusting her tee shirt and skirt. It felt strange that this would be one of the last times she would get to talk to Stephen at school and part of her didn't want to end the conversation. She brushed off the petty thought. She wasn't a baby. "Oh, and thanks, by the way," Mia added with a more tame smile. "For answering my question. Some people didn't think you could actually hold a serious conversation." It wasn't impossible. Just improbable, but sometimes it was a nice change.
0
Mia
I do indeed say so.
0
Mia
0
5
Stephen
November 24, 2008 4:59 PM
So this is goodbye... wow, didn't think this day would come by Stephen
Ash would like it though. Or, Stephen ammended as he started to sober up from his laughing bout, he might. He'd definitely like it for himself, and he'd probably think it cool if a friend was in that position. And he might be happy to have Stephen away from his sister.Or he might go the other way and be really pissed off about it.
Stephen raised an eyebrow at Mia, but held back from commenting while she pulled a pose that she wouldn't have even considered doing a few years ago. He gave her an appreciative grin.
"No point in dreaming small," he shrugged. She sat up and started going on about having to find Tally. Stephen nodded, shrugged and then grinned again.
"Princess," he said, leaning dangerously close. "Just don't forget, while you're off living in the lap of luxury... I am many things, but not one of them is 'lacking'. I mean," and here he shrugged yet again and grinned wolfishly, "here we are, having a simple conversation, and look who has to straighten up her clothes before she can leave."
He paused and pulled back and took a breath.
"Freedom," he reverted back to his original topic. "It's so close now. Good luck out there."
39
Stephen
So this is goodbye... wow, didn't think this day would come
0
Stephen
0
5
Mia
November 24, 2008 10:32 PM
*sigh* Here it is. And there it goes. by Mia
Mia forced herself not to take a step back as Stephen closed most of the distance between them. If she hadn't been having her own harmless fun, she might have thought twice on the action. Instead she just raised an inquisitive brow as if this were a run-of-the-mill way for the two of them to have a conversation and once upon a time that hadn't been far from the truth. Then she really gaped and smacked his arm at the clothing comment."Shut up," she laughed through the command.
Mia picked up her yearbook and camera and turned back to Stephen. She eyed him for a moment like she was about to respond, but then briskly walked up to him and kissed his cheek. She turned towards the exit of the Pecari Common Room before she could see a response to the unplanned act.
Why did she do that?
Well what was a friendly kiss on the cheek between friends, right? Yet she wouldn't look back.
"Freedom is right around the corner," she called happily, continuing as if nothing happened. Her gaze never strayed from the exit. "Lots of luck to you and tons of supermodels." Just before leaving through the hidden hedge door she finally flashed a grin over her shoulder coupled with a parting wave and then disappeared down the familiar path of the Labyrinth Gardens for what was nearly the last time.
0
Mia
*sigh* Here it is. And there it goes.
0
Mia
0
5