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 Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 8:53 pm
 --Dℯℓiα S℘riηℊstℯℯη--Delia got to her feet and slung her bag over her shoulder, then tossed her empty cup into the trash after he did. "Let's hope my memory is correct," she said with a small laugh, running her fingers through her hair. She was beginning to feel a little nervous, but she wasn't sure why. She thought about how others would look at them when they walked by; did they look like a normal couple on a morning stroll? Don't be stupid. Why are you even thinking about that?! she thought to herself, keeping her eyes ahead of her. As she began leading the way down the sidewalk, some of the shops they walked by seemed familiar. It was also helpful that there were a few designated signs here and there that appeared to lead somewhere near the beach. So, Delia mustered as much logic at she could at the hour and followed her instinct. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, seeing him take out the pack of cigarettes. "So you smoke, huh?" she asked, realizing a little too late that it sounded like a rather rude question to ask out of the blue. But she couldn't help it. Cigarettes reminded her of her father, and her father reminded her of, well... lots of things. ---
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Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 5:27 pm
 Jacob "Jac" Fayden McClain
Jac followed Delia through the town, oblivious to the brief but assuming glances of passerby. He breathed in the nicotine and held it, exhaling after a second. "Yep." He said bluntly at her inquiry. He looked at her for a moment, wondering if he should offer. She did not seem like a smoker, nor smell like one. He decided to play it safe and ask, "Does it bother you? I could put it out." He normally would have left the topic alone and finish his cig. She affected his behavior, and he did not realize it. He could lite one up later if he needed to, or better yet, he could go and but some alcohol. No, wait. I work in the morning. Better not. He reminded himself. At least not on the first day. Maybe after I'm more secure in the job area.
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Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 6:41 pm
--Dℯℓiα S℘riηℊstℯℯη--Delia bit the corner of her lip at his offer. It was nice of him to care about that, but she didn't want to seem obnoxious. Stupid thoughts bounced off the walls of her mind, and as she walked she balanced the pros and cons of what her answer should be. Feeling like a moron, she replied, "Oh, um, no, it's fine... it's just... it's not really healthy for you, ya know?" She mentally kicked herself, keeping her head down, her gaze ahead of her as she walked. Goody-goody, a voice in her head sang, but she pushed it away just as fast and looked up to see a small sign sticking out from one of the buildings. It was a flat, black record-shaped sign with smudged writing on it. "I think that's it," Delia said, eager to change the subject as she stopped in front of the building and peered into the windows. There was a record player on one of the display shelves, and some old records displayed in an eye-pleasing fashion across the bottom. A smile found its way to Delia's rosy lips again, and she looked back at him. "Shall we?" she asked happily, opening the door to the shop and stepping inside. ---
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Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 7:29 pm
Jacob "Jac" Fayden McClain
"Yeah, I am aware." Jac said as he brought the cigarette back to his lips and breathed in. He finished it off quickly and tossed the butt onto the concrete just as they came up to the building. He looked up at the rickety sign and smiled. These places were often overlooked, and therefore usually filled with great stuff. He walked in after Delia and the smell that hit him broadened his smile. It was similar to a used bookstore, the scent of old paper and dust prominent. There was a tune on the speaker system that Jac recognized almost immediately. "Ah, Pat Benatar's Wide Awake in Dream Land." He mumbled. That artist was his mother's favorite, a classic. She and Jac would drive and listen to her cassettes on the way to school when he was in elementary school. That and Gloria Estfan.
He perused the stands of cds and cassettes, not owning anything to play them on at the moment, but planing on remedying that. He looked over the stand at Delia, "What kind of music are you into?" He realized he had never asked her.
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 9:21 am
--Dℯℓiα S℘riηℊstℯℯη--Delia sniffed the air, the crisp old smell of everything vintage. Whether used or unused, it was a lovely smell. Records and CDs hung from the ceiling on strings, and she wondered if they were real or if it was just for decor. She vaguely recognized the song that was playing; it brought a smile to her face. "This place is so cool," she said quietly, running her hand over the racks of CDs. She looked up at him when he asked the question, shrugging thoughtfully. "A lot of stuff... mostly oldies, especially the Beatles. But I like a lot of new stuff too. I have a pretty open mind when it comes to music." She nodded, picking up one of the CDs and peering at it with interest. ---
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 1:15 pm
Jacob "Jac" Fayden McClain
Jac nodded, he answer satisfactory. He browsed the isles some more, then checked his funds. He still had quite a bit from Tony's wallet left, but he thought maybe he should save it in case of emergencies. He made note of this place and tucked his wallet back into his back pocket.
When he had seen enough for his visit, he stood and waited by the door for Delia to get her fill. As he waited, he took out his phone. Something was nagging at him. He opened his contacts and scrolled to Mog's number. Biting his lip, he stepped outside and dialed the number, waiting and listening to the ringing on the other end of the line. There was no answer. Jac took a shaky breath and dialed again. "Come on... C'mon!" Still no answer. Jac ran a nervous hand through his hair and let it rest on the top of his head. He stared down at his phone and hit the call button one more time. It rang, and rang, and Jac was losing hope. As he was ready to hear the voice mail tone, someone picked up. "Hola?" It was an old woman's voice. Mog's grandmother? Jac had to remember his spanish quickly, "Si, hola... um, Es Claudio allí?"
"Quién es?" She sounded scared.
"Un Amigo"
"Quien?!"
"Jac."
"Oh, Jac! Aayudarme! Claudio! Secuestrado!"
"What?" Jac did not know the last word.
"Take!" The old woman tried her best at English. "Hombres malos, take Claudio. Bad! No Bueno..." She sounded very distressed.
"Okay, Okay, hay voy. Chao." he hung up, a rock in his gut the size of Texas. Claudio had been abducted, and Jac knew it was his fault. He paced nervously in front of the record store. "s**t, s**t, s**t, s**t..." He mumbled as he paced, phone grasped tightly in his hand.
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 1:50 pm
--Dℯℓiα S℘riηℊstℯℯη--Delia soon became immersed in all the different CDs and records. Some she recognized, others were completely new to her. Some were dusty and looked as though they hadn't been touched in ages, others looked as though they were just put there this morning. There was an older male behind the counter who kept a watchful eye on her, but she didn't mind it. She was only browsing, after all. She glanced back at Jac, seeing him step outside to take a phone call. She didn't pay much mind to it, but continued looking around, her eyes falling on an actual record player, the brass horn that came out of it shimmering. "Wow," Delia breathed, her smile widening. "Does this work?" she asked the man, looking up to meet his amused smile. The man nodded. "O' course. 'S not for sale, though." He added, pointing a finger to the sign below it. Delia nodded, continuing to look around for a couple more minutes before deciding there wasn't much she could buy. She figured she would just come back at some point with more cash on hand and an plan in her head. When Delia walked outside of the shop, she saw Jac and the smile dropped from her face. She tilted her head to one side slightly, her brows knitting together in concern. "Is everything okay?" she asked after a moment of hesitance, not wanting to be rude. ---
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 4:39 pm
Jacob "Jac" Fayden McClain
Jac had not noticed Delia's appearance, and when she spoke, he jumped, "Huh? What?" He blinked at her, "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Um..." He looked at his phone, then back at her. "I actually have to go. Something's come up and It's really important. I'm sorry." He gave her an apologetic smile and turned to jog off back to his motel. He jogged a few steps and stopped, turning back and looking at Delia. He came back and dug out the receipt for the drinks he had bought and a pen. Turning it over, he scribbled something on the slip and folded it up. He put the pen away and held the receipt paper out to Delia. "Don't open that unless... well. If I'm not back at my hotel by this time tomorrow, call the number I've written down and ask for Rick. Tell him 'Birch got Fayden and Mog'. He'll know what to do. Please, I know you've just met me, and you have no idea what this is about, but its really important. Please? Can you do this? If I don't come back?" He looked into her chocolate eyes, his hazel ones filled with seriousness and desperation. "And please don't ask questions."
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 8:37 pm
--Dℯℓiα S℘riηℊstℯℯη--Delia could only nod in response to the fact that he had to go. She watched as he jogged away, but watched just as curiously when he returned. He was in such a rush; the mood of the morning had changed entirely. It was almost frightening. Delia was taken aback by the sudden firing of questions and the desperation in his gorgeous deep brown eyes. It took her a moment to process everything he'd said, and though she had plenty of questions to ask, she would obey his request. She took the paper gingerly and looked at it for a moment, absorbing his words, repeating them in her head so she knew for sure she'd heard him correctly. "I'll... Yes, I'll do it. But please... come back." Her lips lifted up into a small smile, unsure of what else to say. She couldn't imagine what kind of situation this boy got into that would be this urgent, and possibly dangerous. The urgency in his voice was just too genuine to pass on. But she didn't want to have to call the number she was clutching to so tightly. She didn't want to have to at all. ---
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Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 10:36 pm
Jacob "Jac" Fayden McClain
When Jac received Delia's confirmation, he nodded, "I'll come back." He turned and hurried down the sidewalk.
Half an hour later, Jac was at his motel room and had finished gathering his things. His two knives and pistol were readily accessible, and once satisfied that he had everything he needed, he rushed out the door, locking it quickly behind him and padded down the steps to his motorbike. He sped out and found his way back to the freeway, heading back to that horrible city. He zipped and weaved through traffic, going as fast as he could, but never fast enough. The hours of driving ahead of him were daunting, and with every passing minute, Jac felt like he already too late.
He reached his destination as the sun was setting, pulling off of the freeway and onto the claustrophobic city streets. They seemed darker than before, as if to intensify the feeling of dread growing from his gut. He knew where he was going, and he was not looking forward to it, but he could not let Claudio suffer for mistakes Jac had made. Claudio was an honest, hard working guy, much too good to have a friend like Jac, and Jac knew he would be in far worse a situation if it had not been for the many accounts of good advice from Claudio in the past. He owed the man dearly, and Jac was not about to let that go. He pulled into the a parking structure adjacent to a building owned by the menacing Birch and parked near the exit for a quick get away. He knew he would need one. He only hoped Claudio was in good enough shape to hang on to the back seat of a motor bike. Jac swallowed his fear and made his way to the elevator, feeling electronic eyes on him at all times.
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Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 8:47 am
--Dℯℓiα S℘riηℊstℯℯη--Delia watched him take his leave, and there was something still bothering her about the whole deal, but she had to let it be. If he wasn't back by tomorrow, she'd have to call the number, ask for Rick... Birch got Fayden and Mog... She shook her head, clutching the receipt, realizing that her heart was beating rather fast. Despite the sudden shot of fear and adrenaline, she felt kind of empty, watching Jac run off until he was out of sight. Realizing that she was practically balling the piece of paper up in her fist, she relaxed her hand, did her best to smooth it out and tucked it in the smallest pocket of her purse, then zipped it shut. If her hunch was true, then he really had gotten himself into some serious business that she probably shouldn't even be a part of... the least she could do was help him out in this way. ---
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Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 9:52 am
Jacob "Jac" Fayden McClain
As Jac approached the elevator, th doors opened up and two thugs came at him. Jac had expected something like this and dodged the first attack, countering quickly with his switchblade. The man yelled as his kidney was punctured and fell to his knees, clutching the side of his lower back. The other thug came around at Jac and wrapped him in a choke hold. Jac breathed in, expanding his rib cage, the arched his back, pulling the man forward. He then slammed the back of his head into the thug's face, stunning him. A quick jolt and Jac was free of the choke hold and with a quick kick to the face, the man was down for the count.
Jac went into the elevator, and now had to choose to either go up to the penthouse, or down into the basement. Jac was more than certain Claudio would be in the basement, so he went down. As the elevator lurched into motion, Jac prepared himself for another onslaught of attacks when the door opened. However, when the doors of the elevator slid open, there was no one waiting for him on the other side. Jac cautiously stepped out, watching and listening for anything and everything. It seemed there truly was no one down here, but that only made him more nervous. He went to a room in the corner, one he was rather familiar with, and peered through the one way mirror. Claudio was indeed there, handcuffed to the table and looking rather ragged. Jac checked over his shoulder, knowing that somewhere, he was being watched. Birch had eyes everywhere. Reaching into his chest pocket of his best, still on from when he had gone this morning to his new work place, and pulled out a small, wallet like piece of leather. He opened it up and pulled out what he needed to pick this lock.
Jac made quick work of the lock in the door and opened it, speaking in a hushed voice, "Mog, speak to me." He came around to the man. Claudio did not respond, and Jac bit his lip. He touched the man's shoulder and Claudio jolted awake, "Ah! No! Stop!"
"Shhhh! Mog, it's me! Quiet down!" Jac covered his friends mouth as he said this. Mog twisted to see if it was true and Jac let go of his mouth. "Man!" He whispered when his mouth was free, "What are you doing here man?"
"Getting you out."
"Holmes, they got like a hundred men!"
"I know, so we have to hurry." He picked the lock on the handcuffs and hoisted Claudio to his feet. "Can you walk on your own?"
"Yeah, but man, be careful. They want you, and not in a good way."
"I know." He led the way back to the elevator, handing Claudio the switchblade and pulling out his four inch blade.
The elevator came, and still no resistance. Jac was seriously fretting now. He had a bad hunch. When they arrived back at the parking garage, his hunch was accurate. A large party awaited them the moment the elevator doors slid open. Jac immediately went for his gun, pushing Mog to the side of the elevator to get him cover. "Stay!" He yelled at his friend and ducked behind his side of the elevator. A voice came on over the speaker system, "Jac, my boy, so nice of you to visit. Not leave so soon are you? Come now, let my humble servants escort you up to my housing and we can talk like civilized men. I even have a pot of coffee brewing."
"Let Mog out of here and maybe I'll feel like talking."
"Dude, no-"
"Shush." Jac waited, and the silence on the other side of the speakers was a good sign. Birch was thinking it over. "Very well. Men, let the latino walk."
"Mog, take my bike." He gave his friend a look, and the plan was mentally confirmed by both of their nods. Claudio put his hands up and walked out of the elevator. No one moved as the Mexican made his way to the motorcycle, got on and started it up, pulling out of the complex and driving off around the corner. "There, your friend is safe. Now lets talk." Jac stepped out of the elevator, and the men in the parking garage raised their weapons. "Alright, whose escorting me?" Three men stepped forward, one with a black cloth bag, another with a pair of handcuffs, and the last with a gun. As the three came to him, he held his hands out to the cuff bearer. The man went to slap the bindings on, but in a flurry of hands and motion, the lackey found himself cuffed to the gun bearer. "What the-!?" Jac was already taking the bag man in a hostage stance, but he knew these men meant nothing to each other. It was more of a meat shield as he ran for the exit. Bullets went flying, but Jac just kept running. He dropped the now dead weight as he turned the corner, having concrete blocking him from the bullets now. Just like clockwork, Claudio pulled up, Jac hopped on, and the two of them sped off down the street.
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 9:06 am
--Dℯℓiα S℘riηℊstℯℯη--As Delia started slowly but surely making her way back to the school, she realized she was beginning to worry very fervently about what was happening with a boy she had just meant. It was one of her specialties to over think everything, but this situation was something brand new to her. What was so important and life-threatening that he would give a number for someone he'd just met to call? It was mind-boggling. As she continued walking, staring at the ground in bemusement, she began hoping for some sort of distraction that would allow her brain to relax instead of wander aimlessly. As if on cue, her phone rang in her pocket, and she picked it up and slid it open. "Hello?" she said into the phone, perhaps a little bit too quickly because her mother made a confused noise on the opposite end. "Delia? Hello, honey... I hope I'm not interrupting anything..?" Delia shook her head and rolled her eyes, force of habit. "Nope, just taking a walk in town." "Oh, great. Wonderful. Fantastic, actually." "Mom, is everything okay?" Delia asked with a confused frown. Her mother's voice sounded more frantic than usual, which was surprisingly odd. "Oh, yes, everything's... fine. I was just wondering how everything was going. Are you all settled in now?" The school's campus came into view, the familiar little benches and trees that lined the sidewalk going up to it. Delia's brows furrowed at how deserted everything looked. "Yeah, the dorm's really nice, and the people are pretty friendly.""Have you made any friends?" Again, Mrs. Springsteen sounded rushed, frantic, a bit out of place. "Um, kind of..." Delia trailed off, her mind falling back onto Jac. Should she even consider him a friend? Part of her prayed that her time spent here would not turn out to be like her years in middle school: lonely and friendless. There was a sound of pots and pans banging together on the other end of the phone, and Delia winced at how loud it was. Her mother swore lightly under her breath, then returned with a short sigh. "Well, that's great to hear, honey. I was worried about... well, I should have known. I'm sure you'll be great..." Delia raised an eyebrow of confusion as she approached the school, stopping under one of the trees for some shade. When she opened her mouth to say something else, her mother added, "I'll trust you'll fit in perfectly. I've got to go now, sweetie, but I'll call you again later, alright?" "Um, okay... bye."Her mother hung up and she did soon after. "What's the point of calling if you're just going to leave in a rush without saying goodbye?" she wondered aloud, stuffing her cell back into her purse and huffing an exhausted sigh. The day was only about halfway over, and already she felt mentally and physically exhausted. And classes hadn't even started yet. --- Kiyiya Sakura WHOA, your post was intense..... I feel like I just watched a movie...
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 9:39 am
Jacob "Jac" Fayden McClain
Claudio drove as fast as he could away from the horrible place. "Jac! The hell you get mixed up in?! What did you do?!" Jac was breathing heavily, and took a moment before he answered, "I got in Birch's way, now he wants me dead."
"What did you do?" He repeated
"You wanna be dead too?! If you know too much, you'll be in the same boat."
"I already am in the same boat holmes!" This was true. They knew Claudio was close to him and where he lived. "s**t..." was all Jac could say. "Okay, get on the freeway, heading west." Claudio followed his instructions.
They had just got onto the freeway when Claudio felt a warm wetness on his back. "Hey, whats that? You just pee yourself man?"
"No." Jac answered, his voice pained.
"Jac?" he put the clues together, "s**t! Jac?! Where'd they hit you?!" Claudio pulled back off of the freeway at the next ramp.
"Right side." he answered through gritted teeth.
"We are going to the hospital."
"NO!" Jac grabbed his frinds shoulder. "Birch knows I'm hit, he'll have eyes there." He winced, "We need to get to my new place."
"Wheres that?" Claudio still pulled off the highway.
"Galsestrom City"
"Aye Que?! That's like three hours away!"
"Two hours if you break the law." Jac corrected him. Claudio found a secluded alleyway and stopped. "Okay, but what do we do till then? You're gonna bleed out man."
"S'not that bad. Just gimme your shirt." The two of them worked to rig up a bandage that would work for the time being and rushed back home. "Don't pass out man, You'll fall off the bike and die."
"I know."
Jac managed to direct Claudio to his motel, and by the time they got there, the sun was nearing the horizon, casting long shadows the gave the parking lot a foreboding atmosphere. Claudio helped Jac off of the bike, blood seeping through the makeshift bandages. "Where's your room?" Jac pointed, and Claudio cursed. "Second floor. Of course."
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 10:29 am
--Dℯℓiα S℘riηℊstℯℯη--Not wanting to waste the beautiful day, Delia took a seat at one of the picnic tables under a tree. The silence was nice, and for once she was glad that nobody was with her. Despite her sudden enjoyment in meeting new people, she really loved being able to spend some time by herself. The sun was high up in the sky now, signifying that it was probably sometime around noon. It would be wise to go get something for lunch, but instead she just soothed her sudden hunger with one of the sugar cookies she'd bought from the bakery. They were still a little warm, which was as comforting as the pool of sunlight that poured from above her. For a while, she sat there, nibbling on cookies and staring at the ground in thought. She was surprised she could preoccupy herself this long, and let her mind go numb from all other thoughts. It could have been a couple of hours before a familiar blonde came bounding toward her with the biggest grin Delia had seen in a long time. She tucked the food away back in her purse and turned to her new roommate with a smile. "Hey," she greeted her. "How was the party?"Danielle looked surprisingly in tact for someone who probably just woke up a few minutes ago. Her hair was damp from a shower and pulled back in a bun, and she wore a pair of denim shorts and a t-shirt that looked too big for her. The blonde giggled, sitting down next to her and leaning against the table. "You should've been there, Deidre. It was the best." "It's Delia," she corrected vainly. The blonde crossed her legs and closed her eyes, looking as though she was in a spa. "Where were you, anyway?" Delia asked curiously, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. "Oh, I slept over at a friend's house. The last thing I wanted to do was come back here." Danielle explained, opening her eyes to look at Delia for a split second. "No offense." "None taken," Delia replied in a friendly tone, but there wasn't much that could hide the annoyance behind it. Danielle didn't seem to notice though, too busy soaking in the rays of sun and probably getting a nice even tan. "So, um, what are you taking?"Danielle opened her eyes for a minute again, looking seriously confused. "I mean... like, what classes are you taking this year?"Danielle closed her eyes again and shrugged. "Lots of stuff. I wanted to be a vet, but now I'm not so sure. I'm thinking of doing some creative writing too." Delia was taken aback by how laid back this girl was, but she also partially admired her ability to be so relaxed. She wished she had the ability. She was still shaking her left leg slightly, a habit she'd formed whenever she got nervous. Her mind was still wandering off to the side slightly, wondering what exactly had happened to Jac. --- Kiyiya Sakura *shakes head* you're too awesome, Kiki.
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