Hero

Behind Blue Eyes [1x1]

_{LOCATION ⤑ School
TIME ⤑ Morning
INTERACTING WITH ⤑ Matthew [Acquaintance]
FEELING ⤑ Like I'm forced into the spotlight.}

Watching Gigi chase Helene down, Eva couldn't help but wonder what was happening. She was used to Alyssa and Helene's little fights, always over something trivial, always easily solved once she got them to sit down and talk it out. And every time they'd make up and go back to gossiping or talking about school or whatever. But the way Alyssa had glared at Helene wasn't right. If she didn't know nay better, she would have thought Alyssa hated Helene. But why? What was it that happened between her and Jacob that Helene disagreed with? With the way Jacob was treating himself, she had to find herself probably on Helene's side. He needed to take better care of himself, leaving himself as a zombie wasn't good for him. But since no one wanted to tell her what was going on, she just had to guess.

Of course, now that she was by herself, she felt everyone's stares again. Hmm, she must have been a glutton for punishment considering she wasn't really paying them much mind, which probably angered them more. But girls were girls no matter what school she went to, so it was no surprise that this school was the same as the rest. As she figured she should get to her locker, she noticed Ricardo winking at her, blowing her a kiss. She shifted uncomfortably, giving him another wave, though she wouldn't look at him. Was he teasing her about the party? It wasn't really nice of him to just up and kiss her like that, but it wasn't like she was going to confront him about it. Arthur had gotten so angry...but if she was honest, she didn't mind, since she got to have Arthur shortly afterwards. She probably shouldn't have been smiling to herself, but as she remembered the first kiss she and Arthur shared, she knew she could handle whatever people were going to throw at her.

Picking up the pace again, she only stopped when someone greeted her. Ah, Matthew, she hadn't seen him since classes started. She visibly relaxed, stopping in her tracks to talk to him. He was a nice kid, if somewhat lonely, though she never had a problem talking to him. Their conversations had a tendency to be rather brief, though, as he always seemed to get nervous around her for some reason. Not that she minded, he probably had his own things to do. "Good morning, Matthew," She greeted him kindly. "My weekend was good, how about yours?"

Rebirth: At World's End

---

How curious.

Blue eyes had fluttered open, revealing an unfamiliar surrounding. Slowly getting to her feet, Fiametta dusted her dress off some, though her curiosity got the better of her as she looked around. Where was this? Her memory failed to tell her where she was or how she got there. No, that wasn't entirely true, there was this light...but beyond that she had either forgotten or couldn't quite grasp an understanding of what had happened. She did remember her father's spear being driven through her chest, and her hands flew up to the spot in response. No hole, no blood, she seemed fine. Well, not fine, there were eerie magics at work, things beyond her understanding and knowledge. This place seemed disconnected from the one she was used to, though she figured standing around wasn't going to do much for her. Did she accidentally burn the village down? No, she would've remembered. Maybe. Hopefully.

Not too far away was a group of people she did not recognize. She approached them rather cautiously, although the paladin with hair as red as her dress looked familiar somehow. As she spoke and introduced herself, the name definitely rang a bell. "Of Igros?" She found herself asking. "My husband knows of you. I am Fiametta Teralyn of Vertouhi."

Behind Blue Eyes [1x1]

_{LOCATION ⤑ School
TIME ⤑ Morning
INTERACTING WITH ⤑ Arthur [Crush], Terrance [Acquaintance], Alyssa, Helene, Gigi [Friends]
FEELING ⤑ Confused. Why is everyone acting weird?}

Stepping out of her car, the redheaded girl flipped her hair over her shoulders. The fresh air felt great, though she wished she didn't have to go to school. After locking her car, she started walking towards the school among the crowd, throwing out a few greetings here and there. It didn't look like it, but Helene was actually very nervous. Turns out that her little mission that she had promised Gigi never got off the ground. After failing to ask Terrance the first time they met up, she thought she could have used Sunday to her benefit. The only benefit that came was probably the record time their clothes hit the ground once they had their privacy. Honestly, Helene hated how once Terrance's hands touched her she was basically putty, complying with her own lust and forgetting about literally everything else. In a way it was relieving, the entire Alyssa and Jacob situation had gotten under her skin in a way most people would describe as 'stressed'. But Helene never stressed. She took life as it came and didn't care what happened next. She was young, beautiful, and had a constant target on her back, so her entire life's motto was to live every day like it was her last. Terrance was the one thing that took her mind off of everything...and made her wish things were different.

Today may very well be her last, though, considering she had absolutely nothing to give Gigi. She couldn't lie to her, either, that girl had an uncanny ability to know whenever someone was trying to bullshit her. Probably some mercenary training or whatever, so when Helene reached the school's entrance, she was definitely keeping her senses sharp. People were talking around her, which at first she paid hardly any attention to, until she thought she heard Eva's name among them. Curious, she decided to tune into the little conversations around her. Apparently some mystery girl had arrived to school with Arthur Myles, but not in the sense that they had met up, no, she actually came out of his car. Helene didn't have to guess who it was, but she didn't appreciate the follow up commentary.

"So, what, now they're together after hooking up at Terrance Flights' party? Pretty sure she blew him there."

"I can't believe he'd give her of all people his attention, like come on, he could do better!"

"I heard someone saw them together yesterday, too, looking for a place. He probably got her knocked up or something."

Rolling her eyes, Helene ended up pushing past several people, though the conversations seemed to be on repeat, with some rumors closer to the truth than intended. She knew Eva mentioned her mother kicking her out, but she just thought that it was for the day. Had she stayed with Arthur the whole weekend? No wonder the other girls were so livid; Arthur never so much as gave anyone a passing glance, now suddenly Eva pops up next to him, so of course they were going to talk. The situation gave her some deja vu, but eventually she spotted Arthur and Eva walking together.

Eva herself was perfectly aware of the hostility the moment she stepped out of Arthur's car. The all too familiar feeling of having everyone look at you was something she wasn't used to, but wow, if looks could kill, she'd have been dead a long time ago. Even so, she found herself relatively chipper, a small smile on her face. Despite the ups and downs of her weekend, she greatly enjoyed waking up next to Arthur a lot more than she anticipated. His mother had pleasantly surprised her with how kind she was, her braid a nice reminder, though she did make a mental note to try to buy his little sister something nice for borrowing her clothes. As bad as it sounded, sneaking around Arthur's father was thrilling, but she wasn't going to say that out loud. Still, the situation brought out a pretty important question she had been wondering since she first arrived in his room. Where did they stand now? Were they a couple? Lovers? Friends? Well, not that last one, she didn't have this feeling with anyone else but Arthur. But she felt like asking him would make things weird, moreso now that everyone was staring.

As Terrance called out to Arthur, Eva turned around too, but was surprised. Jacob looked awful, what had happened to him? As Terrance mentioned her friends, she realized that she had gotten this far without running to any of them. Looking around, she spotted Alyssa talking to Jennifer Tinsley, one of their classmates. Before she could say hello, she let out a cry of surprise as Helene jumped onto her back, nearly falling over. "Good morning!" Helene grinned as she got on her feet, watching Eva's annoyed expression, though she froze as she saw Jacob. "U-Uh, wow, you probably should go home, you don't look so hot..." She scratched the back of her neck, wondering why the hell the clearly withdrawn Jacob had decided to go to school.

"She's right, you should--" Eva began to comment, though Helene pulled on her arm. "What?"

"We'll catch you guys later, we need to talk about something," Helene played it relatively calm, dragging Eva against her will. Once she determined they were far enough away, she shot her a look. "You're a pretty hot topic right now. What's this I'm hearing about you and Arthur moving in together?"

"Is that it? That's pretty tame," Eva admitted, expecting something more.

"They're saying that because people think Arthur knocked you up," Helene elaborated. "What, you didn't go home yesterday?" Eva shook her head. "Wait, so this entire weekend you've been staying at his house?!"

"I told you, my mom kicked me out," Eva said. "Did you think I as joking?"

"No, but I offered you my place, too--" Helene stopped herself, remembering that once she had reached Terrance's house, she never bothered to follow up on Eva. "I'm sorry, I should've checked up on you yesterday. I didn't know it was that bad. Do you need any help with your new place?"

"I don't have one yet, Arthur's been helping me look," She admitted, smiling slightly. "His mom caught us when we were trying to leave this morning, but she welcomed me to stay there for a while..."

Helene looked ahead, a serious look on her face. "He's probably trying to keep you close to him..." Her voice trailed off as she placed her hand over her mouth.

In the time they knew each other, Helene had never looked like that before. "What?" Eva asked, worried about her reaction. But Helene wasn't sure what to say, avoiding eye contact with her. "Helene, what is it? You're scaring me."

Coming to a halt, she placed both her hands on Eva's shoulders. "Listen, Eva, things are going to get complicated from here on out. I don't know what's going to happen, I don't even know if things will stay the same," She said, staring right at her. "I just want you to know that no matter what happens, no matter what is said or done, you can trust me with anything. I'm your friend first, above everything. I know what I'm saying doesn't make sense, but you need to know that I'd do anything for you."

"Why are you telling me this?" Eva asked, alarmed.

The redhead didn't respond right away, giving Eva an extremely guilty look, and she ended up pulling her into a hug. "Because if anything happens to you, if anyone hurts you...it'll be my fault," Helene was shaking as she had Eva close to her, and for a moment, Eva thought she was going to cry. But she didn't, and she pulled away from Eva, smiling. Her smile faded immediately as she looked at something, and Eva followed her gaze to see Alyssa looking at them. The glare in Alyssa's eye was solely on Helene, but it looked like she didn't even want to look at her, simply continuing on her walk. "Alyssa and I are fighting right now," Helene admitted to Eva's confused look. "She didn't like what I had to say about Jacob."

"Jacob?"

"He wanted to get back together and she said no," Helene sighed. "So she's fighting with him, fighting with me..."

"Oh! Is that why he looks so...he kind of looks super hungover," Eva admitted, and Helene had to stop herself from laughing at poor Eva's ignorance. Her face paled, however, as she spotted Gigi in the distance. The girl saw her too, and promptly broke into a run. "I'll catch you later, I need to go!" Helene said hurriedly, breaking into a sprint. Gigi whizzed by, only managing a wave, leaving Eva by herself. What was going on with everyone?

Behind Blue Eyes [1x1]

_{LOCATION ⤑ Arthur's Bedroom
TIME ⤑ Evening
INTERACTING WITH ⤑ Arthur [Crush]
FEELING ⤑ Curious}

Gigi sat there, pathetically patting Alyssa. She was truly unprepared for this kind of situation, but apparently, Alyssa had enough, asking Gigi to take her home. She reluctantly complied, though she trip was slightly awkward as she could still hear Alyssa crying under her helmet. This must have been some sort of personal hell she got for all the crimes she had committed. As they arrived at Alyssa's house, she wordlessly gave Gigi her spare helmet and dragged herself into her home without saying anything. Her phone sang her text tone, and she groaned. Seeing Alexander's message, she was a little surprised to find it a little on the solemn side. Inevitable? Of course it was inevitable, what sort of question was that? Although Romeo and Juliet was a better comparison than she figured, the more she thought about it. Reckless Drug Lord Romeo and Sentimental Agent Kid Juliet. What a day. Hopefully Helene was having better luck than she was.

---

His lips felt so good on hers, the spark between them definitely turning her on. Terrance got the hint as he lifted her up, Helene wrapping her arms and legs around him, only for her to realize what was happening. Wait, she was supposed to be asking him about Alyssa! Stopping what she was doing, she let out a small cry as her back hit the bed, but he was already undressing her before she realized what was happening. Ack, no! Not yet! But the words themselves never left her lips, less so when his own shirt came off. His hands sent her desire into overdrive, the girl squirming slightly as he kissed her collarbone. Oh no, not there, not there, not there-- Her thoughts were interrupted by her own gasps, a low moan escaping her. She should have known better; there was no stopping Terrance once he started. Unfortunately she was the exact same way, her body encouraging him to keep going. Why the hell was she wanting to stop again? And of course, once he hit the tipping point, she'd end up on top of him. Before she could even stop and think about what she was doing, her hands were already attempting to yank his pants off.

Oh well. There was always tomorrow.

---

What kind of question was that? Eva stayed close to him, her eyes not looking at anything in particular. Maybe he was asking for advice? It sounded serious, but she felt like if she pried too much into it, he might end up shying away from her. "It's not good to hold grudges," She figured she'd at least try to answer his question, even if she was unsure herself. "Resentment isn't healthy, so if that was to happen, no matter what it is, I should forgive them." What the hell was she saying? That's what should be done, but it sure as hell wasn't what she normally did. She resented her mother for her mistreatment, her father for abandoning her, her birth father for failing to show up whenever she tried to find him--and it constantly clawed away at her, though there was no possibility of her ever admitting it.

Behind Blue Eyes [1x1]

_{LOCATION ⤑ Arthur's Bedroom
TIME ⤑ Evening
INTERACTING WITH ⤑ Arthur [Crush]
FEELING ⤑ Curious}

Of course he would notice how quickly she had arrived, and mentally Helene was banging her head against the wall. No! Don't overthink! God, the whole Alyssa situation was making her super paranoid. Willing herself to relax, she instead studied his face. If she could just stare at his smile all day, she'd honestly be a hell of a lot happier. His eyes always seemed to peer right into her soul, always studying her like she was some sort of painting. Like, the fact that he could look at anyone else but chose to look at her was a feat in itself. Of course, him being incredibly easy on the eyes helped, but he also had this dizzying charisma. Metaphorically speaking she was enamored from their first interaction. Of course, it was also mutual understanding that it was purely physical. A match set in heaven, they both get what they want, no messes, no strings attached.

Tell me, did Terrance approach you, or did you go to him?

But at that moment Helene couldn't get Gigi's words out of her head. Not to mention despite her message, she wasn't actually there solely to go to bed with him. As he mentioned how quickly Arthur had left, she let out a laugh. "Hmmm...maybe it's..." Love? Oh no, she wasn't about to say that word, choosing not to finish that sentence. She needed to focus, but she was also in need of his body. Wow, if she was a spy, she'd be terrible. He teased her, asking if he was worth getting to his house so quickly. She gave him a shrug, pretending to think to herself as she pondered his question. "Actually...my new car is what got here so fast," She said, pressing her chest into his. "Big sister decided to surprise me. Oh!" She gasped. "I was supposed to say 'yes', wasn't I?" She teased him, biting her lower lip as her eyes went down to his.

---

As expected, Alexander replied in a relatively short amount of time. Alyssa watched Gigi nervously, waiting to see what Alexander had told her. She had half a mind to just hand the phone over, but in the off chance that Alyssa randomnly decided to troll Alex like Helene did, she figured it was best she relayed the messages. "He says not good. He has gone off the deep end...? What?" Gigi was entirely confused by the last part, though about six seconds later she came to her own conclusion. Wasn't it a common mistake to get high off your own supply? Oh well, not her business. As Gigi looked at Alyssa, she immediately regretted telling her, as Alyssa had gone from miserable to on the verge of tears. For two seconds until she burst into actual tears, her head in her hands as she cried. Oh God, now what? She couldn't say he was probably fine, Alexander went and admitted he wasn't. Argh, why the hell was she the one dealing with this?!

How unfortunate. I am with Alyssa, she told me they got into a fight. Even so, she asks for him, so I thought I would ask you. It's...odd. She is not well, either. Gigi typed out her response and sent it, then scooted over closer to Alyssa. Eva usually rubbed someone's back when they cried, but the movement was just so awkward for Gigi that she ended up just patting on Alyssa's shoulder.

---

Her eyes widened slightly at his words, her blush following almost immediately afterwards. So this could be a repeat? It wasn't just one time? At first, Eva greatly appreciated his generosity, watching his hand play with her hair. Of course, she wouldn't want to get him into any trouble. He was really going out of his way, wasn't he? Ugh, why was she so stuck on that? She needed to enjoy now. There was no point in thinking about her stuff or money or a place--and honestly, taking a little break for one night would help her think later on. And so she mentally put a lock on anything that didn't have to do with Arthur and her in this very moment. She smiled at him, looking up at the ceiling for a moment before looking back at him.

"I appreciate it, I really do," She replied quietly. "I was thinking that we--" She caught herself, pausing for a moment. Shoot, that was probably too far. "What I mean to say is, i could give you a key. You can come visit me anytime."

Behind Blue Eyes [1x1]

_{LOCATION ⤑ Mitchel Park -> Myles Household
TIME ⤑ Evening
INTERACTING WITH ⤑ Arthur [Crush]
FEELING ⤑ Hopeful.}

She was in his room.

She was in his room.

Evangeline Esperanza was in Arthur Myles' bedroom. Was this how Arthur had felt in her room? Nervous and excited? Looking around, she was surprised to find it was very clean. It was a bit of a relief, she disliked messes and knew how messy most guys were. She hadn't the slightest idea what to expect as she looked around. He seemed to be a fan of some bands, none that she recognized, but she believed music to be a great interest to have. Though what really caught her interest was the guitar, her eyes livening up as she spotted it. She watched him put away some things on his desk, and it took her a moment to realize she had been standing in the same spot. He presented her with one of his shirts, stating, "I can grab my sister’s clothes for you in the morning… For now, you can wear this to sleep." She nodded, taking it appreciatively, though noticed his hesitation. "U-Unless you…" What did he mean by that? She looked at him quizzically, though he didn't continue, instead he went to nurse his wound.

As he began to bandage his hand, she figured now was as good a time as ever to change. She prayed her heart would be steady as she undressed, starting with her fumbling with her shorts. Why was she still so nervous around him? What did she think was going to happen? Maybe it was specifically not knowing what she was going to do that worried her. She should've been enjoying the moment, but her thoughts were elsewhere. As she pulled his shirt on her, she felt a little sheepish. Most of the material pooled on her hips, and she ended up having to pull it down for it to properly cover her. And by cover, it barely did; she was pretty sure if she moved the wrong way or bent over, he'd see everything. But he already saw everything. So why was she so nervous about it?! Maybe it was the role reversal? Her phone buzzed again, distracting her from her thoughts, and she took a look at it. I heard what happened. I know you won't come back, but please let me know if you're safe. Marshall had texted her, and for a second, she felt her temper rise slightly. It was probably her mother's 'suggestion' to get her to reveal where she was, considering Marshall hated texting and would rather leave voicemails. Against her better judgment, she decided to give him a phone call, preparing herself. "Where are you?" Came her mother's voice rather predictably.

Eva didn't respond, choosing to end the call and dropping her phone on her folded clothes. Walking over to Arthur's bed, she turned around and let herself fall backwards on it, staring at the ceiling. "I can't believe I'm here right now," She admitted out loud, propping herself on her elbows to look at Arthur. "I guess tomorrow I'll have to go apartment hunting. Your parents can't be okay with me staying here, can they?"

---

As Helene's phone lit up, her eyes scanned Terrance's text. This had to be the first and only time getting the green light was actually the result she didn't want. Her eyes flickered to Gigi, who was staring at her intently. Letting out a sigh, she picked herself up and dusted her skirt off. Gigi did the same, though she looked over towards the bedroom, where Alyssa came out, rubbing her eyes. Their horsing around might've woken her up, but the brunette just stood there, looking absolutely miserable. Her heart broke seeing her friend so distressed, but she had to remain steady. Walking over to Alyssa, she placed her hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"I have to go somewhere, but if you're hungry, there's stuff in the kitchen," She said gently. "You can stay here or go home, whatever you want, okay?"

Gigi turned away from them for a moment, though as Alyssa nodded, she ended up accompanying Helene to the garage. Before she got into her car, Gigi blocked her with her arm, catching her attention. "I think you should expect the worst," She said, pulling her weapon out of her waistband and offering it to her. "Just in case."

Helene's eyes widened, though she shook her head. "I'm not going to shoot him. It won't come to that," She insisted, pushing Gigi's gun back to her. "If I don't think I can get him to talk, I'm not going to press on it."

"Fine," She removed her arm, and Helene got into the car. Oh, she loved that new car smell. Giving Gigi a wink, she opened the garage door and sped off. The leather felt good against her thighs, and she leaned back comfortably. The ride was so smooth, she wondered how much Ariadne dropped for this car. She knew absolutely nothing about cars, often going with whatever other people suggested, though it occurred to her that maybe Terrance would notice it not being her old car. He did know her car went missing. Tapping the steering wheel, she figured she could just lie. Pressing on the wheel, she loved how fast she went, letting out a girlish giggle as she approached his house. Figuring she'd just wait for him, she decided to text Eva to see if Arthur ever got to her.

Sorry about that. Arthur came and picked me up. Mom kicked me out so...I'll figure something out in the morning. Eva's apology came relatively quickly.

Helene raised an eyebrow at that. Hmm, likely Evelyn found out about their afternoon session. Seriously? Lame asf. Let me know if I can do anything to help. As soon as she sent it, she forgot to ask where Eva was now. Where are you staying tonight?

With Arthur.

No I mean where are you going to sleep tonight?

With Arthur. In his room.

"WHAT?!" Helene yelled in surprise, though Terrance's car pulled up. Well, well, well...try to keep it quiet if you decide to go at it ;) She snickered as she sent the text, though she climbed out of her car, practically bouncing as she reached Terrance. "Your boy's got guts!" She giggled madly, lowering her voice as she dropped the news to him. "He brought Eva to his house! Can you believe that?!"

---

Gigi reentered the house, finding Alyssa sitting on the couch. She looked like she was watching TV, but her mind was clearly somewhere else. Helene was no long around; Gigi had to be the compassionate one. Which considering her repressed emotions, it was going to be very difficult. Slowly sitting down, she leaned back into the couch, trying to see what Alyssa was watching. Of course it was a television drama playing, the guy sobbing as his poor wife died from being too young and pretty. Why the hell did those shows always have the same stories? Gigi tried to ignore the show, looking at Alyssa, but her face was just...sad.

"Hungry?" She decided to ask.

"No."

"Thirsty?"

"No."

Well, there were all the conversation points Gigi could come up with. Wiping her brow, she turned to Alyssa, who looked at her warily. Ugh. Why did she have to look at her like that? "Thinking of Jacob?" She asked, deciding to get right to the point.

Alyssa nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. "He said he loves me," She murmured. "But it's...it's just not a good idea."

What an understatement. "It's for the best," She agreed.

The pair sat in silence for a moment. In the show, the dead wife's twin sister was trying to romance the husband, claiming she had always loved him since that one time they went out in high school but broke up when she wouldn't give him any. Where the hell did they come up with these ideas? It was so stupid. "I can't stop thinking about him, though..." Alyssa sighed.

She had to change the subject somehow. Clearing her throat, she tried to think of what Helene or Eva would do. Helene would say something funny, and Eva would be more comforting. She was neither funny nor caring. Awesome. Lord have mercy, this was stressful. "I...uh, messaged Alexander," She said, shrugging.

"You actually messaged him back?" Alyssa asked, completely surprised.

"Helene did. Likely as a prank from Terrance," Gigi didn't seem amused at all, though she caught the look on Alyssa's face. "What is it?"

"Can you...ask him how Jacob's doing?" Alyssa asked, scratching her arm.

And her plan to change the subject completely failed. Oh God, what a dilemma. On one hand, further antagonizing Alyssa could go horribly wrong. On the other hand, giving Alexander another reply could possibly cause his head to explode from the excitement. Gigi accidentally made eye contact with Alyssa, who looked worse than a kicked dog, and let out a low, nearly inaudible groan. There was no fighting it, she couldn't bring herself to say no. Bringing out her phone, she reluctantly typed out the message: How is your friend Jacob? But she hesitated, her thumb hovering over the send button. After a few seconds, she finally placed her thumb down, sinking into the couch. "I'm...sure he'll reply right away..."

Behind Blue Eyes [1x1]

_{LOCATION ⤑ Mitchell Park
TIME ⤑ Late Afternoon
INTERACTING WITH ⤑ Arthur [Crush]
FEELING ⤑ Worried.}

After hanging up the phone, Eva sat back down on the swing. The silence occupying her made her think. She would have to try to get back into the house for at least some of her stuff--her wallet, her uniform, her violin--but knowing how petty Evelyn was, she'd have to sneak in. The anger had subsided for the most part and she realized she had no idea what her next step was going to be. She figured she had enough savings to maybe get her own place, but those things took time, didn't they? They had moved enough times for her to know a bit about buying a house or moving into an apartment. She may as well, she wasn't going to go back if she could help it. Her phone buzzed, and as she looked at it, she saw a phone call from Marshall. Her mother must have told him what happened and he was trying to see where she was. Honestly, she resented the fact that her mother's boyfriend cared more about her well being then her mother did. Letting the call ring out, she decided it was best to keep her distance at the moment.

The sound of someone running caught her attention, and Eva stood up and saw Arthur. He was here already? Wow, he ran really fast, though a little too fast as when he did stop he had to stop for a moment to catch his breath. He didn't have to come running like that. Did he do it for her? What a question, as if there was anyone else with them in that moment. Her heart skipped a beat as he looked at her, and she couldn't help but smile. For some reason, it warmed her to know that he really did come for her. Of course, the mood shifted somewhat abruptly as his eyes flickered to her face, anger overtaking him. He knew what happened right away, asking who it was that hit her. Eva ended up diverting her eyes, slightly panicking. Suddenly it felt like if she told him everything, he'd get angrier. As she forced herself to look at him, he turned and punched the swing set, making her jump.

"Arthur..." She reached out to him, hesitating for just a second, though she ended up taking his injured hand in hers. He had done the same thing at the party, she remembered. "You can't keep hurting yourself like this." There wasn't any blood, but he hit the set so hard it left a dent, so he must have been in pain. Feeling guilty, she shook her head. "We--Mom and I--just got into a fight," She mumbled, answering his question. "Things escalated and I pushed one of her buttons...so she hit me and she threw me out." Now that she was actually saying it out loud, she felt ashamed to be admitting it to Arthur. "I just got tired of her always assuming the worst out of me. It's like living with a stranger sometimes. I'm sorry you had to come out here for this..."

---

"Helene! Come out of there! Give me my phone back!" Gigi's muffled voice came from the other side of the door as she continuously banged her fist on it. Helene sat in front of it, grinning as she had Gigi's phone in hand in case Alexander--who was she kidding, when Alexander would message her back. Scrolling through their conversations, she had to admit she was impressed with his tenacity. Poor guy didn't know when to give up, his numerous texts a massive homage to his love for Gigi. To her surprise, Gigi had apparently read every single message, giving Alexander free reign, though not once did she ever communicate back. Helene couldn't help but wonder why she didn't just block him if she wasn't interested. As the thought occurred to her, however, she noticed Gigi had ceased her yelling. Pressing her ear against the door, she didn't hear anything.

Standing up, Helene walked over to her sink, taking out a small, white cup from underneath, and she began to fill it with water. Gigi may be the professional, but Helene knew her well enough to predict her actions. Once the cup was filled, she casually threw it on the floor, placing the cup down and resuming her position by the door after unlocking it. Gigi's phone buzzed, revealing a rather poetic rebuttal that agreed to meet her wherever and whenever she pleased. It was actually a rather sweet message, though she couldn't think on it for too long as she heard the window crack open. Grinning maliciously, she got to her feet as she watched Gigi climb in through the window, and once she landed on her feet, she tried to rush Helene. Unfortunately, she hadn't seen the puddle Helene had thrown, so she ended up slipping.

"Ha! Remember this as the day you almost caught Captain Helene--oh shit!" The dark haired girl had recovered a lot faster than expected, resulting in Helene having to cut her victory phrase short and making a run for it. "So where should you two love birds meet? At a restaurant? The beach? The mall?" She asked, leaping over her kitchen counter and turning back to Gigi.

"If you don't give me back my phone, I'm going to have to use excessive force," She threatened her. When Helene only stuck her tongue out in response, Gigi threw herself onto the counter, causing Helene to shriek as she chased her. Skidding to a halt, an evil gleam formed in Helene's eye as she suddenly swung at Gigi. She narrowly dodged it, but was met with a second punch to the gut. Shit, Helene looked delicate but she was pretty sturdy. Glancing at her, Helene had taken a stance, beckoning Gigi to come at her."If we get in a fight here, I'm going to end up hurting you," She warned.

Helene thought about it for a moment until her own phone buzzed. As she was distracted, Gigi ducked down, performing a low sweep kick and bringing Helene down. Rather than wait for her to recover, she sat on her stomach, watching the redhead flail helplessly under her. "H-Hey! NO!" She tried to hide Gigi's phone as they struggled for it. "This is the best way to go about it!"

"You're putting too much faith in them! We can't assume they're trustworthy!" Gigi argued, trying to pin one of Helene's arms down.

"I refuse to rely on underhanded tactics if there are other avenues I can take!"

"We have to be prepared in case they decide to make the first move!"

"Your lover boy is the perfect way to see what they're up to! He'll tell you anything if you ask!" Helene stuffed Gigi's phone in her bra, pulling out her own phone and snapping a selfie of the two of them, with Helene grinning and Gigi on top of her, clearly yelling. You owe me ♥ read the caption, and she went ahead and sent it to Terrance.

Gigi stopped for a moment, trying to catch her breath. "Alexander wouldn't betray his friends, you realize that, right?" She asked.

"Have you seen those texts? He'd jump in front of a bullet for you!" Helene insisted. "He's so in love it actually hurt to read some of those!"

"It's not love, Helene, it's infatuation. For whatever reason," She rolled her eyes.

"If Eva can stir a reaction out of a block of stone like Arthur, Alexander can do the same for you if you give him a chance," She teased, wriggling out from under her and sitting up. "You need to hit the gym, though, you're super heavy."

She actually looked offended at that comment, flexing her bicep. "Excuse you, this is all muscle," She said as Helene raised her eyebrows. "And I'm not talking about my love life to you again, I've told you a million times I don't do romance or dating or anything--at any moment I could get taken out, I'd rather not have any attachments."

"Does that mean you're still a virgin?" Helene's bluntness actually caught Gigi off guard. "Hey, we could offer that to Alexander as exchange for information!"

Gigi couldn't help but facepalm at Helene's suggestion. "What a wonderful idea, you get to use my body as a bargaining chip and then he'll never leave me alone," She said, her words dripping with sarcasm. "So you'll protect Alyssa and Eva but I'm free for sale?"

"I was half-joking, but if you're actually up for it--"

"No," She stomped out the idea immediately. "Helene, get your hormones under check so we can find an actual solution. How about you ask your little boyfriend to give us a hand?"

"We're just friends," She insisted, though as Gigi stared at her she added, "With benefits. You realize he's in intelligence, right? He'll probably see right through me if I slip up."

"Then watch what you say. Or just blow him first and then talk. You said you wanted the diplomatic route, so get to it, or we're going to have to come up with something else."

"Okay, fine, fine," She returned Gigi's phone with a sigh. "I'll try to talk to him. But he said he had something to do today, it might have to wait until tomorrow."

"Tonight. Meet him tonight," Gigi insisted. "The sooner the better. Text him now."

"Okay! Stop being so pushy! I'm pushy enough for the both of us!" Helene huffed, annoyed. So I was thinking you should make it up to me tonight, what do you say? ;) Despite the message coming off pretty standard, guilt seemed to prick her in the back of her mind. She hated using people, and even though she was joking about Gigi and Alexander, she knew if she pressed it enough or outright gave the order, Gigi would end up doing it, even if reluctantly. Her father often gave out those sorts of orders, always willing to do whatever it took. In a way, she did inherit that much from him, even if she would never admit it. She was used to pushing people to do what she wanted, knowing what to say and do, prodding people to do things how and when she wanted. Maybe she really was just as bad as her father.

Rebirth: At World's End

Will post in this by tomorrow!

Behind Blue Eyes [1x1]

_{LOCATION ⤑ Mitchell Park
TIME ⤑ Late Afternoon
INTERACTING WITH ⤑ Arthur [Crush]
FEELING ⤑ Lost...}

Entering her bedroom, Helene watched Alyssa's sleeping figure. She wondered if she had gotten any rest after the party, from what she was told, they left the party pretty late. If she had met with Jacob earlier, she might've stayed up--no, she definitely had stayed up, she had taken Eva somewhere first thing in the morning. She felt a pang of guilt as she looked down at Alyssa, and eventually she had to get out. She felt sick to her stomach from blaming herself for this mess they were in. Her phone buzzed, and she hoped it was Eva, though when she read Terrance's message, she was relieved to see that he had passed along the message. Gigi had asked about him, and admittedly it made her uneasy. Maybe the reason Gigi was asking about him was because he already knew about her history. The thought made her feel worse, making her insides twist uncomfortably. Why? It's not like she liked him or anything. She just liked flirting with him. And texting him. Eva had asked if she liked him, but with her past as dead weight, she wasn't going to drag anyone down with her if she could help it. She wasn't going to make that mistake. She couldn't. She buried her heart a long time ago.

So why was she still staring at his text?

At that point, Gigi walked back into the house, and Helene frowned at her. "I have an idea," She said, scratching the back of her neck. "I say we go the diplomatic route."

"That's cute," Gigi said dryly.

"I'm serious!" Helene whined. "We'll probably do better together, and maybe I can convince them to...look the other way, for Alyssa's sake?"

Gigi raised an eyebrow at her. "Convince...how? Bribery? Threatening them?"

"Or just by...talking?" Helene shook her head. "God, Gigi, get your blood lust under control! Text Alexander. Tell him you want to meet up."

"Why would I--don't!" Gigi yelped as Helene tackled her onto the couch, sliding her hands into her pockets. "Helene! Stop! Ah--AH!" The redhead took the chance and nipped on Gigi's neck, paralyzing her and yanked her phone away. "If you text Alexander he'll take it the wrong way!" She said, chasing her into the kitchen. But Helene was a quick texter, and her faux-Gigi message had passed: Do you think we can talkkkkndwsjuvigoplsadbgmlotg The beginning Helene's doing, and the end accomplished when Gigi jumped on Helene and the two fell onto the floor.

---

Letting it all out managed to do wonders, though it was mixed with shame and bitterness. As her sobbing finally died down, she looked up, trying to get herself to calm down. Eva didn't even understand why she cried, there were so many things going through her head that she couldn't think straight. As she tried to wipe her cheeks, she winced, her left cheek throbbing. Picking up her phone, she inspected her reflection. She couldn't tell if it was swollen, but it was definitely red. She couldn't believe her mother actually hit her. Then again, she probably deserved it, deliberately pushing onto her mother's greatest weakness. She wished her dad was around again, but knew that wouldn't amount to anything. Now that she was a little calmer, she had no idea what to do now. Should she try booking it to someone's house? She didn't know if Alyssa was still missing, had only gone to Gigi's apartment once, and had no idea where Helene lived. Great. She briefly entertained the idea of calling Arthur, but she didn't want to bother him with this. As the thought crossed her mind, her phone lit up, revealing that he was calling her. The gravel left indents on her knees as Eva finally got to her feet, dusting whatever gravel stuck to her legs off. Sniffling, she tried to wipe her face clean with her shirt, exhaling a breath with a slight hiccup. She had a majority of control over herself by now, but she couldn't quite get rid of the sniffling, and she didn't want to miss the call.

"H-Hello," She threw her head back, silently cursing her voice for wavering. "Um, what's up...?"

Behind Blue Eyes [1x1]

_{LOCATION ⤑ Grant Household [Home]
TIME ⤑ Late Afternoon
INTERACTING WITH ⤑ Evelyn [Mother]
FEELING ⤑ Mmm...?}

After their conversation, Helene had let Alyssa rest in her room. Gigi seemed adamant that she reveal what she knew, but she soon realized that unless she knew the extent of what Jacob had told her, there was little point in interrogating her. For one, they'd potentially expose the others unnecessarily, and she knew they would definitely be in hot water if they said the wrong thing. Honestly, she still couldn't believe Jacob had opened up to her like that. Love really was dangerous. Was that what everyone was like when they were in love? Stupid and thoughtless? She couldn't help but shudder at the thought. She hated even having the slightest of headaches, feeling that anything that distracted her was a nuisance, so if being in love clouded your judgement that much then she didn't want it. Speaking of love, however, she was now seriously concerned about Helene's intentions with Terrance if that was the case. Not that she thought Helene loved very guy she slept with, but she needed to know. And so, with cigarette in hand, Gigi waited on the front porch, leaning against the banister as she watched the road. Ariadne would be here soon, and she would rather greet her than be surprised at her arrival.

Helene came outside as well, crossing her arms as she watched Gigi for a moment. Returning her stare, it was like they were waiting for the other to talk. Figuring she should voice her concerns first, Gigi took a long drag from her cigarette, blowing out the smoke above her. "I got word from Jun that the third man was taken in a short distance from the mall. Interrogation will be getting their hands on him soon to see if he's Bastien's man, or some random group who wanted to kidnap you for whatever reason," She said, tapping the end of her cigarette. "I do think Ariadne's trip is a little premature."

"You're telling me," Helene rolled her eyes. "I love her, but if I get so much as a paper cut, she completely freaks out. If she's going to fly down here for every little thing it negates the whole reason I came."

"To avoid getting suffocated?" When Helene nodded, Gigi nodded in understanding. "What do your folks have to say about this?"

"Folks? You mean my parents?" Helene asked.

"Or at last your father. Gaspard is a good man, you definitely have his personality," Gigi said.

Helene smiled, letting out a laugh. "Ah, so you two have met. But no, Gaspard--the current head of the family--he's my uncle. My older sister and I are the only girls in our sea of cousins, so he's always been fond of us. Made sure we were taken care of when my father decided to ditch us."

"I didn't know," Gigi was actually caught off guard by this. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. He didn't want us when Mama was alive, so why would he want us after she died? Gaspard took us in...and I think that's why we're so close. He may as well be my father, I guess, but I haven't seen my father in about ten years."

Gigi raised her eyebrows, nodding. "Ah, so your daddy issues are why Terrance was able to get in your pants so easily..." She noted.

Helene scowled at her. "I'm literally baring my soul to you and this is what you have to say?"

"I couldn't resist. My apologies." She cleared her throat as she spotted a sleek, black sports car. "There she is. Ready?"

No, but there was no stopping Ariadne. Parking the shiny new car into the garage, once the door opened a woman with long legs stepped out. She was pale, green eyed and gentle looking, her should length red hair bouncing as she walked over to the porch. At a first glance, she looks like an average housewife, though as soon as she saw her sister, it was like a burst of energy had possessed her. Despite Helene's pleas, she wrapped the girl in a very tight hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning them. "Ma petite soeur! Mon étoile, l'amour de ma vie!" She cooed, placing several kisses on Helene's face, covering her in wine colored lipstick.

"Arrêtez! Ariadne! Please!" She begged, squirming to get out of her grip.

Ignoring Helene, she looked at Gigi, giving her a smile. "Hello, Giselle, thank you very much for your work today," She said politely, still holding onto Helene rather comically. "After some investigation, the men are deemed to be unrelated to Bastien."

"How do you know, ma'am?" Gigi asked.

She giggled, holding Helene tightly. "Oh, you know there's no stopping Evan once he puts his mind to it," She said rather casually. "He was going to come here, but I said it'd be a little overkill, so he went to the holding place instead."

"Why are you here, then?!" Helene whined, finally managing to get out of her grip and hurriedly wiping her face.

"It could've been a third party, so I'm going to do a sweep juuuust in case," She said, sighing as she smoothed Helene's hair. "And I wanted to say hi, so why not? I'll be in town for a little bit, we can hang out after your classes or whatever." If Ariadne was going to stick around, maybe it was an opportunity for them. Gigi wondered if she should say anything, but as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she caught Helene's eye, who was shaking her head. No, they needed to handle the Alyssa situation on their own. No point in bringing in a professional when they could likely handle it themselves. "I also wanted to thank Gigi personally, because someone is irresponsible with her possessions," She added, taking out her cellphone. She turned around to make a phone call, though it was relatively short. She threw the keys she held at Helene, who caught them. "Ah, duty calls, take care of my sister, okay, Giselle?" She bid the girls farewell, hopping off the porch and beginning her walk down the street.

Hurricane Ariadne had left just as easily as she came. Helene sighed, though she turned to Gigi. "Thanks for not saying anything," She said.

Gigi sighed. "So...what now, then?"

"I don't know. Invite them over so we can have an all out brawl?" She threw her arms up in the air, exasperated. "I'm sure we can handle them."

"Wrong. Two on four? And one of those four is Arthur Myles? If it were one on one, I'm sure I could go toe to toe with him. But as a group? Forget it," Gigi dismissed the idea, even if it was a joke. "If I go for the weakest, Arthur would take me out immediately. And if I went for him first, the rest would overwhelm me."

"What am I, chopped liver? I can fight!"

"I don't doubt it. But I do doubt you being effective against Terrance," Gigi pointed out, though as she did, she remembered something. "Tell me, did Terrance approach you, or did you go to him?"

Helene thought about it for a moment. "He approached me. Why?"

If Gigi was a normal person, she would've screamed at that point. So this meant Terrance was a step ahead of them. Did he know about Helene? With recent events coming to light, it was too convenient. That's what she got for underestimating him. Dropping her cigarette on the ground, she eyed Helene for a moment. There was one little factor that they could play to their advantage, but she wondered if Helene was too kind to use it. "I was just wondering," She admitted. "If worst comes to worse, though...there is one avenue we can take." Helene perked up considerably, waiting for her to continue. "It's not ideal, but...considering Arthur would be our biggest threat...we could take him out beforehand, making it two on three. Slightly better odds."

"What? How--no!" Helene's realization took a second. "That's--absolutely not."

"It's an option."

"A shitty option. Absolutely not, Gigi, I'm not dragging Eva into this if it can be helped," She immediately dismissed the idea. "I'm not comfortable with the idea of using an innocent person just to get an edge!"

"Of course. My apologies," She said, watching as Helene brought her phone out.

"I have a missed call. I'll be right back," She excused herself, entering the house once more.

She really was heartless, wasn't she? Of course, it wasn't an avenue she wanted to take, but Gigi felt Helene wasn't really aware of how much trouble she was in trying to protect Alyssa. Of course, just the thought of manipulating Eva to their favor left a bad taste in her mouth. If they had, to, though, it would be an absolute last resort. Or that's what Gigi kept telling herself, pulling out another cigarette as she tried to go over their options. As much as she criticized Helene, however, Gigi felt like a damn hypocrite. She was attached to both Alyssa and Eva, too deep into their friendship. God, friendship and love were so damn troublesome...

---

"Evangeline."

The voice sounded so far away, Eva thought she was still dreaming. It wasn't until the light in her room was turned on that she finally stirred. "Arthur...?" She mumbled, trying to shield her eyes.

"Is that his name?"

Had she fallen asleep? She figured their...activity was rigorous enough that she had just plain knocked out after the fact. But she remembered Arthur being right next to her, and she didn't feel his warmth as she tried to open her eyes. He was so sweet to her, so loving, but holy crap he definitely put her through the ringer. Not that she was complaining, he was super patient at the start. He was so concerned about hurting her that she didn't want to admit how much it hurt when it first went in, but she was so happy to see that side of him that it was so worth it. He was a lot more passionate than she would have guessed, too. Remembering the question, her eyes fluttered open as she brought her blankets to her chest. "Yes--" The answer had barely gotten out as suddenly Eva was shocked awake, and sitting up she saw her mother standing over her, arms crossed. Oh no. "Wh-what are you doing here?!" She squeaked in horror.

"I falsely assumed you wanted to speak out something, as I had to cut our previous conversation short," She stated, her face stony. "I'm assuming since you didn't get to ask me about birth control--as I'm guessing that was what you wanted to ask--you thought, 'hey, I'll invite him over since my parents won't be home anyway' and took the risk."

"What--that's not--No, that's not what happened," Eva said, unable to hide the shakiness in her voice. "I swear on everything that's not what I wanted to ask you."

"My question is, who do you think you are bringing a man here in Marshall's house?" She snapped, the cracks beginning to show. "Have you no respect whatsoever? What if he was the one that had come home first, what would you have done, Evangeline?"

Shame fell on Eva, and she clung onto the sheets tighter. "It's not like that," She said, her voice breaking as she had to fight back tears. "Don't look at me like that, please, I--"

"I hope to God you don't end up pregnant, you won't be staying here if that's the case," She stated, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I don't understand why you've been acting out so much lately. What, you don't know how to communicate like an adult, so you think throwing temper tantrums and partying all night is how you get my attention?"

"Get your attention--is that what you think it is?" She asked, surprised, though it just as quickly turned into anger. "Why are you always assuming the worst out of me? Why is everything I do wrong?"

"Evangeline, look at you! Look at this room!" She motioned around. "Your clothes are everywhere, you're naked, and your boyfriend missed the wastebasket," She pointed to the floor. "Oh, I'm sorry, not boyfriend--boyfriends stick around after the matter, this was a hookup that got what he wanted and then left." Eva had enough at that point, throwing the sheets aside and getting out of her bed. She put on the first things she pulled out of her dresser, a shirt and a pair of shorts that she stuffed her phone into, though as she tried to leave, her mother grabbed her arm. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Somewhere where I don't have to see your face," She hissed, though she winced as her mother's grip tightened.

"We aren't finished talking," She said, glaring at her. "You think any self respecting man is going to accept you like this? Promiscuous women are only good on the street."

Something in her seemed the snap at that point. "Oh, you know all about that, don't you? You couldn't even stay faithful to your first husband, so who's the whore now?!" She yelled, going straight for what she knew was her mother's weakness. It worked, with Evelyn's eyes widening and her grip loosening, but it worked too well, as Eva didn't notice her raised hand until it slapped her clean across her face. She stumbled back slightly, holding her cheek as she looked at her mother. "Like mother, like daughter, then," She mumbled, her face stinging.

"How dare you..." Evelyn's voice was shaking, though whether it was because she was just as angry as Eva was or if she was upset, she didn't know. "Alright then, you think you're an adult, go see if your 'man' will take you in." She grabbed Eva again, though this time she pushed her towards the stairs. "Go on then! And don't bother coming back!"

Eva was shocked, but something in her did as her mother said, and she ended up running down the stairs. Pulling on her heels, she ran out the door. She heard her mother call her name, but she ignored her and kept going. Her face started to hurt, her heels pinching her feet, but she just kept running. Running...where? Her body felt like it had been possessed by something, a force whisking her away. But of course, eventually she came to a stop, breathless as it dawned on her that she had no where to run to. She walked another block, spotting a small park with a swingset and a slide. She recognized it, realizing she had made it pretty far all things considered. But now her face hurt, her feet hurt, and she was alone. She didn't understand why she was treated the way she was, though as she thought about it, maybe her mother was just ashamed of her. Taking a seat on one of the swings, she just sat there, not knowing what to do. The heat felt terrible, the sun beating down on her even as it started to go down. With shaking hands, she pulled out her phone, deciding to call Helene first. When she didn't pick up, she placed her phone in her lap. A few minutes later, her phone rang again; Helene was returning her call.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to miss your call!" Helene's cheerful voice came out. "So how was it? You haven't texted me. Are you still with Arthur?" Arthur. For some reason, she couldn't hold it in when she heard his name, and her phone slipped from her hand as she began to sob uncontrollably. "What the--? Eva, what's wrong? What happened? Eva, please, what's going on?" Helene kept asking, but Eva could only drop down to her knees and cry more.

---

"Eva, say something!" Helene pleaded into the phone, but all she could hear was crying. Shit, what happened? Did Arthur--no, no, she wasn't going to jump to conclusions just because of what happened. But Eva wasn't replying, and she was getting worried. As the call dropped, Helene stared at her phone. Shit, she knew what she needed to do. Taking in a breath, she opened up her texts. I'm really sorry to bother you, but if Arthur's with you, please tell him to call Eva. There's something wrong and she's not telling me anything. I need to know what's going on. She sent the message to Terrance, and once it sent, she placed her phone to her chin. What a fucking day.