Time Warp: Miami Throwback [Katya]

[Rhys Freeman]

March 07, 2009


"I don't want to go!" he spat indignantly at Elijah, his fists at his sides.  He would punch him if he had to.  No way was he going to hang out with one of Elijah's stupid friends just to babysit the guys sister.  "You need to stop relying on my and Joc so much.  You need friends of your own." "I have friends!" It wasn't true and the look Elijah shot back said he wasn't buying it either.  He'd been in two fights since he'd arrived at Hammel, only two months prior.  Rhys had just turned thirteen, he needed to get his bearings, and that took time.  Besides, he hadn't lived with his siblings in nine years.  He couldn't even remember the last time they'd all three shared a roof.  It wasn't complete without Jayce, but something told Rhys their baby brother would be there in the next few years and the family could finally be reunited once and for all.  "Shut up, you're going." Like hell.

Twenty minutes later Rhys was glaring at the ground, trudging behind his brother.  Leave it to Elijah to find ways of making Rhys cooperate.  Bitter, he followed the older boy to the other dorm, not wanting to spend any time with anyone.  He was perfectly content to spend all afternoon playing video games.  Video games he'd stolen fair and square.

Elijah and Eric greeted each other before Elijah introduced a sullen Rhys.  His scowl lifted when his eyes fell on Eric's sister, though.  The girl he was supposed to befriend.. A look of almost confusion replaced the bitterness.  He knew her! "Katya?" Was that her name? It was hard to forget a name like Katya.  No, it couldn't be.  She was back in Florida. Then again.. anything was possible there, right? 

[Katya Moschella]

If Eric was getting sick of Katya tagging along on weekends and after classes, he was doing a good job of hiding it. Their three older brothers had graduated by now, leaving only Eric to help her get acclimated. He was a senior himself and probably should have been focusing on his final stretch of classes, but the University of Vermont had already started sending out acceptance letters and he spoke of the upcoming powers test with confidence. So instead of chasing Kat away to study, he'd spent her first two weeks at Hammel introducing her to his upperclassmen friends and warning her about which teachers were the strictest.

Today, though, her normally unflappable brother seemed a little nervous, and Katya soon found out why.

"So just a heads up, my buddy's bringing his little brother along today," Eric began, while the two lounged in his dorm's common area. That didn't sound so bad - the more, the merrier, right? "He's new, too, an' he's kind of, uh, rough, so don't worry too much if he says something you don't like, okay?"

"I guess. Hey, if he's really mean, can I stab him?" Katya joked. Holding one arm out, she laid her other hand upon it, then swiftly spread her fingers with a "schwing!" sound in a pantomime of spikes appearing from her skin. Totally facetious, of course - Kat had only produced the spikes a couple of times since manifesting, and so far it hurt too much to bother threatening people with. Oh, and stabbing people was probably against the rules.

"He's not that bad," Eric laughed, his nerves apparently vanished.

Behind them, the door swung open; there was Elijah, whom she'd already met in passing, and that must be -

"Wait... Rhys?" It had been a few years, but he knew her, and she was pretty sure she knew him, and Katya's face split into a grin. "Oh my god! I remember you, hi! Eric, you didn't tell me he was Elijah's brother!"

[Rhys Freeman]

Her smile made him almost uncomfortable.  Yeah, he knew her, and she knew him, but it wasn't like they were old friends or anything.  While it should have put him at ease, it did the exact opposite.  He didn't want people knowing his private business, he didn't want other people to know his family had fallen apart, and he had no idea how much Katya knew about his situation.  It wasn't like they'd been in the same school for all that long.  Maybe she would assume when he disappeared it was because he came to Hammel?  He had been in one home shortly after the one he'd been in when he'd met her, so for all she knew it was plausible.

"Remember you?"  Rhys felt his ears burning, looking away from everyone else as a blush threatened his cheeks.  Last thing he wanted was to hear anymore of Elijah's shit.  "How do you know each other?" His plump lips pursed before he pouted slightly, still averting his eyes. "We had a class together at Kennedy." He grumbled, remembering the middle school in Miami well enough.  Maybe they'd had more than one class. He couldn't remember.. He barely paid attention in class! Elijah started laughing and Rhys felt the urge to turn and punch him, but considering how much bigger his brother was, he wouldn't.  Not when they were at someone else's place, anyway. "Small world, huh? See? Aren't you glad you came?"

Pleading eyes met the girl, silently begging her to end this before he himself did violently.  He didn't need her to fight his battles for him, but it would be nice if things didn't get bloody, too.

[Katya Moschella]

What were the odds? Even in the short time she'd had at Hammel, Katya had come to learn that its students hailed from all over the country - all over the world, even! Her roommates were from California and Vietnam, her lab partner in biology was Canadian, and everyday the hallway chatter was sprinkled with accents from this region or that. So had she arrived today and learned that Eric's friend and his brother were, say, Bolivian, she would've been interested in meeting them. But from her own backyard? That was a completely different kind of surprise.

So why didn't Rhys seem happy to see her?

While Elijah laughed and proclaimed their luck, Katya racked her brain for an explanation. It stung, how bothered he looked by her presence - the first non-Moschella to recognize her since she got here, and he was unhappy about it? They'd never really be friends back at Kennedy, but still! Surely it wasn't because she'd picked on him or something... Kat couldn't remember doing so, at least. Ooh, maybe he'd had a crush on her? Ah, unrequited love! That was more her speed. Whatever it was, she was going to get to the bottom of it and they would be friends and Rhys would just have to deal with that.

"The vending machines on this floor are over by the bathrooms, right?" Kat asked her brother, who raised an eyebrow but nodded. "I think I'll go grab us some snacks. Will you come with me, Rhys? I might need help carrying sodas or something."

[Rhys Freeman]

This entire situation wasn't one he really wanted to be in at the moment, but hanging out with Katya seemed a lot better than chilling with the older boys.  "Fine." He grumbled, following the smaller girl towards the door and slapping his brothers hand away as he reached to ruffle his hair.  He hated when Elijah did that and wished he could just get the mane of frizzy brown hair hacked off but he didn't know how to go about doing that.  He wasn't about to waste his own money on a haircut.  It had taken him ages to squirrel away what he already had.  Besides, he wouldn't know where to go for a haircut anyway.  Jocelyn offered to braid it, but it looked stupid in braids.  His hair was the perfect mix between soft and kinky which made it completely unmanageable and his braids frayed easily, looking bad after a couple of days.  

Once in the hallway Rhys shoved his hands into his pockets, not sure what to say.  He wasn't much for talking and even less for showing gratitude.  He wouldn't even know how to strike up a conversation with Katya.  He barely knew how to strike up a conversation with his own siblings.  Instead he fingered the money in his pocket, wondering what he should buy, if anything.  Maybe Katya would just pay for snacks and he could hold onto what he had.  Who knew when he'd find money again? It was convenient being able to tuck things away and when people accused you pulling out your empty pockets.  No matter how hard anyone looked, they would never find stolen goods on Rhys, even if he was caught in the act.

He kicked a pebble on the ground, sneaking a peek at the girl as they began walking.  Part of him wanted to hate her just to spite Elijah, but on the other hand it might be nice to have someone on his side.  He wished Jayce would just get there already, at least then he'd have someone he could trust.  Rhys sighed, looking down at the ground again, glowering at it as if it had done something wrong.  As if it was the floors fault he was in this stupid situation to begin with. "Elija's such a dick." He grumbled under his breath not really talking to the girl, but not really not talking to her either.  Simply stating the truth; Elijah sucked.

[Katya Moschella]

Watching Rhys swat away his brother's hand, Katya wondered if this was what her own brother had been referring to in calling him "rough." So far, it didn't seem like a fair assessment - the boy struck her as more grouchy than anything else. Maybe he wasn't bothered by her at all; maybe it was Elijah, or maybe his face was stuck that way. Either way, she would find out.

Out in the hallway, even with ample opportunity, Rhys seemed more interested in sullen silence than a conversation. Well, that just wouldn't do. And if grousing about his brother was what she had to work with, she would just start there.

"He didn't seem so bad to me," Katya countered brightly. The spring in her step stood out next to Rhys' slouching pace, making them appear mismatched. "Is he one of those brothers who'll be nice around people but not when you're alone? Abe used to do stuff like that but he grew out of it." That and, like the rest of them, Abe had learned that there was no getting anything past Mama. She didn't start fights, but she knew how to finish them.

[Rhys Freeman]

He wished she would just stop talking. Why did girls talk so much? Most girls he'd encountered just talked so damn much.  It was like they needed to hear their own voices in order to know they were still there.  Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Rhys actually got something out of what they were saying but he so seldom did.

"He's just a dick." Rhys growled, not wanting to get more into it, or knowing how to really explain it in such a way that she would understand.  It wasn't that Elijah was really mean to him or anything.  Actually, it was the opposite.  For the most part his brother was nice and looked out for him, but he was hard on Rhys because he expected him to live to a certain standard, one which Rhys wasn't interested in.  He knew Elijah wanted the best for him, but Rhys didn't like it being forced on him.  It was hard not to be bitter about the way his life had been and he was angry Rhys hadn't been able to save him when he'd needed it  most.

"Nevermind." He grumbled, giving a huffy sigh.  "Where's the vending machine?"  The sooner they got to it, the sooner he could ditch the girl.  He'd hear about it from Elijah later, but he didn't care about that.  Wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last time he had to deal with the older boy for 'screwing up'.

[Katya Moschella]

So Rhys wasn't much of a talker, huh? Well, that was no big deal. She could talk enough for the both of them.

"I think they're this way," Katya lied smoothly, taking a right turn down the next hallway when she knew the left would get them there faster. Why hurry? They had so much to catch up on!

"So when did you get here? I've only been here a few weeks. Got here the week after Valentine's Day, can you believe that? I missed my first Hammel dance! But I guess I would've still needed to find a date anyway. I don't think that'd be too hard, though, I've already met so many people!" 

Katya steered them down another hallway as she chattered away. She wasn't going to let Rhys just sulk in silence - if he wouldn't contribute, she would just keep the flood coming.

[Rhys Freeman]

Rhys followed begrudgingly as they turned right at the corner.  How mouth just kept moving and moving and he was reminded somewhat of his sister.  Jocelyn could talk a blue streak when she wanted, but she was more sulky than Katya.  What was with this girl? Did he really look like he cared about dances? Or Hammel for that matter? The only good thing about Hammel was he was away from the people who made him most miserable, and out from under the governments strong hold on him.  It wasn't easy getting out of the system before they kicked you out and he was lucky he was born a freak.  At least Hammel wanted him, since no one else did.

"A few months ago." He grumbled, keeping his answer vague, still thumbing the coins in his pocket.  He wondered if she thought he might take her to one of those dances.  Fat chance of that! He hated dances.  They were for suckers and queers.  

"Man, you don't need a date for a stupid dance, yah just go." He offered, a heavy chip on his shoulder.  "Girls only dance at those things anyways."  It was really no surprise she was already neck deep in friends.  he probably had as many enemies as she did friends, seeing how friendly she was and how obnoxious he was.  "Girls and fags."

[Katya Moschella]

"Excuse me!" Katya stopped short and whirled round to face him, feet planted, hands on hips. The daggers she glared up at him were nearly as sharp as the pricks she could feel along her spine and shoulders, threatening to emerge from beneath her skin.

So this was what Eric had been talking about! Did Rhys talk this way around him too, then? Well, she was going to have a word with Eric when she got back, that was for sure.

"I will have you know," she stated hotly, finger inches from his nose, "that my big brother Abe is gay, and he brought his boyfriend to Christmas this year and he was very brave and it was very romantic and, and, and just how dare you!" The longer she ranted, the more upset Katya could feel herself getting. Had Rhys directed his invective at her, she might have simply cried - okay, she probably would have cried - but nobody got to talk about her brother that way, not even if Rhys didn't even realize he was talking about her brother. "And just 'cause you couldn't ever get a date 'cause you're a ... a jerk doesn't mean there's anything wrong with him!"

[Rhys Freeman]

The outburst came from nowhere and Rhys found his feet faltering.  He wasn't entirely sure if he should be amused or apologetic.  He decided on a mixture of the two as she wagged her finger menacingly at him.  He was taller than she was though he knew her to be somewhat older, but just the way she was scolding him was just so.. he didn't even have a good word.  She reminded him of the old vice principle at a school he'd been to when he was young.  The old woman wagged her fingers angrily at him, scolding him like a dog.  The way Katya did so now made him feel more like the petulant child he'd been then, though her words did little to make him feel remorseful.

"Man, chill out." He could see he'd hit a nerve and though he liked to toy with people, and her reaction so far had been amusing, he hesitated to exacerbate the situation.  "I didn't say nothin' 'bout your brother."  Which was mostly true.  he never called the boy out, which had everything to do with the fact he had no idea of his existence before now. "Besides, fag doesn't just mean gay." He reminded.  In his mind this was true.  Fag was just what you called guys who were being little bitches.  He didn't care if boys liked boys, to him that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but he certainly didn't want to be accused of it.  It would make him seem weak, and he was tired of being weak.

"An' just so you know, I could get a stupid date if I wanted.  I just don't." he sniffed, resisting the urge to cross his arms over his chest.  This girl needed to chill out for real.

[Katya Moschella]

"Hmph," Katya sniffed imperiously, chin high. It wasn't an apology, which was what she would have liked, but it was a lot of backpedaling. She wasn't sure if she believed him, though - but whatever he'd meant by it, it was still a nasty thing to say.

"Yeah,, right," she shot back. His assertion that he could swing a date? Now that she didn't believe for a second. He was, what, twelve? That was way too young to pull of the "smoldering bad boy" look. "You're just saying that - I bet you've never had a date in your whole life."

Admittedly, neither had she - her brothers were very good at chasing boys away - but Rhys didn't need to know that.

[Rhys Freeman]

In a flash Rhys felt his annoyance flair back up.  He didn't like being called out on never having gotten a date.  Just because he never had, didn't mean he couldn't.  It wasn't exactly like he'd had money to take a girl out or anything, and even doing dumb stuff like hanging out wasn't really a date.  Besides, the girls he'd hung around had always been ghetto bitches.  If he was going to waste his time on anyone it would have to be worth it.  He dealt with enough shit at home, he didn't need it from girls.  Though things were different now, and the girls he ran into at Hammel weren't the same ones he ran with at home, it was still difficult to want to try and date one.  He was still too bitter and angry, and wanting to get laid was something he was supposed to want, but not necessarily something he was completely interested in yet.

"Yeah I have." He snapped defensively, attitude clear in his gruff, raspy voice.  She wouldn't know the difference so what did it matter?  He could tell her anything and she could either believe it or not, though he got the feeling she wouldn't.  No one ever believed him.  For good reason, too.  Rhys wasn't known as being the most honest person, but growing up the way he did you learned quickly to lie about pretty much everything, even the things that didn't matter because image was important and keeping your nose clean, even if it was just giving off the impression of it, was even more important.

"Whatever, you don't even know me. Dances are dumb anyway."

[Katya Moschella]

"Doubt it," she shot back, unable to resist snapping back again. As they walked, Katya led him towards the staircases; the vending machines were on the first floor, and she was feeling less inclined to drag this adventure out now that she'd had a taste of his sulky attitude.

"So you don't like dances, and you don't like your brother, and you don't like gay people," she listed off, voice sour. So what if he hadn't meant anything against Abe? His comment still rankled, as well as his failure to apologize. "Do you even like anything? Or do you just skulk around like, 'grrr I'm Rhys! Fun sucks! Puppies are gross and ice cream is for losers!'" As she mocked him, Katya stuffed her hands in her pockets and her head jutted forward in an exaggerated slouch.

[Rhys Freeman]

He glowered at the ground
as Katya went down the list of things he didn't like.  He wanted to call her out, say something along the lines that he didn't really like her either, but she made too solid of a point to do that and he'd only make himself look stupider. Also, she was right.  He hated everything.  It wasn't Katya's fault he was being a bitch, either.  He realized that on some level, but he was being too angsty to stop himself completely.  Her mocking him certainly didn't help.

"Maybe if you lived my life for like two seconds you'd be pissed off too." He growled at her, not appreciating the way she teased him.  Little midget that she was! "And I don't hate gay people, and Elijah's just a bitch sometimes, Jeez, will yah back off?!"  He didn't even want the damn snacks now, he just wanted to shove Katya.  "Yer bein' a lil bitch!"