Birthday Surprises [Talen]

[Ariana Simone]

You could say Ariana was in a bad mood, but to do so would be a blatant understatement. Her temper meter was much higher than normal, she was very snappish and wanted nothing to do with anyone. The raging headache she had going on wasn’t helping much either. The need to be alone was how she found herself in the most obscure of places anyone could think of-the large lake right outside of Pilot’s Ridge. She couldn’t stand being in the company of others on this day that came once every year. It was too hard. It was too hard to think that the two people she wanted to celebrate with weren’t there. So she didn’t celebrate at all.

Dipping her toes into the water, she drifted off into a slight haze, letting the day slip away. This would be the eighth time that she did not celebrate her birthday. There was nothing about this day that was happy or worth rejoicing about in her mind. Today was supposed to be about enjoying the fact that she was born, but she found that hard to do when the people who gave her life weren’t around to celebrate it with her. Sighing, she drifted into a space between consciousness and unconsciousness, trying not to think. But the memories were not so kind.

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At first, she was confused. What did they mean when they said mommy and daddy wouldn’t come back? Her nine year old mind still did not comprehend the finality of death, the painful truth that she would never see her parents again. But once she figured out exactly what the men in blue were saying, there was no stopping the tears.

She wailed as loud as her little voice could, scaring many of the neighbors. She was swept up into Lisa Anderson’s arms, clinging to the woman with youthful strength. She didn’t stop crying for days, sobbing inconsolably, shunning the company of others. How was she supposed to go on without her parents?

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Shaking her head, she rolled her shoulders, hearing them crack quietly. She survived day to day, keeping her misery down to a low minimum most of the time. But around holidays, especially her birthday, she was reminded of all she had lost. It was hard, and she was still in mourning. She wondered idly if she would ever fully recover at all. Sighing, she bit her lip, humming quietly into the air. She needed a distraction, any distraction. Something to take her mind off the misery.

[/justify]

[Talen Trahan]

You could say that he was feeling restless. In fact, he was, wanting the thrill of the run and the freedom of being off-campus provided for his malnourished blood. His steps were even, his breathing calm despite the pace he set himself today. He was running hard in the warm sunlight; sweat created a blanket on his bare torso, running off in light rivulets over his golden skin. His hair was plastered to his skull, dripping sweat down the back of his neck and into his eyes. His feet created a steady beat on the pavement as he ran three miles, up into the hills and back into town. He slowed as the sight of the lake came in, then stopped near its edge.

The water was calm, reflecting Tal’s mood, and he walked around the edge, cooling off from his run. He stopped to take off his shoes and socks and wade in the water up to his feet, sighing as the cool mud squished in between his toes. He heard a soft humming sound and looked around, his dark eyes falling on the form of a girl. He recognized her; this was Ariana, a girl he had math class with. He sat in the desk to her left, and sometimes she helped him; he didn’t always like math. He picked up his shoes and walked towards her, his feet drying on the cool grass, and sat beside her, dipping his feet back in the water to wash off the mud.

“Hey Ariana,” he started shyly. She was pretty, almost a year older than he was, and he always felt a little shy in her presence. “What’s up?”

[Ariana Simone]

The world wasn’t as it should be. She must have done something awful in a past life to deserve the life she had currently. Sighing, she drew her legs up to her chest, watching a couple ducks float through the water. As she tried to keep her mind off of things, she pondered what it was she could have done. Maybe she had been an assassin and had taken hundreds of lives. Or maybe she had been a dog and had bitten her human or something. Oooh, or maybe she had been call girl. As she daydreamed about what awful thing she must have done to land herself as an orphan in this life, she didn’t notice the new presence that entered her space bubble, completely ignorant of the fact that someone was now beside her until she heard a quiet voice pipe up.

Jumping slightly, her head whipped to the side to see who dared to approach her when her gaze got an eyeful of glistening, sweaty, washboard abs. Okay, it was hard to be mad when she had that to look at. What could she say? She was a girl, after all. Tearing her eyes away from that scrumptious sight, her eyes meet those of one Talen Trahan. They weren’t that close, but she recalled seeing him around school occasionally. They had...Trig together? Yeah, she helped him with the work at times when he needed it. She nodded to him, watching as he sat down beside her.

”Hey, Tal.” She couldn’t smile, not today, but she nodded kindly, her eyes smiling for her. Even she could admit that he was undeniably handsome. He was a year younger than her, but seemed to be more mature than other males his age. At the very least, he wasn’t as brainless as most of the other boys. She shrugged her shoulders at his question. ”I’m alright, I guess. You?” In truth, she felt anything but alright, but he didn’t need to know that, did he? Putting her acting skills to the test, she painted on a smile, making her face look much more cheerful than she felt.

[/justify]