Something Wicked - Summertime Blues

[Nina]

As far as Roach could tell the charge was gone and her phone was dead until she got to a plug.

 

"Mr Clairburn likes company, Hank, especially those who would find his particular brand of knowledge...interesting." The way the boy paused in his speech was unusual to say the least. "Plus he isn't likely to find whatever y'all were up to as upsetting as y'alls parents probably will. But suit yourself, I guess I should be off since I wasn't invited to your party."

 

Dylan shoves the rag into the pocket of his jeans and close the door behind him then steps off the small  cabin porch iwth the obvious intent to march away across the feild and back toward home.

[Malachite]

Silas shot Roach and Hank both disappointed, annoyed looks before he follows after Dylan. "Hey, sorry about them. We're all tired. They're usually way more friendly. Polite, even." He ran his hands through his hair and offered, "You can stay if you want. Or I'll walk back with you." 

 

He offered one of his actually cute-bashful smiles. "What does Clairburn know? What's 'interesting' mean?"

 

Dylan tilted his head and looked sorta like a sad puppy, something about his eyes. "I'm not the one who needs friends," he said with a glance back at the rest of the kids. When he looked back at Silas it was as if he had stepped closer even though he hadn't moved. "Mr. Clairburn is a Historian. He taught at some university or other. He wrote some books. He knows all about this place, the people, the families," he smiles at Silas wickedly, "the dirty little family secrets. And I do mean dirty." this last was barley a whisper and intended for Silas' ears alone.

 

He tried not to blush. Like, direct mental effort. He would need to practice a lot more not resemble a particularly ripe raspberry. Dylan could probably give him constant practice. "Uh, yeah. That-that probably would be helpful."

"Guys," he turned back to the others to see their reaction to that. He gave a small shrug. "We might be able to get some answers. Or at least some help." He glanced over to Dylan and then back to the group. "I don't know how far we'll get with just the group of us. Hannah's super smart, but it sounds like Mr. Clairburn's both smart and studied the area real well. And he's not our parents."

The last was said with his hands out. Everyone knew parents never handled things really well.

[Shameless]

Hank sighed.  He'd probably sounded alot more snappy than he meant to.   As Dylan turned to leave and Silas  trailed him trying to stop him, He still wondered about what Dylan had said.   

He shrugged, and looked to the others.    "Well, how about it?   We call it a day here, and head back home.  Give it a few days, get in touch with Mr. Clairburn, and go talk to him about all of this, after we've all had a chance calm down, rest and recuperate abit?"

[Asarasa]

Jordan wasn't as inclined to go after the pretty boy as Silas apparently was. But she would admit to herself at least she was curious about the skulls and hidden cave and the gold crystal and all. But but, she also didn't want to go him yet. Following the 'treasure map' had been interesting, but she wasn't sure about fun, and it had been hardly relaxing.

 

She shrugged her broad shoulders. "Sure, I guess, but tomorrow, or the day after?" Jordan said. "Don't wanna go home quite yet. We did, er that." The big girl pointed up the mountain. "But not much else. We haven't even gone swimming. How 'bout we all go back to the lake cabin, relax and have some fun. Then we can talk to Mr. Clairburn tomorrow sometime. I just have to be home 'round dinner time for a while. Birthday, y'know, and I want steak and cake."

 

With five children, the Johanssons didn't make a big to-do for birthdays. A dinner of whatever was preferred or the favourite of whoever's birthday it was, a cake or pie, and a single gift from the rest of the family. Everyone was free to do whatever they wanted for the rest of the day, and everyone seemed to like it that way. Her Dad made these awesome marinated steaks, and her mom was already chilling a massive lemon cheesecake, she'd seen it in the fridge. It was light and delicious and everyone loved it, so each time Skye Johnasson made it, she made a bigger one, so the entire thing wouldn't be gone in a blink. Next time she made it, she'd probably need to make two.

[SalmonMax]

"Mr Clairburn?" Roach asked. "Really?"

 

She pushed her phone away with a disgusted sound and looked over at the others. Dylan and Silas were still a bit close, but she waved everyone over to so she could speak in a hushed tone to anyone who came to listen.

 

"You guys are buying his whole, 'Oh I was just randomly doofing around and stumbled onto the cabin'  thing? Well I'm not. Look, no one can know about any of this, okay? No one. Not our folks. Not Mister Clairburn. No one. Literally any adult can just snap their fingers and take this from us. We have to get the gold out of the ground and get our cover story hammered in before we show or tell anyone, ever, at all."

 

"We should ignore Dylan Hotpants and his creepy-ass 'master,' and just start digging. And this time we should do a better job watching our backtrail to make sure no one's following us."

Edited May 31, 2020 by SalmonMax

[Dawn OOC]

“Yeah, I don’t want to involve anyone we don’t trust,” Quinn said softly, stealing a glance over at Dylan before locking a glare on Silas. He could see anger and some hurt there as she said, “No one talks to anyone else about this without agreement from everyone else, got it? So no Dylan and no Mr. Clairburn, at least not about the cave, until we all agree.

 

“And anyone who doesn’t agree right now better reevaluate your friendship with the rest of us,” Quinn added sharply, her angry/hurt gaze passing over them all like hot air from an open oven. “This is our secret. We’ll share it when we’re all damned good and ready.”

 

She looked right at Silas and said, “If you want to do some historical research,” she glanced at Jordan, “or just wanna drool like a stallion around a mare in heat with someone, fine. Go and do it. But this is ours, don’t ruin it.”

[Nina]

Dylan was still smiling at Silas when he noticed that the Walsh boy was glancing past him back at the other kids. “It’s okay Silas; I’m not here to get between you and your friends. Go on back to 'em, see what they're on about. All this can wait. I’ll be around for a while.”

 

Silas felt a brush as the other boy ran a hand along his arm as he walked past. The touch sent cold electric tingles all along his arm, like nothing he'd ever felt before. The sensation shocked him so much Silas couldn't find his voice several seconds; he just shivered in a confusing haze of hormones and confusion. When he got his mind and body under control again, he turned to call to Dylan but hesitated again. Dylan was a lot further away than Silas expected he would be - full yards instead of a handful of feet. He would have had to call out loudly to be heard and he found that he didn’t want to be heard. Not right this moment and not by his friends. He shivered again and closed his eyes, trying to catch the breath he didn't realize he'd lost.

 

I am so screwed, he admitted to himself, still staring after the other boy's retreating form.

 

“Silas, are you going to come help or what?” As Quinn, Hank, and now Silas saddled up the horses, Roach went and looked inside the cabin. Not often did Roach not have words, but at that moment she did not. She had seen the place when they had first arrived and it had been bad, like condemned by the city bad but now, now it was spotless. Okay, not eat off the floor spotless but it was what you would expect in a cabin in the woods. It had been cleaned and all the busted-up junk was gone. She kind of remembered seeing a shaft of sunlight through the roof but she could see no holes or anything now. This was weird. She quietly backed out of the cabin and closed the door. Their fortunes was what was important now, weird shit could wait.

 

It was a somewhat subdued and surly bunch of kids who began the journey away from the days adventure. By consensus they had agreed to go back to the lake house and finish the weekend and as the rode in silence the overcast began to clear and sun peaked out and with it the kids moods began to shift. A few comments became a few jokes and then full fledged conversations and so by the time they arrived back at the lake and spied the older kids making BBQ they had, while not forgetting their adventure, they had put it away.

 

They told their brothers, both sets, an abridged version of their wild adventures leaving out the caves and the gold and all of that. After eating they swam and fell into he routine of kids having a summer party. Strangely, they never did find the time or the right moment to all go off alone to discuss any of it, not that night, nor the next day when swimming and boating became the focus of their attentions and fun for the sake of fun their goal. Monday was the same with several of the kids parents showing up to hold an even bigger BBQ and after that as the sun was setting everyone left for home.

 

The plan had been to get together during the week but plans didn’t turn out. They got together Wednesday of that first week of summer but all the talk of their adventure fell to the wayside when Hannah arrived. Everyone saw that their friend had been crying and they understood why when she gave them the news. Her dad had gotten a new job and they were moving to Savannah. A devastating surprise to say the least and they would be leaving by the end of the week. There would not even be time for a going away party, as she had to help her mother pack for the movers who were coming Friday.

 

Hannah had been the last of the kids to come to Walsh road and she was the first to have to leave. The kids did what they could to help their friend and promises were made to keep in touch and visit but Savannah was so far away, deep down they knew it was goodbye. And so, suddenly, before any of them knew it, Friday arrived, the moving vans were loaded up and turning off onto Gumlog road and their friend was gone. It was driven home even more when not half an hour later Donna Sticher, the Re/Max agent here in Blairsville pulled up to Hannah’s house and put a for sale sign in the front yard.

Time is a funny thing, when you’re in a hurry and have someplace you want to be it drags, but then, when you want it to go slow so you can find the time to fit all the things you want to do it seems to flow like a fast moving river.

 

 

V

Days and weeks flew by, Jordan and Hank both found part time jobs in town which kept them busy, while Quinn became busy at the stables and Silas helped out there, not really a hired hand but close enough. Even Roach found a bit of freelance work fixing computers and other electronics  and she was really the only one who was still focused on the gold.  In other words, the Kids were busy and before they knew it, it was the end of June and July fourth was just around the corner.

 

 

Independence Day in Blairsville is a big, big thing with BBQs and fireworks displays in several of the State Parks. Not only did everyone in the county participate but it was one of the largest tourist attractions of the year and the biggest single economic payday for the county.

 

 

The Clairburn Hearse had been seen out and about a lot since that first day everyone in the county knew it now and that the Clairburn’s were back after almost a hundred years. There was now constant work going on at the old mansion. Silas had gone over to the property the weekend after Memorial Day but the only people there were the contractors. He had been told that Mr Clairburn had gone up north and would be gone for a few days. When he asked if Dylan were still there no one even seemed to know who he was talking about. But he was told that no one was home, and they wouldn’t be back until the middle of the week. Silas hadn’t found the time or the courage to go back since, even though he too had seen the old hearse a couple of times on the road, so he knew they were back.

 

 

June 30^th had dawned hot and rainy, earlier in the week a tropical storm, Bettina, had flew through the Gulf of Mexico and made land fall to the west in Texas and like tropical storm Harvey from a few years back had bounced on and off land and rolled up the gulf coast until finally breaking apart after coming ashore at Mobile Alabama and driving inland in a north east direction. The remnants of the storm were playing out over the blue ridge mountains now and sudden short lived thunderstorms were to be expected over the next few days but the forecast for the fourth was promising.

 

 

Roach was sitting in the front room of her house she normally kept to her room but this morning she was waiting on the mail truck. She was expecting some parts she had order so she could fix Tina Simms Ipod. It was an old classic which apple didn’t make anymore nor did they service them, and Roach had found out that a lot of people would pay good money to have one of those old things fixed. Real good money.

 

 

So there she was sitting on the couch in her living room playing on her phone waiting for the mail truck when she was suddenly startled by something at the window. A large black cat had jumped onto the small ledge outside the window and it had been this which startled her. The cat now sat on the ledge and looked inside right at her. Not many people kept cats out here this was more dog country but of course there were feral cats all over but this wasn’t feral it was wearing a collar and Roach didn’t know anyone in the neighborhood who kept a cat.

 

 

Roach smiled unlike most around her she liked cats and this one was very pretty and obviously well kept. She put her phone down and moved slowly to the end of the couch nearest the cat. She moved slow so as not to startle the animal, but it never flinched just kept its eyes on her.

 

 

More movement outside caused her to look up from the cat. Across the street she saw a girl in a summer dress walking slowly along the side of the road her head turned toward the trees. Roach did not know the girl, had never seen her before. The Girl was holding a pair of shoes and even from across the street Roach could tell that she was barefoot. From the way the girl walked and pause every few steps and peered into the trees Roached figured she was looking for something. Like maybe a cat. Roach looked down to where the cat was sitting, and it was gone.

 

 

Hank had just come out of his garage with his his bicycle, when he too saw the unknown girl on the side of the road down the street just beyond Jordan’s house. Like Roach who had seen the girl from her window, Hank saw that she was walking barefoot, holding a pair of shoe sand peering into the wood as if looking for something. Hank also saw that the girl’s long hair was an rich dark copper color which shimmered when the beams of sunlight broke through the clouds.

 

 

Hank slowed to a stop not quite at the end of his driveway and set a foot on the ground to steady his bike and keep from falling over. The girl looked away from the trees directly at him and he felt a shock run thru his body as if lightning had struck nearby. Even though she was way to far away he knew that her eyes were emerald green and it felt like she was looking right through him.

 

Spoiler

We did a little time jump. If you wish to flash back post with what you did during the month or june you may but when it comes to talking about the gold or the caves or that whole day in general something always interrupts before any of you really can have any sort of conversation. and really in a lot of way most of you don't even think much about it out of sight out of mind. But don't make a big thing about June. 

 

[Malachite]

In the third week of June 

 

Hoofbeats signaled an early morning visit from Quinn. Silas glanced out the dining room window as his mother leaned to see out the window over the kitchen sink. “The Hollis’ are home?” she asked, glancing at her son. Silas usually let the family know they were headed back from endurance racing a day or two before they got home. 

 

“Yeah, guess so,” Silas said noncommittally. Quinn hadn’t texted him the entire time she’d been gone. Not that Silas had remembered to text her either. He wondered what had Quinn up so early: for her to be riding over during breakfast, she would have gotten up at four to do her chores. It wasn’t even a matter of a requirement by her parents; Quinn wouldn’t shirk her horse-related chores for any reason. If it were an emergency Quinn wouldn’t be riding over, so it was just a social call.

 

At the porch, his tall friend slipped the bridle off her horse and replaced it with a halter. Then she tied the halter’s lead to a post that the Walsh’s had installed as a hitching post for Quinn’s horses. 

 

As she filled the bucket left for visiting horses with water, Silas headed outside, waving and smiling in the rosy light of early morning. “Hey, Quinn.”

 

She glared up at him sharply. “‘Hey’?” she snapped. “That’s what you’re starting with?”

 

He blinked, completely taken off guard by her anger. “Uh. . .was I supposed to start with something else?”

 

“How about ‘I’m sorry I’m such a shit’?” she said, turning off the hose with a hard twist. “Or better yet, ‘I’m sorry for wearing my dick on my sleeve’?”

 

He flushed in surprise, confusion, and his own rising anger. He glanced over to the house to make sure his mother hadn’t heard that and stepped closer to Quinn, lowering his voice. “What are you talking about?”

 

Quinn also glanced at the building, proof that she wasn’t apoplectically angry at Silas. Just really angry, so mad that she gave him a little shove as if correcting a horse that wasn’t in the right spot. Her voice was a low hiss, too: “Dylan, dummy.”

 

And there was the raspberry red again, but there was still a tinge of anger-red to it. “What about Dylan? Why do I need to apologize? You’re the one that snapped at him and jumped all over him.”

 

“The creeper snuck up on us!” Quinn snapped. “We’d just been through weird shit and suddenly he’s there? Turning up like--” she paused, clearly struggling for the right idiom.

 

“Like someone out enjoying a federal park? Someone cleaning up an old beat-up cabin just to make the place look nicer?” Silas crossed his arms, brow drawn tight and his own voice starting to rise. “Yeah, weird shit and none of it ta do with him. He startled ya’, Quinn, and you’re makin’ him out t’be some sort of mustache-twirlin’ villain for it.”
 

Oh, they were into it now. Silas’ own southern accent was firmly tied to high emotions: he wasn’t ashamed of it, he’d just spent effort sounding Northern for his YouTube vlog and he was proud of being able to learn how to do it without anyone else’s help.  

 

“I ain’t mad that you have a crush on the first pretty-boy to stumble across us, I’m pissed that you treated us like shit while you panted after him!” Quinn barely kept the shouting to talking, her voice shaking with the effort to not accidentally out Silas to his mom.

 

“I treated you like shit?” His eyebrows shot up in disbelief, one arm flying out to emphasize his point. “You accused him of trespassin’ just because you didn’t expect him to be in a federal park. Like he ain’t allowed. What’s your real issue with him, Quinn?”

 

“I don’t have an issue with Dylan, you idiot!” she shouted, her famed temper snapping sharply. “My issue’s with you! You didn’t have my back, and that’s not okay for friends!”

 

Esther stepped out onto the porch, her arrival stopping the fighting short. Keys hanging her hand, she glanced between the kids with concern. “Is everything okay?”

 

“I dunno, Mrs. Walsh,” Quinn said, clamping her tone and volume down at the adult’s presence. “That depends on what Silas says next, I think.”

 

Silas let out a huff and threw his hands up, pulling his own shout down to an aggravated huff. “Yeah, ‘cause apparently it don’t matter what Quinn says!” 

 

Quinn threw up her hands in aggravation. “Then I guess everything ain’t--”

 

“Isn’t,” Esther said out of parental instinct, immediately regretting her correction when Quinn’s face twisted into her pre-tears scowl. 

 

“Fine,” Quinn said, maybe finishing her sentence or maybe not. She pulled the lead free from the post with a jerk that made Bey-bey jump in alarm. Before either Walsh could do more than start a protest, she was in the saddle and heeling the horse into a run.

 

“What just happened?” Esther asked, turning to her son. “Did something happen while they were traveling?”

 

Silas couldn’t look his mother in the eyes, so that answered that question. “She’s just bein’. . .” Stupid? Jealous? Oh, please don’t let it be jealous. It couldn’t be jealous, right? She seems to hate Dylan, not like him. He swallowed hard and finished lamely with, “mad at me. I need a walk. And you gotta get to work.”

Esther frowned and looked her son over with a searching gaze for a moment more, but she did need to get to work. She put her hands on Silas’ shoulders, frowning as she realized she was starting to need to put her hands up for that. When did the kids get so big? “You can talk to me about anything, you know that, right?”

Silas only gave her a quick glance and flush but she knew there was something he should be talking to her about now. He shook his head and gave her a quick hug before stepping back. “It’s just a fight, Mom. She. . .we’ll get over it.” 

 

Esther nodded, holding her sigh and fretting in until she was in the car and halfway to work. She knew the kids had been teens for a few years but this was the first time she’d really felt it. 

 

~~+~~+~~+~~

 

Silas had stalked his way through the woods surrounding Walsh road for he-didn’t-know-how-long trying to work off steam from his snit with Quinn. He had resolved to finally go back home and figure out what to do with his day when he passed the field that boarded the Clairburn land. Mr. Clairburn and Dylan had been out of town most of the month; he’d been checking in a few times a week, but the construction workers kept eyeing him oddly. They gave him the creeps at this point and it wasn’t like sneaking onto the property was hard. He’d been doing it for years now.

 

He came to the treeline at the back of the mansion where Clairburn had said the old garden had been. It's been cleared and he can see a pile of planting stakes and several boxes of small plants. Someone was getting ready to plant the garden.

 

"You gonna wear a new trail through there ‘you keep sneaking ovah," Dylan’s soft chuckle came from a tree Silas had passed just a moment before. 

 

Silas started almost out of his boots. How did I miss him? He managed to only turn a bright pink in embarrassment this time. Progress. "Jesu-! You're a cat in shade, aren't you?" He accused with a smile. He offered a cheeky, "Easier to make off with you cabbages in the night. Not so much to trip on."

 

"I didn't know you'd be sneaking over here at night." Dylan grinned at him; it wasn't his usual sultry smirk but it still made Silas’ heart skip beats. 

 

Silas’s cheeks deepened back into the ripe raspberry again. The teen stood there, his mind far too focused on options than talk at the moment no matter how much he tried to shush his hormones enough to make intelligible sounds again. "Uh. Um." 

 

So much for that. 

 

He swallowed hard and looked anywhere but at where Dylan was leaning against the tree. Bursting into fire at the moment seemed like a fitting follow-up for just about any time he talked to Dylan. Shit. I'm flirting with him. This is flirting. Badly. This is me flirting badly with the cutest boy I've ever seen. I didn't even know there were boys like him. His mind kept whirling round and round on that, losing complete track of the fact that he was actually still standing in front of said cute boy.

 

Dylan pushed off the tree and stood straight, his long hair falling across his eyes from the movement. He reached up and combed the stray lock from his eyes to behind his ear with the grace of a well-practiced model at a shoot. For the first time Silas noticed a small stud in his left ear: sliver with a tiny blue gem nestled against his earlobe.  "How come the rest of your friends don't like me?" Dylan asked as he took a step closer to the mesmerized teen. "Why do you?"

 

Silas' eyes had watched Dylan's movements like a parched man in the desert. His gaze caught on the stud. He just keeps. getting. hotter. It's past unfair. I think it may be actual torture. 

 

At the question, Silas' eyes dropped. "I-I think the others were just. . .high strung the other day. Not really anything to do with you, they just didn't expect you to be there and got jumpy. Quinn can be a real. . ." His voice fell to an annoyed grumble before he got some little bit of control over his mouth. "Well, she's just not being real great right now. Roach is pretty much like that with everyone. Jo seems to like you fine enough and Hank can take a bit to get to know, but he's a good guy at heart. And Hannah. . ." He sighed, looking melancholy for a moment. "Well, Hannah's gone, so I guess it don't matter."

 

"Yeah I heard about that, them moving.” Dylan looked out over the field, putting his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He closed the short gap between the two of them, leaning close enough to brush Silas’ shoulder as he confided, “Don't tell nobody but Mr Clirburn's plannin'  buy that house." His gaze flicked over to the mansion and he asked in that same soft voice, "Why you keep coming over here Silas Walsh? No dodging this time."

 

A million little deflections and polite, safe redirections raced through his mind, but Quinn was right about one thing: Silas pretty much wore his heart (and apparently other anatomy) on his sleeve and wasn't all that great at lying of any stripe. He took a breath and forced words through a thundering heartbeat, "I was comin' t'see you." He snuck Dylan a quick curious look and asked a safer question. "Is your boss lookin' to claim all the old Clairburn land if he can?"

 

Dylan's smile changed without moving at all. Where before it has always been purposefully seductive or a know-it-all smirk, suddenly it was warm and heartfelt. For a moment it was as if Dylan glowed with some inner light but it must have just been an opportune sunbeam peaking through the wind-blown leaves of the trees. "Some of it I guess, but not for hisself. He’s doing it for Miss Evelyn, his niece. He wants to make sure she has what she needs."

He pivots abruptly, face to face only inches away from Silas. "I'm older than I look Silas Walsh and I have an inkling why you been coming to see me." He worries his bottom lip with straight white teeth, "I noticed you the minute I seen you the first time. Where I grew up boys were not supposed to have feelings like that. It's different here though ain't it.?"

 

Silas’ breath caught again and he had to close his eyes long enough to find any words. "It is an' it ain't. Ya still get. . .people bein'. . .not great people. It-it's not-" He took a breath and ended up instinctively putting a hand on Dylan's arm as he tried to settle his mind and make full sentences. "There's always some bad people as can't stay out of other people's business or need someone or t'other to hate, but most people are at least civil about it. Even don't care or just want others t'be happy. And. . .it ain't illegal anymore. Hadn't been for a few decades now, everywhere. Longer in a lot of places." 

 

He realized he was touching the other boy and pulled back his hand. "Most people. . .Q-Quinn's the only one that knows. About me. L-liking boys, too. I-uh, um. D-do you? I don't want t'make you un-uncomfortable or anything. I'm not trying t'. . .to. . ." He gave up. Talking to Quinn was one thing: he'd grown up with her and she only liked horses, so it felt safer. This was a boy. . .maybe not a boy? The part about Dylan being older than he looked finally registered to his brain but it didn’t seem all that important right this moment. This was a maybe-not-a-boy that it was maybe possible could like him back. Way more dangerous territory.

 

Dylan reached out and took Silas' hand; shivers of electric fire and arctic ice chased through the younger boy. "I like you, Silas Walsh, and you will never make me uncomfortable. But I meant what I said about not wanting to come between you and your friends. You and Quinn, you been best friends all your lives."  He leaves something unsaid as he squeezes Silas hand and lets it go. 

 

"You know these old hills seen a lot of history," Dylan abruptly changes the subject, "and history never dies, it just keeps on repeatin' itself. There's reasons Blairsville is like it is.” He glanced over at the patch of fresh-turned earth a yard or two away. “I'm gonna start on the garden tomorrow. If'n you want you can come help, but. . . “ His eyes caught Silas’, soft and serious, “You should be honest to your friends. Don’t hide you from them.” He tapped the teen lightly on the chest, just over the heart, “Lyin’, it gets into you. Makes ya’ change and twist. You be honest ta them, and I'll be honest to you." He placed his palm flat against Silas' chest, "Deal?"

 

He couldn't have rooted Silas to the ground more if he'd used rope and stakes. The teen’s entire world shifted when Dylan said he did like him - like he was trying to float a foot off the ground and the whole world thought maybe that would be a good idea, too. Then panic flashed through him at the thought of coming out to his friends and possibly losing some of them. Quinn. . . sure, they were mad at each other, but that was just mad. They'd snap at each other like unruly colts and they'd get it over it. Eventually. They always did. 

 

Roach would probably just use it as another thing to make fun of him with. Like his fascination with wildlife or the fact that he liked to breathe on a regular basis. Nothing particularly special. 

 

Jo knew what it was like to be different, but she also got called a dyke all the time by the jerks in the school just because of her size. He didn't really know if that meant anything about her, but his mind didn't have an answer to give him on if she'd still be his friend if she knew this about him and it was grasping to irrelevant straws. 

 

And then there was Hank. He really  was a good guy. A good Southern boy and that meant he might go either way on things. C'mon, that's not fair. I've never seen him shun someone that didn't do something mean or violent to earn it.

 

And Hannah was gone. 

 

He swallowed hard, meeting Dylan's eyes with his own wide ones. "I-yeah. O-okay. Deal." Quinn's right. Apparently I'm a full on fool for a pretty face.

[Shameless]

Getting a job had sucked, in as much as it meant he had to be up early, and couldn't sleep late.   Still, the extra money was nice, and it would benefit him alot when it came time to get his first car.    
 

As Hank watched the girl walking barefoot, he sighed, smiled, and then resolved to go say hello at least.   After that shock, he just had to know more, So he hopped on his bike and rode down to her, and waved before pulling up near her.    Those green eyes watched him the whole way, and he couldn't explain how he knew they were green from so far off.

"Good Morning."  It was perhaps abit forward, riding to her like that, but everyone knew everyone around here, and he didn't know her.  Hank was nothing if not direct, so this was completely in character for him.
 

"You must be new around here."  he'd not heard of anyone moving in aside from Mr. Clairburn, but did't want to make too many assumptions.   His tone was universally genial.  

"I'm Hank, is everything alright?"  He'd noted her looking into the woods, but he'd seen nothing out of the ordinary, aside from her, on his way to her.

[Nina]

She had watched the boy get on his bicycle and peddle over to her, as he coasted to a stop a couple of yards away she used her empty hand to smooth her dress, which was whith with blue flower print, then she looked back over her left shoulder at Roach's house, before turning her gaze back to Hank.

 

Hank's breath caught in his throat, he had never seen eyes so green, and right now they were looking at him the away older kids looked at each other when they first met. He was being checked out. Her gaze went up and down his body from his feet to is head then back down and up again then finally her gaze settled on his face and she looked him in the eye.

 

"You look athletic, my cat is stuck in that tree," She looked to the right and the hand not holding the shoes pointed at a tree across from them, "do you think you could get her down?"

 

Hank follows the pointing finger with his eyes and sure enough there is a large black cat sitting in the tree. 

[Shameless]

Hank nodded.  "Sure, I've got abit of time, What's her name?."    The girl nodded, "Her name is Isis." 

He made his way near the tree, leaving his bike on the ground under it.   Once there he quickly looked for a good handhold, and began to scale the tree.  It wasn't hard, he'd always been good at this, and There was a large black cat on the branch, sitting there perfectly calm.   

"Alright there Isis, it's time to go home.  Your owner's down there waiting for you."  He reached out to her, letting her smell his hand, and when she nuzzled him, he breathed a sigh of relief.  "I'm gonna pick you up and carry ya back down."  He took note of the pendant on her collar when she rose up, and filed it away, picking up the cat and making his way back down the tree.  This was abit more difficult with his cargo, but the cat remained calm, and he walked over, carrying Isis carefully, and brought her back to the red-haired girl.  "Here you go.  She's easily the best behaved cat I've rescued from a tree.  Usually I get scratched up, even if just a little."

[Nina]

The red headed girl takes the cat and presses her face into it rich coat and snuggle the beast which purred loudly. She looked back up with a smile, "She is a very good judge of character, Hank."

 

She cocked her head and looked back over her shoulder at Roach's house. Hank had seen her do that as he rode up and now again, then she turned back to him.

 

"You are the first Hank I have ever met. Is that your True Name, or a nickname?"

 

Spoiler

The bold italics on true name is on purpose, while there was nothing different in the way she spoke, Hank feels the emphasis. also it will take a test of observation to notice that she said true and not real.

 

[Shameless]

"My real name? No, I guess not.  it's what everyone around here calls me though, 'sides my parents."   He even called himself Hank in his head, just because he'd gotten so used to hearing it from everyone.  Most of us have nicknames of some sort, though only Roach and I respond to them normally."

He shrugged.  "I've gotten used to it, so I answer to it all the same."    

He smiled innocently.  "I apologize, I never go your name, or a nickname you'd prefer to be called.  I know plenty here in town who prefer their nicknames to what their real names are."  he immediately to Frederico Armand, one of the juniors on the football team. He was a towering lineman, and like Hank, had grown up in scouts.  Still everyone called him Rico.   He thought it was cool, and only certain people, mostly those he grew up with like Hank, could call him "Freddie"   The few times he remembered someone calling him his real name were the only times he'd ever seen him get really annoyed.

failed that check 

   

[Nina]

She crouch and set the cat, Isis, on the ground then stood back up as the cat began twinning itself between both their legs. "Evelyn Wise, I just moved here."

 

She looked back over her shoulder at Roach's house and pointed. "Who lives there?"

[Shameless]

Hank looked to the house she pointed at and nodded.  "It's nice to meet you Evelyn.    That's the McKendrick home.   Roach and her family live there."

"Welcome to the neighborhood."

[Asarasa]

Taking a shower after her morning run and work out, Jordan idly reflected on the last month, as she got ready for work. She ignored the banging on the door. In house with five siblings, if you snooze, you lose, and she'd been up with the dawn. The month hadn't gone how she expected. Then again, after finding the cavern, she didn't know what she had expected for summer this year.

 

~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~

 

Dinner for her birthday had been great, even if Aidan's girlfriend Tabitha had been there. If wasn't that Jordan disliked the dark-haired girl, exactly, but she couldn't help but be acutely aware of how big she was when Tabitha was around. Tabitha was barely five feet tall, with a delicate, slim attractiveness. Jordan was sure she'd been bigger than the twenty year old when she was only ten. She'd had two of the biggest steaks for supper, Tabitha had a salad. Jordan's piece of lemon cheesecake was over a quarter of the cake, Aidan's girlfriend's had barely been a sliver.

 

Still, Tabitha was there for Aidan rather than for her, and she tended to ignore Jordan's presence rather than be mean about it, and her birthday had been fine. She'd gotten a new cyclocross bike - well, not new new, but new for her, since top of the line ones could be crazy expensive, like car expensive - since she'd outgrown her mom's old competition bike. She loved it. It was super light, great for street and trails, and designed to be easily carried.

 

And her other brother Ryland had called. He was in Denmark currently. He'd joked that she would love it there, all the girls were as big as she was. Having visions of a land of female vikings all her size rampaging on all the sports fields, she'd practically squealed, "Really?!"

 

"Sorry, She-Hulk, not really," Ryland admitted with a laugh. "But it does seem most are close to my height or more, and they like heels here."

 

Jordan laughed with her favorite brother. "You already can understand them over there?"

 

"Sure! Most people here understand English, and usually speak it better than folks back home. What's up, Jor?"

 

Hiding in her room - the only girl, she'd gotten her own room while her brothers had to share - she told Ryland about Dexter. All of it. She cried. He listened, and let her vent, and didn't promise he'd beat the shit out of him for her. If that was what she wanted, he assured her she could it herself, but promised she was stronger for the experience and if she needed someone to talk to, he was always available, even across the Atlantic ocean.

 

She thanked him with a choked laugh and made him promise to comeback to Blairsville, someday.

 

~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~

 

Hanna moving away hurt. Even if she was the newest of the Walsh Street Kids, Jordan had still known her for years. And she'd always been patient and understanding while helping her with reading and her school work. It was going to be harder to keep on top of it, to push herself with it, with Hanna gone. She planned on calling or texting her regularly, but even Jordan could tell that was a lie. With the distance between Hanna and the Walsh street kids was more than just physical, especially at this time in their lives.

 

Every time she passed the empty house, Jordan wondered how long it would take before it was filled up again.

 

~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~

 

Jordan had intended to go back to the cave and dig up more of the quartz and gold rock, but somehow, she never got around to it. And to be fair, she wasn't really sure how to sell the stuff even if she had more of it. She wasn't sure a pawn shop would pay for a rock, even with gold in it. The chunk they had was hidden in the chest with the candlesticks, that she'd hidden under her bed.

 

Wanting to earn her own pocket money, in the small allowance she got for chores around the house, Jordan had gone out to find a job. Her first idea had been at a gym, she wasn't a professional, but she knew her way around, through her own experience and her mom's tutelage. And she thought it would be an excellent way to get access to better exercise equipment.

 

The guy at Crawdaddy's Crossfit was nearly as tall as her, but he reminded her too much of Dex the way he was eyeing her, even if he was twice her age, a look she better understood now. He seemed delighted to let her fill in an application, was sure she was shoe in for a position. The way she said 'position' was kinda ew, but still, it was a job. But when she handed him the application, he looked surprised and kind of disappointed, said he couldn't give her the job. Too young, it was a liability issue or something, Jordan wasn't sure, other than he said no.

 

Disappointed but undeterred, she'd biked around and checked job listings online on her phone. And managed to find a job the same day at Buds & Butterflies Nursery and Garden Center. It was almost halfway to Ivylog. Her dad and brother Aidan worked at the Steel Mill there and she probably could have gotten a ride with them, but it was an easy distance to bike for her.

 

She didn't know much about plants, but she could load them up for people, along with young trees, gravel, dirt, and various stone pavers and planters and other garden stuff. It was fine, she didn't mind doing most of the heavy lifting. She did mind when at times it seemed like she was doing all the work while others sat on their asses. But overall, she didn't mind the job, it was outside and active.

 

At first, she thought she was going to have a problem with one of her coworkers. Eric Patterson had been one of Dex's friends, and he had taken to flirting with her. She been suspicious of him, sure Dex had told him everything and he was only wanting to 'climb the Mountain,' but when she'd turned him down, he'd taken it easy. He continued flirting lightly, but in fun, rather than ever expecting her to say yes.

 

And he was funny. It didn't mind losing to a girl during pick up basketball games during lunch break at the garden several of the workers participated in.

 

~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~

 

Jordan got dressed, snug cargo shorts and tank top, steel-toed shoes, and tied her pale blond hair in a pony-tail. Packed the lunch she had made into her backpack and swung the pack onto her shoulders then barged out the back door, yelling 'later, off to work,' to her parents and any brothers still in the house. Banner raised his head and gave her a chuffing bark and she bent over to scratch him under the chin in passing. He'd gone with her on her morning run, like always, and she'd play with him when she got back from work, like always.

 

She got her bike and walked it to the gate in the fence, got her bike and herself through, then gave the gate a shake, making sure the latch caught. Then she swung herself onto the bike and slowly began to pedal slowly, the back wheel clicking softly. She turned onto the street and stood up to start pedalling strongly when she saw Hank talking with a redheaded stranger.

 

The big girl settled back on the seat and let herself coast up to them, forearms resting easily on the handlebars.

 

"Hey, Hank," Jordan said, slowly herself to a stop by dragging a foot on the ground rather than the breaks. "What's up?"

 

"Just helping our new neighbour with her cat," Hank said. "Jordan, this is Evelyn Wise. Evelyn, this is Jordan Johansson."

 

Jordan gave the girl a nod in greeting. She was very pretty, her eyes a too strong green. "Did you move into Han - Oh! You're the girl Mr. Clairburn and Dylan mentioned was moving into the old Clairburn place, right?"

Edited June 6, 2020 by Asarasa

[Nina]

Evelyn had watched the big woman, no, girl she saw when she got closer,  coast up on the fancy bike. Isis at her feet stopped rubbing and walked to the side keeping a wary eye on the new comer.

15 minutes ago, Jordan 'She-Hulk' Johansson said:

"Hey, Hank," Jordan said, slowly herself to a stop by dragging a foot on the ground rather than the breaks. "What's up?"

 

"Just helping our new neighbour with her cat," Hank said. "Jordan, this is Evelyn Wise. Evelyn, this is Jordan Johansson."

 

Jordan gave the girl a nod in greeting. She was very pretty, her eyes a too strong greeting. "Did you move into Han - Oh! You're the girl Mr. Clairburn and Dylan mentioned was moving into the old Clairburn place, right?"

 

Evelyn looked a little startled, "Yes, I am. You know Dylan?"  As the red head asked the question Isis crouched her tail tucked up between her hind legs and gave a short hiss. Both Jo and Hank saw the sudden look Evelyn gave the cat and both would swear later that the cat looked back at Evelyn and that for a second it looked like the two were communicating as crazy as that sounds. Jo also saw the pendent  which was very elaborate on the cats collar.

 

Spoiler

The pendent 

it is only about an inch and a half tall and is set on a dark copper colored oval much like a cameo. the Ankh, for that is what it is, is highly stylized and unusual and exquisitely detailed. it does not look like something you would put on a pet collar at all. the Ankh itself appears to be made from burnished gold although the dark parts are more a dark bronze as it it were made of two metals which makes it even more  elaborate and not the sort of thing you put on an animal. Unless your Quinn and the animal is a horse

 

 

Evelyn looks back at Jo a smile on her lips but her deep emerald eyes seem to look straight into Jo's and right into her soul. Then seemingly forgetting her question, she says, "Looks like both of you were heading somewhere important. We shouldn't keep you. You know the way to the house? If you are not busy this evening why don't you come by and we can get to know each other. And bring you're friends I want to get to know all of you."

 

[Asarasa]

"Uh, just headin' to work," Jordan said, disconcerted by the redhead's intrusive green-eyed gaze. "But yeah, we all know the Clairburn place. I don't mind comin' over, and I'll - we'll - contact th'others, see if they wanna head over too."

 

Jordan settled on her bike, prepared to head out, but nodded towards Evelyn's cat, suppressing the snort. That collar was so fancy, Banner had a simple one of leather. "Be careful if you let your cat roam, Evelyn. I have a dog, a big dog, named Banner. He's a sweetie, but protective of his turf. He won't play so nice with blackie there, if it comes into our yard and he doesn't know her. Him?"

[Nina]

Evelyn drops her shoes to the ground and steps into them and the the cat jumps up into her arms. "She, her name is Isis and she doesn't stray much. Does your dog sleep inside? In your room?"

[Asarasa]

Jordan cocked her said, pony-tail flipping over a broad shoulder, thinking the question was a bit strange. But whatever, the girl was a bit strange too, though Jordan couldn't give a specific reason why. She gave a small snort as Evelyn's cat jump into her arms. Banner used to do that too, as a pup, but Jordan had to train that out of him. It wasn't nearly at cute now when Banner was pushing one-fifty and might still have a bit of growing left to do.

 

"Banner's out most of the day, but he sleeps inside. Most of the time in my room, yeah, 'cept for when it's really hot and he plonks his ass down on the tiles in the kitchen." Jordan glanced down the road, then back to Evelyn and Hank. "I gotta get goin'. Seeya guys 'round, 'kay? This evenin' most like."

[SalmonMax]

Watching Jordan and Hank talk to the Mystery Girl got stale after a few minutes, so Roach decided to assail her with yet another human being to awkwardly exchange social pleasantries with. A sad day that she didn't have an apple pie or a...a julip or something to take out there. Hospitality! Welcoming strangers into our midst...as long as they were the right kind of stranger, yeah?

 

She emerged from her house, tanktop slightly askew on her shoulders, hands thrust into the back pockets of her shorts.

 

"Hey," Roach called. "You kids have a permit to gather in public spaces? We're trying to run a business here! You're scaring my customers away!"

 

Then she gave Evelyn a grin and stuck a hand out at her. "Not you, you're fine. Cat too. I'm Roach. You must be with the Clairburns. Hi."

[Nina]

Both Jo and Hank greeted and said good bye to Roach almost in the same breath as they peddled off together to their jobs leaving Evelyn and Roach alone. Evelyn balanced Isis in one arm and shook Roach's hand.

 

"Hi I am, and my names Evelyn, and this is Isis. You and her have already met.  Roach...hmm... does everyone have a nickname around here?"

[SalmonMax]

Rochelle hunkered down and extended a hand out towards the cat near ground level...not getting it in Isis' face; just making it available if the cat was curious.

 

"Probably? I mean, not ALL of us. Hank's just Hank, and Quinn refuses to go by 'Quinjet' no matter how many Powerpoints I make that prove it's objectively better than her slave name...but you know. Kids today. No appreciation for culture."

 

She squinted up at Evelyn. "Not much family resemblance between you and Mr Clairburn. Are you Dylan's sister?"

[Nina]

Evelyn couldn't help but smile, this one was not the same as the other two, not at all.

 

"No there isn't really. I take more after my fathers side of the family. And my mother and Uncle Warren are actually half brother and sister. As for Dylan we are...distantly related. I hate to rush off but I still have some unpacking to do. Jo and Hank and some of their friends are coming over tonight. I'd be happy if you'd join us." She doesn't wait for Roach to respond just turns away and starts walking back to the Clairburn road. "See you tonight Roach," she say with a smile over her shoulder.

 

The cat never said anything to Roach.

 

[Nina]

VI

Jo made it to the nursery just on time and was immediately put to work unloading two dozen pallets of fifty pound bags of garden fertilizer, hard sweaty back breaking work which she handled with ease. on her break she texted Hank to see if he were going to call the rest of the Kids and tell them about the girl they met. Jo was still a bit unsure about her.

 

Hank had also made it to work on time and much like Jo had been put to work unloading a truck. When he received  Jo's text he sent back a reply

 

 message from Hank Leesford [I'll take care of it, I'll tell them to meet up at your place after supper, 6:00 sound okay?]

message from Jordan Johansson [ That will be okay. see you tonight]

Message from Jordan Johansson [ that girl is kind of strange]

message from Hank Leesford [lol yeah, Ill see you tonight]

 

It wasn't until Hank's thirty minute lunch break that he had a chance to send a group text to the rest of the Kids.

 

message from Hank Leesford [ Hey guys, Jo and I met Mr Clairburn's niece this morning. I had to get her cat down from a tree. Anyway she seems nice and invited us over to their place tonight. If you want lets meet up at Jo's after supper at six and we can walk over together.]

 

The text sent, replies were made and later that evening around six o'clock the Kids began to gather at Jordan's house.

 

Spoiler

thats should give everyone who wants to post space and a direction.

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