Ramona Patterson's Story

With a brown leather backpack slung over her shoulder, the tiger was on the prowl for her brother, Marcus. She expected him to be over at the tennis court, and sure enough, there he was. Whenever he had nothing to do, Marcus could always be found practicing on the court. Whenever he wasn't at home or at the Pawprint, the family cafe, everyone assumed that he was practicing. Marcus was a master at the game, and it would be a shame for him not to practice.
She watched him hit the bright green balls with ease. They flew across the court like birds soaring above a field. He didn't miss any of the balls that bounced towards him. This wasn't unusual for Marcus. In fact, he rarely missed any of the balls from the machine.

Ramona watched him cool down and put the tennis balls back into the machine where they came from. She waited for him to leave the court. Finally, he did, and at the sight of her standing there, he blushed. There he goes again, she thought to herself. Another thing that wasn't unusual for Marcus was the silly facial expressions he made whenever she was close. Ramona was well aware of the fact that her "brother" had a crush on her. Yes, he was a dragon, and she was a tiger, and although the two were mighty powerful creatures, she couldn't see anything more than mutual care and friendship coming between the two. To put it simply, Marcus was DEFINETELY not her type. However, she did love him like he was one of her own.

"Hi, how are you?" he asked. "I'm fine, Marcus. Nice hitting out there. I saw you," she said, a small smirk appearing on her face. She took a few steps closer to him, and continued.
"Listen; i'm going to be gone for about two to three hours. I got invited to go to a fishing thing with a couple of "friends" from school, and unfortunately i wasn't able to say no."
She shrugged. Ramona was never interested in hanging out with her so called "friends". To her, the word 'friends' meant people she knew, not people she liked. She only had friends and was at the level of popularity she was at for her money, looks, and family reputation. If it was up to her, she would have wanted it any other way. She was never into the things her friends talked about, and when she actually had a chance to speak, her friends weren't into the things she talked about either. Her relationship between the people she knew was genuinely awkward.

"So if mom or dad or anyone else asks where i am, you just tell them that. We're going to be on the trail in the woods. Wish me luck. I'll see you later."
She waved goodbye to her brother before she set off on the road to the trail. The trail was actually quite close to the tennis court. Although a large town, Sunny Haven felt like a small world to Ramona. For a tiger like her, the world was always waiting to be explored.

The younger siblings of the Paterson clan still attending Sunny High had their rooms in the manor, as did the older siblings if they so wished, provided that they had careers of their own or were attending university. Sean Paterson fit in neither category -- too old for high school and too unfocused for a job or Sunny U -- and so had for the past few years been relegated to what was known as the shed; something of a studio apartment unattached to the rest of the manor, situated lower on the gently-sloping lawns at the back of the estate. Without even a kitchenette, though, every morning he would eventually make his way into the house proper. This morning the journey took place sometime after 10am, when hunger had finally outweighed the morning-after languor from his night partying. Slipping into the previous night's jeans and white undershirt with their pervasive odor of cigarettes, he stumbled out of the shed, blinking blearily at the sun before donning his sunglasses.

He passed Marcus exercising within the tennis court -- mumbled a greeting with a wave as he shuffled past, wrinkled jeans scuffing the pavement with each step of his bare feet. Entering through the great glass sliding door from the patio, he made his way to the kitchen, pouring himself some still-warm coffee prepared earlier by a more enterprising Paterson. Tepidity notwithstanding, the coffee slowly did its trick and after finishing the mug Sean felt ready to have a go at breakfast.

Tranquility restored, he was almost dapper as he passed the two teens conversing at the side of the court; Marcus and Ramona looking almost like twins with their similar hair and builds. Although Sean too possessed the family's notable blonde locks, his were in fact due more to sun and pool chlorine than genetics, and always threatened to turn a dull brown. "Hello, hello," he greeted with a poor stab at a British accent as he passed the two, making his way to the shed to change into swimming trunks.

After a few laps of the pool to clear his head and work out the last remnants of the previous night's recreational poisons, Sean showered, shaved and changed into his usual calculated scruffy look, looking like a model posing as a hobo, or perhaps vice versa. He had agreed to pick up a shift at the Pawprint for one of his siblings, and was due at the cafe in a few hours. Although he'd enjoyed working there in his teens, now Sean loathed the Pawprint as it forced him to evaluate his life. He knew he was a wastrel, but he preferred not to be reminded of that fact -- as the twenty-six-year-old was reminded every time he picked up a shift at the same job he'd once had as a kid each summer.

The smooth black pavement turned into a rocky trail, and the cloudless blue sky overhead transformed into tall oak trees with glistening green leaves. This was the main hiking trail in Sunny Haven. There were never too many people on it, but everyone in the town knew about it. It was most popular in the midsummer, when bikers and joggers passed by every five minutes or so. Although the trail had no specific name, Ramona knew the trail as the "Featherstone Path". When she was a child, she would pretend that she was an indian as she skipped, hopped, and ran through the picturesque trail. She would remember dancing to her own rhythm and singing jumbled words and phrases that she had called "indian songs". As an innocent child, "Featherstone" was the most clever and imaginative name for the path that she could think of. Although she was nowhere near the age of 5, Ramona still called the trail by its old name. It reminded her of a bright past that she secretely wished she could travel back to. She had always been one of those people who would much rather re-read the previous chapters of her life than to continue on with the remaining story.

"THANK GOD!!! YOU'RE FINALLY HERE!!! WHERE THE HELL WHERE YOU?? WHY DIDN'T YOU TEXT US??..."
There went the familiar, annoying, and ear-puncturing blabber of Brenna DiSalvo, Ramona's first "friend".
The girl was about as tan as a cardboard box. Her long brown hair was braided into two long strands that lay on her shoulders. Her hands were placed firmly on her hips, and she had a look on her face that meant anger. The other girl standing beside her, Nicole Janice, had a curly red mane and scarlett lips that curled into an intricate smirk. You could obviously tell that her red hair was FAR from her natural hair color. She was Ramona's second "friend".
"So...WHERE WERE YOU??" Brenna asked. From her tone, she showed no signs of calming down.
"I told you I was coming on Wednesday. Don't you remember?" The Paterson plainly spoke her words. Her eyes held more expresion, giving a glaring look that would naturally intimidate anyone.
"Yeah....but next time, can you just text me or something? We just want to make sure you're still with us, Ramone."
That word. Ramone. That stupid little name that Brenna had given to Ramona three years ago. She had corrected Brenna numerous times, claiming that Ramone was in fact NOT her name, but the tunnel-visioned brunette never listened. Ramona had just learned to live with it, but every time she heard that word, she cringed.

Traveling to the pond where they would meet up with Brian and Nick went by in a blur. She wasn't a misanthropist, but Ramona made sure to check her surroundings every 5 minutes to make sure the girls were going in the right direction. Although she had been on the trail dozens of times, she would NEVER want to risk getting lost in the woods with Brenna and Nicole. Better to be safe than wanting to rip your head off.
Finally, they reached the pond. The sky-high trees surrounded the area like a fort, and the fresh aroma of pure water was enough to put newcomers to sleep. The white water lillies danced in the water and completed the scenic area. Ramona greeted Nick, her third "friend", and Brian, her fourth "friend". Although she shared similar feelings for Nick and Brian as she did Nicole and Brenna, the two guys seemed to be more tolerable. After all, they were guys. Guys were bitchiness-free.
There was one more boy whom Ramona had never seen before. He had jet-black hair and deep brown eyes. Nicole introduced him as Luke. The tiger could tell by the way the two looked at each other that something was up, and by the way that Nicole smacked her lips on his cheek that the two were a couple.

Thirty minutes passed, and Ramona, who was leaning on a tree, watched as the moment unfolded. It had started with the four conversing, and then the guys starting to cast their lines into the water, and the girls watching behind them. Deciding later that they wanted to go for a swim, the two girls pulled off their shirts, revealing swimwear, and courageously jumped into the water. After a while, Brian and Nick dropped their fishing gear and followed suit. Luke, the new kid, kept on fishing for a while, but then became tempted as well, and soon enough the four were all in the water, laughing and splashing each other while the Paterson watched from the sidelines. Part of her wanted to join them, but the other part forced her to stay where she was. They wouldn't care if she joined them. To them, she was invisible. Besides, she hadn't brought her bathing suit anyway. She desperately wished that their happy moment would come to an end.

Forever was starting to last...well, forever. Ramona had taken a moment to merely rest her eyes when she was awoken by the shrilly girlish squeal of Brenna. The five teens were sitting on a blue and white checkered picnic blanket, eating snacks and drinking bottles of.....alcohol? Was that alcohol in Nicole's hand? Ramona rolled her eyes. She wasn't surprised at all. In fact, she was waiting for the moment when the seemingly harmless get-together would turn into a free-for-all.

Strecthching from her slumber underneath the tall oak tree, she stood up and started to move her legs. She hadn't worked them for a couple of hours, and they were so asleep to the point where she felt as though she were paralyzed from the waist down. She made her way to the water, and started to skip some stones. Her stomach was growling, but she figured that she could resist the gang for a few more minutes.

"I'm gonna get you!!" Ramona heard Brenna shout from a couple of yards away. Nick was holding something in his hands, most likely an iphone with a purple case, and started to run full speed into the woods. Brenna, still in her bathing suit with a towel around her shoulders, swiftly followed him. Brian put down his sandwich and tried to keep up to Nick. He cupped his hands in front of him so that the boys could play keep-away. Redhead Nicole said something to her boyfriend, and then charged straight into the woods, her hands high in the air. As they ran, Ramona could barely see their silhouettes anymore. It was just her and the new kid, Luke.

Her stomach tried to get her attention again by growling. Ramona gave in, and made her way over to the blanket. The jet-black haired boy stared at her with his cold brown eyes as she approached. She gave him a polite smirk, nothing more.
She sat down, and reached her hand into a bag of doritos. As they crunched in her mouth, the boy was still staring at her. This was getting awkward pretty fast. This kid wasn't really like any of her other friends, so Ramona decided to take the initiative and break the silence.

"Hey." she softly said.
"Hey," he replied back, "what's your name again?"
"Uh..Ramona. You're Luke, right?"
"Yeah." he answered. Ramona noticed the empty bottle of beer he held in his hands. Hopefully the guy wasn't drunk.

"Nicole told me 'bout you. You're a Paterson, right?"
"Yeah." she was starting to smile...
"Oh. rich kid." ...and the smile was gone. Silence started to build up again.
"So...you and Nicole, huh?"
"Yeah....we're dating or whatever...." he said in a monotone voice. He clearly wasn't happy about it. Ramona laughed to herself.
"What's the matter?" she asked. This was her mistake.
"Well, y'know......sometimes, Nicole barely ever wants to have fun."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. She's so serious all the time. Sometimes she orders me around like i'm some sort of shitty slave. Sometimes i just can't stand her..."
Ramona noticed that he was leaning in closer to her. She started to become suspicious and a little creeped out.
"Sometimes, i just wish i had someone who was fun and just...understood me. Sometimes i wish i had a rich little blonde-haired girl who i could talk to all day...."

And that's when things got creepy. Suddenly, Luke was on top of her, kissing her roughly on the lips. The way he was doing it, she wanted to throw up. She struggled to break free, and in desperation, she grabbed his empty beer glass and tried to smash it on his head. Instead, it hit his shoulder. Their lips broke free, and from below, Ramona could see the furious glare in his insane eyes. He lifted up his fist to punch her, but she was ready to dodge the attack.

"COME ON! HIT ME! I DARE YOU!" she taunted, and with a sudden flash, she could feel her eyes glow a bright white. Time started to feel slow, and she easily dodged his attack. In a matter of seconds, she was hoisting him up into the air by his neck. That's the last thing she remembered before she woke up back over by the tree where she had slept before.

She looked around at the mess throughout the pond. Food and fishing poles were scattered everywhere. Ramona started to feel chills, something wasn't right.
"HEY, BITCH!" she heard from above. She looked up and gasped as she saw a beat up Luke tied to the top of the tree by fishing wire. She didn't pay attention to his insults and cusses, but immediately started to pack up her leather backpack and run away from the water, leaving the boy there. Thank goodness her "friends" weren't back yet to see her there. Although it would be easy to figure out who had tied up Luke, at least she wouldn't be there to see their scared and angry faces.

She ran through the path with all her might, and cringed when she heard Nicole's blood-curdling scream echo through the forest. She didn't care if this incident would give her a rough time at school, she just didn't want anyone calling the cops on her.

In a few minutes, Ramona ended up outside the pawprint. She sat on the bench, slightly exhausted, and cooled down from her 2 mile sprint. Once she could think again, she started to process exactly what on earth she had done. When Luke had attacked, it was like she had lost herself and had become overcome with rage. She didn't dare go in the cafe, for fear her brothers would question why she was back quite early. She had told her brothers she would be back much later than what it was.

"...and then I made it on time for my lecture." The young man raised an eyebrow, then after a moment nodded his head as though it made perfect sense.

"So you basically showed up to class with a piece of chicken."
"Yea that's about right."

The two laughed as they continued down the sidewalk, on their way to the local video game store to check out the new releases. This was exactly what Miles loved about university, all the free time. It was easy to dawdle with his degree declaration when money was not an issue, so the monkey sat in on random classes and ended up making a few friends, including the student he now walked with. Which reminded him..

"Sorry, what's your name....?"
"Wesley, but just call me Wes, please. Wesley is just..yeah.."
"Well then nice to meet you Wesley."
"I shouldn't have told you that, should I?"
"Why do you ask questions you know the answer to?."

Wes groaned playfully as the blue-haired boy beside him wore a mischievous smile, laughing as the charade played on. "I'm Miles." He added, just to balance it all out. As the two neared a corner, Wes reeled back suddenly, nearly knocking into the monkey if it were not for his quick reflexes. "Holy- Nearly ran into that." He remarked, looking back at the distracted boy.

"You know her?"
"Wish I didn't."

Confused, just before Wes was about to speak, Miles interrupted him. "Hey I'll meet you at the store." And with no other explanation, the boy ran after Ramona, using a slight boost of energy to compensate for a lack of athletic ability. The chase was thankfully short, and he was not exactly surprised to see where they had stopped. Pawprint. Just looking at the cafe made him reel. He always associated the place with an unpleasant sentiment, though it was merely a place where he was supposed to work. Before Ramona noticed him, Miles made the first move.

"So, what are we running from? Boys?"

Simon cursed and threw the controller down in disgust. Someone had found his camping spot. He'd killed them, of course; but it was the fact that they'd found him that infuriated the rat. Muttering to himself, he bent to pick up the controller when his phone buzzed once. A call that had been automatically sent straight to message, as he hated having his phone ring almost as much as he hated having to answer it. He glanced at the notification before the screen went to black. [1 x Missed Call: Luke Galvan]

Slipping his headset off of one ear, he grabbed the phone and with a few touches called back, where it rang once before being picked up.

"What the f*ck, dude!?" the older boy yelled, and Simon pulled the phone back from his ear.

"Yes?" he answered coyly. He knew why Luke was calling, but he wanted to hear the whole story.

"You told me your sister was chill!" Luke continued to rant. Simon had indeed told the boy that Ramona was interested, but would only respond if he proved himself to be a man. That the Paterson girl's fierce and determined nature was merely a front until someone put her in her place. Luke, insecure and mean-spirited, had eaten the words up.

"I said she would play hard to get, sure," he replied, cradling the slim smart phone awkwardly between shoulder and ear while he continued playing. "How hard, out of curiosity?" That earned him a string of curses as the boy shouted about how Ramona had beaten him and tied him in a tree with fishing line. Apparently he had red welts all over from where the thin cord pulled against his weight.

"Sorry to hear that, Luke -- you know I'd never meaningly lead you astray. Here's what you do," he added, before telling Luke how to go about 'winning over his sister.' He smiled as he ended the call. Despite not being in the perfect Paterson mold for physical appearance, Simon was reasonably good-looking, although a little gawky like any tall, thin fifteen-year-old. When he smiled, however -- as he did with his renewed joke on Ramona -- he was not attractive at all, for the smile couldn't hide the sheer malicious glee that glittered in his watery blue eyes.

"So, what are we running from? Boys?"

A familiar voice that Ramona wasn't in the mood to hear; her brother, Miles. He was always out and about, and he could literally be around any corner when you least expected it. She felt completely idiotic not checking around her before approaching the Pawprint. She probably should have ran back to the house instead of coming to the place where most of the family gathered. There was a reason why she came to the place, though. She needed to talk to someone.

Before she could talk to that person, however, she needed to get rid of her brother. She rolled her eyes, and sarcastically responded to his question. "Yup. They've been trying to catch me all day. Most of them want my autograph, while another one's trying to get a lock of my hair." She ended her statement in a snarky smile, and then rolled her eyes. She loved all her brothers and sisters, but there was something about Miles that could drive her to the point of insanity (if he tried hard enough). Sometimes she wondered if he was born to annoy her or if her parents had to bring him in. The two were alike in some ways, but they were more distant in others. There was something about their personalities that just....fell short.

She shifted to the opposite side of the bench so that she wouldn't have to stare him in the eyes. "Look, Miles," she gritted through her teeth, "I'm really not in the mood to talk right now. Why don't you go inside the cafe or go see your friends or something? I just need some time alone right now."
There was something about the last sentence that seemed disjointed to the rest of the statement. One thing Ramona hated about her personality was her inability to lie or keep secrets away from people. All lies, big or small, confused her. She felt as though they were complicated and useless. In the end, lies will always lead you to trouble. That was her philosophy. She desperately didn't want to talk about the incident with Luke, and she needed Miles to leave immediately, or else she would reveal everything.

"Well I don't blame them." He replied plainly, throwing in a bit of flattery to combat the familiar snarky tone. If there was anything that was similar between them, it would be a weakness to compliments, and Miles knew that all too well. How many times had he saved himself from Ramona's wrath with a bit of sweet talking, an ability the monkey had excelled at since the age of 3. Mom was not exactly convinced when young Miles denied his cookie theft, not with his breath smelling of chocolate, but boy could he lie with a straight face. It was easier now, he didn't have to. The tigress had always had a magnetism about her that even he could not deny. Unfortunately for his sister, capturing an energetic monkey's attention didn't exactly have its benefits.

Once she began to turn away, her words dismissive, Miles was immediately wrought with the desire to drag her attention back to him. Taking a seat beside her, he gave her a moment to clear her thoughts, with which she seemed riddled. It didn't take a genius to figure out that something was on her mind; in fact, Ramona was probably the easiest to read out of all his siblings. That, or he was simply used to her moods.

"Right, so not in the mood to talk that you made a b-line for the Pawprint?" He spoke gently, making it clear that she was convincing no one. Hopefully, she would leave her guard down if for a moment, just enough for him to sneak past. As if to make a point, Eli then emerged from the cafe and began speaking with the driver of the parked car, who Miles quickly recognized as Aiden, his boyfriend. The two were silent during the couple's conversation, but even when the coast was clear, Miles allowed for another pause to allow his sister to recompose herself. Shifting his weight forward, he placed his elbows on the knees of his black jeans, looking forward. "Ramona...what's up?"

"Right, so not in the mood to talk that you made a b-line for the Pawprint?"

Miles may have been annoying, but he wasn't stupid in the slightest. He spoke the words gently, making it clear he wasn't putting up a fight. If he was willing to be serious for a second, so was Ramona. She wasn't willing to put up a fight with anyone if they didn't strike first. This is what she had learned through her experience with kickboxing, and it was something that she thoroughly applied to her emotions, and essentially, her temper.

There were a few moments of silence between the two before Miles questioned her again.
"Ramona...what's up?" he asked. He definetely knew how to get inside her head. Showering her with what she considered to be false and sarcastic compliments never helped, but simple questions spoke the loudest to her. Simplicity meant less complication, and less complication meant calmness. She sighed, and then turned her face towards his, her blue eyes turning darker in color. She slowly and reluctantly answered his and her own questions, occasionally getting distracted by the blue streak in Miles's hair as she spoke.

"I...I don't know. It was like, one moment everything was okay and then the next...things changed in an instant. I did something, but i don't know what i did, or even how i did it. It just...happened. It was like i had no control over it or something...almost instinctal...in a way..."

She realized that every word that had come out of her mouth had a vague translation. She thought she sounded almost delusional. It felt strange to be talking to Miles like this. She wondered if she could change the subject to the traditional New Years festival, or her eighteenth birthday in approximately four days, or even the fact that Elias and his boyfriend were nearby, but she couldn't drive herself to do it. She wasn't as talented as others when it came to conversations. She had always been better at conveying actions than words. As distinctive silence filled the air again, she placed her hands on her lap, and started to brush the edge of her thumb against her nails, a nervous habit. She wasn't sure whether or not Miles was willing to question her more, but with her guard down, she was becoming a little more patient with him.

Eventually, she came around, rather literally as she turned to face him. In return, Miles merely displayed an attentive expression, careful not to give Ramona cause to retreat into her mind. Though he was naturally charming and diplomatic, the monkey was still cautious in the way he handed social situations, particularly with the tigress. It was too easy for him to say the wrong thing when it came to her, and though it was harmless (for him), his curiousity would suffer if he were to make a mistake now.

When she finished her vague recounting, Miles merely looked over her body language, gauging the best course of action. Clearly she was uncomfortable, either with divulging her secret, or simply divulging her secret to him of all people, and the presence of others certainly didn't help. His eyes traced the line of her face down to her hands, noting the nervous nail rubbing immediately. Instinctively, his fingers moved to brush hers apart, ending the habitual behaviour. Before letting his touch linger, Miles quickly pulled himself away.

"Let's get out of here." He knew it wouldn't be long before his time beyond the walls was up, and decided to use the opportunity to at least relocate. The Pawprint may be a place of comfort, but it could also be viewed as constricting, as least, to the monkey. Perhaps the best way to get some answers would be to step outside of the comfort zone so to speak. The young man then rose to his feet, watching Ramona in patient expectation, his hands safely tucked into both pockets.

Miles had been awfully attentive, which was normal for him, it was just against his natural protocol to ever listen to her. Despite giving the expression that he was understanding her, a malicious thought crossed Ramona's mind. What if he was merely sitting next to her just so he could use what she had said as blackmail? After all, the monkey was awfully clever and curious. The sociable boy probably knew the inside and outs of people like the back of his hand, herself being no exception. He was always finding new ways to be bothersome to her. Maybe she shouldve just sucked it up and tried to keep what had happened inside of her. It would have been hard, but at least she wouldnt've been taking any risks...

Suddenly, she felt his long fingers move hers apart. Miles was one to notice details, and he probably saw her bad habit before she saw it herself. He didn't move her hands blatantly, but rather moved them apart with care, as if it was almost natural for him to do so. His actions persuaded her that he was actually concerned. She looked back at him for a moment, and as soon as he withdrew, she did as well, losing her gaze on him and sliding over to the side of the bench.


"Let's get out of here." he said, rising off of the bench and placing his hands into his pockets. She nodded, and did the same after reaching for her leather backpack that was still on the bench. After slinging it over her shoulders, She turned to face him again. "Where to?" she asked, her normal tone more prominent in her speech now than before. She smirked, and said, "I wanna know where you're taking me before you get me lost somewhere."

Naturally, Miles returned a smirk of his own, turning away from Ramona as he faced forward, already on the move. "Just to some dark alleyway." He glanced over for some sort of reaction, be it the usual eye roll or scoff, before properly replying to the question, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "The park." The monkey specialized in collecting information about others, what with his frequent social interactions. Though he spends quite a bit of time away from home, Miles did know enough about his family to know that Ramona appreciated nature, and would likely feel more comfortable once she surrounded herself with it. The woods were his first choice, but it would be quite a long walk from where they were, so he settled with the nearby park. Actually, the woods were in the direction from where Ramona seemed to be running from earlier...and if he remembered correctly, Nicole, Brenna and a few of their friends, including Ramona, were suppose to be there today. Curious, the monkey filed away the observation for later.

As they walked on, the two held a comfortable silence. At least, this was true for Miles. He was talkative, sociable, but even he appreciated moments like these once in a while. The only other times he could relax and be himself like this was with Simon, who understood the meaning behind the trickery. When they neared the park, his pocket began to vibrate, the phone tapping against his concealed hand. Without pulling out the device, the monkey set it on silent, avoiding any further disturbances. If Ramona were to question who it was, Miles would simply respond with a "No one important."

Inside, he lead the two to the playground, which had long emptied out due to the darkening skies. Tucking his phone into the side pocket, he dropped his bag on to the bench before heading for the monkey bars, using a boost of energy to lift his body to the top. Sitting comfortably, the monkey looked down with a bright smile, brown eyes mischievous still. "Remember when you fell from here? You had a cast on your leg that was bigger than your head, and I had to baby sit you for a month. I think that's when you started to hate me." Well, not exactly, it was probably when young Miles filled her cast with itching powder in her sleep, resulting in an unexpected allergic reaction that nearly killed her, but he didn't need to remind her of that. "And we got along so well before that. You used to laugh at all my jokes, so hard that you'd fall over." He laughed, remembering a baby Ramona on her side, unable to get up from her sideways position due to her tubby frame. As he quieted down, Miles gracefully slipped his torso past the bars, hanging upside down by the hook of his knees, hands behind his head. Closing his eyes, he asked.

"Want to try again?"

Perhaps now that he had revealed a part of himself to her, Ramona would be better able to express herself, to trust that he would keep her secret safe.

After making another one of his sarcastic remarks, Miles replied, "The park."

As the two walked, a peaceful silence between them, the red sunset was showing signs of darkening. Dusk was swiftly approaching. For Ramona, it seemed as if time had simply flew. It was hard to believe that she had been with her friends for so long, even if she did run away in the end. It was her personal best.

When they had reached the playground, full of nostalgic memories that Miles promptly reminded her of, she couldn't help but take the sight all in. She had learned that if you don't slow down every once in a while, you might miss the beauties of life. It felt strange that only about a half hour ago, she was running for her own life. Now, she felt at peace...or at least more relaxed.

Ramona looked with attentful eyes as she watched her brother swing up and across the monkey bars. He certainly lived up to his name, or rather his spirit. Inside, Miles had been reincarnated as a monkey, similar to how she was a tiger. His special power was energy, which he sometimes used to no limits. Mostly everyone in the family was gifted. Elias had psychic powers, and Benji was always gone thanks to his super speed. Ramona never remembered having a power before; it simply didn't cross her mind. She had never really considered herself worthy in the first place. With everybody having something special about them, she could only imagine what her gift could be. That hat trick she had pulled earlier....could that burst of power be an important discovery?

Suddenly, Miles's voice brought Ramona back to earth.

"Want to try again?"

It took a moment for her to comprehend what her brother was saying. Was he being serious? Yes, he was. Miles had been serious the whole time. But then again, he was always...no. Second guessing wouldn't help. Even if he had ulterior motives, wouldn't it be better to say yes and be gullible rather than saying no and being marooned at the park at night? All of this conversation with Miles was like a race, and this question was the finish line.

She wanted to say something sarcastic, but it would take her years to think of something proper for the situation. Instead, she replied with a simple, "Sure."
The tiger gave him a half-smile, which she considered to be polite. Unsure of what to do next, she retreated to the abandoned swings. It looked as though nobody had sat on them for months. She sat down, grabbing the cold chains in her hands, and started to swing. As she gained momentum, she remembered something.

"Wait, isn't it James's birthday tomorrow?" she called. She remembered more as she spoke, "Oh shit. I think we were supposed to help with that or something. If we were, you know Alex is gonna get pissed."
She took one final swing, and let go of the chains. She flew through the air for a moment, and once gravity came into effect, she landed on the mulch. The way she landed was rather cat-like, and it felt new and unnatural to her. After a few moments of bewilderment, shock, and slight disbelief, Ramona shook it off and started to exit the playground. The sky was full of stars now, and a big bright moon was shining overhead.

"I'm headin home, Miles. You can grab your stuff and we'll go."

Curious, but not particularly patient, Miles opened his eyes to a crack, peeking through blond lashes. There was reluctance, not necessarily in her voice, but merely in the way she agreed. The two were acting out of their element, he serious, she honest (to him at least); it all felt so out of place. Had they ever spoken like this before? He was almost certain that the answer was no, and in that moment, felt oddly alone in the realization. The monkey was never without friends, but did he even have his family?

As he humored the thought, Miles watched as the chains creaked against the bar, metal on metal, the pale silhouette of Ramona's body as she swung, her hair streaming across the darkening background. He watched with silent appreciation, enjoying the tranquility of the moment, at least, until he felt the blood rush to his head. The monkey took one last look at the picturesque scene before pulling himself up, legs dangling from the bars as he sat. Miles found himself glancing over either way, just to see if there was anything left for him, but the moment had passed.

Ramona spoke, but not to him. An annoying, sinking feeling rushed to his head, though it might as well been the blood flow again. He was somewhat disappointed, after all, all his prodding and poking did not bear fruit, but this wasn't exactly uncommon. Miles was a talker sure, a charmer, but nothing like James. What he would do with his brother's gift....especially since he didn't seem to even use it. A waste, in his opinion. Even so, that wasn't all he felt, and if it wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, he might have pursued the thought.

"I don't think Alex has any other emotion besides pissed and worried." He quipped, a small smile on his lips. Setting himself on the playground sand, Miles headed toward their things, noting a rather high jump in the corner of his eye. He turned to see Ramona in a state of disbelief, her eyes reflecting only indifference; his own.

"Jeez, what are they feeding you."

Miles grabbed his phone from the side of his bag, noting a few text messages and one missed call, probably from Alex. As he unlocked the screen, a free hand weaved through the strap, slinging the bag on. The two then walked on, Ramona leading, as it was difficult to move at her speed when multitasking.

[Wesley (SC): where are you? leaving soon.]
[Wesley (SC): left. see you monday.]
[Me: sorry! couldn't reply till now. make it up to you monday.]

Wesley wasn't exactly one to hold grudges, but Miles avoided disappointing others when he could. And when he had to, well, the monkey didn't exactly shed tears over it.

[Nicole Janice: ur sis is crazy! she beat up luke!!!]

Well, this was interesting. It certainly served good reason to have connections.

[Me: wtf?]
[Nicole Janice: that bitch was hittin on him and he rejected her, so she tied him up in a tree!]
[Me: sh*t. how bad is it?]

His eyes brightened once the image loaded, lightly scoffing at Luke's buffoonery. Nicole and Luke were dating, last he heard, so he supposed that much was true. But Ramona, interested in him? Hilarious. If anything, the moron probably attacked her and got his ass handed to him, naturally. Even so, Luke wasn't that brave, after all, he couldn't even stand up to Nicole. There had to be outside influence, and usually, that meant only one person.

[Me: nice.]

With the text, Miles attached the picture of Luke hanging from the tree, red welts and darkening bruises, to Simon. Not surprisingly, once he finished going his messages and moved on to Facebook and Twitter, Luke's image had already been uploaded. Expectedly, to defend her pride, Nicole began slut-shaming Ramona, diverting the attention from her pathetic boyfriend. Miles ignored the posts, staying far away from them. His audience was university now, high school drama didn't benefit him in any way.

Tucking his phone back in his pocket, he caught up to Ramona, suggesting that they quickly stop by the general store to grab a few things, if only to appease Alex. Shortly after, they had arrived home, after hiking up path known as their driveway. Dropping his bag at the door, Miles headed straight for the kitchen to unload the small bag of supplies.

It seemed like every Paterson had decided to pour into the house at once. This was the kind of unpredictability that drove Alex up the wall. He could spend all day alone at the house, expecting somebody to come home if even just for a few minutes, and nothing. Next minute, when he's caught off guard because he has to wipe blood off his brother, everybody decides to show up.

Well, he didn't have to wipe the blood off his brother... Kenneth was an adult and more than capable of taking care of himself. It was just Alex's intrusive, control-freak nature that prompted him to do it.

"HOLY SHIT! KENNY MURDERED SOMEONE!"

There was no mistaking that enthusiasm-laced voice; Benji was home.

"Don't be silly, Benjamin. He just has a bloody nose." Alex continued to wipe, glaring the rabbit up and down. The rabbit was one of Alex's least favorite brothers... he was the epitome of everything Alex couldn't tolerate in a person. Inconsistent, forgetful, irresponsible, childish, changeable without warning the commanding Paterson thought to himself. "Listen Benjamin, now that you're home, grab a broom and get dusting. Mom and dad will be ho-"

"AT 7 IN THE MORNING, WE KNOW." Eli interjected before he could even finish. It wasn't the Sheep's nature to be snippy although he definitely could when the mood struck him, and in Eli's case, after all the stress he'd been through today, he really wasn't in any mood to conceal his frustration with his family.

Alex was multitasking, continuing to clean blood off Kenny while scanning the room for other chores that needed to be done, and making note of each of his brothers and sisters as they were walking in the door. He saw Char digging through the fridge. "Char? What on earth are you doing? We are trying to CLEAN here.... NOT make more messes. You've been out all day, you didn't think to get any food?" Alex was losing his patience. He wasn't the type to explode in a fit of rage; that wasn't his style. But something familiar was occurring... flashes of bright blue were beginning to swirl through the rooster's stormy irises. He was willing to give his siblings a chance to cooperate by their own will before he'd go all "supernatural" on them, but he didn't like how pressed for time they were quickly becoming.

For the Patersons, New Years occurred in February as opposed to the regular January date for the rest of the country. They weren't Chinese in this life, but they had been in their original lives, and that meant that the tradition carried over. As such, it was a pretty big deal for the family and even though the others were not taking it very seriously at this point, he knew that they all cared just as much about it as Alex did.

"Char: Get the party tables out of the garage, set up one in the kitchen, one on the patio and two in the back yard. Mia can help you. Mia, make sure you get the festival tablecloths and set them.

Kenny: Go upstairs and change.. then when you come back down, you can start rolling eggrolls and putting them in the fridge.

Eli: When you and Aiden are done hanging paper lanterns, I need you to start on the mooncakes. You're the only one who can bake them.

Ramona: You're on lights duty. Hang strands wherever you think they would look good; I trust your judgment.

Miles: ...........Why don't you just.. go entertain yourself in your room for the next 12 hours or something."

Alex stood watch to make sure every order had been properly received as glittering swirls of cerulean still danced through his eyes, threatening at any moment to eliminate the existence of free-will in the Paterson household and turn the family into a robotic army of cleaning mind-slaves.

Having been alone with Ramona for the afternoon, Miles was pleased to see a full house as he entered the kitchen. Before Char headed for the kitchen, she had given him one of her quick grins to which he mirrored. If there was anyone he was related to, it would be the restless horse. Whenever it wasn't Mia, Miles was the one being dragged around, and unlike the lazy pig, the monkey did not tire so quickly. He found her entertaining to say the least, but in moderation.

Behind him, another raced for the kitchen, and by the loud exclamation that followed, it was obvious the rabbit had returned. Miles had always felt rather indifferent to Benji, as they were never really all that close. Perhaps the guy was just too nice sometimes, much like Eli; those types tend to bore the fickle monkey. As he walked past the crowd, he too noticed the blood on Kenneth's shirt, but didn't bother stopping on his way to the counter. Whatever happened, he was sure Alex was already on it. Emptying the plastic bag, Miles pulled out a few paper decorations (it was always a pain to find the old ones), a lighter, firecrackers and eggs, as he preferred his mooncake with an egg center. The square paper decorations included ones with the Chinese character for "luck" and "snake", and the rectangular strips were various wishes for the new year, such as "Happy New Year". Though they had Kenneth around, it was more precise to just use a lighter, and so Miles had grabbed one as well. Quickly, he organized his things so that everything was still in order, making sure that lord Alex would have nothing to complain about.

During this time, the monkey had been ignoring everyone. He loved entertaining sure, but there was a time and place, and right now, he didn't want to draw attention to himself. Apparently, this and the supplies he brought seemed to work, for the rooster had left him with no duties. Pleased, Miles easily hid his satisfaction as he exited the kitchen.

Simon looked at the text Miles had sent him, and pleasure and anxiety warred within him. He was glad that his machinations were succeeding -- first with Ramona, then soon with James he was sure -- but it alarmed the secretive rat that one of his siblings had sensed his hand. Still, of all of the Patersons to discover -- or at least suspect -- his activity, it was best that it had been the monkey. Sure, Miles seemed to many to be the friendly life of the party, almost a mirror image of Sean, but where the dog was genuinely carefree and guileless, the monkey had a sinister streak hiding behind his roguish grins. Simon was fairly sure that Miles wouldn't spoil his efforts prematurely -- the curious monkey liked to understand puzzles first before he smashed them.

Slipping his phone into his pocket, Simon stood from his chair and moved to the door. He heard all of the activity down below, and although he truly felt uncomfortable in any situation like this -- a lot of activity, conversations, group interactions -- he knew how important the New Year preparations were, and knew that he had to help. Still, it took him a moment to steel himself before opening his door, like any mouse about to venture out into the open.

"Hey guys," he muttered in his quiet way, out of the side of his mouth without making eye contact. He wore slim-fitting black Levis and a zipped-up gray hoodie that covered his plain tee, a yellow that had faded from sunshine to straw. With the hood down his lank brown hair stood in stark contrast to the familiar Paterson blonde rainbow.

"How can I help?" he asked Alex, knowing it was best to assert your willingness before the rooster commanded it from you. More than anything the rat wanted to simply be back in his room, but with the choice between some simple chores and getting an earful from his pushy older brother, Simon would take the former. Still, if Alex wanted any real productivity he'd have to do a little encouragement, as Simon moved like any ennui-ridden teen.

Kenneth simply stared at Alex as his older brother went on a tirade. "KENNETH!!!! Finally someone is home. Where the heck has everyone been all day? Why does nobody care about tomorrow? Why am I the one to do all the chores?? I really need the others, do you know where they are? Oh god look at the time, Kenny have you SEEN THE TIME???" Alex ranted. Kenneth felt his eyes glaze over a little. He had expected this, for it was one of Alex's usual reactions to such a situation. "KENNETH!" Alex exclaimed, stepping back a few steps and startling the Dragon out of his fog. "IS THAT BLOOD? WHAT HAPPENED.."

Kenneth started to explain when Alex attacked him with a washcloth and peroxide. "Where is this coming from?? I don't even see a wound.." After some more scrubbing Alex finally seemed to settle down some. "Oh.... How did you manage this? Nevermind. Listen I really need you guys down here helping me, the house is an absolute mess."

Kenneth nodded. Eli and Aiden came in and the Sheep voiced his opinion that the house was not a mess. This temped Kenneth to laugh but he didn't want to chance aggravating the Rooster even more than he already was.

"HOLY SHIT! KENNY MURDERED SOMEONE!" a loud voice screamed. Kenneth looked over and saw Benji, who had an expression of horror on his face. Kenneth couldn't help but laugh this time. Do I really look that bad? Alex, still wiping Kenneth down, explained and repeated his mantra about cleaning and mom and dad coming home. Everyone was home now it seemed so the Rooster dished out orders, his eyes turning a threatening blue.

"Yes, sir," Kenneth said to his older brother when he received his duties. He hurried off to his room and quickly changed clothes, throwing the bloody ones in a laundry hamper. After putting on a t-shirt and sweat pants he hurried back downstairs to roll the eggrolls. Why didn't Mom and Dad give us some more time to prepare? Or did they just tell Alex and he didn't tell everyone else until now? Kenneth didn't suspect the latter was the case. If Alex had known ahead of time then they would have been working far ahead of time to keep everything in constant pristine shape.

Kenneth yawned tiredly. It was late out and he wanted to get some sleep so he could function in front of his parents. I just have to finish these egg roles and then I'll be done. Hopefully there won't be much else Alex'll want me to do. He had gotten up early in the morning since he was jolted from sleep from a nightmare of being chased. Since then he had been out in about, working at the Pawprint, going for a walk in the woods, archery, then coming home. It had been a busy day and now he wanted to sleep.

When he was done with the egg rolls he put them in the fridge. Thinking of his stomach he pulled out an apple and ate it, careful to put the core in the garbage can. Finished with that Kenneth found Alex. "Is there anything else you want me to do?" he asked, smothering a yawn with a heroic effort.

The walk home with Miles went by in a blur. Ramona was enjoying the walk home, but not as much as she was the walk to the playground. Miles wasn't talking much, like his usual self. Instead, he was glued to his phone. Ramona shrugged it off, knowing that her brother was an extremely sociable person. He was probably texting his friends or something. Although, every time she looked back at him to make sure he was catching up, he had a concerned expression on his face. Was he okay? Ramona started to feel a little bit worried, but she decided not to get into his privacy.

After stopping by at a general store to pick up a few things, the two finally made it back to the house. As Miles headed to the kitchen to put things away and do whatever he was doing, she looked around. She only saw that Alex, Elias, and Kenneth were the only ones home at the moment. Since Alex wasn't noticing her, she decided to quickly retreat up to her room. She had to write something down.

She made her way up the staircase, into her forest green-colored room. Her room wasn't anything special. It was that of the usual teenage girl. She quickly grabbed a notepad from one of the wooden cubbies where she kept books. With a ball-point pen, she started to write down a couple of things...

Anger and irritation
No control
No memory of situation
Time moves slow
Strength

She tapped her pen against the yellow paper, trying to remember if there were any more things that she felt during the Luke situation. She thought it best to write these things down now, and then add more later. Then, she could keep track of whether or not beating up Luke was a power, a dream, or if she was going insane.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice from downstairs.
"HOLY SHIT! KENNY MURDERED SOMEONE!"

She silently chuckled to herself, knowing that it was Benji. Benji wasn't always home, as he was usually eating out somewhere on a different continent. He was definetely an odd but interesting fellow. Since she was done writing, she dropped her notepad, and exited her room. She quickly hurried down the stairs, noticing that Char and Mia, her two sisters, were home as well. As Alex spitted out orders to everyone, Ramona watch the situation unfold from the middle of the stairs.

"Char: Get the party tables out of the garage, set up one in the kitchen, one on the patio and two in the back yard. Mia can help you. Mia, make sure you get the festival tablecloths and set them.

Kenny: Go upstairs and change.. then when you come back down, you can start rolling eggrolls and putting them in the fridge.

Eli: When you and Aiden are done hanging paper lanterns, I need you to start on the mooncakes. You're the only one who can bake them.

Ramona: You're on lights duty. Hang strands wherever you think they would look good; I trust your judgment.

Miles: ...........Why don't you just.. go entertain yourself in your room for the next 12 hours or something."

Ramona had to keep from laughing at the last part of Alex's statement. Once everybody started to go their seperate ways, Ramona headed down towards the garage to get the lights. She flicked on the lights, and headed down. She stood near the entrance, knowing her sisters would be coming down as well. Besides, she had to talk to Char. Although the two sisters were different, the popular horse was good at giving her advice in the things she knew nothing about.

Char froze when Alex started yelling at her. His tirades were fairly common, but it was not worth pushing him at this time of night. Slowly, she closed the fridge door. She'd just have to wait till he left the room then. Otherwise she wouldn't be held responsible for any of her hunger-induced actions.

The tables were an easy enough thing. It'd take only a few minutes to pull them out and by that time the kitchen had to be cleared. Oh god, she was hungry. She'd kill Alex right now if she weren't so hungry.

Turning to Mia, she frowned. Her friend was too tired to help, it seemed, her posture slightly hunched over as she stood there. Seeing Miles loafing around as the others scurried about, she grinned and grabbed him by the arm. "Hey, wanna help with the table?"

She always liked the Monkey, he was a fun brother to have and one of the few people who could keep up with her. And be enthusiastic about it.

Mia stared at the pair, a deep set frown on her face. "I'm sure you have something better to do."

"It's just for a little while, Mia," Char responded, rolling her eyes as she let go of his arm. "You don't have to fight every time you meet."

"I'm not fighting." There was a small pout on her friend's face. "Just seeing if Miles has anything else to do."

"She's provoking you, right Miles?" Char turned to her brother, grinning as she teased Mia. In the corner of her eye, she could see Ramona leaving the room, headed for the garage as well.