Hutye

Nickolas sat up from his warm bed and let out a happy sigh before looking out the window. It was as appears Summer in this region of town today which was a good sign that his turn here was tomorrow. He jumped out of his bed and snapped his fingers, half awake. The clothes he had flew from his drawer and onto his body clothing him in seconds. He went to the bathroom and started his routine of brushing his teeth and waking himself up with a bit of cold water before exiting alert and happy.

His eyes landed on the jacket in the corner and he hastily put on the maroon cloth then grabbed his Lyre and Whisp who squeaked then happily jumped down into Nick's pocket snug and warm. The lyre in Nickolas's hand could morph into and string instrument as they were made for just as his brothers had their own in the version as their own instruments.

He made his way past the receptionist, a sweet old lady but not too bright about her occupants. He had read 'The Landlady' one too many times and was sure not to drink any tea from the woman. He ignored his own precautions before heading outside into the warm air, as the sun rose gently.

He made his was through the town, who was starting to wake up as he made his way to the woods which was in his own fall form today so he could play in peace. He thought about a party that had been mentioned earlier by Mr. Turner later today. Nickolas thought of going and probably would considering most humans were at their best when socializing.

Naeco opened his eyes slowly, before screwing his eyes shut. Dammit, why was it so bright?! Again, he opened his eyes, slowly adjusting to the bright sunny day. It was a great day, definitely one that Mikhail would've been proud of. Clear, blue sky and bright, bright Mother shining down upon them. It was by then he realized...

"...I fell asleep." he murmured to himself. Indeed, he fell asleep last night by the clear blue lake. And he didn't mind, the sound of water lapping over the river bank as well as the ripples were soothing and calming for Naeco. He peered at his chest, noticing the familiar white coat and black spots.

"Vanilla. Up."

Almost instantaneously, the Savannah kitten reacted and pounced playfully upon his face. Before Vanilla could complete the pounce, her owner had already caught her in mid pounce. Mewls ensued and a ghost of a smile was playing on the edge of Naeco's lips. But his face held firm before he set the kitten aside and sat up, brushing off most of the grass that had gotten onto his jacket.

If one were to look at the teen right now, they would be astonished to find that he had dressed in the most... inefficient way for a hot summer day like this. Thick leather jacket, a pair of boots, a pair of cargo pants and had a winter scarf wrapped around his neck. He should've been sweating, but no. By some weird miracle, he wasn't. In fact, Naeco actually felt cold, as he pulled the winter scarf higher up to his nose.

"...I'd like a swim soon..."

His arms tossed wide open as Mikhail and his yellow canary friend, Lou, greeted the world with a bright smile and sparkled eyes as the sun touched his skin and he pretty much absorbed all the energy coming from the hot orb above him. The feeling of warmth caressed his light skin as he closed his eyes and inhaled so deeply before parting his lips and blew out all the air that went into his human body. There were people who gawked at him as he stood by the pathway, and they thought of him as strange whenever he went out every morning to greet the people. He loved the social interaction and the attention that was given to him despite the fact that some of those looks were horrible and judgmental, nonetheless, he had done the same.

"Oh Lou, the day is very beautiful. I just love it when it's like this," Mikhail grinned as the bird chirped in response. The man then tucked his hands into his pocket and began to take one step at a time through the crowd of people that had rushed towards wherever they wanted to go. He loved it when he saw different faces, and he would appreciate the beauty of those who were fortunate to have such natural grace, though he would openly ridicule those with thickness on their faces. Mikhail cringed at the sight of one woman who had crossed the road and headed towards him, and he quickly swerved to the side to get out of her path and let out a sigh once she reached the other side. "Lou, that was horrible," He complained as he went on further into town.

All the while, at the back of his mind, he wondered what his Brothers were up to on such a lovely day.

School was out and there 3 month vacation had started. Lacey woke up and the sun was shining right into her window and directly on her face. She growled a little angry that her dad didn't take her to the spring region yesterday. She got out of bed and went to the bathroom to get ready for her day. As that was happening her phone was ringing off the hook. They were her friends and some guys she knew. Some wanted to hang out and others were asking her to go to some party in the winter region. Of course she declined the party thing in the winter region. She hated winter. She was always cursing the earth for making winter. But she gave praise for the spring. She walked out of the bathroom with a bright smiled and pep to her step. She was wearing a plain pink shirt and a plaid pink skirt. She skipped down the stairs to be greeted by her father.

"Hi daddy." He was reading the newspaper and when he saw her he put it down. "Hello Lacey. Are you all packed?" She grabbed an apple and sat on the table across from him. "Of course. I have been ready for weeks now." She had packed two weeks ago and has been double checking everything every day since then. She never knew when her father was just going to take her. She bit into the apple as her father continued to read the newspaper in front of him. Her phone buzzed again only this time it was her best friend, Maya. She picked up the phone and left the room to go and talk to her.

"Hey Maya.'
"Hey Lace. Are you still going to the spring region for you vacation?"
"Of course! Gotta go My dad called me." Lacey hung up the phone and ran upstairs to go grab her bags. "Lacey. Let's go! I'll be in the car." She ran down stairs ready to start her very interesting school break in the spring region.

"Hey! Wake up!", she heard, followed by her body moving side to side, as Perry forced her eyes to open. When she had, she saw her brother over her, with one hand on her arm and the other on her leg, rocking her forward and backward. "I'm getting up, okay..sorry". Even round his own brother, she was nervous. Though who could blame her, Rex was someone to fear, and you'd have to be someone close to his heart, or think and act alike to pass onto his good side. Even being his sister wasn't enough, as she was more of an interference when he was the one ruling the House. Rex wasn't so bad at times, since he had no choice but to defend her if she was in trouble, to avoid getting told off my their parents. It was the only reason really, or it was simply the reason that Perry could actually see, since Rex wasn't always kind to her, and was always pushing her out the way.

"Good, as I have plans to make, so you go do whatever you do cos my mates are coming round, and the last thing they want is you getting in their way. Just do what you like", thrusting a £20 note into her hand before walking off out. Anything for a quiet life. The £20 was indeed nice, but of course, it was money Rex could afford to give away with him being in a band and all, and he gets quite a high percentage from the profit made, not to mention other work he gets into to ensure he is well off. Of course, to them he's a Mr.Goody Two Shoes, but they should totally see him at home.

Perry didn't mind going out. Infact, in a way, she preferred it. Inside it was all too warm. Course it was good for doing her work, but with such a hot day out there, roasting inside, she had to get out! With school out, Perry immediately got on her light pink top and red skirt, ready to embrace the holidays. With her, she had her violin case, where the violin was her sole companion that had been with her through thick and thin. Yes it was an inanimate object, but only if the violin could speak...which is exactly what her job was when she played, putting the words in the violin's mouth, metaphorically speaking.

It sure was nice to feel the heat, but sometimes it was too hot, and when she wanted to run away, she didn't have the energy too. Same with when it was cold, she'd be wrapping up warm, but she couldn't run so fast. She loved the warm day with a cool breeze hitting her face, which is why she often left the back of her house and went up to the hill that was on the outskirts of the woods and looked down to the town. It was her favourite place!

With her hair combed and tidy after combing it infront of the mirror, and her teeth clean, she picked up the case, aswell as a basket, in which she put in some food and drink, before leaving the house out the back, heading for the hill. She wasn't sure how long she'd be out for, but she had to be out her brothers' way, and with no school, she had to amuse herself in one way. The best way, was doing what she was good at, which was playing the violin.

When she reached the top of the hill, she took out the rug and laid infront of the tree, then positioned a pillow on the trunk, before sitting back against it. Looking around, it sure was a beauty sight, and what better to add to a beautiful sight, was beautiful music, as she placed the base of the violin near her neck, her left hand holding the violin neck, whilst her right hand held the stick. Her eyes closed as she pondered what music to play, before having a song in mind and begun to play, her eyes till closed as she gently stroked the strings with the stick, moving up and down as a gentle sound was heard, as a gentle breeze brushed against her face.

“BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!” Click. Sara woke suddenly with the blaring of her alarm, though never truly rose yet. Her hand shot out instinctively to smack the snooze button, the movement a natural reaction developed over so many years. As the girl lay there, a few moments passed as she rolled over, rubbed her eyes, stretched and finally sat up. It was about now that she remembered the fact that she was on a three month vacation, an wished that she’d remember to change the settings on her alarm clock so she wouldn’t have to start so early.

The girl looked around her room through still sleepy eyes. It was an average size room, with the head of her bed pressed against the back wall, overlooked by a window. To the right of the room, situated in the corner was a table with a computer on it and a few books, the shelf itself was just to the right of that again, and her guitar stood on its stand in the right corner closest to the door. A large sliding door was inset on the left side of the room, leading into a large closet. This was the girl’s destination as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and finally stood.

The girl’s steps weren’t soft yet they weren’t loud as she paced across the short distance from her bed to the closet. Opening it, she took just a moment to gather a change of clothes. It was simple, and took her no time before she had shed her pajamas and was now clad in a plain black t-shirt and dark blue jeans. She turned now, her eyes scanning across her room before her gaze fell onto her guitar. There was a note on it that reminded her of a party she was to play at in the winter region, an offer from some strange man who’d stumbled upon her in the woods. She had almost beaten the life out of him when she had seen him playing her guitar. Only after he’d gathered her attention with his invitation did her anger subside, a series of questions following soon after.

"Why the fuck should I care about some party?" Sara had threatened with an air of suspicion.

"Well think about it as you getting paid to play the music you love." the guy responded.

"Do I have to play with others? How much will I get paid?”

"No you can be a solo player, and if I believe its $500 if you’re good, and about $1000 if you’re voted the best player."

"Well you might see me there, but why would you fucking vote on who’s the best?"

"I really hope you can make it and it’s more of a bet between the other performers that they do every year. Truly like tradition between friends."

Sara contemplated this now, still eying the man carefully and doing nothing to hide how she truly felt inside. She quickly started packing up her stuff before finally saying, "Don't expect me to be nice to anyone."

"That’s alright,” chuckled the man, “Just don't go getting into fist fights."

"I'm not promising a fucking thing." she answered coldly as she started to walk away.

Sara ran the previous events through her mind as she stared blankly at the guitar. She sort of wished she hadn’t been so nice to the guy, but what was done is done. She knew she could use some money to buy new strings, as hers were old and worn, and then whatever else she felt like purchasing. Finally the girl picked up her guitar, quickly tuned it and ran her fingers over the strings, playing a simple melody before placing the instrument on its stand and proceeding to her desk.

Opening a drawer Sara pulled out her mp3 player, a small handheld mirror, and a container that harbored her contact lenses. It took her just a few seconds before she had the lenses in, and looking into the mirror, the girl noted that they made her eye color darker than normal. She shrugged and quickly stuffed the mirror and lenses case back in the drawer.

At the window Sara tugged on the cord that controlled the blinds. She was half hoping the weather to be cloudy and cool, but to her despair she found herself looking out at a sunny and warm day. “Fuck,” she said quietly to herself. “That weather report said it would be nice and gloomy… Bastards always get it wrong.”

The girl sighed and turned to her guitar. Quickly she busied herself with packing it away in its large black carrying case, and then continued to place her mp3 and track phone in her pocket. Unlocking and unbolting the door, Sara quickly stepped out, grabbing the portable amp and microphone at the last minute before awkwardly trying to hold it all and use her keys to ensure the door was locked on the way out. Glancing around for a moment, the fact that the house was quiet meant that her mother was off to work and her dad had either gone to an interview, the bar, or the store to procure more drinks. A note reading, “Dinner is in the fridge” reinforced the point.

The girl set down the things she carried on the table and ignored the bowl which held what was to be dinner. She then proceeded to pick out the lettuce, some ham and finally cheese before grabbing the bread from the pantry. With this, she made a sandwich, wrapped it quickly and stuffed it in a brown paper bag. At the last minute she quickly returned to her room for her wallet, then collected all of her materials and went outside.

Kathrine woke up angry from yesterdays argument with her dad. "Ugh, its so bright i cant stand it." She groaned as she wobbled to her bathroom. If you were wondering the argument they had was about how she was being sent to the summer region until school started again. This totally made her flip out and scream all day until she knew she wasn't going to go to the winter region. She exited her bathroom refreshed but her hair was still wild looking. Immediately she grabbed her hair brush and brushed her hair gently making sure to get all the knots out. Once finished she grabbed a pair of light blue jeans and a black t-shirt. She loved the color blue and black the day she laid her eyes on it. They seemed to match winter perfectly in her opinion. She went downstairs slowly trying not to make a single sound but the twins opened the door and tackled her with kisses. Where you going sis! Tommy screamed as she pushed him off her. Yea where you going?! Suzi screamed along. Katherine rolled her eyes and pushed her off her too. "None of your business, now go back to bed." They whined and shook their heads. So much for convincing 7 year olds.

Kathrine shifted and stood up and walked the rest of the way downstairs with the twins tagging along. Her father was surprisingly still asleep on the couch after all the twins screaming. She rolled her eyes again and went into the kitchen and put bread in the toaster and got three bowls out. One for Katherine, one for Tommy, one for Suzi. She buttered the toast and handed it to the twins and they munched on it happily. She poured Cinnamon Toast Crunch into their bowls and added milk and prayed they weren't going to get super hyper once they finished. She handed it to them cautiously and they grew wide eyed at the little piece of heaven they were looking at. They grabbed it, sat down, and started to eat their breakfast. She sat down across of them and thought to herself. "Where was i going to go?" It had just occurred to her that she wasn't sure where she was going to go. She stared at the twins who were now downing their milk. "Weird...." She mumbled and took another bite of her cereal.

Nickolas made it to the woods and listened intently hoping to hear a few birds but only heard the sound of strings. He smiled and listened and he rode the wind up to the top of the hill out of the girl atop the hill resting by a tree. She was beautiful and had a beautiful instrument to match. She played with such dexterity and perfection Nick was stunned even though he played the instrument perfectly he was jealous, in a good way.

He brought up the courage and decide he knew what to play as he changed his lyre into a viola which was somewhat deeper than the girl's but still just as good. He reached into his pocket and grabbed Wisp who turned into a dazzling bow with a silkily looking string but was only the essence of his pet.

He waited till her song was over then he put the instrument to his chin and moved the bow over in three quick motions which sounded unique to any sound ever played by strings yet Nick used it most days. It sounded of the call of a mockingbird which summoned several small birds to flock to the tree after Nick played his three notes. He then looked at the girl and gave her a big smile. He spoke, his voice of a southern accent as if he was straight from Alabama which he had always wanted to visit. "You're beautiful, you're music I mean, I uh." he was alot more nervous than he thought he would be but he tried to work through it because he truly wanted to talk to this girl and possibly play a piece together. "I mean uh? Okay I'm no good at first impressions." he blushed. "I'm Nickolas and you are" he said offering up his hand.

When she was in her little space, her own little world, she didn't need to worry about anything. No worrying about school, or home, or her parents that were away. Even though Rex wasn't so kind to her, she still worried about him, though sometimes she wondered if she was worried about him personally or worried what he may do to her or himself if she messed things up. Up on the hill, she was truly free, no one to mutter behind her back, no-one to shut it up, she was her own boss to do as she pleases. She didn't mind the tutor, but then sometimes he stopped her. Sometimes the best way to learn was to just go with the flow and correct her own mistakes and work in that way.

With no-one rushing her, she took her time, as she gently played with the stick gently going this way and that, while her ear listening to the music, altering the destination of the stick so the right sound came out. Perry was pleased with how it sounded, and soon the song came to an end, as she laid the violin down in the case, only to hear another sound being played, that sounded like the violin. It couldn't be one of those supernatural thingy-majigs where inanimate objects are actually real. No. Perry was not a fan of science-fiction, it was all technology, all metal, little colour, little love, little flowers, little beauty like the sight before her.

Looking around, she spotted a young man with auburn hair which came to a shock to her, as she thought she'd be alone. This was her own space, and soon it became all crowded, as not only was there the young man, but also several birds that flew and nested in the tree above. She didn't mind them flying about and fluttering, though what bugged her was when they excreted, so she was hoping such an occurance would not happen. Instead, turning her attention to the young man as his face came more into view, and she couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked. "Cool it Perry", she told herself.

"You're beautiful, you're music I mean, I uh", as the young man paused in his speech. Though he wasn't the only one that stopped as Perry blushed, putting her head down as not to embrass herself. "I mean uh? Okay I'm not good at first impressions....I'm Nickolas and you are", as Perry saw his hand lowered in the corner of her eye. If he merely wished to say hello, he would of done so and left, but it seemed that this guy going to stick around, and one that didn't scorn her for her work like all the others. Why couldn't everyone else be as considerate, and....honest, as her eyes looked up and saw him blushing too which made her smile, since she wasn't the only one.

"Perry", she answered, as she debated whether to take his hand or not, before going for it and taking a gamble. Afterall, it did seem he was genuine, as she took his warm hand with a smile and stood up, dusting her skirt with her free hand so she looked decent. Once she was standing, she then continued, "Perry Turner...I....don't believe we've met....ummmm", looking around before her eyes settled on his viola since he looked ever so charming, "I see you play the strings too", attempting to make conversation. She had tried before, but always got cut out. There was many escape routes if she messed it up or the guy didn't seem as genuine as she thought.

"Perry,Perry Turner...I....don't believe we've met....ummmm" Nickolas smiled at the girl. She seemed somewhat nervous but that really didn't bother him since he was kinda nervous himself. "Perry, weird name you dont hear it often. I like it." he said giving off a large grin. He thought for a moment then snapped his fingers. "Turner, your brother's having a party tonight isn't he? " he asked giving her a small grin before leaning on the tree.

" I see you play the strings too." Nickolas nodded. "Yup any instrument that has strings I can play. Harp, Lyre, Violin, Guitar, Cello, even some Pianos, I think you get it." he said then slid the bow in his pocket and pulled Wisp back out changed back into his white rodent form, plump and tired. "So... I'm guessing you've had the violin for a good bit of time. It looks a bit aged but well kept almost like a child." he then stopped himself. "Sorry, no offense sometimes I just can't shut up like this time when me and my brothers were picking out what to do.." he clasped his hands over his mouth. "Sorry." he stood there silently looking at the Viola and as she looked away he swapped it to a Lyre again in three seconds the only sign of it changing was the wind picking up.

"So Ms.Turner tell me a bit about yourself, I've been a bit of a chatterbox so I feel kinda guilty." he smiled and let out a little chuckle and plucked the strings of the lyre making the sound of rain hitting a leaf.

Perry tends to get nervous quite a bit, but when she is not being so tense and working, she works well, providing she is not disturbed. The thing was, she detested trying her best then suddenly her self-esteem just disappears when she makes a little mistake and everyone takes the micky. In order to avoid making mistakes and making herself look stupid, she either amuses herself if she was able to, or keep her attention moving, which was why her eyes wandered about her rather than staying on Nickolas. She hoped that her movements would not make it seem like he was ignoring him as she weren't, as it was more her coping mechinism than anything else.

"Perry, weird name you don't hear it often. I like it", he stated which made her give a soft thin smile, though she wasn't sure if the large grin on his face was mocking her or was simply delight. Sometimes she just assumed the worst since she was used to it, before he then brought up her brother. "Oh, brother", she told herself, as he asked, "your brother's having a party tonight isn't he?". Perry responded with a simple nod. Course, she wasn't invited, and was too uncool to be at Rex's gangbang. Perry didn't mind, she didn't like it anyway, and besides, none of her friends were invited, so if she was there, she'd have no one to be with, except be at the mercy of her brother, his friends and the older kids, all of which could take the micky out of her. How could the sound of her violin pass through the bass and all that rock rubbish music. She sure was passionate about the things she loved.

Nickolas then listed the instruments he can play before stepping back a little as her eyes were alerted to a white rodent he had in his pocket. Who carries pets around like that? She herself wished to have a pet, maybe a puppy who would grow into a strong dog and keep all the bad guys away from her. Course, Rex wasn't going to go out of his way to make her happy. No, that was too much. "So...I'm guessing you've had the violin for a good bit of time. It looks a bit aged but well kept almost like a child...Sorry, no offense sometimes I just can't shut up like this when me and my brothers were picking out what to do...Sorry".

Perry couldn't help but giggle while she too covered her mouth, before he asked, "So Ms. Turner tell me a bit about yourself, I've been a bit of a chatterbox so I feel kinda guilty", accompanied with the sound of his lyre which sounded divine. He really did know how to play from how well the strings sounded. "Wake up Perry", before she then responded, "Please, call me Perry. You'll sound like my teacher otherwise", she began. She didn't mind people using her name, but what she didn't like was people taking the mick of it, then twisting her name and calling her other stuff.

She offered up a smile, before continuing on, looking down to her violin, "This was given to me by my poppa, who got it from his, so it's been passed down. I just love the sound it makes. My brother disagrees, he sees it as old junk and would be one to sell it at auction if he got his hands on it, but it won't, it's my baby now". Suddenly going all red and immediately turned around to hide it. When those around took the micky out of her, she always had her violin to be with, and the closest thing she had, something she couldn't really explain and this guy couldn't understand, no matter how kind and genuine he seemed to be. He could always be adopting a different approach, getting on her good side, lifting her up, then she finds herself falling from a mountain.

Wishing to shift the attention back to him, seeing that he seemed more confident than her, she then asked, "How did you get into playing the strings?". He had said how sometimes he couldn't shut up, but actually having someone to talk to, and having someone speak to her and not leave her like what tended to happen, it was something, comforting maybe, showing she was not a complete outcast....