April Hood's Story

It's my birthday today ...

It was cold outside, the fresh scent of new-fallen snow crisp in the air. The sharp snap of cold had been quick and a bit unwelcome, but recognizable nonetheless. It was something that most northern people were accustomed to on February 22nd, during which time the end of the heart of winter. It was still cold, however, and snow still fell, weighing down the trees that lined roads, coating houses, and causing small children to run to-and-fro, making snow angels, snow mans, and sledding, or something along those lines. Teenagers would either be inside, curled in their blankets while watching television, or out throwing snowballs at one another, and adults would undoubtedly be hunkered down in front of a warm fire with a cup of hot chocolate.

Obviously, the two teenagers, striding down the street and braving the cold morning-air and the still-falling snow, were not normal, or at least to some people.

None of those things really mattered to April. Instead, she enjoyed the winter-time, and not just because it involved her birthday, but because it unintentionally brought back memories of better times for her.

Helping her younger siblings with creating snow angels. Attempting to make hot chocolate for them without burning herself and alerting their governess that she was doing so.

The memories no longer brought her pain - at least, not the sweet ones, the ones that she has come to cherish and hold, tucking them away in a safe, secure folder in her brain. The memory of that one night was the only one that she attempted to suppress at all times.

Sadly, on the anniversary of that day, she could never manage to push them back.

April shook away the thoughts and instead focused on what Scott was currently saying. Her black leather gloves with fur lining were warm while her fingertips were a bit chilled, but the cold bothered her little, for instead she was focused on the day ahead.

Scott, who was one of her best male friends in their group, had informed her that he would be taking her out to a restaurant for lunch, but to dress casually, and then back home, where they would meet the rest of their group in order to leave for a movie and yet another trip to a restaurant. It wasn't a big, extravagant party that was stereotypical for a girl's Sweet 16, but so long as she was spending it with her friends, she was more than content and happy.

The thought of her friends brought a face to mind, one that was not of their group was familiar in all of the same ways.

Deimos Talbot. That was the name associated with the face that had popped into her brain. It wasn't that she made a habit of thinking about random guys out of nowhere, but when said boy had progressed to the point of nearly stalking her, it was hard not to think about him. It wasn't disturbing, but it was a bit creepy - not much so, but enough to make her think of him. In all honesty, he was sweet, in a weird sort of way. He just didn't really seem to know how to go about 'romancing' a girl, as it was called.

Now that she thought about it ... All of those letters, flowers, sweets, and poetry was undoubtedly from him. They had popped up in the most random of places since nearly the beginning of her Freshman year. Ranging from her locker to her desk, from her front step to her school books, they would pop up out of nowhere. How he managed to slip them in those places without her knowledge was beyond her, especially with how he had managed to get her locker combination, but it didn't bother her too much. She felt extremely flattered, in fact, but when she mulled it over in her mind, had realized that she was a bit naïve and dense when it came to those sort of things.

If only he would come outright and confess to her that he was, as it was said in America, 'into her'.

The creepiness came into play when he had begun to sing to her - outside of her bedroom window ... At night ... When she would be sleeping or studying. It was one thing to sing to her at school, but to track down where she lived just to bother her while she was studying was a bit too far. It was a tad annoying, but she wasn't one to be mean to another person, especially one who was just attempting to show his affections for her.

Her friends, on the other hand, were a bit more cruel when it came to such things.

On multiple accounts they had warned him to leave her alone, and on multiple accounts, it had become violent. With his brothers around, it was never too pleasant of an encounter, but she always managed to somehow break it up.

She tilted her head back to look at the sky, nodding in response to the things that Scott said to her, making the appropriate sounds escape her lips, ranging from 'Mhm's', to 'yes's' and 'no's'. She had never really been into loud, long, or large conversations, but instead tended to make small responses and only listen to what the others were saying.

She blinked, having realized that was staring up at the sky a bit longer than normal, and turned her head to glance at Scott.

"The food was Deliziosa, giusto*?" she asked, smiling brightly up at him. "Thank you for taking me out to eat. The food reminded me of Italy," she said, intertwining her fingers and holding her hands far above her head, successfully stretching and popping the joints and muscles in her arms and back. She rolled her head, cracking her neck slightly, and yawned a bit. "Boy am I stuffed," she said while yawning, the words a bit long and difficult to understand. She blinked back the tears that sprung to her eyes from the stretching, before turning a smile at a window to a store that they passed. Suddenly, she paused, and moved over to it, leaning close to the glass to peer through it and into the store.

"Hey Scotty, look at this," she said, moving her hand in a beckon for him to follow her lead in looking inside, yet not prying her eyes from what had caught them. Instead of waiting for him to look, she darted to the door and slid inside, not bothering to see if he followed - a bit rude for her to do, but if she was anything but impulsive, she wouldn't really know what she was.

There were two items within the small store that had caught her eyes. One being a beautiful dress that would be extremely suitable for prom, which was only about a month away, and the other being a strange, white box, the contents of which were not obvious. After a few moments of deliberation, she rounded on Scott, having plucked the hanger for the dress. She held it before her winter-clothed body, the hanger propped over her right shoulder. "What do you think? Is it me?" she asked with a grin, laughing a bit as she did a twirl, her free hand dropping down to compress the skirt against her thighs. "I'm going to get it," she said with a nod, folding it over her arm. A quick check of the price tag and size caused her to pause, but after a second of thought, she nodded. "I'm definitely going to buy it," she smiled.

The white box, however, was another story altogether. She had always been a curious person, so whatever it was that was inside called to her. "Hey Scotty, what do you think might be in here?" she asked, leaning over it to poke at the cardboard.

"That, my dear girl, is a game."

April jumped, nearly dropping the dress in the process, and looked over towards the place that the voice had slithered from. A woman stood there, her cat-like green eyes sparkling in the shadows. A small chill slithered up April's spine before she pushed it away, stuffing her paranoia into a small little bag in the back of her mind. Instead, she offered the woman a smile, moving to the counter and setting the dress and box on it. "I would love to buy these, than," she said, reaching into her wallet to remove a few hundred dollar bills.

The woman waved the money away, already moving the dress into a dress bag. "It's already paid for, so take them," she said kindly, sliding the box into a bag before holding both out to April.

The confusion that slammed through her was evident on her face even to her, although she could not see it for herself. She hesitated for a moment before slowly accepting the bags and backing away from the counter. "Oh ... Okay ..." she murmured, bumping against Scott's arm in her retreat. "Thank you?" she said, phrasing it like a question despite the fact that she didn't mean to do so. She turned slightly away, the eeriness of the shop and it's keeper more than she could handle at that moment. "Um, I think we should get to the house, Scott," she mumbled, lightly grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the door. She paused and began to turn back, a more sincere 'thank you' beginning to escape her, but immediately died on her lips when she saw that the woman was gone.

Back on the sidewalk, she shivered a bit, yet not from the cold. "That was ... Creepy," she said, shivering again as an aftereffect. "Let's not make the mistake of ever entering a random shop like that again," she vowed, turning a wide-eyed look over to her friend.

(Deliziosa, giusto? ~ Delicious, right?)

---

---

Deimos walked out into the street, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. Looking over his shoulder he spotted his elderly foster mother clinging to the railing of their modest home, calling out to him, "Now don't get into trouble! Look both ways before crossing the street and call me if you are going to be home late! I'm making pot roast! And stay warm!"

Deimos grinned over at her, raising his hand in a wave, "Don't worry, I will!"

With that he crossed the street, making a show of checking both sides to reassure her. She wouldn't need to worry about him being home late. He only had one destination in mind, a small shop that sold odds and ends. It was this store he knew April wouldn't be able to walk past, not with her curious nature. And not with that beautiful dress he had seen in its window the day before. It would look beautiful on her, and it would be his gift to her on this day. Her birthday.

He smiled at the thought. She would be sixteen today. His jaw tensed momentarily though as the fact that she hadn't invited him to it after all this time of his demonstrations, his gifts and all he had learned about her. A dark glint appeared in his eyes as one hand extracted itself from the pocket to grasp the messenger bag hung around his shoulder, the white box with its doll house hidden within it.

Everything was starting to take shape.

The town was covered in a thick blanket of snow, people rugged up as their shoulders hunched against the cold. Deimos readjusted his scarf before scanning the streets for the small shop before spotting it. The grin resurfaced as he entered the store, a green-eyed woman greeting him as he stopped before the dress. "Ah, Deimos. How are we today?"

"Very well thank you. I have a favour to ask you."

He stepped towards the counter where the woman stood, a cat-like grin on her face, "Of course, what do you need?"

Deimos pulled out the box and his wallet, the woman hissed slightly as she spotted the box, "My dear boy, what are you playing with?"

"Nothing, I need you to hold this for someone, I'll pay for it. And that dress," He pointed towards the dress in question, "I'll pay for that too.

The woman raised an eyebrow, "And who, may I ask, is this for?"

Deimos smiled and pulled out his phone, pulling up a photo of April, one he had taken a few days earlier. It was taken from a distance, focusing on her while she talking with a friend, which one it was, he didn't care. It showed her face, smiling, snow flakes decorating her hair. Beautiful. "She will come here today and want to buy the dress. The game will draw her in. It's for her."

The woman's eyes narrowed, "And how do you know this?"

Deimos smirked, "I just do. Will you do it?"

The woman sighed, "Of course."

Deimos smiled, thanked her and handed over the cash before leaving the store. He decided to set up shop in a cafe across the street, watching the sidewalk for her to appear. He didn't have to wait long before April and Scott appeared, her presence with another man making his skin crawl. How dare he stand beside her? How dare he bask in her beauty! He forced himself to be calm as they entered the store, talking a calming drink from his tea.

And just as he predicted she walked out later with the dress and the box, seemingly ill at ease. He frowned, had he gone too far? Did she know it had been him? He wanted her to smile, preferably because of him. He suppressed the urge to run across the street to her and see if she was alright. No. There would be plenty of time for him to spend time with her later. She had taken The Game. They would play.

And then she would be his.

Leonardo was frustrated. Bored. Itchy. He felt chaffed at the delay. What had taken Deimos so long? He had confined himself to his room, and was laying naked on the floor with a blanket concealing his 'man parts' as his parents called them. In one hand, he held a bottle of rum which he occasionally took a heavy swig from. A lot of people said that it was too early for rum. In Leonardo's opinion, it was never too early for rum. Lifting his head, Leonardo then let it drop back down with a solid thump on the floor. It didn't hurt. He was just so god damned bored. There was no game to be played, no women to hunt. Nothing. And all this time his 'brother' had insisted on his own little meaningless game with the Hood girl before he would give over the doll house. Meanwhile, Leonardo had to wait, and be content with his own 'hunts'.

He felt itchy and restless, and as he lay there for an immeasurable amount of time, he finished his rum. Lifting a hand, he idly threw the empty bottle at the opposite wall. It shattered, and the shards of glass fell sparkling onto the pile of glass that he affectionately called his Bottle Graveyard. The noise of the shattered glass made the woman in his bed stir and mewl pathetically. Leonardo sighed. He had already forgotten her name, and now he'd have to smuggle her out with no one seeing. He stood, dropping his blanket, and crossed to a table where two bottles of water stood. He picked one up, and tossed it to the yellow haired woman who was just waking from a very deep sleep. She asked him something. Leonardo moved to the window and thrust it open. She repeated the question. Leonardo leaned out of the window, and took in a breath of fresh air. He smelt promise. The game would begin soon. He grinned to himself, his blue eyes flashing with dark anticipation.

A warm hand made contact with his shoulder, and Leonardo moved instinctively, flipping from calm and almost tranquil (for him, anyway), to fury that was cold as ice. Silently, he turned, and struck the blonde and open handed blow to the face. She squealed with surprise and pain, and fell to the side. How dare she touch him? How dare she presume that their single night had allowed her that god damned privilege? How dare she? Leonardo almost growled, turning to pick up some jeans and boxers. He pulled them on without a second glance at the blonde woman who was backing fearfully to the door.

He sighed again. Did she really expect him to waste precious energy on hitting her a second time? Rolling his eyes, he crossed to the door, opened it wide and paused for dramatic effect.

"Hey, Abbie," He knew that wasn't her name, and smiled at her sweetly nonetheless, "Thanks for killing some time with me last night. I'll call you if I feel like hooking up again? But you should go. Sorry, I had fun, I guess" And by the end of his little explanation, he had shoved the scantily clad female none too gently out of the door. He chuckled, and pressed himself against the hard wood of the barrier that now physically existed between them. He inhaled deeply, his eyes closed.

He could smell her emotions.

Humiliation. Anger. Confusion. Fear. Lust. Desire. Embarrassment. Pain. He smelt them as he would taste a fine wine, and in the tide of her emotion, he felt himself fulfilled. The pain surprised him though. He didn't think that he had gotten that carried away. At last, Leonardo sighed happily.

After pushing the window open further, Leo grabbed a leather jacket from the floor by his bed. He smelt it. It felt of stale alcohol and sweat, and he didn't think it belonged to him, but he picked it up as he swung out of his bedroom window and climbed onto the roof.

The night was cold, as though the very warmth of life was being sucked from the end of the day. He breathed in the frigid air, exhaled it, and shivered with anticipation. Leonardo then set off, jogging unnoticed with an easy grace and balance, and moved purposefully in the direction he knew his brother had taken. Deimos. He knew the young man well, and could sense his satisfaction and lust from miles off. It made him groan. After all this time, it always came down to the pretty girl.

Leonardo dropped from the roof to the ground in an alley a few buildings down from the shop he sensed Deimos watched, which meant that the Hood girl would be there too. He grinned to himself, practically bouncing on the spot with excitement. He could hear the talking of a girl, and sensed her fear, and the confusion of the male that she walked with. He also sensed Deimos' seething anger at the apparent audacity of the one that accompanied April. He let his brother see him as he stepped out of the alley, and tipped his imaginary hat to him from the distance.

Leonardo grinned to himself as he then walked towards April and Scott, knowing that his brother would be watching him closely. He was almost twitchy as he saw the items the girl was carrying. After a few moments, he passed the boy and the girl, except, not cleanly. Leonardo 'tripped' and stumbled, his hands falling upon April rather intrusively as he 'accidentally' collided with her.

The excitement was wiped from his face as he did so, and an expression of mortification and sweet shyness replaced it. His eyes softened as he cursed very softly, before recovering himself. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" He said, in the perfect imitation of genuine apology "I didn't see you...Damn, that teaches me for looking down when I walk, right? But I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" His meaningless prattle went on as he strode past her, a smug grin on his face as he crossed the road -without looking, of course- and took a seat at the table Deimos was at.

He grinned at his brother, putting the jacket that didn't belong to him on the back of his chair, before turning it, and sitting on it backwards. He folded his arms on the back of it, and rested his head on them, before looking up at Deimos and fluttering his eye lashes at him. Leonardo grinned, and spoke to him in a high pitched, stereotypical female voice. "This is what you look like right now" He laughed, and sat back before asking seriously "So, it's done then? It starts now?"

Scott shivered from the cold weather, missing the warmth from the restaurant that he just left. He didn’t really like winter; it was a little bit too cold for his taste. But everything for April. As with a couple of his other friends, his first encounter with April had been when Scott had tried flirting with her at a party. At the time, she had been just another girl that Scott had picked out from a crowd to flirt with, and if he would be lucky, sleep with too. But the encounter hadn’t worked out as planned. April had not fallen for his easier pick-up lines, in fact, not even the ones that he put a lot of thought into. But then she had commented something trivial in the surroundings in her little distracted way, which had thrown Scott off. The night ended with him and April talking and laughing. Having fun, in a completely other way than he first had expected.

Since then, Scott and April had been pretty close, hanging out from time to time, like now, with the restaurant, which was really good. One of Scott’s favorite places, actually. But this restaurant visit was a special one, since it was April’s birthday. And now, after the restaurant, he and April were about to go pick up the others in their friend group and go to a movie.
Until now, Scott had talked pretty much mostly about himself. It wasn’t something he did on purpose, it just happened. But now, when starting to think about the movie later, Scott changed the topic to exactly that, movies. Scott was a fan of movies, at least romantic comedies and action flicks. But if they were going to watch an excruciating drama, Scott was worried he might actually die from boredom.

It took a surprisingly long time before Scott noticed April’s look. The look she got when she was deep in thought, or lost in space as Scott liked to call it. But after a couple of more one-word responses, April suddenly commented the food.
"The food was Deliziosa, giusto*?"

Since Scott had learned some basic Italian when noticing that Italian guys really turned some guys and girls on, he knew what April’s Italian comment meant. Not that it was that hard to figure out without knowing Italian, but still.

"Thank you for taking me out to eat. The food reminded me of Italy,"

“It’s cool. Anything for the birthday girl. Yeah, I know, I love that place.”

"Boy am I stuffed,"

“I know what you mean. I think I wouldn’t be able to get down another breadstick even if I tried.”

During the time that it took for Scott to say his last comment, April‘s face had glued itself on a store window. Then she ran inside the store, without even looking back at Scott. But he just chuckled, since he knew how April got when her curiosity got the upper hand. So, he just jogged inside after her, appreciating once again the warmth from being inside a building. Slightly shuddering, Scott moved up beside April who already had found something that had caught her attention. An elegant white dress, that to Scott seemed stylish but a little bland maybe. But then again, Scott wasn’t a fashion expert.

April then took the dress, held it to her body, and finally turned around and finally focused her eyes on Scott instead on inanimate objects.

"What do you think? Is it me?" she asked, twirling and giggling, showing of the most girlish side of her.

Scott, though not a fashion expert, knows that when girls ask about clothes, they never really care much about your opinion and you should ALWAYS agree with what they think. That is, if you don’t want to get the silent treatment for weeks. And even though April isn’t really a typical girly girl, the same rule applies, just to be on the safe side.

“It is beautiful and totally you, though I would prefer you without anything on.” Scott joked in his own flirtatious and vulgar way.

While April thought about whether to buy the dress or not, Scott leaned against a wall, looking around the shop without much interest, but without boredom. Scott had no problem with waiting for April. Instead he drifted off, thinking about whatever popped into his mind. But he didn’t have to wait long before he was interrupted by April’s question about a white box that she was studying. Scott didn’t get any time to think however, before a mysterious voice answers April’s question.

"That, my dear girl, is a game."

Scott’s first instinct was that the voice was from the creep Deimos who stalked April and who didn’t have the freaking decency to back off and leave her alone, but then he heard that it wasn’t his voice, it was an voice from an older female. Then Scott saw her, the green-eyed woman, near the counter. She had a little freakish feeling about her that Scott couldn’t put his finger on, but it was there and it made him a little uneasy.

April moved to counter and Scott followed.

"I would love to buy these, than," his friend said while reaching for her money.

"It's already paid for, so take them,” The woman answered, making her entire character even more freakish.

Who pays for something for another person without knowing if that person is going to show up..? Unless…the person did know…

Scott shook his head, like the gesture would blow away his paranoid thoughts. He blamed it on the many thrillers he had watched lately. But by the looks of it, April seemed as freaked out by the response as he did.

"Um, I think we should get to the house, Scott,"

“Yeah.” Scott agreed and didn’t object when April dragged him out of the shop.

Back on the sidewalk, April gave him a look that couldn’t be misinterpreted

"That was ... Creepy, Let's not make the mistake of ever entering a random shop like that again,"

Scott responded by giving April a similar look, wondering who the hell that woman was.

“Deal.” Scott agreed. He then mouthed his earlier thought. "I mean, who could know that you would go into that shop? Not even you knew. Way too freaky."

Scott focused on something else to make the eeriness of it all dissapear, even though walking away from the shop helped. But for a while he couldn't think of something to say, which made the sound of shoes crunching the snow the only thing Scott heard. Except some distant noises far away that he couldn't identify. So Scott started talking about general stuff that has been going on and asked, since he and April hadn't hanged only the two of them in a while.

"So what have you been up to lately? Now that I have told you about the latest developments in my interesting life." Scott exaggerated, smirking, trying to lighten up the mood.

It was quiet. A soft breeze could be heard whistling through the trees, a song sung by the forest canopy. Sitting on a fallen oak tree, Andrew soaked up the serenity around him. The edge of his vision tweaked with movement, and suddenly every inch of his body tensed as he noticed the rabbit passively munching on some leafy underbrush.

Andrew was off the tree in a moment. His hands moved like lightning as he snatched the creature up by the throat. Anger seethed through him at his peaceful meditation being interrupted. Looming over the helpless creatures, he forced his eyes shut. Gently he put the rabbit down and it bolted off through the brush. Gritting his teeth he stalked towards the edge of the woods, covering in minutes what for most would be an hours hike. He enjoyed the leisurely jog, a slight exercise to ease his nerves.

He had hoped for a chance to relax, to meditate, to freaking calm down... before tonight. Deimos had insisted on a Game. A damn Game! Andrew shuttered at the thought, of what was going to be happening soon. Of course Leo was thrilled, but Andrew was not so cavalier about using their "gifts". To make matters worse, Claire was going to be there. So he had to put Claire through all this, just so Diemos could get his girl. Why didn't the stupid girl just give into him. WHY DIDN'T HE JUST TAKE HER!! Balling his fist he splintered a small tree standing in his path. The remaining trunk squealed and cracked as the weight of the upper branches brought the whole thing down crashing to the forest floor.

Taking a series of deep breaths, Andrew regained his composure. As the game approached it became harder and harder to hold himself together. What scared him the most was that he was actually ... excited. They had never gone this far, and a part of him craved this, craved the power they would have in the game, craved the fear, the control. He would have access to their deepest fears, and their deepest desires. Claire's deepest desires. Andrew shook his head again banishing the wayward thoughts.

Emerging out near the edge of town, Andrew dawned his best nonchalant expression and headed to meet up with his brothers. He could smell them from here, Leonard especially his telltale cock-tale of sex and alcohol made for a scent even most normal humans could pick up. Walking down the street he watched Leo make his display, brushing into Deimos's claimed girl and mocking humility. Andrew rolled his eyes. Arriving at the table they were all congregating at just in time to hear his brothers question.

"So, it's done then? It starts now?" Leo asked, anticipation dripping in his voice. Andrew's eyes narrowed as his brother wordlessly turned back to look at the girl just as she disappeared around the corner. A slight smile hinting on his face, he nodded.

Andrew's stoic face hardened even more, "So it begins."

---

---

Deimos' glance shifted towards an alleyway as his brother, Leo, stepped out of it, tipping an imaginary hat in his direction. He chuckled and shook his head, returning his attention to April. He was captivated by her, couldn't seem to be able to look away for more than a few moments once he had laid eyes on her. He had had to be physically dragged away more than once to stop him from being late for class or stop him from following her wherever she went.

But the grin that had been on his brother's face made him slide his eyes back towards him. Deimos' eyes narrowed slightly as his brother passed April, 'tripping'. Anger bubbled beneath the surface as he watched his brother's hands. What made it worse? Leo knew exactly that April was off-limits and knew how short his temper was when it came to anyone, especially any man, was messing with what he had already claimed as his.

His teeth ground together, listening to the small exchange before Leo crossed the street with a smug smirk on his face. Deimos' eyes narrowed, hands tightening on the cup in his hands, a small series of spiderweb cracks spreading across the delicate china. His glare followed his brother as he sat down, folding his arms on the back of the chair, fluttering his eyelashes as if he were a woman, "This is what you look like right now" Deimos' eyes narrowed infinitesimally before Leo said in a more serious tone, "So, it's done then? It starts now?"

Just as he asked Andrew appeared, a light smile adorning his face, "So it begins."

Deimos nodded, forcing himself to take calming breaths as he turned his attention to Leo, "Don't try that again. You know that she is mine." His voice turned into a snarl at the end of the sentence before he continued, a deadly calm stealing over his voice, "Yes, it begins. She has taken The Game and they will play. It's only a matter of time." A malicious grin spread over his features, his eyes fixed on the corner around which April had disappeared, "And once the Game begins, its only a matter of time before she succumbs to me. Not to mention we will finally be able to test the limits of our powers without any kind of repercussion."

He chuckled and took another sip from his drink. He had been patient for a long time, trying to do the right thing by April by courting her. But she either didn't get the message or had decided that she would string him along. Her friends were the only ones who had made a decision. They didn't like him, more like loathed him, and made this obvious. April on the other hand hadn't made a move to stop his advances or accept them.

And now his patience had run out and he would take matters into his own hands. She was his.

She just didn't know it yet.

“Deal. I mean, who could know that you would go into that shop? Not even you knew. Way too freaky."

She nodded in agreement, rubbing her hands together in an attempt to warm them with a friction that the movement would cause, and huffed on the frozen tips of them.

April hadn't been given the chance to even begin to walk away from the store before she felt something come into contact with her left shoulder. Hands that could only belong to that of the male variety dropped to her waist, a bit uncomfortably so due to her inexperience with being touched in such a way by any man, and it took her a few moments to catch her balance. The sheer force of the bump nearly sent her to the ground, but with a few awkward arm flails - for she was still holding her items in her arms - she had managed to grab Scott's arm in an attempt to steady herself.

"Mi dispiace," she apologized, glancing up at him as she spoke. She straightened and turned her eyes in the direction of the person that had slammed into her, and was met by the dark, apologetic gaze of Leondaro Near - or, in translation, Deimos's foster brother.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Was that sarcasm that she sensed in his voice? It was so painstakingly obvious that he was faking his apology that it made her nearly sick to her stomach. Was everyone in that family as odd as Deimos? In all honesty, she wasn't sure if she could take much more of Deimos or his family, before she reached her breaking point.

Even nice people have their bad sides, and it's been told that the most frightening come from the nicest of people.

"I didn't see you ... Damn, that teaches me for looking down when I walk, right? But I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

There wasn't much point in attempting to answer his rambling, sad attempt at acting. Maybe it was her experience with people who were attempting to corrupt her in any way, or use her, that caused her to see through his little 'act'. Maybe he was just a terrible actor. Whatever was the case, she wasn't about to point out the fact that he was lying and had, indeed, purposely bumped into her. She wasn't exactly sure why he would do it - undoubtedly the reason lay with Deimos, somewhere or another - but she didn't really have a problem with it. She hadn't been hurt in the process, so therefore, no harm, no foul.

She moved forward a bit and cupped her gloved hands around her cold lips.

"I'm fine, but next time you decide to bump into a person, try to improve your acting skills when you apologize, va bene?" she called out, wiggling her fingers a bit around her mouth. "Oh, and tell your brother that I say hello!"

With that, she turned on her heel, motioned to Scott that they should undoubtedly be leaving, and began to walk back to her house.

"So what have you been up to lately? Now that I have told you about the latest developments in my interesting life."

April cast a glance over at Scott and fell quiet once more, the gears that were currently turning in her head almost visible to the eyes.

Finally, she spoke.

"Well ... I've been working quite a lot with my cousin at her bakery. I've learned some new recipes that I can't wait to make for you and everyone else. I'm sure that you'll love them," she enthused, turning a bright smile up at him. "I've also been focusing a lot on my archery and fencing. I'm hoping to qualify for the Olympics this year, but ... I'm not sure that I'll get in for either. But it's always worth a try. If you don't try, you may never succeed, and you can regret what may have been for the rest of your life," she said logically, turning her head so that she could face forward, and wasn't focusing completely and utterly upon Scott's face - which was quite attractive, mind you, but not her type and most certainly not the type of guy that she would ever date, if she were to actually begin dating, due to them being such close friends.

"Other than those two things, I've been making some extra money for my art, and will hopefully have enough for a new camera. And before you say anything," she rounded on him, stopping in her tracks and nearly slipping in the process, "I won't take money from my inheritance because I'm saving it for emergencies only. There's quite a lot of money packed away in there from my parents, but I'm determined to make it on my own - at least through college."

She turned back around, her hair bouncing over her one shoulder, and she gently smoothed it out without even realizing that she was doing so.

They were only a block from her house when her phone began it's little jingle in her pocket.

Upon removal and view of the screen, she noted that the text was from London - she had a personalized ringtone for her best friend, but hadn't been concentrating on what the sound had been when she received the text.

Hey Little Red! Get your butt moving! We all wanna get going!

~Trinity~

A small smile twitched across her lips, a soft giggle escaping her, and she shook her head. "Impatient as always, aren't you, Don?" she asked, a full laugh bubbling up and out of her throat. After sending a quick text in reply, with the simple message of them being only a block away, before returning it to her pocket. "She's so impatient all the time," she said, her statement directed at Scott. "What are we going to do with them, Scotty? They're quite the handfuls, non sono?***"

{*Mi dispiace ~ I'm sorry.
**va bene ~ Alright?
***non sono ~ Aren't they?}