Zane Hendrix's Story

Zane stepped out of his car and looked around, his eyes darting from side to side as he crossed the street towards the crooked house. As he neared, he decided it was time to put on his mask. It took only a second for his eyes to gain the innocent, boyish glow, and his mouth to contort into the mischievous grin. Zane's transformation was complete, the emotionless board had been replaced by a witty, friendly looking young man. he brushed his bangs back and knocked on the door.

I was almost at the bottom of the stairs when the front door began to creek open. I shoved the rest of my sandwich down and quickly ran up to the door. I brushed a couple of crumbs off of my black pants and pulled open the door. A boy, coming up to my chest, stood on the doorstep. He smiled up at me, his smile crooked. As if he knew something I didn't.

"Hello," I said puzzled by his appearance.

"Hi, I got this letter." He smiled showing me the small envelope I had dropped off a few days ago.

"I'm sorry, there must be some mistake, how old are you?" I questioned.

He smiled, a quiet laugh escaping his lips. "I'm 19."

I blinked several times, utterly puzzled. He looked 12! "Are you sure?"

He laughed louder this time. "That's the first time I've received that response. I'm fairly short, I know."

"Um, can I get your name?"

"Zane."

He was one of the boys Owl had requested. I remembered that name on the list. I allowed him in and showed him to the living room where Amanda and Hayley sat waiting. They seemed to be making good conversation, but their words began to silence as I entered. "Ladies, this is Zane. Please, have a seat."

Zane moved past me, his small boyish frame bouncing to one of the lone chairs. "Would you like anything to drink or eat may-"

A loud chiming sound echoed through the house. I could hear the woods creak and the lighting fixtures rattle. Was that...a doorbell?

"Excuse me," I said spinning quickly and heading back to the front door. The sound had finally died off and the house settled back into it's tilting shape. In the five years that I've been working for Dr. Owl, I never knew that this place had a doorbell.

I pulled open the door. A tall boy, with snow white hair leaned against the wall, his azure eyes downcast. "Um...hi...um...how can I help you today?"

Ryan smiled and followed the woman in. His suspicions that she was Owl were dwindling. She was much too young. If she was Owl she would be more articulate when speaking to the ones she summoned. When he entered the house he was struck by the vastness of it. He was busy admiring the house when the woman brought him back to earth. She led him to a room where many others were seated. One small boy, and two other girls, teenagers. She asked him to sit. Ryan smiled and obliged. The house was enormous, but something about it was a little... sinister.

Everyone in the room was situated in an awkward silence. The teens in the corner were getting along quite well, but they still seemed anxious. He was distracted from his scanning of the room by the voice of the red head who greeted him. She asked for his name.

"Ryan Huntington." He answered. She hadnt given hers either. "yours?" he asked.

I cleared my throat. "Lorelei Gwen. But please call me Rory."

An awkward silence fell over the group of teens. I took this opportunity to slip out of the living room and climb up the stairs to Dr. Owl's office. I knocked twice before letting myself again, only this time, the space was empty.

The plate with the PB&J sandwich sat empty upon his desk. Just a few bread crumbs on top. His glass of water had been drained. I grabbed the dishes and made my way back downstairs. Owl was probably sitting up in the attic. I was only allowed in there on very few occasions. Like when he was hungry and wanted something to eat, but was too busy studying to want to come downstairs.

Thunder boomed again outside, but there was still no sign of rain. The house shifted again. I deposited the dishes in the sink and made my way back to the living room, but was stopped by the harsh splatter of rain slamming against the house.

"Oh no," I gasped. I pulled open the door, rain was coming down in sheets. My poor black convertible sat in the driveway with it's top down. "Shit!"

I ran down into the driveway, the rain immediately soaking me through. "No! No! No!" I cried noticing my text books for school sitting in the back seat. Their pages probably soaked through. "No!" I growled leaning over the door of my car and sliding the key into the ignition. The car roared to life and I quickly pressed the roof button. It started to unfold itself and wrap over my car. I quickly grabbed my text books from the car, turned off the car, and ran back inside.

"Owl!" I yelled as I slammed the door shut behind me.

"I'd love something to drink, if it's not too much trouble..." Zane said with his spry, charming smile as he sat. the other girls seemed nice enough, but that wasn't what caught his attention. The doctor sat in his chair with a disinterested look; which probably meant he was calculating. my type of guy, I guess Zane's bright eyes darted around the room as his paranoia got the best of him. every movement caused a microscopic jump, and he shoved his hair from his face for the hundredth time since he entered the crooked house. he turned to the girl closest to him, turning the charm of his smile way up. "My name's Zane... guess she already said that... what's yours?" he continued to smile brightly. his ears pricked at the talk of numbers. he turned back to the doctor. "Four of us here inside..."

Ryan saw Rory run up the stairs with her books, and then minutes later come back down in a new outfit. That was quick. She reached the group and asked them if they would like anything. Ryan wasn't thirsty, but the young boy was. The young boy then gave his name, breaking the silence between the atendees. Zane. Ryan would wait to give his name. He wanted to know if anything was going to go wrong first. His thoughts were disturbed by the man in the lab coat coming down the stairs. Dr. Evil in a lab coat, cliche'. this was obviously Owl. The good doctor stood in front of them and casually asked. "What is the number?"

Ryan, again, remained silent in his chair, surveying the situation. Rory left to get the door, and returned with a new girl. Another young one. He had the thought that only he, Rory, and Owl were old enough to drink here. He then looked at the teenage girls. He was sure they werent innocent enough to not have had a taste.

Rory left, after bringing the wet girl a towel. Ryan wasnt about to sit and wait for Dr. Doom to speak up again. The guy seemed like a drama queen. He stood and followed Rory. she was the only person here his age, and the only one he felt the urge to talk to. He entered what looked like the kitchen and saw Rory sitting against the cupboards. "Shouldnt you be in there with us, or have you heard all of this before?" he asked her. He wasnt sure if Dr. Owl had these little meet and greets regularly or not. This would help him form an opinion on whether or not he would stay.

Zane sighed, knowing that the original answer he had given was going to be wrong; making himself seem unintelligent; and smiled as the wet girl gave a condensed history of the word yellow. he chided himself mentally for not being able to respond fast enough. his eyes beamed as he took in the facts, noting that she - the wet girl - was very talented with memorization. he filed that tidbit away for further examination later on. Even in the low light, he continued to file even the smallest things away, like the relationship between Rory and this "owl" character. they seemed friendly enough, but Zane wouldn't risk getting close to the doctor. the girl would have to do. he stood, absentmindedly scanning over books - his eyes finally adjusted to the low light - as he made his way toward her. while he knew his ears would be registering and filing away the conversation, he had to keep his next words quiet. "you seem kind of clumsy. that's cute." he said to rory

Ryan had been sitting comfortably in the chair the whole time the lights were out. Rory tried to calm everyone down, and left to go fix the problem. He had to give her some credit. If Owl treated him like that, he would be out the door. She returned moments later with flashlights, hanging one to Ryan. He smiled and grabbed the flashlight, turning it on once he had it. The room became flooded in light as the rest of the flashlights were turned on. 'the batteries are probably gonna die the next time Owl speaks anyway'.

The others began answering/ disputing his question. The newest girl gave a comprehensive definition of the word, while one of the teenage girls chose to whine about the question, rather than face it head on. Ryan felt eyes on him, prbably wondering how he managed to get the question right. He as wondering the same thing.

Ryans eyes shifted to the small boy. He had stood and was talking to Rory. A slight twinge of jealousy hit him, but then he realied this boy wasnt going to be a problem. 'Have a seat kid, shes out of your league.'

you seem kind of clumsy. that's cute.

Rory jumped straight out of her skin, her hips slamming into the small table of candles she was lighting. Two fell over knocking three more over with them. She yelped, smacking out the fires that were spreading through the candles. She wasn't going to risk burning this place down. She craned her neck to the sound of the voice, greeted with nothing at first, until she looked down to see Zane smiling up at her.

"Dude! You are too short to be sneaking up on people like that!" Rory chastised. "Especially in a creepy house that seems to be the setting of an ax-murderer movie!"

He just smiled at her. He opened his mouth to say something, but Owl cut them off asking them to take their seats. Apparently, he was going to finally explain himself. Rory stepped slowly away from Zane, getting a creepy vibe from his constant staring. She preferred to stand, but Owl gave her a look that told her she had to seat. She took a spot next to Amanda. She seemed nice enough.

Zane smiled and sat close to Rory, making sure that his eyes flitted around the room, not staying in any one place. It wasn't hard to ignore the other boy's comment. his ears picked up the mention of an explanation, though he seemed disinterested. with all of the dust in the dark room, he really wanted that drink now. for what seemed like the hundredth time, he shoved the bangs away from his eyes. perhaps he should get a hair tie...

He couldn't help but stare at the half-equation on the doctors board.

Rory looked past Zane towards the foyer as the soft knock echoed on the door. It was quiet, so quiet she almost hadn't heard it. Owl was smiling from ear to ear, glad that his final guest had arrived. Without being asked to, Rory stood. She felt Zane's eyes on her as she stepped past him, her leg banging against the coffee table trying to avoid his touch.

Something about him just creeped her out. Was it the fact that he was 19 and looked like a 12 year old? Maybe. Either way, she wasn't taking chances. She silently cursed herself for banging her knee and practically limped the rest of the way to the foyer. She brushed some dust off of her black shirt before finally opening the door. She was greeted by another tall figure, his entire body soaking wet.

"Welcome, you're just in time for the Doctor's presentation." She greeted happily. "Thankfully, I would have hated to sit through the whole thing again."

The boy gave her apprehensive look. Rory stepped aside and pushed the door open wider for him. "Come in quickly, you're soaked." She said. She hated to admit it, but maybe Owl was right in doing this hostess gig. She was finding it a bit easier to talk to people.

The boy stepped inside, running a hand through his damp hair. "I'm Rory," She said politely as she closed the door. "I'm going to get you a towel to dry off a little. Would you care for anything to drink? Something to eat maybe?"

Aiden had planned to say something like, 'Hi, I was given this invitation, sorry for being late!', or maybe 'Man it's really raining out!', or maybe a, 'Nice to meet you I'm Aiden. I know I'm really late, but it's had to find such a house in the middle of a storm'. As usual, he didn't say anything. He just gave her a small, nervous smile and followed her into the house.

"I'm Rory."

It was a nice name. Very pretty.

"I'm going to get you a towel to dry off a little. Would you care for anything to drink? Something to eat maybe?"

Great, she asked him a question. How would he answer it? He didn't want to sound rude and not except her offer. But then again he'd already eaten before he came and he wasn't very thirsty after walking through a waterfall of rain. He didn't think he needed a towel either. Since he had his umbrella with him, which he clutched nervously in his left hand, he'd only gotten a little damp although his pants legs were pretty soaked. "I..uh.." He started, then just simply shook his head and gave her a little smile as he walked into the room. His nervousness grew. There were a lot of people heEr, and he was probably the latest of them all. He felt his cheeks turn a little bit red and he quickly took a seat as far away from the others as he could, keeping his eyes on the floor.

Rory watched the tall boy stumble over his words, she started to feel sorry for him. She too knew what it was like to be shoved into uncomfortable situations left and right. She gave him a small reassuring smile as she ran off to get him a towel. He was still fidgeting in the foyer when she returned.

She handed him the towel and led him to the living room. His face started changing colors, turning redder and redder as he entered the small space. She eyed him with wide eyes. "Are you going to be alright?" She asked quietly.

His head shot up and he eyed her. He looked utterly horrified.

"It's alright, you don't have to talk if you don't want to." She said kindly. "Just have a seat anywhere. There's an empty chair in the corner over there." She said referring to the small antique chair sitting as far away from everyone else as possible.

His shoulders seemed to relax a bit as he moved to the spot. Rory moved towards her spot from before, but spotted Zane's light eyes staring at her. She immediately stopped in her tracks, not wanting to sit next to him. He was smiling. He hadn't done anything to make her feel so put off by him, but she just couldn't stomach sitting next to him.

Something about his eyes. They just watched her, waiting. Like a hawk waiting to strike.

She opted for an armchair by Owl. She crossed her legs and leaned her head against the soft material. 'I wonder if Owl would be mad if I closed my eyes for a little while?' She glanced at the Doctor. His expression unreadable as he scanned the room, waiting for everyone to settle. 'He would be...'

And with that, her eyes drooped closed.

Zane's eyes lost interest in Rory as soon as he noticed her apprehension. it was the same, no matter what. any truly observant person would realize that he wasn't as charming as he acted. He drummed his fingers absentmindedly on the arm of his chair, looking about the dark room. He wasn't sure exactly how many people the good doctor was expecting, but he figured that it shouldn't be too long. after a few moments of silence, he turned his eyes back to the equation. it interested him, and his mind ached to know what the other part of it was, so he could complete it. he moved his bangs from his eyes

Zane had to laugh inwardly at the mention of his mind not being able to handle something. so far, he'd came up with three conclusions about the doctor; he was a loon, truly not of this world, or both. Zane kept his eyes off the doctor, making sure that he wasn't giving anything away as he filed every word away. he played with his bangs
finally, he spoke, guessing that he wouldn't fool anyone with the game of complete incompetence. without loosing his boyish appearance, he spoke. "Excuse me, Doctor, but what type of tasks will we be doing? that is, if you don't mind me asking..." he continued his innocent look

It was the same dreams that usually visited her at night, the ones that rocked her from her slumbers leaving her tired and incapable of ever falling back to sleep. It was on such few occasions that she managed to fall asleep, usually involving Dr. Owl lecturing her about the wonders of astrophysics. It usually led to some sort of punishment, but at least she got a quick nap.

The dream, as always, started off sweet and kind. Her biological parents, her siblings that she hasn't seen since she was eight, were all together. Happy. She always knew it was unreal, for as long as she could remember, her parents hated each other. They hated everything, including their kids.

A loud bong echoes and the facade melts. Her mother's sweet smile twists into a cruel laugh. She was practically screaming as she protruded a knife from her pocket and continually stabbed the man she had called her husband for 14 years.

Suddenly, Rory was thrust from her nightmare as she plunged to the floor of Owl's living room. Cackles were heard from the guests in the house. She looked up at Owl, his face stern and uncaring. He didn't know about her nightmares, he barely knew about her past. Unlike the biography she could write for him.

Am I boring you?

She glared up at him, his smug smile. A punishment was already churning in his mind, she could tell.

Excuse me, Doctor, but what type of tasks will we be doing? That is, if you don't mind me asking...

Rory looked over at Zane, his innocent boyish charm almost endearing. Rory pushed herself up off the floor and climbed back into the chair. She rested her head in her hands, the image of her mother still ingrained in her mind. She felt Owl place a hand on her shoulder, about to say something, but she smacked him away before he could speak.

"Just get on with it," She grumbled sitting up.

Toriko's eyes widened a little as Dr. Owl went on explaining why they were here. Is this some kind of joke? She thought to herself. How could he not be from this world? Was he insane or something?

"There are many more complications, I assure you, but do not bother worrying about them. Your earthly minds would not be able to handle it."

This was when her eyes narrowed a little and she began to feel a little angry. There was nothing, absolutely nothing she couldn't handle. The second he called his world superior to theirs, she immediately stopped liking him. Though she didn't really like him in the first place. She now knew why she was getting an eerie feeling when she approached the house. There was a loud clutter and Rory went tumbling onto the floor. She'd fallen asleep and he'd waken her up. Her mother had done the same thing to her a few times when she'd caught her dozing off while doing her online schooling. She balled her hands up into fists and clenched her teeth. Her mind was swarming with questions. What the hell do you want us to do? Why us? You're obviously crazy! There is no such thing as parallel worlds! What do you expect from us!

She restrained herself from bursting out. It would be very childish of her to get angry and start yelling now.

"Excuse me, Doctor, but what type of tasks will we be doing? that is, if you don't mind me asking..."

She blinked and turned her head to look at the boy who had spoken first. She'd just noticed he was in the room. Man was he small. Everyone seemed around the same age but, he looked like an 11 year old! Though, she did let out a small sigh and scolded herself for not keeping as calm as he seemed to be. A mystery is a mystery..

((ignore Ryan being tagged lol))

"I'm willing to do it. I've always been curious as to what it was like to live in a Renoir or Da Vinci." Zane smiles cheerfully, using mob psychology to ease the mood. He smiled at Rory, easing his charm to innocent levels. He twirled his bangs in his finger. "so which painting is first" (let me apologize for the short post)

Ryan took it all in at once. Dr. Owl was going a mile a minute, at least it seemed like that to him. So many things were being fed into his mind at once. Going into paintings? Retrieving trinkits? The only thing that was plaugeing his mind, was that he was the leader. He had never had any leadership responsibility, or experience. He had always been a bit of a follower, but that was only because h couldnt see the importance in anything he was doing before this. Could this be it? Could this be his chance to make something of himself. He dropped his head to block everything out. His mind was flooded. He couldnt think straight. Thankfully he was pulled from his thoughts by a woman next to him. She was mumbleing something. He turned his head to listen closer. She said something about Avengers... or something like that. He disregarded it, but took notice of the woman. She was his age, and was quite beautiful. He would keep her in mind for the future. Now there were two others in his age group.

He looked around the room, seeing if anyone had reacted to his being named the leader. He hoped they wouldnt mutiny, but you never know. The others were reacting to Doc's description, and deciding whether or not they would stay. So far one of the Teenage girls and the boy had spoken up. He realized he should probably be paying attention. Ryan honed in on what Doc was saying.

Doc headed upstairs to show them the painting. Ryan stayed behind a bit, mulling everything over. The pressure was getting to him, but he was trying to put it all back into his head. Once everyone had passed him, he headed after the group

Zane put a hand on Ryan's shoulder in passing. He saw the anxiety in the other boy's eyes, and smiled. He whispered quietly. "you'll do fine. I promise." he bounced off after the good doctor with a smile. the stairs creaked, but he had already figured that if he was going to die tonight, it wouldn't be on the staircase. The doctor continued to lead them, and Zane stood to let the others pass. Smiling innocently at Rory once again. he stayed close to her, making sure that she didn't trip on the already rickety stairs