First Impressions

Chapter Five
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"I can't believe you dragged me out here," Kayla grumbled, as the wind tumbled her dark curls around her pinkened cheeks. She didn't look or feel angry at all though- quite the opposite, with her eyes alight as she took in the scenery around her. However, it was cold, and Kayla shivered even though she wore a thick creamy sweater and a smart black peacoat with her jeans.

The girl looked at her best friend, who looked a lot more alive today than she had yesterday. To her relief, the bright sparkle was back in Anne's green eyes and a small smile played with her lips. "Oh, but Central Park is lovely, whatever time of the year it is," Anne said, looking up into the wonderfully blue sky.

"That is true," Kayla sighed. They had been walking around for a while, enjoying the contrast of sunny sky and crisp, windy air, letting unsaid things go for a while, but Kayla wanted answers. She needed to know what was going on with Anne's life- what had deadened her closest friend's expression just last night. Kayla was not unintelligent; despite the clever use of makeup, she had seen the faint telling bruises on Anne's person and felt the pain as if the wounds has been inflicted upon herself. She'd actually cried in her bed, almost helpless at the grief she felt for Anne's horrors and the terrible loneliness Kayla would not admitt to anyone in the bright light of day.

However, sometimes memories haunted her. Memories of a brassy haired, misty eyed boy with a formidable air yet friendly gaze... her mother's soft smile, and her father's warm laugh. She wished... Kayla pushed the selfish desires away and took Anne's hand, taking comfort in the slight squeeze that her friend returned. With Anne at her side, Kayla felt the longing ache ease, and sunlight prevailed the threatening storm.

Anne asked softly, "Kayla?"

She looked into her friend's eyes, letting her caring and love through her own. "What is it?"'m

"I want to tell you something... but I'm afraid." Tears glistened in Anne's eyes, and the girl bit her lip furiously to stem the flow.

"It's all right," Kayla said soothingly. "Whatever it is, I'm here for you always."

"I'm worried. What if you don't want to be friends with me anymore?" Anne's voice broke, as tears spilled over. To stop herself from crying, Kayla pretended anger.

"Don't you know me by now, Anne? Are we not best friends?"

"Yes, but it makes me feel so... so dirty..."

"Tell me," Kayla's voice was strong, and Anne told her, haltingly. With each word, Kayla's face grew tighter and tighter with anger. Anger towards humanity that anyone could do this to a lovely, innocent girl like Anne, and towards herself for not having been able to stop the monster from touching her friend, unreasonable as it may have seemed. At the end of her story, Anne was breathless, watching her friend's unrelenting face.

Then, Kayla's face grew wet with tears. "You should have called me before... I would have taken you home, not let you be alone, frightened at a hotel."

She sobbed with relief, as Kayla took her hard into her arms. "I was afraid..."

"Don't be. I love you Annie, and you know I always will." The two girls cried, with sorrow and relief. When they had finished, both felt at peace, and they silently walked home.

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Daniel was waiting impatiently for their return, and was relieved to hear the comforting sound of the key grating against the lock. He had taken a quick shower after the girls had left, and his hair was still damp against the collar of his sapphire blue sweater. Putting a pretense of relaxation as Danny stretched out before the couch, he mentally sighed as Kayla gave a delighted shriek and launched herself at him.

"Danny! When did you get here?" she asked ecstatically, eyes shining brightly on his face. "You haven't been home for ages." As Kayla added the last part, her voice grew accusing. Danny sighed.

"You know I've been busy lately, with schoolwork and stuff piling up. It's my final year of college, Kay," he said in reply, his eyes flickering unwillingly to the girl standing at the entrance of the living room. Mentally, Danny frowned at the thin sweater she had worn in the chilly November weather. Casually, Danny gestured to Anne and spoke to his sister , "Who's the girl?"

"My name is Anne," she answered, tongue-in-cheek. "You could have asked me- I do have a mouth." Danny raised his eyebrows at Anne, half-amused, half-irritated at her show of backbone. The flame that lit her eyes re-ignited the heat he had tamed with much difficulty. Then, his dark gaze settled on her small, damply pink lips and he thought of her irresistible taste... rather sweet yet bewilderingly wild.

"I know you have a mouth," he muttered, turning from Anne to face Kayla once more, who was looking on with a perplexed expression.

"Well, this is Anne Rawlings. She's my best friend," Kayla said, with a wide smile. "And this is my baboon of a brother Danny." Kayla laughed when Danny shoved her playfully, and Anne felt a pang. Even though she was Kayla's best friend, and close enough to be her sister, there was still a part of her that felt left out. She wanted this connection with someone, someone she knew as though they were the other half of herself. For some reason, Anne felt like crying again at the painful loneliness she experienced at the casual display of emotion exchanged between her best friend and her brother.

"I think I'm just going to go outside and get a newspaper," Anne said, a note of false brightness ringing through her words. Kayla noticed it, but she decided not to push and merely agreed. However, Danny's sardonic gaze shifted towards Anne assessingly in a way that made her feel as though he was cutting her down to size with his contempt.

"Do I make you uneasy? Because I'll just leave if I'm a bother." His voice fully indicated that he had no intent of leaving, clearly pointing out that she was the extra wheel in the situation, and Anne swallowed hard before speaking again.

"That's quite all right." Her voice was as chilly as his had been.

"Anne, wait a second-" The girl ran out of the living room, slamming the door with a final thud. Kayla glared at her brother.

"Go after her, you asshole."

"What did I-?" Danny was kicked out of the door, and cursed when he saw that the elevator was steadily going downstairs.

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She rushed out of the apartment, waiting until the elevator doors shut behind her before letting the tears fall. Why did that man make her feel this way... so confused, so hurt with just a flick of his eyes? She supposed she was overreacting- an exchange of saliva didn't ensure anything but disrespect and vage interest. What had Anne expected? She buried her face in her hands

Suddently, the elevator doors swung open to reveal an extremely handsome young man with iceberg green eyes and a rather intimidating demeanor.

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A girl crying was never a sight Erik relished. He hated the whole dramatism of it all, the wetness, the loud ugly sobbing. But the girl in the elevator was quite... lovely. Her mahogany hair flew around her in long red-brown ropes, and the only indication of her distress were the sparkling tears that flowed down in trickles down her face from attractive grayish green eyes.

Usually, girls blubbering didn't receive any sympathy from Erik, but something about her touched him. She hastily wiped her tears away, and the girl exited the elevator, pushing past Erik roughly. Instinctively, Erik grasped her shoulders with gentle hands, then moved his right hand to cup her cheek, wiping the tear that had escaped a dark brown lash. He noticed that the girl's eyes were faintly swollen, as if she had cried much in a short period of time, and the deep loneliness that matched his own shimmering from the green pools.

"What is wrong?" he found himself asking softly, wondering at the softness of the girl's cheek as he swept his fingers across it.

"I... nothing is wrong, please let me go," Anne's voice was cracked and slightly hoarse from crying.

"I could never leave a lady to cry alone." Their eyes met, and Erik felt something move within him, as though his heart would burst. He had the strangest urge to... to kiss her. His face neared hers, and Anne's breath drew in.

Thundering footsteps woke the two from the mild trance they had been in, and Anne looked up with blurry eyes. It was Daniel, his eyes full of both fury and confusion as they focused on the two people standing before him.

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Author's Note: Call it a lack of inspiration, or plain laziness but I searched through lists of Russian surnames and first names as well, but I just liked Dostoyevsky because it was starkly evident from which country it was derivative of. Also, many Russian people I know have English first names... which may or may not be true in the old country. However, I tried to keep things as similar to as what I knew, and I really didn't want to go through the hassle of finding Russian names, most of which are admittedly difficult to pronounce and overabused in novels, such as the name Ivan or Katya.
As to the realistic nature of the characters, or lack thereof... I apologize if you don't view it from the same point of view as I do. Biased though I am, I will try to explain the character Anne when she refused to divulge her name. She was, to say the least, exhilarated by Danny, and feeling extremely out of place. I don't know but if I were in that position, I would have done what Anne did. It wouldn't have been a permanent thing- obviously she would tell him later- but she just wanted to play a little, have some control over someone because she'd never felt even a subtle power like that before. If it doesn't seem too realistic to you, the only thing I can tell the reviewer Raym is that it is a difference of aspects and personal actions. Thank you for reading, and I will continue to write =).