Shades of Gray -- Ch. 8 is up.

So, my usual update generally average about 8 pages in Microsoft Word. That’s not really going to work, what with my new work schedule, moving, and all the other craziness going on in my life right now. However, shorter chapters mean MORE chapters, so I’m really hoping to get this stuff out as quickly as possible. I’m hoping to update every other day, and alternate through the stories. I’m not sure if I’m going to get around to writing the last two endings of ‘Coming of Age’ any time soon. I’d originally only planned on continuing Ghosts and Shades, but I have a weird little soft spot for Carnival. So how this is going to work is thus; Every other day, I’ll post a chapter of Ghosts or Shades, alternating. Then, whenever I get around to it, Carnival will be updated. That’ll be my pet project, and I’ll work on that whenever I get a block on one of the other two. I have another story in the works as well, but I want to backlog a few
chapters before I start posting. That way, if situations arise where I can’t post a new chapter of one of the others, I can start posting my new one. The new one is tentatively tilted ‘Bullets & Blades’ and it’s pretty much what I’ve been trying to write for months. The two characters in that one are my two ‘perfect’ boys, so hopefully, once I start posting that, you’ll all love them as much as I do. Furthermore, I’m planning a huge project; I’m going to rewrite the Lucas/ David storyline entirely; more detail, some changes, you know, the whole thing. It might seem a little counter productive, I guess, since I’m still posting Ghosts, but I won’t post the beginning of the rewrite until after I finish Ghosts, which really shouldn’t be too much longer. I love that story, and I want to polish and make it as well rounded as I can, and rereading it, I see a lot of problems and things I’m unhappy with.

On a more personal note, I really appreciate all of you for your reviews. They were almost all full of kindness and support, and it made me feel awesome. Actually, LISA, you made me a little teary eyed at work! I’m overly emotional as it is lately (I’ve got two ways of dealing with stress; I punch inanimate objects until they’re broken, or I cry like a bitch… and punching things is bad, so I cry a LOT… I sort of based David off of my more negative personality traits, you’ll see more of that as Ghosts continues, and actually, Lucas is a lot like my fiancé) and your multiple comments got me going. I am very grateful for everyone’s kind words, so thanks so much, all of you!

So, without further ado, here’s the next chapter of ‘Shades of Gray’. I hope you all like it, and please please PLEASE leave me reviews! Remember, they’re writer porn, and in my state, I need all the pats on the back I can get! Haha.
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Seth watched with one eyebrow arched as the pale pink membrane swelled in front of Aurora’s mouth. He couldn’t even see her nose anymore. Maria leaned forward and stuck her blue painted nail into the bubble, and it popped with a soft hiss, deflating against Aurora’s chin. Maria burst out laughing and Aurora scowled as she pulled the gum off of her chin and stuck it back in her mouth. Seth looked away, a little grossed out; he thought chewing gum was gross enough, but letting it smear all over your face and then just cramming it back in your mouth was even worse.

“So what’re we going to do all night?” Aurora asked, chewing loudly. Seth glanced at her, then got up and moved towards the entertainment center, crouching down to sort through their collection of DVDs.

“Oooh, find a horror movie!” Maria suggested. “I’ll make popcorn.” She jumped up, and Seth wanted to tell her not to bother; he didn’t want to sit in the living room all night and try to avoid Aurora’s attempts to touch him; she’d been at it all day. She’d put her arm around him, or touch his hand, or play with his hair, every chance she got. It was getting really annoying. Still, he kept his mouth shut; Maria was acting like he was a stranger in her house, so he really wanted to smooth things over with her. If that meant fending off Aurora’s groping all night, so be it. He hated when Maria was mad at him.

He found ‘My Bloody Valentine’ which he thought sucked, but Maria liked it when they’d seen it in theaters, so he figured that was good one. Besides, that weird part of him that the twins woke up thought the main character was hot as hell. It might make the night easier to have a distraction.

He popped the movie in and went upstairs to grab his cell phone, in case Amelia or Joseph tried to call. Aurora followed him as far as the stairs, but she didn’t go up with him, much to his relief. As he was digging through the pockets of his jacket, trying to find the damned, phone, something caught his eye through the window. He bent down, resting one hand on the window ledge, and peered out.

Mr. Gray’s Cadillac had just pulled up into the driveway, but instead of stopping by the stairs, like normal, he parked all the way at the end of the driveway where it stopped halfway past the house. Next to the cellar door. Scowling, Seth cupped his free hand around his eyes to block out the glare from his lamp. Mr. Gray got out of the car, spinning his keys on one finger. He crouched near the cellar door, his head cocked as if listening. After a moment he checked the huge padlock on the chain run through the handles of the door, and he checked the hinges. He paused, his hand hovering over one of the hinges, and cocked his head again.

Seth eased the window open and leaned out, hoping to get a better look. He braced himself on the window ledge, his feet barely touching the floor he was leaning so far out. Mr. Gray sorted through his keys without looking at them; his head was tilted back, his eyes closed. He was still listening, and after a moment, he found the key he was looking for and reached for the padlock, moving slowly, as if half asleep. There was a loud, echoing cracking sound, like wood snapping in half, and Mr. Gray’s eyes opened and he jumped to his feet. He backed away from the cellar door, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. After a moment, he turned on his heel and practically ran into the house.

Seth pulled himself back through the window, frowning. What the hell was going on? What had just happened? Were the twins in the cellar? Was that possible? He hadn’t seem them at all day, and he’d been watching for them. Was it possible?

His thoughts were cut off by a loud knock on his bedroom door. It made him jump, and he managed to whack his head a good one on the window. Cursing, he went to his door and jerked it open.

Aurora beamed up at him, one hand on her hip. “Popcorn’s ready.” She said softly. “You coming down or what?”

“Yea, one second.” He turned and went back to his desk, where his jacket was draped over the back of his chair. He stuck his hand in his pocket and immediately found the phone. When he turned around again, he nearly ran face first into Aurora. “Christ!” he shouted. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what? Sneak up on you?” she grinned again. “Sorry.” She didn’t back off, though; instead, she took a step towards him. His back pressed against the desk, and he put his hands back to brace himself up. She moved until their toes were touching and smiled up at him. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Uh, sure.” He said, feeling uncomfortable and trapped. He wished she would just back off.

“Is there something going on between you and those Gray twins?” she asked, and caught her bottom lip between her teeth. She looked anxious and little worried.

He sighed. “No.” he lied. “We’re just friends.”

She flashed him a relieved smile. “Good.” She whispered. She caught him by the back of the neck and pulled him down so hard he nearly fell into her, and when he bent his head to relieve the almost painful pressure she was putting on his neck, she pushed her mouth up against his. He made a low, protesting sound she misinterpreted, and tried to pull back when her tongue slid against his lips. He turned his head, fell her mouth slide wetly against his cheek, and held back a cringe with great effort.

“Aurora-“

“Sorry.” She let go of him, smiling happily. “I forgot how shy you are.”

He didn’t know what to say to her, about any of this. He ran his hands through his hair and blew out a deep breath. “Let’s go downstairs. I don’t want Maria getting the wrong idea.”

Aurora giggled as though they had some big secret between them and went downstairs, her ponytail flicking back and forth. He stayed where he was for a moment, frowning. Finally, he went down as well.

They sat on the couch, side by side, Seth in the middle and Aurora on his right. Maria put the popcorn in his lap, and he realized quickly that it was a mistake; the bowl blocked Maria’s view and let Aurora put her hand high up on Seth’s thigh, where it rubbed and squeezed from time to time. He kept shifting, hoping she would get the hint. Instead, she kept shooting him sly little smirks. He could barely even concentrate on the movie, she was annoying him so much. But eventually she started to nod off, and when her head drooped until her chest rested on her chest, he carefully moved her hand. She didn’t stir at all, and he sighed with relief.

Maria and Seth watched the rest of the movie in silence, and near the end of it Maria leaned her head against his shoulder and made a soft contended sound. He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. She smiled up at him, and they finished the movie.

When the movies was over, Maria sat up and stretched, yawning. “Is she asleep?” she asked, peering over Seth to look at Aurora.

Seth nodded. “Yea, she passed out a little while ago.” He set the popcorn on the coffee table.

“Thank god.” Maria said, and grabbed his hand. “Come on.” She pulled until he stood up, and then dragged him into the kitchen. “Sit.” She said, and pointed at the table. He did so, and she sat beside him. “We need to talk, you and me.”

“Sure.” Seth nodded, a little confused. “What about?”

“Your hectic sex life.” She said promptly, and he looked away, flushing. “Aurora’s not giving up on you, apparently.”

“I noticed.” Seth muttered, and sighed. “I don’t know what I should do. I don’t want her like that, but she’s your friend, Maria.” Maria nodded slowly. “I can’t just tell her to fuck off, because she’ll probably wig out and treat you like crap for it.”

Maria tapped her bottom lip with her nail for a moment, then sighed. “I don’t know, Seth.” She said softly. “I want to believe she’d act mature about the whole thing-“ Seth snorted at this, and she smirked. “…yea, I guess you’re right. So what are you going to do? About her, and about the twins?”

Her mention of the twins made him scowl. He thought back on what he’d seen, both last night and tonight. He was worried about the twins, and wanted to know just what the hell was going on over there. But he also sort of liked not having to worry about them showing up out of nowhere and attacking him. There was a part of him that missed them, but he kept shoving that part away, burying it, every time it tried to surface. He couldn’t figure out how he felt about them, or what he was supposed to do. It was killing him, and he didn’t want to think about it. He couldn’t let himself think about it. If he did, he would-

“Seth?”

He snapped his attention back to Maria. “Sorry.” He muttered, and ran his hands over his face. “I don’t know, Mare.” He told her honestly. “I don’t’ want to think about the twins.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, get over that, and quick. Because you need to figure this the hell out. Something tells me that Aurora’s the kind of girl who’ll get obsessed. And it’s obvious the twins aren’t going to back off any time soon.” She reached over and touched his hand. “You can talk to me about his stuff, you know. I’m your sister.”

“Exactly.” He squeezed her hand. “Mare, I don’t want you hearing half of that shit. What I’ve done…” he closed his eyes. “I don’t want you to think-“

“I won’t.” she insisted. “Really. If you decide to go with Aurora, that’s okay. If you don’t want anything to do with any of them, that’s fine too. And if you want the twins…” she trailed off her, frowning. “Well, I can’t say that I’ll exactly approve of it, but if it makes you happy, then you do what you want to.”

He smiled at her. “I love you, Mare.” He told her, and leaned over to kiss her forehead. She caught him around the neck and hugged him hard.

“Just stop pulling away.” She told him. “Please? Ever since we moved here, it’s like… it’s like you don’t have time for me anymore.”

He put his face against her hair. “I’m sorry.” He whispered. “I’ll be better. I promise.”

“Good.” She pulled back and smiled up at him. “You’re all I have.”

“There’s Ames and Joe.” He reminded her.

“It’s not the same.” She told him. “You know it’s not. They’re aren’t…” she stopped here, unable to voice her point.

“They aren’t blood.” He said, and she nodded. “I know.”

She let go over him and sat back. “So. We need to talk about this stuff, remember? So talk.”

He leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know what to say.”

She thought for a moment. “You don’t like Aurora?”

He thought about this. “I do, I guess. She’s pretty, but she’s sort of shallow. She’s sweet, but she’s also way too pushy.” He smiled a little. “Not my first choice, you know?”

She nodded. “And what about the twins?”

He bit his lip. “I don’t know. They scare me, Mare. The way they make me feel… it’s like I don’t have a choice.” She nodded, remembering the conversation they’d had before. “But… I haven’t seen them all day. At all. And it bothers me. I… I miss them.” He admitted. “They usually don’t do much but try to get me into bed, but I miss them.”

“What about them do you miss?” she asked him, leaning forward a little.

He smiled a little wider. “I don’t know. I guess just the way they are. They finish each other’s thoughts, and when they talk, it flows from one to the other so naturally. It’s like they’re the same person in two bodies, you know? It’s amazing to watch them.”

She studied her brother carefully. “Do you think you’re attracted to Aurora physically because she sort of resembles the twins?” she asked him. He flinched. She’d touched on a sore spot; he didn’t want to think of it that way, but it was the truth. His lack of response gave her the answer. She nodded a little. “Seth, you’re going to have to deal with this stuff eventually. You can’t spend you’re whole life denying-“

“I’m not denying anything.” He snapped at her. “Look, talking about them, even thinking about them, it hurts. I don’t want things to be like this. I don’t want to feel like this anymore.”

She glared at him. “You keep saying that.” She said, and shook her head at him. “It’s sad. It really is. If this is who you are, and what you want, why are you going to waste time telling yourself otherwise? Don’t you think it’s a little pathetic?”

He got up and started pacing. “Mare, do you really want to be the girl in school with the creepy older brother who has TWO boyfriends?” he asked her, and she wouldn’t look at him. “Do you really want to hear the things people are going to say about me?”

“What do I care?” she asked him, still glaring down at her hands. “What do you care, either? Be happy.”

“Why do you think they would make me happy?” he asked, angrier than ever. “Why can I just be a normal person?”

Her head snapped up, and she jumped to her feet. “Because you aren’t a normal person, obviously. You’re fucking two guys. At the same goddamned time.”

He threw his hands in the air. “So much for your lack of judgment, eh?” he shot back, and she flushed. “Don’t lie to me, okay? If I did choose them, you’d-“

“No, I wouldn’t.” she interrupted.

“Goddamnit, yes you would!” he yelled, and she flinched away from him. “Everyone would! Don’t stand there and tell me that everything wouldn’t change.”

“Is that what this is all about?” she asked him, her hands on her hips. “What people would think of you? Don’t be so fucking shallow, Seth.”

He turned and stormed away, stomping up the stairs. He was so angry with her he felt like he was going to explode. Upstairs, he slammed his bedroom door and fell face first onto the bed. He covered his head with his pillow and fumed for a while.

After a long time, he rolled over onto his back and glared up at his ceiling. He was tired of all of this, but Maria did have a point. What did he care what people thought? Why was that so important? He knew that a part of it was losing Amelia and Joseph; they might not be blood, but they loved him, and that was important to him. What would they say if they knew about him and the twins? Another part of it was Maria. But a bigger part was all the people he didn’t know; the looks, the whispers, and judgment. How would that work, anyway, he wondered. How were you supposed to be with two people at the same time? The twins were very physical, what would that translate to in a relationship, in public? He couldn’t even guess. It made him nervous.

Still, he couldn’t change the effect they had on him. He closed his eyes and thought of them, and he couldn’t deny the way it made him feel; wanted and pleased and… happy. Something in him wanted them, and it made him feel good. Their attention, their apparent devotion, both to each other and the devotion they’d extended to him. He’d admitted that he’d missed them, and now that he’d said it out loud, it was like a hole in his chest. A little over twenty four hours and he felt like an addict without a fix. It scared him, but it also excited him. He couldn’t remember the last time something, anything, had made him feel so strongly.

He wanted them, he could admit that. As much as it scared him, that he lost control of himself the way he did with them, he liked it and wanted more of it. But more than that, he wanted to know them, to sleep between them, to listen to them talk, to watch them and learn everything about them.

Did that mean he wanted to be with them? To agree to what they wanted? It would mean much more than allowing them to touch him in public. Something in him equated it with making a deal with the devil. The twins were dangerous; he felt it, their father had said it… but he realized that most of his worries were all theoretical. They were ‘what if’s and ‘maybe’s. Was he really so scared that he wouldn’t take a risk?

He sat up, pushing his hair back from his face. “No, I’m not.” He muttered, and looked out the window. “I’m not that scared.”

He got up and hurried downstairs. Maria was in the living room, and she called out to him, but he ignored her and rushed out of the house. He had made up his mind.
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So. A little bit of set up. Next chapter’s gonna be full of craziness! Should be up very very soon, I promise! Halfway done with the next chapter of ‘Ghosts’, so that’ll be up extra soon as well! Remember, reviews are loved… all night long.