Nightfall Passing {Open}

[Yetinsane]

Relief flooded over Zee as he realized Lightning had heard his warning, only she didn't react right. She turned to him, and that's how he knew she hadn't comprehended his words. She was struck by the women's fist and she thrown to the ground by Zee. Great. Now they both were on the ground, at the disadvantage against their attackers. But Lightning recovered faster then he did. She handed him the broken glass bottle and, reluctantly, he took it. The she was back on her feet smirking as the crazed women spoke, her voice full of mockery.

"Aw, is the redhead going to hurt me?"

These people really had some nerve. Zee wasn't even sure what they truly wanted, but he suspected they been looking for trouble. Well, trouble is exactly what they had found. Lightning's next move hardly shocked Zee but filled him with a nasty, grim pleasure.

She'd rolled up her sleeves and again he saw the cruel and disturbing white markings running along the length of her arms. The scars still made him uneasy, but the women must be terrified with the completely confident redhead girl coming at her, pale scars covering her arms. Lightning punched the women square in the face jolting her back and causing her to support herself against the wall. She struck her again, this time on the side of the head, and the women fell clumsily to the ground. Lightning then stepped on her shoulders, holding the women to the ground with her heels.

"Yea. The redhead just hurt you."

Lightning said to the women, smirking. Moments later, the women says something to Lightning -or maybe she was talking to him- something Zee can barely make out from almost the other side of the alley. "Do something useful with that bottle. That man looks like he could use an ass whooping." Was she suggesting he go and beat up the man? Picking himself up, he locked his emerald spheres on the man.

He was looking about here and there seeming completely lost. He looked at the women trapped under Lightning's feet and became vexed. Zee walked in his direction, resisting the urge to limp. He was bleeding from a long cut above his ankle, it must have been sliced by the glass from the his glass bottle when he had dropped it. However lengthy, it wasn't very deep and it was a clean cut so no glass had remained inside the wound. A baleful look returned to his eyes and shot forward, clenching the bottle in his hand firmly.

The drunk man got the hint that Zee was attacking and jumped out of harm's way, just a Zee came storming past him. The man's leap had lacked form and was done in a strange jerky movement; it was easy to tell he wasn't quite stable, both mentally and physically. Disappointment is what Zee first felt when he noticed the man had avoided him. He did really want to hurt him, but it was the only way they'd be left alone. He'd come to the conclusion that either maiming or scaring them away was both his and Lightning's only way out of this. Scaring them into leaving was almost completely out of the picture, so hurting them had become their only option.

Pivoting around, screeching like a broken bird, he hurled himself at the man. The impact threw them both to the ground and Zee became a yowling, clawing, and biting mass of anger energy. He even used the sharp glass of the bottle to rip open a gash in the man's upper arm. Finally, releasing his vice grip he had on the man's hand with a violent jerk that left teeth marks and blood, he stood up and drug the man over to the wall of the gloomy passage.

He never been so violent or even hurt another human being as much as he just did. But right now Zee didn't care, he just wanted to get home and, besides, this man had attack him first. The man was moaning with pain and he muttered out something unintelligible. Zee's mossy pools burned like a forest that had caught fire. He raised his voice, loud enough for Lightning and women to hear from where the were positioned a distance away. Each word was measured longer than needed,
he wanted to get his message across firmly and he wanted it to be understood.

"We are going to leave, me and the girl, if you come after us, it will be the last thing either of you -Zee pointed at the man first, then turned, keeping a close eye on the male he stood over, afraid he'd make a silly move, to the women that Lightning had pinned and pointed at her- will ever do. Do you get me?"

The man under him let out a ugly swear under his breath and glared upward at the boy before him. Zee growled and broke the glass bottle he was holding against the wall above the man's head. Shattered remains of the bottle showered down like tiny needles raining from the sky. Zee brushed off the tiny fragment of glass that stuck into his arms, ignoring the scratches that they created. He then walked away from the man, limping slightly, to where Lightning had the women held against the ground.

He stopped by her,"Come on, we're going now . . ." He said, a slight pang of shame forming in his words. He looked down at the women held firm against the pavement by Lightning's feet, then back up at Lightning. "Leave her, let's just go."

[SNOWFLAKES [Brik]]

Does Lightning Strike Twice?
Lightning Vox

After the woman spoke - a feeble attempt to make Lightning back off her shoulders and focus on the man - the boy with the green eyes looked uncertain. Almost as if he was trying to tear apart from two decisions - to kick the guy's ass or not. Eventually, Zee slowly got up. The motions in his leg were stiff; he must have been cut there. Lightning paid close attention to his leg, trying to see if his skin could be seen so she could assess the damage. When he came close to Lightning for a flash of a second, she saw that the cut was just above the ankle; a long, lengthy line of crimson. However, she saw no glimmers of glass within it, so it must have been a clean and straight gash on his ankle.

Without warning, the boy with whom she had teamed up with had suddenly sprinted forward, cracked green glass in his hand. As the boy ran forward, the drunk man stepped aside lazily and unbalanced. His movements were every which way as he stepped aside, his drunken phase taking affect in his walking. When Zee turned around to look at the confused and totally wasted man, his face twisted into that of disappointment, as if he felt he should have struck him just as the man did earlier. Zee turned around and ran at the drunken man once more, trying to get a shot at him yet again.

Like a bull, he charged the man, knocking them both to the ground, with Zee on top of the man. To Lightning's surprise (and slightest part of enjoyment), Zee began scratching and biting that man to the bone. Her left eyebrow raised and her face twisted into a confused smile. Wow. I don't think I've seen anybody loose their shit like that. After Zee had calmed down from his totally insane state, he went to a state of lesser insanity and ripped open his arm. For a moment, Lightning felt like applauding his amazing self-defense skills. Ripped open arms, where have I seen that before? Oh yea, my wrists.

After Zee dropped the mans hand (that left deep bite marks and an absolutely insane amount of blood), he spoke serious, threatening words that she had never expected him to ever say before. "We are going to leave, me and the girl, if you come after us, it will be the last thing either of you will ever do. Do you get me?" He pointed at both the man he had pinned under him and the woman Lightning had pinned under her feet too. Lightning felt like doing a long, low whistle. Damn, he can be hot and threatening.

The drunk man under Zee let out a curse word as Zee broke the bottle against the wall and let green glass rain down upon the drunken mans face. Brushing his arms off of the glass, blood raced down his arms to his hands. The man stared him down as Zee slowly but surely got up and slightly limped his way over to the redhead who had the woman pinned under her feet. Lightning slightly rocked back on her heels as the limping boy came closer to the pair.

"Come on, we're going now . . ." Lightning didn't exactly want to leave the woman there; the night was still young and there was still time to have fun! Slowly, Lightning back up until her full boot was on the woman's shoulders, making her hiss like an angered snake. Zee spoke yet again, shame taking place in his words; almost as if he felt he was being a coward. "Leave her, let's just go." Lightning looked resentfully down at the woman. Before stepping off, she brought her heel up and stomped down on her shoulders yet again.

Walking over to Zee, she puts her bag over her head and onto her shoulder. "Well, that was fun, wasn't it, Zee?" she muttered as she ran a hand over the top of her head, checking to make sure she didn't cut herself anywhere on her cranium. As the duo were about to leave, the woman spoke yet again. "Well, it looks like you two are fighters. If I ever see any of you again - and especially you, redhead, I won't go easy on either of you. The drunken man and the woman walked away together. Lightning did the same with Zee, raising a hand over her head and giving a bird.

As Zee and Lightning left the alley, Lightning brought a finger up around her left eye, feeling around it. No pain came from the poking and prodding of her pointer finger, so Lightning assumed that it wouldn't turn into a black eye or anything. Putting her hand back in her jacket pocket, she decided to ward off the silence around them and tried to start a conversation. "So, how did you fight like that?" Lightning questioned him, recalling when he went totally insane and bit and scratched and clawed his way at the man.

Lightning was suddenly aware that Zee still had a limp from the fight. Looking down, she noticed that it was bleeding, blood seeping down, turning his white socks red. Taking his left arm, she put it around her shoulders. Evidently, it made it faster for them to walk to his house, which was another 20 minutes or so away. Damn, what will his parents say when he sees this mess? she wondered, as she shrugged her shoulders, supporting more of his weight.

[Yetinsane]

The two adolescents exited the alleyway, leaving behind the fleeing adults. It was darker than black outside and there were even less people about than before they had entered the black and unwelcoming passage. The air was frozen in place, and dew was condensed at the ground level, making the still atmosphere humid. Everywhere was silent, like all of Panem itself was holding its breath. Zee felt that even his and Lightning's almost noiseless tread, made slightly louder by Zee's lame walk, was intruding on some type of invisible privacy.

He felt like he was going brain dead, thoughts would enter his mind just long enough for him to acknowledge them and then they would quickly slip away and he would have trouble remembering them and he seemed to lose the ability to draw them back into focus. Lightning had said something about fun. Nothing they'd recently done is what he would call 'fun'. The two maniacs they had encountered had needed the beating they'd given them, he wouldn't have called it 'fun' but he supposed it was a little enjoyable.

Zee stole a glance at Lightning, and she was poking at one of her eyes. The gesture struck him as odd until he remembered the blow she'd taken from the women back in that alley. He hardly wondered if she was okay.

His hands where sticky with blood and around his mouth was also stained with crimson. He picked up a red streaked arm and drew the back of his hand across his mouth in attempt to wipe the blood away. When he licked his lips, the taste of iron filled his mouth. How many times had he tasted blood in the last few hours? Too many times, he was growing tired of the taste.

Zee was looking back at the ground when he could've sworn he'd heard a noise. He lifted his head and looked around quickly. He pulse racing and glossy eyes full of alarm. Seconds later he realized that Lightning had only spoke. Was did she say? Something about how I fought? His brain was overdoing itself with thoughts and he felt dizzy and, still, a little insane.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling through his nose, he tried to calm himself down. His left foot hurt, but it was easy to ignore as he continued to let thoughts of this and that cross his mind. Most weren't really thoughts where someone could pick out each word mentally, but feelings. Lightning grabbed his left arm and placed it around her shoulders, granting Zee more balance. He was startled by her action and let out a sharp growl before he was aware that she meant good, which still made him unhappy.

A couple of minutes later he responded, unsure exactly what she wanted to hear,"I fought. . . Him like that. He made me mad. I might have went kinda insane. . . At least, that's how I . . . Felt." His words sounded deranged and sentences stopped and started at random times.

He walked beside Lightning in silence for almost a minute before slowing his pace and slowly turning his head to glare at her curiously, green eyes flashing, It was like he was trying to find the right decision out of so many other possibilities and ideas that were floating around in his his head. He stared at her until he had to blink, then he thrust his fore head into her shoulder his eyebrows creased into that of anger, he let his head rest against her shoulder. As he had stared at her a brief flash of insanity had crossed his face, but he seemed okay now only a little tense.

Then he spoke like he had only just remembered what he was going to say,"We should be there soon." He didn't look around to see where they were. A walk of 15 minutes could be 'soon' to someone who thought so, but he had just said ithat just to remind himself where they were going.

[SNOWFLAKES [Brik]]

Does Lightning Strike Twice?
Lightning Vox

After the question hit her ears, he looked uncertain, as if she had asked him if he had a girlfriend again a question that she would beat herself up for later that night. He contemplated it for awhile, and after what seemed like a half hour he finally answered her. After he finished talking, Lightning felt surprised. He must have hired a personal trainer for himself, stuff like that can't come naturally. I have experience, I mean... It's almost as if I live on these streets... Lightning shook her head slightly and shrugged her shoulders, taking more weight off his bad leg that hindered him from walking.

After they walked awhile, Zee mentioned something about how his house was close by, and Lightning felt slightly relieved, yet slightly crestfallen. The redheaded girl was pretty tired after taking a slight beating - and she was certain Zee was too, but she felt guilty that she had to leave him at his house, and sad that she was going to be alone again with nobody to talk to. Ah, I'll see him again tomorrow or another day. It's not the end of the world or something... Lightning rolled her eyes at herself and shrugged her shoulders, reassuring herself that she had a firm stay on Zee.

After a few minutes of awkward silence and walking, Lightning cleared her throat and made her way over to the boy's house, helping him up the concrete steps to his house and leaning him against the wall of his house. Looking herself and Zee up and down, she couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, lets just say you and I got jumped and we basically ran home. It sounds believable enough, although you have to do something about your arms... they're bleeding..." Pushing up the sleeves of his shirt, she looked at his arms, noticing the angry little marks that the glass created.

She remembered earlier in the day when she had wiped his mouth with some of the cloth she had obtained from the store. Thinking of the ugly color of yellow she had to buy for the factory, she shrugged and tore through her bag, bringing out the small bundle of cloth. Carefully, Lightning stretched out a small amount of the ugly yellow cloth and bundled his arms to stop the bleeding from the glass they had rolled around in. Blood made a small appearance in one part of the fabric, but as long as people didn't look there, they would never know.

She knocked on the door and waited for a response, waiting for a mother or a father to peek their head around the door and see the scarred girl with red hair and their beat up son, leaning against the wall Lightning dropped him back off. She suddenly fought back the urge to laugh as she tried to imagine his parent's faces. If only I had some means of recording this, and then I would have something to laugh my ass off to every single day.

[/blockquote] [/size]

[Yetinsane]

Lightning and Zee had arrived at his house only a few minutes ago. Lightning had helped him up the few stairs that lead to the doorway and he was grateful for her assistance since he was completely exhausted and his leg was hindering him from accomplishing such an act. She'd said that they would tell his parents that they'd been jumped and quickly escaped home. It was a lie, a small petty lie, but still a lie. He refused to take part in it. Well, he'd let her do most of the explaining then, no problem.

His strange mood after escaping the alleyway was fading the farther they got from the site. He still felt dizzy and exhaustion was eating at his limbs, but his mind was much more clear. He had briefly wondered what had happen to the women and the drunken man. Was the man he'd attacked alright? He had seemed fine as he had walked away from them with the women in the alley. He rubbed one of his arms gingerly, and felt he had gotten the worst of the fight. He hoped the man was in as much pain as he was.

After Lightning had told him what they were going to tell his parents, she said something about his bleeding arms and dug through her messenger, retrieving a brightly colored cloth. She wrapped a small proportion of the cloth around both his arms in attempt to stifle the blood flow. Red stained through one part of the cloth, but beside from that, the cloth held. As Lightning stepped forward and knocked on the door, Zee pulled his sleeves down over the yellow cloth, hiding it from plain sight. It took about half a minute before the door was answered. Then the door edged open to where it was ajar to about a foot.

Two glowing amber ayes stared back at the duo, silently examining them, no other features showed in the darkness of outside and inside the house - since the figure in the door hadn't bothered to turn on any lights. The eyes blinked tiredly and a small hand came up to wipe at them, a small voice muttered something almost impossible to make out. Zee face had brightened, despite being so tired and in the pain he was in. He stumbled forward, keeping a hand on the wall Lightning had set him against. "Strider!" He almost shouted ,then noticing his tone he lowered it to a more conversational voice,"It's late what are you even doing up?"

Now a small child stepped out of the doorway. It was obviously male and he had short-cut black hair, and looked to be about 8 or 9 years old. The kid looked sorta like Zee except, even though the child was sill young, it was easy to tell he was built more sturdy. The child's eyes filled with laughter and relief and he spoke, sounding almost annoying with his light child-like voice. "I was worried about you, so I couldn't sleep. Your-" Strider stopped, he was looking at Lightning.

The lazy smile on Zee's face faltered slightly as he silently wondered what his younger brother would make of her. Strider's eyes flashed with fear toward the older girl, but finally he restored his face to a more neutral expression, only he was still frowning slightly. "Who are you?" Strider asked innocently. Zee glanced at Lightning, giving her a nervous, apologetic look. He didn't really want Strider in the conversation when his parents came, so he hoped he'd have enough sense to stay out of it or maybe they'd have to shoo him away.

[SNOWFLAKES [Brik]]

Does Lightning Strike Twice?
Lightning Vox

As the duo stood there for what was maybe thirty seconds or so, the doorknob turned and the door opened a foot wide, and a small child peeked his head around the door, taking a look at who was behind it. Amber eyes glowed in the darkness as a young boy examined the motley crew of a redheaded girl and a black haired boy. His small hand brushed over his eyes until Zee broke the silence of the moment. "Strider! It's late, what are you even doing up?"

The small child that Zee had just named - Strider - stepped out of the doorway, his 8 or 9 year old figure appearing for both of them to entirely see in the blackness of the night. Strider examined Zee more closely until his eyes were shining with joy to see his brother again and his voice rose to an annoying pitch of happiness. "I was worried about you, so I couldn't sleep. Your-" Strider suddenly stopped mid-sentence and finally realized that Lightning was there. He paused for a moment, seemingly at a loss of words, his face slightly twisted in fear. She sarcastically thought to herself He must be amazed at how pretty I am.

A smirk creeped onto her pale face as she looked at the boy's slightly scared expression. Suddenly, he settled down and calmly asked her a question, a frown framing his face. "Who are you?" Lightning tweaked her nose and looked over at Zee, who gave her an apologetic look with a hint of nervousness. Well, that is a pretty hard question to answer. Really, who am I? She looked at the boy for awhile, thinking of what to say. Who was Lightning? What was she supposed to say?

Was she supposed to say that she was a friend? Was she supposed to say she was just "somebody"? Was she supposed to say that she just helped him and that was it? Lightning pondered all of her choices in her head, trying to match her description of herself to the way Zee and her had acted together. Yea, they had just met like an hour ago, but she felt like it was someone she could see again; someone she could talk to and hang out with. Looking at the boy, she slightly leaned down to his face and said it plain and simply: "I'm a friend of Zee."

Strider looked at both Zee and Lightning for awhile, trying to figure out what to think of the situation. Lightning rocked back and forth on her feet, waiting for a response from the boy with the amber eyes. Looking at both of them for awhile, he approached the door and opened it wider to allow both of them access. Lightning tweaked her nose and approached Zee, taking his left arm and putting it over her shoulder. Slowly, she walked into the house and sat him on a plain black chair. Looking at Strider, she murmured her thanks, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone else in what appeared to be the kitchen.

[Yetinsane]

Zee silently, warily, examined Strider's and Lightning's exchange. He wasn't afriad of Lightning hurting Strider, but the display of fear on the child's face had made him uncomfortable, he was afriad Strider wouldn't like Lightning and possibly stir up trouble. He also felt bad that Strider's first response had been to question Lightning. She was with him and it was obvious, couldn't the child just had accepted that and asked his questions later? Zee's mind clicked back to earlier in the day when Lightning had helped him in the street. It was plain to see she wanted to help and what had he done? Right, he demanded answers from her. His memory was still a little blurry, but he was sure that was how it went down. Feeling stupid now, he stared uselessly at the ground.

It wasn't until Lightning responded that he brought his attention to acknowledge, again, what he tuned out only a few minutes ago. "I'm a friend of Zee." Lightning said, matter-of-factly.

Then Strider looked at them both for a considerably long amount of time, Zee acually lost count after what he suspected to be 3 or 4 minutes. Either he was taking his time on his decision or he'd fallen asleep standing up. . . and with his eyes open. Finally, Strider approached the door and opened it wide, welcoming them in. It looked like Lightning's response was enough for the little kid. Lightning walked over to meet Zee. Grabbing his left arm and laying it over her shoulder she, gradually, helped him into his house. He didn't try to stop her, though he thought he could handle himself on his own. Maybe the steps had been a little much, but this, perhaps, he could do. Yet, she was willing to help and he didn't want to strain himself more than he had to. Also, he liked to be near her, true he had recently met her, but her presence was calming and felt nice enough.

After they'd entered the house, Lightning carefully had set Zee down in a chair and directing her attention to Strider, she whispered something Zee hadn't caught. The door shut and Zee assumed that it was Strider's doings. Glancing around the familiar interior of the house, he stopped and stared as he detected movement in the kitchen. It was a woman. She'd had looked up from something she'd been cleaning and had turned to look at the new arrivals.

She had such dark brown hair it almost looked black, almost. Her eyes were green like Zee's, only seemed to lack the qualities of brilliance that his possessed. Nevertheless, she was still beautiful, with her dark brows and pale skin, but she would look more so if her nose wasn't slightly crooked on her face which was filled with shock and fear. She seemed to be holding her breath. She was running her eyes over her injured son and the strange red headed girl who she did not know. Before she could say anything, Strider shouted, in an utterly annoying manner,"She is a friend of Zee." The little kid was just repeating information he'd been told.

"Of course, sweetie. Would you mind going back to your room while I tallk to Zee and his friend?" The woman in the kitchen said. Her voice on the edge of hysteria.

Strider glared at his mother before exiting the room, shoulders slumped and face showing disappointment. Moving from behind a counter, the woman walked until she was in front of both Zee and Lightning. She looked worried and a tad bit angry, but all she said was: "What happened?" He couldn't tell her the truth and he didn't want to tell her a lie. Why did she have to be so to the point?"Well, we. . . uh." He wasn't sure what to say. Zee glanced at Lightning he tried to give her a message through his eyes. A little help, here?

[SNOWFLAKES [Brik]]

Does Lightning Strike Twice?
Lightning Vox

A woman stepped away from the kitchen and made her appearance in front of Lightning and Zee. Her pale skin glowed in the dim light of the room, her browish, near black hair falling in waves over her shoulder. Her green eyes scanned both Lightning and her son, possibly trying to think of what to make of the situation. Zee's little brother stood behind her, looking over at the both of them just like their mother. Before she could utter a single word about the pair of them, Strider dutifully shouted that she was a friend of Zee's. Lightning slightly snorted. I was a tattletale when I was younger, but he feels the need to divulge every detail without being asked.

"Of course, sweetie. Would you mind going back to your room while I talk to Zee and his friend?" she said, sending the young child to his room. He glared at her for a moment before slowly departing the living room. The woman - Zee's mom - moved from behind the kitchen counter, anger within her footsteps and the way she composed her face. Without hesitating, Zee's mother instantly demanded what had happened to both of them. Zee looked at her and tried to answer, but all that passed his lips were filler words. He hesitated for a moment before looking at Lightning, trying to tell her to explain for him.

Lightning stepped in front of Zee to save him, and started speaking, a slight nervous look framed upon her face. "Well, your son, here kind of... fell, and I helped him up, and I started walking him home. Then these two crazed drunks came up to us and attacked us. So I helped him home." Lightning breathed out, the panic in her system taking away all of the talking air that she had. Zee's mother looked at both of them with a suspicious look, but particularly Zee. After a short moment of pause, the woman spoke yet again, a small air of rudeness taking place in her voice.

"It's nice that you helped my son out, but I don't believe I know who you even are." Lightning stood there for a moment, taken aback by how rude she was. Turning her head around, she felt her red hair bounce in its bun as she gave Zee a slight "what the hell" look. Turning her head back around to look at the glaring woman, she replied with the slight air of rudeness back at her "The name's Lightning Vox." Lightning mentally rolled her eyes and stepped back a little next to Zee and listened as the woman began her next speech.

[Yetinsane]

Zee eyes shone with indignation as he watched his mother. How disrespectful she was acting! Lightning at least deserved a proper 'thank you', but she was treating her as if she was some type of criminal. She also didn't seeem to buy their story. Well, it had been worth a try. Perhaps she knew it was a lie since he hadn't taken part in the explaination. She did know he didn't like to lie. That would also give reason to why she was looking at him with suspicision.

Lightning was standing beside him again -while she had delivered thier explanation, she'd been in front of him- and seemed to be waiting for the women to speak again. Well he wasn't going to give her the chance. Carefully, he stood up from the chair he was sitting in. He almost lost his balance and he had to place a hand of one of the chair's arms to steady himself. He was going to defend Lightning against his mother, he had chosen his which side to fight for. Looking up, he spoke slowly, his voice laced with bitterness,"You don't see mother -he spat out the word with particular distaste- Lightning has helped me, and you've treated her only with abuse. I don't believe that is very fair. Is it?"

He had stopped speaking because his mother was now,"You! Stop your talking. -She directed her attention to Lightning- Im sorry, but I ask you to leave. Thank you for helping Zee, but I don't want to see you again."

Biting his tongue, Zee fought the urge to protest. His mother had noticed this,"Say your goodbyes, Zee." She was being completely unfair. He felt himself go rigid and he felt like he was going to attack the women who stood in front of him, but the feeling disappeared, leaving only disapointment. He couldn't just let Lightning leave on a mood as bad of the one he felt now. He glanced at her, wondering what she was feeling and thinking right now. His mother stomped her way over to the door, and opened it.
The tension in the atmosphere was palable, and Zee felt it even in him. The cold air from outside was drifing into the house, turning his limbs to ice. Zee stumbled to turn around, and walked a few steps toward the doorway, unsure where to go and what to do. He looked Lightning in the eyes and mouthed the words, "I'm sorry".

[SNOWFLAKES [Brik]]

Does Lightning Strike Twice?
Lightning Vox

Zee's mother obviously didn't buy the story. But it was all truth. The passing out in the street... the drunken attack of the two insane people. Her glare came down upon them like a hammer, Lightning staring at her just as harshly, wishing a shock of electricity would wake her up to realize that her son's savior was standing right in front of her. When Zee spoke, he almost took the words right out of the red-head's mind. "You don't see mother, Lightning has helped me, and you've treated her only with abuse. I don't believe that is very fair. Is it?"

Zee's mother lashed out at him, telling him to shut up and commanding her out of the house. The harshness of the words directed at the duo almost made her back away from the woman, but instead, she was frozen in place by the authority and attention she had in her high, feminine voice. Who does she think she is? Ordering me around like I'm her own child... Suddenly, with wide, pacing footsteps, she stamped her feet loudly over to the door and ripped it open, allowing cold air to seep in the room, sending a chill down Lightning's spine. Zee got up and aimlessly walked towards the door, unsure of what to do. He looked at her with apology, mouthing the words of his apologies.

Lightning didn't move from that spot in the house. She didn't move an inch. Her eyes scanned the woman from head to toe, a menacing look of pure malice taking form in her icy blue eyes. So I help Zee and bring him home, and yet this woman believes she has the authority over me to just order me around like a servant? Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. With a look of pure hate in her eyes and a slight smile of thoughtfulness on her lips, she stepped forward to the woman, her voice raised, but not yelling.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Ordering me around like I'm your own damned slave. I can tell people usually put up with your shit, but not me, hun. Not me. I refuse to fall victim to your damned abuse." Lightning stepped a few steps away from the woman to examine her face, finding a look of shock on her face. In the gloss of her mossy eyes, she saw her own reflection, her teeth bared, face slightly red with anger. She stepped away a few more steps and took a stance next to Zee, looking at him for a moment before continuing her lecture on the woman who raised him.

"Look at your own damn son! He can barely stand! And do you know who helped him here? Me. Do you know who helped him out of those streets when he passed out and everybody else refused to help him? Me. Do you know who helped him defend the both of us when those two crazed-ass drunks went total insanity on us? Me. And yet, you never even thanked me. I wasn't looking for thanks from you, but it would have been a human thing to say to somebody who helps your son out of trouble!" Lightning angrily inhaled, an exhaled, a growl escaping her lips with each breath. She glared at the woman, fire in her eyes. I don't think I've ever meant any other words more than I've meant these... she momentarily thought.

[Yetinsane]

Emotion stirred in Zee's eyes. The chilling cold could have something to do with it, but more responsible was Lightning's loud ranting. He had only caught a few of the words because he honestly wasn't paying to much attention. He hadn't wanted to, he was standing to nearby, and he particularly disliked lound and clamorous noises; he had believed that they had all been directed toward him. He felt as though he was transfixed upon a battlefield, but, it seemed, they had reached almost a standstill. His mother wasn't moving, she stood there at the doorway (the door still wide open) staring at Lightning with this shocked, scornful face. She knew she couldn't force Lightning out of her house, because, physically, she held no power. She was stuck without anything else to do, her hateful, rude words had only brought more of its kind and now even she had run out of them. So she just looked on.

Zee felt slightly torn, he didn't really always love his mother, but he didn't know much about Lightning either, considering they'd met no more than a couple of hours ago. He tried putting the argument together, to see which one had the the fairer reason of the two. In the end, Lightning's argument made as good sense as any. She had done nothing wrong and his mother had immediately attacked her. Lifting his head higher to a stance of more authority, Zee walked, not limped (though he still winced whenever he set his i full weight upon his injured foot), over by Lightning side so that he no longer seemed like an afterthought in the midst of the room. Cool air blew through the house as a small gust of wind came through the door and swirled through the house, but no one in the room seemed to want to budge at all, and the freezing air seemed to go unnoticed. Zee turned his head over his shoulder and gave a wink in Lightning's direction. It wasn't quite a playful wink, like usually a wink from him would be, but more of a conformation, telling her he was on her side.

His mother was now muttering a few things under her breath and she appeared to be stuttering a lot. She obviously didn't know what she should do next. Zee gave a contemptuous snort and narrowed his eyes, daring her to say something intelligible.

(Ooc: I'm terribly sorry I haven't responded in such a long time. My computer's battery was broken when my stupid brother stepped on it and I had to wait for it to be shipped to me in the mail before I could use it again.)

[SNOWFLAKES [Brik]]

Does Lightning Strike Twice?
Lightning Vox

Lightning didn't know she had it in her to say such things. Sure, she had told many people off before, but for small reasons. Never before had she actually ranted on and on at someone who did something that was seriously messed up. Lightning watched as the woman by the door moved her lips, stuttering and muttering things. Probably cursing at Lighting, or silently praying she gets run over by a bus, or something. At some different points in her muttering, she would abruptly stop, open her mouth as if she was about to talk, but then retreat back into her own silent moving of her lips. It actually kind of reminded Lightning of a fish.

Suddenly, she realized that Zee had taken a stance next to the red-head girl. She realized this when she saw his head turn, and his eye close for a brief moment, indicating a wink. It wasn't a playful wink, kind of like one of those "yea, I am totally on your side" winks. Lightning crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for the woman that stood by the door to say something or do something interesting. I was almost a minute before Zee's mother slowly walked away from the door, half-heartedly closed the door behind her and took a stance in front of Lightning. It wasn't a threatening stance, yet it was a slighly cowering stance, as if she was a lamb and Lightning was a lion, ready to pounce. I don't believe I have seen a fully grown adult cower under the eyes of a teenager.

"Okay, I apologize for being... uncaring towards you. And I am sorry that I didn't thank you for helping out my son." Lightning took a moment and looked the woman up and down to see if she was being genuine. Her face was compromised with an upset and nearly apologetic expression, which Lightning supposed had to have meant something. Lightning stepped forward one small space and looked into the green eyes of Zee's mother. "Well, thanks for owing up to it. Not many people have the guts to do so."

Lightning felt slightly touched that she actually apologized for her sin. Many people had wronged her before, but none of them had the heart - or soul to apologize for anything they had done. All they had done was briefly glance at her, look her up and down, and then turn the other direction to be forgotten. Yea, it slightly hurt her that they did it, but over the years she had come to believe that people were selfish, and that there was no such thing as apologizing and giving forgiveness.

She stopped being able to forgive for a short while after the rumor had started around school. Lightning couldn't forgive what the people around her had caused her to do. Actually, she had no reason to forgive them after they didn't even apologize and say they were sorry. If they had atoned for what they had done to her - drove her to severe depression, suicidal thoughts, scars on her wrists - she might have actually accepted it and moved on. But no such apology came, and with each waking day, she began to hate the world more and more.