@ladyashtonofcordonia and @holly-park , I hope this isn't too late! But this is my crossover fic! Thank you for hosting.
Whiskey Wisdom
It was a fairly quiet Tuesday as far as Hollywood was concerned and it was particularly quiet along the street James Ashton chose to follow. This street contained two bars, one was a modern, expensive club, frequented by stars and Hollywood's B-list, the other was a rundown dive with overflowing trash and a broken jukebox.
James turned right, entering the home of the broken jukebox.
Not five minutes had passed before a second man walked down the street. This time it was a tall, stony faced individual who looked to be in his early thirties. His cold features were unmistakably handsome and his dark suit grazed his form perfectly, yet he was oblivious to the admiring eyes of the men and women pooled outside the club.
Instead, with his brow furrowed, he strode towards the dive bar and ducked through the low doorway.
Upon entering the place he found that it was near empty, save a pair of men surrounding the battered pool table and a quiet young man seated at the bar. Something compelled him away from his usual perch at the back of the room and he found himself seated at the bar, not two seats over from the stranger.
He recieved his usual whiskey from the bartender and a moment or two passed in utter silence, the two men sipping their drinks as strangers, before he broke it.
"Mr Ashton, if I am not mistaken?"
He rarely was, and this time was no exception. The young man glanced at him, startled and appeared lost for words.
"I know some of the individuals working on your film. I thought you might find your way here."
"Here?" The young man found his voice.
"This desolate excuse of a bar, I mean." The older man waved his drink towards the cracked wallpaper. "I like to come here when I need to think, and from what I hear, you have been doing a lot of thinking."
James flushed and glared down into his glass, swirling the whiskey absentmindedly. He didn't much appreciate this stranger commenting on his choices.
"You write well Mr Ashton. Believe me, I don't give praise lightly."
James let out a snort of breath that drew a frown from the older man and he found his anger threatening to surface.
"If my writing was so good then why on Earth do they need to scrap it all? There's barely anything of mine left in this damn thing."
"When you have something you are passionate about, Mr Ashton, sometimes it's worth taking risks for. If I were you I would reconsider these proceedings with great care."
The older man appraised him over his glass before draining it and standing, pulling his briefcase to his side and adjusting his lapel.
"Stand by your work, James."
With that he turned and strode from the room. James turned back to the bar, puzzled. Who had this man been, to critique his work and advise him without even giving his name?
As he left the bar, Thomas shook his head. Some people just refused to appreciate talent when they had it.
I said I wouldn’t write any more fanfiction. I promised myself I wouldn’t. I start a new job on Monday and won’t really have time for fanfiction...
Darn you Choices Crossovers!
Darn you Rules of Engagement plot hole!
This is a crossover between The Crown and the Flame and Rules of Engagement. Forgive me if my writing is a bit rusty. Apologies if I didn’t submit something right :(
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<disclaimer: I do not own the characters – I’m just borrowing them. Only the delusions are mine.>
It had been a long time since he’d visited the surface. When he was a paralarvae, he traveled in a glass jar filled with water and saw many, many things. His human friend… Val was it?... she had carried him to many, many places where a Kraken would never expect to see. But as he grew larger, he was unable to fit in convenient, portable water carriers and eventually he had to return to the oceans. Val and her friends came to visit aboard ships until they were old and gray. Eventually they came no more.
“Time for you to move on to bigger waters, Bubbles,” Val told him. “This old mercenary’s seen much more and lived longer than she ever expected. Few people know about you and how friendly you are. Those that don’t will simply think you’re a monster and try to hurt you. Find yourself a nice lady kraken, settle down, and have some baby krakens.”
“Glurble burble.” Bubbles reached a tentacle up to Val’s hand. She squeezed it, but Bubbles could tell that the strength wasn’t there like it used to be. Her red hair was now white, and her face lined with wrinkles and scars. From what he had seen in his travels, those were signs of human aging. Reluctantly he let go and swam a few yards away from the ship.
“Goodbye Bubbles.” She waved to him.
He never saw her again.
For a time he stayed around the coastline, watching for the ship with the flag she used to alert him she was coming. It never did.
New ships sailed the waters, some intent on hunting great water beasts. He tried to do what Val told him. Bubbles spent centuries searching the waters for more of his kind with no avail. That’s not to say he was entirely alone. He became friendly with some whales and dolphins, as well as the occasional small squid or octopus.
In the end, he still missed his friends. From time to time he swam to the surface just to see what was going on. He perfected a way of just raising his eyes over the water so that he remained under water while observing without being seen.
So much changed that he could see. Huts were replaced by large, elaborate houses. Metal, brick, and glass buildings grew where there were once castles and battlements. Giant silver birds flew in straight lines across the seas. Even boats changed. Few sailed as they once did. Most moved by some other means. Bubbles learned to steer clear of the propellers. For a few years he remembered seeing long metal tubes traveling under the water that gave off such a malevolent feeling that he avoided those at all costs. Eventually they ceased coming, for which he was thankful.
He stopped going by the populated coasts – they became far too dangerous. Not only were there boats, but humans wore strange devices and swam beneath the water for hours. Bubbles began to fear for his own safety. Yes, he was larger than them, with tentacles that could crush a ship. However humans had weapons that could hurt. He’d seen what the humans could do to other denizens of the deep. Instead he kept close to uninhabited islands, the waters of which were used as spawning grounds for Krakens in the past. Perhaps a female Kraken might still come.
That day Bubbles spied the shadows of two boats, a little rowboat and a bigger motor powered one. Then the clear waters grew dark. A storm brewed above, forcing Bubbles to dive. He surfaced once he felt the storm was over. The boats were gone – only some boards and rubbish remained. Bubbles was about to dive again when a sound attracted his attention. It was a small, pitiful sound, but not one the Kraken was totally unfamiliar with. The last time he had heard it he was a baby kraken in a jar visiting the castle in Stormholt.
He squinted in the moonlight and looked around the wreckage. The sound came from a board bouncing in the waves.
“Mew…. mew…”
A small, drenched ball of fur clung to the board. Searching his memories, Bubbles recalled that such creatures were called “kittens” and were frequently pets to the humans. Quickly he scanned the waters but no humans were to be found. The kitten’s mewing tugged at something deep within the kraken. He reached out a tentative tentacle and scooped up the board.
“MEEEOOOWWWRRRR!!!!!” The kitten screeched in fear and clung to the board with its tiny claws.
“Blurble glurb,” Bubbles tried to reassure the kitten. “Glurrrrbbble blurble blurb glub.” He wasn’t sure how much it understood, but it stopped making noises and was only staring at him wildly. “Gluurbble urp blurp.”
“Mew…” The kitten looked around. “Meow.”
Bubbles didn’t fully understand. The only furry non-human he ever understood was the furry metal wolf that lived at the castle. He watched as the kitten looked around at their surroundings.
“MEOW!” it seemed to be calling. “MROW!” It turned carefully on the board Bubbles held, then made the same noises. After a full circle, its ears flopped and it mewed sadly. It was apparently looking for its humans.
“Glurp. Blurgle glurp glub.” Bubbles used one of his tentacles to point to the nearby islands. “Blurk blurrgel blub.”
“Mew?” Its ears picked up. But then it looked at the distance between their position and the islands and meowed sadly.
“Blurp blurp!” Bubbles began to swim towards the island.
“Meow!” The kitten curled up on the board Bubbles carried in his tentacle. Soon Bubbles heard a drowsy purring. Apparently the tired kitten fell asleep. Cautiously Bubbles moved the board to a different tentacle then slowly swam forward so as not to wake it.
By the time they reached the nearest island the sun began to rise. The kitten awoke, stretched and yawned. “Meow?”
“Glurble blurp burple glub.” Bubbles stretched the tentacle holding the kitten up higher so it could see. Vaguely they could see one human female sitting on the beach while another appeared to be sleeping.
“Mew meow MEOOWWW!” The kitten excitedly jumped up to its feet. Then it looked at the people and tilted its head. “Meow?” It sat down sadly.
“Blurb blurrble glurp.” From what Bubbles could tell, the kitten knew the humans but they weren’t specifically “his humans”. “Blorgle blurp?”
The kitten seemed to come to a decision, then to Bubble’s surprise, jumped into the water and tried to swim to the beach. The distance was still too far. The kraken put the board down into the water, then scooped the kitten onto it.
“Meow?”
“Blork glub glubble.” Bubbles gave the board a gentle push so that the kitten could ride the board closer to the beach.
From a safe distance, Bubbles watched as the board drifted towards the sand. The kitten hopped into the water again, swam a short distance, and climbed onto the beach. It shook the water out of its fur, then ran up to a human woman with fiery hair. The surprised woman petted the kitten for a moment. Then the kitten ran over to the person lying down. He observed as the kitten licked the face of the other woman, who woke up and scooped it up in her arms happily. From over the woman’s shoulder he saw the kitten wave its paw at him. Bubbles waved a tentacle back before turning towards the open waters. Then he took one last look at the beach. The red haired woman was storming off, the other woman following with the kitten in her arms.
The woman’s red hair, though lighter in color, brought back memories of Val. He promised Val he would find a mate. With all the people so close to the land, perhaps he should look in different places. It was time to swim out to the deep seas in search of other kraken.
Prompt: Round 28 of #ChoicesCreates: Choices Crossovers
Summary: Zahra spends time with Caleb after meeting him at a local bar.
Author’s note: This takes place before Endless Summer and Hero.
Rating: M
Tags: @holly-park, @ladyashtonofcordonia
As Zahra reached her floor in the dorm, she heard voices. When she approached the lounge on the floor, she saw Jillian, one of the girls on her floor, talking to another girl. She took a closer look and saw that it was Jillian's friend Miranda.
"Any parties going on tonight?" Jillian asked Miranda.
"Not sure. I should call Craig. Maybe the team is doing something. If not, maybe he'd want to hang out alone. It was fun hooking up with him last weekend. I could go for round two." Miranda picked up her can of diet soda, took a sip, and then set it back down.
Zahra glared in Miranda's direction, then walked closer to where the girls were sitting. As she neared the end table next to them, she moved her bag closer, knocking over the can of soda. "Oops," she said as she walked past.
Miranda glowered at Zahra. "You freak!"
Zahra turned around and flipped her the bird, then headed to her room. She slammed the door behind her as she walked in.
Why do I even care? she thought. She and Craig hadn't spent time together for a while. He was constantly partying with the football team. He'd changed since freshman year. They'd had so much fun then. But things were different now.
I need a drink. I'm getting out of here. She called an Uber, and soon she was at a bar downtown. Good thing I have my fake ID. It was time to get drunk.
She sat down on a barstool. The guy next to her had long brown hair and wore a leather jacket. He raised his glass and motioned to the bartender. "Hey, can I get another mezcal?"
Zahra looked toward the bartender. "I could use one of those too."
The guy next to her turned in her direction. "You got it." "Make it two," he said to the bartender.
"I was talking to the bartender. This doesn't mean I owe you anything. Got it?" Zahra reached into her pocket and pulled out her knife. "Don't even think about messing with me."
"Whoa, chill," he said. "And you don't want to use that on me. You'd regret it." He pulled out his own pocket knife.
When the bartender brought their drinks over, Zahra grabbed the other knife. "I'll hold on to this for now. You can have it back later, as long as you don't give me a reason not to give it to you." She grinned at him wickedly, then picked up her drink and took a sip. "This is good stuff."
"Sure is." He reached for his own glass. "I'm Caleb."
"I'm Zahra." She looked him over. "I haven't seen you around here before."
"I live in Northbridge, but my friend wanted to come here tonight. Maybe that's why." He pointed to a man across the room, who had his arm draped around a woman.
"Looks like they're having fun." Zahra thought about what Miranda had said. "It was fun hooking up with him last weekend." She picked up her glass and took a drink.
"Great song!" Caleb made the sign of the horns. Zahra focused on the lyrics.
Breaking the law, breaking the law. Breaking the law, breaking the law. Breaking the law, breaking the law. Breaking the law, breaking the law.
She recognized the song: "Breaking the Law," by Judas Priest. "You look like you're into that. Breaking the law."
Caleb nodded. "Yeah, you got me. I was first sent to juvie when I was thirteen, and was in and out for years. How about you?"
"Hell yeah. I'm on the FBI's watchlist. I was one of the hackers responsible for the 2015 Wall Street leaks."
Caleb's eyes widened. "Impressive! Let me get you another drink." He ordered two more mezcals.
After they got their drinks, Zahra looked towards the pool table, then back to Caleb. "You want to play?"
He smiled. "Sure, but let's make it interesting. If I win, you do something for me. If you win, I do something for you."
"Like what?" Zahra eyed him suspiciously.
"I could use someone to do a hacking job for me. I got caught speeding too many times and now have to pay a surcharge because of all the points against my license. I hate the fucking DMV! Wish my record could be wiped clean."
"That would be easy enough to do. You're on." Zahra stood up and walked over to the pool table with Caleb. "'I'll take stripes."
They took turns shooting, until Caleb had pocketed all the solid balls. Only the 8 ball was left. "8 ball, corner pocket," he called out. As the 8 ball rolled into the corner pocket, he shouted "Yes! I win!" He looked at Zahra. "You're going to make my points disappear."
The man Caleb had pointed out walked over to them. "Looks like I'm getting lucky tonight. Can you find another way home? Thanks!" He hurried off in the direction of the men's room.
"Damn it!" Caleb muttered. "Any chance you could give me a ride home?"
Zahra shook her head. "Sorry, I took an Uber here."
Caleb frowned. "That asshole. Wait a minute. I have an idea. You want to get out of here? Remember, you have a job to do for me."
"Sure, why not." She and Caleb walked out the door and across the parking lot. She was surprised to see him heading for a car. "I thought you didn't drive here."
"I didn't. My friend's going to be sorry he ditched me." He looked Zahra in the eye. "Can I have my knife back now? I need it. Not to use on you."
"OK, but remember, I still have mine." She handed him his knife, and he broke the antenna off the car, then jammed his knife between the door and the body of the car. "Is that your friend's car?"
"Yeah. I'm borrowing it. He'll know where to find it later, but he'll have to find another way home." As the door opened, he reached for the opposite door and unlocked it. "Hop in."
Zahra walked over to the door, then opened it and sat down in the passenger's seat. She watched as Caleb hot-wired the car. "Where are we going?"
"Your place? You must have a good computer system if you're a hacker. Besides, you need a ride home anyway, unless you want to call another Uber."
"True. You know where Hartfeld University is? I live in the dorms."
Soon they arrived at the campus, and she led Caleb into her dorm. After they reached her room, Zahra logged on to her computer. Caleb watched as she hacked into the DMV site.
"I'm in. Now I just have to find your record." She looked over at Caleb, who leaned closer and typed in his full name. Before long, Zahra had deleted all the offenses from his record, and removed the surcharge.
"Thanks! You're the best." Caleb looked at her with appreciation.
Zahra's eyes met Caleb's. It felt good to have someone look at her like that. She thought about the last time Craig had come to her room. She still remembered what he had said to her: "Sometimes I don't think you care about anybody except yourself." Then she thought about Craig hooking up with Miranda. She grabbed Caleb's arm and led him to her bed. She leaned over and kissed him deeply, and before long one thing led to another.
Afterwards he lay beside her, grinning. "That was fun."
"Yeah, it was." But not as much fun as it had been with Craig. "You should probably get going, though."
"Oh, OK." He climbed out of bed and began to get dressed. "Can I get your number? It would be fun to hang out again. Besides, you never know when I might need your services."
"Sure." As he picked up his phone, she gave him the number. Moments later, she got a text notification.
"I thought you might want mine too." He pulled her close and kissed her again. "Good night." He walked out, leaving Zahra alone again.
Title: Eshajōri (#LoveHacks) - Part 2
Summary: Eshajōri - “people meet, always part”; the concept that expresses the idea about the impermanence of all things, that every human relationship will end someday due to the transient nature of life. Part 2 of Julie’s article where she interviews various people she met around the world. Featuring MCs from TRR and THoBM and other OCs from HSS and HWU. (Part one)
Prompt: Talk about someone who is special to you. But not just anyone, it has to be someone who isn’t really a part of your life anymore. Think about this person and why they left an impact on you.
Enid Zuberi
About her: Hi, I’m Enid and I’m from New York. Currently in Cordonia and there’s a lot of things going on so I’m just here for the ride. I don’t know what to expect but at this point I’m prepared for almost anything that comes my way.
Her story: One person who meant a lot to me, and still does, is my best friend Ollie. We’re still close but he’s busy with is life while I’m busy with mine so we don’t really hang out as much anymore. We also had another friend, Sera, who passed away a few years back. The three of us were inseparable and I couldn’t have asked for better friends than these two.
I’ve known Ollie since we were little kids. He’s kind of like my little brother and I still kind of treat him like one and although he won’t admit it I think he kinda likes it when I fuss over him. We’re from completely different backgrounds as he comes from a wealthy family while I came from a middle class family. Since his parents usually leave him with the housekeepers, he’s usually at my place or Sera’s. My parents treated him like a son and did more for him than his actual parents, no offense to them, just stating the truth. Though I’m happy to say Ollie is civil with his parents, which isn’t much but it’s better than nothing.
In college we started sort of doing our own thing as I stayed close to home, Sera went to Eagle U in Eden Villa, and Ollie went to Harvard. Doing the summer we’d go to our special place, so we’d bring out a boat, go sailing until we get there and set up a picnic. But after Sera died, it was hard for me and Ollie to go back there because of the memories. We did eventually but it’s been a few years since then.
Anyway, Ollie and I are kind of in our own world. He’s busy with his family’s law firm and I’m out here. I’ve been texting him a lot since I came to Cordonia to keep him updated on everything. He’s been really supportive and I wouldn’t know what I’d do without him. Since this trip was kind of last minute, we were bummed that we didn’t have time to say goodbye and stuff. I really miss him and once I get back home, however long that takes, I’m gonna make plans for us to hang out more.
Finn Dobrev
About him: Hey my name’s Finn and I’m kinda new here. I just became an actor thanks to my pal Lauren, you might know her, she’s um… well she’s nice once you get to know her. My home is at Bubblerum, which is like in the middle of nowhere so like no one has heard of it.
His story: So I grew up with my brother Cloud, who’s a ghost. No, he wasn’t alive before, he’s part of this species of ghosts who are just…ghosts. I don’t think I explained that well. He’s um…a standalone ghost I guess. Anyway I grew up with him and our mother, who adopted us, which is how we met. We were like two peas in a pod because we were different. His species is endangered and I’m not like completely human. Seriously, look, my limbs are cyborg parts and also I can time travel. You want proof about time travel? I can show you!
(What happened behind the scenes, aka someone had to spend a few extra hours editing this since she had to cut a lot of stuff out while trying to make sense of this mess…
Finn: You want proof about time travel? I can show you!
Julie: Um…is that safe?
Finn: Sure it is! What’s the worst that could happen?
Julie: A lot of things, actually.
Finn: Don’t worry, I won’t pull you through a time loop, this will only take you a few years back.
Julie: Wait a minute. What do you mean time loop? And this is just an interview You don’t have to - and you’re gonna do it anyway…
Time travel stuff happens. Surprisingly nothing is destroyed and everything is back to normal.
Finn: How’s that for the article?
Julie: Yeah I’m afraid i’m gonna have to cut that out.
Finn: Well the time travel is actually relevant to my story. And the time loop thing. It’s actually a very long story…
He wasn’t kidding)
So about the time loop thing. Cloud and I accidentally released this evil spirit which attacked this island where I found my bio mom and my sister, who I never knew because we were separated a long time ago, and that’s another story so I’m gonna skip that part. Anyway evil spirit destroyed the island several times. So Cloud and I decided to be heroes, well we kind of are back in Bubblerum and I should really get back to the main story.
Okay so Cloud and I locked the island in a time loop because if we didn’t the whole island would be dead and i wouldn’t be here talking to you. By doing that we went back in time several days before the attack so we could have another chance at defeating the evil spirit. And if we all get killed, the timeline resets so we can try again. Except it took like bajillion tries and for a while it seemed like no matter what we did it was hopeless and we kept dying horrible deaths. Time travel is pretty complicated, especially when you remember everything that didn’t happen.
And guess who broke the time loop and freed us from all these horrible deaths? It was Cloud, who sacrificed himself to destroy the evil spirit at the cost of his own life. By then it was like our final chance because you can only do so many do-overs so it was a lot of pressure. Cloud was a brave guy, the only one who has stuck with me for so long, so now it feels kinda weird without him. At least he died a hero, just like he always wanted. Google “Cloud the ghost fights evil spirit” if you want to know more about it, but ignore the articles by DailyTango because they never get their facts right, including our names.
Aminta Beaumont
About her: I’m Aminta, I live in Evergreen Oaks and I’m currently taking a gap year. I’m a student at Hartford majoring in finance with a minor in psychology and I hope to run my own accounting firm one day.
Her story: About a year ago I was going through a rough time in my life. And then I met Eleanor, who helped me open my eyes and face my problems. Although we only knew each other for a short time, our lives weren’t the same after that. It’s one of those little things that may not seem obvious but it ends up leaving something big.
When I first met Eleanor, I was lost and scared. I was haunted by my brother’s death and it was difficult. Eleanor was going through a rough time too as she went through a lot and goes to great lengths to take care of her siblings. The fact that we both were dragged down by our pasts brought us together.
For a while I stayed with Eleanor and became a caretaker for her siblings Clarissa, Thomas, and Simon. It took a while for them to warm up to me, can’t blame them though since I was a complete stranger who suddenly appeared, but soon it was like I was part of their family. For the first time in what seemed like forever, I didn’t feel like I was being weighed down or held back. But at the same time I knew that I was supposed to be looking for answers and for a way to put my past behind.
Confronting my demons wasn’t easy but I knew that I couldn’t keep running away. Eleanor was the type of person who was selfless, always giving and willing to protect her siblings no matter what. That’s another thing we had in common, wanting to protect our families because the truth was too painful. So we take that truth and carry it ourselves, shouldering the burden so no one else would. We had good intentions but even that can do more harm than good. Once we opened up, the burden fell away.
After that we went our separate ways. I didn’t know her for long but at the same time it felt like we spend a lifetime together. I wish we had more time together but it was time for us to start living again and our paths just don’t cross. I still think about her and the kids from time to time, wondering how they’re doing now. Maybe one day our paths will cross again but for now I hope she’s happy and at peace.
Viktor Maksimov
About him: My name’s Viktor, I’m from Moscow and staying with my aunt in Peace Coast Island. I’m an athlete, which is another reason why I’m here and I like to do gymnastics, sing, dance, and skate.
His story: My mother was my number one supporter. She encouraged me to work hard, do my best, go for the gold, all that motivating stuff. I’m a competitive athlete so I travel a lot, and no matter what, my mom was always there. We come from a family of competitive athletes, my mother and my aunt were dancers. Mom retired after getting married and later became a dance instructor. You might have heard of my aunt, Anna Nikolaev, the one who was on that show Cooking Competitor. So, yeah, we’re a pretty athletic family.
It’s been over a year since the worst day of my life, and that was Mom’s death. She went to watch my aunt perform at Nationals while the rest of us watched the competition through a livestream. On the way back to the hotel they got into a bad car accident that involved two other cars. Mom didn’t make it, Anna and her dance instructor were badly injured. It was a difficult time knowing that Mom was gone and Anna’s life was hanging by a thread.
I think it was Mom who helped me through that difficult time. Or at least her memory. It’s not easy being a competitive athlete and there were times when I wanted to quit because the pressure was too much. Mom was the one who helped me when I felt that way. She taught me how to confront my fears. That it was okay to be scared and unsure. That even when things don’t go well, in the end everything will work out. She also taught me how to deal with stress like through meditation and mindfulness. The first few months without her were tough but by remembering what she taught, I somehow managed to pull through.
So Mom, wherever you are, I hope I can make you proud. You’ve done so much for me and I want to return the favor.
Sapphire Landry
About her: Name’s Sapphire. I live in Peace Coast Island with my besties Spencer and Steven. I like to sing and dance and I have a big sweet tooth. Trilingual, blind right eye, lazy, musically inclined, fashionista, sassy, I think you get my personality.
Her story: A long time ago, okay so not that long ago, I had a partner in crime. Her name was Lizzie and she was my BFF. As you can tell from the fact that I used past tense, she is sadly no longer with us. I still find it hard to believe.
This actually happened a long time ago, four years, when our lives changed forever. By accident Lizzie and I became time travelers. No, seriously we were doing a project, accidentally knocked something over, stuff exploded, we woke up in a hospital and bam! time travel. I’d show you but my powers are kind of unstable but it’s been a while so maybe it’ll be okay. Here I go…
(Julie: That won’t be necessary, thank you. So I’m guessing time travel is relevant to the story?
Sapphire: Yeah, probably bad idea… Besides my powers are kinda inactive, not since the illness but that’s another thing but it’s also kinda relevant…)
So we become time travelers but because of how we got our powers it means that we’re unpredictable. But no worries, we went along with this time travel scientist and her son Spencer who was our classmate so we got things under control. Well most of the time. The four of us were a great team!
Then last year, things went downhill. We lost half the team so Spencer and I were left. His mother took us to a clinic, can’t remember too much about it, but there was some mystery illness causing an epidemic. No one knew how bad it was until it was too late. We were visiting Spencer’s father, who’s a huge jerk by the way, and then we all got sick. There was nothing the doctors could do and Lizzie died. I never even got to say goodbye.
Lizzie was more than a best friend, she was a sister. I practically lived with her, in fact I tried but ended up getting in trouble. We were always attached by the hip, maybe sometimes a bit too close. She was the one who kept me out of trouble even though we ended up in it anyway. She always knew what to do when things got chaotic. Hell, I even miss the things I don’t like about her like when she nags about things or go all snarky when she’s mad. She was one of a kind.
Losing her was like losing a huge part of me. We were always known as Lizzie and Sapphy. Now it’s just Sapphy. I’m still not used to it but I’m trying.
You know, maybe it’s a good thing Lizzie isn’t here right now because if she heard what I just said about her and being all mushy and stuff I bet she’ll make fun of me for it!
Owen Rahajaro
About him: I’m Owen and I’m a student at Hollywood U and a regular performer at Starlight Theater. I like to sing, act, dance, and perform stunts. Starlight has been my home for over seven years and I recommend if you have the time, stop by and watch a show.
His story: Growing up I was raised by my father, who was a traveling musician. He’d visit many places, playing his sitar. I was surrounded by music so obviously my life revolved around that. We didn’t have much except for each other, and music, of course and that was more than enough.
Dad passed away when I was nine after being ill for months. By then we settled in London where he became a teacher. His health had been slowly declining by then, which is why he decided to stop traveling. I didn’t find out about that until much later, after he died. I remember pacing around the hospital, not fully understanding what was going on expect that my father was very sick. Never in my life had I felt so scared.
It’s still painful to talk about his final weeks. Seeing my lively and outgoing father lying in a hospital bed with tubes and wires attached to him, is something that will always be hard to think about. But I didn’t want his last memories to see his son sad and scared so I did my best to make him happy. Because if he was happy, then so was I. He did a lot for me and now that he wasn’t going to be here for much longer scared him. I made a promise to him and to myself that I would be strong and I’m still keeping to my word.
One thing I remember about my dad’s final weeks was how much he talked about my mother. She died when I was a baby so all I have is pictures of her and stories dad told me about her. During long nights at the hospital, he told me about her, things that you don’t hear in stories. Like how she started the day by opening the curtains wide open to bring in the sunlight or that she was a perfectionist who would spend hours banging on piano keys writing a song and driving her neighbors crazy in the process. It was then I realized that soon he won’t be here anymore.
Sometimes it’s hard to believe that he’s been gone for almost fourteen years. There are days when I can remember him clearly and days when I struggle to remember. He was a big part of my life and I miss him every day. I bet he’s happy up there with mom.
Hello! I’ve been reading a lot of your wonderful creations for some time now, and finally tried to write a fanfiction myself. This is the first time I try this, I really hope it doesn’t sound like utter garbage.
Also, I apologise in advance for any typos, I’m not a native English speaker. I also apologise for the length of this. The title is inspired by Ella Eyre’s “Home”.
Author’s note: Rated T for mild language and mentions of character death and murder. This is a crossover for round 28 of #choicescreates, between Hero and Endless Summer, hosted by @ladyashtonofcordonia and @holly-park. I used the default name Alex for my female MC in Hero and the name Serena for my female MC in Endless Summer
I hope you enjoy it!
The rain is pattering heavily against the open window as the train soon comes to a halt at London Paddington. People swiftly get up, grabbing their belongings, long rain coats and umbrellas, before forcing themselves through to the narrow corridor to reach the exit as fast as they can. At a quarter past six in the evening, Paddington is crowded with employees finally making their way home, rushing to their next train. They wind their scarves tighter round their necks, turn the collars of their coats up against the cold breeze that hits them as soon as they leave the mouldy air of the train.
A tall woman gets out and calmy walkes towards the exit of the railway station. Her black coat wrapped tightly around her slender frame, the black hair tied in a neat knot, she passes the rushing passengers, the clicking of her heels getting lost in the shuffle. A man sits in the corner, turning a cigarette in his hand, studies her for a short moment before he shouts. “Why hello, there, beautiful!” But she does not react. Standing now out in the open, right in front of the station, she takes a pair of gloves out of the little handbag she is carrying and puts them on. She reads the little note again that she has in her coat pocket, and turns towards the main street.
Now, in the middle of October, the temperature having been quite warm for the past weeks, had dropped over the course of several days, and the rain does not seem to help it. The rough climate of autumn can now be felt more than ever, and it costs quite an effort to even leave the house and not just to lie on the sofa all day, watching TV and drinking a nice cup of coffee or tea. The woman turns left in a side alley, before she turns another left and then another right, an old looking building appearing in front of her. She reads the note again, looks for a name at the entry, and rings. The voice of a young woman cracks through the speaker. “Hello?” “Good evening, Miss Tate, I am Miss Martin, we spoke earlier about a possible job offer and agreed to meet up. May I come in?”
There is a small pause on the other end of the speaker, then the voice agrees and opens the door. The woman enters the lift, pressing the button for the third floor, and finds a young blond woman already waiting at the doorstep of apartment number 301. The blond studies her quickly before she says: “Good evening, Miss Martin. It’s a pleasure to meet you, please come in.” The other woman thanks her, inspecting her surroundings. “Please take a seat. Would you like a cup of coffee or tea?” The woman nods and takes a seat on the gray sofa. “Coffee, please.” She chuckles. “You are adapting quite well to the British way of speaking.”
The blond turns, lifting an eyebrow, before she regains her calm composure. “Quite so. Now, about this job offer”, she sets the coffee in front of her counterpart on the tea table. “I learnt that you are an executive assistant at Prescott industries, situated in Northbridge.” “I see you did your research.” The woman sips her coffee. The blond smiles. “Can you blame me? It’s not everday that I get a message on my answering machine from America, saying they might be offering me a job. I must say I am surprised you came to me for that job. Are you planning to open another company here in London?” “Not at the moment, no.”
The blond looks astoundished. “Is it about a job in America then?” Her counterpart nods. The blond studies her with an unreadable expression, then looks away. “I am very sorry to trouble you with the long travel, Miss Martin, but I am afraid I cannot come back to the United States for the time being. I built my life up here, in London, and I am not really ready to leave it all behind again.” The black-haired woman watches her, not responding, as if she is patiently waiting for the blond to go on. The latter grows nervous. “I believe, you will find a suitable marketing assistant back in America who would love to have the job.” She stands up, but again, the other woman makes no move. “I am not exactly talking about Prescott Industries, Serena.”
Serena stares at the woman, her eyes wide open. She searches for words, before she asks: “How did you know?” “Everybody’s attention was drawn to the missing airplane with the college students that had been offered a trip to the island La Huerta. From one day to the other, no one was able to find you. The agencies were not even able to connect with “The Celestial” for answers upon your sudden disappearance. You just vanished from this world, and this high media attention lasted for several months, before they let the matter drop. And then, half a year ago, we read a little announcement, that they gave up on looking for you. But, you see, I have this friend Dax of mine who really was interested into the matter, and when he started looking for sources in the internet, he read about several bizarre mysteries linked to the island, and he dug deeper. Although he was not able to find any information that lead towards “The Celestial” or the missing airplane, he found out that they did not give up the search, but found the students, you included.”
Serena nervously takes a sip of her tea. “So, what are you, then? Some kind of secret agency? Are you working for Rourke?” The woman shakes her head. “Nothing of that sort. I told you, I am offering you a job.” “I feel it’s nothing to do with working as marketing assistant in any company.” The woman watches her intensely. “I have been looking for you since the day Dax came to me and told me about you. About the weird things that happened when you were around. About your sudden disappearance.” Serena closes her eyes for a moment, suddenly overwhelmed by emotions. “If you know my story, then you know why I had to leave.” The woman nods sadly. “Yes, you had every right to leave, and I am very sorry about the things you had to endure. But it is time you came back.” “No, I don’t. I feel myself quite comfortable here. London is nice, I got a nice job, I can start my own life. I’m moving on. And I’m damn sure I won’t return to the US.”
“Look at you. Look at this apartment. There is nothing personal here, no decoration, no pictures. It’s like you just moved in, when you have lived in London for a couple of months already. Before that, you were in Costa Rica, constantly on your feet, traveling around, and not settling down for one second.”
“So what? I found a new start here, and I ain’t giving it up!” Serena looks around and throws her arms in the air. “It takes some time to adjust, but I’ll get there.”
“Your working as a marketing assistant in a company you don’t even care about. I am pretty sure you don’t even like the job. You will be gone in several months again, traveling up the coast or taking the plane, to get to a new place. You are not trying to look for a home, trying to settle down, your fleeing. And the problem, the problem is, that you don’t realise that the only thing you flee from is your head. There was no point in leaving the US in the first place!”
Serena defensively stands up and walks to the window. “I can’t! I cannot return to this country! Not to the place I share memories of my friends! Not when I have these- “She stops, unsure, if she should say it out loud. “Telepathic abilities? Visions of the past?” Serena turns towards the woman. “Who are you?” “I am not so different from you. I have abilities too, abilities I must keep secret from others. I know it is hard when you are alone with this. And I am offering you a chance. Come back to the United States with me, I can help you.” Serena hesitates, unsure what to say. “I might be able to help with your visions, too. “
“They just come whenever they want.”, Serena whispers. She almost starts to cry. After months of loneliness, months where she had to build walls around her because she did not know what she could tell others, months of sleepless nights she visioned of Jake, of her friends, their deaths, waking up all alone in an ugly apartment in a city she did not feel at home at all, she finally can let her guard down. There is person that understands her. The woman gets up and hugs her tightly. “Having an ability means you need to control it. Those visions, they may get better once you train your mind.” She smiles sadly at Serena. “Even if you will still have nightmares about your friends, it is a relief.”
Serena nods, tears falling down her cheeks. She takes a deep breath and settles down on the sofa again. She drinks her tea, then turns back to the woman standing at her window. A lightening illuminates the street outside and the semi-dark room, followed by a loud thunder. And as if there is a click in her head, Serena suddenly knows what to do. Hell, she never wanted to stay here. “Alright.” The woman watches her astoundished. “You’re right. I’m done fleeing. I come home.” The woman smiles. “You can take your time. I help you settle your things – “ “No, I don’t need that. I am still on probation at work, I have a very nice landlady. She’ll understand. “ “Then it’s settled. I’m taking you back with me to the United States.”
Serena smiles to herself. She feels awkwardly relieved. She can finally go home. And she isn’t going to be alone. At that thought, she notices something. “Hey, what’s your name, actually?” “I’m Alex. “, The woman grins, obviously very pleased with the turnouts of this evening’s discussion. “And that job you wanted to offer. What exactly is the description of that?”, Serena asks. Alex grins wider. “You’re going to work with a few very cool people, going to wear some fancy clothings, and going to kick some people’s asses.”
A dark figure rushes through the gaps between the skyscrapers, disrupting the night’s tranquility. Alex flies and makes a sharp turn to the left then flies over a park, almost touching the fallen snow on the tree branches. Her red capes moving furiously in the cold breeze of the night. She holds her arm right in front of her face and speaks to the waistband. “Serena, where are they going?”, she shouts against the wind. “You gotta take a sharp turn to the left again after the next building. They are heading towards an industrial site. There’s a car waiting for them.” Alex turns to the left again. A couple is underneath her on the sidewalk and looks up, as they notice the sudden commotion in the air. Alex swiftly ducks behind another high building, trying not to lose speed. Kenji’s voice crackles in the waistband.
“You see the other suspects waiting for them?” “Yes. They’ll drive outside of town where another car is waiting for them. Seems to be a park. They’ll change cars there. We gotta reach them before they can drive away.” “Quite so.” Kenji says. “CCTV has recorded them driving away from the crime scene. They gained themselves time by leaving the car in that parking lot up the alley, but they’re much slower by foot. They must have adjusted his plan and called their colleague to meet them withhin reach, but not too near to the crime scene. The police are spreading out around the parking lot and search for witnesses, but with their faces not visible on the security camera, they don’t stand a chance to find them.”
“But we do.” Alex flies around complex. “Serena, how long before they reach the instruction site?” “I say five minutes. No wait, ten. The way they wanted to take is under construction, they’ll take a sideroad to their left that leads them around several apartment complexes. Turn the next left and you’ll see me.” Alex obliges and promptly flies next to her friend. Serena grins. “Hey, there.” She studies her friend in the tight blue costume. “You really didn’t want to bring a scarf and gloves, huh?” Alex laughs. “No, it slows me down. What about you?” “Oh, you know, I wear leggins and a t-shirt under my suit, it’s quite comfortable and warm this way.”
“Trendy. We should get you both warmer suits for the winter season, you know with these furry collars and everything. “Poppy chuckles on the screen of the waistband. “Only if you add a portable coffee holder too.” Alex retorts. She looks behind them and sees a bronze figure hurrying over the buildings, following them. “Kenji, you’re still with us?” “Believe me, I’m hot on your heels. The minute you end your little coffee party up there you’ll be the ones to follow me.” All three women laugh. “Oh, you wish.” Alex retorts and flies faster. Ignoring the frustrated sigh of Kenji, she turns to Serena. “Your new flying device is absolutely brilliant.”
“Yeah, it’s actually very comfortable. And also quite useful.” “Remind me why I have no such thing?”, Kenji asks. “Because I couldn’t produce a device so far that is able to carry your bronze without making you a giant bronze dragonfly. And because you always preach that true heroes know their strenghts and weaknesses, and that you are feeling much better with your feet on the ground.” Dax’ face appears on the screen of the waistband. “Guys, the police radio states that one police car makes a patrol in your direction. Better be safe when passing them, don’t draw their attention on you.” Alex nods. “Got it.” Serena seems to space out for a second. When it’s over, she turns to Alex. “He’s leaving the side street now and is back on his way. Eight minutes.” “Alright guys, let’s hurry.”
Dexter hurries into side street and stops for a short while to catch his breath, Rager with him. Their plan had worked out. They had trained this for months. With all that practice and planning, it had been quite easy to break into the Central Northbridge Bank. Dexter looks at the heavy bag in his hand. He imagines the dollar bills laying inside of it and his eyes begin to glow. “We’re rich now, eh?” Rager asks with a deep voice, grinning widely all over his face. Dexter nods. “Too bad we’ve got to dump it.” He throws his bag into an edge. Rager shakes his head, but follows the given orders. “Such a waist of money.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll get a wage that’s worth it. We have the most important thing.” Dexter holds the USB stick inside of his hands. The key they had taken from the corps of investigative journalist Logan Werner had fitted with one of the safe deposit boxes in the bank. Although CCTV probably had them on camera, he had immediately hid the stick and they had taken off. The other valuables Werner had put inside of his deposit box were still there, and as he had been a very sceptical human being, he had not told anyone about the stick inside. There was no way the police had taken notice of a missing USB stick. “What’s even on that thing? All this crap for a small USB stick.” “I don’t know. “Dexter answers. “And we shouldn’t ask questions. Come on.” They take of again, soon reaching the industrial site where the others were waiting. “Took you longer than we thought, Dexter.” A blond man, sitting in the driving seat, studies the other man. Dexter rustles his hand through his brown-haired curls.
“Yeah, one street was barred. But we got what was asked for.” “Boss is going to be happy about it.”, the driver smiled. Rager, taking off his black cap, letting his red hair fall on his shoulders, asks: “Has anyone of you met him? I mean, we don’t know anything about him. For all we know he could be a creepy lunatic.” “Who cares, man?”, another blond-haired man says. “We get a lot of money for the job, so we better do what he wants. I don’t care what kind of man he is.” “True.”, the driver says and starts the car. But just as he hits the gas pedal, a blue figure jumps down in front of them and crunches the engine bonnet with one fist.
“What the hell?”, Dexter cries out and jumps out of his car, drawing his gun. He tries to focuse on the lady in blue, as a blond lady appears to the right hand and a bronze guy to his left. He whirls around, as one by one of his team is captured and put inside of the car, leaving him the only one armed. As the bronze guy tackles the driver to the ground, Dexter focuses the gun on him, his hand jerking nervously. Before he can pull the trigger, a kick to his hand makes him drop the gun and another strong kick to his rips sends him flying back to the ground. Unarmed, surrounded by three masked people, he lies hopelessly on the ground, unsure what to do. This was not what they had planned, this was not what he had been called for. Break-ins and robbery? Yes, everyday, but dealing with masked creeps that know martial arts? He did not sign up for this.
“Hey Dexter.” The blond lady speaks. “What – “, he begins, at loss of words, and then cringes when the blond woman approaches him. He tries to spring to his feet and to defend himself, but the bronze man keeps him down. The blond grabs inside of the pocket of his jacket, and takes the USB stick. “So this is what he asked you for, huh? Quite clever, a bank robbery when the only thing you wanted was this tiny thing here.” The blond studies the stick. “Talos, when did you say the police was coming here?”, the lady in blue asks. “Oh, any moment from now, if I am correct.” “Then we better hurry.” The blond replies. “Now tell me, Dexter. Why does Everett Rourke need this USB stick so badly?” Dexter looks at her, shocked. He had not told anyone of his boss’s identity. He had clear orders; to keep the identity secret and to tell the others he was just an ordinary thief that got signed up for the job.
“Who are you freaks?”, he shouts. He hears sirens howling nearby. The blond ignores him. She steps forward, her eyes narrowing, and grabs him by the collar. “Tell me what I want to know.” She brings her face even closer. “Why. Does. Rourke. Want. It.” Dexter trembles. The bronze man and the blue lady move closer, staring at him intently. “I don’t know.” “I know you do.” The blond one grabs him tighter, then laughs. “It’s almost funny, you know. You’re a trustworthy loyal dog to him, doing anything he says. You are his employee, aren’t you? Working as a loyal secretary for a rich businessman. You would do anything for him.”
Dexter trembles harder. The woman’s blue eyes stare directly into his soul, and he feels as if she uncovers his memories, thoughts and secrets, laying them out bare for anyone to see. “Who are you?”, he murmurs, but she does not listen. “You are just bait to him. The moment the police captures you and interrogates you, he’s going to drop you like a hot potato. You’ll be sent to prison for your crimes, and he will silence you the moment he has the chance to. There is no reason for you to defend him now. Tell me what he needs it for and I’ll tell the police you coorperated well with us and just maybe they’ll get your sentence reduced.”
Dexter thinks about it for a second. “He- he…” Dexter stutters. He breathes, then speaks: “He’s been working on another project. I don’t know where, what or when, I really don’t, but he kept saying that this investigative journalist Logan Werner had gained information he shouldn’t have, and that he needed this USB stick to ensure that his project was not in danger.” “The guy who was murdered in his apartment? So he ordered you to kill him?” Dexter panicks. “I didn’t kill him! I swear it! The driver guy Bill did it, I had nothing to do with it.” “Okay”, the blond says conciliatory. “Is there a number you had to call, or a place to go? To hand Rourke the stick?”
Dexter’s shaky hands take out a small note. “He said I should come to that place. He said he would wait for me in the café there, and I should come alone. Tell me, what’s he going to do? What’s he going to do to me?” The blond looks up, and Dexter follows her gaze. Several police cars approach and surround the car Dexter’s colleagues are sitting in. District Attorney Meiko Katsaros leaves one car and approaches them. “There you go ahead and capture them again before us.”, Katsaros smiles to the woman in blue, before looking onto Dexter. “We found the money in a side street. Any idea why they dropped it?”
“The street they probably initially wanted to take was under construction and barred. I guess they panicked when their plan didn’t work out and tried to get rid of evidence.”, Talos answers. Katsaros nods. “They opened a safe deposit box inside of the bank. I guess you didn’t find what you were looking for, hm?”, she turns to Dexter who quickly stares to the ground. “I guess we continue this discussion at the police station.” She handcuffs Dexter and leads him towards the police cars. “Thanks again, Talos and Blue Bird.” She turns, when she notices the blond woman standing behind them.
Her hair is loose, she wears a grey mask over her icy blue eyes that study the District Attorney intently. Her costume is a dark grey too, reaching from her underarms to the black boots. Iron chains in the color of amber are wrapped around her torso and she wears a black coloured belt on her hips. Her amber coloured cape flatters in the wind. “You must be new to the team. Who are you?” The blond woman smirks. She intensely stars at Dexter. “Andromeda.” Katsaros takes her leave with a final nod and gets into the police car. “And once again, we catched the criminals. Good teamwork, everyone!”, Kenji announces, smirking at Alex and Serena.
“Well done, guys.”, Poppy smiles broadly into the screen on the waistband. “So we’re kinda onto something big there, aren’t we?”, Dax asks. “This whole Rourke thing, he seems to plan something very secretive and important. Do you think this Dexter guy will talk?” “I don’t think so. He knows how much power Rourke holds. I highly doubt he says any word of it to Katsaros, and he doesn’t have a reason to, since she has no idea of the existence of this USB stick.” Serena explains. “Whatever he’s planning.”, Alex frowns. “It sure as hell is nothing good. But we’ll be hot on his heels.” She looks encourangingly at Serena. “Together, as a team.” Serena grins. “You’re right. And we made a big progress today to stop him. That’s worth a celebration!” Talos looks knowingly at the two women. “Guys, I believe it’s time to party. To party hard!” Alex laughs. “Alright, Poppy, Dax, at my place in 30 minutes.” Serena watches as Alex locks an arm with Kenji. She studies the tiny little USB stick in her hand again. It’s quite funny, she thinks. This is the first time she finds something connecting to Rourke since she came back from the island. She feels overwhelmed; Jake’s image in the back of her mind, his loving gaze, then she sees Quinn, the sunshine, and Michelle and all the others. All the people Rourke took from her. But she knows she doesn’t have to deal alone with this.
Alex’ encouragement rings in her ears, and when Alex turns back to her to look where she’s at, Serena closes the distance and links an arm with her. Together, they push themselves off the ground, Alex keeping an arm round Kenji who loosingly hangs in the air, complaining about getting sick from her flying style, and Serena laughs wholeheartedly.
She takes a moment to feel the tiny USB stick against the breast pocket of her costume, and smirks to herself.
