thea the zebra.

Halò. Latha math. My name is Theodora Agnes McAllister; but I suppose you may call me Thea. I am seventeen years of age and the only living child of multibillionaire Rhys McAllister. I was born and raised in Inverness, Scotland; though I currently attend Briarwood Preparatory Academy located in St. Ives, Vermont. I have CVID, bronchiectasis, and unilateral hearing loss; but don't think for a second I'll let any of that hold me back...

[theathezebra-blog]

Like Old Times | Thea & JP

[jpxmccoy-blog]

J.P. sighed as he walked. He had gotten fresh air but he couldn’t deny the fact that it was nice to spend time with Thea. “The weather is nice. I guess it would.” He said in a monotone. He didn’t get outside much over the summer and he was sure it showed as he wasn’t as tan as usual. “I get why it will do a world of good for you but how so for me?”

[theathezebra-blog]

Thea turned to face J.P. as they continued walking. It was much easier to face him when he spoke. That way, the sound was clearer; and she could watch his lips and facial expressions. “Ye were locked in a cellar all summer, Jamieson... Somethin’ tells me ye need t’ git out in the sunshine.” She explained, letting out a soft sigh as she spoke up. The mere thought of what Micah put him through sent a noticeable shiver down her spine. “Besides, yer nearly as pale as I am; an’ ye cannae blame Scotland’s lack o’ natural sunlight on tha’ like I can.” One of her favorite things about Vermont was the sun. The weather back home was the polar opposite; so it was nice actually being able to go outside without needing a raincoat and boots 9 out of 10 days. “So...”

[ocgifs]

[theathezebra-blog]

Like Old Times | Thea & JP

[jpxmccoy-blog]

J.P. knew that Thea was stubborn and never willing to admit to anything but he knew if he wore her down enough she’d admit more than just being in and out of the hospital over the summer. At her question though he didn’t have an answer for maybe his fathers experiments were messing with his memory. “I know we did but I also know you,McAllister better than you think sometimes.” Was all he said and with that he started walking again. “Maybe this walk was a mistake.” He didn’t want to argue with Thea especially after not being able to communicate with her all summer.

[theathezebra-blog]

“Nae. It wasnae a mistake.” Thea chewed nervously at her lip yet again as she listened to J.P.’s comment. She bowed her head. He really did know her better than she thought he did sometimes; and right now, he was proving that to be true. He definitely knew there was more to her summer than she was letting on; and he was going to be persistent. He’d make her talk. And she would... Just not right now. “The weather’s quite lovely; an’ I think some fresh air will do us both a world o’ good.” She admitted, catching up with him as they started walking again. 

[theathezebra-blog]

Like Old Times | Thea & JP

[jpxmccoy-blog]

Never mind he thought as she answered he had sort of gotten an answer. “I said I want the full truth of what happened this summer.” J.P. was stubborn but even he knew when to listen to a small degree. “I want to help,Theodora,but I can only do that if I know what’s going on.”

[theathezebra-blog]

“The full truth?” Thea looked at J.P. with confusion in her eyes. “I thought I told ye ‘ow me summer went?” She asked him as she stopped walking yet again. Angus didn’t like all this stopping as he really wanted to get down to the lake already; so he was nipping at her ankles. “I was sick for most o’ it an’ was in an’ out o’ ‘ospital...” She repeated pretty much the same thing she had not too much earlier. “An’ Silas came t’ visit. ‘E doesnae believe in Nessie.” Her eyes narrowed slightly, the confusion turning to concern upon her face. “We literally jus’ went o’er this, McCoy... ‘Ave the experiments fucked wit’ yer memory?” She knew what he was actually asking when he said he wanted the full truth. She knew he knew she wasn’t telling him everything; but she wasn’t ready to yet. She was gonna try her best to play it off like nothing else happened. Besides, she wasn’t exactly lying with what she was telling him. She had been sick and in and out of the hospital for most of the summer. And Silas had come to visit. That really was the main gist of things. She was just leaving out the part about how she’d started losing her hearing in her good ear and how that was really upsetting her. 

[theathezebra-blog]

Like Old Times | Thea & JP

[jpxmccoy-blog]

J.P. started to gain up on his friend. “Thea?” He called out again as he gained another inch or two on her. He knew know that something major had happened over the summer to her. “Hey,tell me the full truth,Theodora.” He wanted to know what he could do to help and he knew he could only do that if he knew everything.

[theathezebra-blog]

“Hmm?” Thea turned to face J.P. as he caught up to her and she heard say her name. “Did ye say somethin’?” She questioned, a slight look of confusion upon her face as she wasn’t sure if he just called her name or had actually said something else to her. Maybe Keeley was right. Maybe she should just own up to what was happening and wear the second aid. It would do her a world of good; and she knew it. She just didn’t want to admit to what the infections had started taking from her. It was too much to process. And besides, she could still get away with blaming everything she missed on lingering side effects of her summer. After all, it was partially the truth. 

[theathezebra-blog]

Like Old Times | Thea & JP

[jpxmccoy-blog]

Again J.P. swallowed hard as the words left her mouth. He had scared her like the countless times he had been scared because of her;that was never his intention. No one was supposed to get hurt or scared but him. “I’m sorry.” He said knowing those words were never enough all because he was his father’s project. “I’m sorry I’m not strong enough.” He chewed on his lip as he called out not bothering to keep up with her. “I can’t even run away the right way.” He shook his head.

[theathezebra-blog]

Thea didn’t hear what J.P. called out after her. She just continued walking, not turning around or stopping. Angus pulled at his leash a few times, starting to run back in the direction of J.P.; so she had to redirect him forward. “Siuthad, Angus... Gabhaidh J.P. suas thugainn.” She ensured the Scottie that her best friend would catch up to them as they continued walking. After all, she knew he wasn’t trailing all that far behind. If he had been, she would’ve stopped again and waited. 

[theathezebra-blog]

Like Old Times | Thea & JP

[jpxmccoy-blog]

“Right.” J.P. Said as she corrected him. He loved that she believed all of that. “Okay.” He replied with a nod. “What did you imagine?” He asked curiously now as they walked making sure his words were clear.

[theathezebra-blog]

Again, Thea stopped dead in her tracks, turning to face her best friend. The smile that had been upon her face immediately faded as she looked up at him. “I thought ye died.” Her words were direct; though they came out in a slight rush as she didn’t want to think too much about what she’d spent most the summer imagining. So almost as instantly as she stopped walking, she started again, letting Angus dictate the way they took down towards the lake. 

[theathezebra-blog]

Like Old Times | Thea & JP

[jpxmccoy-blog]

“Of course I do.” J.P. gave her a smile. He knew she did and a part of him did as well. “And Banshees.” He knew a little bit of Irish mythology and folklore as his mother used to tell him stories when he couldn’t sleep. “Hey,don’t think too much about what I said,okay?”

[theathezebra-blog]

“Nae. Caoineag. Highland Banshees.” Thea corrected. She was relatively familiar with Irish mythology and folklore as well given the fact that most Scottish mythological creatures had Irish versions. For example, the caoineag (or weeper) could be viewed as the Scottish banshee. “Oh, I’m nae... I don’ wan’ t’ think ‘bout it all tha’ much anyway.” She shook her head. “Though for the record, wha’ ye told me isnae ‘alf as bad as wha’ I imagined.” 

[theathezebra-blog]

Like Old Times | Thea & JP

[jpxmccoy-blog]

J.P. Nodded showing his interest in how her summer went. “Oh..I should’ve been there.” He said simply before laughing at her trying to convince Silas Nessie existed. “Well then he’s foolish for not believing you.” He didn’t fully believe it himself but he played along for her. After all he believed things no one else did,like the stories his mother used to tell him.

[theathezebra-blog]

“’E is... But ye believe in Nessie, don’ ye, McCoy?” Thea looked up at her best friend with pleading eyes. There was no way he could say ‘no’ to her, especially when she gave him that look. “An’ in Kelpies. An’ Selkies. An’ Faeries... Aye?” She could go on and on listing off creatures of Scottish mythology and folklore; but given what he had just told her a few minutes prior, she didn’t really feel like messing with him all that much. 

[theathezebra-blog]

Like Old Times | Thea & JP

[jpxmccoy-blog]

J.P. Nodded that he understood it wasn’t an option.“Yeah. Together like always.” He said quietly looking at her broke his heart. “That’s a good idea. I’ve got to hear about your summer too,McAllister.” He reminded her.

[theathezebra-blog]

“M-Me summer?” Thea confirmed, chewing nervously at her lip as she thought about how the past couple months really weren’t all that great. She had a good deal happen that she wasn’t quite ready to share with J.P.; but she knew he was going to find out sooner or later (and she’d rather him find out from her rather than from the likes of the Gossip Column). “Well it wasnae all tha’ eventful... I was sick for most o’ it; so I spent ‘bout ‘alf o’ it in an’ out o’ ‘ospital.” She mentioned honestly. “An’ Silas came t’ visit which was quite lovely... I tried t’ convince ‘im Nessie’s real; but ‘e didnae believe me.” 

[theathezebra-blog]

Like Old Times | Thea & JP

[jpxmccoy-blog]

When she asked him to repeat himself he knew something was wrong with her but he obliged her. “I wasn’t allowed to contact anyone. I didn’t even really get to see Jer or Jetta,just him and Jace.” He shook his head again at the thought of it. His father was very controlling and he had gotten worse over the summer. “I said I can’t run away again he’ll just find me like he managed to do when I was sleeping in my car,which made things worse I guess.” He swallowed hard looking down for a second before bringing his face back up to look at her so she could read his lips as he continued speaking. “Nothing at this point will help,not a bodyguard or even if he somehow died,Jace would just continue on. Maybe I should just give up.” He managed to finish his sentence this time knowing she would know what he meant.

[theathezebra-blog]

Now Thea heard him; and his words caused a stray tear to escape down her cheek. She quickly reached up to wipe it away with the sleeve of her coat. “Ye cannae give up, J.P.... Tha’s nae an option, ye ken?” She swallowed the lump that was forming in the back of her throat. “I probably unnerstane more than anyone the desire t’ give up; but ye can’t. Life’s shite; an’ we’ve both been dealt crap ‘ands on more than’ one occasion. But if I can wake up an’ go through each day livin’ wit’ as much pain as I’m constantly in an’ somehow manage t’ not give up, I know ye can do it t’, alright? It’s nae easy; but we’ll git through it... Together, aye?” She wiped away another tear as she swallowed once more at the lump in her throat before taking as deep a breath as she could manage and growing silent for a moment. “Um... Why don’ we jus’ go for the walk now? I think we could both really use it; an’ Angy’s growin’ antsy.” 

[theathezebra-blog]

Like Old Times | Thea & JP

[jpxmccoy-blog]

J.P. was slightly surprised when Thea started going off. It wasn’t his fault he had scared her that much over summer break,he had wanted to Skype her many times over the course of those two and half months but Micah had decided it best he not contact anyone. “Damn.” He said softly before he watched her pick up her pace and start heading off. “Thea,wait. I’ll tell you what I remember.” He chewed on the inside of his lip as he caught up to her. “I remember him telling me I couldn’t contact anyone and spending most of my days in the lab,I couldn’t even see Jer and Jetta most days. I only had him and Jace.” He shook his head softly. “I know one thing I can’t do and that’s run away again because he’ll just find me like he did when I was sleeping in my car.” He swallowed hard. “Nothing at this point is going to help,not a bodyguard or even if he was to die..Jace will just continue it. Maybe I should-.” He stopped himself from finishing his thought afraid to upset her more.

[theathezebra-blog]

Thea heard J.P. call out after her, or at least that’s what it sounded like. She stopped and turned back around to face him, just as he caught up to her and started rambling about what he remembered. She caught bits and pieces of his words; but everything just blended together as he was speaking rather quickly. His tone of voice didn’t help. It just made it harder to understand the bits she missed. “Um....” She chewed at her lip, trying her hardest to make sense of everything she’d just been told. “Can ye repeat all tha’ but slower?” She questioned, hating the fact that she knew asking him to do so might be a red flag something was amiss. Normally she’d be able to mostly understand him when he’d go off like that because he’d raise his voice. She’d just miss a word or two due to his emotions getting the best of his speech. But now, even an increase in speech volume didn’t fully help. Words still sounded heavily muffled unless she was directly next to the person speaking and was watching their lips. 

[theathezebra-blog]

Like Old Times | Thea & JP

[jpxmccoy-blog]

J.P. Knew that nearly two and half months was a long time to have no contact with his best friend hell he hardly got to spend time with his siblings at least the ones who honestly cared for him. “What do you want me to say? You should know what happened,McAllister.” He left out details at least the ones he knew or remembered was more like it.

[theathezebra-blog]

Thea stopped in her tracks, halting Angus (who didn’t like that they had stopped) and turning to face her best friend. “I wan’ ye t’ tell me the truth... I wan’ t’ know wha’ ‘appened t’ me brother when ‘e wen’ ‘ome o’er summer ‘oliday. I wan’ t’ know ‘ow badly Micah ‘urt ye; an’ I wan’ t’ know wha’ we’re gonnae do ‘bout it.” She paused to take a breath, knowing that she could cause herself harm if she kept going. “Ye know me offer still stands t’ ‘ave me papa ‘ire ye a bodyguard. ‘E knows where t’ find the best... Or better yet: Me papa can jus’ ‘ire someone t’ take care o’ yer father once an’ for all.” She knew J.P. would know know what she meant by those words. “I’m sick an’ tired o’ ‘avin’ t’ worry ‘bout ye e’ery time ye go ‘ome... I made meself so physically ill wit’ worry from nae ‘earin’ from ye all summer tha’ Jasper almost flew t’ Virginia jus’ t’ find out if ye were alive or dead. Tha’ shouldnae ‘ave t’ be the case, Jamieson... So either ye can start talkin’ or ye can tell me somethin’ t’ make me stop worryin’.” She finished before picking up her pace once more and continuing towards the exit with Angus at her feet. 

[theathezebra-blog]

Like Old Times | Thea & JP

[jpxmccoy-blog]

“Ready as I’ll ever be I suppose.” J.P. Remarked,not ready to tell her how his summer went. She’d really never want to let him out of her sight. “Oh no,we’re not talking about my summer.” He said biting at his lip. But he nodded walking towards her door so they could start their walk.

[theathezebra-blog]

“Oh?” Thea raised a skeptical eyebrow as J.P. said they weren’t talking about his summer. That was a major red flag. There was already a red flag with how he hadn’t been able to contact her for nearly two and a half months. Something had definitely happened; and she was going to make him talk about it sooner or later. “Well ye know yer gonnae ‘ave t’ tell me eventually, McCoy... Ye might as well git it o’er wit’.” She told him, sticking her tongue out playfully as they continued down the hall. “Ye know I’m all ear; but I won’ pry.” 

[theathezebra-blog]

Like Old Times | Thea & JP

[jpxmccoy-blog]

J.P. again nodded at Thea. “Yeah that sounds great.” He knew that it was one of their favorite spots and he lived to make her happy. “Ready?” He asked her as she finished getting Angus ready. He hoped she wouldn’t ask about his new scar;he knew she had to have seen it earlier.

[theathezebra-blog]

Thea finished hooking Angus up to his leash before putting on her coat and slinging her bag over her shoulder. “Ye ready?” She questioned as she stood up, all set to go on their walk. “I know we’ve much t’ catch up on an’ not much time t’ do so... I figure yer summer was jus’ as- if not more- eventful as mine, aye?” She began towards her dorm room door, opening it and gesturing for J.P. to exit. “Après vous.” 

[theathezebra-blog]

Like Old Times | Thea & JP

[jpxmccoy-blog]

J.P. just nodded at his friend. He knew that all of them enjoyed their walks together. Angus because he was treated more like a regular dog than a service dog at least while around him. “Sounds good. Not really I figured I’d let you and Angy decide.”

[theathezebra-blog]

“Not really?” Thea confirmed as she began to hook Angus up to his leash, preparing him for the walk. “Well, um, I suppose we can jus’ take ‘im for a walk ‘round campus then. ‘E likes goin’ down by the lake; an’ we’ve not yet been there this term.” The lake on the edge of campus was really beautiful; and it was a great place to walk Angus. Besides, she missed going down there. She always found it relatively peaceful as few students frequented the banks. 

[theathezebra-blog]

Like Old Times | Thea & JP

[jpxmccoy-blog]

J.P. smiled a bit at Angus perking up. He started to walk closer to his best friend as she spoke. “Well we can’t disappoint Angy. So walk first and then crap movie.” He knew that there was time to get it all in as long as they paced themselves. Keeley wouldn’t kick him out so if either of the two of them tired it would work out. “After all while we’re walking I suppose it’s a good chance for us to talk about our summer.” He sighed lightly,he knew he couldn’t avoid everything with Thea(she had this way of figuring things out when it came to him at least.)

[theathezebra-blog]

Thea listened intently as J.P. spoke, glad he had moved closer. It made it a bit easier to hear him; and it also made it easier to watch the movement of his lips. “Brilliant.” She nodded, her attention on him for a moment before it shifted back to Angus. “Angy, coiseachd?” The Scottie barked his response, obviously wanted to go for the walk. “Lead.” She commanded; and he promptly hopped off her bed and went to fetch his leash from where it hung from a hook on the wall. “I think ‘e’s excited.” She laughed, moving to get up from where she’d been sat. “Jus’ let me git me coat an’ bag; an’ we can go... Did ye ‘ave any specific place in mind?”