Generation 2, Chapter 8: Fireworks

Our encounter with Charlie left both Aaron and I shaken up. Aaron is near falling into depression, while I just fall back into sadness - the mood I'm always in these days. No matter how hard we persisted, Charlie was taken into custody and locked in prison. Apparently, he went rabid in his cell. The authorities believes he's guilty. Any lawyer that would represent him would think he's guilty. I think he's guilty. The only person that's still holding out for him is Aaron. He hasn't given up hope on his theory of multiple personalities. He hasn't given up hope in Charlie.

Many a day, Aaron and I would fight over how to help Charlie, and we would both end up exhausted, and sit somewhere for a while to cool down. Today, Aaron and I are lying on my bed, thinking of anything we might have overlooked.

"You know what we could do?" Aaron muses out loud, softly nudging my knee to wake me up from my stupor.

"What...?" I hum back reluctantly, not even bothering to open my eyes.

"We should ask your sister about her theories. She had some interesting ideas."

"Yeah, but you should remember that we're talking about Bridget here. Her 'interesting ideas' turn out being crazy ideas."

"It can't hurt to try, right?" Aaron persists.

My hands cover my face in aggravation. Aaron is like a dog with a bone. He won't let go at all. "Fine. If you must talk to my insane sister, then let's get up."

With a grin of victory, Aaron jumps off the bed, helping me to my feet. "Thank you, Kaylin, for holding out with my crazy behavior. I just want to help out my buddy, you know. I would do the same if Janelle went crazy."

Rather than return his smile, I roll my eyes at him. "Don't mention it. But Janelle is already crazy in her own way, so there's no need for you to return the favor - I've accepted her to be that way."

Bridget is exactly where she always is during the daytime: In front of the TV, playing video games. Her console is apparently broken, but I'm not buying it.

"Yo, Bridget, you got a minute to talk to us?" I call out over the loud volume.

"Just give me a sec. I gotta kill this demon with my magic powers..."

"Yeah, well, we kinda have to talk to you about demons and stuff."

For once, I catch her complete attention, and she turns off the TV. "Start talking."

In a quickened pace, Aaron and I both take our seats on the couch, and I start the conversation. "Last when we were trying to figure out a reason why Charlie could have started acting so out of character, you mentioned a personality disorder, but also entities... Could you explain that to us, please? Do such things actually exist?"

In an instant, my sister's usual cheery face turns dark and serious. "You doubt that they exist? Kaylin, after the whole thing with Keegan, how can you doubt it? He was literally from a darker plane. Of course they exist! Normal people just don't see it, but seeing as I was tempted to go to the uh, let's call it the 'dark side', I know when something or something has been tampered by these things. There's a reason I specialize in magic, just so you know."

"Y-you got into this darker stuff? Gothic and satanic things? Bridget! How could you! Why didn't you tell me? I would have knocked some sense into you. So that's why there was this voodoo doll on your table once," I jump up from my seat, trying my best not to believe what she just said. I knew my sister could be dark, but not that dark.

"Hey, hey, I said I was tempted," Bridget corrects me, "Now will you let me continue my story? You came to me for answers, and I'm giving them."

"Not quick enough...," Aaron grumbles. Bridget rolls her eyes, and I sit down, waiting for her to go on talking.

"So obviously, these creatures, like evil unicorns for example, don't care about how humans feel. In extreme cases, when they would make a bond with a human, they would do anything to get that human to be its property. The worst thing I've heard of happen was night terrors, where the person was so antagonized by a magical creature that he jumped off a cliff." 

With her usual dramatic antics, Bridget stretches her eyes wide. "Heed my warning. And that's no joke, if it did sound funny. If Charlie is being affected by something dark, then he needs help, and psychologists won't do the trick. If I can get five minutes with the guy, I might be able to help him. And do it quickly. He might not have long before he goes insane - more insane than he already is."

Her last sentence hangs in the air like static electricity. Aaron suddenly starts convulsing next to me, and we both stare at him when he starts to laugh out loud. "God, do you know how ridiculous you sound right now? Kaylin was right. Talking to you was a bad idea. I'll see you two later." Aaron laughs at Bridget for another moment before getting up to walk to a window.

"I don't think he took that too well," Bridget muses quietly.

"Well, when things that you don't understand or know about are involved, I guess that's the general reaction," I shrug, "Not to be offensive, but you did sound a little crazy."

I spare Bridget one last sympathetic look before getting up and slowly make my way to where Aaron is standing. From his reflection, I see his eyes are closed, and I gently lift my arms up and wrap them around him as a source of comfort.

"Forget what Bridget said - maybe she was just joking. Either way, Charlie will still be getting the help he needs," I try to soothe Aaron, letting my fingertips stroke his arm.

"Maybe...," he takes a breath. "I'm just blaming myself for all of this. I need a break. Would you like to go out and have some fun? You know, take your mind off of all this crap?"

"Um, sure...," I take a step back. I wasn't expecting something like that when I decided to console him.

"Great," he smiles slightly. "Meet me at the pier tomorrow morning. And dress in something that'll make you move easier, perhaps something athletic."

My heart is aflutter. It's like being in love when in high school: You keep getting this giddy feeling after talking to your boyfriend. Of course, Aaron isn't my boyfriend, but we're in that scenario where we both like like each other. In a state of pure happiness, I yank out my favorite guitar and start strumming out the notes that lay on my heart.

"You seem quite happy. A little too happy, considering the awkwardness we had today."

"The sun is shining, Bridget. I'm healthy, and alive! That alone is a reason to be happy."

"Right. Sure," Bridget slurs out sarcastically. "Mind if I talk to you for a bit? About Aaron?"

A little mystified, I put my guitar down and turn to my sister. "Okay, here's the gist... You know how at first I joked to you when I said I had my eye on Aaron," she starts out. "But now... I think it's turned serious attraction... Kay-Kay, I think I'm in love with that guy. And the strangest thing is, I don't know why. There's the smile, there's the hair. The way he carries himself. All that isn't a reason to like a guy that much."

Oh. Oh God. Oh God. My own little sister is in love with the guy that I love. THIS is not how Bridget ever acted. Normally, she'd set her eyes on a guy, jump in bed with him then kick him to the curb. But fall in love? That word isn't in her vocabulary.

"Kaylin? You still with me?" she frowns, poking me on the arm with one manicured finger.

"Uh, yeah...," I clear my throat. "But... Love? That's not how I know you, Bridget."

"I know, I know. But maybe I could change. And it would be a change for the better, right? You guys are always going on about how I should grow up. Now's my chance. Well, my question for you is... Is there something going on between you two? I mean, I don't want to ruin anything for you."

"What gives you the impression that something is going on between us?" I nearly whisper, trying to keep the stress out of my voice. "But uh, we're just friends, Aaron and I. You still have a shot, eh heh.."

Obviously, I let out the HUGE part of me going on a date with Aaron the very next day. I don't want to crush Bridget's hopes. For once in her life, she's thinking like a normal human being, and I want that to last for a while longer.

As planned, I head downtown to the new "theme park" built at the beach to meet up with Aaron. It's hard to miss where to go, as he frantically starts waving when he sees me coming from afar. I smile, just a little bit. In a way, he's a better man than Charlie ever could be, even though he did make a pass at me the day we met.

"Are you ready for a day of fun festivities and all around danger?" Aaron announces dramatically as I climb up the stairs.

"Um. No?" I answer immediately. "What's up with the gloves, Aaron? Please tell me you didn't arrange anything crazy for us to do."

"I won't say 'crazy', per se. It's just a normal thing us normal athletic acrobats have to do once in a while. Do you want to guess what that is? I'll give you a hint; it's that big wall you see right behind me."

I peek past Aaron's side, and while the view isn't that dangerous, it's still shocking. "Rock climbing? Goodness. You guys are such adrenaline junkies!"

The challenge is on. Aaron and I both take our respective places in front of the wall, and both of us gaze up at the top with angst. In my entire life, I've never done rock climbing before, not even on such a training wall that looks minuscule to the real thing. Yet, somehow, I find myself confident, and I turn towards Aaron with a winning face. "It's on, Glover."

For my first time, I'm not that bad at climbing, actually being able to keep up with Aaron's pace. We're neck and neck the whole time, sometimes only an inch apart, until...

...My foot slips. For reasons beyond my comprehension, my hands let go simultaneously, and I free fall to the ground. 

"This is proof that females are not made for climbing out such walls," Aaron chuckles, and slams the star button at the top, signalling his victory to the whole world. Like a pro, he releases his grip and falls to the ground, hardly making a sound when he's feet connect with the hard earth.

"What now, mister Macho?" I glare at the back of Aaron's head as he performs his victory dance. "Did you plan that you were going to show off your skills the whole day and make me feel inferior towards your 'great awesomeness'?"

Aaron turns around, his face covered with happiness. During the past couple of days, I missed the sight of that sweet face. I'm glad he's got it back. "No, silly," he answers. "Just so you know, you're still amazing and talented! There's probably a lot of stuff you're good at that I'm not."

I grin mischievously, eyeing the skeeball machines that hides near the diner. "You're right. There definitely are a few things I'm better at."

Yes, Aaron is much more buff than I cold ever be, and he's definitely more athletic and fit. But what he can't do, is think strategically. And that's how I manage to beat him in skeeball.

"This is horrible... Please tell me your luck has ended and we can move on?" Aaron looks over to me hopelessly.

"Oh, no no no. The day has just began, mister. How do you feel about...singing? In front of a crowd?"

I don't need a verbal answer - Aaron's mouth literally hangs wide open, and his eyes look huge. I got him cornered, yet again.

The karaoke machines starts out with a tune, and Aaron shakily starts singing along, trying to follow the words. I almost giggle out loud as he hits the wrong notes. It's just like when I met him in the karaoke bar. He thought he had the natural talent, when in fact, he had no talent at all for singing.

"Okay, okay, okay," I break down laughing. "That's enough singing for tonight. I don't my ears could take much more of that God-awful sound."

"You're right," he nods in agreement," I have something we could do." Aaron's hand finds one of mine, and he jerks me all the way down to the beach, ordering me to ait down.

The moon supplies us with just enough light to be able to recognize each other in the dark. Silence envelops us. It's the perfect time to bring up that confession from Bridget, but I'm not entirely sure how to start out.

"Bridget told me something today. She has the hots for you. I didn't tell her anything about us, because I'm not sure if anything is going to happen, or if it'll last." There. I said it. It might have sounded jumbled up together, but at least he heard it.

"So what you're saying is," he frowns, "you think nothing is going on between us already? Hasn't today been enough proof? Here's more proof for you." Softly, Aaron places his hand on mine.

"So what you're saying is...," I repeat his words, "Is that there is something going on between us? And that I should stop lying to myself and thin otherwise?"

"That is exactly what I'm telling you," Aaron smiles, and caresses my face yet again with his fingertips.

With both smile just a teeny bit, and look away after a minute of awkward silence and staring. My eye accidentally falls on my watch, and I sigh. "It's already midnight. I don't like being out so late, so I should probably get going."

"Really? Just like that? But we haven't even gotten to the real fun part!"

"Which is?"

"This..." My feet tumble out from under me, and I'm yanked to a standing position. Aaron's lips find mine, and the kiss is...magical. A magical kiss under the magical moonlight, on a magical day.

And with Aaron, nothing ends with a kiss. With his hot breath on mine almost the entire time, I suggest returning to my apartment. His strong arms pin me to the wall just beside the door, and he plants on long kiss on my lips before stepping back. "Kaylin... You're a well educated girl. And I've decided that I'm not taking this any further tonight. I like you too much to do that so soon."

"That's alright," I clear my throat, straightening out the creases on my shirt. "Would you like to come in, though? Just for some soda or something? We haven't had anything to drink the whole day."

"Sure," he shrugs.

"Lemme just check if Bridget's home. She doesn't need to see us together yet."

Fumbling through my pockets, I fish out the keys for the apartment and silently sneak into the apartment. I pause for a moment behind the wall, trying to see if Bridget is crashing on the couch as she always does.

Instead of finding my sister, though, I find my mother, all relaxed and looking at home.

"Mommy?" I whisper, feeling like a child again.

Wordlessly, my mom holds out her arms, and I run into them, not ashamed that Aaron might be seeing this display of affection.

"I miss you so much, my dear," my mom breaths into my neck.

"So did I," I almost cry out, "So did I."

~♥~

DISCLAIMER: Any references to evil creatures should not be taken seriously, and does not mean I believe in any of that kind of crap. 

Alrigthy, so, that's the end of another Rose family chapter! I'm typing this at night, after an exhausting day of school and going to pick up my new phone (YAY), so if the last part sounds incredibly lazy, know that I had been really lazy.

This chapter is late, as I haven't had too much free time at the PC.

But anyways, thanks for reading, and enjoy your weekend!

;)