I have seen the R A I N *Xerxes*

[wooooozle]

I SUPPOSE THIS IS HOW A WOOZLE DRESSES!

It was such a gray day. But not cold, as it might look, if one looked upon it out a window. It was humid, and sticky. The overcast ahead made a low rumble in the distance, as Annamarie sat on the bus. She grew worried, to be honest. The hostel's doors would close at ten, and they were the unforgiving sort. Ten o' clock sharp, no if-ands-or-buts. And here it was, ten minutes to ten, and Annamarie was eight blocks away. The urge to light a cigarette was overwhelming, but then that would certainly slow things down even more. The bus driver would stop, either to scold her to put it out, or to kick her off. It sounded like such a fuss.

Her honey blond hair clung to her head, the heavy air of the day making her sweat. It was not a stinky sweat, thank goodness, but a sweet smelling perspiration. Her gray tee shirt, aptly dubbing her DANGEROUS across her chest, was tied in a knot off the side of her waist. Her shorts, beaten and worn cut offs, were teeny tiny little things that could probably be legally proclaimed underwear at this point. Long legs spilled from beneath them, despite Annamarie's petite frame, and ended with a pair of old converse that were close to falling apart at the seams.

Gnawing on her blue painted fingernail, the time was becoming more and more concerning. Rain started to patter on the window, and the rumbling in the sky was starting to get closer. She didn't want to be on the streets for the night... Finally the bus stopped, and she dated off without so much as a nod at the driver. Running to the hostel, hope filled her, the rain sprinkling on her hot skin. She could make it! She could make it!

Charging up to the door, it was promptly shut in her face.

NO!

Banging on in, Annamarie called out as if for a plea of mercy. "No, no, no! Oh, please lemme in! I ain't but a second late is all!" The hostel owner, an embittered and overweight woman, scowled at Annamarie before turning on heel, not giving one damn about the girl. Annamarie snarled, hitting the door. "Well fuck you, yeh fat old cow! I'd be hatin to interrupt yeh fuckin dinneh!" The Cajun accent that laced itself in Annamarie's words became thicker in her anger, as she kicked the door hard, ignoring the pain in her foot. What would she do now?

The rain started to fall a bit harder, as lightning joined the rumbling above. Oh God, no! No! She couldn't be trapped outside! Not during a thunderstorm! Going back to the door, she banged on it desperately, shaking the knob. "Please! I'm sorreh! Jus' please lemme in! I'll nevah be late again, no I won'! Please!" She cringed as a flash of lightening flared through the night sky. The evil hostel owner ignored Annamarie's pleas. Annamarie would have to find some other source of shelter for the night.

The rain was becoming quite cold, especially in contrast to her warm flesh, stinging her nerves with every strike. The make up around her round blue eyes began to streak down her cheeks, a mingling of tears and rain. She had to get out, she had to get out, she had to get out.

Finding an empty bus hut, Annamarie all but dove inside, shivering pitifully. The small breath of relief was cutoff by a loud clash of thunder outside, instead turning to a small, childlike shriek. Crouching in the corner, she huddled herself, partly for comfort and partly for warmth. Covering her ears, she rocked back and forth, tears treading down her cheeks slowly. Inside, she felt The Woozle stir, interest piqued by it's hostess's sudden distress. But no, she didn't want to lose control. She could be brave, she could be strong, she could-

Another clash of thunder outside.

Nestling her face between her knees, Annamarie wished for a miracle to get her through this.

[XERXES HARRISBURG]

AND THIS IS HOW PIGLET DRESSES

Xerxes liked rain at night. He really, really, really did. He wasn’t exactly sure, like, why he liked rain at night, because during the day it totally always messed up his hair and made his makeup run down his face. Especially his eyeliner. God, even, like, the kind that was supposed to be totally waterproof would end up all over his face after he walked in the rain.

Xerxes walked slowly down the sidewalk outside his dorm, inhaling the scent of fresh water on the grass and the pleasant reverberations of the raindrops splashing against the puddles, trickling across the pavement and rolling down the rain gutters. It was cold and wet and totally way past the school curfew thing, but Xerxes didn’t even care, at this point. Rain at night was nice. Night meant that the regular people wouldn’t be out here, and rain meant that the creepy pedophiles wouldn’t be out here. Those were totally both good things in Xerxes’ book. Less pedophiles meant a better place for Xerxes to be and not be scared and not freak out and not get Episodes. God, God, he totally didn’t want another Episode, not tonight, not here, not now. He just wanted to relax, walk around the wet, silent city, and like, enjoy the evening and stuff. You know?

"No, no, no! Oh, please lemme in! I ain't but a second late is all!" The hostel owner, an embittered and overweight woman, scowled at Annamarie before turning on heel, not giving one damn about the girl. Annamarie snarled, hitting the door. "Well fuck you, yeh fat old cow! I'd be hatin to interrupt yeh fuckin dinneh!"

Whoa there. Hello. Accent across the street. Xerxes narrowed his eyes, glancing in the direction of the voice and at the shabby like, hotel thing leering back at him. Or actually, what even like, was that? Xerxes had sort of always guessed it was one of those creepy pedophile buildings with like, shutters and weird music at weird hours of the night and all that stuff. But it was really tall and stuff. Like, totally could be a hotel. And that would make sense. Because she had a weird accent. Yeah. Okay. He had this. He stared across at the girl, who was banging on the door as if like, her life depended on it or something. Wow, her hair was really…shit, shit shit, he was totally staring. Shit. Now he had to go talk to her or she totally was going to think he was going to rape her or something.

He began to walk towards her, as non-pedophilishly as possible. “Hey,” he said, trying to sound nice and totally not creepy.

"Please! I'm sorreh! Jus' please lemme in! I'll nevah be late again, no I won'! Please!"

Shit, shit, shit what did he say? What was the least pedophilish-thing he could possibly say at this point? Um. Uh. “Hey, uh, you look cold. Do you want to, uh, come inside? Into my, uh, dorm? I have some, like, blankets in there, and you could like, get warm and wait out the rain and stuff. Unless you like…” He looked the creepy pedophile hotel building up and down “like, don’t want to, or something.”

Wow. Do you want to come inside. Into my dorm Totally not what a creepy pedophile would say at all. Well, so much for a nice, relaxing night.

[wooooozle]

Annamarie was not a loud crier. She had learned young to keep it to herself. And so, the waif of a blond crouched in the bus hut, sniffling into her legs, trying to tune out the anger. Where was The Woozle? Why wasn't he making the hurt go away? Did he abandon her?

And then, the voice of an angel... “Hey, uh, you look cold. Do you want to, uh, come inside? Into my, uh, dorm? I have some, like, blankets in there, and you could like, get warm and wait out the rain and stuff. Unless you like…” Annamarie's face snapped up, eyes wide, with tears streaming her face. Her jaw quivered, as he continued, confirming he was real. “like, don’t want to, or something.”

Cautiously, Annamarie rose to her feet, a curious and vague expression crossing her face. He was taller than her, which was not uncommon, and his hair was soaked from the down pour. Shivering, Annamarie stepped closer, her curious light brownish-hazel eyes staring up at him, looking into his eyes with the aid of a street lamp. She stayed locked on them for a while. "You 'ave real kind eyes, Sur..." Annamarie breathed, reaching up and nearly touching his face. The Woozle, intrigued by a gentleman, awoke, and she could feel his intrigue. Slowly, Annamarie pulled her hand back, nodding. If she touched his skin, she wouldn't be able to stop, she knew.

Considering her options, a white flash of lightening flashed, mingled with a crackling rumble of thunder, outside of the bus hut, causing Annamarie to give a quiet cry of fear, rushing forward, hugging the strangers chest. Not in any sensual or suggestive way, no. Shaking, terrified, like a child hiding under the blanket from monsters. His skin was not a matter right now. Fear distracted her. "Please." She finally let out, as the only sound soon became the rain pattering. She looked up, over a foot shorter than the man. "I-If yeh don be thinkin I'd be too much trouble.... I'd be mos' grateful if yeh'd take me in for the night." Annamarie couldn't help but press her face into his chest, trying to calm herself as much as possible.

Her grip loosened on the chivalrous youth, her eyes peering out side, trying to be brave. Please Woozle, take her pain. Make it go away so that she could walk to safety. Please Woozle, please.

[XERXES HARRISBURG]

Xerxes felt his heart pour open to this chick. God, she was pretty, and she had pretty eyes, and pretty hair, and her accent was like, totally amazing, and she was so…so…scared. Like Xerxes was. Every minute of every day, terrified. Xerxes looked into her eyes and saw himself, two minutes ago, two hours ago, two days ago. Really, every day since…since that day. Since his first Episode, with like, the kicking and the silent screaming and pleading and banging his head against the wall until it bled, begging silently for something, anything to just like…to just end it all.

"You 'ave real kind eyes, Sur..."

Eyes should totally not be that beautiful without like, contacts and stuff. Xerxes gazed into them, feeling totally like he was gazing into a pond with no bottom. His mouth dropped open, and he totally wanted to start “ooooo”ing and “aaaaaaaah”ing like some dumb kid at a fireworks show. But that would be about as creepy and pedophilish as it was like, possible to be, especially considering that it was like, nighttime, and Xerxes was wearing all black. And he honestly wasn’t scared right now. He wasn’t even…

It was that feeling. That was what it was. That feeling he got only around like, Darius, that tingling-ish sensation in some like, body part that he couldn’t even name. The feeling that he knew him on a deeper level than he’d ever known anyone else. That feeling that deep down, they were connected, that they were one and the same, and that they totally were…something. He’d always thought that it was just a weird twin thing with himself and his brother. But actually, now that he thought about it, he’d felt it with that Neta girl on the dock too, and that girl he’d met at the ski mountain that he’d had to like, carry down the hill. And now this girl. Four completely unrelated people that had totally like, never met before. So what was different? What like, boundary was it, that set them apart from all the rest? What was it that made him so…comfortable with them? So real? So…himself. Like he never was with anyone else.

Hundred…hundred…hundred something…

It was a word pushing itself through his skull, planting itself there, as if begging him to understand. And he knew, all of a sudden, that all of it was related. This tingling feeling. The like, murders at Baum that had become more and more frequent with every passing day. These weird dreams he kept having but never remembered, but he knew had been filled with red, red and pink, lots of pink, pink and red. This like, mysterious girl on the street in the middle of a rainstorm, terrified. It was all connected. He knew it was, intertwined, like a spider web, and he could untangle it. He could solve it. He totally like, just needed the last piece of the puzzle, you know? And he had it. He knew the answer to all of the mysteries that had been like, all up in his life these past few months. It was on the tip of his tongue. It was in his mind. If only he could think. If only he could remember.
Hundred…hundred…hundred a…hundred ac…hundred ac…

"Please." She finally let out, as the only sound soon became the rain pattering. She looked up, over a foot shorter than the man. "I-If yeh don be thinkin I'd be too much trouble.... I'd be mos' grateful if yeh'd take me in for the night."

The feeling was gone in an instant. Of course they weren’t all related. What did he think this was, a TV show? He was probably imagining this whole weird feeling thing. God, he was just lonely, probably. Like, he probably thought there was some weird connection between him and anyone who like, even talked to him ever. Company. That was totally what he needed. And if he wasn’t scared of this girl, well, cool. Okay.

“Yeah, yeah, no problem. I can even uh…do your hair if you like, want.” He eyed her bangs, which definitely needed some like, major trimming. “C’mon.” He grasped her hand and led her towards his dorm.

[wooooozle]

“Yeah, yeah, no problem. I can even uh…do your hair if you like, want.” He could do as he pleased to Annamarie, and she wouldn't mind. After all, she owed him for rescuing her. “C’mon." This man, with his kind eyes and dark style of dress, took Annamarie by her hand and began leading her away from her personal hell.

As they walked down the sidewalk, Annamarie kept her left hand firmly in his, her right wrapped around his bicep, her body as close as she could be while still being mobile. He smelled... nice. Like... the forest... and... something chemical. Like hair product. Looking at the wet mop on top of his head, Annamarie could assume what happened. His hair had been done earlier that day, but had been washed by the rain, and clung to his cloths.

As they entered the dorms, Annamarie shivered, her lip trembling. She had always been sensitive to the cold. Her clothing was drenched, as she dripped down the hall, following him closely. Though Annamarie did release him now that they were safe from the elements. In proper lighting, she could study him better, with the fear now slipping from her, being replaced by a placid calm. He was... interesting to her eyes. Not exactly ruggedly handsome. He had a thin, almost delicate face, with long black hair. He was tall, and Annamarie had felt lean muscle definition when she had been clinging to him.

The Woozle found an interest in the youth, and she felt the burn start in her ears. Like a coal that had been off the fire for only a moment. He was male, and virile. But there was something... something more pulling her guardian's attention. A familiarity. Though, quite frankly, she would have recognize him if she had known him before. Not just because of his eyes, which Annamarie did in fact find kind and soothing, but because of his distinctive style of dress. The silence was killing her, and she had to distract The Woozle from what she felt him urging her body to do. No, this man didn't bring her here for that. He was being a gentleman. "T-thank yeh, Mista. I dun think I woulda done to well out dere on dis night." The talking was keeping the burn from spreading to her throat. "I 'ope I didn't scare yeh any... wit' meh jitterin. I jus'... I jus' don like thundastorms is all." Goosebumps had spread over her body, though she rubbed her arms a bit to try and force some warmth into her.

Bet he was quite warm, when it got down too it-

No. She wasn't going to misbehave, not even knowing the man for five dang minutes. Sure... if it got brought up in exchange for her using a bit of his space.. But Annamarie could be good. She could be...

Still his skin looked so very soft...

The Woozle was a master at inciting Annamarie's lust, though she could fight it now. She was afraid, or angry, or depressed. That's when she had no control.

Reaching a door, she leaned against the wall near the door knob, watching him closely. "I promise, I be outta yeh hair in de morning. I don be wantin yeh to get in any friction here... Jus a towel an' a bit a floor, an' I'll be jus' fine." Looking around, she noticed it was a school dorm. Highschool or College, she was unsure of, and truly did not care. She could make herself as scarce as she could make herself noticed, after all. Giving him a shy smile, Annamarie waited for him to open the door, and wondered if he would ask for some sort of payment for this act of kindness.

[XERXES HARRISBURG]

He walked carefully down the sidewalk, feeling the rain splatter against his weird rain jacket thing. It must be like, ten degrees out, and he was sweltering. Because this girl was holding his hand. She was totally like,holding his hand. And like, his arm. Whatever the top muscle was called, the triceratops or whatever. And she was close to him, touching him, feeling him, and he was close to her, and their bodies were touching, and Xerxes didn’t touch people, Xerxes never ever got close enough to people that he could actually touch them, but this wasn’t scaring him, not at all, because of this connection, this thing he was feeling…

And she smelled like his brother. Honey and cigarettes. No weirdo Victoria’s Whatever Thing perfume here. He totally didn’t smoke or like, eat honey or anything, but he didn’t mind the smell. It was cool. It made him feel at home and stuff. And feeling at home was a good feeling that usually didn’t mean Episodes.

He led her through the door of his dorm and up the stairs, hoping that she wouldn’t like, think the fact that he lived in a dorm was weird. She did look a little bit older than him, but maybe she was still young enough to be in high school? Or college, maybe? Oh God, what if she was like, really really really old, lie, thirty old, and what if she was totally a creepy pedophile rapist that just wanted to get into his dorm and rape him? Oh God, that would be so scary. But no. He knew she wasn’t dangerous, not to him. No matter how old she was. It was that feeling, that stupid feeling, that feeling that in another time, another place, they were connected. He was safe with her, safer than he was, like, anywhere else. He knew, better than he knew his own name, that with this girl around, everything was totally going to be okay. He wasn’t going to have an episode or anything. It was going to be okay.

"T-thank yeh, Mista. I dun think I woulda done to well out dere on dis night." The talking was keeping the burn from spreading to her throat. "I 'ope I didn't scare yeh any... wit' meh jitterin. I jus'... I jus' don like thundastorms is all."

Xerxes shook his head, pulling his hood down and smiling. His hair was like, all totally smushed down, and he had makeup tracks the length of like, the Nile running down his face. But still. He knew she totally wouldn’t judge him. He had like, no idea how he knew. He just…this feeling…

Hundred. Hundred somethings. Hundred axes? Hundred arias? Hundred apples? Hundred…

"I promise, I be outta yeh hair in de morning. I don be wantin yeh to get in any friction here... Jus a towel an' a bit a floor, an' I'll be jus' fine."

Xerxes nodded, pulling open the door of his dorm and pulling her in. “No problem. Uh…here.” He grabbed one of the towels he’d used to dry his hair last night from the rack on the back of his door, handing it to her. “Sorry it’s kind of uh…a mess…” He glanced around, embarrassed. Everything was littered in hair care products: his shelves, the two twin beds, the dresser, the floor, and even the desks. His skis and poles were propped up in the corner, buried to the bindings in aerosol cans, and he knew that if he like, dared to open the closet, a like, tidal wave of bottles would come barreling out at them. “So if you want I can, uh, clear a space on the other bed. Or like, if you want more space, I can push them together and make a double bed thing…and then I can like, sleep on the like, floor…or something…” God, he totally was not good at this stuff. When had he ever had a girl in his dorm?

Except for Allie.

But no. He totally wasn’t going to think about Allie now. That was totally over. That was totally never happening again.

[wooooozle]

He opened the door and pulled her in gently, the light switch flipping on. It was not a particularly large space, nor small by Annamarie's standards. She looked around in interest at her new surroundings, her shiver gaining strength with the contrasting warmth in the room. His belongings were nice, and fairly well kept for a teenage boy. True to her assumption earlier, hairspray seemed to almost be the theme of the bedrooms decorum. “No problem. Uh…here.” She turned to hear the door close and a towel press against her arm. Smiling gratefully, she took it, holding it too her face. It had that same woodsy smell to it. “Sorry it’s kind of uh…a mess…”

"Nah, Chere, it's perfect. Thank yeh... I ain't too use to the kindness of a stranger..." Smiling, she stepped forward into the room, her movements confident. As if she had been in this room several times before, despite it being her first time here. Laying the towel on her head, Annamarie looked around the room carefully, leaving no stone unturned without actually moving anything. Kneeling down on the floor, she bent down, checking under the bed like one might do for monsters. Which... she sort of was.

Satisfied that one bed was safe, she checked the other as he began to speak again. “So if you want I can, uh, clear a space on the other bed." Annamaria looked up at him, a smile crossing her face as the towel dropped to her shoulders. Standing, he continued. "Or like, if you want more space, I can push them together and make a double bed thing…and then I can like, sleep on the like, floor…or something…” Stepping forward, Annamarie pressed her index finger to her lips, a soft shhhhhh coming from her lips.

"Chere, I don need to kick yeh outta yeh bed now. Won' be de first time I slept on a floor." The shiver did not seem to be improving. It took her a moment to realize that it was the wet cloths clinging to her skin. Stepping away from him, the gentle burn of his skin resting on her finger tip, she shook out her long, honey, locks. "Fancy school like this, must be quite dear. Quite lucky, ain'tchu Chere?" She asked in her vague voice, as she set the towel down on the bed, and removed the wet shirt from her torso. Annamarie back was too him, though she'd have been quite comfortable nude if he could see. She took the towel back from the bed, and starting dabbing her skin lightly."I was never too smart myself. Bet you are, huh?" Turning her face, Annamarie gave him a smile.

Turning her face back from him, she slipped off the shorts, leaving herself only in her panties, as she didn't own have a bra to her name. Modest as Eve on her first day of life, Annamarie leaned down to dry her legs, before finally wrapping the towel around her torso as if she had just come from the shower. It was not until she turned back to face him, that Annamarie realized what she had done was not normal. "I'll dry fasta if I'm not in mah wet cloths, see?" She explained, her newly dried skin taking to the warm bedroom near instantly. Picking up the wet cloths she hung them on the back of the computer chair, where they would be out of the way, and glanced at her host nervously. Had she offended him? So far she had not proven to be a very polite house guest...

"Mah name is Annamarie." She offered, trying not to notice his striking eyes or the way his body was so tall and lean, or how his skin had been so warm. She didn't mind the smearing of his eyeliner, or the way his hair laid on his head. He looked... rather sweet. Again, the thunder outside crashed, and Annamarie rushed forward in shock, hiding her face in his chest. Her breathing had sped, and her eyes squeezed shut, bracing herself for the lightening that soon followed.

She was inside. She was safe. She had her savoir.

[XERXES HARRISBURG]

Xerxes was totally like, the least strong dude in the entire world, so he quietly yanked cans of hair care products off of the bed and onto the floor. Once her back was turned he began to feebly drag it across the room, knowing that he definitely needed to like, start going to the gym or something. Darius went to the gym and lifted weights and stuff, so he could totally go. But his twin brother was all strong and scary and muscle-y and shit, and he was like, vampire pale, and skinny, and anyways, he’d have to tie his hair back, and then he’d sweat in it, and then he’d have to re-dye it because the sweat would mess up all the colors, and his makeup would run and he’d have to redo it and waste his eyeliner, and yeah. Just no. He’d just have to like, live with the shame or whatever.

"Nah, Chere, it's perfect. Thank yeh... I ain't too use to the kindness of a stranger..."

Xerxes tried to flex his like, triceratopces as much as possible when her head swiveled his way, but he was pretty sure that it totally didn’t work. Chere? What even was that, like, a nickname? How did you get ‘chere”’from ‘Xerxes’? Well, okay, whatever. At least she wasn’t like, horribly mispronouncing it like that girl on the ski slope. “You’re…you’re welcome,” he said quietly, pausing with the bed for a second. “I’m not used to…” Used to like, what? Used to someone being nice to him. Used to this…all these…feelings. This feeling of like, belonging. That someone like, accepted. Understood.

Dude, deep.

Hundred…hundred arrow…hundred arsenal…

He continued tugging at the bed.

"Chere, I don need to kick yeh outta yeh bed now. Won' be de first time I slept on a floor." The shiver did not seem to be improving. It took her a moment to realize that it was the wet cloths clinging to her skin. Stepping away from him, the gentle burn of his skin resting on her finger tip, she shook out her long, honey, locks. "Fancy school like this, must be quite dear. Quite lucky, ain'tchu Chere?" She asked in her vague voice, as she set the towel down on the bed, and removed the wet shirt from her torso. Annamarie back was too him, though she'd have been quite comfortable nude if he could see. She took the towel back from the bed, and starting dabbing her skin lightly."I was never too smart myself. Bet you are, huh?"

He smacked the beds together with a good ‘crink’. “Well, the beds are like, together now, so I guess, if you don’t want me on the floor, and I don’t…want you on the floor…” Ugh, ugh, double ugh, why was he even thinking that? Especially with last year…and Allie…okay, subject change. “School? Here?” He’d never heard of himself described as ‘lucky’ before. But then again, she didn’t know…she didn’t know anything. And yet, he felt like she did. He felt like she knew more about him than anyone else did. But how was that possible? He totally hadn’t told her…”Yeah, yeah I guess so,” he answered hurriedly, digging around in his dresser for another sheet. “I’m not the smartest either but…I mean, I guess I’m not…dumb…” God, he hoped she didn’t think he was like, bragging. He pulled out the largest sheet he could find, unfolding it and stretching it over the two beds.

"I'll dry fasta if I'm not in mah wet cloths, see?"

Xerxes couldn’t have cared less that she was totally standing naked in the middle of his room. That smile. That smile. That…it made him want to cry tears of happiness. The fact that like, someone, somewhere, was smiling at him. He made someone happy. He made someone happy enough to like, turn up the corners of their mouth and smile. God, it was beautiful. God, she was beautiful. She was so beautiful and so perfect. And he…

"Mah name is Annamarie."

“My name is Xerxes,” he replied, smiling timidly back. How long had it been since he’d smiled? Probably after…no, he wasn’t going to think of that. He’d promised himself. Although he’d promised himself a lot of things the day that she’d died. Promises. What did they even like, mean to him anymore? Maybe he should just let this happen. See what she wanted. What he wanted. Because he didn’t even know. But there was something inside of him that knew for certain. One hundred somethings.

She looked scared. The thunder was scaring her. Xerxes reached over and lightly took her hand. This was okay, right? This wouldn’t be creepy or pedophilish? It was just a hand. Nothing but a hand.

“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered, running a hand through her hair. “You’re safe with me. Here, let’s get you in bed.” He walked her carefully to the makeshift double he’d made, pulling the sheets over her. “You’ll be nice and warm here, okay?” He sat down beside her, staring out at the rain pouring down. “I know what it’s like to be…to be scared.” God, did he know.

[wooooozle]

He had a soft way of talking, that Annamarie would not expect from looking at him. Annamarie could see something... intimidating about him. But still secure. He wasn't out to hurt her, but that did not mean he could not hurt. There was a darkness, that greatly appealed to the now fully alert Woozle. It appealed to Annamarie as well. It was a darkness that could protect her from the evils. Even his name held an almost dark power. Xerxes.

The beds pressed together, Annamarie's body ached. They would lie next to each other? The though thrilled her. Especially when his arms wrapped around her, soothing her. He stroked her hair gently, without thought of carnal knowledge. He wanted to make her feel better. “It’s going to be okay,” It was going to be okay. “You’re safe with me.” She was safe with him. "Here, let’s get you in bed." Annamarie let him lead her into the bed, and let him tuck her in.

With the darkness, there was a gentleness.

That's how Annamarie knew he wasn't one of the evils. “You’ll be nice and warm here, okay?” Nodding, she settled into the bed, the mattress far superior to the one in the hostel. Instead of laying with her, he sat beside her, gentlemanly. It had been so long since Annamarie had been treated like a lady. She had been treated like a woman, many times. But a lady... almost never. Annamarie's hazel eyes watched Xerxes, as his dark eyes watched the rain. “I know what it’s like to be…to be scared."

Annamarie blinked, touched by the empathy. The Woozle urged her: Reach out to him. Show him how to make the pain go away. A moment of pleasure, to rest his heavy mind. Closing her eyes, Annamarie resisted. No! He was treating her like a lady. She would not ruin such a wonderful gift, by acting in a contradictory manner! She could be a lady! She could be! Reopening them, Annamarie carefully took his hand, entwining her fingers with his. They were bigger than hers, with long fingers. They looked near long enough to wrap around her wrist twice over. Trying to resist the Woozle's urgings with mental pictures of various reasons why he'd need to wrap his hands around her wrists, she focused on the conversation.

Fear.

"No one is scared wit'out a reason teh be, Chere." Annamarie said, her voice low and thoughtful, ears perked to the sound of the rain and his breathing. "Someone, sometin, always makes a scared person scared, donnit?" Her hand tightened around his, when another clash of thunder boomed, but she didn't shriek or squeak. She held still, breath held in her clenched gut, hand squeezing his, silently praying he wouldn't pull away from being squeezed too hard. When it was over, Annamarie's body relaxed once more, her eyes watching his face. "If we ain' scared, it migh' happen to us again. And then it's shame on us, ainnit? Nah, I'd rather be scared then stupid."

Stroking his hand with her thumb, she looked up at him earnestly. "Don' think me forward, but... will you lay with me? Thundah... it always gives me nightmares." There was a small bit of shame, as she spoke. Partially, because it was sort of a lie. Oh, nightmares she had. But they were more memories. Horrible memories. Her evils. "Sides... I dun want you sleepin on your own floor. Wouldn' be right of me at all."

[XERXES HARRISBURG]

Xerxes sat beside her on the bed, as the like, thunder and lightning and stuff rattled the walls surrounding them, reveling in this weird but totally awesome sense of calm that was like, washing over him. He wasn’t scared. He wasn’t scared at all. He ran a hand through her hair, which was a little bit uneven in parts, but like, totally manageable. Like, definite potential there. Give him ten minutes with a pair of scissors and he could totally make that into the most beautiful, fairy-princess style cut that anyone had ever seen, ever, anywhere in the world. Not that…Annamarie…wasn’t already the most gorgeous, most beautiful girl who’d ever been born throughout all of human history. But he knew that he could make her hair amazing. He would make it amazing, just for her. Just for Annamarie.

Annamarie. That was like, such a beautiful name.

Xerxes glanced at his watch, laughing quietly to himself. And when did Xerxes Harrisburg ever laugh? That was completely not something he did, ever. He was always too terrified to laugh, too distracted with suppressing his own screams to even allow his facial features the like, moment of relaxation they would need to laugh that way. But right now, on his bed, with this amazing, gorgeous girl, even the smallest little coincidences could get a smile out of him. He was never letting Annamarie go. Never never ever ever.

That had sounded really, really creepy and pedophilish. But he totally hadn’t meant it that way. At all. He just…

“11:11,” he whispered, remnants of the smile still lingering on his lips. “Make a wish.”

I wish that I could stay with Annamarie for the rest of my life and never have to be scared again, he thought to himself, looking intently at the numbers on his watch. Not that he’d ever believed in any of that weird wish stuff he saw on Tumblr all the time. But still. It couldn’t hurt or anything.

"No one is scared wit'out a reason teh be, Chere." Annamarie said, her voice low and thoughtful, ears perked to the sound of the rain and his breathing. "Someone, sometin, always makes a scared person scared, donnit?"

“Yeah,” Xerxes replied quietly. “I guess so, yeah. It’s just, for me…” His voice trailed off, and for a second Xerxes hesitated. Like, what could he tell her? Could he tell her what he’d totally never told anyone before? Would she understand? And would she even care? After all, he’d only known this girl for like, what…two hours? Had it really been that short of a time? He felt like he’d known her for his entire life. Beyond his entire life. That totally didn’t’ make any sense.

Hundred. Hundred aspens…hundred acorns…hundred armies…

“I’m not like other people.” The words shot from his mouth like an arrow, spurned by some unseen hand deep inside of him. “I…I have this…this phobia, ish, this like…fear. Of the people around me. And I can’t…be…like other people, because I’m just so…scared of them. I walk down the sidewalk or the hallways at school or a restaurant or the library or a party and I’m just, like, terrified, because there are so many people who are so like, confident, and I’m so…small…and scared…”

He wiped his eyes on his sleeve, feeling Annamarie’s hand tighten around his. “And I have this…this thing, this condition, called…” His voice trailed off again, because he couldn’t bring himself to say the words. He’d basically like, spent his life training his mind to block the six most dreaded syllables in the entire like, English language, from ever entering his mind. He uttered them in a whisper, as if saying them loudly enough might awaken some monster or something. “Sel…selective m-mutism. And I…I fight it, I fight it all day, all the time, but sometimes I just get these…” Another awful, terrible, horrible word. “Ep-episodes, and I just can’t talk for…hours, days sometimes. And people talk about me like I’m…not there, or I can’t hear them, or like I’m stupid, and I can’t understand them, just because I can’t talk, you know? And I just…I hate it. I hate it.”

He was like, so lame. She wouldn’t care about his whole deal. Nobody ever did. It was always “oh, don’t try to get that kid to talk, he can’t” or “there’s the mute freak” or “why don’t you speak? It’s not that hard.” Nobody understood. Why should she?

"Don' think me forward, but... will you lay with me? Thundah... it always gives me nightmares." There was a small bit of shame, as she spoke. Partially, because it was sort of a lie. Oh, nightmares she had. But they were more memories. Horrible memories. Her evils."Sides... I dun want you sleepin on your own floor. Wouldn' be right of me at all."

“Okay.” Xerxes totally should have argued, but it was cold, and he was wet, and he would totally have climbed into bed with the creepiest pedophile in the world right now. He pulled the blankets up to his chin, smoothing his hair behind his head. “And thank you, by the way,” he added, rubbing his eyes again. “Because I know you’re different too. I’m not like, scared of anything, around you. And I know that I’ll, like, always be able to talk around you. You’re the only one, besides my bro.”

[wooooozle]

His face was so peaceful at the moment. It was infectious. Even with the thunder and lightening quarreling outside, Annamarie simply watched him. His gaze turned to her, examining his guest closely, and Annamarie found that she did not mind. It was not a lustful gaze, but one of interest and... perhaps liking. Like, genuine like. Her eyes closed as Xerxes, such a funny name, stroked her slowly drying hair. Gentleness. He had such gentleness. When Xerxes hand lifted from from her head, Annamarie eyes reopened, seeing him check his watch. “11:11, Make a wish.”

He closed his brown eyes, and Annamarie followed suit. She did not understand, having never been on Tumblr or Facebook, but she obeyed. What did she wish for? Her life, and all it's twists and turns, sped quickly over the backs of her eyelids. She was not good, she knew this. And the Woozle purred at this realization. But Annamarie wanted to be. She wished she could be good enough, for someone. For someone kind, and gentle, and strong. Someone like Xerxes.

He didn't shrug off her words. Annamarie felt almost spoiled by the comfort being offered at that moment. It was so... foreign. But as he spoke, Annamarie found him without comfort, the girl sitting up a little, watching him speak closely. “Yeah, I guess so, yeah. It’s just, for me…” He paused. Annamarie waited, holding back her wish to urge him to continue. After all, she had no right. They were basically strangers... but then why did she feel like she knew him. Not from her past, but from a memory not belonging to her. Like a dream.

Finally he spoke, and Annamarie felt a surge of selfish joy, though it was fleeting as his sadness crept to her. “I’m not like other people.” He had evils too! It made her sick, how happy she felt, that her loneliness was lifted by another damaged soul. But... they could comfort each other. “I…I have this…this phobia, ish, this like…fear. Of the people around me. And I can’t…be…like other people, because I’m just so…scared of them. I walk down the sidewalk or the hallways at school or a restaurant or the library or a party and I’m just, like, terrified, because there are so many people who are so like, confident, and I’m so…small…and scared…”

Annamarie... Annamarie understood. She wanted to verbalize this, tell him that he was not alone. But the words caught on her tongue, as he wiped his eyes. “And I have this…this thing, this condition, called…” He trailed off, and Annamarie touched his arm, urging for more. She wanted to know everything. She had to know everything. “Sel…selective m-mutism. And I…I fight it, I fight it all day, all the time, but sometimes I just get these… Ep-episodes, and I just can’t talk for…hours, days sometimes. And people talk about me like I’m…not there, or I can’t hear them, or like I’m stupid, and I can’t understand them, just because I can’t talk, you know? And I just…I hate it. I hate it.” Her eyes widened, as the pain filled his face. He too had been ostracized from his peers, he too was considered... less than.

She wasn't alone.

And neither was he, anymore.

He stood, when Annamarie asked him to lay with her. “Okay.” Relief. He climbed into the bed and situated himself, and Annamarie tightened the towel she wore around her torso. The burn was there, but barely noticeable. She was more determined, at this moment, than The Woozle. “And thank you, by the way,”

Annamarie's eyes grew wider, curiosity filling her hazel green eyes. "For what, Chere?"

“Because I know you’re different too. I’m not like, scared of anything, around you. And I know that I’ll, like, always be able to talk around you. You’re the only one, besides my bro.” Annamarie stared in shock, albeit, a very pleased form. He had thanked her? After all he had done for her, a stranger, he was thanking her? But, not just thanking her. He was... Annamarie's heart swelled with pride. She was... special. To Xerxes, she was not just some tramp. She was special.

She had never been special before.

A grateful smile filled Annamarie's lips, her eyes lowering towards him. Cautiously, she resettled herself into the bed, inching closer to him. "I should be thankin you, Darlin." Annamarie said, voice thoughtful, as she positioned herself a little closer, her face resting on the blanket over his chest. "Bein so kind... I-I'm glad you ain' scared, cos... I feel safe." Color filled her cheeks as she admitted this, her arm wrapped around his waist, hugging him. "I don' think you see yourself right, Chere. Cos I don' see you as small... Not at'all." Her free hand reached down, her palm finding his, and her fingers nestling comfortably in his hand. "We ain' gotta be alone. Not no more, you'll see." She looked up, offering a small, comforting, smile.

His eyes were so... wow. There really wasn't one word. Kind and peaceful and beautiful and strong, but sensitive and deep and lonely and a little sad. He was so... right. Holding her breath, Annamarie bit her lip cautiously, leaning forward a little.

This wasn't The Woozle, no. This was Annamarie.

This wasn't sex, no. This was more.

Comfort, security, tenderness, and love.

How ridiculous, to love someone in two hours. Things like that didn't exist. Yet, here she was, leaning closer, her eyes falling shut, her lips pressing gently against his. There was a skittishness to her actions. After all, this could possibly have not been his intent. It ached her to think that, but it was possible. And if that was the case, Annamarie was more than ready to jump back to her side of the bed, and give him his space, and fall asleep.

But right now, all she cared for in the world was him, and his lips touching hers.

[XERXES HARRISBURG]

Annamarie closed her eyes, and Xerxes felt this like, connection thing growing stronger within them by the second. It was the same connection he felt with his twin brother whenever they hung out together, and that connection he’d felt with the girl at the dock when they’d had that long conversation watching the sunset by the water, and that connection he’d felt with that skier that he’d, like, practically carried down the mountain. And yet this one was like, different. Stronger. Deeper. More impenetrable than steel and older than the universe itself.

Because in some other time, and some other place, he’d known her. He’d…followed her. He’d followed her through times and spaces and dimensions and universes. He’d chased her, always lagging just behind, his target always just around the corner or just over the next rise, barely out of sight. And now…he’d found her. She was his.

No, no, that was stupid. What a stupid, random thought. What had even made that pop into his mind? He’d just met this girl like, 2 hours ago. He hadn’t even known she existed before like, seeing her out in the rain, locked out of her hostel or whatever. How could he have…been chasing her through eternity, or whatever? He’d just met her. That was stupid. Obviously.

"I should be thankin you, Darlin."Annamarie said, voice thoughtful, as she positioned herself a little closer, her face resting on the blanket over his chest. "Bein so kind... I-I'm glad you ain' scared, cos... I feel safe."

“And I feel safe with you too,” Xerxes whispered, continuing to stroke her hair as he felt her head rise and fall with his chest. And then her arm was like, around his waist, and she was hugging him, squeezing him tightly. And Xerxes squeezed her back, wanting to give back to her everything she’d given him. He had never once been scared in these past two hours with her, after all, and her presence made him feel content, safe, as if he’d accomplished something he’d been striving for his entire life. And he wanted to repay her. He wanted to give her everything she’d given him: safety, comfort, shelter…a safe harbor. He wanted to give her a safe harbor to hide in, to be like, happy and safe and warm in, as she’d given him. It was like, the polite thing to do, you know?

"I don' think you see yourself right, Chere. Cos I don' see you as small... Not at'all."

“Thank you,” he whispered, resting his dark, slender, messily made-up head against her light one. “No one’s ever told me that before.” He didn’t believe her, of course. But it was still a nice thing, you know? She seemed to know exactly the right thing to say to like, make everything feel alright, even when nothing was. Around Annamarie, Xerxes could pretend that he wasn’t like, a small, inconsequential insect on the face of the giant world. He could pretend that he and Annamarie were the entire universe, the entire world. The two of them were alone, and they were everything, and nothing was bigger than them, so there was nothing to be scared of, because it was stupid to be afraid of something that was smaller than you, especially if you had someone by your side who believed in you.

"We ain' gotta be alone. Not no more, you'll see."

We ain’ gotta be alone. Xerxes would never be alone again. He would never be scared again, as long as Annamarie never left him. Things were going to be different from now on, he could feel it. The last piece of the puzzle that he was had been shoved into place. Xerxes was finally complete, you know?

He felt her lips against his, and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the pillow. Everything was beautiful in this world, and everything was right. This was all like, so great. So perfect, you know? He was almost expecting to like, wake up and realize that this was all a dream, that Annamarie was just some dumb figment of his imagination. But dream or not, this was totally amazing.

Hundred…hundred aces…hundred acre….Hundred Acre. Hundred Acre. The Hundred Acre Wood.

The Hundred Acre Wood.

Xerxes fell asleep with Annamarie pressed passionately against him, and with those four mysterious words echoing in his mind.

[wooooozle]

The kiss was soft, and gentle. It was not a prelude to anything, unless one counted sleep. It was simple, lips slightly parted: his top lip, her top lip, his bottom lip, her bottom lip. He tasted like the rain outside, slightly acidic, but fresh. And... there was something else. Crisp, and sweet, but a little bitter. Fruit? Apples or pears or something. Pulling her lips away, Annamarie felt the usual burn die into nothingness, and instead be replaced by... this strange, unfamiliar, warmth. It filled color in her cheeks, as a smile, her lips still feeling the weight of his lingering. "You have sweet dreams, Chere... I'll see you in the mornin..."

Would it all be still okay, when morning came? Brushing a lock of his tangled black hair from his... is kind eyes, Annamarie couldn't help but think yes. Laying her head back down, gently resting on his chest, Annamarie held him close. Devotion filled her. His kindness, after all, would not go forgotten. His affection would not go unmatched. True, she wasn't sure who his roommate was, but Annamarie had been nuisance before. So long as Xerxes did not tire of her, Annamarie was determined to be pleasing.

So, she slept, nestled in his arm. Her tiny frame seemed to fit in his slender arms perfectly. Annamarie, who was usually plagued with nightmares, slept peacefully that night. She did not dream, instead her mind filling with a cloud of weightless darkness. It was peace, for the first time in years. The storm outside became inconsequential to her. It could not hurt her, not with Xerxes there, protecting her.

Annamarie suddenly felt a movement, in the heavy weight of sleep. Movement, and the removal of her Chere. A small whimper escaped her, her arm reaching out. A pillow replaced where Xerxes had been, but that wasn't what Annamarie wanted. Slowly, she pulled out of her sleep state, eyes opening in time to hear the door pull shut. Annamarie sat up, looking around with her heavy lidded eyes, a yawn escaping her. "Chere?" He wasn't here? "Zir-sees?" Where had he gone? Dread filled Annamarie's gut, and the loneliness swelled in her stomach. Her former warmth was replaced with the burn, which was thick with fear.

Where had he gone?

Had he abandoned her?

No, this was his room...

Did he want her to go?

No, no. She had seen his eyes, his eyes wouldn't lie to her.

So she stood, dropping the pillow from around her torso, digging through his drawers. Cloths, she needed cloths. Something... big and loose. That he wouldn't mind her wearing without permission. Finally, she found a large tee shirt, which hovered over her thighs. Throwing her shorts on, which were still a little damp, and her sneakers, Annamarie headed out.

She had no idea where she was going, truth be told. But, as Annamarie walked, her bed head blond locks tangled to her head, she felt a pull. Like magnets. Something... something was wrong. She had to find Xerxes. That's all that mattered, right not.

Annamarie had to find Xerxes.

[XERXES HARRISBURG]

He was having one of those dreams again. He knew that as soon as he like, opened his eyes. It was one of those nightmares, one of those times when he was awake in his own head, conscious and aware and sensing everything around him, but with no control. He had, like, lost all control of his limbs, which seemed to tense up and move of their own accord. And now he was like, there, trapped in his brain, helpless as he stepped out of bed and like, moved down the stairs and out into the dark street.

He was in a like, dark alleyway all of a sudden, standing between two slimy, icky buildings, and it smelled like pee and ashes and fire and blood and other bad-smelling, death-y things, and it was really really cold, and oh God, oh God, it was so cold, and it smelled so bad, and it was so dark, and he couldn’t see anything, and he was so scared, he was so, so, so, so, so scared, and why was he here, why did his brain do this to him, why did he have these horrible, horrible nightmares, and shit, shit shit, he just wanted to be back in his room, his nice, safe, happy dorm, with that nice girl Annamarie and the way she breathed and whispered to him, and shit, shit, this was so not rad, this was so not fucking rad.

“Assemble, my minions,” boomed a voice that was like, totally not his. It was all dark and stuff, and about sixteen times louder than Xerxes could ever hope to speak. One thing was for sure: this totally wasn’t his voice, and this totally wasn’t him talking. He was being controlled. This was the point where sweat would start forming on his palms and he’d start quivering and his voice would disappear, but none of that was like, happening, because this was a dream, and he couldn’t even control his own body. He was left to quietly unravel as usual, trapped inside this brain he was confined to.

Around him, there was noise. Like a fluttering of wings but like, huge. Much bigger. Like a giant flock of crows was taking off all around him or something, you know? And then there were thuds, thuds all around them, like the crows were all landing or something, and there were shadows appearing on the walls, even though it totally didn’t make any sense that he could see shadows right now, because this was nighttime, and there were no shadows darker than night time…right? But the shadows were all around him, everywhere, and some were big and some were small, and Xerxes tried to look away, but of course he had to look wherever whatever was controlling him was looking, and oh God, oh God, where was Annamarie, he needed Annamarie, he needed someone to wake him up from this dream before something scary happened. He tried to focus on his visual senses as little as possible, because he didn’t want to see, he didn’t want to know what these terrible shadows were that were suddenly gathering around him. He didn’t want to know what they looked like, or whether or not they were friendly, or human, or animal. He just wanted to be back in his dorm, his nice, safe dorm.

His ears were suddenly filled with the nastiest noises he’d like, ever heard in his life. Bloodcurdling screams and screeches and howls and nails on a chalkboard and shattering bones musical chords so sour and ragged that Xerxes would have totally put his head between his knees and burst into silent tears. “Yes!” roared the alien voice that surged from his mouse, as the shadows grew more and more and closer and closer and the noises grew louder and more terrible. “Yes, my minions, attend to me!” A loud and terrible cackle resonated throughout the alley. “We shall do great things thonight!”

A bolt of lightning illuminated the New York City skyline accompanied by a loud clap of thunder. Annamarie, Annamarie, Annamarie, he thought as loudly as he could, begging and pleading that whatever connection they had might just be enough to penetrate her sleep, please please please wake me up. Rescue me.

[wooooozle]

The thunder carried on outside, and there could be no doubt that she was terrified. But The Woozle, who was usually a hedonistic creature by nature, urged her to continue her search. The flashes of the lightening revealed the creature on the walls, guiding Annamarie. The outline of an almost weasel like creature, but large, like a bear. When Annamarie would pause or draw back, an almost hiss-like noise came from the shadow, urging her to continue. She could not help the feel of dread swirling in her gut, as she felt something was horribly wrong. That Xerxes was in trouble.

Clutching the sweatshirt close to her, despite the cold water that clung to it, a faint sound peeked over the water that mad Annamarie pause. What was that? She stopped, listening closely, as she heard it once more. Screaming? Someone was screaming. Her gut grew hollow, as the possibility that the screaming person could be Xerxes flushed into her mind. No! They weren't suppose to be alone anymore! If he was dead, than that would ruin that! And those were not the screams of a person merely in pain. Those were the sounds of a person dying.

Annamarie crossed the street, ignoring the bright lights in her face and the honking of someones horn, as she basically stepped out into traffic. It didn't matter. She had to follow the noise. Why couldn't anyone else hear the noise. The Woozle's outline could be seen in the ground in front of her, the rain rippling the creatures black body. And the creature, her guardian, led her to an alley, which wreaked of death and filth.

It was not what she was expecting.

Before her, was not Xerxes in pain, but Xerxes causing the pain. It was not Xerxes dying, but Xerxes sentencing another to death. But even this, surprising as it was, was not the strangest thing Annamarie was witnessing. The dying clung a foot or two over the ground, held up by... strange creatures. Much like The Woozle in the sense that they were black and ethereal beings. But these creatures had dimension to them, a strange shape that Annamarie was not even able to describe at the moment. The victim was horribly mangled, the blood spilling onto the cement alleyway floor, diluted by the rain. But he lived for the moment.

She should run. She really should. But The Woozle lulled her forward, and honestly, she had no desire to go. This was Xerxes, who had been so gentle to her before. So gentle, and kind, and sweet. He would not harm her, of that, Annamarie was sure. So she stepped forward, quivering in the cold, her blond hair clingy to her head. Her round hazel eyes watched as his blade rose, glinting in the rain, and instinctively she reached out, fingertips brushing his back.

The blade came down on the already sliced up torso of the victim, and ripped down, a spraying of blood falling over both Xerxes and Annamarie. The shadow creatures let the lifeless body drop, crumpled in a mess of its own entrails. And she felt Xerxes's body turn to face her.

She was fine.

He would not hurt her.

This was part of not being alone.

Being strong for someone.

Instantly one hand was on his knife wielding wrist, extending it as far away from them as possible. Silently telling him that it wasn't there, it was prevalent. That everything was okay. Her other arm wrapped around his neck, as she stood on her tippytoes, and breathed gently into his neck. Comfort him, soothe him, let him know that it was all going to be okay. That she was here. That she would protect him.

There was a presence, more foreboding and dark. But it was not Xerxes. She could feel his presence too. So it couldn't be him. Xerxes had an Other. But his Other was not there to protect him, not like The Woozle. His Other did not protect him from pain. His Other delighted in pain. She shivered into him, smelling his smell, praying silently to feel his ungrasped arm to wrap around her narrow waist. To tell her that he was here too. That he was aware. "It's all okay Chere, I'm here." She whispered, kissing his throat gently. "Don be scared. I'm here. I'm here." She focused on the chemical but woodsy smell that was on his neck, that mingled with the light smell of acidic petrichor.