Army of Shadows: Chapter 5
#6 of The Arcana Chronicles: Army of Shadows
see prologue
Ch 6: Take a look at yourself (Part 1)
"_ I can't help you, you don't stand a chance to make it. _
_ If you really want help just take a look inside the mirror _
...Tell me what you see" (Sum 41, Take a look at yourself)
Cora P.O.V
Silence
It really is a peculiar thing, and as a mute, it's something I tend to contemplate on a lot. For instance, You'd think that because I can't make any noise myself, I'd be used to silence, but that's not true. Not being able to talk just means that everyone else takes the opportunity to talk as much as possible. Conversation has become almost non-existent.
Well...except with Danny. Oddly enough, he's the only one who has enough patience to wait for me to write a reply. Who would have thought the only intelligent conversation I ever get is with a perverted pokephile.
...Shoot, I really shouldn't say that. I'm starting to sound like Aria. Although I can kind of understand her discomfort. He's a pokephile, she's a female pokemon, so I guess it's natural for her to feel a little awkward. Still, do they have to fight every time they see each other?
My phone vibrated, snapping me out of my little daydream. I opened my eyes and found myself in my room again. It's kind of odd how I can just completely zone out like that. How I can just lean back, close my eyes and let the world completely dissolve around me.
The first thing I realized was that my music was still blaring in my ear, but it was about fifty songs after I had first turned it on, and honestly, I hadn't been listening for a single moment.
...fifty songs...what is that? A few hours? They should be done by now.
I cautiously took out one of my earbuds just in time to hear something no teenage girl should ever hear from their father.
"Oh God Karen, that feels so good!"
I shoved the earbud back in as I grimaced.
...and I thought it was bad when they were fighting. This was ten times more disturbing!
My father and his girlfriend were huge on this whole "Break up/make up" thing. One minute their at each other throats, the next, their fucking like rabbits. So whether it was screaming in anger, or pleasure, this house was never quiet.
...How ironic is it that the only silence I ever get is when my IPod is blaring heavy metal.
I finally took my phone out of my pocket and saw that I had a new message from Danny.
Hey Cora, the new guy is finally getting out of the hospital today, so Alyson and I are going to drag him over to the clearing so we can meet Aria for lunch. You wanna come with?
I smiled at that. Finally...something to do. God, I hate summer vacation.
I know that's a weird thing to think, but I really hate it. Summer used to be a time for fun and friends with not a care in the world. But it's kind of hard to have fun when you don't _have _any friends.
...well...ok, three friends, four if you count the new guy, which I don't. Nothing against him, he seems like a nice guy and everything, it's just, I've only ever talked to him that one time and to call him my firend before I even really know him is just....weird. I think he feels the same way; he kind of reacted a little strangely when Danny so blatantly stated that they were already friends.
Then again, Danny considers anyone who doesn't have a problem with him a friend, so that was to be expected.
Realizing I hadn't replied yet, I snapped out of it and texted him back.
Sure, I'll meet you there ^_^.
How long until lunch...like, three hours...plenty of time. I leaned forward in my chair and scooted over to my desk. Opening the drawer, I took out a sketchbook.
...but not just any sketchbook. This one was different. This is the one I never let anyone, under any circumstances, look at. It wasn't just a sketchbook, it was a journal. It was the world through my eyes, and some of these drawings were...shall we say...less than pleasant. Such as the one I was about to draw.
I opened the sketchbook, skimming through it for a blank page. I had gotten into this really bad habit of just randomly opening it and drawing on the first blank page I saw. It was fine at first, but now It's ten times more frustrating to actually find a blank page.
Getting frustrated, I just gave up and grabbed my other notebook, figuring I'd rip the page out and staple it into the other one later. Taking out a perfectly sharpened pencil, I made the first line on the page and began sketching.
Danny P.O.V
My phone vibrated in my hand as I lay atop the covers of my bed, still completely exposed from last night's...*ahem*...activities. I eagerly opened up my phone to read my friends reply.
Sure, I'll meet you there ^_^.
I smiled at that. It was good that she was finally getting out of the house.
To tell the truth, I actually feel really sorry for Cora. Alyson was her only friend that was around her age and she graduated last year. Now she has to sit at home while the rest of us have to work for a living. Sure, she comes and visits us at the lab all the time, but it's not really the same when I'm focused on my work.
So, she'd become a bit of a hermit this summer, and never left the house, which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for her father and his latest fuck-buddy. Seriously, what kind of people drive each other crazy just for the benefit of having angry sex with each other...although, granted, I can kind of see where they were coming from.
Call me a pervert if you want, but angry sex is the third best kind, right up there with "I've been waiting for this, forever" sex and "Heat of the moment" sex.
...speaking of which.
I turned over and laid a hand on the small, ebony pokemon that was still asleep next to me. I know Aria said that the umbreon was off limits, but the only reason she said that is because she didn't want me taking advantage of her. So far, I was the one being taken advantage of...which was perfectly alright with me.
Honestly, no one knows what their talking about. They call me a pervert, a freak, or. my personal favorite, "Pokewhore". Seriously, hats off to the guy who came up with that one. This whole thing really did spiral out of control quicker than I expected. All I did, was agree to help a wild vulpix with her heat. That's it, just one time.
Just once was all it took though, as pokemon proved to be even more gossipy bitches than humans. She told her friends, they told their friends, and so on. By now, every pokemon in the area, wild or otherwise, knew that I was the guy to come to for a quick fuck.
It's become a mutual transaction. I help them with their...er...problem, and I get as much tail as I want (pun completely intended).
Well, anyway, about the umbreon. Things have been kind of slow lately and with her going into heat for the first time, it was bound to be pretty strong, so I've been letting her come back every night over the past week or so.
It was kind of odd having a regular partner. The most frequent ones that come to see me are usually around one month intervals, but she was different somehow. I don't know, maybe that's just me reading too much into it.
I placed a hand on her back and gently stroked her soft, black fur, coaxing her out of her slumber. Her eyes began to flutter open and she let out a contented sigh as she snuggled in closer against my bare chest, nuzzling it affectionately.
"Sleep well?" I asked before planting a kiss on the top of her head.
"Bri." She nodded.
And...well...that was kind of all we had to say. I wasn't used to pillow talk, as most of them just leave after we're done, but really, nothing needed to be said. For now, we would just cuddle and enjoy each other's company.
Just then, I heard my absurdly large grandfather clock that my parents gave me as a house warming gift strike ten from the living room, causing my temporary bedmate's ears to prick up. It was the time she had left every day beforehand and I'm assuming it would be the same today.
...it was nice while it lasted.
I sighed as she got up and pranced to the end of the bed, and hearing my disappointment, she turned back and leapt onto my chest, mashing her lips against mine. Although I was taken by surprise, I wasted no time in reciprocating. The kiss was sloppy, as our mouths didn't really fit together that well, but still hot as all hell.
Then, as quickly as it began, she broke it off and trotted her way to the other side of the room. Taking a running leap, she jumped through the window and just like that, she was gone. I wasn't worried, after all, it was a one-level house, but still, I wrapped the blanket around my mid section so I wasn't completely indecent and walked over just to make sure she was alright.
I saw her slowly sauntering across my front lawn. Her tail was swishing in a way that seemed to be beckoning me after her, leading me to believe that she knew very well that I was watching. My suspicions were confirmed as she looked over her shoulder and gave me a wink.
I smirked, knowing I'd probably be seeing her again tonight. "I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you leave." I muttered to myself.
*ahem*
My eyes snapped to the side to see my neighbor Mr. Fredrickson, a rather elderly man was sitting on his front porch with a gardevoir. I smiled.
"Mornin', Bill. How's it hangin'" I said with a grin.
"You're going to hell. You know that boy?" He said as bluntly as possible. Still, my smile was unwavering.
"Is that so? In that case, save me a seat when you get there, I don't want to spend the rest of eternity sitting next to some serial killer or something."
If possible, his glare narrowed and he gave me a spectacular view of a certain finger. "Up yours, kid."
"Oh, Mr. Fredrickson, I'm flattered, but you of all people should know I don't swing that way." I said, hoping he would understand what I meant by that. Just in case he didn't, I slipped in one more comment. "Mornin' Amber." I said, giving his gardevoir a wink. She blushed furiously and I had to hold back a snicker as Mr. Fredrickson was turning red for a completely different reason.
I closed the window before he could start yelling at me again and burst out into laughter. On top of being a hardcore religious fanatic, the fact that I had a rather romantic evening with his pokemon a few weeks ago gave him that little extra push to hate me even more. And I'm serious when I say romantic. In fact, she was the first pokemon I've actually considered dating since...well...for a long time anyways.
If it wasn't for him, I probably would have already done it. But he's over eighty years old and he's a heavy smoker, so he's bound to go some time. Is that horrible for me to think? It's not just me, just about everybody hates him.
Gah...whatever, I'll worry about it later. Now, I need to text Alyson and get some clothes on...not necessarily in that order. I grabbed a pair of boxers off the floor and slid them on before reaching for the phone on my nightstand.
Hey Alyson, Cora's in, so we'll meet you in the clearing later. Remember to grab Marcus.
I dropped my phone on the bed and soon plopped down next to it. So...I had a few hours to kill before I left to the woods, and absolutely nothing to do.
As I was thinking of something to do, the clock chimed again, saying that it was now 10:15. God, I really do hate that thing. I don't ever look at it and all it does is annoy me and everyone else that comes here.
...and just like that, I got an idea on what I could do.
...I wonder where I can find a sledgehammer this time of day.