Sequel: Twisted Returns ›
Status: Complete - 71,220 words
Shattering Crystals
glad it didn't have to change
"I don't know," Ashlee says, staring into the mirror. "Does this color work on me?" She tugs at her newly-dyed dark auburn hair.
"It doesn't matter if it works," Lorraine says. "You just need to be disguised."
"So wait - it doesn't look right?" Ashlee asks, biting her lip.
"I never said that," Lorraine says, turning away from Ashlee to clean up. Everyone had gotten their hair redone. "If we look hideously bad, we'll stand out, according to Cody. And standing out is not an option."
I leave the bathroom and walk into the living room, checking to see if everyone was done. My hair was dyed back to its original black, since dyes didn't seem to work on it very well. And it's grown at such a rapid rate, it would have to be redone every few weeks or so.
"Well, I'm probably going to stand out," Aaron says, obviously hearing Lorraine. "Always have, anyways." Nothing could be done to change Aaron's bright red hair. It wouldn't change, not even when Lorraine resorted to magic.
"I think it fits you," Elise says. She looks so happy, sitting next to Aaron on the couch. "I'm glad it didn't have to change." She smiles brightly at him, something I had never really seen her do until now. Dean watches this silently from where he’s leaning against the wall.
They aren't dating - it's more like they have a... a "thing". Something had happened a few days ago, on Christmas. When Elise and Aaron walked out of the baby's bedroom, something was... different. Aaron was smiling again, yes, but so was Elise.
Aaron can’t spend much time here, as there are still questions being asked about Lisa’s death, and he has to be careful. He still seems down about the whole situation, but Elise is there to talk to him, and they’re both smiling in the end.
Dean had noticed this - it was impossible to ignore. He had confided in me that it was heartbreaking. He saw her happy... and it wasn't because of him.
"When is your family coming back, Aaron?" Dean winces slightly as he says his name. Nobody notices but me, because no one else really knows.
"Uhh... soon. It's almost New Year's, since tomorrow's the thirty-first, so I guess they'll be back in two weeks or so." As he finishes the sentence we hear the back door slam, and Connor and Cody enter the house
"I'm so bored," Cody groans as he walks into the room. "We're leaving soon, aren't we?"
"I guess," I say. "But we're going to be here until next year."
"If it was January right now, I would probably die," Connor says. “Good thing it’s only two more weeks.”
Then Lorraine walks out of the bathroom, holding the leftover trash.
"Hey, Lorraine!" Cody says, "Wanna go outside and, I dunno, climb a tree or something?" We all know that she won't accept - physical activity is really not her thing.
She ignores this, and drops everything into the trash can. She peels off her rubber gloves, tossing them in too. But then she turns around, a devilish smile on her face. "Well, why not?"
"I knew you wouldn't - wait, what?" Cody's eyes widen.
"Yeah, unless you're too scared." She smiles again and walks towards the door. Cody follows, his mouth slightly open.
"I never knew she would like doing things like that," Dean says.
"...she doesn't."
No one knows what to say next until Aaron clears his throat and says, "Well, I kinda have to go home now. I wasn't home for... Christmas, as you know, and my family's kinda getting suspicious would the 'friends' I keep hanging out with. I'll see you guys tomorrow." He gets up to leave.
"Bye, Aaron," everyone says at slightly different times.
----
We're all eating the pizzas that Elise had happily offered to pick up for us. Her rare smiles are becoming more frequent, her eyes brighter. And plus, the pizzeria wasn't too far away.
Everyone stops chewing as we hear frantic knocking on the door.
"Who could that be?" Lorraine wonders out loud.
"Aaron?" Elise says eagerly. She automatically stands up to answer the door.
"But Aaron said he wouldn't be back today," Dean says quietly. "So who could it be?" Elise freezes, halfway to the door.
"A serial killer?" Ashlee says, biting her lip.
"Oh great, we've come across the country and now we're all gonna die," Cody groans, falling back into his chair.
Lorraine rolls her eyes. "You guys are pathetic."
"Oh yeah? Go open the door then," he dares her.
"Okay, fine, I will. I'm not a pussy like all you guys." She puts her slice of pizza back on her plate and gets up, her head held high. But I know her, and I know that she is honestly very worried... But she walks to the door, everyone following her from the living room and into the kitchen. Slowly, she lifts up the blinds covering the little window on the door. "It's Aaron!" she exclaims, and swiftly turns the knob.
"Aaron! What's wrong?" Elise says, pushing through everyone to get to him.
"Ran... all the way here," he says, panting and holding his sides.
"What happened?" Lorraine asks.
"Nothing... happened," he says, slowly regaining his breath. Elise relaxes a bit as soon as she sees that Aaron is not severely injured.
"Then?"
"Uncle's coming back tomorrow."
"It doesn't matter if it works," Lorraine says. "You just need to be disguised."
"So wait - it doesn't look right?" Ashlee asks, biting her lip.
"I never said that," Lorraine says, turning away from Ashlee to clean up. Everyone had gotten their hair redone. "If we look hideously bad, we'll stand out, according to Cody. And standing out is not an option."
I leave the bathroom and walk into the living room, checking to see if everyone was done. My hair was dyed back to its original black, since dyes didn't seem to work on it very well. And it's grown at such a rapid rate, it would have to be redone every few weeks or so.
"Well, I'm probably going to stand out," Aaron says, obviously hearing Lorraine. "Always have, anyways." Nothing could be done to change Aaron's bright red hair. It wouldn't change, not even when Lorraine resorted to magic.
"I think it fits you," Elise says. She looks so happy, sitting next to Aaron on the couch. "I'm glad it didn't have to change." She smiles brightly at him, something I had never really seen her do until now. Dean watches this silently from where he’s leaning against the wall.
They aren't dating - it's more like they have a... a "thing". Something had happened a few days ago, on Christmas. When Elise and Aaron walked out of the baby's bedroom, something was... different. Aaron was smiling again, yes, but so was Elise.
Aaron can’t spend much time here, as there are still questions being asked about Lisa’s death, and he has to be careful. He still seems down about the whole situation, but Elise is there to talk to him, and they’re both smiling in the end.
Dean had noticed this - it was impossible to ignore. He had confided in me that it was heartbreaking. He saw her happy... and it wasn't because of him.
"When is your family coming back, Aaron?" Dean winces slightly as he says his name. Nobody notices but me, because no one else really knows.
"Uhh... soon. It's almost New Year's, since tomorrow's the thirty-first, so I guess they'll be back in two weeks or so." As he finishes the sentence we hear the back door slam, and Connor and Cody enter the house
"I'm so bored," Cody groans as he walks into the room. "We're leaving soon, aren't we?"
"I guess," I say. "But we're going to be here until next year."
"If it was January right now, I would probably die," Connor says. “Good thing it’s only two more weeks.”
Then Lorraine walks out of the bathroom, holding the leftover trash.
"Hey, Lorraine!" Cody says, "Wanna go outside and, I dunno, climb a tree or something?" We all know that she won't accept - physical activity is really not her thing.
She ignores this, and drops everything into the trash can. She peels off her rubber gloves, tossing them in too. But then she turns around, a devilish smile on her face. "Well, why not?"
"I knew you wouldn't - wait, what?" Cody's eyes widen.
"Yeah, unless you're too scared." She smiles again and walks towards the door. Cody follows, his mouth slightly open.
"I never knew she would like doing things like that," Dean says.
"...she doesn't."
No one knows what to say next until Aaron clears his throat and says, "Well, I kinda have to go home now. I wasn't home for... Christmas, as you know, and my family's kinda getting suspicious would the 'friends' I keep hanging out with. I'll see you guys tomorrow." He gets up to leave.
"Bye, Aaron," everyone says at slightly different times.
----
We're all eating the pizzas that Elise had happily offered to pick up for us. Her rare smiles are becoming more frequent, her eyes brighter. And plus, the pizzeria wasn't too far away.
Everyone stops chewing as we hear frantic knocking on the door.
"Who could that be?" Lorraine wonders out loud.
"Aaron?" Elise says eagerly. She automatically stands up to answer the door.
"But Aaron said he wouldn't be back today," Dean says quietly. "So who could it be?" Elise freezes, halfway to the door.
"A serial killer?" Ashlee says, biting her lip.
"Oh great, we've come across the country and now we're all gonna die," Cody groans, falling back into his chair.
Lorraine rolls her eyes. "You guys are pathetic."
"Oh yeah? Go open the door then," he dares her.
"Okay, fine, I will. I'm not a pussy like all you guys." She puts her slice of pizza back on her plate and gets up, her head held high. But I know her, and I know that she is honestly very worried... But she walks to the door, everyone following her from the living room and into the kitchen. Slowly, she lifts up the blinds covering the little window on the door. "It's Aaron!" she exclaims, and swiftly turns the knob.
"Aaron! What's wrong?" Elise says, pushing through everyone to get to him.
"Ran... all the way here," he says, panting and holding his sides.
"What happened?" Lorraine asks.
"Nothing... happened," he says, slowly regaining his breath. Elise relaxes a bit as soon as she sees that Aaron is not severely injured.
"Then?"
"Uncle's coming back tomorrow."