[ Tumblr ♪ DOTD ] The washroom was empty. Thank god. Cristina stood in front of the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like a mess. Her hair and pajamas were still a mess from the struggle in the morning, and her eyes were becoming swollen. She splashed water onto her face and looked at herself again. Spoiler: flashback The nurse carried her back to her room even though she was panicking, kicking and flailing. Putting Cristina down, the nurse sat down and sighed. Cristina sat on the bed and sobbed. "I really don't want to be the one to tell you, but you've already heard....you're parents...are gone." NO! Cristina covered her ears and tried to scream. She kicked the blankets off the bed. Tears running down her pale cheeks. The nurse stood up to stop her, but sat back down instead. "Cristina...I'm sorry...The doctors...they tried their best." NO THEY DIDN'T. With her hands still covering her ears she shook her head vigorously and tried screaming again. Nothing. She took a pillow and cried into it. She continued trying to scream and make noise. Someone else walked into the room. It was her Doctor. The doctor ran to Cristina's side. "What's going on here?!" The nurse stood up and reported, "She-uh- her parents..." The Doctor shook her head and pat gently Cristina on the back. "Cristina...It's going to be okay..." The Doctor reassured. NO IT'S NOT. IT'S NOT. IT'S NOT. IT'S NOT. Cristina pushed the doctor's hand away and tried to scream. Only air. The doctor frowned and looked back at the nurse. "Does she know about her voice yet?" Cristina looked up in confusion. The nurse shook her head. The room was silent for a minute or two. Cristina wanted to know what they were talking about. What about her voice? The doctor took a deep breath in, "Cristina, we're afraid that you...won't be able to speak again..." Cristina's eyes widened. LIARS. YOU'RE ALL JUST TRYING TO MAKE ME BE QUIET. She tried screaming again. And again. And again. And again. Until she ran out of breath. Nothing. Why? Why? Why? Why?! Cristina walked back to the waiting room, slowly and solemly. Mrs. Kerring was still sleeping. She picked up the note that she had written early and crumpled it up. She sat down and opened her sketchbook, taking out a pencil. She started sketching a large teardrop that took up the entire page. Then a girl trapped within it, with a half-hearted smile. It was a simple sketch. She shaded all of the shadows and made the tear look more rounded and realistic. Before she could finish, however, she was interrupted. "Cristina Shannon Wilson? The doctor is ready to see you."
[Tumblr ❀ OOTD ❀OOC: none ] "Good morning Aileen. Care for some breakfast?" Brian greeted. Breakfast wouldn't hurt. She turned to face him, smiled and nodded. As she walked to the kitchen table, she bit her bottom lip. I have to remember what I came down here for. She also had to find a way to start this conversation. "Hey Brian? Uh..." she paused for a moment to gather the appropriate words to use, "What do you think about...what happened yesterday?" She pulled the chair outwards and sat down. Aileen looked at her best friend's facial expressions curiously to see how he would respond. [ Tumblr ♪ DOTD ] Spoiler: flashback Eight year old Cristina sat on the hospital bed staring blankly outside the window. She was worried about her parents even though they told her not too. They were supposed to undergo surgery that day. She normally trusted her parents, but there was just this feeling... Her throat hurt. The doctor that was taking care of her told her not to talk. If she talked it would "hurt so much" that her "parents would cry" for her. Cristina did not really understand but she did not want her parents to be sad so she decided to cooperate and not speak for a few days. Cristina continued walking down the halls of the hospital. Where's that counter. Where's that counter. She saw a bed being wheeled down the hallway. A person was sleeping on it. Spoiler: flashback Cristina walked down the hall with the nurse. The nurse had offered to take her to visit her parents. Cristina entered their room and sat on the comfy chair inside. Her feet dangled off the seat and she kicked them forward and backward as she waited for her parents to return from the OR. Five minutes passed, then ten minutes, then half an hour. They were supposed to return the first five minutes. Cristina looked outside the door, then tugged on the nurse's sleeve with a worried expression. The nurse nodded and went to inquire. A few minutes later, Cristina didn't feel like waiting in the room so she decided to follow the nurse. She was about to turn the corner when she saw the nurse talking to another nurse. "...couldn't survive the surgery. It was a dangerous one, and you knew it. It was a miracle that they didn't pass during the accident," Cristina heard the other nurse say. She stood still where she was and covered her mouth so that they did not hear her. Cristina heard something being wheeled down the hall so she quietly moved aside. Two beds. Faces covered. Her eyes widened in fear, and she fell to her knees. "What was that?!" Her nurse said, running towards her. "Cristina!" I want to know. I want to know what happened to Mommy and Daddy! She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. She tried to speak louder, still no sound. She kept trying. She felt that she was practically screaming, but there was no sound. Only air. "Cristina stop! You're going to hurt yourself! I'll explain everything when we get back to the room!" Cristina could not stop her tears from pouring down her cheeks. She ran towards the nearest washroom and constantly wiped her eyes. I hate this place. I hate this place. I hate this place. I hate this place. I hate this place and every-fucking-one in it.
[Tumblr ❀ OOTD ❀OOC: none ] Sunlight poured into the room and woke Aileen up. Sitting up, she yawned and stretched her arms upwards. She scanned the room, only then remembering that she was at Brian's house. For some reason, she found yesterday's deaths were bothering her. A lot. Was it because didn't know who died? Was it because she didn't see them personally? She didn't know. Maybe I'll talk to Brian about it when he wakes up... She decided that, that was what she was going to do. Maybe it was too early to talk about something as sensitive as death, but she had something else that had been bothering her- her family- that she did not want to talk about. She got ready and dressed, then proceeded to walk to the kitchen. [ Tumblr ♪ DOTD ] The sick people in the hospital bothered her. The nurses bothered her. The white walls of the hospital bothered her. The hospital smell bothered her. Everything about the hospital bothered her. She sat in one of the chairs waiting to get checked up. It had been at least three hours since she had sat down. One hour in, Mrs. Kerring had already fallen asleep beside her. When she had asked the nurse how much longer she would have to wait, she pointed at everyone else sitting down and said it would be at least another two hours. She had tried sketching the room she was in, but looking at it made her angry, and she ended up ripping the paper out of her book, crumpling it and throwing it in the garbage. I can't take this anymore. She wrote a note and left it on the chair. Cristina stood up quietly with her things and decided to walk around the halls of the hospital to find something better to draw. She thought that maybe the Children's Ward would be more suited for her. There were always bright drawings on the wall, perhaps she could ask to add something to it? She began walking down the hall looking for signs to guide her there. Eventually, she made it to the ward. Seeing the colorful images on the wall made her feel a bit more at ease. To get to the receptionists' desk here, she had to walk past several rooms. Hearing sobbing and arguing coming out of one room, Cristina stopped and listened. The door, for the most part, was closed but there had been a crack of it left open. "What do you mean she won't be able to walk again?!" Cristina assumed that this was an angry parent. "W-w-we're awfully sorry. B-but there's nothing we can do..." said the nurse. Cristina felt tears welling up in her eyes again and continued walking down the halls. Memories from several years ago were slowly being replayed and she didn't like it. It bothered her, too. It bothered her more than anything else in this hospital.
[ Tumblr ♪DOTD ♪ OOC: Before I leave... ] Once Tamora left the room, Cristina jumped off her bed to lock the door. There was no way that lady's going get in here. Mrs. Kerring was bound to come upstairs soon and try to drag her down- and she did. Cristina could hear her trying to turn the knob a couple of times then pounding on the door. "Cristina! You get out here this instant!" No. "Cristina! If there's something wrong you need to get it checked out!" All of this shouting went on for at least ten. Then she heard Tamora's whiney voice, "What if I get sick too?" Who was asking you? Cristina was forced to suppress the urge to walk out just to slap her. Soon after this, the pounding and yelling stopped, and she heard footsteps leaving down the stairs. Did they give up? Please give up. She sighed in relief. Click. What was that? She heard the knob turn. Oh my god, she had a key. Where could she hide? The washroom? But there was no lock on that door. There was no where safe to hide. Cristina found herself running into the closet and closing the slide door. Within seconds, Mrs. Kerring slid the door open and found her. She grabbed her arm and pulled her out, but Cristina began kicking and flailing her arm. She opened her mouth to scream but of course no sound came out. Somehow, she had managed to be pulled out of her room. No. No. No. "Jeremy! Help me carry her down!" Mrs. Kerring ordered. Cristina had tried to run back into her room while she was doing so, but Jeremy had already picked her up. She continued kicking. "Cris, calm down. We're both going to fall down these stairs if you continue!" Jeremy said. She continued kicking, hoping that he would be to scared to continue walking. He wasn't. He carried her all the way to the car and put her in the backseat. "This is for your own good, Cris." He closed the door. What good? Cristina slumped back onto her seat. Mrs. Kerring threw a bag at her and started driving towards the hospital. In it was her keyboard, sketchbook and pencils. At this point there was no point to flailing and kicking. Cristina just remained silent, like she always had. She wanted to scream. She wanted to let everyone in the world know that she hated hospitals. Driving into the hospital parking lot, Cristina read the sign. Bitter Point Hospital. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Mommy? Daddy? Looks like I'm here after all...A tear rolled down her cheek.
[Tumblr ❀ OOTD ❀OOC: none ] When they made it to Brian's house, the two brought their bags with them to the door. Brian fished around in his pockets for the keys, and when he found them, he opened the door. Brian was right, his family wasn't home yet. The house was quiet. Stepping inside, Brian flipped a switch to turn on some of the lights. "You look tired, Brian. Let's just get some sleep, okay?" Brian seemed to agree with her suggestion. He led her to the guest room that she had stayed in previously, and then walked to his room to sleep. Aileen closed the door behind her and dropped her duffle bag by the vanity. Aileen got changed into her pajamas. Nothing in the room had changed from the last time she was there. She slipped into bed. The last time she was here, she sobbed about Abby's death. This time she was frustrated about family issues and by the two deaths. Am I going to find myself here every time something goes wrong? And with this thought, she drifted off to sleep. [ Tumblr ♪ DOTD ] The ride home did not seem to feel as long as the ride to the resort. Perhaps it was because Tamora had fallen asleep on the way, or maybe it was because she had a lot to think about. At one point, she had found herself thinking, not about the email, but about the hospital. I have to go to a hospital? She can try, but I refuse to. I refuse! Walking into the orphanage, Cristina took off her shoes at the door and immediately made her way up to her room. Tamora was half-awake behind her, with Jeremy guiding her up to make sure she didn't fall backwards. Cristina wished that she was still asleep, but a half-awake Tamora was better than the fully-awake annoying one. She looks drunk. Cristina giggled to herself. Reaching their room, Jeremy for his. Tamora found her way over to her bed and soon fell back asleep. Unpacked her things quietly, so that she did not wake her. She then walked to the washroom to get changed and ready for bed. Lying in her bed, staring at the white ceilings she began thinking to herself. I might have to go back there...Mommy? Daddy? Are you still sleeping there? If I go will I see you there? A tear slid down her cheek. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
[Tumblr ❀ OOTD ❀OOC: none ] Aileen and Brian walked out of the resort and to his car. They both left their luggage in the trunk and then got to their seats. Closing the door behind her Aileen sighed. Two dead? There was no way that it could've been a coincidence. Aileen bit her lip as Brian started up the car and left the parking lot. Now they were headed home- somewhere Aileen did not want to go. She was not willing to face her parents this soon. They probably weren't ready to face her either. "Brian, do you mind if I stay over at your house tonight?" she asked. "I really don't want to go home." [ Tumblr ♪ DOTD ] It wasn't for another ten minutes that the annoying one and Jeremy got into the car. Mrs. Kerring began driving. For the first bit of the drive, all Tamora could talk about was potentially being killed. She said things along the lines of, "It was a homicide. Like, I could've been killed if I was there," and, "I'm glad that Jeremy was there." Her voice was so whiny it was irritating her. You didn't die, get over it. But now that she knew that the deaths were connected to the email, Cristina could not help but feel scared for herself.She had so many questions floating around in her mind. The email said that we had 100 days to live, how could there be people dead already? There was a code in the email. What does it mean? Why are there rules? Who is C, and what is she? Her train of thought was disrupted by Jeremy. "Hey are you feeling better? You were throwing up earlier, weren't you?" Oh my god why would you bring that up. Now Mrs. Kerring's going to- "You were throwing up?! It's late now...That's it we're taking you to see a doctor first thing tomorrow." By doctor she probably meant the hospital, and that was the last place she wanted to go.
[Tumblr ❀ OOTD ❀OOC: none ] Aileen's eyes widened at the word 'deaths.' Deaths? Deaths. More than one...death. Brian began packing his bags. He spoke, "You need to back your bags. Now." Aileen nodded her head once and walked back to her room. She threw all of her toiletries into her duffle bag;that was all she had really taken out. She double checked all of the table tops and drawers to see if she had left anything behind. She couldn't help but think back to what had happened at home when she opened the drawer. The leather diary. The photograph. Her parents. The lies. Her 'sister'. At some point while she was thinking, she had unconsciously clenched her fists. Aileen shook her head, relaxed and continued to double check the room. Now was not the time to think about this. She zipped her bag, hung it on her shoulder and walked out the door to meet up with Brian again. [ Tumblr ♪ DOTD ] It took Cristina several tries to open the door. She must have looked like a freak. On her third try, she heard the door click. Thank friggen god. She turned the knob as quickly as she could and pushed the door open, almost running into it, herself. "What the hell took you so long? We have to go now!" Tamora shouted. Thank you captain obvious.Cristina ignored her and made her way to the bathroom door. "Woah, Cris, you don't look so good," Jeremy said, as she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. She could hear what Tamora was saying behind the door as she was throwing up. She couldn't tell if she was being loud on purpose, or if she was just plain stupid. "When does she ever look good?" What a bitch. Finished, Cristina opened the door and walked past Tamora, ignoring her. She packed her bag quickly and left the room before the two. She stopped at the store to get medicine and then walked out of the resort. Already waiting was Mrs. Kerring. Cristina opened the passenger seat door and stepped in. "I heard about what happened. Where are the other two?" She said as Cristina opened the medicine container and took a pill. "And you, are you alright?" Ms. Kerring stared at her as she took it. She pulled out her speech device and typed, "I'm fine. Feeling nauseous that's all." Yeah right.
[ Tumblr ♪ DOTD ] And so it turned out that they were talking about the email. And that the email was true. Cristina watched as the tall boy talked to one of the girls who then apologized and left. Although she had a smile on her face, she was also bleeding. There's something wrong with her. The boy then turned his attention back to Cristina. He stared at her face for a bit. Was he observing her? Well this is awkward. The boy then suggested, "You might wanna steer clear of this scene, it looks like things might get b -" but was cut off before he could finish by a loud thud. Cristina quickly turned around to see what was the matter. A girl had fallen to the ground. She turned back to look at the boy, whose eyes were wide open. Cristina raised her eyebrow. Someone he knows? Could she also know about the email? Regardless, Cristina thought it would best for her to leave. She wanted to help the girl, but the boy beside her would probably be enough. He looked as if he was ready to run towards her any minute. Cristina gently poked his arm to get his attention, and pointed at herself, then down the hallway to show that she was leaving. Walking away, she looked back and frowned. Maybe I should stay and help...I still have some questions to ask, too... But suddenly nausea grabbed hold of her again, and she found herself covering her mouth and running towards her room.
[Tumblr ❀ OOTD ❀OOC: none ] Please open. Aileen felt like she was being watched. Please open. Why were they watching her knocking on a door? Please open. Did they not have anything better to do? Plea- oh thank god. Aileen let out a sigh of relief asBrian opened the door, half-asleep. She must have woken him up. "Do you know what time it is?" he asked. "It's..." Aileen started, searching through her bag. She heard some commotion from further down the hall and turned her head to see what was going on, giving up on searching through her bag. Soon after, she turned her attention back to Brian. "...time for you to get ready. It's past noon," she said with a smile. She wanted to see what was going on, but did not want to go alone. [ Tumblr ♪ DOTD ] Sitting by her outfit, Cristina could feel her head spinning. Had she caught the flu, again? No, it can't be. The flu didn't make me feel this terrible. She decided to shake it off and get dressed. Perhaps she could go to one of the stores in the resort and by medication. She pulled her pink sweater over her head, packed her purse and left the room. Being sick made the hallway she was walking down seem endless. Every time she moved she felt sick. At times she would feel light-headed and would have to hold onto the walls as support. She was beginning to regret coming on the trip. She had not even had a chance to sketch anything yet. On the way, she felt her throat burning again. Oh my god. She looked around for the nearest restroom. A locker room would be fine right? There was a huge crowd around it though, which made Cristina frustrated. She tried to maneuver herself around everyone, but could not get past them. Ugh. Let the sick girl by! How irritating. She scanned the hallway again, and spotted a garbage can. It's going to have to do for now. She ran towards it. Finished, Cristina walked away, but couldn't help but overhear a conversation a few teens were having. She stopped. They were talking about...a homicide? Two dead? It didn't concern her, but there was some nagging feeling that made her want to stand there and continue listening. Soon, one of the tall boys mentioned that "fellow email victims" were dead. Email victims and death? Could it be...the email? There were other names on the list of recipients. She dug into her purse and pulled out her speech keyboard. Before she could walk up and ask the group, the other boy walked away. It was funny. A few moments ago, she was feeling sick to her stomach, but now the pain was gone. As she walked, she began typing, and stopping in front of them she pressed enter, "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, but I was wondering if you were referring to some strange email that mentioned 100 days?" She had to be careful with the way she worded the sentence. If they received the email, they would know what she was talking about. If they didn't, they would think she was weird, but she would not have revealed anything. 100 days could've meant anything. She stood anxiously waiting for their reply.
[Tumblr ❀ OOTD ❀OOC: none ] Aileen woke up to her cellphone ringing. On the first ring, she stuck her head under her pillow and tried to see if the person would stop calling, but the ringing continued. Before it went to voice mail, Aileen decided to answer it half-awake, "...hello...?" "Aileen, what is wrong with Mom and Dad?" Her 'sister' asked in a panic. "They didn't seem well when I called them." Her sister's voice woke her up in a second. Aileen sat up quickly. What was she supposed to tell Alice? She hadn't decided yet. Maybe it's not the right time to tell her yet...After all, she does have that big research project... "Nothing's wrong with them, Alice. You're just imagining things," she lied, "You know that if something was wrong I would have called you already." Aileen heard Alice sigh over the phone. "Maybe I am...but yeah, if anything is wrong call me, okay? Um...Love you, bye!" She waited a bit, then hung up. Well this day isn't starting off too well... She got out of bed and pulled an outfit out of her duffle bag, having know idea what she was planning to do. Whatever, I'll change if I need to. It was a versatile outfit, so Aileen doubted it, but there was always those unexpected events that made changing necessary. Using her curling wand, she curled her hair so it appeared wavy. She had always liked her hair like that. That and in a bun. Looking in the mirror, she smiled. Afterwards, she packed her hand bag, left her room and stood in front of the door next to her room. The receptionist had told her that it was Brian's when she was picking up her key. I wonder if should knock. Is he sleeping? I hope he doesn't mind... There were several people walking in the halls. She knocked on the door hoping that he would open the door so that she didn't look stupid. [ Tumblr ♪ DOTD ] Cristina woke up feeling nauseous. She sat up slowly, with her feet dangling off the bed and put her head in her hands. Did Tamora poison my candy? ...Nah, she's not smart enough to. She joked to herself for awhile, but as she was giggling, she suddenly felt extremely sick. Oh my god I feel like I'm going to throw up. She ran as fast as she could to the bathroom. Luckily, Tamora had left early to visit Jeremy again, otherwise she wouldn't be able to use it. While running, she almost tripped on clothes her roommate had left lying on the ground. Fuck. Pushing the door open, Cristina ran to the toilet and stuck her head above it. Her head hurt was pounding-perhaps running to the washroom wasn't the best choice. She could feel whatever she had consumed travelling up her throat. She hated the feeling. Why is this happening to me? What the hell? Finished, she held onto the wall to help her get up. Her mouth and throat burned. She was still feeling nauseous, but it was definitely an improvement. Using water, she 'rinsed' out her mouth, then brushed her teeth. Ugh. FML. Afterwards she picked out an outfit, but rather than putting it on, she laid it on her bed then sat next to it.
[Tumblr ❀ OOTD ❀OOC: short because homework ;-; ] She waited for Brian to respond to the girl's digital apology. Aileen frowned at her best friend's unresponsiveness. He was just run into. Aileen took a better look at the girl who in front of her. Isn't she the girl from the studio? Why the device? Perhaps something was bothering him that he didn't notice. Was there something bothering him as well, or was he still thinking about her situation? She didn't know, but it was getting late, and perhaps it was best to leave the topics be. "Hey, I'm going to go to my room first," Aileen said with an attempt to smile. Aileen walked into the resort with her duffle bag and checked her room. Walking down the halls, she searched the room numbers, and finding hers she opened it. The room wasn't anything extravagant, but she was not expecting that much. After all it was a school trip. The events that happened today made her very tired, so she decided to get ready for bed. As she drifted off to sleep she couldn't stop thinking about what to do. Tell her? Don't tell her. Tell her? Don't tell her. Tell..her...? Don't...tell... [ Tumblr ♪ DOTD ] The boy she had bumped into did not respond, and neither did the girl. By looking at her expression, Cristina could tell that the girl had recognized her as well. Ah! She's the quiet girl from the studio. Cristina frowned. She spent so much time thinking of someone so unimportant. Cristina frowned again to show that she was apologetic, then turned to try to catch up to the other two. They had not gotten very far because Jeremy had stopped walking as soon as he noticed that Cristina was gone. She smiled to show her appreciation. When Tamora turned around, she mocked her by making a face, which Jeremy happened to catch. He chuckled. It seemed that Cristina and Tamora were assigned to the same room. Great. Eff my life. After visiting their room, Tamora left right away to spend time with Jeremy, and Cristina took this opportunity to fall asleep, in peace.
[Tumblr ❀ OOTD ❀OOC: none] When Brian hugged her and reassured her, Aileen was doing her best to hold back tears. Everything will be okay? I hope so... As comforting as his words seemed to be, there was something about them that made her want to fall to her knees and cry. But she couldn't do this here, not in public. There were too many people around, and she did not like crying in front of people anyways. 'We're at a hot springs! Let's make the most of it, yeah?" Aileen looked at him, nodded and tried her best to put on a smile. He then wrapped his scarf around them both. At first she was confused, but then she giggled. "There, now we can be snugly warm--together!" She sniffled. "Aha, thank you, Brian," Aileen said, "Where should we go first?" [ Tumblr ♪ DOTD ] Cristina grabbed her belongings from the trunk of the car and breathed a sigh of relief. Thank god. If I had to sit in that car for another five minutes, listening to the clown singing another 1D or 2D- or whatever dimension-song I would have shot somebody out of the sky. It was an irritating car ride, definitely. Occasionally she would look back to see if Jeremy was still alive. He seemed okay, but there was something about him that made it seem like he was dying inside.. As they walked into the resort, Cristina stayed a few steps behind Tamora and Jeremy. While walking, Tamora slowed down to walk next to her. She started talking to her, "Hey Cris, about the car ride-" Suddenly Tamora pushed Cristina sideways, causing her to bump into another person. What. The. Hell. Tamora continued walking to catch up to Jeremy. Cristina opened her mouth to try to somehow apologize. She fished in her bag for her speech keyboard and rapidly typed. "I am so sorry," her device recited. She put on an apologetic frown. Cristina looked up at him. His scarf was wrapped around him as well as another girl. She seemed very familiar, and Cristina tried to remember where exactly she had seen her. Who is she again...?
[Tumblr ❀ OOTD ❀OOC: none] It was a silent ride. Not really silent because there had been music playing in the car, but silent in a sense that the two did not converse much. Normally they did, Aileen was just not in the mood to, today. There were too many frustrating things going on at once. Not only was she going through family issues, but she had less than 90 days to live now. When they reached their destination, the two got out of the car. While doing so, Brian asked, "Hey Aileen, are you alright? The whole ride here you were pretty quiet." He then paused. Yes. "Does this have to do with Alice, or your parents?" Leave it to Brian to hit the nail on the head. Brian knew her too well, not to. For awhile now, he had known about her family struggles. Aileen did not know whether to tell Brian or not to. I don't want to trouble him with anymore than I already have, but maybe he could help me make a decision about what to do next...Okay. Now how do I explain this briefly. She took a deep breath in and spoke, "...Well to make this story short...Alice isn't really my sister, Brian. I wasn't aware Brian- neither is she."
[Tumblr ❀ OOTD ❀OOC: none] Aileen sat on the bench at the side of her house to wait for Brian. She had already received his text. When Brian arrived, he did not see her sitting on the bench, after all, the bench was not visible from the driveway. He honked a couple of times. Aileen purposely ignored the first two, to give her parents another chance. Nothing. The third one? Nothing. Aileen gave up and just walked towards Brian's car. She walked to the trunk first and put her duffle bag in there before walking to the passenger's seat. Opening the door, she could hear is SNSD blaring causing her to smile. She sat on the seat and fastened her seat belt, then looked at Brian. "Thanks for driving me, Brian. Don't think my parents would have done it today..." She looked back at her house and sighed. Not even with the honking and the blaring Korean music did they even come out. She frowned. [ Tumblr ♪ DOTD ] Cristina was surprised that she was not awoken by Tamora's annoying voice. It was the first time she hadn't been since she had moved in. Rather, Tamora was already in the bathroom getting ready. Why in the world is she getting up so early? Cristina looked at the calendar hanging by her wall. Oh. Hot springs. Right. Their high school, had organized a student trip up to the hot springs, and since Cristina was already registered at the school, she was also to attend. Realistically speaking, Cristina was torn on whether she actually wanted to go or not. If she were to go, she would have to spend more time with Tamora and her annoying aura. But then again, Jeremy was going also, but Tamora would be glued to him all trip long, which really left her with nobody. On the plus side, she would get to sketch some amazing scenery... I'll go. But only for the scenery. She got out of her bed and packed her small bag of clothes and other necessities. After breakfast, Tamora, Jeremy and Cristina were driven to the resort by Ms. Kerring. Cristina sat in the passenger's seat eating the bag of candy she had brought along with her, while Jeremy and Tamora sat in the back together. Looking at the rear-view mirror, Cristina could see them both. What the hell happened to Tamora's face? Is she applying to clown school? Moments later, the song on the radio switched to one that clown-in-training really liked to sing. Cristina's eyes widened in fear. Even Jeremy seemed frightened. She liked to sing the song, but she did not sing it well. "OH EM GEE. IT'S MY FAVORITE SONG," the annoying one exclaimed. Cristina shook her head, and seeing this, Tamora stopped herself from singing. She started ranting, "Okay first of all, you are just being rude." Here we friggen go. "Just because you can't speak doesn't mean that you can control when other people use their voice." Bitch, you did not just say that. Cristina was just about ready to turn around in her seat and pick a fight, but instead took a deep breath to try to calm herself down. "Tamora!" Ms. Kerring said in a stern voice, "I never want to hear those kinds of comments ever again. Understood?" "T, that was really harsh," Jeremy said with a frown. Angry that she had lost, Tamora just remained silent, but continued to glare at Cristina. She did not really mind. As long as she had her candy, she could make it through this long ride.
Surfer Santa: I really like the textures you put into the piece, as well as the colours. The blending was really well done in my opinion. Muff Monkey: Everything was done so that everything blended together nicely, and that's what I really love about your piece. I also enjoy how you incorporated the different colours (ex/ reds, greens, oranges). Doukuro: I like the background, but I really enjoyed how you added the illuminated ball of light to make it so that he was reaching towards something. It gave your piece a great, added effect.
DAY 12 December 11th, Monday [Tumblr ❀ OOTD ❀OOC: none] Aileen woke up to her school alarm, which was set to go off at 6 am. She kept forgetting to shut it off. Let's see, the last time I checked the clock before I fell asleep was 5 am- oh. So she had to function off of one hour of sleep. She didn't mind so much this morning, however. She had to wake up early in order to listen to what her parents had to say. After hitting the snooze button on her alarm, she checked her phone. A text from Brian? Hot springs? I might need it after this. She got out of bed and walked to her closet. She grabbed her black duffel bag from the corner of it and threw some of her clothes into it. She also put her travel toiletries in there. Afterwards, she got changed and ready. Walking down the stairs with her packed bag in her hand, Aileen could already see the backs of her parents' heads as they sat on their couch. Her mother picked up her cup of coffee and was about to take a sip from it, but stopped when she heard her coming down the stairs. She put the cup back on the table and gestured for her to sit across from her. Her father looked down at the black bag and frowned, but did not say anything about it. "Aileen...about your sister," her mother started. There was something hesitant about her voice when she spoke which, again, was like her."She-" "Mother, I know that she's not my sister, already. I at least know that much," Aileen interrupted. She did not want to listen to the obvious. She wanted to learn the facts. "I think this will be a lot faster if you just answer my questions." Aileen's parents looked at each other, then her father nodded. "Whose book is that? Who is she exactly? " Her father sighed deeply, then spoke. "That book is a diary and the person who wrote it," he pointed at the leather book lying on the table, "was one of our most loyal employees." Her mother and father was a business people, there were many of those. Aileen frowned. "And Alice, is the daughter of that employee." "Okay. So why is she here? " Her mother and father's expression grew solemn. There was something tense about the atmosphere in the room that Aileen did not like. "One day, your father and I sent this employee and his family to manage one of our projects overseas..." Her mother paused, "but they got into a fatal accident- the car had exploded- and the only person who survived was Alice. She had somehow miraculously gotten out of the car before the accident occurred." Aileen sunk into her seat. She did not like this story one bit. She wanted to stop her parents from continuing, but could not bring herself to. To give her mother a break, her father continued, "When your mother and I heard about this, we rushed down to the orphanage where she was taken to and took her in. She was hardly a toddler when all of this happened, so she does not remember. We felt that taking her in was the only way we could make up for what we had done." Her mother was going to pick up the story. "We-" "Stop. That's enough. I've heard enough," Aileen said. She couldn't take all of this. She felt conflicted. Cheated that her parents treated someone else's daughter better than their own, yet sympathetic for that daughter. She stood up, picked up her bag, and walked to the front door. She was waiting to see if they would stop her. To see if anything had changed now that she knew. Nothing. They didn't follow her to the door or speak. Aileen bit her bottom lip in frustration and put on her shoes. She opened the door, and before leaving the house, she looked back at her parents who were still sitting there. She wasn't planning on leaving for good. Only temporarily. She needed time to herself to think, and perhaps that hot springs trip was the best for that. She took out her phone and texted Brian.
[Tumblr ❀ OOTD ❀OOC: none] Aileen sighed, standing outside her parents' room. She was tired, but it was the last room she had to clean so she decided to go ahead and clean it. Don't need one room looking like a mess while the others are clean... She turned the doorknob and gently pushed the door away from her, stopping it before it hit the wall behind it. Stepping into the room, she looked around. Nothing had really changed from the last time she had visited. It was awhile, but then again her parents were not very disorganized people to begin with. She walked towards the dresser and swiped her index finger on the surface. Dust. Guess they haven't had much time to clean. She used the duster and clearing off the dust off the top of it. How long has it been since they've cleaned? How long has it been since I've been in here? For some reason, Aileen found herself asking these questions. Alice and I used to come here all the time. Why did we stop? Ah! She stared at the middle drawer of the dresser. It had been at least 5 years since she had actually set foot in her parents' room. For the past few years, she had seen into it from the door, but hadn't entered it. It was because of the middle drawer. Spoiler: flashback to more than five years ago "Alice! Where did you hide it?!" Aileen asked. The two sisters were playing a game where they hid each other's things. It was Alice's turn to hide one of Aileen's thing- her favorite blue hairpin. She searched her parents' room frantically. While she looked under the bed, her sister replied, "You're getting closer!" Aileen looked up at her Alice then at the only thing she hadn't searched. The dresser! She ran towards and and grabbed onto the first handle she got her hands onto. She was going to pull it open but... "Aileen Elise Li! Get yourself away from there NOW!" It was her mother. Aileen's eyes widened as she stepped away from the dresser and turned to face her mother. She glanced over at Alice, who looked frightened as well. Her mother had never raised her voice like that. Ever. Remembering that made her curious. Not only did she want her hairpin back, she wanted to know what was in there. What made her mother so angry. She grabbed onto the dresser handle with her right hand, and pulled it open. There was no one home. No one to stop her. There were clothes inside the drawer. That's weird... Aileen searched through the dresser. She lifted some of the clothes to see if anything was under them. She then saw a shimmer. My Clip! She smiled as she lifted more clothes to pick it up. Oh, what's this? There was a thin, leather covered book under her clip. Aileen put the hair clip in her pajama pocket, and picked up the book. While flipping through it, a photograph dropped out of the book. Hmm? It was a baby photo. The baby had an adorable, round face that made Aileen smile. The baby's face was too round to be hers, so was it Alice's photo? Aileen decided to read the page that the photo had fallen out of. As she read more and more, she lost her smile. She flipped quickly through the pages, reading as much as she could. This...can't be. Aileen used her knee to shut the drawer, and walked out of her parents' room. She then heard the front door chime. What a coincidence. She began to walk down the stairs with the book behind her back. She plastered on a smile on her face. "Aileen, how are you? Were you okay?" Her mother asked. Her father was standing behind her with his hand on the wall taking off his boots. "I'm fine, Mother. But do tell me...When did you plan to tell me that Alice really isn't my sister," Aileen said coldly, throwing the book so that it slid to her parents. [ Tumblr ♪ DOTD ] Cristina and Jeremy made it back to the orphanage and entered through the front doors. There waiting was Tamora, who raised her left eyebrow when she saw them. She changed that expression immediately, however, as she smiled and ran to hug Jeremey. "Do you have my present?" Tamora asked in a whiny voice. Cristina took a few steps back and slid her shoes off. Disgusting. She rolled her eyes and walked towards the kitchen. Dinner at the orphanage was always full of conversation. The kids talked about many different things, that Cristina wished she could join in on. It was a nuisance to take out her device and try to communicate, though. No matter how fast she could type, they all talked too fast for her to keep up. After dinner, Cristina went up to her room, brushed her teeth and got changed. Sitting on her bed with her sketchbook in her hands, she decided to draw a tree outside that was swaying in the wind. Peace and Qu- "What were you doing with Jeremy today?" Tamora said, walking in and shutting the door. Cristina thought too soon. Cristina flipped to the last page of her sketchbook and wrote her reply. She held it up for Tamora to see. We only walked back here together. He offered. Nothing happened. Tamora scoffed, and Cristina tried her best to hold onto an expressionless face. It was hard not to laugh at her roommates utter ridiculousness. "Nothing better have happened," Tamora said sternly. She ended with that and walked into the bathroom. Once she shut the door, Cristina mockingly imitated her. She stuck out her tongue at the door. Whatever. I'm going to bed before she starts ranting. [Tumblr ❀ OOTD ❀OOC: adding this here cuz i'm tired and so is Aileen >:] Her mother stood still, dumbfounded, with her mouth open. Her father's hand slid down the wall as he stood back up. Aileen watched as her parents looked at each other, wondering how they should react, how they should respond. The entire house was silent. Frustrated, Aileen bit her lip and looked away from her parents. She couldn't take it anymore. "So it's true," she muttered under her breath. This is ridiculous. Her mother spoke, "Aileen please...I- we.." Her words were disconnected and incoherent, which was not like her mother. Her father then walked towards her, picking up the book she had thrown. "Aileen, your mother and I are both tired. Let's discuss this in the morning. Alright?" "Fine. The morning," Aileen agreed. They had kept this from her for sixteen years already, one more night wouldn't hurt. She turned her head back to face her parents. "We'll talk tomorrow, but I do hope that Alice knows about this." Aileen examined her mother's face. It was a face full of guilt. Aileen sighed. So she doesn't know yet, huh?"Regardless, you two should have your dinner. I already ate, so I'm just going to go to my room now," Aileen lied. She was not in the mood to eat- or spend time with her parents. As she walked back upstairs to her room, she could feel the eyes of her parents watching her. She did her best to ignore them. Entering her room, she shut the door behind her and locked it. She then brushed her teeth and slipped into bed. She wanted to go to sleep immediately, but it was hard with all of the thoughts running through her head. Alice isn't really my sister. Alice isn't related to me. Alice should know this. Alice doesn't know this. Alice should be a stranger. Why do they look up to a stranger? Why do they treat a stranger so well? Why do they treat this stranger better than they treat their own daughter? Why? Why? Why?
[Tumblr ❀ OOTD ❀OOC: none] "I EFFING TOLD YOU SO. I TOLD YOU THAT HE WOULDN'T SIGN YOU, AND HE DIDN'T. NOW LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE. DO YOU FEEL GUILTY NOW? YOU DO? WELL, YOU SHOULD!" Aileen yelled. For the past half hour, she had literally been screaming at the television. She could not take all of this incompetence. I give up. She picked up the remote and switched off the tv. Aileen decided to do some of the house chores before her parents came home to avoid another lecture about being lazy. She began by washing the dishes, then vacuuming and mopping the floor. Afterwards, she cleaned upstairs as well. [ Tumblr ♪ DOTD ] A motorcycle. Motorcycle. Death trap. Cristina's parents had always told her how dangerous one was and she had always agreed. She had never doubted them, especially after what had happened years ago. Aileen turned as the cyclist rode past her. He did not seem to notice her though. She continued to stare blankly until he was no longer seen in the distance. "Cristina," said a familiar voice behind her. It startled her, causing her to jump. It sounded like a boy living at the same orphanage as her. Jeremy. He was the same age as her, and was really the only person at the orphanage who she had decent conversations with. He was also Tamora's boyfriend. When Cristina turned around, he continued, "You heading bac- were you crying?" She tried to make her facial expression look as if he was spouting nonsense and shook her head. She opened her bag and pulled out her text-to-speech device. She typed quickly and hit enter. "No. The wind just blew into my eyes. That's all. But yes. I am heading back." Jeremy looked dissatisfied but went along with it. He offered to go home together, and Cristina agreed. Not like she had anything better to do. As they were walking, she noticed the gift bag in his left hand. She typed into her device again, "Is that for Tamora?" He nodded, "It's our two month anniversary, and I'm pretty sure she was expecting a gift." He sighed. She's expecting a gift? Isn't being together enough for her? Cristina frowned. "Cheesy~," her device recited in a monotonous voice which caused Jeremy to chuckle. Cristina stuck out her tongue at him.
[Tumblr ❀ OOTD ❀OOC: All My Spam Zones plot thickens] "No. Amaury. Don't do it. Don't even try to break up Fis- UGH." Aileen was just about ready to throw every cushion around her, at the television. You're willing to interfere with a couple's marriage, just to get signed to Makaze's record label? Puh-lease, he isn't even going to sign you. An Oishii Tabemono commercial came on. Aileen took this time to stretch. She stood up from the couch and arched as far backward as she could, so that her head was upside down and hanging hip level. She just hung there for a few seconds. She stood upright again and sighed. She walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water, then returned and sat back down on the couch. I wonder what's going to happen.... [ Tumblr ♪ DOTD ] If the email was not a prank, then she would have less than 100 days to live. She had received it awhile ago, roughly 10 days, but did not have much time to pay attention to it, due to the move. Now that she had the time to, she did not know what she thought about it. For six years now, I've thought about how much better it would have been if I were to follow the path that my parents took. So it would be good if this email was telling the truth...right? The email should have been good news to her, so why didn't she feel well thinking about it? It felt as if someone was tying a knot in her stomach. Cristina focused on the stained glass. "Mommy?" She tried to say. But of course, she had no voice, so it was more like mouthing words. She closed her eyes. "Do you like them?" Cristina, still with her eyes closed, nodded with a sad smile. "Maybe we'll just have to design one for you, then. Haha, only if you sing for us now." Twinkle, twinkle, little star... Cristina mouthed every word of the song. How I wonder...what...you...are...- She stopped before she finishing the song. I can't stand being here anymore. I just can't. She grabbed all of her things, stood up and walked out of the church doors. Reaching the sidewalk, Cristina looked blankly at the road. A motorcycle passed by. She clenched her fists.
[Tumblr ❀ OOTD ❀OOC: Ash helped with the All My Spam Zones plot omg lol] Aileen sniffled as another episode of All My Spam Zones came to an end. Fish, or Mad, whichever it was, was now officially her one true pairing. She pulled out another tissue from the box and wiped her eyes. They were just meant to be. But until Amaury can do what Makaze told him to do, he'll never be contracted into the record company. How could Makaze tell him to do something so cruel. HOW COULD HE TELL HIM TO BREAK UP MAD FISH. UGH. And oh my god Jad's brother, Plums...he gets all of my tears. Aileen while the commercials between episodes played, Aileen walked to the kitchen to make some lunch. She pulled out peanut butter and spread it onto two slices of bread, put them together, then walked back over to the couch to eat and watch the soap opera. I swear, if Amaury goes through with it, I will feel no sympathy for him ever again! [ Tumblr ♪ DOTD ] As Cristina approached the church, she was already beginning to feel inspired. She walked into it, and sat on one of the benches by the aisle. She pulled out her sketchbook and pencils. The church was quiet, like it was supposed to be. Everywhere she had gone lately was relatively quiet. People had evacuated from the flood and had yet to return. Luckily the flood hadn't affected the orphanage much. Cristina looked up at the stained glass windows. They're beautiful. Looking at them, she thought back to the last time she had gone to church. When her parents were still...around. Spoiler: flashback "Mommy? Those windows are colorful," pointed out the 8 year old little girl. A younger Cristina. "Yes, Cristina, they are. Do you like them?" her mother asked. Cristina nodded her head with a smile. Her father then spoke, "Maybe we'll have to design one for you, then." Young Cristina's face then lit up. "Haha, only if you sing quietly for us right now." Cristina nodded.♪ Cristina felt tears welling up in her eyes as she continued to think about it. Back when she had her voice. Back when she had her parents. Death. Why hadn't she died that day? Why did her parents die, but not her? Why did they leave me here alone...A single tear dropped onto a page of her sketchbook. And then there was that crazy email the other day that mentioned her having 100 days to live...
