Random, Rainy Day Ramblings

The Alpha Male

2009-04-28T07:45:00.001-07:00

Shayn had taken his puppy for a walk to their favourite field. They had been playing and wrestling with one another. When they were both tired they lay down in the middle of the field to cool down and enjoy the sunshine. Shayn had been thinking about his life over the last few days. Now it was time to bring it up to his best friend, this canine sitting next to him.

“Wow, I didn’t realize that you are getting so strong. If you could age, you would be an adult. You might even have your own pack by now. Do you have any regrets?”

The pup answered telepathically, because that is how this dog spoke to his alpha. “I am incapable of regret. That is a bonus of living now. It is true that I have some feeling, some instinct that drives me to want a pack. I am loyal to you, though. You are my alpha, and I cannot live without you to lead me. Still, I sometimes think that I hear a pack on the nights when the moon is biggest. Sometimes I dream about running with them.”

The wolf sat near Shayn’s shoulder, as the man lay in the grass looking up at the sky. Shayn sometimes wished that he could age still. He saw the people around him growing up. Madeline was maturing. Ainsley and Jake were also growing quickly. He wished that he could grow with them. Shayn missed his snowboarding buddies. He missed his sport, the snow, the rush of wind in his face. Now he taught teenagers physical education.

Shayn knew that he would have died on that mountain if it were not for this “young” wolf, and the decision to never age. The fairy in the fountain had healed his wounds, but it came with this side effect. It was this day that Shayn became the alpha, the leader of this canine that sat by his arm. Shayn had a life that relied on him now. He had to make decisions everyday that would keep this puppy alive. It was a responsibility that Shayn never wanted, but that he could handle. He was happy to be in charge of this friend that understood him better than any person ever did.

Now an idea entered his head. The wolf should be able to run with his own kind sometimes. Shayn knew of “the pack” that his puppy heard on those full moon nights. They were a real pack, and they were a small pack. His niece, Ainsley, was the alpha of that group of canines. They were all werewolves. Only on full moon nights did they fully transfer. Perhaps a real wolf could add something to this pack. Shayn would have to make sure that his pup could follow Ainsley’s direction as well. He would have to talk to her about it.

“You should be able to run with other wolves sometimes. I have an idea, but I have to talk to Ainsley about it first. Those howls that you hear on big moon nights are real. Let me see what I can do. Perhaps you can run with them on the next full moon.”

The pup was blown away by this news. He did want to be with his own kind, but he wasn’t sure how two packs could mix. The howls were real? That was very exciting news to the pup. He stood up and started pacing. When was the next big moon? He had so many questions.

“There is really a pack? Where did they come from? What are you going to say to Ainsley? Will she say that I can play with her pack? What if we don’t get along?” He rattled off a few more questions.

Shayn cut him off in the middle. “Enough. I am your alpha. You have to trust me. I know what I am doing, and right now I will tell you nothing else. You will be OK. I won’t let anything bad happen to you. Settle down now.” Shayn wasn’t being mean here, but he had to let the wolf know that his bounds were being crossed. It was the place of the alpha to answer these questions for the rest. These were not things that his pup should be concerned with.

The wolf laid down when Shayn told him to settle. It was hard, but he did relax. The pup remembered his place. His alpha would take care of this. He trusted Shayn with all of his being. This wolf would die for Shayn if asked, but Shayn would never ask. If Shayn trusted Ainsley, then so did he. There were no more questions. All of these things would be taken care of in time. “Sorry.”

Shayn hated reprimanding anyone, especially this little one next to him. After Shayn saw that the pup was settled and put back in his place, he was ready to forgive. “It’s OK,” Shayn said as he smirked. The man then sat up and reached over to pull on the pup’s tail. It was time to play again. The wolf understood immediately. He jumped up and tackled Shayn back to the ground. Shayn always won these “fights.” He had to. After all who gets the chance to be an alpha?

Daydreams

2009-04-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

Liz usually daydreamed about light hearted things. Normally they depicted Sondra and her conversing somewhere in the jungle. Recently her daydreams changed. They had started to worry Liz. This week Liz was with her mother in New York. She was on a break from school. Liz hated being home with her mother, especially when her mother had a live-in boyfriend.

Of course, Liz's Superstar mother frequently changed boyfriends. Liz could even decipher when it would happen because of her mother's mood changes. There were no secrets that Linnea, Liz's mom, kept from her daughter. Liz knew more about her mother's sex life than anyone should know. On tome of that, Liz felt all of the emotions of both parties at all times. She knew what people felt like before, during, and after sex.

As soon as the boy felt like he was in a stable, lasting relationship, Linnea would kick him out. Sometimes Liz thought her parent was bi-polar. After the "break-up" her mother would cry for a week. She would seek comfort and act all broken hearted. After all Linnea was an actress.

Liz hated this game. As the boy became more secure, her mom became less secure. Now that she was old enough to go out alone, Liz just tried to stay away from the house as much as possible. She didn't feel like dealing with this again. This gave Liz extra time to day dream.

Puppy love, infatuation, crushes, attraction, true love....These were all emotions that Liz had felt before through others. She had never experienced them herself. Males never attracted her before. Sure, she thought that some of them had nice faces, good style, and even the perfect amount of muscles. To look at a boy was like looking at a statue, like Michealanglo's David. They were just works of art to her. She never wanted to touch them, hug them, kiss them, or have them hold her.

Two weeks ago, something happened to change all of that. Liz was knocked off her feet literally. Sometimes at school, Liz liked to get out. She found this nice, little, French coffee shop just down the street. Every week she tried to stop in, until one day. Liz really liked being in France. The culture, language, and climate suited her nicely.

As she stepped into the coffee shop a little bell on the door rang. The line wasn't too long. A few people were waiting for their coffees. Liz began to walk through the shop to get in line. At the same time a beautiful brunette stood up pushing her chair right in front of Liz. The next thing she knew Liz was on the floor looking at a girl about her age.

The brunette was wearing a short plaid skirt, tan nylons, high heels, and a white button down shirt. The top three buttons were open. The girl had ordered an ice coffee that she had spilled all over the front of this now brown and see through shirt.

Liz couldn't look away from the girl's brilliant smile. Her teeth, hair, face, body were perfect. The French girl apologized, "Je suis tres desole." (Disclaimer: I don't have accents, sorry) Liz heard the most beautiful sound she ever heard. The girl helped her up. Liz stood there with her tongue tied as the other girl took her hand and made sure she was OK.

"I'm alright," Liz said falling back into her native English. She couldn't say anything else. Liz could see through the girl's shirt. Everyone in the place could if they were in Liz position. Liz only came up to the taller girl's chest. Any boy would be drooling, and Liz wondered if she was.

When she was sure that everything really was OK, the taller girl left the coffee shop. Liz never knew her name. The girl needed to change her shirt before her next class. Liz had forgotten about the coffee. She sat down at a table and just tried to slow her heart rate back to normal. Liz finally experienced attraction for the first time for herself. She thought that she had just met an angel, her angel. Was Liz really attracted to a girl, to girls? Eventually Liz did order a coffee, and then she went back home.

That was two weeks ago. Now Liz was with her mother in New York. Still Liz couldn't get that other young, beautiful girl out of her head. She tried to day dream about the things she used to dream about. The girl always crept in. For the first time in her life Liz could picture someone hugging, kissing, touching, and holding her. She would envision spending the rest of her life with someone else. Only that person was a young, brunette, school girl, not a bulky, preppy boy.

Liz needed someone to talk to about this. She went through her few friends from school. No, she wasn't close enough to them yet. Besides, they were all straight. Could she talk to her mother? She never talked to her mom about anything, and when she did they just turned into yelling matches. How would her beloved panther, Sondra, take the news? Liz didn't want her "pet" to know quite yet. She knew that Sondra would figure it out soon enough anyway. Perhaps she already knew.

Liz wanted to talk this out with a human. Maybe a nice, gay male. She wanted someone that would understand, and that could help her through this. Where would she find someone like that? For now Liz just tried to tune out her day dreams. She tried to stifle her emotions, which is hard for an empath. It didn't work. She was going to have to tell someone soon. This was too big to keep a secret. Plus Liz didn't know what to do about it.

I am 15, going on 16

2008-11-03T07:32:00.001-08:00

Liz Samson was told on her 16th birthday that she had a very excitable heart. The day started like any other day. She was going to visit her mom at work. Liz liked to watch her mom act, because she was the mom Liz wanted to have when she was acting. On screen Linnea was kind, loving, and considerate. The opposite was true at home. So Liz got on the El to see her mother. This week they were in Chicago. Linnea was on a series of talk shows in the area. Today was her last one. Tomorrow they would be in France.

Anyway, the El was crowded like it normally is. Liz thought nothing of it. Suddenly she felt like she was in love, and wedding bells chimed in her head. Then she was depressed, and she could see an empty bottle of pills. Guilt was next, and the word adultery ran through her mind. All of a sudden she could feel all of these emotions at the same time. Others were joining them: sadness, joy, hate, anger, love, peace, and then there was nothing.

When Liz awoke she found herself in a hospital bed. The doctor came in and asked how she was feeling. He said that her heart was beating way too quickly what she arrived. It was a good thing that they got it to slow down, or she could have died. He said that she should be careful. If it happened again, there was still a possibility that she could die. The doctor couldn’t see anything wrong with her heart though.

She was told that her mom wanted her to call when she woke up. Liz dialed slowly, dreading this conversation. “Mom, I’m OK,” Liz said when her mom answered.

“Good, how could you do that to me? I was almost late for my show in France because of you.
Couldn’t you have picked a better time to black-out? I know you were faking just to get attention. Why were you on the El anyway? I told you to take the limo.”

“But mom, you had the lime, and I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t faking. I don’t even know how to fake a black-out.”

“That is entirely beside the point. I raised you better. How can you think only of yourself when I am about to be in the biggest movie of my career? I’ve ordered you a ticket. It’s at the airport. I expect you to be here by midnight.”

“Mom, the doctor said I’ll be fine, but that I shouldn’t travel right now. I think that I should stay here for a couple of days. Mom, I am sorry.” Liz said this quietly. She hated it when her mom yelled, and she truly did want her mom to care about her. Plus, when her mom was mad she didn’t spend any time with her daughter. Liz didn’t get to spend a lot of time with her as it was.

Then Linnea said, “Fine. Stay there as long as you want. I don’t want to see you right now anyway. I’m disappointed in you.”

Those words hurt Liz more than any other words that had ever been spoken. She hung up the phone and cried softly.

When the doctor came back he said that she was free to leave. He reminded her to take it easy so that her heart wouldn’t overwork itself. Liz only wanted one thing right now: the comforting presence of Sondra. Her black panther would know what she needed.

When Liz got home Sondra knew that something was wrong. Liz filled her in on the details. Sondra gave Liz some pictures that let her know that Sondra empathized with her.

On her 16th birthday, Liz found out that she was an empath, her heart could easily be overworked, and Sondra would help her master her ability. That was all Liz needed to know. Her panic went away and she was ready to begin her training, but it had been the worst birthday ever.

The Kitten

2008-11-03T07:30:00.000-08:00

(This is a new character that I just made. She is an empath, but she doesn't know it yet. The following story tells how she came to have the pet cat that is her closest friend.)

When Liz was 13, her mom was doing a movie that was set in Japan. One day Liz decided to visit the zoo. Her tutor had taken the day off, and Liz was bored. Normally Liz went straight to the zebra exhibit. They were her favorite animal. Each one was so different than the others because they each had a unique pattern. In order to stay alive they needed one another. Someday Liz hoped to watch a wild herd of zebras running free.

Liz never made it to the zebra exhibit on this day. For some reason she was drawn to the big cat house. She hated the big cats. Actually she hated all cats. They seemed to treat those around them as inferior. Cats acted like royalty. They were just rich snobs to Liz, and they reminded her of her mother. Being a curious girl, though, Liz walked inside. She was being drawn to the nursery window.

Inside this window lay a black panther kitten. Liz liked to read the exhibit sign before she looked at the animals, so she only glanced in the window. Then she read the sign. The kitten’s name was Sondra and she was 5-months old. Scientists were baffled. This kitten was healthy, but she refused to stand up or walk anywhere on her own. No one could figure it out.

Liz now looked through the glass, and she looked at the small ball of fluff on the table. All of a sudden, Liz felt trapped and depressed. She felt like she was the one in the room with all of the scientists poking a prodding her. Freedom was all that she wanted. Slowly this feeling turned into hope. The kitten looked into her eyes, and the feeling got stronger. Liz couldn’t explain this out of body experience.

Her hand wanted to reach out and touch the kitten, and she put her hand up on the window. Then the kitten slowly stood up and walked to the window. She didn’t stagger or stumble. The kitten licked the window where her hand was, and she felt it like there wasn’t a barrier. Every eye in the nursery was suddenly on the two of them. They now wanted to understand why this cat had walked. Why did Sondra choose her? Who was this girl?

Realization dawned on Liz. Sondra had called her here. She was still confused, but she knew that the kitten had done this. The only thing that she knew was that this kitten wanted to be free, and somehow she was the one that needed to free her. Sondra wanted to go home with Liz.

The girl knew that she needed to convince her mom that this panther was worth saving. Then Liz had a plan. She would tell her mom about how the cat walked. It was a scientific breakthrough. This was great press coverage, and she would share the spotlight with Linnea. The actress ate up the attention, and freed Sondra for her daughter. Now Sondra belonged to Liz. That is how a 13 year old came to have a black panther as a pet.

A Lucky Fall

2008-10-15T10:11:00.000-07:00

Shayn decided to take some time off from his snowboarding career after he won the Olympics. He wanted to plan what his next move would be. He wanted to do something bigger. One of Shayn's dreams had always been to board down Mt. Everest. He also wanted a pet wolf, and he wanted a stable house that he could call his own. Until now he was always moving to the next hill to board. Most of the time he considered his sister's home to be his.

Today was the day that he would go down Everest. He had been dropped off there a few days ago and he had set up camp. Shayn was health conscious, and he knew many survivor skills. When he landed, Shayn made himself a warm igloo. This morning it was sunny. The snow looked perfect, and he was ready for another adventure.

He strapped on his snowboard, and stood at the summit looking down. Before he left the top, Shayn tried to plan the best course down the mountain. This stunt was dangerous, and no one else was there to watch in case something went wrong. Shayn loved the feeling of adreneline that was rising up within him. He wanted to feel the breeze in his face and the snow under his feet. It was just a single man on the mountain. Shayn leaned forward and he started going down the hill.

It was going well. Shayn was halfway down the mountain, and he was going at a good speed. A helicopter was supposed to meet him in two days at the bottom of the hill. He had planned to spend the week on this mountain. Shayn tried to decide where he was going to go next, and he realized that the only thing in front of him was a drop off. He had no other options. At the speed he was going, Shayn couldn't just stop where he was. He tried to slow down, but before he knew it he had fallen off this cliff, that was bigger than any other drop he had ever jumped off.

Briefly he panicked, and he landed on his left side. Shayn heard some cracking and he instantly knew that he was seriously injured. He had cracked a rib and his left arm. There was no way that he could just get up and continue to board. His life was over. In two days, if the helicopter found him, he would still be here. In these temperatures, it wouldn't take too long for him to freeze to death. Shayn closed his eyes and just waited for death to come.

After about an hour Shayn felt a warm tongue on his face. This is not what death was supposed to feel like. He hadn't moved for fear that his injuries would get worse. Now he opened his eyes to see a wolf pup staring at him. This little guy was sitting near his head whimpering. Now Shayn knew that he was dreaming, delusional, or dead. The pup started to talk to him, not out loud, but Shayn knew what this dog was thinking.

The pup was trying to urge Shayn to follow him. Shayn said, "I can't even sit up. How can I follow you?" But the dog was insistant. He nudged Shayn's left arm with his nose. "Ow! That hurts." Shayn yelled. "OK, I will try to sit up." Slowly Shayn sat up. Nothing was wrong with the lower half of his body, except some bruises. He decided that standing wouldn't be too hard. Breathing was the hardest thing for Shayn right now. The wolf was still trying to get Shayn to follow.

Shayn started to walk after this little puppy. He wondered why such a little guy was all alone. The dog brought him to a small, natural fountain in the rocks. Then the dog told Shayn that he should take a swim, it would be good for his injuries. Then Shayn spoke again, "I can't swim here. It is too cold. I will freeze to death." Again the dog just kept saying the same thing. "Get in. It will heal you." Shayn thought about it. If he was dying, or delusional anyway, what would be the worst that this pool could do? It might put him out of his misery faster. Shayn jumped in.

After about a minute in the pool, Shayn saw a bright light coming toward him. Now he knew that he was seeing things. A bright lady, wearing white was now standing in the pool with him. She looked angry at this playful little puppy. Then she spoke, "Wolf, I told you never to come here again. I realize that you are all alone, but you cannot just show everyone that this is here. The fountain of youth is not for everyone. However, I can see that this man is injured. He really matters a lot to you doesn't he? OK, I will give him the gift of this pool, but as a punishment I shall also erase all memory of this place from your minds." Then she turned to talk to Shayn. She said a few words, and Shayn could feel his body mending. "Now you shall not age anymore. However, you are not immortal, so you should try to be a bit safer. Your wounds are healed, and now you must go."

Then she was gone. The fountain disappeared. Shayn knew that this wasn't just a dream though, because the wolf was still following him around. He was dry and warm. Since Shayn was uninjured, and placed back by his snowboard, he strapped it back on to continue down the hill.

Shayn asked, "Are you going to stay with me forever? Can you follow me down the hill?"

The wolf answered him through his thoughts, "Yes. I don't have a mom or a dad, and I am only 4 years old. I need someone to watch over me. Will you do it? Can I be your little wolf? Will you adopt me?"

"Sure. Let's go." Shayn said. "You're not big enough to be 4 thought. Did you dip in the fountain of youth too?" After the wolf answered with a 'yes' Shayn started off down the hill. The wolf ran after him. Shayn had no further problems getting to the bottom of the hill.

Two days later the helicopter picked him up, and no one knew the difference. Of course Shayn now had a wolf pup that followed him around, but Shayn treated him as an equal and not a pet. No one really questioned this new addition.

Over the next few years Shayn realized that he no longer aged. He also had some notion that he was luckier than most people, and he'd accomplished two of his three goals in life. Because he wasn't aging and because he now had an animal to take care of, Shayn decided that he would need to settle down somewhere. He chose a little school called St. Delacroix. Shayn thought that he might be good at teaching gym, and he didn't totally hate all children. That is where he still is to this day.

Finally Old Enough

2008-05-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

Ainsley was finally old enough. Madeline had promised. Shayn's smallest niece was finally 6, and he had permission to take the whole family smowboarding. His passion and the people he loved the most were meeting for the first time. Shayn was filled with excitement.

After all of the equipment was purchased and Shayn had given some preliminary instructions, they were finally here. Madeline, Jon, Christian, Isobel, Jake, and Ainsley all stood at the top of the hill looking down. Shayn looked at this beautiful family, gave some last minute tips about how to fall safely, and then he set them free to go down the hill whenever they pleased.

Isobel's attention was on some boy that she thought was gorgeous, so of course she followed him. Christian was concerned and went after his twin. Ainsley just wanted to rush right down the hill. Madeline was holding her hand. Jon held Ainsley's other hand, and they started down the bunny hill together.

This left poor, little Jake standing at the top of the hill with his Uncle Shayn. Jake looked down the slope. He instantly saw all of the dangers of the hill, and heard all of the statistics of snowboarding accidents going off in his head. Jake was terrified. Shayn was just smiling at his family members as they each took off. Then he realized that his favorite nephew wasn't moving. Shayn thought that Jake maybe even looked a little woozy.

Moving closer to the 11 year old, Shayn asked, "What the matter Jake? Don't you wanna go down the hill? Ainsley's probably already on her way back up with your parents."

Jake looked up at his uncle, the pro-snowboarder, and wanted to make him happy. He looked back at the hill and felt like he might be sick. Instead he directed his attention to the ground in front of him. "I can't do it Uncle Shayn. I thought I could, but I can't. I'm sorry."

"OK, well then why don't we just sit here and talk about it for a while?" Shayn and Jake sat down on the snow at the top of the hill. Their snowboards were still connected to their boots. "I have an idea. Why don't I go in front of you? Then you can't fall because I won't let you. If at anytime you feel we are going to fast, or feel like you can't make it just sit down like we are doing now. You can't fall if you are sitting. That's the greatness of snowboarding. They actually let you sit in the middle of the hill. How does the sound, little man?" Shayn said as he put his arm around the boy.

Jake thought about this proposition. It seemed OK to him. He had watched tapes of his uncle snowboarding, and Shayn seemed to know what he was doing. Jake thought that he could maybe do this with his uncle by his side. "Maybe....Let's try it and see how it goes. Promise that you won't let go of my hand though. I know you won't push me further than I am comfortable. I trust you Uncle Shayn. First, could you help me up?" Jake was still a little unsure, but he felt safe with Shayn there. They were once again standing at the top of the hill. Jake was holding Shayn's hand.

"I won't let go, and I won't push you. Are you ready?" Jake nodded, and they started very slowly down the hill. Whenever Jake felt a bump in the snow he would sit down. It was a slow process, but Shayn was a patient teacher. He encouraged this small lad all of the way to the bottom of the hill. Jake saw that it wasn't such a bad thing, and the hill wasn't as dangerous as he thought it would be. Then they had to face the ski lifts. After the hill though, this was the easy part. They just had to sit back in a chair.

After going down the hill a few more times, with less time spent sitting, Jake was getting comfortable with snowboarding. Madeline and Jon had switched over to crosscountry skiing, and they left Ainsley with Shayn. Everyone was having a great time. It was just as Shayn had pictured it. It was the perfect day for Shayn.

Then Christian came over to the three of them quickly. He said that Izzy had followed the teen that she had been chasing to a black diamond run. She was now sitting in the middle of the hill petrified. Being a pro, Shayn knew that he was the only one that could help his 15 year old neice get to the bottom of the hardest slope on the hill. He left Jake and Ainsley with Christian, and raced to the bottom of the hill.

Shayn decided that the fastest way to find Izzy was to take the ski lift that went over that hill. About halfway up the hill, Shayn finally spotted his older niece. She was exactly where her twin said she would be. Shayn thought that the best way to get to her would be to jump out of the lift, so he did. Perfect. He landed just above the place she was sitting. When he hit the ground he used all of his techniques of going down a big jump on a mountain. He landed without any injury to himself. Then he came up on her left side and sat down next to her.

This hill was going to be a little bit harder than the bunny hill, but Shayn had already gotten little Jake down a hill that day. He used the same approach with Izzy. Whenever Izzy got scared, or thought that it was too hard she sat down on the hill. Shayn made sure she was safe the whole time.

At the bottom of this hill was a jump that everyone had to do. There was no choice. Shayn had Izzy sit back down so he could explain how this worked. "Now Izzy, there is a jump that you have to go over. I know you can do it. Just pick up as much speed as you can, and when I say now jump up and tuck your feet under you. Then when I give the word, put your legs back down. You can do it. I won't let anything happen to you." She was unsure about this. How could she make it? Of course she trusted her uncle, because if anything happened to her Madeline would kill Shayn. She stood up confidently and said, "I'm ready. I can do it." Then she did it flawlessly. Jake, Ainsley, and Christian were at the bottom of the hill waiting. They gave each other a group hug and headed back up the hill.

After this incident, Shayn thought that it would be good to get some hot cocoa. The stories were told in the lodge, and this day was remembered for a long time after that. Finally Ainsley was old enough to go snowboarding. She was a fast learner, but some of her siblings still had some to learn. Shayn had a feeling that this was just the first of many days like this to come. He loved his family, and he loved snowboarding. Now he knew that the two things he had the most passion for in life mixed well.

Together At Last, Together Forever

2008-04-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

(OOC: Corrine Amee Falkland-Moreau has been living in America. In the States, she was called Amy, because her Uncle has always called her by he middle name. Her husband also calls her by her middle name, because Corrine means 'maiden', but Amee means 'my love.')

On one little street, in one little town in France, there was one little boy in a foster care home. Well, there were a few boys in this home, but this child was different. He knew that his parents were still alive. Somewhere inside he knew that they loved him. He had been taken away from them when he was two, and he remembered just little things about them. Everything that he remembered was good, and he wanted it back in his life. His name was Julius, and he was 14 years old. It had been 12 years since he’d seen them.
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Corrine’s heart died the day her little boy had been taken away. He had been her pride and her joy. She loved being a mother, but her mother had been the cause of this pain. Looking at her husband was painful. He constantly reminded her of her little boy. She was just as painful to him. The only solution she could come up with was to go to school in America.

Her uncle Dom and cousin Natsumi were a great encouragement to her. They sacrificed to make sure that she could come back to her husband on holidays. Julian, or Jules as she called him, was a great man. That is why she’d married him. Even though it hurt so much to be with him, Jules was faithful. He loved her more than he loved his own life, but he’d also loved their son. The marriage grew stronger even through the distance that separated them.

Over the last 12 years, a lot had happened. Not a day went by that Jules and Corrine didn’t think of their little boy, but the pain had eased enough that they could live together once again. They never thought of having another child, because they didn’t want the same thing to happen.

Julian owned a small theater. For years he’d been a struggling dancer. Now that he was famous, he just wanted to help other struggling artists. Corrine loved being at this theater. She spent all of her time caring for the hodge-podge of people that would come through their doors, and touch their lives. In a way it was how she could still be a mother. A lot of these musicians were teenagers that had run away from home. They found a home and love here at this little theater. Every time Corrine helped someone, she thought of her son. He must be about the age of some of these teens.
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A concert was going on nearby. Julius loved music. He especially loved dance. Over the last few years Julius had been doing every thing he could to find out where his parents were. Some people said that his father was a dancer, and that his mother lived in the United States now. He’d found out some interesting things by the last person he talked to. Julius had been directed to a woman’s house. She was a classical musician, played the viola. Anyway, she was the one who’d signed his adoption paper, and he wanted to meet her. Maybe she was his mother.

He had walked up to the door of a gigantic house, and he rang the doorbell. A butler came, and eventually he met the lady of the house. Her name was Genevieve Moreau, and she was quite famous. Julius had heard of her, and he’d even been to a concert of hers once. He wasn’t a big fan of her music though. Anyway, she wanted to see him and talk to him in person.

She told him that she was his grandmother, and that she’d made a terrible mistake by giving him up for adoption. Corrine, his mother, wouldn’t forgive her for taking her only son. He wanted to know their names, and what they were doing. Did they ever think of him? She didn’t know. Anyway, she directed him to this little theater that was just down the street from his house. Then he was given tickets to a show that was playing. In this show his father was supposed to be the lead dancer, and his mother was going to sing. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go and meet them.
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The night came when the performance was to happen. Corrine sat backstage complaining about singing. She really didn’t want to sing this song. The pain had just started to go away. The song that Jules wanted her to sing was a song he’d written for his family. It was written right after the birth of Julius, and she’d sung it to her baby every night before he went to bed.

Corrine didn’t sing anymore. Her mother had made her have voice lessons, because everyone in this family had to be musically inclined. She hated everything about her mother, so over the years Amee’s love for music had died. How could Jules ask her to sing this? He knew how she felt about singing. Her voice was beautiful, but there wasn’t any feeling behind the words anymore. Every once in a while, she would go to a karaoke bar and just have fun making up a bad voice to sing with.

Amee complained to her husband, “Remind me why I’m doing this again, Jules. You know that I hate this. I don’t want to do it. I don’t want to go out there. This song is special Jules, and now you want me to sing it in front of everybody? I can’t do it Jules, I can’t do it.”

Jules walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head. “My love, my little Amee, I love you. I want to do this song in honor of our healing being complete. We went through a lot, and now we are back together. My theater is open, and life is going well. This song is special to us. I wrote it for our family. I wrote it for you, for us. The dance was also written for you. Please Am….do this for me.”

“Why is it that your arms always calm my nerves? How come you can talk me into anything? OK…I’ll try Jules for you. I know how important it is for you. Just know that I might not be able to get through it though. I still miss him. I still miss Julius.” Corrine said as a tear rolled down her face. She looked into her husband’s eyes and smiled weakly. “I’ll try.” She said again, as she buried her head in her husband’s chest and hugged him back.
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He had decided to come, a young boy of 14. The whole concert he watched with awe and wonder. Julius especially loved the song that one woman sang. The man, her husband, danced with grace and poise as she sang. Both of them looked as if their hearts had been wrenched from their bodies. In the middle of the song the woman started to cry. The tears rolled down her face and dripped from her chin, but she sang the whole song without wavering at all. Her voice was the prettiest voice he’d ever heard. It was his song, the only thing that he remembered about his mother. This had to be her, and the man must be his father.

After the concert, he continued to sit in his seat. He couldn’t move. After 12 years of searching and roaming from home to home, he finally found his parents. Now what should he do? He didn’t even know if they loved him, or if they wanted him. Julius felt the sadness in their song, but he didn’t know what it meant. Did they still love him? Did they want him back? He wanted to have a stable home, and he loved their music. For now he could do nothing except sit in his seat and think.
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Corrine came back into the theater to make sure that it was fairly clean and to turn off the lights. She wasn’t going to do any cleaning that night because she was very tired, but she wanted to know how much work she’d have in the morning. It had been an hour since the curtain had gone down.

She noticed a boy sitting to the left side on the stage, all the way at the end of the row. He was close to the middle of the section. This boy looked to be about the age that her son would be. He was the only person left in the auditorium. His head was bowed slightly as he looked up at the stage. Elbows were firmly placed on his knees as he held his head with his hands.

Amee was curious, so she walked up the side aisle to where he was sitting. She went to the row in front of him. Who was this boy? He looked so much like she imagined her little boy to be. In fact, it was eerie how well he fit her picture of him. Could this be her son? She said, “Hello, I’m Corrine. What is your name? Have you been sitting here long?”

He was ripped out of his trance. Julius had been thinking of this woman, and now she was standing in front of him. “Hi….My name is Julius. I’ve been thinking about the song you sang. It touched my heart. My mom used to sing it to me when I was little, I think. I can’t remember her very well because I was taken from her when I was 2. I’ve been in foster homes ever since.”

Corrine looked at him, and a tear rolled down her face. She couldn’t help it. When she heard that he knew her song, she was sure this was her boy, her Julius. Quietly she looked at him and said, “Julius? I think I’m the woman that you were taken from. I used to sing that song to you as a lullaby. It is a song my husband wrote, your father wrote for you. We are the only people that now that song, and until tonight it was never sung in public.”

The young boy was glad to hear this woman say that she was his mother. He had hoped that his instincts had been right. Julius wanted to stand up and hug her, but he wasn’t sure that she’d want him back. He thought that it would be awkward. “Do you love me? I talked with a lady named Genevieve, and she told me that she took me away from you. Why did you let her take me? Why haven’t you looked for me? How come I didn’t find you sooner?”

Corrine looked down to her son, who was now crying harder than she was. “Son, my Julius, of course I love you. I’ve never stopped loving you. I was in high school and my mom got the government involved. There was nothing I could do to stop her form taking you away. She is an evil woman. I did try to look for you, and have never given up trying to find you. I’m glad that you found me, and I’m glad that we are a family again.” Corrine ruffled his hair, and tried to comfort him. She was happy that they were back together again.

Julian came in to see why his wife hadn’t come to the door yet. He was tired and wanted to go home. As he walked into the auditorium the picture grew clearer. Corrine had a big heart, and there was a troubled teen still sitting in the theater. He walked over to them to see if there was anything he could do. Then Corrine explained to him that this was their son. He was so happy, and he also started to cry out of joy. It had been a long 12 years without him, and now through his song, the family was together again. Never again would they be separated.

The Young and the Stupid

2008-04-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

Jelly, Peanut Butter, Milk, Bread, Cheese. These were the things Maddie needed to get at the grocery store. Shayn was at her house, so Maddie thought it would be fine if she left Ainsley and Jake with him. When a parent was around, Shayn was great with the children. Maddie had them down for a nap, and she expected them not to wake up while she was out. It was an easy task. Shayn just had to play video games until his sister returned.

Madeline had been gone for about five minutes when Ainsley crept into the living room. She sat down quietly on the floor next to Shayn, who was playing a snowboarding game. Shayn looked down at her. "Can't sleep?" Ainsley shook her head. Well, if Ainsley was going to be up, Shayn thought that he should play with her instead of his game.

One of Shayn's favorite games to play with his buddies was William Tell. If you are unfamiliar with this game, it goes like this. One person has a crossbow, the other stands a cross the room with an apple on top of his head. Then the one with the crossbow aims, and tries to shoot the apple off of the other persons head. No one had ever missed. Shayn was always the one with the apple on his head. It helped prove that the person could aim. Well Shayn decided that it might be fun to play with Ainsley.

Ainsley had just turned 6. Her brother Jake, who was 11, slept soundly in the other room. "Do you want to play a game?" Shayn asked. Ainsley nodded, and Shayn went to get his crossbow. He also grabbed an apple from the bowl on the kitchen counter. Then he explained the rules to Ainsley.

"I put the apple on my head. You stand here and try to shoot it off. OK?" Shayn said as he lifted Ainsley onto the table. He figured that she had better chances if she was up higher. Again Ainsley nodded. Then Shayn started walking across the room. He turned and realized that Ainsley didn't know how to use a crossbow. She was playing with it, trying to figure it out.

Shayn started to head back to her. "You don't know how to fire one of tho........" An arrow flew past his leg. Maybe she did know what she was doing. Shayn turned to go back to his place. Just as he turned an arrow struck him in the shoulder. "Man, that hurt a lot." Shayn looked at the protruding arrow. "Well, I think that's enough of that game for today."

Ainsley put the bow down, and looked sad. She'd missed, and that made her disappointed in herself. Shayn looked at her and said, "Hey....little one, that was a great try. I'm proud of you. If you'd been just a little bit taller, that would've hit the apple." Ainsley looked up at him and smiled. Shayn winced in pain, "Ainsley....can you get the phone for me please?"

At that moment Ainsley knew that Shayn needed more than the phone, and her brother would know what to do. She ran into the other room, and brought Jake back with her. Jake took one look at his uncle. "I'm calling mom. You stay there, and stop playing with the arrow." Shayn was proud of his nephew. He came in and took charge. It felt strange to have an arrow sticking out of one's shoulder, but Shayn stopped playing with it.

Jake went into the other room and called his mom. Then he came back with a first-aid kit. "Shall I give you stitches or butterflies?"Jake asked. Shayn answered, "Have you given anyone stitches before?" Ainsley peeped in, "He's stitched up rabbits before." Shayn was astonished, "Real ones?" Jake nodded.

Shayn thought carefully about his answer. He really wanted to see his nephew's ability to sew up a wound, but he was already in enough trouble with Madeline. "Umm....I think just butterfly's would be good for now, but when I go to the hospital to have the doctor stitch me up I'll let you watch. OK?" Jake found this answer to be acceptable. With his question answered he commenced to apply pressure, clean up the wound as much as possible, and find a paper cup to hold the arrow in place. Then he taped the cup over the arrow. He stepped back and looked at his work, satisfied for now.

With that completed Maddie rushed into the house. "Ainsley, Jake, Shayn? Where are you? Are you alright?" Ainsley responded, "Here mommy....Jake gave Shayn stitches, and I fired a crossbow. I love Uncle Shayn. He's the bestest. Can he watch us everytime?" Madeline ran into the living room where she saw a shirtless Shayn sitting on the floor with a cup over an arrow. Jake was standing near the shoulder making sure it was OK. "Alright....everyone in the car! NOW!!!"

Madeline took Shayn to the hospital. Jake got to watch the doctors stitch up the wound. Maddie paced, and yelled at Shayn the whole time. Ainsley just sat quietly and smiled. It had been a great day for her. As far as she was concerned this Uncle was the best. None of her other uncles would let her play with crossbows. She would remember it forever as the day her Uncle Shayn taught her how to aim.

Not Afraid to Die

2008-04-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

Cassidy-Apollo Foxx wanted to test his mindreading skills, and play a little game at the same time. He had always enjoyed mixing the two. Today's game: Russian Roulette. Fox always thought that he wouldn't be afraid to die. In fact he had tried a couple of times in high school, but nothing severe ever happened. This "experiment" would prove a lot, but first he needed someone's mind to read. He instantly thought of a bright, young student that he'd gotten to know quite well in the short time he had been at Constance Billard Academy. Her name: Jennifer Hame.

She was always around the Psychology department. Reid, the other Psych teacher, was like an older brother to Jenny. All three had gone out to lunch on numerous occasions. Cassidy often had conversations with her.

Today was a dark day for Cassidy. It was the day his mother and him were kicked out by his drunken father. It was the last day that Cassidy had a "normal" family. On this day of the year Cassidy always felt a bit depressed. He really could care less if he died today.

At lunch, he knew exactly where to find Miss Hame. She would be eating with Reid in the next room. Foxx went over to discuss his plan with her. He'd even made up a contract for her to sign, because this was such a risky game. Jenny found it to be an interesting experiment, and agreed to sign it. She fully understood that later today she might be there to watch a man blow his brains out, but her curiosity and fascination won out over the danger. In fact she was honored that he would even ask.

Cassidy-Apollo set it up for that night at 8 PM. They would meet in an old warehouse that was set up for the occasion. Against one wall was a pile of sand bags, for the "extra shot." A table was set up in the middle with his English Bulldog Pocket Revolver Cal. 450. Cassidy had quite a large gun collection. Revolvers were his favorite. He figured that if he was going to die, he might as well use a good gun.

There was also a piece of plexi-glass for Jenny to eventually sit behind and an earmuffler to protect Jenn's ears. Both of these were preventative measures in case Cassidy was wrong. At least he had thought of her, but he'd never tried this before.

Jennifer Hame was known for her punctuality. She was there right at 8. Then she calmly walked over and sat at the table with Cassidy in the chair facing her. The chambers were marked 1-4. He told Jenny to pick one and load it with a single bullet. This wasn't a trick. The gun was real, and so were the bullets. It was just a game to Cassidy. She choose chamber 3.

Now that that had been completed, Mr. Foxx sent Jennifer to sit in the chair behind the plexiglass. Then he told her to count to 4, as she normally would without trying to "help" him in anyway. He strongly cautioned about hinting, because it would throw him off. She counted slowly, and steadily. 1-2-3-4.

Cassidy said, "Thank you. Now please put on your ear protectors." He cautiously thought for a few moments before picking up the revolver, and spinning the gun to the chamber marked 1. He marveled at how nervoushe was. It was his life that was now resting on his ability to read the mind of the girl just a few yards away. He wasn't as confident in his abilities anymore. Could he do it? Would this girl watch him die in a horrific fashion? Cassidy truely hoped not.

He stated the number of the chamber, lifted it slowly to his head, and fired. Nothing but a click. Cassidy put the gun down, and thought into Jenny's mind again. His mind started to play tricks on him. Would she pick her favorite number? Would she pick the typical #3? No, Miss Hame wasn't a typical girl, someone else might choose 3, but Jenny wouldn't. He picked up the gun again, this time aiming it toward the sand bags. He fired. Again, nothing but the click.

Cassidy was stunned. He'd chosen wrong. Should he continue? Yes, because he wanted to know. He needed to see if he could do it. Now his palms were sweating. He didn't really feel nervous, or scared. Mr. Foxx had proven that he really didn't mind if he died, but he had been wrong. The next chamber was 3. It had to be there. He concentrated and made himself focus on Jenny, the sound of her counting came back to him. Yes, he was positive now. The bullet was in chamber 3. Very quickly he raised the gun to the sand bags, fired, and then aimed at his head and shot once more.

Jenny was shocked for a moment. She knew that the next chamber held the bullet. He had moved so quickly. Was he still alive? Then she realized that the experiment was over. Cassidy had pulled it off. He was alive.

Cassidy got up from his chair and walked over to Jenny. He slowly removed the headpiece that had protected her hearing. Then she stood up, and he hugged her. He was so happy to be alive. She was happy that the experiment had worked, and she wasn't going to have to tell everyone what had happened at school tomorrow. Nor was she going to have to call the hospital.

Jennifer Hame was an amazing girl that had just witnessed a once in a lifetime event. She learned a lot about this teacher that was her best friend's neighbour. He had learned a lot about himself. Cassidy could read minds, even in matters of life or death. Sure it took a bit more concentration, but one thing was definite. Cassidy-Apollo Foxx was not afraid to die.

Biggest Fan

2008-04-07T19:02:00.000-07:00

Shayn had been snowboarding all day long. He loved to snowboard. The snow was the perfect shade of white. The slopes were packed perfectly, and it was a beautiful winter day. It was the Winter Olympics 2006 in Torino. Shayn was having a great day. He had been practicing and watching the events of his team.

Right now he was taking a bit of time to talk to his sister. She would never miss such a big event. He still had 3 hours before his event started. Shayn had spent the whole day with Maddie. She'd never gone snowboarding before, but she had always supported her brother in anything he did.

A group of teenagers came up behind the pair as they were watching the half-pipe competition. One of them, a teenage boy, tapped Maddie on the shoulder, "Hey, Miss Munroe," he said. Shayn and Madeline turned to see a group of teenagers. "Hi, guys!" Madddie said.

A few of Maddie's students had come to the winter olympics. Olivia, who was a big fan of the Olympics, paid for a few of her friends to come with her to Torino. Her group included the Holster twins, Mitch and Ty, her best friend, Keelyn, and of course her boyfriend, Jason. Mitch had been the one that tapped Maddie's shoulder.

"Maddie, is that S & M?" Mitch said nodding toward Shayn. "I didn't know that you knew him. He's been my idol for years." Shayn smiled. "My name is Shayn Munroe. I'm Madeilne's brother. I'm honored to meet you. Do you want me to sign something?"

Mitch and Shayn continued to talk for a while. His friends left him to watch some of the events. Shayn found this kid to be interesting. When Shayn had to go and get set up for his run, he asked Mitch if he wanted to watch him from the box at the top of the hill. Mitch was excited and jumped at the oppurtunity to watch this role model from the best spot in the house. Shayn dropped him off and then went to get ready for his run.

He felt like it had been a good day. His focus was only on the hill before him. Practices had gone well. Shayn said a little prayer, tightened his board and went to the start line.

The gun fired, and they were off. Shayn enjoyed every minute of this run. The snow was beautiful. The air crisp. He took the lead fast and held it until the middle. Then someone passed him. Shayn was determined that this was his year. He was going to win.

The pace picked up. Other racers were sneaking up on him. Shayn bent low to the ground and picked up speed. Soon he was next to the current leader. Then he passed him right before the end. It was hard for Shayn to understand at first. He was the gold medalist. He'd won.

When Shayn met back up with Maddie and Mitch he was proud. Maddie was so happy for him. Mitch thought that it was amazing that his hero won a race while he was there watching. Shayn walked over to his sponsors tent so they could interview and congratulate him.

While he was there he decided to give the winning board to Mitch. Shayn brought the board over to the boy and signed it. Then he told Mitch that the next time he visited his sister, he would look Mitch up. Mitch said that he would enjoy that, thanked him for the board, and went to find his friends.

Shayn was off with Madeline for the rest of the day partying. His victory was to be celebrated. Also his group had won quite a few events. It was a good day for American snowboarding. Shayn lived for these days. He had made a new acquiantance, won a medal, and his sister had been there to watch. Shayn had met his biggest fan.

Lesson Learned

2008-04-04T06:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when people are hurt badly they grow to fear the thing that hurt them. Some people face their fears head on and conquer the thing that hurt them so badly. Shayn fit into the later of these categories. A few weeks ago he'd been thrown from a horse. He had a concussion and a broken arm to remind him of the incident.

While he was healing, Shayn looked up everything he could about horses and horse training. He learned about breeding and handling. Shayn learned about caring for a horse and how much it time and money it would take to own a horse.

Shayn was determined to buy the horse that had thrown him. He went back to Noah's Stables and talked with Noah. He asked if he could buy the untame horse that had thrown him. Noah said, "I've been trying to train that horse for two years. If you can make him calm down then good for you. I'll sell him to you if you want him that badly." Shayn was pleased. He payed for the horse, and went out to see his new pet.

Through the years, Shayn calmed the horse. He became a good rider, and he taught Ainsley and Jake how to ride. Whenever Shayn wasn't there the horse was theirs to take care of and ride. Ainsley loved all animals. This one was no exception. In fact she was the one that named him. She named him Dark Blaze, and it stuck.

Jake also liked the horse although not as much as Ainsley. He enjoyed watching Ainsley train him, feed him, and ride him. Once in a while Jake came out to spend some time with the horse. He would go for a ride to be alone and to think. In fact he became a very good rider, but again not as good as his sister.

Whenever Shayn would come home he would go and see how Blaze was doing. He would ride his horse, and think of the day that this horse had broken his arm. He thought of the girl that insisted on riding with him to the hospital. This had also been the day that he learned of Maddie's interesting family arrangement. He would remember this day, and smile. It had been a strangely good day. Shayn had learned his lesson.

Physical Therapy

2008-03-31T17:39:00.000-07:00

The ambulance had come. The proper phone calls had been made. Lt. Sonya Blade had gotten into a fight. She passed out after hitting her head against a brick wall. Only Jax would know what had really happened. Yale came as soon as she heard the news.

Yale was Sonya's younger sister. She was four years younger than Sonya making her 17. Yale had been adopted when she was ten by Sonya's father. Both of her parents were dead. Yale never knew her mother, because she died while giving birth. Her dad was a Colonel at the nearest Army base. He had died in battle 7 years ago. She was an Army brat in the truest sense. Yale had also vowed never to join the ranks.

When she heard about Sonya, Yale thought the worst. After she was told that the brusing was minor, and that her sister was only going to have a concussion, she relaxed. Sonya just had to wake up now and she could be released.

Yale decided to walk the halls of the hospital while she was waiting. She walked past a couple vending machines, a few rooms with patients in them, and then she came to the physical therapy room. For a while she stood outside the door just watching what was happening inside.

One man caught her attention, and held it. Actually only a trainer and this man were in the room. Still she couldn't take her eyes off of him. This man was obviously blind. He was wearing a red blindfold over his eyes. In fact he looked a little bit like Anakin Skywalker as a Padawan in the Star Wars movies. She wondered what had happened to him that made him blind. He was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen.

In the meantime Sonya had awakened, and she'd been told that her sister was there. Sonya walked up behind Yale and asked if she was ready to go. This snapped the young girl out of her trance. She turned around trying to not to look shaken. "It's about time you woke up. I was beginning to think that we should call you 'Rip Van Winkle,'" Yale said with a smirk. Then Yale gave Sonya a big bear hug. "I'm glad you're alright though." Sonya wasn't very fond of hugs, unless they came from Yale. "Come on let's go home," Sonya said. Yale got some final instructions from one of the nurses and the two sisters were on their way home.

Sometimes it's funny how a person just seems to get stuck in your head. Yale couldn't stop thinking about the blind man. She dreamed about him, thought about him, and just wanted to see him again. They hadn't even met, but she felt a connection to this stunningly gorgeous man. He was well built, and looked like a fighter. Yale was also a fighter, so hopefully they might possibly have something to talk about.

Over the next few weeks Yale would sneak out whenever she could to hopefully see the man again. She would stop by the hospital just to look into the physical therapy room. The nurses started to notice. One day a nurse stopped by and asked her why she came so much. Yale told her about the man, and asked if she had any information on him. The nurse said that his name was Kenshi and that he had physical therapy on Mondays and Thursdays at 2:00 PM. Yale thanked the lady and went home.

Next time she went to the hospital, hopefully she would have enough courage to talk to the mystery man named Kenshi.