Screw Happy Ever After (BrujaLuna and Steve42)

[BrujaLuna]

Do you remember those old stories your grandmother used to tell you? The ones where Jack climbed the beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood delivered cookies to her grandmother? More importantly, to you remember the ones with Witches? Old crones with warts and wrinkly faces, riding a broomstick or making poisonous potions? I know you may be growing tired of all the questioning right now, but bare with new for just one more. Had it ever occurred to you that you very well might have met one before, befriended one, or even be one yourself?

A young boy walks across the street with a paper bag in his hands. He is rather handsome, though he seems to be rather timid with his gaze stuck to the pavement. He has short, thick black hair, deep dark blue eyes, and olive toned skin. The boy seems to be wearing rather strange clothing, though. He wears a black hoodie with a violet crescent moon on the left breast and long adjustment strings with silver crescent moon charms at the end over a violet T-shirt, black and white cargo shorts, and black converse sneaker with a white crescent moon on each side of each sneaker.the boy was also where's black rimmed glasses, which seemed to give him an essence of innocence. The boy was walking straight toward a bench, as it seemed, where a young woman was sitting as well. She was also quite attractive, though her personality may cause others to think otherwise. The girl had long, brunet hair tied back into a ponytail with a ruby sun hair clip holding back her bangs, light brown eyes, and pale skin. Her clothing was also kind of strange, though if she weree with this boy it would make sense. She wears a red sleeveless fitted polo shirt, tight white capri pants with red patterns of stars and and a sun up and down her right leg, and white and red running sneakers. The young woman also wears a long brown jacket that looks like it used to be much bigger before being tailored to fit in a more modern style.*

The girl looked at the boy, an annoyed expression on her face. "Took you long enough!" she said impatiently. The boy merely sighed as he say down next to the girl. "Haven't you ever heard that patience is a virtue?" he said, though not sternly. She rolled her eyes at the comment. "Yeah, yeah. You got lunch though, right?" The boy nodded as he pulled out a sub and handed it to the girl, who was estatic to see the food. "You're the best big brother ever!" she told him teasingly. This time it was the boys turn to roll his eyes as he pulled out his sub. The two seemed perfectly normal, for the most part. It was hard to believe that in the next few minutes, all sorts of normalcy were going to be thrown away.

[Steve42]

With a clanging sound the can of juice fell out of the vending machine and lay still at its bottom. Chris let out a small sigh while he bowed down and pressed against the metal case to get it out. Leaning against the wall next to the vending machine, he started drinking with long gulps while wiping the sweat from his forehead. Running a little late again today. Soccer practice had kept him longer than most of the other kids after school. These days he was practicing harder than usual, the upcoming tournament and the increased pressure in mind. His club was getting better, but they had to put their all into it. Although his parents understood his tardiness, it still bothered his mom every time if she didn’t know for how many people to cook. I should text her. Propelling himself away from the wall with a light movement of his hips, he took out his cellphone with his right, while still holding the cold can in his left. Typing a message, a small pang of pain reminded him of the bruise he had received earlier during practice. Not a big deal though. On his way to the school entrance he waved back at some random other late runners he faintly knew from other clubs. He must’ve looked silly waving with a can. Emptying it he finished texting and hit sent. His mom answered faster than he had expected; only seconds after the message had left his phone, it rang with a response. “Buy milk on your way home. Two bottles.” Chris had just walked past the school gate and turned left, only to stop in his tracks now. Buying milk…? What a pain in the ass. He sighed as he realized he’d have to take a small detour. He put his cellphone back into his pocket and turned the other direction. But, knowing his mother, she was probably cooking up something delicious for him alone this instant even though they had already had dinner. Not for a second did the thought of refusing her pass through his head, even if he thought the small errand to be a hassle. A small drop of water landed on Chris’s face. Shading his eyes with his hand still holding the empty can, he looked up at the grey late afternoon sky. Heavy clouds were slowly brewing together over his head. Looks like rain. On his way he elegantly threw away the crumbled can while aiming for a nearby trash bin. It flew and landed in all elegance a few inches next to the bin. Picking it up and throwing it away for good, Chris let out another sigh. Not really my day.

“Thank you for your purchase!” The cashier at the small convenience store looked like she was barely older than Chris. Her wavy red hair bounced around her head while she was quickly moving one item after the other over the board. She had a nice smile though as she thanked him for buying two cans of local milk from happy cows. Chris returned the smile and gave her a little extra. When he left the store he put the milk in his shoulder bag and his hands in the pockets of his jackets. The thick clouds in the sky were still only dreading with rain, but so far only the occasional drop reminded the pedestrian of the wet plague. It was a little cold considering the season and most people on the street were wearing a jacket or jumper. Walking at his usual calm pace, Chris watched the cars passing by on the street. Carlisle was a small town. With only around 70’000 thousand residents it barely counted as a city by modern standards, and was part of a larger government district in the north of England. The nearby woods and streams flowing through it gave it the relaxed sensation of a laid back rural town. Yet there were many cars driving through the town’s central street today. Chris briefly reflected if there were any big events in the surroundings of the city. No way. There was nothing he could think of. The border of Scotland was only ten miles north, maybe people were drawn there over the autumn. Whatever the reason, Chris didn’t really care much as he watched a black wagon that looked a bit like a hearse halt to let an old man cross the street. In a nearby park Chris was passing, there were a bunch of kids playing on the playground surrounded by trees and benches. Their happy laughter and childish cries reminded Chris of when he had been at that age. Good times, good times. He reflected on his own childhood a little while walking past the playground. Umpf. Something had bumped into his lower stomach area and forced him to a halt. Looking down he saw a wild mane of brown hair buried in his jacket, shivering and moving frantically. A heartbeat later the furry thing revealed itself to be a little girl around the age of five, all in tears. As she was looking up at him, her watery blue eyes showed a sense of recognition. Ah yeah, she’s that one. Chris remembered her from a visit at his house recently. She was the little sister of his little sister’s friend. “Lost…” The girl – Chris couldn’t quite recall her name – was mumbling something he couldn’t quite make out. “Huh?” He encouraged her to speak up while moving back a step or two to bring some space between them. “Lost it!” Now she was all tears again. Apparently she had lost something. Only now Chris noticed the bag the girl was carrying; on one side there was a large hole. “What did you lose... Claire?” Chris asked as the girl’s name finally came to him again. “Doll!” Claire seemed to catch a little hope by receiving attention for her troubles. Her watery eyes were staring up at Chris with a mixture of anticipation and pure begging. “Over there!” as she beckoned to the playground she had apparently spent her afternoon in. Chris’s eyes moved slowly between the playground and the tiny girl in front of him. Finally, he let out a very long, very loud sigh while rubbing his nose in defeat. “Let’s get to it then.”

In the end it took him almost an hour to find the ten inch small puppet. When he finally found her, she was buried in between the leaves of a small bush on the side of the playground; god knows how she got there. Claire’s parents were all over him with gratitude and praise, but Chris was just glad he had at last managed to find the goddamn thing. Waving the family goodbye as they were on their way home, his new small fan was waving back at him the most vehemently. What a pain. It was clear he was more than late now and his mother had probably already sent dozens of messages. Chris decided to sit on one of the nearby benches for a sec and check his phone. The heavy clouds over his head had dispersed a little. The rain had of course come when he had been crawling around the bushes on his knees, looking for a silly toy while being drenched from both above and below. His clothes looked like he had just come from army camp. Sitting on the bench he tried to come up with an answer to his mother’s messages, the last few of which looked like General Capslock had personally seized his parent’s home. Really not my day. He leaned back on the wet bench and watched the clouds passing by. The sky had turned a crimson orange that would have looked beautiful if Chris had been in the mood of enjoying it. Closing his eyes he just sat there wondering what cruel fate had in store for him next.

[BrujaLuna]

The two siblings, though complete opposites by appearance, sat together on the bench and ate together. This was how their days usually went now, going from place to place, settling in a certain place for necessities like food or sleep. Even so, they were always on the move, leaving each place behind them without looking back. It seemed that they would have to continue the pattern as rain began to trickle from the sky. The boy looked up to the sky, a rain drop falling on the lense of his glasses. The girl groaned, trying to quickly finish her food before the rain hit. The boy looked over to his little sister, merely shaking his head as he watched her inhale the sandwich.
"You'll get as fat as a cow if you keep eating like that," he scolded her gently. Suddenly, the girl chopped her older brother on the head, hard. She looked at him with an annoyed expression on her face, both hands on her hips as the boy rubbed the top of his head, a little sore from the assault. "Don't you know it's rude to tell a girl she's getting fat?!" she barked at him. "Ow..." he groaned as he continued to rub his head. "I wasn't calling you fat, I was just-" "I don't want to hear it!" the little sister exclaimed before turning around and storming away. The boy merely sighed as he followed close behind his little sister.

A little girl sat at the top of the swirling side, looking straight in front of her with a blank expression on her face. She had long curly brown hair with hazel eyes and also wore a red dress with a red hood and cloak. Another girl with strange clothing, it seemed. The playground was mostly empty now, children leaving the area with their parents to escape the storm. The only other person in the area was a boy sitting on a bench, looking up to the sky. She turned her head to look at him, her expression remaining blank. "Play..." she said aloud in a melancholy tone. She slid down slid, not a single change in her expression. When she reached the bottom, she leapt to the ground and began walking toward the boy, stopping a foot away from him. "Do you want to play?" she asked, her tone still even and emotionless. "My puppy wants to play, and he hasn't had a playmate in a vey long time. He has big ears, and big eyes. But best of all..." The little girl held her hand out to her side, a black mist forming in her hand. It suddenly expanded and took shape, materializing into a long ruby and silver chainsaw. The blade was at least three times her height, with a ruby machine ends with wolf symbols all over. "... He has very big teeth..." The chainsaw roared to life, echoing through the air. "Play with us..." the girl said before leaping forward.

[Steve42]

With the soft rain dribbling on his face, Chris remained unmoving on his spot on the bench with his eyes closed, facing the skies. While the last families were leaving the park, the atmosphere around the playground was growing eerie. It was getting darker and with night approaching the usual sounds filling it during the day started to disappear. The only things to be heard now were the creaking sound of a pair of swings somewhere close and the howling of dog in the distance. I better get going too... Mom's freaking by now. Chris had written her a very short summary of what kept him but she didn't answer - Which likely meant she was mad at him. He decided to be on his way, as he had gotten his rest and there was nothing to keep him here any longer. As he opened his eyes and was about to get up, he heard a voice that seemed to call out to him. "Play..." In confusion about where the voice came from Chris turned his head around and let his gaze wander over the playground. After a second he had discovered the source. He had thought the playground to be empty, but now he spotted a small girl sliding down a swirling side. At first glance he thought it could be Claire, but a second look confirmed this to be far from the truth. When the girl started walking towards Chris, he noticed the clothes she was wearing were far to different from the ones Claire had. Seeing here approaching, he realized there was something else that was different about her. While Claire had worn a happy, childlike smile on her face appropriate for a kid her age, this girl's visage was blank and seemed completely devoid of any emotions. Her long red cape swiveled in the light breeze behind her as she kept creeping closer up to Chris. While he was dazedly looking at her wondering about who she was and what she wanted, the little girl had approached him further and was now standing only a few steps away of him. Chris shivered at the sight of her up close. "Do you want to play?" Her voice was as emotionless as her face and Chris was starting to get seriously creeped out by her. He started to wake up from his daze and realized he had been staring at the girl like a rabbit at a snake. Chris decided there was something wrong with this girl and that he wanted to get away from here. She had now started a strange monotonous singsong, talking about her puppy or something. Maybe she was deranged or maybe she had some other problems. Either way, he didn't want to know, and so he was about to get up for the second time. Before he could make a move though something happened that made him freeze in his tracks. Apparently out of nowhere, a strange black mist formed around the girl's hand she held stretched out, and only a heartbeat later Chris couldn't believe what his eyes saw. He had just about enough sense to jump away to the side as the massive chainsaw came crashing down with a roar and shredded the bench into tiny pieces. Years of practicing his reflexes playing soccer proved to save his life in this instant, as Chris landed on the soaked ground with a splash. Getting mud on himself was the least of his worries right now. His heart was racing and the adrenaline rushing through his veins made the girl ripping the chainsaw out of the destroyed bench and turning to him with her red cloak swirling behind her appear a thousand times sharper. Lying in the mud and unable to move, he couldn't really appreciate the irony that by helping a girl find her toy, he had ended up in a situation where he was about to be torn to shreds by another ones. The girl lifted the chainsaw that was easily three times her height over her head as if she was holding nothing more than a stick and started slowly walking towards him.

[BrujaLuna]

The girl lashed out at the boy, leaping into the air and bringing he chainsaw down quickly. The boy had dodged her attack, leaving only the bench for the mighty machine to strike down. The blades of the chainsaw cut through the wooden planks of the bench like butter, even cutting into the ground a good foot. She quickly pulled the chainsaw out of the ground, looking over to the boy who cowered on the ground and was covered in mud. She began taking small steps toward him, the mighty chainsaw revving as it occasionally scraped across the ground.
"'What big ears you have, gramma,'" the girl said, as if recalling an old memory. "'The better to hear you with, my dear.'" The chainsaw blade hit a rock and sliced right through it, as if it were nothing. "'What big eyes you have gramma.' 'The better to see you with, my dear.'" The girl stopped walking, standing a few feet in front of the boy. "'Gramma, what big teeth you have.'" In that moment, a smile stretched acros the girls face. It was not one of one of insanity or of triumph, merely simple bliss as if she had finally found something she enjoyed doing. "'The better to kill you with!'" The girl raised her weapon high above her, a simple smile upon her face, something more terrifying than any a murderer could give. She let the blade swing down quickly, ready to impale the stranger.

CLANG! The chainsaw was stopped suddenly, the sound of the blade trying to it through a stronger metal with no success. The girl looked shocked, wide eyed as she stared at the boy with glasses and strange clothing who stood in between her and her prey. He held a long scythe in his hands, a long speak black pole which the chainsaw struggle to cut and a crescent shaped silver blade as well as a few purple moon charms hanging from the top. He looked at her, though he still seemed timid somehow. "Please stop so I don't have to kill you," he told her, pushing back suddenly to send her stumbling back. The little girl seemed angry now, no loved as emotionless as she once was. "Let me play with him!" she demanded. "I want to see his red!" The girl spoke of the color red as if it were a physical object. The boy sighed, which caused the girl to raise her chainsaw in anger. "Fine! I'll just make you red instead!" She ran forward at an amazing rate, ready to swing her chainsaw down on the boy. BANG! CLANG! Something struck the blade of the chainsaw suddenly and powerfully, causing the girl to stumble back again.
The boys little sister stood a fees feet away, behind the boy who was on the ground. She held two screw pistols in each hand, golden sun crests engraved on their sides, one of which was pointed toward the little girl. "Nice try," she said smugly as she strutted over to stand next to her older brother. "But you're no match for the Solstice Twins!" The area was silent for a moment before the brother looked down to his little sister. "The who?" he asked. "The Solstice Twins!" she said frustratedly, stomping her foot. "But I'm older than you, and a solstice is-" The sister angrily hit her brother on top of the head with one of her pistols angrily. "I know what a solstice is, is dummy!" The boy rubbed the top of his head where his sister had hit him. "Ow..." he complained silently as the little girl in the red cloak just stated at them. Were they for real?

[Steve42]

Chris watched in horror as the little girl came slowly walking towards him, swinging her unproportionally large chainsaw around her. Lying in the mud he felt utterly defenseless and his mind was frozen with one thought: “I am going to die here”. She kept muttering something, but Chris was in too much panic to pay any attention to it. As the girl stood over him, her emotionless face suddenly cracked open into a smile of pure bliss. In some way, seeing this expression on her face was more terrifying than any other in that instant. When the chainsaw came swinging down at him, he made a last desperate attempt at rolling to the side but he knew it was too late. In his mind he was already being torn to shreds.

CLANG

Everything happened so fast Chris could barely grasp what was going on. As his vision cleared he saw someone standing between him and the chainsaw swinging freak. From his position on the ground he could see the person holding what appeared to be a large scythe; It was said scythe that had taken the blow from the girl’s chainsaw and the screeching sound of metal against metal would send shivers down anybody’s spine. Chris realized this person had just saved his life. His mysterious savior pushed the girl back with his weapon and stood his ground, talking to her in a timid voice. With the prospect of not getting annihilated right away, Chris caught his breath and felt his guts returning a little. He struggled to get to his feet and managed to get up while the boy was talking to the girl. “Outch” Chris exclaimed as he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder. He held it with his hand and tears shot in his eyes. The bruise he had received during soccer practice together with the fall to the ground just now had apparently been enough to dislocate it. There was no time to worry about it though. While he had diverted his attention for just a second, the girl screamed out and attacked again. Barely able to move, Chris staggered back and hoped the boy in front of him could hold her off. He didn’t need to; before the huge chainsaw came anywhere near him there was another loud clanging sound and the girl was stopped in her tracks. Dazed as he still was, Chris didn’t realize what had happened until the girl who had fired the shots passed him. As she walked past him, he caught a glimpse of her visage with her pale skin and her light brown eyes. Her hair swung behind her in a long ponytail and she wore a mocking expression on her face. “Nice try. But you’re no match for the Solstice Twins”. Her words were the first ones to reach Chris since this whole thing started. The adrenaline was still pumping in his veins and his head was still spinning, but he was starting to regain his senses long enough to wonder: what the heck is going on here? The immediate sense of danger disappeared almost completely as the two teenagers – barely his own age as Chris now realized – were starting to bicker about what the girl had just called themselves. Holding his dislocated shoulder with his left hand Chris’s eyes shifted nervously between the almost comical display of the two self-proclaimed “Solstice Twins” fighting and the girl in the red cloak who was still alarmingly close. The chainsaw in her hand still looked mighty dangerous to Chris as it slowly twirled around in the air before her. “Uhm… Excuse me, but do we really have time for this?” His voice might’ve been a little hoarse from the shock but he was sure they heard him.

[BrujaLuna]

The boy and girl continued to bicker for a moment, though it was more the little sister over reacting than the older brother arguing back. They continued this little argument until they heard a voice croaking from behind them, the boy who had been attacked by the strange girl. They both looked at him for a moment, not sure as how to respond to him. "Oh, yeah," the little sister said matter-of-factly. "The human guy." The little girl was gritting her teeth now in frustration. They were turning their backs to her, as if she were nothing to worry about. "Hey!" she hollered, her grip in her chainsaw tightening. When they didn't respond to her, it triggered a flash of anger that took her over. She leapt forward, raising her chainsaw and ready to strike. The older brother saw the girl attempting to strike, but merely sighed. As his little sister saw this as well and took a few steps away, the boy twirled his scythe in his hands and knocked her scythe away to the side. The little girl growled in frustration, much like an animal, as she continued to repeatedly slash at the boy. This didn't phase him at all, however. He twirled his scythe effortlessly in his hands around himself quickly and efficiently, knocking away the chain saw each time. The younger sister, growing tired of waiting, pointed both guns at the little girl and began to fire rapidly. The little girl saw the bullets speeding at her, though in her mind they had slowed down.*
"Lupus, howl!" she exclaimed. A plume of black mist erupted from her back stretching around next to her and taking the form of a black feral canine made of a strange misty substance. Its eyes opened to reveal glowing scarlet eyes before it let out a massive bark that echoed in the air. The air rippled in front of it, hitting the bullets hard enough to make them stop with a crunch and fall to the ground.*The great beast quickly galloped at the girl as the little girl leapt back from the older brother.*
"Wind magic?" the boy questioned, though it was rhetorical. The chainsaw revved even louder as the little girl swung it downward, sending a mighty lash of wind at him. The boy merely tapped the end of his scythe on the ground, multiple threads of shadows shooting up and forming a thick woven wall. The slash merely broke apart on contact.*
The little sister had been running at amazing speeds with the feral most creature she dodged efficiently as the wolf barked sound waves at her. At one point she leapt high into the air, diving down at the beast with her pistols pointed at it. Light had begun to form around he body as she shot through the beast, causing it to dissipate. She landed on the ground, rolling to her feet. The little girl had noticed this, causing her to be distracted for a moment. The boy boy quickly raised his hand, rain drops falling from the sky gathering in his hand to make a faux whip as he lashed it at the girl.*
The chainsaw went flying high into the air she girl looking up in fear and surprise. "Alright, Little Red!" the girl exclaimed as she leapt high into the air. She flipped around in the air as she let go of her pistols that disappeared in flashes of light. She grabbed the handle of the chainsaw, causing light to glow around it. The strange wolf patterns suddenly changes to golden sun patterns as she landed behind the little girl. "Return to once you came!" she shouted, though it sounded more like some sort of incantation, as she swung the chainsaw straight through the girl.*

The little girl fell to the ground, he appearance completely altered now though there wasn't a scratch on her body. The girl had blonde hair and wore simple clothing, such as any child would. The girl now seemed somewhat normal,buyer expression peaceful as she lie unconscious.*

[Steve42]

Human guy? Chris wasn't sure whether to feel offended or confused. But if he tried to think about it, everything that had happened just now really was anything but human. The things that had unfolded before his eyes since the moment that little girl had appeared were so surreal, Chris had trouble thinking straight. He was still shaking, and now that the danger seemed to have passed, Chris was struggling to regain all of his sense and trying to process what was going on. The girl lying on the ground looked as harmless in defeat as she had appeared dangerous while attempting to murder him. Her appearance had changed too; the red cloak she was wearing before had disappeared and she was now clothed like any normal girl would've been. He wasn't sure but he had a feeling her hair had changed too; if he had to guess he would've said it was brown or black before, while it now presented itself in a clearly blonde tone. Chris's eyes wandered over to the two only other people present. Human guy. This peculiar expression the girl had addressed him with was stuck in his head. A hundred questions where swirling around in his mind but he wasn't able to grasp one, let alone formulate it properly. What had just happened? Who was this little chainsaw swinging freak? For that matter: Who ARE you people? And what was that... stuff you just did? The unbelievable phenomenons he had witnessed during this unreal fight just now flashed before his eyes again. If you call me a Human then... what are you exactly? He tried to take a hard look at these two strange teenagers who had apparently just saved his life. Now that he was no longer under the immediate pressure of being sliced apart in a second he was able to examine them more clearly for the first time.
The two of them seemed like two sides of the same coin. Their appearances where utterly opposite, but somehow these differences balanced themselves out, like they were trying to complement each other. The boy had short black hair, wore glasses and was dressed in generally dark clothes. The girl was brown haired, brown eyed and wore clothes in more bright colors. Both of them looked human enough to Chris. What did she call themselves again? Moon twins...? No wait that's not right. Solar somethings? He couldn't quite remember even though it had been just moments ago; the events unfolding had just happened to fast for him to grasp everything.
Chris tried to gather himself. There has to be a logical explanation for this. And the only people who would be able to provide him with clear answers seemed to be these two. To gain sure footing and stop his shaking, he widened his stance and breathed in deeply. He didn't want to appear totally spineless in front of someone who could rip him to shreds if they felt like it. He pointed at his two saviors with his uninjured left hand and called out the first thing that came to his mind. "W-who are you people?". He took pride in how steady his voice was apart from the small shaking at the beginning and his eyes were sharp, which was a lot considering what he had just been through.

[BrujaLuna]

The little sister sighed at the sight of the little girl as the mighty chainsaw slowly revved to a silent stop. She stabbed the blade of the chainsaw into the ground, then leaning her weight on it. "Little Red Riding Hood?" the girl asked questioningly. The scythe that the older brother had been holding began to change, weaving apart in multiple black treads and then reforming into a black hardcover book, a white mark of what looked like the corona of an eclipse marking the front cover of the book. The book flipped openin his hands, pages flipping rapidly as they searched for a specific page. They stopped on a page with a picture of the foe they had taken down prior to her changing back into a human girl. The boy nodded at the sight of the picture. "Looks like it," he confirmed. "At least they're not the real thing or-" "We'd still kick ass!" The girl interrupted. She, as well as her older brother, were distracted by the sound of a voice behind them, though. They both turned to look at the boy with casual expressions, as of he were merely a couch and they were trying to figure out how to get him in the house the easiest. The girl smiled with confide we at the boys question. "Well, if you must know-" she started before her older brother plopped his hand over her mouth before she could speak any further. "He shook his head at the human boy. "We're just some out of towners who happened to be passing by," he said quietly, implying that THAT was what he would address them as and nothing more. It was against the rules to give away the existence of their kind. The little sister irritatedly bushed her brother's hand away. "Like he's going to believe that," she said, not understanding the implication. The older boy noticed that the human had been injured from the incident and sighed. He took a few steps toward him as he reached into his pant pocket. He pulled a light green sucker in plastic wrapping and tossed it to the boy. "A potion," he said in a small voice, looking straight at the ground. "It'll make you better." The girl walked up next to her brother, noticing the cellphone sticking out of his pocket. Suddenly, it flew out of his pocket and into her hand. She clicked the buttons of the phone and noticed a message from his mother, stating dinner preparations. She smiled for a moment as a plan developed in her head. "Tell you what," she started as she looked up from the phone and at the human boy. "You let us go to your place for a free meal and we'll clear all of this up for you." Her older brother shot a look at her, but she merely winked, implying that she had it covered.

[Steve42]

Out of Towner’s. Yeah right. Glasses must be taking him for really stupid. But Chris wasn't socially inept enough to not get his hint. Not gonna say more are we? The girl on the other hand seemed to be more communicable. She made her brother’s attempt of covering up their identities pretty much useless. Then again, so did the huge scythe that had turned into a book just moments ago. Chris caught the sucker the boy suddenly threw him. A potion? As if this was gonna help against a dislocated shoulder. What was that again about not taking candy from strangers? But Chris failed to catch any malintent from these two despite their secrecy. So, with a mental shrug, he decided to give it a try. The moment he placed the so called potion into his mouth and started sucking on it, he felt a strange warm feeling running down his right arm. A second later he screamed out as his dislocated shoulder sprang back into its socket all of a sudden, apparently all by itself. It hurt, but after just a moment the pain started to fade away. It wasn't completely gone, but it was considerably better. Chris noticed the stings from the countless small bruises all over his body starting to heal as well. Well, so much to that. Where can I buy these? He thought to himself while he threw away the used up sucker. Stretching and bending his arm he tried to get a feel for it again. He was still trying to calm himself from the shock and trying to cope with what had happened. It wasn't usual for him to get this worked up over something. He was the kind of person to keep calm in most situations, even ones that put him under a lot of stress. But this time was so much different than anything before. Maybe it was just one of those days. You know, bruising yourself during practice, having to run an annoying errand, getting attacked by a girl with a chainsaw spitting ethereal wolfs. Teenager problems as they come and go. Running an errand... That reminded him. "Shit". Chris cursed under his breath. He hurried over to the destroyed bench and when he found what he was looking for he cursed even harder. As he expected, he had left his bag on the bench when avoided the slash of the girl’s chainsaw. What was left of was barely recognizable as a bag and the milk was long gone from the shattered bottles, in the soaked soil. Muttering under his breath he tried to salvage a few of his school notes and got to his feet.
Turning around he noticed the girl walking up to her brother. He could see on her face that she was up to something and sure enough a moment later there was a tugging in his pocket. Suddenly his cellphone flew out of it all by itself, sailed through the air and right into the girl’s hands. If any part of Chris brain had still been trying to find reason in this whole ridiculous situation, it shut down in that very moment. As the girl was typing around on his - HIS - cellphone, Chris sighed and waited for them to do whatever. “Tell you what…”
A meal at my place? He didn’t really mind that bit, it was his parents that he was worried about. They were going to ask questions. Well whatever. I want some answers, and if that’s the way to get them… Chris put his hands in his pockets and started walking. Leaving the playground behind him, he turned around and beckoned to them to follow him. He didn’t say it, but he was real glad to leave this place where his sense of reality had been completely turned upside down.

The strange trio was walking on the nightly streets of Carlisle in silence. Chris made up the lead, with the two twins following a few steps behind him. The moon had come out and the town was bathed in an eerie blue light. Chris checked his cellphone for the time and saw that it wasn’t even 8 o’clock. He had thought more time had passed since he got attacked. It must’ve been his heightened senses that made him believe it was already a lot later into the night. His two mysterious companions were worldlessly following behind him, at least he didn’t hear them talking. Walking like this he reached a decision. They wanted to keep whatever they were a secret? Fine. Chris stopped walking. He pulled out his wallet from his back pocket. and, without a second thought, dropped it into the nearest trash bin. He proceeded to turn around and faced the twins. "Alright, listen up. So I got mugged in the park after helping Claire. They beat me up and took my wallet, and you guys just happened to pass by afterwards. You helped me on my feet and treated my bruises. As thanks for that I invited you to a meal." Without waiting for their reactions he turned around again, put his hands back into his pockets and strode on in direction of his home.

Turning into the street he lived in, Chris made sure to look around and watch out for any suspicious looks they might get. Due to the late hour however there were no kids around and the occasional adult that passed them didn’t pay enough attention to notice Chris’s clothes covered in mud or the twins’ rather peculiar attire. The street where Chris’ house was located was just any other street in Carlisle. In typically British manner, terrace house after terrace house was neatly place along the road and the front gardens were as cleanly moan as the brick laid sidewalk was kept clean. In regular intervals there were iron street lights that reminded of simpler times and hardly provided enough light to see. Soon enough, Chris and his two companions arrived at his house. If there had been enough light to make it out, they would’ve witnessed a homely looking building with two stories that seemed to try its best at not standing out and valiantly succeeded. The front garden was just about the size of two large cars place next to each other and was surrounded by a wooden fence painted in white that nicely complemented the white façade of the house. The actual car was, invisibly from the outside, standing inside the garage that was just barely noticeable located a little to the left behind the house. Making sure for the last time there were no people around, Chris opened the fence door and ushered the twins into the front garden. Walking over the large square bricks that made up the small way up to the house door, he beckoned to them to follow him. When they were standing in front of the door, Chris took out his keys that seemed to have survived the attack better than most other things and opened the door. ”Mom, I’m home!” There wasn’t really any point in hiding his presence inside the house, and attempting to draw attention away from the twins would only give rise to suspicion. So he called out as soon as he stepped onto the doormat in the hallway and brushed his shoes. Soon enough, only seconds after calling out to her, his mom came walking out of the kitchen that was just two corners away from entrance. By the looks of her apron she was just making the dishes. “For the love of god Chris what kept you so long, I was starting to get Goodness Me what HAPPENED to you?” cutting in on her own scolding her face turned from slight annoyance to serious concern when she saw her son covered in mud and small bruises. “I can explain Ma…”

And so he did. Trotting out the small story about getting mugged in the park he had prepared on his way, he tried to explain everything to his mother while repeatedly gesturing at the two other teenagers awkwardly standing in between hallway and front yard. Trying to calm her worried look a little he told her about the help of the two (which wasn’t even entirely untrue) at which point she began to shower them with her gratitude in form of thanks and inviting them in right away. The small commotion also brought his father on the scene, who reacted more composed than his wife but still showed a whole lot of gratitude towards the twins. Chris was feeling a little bad for lying at his parents, but when he thought about it the story he was telling wasn’t even entirely untrue and the gratitude the twins were showered with wasn’t unjustified. After a few moments the dust started to settle and his mother, realizing they were all still standing at the open front door, asked Chris’s two heroes inside. Completely stepping inside, Chris noticed something. Or rather, he noticed the absence of something “Where’s Lil?” His little sister was nowhere to be seen, which was unusual especially considering the small uproar his parents had just created. By this time she would normally be clinging to her older brother while covering up her excitement and worry by insulting and possibly hitting him. “Your sister’s over at Clarence’s”. His mother answered while asking her two guests inside. The irony. Clarence was Claire’s older sister. What a small world. “Now you, young man, go and take a shower to get rid of all that mud. I will prepare the promised meal while you two” she turned to the twins with a warm smile “go and make yourself comfortable in the living room. I’ll bring you some snacks in a minute.” Chris shrugged and took his mother up on her offer. She was a great host and he had no qualms leaving his two companions in her care. He was eager to hear them spill the beans about what happened in the park, but taking a shower sounded almost more tempting right now considering his state. Leaving in direction of the shower down the hallway, he briefly turned around to the twins who were about to enter the living room to their right and waved at them with two fingers while giving them his typical small smile. “See you in a bit.”

So this is somewhere along the lines of what I imagined the Living Room like. It's the first thing google spat out when I typed in "English Living Room" x) I was thinking sitting on the couch made the most sense, it could also be where they have their "talk" after the meal

Chris's living room.jpg