ElectricVelvet

Secrets of the Game (Invader Len & ElectricVelvet)

Ella had been listening the whole time, but didn't feel like moving until the third crash jolted her from her trance. A wind blew into her face, chilling her ever more.

"Crazy kids." The guy said, making her lift her head to look at him. "I'm Alex, by the way. My fist impression of you, when you plowed into me in the cafeteria, was that you were...a shallow, stupid, tanned bimbo. I guess now you're just a weird, stupid, tanned bimbo." The Alex guy chuckled, and Ella stirred, a familiar frown forming on her face.

Upon inviting her to go be a bad kid, she smiled a little. "I'm Ella, and my first impression of you was that you were a big, tall asshole with stupid glasses. And, I guess, you're still the same thing." Her stomach made a dying-whale sort of noise. "And yes, throwing rocks at seagulls and grabbing some fake food sounds pretty good. You know, as opposed to getting thrown in a jail cell with a bunch of lesbians."

Ella started walking after the guy - Alex - and tried to warm her hands by shoving them momentarily into her back pockets, elbows pointed outwards. Though, such position, though warming, turned out to be extremely awkward. Taking her hands out of her pockets, she tried to move them around more, to get blood flowing. This led to her reaching into her purse, which then led the brunette to find that she had left her cell phone at home.

Secrets of the Game (Invader Len & ElectricVelvet)

"You're one of those people that my mom used to call 'old souls' or whatever. You talk like you've been alive for hundreds of years, or some bullshit like that." Ella said after a long, pregnant pause. "And, you know, with you being an old soul and everything, I think I might be the opposite. I don't know, like, a young soul or some shit like that. You're probably right about the 'too much going on' thing. I get it. But, you know, maybe you should consider something about death."

She stood and shivered, wrapping her arms around her midsection. Her deep, brown eyes stared lazily at the stars in the pool. "My mom died a while back," She needed to stop. She shouldn't be opening up so much, especially to some guy who thought he knew everything about life and death and stars and what was going on everywhere, "And, I'm thinking, 'Yea, she's going to be worm food, but hey, she's helping out the worms who help out the trees who help out people, with, you know, oxygen and shit like that', and I also think that anyone who can accomplish that, at least, lives on forever in the people you see around you, the people helped by those worms that fed off of the buried person. And maybe, those people that they live through, aren't anything like your dead friend or relative or whatever, but there's something about them that makes you feel good."

Her mouth was warm from all the rambling. God, it was the stupidest thing she'd ever done. "And, you know, I think that, because they're living through the people around you, and because those people are making you feel good, they're experiencing joy, wherever they went after life."

Cop sirens were becoming more distinct, and Ella knew that it was time to leave, as the guy had said. "So, you know, maybe we should respect worms more. Get my drift?" Her feeble attempt at lifting the bleak situation. Also, the brunette didn't want to go home. Something was tying her to that spot, by the pool.

Secrets of the Game (Invader Len & ElectricVelvet)

Ella shifted awkwardly in the plastic chair, the cold night air making goosebumps pop up on her bare legs. She rubbed her equally-cold hands furiously on her legs, hoping some friction would help her situation. "Not even that bad, huh? I can see that." The brunette paused, thinking. "I would start smoking, but they kill you so slowly. I'll prefer a faster way out." A few moments passed before she figured out the gravity of what she had just said, and she backtracked.

"Not that I'm a suicidal whiner or anything, I guess. I mean, nothing special ever goes on in life, but I'm a little freaked out with what comes after. You know, the whole oblivion deal." Suddenly, Ella wondered why she was being so talkative with a passive-aggressive jerk who had nearly run her over not a day earlier.

Definitely the secondhand pot talking. She was never this deep. Not even with herself.

Another crash resounded through the house, this time with a few angry shouts. Some glass broke, some whoops and cheers to fight came next. Things were getting heated, and Ella was suddenly even more intrigued with the glassy pool and the pinprick stars.

"I suppose they will be needing a good architect after this party."

Secrets of the Game (Invader Len & ElectricVelvet)

Ella shifted awkwardly in the plastic chair, the cold night air making goosebumps pop up on her bare legs. She rubbed her equally-cold hands furiously on her legs, hoping some friction would help her situation. "Not even that bad, huh? I can see that." The brunette paused, thinking. "I would start smoking, but they kill you so slowly. I'll prefer a faster way out." A few moments passed before she figured out the gravity of what she had just said, and she backtracked.

"Not that I'm a suicidal whiner or anything, I guess. I mean, nothing special ever goes on in life, but I'm a little freaked out with what comes after. You know, the whole oblivion deal." Suddenly, Ella wondered why she was being so talkative with a passive-aggressive jerk who had nearly run her over not a day earlier.

Definitely the secondhand pot talking. She was never this deep. Not even with herself.

Another crash resounded through the house, this time with a few angry shouts. Some glass broke, some whoops and cheers to fight came next. Things were getting heated, and Ella was suddenly even more intrigued with the glassy pool and the pinprick stars.

"I suppose they will be needing a good architect after this party."

Secrets of the Game (Invader Len & ElectricVelvet)

Ella found herself wading through hordes of party-goers about an hour after she escaped from her room. She had been relieved to find that her outfit was fitting, since everyone else was going casual. Though obsessed with makeup, Ella had never been very fashion-conscious.

The pot - which, she supposed, had been correctly expected - was coating the air indoors, and everyone was already working their way into the alcohol. She didn't exaclty hate it, but her head was already hurting enough from the fumes of drugs in the cramped space, and getting buzzed sounded like adding a sledge-hammer to the mix. Nevertheless, Ella had taken the red solo cup of booze handed to her at the door with enthusiasm, and the few sips she'd had weren't doing anything to help the pounding her head.

In the background, someone changed the music to something loud and depressing and angry from Three Days Grace, and her need to escape increased ten-fold. Hard rock and metal made her want to puke. All it was, was a guy screaming into a microphone about how life wasn't fair. Ella would admit, those singers were right. However, they were also whiny bitches.

So it came to be that the brunette was pushing herself out of a sliding glass door while trying not to get squished and ground to death, As soon as she could breath, she stealthily poured the remains of her beer cup into an exotic potted plant. She was already feeling better without the pressure of people and body heat and drugs and loud music around her, and the pool was reflecting what you could see of the stars and moon beautifully. They looked like little poked holes in a dark blue glass pane. Ella wanted to run her hands through it, and the urge to do just that was overwhelming.

Maybe she really had gotten a secondhand high off of all of the drugs or something.

It was then, when she looked up from te tantalizing pool, that she saw the glasses guy from the cafeteria.

The perks of being a wallflower, everyone! Fuck the book, this is the real life..

"Uh, hey. I'm just...gonna.." Ella made her way awkwardly over to a lounge chair and sitting on it, her legs together and elbows resting on her knees.

Secrets of the Game (Invader Len & ElectricVelvet)

Ella stepped exasperatedly off of the bus, Lana Del Rey still blasting through her headphones and most likely contributing to all the hearing loss she would have as an old lady. Her whole body jolted down the steep steps and out onto the little driveway of her home. The brunette watched her Vans thud quietly around the car and up to the front door while the great humming of the bus's departure made itself known behind her.

It took a few minutes of fishing and swearing to coax her house key out of the black hole that was her backpack. Pushing the little bronze-colored key into the lock, she had to use two hands to turn the old thing until she heard a tiny click. Pulling the key out was just as difficult, and by the time she was in the door, her hands were hurting and the music that was so blissful on the bus was starting to piss her off.

Ripping the headphones out of her ears, Ella made her way quickly to her room, so as not to run into her parents, who would probably bitch about the fact that she forgot to tidy up her room that morning.

As quietly as she could, she shut the door to her room and flung her bag and shoes onto her bed, to which the old springs protested with a faint screeching noise. Her hand slapped across the light switch, illuminating the room with orangish light.

God, I can't hardly see in here...I need to change the bulbs...

Ella sat tiredly on her bed, reveling in the silence of her room. That is, until the faint vibration of her phone in comforters disturbed her. It was a short-lived noise, meaning a text. Flipping through the various folds of fabric, the brunette didn't manage to find the little computer at all until she just ripped the bedding off, which resulted in a small thud on the floor.

"Found you.."

It was a text from Parker: You going to that party?

Ella: Yea, stupid Audrey and Kate dragged (or is it drug?) me into it.
Parker: You don't have to go, you know. We could go see a movie or something. Tell them you're sick.
Ella: They won't believe me. They know I just hate everyone there.
Parker: Still. We could just hang out.
Ella: I wish, Parker. I wish.

Sighing, the girl let her phone fall out of her hand before falling back onto the bed herself. She needed to get ready, but she felt like falling asleep, right then and there. In fact, she was dozing off when a gruff voice called from the living room.

"Ella! Get your ass in here!"

Shit.

Quickly, the brunette jumped up from her position on the bed, squeaks and all, and breezed into her little bathroom, flipping the light on as she did so.

Her expert hands got to work immediately, starting with makeup wipes to start fresh. She then rubbed a cotton ball of nail polish remover over her face, taking off most of the orange that the stupid tanning lady had made. However, she was still too dark for her taste. Ella then proceeded to remake herself, applying makeup and perfume and changing into her party clothes - a white crop-top that cut off at an angle with dark blue high-rise shorts and black converse. Her hair had slowly started to un-straighten, and now fell in dark ringlets around her shoulders.

"Ella! Don't make me come in there!"

Two more squirts of perfume and she grabbed her purse from it's perch on her dresser. With practiced fingers, she undid the latch on her low-set window and pushed the stiff hinges upward.

"Bye, dad." Ella breathed as she squeezed herself through and out into the quickly-chilling evening air.

Secrets of the Game (Invader Len & ElectricVelvet)

Ella stood staring stupidly at the glasses-boy, whom she had just splashed orange juice all over. Why couldn't he have watched where he was going? Admittedly, he looked pretty pissed off. She was about to snap a warning when he started apologizing profusely. It greatly confused the brunette, since he had looked so angry.

"S-sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!" He had a sheepish smile now, and Ella scowled. Damn right he was sorry. That orange juice could have gotten all over her Lana sweater. He would have died right then and there.

Suddenly, he was turning away, presumably to the bathroom. "At least it's lucky I still have my gym clothes with me! No harm done." Who brings their gym clothes to lunch? There are lockers for a reason.

Ella decided that she just wasn't going to respond, and quickly proceeded to pick up some of her own food, which consisted of a skimpy salad, a fruit cup, and a CapriSun packet that she knew wouldn't last for more than a minute. The smell of fake meat wafting in from the other side of the food bar was making her sick, so she made haste in getting back to her table where her friends were chatting uncontrollably. Their words were made more inteligable as she neared the crowded table.

"Oh my god, you got invited?! Me too! I wonder if someone's going to bring a huge bag of pot like Reiny Ferrel did at that last party?"

"God, I hope not. It smelled so bad, and all the guys were practically retarded after the bag was empty."

Ella roled her eyes as she sat down. Parties were so annoying. She usually got invited - for what reason, she didn't know - but whenever she actually went to said parties, everyone she hated was there. Which, unfortunately was most everyone in the school. Plus, nothing was worse that a bunch of doped up, sweaty, horny guys rubbing up against you next to the spiked drink stand.

"..ey. Ella! Hello?"

Ella jumped at the commanding tone tossed her way. She must have zoned out, since her blond friend's crystal blue eyes were practically staring into her soul.

"Oh, uh, what?" Audrey laughed.

"You are so weird, Ella. I was just saying, are you going to Jacob's party tonight? I mean, you got invited, right?"

Ella swallowed a huge lettuce leaf. "Oh, yea. I got invited. I might go, I don't know. Jacob is such a douche, and so is his bitch girlfriend."

Kate, across the table, smiled. "Yea, El, we know you hate everyone. But it's not like you have to talk to them anyways. Come on, anyone who's anyone is going. Which means we're all going."

Ella rolled her eyes at the nickname. It wasn't like her real name needed any shortening. It was just four letters long. Taking a huge gulp of CapriSun - which, not surprisingly, drained the whole thing - she sighed. "Yea, I guess I'll go."

The Island

Batman said
it would be funny to see one of the character freaking out at like a kitten because the concept of one is completely foreign to them

Oh my god I can see it now:

Holy shit where's all of it's heads and legs?!

Secrets of the Game (Invader Len & ElectricVelvet)

Ella was a flurry ruffled hair and loose papers by the time she reached lunch that day. The morning periods - one, two, three, and four - had been pure hell. Forgetting homework in Algebra 2 and Chemistry had set her up for a bad morning, and since Mr. Haster hated her anyways, her only real break that morning had been sitting next to Parker Rossen in third period. A lot of people assumed them to be dating, but in reality, they were just really, really good friends.

Ella wouldn't say he wasn't hot though. He was. Very.

Forcibly pulling her consciousness away from her horrid morning, the brunette pushed her way through the hordes of teenagers that were all heading to the same place - the cafeteria. She could already smell the rubbery hamburgers in the conventional microwaves.

Just delicious.

When she reached a clearing in the crowd, Ella managed to catch a glimpse of her friends sitting at one of the oblong tables along the cinderblock walls. She never really knew how they all got there so fast, since she was only about a five minute walk - in traffic - to the cafeteria when the bell would ring.

Quickly, Ella strode over to the table and flung her backpack into an empty seat with a quick "be right back" half-shouted to her friends before flinging herself into the crowds once more.

The acrid smell of cigarette smoke assaulted her nose as she accidentally rammed face-first into some guy.

Secrets of the Game (Invader Len & ElectricVelvet)

Ella furrowed her brow at her reflection, the imperfections so obvious, so immune to any kind of attempt at altercation. Her dark eyebrows were too thick. Her nose too big. Her brown eyes too squinty and dull. Her tan too orange-ish.

Damn spray tanning lady...I'm gonna have to request someone else...

Leaning back from the mirror, the brunette was careful not to disturb the various cosmetics displayed in precarious positions across the curvy contours of the little school sink. There were at least ten little containers of various goopy substances laying around, their bright, flashy - and completely false - labels. With expert eyes, Ella scanned the plastic carnival with conviction. Her trained hands swiftly selected the right products to complete her freshening up session - mascara, eye-shadow, more concealer, extra perfume, touch of powder.

And she only had five minutes before the tardy bell rang.

In a flurry of movement, Ella began her bathroom ritual with careful but quick movements of various brushes and tweezers and a bunch of other perfecting tools. She hardly noticed the creaking of the old door behind her and the clicking of little heels on the linoleum floor, and naturally, she jumped when a cringe-worthy voice sounded behind her. Her careful hand jumped as well, making her eyeliner pencil stab into her eye.

"Got enough makeup, Haussler? It's not like it'll make anything better, anyway."

Blinking profusely, Ella tried to roll her eyes. Without success.

"Being mean and fugly doesn't work, Cooley. I'd stop where you are before you hurt yourself." Ella glared at the blonde girl through the mirror.

"Looks like you already have."

Ella watched in muted horror as the white of her started to turn a ghastly light-pink. With a quick glance at the clock on her phone, she decided to just call it a day and go to class. She could face her enemies - both people and facial features - next passing period.

With quick movements, the brunette grabbed multiple containers in each hands, stuffing them into her monstrous makeup bag, which was then zipped up and shoved into her backpack with her phone. Slinging the black and white book bag onto her shoulders, she strode out the stiff metal door and into the flourescent hallway just in time for the bell to ring.

"God damnit."