Fan Fiction ❯ Rainbow ❯ Bad Day ( Chapter 1 )

Hello, One and All! Thank you for giving this story a try. To the best of my knowledge, this work is wholly my own. Please don't steal it - it means a lot to me. Comments of any sort are always welcome, so please feel free. Thankee muchly, Amaretto.

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Chapter One - Bad Day

Sebastion glared. The object of his unaffection remained oblivious on the opposite side of the library, chatting away rather noisily with three young and rather good-looking women.

Sprawled carelessly in one of the scratched and scuffed wooden chairs scattered throughout the library, the object of dislike had his feet propped up on an equally worn table. His hands moved with his words, except for the occasional swipe to clear rainbow colored, white blonde hair from his eyes. He had a confident, careless smile that had the girls around him captivated. They were giggling and exclaiming at his every other word. The mad array of colors he'd put in his hair was especially bright in the dingy atmosphere of the school library. Sebastion's glare only darkened as he watched the girls drink their fill of the young man's form in a fitted dark red t-shirt and dark denim jeans. The shirt left very little to the imagination; the young man was clearly in shape. The jeans were loose and only made the long legs propped on the table look even longer.

The three girls were the most popular in school and never apart. Beauties all of them, and they knew it. The pale redhead, Margot, was in a mint green sundress that had raised eyebrows all day (though not a word of protest). The cute blonde was Chloe, a trendy tomboy in faded jeans and camouflage tank top. The last was all elegance, and drew Sebastion's eye most frequently. Sara claimed heritage to some Asian culture, Chinese maybe, and was slim, small and all grace when she moved in her baby-blue peasant shirt and floor-length soft denim skirt.

The chatter increased in volume as the group grew increasingly enthralled by their own voices. It was something to do with a party that had taken place over the weekend. They were either ignorant of Sebastion's presence or didn't care.

Don't care, I'm guessing. Bah. Finally dropping his head in defeat, Sebastion returned to moping. He stared unseeing at the book in front of him, wondering for the millionth time why all the girls he wanted snubbed him (and every other guy, it seemed) over and over again in favor of the most notorious gay at Rosetti High. Gay guy plus straight girl equals no chance, so logically you go for the straight guys. What am I missing here...? A particularly loud burst of laughter brought Sebastian's head up to glare daggers at the table across the room once more. Damn it, getting permission to stay here after school instead of going straight back to that stupid house took me forever. Can't I be allowed to enjoy it?

This time he caught the gaze of the rainbow-headed young man, who smiled and spoke. His voice matched his smile, easy and assured, "Sorry, we didn't mean to disturb your work."

Beside him the girls only laughed, the tallest of the three speaking up, "Don't worry about him, Klause, he'll be oblivious again in no time." Dismissing Sebastian, she motioned for him to continue, "Come on, finish the story. You were getting to the best part."

The group returned to its own world. Behind them, Sebastion's bright amber eyes lost their hard edge and instead he only looked resigned. Bah. What's the point? May as well go back to the house, it's not as if I really have anything better to do. Rising slowly from his seat, with short, precise motions he began to gather his materials. Wrapping up the few cords, he stowed his laptop first, books and binder going in another section. Scooping up his highlighters, he put them quickly in place, not noticing the pen that rolled off the scuffed table and landed soundlessly on the carpet. Closing the bag with a slight "click" of the front snap, he hoisted it over his head to rest the strap on his right shoulder, leaving the bag to thump against his left side. With one more surreptitious glance at the small group, Sebastion switched his black-rimmed glasses for mirrored sunglasses then strode on silent feet across the faded green library floor. Shoving the door open, he grimaced slightly at the wave of heat that poured over him. Suppressing a sigh, he trudged across the courtyard toward the far end of the school.

　

Hot, oppressive, summer sun tormented him the first half of his walk home. A muttered "thank god" drifted briefly over the heavy air as Sebastion finally reached the edge of the forest that would shade the rest of his walk home. The wine-red highlights in his dark brown hair disappeared as he finally left the late afternoon sun behind. He paused to inspect the mailbox at the edge of the road and found nothing but air inside. Sebastion took a second longer to remove his sunglasses, sticking them in his bag alongside his reading glasses. Resettling the bag on his shoulder he resumed walking at a slower pace.

Reaching idly into the right hand pocket of his jeans, he pulled out an elegant, but dulled, gold pocket watch. 5:30, I shouldn't have left the library so soon. This brought to mind the reasons he had left the library early today. Stupid Klause. Every girl in school is at his command and he could care less about any of them. Why, then? Stupid women. What's the point of fawning over a gay guy? Counterproductive to getting a date, last I checked. Counterproductive to getting anything.

"Bah. What do I care?" Sebastion halted his snails pace, staring morosely at the ground. After a few seconds, he switched the somber expression to look ahead, where several yards down the worn gravel road loomed a hideous example of a house. Technically fine, the mass of stone and sculpture somehow only succeeded in looking grotesque. His expression twisted into one of abject pain as Sebastion gazed at it. "Ugh, it gets uglier every time I look at it. Stupid summer, making the days longer. Why is it still this bright at 5:30? Bah." With minute steps, the dark-haired boy walked like a condemned man toward the hideous structure that was his home.

　

Keys hit the entrance table with a metallic clunk; the messenger bag was given much more care as it was set on the floor underneath the same table. Sebastion's ever-frowning face remained unchanged as he stared thoughtfully at the furiously blinking red light on the sleek, black phone by which his keys had landed. "Hmm lets see; I don't have a hot date, so at least its not a hot date calling to cancel. No friends, so that's not it. And school ends in two days. That means its either mother calling to say they're coming to check up on me, or father calling to complain that mother is making them come to check up on me." He glanced up to look at the reflection of the clock in the mirror, "Almost six, so probably mother." With that, he reached out a hand to hit the play button, listening to Benny's voice request a name and message from the caller before a cool, bossy tone spilled out of the small speaker. Sebastion winced slightly at the sound, rolling his eyes at the end of the message. Like Id forget my own birthday, yeesh. Mashing the delete button, he turned on his heel, thudding down the hall and into the kitchen.

A short woman, about 26 or so, sat at the massive island in the center of the kitchen, sipping orange juice from a small glass while idly flipping through the pages of a magazine. Dark blonde hair fell in a loose braid down her back, standing out against the jewel green of her scooped-neck, short-sleeved shirt. She looked up at the sound of footsteps, jumping slightly at what she saw, "Ah! Bastion! What are you doing home so early?" Setting her glass down on the slate countertop, she bustled around the island to greet her charge. Sebastion accepted her hug and briefly returned it, smiling down at the maid when she looked up to question him further. "Is everything okay at school? Nothing to do at the library?"

"I'm fine, Benny. The library was getting a little crowded. What were you reading?" Sebastion moved toward the fridge, pausing to glance at the glossy pages on the countertop as he passed by, "Hmm How to get that bad boy you've always wanted...Benny, do you actually read this stuff?" With a snort, Sebastion ignored the indignant cry of the older woman, poking around the overstuffed fridge for something appetizing. Finding nothing, he settled on a soda and sipped it slowly as he prowled the cupboards and cabinets, Benny's idle chatter a soothing background as he started to unwind.

"So Nathan decided to be an ass about it again, but you know that, I'm sure. Anyway, he went back home today and should be back either tonight or tomorrow. Don't even think about eating that pie" This last she said as Sebastion paused to examine a pie resting beside the stove. "That's for dinner tonight, so hands off scamp. Oh yeah, is there anything you wanted Nathan to bring back for you? Your mother said that since you've been so well behaved, you could ask for something."

"Oh yeah, Benny. Speaking of my mother, she called to say they would be coming down to visit in three weeks. And no, there's nothing I want. Are you sure I can't steal a piece? It looks really good and you know Key Lime is my fav." Sebastion grinned.

Benny frowned back, hands on her hips, "Hands OFF the pie, I said. You should try an apple some day. Healthy food will not kill you, believe it or not. And Nathan mentioned your mother when he called me about an hour ago. Just in time for your eighteenth birthday, eh? Awfully nice of them." Her voice said she thought otherwise. "But speaking of your birthday, sir," she winked at this, "What did you have in mind?"

Sebastion paused in his examination of the pie to lean against the counter, setting his soda aside to fold his arms across his chest. "Well, lets see." He uncrossed his arms and lifted his right hand in a loose fist, raising the fingers one by one as he spoke, "One: No visitors Two: No going out after dark. Three: No leaving town except in emergencies. Four: Straight A's or else Five: No more "stunts." And lastly, my parents are coming to visit. So just see what they want to do Benny. I don't care." Pushing himself away from the counter, Sebastion grabbed his soda and strode out of the kitchen. Re-entering the hallway he strode back toward the front door, stooping to grab his bag before swinging around to launch himself up the curving stairs two at a time.

*~*~*~*~*

"Clank. Why did you have to go clank?" The woman angrily kicked the side of her car, wincing slightly at the pain in her foot, but refusing to cry out it would mean the car had won. She continued speaking aloud to the vehicle, "We were almost home, why couldn't you behave for 30 more minutes? Blast it, what am I supposed to do now?" With a huff, she pressed her fingers to her forehead, willing away the headache she could feel crawling to the front of her skull.

Dropping her hand with a sigh, she jerked open the drivers side door and reached in to grab an old, scuffed leather purse from the opposite seat. Twisting slightly she yanked a faded book bag from the back seat. Pulling her body from the car, she straightened and stepped back slightly, kicking the door shut with every ounce of pent up rage in her body. Somewhat soothed by the slamming door, she slung the bag and purse over her left shoulder.

Grateful that at least shed thought to bring sneakers to drive in rather than the uncomfortable heels thumping together in her book bag, the woman muttered to herself as she walked along the dark road. "Damned car," "cell phone," and "dead mechanic" drifted on the stuffy summer air as she walked. After a few more minutes the muttering tapered off as the woman lost herself in thought. Well, if I get the job, a new car wont be too difficult to afford. I hope Klause is okay; its almost ten and I told him nine at the latest. I cant believe traffic was that bad and where the hell is all of it now? That's all right; I guess I didn't really feel like getting killed today anyway. On the bright side, the interview seemed to go well. If that means I get that job, then I guess a long walk in the dark isn't so much a price to pay. Stupid mechanic, just wait until I--What in the world"

Surprised, the woman paused in front of a mailbox at the edge of the road. She hadn't noticed it before. But standing two feet from it, even in the dark it was pretty obvious. "I know that wasn't here a few months ago. Did someone actually move into that vile excuse for a house? I never heard that." Intrigued, the woman peered down the stark black road? Sure enough, there were lights off in the distance. Is someone really living here? Brave people. Its worth a shot, I guess." Shrugging, the woman ran a hand through her short, gray-touched hair and trudged resolutely up the gravel path. No one's lived here in years, not since the owners moved away. What was their name? Eh, before my time anyway. Wonder why I've never head of it, lord knows I hear every other piece of gossip while at work. Must not have been here long." Thinking of work reminded her again of her son, and her hand tightened around the strap of the book bag, she chewed anxiously at her lower lip I hope Klause isn't too worried. He's probably still out with those damned girls anyway. At least I don't have to worry about him doing something stupid with them. Damn, I was really hoping to be in bed by now. Work is going to be a pain tomorrow. Maybe I could talk Evan into letting me take tomorrow off too. Maybe I'll win the lottery while I'm at it.

　

Benny hummed softly as she walked slowly through the living room, checking that everything was closed and locked for the night. Recipes for various birthday cakes floated through her head as she considered and then abandoned each one. She was lingering over a triple chocolate that she knew Sebastion was fond of when a piercing chime cut through the deathly quiet of the house.

"AHH! Jesus Christ! What the hell?" Putting a hand to her stomach, which seemed to have migrated to her chest, Benny took a deep breath as the source of the sound clicked in her mind, "Who in the world would be ringing at this hour?" Heart still knocking against her ribs, she strode anxiously to the front door, rising up slightly on her feet to peer through the hole. Lowering herself back down, she slowly opened the door.

"Ma'am? Is there anything I can do for you?" Benny peered curiously up at the woman standing on the doorstep. She was dressed in an inexpensive but tasteful business-suit, though dust and dirt now covered the bottom edges of her dark slacks. Slung over her shoulder was a rather pathetic, faded-red book bag and a medium-sized purse. Scuffed blue and white sneakers were on her feet. Her short brown hair was flecked with gray, and she looked to be somewhere in her mid-forties.

The woman offered Benny an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, I know I must be really inconveniencing you. But my car broke down and I don't have a phone with me" Benny interrupted the woman's explanation by grabbing her wrist and pulling the startled woman inside.

"Don't even worry about. Come inside, please." Benny smiled up at the woman as she closed and locked the door behind them. "You scared the death out of me, ringing that bell." She led the woman down the hall. "You can use the phone in the kitchen, please. I'd give you a ride into town, but I'm afraid Nathan is still out and we only have the one car."

"Thank you, very much." The woman stumbled to a halt as the energetic woman in front of her suddenly spun on her heel. "Sorry for the trouble."

Benny's smile only increased, "No trouble at all. You said your car broke down? How far did you have to walk?"

"Oh, not far at all, really. I thought I'd have to walk all the way back to town, but I noticed the mailbox at the end of your road"

"That's good. I'd hate to be stuck walking all the way to town in this vile heat, and the dark to boot. Would you like anything to drink? The phones over there, go ahead." Headed toward the fridge, Benny waved a hand toward the opposite side of the forest-green kitchen where a matching phone hung on the wall beside a back door. The woman walked slowly toward it, quickly dialing a number while Benny started humming and shuffling around the kitchen.

　

Ah, that felt good. I don't care how hot it is outside, scalding showers are the only way to go. Tossing his dark blue towel in the hamper, Sebastion pulled the door open and stepped back into his room, steam billowing around him before fading out in the frigidity of the air-conditioned space. His dark brown hair clung to the back of his neck and dripped water down the back of the maroon t-shirt that had once been part of a gym uniform, the image of a gold wolf, faded but proud, occupied the place over his heart. Soft, loose gray pants stopped just short of the floor. Running a careless comb through his soaked hair, Sebastion contemplated the pile of books and papers that lay piled on his desk. Time for a snack. This decided, he threw the comb in the direction of his dresser as he turned to exit the room. He heard it miss and drop to the floor, but kept walking toward the door.

Sprinting down the stairs, Sebastion grabbed the railing five steps from the bottom and leaped easily over the edge, avoiding the pain of having to walk all the way down the hall. "Hey Benny, I don't suppose-" he stopped abruptly at the sight of a stranger sitting in the space Benny usually filled. Benny was by the stove he noticed a moment later. He stood awkwardly in the hallway.

"Oh, Bastion. There you are. Come on in, I was just talking about you. Meredith, this is Sebastion. Bastion, this is Mrs. Archibald. Her car broke down; she's waiting for her son to come pick her up."

"Oh." Sebastion looked again at the woman, and offered her a polite smile. "A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Archibald." What a name, sounds like some sort of evil old lady name.

"Meredith is fine, please. I cant stand that Mrs. Archibald. It makes me sound like a vile, nasty teacher, don't you think?" Meredith laughed at Sebastion's guilt-laden expression.

"No, ma'am." Sebastion quickly looked to Benny, who was pointing at him and snickering, "You're not funny Benny."

The maid just scoffed, "Of course I am. And you're the one being rude, making fun of a stranger. What did you want, anyway?"

"Huh?" Sebastion just stared.

"When you walked in, you were asking me something." Benny stared at her charge, snickering softly again.

"Oh yeah, I was going to ask you if we had any of that pizza from Friday left over?" Sebastion looked at her pleadingly, "Come on. You and Nathan aren't going to eat it. You don't want it to go to waste, do you?"

"Its a little late for pizza, don't you think? Eat a piece of fruit for once in your life. Honestly, all you eat is junk." With a long-suffering sigh, Benny moved to the fridge.

Meredith chuckled from where she sat at the island. "My son's the same way. Nothing but junk and he's reed thin; I get so jealous watching him do it." She took a sip of coffee from the flower print mug set in front of her. "If I let him, he'd eat nothing but fast food."

Reemerging from the fridge with a foil package, Benny snorted. "Tell me about it. His mother would kill me if she knew what I let him talk me into letting him eat. Honestly Bastion, you owe me." The chiming of the front door cut her off, but before she could move Meredith waved her off.

"That must be my son. I'll get it, Benny." Setting her mug down she rose to move toward the hallway, but was halted by Sebastion, who motioned her back to her seat.

"Don't worry about it. I need a break from Benny's ranting. You distract her; I'll go get the door." Ducking the piece of sausage lobbed at his head, Sebastion strolled down the hall as the chime sounded a second time. "Hold on a second, almost there," he called even as he reached the door. Unbolting the door, wondering briefly why Benny had bothered in the first place, Sebastion swung the door open and stopped.

Standing on the doorstep, hallway light spilling out the door and over him was a figure just shy of six feet, his normally confident face marred by a slightly anxious expression. Loose fitting jeans were secured at his slim waist by a plain, black leather belt, and a skin-tight dark red shirt displayed his well-muscled chest. Some sort of Chinese-looking symbol hung from a leather cord at his throat. Surprised, pale blue eyes were almost completely obscured by the wildly colored bangs hanging in his face. Klause spoke up, his voice only somewhat less assured than usual, "Sorry to bother you again. I don't suppose you have my mother?"