The Sitter chapter 2
#2 of The Sitter
Seems like a long overdue post/upload thing, considering that Grey's been kind of dead with every illness known to man except the measles epidemic that has been circulating around the Res's, and that I write really, really, REALLY slowly. But yeah, I've put a tonne of effort into this chapter, and Grey said it's really good, so yay me! ^_^ No smexins this time round, but lotsa drama! Wooooh XP
Jessica blinked awake slowly as she looked around her room, stretching in her bed as she did each morning. Sitting up, she looked at the piece of dark green fabric in her hand, holding the men's t-shirt out in front of her as the events of the previous day flooded back to her, her face going bright red as she held the shirt close, breathing deeply as Arren's scent filled her nose, making her heart flutter and her body heat up.
No, she thought, jumping out of bed, there was no way last night could have happened, it was only some sort of perverted dream. Jessica stumbled when she suddenly realised that she wasn't wearing any panties despite being dressed in her pyjamas. Her face going red again, she looked back down at Arren's shirt before hurrying out of her room.
"And so the princess does rise from her bed," the melodic voice called as she stepped into the kitchen, Arren grinning at her as he did a mock bow, "What would m'lady like for breakfast on this fine morning?"
"What the hell happened last night?" Jessica growled, grabbing the apron the older boy was wearing as she glared at him.
"You fell asleep in front of the TV," Arren replied innocently, pulling her hand off of the apron and turning back to the stove, "So I carried you up to your bed."
"Is that all?" she growled, stopping when the older male glanced back at her, the strange ferocity in his normally gentle eyes startling her, "S-sorry."
"No need to be," Arren replied flatly, dishing out the scrambled eggs he had been cooking and placing them on the table, Jessica nearly swearing when she saw her younger brother sitting at the table, jumping when Arren spoke again, "I'm going to go have a quick shower, you two had stuff organised for today, right?"
The two nodded as the older boy walked out of the room, Jessica flopping down in her chair and groaning to herself as Simon set about devouring his breakfast.
"See ya, little man," Arren called as Simon waved from the back seat of the car, turning to see a dejected looking Jessica shifting nervously behind him, "What's up, Princess?"
"Sorry, about this morning. I didn't realise that Simon was there and I started shouting and-umph," Jessica was cut off as Arren suddenly pulled her close, pressing his lips gently against hers as she melted in his arms, her body going slack as he picked her up, breaking the kiss as he bumped his forehead against hers.
"Think nothing of it, Princess," Arren chuckled as he gentle set her down, "You were going to the mall with some friends today, right? I'll drive you."
Jessica nodded slowly as the half wolf grinned back foolishly, tossing his keys into the air as the neko-tigress sighed, smiling slightly as he held the door for her.
"Oh my gawd!" Jessica sighed as her best friend whispered loudly beside her, the calico feline grinning madly, "Is that him? You were right, he is really cute! So what happened last night?!"
Jessica brushed off the slew of questions as Arren locked his car, smiling kindly as he walked towards the three girls standing in front of the elevators. The chime made Amanda turn, gasping as somebody suddenly bumped into her, knocking the girl back.
"Eh?" the large dark grey wolf grunted, sneering as he looked down at the neko, an evil glint in his eyes as the two smaller wolves behind him snickered, "Well, well, what do we got here? A half-breed bumping into me? You're gonna have to pay for that, babe."
"Leave off, you creeps," Amanda growled, suddenly stepping between Jessica and the leader, the wolf's grin falling momentarily before he gave a short laugh.
"What's going on now? Protecting the freak? She your friend? Fuck off!" the wolf suddenly snarled, lifting his hand to slap the cat away. Amanda tensed, shivering as she waited for the blow, blinking in confusion when it didn't come.
Looking up, she stared wide-eyed at Arren as he calmly gripped the much larger wolf's wrist, showing almost no effort as the wolf strained against him. Snarling again, the canine swung his other fist sideways, hoping to catch Arren off-guard with a shot to the kidneys, the smacking sound echoing slightly as Arren seemed to block it instinctively, not even looking down as the wolf tried to free his hands from the half-breed's iron grip.
"My, my," Arren sighed, shaking his head slightly as he released the wolf, who stumbled back into his surprised cronies, "Is this what the youth of today has become?"
"What the fuck are you on about?!" the wolf barked viciously, his hackles rising as he began to snarl at the still relaxed Arren, the other two quickly joining in, "I fucking hate all you half breed freaks! I'll kill the lot of you!"
The lift chimed again just as he shouted, the growl that emitted from it making the three wolves freeze, even causing Arren to look up in surprise as the massive male lion emerged from the lift, a slight girl following close behind, her sandy coloured tail drooping as she looked on the verge of tears. Shaking his mane, the lion cracked his knuckles as he loomed over the teenagers.
"I'm sorry," he growled softly, his tone polite, with an undertone of pure malice, "But what was it you just said about Half-breeds?"
"N-nothing!" the leader yipped, staring up at the towering feline as the neko-lioness peeked out from behind him.
"I thought so," he growled, "Now I suggest you leave."
Arren grinned as the three wolves turned tail, turning to the massive lion and laughing.
"Thanks, you saved me a heap of trouble," he chuckled as the lion glanced down.
"I didn't do it for you," he rumbled, delicately placing a massive paw on the girl's shoulder, the half-lion hugging it as she snuggled against it.
"Thanks all the same!" Arren called as the two of them walked away, the lion's eyes softening as he watched the girl snuggle his paw, "Now that's something truly beautiful."
"I agree," the soft voice said suddenly, making Arren jump in surprise as he stared at the third girl in shock, the bat-girl looking up at him through half-lidded eyes as she hid her mouth behind her wings.
"Creepy," Arren whispered to himself as he turned away, grinning at Amanda and Jessica as the two girls stared, " 'Sup?"
"Oh my gawd! How did you do that? And weren't you scared? Oh, and thanks for the save! But what was with that lion and his daughter? Or was that his daughter? Maybe it was his wife? But she was so small, so how'd that work?" Arren backed away as the feline suddenly began spouting streams of questions, glancing over at Jessica as she sighed, snapping her fingers in front of the babbling girl's face, "Huh? Yeah? What'd you want?"
"Why don't we go in before we ask any more questions, Amanda," the neko-tigress said, turning to the batgirl who was watching them out of the corner of her eye, "Come on Primula, you too!"
Arren sighed as he picked up the book, flipping it over and glancing over the blurb on the back, before checking the price and grinning, adding it to the sizable pile already in his arms. Turning around, he froze as he nearly bumped into Primula, the bat-girl's eyes slowly moving to look lazily at him, the half-wolf grinning nervously at her as she returned to the book she was reading.
"So...Black magic, huh? Wouldn't have figured..." Arren chuckled nervously as he glanced at the contents, the bat blinking in surprise before lifting one hand over her mouth.
"You could tell?" she asked, making Arren shiver suddenly, "How?"
"Uh, n-no reason," he stuttered, back-stepping quickly.
Sighing in relief as he ducked out of the aisle, Arren smiled to himself as he headed to the register, handing over the money for the books as the young cheetah behind the counter batted her eyes at him. Grinning as he grabbed the bag, he headed out of the shop, looking around quickly before spotting Jessica's friend, the calico looking around worryingly.
"What's up, buttercup?" he asked the girl as he drew near, "Where's the princess?"
"You mean she wasn't with you?" Amanda asked, her expression suddenly growing frantic, "But then where is she?"
"Say what?" Arren asked, looking at her in confusion, "Woah there! Slow down and start from the beginning!"
"Well, we went to the toilet together while you and Primmy were looking at books," Amanda said hurriedly, swallowing nervously, but when I came out of the stall, she was gone. So I thought maybe she headed back to you guys, but if she isn't here..."
"Slow down!" Arren said, pulling his phone from his pocket as he dialled, "You try calling her cell?"
Amanda nodded as Arren listened to the ringing, huffing when it went to voice-mail.
"Maybe she just saw something in a shop and didn't hear her cell because the music's too loud," he sighed, "Let's go look for her."
"She is no longer here," Arren flinched at the quiet voice; strangely clear over the loud chatter of the mall.
"What do you mean?" Arren asked, turning around slowly to face the bat, his expression suddenly changing as he saw the serious look in her half-open eyes, "Where is she, then?"
The girl shook her head, Arren swearing quietly, jumping when his cell phone suddenly began to ring. Pulling it back out of his pocket, his face hardening as he saw the number. The two girls looked at him in confusion as he let the phone go to voice-mail, only to have it start ringing again a second later. Sighing, he answered it, a slight scowl on his face.
"Heh, still as rude as ever, aren't we? Even to an old friend," the familiar voice asked, Arren glancing at the two girls before turning away, a stern look on his face.
"What do you want?" he growled softly into the receiver.
"Why nothing more than to help out my old chum," the voice laughed, "You're looking good by the way, civilian life seems to be treating you well."
"What? Where are you?" Arren asked, looking around frantically, "What are you up to?!"
"Like I said; helping an old friend," the voice laughed, suddenly falling silent before continuing in a more serious tone, "I know who took her."
"What?" Arren froze, turning to the two other girls as his eyes grew wide, a vicious snarl building in his throat, making several people glance over at him as they walked by, either speeding up or circling past, before he suddenly snapped the phone shut, "Sorry, but I've got to go."
"Have fun," Amanda blinked as Primula spoke to Arren's back, the half-wolf sprinting back through the mall.
"Wow, you've really talked a lot today, Primmy," the calico said, the bat-girl nodding, "Oh well, might as well phone my mom to come pick us up, hey?"
"...ot damn, but that bastard sure got himself a nice piece of ass!"
Jessica groaned slightly as she woke up, blinking groggily as she tried to sit up, sneezing as dust filled her nose, her body acting strangely as she swayed unsteadily, her arms and mouth refusing to move. The dark room seemed to swim as a figure approached her, dimly lit by the few cracks of light that filtered in, the girl shaking her head as he spoke to her.
"Hey now, you're awake! Perfect!" the sound of laughter filled the room, echoing off the walls as Jessica tried to remember what had happened after she had come out of the bathroom. Someone had grabbed her and shoved a rag in her face, and then she'd woken up here. Her adrenalin suddenly kicked in as Jessica realised she'd been kidnapped, clearing away the last of her grogginess, looking around frantically at the shadowy figures that filled the room.
"Hey, hey," the figure that had approached her laughed, "Don't worry, we ain't gonna do anything to you, babe. At least, not 'til we get the go ahead, ain't that right boys?!"
The room filled with shouts and whistles as Jessica began to cry, the strange figure suddenly patting her shoulder almost as if to comfort her. She shivered as he rested his padded hand on her shoulder, leaning in close as Jessica tried to shuffle away.
"Where you going, babe?" the shadow asked, chuckling evilly as his grip suddenly tightened painfully, making her gasp as the room filled with more laughter, "I just want to get a better look at you!"
"I'm going to have to ask you to stop," the words seemed to pierce the noise, the laughter dying instantly as every figure turned simultaneously to the small patch of light as the stranger lit a cigarette, drawing from it as he looked around the dimly lit room, his gaze falling on Jessica, "You see, that little princess over there happens to be a very important person to a friend of mine."
"Say what?" the figure asked, pushing Jessica down as he turned to face the smoker, who was casually looking around, suddenly sitting on an old barrel, before taking a drag from his cigarette, the end briefly illuminating his face, "Sorry buddy, but it doesn't work like that! We got this girl ourselves and we ain't gonna let some punk take her without a fi-."
Jessica blinked in surprise as she looked up at the strange figure, who set her down gently on the metal walkway as the group below looked around in confusion. Somehow, this stranger had managed to move across the room, pick her up and then carry her up onto this walkway in less than a second. Shaking her head, she thought that she still must be slightly groggy from whatever they had knocked her out with.
"I'm up here, in case you're wondering," he called, making them all spin around and stare as he gave them a wave, "And just so you know, I couldn't give a rat's ass about fighting you guys, I'm just making sure my friend's little princess doesn't get hurt."
"Hurt? Hurt from what?!" the figure shouted up at him.
"Me,"
Jessica shivered as the word echoed eerily through the building, her blood freezing in her veins as the malice seemed to hang in the air.
"Oh dear," the smoking figure sighed as he suddenly hopped onto the railing, leaping into the air to land gracefully beside the new figure, "You got here so fast, I hope you didn't drive too recklessly."
"Shut up," he growled, Jessica shivering as she recognised the voice, tears streaming down her face as the unmistakeable silhouette walked calmly into the middle of the room, "So, you're the guys that took her, are you? Why?"
"Why?!" the main figure laughed, "Why should we tell you?"
The laughter disappeared as the figure crumpled, the steel support he had slammed into still ringing as Arren lowered his fist.
"I'll ask you again," he growled, the shadowy figures stirring as he glanced around the room, the shadows of pipes and planks appearing in their hands, "Why did you take her?"
"Like he said," one of them shouted, "We ain't gonna tell you!"
"Hey! I'm home!" Simon called as he burst in through the door, a second, equally muddy human following close behind, kicking off his muddy shoes as he grinned widely up at Arren, who smiled back.
"Sup, little man," he chuckled, "Have a good day?"
"Awesome! We played video games and watched TV all morning and then went to the park and played football with Rory's older cousin, who's really cool, but not as cool as you! And I got all muddy when this other kid tripped me up, but it turned out he was trying a sliding tackle, then he joined our game and..." the orange feline gasped as he took a deep breath, Arren placing his hand over the young feline's mouth before he could continue.
"Woah there, buster," he laughed, patting the half-tiger on the head, "First up, slow down when you talk, I can barely keep up! Secondly, can you keep it down? Your sis has had a bit of a hectic day, so I think it's best if you try not to disturb her right now, kay?"
Simon nodding slowly, unsure of what to make of the strange look on Arren's face.
"Sorry," Arren looked up as Simon's friend's mother stepped through the door, a slight blush on her face as she crossed her arms beneath her sizeable bust, "I let him get so dirty."
"No big," Arren chuckled, smiling back at her, "I'll just run him a bath."
"Oh my, you seem to know what you're doing," the human female laughed melodically, placing a hand delicately at her throat, "With your looks and experience you'll make a fine husband one day!"
"Right," Arren chuckled back, discretely ushering the woman and her son out the door, "Well, I've got to take care of Mr. Mud-monster over here, then make dinner, so bye."
Simon gave a final wave to his friend before Arren shut the door, sighing as he leant against it, visibly relaxing when he heard the car start up. He smiled as he looked over at Simon who gave him another questioning look.
"That, my boy, is what you call a "Cougar"," he sighed, Simon looking even more confused.
"But, Mrs. Lawrence is a human,"
"Ugh," Arren sighed, "I'll explain while you bath, 'kay?"
" 'Kay!" the cub chimed happily.
Jessica shifted as the door opened, hiding her head beneath her pillow as the shadow moved across the beam of light shining through. She shuffled away when she felt the weight of someone sitting on her bad, pulling her pillow tighter over her head.
"Sorry,"
The word surprised her, making her peek out from under her feather-filled helmet as she watched Arren's profile, the young man sighing as he leant forwards.
"I never...I never wanted something like this to happen..." Arren whispered, his voice breaking as Jessica sat up slowly, watching as his shoulders began to shake, "I never thought that...my past would...that it could catch up to me so quickly..."
The sound of Simon watching TV downstairs filtered in through the open door as the two sat in silence, Jessica watching Arren cry, part of her wanting to hug him, but another part still terrified of what she had seen him do. After what felt like an eternity the half-wolf stood up, wiping his face with his hand as he walked towards the door.
"Arren,"
He paused, shivering at the sound of her voice, the fear in her words making him tense up.
"Arren, who are you?"