The Sitter chapter 3
#3 of The Sitter
Black: Wheeee! Third chapter, and written in half the time it took me for the last one! Still no sexxin's just yet (Wait a bit, I promise ;D) Just a whooooole lotta expostion bout Arren. I tried writing this whole thing without Grey's proof readings cause he has to study for exams, so sorry if it's a little sloppy in places. But still! Hope you enjoy!
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Jessica stared at Arren's silhouette as the young male stood motionless in front of her door. She swallowed nervously as he didn't move, beginning to worry if she'd asked something she shouldn't have. Uncertainly, she started to get out of her bed, jumping when the half-wolf let out a loud sigh.
"Turn on your light," he instructed, his voice solemn as he pulled something from his pocket, looking up as he reached a hand up to his face, "I have something to show you."
Jessica switched the small bedside lamp on her nightstand on, blinking as her eyes had to adjust to the sudden brightness. Rubbing them, her heart began to race as she felt Arren sit back down on her bed, opening her eyes slowly to look at the young man, his eyes closed as he took a deep breath.
"Arren?" she said quietly, unsure of what was about to happen, gasping when he suddenly turned to her, opening his eyes, "Oh my god, your eye is..."
"Yeah...I get that a lot," he half chuckled, looking away as she stared at him, the dark red iris of his left eye seeming to shimmer in the pale light, "This eye...tends to do that to people..."
Jessica sat back as she continued to stare, unable to break her gaze as she began to shiver. Arren seemed to notice this, glancing sideways at her with it, making the neko-tigress shudder slightly, before closing it, suddenly falling back on her bed and staring at the ceiling with his one open eye.
"So..." he sighed, crossing his arms as he lay in front of her, "What do you think?"
"I..." Jessica hesitated, glancing at the closed lid again before swallowing nervously, "I don't know what to think."
"That's expected," Arren replied, reaching up to touch his face, running a finger over his right eye, "Finding out your boyfriend has a "cursed eye" can be quite a shock."
"B-boyfriend?!" Jessica coughed, leaping forwards onto the surprised male as she glared down at him, "Who said you were my boyfriend?!"
"Well...I just assumed..." he said slowly, a confused look on his face.
"Well just don't!" she snarled back, "We just did...that, once! And don't think it's going to happen again just because you saved me from those creeps! It's your fault they came after me in the first place!"
"Yeah...it is..." Arren said quietly, looking away from her again as his expression went solemn, "I'm...I'm really sorry about that..."
Jessica blushed slightly as she looked down at him, the pained expression on his face making her sit back, kneeling beside him as he continued to look away.
"You already said that," she whispered, taking a shaky breath as she quickly wiped her eyes, "B-but you still haven't answered my question."
Arren lay in silence as Jessica watched him again, wondering what was going through his head as he nodded slowly, seeming to have come to a decision. She squeaked as he suddenly sat back up, taking a deep breath before speaking, his voice becoming stronger as he started.
"Let me tell you a story," he said, opening his left eye again as he stared into the shadows of her room, "About when I was younger than you, about the man who saved my life."
Six years ago
"Showed your freakish face at school again today, did you?" the dark brown wolf cackled as the smaller form slid down the wall, a trickle of blood running out of his mouth as he held the side of his jaw, "I thought we made it clear your kind ain't welcome here!"
The other wolves around the first laughed and heckled at the figure as it slowly looked up, the gang having ambushed him and dragged him into this secluded alley, the group faltering slightly at the hatred burning in his dark brown eye. The brown wolf suddenly lashed out, kicking at him, the young male grabbing the foot and pulling himself up, slamming a fist into the wolf's jaw so hard the larger male stumbled back, several of the other wolves grabbing the thrashing boy as he screamed swearwords at them, the brown wolf rubbing his jaw as he reached into his pocket, snarling viciously as he slammed his fist into the smaller boy's stomach, making him cough suddenly, the brass knuckles digging into his flesh as the wolf twisted his hand around, leering cruely at the still form.
"That's enough," the brown wolf froze at the barked order, the others dropping the boy, stepping back as a much larger black wolf pushed past the brown one, looking down as the figure gasped on the floor, coughing up blood as he clutched at his stomach, "Show me."
"G-go to hell..." the boy gasped as the blood dripped from his mouth, staring defiantly at the floor as the wolf crouched in front of him.
"I said "Show me"!" the canine barked as he grabbed the boy's long fringe, making him cry out as he yanked his head up, seeming to cringe slightly as he stared into the eye it had been hiding, "So it's true. Not only have you got such dirtied blood, but you're "cursed" as well."
"Like I said," the boy chuckled defiantly as he looked up into the wolf's dark grey eyes, "Go to hell!"
"Now, now," the wolf sighed as he reached behind him, pulling out a switchblade, the blade clicking loudly as it slid out of the handle, "Is that anyway to talk to someone who's going to help you out?"
The boy stared at the blade fearfully as the wolf positioned it in front of his left eye, a cruel grin stretching across his canine muzzle.
"You see," he continued, drawing the blade back slightly as he cackled, "I figure that if I take out that "cursed" eye of yours, then you'll have one less thing to worry about; you'll just be a filthy half-breed instead of a "cursed" filthy half-breed."
"N-no! Don't do it!" the boy shouted, tears starting to run down his cheeks as he stared at the blade in terror, one of the other wolves speaking up suddenly.
"Ah boss, isn't that a bit much?" the silver coated wolf asked uncertainly, "I mean, it just seems kinda cruel..."
"Cruel?!" the black wolf snarled, jumping to his feet and pointing the blade at his subordinate, who scrambled back in terror, "I'm doing this freak a favour! And you're saying it's cruel? What, have you become a halfy-lover, or something?!"
"N-no! Course not!" the wolf shouted back as the larger male waved the blade at him, "You're totally right! Taking that eye would really help him!"
"You bet I'm right," the male snarled, turning back to the boy, his fringe still grasped tightly in the wolf's hand, as he raised the blade again, "And now for that eye!"
The rest of the wolves stared in shock as the figure suddenly flew through the air, shooting past them as he slammed a foot into the side of the black wolf's head, the much larger male being sent flying through the air before slamming heavily into the alley's back wall, before crumpling to the ground, foaming at the mouth as he collapsed. The stranger who had kicked him flipped gracefully through the air, landing lightly just beside the collapsed boy before turning to the rest of the gang, smiling friendlily as he tipped his cap to them.
"Anyone else want to join him?"
"You fucking human!" the brown male roared, charging the slight figure with his fist drawn back, blinking as his fist passed through empty air, glancing down just in time to see the foot slam into his chest, throwing him almost six feet into the as the stranger spun beneath him, his heel sinking into the wolf's side just as he came into range, sending the burly male soaring through the air like a football, to crash into the wall above the black wolf and collapse on top of him. The rest of the gang stared in horror as their leader and second-in-command lay unconscious on the floor, the strange boy still grinning happily at them.
"Fuck this!" one of them shouted, "I'm getting outta here!"
The rest of the gang followed suit as the strange boy frowned, almost looking disappointed as he crouched beside the collapsed figure, poking him in the side.
"Fuck off," the boy growled, baring his fangs at the other, who simply grinned at him.
"Is that anyway to talk to the man who just saved you?" another voice suddenly asked, making the young half-wolf look up, another human approaching him, "I think a little more gratitude is in order."
"What?" the boy asked as he pushed himself back up, leaning back against the wall of the alley as he glared at the two humans, "Come to have a go at me as well? Well come on then! Have your fill!"
The second boy frowned down at him, surprising the half-wolf at the strangely sad look in his eyes.
"Is this what your life has done to you?" he asked sadly, not seeming to expect an answer and he knelt in front of the boy, "Filled with the hatred others have borne against you, just because you're different?"
"Don't act like you can understand me, you fucking hairless ape!" the boy growled back, pulling his fringe back over his eye, "You "people" aren't much better than those furs just now!"
"This is true," the stranger sighed, catching the half-wolf off guard as he stood, holding out his hand to the beaten up teen, "Want to help me change that?"
"Say what?"
"I want to change that, the way humans and furs look down on each other," the boy's words seemed to echo in the half-wolf's head as he looked up at him, the sun shining down around the human as he smiled kindly, "I want to help create a world where everyone, humans and furs, can live as equal and as friends, not looking down at one another, but instead all on the same level."
"Then why ask me to help? In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly Mr. Popular," the half-wolf replied cynically as he gripped the human's hand, letting himself be pulled up.
"Well, who better to help bridge the gap between the species than one who is of both worlds?" the stranger laughed, helping to support the beaten up teen as he staggered.
"And your friend? You aren't going to get very far if I'm the only halfy you have on your side," the boy said, glancing at the one who'd somehow beaten up the two wolves.
"Who ever said I was full human? You shouldn't just assume things like that," the other teen chuckled as he pulled off his hat, the strangely long feline ears twitching slightly as they were freed from their cage, a long, fluffy tail curling out from under the back of his shirt, "The name's Axel, pleased to meet you."
"Arren," the half-wolf replied, glancing sideways at the human as he smiled jauntily, "And you, Mister "I-want-peace-on-earth"?"
"Hmm?" the human replied, looking almost surprised at Arren's question, "Oh right, I'm James, James Matthew Kingsley, pleasure to meet you, Arren."
Present day
Jessica stared as Arren trailed off, staring in shock as the young man sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"James Matthew Kingsley? As in the heir to the Kingsley Incorporated fortune and teen campaigner for co-species relations?!" she shouted, gasping when Arren nodded, a strange smile on his face, "But...if you knew him then..."
"I was in his "campaign group"," Arren laughed suddenly, making Jessica stare in amazement, "Though not the official one. I was in the gang known as "The King's Men", handling the...less savoury side of Jamie's campaign, as his father once put it."
"But...but... "The King's Men"?! They're infamous for being an unbeatable and merciless group of thugs that went around crushing random gangs of furs and humans!" Jessica gasped, staring at Arren in amazement, "And you're telling me you were in it?!"
"My official title was "Knight of the Left", Axel's idea, seeing as how we were called "The King's Men". That weird ass bastard always seemed to have too much fun whenever we met up," Arren sighed, a look of annoyance flashing across his face, "Always spoke in old English, like he was trying to be a real knight or something."
"Wait a minute!" Jessica sighed, holding up her hand as she rubbed her forehead in frustration, "How does forming a gang of delinquents and going around beating up other gangs help solve anything? They'd just all end up hating you!"
"That was exactly the point," Arren replied, smiling again as he pulled his wallet from a pocket, flipping it open and showing her the photograph inside, "These were the "Six Knights", the top ranking, and strongest, members of our group at the peak of our "careers"."
"This is...the identities of the leaders were never discovered, all that was known was that they were all different species!" Jessica said slowly as she inspected the picture, her eyes lingering on the foolishly grinning Arren as he tried to push what looked like a half-feline male with weirdly long ears off of him, "But now you're telling me that you and the other guy, Axel, were like the first two members?"
"Yup," Arren sighed almost happily, making Jessica look up at him, the young man staring almost dreamily at the ceiling, "Don't ask me how, but Jamie always seemed to be able to find people who would follow him, be they human, or fur, or even half-breed. Or maybe he was just able to make them follow him. Whatever it was, the seven of us were always out causing trouble."
"I still don't get how making an enemy of everyone could help," Jessica sighed, pulling up her knees as she leant against the wall, watching Arren intently as he happily talked about these people.
"As I said, that was exactly the point. We fought with anyone, we were indiscriminate; furs, humans, half-breeds, we showed no kind racism, even making a point of the fact that all our members were of the various species," Arren explained as he took the photo back, looking at it for a moment before slipping it back into his wallet, " "Uniting against a common enemy," that was the idea, at least. And it seemed to work pretty well, considering the number of gangs that formed aliances against us. Or that left their old gangs to join ours."
"Arren," the half-wolf stopped talking as Jessica's voice became serious, looking at the girl as she stared back at him, "What about the murder accusations?"
"Oh...yeah," Arren said quietly, turning away to stare at his feet as his smile vanished, "That we never saw coming."
"But the news reported "The Six Knights" claimed responsibility!' Jessica shouted, "How can you tell me you "never saw it coming"?!"
"Because it wasn't us!" The force behind the words made Jessica fall silent immediately, staring at Arren's hunched back in surprise at the anger in his voice, "Because it was part of the rules! We never made the first move, always waited for the other gangs to start fighting, then step in and clean up! No revenge, no grudges, no hatred! Those were the rules! And nobody ever broke them!"
Jessica stared at Arren's back as his shoulders began to shake, the quiet sobs reaching her ears as she watched him start to cry again.
"Someone...someone used our name...to murder an innocent family," he sobbed, leaning forwards onto his knees, "Just because the father...had supposedly been a racist! They used our name, and dirtied Jamie's ambition, his dream, with the blood of that family!"
"And then he revealed his identity, didn't he?" Jessica asked quietly, moving forwards as she placed a gentle hand on his back.
"And he was killed for it," Arren chuckled suddenly, trailing off as he began to sob again, "Even after he explained everything, why we had done it, what he'd hoped for, some bastard stole a gun off a security guard and shot him. Shot by another human who didn't want to see it happen..."
Jessica looked down at the pitifully crying male, the same man who had, just earlier that day, beaten at least fifty seasoned street fighters single handed, who had been one of the leaders of the most dangerous gang of the past decade. Unable to control herself, Jessica leant forwards, lying on Arren's heaving back as she slowly stroked his shoulder, listening to the beating of his heart as he slowly fell silent, the room going quiet as the two of them stayed there, Jessica pressing up against Arren's warm back, Arren staring at the floor in silence as she stroked his shoulder.
"He died doing what he wanted to, defending his dream..." Arren said quietly, making Jessica sit up as he spoke, "But sometimes...sometimes I wish it could have been me that got shot. I was his Left-hand man! The one to hold the shield! To protect him...but I couldn't...I couldn't and it should have been me that got shot!"
"Arren, stop it!" the half-wolf blinked as he was suddenly yanked upright, Jessica glaring at him angrily as tears ran down her face, "Stop saying that! What if it had been you? What if you had been the one who died? I never would have gotten to meet you! I never would had gotten to fall in love with you! I never...would have...I..."
Arren stared at the neko-tigress as she trailed off, sobbing quietly as she gripped the front of his shirt tightly, falling forwards against his chest. Shocked by her sudden outburst, Arren sat motionless for several minutes, Jessica crying against him as he stared blankly ahead of him. The young half-tigress sniffed as she felt his arms slowly wrap around her, lifting her slightly as he pulled her into his lap, holding her against him as he gently kissed the top of her head.
"That's really selfish of you," he said quietly, "Wanting me all to yourself."
"So is wanting to die in someone's place," Jessica whispered back, hitting his chest lightly, "If you can be selfish about something like that, then so can I."
"I suppose so," Arren chuckled.
Arren chuckled quietly as Jessica shifted slightly in his arms, pushing herself up higher in his lap. Arren blinked as he felt the soft touch press against his lips, looking down at a gently smiling Jessica as she snuggled against him, leaning her head on his shoulder as he laughed softly, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes as she leant against him.
"I'm still mad at you, though," Jessica added as she snuggled closer as she tried to hide her blush, "But you looked like you needed a hug."
"That I did," He chuckled as he watched her doze-off in his arms before whispering, "Sleep well, Princess, you've had a busy day."