Kaitlyn is a young girl from a small town, forced to move to Lysdale on account of unforseen circumstances at home. But when strange, frightening things start happening around town, the locals become suspicious of Kait, who's arrival seemingly herald the beginning of these events. But is Kait really the mastermind behind these horrors? If she is, what drove her to it? If she isn't, who is?
In Lysdale Liar, we will watch a girl faced with hardship, who will either overcome or snap. We will watch villagers stuggle with the arrival of a stranger in their town and their quest to protect their homes. Suspicions will tear friendships apart, and perhaps do the worst damage of all.
Critique is always welcome, guys. c:
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and when i grow to be a poppy in the graveyard
i will send you all my love upon the breeze
The cab had pulled up through the town gates, up the main gravel road, which, after leaving what could only generously be called the "commerical district" broke down to dirt lanes, turned partially to mud by the rain that had pounded this side of the country for days.
The cabbie stopped in front of the prospective house, and turned to the young woman in his backseat. "Miss, you sure you're ready for this? You look awfully young to be living all on your own, all this way from your family,"
Kaitlyn shrugged, running a hand through pink-and-white hair. "Doesn't matter if I'm ready or not. It was either here or on the street. Thanks for the concern, but I think I'll be okay here." She chuckled a little bit, straightning the knot on her bandanna wrap. She unbuckled the seat belt, and went into the rain, the cabbie following her around to the trunk to get her things.
The one who she had spoke to on the phone, Nook, had told her that the house came pre-furnished-- a side table, a lamp, a radio, a desk, a chair. Upstairs, a dresser and a bed. A bathroom with a shower. A kitchen with a small fridge, a microwave, and a two-burner stove. Anything else would have to brought or bought. Meaning that, with her very limited funds, it was something Kait would just have to live without for now.
She traveled lightly-- books and clothes made up the bulk of her luggage. Five shirts, five pairs of pants, two skirts, two dresses. Three pairs of shoes, and as many undergarments and socks as she could fit in to the spaces left over.
Twenty books, two pairs of bedsheets. A cell phone and a netbook. Four bags in total, the cabbie lugging the two stuffed with books (and a few boxes of tea she had pilfered from the cabinets). Seventeen years of life, reduced to four bags. Kait shrugged. It was just the way that things had to be.
The girl unlocked the door to her new home, had the cabbie drop his share right inside the door, and gave him a small tip-- only 25 bells, the most she could feel comfortable giving, considering that she didn't have much with her. She had left most of her funds in her account, to be withdrawn when she got settled. And even with the account, she wasn't living on much. Maybe 500 bells a week, if she was lucky, until she could find herself some work.
It was getting late in Lysdale. Through the dusty windows, Kaitlyn watched the sun and moon trade places slowly, stars rising in the post-sun glow.
She set about, assembling her house. Her books in tastefully arranged stacks near the desk, the summer bedsheets put on to the bed, the winter ones in to the closet, her clothes in to the dresser. Kait left her netbook and cell phone on the desk, plugged in to charge, and wrote herself a to-do list for the morning.
Out of habit, she locked her door and went upstairs. Settling down to sleep, her last thought was that of hoping the town operated a hair salon, wanting the streaky, grown out mess that was her hair to be tamed and re-dyed a color on the natural scale.
"Goodnight and good luck..." She wasn't sure if she had uttered the words, or if they had been spoken by some other force, but Kait nodded as she snuggled down in to her covers, accepting the good wishes.
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and when i grow to be a poppy in the graveyard
i will send you all my love upon the breeze
Kait had woken up much too early. She had forgotten to take into account the time difference of her new home. So while she was up at 6 a.m., a time she had not seen for a long, long while, it was a great moment for her to realize that not only was she about a thousand miles away from the problems that had nearly destroyed her. She was two hours apart from them too, according to the sun. And Kait decided that the sun was very, very wise.
She put on one of her two dresses (a white sundress) and one of her five pairs of pants (pale grey capris). Kaitlyn brushed her hair, wiry and a little damaged, and put it up quickly. The girl opened the windows and considered unlocking the door (but she didn't have the nerve.) She told herself that no matter how hard she had to fight with herself that today would be an aggressively good day.
And as she told herself this, she heard a chirping. At first, the girl thought it was her phone. It often made that sound when somebody, somewhere, wanted her attention. Usually someone she didn't have the strength to deal with, but someone who noticed her existance all the same.
But as she looked over the phone, it was stone cold silent. Yet the chirping remained.
"Oh. Birds. Yeah." She said, opening the window, not sure if she was to expect a small, un-sentient bird, or a neighbor. She had encountered plenty of both in her hometown, but she knew things just depended on location any more.
Kaitlyn, deciding that she shouldn't keep whoever it was waiting, gathered up her guts and unlocked the door, asking herself why it was such a big deal. She worried over the silliest things it seemed, really.
It was a villager, a yellow bird cute as a button, looking a little sleepy and carrying a coffee cup, a messenger bag across their body.
"I'm Twiggy, a runner for Town Hall. You Kaitlyn?" She twittered, using one wing to brush some dirt off of her top.
"Mmmhmm. Nice to meet you, Twiggy." Kait replied, leaning on the door.
"You need to come down to Town Hall, sign some papers with Nook 'bout the house."
"Oh... um, all right. Come in for a second, I haven't unpacked shoes." Meaning that her shoes hadn't made the inevitable migration to right in front of the door, like the often did.
Twiggy looked at her own taloned feet for a moment, and muttered something as she walked in, watching Kaitlyn scamper up the stairs to get shoes.
Kait came back down a few moments later, flats in her hand. She threw them down, slipped them on, and tapped her toes into them. "Okay! Could you please show me where Town Hall is?"
Twiggy just stared. "That's my job, isn't it?" She asked, opening the door and walking out. Man, why did she always get stuck with the airheads?
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and when i grow to be a poppy in the graveyard
i will send you all my love upon the breeze
Twiggy had showed the girl up to Town Hall, a ten minute walk from the other side of town. The bird had gone off inside one of the many hallways, and came back shortly, toting a clipboard with her own name on it.
Kait gazed around the main lobby, a bit in wonder. This place, it seemed, was much larger on the inside than it appeared on the out. She shuffled her feet and drug around pointed toes, making designs on the plush red carpet.
"Are you dense? You need to go to Nook's office." Twiggy snapped at the girl, folding her wings over her chest. This girl was wasting her time.
"Oh, um, all right. Could you show me...?" Kaitlyn asked, her arms slowly migrating from her sides to a tight hold on her stomach. She was becoming wary of Twiggy, whose former delightfulness seemed to have been an act. Or maybe Kait had imagined it, only wanting this Twiggy chick to be a nice person. Kaitlyn oftened projected those kinds of hopes on to people, wanting to like them.
"This way." Twiggy beckoned the dumb girl, giving a little snort as she did so. She, frankly, hated this job. Hated being a general errand runner. She had applied to be a messenger, not a go-for to pick up dumb humans. This one was almost as bad as Calistor. Almost.
Kaitlyn, a little miffed and plenty nervous now, followed Twiggy down one of the halls. Closed doors seemed to stare holes in to the girl, though lacking eyes or any distinguishing features. The two stopped at a door towards the end, one of a set of three, hanging under a painting of the town in old days.
A few minutes passed, and Twiggy got irritable again. She reached over the girl and knocked on the door. "D'you not know how to do anything?" She sneered, walking away. Kaitlyn shrunk, but she couldn't focus on her shame for long. The door opened, and she was face to face with a tanuki, a hair taller than her.
"Kaitlyn, yes? Perfect timing, come in." The animal chattered, waving her in.
She took a moment to look at his clothing--- he was wearing a nice suit. Nicer than anything Kaitlyn could have ever afforded.
"Now, I've heard that you've come out of hard times. And, as much sympathy I have for you, I'm still wanting a business of this town, and you need to pay." Tom Nook said, settling papers behind his desk.
"Well, yes sir, but I--"
"Now, now, arguing won't do you any good. It was very generous of me to upgrade your house AND furnish it for you, don't you think dear?"
"Oh, of course sir, that was very kind, but I can't--"
"Excellent! So you'll understand if the price seems a little high, yes?"
Kaitlyn quieted. She wasn't feeling well any more. She was on edge, and slowly became aware of the fact that she was shaking like a leaf.
Tom Nook didn't seem to care. His tail whipped behind him through a gap in the chair, and he typed away calculations on an old adding machine. "The total comes to... 500,000 bells!"
Kaitlyn squeaked out at the number. That was so much. She would never be able to pay, and she'd be evicted and oh goodness this was the end. The girl, secretly terrified, began to hyperventilate.
"Well, I know money is tough, so I suppose I can work out a payment plan... how does 5,000 bells a week sound?'
Kaitlyn couldn't find her voice. Even on this so called "payment plan," she couldn't afford it. And even if she could, she'd be stuck with the debt for nearly two years.
"M-Mister Nook? I can't ... I can't afford any of this." Kaitlyn whimpered, scared of what could happen.
Tom Nook stared at the girl, his beady eyes first becoming wide, then narrowing. "Well, I'm sorry, but that's not my problem. And address me correctly. I'm Mayor Nook."
The girl stared at him. No, he wasn't. She had corresponded (through a secretary) with the true mayor, Tortimer. "Wha- what happened to Tortimer? H-He's mayor, not you..." She questioned, her voice shaking.
"He disappeared last night, right after you arrived, Miss Kaitlyn. Copper and Booker, our police dogs, are running an investigation. You're the lead suspect right now... rather, the only suspect."
She was on the brink of tears, her head was spinning. Kaitlyn wasn't ready for any of this. She wasn't ready to move away. She was so scared.
"Now, sign here and get out of my office, girl." Tom Nook passed a set of documents and a pen over the desk to Kaitlyn, who slowly signed her name, tears dripping from her eyes. She passed it back over the desk, and quietly walked out. She couldn't tell for sure, but she swore she heard the tanuki mutter her name.
It was too much. Once she was outside the door, Kaitlyn sunk down, crying.
She had made a grave mistake coming to Lysdale.
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and when i grow to be a poppy in the graveyard
i will send you all my love upon the breeze
and attention!: Lysdale Liar is having a name change. I've wandered away from what I felt the plot line was originally going to be, leaving the title obsolete and non-sensical. I feel Deep Dark and the Tattered Soul better reflects where I feel my story will be going now.
Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused!
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and when i grow to be a poppy in the graveyard
i will send you all my love upon the breeze
While that pathetic thing cried, some other pariah slunk to the ocean bottom.
Calistor, in thefted wetsuit, gathered oysters, hoping for pearls... or in the least, food.
He came up for air, gasping and dark eyes watching the town of Lysdale sit about. Calistor hated them, for he was often blamed for whatever went wrong. That seemed to be the position of the humans who rolled through-- scapegoats, and nothing more.
He made his way to the shore, armful of oysters and other things he thought he could sell. A basket he had brought seemed to have been kicked over, scattering over the beach. Calistor cursed, righting the basket and dumping his finds inside, then gathering the scattered contents and depositing them as well.
He sighed. He was much too tired. Everything hurt, and he didn't want to deal with anyone any more.
Calistor headed to a changing station, and came out a few moments later-- soggy, but "dressed for success." Meaning, dressed in knock-off designs made by villagers in a sad attempt to look posh.
He packed up his wetsuit, and grabbed the basket. He thought about taking it to Timmy and Tommy, but... they didn't like him at all. So, the next logical thought was going to Re-tail. Yes, Calistor supposed that that would work.
He made his way from the beach, reaching the edge of town. Then, across the bridge to the upper part of town. By the train station, Calistor braced himself before he walked in to Re-tail--- he was never sure how Reese would treat him on a given day.
There she was, cheerful as ever. But as she realised that is was Calistor who had walked in, her eyes narrowing a bit. But she forced a smile, and so did Calistor.
"Hello. What do you have for me?" Reese asked, seeming a little strained.
Calistor wordlessly gestured to his basket, setting it on the table.
Reese sighed, and began taking the oysters out. She seemed to be considering opening every single one (about twenty,) but there was not enough time, and it didn't seem to be worth her time. "I'll take all of them for 15,000 bells."
Calistor hedged. He thought it was worth more, but he couldn't afford to deny the sale. "Okay." He consented quietly.
Reese nodded, gathered up the oysters and put them in a tank set up in the corner. She then went to the safe, withdrew a 10,000 bell bag and a 5,000 bell bag, and set them in Calistor's basket.
The young man shuffled out of the store and to his home-- a sparsely furnished tent. No one had even made the attempt to get him a house. He had had to fight tooth and nail just for the tent.
He had heard about the other girl, Kaitlyn. The one that the town seemed to have bended over backwards for. They had gotten her a house, pre-furnished. They, at least in comparison with him, had welcomed her with open eyes.
He hated her.
He hated her so much.
She seemed to represent everything that had gone wrong in his life, taunting him because she was okay.
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and when i grow to be a poppy in the graveyard
i will send you all my love upon the breeze
Just flagging because you're my favorite newcomer to computerfan's competition this year (so far). My last favorite was hammer_kirby and look how well she did.
If you stay active and continually write and improve while doing so, I see you becoming a threat to the others.
Kaitlyn had sat in that hallway and cried for what seemed like hours. When she felt like maybe she could be okay, another wave of anxiety and self-loathing would wash over her, sending her to tears again.
It was only when a pelican took notice of her cries that Kaitlyn had pulled herself together.
Something told the girl that this bird was friend, not foe. But out of instinct, out of a mix of fear and hope that this was just a bad dream, when Kaitlyn saw the young pelican come her way, she made it to her feet and darted out of town hall.
She ran and ran, fearful and angry and wondering if she would have been better off staying at home. At least there, she knew her problems. Here, they seemed to creep and crawl right out of the walls.
Kaitlyn ran until she found herself at the entrance of the museum. She pressed her hands to the cool stone, and inexplicably felt like things could be okay here.
The girl stepped inside, and found herself face to face with a dozing owl. "Um, hello... sir?" She called quietly, walking up to him.
He stirred, and his eyes popped open, his feathers fluffing out. "Wh-who?!" He took a moment to assess the girl in front of him, smoothing out his feathers. "Ah, a visitor. Welcome to the Lysdale Museum, a home for the arts and sciences here in our little city. How might I---" He interrupted his speech as he noticed the state the girl was in. Red, wet face, shaking like a leaf. Yes, something had happened to this strange girl.
"Miss, are you all right?"
"No, not really. Not at all. I just wanted to get away..." She mumbled. Kaitlyn didn't want to get in to it. Didn't want to be a burden.
"What happened?"
Kaitlyn hesitated for a moment, trying to keep it in. But her internal gates failed, and the events of the last few hours tumbled out before she could stop them.
The owl listened intently, fiddling with his bow tie as the girl explained her troubles. His face held an expression that seemed a mix of fear, surprise, and pride. To be honest, he wasn't sure how to feel.
"Well, that's certainly a shame. You are a brave young woman to tell a soul about what Nook has done. Miss, I do not know you, and you do not know me-- but, if it is any consolation at all, I do believe that you are innocent."
Kaitlyn bowed a little, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "My name is Kaitlyn... I'm... I'm really sorry I just spilled that out. I just didn't know what to do... I felt safe here."
"I am Blathers. You are welcome to the museum any time you want or need, Kaitlyn. I'm not sure what will come of it, but I will speak to a friend of mine about getting you a job in the cafe. It will be better than nothing, and allow you to work here instead of risking a job with someone Nook has under his thumb." Blathers promised. His heart hurt for this girl, who was facing great trouble in a town that was supposed to be her saving grace.
Kaitlyn's heart beat loud as thunder, and she felt tears in her eyes. "T-thank you, Blathers... Thank you so much..." She whispered. The young woman could feel that she was about to cry again, didn't feel like she would be able to control it. She quickly made her way to the art exhibit, which was very sparse, and slid down a back wall, crying again.
In any normal circumstance, this would have been entirely too much crying for one day. But Kait had decided that this was no normal town, and that normal circumstances didn't apply in abnormal towns. So she had herself a nice cry, thanked a sleeping Blathers on her way out, and headed home at about six in the evening.
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and when i grow to be a poppy in the graveyard
i will send you all my love upon the breeze
sorry for the delay, it's been a little crazy recently! ;w; but on the upside I have New Leaf now~ also, sorry the chapter is a little short! i'll hopefully make up for it soon-ish
Chapter Six-- Midnight Dreary
It had been days since Kait had seen the light... or, at least it felt like days.
She had been in a restless sleep cycle, seemingly nocturnal. Kaitlyn hadn't felt okay-- this move had been a big mistake. She wasn't wanted here, and in the transmission of scrambled thoughts, could feel herself wanting to return to old habits.
The girl was having nightmares, Nook's words echoing in her head. Tortimer had gone missing when she arrived. Presumably dead. Nook had claimed that Kaitlyn herself was the only suspect so far... but no one possibly involved with the investigation, it seemed, had made any attempts to contact her.
She shook her head, went downstairs to shower (as if it would soothe her nerves?) and soon after tiptoed to the main room. She glanced at her door, a stray brick functioning as an extra lock. Kaitlyn simply didn't feel safe, no matter what she tried to convince herself of.
Was she just being paranoid? Maybe. But... no. She felt it was something more.
Kaitlyn perched herself on her little oak chair, turning on her netbook and plugging in her internet device. She wasn't entirely sure what it did-- she wasn't much of a techie, didn't care to know exactly how it worked or whatever. All she knew is that it was free, or if it wasn't, she wasn't the one who had to pay for it.
Her browser loaded up, and chirped at her through distorted speakers. Kait knew she had schoolwork that was piling up in her email, but she had told the tutors of her situation. If it came to it, she could whip up a sob story and get an extension. Surely whatever lie she could create would be more realistic than what she had experienced. Being kicked out, blamed, ignored. She sighed, and reached over to check her phone.
One missed call. One new voicemail.
"Hmm... odd." She mumbled, checking the timestamp on the call and voice mail. 11 PM. Even odder, and a tinge creepy.
She loaded up her voicemail inbox, and accessed the message.
"H-Hello? Miss Kaitlyn? It's Blathers... I, um, oh, whooo, I got your number from the citizen's directory. I spoke to Brewster-- my associate with the cafe, yes? He would be delighted to have you in the shop. Um, well, yes. Please come in tomorrow morning, at 8. We'll be waiting, wot!"
Kaitlyn slowly broke a smile. Things were... things were kind of looking up! Propping the chair up on the two back legs, Kaitlyn rocked, checking the time on her phone.
4:47 AM. The call had been from before midnight, right? 11 PM, she remembered.
That meant the 'tomorrow morning' Blathers had mentioned was today.
... In about three hours.
Kaitlyn groaned, pushing the chair back too far. She tipped over, falling to the floor.
The girl cursed loudly, groaning. She wouldn't be ready in three hours.
At the rate things were going for her, young Kaitlyn wouldn't be ready in three years.
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and when i grow to be a poppy in the graveyard
i will send you all my love upon the breeze
6 AM, and already, Isabelle had been at work for nearly an hour. These hours were ridiculous, but she enjoyed her job very much.
Or, at least she had when she had worked in other halls.
She had only been working at this town hall for a short time, and yet things didn't seem right.
Isabelle had come to Lysdale about a month ago, and even then, before the current mess she had heard snippets of gossip about, Apparently, if the villagers and co-workers could be trusted (and who knew if they could,) another human had moved in, and caused more trouble than Calistor.
This human was named Kait, she had heard, and she had made a mess of things. She had kidnapped and killed Tortimer, leading Tom Nook to take over the mayor's office. And now, if the unreliable sources could be believed, she was locked up in her house plotting her next strike?
The whole thing seemed a little silly to Isabelle. This girl couldn't be quite so bad... she had caught a glimpse of her crying after her meeting with Nook, as Isabelle herself was making a delivery to Pete's mail room. Kait hadn't looked evil, or even like she was a threat. The girl had looked small and scared, like she had made a terrible mistake.
Isabelle froze, thinking of herself in such as state. She shivered, not wanting to remember that time.
She considered that, perhaps, it could have been an act. But she felt like Kait was sincere in her fear. The dog wrote herself a note to visit this girl, then reached up to adjust her topknot.
Tom Nook made his rounds, and Isabelle hid her notes. He was getting... aggressive, about punishing those who went against him. He was slowly poisoning the town from the inside out, and Isabelle was frightened.
The tanuki sniffed, and stopped at Isabelle's desk. "Isabelle?" He asked, drawing out the name.
Isabelle didn't dare look up. "Yes, sir?" The dog continued to scribble notes off of her computer screen, using one digit to make sure the note with Kait's name on it was hidden under the keyboard.
"Please keep an ear out for any talk of unsavory characters, yes? I want Lysdale to be... more harmonious, if you will. Also, speak to the IT department about starting a firewall for the internet? I feel that something is amiss..."
"Yes, sir." Isabelle responded, her ears flattening.
Tom Nook watched her for a second before he walked on, and Isabelle sighed, sliding the note back out into her paw.
Now, just to wait until she got off of work at 8 PM.
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and when i grow to be a poppy in the graveyard
i will send you all my love upon the breeze
Calistor sat at Brewster's cafe, a black coffee in his hand. Brewster seemed to be the only one who understood the fact that Calistor was the black sheep of the town; their scapegoat. He wasn't wanted, but there was no where else he could go. He had painted himself into a corner, and now the wolves were coming out.
Brewster nodded, cooing softly as he cleaned a mug. He never really responded to the woes of his patrons, instead just soaking them all in. It made him tired, listening to the fears and sadness of his customers. Intensified his owns. But like always, Brewster kept silent.
"Have you heard about Kaitlyn, that little brat? The town has bent over backwards for her, all because she's this cute little damsel in distress case! I'm so sick of it!" Calistor bemoaned the other human as he took a sip of the coffee, shuddering at the pure potency of it. He usually took it with milk, but he didn't quite enjoy (or understand) the idea or production of Brewster's pigeon milk, and didn't care to request almond milk or something else. Calistor was already too much of a burden on everyone, it seemed.
Brewster shot a look at Cal over his glasses. He was free to have his own opinion, but he would not slander his new employee just before the girl started her shift.
"Then again, I heard she offed Tortimer, and she's shut herself away to plan her next attack. Can't be everyone's pretty princess anymore, can she?" Calistor laughed, grinning. He could hardly contain his hate for the girl.
"Listen, Cal. I'll put up with most anything you say. But, coo, you will not sit here and complain about that girl. She's gonna walk through that door any moment, put on an apron, and become my newest employee. And she's had it pretty rough, coo coo, okay? I'm not gonna let her put up with your sour crap, Calistor." Brewster berated the young man, wiping down the bar with angry fervor.
Calistor watched the bird warily, taking a nervous sip at his coffee. "Okay, sorry Brew. Won't happen again, I guess." He replied, his voice taking a hard and defensive edge. Even Brewster, his only ally in this town, was kowtowing to this pretty little disaster.
"Coo." The cafe owner opened the door into the back, returning with a fresh bag of coffee beans, and a container of tea leaves. He set them on a small shelf built into the back of the bar, scratching a note to himself to teach Kaitlyn how to use his machinery, custom-designed for the needs of his cafe and his style. "Don't take the anger personally, Cal. But you do not attack my employees. Alright?"
"Alright." Calistor nodded, finishing off his coffee. He slipped out two 100 bell notes from his pocket, setting them on the table. He slid the cup towards Brewster, and stood up.
"You heading out, Cal?"
"Yeah, Brewster. I gotta go do some things, I guess." Calistor shrugged his shoulders, lingering by the door frame.
"Catch ya around, then." Brewster nodded towards him, taking the cup and setting it behind the counter, and putting the two bills into the register.
Just as Calistor prepared to leave, some one else walked in. He was expecting it to be Pelly, perhaps, for a lunch break, or maybe Lyle, getting ready to make his Academy rounds.
But a young woman with pale pink and bright white hair is what he was presented with. Her long bangs were tied back with a ponytail holder, tied intricately into the rest of her hair with a blue string. She had bumped right in front of Calistor, so close he could slightly smell vanilla and the scent of rain.
"Coo! Kaitlyn, glad to see you! Here, come back here and put your sweatshirt up, get an apron." Brewster chirped happily.
Kaitlyn smiled, spun back behind the counter. That was the first time Calistor had seen her face.
She seemed happy, yet perhaps melancholy at the same time.
Better than Cal himself, who was in a consistent whirlpool of loathing.
She represented everything he could never have. Looking at her made him sick.
Calistor calmly walked up the stairs, out of the museum, and screamed.
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and when i grow to be a poppy in the graveyard
i will send you all my love upon the breeze
Sorry for the lack of updates recently, I haven't had time to get online very much.
Chapter Nine-- Meltdown
Kaitlyn had started out confident. She had gotten her first order right-- K.K. Slider had vaguely mentioned he liked his coffee sweet as music, and Kait had delighted him with a mocha with a little splash of milk and three sugars.
He had taken his at the bar, and there was a lull in the action. The two chatted, and when K.K. finally had to leave, he wrote down his number if she ever needed a sympathetic ear, and told the girl that he hoped to see her at his show on Saturday.
The girl smiled, and had hope that her first day would go great, just as her first order had.
This was her first mistake.
Her patrons got increasingly angry when Kaitlyn got their orders wrong, from masking their disappointment with a smile to trying not to spit and curse at her stupidity. They at least complimented that the imbecile had gotten their orders partially right, and one short cat smiled at her when she got everything right.
Her final customer would not give any valuable hints, the young elephant Margie asking Kaitlyn for "the usual, iced" without any other clues. Brewster had stepped out, a shipment of coffee beans having been stopped at the town gate, refused passage until someone could explain.
Kaitlyn nervously looked Margie over, hoping that she could discern the order from her appearance. She finally settled on a blend, with the regular amount of milk and two sugars over ice. Margie gave an off look to Kaitlyn, having heard the town gossip about this creature, dare she even be able to call her that.
The elephant took the to-go cup and took a sip from it. "You idiot!" She shouted shrilly, scowling at the young woman who anxiously backed away.
"Wrong, all wrong!" Margie screamed, tearing off the lid and throwing the drink at Kaitlyn. The ice froze the elephant's burning intent inside the girl.
Margie grabbed her money from the counter and stomped out steaming. She seemed to be the last customer of the day.
Brewster was back by the time Kaitlyn was finished changing out of her uniform. The girl considered telling Brewster that she couldn't do it, that her first day would be her last. But as the pigeon turned away from his calculations, and withdrew the girl's payment for the day, she backed out.
"You worked hard today, coo. Brewster was right to suggest you. How does 4,000 bells sound?" He said softly, folding the forty bills into Kaitlyn's hand.
"Oh, uh, thanks, sir... I'll be in the same time tomorrow?"
Brewster nodded, and Kaitlyn nodded back. She went up the stairs and paused in the foyer. "Aquarium." The young woman whispered quietly to herself, heading to that exhibit.
She felt the pressure of tears hard in her chest, and figured perhaps the casting of watery light would hide any tears she might inadvertently cry. Not quite paying attention to what she was doing, she went to the section of the aquarium marked "River Fish". Apart from the usual glass contraption, there was a koi pond that drew Kaitlyn in.
She settled down by the edge of the artificial pond, and stared at her broken reflection. But she frowned as she noticed blurred edges of yellow and green and blue to her right. Kaitlyn looked up, and noticed a young dog above her. It was a few seconds later that the dog noticed her.
"Oh, Kait?!" Isabelle exclaimed, her eyes growing wide.
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and when i grow to be a poppy in the graveyard
i will send you all my love upon the breeze
Kaitlyn was a little stunned when the stranger knew her name, and had to fight between the instinctive trust of someone who looked so kind, and the instinctive hatred of people in this town she had yet to meet (or had perhaps met, and had a bad experience with.)
"Uh, yeah, I'm Kaitlyn. How do you know...?" The girl asked quietly, swiping at her eyes.
The dog settled down beside her, kneeling in and muttering something about the pencil skirt Nook requested her to wear. "I'm Isabelle. I work in the town hall."
Kaitlyn's face soured, and she turned away from the dog. "What do you want? Nook send you to increase my home debt or something?"
"Not at all..." Isabelle said softly, putting her paw on Kaitlyn's shoulder. "Everyone in town is calling you a monster, Kait. They said you killed Tortimer, that you're hatching another plan. I wanted to see you for myself, because I couldn't believe you were a monster."
Kaitlyn couldn't find the words to say. She tucked her legs under herself and turned to face Isabelle.
The young dog went on, placing her paws in her lap. "They talk about your red eyes and devil tail... But they're wrong, you don't have those..." Kaitlyn nodded, her arms crossed across her stomach. "They're afraid of what they don't understand."
Kaitlyn was shaking, inching closer before she hugged Isabelle. "Thank you." She said quietly. "But how do we clear my name?"
"We find Tortimer. We fix the town. We make friends with people who can sway public opinion. I'm not going to lie, it's going to be hard because you're a stranger, and it's going to be even harder because you're a human. But... you can do it. I have faith in you." Isabelle said, stars sparkling in her eyes. She stood up, and Kaitlyn joined her.
"I need to go home now, you probably should too. I can't be seen with you publicly at this point-- not outside of the museum, or if anyone's around. I'm sorry, but it's how things have to be. Here's my number--" Isabelle pulled a memo pad and pen out of a little purse, and wrote down her cell phone number before tearing off the page and handing it to the pink-haired girl. "-- I'll make some calls and pull some strings and try to find Tortimer, okay? He would have never let this happen to you."
Kaitlyn nodded, still a little shocked by the whole situation. She had an ally outside of the museum. Someone in town hall. Perhaps she still had a chance to make this work for her.
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and when i grow to be a poppy in the graveyard
i will send you all my love upon the breeze
After the chance meeting, Kaitlyn had wandered on home. She felt numb-- yes, she had a handful of villagers who supported her, but at what cost? She was a pariah, and exhibiting friendship with her seemed to be a curse.
She unlocked the door, and kicked her shoes off, briefly turning around to make sure the door was shut tight, and lock it again. Kait was tired... so tired. It hurt to be awake still, even though the summer sun had yet to finish setting. She went upstairs to grab some pajamas, and went to shower the sticky coffee stains away.
Kaitlyn came back out a little later, drying off and putting on the PJ's and putting the dirty clothes in the hamper. She'd have to go to the laundromat soon-- probably tomorrow, if she had the time between work and self-loathing.
All she wanted to do was sleep, but the seventeen year old was running behind on her schoolwork, and if she ever wanted to make the last step to her better life, to overseas in a big city, she'd have to graduate high school- get to college. She was in her last year of high school, and needed to finish her online credits.
She booted up her netbook, connecting to the internet and trying to load up the credit program. Before it had finished, Kaitlyn had fallen asleep, her arms her pillow and her long hair spilling out over the desk.
She was woken up at 4 AM by a knock on the door. Not thinking, she stumbled up and answered it. Kaitlyn couldn't see who it was-- it was dark and she was sleepy. But whoever it was put a burlap bag over her head and took her away.
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and when i grow to be a poppy in the graveyard
i will send you all my love upon the breeze
d'aww, people complimenting me on my writing. blushu blushu o//////o
this will probably be my last update until i start school August 7. ;n; I'll hopefully keep updating every week or so (pffft like i can even keep a schedule now.) but it may get away from me. I'll always come back at some point! .w.
Chapter Twelve-- Dream
At 4 AM, when across town in her house, Kaitlyn was waking up and being taken away-- her counterpart Calistor was waking up. He stumbled out of his tent with a basket of dirty clothes, shaking off the nightmares. He scolded himself, knowing that they were a figment of his imagination, reminders of a past he was constantly trying to wipe away.
The young man settled by the waterfall, kneeling and finding a smooth rock settled near the bank. Before moving here, he had never had to beat his clothes clean. In fact, he had hardly ever had to work. Calistor had been born into an influential family, rich as the day was long, and one of only two heirs.
'Cal!' He heard a voice call for him, like he had heard for many nights. Calistor was certain it was only in his mind, but he couldn't help but look around. He saw his sister everywhere, her smiling face and chubby cheeks mocking him. It had been his task to save her, but he ran away instead.
He was always running away from one thing or another.
Cal put more vigor into working the stains from his clothes, as his sister's voice and image haunted him and heckled him with Why did you run away you coward why why using words and curses he wasn't sure she knew when he left.
He couldn't imagine what she knew now, five years later and eons smarter than he would ever be but so senseless, so hopeless at the same time.
The trees rustled without wind, and Calistor turned his head, staring intently in the late night/early morning darkness. Two figures dressed in black carried a skinny girl with a bag over her head. They walked parallel to where Cal sat, heading towards the bridge, and, beyond that, the train station.
It clicked. Kaitlyn, they were taking Kaitlyn. She was being kidnapped, and though the figures were obscured by their own dark clothing and the night, Calistor was almost certain of who they were.
Why didn't you help me Cal I thought I could count on you why did you turn away why Lily's voice grated in his ears, he saw her cry and she was obviously in so much pain. He saw Kaitlyn's face along with Lily and it was all too much, too much, and it just hurt it hurt so much.
He stared after the kidnappers, desperate to save Lily or Kaitlyn or anyone as long as it would quell his conscience but he couldn't think, could hardly move, and his hands lost the grip on the t-shirt he was washing and it washed away down the river but he couldn't muster up the attention to notice or care.
Calistor was a coward, staying put in the face of danger again and he had failed. He had failed his sister and this neighbor who he hated but didn't deserve to be kidnapped and he had failed everyone he had ever known and he just didn't know what was going on and he hurt so badly.
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and when i grow to be a poppy in the graveyard
i will send you all my love upon the breeze
Kaitlyn found herself, many hours later, in a locked room. She had fought off the will to sleep for hours more than she should have, but as the sun rose high in the sky, she finally dozed off, nightmares and all but she couldn't wake up.
In a part of the complex, the assailants returned to their day-walking forms, wearing clothes and smiles that wouldn't betray a thing.
"What should we do with the turtle, now that we've got the girl?" One asked, barking quietly as he fished his walky-talky out of a bag. His partner back at the station would soon be asking where exactly he had been, why he had been made to cover the shift so long.
"Make soup, perhaps? No one will miss him, and we might as well make good on our report that's he's dead." The other laughed, tail swishing. He could celebrate his victory as long as he wanted; the twins were watching the store for him.
"Too old to taste good. Maybe we should just throw him out to sea." The first suggested. The second just nodded, leaning back in his chair.
"What should we do with the girl?" His walky-talky erupted with a burst of static, but no message came through.
"I suppose we just ought to kill her too." More laughter, and why not? The duo were elated; their problems were solved. Tortimer was gone and the girl's home could be resold to someone more in line with the agenda of the new mayor.
The walky-talky chirped again, and this time, he was needed. He said goodbye to his colleague and, making sure no one was around, left the complex.
The tanuki smiled, grabbing an apple juice box and some graham crackers from a cabinet, placing those on a paper plate. Walking to the other end of the building, he found a locked door, and slide the morsels through the crack between the floor and door.
"We don't want you to starve. We merely need to ask you a few questions, and then you can leave..." He smiled, waiting until the plate and juice was pulled all the way under before making his way out of the otherwise empty building.
Back in Lysdale, Isabelle was at the Roost, under the guise of picking up coffee for her coworkers. "Brew, where's Kaitlyn?"
The bird shrugged, giving the pup a worried look over the top of his glasses.
Her phone played a little jingle. Ugh, Nook. Just who she didn't want to hear from.
'The monster has confessed to her crimes. She is in my custody.'
Isabelle felt a catch in her throat. She barely heard Brewster ask what was wrong. Carefully, she slid her phone across the counter to him.
"... Coo."
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and when i grow to be a poppy in the graveyard
i will send you all my love upon the breeze
Posted:
6/16/2013 7:38pm
Edited: 1
I love your writing style!
