Three strikes {M&V}

[DiamondHeart]

~Scott McCalester~

Trouble comes in many shapes and sizes. Sometimes you can see it from miles away, and still other times trouble comes in a beautiful package wrapped up in a bow with your name written right all over it. Scott McCalester was one of those people who opened the box, and got the whole prize inside. He was a smooth talker from the time he said his first word. Just like his words, his looks were deadly. Dark hair and stunning blue eyes, standing at 6'2, and weighing in at 180 lbs, only 7% body fat. Girls swooned, and most guys wanted to cave his 'pretty' face in.

When Scott was 13 his father first began teaching him how to work on cars. His love for mechanics would only grow through the years. Being from a small town where there wasn't much to do, hot-wiring cars seemed like the best choice for a young man. By the time he was 16, Scott was running with the wrong crowd. His father wanted to send him to military school, but he didn't last a week before he was kicked out for misconduct, getting into a fight with 5 upperclassmen. At the age of 18, Scott went to college for undergraduate studies in English, and passed 3rd in his class.

After graduating, Scott spent the next 2 years hot-wiring cars. He brought the cars to a local scrap metal dealer who did moonlight work selling rare car parts. His 'boss' would give him commission under the table. Scott soon started looking at working in a mechanic shop for legitimate work, but no one would hire him because they knew what he did. This of course just made him work harder with hot wiring to keep living.

One day Scott told his boss at the scrap dealer that he was going to get out of town and go open a garage for himself. To Scott's face, his boss was gracious and wished him luck, but he asked him to find one more car before he left. Behind Scott's back, the boss called the police and put in an anonymous tip that he saw a young man breaking into a car. Scott was caught and brought in to be processed. However, the police made a deal with Scott that if he gave up the name of his boss, he could be let off with only 2 years instead of 5-7. Scott agreed to the terms, and since the boss had anonymously made his call, he was not given any deal.

During his trial, Scott was given another chance by the judge. The judge gave him the choice to go to jail for 2 years, or go to a 'last chance' university. His actions on the street would not reflect on his criminal record at all. Scott agreed of course and was sent in to study criminal justice. Although it wasn't his first choice, Scott cold go anywhere with the degree he would earn.

It was the first day at the new university, he would be stuck in this same old small town for another 4 years. Scott walked down the stairs of the two story house he and his sister were housed in. Although she was only hours younger, Scott still treated his twin as if she was years younger. "Hey! Is breakfast ready?!" He called out as he reached the main level of the house. An unfamiliar voice called back, "Mine is..." A dark haired woman walked out of the kitchen with a bagel in hand. She plopped herself down on the coach and looked back at him, "Oh I'm sorry handsome if you had manners and asked, I gladly would have made something for you." She smiled sweetly, then turned and put her feet up on the coffee table and took a bite out of her bagel. "Right...Forgot about those...Sorry." He rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen, "Sis you want breakfast?!" He called up to his sister.

~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~

~*~Lilliana Marie Carter~*~

Growing up was hard for Lilliana. From a young age she was told that she would never have anything more then the clothes on her back. Her parents were killed in a car 

</font>accident when she was only 3, and as a result, Lilliana was passed from foster home to foster home. She learned quickly that life was a fight just to keep her own. It didn't take long to learn how to lie, and lie well. The key was for the lie to have just a little truth in it.

By the time she was 12, Lilliana had been arrested twice for shop lifting. In one home she had an older girl teach her the tricks of getting away with shoplifting. Lilliana was a quick learner and was never caught again. She was even able to go to into and steal from the same stores over and over again. Shop lifting quickly became boring to the young women, so she moved on to other crimes. First she started with pick pocketing which she learned was a quick adrenaline rush, but not quite the thrill she was looking for, it lacked finesse.

Lilliana went to school and received a degree in fine arts. She felt like she could do anything. She wanted to prove everyone from her childhood wrong. The girl was smart, and could do anything she put her mind to. Through her first 4 years in college, Lilliana found herself stealing small items and valuable items, still getting away with every act. The thrill was no longer in it though.

After school, Lilliana met a group of unsavory characters who taught her the finer points of the life of a thief. Eventually Lilliana learned how to get away with identity theft, and check fraud. Unfortunately, check fraud was her down fall. After a year, Lilliana was arrested. The judge who sentenced her decided, against his better judgement, to give her a second chance, a chance to save her life from going farther into self destruction. "Ms. Carter, you're an intelligent young woman. Against my better judgement I am giving you a second chance. There is a small town with a graduate studies university that specializes in the rehabilitation of delinquents. If you go there, you will be allowed to stay out of prison." With that, Lilliana was able to keep herself out of prison.

Lilliana chose to study theater, especially music history. She loved singing more than anything, it was the one thing that kept her sane when she was being tossed around like a rag doll from foster home to foster home. Nothing would make a better fit, and with that, she could put her talents to good use.

It was the first time Lilliana would ever step foot into such a small town, not exactly her normal venue. Living in a home with others wouldn't be a first, but this would be a first, a house filled with other convicted criminals. Lilliana made herself a bagel for breakfast in the morning, her morning banter with one of her new roommates definitely put a smile on her face, and what more there was at least one other good looking person in this house.</div>

[xxLostChildrenxx]

Trinity Carson McCalester

"Trinity? Did you scrape your knee again? Darling, you have to be more careful. You're going to ruin that perfect milky skin of yours," a hushed voice hissed an echo through the darkness. "I know, Daddy, I just want to be like Scott," a little girl's voice responded. "Oh, Darling, you don't have to be anything but yourself." "I want to be like him. I want to make you happy. And Scott makes you happy," "But, you're a girl, Trin. You give a male his babies. You don't have to do anything more than be a pretty face. Let a guy take care of you," A hush fell over the voices for a moment, until the echoing of the little girl could be heard once more. "I won't ever let a guy take care of me. I'll be better than you, Scotty. Just you wait. I won't be under your shadow forever."

*********** 

The screaming of sirens caused the female to jolt awake, sitting up in an alarmed state. She looked around frantically, and dove off the hammock-like bed on which she lay. Scrambling, she found jeans and slid them on as she high-tailed it towards the back door. Grabbing a shirt just as she was exiting the room, she didn't bother with shoes. There was no point, no time, and no reason. Throwing open the caved in screen door, the young woman took off at a run, jumping over mounds and heaps of junk that lay scattered in her dirty, shed-like home. Her redish, brown hair flapped against her shoulders like a dying fish as she hauled ass away from the property she didn't bother looking back to. As she made her way over the ridge nearby and almost to the State Park fence beyond, she heard the bark of a K-9 behind her. This meant one of two things. Death or Escape. With the last of the speed the female could muster, she chose the latter of the options and sprang like a cat, latching onto the fence with two hands, and half a foot.

As her other slipped out of the chain link and dangled helplessly below, she scrambled to get her footing and reach the top. By the time she made it over to the other side, it was already too late, and the female knew it. Cops swarmed her like an FBI's most wanted, and her eyes narrowed as she held her hand up to show she would surrender to them. Being cuffed and led to a cop car was not the worst of it. She narrowed her eyes into a death glare as she passed the commander and chief who led the hunt, snarling at him to show she was not afraid. "Trinity McCalaster, you are found Guilty of association of thievery, contempt of court, embezzlement-" the female tuned out the judge long before he was finished reading out the list of charges. She knew what she'd done, and sat in the defendant's chair with her arms crossed, sulking at the thought of being in this situation in the first place. Her court-appointed lawyer shook his blonde head, as though he knew he had lost the case the moment he had been assigned to it. "In lieu of jail time, I have an offer for your client," the judge stated sometime during Trinity's self-thoughts. "We are working on a new program in town that will allow troubled youths to finish their college education. Should Trinity agree to attend this institution and finish her degree, she will avoid a hefty jail sentence."

Her lawyer looked to the woman, as though she had been given a free pass to freedom. Fuck school. Trinity raised a brow to the man beside her. "What?" she questioned, looking innocent to the situation. "My client accepts the offer, Judge," the man responded hastily, causing the girl to roll her eyes and lean back further in the chair. "Whatever," she spat.

*******

"Sis you want breakfast?" Trinity heard her brother yell from downstairs. She rolled over in bed, curling her legs to her chest under the covers defiantly. "Fuck you," she screamed from her room. This was his fault. HIS fault she was in this shit-hole to begin with. She had been JUST fine hiding out in her run-down trailer-like shed in the dump. She had been JUST fine to live out her life away from the jerks that lived in the town around them. She had down well to stay away from people up to that point but NOW he had gone and done it. She had done him a solid by hiding and helping him with his shit, and now she was paying for it. So much for brotherly love. Opening her eyes slowly, Trinity peered out from under the blanket. God, she hated him so much right now. She had already sworn off going to classes and actually trying. She had already sworn she would go to jail and be a thousand miles away from her brother. Any where far away from him. Moving back under the covers, she huffed once more. She had gotten her much later than the others, and still had no idea about her room mates. She knew they existed, knew their names, but out of the three days she had been there, she hadn't spoken a word to anyone except for telling her brother to go F himself.

-----------------------------------

OOC; ooc

In the Darkside of the Gardens,

There is so much you find

The only thing you have to lose,

Is a little of your mind.

Come play in my Garden.

[xxLostChildrenxx]

Victor Matthew Vanquez

  Fast. Faster. Faster! A sharp swerve to the left, a spin out to the right. Sirens, flashing lights, the guard rail. The bang. The squealing of tires. Rolling over and over again. Dizziness. Silence. Darkness.


Victor woke up in the hospital, dazed, confused and bitterly unaware of the situation he had found himself in. After three days of stabilizing his body, another two to make sure his broken arm was set right, and another twelve hours to check out, Victor was carted out by two policemen who had been with him since the car crash. Yes, Victor was a bad boy in many regards. A gambler, party boy and overall a Speed Demon, Victor had gotten himself into some serious heat with the law. A car thief by trade, a hot-wirer by profession, Victor had taken up the art of this job completely by mistake. At an early age, Victor had been destined for greatness, and not the path he would later venture down. Born as Tyler Richard Greyson, son of a high and mighty business man, Victor was predestined to take over his father’s computer software company and build it into an even greater fortune. This was apparent by age 15 that Victor had no interest in anything that had to do with computers. Instead, he found his passion in art – namely comic strips. This, of course, was gay to his father, who wouldn’t so much as allow his son to draw a picture for his Mother for Mother’s Day.


Thus began the spiral. By the time Victor hit 16, he was no longer allowed to step foot in his high school, or any high school in the area. After nearly beating another male student to death for calling his artwork for class “a faggot’s portrait”, Victor had been expelled completely from all schools in his area. Instead, he had to attend an alternative school to finish his high school diploma. This, of course made his father more pissed off and liable to ring his scrawny neck, so Victor, on his first day of class, skipped down. He took his mother’s wedding ring, pawned it, and took several thousand dollars in cash. He took his father’s revolver and packed his backpack full of clothes, some food, and a travel map. On his way to the bus stop, Victor broke into a parked car, tried to start it but was caught. Before the owner of the vehicle could catch him, Victor took off. Being an athlete wasn’t really his thing, but being in shape allowed the sixteen year old to escape. He made a mad dash to someone at a stop light, held the woman up at gun point and literally traded places with her in the car.


Victor, against all odds, actually made it out of the city with the stolen car, but had to trade several times in order to make it across state lines safely. Victor found refugee with some local gang members, who hid him from cops who were searching, and taught him all they knew about cars, racing, and changing his name. From Tyler to Victor overnight, they gave him a new name, a new hair color, and a new lease on life. Victor remained with the gang until he was nineteen, and was rather good at his dealings in drugs, cars, and overall getting into trouble. He learned out to be sneaky, not get caught, but still get what we wanted. Victor left the city once more after a falling out with one of his ‘brothers’ in the group. After the heated argument, the fist throwing, and the threats to turn each other in, Victor decided it was best to press onward. He finally got his GED after several months of doing online schoolwork, working odd jobs to pay for bills and a shitty apartment in the ghetto of his new hometown. It was at twenty that Victor actually started a college life, and got his basic A.A. degree, with no claimed major. By this point, though, Victor was already well into his hot wiring career, and still moving around quite a bit to keep from being located.


At twenty-five, Victor had his A.A., was settling into another area, and was making ends meet rather easily. Selling drugs on top of his cars were not very difficult, and eventually he began to start feeling out rivals in his area. With the drugs, it wasn’t so hard to stay on top of things. Most drug dealers left each other alone in their own territories. Not so much with the cars. It wasn’t until Victor got to know someone by the nickname “S” was in it for the same deal. As a new sworn enemy, Victor wasn’t going to lose business to some new kid on the block. Victor worked longer and more strenuous hours to stay on top of his game, and beat the new boy in the city. He managed to, but it came at a high cost. Once the cops were tipped off, there was no going back.


Victor sprang for his car, and took off, never looking back as he sped into the rainy night and onto back roads, leading out of the area. He made it all of about 100 miles, in the windy mountainous roads before the crash occurred. He wasn’t able to steer the wet car around the bend fast enough, knowing the cops were catching up. As the car flipped, Victor’s final thoughts had been that he had won even unto death against all forces of the law. But, such luck was not on his side. The judge banged his gavel and demanded Victor be sent to a delinquent school to straighten himself out. They still hadn’t figured out legally who he was, but even this was bad enough. So, Victor spent the next six months at a school he knew nothing about and completed his first semester alone. Now, at the start of a new school year, Victor was being joined by three others. Two females, one male, two of which being twins. He got along with them the first few days of their arrival, and remained friendly with the new comers. Victor just didn’t like sharing space with people he wasn’t sleeping with, and didn’t particularly like the other male. He couldn’t place why, but just the thought of the male burned Victor up more. Thankfully he was blissfully unaware of who the younger male was.


Victor knocked on the door to the girl’s room, after hearing her scream downstairs to her brother. “Breakfast is downstairs,” he stated, poking his head into the room. Trinity, the female twin, threw a pillow at him. She didn’t snap at him like she did her brother, but she had hardly spoken to any of them in the short time of her being there. She either hated people with a passion, or had it dead set she was going to kill them all in their sleep. Either way, Victor tried to at least remain on relatively good terms with her. Sliding downstairs, Victor said his Good Morning’s to the clan as he spun around the kitchen trying to prepare himself toast with eggs.

[DiamondHeart]

~Scott McCalester~

Scott simply shook his head at his sister's hateful ramblings, "Very nice Trin...You got yourself here...I didn't make you do anything!" He shouted at her. With a sigh, Scott turned back to his cooking. It's true, Scott asked his sister to help him hide, but he didn't force her. Maybe it would have been better if he just left without a word.

"You can't do anything right can you boy?" A harsh voice rang in Scott's ear. He closed his eyes and thought back to the day he came home from military school. "Why don't you just leave...We're better off with out your trouble." Scott could remember how red his father's face was on that day. He had never seen his father so angry. It was almost over night that Scott went from being the favored child to being the shame, the stain on his father's name.

Scott shook his head, bringing himself back to reality and looked down at the eggs in the pan. They were almost done cooking by now. With that thought, Scott looked back and saw Victor had enter the kitchen with him. "Hey...Evidently Trinity isn't hungry...You want some eggs?" He asked his room mate. There was something about the man that didn't sit right with Scott, but he just didn't know what it was. Was it just the fact that he was another criminal living under the same roof as his sister? No, there was something else. Something that just wasn't right. The heat was turned off under the pan, and Scott dished up two plates and put toast on both. "Here..." He offered one plate to Victor, setting it down on the kitchen table and sat down himself with a plate in front of himself.

After finishing breakfast, Scott rose and brought his plate to the sink. It was nearly time to go to his first class here at this new school. It was odd to think about going back to school, going to class, dealing with teachers and a dean. With that thought in his mind, Scott rinsed off his plate and placed the dirty plate in the dishwasher and walked out to the living room where Lilliana still laid with her feet up on the table. He shook his head a little and walked past her, grabbing his bag off the couch.

When reaching for the door knob, Scott felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He turned to look at the stairs leading up to the bedrooms. He let his bag slip off his shoulder and fall tot he floor. It was hard enough that he was a big part of the reason his sister was here, but to just stand around and let her throw everything away? He couldn't stand back and watch her ruin everything like he did. With these thoughts in mind, Scott ascended the stairs and knocked lightly on his sister's bedroom door and opened the door slowly. He waited for a second, then walked in, bracing himself for yelling, or pillows being thrown at him. "Trin..." He walked over and sat on the end of her bed. "Sulking won't help." He leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees and sighed. "I'm sorry Trin...This is my fault." With having said that last statement, he an his fingers through his hair. "All the brooding in the world won't make things better though." He took a deep breath and pressed his hands to his face and pushed them down, trying to wipe away the frustration he felt.

After a few minutes Scott rose from the end of the bed, "I know you said you'd never let a guy take care of you....but can you at least take care of yourself?" He asked his sister and rubbed his hand on the back of his head, slipping his other hand into his pocket. "Look Trin...You want to be better then me...try...I'm gonna be better then I've ever been..." He turned to look at the lump of blankets that covered his sister. "He said a lot of shit to both of us...Do you know how much of a fuck up I was in his mind after getting kicked out of military school?" He shook his head and shrugged, "I'm not him Trin...I know you don't need anyone else, but you sure aren't the sister that I was trying to be better for." With that being said Scott left his sister to sulk alone.

Scott descended the stairs and shook his head seeing the look on his female roommate's face as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. He grabbed his bag and swung it over his shoulder and was off on his way to class.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[DiamondHeart]

~*~Lilliana Marie Carter~*~

Lilliana finished her bagel and closed her eyes. She took in the scents that emerged for the kitchen. The smell reminded her of her last foster home before she ran off on her own. 

"Damn it kid!" A plate crashed to the ground, "What the hell are you doing?!" Memories flooded into Lilli's mind. "I...I'm sorry...." The trembling voice of a little girl rang through clearly in her memories, and so did the angry voice that replied, "You're worthless! You can't even make a pan of some damn scrambled eggs!?" The sound of a slap echoed and startled Lilli to return to reality. Lilliana sat up on the couch and straightened her shirt out over herself. "Damn it." She said softly looking at the glass of milk she had just knocked over with her foot. Lilli stood up from the couch and walked into the kitchen and grabbed a roll of paper towel and ripped off a few sheets.

After cleaning up the milk, Lilli sat on the couch once again. She ran her fingers through her hair and sat back again, closing her eyes for only a moment. She heard Scott walk by and grab his bag, but she did not open her eyes until she heard his bag drop to the floor. The sound startled her back to the conscious world and she looked to the door. Scott had already made his way to the stairs and began his ascent. Lilli sat up and grabbed the paper towel from the table and walked to the kitchen.

Lilliana walked gracefully with her bare feet hardly making a sound on the kitchen tiles. Her head was in a bit of a fog so she hardly noticed that she was holding a pile of damp paper towels. Eventually she shook herself back to reality and took a deep breathe. She composed herself and opened the cabinet under the sink and threw away the paper towels, then turned to the sink and started the water. Lilliana rinsed off her fingers and dried her hands then turned and noticed Victor, "Oh...sorry..." She walked over to the coffee maker and got it ready to brew, "You want some coffee?" She asked him, pulling herself back together with her normal smile and 'sweet girl' act.

Manipulation was Lilliana's specialty, it was just so much fun. She found it easy as long as one thought of it as being  a game. Lilli's whole life had become a game with someone else running the levels. Even though she had actually been in control in most of her life, lilli lately felt like she had no control, especially being put into this school.

Lilliana placed a couple mugs on the counter and pulled the cream out from the fridge, then opened the cabinet and sighed. "Of course." She stood up on her tip toes and reached for the sugar up on the top shelf. Much to her dismay, Lilliana was unable to reach the sugar. She looked at what she was wearing and debated on if it was a good idea to sit on the kitchen counter in a pair of mini pj shorts and a tight blue tank top. She then turned around and saw Victor, "Hi." She smiled playfully, "Could you reach the sugar...I'm a little too short...and I'd really rather not sit on the kitchen counter in these pjs." She asked him in such a sweet voice, the sweet innocent smile still played on her lips.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[xxLostChildrenxx]

Trinity Carson McCalester

“Scotty, there’s a monster under my bed,” “All right, Sis, I’ll take care of it. Lay back down and go to sleep.” A flashlight. Rustling of the bed covers, and a plop to the floor. The little girl curled up against the covers, cowering in fear at the thought that the monster was going to eat him. It wasn’t until a little boy’s face popped back up over the side of the bed, and Scott smiled over at her. “There you go, all taken care of. The boogeyman won’t bother you anymore,”

************************ 

“Very nice, Trin…You got yourself here…I didn’t make you do anything!” the male’s voice shot back up at her. Trinity hissed, though he couldn’t hear her downstairs, and rolled back over. Pulling the quilt over her eyes, she hid there, as though her dark room would protect her from her duties for the day. It wasn’t until the older male, Victor, entered her room and spoke to her in his deep voice. “Breakfast is downstairs,” he had offered, receiving a pillow next to his head. Trinity had heard him chuckle, which ticked her off more, but allowed him to leave the room and could hear his loud footsteps as he trudged downstairs. Sitting up as the room became silent again, Trinity trailed one hand across her opposite wrist, allowing the bumps of her scars to fall along her fingertips as a reminder to how dangerous she truly was. She’d never be the tough biker chick like the female downstairs. She would never be a cold hearted bad boy like Victor seemed to be. She was simply holding onto the notion that as long as she believed she was badass, she would be. Dressing to show off her body, acting like she had all the confidence in the world. Trinity snorted at the thought.


She was a liar. Plan and simple. She was a liar. “Daddy, don’t make him leave,” her mind whispered out to their father. “You can’t do anything right can you boy?” the man had screamed, a rageful fit that could have cost Scott a lot more physical damage. Trinity didn’t exactly get between the two, but she had begged her father not to send her twin away from the house. At least, in her own mind, that was a way of protecting him. She couldn’t do much else. And that was Trinity’s demon. She spent her whole life proving she was on top, when inside she was no where near the surface of the water. Pulling herself from her own thoughts, Trinity threw the remaining pillow at the dresser on the opposite wall. Downstairs, the crash of items could be heard, but only received a shrug from Victor. “She’s going to be a tough one to crack,” he stated as he ate, his eyes focusing on the female near him. “But, not so much more than you.”


Trinity was debating jumping out the window and high tailing it down the street to freedom when she heard the knock on her door. Her brother’s face entered the room, and it took Trinity everything she had not to jump at him and claw his pretty-boy face in. As he sat on her bed, the female went livid, although she allowed him the freedom to speak without protest. “Sulking won’t help,” he started, to which she gave him a deadly glare. “No shit,” she wanted to snap at him, “I’m sulking because I got nothing fucking better to do,” Although she kept her mouth shut, Trinity remained tense as he continued. “I’m sorry, Trin…This is my fault.” Oh, okay, now we’re going through pity mode. That was her job. Not his. “All the brooding in the world won’t make things better though,” Trinity folded her arms over her chest, and lowered her eyebrows at him. It was the way she used to sulk as a kid, when Scott didn’t do something she liked. “It helps,” she stated softly, her voice neither friendly nor cold.


As she relaxed once he took a breath, Trinity fought the urge to reach out a hand to her brother. The child in her only wanted to make it right, to cuddle up to him and hide from the boogeyman again. But, she knew better. Here in the world she had chosen to live in, she had to remain cold and unmoving. Any sign of weakness would mean death by the pack of wolves. “Take care of yourself,” Scotty was continuing, snapping Trinity out of her dilemma. “Try to be better than me,” came the challenge that Trinity fought not to slap him upside the head for.


As he left, Trinity waited a good few minutes before silently climbing out of bed. His words mulled in her mind as she finally got dressed, did makeup, and descended the stairs for the first time that morning. Victor looked up from his spot at the table, raising a brow to the young woman’s entrance. “Well, Sleeping Beauty finally decided to join the Seven Dwarves,” he stated, a friendly smile on his face. Trinity snapped at him for the comment, but the male only chuckled to himself as she grabbed a protein bar from their pathetically laid out pantry. “You’re late! You’re late! For a very important date! No time to say hello, goodbye! You’re late, you’re late, you’re late!” Victor called to the girl mockingly as she went back upstairs to get her belongings for the day. “You’re so immature!” she shot back down at him, still receiving the grinning looking from Victor below. It wasn’t until she gathered her backpack and slung it over one shoulder that Trinity took off from the housing and towards the class buildings.

-----------------------------------

OOC; ooc

In the Darkside of the Gardens,

There is so much you find

The only thing you have to lose,

Is a little of your mind.

Come play in my Garden.

[xxLostChildrenxx]

Victor Matthew Vanquez

  Accepting the meal from Scott wasn’t so much of a big deal to the older male, who thanked his ‘friend’ with mustered warmth. Although he had no reason to dislike the twins, Victor was still uneasy with another male in the house. Sure, he had two females he could easily bed without trouble, but it would be the male twin that would get in the way of any sexual interests he could even hope to form towards either of the two females. Speaking of… Victor’s eyes turned to Lilliana on the couch, raising a brow as she kicked over a glass of milk.

He would’ve offered to help, but she was capable of cleaning up the slight mess herself, and allowed her to as he watched Scott’s desperate attempts at helping his sister. It wasn’t going to work, and clearly the two had a lot of differences to settle between themselves. Victor crossed his arms and leaned against the counter as he watched his roommates interact. Sure, he had to head off to class, but watching their reactions to life around them fully interested the male. No, he had nothing to do with psychology, but was curious to watch and learn from his counterparts as they stressed about their own lives.

After Scott disappeared up the stairs, Victor set about cleaning some of the dishes and counters off to make the place at least look liveable. He hated dirty housing, even if he was a male. It wasn’t until he heard Lilliana move that he turned around to watch her throw away the towel in her hand. She seemed lost in the world as he moved away from the sink to let her throw away her disposables. “Oh…sorry….” She was now saying to him, to which he shrugged his shoulders. He had to put up with them, live with them, so the least they could do was to get along. “You want some coffee?” she asked, as he returned to the sink to finish what he was doing. “Sure, thanks,” his deep voice grumbled as her attitude changed back to the playgirl act. He knew this act well, and was quite good at playing it himself. How else was he to bed chicks if he didn’t give them exactly what they wanted to see and hear?

“You’re such a faggot,” his father’s voice whispered in his ear, although they had both known from an early age that the boy was interested in both genders. Victor flinched at the thought of his broken father. But, that’s where everyone’s pain stemmed from, no? Broken families, wounds given to them by parents; especially fathers. Hearing the woman’s voice again, Victor turned to look at her. “Could you reach the sugar…” she started, to which Victor turned and got a paper towel to dry his hands before she continued. “I’m a little too short…and I’d really rather not sit on the counter in these pjs,” she cooed, her voice flowing like honey. An act that made Victor want to throw her on the ground for. That, or turn her over and take her right there, showing her what it truly meant to be submissive to a guy and not act like he wasn’t in control. Victor froze for a moment after throwing away the towel. This wasn’t him. Violence towards girls wasn’t his thing, but then again, she was starting to irritate him with this coy behavior. That seemed as though she were trying to play some sort of game with him.

Victor moved to her side, gently moving her away from the open cabinet door as he reached up. As his arm went up, so did the side of his shirt, revealing the well muscular and toned chest that lay underneath. Hardly seeming to notice, Victor retrieved the jar for the girl, and brought his hand down. As he extended his hand to present it to her, his eyes met hers and he stared at her for half a second. “As you wish,” he stated slowly, his lips remaining in a solid position. As she took the jar, Victor returned to his place near the sink, just as Trinity half bounded out the door. She didn’t really stop to say hi or speak with them, but Victor called out a goodbye to the female as she slammed the door behind her. “That’s probably our cue to get going soon as well. I’m going to find my textbooks,” he told Lilliana, as he made his way to the other room to gather the books he had placed on the bookshelf.

As he reappeared carrying the only two books he needed, Victor sat the table as he waited for the coffee. It wasn’t going to take long, and it was the perfect chance to just relax for a bit before class. After finishing the coffee in silence, Victor thanked the female for brewing him a cup as he poured it into a to-go cup and screwed on a lid. “I gotta head to class, but we should all four go out to dinner tonight and get to know each other. I don’t want there to be bad blood – or games – between any of us while we’re here. We’re stuck with each other, and those twins, so let’s all figure out our house rules, and how to get along,” Victor stated to the girl, thanking her again as he picked up his two books and headed out the door.

[DiamondHeart]

~Scott McCalester~

Scott Walked into his first class of the day, Law Enforcement 101. There were only a couple other students in his class, so either not a lot of other criminals wanted to be law enforcement, or they didn't accept many others. Whatever the reason there were only another 5 or 6 students in the class. This may make things easier for him to get through the year without having too much trouble. That or there may be a few people who decide they want to try and beat him up for this. 

"Momma's boy want to go home?" A teenage boy's voice pierced Scott's ears, "Shut up!" Scott yelled back, his fists clenched tightly. "Aww momma's boy gonna cry? Why don't you run home to your mo-" The older boy was quickly silenced by Scott's fist colliding with his face. " I told you to shut up!" Scott yelled again. The older boy began to rise to his feet 4 other teenage boys surrounded the two, "Come on Tyler...Don't let this little punk get away with that!" One of the other boys said. The one named 'Tyler' rose fully to his feet and lunged at Scott. Scott stepped to the side and elbowed the boy in the back maying him cry out as he fell to the ground. "Please don't get up." Scott pleaded with the upperclassmen. Tyler stayed on the ground, in too much pain from the blow to his back. The one who had yelled at Tyler before clenched his fist, "Your gonna pay for that brat." Scott stepped back, tripping the boy, causing him to fall and hit his head on the brick wall and fall unconscious. "Please just leave me alone." Scott's voice cracked as he began to panic. The other three looked at their friends on the ground and then turned their attention to Scott. "Get him!" One of them yelled two of them came after Scott. At this point Scott blacked out and when he came back to reality he saw all five boys on the ground. He felt his heart pounding in his ears and he looked around. His heart rate rose when he saw the sergeant walking up to him, a stern look on his face. "I knew you'd be trouble boy..." The sergeant grabbed the back of Scott's shirt and escorted him off the school grounds. He threw Scott's duffle bag out to the street and slammed the gates shut, "You can find your way home boy...Trouble always find its way back...Just like an unwanted dog." The sergeant turned and walked back to the military school.

About a hour after Scott started wandering down the road, he saw headlights approaching from behind him. He stopped and moved to the side of the road. The car pulled to a stop next to him, and the window rolled down. A woman was inside in the driver's seat. "Come on Scotty, hop in..." The woman sounded kind. Scott looked at the woman and sighed, "Just leave me alone Claire...I can make it home on my own just fine." The woman sighed softly, "Come on Scotty, you really can't just wonder around at night...I have a wash cloth in here, you can clean up and I'll take you home." The woman seemed so caring, how could Scott know she was the devil incarnate. Scott reluctantly got into the car and buckled his seat belt, accepting the wash cloth the woman had offered. She was older then him, but only by about 6 or 7 years. She was a gorgeous blonde with stunning blue eyes, most guys would go crazy giving her all kinds of attention, but Scott didm't care, she was his father's arm candy.

They drove for about 30 minutes before the woman pulled the car over into a closed gas station. "What's up Claire, I thought we were going home?" He asked her. The woman laughed softly and looked over at Scott and bit her lip softly. "Listen Scott...Your father is..." She placed her hand on his leg and pushed it up. "What are you doing Claire, get off of me." He pushed her hand off. The woman laughed softly, "Come on Scotty..." She plead and placed her hand even farther up his leg. "Claire what the hell?" He tried to move back, but there wasn't room, "If you don't get off I swear I'll sm-" Scott was startled silent when Clair lunged at him and their lips met. Claire pushed Scott back against the seat and crawled on top of him. Without thinking Scott pushed her back with all the force he could muster, causing her to hit her head on the window, blood ran down the side of her head. He was able to open the door and fell out of the car. "C-Claire..." He began to shake, his heart was pounding again. Relief swept over him when Clair began to push herself up. "You little shit...I could rock your world...now you can sit and rot here..." She closed the car door and locked it. Scott stood back as she sped off into the night. Scott's entire body was shaking from the adrenaline. What had just happened to him?! First the military academy then this? Why was this happening to him? 

Scott took a deep breath and walked down the hall to his next class. Thankfully he only actually had two. It was strange enough to be back in school, but having more then one class would make things even worse. A couple girls winced at Scott as he walked by and he nodded in acknowledgement, but did nothing more. On to First Aid class. It would be a necessity to the degree he was going for. One male student walking down the hall in the opposite direction of Scott, knocked his shoulder into Scott with enough force to knock Scott into the wall. "Psh..." The other student looked back at Scott and shook his head. Scott clenched his fist, but took a deep breath and stood up, brushing himself off. Once he was in class, Scott set everything he'd need out on the desk and sat at the ready to learn. He didn't used to be this guy. He felt like such a nerd, actually getting excited for class.

After the class finished, Scott made his way back to the house. The guy that bumped into him in the hall stood outside at the base of the school steps, leaning up against the statue. "Hey pretty boy..." He pushed himself off the statue and followed after Scott, "Better be careful here...Pretty boys tend to get cut up pretty bad here...Better watch your step with those girls...Wouldn't want you to get hurt too bad." Scott turned around after they got a ways away from the school and saw the other male student still following him, "Can I help you asshole?" He asked, then stopped seeing the other male student's face, "What do you want?" He asked, recognizing the male as an old 'friend' from his hot-wiring days. "Just having a conversation Pretty boy...Is something wrong with that?" He asked with a mischievous smile on his face. "Oh...How's that hot piece of ass twin sister of yours?" He asked with a chuckle, "Mmmmm...I'd love to hit that...So sweet...I bet I could make her scream real good." He laughed when he saw the murderous look in Scott's eye. "Go near her and I'll be sure to shove your head so far up your ass, you'll need surgery to remove it." The other male's expression grew serious for a moment, then he smiled again. "Oh you can try pretty boy...I'll have your sister on her back faster then yo-" Scott's fist collided wight he other male's face, forcing him to the ground. Scott continued to punch the other male's face, pulling him up to meet his fist with every punch. He stopped after a couple punches and stood up. The other male laid on the ground and coughed up blood. "Fuck...pretty boy..." The man passed out before he could finish. Scott stepped back and looked at his bloody hands, "Shit...Had to start talking about like that didn't you?" He asked and looked around. No one was around thankfully. Scott reached down and pulled the other student off the ground. He pulled him over his shoulders into a firemen carry and brought him over to the dorms that the male student lived in. One of his friends came down and grabbed him. "My bad dude...Not a word again." The male student woke up just as Scott passed him off. Scott nodded to him. With that Scott had established dominance with at least one other student.

Scott reached the house and walked in, dropping his bag to the floor by the entrance and walked to the upstairs bathroom. He turned on the water for the shower and let it heat up. After the bathroom began to steam up, Scott pulled his clothes off and slipped into the shower. The hot water began to melt away the tension he felt. Every muscle fiber slowly stopped firing and he was able to relax.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[DiamondHeart]

~*~Lilliana Marie Carter~*~

Lilliana sighed, "Well that's no fun." She said softly, grabbing her coffee. "How about a good home cooked meal." She yelled after him as she watched him walk out the door with a soft sigh. "No games huh?" She asked softly, clicking her finger nails softly on the porcelain mug in her hand. It was a simple request to make with most people, but Lilliana was not like most people. Her whole life had been nothing but games. Well more or less. In all honesty, Lilliana no longer knew who she really was. She had made up many personalities, many lives just to escape the cards she had been dealt. It was her specialty, her craft. She was a con artist through and through, to ask for no games from someone like her was like asking a leopard to change it's spots.

Lilliana thanked her stars that her classes didn't actually start until later in the after noon, even better was the fact that she only had one class today. So she had the whole morning to plan a nice little home cooked meal, or do what she needed to. It was her time to be alone with her thoughts. "I don’t want there to be bad blood – or games – between any of us while we’re here" Victor's words played back to her, what was running through his head? Did he really just want to have everything go so smoothly? Or was he playing? She knew the normal type that he looked like, but anyone can become someone else as Lilli had learned well.

"Lilli come on quick!!!" A young girl yelled to Lilliana. She could hear the sound of her feet hitting the dirt with every stride. Lilliana could feel her heart pounding not only in her chest and head, but also in her stomach. It was the strangest feeling, the burning in her legs, yet she felt almost nothing. All she could think of was running. "Lilli come on!" The young girl yelled again. "I'm coming Tonya!" Lilliana replied, panting slightly as she did. "AHH!!!" The scream escaped her lips as she stubbed her toe on the rock and fell to the ground. She sat up, grabbing her foot and felt tears begin to fill her eyes. "Wow Lilli, your such a baby." A little boy, not much older, said these taunting words to her. "Shut up Kyle!" She yelled at him, pushing him over, then got up and hoped over to a tree and leaned against it.

Eventually, another little girl walked up to Lilliana and put her arm around her waist to help Lilliana stand, "Thank you Heather." Lilliana said with a little smile. Heather sighed softly, "Lil...you can't be a little girl in the system..." She said bluntly, "These other kids will eat you alive." Heather had become like an older sister to Lilliana. It was hard for Lilliana not to look up to Heather when she was the only one who had been nice to her, ever.

Years later, Lilliana and Heather were still in the same home with 7 other children, different tags, different genders. Heather and Lilliana had become inseparable. One day, the two were hanging out in the old barn at the back of the foster home they were in. The foster parents were out of town and put two boys in charge. Lilliana was 15 at the time, and this was the point where she really began to distrust people. Heather looked at Lilliana and smiled, "Hey Lil...What do you think? The boys are going to throw a party here in the barn...I think it'll be fun." Heather was 17 at the time and her idea of fun had become much different than Lilliana's, but being the obedient little sister that she had become, she went along with everything, "Yeah Heather." She nodded, "That sounds like fun." The boys yelled in excitement and danced off to call and invite people to come over. Lilliana looked at Heather, "Do you really think it's ok...I mean are we gonna be safe?" Heather sighed at Lilliana's questioning. "Of course it'll be fine...I'd never let anything happen to you." Heather smiled sweetly and stoked Lilliana's hair, brushing it back behind her ear. "There...Much better, your so pretty Lilliana." Heather's smile became just a little colder, but Lilliana trusted her friend so much, she never noticed the small change.

Guests began to arrive. Most were in high school, but some were college age. Heather's immediate reaction to seeing how many boys there were was not a surprise. She cooed over them, made sure to flirt with every one of them, and even a couple girls. Lilliana sat on a pile of straw in the back of the barn, away from all the action. She really didn't feel like she belonged at the time. Everyone else was having fun, but Lilliana instead felt out of place. Feeling the unease rise inside her, Lilliana dropped herself down from the straw pile and walked toward the house. She couldn't even hear Heather calling out to her since the music was so loud, even though Heather was no more then 20 feet from her. With the feeling of unease building inside, Lilliana reached for the doorknob to the house and walked inside. The party had spread everywhere, there didn't seem to be a single corner that wasn't occupied. Lilliana walked up to her room which was surprisingly and thankfully unoccupied. Her and Heather shared the room and it was rather obvious whose side was whose. Lillian's side of the room was decorated with blue and purple flower posters, and a couple bands. Where Heather's side was decorated with pictures of half naked guys and girls.

Lilliana placed her headphones on over her ears and laid back on the end of her bed. Her eyes closed, she could feel the unease begin to melt away until she heard the door open. It must have been loud for her to have actually heard it through her headphones. The sound had surprised Lilliana back into the conscious world and she looked to the door. Heather stumbled in drunk with two guys, one high school senior and one college freshmen. "Oh Lil..." Heather spoke, her words slurred. "This is Bobby...and Michael..." She smiled rubbing her hand on Michael although she was holding Bobby's hand tightly. "Um...Hi..." Lilliana sat up. Michael was definitely the cute one and was obviously the one Heather had her eye on, but he didn't seem to have interest in Heather at all. "I'm sorry...I can go..." Lilliana said, rising from the end of her bed. She set her headphones down and started toward the door. Michael closed the door before Lilliana could leave, "I'm so sorry...I think we may have startled you...Your welcome to stay...I'm sure I could find some reason for you to be here." Michael played with her tank top strap. "Um no...That's alright...I really should go." Lilliana turned to the door and bean to open it, but it was slammed shut. Lilliana tried to open the door, but found it was being held shut. When she looked to investigate, she saw Michael's arm next to her head, his hand pressed firmly against the door. "She's just as pretty as you said Heather..." Lilliana turned around quickly and was met with Michael's face only inches away, his free hand moved to hold her chin up. "Very pretty..." He smiled mischievously. Lilliana moved back as close to the door as she could to try and get away. She looked over at Heather who just smirked coldly, then walked over and locked the bedroom door. "Heather..." Lilliana was shocked to say the least, the look of panic in her eyes just seemed to make Heather even happier, "Yeah...Very pretty...and she's all yours." Heather walked back over to her bed, pulling Bobby along behind her. "What!?" Lilliana felt her heartbeat quicken. She looked back to Michael who was licking his lips as if he was dehydrated and she was a glass of cold fresh water.

The sound of pounding echoed through the school's gym. "Hiya!" The pounding continued as an angry voice echoed. Lilliana continued to play the childhood memory, she could feel the rage building in her, and it was erupting through her fists. With every pound against the punching bag, she could feel the fire burning inside her chest. She had been going after the punching bag for close to a hour with no sign of stopping. Her muscles were beginning to fatigue, but her mind was so shut off that her body was numb to the pain, even the pain in her raw bloodied knuckles. "It's all just a game...You play it your best...Survival is winning..." She said softly to herself continuing to slam her fists against the punching bag.

After a little while, Lilliana moved back from the bag and took in a few deep breathes, then looked at the clock. He art class started in one hour. Seeing the time, Lilliana grabbed her gym bag and walked into the girl's locker room and washed off, after which she got dressed and put on her makeup. She may have been a bad ass, but she didn't always feel much like one. It was another act, just a role to play.

After finishing art class, Lilliana left the school and went off to the store to pick up some groceries. With everything having been picked up, Lilliana drove carefully back to the house and unloaded everything, including the two cases of beer and couple bottles of wine she had picked up from the liquor store. immediately after bringing the groceries into the house, Lilliana began to unload the bags. The next thing she heard was the sound of the front door slamming and a book bag hit the ground, "Welcome home." She said softly under her breath, knowing it was Scott since he had down that same thing earlier. She turned on the sink and began to wash vegetables, so she didn't hear the shower start up. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[xxLostChildrenxx]

Trinity Carson McCalester

“He’s a killer, a cold blooded killer. Nothing more,” an adult’s voice whispered in her ear as Trinity sulked into her crime class. “You and him make a great team,” came another mocking voice in her head as she took the furthest seat in the back of the room. “He kills for you, and you do the CSI work of figuring out how they died. Then, you cover his tracks and save his ass,” Trinity pulled a notebook from her backpack silently as the voices continued to plague her. She swore some days she was going insane and would eventually end up in a mental institution with all those voices floating around her thoughts at a constant time frame. “Can I borrow a pen? I seemed to have forgotten mine at home,” a voice suddenly rang out, pulling Trin from her thoughts. Her eyes focused on the desk in front of her, and the male who was kneeling backwards on his chair to talk to her.


A pen? Sure, whatever. Anything to get him out of her hair. Reaching into the front pocket of her backpack, Trinity pulled out a black pen and held it out to the boy silently. She raised a brow at him, expecting him to take it and be done with the ordeal. Instead, the male took her by the wrist, an turned it over so her palm was facing upwards. “Mmmm, aren’t you a pretty little thing,” he swooned as his eyes looked over her face, and then down her chest. Trinity rolled her eyes, unafraid of the male as he stroked the center of her wrist with the thumb of his hand. What was he expecting? Her to be seduced and just jump on his lap and take him right there in the classroom? Yes, that’s totally how she worked. She was going to strip all the way down and jump on a random guy’s lap and have fun right there during the first day of class. That was completely how it was done.


Trinity simply didn’t respond to the male’s advances as he cooed over her, asking her to return to his place later that day. She shrugged, forcing her hand out of his. “Sorry, I’m lesbian,” she stated in a monotone voice that threw off the male. Not knowing if she was serious or not, he tried to laugh it off and try again. Instead, Trinity held up two fingers into a V shape and flicked her tongue between them. The male’s face squinted in disgust and he got up and went to another seat near another hot chick. Trinity smirked at her accomplishment, and settled back down to get through class. It wasn’t an awful first day. She really enjoyed crime scenes and solving crimes, so the major she was moving towards was going to be something she truly was passionate about. And, something she could excel against her brother in.


The female left class first after the professor dismissed them from his sight, and slid down the hallway before anyone could stop to speak with her. She had done very well of remaining in her vow of silence until she approached the second classroom door. It was here that another female approached, as if she was bound and determined to be best friends and gossip about boys in PJs on their beds late at night. “Hi! My names Amber, we have both classes together!” she gushed excitedly. Trinity stared at her blankly. Okay? And? That didn’t constitute them being BFF’s. What could this girl have done to get her in such a place? She was way too peppy and innocent looking. Trinity gave a half smile as she slid around the girl and into the classroom. Sliding into a seat, she tensed as Amber slid into the seat next to her. Really? They were going to play this game? Amber began talking to her, telling her about herself and why she had chosen a major to try to become a CSI. Trinity allowed the female to speak, but she hardly heard a word that the woman said.


Instead, she could feel her blood begin to boil and a surge of energy rush through her. After living with a twin all her life, and being convinced of their telepathic powers, Trin knew that the sudden adrenaline rush and anger wasn’t necessarily her own emotions. Scott was up to something, as he always was, and apparently he had gotten himself into more trouble than he had expected on his first day. Standing up, Trinity looked down at Amber for a moment, debating on how she was going to handle the girl. Ripping out a piece of paper from her notebook and scribbling a number, she handed it to the girl. “This is the dorm I stay in. Get me the notes for this class and I’ll have lunch with you sometime and we can bond over girl food. I have something urgent to take care of,” she said quickly, not really giving Amber adequate time to respond as she dashed out of the room with her bag.


Breaking into a run once she was safely out of the school building, Trinity ignored the stares of other students as she sprinted across the yard and journeyed towards home. As she was dashing along the sidewalk, not paying attention, Trin ran straight into another student. Stumbling backwards, she was about to spit venom into the creature’s face for slowing her down, until her eyes focused on who it was. “Oh, Victor,” she stated in surprise as the male raised a brow, holding both hands over each of her arms to keep her steady. “Woah, you okay? Where are you off to in such a hurry?” he asked, worried that something had happened to her on her first day. With a school of bad children, it was very common for a lot of the girls to get messed with by guys. And only certain girls could actually handle it. Victor was worried Trinity was one of the ones who would have trouble with being approached. “Scott needs me,” was her only response, as she tried to maneuver around the male without further questions.


Victor held her back a moment, looking into her eyes with concern, trying to find the reason she was so agitated with getting back home. They clearly didn’t get along or like each other. “Can I go back with you?” he asked, wanting to protect his roommates from whatever it was that was upsetting them. Trinity shrugged. “I don’t fucking care what you do, as long as you let me go,” she retorted, backing up slightly to release his grip on her. Victor nodded, and allowed her to lead the way back to their room. Turning the key in the lock, Victor swung open the door to their dorm and allowed Trinity access to enter first. She did, but cautiously, as though she expected a murder scene and blood to be everywhere throughout their Headquarters. Tilting her head a moment to listen to where her brother could be, she decided to head upstairs to check his room. As she went up, she tossed her bag back down, not hesitating as Victor caught it and put it on the stand beside the door.


He went to the kitchen himself, with a sigh and a hand through his hair. Upon seeing the other female, he froze a moment. “Seems like everyone is rotating on the same schedule regardless of if they planned it or not,” he stated to get her attention so he didn’t sneak up on her at the sink. Women were scary with knives nearby. “Went shopping, hm?” he asked, clearly seeing the answer since there was now vegetables in her hand that weren’t in the house before they left. He approached to help, making his intentions clear before he moved so he wouldn’t get himself hit if she thought he was trying to make a pass at her.


Trinity moved up the stairs quickly, throwing Scott’s bedroom door open to check for him. Instead of her brother being there, the room was dark. It was only as she was turning around that Trinity’s ears picked up the sound of the shower. Following the noise, the woman approached the door, leaning her forehead against the closed barrier for a moment to determine what she really wanted to do. Let her defenses down and check on him? Remain cold and uncaring to keep him out of her mind so he couldn’t toy with it? After some debating internally, Trinity chose an option she knew she would regret later. Trying the handle of the door, she was rather surprised to see it unlocked. He probably didn’t expect anyone else to be home anyway. Sliding quietly into the bathroom and steam, she closed the door just as silently and pushed her back against it. Sliding down to the floor, she remained there for a few moments, debating what she was going to say or do. The steam was warm on her skin as it filled the room and had very little room to escape.


It wasn’t until she heard the shower being turned off that she decided to speak. Of course she didn’t really want him to walk out stark naked in front of her. Although, she supposed in reality it didn’t really matter. They grew up together and saw each other naked thousands of times as kids. They truly didn’t believe in clothing from the ages of 3 to 7. “Something happened,” she stated, knowing she had startling him behind the curtain. Hopefully he would at least know her voice and wouldn’t throw something at her for being in there. “Someone pissed you off again, huh? You know, stupid, you can’t keep-” Trinity caught herself degrading him again, and sighed. She couldn’t approach with this tactic or they would never get anywhere. “Scotty….” She started again, curling her knees to her chest for the emotional protection she needed. She hated more than anything to drop defenses and be vulnerable to anyone, especially to him. “I’m losing you,” she stated softly, her eyes fixed on the tile floor of the bathroom.

-----------------------------------

OOC; ooc

In the Darkside of the Gardens,

There is so much you find

The only thing you have to lose,

Is a little of your mind.

Come play in my Garden.

[xxLostChildrenxx]

Victor Matthew Vanquez

 A home cooked meal? Victor thought back a moment as he realized he hadn’t known a home cooked meal since the night he ran away from home, all those years ago. The thought toyed around in his mind for a bit as he tried to process exactly what a home cooked meal actually was. He made his way to class with the thought of steaming food in his mind, which reminded his stomach that he wanted this home cooked meal sometime.

Content in his Biology class as he continued to think about the food he so desperately missed. He paid attention to his professor and contributed to the lesson, but the one and a half hour class was way too long for the male who was now convinced he had been missing out on something fantastic for the past few years of his life.



After the class ended, Victor stood up to leave. Gathering his two textbooks, he headed out the door and towards his rather short Humanities class. Just outside the door to the room, Victor heard his name being yelled out from down the hall. A female hailed him, and approached him casually, leaning against the wall as she looked him in the eye. This girl, Mary, was a good foot shorter than himself, with long red hair and emerald green eyes. This was one of the girls Victor had slept with on numerous occasions, when he needed a bed partner. “Hey, sexy,” she cooed, snuggling up close to his chest as though they were romantically involved. Victor allowed it, but didn’t make a motion to embrace her. Instead, he waited until she let go of her own accord and took a step back to look him over.


“My, my, Vic, you look handsome today,” she purred, running a stray hand down his arm. ‘Oh, boy,’ Victor thought, ‘here we go.’ Mary stared up at him with hungry eyes, almost convincing the man that she was going to literally devour him. “Want to come by my place tonight? I don’t have my roommates here yet, and I’ll be free until they arrive tomorrow evening,” she pleaded, her hand now down his shirt. Victor gave her a cunning smile, pressing forward and pinning her to the wall. She loved it. “I’ll see what I can do for you, hm?” he whispered in her ear, taking care to nibble slightly before releasing her to her own devices. He turned then, and went inside his classroom, leaving the female to stand there burning for more than just a bite of the ear.


After his Humanities course, Victor returned to the court yard and began making his way to the Café on campus. He wanted a light snack, or something to just keep him moving and not thinking about the home cooked meal he was still craving like mad. It wasn’t until someone bumped into his chest, that he caught the female before she fell to the ground. “Trinity?” he asked in confusion as she seemed distraught and quick to get away. “I need to get to Scott,” she was saying, causing Victor to offer to return home with her. She was mean about allowing him to follow, but not resilient, which was a bit of a reassuring sign that she wasn’t completely heartless.


Victor went with Trinity, and together they headed back to the dorm room. After struggling a moment with his keys, Victor moved aside to let the female enter first, and closed the door behind them after they both were inside. Trinity threw her backpack back down, causing Victor to react and catch it before it hit the ground. He placed it on the table beside the door and headed to the kitchen. He went to the kitchen himself, with a sigh and a hand through his hair. Upon seeing the other female, he froze a moment. “Seems like everyone is rotating on the same schedule regardless of if they planned it or not,” he stated to get her attention so he didn’t sneak up on her at the sink. Women were scary with knives nearby. “Went shopping, hm?” he asked, clearly seeing the answer since there was now vegetables in her hand that weren’t in the house before they left. He approached to help, making his intentions clear before he moved so he wouldn’t get himself hit if she thought he was trying to make a pass at her.


As he approached, he nodded towards the grocery bags. “Anything you want help with? Putting things away?” he asked, leaning against the counter next to her. He paused for a moment, determining what he could do to help without being prompted, before moving over to the groceries and picking up the plastic bags that were now empty. “These will be good to save for trash bags,” he said softly, putting them in one of the lower cabinets. Pulling some chips out of the cabinet above, and salsa out of the pantry, he placed both into two separate bowls. “Fiesta tonight, then?” he asked to the girl behind him, willing to help her if she needed it to make food or anything else she would require of him.

[DiamondHeart]

~Scott McCalester~

Scott closed his eyes, allowing the stress to further melt away. After having been in the shower for 15 minutes just letting the water run over his shoulders and down his back, looked at his hands, still stained slightly with blood. There was no doubt in his mind that his clothes probably had blood on them as well. The blood in his clothes would be harder to get out then the blood that stained his skin. Scott took another deep breath, allowing the steam to clear his head. He grabbed a bar of soap and scrubbed the blood from his hands, face, and neck. His eyes fixed on the blood and soap mix as it ran down the shower drain.

Once he was convinced he was cleaned, he reached for the handle and slowly turned off the water. Not long after which he heard his sister's voice, "Something happened." Although he knew it was his sister, she still startled him. When she made her statement he thought she was referring to something happening to herself. Scott reached his hand up quickly to the curtain and stopped when she continued, “Someone pissed you off again, huh? You know, stupid, you can’t keep-” A sigh of relief escaped his lips when she began talking about him. He reached his arm out for the towel on the counter and paused for a moment hearing her call him 'Scotty', she hadn't actually called him Scotty in years, no one had. He took hold of the towel and brought it back to his body, wrapping it around his lower half.

"I'm losing you." This statement echoed loudly in his ears. Scott sighed softly and climbed out of the shower and looked over at his sister who was slumped down to the floor against the door. It was true they had seen each other naked before but she hadn't seen him in a long time, he had scars and burn marks on his chest since he was 18, so he usually wore a t-shirt around Trinity. "Trin..." Scott grabbed a hand towel and rubbed it on his hair to dry his hair a little bit. He sat against the wall next to Trinity and placed his head back, closing his eyes, "I've been lost for a long time...and I never should have asked you for help." He took a deep breathe. "If I had just left when I was 16...if I never came home...I messed up Trin...real bad." He let out a deep sigh, and turned his head to look at his sister. "Sorry Trin...I...He threatened to..." Scott clenched his fist and looked away from her quickly, "I almost beat him to death...Almost blacked out again...I don't know what to do." He took another deep breathe, "I know you don't want a man to protect you, but I'm your brother Trin...It's my job. The job mom gave me before she..." Scott stood up, grabbing his t-shirt off the floor and held it tightly, the blood on it staring him in the face.

"Keep her safe Scott...You have to protect your sister." Their mother's voice, her last words to him as he watched her walk out the door when they were 15. He had woken up to get a glass of water and saw her walking out the front door with a bag in her hand. "But mom...Where are you going? When will you be back?" He asked, his voice beginning to tremble. "When are you coming back momma?" He asked her, clenching the bottom of her shirt tightly. He waited for the answer that didn't come. "Don't let anyone hurt Trinity...Do you understand?" She urged him to answer, "Baby I love you, but I need you to promise me." She knelt down and held his face in her hands, a car's passing headlights peeked through the window and reflected off the bruises on her face. Scott nodded reluctantly seeing the distress in her eyes. "I promise momma...I'll keep Trin safe." Their mother sighed in relief and hugged him tightly. Scott rubbed the tears from his face and watched as his mother walked out the door and closed it quietly behind her.

'She asked me to protect Trinity...But then she left us with him.' Scott thought to himself and put his shirt in the sink, running the cold water over it to try and get the blood out. "What kind of mother does that?" He asked softly, almost inaudibly, "Puts that on her son to take on all the beatings...Physical...emotional..." He fought back tears of anger and gripped the shirt tightly, "What was I supposed to do Trin? How could I tell her no...How could I not protect you?" He asked and turned off the water just as his fingers began to numb. He couldn't look at his sister. He had never told her that their mother spoke to him the night she left them. How could he tell her that their mother left them with their father to fend for themselves. He tossed the t-shirt gently into the laundry bin and grabbed his other clothes and set them in as well. He walked over and held his hand out to Trinity to help her up off the floor, "That's why...You won't ever loose me." He stated, waiting to see if she'd take his hand.

After leaving the bathroom, Scott went to his room and changed into a t-shirt and jeans, then made his way downstairs. The scent of food enveloping the downstairs level. Scott moved to the doorway and leaned in. "So what made you guys decide to cook?" He asked curiously. "I have no complaints...It smells great." He said with a smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[DiamondHeart]

~*~Lilliana Marie Carter~*~

Lilliana looked over her shoulder at Victor who had waltzed into the kitchen. "Went shopping, hm?" She bit her lip softly, holding back a playful smart ass comment but she couldn't resist long, "No actually I just found them on the street and thought, 'Oh just my luck, no need to shop now.'" She laughed softly to herself and continued with washing off peppers, and other vegetables. “Anything you want help with? Putting things away?” Lilliana looked back at him once again, "Sure..." She responded, then turned and pulled out a cutting board and large chopping knife. She thought for a moment about what to cook, and then she heard Victor speak up, “Fiesta tonight, then?” She looked at him, and nodded, "Sure, That actually sounds great." She looked back at the vegetables, actually the stuff she had bought worked perfectly for such a meal. "You want to cut up the chicken into strips and we can have fajitas?" She asked him, that way people could put whatever they wanted together.

The sound of the chopping knife hitting the cutting board quickly roamed through the kitchen only to fall back on Lilliana's ears. She smiled to herself. It had been so long since she heard that sound. The last time she heard that sound was when she was 18 and was living with a couple other people only a little older then herself. One of the couples that lived in the house were chefs who loved to cook for everyone. It was a memory that Lilliana held tightly to. "So um...How long has it been since you had a home cooked meal?" She asked Victor, pulling out a couple pans from the lower cupboard next to the sink. "It's been years for me." She admitted softly, then pulled out a mixing bowl and put together a marinade and put the chicken in, mixing it all together so it was all well coated.

After getting the chicken coated and setting the two pans on the stove, Lilli emptied the ingredients in and smiled as the aroma reached her nose. It may have been a while since she cooked, but it was hard to forget when learned how to do something you loved. With the food cooking, Lilliana made her way to the fridge and pulled out a couple beers and offered one to Victor. "Thank you..." She said softly, feeling odd pushing out those words. She smiled and laughed softly to herself, and turned around, a little embarrassed, "Wow that was weird." She said honestly and popped open her beer and took a sip. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh of relief. After taking another satisfied drink, she walked back to the stove and stirred the cooking food.

The food spattered although it was cooking slowly, the heat was just high enough and some of the grease and marinade spat up onto Lilli's shirt. "Damn it...Knew that would happen." She said softly and looked back at Victor. "I've gotta go change my shirt, it's almost done, can you turn it off when it's finished? Then we just need the tortillas out of the fridge and plates, then it's a lll ready." She set her half empty beer on the counter and left the kitchen. She walked up the stairs and entered her room, pulling a pair of worn out skinny blue jeans and a tight red tank top. Not a lot of her clothes didn't show off her figure. It was part of her style, part of her act. She sighed and walked back downstairs, "No games...I just don't have anything else to wear...not gonna tease you." She forewarned Victor as she entered the kitchen, not wanting him to get the wrong idea.

After a couple more minutes, the food was done and Lilliana was about to call when she saw their other male roommate enter the kitchen, "Oh hey there...Finally decided to join us?' She asked with a teasing smile then sighed softly, mentally hitting herself, "Sorry...We made fajitas, and we have chips and salsa and guacamole." She told him, setting the chips down on the kitchen table. "Would you like a beer?" She asked him, offering one to him. When he accepted, she popped the top and handed him the bottle. "Thanks." Scott said, an eyebrow raised and looked at Victor. It was a little odd that Lilliana's was acting so nice when she had done nothing but tease him from the moment they arrived almost a month ago. The thought of her being nice because of something Victor may have said made Scott smirk. Lilliana looked around, "Will Trinity be joining us?" She asked curiously. Scott just shrugged, "Well I hope so, otherwise we'll have left overs..." Lilliana finished her first beer and pulled out another, popping the top off and brought it to her lips.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[xxLostChildrenxx]

Trinity Carson McCalester

She hadn’t been sure how he would react, or what he would say. Maybe he would kick her out. Maybe he would scream, maybe he’d hit her. Unsure, Trinity remained tense by the door, poised to run if the situation became dangerous. And it did. He had opened the shower curtain and came out, covered of course, but still approaching. This wasn’t what frightened Trinity. But, what did, was his next few words. “I’ve been lost for a long time…and I never should have asked for your help,” Trinity adverted her eyes, her mind echoing the truth in his words. “I never needed you.” Her face flushing from the anger and sadness that burned within her, he continued. “If I had just left when I was 16….if I never came home….” All the girl wanted to do at that point was slap him hard across the face. “AND WHAT WOULD I DO THEN? IF YOU HAD LEFT, WHERE WOULD I HAVE BEEN?” she wanted to scream, but remained silent.


Blacked about again? That’s what he called it. Blacking out when he got into heated fights, when things became so rageful he couldn’t contain himself. Maybe that’s what they both were. Ticking time bombs. She was a danger to herself and those closest to her. Scott was a danger to everyone. Everyone around him. Trinity curled her legs to her chest tightly, tensed and trembling with the emotions she was feeling. Torn between laying her head on his chest and crying, and running back out the door and going screaming down the hall, arms flailing, she fought her deepest urges to shut down again and tune him out. “It’s my job….The job mom gave me before she….” Trinity almost broke with that, unable to hold back a single tear that slipped out of her eye as her mother flashed into her mind. The woman who had been charged with teaching her how to be a strong, confident woman. But had left her at a pinnacle age, teaching her daughter that she was worthless, only worthy for her looks and body.


Trin was shaking more noticeably, but she held on. Stayed put, instead of retreating like she was prone to do at any moment. “What kind of mother does that?” Scott was asking, though Trinity knew he wasn’t expecting an answer. “ A shitty one,” she mumbled under her breath to him. “One who didn’t care what happened to her children.” She turned her eyes to look at her brother’s profile of his face. She still couldn’t see him. He was there, she was there, but she still couldn’t see him. They were both holding walls up too high for either of them to jump over. Sure, they were finally talking, but they weren’t hitting any roots. They weren’t trying to overcome anything with this conversation. They were still hiding…from each other.


“How could I not protect you?” he whimpered, with a voice that almost tore her heart in two. “You didn’t,” she whispered back, trying to protect herself with the lie, moreso than call him out. He had protected her, and she knew it. The only way to keep herself strong was to deny now, and that’s what she desperately held onto. She was not going to break down. She would not be vulnerable in front of him. “That’s why….you won’t ever lose me…” he finished, holding out his hand. Trinity hugged her legs tighter to her chest for a moment, staring down at the tiles to process what he was saying. Finally, she forced herself up alone, her eyes adverted from his. “Even so, it’s too late for me to find my way back,” she stated softly to him, keeping her voice low so it wouldn’t crack.


“You’ve lost me,” she stated slowly, as though she were fighting herself from even saying the words they both knew were lies. Opening the bathroom door, she finally bolted. Taking off towards her room, she shut the door a bit more gently this time, but still loud enough to echo down the hall. Thankfully not downstairs this time, though. Inside, Trinity threw herself on her bed, and allowed the tears to freely fall down her cheeks. Although she cried in silence, she cried hard for the first time in several years knowing she had to keep up the walls and keep her brother as far away from her as possible.

-----------------------------------

OOC; ooc

In the Darkside of the Gardens,

There is so much you find

The only thing you have to lose,

Is a little of your mind.

Come play in my Garden.

[xxLostChildrenxx]

Victor Matthew Vanquez

 Victor chuckled at her comment, knowing he had deserved it. “Well, at least a homeless may didn’t sell it to you. That’s always an awkward thing to explain to roommates coming home,” he joked as he set about to help. He felt like a puppy following orders, but for once that was actually enjoyable. He liked being able to help out and allow someone else to be in charge of asking for help for once. Better than Mary who pretty much sat at his foot, begging for commands every few seconds. At the agreement for a party, Victor nodded. “One second,” he said, disappearing from the room and returning a few seconds later with a sombrero and colorful poncho. Oh, yes, he already knew the looks he would get. Strolling back in like he belonged, he pulled a cutting board and butcher knife from their place. “Fajitas sound fantastic!”

Cutting the chicken into fine, but generous strips, he hummed a fast paced tune to add to the atmosphere. He froze for a moment, before shaking his head, turning back to the woman behind him. “This still doesn’t feel right,” he stated as he finished with the chicken. After washing his hands, Victor moved to the stereo system beyond the bar and in the living room. He turned it on, and pulled his Ipod out of his pocket. He had this planned when he had left the room. Scrolling down to his song selection, he stopped at “Devil in Disguise” by Elvis Presley and allowed it to play. Dancing back to the counter, he finished what he was doing as he sang to the music in his deep voice. “So….how long as it been since you had a home cooked meal?” He heard Lilliana ask. He turned towards her, and gave her a crooked smile. “Five years, give or take,” he admitted. “Last I saw of my mother was the last time I had a meal that wasn’t take out. I’ve cooked a few times for myself, but that’s never the same.” Years for her, too? Hm, they had much more in common than he had given her credit for.

Sure, she seemed to be a minds game kind of girl, but Victor for the first time in the month, was actually seeing her as a normal girl. Not a delinquent. Which was…oddly refreshing. As they finished helping each other and got everything on the stove to cook, Victor took a step back to marvel at their teamwork. They worked pretty well together. He snorted playfully at her ‘Thank you,” it was apparently awkward for her to actually say the words. “Hey, no problemo, senorita. No hablo Inglas.” He smirked at his failed attempt at Spanish, but didn’t let it deter him. After rummaging through the fridge for a beer, Victor popped open his own and clinked bottles. “You can’t get drunk alone. That’s just not fair,” he teased as she returned to the stove side. it was even funnier as the grease jumped up and attacked her shirt, staining it slightly. “Well, it’s better than me dropping a water balloon on your head. That was going to be plan B on “Revenge of the food”. Victor nodded as she stated she was going upstairs to change.

He put a spatula to his forehead and saluted. “The food shan’t burn, Senorita,” he reported as she left to change. Moving to the fridge, he pulled out the tortillas and got plates out. Humming to himself, Victor also set the table a little nicer than just doing things buffet style. As he was pulling out glasses and setting them down, Lilliana reentered the room. At her comment, he shielded his eyes jokingly. “I’m blind!” he shrieked, knowing he would get hit for it. He laughed whole heartedly and helped her get the food off the stove and onto the table. It was then that Scott entered the room as well, and the two spoke back and forth a few moments. “Right, Trinity’s still up there hiding somewhere, hm?” Victor asked the male twin. He shrugged it off, as though he didn’t care what the girl did. That was odd.

It wasn’t until they heard crashing upstairs that Victor almost bolted up the stairs to see what was wrong. It was only when sounds of more crashing were heard, that he understood she was merely throwing a tantrum. He turned and raised a brow to Scott.

“I’m not going to ask what you said to her, but damn, dude. She’s a fireball,” he stated, thrusting a thumb towards the stairs. “I hope she doesn’t break the furniture.” He stated, sitting down at the table. “I’m sure she’ll be down shortly. Let her cool off. She should be fine, right, Scott?” he questioned, his eyes still on the younger male in front of him. Things still didn’t sit right with him about this boy. But, of course, he still couldn’t place it, so it wasn’t like he could accuse Scott of anything. As he sat down and helped them dish up, passing plates around for everyone, Victor relaxed at the company of his roommates.

His I-pod was still playing in the background, and he hoped it wasn’t bothering anyone. About ten minutes into dinner, Trinity finally appeared down the stairs. Reapplied makeup was obvious, and her hair was pulled into a messy bun. Obviously she had been throwing shit around upstairs, but no one said anything or called her out. Instead, Victor welcomed her with open arms and patted the empty seat next to them. Trinity merely looked confused at his sombrero and poncho but said nothing as she sat down for the first time with them since she arrived.