Secrets of a Roughwood (Vincent ValentineXOC) Romance

Chapter 12

REECE POV

The mail ran faster than usual one particular day, which I thought was a bit odd since we only seldom had any sort of envelope gracing us with its contents. At 11:00, the sound of papers hitting the foyer floor floated into the living room and fell upon my curious ears. Getting up, I told Lucy to stay in the front of the TV and I would be right back. She had taken up the habit of trying to sneak up the stairs on her own for who knows what reason, other than to give her mother a heart attack when she came stumbling back down.

I picked up the papers and flipped through. Reece, Reece, Reece, all junk mail.

Vincent.

Really?

He  never  got mail….

Now even more curious than before, I turned the envelope over and back, analyzing to see if I could tell what on earth Vincent was receiving a letter for. I then noticed that the envelope was mailed from Tuesti and realized that it must have something to do with the WRO. Well…I had to know, damn it.

I walked straight up to his room and knocked cautiously. As soon as I heard his light welcome, I opened the door with my eyes still glued to the envelope. "Ya got this…which is odd, you never get mail." I reached it out to a knowing Vincent and looked expectantly with my arms crossed.

"Every year I get one piece of mail. The invitation to the WRO employee ball."

At this, I raised my eyes in surprise. "Really? The WRO has a ball? That sounds fun."

"I wouldn't know."

"You've never went?"

"mmm.."

At that, Vincent, dropped it carelessly to the floor and returned to his task with one foot lounging upon his knee: Cleaning his gun.

"Oh…well, you should go. Might be fun."

At that, Vincent stopped and looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

"Why?"

"I don't know, sounds fun like a dance. A school dance? You ever go to one of those?"

He only blinked for a long time, and then shook his head NO.

"Mmmmm…me neither. I always wanted to. Well, when I was a preteen anyway."

I nervously rubbed my elbow. What the hell was I even doing? Talking about a school dance? Stupid. With that I turned around walked swiftly out the door, throwing a "see ya" over my shoulder and closing it. Lucy is probably half way to the roof by now, I thought to myself. Sure enough, there stood Lucy bouncing on the top step. "You know you are not supposed to be up here alone, Lucy." She screamed in my direction, which resulted in a scowl from me as we approached the end of the stairwell.

"1, 2, 3, 4….no, don't go outside, you know that's not allowed only inside…no, close it, CLOSE THE DOOR LUCY, or I am not playing!…okay….5, 6, 7…..8, 9…..9 and a half….10! Ready or not here I come!"

The sound of giggles came from above me as I peered up the steps. She had obviously chosen to hide upstairs and I smirked with one eyebrow raised as I mocked a 'search and rescue'. Vincent had been gone all morning doing whatever he did normally to aide to WRO and I had promised to play after Lucy finished her breakfast….which she of course, didn't finish. So after sticky syrup fingers were washed, all pancake was removed from a blonde nest of hair, and an empty promise to eat 5 bites at lunch, I was whisked into a 16 month old's version of hide and seek.

"Where is she? I hope we can rescue the little chocobo….Is she there? Noooooooo" I continued on up the stairs and peeked into our room on the left. Nothing. I listened and heard the shuffle of little feet to my right.