Schoolyard Games

Chapter Three

A week had passed and it felt like some kind of beautiful dream.

They slept in their wonderful beds inside their cozy rooms. They always had electricity and water, and when they showered the water was always hot. They always had heat. They were fed every morning and night. It was perfect.

They soon learned the biggest rule of the house, Stay out of Alabaster's way. Though Alabaster never said that, their mom barked at them if they even came within ten feet. Staying out of his way was easy enough seeing how he was very rarely there. He was always working, morning, noon, and night. Even when he was home he was working from his office. He was always on the phone, and when he wasn't on the phone he was buried in files. He always smiled as he passed by, but he never had a moment to spare. Sometimes in the middle of the night he could be seen running across the house while buttoning his shirt. He was busy all the time.

Their mother was always gone as well. She had new friends, high class women, the kind of women that would have looked down on their mother just a few weeks before. Alabaster's money was spent endlessly on all kinds of useless things. Dresses, shoes, jewelry, perfumes… the list was endless. At times they almost felt abandoned, but they understood the glamour their mother must be blinded by.

They were taken care of and that was all that mattered.

Sometimes though, late at night, Alabaster would fall asleep on the futon in his office while waiting for a phone call. October would see him through the big glass walls and feel something pull at him. He would slip into the office and gently shake Alabaster awake. Alabaster would softly open his eyes and just lay there, dazing sleepily at October.

They would talk and it made October feel free. Alabaster just listened contently without an ounce of judging in his eyes. October talked about how much he hated pretending to be something he wasn't at school. With tears in his eyes he would tell Alabaster how if he didn't act tough they might figure out he was gay. Sometimes he talked about how he was afraid he was going to be working in a factory all his life. Other times he talked about how weak he felt sometimes and how he would give anything to be strong like his sister.

Alabaster would always say the same thing, in his warm masculine voice, "You can always be weak with me"

It would always end the same way. Alabaster would move over and October would lay down beside him, then the older man would hold him close until that phone call finally came.

Sometimes whenever Kate couldn't sleep she would wander outside, and sometimes she would find Alabaster sitting on that patio furniture staring up at the sky with a glass of wine in his hand. They would talk pleasantly about all the things she absolutely detested about the people from her school. She would talk about the things that she should have done during the day, or things that she wished she was brave enough to do.

He would sip his wine and laugh softly, always saying the same thing, "Next time you feel like doing something do it, what are those high school brats going to do to you that they haven't already done. "

She would laugh and think about it seriously, always responding with a, "If only it was that easy"

For the most part he would just change the subject, but one night he said something that Kate just couldn't get out of her head. "Most people walk around like sheep just waiting for someone to follow, just act like you know what you're talking about and they'll follow you to the ends of the earth"

The week went by like a blur, and at the end of it, they were in love.

Rose petals fell from the sky as the shadows around the room flickered from the candle light. Alabaster's smooth mouth lay the softest of kisses down her throat as he breathed the words "I love you" against her silken skin. Her fingers tangled in his dark locks as she let out a breathy sigh, a gentle smile playing on her lips as his mouth moved downwards. He peppered her breasts and smooth stomach with kisses, resting his head gently on her stomach for a moment. "You are so beautiful" he whispered but it seemed to fill the whole room with its meaning.