If you're like Arix, the first thing you want to smell in the morning is hazelnut vanilla coffee brewing. That's all you've gathered upon walking into her house. It's a unique house, complete with a mildly overgrown lawn and two garden boxes in which various fruits and vegetables grow. The quaint little brick dwelling is a little predictable; the cluttered, yet charming, interior is, too. Unless you'd always imagined Arix more neat and tidy and sophisticated. But alas, here you were, upon trudging up the cracking brick steps and entering the tiny red house.
"Come in!" There's a voice, loud and very distinctive, that comes straight from a room to your right. The floorboards beneath your feet squeak a little, but not to a point of concern, when you walk across them to find the source of the voice. It comes from the most petite of girls, who is sitting in front of a laptop probably older than its user, hair up in a very messy ponytail; a small lock of dirty blonde hair falls into her flushed face as she flashes you a hurried smile, flicking her multicoloured eyes at you once as a gesture of acknowledgement before turning right back to the keyboard.
"I'll be with you in a sec," She mutters, and for the first time since entering the room, you note a blue pencil clamped firmly between her cupid's bow lips. You nod, take a seat in a chair with chipping rustic orange paint, and take advantage of the moment to finish your impression on this crazy lady. She can't be older than 16, and has a slight baby face that shows signs of maturing - her cheekbones are very defined, her jaw sharp. Her nose is straight for the most part, curving up a little at the end. Long, dark eyelashes frame blue-green eyes flecked copper-red in the right iris, and are shadowed with unkempt eyebrows.
And her clothing. Ah, her clothing. A ripped pink shirt adorned with Kurt Cobain has been paired with paint-splattered, ripped boyfriend jeans, topped with an even more paint-splattered red flannel, which is definitely a few sizes to big for her.
"It's my ex's," You quickly look up, making eye contact with the flushed blonde, and feel a wave of relief upon seeing the obvious amusement in her expression. "The flannel, it's my ex's." She repeats before setting down her pencil, closing her laptop lid, and taking a swig of coffee from a chipped white mug, all in what appears to be one fluid motion.
"What can I do for ya?" She asks, getting up to refill her mug at the other side of the room; you can tell just by the way she said it that she's smiling, showing off her incredibly straight teeth. She walks with a bounce, and you notice her socks are blue with realistic cows patterned on them.
"Where have you been?" You speak your first words of the visit. She turns, brows immediately furrowing as she leans against a counter top and takes a long swig of coffee. Setting the mug down, she shrugs nonchalantly and mutters, "Around," while freeing her choppy, shoulder length hair from it's elastic dungeon. It's straighter than her teeth.
"Where's around?" You can feel your frustration rising. "You're always posting messages, saying you'll update, but you never do." Arix looks guilty now. Hah. You've caught her, now. Trapped her in her own home. She sighs, running an ink-blotched hand through her hair, looking out a window to avoid eye-contact.
"I know," She finally says after a long silence filled with a few more coffee sips and you nervously playing with your own hands. "But you see, that's the thing about being an author - you're constantly thinking the ideas, but never, ever finishing them, usually due to another idea." She finally meets your gaze again, smiling a little sheepishly, taking another long drink of coffee.
"But i'll get around to everything I've promised," She adds, this time in a softer voice, carrying a tone of hope when she speaks. "I promise. And i'm not one to break shit like that; ya know, promises," She grins, reaching her hand down and breaking her eye contact with you to look at something that must be by the doorway. Following her gaze, you see a tiny little tabby kitten stumbling into the room on unsteady legs, little soft pink mouth opening and closing as it mews softly.
"This is Ernest Hemingway," She announces, picking up the ball of fluff. "And this is Edgar Allen Poe," As soon as those words leave her mouth, you notice a second kitten rolling in after the first. It's a little bigger, but still no larger than an avocado, if we're being honest here. Edgar Allen Poe trots up to you, blue eyes full of mischief, and bats at your extended hand. Unable to control yourself any longer, you scoop up the bundle of fluff and hold him close to you.
"Mama Cali is probably with the rest." You hardly even hear Arix as Edgar Allen Poe fills your ears with loud purring. His fur is soft against your cheek, and you never wanna let him go. Wait, the rest? It's only a matter of seconds before you're in what Arix calls the "kitten room", covered in the remaining 3 kittens - William Shakespeare, Rosa Parks, and Winona Ryder.
"Winona's the runt." Arix says bluntly. The little calico pounces on the shoelace of a nearby Doc Marten; William Shakespeare imitates her, rolling onto his back when he gets a little too into it. "And they're part of the reason why I haven't been updating. Can you please try to understand? Please?" You look up to meet Arix's gaze again. Her eyes are so, so pleading, but it really isn't up to how good her persuasive techniques and skills are. It's all up to you.
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So? Can you forgive me?
I oftentimes forget that there are so damn many people that have and do read this book. I started it years ago, and i'm still getting votes on the oldest of chapters today. I just checked the stats for this book; where my readers are at, their ages, genders, etc, and... it's so real. And I never really realized that. I never really acknowledged the fact that each and every one of you is a living, breathing individual with families and friends and lives. And i'm just a tiny little part of it, only a step above from nothing at all, no involvement whatsoever. So, guys, please; will you forgive me for being such a stupid irregular updater? After my last update, I realized that in 6 freaking minutes, at 2 am, I had 12 reads and 3 votes. Get outta here! I love you guys to bits and I hope you all know that now. This was a little special thing and I really hope some of you somewhat mildly enjoyed it (?). This truly is it. The last ever part of this book. It's been amazing, and such an incredible journey with you all, but it's sadly gotta come to an end. I hope this allowed a little something somewhat peek into my life. Feel free to message me, anytime, any of you.
Well, it's almost 3 am, and I really gotta go... good night and farewell for now, sweet, dear readers. I love you all so, so, so much.
