Information

Chapelle
Legacy Name: Chapelle

The Cream Kerubi

Owner: rainbunnies

Age: 8 years, 11 months, 3 weeks

Born: May 25th, 2015

Adopted: 8 years, 11 months, 3 weeks ago

Adopted: May 25th, 2015

Statistics

• Level: 1
   
• Strength: 10
   
• Defense: 10
   
• Speed: 10
   
• Health: 10
   
• HP: 10/10
   
• Intelligence: 0
   
• Books Read: 0
• Food Eaten: 0
• Job: Unemployed

Outside the windows, the sun's sinking. On the TV, the sun's sinking too, only there the view is partially obscured by Edward Woodaward (as Sergeant Howie) screams while burning to death inside a giant wicker statue. Next to me sits my best friend, Drew, who is trying valiantly to pretend he isn't utterly horrified. The ending strains of Sumer Is Icumen In fade away as the screen goes dark.

Slowly, Drew settles back onto the cushions, totally quiet. I'm accumulated to the state of shock he goes into after horror movies, so I let the silence hang.

And hang.

The sun is gone. It's almost fully dark outside, and any moment now, I'm expecting Drew to start fading back into reality.

I'm not expecting his fingers to brush my collarbone. I freeze. He blinks, then flattens his hand.

"Can I try something?"

The silence breaking startles me, but I manage a: "what?"

"Normally I can't really see it, so I wanted to see if I could feel it. If you have one." A smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. "Uh. Your laryngeal prominence, I mean. Nothing scandalous."

I don't speak but instead slip my fingers under his hand and lift it to my larynx. He feels around the curve of my throat, and I'm uncomfortably aware of the thinness of the skin there. I swallow, and he strokes the almost imperceptible lump that bobs up and down. "There it is," he chuckles. "Sorry I'm a creep. I'm probably the only person in the world that feels up other people's throats."

That makes me crack a smirk. "I wouldn't put money on that. If it's a part of the human body there's at least three fetish forums dedicated to it."

He snickers. "If there isn't, I'm registering one. sexynecksies.com, babe, let's do this. Pay off our college loans early, kick that debt stress," His eyes skate over to my curved spine. "Speaking of stress, has anyone ever told you they'll be calling you Quasimodo when you get old?"

Before I can fire back with a smartass response, his moves his touch down from my neck to my belly, wrapping his arms around my waist and coaxing me gently into his lap. Something that sounds embarrassingly close to a purr rumbles in my chest as he starts to rub my back.

sometimes i think my life is just a series of manhandlings. don't move, said the stranger. you'll like it, said my 'friend'. if you tellanyone, i'll tell your parents everything we've done, said my neighbor. i remember these words and I flinch away from hugs, pats on the back,an arm around the shoulder. at first i do from him, too. he looks worried, i think, but he leaves me be.

one night, on a last-hurrah-end-of-term school trip, i slip out of the tent and my clothes. we're by the ocean, only a short walk away fromthe beach. i lay my clothes down on the sand and duck under the waves. it would be so easy to stay like this. it'd be a messy end, true --- but i wouldn't be around to feel embarrassed. but if i'm going to do it, i'm not going to do it somewhere where a teacher will get blamed, i decide.

i exhale and surface, wiping the water out of my eyes, and immediatly wished i'd stayed under, becaause drew is standing on the shore.

he wades waist-deep and waves a hand. "are you okay? it's two in the morning!"

for a moment i consider swimming away, it isn't like he could catch me --- i don't look athletic, but i am --- but instead i make anotherdecision. i swim closer to him, treading water. "drew," i say quietly, "can you close your eyes? i want to show you something."without hesitation, without asking "why?" --- i could be about to drown him, for all he knows --- he does.

i walk a little further inthan he is, enough for all of me to be exposed, and move enough of myself aside so he can see why i hide. why my inner thighs are just twoslabs of scar tissue. why i expect him to run or laugh or be disgusted or be the wrong kind of fascinated and push me down on to the sand and another set of sights and smells will be ruined for me forever.

"you can open them now."

he looks down and his eyes widen. i brace myself, but there is no blow, no grabbing, no noise or expression of revulsion. his face is full ofsimple wonder. "jesus. just---jesus, you're amazing. you're just like the god. hermpahroditos---from greek mythology, he was made when a man anda woman merged together."

he looks at me so gently that I want to stand there forever. "i'll never hurt you, birdie. i know i can't expect you to just suddenly trust me totally , but i want you to know i will never, ever, hurt you. and if anyone else tries to i won't let them," slowly, like he's trying to pata skittish cat, he places a hand on my shoulder. "please come back with me. or i can sit out here with you."

i take one hand and squeeze his, grab my clothes with the other. "let's go back."

we go back to the campsite, but not the tent. my clothes are damp from the wet sand, and my legs are weak from exhaustion, so drew wrapsme in his robe and carries me into the bus. we curl up together in a seat and he starts to stroke my hair. for the first time in a long while someone's touching me with the sole intent of making me feel good. this thought and the sound of his heart, steady and slow, carries me into sleep.

Now would be a good time to kiss him, says the romantic in me, but I push the thought away. I may be soft and slight, but he'd never want what's between my legs. I remind myself of that over and over as he rubs circles on my back, trying to loosen tension that he's in part the cause of.

Not that I'll ever let him know that.

Pet Treasure

True Love

Heart Repair Sticker

White Moth Orchid Stem

Pet Friends