Polokinz and ze Batcat :D Mature Content

((Naaaw. :3 We must work out our time difference again! XD I think I'm, like... 6 hours ahead of you or something? So I'm assuming when I posted this it was almost 4AM for you...?
I need to plan when to meet you online. XD Hehe!))

When she felt Rhys's touch on her cheek, the soft gentility of it made her trust expand all the more. Her lips parted slightly to emit a delicate sigh as she stared silently up at him - eyes alive with a thousand emotions.
"Feel the beat?" Rhys asked, his hand closing around hers and bringing it to rest against his chest. Through the warmth of his skin, she felt the beat of his heart - so erratic, and so inconceivably out of sync with her own that each tiny throb sent a thrill through her.
"Every time we come in contact that happens." Rhys explained simply.
Avery's fingers tightened slightly against his chest, as understanding finally dawned on her. This was how she had been feeling. This was the 'love' that Rhys had mentioned before... Perhaps she was not in love with him just yet - but she certainly loved him, of this she had no doubt. Any doubt in her heart was erased completely as Avery felt Rhys touch his forehead to hers - and through a leap and a flutter, suddenly their hearts were beating in irregular synchronisation.
"Can I kiss you?" Rhys asked, and yet again Avery felt that now-familiar thrill of fear and excitement that always came before a great adventure. She had never kissed anybody before... Not willingly, anyway, and she was a little worried of what might happen. Not because of what Rhys might do to her, but rather because of what she might do to him. She didn't want to hurt him... And if her anxiety struck the moment their lips met, she was certain that the end result would be just that.
Can I handle this? She asked herself, Am I really ready...?
And with a tone somewhere between a challenge and a doubt, she spoke out loud her conclusion.
"Only one way to find out..."

Rhys smiled and closed his eyes. His lips were getting ever closer to Avery's own. As he was about to touch her, he stoped and let himself drown in her warm breath and presence. His lips curved upwards as he pulled away. "Now's not the time." He whispered, almost cryptically. He let go of her, but kept her hand.
"Come on, we need to catch the bus."
But his heart was hammering in his chest, his thoughts were muddled, and the back of his neck was starting to sweat. What had he just done?
Would he be able to tell her he didn't love her that way?
Maybe he'd be able to in the future. Nut no, she'd become even more attatched than she already was.
Could he pretend?
Maybe, but what if he slipped up somewhere? He couldn't stand to hurt Avery that way...
Would he be able to love her?
He'd have to... It wasn't that he didn't want to, it was just that he didn't. At least not yet. Because this was the same feeling he'd had with Rebecca, and that wasn't love. Right?
He was unsure of himself, and felt way more insecure than he should have right at that moment. So instead of showing his feelings, he plastered on a smile and nodded to the bus station.

[Nope, it was about 3 AM for me, and I think you're 8 hours ahead....]

((Okay, you caught me... My brain is so muddled by education that I can no longer add without a calculator. :3
I can do trigonometry, though. And sure - it's the random angles involved with triangles and junk that I'll be using in everyday life, not working out time differences... *Coughs*
School is a pointless waste of time. :3 Anywhozer - it's about 6PM for me now. So... 6 - 8... Negative 2PM for you! No, wait... 12 + 6 is 18... 18 - 8... It's 10AM for you!! Am I right? Wow, I'm smart.
*Sneakily puts away computer calculator*))

As Rhys closed his eyes and leaned toward her, Avery's own eyes stretched wider - and she knew instantly that this was a mistake. In her mind, all she could see was her father's forceful expression... The feeling of his nails biting cruelly into her arms as he held her still.
But she didn't resist, and she didn't pull away - even though part of her desperately wanted to.
But then, as though by magic, Rhys seemed to read her thoughts.
"Now's not the time."
A soft sigh escaped her lips - something that could have been mistaken as either disappointment, or relief.
As it were, the tension left her, and Avery let her hand relax in Rhys's grip - her pale blue eyes resting trustingly on him. Waiting for him to lead, so that for once, she could have the luxury of following. It was nice to have somebody to rely on...
"Come on, we need to catch the bus."
She nodded, and stepped after Rhys as he began walking toward the bus station. There was a smile on his face, but something didn't feel right... She couldn't tell what it was, but her thoughts were uneasy, and her spirit restless.
Unsure as to why, she slipped her hand free of Rhys's grasp - and walked quietly alongside him, speeding up, just a little.
Following was for the weak.
"So..." She asked quietly, glancing toward Rhys with a smile to equal his own. "Where to now?"
I trust you... She thought to herself, her eyes searching Rhys's face,
But do you trust you?
What is it that you're not telling me...?

Rhys sighed as she pulled away. "Not sure, wherever there's a cheap pair of tickets to. Did that make sense?" He thought about the sentence and way he could have said it better, but realized he didn't care and that his creator was just too lazy to go back and retype it. He chuckled, and jogged to the station. "Okay, so if we're in Michigan righgt now, we should go tos omewhere on the west coast..."
He trailed off as he read the options. Miami, no. Too hot. Dallas, no. Too dry. Las Vegas, maybe.
"Las Vegas?" He asked teasingly, poking her in the ribs.

[And no, I was wrong, only 7 hours behind. It's about 1:00 here. And bad Polo! *eats calculator* Haha mow mou man't muse mit!]

((*Dies* Noooo, not my calculator!! XD ))

"Wherever you like." Avery replied with a smile, chuckling softly at the idea of going to Vegas. Somehow, she couldn't picture herself surviving in a place like that. But hey - if she was with Rhys, it was fine.
"All that's left for me is to follow you." She pointed out - and though her smile was bright and lively, the truth of those words hit her hard.
Rhys was literally the only reason she was alive...
She had wanted to kill herself, and for good reason. So really, what was left for her, but to follow Rhys?
She sure hoped he'd make her decision worthwhile. She wasn't above changing her mind...
Not everybody is as strong as they seem. I wonder, Rhys... Are you?

((Sorry, I've got no good ideas! I dunno where they all went. D: But I still love this RP. ))

"Nah, not Vegas." Rhys chuckled. "San Diego?" He offered seriously. "I've always wanted to go there. But we can't get enough money." He frowned at the price. $100 each. "Any idea how we ould get some?" He arched an eyebrow.

[I have no ideas. All my muse has gone to the zombie one, I'm already in love with it I'll get Carter back here for next post...]

((Yay! I knew you'd like it! XD Haha!
Here's a little hint, just for you. Don't tell anybody... O.o Kai is the one character that I know for certain I DON'T intend to kill off... As for the others... I'm going to see how the plot thickens, and decide as I go along. MWAhahahaha!

I may have a plan... ))


"San Diego works." Avery replied, even though her dull-minded creator had no idea where the place was, or what it was like. "As for the money, leave it up to me." She added, her face splitting into a grin as a bubble of confidence inflated in her chest. Here was something she could do for Rhys! For once, she wouldn't be the one getting 'saved'.
"I'll get some from home." She explained, a firm nod accompanying her smile.
"My father's at work now - so if I hurry, I can be back with the money in an hour... Meet you here?"

[[Wait, but was Kai infected?]]

"Good, run home and get some." Rhys laughed. "Wait, you have that much money lying around at home?" He asked incredously. He'd never had more than $50 cash in his home at any one time, so that came as a surprise. He pictured San Diego's nice beaches and beautiful cityscape, as it was one of the prettiest cities in California, and smiled because he knew he'd helped Avery's non-geographically smart creator.

[[Herherher]]

((Ah, that's just another of my evil Polo-ish plans to shock and astound! XD MWAhahahaha... ))

Avery shrugged. "Hey, I never said it was mine she pointed out innocently." With a laugh and a wink, she turned on her heel, and jogged back toward her house.
She jogged, because she knew that if she walked - she'd lose face and turn back.
She waves backwards over her shoulder to Rhys, then vanished around a corner, and was lost to sight.
Before long she'd arrived back home. She unlocked the front door, and ran to find her father's "Emergency money", which she knew for a fact was in his sock drawer. She gathered a few notes. Then a few more. Then just picked up the whole stack, and shoved it into her pocket.
She reached her hand back into the sock drawer to check if she'd missed any, and it brushed against something cold and hard. Her heart skipped a beat with excitement, and she closed her hand around the icy handle - drawing out an elegant black pistol.
She breathed a little sight of amazement, stroking the little gun fondly. Then she seemed to snap back to her senses. Slipping it into her pocket, she ran for the door again.
But as she was about to leave, a hand caught her wrist.
"Going somewhere?" A familiar voice sneered. Avery gasped, wheeling around and pulling away violently in one movement as she saw her father's cruel grin.
"Come on, Honey." He cooed soothingly, "It seems we've gotta move again, huh...?"
"No!" She growled in response, "I won't go!"
"Nobody's asking, Honey." He laughed cruelly - then a damp rag was pressed over her mouth, and next thing Avery knew - she was unconscious...
Unconscious, and on the road to a new life - but not the one she'd planned.

((Sorry, too lazy to type a lot, so I cut it short and made it suck. XD ))

[[Bah! Oh no you didn't Constable Finn! Ahahahaha that's funny]]

What was taking her so long? Rhys was sitting at the bus station, as he had been for the last 15 minutes. It wasn't a long time, really, but she should have been back by now. He sighed and checked his watch for the millionth time. He glared at someone in a car that was driving by slowly to watch him. They pulled over and rolled down the window. "Shouldn't you be at school, son?"
"No, I'm not going to school." He replied irritably.
"Stay off the drugs, okay, kid?"
"I'm not on drugs."
"Don't drop out of school."
"Shouldn't you be at work?"
"Touche."
The man drove away and Rhys stood up and stretched. He decided that he would walk down to Avery's house and see what was going on. As he walked down the too white sidewalk, past too new homes, along the too perfect street, he wondered how he'd gotten this way. Where he cared about someone else. He sighed and saw a car pulling out of her driveway. Avery's dad was driving it. He ducked behind a bush and watched carefully. No sign of Avery.
"Avery!" He yelled as he ran into the house. The door had been left unlocked. A wad of money was on the ground in a room, presumably her dad's bedroom. There had obviously been a struggle here. "Oh Avery..." He said, dropping to the ground, feeling around. A tear splashed the ground. He looked up at the ceiling and screamed as loud as he could.

Rhys dashed out the door, money in his pocket, and sprinted down the street he saw the car turn onto. His ribs were aching already and a random thought of how out of shape he was popped into his head. He told it to shut up and pay attention. He saw a cloud of dust disappearing quickly on the street up ahead. He lunged forward and ran after it, hoping desperately it'd be Avery.

((Constable Finn!! XD Goodness me, it never gets any less hilarious, does it? ))

It was hours later when Avery finally awoke, and she found herself in a sickeningly familiar situation. In a dark room, on a bed, with her wrists bound - and a dark figure looming over her.
"You shouldn't have run away from me, Sweetie." He murmured gently, sounding for all the world like the kind, caring father he'd once been.
"You know it would kill me to lose you, right...?" His filthy finger trailed lovingly over her cheek, and Avery suddenly felt a violent urge to be sick.
She wondered if it would be possible to produce projectile vomit whilst lying flat on one's back...
Wriggling her wrists experimentally, Avery found the ropes to be tight - but not as tight as Rhys had tied them.
Bizarrely, a smile came to her lips. Her best friend knew her better than her father did. He had underestimated her... And she would make sure he regretted it.
His lips brushed her face now, and Avery began to escape into her imagination, trying to find her happy place.
Strangely, the first place that jumped to mind was a cold, dirty alleyway not far from the hotel she now lay in... Apparently, her father had not been able to wait until they drove to their new 'home' - presumably in the next city... Maybe even the next state.
Avery, of course, did not know this. All she knew was that - through strength of mind alone - she was able to remain calm enough, even with her father's bulk upon her, to gradually begin pulling her wrists free of the rope.
It didn't take her long, but by the time she had one hand free, her shirt was halfway unbuttoned.
Not again, you sick bastard. She thought bitterly to herself, her free hand creeping toward her pocket. It closed around the familiar feeling of cold metal, and she felt a thrill of affection rush through her.
"Don't move a muscle." She whispered, pressing the gun against her father's greasy temple.
"Avery...?" He asked innocently, "You'd really shoot your own Daddy?"
She scoffed, then drew up her legs and kicked him roughly off of her.
"You stopped being my father a long time ago." She hissed, cocking the gun and pointing it directly at him where he now lay, sprawled on the floor at her feet.
"You don't have the guts!" He sneered, "You won't do it."
"Won't I?" She raised her eyebrows, and with a completely emotionless expression, pulled the trigger.
The gunshot seemed to reverberate inside her skull - and although she thought she was ready, the sight of seeing blood explode in a splash from her father's torso was more of a shock than she could ever have guessed. Drops of bright crimson flecked her face, and stained her torn clothes. Her father yelped as the bullet struck, then began writhing and moaning in agony. Panic darting through her, Avery shot again - and again, and again. Avery time, the bullets missed - but she couldn't stop shooting... Eventually, she stopped aiming completely, and just fired the gun purely for the feeling of power it brought.
Her father was still, now. Bleeding profusely, and unconscious at best. At worst, well... It wouldn't take a doctor to guess. But Avery had no intention of feeling for a pulse... If he wasn't dead, he would be soon... Or so she hoped. Or so she thought she hoped.

Rhys had stopped running long ago. Carter had found him sprinting after the car a couple of hours ago, and he picked him up in the car. They'd subtly followed him, and were able to track them without them knowing. They came to a hotel about two hours later and saw Avery's father with two large suitcases entering the hotel. Rhys almost vomited right there. One was the perfect size for a girl Avery's size and weight to fit in. What kind of a monster was this man...

Rhys put on some shades and followed the man quietly into an elevator. He slouched so he would look older, shorter, and slightly overweight. "Do you want some help with your luggage, sir?" He asked in a gruff voice, pretending to be part of the staff. Avery's father nodded.
"Please."
"How long do you plan on staying here?"
"Oh, just one night, I need to get on the road tomorrow."
"Vacation or business?"
"Vacation." Avery's father said, an evil smile splitting his face. "Meeting a woman here."
Rhys shuddered. "I see."
The elevator doors popped open and he took to bags. He swallowed his guilt. "Room 512?" He asked, setting the suitcases outside the door.
"That's me."
"Enjoy your stay." Rhys said guiltily.

He ran downstairs. "Hello? My dad just checked into room 512. He says he only got one room key, but I need one too. Finn's the name."
The bored receptionist handed him the card. "Here you go. No running!" She called as he ran up to the room Carter had booked.
"Got it!' He said to Carter, waving the room key around. They began to form a plan.

*** *** ***

Rhys was quietly creeping down the hall when he heard the gunshot. He gasped and sprinted to the door. He was going so quickly, he dropped his card and had to try three times to get in. When he finally threw open the door, Avery was sitting on top of the bed, shirt half off, holding a gun and looking terrified. Her father, or what was left of him, was bleeding heavily, lying on the ground. "Ry, we need to leave." He whispered, staying in the doorway, eyes large and full of sympathy. He waved her to come over and held his arms open.

Avery whirled around as she heard Rhys's voice behind her - firing without hesitance. Thankfully, her hands were shaking so badly that the bullet missed its mark, and flew right past his ear.
She hated him at that moment. She hated him for being there for her, when all she wanted to do was hate everybody. She hated that his arms were open to embrace her, when all she wanted was a clenched fist flying for her face...
But most of all, she hated the sympathy.
Who was he to feel sorry for her, after he had convinced her to stay alive in the first place? She had always known she would end up back here.
That was why she'd wanted to die.
Bang! Another shot, another miss.
"Get out of here." She hissed, her voice vicious and cruel. "Get out, or I swear I'll blow your brains out.
And don't you dare... Don't you dare think, even for a second, that I wouldn't have the guts to do it."

[I gotta go, I'll be back in about two hours though you'll probably be asleep I'll try and wake up early though...]

((Naaaaw!

I'll watch some Scrubs, and see if I get tired. Haha! If I don't... See you soon!
Ah, the beauty of weekend! ))

Rhys narrowed his eyes. "Hm, quite the daring girl, are we now? Listen, we need to get out of here before they find you. We're dropping the weapon in pieces along the way, but we need to hurry and leave." He dropped his arms and held the door open. Gently, he siad, "And don't you think for one minute I would rather leave you than have you shoot me. I'm never ever going to leave you."

Avery stared blankly at Rhys. She didn't know what to do... Didn't even know what to think.
Her hand tightened around the gun, but her finger slipped from the trigger. And as the panic gradually seeped from her mind, she lowered the gun to her side - letting her arm fall limp.
Still without saying a word, she fixed her shirt - turning away from Rhys.
Put the gun down. She told herself, but her fingers tightened around it. Let it go.
But she couldn't...
"And don't you think for one minute I would rather leave you than have you shoot me. I'm never ever going to leave you."
These words seemed to slice right through her, and Avery felt that she could not possibly have hated Rhys more at that moment. He'd rather die, huh? Well, that was just idiotic. And she hated idiots.
Finally, her grip slackened, and Avery dropped the gun into her pocket. Then she turned on Rhys, and ran toward him. Without pausing to think, she punched him roughly in the chest. "Stop being so f***ing nice to me." She snapped, punctuating each word with a punch.

"Fine." Rhys said. He picked her up and put his face an inch away from hers. "Stop screwing around Avery. I will slap you out of this if I have to." He raised his hand threateningly, knowing he'd never have the guts to do it.
"I liked her better when she was asleep." Carter muttered from down the hall.
"Wonder how he knocked her out. I ccould use whatever he did."
Carter sighed and handed him a washcloth. "This."
"Good." Rhys took it and placed it over her mouth. "Still don't want me to be nice?"

"Do it." Avery hissed - relishing the helpless feeling of being held off her feet. She didn't want comfort, and she didn't want a friend. She wanted somebody to hate. And since Rhys was about the only person who didn't fit that description, she hated him all the more for it.
When she felt the rag being pressed over her mouth, her hatred intensified - and in the moment between when she breathed in the chemical, and when she lost consciousness - the hatred in her eyes was palpable.
Sure, she had hated Rhys when he had her tied to that bed... But this? This was just like that moment - only multiplied tenfold.
She didn't just hate him... She despised him with complete and utter loathing.

Rhys took Avery's limp body into his hotel room and laid her on the bed. He sat down on a chair across fom her and watched her. He leaned over her and buttoned her shirt up for her. Then he sat back and reverted to watching her again. After a while, he walked over to the desk and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. He wrote her a note.

Dear Avery,
I'm sorry.
I'm not going to use big words
to make it sound better or provide an excuse.
What I did was wrong,
and the most I'm hoping for is for you to forgive me.
Then you can walk away
and never see me again.
I still love you, and I won't ever forget you.
Love, Rhys

He placed it on the bedside table along with a bottle of water, a bowl of fruit, and all the money he took from her house. Then he walked out the door without looking back.

When Avery awoke, she was in an unfamiliar room, with some fruit and water on the table next to her. She ignored these, and snatched up the note beside her - her breath catching in her throat as she read it.
Stupid! She scolded herself, Stupid, stupid, stupid!
The last thing she had wanted was for Rhys to take her seriously... He had just showed up at an unfortunate time, and she'd been so freaked out, angry and terrified that she couldn't think straight.
Now, she was equally freaked out, angry and terrified with the thought that she might not be able to find him.
"Rhys, you idiot!" She gasped, leaping out of bed, and dashing off down the corridor - glancing left and right in the hope that he was still somewhere nearby, and she would find him.

Carter glanced up from the chair with an amused expression on his face. "You're so twitchy." He commented. "Room 327, you'll find him there." He said in a bored tone, waving his hand in a 'be off with you' manner.

((Ah, Carter was there. XD *Daft Polo* ))

Avery nodded her thanks to Carter, then raced off to find Rhys - checking hurriedly through the room numbers until she found the appropriate one.
She paused outside, short of breath, and raised her fist to begin hammering the door - but then she stopped herself, calming her nerves, and tapped lightly with her knuckles instead - waiting for Rhys's response.

"What do you want Carter?" Rhys called from inside the room. "We weren't gonna leave til Ry woke up, remember? She'll probably end up telling me off, but I need to see her." He rambled on like this for a couple more minutes until he got tired of it and waited for a response from who he thought was Carter.