Survival Of The Fittest

Laura took one of the two bits of paper with Marimar's address and number. Why did she let herself get dragged into this? The three agreed to meet there and soon went their separate ways for the moment.

As Laura walked to her house (she refused to ever call it home) She started to mentally beat herself up about this whole affair. If she were so much better than other people, how did she end up getting talked into this miniature party? Why didn't she say no when she wanted to? Did she really want to. She had no answers, at least no answers she wanted, so she stopped that lin eof thought and let that voice break through.

It was all the same sharp but masculine voice, always, but it seemed to have two different personalities almost. Laura had named them already. Ryan was the one who teased her any time he could and kept wanting to destroy; Ian was her big teddy bear of a voice, he seemed to act like a big mental hug whenever she needed one.

It was Ian who was talking to her now, telling her that she was better than other people, but no one can win all the time. Sometimes you have to lose the small ones to win the big ones. Surrender the front land so you can sneak up and around to the land behind the enemy's forces and that's when they won't stand a chance...and you'll get your original territory back as well.

Laura ambled her way through her house to her room and threw some things into a large purse; just another shirt and a brush and toothbrush--those types of things. Leaving her house again, not bothering to write her parents a note (they wouldn't notice she wasnt't there, and even if they did, they could jsut call her cell phone....not that they would.) she began her way towards Marimar's house. Once there, she knocked on the door loudly.

She hoped Lee-Ann was already there, it would probably be awkward or something of the sort otherwise.

While Laura was busy at her house, Lee-Ann had just left the school. Jan had been at his locker when she left the others, and the blonde, though dissheveled and self-conscious, stopped to chat briefly with him. Turns out that the directions weren't right after all, and the German boy was simply confused. Of course, it could have been due to his very thick accent that Lee-Ann heard something different. Or it could have been her I-hope-you-don't-notice-my-advances staring instead of listening.

Jan had barely had time to acknowledge her presence before the normally shy girl started babbling to him. He suddenly got a little smile on his face, and leaning down from his tall stature, ceased her babbling with a light kiss. The kiss had been chaste and very cute, which was appropriate for Lee-Ann's first. The blonde's thoughts switched from the brink of insanity by shaky nerves to babbling, pure ecstacy. It was bliss for the hour-like seconds, and time stood still.

Finally, the kiss ended. With it, a new emotion began to swell up in Lee-Ann's chest, sparking a kind of embarrassingly adorable blush on her full cheeks. Jan's tanned hand came out of nowhere to brush the blonde's left bangs away, revealing her eye. Of course, the girl could only get a glimpse of this action, instead relying on the sense of touch. A smile from the taller boy sent the giddy girl further into the throes of joy, and she felt herself start to grin.

Suddenly their moment ended with the football player's whispering a sweet goodbye and promising to meet the girl the next school day before first period's Zoology class. Lee-Ann just stood with her grin in place for the entire time Jan was walking away. At his turning around the corner, the girl released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. With the exhale of air, her next inhale loaded her lungs with fresh air, but not without many new feelings to add to her melting pot of emotions.

Lee-Ann had been gob-smacked to put it simply. Her flirting had obviously led to something new. She couldn't stop smiling as she walked to her locker. The combination, all multiples of nine, flew by along with the throwing of her unnecessary books into the hideously colored brown mini-safehouse. If she was excited before, Lee-Ann had suddenly become ecstatically anxious. With her extra books locked away for the day, the girl exited the school heading to her home.
Living in one of the few real houses in the city had begun to be something to look forward to for Lee-Ann. Her earlier experiences of home life basically meant walking four flights of stairs to get to the large apartment. Now it meant heading inside with no stairs. It was no surprise that the girl was in walking distance to Franklyn, but it was still a bit far to go before heading to Marimar's upscale home. Looking in front of her, the blonde took note of the changes made to the new house. A light blue color partnered with dark red brick made for a clashy look, but in a rather good way. Large, shuttered windows stood out along the rectangular two-story house. An old-style chimney had been left during remodeling, kind of obliviously ignorant of the changes gone through by the rest of the house. Style wasn't exactly the point of expertise for any of the three occupants of 158 Ruby Rd.

The obvious point of focus in Lee-Ann's yard was the large swing out under a great oak tree. Two small gardens bordered the sides of the swing, blooming with bright, warm colors. Nearby, Lee-Ann's bike lay. The basic mechanical structure stood out easily among the bright colors, the base a dark blue while the company's writing and other accessories the regular black. The few seconds it took the girl to take in the familiar place passed quickly, and with a swift swish and insert, a change of scenery took place with the inside of the house.

Lee-Ann and her parents' house was a little odd on the outside, but it didn't at all compare to the drastic clashes inside. Instead of checking the house, the still-smiling blonde rushed up the mahogany staircase to her room. Opening the door with a quick turn, Lee-Ann stepped into her haven. The walls of the newly-painted room were a light green, contrasting well with the cream colored carpet. Her room, about the size of a small classroom, was filled with several cabinets, a large queen-sized bed, two bookshelves, and a desk being occupied by her Dell computer.

Going along with her light, earthy colors, the pastel yellow of her bed's coverings added to the feel of a garden. Even moreso gaian, the two windows of her room opened up to plants only Lee-Ann knew the name of, guinea pigs for her botanical studies. The only thing that seemed to be out of place was a large framed photo on the computer desk, a family portrait from a few years back. All of the wooden structures in the room were a light, polished color, without a speck of dust. Missing from the extravagantly organized room were the usual technologies a television and radio.

Lee-Ann took note of the condition of her room before getting to work with her packing. All the while thinking about her amouric experience, the blonde picked out a change of clothes, the books she needed for studying, and her journal. Crossing through her open door to the bathroom, the girl grabbed her dental supplies along with a few grooming necessities. Throwing all of the things into a small sack, the girl stopped to quickly write a note to her parents, and leaving it on the kitchen table downstairs, closed and locked the front door. She was happy. She hadn't been happy in a long time, and it was all because of her... wait! Just what were they? This thought at first troubled the girl, but she pushed it aside before it could cloud her mind with unpleasant notions. She was curious to see just what was in store for her at the princess's sleepover. Her last thought before setting off on her bike consisted of a parody of the fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea",  Marimar, and sticking a pea underneath her mattress.


(Continued in Marimar's House)