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Post by Wes Uccello on Dec 7, 2010 23:32:55 GMT -8
Time: Day 2, Mid-Late Afternoon Weather: Raining Warnings: None. Characters: Wes Uccello, Bianca White
Wes had emerged from the hospital with stitches in his wrist, a prescription in his pocket, and no idea what to do with the rest of his day. The rain was still coming down, as hard as it had been earlier with no sign of letting up. It, along his his injury, had put a bit of a damper on his plans. He still had Henning's number in his coat, but figured that the agent wouldn't be hanging around the hotel all day. (Probably has some stalking to do, he half-joked to himself.) He'd call later in the evening.
Still, there wasn't a whole lot to do here in the rain. He made his way back to his car - which was, annoyingly, still difficult to drive with only one good hand - and set off for home. Driving down the hill the hospital was situated on, he started to feel a little... antsy. Then, as he approached a fork, he could have sworn he saw something on the side of the road, peeking up over the edge of the drop down to the lake.
Eyes.
It was nothing. He was imagining things. Probably the painkillers. Maybe the blood loss. No one was there...
Still not convinced, he made a sudden, sharp turn and sped off into what he usually considered to be more hostile territory; downtown. It was easier to lose someone in a crowded area. Who was he trying to lose?
He was half-relieved and half-disappointed when he found that there weren't a lot of people downtown. He kept driving, recklessly, purposefully, but unsure of the purpose. He couldn't get the thought out of his head that at every intersection, someone was peeking around the corner behind him. It was crazy. Stupid. No one would follow him on foot in the rain. There was no way to keep up. But he watched his rear view mirror with each sharp turn.
Where he was heading, he wasn't quite sure. Away. He found himself driving up a hill. Higher up, a better vantage point. What he reached at the top of the hill was even more promising; a clock tower. Well, a clock tower on top of a building. He'd sort of wondered where the bell tolls came from ever since he moved in. Could he get up there?
He parked near the building, briefly surveyed the parking lot, and entered. Inside he explored, purposefully without purpose, almost deliriously. No one else was inside, but he listened hard for the sound of the door. By way of luck he came across what he was sure was the way to the top, a dark, comparatively unkempt tower with wooden spiral stairs.
Every bit of logic in him said that this was crazy. A stupid thing to do. Unsafe. There was no one watching.
A smile sneaked onto his face as he continued his feverish journey, running up the creaky stairs. By this point, the sheer ridiculousness of his quest was making it enjoyable for him. What the hell was he doing? That painkiller must have done a number on him. Must have.
Miraculously, he reached the top of the stairs and emerged on the roof, high above the rest of the town. After a quick spin - maybe because he was looking for the stalker again, maybe in a strange act of whimsy - he proceeded to look over the edge, breathless. He wasn't one afraid of heights, though in this case he probably could have used the caution.
Regardless, he sat near the edge of the tower watching the parking lot below, like a perched bird.
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Bianca White
New Member
Just wanna be good to the people who raised me
Posts: 48
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Post by Bianca White on Dec 8, 2010 0:05:48 GMT -8
Bianca recieved a call from her boss who had been staying at home, when she returned to the Sugar Rush after having tea with Mister Stewart and Michael.
"Oh. You want me to close up? That's understandable. I wasn't expecting too many people to come either. Hm? Oh, I did deliver something for Mister Stewart..."
She nodded at her employer's voice while looking out the window. Now that it was later in the day, the rain certainly did seem neverending. It just kept pouring and pouring and Bianca did not see a single soul outside on the streets. Thinking about how she would go home with no one to really talk to made her feel especially discouraged. A full day of working was what the pastry cook preferred, not staying stuck inside. Weather like this didn't make any food she prepared taste good somehow.
"Mm. Yes Boss. I'll be safe, you know I don't mind the rain. I know, I'll get home safely, you don't have to worry about me okay?"
--
Millions of raindrops had covered her windows. In an absent-minded fashion, Bianca turned on the wipers of her car after starting the engine. But she did not drive off to home just yet though.
The conversation over tea at Stewart's mansion had gotten Bianca thinking. Michael's strange behavior, Mister Stewart's special brand of distaste for the rain in Greenvale... No matter how much she wanted to push everything aside and just say that it was just a phase, she knew she would be lying to herself. And that in itself was true becaue Bianca did that to herself a lot.
Not everything is okay... And not everything will BE okay if... If...
She stepped on the wheel and began to drive around aimlessly. For once she didn't think of occupying herself with sewing, cooking, reading, or even playing her guitar. The incessant rain was driving her mind elsewhere, making her think of other things. Bianca didn't want to be alone at home amusing herself.
Her aimless traveling through the down continued for several minutes until the Community Center Clock Tower caught her eye. Instinctively, she drove into the parking lot and shut off the engine.
"Wow. How long has it been since I've been up there?" Bianca murmured to herself, staring up at the tall building.
The Clock Tower brought up a particularly bright memory for her. Eighteen years old, fresh out of high school, Bianca and her father went out together before she left for college. That in itself was surprising and extremely uncomfortable for her. But they both climbed up the stairs of the tower, higher and higher until they reached the very top. Father and daughter proceeded to eat a light picnic lunch atop of the tower, both silent, but inwardly at peace, enjoying the view of the town from above.
Bianca smiled and opened the door, going towards the tower. She did not notice the other car that hard been parked there as well.
Inside was dark. Well, obviously. Did she really expect anyone during a rainy day to be here, much less light it up? Bianca was feeling a little fearless though. Just a little-- enough to start walking up the stairs as quickly as possible.
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Post by Wes Uccello on Dec 8, 2010 23:20:30 GMT -8
Wes sat on his high perch, running his tongue along the front of his teeth, scanning the ground like a searchlight. Half-surprised, he watched as a plain blue car pulled up. Was this the person following him? It seemed unlikely. They were too far behind, too slow to get there. An accomplice, perhaps. He tried to make out the person who was exiting the car; a smaller girl. Definitely not his agent, nor any of the red-heads he knew.
She entered the building, and he leaned over the edge a bit to watch her do so, leaning into the rain pouring down from the roof's edge in the process. He quietly whined and shuddered at the cold rain running down the back of his neck before combing his hair out with his fingers. Heh. Look at him. He was still a mess, with his never-really-brushed hair, stitched-up wrist and still-bloody sleeve.
He guessed that there was someone inside now, and wondered what she was doing in there. It was empty when he entered. Pacing between the tower's edge and the stairs to the roof, he wasn't sure what to watch out for; the one who entered the building, or... whatever else he thought he should watch out for. He wasn't so sure what it was himself.
The first question, at least, was answered by the sound of quick footsteps emanating from the stairs. Here they come. He stood, almost at attention, watching where the woman would emerge.
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Bianca White
New Member
Just wanna be good to the people who raised me
Posts: 48
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Post by Bianca White on Dec 8, 2010 23:35:40 GMT -8
Higher and higher she went. Bianca forgot how many flights of stairs there were in the Clock Tower. Not since she was eighteen did she even think about hanging around this building, but now she wanted to go back and reminisce about that one time in her life where she felt something like true happiness. No rainfall would stop her from that simple wish.
Almost there!
Just several more steps in a few more seconds and...
She found herself a few feet away from a taller figure the moment she reached the very top. Bianca blinked and found herself looking up at a very intimidating face. And not just any intimidating face. It belonged to a man.
Her eyes quickly widened in panic and she barely managed to suppress a yelp from her throat. Bianca had a hand over her chest and was panting heavily. She took a deep breath before saying weakly,
"I... I didn't expect anyone to be up here. Sorry... I... Oh, geez ."
Bianca had to inhale and exhale deeply to put herself at ease in addition to stepping a good distance away from the stranger. Nothing was going wrong yet, she shouldn't even have reacted that strongly. This was laughable, Bianca thought with some bitterness towards herself.
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Post by Wes Uccello on Dec 10, 2010 0:04:05 GMT -8
Wes, if anything, was surprised by how shocked the woman was. He seemed a little amused, actually; he didn't make any effort to suppress a smug smile.
He probably was kind of intimidating, but he didn't seem to be making an effort to back down, crossing his arms and drumming his fingers.
"...Hm, really? I guess I didn't either. Rain and all." Something about his tone sounded... defensive.
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Bianca White
New Member
Just wanna be good to the people who raised me
Posts: 48
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Post by Bianca White on Dec 10, 2010 19:30:45 GMT -8
The smile he had on his face was not very likable. Bianca gave herself three seconds to calm down a bit more. And one more step away to feel less anxious.
"I... I was just going up here to look up at the town from above. Were you doing the same?"
This had to be one of the newer Greenvale residents Bianca had never met before. It wouldn't have been difficult to spot someone who looked so... Well, there wasn't any other word Bianca could think of aside from intimidating. There weren't many people in town who had a presence like that except maybe the sheriff.
"Um... I've never seen you around before. Are you one of people who's moved here recently?"
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Post by Wes Uccello on Dec 10, 2010 19:51:59 GMT -8
Making himself likable never rated too high on Wes' priority list.
"Yeah. Pretty nice view, no?" His tone didn't sound completely genuine. He didn't have much desire to try to explain why he was up for. He didn't quite get it himself. Besides, if he said, 'I'm up here looking for the person following me,' what if that person heard? What is this girl was sent by them?
He still seemed to be finding some amusement in her anxiousness as she questioned him.
"Eh, not all that recently. I just haven't spent a lot of time actually in town." This was, of course, code for 'I've pretty much been a hermit for the past few months.'
After answering her question, he added, "I probably won't bite, you know," gesturing with his good hand.
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Bianca White
New Member
Just wanna be good to the people who raised me
Posts: 48
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Post by Bianca White on Dec 10, 2010 19:57:47 GMT -8
"Well, the Clock Tower is something a lot of people in Greenvale are proud of..."
She had a feeling the man didn't trust her for some reason.
"Oh, it's not you-- I overreacted really," Bianca said reassuringly looking straight at Wes. She was almost feeling normal again. Although she did feel a bit silly standing so far away on the stairs.
"Um, you don't mind if I join you at the top right? I was planning to stay here for a while since I've got nothing to do and work was closed today."
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Post by Wes Uccello on Dec 10, 2010 20:15:01 GMT -8
Once she seemed to regain her composure and looked straight at Wes, his eyes moved away, apparently focusing on something just behind her.
"Heh, is it? Well, I guess there's not a whole lot else," he mused with a smirk.
When she asked to join him, he shrugged. "Fine. It's public property after all." He then stepped back to look over the edge again - a quick stalker check - before looking back over at the woman, or at something in her vicinity.
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Bianca White
New Member
Just wanna be good to the people who raised me
Posts: 48
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Post by Bianca White on Dec 10, 2010 20:38:53 GMT -8
Bianca stepped up the stairs to finally get to the top-- still inching away from the man. Well. This was rather awkward. If anything she wasn't in too much of a good position right now.
So much for listening to Mister Stewart's advice...
"Well, that's what you get when you live in a small place. But you take what you can get," she said in reply to his first statement.
A shudder went through her body, making her pull her coat a bit more tightly around herself. The mostly empty clock tower was also very chilly in addition to being dark. It was a wonder Bianca convinced herself that it would be alright to go up and explore.
"Would it be all right if you told me your name?" she asked Wes suddenly turning her head towards him slightly.
"I'm Bianca."
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Post by Wes Uccello on Dec 10, 2010 21:55:06 GMT -8
"Makes sense." Wes seemed to have his attention split between the woman (who he still wasn't looking in the eye) and the view over the edge of the tower.
"Must be another small town thing, right? Asking everyone's name." He seemed... overly wary. He was still trying to judge her, deciding if she had anything to do with his pursuer. At first, she was so very startled to see him, then particularly polite, but nosy. It could either be that she was a nice girl or a cute liar. He remained cautious.
Still, he seemed almost more at ease atop the cold, dark clocktower than he had in the diner or hotel. It was quiet, save for the sound of the rain on the roof, and not crowded. It was just him and Bianca. Hopefully.
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Bianca White
New Member
Just wanna be good to the people who raised me
Posts: 48
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Post by Bianca White on Dec 10, 2010 22:21:06 GMT -8
"You could say that," Bianca replied.
This guy seemed incredibly shifty for some reason. For this entire day Bianca felt like she was the one making men uncomfortable. An odd turn of events to say the least. But for this man, there was definitely something up. It just didn't help that he looked suspicious, but then again it wasn't her business to probe into a stranger's life.
"Most people know each others names here. I've been here for most of my life so to me it's sort of rare that anyone would actually move here."
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Post by Wes Uccello on Dec 11, 2010 1:01:15 GMT -8
Wes had been too busy worrying about how suspicious he thought others were to consider that he was suspect himself. That always his problem; he could never really figure out how he was being perceived, and though he always did worry about it, he could never predict it accurately.
"It's that much of a tight-knit community, huh?" His question actually seemed somewhat honest. He leaned over the edge of the roof again, looking out into the town that he really knew nothing about.
"Guess there's not a lot here to make you pick this place over anywhere else."
((Short post because I have to go, I figure it's just barely enough of a response but let me know if you need more. ))
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Bianca White
New Member
Just wanna be good to the people who raised me
Posts: 48
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Post by Bianca White on Dec 12, 2010 14:56:23 GMT -8
"Tight-knit enough. But... Ah, never mind."
Bianca turned her attention to the outside gazing out over the rainy town and taking a deep breath.
"... I have to apologize about how I reacted when I saw you... Um. It's a bit complicated, but I... Tend to have that sort of reaction when I'm not careful."
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Post by Wes Uccello on Dec 13, 2010 0:03:12 GMT -8
Wes seemed disappointed when she cut herself off. It had sounded like she was starting to make an interesting point, but was censoring herself. Was she hiding something? He wondered if he should try to get it out of her. "But?" he asked, hoping that the lack of elaboration would make it seem more like casual conversation.
As her eyes wandered off, he looked to try and figure out what exactly she was looking at; he had to be sure she wasn't watching for some kind of signal. Unable to spot anything suspect in her line of sight, he leaned back under the roof, cracking his knuckles.
"Eh, I don't care," he said, deflecting her apology. "People who know me have that reaction sometimes," he added with a rather fierce-looking grin.
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