Avery
Avery sat outside Taylor's room in the hallway, playing her harmonica loudly.
And very badly.
Hopefully he'd come out and take it away from her.
Coz then he would've left his room at least.
Taylor
Taylor didn't mind her practicing at first... until he realized the baby fuzzles were beginning to get disturbed.
Groaning a little, he sat up on the bed and looked toward them. Six small tufts of fluff were lined up peeking over the edge, tyring to get a glimpse of what the noise was. He couldn't help but grin. They were so cute.
Eventually, he stood, and the six pairs of eyes watched as he went to the door and opened it.
"Avie? Do you want Jade to be a perfectly-hearing fuzzle or not?"
Avery
"Ah... well, I was thinking we could hang out. You know, like old times!" Avery put the harmonica down.
"And my playings getting better. I think."
TAylor
"Yeah, it is," Taylor leant against his doorway, folding his arms with a grin.
"You know, I was listening to If Only yesterday. Maybe you could take over my part," he chuckled, "but when you practice just make sure there's no sleeping baby fuzzles around. You should see the death glare I'm getting at the moment."
Avery
Avery crossed her eyes goofily.
"Well, kner to them! Even thought they're cute."
Avery stood up and pulled on Taylor's arm.
"Come, hang out with me! I miss you!"
Taylor
Taylor almost fell over.
Well, he didn't have much weight to balance.
"Well come and spend some time with the fuzzles," he nodded back towards them, "you've hardly spent time with Jade since I told you she couldn't leave for a month."
Avery
Avery bit her lip.
This wasn't the way her plan was meant to go.
She nodded reluctantly, thinking she could try and get him out later.
"Ok."
Taylor
Taylor grinned, leading her into his room and closing the door. He didn't let her hear him sigh with relief.
The six pairs of eyes were still watching.
"Do you know which is which yet?" he asked, going over to the larger box they'd had to set up for them, "I know you know which is Jade."
Avery
"Yeah... that's Flav and that's Meena."
Avery grinned cheekily, tossing the harmonica in the air and catching it.
Taylor
"Mya is the emerald green one. That dark green there," Taylor pointed down to her with a grin, "she's the quiet one so far. Dorian is that bluey-green one. He and Aricin, the blue one, are the trouble-makers."
He chuckled.
"Xanthe is the yellow one, and she's alot like her daddy. And Malory is the black one. He's pretty quiet too. Jade's alot like her mother. Contented."
He bent down to pick up the lime green fuzzle. She was about a quarter of the size of her parents.
She rolled around in Taylor's hand playfully before he held her out to Avery.
"Wanna hold her?"
Avery
Avery nodded and extended her hand, watching as Jade made her way to her own hand.
"She's so tiny."
Avery watched, as if in a trance as Jade played around on her hand.
Taylor
Taylor grinned as he watched his sister.
"Yeah, they all are. But they'll grow. They should be about half size in a few months. They grow a bit faster than dogs."
He picked up Xanthe and tickled her, making the baby fuzzle chuckle. He chuckled himself.
"Oh yeah, I'm definately keeping you little girl. You're gonna be just like your daddy."
Flavian squeeked his approval.
Avery
Avery gently petted Jade's head.
"Aww, J, you're so cute." Avery cooed.
"Are you giving any away, besides Jade?"
Taylor
Taylor considered.
"Maybe one to Jess and one to Mouse. Jess likes the look of Malory."
He set Xanthe back in the box.
"I kinda want to keep them close, because fuzzles are very relationship-ground. So, I'm going to try and keep them in the one house. Mac might want one too, and if he does, I think I'll keep the other two for myself."
He went to sit at his desk so he could watch the babies play.
Avery
Avery nodded.
"That sounds safe."
She tugged on his arm again.
"Come out and watch TV?"
Taylor
"Ah, I don't think so Ave. TV rots your brain," he grinned, "not that computers aren't working daily to make brains obsolete."
Which reminded him...
Checking his watch, he looked through a drawer to find his pills. He didn't need another attack coming on, so he was taking one every 12 hours like he'd been told.
Avery
Avery shrugged.
"A little TV every now and then isn't going to kill me. Come on, you've been in here for ages... unless..."
Avery moved to the door, picking up her harmonica again.
"You don't wanna hang. I understand."
Taylor
Taylor grabbed the box of pills and shook it. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Ok, a lot guilty.
"Sorry Avie. I have babies to look after now," he chuckled, taking one of the pills and putting the box back, "I just..."
He cut himself off, trying to think.
Avery
"I get it... you don't wanna hang out with me. I can understand that."
Avery sadly closed the door behind her, upset that she couldn't convince Taylor to come out.
Taylor
Taylor bit his lip, wondering if Avery had actually been told why he'd been in there or not.
The hallway was scary, and he didn't know why they couldn't see that. It was like the street the alley led into... anyone could walk past. Anyone could see him, and anyone could be chosen by the Eye to chase him, catch him, and take him back. Why couldn't they see that?
He glanced at the fuzzles. Flavian was looking sad for Avery, as well as a couple of the babies. Mya looked sad for him.
He shook his head and went over to the bed to lay down again, cursing at himself. Why couldn't he just be the Taylor he used to be? What was stopping him?
Avery
Avery stood outside Taylor's room for a few seconds, trying not to cry. She went to her room and slammed her door, angry that she couldn't help Taylor.
Why was he sad?
And more importantly, why couldn't she help him?
Taylor
Taylor closed his eyes for a moment, something itching in the back of his mind. What was that?
His fingers tingled as he started tapping them on the bed. He needed his keyboard, that's what it was. And everyone had refused to bring it up for him.
He sat up slowly, staring at the closed door.
"Tay-Tay?" came Flavian worriedly.
Taylor glanced at him, then slowly stood up and made his way to the door. He ran his fingers down it and closed his eyes. He suddenly saw it as the door of the apartment the Eye had kept him in. He had a longing to get out, but if he did, the Eye would be waiting for him.
He always was.
Leaning his head against the back of the door, his hand fell down onto the doorknob and turned it slightly. The door opened. His eyes shot open as he took a quick look down the hallway to make sure no one was there. It wasn't any good to be where people were, they were easily taken over by a telepath.
Not seeing anyone, he opened the door further and stepped out into the hallway. Softly, he shut the door behind him, the fuzzles having gone silent.
Slowly, he made his way down the hallway towards the staircase. He hadn't seen the inside of his house since the first night he'd been back, and it was almost like a whole new place. Almost. As he cautiously began down the stairs, he almost forgot where the recreation room was. He sighed with relief when he remembered.
Then he heard his mother humming in the kitchen. Quickly, he made it to the bottom and ducked around a corner before she could see him. She headed for the staircase and made her way upstairs.
Giving another sigh of relief, he began down the next hallway. Every door he came to had him worried. At any second he expected the Eye to jump out and grab him. When he got to the recreation room, he put both hands against the door and pushed it open gently. With a grin he realized it was empty.
He quickly ducked into the room and closed it behind him. Taking a deep breath, he looked around. It had been over two months since he'd set foot in here, and it made him nervous. Then he spotted the keyboard.
He dashed over to it, made sure the power was on, lifted the lid, and sat down. He held his fingers over it for a moment, just getting the feel back.
Then he began to play... 'This Time Around'.
Avery
Avery heard Taylor's door open and she followed him, stopping only when she heard him start to play the keyboard.
Her eyes filling with tears, she started to sing behind him.
"I've started feeling like I don't want to fight Give in to the given and put out the light Cannons are blazing shower these moonlit skies Then I remember and I know why he died Do you know why I'd die..."
Avery inched closer to Taylor and when she was next to him, she collapsed at his feet, crying.
"I missed you Taylor."
Taylor
Taylor's hands flew back from the keyboard as he fell sideways onto his knees and pulled his sister into his arms. He held her as tight as he dared as the tears rolled down his cheeks.
"You can't say I didn't give it
I won't wait another minute
I'm on my way This Time Around," he whispered.
He kissed her forehead.
"Thank you for reminding me."
Avery
"I love you Taylor."
Avery hugged her brother tightly, unwilling to let go in case he wouldn't really be there when it was over.
"I missed you so much, and I was so lost, and I didn't have you here with me. And it's all my fault you were taken!"
Taylor
"No Avie, no..." Taylor insisted, closing his eyes.
"You have a natural gift. You're gonna make a Master some day. You're gonna make us proud. Anyone would have taken advantage of that. Nothing was your fault. If anything I should have let Ike drive you to camp. He would have been able to handle it. You never would have been taken in the first place."
Avery
"I never should've agreed to go to that stupid camp... I was... so stupid. You were taken and you were all alone and we didn't know, and then when we were told you were dead, and I knew... I knew it was my fault, and I couldn't handle..."
Avery rolled her sleeves up and showed Taylor the scars from her cuts.
"I don't want to be a Master... if it means you getting hurt again, I'll never use my powers again."
Taylor
Taylor began to actually cry when he saw her scars.
"Avie..." he shook his head as he ran his fingers across her arms, "no... no..."
He covered his mouth with his hand.
"Oh God..."
He sat back so he wasn't on his knees and covered his face.
Avery
Avery hugged her brother again, and covered her arms up.
"Tay-Tay... I love you so much. And when you were gone... it felt like my whole world had ended..."
Taylor
"No, no..." he shook his head, letting her hug him, "you can't... Avie? Please, never do anything like that again. Even if something happened to me, I don't care. I never wanna see that kind of thing again. Oh God..."
Two of his sisters had tried to kill themselves. Who was next?
"You're gonna be a Master girlie, and you're gonna live to help people. Like Tanya, ok?"
Avery
"Taylor... I..." Avery let her eyes meet Taylor's.
"I wanna help people, but how can I now? It's just... I'm too... I don't know if I can use my power again. Not after everything."
Taylor
"Avie, you're only twelve!" Taylor looked up at her, "and you're already an Intermediate telepath. It takes longer than that to get to where you are for anyone else. With any luck you'll be a master within eight years, even that's hell fast."
He grabbed her into another hug.
"You can't save the world when you're only twelve, Avie. You're not Superwoman or anything. Eventually, maybe, although seeing you in tights might kinda freak me out."
He chuckled a little.
"But you can use your power again, and you will. If I can get out of that room when I have agoraphobia, I'm sure you can do alot more."
Avery
Avery hugged her brother.
"Does this mean you're going to come out more often?
She paused.
"And I think I'd look nice in tights. I'll just steal some of yours!"
Avery giggled through her tears.
Taylor
"You're never gonna let me live down that time I wore mom's- ok wait, let's not go there."
He pulled her off him for a moment so he could stand up.
"One step at a time, huh? Now I made it down here, so..." he hesitated, looking around, "do you have your harmonica on you?"
Avery
Avery grinned triumphantly and pulled her harmonica out of her pocket.
"I carry it everywhere!"
She smiled.
"I'm proud of you, you know," she said quietly.
Taylor
Taylor smiled, wiping his eyes as he went to find his harmonica.
He soon found it in a corner somewhere and brought it back to her.
"Well you know, I'm proud of you too. Not everyone takes being kidnapped as well as you did."
He blew into the harmonica, making a worse sound than Avie had earlier. He cringed.
"Maybe we could learn together," he grinned at her.
Avery
Avery playfully messed Taylor's hair.
"It'll come back, kiddo." She grinned cheekily.
Taylor
"Who you callin' kiddo? Kiddo."
He pulled her into a headlock and ruffled her hair up in return.
"But one thing I hope never comes back to me is how to drive a car. I think I'm gonna stick to bikes for a while. A while meaning the rest of my life."
Avery
"We could switch. You ride my bike and I'll drive the car."
Avery grinned again and lifted the harmonica to her lips.
Taylor
"You wish girlie."
He hesitated as he looked his harmonica over thoughtfully.
"Maybe we should get John Popper in again to teach us," he chuckled, "I'm guessing there's no instructions around the place. Or hang on..."
He snapped his fingers and got up, heading for a nearby cupboard. He searched through, and finally pulled out a folder from the bottom. He grinned, bringing it back over to her.
"I began writing out instructions I could follow when I taught you. You know, graphic representation."
He flipped it open.
"Wanna go through it with me?"
Avery
Avery nodded and blew a terrible sound through her harmonica.
"Well, that was bad."
She moved closer to Taylor.
"Tay, your writing really sucks."
Taylor
"Well thanks alot," Taylor chuckled, reading it over, "I'd like to think that by now people can read it without trouble. Unless it's just Ike and Zac."
Taylor studied the first page, then lifted the harmonica to his lips and blew.
"Hey! That wasn't too bad. We might be getting somewhere. Try that."
He showed her what to do.