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All created stories have to follow . We do not allow any sexually related material. The Doll Palace will be enforcing this rule and completely blocking access to the accounts that disregard our policy and create sexually oriented stories.
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Hi, my name is ORii
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 | Watch the World Burn |
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 5 with 3 vote(s)
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| Created: 2009-06-13 12:30:50 |
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Cripes, I made this way too hard for myself...
Okay, so this is the entry for Orii's Bored Out of My Brain Cells Contest (right? It's late, people, and anyway, y'all know what I'm talking about). Okay, so the characters on the left are Tanner Benteley (the tall one), and Richard Lyle (the short-ish one. And, yes people, he is squatting). Both characters are of my creation, so no copyright infringement. If you have/know of characters with the same name, I totally haven't, so apologies. Richard goes by "D!ck" which totally made me realize how hard I made this for myself. At any rate, here goes:
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Watch the World Burn
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Tanner and D!ck get into trouble.
The click, click, click of the timer persistently interrupts the silence of the quiet afternoon as Tanner sits at the kitchen table gazing placidly through the glass doors to the front porch that looks over the street. Click, click, click the timer continues as the seconds pass, always without recognition from so many people. Tanner is counting every one of them, capturing pictures in mind of moments in time.
Footsteps slap up the driveway and Tanner’s eyes flick to the doorknob as every muscle tenses in anticipation. An eyebrow quirks as the knob turns and the door opens slowly. A brown shaggy head appears through the slim opening and a hoarse voice whispers into the house: “Tanner. Tanner? Are you home?”
Tanner’s eyes roll once before the slim frame rises from the chair and treads silently to the now open doorframe where D!ck is standing, looking sheepish.
“Yes, D!ck?” the words slide from Tanner’s lips like an ice cube on a hot day; refreshing, yet slightly painful.
“Uh,” D!ck clears his throat. “I was sort of, um, wondering if… If you’d help me with something…?” he trails off uncertainly.
Tanner raises one brow in query and continues to hold eye contact with D!ck.
“Uh,” he falters, again. “My mom’s sort of gone, and no one else is around, you know, ‘cause Brett’s in Colorado with his uncle, and Percy and Meagan are at that camp in Minnesota, or wherever, and I don’t know where Margot is, not that I much care, you know how much of a brat she is, so I thought I’d ask you, since you’re really the only one left right now, and I really… need help,” he finishes lamely.
“How is it that you don’t breath when you speak, D!ck?” Tanner asks with scorn.
“Uh, I don’t –“ D!ck begins.
“I’ll help you,” Tanner interrupts.
“Oh – cool,” D!ck is surprised. “I just live three blocks over, so…” He motions to the door and Tanner nods for him to lead the way. As they step outside, he looks back and sees that Tanner has left the door open.
“Hey, don’t you want to lock up?” he asks, confused.
Tanner simply looks squarely back with raised eyebrows, as though leaving the door open were something normal and sane.
Seeing he will not be receiving a real answer, D!ck nods his head and consents to continue leading Tanner to his house. D!ck is expecting Tanner to ask him what he did and what he needs help with, the way Brett would be if he were here, but no sound comes from his companion. In fact, it’s really rather eerie how silent Tanner is while walking. Kind of sickening, actually.
Tanner is the most eccentric person D!ck knows, and he can never really be sure whether Tanner is a figment of his imagination or simply just the strangest person ever. It’s weird, because Tanner’s parents are pretty normal people. You know, they live in a nice-looking house on a quiet street, work normal hours, send Tanner and their younger daughter Taylor to school, say hello to their neighbors, and do other normal things.
But Tanner never makes sense, and seems to insist on not being normal. D!ck is still not sure whether Tanner is a boy or a girl, or neither or both, for that matter. The build and voice are too androgynous, and Tanner’s face either makes him a very pretty guy, or makes her a plain girl. Either way, Tanner is too intriguing and too dangerous. But D!ck really needs help, so here they are, heading to try and dig D!ck out of the grave he dug for himself.
As they approach his house, D!ck glances nervously back over his shoulder at Tanner, looking for any facial reaction. That’s another thing about Tanner – facial reaction, and reaction to things in general, either doesn’t happen or is so perfectly timed and perfectly subdued that no one notices. Tanner strides to D!ck’s side and stops to stand next to him and gaze at his house.
“I love what you’ve done with the place, D!ck,” Tanner says lightly. The sarcasm is lost on D!ck, who can never tell if Tanner means what is said. He laughs nervously and shifts uncomfortably.
“So… You think you can help me?” he finally asks after a terrible silence.
Tanner’s eyes survey the wreckage once more before coming to rest on D!ck’s face.
“Have you thought that, maybe, you should call your parents?” Tanner offers.
D!ck blinks in surprise at the suggestion, because it is the last thing he would expect Tanner to say.
“Um, I don’t think that’s such a great idea…” D!ck says, slowly.
“So what’s your plan, then?” Tanner asks, with a piercing look.
“Uh, well…” D!ck takes a deep breath, “I was thinking we could blame it on the neighbors or a burglar or something, so that my parents won’t hate me for the rest of my life.” He glances sheepishly back at Tanner’s stony expression.
“Just tell them I did it.”
D!ck is stunned in silence, not sure he heard correctly.
“Uh… wh-what?” he stutters.
“Just tell them I did it,” Tanner repeats, in exactly the same nonchalant tone.
“Won’t that put you in major trouble though?” he asks, desperation lacing his voice. “I mean, you could go to jail for – for arson, or something. I don’t think that’s such a great idea.”
“You asked for my help, didn’t you?” Tanner rebuts, icily.
“Yeah… but don’t you have any better ideas?” D!ck asks, indignant.
Tanner stares back at him for a few moments, before turning in place and treading softly back down the street toward home, leaving D!ck standing in his front lawn, looking forlorn and utterly confused.
“So now what the heck am I supposed to do?” D!ck asks aloud to himself, staring blankly at the wreckage of his home. He begins to wrack his brain for all possible routes out, and slowly, slowly the wheels begin to grind into motion and a sly grin appears to stretch across his face. He can almost feel the light bulb turning on above his head.
So, he sits and he waits for his parents’ return, lounging on the lawn and watching the clouds stroll by.
-----(switching tenses now, are you ready?)-----
D!ck startled awake to the horrible choking sounds of his sobbing mother. He sat up straight and met her stricken gaze, roving dazedly over the charred edifice that used to be her home.
“D – D!ck!” she cried. “What have y-you done??”
“Mom – Mom! It’s fine, it’s fine, just take a deep breath, ok?” he tried to soothe her. “Just let me explain.”
“Explain that my house was on fire, and you didn’t even call me??” she pursued shrilly.
“Mom, you’re reaching a whole new level of high-pitched, and it’s killing me,” D!ck complained. “Can I just tell you what happened?”
She pursed her lips and gave him that motherly no-nonsense-I-expect-to-hear-the-truth-come-out-of-your-mouth-or-I’ll-bury-you-alive-even-though-I-p robably-won’t-believe-it look.
“Uh,” D!ck cleared his throat. “You know the Benteley’s?” Her look said she did, but had no idea what they had to do with her wretched home – or what was left of the upper floor. “Well, um, they have a daughter and a – well, they have two kids, Taylor and Tanner,” he faltered again before spilling the excuse out like old cookies, “Tanner did it.”
His mother’s eyebrows passed her hairline on their way up. “You mean to say that Tanner Benteley did this to my house? And you had nothing to do with it?” She didn’t believe him - that much was obvious.
“Well – yeah,” he finished lamely.
His mother’s indignant and furious look stirred his defenses and he burst out, “I at least put out the fire, Mom, that’s sort of important. Do I get a little credit here, for at least saving part of your house?”
She looked apprehensive, but finally she nodded and drew him into an embrace. “I’m glad you’re okay, too.” Suddenly, she grew rigid and she drew slowly back with panic etching her face. “Where,” she choked out, “is your little sister?”
D!ck sighed with relief. “Mom, she’s fine. Delaney is at Sarah’s house. She’s been there all afternoon. She’s fine,” he repeated.
She looked appeased, but still very strained. “We need to call the police and take care of this ‘Tanner’ business.” She reached into her purse for her cell phone with a very determined look upon her face. “No one burns my home and gets away with it.”
D!ck dreaded the scene that the entire fire squad and half the police force would cause. Neighbors would stick their nosy heads out of doors and windows or else peek indiscreetly from behind curtains. Not that it made any difference – D!ck could always feel the prickle of a stare at his back, hidden by curtains or not.
Ten minutes later, two squad cars sped down his street and jolted to a halt, one on his mother’s precious lawn. Not a minute later, the fire brigade wailed around the corner and set up camp next to the squad car still parked on the street. Their flashing lights gave D!ck a headache.
Every crew member that could fit into a fire truck hopped out and the policemen exited their cars as well, leaving all doors hanging wide open. You’d think they’d be a bit more cautious… Three police officers approached D!ck and his mother. Two began to question his mother, and the third pulled D!ck aside a few feet.
“So, son,” he began, “you wanna tell me how this happened?”
D!ck was a little intimidated by the burly man and by the firearm holstered on his right hip. “Uh,” he stumbled, “there’s a neighbor, uh, kid that did this. I was – I wasn’t home and when I got here they were just leaving and the house was up in flames. I found the fire extinguisher on the lower level and put it out.”
The policeman’s eyebrows raised in disbelief. “You put out this fire by yourself, did you?”
D!ck could tell this man didn’t believe him. But then again, he was used to adults questioning his honesty. “Well, yeah,” he said a bit defensively, “I did. It’s not like I’m dumb or anything.”
“Well, you’re not exactly smart for going into a burning house by yourself. The ceiling could’ve collapsed on you.” D!ck was offended by the remark, and the officer could see it in his face. “Now, listen, we’ll move past that if you’ll tell me the name of this – kid? Which by the way, is it a boy or girl?”
D!ck gave him a blank look and shrugged one shoulder. “I really couldn’t tell you if it’s a boy or girl, but I can give you a name. Tanner Benteley.”
The officer looked perturbed, but turned to meet with his colleagues to verify the information. They held private conference on the lawn while firemen hustled about, putting out small fires and checking the stability of the house. One approached D!ck and his mother to insist they have a health checkup. Of course, his mother got out of it because she hadn’t been there, but D!ck had to endure the poking and prodding and all the questions of the paramedic.
But all within a matter of minutes, a squad car was sent directly to the Benteley home for the arrest of Tanner, the alleged arsonist behind the burning of Richard Lyle’s home. When they brought Tanner to the Lyle’s home, D!ck could see no visible traces of panic or resentment anywhere on the ambiguous and unnervingly calm features of the strange enigma that now sat gazing calmly out the back of an armored squad car.
When they questioned Tanner for motivation for the arson committed in the conflagration of the Lyle home, the only reply was that, “Some people just want to watch the world burn."
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I hate the flipping !!! exclamation marks. Why, oh why, did I have to pick that name for him?? Oh, right. It's because that's what he is.
Sorry the ending sucks, but I have to turn something into ORii, right? |
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© 2008 The Doll Palace. All rights reserved.
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5/5