Rumors Fly [Open]

[Kristopher Roberts]

It was really amazing how even in Wonderland, a land of nightmares and slavery, that rumors where as popular here as much as they where in the real world. It was really an unsettling discovery that a certain blond was learning today.

This blond was Kristopher Roberts, who was as of right now, working in the kitchen. He had a knife in his hand and merely cutting a few carrots at his own easy pace with his back turned towards the other workers in the kitchen. But he couldn't help but over hear them as they whispered behind his very back.

"I hear Augusta, you know the french guy he is always with? Apparently he dumped him right on the stairs!"

"Whoa, no way. I thought those two where solid. You know?"

"Must of found out how much of a whore he really is, you do know he is always in the company of someone. Usually a boogie. I mean there's Ezel, that creepy boogie and that new one... Corvus or whatever. He's like a grasshopper."

"Poor Augusta, having to put up with that shit...I would of dumped on the stairs too if I was him!"


He suddenly felt eyes on his back as the boys and girls of mixed ages looked at him, most of them where around the age of fifteen. God, he felt so out of place right now. He tired to focus on what he was doing, not listening to them whisper. But it was so hard. Was that what people really thought?

How horrible. But the blond merely bit his lip, pretending as if he never heard a word of it. At least the younger children still liked him and always wanted to play. That was a relief but the older ones...didn't they have something else to do other then gossip about his life...right behind him, literally.

"So how long do you give it until he finds another bed to warm up?" snickered one of the girls who was part of the group.

"I give it two days. Some sap will take pity on him. Hey, seeing as the French boy is single, maybe we should go and cheer him up, huh? What about that?"

"Dara, shhhh. He's right there you know!"

"So what? Not like he cares, he just uses people anyways. I bet you that Piper girl will be with him in no time. He goes over there a lot you know."

Kristopher winced but did not make a sound, no. Instead he looked down at his hand and watched the blood flow out of the nick he just gave his left thumb. Then, sighing he turned away, dropping the knife in the sink and turning on the water to run the cold water over the new wound.

The others seemed to have notice he was still very much alive and went back to their own work. Leaving Kristopher standing with a cut thumb and thinking. "Who cares anyways." He muttered to himself as watched the water. "Let them think what they will...I have better things to do then worry about my own reputation."

But still, it bothered him. It really did. Why did people always talk about the weakest person in such horrible ways? Maybe it was because the strong could always clean the rumor starters head off while the weak merely grinned and bared it.

[Kyle Roberts]

He awoke that morning, mind clear for the first time in many weeks. Gone were the clouds of depression that had loomed over him all this time. All that was left was a searing pain in his shoulder, fire lancing through him everytime he tried to move his left arm. Gingerly he reached up with the right, wincing as he lightly touched the still bloody wound. Last night he'd awoken, not knowing who he or where he was, utterly consumed in his despair. Wandering the halls he'd passedi n front of a mirror, catching sight of the small tattoo that had adorned his shoulder; a little heart and banner with his sister's name and birthdate. Blind to the world he'd smashed the mirror, but in its shards he could still see the permanent reminder of her. Without thinking he'd grabbed up a shattered piece of glass and slammed it into the flesh where the marking lay, grinding and wallowing it about until the ink was gone.

For several minutes he sat there, eyes cast at the floor. All trace that he'd ever known the girl was gone, all except his memories and the engagement ring in his pocket. For some reason he couldn't bring himself to be rid of it, no matter how deep his depression had grown he'd never been able to let it go. Perhaps because that one small pieceo of jewelry held within it every hope and dream he'd ever had.

The only thought in his mind was that he needed to find Kristopher, to apologize for being so weak all this time. Wandering through the hallways he passed many a person, more than a few of them staring at him in wonder. Admittedly there was plenty of reason, he looked like he had changed in days, mostly because he hadn't. He woke up, he went about his duites, and he went to sleep, occasionaly he would eat. Nothing else had mattered in his life. Little mattered now, only his brother and the desire to serve his mistress to the best of his abilirty. They were all that he had left in any world, and even though they might despise him he would hold on to them.

That was why his blood immediately began to boil as he entered the kitchen, where he knew that Kris would be. Here were these worthless wretches, talking about his baby brother as though they were better than him, like he was some kind of putrid insect. Kyle didn't hesitate, he grabbed the nearest boy and slammed him into the heavy table that sat in the center of the room. The boy's face was dark, undisguised fury and disgust on it as his voice broke through the stunned silence, low and dangerous. "Get out." Not a one of them lost time in doing so.

Exhaling a sigh he moved over to stand beside Kris, giving his brother a warm smile. "You should wrap that up Kris. Don't worry, I'll handle things here." His hand reached up, wrapped in bloody cloths as he took up the knife that his brother ahd held previously, setting about the abandoned task with industry and care.

[Kristopher Roberts]

If antyhing, it was safe to say that Kristopher was absoubletly in surprise as well as shock. One moment people were whispering behind his back and then suddenly his older brother came into the kitchen and promptly smashed one individual's head into the nearest heavy table. That simple action in itself made Kristopher jump and turn to see the events as soon as they happened.

Like many others, Kristopher was at a lose for words. However the nasty group cleared up mostly or went about their own task within the kitchen. Kristopher could not help but stare at his brother as if he grew two heads. Was he...better? He had to be to suddenly slam someone onto the table and growl like that!

He had to be over...his misadventure as it were.

His green eyes watched every move Kyle made as he came over to him, reached down and took the knife. At first Kris feared his brother might use it against him and went to stop his brother. But Kristopher froze in mid motion as Kyle simply turned and started to cut up the left over carrots that Kristopher had left. Cutting them with such...well...care.

"You should wrap that up Kris. Don't worry, I'll handle things here."
Kristopher must of looked like a lost pup for a good five minutes before he suddenly sighed and smiled softly. Maybe his older brother was back "from the dead" at last. Turning away he went across the kitchen to take care of his new wound.

"You should of took a bath first." Respond Kristopher, but however true he turned it into a light hearted joke. "I thought you where a zombie for a moment." A pause. "However, welcome back." He said honestly as he meanded his poor thumb carefully.

[Kyle Roberts]

Apparently Kyle was completely unaware of the shocked silence within the room. ....Or perhaps he wasn't, judging from the fact that a light chuckle was escaping his lips for the first time in weeks. For some reason, ever since he'd come here, everyone seemed to be as afraid of him as they were the boogies. The young children were the only ones who were always happy to see him, and they were the only ones that ever saw Kyle's true self. Not even Kris had seen that side of him.

The chuckle continued unabated as his brother spoke to him, finding some small bit of humor in the words. "Come on now little brother, I don't smell that bad do I?" It was a small joke, he knew full well that he smelled awful. The boy hadn't bathed in several days, and the floor of his brother's room was none too fragrant either. Besides, experience had told him that dried blood didn't leave the sweetest aroma. "I'll go take one after I'm done here, alright?"

Reaching for a few more carrots, a flash of pain crossed his face as the shredded muscles in his shoulder were tugged at. Some inner well of will allowed him to ignore it though, gritting his teeth against the massive pain coursing through his body and continuing with his task as though nothing were wrong. He certainly didn't want Kris worrying about him, the boy had done far too much of that these past few weeks.

The zombie comment started him to chuckling again however, both at the words and the truth behind them. But the laughter died off at the blond's next words, a look of deep sadness appeareing on his face. Kyle made sure to keep his back turned to Kris, doing everything he could to force down the emoptions that had crept up. It took several minutes but soon he had once again gained mastery of himself, mostly. His voice was quiet when he spoke, though he hoped Kris would pass it off as nothing more than him being lost in thougt. "Its good to be back." Heaving a heavy sigh, forcing down the last traces of emotion, he turned and gave his little brother another smile.

[Kristopher Roberts]

Kristopher chuckled lightly and shook his head, "No, you don't." He lied with a soft smile and turned towards his older brother after fixing his thumb. It was good to see his brother in good spirits once again as well as being back to normal, well as normal as he could be.

Kristopher loved his brother deeply and was loving the fact his brother was good once again. However, that meant Kristopher distraction was gone. He didn't need to worry about his brother anymore and give him any special care. No, he had nothing to keep his mind away from his lost relationship. Nothing to keep Augusta out of his mind. His happiness was soon out weighted by this fact, his stomach flopped about with mixed feelings but he did well to hide those feelings.

Kristopher was back to his old self, wearing his mask. Switching them too and fro like a skilled performer. Even now, he was doing his skillful art by wearing his care free expression full of joy over his brother. "That might be a good idea however." Kristopher stated with a chuckle and turned to look over his shoulder as one of the girls was glaring at him as she washed the dishes. Kristopher averted his eyes back to his brother and shrugged softly.

People seemed to look at him differently then they once had. Now they no longer saw an innocent Kristopher. No, they saw what they wanted. A user, a whore, whatever fit their fancy at the time. But Kris ignored it.

"I might come to join you, I need one myself."

[Sarah Roberts]

"Got that straight. You guys stink."

Though the words themselves were unkind, the voice behind them wasn't. In fact, it was full of nothing but love and a smile. It was also a voice that had not been heard by anyone in Wonderland in a long time. Sarah and tracked her brothers down, and had found them together. That was good. That made what she had to do a little easier. However, it wasn't something she was looking forward to at all. Plus, her brothers seemed to be in good spirits for once, and she didn't want to ruin that the moment she stepped into the room. So, she tried throwing out some humor to announce her reappearance. It was only delaying the inevitable, however.

Sarah had been gone for a long time. She hadn't been able to show her face, especially to her brothers. What she had done was horrible, and she wouldn't blame either of them if they never spoke to her again. However, she had to tell them why. She had to explain what had been so bad to drive her away for so long. It was the least they deserved. Well, that and a better sister. It would be time for that all too soon, though. For now, it was nice to just take a moment and enjoy seeing her beloved brothers again.

[Kyle Roberts]

A genuine smile slid onto his at Kris' suggestion. It had been awhile since they'd taken a bath together. Hell it'd been a while since he'd bathed period. He'd always greatly enjoyed bathing with his little brother though, it never having really bothered him that they were two males naked in a tub, they were family and that was all that mattered to him. His brother was all that he had left in this world or any other, and he delighted in every moment that they could spend together in peace. "That'd be nice. Its been far too long si--"

The knife came down on his hand, but he didn't feel it, his entire body had gone numb. Behind him was the voice that he'd never thought he'd hear again. The voice of the girl who had given him so much joy and misery, who had kept him alive and yet nearly killed him. It was the voice of the girl he'd loved. He'd thought he was over her, that all his emotions for her were gone. But when he heard her voice...he instantly knew he was wrong. It took every bit of willpower he had to keep the tears from his eyes. And so try as he might to keep the emotion from his voice, a bit of it still slipped through. "Is that really you...?"

[Kristopher Roberts]

Kristopher looked up at shock at the sudden knife in his brothers hand and as always, Kristopher jumped to his brother and grabbed his hand. "Kyle! You have to be more careful!" He said with so much surprise that he instantly put a rag to his hand to stop any bleeding as he pulled out out the knife and tossed it into the sink in horror.

But then, his sisters voice filled the room and he looked up at her. His pale face was full of shock and then slowly to displeasure. First she had ruined their brother and left him to rot away and now she comes back? Smiling and making a joke. Kristopher wasn't sure what to think but he lifted a hand and placed it on Kyle's shoulder. He was keeping his brother in place as best as he could.

"Kyle." He said softly, turning to stand beside his brother still holding his wounded hand. He wasn't sure what to do right now but he turned to look at Sarah. But he said nothing to her, he didn't need too. His eyes said it all.

How could she just come in here like that? Leave him to pieces and now act like nothing happened as soon as his brother found his way back to him? How dare she...

[Sarah Roberts]

Well, that hadn't worked. Not at all. Then again, Sarah wasn't sure how else she had expected it to go. She didn't know how else she should have done this. Maybe she shouldn't have. Maybe she should have just stayed away . . . .

No. This had to be done. It was months too late, but they deserved at least this much.

Kyle's hand. She saw it, and knew it was her fault. Her eyes went wide with horror, and she began to run over to help, but Kris' expression made her stop in her tracks. That look horrified her, and sent her reeling a few steps backwards. Then, she recovered, knowing that this was only to be expected. She had disappeared without a word, and had caused Kyle and Kris both untold amounts of grief. Her coming back now was likely not welcome. She doubted her presence ever would be again. She thought she had come to terms with that, but it was becoming painfully obvious to her that she hadn't. This was getting harder by the moment. Especially when all she wanted to do was fling herself onto her brothers, and hide inside their embrace. The knowledge that that was never to be again about made her break down right there.

However, she fought that urge down. She had come here for a reason, and it was time to get to it. This was obviously never going to get easier. She needed to say what she came to say, and then leave them alone forever. Maybe fling herself off a cliff somewhere. She hadn't figured that part out, yet. One step at a time. She opened her mouth to speak, only to find that nothing would come out. What the hell was she supposed to say? She knew what she wanted to tell them, but she couldn't figure out how to put it into words. Even if she could, she doubted she could force them out. This was not going as she had planned at all.

Finally, with downcast eyes and great sadness in her voice, she said the only thing she was able to, "I'm sorry."

[Kyle Roberts]

Kyle couldn't hear Kris, nor could he feel the enormous amount of pain rushing through his hand. He couldn't feel or hear or smell, even the counter before him was starting to blur as his vision failed. Once again the despair was taking hold, a dark wave sweeping over him that threatened to swallow him whole. There was nothing he could do to stop it, he was helpless.

He did his best to fight off the overflowing emotions, but his best simply wasn't good enough. his shoulders began to shake, and the tears were so insistent on coming that he had to clamp his eyes shut to hold them in. Despite this there were a few that still managed to slip though his guard. These ran the length of his face, hanging on his chin for just a moment before dropping to the cold counter below.

Her words were the only things that penetrated the ocean of despair that had engulfed him, sinking down into the very core of his being. His voice came out in a barely audible whisper. "She's sorry..." Half of him wanted to turn and yell at her, to tell her what she'd done to him and that she was unwelcome. The other half wanted to turn and rush to her, holding her tightly in his arms as he cried into her shoulder. But he didn't do either, he merely stood there with his back turned. He refused to turn around, refused to let her see the tears that were now freely running down his face. It was now that he was forced to admit what he'd always known, that he could never stop loving her.

[Kristopher Roberts]

Kristopher looked at the two carefully, trying to weigh the options. He ignored their words for a long moment, listening and studying them for a long moment before he sighed. His hard expression softened slowly. He sighed tiredly and put a hand over his face for a few moments.

Slowly, he pulled away from his older brother as he spoke to him, "Must I lock you in a room as well?" Ah yes, the room locking bit that he had done to Kris not to long ago. Locking him away with Augusta until the issue was fixed and now it was time for Kyle to repair the damage done as well as Sarah.

Kristopher knew how this hurt, he knew by experience alone. He turned to regard his sister for a moment. It was clear as day with the look he was giving her. He was giving her permission to approach but if she hurt Kyle, cause him any pain let alone caused him to hurt himself in anyway but cutting or death...then Kris would hunt her down.

"Sarah." he said slowly, moving to the sink and removing the knife. Not wanting sharp objects to be near Kyle or Sarah. It was there time to talk.

[Sarah Roberts]

Sarah heard Kyle say something, but she couldn't make out what it was. She wanted nothing more than to hear what it was, even if was him cursing her name. Just to hear his voice again would make everything better. She wanted that so much, but knew that what she had to say next would ruin any chance of that. She only hoped that Kyle could move on without her, assuming he hadn't done so already. He deserved so much better than her. She just had to find the courage to tell him why. That was going to take a lot more than she had thought. Maybe more than she could muster. But, she had to try, somehow.

"Must I lock you in a room as well?"

Sarah was slightly distracted by this statement. She didn't really know what her brother was referring to. However, it hinted at something she was desperately wanting. A chance. A chance she didn't deserve. A chance to tell them why. She hoped beyond hope that's what Kris' statement meant, and the look on his face seemed to confirm it . . . though it also held a warning. Sarah knew what it meant, and she wouldn't blame him a bit for it. In face, if that was his will, then she'd let him cut her down right then and there after she'd delivered the message she'd come to deliver.

"Sarah."

That was her cue, she was up. "I . . . I'm sorry," she said with down cast eyes. "I can only imagine what you guys must think of me at this point. I've come to explain. To tell you why I haven't been around. You . . ." Her voice cracked, and she had to take a moment to gain control of her emotions before she continued, or she'd just break down into unintelligible sobs. "You deserve that much at least. You deserve so much more than that, both of you do, but I'm afraid this is all I can offer you. I am so sorry I didn't come to you with this earlier, but I couldn't face you. Not after . . . not after . . . ." And that was it. It was all she could get out before tears blocked out her vision, and the sobs kept her from speaking.

[Kyle Roberts]

Normally he would have laughed at Kris' threat, knowing that it was a hollow one. There was really little that his brother could force on him, he'd spent a lifetime escaping and he was now a master in the art. But things weren't normal, they had been for a moment but they weren't now. ...Or maybe he had it backwards, and things were only normal now that Sarah had come back to him. Maybe things ahd never been normal and they never would be, who the hell knew? He didn't, and he found that he didn't care. At the moment he wasn't sure if he cared about anything, and if he did, then he had no idea what.

Everything went silent, and he found himself wondering what was going on. And for some reason, he desperately hoped that Kris hadn't done anything to harm her. He knew that Kris despised her, that he blamed her for tearing their family apart and nearly killing Kyle. Kyle could understand that, he'd had similqar contempt for Augusta on more than one occasion. But that was different...or at least he wanted to believe it was so. Of late he'd been forced to admit that Kris loved Augusta, just as he was being forced to admit that he loved Sarah.

Her everyword cut into him like a knife, piercing straight into his heart and soul. It wasn't really what she said, no he was barely processing that, it was the way she said it. She was hurt. It killed him to know that, even moreso than the fact that she'd left him did. To his surprise he found that he didn't care what she'd done, he only cared that she was hurting and he needed to help her. And then she started crying, and he completely snapped. He ddin't know how he managed to hold himself back fromk going to her at that point. All he could manage to get out through his pain was a tear strangled. "Why...?"

[Sarah Roberts]

"Why...?"

Sarah heard what he said that time, even through her own sobbing. He deserved to know. It was why she'd come. She had to get her emotions under control. She had to stop crying. At least long enough to get it out. It took her a while, but she finally managed to bring the sobs down to a manageable level. Time to try this again.

"Kyle . . . I-I'm so sorry. I . . I don't know how it happened, or why. I-I can't . . . ." She paused there, sniffling, trying to keep her emotions under control just a little longer. "I slept with Serenity." And that was it. Her crying began anew, worse than before, and her legs gave out, leaving her on her knees because she was crying so hard.

[Kristopher Roberts]

Was it just him or did he suddenly get the funny feeling right about now was the time to bash his head into the counter? So much drama in the kitchen, but he supposed it was better now then later. He could maybe defuse the situation? Who knew. But he wasn't overly shocked by hearing this information.

He had the feeling something like this might of happened but wasn't sure. But that didn't stop him from raising an eyebrow and looking at his sister like she was some kind of retard! The knife in his hand tapped on the counter in thought, watching and gauging his brothers reaction. There was little he could do about this right now...but so help him God. If this went down hill, he would lock the two in the broom closet to his left!

And leave them there too!