[OPEN] I Remember This Place [OPEN]

[caine johnson]

"That's rude. You seem too sweet to be mean to." He frowned when she spoke of her burns, he hadn't noticed any burns. Caine almost wanted to look her over again to see them, but decided against it and just listened as she continued to talk. Her voice was a sweet sound, and he couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips. "Who's Christ and Dru?" He thought of Dallas as lucky to have such a big family. It was something he wanted, or if he could at least remember. "Well, I can help you move if you wanted.. or needed it."

Caine shifted in his seat, trying to hold in a yawn. He didn't want Dallas to think he was rude. But slowly, the yawn crept up on him, and his hand covered his mouth. "I'm sorry, I just got up early this morning." He sat up, and scooted back in his chair so he wouldn't lean.

[dallas emery atkins]

"Christy is a little girl I adopted. Her brother is dying.. And he didn't get to see her often in foster care, so I take care of her now. And Dru is.. my twin sister.." She said, mumbling the last part. "Duskin is always fussing at her.. She's really mean." She pulled the clip out of her hair, then twisted her hair around, pulling it back up. A few curls fell out of the clip, framing her face. She tucked one behind her ear, looking around the small room.

"I got up early too. But tomorrow I can sleep in. I don't have classes until four." She pulled her phone out, checking the time. "I like your eyes." She said, looking up at him. She smiled a bit, biting her lip gently.

[caine johnson]

"That's sweet." Caine's eyes wondered along the wall of the room. He didn't want to just stare at one thing, and it was hard for him to focus, but every word that Dallas spoke he heard. "So the complete opposite of you?" His voice was smooth, he didn't stutter or pause between words. He was growing more comfortable with being there. His muscles relaxed and he puffed his cheeks out once more. It was something he did when he was thinking. Then the air slipped from his cheeks, causing them to rest against his gums once more.

Her comment caught Caine off guard. "Thank you." A friendly smile flashed her way and his mind flipped through countless compliments to offer back, but none seemed like they would do Dallas justice. He noticed a glow around her, her hair laid perfectly around her face. Her smile was sweet and welcoming. "I like your eyes too." Caine felt dumb after wards. Out of all the things that ran through his mind, he chose I like your eyes too. His chest rose and fell with sigh. "So.. um.. Does Christy know her brother is dying?" So much for not pausing. Caine cringed with the word dying rolled off his tongue, he didn't like the word or the feeling.

[dallas emery atkins]

Dallas blushed and looked down into her lap where she folded her hands. He heard her him ask about Christy and looked up, hoping she wasn't still blushing. "Uhm.. Well, kinda.. She knows he's really sick and that one day he's gonna like.. leave and not come back. But I don't know if she really understands that he's gonna.. you know, have a headstone and everything. But little kids don't really understand that stuff. She's seen I'm an angel, and I'm sitting here like you and her.. So it wouldn't surprise me if she just outright asks one day 'whens bubba gonna come back?'" She shrugged, chewing on her lip. This guy was a lot different than Devon. He talked more, and he seemed comfortable with her. And plus, he was really cute. She remembered how her sister had literally attacked her when he bought Devon home to help him. She would probably hurt her again if she bought him home.

"You can uhm.. meet my brother.." She said quietly, rubbing her arm over her jacket sleeve.

[caine johnson]

Caine's eyes jumped and a smile brushed over his lips as she said the word angel. "No wonder you have a glow about you." He seemed to mumble, and then wondered he had been heard by her. "I'm sure he'll come back to Christy sooner or later. They'll find each other, somehow." His voice sounded hopeful, but his lips twisted and he rubbed in his face to hide the uncertainty. The different species in this town, there had to be a way for them to see each other, but Caine pushed the thought from his mind. If Caine could only remember few memories of his time on earth, then maybe there was a chance the brother and sister wouldn't see each other..

"Your brother?" He questioned, would the brother be an angel to? Then another question formed in Caine's head, but he knew better than to ask. "Sure, I'll meet your brother." The silence wasn't eerie or awkward anymore, Caine had finally grown comfortable. His smile stayed on his face, and his eyes traced over Dallas's face features, before looking back down at the wood. "Hm.. Is it weird to be telling me stories, when I have almost none to share with you?"

[dallas emery atkins]

She nodded. "Yeah, he should be here soon.." She looked down and pulled a string off of her skirt.

"No, it's not weird. It's nice having someone here to talk to that says more than two words." She said with a smile, leaning back in her chair. She pulled her hair over her shoulder, running her fingers through it. She twisted her fingers around one of the loose curls, curls her brother had made in her hair a couple nights before. But they had fallen, so now they were more waves than anything. Her phone started to ring, and she looked down at it. A mortified look passed her face, and she pushed her phone away. Her phone went off again with a text message, and she clicked it open.

'Dumb bitch. Why aren't you home cooking supper?' It read, and she clicked it closed, knowing she was probably going to pay for that later. She drummer her fingers on the table, biting her lip.

"So you.. wanna stay at the apartment tonight?" She asked quietly.

[caine johnson]

"I try." Caine chuckled and watched as she played with the waves in her hair. "I would share stories, if I knew of any. Then again, it's nice to hear you talk." He paused and slunk back in his chair. "Your voice is sweet." He finished his thought. The vibrating noise made him sit up again, and then his muscles relaxed at the sight of a cell phone. He looked up to see the expression on Dallas's face as she pushed the phone away. Each expression her face took made Caine want to keep the sweet smile on her face even more. He forgot about the cell phone, and thought it would be better to not ask who it was on the other end of it.

"Well.. I wouldn't want to impose." His voice shrank quiet and he bit the inside of his cheek. It was probably too late to find anywhere else to sleep.. A sigh lifted from his lungs, and he looked toward the door, wondering if shooting down her offer was a smart choice. "If I did stay, I would like to help you move in to the apartment when you decided too. Even if it is years down the road." Caine seemed hesitant at first, but it would be the only way he would take up Dallas's offer. She had been kind to him, and Caine wanted to return the favor.

[dallas emery atkins]

She looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah, me and Christy are gonna pack this weekend.. Since we have a lot more stuff to pack than Devon." She drummed her fingers on the table again, wondering what Devon was doing. "I think that since we already had the movers move in the sofa and chairs and beds and all the basic things, all we really need to bring is like, clothes and books and stuff." She shrugged, looking over at him. She stood and leaned over the table, brushing a leaf gently off of his shoulder. She sat back down, her eyes meeting his.

"I-" She started and heard the door open. She looked up at her big brother and stood up, throwing her arms around him. He hugged her gently, rubbing her back.

"This is Duskin. He's my big brother." She looked up at Duskin. "That's Caine."

[caine johnson]

"Ah, well I'll still help." Caine started to make a joke, but stopped as her hand brushed her shoulder removing a leaf. "Funny, I never noticed that. Thanks." He held eye contact with her for awhile, before hearing the door creak open. His eyes flashed down to the leaf, and he picked it up, playing with it in his hands. Dallas spoke again. Duskin, her brother, had entered the room. Caine stood from his seat, and stuck out his hand which was met by Duskin's. A quick hand-shake, and Caine's arm fell back to his side, his other hand still fumbling with the leaf.

"Nice to meet you." His voice started, and he looked over at Dallas before looking back to her brother. Now, he truly had ran out of things to talk about. Caine's mind was a blank slate, and he bit his tongue, hoping nothing stupid would slip out. The leaf was starting to fall apart in his hand, so he dug into his jean's pocket and left it there.

[dallas emery atkins]

She looked up at Duskin, asking if he could order pizza and have it delivered to the house, mumbling something about Dru calling her a bitch. He messed up her hair, then walked back out. She looked over at Caine, and blushed again. She grabbed her keys off the table, then started gathering her books.

"Well, Dusk is gonna order pizza.." 'Which means I might not be beaten quite as bad..' "So we can go ahead and go to the apartment." She said walking out the door, holding it open with her foot. She returned the key to the librarian, then headed back across the street to her car. She put her books in the back before sliding into the driver's seat. She pulled her keys out of her pocket, putting them in the engine and turning down the radio.

"Uhm.." She fumbled in her bag, grabbing her phone and calling the house phone. Dru answered, screaming at her, and she sighed. "No, Dusk is or-..." She was hung up on, so she just put her phone in the back seat.

"I don't wanna go home..." She mumbled, pulling out of the parking lot.