Some secrets aren't meant to be told.

Jelly x Filled x Donut

Jelly x Filled x Donut

Two Thousand Club
Peyton, having one of her better days was out and about. The sun was shining and the air was warm. It was often she went out, and it felt nice to be in the sunshine.


Her long red hair twisted with the breeze and she smiled up toward the sky, the blue sky reflected in her eyes and made them shine.


Walking down the sidewalk, Peyton hummed slightly, she could tell that today was going to be an eventful one. Peyton kept her eyes down to her feet now, and avoided anyone on the street. Since she had been sick and had been living on her own not leaving the house often. Being around people made her nervous, an she was always worried that she would have an attack.


Shaking the thought away, Peyton walked down the street a little farther and to a park. Sitting on the swing set she hummed and kicked her legs slightly.
 
Pinpricks of light were starting to worm their way into the small, musty shop as Dante pulled book after book aside from the space by the window. He never tossed a book, never dumped it, always set it neatly aside. A special one was in this stack, someplace. Dante thought hard back to the cover he hid in this pile; the dusty, worn cloth cover and a gap missing in the spine. Finally, his hands brushed a coarse book, and a smile made it's way to his stiff face. The title, 'CLASSIC MYTHS IN ENGLISH LITERATURE' glistened in the faux gold lettering.


"Mr. Dawson, I'm going on break!" Dante called over his shoulder, slipping the book between two others to protect it. The aged man grunted, waved him off. Dante hurried to the park across the street, ruffling his hair nervously. Today was a good day. No anger, no worries, just a nice weekend and a new-old book. Dante cracked the spine open once more and found a shaded bench to sit on while he aired the dusty pages. Horrific pictures of Medusa, a family tree of the Titans and Gods, this book had it all! And nobody gave the mossy green cover a second thought, just like nobody minded Dante all that much.
 
As the lens focused on the subject, Deliah peered through the viewfinder. The photo was going to turn out great. It had tons of color, while it was nice and clear. There was nothing Deliah hated more than taking a poorly lit and blurry photo. She pressed down on the shutter button, capturing the flower's beauty. Finally, she thought. Now to look for another subject. A slight breeze picked up her brown curls, caressing her features as it went by. Deliah saw a park nearby, which she thought would be full of good shots. After a few minutes of walking she finally got there, only to see that some people were already there.


Nonetheless, she continued to look for something to take a picture of. Deliah saw a guy sitting on a bench, reading some old book. Curious, she decided to go up to him. "Hi! What'cha reading?"
 
Uh, you can't just join an RP. Sorry. Maybe try joining one with permission first. You can always try the skelly forum.


Peyton sat on the swing, and saw someone enter the park. Instantly she became a little nervous, what if they tried talking to her? But she shook her head and then stiffened her lip. Today she was going to talk to someone, and stop hiding.


Pushing herself up from the swing, she started to march over, but a tightness in her chest stopped her. In an instant she was panting, and the feeling of a coughing fit started to creep up.


Oh no Peyton thought. She was out in public, and this was going to happen? No no NO! Grasping at her cheat she tried to make it stop, but her wheezing only got louder as she became more stressed. Peyton's head then, started to spin. Was she going to pass out? Not here, just not here! she begged in her head.


It was only going to be a few moments before this person in front of her noticed her. They were the only two around, and she wasn't exactly being quiet.
 
Dante sat and read a while, his brow furrowing a tiny bit in concentration. There were no birds singing, no squeaking of a swing in the distance; it was just him singularly alone and a bookas he turned to his favorite legend of Hades and Persephone.


'Of many legends and stories attributed to Greek and Roman legend, this love story in history as the Greeks knew it causes one of the most massive worldwide changes, the development of four seasons. Hades, god of the Underworld, saw Persephone one harvest day in the feilds with her mother, Demeter. Hades then proceeded to kidnap Persephone for himself, dragging her to the Underworld...' Dante read on and on, but confused. What made for a love story if kidnap was acceptable? Dante was suddenly pulled from the zone of unawares by a light, raspy noise. Then, it happened again. It was like somebody was calling his name in class when he'd been reading. The noise was distant and far away, but it had him snap his head up. Before him was like Persephone herself. She was a pale young lady, petite, with a halo of red hair. She looked strangely panicked as she coughed, or at least gasped.


"Hey, miss, do you need water?" Dante asked, closing the book quickly. Books could wait, choking people needed attention. "Do you need help?" he asked again.
 
Peyton cupped her throat with her hand, and tried to stifle the coughing. But, what she ended up doing was make herself light headed, and so she stumbled back. "N-no," she managed, trying to make her voice firmer than it had come out. Her head was swimming now, but she tried her best to stay focused on the person ahead of her.


"I'm fine," she lied and turned so her back was facing the man. Her head continued to spin now though, and this caused her to fall back onto her butt.


Peyton was close to blacking out now, and she wasn't sure what would happen if she did. Laying back, Peyton let her eyes shut, before she slipped into blackness. She was now out cold, her breathing raspy and uneven. Her long red hair was fanned out on the grass, and it was easy to see now the dark circles under her eyes.
 
Dante stared, wondering why she'd come up to him, and then she fell. A sudden sickness overwhelmed him, and he put the book aside and knelt next to her. Should he try CPR? Dante leaned forward to listen to her breath. The park was almost empty this day, nobody to help them. The girl, asleep it seemed, was breathing, and upon the gentle touch of his index finger to her neck made sure her heart was steady. What do I do? Dante asked himself. Fear started to bubble up, and he knew he had to swallow it. Now was not the time for him. Dante sucked in a few encouraging gulps of air, steeling himself. With a gentle lift, and not a lot of muscle, Dante pulled the strange and surprisingly thin girl up onto the bench he recently occupied.


"Miss?" Dante tapped her shoulder, using his 'get up' voice, his words getting stronger. "Ma'am, please please wake up." Dante takes the water he brought, pours a little into his hand and wipes it onto her forehead and cheeks, hoping for a reaction. Maybe she'll scream, maybe slap him, but at least he knows she's not dead.
 
Suddenly, a cold shock woke Peyton up. Something cold and wet was on her face, and her eyes snapped open. Quickly they found Dante, who was kneeling over her. "O-oh my..." She breathed, and moved to sit up. She felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment, and she tried to push to her feet. This only caused her to stumbled back and sit again.


"I'm sorry.." She breathed, and pressed the back of one of her hands to her forehead. How had she made it to this bench? Had he moved her here? Did he all 9-1-1?


Peyton's thoughts became frantic as she began to become stressed about the situation.
 
Oh no, Dante thought. She's freaking out, she'll pass out again. "Hey, relax," Dante said, using his most calm voice. "You're ok, you walked over to me, started having trouble breathing and suddenly you just fell over. Do I need to call 9-1-1?" Dante stared at her, unsure if she'd really take care of herself. There were always those girls who seemed to avoid causing trouble even when they needed help. She seemed to be back to normal though. If anything else, maybe she just fainted? "Drink some water," Dante ordered nicely, even placing the bottle in her hand. Now seemed like an appropriate time to introduce himself.


"Hi, uh, I'm Dante. One hell of a day right?" he tried to be cheerful, probably sounding like a sadist. Go figures. Relatively cute girl and he seems like a creep right in front of her. Dante sat beside her at a reasonable distance, watching her face in worry that she'd faint again.
 
Peyton almost shot out of her seat when he mentioned calling 9-1-1. "O-oh no," she said, shaking her head. "I'm fine, really," She took the water bottle from him and gulped it down. When things like this happened, she always did seem to get thirsty. Swishing the blood flavor out of her mouth Peyton looked up at Dante. He was handsome and she suddenly felt really embarrassed to have passed out in front of him.


"I'm Peyton," She introduced herself and looked up at him. Peyton noticed the concerned look on Dante's face, and she shook her head, "Really, I'm fine," She repeated trying to make him calm some. It was weird that she had been the one blacked out, but she was now the one trying to comfort this stranger.
 
Peyton, she said her name was. Dante sat on the edge of the bench, still touching the outline of this phone in this front pocket but listening. She was fair skinned and delicate as lace on a vintage dress. In fact, Dante could even see her hair up in curls at the nape of her neck, sitting straight backed reading Jane Austin. Quickly getting back to reality, Dante cleared his throat.


"Can I help you somehwere? Is it too warm out here for you?" Maybe she was so pale from a lack of sun? His arm looked almost golden in comparison to her translucent skin. Maybe it was a heat issue, Dante hoped, and nothing too serious. "You see that little book store, says, 'Yesterday's Books'? I work there on the weekends; how about you come inside and I can get you some water and we can sit where it's cool," Dante offered, kicking himself internally. Wow. He really was a creep. Not only was he asking to follow her around as a stranger with just a name to go off of, but he just asked an alone girl to follow him to a book store. Hey little girl, want some candy in my van? was probably an accurate description of how Peyton felt. "Or I could just call a cab and you can get home to rest." Dante offered, looking away from her wide, seemingly all-knowing eyes.
 
Peyton watched him as he spoke he was very handsome, she noticed. When he offered to take her into the book store, one she had visited often as a little girl, she nodded. "It is pretty hot," She admitted, trying to stray the conversation away from her illness. Standing slowly, Peyton looked around, the world still spinning slightly. "You wouldn't happen to have any of Shakespeare's works would you?" She asked, looking across the street to the book store.


Glancing back at Dante, she wondered why he felt he needed to help her. Most people would have just sent her to a hospital if they wanted to help at all. Something about Dante made Peyton nervous, but not in the "somethings wrong" sort of way. It was more like...well, she wasn't sure but, there was something about him that made her feel very self aware.


Looking herself over, she tried to smooth out the skirt she was wearing and she bit her lip when the wrinkles didn't go away. "Care to, walk me across the street?" She asked and looked up at him, smiling.
 
When Peyton stood, he did as well, sharply. "Yeah, almost blistering out today. It's about..." Dante checked his phone. "Eighty-four, geeze," he laughed, not really feeling heat until now for some reason. Shakespear? "Of course, we have the Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. I've been hoarding them," Dante admitted. Something about her every liquid movement made him want to watch and see what she does next; fireworks, butterflies, and snowfall combined couldn't draw him away. She started to fiddle with her skirt, and there was a moment in time that rarely happens. Dante wasn't busy trying to quell his inner enemy, he wasn't worrying. In fact, it almost appeared that his mind was still when a hot breeze kicked up Peyton's hair.


True, Dante didn't have much of a life outside work and school, as to keep himself in check, but moments like this when there was a pretty girl and a nice day made him wish life were more accessable. Would he care to walk her across the street? Dante stood beside her on the sidewalk and looked both ways, holding out his arm in a pompous way. "My dear," Dante drawled, very fop. "I would indeed enjoy your company across the street into a bookstore, hm, yes," he smiled finally, hoping she'd laugh. Dante decided he'd like to hear Peyton laugh.
 
Laughing was exactly what Peyton did, when he put on his fake English Socialite accent. "Mr.Darcy," She inclined her head with a smirk. She had just made a reference to Pride and Prejudice, and held her head high like Elizabeth Bennet. Moving her arm gracefully into his, she looked both ways down the street.


It was odd because normally she would still feel rather dizzy, but she didn't at all anymore. Maybe it was because he had distracted her? She wasn't sure but, she knew that being near him had some effect on her that she was rather fond of.


As they made it across the street safely, Peyton glanced over at Dante. He was handsome, and smooth. She couldn't believe that she was linking arms with him. Most of the time when and if she did come outside, most people avoided her probably because she looked so sickly. It was odd for someone to jump to her aid so quickly, let alone be so nice to her. Shaking the thoughts away she looked up at Dante, the hot wind blowing her hair into her face. "I think, Mr.Darcy," she started with a smirk, "After you, " She hoped that her joke wouldn't go unacknowledged because she was trying awkwardly hard to impress him some how.
 
Dante felt a warm shiver when Peyton linked arms with his, and when they walked aross the street, he stole a glance at her. Her hair fluttered around in the breeze, and he was tempted to ask what shampoo she used to keep it so glossy but not greasy, shiny but not sweaty looking. At the Pride and Prejuduce reference, he didn't have much to say and suddenly panicked. Oh God, she's going to think I'm an idiot. Dante smiled, and took her hand, grasping it at the fingers in an impromptu moment. He knew the main character was Elizabeth at least, so he smiled at Peyton gently.


"Only if I may be so bold, Miss Bennet," and opened the bookstore door feeling particularly foolish. There was a line she gave him, and he knew it was wrong. God bless it. Dante tried to save face and waved his hand around the 80 percent neat bookshop, complete with a crabby old man. "I'm back," he announced.


"Who's the friend?" Mr. Dawson peered over his book, 'The Divine Comedy', Dante's namesake.


"Her name's Peyton, she needs a book for school," Dante lied smoothly, taking her hand and pulling her to the back out of sight where she could sit and have a glass of water like a civilized person.
 
Peyton giggled softly when she saw his expression that read he was groaning inwardly. She couldn't stop from grinning and nodded politely when the older man looked up at her momentarily. Sitting down behind a talk dusty bookshelf she looked up Dante, "Not a Pride and Prejudice fan, are you?" She asked smirking.


It was nice in the book store, the smell of books had always been comforting to her. Peyton had a rather large collection of old classics in her tiny apartment. She didn't sit for long as the old binding of the books beckoned her. Gingerly, Peyton skimmed her fingers along the binding of the books tracing gold lettering when she came along it. Books were always her best friends, having been there through everything.


As she looked at the books, she smiled sincerely which wasn't something that happened often. Books were the one thing she didn't have to hide from. The one thing that didn't judge her, only comforted her. "Ah," She breathed, picking one from the shelf. It was Romeo and Juliet, her most favorite work of William. "Have you ever read it?" She asked Dante, opening the book slowly, careful of the cracked and dusty binding.
 
Sitting beside her after fetching some water, Dante grimaced. "No, not really. I like mythology a bit more," Dante held his book from earlier and glanced around. Jesus, it was a mess in here. He'd have to clean up. His room was worse though, with his bookcase full and stacks of books everywhere; his bed, his dresser drawers, even his closet have books in there. He could write if he had the patience, but he'd rather read the finished product.


Out of nowhere she gasped, and he worried she'd faint again, but when Dante snapped his head up, the look of adoration in her eyes at 'Romeo and Juliet' seemed like the only thing that mattered. "I love it! Absolutely love that story," Dante situated himself on the chair and closed his eyes. " 'How, if, when I am laid into the tomb, I awake before the time my Romeo hath come to redeem me?' That is my favorite sililoquy, about her fears. It's so morbid and dark, only the most creative could have dreamed that one up," Dante smiled, thinking back to junior high drama class where all the girls did a scene from Romeo and Juliet, but only one girl did that scene. It captured him ever since. 
(OOC--to be honest I did that scene for my high school drama class this year and I'M really the one captured with it sorry just had to say that)
 
Peyton smiled and didn't look at him, but she let the words of the play wash over her. He said them with such emotion and fire that it almost startled her. She flipped the pages, skimming her fingers along the words as though they were delicate.


" '..Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things;


Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished:


For never was a story of more woe


Than this of Juliet and her Romeo." she quoted with her eyes locked on the words of the pages.


She didn't move for a long while, and then swiftly shut the book and slipped it back into the empty slot on the bookshelf. Her eyes had been full of a certain light when she spoke them. Something about the written word of love and tragedy did something to her. Something she didn't know how to explain. For a moment Peyton's hand hovered over the novel and then she dropped her hand to her side. With an awkward and shy clearing of her throat she finally looked over at Dante. "S-sorry, " Peyton murmured, "I just get so lost in those words," She said finally turning toward him. 
(OOC-- Actually, I did a scene from this for drama too. I've always loved Shakespeare. It's always come natural to me to understand the meaning behind his words. I just really appreciate his works.)
 
Dante had always heard this turn of phrase, but never actually seen anybody fall into a book. It was like each word was another piece of armor, or a flower in a bouquet to her. Peyton looked...in simplicity, happy. "It's alright, I love it too." Dante reached across and pulled the book out, flipping ahead until he found a special quote in the tomb. " 'Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty' ." He smiled, not trying to hit on her really, just sating something cute that happened to be his favorite part. Nothing could disturb him at this point; there was a book in hand, a person to share a beautiful story with, and great sitting-down time.


"Want to borrow this book? It's a special edition, it has extras and little stuff like definitions," Dante offered. "I can check books out any time, so...I'll check it out and let you use it, just bring it back, or the old man yells," he smiled. Hopefully she wouldn't just ditch him and take the book, like most girls would when using a nice guy. More importantly, Dante hoped she wouldn't use him.
 
Peyton watched him speak, and smiled when he picked up the book again. He read the line with a certain happiness and she could tell that he loved the line he had read. "He had really loved her," She breathed in amazement, her eyes locked on the book in Dante's hands. Her eyes displayed something different now, like passion and longing, a different smile on her full lips now. But, when he offered her the book for loan her expression changed to shock. "Oh no, I couldn't," She said putting up her hands in protest, "I wouldn't want something to happen to it," Peyton said, frowning. And by something happening she meant blood stains she caused from her episodes.
 
"O-oh," Dante said, a little downcast. "You sure? I mean, you probably have your own copy, I just thought I'd offer." he shrugged, wondering if he'd been a fool, or too forward. "So why...were you in the park if you're not feeling well? You could've been out there for a long time and gotten heat stroke or something," Dante prodded, passing her more water just at the idea. God forbid she get heat stroke, Peyton would probably die. She was so waif-like and thin, maybe she needed to see a doctor.


The thought hurt him. It hurt him worse to think that somebody he'd just met would die than to think he'd loose a friend. A pang rippled through Dante at a surprising rate, so he looked back at the book and tapped it's cover. "If you want, you can come here and read any time, like a library if you want. We have all the stuff that's out of print, that's why it's called 'Yesterday's Books'," Dante tried to piece back a semblance of detached interest.
 
Peyton was taken back by his questions, stammering to find an answer. "W-well I, uhm," But, Dante saved her from answering, by mentioning that she was welcome anytime. "Oh," She said forcing a calm smile, "I'd like that," which was true, but she was still trying to recover from his questioning.


Her illness wasn't something she talked about often, because it normally generated feigned friendship and emotion. Most people felt sorry for her, and were nice to her because they felt they had to. But, Dante, didn't know she was dying, and he was being perfectly wonderful.


Finally recovering she looked back over all of the books before them, "You must love working here," She commented and walked down towards the other end of the shelves. "Books are great company," Peyton murmured, and when she said this her voice held an astonished admiration. It was as though books were her only comfort in the world. In truth they were, for most of her ill life, she had surrounded herself with books and nothing else. As she looked up at all the books a small smile lit up her face, and again her fingers were sliding along the binding of the books in front of her. She took special care in each touch she made, and her eyes took in every title with importance.
 
You must love working here...she sounded almost envious. Dante looked around the small space with a table and stacks of books on cases taller than they, looking about. "Yes, I kinda do," Dante smiled, running a hand through his hair and sighing in the musty air. "I have a weapon with 'How To Handle It', I have a friend with 'Odd Thomas', I once even saw Paris, fought a fire, and danced the tango with these two left feet...all very great books." Dante looked around and blushed. Was he really such a nerd? "I try not to go out a whole bunch," Dante just spilled, and almost even clapped a hand over his mouth. Oh, God, had he just confessed that? Don't ask, Peyton. Don't make me lie. Dante willed.
 
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