1x1 with hollyglow and Consulting_Angel

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
Glancing towards the window, to see as it was starting to get darker, Ashton nodded in response, deciding that the suggestion was one of the best things he'd heard Jem say so far. "Absolutely." He replied, and he waited until Jem had moved the tray off the bed, then Ashton slid under the covers within just a few seconds. He did consider taking as much room as possible, but ultimately decided not to, and he waited for Jem to join him as well. He was not looking forward to waking up early, but he could deal with that when the time came.

Loralei Waverly
Loralei watched Elsa's reaction, pausing just for a few moments to make sure that Elsa could take in what she was saying. Then, she continued. "So, a few weeks later, Mickey is playing in the streets with some neighbourhood children, including his friend Linda. He tells her about Eddie, and then after the games, he takes her to go and see Eddie, crossing what could be considered the boundary between the lower class and upper class areas. The three of them sneak off to play, but they get caught by a police officer when they were about to throw stones at a window. However, while Mickey and Linda are berated when they return home, Edward is let off. However, Mrs. Lyons becomes worried about Edward's friendship with Mickey, and starts to gradually believe her own superstition. She becomes ill with her worries, and Mr. Lyons realises the negative effects that the poorer children are having on his son, so he agrees for the family to move. Before the move, Edward goes to say goodbye to Mickey, and Mrs. Johnstone gives him a locket with a picture of herself and Mickey in it.
But the boys would not be separated for forever, as Mrs. Johnstone is rehoused to a new council house, in a nearby town, away from the city."

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

The behavior described in the story made me smile a bit. They all sounded quite a bit like Erek and I when we were children, though without the long-lost twin part, of course. Also, it was quite ironic that Mrs. Lyons started to believe her own superstition, although it did seem quite plausible. I knew you could almost rewrite your memories, in a way, so of course you could change your beliefs like that. I nodded for Loralei to go on.

Jem Laceburn

I slid under the covers as well and intended to just go straight to sleep, but it was too tempting to have Ashton right next to me after our conversation eariler, so I rolled over to smirk at him. "You know, highness, I do believe I made a resolution earlier to make you love me more than you love sleep. Does that sound familiar?"

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
He had already closed his eyes, as if he was about to go straight to sleep, but he opened them again when he heard Jem talking. Ashton raised an eyebrow, wondering what Jem was so obviously planning. He spent a few moments to theatrically think about it, "Why, yes. Yes, that does sound familiar." He responded in confirmation. "...Why?"

Loralei Waverly
Loralei waited for a signal from Elsa before she continued with the story. "The story skips to when the twins are 14. The Johnstone family are enjoying a better life, having been moved to a new home and a new area, and they have not seen Eddie in all those few years. After insulting their teacher, Mickey and Linda are both suspended from school, and both are revealed to have a crush on each other, though Mickey does not know how to act with her. Meanwhile, Eddie - who has been attending a boarding school - gets suspended because he refuses to give up his locket to a teacher, and despite his mother having already seen the pictures in it, he doesn't tell his mother about it. A short while later, Mrs. Lyons sees Mrs Johnstone near her house - though the latter is unaware of Mrs Lyons even living in the area - and her worries are renewed, concerned that Eddie and Mickey are going to meet up again. Indeed, Eddie and Mickey bump into each other in a field, and while they do not initially recognise one another, they quickly realise who the other is, and become close friends once again. Mrs. Lyons ends up going to confront Mrs Johnstone, accusing her of following her family just to stay close to Edward. Flying into a rage, she attempts to kill Mrs. Johnstone, but is quickly stopped by her, and so she runs away.

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

I lifted my eyebrows, surprised once again by the story. What was most shocking was the fact that Mrs. Lyons actually tried to kill Mrs. Johnstone...which of course made me wonder. "So...why is it that Mrs. Lyons was so opposed to the two meeting in the first place?"

Jem Laceburn

A slow smile spread across my face. "No reason, highness. No reason at all." I paused, as if I was going to let it go, and then I leaned forward and kissed Ashton. Since there was little light left after the sun went down, it was much like kissing him in the closet. Technically I didn't need to close my eyes, but I did anyway, because it just felt better. Any chance that I was going to let it be a brief kiss faded as I pulled Ashton closer to me.

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
"What?" Ashton asked, with a pout, because he just knew that Jem was planning something, and he wanted to know what. He got his answer very quickly, though, when Jem leaned forward and kissed him. Closing his eyes, Ashton felt an electric shiver run down his spine, and he leaned closer, letting Jem pull him closer. He lifted a hand, and rested it around the back of Jem's head.

Loralei Waverly
"Because she starts to believe her own superstition, so she's terrified of the boys potentially finding out that they are twins. And she also knows that Mickey is a bad influence on Eddie as well." Loralei answered, with a soft smile. "So, four years later, when they're eighteen, Eddie, Mickey and Linda have all been friends all throughout this time. Eddie finds himself getting feelings for Linda, but because he knows that Mickey likes her as well, he doesn't say anything. Instead, before he leaves for university, he encourages Mickey to ask Linda out, which he does. During Eddie's absence, Linda and Mickey get married, and Linda also gets pregnant. The two move in with Mrs Johnstone, and Mickey has a factory job. While it seems that things are going well, during a recession, Mickey is made redundant, which forces him having to take welfare. Eddie returns home for Christmas, ready to party and have fun, but when he and Mickey meet up again, the two realise how very different they've become, and they have a small fight, after which they part ways. Sammy - Mickey's older brother - approaches Mickey, and persuades him to assist him in a robbery, using the fact that it would earn him money to support Linda and the baby as leverage. However, during the robbery, it turns into a murder instead, with Sammy committing the crime, and Mickey being found guilty of being an accessory to the murder."

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

"But---" I shook my head. Never mind. That wasn't exactly what I'd meant, I'd just wanted to know why Mrs. Lyons hadn't wanted the two to meet before she became so superstitious, but it didn't really matter at this point anyway. So I just tilted my head and kept listening.

Jem Laceburn

When Ashton kissed me back, I smiled in satisfaction. I didn't mean to keep him awake longer than he wanted---well, not exactly---but he was kissing me back, so he must not mind that much. I ran a hand up his back and placed it against the nape of his neck, brushing my fingers against his hair, and kept kissing him.

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
While he probably would have preferred to have gone to sleep, Ashton decided that this was quickly becoming a bit better than sleeping. Not that he'd admit it to Jem just yet, though. He leaned in further, his other hand moving to Jem's waist. He let out a quiet hum of content, when Jem placed a hand on the nape of his neck, unable to really stop himself.

Loralei Waverly
Deciding that she'd answer or clarify anything else a bit later on, after she'd finished telling the story, Loralei continued, "So, Mickey gets sentenced to seven years in prison. During his time in there, though, he is diagnosed as chronically depressed, but he gets released early on good behaviour. However, he is still dependent on his anti-depressants, and he becomes withdrawn and turns away from Linda. Unable to get Mickey off the anti-depressants, and feeling as though she has nowhere else to turn, she contacts Eddie, who is now a councilor. He manages to get them a house, and Mickey a new job, but things don't appear to improve. Linda, worrying about Mickey, meets up with Eddie. Mrs Lyons sees the two together, and instead of intervening with them, she goes off to find and tell Mickey about it. Assuming that they are having an affair, Mickey is distraught over it, and he finds the gun the Sammy hid before he got arrested, and then he storms down to the council offices to confront Eddie." She paused, for effect, waiting before she continued.

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

I gave a quiet hum of understanding. The story had quickly become much different than any story I was used to, but it was still very interesting. I leaned back onto the bed and looked over at Loralei, waiting for her to continue.

Jem Laceburn

"Mm," I murmured softly as he moved his hand onto my waist. I placed my free hand onto his chest. "Better than sleep yet, highness?" I asked softly, pulling away so that I could talk, but still staying as close to him as physically possible, or at least that was the goal.

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
He didn't move away, wanting to stay as close as possible to Jem as he could. "Hm... it's close." Ashton answered, and he smiled almost mischievously. He leaned forward, and whispered into Jem's ear, "Very close." And he kissed Jem's neck before moving back so that he was looking directly towards him again.

Loralei Waverly
"At the council offices, Eddie is giving a speech, when Mickey comes storming in with the gun. He asks Eddie why he would take away the one good thing that he has away from him - Linda. Eddie denies this intention, though, and the police run in, pointing a gun towards Mickey. Mrs Johnstone enters shortly afterwards, and in an attempt to stop Mickey from shooting Eddie, she resolves to tell them the truth. She tells them that they are twins, and about giving one of them - Eddie - away. Mickey despairs that he was not the one given away, because then he could have had the life Eddie had. Distraught, he gestures carelessly with the gun towards Eddie, which goes off, killing him, and the police shooting and killing Mickey. Thus, making Mrs Lyons superstition come true." Loralei paused, to signal that it was the end of the story, but she did then add, "There is a bit of a question as to whether class is to blame, rather than superstition, though, and about nature versus nurture."

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

My mouth twitched and I nodded as the story ended. "Hm. That's...it's very interesting. I've never...our human stories, they aren't like that. So...so then, if they had known the whole time, neither of them would have died, right?" I tilted my head, my mind racing.

Jem Laceburn

I inhaled sharply as Ashton's lips brushed my neck, and I ran a hand through his hair. "Is that so, highness? Very close? Anything I can possibly do to make it completely, absolutely, totally better than sleep? Anything at all?"