Meeting The Venturis

Casey

Narrative

Sitting in her room on the computer was Casey MacDonald. She fidgeted with a silver charm bracelet every now and again with mounting nerves in her stomach. She not so patiently awaited the arrival of a man and his young daughter. She had paced the room for a number of minutes before coming to this seat in front of the turned off computer. So entranced was she that when the phone rang, she jumped. Hoping it was Emily she yelled, "I got it!" she sat back down and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Hey." that voice was familiar but not in the way she had been hoping.

"Oh, hey Nikki. What's up?" asked Casey clearly disappointed.

"I could always call back if... ya know?" said Nikki, the young girl Casey had met one Summer at a day camp.

"No, sorry. It's just me and Emily are fighting, I'm almost sure, and my Mom, to top it all off, has a date. And she's excited!" said the exasperated Casey.

"A date, really?" asked Nikki, sounding as unbelieving as Casey felt, but in a turn around she said, "That's pretty cool."

"I guess." grumbled Casey, knowing she hadn't Nora MacDonald this happy since the night before her Father died. "Yeah, it will all be okay." sighed Casey, hoping things, in the end, worked out for the better. She had seen her Mom at her lowest, is this guy could make her high again Casey was all for it.

For a short while longer they talked until Casey hears her Mom call. She just knew what it meant. She hung up with Nicole and stood to her full 5'4 and walked down the stairs. Waiting there looking like the happy, smiling family of four were Nora, Lizzie, Marti and... George. Casey gulped as she descended the stairs. Feeling like a small fish who was about to be fed to the sharks. "Casey, this is George." said the smiling Nora looking fondly over at George whose bright blonde hair caught Casey off guard so that she stared at him. "Ahem, Casey." said her Mother quietly.

"Sorry." said Casey blushing to her dark roots. "I'm Casey, and it's nice to meet you George." her Mother cleared her throat and Casey knew to put a handle on his name right away, of course she'd known better from the beginning, but it couldn't hurt to test the waters, could it? "Sir."

"Of course, you too Casey, this is my daughter Marti." Lizzie scoffed, earning a glare from her Mother.

"What kind of a name is Marti anyways?" Casey could have sworn she heard Lizzie grumble.

"Hi sweety, Im Casey." she said getting to the small girl's level. "It's so nice to meet you."

"You too." said Marti shyly. Lizzie just rolled her eyes.

After all introductions were made and rules for Marti's bed time were given George and Nora tool their leave. Promising to leave their cells on, just in case. "So, what are we going to do?"

"I have homework." said Lizzie already making her way to the dining room where they usually did homework.

"That leaves me and you Marti." said Casey smiling down at the little dark haired girl she barely knew.

"Yup." Marti clutched a unicorn doll to her chest with one hand and held Casey's hand with the other. Casey could only smile, thinking it might not suck to have this little girl as a little sister.

"So, what would you like to do?" Casey asked, again getting on the little girl's level.

"My brother and I sometimes sing songs before I go to bed. My favorite one is Let Me Go. You wanna sing that?"

"Of course." Casey smiled, not even knowing the song of which Marti spoke.

Derek

Narrative

Walking home from the hospital, Derek followed the familiar path while lost in his thoughts. Many of them on Edwin. His brother whose life just seemed to be slipping away with every passing day. And a world that seemed to move on too quickly while other children did the same. He kicked a coke can down the alley and continued on his way, thinking. If only Edwin would just get better, he thought bitterly smiling to himself. Thinking that if there were any justice in the world, his brother would already be healthy. Once he reached the end of the alley way Derek hopped the fence to his house and retrieved his key from his jeans pocket.

He opened the door and slipped inside before locking it back. Toeing of his shoes at the door Derek then made his way to the kitchen blinded as no lights in the house had been left on. On his way he stumped his toe on something hard "Shit!" he exclaimed hopping on one foot only to step on something and fall down. "Oh my fucking God." exclaimed Derek once more, holding both of his feet. He looked around until his eyes adjusted to the darkness before trying to get up once more. Slowly, but surely, he made his way to the kitchen and finally turned on a light there.

For a moment he just relished in being able to see, but that moment soon passed and hunger took over. He went over to the fridge and found a previously abandoned sub sandwich from a day before. "Yes sir, I will eat you! HAHAHA!" he laughed hysterically before taking a huge chunk out of the sandwich.

A mere ten minutes later he was finished and his cell phone was ringing. He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the unrecognized number. "Hello?" he asked curiously.

"Hey Smerek." greeted a small and chipper voice of his obviously happy sister.

"Smarti, what's up?" asked Derek, finally just as cheerful. So happy to hear the little munchkin's voice. "Enjoying the icky baby sitter?" he asked in a decrepit voice.

"She's not icky." said Marti loudly, too loud in Derek's opinion. Though he zoned in more on the fact that the babysitter was a she and probably pretty.

"Hmm, is she pretty?"

"Very pretty." giggled the whispering Marti.

"Cool." said Derek, thinking his Father dating, finally, could work out for him as well. "So, what's up, what are you doing?"

"Singing with Case." said Marti still giggling from her brother's previous question. "She sings sooo good, Derek."

"What's her name?" asked Derek, ignoring that the girl could sing, one of his favorite talents in any girl. The name had awakened something in him, he just didn't know what.

"Casey." said the oblivious and curios Marti. "Why?"

"Nothing." said Derek immediately relaxing into the kitchen chair. :I'm coming over." said Derek.

"Yay!" yelled Marti. "Smerek's coming, Smerek's coming!"

"Give Casey the phone Marti." said Derek, because he needed the address and he could already foresee a headache if he listened to anymore of Marti's high pitched wails.

"Hello." said the most angelic voice Derek had ever heard. He gulped and tried to speak, but nothing came out. "Hello?"

"Hi." he said nervously, knowing he knew that voice from somewhere. Somewhere that gave him butterflies.

"I'm coming over to be with Marti and, uh, I kinda need the address."

"Oh, Ok, it's 141 Mulberry Street." said Casey smiling to herself at how loving Marti's older brother "Smerek" was. "See you when you get here.

"Yeah, thanks. Bye " Derek and Casey hung up the phone. Derel turned off the light in the kitchen and ran through the house to retrieve his shoes. Something he should not have done as he fell once more. "SHIT!"

A/N

Yet another chapter. I hope you liked reading it, I enjoyed writing it. REVIEWS please, I can not say how much they inspire me to write more. And better lol. P.S. I hope Derek was a little less depressing in this chapter.