Eight Phone Calls of Note
Title: Unexpected
Fandom: Sarah Jane Adventures
Rating: G
Word Count: 382
Summary: Sarah Jane gets a phone call from Luke.
Sarah Jane was quite surprised when Luke called her on the phone.
He never called her on the phone. He always called her through Mr Smith so she could see his face and he could see hers. She felt a shiver go through her. Something had to be wrong.
She tried to keep that fear out of her voice, keeping her tone as light as possible.
“How are you doing, darling? Is everything going all right?”
“Oh yes,” he said, sounding as though he was trying to be cheerful. “Everything’s fine. Um. Mum? You know … you know when I’m coming home for Easter?”
“Yes,” Sarah Jane said, wondering if he was going to tell her that he wasn’t coming. No, surely not. She’d be upset but Luke would know she’d understand. He was growing up, he had his own life. Plenty of children went on holidays, it wasn’t like she wouldn’t see him.
“Can … can I bring somebody with me to stay for a few days?”
“Of course,” Sarah Jane said, still very puzzled, but beginning to feel a suspicion grow. “A friend?”
“I … yes. No. Um. A … a boyfriend.”
The relief that flooded through her was palpable. It was tinged with sadness, sadness that Luke had worried even a little that she might not be comfortable with that, sadness that they lived in a world that meant that there were people uncomfortable with that. But this wasn’t the moment for that, this was the moment to reassure her son and to be happy for him.
“Of course you can bring your boyfriend with you. What’s his name? Have you mentioned him before?”
She could hear the relief in Luke’s voice as he began to tell her about Sanjiv. Sarah Jane listened to everything, working out the practical details about how to hide Mr Smith and her alien fighting ways as she did. Luke didn’t mention it and she guessed that Sanjiv was in the room with him, offering support in case the whole thing went badly.
“I’m looking forward to meeting him, Luke,” she said at the end. “You tell him that.”
“I will. Thanks, Mum.”
And another voice in the background. “Looking forward to meeting you, Miss Smith!”
Sarah Jane hung up the phone and smiled.
Title: Unsurprised
Fandom: Merlin (Modern AU)
Rating: G
Word Count: 271
Summary: A normal guy gets a strange phone call.
When his mobile rang, he answered even though he didn’t know the number.
“Yo.”
“Arthur? It’s me.”
“Wrong number, mate. Sorry.”
“No, Arthur. No, it’s not. My name is Merlin.”
Merlin.
His first impulse was to laugh, say that it was a funny joke. But somehow, he didn’t. He didn’t say anything. It was funny, the voice was bringing a face to mind. A pale, thin face with huge ears and eyes. A sensation, affection and ... sadness.
“Arthur? You’re still there, aren’t you? I know you are. I bet you haven’t changed that much. I’ve been trying to find you for ages, turns out there is an advantage to all this modern technology and Facebook and stuff. Although, you really shouldn’t put your mobile number on Facebook, but then you always were kind of a prat … ”
“Prat?!” he blurted out. “Who the hell are you calling a prat?! You call me up out of nowhere, call me the wrong name, say your name is Merlin and now start insulting me?”
“Oh,” the voice said and it sounded rather dreamy. “Yes. You’re still you. Can we meet? I really need to see you.”
He ought to say no. He knew he ought to say no. This was some nutcase or some joke, this was something so totally crazy …
And yet … there was something in him that was reaching out. That just knew, that just understood that this was real, that this was something he had been waiting for all his life without even knowing it.
“Sure,” he said. “Why not?”
And the voice - Merlin - laughed with joy.
Title: Late or Early
Fandom: Death Note
Rating: G
Word Count: 126
Summary: Sachiko is used to phone calls at random times.
The phone call comes late but Sachiko isn’t surprised. She’s always been used to random phone calls from her husband. He’s always been the type to work late. He’s needed to cancel meals, appointments. And since Soichiro went to America, the phone calls have been random, late or early. Sometimes just quick calls, checking on her and Sayu. Sometimes longer ones where she’s really sleepy but doesn’t want to say. She doesn’t get to talk to Soichiro enough. She hasn’t for years.
“Hello?”
“Mother.”
Raito’s voice is dry, unemotional. She knows then, really. She doesn’t need to hear the words. She doesn’t need to hear Raito’s stilted comments: it was quick, he did his duty, he didn’t suffer.
She knows Soichiro is dead.
She hangs up.
Title: Crossed Wires
Fandom: Death Note
Rating: PG
Word Count: 176
Summary: Mello shouts. Matt ignores.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Mello bawled.
Matt didn’t look up from his computer. It was never worth looking up when Mello was yelling. He did it so often that really, you might as well carry on with whatever you were doing while he bellowed himself hoarse. Unless he started coming up to you and then sometimes, you might want to dodge.
“What?”
“I mean, bloody hell, how fucking thick can you get?”
This time, Matt did look up, feeling hurt. He didn’t think he’d done anything particularly worthy of that level of insult.
Mello was on the phone. With a shrug, Matt looked down again. Probably a Mafia thing. Mello often had to yell at the Mafia. For people who were into organised crime, they did seem slightly more stupid than Matt would have expected.
Or maybe that was just Mello’s opinion.
“Don’t fuck it up!” Mello shrieked and hung up, shaking the phone. “God dammit Matt! How hard can it be to organise a delivery of chocolate?!”
Matt decided not to comment.
Title: Never Happens
Fandom: Jonathan Creek
Rating: G
Word Count: 379
Summary: Jonathan gets a call while he's trying to work.
Jonathan had to slip out to answer his mobile. Maddy’s number was on the screen and he glared at it. This was the third time she’d tried to call him and as they’d had an argument the last time they’d met (about the names of the Spice Girls of all things), he had a feeling that it was going to be a tiresome call.
“Look, I am not in the mood for this,” he growled down the phone. “Adam’s managed to make a right mess of his trick, we’re going to be around all night, assuming the theatre doesn’t throw us out and it’s going to cost a fortune to sort out the curtains. So if this is about Lady Spice or whatever the hell you were going on about earlier, it would be much appreciated if perhaps we could save it for another time.”
“Jonathan, I’m moving to America.”
“You’re what?”
For a moment, he thought she was teasing him. Then he thought about how she sounded and remembered her talking about a possible job that definitely wouldn’t work out so there was no point thinking about it really but she was going to try anyway because, well, that might work ....
“I’m moving to America.” She sounded tearful rather than happy. “I got the job. Isn’t that good news?”
“Oh … yes,” he managed. “Well. You know, you’ll finally be the brightest person around, the intelligence of the average American … ”
He trailed off, not sure that there was any real end to the joke. Maddy made a sniffing noise that might have been meant to be a laugh.
“Yes,” she agreed. “Well. You know. I’ll let you get back to your trick.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Um … well, you know. Let me know if you need help packing.”
“I will. Bye then.”
He hung up after she did, staring down at the mobile in his hand. He felt very tired and very heavy all of a sudden. Suddenly everything felt weighed down with lost opportunities, with things that had never happened or could have happened or … should have happened. But hadn’t.
“Jonathan, where are you? We need you!!”
With a sigh, he put the mobile in his pocket and returned to Adam’s demanding side.
Title: Teasing
Fandom: Confessions of Dorian Gray
Rating: PG
Word Count: 263
Summary: Dorian isn't always pleased by modern technology. Or the uses his friends put it to.
Mostly, I have to say that modern technology is a good thing. I’ve enjoyed a great many of the benefits offered by it throughout the years.
Of course, sometimes, I resent it. Like the time my phone rang at half-past six in the morning.
“Whoever this is had better be an amazing person or I will be very, very angry.”
“Dorian, I’m always amazing.”
It took me a little by surprised to hear Toby’s drawl. For one thing, I hadn’t realised that he had a telephone. For another thing, half-six in the morning was generally bedtime for Toby. And for a third thing, I had only left him about an hour ago.
“Is there some reason you’re waking me up, Toby?”
“Yes. I’m just about to go to bed and I thought, wouldn’t Dorian like a wake up call?”
“No, Toby. No, I wouldn’t. Because it’s not even seven and I went to bed exactly an hour ago because you kept me up, remember?”
“Oh yes. I knew there was something I’d forgotten.”
Toby’s voice was positively wicked. The bastard. He knew I’d take forever to get back to sleep after he’d woken me up like this.
“Oops. Sorry, Dorian. Oh well. I should leave you now, shouldn’t I? Let you get back to sleep.”
“Toby, you are an absolute total swine and if I weren’t a true gentleman, I would - ”
“Oh Dorian, nobody who makes the sounds you make could possibly be a gentleman.”
I hung up on him and took the phone off the hook. It was the only solution.
Title: Late Night Calls
Fandom: Animorphs
Rating: G
Word Count: 205
Summary: Marco isn't pleased with his phone calls.
The phone rang just as I was sitting down to watch TV with Dad.
“I’ll get it,” I said quickly, leaping to my feet. These days, all the evening calls seem to be for me.
“Hello.”
“Hi Marco.”
Jake, sounding studiedly calm. I knew what that meant. Blah blah super-dangerous mission blah blah.
“Sorry to bother you but you couldn’t bring my maths textbook over, could you? I know I said you could borrow it but I really need it.”
Yeah. In news that would surprise nobody, I had not borrowed a maths book from Jake. So there was something going on. Like always. And now we would have to meet up and save the world. Again.
“You know, when I was young, I thought I’d be getting phone calls from girls,” I said grumpily. “Where are the chicks, Jake? Why do I never get phone calls from gorgeous babes who want my body? What have I done with my life?”
“Lost my maths textbook,” Jake said, trying to sound light-hearted.
“Nah, I’ve got it,” I lied. “I’ll be right over if Dad lets me out.”
He did, of course. Hey, Jake’s maths grades are super important, right?
Not as important as saving the planet.
Title: Liberation
Fandom: Blake's 7 AU
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1448
Summary: Blake is sent to a reform school to stay in the Liberator Dorm. Probably takes place in a world a little between ours and theirs.
After the phone call, it all happened far too quickly for Blake’s liking.
If it had been a bit slower, he was sure that he’d have been able to prove his innocence. Maybe everybody see sense, realise that this was all faked, that he would never have done what they said he’d done. That they were the ones in the wrong, that he had been trying to change a system that was fundamentally corrupt. But no, nobody was on his side and now he was bundled into a car and being taken to a “school” for people with “troubles.” Whatever that meant.
Blake thought it sounded like he was being sent to prison.
“This way, you won’t lose any of your chances, dear. You can get your education, it will hardly matter where it came from. You can put this behind you.”
As if you could ever put being falsely accused behind you. As if anybody would ever not check and see that once, he’d been found guilty of arson, that he’d apparently endangered lives for no reason. And nobody would care about his story. Just the “facts.”
The buildings of the place looked miserable and bleak. Blake stared at them, hating everything about the place already. There would be counselling and lies and they’d all want to him to accept what he’d done so he could move on. Well, the hell with that. He would never let them trick him into thinking he’d done anything wrong. He knew what had happened, knew the truth. He would never pretend otherwise.
They let him to a small neatly build building that was just off the side of what was probably the main school.
“You’re going into the Liberator Dorm. I’m sure you’ll get on very well with everybody there, don’t worry. They’re a little rough around the edges sometimes but they’re all learning. You show yourself in, we like to give you a lot of freedom here …”
Blake doubted that was true. Maybe they were putting him in the house with the ones that were more likely to attack when you walked in. Or perhaps he was just getting paranoid. It was hard not to be paranoid when you knew people were out to get you.
He opened the door, stepped inside and was nearly hit in the face with a football.
“Oops!”
A black girl with extremely short hair dashed past him to collect the ball and immediately turned and drop-kicked it to a tall, thick-set guy who grabbed it and gave Blake a bright sort of smile.
“Hello. Have you come to join us?”
“Yes,” Blake said, trying not to sound sullen. He didn’t want to put off potential friends after all. “Do you usually play football in the house?”
“It’s not football,” the girl said, sounding indignant. “It’s weaponry! Gan, throw it back, would you? It’s still too light.”
Gan obeyed and the girl shot off with it, slamming a door behind her. Gan smiled again.
“That’s Dayna. Don’t worry, she’s all right, just a little … enthusiastic. She lives down here and Tarrant has the other room, only he’s out right now. You must be upstairs with us, that’s where the only room is.”
“I suppose so,” Blake said, gripping his suitcase tightly.
“Come on then.”
Gan led him up the slightly creaky stairs. There was a hall at the top with various doors, all but one of which had a sign taped to them. The sign closest to Blake informed him that this room was apparently “The Avoncave.” Another door, this one simply labelled “Vila” opened and a blond guy stuck his head out, giving Blake a bright smile.
“Hi! I’m Vila. Do you need help unpacking that?”
“Don’t say yes,” another voice advised and Blake turned to see another blonde walking out of another room, this one labelled “Jenna’s Secret Lair.” “Not unless you want things to go missing. Vila has sticky fingers and is unfortunately good with locks. It doesn’t matter though, you always know it’s him.”
“They say such cruel things about me,” Vila said, sounding hurt. “Don’t listen to them, I’m the nicest person here. What’s your name? How did you end up getting exiled into this wilderness? Jenna smuggles things for her schoolmates and I … compulsively borrow belongings. I can’t help it. I was clearly born this way.”
“If you compulsively borrow any more of my belongs, I’ll make you incredibly sorry. Why are you all shouting in the hallway when some of us are trying to work?”
This voice came from “The Avoncave” and Blake looked around to see a dark haired figure standing there. He hadn’t come out into the hall, probably because he would have to duck under what seemed to be a number of cables that were draped in front of the doorway. He was glaring at Vila who smiled brightly.
“Avon, this is Blake! He’s our new prisoner!”
Avon looked at Blake and raised an eyebrow, apparently not pleased to have a new roommate. Blake shrugged at him, not quite sure what to make of this. He was feeling a little overwhelmed by all of the people.
“How nice for him,” Avon said crisply. “Vila, please stop sticking idiotic signs on my door. As they will tell you very quickly Blake, I don’t like people and I don’t want to be friends.”
He stepped back into the room and closed the door with a click. Blake blinked and looked at the others, all of whom were looking as though they were quite used to it.
“He’s always like that,” Vila said cheerfully. “He’s good with computers though, but you have to bribe him to get him to do anything for you. And put up with the fact that he’ll tell you you’re a brain-dead idiot for not understanding in the first place … ”
“He’s easily bribed,” Jenna said, offering a reassuring smile. “We don’t bite here, honestly. Well, all right, Avon obviously bites but if you bite back, it works well enough.”
“He’s sour though,” Vila said, pulling an expressive face. “Like lemons.”
Blake managed a small smile. They seemed like fairly nice people here, that was something. The sort of people you could get to know, that you could work with. Even Avon - possibly. Blake was good with people, good at talking to them. Avon was clearly clever, he might see sense … and if he knew computers …
He managed to widen his smile and let Jenna and Gan help him unpack (Vila stood at the door, made helpful suggestions and absently tried to walk off with Blake’s MP3Player) Once he was unpacked, they took him downstairs and introduced him to Cally, another of their housemates.
“It’s not so bad here,” she said, although Blake thought that she might be trying to convince herself as well as him. “Our housemaster is Mr Zen and he never, ever comes here. Ever. Some of the others are watched all the time. I don’t think he really cares what we do.”
“Unfortunately that includes blowing the place up,” Jenna said. “It took us nearly two hours to get hold of him when we thought the boiler was going to explode.”
“And if it hadn’t been for me, you’d never have fixed it,” Avon said, gliding into the room and looking revoltingly smug. Everyone just rolled their eyes. Obviously, they were used to Avon’s smugness. Blake would have to get used to it.
“Why are you here anyway?” Vila asked. “You never said.”
“I was framed,” Blake said flatly. “They set me up because I was trying to prove how corrupt the system was.”
Avon snorted. Blake glared at him.
“You don’t believe me?”
“I don’t particularly care,” Avon said with a shrug. “I’m more concerned you intend to stir things up here.”
“I would like it if he did,” Cally flashed up at once.
“Well, we all know that you don’t know when not to stick your nose in … ”
“Some things should be stirred up,” Blake said, looking at Avon. “I don’t want to cause trouble for the sake of it. I want to change things.”
Avon gave a snort of utter distain.
“Things don’t change, Blake. Nothing ever changes and you’re a fool if you think someone like you can do anything to make that different. Keep your head down, get out of this place with decent grades and then get away. Don’t be a fool.”
Blake didn’t answer. It would take time, he suspected. Time to convince any of them that what he was saying was right.
He was going to make them regret ever sending him here.
Fandom: Sarah Jane Adventures
Rating: G
Word Count: 382
Summary: Sarah Jane gets a phone call from Luke.
Sarah Jane was quite surprised when Luke called her on the phone.
He never called her on the phone. He always called her through Mr Smith so she could see his face and he could see hers. She felt a shiver go through her. Something had to be wrong.
She tried to keep that fear out of her voice, keeping her tone as light as possible.
“How are you doing, darling? Is everything going all right?”
“Oh yes,” he said, sounding as though he was trying to be cheerful. “Everything’s fine. Um. Mum? You know … you know when I’m coming home for Easter?”
“Yes,” Sarah Jane said, wondering if he was going to tell her that he wasn’t coming. No, surely not. She’d be upset but Luke would know she’d understand. He was growing up, he had his own life. Plenty of children went on holidays, it wasn’t like she wouldn’t see him.
“Can … can I bring somebody with me to stay for a few days?”
“Of course,” Sarah Jane said, still very puzzled, but beginning to feel a suspicion grow. “A friend?”
“I … yes. No. Um. A … a boyfriend.”
The relief that flooded through her was palpable. It was tinged with sadness, sadness that Luke had worried even a little that she might not be comfortable with that, sadness that they lived in a world that meant that there were people uncomfortable with that. But this wasn’t the moment for that, this was the moment to reassure her son and to be happy for him.
“Of course you can bring your boyfriend with you. What’s his name? Have you mentioned him before?”
She could hear the relief in Luke’s voice as he began to tell her about Sanjiv. Sarah Jane listened to everything, working out the practical details about how to hide Mr Smith and her alien fighting ways as she did. Luke didn’t mention it and she guessed that Sanjiv was in the room with him, offering support in case the whole thing went badly.
“I’m looking forward to meeting him, Luke,” she said at the end. “You tell him that.”
“I will. Thanks, Mum.”
And another voice in the background. “Looking forward to meeting you, Miss Smith!”
Sarah Jane hung up the phone and smiled.
Title: Unsurprised
Fandom: Merlin (Modern AU)
Rating: G
Word Count: 271
Summary: A normal guy gets a strange phone call.
When his mobile rang, he answered even though he didn’t know the number.
“Yo.”
“Arthur? It’s me.”
“Wrong number, mate. Sorry.”
“No, Arthur. No, it’s not. My name is Merlin.”
Merlin.
His first impulse was to laugh, say that it was a funny joke. But somehow, he didn’t. He didn’t say anything. It was funny, the voice was bringing a face to mind. A pale, thin face with huge ears and eyes. A sensation, affection and ... sadness.
“Arthur? You’re still there, aren’t you? I know you are. I bet you haven’t changed that much. I’ve been trying to find you for ages, turns out there is an advantage to all this modern technology and Facebook and stuff. Although, you really shouldn’t put your mobile number on Facebook, but then you always were kind of a prat … ”
“Prat?!” he blurted out. “Who the hell are you calling a prat?! You call me up out of nowhere, call me the wrong name, say your name is Merlin and now start insulting me?”
“Oh,” the voice said and it sounded rather dreamy. “Yes. You’re still you. Can we meet? I really need to see you.”
He ought to say no. He knew he ought to say no. This was some nutcase or some joke, this was something so totally crazy …
And yet … there was something in him that was reaching out. That just knew, that just understood that this was real, that this was something he had been waiting for all his life without even knowing it.
“Sure,” he said. “Why not?”
And the voice - Merlin - laughed with joy.
Title: Late or Early
Fandom: Death Note
Rating: G
Word Count: 126
Summary: Sachiko is used to phone calls at random times.
The phone call comes late but Sachiko isn’t surprised. She’s always been used to random phone calls from her husband. He’s always been the type to work late. He’s needed to cancel meals, appointments. And since Soichiro went to America, the phone calls have been random, late or early. Sometimes just quick calls, checking on her and Sayu. Sometimes longer ones where she’s really sleepy but doesn’t want to say. She doesn’t get to talk to Soichiro enough. She hasn’t for years.
“Hello?”
“Mother.”
Raito’s voice is dry, unemotional. She knows then, really. She doesn’t need to hear the words. She doesn’t need to hear Raito’s stilted comments: it was quick, he did his duty, he didn’t suffer.
She knows Soichiro is dead.
She hangs up.
Title: Crossed Wires
Fandom: Death Note
Rating: PG
Word Count: 176
Summary: Mello shouts. Matt ignores.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Mello bawled.
Matt didn’t look up from his computer. It was never worth looking up when Mello was yelling. He did it so often that really, you might as well carry on with whatever you were doing while he bellowed himself hoarse. Unless he started coming up to you and then sometimes, you might want to dodge.
“What?”
“I mean, bloody hell, how fucking thick can you get?”
This time, Matt did look up, feeling hurt. He didn’t think he’d done anything particularly worthy of that level of insult.
Mello was on the phone. With a shrug, Matt looked down again. Probably a Mafia thing. Mello often had to yell at the Mafia. For people who were into organised crime, they did seem slightly more stupid than Matt would have expected.
Or maybe that was just Mello’s opinion.
“Don’t fuck it up!” Mello shrieked and hung up, shaking the phone. “God dammit Matt! How hard can it be to organise a delivery of chocolate?!”
Matt decided not to comment.
Title: Never Happens
Fandom: Jonathan Creek
Rating: G
Word Count: 379
Summary: Jonathan gets a call while he's trying to work.
Jonathan had to slip out to answer his mobile. Maddy’s number was on the screen and he glared at it. This was the third time she’d tried to call him and as they’d had an argument the last time they’d met (about the names of the Spice Girls of all things), he had a feeling that it was going to be a tiresome call.
“Look, I am not in the mood for this,” he growled down the phone. “Adam’s managed to make a right mess of his trick, we’re going to be around all night, assuming the theatre doesn’t throw us out and it’s going to cost a fortune to sort out the curtains. So if this is about Lady Spice or whatever the hell you were going on about earlier, it would be much appreciated if perhaps we could save it for another time.”
“Jonathan, I’m moving to America.”
“You’re what?”
For a moment, he thought she was teasing him. Then he thought about how she sounded and remembered her talking about a possible job that definitely wouldn’t work out so there was no point thinking about it really but she was going to try anyway because, well, that might work ....
“I’m moving to America.” She sounded tearful rather than happy. “I got the job. Isn’t that good news?”
“Oh … yes,” he managed. “Well. You know, you’ll finally be the brightest person around, the intelligence of the average American … ”
He trailed off, not sure that there was any real end to the joke. Maddy made a sniffing noise that might have been meant to be a laugh.
“Yes,” she agreed. “Well. You know. I’ll let you get back to your trick.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Um … well, you know. Let me know if you need help packing.”
“I will. Bye then.”
He hung up after she did, staring down at the mobile in his hand. He felt very tired and very heavy all of a sudden. Suddenly everything felt weighed down with lost opportunities, with things that had never happened or could have happened or … should have happened. But hadn’t.
“Jonathan, where are you? We need you!!”
With a sigh, he put the mobile in his pocket and returned to Adam’s demanding side.
Title: Teasing
Fandom: Confessions of Dorian Gray
Rating: PG
Word Count: 263
Summary: Dorian isn't always pleased by modern technology. Or the uses his friends put it to.
Mostly, I have to say that modern technology is a good thing. I’ve enjoyed a great many of the benefits offered by it throughout the years.
Of course, sometimes, I resent it. Like the time my phone rang at half-past six in the morning.
“Whoever this is had better be an amazing person or I will be very, very angry.”
“Dorian, I’m always amazing.”
It took me a little by surprised to hear Toby’s drawl. For one thing, I hadn’t realised that he had a telephone. For another thing, half-six in the morning was generally bedtime for Toby. And for a third thing, I had only left him about an hour ago.
“Is there some reason you’re waking me up, Toby?”
“Yes. I’m just about to go to bed and I thought, wouldn’t Dorian like a wake up call?”
“No, Toby. No, I wouldn’t. Because it’s not even seven and I went to bed exactly an hour ago because you kept me up, remember?”
“Oh yes. I knew there was something I’d forgotten.”
Toby’s voice was positively wicked. The bastard. He knew I’d take forever to get back to sleep after he’d woken me up like this.
“Oops. Sorry, Dorian. Oh well. I should leave you now, shouldn’t I? Let you get back to sleep.”
“Toby, you are an absolute total swine and if I weren’t a true gentleman, I would - ”
“Oh Dorian, nobody who makes the sounds you make could possibly be a gentleman.”
I hung up on him and took the phone off the hook. It was the only solution.
Title: Late Night Calls
Fandom: Animorphs
Rating: G
Word Count: 205
Summary: Marco isn't pleased with his phone calls.
The phone rang just as I was sitting down to watch TV with Dad.
“I’ll get it,” I said quickly, leaping to my feet. These days, all the evening calls seem to be for me.
“Hello.”
“Hi Marco.”
Jake, sounding studiedly calm. I knew what that meant. Blah blah super-dangerous mission blah blah.
“Sorry to bother you but you couldn’t bring my maths textbook over, could you? I know I said you could borrow it but I really need it.”
Yeah. In news that would surprise nobody, I had not borrowed a maths book from Jake. So there was something going on. Like always. And now we would have to meet up and save the world. Again.
“You know, when I was young, I thought I’d be getting phone calls from girls,” I said grumpily. “Where are the chicks, Jake? Why do I never get phone calls from gorgeous babes who want my body? What have I done with my life?”
“Lost my maths textbook,” Jake said, trying to sound light-hearted.
“Nah, I’ve got it,” I lied. “I’ll be right over if Dad lets me out.”
He did, of course. Hey, Jake’s maths grades are super important, right?
Not as important as saving the planet.
Title: Liberation
Fandom: Blake's 7 AU
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1448
Summary: Blake is sent to a reform school to stay in the Liberator Dorm. Probably takes place in a world a little between ours and theirs.
After the phone call, it all happened far too quickly for Blake’s liking.
If it had been a bit slower, he was sure that he’d have been able to prove his innocence. Maybe everybody see sense, realise that this was all faked, that he would never have done what they said he’d done. That they were the ones in the wrong, that he had been trying to change a system that was fundamentally corrupt. But no, nobody was on his side and now he was bundled into a car and being taken to a “school” for people with “troubles.” Whatever that meant.
Blake thought it sounded like he was being sent to prison.
“This way, you won’t lose any of your chances, dear. You can get your education, it will hardly matter where it came from. You can put this behind you.”
As if you could ever put being falsely accused behind you. As if anybody would ever not check and see that once, he’d been found guilty of arson, that he’d apparently endangered lives for no reason. And nobody would care about his story. Just the “facts.”
The buildings of the place looked miserable and bleak. Blake stared at them, hating everything about the place already. There would be counselling and lies and they’d all want to him to accept what he’d done so he could move on. Well, the hell with that. He would never let them trick him into thinking he’d done anything wrong. He knew what had happened, knew the truth. He would never pretend otherwise.
They let him to a small neatly build building that was just off the side of what was probably the main school.
“You’re going into the Liberator Dorm. I’m sure you’ll get on very well with everybody there, don’t worry. They’re a little rough around the edges sometimes but they’re all learning. You show yourself in, we like to give you a lot of freedom here …”
Blake doubted that was true. Maybe they were putting him in the house with the ones that were more likely to attack when you walked in. Or perhaps he was just getting paranoid. It was hard not to be paranoid when you knew people were out to get you.
He opened the door, stepped inside and was nearly hit in the face with a football.
“Oops!”
A black girl with extremely short hair dashed past him to collect the ball and immediately turned and drop-kicked it to a tall, thick-set guy who grabbed it and gave Blake a bright sort of smile.
“Hello. Have you come to join us?”
“Yes,” Blake said, trying not to sound sullen. He didn’t want to put off potential friends after all. “Do you usually play football in the house?”
“It’s not football,” the girl said, sounding indignant. “It’s weaponry! Gan, throw it back, would you? It’s still too light.”
Gan obeyed and the girl shot off with it, slamming a door behind her. Gan smiled again.
“That’s Dayna. Don’t worry, she’s all right, just a little … enthusiastic. She lives down here and Tarrant has the other room, only he’s out right now. You must be upstairs with us, that’s where the only room is.”
“I suppose so,” Blake said, gripping his suitcase tightly.
“Come on then.”
Gan led him up the slightly creaky stairs. There was a hall at the top with various doors, all but one of which had a sign taped to them. The sign closest to Blake informed him that this room was apparently “The Avoncave.” Another door, this one simply labelled “Vila” opened and a blond guy stuck his head out, giving Blake a bright smile.
“Hi! I’m Vila. Do you need help unpacking that?”
“Don’t say yes,” another voice advised and Blake turned to see another blonde walking out of another room, this one labelled “Jenna’s Secret Lair.” “Not unless you want things to go missing. Vila has sticky fingers and is unfortunately good with locks. It doesn’t matter though, you always know it’s him.”
“They say such cruel things about me,” Vila said, sounding hurt. “Don’t listen to them, I’m the nicest person here. What’s your name? How did you end up getting exiled into this wilderness? Jenna smuggles things for her schoolmates and I … compulsively borrow belongings. I can’t help it. I was clearly born this way.”
“If you compulsively borrow any more of my belongs, I’ll make you incredibly sorry. Why are you all shouting in the hallway when some of us are trying to work?”
This voice came from “The Avoncave” and Blake looked around to see a dark haired figure standing there. He hadn’t come out into the hall, probably because he would have to duck under what seemed to be a number of cables that were draped in front of the doorway. He was glaring at Vila who smiled brightly.
“Avon, this is Blake! He’s our new prisoner!”
Avon looked at Blake and raised an eyebrow, apparently not pleased to have a new roommate. Blake shrugged at him, not quite sure what to make of this. He was feeling a little overwhelmed by all of the people.
“How nice for him,” Avon said crisply. “Vila, please stop sticking idiotic signs on my door. As they will tell you very quickly Blake, I don’t like people and I don’t want to be friends.”
He stepped back into the room and closed the door with a click. Blake blinked and looked at the others, all of whom were looking as though they were quite used to it.
“He’s always like that,” Vila said cheerfully. “He’s good with computers though, but you have to bribe him to get him to do anything for you. And put up with the fact that he’ll tell you you’re a brain-dead idiot for not understanding in the first place … ”
“He’s easily bribed,” Jenna said, offering a reassuring smile. “We don’t bite here, honestly. Well, all right, Avon obviously bites but if you bite back, it works well enough.”
“He’s sour though,” Vila said, pulling an expressive face. “Like lemons.”
Blake managed a small smile. They seemed like fairly nice people here, that was something. The sort of people you could get to know, that you could work with. Even Avon - possibly. Blake was good with people, good at talking to them. Avon was clearly clever, he might see sense … and if he knew computers …
He managed to widen his smile and let Jenna and Gan help him unpack (Vila stood at the door, made helpful suggestions and absently tried to walk off with Blake’s MP3Player) Once he was unpacked, they took him downstairs and introduced him to Cally, another of their housemates.
“It’s not so bad here,” she said, although Blake thought that she might be trying to convince herself as well as him. “Our housemaster is Mr Zen and he never, ever comes here. Ever. Some of the others are watched all the time. I don’t think he really cares what we do.”
“Unfortunately that includes blowing the place up,” Jenna said. “It took us nearly two hours to get hold of him when we thought the boiler was going to explode.”
“And if it hadn’t been for me, you’d never have fixed it,” Avon said, gliding into the room and looking revoltingly smug. Everyone just rolled their eyes. Obviously, they were used to Avon’s smugness. Blake would have to get used to it.
“Why are you here anyway?” Vila asked. “You never said.”
“I was framed,” Blake said flatly. “They set me up because I was trying to prove how corrupt the system was.”
Avon snorted. Blake glared at him.
“You don’t believe me?”
“I don’t particularly care,” Avon said with a shrug. “I’m more concerned you intend to stir things up here.”
“I would like it if he did,” Cally flashed up at once.
“Well, we all know that you don’t know when not to stick your nose in … ”
“Some things should be stirred up,” Blake said, looking at Avon. “I don’t want to cause trouble for the sake of it. I want to change things.”
Avon gave a snort of utter distain.
“Things don’t change, Blake. Nothing ever changes and you’re a fool if you think someone like you can do anything to make that different. Keep your head down, get out of this place with decent grades and then get away. Don’t be a fool.”
Blake didn’t answer. It would take time, he suspected. Time to convince any of them that what he was saying was right.
He was going to make them regret ever sending him here.