I Moderate (i_moderate) wrote in we_archive, @ 2006-02-13 21:56:00 |
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Entry tags: | jennie-lynn hayden |
i_turngreen Strange Occurences (Narrative)
Jennie-Lynn had been in the City for what seemed to be just over two weeks. At least she was pretty certain. It was very easy to lose track of time here, it seemed. Of course, it was always easy to lose track of time when one was not required to be anywhere or do anything.
After the initial arrival and talk with Kyle, she had contented herself to wander the City, her sense of adventure getting the better of her cautious side-which was nearly always lost out. Her personality held a dangerous combination of fearlessness and independence, coupled with strong will-a fact that had, no doubt, given the Haydens more than a few gray hairs.
That combination had driven her to explore the City on her own terms, making her own way, rather than rely on the one person she actually knew. If he had been her Kyle, it might have been different.
But he was not her Kyle, and she never had been much for the 'what if' games anyway.
And so, her first night she had been very lucky to find herself in front of Agreeable Apartments. Even more lucky to find a key in her purse that fit the lock for apartment 409, which had felt like home when she'd first walked in. The stack of mail had held her name, and that alone had determined that this was where she would sleep while she was here.
Occasionally, she had wondered if somehow an alternate version of herself would show up and be shocked to find, well, herself in her apartment.
But the longer she stayed here, the more confident she became that she was the only Jennie-Lynn currently living in the City. She wondered if the other Jennie-Lynn had somehow woken up next to her Kyle? She certainly hoped that version of herself hadn't attacked, or reacted too badly. Though she could only imagine how she would react...
That line of thinking always kept her busy for awhile. Really, after the initial shock, she had grown accustomed, and even intrigued, by the idea of this place. She was enjoying the sort of vacation as she wandered the streets, always finding some place new to explore, and sometimes meeting interesting people-though Ben was by far her favorite, and the most friendly.
Occasionally people gawked as though they were recognizing her from somewhere. But Jennie didn't always notice, as she'd grown used to being stared at in her modelling days.
She'd also been lucky enough to find an ATM card, a few credit cards, and a checkbook. The pin number had been the same as hers at home, though she certainly didn't recognize the bank's name. Regardless, she'd found an extremely generous balance on her bank account-enough that she wouldn't have to worry about finding work for the next year or so, depending on how well she stretched her finances.
After one such wandering through the City, in which she'd found an absolutely spellbinding little gallery in a place that had previously held a pizza parlor, she returned to her apartment, completely content after a day of losing herself in paintings that she could only dream of being able to replicate-Photography was, unfortunately, the only creative talent she was confident in at the moment. But that didn't mean she couldn't fully appreciate other people's talent.
She entered the apartment and hung her leather jacket on the coat rack, absentmindedly setting her keys down on the curio next to the door, only noticing a moment later that something was definitely off. Rock music was filtering in from the kitchen, and as she moved into the dining room, a large bouquet of red roses came into view. She tried to contain a face-she had grown to dislike roses, if only for the fact that they were unoriginal and nearly always used by men in an attempt to get something or other.
She moved towards the kitchen, but was met at the door by a man with carefully tressed blonde hair and blue eyes.
Pausing, she glared at him, her hands out in front of her as she mentally held her abilities back-if only to give him a moment to explain.
"Long time, no see, babe-" the man stepped towards her, clearly ignorant of the 'warning signs' that she was on the defensive, which was a very dangerous thing for anyone who put her on that path.
She quickly recoiled as he leaned in to kiss her.
"Jen?" the man asked, brows furrowing. "Look, I don't know what I did this time, but I don't really have time for games, so you might as well just come right out and tell me why you're pissed. I can say that my partners aren't amused that you're letting whatever it is interfere with work. They're paying for a model whose supposed to show up, after all, and they keep reminding me that it's never too late to reconsider their choice."
Her eyebrows raised as she attempted to process all of the information that had just come her way.
Before she could say anything, however, his cellphone rang. Without looking at her, he turned and flipped it open, putting it to his ear.
"Lucas Wilson here. No, it's not a good time." his voice lowered, and he moved towards the kitchen. Jennie followed him, still fighting the desire to throw him out of her apartment-literally.
He turned and spotted her, a perturbed expression crossing his face.
"Look, I'll call you later, okay?"
"Lucas," she said as he hung up. He looked at her expectantly, and she thought quickly. "I'm sorry about the last few weeks. I just..." she looked away, still searching for an excuse to cover this, and hating the fact that she'd committed professional faux pas. She hated even being late for work, let alone missing it. Of course, that did happen from time to time, given the nature of her other job. "I needed some me-time. I promise I'll be back to work tomorrow. Just-um, let me know where the photographer would prefer to meet."
With that, his face relaxed into a large grin, and for just a moment she was struck by what must have attracted the other Jennie to this man.
"That's my girl," he said, leaning in again to kiss her. On instinct, she turned her head so his lips brushed her cheek. She smiled up at him innocently even as he quirked an eyebrow at her.
Fortunately, his phone rang again. He pulled it out and checked it, but silenced it and pocketed it instead.
"I really need to get going, babe. I brought some take-out over for us, but I got hungry while I was waiting for you. I left you some in the fridge though. As for Dave, he wanted to finish up the shots in City Park. Here's his card, just in case you've managed to lose his number."
She accepted the card wordlessly, still attempting to wrap her head around the situation. Of course, it should have occured to her that other-Jennie had a life here, if she had an apartment and money in the bank, and bills.
"I'll be there." she said with a small nod.
Again the charming grin.
"Great. Maybe I'll meet you for lunch."
And with that, he was out the door. As she watched it latch behind her, she reached for the phone and dialed information.
"Yes, I'd like the number for a locksmith-any locksmith..."