Laine P. Grey's Stories

The Death Meant for Him

2008-05-13T19:22:54Z

I could tell he was upset that he now owed me his life. That not something that people usually let slide. But I was humble.
“Thank me.” I said after a few minutes of us glaring at each other.
“Never,” Alex closed his eyes insolently. “Please, let me go.” I then realized that I was still holding his shirt.
“You’re bleeding. How is…?” It was impossible to understand. Could I have been wrong? Was he not what I though he was? Was there another secret of which I wasn’t aware? Why was my hand throbbing?
My face contorted unconsciously as I tried to understand. It was he that pried my fingers from him clothes.
“No,” His breath was unsteady. “You are. The bullet hit you.” With his words, I took a step back.
My fingers had been painted red with the death meant for him.

These May or May Not be Answers (Quiz Challenge)

2008-05-13T19:11:20Z

1. Laine Grey will neither deny nor confirm that she has ever dressed up like someone of the opposite gender.
2. I have been known to occasionally drop a paper airplane out of a 35th story window; sometimes I find myself dropping coupons out of windows. Who needs all that canned pineapple, anyway?
3. The only instruments I play are ones of torture, and those are only played every other Thursday afternoon.
4. No.
5. Not from a trumpet, no.
6. Valuable thing broken? I have been known to break into song every now and then. Songs are very valuable.
7. Most certainly. Worms have great nutritional value.

Tattoo Artist (Grow Up Challenge)

2008-05-12T22:22:36Z

While in the womb, I made up my mind to become a tattoo artist. The smell of ink to wake me up in the morning, and to put me to bed at night.
I know what you’re thinking: “Can’t this be obtained by being an Administrative Professional?” Or, “How did you know what a tattoo artist was before birth?”
That’s just too bad, because I don’t answer questions after 3 p.m. on Monday afternoons.

But anyway, the tattooing…Perhaps it came from years of being told not to write on my arms, for fear of lead poisoning. Maybe, it was the fact that I went through drawing paper so quickly, that I spent hours drawing extensive drawings in my math books.

Whatever the reason, my lifelong dream is to be a tattoo artist.
Who’s next in the chair?

A Further Description and How His Life Became Indebted to Me

2008-05-12T22:13:25Z

It wasn’t an obvious thing…not really. Anyone could excuse his love for gore as just being a typical teenage boy.
He voice was rough and full of angst; not at all the way their voices are usually described. So, forgive me for not realizing it at once.
There was a certain jauntiness to his walk, as though his mind could change in the blink of an eye. And it often did.

“So, Evie,” he started, when I had flung open my front door to find him there. “You’ve found me out.” He simply stated it. Didn’t yell, didn’t whisper. He just said it void of all emotion.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Alex.” He fingered his pierced nose.
“Don’t be coy with me!” His hand caught the door as it began to close. “If you value your life, Evie White, you will not tell a soul.”
“I’m not going to tell anyone,” I swallowed. “But you may won’t to step inside before that silver bullet hits you.”

Fool's Hiding

2008-05-12T21:54:44Z

Kristofer

So, I’ve been on the extensive program for three months, now. Or, I should say that I’ve appeared to be on the extensive program.

It’s my mother who brings me the outside food. Funny, isn’t it? She’s the one who’s always telling me what a knockout I’ll be once I loose the weight.

Sometimes I feel terrible for fooling the doctors. For fooling myself.

But then I’ll start eating, and forget those terrible feelings. Wonderful, isn’t it?

Am I as horrible as I sound?

Fiery Fedora

2008-05-06T23:04:39Z

How long had she sat here before she fell asleep? Ten minutes? Fifteen? Why was he always late?
She had spent the last few nights on the run, so she excused herself those few minutes of slumber.

“Hey,” he whispered in her ear. She jolted awake.
“Don’t do that!” She admonished groggily. “I hope you have good news.”
“Sure. But can we eat first? I’m starving.” He beckoned to a waiter. “Two eggs over easy. Coffee for her.”
“Don’t order for me. I’ll have three pancakes with a side of eggs and bacon. Orange juice, too, please.”
“Hungry, aren’t we, Antonie?” He asked once the waiter had removed himself from the area.
“I’m not going to eat it. The news, Ivan? I’ll have to leave in two minutes, leaving you, once again with the check.” Antonie grabbed the manila folder from Ivan’s hands and walked quickly out the door. She had approximately twelve minutes before a short green car would come screeching down the street for Ivan.
That car would kill him.

The Removal of King Reynald the Third (Hear Ye Challenge)

2008-05-06T22:45:59Z

“I hearby declare,” King Reynald stopped to burp. “We shall, from this day forward, no longer celebrate Tuesdays! Be gone with them! Rip them from your calendars! That is all!” Reynald waddled back into his castle, leaving the peasants in complete shock.

For years now, there had been speculation that King Reynald the Third wasn’t quite up to the job. Last month, he had made them fill up their swimming pools with french vanilla yogurt. The month before that, he declared goat cheese and skim milk illegal.
Let me rephrase that: there wasn’t any more speculation, they were certain of it.

The question was “How do we get rid of him?”

When I Noticed (Twilight Series)

2008-05-06T22:37:19Z

Something about him was so honest. But that wasn’t why I couldn’t stop looking at him. I told myself that it wasn’t because he looked like him. No, it had to be something more, right?

It couldn’t be the way his hair fell across his face when he was in careful concentration, it couldn’t even be his uneasy smile.

But, then I looked at him closer than I had been. That was when I noticed his apprehension of food in general. That was when I noticed his affinity for blood.

That was when I noticed he was a vampire.

Hmmm (What's the Challenge?)

2008-05-02T19:38:06Z

It stared back at me from the confines of its paper cage. Was that a tattoo on its chest?
It smelled divine. It smelled immaculate. It smelled fresh.
It called me out of line. Beckoning with its handsome clothes and sleek body.
Just to spend a few minutes with it; find out what it was thinking. Was that too much to ask?
The others watched me as I stepped toward it, reaching out my hand.
And I grabbed the book from the shelf.

The Ultimate Crime of Passion(200th Challenge)

2008-05-02T18:00:22Z

I brushed a few crumbs from the sweatshirt I had picked up from the clearance rack. My grilled cheese and sweet potato fries had long ago turned cold. My chocolate milk was finished, save for a few drops of liquid at the bottom of the glass. It was time to get to business.
So, the story needs…something. I gestured with my straw.
You think I haven’t noticed? It’s bordering on dime-store novel.
Thanks, that’s helpful.
I was thinking it needs a murder. Every good story has a murder in it. If not a murder, then the threat of murder.
You know something? You’ve got a real problem with morbidity. Maybe it needs a happy ending. Something inspiring.
You know what’s inspiring? A big musical number that leads up to a murder. Classic! Oh, you can never go wrong with a classic!
Classic? I asked, my patience growing thin and my sarcasm growing.
Murder provides a quick end to an otherwise ongoing story.
Well, in that case… I fingered the knife beside my plate. I vowed that I wouldn’t miss.

Of Hunger and Hurt

2008-05-02T17:22:48Z

Ari’s breath came slowly, as if it were unsure of himself. He would try to do this with the least pain as possible. His victim watched him with fearful eyes. “Please, I just got married.” The man stammered.
Ari tried to be heartless. Ari tried to be callous. Ari tried not to look into the man’s eyes. “Go,” He whispered. “Please, just leave and don’t look back.” The figure retreated in the distance.
His hunger pains had gotten so bad that Ari often found himself huddled in corners, holding his stomach. “Hadassa,” his voice was barely a whisper as he left a message. “I can’t do it. I let him get away. You should be proud of me. If I continue like this, I won’t be able to see you any more. I don’t want to hurt you. Goodbye, Hadassa.” His head fell back against the wall.
“Ari?” Hadassa called from the other side of the door. “Open the door, Ari!”
The door fell open with a swift kick. “Stay there, Hadassa. Please, stay there.” But she wouldn’t listen.

More Than Anything

2008-05-01T23:48:24Z

Ari had stopped smiling. He pushed the hair in front of his eyes so that he wouldn’t have to look at every passing stranger. He knew Hadassa couldn’t see him like this, so why was he still walking toward her house?

“Ari!” Hadassa ran to him, but stopped when she saw his pallid face. “But, I thought…”
“It’s permanent. I’ve told you that.” His voice was hardly a whisper.
“Then why haven’t you…” She let her voice trail off.
“You know how much I hate violence!” Ari snapped unconsciously.
“You’re a skeleton. It scares me, Ari. It scares me more than your new…diet. It scares me more than your temper.” Hadassa didn’t let the tear reach her cheek. Ari glanced at his bony hands. He didn’t know how much longer he could take this. More than anything, Ari wanted to stay with her. More than anything, Ari didn’t want to hurt Hadassa. More than anything, Ari didn’t want to be a vampire.

Sweety Tweeds

2008-05-01T17:36:59Z

Mr. and Mrs. Tweed were standing in front of the house a little too perfectly when the reporter arrived. “Glen, Ryan! Come join your mother and father on the front porch!” Mrs. Tweed’s smile was more than plastic. The girls bounced out of the house with an enthusiasm that could only be described as too much sugar. Or too much visual stimulation.

“Life has not changed for us. We’re still your average American family. Look, here’s our white picket fence! A ho, ho, ho!” Mr. Tweed’s cheeks were beginning to ache. “All right then, we’ll be able to see the segment tonight?”
“Uh…of course. Thank you for your time.” The reporter was more than ready to leave.
“Would you like to see the television set?” But the man had already left. “Well, girls, I hope you learned something today.”
“Oh, certainly,” Ryan’s nose twitched. “You can always get by on a smile.”

White Pain (Twilight Challenge)

2008-05-01T02:03:20Z

I was too stunned to feel the pain. I couldn’t breathe yet. What had led to this defining moment? How had life and death nearly collided to the point where it was almost insufferable?
I asked myself these questions as I watched him. He looked more hurt than I did; and I was the one with a gash running across my back. I’m sorry. His eyes whispered each time he worked up enough courage to look at me. Secretly, I forgave him. Secretly, I understood all of this. Secretly, I wanted to hate him. But I couldn’t.
For all of his strength, he looked so helpless. So weak. So…childlike.
Then, the pain came. The white pain. It took everything in me to keep from crying out, because I knew that would only hurt him more.

Her Way...or No Way

2008-04-30T20:40:42Z

Kristofer
My sister, Tess, was pencil thin, always had been, always will be. If you’re really looking for a cause, somewhere for everything to connect…
She made me feel disgusting. She used to watch me eating a pizza, a doughnut…whatever…and ask if I was really going to eat that.
When I was nine, she stopped appearing in public with me. My mother tried to get her out with us, but my dad always took her side.
Look at him! Do you blame her? he’d ask in hushed tones. It was my mother who always stood up for me, or rather excused me.
He can’t help it if it’s in his genes! My family is naturally big boned!

It was weird to have people arguing about you like you’re not even there. I guess it didn’t matter, Tess always got her way.