It's The End Of The World (As We Know It): R.I.P.

Kyira sighed and looked up.
"Who else would I be talking about?"
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"I'm not a...mean guy. I was just mean around my mom, who pretty much hated my guts.

"Me." He laughed, clearly joking, though he couldn't say that he would mind dating Kyira.
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Bella smiled, "I wasn't even a human to my mom and dad. You remember the 'infamous' Strauss family?" She sighed, "That's mom and dad."

Kyira gulped, a bit shocked at what he said.
"You implying something boy?"
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"Wow, so you were the lazy bum daughter they always dissed in the papers?"

"Lazy? No. I just liked to have fun with people that were outside their 'approval', so they made up stuff about me. They just didn't like that I wasn't a snob like they were." She laughed, "But yah. That was me."
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Marcello smiled, "Nah. It would be weird. Like dating my sister."

Kyira sighed.
"Yes, very weird."
((Trying to give me a heart attack Bella???))
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"Yeah, my mom hated me because I didn't wear the clothes she bought me or be the son she wanted."

Bella nodded, "Well, at least you were true to who you were. It's more than I could say for myself."
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((Not yet.))
Marcello laughed, "But I could deal with it if you were willing to."

"How were untrue to who you were exactly?"
Vann leaned forward a bit in the chair.
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Kyira couldn't speak exactly. All she could do was look ahead and breath.

"I put on an act for my mom and dad... went out and did things I regret to try and make myself feel better... All I ended up doing was getting myself hurt."
Bella took off the thick black ribbon she always kept tied around her neck to show Vann a long, wire-thin scar around her neck. It looked like someone had slit her throat.
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"You act like it's a bad thing." Marcello smiled.

"Oh my gawd Bella, what happened?"
Vann's face was filled with concern.
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"Not bad...just odd."

"How would it be odd?" He asked.
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Bella sighed, "I wasn't lazy. I was sick. As in, I had only a month to live when the end of the world struck. My mom and dad were just angry that I wasn't perfect, so they lied to keep the bad publicity off of them. It hurt... so bad..." She breathed, then looked up, "So one night, I stood on the roof of our house, all the way on the 6th floor, and I took a rock..." she traced the line around her neck with her hand. "But, Kyira had been on her way over and got me to the ER before I died."

"We've been friends for a long time and we both have liked two other people for a long time. Plus you're like my brother."
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"Wow, lucky Kyira was able to get to you in time."

"Actually, that's when we figured out I had powers. I was dead for three hours, then poof! Here I am." Bella smiled, tying the ribbon back.
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"I see." Marcello smiled, "But know that if you and Zane... or you and Vann... you know, I'm here."

"Was this before or after the world ended?"
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"I know." Kyira kept looking around at the ground.

Jason kept sleeping on bella's shoulder. he slowly began to stir and wake up, lookng at her face and smiling softly. he had yet to realize vann was here.

"About mid-way through it." Bella shrugged, "We only realized what was going on about when the first fireballs started."
She looked over at Jason and smiled, "Morning sleepyhead."
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"Want to go back now?" Marcello smiled politely.

"Yeah. I didn't even know I could control the weather until after it ended. I'd been trying to make it warmer, but the ash and smoke is blocking out the sun and it's hard to force sunlight through a smoke screen..."
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"I think we should go back now. Nothing dangerous in the remote area as far as I can tell."

Marcello nodded and turned back towards the remains of the house.
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Bella smiled, "I guess mine struck just in the nick of time."

Vann laughed lightly and smiled.
"Yeah, seriously. Hopefully though, this smoke screen clears...or else we're in for one hell of a winter."
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Once they were in jumping distance of the roof, Kyira jumped out of Marcello's arms and back flipped into the living roof through the open hole.

Bella clapped at Kyira's landing, "Bravo!!!" she laughed.

Kyira winked at Bella and grinned.
"Getting better, aren't I? Soon I'll be able to land a 50 foot jump."

Jason smiled and nuzzled closer to bella, watching as kyira and Marcello returned.

Bella nodded, "I'm sure you will. I'd just hit my head. Again." She laughed.

"Oh Bella, I have something really cool to show you."
Kyira grinned as she jumped back out of the roof and set a bar over the hole. She started doing a few swings back and forth then flipped and landed on the balls of her feet.
"Suck mom would never pay for me to take gymnastics. I'd have done pretty good."

Bella nodded, stunned into silence. She would probably never have that kind of coordination.

Kyira grinned and bowed.
"Shall I do some more for you my dear Bella?"