It's The End of the World (As We Know It) - Literate

Kyira sighed and chuckled at Bella as Marcello bent down beside her.
"Bella...is that really you?" Marcello asked in total disbelief.
Marcello had always liked Bella, he was even told by Kyira over a thousand times Bella liked him too, but he never believed her. He naturally worried about her just like Kyira did, but differently. He worried because he was in love with her, not because she was his best friend.
"Marcello, are you kidding me? Yes that is Bella! Can't you tell?"
Marcello nodded yes slowly, still unsure.

Zane, who was as bold as ever, practically lept on Bella, hugging her tightly. His black, jagged hair tickled her face, causing Bella to laugh joyously, "Yes, it is me. I-I still can't believe you guys are alive! It's more than I hoped for..."
Zane laughed, "Well, I hope that everyone magically pops back up and this whole end-of-the-wold thing stops once and for all. No offense, but it's worth ditching you, Marcello."
Bella laughed, "Don't be so hard on him."

Kyira looked slightly confused but she shook it off.
Marcello looked slightly annoyed as she slapped Zane in the back of the head.
"Zane, you wouldn't ditch me, not like mom and dad did."
Marcello mentioning that was probably something Zane hadn't expected, but it did happen.
Kyira winced slightly, remembering when they first informed her about it. It had made her sad and feel bad for them. She had almost cried for them, but she only cried for Bella.
"Bella, where have you been all this time? You were with us at the apartment, then you just disappeared." Kyira asked.

Jason smiled at Bella's reunion with her friends. he left to bring in more matresses. He soon had it set up as they caught up. to kyira, marcello, and zane, he would probably seem to be almost a silent person. Leaving once more, he returned with every piece of clothing that would fit on bella. some of the stuff that wouldn't he sewed up so that it would and set it on a matress for her to go through when she was ready. He looked at the hot cocoa machine and soon had a few more cups set out for kyira, marcello, and zane. he then opened it up trying to fix the slushie part of it. snapping his fingers into a blowtorch once more as he tried to fix it.

"I don't know. I woke up the next morning and the apartment was on fire. I looked everywhere for you guys, but I couldn't find you." She said softly.
"We went to the roof." Zane said in astonishment, suddenly remembering that Kyira had thought Bella had gone out for something, since she was usually awake so early.
It was only later that they had figured out Bella had been inside and they believed her dead. It was complicated, but it was the truth.
Zane suddenly realized that Jason was there, "And who might you be?"

Kyira looked at Jason with the same expression Marcello and Zane wore.
"That's exactly what I was wondering."
Marcello said nothing but look at Bella. He grabbed her hand and looked her in the eye.
"Bella, are you okay? You didn't get burned in that fire did you? I mean, I was so sure you were dead. We were all so sure..." Marcello trailed off as he whispered to her.

Jason looked up at them. "my name is jason amaroq. I found bella just a bit ago half frozen" he said honestly. "this heat you are feeling was set up by me but you are welcome to stay here instead of freezing" he said politely as he worked. His finger was still shooting fire like a blowtorch as he fixed the machine. "help yourself to the food and hot cocoa to warm up. if i can fix this stupid thing we may just have slushies too" he said kicking the machine. He blew out his finger and closed it up. sure enough, now it worked. the clothes he had fetched for bella were still on one of the five matresses he had pulled in.

"Yep. Incinerated." Bella said with all sincerity, then laughed, "No. Just a few third degrees in places. I''m fine, though. Can't die, remember?"
Zane poked Jason's shoulder, "WHO ARE YOU!?" he screamed, probably scaring the living daylights out of Jason, Kyira, Bella, and Marcello, but he didn't care. If they weren't used to that by now, then they didn't know him at all.
Bella laughed, "Zane! Leave him alone. He doesn't have to join us if he doesn't want to. Though he is more than welcome to join us."

Jason rolled his eyes. "i already said my name is Jason Amaroq. If you mean who i was before the end of the world, well i was nobody. I am a street rat in every sense of the word i presume. since i never had a family or anyone really to loook out for me" he said shrugging. he looked at the actual heater for the building. "ill join you as soon as i get the heater working instead of the lamps" he said standing and dragging his tools for the heater and pulling it apart, fixing it and blowtorching it until the heater came on. "much better" he said smiling proudly at his accomplisment. he stood up for about the first time in a while. it was obviuos his clothes were almost destroyed, and yet he had gone out to find bella clothes before thinking about getting some for himself. "now if i can get a shower to work i'd have it made" he said taking a portable shower from a box and starting to set it up.

Kyira sighed and looked at Jason.
"The welding and torching was needed. It was just a few simple loose screws and a broken fan belt."
Marcello still held Bella's hand, really not wanting to let go.
"Well I'm glad your okay. i was almost as depressed as Kyira." Marcello said this with a light blush.
Kyira snickered and bumped his shoulder, which he blushed worse because Kyira knew what this meant, he was showing he liked her way more than anyone had known.

Jason rolled his eyes. "well I don't exactly have any replacement parts, so i weld the parts back together." he explained as he set up the shower. He sat and thought for awhile as to where the water should go when it was done. he devised a system that would clean up the water and then let it be used. he even set up a water heater. this only took him an hour to set up. He smiled as he drew the curtain around the shower, which had a large basin under it so the water wouldn't get everywhere. "who wants to take the first shower?" he asked wiping some sweat from his forehead. He had already gone to a bath and body works to get some soap and shampoo.

Bella smiled and laughed, "It's hard to get as depressed as Kyira. Right, emo girl?" she chuckled, her eyes brightening more than they had in years.
Zane grinned, "Hey! Bella's feeling good again! It's a Christmas miracle!" He threw his hands up in the air joyously, ignoring the fact that Christmas had already past. Anyone that knew him well knew not to bring that up. Once he had decided it was a Christmas miracle in February, then in his mind it was.
Bella rolled her eyes, "Nice, Zane. Remind me to find you a goldfish later."
"Can't eat them." He shook his head, "Vegan. Remember?"

Jason shrugged when no one answered, "i guess i get the first shower" he said standing. he went behind the curtain and about ten minutes later came out. with his pants on of course but not his shirt since his hair would drip it wet. now that all the dirt was gone, it could be seen that he was tanned, very muscular, and apparantly handsome. when his hair was wet it always seemed to cover his left eye. One thing that could be seen now that his shirt was off, was that his body carried some pretty severe scars. He stretched himself out and sighed content. He was glad the heating system kept them from freezing in here now.

Kyira sighed.
"Zane, you are one helpless little twit. But that's why we all love you I suppose, right M?"
Marcello nodded and slowly let go of Bella's hand.
"Zane, why would you think Bella would want you to eat the goldfish...?" Marcello asked a bit confused.
"You know...I was just wondering that myself." Kyira turned and looked at Zane suspiciously.

"The crackers have eggs in them..." Zane pouted, not appreciative of their assumption that he thought she was talking about real goldfish. He wasn't that stupid.
Bella looked around at Zane, Marcello, and Kyira, "Do any of you need to shower?" she asked, a curiosity in her voice and words.
"Marcello." Zane grinned, pinching his nose shut with his fingers, "He stinks to high heavens."
Bella couldn't help but laughing at this. While she didn't want Zane to be rude to Marcello, it was funny, and probably true. Besides, they were brothers and brothers teased each other, right?
The only siblings she had growing up was a sister who was almost fourteen years older than her, so she didn't know he sister all that well. She had gone on to become a model with several avid stalkers who chased her everywhere. Before Bella got sick, she used to be told that she looked exactly like her beautiful sister, but the illness had left her almost inhumanly thin and had stunted her growth.

Kyira's expression softened.
"Oh...those goldfish...my bad."
Kyira scratched her head and caught a whiff of something nasty. She sniffed Marcello, he seemed to be okay, but when she sniffed Zane she nearly passed out.
"Oh my gawd Zane, get your bum in that shower."
Kyira lifted Zane and tossed him in the shower, not throwing him like she probably should have. He landed with a soft thud inside.
Marcello chuckled at Kyira who then glared at him for a split second and laughed.
"I guess you were wrong brother, it wasn't me who stunk, more like you."

Jason closed his eyes as he lay back on a spare matress, looking up at the cieling. He seemed to be awefully quiet now that there was more then just bella here. but that was because each of the scars he had on his muscular form were because of groups of kids. he was a bit on edge, yes perhaps a bit scared too. He didn't know any of them that well. so how was he to know if they wouldn't gang up on him and kick him out of this place he had built and leave him to freeze? it wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened to him...

As everyone else was laughing at Zane, as they usually were, Bella sat next to Jason, a concerned, worried, expression in her eyes, "Is everything OK?" she asked softly, her words just barely loud enough for him to hear, and way to soft for Marcello, Kyira, or Zane to even know that she was speaking. "If you are afraid of them, I wouldn't worry about that... Well, Kyira was a street thug before, Zane and Marcello were pick-pockets, but they wouldn't hurt a fly. Kyira, maybe. But only if you really tick her off." She blushed a bright red, looking down at her feet, then back up at Jason, "I'm rambling again, aren't I?" she asked quietly.

During Bella's little talk with Jason, Kyira had become slightly bored and had managed to get a few balls from the sporting goods store next door. She was now throwing them at Marcello who seemed to be totally clueless as to what was happening.
"What in the world...what the heck is hitting me...Kyira!"
By this time Kyira was hiding, in an unusual spot. She was laying flat...on the ceiling. She giggled as Marcello turned around searching for her, but finding nothing but the others.
"Kyira, come out now. You can't hide forever."
Kyira laughed as she chucked another ball at him, which bounced off and hit Zane on the head in the shower.

Jason sat up next ot her and smiled softly at her. "it's alright if you ramble, i don't mind" he said quietly. "it's not them. it's just... well these scars all came from groups of people about our age trying to kill me" he explained. he still had his shirt off so she could see them. "they didn't like how i was a street kid yet looked better apparantly." he said with a grim chuckle. He looked at her and couldn't help but smile. something about her put his mind at ease, and, even though he just met her, he knew he could trust her.

"You don't have to worry about them. Honest. I mean, I've lived with Kyira almost my whole life and I'm still mostly in one piece, right?" She grinned, touching the scar on her neck absentmindedly. Her eyes were almost an emerald shade now, and reminded a person of the sea. Calming and comforting, like a good friend.
Zane yelped as the ball hit him, then looked up and saw Kyira, crossing his arms over his lower section as he noticed he was naked and she had a clear view right inside the shower. He blushed a bright red and looked down at his feet, waiting for her to move so he could finish.

Kyira burst out laughing, causing her to lose her concentration and fall. Marcello looked up in time to see her and catch her.
"I swear Kyira...how have we kept up with you all these years...?"
Kyira's expression turned child like as she spoke.
"Cuz you guys love me..."
Marcello sighed as he set Kyira down and sat about a foot away from her.
"Aww what's the matter M, you mad cuz I hit you?"
"Not mad, just a tad bit annoyed at this point."

Jason smiled at her. "okay i believe you" he said softly to her. he watched her eyes, losing himself in them, as if lost at sea. He had never felt so calm before in his life. he was usually on edge for some reason or other. when he moved a bit he found his hand resting gently on hers. his face blushed slightly, noticeably now that he was clean. He just felt that he could trust her with anything. He didn't feel like he had to hide anything, or hold anything from her. to her he was an open book. the only question was, how deep would she read into him?

Bella couldn't help but blush brightly herself. As much as she supposedly looked like her sister, she had never found herself so clearly the object of anyone's affection. It was odd, but she like feeling wanted by someone. It was more than her family had done for her.
As Zane got out of the shower, still blushing furiously because Kyira had seen him de-clothed, he walked toward the Hot Topic to get new clothes, dripping water the whole way there.
Bella looked over to see what everyone was laughing about, then burst into laughter that lit up her whole face as she saw Zane speed-walking to the Hot Topic to get dressed. When he came out, he threw the towel at Kyira, "You're turn, sexy beast." He winked.

Kyira felt a twitch coming on but she ignored it. She grabbed Bella and walked her to the Hot Topic.
"I'm going to be prepared before I get near that shower."
Mrcello was still laughing when the girls walked out.
"Zane, what do you think you're doing? I think you might have just made Kyira slightly more mental than she already is."