Day 18-21......41003

Lissa tried to take it all in.  Leo's demeanor was somewhat different.  He was cordial to a point, not talkative, but cordial.  He was sort of smiling at the conversations around him.  He would nod at Jessica or Samantha and they would ask Lissa if she needed anything.  He would nod to Mrs. Potts and she would scoop more food on Lissa's plate.  It was like they had played this game so often that they knew what to expect from any of Leo's glances.  The best part was that everyone was genuinely happy to have Lissa present.
    "So Lissa, tell us about your family," Samantha  said.
    "Not much to tell really.  It's just me and my dad.  It's been that way for a long time.  We live a pretty simple life.  I don't really know what else to tell.  What do you want to know?" Lissa asked.
    "Everything, but I'm not going to ask insensitive questions," Samantha said. 
    Leo made a noise from his throat.  It was apparent that he didn't need to clear his throat but wanted Samantha to drop the current conversation.
    "What about all of you?  I not mean to be insensitive myself, but let's face it this is not a normal situation.  A prince, servants, an architectural mansion, this is not normal around here.  I'd dare say this isn't normal in too many places.  I mean a prince living in the United States and attending an American high school, how's that happen?" Lissa asked.
    The long dining room table was covered in food and fruit.  There were carafes of water and juices at intervals.  Lissa wondered how many people could comfortably eat around the table.  there were six of them and there was probably room for six less.  The table itself was ornate.  The wood was a dark mahogany and had carving all through it.  The chairs had high backs with intricately carved designs and scenes of hunting and other sport.
    The silence that fell after her question was palpable.  Lissa tried to suck her words back in and change the subject.  Like a bomb going off in the middle of a crowded town.  The destruction was disturbing. 
    All eyes were on Leo and then on Lissa, who was opening her mouth but failing to make words.  Leo laid his fork down next to his plate, wiped the corners of his mouth with the cloth napkin, laid it next to his plate, and slowly raised his head.  For once his hair was actually pulled back in a loose pony tail and out of his eyes.
    When he looked at Lissa, he wasn't angry.  The look wasn't one of hurt at being asked but Lissa could tell there was a deep sarrow attached to the answer that might be about to be delivered.
    "The answer is far to complicated to shared over a meal as nice as this and in polite company.  Let it be enough to know that we were put off from our home and have taken refuge here.  This happened many years ago and has yet to be righted.  Nevertheless, I am confident that a happy ending will reveal itself soon enough," Leo said.  He picked his napkin up and gently replaced it in his lap.  Slowly he picked up his fork and returned to eating.
    "Leo, I'm sorry, I didn't mean...I just...it's just," Lissa stammered.
    "Think nothing of it.  You are a guest in my house.  You have a right to ask questions and it was a reasonable one," Leo said.
    Slowly a hum of noise came back over the room.  "Might I inquire as to where your ancestral home is located?" Lissa asked.
    "Off the coast of France.  The island itself has a rather unique history.  One I would love to share with you after dinner perhaps during a walk through the gardens," Leo said. 
    "She's the one," Jessica said, elbowing Samantha.
    "Stop it you to," Mrs. Potts said.
    "What?" Jessica asked innocently.
    "You can all stop with that kind of talk.  Just because I don't often choose to speak doesn't mean there is anything wrong with my hearing," Leo said.
    "What one?" Lissa asked.
    "The one who will break the curse," Jessica said.
    "What curse?" Lissa asked.
    "The family curse," Chip said speaking up for the first time.
    Leo stood hastily from the table and retreated from the table without so much as a word.  Mrs. Potts reached out and cuffed Chip on the back of the head.  "How many times have I told you not to mention the curse?  That goes for all of you," Mrs. Potts said, looking around the room.
    "What?" Jessica said defensively.  "You act like you don't believe in it.  You know you hope she's the one just as much as the rest of us and whether it's stupid or not, sometimes it's easier to believe in things than to accept that this is it.  That this is the best it'll ever get.  And whether she is the one or there is a curse is inconsequential.  I hope for a better day.  Let me have my hope."
    "You can have your hope, and I hope too.  But I won't play into this.  You can't put this on her."
    "I'm right here," Lissa said.
    Mrs. Potts continued as if she hadn't heard Lissa.  "It's not fair to dump our hopes on her shoulders.  I won't be a part of it.  Lissa, I deeply enjoyed your company tonight.  You have been a boon to the mood around this place and for that I am eternally grateful."  Mrs. Potts stood up, "But i won't sit here and listen to them fill your head with this superstitiousness.  It's poppycock.  There I've said it.  Come on Chip.  We can finish in the kitchen.  I'll bring desert around after your walk."
    Everyone watched as Mrs. Potts walked out trailed by young Chip.  As soon as the door to the kitchen closed, Samantha and Jessica leaned in across the table towards Lissa.
    "So the curse is a long standing family curse.  I don't know how to explain it without going into too much detail, but it'll all make sense eventually.  Basically a dark cloud of bad fortune and hard times have befallen the family, and--" Jessica began.
    Cutting her off, Samantha continued, "And it would take a girl to break the curse."
    "That's simplifying it to say the least, Sam," Jessica protested.    "That's enough," Sam insisted.  "Somethings with the curse, as with the misfortunes of the family, need to be revealed over time.  It would serve no purpose and perhaps defeat a few to say too much too soon."
    Lissa leaned back in her chair and rested her arms on the stately arm rests.  "This is all so bizarre.  I mean a few weeks ago, I had no interest whatsoever in boys, dating, any of it.  I don't know what this girl has to be or do, but I'm not your one."  Lissa read the disappointment on their faces as if it were written in an indelible ink.
    "I'm not saying that the one is out there.  I'm sure she is and that she's wonderful.  I'm just saying that it's not me.  I have other plans beyond being the one.  Besides being the one is a lot of pressure and I've never been one to handle pressure well.  I just learned to put on make up like last year and still don't ever wear like any.  So umm I'm sorry and all really I am,and I hope things get better and the curse lifts and whatnot, but I don't think I'm who you must think I am," Lissa let the words tumble out of her mouth like a tower of blocks built one block two high tumbles to the ground, higher blocks crashing into lower blocks.
    Lissa was more overwhelmed than anything.  She didn't know what the one was supposed to be, but the one sounded too much like some idealistic blueprint that she had no desire to live up to.  It wasn't so much as an aversion to Leo as an aversion to being "the" anything.
    Leo actually showed himself to be a rather dashing and enjoyable dinner guest.  The kid had some skeletons in the closet, but she was not one to judge.  Her family certainly had its share of skeletons.
    She was still hung up on the whole Prince thing.  She had never met a royal.  Leo didn't in everyday life seem like much of a royal to her, but then again, she didn't know what a royal was supposed to be like. 
    The house was amazing, the servants were varied and dedicated, and Leo was capable of a sophisticated air about him.  But Lissa didn't know if any of that meant or said royalty to her.  She never really put much thought into royals today.  She saw stories about Prince William or Prince Henry, but they were like celebrities.  Like Hollywood movie stars that you heard about and read about and saw in films and on television, but you never meet.
    Samantha and Jessica had left Lissa to her thoughtful reflection.  They weren't so much as disappointed as deflated.  It was like all the wind in their sails was gone.  They had come into dinner flying the flag of hope, but reality and skepticism had found their way in and set fire to the flag.
    The three girls stayed quiet for quite some time and finished their meals without noticing that they had at some point continued eating.  If they listened they could hear footsteps above them and Chip's voice asking questions in the kitchen.  Life was not always fair or consistent, but then again no one really expected it to be.  They just hope.
    Samantha was the first to break the silence.  She stood and took something between a bow and a curtsy.  "Mademoiselle, if it pleases you, I will show you the way to the  entrance of the gardens.  I'm certain that Master Leo will not leaving waiting long."
    Without knowing exactly what she should do, Lissa stood and picked up her plate.  "Leave it," Jessica said, "I'll clear the table.  It is one of my duties after all."
    Lissa frowned and returned her plate to the table.  She followed Samantha up two stairs and through a door right next to the door that led down into the kitchen.  Behind the door lay a hallway with steps leading up or down at varying intervals.
    The house was almost a maze with some levels or rooms being accessible from only one path, while others overlapped each other and could be accessed from many directions.
    Lissa silently followed Samantha as she chose doors and rooms to pass through.  The house seemed so complicated and overly difficult to navigate.  But Lissa thought that if she were being fair she would have to admit that she wasn't very good at navigation even with a gps.
    Samantha opened a door that led to the back porch and stood to the side to allow Lissa to pass.  "You will find chairs and benches on and at the bottom of the porch.  Please do not stray too far.  I'm certain Master Leo will be with you momentarily.  Thank you for your kindness and patience with us.  We know that our situation is not a normal one."
    With that she closed the door and disappeared through a door that led up to the very top level.  She found Leo right where she expected to, in the torrent.  The house with all its slabs and towers had a medieval castle torrent built into the back on the top level.  It couldn't be seen from the front of the house, but it had a great view of the back yard, the gardens, and the surrounding mountains.
    It was a stone tower complete with the alternating high and low blocks.  Leo stood between the higher blocks looking out over his back yard.  He had his back to Samantha, but he knew she had entered his space.  He raised a hand over his should to signal that she should not speak.  Samantha had been in his service long enough to obey his requests without question.
    She approached him slowly and glanced over the edge.  He was watching Lissa approach and retreat from the entry arch to the gardens.  "She will not love me," Leo said more to himself than to Samantha.
    "Monsieur, you don't really believe that do you?" Samantha asked not making eye contact or attempting to look at him at all.  It was too painful to see the hurt and disappointment in his eyes.  Samantha had practically grown up with Leo and then raised him.
    Samantha was Leo's age now when they moved to the United States.  She remembers the conversation with her father about the opportunities for her in America.  She could go to college and be anything she wanted to be.  And she did.  She majored in event planning and returned to the family home to take over where her father had left off when he retired and moved back to Europe. 
    She had grown up caring for Leo, and she felt a strong allegiance to him.  Nevertheless, she hoped he would be more open to people in general.  She worried about him.  "Monsieur, I know that you will find love and that this house will ring with rejoicing.  I know that no amount of love or affection will replace all that you have lost, but you must open yourself to the possibilities of love or you will never find it.  Don't shut off all access when it is what you need."    "Silly, really.  Look at me," Leo said turning to Samantha and signaling up and down his body, "This is me in a cleaned up more friendly state.  It is not very inviting at all."
    "Monsieur, time will heal and time will tell.  You cannot ever learn a language if you do not choose to speak it," Samantha said placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.  "Go talk to her!"
    "I will, but it won't matter.  She thinks I'm a beast," Leo said turning and beginning his decent.
    "You are not a beast," Samantha called gently after him.
    Leo weaved his way through the house and out the back.  Lissa was sitting at the bench right outside the garden's entrance.  The entrance was marked by an archway covered in flowering vines and a cast iron gate that seemed to be more for look than to keep anyone out. 
    The front of the garden was made up of a wall of shrubbery over ten feet tall.  Lissa was very much looking forward to the walk and the history lesson.  She looked up and smiled at Leo as he neared her.
    "I do apologize for my earlier behavior.  I sometimes seem to have a lack of judgment when I become enraged.  I don't mean to be so ugly, but occasionally, I am struck by situation or words in a such a basically emotional way that i struggle to process the signals my brain are receiving.  Shall we?" he asked pushing the gate open.
    What was on the other size of the gate could have been a new world.  The area was systematically segmented into plots that were themed and organized.  Lissa wanted to call it an English garden, but she couldn't be sure.  She loved taking trips to the Botanical Gardens.
    The Botanical Gardens paled in comparison to Leo's back yard.  The plants were so beautiful and well kept.  There were everything from fruit tress to vegetables to flowers.  Each plot had neat meticulous rows of plants.  There was one square with low growing shrubs grown and cut into impressive patterns.  In another plot, there were tomato vines full of plump ripe tomatoes. 
    As they strolled through the garden in silence, Lissa took in the irony of it all.  Leo's outward appearance was so haphazard and sloppy, even now being dressed up a bit and with his hair pulled back.  And yet his garden was perfect, neat, meticulous.
    Lissa stopped and stared at a plot full of hedge animals.  Horses reared up on their hind legs and giant bears were sitting only a few feet from an amazing rhinoceros. 
    "So tell me about your country?" Lissa asked.
    "Where does one begin with things such as this?" Leo asked, rhetorically.
    "My dad always says it's best to start at the beginning," Lissa said smiling up at Leo.
    "A wise man your father, perhaps occasionally he can be presumptuous and overbearing but wise nonetheless.  My homeland is a small island off of the coast of France.  I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you that I was but a few years old when we fled.  But the history of our island dates back to before the Roman conquests of the Guals and Celtics tribes in England and modern day France," Leo began.
    "So are you French then?" Lissa asked.
    "No, I would not say that.  Though I was at my father's urging taught to speak French before I learned English or any other language for that matter," Leo continued.
    "How many languages do you speak?" Lissa asked as they continued their walk.
    "Well I speak three languages, four if you count Latin, which I do not count because the language is dead and rarely ever used in conversation anywhere.  I am proficient in French, English, and German.  I can read some Old English and Latin, as well as, Greek.  They are all things my father felt I should know and that my teachers and mother made sure I learned," Leo paused and looked out at the trees in the distance.
    "This has always been my home since I can remember really.  Nevertheless, I desire to take my place as the King of my island.  The ancestral call is very strong within me," Leo said.
    "So how did you get to be the Royal whatchamacallit anyways?" Lissa asked.
    "By birthright, and through an arduous process that I am more than happy to relate to you," Leo said.  "The throne has been passed down from father to eldest son for generations much like the English monarchy.  Unlike England, my family has been governing our Island not just a figure head or ceremonious leader."
    "Until whatever happened, happened," Lissa added.
    "Exactly.  When we were forced to flee our Island and take refuge, my mother and I along with our servants moved here.  It was an acceptable enough locale, especially considering that we fully anticipated being reunited with my father within  a year at the most.  However, that was not to be so.  Of course now I am telling you what is obvious.  Shall I return to the early history of the island?" Leo asked, signaling to a bench under some willow trees.
    Lissa took a seat and said, "Please do.  I hope you don't find this tedious.  I find it all a so fascinating."
    Leo joined her on the bench and said, "No, not at all.  In fact I am finding it quite therapeutic to talk about it.  The island had probably been inhabited marginally by an indigenous people who were genetically similar to the other Celtic tribes found throughout the British Isles and western Europe.  My family, descended from the marriage of a druid princess from Gual who fled persecution from invading Franks and a Briton who was fleeing his country as well.  He was of royal descent and set adrift as a result of tribal infighting.  Each was guided by the stars to the other.  While they had both intended to reach the shore of the other, they never did.  In the midst of great tempest, both the vessel that the druid princess was in and the vessel of the British youth, of royal descent himself, were destroyed."
    "Wow," Lissa chimed in.  "This is all so Romeo and Juliet."    "It is isn't it?" Leo laughed.  It was a sound Lissa had never heard.  The melodic effect it had was quite calming.  She didn't know that under the surface of this dark and brooding kid was so much, so much everything.  She was suddenly taken by a great deal of emotional connection to him.  It wasn't anything in particular, but his laugh, his words, the story he told all had woven themselves together, making him more human, if that even made sense.
    "Well, shipwrecked and at the mercy of the gods, they were cast upon the rocks of our island.  Ryanne was the princess and first queen of our Island.  Leon the fierce was her King.  They didn't find each other at first on the island.  In fact they each had established a settlement of sorts on opposite sides of the island before eventually finding each other.  The history of the other people on the island is not complete.  It would seem that no one inhabited it or that few did.  At any rate, Ryanne and Leon eventually met and fell instantly in love with one another.  I owe both my given name and my sur name to Leon.  He was said to be such a fierce defender of his island that he quickly became known as Leon the Savage, which would later be adopted as a sur name."
    "And so the rest was just a hand off of the crown for generations until you came to be here?" Lissa asked.
    "Not exactly, but more or less yes.  There were years when my ancestors waged war on either side of th channel and had to defend their freedom.  Even today France will claim our island as one of its own properties.  However, we have dominion," Leo said staring off into the distance.
    "So what stands between you and your thrown?" Lissa thought the words seemed odd even as they came out of her mouth.
    "Much," Leo said in nearly a whisper.  "My father was killed not long after my mother and I fled.  My mother returned to defend our land and home, leaving me here in the care of the servants you have met.  I have been learning both history and military tactics as I prepare for my eventual return to the thrown.  I will be sure that he did not die in vain."
    "What of your mother?" Lissa asked reaching out her hand and placing it gently on his knee.  She did not know how to process this level of information or this type of unbelievable story, but she understood one part without a doubt.  While the situations were very different, Lissa understood loss.
    She knew what it was like to not have a parent in your life.  She appreciated all her father had done for her, but not having a mother was a wound that would never heal properly. 
    "Is your mother," Lissa's words trailed off.  She couldn't bring herself to finish.
    "Enough," Leo said harshly.  He flew to his feet and in that moment a breeze that was unseasonably chilly made Lissa's skin tighten. 
    "Whoa, bipolar much?" Lissa said half under her breath.  She looked up at him and cringed at the rage in his eyes.  She knew she had hit a vein that went deep, but he had encouraged her questions. 
    "You need to leave now," Leo said with his back to Lissa.  Had he been facing her, she would have seen the tears in his eyes.
    "Fine, I need to go anyway," Lissa said.  She walked toward the house leaving Leo who had walked off in the opposite direction of the house.  "He was the one who wanted to spend time together, he invited me here, he encouraged me to ask questions.  If this is what hanging out with boys is like, then I don't think I've been missing anything," Lissa grumbled.
    Lissa continued to grumble under her breath as she wandered her way through the garden.  At least it wasn't a maze she thought to herself.  It was fairly easy to navigate thanks to the separate plots of flowers and shrubs.  She just had to keep the house in her sites until she got closer to the wall of shrubs that hid the house from the garden.
    She walked under the arch and up the stairs in through the back door.  Now would come the difficult part.  She had to remember the pattern they had made to get to the back door and then do it in reverse.
    She was doing well she thought.  Lots of familiar looking rooms and passageways.  She wondered if she'd ever learn the story of this messed up house.  It was like the architect was on crack and having a weird medieval slash nineteen seventies vision.  The hallways had arching doorways throughout and in some places a wood paneling lined the lower half of the walls. 
    In some places in the house, it was very industrial and in others it was modern.  It was very schizophrenic. 
    The whole evening was more than Lissa could quite handle.  The set up,  invitation, the welcome, the curse, the list just seemed to go forever.  How could you make sense of this much fantasy and fairytale?
    Lissa turned right when she should have turned left and found herself in a darker section of the house.  The walls were painted a deep violet, which made it seem even darker.  The only lights hung on the walls in torch holders.  They gave off the faint glow like cheap solar lights that lined the walkway up to her house.  They never got enough direct sunlight to fully charge them and in return they never got bright. 
    Lissa knew she was in the wrong place to find her way to the door, but her curiosity was more powerful than her conscience.  She figured that a part of the house this dark was the perfect place to hide your darkest of secrets.  If Leo wanted to be all crazy and weird, she could be a little crazy in a different way. 
    Looking around in someone's house seemed normal enough.  Most people at least peek in a medicine cabinet or cupboard of some sort when they visit people, especially people who they don't know that well.  It was like getting a brief biography from a person in symbols and signs. 
    Medicine was more revealing than most anything else you might stumble upon, but you couldn't and shouldn't rule out the possibility of stumbling upon something important.  Lissa slowed her pace carefully scrutinizing everything in the dim light.
    The hallway arched around a corner, which Lissa found to be odd since most houses did not have curved hallways.  She could hear the trickling of water and as she neared a door at the end of the corridor, the sound go louder.
    There was water inside the house and it was running like a stream from the sound of it.  Lissa neared the door and tried to still her heart.  She wasn't sure why it had suddenly decided to start beating extra loudly, but it had.  She knew if this had been a movie the music would be building to a crescendo.
    She was half expecting a voice to call out just has her hand touched the glass door nob.  The door itself was a site worth taking in.  It looked like the entire thing was made of a frosted glass.  The handle was nearly just an extension of the door.  Lissa couldn't see any hinges; although, she knew that they must be there somewhere. 
    The door was cool, like the bathroom floor always felt when you were sick.  It didn't matter that it was the bathroom.  There was comfort in that coolness when you were buring up with a fever.  The sound of water was so loud that Lissa fully expected to find that the door led outside to a stream.
    She took a quick peek over her shoulder and then a deep breath.  Much to her surprise the door opened.  She eased it open and the sound of water engulfed her.  There was a waterfall in the house.  The room was surrounded on three sides with large picture windows.  The outside was just on the otherside of the glass.  It must have been some kind of meditation room.  The parts that weren't flowing water were mostly sand with large stepping stones.
    There were also large rakes and the sand had patterns drawn in it.  Everything seemed to be perfectly placed and in harmony. It had a real calming effect on her.  By the far wall, there was the most amazing rose bush Lissa had ever seen growing bigger and fuller than any rose bush Lissa had seen anywhere. 
    She eased her way across the room.  The stepping stones were strategically placed and while the bush was not the only place that could be reached by them, it was certainly a central one.  She tried to imagine Leo in his cumbersome boots and trench coat gingerly walking through this room.  She couldn't.
    No if Leo used this room, it wouldn't be so neat and orderly.  Lissa leaned down to smell the roses and laughed at how cliche the situation was.  This was the kind of thing that only happened in movies she decided.  She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
    "They were his mother's," Samantha said.    Lissa jumped and squealed out falling in a lump in the sand.  "My apologies, ma chere mademoiselle.  I did not mean to startle you.  I heard the, well unpleasantness in the garden and when you did not return to the front door, I figured you may have gotten misplaced.  If you wish, I will show you the way back to your car."
    "Thanks," Lissa said rolling to her knees and brushing the sand off of her.  Samantha offered her a hand,  pulling her to her feet.  Lissa was amazed by the strength in the woman's arm.  It shouldn't have been because manual labor tended to produce lean muscle, but Samantha had seemed not so much a servant or laborer than an elite herself.    She carried herself like a member of the nobility.
    Without so much as a hesitation, Samantha led the way back across the stones and stream and out the door.  She didn't once look back to see if Lissa was following her and she never hesitated at a turn.  It was clear she knew the house well.  When they reached the front door, the others, minus Leo, were waiting to say goodbye.
    Lissa took in the strangeness of it.  They were lined up like some Victorian servants waiting for inspection or orders or something.  Lissa didn't know exactly what they looked like, but she knew it was odd.  Seeing people who were not in military uniforms standing at attention was not a typical site. 
    Even little Chip stood stick straight with his chin up.  As Samantha opened the front door she said, "His bark is worse than his bite."
    Lissa stepped down the walk towards her car and debated with herself on whether she should chance a glance back.  She did and saw no one in the doorway.  But the window above the door revealed a silhouette.  Leo was watching her go.
    Lissa didn't what possessed her in that moment, but she was overtaken by an urge she had never truly felt or understood before.  She looked up, cocked her head, raised her hand as if to wave, and shot him the bird.    As quickly as the need to do it had come over her, the moment passed.  She turned on her heals and didn't look back again.
    She began to laugh hysterically when she got in the car.  She careened down and out through the gates all the time laughing and banging on the steering wheel.  She was nearly giddy from the crude gesture.  She had never before felt so free.
    She thought it was the strangest thing being so excited, feeling so alive, over such a simple gesture.  She hadn't told him off or punched anyone, and yet she felt like she had.  Her adrenaline was pumping and she was feeling invincible. 
    Her life had gotten so weird.  She tried, unsuccessfully, to regain her composure.  She looked up at herself in the review mirror and said, "Pull yourself together, young lady.  This is a car you're driving.  Lives are on the line."  She started to mimic voices and as she spoke it sounded like a mix between her dad and that drill instructor who her dad knew from some Vietnam movie but she knew because he did all kinds of commercials basically as a drill instructor.
    "This is serious," she said laughing at her failed attempt to be make a stern face.
    She finally pulled off to the side of the road and exhaled loudly.  She pulled her phone out of her pocket and set the radio to scan random stations.  She stopped it when the Katy Perry song came on.  She unlocked her phone's screen and looked for updates.
    She had a few notifications on facebook, some regular email from online shopping sites, basically nothing odd.  She didn't know what she was looking for besides normality and calm.  She eventually got it.  She pulled the car back out onto the road and headed for home.
    She debated stopping at The Ice Creamery for some homemade, hand dipped ice cream.  Cindy worked there part time.  Maybe she should stop and tell someone what happened.  Maybe she should just forget it.
    Tiana worked at the Valley Dairy in town and that wasn't too far out of her way, but Lissa never felt like she knew Tiana.  And showing up at her work would just be weird.  Who she needed was Ralph, but he worked at a Cross Point gym.  That place was just scary. 
    She stopped in the parking lot to the Ice Creamery and sent Ralph a quick text.
    won't guess what happened to me :) ~Lissa
It didn't take Ralph long to respond.
    got raped by a pack of rabid squirrels? ~Ralph
    Ur sick ~Lissa
    was that a yes? seriously what's up...i'm at work ~Ralph
    I went to Leo's house for dinner :X ~Lissa
    WOW! HOLY SHIT!!  Who the Fuck is LEO? :0 ~Ralph
    Leo, Leo Savage goes to our school, long hair, you know Leo...~Lissa
    Keep going...not really ringing a bell...what class...how cute? ~Ralph
    r u gay? ~Lissa
    different conversation entirely...who is Leo????? ~Ralph
    Wears the trench coat :r ~Lissa
    You ate dinner with THE BEAST? 8-X ~Ralph
    You call him THE BEAST? ~Lissa
    evry1 does....answer the question....~Ralph
   
   
   
   
   
   

Day 17...35233

    Lissa wasn't sure how you went about setting up a forced liaison, but she figured social networking would be a nice start.  A quick scan of Facebook turned up plenty Leo Savages, but not one of them were the Leo from Epcot High, unless he was a closet gamer and created his profile picture in the likeness of a game character.
    Myspace was the next logical place to search.  Lissa hammered away at her keyboard propped up on the pillows on her bed.  She wasn't having any luck.  She never used Myspace herself, so she didn't expect him to use that.  She had gotten to be really good friends with Ingrid, an exchange student from Spain, and created an account on Tuenti that she never used.
    She tried Tuenti, even though it was invitation only and basically a Spanish version of facebook.  No luck finding Leo there either.  Lissa let her head sink back into the pillows.  "Think girl.  He's got to be on here somewhere.  Where would I be if I were Leo Savage?"
    Lissa sat up and directed her browser to ask.com.  She typed in his name, Leo Savage.  She got too many superfluous results.  If only she could come up with the right question it will lead her to the answers she needed.  "Origin," Lissa said.
    She typed her search again, Savage origin.  She rubbed her hands together, "Now we're cooking with grease."  She clicked on the top entry, a database of surname histories.
    As she read the material about Savage, she shivered a little.  Lissa knew that her sur name, Morris, was derived from the name Maurice and was French in origins.  Nothing spectacular.  She also knew that some sur names showed heritage like O'Brien, descendant of Brien.  Or occupational names like Miller, some one who works in the mill.
    What she didn't know was that some sur names came out of a overused nickname that often related to a physical characteristic or a habit or behavior, Short for example.
    Savage was under that last category, meaning Leo's ancestors had earned the sur name by being wild and unruly.  Apparently the apple never fell from from the tree.  Leo looked and acted every bit the savage.
    It also said that the sur name was French, a weird coincidence to say the least.  But that made Lissa think about Tuenti's popularity in Spain and she wondered if there was a prefered social network in France.  She quickly googled it.
    What she found was Skyrock.  It was the most popular social network in France until a recent surge by facebook overtook them.  Lissa figured she had absolutely nothing to lose when you could use your facebook account to set up your account.
    She went that route to save her some time.  The site was a little hectic, but in English.  She was thankful for that.  With Tuenti, you have to change the display to English.
    She searched Skyrock and found what could have passed for Leo in some of the pictures on the profile.  Skyrock was a weird mix of Myspace and Facebook when it came to layout and design.  Eventually she found the spot where she could message him.
    Leo, hey my dad said you wanted to hang out.  Whatcha got in mind? -Lissa
    That ought to do it.  Now she just had to remember to check this account to find the response.  She went down stairs to curl up on the couch and watch some TV before dinner.
    As she flipped through the channels she couldn't help but wonder what she had wondered countless times before, 'How could you have this many channels and nothing to watch?'.  It seemed like networks filled hours and hours with nothing and reruns called marathons like that's somehow better.  Playing six reruns together makes it a marathon and somehow that's better.  Never made any sense.
    What made less sense, was how much it all cost.  She flipped past the Jersey Shore marathon and past the Teen Mom marathon.  Four of the same channels that had initials with one of them standing for music but now music.  She finally settled on a History Channel special about World War II. 
    Her dad always landed on the Discovery Channel, and she always landed on the History Channel.  That fact never stopped either of them from flipping through over two hundred channels before finally stopping at their regular destinations.  HGtv sometimes won or on rare occasion both Lissa and her father would stop on a cooking show and try to follow along.
    In the end, she decided, the television was a pretty big waste of money and time.  But sometimes a distraction is what you need.  Just about the Japan was preparing for a infamous kamikaze attack on Pearl Harbor, Lissa heard a familiar "pop".  It was her phone letting her know she'd recieved a new email.
    She drug her finger across the screen and unlocked it.  Then she pulled down the notifications and clicked on her hotmail account.  "Hmmm," she said to herself, "I have a new message at Skyrock.  That didn't take long."
    She laid the remote on the coffee table and ran upstairs to get her laptop.  She flipped up the top, "Dead.  Great, now where is the plug?"
    As she dug around in her back pack trying to find the plug, she realized why girls get so into boys.  This was fun.  The attention.  Even the waiting and anticipation was kind of exciting.  She could only imagine how much better it would be if she actually liked the guy who was messaging her.
    Lissa tried not to think about the fact that she didn't really like or trust Leo.  She tried to focus on the fun of learning a new skill.  She found her charger plug in a back pocket and threw herself over the side of her bed to plug it in.
    "Come on, fire up," Lissa said rubbing the screen like she was coaxing a horse to finish a race.
    She was getting so impatient waiting for her computer to turn back on, "Thank god this isn't a pc.  I'd go mad if I had to wait that long."
    She slid her fingers along the track pad and opened her favorite web browser, Mozilla.  Then she clicked favorites.  She knew if she didn't bookmark it, she'd never find her way back to her profile.
    She hurriedly entered in her login information and had to reenter her password more than once because of her rush.  When she finally slowed down and did it right, her notification was the first thing she saw.
    New Message from Leo Savage.
    Dear Lissa, (She wondered who ever started a message or even a letter these days with "dear?")
I truly appreciate your rapid and timely response.  I did not believe that you would be at all favorable to this arrangement.  I know that it is not ideal.  Furthermore, upon further consideration, I don't feel right you being forced to spend your leisure time with me.
    Should you, of your own free will, choose to spend time with me, I would be very grateful and appreciative of your kindness.  I am not blind to the social stigma that hangs on me like my coat.  I also know that your willingness to spend time with me could jeopardize your high social standing.  However, I enjoyed your company while we conversed about the English assignment.  You are a very impressive young lady.
    If you are interested in seeing me, you will find me at the address below.  No need to call or message if you do not wish to see me.  I am quite capable of reading the subtlest of suggestions.
        ~Sincerely,
            Leo

    "Wow, this guy is a piece of work.  Who talks like this?" Lissa asked her room.
    "Talks like what?"
    Lissa jumped, practically dumping her macbook on the floor.  "Whoa, Dad.  How about a warning shot next time?"
    "My apologies.  So who talks funny?" Mr. Morris asked.
    "Leo, look," Lissa said spinning her computer around for her father to look at.
    Mr. Morris wrinkled his face and began to talk several times while reading but didn't.  He stopped and looked at Lissa, "No one."
    "Huh?" Lissa asked.
    "You asked who talks like this.  the answer is no one.  This is the kind of stuff that makes Leo hard to trust.  He's just odd," Mr. Morris said.
    "But Daddy, you've always taught me that different doesn't equal bad.  Just because he's not like other high school boys doesn't make him an axe murderer with his parents' dismembered bodies in the deep freezer," Lissa said.
    "Lissa, don't talk like that.  Besides you don't even have to see him at all.  He's given you an out.  I'll give him some credit for that move," Mr. Morris said.
    "Oh I'm going, probably here in a few minutes.  This kid is creepy and weird the max.  But I have to get to know him before I can decide if he's really legit," Lissa said.
    "Since when do you say Legit?" Mr. Morris asked.
    "Oh, something I picked up from one of the girls.  I'm trying it out.  Jake says it too," Lissa said.
    "I worry about the future because of your generation," Mr. Morris said.
    Lissa threw a teddy bear at him.
    "I'm serious, with your weird trends and questionable morals.  Don't look at me like that.  I'm just saying don't say no one told you when you're in that hand basket and trying to figure out where you're going," Mr. Morris said throwing the teddy bear back.   
    "So do you care if I go over there?  I got his address, but I suppose you already had that," Lissa said with a smirk.
    "Keep the gloves up champ.  That was a low blow.  The address should still be in the recent stops in the navi.  Text me when you get there and when you leave.  Call 911 in an emergency.  You can call me later.  Have fun, be good, and don't do anything you will regret later in life."
    "My god, Daddy, I'm going over to work on homework with a boy I'm not interested in.  You don't have to worry until my date with Jake this weekend," Lissa said backing her back pack.
    "Oye vey, sometimes I wish I had a boy," Mr. Morris said.
    "That is so sexist and so last generation," Lissa said.
    "It can be whatever you want to call it, but it's the truth.  If some boy promises you things and then knocks you up, it's your future that will be in jeopardy not his.  He will go on one way or another.  You will be forever altered.  I know," Mr. Morris said putting his hands up, "I know, I'm going overboard and exaggerating and all that.  But listen all it takes is for one sperm to make it!"
    "Daddy, for the love of all things holy.  Never speak to me again about any sexual fluid.  I'm no where near ready for sex, so you have nothing to worry about," Lissa said.
    Mr. Morris kissed her on the forehead as she walked past him in the doorway to her room, "Be good, kiddo.  I love you."
    "I will and I love you too," Mr. Morris said shaking his head.  He leaned his head against the door frame and closed his eyes.  His hands rubbed against the hash marks in the door jam from where he had marked Lissa's growth.  He felt like a new hash mark should be made.  This was a milestone he thought he would escape until after high school and possibly college graduation.
    He knew she wasn't on a real date, but this was like a bike with training wheels.  If she leaned to far one way or the other, it didn't matter because the training wheels would catch her.  If she screwed up with Leo, it was just one thing she wouldn't do with Jake.
    He hated the idea of his smart beautiful daughter dating such a air head.  If Jake were a girl, he's be a bimbo, no doubt.  Mr. Morris tried to remember who he was when he met Lissa's mother and what had attracted her to him.  He was trying to make sure that Jake wasn't like he was.
    He knew that girls tend to look for guys who are like their fathers just like guys tend to go for girls who are like their mother.  There was something natural and comfortable about it.  No Jake was not like him in any way, so this had to do with something else entirely.  A phase, he told himself.  A phase she'll grow out of. 
    He pushed off the wall and walked to the far end of the upstairs hallway to look out at the car leaving.  He had heard the garage doors open and knew she would be pulling out at any moment. 
    He would feel a lot better if he knew Leo's parents where going to be at the house, but at least, he assumed, the servants will be there.  They seemed like good people. 
    He watched the car pull out of the driveway and head off down the road.  Lissa had had no issues finding Leo's address in the navigation system.  Once she had it set she was on her way.  She wondered how she would feel Saturday considering that she was sweet on Jake.
    Sure he was a bit clueless, okay a lot clueless.  But that didn't mean that he couldn't or wouldn't amount to something.  Surly Jake's charm would get him pretty far in life.  He was so cute and funny that Lissa found herself making excuses for his lack of substance.  That wasn't a great sign really.
    Every time in her life that she let one or two qualities override her intuitive understanding of a person, it ended badly.  It was the equivalent of eating an apple because it had a shiny and pretty peal.  The apple looks great, but inside it's rotten and soggy with no flavor. 
    Leo on the other hand seemed like a different breed altogether.  Lissa liked the challenge of a guy like Leo.  Not that she would ever be interested in pursuing a relationship with him, but she could enjoy getting to know him because she loved to know all the intimate details of other people's lives.
    As she drove into the Lago de Vita community, she was taken aback.  She didn't really expect Leo to live in a trailer park or anything, but Lago de Vita?  Okay if she was being real with herself, she totally expected him to live in an abandoned type trailer.
    Given that she knew he had servants, but she didn't know that when she first pictured him living in the trailer.  She could see it all perfectly.  It was a nineteen seventy fleet wood, single wide.  It was in the middle of a pine grove and the trailer was mint green and white.
    She had once pictured every little minuet detail of Leo's life.  Not for any real reason, just because she liked to work that way.  She liked to imagine the back stories on people she saw.  She wished that she didn't know her own back story and could see herself as an outside person, objectivity is the word.
    She did wonder often if others judged as much as she did.  She didn't think about what she did as judging since she wasn't holding any of her wild stories against them. 
    When her father first mentioned the servants, she tried to picture them in the trailer, but soon even her irrational brain couldn't continue down that road.  She quickly replaced the trailer with a mansion.  Like nearly any of the houses she was driving past.
    When she came to the gate for Leo's house, she didn't think she was in the right place.  She put the window down and pressed the intercom button.
    "Hello, how may I assist you?" asked a cheery voice.
    "Umm, I'm here to study with Leo.  Is he here?" Lissa asked suddenly flushing.
    "Oh is she the one," came a softer voice.
    "Shh, she can hear you," said the first voice, "and me.  Please come on up."
    A noise sounded and the gates opened.  Lissa took in the grandeur of the lace while reworking her imaginary house that Leo lived in inside her brain.
    "Wow, bet it doesn't suck to live here," Lissa said as she pulled in.
    She grabbed her pack and walked a  slow awestruck pace to the house.  She raised her hand to knock but her knuckles never hit the door because it was jerked open while she was trying to knock.
    "Ma chere Mademoiselle, we humbly welcome you tonight, please come in and take a rest.  Be our guest, be our guest.  Put our service to the test," sang a girl that Lissa thought couldn't be much more than five years older than her, maybe ten but that was pushing it.
    The girl whisked Lissa into the house and down the hallway to the dining room table.  She set lissa a place and danced the whole time humming a tune. 
    "Momma, is she the one?" Chip appeared out of thin air beside Lissa.  Tumbling through the door with her arms full of dinner delights.
    "Chip, don't be rude.  Sweetheart, my name is Mrs. Potts this pretentious little thing is my son Chip.  The over animated young lady who welcomed you is Samantha.  And soon to join us is Jessica and the master of the house of course, Leo," Mrs. Potts said taking Lissa's hand.
    "Is it always like this here?" Lissa asked.
    "Yes, and no.  Did you know that your name means beauty?" Samantha asked.
    "I did.  So how is it like this but not?" Lissa asked.
    "Well you see, we have dinner every night at the same time--"
    "Like clockwork," said another girl, "I'm Jessica.  We're very excited that you're here.  You see while we have dinner every night, and we quite enjoy it, Master Leo has not been in attendance for far too long.  Your presence tonight is about to change that."
    Lissa took a long hard look at Jessica and figured she was about the same age as Samantha.  Their accents were different.  Samantha spoke with a distinctly French accent, while Jessica sounded like she was from Sussex.  Mrs. Potts and Chip seemed American, New England to be exact.  Lissa had always had quite an ear for accents.
    "Jessie, Momma thinks she's the one," Chip said pulling on Jessica's sleeve.
    Samantha came dancing back in, "Ladies and young sir, I present Prince Regent Leo Savage, sovereign heir to the thrown of Geurnsey."
    Everyone clapped and stood as Leo came into the room.  Lissa followed suite in a total state of shock.  Leo was a prince?  He was heir to a thrown? Oh how the plot was thickening.
    Leo walked into the room with his head down like a he was ashamed of the attention.  He was blushing and smiling.  The whole room was stunned.  He lifted his head and waved them all off, "Enough, let's eat."

Day 15 and 16........32037 (The Wife is waiting on more words!)

    If the table had erupted when Jake got near it, it absolutely imploded after the girls heard what he said.  Lissa didn't have a moment to think about what he said.  And they all went on so much that it was just one excited jumble of noise.  Nothing intelligible came from it, but the girls had fun giggling and screeching.
    Lissa spent the afternoon fighting the urge to psycho analyze her exchange with Jake, especially the part at the end where he went out the doors that are never used.  If you went out the cafeteria side, you had to walk way out and around the building, since it was on the ground level.  No one ever used the door, unless as a class you cut through the cafeteria to get outside for a lesson or something.
    He was hurried in his speech too and it seemed to surreal.  He said that his crush on her was almost too real.  What does that even mean?  Lissa kept trying to just wave it off, but it wasn't much use.
    It was in her nature to analyze.  Or perhaps it was nurtured into her by her scientist father.  Either way she liked to break things apart and dig for deeper meanings.  She like literature for that same reason.  She could look at the words an author chose and dig into the layers of meaning there. 
    Jake going out those doors in the cafeteria made no sense.  If it had been Leo disappearing into the fog, that would make sense.  Leo was dark and creepy.  He wore a duster.  He was the kind of kid who disappeared into the fog.  Jake was the kind of kid who got lost in the fog.  Jake was the kind of kid who got lost in the grocery store. 
    Lissa was trying not to make too much out of it all.  Jake was hot and interested and that was worth a lot considering she had never had a boyfriend.  All of her hard work was paying off.  She wanted Jake to notice her and Jake did notice her.  She wanted to have a cute date to prom.  Given prom was a long way out but it would be here soon enough. 
    Of course her calculations were a bit off.  She figured it would take a little longer to reel him in.  In her estimate, a relationship wouldn't start until after Christmas break, probably not until after Valentine's day.
    Mid November to mid February was a serious danger zone for any relationship.  She just wanted to hover on the fringe and then swoop in after Valentine's day.  Nevertheless, he had admitted to having a crush on her.  That seemed like a good sign.
    Of course, what if she wasn't who he thought she was?  What if he had a crush on some idea of her that she just wasn't?  That kind of thing happened all the time.  You see someone, you get an idea about who they are, and the less time you spend with the person the more you build up the idea.  You overlook things that don't fit into your concept of the person, and then you really spend some time with them.
    At first, they are exactly like you imagined.  But little by little the image you've projected on the person starts to dim and the real person starts to show through.  She hoped that it wouldn't happen to her.  If Jake got to know her and didn't like her, she'd be back to square one for prom.
    She would probably make it to the semi-formal at Christmas.  At least she'd have some nice pictures from that.  Lissa scolded herself for even thinking like that.  She knew it was ridiculous.  She had such a bad habit of over analyzing everything.  At least she didn't imagine this relationship going on to marriage and children.  Of course, she had no plans for Jake beyond prom.
    She figured that was keeping her from playing the scenario out to that extreme.  Still he didn't really know her and anything could happen.  He did say he had a crush on her.  And no matter what the version of her he had was, it had to be close to the truth.  After all, she wasn't the kind of girl who did herself up like a porcelain doll.
    She was a plain girl who was very much, what you see is what you get.  If he was really crushing on her, then who knows they might be dating come spring.  Then again, Jake never seemed to date anyone.  Maybe the relationship, if one was to come, would take time to develop.
    She didn't know for sure, but she was struggling not to think too much on it.  She needed a distraction, but she wasn't getting one.  Soon the last bell rang and she headed to her dad's classroom.
    Mr. Morris was just as distracted as Lissa.  He was moving around his lab resetting materials and picking up loose ends.  Lissa slid into one of the tables and watched as her dad busied himself around his classroom.  His distracted behavior was almost a distraction for her as she tried to find the root of it.
    "I'll be ready to go in a few minutes, Lissa," Mr. Morris said.
    "No worries," Lissa said rooting through her book bag.  She knew she had written down her homework assignments, but she wasn't sure what they were.  She flipped through her planner looking for the annotations.
    Some problems for calculus, little reading for English, and that looked like about it.  A relatively light night for homework.  She was thankful for that.  She needed a lazy night and some rest.
    Mr. Morris finished straightening up and packed his bag to go home.  He walked over to the table where Lissa was and looked down at her.  He couldn't help but notice how distracted she seemed. 
    He slid into the seat across from her and unshouldered his bag.  He needed to lay it all on the line so he could move on, so they could move on.
    "Listen, Kid.  What I have to say.  What I need to say is not easy.  But I need to just lay it all on the line.  Clear the air.  Any number of cliched expressions that mean come clean," Mr. Morris said in a rush.
    "Dad, you're making me kind of nervous right now," Lissa said, trying to figure out exactly what her father had done.
    "I don't know where to start is the problem.  You've done nothing, and well your mom can't leave us again.  So really you have little to worry about.  I've just done somethings I guess I'm not proud of," Mr. Morris said.
    "Well, you always tell me to start at the beginning," Lissa said reaching across the table and taking her dads hand in hers, "start there."
    "Okay, well for starters, Leo is the mystery man who saved me from the attack being any worse at Sheetz.  That's now something I can be certain about.  And when I thought that he was the one, well I wanted to know why and I wanted to know why he didn't want to be named," Mr. Morris said suddenly on a roll. 
    Lissa wanted to interrupt and ask questions, but she knew that if she let him go she would get a lot more out of him.  If she interrupted and his flow was interrupted he's get lost and leave things out. 
    Mr. Morris continued, "When you saw me at Mr. Andrews room, I wasn't trying to get him to make Leo your lab partner, I was getting Leo's home address.  I wanted to speak with him, his parents, someone who I could figure this kid out some."
    Lissa could sense the hesitation, the calculations, in what her father was saying.  She hedged her bets and interrupted, "You said you were coming clean."
    "I did, didn't I?" Mr. Morris said.  He hated being called out.  He wasn't lying, but he was withholding information which was the same as lying in the grand scheme of things.
    "I went over there to see that the kid was just as much of an animal as I've always thought.  I went over to prove my harsh and maybe somewhat unfounded impression of him right," Mr. Morris said.
    "And did you?" Lissa asked.
    "Not exactly, but eventually.  I never saw his parents or him for that matter.  I met a whole cast of interesting characters.  There was a butlerish girl, an event planner, a cook and her son," Mr. Morris said more like a question than a statement.
    "Whoa, back up.  An event planner?  What does Leo or his parents need with an event planner?" Lissa asked.
    "See that's the thing.  I go the distinct impression that there are no parents at that house.  I think Leo is on his own, well besides the servants or workers or whatever you call them.  I think.  I don't know, but I think there's something really dark going on there.  I heard thrashing and stomping coming from an upper level in the house.  I think it was Leo trashing something. Mrs. Potts said he never came down for regular meals."
    Lissa interrupted again, she just couldn't help herself, "Mrs. Potts?  Is she the cook?"
    "Yes," Mr. Morris answered, "and her son Chip lives there too.  A much younger boy.  It was weird the servants, Samantha, Jessica, Mrs. Potts, and Chip seemed to be very much a family unit.  And they referenced the way things had been. But then I was rushed out of the house."
    "That is weird," Lissa said.  "I mean who has servants these days.  Like royalty or something but not here.  And like live in servants.  It doesn't seem real.  I mean I know it is but you know it seems crazy.  Sorry go on."
    "Right, so that's where I was when you were having your study session here.  Which is why I was so shocked to see Leo here when I got back.  He must have left his house right after me and took some shorted route here.  I don't even know how he knew our address.  And while I didn't respond well to his presence in our house, he had every right to invade our our home after I had invaded his," Mr. Morris said.
    "Wow, Dad, that's a lot to weigh on a person.  So what will you do?" Lissa asked.
    "Well, I confronted him.  I wanted to be here early today to try and find him and squash this thing," Mr. Morris said.
    "And?" Lissa asked.
    "He sort of asked for a favor which I said I was not at liberty to grant," Mr. Morris said, turing his gaze to his hands on the table.  He stated to pick at his cuticles.
    "Like?" Lissa asked.
    "You," Mr. Morris said looking up to gauge her response.
    "He wants me?  Like WANT want or what?" Lissa asked.
    "Well, he would like to spend time with you.  Hang out or whatever you kids call it.  I told him that that wasn't something I could make you do.  And he said that I could encourage it.  But I don't know if I can.  I mean he still gives me a very bad vibe.  I'm not comfortable with you spending time with him," Mr. Morris said.
    "Well, to be fair, he did save your life, which saved my life.  At least as I know it.  So I'd say that we do owe him something.  And while I do agree that he buries the creepy needle, I imagine he's not really dangerous.  It's not like he's a real werewolf or vampire or any of the other weird stories people tell about him.  Daddy, he saved your life," Lissa said.
    "I know, Lissa, but we don't really owe him anything," Mr. Morris said.
    "Daddy, you don't really believe that and neither do I.  If spending time with him is a way I can thank him for still having you around then it's the least I can do," Lissa said.  She thought, besides I'm curious about him anyway.
   
   

Days 13 & !4 .....30,009 (Didn't even spell check...so umm yeah!)

    "Yeah, I'm okay.  I've just been pushing myself too hard I guess.  I need to slow down a bit.  My poor brain is overworked," Lissa said.
    "Runs in the family I think.  I'm just glad you're okay," Mr. Morris said.  "Sorry about earlier with Leo.  I still just don't trust him."
    "But Daddy, you even said you thought he was the one who saved your life."
    Mr.Morris ran his hand over his face and back through his hair like he was trying to jump start his brain.  "I know, but something still doesn't add up right now.  I don't know why, but there's something there that just doesn't add up.  Lissa, when you get older, like forty, and have your own kids, you'll "know why I am the way I am sometimes.  Now, well you'll just have to trust me."
    "Daddy, have you even tried to just talk to him?  I don't mean the weird whatever that was going on in the living room.  I mean just a conversation.  You're nearly positive he saved your life, right?"
    "Right," Mr. Morris said leaning on the doorframe.
    "You are grateful for the help he gave you, right?"
    "That would be correct," Mr. Morris said.
    "You'd like to repay him somehow since you hate to feel obliged to anyone and because you are genuinely grateful, right?" Lissa was driving towards a point her fathr had made to her countless times when she was being sucked into girl drama or boy drama. 
    "Yes," Mr. Morris said knowing where she was driving him.
    "So what do you think needs to be done?" Lissa asked mocking his "dad" voice.
    "Point well taken.  I will seek him out in the morning," Mr. Morris said, as he turned and walked away.
    Lissa fell back on her bed and hoped she wouldn't dream any more.  She needed to really rest.  There were so many conflicting thoughts and ideas running through her head that it was getting hard to sort it all out.  She wondered if the semisoft spot she had for Leo was a direct result of his involvement with her dad's rescue or if it was more of a shelter dog thing.
    She always wanted to rescue animals.  She hated it when anyone went to a breeder to buy a dog or cat when there were so many in shelters.  She would sometimes volunteer at the local animal shelter and if it weren't for her father would have brought home quite a few "undesirables".  She had a soft spot for the ones she figured no one would ever pick.
    Her fondness of Jake was purely superficial.  She knew this.  Unfortunately, knowing and doing were two very different things.  She knew she sould just leave that one alone.  But she also knew she wouldn't.  He was too cute not to pursue.  She wanted to curl up in his arms and nuzzle into his chest.  It didn't matter that the relationship was not going to go anywhere.  Boats can be fun even if they never leave the dock.
    Leo though he was different.  There was an element of total creepyness to him, but there was also that sweet hidden center that peeked out from time to time, like when he helped pick up her books.  Of course, the combination of sweet and creepy darkside made her think about all of those mystery shows on the weekends.
    The kind of shows where the seemingly loving father turned out to be a deviant.  She loved watching those shows with her dad on Friday or Saturday nights.  They were real stories about real people, but the magic of hollywood made them so much more compelling.  They's show pieces of this and pieces of that, leading you towards and simaltaneousyl away from any one conclusion. 
    The fact that Leo made her think of those kinds of shows defintely scared her.  She tended to be a pretty good judge of character.  Nevertheless, his sudden appearance and her father's weird behavoir had her at a loss.  She needed to know more before she'd pass any kind of final judgement.
    Sleep crept over her slowly and took her completely.  It was the kind of sleep she needed where it totally consumed the whole of her person.  She awoke the next morning rested and somewhat rejuvinated.  Of course, she still ahd to get up, get a shower, get ready for school, pack a lunch, and get out the door.  Her mood was bound to go downhill before long.
    She tried not to think.  The blankness was a nice start and if she could keep the boys off her mind for a little while longer she could at least get to school where teachers would keep her mid busy for a few more hours.  Maybe by the afternoon she would feel more at ease with the whole weirdness of her current life.
    As she came into the kitchen to pack her lunch, she saw her father in his usual morning spot at the kictchne table.  He like his back to the wall just below the window so he could read the daily paper with natural light.  For being environmentally conscience, Mr. Morris put a lot of trees to death.  He subscribed to two different newspapers and at least four magazines or science journals. 
    Lissa often wondered how he kept up with it all.  But she had seen over the years that his reading habits were constant.  He didn't read for long periods of time.  He was more of a marathon reader than a sprinter.  He read a little bit every free minute he got, which allowed him to read a ton of material in a given day.  He read in the bathroom, at the table, between classes, and especailly during his hall duty.
    "Anything interesting, Daddy?" Lissa asked, reaching into the cupboard for a container to pack her lunch in.
    "Nothing out of the ordinary.  I took the liberty of packing you a lunch.  I wanted to get to school early," Mr. Morris said looking over his paper. 
    "Did you pack a lunch I'll eat?" Lissa asked equally pleased and upset that her father had packed her lunch for her. 
    "Just the way you pack it for yourself.  I thought about substituting somethings, but I knew that you wouldn't appreciate the gesture as much if I did things my way for you," he smiled and went back to his paper.  "So when you've had some breakfast, we'll head out."
    "Thanks, Daddy," Lissa said.  She was appreciative at his attempt. She knew he was trying to appologixze for his male posturing, and she was glad that he at least felt like an appologetic gesture was due.
     When they got in the car and he put her morning show on instead of his, she knew he was feeling bad, which made her kind of suspicious.
    "Okay, spill," Lissa said.
    "What do you mean?" Mr. Morris asked.
    "You know what I mean.  You packed my lunch and it's on my radio sation.  What gives?" Lissa demanded.
    "I told you that I wanted to be at school early.  The radio station is the last one that was on, and I've simply been too distracted to notice.  So nothing to spill," Mr. Morris said, reaching out and changing the station back to his own.
    Lissa knew that technically he was right, but she sensed somehting more.  It was meeting someone who claimed to work for a newspaper but had no ink stains on their hands or shirt cuffs.  Somethings just don't add up no matter how hard you try.  They did typically listen to her radio station in the afternoon and in the morning her dad would switch to his.  But the fact he didn't do it that morning was more proof that something was up.
    "Okay, so what has you so distracted that you didn't realize my morning show was on instead of your usual NPR programming?" Lissa asked.
    "It's the whole Leo thing," Mr. Morris said.
    "I knew it!  But I think there's something you're just not telling me," Lissa said turning her full attention to her father.  She was trying to study his features and look for clues.
    "Stop doing that," Mr. Morris said.
    "Doing what?" Lissa asked, knowing exactly what he was refferring too.
    "Trying to look into my mind or whatever it is you try to do when you study someone.  I never am sure what exactly goes through your mind when you get that look, but I know you're analyzing every movement I make, even slight facial twitches."
    "I'm looking for clues.  I just don't get it Dad.  I know you said when I'm like ancient and forty or whatever I would understand, but I don't think I will.  I think there was more than just a little papa bear syndrome going on when you found Leo in our living room.  I just can't tell what it was all about," Lissa said.
    "It's nothing really.  I just wasn't expecting to find him in our house.  That's all," Mr. Morris said, trying to think of a way to change the subject without bringing more scruntiny on him.
    "Why though?  That's the real question," Lissa said.
    "Because he doesn't really talk to people, because you're not really friends with him, because he may have saved my life but doesn't want any credit for it.  You can take your pick,"  Mr. Morris said.
    "Fair enough, but let the record show that I think you are holding out on me!" Lissa said turning her attention back out the window.
    "Duly noted," Mr. Morris said less than pleased that his indescretions were leading him to withhold information from his daughter.  But to be fair, he was embarrassed that he had acted the way he had.
    When they split at the office, like they did every morning, Lissa made one finally plea, "Daddy, you know you can tell me right?"
    "Why do I suddenly feel like the kid in this situation?" Mr. Morris laughed and kissed Lissa on the forehead.  "Have a good day, sweetheart."
    After he signed in and checked his mail box, Mr. Morris decided to make the long loop around the school to get to his classroom.  He wasn't going to bother going down to the gym or the cafeteria, but he might as well do a lap around the first and then the second floors. 
    He would have descended into the basement floor, but he figured those areas were too populated in the early morning for a kid like Leo to be hanging around.  Leo was more of the Learning Resource Center kind of kid, quite and typically empty.
    Mr. Morris didn't know what he would say to Leo when he found him, but he had to set things straight.  The last few weeks had left him in a weird place emotionally.  He had just finally decided to take a chance and pursue at least a friendship with a coworker outside of school and he's attacked and nearly killed.
    That alone was enough to make a guy rethink his current situation.  he was alone, but never lonely.  Of course, Lissa would eventually go off to college and then perhaps the loneliness would kick in.  Maybe his routine would sustain him for a while, but humans are social animals.
    Nevertheless, when you're britally attacked and nearly killed trying to go out with friends, you start to wonder if God perhaps didn't approve of that particular liason.
    The fact that the school outcast was his hero and resuer was a bit more than he could handle.  There were many issues here that had to be dealt with.  The first would be Leo if he could find the boy.
    Mr. Morris didn't know where to look really.  He had been at Epcot for years, but he rarely had a reason to be out of the science hall.  So he rarely took the oppertnity to roam the school.  he was just glad that his lab was on the first floor.  Sometimes he would have liked to have been on the second just so the noise of moving chairs didn't drift down through the drop ceiling.  But at least he wasn't in he subteraniaum basement level.
    The school was fairly new, so his room and the facility itself were very well maintained and updated.  He rarely took the time to notice though.  School for him was a place of employment, not a second home.  He spent a lot of time there, and he was not an overly traditional teacher, but he came there to teach not to hang out or relax. 
    He was about to give up his seach when he spotted Leo between a row of lockers, "Leo, mind if I have a word with you?"
    "Only one?  You'll need to chose it very carefully," Leo said.
    "Look, I didn't come looking for you to continue this little charade.  I think we both know why you were at my house yesterday, and I just wanted to say point taken," Mr. Morris said.
    "Is that really why you're here?" Leo asked, still rumaging through his locker.
    "That and to apologize.  I had no right to show up at your house," Mr. Morris said.
    "Then why did you?  Why did you invade my life?" Leo said in a snarl.
    "I just needed to know if you were the one who saved me in that parking lot," Mr. Morris said.
    "So you decided to ignore my wishes to remain anonymous.  You decided that the best way to repay my kindness was to invade my home, to weasle your way into my life, to illicit from my servents information which you have no right to?" Leo said in a raspy whisper that had hints of tears in it.
    "Leo, I didn't mean to disrespect you.  I just wanted to repay you for your kindness," Mr. Morris said, pleading.
    "Repay me for my kindness, by invading my privacy.  Haven't you noticed that I like to keep to myself.  What in the world would have made you think coming to my house would be appropriate?" Leo demanded.
    "I just wanted to find a way to repay you that wasn't cliche," Mr. Morris said.
    "Not cliche, how's this for not cliche? Let me date your daughter," Leo said, turning his attention from his locker to Mr. Morris.  His gaze was piercing.  "What's wrong? Nothing to say now?"
    "I have no control over who my daughter dates.  She's her own person," Mr. Morris said fumbling his words.
    "Then I have your blessing?  My friendly gesture of saving your life repaid with being permited to pursue your daughter?" Leo asked.
    "I won't stand in your way," Mr. Morris said, resolute.
    "Ah, but will you encourage it?  After all my hospitality, the least you could do is put in a good word for me," Leo said closing his locker.
    "I'll see what I can do," Mr. Morris said.
    "Oh and if I may be so bold as to ask one more thing, stay out of my personal affairs, especially my house," Leo said turning and dissappearing out the back of the row of lockers.
    Mr. Morris didn't know what to think.  He really had no reason to not like Leo besides the fact that he appeared to be a parentless monster.  And who was he to judge?  He didn't like the idea of pushing his daughter into this.  He would have to come completely clean with Lissa and let her decide whether or not she wanted any part of Leo.
    He hoped she would not entertain the idea, but he also knew that Leo had stray qualities that always called to Lissa. 
    Leo wandered off to class, wondering if Lissa would be swayed by his request.  He wasn't so naive to believe that Mr. Morris would ever like him.  But he hoped that he might win his daughter's favor.
    There was something about Lissa's nature that seemed so gentle and pure that Leo was softened by it, like the music of her soul soothed the savage beast of his soul.  She had a calming affect and while he didn't exactly understand it, he knew enough to enjoy it.
    Leo had been practicing being more social.  He was trying to smile at people in the hallway, but he was quite certain that what he was trying to pass off for a smile was more often recieved as a kind of snarl.   
    The closed off nature of Leo's personality had been a necessity to keep him safe from harm.  The servants in his house were fairly constant, and one would think that that kind of consistency would create a level person, but it didn't.
    Even the fact that his parents servants when they were young raised children who became his servants didn't ease the pain he had.  They were by no means indentured servants or slaves.  They had willingly agreed to serve and could at any time walk away.  But even though Leo knew they never would, he still distanced himself so as not to be hurt if they did leave.
    Leo thought about just skipping classes all day.  He'd just go home and well that ws the problem.  He didn't know what he would do at home.  He might as well be at school.  At least then he could see Lissa, even if she rarely saw him.  He knew he was a shadowy figure.  he knew that teachers didn't even know or remember when he was in class or not in class.
    It wasn't his fault.  He was a product of his environment.  At least that's what he kept telling himself.  Change was something that had to be eased in to.  He already felt rushed to be nicer.  It didn't seem to be working.
    When he saw Lissa, he smiled and gave an almost shy wave.  He didn't know what it was about her, but she made him feel like he was capable of more, like there was more to life. 
    Lissa gave a half-hearted wave back.  She still didn't not not like him.  He still seemed very much a potential tragedy waiting to happen.  She wondered if she was just overthinking everything.  He could have been lurking around the peripheal of her life for years and she just failed to notice.
    That was possible.  It didn't seem likely, but it did seem possible.  It was like when you got a certain type of car.  all of a sudden you could spot them all over.  They didn't just get more plentiful or popular.  You just became more conscience of their exsistence.
    She just wished that him showing up on her radar didn't give her the chills.  He could be a nice guy.  In fact she was sure he probably was.  But somehting dark and dangerous was lurking under the surface and it wasn't the kind of dangerous that girls flock to in their youth and flee as they mature.  It was a deep kind of dark.
    It wasn't exactly an evil and yet it had a tinge of that to it.  It seemed more likely a deep hurt that had barricaded itself behind years of defenses.  When he sat there on the couch he seemed so awkward and shy and at the same time cool and claculating.  He was an inigma to be sure.  Lissa had no doubt that if she spent more time around him she would only be faced with more paradoxical moments.
    Lissa allowed her mind to drift where it please and floated through the morning a shell.  It made her think about how her dad would talk about students with perfect attendence who were never in class.  He meant it figuratively, but the first time he ever said it, Lissa had a picture in her mind of kids in the halls or bathroom when they should be in class.
    Lissa braced herself for the barrage of questions that was about to come.  She was just thankful that no one knew that after Ralph, Jake, and Cindy left Leo showed up.  Those were questions and comments she knew she wasn't ready for.
    The girls looked like pharranah trained by Pavlo himself.  They were practically foaming at the mouth when Lissa got close.  "Spill, girl," Tiana said not even waiting for Lissa to sit down.
    "You'll have to excuse her," Jasmine said.  "Cindy won't tell anything.  She just keeps smiling like she swallowed the bird or whatever."
    "The cat who swallowed the canary?" Aenira asked.
    "I said or whatever, that prety much covers it," Jasmine said rolling her almond eyes.
    "You take your time sweetie.  Don't let them rush you.  They never learned to savor anything.  Spoiled rich kids is all," Ariel said.
    "Whoa," Cindy said nearly standing up.  "Look at the princess calling the tiara sparkly."
    "It's fine," Lissa said.  "But I'm sorry there's not much to tell.  Cindy set you all up."
    "She's being modest," Cindy said.
    "No, I'm not.  I mean we studied."
    "I bet you studied his anatomy," Tiana said.
    "Let me rephrase that.  We brainstormed and worked out ideas for our papers," Lissa said.  "That was pretty much the whole of it.  We talked a little in between epic flaws, but nothing was too revealing."
    "She's leaving a huge part out," Cindy said.
    "That's what she said," Ariel said.
    "Ariel, that doens't make any sense," Cindy said, playfully pushing her off her seat.
    "Yeah it does," Ariel insisted.
    "Whatever, she didn't mention that she has a date with Jake this Saturday," Cindy said.  The rest of the girls exploded in giggles and pokes to the ribs.
    "It's not that big of a deal," Lissa said dismissing it.
    "How is that not a big deal?" Aenira asked.
    "Well, it's more like a group date not like a real date," Lissa said.
    "Look she's going to be in a dark theatre with Jakey-poo.  That's what matters," Cindy said.
    "Thanks to you," Lissa said bowing her head.  "Cindy here was a maniac pressing for info and trying to force us together and bringing up sexual stuff."
    The table erupted again in giggles and rib jabbing.  Cindy always had seemed to be the most mature of the group, but she had two older step sister.  That alone made her an expert on all things womanly.  She knew how to use a tampon before most of her friends knew what one was.  She learned the scoring and code of dating baseball, which she shared with all of them.
    "I didn't do that much," Cindy said not meaning it.
    "She did.  Listen to her being humble now.  She actually set the date up with Ralph.  That's why I say it's not a big deal.  It's not like Jake asked me out," Lissa said.
    "But she's still going out with him.  And trust me, I'll have Ralphy boy well entertained," Cindy said winking.
    "No one at this table would doubt that," Tiana said.
    The girls continued their back and forth picking and turned their attention to other things.  Just like pharanahs, once the fresh meat was gone, they went back to calm.
    Lissa scanned the room looking for the boys, any of them really.  She didn't think Leo ever actually came into the cafeteria.  If he did, he did a good job of blending in.  She saw Ralph and Jake at their usual table.  It made sense.  Her and Jake, Cindy and Ralph.  Anyone from her table and anyone from their table.  She wasn't the stylish popular girl that say Ariel was, but she was part of the in crowd even if she had stayed out of the lime light for quite some time.
    It was perfectly acceptable that Cindy had set up the date.  Jake never set up dates and well, Lissa had never been on a date, so it wasn't a real surprise that Lissa needed Cindy's help.
    Lissa was hoping that she could take it from here.  She'd never really tried to get a boy's attention.  She seemed to get attention from time to time, especially when she dressed up or wore a dress or something, but she had never used that attention.  Of course there was the Garrett style of attention she tried to avoid.
    If she wanted Jake to like her, surely she could get him to.  She was afterall charming and witty and well read.  She tried to tellherself that those things mattered, but she knew what would make the bigger difference, clothes and hair.  Cindy may have had been weird in her room the night before, but the girl knew how to draw a man in nice and close.
    Lissa was suddenly appalled at how easy it was to dissappear in broad daylight.  She had been absent from her mornign classes and now at lunch with the girls she had gone soe where. 
    The conversations of the girls aroudn her looked like giant music notes floating up to a staff.  It was visual in ways that people talking weren't.  Only she couldn't say anything.  Here she was thinking about how easy it was to not be present in the present.
    She wondered if anyone at the table or even at a surrounding table noticed that she had essentially checked herself out.  Then she wondered if anyone did know if they would be so bold as to engage her.  She figured no one would because people always feel like it's none of their business.  Lissa knew she lived in a society that didn't want to get involved.  No one knew their neighbors anymore and if they did, well they were just nebby. 
    People tended to only see what they wanted to see and pay attention to the details that pertained to them.  It wasn't like she was any better, but she at least had come to realize that she was running around with blinders on.  She began to focus on each of the girls at the table.
    She wanted to see what they were saying more so than hear it.  She was looking for facial expressions that did or didn't match or body posturing that might be telling.  She imagined that professional poker players must be pretty good at this time of scrutiny.
    It was demanding work.  It was no wonder people tended to gloss over the finer details.  You had to really work to see them.  Lissa tried once more to steady her mind and cue into only certain conversations or people.  It was no use.  She shook her head.  there were just too many distractions for her.
    Not that it mattered, but Lissa wanted to be noticed without changing her appearance.  She didn't want to have to primp and prep like other girls.  She rather enjoyed her low maintanance routines.  Why change all of that?
    She felt hands on her shoulders that gently began to massage the tension and frustration away.  She didn't want to look up for fear that it was someone awful.  The massage felt so needed.
    "Ladies." Thank God, it was Jake. "You don't mind if I steal Lissa here away for a few do you?"  The table melted in unison.
    I eased my way back into Jake and stood up.  He put his arm around my neck like it was the most natural and second nature thing he ever did.  It was like we suddenly shared a bond that most comples only feel during the courtship.
    She knew she was letting her overactive and overworked imagination get the better of her, but ti was fun to give in to temptation from time to time.
    "What's up Jake?" Lissa asked, rasing her right hand so that it locked fingers with his right hand restig around her neck.
    "Nothing much, Ralph just told me the plan for us to double this weekend and I wanted to amke sure you were on board.  Like it's legit?" he asked.
    "What do yo mean?" Lissa asked.
    "I mean, like they're not putting you up to this or anything?" Jake sounded seriously concerend.
    "Jake, why would anyone have to be put up to going out with you?  You're gorgeous and fun to be around.  i could go on, but really that's enough of a reason right there," Lissa said turning her nose up to face Jake.
    He took the oppertunity as an invitationa nd kissed her on the nose.  "You are a sweet girl.  I'm glad you're down with it all because I've kinda been crushing on you to be honest," Jake said.
    "You crushing on me?" Lissa asked incredulously.  She looked around the room like she had lost or dropped soemthing.  "Where are they?" she asked.
    "Where are who, Lissa?" Jake asked.
    "The cameras," Lissa said.  "I just know I'm getting punked.  Ashton Kutcher come on out fella."
    "No this is real, Lissa.  Too real almost.  I got to go," Jake said in a hurry. 
    He let his fingers trace Lissa's one last time before gently releasing her hand and returning his arm to his side.  As Jake walked away, Lissa wondered if she had tempted fate too much.
    Well she thought, whatever I did, I must have done soemthing right.  She looked out the large bay windows on the only side of the cafeteria that show the outside.  Jake dissappeared out into the gray overcast day.  It was like he was swallowed by a fog.
    While Lissa fond it incredibly odd that Jake would be outside the cafeteria at any point in the day, she also had learned to roll with it.  Sometimes you just had to go with the flow and roll on.  It doesn't always matter so much where you're going.  What ereally matters is who you share it with.