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                                         The Date

The mid October night was cool, just bordering on chilly and the breeze ruffled the red, orange, and a few stubbornly green leaves on the trees that surrounded the clearing peacefully still in the silent of the night. The bright full moon and stars shone in the black velvet of the cloudless night, illuminating the pale face and skin of one Gwen Tennyson.
Her red hair slid out out of it's beret, falling over her stark green eyes as she looked into her glass to study the water line. Pushing it out of her eyes and refastening it she looked up and around at the trees in the clearing- the green satin dress she wore whispering around her spare frame, curves becoming prominent at 14. Unfortunately there was no sign of movement, not even a little which was attested to by the lack of so much as a squirrel stirring in the night environment strangely devoid of the usual nocturnal replacements.
She sighed, looking down at the picnic she had prepared for her date: a bottle of coke, some (cooling) fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and homemade cookies for dessert. A lone glass cup stood on the red and white plaid blanket, accompanied only by 2 burning white candles she'd brought along for some atmosphere while it's mate was held in her hand. Drew was late, as usual for the past few dates, and she was beginning to wonder if something was going on. It was no mystery that he had a reputation for a wandering eye and on the dates he had shown up on she had caught him once or twice checking out the waitresses. Whenever she had confronted him about it, he had just shrugged and said something either about a spot on her skirt or an interesting tattoo on her back etc. etc. etc. Eventually she had just rolled her eyes and ignored it, but when he had started showing up late for dates and had almost showed her up at the school dance she had had enough and gave him an ultimatum: show up or get lost. This date had been his test. He had failed.
He had made her laugh, made her think of herself as pretty, and had actually gotten up the balls to ask her on a date instead of just walking on eggshells around her like other guys. Every other guy had just stopped being anywhere near interesting or exiting or anything else since that summer 4 years ago, when she had gone on a road trip with her grandpa Max and her idiot cousin Ben. She had been upset to say the least at the unexpected intrusion into her summer which she had meticulously planned out. Long story short Ben had found a device called the Omnitrix that let him transform into 10 plus different aliens each with their own special powers, Max had turned out to be a retired intergalactic cop, and she had discovered her own magical abilities. Then it all went downhill from there. They had met a variety of different people and she had learned so many different things, including how nothing is ever just it seems.

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As it was, nothing was just as it seemed in that clearing that night: she was not alone, the  one   other undetected person was the last person she would've suspected, and he was here for the utmost LAST reason she or anyone else who knew him would've imagined. Kevin Levin stayed well-hidden behind an old tree as he watched her.
There she was, beautiful in the light of the full moon, sipping a glass of water and waiting for someone who he knew would never come. Sounded like something out of one of those tragedy plays he'd seen upper-class snobs weeping over in their fancy limos and horse-drawn carriages. He'd never had a taste for classical literature, but right now with her as the main character and looking like she did, he might just be able to pick up a liking for it.
Ever since he'd first started thinking of her, remembering the way she fought, the way she always kept an eye on her comrades in battle, and he way that even after any kind of horrible ordeal she was tender with the weak, he'd started to feel something. It was something he couldn't explain, it said to get closer to her, to protect her, to make things right. It had driven him to find a way to become human again, to find a way out of the Null-Void- his prison for 4 long years. It had driven him to find her, it had driven him to find out when she wouldn't be near any of her family, namely her grandfather or her idiot cousin who for once he didn't want to kill right here and now.
He looked down at his now human and comparatively tiny hands. Would she recognize him? Would that even be a good thing? In hindsight all of his actions and motivation behind them made him seem like a bit like a stalker (and to tell the truth he never really could get her out of his head, but what guy would be able to with a girl like her?). He kept his back pressed to the tree, more terrified right now than he had ever been in his life, and for a kid that grew up on the streets and then spent a few years in an inter-dimensional hellhole that was saying a lot. He took a deep breath and forced his feet to move. Out into the open, out to run the gauntlet.

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Gwen was about to pack up and go home to plan out Drew's untimely doom when she heard a rustle in the bushes and saw some movement in the darkness in front of her. "Drew, there you are," she let out a short laugh, "for a few seconds there I actually thought you had stood me up...again." she added through clenched teeth. This had been a test, he had failed, showing up almost an hour late and sneaking around in the bushes, with some tramp for all she knew. She gathered up all of her anger and all of her hurt to throw at him, God knows he deserved it, but all of that died on her tongue when out of the bushes stepped a completely different young man.
Drew's hair had been capped and blonde, this boy's reached to the base of his neck and was as black as the impenetrable night around them. Drew's eyes had been brown, while this young man's were coal-black and looked almost subconsciously as well as consciously wary. Drew had had a spare build and had looked a little out of shape, while this guy had broad shoulders and was built like a person who had fought many battles without a spare molecule of fat on his body. This boy was definitely not Drew, but her polite apologies died as well on her tongue when she couldn't help but notice that he looked almost eerily familiar.
"Um, hi." he said, shifting, looking a bit uncomfortable. "Hi," she said, not exactly sure what else to say. What do you say when you almost chew out some guy you don't know but at the same time swear you do? The young man squirmed a little, as if he too was unsure what to say, then forged on a bit "So uh, what brings you out here at this time of night?". Gwen shrugged, this boy didn't seem dangerous, but kept her guard up and said "Not much, just a botched date with a soon-to-be-ex boyfriend.". The kid chuckled a bit, "Drew, huh, was that his name? I'm guessing this isn't his first screw up." Gwen chuckled too "Nope, but it's going to be his last.". The kid smirked a bit adding a slightly boyish charm to his looks, and Gwen felt herself relaxing Well, Drew's obviously not going to show up, she thought to herself but the night might not just be wasted just yet.
Deciding to cast the first stone, she sat back down, "Have you eaten?" she asked, and the boy looked a little taken aback, but recovered with admiral speed and shook his head. She patted a spot beside her on the blanket, motioning for him to sit down, "Fried chicken doesn't freeze well, care to help me finish it?". The kid still looked a little nervous, but seemed to be gaining confidence, and stepping forward joined her on the blanket where she handed him a plate and some chicken after pouring him a drink. This night just might not be wasted. She thought again to herself.

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She hadn't recognized him, Kevin thought to himself as he sat down on the blanket, and if things continued in such a good way she might not even remember him for the rest of the night. He still wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing but at least she wasn't running and screaming or more likely trying to fight him. She smiled, but he could see her guard was up, "So, what's your name?" she asked and he almost winced, then scrambled for a believable alias. "Chris." he managed and she smiled again, "I'm Gwen, where are you from Chris?".
He took a drink, buying himself some time to think up another lie, then decided to go as close to the truth as he dared "New York, I've been here only a few weeks." he said as he put down his glass. "Have you been here long?" he asked, gaining confidence, thank God he was a good liar or else this situation might have been a complete bust. She nodded, "Yeah, I grew up here, I go the school up the road." she motioned with her head in what he assumed was the general direction of her school and he filed it away for future reference.
They ate in silence a bit until she asked "You have family here, Chris?" again, he almost winced as painful memories concerning the family that in fact did live perilously close by prodded at his mind. "Yes, I live with my mom," he said almost without thinking, and was grateful for the lucky save even if it was uncomfortably close to home. Gwen nodded, "Just your mom?" she asked, and Kevin nodded, not really wanting to explain about his dad, hoping she wouldn't prod. Thankfully, she didn't and they went on talking, him changing the subject "So how long have you been with this Drew guy?" he asked and she snorted "A couple of months, mostly off and on, I really only dated him because he was the only one who ever got up the balls to ask me on a date." she shrugged. So she didn't like the whole kid gloves routine he'd seen used time and time again by the few upper class people he had ever seen in his life, good him neither. Gwen smiled again, then frowned a bit and looked him straight in the eye and  asked "Have we met before, because you just look really familiar to me.".

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Gwen watched as a barely perceptible flash of something near distress flashed on Chris's face. Why would someone be distressed about something like that? Was he hiding something from her?
Then she remembered.
"Oh, wait, you said you were from New York right?" she exclaimed, and he frowned at her, "Yeah." he responded slowly. Gwen laughed relieved now that she had found an explanation for the awkward sense of familiarity that she had been repressing "A couple of years ago my grandpa took my cousin Ben and I on a road trip and one of our stops was New York." she explained, "I think I might have met you there or seen you on the streets or something like that." she said, and Chris looked almost relieved "Oh." was the only thing he said.
They had finished their food by now, and she unwrapped the plate of cookies she had made. Chris took a few and bit into one "Wow, you're a really good cook." he said through a mouthful of cookie, and she giggled "Thanks." and took a bite of her own. The candles flickered, and they continued to talk about random things until she checked her watch again and saw the time, they had gone on talking for 2 hours! She was just about to tell him that when an extremely annoying and incredibly familiar horn blared, and she heard a loud voice boom "Gwendolyn Tennyson! Your time on this date has run out! Please exit the forest and proceed to the car to be battered with questions as is procedure.".
That had been her big brother Ken's voice, he was 16 and was fully utilizing his role as big brother to embarrass both her and whatever boy she was with at any opportunity possible. He was doing a knockout job of it right now. Gwen groaned and looked at Chris's shocked face "That was my older brother." she explained, and blew out the candles. "Oh," said Chris, rising his eyebrows "sounds like a fun guy to have around." Gwen chuckled and he began to help her pack up. "He has his moments  but he's still my brother and I still love him even when I hate him.".
She didn't see the small look of shock that crossed Kevin's face, but when he recovered she did hear the snort of amusement. They had packed up now, and as she stood up to go she faced Chris "Well, it was nice talking with you Chris." she said, "Maybe we could talk again later? I live at 3542 Emerson Drive." Chris nodded and smiled "Yeah, I'd like to talk again too, can I walk you to the car?".

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This had probably been the best night of his entire life: the girl of his dreams had talked and smiled with him, they had joked and laughed and eaten good food under a full moon, and he had a feeling she genuinely wanted to see him again. Inside he was practically dancing with joy.
Now they walked out of the forest and he saw a small blue minivan parked on the gravel road that ran through here with a guy a few years older than him at the wheel. He had red hair a few shades darker than Gwen's and eyes that were a slightly lighter hue than hers but besides the difference in gender the two could have passed as identical twins.
He assumed this was her brother, and that thought was affirmed when he leaned over and opened the passenger door then looked at him, at Gwen, then back again and an amused light came into his eyes. "Well, well, well, did we finally dump the man whore and get ourselves a new man all in one night Gwenny?" Gwen rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile "Nice to see you too Ken." was her response.
As she leaned in and put the picnic basket in the back seat Ken gave Kevin a more thorough once-over, and the younger man instinctively put his guard up. The older male raised an eyebrow Are you good enough for my baby sister? The unsaid question hung in the air, and Kevin kept his gaze level and neutral, last thing he'd want to do is tick off the protective older sibling. Gwen got up again, braking up the silent stare down that was going on, and turned to Kevin "See you later, Chris." she smiled, then leaned forward and whispered something in his ear.
He couldn't hide his shock and didn't even try as Gwen got in the car and closed the door. As the car drove off, Kevin just continued standing there with that shocked look on his face, watching until the car disappeared into the night. Her words bounced around in his head, and eventually he came out of his stupor long enough to stop standing there like an idiot and go back into the forest to find a place to sleep. He could still hear her words as if she had said rather than whispered them:

                     I'll see you around Kevin, thanks for the great night.

                                            End?