`witness | noelle

[aaron seymour]

Two days after the encounter on the roof, Aaron was almost back to normal. He had managed to keep off the radar of the police when they came into the alley and climbed the fire escape themselves. There had been a close call, however, when another started to search the back of the alley near the chain-linked fence that Aaron was crouched on the other side of. At the last second his partner shouted from the roof that he found something and he'd better get up there. As soon as the officer's back was turned, Aaron made a run for it. He kept to back yards instead of risking being caught on the streets. A man in dark clothing, running with a sniper rifle strapped to his back just screamed suspicious. Surely someone would turn him in. When he returned to his apartment and stuck his gun with the other weapons hidden in a compartment that was carved out of the bottom of his bed, he decided it would be best if he laid low for a while and returned to being an Average Joe history teacher.

So far things were good. He spent yesterday teaching and hung out at a cafe reading a novel that he started last year but never got past page 20. He finished it in by dinner time. Unfortunately, he then went back to his apartment to stick a Hungry Man in the oven and spent the rest of the evening in front of the TV set watching the first two Godfathers. If that didn't remind him of his alternate life he didn't know what would. Of course he wasn't part of the Italian mafia, but he might as well be. He wasn't one hundred percent certain if there was a Scottish mafia, but he was pretty sure there was an Irish one. The thought of that made him laugh though, the Italians were definitely legit and the most recognized.

Today, his second day of normalcy, began at 5 a.m. with a two mile run, shower, and the short drive to school. It was now a little after eight in the morning and Aaron was standing in the mail room of the school's office. The office was already bustling around, the secretaries handing out early dismissal forms for students with doctors appointments, real and fake; teachers running to and from the copy machines; phones ringing; papers falling, and chatter. Lots and lots of chatter. Aaron listened to it all from the small room lined with cubby holes marked with each teacher's name that held all their mail. Everything from stacks of notices to hand their students to paychecks and department meeting reminders.

Holding a stack of mail on his right arm, Aaron sifted through it. Most of it was worthless to him, a letter about "acceptable use" on the school computers. Like anything he did would stop the students from checking out porn sites. Their usage was monitored, but there were always ways around it and many of the students used them if they knew how. Teenagers will be teenagers. And he wasn't going to be the one to call them out on it, that meant more paperwork for him. All teachers hated worrying about extra paperwork so why did the administration push them to write up students for stupid things that wouldn't phase them anyway. Some teachers were actually afraid that it would come back on them for not catching the student the first time, but he could care less. He didn't need this job, it was just a good cover; and a good taste of normal.

Two other teachers now squeezed themselves into the mail room, jabbering away about how many days there were until Christmas vacation, then complaining that it needed to be extended. Aaron acknowledged them with a smile and went back to sorting his mail, listening with half an ear. "I'm supposed to fly out to Portland to see my son the day before break begins. But if we're supposed to get that snow like the weather was talking about I don't know how I'm going to get there." "Well, Christmas is almost a month and a half away. I'm sure the report will change by then." The woman speaking of her son squeezed over next to Aaron to get her mail. He glanced sideways at the name on the cubby, 'Joyce Winters'. Another teacher he never heard of before.

She unfolded the newspaper that was sitting on top of just about the same stack of papers Aaron got. "Oh, Robin, did you see this?" The paper moved out of sight when Joyce held it out to her colleague. "Oh, that was on the news last night." Robin responded. "You know it was the same apartment Noelle lives?" Joyce's voice lowered drastically. There was a gasp, Aaron assumed from Robin. "No! Does she know about this?" "Apparently she saw the man who did it." There was a crinkling of paper behind him. Aaron's full attention was on the conversation now. "Look. It says that '24-year-old Noelle Ackerman notified authorities late Sunday evening that an unidentified man was standing on the ledge of the Bicker Apartment Complex. When police investigated the roof-top they couldn't locate the man, but instead found a brass casing from an M86 sniper rifle. It was later concluded that the gun was used to kill George Crache, later discovered dead in his apartment by a single gun-shot wound to the head.' It goes on to talk about Crache and how the police are looking for any leads."

Aaron was all too aware of the sweat that was forming on his forehead. His jaw was clenched so tight he felt it crack. He waited for more information. "Oh my God, that's why she was out yesterday. What did she tell the police? Did she witness anything?" There was a buzz in the air now, gossip didn't get any better than a colleague witnessing a murder. "She says she didn't see anything other than him standing on the roof. She yelled up at him and he fell backward. That was it, she didn't know he killed someone. She thought he was trying to kill himself." Their voices had reached a regular pitch now and Aaron didn't have to strain to hear them. "You think she knows more than she claims?" At that moment Aaron lost all grip on the papers in his hand and they tumbled to the floor. "Damn." He grumbled, leaning down to gather them back up. "She's such a lovely person, I sure hope not. But you think you know someone..." Aaron's head collided painfully with the bottom of the mail shelf and he stood up rubbing his hand over his head which throbbed. Turning around he saw the two woman looking at him oddly and smiled. "Sowry... clumsy moment." They each returned a sheepish grin and looked at one another in silent discussion. Simultaneously, they left the mail room. "A good thing he's good-looking..." Robin whispered to Joyce as they rounded the corner out of sight.

Still rubbing his head, Aaron looked around the small room for the name they were talking about. Noelle...something. It started with an A. He went to the first row of boxes and searched for her first name. It was a quick find, right at the beginning of the alphabet. Noelle Ackerman. Checking to make sure no one was on their way into the room, he closed the door enough to hide himself and pulled out her mail. Same junk as him except her department meeting letter said "Performing Arts" which could mean Acting, Dance, or Choir. He read through the letter hoping to narrow the search but it didn't specify. Quickly he dug through the mail again until she came to a letter head that said 'Dance Contest: Ballroom Variety. Tango, Waltz, Foxtrot...' He skipped over the rest, having what he needed. So she was the ballroom dance teacher.

Returning her mail, Aaron left the mail room and headed for the Performing Arts wing of the building. Fortunately, it wasn't more then a stretch of hallway away. He turned into unfamiliar territory after straying off the main hall, but it was pretty straight forward. There were signs on all the doors that said that the rooms were for. Stage 1, 2, 3 he assumed were for the Acting classes and it was easy enough to figure out what Janitor meant. After a chunk of wall, he came to the next door that read 'Ballroom 19'. Peering into the small square window he looked around at the large open floor, it was very shiny too he noted. He couldn't see the teacher, but he was going to just assume she was there so he knocked.

[noelle ackerman]

Step one you say we need to talk
He walks, you say sit down it's just a talk
________________________________________________________

Was this some kind of cruel joke? Did they really expect her to let this heinous thing touch her wall? It was absolutely horrible, horrid, and any other h-word that meant ugly or unwanted. Administration must have some sick sort of humor to like a painting like this in her room after she was forced to look at bloody pictures of her murdered neighbor all day and asked questions like "how well did you know him?" and "is there any reason someone would want him dead?" while she was trying to keep herself from vomiting. At one point during the interrogation Noelle felt like they were accusing her of being a part of it all. HER! Noelle Ackerman! The young, skinny dance teacher from Chicago who didn't have it in her heart to squish a spider. Besides, did she really look like the kind of person who knew how to use a rifle? Come on, now.

Her eyes narrowed at the painting in front of her. It depicted and emaciated looking clown all dressed up in a ballerina costume. How horrible was that? Attached to it was a note that said, "The maintenance staff found this in the store room, thought you might want to use it." Upon first reading it, Noelle thought it might be a pretty nature scene or something, but then after she removed the dusty blanket and saw this terrible excuse for artwork she wanted to take one of Sweeney Todd's razors and cut it up in to little tiny pieces so no one would ever have to suffer from the sight of it again. "I will kill you before I let you hang on my walls," she muttered under her breath to the ugly clown staring back at her. The woman swore Monet was rolling over in his grave right now.

The words she spoke to the painting made a flash of yesterday's events appear in front of her eyes. For a split second, Noelle could see the dead body of her friend neighbor upstairs lying sprawled out over the floor, just like her book had been on the sidewalk that night when she went outside to get it. She never should have gone out side. Noelle should have given up and tried to go back to bed. Mr. Crache would still be dead, and the man on the roof may have been too, but then she wouldn't have that picture scarred in her memory. Her colleagues wouldn't be looking at her like she's the next hot gossip topic, and she wouldn't have to keep convincing people that she was perfectly fine and having to try and shrug away their questions. One thing Noelle absolutely hated was sympathy, and as long as this story was still news that was what she was going to be getting.

That was it. The woman could no longer stare at this disturbing picture. Noelle bent down and picked up the dusty blanket, then held her breath as she flew it back over the frame. All at once, the ugly painting disappeared, and she let a sigh out at the new brightness in the room. She could ask some students to help her do something with it later. Maybe they could bring it to someone other teacher's room while they were out to lunch or something and let them deal with it. Noelle would get opinions later about whom that teacher should be. She was pretty sure though that the kids wouldn't mind helping out.

Even after the evil picture was covered up, the young teacher still felt absent minded. She kept flashing back to everything that had happened from two nights ago until now. It started off just peachy. Noelle had been forced to go to the police station in nothing but her pajamas, which were a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, and her silky white bathrobe. That was manageable at least. However, once at the station she had to sit and wait next to drunken college guys who were hauled in for DUIs. The one closest to her kept touching her and asking if she wanted to do something after he got his cuffs off. He even offered to take the cuffs and bring them with him if she was into that sort of thing (which she's not by the way). It got so bad that she was almost happy when she was able to leave.

The next day, however, only got worse, and it wasn't anything that she wanted to think about right now. Her arms folded in front of her and she finally moved away from her place in front of the covered picture and over to her desk at the far end of the room. Noelle didn't know why she had a desk - or counter really - but it was a nice place to sit and watch her students or relax between classes. The only thing it was used far was hiding her belongs, unsorted mail, and holding the boom box that played the music they danced to. Speaking of mail, she still had to get hers. Normally, Noelle picked it up right when she came in after greeting the secretaries in the office, but her mind was elsewhere and she had completely forgotten. Oh well, she could get it later. There was never anything important in it anyway.

Then, there was a knock at the door. Immediately, Noelle became frustrated and leaned her elbows hard against the counter as she let out a small groan. It wasn't that she didn't like or want visitors, but with the morning's track record she thought that it was either a cop with another question or a pesky colleague who wanted to know the dirt. "I already told you, I don't know anything!" She began walking with heavy steps toward the door. "And I don't want to know anything! I Don't want to answer ANY more questions, I just want -" The woman had reached her door and pulled it open, but the person standing in front of her made her stop short of what she was saying. It wasn't a police officer or one of the many female employees who were bored and wanted gossip to spread around, it was a man. A handsome man a little older than herself whom she had seen around the school on a few occasions but had never met. "I'm sorry." Her face slowly turned red, truly feeling bad for yelling at him when he hadn't even done anything wrong. "I thought you were someone else...can I help you with something?" Noelle tried to soften her expression, pushing away the thoughts of it being someone who was nosy and instead began wondering what brought a man she had never met to her door. She knew he was a teacher, of a core class if she remembered correctly, but her knowledge didn't extend much beyond that.

________________________________________________________

`Status: Finished!
`Tag: Aaron Seymour
`Word Count: 1178
`Lyrics By: The Fray - How To Save A life
`Notes:

[/font] pic by me
I didn’t realize how long that was until I was about to post xD[/blockquote][/size]

[aaron seymour]

Aaron leaned over again to peer through the window in the door. He tried to see as far as he possible could but there was no one in sight. He could always just let himself in, if there was no one there it wouldn't make much difference anyway. Just as he was reaching for the handle, he finally heard someone speak from within. He couldn't quite catch what she was saying, but the tone definitely sounded agitated. Heavy footsteps vibrated under his feet as they came to answer the door. Aaron took a step back as the body of who he assumed was the dance teacher passed in front of the window. She still seemed to be yelling at him so his retreat was for his own safety rather than to keep from crowding the door when it was opened.

As soon as the door was opened and the two teachers were finally face to face, Aaron's went blank. How more ironic could this situation get. The woman who he saw in the window was the woman who saw him on the roof and was also a teacher at the same school as him. It felt as if the walls were slowly closing in on him and he was trapped. He watched her face turn a shade of scarlet but still didn't react or say anything. Suddenly he didn't know what he wanted to say. Yeah, he wanted to know how much she really knew, but he had to learn without giving himself away. He also had to do it so discreetly that she wouldn't think he was another gossip seeker, because spreading gossip, especially about himself, was the last thing he wanted to do.

After she apologized, claiming she had expected him to be someone else and asked what he wanted, only in a more polite way, Aaron had to act quickly. If he stood there too long thinking about how he wanted to approach the situation, it would probably just freak her out. On the other hand, he couldn't come right out and ask because that would be a waste of both their lives. "Um, hello." He had to start somewhere he supposed. But now where was he supposed to go from here? "Um, I, uh... Hi." Bravo. Well done. Now it was his turn to turn a shade of pink. He even laughed a little at himself for losing his cool so quickly. Truth be told, he was rather unsure about this woman. She saw him, only she didn't know it was the man standing in front of her now, at least not yet. But what else did she see? Not him taking aim, he knew that. And more importantly, would she have told if she knew?

Aaron ran a nervous hand through his short brown hair, looking down at the floor. He already showed her that he was obviously uneasy, maybe he could play it out to his advantage. "Sary to bother ya." He said slowly with his deep accent. He took a brave look up at her and smiled slowly. "I's just wondrin'..." What was he wondering? What she knew. But what could be pretend to be wondering? He looked over her shoulder into the spacious open room. "...d'ya offer private lessons?" A slight smile remained on his lips as he silently rammed his head against the mirror on the wall behind her. If he would have only taken the time to police his brass he wouldn't be standing here pretending to...whatever it was he was pretending to do. Con information out of someone with ballroom dance lessons. This was certainly a new approach.
______________

x.x i didn't know what to have him say lmao!

[noelle ackerman]

He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
________________________________________________________

It was a little difficult for Noelle to focus on what the man in front of her was trying to say. First of all, he was handsome, as previously mentioned, and she had a very weak spot for handsome men. Second, she could swear that the painting was moving out of the corner of her eye. That damn clown was trying to get itself on her wall and that was just not going to happen. The woman clenched her jaw against the paranoia and tried to keep a smile on her face and put her full attention back on the gentleman on the other side of the door. When his lips parted and started to speak, she could tell that he was fumbling a bit for words. It was cute. It made her bite down slightly on her lower lip to hide the grin forming in the corner of mouth. "Hi," Noelle returned with a bit of a chuckle after he greeted her for the second time.

When his hand ran through his hair nervously, the young woman began to feel slightly confused. Was she that intimidating? It made her feel even worse for yelling at him before she had even answered the door to see who was there. It was very possible that he was a timid person and that had rattled his cage a little bit. At the same time, looking at him, Noelle found it very difficult to think of him as being so timid a person that being yelled at by a dance teacher half his size would upset him. No, that couldn't possibly be the reason, and she ended up letting it go because she didn't want to press him. Whatever his reason was for coming here, it made him uncomfortable, and she could respect that. Besides, if Noelle were to ask him what was wrong it would probably only make it worse.

'Sary to bother ya.' Oh Lord, what accent was that? Scottish? For a split second, all of Noelle's grievances washed away and she let out a silent, calming sigh as she looked up at him. "It's all right, I'm kind of glad you distracted me." If anything, he would keep her from thinking about the last couple days for a few minutes, which was something. Plus, with that sexy foreign accent she had something else to look forward to when she came to work in the morning. Don't get her wrong, she didn't expect anything. It was just...wow. 'I's just wondrin'...' Yes, yes, what was he wondering? Okay, it was time to stop. Noelle didn't want to act like a horny teenager, because she wasn't. Well, maybe she was. It had been a while since she had been with a guy. Noelle had a new philosophy though: "Save yourself the heartbreak and wait until you're sure he won't leave after the fact."

She smiled softly when his faced turned a shade of light pink, waiting patiently for whatever it was he wanted to ask of her. In the back of her mind, Noelle really hoped it wasn't anything gross or about what had happened on Sunday or he was getting the door slammed in his face. What he did end up asking in turn made her feel completely thrown off. Private dance lessons? No, actually she didn't. It wasn't that she didn't want to it was that she hadn't thought about it. Private lessons would definitely bring in more money, but did she have the time for it? Yeah, probably. What really threw her off even more though was that he didn't seem like the dancing type. He looked strong, and would obviously make a great partner, but he didn't strike her someone who would really want of. Noelle wasn't too quick to judge though, she had been wrong about people on many occasions. "Are you serious?" She wanted to kick herself as soon as the last word fell from her lips. Hopefully that wouldn't be taken as rude, because it wasn't meant to be, but if he really wasn't serious about it then it was a waste of her time and thought.

________________________________________________________

`Status: Finished!
`Tag: Aaron Seymour
`Word Count: 715
`Lyrics By: The Fray - How To Save A life
`Notes:

[/font] pic by me
*dies* i just..wanna hug him <33[/blockquote][/size]

[aaron seymour]

She wasn't going to buy it. He could see the expression slowly changing in her eyes. He knew he should have gone with a different approach. He shouldn't have let his guard down and let his uncertainty take over, now he was backed into a corner. The only thing he had going for him was his ability to look dead serious no matter what. It was how he could get away with so many murders, especially the one of his wife's killer. Aaron had been the first person the police had come to as soon as they found the man's body. But he played all the right cards by looking relieved and grateful. It wasn't the reaction someone who had just gotten revenge would have. He played the hopeless husband well all the way through. Teary-eyed, and pleading that they find her murderer. Frequently, calling in asking for any news and finally sighing and slumping over the interrogation table on cue. He had it down to a science.

The way Noelle was looking at him wasn't like she didn't necessarily believe him. It was more like she couldn't believe such a person was asking. He could see how surprising it must be from her angle. A Scottish man, over six feet tall, with muscle tone like his asking to learn ballroom dance? It actually made him look more like a fruitcake than a conman. Of which he was neither. There was more testosterone in his toe than just about any other guy in the building. Maybe the city, unless there happened to be a body-builder around. That was too much testosterone though, and steroids. At least he was all natural.

"Are you serious?" He didn't know why that made him grin, but it did. Perhaps it was the 'taken-aback' way she said it. It really didn't make him feel as questioning as he had before. He got more of his nerve back, noticing the bit of vulnerability in her. He was beginning to believe that she really didn't know more than she claimed. Unfortunately, he was also going to assume that if she did know more, she would have spilled it all. He hoped he could be proved wrong, but also didn't. For her to prove him wrong would mean she knew it was him up on the roof and that was about the last thing he wanted. What he wanted now, was to walk away and pretend he never knocked on her door. But he couldn't do that either. Because he didn't know for sure. He assumed, assumed after five minutes of meeting and three lines of conversation. That wasn't enough, and he knew it, hence the centripetal pattern of thoughts. He was right back where he started.

"Would I be stand'n here otherwise?" Probably, yeah. Since he was, technically not really interesting in learning ballroom dance. He was interested, at one point, since he did learn the tango some time ago; at his wife's persistence. She wanted their first dance together as husband and wife to be the tango. He never understood why, nor did he bother to question it. All he ever wanted was to make her happy and taking tango lessons with her for two hours, three days a week, was one of the many ways to do it. That, and offering to do the dishes before he was asked. The tango was a dance he never performed again, but he could still remember most of the movements if he had music.

[noelle ackerman]

Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
________________________________________________________

Without even noticing it, during the short amount of time the two had been talking with one another Noelle's body language completely changed. When she had first opened the door she was tense and very closed off. The door had only been open far enough to show her body as far as her shoulder and her back and shoulders had been stiff. But this man, he had an ease about him. Somehow it made the woman's demeanor completely change. Her hands eventually dropped from the door handle, letting it swing open a little farther and expose more of the room, and her shoulders relaxed as she placed her hands comfortably on her hips. Noelle's lips and jaw were much looser, and since opening the door her expression had softened significantly. For the first time all morning the young woman felt content.

'Would I be stand'n here otherwise?' Her attitude wasn't the only one that had changed. The man in front of her seemed a little more confident when he said those words. It was a very good question. Raising her eyebrows, she titled her head to the side just a bit, "Would you?" He knew himself better than she did, so only he would be able to answer that question. However, Noelle didn't entirely expect him to, so it was more rhetorical than anything else. The girl still wasn't completely sure though, whether she wanted to give him private lessons before. There was nothing against him; it was more of a 'could she do it?' matter. She taught the kids, but most of the time she had an assistant male teacher name Joey with her. It would be very different for her to do it herself.

This was a hard decision for her, so Noelle thought of a different way of deciding whether or not she would teach him. It was unconventional, sure, but it might help her get rid of this horrid painting. Holding up one hand, she gestured with her pointer finger for him to follow her. "Come here, I want to show you something." If he could give her a good idea of what to do with this ugly clown, she would teach him, and if he didn't, well, she would teach him. Come on, you didn't really think that she would deny such a cute face a wish like that, did you? Of course not! Pushing the door open more, Noelle backed into the room a couple steps before dropping her arm and turning on her heel. Her eyes averted to the clock for a quick second, noting the time and that students would be coming in for homeroom in fifteen minutes or so, then looked back at the heavy blanket covering the bulge on the side of the room.

Her shoes clicked over the hard floor as she walked over to the covered painting, but then quieted when she stopped in front of it. "What would you do," she grabbed onto the blanket, "if administration gave you..." Noelle pulled the cover off of the picture, exposing it in all of its ugliness again. She could swear it was even worse the second time. "...this thing." There was no reason he had to see this. The woman felt almost bad for showing it to him. Almost. He was a guy after all, and he probably had a stronger stomach than she did. He could take it. It was just...who could look at it every day?

________________________________________________________

`Status: Finished!
`Tag: Aaron Seymour
`Word Count: 589
`Lyrics By: The Fray - How To Save A life
`Notes:

[/font] pic by me
that's a lot shorter than before, but i'm tired too xD LoL[/blockquote][/size]

[aaron seymour]

"Would you?" A smile and a look to the right said he wasn't going to answer that. He couldn't quite tell if she wanted to hear the answer but it didn't matter, because she wasn't going to get one. Resting his hands on his waist, he returned his gaze when she left her previous question go and moved ahead. He was liking her so far, she didn't ask more questions than necessary. It was the worst possible thing anyone could do to him, start prying into his personal business. First of all, that was just rude; second of all, it just might be the last time you see him. Aaron wasn't one to talk about himself. One, because he didn't like to; and two, because there were more skeletons in his closet than even he had the stomach for, let alone any normal person.

When she said she wanted to show him something he hid his surprise, and simply stepped up to the door as she moved away from it. He held it open when he was close enough until she moved away from it so he could enter the room himself. It was a lot bigger than it looked from the hallway. Almost the entire thing was dance floor except for a counter in the corner. That was probably where she was while he was peeking and the reason why he couldn't see her. Or she was in the coat closet he just made note of as they walked passed. He very much doubted that though, unless she was simply hanging her coat up. The door was open a crack and he slowed down to let her walk slightly ahead to he could pull the closet open and look inside. The closet was empty. Satisfied, he pushed it closed and continued on as if he had been behind her the whole time.

He had to stop short, however, when he realized they were walking toward the counter, but instead standing in front of an old looking blanket. Since he was laying at an angle he was going to guess that it was concealing something, otherwise that would be a pretty cool trick. He was listening to Noelle, while watching her movement of grabbing the blanket. His curiosity was getting the better of him and he wanted her to hurry up so he could see what she wanted to show him. She yanked the blanket off of the object and Aaron took a jump away from the painting. If you wanted to call it art. Did a student do that? If so, they had some pretty sick humor. But she had said administration gave it to her, so did that mean one of the secretaries painted it? Even they didn't seem that twisted.

He studied the appalling sight for a good minute or two, then stopped and looked around the dance studio. There was probably no room for it on the wall anyway, but he was sure if Noelle used that as an excuse a janitor would come in and make room. Now his brow furrowed in thought. "Why not do't the ol' fashion way?" He took a step forward and reached out for the blanket and threw it back over the horrid piece of canvas some sick person called art. Now that the thing was covered he didn't feel threatened enough to step away again, instead her turned to the teacher and lifted his shoulders slightly. "Burn it." He shifted his stance so he was looking down at the dirty blanket again and lifted a corner. He could see the foot of the clown. "I'll 'elp ya."

[noelle ackerman]

Between the lines of fear and blame
And you begin to wonder why you came
________________________________________________________

It was nice to see that Noelle was not the only one who thought this painting was, well, it was hard to find a fitting word for it. Inappropriate? Disgusting? She wasn't sure, somewhere in between those two. However, there had been a moment when she was first looking at it when she wondered if she was being too hard on the artist. If maybe she was missing the "artistic vision" that whoever painted it had had. But no, he agreed with her so it was hideous. When he took the blanket and covered the piece up again, Noelle once again felt relieved. It wasn't staring at her anymore. 'Why not do't the ol' fashion way?' The old fashioned way? There were lots of old fashioned ways to do it, it was just a matter of picking the perfect one so no one would suspect that she did it on purpose. Unless, maybe they had given it to a random teacher hoping that they would find a way to get rid of it, because sitting behind desks all day didn't exactly make the secretaries very creative.

At the suggestion of burning it, the teacher smiled and looked back up at the man with a light laugh. "Believe me, I thought about it, but I wasn't sure if I could get away with arson that easily." That comment made her picture herself all dressed in black with a match in one hand and a container of gasoline in the other. Could you imagine? If anyone saw her like that instead of calling security they would laugh their butt off. As previously mentioned, she was not very intimidating. Then, he offered to help her, and her smile widened just a bit more with a hidden giggle. "Okay, I have a deal then. If you help me get rid of this, I will give you dance lessons." It was a win-win. He would get his lessons and she would never have to look at this thing again. That was good enough for her.

In the short amount of time they had been speaking, Noelle realized that she still didn't know this man's name, and she had yet to introduce herself. Where were her manners? It would be a little awkward to teach him if she didn't even know what his name was. "I'm Noelle, by the way." In truth, she was kind of glad that he had showed up at her door this morning. The girl liked getting to know new people, and meeting him would keep her mind away from other things for a while and put her in a better mood. Maybe this was a sign that it was going to be a good day? The morning had been crappy thus far, but he had turned it around for her, and that usually meant that things were going to look up. Maybe the secretaries would lay off and the police would stop calling. It was unlikely but here's to hoping.

There was a light murmur in the halls as a couple more teachers arrived late and some students began gathering in the hallway where they liked to hang out before homeroom started. That had always confused Noelle. You would think if students lived on campus they would be showing up at the last possible second instead of showing up early and loitering around in the halls. It wasn't her business though. Maybe it was the only time of day that the students got to see their boyfriends and girlfriends or something. There had been a couple times thus far that she had caught a couple swapping spit in some dark corner and had to break it up, which made her wonder what else happened in these halls when people weren't looking. Nothing she cared to know, for sure.

________________________________________________________

`Status: Finished!
`Tag: Aaron Seymour
`Word Count: 650
`Lyrics By: The Fray - How To Save A life
`Notes:

[/font] pic by me
eeewww suckish :P[/blockquote][/size]

[aaron seymour]

Hm, how long could this painting have been kept in the building? It looked as ancient as the blanket that covered it. It probably was just as old. Whoever started out with the piece probably kept it in a store room until they retired, at which time it was moved to one room after another until it finally ended up here. Pretty soon it wouldn't have to be passed through the school like a hot potato. Obviously no one else wanted it or it wouldn't have been dumped on a teacher who didn't want to be rude and toss it, at least that no one could witness. If the school really wanted to get rid of it though, they would have given it to a teacher that they knew would get rid of it. But the clown was wearing a tutu, so naturally it would stay with the dance department. Maybe all of the dance teachers were the same.

Aaron dropped the corner of the blanket back over the painting as Noelle negotiated. That sounded like a good deal to him. Dance lessons (and information) in exchange for his services. He only wished that taking out evil clown paintings was all he offered. He grinned and extended his hand to make the deal official. "Call me Arn, 'n' ya've got yarself a barter, Noelle." He took her hand and lightly shook it before letting go to examine the old blanket again, trying not to remember what was underneath it. At the sounds coming form the hallway, Aaron guessed that it was about time for classes to commence. He should probably get along to his own classroom before his students wreaked havoc. It was only for the beginning of class until he was ready to start, then they filed to their seats and sat listening. After the first few minutes with his class at the beginning of the semester it wasn't hard to figure out they were more interested in listening to him talk than what he had to say.

"I'd keep it'n the wardrobe 'til school ends. Don't want'a scare yar students." Even if she left it out with the blanket over it, it wouldn't keep the room safe from curious and snooping hands. The noise out in the hallway became louder as more students filed down the hallway from breakfast or their dorms to begin a new day of classes. "I should be goin'" Stepping away from the covered painting, Aaron moved in front of the counter and leaned over it to look for a paper and something to write with. Finding a sticky pad and pen, he pulled them on top of the counter and wrote down his name and number. Pulling the sticky apart from the rest he handed it to Noelle. "Call me when classes finish so we can take care o' business." He replaced the pen and pad then headed for the door just as it opened and a few students entered.

He stopped to let them in, holding the door open with his foot. At the same moment he was about to turn back and wish Noelle a good day, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Letting the door swing closed after the students all made it through, he pulled it out and looked at the number. Restricted Frowning, he flipped the phone open and opened the message. Got a job for you. BJ's at 7 So much for his return to normalcy. Closing his phone, he pocketed it and tried to figure out where he saw a BJs. He couldn't think of anywhere. He knew it was a wholesale store, but he'd never been to one. He just stuck to the supermarket. Turning around, he wondered if Noelle would know. She knew the city better than he did. "Uh, can I ask ya somthin'?" He leaned his hand against the counter. "D'ya like BJ's?"

[noelle ackerman]

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
________________________________________________________

It was so hard to get passed the accent that this guy had. Noelle had met a British man once, but that was nothing compared to the one she was listening to right now. It was another one of her weakness; actually it was probably many women's weakness, a sexy accent. However, the teacher would keep the comment to herself, seeing as that would be almost as inappropriate as the picture hiding beneath the old blanket right next to them. When he extended his hand in agreement, Noelle smiled and took it gently, giving it a small shake before they both let go. He said his name was Aaron, she liked it. He looked like an Aaron. "Good, because as much as I might want to I wouldn't be able to get rid of this thing on my own." There was no way that Noelle would have the nerve to. The whole time she would be thinking that she would get in trouble or fired for it.

'I'd keep it'n the wardrobe 'til school ends. Don't want'a scare yar students.' That was a very good idea. Maybe with any luck the next time she opened the closet it would just be gone. Noelle didn't care if someone went ahead and stole it, at least it wouldn't be her problem then. The girl smiled and nodded lightly. "I think I will, someone will try to look at it if I don't." Her eyes glanced over his shoulder for a quick second as some students passed by her door, and then moved back up to Aaron's. Apparently he noticed the bustle outside as well because his next words were those of departure. However, instead of leaving, he walked past her toward her desk, or counter, whichever you wanted to call it. Noelle laced her fingers behind her back and turned on her heel, letting her other foot drag a little so her legs looked crossed over one another. It was a bit of a shy stance for her to take, but to be truthful Aaron was a little intimidating to her. He was tall, strong, handsome, and had one hell of an accent to put it all together. She would have to take some time to get her head around the fact that she would be teaching him how to dance.

He was scribbling something down on a piece of paper, which made Noelle curious, until he handed it to her and asked her to call him after classes anyway. She carefully took it from his hands and looked down at it, then back up with an agreeing smile. "Will do." Aaron was making her way for the door, which meant for her that it was time to get back into her morning routing. She had to get her attendance page up on the computer to mark who was here and who was absent, stop by the teacher's lounge real quick to get a cup of coffee, go through the pledge and the announcements with the students, and then classes started. Well, maybe she would skip the coffee today. Noelle was awake enough that she didn't really need it.

The woman retreated to behind her desk, sitting down quietly in her chair and sticking the note to the top of the computer monitor before calling up the school web page and going onto her account. She could hear a small group of students coming in, the ones that were usually first to homeroom - four guys and two girls, all chatting and laughing about some party or something. Noelle didn't like to eavesdrop on her student's conversations. 'Uh, can I ask ya somthin'?' Aaron's heavy accent made her jump a little bit and look up at him. When did he get back? Noelle stood from her seat, pushing her nerves away as she nodded. Skipping the coffee would be a good idea today. "Yeah, sure." She figured it would be something innocent. Maybe like, "When is your free block?" or "How do I get back to my room from here?" Instead he asked, 'D'ya like BJ's?'

Noelle's eyes widened. What had he just asked her? Some quiet giggles from the far side of the room drew her attention away for a moment, seeing the group of students watching the two teachers with smirks on their faces. That was amazing, really, that he had the nerve to ask a question like that here and now of all places, or at all really. "Excuse me?" She looked back at him angrily, trying to keep her voice low so the curious students couldn't hear her. "Look, Aaron, I don't know what kind of sick thrills you are looking for but if that's what this whole thing is about then you have come to the wrong person." If he was looking for a piece of ass then their deal was off. Noelle was in no way that kind of person, and if he assumed that then she was ready to kick him out the door in two seconds.

________________________________________________________

`Status: Finished!
`Tag: Aaron Seymour
`Word Count: 862
`Lyrics By: The Fray - How To Save A life
`Notes:

[/font] pic by me[/blockquote][/size]

[aaron seymour]

Tilting his head to the side slightly until he looked like an inquisitive dog, he waited for her to answer. He assumed she would answer his question with another, "Yeah, why?" or "No, why?" and then he would say he needed to meet someone there this evening and he didn't know where the closest one was. Then she would get a cute smile on her face and point him in the right direction. Planning out conversations almost never worked, you couldn't control people any more than the weather. Although, Aaron did it just about every day. He controlled when people died. He played God, and that was a dangerous thing to tamper with. If he wasn't dragged to Hell when he died, he would for sure be thrown down before he could even lay eyes on the Pearly Gates.

Aaron was proved correct that you couldn't plan out a conversation, for now Noelle was looking at him with this astonished expression on her face. The giggles coming from the students made him turn to look at them. They were grinning in the direction of the teachers, a girl leaned over to whisper something to the other and they giggled again. Feeling like he was missing something, Aaron frowned and returned his attention to Noelle. Her expression was hardened from what he had seen before and now he was really curious as to what he had said so make her look so...angry. "What?" He asked innocently. But it wasn't that fake innocence like when you're sitting in class and someone throws something at you and when you look at the person they are suddenly sitting perfectly still and looking at you like they have no idea what happened. No, he really was wondering what he did.

"Look, Aaron, I don't know what kind of sick thrills you are looking for but if that's what this whole thing is about then you have come to the wrong person." Now he was really confused and his face showed it. Sick thrills? All he wanted to know was where a BJ's was! How was that a sick thrill? Did she know why he was going there? But she couldn't have, not in the fifteen minutes they've known each other. He didn't even know he was going himself until about a minute ago. Unless, she really did know more than she was telling. All at once, his guard was put back up again as he looked her over carefully. "What're ya tolkin' about?" He chose his words carefully, but there was still confusion in them.

"Psst" Aaron looked around at the group of students still watching them with interest. The one who had caught his attention made thrusting movements with his pelvis while the rest of the group broke into snickers. Aaron only looked at him oddly for a few seconds before his movements sunk in. "No! No, I apologize." It was like a wave of relief rushed over him now that he understood what she had gotten so upset about. He would rather it be something like that than the other thing. "I'm tolkin' about the star. BJ's Wholesal it's called." Now he understood why she got the impression he was talking about a sexual action. It was just the way he phrased his question. He needed to learn to be more careful with that next time. "I's just wond'rin' if ya knew where ther' was one. Tha's all"

[noelle ackerman]

I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
________________________________________________________

The students on the other side of the room were getting a real kick out of this. They were grinning and snickering and whispering to one another and all and all just making the story a great one to tell all of their friends later. Noelle, on the other hand, felt incredibly embarrassed and angry. Something as simple as the question he had just asked her could have rumors spreading around the whole school started by the few kids sitting across the room. Plus, the fact that he had asked her that at all was sick and uncalled for, and even worse that he had dared asked her in front of her students. For Pete's sake, what she did or didn't do in the privacy of her own bedroom was no one else's business but the person she was doing it with! I mean, that was a really personal question, and unless that was what he was looking for Noelle doubted that he would have asked it.

When Aaron inquired as to what she was talking about, the woman placed her hands on her hips and stiffened her back in a way that said, "You know what I mean." She was so upset with his remark that she barely noticed that his face was sincerely confused, until his demeanor suddenly changed as well. He too stood up a little straighter, and his words felt more condescending as he asked "What're ya tolkin' about?" This was a site to see, two teachers practically sizing each other up, one being a fragile dance teacher and the other being one step away from a body builder. It had to show that she had some fight in her since for that split second she was able to look back up at him with the same intensity that he was looking at her with.

A quiet 'psst' from the other side of the room drew both of their attentions away for a second. One of the guys, Michael, started making thrusting motions with his pelvis and the entire group started laughing under their breath, obviously getting a kick out of this. Noelle's eyes narrowed a little and her chin fell, a sign that she was very much not happy with him. Michael didn't seem to care; he had on a smug expression as the two teachers turned back to each other. He just wanted to be a clown for his friends. 'No! No, I apologize." Right, after he went and made a fool out of her, now he wanted to apologize. He shouldn't have done it in the first place! Did you see her walking into his classroom and asking "Hey, do you like to be on the top or the bottom?" No!

Noelle's jaw clenched tightly, her expression remaining unchanged even after his apology. 'I'm tolkin' about the star. BJ's Wholesal it's called.' BJ's Wholesale? All at once, her muscles loosened. Her face fell from its angry look and her hands removed themselves from her side in a further embarrassed manner. He had been talking about the store? And here she was angry with him thinking he was talking about sex. The girl tucked one hand under the opposite arm and lifted her other hands to her forehead, rubbing it light as she said, "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry..." She felt like a fool all over again, but now for a completely different reason. When he said that he was looking to know where he could find it, Noelle felt even worse. "I'm sorry it's just...the way you phrased it...I thought..." She dropped her hand, looking up at his innocent face and finding a frog stuck in her throat. Considering he was apologizing, she had a good idea that he knew what she thought. There was no need to repeat it. "Yeah, the closest one is just outside of the city. I can give you directions when I call you later." Gosh, her day just kept getting worse. Noelle supposed that the whole "maybe today will get better" thing had been a fluke.

________________________________________________________

`Status: Finished!
`Tag: Aaron Seymour
`Word Count: 697
`Lyrics By: The Fray - How To Save A life
`Notes:

[/font] pic by me
i love how they are both angry and paranoid,
but for two completely different reasons xD[/blockquote][/size]

[aaron seymour]

That was just great. He thought he was finally going to be able to get somewhere and he had to go and screw up with such a simple question. Being in the United States for 15 years apparently didn't help him too much. He was still talking like a true Scotsman, mixing his chips and fries; fags and cigarettes. Two different terms for the same thing. He would never forget the first time he went into a QuikStop for a pack of cigarettes and asked the guy for some fags. It was the first time he was ever thrown out of any place in his life. He was just thankful the guy didn't call the cops on him, seeing as he wasn't quite a U.S. citizen yet.

After attempting to explain himself and clarify that he wasn't asking for a sexual favor, he waited anxiously for Noelle's reaction. It was a relief to see her whole body relax before his eyes. He never liked getting started off on the wrong foot, although it was unavoidable in his case a majority of the time, seeing as he killed most people before even bothering to know them. He knew their routines, but nothing more than their name. He didn't want to know. It made completing the task a lot easier without knowing what family they would leave behind. If he were to know that one of his targets had a little girl at home, he wouldn't have the heart to go through with it. It was just better not knowing. He never read the obituaries or lead articles in the paper about his targets for fear of coming across the loved ones.

"It's all right." The embarrassment that showed on Noelle's face made him smile. Now that the misunderstanding had passed, he found the situation rather amusing. He knew it was an easy mistake to make, but it was funny to him that her mind immediately went to the sexual reference without barely a second thought. Either she was having the typical fantasy of most females in the school or saw him as the type of guy that was after such favors. Which he wasn't; that type of guy. Sure, they were nice, but it wasn't what he was after in a woman. He was in it more for the companionship then the sex, although it was a bonus. "I'll be sure to choose my words wiser next time." If he thought before he spoke he would save himself a lot of trouble, but it wasn't typical of a human to think before speaking, unless of course they could be potentially hurtful words.

Aaron nodded when Noelle answered his question the way he originally anticipated. "Right, thanks." Aaron's response was rushed as more of the dance class filed in and the halls grew quieter except for some stragglers rushing through the corridors. He really needed to get back to his classroom, which was at the opposite end of the building, before administration decided to take a peek. Being as he was a new teacher, he was on "probation" and therefore subject to random observation, often without prior warning. It wouldn't be the best first impression if he were to be late to his own class, although he was already. He could only hope that today wasn't one of those days. "I'll get ou'a yar hair now. See ya, later." He rapped his knuckles on the desk/counter as a departing gesture and headed for the door, actually making it this time.
_______________

-.- boo. lol.

[noelle ackerman]

Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
________________________________________________________

No, it wasn't all right. Noelle hadn't judged Aaron to be that kind of person and should have never jumped to the conclusion that that was what he had meant in the first place. It made her wonder how he and other foreigners felt about Americans and how they could take a simple question about a wholesale store and turn it into something disgusting. It was the TV's fault, she most often times assumed. Either that or she had been two caught up in imagining what his muscles looked like with his shirt off. Either way, the woman felt like she hadn't made the best first impression, even though the man on the other side of the desk smiled sweetly when he saw her embarrassment. At least his action made it easier for her to laugh quietly at herself. He seemed like a nice guy, and if she kept that in mind then hopefully Noelle wouldn't make a mistake like that again.

'I'll be sure to choose my words wiser next time.' Something in the simplicity of those words made the girl's heart flutter a little bit, and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips as her hands took their place shyly clasped behind her back again. Aaron had an undeniable charm and charisma about him, so much so that a statement like that when said the right way could leave her at a loss for words. This was a lot different then seeing a hot guy in a bar or exchanging numbers with someone you were flirting with while eating breakfast at the café, Noelle felt genuinely interested to know more about this man. Some unknown force drew her to him, curiosity, maybe? There was something hidden behind the gorgeous blue of his eyes, something that she couldn't put her finger on. It was the thing that brought him to her door, and the thing that hinted there was more to their meeting than his desire for dance lessons. Whatever this thing was, she was now hooked on it.

When Aaron thanked her, Noelle pressed her lips together lightly and nodded a 'your welcome.' Over his shoulder, she could see more of her class coming in now. Some just sat down and waited patiently, others took a great curiosity to the covered square on the side of the room, and others listened intently as the small group of students told quietly what had happened a couple minutes prior between the two teachers. Even with the business of her room, Miss Ackerman still felt her eyes locked on his, unable to look away until he said, 'I'll get ou'a yar hair now. See ya, later.' She blinked a couple times to bring herself out of the inquisitive trance, allowing herself to give Aaron a soft simper before his departure. "Bye." Her voice was soft, like when you just wake up from a deep sleep. Noelle wasn't even sure if he had heard her.

This time, her co-worker made it out the door, and not too long after the room was engulfed in a high-pitched scream that made the teacher jump and look toward the two girls who were now backing away from the covered painting. 'Miss Ackerman, what is that?!' Of course, people were already daring to take a peek. Noelle could see the questioning look arise in other student's eyes, making them want to look as well. Before that could happen, it was time to get it out of site. She removed herself from behind the desk, walking over toward the girls and the painting. "It's the demon seed of Chuckie, help me get it in the closet where we don't have to look at it." With the helped of a couple other students, the painting was stored and locked in one of the room's closets for later.

________________________________________________________

`Status: Finished!
`Tag: Aaron Seymour
`Word Count: 658
`Lyrics By: The Fray - How To Save A life
`Notes:

[/font] pic by me[/blockquote][/size]