2010-03-14: Moving Day

Starring:

Jamie_V4icon.pngHallis_V4icon.pngSydney_V4icon.png

Date: March 14, 2010

Summary:

Jamie and Syd go to see Hallis.


"Moving Day"

Hallis' Apartment

It's strange being back in this building after having moved out only months earlier. Particularly with Jamie in tow. She's got a couple of bags with her — she's travelling lightly, particularly as she's not entirely sure Hallis will go for this. Her general mood over the last two days has been one of apprehension, but after talking to Amy she'd made a decision, it's just been hard to follow-through.

As the pair enter the hallway, she glances at Eric's door and then the one that was her own. Butterflies press against her nervous stomach as she trudges down the hallway to another familiar door — the one belonging to Hallis Van Cortlandt. She steps up to the door and raps gently on it. Her brown hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and while she feels safer in her goth garb, she wasn't about to see Hallis in it — the socialite probably wouldn't recognize her. "Just smile, and follow my lead, Jamie…"

Is there any doubt that Jamie will be smiling? Sydney probably can't help but feel the relief just rolling off of her, glad to be out so Fred is safe. She rocks a little on the balls of her feet as she stands by the door with Sydney, nodding quickly as she says, "Ok."

There's footfall and a voice behind the door, apparently someone is expecting company, but no one important. Slowly the latches turn and the door opens to reveal a stunningly dressed, petite, young blonde woman. Her gaze falls first on the goth woman and then on the teen (who might be the same size as she is) and a confused frown forms on her features. "Chelsea, I have to go… there's some people at my door. I think they're selling tickets to the band with the guy with the long tongue." Pause. "Oh my god, I know right?! I couldn't believe it either!!" There's a tinkling laugh from both ends of the phone as the socialite turns halfway and leans against the frame. "Did she ever see him again?" Another pause. "Really? Okay, really I have to go… see you for lunch!" One more pause. "Yes, I'm actually making it myself! You should see me in the kitchen, I'm like a regular Martha Stewart… just younger, prettier, and with a better social life." Yet another pause. "No jail! Bye!"

It's about then the young celebutante finally acknowledges the two people at her door and gives them a wary smile, the kind you give to Jehova's Witnesses when they're trying to give you a copy of The Watchtower. "Can I help you?" A longer gaze is given to the taller of the two and then Hallis leans forward. "Oh my god… SY — " she stops herself and just gapes, horrified. "What have you done?! Get inside this apartment right now, I'm calling Henri and Phillipe. You need a makeover. Were you in jail or something? Did you become someone's … " She lowers her voice to spare the young girl the language and whispers to her friend, "…bitch?"

Sydney shoots Jamie a reassuring smile before the door opens — although it doesn't seem necessary. It's good to know the girl is feeling better about things, even if it means an awkward conversation for Sydney. "Yes, it's me, Hallis — I… no, I wasn't arrested, but we're fugitives and it's easier to hide in a city I've lived for many years in the open." Her black lips flicker into a smile. "This is Jamie, she's… special." Her grin grows. "Do you remember that video that was on television back in… November?"

Jamie blinks up to Hallis as she talks on the phone, eyes widening just a little. Even if Sydney mentioned who they were going to see, maybe the name didn't quite register, but the girl knows the face enough at least. "Wow." She still can't help but giggle, though, at Hallis reaction to their 'disguises', and comments to Sydney, "See, I told you they look silly." Then, after Sydney's introduced her, she says with a smile, "Hi."

After pulling the two inside, Hallis gapes at the teen and shakes her head. "Really?! You're the girl from the video? My boyfriend was working overtime because of that, I think he hired a band or something." Then she smiles up at Sydney and it drops, "Where have you been?! I thought I was dead!! I needed you and you're… What are you doing? I mean, are you pretending to be that guy from the Cure?" Ah Mister Robert Smith, everyone's first crazy emo love. "You're not here to drop her off and then go kill yourself, are you?"

"You thought you were dead?! Well at least you're not dead! I'm glad you're okay!" Sydney sighs heavily as she relaxes some inside Hallis' apartment. "I — I've been around. I got… ratted out, I guess is the word. An agent met me and then I was gonna help her until.. well… until Jamie came through the pipes. Then we went and lived with a friend so we could try working on this whole evolved case… except, my friend works for… well, the people we were running from — I think he's trying to take them down or something — I'm sorry I've been out of touch. Been trying to look out for Jamie. And Trent." She bites her bottom lip. "And no, I'm not going to kill myself. I swear. This is just a disguise. In fact, I'm about ready to go blonde again…"

Jamie nods quickly to Hallis and grins, "I am! Everybody but Sydney's yelled at me about it ever since." Then she frowns just a tiny bit, "Your boyfriend's not trying to tell people I lied, is he? Cause I didn't!" She quiets then, while Sydney explains the situation, but when she makes that last comment she asks hopefully, "That mean I can dress normal again too soon?"

Hallis is busy looking from her friend to the girl and back to her friend again. Then, all of a sudden, she throws up her hands and waves them around like she's about to go into some kind of spastic seizure. Maybe she is. "Wait wait wait… You actually MOVED IN with one of the people that works for the people that are kidnapping you? What is wrong with you Sydney?! You're supposed to be smarter than that. I mean, you went to school and everything, didn't you? Is this about you breaking up with Eric? Because he left right after you got out of the hospital, I bet he went back to England." Unfortunately, there's just not a sensor on the young woman's mouth, but she leads them through the vast apartment toward the fabulous kitchen. She's been busy, cooking. "Do you want anything?

"What? Eric is gone?" Sydney wrinkles her nose. "Huh. And we didn't… I mean… to break up a person… has to date.." she shrugs a little. "And yes, we moved in with one of those people, but I didn't know at the time, he is a really old friend. I mean, from high school. And he's not… I mean, he isn't… he's a good guy, he really is. And I trust him." She should've left only days after arriving, but then it was too easy to become attached. She rubs her cheek absently all the while following Hallis to the kitchen. "What are you making?" the therapist remembers her friend's baking only months earlier. That had been an adventure. "I'm actually not hungry, but thank you. Maybe Jamie is."

Jamie nods quickly to what Sydey says, "Fred's great! He didn't turn us in or anything. But… well, he'd get in big trouble if they found us with him, so we had to go." Then she nods quickly at the offer of food, "Yes please!" She follows along to the kitchen, looking around with obvious curiosity.

On the counter, there's a cookbook, open to a page with a rather difficult recipe for something gourmet. Apparently the young socialite has been busy learning everything there is to know about French cooking. In the oven, there's the delectible scent of patries wafting through the air. Putting the oven mitts on her hands, the young woman peeks through the window before opening the door and pulling out a tray of fresh croissants laced with chocolate and almonds. "You're not allergic to nuts, are you? I found out that one of my friends is… Did you see that movie with the kid that turned into a blueberry? She really turned into that!" The news about Fred being a good guy? Well Hallis just keeps her mouth shut about that. He's a member of enemy forces, whether or not he's on her friend's side.

"Well I'm not allergic to anything," Sydney says before glancing at Jamie. She actually has no idea if Jamie has allergies. How is that possible after two months of hanging together? Go figure. "Are you talking about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? I always liked that part." The blueberry part. "So what's going on with you? I tried calling you a few weeks back…" She peeks at the recipe book, and she really does seem surprised that Hallis is tackling French cooking of all things. "Feeling ambitious with the cooking?"

Jamie shakes her head quickly to Hallis' question and says, "Don't think so. I eat peanuts all the time and I never turn into a blueberry," she adds with a giggle. "Dunno if I'm allergic to anything else." She grins at the pastries, "Smells great!"

"Yeah! The one with Johnny Depp, you know I met him once? He's weird! But so sexy… if you're into that unwashed kind of thing. Seriously." Poor Jamie, Hallis isn't masking her language too much, treating the girl just like she would one of her own friends. The patries are gently lifted off the pant with a spatula and carefully placed on a wire rack to cool a little. Licking her lips, the socialite glance at Sydney with a rather apologetic expression on her face. "I'm sorry I didn't answer my phone… I was in the hospital for a while after the accident. Then I went to Haiti with Adam." The blonde man's name is said with a rather reverent sigh, Sydney might feel the a twinge from the young blonde woman.

"Adam?" Sydney quirks an eyebrow. "What happened with George? And what were you doing in Haiti?" That seems very very strange for Hallis. "Are you better now — with the hospital, I mean?" Her lips curl downwards into a frown, her and Fred had a mini-argument about Hallis' mental state back in January. That feels like ages ago. There's a pang of something on Sydney's part…regret, and not about that first argument with Fred, but the one she's anticipating within the next few hours. But then, maybe he'll understand? She raises a hand to her forehead and sighs again. "I'm glad you're alright though — out of the hospital and looking well."

Jamie looks up to Hallis curiously at the mention of an accident, "You were in an accident? What happened? I've never been in any accidents, except things like slipping on too much ice. I've been shot once, though, that really hurt." Then she nods in agreement, "Glad you're ok too."

Turning toward Jamie first, Hallis dishes out one of the hot pastries to the teen before nodding to her. "I was run over by a semi truck. I thought I was dead for the longest time… There was a guy there about my age, he told me that I was in purgatory and I had to make things right." The rest of the story is left quiet, there's just too much of it for one sitting, especially when there's chocolate croissants to indulge in. As she dishes one out to Sydney (even though the goth woman said she wasn't hungry), the young blonde gives her a smile that borders on a grimace. "George is fine, we're right back where we left off. He's like my rock, he's always making everything better for me. I don't know why he puts up with me, really. I mean… I'm not special like you, I'm just…" What is she, really. Then she shakes her head and waves her hand dismissively. "Adam's the man I went to Haiti with… He saved my life after I got shot. Then we went to the spa. He's bipolar or smoething, sometimes I think he hates me."

"Well I'm glad to hear George is good. Actually, I was hoping to talk to him. I've been doing some research on what the government has been doing. I want to help stop them." Sydney shrugs at Hallis as she eyes the pastry. She doesn't touch it yet. "You are special though! Annnnnd, I'm here to ask for a favour. After we left Fr-friend's house, we don't have any place to stay. I can't go to the townhouse — that's how they found me in the first place, Amy's is off-limits, and I'm steering clear of Hope Hearth. Is there any chance we can stay here? I have another charge right now too — Trent…" She still arches an eyebrow at the mention of Adam, but says nothing else about him..

Jamie blinks at Hallis' words again, "You got shot too?" Then she's quiet, though, mainly just listening to the adult conversation. She's old enough that it doesn't fly over her head like it would have a couple years earlier, but she's still young enough she doesn't really have a clue what to add to the conversation about guys. When Sydney mentions the favour, though, she nods and adds quickly, "Trent hasn't got a power either, but he's really cool. Really smart too."

"Yeah, I got shot in my side. I didn't even know it until I got into the jeep. It was horrible." Hallis says quickly, taking a croissant for herself and tasting just a corner of it. After the first bite, she pushes the plate toward the center of the island. Not because the pastry isn't good, but because she's still overly conscious abuot being as fat as she is. All 97lbs of her. Looking toward Sydney, Hallis' eye twitches a little bit but she manages a smile. "Uhm… you really want to stay here? With a little boy?" She looks around at her beautiful apartment, there's a disctinct forlorn expression on her face as she gazes at all of the pretty things she's collected. "Yeah, I suppose I could baby proof the house…" Then she turns to the psychologist and gives her a pointed look, "He's clean in the bathroom, right? Because if he pees on the toilet seat I'm making him go outside."

"Yes, I'm sorry. Look, I am running out of options righ tnow. I have other friends, but they think… frankly they think my avoidance of my home is schizophrenic paranoia, and question my mental health." Sydney frowns a little, "And they should. If they didn't, they would be bad therapists." She shoots Hallis a soft smile, "Thank you. I need to get more stuff and… talk to my friend. I won't tell him where we are, just want to let him know we left so he doesn't worry or something."

Jamie ohs, and says, "That must've really hurt! I got shot right here." She points to the middle of her chest. Any normal person, and that shot would have killed her. "That was right before I found Sydney." She frowns again then, "Trent's not a baby! He's just a year younger than me. And he never does anything like that, he's really polite and everything."

Giving Sydney one of those incredulous looks that only Hallis can give, the kind that makes lesser people wither where they stand. One of her thin blonde eyebrows shoots up toward the tall ceiling and she purses her lips. "You don't even need to ask. I'll have Emery make more keys to the apartment, just remember to be careful and don't let that guy get mad." Hallis knows exactly what happens when Sydney panics, the goth landed in the hospital last time for over a week. "I'll let you show Jamie around, I need to call Chelsea to tell her that we're going out for lunch. I'll leave the key, Jamie there's… probably something on television. You watch television, right?" Poor Hallis, so out of touch with what children do. She was born a tiny adult.

Without waiting on an answer from either of them, the young heiress sweeps from the room. Leaving them to their own devices.

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