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Iris frowned at his sudden distant-ness and decided it must have something to do with that book he'd flipped through. She stood and found it, recognizing the spine color. She slid it out, settling back in her chair. It was written in Russian, and she'd never been great at reading other languages, so she could only make out a few words on the cover. But she saw "Top 20" and "Russia", so she got the general idea. She flipped through the pages, glancing at pictures. She was about to give up and put it back on the shelf, when her eyes found a face she had just seen only a minute ago. Iris stared. It was a picture of Caden, seemingly taken only a couple of years ago. Not being able to understand it, she took out her phone, found google translate, and began to read. |
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The book was begging to be opened, Caden's page practically turning itself for all to view. It read: Caden Ortiz or, so they call him. 'Caden' s real name is Dmitri Vandaleev, having grown up in Magadan Russia. With Izza Vandaleev (deceased), Viktor Vandaleev, (deceased) and Alexi Vandaleev (unknown) as his siblings. Being born to Lisel and Jason Vandaleev. Lisel was born in Magadan, Jason in the United States. Caden's success started in nowhere, simply just making pretend bets with his friends who's names we've gathered were; Trevor ; Alex ; and Carmen (who he would later date in the following years) until one day, he invested correctly for once and made millions. Afterwards he started up buisnesses, helping others build theres before moving on to his last year of high school. Dmitri dated Carmen for the whole year, the two breaking up after a heated argument took play. He went to go live with his dad after his mother passed from cancer when he was 16, a mistake. The man buried himself in his wealth to try and fix it, try and keep her here for a little longer. But, it was no use. His father was no better, having done practically everything under the sun to him. Most scars he has are from his random attacks, though the one on his temple is from a car accident; across his cheek from a fight; and the one slipping over his lip is from a bobcat incounter. After finally reaching enough money and the age to move away, he did---moving to where people were saying was the land of second chances. Caden/Dmitri moved to Pheonix, Arizona, the city buzzing compared to him. He built a mansion away from the too loud of buzz in the city, resulting in his quiet sanctuary where he resides with his Great Dane, Murphy. The book started talking about his father and late teen years with him, dealing with both a man who seemed to hate him and the loss of what who was tethering him to reality. It was gruesome, some days he'd limp to school, others.... he wouldn't show for days and when he did? People made guesses of what happened, suggesting bobcats, rebel, or even a snow plow accident. Yet the ones who knew stayed silent, not saying a word. |
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(Sorry got swept up in RO breeding and sorting etc. :P) . Iris read, mind racing. So he'd told the truth about how he'd gotten all his money, and about his mother dying. Plus his father's abusiveness... She shivered, glad that her parents weren't quite that bad. But his real name being Dmitri? It sounded so false that she didn't want to believe it, but inside she knew it was true. The details of his scars and siblings made her a little uneasy. How did they know so much about him? It made her wonder what they knew about her. But why would they pay attention to her? Here she was, a nerdy nobody, friends with one of the top most successful people in Russia. Iris had many feelings swirling through her head, but the ones that stood out most were: Confusion about why he hadn't told her his real name, discomfort that they knew so much about him, and interest in talking to Caden-- or rather, Dmitri, again. |
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(all good lol whats the best you've gotten?) Caden speed walked to his dorm, his stride extending without him even knowing. His mind swirled with confusion and unease, wondering how they even knew so much about Carmen. He traced the scar on his lip, wondering how they knew of the encounter. His door came quick, the man opening it and locking it behind him. Caden's shoulders shook with each breath, his tall, toned frame sinking to the carpeted flooring. His throat felt tight, breath hard to reach as his mind started running down rabbit holes. How'd they known about his father? His true name? Dmitri---Caden wasn't Dmitri anymore, at all. He'd changed, never wanting to go back to the name as the memories linked behind it were fear inducing. He thought back to Izza, Viktor, and Alexi, his brothers and sister. Izza had died in some freak acident, everybody telling a different story which lead to a mugged conclusion for him. Viktor died while ice fishing, the ice having thawed and dropped him into the freezing water before wrapping its arms around him and dragging him down. And Alexi? Caden shivered at his eldest brother's name. Alexi had been like his father, but worse. After a match from Jason, his brother would come and deliver even worse----which was why he never had friends over. His breath came quick and sharp as he pressed a palm to his chest. The man felt his eyes start stinging, the feeling all too familiar as hot, salty drips started running down his face. Caden wiped at them, yet another replaced those he wiped. He stayed like that for a while, eyes wide, staring off at the celining as the memories wouldn't hold off on him. |
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(I suprised myself today and got not only one WWW but two! O.o The rest were EEEs lol) . Iris closed the book rather slowly, and slipped it back onto the shelf. She was still deep in thought. Then she felt Caden's-- Dmitri's?-- Caden's sweater around her and she knew what she had to do. Iris grabbed her phone, braced herself to face the cold, and opened the door that led outside. As she walked towards the boys' dorms, she looked up what room Caden's was on the college's website on her phone. She located his name and headed there. A few minutes later, she made it to his room door. She lifted her hand to knock, then hesitated. What was she doing? What did she know about him? Why was she trying to help him? Because they were friends. Because she cared about him and didn't want to see him upset. Iris took a breath and knocked before she could change her mind. |
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Caden was still by the door, lost in a haze of confusion and worry. What if Iris had read it? Figured out that he had a lot under his fake persona? Would she not like him anymore? Shut him out? What if she never spoke to him aga- A sharp knock booted him out of his thoughts. Caden stood, wiping his face dry before putting on his best 'im-okay-and-totally-didn't-just-have-a-panic-attack' face. "Oh, hey Iris." He tried to say confidently, though his voice was still half raw. Though, he did find himself letting his walls down a little when he saw it was her. |
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Iris breathed a sigh of relief when he opened the door. She'd been expecting him to ignore her and not want to talk to her. She was glad he was there. Iris offered a small smile and asked quietly, "Can I come in?" She didn't want to intrude, but it felt weird to talk to him about such private things in the middle of the hallway. But she didn't know if he would be okay with her coming in or not, so she was ready to be told no. |
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Caden blanked for a second ... even after reading that she didn't...hate him? He moved out of the way, beckoning for her to come in. "Yeah, of course. You'll have to excuse the mess, though." He murmured, mad he hadn't prepared for even the thought of this as he grabbed a few items and tossed them into their drawers or onto their shelves. The man leaned against his desk, curious as to her occasion to come. "What's the occasion? Miss me already?" Caden teased, letting out a hollow chuckle. |
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Iris thanked him and looked around before deciding to just stay standing. His room wasn't that messy... But it was a little cluttered. She smiled at his joke, but was still distant. "First," she began, then pulled his sweater over her head and tossed it to him. "I came to return this. Second..." She bit her lip and hesitated. Should she really tell him? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all... No. She had to do it. Iris breathed out sharply and said quickly, "I read that book." |
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Caden didn't expect her to throw it at him, being zoned out before catching it and tossing it into a heap at the end of his bed. He listened to her words, noting the way she bit her lip and hesitated. -Just spit it out!- He thought, a attentive look etched on his face as he kept his gaze on her. Was she going to say it? Caden wanted to know now, she needed to stop teasing him and just say... He paled, eyes widening a smidge. "You... you know... everything now, don't you?" |
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Warming, with Sleet and Heavy Icing
