Deviation strolled into the bar, sighing at the sight of her brother Harold crooning into the face of a few starstruck patrons. She looked towards the bar but the tender was already gone. She froze looking wildly about the bar for a moment until her eyes fell upon Gene who in turn pointed towards the door. She waved and blew him a kiss before wandering in that direction.

Deviation watched him light the cigarette, her head tilted slightly to the side. She strolled towards him, worried for a moment that she could be considered “stalking”. The thought made her laugh and she touched him gently on the arm to catch his attention. “Scared you off?” she asked softly, smiling like a shark as her brother Harold bounded out the door behind her.

He looked at Nick and then at Deviation.  “Party, at Mun’s ya’ll goin’?”

Deviation blinked then waved her brother away, he shrugged and bounded back inside. She looked back at him arching a brow. “Well?” she asked moving around behind him, trailing one hand over the small of his back, she appeared on his other side and took his cigarette. She took a pull and danced away a few steps. “You. have been. invited.” she said paraphrasing her favorate line from “A Clockwork Orange.”

The night seemed to crawl by for Nick, mixing drinks and making small talk while catching little glimpses of her across the way.

She didnt make another trip to the bar, Nick noted, her entourage of brothers instead taking turns ordering drinks. But once or twice she met his eyes, evoking a rather wide grin before his attention was demanded by customers.

Moments after watching her slip out to the patio he was rather abruptly pulled from a day dream that would have certainly acquired an R rating by Mona’s hand on his shoulder. With a nod towards the office in the back she preceeded him leaving Nick to follow after a breif glance towards the door.

Settling her heavy frame into a chair that squealed protests Mona shook her head slowly, rings sparkling as she waved for him to close the door. Once done he perched on the edge of the desk, the only other furniture save a large glass table in the middle of the room.

Mona frowned faintly, her heavy makeup making her eyes seem all the larger as she sized him up before speaking.

“Look Nick, you and I we’re both the same sort. It’s why I gave you a shot. It’s been almost a year now and I like to think that we understand eachother pretty well. So take this as I intend it. That girl is bad news. You wanna fuck her and I cant say anyone would blame ya. But watch yourself.”

SOmething about the looks Nick had received from the dark haired girl had ruffled her. She’d been unable though to say why, perhaps even a touch jealous considering Nick was by all accounts the closest she’d come to a friend of late.

For his part Nick was abit speechless, shaking his head after a moment with an infectious grin. “Mona I promise to be careful. But I’m a big boy, I can handle some girl breaking my heart.”

Climbing to his feet he let himself out shaking his head. But Mona was unconvinced, it was after all a woman who had landed him here in the first place and Nick was easily swayed by pretty eyed girls who moved to fast.

He waved his fingers in farewell and slipped out of the office, scanning the bar as he headed back up front with a sinking  feeling when he saw no sight of her. But her table was still occupied, a good sign he hoped as he slipped back behind the bar.

The clock ticked down the last fifteen minutes with his eyes glued to the door every moment he could. Another girl, another night and he might have just let it go, figured it wasnt meant to be and moved on. But today was a rough one and she seemed…different.

At midnight he was already out from behind the bar, a worn leather jacket tossed over his arm as he squeezed through the small tables that were to close together and made his way towards the patio.

For a moment he stood, silhoutted in the bright lights while something heavy and pounding echoed from inside. But catching no immediate sight of her he let the door fall closed, the light that had haloed his dark hair vanishing back to the indoors.

Frowning faintly he dug around his pockets before dragging a crumpled pack of smokes out followed by a much abused silver zippo. The light flared, orange and red a moment and close enough to his face that his eyes held the color before it dissapeared in the audible snap of the lighter flicking shut.

Deviation shook his hand, there was a sudden tingling ache in her palm and then she Knew. She quickly lowered her eyes in a parody of coyness to hide the gleam of greed in her eyes. She looked up as he glanced towards her brothers and moved so that she blocked the immediate view with her own body.
“Nice name,” she told him, a devious little light glinting in her eyes as she repeated his name, adding an almost exotic inflection to it as she rolled it over over on her tongue. “Reminds me of a Prince song.” she said teasingly.
“As to plans… well it depends on what you’re up for… Nickolaus. That is, if you have the energy for it.” she said, grinning wickedly, holding his eyes with her own before she nodded to another patron who was belly up to the bar. “I’ll be here.” she told him before sauntering away. Back at the table Gene was watching Nick over Deviation’s shoulder.
“What the hell did you say to him?” Gene asked, his dark eyes going to Deviation’s face then back to the busy bartender. Deviation chuckled and looked over her shoulder at Nick then shrugged at her brother.
“I’m going to be a little busy tonight, Gene.” she told him as she sat down. “I might not be able to make it to Greg’s after party thing.”
Gene gave his sister big eyes then snorted. “Yeah? Damn girl you work fast.” Fred leaned over Gene, narrowing his eyes slightly. Out of all of them Fred seemed to have the largest most lumnious eyes of them all. Deviation suppressed a shudder as they pinned on her.
“How often does your sibling celebrate the release of a major indie film, Deviation Colderone?” he asked her, wagging a finger.
Both Deviation and Gene looked at each other and smirked. “Once every six months.” they replied in unison. Fred tilted his head and nodded once.
“You’re right, you’re free to spend this night as you please.” he said with a regal, dismissive wave of his hand. Gene burst out laughing as Deviation threw icecubes at Fred, bouncing them off his forehead.
For the remainder of the night Deviation sent her brothers to the bar to get the drinks, though she’d watch the bartender from time to time, her expression abstracted unless he looked her way.
Then she’d grin quickly, give a little wave and turn back to speaking with her brothers.
She checked her watch at 11:20 and got up to step outside ‘for some air’. She excused herself to the smoking patio and stood on the far side, away from the lights and the people, facing the door. Flipping open her cell phone she dialed quickly from memory.
“Stitt? Deviation. Found one.” There were a few moments of silence on her end as she listened, her expression turning more and more vicious. “What the hell do you mean ‘no space’?” she growled. “We have an agreement, Stitt. I turn them over within 9 hours of fiding them, period. You told me this wouldn’t be a problem, man.”
She listened again, turning away from the door and snarling even lower. “The money batter be in my account in 30 minutes Stitt, or you’ve lost your best fucking tracker.”
She listened again then smiled like a saint. “Thanks, Stitt!” she chimed. Suddenly her expression became frozen. “How long?” she asked, incredulous. “You’re fucking kidding me.” She drummed her fingers on the wooden railing. “I don’t do babysitting, Stitt. I want a holders fee granted to me… yes… 20,000…No, anything less and I let this one walk and maybe the next one too, you little grubfucker.”
She smiled again, all sunshine and rainbows. “Wonderful! You’re the best!” she signed off with a little kiss into the phone, laughing.

Eyes drawn back to her face by her words, a smile conjured by the comment, Nick nodded in understanding.

It was the family to tease and deride. So long as it was family, no such rights afforded to those outside the unit. A pang of jealousy, a half remembered time before and a dark haired sprite of a girl laughing in the sunshine.

Stamping it down Nick put his mind to filling orders, mundane routine things that left no room for wandering thoughts. Mona paid him to entertain, to keep the bar as interesting as the chess board of a dance floor that rimmed the far side of the place.

Turning the smile up and forgetting for the moment the group across the way he turned his attention to the patrons nestled around the bar proper, his persona moving to the forefront as he abandoned his normal shyness to greet those who were trickling in.

Several moments went by, pouring drinks and taking orders, chatting with a few before his curiosity drew his attention back towards the group across the way only to find her yet again just steps away.

Grinning he raised a brow at the name, taking her hand. “Bunny huh?” He didnt reply immediately, trying to puzzle out what had earned him such a request so quickly. It wasn’t that he hadn’t had similair questions asked, just not generally until later in the evening when things were abit more intense and drinks were sliding down easier.

“Nick….Nickolaus if ya prefer,” he added as an after thought “And I’m off at midnight.” Curious the brow arched again, his smile dampening just a touch as he looked from her brothers to her.

“What’d ya have in mind?”

Deviation looked at the change in her hand and smiled beautifically at the bartender.

Slowly she curled her hand over the money in her palm and nodded. “He thinks so, at least.” she said of her brothers singing. “I’ve heard too much of it to be a gracious judge.”

She looked down at the drinks in front of her, his fingers had left yellow marks like pollen on the glass.  She thanked him for the drinks and carried them back to her brothers. Harold (as usual) threw back his drink almost without breathing.

Gene smirked at her as she looked back at the bartender. “Yummy?” he asked sipping his drink and she laughed.

“Not as yummy as some.” she said and grinned.

Gene took another drink and mulled that over. “You have been mowing through the menfolk, Bunny.” he said softly. “Not that I’m one to judge. So have I.” Bunny started to laugh and then shrugged.

“I’ll be right back.” she said then wandered back towards the bar. Waiting until she’d caught his attention she leaned over the bar while offering him her hand. “I’m Bunny.” she said by way of introduction. “And I’d love to know when you got off work tonight.”

Watching the group walk in the door Nick smiled faintly, wiping down the bar as he watched them wander through the room, the interactions with eachother drawing and keeping his eyes for longer than he had meant to before he was snapped out of it by an order.

The resemblance was easy enough even in the dim lighting to tell they were related, a realization that brought a smile to his lips as he turned his attention back to studying the girl…woman.

 It was the face that did it. Made her look younger, more innocent than anyone with a body like that had a right to. But he pushed the thought away, turning to refill a glass only to find her standing not a foot away, the wooden bar seperating them as she ordered drinks.

Taking the cash and ringing up her order Nick nodded to the vocalist. “he’s pretty good.” He handed her change back without further comment, turning his attention to making her drinks before setting them in a neat line before her.

“There ya go. Enjoy.” He watched her a moment, for the life of him unable to find a thing to say to strike up any sort of conversation despite every cliched view of bartenders the world over and instead turned dark eyes back to the countertop, scrubbing at a few stubborn marks on the dark surface.

Fred and Gene stumbled over Harold who’d almost fallen into the door while singing some Irish drinking song at the top of his lungs.

Deviation waited until they went inside, staring at the building’s facade. There that feeling was again. Tickling the back of her neck like the thin legs of dizzy spiders, she shuddered and then looked at the door, narrowing her eyes.  This strange skin buzzing feeling was generally a precurser to one of her “lucky finds”. She shuddered again and put her game face on as Gene peeked out the door and motioned to her.

“Come, get in here before your brother destroys the place, why’d you let us bring Harold anyway?”

She laughed and shook her head. “My brother huh? No relation to you?” She let herself into the bar, shaking her head again. The eight of them were all exact replications of each other, almost every nuance and expression could be found in perfect duplication on any of thier faces.

It was only their attitudes and behaviours that set them apart from one another.

There wasn’t anything in the bar. She narrowed her brown eyes and looked harder at the patrons, her mouth was tight and her expression was almost grim as she concentrated. And suddenly there it was. Like fine fairy dust on one of the glasses some scraggly man was drinking out of.
Gene touched her shoulder and she jumped, looking startled then laughed. “Sorry.” she said to his concerned expression. “I thought I knew him.” Gene looked at the man in question and gave Deviation very frank eyes.
“Like hell you thought THAT.” he told her as he moved away. “You’re just getting wierd on me again.” He sauntered towards their brother Harry just as he knocked some woman’s drink off the table. Gene caught the drink almost without looking at it, definatly without spilling a drop.
Not like it mattered to the woman, she was staring up at Harold with a mixture of awe, amusement and (here Deviation shook her head in disgust) unmasked lust.
Deviation walked towards the bar, scanning the patrons again. Nothing, just that fey dusting on the glass. She raised her eyes to the glasses hanging above the bar and the bottles on the rack behind the bar and was almost blinded by the glow that only she could see.
The glow of fingerprints dusted yellow.
Her mouth dropped open for a moment then she smiled, seeking out the bartender. She went to her brothers and took their drink order. Fred gave Deviation one of his unreadable looks when she asked him sweetly what he’d like to drink. “Whisky Sour, you know that…” Right then Harold burst into song, almost literally since he’d somehow obtained a whole bottle of Jack Daniels and was currently using it as an air guitar.
The woman squeeled in delight. “OHMIGOD! IT IS YOU!!”
“Seems your darling sibling is putting on the rock star act again.” muttered Gene, Harold was the lead singer of a popular emo rock band though he used a diffrent name in his act. He thought Harold Colderone was too “Accountantish” for the lead of a band called “Alive with the Glory of the Dark Masmia of my Soul”… or whatever their name was now.
Deviation rolled her eyes.
“Sure, why is it that you all keep giving that boy to ME?” she muttered back then moved away. She kept her eyes on the bartender and the barback, not sure which one it was until one of them touched something and left that tell tale dandiloin colored fingerprint behind.
She lowered her gaze and caught sight of a yellow fingerprint in the shape of a thumbnail moon, one that had odviously been missed during clean up.
She touched it, smearing the yellow into fantastic shapes until it’s color faded. She caught the bartender’s eye and grinned, tilting her head slightly. She was tall and well built with a pixieish face, one that was utterly adorable on her but damnation to her brothers.
Deviation placed her orders and handed the tender too much money. He was cute in a rascalish sort of way, she thought then lowered her eyes again to the place where the fingerprint had been.
It wasn’t very easy for her to see things other people couldn’t, it was distracting to say the least… she looked up again just as Harry got to the chorus of a song of his that was currently played on the radio then laughed as most of the women and some of the men joined in singing. Her brother glowed like a beacon, as if stage lights were trained
on his every move. He glowed so bright that the upturned faces of those around him reflected it… but it was a light that only she could see.
Sometimes, she mused, it’s a lonely feeling. Then she shrugged and ran her hands through her hair. “…and sometimes it’s the best feeling in the world.” she muttered under her breath.

The sand was splashed with the colors of the sunset, the pristine white bathed to a decidely orange hue as the sun slipped further into the waves. So close it looked, like you could reach out and warm your hands to it. It was perfection, time stilled for it to be taken in.

But time moves on as do all things and Nick shoved his hands in pocket, turning his back to the scene as his steps continued up the street. Pausing at the back door he cast on more glance to it, fixing in his mind the way the water sparkled at the touch of those golden rays, hands itching to put it to canvas, to recreate that and hold that moment in time just a little while longer.

Sighing he turned and pulled open the heavy metal door, varied messages scratched into the nondescript brown paint that served as employee entrance and fire door for the small bar.

Standing a moment in the sunshine, the fading rays catching on the dustmotes and the chocolate brown curls that fell aroundhis brow it was several moments of indecision, wanting badly to turn around and go home. The spell was broken though, Mona’s voice carrying across the room as she rumbled.

“Your fuckin LATE!!! Third time this month! You wanna keep this job ya show up on time. Now get your ass to work.”

At 6’2″ and 320 pounds it was easier to let the bark scare you. But Mona had no bite and a heart the size of of a volkswagon. Scowl dissapearing she wandered over to the jukebox and thumped it soundly, the voice of Amy Winehouse pouring out of it’s worn speakers.

Nick moved behind the bar and started putting things in order before the evening rush started, the place empty now save for the few regulars that had he not seen it with is own eyes at closing time Nick would have assumed never moved from their stools.

Sometimes you’re just too late to save anyone.

Deviation rubbed her nose with the back of her hand, the soft sleeve of her sweater scuffing her cheeks.

Sometimes you’re just too late to save even yourself.

She glanced over at her brothers, they were completely drunk or on thier way there.

“You could say…” said Harold, grinning in that way one gets right before a joke in bad taste “that it blew him away…”

Everyone else groaned, including Deviation, as Harold ducked and dodged a storm of empty beercans. Tonight was the 5th anniversery of their brother Isaiah’s death. He was working for NASA when a test rocket exploded, taking 2/3 of his head with it.

They dealt with everything humorously, the Colderone children did, this was no exception. Deviation stood, weaving slightly.

“Look, I’m gone, sitting here with you losers is depressing.”

“Where you headed then?” asked Ben, looking up at her with wide brown eyes, his expression one of perpetual anxiety.

“Bar.” she said simply, tugging on her jacket.

“But it’s still early,” siad Ben, rising with her and helping her into the leather bomber jacket as if he were an old man bent on chivelry.

Before Deviation could answer Albert lept unsteadily to his feet, “hell fuckin yes, lets go to a bar!” He stumbled and righted himself laughing. “Sitting around here at this sausage fest is a little too much for me, too, bunny.”

Deviation chuckled and kissed ben on the cheek. “We’ll come back in one piece, I promise.” Ben wet his lips and almost danced in place with anxiety. Deviation glanced around the room. “Coming?” she asked of her other brothers. Only Gene and Fred stood and got their coats. Fred wasn’t nearly as drunk as his siblings, just steady enough to not drive them into anything that could cripple or kill them and Gene was always ready for a change of atmosphere.

Deviation tossed her keys to Fred and left the room, walking almost silently through the house to the front door.

Sometimes, she thought, you arrive just in time to see it all end.

Deviation “Bunny” Colderone

No one ever wonders what happens to Octuplets when they grow out of the cute stage. Usually it’s because there’s nothing to report, just another herd of strange and aqward children struggling for the fleeting attention of a pair of parents with only so much love to give.

Deviation’s mother’s sense of humor was gone buy the time the eight child and only girl made her way, screaming, into the world. She only seemed to find it again on her deathbed, a few short years later when she turned to her weeping daughter and whispered “Fuck ‘em, Bunny, living well is the best revenge. That… and murder, anyway.”

Deviation was 4 years old.

She took living well to the extreame, living a lush life beyond anyone’s dreams. Many wonder what it took for her to get o this plush and luxurious plateu at the tender, foolish young age of 21.

They should be wondering what she’ll do to stay there.