It was one of those days. Yes, one of those exceptionally rare days that occurred perhaps only once or twice a decade. It was one of those days when Raz actually felt like doing something. And what's more, he felt like doing something with someone else. It was a rarity, indeed.

He was sitting at the kitchen table, just about to start looking through the paper for a good movie, when Kel came rumbling down the stairs. Raz glanced up as his older brother breezed in and headed straight for the fridge. "Kel! What do you say to a movie today?"

Kel glanced back over his shoulder, then pulled out the carton of milk and a tub of butter, making his way over to the counter. "Sorry, bro! Jenna's got some project or something she's got to do for French class at the zoo, and she doesn't want to go alone. Maybe tomorrow?"

Raising an eyebrow, Raz asked, "Why doesn't what's-her-name take her?"

"Sandy? Can't," Kel replied, taking a drink straight from the carton and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Turning his attention to buttering a slice of bread, he continued, "Her mom's dragging her off to Grandma's for the weekend. They should be on their way there… right about now, actually."

"Well, doesn't she have any other friends?" the younger brother inquired irritably, pushing his glasses further up. Kel folded the slice length-wise and shoved half of it in his mouth, giving his brother a shrug. Narrowing his eyes, Raz muttered, "Perhaps you should encourage her to make some… Today would be a good day to start, you know!"

Kel laughed, then finished off the rest of the bread. Giving his brother a grin, he replied cheerfully, "Yeah, but if I did that, she wouldn't need me anymore, now, would she?" He meandered back to the table to grab his jacket, draped over the back of one of the chairs. On the way, he couldn't resist messing up his brother's hair with a vigorously playful head rub. "Don't worry, little brother! We'll go see a movie soon. Promise!"

With that, he was out of the room, leaving a mildly irritated Raz behind and passing D on the way. The sound of the front door opening and shutting quickly followed.

Grumbling under his breath, Raz smoothed his hair stubbornly back into place, then fixed his eyes on his next target. "D, you're always up for a movie, aren't you?"

D paused behind the counter, giving his brother an apologetic look. "I'm really sorry, Raz, but I can't today!"

For a moment, Raz didn't say anything. Finally, in a slightly strained voice, he asked, "And what, pray tell, is your excuse?"

Picking up the butter and carton of milk Kel had left out, D sighed and returned them to the fridge. "I have to do my community service for my social studies class. I'm scheduled to be at the hospital from 2-5 today." He turned those big blue eyes of his on his brother. "I'm really sorry, Raz. I know how seldom you ever really want to do something, and I'd love to go with you, but…"

Turning stiffly back to his newspaper, Raz waved his brother off, a sarcastic tone to his voice. "Oh, no, don't worry me, D! Heaven knows I'm not important. Go on, have fun at the hospital. Don't let me stop you… wouldn't want to interfere with your all-important social studies and all."

Unable to help a small smile, D gazed at his brother for a moment longer, then apologized once more. "I really am sorry, Raz. I'll see you when I get back, okay?"

With that, the youngest Sonomorté brother disappeared in a brilliant flash of blue. Raz sat still for a moment, then set the paper down with a sigh. Well, so much for going to the movies today…

The silence of the house was suddenly starting to get oppressive. Almost without warning, Raz stood up and slammed his hands on the table. "Hey, I'm old enough! Hell, I'm more than old enough! I can go to the movies by myself if I want, and damn it, I feel like going to the movies today!"

He stood there for another moment, then pushed his glasses up defiantly and headed for the door, grabbing his coat on the way. "That's it, I'm going to the movies. Alone, dammit!"

Okay, so maybe going on his own wasn't the best idea he'd ever had. To be honest, he felt like a moron, sitting there alone in a nearly empty row, with only his popcorn and drink to keep him company. An utter moron.

Most of the time, Raz didn't mind being alone. Truth be told, he often preferred it to the company of most inane mortals. However, movie theaters were different, something he was quickly finding out. Movie theaters were simply one of those very few places where you needed at least one other person to feel completely at ease. Being alone in a theater was like being stuck at the top of a Ferris wheel by yourself: there just something wrong.

Just as he was about to give up and head for home, a hand tapped him on the shoulder. Slightly startled, Raz looked up to see a young woman standing there, smiling. Raz raised an eyebrow; people never just smiled at you unless they wanted something. "Yes?"

"Is this seat taken?" She gestured to the one she was standing in front of, which just happened to be the one immediately to his right. Still highly suspicious, Raz leaned back and looked down the row behind her. Nope, still empty. So, for that matter, were the entire rows both in front and behind him.

"Does it appear to be taken?" Answering a question with a question tended to irritate people. Perhaps it would work this time…

Alas, it failed. The girl actually grinned at him. "Ooh, tad bit touchy, are we?" Without further hesitation, she dropped down into the seat, still grinning away. Leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees, she brushed a few strands of her dark red, chin-length hair back behind her ear in one smooth, natural motion. "Okay, you seem to be in a bad mood, and I'm guessing that sitting through a movie by yourself probably won't help… so, I'm gonna save ya!"

Raz gave her a highly skeptical look. "Save me?"

"From utter humiliation and an otherwise hum-drum day!" she cheerfully proclaimed, looking at him with sparkling golden brown eyes.

"Right…. By gracing me with your endearing presence, no doubt," he replied dryly.

She snagged a kernel of popcorn from his bag and popped it in her mouth, giving him a wink. "Gee, got it in one! Give the boy a prize!"

Raz rolled his eyes. "Wonderful."

The girl simply leaned back comfortably and continued smiling. Raz growled under his breath, leaning on the arm rest farthest away from her. Oh yes, it was going to be a wonderful movie, indeed.

"You can't be serious!" Raz looked at the girl incredulously. The movie had just ended and the credits were rolling to the sounds of some pop-chart hopeful. Only he and the girl were left in the entire theater. Gesturing with one hand, he continued, "The plot was completely contrived! I knew the ending within the first five minutes!"

"Well, you didn't really expect this to be some deep, revolutionary revival of horror movies, did you?" she replied, reaching for Raz's drink. He snatched it away without even thinking. It didn't seem to phase her in the least. "Horror flicks like this only end in certain ways. Either everybody dies, the guy gets the girl and then they die, guy gets girl and they somehow manage to get away, or you get a handful of survivors and some little twist at the end meant to convince ya that it ain't over yet - thus opening the door for the dreaded sequel. But that's not the point!"

"Oh, really…" he drawled with a sharp laugh, taking a sip of his drink. "Then please, what is the point? Enlighten me."

Grabbing the bag of popcorn before Raz could stop her, she explained, "The point of a horror flick is to give you a thrill… or, if it's really bad, then at least a laugh or two!" She sat back almost primly. "And that, I believe, was accomplished!"

Raz looked at her as if she were crazy. "Says who?"

"Oh, come on!" she exclaimed. "You can't deny that you actually jumped at least twice, and I heard you laugh on three separate occasions!"

He crossed his arms stubbornly. "Only because it was so utterly predictable and the effects were so poorly done."

Suddenly, she was leaning in towards him. Raz gave a start as he noticed her face mere inches from his own, jerking back involuntarily to press against the other armrest. She leaned on the one closest to her, smiling almost coyly. Raz's glasses slipped down slightly.

"You know you enjoyed it, kiddo!" she chided with a smile. A quick giggle escaped her lips, and before he could protest, she gave the bridge of his glasses a tap, pushing them back in place for him as she continued. "And if not for the movie itself, then for the discussions we've been having, both during the movie and now!"

For a moment, Raz simply sat there and stared at her, stunned. His normally quick mind was completely blank for once. The girl laughed again, then stood up suddenly. "And, if you at least enjoyed something, then mission accomplished for me! Later, kiddo! It's been fun!"

With a wink, she turned and made her way down the aisle. Raz felt a heat creep into his cheeks. "K-kiddo?!" he finally managed to yelp indignantly, face turning even redder from the simple fact that he was blushing to begin with. Instantly, he turned face forward, crossing his arms and fuming for a moment.

The golden glimmering of something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. A heart locket was lying on the floor, right in front of where the girl had been sitting. Curious, Raz leaned over and picked it up. The chain appeared to have broken. As he examined it, the heart popped open.

Raz's first reaction was to roll his eyes. Oh, how cute: one of those lovey-dovey little lockets to hold a picture of you and your so-called heart's desire. It was almost enough to make him turn away right then and there. However, before he could close it, he noticed something rather strange about the inside.

There was only one picture, a rather cute one of the girl as she winked and flashed a peace sign at the camera. The other side, the one meant for her beau, was empty.

Instantly, Raz looked up. "Hey!"

Unfortunately, they girl had already left. Cursing to himself, he practically leapt to his feet and stumbled as quickly as he could down the aisle, trying not to cringe at the sound of his shoes sticking to the theater floor. Blinking in the bright light of the main lobby, he called out, "Hey, uh… Dammit, what the hell was her name?!"

Not that it mattered much, anyway. Scanning the small crowd, the girl was nowhere to be seen. Apparently, she was one of those annoying people with a gift for disappearing on command. With a sigh, he looked back down to where the locket lay loosely in the palm of his hand. She'd probably miss it… but why wear a locket meant for two if you only had a picture of one?

Clutching it in his fist, he shoved it in his pocket. He'd have to find someway of getting it back to the girl… it was only right, after all. With that thought in mind, he headed for home.