So a funny thing happened to me the past month. I got to borrow South Park: Stick of Truth from a friend, and I have fallen in love with the show. What resulted was the creation of my fan character. Add a creative writing assignment for school and you get this.
The snowflakes that fell from the sky drifted down in slow motion. Milk chocolate eyes looked to the ashen sky through a glass pane, a mess of dark copper hair that was restrained by the black resin bar of fluffy white tuffs of earmuffs. His breath came out, making the glass panes fog with the breath of unsaid thoughts. In his mitten-covered hands, there was a note that was neatly printed. It told him to go to the Stark's Pond, to be there before noon. The young boy's blue eyes glanced to the clock in the tidy kitchen. If he headed out now, he would be there on time. Even as he willed his body to move for the back door, his eyes still stared at the silver hands of the clock, ticking down the seconds he had used up. A noise caught his attention and his head turned accordingly, his view catching sight of his older sister.
"Cory? What are you doing up this early?" she asked, her voice chiming and filling the void of silence that permeated his ears mere seconds ago.
Cory pulled himself off of his chair and handed the note to his sister. As she read it, she pushed her own long, hay colored locks out of her baby blue eyes. She gave a soft smile.
"Alright, you can meet with Kyle. But take your phone with you and be home before dark." she said, heading to the fridge for her breakfast.
Cory beamed, dashing out the door and leaving the note behind. His feet pounded into the crunchy white snow, making it cave in under his brown boots. His legs were a black blur as his lungs expanded under his ribs. He hurried over to where the lake was, the snow catching onto his yellow coat, hiding in his hair, and tickling his face. The wind bit at his nose and reddened his ears. The cold may have gone through his winter clothing, but it wouldn't freeze over the excitement in his heart or the grin on his face. Reaching the lake, he took good look over it as he panted to slow his heart.
The lake was frozen, the smooth blue surface reflecting the morning light. It reflected memories back at him, mostly happy ones. The ones that he held close to his heart were all here. This was a place of good cheer. His breath steamed out as he walked closer to the bench that was near the shore. Sometimes he would come here alone and wonder if the lake had always been frozen. He had only moved here a few months ago, and in his time here the lake was always solid. A memory played in his head, and he closed his eyes to remember it.
He had been standing in the same spot he was right now, the yellow bench to his left and his eyes staring at the lake. He had never really seen a whole body of water being frozen over. He was from the sunny state of California, so the cold and all the different experiences it came with were so bizarre to him. He had only been there for three days and his sister suggested that he go out and make some friends. He had wandered for a little, his thoughts clouded with uncertain thoughts. What if people didn't like him? What if he made a fool of himself? His chest pounded furiously at his last thought.
What if people shunned him?
He shook his head clear and had wandered for a little while, trying to keep his worried thoughts to a minimum. That's when he saw the lake. He remembered that all of the worry and fear that he had been experiencing melted away at the sight of nature. He felt safe among the trees, their branches drooping down to meet him, the brown bark a nice, natural change to all of the white.
He came closer to the iced body of water, and had stood at the edge wondering how safe it was to stand on the ice. He put one foot forward and pushed with his weight on the ice. When it didn't make any noise he put his other foot onto the slick surface, and proceeded for the next hour to get used to standing on its surface. Once his legs didn't wobble and collapse on him, he took an uncertain step away from the land. Then another, and then another. Soon he was able to walk just fine, maybe slip once or twice, but he was able to move further and further out from the land. He had never been so thrilled before. Maybe he could use his rollerblading skills and ice skate with his sister once he got used to it.
"Hey! Cory!" he heard a voice behind him. It snapped Cory out of his thoughts, and he turned around to see the familiar green hat and orange coat that he could use to recognize his friend in this winter world. His face pulled up a huge grin as he ran to tackle Kyle in a hug.
Kyle was knocked off balance, his hat flying off of his head to reveal the red mess that lay underneath. They tumbled to the ground as a laughing joyous ball, the snow greeting them with a satisfying crunch. Cory and Kyle lay there for a moment before the brunette sat up. Their pants were wet with the cold flakes, but their layers kept them mostly warm.
"So what's up?" Cory asked, a bit breathless after their tumble in the snow.
"I found this awesome spot that's near here." Kyle replied, "It's a secret place though, so you can't tell anyone about it okay?"
Cory nodded in response and followed after the redhead. He picked up the green hat that lay on the ground and followed his close friend. He brushed past many trees, and branches. Snow from the canopy occasionally fell on them, but they shrugged it off and continued down the ancient hidden path. Kyle kept his eyes up and around them, occasionally looking down to make sure he didn't lose his footing in the rough terrain and deep snow. After a minute of walking into the forest, they came across a clearing and in the center of the clearing was an old, abandoned cottage. The wood was graying and falling inwards. There was a rotting fence of the same color, the snow draped over the scenery giving the place an air of solitude.
"Well? What do you think?" Kyle asked, looking towards the stunned face of Cory.
"It's… So cool..." he breathed, walking closer to the open fence. His gloved hands traced over the wood, feeling the cotton fabric of his mittens snag on the gnarled wood once or twice. He turned to Kyle another beaming grin on his face, "Lets go inside!" he said, heading for the warped door, not waiting for his redhead friend.
Cory stepped through the rotting threshold and his nose met with old, musty wood. He could imagine what this place had once been like. His mind wandered to his imagination, where he could see furniture and carpet that was brand new. There may have been a family here, or it could have been one person who wanted silence. There was something hanging on the wall that caught his eye. It was a tapestry of maroon with a golden Star of David on it. This remained mostly intact and was gorgeous to look at, even with the musty smell and the graying hue of time. It reminded him of the first time he went to Kyle's home.
It had been a long day at school, and he had been there for a whole two weeks since he arrived. Cory had noticed that Kyle looked upset, and decided to ask him what was bothering him after school. It turned out that Kyle had gotten into a fight with one of his other close friends. It had been pretty violent and he had a few bruises on his arms, the purple splotches hidden under his coat were the telltale sign of it. He had to go to the nurses for a cut that appeared on his lower lip, and they notified his mother of what happened.
"Do you want me to walk with you home?" Cory had asked, standing next to him while he pulled out his homework for the evening. Kyle nodded, holding his arms and looking around a bit dubiously.
Cory walked with Kyle and sat next to him on the bus to their stop. He could hear the chatter all around him, but he was more worried with Kyle, who looked very upset and tired. He didn't even really talk to Cory. He just sat there, staring out the window and watched the scenery fly by them. As they walked down the street to the dark green house, Kyle kept his eyes down while Cory tried to spark a conversation with him. He mostly got quick, one word answers, and halfhearted smiles. He didn't like how Kyle was acting. He was incredibly worried, his eyes glimmering with a bit of sadness.
When they approached the dark brown door, Kyle gave a shaking sigh, his hand resting on the brass handle. Cory didn't leave his side the entire time, even as he opened the door and was greeted by his mother with shouting.
She was a hefty, robust woman, her red hair sticking up in a business-like do. Her clothes were even business-like, a dark blue overcoat with a white dress blouse, accompanied by gold hoop earrings and a red skirt. Her sharp green eyes had a hard look to them, even when she stopped yelling at Kyle long enough to ask, "Is this that new kid that moved down in that gray house the block?"
Kyle nodded, keeping his eyes on his mother's face. Her pursed lips were also painted red, a bridge between her hair and skirt. She calmed down and told them to go up into Kyle's room. She had a meeting that was being held in the living room and did not want to be disturbed. Cory's brown eyes looked around as he took off his two extra layers and noticed the Star of David statue that was on an end table in the hall.
"So your family is Jewish?" Cory asked, keeping a mostly level tone in his voice. Kyle flinched a little at the question, but nodded nonetheless. "That's cool." Cory said with a smile. Kyle gave a soft, almost thankful smile in his direction.
When they got up to his room, there really wasn't much. It was very clean, the forest green walls vibrant against the beige carpet. On the bed was a toddler in a blue jumper. He had black hair and green eyes, exactly like Kyle and his mother's. He got off of the bed, walked over to Kyle and gave him a hug, babbling a little.
"This is my little brother, Ike." Kyle introduced him after the hug.
"Hi there." Cory greeted to Ike with another smile. The toddler reached for his shirt, right where his necklace was, and Cory freaked out, shying away and putting his hand over the spot protectively. Ike tilted his head in confusion while Kyle's eyes furrowed.
"I… I don't like it when people touch my pendant." Cory explained weakly, slowly lowering his hands.
"You have a pendant?" Kyle asked, leading his brother back to the bed and helping him crawl back up onto it.
"Yeah. My mom gave it to me before she left..." Cory responded. A brief silence filled the air, accompanied later by the sound of Kyle's mom opening the door for her meeting. "I'll show it to you. But you have to promise to not tell anyone, okay?"
Kyle nodded in response. Cory took a deep breath, his hands shaking and clammy as he reached under his shirt to pull it out. It was in the shape of a pentagram and made of obsidian. The black polished surface glimmered in the fluorescent light.
Kyle's eyes widened, holding Ike a bit protectively. His emerald eyes were filled with shock and had a hit of fear. Ike stared at it unblinkingly, no real expression on his face. The air in the room became a little stagnant with conflicting and confused emotions. Sensing the mood, Cory quickly shoved his pendant back into his shirt and crossed his arms protectively.
"I'm pagan..." he whispered, keeping his eyes glued to the floor. He didn't see that Kyle frowned looking at Ike with a thoughtful expression. He didn't even know that Kyle had walked over to him and hugged him until their bodies touched. Cory felt stunned that Kyle didn't reject him now that he knew about his deep secret. His heart pounded in his chest and his mind screamed at him that this was just a dream. He trembled in Kyle's arms not daring to hug back, fearing that this was temporary kindness.
"It's okay, dude." he heard Kyle speak after a moment, "I'm not gonna treat you different just because you don't worship God."
At this, Cory felt tears prick at his eyes. He hugged Kyle back using the others chest as a muffler for his sobs. He had been so terrified that he would be rejected by his first friend since coming here. He had been hiding it for two weeks because he was still scared. He remembered the one time his sister came home from work after being discovered as well. He remembered the bruising. He remembered the tired look in her eyes. It was the same day that his sister decided that they were moving away from California.
He was so scared of being rejected, of getting hurt, that he hid what made him who he was. Each time they moved it was because his sister thought that they were not safe. Each time they moved further north and further west, until they came to this quiet little mountain town.
"Cory? You okay, dude?"
Kyle was behind him, his hands in his pockets and his green orbs eyeing at him cautiously.
Cory nodded, giving a small smile. A gust of wind blew through the decaying house and made him shiver. He felt a body press up against his and he smiled, knowing Kyle had his back. Even after a month he wasn't exactly used to the cold weather.
"Hey, let's sit down and relax a little." Kyle suggested, leading his close friend over to a less windy corner. The two of them sat down next to each other and stayed that way for a long while. Cory didn't mind if they didn't have a lot to say to each other. This was their friendship, and it was just fine the way it was. He closed his eyes and remembered exactly how they first met.
He had been standing on the frozen lake, after getting used to standing on the slippery surface. He had been taking baby steps away from the shore and was going farther and farther away. He heard some other people that were at the shore, but he didn't think that they would mind if he was on the ice. It seemed sturdy enough anyway.
"HEY! Get off of the ice!" he heard someone shout. Cory whipped around to see who it was, but froze when he heard a crack underneath his foot. He looked down and saw the spider web that had formed under his right foot. He swallowed thickly, starting to panic. He knew how to swim, but these waters would freeze him right over if he fell. He didn't know what to do and tried to move his right foot. What resulted was cracks forming under his left foot. He shifted his weight so that it was even on the ice. Fear rose in him until he saw someone sliding on their belly and getting to him that way.
He had a green hat and an orange coat. His green eyes were looking at him with worry and a little frustration.
"I'm scared." Cory whimpered, his clenched throat nearly stopping his words.
"I know kid, but do as I say. I'll help you get off of the ice." the green eyed kid said. Cory nodded in response. "As slowly as you can, get on your belly."
Cory tried to move so that he wouldn't fall straight through. The ice gave out under him and he felt the bitterly cold waters soak into his skin the second he fell. His hands flailed about as he tried to grab onto the ice. He thought that he should have been completely submerged in the water, but the other kid had his hand on the back of his coat and on his hand. With all the strength that he had, the kid with the green hat pulled him from the water. Cory was shivering violently. Even though his legs were the only thing that got into the water, he felt his whole body was completely frozen over.
"It's okay, I got you." the other kid said, "Lets start crawling back to shore." he added, helping Cory get across the ice without getting stuck.
Once they were on land, Cory could see three other kids that were with the one who just saved him. He wasn't able to look at them clearly, as he had passed out before he could take a glance at anything except the snow in front of him.
When he woke up, he was at home, nice and warm in his bed. His sister was sitting next to him and next to her was the kid. He was so tired, he could hardly speak.
"Cory…" his sister breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness. I was just about to call the hospital."
Cory looked at the kid, mumbling "Thank you."
He nodded and introduced himself as Kyle. He lived down the street in a dark green house, explaining that one of his other friends had ran off to get someone to help them. It was then that they ran into Cory's sister, who brought the passed-out Cory home. Neither of them knew it then, but they shared the same class and would soon become good friends, sitting together at their secret spot near the lake that brought them together.
This feels more natural. Maybe I should write more one-shots from now on...