Oftentimes, people wonder if something amazing is happening right under their noses. For some people, this feeling is unbearable! They believe that they have a right to know about the bizarre occurrences that go on! If indeed, you are one of these people, it would be appropriate for me to inform you of a certain car. This certain car is speeding down a highway surrounded by trees in the dark of night.
The car is an old station wagon, but not old enough to be useless, and it's beige paint is already chipping at the edges of it's four doors. In the car, two young men are seated. The elder man, the driver, is wrapped in a fleece and wearing flannel jeans. The younger man, the passenger, wears a plaid long sleeve around a tank top and corduroys. They share their haircuts: a bowl with an upside-down V part in the front. Their faces are different however. The young man permanently expresses a look of chilled indifference, while his elder possesses the opposite: rage. Out of boredom, the former reaches and turns on the radio.
An obnoxious announcer begins to talk excitedly:
"Richmond, Virginia! Once capital of the Confederacy, this Eastern United States city lies 98 miles South of Washington DC! Here, in 1775 at St. John's Church, Patrick Henry delivered his famous 'Give me Liberty or give me death' speech! It was the first city to utilize electric street cars for mass transit! Richmond is also home to a Federal Reserve Bank, and is becoming more well known for its great restaurants! It's motto is 'Sic itur as astra': Thus do we reach for the stars!". The young man turns off the radio.
"That's where we're headed, right bro?" the older man snarls
"Yeah," his younger brother sighs, "Richmond it is". The young man reaches into his pocket and draws out a container of Tic Tacs. He plops two into his mouth and looks dejectedly out of the window. His brother gives him a concerned look, almost letting the car drift onto the side of the road.
"Hey, don't tell me you're regretting taking this trip!" the elder whines
"I don't…" the younger mutters, "ultimate power is going to be so worth it"
Elsewhere...
Located a short way from Richmond city limits is the boys-only boarding school of St. Christian's. A few streets away from St. Christian's there lies a street lined with cafes and restaurants. It is a popular meeting place for boys attending St. Christian's and their potential girl-friends, who are forbidden on the school campus. It is also where delinquents who were past students of St. Christian's gather to lament their fates and harass those who still attend the school. Now, it is early in the morning, and the streets are not yet heavily trafficked. Here, two delinquents are harassing a middle aged woman who was trying to enjoy a coffee before work. One of the delinquents has long brown hair with blond highlights and a sleeveless jacket. The other has a buzz cut and a silver nose piercing.
"How do ya do, milady?" the long haired troublemaker asked.
"Yeah, how d'ya do?" the pierced delinquent mimicked. Uncertain and scared, the woman tries to stammer in reply, but fails. The two delinquents make to continue their verbal onslaught, but before they can, a St. Christian student holding grocery bags taps them both on the back and asks: "Gentlemen? This lady seems a bit incapacitated. If you're looking for directions, then I'm sure I'll be able to assist you."
"You kiddin' me?" the long haired delinquent gawks
"I think he's kidding us, bro," the other delinquent says while nodding moronically
"I can assure you, I'm not kidding you," the student fires back, dropping his bags and putting his hands into the pockets of his black dress pants.
These pants are a part of the St. Christian uniform, which includes a black suit with the school logo printed onto it. The school logo in question is a red heart containing a black fleur de lis within it. The student runs his left hand through his brushed yet still unkempt hair, while keeping his right snug within his pants pocket. He is medium height, with a build that is not very large or very small. Looking at the outside of his body, he could be described as just fitting the "status quo" of normal. He has dark brown hair and eyes, although his eyes are black until either viewed up close or out under intense light. The two facial expressions that are most commonly found on him are that of "utter indifference" and "complete confidence".
The delinquent with the piercing steps towards the student and eyes him up
"You're one of those preppy kids, right? The ones who love to get their grubby hands on daddy and mommy's money so that they can spend it as the please! You're the kinda kid who's already pegged me as a gutter rat, and can't wait to report me to the police!" he says, sauntering a bit too close into the student's personal space.
"I do not assume that people who are different from me are trash, but I, even though I've lived a sheltered existence, can tell bad from good!" the student retorts, "and, I can tell that you'll both end up cowering in shame, without me having to call the police!"
"Oh yeah?" the delinquent with the long hair says, cracking his knuckles, "how're you gonna do that?" Suddenly, the delinquent with the piercing howls and starts grabbing at his face.
"I-it's so heavy!" He stammers, beginning to slur his words.
"W-what's wrong bro?" the long haired one asks, confused and getting a bit scared.
The pierced delinquent turns to face his friend, no longer able to speak. His face has been turned into metal. The exact same material as his piercing, almost as if the metal spread from his piercing. After staggering away from the student, it is clear that whatever process affecting him has stopped, but his head remains metal. No longer able to hold up his own head, the delinquent fell to the ground. Scared and shaking, the long haired delinquent pulls a cheap pocket knife with a rubber grip from his pocket and starts inching towards the student, who remains indifferent looking. Once in range, the delinquent stabs at the student. The blade hits it's mark between the student's ribs, yet folds backwards instead of piercing the skin. Flabbergasted, the delinquent looks at the blade and tries to prick his finger. Again, the blade bends instead of piercing.
"W-what the hell? The blade's turned to rubber!" the long haired delinquent shouts, any confidence in himself shattered by this revelation. He throws himself onto the ground next to the other delinquent and begs: "p-please don't turn me into m-metal!"
The student looks away while chuckling
"Just what I'd expect from lowlifes like you. But I, just a mere student, also believe in second chances. If you never bother anyone again, I'll leave you alone. Got it?" He barks, smiling.
"Yes sir!" the two delinquents shout. The student ignores them and walks towards the woman, who has remained seated for the entire encounter.
"What brings you here at this fine hour, missus?" He asks, leaning on the table she was sitting at.
"I was making my regular coffee stop before work, young man" she condescends, shutting down his attempt at flirtation completely
"Well, have a good one, ma'am," he sighs, picking his bags back up and walking away.
"Hey, bro! My face isn't metal anymore," the pierced troublemaker says
"Woah! Did you see, that guy turned my knife into rubber," the other replies
"Really?"
"Yeah, look!" the long haired delinquent says, pricking his finger with a metal blade "YAAAARGH!" he yells, surprised. Still within earshot, the student can't help but smirk.