Chapter 1: New Beginnings
Matthew would have to say, he's off the mark of normal. With a verbally abusive mother, a popular (and oblivious) older brother, and a near non-existent father, he's not the most normal child in any variety. Two of the more positive abnormal things about him are that, he has always drawn better than most children in his age group and he catches on to things easier (making him better in school). He tends to find some sort of promise in his life from those two positive traits, not only that though. He has the sort of empathy that can extend for miles if he needed it to. He's often thought about becoming an art therapist or art teacher due to his traits. Maybe then he can effect more people's lives and form society's thoughts into something he could be proud of.
Matthew is from Canada, Quebec City. Since a young age, he's learned to speak French and English. He's even participated in the Quebec's traditions of pouring maple syrup into clean snow and eating it with a stick (oh how he loves maple syrup taffy). When his mom and dad were together and the both of them were sober, he remembers going to Vancouver to see the Symphony of Fire. He misses times like these, when he was a child and everything was so simple and carefree (or as close to carefree as a child could get when he could hear his parents yelling at one another through paper-thin walls). Although, times have changed so much now.
Cars drive past him as he sits and doodles the birds and nature around him. His mother away from the stilled car, filling gas into the tank and preparing for the long trip ahead. Matthew is moving to the far south of America, much too far away from the snow and ice he's used to up in Canada. He hears his mother tapping the last droplets of gasoline into the car and closing the opening to the gas tank. He closes his sketch pad and puts his no.2 pencil behind an ear. It's going to be hard to adjust to life where it doesn't snow in the winter, with its blistering summers and its many different smells. New Orleans seems to be the one of the trademark artist locations so, at least he won't find a shortage of supplies (and hopefully for cheap).
"Say goodbye to Canada Matthew, we're heading off." His mother closes the car door and buckles her seat belt. He knows she won't miss it here. All she'll regret is all the trouble of becoming an American citizen, a luxury he won't have to face. Thank God for dual citizenship, thank God for his American father and brother.
"...Bye." He scans the road sadly, looking for a single sign that this is a dream and he's gonna wake up soon.
When he gets to his father's house, he realizes it's reality and he won't be waking up from anything anytime soon. The house is a simple two story and has an American flag on a flag pole in the front yard. His father was ex Navy, so to be expected, he is also still quite the patriot. Even the house is painted a sky blue, trimmed with white and a bright red for the front door. Over all, it's simply hell for anyone else living on this street.
Matthew goes to the trunk and gets out his art bag and suitcase full of summer clothes. The other suitcases lacking importance for the moment and will be retrieved on a second trip to the car. His mother joins him and places an arm around his shoulders, a foreign feeling he doubts he would ever get used to. "Look Matt, our new home." The way she said home sent shivers down his spine. Is home the new hell?
To save him from any sort of response, Alfred runs outside and stops in front of Matthew, looking him up and down. He smiles and Matthew smiles back carefully, not wanting a bear hug that that moment. "Hey Mattie, how's it goin'?" He pats Matthew lightly on the back, maybe there's hope for him sensing the mood after all.
He readjusts his glasses with a free hand, "It's fine now. Can you show me to the room?"
Alfred nods and leads the two Canadians into the house, leading Matthew's mother to her room and leading Matthew to his and Alfred's room. The tension leaving Matthew's body could be felt, and it was a good step forward. He sets his suitcase and bag onto the newer bed in the room and sits carefully. "I want to go home Al."
Alfred sighs and sits next to him. "I know you do bro." Alfred looks and smiles at his brother, getting up and moving to a bag on his own bed, shuffling around in it, then turning to Matthew. "I know you want to go home, but I hope this makes it better to cope here?" Alfred shows his hands from behind his back. He has a watercolor set in his hand, a cheap pack with a plastic brush.
Matthew smiles at the gesture, he remembers mentioning watercolors in a Skype call with Alfred a while back. His mother wouldn't get him any (claiming art is too feminine for her son). "Thank you Al, this means a lot to me." Matthew takes the watercolors carefully and places the package on his lap. Just then his mother calls from downstairs, wanting Matthew to get his things out of the car now. "Well duty calls."
It's 10 o'clock at night when Matthew is wide awake and worried sick. His new school starts tomorrow and he doesn't quite know what to expect (other than awkwardly fitted uniforms). At his old school, he wasn't popular but he had a group of friends he could go to. It was a clash of the art geeks and nerds. He didn't mind it then. He loves all of his friends. When he found out late in the last school year he had to leave, they all mourned and even had a candle lit party to wish him goodbye. He thinks about texting them just as Alfred walks in from his shower.
"You worried about tomorrow bro?" Alfred sits on his bed and dries his hair, shirt and pants on (a superman set if you couldn't guess).
Matthew looks at him from his position on the other bed and nods. "I don't know what to really expect Al. I don't really know anyone here other than you."
Alfred throws the towel on the floor in front of his bed and flops onto his back. "It's like any other school really, you have some bullying problems, the groups of people, clubs, you name it." Alfred sighs and takes off his glasses. "I'm one of those 'jocks' I fit my role in the system. I'm that friendly jock though Mattie, come to me if anyone is giving you a hard time, ok?"
Matthew smiles silently and nods, "Thanks Al, ok I'll go to you if something happens."
Alfred grins wide and laughs, "Great! Tomorrow I'll give ya the Hero's Master Tour! I'll even show ya where to get a BJ if you ask nicely!"
Matthew giggles and throws a pillow at his brother, "You're disgusting."
"Love ya too bro."
And with that the brothers exchanged school experiences until they fell asleep.