I wrote this a long, long time ago; it was meant as a snapshot of the time before Primes. Is it short? Yes. But it's an important piece of backstory, I think...
A lot has changed while I've been gone from FFnet. I like to think that my writing has gotten better, but I'm rusty. I have a part-time writing job to juggle along with my senior year of high school, and Binary has been languishing for an incredible amount of time...
And then yesterday, I rediscovered some old documents. Fanfictions. Never-before-published beginnings to long, long epics...they sparked my interest. I may be returning; I may not. It all depends. But you guys have always been awesome; was where I started to really, truly write. I hope Primes fans enjoy this tidbit. More, new stories maybe coming in the future. We'll see!
Fly, 11/20/09
Near breathes—
(The air gushes out of Matt's lungs like wind through a bellows; he staggers, falls—)
—and leaves, shutting the door behind him.
(Matt grimaces and wipes the blood from his mouth, though it's a useless exercise; the older boy pulls back his fist again, readying for a blow.)
Near locks the door.
(The outside doesn't exist.)
His fingers reach instinctively for the box of dominoes, and the clatter of plastic and the play of mathematical precision drowns out everything—
(Except for Matt's groan, outside, but that's irrelevant.)
Minutes pass, and Near immerses himself in his play.
(Hours pass, and Matt staggers to hall bathroom, because there's blood on his clothes.)
A knock.
Near opens the door, eyes wide, bland and round and dull—
(Matt's eyes, green, shadowed, the skin around them purpling already—)
"Hey," and it's a hoarse croak, but there's still anger smoldering underneath the weariness.
Near tilts his head to the side, and says nothing, really, because there's nothing to say—
(Anything for the rankings.)
Matt limps past him, kicks over the dominoes. Near stares as the white-and-black trails fall to pieces around his ankles.
"You didn't do anything," Matt says from his bed, and Near shakes his head.
"No."
Matt pulls off his shoes and goes to sleep, because he's only third best, and that's nothing worth defending.