Yes, I am alive. Just horribly busy. Being in your final semester at college does that to you. Grades, applying to other schools, having a role in a few different shows, directing a one-act that I wrote, and otherwise stretching myself far too thin. I'm tired and bitter. And I don't have the time or motivation to write as much as I want to. I am trying to fix that.
So this is another request from Loveless fangirl.
It's going to be short, like my recent writings have been. A few modest chapters.
Just letting you all know that it'll get kinda dark and depressing. I mean, I'm using the broken parts of society as my inspiration here.
Sitting in her garden didn't feel like the wonder it used to be. The flowers and reaching leaves provided no fairy tale comfort. Sitting under her little apple tree wasn't the sanctuary it once was. Everything felt empty, and useless. I felt empty and useless.
"I can't," I said, shaking my head.
"Please, Will. You need a place to stay. My parents would be more than happy to have you here!" Layla implored, reaching for my hand where it was settled on my knee.
I let her grasp my fingers in hers. Her hands were always so soft and gentle. It was momentarily calming for all the bile that threatened to rise in my throat.
"You live right next door to them. They'll know I'm here. They'll know you're helping me." I rubbed at my eyes when it felt like they were starting to water. "I cannot, and will not be this close to them…They disowned me." I clenched and quickly unclenched my jaw. It still freakin' hurt.
She shook her head, "They can't legally disown you. You're a minor."
Grinding my teeth painfully, I snatched my hand away from hers. "Then I'll disown them! You should've heard what he said, Lay. You should've seen his face…you should've seen my mom's face…" I dropped my own damned face into my hands, hiding the spilt tears. I shouldn't have even had any left from all the crying I'd done since they…kicked me out.
Layla sniffled quietly, "I did hear what he said. We all did."
"Not all of it…it got worse after he made you guys leave…"
"Will,"
Lifting my head, I scanned her face. She was teary eyed, and tormented. She placed her quiet hands that worked wonders in this garden on my shoulders. I wished for a moment that I were a plant. A poor little wilted plant. And with just a happy thought from her, she could make everything within me feel alive until I could stand tall again.
But I wasn't a plant. I was a "lying little sack of shit of a Powerlack"…
"I don't want to talk about it anymore." I rasped, rubbing hard at my eyes to dry them. "Are you gonna help me get up there or not?"
She looked up to where I gestured. My bedroom window…well, my old bedroom window.
The redhead sniffled again, wiped a little at her eye and nodded. Standing up, I wiped off my jeans, "Good. Come on. We gotta be quiet."
We hopped the fence, and peeked around the edge of the house to see if any lights went on. Nothing. Every window was dark. And they had to be sound asleep by now. We'd waited nearly an hour after the last light turned off to be sure.
At the reassurance and cover of the darkness, I climbed onto the strongest branch of the adolescent tree under my window. Layla had frequently used it as a natural ladder to join me and my roof-top contemplations. I didn't think I'd ever use it. Especially not to break into my own bedroom.
Hope it's not locked…
"Go." I whispered, and Layla powered up, touching the tree's bark and closing her eyes.
Up, up, up I went. And luck was with me for once this week when the window slid open. It squeaked a little and I froze, gritting my teeth and listening for any movement. I glanced down at Layla. She looked around the edge of the house and then mouthed "You're okay," with a thumb tipped up.
Reassured, I slid the glass pane up higher and ducked into the room.
The door was closed, and everything looked just as I had left it a few days ago. I didn't know if I'd been expecting the place to be trashed or sterile or something. Dust had even settled on the surfaces of the furniture.
As quietly as I could, I grabbed my backpack off of the floor and removed my textbooks one by one. Wouldn't need them anyways. I hadn't been allowed on the bus the other day. My par…they had made sure to call and take my name off of the roster at Sky High. I was no longer a student there because they'd withdrawn their tuition payment, and was apparently pending a refund.
Ron Wilson, bus driver, couldn't have looked more pathetic as he'd denied me access. "I'm so sorry, Will…but…I have to follow protocol…only students of the school on this bus." The looks from my former classmates from the windows had been a mix of sympathy…and disdain. Freakin' Larry had even called out, "You're not even good enough to be a Sidekick! So buzz off, Powerlack!"
Ron had said nothing, but looked at me sadly as he'd pulled the doors closed. He knew at least what it was like to be this way…to have nothing.
My bank account was locked. My cell phone had been deactivated. They'd completely cut me off. All I had was like eleven dollars and some change.
Wait, no…
I opened the drawer on my desk and pulled out a little tin gum case. It was where I'd put my chore money. Last time I'd counted there'd been about twenty dollars in it. And that was only because I'd gone and bought myself an iPod before school had started.
Speaking of which, I took that off my nightstand and shoved it and its charger into my pocket because that was mine.
As I was stuffing more clothes into my bag, my eyes fell onto my guitar sitting in the corner by my bed. It had been a birthday present when I'd been twelve, foolishly dreaming of being some kind of Indie rock star by the time I'd entered Sky High. Getting all the girls…stupid stuff like that.
I contemplated leaving it behind. It was something else that would connect me to them. I didn't want to have anything to do with Steve and Josie Stronghold. But it meant a lot to me…not because it was a gift, but because I loved music. What teenager didn't? Also…if or when they ever came up here, they'd see I'd snuck in and taken stuff and flip their stupid lids…and that was a plus for me.
I slid the instrument into its case, guiding the latches into place so they made no noise. Then I was easing it out of the window before me. Pausing, I glanced to take one last look. For a minute, stupid wishful thinking came to me unbidden.
For a second, I hoped that they would come find me, beg forgiveness and tell me how sorry they were. Kinda just hang onto me…glad to see me…cry maybe.
I rubbed furiously at the water in my eyes, and firmly climbed out of the window. I didn't bother sliding it shut. I hoped it rained and ruined everything in there. I hoped the stupid house caught on fire.
Carefully, I stepped back onto the supporting branch of Layla's tree and held tight as she guided it back down to its true age.
Once I was safely on the ground again, we moved back into her yard. Both of us were breathing heavy from the fear and the adrenaline. If he'd smacked me around for not having powers, he surely would've killed me for coming back, breaking in and stealing.
"Where are you going to go now?" Layla asked, leaning heavily against the fence.
Shrugging, I replied, "Back to Zack's. He's gonna let me sleep on the floor one more night. But after that I can't. I guess my status in the community is pretty much persona non gratta."
"What?" Layla asked, horrified.
"His Dad doesn't want a Powerlack in his house. He's kinda traditional I guess. Zack even told me that he probably would've gotten kicked out himself if he hadn't powered up…"
"Oh my God…this is ridiculous! We're living in a different time! Even the word shouldn't even be said anymore! Powerlack…I mean…Supers marry citizens all the time now! Look at my mom and dad!"
Shaking my head, I set down my guitar, "Your parents are hippies, Lay…and mortals aren't Powerlacks. They're born the way they're supposed to be born. Powerlacks aren't. Powerlacks are wrong. It's a completely different issue."
"You're not wrong, Will." She firmly growled, clasping my face in her hands. I winced, shrugging away as she pressed against the bruise on my face. "I'm sorry," she quickly said, and took a deep breath to prepare a rant. "No matter what people say, you are not wrong. Ron Wilson is like you, and he's accepted in the community."
"No he's not! He's a freakin' bus driver, Lay. He's a trial run. A guinea pig. A publicity stunt. A test for the community. And guess what? He gets shit on…all the time."
"Things are changing though! More people are accepting!" She exclaimed.
"Well, not fast enough!" I snapped back. "One issue at a time, Lay. It took over thirty years for the community to be okay with Supers marrying citizens. That was only because they could breed Supers efficiently. Whenever a Powerlack shows up, it's between two Supers…and that's unethical, unacceptable and dishonorable." I was really getting tired of the crying. My eyes were so sore, but yet they yielded another flood.
"My parents are the Commander and Jetstream…and their son is a Powerlack…No amount of political correctness is going to fix that…It's going to take another thirty years for Powerlacks to be truly accepted…especially because of me." I sniffled wetly, and wiped my nose on my sleeve. "Doesn't matter how unfair it is…"
Layla was freely crying now too. I let her pull me in, and rested my burning eyes against her shoulder.
"Will, I'm so sorry…" She choked out after a long time. The two of us were almost hiccupping from all the muffled sobbing.
I pulled away and rubbed gently at my eyes. "It's not your fault…don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'll get a job and find my own way. Maybe Ethan or Magenta will let me stay a couple days or something."
"Please call me." She said solemnly, wrapping her arms around herself.
"I don't have a phone. But there's gotta be at least one phone booth left in existence." I leaned down and picked my guitar back up. Checking my watch, I saw that I could catch the midnight bus if I hurried. "I've gotta go."
"Be safe." She said, hugging me again.
I hugged her back, "I'll be fine." I hope at least…