Chapter One: Illumination
12th December, 2011.
Thousands of lights, large and small illuminated the bustling city of New York. Hundreds of thousands of people walking along the bustling sidewalks, dotted with small markets, people and other objects. The only sounds that could be heard from the city, were the crowds of people talking, the cars honking and beeping at each other, due to the large amount of traffic, and every few minutes a plane flying over the city. In the middle of New York, a lone, graphitized apartment stood adjacent Central Park.
This apartment housed many people who'd have low wages, or shitty jobs. Or just had no life. But on the top floor, lived a family of three raccoons that had been through a lot more than anyone else in the apartment had ever been in. A mother and a father, and their son lived alone on the top floor, though the apartment was dirty and disgusting, and stricken with graffiti, they still stayed.
It was 4:30PM, only thirty minutes until sundown. A small raccoon by the name of Rigby was sitting by himself in his bedroom, after a long day of school. A school that he'd only been attending for a month, and he'd already been bashed, bullied, suspended and ridiculed. Fortunately for this little raccoon, nobody in the town caught wind of him being into men, as he was frightened of what people would think of him.
The little raccoon had already figured out his sexuality at age thirteen. On to a different subject, he sat on his bed and was reading a book called; The Gate to Liberty. It was a book about New York and what there is to do there.
"God, it's been a month and I still miss living in Twin Peaks." Rigby muttered to himself.
"I miss the days when we could be stupid without being severely punished." Rigby continued to talk to himself.
"Now, if I so much as say one wrong word or break a plate. My father screams bloody murder at me." Rigby continued.
"At least I have someone I can talk to." Rigby said, glancing at a picture of someone on his bed-side table. Rigby picked up the picture and looked at it.
The picture was a picture of Rigby and a wolf smiling at the camera. Part of Rigby's arm was missing because he was holding the camera. The wolf was wearing a black jacket and black trousers, and he was the same size as Rigby.
"Micheal Sawyer." Rigby muttered. Rigby put down the picture and sighed. He still hadn't got over leaving Mordecai and the rest of his friends behind in Twin Peaks.
"I'll see you guys again someday." Rigby muttered, looking at a familiar poster.
"I still can't believe they did that for me. It was so nice of them." Rigby smiled. Suddenly, his mother walked into his room.
"He's talking to himself again, isn't he?" Rigby's father could be heard in the corridor.
"Give me a second Frank." She ordered and walked inside.
"Rigby…? You alright?" She asked.
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. What's it to you?" Rigby asked, sitting back down.
"Son, please don't be like this…you have to get over it. It was over a month ago." Rigby's mother tried to reason with him.
"I'll try, as long as dad gets that stick outta his ass." Rigby commented.
"Rigby!" His mother scolded.
"Sorry." Rigby sighed.
"Please, get over this. It's been too long, it's unnatural for you to be talking to yourself." His mother explained.
"Fine, just get out." Rigby sighed. His mother sighed and walked out, slamming the door as she left.
Rigby could hear his mother and father arguing outside but decided to ignore them, it never helped him in any way. There was no way he was moving back to Twin Peaks.
Rigby sighed.
"I'll skip dinner." He muttered and laid on his uncomfortable bed. Even though it was the same bed he used to have, it didn't feel the same. Rigby covered himself with the covers of the bed and pulled the blanket around him a certain way, so it was like it felt like someone was holding him. Rigby tried to think that it was his friend; Mordecai, which was holding him, helping him sleep. Even though he knew his friend was thousands of miles away.
"I hope high-school goes fast." Rigby sighed and closed his eyes.
He didn't sleep much that day.
Two Years Later…
10th December, 2013.
"Your mother has told me that you dropped out of tenth grade." Rigby's father said, sitting beside Rigby on his bed.
"I just couldn't take it anymore." Rigby answered.
"You are going back to that school tomorrow, you got me? No arguments and no questions." Rigby's father demanded.
"Dad, it's not happening. I dropped out. I even signed paperwork at the principal's office." Rigby answered.
"Don't you need parental permission to do that?" Rigby's father questioned.
"Mom helped me." He said. Rigby's father let out a growl and left the room, slamming the door behind him.
It had been two years and Rigby had finally lost touch with Mordecai and his other friends. Though his friend Micheal convinced him to drop out with him, as Micheal had dropped out a few days before. Rigby's birthday was less than two weeks ago, he turned sixteen and began learning how to drive, same as his friend. Once in a while, Rigby pondered how his friends were going in Twin Peaks and how things were going with their lives. He tried driving down there once to go and see, but was caught by the police.
Seeing as he was not allowed to drive on the highway, because he was on his 'L' plates.
Suddenly, Rigby heard glass smashing downstairs. Rigby jumped up from his bed and burst through his door and ran downstairs. The vision he saw before him was life-scarring.
"Dad!" Rigby shouted. His father was beating his wife, once again.
"Dad! That's enough!" Rigby shouted, pushing his father over.
"That's it!" Rigby shouted, grabbing his mother's hand.
"This isn't your business." Rigby's father stood up.
"She's my mother. Leave her alone." Rigby ordered.
"You listen to-…"
"No you listen to me!" Rigby interrupted his father.
"We've had enough of your constant abuse. We're going to put in another report to the police." Rigby said.
"Go ahead." Rigby's father laughed.
"You're mentally unstable." Rigby's mother plainly said.
"Shut up, bitch!" Rigby's father shouted.
"Let's go…" Rigby walked out the front door of their apartment and into the corridor with his mother.
Rigby could hear more glass smashing inside, Dad was having a tantrum.
"Let's get you to the police station." Rigby said, pressing the down button on the elevator. A few seconds later, the elevator rose to their level and the metal doors opened. Rigby and his mother walked inside and Rigby pressed the down button and the elevator began to shake, before it began slowly drift to the bottom of the apartment complex.
"Let's go…" Rigby said, getting into his car with his mother.
"Why does he have to be so violent?" Rigby asked.
"I guess I'm just your father's punching bag." Rigby's mother sighed.
"Well not anymore, I've had enough of this abuse, if he thinks that he can…mom, are you alright…?" Rigby asked, noticing his mother placing her hand atop of where her heart was.
"Did dad knock the wind out of you?" Rigby asked.
"Actually, I think I may have a broken rib…" Rigby's mother said.
"Jesus, okay let me take you to the hospital." Rigby said, reaching for the pedals. Over the years, Rigby had still attained the same height he was as he was 13, though there was only a few centre metres difference now. Just enough so he could reach the pedals of the car. The car slowly moved out of the apartment complex's car park and onto the streets of a bustling New York.
His mother had unfortunately passed away a short time after.
One Month Later…
13th January, 2014.
After his mother passed away, Rigby moved out of his father's apartment and was invited to move in with Micheal, who was living in a large apartment complex on the other side of town. Rigby had already brought his important stuff in, though he left his furniture at his father's house.
He got a part-time job as a cashier at a local burger king and got enough money to purchase his own bed, and even a new controller for his Playstation, which he still had, after two and a half years.
On a particular day, Rigby arrived home after a long day working at burger king, to find Micheal slouched on the couch as he entered the apartment.
"Rigby! My man!" Micheal greeted.
"Hey Mike, how was your day?" Rigby asked, closing the door and taking his burger king uniform off.
"It was great! I finally got accepted for Art College!" Micheal shouted with excitement.
"Oh…how long will you be gone?" Rigby asked, slouching next to his friend.
"Only for a couple of months. And even then, I might be able to start drawing for a living." Micheal laughed.
"That isn't a real job, and it doesn't pay very well. But god, if it was that easy I'd draw for cash." Rigby chuckled.
"Ha. I know right?" Micheal chuckled aswell.
"When are you leaving?" Rigby asked.
"At the start of the college year, which is on the 24th of January, so I'm leaving in eleven days." Micheal said checking his analog watch to find out the date.
"Okay…it'll be lonely here without you, man." Rigby said.
"Don't worry." Micheal comforted his friend.
"I guess you will come back with some cool stories of Art College." Rigby playfully punched Micheal.
"I guess." Rigby sighed.
"Don't worry, here let's play some games, to cheer you up." Micheal handed over a small cardboard box with the words; Rigby's Memories, written on the side of it in black writing.
Rigby thanked Micheal and opened the box. In the box was the biography from the poster, Skyrim, L.A. Noire, an old scrapbook and a few pictures.
"Skyrim?" Rigby asked.
"You got it." Micheal clicked his tongue and winked at him.
"Let's get started then!" Rigby exclaimed with excitement. Micheal switched on the PlayStation and inserted Skyrim into the console.
"Let's begin!" Rigby exclaimed.
"Eleven more days of fun. And think about it, even if I am at college, think of the awesome people I'll meet. I told you High School was for chumps." Micheal playfully punched Rigby.
"High school is for chumps." Rigby laughed. Rigby began to play, then turned to his friend and said;
"I'm sure you'll meet some eccentric and interesting people at Art College."