Edward's weekend was spent in his room on the computer (As usual) with his father around the corner pretending he didn't exist. He was browsing various websites, reading different articles, commenting on forums and watching videos. His desk was covered in mechanical odds and ends, wires and a soldering iron. He used bits of discarded technology to fix or create larger projects. He stole something he needed once and was caught, and he got a good beating after that. He usually sold his projects, hiding the money in his room so his father wouldn't accuse him of stealing it.

He turned away from his computer monitor and looked at a jumble of circuitry beside him, it was supposed to be part of a computer; he should probably work on that before bed. He turned on the soldering iron and started to work on fixing some of the wires into their rightful spots. He had taught himself most of what he knew; his need to know about everything and anything was a positive for his education. What the teachers said was usually a repeat of what he already knew, but if he didn't know he'd take mental notes and research it in depth on his own accord.

His mind wandered as it usually did and he found himself thinking about Jonathan. The anti-social new kid who he knew nothing about, he needed to change that.

A sharp pain made its self-apparent on his hand, he recoiled and let out a loud swear. The tip of the soldering iron had left a red spot on the back of his hand. He switched off the iron and jogged to the bathroom, shoving his had under a stream of cold water. "Edward what have I told you about that kind of language?" A gruff and condescending voice called out from down the hall.

"Sorry dad, I didn't mean to let it slip out" He called back.

"What did you do this time you idiot?"

"I burned myself…"

"I told you that bloody little iron would be a stupid buy…"

"It slipped out of my hands, I won't let it happen again…"

"Damn right you won't or I'll take it from you and teach you a lesson." And that was the end of that conversation and Edward went back to being non-existent. Even if Edward's soldering iron was taken from him he could just buy another one, it would take a chunk out of what he had saved however. He sighed and inspected the burn. It shouldn't scar much if at all. His hand still hurt when he clenched his hand into a fist, he'd have to try to not flex his hand too quickly over the next few days. At least he didn't get hit for being a klutz… This time...

-wWwWw-

Jonathan spent his time trying to avoid his grandmother. Hiding in his room, lingering in the bathroom, sitting on the roof and sitting in various places outside. His grandmother had strict curfews in place for where he had to be and when at certain times.(Bed time for example). If he wasn't where he was supposed to meant it was 'the evil inside him conspiring against his grandmother and the town they were in' and that meant he had to spend the night in the church… He shuddered at the thought.

The church… His worst fear… God he hated it when his grandmother made him go in there… The church was a nesting place for a murder (how fitting) of crows… His grandmother would force him to wear a dirty white shirt and grey pants that had some sort of chemical on them. Whenever he went near the church the crows would attack him, enraged at the chemical he was wearing. The murder attacking him was a sign that 'the devil was possessing him'. He was pretty sure it was just away for his grandmother to make herself feel important in the community, what with 'trying to get the devil out of her grandchild' and 'keeping the rest of the community safe by housing the devil'. It was all bull-shit.

"Jonathan, its time for you to get changed." The old woman called out to the upstairs attic. Jon shivered a little and reluctantly went down stairs. His grandmother was waiting for him in the living room, the clothing draped over the couch. Jon knew the drill, get changed, follow the hag, be attacked, then be dragged out the next morning and told to go get ready for school like nothing happened.

He took the clothing and discarded his own, he was lead out the to church once he had changed. An overwhelming sense of fear made his knees shake, he didn't want to do this, he never did. Some of the crows had already begun cawing, ruffling their feathers and circling the church.

The sky was such a nice shade of orange and pastel purple, shame he was being forced into a dark and gloomy old church with the murder. The sound of the heavy wooden doors closing brought tears to Jon's eyes, here we go again… He ran to duck under one of the seats and that's when the murder went berserk. The crows started attacking him from all fronts, Jonathan covered his head with his arms, the vicious birds leaving peck and scratch wounds.

He cowered under the small space between the cobweb-covered underside of the chair and the cold stone ground while the birds tried swooping at him. It wouldn't take long for them to figure out they had to land on the ground to peck at him, he savoured the few minutes of refuge…

Early the next morning the crows had gotten fed up with the screaming and writhing child in their home, they had flown off after the creature had started flailing wildly and hitting some of their birdy brethren.

Jonathan was in a cold sweat, lying on the cold ground with lots of little wounds on his arms, legs and a few on his face. Jon heard the groaning doors of the old church open and the light of early morning seep into the gloom. He whimpered and stuck to the shadows, he could hear the occasional caw of a crow outside. "Jonathan get up, you need to get ready for that school you were so eager to go to…" He stuck to the dark not moving, he hoped the hag would just leave him be. A firm hand grabbed his shoulder and yanked him to his feet. "I said get up devil spawn!" He whimpered and walked out unsteadily.

Once back at 'home' he unenthusiastically got into his black shirt and khaki pants, throwing his black hoodie over the top. As he trudged out into the cold air white flecks started to fall from the sky. He looked up and let the flakes fall onto his face, taking his glasses off. The cool frozen water felt nice on his black eye, thank goodness the swelling had gone down. He neared the school library, he was too early for the brutes and that's just how he liked it. As he neared the library doors a loud shrill caw shook his whole body, he jumped shrieked and turned to see a crow scavenging not too far off. Could it smell the chemical still on him? He wouldn't be surprised if it could. The crow cawed again and flapped its wings. It probably could. "It's just a bird stupid, calm down." He turned again to see the boy from yesterday leaning in the library doorway.

-wWwWw-

"It's just a bird stupid, calm down." Jonathan spun to face him, he truly looked terrified of the black bird.

"Y-you don't understand, it can smell it! It's going to attack me!" Jonathan made a b-line for the library, knocking Edward out of the way. Just as he was about the shout at the kid for pushing him but the crow cawed loudly and flew towards Jonathan, he quickly scrambled inside and closed the doors. "Geez you weren't kidding were you? What did you knock its nest or something?" Jonathan just shook his head.

"I-I told you… It can smell it… I don't want to talk about it, especially not to an arrogant person like you…" Arrogant?! It? What was wrong with this kid?

"What's 'it'?" Edward's curiosity asked.

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" The lanky kid stormed into the bowels of the library.

When Ed caught up to him he was already drawing in his sketchbook. "Your eye looks better…" It was a mundane way to get him talking but small talk usually got people conversing.

"Thank you for showing so much concern about me on Friday, a real pal…" He didn't bother looking up at Edward' one second this guy's shaking in fear and the next he's as cold as ever.

"Do you want me to get you an icepack and call your mother?" Edward gibed. The next thing he registered was the flying sketchbook hitting his face, Ed let out a short cry of alarm.

"Talk about my mother again and I'll throw a brick next." For a guy that was always running he was surprisingly condescending at times.

"Don't threaten me, everyone else pushes you around if that's what you want I can push you around too." Jonathan seemed to shrink a little at Eddie's threatening tone.

"P-piss off…" Jonathan stuttered. Eddie picked up Jonathan's book and placed it back on the desk. "Look, I'm sorry about the mother thing, happy? My mum isn't around much so I know how it feels…" Edward only received another scoff in response, maybe this kid was bipolar. "What's so funny?"

"Your ignorance…" Ignorance?!

"Excuuuuse me? Ignorance? I'm not ignorant!" A loud shush came from the librarian.

"I beg to differ, I mean you are shouting in a library." Jonathan smirked.

"You can shut up… I swear I'll hit you… I'll bloody punch you in the face…" The smirk dropped from his face and he went quiet, looking back to his sketch book.

"Please don't…"

"Are you bipolar because one second you're insulting me and the next you're begging." Ed crossed his arms.

"Just go away, I'm already going to have to deal with Bo today…"

Edward sat across from Jonathan and put his dark purple boots on the desk. "You know they pick on you because you don't fight back…"

"No shit… You must be a genius…" Edward frowned at his snide remark but quickly turned it into a remark of his own.

"Oh so you finally acknowledge my intelligence~"

-wWwWw-

"Oh so you finally acknowledge my intelligence~" Jon rolled his eyes.

"What do you want? How do I make you go away?" A grin spread across the flamboyant boy's face.

"Good question. I love questions. I'll go once I know everything I want to know about you."

Jon hesitated. "Like what?"

"As much as I can… Like why you have scratches on your arm, why you're terrified of birds, what 'it' is and why you're say you've got it hard back home."

"Those are some very specific questions….." Jon shifted uncomfortably.

"Curiosity tends to get the better of me."

"Curiosity killed the cat…"

"The cat also has nine lives."

"What if that was it's last?"

"Then good thing I'm not a cat then, hmmmm?" Jon closed his book. This guy was so annoying, yet in an odd way it was nice talking to someone even if it was just frustrating banter. Maybe he was just trying to get close to him so he would be easier to ridicule later.

"Well first off I'm not scared of birds, just crows... I'm Jonathan Crane, I'm from Georgia and go fuk yourself…"

"Pfffft, so crude….. Georgia? Shouldn't you have a Bumpkin accent?" He just kept presenting more questions one after the other.

"I hate it, it makes me sound uneducated…" It was true, the accent made him feel like he belonged on a farm and not at high school.

"Fair enough… I'm Edward Nashton, I live kinda' close to the school. Nice to be formerly aquatinted." No ridicule? No jabs? He must be luring him into a false sense of security!

"Just tell me what you want? What's the catch here?"

"There is no catch, let's just be friends." Edward stuck his hand out, putting his shoes back under the desk. No one ever wantedto be his friend. At his old school there was a dare to get close to the 'devil child', it as like a game of chicken; whoever could get a conversation without running or getting told off by a fickle parent won.

"Did Bo or one of his followers dare you?"

-wWwWw-

"Did Bo or one of his followers dare you?" How absurd, although he supposed it made sense as to why he was anti-social. He must have had a bad experience with people pretending to be friends.

"No I just want to know about you and since you won't just tell me I'll have to find out myself." Jonathan looked unsure.

"You mean it? No tricks?"

"Just friends… Are you going to accept the offer or am I making friends with the air?"

"Alright…. Friends…" To be honest this would be the first proper friend he'd made in a while. The others had drifted as Edward became to amazingly smart for them and started skipping classes. It was nice to know they had come to terms with each other.