Author's Note: Thank you to eternal rose 45Lady ElanyaPhantomLover2005, who reviewed my last chapter.
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Growing Up
The front door slammed shut causing some of the pictures on the wall to rattle. Madeline could hear Erik in the other room having one of his fits; she rushed to where he was before he could do any more damage to her house. Erik picked up a vase on the table and threw it to the ground, pieces flew everywhere. She was too late.
"Erik Destler!" her voice rose shrilly "What on earth do you think you are doing?" Erik looked at his mother surprised to see her, forgetting that she was in the house. His eyes narrowed and he folded his arms across his chest in an angry pout.
"Nothing" he stated flatly, not daring to look into his mother's penetrating gaze.
"Erik, dear what happened" Madeline walked over to her little boy and crouched down beside him so she could be eye level. She caught his eye finally; little tears started forming in his eight year old eyes. Trying not to let his mother see his pain he wrapped his arms around her neck and held her close burying his face in her neck.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked softly, already knowing what it might be about. He shook his head against her neck and tightened his grip. When Madeline was sure he had had control of his emotions she pulled him away and smiled gently at him.
"Will you play something for me?" Immediately his eyes lit up in excitement. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the music room.
Madeline watched her son settle down on the bench and start playing the most beautiful music ever. She was so proud of him; it seemed that he just kept getting better every day. As a baby he was far above the rest of the infants. His level of intelligence seemed far greater than anyone's she had ever seen. He hardly ever cried, he was always so silent sometimes she wondered if he was alive. He would constantly watch everything around him curious to see how it would work. When Madeline would talk to him he would stare intently at her like he could actually understand what she was saying. Still to this day she was amazed at his intelligence. He understood many things that were complicated to some adults. He was still very quiet but not shy. When he was angry he was not quiet at all, he had a violent temper. Madeline knew that someday he would be a great man. They way he held himself demanded respect and attention. Sometimes she would have to remind herself that she was the parent and the one in charge.
All these traits she found were lost to the world around them. Erik didn't have very many friends; in fact she was his only friend. Since he never really traveled outside the house he would spend hours teaching himself how to play the piano and various instruments. She had tried to get him a music teacher but after the first two quit once they saw their student; Erik decided he didn't need them and he would teach himself. This seemed to suit him much better. His talents far exceeded most grown men. He truly had a musical talent.
What he didn't have of a face he had in his mind. He was a genius boy, always coming up with little inventions and gadgets. For her birthday Erik would always make a gift. He didn't go into town, and would use things he found around the house. He painted many things, from his mother's portrait to the beauty of the outside world. This last year was by far her favorite present. It was a music box, carved roses on the outside. The details were exquisite. Inside were two people dancing in circles to the angelic melody. Erik said that is was a mother and her son dancing forever. As long as they danced then the love that the two shared would go on forever. She thought it was a wonderful gift, but was worried that one day it would break. Almost as if he was reading her mind, he patted her arm and told her that he would fix it if ever it needed mending.
The music stopped and Erik turned around on the bench to gaze at his mother.
"How was it?" apprehension rising in his voice.
"Perfect, I have not heard you play that song before, is it new?"
"It is, because I wrote it."
"You wrote this piece?" he nodded his head, surprised she walked over to look more closely at the music. "I did not know you decided to write your own music. It was magnificent." He beamed proudly; glad that his mother liked it. He made the song for her, he was going to write words for it and then sing it to her. He stroked the keys remembering what happened earlier.
"Do you think I am a monster?"
"Oh Erik, of course I don't. I could never ever think that, and don't you forget it." She sat next to him and started playing with his light brown hair.
"They looked like they were having so much fun. I just, I was just trying to get a closer look, just to see what they were talking about. They saw me though, and I asked if I could play. They just laughed," he looked at his mother, his eyes filled with such sadness and rejection. "They called me names, not that it was new but it still hurt. They threw rocks at me too, and told me to stay away." Tears filled Madeline's' eyes, she wrapped her son up in her embrace. Trying to shelter him from the world, knowing she never would be able to. His whole life he had to deal with the cruel world, degrading him. The verbal abuse was so awful she had refused to bring him outside. Erik would believe a lot of what everyone would say about him, which hurt the worse for her. It would take her days to convince him otherwise. The worst that had ever happened to them was when someone mentioned his father, telling him that his father loathed him and wanted him dead. Erik had always wanted to know about his father, and Madeline couldn't keep the truth from him any longer. For days he would just stand and look out the window. He didn't eat or sleep, she was really worried about him. He finally did come out of his depressed state but she knew that the subject would always be tender. They couldn't keep servants either, they were too afraid of what Erik would do to them.
"I hate this face. Why did God hate me so mother, to curse me with the loathsome face?"
"Erik don't say such things, do not blame God."
"And why not?" he asked angrily pulling back from her embrace. "It is because of him that I am like this, it is because of him that I can't participate in the other children's games, and it is because of him that we are alone."
"If you were like everyone else, then you wouldn't have the talent that you do now. You would just be ordinary, struggling to understand a hard problem. God gave you that face for a reason, just as he gave you your talents."
"What if I don't want to be talented, what if I just want what everyone else has." She sighed; she didn't know what to say to him.
"Erik it is not what is on the outside that matters it is what is on the inside. Keep your convictions strong, stand up for what you believe in. Trust yourself, and remember to always be charitable to everyone around you even if they are not to you."
"It is so hard, I don't know if I can."
"You can, and you will. You are strong Erik, and I am here and I will never leave your side. Together we can show the world that you are not a monster but a wonderful, talented boy." He nodded his head in agreement, although not so enthusiastic. He wished that he could just hide his face from the world, so people weren't so frightened by him when they first saw him.
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