Ookay, this was one of those spur of a moment kind of fics "read Midnight
C's 'Embers' then got mad at someone and had to write a fic" sort of
deals. Uh...does that make sense?
Garet: Does to me!
See? That's why you're one of my favorites!
Garet: ONE of your favorites?
Well, it's Garet's Kitchen, isn't it?
Garet: I suppose so....where's Isaac?
Congratulations, Garet. You're my muse for this fic.
Garet: Booh yeah!
Yup! Here you go!
Simple and Clean
The fire he controlled coursed through his veins, a low growl
starting in his throat.
Garet stalked up to his room and threw himself on the bed.
"Damnit."
He couldn't stay still for long. He jumped to his feet and
stalked through his room. There was so much pent up energy in his
system, and no way that he could see to put it to use. He looked to the
window, but it was covered by heavy curtains. It was raining today. He
hated the rain, so he shut it out. With another growl of frustration he
tried the bed again, but only ended up throwing the pillows arranged
neatly that morning around the room.
And all the while the words that his sister had said sang through
his memory, causing his temples to throb.
"Garet, you're such a loser!" she had laughed. "You can't hold a
job for more than a month! You've never had a girlfriend, you're stupid,
big, and even your FRIENDS make fun of you!"
"They don't mean it!" was all he could think to reply.
"Oh, SURE they don't," she laughed again. "You're such an idiot,
Garet. Face it, now that your STUPID journey's through there's nothing
left for you! You're going to stay in this house with Mom and Dad for
the rest of your life, eating their food and trying to say 'Oh, I helped
Isaac save the world. I really did'. How much more pathetic can you
get?"
"Shut up!" he yelled. "Shut up shut up shut up!"
That was when he had stalked to his room, angry enough to throw
fireballs into all of his sister's precious flowers.
Luckily, he had much more restraint then that.
"It's not true," he fumed to himself. "It's not true it's not
true it's not true!"
But what made it hurt most of all, was that he thought she was
right.
"I'm so useless," he mumbled to himself, turning onto his back
and staring up at the criss crossing rafters of his ceiling. His vision
blurred with tears, and he angrily wiped them away, getting to his feet
once more.
"Damnit," he muttered again, walking closer and closer to the
wall away from his door. Then, not because it helped, but seemed
appropriate, he repeated the word. "Damnit damnit DAMNIT!"
"Garet?"
He turned quickly, hoping that he wasn't too red.
Standing in the doorway was Mia.
"Garet, what are you doing?" she asked, laughter sparkling behind
her blue eyes, her clothing and hair slightly damp from the rain.
"Swearing at the wall won't make it move."
"I know that!" he spluttered.
"Sure," she smiled, the laughter still in her eyes.
*She's laughing at me,* the small voice of truth said softly.
*Because I'm a stupid oaf that can't get anything right...*
It was strange, usually Mia's very presence calmed him down quite
a deal, but today...today...
His anger grew, he could feel the air around him heating up.
Somehow, he had to channel his anger, or the entire house would be
torched. He pulled back one fist...
And hit the wall. "DAMNIT!"
"Garet!" Mia rushed over to him. His fist had punched through
the wall, and it hurt like hell, but the pain allowed him to focus.
Everything instantly cooled down.
"Sorry," he muttered, trying to pull his hand out. To no avail.
*********
"Let me help you," she grabbed hold of his wrist, and they pulled
together. His hand escaped the hole he had created, more or less in one
piece. His knuckles were bloody, full of splinters of wood. "Garet, you
oaf. Look what you did to yourself," Mia sighed. "Here, I'll heal
it..."
"Don't bother," he tugged his hand from her grasp and made his
way to the door. Even Mia thought he was a stupid oaf. Mia, who seemed
to understand everything and never passed judgement...
"Wait, where are you going?" she called out.
"Outside," he muttered.
"But it's RAINING!" she took his arm. "You hate the rain!"
"So what?" he shrugged her off, trundled down the stairs and out
into the rain.
*********
"Stupid, didn't even grab a cloak," he muttered. Mia loved the
rain, all Mercury Adepts did, at least the three that he had met. He
despised the stuff, in fact, he really didn't like ANY water of ANY kind
in the least bit. He was a Mars Adept, and a powerful one. He had hoped
that the stronger he became, the better he would be at controlling his
element and the rain wouldn't annoy him quite as much.
He was wrong, of course. The more powerful he became, the more
out of control the element of Mars had become. Everywhere he went he was
nearly causing a fire, that was what he and his sister had been arguing
about, he had nearly burned the house down. And the more out of control
his element became, the more the rain became more than a nuisance. It
almost hurt now...
But rain made the world clean...maybe it could make him clean,
too.
He wasn't sure what he WOULDN'T give for a clean slate, to be
able to just start over...fresh and new...
"Garet, you oaf..."
He shook his head, he didn't want Mia's words to haunt him. But
they did. As did his sisters. Their voices filled his head, taunting
him, to be replaced by fire.
"Shut up," he muttered. "Damnit."
Now the rain sizzled when it hit his skin, the water droplets
evaporating into steam instantly.
"Garet?" he turned around.
It was Mia, her face nearly hidden by the hood of her cloak. He
ground his teeth, he didn't want to talk to anyone...not anyone...
"Garet, let's get inside, it's cold," she almost reached for his
arm, but her hand dropped to her side.
"I can't..." he muttered.
"Why not?"
"I'll end up losing my temper and burning something down," his
gaze dropped to the ground. "Why can't everything be simple?"
"What do you mean?" Mia took a step closer. Garet's anger was
gone now, returning his control over his Psynergy.
"Why...why do people have to die? Why couldn't Jenna have her
family, and why can't Isaac have his father back?" he whispered. "And
why can't we all just stay together, forever? Ivan already went back to
Kalay, Sheba's returning to Kalay, Picard's going with her so that he can
go back to Lemuria...and Felix and Jenna want to move..."
That last one hurt, badly. Jenna was one of his best
friends...his VERY best friends... "Why can't everything just stay the
same?"
"Things change, Garet," Mia's eyes were soft, understanding.
"People die, they move on, and the rest of us just have to cope."
"I'm sick of staying here..." he admitted. "I'm sick of being
the one that stays here and copes."
"We could go off together," her eyes had a mischievous sparkle in
them. "Leave the world behind."
"And be simple and clean?" he asked.
"Yup, simple and clean," she agreed. "Simple and clean and
good."
For the first time in what felt like months, when his life had
begun to fall apart somehow, he smiled. "Simple and clean and good."
Hm...I rather liked it.
Garet: Ooh, I was in a bad mood.
That wall didn't stand a chance, did it.
Garet: Nope! I laid the smack down on the wall!
Right...well...I might continue this. I might not.
Garet: Continue! Being your muse is fun!
Right...so...yeah. Review and stuff.
C's 'Embers' then got mad at someone and had to write a fic" sort of
deals. Uh...does that make sense?
Garet: Does to me!
See? That's why you're one of my favorites!
Garet: ONE of your favorites?
Well, it's Garet's Kitchen, isn't it?
Garet: I suppose so....where's Isaac?
Congratulations, Garet. You're my muse for this fic.
Garet: Booh yeah!
Yup! Here you go!
Simple and Clean
The fire he controlled coursed through his veins, a low growl
starting in his throat.
Garet stalked up to his room and threw himself on the bed.
"Damnit."
He couldn't stay still for long. He jumped to his feet and
stalked through his room. There was so much pent up energy in his
system, and no way that he could see to put it to use. He looked to the
window, but it was covered by heavy curtains. It was raining today. He
hated the rain, so he shut it out. With another growl of frustration he
tried the bed again, but only ended up throwing the pillows arranged
neatly that morning around the room.
And all the while the words that his sister had said sang through
his memory, causing his temples to throb.
"Garet, you're such a loser!" she had laughed. "You can't hold a
job for more than a month! You've never had a girlfriend, you're stupid,
big, and even your FRIENDS make fun of you!"
"They don't mean it!" was all he could think to reply.
"Oh, SURE they don't," she laughed again. "You're such an idiot,
Garet. Face it, now that your STUPID journey's through there's nothing
left for you! You're going to stay in this house with Mom and Dad for
the rest of your life, eating their food and trying to say 'Oh, I helped
Isaac save the world. I really did'. How much more pathetic can you
get?"
"Shut up!" he yelled. "Shut up shut up shut up!"
That was when he had stalked to his room, angry enough to throw
fireballs into all of his sister's precious flowers.
Luckily, he had much more restraint then that.
"It's not true," he fumed to himself. "It's not true it's not
true it's not true!"
But what made it hurt most of all, was that he thought she was
right.
"I'm so useless," he mumbled to himself, turning onto his back
and staring up at the criss crossing rafters of his ceiling. His vision
blurred with tears, and he angrily wiped them away, getting to his feet
once more.
"Damnit," he muttered again, walking closer and closer to the
wall away from his door. Then, not because it helped, but seemed
appropriate, he repeated the word. "Damnit damnit DAMNIT!"
"Garet?"
He turned quickly, hoping that he wasn't too red.
Standing in the doorway was Mia.
"Garet, what are you doing?" she asked, laughter sparkling behind
her blue eyes, her clothing and hair slightly damp from the rain.
"Swearing at the wall won't make it move."
"I know that!" he spluttered.
"Sure," she smiled, the laughter still in her eyes.
*She's laughing at me,* the small voice of truth said softly.
*Because I'm a stupid oaf that can't get anything right...*
It was strange, usually Mia's very presence calmed him down quite
a deal, but today...today...
His anger grew, he could feel the air around him heating up.
Somehow, he had to channel his anger, or the entire house would be
torched. He pulled back one fist...
And hit the wall. "DAMNIT!"
"Garet!" Mia rushed over to him. His fist had punched through
the wall, and it hurt like hell, but the pain allowed him to focus.
Everything instantly cooled down.
"Sorry," he muttered, trying to pull his hand out. To no avail.
*********
"Let me help you," she grabbed hold of his wrist, and they pulled
together. His hand escaped the hole he had created, more or less in one
piece. His knuckles were bloody, full of splinters of wood. "Garet, you
oaf. Look what you did to yourself," Mia sighed. "Here, I'll heal
it..."
"Don't bother," he tugged his hand from her grasp and made his
way to the door. Even Mia thought he was a stupid oaf. Mia, who seemed
to understand everything and never passed judgement...
"Wait, where are you going?" she called out.
"Outside," he muttered.
"But it's RAINING!" she took his arm. "You hate the rain!"
"So what?" he shrugged her off, trundled down the stairs and out
into the rain.
*********
"Stupid, didn't even grab a cloak," he muttered. Mia loved the
rain, all Mercury Adepts did, at least the three that he had met. He
despised the stuff, in fact, he really didn't like ANY water of ANY kind
in the least bit. He was a Mars Adept, and a powerful one. He had hoped
that the stronger he became, the better he would be at controlling his
element and the rain wouldn't annoy him quite as much.
He was wrong, of course. The more powerful he became, the more
out of control the element of Mars had become. Everywhere he went he was
nearly causing a fire, that was what he and his sister had been arguing
about, he had nearly burned the house down. And the more out of control
his element became, the more the rain became more than a nuisance. It
almost hurt now...
But rain made the world clean...maybe it could make him clean,
too.
He wasn't sure what he WOULDN'T give for a clean slate, to be
able to just start over...fresh and new...
"Garet, you oaf..."
He shook his head, he didn't want Mia's words to haunt him. But
they did. As did his sisters. Their voices filled his head, taunting
him, to be replaced by fire.
"Shut up," he muttered. "Damnit."
Now the rain sizzled when it hit his skin, the water droplets
evaporating into steam instantly.
"Garet?" he turned around.
It was Mia, her face nearly hidden by the hood of her cloak. He
ground his teeth, he didn't want to talk to anyone...not anyone...
"Garet, let's get inside, it's cold," she almost reached for his
arm, but her hand dropped to her side.
"I can't..." he muttered.
"Why not?"
"I'll end up losing my temper and burning something down," his
gaze dropped to the ground. "Why can't everything be simple?"
"What do you mean?" Mia took a step closer. Garet's anger was
gone now, returning his control over his Psynergy.
"Why...why do people have to die? Why couldn't Jenna have her
family, and why can't Isaac have his father back?" he whispered. "And
why can't we all just stay together, forever? Ivan already went back to
Kalay, Sheba's returning to Kalay, Picard's going with her so that he can
go back to Lemuria...and Felix and Jenna want to move..."
That last one hurt, badly. Jenna was one of his best
friends...his VERY best friends... "Why can't everything just stay the
same?"
"Things change, Garet," Mia's eyes were soft, understanding.
"People die, they move on, and the rest of us just have to cope."
"I'm sick of staying here..." he admitted. "I'm sick of being
the one that stays here and copes."
"We could go off together," her eyes had a mischievous sparkle in
them. "Leave the world behind."
"And be simple and clean?" he asked.
"Yup, simple and clean," she agreed. "Simple and clean and
good."
For the first time in what felt like months, when his life had
begun to fall apart somehow, he smiled. "Simple and clean and good."
Hm...I rather liked it.
Garet: Ooh, I was in a bad mood.
That wall didn't stand a chance, did it.
Garet: Nope! I laid the smack down on the wall!
Right...well...I might continue this. I might not.
Garet: Continue! Being your muse is fun!
Right...so...yeah. Review and stuff.