Chapter Eight, Masked Man:
Abandon. Serena would abandon him. *Serena will abandon
me just like my parents did. Just like everyone abandonded me,
she will too,* Darien thought in despair. He sat down on his
couch and put his face in his hands and began to cry, sob
actually, tears running down his face and snot running down his
nose. He sniffled and just cried like a little child letting
all the years of abandonment, years of losing his family,
years of friends abandoning him and people giving him a hard
time at the orphanage, years of all this pain seeping out
through his eyes in the form of tears. Full of force,
everything just hit him and he bawled on the couch.
Later that day Darien went out, and to get his mind off
everything that had hit him last night he went to the lake. He
stood beside the water. Serena he knew had been at the inner
scout meeting earlier today, and now he knew she was going to
the arcade with Mina and Lita. So he had some peaceful time to
himself to reflect. He stood looking out at the water and
breathed a deep sigh. He had homework to do, so he knew he should
be heading home. But the ripples in the tranquil lake soothed his
soul. So he stayed awhile longer.
The next afternoon Darien went to the museum to look at
the paintings and get his mind off of his past.
As she turned the corner, Amy bumped into somebody. She
jumped back, her cheeks flushed and her head looking down in
embarrassment. "Oh I'm so sorry, so sorry," she repeated
breathlessly.
"No problem Amy. I didn't know you were going to the
museum today. Fancy meeting you here," said the tall Darien in a
light pink shirt.
"Oh Darien, so nice to see you. I'm here with my after
school history club," she said.
"Oh I see, it's really an interesting historical
display," he commented.
"Really?" she asked as the other kids began entering the
area as well.
"Sure, I'll show you around all right?"
"Great!" she said enthusiastically.
"You know it's really nice to have someone to share this
with. Serena doesn't really appreciate the finer things in
life," he confided.
"That's no secret," Amy giggled. "Ah well we love her
just the way she is."
"That we do," Darien admitted, a grin on his face at the
thought of his other half.
That night Darien read a book in his apartment, leaning
back in his comfy chair to lose himself in a good story. After
finishing the book sometime later, he sat in front of the
fireplace and watched the dancing flames. The sparks shooting up
into the air, and he was reminded of Raye. Raye was intriguing
but meant nothing more than a friend to him. He knew she had
grown up without her parents too, so it gave them something in
common. He knew she understood what it meant to struggle to be
independent on all on her own without the support
of either parent since one was dead and the other absent. Still
she had a grandpa that cared for her as much as any parent
would. No one had ever taken Darien from the orphanage. So he
had grown up with other kids and with staff members who were
just there for the paycheck. No real parents figure at all and
that left a gaping hole in his heart, his soul. He also had a
lot in common with Trista he reflected. Two lonely, solitary
figures, but she had had parents hadn't she? He wasn't really
sure. Perhaps he should have had the most in common with
Lita who had also lost both parents and in an airplane crash
instead of a car crash. He didn't feel like he had a whole lot
in common with her though except for perhaps the independent
nature and knowledge of living on one's own they both had. He
was glad she didn't have to go to one of those horrible
orphanages. Maybe that was the difference between them...his
parents had died when he was much younger, and he had had to
have a whole new life devoid of meaning at that horrible
orphanage. And worst of all he couldn't remember. Couldn't
remember a single second of his time with them. Did it hurt more
to remember? Or was it some kind of a comfort to have the good
memories to warm one's heart? He wasn't sure, but he knew at
the very least he ached for just one memory, one thing to
remember his parents by.
The next day he was looking forward to going ice
skating with his beloved, but she was grounded it turned out.
Still he didn't want to ruin the whole evening, so he did go
ice skating with Amara, Michelle, Hotaru, Lita, MIna, and Raye.
Darien lifted Raye up into the air and spun her around
on the ice. They were all out for a fun time of ice-skating.
Everyone that is except Serena who was grounded and Amy as
well as Trista who were reading. "Do you think Serena will be
jealous when she hears about this?" Lita asked in a teasing
manner.
Darien dropped Raye, who landed on her butt. "You
better not tell her," Raye hissed.
Lita laughed. "Relax, I won't," she promised. "But it
would be hilarious if I did..."
Raye glared at her. "All right. All right. Calm down,"
Lita said, her hands up in the air.
Amara lifted Michelle into the air and spun her around
longer than Darien. "Ha," Michelle said. "My love is better
than yours," she teased Raye.
Darien blushed and Raye glared at her as she stood up.
Hotaru and Mina were practicing their spins together.
The next day while the others were having an all scout
meeting, Darien wandered through the park, dreaming of his
beloved Serena and the future he hoped they would have
together. He sighed in contentment at the thought of her.
Later that day his beloved came over to his apartment
to spend some time with him, and he relished every moment with
her. "Darien," she purred, hanging onto his arm as her long
blond pigtails almost got in the way of his mouth moving
towards hers. They kissed passionately, and she lay in his
arms on the couch in bliss. They relished every moment alone
together.
He lay down in his bed, but sleep would not come.
Beads of prespiration ran down his face as he restlessly fell
into a nightmare. He woke up suddenly, gasping for breath and
running out onto his balcony to cool off and think privately.
He sighed and brushed his feet along the ground, feeling it
beneath him and reminding himself that it was only a
nightmare. *Serena would never leave me,* he silently
reassured himself. His breathing was still ragged as he tried
to take slow, deep breaths. Inside his soul was a missing
piece, a piece that couldn't be filled by Serena or any of
his few friends. A piece that only his parents could fill.
But they never would. And he knew this but still his soul
ached for a mother to hold him, a father to pick him up.
Parents or even one parent. Someone who meddled in his life
and cared about where he was, what he was doing, how he was
doing. Someone who would help him out, not leave him all out
in the cold, cruel world to fend for himself helplessly. Well
perhaps not helplessly because he had made it hadn't he. Had
his own place, paid his own bills, was making his way
through school. But who could he share these things with?
Serena and his friend Andrew perhaps, but it wasn't the same
as the love of parents that he had never experienced.
To Be Continued...
Abandon. Serena would abandon him. *Serena will abandon
me just like my parents did. Just like everyone abandonded me,
she will too,* Darien thought in despair. He sat down on his
couch and put his face in his hands and began to cry, sob
actually, tears running down his face and snot running down his
nose. He sniffled and just cried like a little child letting
all the years of abandonment, years of losing his family,
years of friends abandoning him and people giving him a hard
time at the orphanage, years of all this pain seeping out
through his eyes in the form of tears. Full of force,
everything just hit him and he bawled on the couch.
Later that day Darien went out, and to get his mind off
everything that had hit him last night he went to the lake. He
stood beside the water. Serena he knew had been at the inner
scout meeting earlier today, and now he knew she was going to
the arcade with Mina and Lita. So he had some peaceful time to
himself to reflect. He stood looking out at the water and
breathed a deep sigh. He had homework to do, so he knew he should
be heading home. But the ripples in the tranquil lake soothed his
soul. So he stayed awhile longer.
The next afternoon Darien went to the museum to look at
the paintings and get his mind off of his past.
As she turned the corner, Amy bumped into somebody. She
jumped back, her cheeks flushed and her head looking down in
embarrassment. "Oh I'm so sorry, so sorry," she repeated
breathlessly.
"No problem Amy. I didn't know you were going to the
museum today. Fancy meeting you here," said the tall Darien in a
light pink shirt.
"Oh Darien, so nice to see you. I'm here with my after
school history club," she said.
"Oh I see, it's really an interesting historical
display," he commented.
"Really?" she asked as the other kids began entering the
area as well.
"Sure, I'll show you around all right?"
"Great!" she said enthusiastically.
"You know it's really nice to have someone to share this
with. Serena doesn't really appreciate the finer things in
life," he confided.
"That's no secret," Amy giggled. "Ah well we love her
just the way she is."
"That we do," Darien admitted, a grin on his face at the
thought of his other half.
That night Darien read a book in his apartment, leaning
back in his comfy chair to lose himself in a good story. After
finishing the book sometime later, he sat in front of the
fireplace and watched the dancing flames. The sparks shooting up
into the air, and he was reminded of Raye. Raye was intriguing
but meant nothing more than a friend to him. He knew she had
grown up without her parents too, so it gave them something in
common. He knew she understood what it meant to struggle to be
independent on all on her own without the support
of either parent since one was dead and the other absent. Still
she had a grandpa that cared for her as much as any parent
would. No one had ever taken Darien from the orphanage. So he
had grown up with other kids and with staff members who were
just there for the paycheck. No real parents figure at all and
that left a gaping hole in his heart, his soul. He also had a
lot in common with Trista he reflected. Two lonely, solitary
figures, but she had had parents hadn't she? He wasn't really
sure. Perhaps he should have had the most in common with
Lita who had also lost both parents and in an airplane crash
instead of a car crash. He didn't feel like he had a whole lot
in common with her though except for perhaps the independent
nature and knowledge of living on one's own they both had. He
was glad she didn't have to go to one of those horrible
orphanages. Maybe that was the difference between them...his
parents had died when he was much younger, and he had had to
have a whole new life devoid of meaning at that horrible
orphanage. And worst of all he couldn't remember. Couldn't
remember a single second of his time with them. Did it hurt more
to remember? Or was it some kind of a comfort to have the good
memories to warm one's heart? He wasn't sure, but he knew at
the very least he ached for just one memory, one thing to
remember his parents by.
The next day he was looking forward to going ice
skating with his beloved, but she was grounded it turned out.
Still he didn't want to ruin the whole evening, so he did go
ice skating with Amara, Michelle, Hotaru, Lita, MIna, and Raye.
Darien lifted Raye up into the air and spun her around
on the ice. They were all out for a fun time of ice-skating.
Everyone that is except Serena who was grounded and Amy as
well as Trista who were reading. "Do you think Serena will be
jealous when she hears about this?" Lita asked in a teasing
manner.
Darien dropped Raye, who landed on her butt. "You
better not tell her," Raye hissed.
Lita laughed. "Relax, I won't," she promised. "But it
would be hilarious if I did..."
Raye glared at her. "All right. All right. Calm down,"
Lita said, her hands up in the air.
Amara lifted Michelle into the air and spun her around
longer than Darien. "Ha," Michelle said. "My love is better
than yours," she teased Raye.
Darien blushed and Raye glared at her as she stood up.
Hotaru and Mina were practicing their spins together.
The next day while the others were having an all scout
meeting, Darien wandered through the park, dreaming of his
beloved Serena and the future he hoped they would have
together. He sighed in contentment at the thought of her.
Later that day his beloved came over to his apartment
to spend some time with him, and he relished every moment with
her. "Darien," she purred, hanging onto his arm as her long
blond pigtails almost got in the way of his mouth moving
towards hers. They kissed passionately, and she lay in his
arms on the couch in bliss. They relished every moment alone
together.
He lay down in his bed, but sleep would not come.
Beads of prespiration ran down his face as he restlessly fell
into a nightmare. He woke up suddenly, gasping for breath and
running out onto his balcony to cool off and think privately.
He sighed and brushed his feet along the ground, feeling it
beneath him and reminding himself that it was only a
nightmare. *Serena would never leave me,* he silently
reassured himself. His breathing was still ragged as he tried
to take slow, deep breaths. Inside his soul was a missing
piece, a piece that couldn't be filled by Serena or any of
his few friends. A piece that only his parents could fill.
But they never would. And he knew this but still his soul
ached for a mother to hold him, a father to pick him up.
Parents or even one parent. Someone who meddled in his life
and cared about where he was, what he was doing, how he was
doing. Someone who would help him out, not leave him all out
in the cold, cruel world to fend for himself helplessly. Well
perhaps not helplessly because he had made it hadn't he. Had
his own place, paid his own bills, was making his way
through school. But who could he share these things with?
Serena and his friend Andrew perhaps, but it wasn't the same
as the love of parents that he had never experienced.
To Be Continued...
