Hourglass
Wow, it certainly took me a while but…damn this is a long chapter! And I don't even like it too much, argh! But as you can see, this is gonna be a long sucker…I can't seem to write short stories and when I do they turn into these long epics or something. Sorry, okay, enjoy.
Book 1
"I cannot, I will not,
Deny its False Innocence.
I cannot, I will not,
The Age of False Innocence!"
Blind Guardian
Chapter I -- Blood, Drifting Friendships
Sighing heavily, Sam Brightman sat himself down on a worn bench. Students passed him in waves, pushing in and out of the cafeteria in an attempt to get a little food before class. He had learned, however, and thus had come early and was now unwrapping a granola bar. It was devoured quickly, the shiny wrapper vanishing into a trash can. He leaned back against the cold wall tiredly.
"Where is everyone?" he muttered to himself. Scanning the crowds and recognizing no faces of his friends among them, he shut his eyes as though to sleep. In the distance, he thought he heard the soft patter of light feet coming closer…closer…
Something suddenly landed on his lap, hard. The weight was light in comparison to its counterparts, but still enough to ensure the seventeen-year-old a few early gray hairs.
"Good morning Sammy!" the leaping lump cried.
"Toby!" the older boy cried, rising to his feet and rolling the younger off his lap, "What is wrong with you!?"
"I got bored." Toby replied innocently, rubbing his now sore rear-end.
"Shouldn't you be with Rheas ripping the legs off caterpillars or something, instead of bothering me?!"
"Oh, we hardly get to see him anymore, Sam." Tina, catching up with Toby, piped suddenly.
"Yeah!" the smaller boy finished, beaming from Tina's words of assistance.
"All the better…" Sam grumbled. Just then, the smaller boy was suddenly lifted off his feet into the air.
"Toby!" Thomas cried, hefting the freshman up to eye-level, "What're you doing over here? Shouldn't you be in the library with Rheas?"
"Thomas! I haven't seen you in forever! How are things? What college are ya going to? How's Frank?!" Toby nearly shouted the last question. When high school had begun to creep into their lives, the friends had begun to drift apart. Toby rarely saw his elder friends anymore, except for the occasional passing, and ever since Frank had graduated, he'd hardly seen the stuffy young man since. "I'm sure he misses me…"
"I'm sure he does…" Thomas replied steadily. He set Toby back on his feet. Though fifteen, the boy stood barely over four feet. His clothes were brightly colored and his long hair was pulled back in a high ponytail; an uncommon look for a boy in this region, but it suited him.
"Well," Toby began, dusting off invisible dirt, "I have some things I gotta do. I'll see you later." He turned and began to walk off, but halted himself and, looking over his shoulder, smiled grimly at his friends. "You know, most of you are gonna graduate in a few months. We should get together one last time…all of us." With that, he strode off.
There was silence for a moment, and then it dashed away with Tina's soft voice.
"He's right, you know. When was the last time we were all together?"
"A long time ago…What do you think, Sam?" Thomas asked casually.
"Not a bad idea. However, I don't like the idea of Cameron's little brother being around…"
"Oh, give the kid a break. He's a little nutty, sure, but then again, what teenager isn't?"
"Golden eyes?!"
"A freak mutation." Thomas replied calmly. "I've never known you as one to be put off by eye color."
Sam stiffened, as though insulted. "Rheas was the one always creeping around, getting into trouble. Conniving, ungrateful, and that horrible, cynical temperament…!"
"If you'd been beaten, bound and gagged, thrown into a shower with the cold water running and left there for several hours you wouldn't be the happiest of people either!" Thomas snapped. "He just doesn't know what to do with himself, let him alone!" Thomas wondered why he was suddenly defending Rheas. Sadly, he agreed with Sam.
Sam opened his mouth as though to say more, but shut it again. The bell rang.
"I didn't know that," Tina said quietly.
"It'd be best to make it stay that way," Thomas replied, glancing a look of apology to Sam, who nodded, "it's the humiliation that gets Rheas the most. His dignity's all he's got."
Picking up his bag, Sam began to walk towards the tall buildings. Tina gestured a quick farewell and hurried off in the opposite direction. Thomas turned and quickly caught up with the other young man.
"Sorry 'bout that…" Thomas said, trying to hold back a yawn.
"Don't be. I was a bit harsh," he was silent a moment, "but I still don't like him."
"No one does."
"There's that weird junior who seems to have a liking to him. And then Toby…"
"He doesn't count. He likes everybody…"
Toby bounded off toward the courtyard. A stretch of green lawn had been laid there and was now a popular spot for many to relax, especially in the spring when the weather was warm, though usually wet. Being a good day, many students were spread about the green carpet, using their oversized backpacks as pillows or quickly finishing what homework they had left undone. Some were already rising to their feet, as it wasn't long before the bell rang. A beautiful blonde laughed and parted with her friends, walking towards the buildings. It was she to whom Toby intended to speak.
"Laura!" Toby called as he caught up with her. She turned and smiled at him.
"Hi Toby, how've you been?" Laura asked coolly as she looked down at the smaller boy.
"Good, good. Listen, can I talk to you a sec?"
"Certainly." the sophomore replied, a slight bit of hesitation on her lips. The bell would ring soon, and Toby had a habit of babbling.
"Well, you see, the prom is coming up soon, and I…"
"We're both a long way away from prom, Toby."
"Yeah, I know. But really, already Frank's graduated, and soon so will Thomas and the others will as well and I'm like 'my, where did time go?' And so I then look at the years and wonder how long the next year will be because it's seems the older the year, the shorter the memory, and I can't bear to think that one day I may forget about the time that Rheas convinced me to stick my tongue to a frozen pole. It was kinda fun, but it hurt a little to pull off, he had to pour hot water over my tongue you see, so it blistered…"
"Toby!"
"Right. So I was wondering, for when my prom does come, if you'd be my backup? You know, go with me, as a friend of course, if I don't have anybody to go with."
"I'll have graduated by then!"
"Yeah, so that means that for your prom, you don't have to worry about me, and for mine, I don't have to worry about taking you from someone else!"
"How considerate…" she muttered, Toby oblivious to her slight sarcastic tone. Had the freshman hit his head? Why was he worried about prom all the sudden? The bell rang.
Laura bit her lip; her class was on the other side of the school, she would be late by the time she arrived. Already a little frustrated with the morning, she gave up and decided to humor him.
"Sure, I'll be your backup."
He'd most likely forget, anyway. She hoped.
"Really? That's great! The last time I asked a girl to a dance was a while ago. She said no, do you know her? She's a nice girl, braids in her hair. I used to pull them in elementary school, she may still have a grudge against me for that, probably why she said no. Oh well, that's better than the time I asked Jenny to be my girlfriend, she kicked me, you see, so I kicked back, and the next thing we all know…"
"Get to class!" Laura, already walking away, shouted over her shoulder.
A hush fell over the campus as the students filtered into their classes. Except for the occasional cry from the fields, or the footsteps of the last lone students hurrying to class, the silence fell to the ground with the blackbirds, hunting for food amongst the garbage. All this was shattered as a large, old, dark-blue truck, built for outdoor use, came over the rise, sputtering and roaring, AC/DC pouring loudly out its non-existent windows. It veered sharply into a rare open parking space and came to a halt, the silence tumbling back over it like a wave.
Cameron leaned against the steering wheel and sighed. He glanced at his younger sibling, who seemed to have shrunken himself even farther into the oversized black sweatshirt. The hood was pulled up over his eyes, enhancing his pale skin and making him appear as the Grim Reaper himself. Cameron leaned over and roughly yanked the hood back.
"Quit that! Do you try to be depressing?"
"I try to be whatever satisfies me." Rheas whispered softly.
Cameron glared at his brother. "All I see," he snapped, pushing open the car door, "is a psychopath who needs to seriously reconsider his mental state!"
Rheas lifted his head slowly, staring off into nothing, then replied softly, bitterly, "Then why am I being sent to school?"
"Because! Your grades have already fallen enough, which I don't understand; I know your smart. Now get outta my truck." Cameron sighed, slamming the car door shut. Rheas slid off the seat and onto the pavement slowly. He stood there a minute and then began to walk towards the ramp, his shoulders slightly stooped.
"Hey wait," Cameron said suddenly, grabbing his brother by the hood of his sweatshirt, "where's your backpack?"
"In my locker! I never bring my bag home, one would have noticed by now! Fuckin' observant…"
"Hey!" Cameron jerked his brother a bit, "Just 'cause our sister talked like that doesn't mean you're gonna start!"
"Funny, I thought I got it from you!" Rheas snarled angrily, pulling himself free and marching away.
Cameron had tried to be nice to his brother, many times, but it had never worked. It had been easier when they had been kids but now…now they were too distant, and Rheas was just…difficult. "That mouth is going to get you into trouble someday, Rheas!" he shouted before moving towards the stairs.
"Someday, everyday…what does it matter?" Rheas muttered to himself as he entered the courtyard.
Rheas stared down the walkway of the second story; he really didn't want to deal with class right now. He turned and continued up the stairs, reaching out to the handrail for support, then withdrew his hand. Teen saliva was not something he wanted on his fingers. He climbed two more stories, pausing for a moment when his breath came short.
The sun was much higher now, spreading its warmth through the blooming trees, but a cold wind whipped up, tousling Rheas' auburn hair like a friendly greeting. He shied away from its touch.
The old room facing the woods was empty. It always was, it seemed, though Rheas knew this to be untrue. The silence that weighed heavily was shifted away as Rheas entered, his baggy jeans rustling softly. He listened carefully through the silence that tried to smother him to no avail, he rather liked it. Then he heard the soft sound of pen on board. Yep, he was here.
"Imare'?" he called, his soft voice leaking through the thick silence like gutter water. He waited as he heard the pen stop.
"Yo," a head suddenly appeared from around a corner, smiling broadly, "I thought that was you Rheas. Shouldn't you be in class?"
"Yes." the freshman stated simply as he passed by the other boy.
Imare' shrugged, satisfied with his younger companion's blunt answer. An elusive junior, Imare' was rarely seen about campus, he seemed to come and go as he pleased. Though he was claimed to be a master in cooking class, no one could ever seem to pinpoint exactly which class he was in. There was only one place to find him and know he would be there, and that was here in the empty room during the first period.
"So, whaddya want?" Imare' asked suddenly, uncapping his dry-erase pen.
"What do you mean?" Rheas was too tired to think. He didn't even know why he was here, only that it wasn't class.
"Normally when you come to me it's to ask me something or…something." His steel-gray eyes narrowed suspiciously at Rheas. The two looked strangely alike, yet extremely different, for both obvious and un-obvious reasons.
Just like Cameron and I…Rheas thought detachedly. He shrugged his shoulders and looked about the room. History class, by the look of the posters on the wall. The carpet was an off-orange color, like all the other rooms. Rheas had always felt the color added a more comfortable feel to the rooms, unlike the stone-gray carpets of his newer junior high. Bad memories there, don't stray, his mind told him.
Imare' had returned to the white-board and was back to drawing away. His was a simple drawing style that would never win recognition, but was easy to the eye in its plain nature. Imare' stepped back, thinking of what to add next, when Rheas suddenly started at the sight of the drawing.
The freshman brushed his hair back, as though that would alter the image. In bold black pen, a winged youth held a spiraled staff above his head proudly, spreading light from the orbs at both ends. He stood at ready, doing battle with a five-headed monster.
Rheas felt lightheaded suddenly, and swayed a bit. He rubbed his temples, trying to ease a sudden throbbing sensation.
Imare' stared at the younger boy in concern. "Hey, you alright man?"
"What is that?!" Rheas demanded, startling himself at his own outburst.
"That?" Imare' questioned, looking over his shoulder at the five-headed thing, "A hydra."
Rheas relaxed as his headache faded away, and he regained his composure. "Of course it is…" he admonished himself, "what else would it be?"
Imare', seeing that his little friend was quite all right, shrugged and returned to the drawing. Silence ruled again.
"You know," Imare said without turning, "I can tell the idea of class is not your preference right now. Why don't you just sneak out next period, or fake sick and sleep in the nurse's office?"
Rheas smirked. "I save my performances for the gym."
Imare' nodded in agreement, a smile on the corner of his lips. The bell rang. "Speaking of gym…and it is a Wednesday."
Rheas groaned and slumped out the door without a word. Imare' continued smiling to himself as he finished his drawing
"You'd think they'd fix it by now…" Toby muttered, marching out of the cafeteria angrily. Once again, the vending machine had swallowed up his money and gave nothing in return. He strode over to the steps leading down to the locker rooms, then paused. Did he really want to descend to that horror? He had no choice, grades, afterall. Suddenly he felt thin knuckles knocking on his head.
"Not quite ripe. Useless then…" a voice sighed behind him.
Toby whirled around. "Rheas!" he cried, pointing an accusing finger at his taller classmate.
"Yes?" Rheas sighed, gazing down at his companion.
"You never showed up this morning! If Tina hadn't been passing by…"
Rheas shrugged his thin shoulders. "Something came up. My brother gave me a ride here."
"Oh really? That was nice of him."
"Yes…" the taller boy scowled, his golden eyes glittering dangerously.
"Hey Rheas! You wouldn't believe who I just got as my backup for prom!"
"Prom's years away." Rheas grumbled, sitting down on a bench.
"But when it does come," Toby replied, plopping down beside him, "I'll be worried about so much other stuff, I may forget to take a girl at all! So, would you believe it, that if I don't have anyone to take with me, Laura's gonna come!?"
"She's a year older than us you cunt! Why would she agree to go with you?!"
"I dunno. My charm maybe?" Toby flashed an attempt at a dashing smile.
"Probably just wanted you to shut up…" Rheas muttered to himself.
"By golly, that's it!" Toby cried, whirling to face his friend, "We need to get you a backup too!"
"No we don't!" Rheas snapped irritably, "When our prom does arrive, I'll be sure not to go!"
"Oh, you're going and you know it! Now, who would make a good backup…?"
Rheas slumped back and gave up. There was no point in wasting breath arguing with Toby when he was all excited like this. Might as well let him have his fun… Toby was busy scanning the crowd for ideas, when suddenly light brightened in his brown eyes.
"That's it!" he cried, jumping to his feet. He turned and grabbed Rheas' wrist and pulled him off across the courtyard. "Come on!"
"Let go of me!"
Toby pulled him up to a grassy knoll where a circle of girls stood, chatting. His eyes were on the one with her back to them. Toby knew she was perfect. Her thick black hair tumbled down her back and her skin was like marble. A silver cross hung at her throat.
"Crysta!" he shouted as he ran up to her. He then released his grip on Rheas, who yanked his hand away angrily.
Crysta turned and, upon seeing Toby, opened her mouth to say hello, but then her eyes fell on Rheas, and it closed with an "oh…you."
"Good day, reverend's daughter." Rheas replied evenly.
"Crysta! It's a good thing I found you!" Toby prattled on, "You see, Rheas and I were just discussing the prom, when it comes that is, and I told him how I made backup plans with Laura. So he decided it would be a good idea to get one of his own, so naturally I suggested you, since you two have known each other for a long time and…"
As Toby continued on, Crysta glanced at Rheas, suspicion in her eyes. Rheas shook his head, pointed down at the shorter boy and mouthed "he decided!" Crysta nodded in understanding.
"…and so we came over here so," Toby took a breath, "will you be Rheas' backup?"
"Me?" Crysta returned haughtily, "You want me to be this freak's backup?"
"Freak!?" Rheas snarled. Toby stepped in front of his friend.
"Well…yes," Toby smiled, "you two get along so well."
"Get along!? Do you know what he did to me eight years ago!?"
"You girls sure do hold grudges for a while." Rheas muttered.
Crysta ignored him and continued, half to her friends and half to Toby. "He used to go to this park all the time, and one day he took me with him, but I didn't know the way home. We were playing catch, and then when I retrieved the ball from a bush, he was gone. He left me there! His brother had to come get me! And that's not the only thing he's done!"
Rheas shrugged. "I had business to attend to."
"Business!" she shouted, "When we found you, you were on the trails chasing butterflies!"
"I needed the wings. Ground up, it makes an excellent tea. Of course, didn't help my cough any, made it worse actually…"
"Sick!" Crysta cried, shrinking away from him.
"So will you be his backup?"
"Fine, fine! Because when prom does come, I won't have to worry about it! You know why? Because I'm gonna have so many guys wanting to take me, I won't have to even worry about you!"
"Good!" Rheas snapped, "I hope so, 'cause the last thing I want is for my prom to be ruined because I am in your company!"
"Fine then!"
"Fine!"
"Deal!?" at this, Crysta stretched out her hand.
"Deal!" Rheas countered, clasping it with his own. They shook hands, and then Rheas whirled and marched away.
"Thanks Crysta!" Toby waved, chasing after his companion. Crysta could hear him say to Rheas, "Now was that so bad?"
Crysta shook her head and turned back to her friends, which were smiling at her strangely. "What?" she demanded, hands on her hips.
"You like him, don't you?" one of her friends asked.
Maybe… part of Crysta's mind thought. But she retorted angrily, "That psycho little runt? I hope you're kidding! I hate him! In fact," she turned and shouted over her shoulder, loud enough for him to hear, "I hope some abyss opens up somewhere and swallows him whole!"
Rheas whirled, and shouted back, "Be careful what you wish for!" and then stormed off towards the locker rooms.
"Was that supposed to be an insult?" Crysta heard one of her friends whisper.
Despite the sun hanging midway in the sky, unhindered by any clouds bent on ruining its light, it was still early spring, and the sun gave no warmth, not here. The field was on a hill overlooking the town and freeway, leaving it open to the winds that coursed through the shallow valley. A train horn blasted in the distance, mingling with the dull roar of traffic and wind. Rheas stood there miserably, shivering in his gym uniform. Toby nodded in sympathy, rubbing his own arms for heat. Everyone hated the Wednesday run with a passion.
"All right everyone," their teacher called over the traffic from the freeway entrance, "twenty minutes running. If you walk you'll lose points, so pace yourselves! Go!"
The mass of students surged forward and spread as some ran ahead and others loped behind, attempting to save energy. Toby's short legs kept him at a pace that was easy for Rheas to match, making them good running partners, though a word was never spoken between them as they ran, as Toby learned he would only be talking to himself and wasting breath.
The minutes dragged by, feeling like hours, raking across the backs of the students. Rheas was miserable. Sweat rolled down his chest in an attempt to subdue the burning heat within his body, and then was whipped away in a cold wind. His hands were numb with cold, and his legs were like jelly. Every breath he took was like trying to shove cotton balls down his throat. Falling over on the track right there seemed like a wonderful release to him.
"Toby?" he gasped, his pace slowing, "How long have we been running? Are we halfway done? Please say at least eight minutes…"
"It's been five." Toby stated, glancing at his watch.
"Five!" Rheas seemed to stumble over those words.
"Uh-huh," Toby puffed, tiring a bit himself, "fifteen more to go."
"…No, I can't…Oh, I'm gonna die…" Rheas groaned, falling behind as his speed dropped immensely.
"No you don't!" Toby whirled and caught Rheas' wrist, pulling him along, "You're not gonna die, you've done this before well enough." It was spring afterall, though early spring. Still, Rheas should be fine enough to manage well beyond five minutes in the spring weather, it seemed that and fall were the only times he could. The beginning of the year, when summer was just ending, it had been too hot, and Rheas would pass out right on the track. Winter was no better. Mornings so cold he would be sent into horrible coughing fits even before the run began. Some days, when it was so cold Rheas seemed to turn blue from cold and lack of air, the gym teacher would send him back inside to use an exercise bike. "Besides," Toby continued, "you ride a bike here everyday!"
"…Downhill sometimes…get a rest…"
"You can do it. Imaging all the girls screaming your name!" The shorter boy declared, already lost in his own fantasy as such.
"Yeah, right…" Rheas snarled to himself.
Toby pulled Rheas along behind him, the taller boy too tired to tear his hand away. The hours droned by, beating upon the students' backs. Hours, endless hours…
Though knowing my luck it's only been five minutes! Rheas thought angrily. Just then, a sudden sharp pain shot through his chest, as though he'd been torn in half, and his throat closed up. He fell to his knees, skinning them, coughing uncontrollably, trying to breathe. Toby, jerked back when he fell, let go of his wrist and stood there, gazing around uncomfortably as others passed them, staring.
"C'mon Rheas, we gotta go…I can't fail this class…" Toby whimpered, feeling helpless.
Rheas' coughing only increased until he seemed intent on ridding himself of his lungs. A shudder ran through his body and he spat, splattering blood onto the ground.
"Whoa, hey! You're not kidding! I'll get the teacher! Hey! Mr. Than--!"
"Don't call him!" Rheas hissed, grabbing Toby's arm so hard he yelped, "It's alright, it's passed. Calm down, that's better." He sighed and released the shorter boy's arm. Wiping the blood away from his lips with his hand, he rose to his feet slowly and dusted off his knees.
"What the hell was that!" Toby demanded in his shrill voice.
"Just another fit…sometimes that happens…" Rheas replied calmly, staring at his bloody hand. "I'm gonna walk the rest of this one. You might as well go ahead."
Toby hesitated, then shook his head. "I'll stick with you, I can always make this up later."
"Not that you ever will," Rheas smirked, brushing his sweaty reddish hair out of his eyes.
The two walked around the track leisurely, Toby's topknot bobbing as he hopped and skipped around Rheas, believing that if he continued moving his legs he wouldn't lose points. A failing ploy. They had barely gone a little farther than halfway around the track from where they stopped before they were noticed.
"Bender! Madison! Keep moving!" the baritone of their gym teacher's voice boomed over the field.
"I want to kill that man…" Rheas muttered, ignoring the command. "How much more time now?"
"Six more."
"Thus the sands of time fall away…"
"Phew! I'm glad that only comes once a week!" Toby exclaimed, sitting on top of a long table -much to the displeasure of the teachers- with Rheas.
At least you can manage it, Rheas thought to himself bitterly, curse this frail body!
"There is one good thing about it though," Toby continued, grinning mischievously, "Amber Smith, in short shorts!"
Rheas rolled his eyes. But he couldn't really blame his short companion, he too was a teenager, and thus was plagued by the perverse mind that accompanied it. And he had to admit, Amber was quite the beauty…
"Bah!" he snapped suddenly, "We have better things to do with ourselves than drool foolishly over girls who are too high-and-mighty to gaze down at us rejects!"
"We do?"
"I'm sure we can think of something." Rheas sighed heavily.
"Um…uh…all I can think of is…Amber bending over, and…"
"I'm getting lunch!" Rheas snarled, hopping off the table and striding toward the vending machine.
"I said I'd give you some of mine!" Toby called, waving a cold, greasy french-fry in the air.
Rheas ignored him and put his attention to his lunch choice. Chips (which had more air in those bags than food content), greasy cookies, or candy bars. "Snickers. Snickers have nuts, don't they? There, protein, a healthy choice…" Rheas muttered as he dropped coins into the slot and made his selection. The silver rings holding the bar captive turned and pushed it forward. It tilted, tilted and…stopped.
"Damnit!" Rheas hissed, slamming his hand onto the glass. His changed popped out, but no candy bar. Sighing, Rheas shifted to the side of the machine and began slamming himself into it, attempting to shake loose his lunch. No good, his thin frame barely sent a shudder through the large vending machine, but gained him a small bruise. Muttering a collection of colorful adjectives, Rheas was about to go and try to convince the lunchlady (who had the intelligence of the food she served) to open the glass door for him when a large fist suddenly slammed into the side of the machine. The snickers fell free. He looked up to see his brother walking away.
Anger suddenly rose up in Rheas like a flooded river. He turned and shouted after his elder brother, "I will not be indebted to you!" He grabbed the candy bar, marched back to the table, fuming, and then shoved the bar into Toby's unexpecting hands.
"Gee, thanks Rheas! But what are you gonna eat?"
"I'll eat when I get home."
Toby shrugged and ripped the wrapping off his new prize. "You know Rheas, I think we need girlfriends or something. Maybe even just to experiment with, you know?"
"Girls don't like me." Rheas said slowly as though he was speaking to a child.
"Oh come on!" Toby laughed, taking a bite of the chewy candy bar, "There's gotta be something likeable about you…like your eyes--"
"What about my fucked up eyes? They're…cheese colored!"
"Golden or honey, not cheese! That's your problem, you don't even try to make yourself sound good. The chicks love your eyes, man. Expand on that."
"Since when are you so wise in the ways of women? You're as experianced as I am when it comes to the opposite sex! And they do not like my eyes."
Toby sighed and, lifting his voice into a falsetto, exclaimed, "'That Rheas Madison has the most beautiful eyes!'" he shifted, as though talking to another person, "'Yeah, and he wouldn't be so bad himself if he had some meat on him, and if he wasn't such an asshole!'" At this last statement, the shorter teen whirled, purposefully accenting the last line. "You see, it's your personality they don't like."
"And I'll change to fit their preferences the day they change to fit mine!" Rheas snarled. He was quiet a moment, then turned back to his companion. "Where did you hear that anyway?"
"The girls' locker room."
"How did you…"
"Easy, I'm so small I slip into the bathroom undetected and then just hide in the stalls!"
"I can almost hear Sam lecturing you on that one." Rheas smirked, shaking his head.
"Yeah, well Sam could probably get a girlfriend whenever he wanted. As long as I remain the 'cute little kid', I can't!"
"Okay, I got one. If a tree falls in the forest, and no one's around, does it make a sound?"
"Yes." Rheas answered without hesitation.
"Why?" Toby continued as the two pushed their way through the crowds.
"Well, sound is defined as vibration, and a tree hitting the ground is most certainly going to shake things up. The fact that no one's ears are around to receive them is irrelevant."
"There are those who would disagree with you." Halting to let his taller companion catch up, Toby dodged a large senior plowing through the crowds to the parking lot. The hallways were dangerous after the 'end of school' bell had rung.
"And there are still those that disagree that the world is round. Who gives a damn, it's what I think."
"Okay, your turn."
Rheas pondered a moment as he followed Toby up to the fourth floor, pushed along by his classmates in the sea of teenage stink, until, "Why is a raven like a writing desk?"
"Damn you! Uh…hmm…"
After abandoning their backpacks and retrieving their books and papers from the locker they shared, Rheas and Toby strolled casually into the last foyer. Toby was still fumbling through his question.
"I win." Rheas smiled triumphantly, laying his hand on the door handle.
"No fair! That was a bad question! You don't even have an answer, do you?"
"Yes."
"Fine! What is it?" Toby pressed, leering forward.
"They're both flat on the top." Rheas replied calmly.
"What!? That's a crackpot answer!" the smaller boy cried, waving his arms madly.
"But an answer nonetheless."
"Yeah, yeah…" Toby pushed passed Rheas and into the open room, his mood suddenly changing. "Have no fear everyone! Your thief and sorcerer are here!" he declared loudly, causing all eyes to fall on them.
"Toby, Rheas! Glad you showed up." a sophomore by the name of Jason called in greeting.
"Of course," Toby grinned, flopping into an open chair across from Jason, Rheas settling next to him, "we only meet once a week!"
"And he even remembered his character sheet this time isn't it amazing." Rheas said flatly, dropping his books on the desk.
"Very." Will, a tall junior, sighed in boredom from his seat across from Rheas.
"Hey guys, I want you to meet our newest member," Jason interjected, turning everyone's attention to the short-haired girl beside him, "This is Erica, she's gonna be our new cleric, and you all know we need one.
"These two inseparable knuckleheads that just came in are our halfling thief, Shibv, also known as Toby, and our sorcerer Azza, also known as Rheas."
"Pleased to meet you!" Toby exclaimed, stretching his hand across to Erica, who smiled and took it. She then looked to Rheas, who gave her a simple nod in welcome, then, after getting an elbow in the ribs from another girl beside him, extended his own hand.
Erica took his hand and received a firm handshake. "You're the quiet one, I take it?" she smiled. His hands were covered in fingerless black gloves that reached halfway up his forearms, obviously too large for him as they were strapped to his slender arm by common rubber bands. An oversized black sweatshirt and baggy jeans practically hung off his thin frame, held on only by a thick belt, to which a small pouch (she assumed held his dice) was tied. She recognized his thinness, despite the thick clothing. She had an anorexic brother who looked like him. His shoulder length auburn hair was obviously the base for some home experiment, being madly untamed and sloppily cut, presumably by his own hands, and randomly dyed and bleached at intervals around his head, creating almost a halo of blond and red. It looked strangely good on him. A black bandana was tied around his neck, its true purpose revealed as she watched him pull it over above his eyebrows to keep his hair out of his eyes.
His eyes. His most stunning feature that seemed to make up for his, at best, plain looks. Golden in color, they were beautiful and at the same time frightening. He held knowledge that he shouldn't have deep within him, surrounded in dark thoughts. She shook off the chill that seemed to run up her spine and looked away.
"Those are nice, where'd you get them?" she asked simply, resuming her seat.
"What?" Rheas inquired.
"Your contacts. They're a pretty color."
Rheas stared at her, his face unreadable. Erica heard Jason snigger beside her, and was about to demand what was so funny when Rheas replied steadily:
"I'm not wearing contacts. This is natural."
"You're kidding! That's great! So, what, it's just some genetic thing or something? Do other members of your family have them?"
"No. The doctors said it was just some freak mutation. So why did you decide to join us? I've seen you before, and I never saw you as the type who would come to roleplay with a group of nerds and rejects." Rheas questioned, sliding out of the previous conversation.
"I've always liked fantasy. Roleplaying sounded like a good idea so I found out about this little group and came here."
The door flew open as a well-built senior burst in. "Sorry I'm late!"
"That's okay," Jason grinned, "but you're DM today."
"Let's go!" cried Toby, pulling out his old Gak container, which now held his dice.
…having done so, the group found themselves in a little bit of trouble. The barbarian glanced down at the sorcerer, a look of confusion on his face.
"What?" Azza inquired impatiently.
"Hey guys," the barbarian began, "how far can I chuck a halfling?"
Just then, Shibv came skipping over. "Hey guys! What'cha doin'? Huh? Why are you grinning at me like that?"…
The group fell back, laughing. "Well, you're airborne now!"
"But do I get the shiny?" Toby demanded, still giggling.
"You've been thrown! In the air!"
"But do I get the shiny!?"
The group leaned forward as the dice rolled across the table. There was silence, and then they burst into more laughter, gripping their sides.
"I swipe it in mid air as I fly pass!" Toby crowed, clapping his hands.
Even Rheas laughed, a high, grating laugh, but of actual amusement, instead of his usual mockery. Yes, this was one of the few gatherings he enjoyed. Where he and the others could get out of their world and enter another, where he could be someone else.
"Well that was fun." Toby beamed as he strode along beside Rheas.
"Come on, if we don't catch this bus we'll be stuck here until eight o'clock, and the sun's already setting." Rheas pointed out, picking up pace.
"Sure, sure." The two followed the train tracks that would go straight to town. If a train happened to come along, there was plenty of space to retreat to.
"You know, you seem really down lately. No don't glare at me, it's true." Toby said in rare seriousness.
Rheas shrugged. "Sure, why not, I'll humor you." He paused and looked over to the sun, sinking behind the silhouette of the mountain range in the distance. "I don't know, I guess I'm restless. There's something missing…like a hole in me that I can't fill, and I can't do it here."
Surprisingly, Toby's face remained serious. "I know what you mean. I have this urge to just grab a bag and a walking stick and go…" he paused a second, and then his face broke into a wide grin. "That's it! That's it, we'll just go!"
Rheas gazed at the smaller boy questioningly.
"You know! I certainly am not really into school, and you're already failing, so let's just go! The two of us, grab a couple 'a packs and walk outta here to anywhere we want! Even just for a little while."
A rare smile crossed Rheas' face, a genuine smile. "Sure, you 'n me. Someday. Someday we'll go and have our own adventure…But not yet…"
Toby nodded and picked up his pace, his own mood improved greatly. Skipping along, he didn't notice at first that Rheas had stopped walking, or the two figures standing beside their truck. He immediately halted, and then backed up until he was beside Rheas again.
"Hey Madison! We didn't know you were passing this way today, I guess we're just lucky." one of the young men, also a student, called out menacingly.
Rheas swore under his breath, but remained calm and dignified. "I'm sure you two have better things to do with your time than pester children." And with that, he continued walking, determined to get passed his tormentors. Toby immediately followed.
"Call it a sick hobby of ours." the other, even larger than the first, replied casually, stepping into their path. "And you brought a little friend with you, babysitting now?"
"Leave Bender out of this." Rheas hissed threateningly.
Ignoring him, the larger man quickly grabbed Rheas by the collar of his sweatshirt, lifting him off the ground. Swiftly, Rheas smashed the heel of his palm up into his assailant's nose, catching him off guard and hearing a faint crunch. He was immediately dropped and, without a second's hesitation, ran. Cameron had taught him a few things, but surprise was all he had, once that was gone, he was no better off than he usually was. Glancing to his side, he saw Toby had the same idea and was only a breath behind him, a look of terror on his face.
It doesn't suit him, Rheas thought randomly. He snapped back when he heard the heavy pounding of feet following them. That was it, they were done for. Neither of them had the capability of outrunning two athletes, no matter how the adrenaline pumped. The heavy footsteps, a train horn blasting, his own irregular breathing and deafening thunder of his heartbeat; all in vain. He felt one of them grab his hood, pulling him back. He heard Toby yelp as the smaller boy was nearly swept off his feet.
He knew these two. Juniors, they had found him popular sport ever since he was in junior high. There was only one solid thought; don't let them get you. Millions of other thoughts sprang up as his mind went into action. As his attacker took hold of his wrist, he dropped and swung his legs under the larger man, knocking him over.
They were both on the ground now, Rheas struggling to clamber away. A large fist clasped his head and sent it to the ground, a haze of red surging into Rheas' vision. The larger man's bulk was on him, pressing him down. He was on his back now, the large hand on his neck, tilting his head back over the tracks. His attacker was shouting something at him, but he didn't hear it over the horrible vibration of the tracks and the scream of the train's horn as it came rushing at them.
His hand felt the coolness of a large stone beneath his fingers. He clasped it, and smashed it into the side of the junior's head. He was released and rolled away as the train screeched by.
Lifting himself, he looked for Toby, but suddenly that horrible weight bore down on him, an elbow digging into his back. Easily flipped, he was on his back again, his tormentor's knees pressing on his chest, pushing out the already fleeing air. He fought back with all he had, kicking, punching, scratching, biting, all his weak defenses that were like a mosquitoes bite to this behemoth. He struggled with what little he had, until, with a well-placed punch to his throat, he spat blood and lay still.
"We probably won't be back until late. Go to bed before then, you have school tomorrow." Cameron's mother said as she placed her coat about her shoulders.
"Yes Mom." Cameron smiled good-naturedly as he handed her her purse.
"And no more late-night friends over."
"Of course."
"Good." She smiled at her elder son fondly, then paused, concern in her eyes. "Where's your brother?"
Cameron looked around, as though his little brother was hiding under the stairs, and shrugged. "Probably at Toby's. He goes there for dinner a lot."
"Well, if he doesn't come back in an hour you call over there and tell them to send him home, okay?"
Cameron nodded. With a quick kiss, his mother hurried out the door and into the waiting car. The large young man shut the door and saw the lights pull away through the window. Well, Thomas would be here in over an hour, until then he just had to amuse himself.
When the designated hour was up, Rheas had still not come home. Cameron picked up the cordless and dialed the familiar number.
Hello?
"Hello Mrs. Bender, it's me, Cameron. Rheas' brother."
Oh yes, is Toby there? Could you tell him to come home now?
Cameron paused. "Toby's not here."
Where else would he be, he's not here.
Think fast…not his strong suit. "I had to take Rheas to school this morning, they probably missed the bus back. I'll go pick them up."
Thank you.
"Goodbye." He clicked off the phone and tossed it aside. He was going to kill the runt.
Throwing on his jacket, Cameron hurried out to his truck as a misty drizzle began to fall from the sky.
Phew! According to the scrolling thing right here…27 pages. Long time since I wrote a long chapter. Oh well, the evil cliffhanger, so hopefully chapter 2 will come soon. Bye bye!