Chapter. 34
It all started almost a year ago. I live with my mother, we used to live with my father but he was too abusive. As technology advanced it meant jobs were taken by machines, the job my father did was one of them. He started drinking to deal with it.
Lyle walked up to his house and opened the door, as he stepped inside he heard a loud slap followed by a thud. Lyle throw his bag down and ran into the living room to find his mother on the floor with her hands on her face with father standing over her.
Lyle jumped in front of his father and blocked the incoming attack with his arms. Lyle's father kept punching Lyle who kept his arms up as he stood in his way. Lyle's arms started to burn from the pain but Lyle still wouldn't hit back. The father backed away and picked up a bottle from a table, throwing it at Lyle.
Lyle turned away and the bottle hit him in the shoulder. The father staggered into the hall and into his bedroom. Lyle kneeled down to his mother. "How bad is it?" The mother pulled of Lyle's shoulder to find blood.
We had enough and had to leave, mom filmed what happened and dad was arrested and sent away to do two years in prison. It gave us time to move into a smaller house across town. Mom had to start working to support us, she refused to let me start working while I was still in high school. A lot of people at school were fearful of me because of my height, some of the teachers too. I tried to look at it as a positive, it would give me more time for myself to study. It was a seemingly normal day when it happened. I was driving home from school, my usual path was blocked do to some road repair so I took another route. I stopped at a red light along side an alleyway, as I waited I looked down the alley to see a couple of teenagers, a man slap a woman hard enough to send her to the ground.
Lyle jumped out of his truck and ran into the alley. "Hey!" He shouted at the teen boy, causing him to stop.
"This don't concern you giant. Leave now." The boy cracked his knuckles.
"And let you hurt her? No."
"Last chance big guy." The teen punched Lyle in the face but Lyle held his ground as the teen kept punching him. The girl stood up and a sleeve fell off her arm, revealing bruises of different colors. Lyle relived that the injures weren't all resent, some were much older then others. Seeing the blue and purple spots on the girl's arm caused something in Lyle to snap with a realization, being a shield isn't enough.
Lyle caught the teens fist then twisted it as he punched the teen in the face, sending him to the ground. The teen stood up and glared at Lyle. "You think your tough big man?" The teen lunged at Lyle who punched the teen and put him down once again.
The teen stood up then glanced to a blank wall. "Fucking legion. You're lucky fucker." The teen walked away and snapped his fingers. "Come on Lilac, we're going." He stopped and looked over his shoulder to see the girl backing away. "The fuck you think-" Lyle took a couple of steps, standing between the two. "Alright. I'll see you in cyber space turncoat."
As the teen left Lyle held his hand to the girl. "Do you need medical care? I can take you in my truck over there." The girl took his hand and used Lyle as support as they left the alley. "May I have you're name?"
"Corina..."
"I'm Lyle."
"I took Corina to a hospital then drove her home. It was a few days, maybe a week before I saw Corina again. It was just another day of school, class was over and I was about to go home when I saw Corina standing outside in the hall."
"Hello, Lyle right?"
"Yes."
"I wanted to thank you again for what you did."
"It's nothing. How are you healing? Has he been harassing you again?"
"I'm getting better and no. He's on the fencing team so I've been staying away from there."
"Why was he acting like that? Was he always abusive?"
"It's nothing." Lyle placed his hand on Corina's shoulder. "You wouldn't understand."
"My father was abusive to me and my mother. We had to leave. Fighting is one thing but hurting someone who can't fight back is beyond wrong."
Corina looked around then to the now empty classroom behind them. "In here." Inside the two sat down by the window. "It was about an online game, brain burst." Corina explained the game to Lyle who silently listened.
"Can this game truly do all this?" Lyle asked once she was finished.
"It's hard to take in I know. It's really something you need to experience."
Lyle stood up and stepped closer to Corina. "Then give me this game. If Peter can't hurt you in the real world then he may come for you in this accelerated world."
Corina stared down to her fidgeting hands, after few moments Corina took a breath then stood up. "Alright. What harm can it do?" Corina opened her shoulder bag to pull out a cord.
"So Coco gave me brain burst and I drove her home. I drove home, spoke to mom, ate dinner, did some homework, then went to bed."
As Lyle fell asleep brain burst began to worm its way into his mind. He awoke to a darkened sky, he felt small pricks against his legs. Lyle looked down to see a small village full of people throwing spear up at him with ropes tied to them. The spears stuck into his skin and the people pulled on the ropes to dragged him down. "Kill the giant!" They shouted with pitchforks and torches in hand.
Lyle swung his arm lightly to push the people back as he rolled onto his side. "I didn't do anything to you!" More people throw spears at Lyle who grabbed the ropes and pulled them out of his arm. "but I'm not going to let you hurt me either!" Lyle stood up and ran out of the village, carefully not to break any building on his way out.
It was the roughest night I had, I don't remember it but it was enough to wake up in a cold sweat. It was the weekend so I went back to Coco's home. She showed me how it was played, how to get points, and how to fight. A few days after that was when I joined the boxing team.
"Hey Lyle!" Corina greeted Lyle as he walked out of his classroom.
"Hello Corina. What are you up to?"
"Not much, the photograph club isn't meeting today. What about you?"
"Nothing, just going home."
"Again? Don't you have any hobbies?" Lyle shook his head. "Okay that's not going to fly anymore." Corina opened a list of school clubs and showed it to Lyle. "Take a look and pick one to look at."
"Corina..."
"I gave you brain burst so that makes me your parent, I have to look out for you. I'm not raising a hermit. Now pick one."
Lyle sighed then looked at the list. "This one." Lyle pointed to the boxing club.
"Boxing?"
"If I learn a base for fighting can it be cared over into brain burst?"
"I think so. It's something, so let's take a look."
The club welcomed me with open arms, mainly for my size and potential strength. After awhile I started to like it, boxing helped with the pent up anger I held for my father. Each punch, each jab, every strike was to him. Over time I worked it out and was able to move on, I found a new reason to fight for. The longer I was with Corina the more she tried to make me experience and learn new things. The more time I spent with Corina the more I learned about her and the more she learned about me.
Lyle drove through the city with Corina in his truck. He pulled up to a pier, he shut off his truck and climbed out. "What's here?" Asked Corina.
"Follow me." The two walked down the pier and watched the sun slow set behind the ocean waves.
"It's pretty."
"Not as pretty as you are Corina."
"Lyle?"
"I asked you out her because I want to, need to tell you something."
"Okay."
"I like you Corina. I like that I have you in my corner, I've been on own before I met you and having you with me, I've come to cherish it more then I thought."
"Lyle-"
"I know your last... If you'll give me the chance I'll prove I'm better. I swear it won't end the same."
"Lyle..." Corina held onto the rails and looked over the sea. "I've known you longer then I've been with Peter. You've been nothing but kind, a bit introverted but still... You're selfless, you're willing to take a beating for me, and you're just as much as a mess as me, if we're together maybe it'll counteract each other. I know I can be floaty but you keep me grounded and I help you move." Corina pushed off the railing. "Okay, if you're willing to go all in on this, then so am I." Lyle held out his arms and held Corina close. "Ground rule. You have to call me Coco from now on."
Lyle nods with a small smile. "I can do that."
...
"Eventually Catherine found us and asked us to join the opal legion. We've been going after the amber and sapphire legions." Lyle then turned to Vincent. "Then you showed up."
"Wow. If you know where to find Peter-"
"No. Corina has moved passed it, that's how it should be."
Vincent nods. "Okay, I'll give Peter an extra thrashing for you two."
"Thank you. Come, let's get out of here."
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