Chapter 34
When the duo returned on the spaceship, Hat Kid put the three Time Pieces back in the vault. She got 28 Time Pieces out of 56 back now, which is half of the amount she lost at the beginning. That's definitely progress! The two children also noticed that the Mafia Boss was no longer on the spaceship. He probably returned to Mafia Town while they were dealing with the time rifts in Subcon Forest. They felt relieved they won't have to listen to the jarred crime lord's complains anymore; though it'll feel strange to not hear him again since they got used to his presence for the past few weeks.
After that, the two children ate lunch while discussing their next destination to go look for Time Pieces. However, Hat Kid noticed that Arthur showed signs of fatigue during the talk, such as unintentionally yawning a few times. She already got a feeling he didn't get a lot of sleep last night when she saw the dark rings under his eyes earlier, but his constant yawning confirmed her suspicions.
Despite the boy's claims that he was 'fine' and they shouldn't waste time waiting, the small girl insisted that they rest for the remainder of the day and wait until tomorrow to figure out where to go next, and she stubbornly decided she wouldn't take no for an answer.
Therefore, Arthur spent all afternoon drawing since he didn't feel like taking a nap. Hat Kid watched him draw for a while, but eventually she grew bored and decided to go back to Subcon Forest to explore the area some more and grab any yarns she missed. She managed to find some while exploring and added them to the count – which is 28 yarns in total – before returning to the spaceship. And when night fell on Earth, the two children went to their respective beds and both fell asleep.
Hat Kid later woke up in the middle of the night, feeling thirsty. Yawning, she made her way to the kitchen, and filled a glass with water before drinking it. After that, she placed the empty glass in the sink and began to make her way back to her bedroom.
However, upon returning in the main room, a whimper caught her attention. She looked in the direction she heard it from, and saw Arthur moving and turning in his pillow bed. Now getting worried, she approached him to see what was wrong. The young boy was asleep and his hat was off to the side of the bed. However, tears were falling from his eyes and he had a distressed expression on his face.
"No... no... l-leave me alone... all of you..." Arthur mumbled in his sleep. Hat Kid stared at him with a worried expression. He was probably having a nightmare right now. "D-don't hit me, dad... please..." Hat Kid's eyes widened. 'Dad'? Wait, was he having a nightmare about his dad mistreating him? "Please... just... stop..." Arthur's movements were getting frenetic and uncontrollable. Okay, his nightmare seemed to be getting worse. She needed to wake him up at once.
Hat Kid knelt in front of the twelve-year-old boy, grabbing his shoulders, and shook him awake. Arthur's eyes shot open and he gasped loudly as he suddenly sat up. He breathed heavily, looking around frantically. Slowly noticing it was just a nightmare, the young boy let out a relieved sigh. That's when he noticed Hat Kid on her knees in front of him, looking at him worriedly. He suddenly felt extremely embarrassed that she saw him have a nightmare and woke him up herself.
"Oh... h-hey, Hat Kid. What are you doing here? Thought you'd be sleeping by now," the young boy said, shamefully looking away from her. Noticing this, Hat Kid placed her hand on his shoulder, making him look back at her. He sighed and said, "Don't worry about it... I just had a bad dream. It happens. No big deal."
Hat Kid raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He was making it sound like it wasn't so bad; but his frenetic movements, his crying, and his words while he was asleep clearly said otherwise. Plus, that wasn't the first time Arthur had a nightmare. She recalled him having a nightmare in Subcon Forest when they were still working for the Snatcher. And the fact that he was up early today with bigger dark circles under his eyes, and showed signs of fatigue during the day hinted that he possibly had a nightmare last night too.
"Come on, Hat Kid, stop looking at me as if I had grown a second head. I'm telling you, I'm fine," Arthur insisted in an irritated tone. No way he's telling her about his nightmare, he didn't want to. She wouldn't even understand anyway...
Hat Kid suddenly glared at him. Oh no, he's not getting out of this that easily this time! She was sick of him constantly rebuffing her concerns and lying to her about his state over and over again. Always saying 'I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine'. No! For the pecking umpteenth time, he's NOT fine! He's always dismissing her attempts to help him and leaves her worried about him every time she sees him looking tired, sad, hurt, or when he's hyperventilating on the spot. She. Was. Done. With that. This time, he will talk to her about his problems, whether he likes it or not.
The young alien crossed her arms and stared at Arthur dead seriously, stubbornly refusing to move and waiting for him to tell her about his nightmare. The two children had a staring contest for a moment, an uncomfortable silence occuring between them.
"You're not gonna leave me alone until I spill the beans, right?" Arthur asked her with a blank expression. Hat Kid nodded firmly. They continued to stare at each other for a few minutes; neither of the two wanted to back down. However, as time went on, Arthur grew more and more uncomfortable with the stare.
Finally understanding that his friend won't leave until he let the cat out of the bag, he sighed in defeat and said, "Fine, you win. I'll tell you everything. Just promise you won't laugh, okay?" A victorious smile appeared on Hat Kid's face, before she made a cross motion on her chest with her finger and raised her other hand to promise she won't make fun of him.
"Alright," Arthur said, wrapping his arms around his knees. He prepared himself mentally and took a deep breath, as Hat Kid sat cross-legged, ready to listen to the boy. "As you may have guessed, I had a nightmare. To be honest, it's a common thing for me to have them. And when I don't, my dreams are either weird, empty, or I don't even remember them. But recently, it's just... I've been having more and more nightmares, ever since we came into Subcon Forest. I don't know why; maybe it's all of the things we've been dealing with or just the place itself, but... I don't know. It's just been happening every night."
He paused for a second before he continued, "In this one, I was in a dark abyss... all alone... I didn't know where I was, but I couldn't move for some reasons. It was quiet for a moment, then somebody showed up... It was Mustache Girl." Hat Kid's eyes widened at the mention of the red-hooded girl, but she didn't say anything to let her friend continue. "When I asked her what she was doing here, she dodged the question. And instead, she got mad at me. Called me a traitor, a fake friend, and a bad guy for helping you instead of her. Then more people showed up... The Mafia Boss in his jar form, the Conductor, DJ Grooves, the Snatcher, Queen Vanessa, and... someone else I've always hated." He furrowed his brow and gritted his teeth as he remembered the last person who was his arch-nemesis back in his home world.
"They all started to blame me for their misfortunes: the Mafia Boss for defeating him and causing the loss of his body, the Conductor for refusing to let him keep the Time Piece and fighting him over it, DJ Grooves for failing to help him win this year's annual bird movie award, the Snatcher for defying him, insulting him and humiliating him during the fight, Queen Vanessa for trespassing in her manor and stealing the Time Piece from her, and the last person... well... for simply existing and something else I did to him," he explained in a depressed tone, the memory of the painful words said to him anchored in his mind. He did his best to keep the tears from coming out as he continued, "Then, my dad appeared and... it got a lot worse from there. He called me worthless, a burden, a pathetic excuse of a son, and... he tried to hit me, I..." He closed his eyes and a painful expression showed on his face, unable to finish his sentence. It hurts just thinking about it.
Hat Kid formed a shocked expression on her face, before she gave the boy a look of sympathy. This nightmare must have been horrible for him. Like everyone else, she also gets nightmares every once in a while, but they were never as bad as Arthur's. And if he gets similar ones most of the time, then no wonder he had trouble sleeping at night.
"Ugh, this is so dumb... Look at me, I'm a goddamn mess. It's pathetic," Arthur muttered, feeling frustrated and more depressed than before. "Forget it, Hat Kid. This ain't something you can understand. It's simply not worth it. Just go away and leave me be, please. I'll be fi-hmpf...?!" He was suddenly interrupted when Hat Kid covered his mouth with both of her hands.
"Don't," the small girl firmly said with a serious and angry expression, earning a surprised look from the boy. She didn't want him to say he will be fine because she knows it's not true. She won't let him push her away and stop her from trying to help him again.
Removing her hands from the young boy's mouth, she pulled out a paper and wrote on it before showing it to Arthur. It said 'Stop telling me you're fine, I'm not stupid! I know you're not okay and it makes me sad to see you like this. And don't say you're not worth it. You're my friend, I care about you and I wanna help you as best as I can. So help me understand, please,' followed by a pleading face drawn under the sentence.
Arthur was surprised. She... wants to help him? Was she serious about it? Judging by her expression, she did seem quite serious. No catch, trace of malice, or anything. The twelve-year-old boy sighed in defeat.
"All right... If you really wanna understand, then..." he said, before pausing. He hesitated. Was he ready to talk about it? He never did with anyone before; it was just too hard to talk about and it brought back a lot of bad memories. Plus, he had trouble trusting people with it, since the few times he tried – which was a long time ago – they would either make fun of him or simply don't care. However, Hat Kid seemed really genuine about wanting to help. Even if they got off on the wrong foot when they first met, she never tried to make fun of him whenever he was sad, angry, or scared, and she was always supportive of him after they started working together. She did prank him a few times, but it was always harmless so... perhaps he could make an exception this time. He just hoped she won't judge him after that... "Then I gotta tell you who I am and where I come from... I gotta tell you my story."
Hat Kid's eyes widened in anticipation. So this is it... She will finally get to hear about Arthur's past. Many questions about the boy that have been trotting in her mind for so long will finally be answered. The young boy took a deep breath, preparing himself mentally to tell the big story to the his friend.
"So... before I tell about my past, there's something you gotta know first. I'm not from around here. I mean, not from this universe... I come from another world, or another dimension to be more specific," Arthur said. Hat Kid gave him a surprised look. She didn't know there were different worlds outside of this one. This is really incredible and interesting.
"When I got back home, I went to my bedroom and found an hourglass similar to your Time Pieces. Except it wasn't one... I have no idea what it was or who it belonged to, but I guess it had some kind of different power in it. When I accidentally broke it, it created that weird portal that sucked me in and sent me here on your spaceship. I didn't have a clue where I ended up, and that's when I met you and... well, you know the rest," the twelve-year-old boy explained as he uncomfortably rubbed the back of his head, remembering the hostilities between him and Hat Kid at the start. The small girl chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her head as well.
"When we went into the Mafia's HQ to fight the Mafia Boss, the Badge Seller told me I was in another world where things worked differently from mine," he continued. Hat Kid formed a curious and skeptical look. How did the Badge Seller know about all this? Arthur noticed her expression and simply said with a shrug, "They've got their own ways to know," repeating the glitchy vendor's mysterious explanation. "I don't know why, but... the Badge Seller... I feel like I met them before I even came to this world. I don't know, they felt... familiar somehow. And yet, I don't remember meeting them outside of this universe. They're a mystery and they sure like keeping it that way..."
Hat Kid slowly nodded and put her hand on her chin, intrigued as well. The Badge Seller was a mystery, but she was most especially curious about that 'hourglass' that Arthur talked about. She never heard of anything having a similar appearance to a Time Piece that transports people to other dimensions. Not even the books she read about the Time Pieces talked about that. Strange...
"Ah, it doesn't matter. Probably just my mind playing tricks on me," Arthur said as he shook his head, deciding to dismiss the thought. He decided that now was the right time to tell Hat Kid about his past.
"Anyway, so... I was born in a city named Sacramento. Been living there my whole life with my parents – I was an only child. As you've noticed, I like drawing and I was always a big fan of Western-related movies, books, video games... even clothes and objects," he said, glancing at his cowboy hat on the floor. He sighed sadly and continued in a depressed tone, "My life at home... it was horrible. No, scrap that... It was hell. I was the punching ball of almost everyone there. I was bullied, insulted, discarded by every kid in my school and outside of it. None of the adults would care, do anything about it, or even listen to my problems. And on top of that, one of my parents – my dad to be more specific – was a top-gold abusive jerk. He was alcoholic, violent, and short-tempered. He would yell at me, insult me, blame me for almost everything, and sometimes hit me. And that's not all... sometimes, people would beat me up so badly that I'd sometimes wake up in a hospital bed." He let out a sigh. "To everyone else, I was a damn mistake. An empty can that had to be thrown away... And I never knew why. Was it because I was too shy? Shorter than most kids? That I had hobbies and preferences different from theirs? Never dreamed big enough? Or maybe they decided to be mean to me just because they could? I don't know. All I know is that I was everyone's laughingstock and nobody cared about me."
Hat Kid's eyes widened in shock, and her heart sank as she formed a sad look on her face. So it was true... Arthur was rejected and insulted by everyone in his home world, and apparently his own dad was a jerk too. And even worse, he got beat up and sent to the hospital so many times. The small girl had figured that bad things happened to him in the past because of his behavior, his anxiety, and some reactions he had. But she never imagined it was this bad.
"Well... actually, there were two people who cared about me. The first one was my mom," Arthur said, smiling fondly at the memory of his mother. "Unlike my father, she was always so kind to me. She supported me and loved me... She always knew what to say to make me feel better whenever I felt down, and she gave me what I always needed... Love." He glanced at his cowboy hat and rested his hand on it, his smile still present. "She also knew I loved anything related to the Wild West, and unlike everyone else, she respected that. This cowboy hat... she gifted it to me on my seventh birthday. I remember it like it was yesterday..."
Today was the day Arthur turned seven. He was sitting at the table in the kitchen with an eager smile as he watched his mom bring the birthday cake that had seven lit-up candles on top of it.
"Here you go, my dear! Strawberry cake, just how you like it. Happy Birthday!" she said with a smile, placing the cake on the table.
"Whoa! Thanks, mom! It looks tasty! Yum!" Arthur said excitedly. He tried to reach for the cake with his finger to pick some and put it in his mouth.
"Uh-uh-uh, no touchy, little gourmet. You gotta blow the candles out first, then I'll give you a slice on your plate," his mom said with a smile as she waved her finger from side to side. Hearing this, the now seven-year-old boy stopped himself from dipping his finger into the cake and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Aww... Oh well, it was worth a try," Arthur said with a mischievous smirk.
"Not on my watch, you little devil," his mom retorted jokingly as she smirked. Arthur playfully stuck his tongue out at her, to which his mom gladly returned. Then, the two of them shared a laugh.
Arthur's mom was 31 years old and her name was Mary. She had black shoulder-length hair, and green emerald eyes like her son. She was wearing a green open cardigan over a white t-shirt, a dark grey skirt, and black shoes. A lovely woman with a good sense of humor. Kind and caring, she loved her son deeply and provided him all the support he needed, especially in school where he had trouble making friends and keeping up with some of his classes. She worked as a saleswoman in a clothing store in Sacramento. Though, she took the day off to be here for Arthur's birthday and spend the whole day with him.
"Make sure to make a wish before you blow out the candles," she said.
"Okay, mom!" Arthur answered enthusiastically. He closed his eyes and made a wish. "Done!". He opened his eyes again and blew on the candles, extinguishing them all.
"Yeaaaaah!" Mary cheered as she clapped. "You're seven now! How time flies! You're becoming a big boy!" Arthur smiled shyly.
"Heh, but I was already a big boy before, mom!" the young boy joked.
His mom chuckled and teasingly said, "If you say so, 'big boy'," with a wink. Arthur responded by playfully sticking his tongue out at her again. However, as the seven-year-old boy looked at the empty chairs around him, his smile dropped and he looked down sadly. Mary noticed this and gave him a concerned look. "What's wrong, Arthur?"
Arthur sighed and looked back at his mom, before saying, "I don't understand why nobody likes me at school. I tried really hard to fit in and make friends, but nobody wants to talk to me or play with me. And when they do, it's just to say mean things to me. Why? What did I do wrong?".
Ever since he went to school, the young boy was always rejected by the other kids. They kept avoiding him, and some of them even insulted him and laughed at him. He tried to invite his classmates to a birthday party the two previous years, but nobody came. So this time, he didn't invite anyone since he knew no one would come. He never understood why the others hated him. He never said anything mean to them, so why were they acting that way?
Mary nodded understandingly. Her son did tell her a lot of times how others were treating him at school. She always told him that things would be okay, and that he would eventually find someone or others who accept him for who he is and become his friend. However, it's been two years that he started school and Arthur still wasn't able to make any friends. He had always been a nice and cheerful boy, despite being shy and reserved, but recently she noticed he had been getting sadder and less energetic. She was worried that he would eventually lose hope and that it would change him into becoming cold, distrustful, and withdrawn.
"You didn't do anything wrong, sweety," she said, placing a hand on her son's shoulder. "They just don't know you very well. Sometimes, people are afraid of anything they don't know or deem different from them. Just give them time, they'll come around eventually."
Arthur looked down, unconvinced, and said, "I don't know. It's been two years now and some kids I knew since then are still judging me. I don't think I'll ever make any friends..." Mary gave him a sympathetic look. She wished she could help him better than that and give him more confidence in himself, but it didn't look like anything she would say will help at the moment; so she decided to change the subject instead.
She smiled and asked, "So... wanna tell me what wish you made?". Arthur looked back at her and his smile returned.
"Nu-uh, not telling," he said teasingly.
"Aww, why is that?" Mary asked, trying to sound upset despite the slight smile showing at the corner of her lips.
"It's a secret~," Arthur answered in a sing-song voice.
"What? You don't trust your own mother with your secrets? I am extremely offended, young man," his mom asked with a fake pout as she crossed her arms, causing Arthur to laugh.
"Aww... All right, I'll tell you what my wish is," the seven-year-old boy said. He intertwined both of his hands together and said with an innocent smile, "I want a little brother." Mary's smile dropped and her eyes widened after hearing that.
"Uhh... w-what?" she asked, dumbfounded.
"Or a little sister. Any of the two. I want a sibling," Arthur added.
"Why do you want a sibling?" Mary asked, surprised by her son's wish.
"Well umm, because I... because I feel like they won't be mean to me or reject me like the other kids do," Arthur explained shyly, playing with his fingers. "If I have a little brother or a sister, then I won't be alone. They'll love me and I'll love them back, and we'll have fun together. I think it makes sense, right?"
His mom gave him a surprised look. She didn't expect this kind of wish from her son. It was clear that he was suffering from his loneliness. She couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed by the request. It was easier said than done because of the way children were made – not to mention that her relationship with her husband had been going downhill for a while. Perhaps, she could consider adopting a child, but her husband would probably never agree.
"I'll, uhh... see what I can do, alright?" she said uncomfortably. Arthur looked down, slightly disappointed with the answer, but he accepted it nonetheless. Deciding to change the subject, Mary smiled and said, "I've got something for you. I'll be right back." She walked out of the kitchen and came back a minute later with a large red birthday gift that she proceeded to place on the table in front of her son.
"Go ahead, open it," she said with a nod.
Arthur grinned in excitement and eagerly proceeded to rip off the paper around the gift, revealing a large white box. He opened it and his eyes widened as he checked the content, a feeling of joy overwhelming him. A cowboy hat! It was black, made of leather, and a string was wrapped around it and formed a knot on the side. The young boy picked it up and examined it with a huge smile on his face.
"So? What do you think?" Mary asked, smiling at him.
"I... I love it! Thank you so much, mom!" Arthur said happily, placing the new hat on his head. It fitted him perfectly!
"You're welcome. Now I can officially call you 'my little cowboy'," Mary joked.
"Mooooom!" Arthur whined as he rolled his eyes, causing his mom to chuckle.
"A cowboy hat? Seriously? You couldn't find more lame than that boring old-themed hat?" a familiar masculine voice said, causing Mary and Arthur to look in their direction. Standing at the doorway of the kitchen was Arthur's dad staring at the cowboy hat with an unimpressed look.
His name was Henri and he was 33 years old. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and a stubble. He was wearing a brown leather jacket over a white and green striped sweater, blue jeans, and dark brown shoes. He worked in a carpentry in Sacramento. Unlike Mary, Henri wasn't exactly the most tender person that existed. He was harsh, short-tempered, uncaring. And above all, he had an addiction to alcohol. He would often go to the nearest bar after work and drink a lot to the point he sometimes reached a drunk state. Sometimes, he would take out his anger and frustration on his wife and his son, but thankfully it never escalated to the point he would lay a hand on either of them. Not yet at least...
Mary sighed in exasperation, while Arthur quickly looked away from his dad.
"Henri, come on... You know Arthur likes anything that is Western themed and there's nothing wrong with that. So give him a break," Mary said.
Henri simply rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever. Anyway, I'm gonna go to the bar. I'll be back tonight." He turned around to walk away.
"Seriously, Henri? Today is your son's birthday! You could at least try to spend the day with us instead of always going away and drink at the bar like a leaky barrel!" Mary said furiously.
"What for? He already got his cake and gift, so why bother? Besides, Joe is waiting for me at the bar. I don't have time for this," Henri retorted, turning his head around to glare at his wife. Mary glared back at him, while Arthur formed a sad look. "Anyway, I gotta go. See you both tonight. And Happy Birthday, Arthur, I guess." He then walked away, leaving his wife and his son alone in the room.
"Ugh, that pig... Sometimes, I wonder why I keep putting up with him," Mary muttered angrily. She looked back at Arthur, and noticed he had removed his new cowboy hat from his head and was looking at it with a despondent expression. "Don't worry, deary. You know your father is a big idiot, but I assure you that you look great with your hat," she tried to reassure him with a warm smile.
"I guess..." the young boy said with a sad sigh.
Mary's smile dropped and was replaced with a sad frown. Seeing her little boy like this made her sad. It also made her angry... Angry at her husband for being such a bad and uncaring father that only thinks of drinking daily. What's even more sad is that he wasn't always like this. Sure, he always had a temper, but he used to be more kind, more affectionate, and more caring towards her and their son in the past. Unfortunately, he had some trouble with his boss and some of his colleagues at work, so he started drinking to compensate and... it changed him. He wasn't the same man he used to be when she met him and married him a few years ago. Maybe Henri wasn't entirely to blame, but he shouldn't have let his problems at work get the best of him. No matter how many times she tried to talk to him about it and reason with him, he always rebuffed her.
She didn't know how long she would last like this though. Arthur deserved better than a father who doesn't pay much attention to him and spends his days drinking. She thought about the possibility of divorce and moving someplace else where she and Arthur could start anew, and have a happier life. Henri wouldn't take it well, that's for sure... but she had to put her son's needs and future before all else. She will have to look into that when she can. For now, it was Arthur's birthday and she had to make it as enjoyable and memorable for him as possible.
"I've got another surprise for you," she said as she reached for something in her pocket, causing her son to look at her curiously. She pulled out two tickets and said with a smile, "I bought two tickets for a Wild West play in downtown. How about we go watch it tonight, just you and me?". Arthur's grin immediately returned upon hearing this.
"A Wild West play? Awesome! Thank you so much, mom!" the seven-year-old boy beamed, unable to keep his excitement as he jumped out of his chair, then jumped up and down happily. Mary chuckled at the sight of her overexcited son. Arthur looked at the cowboy hat in his hands and placed it back on his head with a smile. "I'll be wearing my new hat when we'll go see the play."
"Alright, sweety. You're the boss," Mary answered jokingly, causing Arthur to chuckle. The young boy walked up to his mom and hugged her. She smiled and hugged him back.
"I love you, mom," Arthur said with a smile.
"I love you too, my sweet little cowboy," Mary answered warmly. The two of them eventually let go of each other. "Now, how about we eat this cake together? Or maybe you want me to keep it all for myself?" she joked.
"In your dreams," Arthur retorted playfully as he rolled his eyes. Mary chuckled and went to grab the kitchen knife to cut two slices of the birthday cake.
And with that, the young boy sat back in his chair and continued to enjoy his birthday in his mom's company.
"... She really made my day. We went to watch the play together and I loved every second of it. No matter what happened, I knew I could always count on my mom to make me feel better," Arthur explained with a smile. A glum look then formed on his face. "But it didn't last... She had a car accident two days later. She was driving back from work, then a stupid truck cut her off on the road. She didn't have time to react and then..." He shut his eyes, trying to stop the tears from coming out. "They tried to take her to the hospital, but... she died on the way there." He sighed. "She did so much for me. It broke me when I learned about her death. But what killed me the most is I didn't even get to say goodbye or even thank her for everything she did for me before she passed away."
Hat Kid gave him a look of sympathy. Arthur's mom sounded like she was a great person. She can't imagine the pain he must have gone through after losing her.
"After that, things got worse for me day after day. With my mom gone, I had nobody to turn to to support me through my struggles and I had to fend for myself against bullies since no one did a damn thing to help," the twelve-year-old boy continued in a depressed tone. "I was convinced I'd never find anyone who would care about me ever again... until I met a homeless man in the street once. His name was Charles. He was the second person who truly cared about me..."
Two years have passed since Mary's death. Arthur's life took a turn for the worse ever since that tragic day. Because of his mother's death and having no one to give him proper support, he began to sink into depression. He began to fall behind on grades at school, even though he managed to graduate which he simply called sheer luck. Not only that but the other kids also became more cruel with him; their insults got worse, they push him around, steal his stuff, throw things at him, they would occasionally beat him up in groups, and some would even follow him outside of school just to humiliate him and beat him up more. Sometimes, the beatings were so bad that Arthur ended up at the hospital more than once. What was even sadder is that none of the adults would do a thing about it, since they were either 'too busy', didn't want to get involved, or simply didn't care.
His dad also grew worse. After his wife died, Henri started drinking more and became more abusive towards his son, insulting him and hitting him whenever he was angry or when Arthur came back home with a bad grade. Unfortunately, the young boy couldn't even call for help for two reasons. The first one was because his father went as far as to threaten to kill him if he did – he was drunk when he said that – and the second one was because he felt like no one would ever listen to him.
Because of everything that happened, Arthur's personality had drastically changed ever since. He was no longer the happy and cheerful boy he used to be. To protect himself from other people, he became cold, hardened, aggressive, sarcastic, and snarky. He stopped trying to make friends, and decided to remain alone and never trust anyone; therefore rebuffing anybody trying to start a conversation with him. Also, due to his traumatic experiences, he developed anxiety and started to have panic attacks, such as hyperventilating, whenever the situation gets too stressful or intense for him. And he had trouble sleeping at night because he often had nightmares about his mom's death, his dad and the other kids insulting him and beating him up; and therefore, his face became slightly pale and dark rings formed under his eyes due to lack of sleep.
Arthur, who is nine years old now, was walking down the street with a tired look on his face. It was currently the weekend, so he didn't have school today. However, he decided to go out for a walk to clear his mind after having another nightmare last night, and to get away from his father for the day.
Suddenly, the young boy stopped as something got his attention. There was a homeless man on the same sidewalk as him, sitting against the wall of an old apartment building. He looked old, probably past his sixties. He had grey hair, brown eyes, and an unshaven beard. He was wearing an old light grey bucket hat, a beige sweater with a dark grey jacket over it, black fingerless gloves, grey pants, and brown shoes. His clothes were dirty, worn out, and had some holes in them. The man looked tired as if he hadn't slept for days. He was also carrying a mug in his hand, probably to put the money he gets from passersby in it.
"Excuse me, sir. Could you spare some change, please?" the hobo asked to a man who was passing by, raising his mug to receive some money. The latter ignored him and simply kept walking. The homeless man sighed and lowered the mug. He then noticed Arthur standing there on the side and smiled at the boy. "Excuse me, my boy. If it's not too much trouble, could you spare some change, please? I could really use the money to eat." He showed him the inside of his mug which was currently empty.
Arthur hesitated. As much as the sight of this poor man was saddening, he didn't know him. What if this guy was dangerous and was hiding it under that seemingly-friendly smile? What if he was tricking him into giving him what he wanted only to insult him and laugh at him afterward, like everyone else did? ... Well, if it's not this hobo that takes his money, it'll be a group of bullies that could jump him at any moments. Might as well be this man instead.
"Sure, I guess," The nine-year-old boy said with a shrug, before pulling out a five dollar bill from his pocket and approaching the man. "Here." He then tossed it dismissively into the mug. It was all he had, but whatever.
"Thank you, young man," the homeless man thanked him with a genuine smile.
"Whatever," Arthur grumbled as he rolled his eyes. He began to walk away, only to stop when the man spoke to him again.
"You don't look so good. Are you okay?" the hobo asked, having noticed that the young boy looked pale and had dark rings under eyes.
Arthur was taken aback by the question, but he only said, "I'm fine," before walking again.
"Are you sure? You look extremely tired," the homeless man said in a surprisingly concerned tone. Arthur stopped and turned around to glare at him.
"Why do you care?" he asked coldly.
"Just asking," the man answered with a shrug, unfazed by the boy's harsh tone. Arthur rolled his eyes.
"Well, too bad I don't have a medal to give you for being the king of fools who ask too many questions," the young boy snarked harshly, crossing his arms. To his surprise, the homeless man didn't get mad or yell at him. Instead, he let out a chuckle, amused by the boy's remark.
"You're right. Maybe I'm just an old fool who asks too many questions. But hey, what I can do about it?" the hobo said, still smiling. Arthur felt confused and uncomfortable with his reaction.
"Uhh, okay then...? I uhh... I think I'm gonna get going now," the nine-year-old boy said awkwardly. He was about to quickly walk away, when a familiar and unpleasant voice suddenly spoke.
"Well, look who we got here!" they said. Arthur's eyes widened as he recognized the voice.
'Oh no, not him...' he thought in annoyance. He turned around to face the person and gritted his teeth in anger.
It was a boy slightly older than him, accompanied by two other kids around his age. He had blond shoulder-length hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a white and green striped t-shirt, a black leather jacket with silver-spiked studs on the shoulders, the collar, and the arms, dark blue jeans supported by a black silver-spiked belt, and black sneakers. Arthur knew him... It was Johnny Grant, his arch-nemesis and also the first kid who made fun of him when he entered school for the first time.
"You know what, Arthur, it's a good thing we ran into you. I felt like punching someone's lights out today. Right on time," Johnny said with an evil grin, cracking his knuckles. His friends chuckled evilly.
"Get lost, Johnny. I'm not in the mood to listen to your jaw flap right now," Arthur hissed angrily.
"Whohoho! Well, whadda' ya know! Looks like the little freak has grown himself a mouth," Johnny taunted, looking at his friends to see their reaction. The latters chuckled in amusement at his remark, which pleased the bully. He looked back at his nemesis and mockingly said, "That's a whole new level from the corny and scared little mama's boy you used to be two years ago. Shame she's gone now." Ouch. Arthur shut his eyes and tightened his fists. No matter what, being reminded of his mom's death always hurt.
"Bite me, you scum!" the nine-year-old boy yelled angrily. Then he spat in Johnny's face, causing the latter to take a step back as his friends gasped at the action. The bully slowly wiped the spit off his face with his hand and glared at it for a second. He then shot a dirty look at Arthur, causing the latter to slowly back away in fear.
"You little snot! I'll make you regret this!" Johnny hissed angrily as he went to grab his rival by the collar of his t-shirt. However, he was abruptly stopped before he could when a hand grabbed him tightly by the wrist. To everyone's shock, it was the homeless man.
"That's enough, kid. Go home, you and your clique," the hobo ordered, looking at the bully sternly.
"Stay out of it, old man!" Johnny retorted defiantly.
"I don't think so," the man firmly said as he shook his head. "Now listen here, if I catch you trying to harm this boy again, I'm gonna go to the police station right away and file charges against you and your little friends for assault and battery. I wonder what your parents will think when they receive a call from the police telling their son is beating on another kid." Johnny's eyes widened at the mention of his parents.
"Y-you wouldn't do that, would you?" the bully nervously asked, fear clearly present on his face.
"I'm a man of my word, kid. Plus, the boy knows your identities," the homeless man added, gesturing with his head towards Arthur. "It'll be very easy for the police to find you all out." Johnny growled in frustration but he had no other choice.
"Fine," he said with a sigh. The hobo nodded and let go of his wrist. He looked at his friends and relucantly said, "Come on, guys. Let's scram." They nodded and began to walk away. As he followed them, Johnny shot a death glare at Arthur that clearly said 'we'll finish this next time we meet', causing the young boy to gulp nervously.
Soon, the bullies were out of sight, and the homeless man looked at Arthur who was staring at him in surprise and confusion.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Y-yeah, I-I'm okay," Arthur stuttered, still dumbfounded that the hobo defended him against the bullies. "...Why though? Why did you defend me against them?"
The homeless man smiled and said, "Because I couldn't let a child get beaten up like this. It's called failure to assist a person in danger," earning a surprised look from the boy.
"Oh, uhm... well uhh, t-thanks... I-I guess," Arthur stammered awkwardly, putting his hands in his pockets and shuffling his foot on the ground. That was the first time someone else than his mother actually went out of their way to help him against bullies. He clearly wasn't used to this and he felt a bit uncomfortable by the action.
The man looked in the direction the bullies left, then back at Arthur. "This Johnny boy... he said you lost your mom," he stated. The young boy looked down, a pained expression on his face as he tried to keep the tears from coming out. "My condolences, young man, and... I apologize for bringing it up again," the hobo apologized sincerely.
"Yeah..." Arthur simply said in a sad and depressed tone. He sighed and said, "I think I'll go now..." He turned around to walk away, but he was stopped when the homeless man placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Wait, kid," he said, causing Arthur to face him again. He pulled out a ripped creased piece of paper from his pocket, along with a pen, and wrote on it. "Here, this is the list of the streets I'll be on every day. It's a schedule since I'll be moving around the city a lot to ask people for money. You can come find me at these locations if you need someone to talk to."
He handed the paper out to the boy. Arthur hesitantly took it and read it before looking back at the hobo in surprise.
"You seem like a good boy in spite of appearances, and you don't look like you got a lot of friends. If you want, we can spend some time together in your free time and I can help you keep the bullies off your back," the homeless man offered him with a smile. The nine-year-old boy gave him a skeptical look, which didn't unnoticed by the hobo. "Don't worry, you don't have to come if you don't want to. And if you still don't trust me, you can ask your dad to come along with you if you want."
"Oh, I don't think my dad would really care much if I'm gone..." Arthur muttered bitterly, earning a surprised and concerned look from the homeless man. He looked back at the piece of paper in his hand, before putting it in his pocket. "Thanks for the offer. I'll think about it."
"All right, take as much time as you need. You know where to find me if you're ever interested," the man said, patting the pocket of his pant to refer to the piece of paper he gave him.
"Sure," Arthur said.
The hobo nodded, then he sat back in the same spot he was before, taking his mug in his hand again. "Name's Charles by the way," he said.
"Arthur," the young boy told his name as well.
Charles nodded and said, "I hope to see you again soon, Arthur."
Arthur didn't say anything, but he nodded anyway. He then began to make his way back to the house. As he did, he was thinking about the man's offer to come talk to him in his free time. He didn't know if he could trust him; so many people treated him badly and made empty promises before, he wasn't sure if Charles truly meant what he said or if there was some kind of trick hidden behind that smooth talk. Though, the man did defend him against Johnny, so... maybe he was truly genuine about it. No matter, he'll have more time to think about it when he's back at home.
"... I spent the rest of the day in my room as well as half of my night thinking about his offer," Arthur said. "Eventually, I decided to join him the next day, using the schedule he gave me. It goes without saying I was nervous at first, but Charles was... happy to see me. I was surprised... but I didn't question it. We just sat there on the sidewalk and just talked about everything and nothing, our hobbies and stuff. We did that for most of the day, then we both had to leave. I had to admit... it was nice to have someone to talk to again; and Charles seemed happy too. And when I was around him, the other kids didn't try to bully me, which was great. So we continued meeting and talking after school ever since."
He formed a sad look as he continued, "One day, he told me he used to be a police chief a long time ago, but he once made a mistake that costed him his whole career and got him fired. After that, he became addicted to gambling and was in debt for a long time. Because of that his wife left him and took his son with her. He was all alone after that, and soon he lost all of his money. It was only a matter of time before the bailiff came to evict him from his house... After that, he roamed the streets of Sacramento, asking people for money and doing what he could to survive."
He paused before he continued, "I felt bad for him, and he was grateful I showed him sympathy. And when I was ready, I told him everything about me: how my life was hell, how my dad and other people treated me, how my mom died... For a moment, I feared he might just backstab me and make fun of my miserable existence... but he didn't. He showed me sympathy, comforted and supported me." A smile appeared on the boy's face. "For the first time in a long time, I felt like I had someone who cared about me again, just like my mom did. And Charles too; after being alone for so many years, I think he also needed someone to talk to. I felt a lot better, it was like I had a purpose again... something to keep me going."
Arthur's smile suddenly dropped and was replaced with a sad frown.
"However, about two months later, I noticed something was wrong with Charles... He seemed more tired, weaker, and he started coughing – a little at first, then... more as days passed," he said as his tone was getting more and more depressed. "Though, he would always tell me that it was nothing and it would pass eventually... Only it didn't... I soon learned what was wrong when I came to see him one evening, and the results weren't pretty..."
It was currently evening and the sun was setting. Arthur walked through the city, heading for the place where Charles was sleeping for the night. It was under the Tower Bridge; the homeless man had set a small camp by the river. Charles showed it to him a few days ago and told him he could come visit him at night if he wanted to.
The young boy wanted to check on his friend because he was worried about his health. Recently, the hobo had been looking more tired, weaker, and he had been coughing on several occasions. Charles assured him that it wasn't a big deal, but Arthur wasn't convinced. His friend's condition seemed to worsen as every day passed. He already tried to offer the man some medicine but the latter kindly refused, saying it wasn't necessary.
Arthur was extremely worried. He didn't want to imagine the worst case scenario, so he really hoped that whatever sickness Charles got would pass.
He eventually reached the homeless man's camp. The first thing he heard was the sound of a coughing. He saw Charles sitting against the pillar of the bridge, in front of a lit-up burn barrel. The old man was covering his mouth with his hand as he coughed. He eventually stopped and looked at his hand, a worried expression on his face.
"Charles?" Arthur said to catch his attention. The hobo looked at him and smiled upon recognizing the boy.
"Oh, hey Arthur. Felt like visiting me tonight?" Charles greeted him tiredly, wiping his hand on his worn-out jacket. He looked terrible. His face was paler, the bags under his eyes were darker, and his voice was weaker. He seemed to be getting worse.
"More like felt that you needed a regular medical check. You okay?" Arthur asked worriedly.
Charles nodded and said, "Yeah, I'm okay. Just tired. Sleeping out in the cold sure gets old." Arthur frowned, clearly not believing him.
"Cut the nonsense, old man. You're clearly not okay," the young boy deadpanned. "Look, if you're sick, I can get you medicine or at least some money to get the medical attention you require."
Charles sighed in exasperation and said, "We talked about this before, Arthur. It's nothing more than a cough. As a homeless old man, it's normal for me to get sick every so often. It hasn't killed me before."
"That's what I'm worried about..." Arthur muttered anxiously. Charles sighed and shook his head.
"Come on, sit next to me. I got something I wanna show you," the hobo said as he patted the ground next to him, inviting the boy to sit down. Arthur felt frustrated that he was trying to change the subject like that, but he knew the man was too stubborn to change his mind. Sighing, he walked up to the homeless man and sat down next to him.
Charles searched in the pocket of his jacket and pulled out an harmonica.
"An harmonica?" Arthur asked, his eyes widening in wonder at the sight of the instrument.
"Yes, I used to play it for my son before his bedtime. I always held onto it since then. It's the only thing I have left of him," Charles said with a nostalgic smile. "You said you love anything related to the Wild West. I just happen to know a tune. Wanna hear it?"
"Sure," Arthur said with an eager smile.
The homeless man nodded. He brought the harmonica to his lips and began playing a Wild West tune. Arthur immediately recognized it: it was called Red River Valley, performed by Michael Martin Murphey – one of his favorite songs. The young boy smiled as he listened to his friend play the intrument. No doubt Charles had some good talents in playing the harmonica. The two just sat there as music filled the air, just enjoying the moment.
Eventually, the tune ended. Charles removed the harmonica from his lips and looked at Arthur, waiting for the boy's opinion.
"It was really great, Charles. Thanks for playing it for me," Arthur said, smiling at the man.
"Don't mention it, my boy. I'm just glad I was able to play for someone else rather than myself for once," Charles said, returning the smile.
Suddenly, the hobo's smile dropped and he quickly turned his head away as a violent coughing fit took him, causing him to drop his harmonica on the ground.
"Charles?" Arthur asked, getting worried.
"No wait... stay back..." Charles said in between coughs, placing his arm between himself and Arthur to keep him away. Then, something came out of the hobo's mouth and splatted on the ground, making Arthur's eyes widen in horror. It was blood. "Oh, that's not good..." the homeless man muttered worriedly as he stared at the traces of blood droplets on the ground.
"Charles, why the hell are you coughing blood?" Arthur asked, now panicking.
"I guess there's no point hiding it anymore..." the hobo said, sighing in defeat. He gave the nine-year-old boy a sad and serious look. "Arthur... I got tuberculosis." Arthur's heart sank after hearing this. Tuberculosis? That's a deadly disease!
"Tuberculosis? T-that's a joke, right?" the young boy asked in panic.
"I wouldn't joke about this, Arthur," Charles said sadly.
"H-how...? When...?" Arthur asked in a panicked stutter.
"I'm not sure... I think... I caught it about a month ago when I came across a guy who had to same symptoms," Charles explained. "I had no idea what was wrong with him at the time. I saw him coughing blood so I went to help him, but he failed to cover his mouth in time and... that's probably when I got infected. I didn't even notice it until I began coughing about two weeks ago. At first, I thought it was just a bad cough, but as days passed I started coughing blood, and... that's when I knew..."
"But why? Why didn't you tell me as soon as you knew, you damn fool? I could've gotten you something to help with it!" Arthur said in an angry tone, clearly upset that the man had been keeping his sickness a secret from him.
"Medicine alone isn't enough, Arthur," Charles said, trying to remain as calm as possible. "To heal properly you have to stay in someplace warm and dry, take it easy, and eat properly. And seriously, I don't think I need to elaborate on my case to tell you why I can't..." He sighed, before looking at Arthur sadly and guiltily. "And... I didn't want you to waste your money on a lost cause. I'm really sorry, kid... I'm afraid I don't have much time left."
Upon hearing this, the young boy got up to his feet and looked at Charles dead seriously.
"I've heard enough, old man. I'm taking you to the hospital, and if I have to drag you all the way through the streets of Sacramento to do it, then I will," he hissed, almost making it sound like a threat. He was desperate and scared... Scared that he will lose Charles like he lost his mom. He didn't want that to happen. If Charles dies, he will be all alone again... Alone against the whole world, without anyone to support him. He won't be able to handle it.
Charles hesitated for a second, before he sighed in defeat and said, "Alright... Let's go." He struggled a little as he tried to get up, so Arthur helped him up on his feet. "Arthur... Before we go, I just wanted to say... Thank you for spending time and talking with me. I've been on my own for so long, struggling in the streets to survive, and no one was interested in talking with a homeless old man... It was hard, but you made these last two months easier for me to live through. You're a good kid, Arthur. Don't let let those fools tell you otherwise," he added sincerely and appreciatively.
Arthur felt touched by the hobo's words. Hearing someone else than his mom tell him he helped and was a good person warmed his heart. It brought a smile on his face despite the situation.
"Don't mention it, old man. I'm the one who should thank you for everything you did. Aside from my mom, you're the first person who understands me and cares about me when no one else does. So... thank you, Charles," he said appreciatively. Charles didn't say anything and only smiled at him, before he turned his head away and placed his arm against his mouth as he had another coughing fit. "Come on, let's get to the hospital now."
After making their way through the city, they arrived at the hospital. Right on time, because Charles' condition had worsened during the walk. The homeless man fell on his knees and coughed blood when he entered the hospital. The doctors immediately took him to a patient room to provide him medical treatment. Arthur had to stay outside to let them do their job.
Two hours have passed since the medics took Charles in. The nine-year-old boy was anxiously pacing back and forth in the hallway. He was worried he was too late to bring Charles here in time. His tuberculosis was pretty bad when they made it to hospital. Arthur silently prayed for a miracle to happen. He wanted the doctor to come out and tell him they managed to stabilize his friend, cure him from his sickness and that he would live. He knew it wasn't so simple, but he still wished it was. He couldn't lose Charles, he just... couldn't...
Arthur snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the door to Charles' room open. The doctor came out and approached the boy.
"Hey, uhh... how is he?" Arthur asked anxiously.
The doctor formed an apologetic look and said, "I'm really sorry... We did everything we could to save him, but his tuberculosis was at too late a stage. He... he passed away about five minutes ago." Arthur's heart sank after hearing this.
"No... T-tell me it's a joke... H-he can't be dead! Please... tell me it's not true!" the young boy pleaded as tears began to form in his eyes.
The doctor closed his eyes and shook his head, showing he wasn't joking.
"I'm truly sorry... We did everything we could..." he apologized sympathetically, before going back into the room.
Arthur's world came crashing down at those words. He couldn't believe it. Charles was gone... The man whom he grew to care about was dead... The young boy fell to his knees and he covered his face with both of his hands as tears were running down his cheeks. He cried loudly, hoping it was just a horrible nightmare and he would wake up right after that... but it wasn't a dream. It was reality.
The slightest bit of hope he had left for a better future died along with Charles. Once again, life came to spit on his face and took away the second person that meant a lot to him.
"... He had tuberculosis and he didn't say a damn thing to me until it was too late. I blamed myself for not trying hard enough to convince him to tell me the truth or go to the hospital when I first noticed he wasn't doing well. I didn't care about how much money it would've costed me or if my dad would've given me hell for it, if it meant Charles survived... but it was too late for that..." Arthur said sorrowfully, his hand covering his face, while Hat Kid was looking at him sadly and sympathetically. He sighed and continued, "I was devastated once more... It was like losing my mom all over again. Charles was... like a father for me. And not like that alcohol-addicted scum that calls himself my father... But a true father. After he died... I didn't care about nothing anymore. I wanted to die. Just... put an end to my misery and be with my mom and Charles again. But... every time I tried to do it, I just... I couldn't. I didn't have the guts to do it... It was torture. I was trapped in a hellish life full of pain and misery, just because I could never grow the guts to kill myself."
Hat Kid stared at him in shock. Arthur wanted to die? Peck... She had no idea it was so bad to the point he wanted to commit suicide. This explains why Arthur didn't want her and DJ Grooves to help him when he got stabbed by the Conductor in the basement of Dead Bird Studio.
"After Charles' death, it was back to the usual routine: me getting up for school, listening to some long and boring classes, getting bullied, get out of school, getting bullied again on my way back, receiving threats from my father for not getting enough good grades, go to bed, have nightmares, and do it all over again the next day with eventually some failed suicide attempts. It never ended..." Arthur said in a dull tone. His expression then turned dark as he bitterly said, "You know... Johnny, his clique, and everyone else were a huge pain in the butt. But my dad? He was the worst. All he ever did was judge me, insult me, threaten me, and hit me. I couldn't get a peaceful moment in the house without him yelling at me, calling me worthless and pathetic, or something worse... I had to lock my room's door everytime and check if he was passed out drunk on the couch to have some quiet time. But if you want a better example on how horrible he was, I can give you one. It happened when I was ten, and it's the worst thing he did to me..."
Earlier in the day during school, Arthur got an earful from his math teacher after the latter gave him back his 'test sheet' which turned out to be filled with insults toward the teacher. In reality, Arthur didn't write all of this; his own test sheet got switched with this one by someone else after class to prank him. The young boy tried to explain the situation, but as dumb as the teacher was he didn't listen and gave him an hour of detention.
After going through it, Arthur was infuriated and went to find the culprit who was none other than Johnny, his arch-nemesis. After a short confrontation and the bully mockingly admitting he did it, the two had a fight. Arthur eventually managed to get the upper hand and kept punching Johnny's face repeatedly in a blind rage after pinning him on the ground, knocking the latter out. He didn't stop until one of Johnny's friends pulled him off of him.
And unfortunately, the school principal came at that moment and called Arthur to his office. Johnny was in a bad shape after the fight and had to be sent to the hospital immediately. Arthur tried to defend his own case and pleaded the principal to not inform his dad about this, knowing how he would react. But the principal did it anyway, stating he had no other choice. The ten-year-old boy came back home with his anxiety at its highest. Sure enough, Henri was waiting in the living room and he was NOT happy.
And now, here he was... standing in the middle of the room, not saying a word as he anxiously watched his dad pace back and forth while the latter glared at him like a lion about to jump on its prey at any time. An uncomfortable silence remained for a moment, before Henri finally spoke.
"What the hell did I just hear from the principal, Arthur? You fought one of your classmates and sent him to the hospital?! What is wrong with you?!" he shouted angrily, causing Arthur to flinch.
"J-Johnny started it. He switched my math test sheet with an insulting letter to get me into detention. Then, he taunted me and-"
"Enough with your excuses, Arthur!" Henri interrupted his son. "First, you keep bringing back bad grades, cost me a lot of money with all the times you had to go to the hospital because you were not careful enough... and now, you get into trouble and injure one of your classmates?! You trying to throw away your whole schooling? Is this how I raised you? How your MOM raised you?! She would be ashamed of you right now!"
Arthur's eyes widened in shock, hurt by the remark, and he gritted his teeth. His dad's reproaches set him off and he couldn't stop the next words as they came out.
"She would be ashamed of me? And what about you? You didn't even know her right! You were never here for her or me, always missing out on important days, such as our birthdays! And when you did, all you ever done was belittle and rebuke us both for anything we said or did! You always go to the damn bar, drinking all day long without a care in the world! You never paid attention to how we felt! You're nothing but a GODDAMN HYPOCRITE, dad!" he retorted angrily. He soon regretted it when he saw his father's eye twitch and his fists tighten.
"HOW DARE YOU, YOU BRAT! YOU DON'T GET TO TALK TO ME THAT WAY!" Henri shouted in pure rage, glaring angrily at his son and making the latter take a step back in fear. "You damn little... I'll teach you a lesson you're not ready to forget!"
Arthur's face went pale when he saw his father reach for a bottle of whiskey on the table nearby. He tried to run away but he wasn't fast enough. And then... CRASH! He yelled in pain as he felt his dad strike him in the back with the bottle, causing it to shatter on impact, and fell forward on the ground. Tears ran down his cheeks and he hissed in agony, feeling the shards of glass in his skin and the strong alcohol burning in his wound.
"Such a waste of good whiskey..." Henri muttered angrily, dropping the head of the broken bottle on the ground. "Now I gotta call the hospital and that's more money I'll lose because of you! I can't believe I ever had you as a son! You're the worst thing that ever came into my life!" Arthur flinched at those words, shutting his eyes as more tears came out. No matter how hard his father hits him, his words always hurt the most. Henri pulled out his cell phone and began to dial the hospital number in it, not before giving a threatening look to his son. "And if you tell anyone about this, I'll kill you! You hear that?!"
"THEN DO IT!" Arthur shouted defiantly, looking back at his father with a death glare. "Just do it... please..." he begged, sobbing uncontrollably.
Henri stared at him for a few seconds before shaking his head. "Forget it. I'll just call the hospital." He finished dialling the number on his phone and pressed the call button. He placed his phone on his ear and turned his back on his son, waiting for an answer from the hospital.
Arthur looked around frantically and spotted the exit. He began to slowly crawl towards it in an attempt to get away from his father as far as possible. He winced as he did. The pain in his back was unbearable. Suddenly, he felt himself getting weaker and his vision began to blur. His movements slowed down even more until they stopped. His vision was becoming darker and darker. And soon, he lost consciousness...
"... I woke up at the hospital three days later, still alive and with scars all over my back. The very same ones that the doctor told you and DJ Grooves about after I got stabbed. My father did this to me..." Arthur said, shutting his eyes at the memory of his dad hitting him with the bottle. "When he called the hospital, he managed to make it look like an accident. I had every opportunity to expose him but... I was too scared... and besides, I felt like no one would listen to me. So I kept my mouth shut, and he got away with this..."
Hat Kid formed a horrified expression which soon turned into an angry scowl. What kind of dad would treat their child like this? She wanted to hunt down Arthur's father and give him the beating of his life. Unfortunately, she couldn't since he was in another dimension. That peck neck got lucky...
"There, I told you everything you needed to know. That's just my life in a nutshell: struggle in a world where nobody wants me. I'm a mistake. Just someone serving as a punching bag for the first person to come... Someone whom even the Grim Reaper doesn't want. So I promised myself to never trust anyone again or even show my emotions in public. Now that I think about it, I kinda broke that promise when I became friends with you... How ironic, I can't even keep a promise I made to myself..." Arthur muttered, looking down depressingly. "So... go on ahead, laugh at my misery. Everyone does anyway..."
Hat Kid looked down sadly, feeling bad for the boy. She didn't know what to say... His whole life, Arthur went through tragic and traumatic events; losing the people he cared about, getting bullied and laughed at, hurt, injured... even by his own father. Now she understands why he always acted so cold, depressed, angry, insecure, and distrustful of other people. His life was exactly how he described it: hell. She also understands why he was always so reluctant on telling her about his problems. He was afraid of being judged. Even now, he still feels like she will judge him... but she won't. She's not like all of those people who disregarded him. She truly cares about him and she wants to prove it to him.
The young alien got on her knees and put her hand on Arthur's shoulder, making him look back at her. She could see that he was trying his hardest not to cry in front of her. No, she couldn't let him keep it all bottled up anymore, he had been doing that for way too long. In this situation, she knew what she had to do...
She gently wrapped her arms around Arthur, pulling him into a comforting hug. The young boy was taken aback by the girl's action.
"H-Hat Kid? W-what are y-you... Wha... Why?" he stuttered in a mix of shock, confusion, and surprise.
"I'm sorry," Hat Kid said softly and sympathetically, hugging him tighter.
Arthur was at a completely loss of words, struggling to process what was happening. He didn't understand. Why was she hugging him? She should be laughing at him like anyone else would. Why was she doing this? It didn't make any sense... It just... didn't... Tears were building up in his eyes and threatened to come out at any seconds. No. He couldn't afford to break down. Not here... Not now...
"It's okay... Let it out," Hat Kid whispered.
And that was all it took. Not being able to contain it anymore, Arthur began to sob. He wrapped his arms around Hat Kid and buried his face in her shoulder as he cried loudly. All the pain, all the emotions he had been keeping bottled up for years all came out at once. Losing his mom and Charles, the humiliation from Johnny and everyone else, all of the times he got hurt physically and emotionally... it all came out. Hat Kid remained silent and kept holding the crying boy in her arms for as long as he needed. Her left hand was rubbing his back, while her right hand was on his head, gently running through his brown messy hair.
The two children stayed like that for a moment. Arthur eventually stopped crying but he still didn't let go. He needed another minute or two. Hat Kid didn't mind that, simply continuing to hug him until he was ready to let go.
Eventually, the twelve-year-old boy pulled away from the hug, feeling better now that he got everything out of his chest. He stared at Hat Kid with a curious and newfound expression, as the latter smiled at him warmly. This little girl... she just let him talk about all of his problems, showed him sympathy, then she comforted him with a hug and allowed him to let his emotions out... all of that without judging him, being irritated, or anything. And even after that moment... she was still smiling at him. Now, there was no doubt anymore... She truly cared about him. She didn't see him as a tool to be dismissed at the first opportunity, but as a friend. A true friend. It was a feeling he forgot since Charles' death. It felt... great to have it again.
Arthur wiped the tears off his cheeks and smiled gratefully at Hat Kid. "You're a good kid. A good person. The best." His smiled dropped as he looked down. "Far better than I'll ever be... I don't deserve a good friend such as you."
In response, the small girl placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him to give him confidence. Then, she pulled out a paper and a pen, and wrote something before showing it to the boy. It said 'That's not true, Arthur. You did so many good things for the Mafia, Cooking Cat, the Conductor, DJ Grooves... even for you mom and Charles. But mostly... for me. You've been helping me out a lot with the Time Pieces and saved my life more than once. We had a lot of fun moments together, and you make me laugh with your jokes too. I'm really happy to have you as a friend, and the only thing I ever regret was treating you so badly the first time we met. I know who you are. You're a good person, Arthur. Don't let those mean peck necks tell you otherwise.' A heart was drawn under these words.
Arthur gave Hat Kid a surprised look. And suddenly, Charles' words rang in his mind.
"You're a good kid, Arthur. Don't let those fools tell you otherwise."
And then, a lot of memories went through his mind. All of the good moments spent with his mom and Charles, the smiles on their faces, the gratitude from the Mafia men and Cooking Cat after he saved them during the lava incident, the moments spent with the Conductor and DJ Grooves – their talk about western stuff and the apologies from the former, the gratitude from the latter for helping him in his movies and giving him a new purpose in movie making – the happiness and the smiles from his fans and the Moon Penguins, the apologies from the Express Owls for taking part in the Conductor's scheme, the visits he got at the hospital, and the gratitude and praises from Snatcher's minions after bringing back water to the dry river of Subcon Village and defeating the Toilet of Doom... And lastly, all of the moments where he saved Hat Kid's life, the times where he comforted her when she was hurt or sad, when he made her smile and laugh, and vice versa.
A feeling of happiness overwhelmed the young boy, replacing the sadness that was eating him up just minutes ago. Maybe Hat Kid was right, he did a lot of good deeds without ever noticing.
"Thank you, Hat Kid. Really... It uhh, it means a lot," Arthur genuinely said with a smile. Hat Kid nodded and smiled back at him, happy that she managed to lift the boy's spirit up. He looked back at his pillow bed, then back at the young alien. "Well, we got the sappy stuff out of the way, but I don't think I'm ready to go back to bed after all this. Not yet anyway..."
Hat Kid put her hand on her chin, thinking for a few seconds, then she snapped her fingers with a grin as she had an idea. She got up and ran up to her TV. She picked up a DVD movie box that was resting on its side, and ran back to Arthur before showing it to him. It was the movie that the Conductor gave to Arthur after the premiere of their first movie.
"Oh right. We still haven't finished watching it, have we?" the twelve-year-old boy asked, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Hat Kid nodded. With everything that happened during their stay in Subcon Forest, they had completely forgot to watch the rest. "Yeah, sure. I'm down for it. I promised the Conductor I would finish watching it, so let's do it," he said as he got up. Hat Kid smiled happily, before she went to put the disk in the DVD player and sat down on the pillow, as Arthur joined her and sat at her side.
The two children watched the rest of the movie together. When it was over, Arthur smiled as the credit rolled on the screen. It was really great! He would have to give his feedback to the Conductor the next time he sees him.
Suddenly, he felt something on his shoulder. He looked to the side and noticed that Hat Kid had fallen asleep, her head resting on his shoulder. The young boy wasn't too sure how to react at first. Then, with a bit of hesitation, he slowly wrapped his arm around the girl. For a moment there, he could've sworn he saw her smile.
Eventually, Arthur smiled as he watched her sleep. He was really lucky to have met her. She was like a light guiding him to the exit of an eternal abyss he had been stuck in for so long. He now felt like he had a purpose again, which was to help Hat Kid get all of her Time Pieces back. Sure, that's what he had been doing for weeks, but he always felt like he had no choice because of the promise he made to her. However, now he was doing it because she was his friend, and he hoped they would still be friends after this is done. It's not like he was about to go back to his home world anyway, since there's no way back as the Badge Seller stated. Good, he was better off in this new world anyway, even if he still felt like he didn't belong here.
But at the same time, he was scared that he'll lose Hat Kid like he lost his mom and Charles. ... However, she already went through a lot of adventures before, and she got out of scrapes more than once. Maybe things will be different with her this time. He hoped so at least...
Suddenly, the twelve-year-old boy yawned. It was late night and watching the movie made him feel sleepy again. His eyes began to slowly close, and it only took a few seconds before they closed completely. He fell asleep almost immediately... and no nightmares came during the rest of the night.
A/N: Hey everyone! Phew... Boy, this chapter took a lot of time to write. It was exhausting, but I'm glad I got that out of the way. ^^; Anyway, yeah... lots of dark stuff and emotional rollercoasters here. And now, you got to see what happened to Arthur in his home world and what caused him to become the cold and snarky boy he is. But thankfully, he has Hat Kid to support him now and you will start seeing a more friendly and open-minded Arthur from now on. Don't worry, he still keeps his sassiness and snarkiness that we all like. It's part of his personality after all. ;) Anyway, tell me all what you thought of his past. I'm curious to see your reactions. ^^
Anyway, Alpine Skyline's ark will begin in the next chapter. Let's hope Arthur is ready to overcome his fear of heights, because he'll be in for a treat. ;)
Oh, by the way, I'm gonna try to do more artworks of Arthur, like I did with the cover and the drawing featuring his different appearances that I released on the 27th chapter. I'll make sure to post them in the A/N section when I'm done with them. ^^
And now, it's time to answer some reviews!
To Hhhhhfishdowjsos: That's how I felt when I played some of the hardest death wishes. And of course, Snatcher just kept taunting me over and over and over... *Two hours later* ...and over and over and over. Pecking Snatcher. XD
To Rub37: This chapter says it all. ^^; I'll try to remember that. ;) Anyway, thank you!
To pokemonsora01: Yeah, Alpine Skyline is not the most interesting ark to write or read about, but hopefully I'll be able to write some good scenes to make up for it. Anyway, thank you!
To HexoSpikeZ: *uploads this chapter* I think this might answer all of your questions. ^^;
To Konan720 (Chapter 26): Haha, true that! XD
Anyway, that's all for today, folks! See you all in the next chapter!