~Kenny's P.O.V~
"There you are, Leopold! I've been waiting for twenty minutes!" Butters' mother exclaims, attempting to scold him. Butters shoots me an unsure glance before shrugging pathetically.
"Sorry." He apologizes simply, not knowing what to say. He enjoys being casual and rebellious with his new guardians, since his actual parents were anything but worrying and thoughtful.
"He's a bit tired, ma'am. Forgive him for being rude." I give him a look. His mother blinks in astonishment.
"Is what Kenneth is saying true, Leopold?" He doesn't answer, not wanting to lie. Even I will fib when it's necessary; but he refuses to. I think it's a psychological decision he's made, since his parents basically carved 'You will always tell the truth' into his brain. I wish I'd been there for him… "Well," Butters' mother tries hard to think of something to say. "Where's your brother?"
"He should be coming soon." Butters frowns, looking around for the said person. I feel a dark presence and flinch, catching sight of three of those demon girls passing by. One of them is Levania, I notice. She looks very quiet, staring at the ground. The other two are bickering with each other. I don't know which ones they are. Butters catches sight of Levania and (to my horror) waves to her kindly. She sees him out of the corner of her eye and hesitantly raises her hand, giving him a small response as she passes.
"Phillip, there you are! Where have you been?" Butters and I both turn and see Phillip standing there, alone.
"I'm sorry, I was at the library, and I… I lost track of time."
"Is that so?" His aunt raises an eyebrow, and begins to interrogate him. As the questions begin to fly out of her mouth, I grab my human's hand, forcing him to face me.
Why did you wave to her!?
Butters takes a while to come up with an answer.
Because I met her on Karen's birthday. We had ice cream together. She wasn't what I thought she was.
Are you insane?! What did she say? Did she try to hurt you? Why did you not tell me?
Because I knew you would react this way! Stop being so stupid; I know what I'm doing!
I glare at Butters, roughly snatching my hand away. He doesn't waver; more, glowers back. Neither of us notice his mother come over and put her hands on either of our shoulders. We glance at her, still angry with each other. "Let's go in now, hmm? Kenneth, you're more than welcome to join us." It's a good thing that the woman has taken such a liking to me.
"Of course, ma'am." I mutter, finally breaking my gaze away from Butters'. I cannot say the same for him.
"DEAR PHILLIP!" A female voice shouts. Before Phillip can even fully turn around, he is practically tackled by a brunette girl. "I was wondering if it was you! Ah, and here's Leopold. Oh, are you his fairy?" She asks me kindly.
"Yes…" She nods, noticing my distant voice and seeing that I'm a bit distracted, and begins introducing herself to Phillip's aunt. I study the girl up and down. Well, she's damn poor. Her dress is of average quality, but it's torn in places, and has a few barely noticeable stains. Her hair isn't pinned, plaited, anything; just loose. She also looks fairly tired.
"Tammy, what business to you have here?" Phillip asks.
"Oh… I already made supper for my siblings, but I didn't make enough for myself as well. So I came here to get some biscuits for, um…" Tammy trails off, too embarrassed to speak further on the topic. I instantly feel pity for her; she most likely can barely afford to go to school. I was poor as well when I was human, so I feel sorry for people such as this girl.
"Then, why don't you come and have supper with us then?" I ask nicely, smiling. Butters stares at me, frowning in confusion. Phillip and his aunt also look taken aback.
"Oh no, I could never." Tammy smiles back reassuringly.
"I insist. Your supper… shouldn't have to be some mere biscuits, don't you think?"
"Yes, but, I've been taught to never take handouts." Tammy glances at Phillip nervously.
"Well, you'll have to take it today, since I'm not the kind of person that lets a girl such as you leave with biscuits for supper. Come along," I take the small package of biscuits from her and stick them in the pocket of my jacket, so she cannot leave.
"Mm, of course. Let's go inside." Butters' mother says, trying to sound upbeat. I know I've been terribly ill-mannered, but I'm going to stand by my claim; Tammy shouldn't have to live this way. As Tammy takes Phillip's arm in a friendly manner and begin chatting to him as we walk inside. Butters grabs my hand, fuming.
I cannot believe you invited her!
It would be rude not to.
I'll tell you what's rude! You're a guest! GUESTS DO NOT INVITE GUESTS!
I roll my eyes and snatch my hand away the same way as before. If it means Tammy is going to get a proper meal tonight, then so be it; I'll be considered the rude fool who invited her without the adult's permission. Tammy looks bewildered inside the restaurant. It looks like she hasn't been in one before. She flashes me a grateful smile as we sit down, but this time I don't smile at her, too distraught at the fact that Butters is extremely angry with me.
"Where's father?" He asks, snatching up a glass of water that the waiter just poured, sipping it.
"He had to work late. We're meeting him outside afterwards." His mother answers, looking uncomfortable. "Erm, so why were you late meeting me, Leopold? Phillip seems to have a sound explanation." Butters puts his glass down and exhales, not wanting to lie.
"My apologies, mother. I, uh, was spending some time with Ruby. You know, Craig's sister; the 'Time-travel' one." I watch in silence as the woman's eyes widen to the point where they almost look as if they're going to pop out.
"Did you… travel time with her?" She asks quietly. Tammy and Phillip watch anxiously, obviously afraid that she's going to make a scene. Butters shoots me a worried look as well, as if waiting for my approval. I frown at him, nodding. He doesn't need my permission!
"Yes. It was quite interesting." He informs her, hesitant. I can see that he isn't accustomed to telling parents the events of his day. Butters' mother surprisingly laughs, shocking the both of us.
"Was it? Where did you travel?" Her interest is so sincere and genuine that Butters has no choice but to tell her.
"To 1937. We watched a film."
"A film?" Both Tammy and the woman look puzzled.
"Erm, it's a series of pictures on a screen. Pretend that people have captured moments with a device, such as a play, and have been able to project it onto a large screen for people to watch."
"That's very intriguing. I wish I could see!" Tammy exclaims, fascinated. I grin at her.
"Perhaps I could convince Ruby to take you as well next time. Wouldn't that be wonderful?" Tammy's mouth drops open, and she immediately smiles and begins spewing out thank yous. One particular sentence catches me off guard.
"Kenneth, you are so kind!" I remember the exact same words being said to me… by her.
Kenneth, you are so kind!
There are very few people in this world that I hate, but she's one of them. That girl who made me for a fool, and stole my self-esteem. I'm glad that she died a long time ago. Butters sees my pained expression and whispers to me, "What's wrong? All of a sudden…"
"I'll tell you soon. After dinner." I murmur, eyeing Tammy as she chats with Phillip. I wish I had Phillip and Craig's gift. I wish I could know what was going on in her mind. Butters catches me staring at her and bites his lip, quivering from anger. I've never seen him this way…
As soon as the Butters finishes his supper, he asks to leave early. As soon as his mother gives a small nod to say yes, he grabs me by the fabric of my jacket and drags me outside with him. "What's wrong with you?" I ask calmly as we trudge through the cold streets.
"I don't like Tammy." Butters states, grinding his teeth together. I raise an eyebrow. I know where this is going.
"And why not?"
"You're too damn nice to her for my liking." I burst out laughing. Is he serious?
"Are you truly envious of her?"
"Would you not have approved more of me if I was a girl?"
"…What are you saying? Your gender does not matter to me!"
"Well I thought it did! She would fit with you much better than I! I can see it!" He shrieks. My smile disappears.
"You were honestly that jealous of her?"
"YES! ARE YOU BLIND!?"
"…I'm only dedicated to you. You know that, don't you?"
"I've been having my doubts."
"You have got to be joking."
"Does it look as if I'm joking!?"
"Then… I will never speak to Tammy again. She no longer exists to me, alright? The pity I feel more some mere peasant girl is no match for my love for you, understand?"
"Mmm," Butters stubbornly looks away, not wanting to be convinced.
"And you fit perfectly with me, fool! Why else were we put together?"
"But that's just it. You and I were 'put together'. If it wasn't for that, then you would still hate me, and I would be absolutely terrified of you." I sigh, stopping Butters from walking any further.
"Let me tell you something. Being with me, or having a relationship with any fairy, is the best gift you can possibly receive in life. You have no idea how much Ruby envies us for all of it; Craig has seen how she feels. I'm sure Phillip can see as well. You should be thankful for such a blessed thing."
"I am thankful. But the way we were arranged…"
"I'll tell you what. I'm going to make a little arrangement with Ruby. In two weeks time, she's going to take you to a time when I was still alive, and old enough to know what romance is. We'll see how the human me feels about you, alright?"
"We shall see, then." Butters smiles at me, looking doubtful.
"Come here." I pull the boy into my arms, clutching him for dear life. I sigh in relief when I feel his quivering little arms reach up and clutch the fabric on my back. Surprisingly, he makes the first move, pressing his lips on mine. I respond immediately, having waited for this amazing moment straight from the start. I take care to be as gentle as possible, carefully making sure I'm not to rough, or do anything that might scare him. Just as I'm about to go lower and kiss his neck, we're interrupted.
"Um," Butters ruins the moment even further by releasing me and taking a small step back to glare at Tammy. I don't even acknowledge her. I will never, ever speak to her again if it means keeping Butters a tiny fraction happier. "I-I… Kenneth… my bag of…" I don't make any movements to take the pack of biscuits out of the pocket they're in, so Butters has no choice but to do it for me.
"Oh, uh," He rummages in my jacket, reaching for the small paper bag. He eventually finds it, pulling it out and handing it to her. "Here it is. Sorry."
"Were you two just kissing?" Tammy asks slyly, anxious for the answer. Butters nods, shrugging.
"What of it?"
"So you two have a romantic relationship? The way Phillip and Damien do?"
"Indeed."
"Oh, well," Tammy looks disappointed. "I'll perhaps see you two another time. And Kenneth… you've made me very fond of you. Perhaps it would be best if you pursued a variety of different people, hmm?" She gives him a playful yet hopeful smile, before skipping off, humming to herself. God, I can read her like a book now.
"…She likes you." Butters states the obvious.
"She doesn't matter. You do."
"But what if she doesn't give up? What if-
"She has misunderstood us, Butters. As well as Damien and Phillip. She thinks that us human and fairy pairs are able to go from romance to friendship with ease, and vise-versa. I could see it in her; she thought that we were just curious, desperate to get into a relationship. But what she doesn't know is," I whisper in his ear possessively. "You're with me for life."
"B-But she could cause trouble between us!"
"If she does anything that hurts you, I'll… I'll even resort to killing her. I don't want to, per se, but if it needs to be done, it needs to be done."
"But you would go to hell for that!"
"Then so be it. My relationship with you, and your feelings, are the first priority." Butters sighs, knowing he cannot convince me otherwise.
"What happened in the restaurant? When Tammy commented on your kindness?" He asks, as we silently begin walking again. "You said you'd tell me afterwards." I clench my fists, my hatred consuming me.
"She reminded me of someone who said the exact same thing to me. Out of the few people I despise, that girl was one of them."
"…Is she that girl you told me about when we were stuck up in that tree? Is it her?"
"It is."
"I see," Butters nods to himself. "So who are the other people you detest?"
"Your parents." Butters' eyes widen. "I hate them so damn much." My human gives me a look of disbelief.
"Why?"
"Because… such people… people that dare to deliberately put a damn scratch on you… I cannot understand them! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND WHY SOMEONE WOULD WANT TO HARM THE MOST PERFECT THING I'VE EVER SEEN!" I scream in fury, kicking a pebble as hard as I can in a nearby pond. "I know that I haven't been one hundred per cent kind to you, but… if there is ever anyone… I mean anyone that hurts you, or makes you feel uncomfortable, or does something not to your liking…" I turn to the shocked boy. "They're going to die."
After tucking Butters in and making sure he's sound asleep, I set off in search of Kyle. I want answers to why Eric was acting so strangely, or at least to inform Kyle about it. First stop; Eric's home. I land in front of the main doors and knock awkwardly, listening for footsteps. I decide to go into my human form as to not alarm anyone. The door suddenly opens and I step back quickly. I see a nervous looking maid (she must be new) studying me.
"Um, do you have some business here?"
"I'm, um, a good friend of Kyle's. I've come to visit." I tell her.
"Eh? Are you a fairy?" She asks, astounded.
"Erm, yes. Now please, I must see him urgently."
"I-I'm sorry, but," The girl glances behind her anxiously. "I was told by Stanley to not let anyone in."
"…I'm terribly sorry, deary, but to be frank, I do not care." I tell her a-matter-of-factly, gently moving her out of the way and walking inside. She won't kick up any fuss; I can see she's found me charming from the moment she saw me. "Hang up my coat, there's a good girl." I give the young maid my coat and begin to make my way up the stairs. Stan sees me as he's coming out of another room, and begins to frantically follow me.
"Kenny! Where are you off to?" He asks, glancing ahead.
"To see lovely Kyle. He needs to explain what the hell is going on." I mumble, reaching the second floor.
"But he doesn't know!"
"Then it's time he found out," I halt and turn to Stan remorsefully "My apologies; I know that you don't want him to find out, but something needs to be done. Kyle had better get his nose out of the books and begin paying close attention to both of you. You don't see Butters or Tweek getting into trouble such as this, do you? Because Craig and I actually keep an eye on our humans. You'd best get back downstairs." Stan nods slowly, processing what I'm saying while making his way back down. "Kyle Broflovski!" I shriek, slamming the door to his little office open. The loud noise gives him an enormous fright; so much that he knocks over a stack of papers sitting next to him.
"Kenny, you fool! You have no idea how long it took me to sort those!"
"You have all the time in the world to sort them! Now listen, what in the hell is wrong with your human?"
"Stan said he's fine. I haven't been with him much these past few months, but he said he's doing alright without me." Kyle answers, kneeling down and beginning to pick up the scattered pieces of paper.
"I'm speaking of Eric, not Stan." Kyle pauses, looking at me irritably.
"What has he done?"
"In case you haven't noticed, he's gone nocturnal, won't speak to Stan about anything, is always shut up in his office, and has lost about half of his damn weight." Kyle bursts out laughing.
"Cartman, lost weight? Don't be joking around with me, Kenny. I have work to do." I fume, angrily grabbing Kyle by the back of the collar and guiding him outside. "Wh-Where are we going?" He asks, puzzled. I refuse to answer, slamming to door to Eric's room open. Eric is in the middle of putting a new shirt on for the night. He freezes when he sees us. Kyle mouth drops open, so low that it practically hits the floor.
"You see now, Kyle? Do you still think I'm joking around?" I question him bitterly, grimacing at the fact that he was too busy to even notice.
"…Cartman, what has brought this up?" Kyle asks quietly, looking him up and down, slumped dejectedly. Eric stares at Kyle for a few seconds thoughtfully, but then narrows his eyes and turns away.
"I don't have to explain anythi-
"Tell me," Kyle's voice shakes slightly. "Tell me right now… because I… I don't want to yell at you." He tells Eric gently, in a way I've never heard before. Eric ignores him, finishing with putting on a tie.
"STAN!" He shouts, turning around and frowning at Kyle. Stanley appears immediately, sprinting up to Eric. "Get me the hell out of here. Don't let that Jew near me." He commands, and Stan nods obediently, helping him out of the door.
"So your choosing him over your own fairy!? WELL DONE STAN!" Kyle shouts as they pass through the doorway; they both ignore him. It's no wonder, since he's been oblivious all this time. Kyle turns to me in disbelief. "Can you believe those two?"
"…You haven't been acting perfectly either, Kyle." I state grimly, shaking my head in disappointment. "Honestly, you can be so pathetic someti-
"I KNOW," Kyle stops, realizing that he's raising his voice again. "I know I'm not any kind of role model fairy. But give me this at least; I don't know how to take care of anyone. Work is my speciality, it's all I can do. I mean, Ike died because I didn't take care of him properly."
"Yes, and now Eric is going to have the same fate." I shrug, and Kyle stiffens. "Because you didn't 'take care' of him. And don't forget: If one of them dies, you will still remain with the other. So until your second human perishes, you're going to have to bear the agony of the loss of the first human. Keep that in mind." I warn him. "And to be completely honest, your human life no longer matters when it concerns them. I know you were alone for some time, you were homeless after all, but now you aren't. So man up and do something, before it's too late." I sigh. "You truly are a child sometimes, receiving such lectures from me."
"Don't expect me to be so intelligent! You're famous for being so wise!"
"You're an 'Intelligence' fairy." He wavers at my sharp tone. "Use your skills for some common sense." I begin to make my leave, but Kyle grabs my sleeve.
"It isn't fair how wise you are, but… help me. I cannot understand them without your help. Explain it to me."
"…" I wait for the word.
"Please."
"There we go. Alright, here," I grab a piece of paper and something to draw with, sitting us both down. "Is the three of you." I scribble out some figures in a triangle. Kyle stares at the drawings. "Let's start with Stan. You may haven't noticed, but," I draw a large arrow pointing from Stan to Eric, with hearts surrounding it. "He has feelings for Eric." Kyle's mouth drops open once again.
"There's no way!" He exclaims, shocked. I almost clap him on the head for being so clueless.
"Do you doubt me? No! Onto the point; Stan obviously cares about Eric more than you. So he's obviously going to choose Eric's side over yours."
"That stings."
"Suck it up. Onto Eric," I brace myself for Kyle's reaction as I draw an arrow identical to Stan's pointing from Eric to Kyle. "As you can see…" Kyle frowns for a few seconds, trying to understand. I hold my breath and watch as his eyes widen and he stands up hysterically.
"You're bluffing. I can understand Stan, but Cartman… it's not true! How-
"Believe what I say, Kyle. God, you don't pay much attention to either of them, do you?"
"How does this even make a difference? Explain why Cartman is being this way to me." Kyle sits back down, trembling slightly.
"There's three alternatives. Either he's going through some kind of moody, adolescent phase, he wants to lose weight to make you like him more, or something has taken a toll on him, and he doesn't want you to worry."
"Which one is it!?" Kyle asks frantically, desperate for the answer.
"I don't know. You need to find out from Eric himself."
"He will not tell me!"
"Well, that is not my problem. Figure it out yourself, Kyle." I stand up, making my way out of the room and descending downstairs. Kyle watches me from the top of the banister, looking distressed. I sigh and stop walking, feeling too much pity for the poor thing. "But if you want my opinion; if this has all happened so suddenly, then the third one is most likely the reason for his behavior." With that, I take my coat from the awed maid, thank her, and leave the mansion.
It's impossible to describe how much I already miss Butters.
~Special #7: Kyle's P.O.V~
I watch in complete silence as Kenny leaves without another word. I'm grateful that he explained a bit to me about how my humans feel, but I still have no idea what to do, what to say! Am I supposed to just waltz in and tell them to grow up or something?
It's not as if they even care about me the way I care for them. Neither of them even remember me from when I was human; it was only eight damn years ago! I'm sure a four year old could remember at least meeting me. If they don't even care that much... then how the hell am I supposed to approach them?
I haven't forgotten anything.
When I was human, I lived with my parents and adoptive brother in a village somewhere in the countryside. I don't remember where exactly. Our village was extremely religious. As in Catholic religious. So we weren't able to tell anyone we were Jewish. But they somehow found out anyway, and came after us, claiming we were demons that 'should be sent back to hell.' The people there were a bit mad, I have to say.
I was a mere coward and ran away the night before my family was hunted down. I'm filled with regret about it to this day. My brother unfortunately followed me, although I didn't want him to. We fled together to London, which was a mistake. There was nowhere to live or get jobs, and we were soon considered orphans with no homes. After I lost my temper and punched a police man when he tried to take Ike to the orphanage, we were considered criminals. When winter came, Ike soon got sick and died (I didn't know how to help him recover), so I was left completely alone. I had no home, no money, no job, no family, no friends. I didn't know what to do. I think it was the way I looked so vulnerable that made the little boy take pity on me. He was so small, only four when I first saw him. It pissed me off that he was dressed in such smart, rich clothing when he was so much younger than me. It made me feel pathetic. He stopped walking and stared at me way too long for my liking, so I snapped at him "What are you looking at, you stupid brat?"
He didn't seemed fazed that I'd snapped at him, as if he was almost used to it. He just looked me up and down silently, and then quietly asked something to me. "Do you have any money?"
"Does it look as if I do?" I snarled back at him. He suddenly looked unsure, as if he wanted to help me, but wasn't sure if he was allowed. He quickly shuffled around with his pockets, and eventually pulled out a bunch of coins. I couldn't believe a little boy his age had such money.
"Here. You can have this. I'll come back tomorrow and give you more if you want." He said shyly. I scowled at him before snatching the money from his hand. He looked regretful, as if he shouldn't have given it to me. But either way, I'd be a gentleman.
"Thank you." The child nodded, looking unsure of something.
"I've forgotten, what is it you say to thank you? Father told me to remember these things, but I just can't."
"Um, it's you're welcome." I frowned at such unusual behavior.
"Oh! You're welcome!" As the child walked away, he gave me a hesitant smile, as if he didn't know how to feel about his encounter with me. I didn't smile back and stared at him with an impassive look, but inside I truly couldn't thank him enough. That child allowed me with that money to live for another week. That child was the person I know today as Eric Cartman.
Cartman came and spoke to me almost every day after that. It turned out he was supposed to be going to piano lessons, and the money was given to him to pay the teacher, but he'd instead been giving it to me and then wondered around causing mischief all day. One day, he brought a friend of his, whom I know today as Stan Marsh. I liked him more than Eric because, at the time, he actually had a backbone, unlike Eric who was extremely naive and soft. "So are you stupid or something?" I asked Eric once. He was sitting next to me at the side of the road, having noticed that I wanted some company. Stan was nowhere to be seen, but I decided not to press Eric for questions.
"…?" The young boy gave me an inquiring look.
"You are so hesitant with manners and such. Do you not understand how they work?"
"…I didn't know of such things until recently."
"Did your father not teach you them?" I raised an eyebrow.
"No, I haven't been living with him for long. Only a few months." He stated calmly.
"Where's your mum?" I continued to question him about his life.
"She's too busy with work. Father said he isn't married to her because of what she does. He said my step-mother is much more 'decent'."
"Eh… what does your mother do for work then?"
"I'm not too sure… she would meet a man, tells me to stay where I am; I was usually with Stan, since he too had to wait for his mum and pa, and they would go off together."
"Oh…" So the boy's mother was a prostitute. And the poor thing was a bastard. "How did your father find you?"
"I do not know. He just… came. He said I would be better off with him, and... he brought me home with him." I noticed Cartman's voice shaking slightly.
"Do you miss her?" I asked. He gave a small nod, trying not to cry. My eyes widened as a cop suddenly stopped and stared at us. I quickly hoisted Cartman up onto my hip and walked away. I wasn't going to allow some asshole to prevent the child and I's daily talks. It was the one thing that I lived for. It was all I had left.
Stan came to me about a week after that, late at night. I had been sleeping, but he urgently woke me. I sat up and glared at him, but it soon faded as I saw his face. "…Who hit you?" I asked gently, feeling around his black eye.
"Mother and father sometimes do it on bad nights." He shrugged. "I thought I would be better here. With you."
"Bad nights?" I sat him down next to me. He'd brought his blanket with him, so I wrapped it around him as he was speaking.
"There are those nights where they act extremely strangely. Even more than usual. They get angry at me."
"What makes them act 'strange'?"
"They sniff things, and eat things, and-
"Say no more. It no longer matters, alright?" I rested my trembling hand on his head, patting it. Drug addictions for both of his parents? It's no wonder he and Cartman always had to wait together. It's no wonder how they even met.
"Good sirs," We both looked up at Rebecca, a flower girl (peasant girls who sell flowers to help make a living) I was acquainted with. "Would you be interested in some flowers?" She asked tiredly, saying the question in a monotone voice. She's obviously been saying the same thing the entire day.
"Rebecca, it's me. Isn't it about time you called it a night?" Rebecca saw who I was and smiled sheepishly.
"I'm sorry, Kyle. My father said to not even bother coming home if I didn't earn enough."
"…Sorry to hear that." She gave me a farewell nod and continued her way, attempting to sell more flowers. I still haven't forgotten how broken she looked, as if a small gust of wind would topple her over.
Stan and Cartman one day both came and told me that Eric's father wanted to move to the country and that Eric had to go with. Stanley was leaving with him as well because he'd been hired as Eric's caretaker. They looked sad as they told me the unfortunate news, but I pretended I didn't care. "Tch, it doesn't matter." I said, looking down in disappointment. It was painful to see Cartman's heartbroken expression as he turned and walked away from me. Stan quickly said goodbye and followed him, holding his hand tightly.
That was the last day of my life. I tried to defend Rebecca as she was being harassed by some drunks, and as a result, was stabbed. Next thing I knew, I had wings and was being given an assignment by another fairy. I knew that I wasn't going to enjoy being a fairy in the city, so I decided to follow Eric and Stanley in the direction of where they went. It took me some time, but I eventually found the village they were living in. It didn't take me long to recognize Eric. But something had changed about him. He looked harder, more grown up than a person his age should have been. I realized I'd originally wanted him to be like that, but after seeing him like I wanted, I take it back. He looked like the happiness had been sucked out of him, never to come back.