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Rory
Rory slowly realized Leo was watching him. The memories that haunted him began to slide away as he forced himself to regain control. You can’t lose it! You don’t know what he’ll do to you!
He looked up and instead of seeing the expression of cruelty he was so used to, Rory saw Leo’s eyes were gentle and perhaps concerned. When he spoke, his voice was calm but soft. “Hey kid, what’s wrong? You need to go somewhere else?”
Rory glanced right and left, but there was no one. For a moment he wanted to grab onto Leo and cling to him with all he was worth. Somehow beg the older boy to drag him from this nightmare. Slowly he looked away, but a gentle voice whispered in his heart, he won’t hurt you. You can trust him.
Rory slowly looked back up. swallowing hard, he spoke, his voice hoarse and cracking. “Can I talk to you, please? Alone.”
Riker dropped his voice to a soft whisper. “…I’m home.”
Alpha
The drider charged him, but Alpha remained where he was, unmoving, for a moment. Then he drew his knife and with a flick of the wrist, Jep screamed, the blade embedded in her body. Alpha reached out his hand, palm towards his knife. His hand glowed faintly, causing a small square under his skin to stand out starkly. The blade wiggled itself free and returned to Alpha’s hand.
“Four seconds and you’re already wounded.” The low, menacing tone of Alpha’s voice sent shivers through Jep. The Lab Child’s red eyes gleamed with the look of a predator wishing to kill. “You should have chosen a drake as your fighting form.” Alpha approached her, and she backed away. She tried to shift, but it felt as though she was torn in two as she tried. Alpha closed the distance between them in an instant as she was distracted by the pain. A blade pressed against her chest. Jep fearfully met his eyes. “What? Never been defeated before?” Alpha smiled slightly, evily.
“Who are you?” Jep asked, trembling beneath the point of his knife.
Before Alpha could answer, sirens sounded, and an ambulance and police cars entered the scene. The cops drew there weapons, unsure about what was unfolding. They yelled to Alpha, but Alpha ignored them.
“Stars, I want to kill you,” Alpha mumbled. “It’s been too long since an actual fight, if you can call this a fight. But that is what my father would want.” Alpha sighed, stepping away from Jep. “If you make a move against anyone, I will kill you.”
With the knife away from her chest, she called upon her wind powers. With a flash, a knife dialed towards her, but it was set off course by the growing wind, only scraping her shoulder. Before Alpha could throw another, the wind had carried her away, destroying a building roof in the process.
Alpha turned his attention to the boy. He tried to shrink away, but Alpha knew he was tired and weak. “Chase? You’re the boy who broke his finger. Tho one who was with the other boy with pink curls.”
“S-sef.” Chase pointed to the soda shop. Alpha turned his head, yelling at the police to make sure she was okay. Alpha picked Chase up, to the boy’s dismay, and carried him to the ambulance.
Half an hour later, Alpha was walking down the street, muttering about how annoying police were.
“Gargoyles and thickets, griffins and briskets."
Leo
This was definitely more than a severe case of Ranidaphobia. It looked like the boy needed a therapist. But there wasn’t anybody on staff at the school Leo particularly liked, besides Dr. Winton, who was away with some charity group or other.
Maybe Rory just needed a friend, someone just to talk to.
“Sure. Why don’t you come help me change a lightbulb? It’s in room 204K, just up the hall. It’s empty today.”
He pointed to the classroom door with 204K written in gold over the lintel.
First Grand Historian of Arreth and the Lesser Realms (aka Kitty)
Rory
Leo looked at Rory a moment, and Rory fought the urge to run. Stay calm, you’ve been trained to kill your whole life, you can take him out if he does anything. Then, another part of Rory spoke, the part he had hidden in order to stay alive. But… I don’t want to hurt him.
Leo’s voice jerked Rory out of his thoughts. “Sure. Why don’t you come help me change a lightbulb? It’s in room 204K, just up the hall. It’s empty today.”
He pointed to the classroom door with 204K written in gold over the lintel.
Rory swallowed hard and nodded.
Riker dropped his voice to a soft whisper. “…I’m home.”
Rory: *contemplating death and destruction*
Leo: *caring but oblivious*
Leo
The kid seemed a little tense. Maybe he was just uncomfortable.
Which made sense if he was wanting to discuss whatever had put that look in his eyes.
Leo let the classroom door almost close behind him as he flicked on the light switch.
Five out of six florescent lights blinked on. The other didn’t even flicker. He set a chair under it and smiled at Rory.
“Mind holding this steady?”
First Grand Historian of Arreth and the Lesser Realms (aka Kitty)
Rory: *contemplating death and destruction*
Leo: *caring but oblivious*
XD!!!!
Rory
Rory followed Leo into the empty classroom. Leo flicked on the light switch and five lights flickered one. One remained dark. Leo grabbed a chair and set it under the broken bulb. Looking up with a smile, he spoke, “Mind holding this steady?”
Rory grabbed the chair and stood watching as Leo easily climbed onto it. Rory began biting his lower lip as he looked up at Leo, who was fiddling with something– most likely the light bulb.
“Leo… I…” Rory stopped, unsure of how to go on. He fidgeted slightly, causing the chair to wiggle a little. This was the chance he had been waiting for this whole time, and now that he had it, Rory didn’t know what to do or how to begin.
[Sorry I moved Leo around a little. Hope you don’t mind. If you do, I can re-write this. I tried not to be too specific as to what he was doing. ]
Riker dropped his voice to a soft whisper. “…I’m home.”
You’re good. We have to move around other people’s characters a little bit from time to time. In fact, it can be kinda fun. XD
Leo
It was almost shocking to find fluorescent bulbs still in use. And he’s just replaced it with LED. This place was so outdated.
“Leo… I…”
He glanced down at Rory. The kid was fidgeting slightly. He looked at a loss and maybe a bit confused by the whole thing. The mechanic paused, lightbulb in hand.
Do something Leo. If you make this hard for him he may not reach out again.
“Take whatever time you need kid. I’m listening.” Leo screwed the new bulb in place, squinting as it flickered on. He slipped the burned out bulb into his pocket and stepped down from the chair. Rory still fidgeted in silence.
Leo settled down into a seat. “Rory, you want to sit down? I don’t know where you were back there, but I’m good at listening.”
First Grand Historian of Arreth and the Lesser Realms (aka Kitty)
Phew! lol.
Rory
“Take whatever time you need kid. I’m listening.” Leo screwed the new bulb in place, squinting as it flickered on. He slipped the burned out bulb into his pocket and stepped down from the chair.
Rory still fidgeted in silence. Take whatever time I need? I need all the time in the world. He thought, bitterly.
Leo settled down into a seat. “Rory, you want to sit down? I don’t know where you were back there, but I’m good at listening.”
Rory looked up at him, grasping for anything that could be a lifeline in this storm. When did I become so vulnerable? The answer was swift. When I was thrust back into the world I was torn from and saw just how warped I am.
Rory slowly sank down in the chair across from Leo.”Leo… I… Leo, I’m not a normal kid.”
He glanced up, but Leo waited in silence.
Rory looked down at his hands. “I’m a soldier, Leo. More then that. I’m an officer. I’m an officer in a child’s army.” Rory swallowed hard and a tear splashed onto his open palm. “I’m a tool and a trained killer. That’s all I am now. I’m a weapon to be used however they want, and if I malfunction, they’ll get rid of me. If I turn on them, I die.”
Rory swallowed hard, wishing that for once he could just brake down and cry. Those long nights of fighting with nightmares and tears all came rushing back, and he flinched, trying to pull back from them. “There are a few of us who meet in secret. We want to get out, but there’s nothing we can do. We want to fight back, but we aren’t strong enough. I was there when the rebels bombed us. My best friend was injured in the raid. He hasn’t recovered, and maybe he never will. I can’t even be with him or acknowledge our friendship. It would get us both killed. I’ve seen people die, Leo. Lots of people. Most of them were rebels. People fighting back against what our government in doing. I watched as my troops crashed through houses, gunning down anyone in sight. I have never killed, Leo, but I never did anything to stop it. I… I feel like my hands are stained with blood. I don’t know what to do! What good would it do to fight back?”
Rory choked on a sob and forced it back. “There was a raid… there were Agents.” He shuddered. “It was a small house. A young man was meeting there with three other rebels. His wife and little boy were upstairs. The Agents wiped them out. The father pushed his child under the bed. I saw him do it, and when no one was in the room I crouched down to see if there was anything I could do. The child was looking at me from behind his hands– oh dear God! Those eyes were like Quincy’s!” Rory covered his face with his hands. “The Agents came back in… there was nothing I could do. I slipped out and I ran, Leo! I ran downstairs and I did nothing.”
Rory’s shoulders shook violently, and for the first time in his life he wasn’t strong enough to fight back his tears.
Riker dropped his voice to a soft whisper. “…I’m home.”
Trust me Rory, you have plenty of company. There are several others. 😅
“Everything is a mountain”
*Considers adding Rory to the protection squad*
Leo
He sat calmly listening to Rory’s story as his brain malfunctioned.
Child’s army. Child’s army? He flinched, fists clenching at the thought. Great blue stars, if he ever met the people over such a barbaric practice-
He sucked in a breath. Time to be calm and focus on the kid. He listened as Rory stumbled through his words, piecing together what wasn’t said. The little boy…Quincy. This wasn’t barbaric. This was evil. Kids killing kids. Of all fallen things!
One thing became very clear to Leo. He wasn’t cut out to be a therapist.
But the kid in front of him was slowly crumbling. In another moment he was just a little boy lost and hurt beyond telling. Leo hesitated, wondering desperately what to do, then scooted his chair over beside Rory’s. He put an arm around his shoulders as if he was half his age, and whispered.
“Just cry. You can’t hold all that back forever. Tears don’t hurt anybody.” He sat for a moment in silence, listening to the boy’s sobs and wondering what to do. “You know, you’re not a tool or a weapon or something like that, no matter what you’ve done. You’re a human being with a soul worth saving.”
First Grand Historian of Arreth and the Lesser Realms (aka Kitty)
Good grief! You just made me cry!
Rory
Rory felt Leo’s arm’s go around his shoulders, and for a moment he flinched, tensing for whatever Leo was about to do to him. He knew such an outburst deserved severe punishment, and at this moment he was too broken to fight back.
Leo’s voice sounded, hardly above a whisper. “Just cry. You can’t hold all that back forever. Tears don’t hurt anybody.”
Yes they do, thought Rory. Weakness brings punishment.
There was a moment’s silence, and then Leo spoke again. “You know, you’re not a tool or a weapon or something like that, no matter what you’ve done. You’re a human being with a soul worth saving.”
Rory sucked in a sharp breath, and the words sounded over and over in his mind. All at once, Rory gave in. Turning, he threw his arms around Leo and pressed his face against his shoulder, crying brokenly. It might have been a childish thing to do, but Rory had been forced to grow up when he was a child. For once he needed the chance to be young and vulnerable.
At last, he pulled back, looking at the floor. “I’m sorry, Leo. I… didn’t mean to…” his voice trailed off and he hung his head, instinct forcing him to brace for the moment this all shattered and Leo turned on him.
Riker dropped his voice to a soft whisper. “…I’m home.”
*Considers adding Rory to the protection squad*
Oh, he’s gonna need it.
Riker dropped his voice to a soft whisper. “…I’m home.”
instinct forcing him to brace for the moment this all shattered and Leo turned on him.
GAAAHHH…
Have you heard the song Soul worth Saving by Apollo LTD?
Leo
“No problem kid.” His voice was husky around the lump in his throat. He gave Rory’s shoulder a light squeeze. “Really, no problem.”
The boy tensed, then relaxed, though he didn’t look up from the floor. Leo continued.
“Now Rory, are you in danger? Your friend you mentioned, is he? I’m here if you need a friend, and if you need help. And I can help.”
As much as he liked this place and the education it offered for Quincy, what was one more wanted poster?
First Grand Historian of Arreth and the Lesser Realms (aka Kitty)
what was one more wanted poster?
Ooo, I like that!
No, I’m about to go listen to it tho!
Rory
Leo Looked down at Rory. “Now Rory, are you in danger? Your friend you mentioned, is he? I’m here if you need a friend, and if you need help. And I can help.”
Rory choked on a laugh that ended in a sob. “Am I in danger? Leo, don’t you understand what I’ve been saying? If they found out that I’ve told you all this, they would hand me over to the Agents for interrogation. Weeks of interrogation. And if that didn’t kill me, a bullet to the head would. If They found out I had been associated with you even just on the simple level of causal friendship, they might end things quickly. We’re all in danger. I have no idea why I was transferred to this school, because it sure isn’t what they expected. Unless they were trying to force me to misstep. Or perhaps it’s just another cruel way to break me. To show me how warped I am compared to you.”
Rory shook his head. “I don’t think there’s anything you can do, Leo. They’re sure to have eyes on me here. I can’t ever escape. And even if I did, where would I go? They would hunt me down for sure. I know too much for my own good, and they never let us go.”He drew in a shuddering breath. “The best thing you can do is get away from me. Maybe then you won’t get hurt. If they found out what I told you, they’ll hunt you down for sure. Quincy and your sister would be in danger as well.”
For a long moment Rory stared at the ground. Then, he slowly raised his head. He turned to look at the door. “What have I done,” he whispered.
Rory could feel his face paling. Taking a deep breath he squared his shoulders. “Leo, you need to get clear. Take your siblings and get out, or at least stay away from me. I broke, Leo. I wasn’t strong enough, and now I’ve told you something I never should have. They’ll come for me. Most likely tonight.” Rory swallowed hard, forcing himself to stay calm. “It’s over for me.”
Riker dropped his voice to a soft whisper. “…I’m home.”
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