(Posting an older story since I'm behind and this is actually pretty funny. Note: Kyle's birthday is in December, and since Oakwood's winters are more snowy than Crested Butte, that means there's usually a good 10 feet of snow on the ground. Also, Oakwood is fictional.)
It was a dark morning in Oakwood, but that didn’t keep Colt from waking up to the sounds of someone moving around in the kitchen. He stretched as he entered the warm, friendly room and greeted Annie with a kiss on the cheek as she poured milk into a bowl filled with various other ingredients. “You’re up awfully early. What’s the occasion?”
“Kyle’s birthday is tomorrow, remember? I want to get as much work done as I can today so that I can spend the entire day with him,” Annie replied. “Are you going to tell me what you got him, by the way?”
Colt grinned. “Something spectacular. You’ll see it tomorrow.”
“It had better not be an iPhone,” Annie said irritably. “I swear, if I have to return that thing–”
“It’s not. It’s something else,” Colt replied.
“Good. Anyway, you’re going to be in charge of decorations, right?”
“Of course.”
They continued to talk as they ate breakfast together, cleaned up together, and then sat together at the kitchen table, and soon someone entered the house through the back door. Colt looked up and waved at Katie, who had been coming over from next door every day for the past month just to spend time with the family. Mostly Kyle, actually. They were really an adorable couple. They’d even begun to study music together.
Katie sat down at the table and asked, “Aw, did I miss out on breakfast?”
“Yep. Kyle’s still asleep, so if you want to practice you’re going to have to wait for a while.”
Katie sighed and rested her head in her hands. “Darn. I thought he’d be awake by now.”
Annie smiled and stood. “Well, it is pretty late,” she said as she walked over to the bottom of the stairway, then shouted, “Kyle! It’s time to get up!”
The response was faint, but still audible. “Do I have to?”
“Yes, you do. Katie’s here and it’s time for practice.”
“It’s too early for practice. I wan’ sleep.”
“Kyle…”
“I’m an adult! I can sleep in if I want to!”
“You’re the one who wanted to get practice in, Kyle. Sometimes you have to give things up to get things you want.”
“I don’t want to practice today. I’ll get up if I can have ice cream for breakfast.”
“What?”
“If I can have ice cream for breakfast, then I’ll give up on sleeping.”
“We’re out of ice cream, Kyle.”
“Then go buy some.”
“The store’s closed today, Kyle. Just get up, will you?”
“It’s not worth it. I’m sleeping.”
“Fine, but if you don’t get down here in the next ten minutes, I’m sending Katie up there,” Annie shouted, then returned to the table and sat down. “That should get him up,” she said with some satisfaction.
“Sweet. I’ll start setting everything up,” Katie said, then left the table and disappeared into the garage. Ten minutes later, she returned, looked around, sighed, and asked, “Kyle’s still asleep, isn’t he?”
“Apparently. Well, you know what to do,” Annie replied, and Katie nodded and went upstairs.
“What is she going to do?” Colt asked curiously. This was the first time Kyle hadn’t reacted to that threat while Colt was there, after all, and Kyle never went into detail about what happened when Katie was sent in to wake him up.
“I can’t say. She changes it around,” Annie replied. “But whatever it is, it’ll definitely keep Kyle from sleeping in for a good month or so.”
Colt laughed. “I see.”
The next few minutes were quiet, and Katie passed through the kitchen three times. She would go up the stairs, then come down with a bundle of clothing in her arms, walk out the back door and over to her house, and return empty-handed. It was completely baffling to Colt, but whenever he tried to ask Katie what she was up to she silenced him with a look. So, he sat back and waited, more curious than ever. After another few minutes, when Katie was upstairs again, the house was suddenly filled with noises. To be specific, the house was filled with the Kyle screaming, “What the hell are you doing? Stop it! No, don’t– where are you putting that? MOM!”
“I told you what would happen if you didn’t get up, Kyle,” Annie shouted back up at him in a disinterested tone. A few minutes later, Katie came back down the stairs with a satisfied smile and sat down at the table.
“What did you just…?” Colt tried to ask, but the absurdity of it all was rendering him speechless.
“You’ll see,” Katie replied with a slight smile. Sure enough, Colt figured it all about five minutes later, when Kyle’s voice could be heard from his room upstairs.
“Mom…?”
“What is it, Kyle?” Annie shouted back at him.
“Katie took all my pants, so…”
“No, you may not borrow my clothes,” Annie replied. “Just come down in your underwear. We’re all family here.”
Silence for a moment, then…
“I can’t find any underwear.”
“Then use a t-shirt or something to cover yourself,” Annie replied.
Silence for another moment. Colt was beginning to understand. He was taken by surprise, however, when Kyle called down again.
“Um, mom…?”
“You don’t have any extra t-shirts up there, either?” she asked.
“No…”
“Then for crying out loud, Kyle, use a blanket!”
Silence for another moment. Colt couldn’t help but laugh when he heard Kyle’s voice again. “Mom…”
Annie looked at Katie in surprise and asked, “Did you leave him anything?”
“He has a pillowcase,” Katie replied with a shrug.
Showing posts with label blue wolf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blue wolf. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Daily Story 61 - Looking Back, Part 5
So things went well for a while. Or, as well as they could have gone. I got out, explored Europe, did what I felt like doing. I was mostly living on my own at that point, and it was fine. But then my mom decided she wanted to try again. She got pregnant once more. And she didn’t appreciate me sharing my concerns.
I didn't bother trying to argue with her after a while. It was pretty obvious she wasn't going to change her mind, so it became a waiting game. Each day that passed that she didn't go into labor was a relief. See, our kind's pregnancies take around two months longer than normal humans', so the age of viability - when you can be pretty sure the baby won't need a fuckton of medical care just to survive - comes at around seven and a half months instead of six. I was born seven months after conception. My first sister, Molly, was born after six, and Finn was born after six and a half.
The fourth baby came out after five and a half.
I guess I forgot to mention that my mom had a very specific idea of her ideal family. She wanted a loving husband who stood by her no matter what, a house with a fenced-in yard, and she wanted one of each - a boy and a girl. When she married my dad, she got a disagreeable husband, a dead baby, and me, a disorder-ridden neurotic wreck who can't even make it through a simple dinner party without looking like an ass. This time around, though, she got a husband she gets along with and a perfectly normal baby boy, so it stands to reason that she'd want to complete her perfect little family. Oh, except she still has me. Talk about putting a wrench in your plans.
So she and her little baby girl end up in intensive care. The doctors tell us that it's not worth getting our hopes up, the baby hadn't developed enough to survive outside the womb and mom probably wouldn't ever wake up again. She didn't just have a rough pregnancy, she had it before she'd fully recovered from the last one. And she knew. She fucking knew that it could kill her, but I guess she really needed to have her perfect family.
I didn't bother trying to argue with her after a while. It was pretty obvious she wasn't going to change her mind, so it became a waiting game. Each day that passed that she didn't go into labor was a relief. See, our kind's pregnancies take around two months longer than normal humans', so the age of viability - when you can be pretty sure the baby won't need a fuckton of medical care just to survive - comes at around seven and a half months instead of six. I was born seven months after conception. My first sister, Molly, was born after six, and Finn was born after six and a half.
The fourth baby came out after five and a half.
I guess I forgot to mention that my mom had a very specific idea of her ideal family. She wanted a loving husband who stood by her no matter what, a house with a fenced-in yard, and she wanted one of each - a boy and a girl. When she married my dad, she got a disagreeable husband, a dead baby, and me, a disorder-ridden neurotic wreck who can't even make it through a simple dinner party without looking like an ass. This time around, though, she got a husband she gets along with and a perfectly normal baby boy, so it stands to reason that she'd want to complete her perfect little family. Oh, except she still has me. Talk about putting a wrench in your plans.
So she and her little baby girl end up in intensive care. The doctors tell us that it's not worth getting our hopes up, the baby hadn't developed enough to survive outside the womb and mom probably wouldn't ever wake up again. She didn't just have a rough pregnancy, she had it before she'd fully recovered from the last one. And she knew. She fucking knew that it could kill her, but I guess she really needed to have her perfect family.
Daily Story 60 - Looking Back, Part 4
I should have realized that my mom would want to remarry. I guess she had more time to think about it than I did, since she found out about Dad almost right after it happened. Four years to get used to him being gone… I’d have loved to have at least that much time before she sprung that truth on me. I mean, I like Colt. I really do. He’s like the best friend I’ve had in a really long time. But I didn’t want him to become my stepfather. Heck, I didn’t want anyone to become my stepfather. Though I guess it could have been worse. If I’d had to choose someone to take that place, it would have been Colt.
When Mom got pregnant, I worried. I mean, I was happy for her, and I was honestly excited to be an older brother, but I remembered what had happened with my little sister. I didn’t want that to happen again. I was scared. She did all right, though. She had to stay in the hospital for a while, and little Finnegan had to spend his first two weeks in intensive care, but it wasn’t too bad. Finn didn’t have anything wrong with him that was really life-threatening, he just needed some medical help to really get going. I was at a university in California at the time, and they got out of the hospital just as I got home for Spring Break, so I got a good chance to be a part of my little half-brother’s life. Turns out I didn’t get much time to relax, since Finn was a really loud little baby. Still, he was fun. Things were going pretty well.
As usual, though, the good times didn’t really last. One night, after I got back to school, I got a pretty nasty reminder that there were still some anti-halfwolf sentiments going around. I still don’t know how they managed to sneak up on me and do what they did without anyone noticing, but they did. They carved words into my skin. I got beaten and violated by a hand-made tail on a stick, then they just left me half-naked by my dorm for all the world to see. I’m just glad one of my cop friends was there first. He, along with some of the guys I’d met in the dorm, made sure I had as small an audience as possible when the paramedics brought me to the hospital.
Still, the whole campus had found out about the incident by the next morning, and everyone who’d met me knew who the victim had been. By the time I was able to start attending classes again, it was impossible for me to go anywhere without someone asking if I was okay. Which was kind of nice, really – I mean, it was better than people laughing at me or whatever – but I didn’t want that much attention. I didn’t want to be constantly reminded of the fact that I’d just been completely humiliated. It was bad enough that I couldn’t get through a day without failing at basic social interactions. So when the semester was over, I decided to take a break. I wanted to go back to traveling, maybe take some classes at a foreign university… something that wouldn’t lead to me being cornered and attacked again.
When Mom got pregnant, I worried. I mean, I was happy for her, and I was honestly excited to be an older brother, but I remembered what had happened with my little sister. I didn’t want that to happen again. I was scared. She did all right, though. She had to stay in the hospital for a while, and little Finnegan had to spend his first two weeks in intensive care, but it wasn’t too bad. Finn didn’t have anything wrong with him that was really life-threatening, he just needed some medical help to really get going. I was at a university in California at the time, and they got out of the hospital just as I got home for Spring Break, so I got a good chance to be a part of my little half-brother’s life. Turns out I didn’t get much time to relax, since Finn was a really loud little baby. Still, he was fun. Things were going pretty well.
As usual, though, the good times didn’t really last. One night, after I got back to school, I got a pretty nasty reminder that there were still some anti-halfwolf sentiments going around. I still don’t know how they managed to sneak up on me and do what they did without anyone noticing, but they did. They carved words into my skin. I got beaten and violated by a hand-made tail on a stick, then they just left me half-naked by my dorm for all the world to see. I’m just glad one of my cop friends was there first. He, along with some of the guys I’d met in the dorm, made sure I had as small an audience as possible when the paramedics brought me to the hospital.
Still, the whole campus had found out about the incident by the next morning, and everyone who’d met me knew who the victim had been. By the time I was able to start attending classes again, it was impossible for me to go anywhere without someone asking if I was okay. Which was kind of nice, really – I mean, it was better than people laughing at me or whatever – but I didn’t want that much attention. I didn’t want to be constantly reminded of the fact that I’d just been completely humiliated. It was bad enough that I couldn’t get through a day without failing at basic social interactions. So when the semester was over, I decided to take a break. I wanted to go back to traveling, maybe take some classes at a foreign university… something that wouldn’t lead to me being cornered and attacked again.
Daily Story 59 - Looking Back, Part 3
When Mom got sick, I kind of had a feeling that it would be the end of our travels together. I think Mom did too, otherwise she would never have known to send me away when she did. I wanted to go with her so bad, but I couldn’t. She’d made me promise to stay safe. To make sure her sacrifices wouldn’t be in vain. I had to hide, and I did. I don’t know how long I wandered through the wilderness on my own, but it had to have been at least a month. I was just so terrified and lost. I had no idea what I was supposed to do now that I was alone and the government knew I’d left Oakwood. After a while, though, the idea occurred to me that I could do something to help my mother, and that became my focus. I don’t know if I ever really believed I could do it, but I don’t think I cared. It gave me a path, and it made the next four years much easier to bear.
Then Colt showed up, and even though I didn’t want his help, he pretty much forced me to accept it. All of a sudden, I actually had a way to get what I’d been wanting for four years, and it scared the hell out of me. I wanted it so bad, but at the same time, I didn’t. Now that there was a real chance of getting Mom out of that place, I suddenly found myself having to risk everything and go for it. I had to be willing to put myself in danger after four years of avoiding it. And as much as I wanted to give up and ask Colt to help me hide again, I couldn’t. I couldn’t just give up like that, not now that my goal was finally within reach. I really missed her, and I really missed my dad. I had nothing else to live for. I couldn’t hide anymore. I had to do something.
It’s probably pretty rare to become best friends with someone who almost killed you and got you landed in prison, especially after just a couple weeks. It happened, though. Colt turned out to be exactly who I needed to meet at that point in my life. He did so much more for me than I could ever have hoped for, and he made me feel like I had something in my life worth holding on to. He never let me give up, not even when the world spat in my face. And it really did spit in my face a lot after I met Colt.
I had been so sure I would see my dad again when I freed my mother. I knew he would have been taken to that same place, and I couldn’t wait to see him again. I had been dreaming about it for four years. And then I found out that he’d been dead all that time. Figures I’d have been living on a false hope.
Still, we saved everyone. We made the government fix its mistakes. We won. And suddenly my life was happy again.
It was strange to go back to living in that house, wandering that same town, talking to the people that were still there, and remembering those who weren’t. Even though it was everything I had ever wanted in the past eleven years, even though I finally felt happy again, it felt like I was just living in a dream. And I was absolutely terrified that one day I would wake up.
Then Colt showed up, and even though I didn’t want his help, he pretty much forced me to accept it. All of a sudden, I actually had a way to get what I’d been wanting for four years, and it scared the hell out of me. I wanted it so bad, but at the same time, I didn’t. Now that there was a real chance of getting Mom out of that place, I suddenly found myself having to risk everything and go for it. I had to be willing to put myself in danger after four years of avoiding it. And as much as I wanted to give up and ask Colt to help me hide again, I couldn’t. I couldn’t just give up like that, not now that my goal was finally within reach. I really missed her, and I really missed my dad. I had nothing else to live for. I couldn’t hide anymore. I had to do something.
It’s probably pretty rare to become best friends with someone who almost killed you and got you landed in prison, especially after just a couple weeks. It happened, though. Colt turned out to be exactly who I needed to meet at that point in my life. He did so much more for me than I could ever have hoped for, and he made me feel like I had something in my life worth holding on to. He never let me give up, not even when the world spat in my face. And it really did spit in my face a lot after I met Colt.
I had been so sure I would see my dad again when I freed my mother. I knew he would have been taken to that same place, and I couldn’t wait to see him again. I had been dreaming about it for four years. And then I found out that he’d been dead all that time. Figures I’d have been living on a false hope.
Still, we saved everyone. We made the government fix its mistakes. We won. And suddenly my life was happy again.
It was strange to go back to living in that house, wandering that same town, talking to the people that were still there, and remembering those who weren’t. Even though it was everything I had ever wanted in the past eleven years, even though I finally felt happy again, it felt like I was just living in a dream. And I was absolutely terrified that one day I would wake up.
Daily Story 58 - Looking Back, Part 2
The worst fight they ever had happened about a year after the government had begun to restrict our freedom. The Bastard, the man who’d decided to do all this to us, came to visit our house, and he spent at least an hour trying to find out what was so damn special about me. Surprise, surprise, my parents didn’t tell him a thing, and I guess they convinced him that there was nothing too interesting about me after all, because he seemed disappointed when he left. Mom was scared shitless, though, and that really fueled her explosion that night. She really flew off the handle, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the neighbors had heard her screaming at Dad. And Dad just took it. He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t even interrupt her until he realized I was listening in. And when he said she was scaring me, it was the first time she’d frozen mid-rant. Looking back on it, I think that was more terrifying than the words she didn’t get to say. Because whatever it was, it was bad enough for Mom to keep it a secret.
See, my Mom was always honest, way more honest than anyone could ever want their parents to be. When I asked a question, she answered with the truth. She never hesitated to show me the dark side of the world. When I asked why kids weren’t supposed to watch R-rated movies, she answered by letting me watch one, alone, in the dead of night. I had to see a doctor afterwards because I had turned into a paranoid insomniac. She went to extremes with me all the time, and yet she was terrified of letting me hear the truth about what I am. She did tell me eventually, of course, but for four years after that night I couldn’t help but think that I was some kind of horrible monster.
Maybe that’s why I focused so hard on my studies. Mom said that as long as we stayed hidden and kept busy, everything would be okay, and I believed it. It worked, too, until Mom got sick. It felt like I was always in school, always studying, always learning, and I loved it. It was easier to think about history or art than it was to think about everything I’d left behind. My vacations were the long weeks we would spend as wolves, roaming the vast wilderness of Yellowstone Park. It was all I ever needed.
Occasionally the truth of my life would catch up with me, and there were a few days where I could hardly stop crying. When it happened, my mother would discard her tough outer shell and sit with me in her arms, holding me close and whispering soft reassurances as she slowly broke down herself. She always sounded so strong, but whenever I looked at her face, I could see tears. It’s kinda weird, but it was always reassuring to see her crying. It made me remember that she missed home just as much as I did, and as long as I remembered that, I didn’t feel so alone.
These difficult days usually led to our rare calls home to talk to Dad. I loved these calls so much, but I could never really ask my dad for advice the way I wanted to. Not if I wanted Mom to be in a good mood afterwards. Still, it was great hearing my dad’s voice, and if there was someone else at the house, I’d get to talk to them, too. I wish it could have happened more often, but I guess I should be happy that we got away with it for as long as we did.
See, my Mom was always honest, way more honest than anyone could ever want their parents to be. When I asked a question, she answered with the truth. She never hesitated to show me the dark side of the world. When I asked why kids weren’t supposed to watch R-rated movies, she answered by letting me watch one, alone, in the dead of night. I had to see a doctor afterwards because I had turned into a paranoid insomniac. She went to extremes with me all the time, and yet she was terrified of letting me hear the truth about what I am. She did tell me eventually, of course, but for four years after that night I couldn’t help but think that I was some kind of horrible monster.
Maybe that’s why I focused so hard on my studies. Mom said that as long as we stayed hidden and kept busy, everything would be okay, and I believed it. It worked, too, until Mom got sick. It felt like I was always in school, always studying, always learning, and I loved it. It was easier to think about history or art than it was to think about everything I’d left behind. My vacations were the long weeks we would spend as wolves, roaming the vast wilderness of Yellowstone Park. It was all I ever needed.
Occasionally the truth of my life would catch up with me, and there were a few days where I could hardly stop crying. When it happened, my mother would discard her tough outer shell and sit with me in her arms, holding me close and whispering soft reassurances as she slowly broke down herself. She always sounded so strong, but whenever I looked at her face, I could see tears. It’s kinda weird, but it was always reassuring to see her crying. It made me remember that she missed home just as much as I did, and as long as I remembered that, I didn’t feel so alone.
These difficult days usually led to our rare calls home to talk to Dad. I loved these calls so much, but I could never really ask my dad for advice the way I wanted to. Not if I wanted Mom to be in a good mood afterwards. Still, it was great hearing my dad’s voice, and if there was someone else at the house, I’d get to talk to them, too. I wish it could have happened more often, but I guess I should be happy that we got away with it for as long as we did.
Daily Story 57 - Looking Back, Part 1
(Breaking this one up into four parts since it's mostly just memories and it'll give me time to get more written so I don't keep falling behind... I hope.)
I honestly don’t know if there was ever a time when my parents could actually work as a team. Every time something big came up, they’d fight, and it usually ended the same way. Either Dad would win and Mom would spend the rest of the day sulking, or Mom would win, I would end up getting traumatized somehow, and Dad would have the job of damage control. They never really got the hang of compromising.
Dad was a total softy. He wanted nothing more than to keep me happy and safe, even if it meant lying to me and sheltering me from the world. Mom, on the other hand, kept no secrets. She wanted me to be honest and sensible, and she wanted me to learn by experience whenever possible. Dad worked with computers and kept the house’s technology up-to-date, and Mom was obsessed with history and the arts. Dad liked things to be clean all the time, Mom practically encouraged me to spill glitter all over the floor. It was really as though they were complete opposites.
Usually my parents could get along and their disagreements wouldn’t result in much more than angry glares shot at each other while they thought I wasn’t looking. Sometimes they’d turn I remember a few of the incidents that caused them to really go at it. There was the time I wanted a Nintendo, the big rock climbing trip that my dad thought was too dangerous for me, the time I asked why kids couldn’t watch R-rated movies… and of course, the night they realized I had really caught the Bastard’s eye. And when they fought, man, did they go at it. It scared the hell out of me.
I’ve asked a lot of people about Mom and Dad since I got home. I guess they really got along well before I came along. From what I can tell, they were a really good couple, and they were really in love. I guess their relationship got strained when they found out their firstborn son was a blue wolf, complete with a panic disorder and a mind that needed special attention, or maybe they just weren’t meant to be parents together. Either way, things really changed when mom and I got out of the hospital.
She really didn’t do too well when I was born, to be honest. Her body was just too weak or something, or it wasn’t built right, or something wasn’t in the right place… I dunno. It was hard on her, though. She had to stay in the hospital for three weeks, and I guess I was in the NICU for a few days. It wasn’t what I would call a happy first Christmas, although it wouldn’t have mattered to me since I can’t remember it anyway.
Everyone called me a survivor. Even now, people have this idea that I can endure just about anything, and I guess I can see why they say that. I mean, I’m not in the best place emotionally right now, but I’m still alive, and I can still be happy sometimes. I guess my little sister didn’t get that survival gene, though. Her little underdeveloped body just didn’t have the strength to survive a premature birth. Not that she didn’t have spirit, though. I mean, when I saw her in the hospital, she grabbed my finger so hard I thought she was going to cut off the circulation. She just didn’t want to let go, nor did I want her to. But in the end she was pulled away from us all, and Dad sent me to stay with my grandparents so he and Mom could mourn without leaving me in the dust. For the longest time after that, Mom and Dad hardly ever fought. I think they were just too tired.
I honestly don’t know if there was ever a time when my parents could actually work as a team. Every time something big came up, they’d fight, and it usually ended the same way. Either Dad would win and Mom would spend the rest of the day sulking, or Mom would win, I would end up getting traumatized somehow, and Dad would have the job of damage control. They never really got the hang of compromising.
Dad was a total softy. He wanted nothing more than to keep me happy and safe, even if it meant lying to me and sheltering me from the world. Mom, on the other hand, kept no secrets. She wanted me to be honest and sensible, and she wanted me to learn by experience whenever possible. Dad worked with computers and kept the house’s technology up-to-date, and Mom was obsessed with history and the arts. Dad liked things to be clean all the time, Mom practically encouraged me to spill glitter all over the floor. It was really as though they were complete opposites.
Usually my parents could get along and their disagreements wouldn’t result in much more than angry glares shot at each other while they thought I wasn’t looking. Sometimes they’d turn I remember a few of the incidents that caused them to really go at it. There was the time I wanted a Nintendo, the big rock climbing trip that my dad thought was too dangerous for me, the time I asked why kids couldn’t watch R-rated movies… and of course, the night they realized I had really caught the Bastard’s eye. And when they fought, man, did they go at it. It scared the hell out of me.
I’ve asked a lot of people about Mom and Dad since I got home. I guess they really got along well before I came along. From what I can tell, they were a really good couple, and they were really in love. I guess their relationship got strained when they found out their firstborn son was a blue wolf, complete with a panic disorder and a mind that needed special attention, or maybe they just weren’t meant to be parents together. Either way, things really changed when mom and I got out of the hospital.
She really didn’t do too well when I was born, to be honest. Her body was just too weak or something, or it wasn’t built right, or something wasn’t in the right place… I dunno. It was hard on her, though. She had to stay in the hospital for three weeks, and I guess I was in the NICU for a few days. It wasn’t what I would call a happy first Christmas, although it wouldn’t have mattered to me since I can’t remember it anyway.
Everyone called me a survivor. Even now, people have this idea that I can endure just about anything, and I guess I can see why they say that. I mean, I’m not in the best place emotionally right now, but I’m still alive, and I can still be happy sometimes. I guess my little sister didn’t get that survival gene, though. Her little underdeveloped body just didn’t have the strength to survive a premature birth. Not that she didn’t have spirit, though. I mean, when I saw her in the hospital, she grabbed my finger so hard I thought she was going to cut off the circulation. She just didn’t want to let go, nor did I want her to. But in the end she was pulled away from us all, and Dad sent me to stay with my grandparents so he and Mom could mourn without leaving me in the dust. For the longest time after that, Mom and Dad hardly ever fought. I think they were just too tired.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Daily Story 28 - Losing Something Else
(Yes, yes, I know I'm a day late... blame it on finals.)
The small, speckled dog barked and barked, and she pulled at her leash, wanting desperately to go inspect a nearby bush. Her owner groaned and pulled harder on the leash, not wanting her to chase after whatever poor creature was hidden within. And so, the dog had to forget about the small child hidden behind the bare branches.
The child in question breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the dog left the park with her owner. Always, dogs came to him. They found him whether he liked it or not, and they all wanted to be his best friend. It was nice, of course, but at times like this, it was dangerous. He couldn't afford to be found by anyone, especially since his face was probably on all the news channels in the town. In fact, as soon as the park was empty, he left the cover of the bushes and sprinted down the snow-covered path. He had to get out of this town, and fast.
"You do realize there are easier ways to skip town, don't you?" a voice called out to him, and he would have panicked if he hadn't recognized it. He stopped and turned to see an older woman standing by one of the park's tall evergreens. Strangely enough, she didn't seem at all concerned about the fact that he'd left her house without a word.
"I thought it would be better if nobody knew what happened to me," he replied.
"You're afraid that we might get in trouble for helping you?"
He nodded.
"You're a good boy, Kyle. But you don't need to worry about us. If they investigate us, we'll be in trouble whether or not they find out that you stayed with us."
"But wouldn't it be worse if they knew you helped me? I mean, I'm a blue wolf. That's the whole reason my mom wants me to hide, isn't it?"
"I suppose so. Still, I'd rather be punished by the government for helping you than punished by my conscience for making you do this on your own."
He sighed. "But I have to do this on my own. They know I'm not in Oakwood anymore. If I let anyone help me it'll either be a risk to me or a risk to them."
"I understand that. Still, though, won't you at least let me help you one last time?"
He looked at her face, then sighed. He couldn't bring himself to say no. "Fine..."
"Good. The car's just across the street. I'll take you to the edge of town, and you can get out while the blockade's inspecting my car."
He followed her and got inside the car, noticing right away the scent of fresh pizza. She smiled at him and nodded her head at the back seat. "I didn't want you to leave on an empty stomach."
He thanked her and ate quietly as they drove through the quiet streets. A new year had only just begun, and he'd already lost his mother and been forced to go deeper into hiding. He exited the car just before it came into view of the blockade, and as the police searched the small vehicle, he snuck past them and ran into the night. He was on his own now. It was just one more thing they'd taken from him.
He just hoped that one day he could take it all back.
The small, speckled dog barked and barked, and she pulled at her leash, wanting desperately to go inspect a nearby bush. Her owner groaned and pulled harder on the leash, not wanting her to chase after whatever poor creature was hidden within. And so, the dog had to forget about the small child hidden behind the bare branches.
The child in question breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the dog left the park with her owner. Always, dogs came to him. They found him whether he liked it or not, and they all wanted to be his best friend. It was nice, of course, but at times like this, it was dangerous. He couldn't afford to be found by anyone, especially since his face was probably on all the news channels in the town. In fact, as soon as the park was empty, he left the cover of the bushes and sprinted down the snow-covered path. He had to get out of this town, and fast.
"You do realize there are easier ways to skip town, don't you?" a voice called out to him, and he would have panicked if he hadn't recognized it. He stopped and turned to see an older woman standing by one of the park's tall evergreens. Strangely enough, she didn't seem at all concerned about the fact that he'd left her house without a word.
"I thought it would be better if nobody knew what happened to me," he replied.
"You're afraid that we might get in trouble for helping you?"
He nodded.
"You're a good boy, Kyle. But you don't need to worry about us. If they investigate us, we'll be in trouble whether or not they find out that you stayed with us."
"But wouldn't it be worse if they knew you helped me? I mean, I'm a blue wolf. That's the whole reason my mom wants me to hide, isn't it?"
"I suppose so. Still, I'd rather be punished by the government for helping you than punished by my conscience for making you do this on your own."
He sighed. "But I have to do this on my own. They know I'm not in Oakwood anymore. If I let anyone help me it'll either be a risk to me or a risk to them."
"I understand that. Still, though, won't you at least let me help you one last time?"
He looked at her face, then sighed. He couldn't bring himself to say no. "Fine..."
"Good. The car's just across the street. I'll take you to the edge of town, and you can get out while the blockade's inspecting my car."
He followed her and got inside the car, noticing right away the scent of fresh pizza. She smiled at him and nodded her head at the back seat. "I didn't want you to leave on an empty stomach."
He thanked her and ate quietly as they drove through the quiet streets. A new year had only just begun, and he'd already lost his mother and been forced to go deeper into hiding. He exited the car just before it came into view of the blockade, and as the police searched the small vehicle, he snuck past them and ran into the night. He was on his own now. It was just one more thing they'd taken from him.
He just hoped that one day he could take it all back.
Daily Story 26 - Honesty Isn't Always the Best Policy
At ten years of age, Kyle was used to a lot of things. He was an expert at living off the land. He could easily fall asleep in the middle of a mountain forest. He was used to seeing nobody but his mother for weeks at a time, and to giving a false name to anyone he met. He could stand eating just about anything, and he had a high tolerance for the cold water of mountain streams and lakes. On top of that, he didn't mind the lack of privacy that his hidden life tended to cause. He could swim in the nude with his mother and not be bothered by it in the least. Heck, he'd even built a high tolerance for his mother's tendency to embarrass him by being so bluntly honest all the time.
This latest development in his short life, however, was too much for the young half-wolf to bear.
"Come on, Kyle, it's just sex. Hell, you've walked in on your dad and me going at it, so why is just talking about it so damn traumatizing?" his mother asked.
"It's because you're going into way too much detail and it's weird!" Kyle snapped.
"Hey, you're the one who asked about it," Annie said, in a tone that made Kyle realize that she was doing this just to embarrass him again. "Come on, you need to at least know the basics."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, penis goes into vagina, baby comes out nine months later. What else is there to say about it?"
"Well, I haven't even started on having sex for fun."
"Wh- isn't that basically the same thing?" Kyle asked.
"There's a lot more you can do besides that," Annie said patiently.
Kyle felt like he would start bleeding from every orifice in his head if his face got any redder. "Well... I'm probably not gonna have sex for a long time anyway, so I don't need to know it now, do I?"
Annie let out a squeal and hugged Kyle to her. "Oh my God, you're so fucking cute when you're embarrassed!"
"Mom!" Kyle practically screamed as he pushed her off of him. He felt like he was going to have a panic attack.
"Okay, okay, we'll leave it at that for today," his mother said. "But there's still a lot you need to know about, so we're going to keep talking about this tomorrow, got it?"
Kyle groaned. "Do we have to?"
"Would it make you feel better if I censored it?" Annie asked.
"Yes," Kyle muttered.
"Fine. Starting now, I'm going to replace all sex-related terms with equine terms."
Kyle blinked. "What?"
Annie winked at him. "You're going to thank me later when your girlfriend wants to unicorn."
"AUGH!"
This latest development in his short life, however, was too much for the young half-wolf to bear.
"Come on, Kyle, it's just sex. Hell, you've walked in on your dad and me going at it, so why is just talking about it so damn traumatizing?" his mother asked.
"It's because you're going into way too much detail and it's weird!" Kyle snapped.
"Hey, you're the one who asked about it," Annie said, in a tone that made Kyle realize that she was doing this just to embarrass him again. "Come on, you need to at least know the basics."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, penis goes into vagina, baby comes out nine months later. What else is there to say about it?"
"Well, I haven't even started on having sex for fun."
"Wh- isn't that basically the same thing?" Kyle asked.
"There's a lot more you can do besides that," Annie said patiently.
Kyle felt like he would start bleeding from every orifice in his head if his face got any redder. "Well... I'm probably not gonna have sex for a long time anyway, so I don't need to know it now, do I?"
Annie let out a squeal and hugged Kyle to her. "Oh my God, you're so fucking cute when you're embarrassed!"
"Mom!" Kyle practically screamed as he pushed her off of him. He felt like he was going to have a panic attack.
"Okay, okay, we'll leave it at that for today," his mother said. "But there's still a lot you need to know about, so we're going to keep talking about this tomorrow, got it?"
Kyle groaned. "Do we have to?"
"Would it make you feel better if I censored it?" Annie asked.
"Yes," Kyle muttered.
"Fine. Starting now, I'm going to replace all sex-related terms with equine terms."
Kyle blinked. "What?"
Annie winked at him. "You're going to thank me later when your girlfriend wants to unicorn."
"AUGH!"
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