Playing Death |ONC 2021 Longlister

Chapter 07

The boy retired in his room after he ditched all the guests and relatives. It seemed to me that there was much more to come; up until now, only people who were blood relatives had visited. It was shocking to see so much of the family gather and gush and look at him in contempt at the same time.

He lay on his bed for a long time, sleep taking over his ugly features. His fringes were brushed to the side and after a quick bath, he collapsed soon after, one hand over his eyes.

"You're still tailing me like a fucking creep I see," he muttered, bunching up the pillow to cover his face and ears. I felt my face scrunch up.

"Thank demons you're finally covering your ugly face," I huffed in annoyance.

"It's so that I don't have to face whatever shitty deal we made," he got up slowly, rubbing his temples. Yawning, he gave me a once over before taking in his room.

He went over to the other side of the bed, and knelt down, passing his hands underneath the bed. The room was cozy, nothing like his posh apartments back in the U.S.A, but it gave away a warm feeling. Perhaps that was because this also seemed his pre-teen room where the walls were lined with posters and CDs stacked on the shelf on the opposite side. Picture frames of his childhood were lined horizontally and every time he looked at them he slightly cringed but also had an affectionate undertone to grimaces.

Pulling out a box from underneath, he sat cross legged on the floor, taking a deep breath before opening the latch and shaking its contents. Staring into it, he bit his lips then looked up at me. Pain was written all over his features and this time, he did not conceal it. I had no idea what he expected me to do, so I stood there, frozen, as he looked away and pulled out picture after picture, and small ornaments, bits of paper, bookmarks, broken stained glass.

He clutched them to his chest, some of them falling over, and for the first time, I saw raw, uninhibited pain in a child. I had seen worse, but not when things went smoothly. Not when the wars had subsided, the people had gotten calmer was I ever close enough to observe someone's life. And now, I had no idea what to do.

He opened his mouth and let out a shrieking wail, that was later muffled by his sobs, as he choked on his tears. His body shook roughly as he rocked back and forth. Cheeks stained with tears that kept pouring. He looked up, a silent cry to take away his pain, his memories and above all so much of the suffering.

The gods didn't see him. They never came.

Hugging his knees, he let go of the box, and things.

"I never wanted to come back here."

I stayed silent. There was not a more prominent moment when I wished Layla was here. She might have known how to help.

"I wish...I could help," I offered. It felt like an idiotic sentence, but I had no comfort to offer.

He looked at me, then walked to his bed, collapsing in sheer exhaustion as the pillow muffled what he said. I supposed he wanted some privacy to clear his head.

***

When I came back after a short walk, he was nowhere in sight. I pursed my lips, pondering on if I had to pursue him and keep tail on wherever he went.

The way he cried...would everything be alright?

I phoned Layla after I noticed no family members or relatives were surrounded like vultures around him.

"Where is the boy?" I demanded. Layla had other jobs but I knew she would find this for me, particularly because being with me required her to use all her accumulated technology and she wouldn't miss a chance.

"Hmph. Thank Satan, I installed a tracker on him. And, lemme see. By the way weren't you keeping an eye on him?"

"Yes, well until he started...crying and getting overwhelmed? I don't know, I left to give him some privacy," I curled my toes in embarrassment.

"I'm surprised and very proud that you handled it that way," she chimed, astonished.

"Well, I'm surprised at-" I started but she cut me off.

"Two blocks from his neighborhood. He's in a school; and his emotions are running wild. I'll come over too."

Layla forwarded the location to my smartphone as it shouted directions at me as I flew around, for easy access. Flying made things easier, I never understood anyone who would like to walk. I flew for fifteen minutes until I found the boy.

"Hey Vance!"

Vance froze in his spot, the other voice resonating through the empty halls. This was a school and Vance had no purpose being here. I supposed he had some business or he simply came to take a trip down the memory lane. Not a soul wandered the halls, although there were a few people just outside the perimeter of the school. They all donned bright green or blue masks, and so did Vance. He was alone in this place save for another boy who kept screaming his name. Shock, fear, regret, and a myriad of feelings trespassed his features; he shook slightly and took a few steadying deep breaths.

"Vance!" the voice emanated much too joy for my taste, his bubbly voice bouncing off, slightly muffled by the mask.

The other boy slightly lowered his mask and then called again, presumably so that Vance could hear better. I gritted my teeth covering my ears for a while and watched the scene in front of me unfold.

Vance turned around, his face pale, as he opened his mouth, his voice barely making it out. "James."

It was barely a whisper, a sound too soft to be heard. Too rough with emotion as his words choked, the pair face to face with their eyes locked. 

***

Word count: 8200

And we completed 8k words for Round two of ONC. Also, Playing Death cleared Round 1, which means this it's a Round 1 Qualifier! Yayyyyy!