What Once was Broken

Chapter 18.... Alone Wolf

I followed behind Charlie as the sound of Claire, listing off names as the Nome creatures gathered around her happily, grew quite. "She must be giving them names now. How cute!" I thought to myself, keeping my eyes glued to the floor. "It's right over here, Leo." Charlie said, and he climbed up to where a little pond of water formed in the eroded coals around it. I followed him up, and set the towel like cloths down beside the bank of the unnaturally made pond before taking a seat myself. "Aren't you going to take a dip?" Charlie asked, throwing off his clothes, and setting into the water. "Nah, I'll go after your done." "Suit yourself." He replied, and he dunked his head into the water, getting his hair soaked. Out the corner of my eye, I could see a couple of Nomes scuttle off with Charlie's Shirt, trousers, and under clothing, and I thought back to what Claire had said about that one Nome wanting to help out. "I don't see how taking our clothes is helping any. All it's going to do is leave us stark bare, and mighty cold if you ask me." I thought to myself as I watched them leave the door we entered from. "Are you sure you don't want to come in? We are, after all, BOYS." Charlie asked once more, wading in the water. I shook my head in response, and said, "Not my thing, sharing a bath with other people. It makes me uncomfortable." I watched Charlie as he splashed around in the water, looking like he was having the best time of his life in the midst of misery. I dropped my gaze to the floor as a pain that was all to recognizable welled up deep within every fiber of me. Something told me that Charlie caught onto it, for the next thing I know, he leaned on the coal surrounding the outside of the pond, and asked concerned, "Is there something troubling you?" "Wh-What?! No! I'm peaches. Why would you think I'm upset?" I asked, blushing in embarrassment. "Well you look awfully upset about SOMETHING. I just thought I'd ask you what's on your mind!" Charlie replied innocently as he pushed himself from the bank, and rubbed Claire's soap in his long, brown, chin length hair. I pulled my knees close to my chest, as he took in the sweet fragrance of the soap as he sighed, "She's a brilliant girl, that one. There isn't anyone who can compare to her Innocence, AND her beauty!" "Uh-huh... Sure...." "She's so pure, and super sweet! A young lady like Claire is what the world TRULY needs." "Charlie!" I snapped, feeling a little annoyed. "S-Sorry... She's just... She's amazing! She's got so much ahead for her, if we all make it." Charlie fawned, cleaning his body. "And WHAT do you mean by "if"!?" I seethed, glaring at him coldly. "Well you never know what the future holds. Hey mate, I'm sorry if I'm getting on your nerves." Charlie replied, emerging from the pool of water, and wrapping the towel cloth around his waist. My glare twisted into a pained expression, and I buried my face into my knees. "I-It's not you, Charlie. It's all of.... THIS... It's already hard enough trying to survive the Maw together! Now she wants to head to some unknown location to search for some BOY that probably isn't even alive!" I explained. "O-Oh..... I hadn't any idea...." Charlie replied, akwardly rubbing his head as he plopped down next to me. "It's your turn Leo." He said, handing the soap over to me. I sighed as I took the soap, and set it down next to me in silence. "Y'know," I began after a minute had passed, "Back in the Hideaway, MY Hideaway, we had this tradition for new comers to share with us how they ended up here on the Maw." "Oh, mine really isn't all that different from what you may have heard." Charlie replied, looking up to the ceiling as he recounted, "I was in my home town in Great Britain when the royal gaurd issued a curfew for some unknown reason. I was a foolish, five year old boy, taking a stroll down the street one night after there had been reports of entire families going missing! It wasn't long before I was scooped up without a trace, not even knowing whether or not my family ACTUALLY made it..." He trailed off, and I clenched my teeth as burning hot tears poured from my eye sockets. "That's the common theme with you kids here, isn't it!?" I cried, feeling jealous, "It's always a child whose been ripped apart from some kind of family!" I wiped my face onto my knees, and a soft hand was placed onto my shoulder. "Leo?" Charlie asked, curious, "How did YOU end up on the Maw?" My eyes grew distant, and I came clean with him.... Those awful, horrid events that made me the wreck I was now.... "When I was born," I began, "my father abandoned my mother and I. He was a world wide fisherman, and he had fallen for a new woman, and was expecting a child with her! We lost EVERYTHING! We hadn't any other known family, because my Gran disowned my mother when she was ten, and forced her to live with her mother's friend up until the day he died of an illness called "cancer". We lived in the slummed out part of the city, and my mother was selling flowers, and hand made toys just to make sure I lived, and ate. Then, there came the harshest winter known to man kind. I was three years old, and my mother fell greatly ill. She was struggling to keep me warm, y'know? And there was a blizzard brewing outside! The next morning, an elderly woman my mum helped with sewing toys found me, cradled in her corpse's arms as I screamed." "Oh, Leo... I had no idea..." "I'm not done yet! Afterward, she took me from door to door, asking anyone if they wanted me, but each time she asked, there was a cold slam of the door before she could even finish the question. She was much too old to be taking care of children, so she wrapped me up in a blanket, and told me to sit on the doorstep of one couple's house until they got home. That was the last I've seen of her. When the couple discovered me on their front porch, they immediately brought me in, cleaned me up, and asked me what had happened to my parents. Of course I knew how to speak at the time, so I told them about my dad's abandonment of his family, and my mother's deadly illness that the winter gave her, and they offered me a place to stay for the winter. Turned out, they had made a child's room, but were never able to conceive! They put a mattress and some blankets down for me, and there I stayed well into spring! I liked it there with them, and they seemed to have liked my presence there as well, until I overheard them talking one day about their financial problems. The cold truth was, they had been spending so much on me to keep me fed, and healthy, that they began scrounging the bottom of the barrel to figure out how to make ends meet, so one spring night, I wrote them a note, apologizing for being a burden to them, and I left, heartbroken. From there on, I wandered the streets of Australia, going from town to town, begging for food, and if I was lucky, a place to stay for the night. I taught myself how to fish, and I began to work in the fishing industry as a junior fisherman, and I'll tell you what, I was GREAT at my job! They paid me well on top of that, and I was able to buy myself food, and I stayed with one of the men I made friends with since he lived alone. I worked until I was about six years old, can you imagine! I grew a bond with that fisherman... One day, he came to me, and told me that I couldn't go with him for this particular catch, and I pleaded, and begged him, showing him that I was tough enough to handle it, but he wasn't going to waver his choice. He was strong, and I looked up to him with dignity, pride, respect! Needless to say that was the last time I've seen him, for I received a letter, explaining that he was lost at sea, and had left his personal belongings to me! I was happy, having a home, and food again, until the day his brother filed for a judge to counteract the fisherman's will, and everything he gave to me became his, even the money I made went to him for, and I quote, "Trespassing and Theft". A CHILD! At that point I gave up, and began to wander the streets once more, looking into houses that had parents sitting down with their kids for a meal, and to read them to sleep, and cuddle them every moment they needed it, thinking to myself that I will NEVER have anyone that loves me." I stood up, and began to take off my clothes as Charlie asked, "So, how does that tie into how you were captured?" After I was completely undressed, I grabbed the soap, and stuck my feet in the water first. "Wooo! That's colder than a glacier!" I said, standing up and down on my toes to get used to the water, which still held suds from when Charlie first got in. "Don't change the subject! Finish the story!" Charlie whined childishly. I rolled my eyes, and sighed heavily as I reluctantly went on with the tragic story. "So after another year of wandering, squatting, and begging, I came upon the banks of Australia. The sandy beaches are basked in a beautiful, mystical, silvery glow at night, and I would sit there on the docks, looking up at the countless stars, glittering in the dark sky ahead, my troubles just melting away! I was far away from a local village, so it wasn't like I could run and call for help if I was being attacked by snakes or wolves." I waded through the water, taking myself back to when I swam in the crystal blue sea, over the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland when I was four. "This great beast rose from the sea, or, at least I thought it to be a beast until I saw the smoke coming from the top. I should've turned to run, but I was so captivated by it as it came up, and stopped right at the dock I was just sitting on, with all it's glory, and shine. I was curious, so I came up to it's doors, and knocked only once before it opened to reveal a massive glow on the inside, and a beautiful tune hit my ears like soft lullabies. It was a woman, but not just any common woman that I had seen.."  I washed my long, red hair, and ducked back under the water to rinse.  "So you met the Lady firsthand?" Charlie asked, awestruck. I bobbed my head back up, and replied, "I didn't know it was her at first... OR how wicked of a woman she truly was... All I know is that her voice sounded so soft, and so sweet, that it lured me deeper in the Maw's grasp! I finally found the Lady, sitting in front of a fireplace, humming while she read. At first glance, I found her to be the most beautiful gem out of all the other pearls in Australia, and without realizing it, I was walking closer to her when I tripped over one of the prison toys, alarming her. "Wh-Who's there!?" She had asked, her voice still pillow soft. I didn't know what to do, I was trespassing on her grounds, and entering territory that I shouldn't have came into, so I begged her, "Please! I didn't mean to! I'm only seven!" She seemed to have calmed down while I spoke, almost in awe even. "Dear boy, where are your parents? How did you get here?" She asked me. She was so gentle, how could I be afraid? I told her about my father and mother, the fisherman that I befriended, the couple that wanted me but couldn't have me due to finances, and finally, my journey clear across my home land, and she seemed more, and more interested as I told her about my adventures. She laughed, not a cruel laugh, but a laugh that mother's give to their kids after telling them tales of their imaginary missions, and made up fantasies of fighting dragons, or whatever else a boy could think of! I felt relaxed in her presence, and she scooped me up from the floor. "My you have MANY stories in you." She said to me. I remembered smiling up at her as she handed me a peice of bread, and gave me clean clothes that had actually fit me, of course, that was after I bathed in a small bubble bath she had made for me. I asked her about a pile of toys she had in the middle of the floor, and she told me that it was for children with no home or family to go too... Children like me.... She told me that she would take them in, clothe them, love them, and I didn't even take the time to think about the consequences of my stupidity.... My innocence...." "Please, tell me you didn't!" "I did... I asked her if she could make room for me.... Take me in, and love me.... She agreed, and I remember feeling so happy that I had finally found a family I could be accepted and loved by. She cradled me to sleep that night... And I woke up hours later in a cage, in a cold, dingey room. She sat in front of a broken mirror, humming, and brushing her long, silky black hair. I asked her why I was in the cage, and she responded, "Why, it's the only room I have for you until I've made more." Something about it seemed frozen, and empty, and I asked her for a blanket to keep warm with, only to be given the cold shoulder. The Janitor walked in, and I felt petrified by the ghastly sight of him! I asked the Lady, who I started calling mum, "What's going on? What IS he!?" She ignored me, and asked harshly, "Have you taken care of the other ones yet? Or shall I have your head on a silver platter for the guests?" The Janitor made some kind of grunting, and groaning noises before taking the cage I was in, and dragged it across the floor. I called out for her, and asked her where it was he was taking me, but still, she ignored me. "I thought you said you'd love me! And take care of me!" I cried out. Needless to say I felt betrayed! Something in her that day snapped, for she turned to me finally, and shouted "There IS no love in this world, OR this place! And there's definitely NO ONE that will EVER love you!" And she took off her mask..... My god! I'll never forget that evil, twisted face in all my years! Once I was thrown into the prison playground, I tried to follow him back out when another child a year older than I, her name was Naomi, grabbed me and said, "The shock will KILL you if you try!" I cried harder than I ever did before, and the pain of lonliness engulfed me into a deeper trench of my being. I realized that the term "love" here was only a mere joke, a mocking word to describe those who will NEVER experience it! Since that day happened, I would cry out for my mum and dad at random, and the other kids would scoff, and laugh at me.... All except Naomi..... Naomi and I became good friends instantly, and as I grew older, I would get into a fight or two with the kids in the prison, and intimidate the younger children who dared try to approach me! I had been hurt so many times, that love was no longer an option. The only one my feelings never faltered for was Naomi, but even I sensed a shift in her." "A shift?" "She liked me, but only because she was afraid I'd kill someone. At the age of ten, Naomi and I broke from the prison, and made our escape to what we called "Our Sanctuary", and I scavenged for the both of us, while she stayed, and fixed up the place to make it more suitable to live in. As time continued, Naomi would find more escaped children, and bring them to our Hideaway, and I would lock them up, and interrogate their motives. Naomi would set them free even before I was finished interrogating them, and they all became afraid of me. I grew jealous that Naomi was now spending her time with other children that she brought to the sanctuary, and I fell distant from the rest of them. I proclaimed myself leader using the intimidation I gave off as an advantage, and set down a series of strict rules and procedures to protect them. I eventually warmed up to them all, but each newcomer we brought, I gave them no heart. The people I grew familiar with, I turned them into my family, but deep down, I knew the truth why they REALLY cared about me." "So is THAT why you tried to kill Claire?" "N-NO!" I snapped, a painful expression forming in my face. "She was new to the Hideaway present time, which is now. I didn't trust her at first, but over time, I slowly warmed up to her. I thought her to be like the rest of them who liked and respected me out of fear, but it was the ENTIRE opposite! There was something about her that struck me.... At first I didn't know what.... But then I saw that she was the first person to put me in my place when I was acting like a total bully. The first person who strived to be my friend, and worked diligently to keep me happy, and me specifically! She had courage, and heart, and a will to serve others before herself. She was the first person I ever felt loved by, and I admired her strength, and knowledge, but my jealousy took over and it spewed as unintentional hate, and spite towards someone who would never return those negative feeling to me even if she wanted to. When the Hideaway died out, I blamed the one person who tried to protect us... HA! How foolish am I?" "Well you're not completely foolish, if you realize now that you DO have someone that cares about you as a person whose been through more than anyone else in a MILLION years." Charlie replied, trying to be comforting. I shot him a sideways glance, and continued, "I'll never be able to TRULY repay her kindness in return... She's like a little sister to me, and I would give anything to protect her! I worry about her, how trusting she is... She doesn't really know what's out there, and I'm afraid for her safety! What if I fail her, like I did Naomi, and the others in the Hideaway?" I asked, rinsing my body, and wrapping myself in the towel. At some point, the Nomes had picked up my clothes, and done god only knows what with them, so I sat down beside Charlie, leaning against the wall. "I understand your concern, Leo, " Charlie began, looking on the surface of the pool, "but if that's how you really feel about Claire, then all you CAN do is support her all the way. If she says there's a boy in an unknown landmark that needs her help, then go with her! Protect her all the way! Show her that you'll be there for her no matter how mental the whole thing sounds. All you can do is trust her, Leo, and, even if you both don't make it, she'll know that you gave everything to be by her side the whole way." Just then, the Nomes skittered by, handing Charlie his clothes, which had the smell of lavender resonating from the fibers. "Jolly good! How did she manage to do it I wonder?" Charlie asked, giving a small wink to me. I laughed, and gave a slight sigh as I looked up to the ceiling above me. "I may not be much... And I may be just a sad, lonely boy.... But I know what it is I must do now, to keep that from happening..... Don't you fret, Claire... I'm with you all the way..... I swear on it.."