Mandela catalogue headcanons

Mark's Second Encounter

It had been one year since Cesar and Mark met. Their bond had grown even stronger over the past year. Now they were inseparable. Practically, they were non-biological brothers. Keeping each other company and stuck up for each other if they needed help.

Summer break had just started, and both boys had wanted to hang out with each other. They had agreed to meet up near the school at twelve. Mark arrived first. He waited near the entrance. He drummed his fingers against the stone wall and checked his watch. Five minutes to twelve.

Mark gave a loud sigh and scanned the area. Still no sign of Cesar. He turned his head back to his original resting place. What he didn't know was someone standing right in front of him, shoving their face into his face. Mark gave a small yelp of surprise and flailed his arms around.

"Did I scare ya?" Cesar asked brightly.

"Yeah, no shit," Mark replied.

"Ha, you were scared. YOU WERE SCARED! SCARDEY CAT-"

"No, I'm not-"

"SCAREDY CAAAAAAAT! YES, YOU AREEEE!"

"Jeez, not so loud!"

Both of them gave each other a small shove while laughing. "Ok, let's go do something now," Cesar said while pointing at the small convince stores. Mark nodded and they crossed the street.

They spent the next two hours window shopping. That, of course, wasn't left without them getting into little shenanigans, followed by punishment. They had been kicked out of the last store when they spotted another store.

This one was new. It had a fresh coat of green paint, dripping on the pavement and large windows, having TVs on display. The store was called 'Mandela Tech'. "Yoooo, let's check that one out," Cesar said in awe.

They arrived at the front of the store. Cesar pressed his face and hands against the window while Mark kept his distance. Mark was happy Cesar was enjoying himself. He gave a small chuckle and looked at the TVs on display. They were all airing the local soccer game. He craned his neck to see the furthest one on display.

At first, it was the game but it only took a few seconds before the screen glitched and changed. And that was when he saw Him. The Intruder.

Mark rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, alas, it was the same. The same creepy face that haunted him for years. It watched him with its cold, blank eyes before slowly giving off a large grin. Mark took a step back in fear.

He turned to Cesar and whispered to him. "Cesar, can we leave?"

"Yeah, yeah, give me a sec," Cesar replied with his eyes glued to the window. Mark turned his head back to the Intruder-infected TV. He was still there, smiling sinisterly.

"Cesar, please we need to leave," Mark begged quietly. He grabbed Cesar's arm in a panic and gently guided him away from the store.

"I'm betting 10 that the guy in the store smokes marijuana, how 'bout you?" Cesar asked, not taking his eyes off the store. Mark nodded and continued to walk. His heart was racing again. He was too scared he ignored Cesar's question. He gripped Cesar's and his shirt tightly.

The last thing he wanted was The Intruder to affect Cesar the way it did to him. Cesar seemed to notice something was off. He attempted to release his arm from Mark's hand but his grip was too strong. "Slow down Mark, I can't keep up at this point," Cesar heaved. At this point, Mark was full-on running.

"Mark, I said slow down," Cesar yelled "Jeez, what has gotten into you?" Mark continued to run, dragging Cesar along with him.

Eventually, they arrived at the park and Mark stopped. Cesar was heaving in exhaustion, clutching the left-hand side of his body. He looked up at Mark with tired and worried eyes. "Mark, why'd you do that?" He said, gasping for air. Mark turned around. There was still terror in his eyes.

"Jeez, Mark, you alright?" Cesar asked in worry. Mark gave a small nod and burst into tears.

He hated that. He hated whenever he started crying. Even at the age of thirteen, he still couldn't put his big-boy pants on and suck it up. It just reminded him of how much of a coward he was.

"Look, come here," Cesar offered with his arms outstretched "What happened this time?" Mark wasted no time and jumped into Cesar's arms, causing them to fall onto the grass.

"I saw Him again," He whispered, lips quivering. Cesar's looked up in surprise.

"Wait for real?" He asked. Mark nodded and continued to sob. Cesar frowned. He knew Mark had an encounter before. He had told him about his encounter and how naive he was back then. It was hard for Cesar to believe considering he never experienced anything like this but now wasn't the time for him to make Mark feel worse. 

He sat up and placed his arm around Mark's shoulder. "Hey, it's going to be fine," Cesar said softly "Trust me, nothing will happen to you while I'm around." Mark looked up at him.

"Y-you sure?" He asked, eyes wide in fear. Cesar placed his hand on his heart. "Promise."

Mark giggled while wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "C'mon, how 'bout you stay at my place tonight? I'm sure your mum won't mind, right?" Cesar said while helping wipe Mark's face. Mark nodded while laughing. Both boys got up and started walking to Cesar's house.