Rescued Ruins

Prologue (Part 1): How It Started

I met him ten days ago. I was having a bad day (as usual). Everyday seemed to get worse by the hour. I was walking through the park. It's all I could do to keep sane, besides writing.

The park was empty and quiet as always: it was a little run-down and messed up - a little like me - but that's why I loved it, and also why nobody went there. Except on that day, as I walked passed the rusty merry-go-round I noticed a tall, curly-brown-haired boy sitting under the tree. He looked up and my grey-green eyes met his tear-soaked brown eyes, a little red-rimmed from crying. He ducked his head and began picking at the grass with dirty fingers.

I'm not really good with people but he looked so sad, so I walked over to him and sat cross-legged beside him.

" Hey I'm Abi," I said in a soft voice, I smiled at him as he looked up,

" Hey I'm Ashton, but you can call me Ash. Nice to meet you." he spoke in a shaky voice, probably from the crying.

He gave a small smile. That's when I noticed his dimples - so deep you could eat cereal from them - I looked him over a little he was kinda cute, I seldom thought this about guys. Mostly because they didn't notice me so I'd learned not to notice them either. He was wearing a grey long-sleeved sweater that was a bit tattered at the wrists, the sleeves pulled and fisted in his palms.

" I haven't seen you around, " I spoke first to break the silence, "Did you just move here?"

He took a deep breath before he answered, maybe in hopes to stop his voice from shaking.

"No," he said, "I'm not from around here, I just found myself here. I needed to get away."

It didn't work, his voice began to shake so heavily I thought he might cry, but, he didn't. I wondered what was wrong.

"Oh, okay," I replied not sure what else to say.

Should I ask him why he's crying? I thought and decided to go ahead and ask, " What's wrong? " I asked, " Why are you here alone, crying? "

He looked away and said nothing ...
All at once he jumped to his feet, " It's getting late, I have to get back, " he mumbled quickly and began to run towards the gate.

Okay? He was halfway to the gate when he turned to shout, " Bye Abi! It was nice to meet you! "

As he waved, his sleeve fell down to his elbow, exposing his forearm and wrist which were covered in scars. Almost halfway down his forearm.

. . .

I never thought I'd see him again - I didn't mind, he was a little awkward and I for one knew that awkward kids couldn't deal with other awkward kids. It was, well, a little too awkward - so I was surprised when I saw him sitting under the tree again the next day. As I walked towards him he looked up at me and smiled, the most gorgeous smile in the galaxy.

" Almost thought you wouldn't come, " he said.

" Oh, I come here everyday. It's my ' get away zone'," I replied, air-qouting with my fingers, "It's my favourite place in this city."

"Oh really?" He asked. I nodded in response. " Why? It's so damaged, so ... " he broke off searching for words, " Isolated. " he finished.

" A lot like me, " I said with a small smile and sat down next to him.

He gave me a small, yet understanding, smile in return. We sat there for a while in a surprisingly non-awkward silence, just staring into nothingness. I kept feeling his eyes on me every now and then, I thought it was cute. I wondered what he was thinking, where he was from, why he was here. " Almost thought you wouldn't come, " he'd said. Did that mean he'd been waiting for me? That he'd cone back in hopes to see me again?

" So, what brings you back here? " I finally broke the silence.

" Well," he began, he seemed to think about it for a while, "Uhm... I don't know really, I just, found myself here again," he stuttered.

Oh so he didn't come to see me. It was stupid for me to think had , I mean who would want to see awkward Abi anyway?

" And I wanted to see you again, " he said after a pause. So quickly and softly I almost wasn't sure he'd said it.

I turned to face him, " Why? " I asked.

He shrugged, " Because you were so nice to me, " he said. "No one's ever been nice to me before I've always been the awkward kid that nobody talked to, and well, you sorta caught me off guard. I had to see you again, make sure you were real."

At this I laughed. He smiled, a little, shy smile.

" I think I'm gonna like you, you and me are sorta the same. " I said. I thought about it for a while then added, " Differences being, I'm possibly a lot worse than you, you seem pretty cool actually. Plus you're really cute."

He laughed as I finished the words. As if I had just cracked the funniest joke on earth. OMG did I really tell him I thought he was cute? Well it didn't matter anymore the words had been said but he obviously didn't believe it. He stopped laughing, his magical laughter, that sounded like music only angels could master and looked me straight in the eye - all humour gone - and whispered, " I think you're and angel."

"Ditto," I smiled.

It was a wonder why I was in a run-down park with this boy I didn't even know, who supposedly thought I was an angel, and felt comfortable. It felt like home, at least what I thought a home should feel like.

As we sat there, talking, I discovered that Ashton was a lot like me and he was also really cool! He told me he played the drums and how, since he couldn't carry his drum kit around with him, he had this square box that he used as an alternative. I told him about my songs and how writing music had become a form of therapy for me. Just like one would write in a diary, for instance. He promised to show me his drum box and I promised to play him one of my songs.

As I walked home that night I couldn't help but feel this giddy ball of possibility in the pit of my stomach and I had hope, hope that things could change.

. . .
AN: Hey guys I've never done this before. So thank you for reading comment and let me know if you're liking the story and you think I should carry on. Thanks to ThatBritishDude for the cover.
xx Ana