Comet

Beneath the Smiles and Frowns

It was fall. Leaves that turned red, orange and yellow were beginning to fall to the ground. Some trees had already lost all of their leaves while others had all three colors, being a beautiful sight to see. The sky was gray. It was chilly, and the unwelcomed wind didn't help either.

Marcus sat alone on a public bench, crying. His head was facing down. The wind muffled Marcus' crying. Kids encountered him. The smell of expensive cologne filled Marcus' nostrils.

"Aww, poor Marcus. Sitting all alone, boohoo," a familiar voice sneered.

Marcus tilted his head up to see Prince standing there with a snarky grin across his face. His friends were behind him and whispered to each other. They saw the tears and snot running down Marcus' face. "Ew, look at that, yeesh," Prince and his friends laughed.

"You're supposed to be my friend," Marcus blubbered, wiping snot off his face with a handkerchief.

"Friend?" Prince snickered. They walked away, laughing. Marcus watched them.

Marcus didn't know how to handle the situation, he felt too ashamed to admit that he trusted Prince. So, he kept it to himself.

"Never again." Those were the words he stuck to for years. Consistently living life alone. The only people he was willing to trust were his parents. He made sure that he didn't make the same mistake. He didn't want to be hurt again. His decision to become a nasty moth was etched into him.

Ivy was in awe, it was like she was dreaming. Outside, Marcus and Emma were conversating. They were sitting on the roof of the house. She could hear them talk even when she was inside. Ivy smiled in satisfaction.

"Each clone has a different ability," Emma stated. She summoned all three clones behind them. "This one is as light as a feather. This one is super strong, and fast, but not as fast as this one," Emma added, pointing to each clone, "They also clone the clothes I wear, and the items I have on me. I always have a pistol and knife in my pockets. I never use the gun myself for obvious reasons."

"That's super cool," Marcus complimented.

"After they disappear, I can't clone for a while. If the speed clone dies, I can't summon another right after. I can summon the other clones if I haven't already. That's the only issue, I believe."

"Do you ever feel disturbed when you see your clones die?" Marcus asked. "What do you think?" Emma replied with a cute smile.

"Sorry, I say dumb things sometimes," Marcus apologized, fiddling with the tiny chains in his hands.

"5," Emma showed her hand, with all fingers pointing upwards, "That's the 5th time you said sorry. You really feel that bad, huh?"

"Yeah, sorry," Marcus snickered, "Wait, I said sorry. Sorry."

Marcus and Emma giggled together. "Does this mean you're finally going to be a part of our team?" Emma asked.

Marcus stopped giggling, "I'm not entirely sure, yet," he hesitated to say.

"Oh c'mon, Marcus, you almost died yesterday, because you were alone!" Emma debated.

"We can be a duo," Marcus suggested.

"Duo?" Emma gave Marcus a confused look.

"I think I can trust you."

Emma beamed, "That's really cute, thank you! I didn't know you were capable of being so sweet. But, no."

"Again, sorry."

Richard rushed outside, and looked at Emma and Marcus on the roof. "What are you guys doing up there?" he asked.