I BORROW HIS PAIN

4

CHAPTER 4: ARDENT SHARK

DISHARMONIOUS sounds pierced the walls of Commodore’s bedroom, marking the start of a new morning. He lay sprawled on his bed, no longer wearing the mask he once wore nightly. The discomfort had grown too unbearable. Instead, he wore a soft, worn-out set of sleep clothes that had once belonged to his grandmother—a woman he had never met.

The clamor outside grew louder, each voice clearer: “HE IS A CURSE! HE IS A CURSE!” It was the rallying cry of a familiar throng gathered outside Mr. Kinsley’s house. This had become a nightly ritual in their neighborhood, one Commodore had come to expect.

Sighing, Commodore pushed the sounds from his mind and headed to the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face and brushed his teeth but avoided looking in the mirror, a habit he’d kept for years. He thought of himself as cursed, though he didn’t fully understand why. When he accidentally caught a glimpse of his reflection, he smiled for a brief moment—a rare, genuine smile—before putting the mask back on.

Quietly, he descended the stairs, only to be greeted by a sharp slap from his mother. “Why must you always jeopardize our family? I give you freedom, yet you seem intent on ruining everything in this village!” she scolded.

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Commodore replied coolly. “I’ve never put this family in danger, but it seems I don’t have one anyway.” Another slap landed across his face.

“Don’t explain yourself,” he told Hearst before his younger brother could defend him. “Reason is for others. I’m not afraid of the consequences, should they ever catch up to me.”

Mr. Kinsley pointed toward the door. “The neighbors complain about you day and night. You need to face them, Commodore!”

“Do you want to be known as the ‘stainless steel boy,’ the masked vandal?” his mother added, disappointment tinging her voice.

Commodore met their scolding with cold indifference. “Are you really keeping me safe, or just preserving your idea of what’s proper?”

Mr. Kinsley sighed, “He’s only just an adolescent. Maybe he’s simply finding his way.”

Lenora yielded, “He’ll go to his grandfather’s. Let him be.” Her husband nodded in agreement, and the crowd outside gradually dispersed.

AT REAGAN OWEN ACADEMY, Don Derwent Spike, the headmaster, watched the departing crowd with amusement. “A foul lad in a stainless mask. I’ve known him for some time, and he’s still gutless,” he mused, reclining in his office chair.

Major Leomord, Commodore’s grandfather, defended him. “He’s just a boy, exploring acceptance before he can show the world what he hides behind that mask, Don Derwent.”

“Helping others is all well and good, but I won’t let him harm people and walk away free,” Don Derwent replied, flipping through student files.

“Regardless, he’s my grandson, and I’ll always be proud of him,” Major Leomord replied, leaving the office with a parting wave.

Later, in a philosophy class, Mr. Shawn Alberts posed a question, gesturing toward a picture. “Why did the man stay in the cave, even after seeing the sunlight?”

Ardent Shark, one of the top students, confidently raised his hand. “You can’t know life’s possibilities until you take a single step out of the cave.”