Coursework 2016

Mirage - Chapter 1

An irregular banging echoed around the morning neighbourhood. The birdsong was groggy and the light was still dim, just peeking it's weary eyes over the horizon. James waited patiently at the door, leaning on next-door's wall and flicking thumb with his forefinger. He squinted at the sun; it really was too early.

The door opened inward with such force James was sure it would come off. In its place, stood a boy, just old enough to called a student, with a bowl of cornflakes in one hand, the door handle in the other.

"James." He said, finishing a mouthful of cereal. He was quite big for his age just shy of six feet, and a large mess of messy black hair pouring like a tap out of his head. A stray cornflake clung to the corner of his lip but was quickly whisked away with a snakelike flick of his tongue.

"Hey, Charlie. Can I come in?" James

Charlie stared with cryptic eyes.

"It's half term." He said giving no hint of emotion, but James had pushed past him, strutting into the living room and was already taking off his shoes. Charlie shut the door quietly and followed him in. James was already on the sofa by the window, making futile attempts to call over the cat from the shelf where it lay.

"Waddar you doin' 'ere, James?"

The room had gotten colder, or at least it seemed to. James took a breath, went to talk, decided against it, and let go of the breath again all within the tick of a clock. The birds chirped somewhere outside and the cat promptly left.

"James-"

"Charlie..." They called over each other.

"Charlie..." he began again. "Imma tell you somat. You gotta promis', you won't tell no-one, will ya?"

A short silence echoed, broken by a long, deep sigh from Charlie.

"I gotta say, I always suspected..."

"Suspected what?"

"That you're-"

"I'm not gay"

Another silence.

"Oh."

Another. The pair stared awkwardly and one another for a few moments before it occurred to one of them that the other may assume the staring was proof of their homosexuality.

"I'm not either-"

"Look, Charlie."

James pushed himself out of his seat, muttering something about a demonstration.

He slowly outstretched his hand, palm up, and closed his eyes. For a while, nothing appeared to happen... But then, was it the light? There was a slight glow, a hue over the centre of his hand. Charlie squinted for a closer look. The glow grew steadily brighter, and then in an instant there were sparks cascading across his palm, coiling around his wrist and flowing, flickering, dancing embers buzzed busily from finger to finger. He lowered his arm, and the sparks stopped almost as quickly as they had begun.

Another silence quickly grew, longer this time.

"I knew it." Charlie murmured to himself.

He thrust out his own hand, and just as James's had done his hand glowed for a fraction of a second. But this time, instead of sparks, a tendril of frost began slowly creeping its way across the palm of his hand, wrapping itself around his wrist and spreading up his forearm. Flakes of ice and snow started to accumulate and puddle beneath his hand. He put down his arm. James stared at the puddle, then at Charlie's eyes, then the puddle again.

"Alright then......"

They grinned at each other.

"I guess this changes everything?"