Rebel: A Monstercat Fanfic

054 - Departure

Song of the Chapter: Itvara - Fractal (Electro)

(Phantom's POV) 

"Don't think I don't know who you are. Are you our little Phantom?"

"I remember things. It's hard to forgive, but it's even harder to forget."

"And you ... your fate will not be quite so pleasant."

"What a shame. I find it's always the middle child who puts up a fight."

Something hits the back of my neck, bringing me back to the real world. I turn around and Noisestorm causally puts his hands behind his back, his pockets bulging with rocks. A couple of the other guys he'd been talking to snicker and he gives me a totally not-so-innocent grin. My hood feels heavy, so I turn it over and dump out six or seven rocks onto the ground.

I give my friend a look and he giggles like a four-year old getting scolded. I don't know, my four year old brother always laughed when he got caught. It made my mom's heart melt and she wouldn't punish him nearly as hard as I thought she should. When I'm a parent, I'm not going to let my kids do that. I'll be immune to giggles.

"What are you thinking about that made you so out of it?" Noisestorm asks. "You were ... I don't know ... not even alive. What's so Captivating?"

"Jensen."

"Oh." Noisestorm's teasing mood dampens a little. "Sorry." He knows how serious that topic is ... especially since I didn't even point out his song reference. "I won't bother you again."

"No, keep talking. It's distracting me. I need a distraction." I debate telling him about my previous interactions with that man, but I would rather tell him privately, and honestly, I think he's had enough surprises from me. I don't want to overload him, especially since I told him I loved him and all that ...

"Are you sure you don't just like hearing my voice?" he teases.

"Nah, your voice is annoying. I only tolerate it because the words are intriguing."

He stares at me for a second and then says, "It's the accent, isn't it? I can do others if you want. I'll do yours."

"Please don't," I protest, but he goes on imitating my voice anyway. He's not good at it. Not even a little bit. "I'm pretty sure you're just insulting me."

He laughs loudly and tosses another rock at me. I catch it and throw it back, hitting him right in the middle of his chest. "Nice shot," he mutters, rubbing where I hit him.

"I used to play basketball when I was younger," I say, shrugging. "I have pretty good aim. I was a good six inches shorter than everyone else, though, and they never passed me the ball, so I quit and started track."

"They passed up a good player, then, even if you are short."

"Meh. I was better at hitting the kids I didn't like than actually getting the ball in the basket."

"I can totally see you doing that," he laughs.

"Yeah, and at one point, the baseball coach asked me to join the team because I had good aim." I grin and then walk around him, deeper into the forest to be by myself.

I want to think some more, maybe reflect on the happy times. I find the river after a while and sit down on the rocks by the bank. Sunlight shines through the leaves and glitters on the rushing water, warming my face. I take off my hat and headphones and brush my hand through my hair. It's getting long. My sister would have made me get a haircut probably a month ago. I take off my jacket, too, and suddenly feel different ... like I'm almost a new person. I'm not hiding behind a mask or covering my past with the name Phantom. I untie my shoes and take them off, sticking my socks inside. I dip my bare feet in the freezing water and shiver, but it feels good, so I don't move. I rest my elbows on my knees and my face on my palms, closing my eyes and letting the sounds of the forest surround me. Sometimes, you need to get away from the world for a while.