Shattering Me

10~ the Incredulous Idiot

Three days had already passed since Kyle started living in Ryan's home and he found himself drowning in curiosity while the other guy was out auditioning. He was lying on the cheap string bed that took up most of the bedroom's space. It was surprising to see that a member of such a revered family would purchase such a small condo.

Despite sleeping in that same room for four nights, he'd never really explored the area.

While it was nothing compared to his old room, it was cozy and had a high roof, so it didn't feel cramped. Yet, there were still quite a few things packed into the small space.

"Alright, Ryan Krag. What do you have to hide? Time to find your  R-rated stash," he grinned as the idea of mischief took over him.

Just like that, boundaries disappeared from Kyle's sight and he started opening drawers one-by-one.

He shifted through folded piles of yellow and orange clothing. Even the boxers he found were either black with yellow stripes or orange with black patterns. When he got to the bottom drawer and found a set of golden-orange ties and honey colored socks, he gave up entirely. The entire wardrobe consisted of variations of those three colors.

Kyle just shook his head at the obsession and moved on to the shelves that were haphazardly built into the wall.

'I'll get him some normal clothing as repayment. I get the whole yellow eye thing is cool, but he doesn't have to go that hard on the color scheme,' he thought.

There were a few pictures of what must be the entire Krag family in some other country. Ryan's father was a stone-faced man with golden-tipped straight hair and rough skin quite a few shades darker than copper. His brother was younger in all of the photos, but the guy's blazing red hair was impossible to mistake for anyone else. Finally, there were two children so close in appearance that they had to be twins. A young boy and girl with extremely curly brown hair dyed partially blue and green.

With a start, he realized that every member of the family had different eye colors and none of them seemed natural.'Maybe that's part of their mutation.'

He hit the jackpot when his hands grazed over a piece of steel wedged behind Ryan's small bedside table. He reached in and uncovered a heavy-handled katana. "Holy shit," he breathed.

He started lifting the deadly weapon but had to put it down almost immediately. The weight was ridiculous and he hadn't recovered from his injuries.

Next, he found a couple notebooks which were bound entirely in complicated string knots. He laughed as the pathetic security melted by his fingers. "What do we have here, Ryan," he whispered as his lips stretched into a Cheshire smile. It was a smile he hadn't used since his parents died, but it felt as natural as breathing for him.

The pictures he saw drawn in the notebook made his jaw drop and his eyes fly open wide. Kyle knew immediately that he'd been wrong about everything.

=================The Crazed Crafter================

"Now, Ryan, I know that we've agreed to this exception on account of... your special status, but you must know this is a very strange request. I must inquire about your intentions," the dean of admissions stated from the safety of the judges' panel. She was a sweet woman who had worked for the school since it opened.

Normally, applicants would perform in person like this if they were singing, dancing, playing an instrument, or something along those lines. Artists and designers, on the other hand, were expected to bring in recent portfolio pieces.

When the head Krag called to set up the audition, he had a large block of hardened clay moved into the room. Ryan simply brought a small bronze figurine and a few oddly shaped tools. He placed the bronze figurine of an eagle clutching a shield on top of the judges' table and stood before the six-foot block of clay.

"With your academic history, you would have had a very convincing chance of acceptance at the start of the school year, yet you didn't apply at all. Is there a reason for that?" asked the school's assistant principal.

"I wasn't confident in my ability to speak the language well enough. My English is...not as good as my Japanese," he answered, lying to the best of his ability. Ryan even went as far as pushing his accent to the limit and warping his expression into one of insecurity. "Please, allow me to begin. I'll only need ten minutes," he bowed to the judges and turned to the block without giving them a chance to question his story.

That shy expression dropped in an instant, replaced by cold hard focus. He raised his crafting knife and held it still for a long moment before striking the clay. The second strike hit just as fast, cleaving through the material. Then his specialty hammer twirled in the palm of his other hand. The tool tore off a chunk of clay when he struck with it, and in seconds, Ryan found his rhythm.

The judges watched with renewed interest. It was almost unheard of for someone to attempt a sculpting display for their audition. That was simply because of how long it took to make something worth showing, but Ryan was different. He wasn't moving like an artist; he was moving like a mad slasher.

Anger, determination, and petrifying focus flared brilliantly in his bright yellow eyes. The sound of metal slashing and scraping clay turned into a violent cacophony while he worked. The spectacle was startling. A man fighting against stone as if it was his enemy, his child, his masterpiece.

Many who had come across the sons of Krag had made the common mistake of where their gifts lay. After seeing him in action it would be easy to think that Ryan's gift was shown in his talented fighting, but that wasn't the case. His gift was in his control.

Control over himself and everything he did.

As he worked the hard clay, his expression never flickered. Every single move that he made was careful and planned. He had an image in his head for what the stone should become and he forced his body to make it a reality. If only the judges could see the small puffs of steam rising from his slightly parted lips.

It took longer than the ten minutes he had promised, but none of the judges were in any state to rush or stop him. At one point toward the end where a sharp cut needed to be made atop the sculpture, the fervent crafter leaped into the air, flipping over the statue to make a clear cut from above.  Around the statue and up close, he forged wings and feathers, curves and indents, as well as eyes and posture.

What should have taken hours, took Ryan 16 minutes to create. A majestically perched eagle upon a round star-centered shield. The tip of its head was only just shorter than his own.

He turned back to where the judges stood- no longer seated- and bowed his head. His eyes had closed once he finished in order to help him settle his raging heartbeat. He'd worked himself into a frenzy to move as quickly as he did, yet he stood and bowed without showing his fatigue. That was his true nature. An iron stance that exposed no signs of weakness.

"Thank you for your time," he nodded and left the room. Of course, he'd forgotten to force his accent, but that hardly mattered. Ryan got into Julliard just as planned.

How many of you actually thought Ryan would fail this audition? Leave a comment below with your answer and leave a vote if you enjoyed ;)