The Pepper Moth & The Lilac Butterfly...

Chapter 1: The Pepper Moth

Ch 1: The Pepper Moth

It was a cool summer morning as the sun slowly made its presents known to the world below. The echo of car engines mixed with the chatter of birds and people blended smoothly together forming a sensational vibe felt by all walks of life, kind of like that extra pep in your step so you can start the morning off right. But even the smooth groove couldn't effect his mood. He was a boy who constantly wore a mask to hide himself from the world around him. But in reality, their was no real need for it, For he was invisible to them already. The mask was more like a shield designed to hide his grief and shame form the ones closes to him (although there wasn't a real necessity for that either since he always felt alone, even around his family. He was the self proclaimed grey sheep. He wasn't necessarily shunned by the people around him, yet he didn't feel like he fit in with them hither.) Yet no matter how he tried to hide it, even a blind man could tell that he was just another leaf blowing in the wind, waiting to rest eternally.

So after a few years, he finally realized he was slowly sinking into a metaphorical sea of depression. Instead of fighting it, he welcomed the darkness into his heart, nick naming himself "That man" , or T-Man for short since he felt like just another speck on the planet earth with no real sense of purpose or being in this world. Part of him resented what he allowed himself to become, but he felt it was to late to change anything now, might as well roll with the punches until the clock strikes 00. It can be said that the bitter feeling in the depths of his soul eventually lead to his heart freezing over, eclipsing the rays of joy and happiness to give way to a decade of what seemed like a never ending winter in his body. He titled this "The Great depression" .This of course had an affect on his outward appearance, making that layer of ice around his hart that much thicker to the point that no one could ever hope to penetrate it.... Well, till recently of course. For you see, a kind word a day will keep the devil at bay. And that's exactly what he started receiving from a local girl around his age.

Now they have never seen each other in person, but if you were to peek in on one of their conversations. You'd swear that they've known each other since preschool. They could literally talk about anything. From what's on TV, to personal issues with everyday living. Within a month, she was able to turn the once silent, timid boy into...well, into a less timid, but still silent boy. The catch was, that they never verbally spoke to one another. They would only communicate threw online chatting, which made both of them fill a little more comfortable with each other. Yet their was one thing one their minds, one subject they bother would always avoid. "Do you think I'll ever be able to met u in real life?" This thought danced around his head every night. Would she be just as nice in person as she is online? Or will she take one look and make a quick break for the nearest exit.... It should go without saying that he had a very low self esteem about himself. In his mind, he knew he wasn't some rich Hollywood playboy or some thuggish rug rat pretending to be bigger than god himself. So why should he pretend to be something that he wasn't? And if material things is all a girl is interested in you for then is she really worth being with in the first place?

Questions like these and a millions of others would dance in and out of his head threw out each day of his young life. But no matter how far his brain would venture, it was never to far away from the girl who has slowly managed to warm his soul, Lisa Lovely. Or as her Screen Name has her, Luna16. In fact, the very thought of her almost caused him to miss the next bus out to 12th and market again. Luckily, he was able to stick most of his arm threw the door before it closed completely on him. "Hurry up kid, I don't got all day ya know." The bus driver yelled. He managed to get his entire body on board, including his backpack with the broken zipper, and pay for his fair. The only problem he now had to deal with was the lack of seats available. The only set in sight was near a lady with long yet short, brown hair. But judging by the grim look he received from her and the fact that she placed her purse in the chair as he approached, it became clear that she didn't want him near her. So to avoid any unnecessary confrontations, he continued his decent toward the rear end of the bus. Just like up front, all the seats were filled with two passengers or a stubborn individual.