The Exceptional Clockwork Journey of The Perpetually Alone Hugo Gerard (NaNoWriMo 2012)

Chapter 5

Once again, not edited, awkward spacing.

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Chapter 5

Pressing his hands to his face, Hugo cried softly, blocking out all the sounds and the forest.

It had all started with a quail.

-

“Come here, Hugo! I found a quail,” Abel called to his brother, successfully acquiring Hugo’s attention.

“Coming!” Hugo replied, standing up from his examination of a plant and running over to Abel.

“It’s a female,” Abel told Hugo proudly, opening his hands and showing off his prize.

“Mama will be happy that we found something for dinner,” Hugo grinned, showing patchwork teeth full of gaps where they had fallen out.

Abel narrowed his eyes in annoyance, “I found the it, not you. She’ll be happy that I found it.”

“Why are you so mean to me?” Hugo whined, his wide golden eyes brimming with tears.

“It’s my quail!” Abel growled, making his brother flinch and run into the bushes, probably back to his mother.

Now feeling alone, Abel sunk to his knees and examined the quail. She really wasn’t that pretty, her feathers were dull from the winter and she was thin. It really wasn’t worth it to upset Hugo.

Hugo had always been, well, different. He would rather just sit and take apart a watch that go outside and play. He was always watching, always waiting, those cold and calculating golden eyes observing your every move. To be honest, it scared Abel a little. Hugo was one of those people that looked like they knew everything about everyone.

Abel did not want anyone, especially his brother to know his secret.

A cold hand settled on his shoulder and Abel jumped in the air, whirling around in fear.

“Hello, Abel. Are you ready for training?” the being cocked it’s head to the side, letting his hood slip to where is revealed its silver masked face.

“My brother was just here,” Abel replied, scanning the bushes. “I don’t think I can today.”

“A Lanrete to skip a day of training?” the being growled, narrowing the silver eyes that peaked out from the slits in his mask.

“What if he sees?” Abel whispered, becoming paranoid. “Just… Not today.”

“NOT TODAY?” the being roared. “You are a Lanrete, Lanrete never miss a day!”

The being, in one swift motion, pulled out a curved blade and drove it into Abel’s chest, kicking him to the ground. Bending down, the being whispered, “You are not a Lanrete, you are a disgrace.” And disappeared into silver dust that flew with the wind, away from the forest.

As Abel lay dying, he looked into the bushes for any sign of his brother, seeing none.

What he didn’t know, however, was that a pair of golden eyes were watching from the tree above.

-

“Hugo?” a voice called from within the forest, sounding quite a bit like Time.

“Yes?” Hugo managed to chock out, wiping his eyes.

“Where are you?”

“Over here.”

Footsteps echoed in the forest and Time appeared, took one look at his sobbing son, and ran forward.

“What happened?” his voice was full of worry. Time hadn’t had much experience with emotion, as he couldn’t really produce it himself, and awkwardly patted Hugo’s back slowly.

“Abel,” Hugo whispered, standing up and sniffling, his eyes red and bloodshot.

“Oh,” Time murmured, stepping back, a little confused by this sudden display of human emotion from his son.

Time hadn’t even been sure Hugo could produce tears. Most Clockwork couldn’t unless they were what were called in the Clockwork community a “Renchen”. Renchen were Clockwork that, when created, had been missing a few gears or rods. Some Time had forgot to create eyes for, so the usual clockwork eyes were substituted for human ones and these clockwork were able to cry.

“It’s alright, you don’t need to do anything, I’m fine,” Hugo murmured, standing up and pushing the old man away. “Go, do whatever you need to do.”

“Alright,” Time was confused, but with a wave of his hand disappeared into golden dust, leaving Hugo, for the second time in his life, completely and utterly alone.