Dom and Evan were sitting by the pool. The morning was bright and beautiful, and enough to take Evan's mind off dark thoughts. With their legs in the water they discussed more cheerful things all while listening to summer sounds and watching clouds roll by. Dom lay down with his hands behind his head, with his prosthetic arm clinking as it made contact with the pool tiles. Evan looked on as Dom's metal legs sparkled like the surface of the pool glistening in the sun. It was brilliant, reflecting both sunbeams and its own reflection upon the water.
"So, where exactly are you from?" Evan said to the much bigger boy. "You have the Scottish accent... but you aren't from there are you?" Dom looked down at Evan and grinned. "Nah, I actually originally was from Scotland. Just something happened..." The metal giant's face gave a disheartened look. "It's quite the tale to tell... would you like to hear it?" Evan gave a confused look but nodded slowly. "Yeah ... we've got some time."
"I was born on to the streets of Glasgow, Scotland. My mum and pops were two poor-ass people, but they loved me and my two brothers so much and what the richest man in Scotland had in riches, my family had in care for each other." Dom took a breather and glanced over to see Evan's face full of intrigue. Evan could admit to himself that he grew up wealthy, but he rarely saw his family. (
It's funny how our lives could be so diametrically opposite.)
"Even though we loved each other so much, we still were struggling. We often found ourselves unable to pay rent, thrown out from apartments, then walking around begging for food out on the street." Dom gave a sigh, he then gave a small laugh and kept on with his story.
"Huh." Evan reflected on his own life. As sincere as he tried to be, Evan could not help but feel a pang of pride. (
I've never had to beg, even at when I was at the bottom. I hunted. I seized. I took what I needed for myself.)
"They always said I was an amazing athlete. At first I thought that they were just saying that to make me happy but, I outran all the kids in the neighborhood and was stronger than all the older boys that I knew. I loved sports. It was the love of my life, I almost even loved it as much as I loved my mama and pa. But the thing was, I couldn't play any sports because my family was too poor to pay any fees. I couldn't even bring myself to ask. We didn't even have enough to feed ourselves, how could I let my selfish wants become another problem for my parents?"
Dom had to stop. His eyes were welling up already and he hadn't even gotten anywhere with his story. "Sorry, let me get a chance to calm down." He gave a hearty laugh. "It's pretty funny isn't it to see a huge guy like me breaking down in front of you, isn't it?"
In a way it was, for Evan. Even if he grew up penniless, Dom had a family. Not like Evan - he was a soldier, or was at least meant to be one.
"Then the inevitable happened. The one thing that I had through all the s*** that I had to trudge through, my family, was taken away from me." He grimanced at the images that flashed back into his mind. His mother. His father. Them screaming his name as he was taken away by the police. "Damn... It's just..." Dom hung his head. "I guess I did benefit from being adopted though. Now I have a loving mother and father, lots of friends back home, and I even have my sports... or at least I did."
"I was adopted by an old couple in Riverdale, Georgia. (
As was I. My headmaster, I suppose he adopted me.) It was a new start for me, I actually had a stable home and more people that loved me. (
Maybe not the love, but the stable home for sure.) Riverdale isn't a very nice place, especially not where I stayed. When I first arrived I was a hollow shell. I didn't want anything to do with anyone, all I wanted was my family back. I was bullied at school for being the only white kid in the whole city. My new mom and pops were always working late into the night and I was often left home alone. I would often stay locked up in my room and not come out. But my parents..." He let out a resounding laugh. 'They kept on trying to open up my little shell and that's how I met the love of my life, football."
Evan's eyes were drifting off in the distance. There was a boy in the pool, doing - Evan rolled his eyes back towards the sky. Dom was ... nice, but he was talking about football, of all things. (
The love of his life? Pfft.) His eyes drifted back to Dom's prosthetics. "Tell me how you got those." He lay down as well and closed his eyes.
Dom shut up. He looked at his arms and legs and gave a not-very-convincing smile that Evan, fortunately, did not see. "Oh, these old things?" Dom's eyes once again welled up. He was being quite the crier today, but his past was one thing that made him break easier than a twig. "Well... long story short, I was shot three times, then run over twice." He smiled at the other boy. "Like I said, Riverdale isn't the nicest place."
Evan's eyes popped open. If he had been shot, he would have died. (
For a guy as emotional as he is, Dom's got a bit of fight in him. But maybe it's just because he's so big.) He shuts his eyes again.
Dom looked over at Evan. "So, what's your story Mr. Scottish Chınk?" He grinned.
"Don't call me that, ever." Evan was annoyed. "I know I just broke my stick, but if I had my hands on a good foil I'd-" He takes a good hard look at Dom's sturdy metal legs. (
Or perhaps I wouldn't.)
Evan sighed. "My father was a powerful man. He sent me to Scotland because that's what rich and powerful men do. I rarely saw him." Dom looked over at Evan. He never would have guessed someone like him came from a powerful family. "Must've been nice to be rich, huh?"
Evan hesitated. He wasn't sure whether to explain where he came from or just dance around the question vaguely until Dom changed the subject. But it was a fine day, and Evan felt safe. He was safe, so safe he did not even know where he really was. (
It's a better day than any to ruin...) A dark smile crept on his face.
"I wasn't rich. My father was a general for the Korean People's Army. Like my brothers and sisters I was to become a soldier. One day I am called back to the motherland. My father made a mistake, he upset the wrong people." Evan turns his head towards Dom, looking intently. "My family is dead. They sent me to prison. I don't know why - perhaps they still had the heart to spare the life of a boy." Dom didn't know what to say. He just sat there speechlessly looking at Evan. They were the same age and they had been through so much, and yet, they were completely different.
"Obviously..." Evan scornfully gestures to himself. "...that's not the end. I decided to escape. I killed two men." Evan pauses. (
It was the only way. Don't worry.) "I came back to Scotland, but Headmaster sent me here. I don't know where I am and I don't know why. But they were orders, and I followed them. And apparently..." He looks around. "... they've been good to me so far." Dom's face darkened. He felt sad for the other boy. It sounded like he never had a family or someone there he could rely on. "Um... " An awkward silence hung in the air until something caught Dom's eye. "Do you see what I see?"
"Yes." Evan smirked. The past few minutes had been dreadfully depressing, but that was over. Perhaps today would work out for him after all.
"Are they..."
"Yes, they are!" Evan smiled, but it quickly turned into an expression of horror. "I think they saw us."
Dom tried to look away, pretending not to notice the two girls holding hands. "Evan, what do we do now ... Evan?"
But Evan was long gone. He was nowhere to be seen.
Another joint post by BlahISuck and ChiliDawgs
