#this is the man whos name is vittorino? | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

maikatc · 5 years ago

Text

Black Sun Tale | Red Eye

Ohboythisisthemoment-

Remember that this is only a first draft and only has little edits, but enjoy! Comments and reception are appreciated!

A kid with a slouched back, head down, and a hood over his head was sketchy enough, but passing by the cashiers with food and water was too questionable for Oliver to ignore.

He grabbed the thief by the arm. The thief’s arm was hollow in Oliver’s hands, too thin to imagine carrying a large jug of water.

“What are you doing?” What am I even doing?

The thief’s mouth was shut. His hood continued to cover over his face, but it slowly began to slip.

As he faced directly to Oliver’s direction, his hood fell off completely. His complexion was disturbingly white, his cheeks sunken down and his lips chapped to an extreme. His long black hair covered up his eyes and went down to his lower neck, though Oliver could see them faintly up close. His eyes revealed exhaustion, eye bags burrowing down to a dark shadow. However, what caught Oliver’s sight wasn’t his left eye, stricken with a soft ocean blue, but his right, with a pupil shaped like a sun or star and his iris shining with a deep red.

The red-eyed boy stared at Oliver with eyes wide, and lips turned down low to an expression of fear.

Oliver could only mutter then, “What the…”

The boy shifted his head, left and right until a stranger bumped into him from behind.

“Oh sorry,” the man apologized. But the boy in the matter of a second dropped what he held, the noise of the water grabbed the attention of those around them.

Oliver, in confusion, studied the boy.

Red-eye shook his head multiple-times, not replying to the man behind them. He got out of Oliver’s grasp, to Oliver’s surprise, and grabbed him by the arm instead.

“Wait- what are you-”

“I’m sorry,” was all the boy had gasped, with a raspy, dry voice. He then ran, with Oliver behind, out of the store.

Oliver’s own bag, flew from the gust of wind the boy made from running. Oliver could barely hold his grasp on the bag without it breaking. His legs could barely keep up while they burned at the speed.

“Wait- hold on- stop!” Oliver puffed. His steps stuttered left and right, barely keeping himself up. “Can you stop,” he yelled.

Red-eye refused to slow down the pace and ran faster. Oliver bare stomach punch himself as his energy drained. He began choking up from no-rest. “Come on, stop,” he huffed.

It took ages, but Red-eye slowed his pace continuously until finally stopping. He turned around, looking back at Oliver. His red eye turned to a dull grey, Oliver noticed. He looked down at his clasped hand, and raised his head back up to Oliver. “I…” His expression softened, scrunching up slightly as he let go of Oliver’s arm. “I’m sorry… I wasn’t thinking that much over there.”

Oliver pulled his arm back to himself instantly, breathing incessantly. Luckily, it wasn’t his left arm, but the boy’s grip was tight enough to leave a bruise. He rubbed it gently to ease the pain. “… What the heck was that for?”

The boy fidgeted his fingers against each other. “I really am sorry,” his voice cracked. “It was just-”

He froze.

“It was just what?”

The boy’s hand slapped against his head as he stepped aback. “Fuck…” he gasped. His body collapsed down. He swore under his breath as his hands shuffled around his head and hair.

Wait, Oliver crouched down to him, “Are you alright?” Dumb question. “What’s wrong?” His hands tempted to hold him on the shoulders though his mind hesitated the idea.

The boy continued muttering broke to sweats. His breathing heightened in the matter of seconds. “Uhm, calm down.” Oliver’s attempts to help were lackluster. “Just tell me what the hell is going on. Jesus,” he muttered to himself.

“No, no, no, no…” The boy repeated to himself. He started tugging onto his hair.

“Just breathe…” Oliver whispered, turning around to see if any crowds were noticing. Nobody batted an eye on the two. “Just- just breathe.” Christ, help me.

It took a minute, but his breathing at least slowed. He looked up towards Oliver. Oliver noted that he was still shaking, and he still had his fearful expression. “… Can you help me go home. I- I can explain after. Please.”

Oliver eyed him skeptically. He can’t be seen by others, can’t he? “Why did you bring me here in the first place?”

“I said I’ll explain there,” he repeated breathless.

Maybe I can get something out of him… Oliver debated to himself, however the chances weighed too much to pass up. “Alright. Let’s go then.”

At first, Oliver had to help hold him up by his shoulders, as the boy stumbled along his steps. But, soon after they began walking down the streets, the boy had calmed down.

Oliver’s shoulder was lifted from the boy’s light weight letting go. As they walked separately, the boy shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at the sidewalk dully. Their stances stayed as such for few minutes, Oliver followed the boy silently.

The air filled with smoke while fogged rolled around. Buildings stood tall all over with stains on the wall. Graffiti was hefted everywhere and washed out from rain days ago. The crowds gathered as ever, only more shadowed folk rummaged around the sidewalks with suspicious atmospheres looming around them. However, the traffic continued to ring throughout, reminding Oliver it was the still Obodo.

“Um…” The boy stuttered. “Again, sorry for that entire… thing,” he didn’t turn to view Oliver. “I really mean it with the food too. I was just… starving, basically. And I didn’t have any money.”

“Then why didn’t you just ask your parents or something?”

The boy slowed for a moment. But then he rushed back to his normal pace. “I’ll explain once we get to where I at least sleep. Luckily, it’s not that far.” His head faced downwards as he spoke.

“Ah, okay…” Oliver understood from his body language.

The awkward air intensified.

And the walk ended up being forty-five minutes long.

“You said it was a short walk,” Oliver complained. His eyes had blurred from the distance.

The boy scoffed. “It’s not that long of a walk.” He turned to an alley. Oliver followed in reluctance. Entering the location, he found himself in a clutter of items. From blankets to clusters of paper and borderline junk.

The boy walked into the entrance nonchalantly, and slumped down to a seat with a sigh. With a deep breath, he turned to Oliver and told him, “This is the place. Isn’t the most comfortable but…,” he searched around, “you can sit down here at least.”

Oh God…

Oliver sat down with disgust ridden in his face. The odor of the alley made him pucker from how strong both were. His appetite died down from the matter of days.

“You’ll get used to it,” was all the boy said. He crawled out from his spot and clawed through a pile with his small hands. He grabbed what looked to be a walkie-talkie and played static.

Pressing a button, from what Oliver could barely view, “Hey Annette. You there?”

Oliver questioned his own life actions by then.

Why the hell am I here again?... Fuck. Is this what Vittorino was talking about? How is this beneficial or whatever for me?... Dear God, this better be done quick.

The walkie-talkie continued to hiss static until a reply finally reached through. “Sorry, my baba was in the room.” It was a girl’s voice, was all Oliver could tell.

“You know that doesn’t matter.” Oliver picked up the conversation. Some girlfriend of something? Wait- no that wouldn’t make any sense considering his situation.

“Well anyways, something wrong? You don’t seem to be having a reading.”

“I did, just wasn’t here when it happened,” he rushed the words. “But other than that, I think I found a new member.”

Wait what?

“Wait what,” the girl squawked. “What do you mean a new member?”

“Shh, he’s right behind me,” Being quiet isn’t gonna help at all, “He can actually see me without me doing anything,” the boy whispered. Oliver rolled his eyes.

So, I guess he’s more like Vittorino…?

“Holy moly. This is actually great!”

“Are you sure about that?” He had a dead tone to his voice while saying the words.

“Yes, Ayu. It’s nice to have more help.” The girl’s tone lowered. “And if you took that as an insult to yourself, I apologize with no offence.”

…? I mean, I guess I got his name now.

Ayu sighed. “None taken. But can you come over right now? You can at least introduce yourself.”

“Oh! Yeah, I can be there real quick. Better than doing homework.” Sounds of items clashing against each other blasted out from the walkie-talkie.

“Just bring the work here.”

“You know whenever I bring my homework over there, it gets screwed up!”

“That was only one time.” They’re about to argue, aren’t they?

“That was my first major essay for English,” she yelled over the walkie-talkie.

“Who the fuck cares about English?”

“I DO.”

Ayu groaned. “Look, I have to talk to the guy so just get here quick.”

“Ha, I already am. See ya.” The walkie-talkie went back to static. Ayu chucked it back into the junk pile.

Better time than ever. “So,” Oliver started. Ayu turned back to him. “Can you explain to me what’s going on?”

“Right,” Ayu nodded. “How do I start this…”

Ayu blinked while staring in the air before saying anything. “You… know how I kinda panicked down there?”

“Yeah,” Oliver answered.

“That was because I have this thing where no one could see me or really know that I exist… at least unless I touched them or they bump into me. Something like that.” Ayu scratched his head with his awkward tone of voice.

“So… kinda like the two,” Oliver muttered.

“Sorry, what?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Oliver attempted to excuse himself.

Ayu shrugged while Oliver gave a mental sigh, and the boy continued. “Only certain people can see me immediately. I know two people so far: the chick that’s coming right now, and you from what I can tell.”

Oliver hummed in response. Seems a lot more vulnerable than Vittorino and Zach.

“Since stuff happened a while ago, I live… here now… by myself, but the good thing is that I can’t starve… or dehydrate myself to death, that stuff. I just feel the pain.”

“Oh…”

“Pretty much, I haven’t eaten in the past couple of days, and I was just tempted enough to do it.” Ayu explained, though he jumped up after saying. “Not that I didn’t feel bad or anything- I just couldn’t stand the hunger like a few years back-”

“No, no, I get it,” Oliver hesitantly patted Ayu’s shoulder. Ayu’s face twisted in reaction. “You just needed it, not in technicality but mentally.”

“Er,” Ayu blinked, “Yeah… But that’s pretty much the start of this thing.”

“What do you mean…?”

Ayu choked up. Stammering, “Well- okay this’ll sound really crazy to someone.”

“Just say it,” Oliver ordered.

The boy took a breath. “Okay… So, me and Annette, maybe other people we haven’t met, have super powers pretty much, to fight with.”

“Pardon?”

“Yeah, I know. It’s weird.” Ayu pointed at himself, “I have super strength and speed, and this weird thing that I think’s called clairvoyance? But like a specific one.”

Oliver put two and two together. “That’s why you could carry the jug,” his face then scorched with an unpleasant memory, “and make me almost throw up.”

Ayu reluctantly nodded and continued. “The only people who can have abilities like that are people who can see me. But they develop overtime so you don’t have to worry about that yet.”

“Mhm…” This is gonna be a bother, isn’t it?

“The easiest way we can tell that’s someone’s got powers, other than seeing me, is actually from a mark that pops up in their body. Like this,” Ayu points at his right eye, “Looks like a black sun or something. It looks kinda cool on the surface but it’s really just weird.”

“… I don’t have one, though.”

“Don’t worry about that, if you are one of us it’ll pop up sooner or later.”

Ayu curled up into his hoodie from the winds.

Oliver’s curiosity peaked. “Do you guys do anything with your powers or something?”

Ayu bit his cheek, shying away from facing Oliver. “Well, we do. But it’s probably the shittiest part of this…” He tucked in his hood tighter. His eyes flickered with a dull shine. “You know how there’s been those area death things happening? And how they say that they died for no reason?”

Oliver tensed, flashes of the earlier news came back to his mind. “Yeah…?”

“Did you ever see the corpses in a bloody mess or something like that?”

Oliver licked over his bloody lip. “Yeah. I’ve seen those before actually.”

“This’ll probably sound kinda crazy, but… blame monsters.”

“Monsters?” Oliver questioned.

“Yup. Nobody aside from us can see them, and nobody except us can see what they do or fight back.” Ayu looked down to the ground. “My clairvoyance or whatever can tell me when they appear sometimes, and where they’re at.”

Oliver gulped. “Then, how come deaths are still coming around?”

“That’s the real shitty part of this,” Ayu answered. “My readings suck, because whenever they happen, I have a headache and other stuff that hurts enough to where I can barely move; And most of the time my readings end up being too late or won’t happen at all so everyone still dies.”

“Ah…” That’s why he was like that before.

“Usually whenever readings happen, I have to get Annette for her to get rid of the monsters. But either way we never really save anybody…” Ayu stared at his boney hands solemnly, but then shrugged. “Maybe you can help but I don’t think that could ever happen with how things are going so far. Sorry.”

Definitely more vulnerable. “It’s alright,” Oliver replied.

The air went silent between the two. Oliver only heard street commotions as nobody spoke. He looked towards Ayu, who faced away from him. Will I get anything from him though, Vittorino?

The silence broke with a stomach growling. Ayu blinked, then groaned. He pulled his head back to the wall. “Fuck, I dropped the bread.” He tousled through his hair, his face dropping to clear annoyance. Though, he shook his head as he questioned, “Oh yeah, why were you at the store? It didn’t look like you were with your mom or dad.”

Oliver clenched his bag and put it in front of him. He lodged down and ignored the ointment inside. “Oh, I went to buy some candy since I felt like it.” He took out the sour candies he actually bought as evidence.

Ayu stared at the bag. Oliver’s head tilted as Ayu’s lip poked out with drool. “Something up,” Oliver asked wearily.

“Sorry. I haven’t had those things in years.” His eyes shined with greed.

Oliver made a soft, self-conscious chuckle at the boy’s reaction. “You can have it if you want-”

The bag was ripped out of Oliver’s hands before he could make another sound. He jumped at the action, and found Ayu tearing the bag open like an animal.

The boy began chomping on the small sweets the second he was able to open it. “Tank-yu,” Ayu mumbled with candies stuffed in his mouth.

“It’s… nothing.”

“Oh yeah,” Ayu munched, “I didn’t introduce myself, didn’t I? I’m Ayu.”

“I already heard from you talking over there.” Oliver nodded towards the messy pile. “But my name’s Oliver. Oliver Holguin. Your name’s kinda unique.”

Ayu replies, “Yeah, everybody thought it was weird back at foster care.”

“You went to foster care too?”

Ayu paused at the moment, eyes widening. “Shit.” He blinked. “Yeah, I was, but that was a while ago til I was six or something.”

How did he get here? Ayu’s fickle movements while answering the question made him wonder. Though, it was at least understandable for why no parents were present. “Wait, if you got off when you were six, how old are you now?”

Ayu nommed on another candy-bite. “I’m about to turn thirteen in a few months.”

Oliver bolted up from his grounded seat. “You’re twelve? You look like my age.”

Ayu shrugged, “Bad habits get to ya. How old are you, then?”

“I’m just ten,” Oliver answered. “But I’m turning eleven next week.”

Ayu chuckled. “You’re short as hell for you age then if you’re shorter than me.”

Oliver leaned towards his knees, muttering to him. “It’s probably a genetic thing-”

“Ayu, where’s the new guy?” A girl yelled as she ran towards the alley. She was panting and standing only from holding on to the wall corner, though her tall figure beamed against the outside light. Her chocolate hair flowed through the winds as she zoomed across the space to Oliver. “You must be him,” she smiled. Her crouched down body still made Oliver tense.

“Uh, hi?” Oliver stood up himself for her comfort. Though, she was still a good whole foot taller than him.

“His name’s Oliver,” Ayu told her.

“How did you even find him?” The girl turned to Ayu, her excitement displaying clearly with her tone.

“I was trying to get food but he caught me.”

She gawked. “You went to steal food again?”

Ayu rolled his eyes, “I didn’t expect this to happen. I figured that you wouldn’t have time to come back just to get me food.”

Oliver stood in the middle of their bickering. His mind wandered off to thoughts are they both complained. How many times has this guy actually stole food?... Wait, am I gonna have to do stuff in this thing?

The girl sighed as she and Ayu stopped discussing. She presented herself to Oliver. “Sorry about that. I’m Annette, co-founder of-,” she turned to Ayu, “did we ever make an official name?”

Ayu shook his head, eyes deadpanned.

“Oh, well we don’t have an official name right now but for now it’s the Black Sun-… Gang- thing…!”

Ayu face-palmed. “Oh, my god- Annette, we don’t need a name,” he spat.

“It’s okay. Brand names are selling points, my friend,” she purred at him. She then turned back to Oliver. “We can get you on the ropes of things quick, then you can decide if you want to join or not.”

Oliver eyed her. “Am I not gonna have a choice in trying it out at all?”

“Please. We need help more than anything. Plus,” she gestured at Ayu, “he’s actually pretty intuitive. He can help you with your abilities when you get them.”

“Just because I guessed about your powers doesn’t mean I know everything about this stuff.” Ayu’s arms crossed.

“Intuitive is when you can figure things out quickly Ayu,” she brushed him off. “But Oliver, just hang out with us for a bit. You already heard about the Katzmann thing from earlier didn’t you.”

Oliver tugged the blood from his lip.

“Wait, what do you mean by Katzmann thing,” Ayu asked.

“Oh right, I didn’t talk with you about it.” Annette drooped. “There was a kid who died today at her own house. People think it’s an area death but you weren’t even able to catch it, weren’t you?”

He looked down with his hair covering his face. “No, I didn’t…”

Would these guys really be good for clues? Would they ever come at me?

“Well, we’ll probably figure it out sooner or later.”

“Or never,” Ayu grumbled.

“Uh,” Oliver spoke between the two. “I’m pretty sure I’m gonna have to go soon. My mom’ll probably worry if I’m out for too long because of these ‘area deaths’.”

Annette nodded. “Fair enough, but before you go, do you have a phone?”

***

“I can’t believe I got a number from a random chick I just met.”

Oliver walked through the wind gusts, his eyes fixated on the number on his flip-phone.

“How did meeting your new friends go?” Vittorino emerged out of thin air yet again.

Oliver didn’t bat his eyes away from the contact. “They’re fine, but I’m not planning on getting close.”

Vittorino went in front of him. “You sure about that? They look like nice ones.” Another cheeky grin.

“Almost everyone I meet is nice to some extent,” Oliver replied, “but regardless, they’ll have to deal with me out of anybody. That’s impossible shit right there.”

Vittorino chuckled. “Let me ask this again. Are you sure about that?”

“Yes. I’m sure.” Oliver walked past him towards his home, and slammed the building door on Vittorino’s face as he went inside.

Oliver sighed as he trudged up the stairs. “This better be worth it…”

He entered his home to continue the day.

Ten Dollars | Bread and Water | Next>>>

#writing #my writing #writeblr #writblr #writers on tumblr #black sun tale #bst #chapter 3 #not sure what warnings to put #theft?#death mention?#oh yeah #swearing warning #bst ayu #bst oliver #bst annette #bst vittorino

14 notes · View notes

maikatc · 5 years ago

Text

Black Sun Tale | Crimson Capture

Things are calm before a quiet storm, let’s just say that.

Remember this is only a first draft and has minimal edits, but enjoy! Comments and reception is always appreciated!

“Are you actually going to talk with them anytime soon?”

Oliver’s cold skin snuggled up against blankets; he read a book off of his shelf. “I’m trying to do homework, excuse me.” He frowned.

“It’s been a week, Oliver. They probably think that you already rejected them.”

He turned a page. “It’s not that I rejected them… I already looked through the situation but I still don’t know.”

Vittorino raised a brow. “And what did you get from looking through?”

Oliver ignored the question first, skimming through the dull read he grabbed. Though his thoughts blocked the pages the more he went on.

He sighed and closed the book. “I didn’t really get that much out of the interaction. But out of anything I can tell that Annette isn’t actually that involved with the group since she’s with busy with having an actual life. That and the two’s relationship is probably complicated since Annette doesn’t really try to get Ayu out of bad habits and they argue at little stuff like crazy; But at the same time, Ayu may have simply cared enough about not messing with Annette’s work after he screwed it up before, and didn’t want to bother her with something that’s technically unnecessary for him. Regardless of anything though, they’re completely inefficient as a team because their able-ness is terrible and Ayu’s right about not getting hopes up.” Oliver rambled words out in the matter of seconds, zoning out into his thoughts in the process. He took a breath at the end. “I can tell they have good intentions, but yeah they’re pretty much useless.”

Vittorino crossed his arms together with a grin, muttering, “You can definitely talk like em…” He emerged next to him. “You’re smarter for your age, I must say.”

“I just have good memory.” Oliver opened up his book again. “Doctors say I have a larger hippocampus than most. But I’ve been lacking in recent years compared to when I was little.”

“Yeah, yeah, makes sense,” Vittorino nods, “but either way, your friends will be- interesting to you at the very least. Trust me.”

Oliver scoffed, “I already know they’d be entertaining. It’s just that they’ll probably end up like all the rest. I already told you.”

“Okay then. Let me tell you in a different way then,” he groaned. “They’re not gonna be like the rest.”

A buzz rang from the corner of the room. Both Oliver and Vittorino turned towards the sound, Oliver quicker than the other. Oliver stumbled out of bed to check his phone. All there was another message from Annette, the third one of the week.

Yo Oliver, Ayu and I are hanging out in the alley again if you wanna join us (12:13pm)

“God, damn it,” the boy said under his breath. His fingers tattled at words, typing up that he was busy making new chord melodies. If it weren’t for someone interrupting him, he would’ve sent.

“Go with them for once,” Vittorino told him, “You’ll have better days that way.”

“… Will you stop talking if I do?”

“Obviously.”

Oliver’s face went flat. “You’re decent.” He edited the message:

I actually can today, but I was about to work on making some chord melodies so I’ll just bring my ukulele with. (12:15pm)

***

Oliver carried his worn-up uke strap over his shoulders. The day blistered in heat unlike the chills of before, though it didn’t stop him from wearing a thin coat.

The walk to Ayu’s still made his eyes go blurry from the distance. His legs gave in as always from another long week as they screeched in pain. He mumbled to himself with a deep breath, “Just don’t pass out in front of them.”

He clenched onto his ukulele strap as he stood back up from his slouch. The turn was straight ahead of him, and his predictions for what he would see was something he still couldn’t guess yet. “They won’t be that bad,” he figured.

“YOU MOTHER OF FUCK- HOW DID YOU DO THAT?” Oliver could still hear the same raspy voice from before in the distance.

“Hopefully,” he cringed.

Oliver walked into the alley, reluctantly knocking the wall for entrance. Annette and Ayu sat in front of one another, cards in their hands and scattered on the floor. Annette turned her head while Ayu looked over his own cards. “Oliver! Hi,” She stumbled up to greet him. “You came sooner than I thought. We’ve been playing Ono for a bit but you can join in if you want.”

“Ono…?” Oliver peeked across, sighting at the colorful cards closely. His eyes squinted at Ayu’s array of cards in his hands. He also peeked down towards Annette’s cards quickly to see her deck of five. He can literally just pull a yellow two. A grin curled up on his lips. “So, this is what a ‘gang’ does, huh?”

Annette’s eyes leaned toward the side, “Well, we usually goof around when there aren’t any attacks. It’d be too hard to track down when there’s only two people scouting. Right, Ayu?”

They both looked back to Ayu, and both found him fumbling to switch cards form the collector’s deck. Ayu blinked at them as he peeped his eyes in return, then groaned, placing the previous cards he had back to his hands.

“Goodness…” Annette sighed. “We sometimes play board games and figured today should be a game-day since you were coming over.”

“This was only Annette’s idea,” Ayu reminded.

She chuckled, “You’re even more competitive than me. Be quiet.”

Annette continued to ramble on to Oliver as he spaced out in the middle. He only interrupted her after a minute by saying, “Okay yeah, I’ll play. Get me some cards.”

Oliver beat them both by a landslide, Annette left with nine cards, Ayu left with thirteen.

“Oliver, how the heck did you do that?” Annette read over all the cards.

“Don’t worry about that,” he smiled, “You’ll learn how to use the right strategies at some point.”

“This is Ono! There are no strategies.” Ayu threw his cards over his head as he slumped to the ground.

“You out of anybody won’t figure it out.” He wasn’t even sneaky about cheating.

“Try me.” Ayu sat up with a smirk.

“Ayu, you don’t even know how to strategize on anything,” Annette laughed. Oliver played around with his case’s zipper until she asked him, “So you play ukulele, right.”

Oliver reluctantly nodded.

“I know some friends who have ones, but I barely see any guys with ‘em.” She waddled over to Oliver and his uke, arms swaying towards the case.

“Uh, yeah,” Oliver nodded, his smile curving, “No guy in my class can actually sing or do that stuff, so my class thinks it’s cool… but I was thinking of starting up guitar or piano though since it’s more practical-”

“So, you don’t just do tabs?”

“Uh, yeah.”

In the corner of his eye, Oliver caught Ayu scurrying off to a sketchbook and pencil.

“Can you sing a song for us? I wanna see how good a ten-year old is,” she giggled.

I’m tired though. “Sure.”

Oliver opened up the case, showcasing a small instrument. The paintjob was chipped off. The vibrant pattern that original shined was worn and blurred. Oliver picked it up, plucking and tuning with the scratched-up nylon. Tuning only took the matter of ten seconds.

Just a breath was fine for the young boy. His decision on the song gave him the memories of interrupted practices. Though with the plucked introduction, he began his song.

“Oh, my Red Maria. How long has back then been?”

A classic ballad. Oliver observed as Annette rang up with her ears with excitement in her face. Ayu tilted his head, in curiosity, his attention off the book.

“My life’s been dull without your blushing face.”

The chords and tabs slid through Oliver’s fingers like writing his own name. His eyes captured their expressions. While Annette’s face blurred in with every other he’s seen, Ayu had a calmed smile, everything else was unreadable.

“When we meet again, we can reach the stars as always…” He stumbled at a stop. Man, I forgot to figure out the short-stop. “The rest is just repeating so that’s about it.”

“That…” Annette stammered, “That was actually more than I expected.”

Oliver shrugged, leaning on his ukulele. “It isn’t that hard of a song.”

“I can’t play anything for crap,” she grinned, “Why are you just ten?”

“He’s turning eleven this week though,” Ayu corrected.

“Barely a difference!”

Ayu stuck his tongue out towards her. He gestured to Oliver. “I liked it.”

“Ah, thanks.” The responses were mindless and repetitive. “I usually don’t have people to listen so this is a nice-”

A ringtone began buzzing, stopping all the other noises crowding the alley.

Annette raised a finger, “Hold on a second.” She picked up her own phone from a small bag, raising it to her phone to answer the call. “Yo Jaiden, what’s up?... Oh lort- I forgot about that!”

“What do you think this is about?” Ayu moved over next to Oliver’s floor-seat.

“What do you mean?”

“She forgets extra stuff a lot, so it’s nice to pass time guessing what it is,” Ayu explained.

Oliver chuckled, “You really don’t have a lot to do, don’t you?”

“I’m betting a group project.”

The boy’s scent still wrinkled in Oliver’s nose. “Maybe it’s just…? I can’t think of one.”

“Well, she’s pretty predictable so I don’t think there’s that much to bet about anyways.” He pulled on his hoodie’s lace.

“Right…”

She combed her hair with his fingers. “I told you to remind me!... Okay fine, yeah this is a me problem,” she sighed, “I’ll get them today then we can work afterschool tomorrow, okay?... Okay, see ya.”

She groaned in her hands, but whisked back to Oliver and Ayu from behind. “Okay so I screwed up a bit,” she exclaimed, “and I have to go to the mall to get stuff for a project due on Friday.”

“That you forgot about?” Ayu eyed.

“Yeah, yeah, silence yourself,” she hassled. “Um… I don’t want to go since you’re here,” she darts Oliver.

“We can always come along,” Ayu said.

“Oh,” Annette hands opened up. “That’s actually a good idea. Oliver, do you wanna come with us?”

Do I really want to…?

“Do it,” Vittorino’s voice rang in Oliver’s head.

Damn it. “Sure.”

***

Shop lights blinded all around. Every store passed with its rows of sales and mannequins. Oliver walked along the outdoor mall, the sunny day in the Fall blazing onto his dimmed skin. The music echoed with aggravating speakers and pop ballads, and the sounds of voices rang through Oliver’s ears by the heavier crowd.

I can get through this for a bit. She won’t be long, he told himself. He clenched his fists as volumes went at screeches.

Annette hummed as she led both Ayu and Oliver, her walk swaying along with the music. All the while, Ayu’s hood covered over his head as he walked with his head down. Though looking down wasn’t that strange for Oliver, he’d done the same alone.

“It’s burning out here. How’re you in that hoodie?” He asked.

Ayu tilted his head towards Oliver. “I’m usually cold. Today’s not that bad but it’s still kinda cold.” He shrugged. “Besides, I can always bump into somebody and they can see my eye easier and I won’t get as bad of a sunburn.”

“Sunburn…?”

“My skin’s pale enough to get burned easily,” he raised and showed his boney hand, “not albino or anything but just sensitive.”

“I see.” Oliver’s brows furrowed. Damn…

“Okay!” Annette jumped. “You guys can do whatever you want. I gotta deal with the supply stuff.”

She grabbed her phone. “Oliver, I’ll call you when I’m done, alright?”

“Yeah,” Oliver nodded.

“Alright, then see ya!” She waved off before dashing away. Muttering of items got caught in Oliver’s ears as she ran.

“So…” Ayu kicked his leg, “You wanna do anything?”

Oliver stammered. Where would this guy even wanna go here? He shrugged. “Just somewhere quiet is fine, what about you?”

“Quiet,” he pondered, “I guess that could work… Here, let’s go.”

Ayu pulled on Oliver’s sleeve, dragging him to a map of the area. He asked, “Do you know where the bookstore is on here?”

“Ah,” Oliver’s attention zapped back, “It’s right there I think.” He pointed at the very corner of the mall.

“What’s it called?”

“Ferns and Hamlin’s?” It’s right there on the sign…

“Oh yeah,” Ayu gasped. “When was the last time I was even there?”

He gave a small grin, walking off from Oliver to a turn. “Come on,” he nodded off.

“Come on, kid,” Vittorino echoed.

Oliver followed.

***

“Even with clairvoyance, you’re terrible with directions,” Oliver groaned.

Ayu scoffed. “I can’t use it for anything other than monsters,” he looked away, “and that sucks too.”

Oliver brushed off Fall dust. “Regardless of whatever you have, that took us longer than needed.”

“Shouldn’t you know this place?”

“No,” Oliver answered, “I never go here. I go to Fair Woods and even that’s rare.”

“… How much do you go out?”

“Less than normal,” Oliver quickly replied.

“Sounds about right.” Ayu eyed Oliver’s hands. “You look pale even with your tan. Paler than before I think too.”

Well that’s for other reasons…

The two entered the shop together. Oliver immediately silenced from the soft music. The change of atmosphere contented him considering before. The aisles stacked with books barely held anybody else around as the cashiers only stood in patience.

“They’d have comics here, right?”

Oliver hiccupped once Ayu queried him. He only nodded off while reading over the signs. “Probably.”

Ayu stepped pass. “I think I can find it on my own,” he muttered, leaving Oliver at the front.

Oliver stared at space as the boy walked off, debating on what exactly to do.

“How’s it going so far,” Vittorino asked. His stature standing right next to Oliver right after Ayu’s leave.

Oliver’s face scrunched up. “They’re… fine, just like before. But that was the first time anyone’s ever mentioned me being paler than usual.”

“They’re people who can see a lot more than others can, remember?”

“I didn’t think that that’d matter in my case,” Oliver exclaimed. His legs began pacing through to the novel aisle. All that the aisle covered were teen-pandering novels involving the Wonder Chronicles and other stories that made it to film. As Oliver grabbed a book left in the corner, he turned around to find Vittorino already gone. He shrugged. Grabbing a book with a familiar title. “Heard this was good…”

Reading the sections, Oliver strolled to the comic area of the shop. The brightness of colors beaming from the graphic novels. In the corner, Ayu sat curled up with his knees, starting up a comic book from the very first page.

Oliver sat next to him, crisscrossed with a steady back. “Whatcha’ reading,” he asked.

Ayu perked up, his ear twitching. “Huh? Oh,” he closed up his book and pushed the cover straight at Oliver’s face, “It’s a Crimson Capture comic. I remember loving their old cartoon when I was younger so I’m giving it a shot.”

Crimson was unmistakable for Oliver. With their dashing velvet cloak and drawn-out, dark hair, they’d dash through cities to fight crime with only the power of their wits. All that could be known of their identity was hidden by their signature masquerade mask to run through the night.

While Oliver found the idea interesting, he could never take the vigilante seriously to most of his classmates’ dismay. So, all he replied with was a, “Cool.”

They both read with soft pop playing in the background. Minute by minute Oliver passed through pages. Though throughout the read, all Oliver could think of was, cliché.

It’d already turn to a good half-hour once Oliver slammed his book shut. “Lazy writing,” he muttered to himself.

He settled the book to the side, taking a breath as he grew self-aware in the atmosphere again. He shifted his attention back to the boy next to him.

Glancing for a second, Oliver could tell Ayu had only finished a decent quarter of the comic. His eyes held focus on the words as he continued to squint repeatedly.

“How come it’s taking you so long to read?” Oliver asked without thinking.

Ayu blinked, facing away from the book again. “Oh, it’s usually hard for me to read. Usually in stuff in small words.”

Oliver paused, processing the words Ayu had said. “You haven’t been at school for a while, haven’t you?”

“Nope,” Ayu laid his book down, “Stopped at around eight. Even back then I was bad, but they didn’t care as long as I had fun.” He chuckled at his own words.

Oliver hummed. “I was never like that.”

“Really?” Ayu’s voice grew deadpanned.

“I skipped a grade when I was younger for how fast I was learning, so everyone expected me to do everything well and didn’t worry.” Oliver patted on his ukulele case. “After skipping though, I started falling behind because of- this one guy… Do you know anybody named Faustus?”

Ayu blinked and scrunched up. “Who the hell names their kid Faucet?”

Oliver studied his reaction only to find confusion written on his entire face. He sighed, but chuckled from the name confusion. “He… was a weird kid. Popped up out of nowhere and talked to me whenever he was bored.” He chuckled to himself, “He looked like a tween emo-head too so that didn’t help anything.”

“Reminds me of stuff,” Ayu muttered.

“I liked him, though. He was fun, in a strange way.” Oliver pulled his chin up towards the cabinets, searching for words of memories. “He was kinda judgmental back then when I talked with him. Not sure why, but it could’ve been from either him being surprised of how smart I was for my age… or streets-dumb. I can’t tell.” His mind basked at the thoughts he had as a kid. The interactions he had with the white-haired kid baffled him for how unknowing he was.

Then sights of someone walking away and disappearing came before his eyes. Oliver nodded his head down again in expectance of what to come from the flashback. “He told me he had to leave right before I turned seven. Gave me something and went off. Haven’t seen him since.”

Ayu asked, his tone reluctant, “What did he give you?”

Oliver paused, biting his lip gently so it wouldn’t bleed again. “I can’t remember. I threw it away a bit after I’m pretty sure.”

A ring came from Oliver’s pocket. He picked up his phone, Annette’s name flashing at the front for a call, and flipped it open. “Are you done?”

“Yup. Luckily, it didn’t take that long so that’s good. I’m right by the food court so you guys can come up here.”

Fuck, we have to figure out how to get there. “Sounds good. See ya then.” He hung up, informing Ayu of what Annette told him.

Ayu groaned in response. “Why the food court?”

“I dunno, she just said to be there.”

Ayu wrapped himself around his arms and knees. “That’ll kill my stomach,” he muffled.

Oliver rolled his eyes.

They stored away their books together, not bothering to put them in the right place out of laziness, and exited the shop. As they walked, the crowd noise grew to Oliver’s ears once again.

“Fuck…” Ayu muttered, tugging on his hood.

“What?”

“I forgot about how loud this place is.”

Oliver tilted his head. “You’re bothered by it too?”

“More than traffic,” Ayu spat, “at least I got used to that one, kinda.”

Oliver smiled. “I have sensitive ears too. Sucks, doesn’t it?”

“Completely.”

Don’t worry about it. Mine’s probably worse than yours.

“No, mine’s worse…” Ayu mumbled to himself.

Oliver’s sights turned to the boy again. Did he just-

A hand pushed Oliver by the chest. He flinched as similar motions of back then popped back into his mind. The boy whipped his head around to see who gave him the money in his hands again. And all he saw was a man in a trench coat.

“What the hell, Vittorino,” Oliver spat. He ignored Ayu, who walked off without noticing a thing from what Oliver could decipher. Though as soon as he asked, Vittorino was already gone in a blink.

Oliver stared down at the money, the intentions unclear. He then shoved it in his pants-pocket and dashed off to catch up with Ayu.

The walk took shorter than the last, thanks to multiple bright signs directing towards the area.

As Oliver walked up steps to the court, he was immediately welcomed to the aroma. Though to his distaste, he passed it off.

“Dear God, that smells amazing.” Ayu purred, a slip of drool falling so slightly on his chin.

Well too bad for you, we don’t have any money- oh. A click formed in Oliver’s mind. He fumbled grabbing Vittorino’s money. “I have money if you want some food.”

“Seriously?” Ayu batted his head. His eyes shined despite one with dull grey.

Oliver nodded, opening up his hands to show his change to the boy. “It’s enough for the two of us. I’m pretty sure Annette can get herself food too.”

“Thank you,” he gasped. His smile was crooked but Oliver read it clearly.

“It’s really nothing,” Oliver exclaimed. “Here, I’ll call Annette right now.”

He dialed her number without looking at the phone and placed it against his ear. “You called?”

“Hey uh, Ayu actually wants some food here so I was thinking that we can eat together. I have money for him, don’t worry.”

Ayu shied away in the corner of Oliver’s eye. He fumbled with his hoodie’s aglet.

“That sounds great! I’ll get us a table and text you guys where. You get your food, he must be hungry.”

“Okay, I’ll talk with him about what he wants first off. See ya.” Oliver hung up to check up on Ayu again.

“You really don’t have to do this, you know,” Ayu swallowed. “I don’t need to eat.”

“No, it’s alright,” Oliver said, “Just tell me what you want and I’ll get you it.” Besides, I have no clue what else to do with this cash.

Ayu pouted but his stomach stopped him with a growl. He sighed and pointed, “Can we go to the Asian place over there?”

***

Ayu carried over his stacks of a meal while Oliver stared in a baffled state of mind. He himself carried only a small plate of food.

How was there fifty-dollars in there? Holy shit.

“My God, this smells delicious.” Ayu licked over his chapped lips. “Where did Annette say she was again?”

“Right there,” Oliver pointed out. Annette stood tall against her surroundings with her bright face. She waved as soon as her face met with theirs.

Oliver and company sat at a small table. Multiple families and friend groups surrounded them as they chatted about whatever. Steam and smoke from each and every store came seeking out throughout the entire area while toddlers cried for ice cream they wanted.

“So how did shopping go for you?” Oliver played around with the pork dish he ordered, taking small bites every two or three minutes.

“Not all that hard,” Annette answered, “Jaiden was yelling at me left and right about what to get though.” She chuckled while nom-ing a burger.

Ayu never entered the conversation the two were having. Majority of the time his face was stuffed with sushi rolls and salmon grills. Oliver glanced over the note.

Annette and Oliver continued conversing as Annette ate her meal. Though, as time went on, Oliver realized that there really was no use for him to get anything. He checked up on Ayu, who was almost done completely in the matter of minutes. His and Annette’s talking finished so he went and asked.

“How were you able to finish that much fish?”

Ayu chewed as he spoke, “I just really like sushi. Seafood in general…” He gulped. “Fish.”

“Enough to have that much?”

“I was in the mood. Plus, I feel like I’m starving so that’s for one thing.” He took his last bite, falling down on his seat as soon as he swallowed. “That was amazing. Thanks.”

Oliver eyed down on his plate and shoved it towards Ayu. “You can have mine too. I’m not that hungry so-” Ayu snatched the plate and wolfed it all down immediately. Oliver froze in response, shaken by the speed. “Damn.”

Annette laughed as she glanced off her phone. Though Ayu thanked Oliver again as he opened his first bottle of water.

Oliver sat next to him in slight disbelief. The animalistic tendencies being both interesting to watch yet questionable all the same. However, all he could make up in his head was, It’s alright. Don’t discredit the guy. You do the same stuff sometimes too. Just- worse…

All Oliver could read from him was a childish smile.

***

Four o’clock in the afternoon and the street bustling was as high as ever.

Oliver walked along silently, following the two ahead of him. He waited for anything to interrupt the dragging moments. An accident, Vittorino, him passing out, his expectations for something loomed throughout his mind.

Ayu and Annette chatted in front of him. They talked about some sort of show or story, just something Oliver had no knowledge of. Though from what Oliver could read, all the passion seeped out of Ayu’s weak voice as he talked. However, the conversation stopped at a halt as Ayu himself fell to his knees.

“Ayu,” Annette gasped out. She kneeled down supporting him.

Ayu began to shake, placing a hand on his right eye. He stammered whispers until he was able to form words. “Ende Street. Down the road. They’re over there.” He pointed with a dragged-up hand, weak enough to fall at any second.

“That’s so close,” Annette said, “Is it fine for you to stay here?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ayu breathed out, “I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

She nodded and stood up, throwing the shopping bag she held to Ayu. She gestured at Oliver. “Come with me,” and she ran off.

Oliver stepped forward, but hesitated. He turned back to see Ayu again, down on his luck. The child clenched onto his ukulele strap unsure of whether to give it to him or not. Though in a rush, he dashed his way around still holding onto his instrument. He can look inside.

Catching up to Annette, he asked her, “Is he gonna be okay?”

“Don’t sweat it,” Annette assured him while running, “This happens all the time.”

As soon as her sentence ended, Oliver’s eyes stopped upon a gate entrance. Annette slowed her pace as well, signaling him with a hand and whispering, “Be quiet, it’ll be trickier for it to notice us.”

Oliver nodded. He took steps he himself could hear faintly. His case rustled against his back in inconvenience. From a distance, Oliver caught the sounds of deep grunts and breaths that grew louder as he drew closer to a clear view.

Annette whispered to him again. “Once you see everything, don’t freak out. I’ll deal with the monster for you.”

Oliver gulped. A realization crossed his mind. The scent that he picked up strongly in the area was of a familiar crimson liquid.

Taking a turn to the door took Oliver’s breath away. Bodies filled the bloodied floor with punctures in their chest. Their skin was grey like so many before. Their faces held frozen in shock for the rest of their time. A sick hole formed in Oliver’s stomach as his throat lumped together. Not again.

At the corner of his feet was that of a little girl and her family. Her rosy cheeks draining from her as her blood trickled down from her body. Oliver’s own skin turn cold. He bit down against his lip. This is just-.

“There.” Annette nudged Oliver, breaking him out of his trance. Her head faced upwards, causing Oliver to follow on his own still shaking. Though, what stood above was as unearthly as himself.

The creature was hunched, cradling its lean, sharp claws over its stick hands. Its skin was almost nonexistent, as a black mist surrounding formed its indescribable shape. Darkness was all you could sense from the monster. That, and the blood stained over its arms.

Oliver stepped back as the monster tilted its head over to them. Its face drooped down to an uncanny horror. Mists of white and red formed the eyes and fangs. The eyes stared directly at the two as Oliver held his breath.

“Stand back,” Annette commanded. Oliver stood frozen in his spot, gazing at his surroundings.

Annette drafted her feet closer to the monster. Their distances meeting in a confrontation. A breath suppled her movement as she planted her legs apart in an assertive stance.

“Isn’t he going to attack us,” Oliver whispered.

“Don’t worry.”

A hand drew from her side, locking itself into midair and fingers spread wide. “You need patience for aim,” she said softly. Though, the soft voice turned into a loud radiance. “Hey, Jumbo!”

The monster turned around in slow agony at her.

She yelled, “You wanna go back?”

A squeal was heard from the monster, crying in tone. Its bloody hands and legs pounced in a scream. But before it could form a dent on her skin or a creep of her blood, a silent blast distorted the monster from Annette’s hand. Twists and turns misshaped the formless beast down to a single sphere in the air. The monster cried before the little sphere was left, and it tortured Oliver’s ears and mind.

Once the screams stopped, Oliver pulled up his head again to view what was left. And the sphere was gone as soon as it appeared to him, as its remains flew away in black fragments.

Annette huffed, dropping her arm down. “That’s how… you kill a monster.”

She then crouched down to sit, taking her hands to a prayer. She turned her head back to Oliver, who only began to process what had happened for the previous two minutes. She told him, “You can join if you want, but I’ll be quick.”

Oliver’s expression softened as he was reminded of the true results of what happened in the place. For him, it was dead silent. No traffic, no chatter could be heard. All that rang through the two of them was the silence of the innocent.

He walked next to her and took a knee down to sit as well. And they prayed together for the lost lives.

***

“It’s a bummer we couldn’t get anybody today,” Annette sighed. “We were so close to it too.”

“I’m…” Oliver traced his words. “I’m sure the next time it’s close, it’ll be fine.”

Annette giggled. “Nah, this is normal for us. So, we kinda just go for effort.” She kicked a can out of her way, though it barely moved. She dawdled over her steps. “Ayu should be where we left him. He’s probably fine but now.”

They took a turn to the street where Ayu was left. The city-noise returned to Oliver’s ears as time went on. It would’ve only taken them 5 minutes’ time to get back to the alleyway afterwards.

“You know,” Annette started. Oliver turned to find her in a small smile. “You better get your powers soon. Speed like Ayu could be really helpful for the job!”

Oliver huffed a response. “I’d figure.” He followed his own steps, thoughts rambling throughout his head. But he was cut short by a familiar black-haired boy standing in front of him

“How’d it go,” Ayu asked. His hands were shoved into his pockets as he held a numb expression.

“We weren’t able to get anyone again,” Annette answered behind Oliver. “But at least Oliver didn’t panic first thing.”

“Oh yeah, how did it go for you?” Ayu shifted to Oliver.

“It was… alright, I guess.”

Ayu raised a brow. “Weird. I thought you’d be more scared.”

Oliver avoided eye contact. “Don’t worry about that. It’s fine.”

Together, they all went back to the alleyway. Its messy composition remained unchanged.

“So, this was a… decent meeting day.” Annette grabbed her things while talking. “Oliver, don’t get too worried about the entire monster thing. Or at least- don’t feel too bad about it.”

“Like I said, it’s fine,” Oliver swatted out. It’s not the worst. He glanced the time on his phone.

“Well, I’m about to leave myself as you can tell.” Annette waved with cards in her hands. “Are you gonna do fine for the rest of the day, Ayu?”

He shrugged. “It’s like any other day so yeah.”

“Then just don’t die.” Annette jumped after grabbing up her shopping bag. She took a step out of the alley and waved to Oliver and Ayu. “See y’all whenever.” She walked off without a trace.

“See ya,” Ayu replied.

Oliver didn’t say a word. His throat itching at the memory of the area death. I’m gonna be thinking about that all day, aren’t I?

“So, you’re going too?” Ayu sat down as he asked.

“Oh,” Oliver cut his thoughts short. “Yeah. My mom’s probably gonna come back from work soon.”

“Ah, well, have fun with her then.” He grabbed his sketchbook into his hand, starting to write with the pencil inside.

Oliver nodded. He dipped down his head in thought. “I may not be here for the next few days. So, see you eventually.”

“See ya,” Ayu said without facing him.

Oliver left. His small feet paced back home without any thoughts in his mind.

The door clicked, Oliver’s head poking out as he entered. The living room had no change since the previous year. He took his steps towards the couch in which he tossed his ukulele to a small pillow. Immediately, he lunged his body down to the cushions afterwards.

“God damn, this was a long day,” he groaned.

His eyes would barely lay open. His mind slowly grew hazy as his entire body went heavy.

“Not today,” he muttered. In a sigh, he pulled himself back together with the minimal energy he had. Stumping back, he opened his ukulele case and grabbed an item from an inner pocket.

A voice rang in his ears, not of Vittorino, but of a vivid reminder. “Don’t be afraid of what will come.”

Did you expect me to follow that?

He stumbled with his head down through the hallway. His stomach cried in pain.

“Just wait,” he told himself. “Just wait…”

He locked himself in the bathroom, facing himself against the sink mirror. The boy stared at his own deathly eyes.

I’m not gonna make it again, aren’t I?

Ten Dollars | Bread and Water | Red Eye | Next>>>

#writing #my writing #writeblr #writblr #writers on tumblr #black sun tale #bst #chapter 4 #gore warning #swearing warning #fish?#bst oliver #bst ayu #bst annette #bst vittorino #bst faustus?#faucet

4 notes · View notes