TIME WARP: Happy New Year 2.0 (Odion)

[Rhett Goddard]

December 31, 2010
Close to midnight
Kocher haute école pour les surdoués, Switzerland

New Year's Eve. Although Rhett wouldn't admit the date was anything near special, it would seem that it might have been becoming more special every passing year. It meant change. 2010 brought Rhett to the realization that he was a metahuman, that he had something called Extrasensory Perception and he was forced to live a, rather stable, life in Switzerland in a rich school for other metahuman kids. He liked it. He liked the change. It was something new and it fitted him perfectly. And so, he had decided 2011 should also bring a new change, this time, however, he would make the call and perform the change, his genes weren't going to do it for him this year.

"I knew you'd be here." Rhett said out loud as he approached Odion from behind.

They were one of the very few kids who stayed in school during vacations, since they had no family to go to and spend the holidays. At least for Rhett, it was fine, he never never needed nor wanted a family. They were both in the administration building's rooftop. They sky was clear above them and the stars shining as bright as possible.

"Here." Rhett placed a champagne bottle next to Odion and then sat a meter from him. It was the same champagne they had drank exactly a year ago in Italy. "I didn't bring glasses."

[Odion Martins]

It took only six months for Odion to leave the gang of teenagers living on the street, and find his home in Kocher. His powers of slowing down time had improved substantially since being here, and he used this to his advantage. The red head was still pickpocketing where he could, still enjoying that part of life – a part he felt, would always stay with him.

A year ago he was in Italy, sitting in a pub with Rhett Goddard, toasting the new Year with ‘who gives a fuck what anyone else thinks’. Now he was on the rooftop of the meta school he attended, perfecting his powers and having a really good life. Sure, the school wasn’t as good as the ones in America, but it was his new home. Odion was used to changing homes by now, including the people that changed with them. The only thing that hadn’t changed in this situation, was Rhett. “Getting sentimental are we?” He quipped at his fellow pickpocketer, and now meta. Odi was looking at the champagne bottle with a smirk. Had Rhett changed at all this past year?

Odion smiled, “Be right back,” he said, getting up where he was sitting, leaving Rhett momentarily. He slowed down time as he made his way back to the room he had in dorm in a normal pace, grabbing a couple glasses and making his way back to the blonde. They had gone to school for half a year now, and while they hadn’t been the best of friends, things had been kept civil. Every once in a while, they would go out and pickpocket a few unsuspecting people, for old times sake.

“Here you go,” he said, handing both cups to the blonde, returning the pace of time back to normal. Some would think he had super speed, but it was just the reverse. Odi sat next to Rhett, keeping an arm’s length worth of distance between them. “So why’d you ask me to hang out tonight anyways?” He asked the other boy, Odi’s mind going back to a year ago. They weren’t as close now as they were back then, and even then, they weren’t that close to begin with. They had been civil when passing each other in school, but that was the extent of it. What had changed?

[Rhett Goddard]

"Right." Rhett sarcastically acknowledged Odi's comment to the fact that it was the same champagne.

He could have argued that there was no deeper reason from bringing that particular bottle besides the fact that Rhett had seen it and bought it just because it seemed to fit perfectly with everything else, more particularly, the fact that history was sort of repeating itself. But Rhett had no explanation to give, so he did not, and instead just nodded as Odion said he'd be right back, and literally, nearly two seconds after he was back indeed. The trick, of course, didn't amaze Rhett at all, not only he was hard to surprise, specially now with his meta ability, but he had also seen the ginger pull up his abilities enough times by now.

"Why do you think I did such think, Martin?" Rhett asked while opening the champagne bottle, which wasn't as fun as it seemed on movies. "Maybe I wanted to hang out with you?" He served the first glass and softly pushed it towards Odion. "Maybe I like you? Maybe I consider you family." Rhett served the second and left the bottle aside. "Maybe I'm returning the favor, maybe I'm just making history cyclic." The first sip of the thing passed down rather uncomfortably, even if the flavor was just as he remembered. "Maybe none of the above, maybe all of them." The second sip was better. "Consider yourself clever enough to guess? He taunted the ginger. "Go ahead."

[Odion Martins]

”Right”, that was the only thing Rhett had to say about the champagne. A tight lipped grin spread across Odi’s face. So the blonde hadn’t changed a bit. Still had only a few words to say, if any, still had the same sarcasm, and Odion still didn’t know that much about him. It only made sense though, Rhett didn’t exactly know much about Odion either. What the red head did know, was that he’d rather forget about the past, and make some headway into the future.

Question after question was thrown his way when it came to the reasoning behind why Rhett had asked him to come out here tonight. Odion grinned, “Or maybe you have a secret crush on me, or have nothing better to do,” he said, taking a sip from the filled plastic cup the blonde offered him, “maybe you’re lonely or maybe you have something extra special to say to me, I don’t really know, I was just asking.” There, the reasoning still hadn’t been found out, but at least one thing had been established - both young men were experts at keeping their secrets a secret, and both were good at the art of sarcasm.

“I seriously doubt the reasoning is any of those sentimental things though, so I’ll just assume you had nothing better to do and ask no further questions.” Odi was now preoccupied with the fireworks going off in the distance. They might have been small, but they were beautiful next to the clear, dark blue sky. Taking a look at Rhett, Odion was reminded of the intense past he once had. Things were different now. “Anyways mate, Happy New Year.”

[Rhett Goddard]

Me? Lonely? Rhett was lonely indeed. At least objectively, he was such a lonely person. He didn't have friends, he didn't want friends, he unusually enjoyed company. He was the kind of person that enjoyed people from afar, in the distance, in the background, because once they got closer, they became ugly, uninteresting, and the closer they got, the worse it would be. It wasn't like he didn't believe in relationships, in friendships, in love, because he did know such things existed. He just didn't believe those things were for him. He believed he was above them, but a more honest part inside him believed he was below them. That same small part also believed he didn't deserved them.

"Yeah. Happy new year." It was all he could mutter as the fireworks lighted the sky in the distance.

Odion was too bright for his own good and knew Rhett too much for Rhett's good, even if it was as little as it actually was. Rhett was there that night to say many things, but the blonde was not going to say them aloud and Odion was not a mind-reader. Thanks. Goodbye. You're a good person. Also, Rhett was unusually in the same channel as his feelings and Odion was not an empath, he would have felt the fact that Rhett felt of Odion as the closest thing to a friend he had, or even family. The red-haired was perhaps the most humane thing about Rhett.

"So should I faint like last year or should we try something different this time?" He drank from his cup with a soft grin and a raised eyebrow. "I'd say is your turn to pass out but I've seen you like that one too many times." Rhett waved his cup to signal he was talking about alcohol. Then, as it would happen usually with his powers, he remembered something that he actually didn't know about the ginger. "You should get a refund for those Irish genes."

[Odion Martins]

Odion was happy sitting on the top of this building, sipping at champagne while watching fireworks. He was in a world all his own. The boy swung his legs over the side of the building to hang in midair. He might’ve been quiet and reserved, but he was also fearless. He was an interesting character to say the least. He liked the stillness in the air, but he could just imagine the happy cheers going on all over the city. There was just something about this moment that felt right – way better than last year anyways.

The silence was ended by Rhett joking around once more. It was nice to be around him, even if not very much was said. Odion wasn’t the talkative type anyways. Shrugging, Odi wasn’t really sure what to say. “Both sound amusing,” he said, finishing off what was left in his glass. There was more in the bottle though, and the red head helped himself to it. If Rhett had a problem with that, well... “Right, my one weakness,” he said, feeling his face turn red. It was pretty ironic that the blonde decided to say that, considering what just happened.

The red head’s eyes sharpened, unable to look at Rhett, but the feeling of uneasiness had set in and Odion knew he wouldn’t enjoy the rest of the night. So much for a good start to the New Year... He thought to himself. “I never told you what size or shape my genes are.” If Rhett didn’t drop the subject, he would find himself alone very quickly. “I know you’ve been working on your powers and all that, but keep yourself out of my mind alright?” He said quickly, trying to get the words out.

Things couldn’t be more awkward.

[Rhett Goddard]

"Well in that case you should work on what involuntary means." Rhett drank again from his cup.

And on the way that my powers work, as a matter of fact. Rhett's powers had nothing to do with mind reader, even if Odion, and some others, were set in believing so. It was also, sort of, Rhett's fault, though, he barely did something to set things straight regarding the nature of his powers, and having people believe he could read minds was sometimes funny and interesting. He did wondered, however, if the ginger was so set on believing this because Rhett wanted him to or because Odion was stubborn enough, or unintelligent, to understand the truth to it.

"You didn't know you were Irish, did you?" Truthfully, he had no idea if Odion knew such thing. He knew, however, that maintaining the subject would bother the ginger, it was fairly obvious in subtle body language, and even though Rhett was a little hesitant on doing such thing, he couldn't help himself from his malevolent bothering nature, and he couldn't make Odion a special exception just now. "Wasn't it fairly obvious, though? Or maybe it's like those things that once you see you can't stop seeing. You do look Irish."

[Odion Martins]

Odion could only assume Rhett was a mind reader. The blonde was an even bigger loner than he was, so how exactly was the red head meant to find out what kind of powers he had if Rhett had never really told him. Rhett wasn't a very open person, and seeing as the details of how the information came to him wasn't disclosed, Odi could only assume what his powers were. "Or, you could work on your powers a bit more," he said with finality, wanting to drop the subject. Now.

"It's not something I'm about to discuss with you, Goddard," the younger boy said, setting his once again empty glass down. Rhett had no business poking around in his past, especially when Odion would kill to know who his real parents were. The blonde didn't seem at all interested in the same things Odi wished he could have. "Since when are you interested in me anyways? Fuck off, seriously." He said, looking back to the sky. The red head was a little bit ticked off, but Rhett had always been this way. And Odi had always reacted this way. It didn't help that Rhett could now use his powers on his apprentice, and Odi wasn't used to his company anymore.

If things carried on this way, Odion wouldn't fight, he'd simply leave. He may have wanted to be closer friends with Rhett, as it only made sense, but that kind of relationship would never work. The only thing they had in common, was pickpocketing, and in Odi's opinion, that activity should be kept silent. In fact, he was sure he would survive if the two of them didn't speak another word to each other.

[Rhett Goddard]

"Well, you were the one who said I have a secret crush on you." Rhett said in a serious tone.

He wondered why Odion was now so mad with the subject. He did know Odion didn't know much about his family, but Rhett had never imagined that talking about it would make the ginger throw steam out of his ears. Everybody's different, was the best conclusion Rhett could come up with at the moment. He didn't want to put too much thought about it, Odion never was one of his mystery-puppets to decipher, something Rhett had decided for all of his gang-mates in an attempt to keep the relationships from getting personal. In the back of his mind, though, there was a little bit of consideration about changing that and push Odion to the limit to learn from it since it was the last time the two would meet but Rhett was constantly deciding against it.

Things however managed to get too personal, sort-of accidentally, anyway. Perhaps it was better to do what he had come to do all along, to say goodbye.

"And that's my cue to leave." Rhett finished his cup and placed in the ground before standing up in one quick jump. "Goodbye Odion. Don't miss me much."

[Odion Martins]

Odion let the boy leave, frozen between stopping him and speaking up for once. The former didn't happen. By the time the red head looked behind him to find Rhett, the blonde was already gone. Odi sighed and got up from his perch, casting the sky one last, longing look. How come this had to end so abruptly? He always complained about how Rhett had never let anyone in, but was he really any better? Staring at his empty cup, he grimaced and threw it over the rooftop.

"Happy New Year my ass..." he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets, his heart feeling heavy in his chest. Had he just kissed his only piece of 'home' goodbye?

The End.