Burning Memories (open)

[Matthew Waylan]

It was an odd feeling to wake up like he did. Something...was licking him. Matt slowly blinked open his eyes and stared at the sight before him. It was a small....tiny...different colored fluff ball. Who was licking him. Why? Blinking Matt sat up careful not to disrupt the tiny kitten. He smiled and ran a finger along the thing, petting it and noticing how soft its fur was. Why was it on him? It couldn't have come in from outside,and Matt hadn't let it in.

Smiling Matt thought about how it could get in here logically. Smiling he noticed the purple harness and the letter that was most certainly Dani's hand writing. Yes, this was a Dani thing.Smiling a proud and gentle smile he opened the letter and started to read. He read it once. Then read it twice. Why? She had left. Maybe it wasn't true, maybe this was just another prank or joke. Dropping the letter after attempt number three Matt just looked at the kitten standing in front of him. He had left everything for her. His town, his friends, his life, all for her. So he could protect her. Was this a fair trade? A kitten for a sister? Matt didn't think so.

Matt felt his mood go from ad to worse when he realized his parents had kept this from him. He wouldn't talk. Wouldn't act around them. To him this was the ultimate betrayal. They didn't tell him, and that hurt him. Depositing the kitten safely onto the bed, it couldn't get into to much harm there Matt began to grab him notebooks. All of them. One by one he began to pack them up and put them in boxes. If you had been in Matt's room you would have seen the walls of notebooks. They had been kept from when he was seven years old. The wall was full and some of the notebooks were even piling up on the floor. One by one they went into boxes. One by one they went away.

As he was doing this he counted. Three thousand. He had kept three thousand of them. His room looked bare, empty without them, but if Dani wanted a restart he would restart. Restart everything. Lugging box by box down the stairs and to his dad's over sized truck he packed them all in and took off taking the small kitten with him. There were burn pits by the lake that he could use and it was not as if he would not be safe about it.

That's right. Matt was going to burn each one, taking away the memories and the past. By now it was the mid afternoon and Matt had been working since morning. His parent's didn't know what was going on and he wasn't about to tell them. Matt was unloading the boxes, one after the other making them all stacked and orderly. If he was going to do this he was going to do this right.By the time of night fall Matt had gotten about a third of the books burned. He was breaking no rules, and was trying to just think. It wasn't working well.

Why did she have to leave?

Matt sat there staring at the flames and the notebooks holding the small kitten. Surprised he felt something fall onto his face, as he noticed the tears trickling down.He wasn't supposed to be crying. He wasn't supposed to be burning his notebooks, yet here he was, sitting in the park, just watching it all burn away.

What would happen to him now?

[Reece Turner]

Chase had stayed far too long for Reece's liking and was again deciding to come to the club that night. He hated the very idea of his dad being there when he was dancing up close and personal with anyone he managed to take on. It made him have to curb his own desires for letting loose and being free in how he moved. It was 8pm on a saturday night when his father entered the room just as the bar was opening and a dance class had finished. Just enough time for people to get drinks and get ready to flash their moves on the dancefloor.

His eyes shot to the door as the elder version of himself walked in though instead of pale blue eyes, Chase had dark brown eyes that looked ominous when he was annoyed. Reece didn't feel up to seeing those eyes. He moved behind the bar and grabbed one of the bottled waters before he headed for the door. Naturally, his father caught him by the arm and a smile split across his old man's lips.
"Reecer, where you heading? I just got here... Please don't go."
Reece frowned at his father and shook his head.

"I'm sorry dad. Just got a call from Becca. She's having car troubles..."
Chase's face filled up with delight and Reece knew it had been the wrong name to use.
"Oh, I can help with those! I'll come along."
Reece winced and shook his head before unlatching himself from his father. All he wanted was to be free of his father. After the meeting with Emmy and his time in teaching her basics, he'd gone straight home to take his dad out for an extended lunch.

How sad was it that none of the three siblings wanted to be around their dad when he was in town? It was just that, his dad was sooo much like him. Wanting to be involved in everything. Wanting to help. Reece was sure he'd picked that up from his mom somewhere along their marriage.
"Nah dad. It's not a big deal. I can handle it but thanks anyway. I appreciate it. I'll let Becs know you wanted to help."
She'd be delighted, Reece thought.

Reece rushed out the door and started running. Although his smooth black dancing shoes were not really made for running, he couldn't hold back from rushing away from home. By the time he had to catch his breath, he was near the lake and his eyes widened at the fire blazing off in the distance. Reece gave a gasp and ran as fast as he could to the fire stopping when he saw a boy sitting before it, shoulders shaking a bit like he was crying. Reece gasped and rushed to the boy wrapping his arms around the boy and pulling him backward away from the raging fire and to the boy's feet.

"What the hell?"
Reece muttered staring at the fire before glancing to the boy still being held in his arms. He jerked back from the boy and shoved him slightly.
"What are you gonna do when this gets out of hand?"
Reece already had his phone out as he spoke in a panting voice. He looked down at the phone and started dialing emergancies.

"Do you have anyway at all of putting this out?"
Reece whispered, too alarmed by the growing fire and shaking a little in the process as he dialled, to notice that the boy was crying.

[Matthew Waylan]

Matt stared at the tiny kitten that was in his lap. He was careful to keep it from the fire and careful to keep it from wandering into the books an boxes. What was it going to be called? Honestly he couldn't just keep calling it it. To him a name was very important. It signified what one should be, what they were going to be. He grew tired of popular names for cats. He found them unimaginative and useless. They didn't really mean anything. Matt tried to think of a good name for the cat as he piled the notebooks on, one after the other.

Matt's boss had three cat's and all were named after herbs and plants. Basil had named them after things that he knew and loved.What did Matt know and love? The only thing he could think of was soccer and writing and stories. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of names to go with most of them. Then it hit him. Fable. It was perfect for the tiny calico kitten that was now sleeping in his lap. It just worked and that is what she was going to be called. Oh dear he would have to get toys and such for her wouldn't he. Sighing he thought of what a bother this tiny kitten was going to be.

Matt looked at the current notebook. It was one of his older ones, one that was from around the time that Dani had gotten taken from him. Most of the notes were dark and depressed. Matt's eyes flashed of the memory. He had holed himself up in a room all by himself for two days only leaving to go to the bathroom and obtain food. He was so mad, so scared and so alone. Matt's eyes were leaking tears again and one happened to fall on the tiny kitten. It in return licked his hand, its small tongue feeling scratchy on Matt's hand. Jolted out of the memory Matt looked at the tiny kitten and smiled, then tossing the notebook onto the ever growing fire.


Suddenly Matt was clutched and dragged away by someone unknown. Before he could get hold of the small kitten, it had already fallen out of his lap and onto the dirt ground. Scowling at whoever it was behind him Matt tried to get him to remove his arms from Matt's shoulders. Who was he? Why couldn't Matt just be left at peace to burn all of his notebooks? He squirmed trying to get to Fable. Who ever it was needed to let go.

Once let go Matt lunged forward and picked up the tiny kitten that had been making its way towards the fire one small wobble at a time. Carefully depositing it in a safe place he turned back towards the man that was standing looking worried and dialing numbers. Frowning at his words Matt wiped his tears and shoved the tiny kitten in the man's hands effectively taking the phone away from him and hanging up. At the question Matt nodded and motioned to the pails full of water that he had gathered earlier.

He wasn't stupid.

Matt knew about fire safety and he knew about keeping a way to put fires out. He wasn't breaking the law and he wasn't being a hindrance to anyone. Matt pointed to his notebooks and the fire hoping that the panicking idiot would get the message. He was here for a reason and had a plan. He was fine without being interrupted by someone wh didn't take the time to see the whole situation.Why couldn't he just be left alone?

Matt silently took back his kitten and gave the man back his phone when he was significantly calmer sitting back down in the same position, tossing another notebook into the fire.

By morning he would have burned all of them.

(OOC: If I need to change anything let me know)

[Reece Turner]

The damn boy struggled endlessly against him and Reece had a hard time keeping hold of him. The moment he'd let go and was on his phone, the kids lunged forward and Reece thought his world was about to end but found relief in the fact that it as just to scoop up the tiny little kitten. Upon the Kitten being shoved in his hand and the the phone being snatched from it, he frowned at the silent boy in return, his brows knitting together. His eyes flicked to where he pointed then to the buckets of water before he noticed the books that were being burned.

He let his hand glide across the Calico kitten as he frowned at the silent teen caling down a bit more now that he knew that water was within reaching distance of himself in case anything went wrong. The boy snatched the little kitten back and Reece flinched at his silent anger. Wow. Kid had some SERIOUS issues. Reece was about to turn and walk away when curiousity made him look back to the notbooks inside the box. As silently as he could, he moved to crouch by one of the boxes and eased out a notebook. He slowly opened it, his eyes locked on the back of the boy's head and he began to read.

It was almost like a diary and most of it had the word Dani in. Reece's eyes widened and he quickly moved to put the notebook down before realizing it would seem awkward so instead he got to his feet and moved to stand beside the boy holding the next one to be burned out to him. His blue eyes were blazing with understanding as he stared down at the silent boy.

"I can understand that you wanna burn this stuff but if you can't think of a method to get rid of them without hurting the environment and causing a health hazzard at least hear what I have to say. No need to respond to it of course."
Reece took a deep breath and sat down beside the boy. He stared into the boy's face for a moment before flicking his eyes to the fire then down at the box between himself and the boy.

"Sometimes people really hurt us and we wanna hurt them back so we do things... Things we think will hurt them and then, a week, maybe a month down the road we noticed that it really didn't have the desired effect. That what was meant to hurt them... hurt us instead and worse then we could have ever imagined. Fire... destroys completely but if you burried the rest of these somewhere...then maybe a week from now. A month from now you can come back and be grateful that you saved something at least. All of these, look like they took you a long long long time to collect and write and finish. All your hard work and memories and effort will be put to waste."

Reece kept staring at the box between them wondering if the mute boy would take about notebook from it. Reece felt like the boy was at any moment about to burst into tears.

[Matthew Waylan]

Matt was extremely relieved to be let go. First of all he didn't like people touching him and second of all he didn't like people who tried to control him. Couldn't the nosy stranger see the kitten that was wadding towards the fire? Matt didn't want Fable to die his early in his pet ownership. Dani would have probably killed him if he let that little kitten die. He knew that she was miles away but he knew that she would find away. After all his was his most prized possession at this point.

Matt watched as the man finally got what was going on and what was going to happen. Matt nodded quickly as the man realized what was going on and yes, he was being safe. He just wanted to burn all the notebooks. They held to many sad memories, they had to many stories. All of them were just fake now. They weren't a measurement of his judgement or of his progress. All they were, were sad reminders of the past. When Matt took his kitten back he just wanted t be left alone. The man obviously wasn't going to acknowledge that. Instead Matt watched as he shifted through the notebooks picking one up and looking at it.

Normally Matt would have snatched it back and instinctively hidden it away. His notebooks were sacred, something very few people were allowed to read. Matt knew that it was only a matter of time before they were going to be read. It didn't matter any more. They were all going to be burned tonight and there was never going to be any more. No more hurt, no more pain. He silently took the notebook with a weird look to the man then grinned as he realized he was being given it to toss. He did just that. Tossing it onto the fire, watching the fiery flames eat up the book. For some reason he felt....better.


The sudden words from the intruder made Matt look at him with confusion and caution. What did he understand? He understood nothing. Matt didn't really care if he was hurting the environment at this point. All he wanted was to burn the stupid things. They were just collecting dust in his room. What was he going to use them for anyway? They were a part of him. With each book he burned he felt lighter, less painful. Though, he doubted the older man cared about that anyway.

Matt kept tossing notebooks into the fire as he was listening t this person talk. He didn't get it. Matt wasn't doing this because someone had hurt him. He was doing this because he wanted to. Because if he didn't he would never move on. He wanted to destroy them. Forever. Besides, this wouldn't hurt him. This wouldn't hurt anyone else. This would heal him. The intruder didn't get that Matt liked fire for this reason completely. He was down to three of four boxes left and he intended to follow through. Taking out his pen he pulled one of the notebooks before tossing another onto the fire.

They aren't being put to waste. Why should I keep them? I don't want them any more and they aren't for other people to read. I kept them for a purpose and now that I don't have that purpose anymore it is apparent that I need to dispose of them. I know you are trying to help and everything but I have this under control. I am not an idiot. I have water nearby to put the fire out, I am not breaking any laws and I don't want to save any of these. You are right, a lot of memories went into this, but I don't want those memories. I don't need them anymore.

Matt reached for the next notebook after handing the page to the man. He was going to continue. It didn't matter what he thought. Matt was fine. He snuggled into his tiny cat and just kept telling himself that.

Of course the tears on his face might have told a different story.

[Reece Turner]

Reece watched as one after another the notebooks got tossed into the fire flinching as the fire started spitting into the heavens above them. He knew that Matt didn't like talking so he wouldn't push the subject and at least he wasn't getting glared at to go away anymore so Reece could sit beside the poor kid and watch as memory after memory was being burned like it meant nothing. The flames dancing across Matt's face were both beautiful and ominous. Dusk made it even more apparent that the day that was coming to a close would mean either a bad cut for Matt or a good one.

Reece watched as Matt scribbled on a piece of paper and half frowned at it. So he was a mute who could communicate but could he speak or not. Reece didn't find the silence awkward or unusual. Instead, he found it calming and relaxing and like he needed it. It was comforting to have the silence, only interupted by the crack of the fire. Usually wherever Reece was was noisy. Home where he and Becca would scream and fight and try and make sure their sound devices are the loudests when they were in the house together.

Or the club where the it was always noisy with music and people and dancing shoes across a wooden floor. Reece knew exactly what it felt like to be surrounded by noise but never what it felt like to be surrounded by silence. His eyes flicked to the little kitten in the boy's lap before the note was held out to him when another notebook joined the burning pack. Reece took his time, read it twice, make a point of putting himself in the boy's shoes before he folded the note and made to toss it to the fire but then stopped.

Maybe if he kept it he could one day give it to the kid and say 'Look, this is the day you changed your life.' God, Reece was such a romantic at heart it was insane. The note was slipped into his pocket and he picked up another notebook from the box to hold it out to the boy when he saw the tears on the kids cheeks. His eyes focused on them for a moment trying to resist but he couldn't and with a sigh he reached over his free hand to wipe away the tears from both his eyes. Reece then moved the back of his hand to stroke tenderly across the boy's cheek in a comforting and affectionate way.

Maybe if he spoke he could try and make them all feel better. Just a little bit about himself and why he sorta understood or thought he did until he was proven wrong.
"So, I'm Reece Turner and I broke my mom's heart by turning her Ballet studio into a sexy, wild, raw salsa club."
Reece pulled the box away and moved to sit beside the boy and his cat instead, having the box beside him instead so he could wrap the boy in his arms should the tears become a torrent.

He grabbed a whole heap of the notebooks and popped them on his lap as he stared into the fire.
"My mom was really disappointed in me. So disappointed that she left for a whole knew state."
Reece took a notebook and held it out to the boy.
"But... I know the real reason I turned her ballet studio into a salsa club. Not really cause I LOVE salsa."
Reece shook his head and sighed.

"Nope, the real reason behind it is because I felt like I was loosing control of myself and the only way I could keep it was to ... do what I did. It was mean and selfish but dear GOD did it feel GOOODDD."
Reece said softly before allowing his own smile to touch his features as he looked back to the boy wondering if it had made any difference what so ever.

[Matthew Waylan]

Matt could speak, yes, but that didn't mean he wanted to. He found no need to when there was a way to speak with out doing so verbally. If people didn't take the time to read his notes, that was their fault. Not his. Matt liked the silence. IT was just nice to think. Everywhere else you couldn't think. You couldn't be who you truly were. When you tried you were picked on and left out. It was easier to stay quiet. Easier to be left alone.

Matt stacked another pile of notebooks onto the burn pile and pet his tiny kitten, who was now drifting to sleep. Making sure the blanket was tucked snug around them both he opened the can of soda he had gotten from the truck. He silently offered another can to his silent sitting companion, figuring it was the least he could do if he was going to help him. Even if he was sticking his nose where it didn't belong.

Matt didn't even feel the tears on his face as they dripped down. He wouldn't cry after this though. It was a shock when he felt a hand on his face. Matt didn't like people touching him. He especially didn't like strangers touching him. That was, sort of creepy to say the least. Actually it was really creepy. Matt frowned the discomfort and shock showing on his face as he moved his chair away from Reece. He really didn't like people touching him.

Matt kept quiet, still away from the man that was beside him. He moved over a bit, away from the person sitting there. Hugs weren't huis style and it looked as if he was going to get hugged any second by the older dude. When he introduced himself Matt shook his head in a nod, to affirm what he was saying. He wondered why he was saying it though. Was it normal for the man to come unload on a stranger, not to mention on a teenage, never met nor seen before stranger? Matt didn't know and just waited fro the story that was about to come, because it was going to do just that, whether he wanted it to or not.

Matt quietly listened as he began to tell of what had happened between him and his mom. He doubted that was why she had really left. The way he saw it she was giving her son permission to live. Sure it might have irked her some that her son had changed everything, but that is what son's did. Changed everything, brought new traditions and thoughts into the world. That is why sons were often called Mama's boys. At least that si why to Matt. His own mother was scary, yes, but he knew at the end of the day she would be there for him and he her. That is what family was, there for each other.

As he listened to the supposed real reason Matt sighed visible. He had nothing to say to Reece, there was nothing he could say. He didn't think it was particularly mean or particularity selfish but he wasn't going to voice those opinions. To him it was what it was, and all you had to do was go through life and deal with e decisions you made. You had to make the best of it though and not fall into despair. He wondered though If Reece liked who he was. Was he the sort of person who was content with who they were, or did he feel the need to change everything about himself just to fit the role he was assigned. What he had done was broke free. It wasn't crazy, it was his way of coping. Matt shook his head and looked down, tossing yet another notebook onto the pile.

[Reece Turner]

Reece winced when the kid pulled away from his touch and a stab of hurt crossed over his face. He'd simply tried to brush away Matt's tears and it all got thrown back in his face, pretty much. The knot in his throat made him twitch at the thought of drinking any soda that had been offered to him and he'd put the soda can back down in front of the box that Matt was currently working on burning. He watched as Matt inched away from him like he was a leper of something along those lines and gave a soft sigh, lowering his head, and staring at his own hands as he told the story.

It had obviously not helped Matt any or made Matt more keen to want to spend time with him so Reece wouldn't force himself on the boy. Reece lifted the heap of notebooks from his lap and dumped them back in the box with a soft poof. His eyes lifted to watch Matt, the flames dancing beautifully within them. Then, finally, Reece got to his feet.
"I'm just gonna go now. Good luck with... burning memories and all that."
Reece didn't know what else to say.

'Have a nice night' just didn't seem to cut it right now. He sighed and slowly slipped his hands in his pockets before heading for the darkness of the park. Now where to go off to where he could avoid the dance club. Maybe he could go to another dance club. Dance and drink and have a little bit of fun along the way. Anything but being around the sad silent boy who seemed to lay a thick layer of depression on both of them all of a sudden. The boy didn't want to be helped and the boy didn't want human company so... Reece would let it go.

He glanced over his shoulder, uncertainly, one last time at the boy...

[Matthew Waylan]

As he listened to the supposed real reason Matt sighed visible. He had nothing to say to Reece, there was nothing he could say. He didn't think it was particularly mean or particularity selfish but he wasn't going to voice those opinions. To him it was what it was, and all you had to do was go through life and deal with e decisions you made. You had to make the best of it though and not fall into despair. He wondered though If Reece liked who he was. Was he the sort of person who was content with who they were, or did he feel the need to change everything about himself just to fit the role he was assigned. What he had done was broke free. It wasn't crazy, it was his way of coping. Matt shook his head and looked down, tossing yet another notebook onto the pile.

Matt honestly wasn't noticing the man's behavior or they was he was telling the story. If he had, well honestly, it wouldn't have changed anything. Matt was Matt and how he dealt with things didn't really change. Matt wasn't one to be, well very comforting. The only person he knew how to deal with effectively was Dani. Dani wasn't here now though so he didn't even know how to deal with her effectively. It made him sort of sad, but he quickly shook those feelings off as he put another pile onto the fire.

Matt sat there with his kitten on his lap playing with it silently watching the fire. Really, of what importance were those notebooks anyway? It wasn't as if he couldn't just re write them anyway. Matt kept all of those ideas in his head, keeping them all ready and waiting, until they could be used. He just about jumped when the notebooks were put back into the box, and looked up at the standing male above him. Nodding at his words Matt smiled.


Before the older male left Matt smiled and waved goodbye. Despite it being the odd encounter, with just a little bit of creepiness, it gave Matt something to think about. He wasn't going to change his mind and he was going to continue what he was doing yes, but the man had provided and interesting conversation and didn't force Matt to speak. That in itself was nice to find. Most people forced Mat to speak and that just made him all the more annoyed at them. Looking at the retreating figure Matt smiled, waiting for it to get far enough away from him, before he put another notebook on the pile.

“Thank you.” The words were muttered when Reece was out of earshot and out of the way. Mostly said to the little cat, the burning fire, and piles and piles of notebooks.


-wrapped-