Far Far Away [open]

[Erik Stewart]

“You gonna miss me when you’re gone?”

Erik looked over. He could not help but feel a jab of annoyance. Grant was a sensitive guy and, in many ways, handsome, but he was also quite stupid, and such things didn’t mix well. Erik hadn’t been home in nearly forty-eight hours and he’d only slept for three of them. This early, early dawn was the first time in a while he’d had any peace and quiet, lying there on the roof that led from Grant’s apartment from the fire escape; he wanted to count the stars, drift off to sleep.

“Are we having a moment?” he asked. If so, he’d probably need to stay awake for that.
Grant shrugged.
“It’s not like I’m moving away forever,” said Erik, even though he might be.
“Sure you are. You’re moving to some yuppie state.”
Erik hadn’t said anything.

It’d been three years since he’d left Louisiana, and that wasn’t enough time for Grant to forget him. He was probably the same old Grant that he’d left behind: smokin’ pot, doting over his car, rolling around in his own filth…he’d be a junior
(a senior?)
now, and in a normal school, too. Grant had always liked Erik more than Erik liked Grant, and in some awful way, Erik knew he could take advantage of that. Should he show up at his doorstep pleading sanctuary, the kid would probably let him stay.

Truthfully, Erik had been thinking of leaving Hammel for some time now. It was natural to feel resentment towards an institution that lifted you from home – even if home had been a rotting suburban nightmare in a swamp, even if home had a forbidden room because the mold had gotten a’hold of it. None of that mattered, because he didn’t like what Hammel wanted him to become. They wanted him to be good. They wanted him to stop smoking. They wanted most of all what was best. They’d seen a million kids just like him, they said. The harder they pulled, the harder Erik dug his heels in.

He had sixty dollars to spare. He didn’t know if it was enough to buy him a ticket to Louisiana. Probably not.

He realized Grant was talking again. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Erik gave in. “I guess a little.”
He could sense his friend’s eyes on him, but he wasn’t in the mood to acknowledge it; Grant knew what Erik was, a fickle thing with a sting, and was used to the pinpricks of verbal abuse he sometimes saw fit to fling his way. Sometimes Erik didn’t even know why he stuck around – in fact, Erik could remember times he was downright mean to him, when he spat at him, lashed out. Sometimes, Erik found his loyalty commendable. Other times it bothered him. Always he felt the urge to test Grant’s limits, and sometimes to break it.

Something in him knew he wouldn’t get very far even if he tried; they’d found him in the middle of nowhere, Banks Springs, Louisiana, so they’d surely find him again. What would he do then? Become the snake he was, maybe; threaten them with a healthy dose of hemotoxin. Or maybe he’d just slither off and find himself a nice pond to live under.

Sixty dollars wasn’t even enough to make it through New York.

He sat on the bench outside of the Transportation Center, watching the people go by. There was a girl dumping the rest of her soda into the trashcan. A child almost walked into the street, but was quickly grabbed by her mother. The chatter became an incessant hum as Erik stared off at the far side of the road, absently picking at the tip of his thumb with his teeth. What should he do? How does one live on the run? He’d never asked for this.

Erik would probably tell Grant he came back because he missed him. (This wasn’t true.)

He wondered if God was watching them from the sky. He wondered if God had watched them, just hours before, naked and intertwined. He wondered if he put it down in a little golden book to be brought out and judged the day he died, or if he knew that Erik was escaping Banks Springs, Louisiana, if he knew that what awaited him was sin or death or both and that He would always follow.
One shall not lie with a man as he does with a woman.
Leviticus.

He remembered the eyes of God, staring down at them on the roof of Grant’s apartment.

“You’re gonna sleep out here?” Grant asked. “What if it rains?”
Erik stared at the sky. “I’ll be fine.”
“Why don’t you come on back to bed?”

And he did.

[Jade Parrish]

Jade had just finished pinning up yet another poster for an advertisement for a roommate in the downtown area by the transportation center. Lots of people passed by there and went through there each day so it made sense to advertise there. She just only hoped that no creeps applied or overly enthusiastic females who drove her insane.

She took out another flier to pin onto a bulletin board in the front of the building when a wind picked up and the paper slipped from her hands and skipped across the street, landing in front of a bench where a guy sat, looking contemplative and overall, angsty. He had a dark appearance to him, charcoal black hair and a pair of blue eyes to match her own.

She chased down the piece of paper, combat boots clunking on the sidewalk with each step, snatching it before it fell into the storm drain. She stood up to her full height once more, which wasn't very tall at all and looked over at the boy again, who seemed very much in his own grim world. "Going somewhere?" she asked, gesturing towards the transportation center sign. "Or are you just here for the pretty sights?" The downtown wasn't ugly, but it could get pretty creepy at night.

[Erik Stewart]

He was aware of a shadow falling over his shoulder. He could sense someone entering his space, and he looked up, blinking rapidly against the flare of sunlight. It was a girl; he couldn’t recall seeing her around. There were combat boots on her feet and a wad of papers in her hand, and he thought he could infer what she was doing here – advertising something, maybe. He guessed she was responsible for some of the flyers stuck to the wooden poles.

Erik didn’t respond right away. There was a beat all of five seconds, maybe one more, in which he looked alternatively between her face and a rolled-up piece of trash, pushed along by the wind. He wasn’t quite sure how to answer her question.

“Going somewhere, I guess,” he said at last.

This girl seemed alright, and her inquiry seemed nothing but innocent, but Erik had never navigated the waters of social interaction without some sort of fault. Living in a town of twenty-or-so people did that to you…and he was half-snake, at that, and those fuckers never spent time with each other unless it was to fight or mate.

He expected her to move on then. When she didn’t, he asked, “Are you from the school?”

[Jade Parrish]

The guy wasn't answering her, but Jade was rather stubborn and waited anyway. Then he finally spoke. "Going somewhere, I guess."

"You guess?" she asked, turning to face him fully, a stack of fliers still in her hands. "So you're debating going somewhere. Vacation? Chasing down a long lost love? Running away?" She threw out several options, sending a close-lipped slight smile that was really more of a smirk in his direction.

And then he asked another question and Jade raised an eyebrow. "The school?" By the school, she was guessing what he meant. Most people wouldn't just say 'the school' if they were referring to a normal high school and the fact that he didn't give it a name made Jade think he was a bit bitter about the place, which made sense. She'd always been as well. Somehow she'd survived long enough to graduate-- although she may have paralyzed a few people along the way.

"I was from the school," she finally replied. "I graduated." It was a strange question to ask right off the bat.

[Erik Stewart]

He’d thought so. Maybe it was the vibe, but he thought he could tell between a Hammel-goer and the average rabble.

Erik wasn’t sure he liked her line of questioning. He crossed his arms. “I’m goin’ back home,” he declared, stubborn, in his dark southern belle voice, then gestured with his thumb. “Down. South.” He folded his arms again. “It’s where I come from, if y’couldn’t tell.”

And indeed it was hard to tell, at least until Erik opened his mouth. He didn’t look like the typical southern boy; you expected to see stubble and a hat, a chest full of hair, a flannel shirt and some jeans. Erik? Well, he looked queer, to say the least. He was thin and kind of delicate looking; even pale. Only the sprinkling of freckles looked to be in place.

“You don’t have any change d’you?” he asked, not even remotely expecting a ‘yes’. “I need about two hundred dollars an’ I only have sixty.”

[Jade Parrish]

Jade certainly didn't like he spoke to her -- and it wasn't the accent, that was fine, although it didn't exactly seem fitting for him or like something she'd expected from him. It was how rude he was without even giving her a chance. Jade knew that people had things going on in their lives and you never quite knew why they were acting the way they were, but his lack of politeness still pissed her off. "I'm not stupid," she declared. "I could tell from your accent, you know."

Did she have any money? Yeah, right. Did he see the flyers she was putting up? Roommates needed. Did that scream that she had enough money on her? She was broker than broke right now. And if she had money, why should she give it to this guy? She knew she was getting mad way too fast and tried to calm herself down and look at it objectively.

He must be from Hammel from how he was talking and he wanted to go home. Plus it seemed like a snap decision since he didn't have enough money. "Why are you trying to get home?" she asked. "The semester just started." She didn't mean to pry, but she was curious and the guy seemed pissed about something.

[Erik Stewart]

Erik shrugged. “Just wonderin’,” he muttered.

He had a way of bringing out the worst in people. There was something about him: all that surliness, those brooding eyes, his snappish tongue…everything down to the way he carried himself or how he walked. There was just something inherently unlikeable, born into him like the freckles or his clear blue eyes – or the result of consorting with serpents. Those eyes stared up at Jade, somewhat narrowed.

Erik decided he’d be frank. “I don’t like it here,” he responded.

He was quiet then, for a little. He rocked in his seat, gently, considering to himself; maybe he could get a little dirty and pretend to be homeless. He might get some change then…but surely not three hundred dollars. Maybe he’d hitchhike.

“I’m goin’ on the run.”

[Jade Parrish]

Jade looked at him, really looked at him as if she was trying to figure him out, but the more she looked at him, the more lost she became. "Well, duh," she said, crossing her arms in return. "Who does like it at Hammel? You feel like a caged animal at the zoo." She could have figured that out for herself.

And then he just didn't say anything and she could only hear the light whistling of the wind and the crumpling of the fliers in her hand, because she was getting annoyed. And then he spoke, finally.

"I'm goin' on the run."

She raised an eyebrow. That's why he needed 600 dollars. She'd been right about it being a spur of the moment decision. It was obvious a family member hadn't planned to have him come home and it was a long way from Vermont. There were times where she just wanted to leave Hammel too--and she had. Although she never went back home. Home was where memories were of her deceased sister...and the fire....and her freakishly religious parents would just make her go back to church. It wasn't something she really wanted to go back to.

"I'm all for impulsive decisions and being spontaneous, but you're not going to make it that far," she told him.

[Erik Stewart]

Erik thought. ‘A caged animal in the zoo.’ That was fitting, probably more than she realized – he was the one who turned into a giant pit viper. He recalled something he’d learned at school; the exotic African peacock, longing to return to the wild…

He didn’t have time to remember exactly where that particular tidbit had come from. Instead, he furrowed his brows. “The hell I won’t,” he said – though that particular thought had occurred to him many times. “Y’think they’d notice if one kid outta a billion went missin’? Not for a while. And I could…I could be long gone by then.”

There was still some crazy part in his head that was convinced he could do it. He could get the money and leave. He could stay in Grant’s apartment, for a while. When they came a’knockin’, then he’d jump out the window, start running again. He could live a life on the run. He could do it, he thought to himself. He was seventeen; he didn’t understand the multitudes of things that could go wrong.

“What d’you know about it anyway?”

[Jade Parrish]

"Sure you could be long gone, but they don't bring you to Hammel to torture you, I hope you know. It wasn't my favorite place either. But that's why you sneak out every now and then and make your own fun and then once you're outta there, you're free. I'm not one to like to be contained either, but if I can make it, there's no doubt that you can too," Jade told him. It wasn't much of a motivational speech, but she was trying. "As much as I hated it there, I"m more under control with my power."

The guy was really trying to convince himself that he could do this and while Jade thought that he might be able to make it that far, given if he got more cash or hitchhiked or something (which she didn't recommend), she still didn't think running away was the answer. "Make that hell hole fun. It's just as much of one as regular high school," she said with a shrug just before he'd made yet another stubborn comment.

"Look, I know you didn't ask for my opinion, but it seems like a good idea to run away and all, but your illusion is going to be shattered very quick, kid." How old was he anyway?

[Erik Stewart]

Erik just let out a harried sigh. “I didn’t ask for a power.”

If Dr. Neville couldn’t do it, there wasn’t much of a chance for Jade. He lapsed into silence, arms crossed, brow lined in thought. His blue eyes flickered once towards her face, and found that she was still standing there. Erik’s mouth crimped. He couldn’t imagine what she wanted, but at least she was persistent…and her warnings seemed genuine.

“I’m not goin’ anywhere,” he mumbled, at length. “Don’t got th’ balls.”

He was angry. Seething. Being a snake was cool and all, but it came with more trouble than it was worth, and if he could give it back he could. He didn’t want to be in Vermont. He didn’t want to go to school here. Hell, he couldn’t even drop out if he wanted to. Everyone else had that choice. But like so many decisions, that, too, had been yanked out of his hands.

“I’m not goin’ to get to Louisiana with sixty dollars,” he explained, his voice low. “Can’t hitchhike. Probably get murdered if I do. Or somethin’.” Erik looked up into her face, his gaze unwavering. “’m not stupid. I know I won’t get far. But if there was a way…”

He stopped himself.

[Jade Parrish]

"Nobody does really," Jade told him with a shrug. "And quite honestly, it fucking sucks. Trust me, I know." She wasn't telling him to flat out say what his power was, but she knew that she'd gotten one of the worst ones--of course she could use it to raise hell, which is why everyone should be glad that it didn't land into the hands of the wrong person--like a murderer, or rapist. Just a young woman who always wore black and didn't give a fuck what people thought of her.

This kid was damaged goods and just like her, he'd obviously been sitting on a shelf way too long, ignored. "Well, you seemed pretty ballsy when I first came over here, but reality sets in, doesn't it?" She hated that. It crushed what you believed and what you wanted. It was always there to give you the wake up call you never wanted. "And just so you know, there is a way. There are plenty of ways. Some are dangerous, but my way is easy." She dug into her black bag and pulled out her keys, dangling them in the air at eye level. "If you really want to go to Louisiana that bad, I have a car. You give me that sixty bucks and we'll call it even. I'll drive because nobody's driving my baby," she pointed out as if he would total it. "But...sometimes going home isn't what's best. Hell, maybe your home is better than mine and I'm just biased."

[Erik Stewart]

Erik lifted his head. His gaze focused on the keys dangling in her hand. For a moment, he thought wildly: was she joking? Could she really drive all the way down there? Was it a trick? Obviously it was a trick. She’d been part of Hammel and she could’ve easily told them he was leaving. What did they do to attempted runaways? But there was something about Jade that made him doubt it. Those eyes told him that she was genuine, and it confounded him.

“It’s a twenty-one hour drive,” he uttered, slowly. Erik’s eyes were narrowed; he was watching for an errant twitch, a sign that would give her away. “You wouldn’t get back here for…three days at least.”

As callous as he was, even Erik was subject to humility. After a while he seemed to give up and turn away, unable to face such a significant kindness; he sighed, letting his shoulders relax. “You wouldn’t get nothin’ to gain from it,” he decided. “I’m not gonna make you drive all the way down there.”

He stood up. “I’d better just go,” he muttered.

[Jade Parrish]

The guy was staring at her like she wasn't serious. She narrowed her eyes at him as he seemed to be studying her to decide whether or not she was messing with him. Jade messed with people, she wasn't going to deny that, but why not help this kid out? He was utterly bitter about something besides going to Hammel and she knew what it was like being in that place.

"I know," she responded to everything he'd said. Twenty-one hours. Three days. She wouldn't gain anything from it. "But you wouldn't be making me drive down there. It was just an offer." After all, Jade wasn't a stranger to spontaneous acts....road-trips among them. "I never want to go back home, but if that's what you need to get your boxers out of a bunch, then so be it." She spun her keys on her fingers as she spoke.

And then he got up from the bench, muttering that he should leave. She sighed heavily. "Can I at least just...give you a ride back to campus or something?" she asked him. "I'd offer you to stay at my apartment for a few days until...shit blows over or whatever....but Noa would probably take you in as her personal pet and Vera might think I'm sleeping with you...but again, I'm just offering. Aren't you used to this? Southern hospitality and all that?"

[Erik Stewart]

“Listen,” he said, “I don’t know you an’ you don’t know me, alright? You’d be better off keepin’ your favors to y’self. And there ain’t no reason t’drive me halfway ‘cross the country ‘cause I got my ‘boxers in a bunch’ or for nothin’ else. It don’t make any sense.” Erik paused. “’Sides…I could be a total asshole. You’d make it out th’ state and then you’d realize you’re spending a fuckton lot of gas on an asshole.”

But he did appreciate it. To be honest, her magnanimity surprised him…it made him humble, in a way, despite the harsh grating southern words; he looked down at his feet and shuffled, at a loss when faced with such generosity. Of course he did not deserve it. He knew that. He couldn’t have and wouldn’t have let her done it if she’d dragged him. Erik could not imagine the amount of trouble she’d be in, too; Hammel probably had a strict policy on runaways, but what happened to the people who helped them?

When Jade brought up her next offer, Erik narrowed his eyes. “Just…t’the school, right? You’re not gonna take off south or nothin’?”

He seemed to be in thought. Erik wasn’t sure ‘bout the rest of it – about Noa, or Vera, and especially the ‘sleeping with you’ part (he was incredibly homosexual, but she didn’t need to know it)…but he figured a ride home sounded good. It was getting late. He needed to think about things.

Erik gave up. His shoulders slouched. “Ain’t much hospitality for our types,” he muttered. “A ride back t’school would be nice, though…if th’ offer still stands.”