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An Unexpected Evolution

by IntotheDarkness

revised by:

Leo_Todrius

K-Libra

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"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; ..."

-"The Road Not Taken", Robert Frost

Chapter 1: Instigation

As I passed through the doors of the classroom, I saw the faces of my compadres Martin and Darreth in the corner, laughing away as they always did before waiting for the next class to start, joking about what some idiot did the day before or the time prior to the class. I made my way toward them and took a chair to join in on the gossip or ridicule of the day. Our Trio had been the three musketeers of trouble since our days in middle school, and high school has been no exception even though we are older.

"So you know that weird kid that just sits in the main hall before school and during lunch without saying shit to no one?" asked Darreth smugly, "And just draws on that stupid fucking pad a' his?"

"Yeah what about him?" replied Martin, with amusement.

"Well I got a glance at what he was drawin' and was some of that weird animal suit shit you seen from ona' those documentaries on TV." he gibed

"Furries?" asked Martin in disbelief.

"Yeah, that's the one. Fuckin' perv dude.", scoffed Darreth with a chuckle.

"Ha, you can't be serious dude, that's fucked up, fuckin' weirdo." I added.

Our conversation was cut short when the bell thrummed throughout the classroom, indicating class was about to begin. I couldn't help but think of the kid in the hall for the entire class and how unusual someone like him could be, why people like him even exist.

After class we all gave our goodbyes and walked off to reach our next class. On the way, I passed by the weird kid the other guys were talking about earlier. Here he was, almost perfect to detail to what Darreth said, sitting along the wall and drawing what seemed to be a seductive cat-lady with spots that I assumed was some leopard girl out of those marvel comics or something. Before I could even realize what I was doing, I approached the kid and my mouth parted on its own accord.

"So what's your name anyways?"

As if startled out of some sort of trance, he looked up to me with small eyes - eyes that instantly came level with my own, eyes that were an icy blue. Deep shadows filled the very entities of the circular orbs that reflected my own... Shadows that for an instant sent a sliver of a shiver down my spine. A deep shadow, that somehow I felt reflected sorrow and longing. It wasn't until he blinked his eyes that my sudden trance was broken.

"Patrick." was his simple reply.

Giving a few shakes to cast off the weird moment I almost forgot what I had uttered to him to begin with.

"So is that shit like for class or somethin'?" I asked after regaining my composure.

"Why does it matter if it doesn't change what you and fucks like you think about me anyways?" he blurted in a defensive matter, suggesting that he had been through this conversation before.

"Fuckin' weirdo..." I muttered as I lumbered away from him as if he were suddenly some hobo who had no meaning in life.

"Oh My God! Matt!"

As if suddenly zapped, I swung around till I came face to face with a familiar someone. A someone of whom was very special to me. A someone whom I would be close and cherish to the ends of the Earth... Candria.

"Candy! I haven't seen you all day!" I gleefully said with open arms.

We gave each other a hard embrace before coming face to face, pausing for but a moment, our lips centimeters apart. That space was instantly filled when our lips met and we gave a very short-lived, but seemingly eternal kiss.

"I'm gonna be staying after school today to help one of the counselor's students, wanna hang out for a little beforehand? I've got a little time to burn in-between."

"Sure, I'll do anything to spend as much of my life with you." I said sincerely.

With that she struck a smile that would make a dying animal breathe life once more and our lips met again. Sadly it was for a shorter moment than our last.

"Okay, I'll see you then." she said as proceeded down the hall with a light bounce to her feet.

The rest of the classes throughout the day were almost reflections of each other, as if I was in the same class over and over with no end in sight. It wasn't till I heard the lunch bell that the curse was finally broken. I proceeded towards the lunch room with a dire need for a break... and a need to sate my dying hunger.

After getting my food I went to the trio's regular spot in the courtyard. There I found them sitting with a good friend of ours, Trisha. I proceeded to take my place amongst them finding a comfortable spot in the process.

"Hey did you see 'im?" I heard Darreth ask with a hushed voice.

I looked up to see that he had his head leaned slightly toward me but facing off towards another area of the courtyard. Following his gaze I saw Patrick sitting on one of the benches munching away on a premade PBJ sandwich from the cafeteria whilst drawing on his pad.

"Yeah, he said his name's Patrick." I replied. Taking a bite of my first real meal of the day.

"You mean you actually fuckin' talked to him?" Asked Darreth, shocked.

"Yeah, didn't mean to, was kinda outta nowhere." I replied taking another bite of my lunch.

"Is he pretty weird or what?" ask Darreth.

"Yeah..." I chuckled, though somewhere in my mind I felt something was off, some trait about the kid that I'd felt before.

"You know, you guys don't have to be such dicks about other people that are different." butted in Trisha, jostling me out of my deep train of thought.

"The boy's prolly had a bad experience with people at some point his, who knows if he just wants to be in solitude." She continued, eyes squinting at Darreth accusingly, as if he was the core to the harsh judgment of the kid.

"He's still weird..." rebutted Darreth like a scorned child.

Lunch continued as usual with banter about stories of other students or teachers. When all was said and done, we all said our dues and went off our separate ways towards the last classes of the day.

My second to last class luckily was a study hall for me. I chose it as an elective to my class schedule this semester so that I could trudge through whatever homework I had so that I wouldn't have to fight a losing battle with procrastination with it at home.

Though this time, I couldn't help but recall what Trisha said earlier in the courtyard.

"The boy's prolly had a bad experience with people at some point his, who knows if he just wants to be in solitude."

And that's when it triggered it...my life... my bad experience... Candria is one of the very few who knows of my past, how my father had left when he saw no hope for a future for my mother and I. On top of that, I was an only child.

My mother worked part time as a pharmacist at the local CVS. We had difficulty scraping by until she met a good old friend of hers who owned and worked at a Therapy clinic.

I remember it all so clearly, how my fatherhe stated that he couldn't bear to see a son that cared about nothing but hanging out with friends and not taking school seriously, no direction or hope for a future.

And what's worse is that I couldn't blame him, it was at that moment that I realized my life was a failed attempted of conjuring an illusion, a utopia for myself to escape the stress of life itself.

And from that day, I lost a lot of motivation to continue any future. My salvation of hope was when I found Candria, who helped to push me to seek a future, to cast aside the words of hopelessness of my father that constantly echo in my head.

"To seek a NEW life..."

I heard the bell ring and I was again thrust back into reality. I hadn't realized that my eyes had gotten a little watery from the long reflection. Casting away those tears, I made my way to my next class.

My final class went through quicker than usual, to me at least.

Once I was out of class I remembered my promise to Candria to hang out with her after school.

I proceeded to the front of school where we usually met up when we hung out after-school.

The moment I got there I recognized her face immediately. The other, however, I did not recognize until closer inspection.

As soon as I realized who it was, I froze in place, mouth agape.

"Hey Matt!", shouted Candria with that sincere smile of hers.

"This is, err Patrick, he's the student I said I would be helping console earlier."

His deep blue eyes met with my own once again today. I saw his expression tighten up a bit.

"I know I said just you and I would hang out, but the counselor got tied up with a last minute emergency so she had to head off in a hurry", said Candria slightly concerned at our firm gaze and sudden silence.

"Uh, nice, to uh, meet you... Patrick." I said with a slight hesitation

"Likewise," replied Patrick still locked with a firm gaze.

"So how about we head out for some ice cream at the 'Ye Ole'?", suggested Candria, with a slight confusion and concern over the sudden tension, attempting to ease it.

"That'd be cool." I broke the cold stare-down with Patrick to respond to her suggestion.

"I'm fine with that.", followed the reply of Patrick, our gazes meeting once more, if for but a scarce second or two.

"Awesome!" said Candria relieved and back into her sincere mood.

We all made our way into the small ice cream and sandwich café, the Ye Ole' Café?. Within was but a handful of customers, some with small children eager to have their sugar rush for the day.

"How 'bout you two go pick out a booth and I'll get the orders for the three of us," stated Candria.

"I know what you want of course," she said referring to me, "however, I do not know yours," she looked toward Patrick.

"A simple vanilla with some pecans will be all for me," answered Patrick.

"Okay, I'll be right back!" said Candria, before falling in line with the other customers.

"So where's your pad?" I asked blatantly, breaking the awkward silence between us.

"It helps make me feel peaceful," Patrick replied, as if answering an entirely different question.

"What?" I chimed back, confirming that suspicion.

"Drawing, it helps bring me peace," said Patrick more straightforward.

"So it's a hobby then?" I asked.

"Yes, in a sort of way, and I only take art since it is one of the only classes I can relate to, in reference to your other question before," he replied.

I was about to ask him about the unique art I found him sketching in the halls before suddenly being stopped short from the appearance of three ice cream bowls on the table.

"Here they are!" said Candria with glee.

"So have you two gotten acquainted?" she asked, rousing a suspicion that she had been watching from afar.

"Mmmm, in a way," stated Patrick after taking the first spoonful of his creamy delight.

"That's great, it's not often that Matt here makes a new friend," jested Candria, with a slight chuckle.

I looked away at a random point of the store, mumbling under my breath. Candria didn't seem to take notice, though Patrick kept a keen eye on me the whole time.

I couldn't help but feel that he and I were not so different in the depths of my mind.

We finished our afternoon sugaries. Candria and I had our usual small talk, though not as personal with the presence of another individual. Though she still had her bit with Patrick as well, indicating that she had befriended him quite well.. A littleore than I had expected.

"Oh! We've got ten minutes to get to our appointment, we'd better hustle back!" interrupted Candria, not realizing how much time had passed.

"I'll see you tomorrow during school sometime Matt, alright?" she said gathering her belongings in a hurry.

We all stood up from our booth and I proceeded to receive a tight hug from her.

"Oh! Before I forget, I have something to give you," she said after suddenly breaking our embrace.

From her bag she pulled out a small jewel case, which I slowly and gently pulled back the cover, revealing a small trinket.

It was a small black sinewy string with wooden beads. The beads had soft graining along their surface as if the creator had meaningfully crafted each twist with artistic value. Each individual bead was larger than the last, seemingly building suspense to a greater climax until I preyed my eyes upon the pinnacle of the unique bracelet. A similar wooden craft with the makings of a wolven head. After the head followed an almost mirror of the intense buildup beads, albeit in reverse order.

"It's very... very, beautiful, thanks so much Candy!" I said, entranced by the trinket's uniqueness, caught by every sinew of its very shape and value.

"It was given to me by my grandmother, she gave it to me knowing how much we both care for each other, but more importantly she felt that it resembled you," she said proudly.

"Ehh, how's that?" I asked, not once breaking my gaze from the bracelet.

"Well the story behind the bracelet is that the little wolf head down there represents the lone wolf, always in constant search of direction, of purpose..." she replied, seemingly as entranced by the mysterious trinket as I was.

"Also, the series of beads on the left side represent the wolf's growth from a young pup to an adult, and the right side, she said, depends on the wolf," she continued.

"Depends on the wolf how?" I asked looking to her with confusion.

"Depends on if the wolf finds his sense of direction, his purpose." she said, adding more mystery.

I looked at the wooden bracelet once more, basking in its mysterious beauty.

"That's pretty deep and meaningful," stated Patrick suddenly.

"Yeah... thanks again Candy," I said before giving her another hug.

I gave her a wave goodbye once more, Patrick and I meeting gazes once more, though his stare seemed less firm than before, almost as if he finally understood something about me.

I turned and started walking home. After a while I took the bracelet from my pocket and slipped it on my wrist, taking note of its mystifying wonder for another minute before continuing on my journey home.

"Hello mom, I'm home! Jack?" I shouted at apparently an empty house as I received no reply.

Jack was my mother's new husband, A.K.A my new stepfather. Despite him being a therapist, he seemed a little awkward and off-put about me, as if he didn't really feel like I were truly his "son" or he didn't know how to treat me. Often times during dinner it would seem as if he were trying to avert eye contact and he'd often chat with mom as if I were non-existent.

In the end, it was as if he didn't have the will to acknowledge me as one of his own. Which really, I can't blame him, with me being hopeless and all.

I closed the front door behind me with a deep, long yawn. I found myself very exhausted without much warning. I submitted to my body, went upstairs to my room and tossed my body onto the bed. I thought about my day, reflecting on how eventful it was. As sleep came over me, I cast my eyes upon the bracelet for another moment, looking closely at the wolf head. I began imagining a lone gray wolf at the crest of a hill, a dull sky on the horizon, the sun hiding beyond it as if its light were waning. The wolf had his eyes trained on the path ahead, the endless journey that would depict his future.

A future, that he, and he alone would have to decide.

I suddenly found myself dimming my eyes, my surroundings dulling, and in its stead my dreams faded into my very being. My dreams taking a hold of my consciousness.

In the throes of my dream-state, I reached to scratch an itch on the corner of my ear, a bit longer than usual...

To be Continued...Ch. 2: The Lone Wolf...