Three - Walk and Run

Val takes Ithel on a little tour, only for something to happen and for Ithel to run into trouble...

The sky was devoured by a pack of ravenous, grey clouds and drizzle filled the air of Miripson City. Unlike the day before, there were far less people wondering about; which suited Ithel just fine. That way he knew for certain he wouldn’t get too lost at any point today. But, it wouldn’t hurt to turn up the temperature - yet again it was freezing!

Ithel stood patiently, his dark hair a mess and skin sickly pale as he hid his face into his tattered, cream scarf. He was dressed in a black, denim jacket with a red t-shirt beneath, baggy jeans covering his legs and most of his trainers too. Bottle-green eyes wondered in their sockets, scanning the area. The same spot he stood in only yesterday, by the tall, dark, Victorian clock surround by a brick wall and cool, concrete benches.

He glanced at the clock and sighed; Val was late. With a light step, Ithel made his way over to a bench and sat right on the edge of it, hands clasped between his knees. It didn’t surprise him that he wouldn’t show up on time, though needless to say he didn’t appreciate it.

Around him a few people wondered about, crossing the road towards the main street where colossal, shining, silver buildings stood. Automatic doors zipped open as people dressed both formally and informally stepped into the gleaming beasts. Ithel, meanwhile, was sat on his little island with nothing but a clock and some pigeons for company. He sniffed brushed his fringe - which was noticeably damp from the drizzle - from his eyes, only for it to flop back into place again. A sigh escaped his lips.

Then, he heard a footfall nearby. And another. And another. His spine straightened and he felt his entire body go rigid. What if it was that man from yesterday? Oh yes, contrary to what he wanted to believe, that man was still on his mind. But, he had to admit that he felt a bit left out. His account was much different from those he ever read in books. There was no terrifying face, no blood-curdling laugh or the chill of fear; it was blank - numb even. Everything happened so fast that none of it was exciting, it was all just mechanical. He spotted danger and so he moved, end of. There was no exciting cliff-hanger or epic tale of his survival despite a serious injury; just a mere stimulus-response.

Actually, now he thought about it, at the time it never occurred to him just how dangerous the situation really was. It was only afterward that he realised that he... he could have been dead.

Not to mention that Valerius was far from helpful; heck he didn’t even care, he was so nonchalant about it. Almost as though it were a common occurrence...

The footsteps stopped and a shadow fell over Ithel who, stiffly, lifted his gaze. Val stood there, Mohawk up and dressed in the same attire as the day before, only with the addition of a red jacket. “Afternoon,” he greeted with a yawn, rubbing sleep from his eyes as Ithel stood up.

He was about to begin an argument regarding his lateness, but then pressed his lips together. What was honestly the point? He did it when they were younger so there was no changing him now. “Sleep well?” Ithel snickered.

Val made an effort to smile through another, monstrous, yawn. “Hells yeah!” he declared, stretching his arms high above his head. Then, with a shake of his entire body, Val let his arms drop by his sides and beamed at Ithel. “Find your way home alright?”

Ithel nodded. “No problem, you know I’ve got a good memory,” he replied, pride in his soft voice.

Val’s lips twitched and he rolled his eyes. “Sometimes too good,” he mumbled with a chuckle. Before Ithel got chance to speak, Val had thrown his arm around his neck and held his hand out, presenting the city to him. “And now I shall begin my tour!” he announced.

Ithel bit his lip. “You know, it hasn’t changed much, I just need to know where the college is-“

“Ho-ho! But you don’t remember!” Val declared, jabbing a finger at Ithel’s nose and pressing hard, “Do you, Ithel?”

“Ow, ow! Hey Val, that hurts!” Ithel cried, shoving his friend off him and rubbing his nose tenderly. In less than a minute, Valerius was leading the reluctant Ithel around, taking him to an assortment of shops down different streets and pointing him towards various housing estates; where Val’s other friends lived.

As the teen with the blonde Mohican marched ahead of him, Ithel found himself lost in thought. In all honesty, he never actually considered Val making new friends; not properly anyway. For some reason, even when he had moved away, he always pictured it only as Val and him. Yes, they did have other friends even when they were younger of course. But they were a duo, partners in crime; even distance couldn’t taint their friendship. Ithel stared at his feet as they stepped over the moist pavement. It couldn’t, right? He asked himself, clenching his fists tightly.     

“Oh and you’ve got to check this place out, they sell some mint gear in ‘ere!” Val squealed with excitement, diving into yet another shop. Ithel couldn’t help the smirk on his face as he lifted his head up, about to follow him inside when he saw something. A small figure dressed all in black, holding a long and grey item their hand. But, as soon as he blinked, whoever it was had vanished. “P-Paranoid,” he reassured himself and stepped into the shop after Val.

The rest of the day was spent pretty much like this; Val showing him a range of paths and darting in and out of shops - though he never bought anything. Ithel had to admit, despite how tedious it was that Val was purposefully avoiding the path to the college, it was fun. Miripson had some pretty good shops now. In the past they were all cheap and rather scarce; over the years they certainly had been modernised and multiplied.

Eventually, though, as the clouds began to clear and the sky was splashed with orange, Val led him toward the college. It was actually very close to the clock where they met at earlier; standing amongst the silver buildings. Unlike the beautiful structures surrounding it, it was small and squat, made of crumbling bricks and rattling windows. Truthfully, it looked more like a hostel than a college.

“It’s ugly,” Val said flatly as he stood, hands on his hips, staring at the building, “but it’s actually alright inside. Plus it’s a pretty good college, good grades and standards and s**t. So you can’t complain really”

Ithel gave him a small smile but his eyes were fixed on the college itself. He gulped. In contrast to Val, Ithel had not been to an induction day and was actually starting college late, on the second week, and this was down to the move. He just hoped that he wouldn’t bother people and would be able to find his way around easily enough; if that worked out then he knew he’d be fine.

“Well,” Val said, clearing his throat as he walked past Ithel, “I need to be going now, I have someone coming over my house in a bit so I’d better get there quick”

Ithel turned to him. “Who?” he snapped. He then bit his tongue at the speed the question came out; not meaning it. Arching a brow, Val angled his body toward him and held his arms out. “A friend,” he replied, “why, what’s the sudden big deal?”   

Swiftly, Ithel held his hands up and shook his head vigorously. “N-No, I didn’t mean it like that. I-I-I, um... Sorry!” he exclaimed and, without warning, he ran. Val called after him, but the sound of his voice did not reach his ears. Why was he running? What drove his legs into moving? He didn’t know, but whatever it was it pushed him on and on.

Panting, Ithel finally came to a stop and doubled over, hands pressed onto his knees. “W-What?” he rasped, still completely unsure as to why he ran. Val wasn’t angry with him or anything, so why? It couldn’t be because he was ashamed with himself.

Could it?

For ever suspecting that Valerius, his most trusted and closest friend would abandon him after he moved; yeah, there was a bit to be ashamed of in that, he knew.     

“Hey, you” a gruff voice bellowed and Ithel gasped, jerking his chin up. It was only then that he realised he ran right into an alley. One with a dead end too. He spun around, back facing the wall as the group of about five - muscular and utterly terrifying - men approached him. The one closest to him, a bald man with tiny, sky blue eyes, held up a sharp knife. Ithel froze; they were scary enough without weapons. “Rich boy,” the man spat, voice laced with a heavy accent.

From behind him a lean boy appeared, smirking. He was dressed in shredded, brown trousers, waistcoat, a filthy shirt and a yellow scarf. With his hands tucked in his pockets, he leant forward. His brown, curly hair was pushed back by a yellow bandanna and hazel eyes danced with mischief. “Rich?” he snorted, voice nasally, “Doesn’t look like he’s worth a penny more than me”

The bald man shot the boy, who was more than likely no older than Ithel, a harsh glare. Another burly man pointed at the boy and laughed. “Ha-ha, no one’s worth more than you, scrawny!”

At this, the boy spun around and was about to argue, when the bald man took a step closer to Ithel. “Now then, boy,” he slurred, licking his fat lips, “let’s see how many times I had to stab you till you give me your money, ey?”  

Author's Note

Swiftly scanned this one through, I'm too excited to write the next chapter, ha-ha. Anyway, mortals, enjoy~

Reviews

[Aly Jones]

Cookie dough! Suspense! You evil monkey!

Anyway, I loved every minute of reading this. The detail was so vivid! And without boring me! Impressive.

[Cynthia]

Yes, you keep readers hooked in your whole book!
I am so excited to read your next chapter too!
Keep going on! I cant wait!

[Deactivated_BurningDemo..]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm hooked.
Val seems fun and lively, Ithel is just a wimp.
Keep on, I want to know how it ends up.
100/100

[Jūdan FyreHeart]

XD I love what a whiny wimpy sod Ithel is it compliments Val very well. Good pace with descriptions of the city, you're keeping it moving well keeping the reader interested.