Chapter 3: An Unusual Thing

PLEASE BE 100% HONEST WITH ME!

Jack went to his door, opened it and left. As he traversed the hallway, he held his head in pain. It was as if something was hitting his head with a lot of force. After a few seconds, the pain ceased. Deep in his memory, he could remember the pain and a voice. Whenever he thought of doing something bad, a voice would quietly tell him

“Do it.” There were times when he did do bad things because of that voice. Other times he ignored it, but paid for it by feeling intense pain inside his head.
            He ignored the after pain and progressed down the stairs. Soon, he entered the kitchen and saw his mom, dad, and sister at the table, eating pancakes. John was eating his food and reading the Sports section of the newspaper. His mom looked up at him with a smile.
            “Hey honey. You’re pancakes are ready. Nice and hot.”

“Yeah, Red Eyes, nice and hot” shouted Maggie.
            “Maggie, quit teasing your brother and eat.” said John, without looking up from the paper.
            “Yes sir.” she said as she slouched in her seat.
            Jack grunted as if he didn’t care. He went to his chair against the wall and plopped down. He soon felt something near his hanging hand. He looked down and saw their two year old Beagle sniffing his hand. The dog whimpered at him.
            “Hey Riley.” he said as he petted the small dog. “How you doing?”
            Riley laid a paw on his leg and licked his lips. Jack smiled and scratched under the dogs chin. He trotted away to his food bowl and started eating his Kibble and Bits. He turned his head and stared at his pancakes. Hot steam flowed its way into his nose, but the pleasurable scent didn’t satisfy him. He picked up his silverware and started to eat his food, but ate slowly. He really wasn’t in the mood food at the moment. He still felt depressed, because of Amy’s move.
            “Mom? Dad?” he asked quietly.
            John put down his paper, and he and Dezi looked at him. Maggie learned a long time ago that she was to stay out of any conversation with them and Jack.
            “What is it?” he asked.
            “I still have red eyes. You said I would’ve grown out of them by now. Why haven’t I?”
            He stared at his wife and they were trying to say something to cheer him up.”
            “I don’t know dear. I personally like them.” said Dezi.
            “Well, I don’t, I’ve been called a freak because of them. They’re the reason she left.”
            “Your eyes were not the reason, Jack.” quickly said John. “She moved because of her parents work.”
            “Plus, you are not a freak Jack. You’re just... special.” innocently said Dezi.
            Jack quickly stood up, and Riley started barking.
            “WELL, WHAT IF I DON’T WANNA BE SPECIAL?!”
            John stood up. He had an angry expression on his face. Maggie started to get very scared.
            “Sit down boy  Apologize to your mother this minute ”
            “NO  I AM AND WILL ALWAYS BE A FREAK  ME BEING A FREAK IS WHY AMY MOVED  HER PARENTS HATED ME AND MY EYES  SINCE THEN, I HATED MY LIFE  I’M GOING OUT AND DON’T BE SURPRISED IF YOU NEVER SEE ME AGAIN”
            He punched the table as hard as he could and left in a fury. They all heard the front door slam hard. A few pictures shook from the tremor the slam made. John sat back down and gave his wife a concerned look. She grabbed his shaking hand and calmed him down. Maggie frowned and looked at where Jack sat. She trembled, her mouth open, and pointing.
            “Mom? Dad? What is that?”
            They looked to where she was pointing and saw one of Jacks napkins on fire. They also opened their mouths. They started shaking furiously, as if the world was about to end. The single flame flickered as it burned the napkin into nothing. He stared at Dezi. They were speechless.
            As Jack walked furiously out of his house, his neighbors, who were cutting grass and clipping hedges, stared at him. He stared back.
            “What are you looking at?” he yelled.
            They quickly went back to doing their chores and letting him be. He walked and walked with raging thoughts inside his head. Amy was gone; he had just snapped out on his parents, he scared his little sister, and much more. For ten minutes, he walked around town, kicking garbage cans, shouting to himself, and more. He was the maddest he had ever been since Amy moved.
            He mumbled to himself, saying how his life had gone awry since Amy moved. He didn’t want to, but he thought back to the first time he met her. She had just moved from Houston, Texas, but didn’t really have that southern accent. In the third grade homeroom, the teacher: Mr. Baker introduced her. At the time, she was short, rosy cheeks, and had pigtails. She looked cute in her southern dress and shoes. She told the class about where she was from, her lifestyle, her thoughts about Iowa, and much more.
            “Ms. Winzmen, you may have a seat behind Mr. Flareson. Go on.” he encouraged her.
            As she walked to her seat, far in the back, she got wondering eyes. She could faintly hear what they were mumbling.
            “Poor girl. Has to seat near that freak.”
            “Hope Jack doesn’t infect her with freakiness.”
            “I feel bad for that girl.”
            She took her seat behind Jack, who had his head down. 
            “Now, today, we will continue on the Revolutionary War. George Washington...” he continued.
            Amy felt a little lonely and scared, so she tapped on Jacks shoulder. He turned his head slightly, so he could see her, but didn’t let her see his eyes. She cleared her throat.
            “I, umm... don’t know what to do.”
            “I’m not the best person to ask, to be honest. We have recess after Math, so ask Mr. Baker to help you get settled.”
            “Oh... ok, umm... Jack, is it?”
            “Jack Flareson, the school freak.”
            Before she could reply, they were both yelled at to be quiet and pay attention.
She fixed her hair and listened for the rest of the class period. Soon enough, Recess came and Amy did what Jack suggested. After a while, Amy came outside and saw many kids playing Touch Football, Kickball, playing on the swings, and more. She looked over at the benches and found Jack sitting by himself, far away from the other kids.
            She smiled and walked over to him, hoping for a friendly conversation. She sat down next to him and he scooted over, avoiding her gaze. 
            “Please, don’t go. I just wanna talk to you.”
            “Why would you? I’m a freak.”
            “I seriously doubt that, Jack. What makes you think you’re a freak?”
            He turned his head to hers and showed her his red eyes. She stared at him and he stared right back She smiled.
            “You have red eyes.”
            “Yeah. Freakish huh? So, do what the other kids do and ignore me.”
            “I wanna be your friend.”
            “Why?” he said, shocked.
            “I really like people who are... well, different. Your red eyes don’t make you a freak. They just make you special.”
            “That’s another way of telling me I’m a freak.”
            “Look, where I come from, different is common. If you’d have lived in Houston, they would ignore those eyes of yours and accept you as they would anyone else. That is the truth.”
            “Really?” he asked.
            “Really. So, do you wanna be my friend, Jack?”
            “Yes I do. I’ve never had a friend before.”
            “Really?!” she shouted. “Not one?!”
            “No one likes hanging out with a kid that has red eyes. They’re...”
            “They’re what?”
            “I think they’re afraid.”
            “Of you?”
            He nodded. She took his hand and caressed it. He smiled at her and she smiled back. He finally had a friend. Someone who wouldn’t criticize his red eyes and would accept them. He felt so happy, he and Amy spent every day together until the end of the year. When Jack came home with her for the first time, his parents were so happy. He stormed in with her, hand in hand, and he introduced her.
            “Mom? Dad? This is Amy Winzmen. She just moved here from Houston. She is... my first friend.”
            They stared at each other and smiled.
            “So glad to meet you Amy. Do you like it here in Iowa?” asked John.
            “Oh, yes sir. Very much so. My parents like it here as well.”
            “Oh? What do they do?” asked Dezi.
            “My mom stays home to take care of me and my baby brother, while Dad is a computer technician, who travels every so often to do work around the country, ma’am.”
            “Oh, that’s nice dear. You two have fun upstairs. Leave your door open Jack while she is over here.”
            “Yes mom.”
            They went up the stairs and Amy stopped dead in the doorway of a different room. Jack knew instantly what she was looking at.
            “This is my sister Maggie’s room. She was born a few weeks ago.”
            “Can I see her?” he said, excited.
            “No, sorry. She’s asleep right now. Gotta be quiet.”
            “Oh, ok.” she smiled.
            For the next few hours, they played in his room, playing with some Transformers action figures, and even some Western hero figures. A few times, they talk about their lives. This was hard for Jack, because he had a troublesome past. For some reason, Amy loved his stories, but cried at the endings. When asked about her life, she was more than happy to explain.
            “My parents are hard workers. My mom takes care of me and my brother, my dad works mostly all week, so I hardly see him. I asked if the move her was permanent, but they ignored the question and had me pack some more.”
            “Is it permanent?”
            “I still don’t know. I wanna enjoy life here as much as I can. I wanna enjoy it with you, Jack. You are so good to me, while the other girls call me a stupid redneck.”
            “I don’t know what that means, but as long as you’re with me, nothing bad will happen to you. I promise.”
            “Pinky swear?” she said as she extended her pinky.
            “Pinky swear.” he reacted by shaking her pinky, with his own.
            From that moment, he began to have romantic feelings for her. Plus, he was true to his word. Every time a girl would tease her, or do something mean to her, Jack would defend her. She did the same when he was being picked on by Joe and his gang. They were the best of friends and no one would tear them apart.
    
            On a glorious fall morning, Jack was sitting below his favorite oak tree and gazing at the morning sky. He had twenty minutes before he had to go to his first day of sixth grade, and he was enjoying the peace and quiet. He closed his eyes and absorbed the morning sunlight. The view was blocked by a shadow, one that he could figure out without opening his eyes.
            “Morning Amy.”
            “Morning, Jack. How’d you know it was me?” 
            “Who else knows of my spot under this oak tree?”
            “Hmm... good point. May I join you before we head off?”
            “Of course! Help yourself.” he said cheerfully.
            They lay underneath the tree; Jack was holding her in his arms, keeping her warm. She laid her head on his shoulder and cuddled with him. He took her hand into his and held it. She closed her eyes and whispered.
            “Jack?”
            “Yeah?”
            “I don’t want this to end. I want you to protect me for all time, ok?”
            “I couldn’t think of anything better to do.”
            They stared at each other with romantic eyes and wouldn’t take their eyes off each other. She moved in close to him, as if to kiss him. Before she could put her lips on his, his watch started to beep. They looked down and saw that it would be ten minutes before school started.
            “We better go.” she said.
            “Yeah. We should.”
     
            In his eyes, he came back to reality. Soon, he came to a dark, wet, smelly alley. The scent was enough to kill a skunk, but he was able to take it. Graffiti, from the various gangs around town, were on the walls. Near him, he could see the rotting carcass of dead rats. That was the source of the smell. He looked back at the wall examined the graffiti. He saw words on there that looked familiar. It read: J.F. is a stupid, love sick, crybaby. He knew that J.F. was him. He instantly knew who was responsible for this sentence: Joe Tozic.
            As he feared for the worst, he heard footsteps from behind him and heard four voices. One of them seemed awfully familiar.
            “Hey Flareson ”
            He turned around to see Joe and his four man gang. His boys were laughing at Jack, since he read the wall. Jack didn’t really care if he was being laughed at. He was so mad, he could’ve dropped his pants in front of the President and he wouldn’t care. Joe cracked his knuckles. 
            “Hey there Joe. How’s the family?”
            “Good, but this isn’t about them. What are you doing here?”
            “Strolling. You seem to have an interesting thought about me.” he said as he pointed to the wall.
            “Oh, yeah Blake wrote that.” he pointed back to a black boy with a basketball under his arm.
            “So, apparently he knows everything about me?”
            Blake’s smile went to a frown.
            “Can I punch his lights out boss?”
            “No, no. Jack, Jack, Jack, this sentence is about you, no lie. The reason we wrote it, was because it is true.”
            “There is nothing wrong with a boy crying.” said Jack.
            “Yes there is you don’t see us crying, do ya?”
            “No, but that’s because you’ve never had your heart broken. I have.”
            “Yes, you were hurt by that little busy body, Amy. You know why she left?”
            “Family business.”

“She had her mom tell your mom that, so you wouldn’t know the truth. You want the real truth?”
            He stood there, getting madder every second.
            “The truth is, she couldn’t stand being around you. She hated your guts, Most of all, she hated being near those freakish red eyes of yours. Let’s face it, Jackie boy; you’ll always be a freak, and everyone knows it. She never truly loved you. She just used you, because she felt sorry for you.”
            “Shut up.” he said quietly.
            “What was that, Flareson? Couldn’t hear ya”
            “I... said... SHUT.... UP” he yelled.
            “Oooooooooh.” said Joe’s friends.
            “Oh, I’m so scared of the freak.” Joe said.
            “Hey Joe? Remember back in first grade when you told me that one of us was going to get hurt?”
            “Yeah? What about it?”
            “I now know who is gonna get hurt. You.” he smiled.
            He started running toward the gang with a fire burning in his soul. He raised a fist, ready to hurt Joe, but as soon as he reached them, he was punched hard in the stomach. He yelled in pain, little bits of blood being coughed up. He went to his knees, holding his bruised stomach. His head faced the ground, tears coming out of his eyes.
            “Awwww...” started Joe. “Is the crybaby gonna cry?”
            Jack slowly got up and tried to do something, but Joe was too fast and punched him in the nose. He staggered back and leaned against the wall. He spit out some blood and prepared for the next hit. Joe launched his fist, but in a sheer bit of luck, Jack caught it in his hand. What happened next would make his gang the laughing stock of the entire school for years to come.
            Jacks mind was blank. He held Joes fist the same way he caught it. He smirked as if he had won a trophy. His bully looked deep into his eyes, gazing into the fire that he saw. He came back to reality when he felt the most intense pain one can feel. His fist was still in Jacks hand, and he was yelling.
            “Ahhhhhh  Ahhhhhh ”
            His friends looked puzzled.
            “Boss? What’s wrong?” asked Blake.
            “My fist is burning, you idiots Ahhhhh”
            The friends looked at each other in disbelief. Another look made them realize that Joes fist, was indeed, burning. They could see that Jack was glowing red. Hot steam erupted from various parts of his body, as if he was on fire. He tried to free himself, but Jacks grip was too great and he hung on. He looked into his eyes and saw that his red eyes were flickering, as if there was a burning blaze inside his pupils.
            “GET HIM OFF ME, YOU DUMMIES”
              “Right, boss” they said.
              They quickly ran over to Jack and tried to pry him off, but it was no use. Whenever they touched him, they’d get burnt. His hair rose as high as they could, and he had an evil smile on his face, as if he was no longer in control. Joe’s friends were helpless against him. They prayed that this would end soon, but Joe yelled more and more. They all could start to see his skin tearing away and even tiny bits of bone.
            “P-P-Please... Please... Let me go” he cried.
            “Is the great Joe Tozic begging for mercy?” said Jack in a deep, dark voice.
            “Yes, please I-I-I’ll never torture you again Let go, please”
            Jack smiled and let go. The bully gripped his hand in pain. He could see lots of skin was burned away, and tiny bits of bone were showing. He was actually crying as a guy should do at least once. His friends carefully trotted him away from Jack, who was in a daze. In a final act, Joe stopped them. He turned around and pointed to Jack with his burnt hand.
            “You’ll pay for this Flareson. Mark my words... one day, you’re gonna pay.”
            He walked away and soon, they were gone from his view. Jack looked at his hands, and saw red. He started shedding tears and couldn’t believe what he had done. Somehow, someway, he had burnt his lifelong bully. In his mind, he thought “Maybe I am finally free from his wrath” and “What have I done?” 
            Before he could think of anything else, he could feel a cold air sweep by him. It was as if the Arctic had paid his town a visit. He turned to see a short, hooded figure standing at the entrance to the alley. His face was hidden and cold breath emulated from his faceless face. He became scared, but he was brave enough to speak to the figure.
            “Who are you?” he shivered.
            “My name... is of no importance.” said the figure in an icy voice.
            “Where did you come from?”
            “I come from a faraway place, in a city that you have never been too. I came here to warn you, boy.”
            “Warn me about what?”
            “To warn you... about your future.”

“I make my own future, you nosy prophet.”
            “I am no prophet. I speak truth, they speak lies.”
            “Says you.”
              “You have just discovered a power that has not been seen in 500 years. You will use it to destroy all who stand in your path.”
            “I don’t even know what I did  I was just angry and... and...”
            “You used it on the person you hate most.”
            “I didn’t mean to… my anger...”
            “My dear boy... Anger is a strong motivator.”
            “I could get in trouble from this.”
            “No one will believe him. This I know. You are perfectly safe from any authorities.”
            “What else do you know?”
            “I will tell you no more. Now, go home and your parents will explain all of it to you.”
            Finally, in a sudden chill of cold air, he vanished. Jack looked for him, but found no one. The air turned to the warm, spring air he felt earlier. He collected himself and hurried on home, passing many watching eyes.

Author's Note

Please be honest. Point out grammar and punctuation mistakes. I want know how you like the story. How do you feel about Jack and all the other characters, and the character development?