7 Dec 2019, 23:09
Snitches get Stitches
As dinner-time drew near, Jake made his quiet way down the hallway, a book open in his hands. He had taken it out from the library last week, but it wasn't until today that he'd got to start reading it. It was a biography about Newt Scamander, the man who had been the namesake of Jake's dorm-room, and somebody who fascinated the first-year Puff. He had been a hero, helping animals everywhere, and Jake would have loved if HE could have been like that...Maybe when he grew up....
The hallways of Hogwarts were finally starting to feel a little more familiar to the small boy, who had spent his first weeks not wanting to ever be alone. Though he had had some frightening encounters with bullies when he first arrived at school, he had also made some friends, and when Jake was around them he had begun to feel a whole lot safer. He was on his way back to the Hufflepuff dorm now, to read for an hour before dinner, when he would look for one of his friends or room-mates to accompany him.
It wasn't REALLY a good idea to read and walk, but Jake just couldn't put the book down. He didn't do a very good job of looking where he was going, but if he wasn't around the staircases he knew that he didn't need his full attention. If it had been only one month earlier, Jake wouldn't have DARED taken his eyes off of the hallway for the chance he might run into somebody he didn't want to - but it had been so long since anything had happened. Jake still had his fears - the horrors of the Halloween ball appeared in his nightmares - but the parts of the school that felt safe were starting to get more and more numerous, and this walk - from the library to the common room - was one he had made many times.
Perhaps that was why Jake didn't notice the older Gryffindor boy who had come around the corner.
Jake looked up, and his blood ran cold. It was HIM! The boy from the grounds!! Jake's legs froze instantly and the only reason he didn't drop his book was because his hands were now gripping it so tightly.
Desperately, Jake ducked away into the first door that was on his side, his heart pounding in his chest. Jake knew the boy's name by now - Kyle - and he knew him because he was one of the Gryffindor Quidditch captains. Everybody knew who he was...but whenever they would speak about him Jake's face would grow pale, and he would curl his knees to his chest. To Jake he would always be the frightening boy in armor that had once found him on the grounds. That had tackled him and rubbed his face in the dirt. Kyle who had once tried to get him, and who filled Jake with fear.
Jake looked around and realized where he was - it was the abandoned toilets on the second floor. That was good...It was dirty and yucky and creepy, but nobody came in here, and even if it was scary, Kyle was a whole lot scarier. Jake put his back against the wall, not thinking about how dusty it would get his robes, and tried to hold his breath to not be heard. Kyle hadn't been looking right at him and he had moved fast...maybe he hadn't seen him. He just had to wait here until the bigger boy went away...Jake was used to cowering away from those who might hurt him. He could hide....But...he had taken so long to move...what if he'd been seen.... ?J Jake felt himself shaking and waited and waited to hear the footsteps pass by....
The hallways of Hogwarts were finally starting to feel a little more familiar to the small boy, who had spent his first weeks not wanting to ever be alone. Though he had had some frightening encounters with bullies when he first arrived at school, he had also made some friends, and when Jake was around them he had begun to feel a whole lot safer. He was on his way back to the Hufflepuff dorm now, to read for an hour before dinner, when he would look for one of his friends or room-mates to accompany him.
It wasn't REALLY a good idea to read and walk, but Jake just couldn't put the book down. He didn't do a very good job of looking where he was going, but if he wasn't around the staircases he knew that he didn't need his full attention. If it had been only one month earlier, Jake wouldn't have DARED taken his eyes off of the hallway for the chance he might run into somebody he didn't want to - but it had been so long since anything had happened. Jake still had his fears - the horrors of the Halloween ball appeared in his nightmares - but the parts of the school that felt safe were starting to get more and more numerous, and this walk - from the library to the common room - was one he had made many times.
Perhaps that was why Jake didn't notice the older Gryffindor boy who had come around the corner.
Jake looked up, and his blood ran cold. It was HIM! The boy from the grounds!! Jake's legs froze instantly and the only reason he didn't drop his book was because his hands were now gripping it so tightly.
Desperately, Jake ducked away into the first door that was on his side, his heart pounding in his chest. Jake knew the boy's name by now - Kyle - and he knew him because he was one of the Gryffindor Quidditch captains. Everybody knew who he was...but whenever they would speak about him Jake's face would grow pale, and he would curl his knees to his chest. To Jake he would always be the frightening boy in armor that had once found him on the grounds. That had tackled him and rubbed his face in the dirt. Kyle who had once tried to get him, and who filled Jake with fear.
Jake looked around and realized where he was - it was the abandoned toilets on the second floor. That was good...It was dirty and yucky and creepy, but nobody came in here, and even if it was scary, Kyle was a whole lot scarier. Jake put his back against the wall, not thinking about how dusty it would get his robes, and tried to hold his breath to not be heard. Kyle hadn't been looking right at him and he had moved fast...maybe he hadn't seen him. He just had to wait here until the bigger boy went away...Jake was used to cowering away from those who might hurt him. He could hide....But...he had taken so long to move...what if he'd been seen.... ?J Jake felt himself shaking and waited and waited to hear the footsteps pass by....
8 Dec 2019, 19:25
Snitches get Stitches
A voice heard just in the back of his head. An itch that he could not scratch deep in his skull. A booming barritone that rattled his ears but nobody else could hear. It was strong. It was something powerful. But it had no shape and no form.
"You should know by now Jake... everything that you are... everything that you have is safe in my care. It might be a little scuffed. A little scratched, but it is always good for the wear."
The voice would say as the small Hufflepuff walked in front of the mirror. He was tiny. Far too small to look like he belonged. Too innocuous to be an actual threat to even the least of these wizards. Nobody would even see it coming.
But the mask chose not just the smallest, but also the most frightened. He would scurry off in response to a loud noise, a shadow that was too dark, a breeze that had a bit of bite. When he heard someone enter the abandoned bath, he fled as he always would. As he always did. Fear of pain. Fear of being bad. Fear of being wrong. That dire trepidation in his heart pervaded everything that he did. Who he spoke to. What he spoke of. When he chose to amble the halls and where he chose to go. Fear and hesitated dictated his very existence.
It was what made the boy weak. It was also what made the mask strong. It was his weakness of character, this dire sense of dread that permeated his very being that allowed the mask to take such a hold. To latch onto him so tight.
"There is nothing to be afraid of. It is just pain. Just a boy."
The voice echoed.
"Stand your ground"
The voice demanded.
"Stand your ground or he will make you bleed!"
It warned as Jake hid himself away.
"You should know by now Jake... everything that you are... everything that you have is safe in my care. It might be a little scuffed. A little scratched, but it is always good for the wear."
The voice would say as the small Hufflepuff walked in front of the mirror. He was tiny. Far too small to look like he belonged. Too innocuous to be an actual threat to even the least of these wizards. Nobody would even see it coming.
But the mask chose not just the smallest, but also the most frightened. He would scurry off in response to a loud noise, a shadow that was too dark, a breeze that had a bit of bite. When he heard someone enter the abandoned bath, he fled as he always would. As he always did. Fear of pain. Fear of being bad. Fear of being wrong. That dire trepidation in his heart pervaded everything that he did. Who he spoke to. What he spoke of. When he chose to amble the halls and where he chose to go. Fear and hesitated dictated his very existence.
It was what made the boy weak. It was also what made the mask strong. It was his weakness of character, this dire sense of dread that permeated his very being that allowed the mask to take such a hold. To latch onto him so tight.
"There is nothing to be afraid of. It is just pain. Just a boy."
The voice echoed.
"Stand your ground"
The voice demanded.
"Stand your ground or he will make you bleed!"
It warned as Jake hid himself away.
[Ignore me, I am just the voices in Jake's head.]
There is something about ambition, how it not only propels you but also defines you.
9 Dec 2019, 04:57
Snitches get Stitches
Kyle was in a dark place these days. His closest friend who he let his guard down around, cared for and wanted to protect and swore to never turn her back on him...turned her back on him. She found out about some of his poor behavior before he met her, and found a number of his actions that came from a good place to be unacceptable. Though the catalyst for everything was his incident with the little hufflepuff boy. A boy he now knew to be named Jake.
Kyle's last encounter with Jake shook Kyle to his core. The strong scent of fear, fear of him, awoke the beast that lay trapped deep inside of him and it came rushing to the surface and Kyle was not prepared to handle it. It caused him to feed on the fear, push the boy to run and then give chase before driving him into the dirt. The situation ended when Jake's begging brought back the horrible memories of the night where he chased, tackled and...ended his best friend. Horrified he let the boy go. This encounter Gave Kyle nightmares about the beast inside him taking over, running wild, killing anyone who got in his way. To make it worse, this not only took away his peace of mind...it took away the one friend he managed to make After Duke.
Everything was Jakes fault. The boy was an avatar of Prey behavior. Soft, weak, scared and so damned helpless. It was because of him that Kyle was forced to face the beast inside during the day, and it was his fault he lost the one person on his side.
-----------
Kyle was walking down the hall, hands in his pockets and a scowl frozen on his face. The bags under his eyes were a clear sign he hadn't been sleeping, his hair was a mess and though he was in uniform the shirt was half un-tucked and not fully buttoned, his tie was loose, his pants had tears in the knees and he was wearing his ever present boots instead of dress shoes. The only reason he wasn't in jeans and his leather jacket was it was made very clear to him that not wearing his uniform to class would make him receive no marks for the work he did, and he couldn't fail out. He needed to atleast do well enough to graduate.
Then he noticed Jake. It was only for a fleeting moment as the boy quickly moved into the abandoned toilets, but he was sure that was Jake. What providence. Kyle rolled his neck and cracked his knuckles. Before, when Kyle would(for lack of a better word) Bully people it was not just to make fun of them or harass them for cruelty sake. He wanted to push them to stand up to him, to fight back. To challenge him and either win and put him in his place, or lose with dignity. That wasn't what this situation was, not anymore. Jake wasnt' a target for his little "fight me" games. Jake was his enemy now.
Kyle pushed open the door to the abandoned toilets and let it close behind him, Shutting firmly while not exactly slamming it. Kyle looked around the room and his Steel blue eyes locked onto Jake, there was nothing but rage behind Kyles eyes. "Hello Rabbit. Tell any good stories lately?"
Kyle's last encounter with Jake shook Kyle to his core. The strong scent of fear, fear of him, awoke the beast that lay trapped deep inside of him and it came rushing to the surface and Kyle was not prepared to handle it. It caused him to feed on the fear, push the boy to run and then give chase before driving him into the dirt. The situation ended when Jake's begging brought back the horrible memories of the night where he chased, tackled and...ended his best friend. Horrified he let the boy go. This encounter Gave Kyle nightmares about the beast inside him taking over, running wild, killing anyone who got in his way. To make it worse, this not only took away his peace of mind...it took away the one friend he managed to make After Duke.
Everything was Jakes fault. The boy was an avatar of Prey behavior. Soft, weak, scared and so damned helpless. It was because of him that Kyle was forced to face the beast inside during the day, and it was his fault he lost the one person on his side.
-----------
Kyle was walking down the hall, hands in his pockets and a scowl frozen on his face. The bags under his eyes were a clear sign he hadn't been sleeping, his hair was a mess and though he was in uniform the shirt was half un-tucked and not fully buttoned, his tie was loose, his pants had tears in the knees and he was wearing his ever present boots instead of dress shoes. The only reason he wasn't in jeans and his leather jacket was it was made very clear to him that not wearing his uniform to class would make him receive no marks for the work he did, and he couldn't fail out. He needed to atleast do well enough to graduate.
Then he noticed Jake. It was only for a fleeting moment as the boy quickly moved into the abandoned toilets, but he was sure that was Jake. What providence. Kyle rolled his neck and cracked his knuckles. Before, when Kyle would(for lack of a better word) Bully people it was not just to make fun of them or harass them for cruelty sake. He wanted to push them to stand up to him, to fight back. To challenge him and either win and put him in his place, or lose with dignity. That wasn't what this situation was, not anymore. Jake wasnt' a target for his little "fight me" games. Jake was his enemy now.
Kyle pushed open the door to the abandoned toilets and let it close behind him, Shutting firmly while not exactly slamming it. Kyle looked around the room and his Steel blue eyes locked onto Jake, there was nothing but rage behind Kyles eyes. "Hello Rabbit. Tell any good stories lately?"
“I live my life free of compromise, and step into the shadows without complaint or regret.“
Stamina: 10 Evasion: 4 Strength: 15 Wisdom: 2 ArcPower: 5 Accuracy: 4
13 Dec 2019, 16:08
Snitches get Stitches
Something had been plaguing the boy for days. This voice, this growing madness inside of his head. It was always there, with a deep sonorous voice telling him to come and to go. To be brave. To fight. However, Jake was not the sort. He was not brave or strong. He was just Jake, a kid. A boy. A... presently scared little boy.
"He already saw you. There is no place to run."
The voice was not even remotely soothing. It was telling truths that Jake did not want to hear. "Sταℕ∂ ∪ρ" It was not a request, it was a command. "Sταℕ∂ ∪ρ αℕ∂ f⊥ghτ." One that Jake would not likely comply to, the boy tended to recede into his own world. Retreat into a tight little ball. Betray the biological imperatives of survival - fight of flight, Jake seemed to perennially take the third, unknown option: curl up and die.
"Hoc est bellum."
"Say it boy!"
"Hoc est bellum."
"Sταℕ∂ ∪ρ αℕ∂ Sαγ ⊥τ!"
The voice was growing more insistent, there would be a throbbing pain in the boy's temples. He could feel his heart beating. Was that his heart? It did not seem fast enough. Dizzying. Pounding. Harder. Harder still. But slower also. Like a drum between his ears, this maddening rhythm that seemed to grow only louder.
"He already saw you. There is no place to run."
The voice was not even remotely soothing. It was telling truths that Jake did not want to hear. "Sταℕ∂ ∪ρ" It was not a request, it was a command. "Sταℕ∂ ∪ρ αℕ∂ f⊥ghτ." One that Jake would not likely comply to, the boy tended to recede into his own world. Retreat into a tight little ball. Betray the biological imperatives of survival - fight of flight, Jake seemed to perennially take the third, unknown option: curl up and die.
"Hoc est bellum."
"Say it boy!"
"Hoc est bellum."
"Sταℕ∂ ∪ρ αℕ∂ Sαγ ⊥τ!"
The voice was growing more insistent, there would be a throbbing pain in the boy's temples. He could feel his heart beating. Was that his heart? It did not seem fast enough. Dizzying. Pounding. Harder. Harder still. But slower also. Like a drum between his ears, this maddening rhythm that seemed to grow only louder.
Just voices, Ignore
There is something about ambition, how it not only propels you but also defines you.
17 Dec 2019, 22:31
Snitches get Stitches
Jake listened and listened for footsteps - but instead he heard a voice. The voice.
He didn't like that voice...
The mask had been on him for only a few days. It was still on him now, though one wouldn't know it to look in the mirror. It was invisible to the eye but Jake could feel it was there. Could feel it always...because try as he might he couldn't take it off, or quiet the voice which spoke to him now ever since he had put it on. It was magic...just magic...lots of things happened strange with magic. Pictures moved, and staircases changed, so who was to say that masks couldn't be invisible?
But the voice...Jake didn't like the voice.
It said nice things to him sometimes...but it didn't sound nice. It was a big voice...loud and deep...booming and strong...and something about it just seemed wrong. He wanted to tell somebody...like Professor Browne...or George and Jack...Saskia or Lamik....but he knew what would happen if he did - the mask had told him. They would think he was crazy. He was the only one who could hear it.
It said he had nothing to be afraid of...Pain was a lot to be afraid of. It said it would keep him safe....
So why didn't he feel safe?
Stand your ground it demanded, louder and louder. Jake shook his head furiously. He couldn't...."No..." he mumbled under his breath. "No no no...." He closed his eyes tightly trying to block out the orders that he wasn't ready to do....he HAD to hide. But then he heard the door shut and his eyes opened again and there was Kyle.
Jake froze in his spot, unmoving. Feeling like if he didn't move maybe somehow he wouldn't be seen. But Kyle's cold eyes locked right onto his and then Jake heard a voice much worse than the one in his head:
"Hello Rabbit,"
The voice was one that still haunted Jake in his nightmares, and as he heard it his whole body went cold. The small boy let out a distressed whimper as he looked up at Kyle. Looked into his eyes...They were hungry, malicious, and they were staring into Jake's with a fiery intensity he hadn't seen before. Kyle was mad. Very mad.
"Tell any good stories lately?" the angry boy asked him.
"I-I...I-I d-d-dunno...." the younger boy stammered. His frightened mind spun - what was Kyle talking about? The question didn't make sense, and he didn't register the implications. He took a brief step back, but there was nowhere to go, and after last time he was much too scared to even try to run. He hadn't gotten very far last time...He was caught...like a rabbit in a trap. And his legs were no longer working.
The voice in his head was thundering now. Demanding he fight. Ordering him forward. Wanting him to say words that Jake didn't understand, but something in them scared him almost as much as Kyle did. "N-no..." Jake mumbled again, his chest heaving, sweat broken out on his forehead. But ultimately it was not bravery that made him pause but cowardice - he couldn't speak the words or stand up or fight because he was too frightened to do anything at all. His eyes stared up helplessly looking for somebody to save him. Somebody to come in. But he was all alone.
And as Kyle looked down, Jake's body trembled.
He didn't like that voice...
The mask had been on him for only a few days. It was still on him now, though one wouldn't know it to look in the mirror. It was invisible to the eye but Jake could feel it was there. Could feel it always...because try as he might he couldn't take it off, or quiet the voice which spoke to him now ever since he had put it on. It was magic...just magic...lots of things happened strange with magic. Pictures moved, and staircases changed, so who was to say that masks couldn't be invisible?
But the voice...Jake didn't like the voice.
It said nice things to him sometimes...but it didn't sound nice. It was a big voice...loud and deep...booming and strong...and something about it just seemed wrong. He wanted to tell somebody...like Professor Browne...or George and Jack...Saskia or Lamik....but he knew what would happen if he did - the mask had told him. They would think he was crazy. He was the only one who could hear it.
It said he had nothing to be afraid of...Pain was a lot to be afraid of. It said it would keep him safe....
So why didn't he feel safe?
Stand your ground it demanded, louder and louder. Jake shook his head furiously. He couldn't...."No..." he mumbled under his breath. "No no no...." He closed his eyes tightly trying to block out the orders that he wasn't ready to do....he HAD to hide. But then he heard the door shut and his eyes opened again and there was Kyle.
Jake froze in his spot, unmoving. Feeling like if he didn't move maybe somehow he wouldn't be seen. But Kyle's cold eyes locked right onto his and then Jake heard a voice much worse than the one in his head:
"Hello Rabbit,"
The voice was one that still haunted Jake in his nightmares, and as he heard it his whole body went cold. The small boy let out a distressed whimper as he looked up at Kyle. Looked into his eyes...They were hungry, malicious, and they were staring into Jake's with a fiery intensity he hadn't seen before. Kyle was mad. Very mad.
"Tell any good stories lately?" the angry boy asked him.
"I-I...I-I d-d-dunno...." the younger boy stammered. His frightened mind spun - what was Kyle talking about? The question didn't make sense, and he didn't register the implications. He took a brief step back, but there was nowhere to go, and after last time he was much too scared to even try to run. He hadn't gotten very far last time...He was caught...like a rabbit in a trap. And his legs were no longer working.
The voice in his head was thundering now. Demanding he fight. Ordering him forward. Wanting him to say words that Jake didn't understand, but something in them scared him almost as much as Kyle did. "N-no..." Jake mumbled again, his chest heaving, sweat broken out on his forehead. But ultimately it was not bravery that made him pause but cowardice - he couldn't speak the words or stand up or fight because he was too frightened to do anything at all. His eyes stared up helplessly looking for somebody to save him. Somebody to come in. But he was all alone.
And as Kyle looked down, Jake's body trembled.
23 Dec 2019, 01:28
Snitches get Stitches
As the younger boy mumbled and stuttered Kyle just got angrier, and the stench of fear that filled the air did nothing but make the badger look more and more like helpless prey and it clouded Kyle's mind quickly making the small part of it that saw reason get lost and unable to come to the forefront of his mind. This boy, no this little pissant ruined everything, and he was trying to play ignorant? The impudence! The audacity! The unmitigated gall! He was going to remember, and he was going to suffer for it.
Kyle took a decisive step forward and he pulled back his right hand and threw a powerful punch towards the boy's face, when his fist connected though it felt like he had punched something hard. Wood perhaps? "Telling to Stories to Muppet!" He grabbed the boy's shirt to keep him from falling to the ground as he pulled back for another punch. "Making me out to be a monster to her!" he struck the boy in the face again, and this time there could be no mistaking it from his cut up knuckles. The little Rabbit had someone made his face hard as a tree. A charm of some sort to be sure. No matter. "You turned her against me! you ruined everything!" He grabbed hold of the boy's shoulder and collar and dragged him into one of the stalls and kicked up the lid on the seat before wrestling with and shoving his head into the toilet and flushing it. "You couldn't leave well enough alone and took away the only good thing I had!" he flushed the toilet once, twice, three times all while wrestling with the struggling boy to make sure his head stayed in the toilet. After the third flush was finished he dropped the boy, letting him sink to the floor, before giving him one final kick to the ribs. "From this moment on Rabbit. You are dead, you hear me? You don't exist. I don't see you, I don't hear you. And I sure as hell don't hear you telling stories about me!"
Kyle pulled back his hand as he wanted to fall upon the boy and throttle him more...but he decided against it, letting out one final angry snarl before turning and leaving the stall. He pulled the door open and stormed out into the hallway, he needed to breath. He needed to find somewhere to calm down before he started attacking random people...he didn't know he had the capacity to be This angry.
Kyle took a decisive step forward and he pulled back his right hand and threw a powerful punch towards the boy's face, when his fist connected though it felt like he had punched something hard. Wood perhaps? "Telling to Stories to Muppet!" He grabbed the boy's shirt to keep him from falling to the ground as he pulled back for another punch. "Making me out to be a monster to her!" he struck the boy in the face again, and this time there could be no mistaking it from his cut up knuckles. The little Rabbit had someone made his face hard as a tree. A charm of some sort to be sure. No matter. "You turned her against me! you ruined everything!" He grabbed hold of the boy's shoulder and collar and dragged him into one of the stalls and kicked up the lid on the seat before wrestling with and shoving his head into the toilet and flushing it. "You couldn't leave well enough alone and took away the only good thing I had!" he flushed the toilet once, twice, three times all while wrestling with the struggling boy to make sure his head stayed in the toilet. After the third flush was finished he dropped the boy, letting him sink to the floor, before giving him one final kick to the ribs. "From this moment on Rabbit. You are dead, you hear me? You don't exist. I don't see you, I don't hear you. And I sure as hell don't hear you telling stories about me!"
Kyle pulled back his hand as he wanted to fall upon the boy and throttle him more...but he decided against it, letting out one final angry snarl before turning and leaving the stall. He pulled the door open and stormed out into the hallway, he needed to breath. He needed to find somewhere to calm down before he started attacking random people...he didn't know he had the capacity to be This angry.
Kyle leaves the thread
“I live my life free of compromise, and step into the shadows without complaint or regret.“
Stamina: 10 Evasion: 4 Strength: 15 Wisdom: 2 ArcPower: 5 Accuracy: 4
3 Jan 2020, 01:33
Snitches get Stitches
The boy ...did nothing.
A deficit of instinct, no a defect of instinct. The boy just curled up and died.
"...Fight" The voice whispered. The boy did not try to fight. The antithesis of survival. He would not fight. He would not take flight. He did not even try to flee. How his predecessors lived long enough to sire this child was a mystery.
"Stand up and Fight!"
The boy would not. The antipode of evolution. Kyle was like a whirlwind, he would have his way with the Hufflepuff and then leave the battered youth.
Somewhere not incredibly far away there was an incredibly powerful glove massaging the temple of a shadowy villain. He had a migraine. How did one of the most powerful artifacts in existence get squandered like this? The boy had so much potential!
"Frittered away your moment," the voice commented.
"Should have stood. Should have fought," the voice reinforced but the mask knew it was speaking to an empty room.
"If you don't stand. If you don't fight. That hooligan will be the least of your fears." It was not a warning, it was a threat. A useless one, the boy does not react. The boy just shuts down.
A deficit of instinct, no a defect of instinct. The boy just curled up and died.
"...Fight" The voice whispered. The boy did not try to fight. The antithesis of survival. He would not fight. He would not take flight. He did not even try to flee. How his predecessors lived long enough to sire this child was a mystery.
"Stand up and Fight!"
The boy would not. The antipode of evolution. Kyle was like a whirlwind, he would have his way with the Hufflepuff and then leave the battered youth.
Somewhere not incredibly far away there was an incredibly powerful glove massaging the temple of a shadowy villain. He had a migraine. How did one of the most powerful artifacts in existence get squandered like this? The boy had so much potential!
"Frittered away your moment," the voice commented.
"Should have stood. Should have fought," the voice reinforced but the mask knew it was speaking to an empty room.
"If you don't stand. If you don't fight. That hooligan will be the least of your fears." It was not a warning, it was a threat. A useless one, the boy does not react. The boy just shuts down.
There is something about ambition, how it not only propels you but also defines you.