Undying #Wattys2015

Chapter 9: Crying Softly

Thanks to @DyingWithoutLove for the name of this chapter.

Memory of Aiden Kendlewood:

What made him into a monster?

Suddenly, the image of my memory fell apart like paper dissolving in water. It melted away, and darkness revealed itself from behind its curtain. As the next memory materialized, I noticed I was now standing in a small, dark room. The only light came from a crack in the wall, which only let a thin ray seep into the darkness. The black haired boy used this little light to illuminate the pages of his book as he read. When the light peered through, the dust in the air became visible to the naked eye. The black haired boy was alone, reading in the darkness of this closet-like space.

Then I heard a knocking, a gentle knocking in the wall, and he groaned in frustration. He did not reply, and a small, bronze hatch in the corner of the room swung open. There, crawling through the opening was the brown haired boy. Someone I once was. After he got through, he stood up and wiped his dusty hands against his trousers. He asked, "Why are you hiding, Bane?"

Bane ignored him and continued reading his book. The brown haired boy looked around the dark space and commented, "It's quite depressing here, you know?"

"Please," Bane asked, "Just leave me alone. I have work I need to do," and he flipped to the next page.

"You haven't been coming to class recently," Aiden noted, and he sat next to Bane, who flinched closer to the light coming out from the cracked wall, "May I ask why?"

The room was silent, and Aiden continued to stare at Bane, with his warm honey-colored eyes. He continued, "Do you really think that ignoring me will get rid of me? Because we were assigned to be partners by the Myth, and I'm pretty sure we can't change that."

Bane grumbled, and flipped to the next page. His sharp, cerulean eyes were glued to the page. Aiden sighed, "You know, you weren't my first choice either. I wanted to be partners with Claira, but I guess the Myth does not understand..."

"Please!" Bane shouted, and his piercing eyes jolted up, staring into Aiden's eyes, "I can't understand a single sentence on this page! Leave, before I make you."

Giving up, Aiden replied, "Fine!" and pushed himself up off the dusty stone floor. He started his way to the small hatch, but before he left, he turned to Bane and remarked, "I can see why you don't have any friends..."

Without a second thought, Aiden lowered himself down and crawled through the hatch. The small room was silent once again, except for the occasional page flip. Believing the memory to be over, I thought I'd be transported to the next one. But instead, I remained there, seeing Bane continue reading his book. It wasn't long before I noticed his cheeks shined from the dim light touching his falling tears.

I wonder if that was the reason he wanted to be alone...