Algid (#TronnorAU)

Prologue

Algid (adjective): From the Latin algidus. References to low temperatures. Chilly, cold.

What happens to the things that nobody can remember?

Are they forgotten? Did they mean anything at all? Did they even exist at some point? If there is nobody to remember them, then surely they must've never been there in the first place. They are just mirages of something that is no more, nothing more than dust. Cold, dry like ash. But these memories, these truths still hold meaning. They hold meaning to those who choose to remember, those who pick to live knowing that they once were real, even if it hurts. And we all know how much those can hurt, right on the heart.

He didn't remember much from his childhood home. Most things he did recall were flashes rather than actual, proper memories. He remembered the house, playing in his living room with his brothers and sister. He remembered the school, and going there every day and staying until late afternoon, after class, to train with the swimming team. He remembered this, and sometimes, he also remembered the faces of his mother and father. But mostly, he remembered their voices. He remembered the screams, the shouts, the arguments. The noise played in the back of his mind over and over for the last ten years of his life. The sound of rain and lightning, and the honking of a truck that was heading their way. And then, only darkness.

All his life ever since, Connor has been told that he must forget. That he must let go and move on, and live the life he has been gifted with, even after the tragedy. He is told that the memories of that night and of his family aren't important anymore, that he must focus on everything else. Like school, university, the future, his behavior, even. But Connor doesn't want that. He doesn't want to deny what happened. He wants to remember, and remember he does. He keeps in mind the same series of noises over and over, every day, just to get by and to convince himself that it wasn't just a dream. That it happened. That it was real. That he was real.

For the past ten years he has been moving from place to place, with barely any interest to accommodate himself. He isn't willing to indulge in the lifestyle of people his age, nor does he show any concern for what his tutors tell him. He prefers to remain at bay of everything, because all in all, it hurts less that way. After all, the less you care the less vulnerable you are.

That is until he reaches that town... and meets him.

Funny, how things can change from one day to another due to a single person. Strange, how that person seems to be everything you despise, and turns out to be quite the opposite. Ironic, how after all, caring does mean being vulnerable, but also means to have something worth losing, and that is one of the toughest lessons in life. Connor will have to learn all of this the hard way, because he, after all, prefers the darkness he has locked himself in.

He is reluctant, impassive, and skeptical to the core. While he is the other side of the same coin.

Funny, indeed, how it works in the ways of the heart.