Atelo [MXB] [BOOK 1] ✓

CHAPTER 2: THE MEDIA

Turns out that, no, he's not going back home any time soon. Marley decides that it's probably because of how much his father detests him right now, there's no way he wants Marley in Nocona Palace.

You'd think that the man would be thankful that Marley's not, you know, dead right now. He did get shot in the head and throat, killing shots according to the doctor. One would think that Allorn would have at least given the teenager a hug.

Maybe Marley should have expected it. Maybe, as soon as the doctor began hinting at the fact that he had superhuman abilities, he should have seen it coming.

It still hurts, though.

As soon as Marley is disgnosed clinically abnormal the day after the incident, his mom is crying and his dad is looking at him like he's the scum of the earth. Marley, himself, is close to throwing up and half wishing that the shots had succeeded in ending his existence.

Someone had gone back to the palace to pack his bags–he's pretty sure it was his mom, since whoever had done it also packed his keychain as well. No one else would have done that–and brought them back to the hospital. It really sets in the fact that he's going to be leaving. For a while.

He doesn't want to leave his home. He doesn't want to leave his family. He doesn't want to leave his mom–or even his dad, despite the fact that the man probably regrets raising him right now.

It's half because he will be homesick. It's partially because he knows right now nobody at 1-A will like him. Plus, he has about as much experience associating with people his own age that he has with dinosaurs.

It's mostly because if he's shaking at just the simple thought of being thrown into a building with a bunch of people that don't like his family and will likely put him through immense pain, his keychain won't help him when he gets there.

On the ride to the airport, he's in a separate car than his parents. He wants to think it's because if he's in one separate then there's more room for his bags. But he only has two bags and even then, something tells him that's not it.

When the driver pulls up to the building that one of their private planes reside, Marley steps out the car on shaky legs. The driver gets his bags for him. Nice to know some things haven't changed since his newest... revelation.

Right then it clicks that Marley got shot on international television. He stood back up, alive and fully functioning, with billions of people watching. Everybody, the entire world, knows that he's inhuman. That he can't be trusted. That he has this ability. That he cant die. He has embarassed his father in front of the entire world.

By being shot.

How fucked up is that?

Now with the added stresses of everybody knowing that he can't die and the fact that simple strangers on the street will know his whole deal going on, he's more nervous than he's ever been.

When he looks up he finds Charlene rushing towards him, eyes still watery. She doesn't have her purse or anything with her, which means she won't be seeing him off for long. Figures, it's not like the queen of the Westhem has a lot of free time.

Not to mention Marley isn't too much of a priority anymore. That's likely the reason his father isn't out here as well.

"Okay, make sure to call me if there are any problems. Anyone treats you badly, we..." she glances at the car his father is currently in, "I'll take care of it. Do everything they ask you to do, lay low, don't cause any problems, and you'll be out of there in no time. Back home with your mom."

She's explaining all this as they begin walking to the jet. Marley's trying to memorize everything she's telling him, which he succeeds at mostly because about half of it is common sense and the other half is stuff he'd do anyway.