2:37 PM, Monday, Social Conscience Class | Mather Memorial High School
"Memory is a very tricky thing Miss Carlyle," Jonas stated as he leaned up against his desk. "Highly malleable, easily manipulated and more often than not completely governed by our own personal bias. Sometimes things we can't explain cause us to perceive them in a way that makes us feel more comfortable. The beliefs in magic or religion could be hand-waved this way." Jonas paused for a second. "Not to dismiss any faiths you guys might hold of course, I'm definitely not an authority on the divine." His thoughts drifted for a second, recalling an earlier adventure.
Despite the fact that some of them are real jerks.
Returning from his thoughts, Jonas turned his gaze back towards Winter. "The events of the dance are a traumatic experience, you were locked in the gym while the fire spread. No doubt suffering from minor burns and smoke inhalation. Should any of you need to discuss the experience, myself and the guidance counselor are here for you. But trauma does a funny thing to memory, it locks it up so as to save the body from harm by reliving that experience over and over again. With the proper coaxing though, one can unlock those memories again if you're truly concerned that something is missing."
Reaching behind himself, Jonas pulled out a pile of papers before standing up and handing them out to the class.
"Before I forget, I want to do some team building exercises. This will involve a weekend venture into the woods, if you guys could please have these signed by your legal guardians, or simply sign it yourself if you're eighteen or older and return them to me by Thursday that'd be great. The trip won't cost you a dime but we will be camping so you'll need to pack lightly. I've provided a list of necessary items on the sheet, anything you don't have I will do my best to help supply." Jonas added as the bell rang signalling the end of the day.
"I'll see you all tomorrow." He said with a smile as the students hurriedly stood up from their desks and shuffled one by one through the door, excited for another day of school to be done and over with
S E B A S T I A N S C O T T:
7:05 PM, Wednesday Night | The Beau, North-East City
A sensation of dread had washed over Sebastian when Mr. Lehrer handed out the permission forms. He had avoided taking it home but Wednesday had come sooner than he had anticipated and that meant he had pushed this as late as he could. Sebastian had been avoiding spending as much time at home as possible but to actually go home and talk to his parents, especially his father. It was not something Sebastian was looking forward to. When Sebastian had been dating Rita, she had been his escape, he had always felt safe around her. She just had this feeling of strength. Around Winter, Sebastian was able to forget his worries, but when he went home he realized just how truly alone he was.
Stopping, the young man looked up at the rickety stairs to the disheveled looking house. The lawn was unkempt, Sebastian couldn't remember the last time he or Rex had mowed it. The recycling bin sat at the end of the driveway, overflowing with empties as Sebastian approached the garage door. It squealed in protest as he lifted it open, the interior a disorganized mess as unfinished projects from his father's various 'Get Rich Quick' schemes littered the work bench and floor. As he opened the door to the interior, it was like he had entered an entirely different house. The floors were spotless, the tile obviously freshly waxed as jackets were hung nearly on a nearby coat rack and shoes carefully placed on the mat beside it. Climbing up the three stairs slowly, Sebastian poked his head around the corner as he checked the kitchen for his mom or father.
An aromatic smell drifted from the kitchen, Sebastian instantly recognized it as his mother's home made chicken pot pie. His nose wrinkled in delight as he took a deep whiff, each ingredient slowly parading through his mind as his mouth began to salivate in anticipation. Never both had the smell been so clear and radiant in his head, he became lost in the fantasy not hearing the footsteps behind him.
"Good to see you still live here. Was starting to think we were wasting space keeping a room for you." The male voice caused the hairs on the back of Sebastian's neck stand on end as he slowly turned around.
"Fa - Hey Dad." Sebastian said with a forced smile as Rex raised an eyebrow while taking a swig from the bottle in his hand.
"Charlotte, your son wants something." He grumbled as he pushed Sebastian aside and walked towards the living room. The blinking red light on his ankle bracelet drew Sebastian's eye, reminding what a piece of work his father really was. Watching Rex walk away, Sebastian made a gagging face behind his father's back as Rex's free hand was hiked up his boxers and scratched at his ass before collapsing into his usual armchair. "Useless piece of shit only turns up when he wants money anyways."
"That's no way to talk about our son Rex." Charlotte's voice came from the stair case as she walked down it carefully, an obvious limp in her movements as Sebastian felt his lip curl in disgust.
"You know I won't stand for back talk woman." Rex's voice echoed through the house as he bellowed out towards the pair in the kitchen. An obnoxious burp followed the threat before the squeak of leather alerted Charlotte and Sebastian that Rex had decided to continue lounging.
"You look thin Sebby," Charlotte chided. "You need to at least take care of yourself if you're going to be out all the time." She continued as she pushed Sebastian's hair away from his face. Looking down at the piece of paper in her son's hand, a sad smile crossed her face as she realized that Rex had indeed been correct.
"So what can I do for you?" She asked, Sebastian could tell she was trying to mask the hurt in her voice as he lifted the piece of paper towards her. Creases ran through it from where his grip had tightened from the stress being near his father caused him.
"This new teacher wants to take us on this camping trip and I think it'd be really co-" Sebastian began before catching himself. "Y'know, I thought I'd tag along. Someone has to give the teach a hard time." He said with a shrug, the calloused attitude returning.
"How much is going to cost us Sebastian? You know we have a fixed income and I can't just pay for something that you're not going to take seriously." Charlotte said, disapproval in her voice.
"It's free Mom, I wouldn't have asked otherwise." Sebastian stated, his voice low and sheepish and his eyes wandered away from his mother's face.
"Well alright, I suppose that'd be okay then." Charlotte conceded as she hobbled towards the fridge and took a pen off the magnetized grocery list that so far featuring only several varieties of beer. Sebastian's brow furled in disgust as his mother handed him the form.
"I'd tell you to behave but I know I'm wasting my breath. Just try and make some friends, for me please?" She said with a smile that quickly faded as she noticed Sebastian staring at the grocery list. "Son, please don't-"
"I don't get it Mom, why don't you leave him? He just wastes your money on cheap booze. Look at this list, this has to be nearly a hundred dollars in liquor alone and you know you're going to buy it for him. If that's love, then count me out because that is stu-" Sebastian didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence as the beer bottle caught him upside the head. Slamming into the counter behind him, he felt the edge bite into his back before stumbling forward into his father's awaiting fist.
"Unappreciative sack of shit!" His father roared as Charlotte cried out in protest. Sebastian wanted to cry, the pain was awful, but his pride simply wouldn't allow it. Not in front of his mother, and definitely not in front of his father. He wouldn't give the man that kind of satisfaction.
"We do you a favour and you think to run your mouth. No boy, it's long overdue that I teach you some manners!" Rex spat as he threw Sebastian towards the hallway. Seething inwardly, Sebastian felt his chest burning. Scars from the night of the dance, not burns but claw marks. He still had no explanation for them but right now, they felt like they were going to burst, like something was struggling to get out. It was only when his father's fist collided with his eye that something did get out. Rushing forward, Sebastian pushed back against his father, for the first time in his life moving faster than Rex could. A new strength surged through his limbs as he tossed the man towards a linen closet. A loud crash echoed through the house as Rex went straight through the door, leaving Sebastian standing opposite him, his eyes faintly glowing with an amber light while his chest heavily heaved up and down.
"Get out!" Rex cried from within the closet as he struggled to get out. "Get out and don't you ever come near me or your mother again!" He screeched as Sebastian turned towards his mother. Charlotte's eyes briefly met Sebastian's before she turned away and moved to help her husband. A tear swelled in the corner of Sebastian's eye as he turned back towards the door he came in and left the house into the night.
3:22 PM, Friday | Mather Memorial High School
The rest of the week flew by and before anyone realized it, Friday night had arrived. As the bell rang to signal the end of the day, the Social Conscious class picked up their bags and headed to the back of the school where a large van was awaiting those participating in the camping trip. Unfortunately neither Tavia or Kenneth had been able to attend, leaving the class number slightly less than usual. Jonas hadn't minded since it afforded him the luxury of renting a van instead of a bus for the weekend. Loading the students' bags into the back of the van, Jonas watched as they all piled in, sitting in the usual predictable manner. In the back seat was Rita, Sebastian and Winter, while Aiden had taken the window seat in front of Rita. Beside him sat Brynn, while Evander took the seat beside the door. That meant that Belle had taken the passenger seat beside the driver, a thought that was confirmed immediately as Jonas climbed in behind the wheel.
"Alright, every buckled in?" Jonas asked as he turned the key. The roar of the van's engine threatened to overpower the quiet radio playing a local rock station as the the group left the school behind. The roads of Crestwood Hollow flew by the windows of the van as it journeyed towards its destination. Leaving the city behind and entering in the Orlaith Valley, the group arrived after nearly an hour of driving. Checking into the campground, Jonas parked the van before instructing the group to get out. Coming around to the back of the van, Jonas threw open the doors and began passing out the luggage.
"Hope you all remembered to pack lightly, we're about to test your character." He said with a smile as he pulled out a large hiking pack and swung it onto his back. "Looking at about a one mile walk into the woods to our campsite. I've got water and snacks should anyone need it and if you're struggling to keep up at all, let me know and we can take a breather."
S E B A S T I A N S C O T T:
4:51 PM, Friday Evening | Orlaith Valley Trail and Park | feat. Aiden McKenna
Swinging the small one strap back pack over his shoulder, Sebastian looked up at the massive trees as they towered over the trail before them. Inwardly groaning, Sebastian shook his head in slight disbelief. How on earth could he be expected to walk a mile at the pace of his teacher and classmates. He could put them one at a time on his back and run them to the campsite and it still wouldn't be longer than fifteen minutes. A slight grumble in his stomach diverted his attention as Sebastian recalled an earlier mention of snacks before something golden caught his eyes. Turning to his right, he noted the golden apple tree just off the path as he licked his lips hungrily, the smell flooding his nostrils. Taking a quick look around to ensure no one was watching him, Sebastian stepped foward going into hyperspeed as he grabbed an apple and returned to his original position. A satisfying crunch echoed among the group as he bite down into the apple, an audible slurp coming from him as he sucked the juices from the fruit before licking his lips off and taking a second bite.
Noticing that Jonas had begun to move out, Sebastian delayed catching up to the group, before running back to the tree and grabbing a second and third apple. Breaking into a normal jog, he caught up to Winter and tossed her an apple.
"Fresh off the tree, they're delicious." He said with a smile as he bit into the second apple. "Nice and juicy." He added with a raised eyebrow.
Walking along with the group, time seemed to drag on for Sebastian as he felt himself becoming bored with this mundane speed. The group had to be almost there, they had been walking for at least fifteen minutes in near total silence. Sure conversation had been said back and forth between the preps but Sebastian was almost bored out of his mind. He needed to do something to liven this otherwise dull trip up. Winter didn't seem like the type to sneak off and make out, and there was no point in trying with any of the other girls. He did after all like Winter enough to respect her.
That left mischief as his only option.
Surveying the group, Sebastian went through a simple process of elimination in his head. Brynn wouldn't give him enough of a reaction, Winter he liked, Evander was a wet blanket, Belle would likely run to Mr. Lehrer, who himself was basically untouchable. There was Rita but she would kick his ass which of course left Aiden...
Sebastian felt a smile cross his lips.
Aiden was a firecracker, one with a real short fuse. It wouldn't take much to rile up the other male. Winking at Winter, Sebastian seemed to suddenly shudder but in actuality had gone into hyperspeed again, moving forward as he rounded in front of Aiden and quickly tied the other male's shoes together. Returning to his original position, Sebastian slowed his body and took a normal step forward as he 'accidentally' bumped into Aiden. Unable to move his feet apart, Aiden fell forward, his hands shooting out in front of him as they scraped against the gravel on the trail. Gasps came from the group as Sebastian smirked and offered Aiden a hand.
"I am so sorry." He stated with full fake sincerity.
"You fucking asshole." Aiden muttered under his breath as he swatted away the hand and went to untie his shoes from each other.
"Is that how they say thank you on your planet Firebug?" Sebastian retort as he spun on his heel, a smirk firmly planted across his face as pride swelled within him. That had gone off even easier than he had anticipated.
Then he felt the stinging at the back of his head as a small rock hit him. Turning around, A fist connected with his face, the bruising from earlier in the week causing him agony as Aiden's fist connected where his father's had.
A gutteral growl escaped Sebastian's lips as the beast uncaged itself. Rushing forward at blinding speed, Sebastian tackled Aiden, the two hitting the ground hard before their struggled carried them off the path and into the underbrush nearby.
"HEY!" Jonas' voice could be heard loud and clear as he held up an arm to hold the rest of the class back. "Knock it off!" He ordered as he took a step forward only for Sebastian to stumble out of the woods backwards, swatting at his clothes as flames spread across his body. Tossing off his jacket, Sebastian swung around wildly as his shirt hung open, revealing the scars beneath while he tried to extinguish the flames.
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