Freaks is a 4 Letter Word
Summer 2021, Week 4
Saturday afternoon
Briar Park, The Heights
Storyteller
The park was pretty busy today, with residents of the city taking the time to enjoy the sunny day and beautiful weather of the summer season. Granted, not everyone was a total ray of sunshine. Particularly the young woman the man was walking towards sitting at a table off to the side right now.Greg
This is a bad idea. Every part of him screamed that as he watched her from a distance. Their call had haunted his dream for days though. Greg wasn't quiet sure what it was about the girl that activated his protection instinct, the same thing he felt for Lucius--but activated it was. And the worry he had inside him when she said she had to do something wouldn't let up. So, he did what any suddenly thrust into a position of power man would do. Told one of his guys to find her and call him. So they did. And here he was. Still a bad idea. Dressed in a pair of jeans a shirt that was too small for his body despite being a 3XL, Greg slide onto the bench and looked over the normals going about their day. With a sigh, or maybe more of a grunt, he said, "Hey there, little one."Paige Nelson
The girl had been sitting there carving random shit into the tabletop with a pen knife, bored out of her mind and not really sure what to do with herself anymore. School was done and dusted. Abbey was busy. With everything happening in Henry, the fosters didn't want her down in the Wards. So here she was at this stupid park on this stupid Saturday with all of these stupid people. And now he shows up. "What the fuck do you want, Auntie Greg?" There was more venom in her voice than usual. "I thought you were busy."Greg
I probably deserved that. Despite the venom, he couldn't help but smile a tiny twitch of his lips. He looked her over a bit. Small dark rims around her eyes. A scowl. But nothing that looked like an injury. That's good. We can leave now. We should leave now. Except he knew he wouldn't. With a grunt, he relaxed in the seat a bit. "To make sure you were okay. I'm never too busy for that, little one." Looking at the destruction of city property, he asked. "What have you been doing."Paige Nelson
She adopted a valley girl accent and bobbed her head around. "Like, living my best life! Live, laugh, love! Starbucks! Being my best basic bitch self!" She slumped back down and continued hallowing out her carving. "Such a stupid question. I don't have shit going on dude. I just fucking sit here. Everyone's gone. I'm not supposed to go on my walks. They're too scaaarred. Fucking whatever. I can handle my damn self."Greg
He was trying. No need to be mean about it. When did kids become so mean? Weren't they supposed to be sweet? That last part she said made him tense, however. A little bit of anger rising up in him before he calmed it and decided to speak instead. "No you can't." He spoke before he thought, but his brain said fuck it and kept going. "Anyone who thinks they can handle themselves are the first ones who aren't able to. Not in this world, little one. Not alone." He said the last part and felt a pain in his chest. His charge. The one he was supposed to protect. Was all alone right now. Who am I if I can't protect one person? Shaking those thoughts, he said, solemnly, "I'm here still, aren't I, Paige? I'm--Look, I'm sorry for what I said. I just can't have you getting hurt."Paige Nelson
"Can't protect myself? I did that fucking shield thing, didn't I?? I'm one of those freaks now, right?? So doesn't that mean I'm as dark and scary as the rest of 'em?? They won't hurt me... I just gotta figure out how to get better at is all. I can do that... But fuck, dude, yeah, you're here.... NOW." She slammed her hand down on the table and the knife stabbed into her finger. "Ow! Fuck!" She sucked the little bit of blood welling up and frowned. Refusing to show any more weakness, she just got more angry. "And now what? Bolt's in jail. You're "busy". Everyone's "busy". If you're here, then fucking let me come with you. Let me do something. I'm fucking BORED! Or I'll just... I'll fucking find something else to do. Somewhere else to go. I'll be 18 eventually. They can't fucking keep me here..." The last sentence trailed off.Greg
"Freaks." He repeated the word, slowly. The tone in his voice not hiding how he felt about it. "We're the freaks. Us. People who can lift cars. Put up barriers to protect ourselves. Heal ourselves." He reached out and grabbed her hand, gently, a hand already coming out with a tissue to wrap around it. His attention focused on the task, but words still rattling off. "We're the freaks only because the Normies, as weak and breakable as they are, hold the power, for now." Finishing wrapping the tissue around her finger to stem the blood for a moment, he looked back up at her, eyes hard. "Forgetting your age for a second, how am I supposed to let you come with me when you still think that way. You choose them over us. Hate yourself for your powers. And you want to come with me? Little One, by now you know what it is I do, or have a sense of it. And what I do isn't something a person who can't even accept themselves can do." Damnit, Greg, too harsh for a kid. Sighing, he brought his hands back into his lap. "That doesn't mean I'm not here for you. That I wasn't making sure you were safe. Associating with me though...that's not good for you, for your future. But if--" He cut himself off before he said if she came to terms with herself she could come with him. No, I can't get her involved in this. Why not? What else did she have here? Look at the city right now. Evo's being attacked or shunned. It wasn't long until the same thing happened to Paige. At least with him, that wouldn't happen to her. With him, he could protect her.Paige Nelson
"Damn it, Auntie Greg. Fine, they're the freaks and we're fucking badasses. I won't say that we're the freaks anymore... Does that make your sensy little heart feel better? I hate myself because I'm a loser. Not because I have fucking "powers" or whatever the hell this shit is." She held out the non hurt hand and let a small shield in the shape of a dome spring up. "I gotta admit, it's cool as fuck. It's just what they've always said. Foster parents, foster siblings, punk ass school bitches, fucking everyone. But... if you want me to be safe, if you want me to be okay, I have to learn from someone. It's not like anyone around here is just jumping at the chance. I'm a fucking outcast. I'm the stupid new kid from DC. I don't fit in here. My fosters are nice enough, but they don't know what the hell to do with me. They aren't like us. So... teach me. Please?" She looked up at him and for the first time she let her face flood with all of her true emotions. Hope. Fear. Desperation. Anger. Sadness.[Pather x1 Basic, 0 EP]
Greg
He hadn’t intended to budge. Really he hadn’t. Greg’s mind had already worked up a plan to check in on her weekly and make sure she was okay. That look though. Lucius. Bolt had that look. Rachel had too. So many Evos he knew. The look that said if they weren’t given a chance it was likely their life wouldn’t continue. At least not as grand. And maybe it was true Paige wasn’t in the exact same position. She had a house, food, a family. That didn’t mean she wasn’t in just as much danger. “Fuck me.” He mumbled, looking down as his lap and shaking his head. “Fine. Fuck. Fine. Damnit, Lucius. Look what you got me stuck with.” Meeting her eyes again, he nodded. “I’ll help teach you, Paige.”Paige Nelson
"Yes!!! Really?! I mean. Cool. Yeah. What're we gonna do first, Auntie Greg?" She almost bounced in her seat, but tried to hold it in. 'Holy fuckin finally Batman. I might actually make something useful of myself instead of just sitting around here all damn day. Don't be too excited. It's lame. Calm down dude.'Greg
"First things first. We're going to teach you what being an Evo is. Then we will find out what you can do. Baby steps, Little One. Baby Steps. Only right steps to take right now." Standing up from the bench, he stretched. "Meet me here tomorrow, 8am. I'll take you to a place to start. Deal?"Paige Nelson
"You're not gonna take me to some abandoned warehouse and kill me are you, Auntie Greg? Cause I'm not about to go out like that. I am not the girl that'll run upstairs in a horror movie. But if you promise you're not gonna do anything weird or creepy, sure. I'll meet you here tomorrow."Greg
He couldn't help but bellow out a laugh. "Little One. If I wanted to hurt you, it would have happened a long time ago. But you're one of us. One of mine. I protect what's mine." He walked beside her and set a hand on her shoulder. "Always."Paige Nelson
"Alright then, dude. I'm gonna take you at your word. But you should know I can talk to ghosts and so that means I can probably come back and haunt your ass as one too. Do you really wanna hear my annoying ass in your head all the time? I don't thiiink soooo." She mimics a ghost and flails bout her arms.Greg
Laughing, he started to walk down the path, back to where his car was waiting. "I'll see you tomorrow, little one. I promise I won't kill you."
Type
Record, Historical
Medium
Digital Recording, Text
Authoring Date
July 17, 2021
Authors
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