The Way The World Ends Chapter Two, White Stains

There was a time, so long ago, when people were scared of the end of the world. There was a time where we were all scared the world wouldn't make it to the 40s. There were so many reasons for this, some in our control and some not. We were scared of a pandemic called the whisper virus, where insanity enslaved all at their lowest points and that transformed men into monster, creating shells with no remorse nor morals. We were scared those men, the whispered, would unite and cause an uprising. This never came to pass. We were scared our environmental actions would result in a lack of food and water, leading to a long and slow suffrage for resources. We expected we'd be eating our brothers and killing our sisters, and that when there was but one man left alive, humanity would die. This did not occur. We were even scared of God. Some of us thought God, or Gods, would come down from the heavens and strike each of us down by the millions until there was no soul left, save for the beasts, who would inherit the earth. Some would have said we deserved it. Didn't happen either. Some feared Dolphins, some feared military dictatorship, some feared the dead, some even feared the next generation. Whatever it was, nothing happened. The apocalypse everyone thought was inevitable just... passed us by. Left us alone. The world made it to the 40s, then 50s, then 60s, and everything was fine. By 2069, no one was scared of the end of the world anymore. The Whisper virus was mostly cured, the environment spit out more food for its ever loving inhabitants, and God never bothered to put everyone out of their misery. No Dolphin, military, dead, or generation brought the world to it's knees, in fact the world was quite nice. In 2070, everyone gave up their fears, and a year of true change began. Borders became far less strict, crime rates dropped, corporations created moral means of production. Everything in the world seemed utopic. It seemed like the world finally was at peace. This would remain for the next decade, until finally, the world was given another reason to be scared. Everyone feared different ends, but no one feared him.

The pacing of this chapter will be very loose. The years 2055-2059 will be covered. Dates will be stated before they change within the story.

The year is 2055. Corbin is in a brand new world. It had been one year since the incident at the orphanage. One year since his entire world crumbled to its core, imploding around the biggest hope he had, his best friend Gil. In that time, much had changed for Corbin. He lost not just his best and only real friend, but the respect of his peers and every other kid around him. He lost the confidence of his role models, those who wanted to make him better and who he'd imitate. He lost his love of the arts, as his creative side withered without an outlet. He still had all his old talents but his heart wasn't in it like before. He'd lost his heart. His heart that inspired him to be more then the average school-goer. His hopeful heart which kept him pumping all throughout the bullying and belittling of the kids he knew. He'd lost his armor, which would protect him from anyone who wanted to make a remark. He was vulnerable now, and this was not a world for the vulnerable. But maybe worse then all these, Corbin lost the thing most unique about himself, his perception. He used to jump atop the gates of his safe but crammed walls and see a world no one else did. Corbin saw individuals. He saw them go to work in the hot sun and take early morning jogs. He saw children walking with parents to get ice cream and teenagers living their teenage lives on the streets of his nameless city. He saw a crowd of the same species yet saw something different in each one of them. He saw who you were on the surface, and imagined what it was you'd be below the ground level. He thought everyone could do anything outside the walls. He thought, once I get outside those walls, I'd would do the same.

That hope was now ripped from him.

Corbin's first real experience with the outside world came from a criminal who killed his life in only five or ten minutes. He experienced that man, that thing, and he stopped imagining. Long gone were the days of a hopeful Corbin with the world in his eye, ready to seize the day.

All that was left was a confused man unsure of his place in the universe, and a man confused as to why it wasn't him.

Corbin is in a brand new world. It had been one year since the incident at the orphanage. One year since his entire world crumbled to its core, imploding around the biggest hope he had, his best friend Gil. If something is taken away, can it be given back? How about taken back? Can you replace what was? Fill the void and deny change? Undo what was supposed to happen? Corbin thought he could. He still didn't understand why it was Gil. There was no reason he could be alive instead of Gil. So he made the only decision he thought he could and became Gil. He became what Gil was inside, not out. Corbin did not become athletic, nor suddenly a valedictorian. What Corbin did do was take on Gil's confidence and leadership skills. He threw away all doubts and nerves he had before and became what Gil had shown himself to be. He imitated the go-getter attitude Gil had while always staying in the favor of his fellow man, even if he sacrificed his old self sometimes to do it. From here on out, every decision he made, he'd do it like Gil, and there were a lot of decisions to make. It was his new found blessing, and regretful burden.

No one knew anything about him, not even that he was an orphan, so every person he met had to believe he was Gil. He started right away. It had been a year since Gil was passed, so Corbin had to remember Gil as best he could. Not a worry though. Corbin could fantasize and improvise, make things up as he went, even if he didn't want to. A lot of different kids from his orphanage were being moved to the same school he was. A good 30 or 40. Corbin was very scared that he'd never be able to change just because of their presence alone, especially when you consider one of those kids was the ever fateful Caleb. Corbin had a new opportunity in his hands, but he would have to fight for it. Now at this new school, which was a boarding school and not an orphanage, Caleb would be standing in the way of everything Corbin could create. He needed an action plan. Corbin's first move in his now silently declared cold war against Caleb would have to ok

be to make allies. He needed a friend group. Thanks to local news, no one knew his face as a man present when Gil Hectomb was killed, so he could get away with being just another kid at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Corbin was good at drama and the arts, so he would join the theatre kids. It would be hard because most of them had grown up together and had their clique, but thanks to Gil's personality being quite warm, he was confident. Plus, he had a very prominent role in the division winning play a couple years ago. That'll earn him some respect. He'll do that during his lunch period, but for now he's got to figure out his schedule. Now that he was at this new boarding school, Corbin had the chance to attend classes he was interested in before but didn't have the chance to. He signed up for biology and drama as his extra curriculars for the semester, as well as English and math one as his starter essential courses. The school gave out four mandatory classes during one year, and asked you to take a minimum of two extra curricular courses, with the option to take three. Corbin was planning to take computer science and and photography as his courses. Next year he was going to take a few different courses too, but that was then and this is now. In this time, the future really wasn't looking positive on earth.

He didn't even know if the world would make it to 2056. Things were looking worse and worse. The whispered population was going up, it seemed like the food, or lack there of wasn't getting any better despite the planet cooling down again, and every day the signs of the end times foretold by ancient religions were popping up more and more. There were a handful of religions preaching the end. Christians saying all was foretold long ago, Buddhists predicting that human society would completely degenerate before Buddha finally appears, Islam saying god would annihilate everything, whatever it was. Even ancient races. The long-gone Mesopotamian world predicted a man would make it "reign fire" over the whole earth. With the rise of a politician ready to suppress everyone in his way, the world geared up for a world war. It was looking like Mesopotamia was on to something. Everyone was terrified of millions of different ends, each of them quite possible. Corbin was terrified too, but only in the back of his mind, and whenever he was asked what was wrong, which wasn't much. Everyone knew what was wrong.

Corbin woke up at a normal time, which wasn't common for Corbin. Each person in this school had their own room, so Corbin didn't have to sleep in a corridor of children anymore. He had his own space, and it felt, weird. A different weird. A welcome weird. He always woke up before everyone else. Maybe Corbin didn't have to feel ahead anymore. Or maybe it was jetlag from being in a different region. Whatever it was, Corbin got up and went to breakfast. He was given three eggs and a slice of Bacon. Corbin was confused, he'd never had such a big breakfast,

”Excuse me miss,” he called over to one of the breakfast over viewers. ”There must be some mistake. I received three eggs instead of two, and whatever this is. Are you sure this isn't your order?”

”Oh no silly! This is our normal breakfast. Just look at everyone else”

Corbin looked around the room and my god was she right. Every kid had three eggs and a slice of bacon. Some kids even had two slices! Corbin couldn't believe his eyes! His whole life, the orphanage had to struggle to feed kids and fund activities, but now? Now everything was going to be different. This really was a brand new world. He could get used to this.

After English, Biology, Math, lunch and then spare, Corbin went to his first Drama class. Nervous as all hell but trying deeply not to show it (as no doubt Gil would do,) he walked in from the front door. The drama classroom was different in it's form then the other classrooms. Unlike a rectangular room with desks neatly placed, the drama room was a circular space with desks stood up against the walls. Circled around the center were about 20 or so chairs all facing inwards. The room itself was also staggeringly big. A roof twice as high as the others, and enough ground space to fit 14 baby elephants. It was unlike any room Corbin had ever seen! It was crazy to him that it's purpose was entirely theatre-based. His hobbies had never received so much love in the past. It was surreal.

He and five other kids were already in the classroom. Luckily, he hadn't been late. It even seemed like he was early because not even the teacher had arrived yet. He took a seat next to a seemingly more chatty guy, a Chinese kid with black slicked back hair, fancy shoes, high end brands and a most likely fake gold chain around his neck. Sunglasses too. Did this guy think he was Danny Ocean?

”Hey! I'm Corbin. I just got moved here from up North.”

The kid turned his head to Corbin. With a confused look in his eye, he shook Corbin's hand.

”What's up dude,” he replied. ”I'm Li.”

They shook hands and talked for a little about classes and things like that.

”Yeah man, this school is so nice. I grew up here with everyone else and I gotta say I'm lucky as hell. Never struggled a day. Like I get three eggs and a slice of bacon for breakfast. Do you know how sick that is?”

”I do. I went to a school that was a third as big as this one. We scrapped by on money too. I never felt it but I know the staff were stressed about it.”

”Oh yeah I see man. How’d you end up here anyway? They send you here cause you gifted or something?”

”No not quite.” Corbin has to fight his urge to admit his weakness. ”I actually got sent here because of um... um.....” Li is looking directly at Corbin's eyes now. Corbin doesn't know what to say. How do you tell someone you're here because you can't bear the pain? However, he didn't have to. The teacher walks in just at the perfect moment. A tall brunette lady, she sits at the center of the circle, closest chair to the middle of the room. The classes' focus immediately turns to her. She clears her throat.

”Hello everyone. I see we've got a small turnout today.”

She eyes the room, as if looking for something specific. Her eyes stop at Corbin in a quick and disciplined manor. She looks at him stone cold face and eyes, then softly asks him:

”Are you Corbin?” Corbin was a little off-put, mostly by how the teacher had presented the question.

”I uh...” He stops himself.

”I am. It's nice to meet you,” he says in a confident way, remembering that’s what Gil would do.

”It's nice to meet you as well. I'm Ms. Cook, but you can call me Nicky. I am your drama teacher. Under me you will learn how to be a real actor, as everyone else here has as well. I hope you're serious about all of this.”

Corbin hesitates, before vocalizing:

”I am serious.”

Nicky makes a grimace but remained stone cold.

”When you're done in my class you'll be better at that. No hesitation.”

Corbin was a little offended. He was a good actor and had pride in what he did. He wasn't about to let three words just define his, quite frankly arrogant, drama teacher's perspective of him. Corbin quickly tried to defend himself.

”Well with all due respect.. I-I have been in uh, uh a few plays at my old school, so I think I know what I-”

”When you're done in my class you'll be better at that. No stuttering.”

Corbin's scrambled mess of a redemption speech only proved Nicky's point. Clearly, he had a long way to go, but he wasn't going to accept it just yet.

In that one class Corbin became acquainted with the entire class. About four more kids walked in a few minutes after, which Nicky scolded them for. Corbin learned later from Li that this particular class was a private course Ms. Cook had organized herself, and that the normal drama kids who just did it for fun were in another course. Nicky had heard Corbin performed in a rather large amateur play and had been a very notable actor within it. After watching a recording of his performance, she knew he had talent, that special something, and she wanted to foster it.

She believed in Corbin for Corbin.

Corbin, of course, still in the early phases of development at the age of only fourteen, didn't realize any of Nicky's intentions. As a result, he tried with persistence to impress her.

The time was now. If he was going to truly be Gil, have his perspective, help him live on, it would have to be here. If he would stop himself from reverting to who he was, boring old simple dumb Corbin who got picked on by Caleb, the very same kid who inhabited the school with him, it would be here. If he was to create a future where he could go out and explore, go out and find hope, freedom, and one day, his parents, it would be here. So much would have to happen here. Corbin, for once in his life at the precipice of all pressure, didn't freeze. He walked into every class confident and ready to learn. He learned how to be broken down and built back up, how to fake it until he made it, and so much more. Corbin was ready for anything.

The school day was over, and what a day it was. Corbin made a bunch of friends, something he'd never done before. He also got a lay of what the school looked like. Familiarized himself with his surroundings. He found a really nice corner of the courtyard. He was planning to go there alone after hours but....

”Hey! Where are you getting off to? Nowhere alone I hope.”

Corbin turns around and recognizes the voice. It was Harper.

Harper was one of the kids Corbin had met in his new and astute drama course. She was one of the stronger performers, and was very kind towards Corbin. Harper was a few inches taller then Corbin, two or three, and had light brown skin. Her hair was black and frizzy, and was styled into an afro. She had a nice smile and inviting eyes, so Corbin felt quite comfortable around her. She wore a lot of red as well.

”Oh no, uh, I was just about to go and uh look out on the uh terrace for a little bit. You know just to see the school a little-.”

”Well if you're looking to explore more you'll need a guide don't you think?” She shot a warm smile at him.

Corbin was a little choked up, and let out a little blush. He didn't know what to say. He managed to squeak out one word.

”Y-yes.”

”Great! Then let's go.” Harper walked in front of Corbin, and Corbin hesitantly followed.

They walked through the city of a school they inhabited, with each passing corridor and museum sized room inspiring more awe then the last. Not even Harper knew all of it, but she knew where she was taking Corbin. She was taking him to the most beautiful spot in the school, and the most important. The kids called it Angelica's peak. It was named after a girl who'd fallen ill at the school. She wanted a bench in that spot, so one was built. Angelica also had a huge impact on the kids who went to the school thirty years ago, so eventually it was just called Angelica's peak. Around that time was when the age of fear began, and when many of the kids who grew up with Angelica got mixed up with a lot of the chaos of the world. Many of them turned to their own highs, and got mixed up with the streets. Some lost themselves in drug abuse, some drank their soul away, some even went into the military to cope. Some did worse. That generation threw away their lives. Angelica's peak was a reminder to kids and staff alike not to let the world get the best of you. Not to let this seemingly unsurmountable time stop you from living. That sometimes, bad events can happen, and that sometimes, things will be taken from you, but that you can still fight. If not, you'd end up just like those of Angelica's time. And why oh why would you want to rush to your own self demise? Corbin didn't need the reminder though. He'd already discarded his past, and one day in, his life was better then the twelve years he'd spent at the orphanage. Best day ever.

Harper and Corbin continued walking towards Angelica's peak. On the way through the beautiful school they ran into some of Corbin's drama classmates. First was Li, the first person Corbin had tried to talk to in the class. They made small talk. Something about Li using a matt in gym class to knock another matt down? Something like that. Guy was a trickster, and man was he creative. You'd think something else was below, but he never let it on. As they were saying their goodbyes, Harper turned around and started walking off. Corbin was about to do the same, but first, Li pulled his sunglasses down and shot a wink at Corbin. Li then walked away as well.

Teaser.

Afterwards, they walked and saw Chloe, another classmate Corbin briefly met. Chloe was shorter then the both of them. She had brunette and fluffy hair, and wore a bow on top. She was one of the strongest students in the class. Harper and everyone else liked working with her. They talked a little bit about how Chloe was mainly putting her talents into being a Broadway actor, and how Corbin used to struggle in math, but how now, for whichever reason it was easier now. They high-fived then said goodbye.

Eventually they ran into Chris, a more quiet and awkward kid with normally toned white skin. He wore a blue, long sleeved shirt, jeans and green shoes. He was very on par with Corbin, he'd find out, as an actor, and the two had much in common. Since Corbin had lost Gil and stayed at the last school for a year, he needed a hobby. He arranged to watch a lot of movies. His favorites were also Chris' favorites. They arranged a time to talk about it and then went their separate ways, Corbin still following Harper.

Finally they met one last classmate Corbin was semi familiar with. This guy wasn't as friendly. His name was Jacob. They found him just walking in circles around the main library. He was a very good actor, and was versatile too. He was better at emotional pieces though, and seemed to be a method actor, because my god did this guy brood. Corbin was even afraid to approach him at first, but Harper convinced him.

”Oh don't worry he's always like that. He's a good guy though. C'mon!”

They walked over.

”Hey Jacob!”

Jacob jumped a little bit.

”Oh hey Harper. What's up?” He saw Corbin. Jacob's eyes instantly dashed towards Corbin. His posture and everything else about him changed.

”You're Corbin right? It's a pleasure. Heard you moved here recently. Welcome. You're in good hands. Harpers the kindest.”

”Aww, thanks, Jacob! We were just on our way to Angelica's peak. I wanted to properly introduce you two away from Nicky's gazing eyes.” Harper chuckled a little. Jacob did as well.

”Well it's nice to meet you pal. I can't wait to work with you a little more.” There's a pause.

”I'd love to stay and chat but I've got to get off to do some things. I'll catch you guys later. Bye Corbin. Goodbye Harper.” Jacob then walked away, further on down the hall, before turning to go to the library, obviously continuing his circles. Corbin, remembering how Gil would act under these circumstances with Harper, regained his confidence.

”What's up with that guy?”

”Actually, I don't know. He's normally way more talkative. I guess somethings on his mind right now. That's fine it's nothing against you I'm pretty sure.”

”You know him better then I do. This walks taking a while. How much further do we need to go?”

”It's not that far away now. Sorry, we took the long way. It's actually right ahead.”

The two walked up a flight of stairs and found a door shaped hole made out of stone at the top. Once on the other side, they walked on to a grass-filled terrace with a few trees and a bench elevated on top a rock overseeing what was above the rocky walls. Corbin peaked above, and what Corbin saw shocked him. He gazed out and saw the sun shining on a valley full of hills ever rising, trees illuminant all across. No matter where Corbin looked, he always saw a new detail he hadn't noticed, whether a beautiful cabin of wood surrounded by a mob of trees or a rushing river flowing down one of the various shining hills, or windmills covered in moss as well as miniature forests scattered across, it was unreal. It was he most beautiful view he'd ever seen. He peered out there and savored the amazing moment, until the moment was cut short by a tragically familiar voice.

”Is that YOU dweeb?”

Corbin turns around. The man looking back at him is none other then good old Caleb, standing just at the entrance to Angelica's peak.

”I mean I didn't know what I thought would happen if I came up here, honestly. Of COURSE I'd see you gazing out into the great freedom of the world!” Caleb makes hand gestures illustrating the great beyond that Corbin was looking out at, in quite a mocking manor.

”And you got yourself a girlfriend hey? About time the visionary reaches his mark. Still though, it's not like you're ever going to do anything in this world anyway.”

Harper steps toward Caleb, forcing him to look up at her.

”What's your problem buddy?”

Caleb looks right into her eyes, devilish smile on his mouth.

”Oh no ma'am, no problem here. I'm just talking to my old pal Corbin. We were both sent here from Sonoran. Gotta keep the roots fresh you feel me?” Caleb winks at Harper. Harper, disgusted, backs up away from him.

”We don't have time for you Caleb. Go bug someone else.”

”Ohhhhhh damn! Little old Corbin finally grew a pair did he? Only took twelve years and a dead friend on your hands to speak your mind did it?” Caleb's eyes light up. He simply looks at Corbin with wonder in his eyes, and sends a simple but effective message to Corbin. 'Say something. I dare you.'

Corbin can feel Harper looking at him with concern. Not fear, but concern. He didn't even see her, yet he knew it was a look of concern. He could feel it, like they were connected. Corbin took a breath, and with the backing of Harper, the only person in his life besides Gil to ever care about him, he spoke.

”You're right. I did grow a pair. This pair says we've had enough, and that you need to go waste your life away demeaning others somewhere else. We're in a new world, Caleb. I'm a new man with new friends and new chances. I'm getting with the new, like I always have. I hope you follow,” Corbin gets up close, right into Caleb's face.

”Because I'd hate to see you left with the old.”

Corbin looks right into Caleb's eyes. He sees the insincere smile coming off his old bullies face and the washed-up wonder he had in his eyes. Corbin knows he's won.

”Well alright then Al Capone. I'll take my leave from you and your broad. Know though, the old isn't all gone yet, especially not when the new is ending before it's started.” Caleb stops leaning against the entrance to Angelica's peak. Before he walks out, he turns to Corbin, and simply gives him another look. This look is one Corbin hasn't seen before, but recognizes all the same.

'We aren't through.'

Caleb leaves.

Corbin goes back to the bench, with Harper sitting next to him. They're both smiling ear to ear.

”Oh my god Corbin!!! You put the fear of god into that guy!” Corbin thinks for a second about what would sound modest.

”Yeah, I did, didn't I?”

Didn't quite hit the mark.

”What was his problem? How'd you know him?”

”He was my bully my whole life growing up.” Corbin paused, and debated if he could trust Harper with his past. He already knew the answer.

”I grew up in an orphanage. I'd been there since my birth, but Caleb got there when he was three. He was in a really poor condition physically and mentally when he arrived. Whatever happened to him before he arrived at the orphanage, whoever had him, well it stuck with him. He turned out really nasty, and he's been nasty since. You can't really blame the guy though. He's just a product of his environment. At least that's what I say. I guess I was just easy pickings. After all, I was weak and stupid, with a high moral code. That meant I wouldn't do anything back. Wouldn't fight back. It went on every day for six years, and only got worse once everyone realized the world was ending when we were ten. Before that everyone was ignorant because we were children. Now, we were in grade five. Learning how to fit into society, a society that was in a dying world. When everyone learned about what life bore them into, well most didn't process it right away. Not Caleb though. Caleb lost all hope then and there, and with it, he stopped caring about repercussion. His great destiny was just to... die. Why the hell should he care about his future? How everyone else feels? He stopped caring entirely, and the bullying got so much worse. Today was the first time in my ten or eleven years of knowing him that I stood up to him.

Before I couldn't because I was afraid of him, and because I felt bad for him. But I'm not afraid anymore, and I stopped feeling bad the moment he brought my friend into this. I'm not taking his shit anymore.”

Corbin finally stops and looks at Harper. She's shocked, but she's loving every minute of it.

”Good for you Corbin. You earned it. I had no idea you guys were orphans. You came from Sonoran too, which is where that orphanage that got raided was. And that kid also was...”

Harper disappears into her thoughts for a few seconds. She lifts her head up to face Corbin again.

”Did you know the kid who died?”

Corbin takes a deep, regretful sigh.

”Yes. He was my best friend. I saw him get taken away. It should have been me.”

There is a moment of silence. Harper lets her mouth hang out, and Corbin simply looks forward, scarred and serious.

”What was he like?” Corbin takes another pause, still mulling it all over in his head he was admitting all of this to a girl he'd just met that afternoon.

”Gil was a sentinel. On the surface, you'd see a smart and athletic kid ready to take on the world. On this inside, you'd see the most soul sacrificing man you'd ever met. He was kind, confident, caring, charismatic, calm, and most of all, he was a leader. People followed Gil. I remember once at his basketball practice, he convinced the entire team to stay for an extra half an hour before a big game they had. Everyone was so tired, but Gil got them to keep playing. He encouraged them the whole way through, and the team ended up better because of it, all while he pretended not to be tired. He was amazing, and he would have been larger then life. I still don't know why it was him and not me.”

Another pause. At this point though, Harper was finished with the self pity.

”I know why it wasn't you.”

Corbin looks up at her, vulnerably, right in the eyes.

”Why?”

”So you could end up here.”

Corbin couldn't believe what he had heard. His best friend had died so that he could end up in some other school? He bolted up in anger.

”Wait wait wait wait wait here me out.” He sat back down.

”He died so that you could have a bigger chance. If Gil hadn't sacrificed himself, you would have never had the chance to better yourself, and to have a real opportunity here in Carsonville. Maybe that isn't the exact reason, but it's a reason to accept it. We need people who are going to lead. Sure Gil was a leader, but now you can be, too! I saw how you stood up to Caleb. You can be even better then Gil ever was! You can do it from the stage, too, with your acting! It's perfect! His sacrifice gave you a way to grow.”

Corbin was a little off-put by how thrilled Harper sounded about all this, but he knew she was right. He knew because this whole time, he'd been thinking and doing the same thing.

”Thank you, Harper. You're right. I.. I've been thinking the same thing since I got here.

It... it feels really, really good to have someone believe in me. This kind of things never really happened for me. Thank you Harper, you're really changing my life here.” Corbin lets out a small and nervous chuckle. Harper lets one out as well.

”Of course, bro. I do believe in you.”

They both look away from each other slowly, blushing.

”Well it's getting kind of late. I think now I'll start heading to bed. I'll see you tomorrow in class, Harper.”

”I'll see you tomorrow in class, too, Corbin. See you.”

”Bye.”

Corbin leaves Angelica's peak, a huge grin on his face. Harper stays seated on the bench, a big smile on her face, too.

As Corbin got into his bed, he remembered everything that happened his first day here, and what a day it was. In just one day, Corbin had received a more positive reaction from this school then he'd ever received back home. Home, that's a funny way to describe it. He'd always felt like an outsider back at the orphanage. Always been bullied and forced to feel like he didn't belong. Here was different. Here, he had made great friends one day in. Here, he had an amazing arts program that he was good at. Here, he could have funds to do anything he needed to, even... oh. Oh.

A lightbulb went off in Corbin's head. Something clicked, and an idea was formed. A big one at hat. At the orphanage, he couldn't buy anything or get through any pay walls that presented themselves. At this school, they had money. Here Corbin could finally learn something about his parents! It was late now though, so first thing in the morning, Corbin would ask someone about it. He remembered the news article he found so many years ago back when he went digging for info on Karla and Griffin Elser. He was going to unlock the paywall in front of the article, and he was going to learn about his parents. Then he was going to go find them, because most of the kids in this school had their licenses already. The perks of being a rich kid in this time were astonishing. Corbin changed into pajamas and immediately got into bed. He was so excited for tomorrow. He would finally learn something about his mom! He fell asleep within the hour.

While he was asleep, Corbin was out cold, so he didn't hear anyone walking past his room while he was asleep. He also didn't hear someone leave something at his front door. Either way, Corbin was out cold.

He'd never been superstitious, but he did believe in dreams. He believed they could tell the future. What else would a dream be? Corbin never got dreams. He only got glimpses of small things. Gil, pieces he was working on, etc. He'd never had a full length dream before, none that he remembered anyway. Tonight was different. Tonight, Corbin dreamed of him and his family. He dreamt a tall, well defined man, with long brown hair and a bit of hair on his chin. He had glasses. Below those glasses were opal blue eyes. His face shaped like a diamond, but not nearly as thin. That was his father Griffin. He dreamt a woman his height, with black hair and pale white skin. He dreamt of her round and deep eyes, the color of lush green. He saw her well groom and long hair, with her circle-shaped head. He saw a beautiful woman, and he saw his mom. He saw the three of them, sitting happily together on a green couch with the sun shining through the windows of the living room, sleek white kitchen behind them. He imagined them watching some reality tv show he couldn't tell the difference from and laughing about it all the way through. There, he knew he was happy. Corbin had this dream, and with his belief that a dream can tell the future, he knew he was going to find his family now. He especially believed it because he had never seen the man that was inside his dreams. It had to have been the future. He had to get there.

It was all he had on his mind when he woke up. He got up out of his bed at the same time as everyone else and got dressed. He then walked outside his bedroom door to go use the bathroom and- what? Corbin looked down. He saw a little blue envelope sitting at the entrance to his door. He picked it up and brought it inside. Once sitting in a chair that was close to a desk in his room, he opened it. Inside, there was a letter. He took the letter out, and read it to himself.

”Dear Corbin

Hey, man. I'm writing this kind of on an impulse, but I don't really want to hold in what I'm thinking. There's so much I have to say but I don't want to say it in-person yet, too awkward haha. I just wanted to say that what you did today was really cool. I wouldn't have been able to say all that to anyone, especially a guy I've had a history with, all be it a bad one. It's really cool you're able to have that kind of confidence. I told everyone else about what you did. They all thought it was really cool too. Li especially. He was bouncing off the walls for a little while. We're all really happy that you're here, and that you're so cool. Thanks for being you, man. Welcome to the family I guess, haha. I'll see you in class later today.

We care about you

Harper.”

Wow. Wow. What just happened? Corbin looked at the letter again. He couldn't believe what he read. It wasn't anything crazy, just a simple recognition of self, but it was so much more. It was a letter, from Harper. It was a letter from the person who'd accepted him, and made him feel okay within his own walls. It was a letter that was also from everyone else in the class, and they too accepted him, too. One day in, and he'd made a better life here then over a decade in the old orphanage.

He looked around his room. There was a beautiful dark blue paint on the walls, a desk and lamp with a computer all lined up for him, and his own bed. He had drawers, he had chairs, he had shelves. He had security. He looked at his computer. He remembered what he was looking for. He remembered his search for his family, not that he would ever forget it in the first place. He thought about what he might find. He always thought that, by finding his family, he would find security. Peace. Little did he expect that his family would find him. He had his peace and security. He didn't need to go chasing after it anymore. It chased him, and chased him right out of an orphanage for god's sake. Corbin chose to put his potential past behind him, and invested into his school. For over a decade, Corbin asked if it mattered. If his search for family would give him what he wanted. After so long, the question was finally answered. Yes.

The year is 2056, during what historically was the most unhinged year of fear recorded. 2056 became dubbed fear year, and was the climax of all years prior. For so long all were scared of their self perceived send off, one that had taken far longer then predicted. Twenty years too long. A year had passed since the rise of a new totalitarian authority in politics, one that was quickly gaining in popularity, too. Soon, it looked like he would become second only to queen Elizabeth, who would turn 150 years old this year. Who knows if that'd even be enough? Resources wars were heating up as well, just like the planet at large. Absurd outlaws and comic-esque villains became realer every day as the whispered threat did not subside. All these problems out of control, while the men of old gave up and the children of new had nothing to give in the first place. This year would spell disaster around the world, and a little bit of doomsday would end up in Corbin's home turf as well.

By now, Corbin had adjusted to his new world quite fittingly. Always as Gil, Corbin was well known and respected in his school community. In just a year of being here, it was like Corbin had grown up with these people. Him and Harper had now been together for six months and were quite happy. Li was Corbin's best friend now. Corbin had always been a goodie two shoes but Li liberated him from it. Li taught Corbin how to bend the rules, and Corbin in turn influenced Li to keep them straight. Corbin learned to live on the wild side, and Li learned to live by the book. They made a beautiful friendship. Corbin had gotten close with all his other classmates as well, each for different reasons. For some it was love of theatre and improvement, some it was more fantastical things like stories and art, such as his friendship with Chris, and for some it was a shared love of nature. That was his and Harper's. It was a mutual love of nature and each other. They'd take many a walks together, sometimes several in one day. They had an indescribable, warm comfort around each other. They admired each other so much, Harper for Corbin's confidence and leadership, Corbin for Harper's calmness, impulse control, and genuine care. To Corbin, Harper was the kindest and sweetest person he'd ever met. They were perfect together, it was just too bad Harper was dating Gil, and not Corbin himself.

Corbin had made many memories at the school already, and every month was something new. Corbin organized and participated in different events all across the board. He organized pep rallies, helped out with the yearly musical, attended school concerts and basketball games, everything. He was so involved with the community and fit right in, and it was all because of Harper and Gil. Corbin couldn't accept it, though. This feeling in the back of his head. This nagging at the exterior of his skull. This life is fake. Something, something in the back of his head told him none of what he had was deserved, and that he hadn't earned his life by projecting as Gil. That, somewhere out there, he knew life would come and ruin him. A punishment for reviving a dead man. He pushed it out. Every time he had those thoughts, those ideas creep into his head, he pushed them out. He chose not to believe in anything. He wasn't superstitious nor religious, and he didn't believe in some higher force of the universe. He didn't care what he believed anymore. The only thing he did believe was that he'd be okay. That even though he had lied to everyone around him, himself, and his own treasured partner, that he would be alright. He believed. After all, why have freedom when you can have security, right?

Corbin got up in the morning, the same time as everyone else, and changed to his normal clothes, a blue and white shirt with blue sweat pants and a white and grey jacket. He put on an adidas burgundy hat and brushed his teeth. He looked in the mirror and smiled, it was time for another sunny day in perfectville. How far he'd come. He got out his bathroom after applying deodorant and opened the window above his bed. ”Hello sun!” He yelled out his window.

”Hello Sun! Hello Sun! Hello Sun! Hello Sun!” He heard the chants of others nearby. It was time for everyone to start the day.

He threw on his shoes, and walked out the door before locking it. Most of the time kids didn't lock their dorm rooms but Corbin did. Force of habit. He walked down the hall through the crowds of kids and saw Harper, who walked towards him from the other end of the hall. They ran towards each other and hugged as soon as they were at the apex of their speeds, bumping into the wall on their way, which they both laughed about before looking into each other's eyes, all the warmth in the world.

”Hey stranger.”

”Hey stranger. How's my beautiful girlfriend doing today?”

”Your beautiful girlfriends doing well. How's my dreamy boyfriend doing today?”

”Your dreamy boyfriends doing so, so well, now that he's seen you.”

Corbin turns and looks into her eyes, smiling like a kid on Christmas. After looking into each other's eyes for a few seconds, their lips locked and they held a kiss for the ever special moment, swaying up and down.

”So what's on the agenda today, stranger?”

”I don't really know stranger, let's find out!”

Corbin and Harper walked together, arm in arm, among the crowd of kids to the cafeteria, blissful as can be, even in end times.

They walk together to the cafeteria, arm ever in arm, and then take seats next to each other. They both receive three eggs and a slice of bacon, and Corbin gave his bacon to Harper, who smiled and put it on her mouth. They both giggled a little bit before Harper ate the bacon, which Corbin did not mind and smiled on. They ate and then said their goodbyes. Corbin was going to his history class, and Harper to her physics course. They separate at the joining hallways and walked down the huge halls of the school. Corbin walks down the halls, people dapping him up as he walks. Corbin's reputation is quite good now. He feels like he's on top of the world, like nothing could pull him down. Is this how Gil felt? Doesn't matter, because it's how Gil feels now.

Corbin arrives at his class and takes his seat, kicking his feet into his chair. Next to him is Chris, a friend who has many mutual interests with Corbin and was also in the elite drama club. Corbin still maintains his same virtues, but he'll take a dap up. In history, Corbin was learning about the great conquerors and less great human rights violators of the 20th century. He learned about the Hitler's, Stalin's, Mao's and others that came before them. Or at least he would have, but he wasn't paying attention. Corbin didn't really care much for history. His old teacher tried to teach it to him, gave him a book about it. Said to read it when he got older, or when something changed. He was average at most things, but she believed in average, so she believed in him. She abandoned him. Forgot about him. Moved on to other students. Why would he invest in history? Why would he need history anyway? Was just a bunch of old people who did old people things anyway. It wasn't like it would matter. Corbin dozed off in history class thinking about Harper and the life he had, and trying to predict which punchline Li was going to use when he saw them together. The bell wrung, and after a few snaps from Ms. Cabs the history teacher, Corbin exits the classroom. He heads down the hall to English, and daps up even more people as he goes.

Corbin arrives in his next class, photography. He's a very good photographer, and Mr. Canary's favorite. Corbin consistently brings award worthy photos to class whenever the assignment is given. His creative mind has helped him a lot. Corbin especially loves this course because it gives him an excuse to go beyond the school's walls with Harper and take photos. For his most recent project, Corbin went out to a large park. Mr. Canary instructed the class to ”capture the unstoppable” and that it was open to their own interpretation for whatever it meant. Corbin went down to the park because he saw the unstoppable as people existing in their own world. He had regained his unique perspective on life recently. He finally saw individuals as individuals the way he had before Gil's passing. The reason, Corbin would come to learn, was that he had lost his perspective in the first place along with his hope. He no longer cared enough to see a man as a man and not a number. With hope returned to him, Corbin saw a man once again. He saw a man as something you couldn't stop if you tried, and believed one man alone could change the world, for better or worse. Give him the right reason, and if you wanted, he could end it all.

That wasn't what Corbin was in the market for today though. Today, Corbin would capture a man running, one whom he saw every time he came here with Harper. An old man, probably late 80s, who ran along the creek at the edge of the park every day. Corbin and Harper sat on the bench, talking and flirting and kissing until the old man arrived. When he did, Corbin stood behind him as he ran, and perfectly captured the moving water as the old man ran. One look at the picture and you'd see the story told. A man who always advanced and never settled, diverted sometimes but always ended up at the same place, just like the water that accompanied him. Corbin named the photo ”course of water.”

He handed in course of water to Mr. Canary, and earned a 95%. Mr. Canary didn't give 100%s, but Corbin was fine with it. He was proud of his work.

Corbin then just sat around for the rest of the class as they all polished up their photos with computers and observed what they were all doing. Finally, the bell wrung, and Corbin left for gym.

Corbin was not good at gym, or running, or lifting things, or throwing, or anything physical, at all. He went to gym and changed, smiling and waving to all as he walked by. He got into the gym room, already crowded, and was instantly met with huge chants.

”AAAAAAYYYYYYEEEEEE CORBIIIIIN.” The room hollered. The entire room turned to his entrance. He dapped up somewhere from two to ten kids before starting to change. Then another kid, Corbin's buddy Anthony walked in, and he received the same reaction.

”AAAAAAYYYYYYEEEEEE ANTHONYYYYY.” The room hollered once more. Anthony dapped up a few kids again, but was cut short by the gym teacher Mr. Dur walking in, telling them to quiet down. Everyone quieted down, and as Mr. Dur turned the corner and everyone heard the door close, they went back to chanting. ”AAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE YESSSSIRRRRRRR.” They all continued to scream until everyone was done changing and then everyone stormed out of the change room at the same time, the girls already standing around waiting, presumably for a long time. This was how the gym class was, and everyone loved it. Everyone except the teachers. They played hockey today, and the boys being the boys, created their own team and started shooting on the wooden scoreboard Mr. Dur was sitting at. It worked, and the man became furious. They kept shooting, one by one getting pulled aside by the teacher's aid Ms. McConn. Still, they kept going, breaking the rules and laughing about it the whole time. They really were out of control, and they loved it. During these times, Corbin took a sidelined role and acted as the goalie, letting everyone who would want to shoot shoot. They would never score. Each time Corbin made a block, without delay, the entire team would jump up in excitement and yell things like LETS GO and HE DOESNT MISS THOSE and generally YESSIRRRR. Corbin would get hype with them as well, every single time. This continued through the entire class, until the class was over and they were informed to change and get out. Mr. Dur never had a good time with those boys, but he could appreciate them. They had healthy ignorance, and in this world, that was a privilege none did. So he never sent them to the administration, never restricted them from coming or docked points, he just let them be them, and let the weight of the world shift elsewhere.

After Gym, Corbin had lunch. Every lunch, Corbin would take Harper and they'd go to wherever it was Corbin was going to take a photo at. Today, Mr. Canary instructed the class to create ”something from nothing.” Corbin didn't have to go far. He was simply going to take a photo of himself looking in a dark mirror. Only a few people would understand it, and maybe he'd get a bad mark, but this photo was more important to him than a number. He set up the angle and set the flash at just an angle so it would illuminate both his face and primarily and the mirror in a darker light but to where he was still visible. After that was over, they sat around in Corbin's room and talked about whatever came to mind, enjoying each other's company. After lunch ended, Corbin had English. English was a very easy course for Corbin, so he worked mostly on his drama project throughout the class. He quickly read the article and wrote a half assed recap he knew would earn him at least eighty marks with half his time before putting finishing touches on his project with the remaining time. He knew the general gist of what he wanted to present, but most of it was improv, and he was quite good at improv.

Corbin goes through his courses as normal until he arrives at his last class, drama. This is the special one. The place where nonconventionality comes together to create community and coherent stories, all coming together to make everyone involved better at their trade. Corbin was familiar with everyone, and had even earned the respect of Nicky. He'd become a much more prolific talent in his acting skills. Everyone always wanted to work with him, but for the most part he only worked with Li and Harper, his two day ones and best friends. Today they were going to do an simple exercise. Slips of paper would be distributed to each student, with a location, person and end goal all shuffled up. An entire five minute monologue must be conceptualized and executed as soon as each student was prepared. They'd spend the day writing, alone or together, before demonstrating their final product the next class. Corbin was in route to the class when he tripped on something large. He falls down to the floor instinctively lands on his hands, pushing the reverb of the fall back into his hands.

”AAAH,” Corbin jumps back and then up.

”I guess some part of yous still in there, isn't it old buddy?”

Corbin gets back up. Waiting for his rise is none other then Caleb, standing only three feet from him, making direct eye contact. Corbin is infuriated.

”Watch your step big guy.” Caleb grins at him, tilting his head ever so slightly. He's cocky, egotistical, and hasn't changed in a year.

”What do you want, Caleb? You know I don't live in your shadow anymore.”

”Oh no I don't want much these days. These days all I do is smoke and forget what the point is. I'm here because I should give you a warning.”

”A warning? What's that supposed to mean?”

”Ah nothing much. It's just that, a year ago or so, if you remember, I told you that the past wouldn't be completely done with you yet. At Angelica's peak. You remember that by chance?”

”I might. What are you saying, Caleb?”

”Ah, nothing big. Just that your secret might not be so secret in a while is all.”

”What the hell are you planning?” Corbin walks right up to him now, Caleb still smiling, confident as a king.

”Only what's deserved, on behalf of our old friend Gil Hectomb. Ring any bells?”

Corbin backs up now.

”You... you wouldn't. No that's not true you absolutely would. Why, Caleb?”

”Why? Ah nothing huge. Because, the very idea of you now pisses me off. You, Mr. I turned my life around with the flip of a switch, Mr. I'm so guilty about letting my friend died I'm going to give myself imposter syndrome to bring him back. Mr. man who worked for jack all and was given everything anyway. You don't deserve this success Corbin, it isn't you.”

”I don't care what I deserve and what I don't. You won't take this from me Caleb. You won't even get close.”

”Well then I guess we'll have to see.” Caleb shrugs.

”After all, its not like she really knows who you really are anyway. I'll see ya later, buddy.”

Caleb walks away, leaving a furious Corbin standing in the hallway. Corbin was so angry, he didn't feel like he could walk into that classroom without bursting out. He just stood in the hallway for a little and remembered. He thought about all the years being beneath Caleb's foot, and how much of a pushover he'd been. He thought about how Gil was the only man who believed in him, and how because of him, Gil wasn't here anymore. But he was. But he wasn't. Who knows? Who was Corbin anymore? Was this him? Did it matter who he was if he was happy? He didn't know anymore.

He stood there in the hallway, thinking about a life he had. Only a years passed, but if it hadn't been a lifetime then he wouldn't know what to call it. He remained there, unmoving. No one passed by him as he thought. Everyone else had already gotten to class. He stood alone, and in a way, it felt like nothing had changed. Nothing since the raiders. The moment passed, though, and he kept on, remembering what he had made. Friendships, relationships, grades, school activities, everything. Who cares if this might not be his nature. It's who he was now. Right? Corbin knew who he was. A year had passed, and he wasn't that kid anymore. Right? He was confident, courageous, a kind and charismatic leader who was respected in his community. Right? Everyone did respect him... right?

He moved past his anger, and kept walking towards class. Once in class, he didn't talk to anyone. He anxiously walked into the class before taking a seat. Normally when Corbin enters the class he makes his rounds before sitting down next to Harper, but this time he waddled in without a word. The class noticed. They all looked at each other before finally looking towards a concerned Harper, her eyes locked on to Corbin's anxiety ridden face. She was just getting up to talk to him when Nicky walked into the room. Harper sat back into her chair as Nicky took the center.

”Hello everyone. I hope you've all had a good day today. I've given you your assignments. You know your order. Commence.” She turns towards Corbin, his attention clearly elsewhere.

”Well? The show will go on, won’t it?” ”I'm sorry Nicky, but do you think I could go after a few people? The days taken a turn for me.”

Nicky looks at him, disappointed and offended.

”We have an understanding in this classroom do we not? No matter your feelings through the day, you will perform. No matter your struggle, you perform. If your health isn't in danger, you perform. You know this Corbin. Get up there. Don't disappoint.”

Corbin breathes heavy. He raises himself and stands in front of the room, still shaken and lost from his interaction only minutes prior. His improv based assignment was to be Genghis Khan in a snowstorm, attempting to invade a new-age Russia with nothing more then a bow and arrow. He was about to mutter his first word, and probably screw it up, but stopped.

He stopped. He had to take a second. He had to assess the situation that he was in. He had to find a way out, and it would take time. That time would not come out of this classroom, out of his home. His performance would not be allowed to suffer, same as the class. He'd talk to Harper and Li about it later, and come clean. For now, he would play the game. Put on the show, and show everyone why he was deserving of his own respect. He began his monologue.

”So this, this is the new world?” His words echoed under the character of Genghis Khan.

”Why, I thought I'd be impressed. Even without my armies, this world will be mine to conquer. It matters not how displaced I am...” Corbin pauses.

”I will find my way, alone or with many.” He continues with his monologue until the five minute mark is reached before surpassing it for another five. His story is well thought out, funny, and says a lot about the blind ambition of man. Music is even added in at various points throughout the story. The class applauds, and Corbin bowes his head. He takes a seat now next to Harper. The two looked into each other's eyes and kiss. The whole class cheers and claps, save for Jacob, as Nicky watched and simply smiled. Li jumps up towards Corbin and pats him on the back, cheering louder then anyone else. Everyone finished their cheers and congratulated a Corbin who'd put on a hell of a show, before Nicky asked the next student to go up and do their performance. The show went on, and Corbin sat next to Harper quietly. She whispered to him:

”Everything okay?”

He whispered back.

”I'll need to talk to you after class. The peak?”

”Okay sure, I'll meet you at Angie’s. Just have to see Jacob about something.”

”Sure no worries. I'll see you there, stranger.”

Harper smiled.

”See you there, stranger.”

They sat in silence for the rest of the performances. When the performances were done and class dismissed, they walked together towards the exit together, hand in hand. They were stopped by a tap on Harper's shoulder. She turned around and saw Jacob.

”Hey Harper. You didn't forget, right?”

”Oh no Jacob, of course not. I'm coming right now.” She turned towards Corbin.

”I'll catch up with you sweetie!”

”Okay, I'll see you in a few babe.”

Harper and Jacob stayed inside the classroom, while Corbin walked out, talking with Chris as he made his way to the peak.

Corbin sits on the bench of Angelica's peak. He watches out on the horizon of trees, hills, and windmills and sees the awe inspiring terrain of this secluded paradise. Oh god, why did you decide to drop your heaven here? He sits and wonders how something so beautiful can exist in a world so ugly. A world so scared. Nevertheless, it does, and he is not about to jinx it.

He sits back again and hears footsteps.

”Hey stranger. How'd that thing with Jacob go?”

Corbin smells something sickly, and not the usual perfume Harper has on. Corbin turns his head and doesn't see Harper, but sees someone all too familiar.

”Hey there buddy guy. What're you doing here?” Through slurred words and unstable steps, Caleb stumbles into Angelica's peak.

”I'm here to see Harper. What're you doing here? You know its a rule not to be intoxicated outside your own room, especially in the peak.”

”Ah I know, but right now I don't really care. What're they gonna do to me, huh? Kick me out? Steal my future from me? As if that's a thing anyway.”

“What’s this about Caleb? Why are you here?”

“I am here though because I want to ruin your life more then anything. I'm never gonna do shit while I'm on this god forgotten rock except stop you from doing anything. You're never getting out from under my foot, Elser. Or Hectomb. Corbin, Gil, who even gives a shit anymore? You're both losers anyway!”

Corbin stands up from the bench, tall and ready. Caleb stumbles towards him, suffering of decades that aren't his own in his eye.

”We don't have to do this, Caleb. There's still time. We're here and we're alive, which means we must be doing something right. I don't know what happened to you since you've been here, or before you got to the old orphanage, but we can figure this out. We can talk..”

”You shithead! You have no idea what happened to me! You think there's still time! Look around you! All of you live in a god damn fantasy world that none of you deserve! And you, oh you, you deserve it the LEAST! You let your best bud die! It should've been you on the other end of that little harpoon! You shouldn't be here Corbin! Can you imagine what Gil would've done here?”

Corbin swallows.

”I do know. I remember him so much man. I've struggled every day with the idea that he lost this chance because of me. That he lost his life because of me. We don't need to lose anything else Caleb. Please!”

”Ah yeah. Opportunity this, opportunity that, who cares? You know how many chances YOU got? That you didn't earn? You had a chance at the orphanage when you didn't get abandoned on the street and got brought to the damn place. You got a chance when you read that stupid book of yours. You got a chance when Gil passed and all eyes were on you. You got a chance when you were moved here! It took you four times not to screw it all up, Mr.-I'm-Now-Miraculously-So-Perfect! I wonder how that happened, huh? You wanna know how many shots I had to shoot? NONE! Not a soul out there ever believed in me, and why? Huh? What did you have that I didn't? I could've done everything you did! Everything! Do you know how jealous I am of you, you shithead? To hell with you Eldrin! You don't deserve anything!”

”What do you mean...” Corbin pauses.

Eldrin?

Caleb swings. He aims for Corbin's head and hits him square on in the nose. Corbin's knocked back by the blow and takes a few steps back before regaining balance. Caleb doesn't take another. Corbin is not happy.

”Is this what you meant? Is this the past not being done with me or whatever it was, Caleb?”

”Well I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, now would I? Weird Harpers not here yet, isn't it?” Corbin's mind jumps to a million places. The first one, unspeakable. He becomes furious instantly. How dare he?

”If you so much as lay a hand on her I'm going to rip-”

Caleb chuckles.

”Well then you'd better get tearing.”

All bets are off.

Corbin runs at Caleb, and punches him square in the jaw. Caleb takes a step back.

”Th-That all you got big guy?”

Corbin punches Caleb again, and again, and again, until Caleb falls to the floor. Corbin stops for a moment and looks at a bloodied Caleb, lying in the grass of Angelica's peak. Guess he didn't know his own strength. Doesn't matter.

He stops and remembers what this place was meant to be, and holds his rage for a moment. But he sees Caleb get up, smirking like the most evil bastard on earth.

”You should've seen it Corbin. Your buddy Jacob really did have the hots for her.”

The moment is fleeting. Corbin punches Caleb again, launching him into the wall. Caleb lands against it and collapses into the grass again, bleeding through his ear. Corbin isn't done. He goes down to Caleb's level, pulls his face up by the hair, and punches him repeatedly over and over until Caleb's whole head is splattered in red.

”Unnhhhh.....”

Caleb falls in on himself.

Corbin lifts his face back up again.

”WHERE IS SHE? WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HER, YOU MONSTER? WHERE IS JACOB?”

Caleb chuckles.

”Why don't you look around?”

Corbin's eyes grow huge. Standing there in the entrance was none other then his beautiful girlfriend Harper, accompanied by their mutual friend Jacob. Corbin drops Caleb, all attention focused on a horrified Harper. What had he done?

”Sorry, I fibbed. Just had to keep you busy is all.”

Caleb faints.

Corbin is paralyzed. He can't believe what just happened. He stopped and looked at Caleb, now bloody red all over the green grass. He looked back at Harper, terrified of what he knows she's thinking. He tries to think of what to say in a panic.

”This isn't what it looks like, I swear!”

”Well it looks like you just beat your old bully to an inch of his life. Is he breathing?” Harper sputters the words frantically, a terrified look on her face, unable to believe the man she'd loved could have done this.

”I.. I don't know.”

”Run Corbin. You can't be here right now. Jacobs already called the police. Please get out of here.” Corbin's heart sinks.

”I swear baby, I swear I had a reason for this. I swear if you let me explain I can-”

”Go Corbin. Go.”

”Harper please, wait I just-”

”GET OUT!” Harper yells, and starts crying.

Corbin looks hopeless, and leaves in a hurry. Harper continues to cry in Angelica's peak.

Here, with the blood splattering out the beauty of what was, Angelica's peak is no longer just a reminder not to lose hope. No, now it was a reminder of something else.

Corbin runs back to his dorm, ashamed and anxious. He might have just killed a man. Not indirectly this time. He might have killed a man with his own bare hands. He looked down at his palms. They were so bloody, so black. He had hit Caleb so hard, punched and slapped him harder then he knew he was capable of, that it hurt to have hands. He had tried to kill someone. He nearly did.

Corbin broke down. He fell down and cried. Crying turned to sobbing, and sobbing turned to wailing. He wailed for his own mistakes, and how one act of provocation, all be it an effective one, had brought everything down. Corbin wasn't Gil. Gil definitely wasn't Corbin anymore. Gil wouldn't have ever beat up Caleb that bad. He would've stopped. Acted sense-full. This wasn't who Gil was. Gil was here for a while, and everyone got to meet him. Even you got to meet him. You got to meet the man Corbin grew up with, and who Corbin became. He was here for a while, but now he was dead. He had died that very day the hook took him from the world of the living. Who was Corbin kidding? He could've never kept this up for long. He should've worked on himself. Shouldn't have dodged the issue for so long. He had so much to be accountable for, and now it was too late. His past had caught up with him. He was a victim, and a victim he remained. He ran from the fact, as all men would, and got unlucky. Unlucky a man with so much hate in his heart for him would go to such lengths to damn him forever. Was it Caleb’s fault? Was it Corbin's? Can you blame him? What would Gil have done? No. No he couldn't think about it that way. He couldn't keep hiding behind the idea of a man long gone. He had to face it himself. He had to accept what had happened, and he would have to move on. He could come back from this. Caleb had provoked him. He’d explain the situation. Everyone would see his side, and they'd accept him back. His past wasn't done with him yet, but oh he could face it. He wasn’t going to be Gil anymore, but Corin would be enough. Corbin finally believed in Corbin.

He reaffirmed himself, stood up on his carpet, and took a very deep breath. Only one thought entered his head.

"I can do this."

Corbin was just about to exit his door to report himself to the administration, when there's a knock at his door. He opens it, and sees Jacob, wearing his dark blue hoodie and black sweat pants, hood pulled so high over his head you wouldn't even notice the maroon flat top. Jacob had been with Harper, so he probably had questions. Corbin hadn't known Jacob for being the most reasonable man, but anything is possible.

"Hello Jacob! What can I do for you?"

"Oh not much. It's actually what I can do for you, Elser. Here's something that's going to be distributed all around the school. I thought you'd want to see it first.”

Jacob hands Corbin an envelope. He stops and looks at it, the white paper in his hand shinning in the light.

"Well? Aren't you going to open it?" Corbin glances up at Jacob, Jacob giving him an maliciously excited look. What was in this?

Corbin opens the letter by tearing it apart as he is terrible at opening envelopes and sees a little birthday card in it. Confused, he opens the inside and reads to himself what it says.

"Out loud please." Corbin looks back up at Jacob, a good acquaintance from drama, who's face has turned more malicious by the minute.

"What's up Jacob. This is Caleb Repro, which you probably know by now. I'm in danger dude. There's a guy here who I knew before getting here. You know him. He's in your class. Names Corbin Elser. He's a real star of the show over here, but when I knew him at the old school, he was a real mean dude. Guy hides a lot of himself at this school. He was a real bully towards me back in elementary man I'm telling you." Corbin stops reading. He looks at Jacob, a confused and scared feeling overtaking him.

"What the hell is-"

"Keep on reading." The grin ever present, expanding faster then the universe itself. Corbin picks up where he left off.

"I told him recently I was going to expose him. Told him I was going to tell everyone about who he really was. He didn't answer well. We had a confrontation in the hall way earlier today, and I gotta tell you man, it wasn't pretty. Really scared for myself, so I'm sending you this as insurance. I'm going to go catch up with him and try to make peace before I tell everyone. I want you to keep everyone away from wherever we end up, and I want you to keep a very careful eye on this kid going forward, alright buddy? I know we haven't been friends long Jacob, but you're really all that I've got now, dude. Please, please stay careful around that guy, he's dangerous. I might have provoked him, but I don't know what he's gonna do. Stay safe. -Caleb."

Corbin tore up the letter and let it fall to the ground, furious at what was happening. "This is all a lie!"

"Woah there buddy, don't want to give the wrong impression."

"How could you do this, Jacob! How could you ruin my life like this! What did I even do to you? I thought we were friends! I thought you would've had my back, not put a gun to it!"

"Ah come on now, I'm just trying to kill a monster. Isn't that what we all want to do? Isn't that what you would do?"

Corbin's blood boiled. He felt every nerve in his body response. He felt every nerve in his body scream out to him to hit the bastard who was smugly standing in front of him. His fists needed to let the rage out. His brain said it'd be deserved. His heart said he was ruined anyway, it wouldn't make a difference now anyway. Everyone was getting this, so he was screwed no matter what. He winded up, ready to let the blow go, but stopped, and sobbed again. He fell to the ground, every nerve in his body regretful for his life he knew he'd lost. It wouldn't make a difference if he hit Jacob, he was ruined anyway. He sat there, tears drenching his hands.

"Why...? Why did you do... any of this? What did I do..."

"Ah, come now. Stand up. It's not like your tears matter. Everything in this god forgotten world's screwed up anyway. Might as well embrace the nihilism." He raises Corbin's head up to look him in the eyes.

"I did it because I could. I did it because nothing in the world is getting spared. I did it because in this end time, it feels better to break things then to try and put them back together. Finally, I did it because you have something I want." He drops Corbin's head back to the ground, a wet mess of trauma unable to process what had just happened. Corbin stopped crying, but only because he didn't know how to anymore.

Harper came running from around the corner. Jacob gets very close to Corbin, and lightly whispers:

"There it is now. It'll be mine soon enough." Corbin looks up, angry that this nerd had damned his life, working with his old school bully to ruin him in the eyes of the love of his life over some ego driven hate crime. What kind of situation was he even in? Was this real?

"Oh my god Jacob, are you okay?"

"I'm fine Harper, I just came here to talk to Corbin about everything."

"Thank you Jacob. I want to talk to Corbin. Can you give us a little space?"

"Absolutely. Be careful Harper. You know what he just did."

Jacob walks out of Corbin's dorm and closes the door behind them. Harper kneels down next to the forsaken Corbin, and takes his hand into her own. She lifts his head up, looking into his eyes, a bewildered look on his face where only a few minutes ago was a look of resolve. His hope had been shot down in moments, when this life had took months to create and a year to maintain. It was all gone in moments.

"Corbin....Why?"

"Harper... I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen..."

"What did you mean to happen Corbin? Why did this happen? Please."

"Harper..." Corbin looks into her eyes, and imagines where he'd been if what Caleb had said about Harper was true. If he really laid a hand on her. He sees it and thinks about how thankful he is that she was here with him and not somewhere else. He grins larger then ever before, knowing she was okay. He reaches towards her, trying to give her a hug. She pulls away. Corbin stops, a cold void where Harper would have filled his arms.

"Harper... please I can explain. I can explain everything!"

"Okay, please, explain, because the man I know and the man I love wouldn't do this."

"Harper, I do love you. That's why I did this! I swear it was for you!"

"I didn't ask you to do this, what do you mean this was for me?"

"Caleb, he told me that he'd done something to you. Something... unspeakable. He told me that he hated me, and in turn he assaulted you to hurt me. He threw the first punch, but once I threw mine, after hearing that? I wouldn't stop. I couldn't stop." Corbin crinkles up inside himself, tears running down his eyes again.

Exploding outwards through his body, he screams:

"I HAD TO DO IT! I HAD TO DO IT FOR YOU!!"

He sizzles back down, unable to lift himself anymore.

"Corbin, no. You didn't. You know I can take care of myself. You didn't have to beat him to an inch of his life!"

"WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO?" Corbin screams and wails, his tears running down the wooden floorboard below.

"Harper, how was I supposed to react to that? They're going to say I started it, but he did this. HE'S TRYING TO RUIN MY LIFE!"

"Corbin, I don't know what to think. I don't know how to fell about this. You beat the life out of someone in my name! How do I react to THAT? I'm sorry Corbin, I don't know what to think after that."

"I need you Harper... I can't do this alone. I need you by my side."

"Corbin I... I don't know." Corbin's heart sinks.

"I think... I think I need time. I love you, Corbin. I know I love you, but I don't know if I can stay in love with you. I can't see you the same anymore..."

Corbin tries to say something, but all he can do is quiver as words escape him.

"I... I'll think about this... all of this. I love you Corbin, and I'll see you soon, okay?"

Corbin wipes tears from his eyes.

"Okay... Okay. I...." He tries to sound confident. Tries to sound okay.

"I'll see you soon, my beautiful girlfriend." Corbin fakes a half broken smile.

"I'll see you soon, Corbin." She leaves him in a pool of his own tears, kneeling for forgiveness.

Why? Why was he robbed so badl?

There was a time when they were younger, Corbin and Gil, when they were hanging out after a basketball practice. They went out to town with a supervisor to get food and have an adventure. The advisors name was Lyn. She payed for the boys. It was only a small sum of money. They were both eleven. They were going to Tandy's, planned to buy a burger for each other. They got their normal orders, both a double cheese burger with nothing but cheese and ketchup. They sat on a fountain, and ate, when a man ran up to them with a knife. "Give me everything you've got! I swear! I'm not afraid to hurt a bunch of snot noses!"

Corbin panicked. He froze up of fear, as was his custom, and dropped the burger. The man was still looking intently into Corbin's eyes, holding the knife towards him. "No, no, it's alright. Please, sir, it's alright," said a calmed Gil.

"Here. I don't have much but take this." Gil carefully reaches into his pocket. The man holds the knife closer to Gil now. He slowly pulls out twenty dollars he was going to give to Lyn when she got back from the bathroom (quite poor timing if you asked me but) and gave it to the man.

"Here you go sir. Nothing to worry about. He doesn't have anything I'm afraid."

The man was speechless, he grabbed the money quickly from Gil's hand. "You can have this too, sir, if you'd like." Gil held up his burger.

"N-no man. Thank you. This'll be enough for food for a while. Thanks kid. You've got a future ahead of you, bud." The man walked over to his shopping cart full of trinkets and went somewhere else in a hurry, hoping no one near saw.

Gil had patience in the face of a threat. Even more then that, he offered kindness. No one even had to know. He would've never begged here like Corbin did. Gil was never alive again through him. All Corbin did, was lie to himself.

'No sanctuary safe! Homicide running rampant in every part of earth!' The papers weren't so kind to Corbin this time. This time they plastered his face everywhere. 'Carsonville suffers treacherous loss.' The school was wealthy, and nothing truly bad happened there. Something bad happening there, well that was news. 'Disturbed orphan takes it out on the innocent.' The newsroom splattered their speeches with headlines like these. They didn't know the full story, all they wanted was tragedy to get the views. 'Corbin Elser implicated in two murders at fifteen.' Everyone knew his name, everyone knew his face. His life was ruined. No counts of human error had butchered Caleb. No, the thing that had butchered Caleb was decision. The decision made my Caleb to act on fear and hate, and the decision made by Corbin to act on love.

Caleb recovered. Unable to hear from one ear, but he recovered. Everyone came to love him for his experience and had sympathy for him. He decided not to press charges on Corbin, stating he believed Corbin had learned his lesson. He even recommended to the school board that Corbin not be removed form the premises, and that the school could be instrumental in his rehabilitation. The prick. The note he had fabricated was mass-produced and sent to everyone in the school. Everyone had read it, or at least knew what was on it. Corbin walked in the halls the next day. No one smiled at him. No one waved. No one dapped him up. They all looked on in disgust, as if they hadn't known him at all. He trotted to history only to find a Chris uncaring for him and a teacher less tolerant of his lack of interest. After suffering through the humiliation of being called on for every question without answer for around an hour, he trots his way out of the class again, now to photography. Corbin had finished his assignment, "something from nothing," but after today, well he didn't feel right handing it in. He wasn't something from nothing anymore, Now he was reversed.

Corbin told Mr. Canary that he hadn't completed his project. Mr. Canary normally would be understanding. He would extend the due date. Allow Corbin more time to work. Not today. Today Corbin earned a zero. He sat through the course before receiving his next assignment: Action in motion. Normally Corbin would have something clever for this, but no. Not now. After photography class ended, Corbin went to gym class. He heard the chants of the changeroom. The ayes and the yelling of names. When he opened the door, he expected to have the same, but when he entered, the first man to look his way gave him nothing more then a blank face. Slowly, all chanting ended, and all that remained was the stares of the mob Corbin formerly was a part of. No one was going to accept him. Corbin quickly changed, everyone still watching him, and promptly exited. As soon as the door slammed shut, all sounds of chanting were given new life as the AYYYYEEEs continued onwards. Corbin stood next to Mr. Dur, a solid man who stood unshaken. But you knew, oh you knew, he was thinking the exact same thing as everyone else: Psycho.

Corbin went to lunch now. Corbin would always go with Harper to wherever they needed to go for Corbin's photo. Today, well, we don't need to hammer down the point now do we? Corbin thought about walking to Harper's dorm. He desired too so bad, but didn't. Instead he threw a rock and set his camera on timer, adding the natural lighting of the sun to the project before going to a sandwich place that was a fifteen minute walk away. He'd never had to go as he was always with Harper during lunch. Now, he did. He walked to the shop and bought a meat lovers before walking back to his dorm and eating it cold, and now alone. He sat and ate, a single tear dropping from his eye as he remembered what happened the day before on that same damn floor. He fights back more from running down his face, choosing to try and lie for at least another day. He finishes his sandwich and attends English, where he sits quietly and fills out papers, everyone noticing him yet pretending not to. It is a terrible feeling, and one Corbin would remember. Finally, the time has come. Drama class. His sanctuary. His last, hopeful gasp. The place all emotion was dispelled in honor of creating beauty. He had done so just yesterday, before everything happened. He knew Nicky would repay him for being loyal by being loyal back. He walked into the class, expecting a cold but tolerant welcome. Instead, he was approached by Nicky.

"Corbin, I am afraid right now I am going to formerly ask you to take a week off of my class. I have much to decide on regarding your performances. Please understand."

Without a moment to respond, Nicky slammed the door on him, closing off his last hope to go from hell to heaven.

The year is 2058, during the start of a new genesis in the age of fear. The age of acceptance. Corbin wakes up in his bed, another distorted day of walking regret. He looks around his room, unkept as ever, and crawls out of bed. He stands on his own two feet, not knowing who's they really are at this point, and walks to the bathroom. He takes out his toothbrush and applies the toothpaste. He brushes slowly, agonizingly until there's no more to brush. He drops it into the sink and puts on a shirt and shorts before leaving his room, sneakers dirtied and worn. Corbin is seventeen now, or maybe sixteen. Eighteen? He doesn't know. He doesn't care either.

He joins the nameless crowd of kids talking among each other, walking quietly and unnoticed through everyone, alone and desolate. By now everyone has forgotten about Corbin, save for some passing mentions of common association. Corbin was at the basketball game when I- The trivia night Corbin organized for the school and I met- Harper and Corbin walked by us so we couldn't look like-. Not everyone had forgotten him, though. Harper couldn't look at him, but she still thought about him every night. Li hadn't ever really cared, so he stuck around Corbin a little, but less as he fell out of theatre. Chris, a friend of Corbin's who shared similar interests, did not stick around. He had never been close to Corbin, so of course he had left him. No reason to stay. The same applied for every student. No one else except Li at certain points dared to approach Corbin, so he was alone all day and all night long. He had been completely kicked out of the drama club, with a near unanimous vote from the student body. The only one willing to give him the second chance was Harper. She was always waiting for Corbin to approach her. She would've said yes instantly. He never did. He always thought he knew the answer, and reasoned that if Harper did ever have a change of heart, she would approach him. She never did. Their stalemate left both of them completely void, yearning for what could have been possible all along. Nicky hadn't cared for him anymore either, so she did nothing against the vote.

Corbin, once again, had no outlet. He had people give up on him because of things that weren't his faults, but his mistakes. Mistakes created through extra ordinary circumstances. Still, everyone around him saw it as his fault, and there's nothing he can do about it. Drama was ripped from him. The respect of his peers and teachers ripped from him. The most amazing and important people in his life, ripped from him, all while the men who caused such injustice still walked and breathed. He knew Malekith was still alive as well. President Usung made a report on the news pledging to route the raiders of their business, not because of Gil, but because the raiders possessed important US secrets. Typical leadership. Only caring about themselves.

Everything Corbin had tried to build was burned in front of him by his own hands. But was it him? Or was it life? What was it? He had no idea. He didn't care. What was is not now, and that was all that mattered. Graduation was a week away. At the end, all Corbin could do with himself was take photos. He'd lost his knack for acting not soon after Nicky dismissed him two years ago, so all he had was a camera and an imagination. He could still see people as people, and now, he could see them as ideas. Not just people though. He could see everything as an idea. He explained this to Mr. Canary, and Mr. Canary told Corbin he had an enormous gift. He put aside his past feelings about Corbin after now hearing the full story, and promised to help Corbin find employment as a photographer.

"You've got a gift, Corbin. I want you to put it to good use. Let's find you a job, son."

That's all he'd said, and it was all he needed to say. Canary even said he'd house him, and that as long as Corbin could pay rent and started calling him Deeshan, he could have whatever food was in the fridge. Corbin had this one silver lining in his future. He had no choice but to put his cards into photography. That was exactly what he would do. Corbin walked through this school for two years regretting what he did in a few minutes. Seeing the huge halls and robust rooms of this building, every day it was enough to break him. He sobbed in his room every night, wondering what Gil thought of him from the heavens above. Wondering what everyone else thought about him. Wondering what he could do to get it all back, or at least make it all go away. Suicidal thoughts were ever-present, but every time they came about, he stopped himself. His hope for Harper helped him stick around. With graduation around the corner, this would not be enough. We'll see how that goes.

Graduation came, Corbin took his diploma as everyone stink eyed him and cheering continued. He walked off and went around the corner. He threw away his diploma and graduation-wear and left from a side door located away from prying eyes. He walked away, having packed everything he needed, and left without saying goodbye. No one would've wanted to wish him off, anyway.

Why have freedom when you could have security? Doesn't security let you keep your happiness? Yes. Until your security isn’t secure anymore. Until someone finds a flaw. The only true concept applied in life is force. Freedom lets you build force. Security encapsulates you within the small amounts of force you have.