Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Chapter Eleven - Jason

A weight seemed to sit on Jason's chest as he began to lock up the little grocery shop. He couldn't figure out why he felt so sad, twisting the key for that familiar click. The sun had just sunk below the small houses, and had left a chill that frosted Jason's every exhale. Tucking the key away in his pocket, Jason picked up his two bags of groceries and headed down the small slope that held a bunch of tiny apartments that fit snugly against another opposing hill. As he walked, Jason began to wonder if he should stop by Mr. Brown's place to say hello. Mr. Brown had owned the store for fifty years now, and had been like a father to Jason, even giving him a job at the store and bonuses to cover rent.

Another added weight of sadness seemed to pile onto Jason when he thought of his old friend. Why did it make him so sad, he wondered. He couldn't seem to make sense of it, and just when he thought he might be able to a loud snarling seemed to surround him, and a blur of teeth and pain pressed down until he couldn't handle it any longer.

With a hearty gasp for fresh air, Jason bolted up right. After breathing for a few moment, Jason sighed. Reaching under his pillow, he pulled out a small key. He had no idea how he had managed to keep this small trinket, but it was something he would always treasure. Flicking on the small flashlight attached to the key, Jason pulled on a pair of gray sweats and put the comforter back on the bed. Once the bed was made, Jason carefully slid the key back under the pillow and ran his fingers through his hair, careful not to pull any out as he tended to do as a child when frustrated.

The heaviness seemed to always be with Jason. No matter where he was, or who he was with, there was always something. Perhaps he understood Emma in this way, in the sense that he could see the weight on her shoulders. But unlike Emma, Jason could hardly find hope. Emma felt she could without a doubt save Logan after whatever happened at training practice, but Jason didn't fall into those kinds of traps. His experience led him to believe that all life is is miserable. Perhaps if Jason had had a family he would think differently, but he had to raise himself and see the world for what it really was. Mr. Brown had been kind and gracious man, but even he had grown old and sick.

For Jason, there was nothing to hope for. Except, perhaps an unfortunate accident where Logan was concerned. With a sigh Jason laid back down, his hand reaching under the pillow to feel the coolness of the shop's key. He felt an odd pull toward's Emma, but he also knew that to grow close to her, he would have to open up as Raven had kindly ranted the other day, and all he was inside was a sad pit of lonely hopelessness. Jason could never put someone like Emma, with all of her lovely optimism, through such a tragic thing as that.