Newcomer

[Heros Wilden]

Morning had come and gone and afternoon was just approaching around the corner. He recently moved here last month and hadn’t the time to make new friends yet. But today was a Saturday and it was a free day for everyone. His parents went out for the day to shop for groceries and other things to make the interior of their new house appear better, although they didn’t have company coming by for now. The boy didn’t need to worry about friends coming over, but his karate teacher did visit on a regular basis and apparently his parents were concerned about their newfound friend’s opinion on the house. They were also bringing up the suggestion of finding a stranger to tutor their child, who was being home-schooled, so they could hold jobs to afford their payments.

Being alone where his older siblings had gone out to mingle with strangers around the neighborhood, Heros didn’t find much to do inside his new home. He felt like playing video games but found his small collection to be boring, especially when he didn’t have company who could play with him. Sighing, he reckoned it was time for him to try and meet some of the children he had seen around the neighborhood. He just hoped they didn’t ask him for jawbreakers. If they did, he would oblige to break their jaws for them. He stood up and looked at his chair where a pair of blue jeans and a red shirt were laying. As if he pondered for a moment he hesitated in the bare, but then decided to grab the jeans. If he was going to try and make friends he needed to do it right.

He headed out but halted at the end of his driveway. He didn’t know where he could go. He knew where some of the children lived having seen their busses, but not where they hung out. He looked down the road where the playground was, but felt a little ill about it. He didn’t want to go there by himself after all. Playing by oneself was never fun. He glanced around the yard and saw it needed to be cleaned. He figured he could do some work and could hope someone would come along and offer a chance to be friends. He headed into the garage and then returned with a rake. At the end of the yard he started to comb the grass for excess leaves and pulled them into a pile that started to get bigger over time. It would be clear to anyone who looked carefully that the boy was working hard, that he was in very good shape, and also because of his jeans sagging just below his waistline, that he was commando.

[Numbers Silverman]

Number’s was sitting on a regular brown chair, tired from all the music, and dancing. Why did his mother even have these stupid pointless party? Sighing in defeat, he finally decided to leave and go hang with Tim or something. He walked through the huge crowd that we're dancing their heads off. After he managed to get through the crowd. Before Number’s could even leave the trailer, he heard someone call towards his direction, "Uhh...Blondie…Where a-re ah... ya go-ing?" Oh, it's just his mother. "Leaving. Now bye." Numbers simply replied.

Walking out of the trailer park making his way to the Cul-de-sac He looked around for something to do, when he spotted a kids bike just sitting out in the front yard unprotected. Number’s glared at the bike. He looked over at the house, a huge smile playing across his face. Stealing candy was one thing, but stealing a bike was a totally different story. He tiptoed around to the house, he hoped no one was there. Maybe they wouldn't notice he took it? Suddenly a door swung open and he heard a man's voice he was yelling at Numbers. In a panic he squeezed the handlebars, wiping sweat from his eyes. He quickly swung his leg over the seat, and kicked off, perfectly balanced. His feet moved in a circular rhythm, giving forward motion to the wheels of the bike.

Then he raced off. He could feel the wind rushing past him pulling at his cheeks and whipping through his hair, inhaling the scent of the air as he watched the house and trees. There was something almost warm and spicy about the scent in the air that caused a burning sensation to flare inside him. Adrenaline was coursing through his body. The thud of the wheels hitting the pavement brought him back to earth. He screeched to halt, stopping the bike in front of a white house with blue shutters. Unable to form coherent thoughts anymore, she just closed his eyes and focused on breathing. He had a tired smile on his face.

[Heros Wilden]

To the boy’s dislike the neighborhood was too quiet. Despite it being peaceful the silence was too eerie for him. He could hear a car starting, a door opening, a couple of kids down the block wrestling with each other, and then someone yelling out in anger. He looked up at the commotion but didn’t think anything of it when he saw a teenage boy rolling away rapidly on a bicycle. For one, it was far off in the distance so he couldn’t make out the man’s raged words, nor the simple fact the bicycle was being stolen. Instead, he went back to working on the yard, having by now given up on the possibility someone would come by.

The possibility soon returned when the same teenager had pulled to a stop directly in front of his house. However, the boy didn’t say or do anything at the moment because he was so focused on raking up leaves he didn’t notice the company until he realized he wasn’t alone anymore. He glanced up, eyeing the teenager for a moment, and then nodded in greeting. Continuing to rake, the child called out to the teenager asking for a name while introducing himself, “Hi, I’m Heros. What’s your name?” He said as he stopped raking and extended his free hand for a friendly handshake.

[Numbers Silverman]

Blissful warmth instantly met the tension on his face, with a heavy sigh. He let a small smile drift across his face in response of seeing the boy. "I'm Numbers." He muttered, He swallowed, he didn't want to admit but he was bad at making friends. He stood up off the bike it was to small, so it made his legs ache. Number's looked really nervous, bored and lonely.

looking around unable to see the man or the little kid, He needed to hide the bike. "Ah, you wanna help me hide this bike kid?" He whispered. The only sounds that filled his ears were the wind and his breathing. Number's hands were trembling his heart was beating faster. He rubbed his temples with a pained scowl, both in an effort to relieve his headache, he got them a lot when was nervous or doesn't take his insulin shots.

[Heros Wilden]

When introductions were made the boy couldn’t help but raise his eyebrow. He knew his name alone was strange enough, but someone being called Numbers weren’t the same. “Numbers?” He asked quizzically, wondering if the teenager was a genius on the subject of math or something of the sort. He supposed in the end, though, it wasn’t worth the time to ask about names or nicknames. After all many often misspelled his own name and considered it as an actual noun and not just a name that was missing one of the six letters needed to form the more appropriate term.

The boy was obviously curious about the bicycle now when asked to help hide it. He shrugged at first, hesitating, but then nodded reluctantly. “I guess.” He didn’t know the bicycle was stolen, but he didn’t know either that it could’ve belonged to the teenager and others, such as the man, could’ve been trying to steal it from him. For all he knew, he was going to be an innocent bystander or an accomplice. He looked around and then eyed his garage. “Hide it in there but don’t leave it there all day. My parents will wonder where I got it from and all.” He wasn’t keen on getting in trouble, after all. A bicycle was worth sixty or seventy bucks these day, and Heros definitely didn’t earn that much yet.

[Numbers Silverman]

Number's could only count his blessings that the guy had managed to not really see who he was, or the cops would come. With a resigned sigh, He was glad the kid was helping him out. But, with a sick feeling in his stomach, feeling his vision start to burn he knew he had to check his blood sugar soon but that had to wait. 'Ah..." He said carefully, hesitantly. "Thanks kid…" He muttered out. Has he moved the bike into the garage for safe keeping until the heat died down.

Number's hands were trembling has he turned to face the boy in front of him, desperately trying to relax. He forced a smile. Number's dug in his pockets, grabbing out a very small piece of candy. Popping it into his dry mouth to help manage his blood sugar. He pulled out his meter to check his blood sugar. He pricked his finger and Wrote down the result on the candy wrapper and shove the wrapper and meter back in his pocket. He knew he still had to eat, but he was starting to feel a little better.

[Heros Wilden]

He shrugged in response, not really caring at the moment how grateful the teenager was. The bicycle was safe where it was now, whether it was stolen or not. At this point the boy was more concerned about finally having company but he wasn’t sure how to even begin the day. He should’ve planned out the random encounter more carefully. He noticed how the teenager seemed to be trembling and started to speak but paused when the older male pulled out a familiar device. He had seen one of his elderly aunts use it often.

“You have diabetes?” The child asked casually, without a hint of concern. He was already used to the situation, especially when he saw the candy. He knew what it usually meant and hesitated for a few seconds. “If you need something to eat, I guess we might have something…” He mumbled before ascending up the steps into the house. “Sorry about the mess,” he turned back inviting the teenager inside with a wave of his hand, “We moved in last month and we aren’t done unpacking yet.” Sure enough there were boxes here and there, including the empty ones.

With a casual sigh, he glanced around the kitchen, it being the first room they stepped in upon leaving the garage. There was a cookie jar sitting against the side of the refrigerator but it was empty. There was a cake pan near the kitchen sink but it was dirty from the celebration of the boy’s birthday not too long ago. There was only one thing that he could take out that was sweet enough, and that was a bucket of ice cream he took from the freezer. “I hope you like strawberry ice cream.” Strawberries were the boy’s favorite, so anything strawberry in the sense of food he was bound to have it. He pointed to a cabinet by the teenager’s head, “Bowls up there.” He said as he turned and pulled out a drawer by the sink, taking out a couple of spoons. “I will have a bowl myself.” He returned to the drawer and took out the ice cream scoop.

[Numbers Silverman]

He wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans, swallowing heavily. Licking his lips, running a trembling hand through his hair. His throat was dry, making him gasp more air into his lungs. He couldn’t talk. He swallowed what little saliva he had left in his mouth. His head felt like it was full of cotton, his body barely responding to his orders to walk into the house. He struggled to move his feet and stumbled after them finally making it into the house.

Making his way into the kitchen, grabbing a bowl, he took the lid of the carton, whipped out his spoon and started shoveling two very small scoops of ice cream. He is eating very little now, he gets sick if he eats more than usual. it's not like he's ever been fat. He was really skinny for a kid his age. He finished off the bowl of ice cream. He tossed the spoon into the bowl.

[Heros Wilden]

He could tell from the teenager’s shaking that it was good timing he offered the ice cream when he did. Clearly the older male didn’t need much, so he ate his just as light as his comrade did. When he was done eating the ice cream, he stepped up from the table and carried both bowls over to the sink, placing them both in the cold water from last night. His parents often liked to let the dishes soak before washing them, claiming it was easier to wash them that way. Well, whether it was easier or not it was still just as messy and company wouldn’t be impressed if they were the kind to impress. But to him the teenager wasn’t someone to impress.

“Are you feeling better, Numbers?” He asked, thinking it was kind of strange to call a man by a word that meant else. But he didn’t let it bother him much as he waited for Numbers to answer. “Do you live around here, anyway?” He asked, feeling it was dumb to ask such a question but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. He was trying to strike up conversation, after all, despite the awkward situation he found himself in now he had a total stranger in his house that he barely knew at all but was doing his best to befriend the older male. Clearly he wanted to make this guy comfortable before making himself comfortable. “Anyway, how old are you?”

[Numbers Silverman]

He swallowed thickly and licked his lips. Finally he managed to nod his head, "Yeah alot better." Blinking a couple of times to get everything into focus, "Oh I live in the Park n' Flush trailer." He hated telling people that he lived there. It wasn't the greatest place to grow up at. But it was okay because he was going to get out of here, and never look back. A small played on his lips, "I'm 13, what about you?" He mumbled.

[Heros Wilden]

He hadn’t ever heard of the trailer park the teenager mentioned, but could tell from the expression on Numbers’ face it was something he didn’t like to discuss. So, to be kind, he didn’t mention it any more and dropped the subject. Ages were mentioned and he was inquired about his. “I’m ten. We just moved here a few weeks ago. You’re the first guy from around here that I’ve talked to, other than Miss Bells down the road and Mister Sun who teaches me karate.” There were quite a few others but he meant Numbers was the first kid he ever spoke to from around the neighborhood.

“I’m home-schooled, so I don’t get a chance to make many friends.” He shrugged. Already there were people who would get jealous of him because of his smart antics, some which was correcting teachers and explaining to other students when it was the teacher’s job to do so. “Anyway, I guess you’ve been around here a while. What do you like to do, I mean for fun?” He asked calmly. He only knew about the playground he could see from out of his bedroom window, but he never bothered to go there. He wouldn’t when he was worried no one would like him, especially when he could appear as a lone wolf in their opinion. People were so judgmental these days.