S-CRY-ed Fan Fiction ❯ Tracing The Windowpane ❯ Just Like Them ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: You know the drill.

A/N: Well, I have the whole plotline written out but whether or not I'll be able to write this as well is uncertain to me. ^^'

Tracing The Windowpane

--Chapter Three--

Just Like Them

Cougar spent the next two years at the farm. Now at the age of nine, he had become more evolved than what he had at the naïve age of seven. Jaid was trying, he knew that. As promised, he had educated Cougar since he could not afford to send Cougar to school. Money was not the issue, but Jaid could not afford to lose a worker.

But that was fine and dandy. Jaid himself was a very intelligent man who had gone to college in his earlier years before moving to the Lost Ground. Mackey told Cougar one day that secretly, Jaid had never wanted to become a farmer at all and had actually been Mackey who pressed for it. Jaid never blamed Mackey for his misfortune, but it was evident to Cougar that Mackey harbored the guilt of Jaid's fate.

But it was Jaid who taught Cougar to read and write and do arithmetic. And the boy was a quick learner, which startled his tutor. Each time Cougar was taught one thing, he would absorb it like a sponge and be eager to move onto the next lesson. At times, Cougar would learn faster than what Jaid could teach him. Ironically enough, as Cougar found out, Jaid had actually wanted to become a college professor, which explained how Jaid was able to teach Cougar everything he knew without skipping over something important.

Cougar's favorite subject was literature and many times Jaid would present to him a new book to read, which delighted the boy. When Cougar wasn't working, he was reading and read until way into the night. Fiction, non-fiction, physics, biology, mathematics, and beyond. It amazed Jaid at how even he could not keep up with the boy.

Outside of education, which seemed to be getting the better of Cougar and often took up most of his free time, Cougar worked around the farm with several of Jaid's new workers. It was well into June now--harvesting time. The boy ran errands around the farm and in town. He didn't mind. He actually enjoyed the walk back and forth from town. If there was one thing that Cougar enjoyed more than reading, it was traveling.

But there was more to it behind the scenes of the farm. Although Cougar and Jaid were somewhat closer than what they had first started off as, Jaid remained distant, and his eyes were never focused. It was as though he wished to be somewhere else--on some far off land. Because of this, Cougar hadn't found the courage to bring up Jaid's past and Mackey would never give more than necessary. Cougar admired Mackey's loyalty.

On Cougar's side, however, the memory of his family was fleeting and regardless of what he desired, his memories disappeared from him. However, their deaths haunted him and he could not forget. He could not forget what had been the cause of their demise.

Alter Users…

'Jaid, what are Alter Users?'

The older man had tensed and froze in his tracks. His eyes fell to the floor, a bitter feeling running through his heart.

'They're monsters.'

And those same monsters had murdered his family. They were responsible for the brilliant flames that rode through the village like knights on horseback and took his mother and father from him.

Their faces were shadows to him now. Blurred.

Cougar detested those monsters. Alter Users. The same ones who caused such destruction in his life and the lives around him. This was what separated him, a human, from Alter Users, those monsters.

"Boy!" Cougar stopped loading the bundles of hay onto the truck. He wiped the bead of sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. Clad only in tan shorts and black sandals, he jumped from the tailgate of the truck and ran to meet Jaid.

"Jaid?" Cougar breathed, slowing himself in front of the bearded man. "What's up?" If there was one significant change about Cougar from the two year period that he had lived with Jaid, it would be the disappearance of his timidity and the evolution of his social behavior.

Jaid held a wad of dollar bills in his face. "Go into town would ya? Need you to pick up a loaf of bread and two cans of soup for dinner. Got that?"

Cougar took the money from the older man and stuffed it into his pocket. "Yeah." Reaching over to the water pump beside the truck, Cougar grabbed his white shirt and pulled it over his head.

"That's a good kid," Jaid flashed a grin, ruffled the boy's hair, and walked back to the fields with the rest of the workers.

Jaid was indeed an acquired taste. You never knew if he liked you or not. He had an incredible poker face and a will of iron. Nothing seemed to bother him. It took time for Cougar to get used to Jaid's complex behavior, never really knowing how the older man felt about him.

But despite Jaid's beliefs in discipline, he was also lenient on the boy. Cougar, for the life of him, could never come home early. It was not because Cougar was slow. In fact, he was far from it. He was the only worker that Jaid had ever known to complete all of his work in a single day. And the work he would give the boy usually took a regular working fool at least three days. What complicated matters even more was that Cougar was only a boy.

No, Cougar was not slow. But he was easily distracted. Everything interested him. From books to nature to historical features and even features that weren't even historical! Jaid was patient with his 'attention disorder', although it thwarted the older man greatly.

But still…

…Even still…

Jaid could not help but feel fascinated by this boy. From the moment he had seen the boy curled up on the street corner, he had felt such a powerful resonance from the boy. He was definitely different than anyone else he had ever met.

"Thank you Sir," Cougar accepted the change and stuffed it into his pocket.

"You're mighty welcome, Cougar. You be a good lad now and run along. Oh, and make sure you do what Jaid tells you to." The old shopkeeper smiled.

"Don't I always?" Cougar laughed. He had gotten the quick wit and sharp tongue from Mackey, whom Cougar always seemed to be hanging around. It was that man who had helped wean Cougar away from his terrible shyness.

The old man mirrored the laughter, and Cougar bid him farewell, taking the groceries and walking out the door.

He hadn't gotten far down the old dirt road, the same one he took home everyday, when he was tackled to the ground by a larger force. The bag that had been in Cougar's arms was flung in front of him.

"Oof!" Cougar's face was welcomed by the ground as the larger weight sat on top of him, smothering Cougar's face into the dirt. His knees had been scraped in the fall and now hurt more than his face.

The form on top of him immediately jumped off, and the great weight left Cougar, which was a wonderful relief to the boy. With great celerity, the attacker snatched the bag from the ground and took off running down the road. Cougar, stunned, watched his belongings being carried off by his assailant and he instantaneously picked himself up from off the worn road and fled after him.

"Hey!" Cougar shouted after him, pushing himself harder, breathing in deeply. He stared at the back of the mugger and realized that the one who had robbed him was only a boy, no older than he. This would make it much easier to catch up to him, Cougar calculated.

No, he was no match for Cougar. After all, Cougar loved to run and he had never seen anyone faster than he. Already the boy in front of him was beginning to slow, staggering in his tracks as his feet gave out beneath him. Cougar could hear the boy's irregular breathing from ahead.

And within no time at all, Cougar was running side by side with the heaving boy, who suddenly began to fall behind. With a quick jerk, Cougar tackled the mugger from behind. Again the bag went sailing until it was several feet in front of both of them.

Now on top of his assaulter, Cougar leaned forward, enough so that he could speak to the boy and maintain his weight on top of him.

"What's your problem!?" The boy underneath Cougar cried, all the while of trying to rock back and forth, hoping to throw Cougar from his back.

"My problem!?" Cougar's small brows narrowed. "You started it!"

"You're being way too selfish with that food!" The boy retorted and Cougar used the palm of his hand to push the boy's face back the ground. "I just wanted a little bit of it."

"You took the whole bag!" Cougar argued. Again he pressed all of his weight on top of the boy, who began to wail.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! ALL RIGHT!" Cougar lessened his stranglehold. "I'm sorry. Geez, for such a little kid, you're a real thorn in my side."

"Well what was I supposed to do? Let you take all the food? Do you know how much trouble you would've gotten me into?" Cougar leaned back, but did not get off of the boy. "Besides, you're no older than me."

"Strange really," The boy attempted to avert his gaze over his shoulder but due to the position that his head was in, he found it impossible. "You're the first person I've ever known to catch me."

"You weren't all that hard to catch," Cougar blew the small brown fringe of hair from his eyes.

"That's a real shame." The boy sighed. "Everyone knows me as the thief who can't be caught. Then some kid like you comes along and disgraces my title."

"Next time you'll look at who you're mugging."

Cougar took this opportunity to observe his attacker. Although just a boy, he had the face of someone who was wise--someone who knew the streets like the back of his hand. His hair was blonde, wild, and stuck up all over the place. Across his forehead was a bright red bandana, tied at the back. He was a dirty kid, as though he was used to sleeping in ditches and sewer pipes, and most probably did. His clothes were tattered and torn and his shoes had holes all over them.

"You've got a real mouth on you," The boy replied. "Well then, now that I've met my match, Nemesis, would you allow me up? I'd like to see the face of the kid who bested me in battle."

Cougar was hesitant, but slowly rose up off of the boy's back, warily. After taking a few steps back, the boy pushed himself to his feet, dusting off his knees and then turned, smiling.

"Well I'll be," The boy laughed. "You really are just a kid!"

"You're no older than me," Cougar said again.

"I'm eleven. That's plenty old." The boy responded, running a muddy hand through his blonde hair.

"Yeah? Well I'm nine…" Cougar paused, looking up at the older boy. "…almost ten."

Then the boy gave a hearty laugh, his hands on his hips. "No kidding! I was beaten out by a shrimp!"

Frowning, Cougar replied, "'Shrimp'? Who are you calling 'shrimp'?"

Grinning, the boy extended his hand. "Kaz. Don't have a real name. You?"

Cougar reluctantly took Kaz's hand. "Straight Cougar. But 'Cougar' is fine with me."

"Cougar huh? Just like the cat." Then grinning, he said, "Pouncing all over the place?"

"I hardly 'pounce'," Cougar mumbled, then said a little louder, "But if you'll excuse me, I have to get this food home to my Guardian."

"Who's your Guardian?" Kaz inquired.

"Do you know 'Jaid'?" Cougar stooped over and picked up the bag. It had torn down one side, so he held the injured part of the bag close to his chest and continued along the road.

"The farmer? Of course! Well…not personally but I mean…he's not a stranger around these parts. Why? You related to him or something?"

"No. He's my boss. I work for him and in return, I live with him."

"Fair exchange. Hey, sorry about earlier. But you gotta realize where I'm coming from, being poor and all…"

For being a small boy, Cougar noticed that Kaz talked a lot…Almost as much as himself.

"I guess…it's okay," Cougar said reluctantly. "Just don't do it again."

"I'll be sure not to!" Kaz beamed. "Now that my name has been disgraced, no one will ever look at me right again!" Kaz was dancing around Cougar, talking to him with such hyperactivity. "Hey you don't mind if I follow you home or anything, right? Cougar?"

"Sure…I suppose…"

"Great! Hey, you know something, I really haven't eaten at all today, so you know…If I come to your house, that means I'm a guest right? And you always treat your guests with hospitality…so I was thinking…"

Cougar couldn't wait until Kaz finally stopped talking and crawled back to wherever it was that he had come from.

But little did Cougar know that Kaz was going to play an important part in his life before everything was said and done.

Jaid wasn't fond of Kaz. It wasn't that he didn't LIKE the boy, but he did talk an awful lot. Jaid didn't even know that boys were supposed to talk that much. For the past month he had done nothing but come by to visit Cougar…and…talk. He talked about everything. He talked about the Lost Ground, its history, the people in it, the things to do there- - most of the time it was dangerous things- - and anything else he felt like talking about. Strangely enough, with the amount of talking that Kaz did, he never once brought up his family.

He said that he came from an underground communion of boys, but that was about it. He had no real family, no parents, not even relatives. He did, however, have a stepbrother named Halley who was the leader of the boys. He remembered who Kaz's parents were, but said that they had died when he was just a baby. Kaz didn't think too much on it. He seemed happy anyway.

Jaid also noticed that whenever Kaz was around, Cougar never seemed to get anything done. This wasn't because Cougar got distracted from work of his own want and will, it was simply because Kaz distracted Cougar and just kept talking. Several times Jaid went out and handed Kaz a shovel, hoping that the thought of work would scare Kaz away. But this just seemed to delight the boy and he plucked the shovel from Jaid's hands, and began to work and talk all at the same time.

"I give up," Jaid muttered in defeat. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get Kaz to go home until it was late into the night. But then he'd be back early in the morning…earlier than what a normal boy was supposed to get up at. One time, he came knocking at the door at 3 a.m. dressed and geared up for farming.

"If you're so eager to farm," Jaid snapped as he stuck his head out the door and glowered down at Kaz (who had the biggest of grins on his face), "then start by picking out all the weeds around the yard!"

There were hundreds of them around the house. Mainly because no one cared about the house. But Kaz agreed anyway. And all the while he was picking weeds, he was singing folk songs off-key, keeping Jaid and Cougar awake.

Finally, Jaid stormed into Cougar's room, his face red with anger.

"He's YOUR friend! You go tell him to shut up!"

"What do you mean 'he's my friend'!?" Cougar retorted. "I didn't tell him to come over and start entertaining us with dying cat noises!"

Yes, Kaz took a bit of getting used to. But after a month's time, Jaid and Cougar both grew used to the boy and his talking and his gargling noises.

"He's just lonely," Jaid said, justifying the obnoxious boy. "He just needs a friend."

And whether Cougar liked it or not, he WAS that friend. Kaz couldn't be told 'no' and then properly understand what the word 'no' meant. But after some time, Cougar got accustomed to the boy and his presence.

"Cougar!" Kaz peeked his head into Cougar's window one day after Cougar was done with his chores. The younger boy could be seen relaxing on his bed reading.

"What?" Cougar asked, keeping his face behind the book.

"Wanna go light firecrackers in the old abandoned clinic down the road?"

"Not particularly."

"Awww come on! Okay fine. Wanna go and break into that store in town?"

"NO!" Cougar snapped, throwing his book down. "I happen to LIKE those people!"

"Okay, okay," Kaz climbed in through the window. "Hey what'cha reading?"

"What WAS I reading would be the better question."

"Okay, what WERE you reading?"

Sighing exasperatedly, Cougar sat up. "I forgot."

"You know you should get out and do something."

"I just got finished with five hours of chores. I'm exhausted. Besides, it's almost five."

"Speaking of being so late," Another voice came in through Cougar's doorway. "Jaid wants you to run to the market." It was Mackey. "Hey Cougar."

"Hey Mackey!" Cougar waved, smiling.

Mackey's eyes moved to Kaz, who was hanging over Cougar's bed. "Oh…Uh…Hey Kaz."

"What kind of greeting is that!?" Kaz frowned. "You're such a stick in the mud Mackey."

"Yeah you're right," Mackey laughed. "Seeing as you practically LIVE here I should greet you better. So how's life?"

"Peachy," Mackey responded and then pulled himself back onto Cougar's bed.

"He wants me to go to the market?" Cougar asked. "What for?"

"The usual," The older man shrugged. "Just get to it, I guess."

"All right," Cougar jumped off of his bed and ran past Mackey.

"Hey wait!" Kaz called after him. "I'll go with ya!"

"Hold on," Mackey said, barricading Kaz's path. "You and I need to talk."

"…About what?" Kaz asked charily.

Taking the boy by the shoulder, Mackey responded, "Now about those wakeup calls Jaid has been telling me about…"

"That's one…two…three dollars in cash," The old shopkeeper said, handing the money to Cougar. "I'll see you tomorrow Cougar."

"Thank you Sir," Cougar said, taking the money and stuffing it into his pocket. Then his fingers coiled around the small bag and he turned away from the counter.

"You take care, Sweetie," The shopkeeper's wife, who was restocking the shelves, waved to the boy.

"Thank you Ma'am," Cougar nodded. "Take care." And he stepped out of the door.

"That boy…" The woman looked after Cougar as he left the store. "Jaid is real lucky to have him around. I wish that he would treat Cougar better though."

"Darling," The old shopkeeper began to sweep the floor. "You have to remember the kind of man that Jaid is. He tries his hardest, but you know Jaid. He doesn't open up to anyone."

His dear old wife bit her lip, sorrow overwhelming her.

Jumping down the steps from the shop, Cougar made his trip back to the farm. But then he was stopped short as three burly men stepped into the road, their shadow enveloping him. They were all well built, decorated with tattoos and piercings that Cougar had never seen before. The man in the middle, he assumed, was their leader. A long green Mohawk lined his head and stopped at the back of his neck. The man to his right was bald completely and the man on his left had long blue hair that was tied back in a ragged cloth.

"Hey shrimp," The man with the Mohawk said, his voice deep and ominous. "That looks like a mighty big load for someone like you. Allow me to assist you…" He leaned down, his large hand reaching for Cougar's bag.

Quickly pulling it out of the larger man's grasp, Cougar clung to it protectively. "No that's okay. I think I can manage."

"I doubt that," The leader grinned and stepped forward.

Leaping backwards, Cougar stared up at the men with horror.

Before he knew what had hit him, the bald man had taken him by surprise, grabbing Cougar's shoulders and tearing the bag from his hands.

"Give it back!" The boy cried. "Give it back to me!"

The bald man tossed it to his leader who held it high above Cougar's head.

"You can have it back," The Mohawk man said coolly. "IF you can get it."

Releasing Cougar's shoulders, the bald man stepped back while Cougar jumped, his arms outstretched, desperate to get the bag.

"Heh, heh. Pathetic…" The bald man laughed and then threw it over his shoulder.

Terrified, Cougar ran around the Mohawk man, his eyes on the bag.

"Kid, you're such a disgrace." And the Mohawk man kicked Cougar in the back.

Falling to the ground with such force, the wind knocked from Cougar's lungs, Cougar remained dazed for the moment, until he was lifted up by the back of his shirt.

The Mohawk man left him hanging in midair, his fingers wrapped around the cloth of Cougar's shirt.

"Heh," The Mohawk man chuckled and the man with blue hair pushed himself in Cougar's face. "You're nothing but trash…taking up space here in the Lost Ground."

Snorting, the man with blue hair spat in Cougar's face and kneed the boy in the stomach.

Wheezing, Cougar wriggled violently out of the Mohawk man's grasp, clutching his stomach as he coughed unremittingly.

"What a wuss!" And Cougar was thrown to the ground, his lungs gasping for air. Turning over onto his back, the boy breathed in deeply, allowing the air to fill his body. "Be a man, you brat!" And then he was struck across the face.

Cougar opened his eyes weakly, the blood trickling from his lips and dotting the ground, and he wiped away the dirt and saliva from his face.

"Hand me the board," The leader instructed to the bald man. He was tossed a board and he immediately held it above Cougar. "You need discipline!"

"What in God's name are you doing!?" A door opened and a man with white hair stepped onto the porch. It was the shopkeeper. "Cougar!"

"No…" Cougar muttered, faintly, "Too…dangerous…"

"I'm calling the cops!" The shopkeeper shouted, prompting the three men to laugh.

"And what will THEY do?" The leader asked. "We're not Alter Users. They won't bother with us." Cougar could still see the board hovering overhead.

"Then I'll make you leave!" Holding onto his broomstick, the shopkeeper dashed down the steps and held the broom out in front of him.

"A broom!?" The Mohawk man laughed. "You ARE a fool old man!"

"Darling no!" The shopkeeper's wife hid behind the door, horror overcoming her. "Please!"

"This boy has done nothing to you," The shopkeeper said, ignoring the words of his wife. "Why do you choose to abuse him so?"

"Why!? Why that's simple! Because he's trash! And we OWN the Lost Ground! If we want him dead, then he dies!"

But the shopkeeper moved in front of Cougar's battered body, holding the broomstick closely to him.

"Won't back down old man?" The Mohawk man asked.

"That's foolish!" The bald man chimed in. "We'll beat you just as bad!"

But still the shopkeeper would not move.

"Fine!" The Mohawk man swung the board brutally at the old man, breaking through the broomstick and connecting with the storekeeper's chest.

The old man was knocked off his feet and crashed to the ground next to Cougar. Sputtering, the old man clutched his chest. "My…ribs…"

"On your feet, old man!" The man with the Mohawk swung again, battering the board against the old man's back.

Cougar's ears caught the sharp cry of pain from the old man as the three gathered around the old man, each taking a turn laying a blow into him.

"No! Stop it!" The woman shrieked, tears flowing down her rosy cheeks.

"Leave him alone!" Cougar begged, his knees quaking as he staggered to his feet. "Leave him alone!"

But the laughter emitting from the men only grew. And they continued to beat the poor old man to death. Cougar couldn't bear it. Couldn't STAND it! The shopkeeper was his friend! And no one could help him! He was going to die! Cougar cursed himself for his weakness- - cursed himself loudly…LOUDLY!

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Cougar screamed, his voice thundering with fury. His body grew heavy for a moment, as though a great pressure had been placed upon it. And then the men DID stop. Stopped only because what they saw before them filled them with great terror.

"A-Alter…" The bald man squeaked.

Cougar dashed forward, and as he ran he felt himself pick up speed. Faster…Faster!

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Cougar's voice rang in their ears as a blur of what had once been a human body rushed towards them and then stopped in a split second to connect with the Mohawk man.

The leader cried out as his large body was heaved into the air, higher and higher, until he became nothing more than a sparkle in the sky. Cougar was now where the leader had once stood, his eyes darkened with great hatred. The two other men could not pry their eyes away from him or from the metallic alloy that had attached itself to his legs.

"W-What are you…!?" The man with the blue ponytail trembled with fear, his cocky and hardheaded demeanor vanishing in an instant.

"I'll show you…" Cougar's voice echoed, as though a demon had been speaking in unison with him. Bringing his leg up high above his head, higher than any normal human could do flexibly, he smashed his leg against the man's chest, hurling through the air and through the wall of the shopkeeper's store.

"Dear God!" The old woman cried, holding her hands above her head as the man sailed above her, demolishing the wall like a wrecking ball.

"And now for you," Cougar's head jerked to the last remaining member of the brutal party, his body glowing with such an incredible aura, that it nearly blinded the man with the blue ponytail.

Jumping into the air, Cougar tucked his knee in behind him and swung his other leg against the head of the third man. With such great force, the man was hammered into the ground, skidding along the dirt road, arousing dust from the soil around him, and stopped a half mile down the road.

When the dust had cleared, the woman jumped down to her husband's aid, wiping the blood from his face with her apron.

"Dear! Dear!" She cried.

"I'm…all right," He whispered, clutching her waist for support. "I'll live."

"Thank God!" She wailed, burying his head into her bosom. "I was so scared!"

But then he pushed her away gently and he turned his head to stare at Cougar, who was looking right back at him. The anger had dissipated from within him, as did the metallic alloy that had encased his legs. Now he stood there, dumbfounded, saying nothing.

"Cougar…" The shopkeeper whispered. "You…"

"What…happened?" Cougar asked, hesitantly. He looked back and forth from the shopkeeper to his wife for answers. "Did I…?"

"Cougar what are you?" The woman asked him, the tears still rolling down her face.

Cougar was taken aback. What kind of question was that?

"I…I…" He stammered.

"You're an Alter User!" She cried.

He tensed, the hairs rising impulsively on the back of his neck. Was that what it was? Was that what had saved him and the shopkeeper?

"A…Alter User?" Cougar asked. "That was…Alter?"

His eyes pleaded with the shopkeeper, begging him to tell him different. But the shopkeeper only nodded weakly, his eyes tired and sad.

"It…It CAN'T be!" Cougar shouted. "I can't be an Alter User!"

He couldn't be the one thing that he despised! The one thing he hated more than anything else in the world!

"No! I…I…" Then he, too, began to cry. "I'm a monster…?"

He was just like them…just the same as them! Just the same as the people who killed his mother and father!

What would everyone think of him now? The shopkeeper and his wife? Kaz? Mackey? …What would Jaid think of him?

No, he couldn't bear to think of it!

"I'm a monster!" He wailed and turned on his heel, fleeing down the road.

"Cougar!" The old woman shouted after him. "Come back!"

He escaped to the docks located several miles down the road. It was easy for him, seeing as how his Alter allowed him to move at an incredible speed. He understood it now; why he loved to run, why he loved to travel, and why he could get work done at such an extraordinary rate. It was all thanks to his Alter. His ALTER. Now he couldn't be human anymore. He was just another killer.

The dock was left unattended and a small boat was lingering in the water, tied to the pole. Unraveling the rope from the end of the dock, he stepped into the small boat and used his hands to push off. The rope pulled away from the dock as the boat moved away from the shore and his eyes turned to the horizon.

But just before the rope fell to the water, a large boot stepped over the line, halting the boat from moving any further. The footsteps ceased, but Cougar sensed the presence of a man looming over him, just as he often did when he was around Jaid.

Spinning his body around, he met the eyes of that exact man. He wore his long black overcoat, hands shoved into the front pockets, hat on his head.

"…How did you find me?" Cougar asked, not too surprised that Jaid found him. It was the same as that time when he was seven, when he had tried to run away before.

"I got a call from the shopkeeper's wife," He explained, his voice nonchalant. "She told me that you were planning on running away. I really didn't know WHERE to find you until Kaz suggested that I try the dock. Supposedly, you two spend an awful amount of time down here. Guess I'll have to thank him for his help later." Then he grew quiet.

Cougar didn't know what to say. He cursed himself for getting caught, wishing that he had just left a little sooner.

"Why do you want to run off, boy?" Jaid asked. "Did I do something to offend you?"

"Not at all, Sir," Cougar replied.

"Well obviously I did. You're calling me 'Sir' again."

"I do it only because I'm a lower life form than you."

Jaid was puzzled.

"Didn't the shopkeeper's wife tell you what happened?" The boy asked, observing Jaid's reaction.

"There wasn't any time to," Jaid admitted. "I came out here looking for you. Got the whole house panicked, you did. Mackey and Kaz are out looking for you too. Even the shopkeeper offered to help look for you, but supposedly, he's real injured."

Cougar suddenly felt guilty. "Well it's my fault he's hurt. If you knew why, you'd agree with me."

"Maybe, maybe not. The most you can do now is tell me your troubles."

The boy could not find the courage to look his Guardian in the eye. "I'm…an Alter User…Sir."

There was silence. Much silence. And Cougar had expected it. He knew what was running through his Guardian's mind. Detestation…Hatred…Abomination…

"I see," Was all he said.

"That's right Sir," Cougar said. "Three men attacked me in front of the store and the shopkeeper came out to help. But when they started beating him so badly, I lost it. I'm not sure what happened after that, but the shopkeeper told me that it was…" He choked the last words out. "…an Alter."

"An Alter User?" Jaid asked. "So you used your Alter to protect the shopkeeper and his wife?"

"I couldn't let them kill them."

"Look at me boy," Jaid waited patiently for Cougar to look him directly in the eyes. "Let me tell you something. There are good and bad people all over the world. Bad people, like who attacked you, and good people, like the shopkeeper who tried to protect you. There are also good and bad Alter Users. Bad, like the Alter Users who murdered your parents, and good, like you when you tried to save the shopkeeper and his wife. It all depends on who you want to grow up and be. Do you want to be good or bad?"

"Good," Cougar answered.

"Don't tell me that if you're trying to please me," Jaid said. "Be sure to be true to your heart and tell me that you want to be a good person only if you truly want to be a good person."

Cougar sat in the boat, thinking long and hard. "So Alter Users…aren't bad people?"

"Let me answer your question with another question. Are YOU a bad person?"

The boy breathed in deeply, pondering, and then a smile broke at his face.

"Now," Jaid said, bending down to grab the end of the rope that he had been standing on. Reeling it in, he tied it back to the end of the dock. Then he stood up and offered Cougar his hand. "are you ready to go back home where everyone is waiting for you?"

"But what if they hate me?" Cougar asked, still uncertain of himself.

"Then they're narrow-minded people. But life is too short for you not to stand up for yourself. Everyone deserves to be free. If you're going to allow yourself to be pulled under by society's beliefs then that's what makes you weak. If you stick to your own ideals, then no one can ever hurt you. Wouldn't you agree?"

Cougar allowed Jaid's words to flow into him like a remedy and then he nodded. "I want to go home." And then he grabbed Jaid's waiting hand and was pulled back onto the dock.

Ah, well we're moving on up on the chapters I suppose. Please R&R and tell me what you think (And if you say that this story sucks, please tell me WHY it sucks. Don't flame me for the sake of flaming me).

Kat