A Letter [Closed]

The letter got there late.

Obviously by the contents of the paper. Dated the twentieth of December around the time it was sent. His parents were not great at planning things ahead. Even if they were, executing it was another problem. Griffin highly doubted he should read it. He didn’t know what was inside, and honestly did not want to know. Being at Beata was his chance to get away from his parents.

Their painful grip seemed to follow him everywhere but here. At Beata. This school was a protective cocoon. He did not need to worry about not answering his parent’s persistent calls, as he had his phone off. And there was nothing they could do about it. A petty revenge to his less than pleasant childhood. Honestly, Griffin did not find himself giving a damn about his parents. Which made him feel more than liberated. Elated, perhaps.

That was, until he received the letter. It was then the Summer student could feel their grip coming back to reclaim his powers for their own selfish greed. Griffin’s blue eyes did not even leave the heading. Something was telling him not to continue, yet curiosity got the better of him and his eyes read the page. A deep frown playing his lips.

They wanted him to come home for Christmas.

”What a load of bull shit. They just want me so they can get people presents without having to pay a dime.” A scowl crossed his face, and his teeth grinded. His eyes held a furious glint. ”I’m not even their child to them! Just a walking piggy bank.” Griffin hissed, the paper crinkling in his grasp.

The crumpled paper was thrown into the waste bin. The envelope was about to follow in suit, when the pale blond felt something else inside of it. A ticket. One to go back home. A laugh escaped Griffin. It was bitter and unusual to come out of someone like him. ”Fuck you, I’m not coming home.” With that, the student ripped up the ticket and tossed the remnants away. It wasn’t like he could go anyways. The flight was a few days ago. Either way, if he had the opportunity to take the flight home… He’d rather be in the conservatory then returning to his parent’s abuse.

Satisfied with taking his anger out on the papers, he buried his nose into his scarf and turned away from the can. That was when someone’s gaze seemed to burn into the back of his head...

Keira was walking through the courtyard to get to another building on the campus when she heard a laugh that was bitter, that would have made her flinch if she wasn't the way she was. Her curiosity got the best of her, so she deiced to stop and look for where the source of the noise came from. Finally she noticed Griffin off to the side. That came from him? She was slightly puzzled. He didn't seem like a person to be mad at something.

She watched as he tore up something, which followed the piece of paper and ended up in the trash. Slight concern crossed the girls features for a moment before she decided to walk over to the summer boy. "Hey." She said getting his attention, trying not to startle him. "Something eaten ya?"" She asked keeping a calm tone.

He hadn't realized who it was until she spoke. His blue eyes widened for a moment, before softening. The summer student turned to face her, yet didn't look into her eyes. His own fixated on the concrete below his feet. He contemplated his response for a long moment. How would one approach this? Did Griffin even want her knowing? Teeth bit down hesitantly on his bottom lip. He released it as he spoke. "It's nothing. Just my parents." It was a passive response. Hardly satisfying to anyone's curiosity.

It was clear to the winter girl that he didn't want to talk about it from his response. Maybe she could slowly get it out of him? Nah it would just be better to make conversation. Though her curiosity was still eating at her a bit. "Yeah I get that. My parents were.. are a pain." She said quickly correcting herself. Her mom wasn't dead, but her dad was. Before he died he caused a lot of issues for her, her mom not so much. But she decided it was best to keep it general.

A laugh escaped Griffin. A similar one to the bitter laugh from earlier. "Yeah. A real pain." The numerous bruises, cuts, headaches, the general agony that was put his his way by his parents. A pain. Keira was surprizingly close with her statement. "Parents are a pain, aren't they...?" A frown crossed his face, a hand clenching into a fist, before relaxing.

Keira flinched slightly at the slightly bitter laugh. She guessed parents were a touchy topic for him just as it was for her. Well at least her dad anyway. "Very much so. They were always a pain for me." She said. She wasn't going to push it. She didn't want to make him upset or anything. She shifted slightly. "Are you okay?" She asked finally.

Griffin buried his nose deeper into his scarf in a attempt to keep the biting cold from reaching it. He took a deep breath and then proceeded to exhale. The sigh produced a warmth in front of his mouth, giving himself some well needed heat. Along with the warming force, it also provided him the chance to relax. The bitter resentment he held for his parents faded to the back of his mind. The Summer student finally looked back up at Keira, giving her a small nod. "Yeah..."

She blinked he didn't seem fine, but whatever it wasn't her business. He would tell her if he wanted to. When she noticed that he buried himself further into his scarf in attempt to escape the cold, she decided to do something. Using her gift she reached out for the blood pumping through his body. Once she had a hold of it, she warmed him up slightly so he could be comfortable. But since she was warming him up she couldn't warm herself up, so she nuzzled further into her own jacket, and scarf. "I guess I never told you my gift was blood manipulation, but I hope it's helping you warm up slightly. You looked like you needed it more than I did."

After a moment of looking at her, a warmth spread through him. Removing the bitter cold that plagued his body. It was as if suddenly he did not mind the cold at all. Eyes widening, Griffin looked back at her. Blood Manipulation? His mouth opened, and a small smile spread across his face. It was a small thing to cheer him up, and it made all the difference for him.

"Thank you." He whispered. Griffin removed his nose from his scarf, and stood up right. His gaze fell back to the floor, and a conflicted look on his face. He hadn't told Keira his power, had he? It was only fair, right? The age old conflict that plagued him the whole of his life came charging back. It hit him like a bull. His jaw clamped shut. Not a word could escape his mouth, the fear pushing down on his chest.

Seeing the smile on his face for a breif second, made the winter girl smile too, but it soon faded when his gaze returned to the ground, and the smile went away. Was this about gifts? "If it's about your gift, you don't have to tell me if it makes you more comfortable. Whatever your reasoning for not saying it, I understand." She said. She liked to hide her gift a bit too. People had a tendency to freak out when they found out she could control blood. Seriously she could cause strokes if she wanted to, not that she ever would.

Griffin wavered for a moment, tossing around the idea of not telling Keira. One moment he seemed content with not telling, the next he felt guilty if he didn't. Griffin knew he trusted her a lot more than other students. So what was making him hesitate like this? Perhaps, came an odd thought. Perhaps he was scared of being betrayed by someone he trusted like his parents. A frown crossed his face at the thought.

When she spoke, his blue eyes lifted. They rose to meet her own. There was conflict in his eyes, and his teeth bit down on his lower lip. How could letting her control his blood be any different than letting her know his power? He already had so much faith in her already. A faint sheepish smile made it's way onto his lips, freeing his bottom one from his teeth.

"No, I trust you." Griffin began softly. A deep breath and he continued. "It's just that I've had people I trusted take advantage of it...A-and," A shaky breath. "As you can understand, I'm scared to share it sometimes. But, I want to to know it. Not just in case you may trigger it by saying something, but also because I trust you." His eyes hadn't left hers. The fear was dissipating, and despite the cold...He was warm. Which was comforting to him.

"I can grant wishes."

She watched him with slight concern on her face as he debated through something in his mind. Her brown eyes stayed on his face. She wasn't going to push him. He would come to his own conclusion. And what ever it was she would be fine with it. When he spoke again, and when he said he trusted her, she felt a slight heat form on her face. No one really said that to her before. She quickly dismissed it, and just continued to listen.

When she finally heard it, she understood. She understood why he would want to hide something like that. You never know who would take advantage of something like that. Well she wouldn't Griffin was basically her only friend here and she didn't want to lose him. "I can see why you would want to hide that." She said in a soft tone. "I only wanted to hide mine because it scared people." Since she still had a hold on his blood, she could feel it pulsing inside him. It was a bit creepy, but at the same time for her, it was a bit relaxing.

She had the sudden urge to hug him, but she didn't want to invade his personal space.. but they did dance together at the formal so what the heck. With a red face, thank god it was cold, she quickly looped her arms around him, and gave him a small hug. It didn't last too long before the girl removed her arms, her face still slightly red, thank god it was cold, and her gaze looking away from the boy.

Her reaction was promising and possibly even encouraging. She didn't immediately wish for something, and was empathetic especially with her own gift. It brought a relieved smile to his face. Someone he could trust. Someone who was the opposite of his parents. Suddenly, he felt her arms wrap around him. For a long moment, he stiffed in shock, before he relaxed into her arms. He returned the hug, then let go once she pulled away.

"Thank you" He managed again. Having someone like Keira meant a lot to him. Griffin didn't think he could thank her enough. His smile widened. "It means a lot be able to trust you with stuff. Especially after my parents..." The blond trailed off, lost in thought.

Keira was glad that he hugged back. It mean he didn't mind it sort of. His reaction at the start of it was kind of bad. "There isn't a need to thank me. Just being a decent person, unlike some others." Clearly he has had an issue with people being asses in the past. And it seemed like his parents did the same.. "Wait.." She shifted slightly. She wanted to ask, but she didn't want to freak him out. "Did your parents take advantage of your gift?" She asked softly, her face scrunched up slightly at the thought. Who could do such a thing? Well she should expect it by now.. Her own dad abused her, and she thought he was a wonderful person..

Griffin's smile slipped, his eyes turning downcast. It wasn't like he was going to say that they didn't. That would be lying, and against what he had said about trusting her before. Unsure of how to respond, he just nodded. Griffin's blue eyes hesitated to meet Keira's eyes. "That's why I was a bit upset when you came over." His hands waved as he explained. No longer did he feel cold, so he didn't mind having his hands out as he spoke. "They wanted me to come back for Christmas..."

Now that his bitter reaction was out of the way, the thought saddened him. It felt like to Griffin that he had no real family. People who cared. It was a mad scramble for wishes, and it hurt. Not when it left bruises, but the fact there was no other reason than his power to keep him around. He didn't feel loved. It was a surprise after reading a few books and a few movies that he didn't end up like one of those tropes. Didn't feel love, then ends up as a bad kid.

Instead he found himself caring for plants for a way to make friends. Each plant had it's own uniqueness to it. If that was a sad reality. But it helped. However the winter months were the most lonely. Beginning during the first frost of the season. His plants wither and die from the old. Except pines. But Griffin wasn't always too fond of those. However, they were his only salvation in those winter days. Especially when he hid from his parents. Up the many prickly branches of the tree. His parents never found him there.

His blue eyes traveled behind Keira's head. Behind her in the far distance of the forest, he could just pick out a tip of a pine tree.