1 Awakening

Ace woke up with a start, his eyes darting around the mess of a room he had. A scent of acrid smoke drifted through the wooden cracked door, and his clothes where strewn ruthlessly around the floor in the cramped room, looking more like a minefield than anything. He swallowed as his mom crept in, examining the piles of laundry with an indifference only known to his kind.

"Ace, get ready for school." She whispered, and Ace nodded, slinging his leg off the grey mass of blankets he had piled up. Without another word, she withdrew, leaving him to search for clothes that would be suitable. He threw together an outfit and rushed quietly through the house, noticing the grey mass of morning fog outside the barely lit windows.

"Im ready mom." He hissed under his breath, not wanting to wake up the master. He never really knew why this boy his age was in the house in which he lived in with his mother, but he wasn't keen on asking. His mom appeared from the corner of the hall, her face white.

"Out." She mouthed, and he nodded, getting the message. Apparently the master wasn't in any mood to go to school. Hopping to and fro to prevent himself from stepping on glass, he exited the house quietly. Or so he thought. Just as he was closing the door, he heard the loud tinkle of glass from when he opened the door. Instantly shutting it, he ran towards the bus stop, careful to not look back. He would meet the master again anyway throughout his school day. Getting on the bus was a routine he still wasn't quite used to, and he resorted to avoiding everyone's eyes as he pretended to be too busy to talk to them. The bus pulled up at the school, and Ace took great care to not run over people in search for his best friend. There stood another boy, slightly shorter than him. He wore a pale blue sweater, and had round glasses, having on sweats that looked as comfortable as he could get them.

"Hey Ace!" He called, and Ace nearly shoved some unfortunate child off the bus in his hurry to get to him.

"Yo Cedar." Ace said once he was directly in front of the boy, and Cedar looked up, his expression filled with concern.

"How bad was it today?" Cedar asked as they began walking to class. Ace shook his head and pointedly looked around at the other kids in front, and behind them. Cedar took the hint and instead resorted to waving at a random girl who was watching them. She squeaked and ran away, Cedar looking satisfied.

"Your..." The teacher said as they walked in, her gaze focusing on Cedar. Cedar looked steadily back at her, bowing in a over formally manner.

"Not late, I hope Ms. Day?" He asked courteously, and Ace snickered behind him. He knew Ms. Day hated him, but also knew that she wouldn't do anything with Cedar around him. Cedar was patiently waiting for an answer while Ms.Day and Ace where having a staring contest out of aggression.

"No of course not dear." She said, finally breaking Ace's mutinous stare and smiled sweetly at Cedar. "Please go take your seats." She added, turning to a few girls and telling them off for speaking too loudly.

"Don't push it." Cedar murmured to Ace, who was still snickering, grabbing Ace's arm and dragging him over to the seat in the back of the class. Ace turned red, more from embarrassment that he couldn't have a sweater in the cold weather than anything. Cedar observed him critically, before grinning at a boy who was clearly listening in. "I bought something for you." Cedar said in an undertone as the boy looked away, and he dug in his backpack. He took out a black mass of cloth, and Ace stared at it in disbelief.

"But, those are supposed to be really expensive.." He whispered, and Cedar beamed.

"I knew you'd like it, its yours now." Cedar said happily, shoving it in Ace's direction. Ace took the coat, noting that it had his favorite band on it.

"Thank you, no really, thank you." Ace said in a hushed tone, and Cedar clucked his tongue.

"Its the least I could do." He said, and added with some alarm, "Are you crying bro?". Ace was indeed struggling to hold it together, eternally grateful to how many times Cedar had helped him through the worst times.

"I would never." He sniffled softly, wiping his eyes on the back of his new coat, and Cedar rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. I didn't see anything." He muttered, turning to the front as Ms.Day began teaching. The rest of the day went by rather quickly, Ace using every chance possible to thank Cedar, who became more and more embarrassed each time.

"Good luck Ace. Are you sure I cant adopt you?" Cedar asked as the bell for the end of school rang, and kids began filing out. Ace nodded, and began packing, stuffing his books into the small backpack he was given.

"I can't abandon my mom." He stated, and Cedar nodded.

"I understand, but at least let me try to adopt both of you. It might work, who knows?" He asked, and Ace shook his head.

"Im sorry. I don't think it could work." Ace murmured, and stood up abruptly, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "Thank you for the coat. I have to go now." He added louder, and Cedar looked disappointed, but let him go. He trudged off to the bus, and rode the whole way thinking about the possibility that his mom could be free from the cycle. He stopped once he was in front of the house, his eyes down cast as he contemplated how he would be able to go in without the master seeing.

"Ace! That you buddy?" Asked a voice, and Ace flinched, turning around slowly. A boy his size, if not slightly smaller, was sitting on a chair that was obviously placed there for him to not enter the house. He regarded Ace with a rueful anger, and indifference. Ace returned his glare cautiously, knowing the consequences of talking back.

"Yes Jasper." Ace finally said, bowing slightly in his direction.

Jasper looked surprised before stating, "Have you finally decided to try to take my power today? By calling me by name you think that you can take my power?"

Ace gritted his teeth and shook his head, bowing even lower when Jasper stepped offensively close, plucking at his coat with a almost angry huff. "Come. We are going to go get your some proper clothes so that you can stop wearing that rag." Jasper said after a while, Ace cringing away from his welcoming tone. He held out his hand to Ace, and he merely stared mutely at it, his ears hot with anger. "Give." Jasper said in a dangerously calm tone, it was a direct order. Ace held out for a couple long seconds before relinquishing the coat to him with a barely audible sigh.

"Im sorry for resisting, Master." He muttered under his tone, and sank to his knees submissively with a mask of hopelessness on his face. Jasper looked satisfied, and Ace fought the will to smack him.

"Come now, its going to be okay." He said gently, his voice dripping with sweetness. Ace rose to his feet, his shoulders slumped as he heard muttering from the opposite side of the road. There where two girls, sitting on the bench to the bus stop. They where peering curiously, and the short haired girl was giggling, whispering into the more serious looking ones ear. Ace spared them a glance of pure hatred before the shorter one burst out laughing.

"You have 10 days!" The short one called out to Ace, and he ignored her, shuffling his feet anxiously. He dutifully followed Jasper into the house, and once they where in, Jasper slammed the door shut, his expression turning from stony to rage. Ace stared down at the ground, thinking he knew what at was coming.

"Do you know those girls?" The master gritted out, and Ace shook his head slowly, focusing on the burn marks on the carpet. "Are you sure?" He asked once more, and Ace fought himself from rolling his eyes.

"Yes." He muttered softly, and the master's fist crashed into his jaw. He stumbled back, holding his jaw with a stubborn anger radiating from his stiff movements of supposed submission.

"Don't look at the ground." Said Jasper, towering over him, a sadistic smile turning the corners of his mouth. Ace forced himself to look up, and cringed away as Jasper flicked his forehead. "Leave me." He ordered, and Ace nodded, turning and scampering down the hall, trying to ignore the fact that his new coat wasn't his any longer.

"Are you okay?" whispered a voice, and Ace didn't turn, his eyes burning with fury and defiance. There sat his mother, in the middle of a room that was obviously the masters. She looked tired, and her limbs where a canvas of purple and black.

"Fine." He muttered harshly, and she turned away, the fire once sparked in her eyes long gone.

"Just checking." She said, so softly Ace almost didn't hear it as he continued on to his tiny room. He quietly shut the door, and proceeded to shove himself into the pile of laundry he had accumulated from the master. Most of the clothes where hand me downs, and even then the master rarely gave him any nice clothes, instead preferring to donate the nice ones to thrift stores with high prices. He squirmed about on the floor, his eyes shut tightly as he tried to rid himself of the image of his mom sitting there, her eyes downcast and her body held in a fight or flight position. He eventually dozed off however, his legs too tired to let him get up and do his homework.

The next day he awoke to the same scent of acrid smoke, nothing really new. He turned and twisted, trying to find his way out of the rags he ended up sleeping in, and his mom came in.

"Ace, get ready for school." She whispered, and he stuck his head out of the pile, his eyes hopeful. She began to withdraw, but he said, "Im so sorry for snapping at you yesterday." quietly.

She stared at him with confusion, and murmured, "What are you talking about?"