1 THE VISION
"...do I love you, yes. Will I stop loving you, never"
¤ Nona.
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A sigh of relief slipped his nostrils as he sat on his bed, he stretched his arms high in the air and yawned loudly. He tucked himself underneath the grey duvet, his fingers reached for the switch, with one flick, the whole room went dark. Few minutes, he drifted off to sleep.
Like the light bulb switch, his eyelids flickered open as he found himself consumed by thick darkness. At first, he was perplexed, one minute he is his room on his cosy bed, the next minute he is in some weird dark place. As the darkness surrounded him, he could literally feel the thickness of his environment and for some weird reasons, it felt like strands of metallic threads crafted in such meticulous manner as if to trap someone in it. The darkness felt like a prison.
There was an eerie golden glow that emitted from his body, this golden light tore apart the personified darkness. Then, his instinct told him to move, to get out of there, as he moved his right foot, he realized that his snickers were caught up in black goo. He sighed as he navigated his way with the help of his body glowing he was sure to find an exit, that is if there were any. Each step he took towards finding a way out, he realised that the goo was retracting, it began to rise taking its shape, elongating its gooey shape as it began forming three arms at it right side, then four arms with sharper and longer claws at its left side. Then the goo bubbled into a head, growing two large horns at each side of what seemed like its head. It had distinct rounded red eye like that of a cyclone. Without fear, Troy gripped the golden hilt of his sword, he just discovered he had it in his hand the whole time. The creature screeched as it beamed fire lasers from its eye. With a smirk and confidence worn like a garment round his girdle, he tightened the grip of his hilt, dodged the laser by diving to the other side, rolling before getting his stamina. He places his right leg back while his left leg forward, crouching a little as if working out on your glutes with a dumbbell, he swung his sword right at the creature's hands. It let out a distorted scream as it charged at him in anger, roaring like a wounded lion. His sword came back to him piercing the body of the creature behind. He got another perfect swing of his golden sword, cutting its remaining hands. In annoyance, it grew another pairs of claws rapidly scratching his face.
With a loud gasp, Troy's body jerks up from such dream, no, nightmare. He began rubbing his eyes, as he tried controlling his speeding heart beat.
"What a weird dream" he sighed. "Wait a minute," he gasped, touching his cheek as he tried feeling any marks or cuts. He turned on the light, running straight to his standing mirror, he moved closer to the mirror as his tongue pushed his right cheek from inside his mouth. He ran his fingers through the smooth spot. He sighed in relief. "Thank goodness, no bruise or any of that stuff" he yawned loudly. "Well, time to go back to bed"
He slumped on his bed, before he closed his eyes, his alarm buzzed. "It's morning already?" he groaned. "Great, just great" he kissed his teeth with his lips before his sluggish walk to go freshen up.
"Cannot forget this sweater" he carried the purple knitted sweater, wearing it underneath his white polo and grey pants.
He walked downstairs, strolled into the kitchen counter, he sat on top of the isle swaying his feet happily like a child given candy as he patiently waited for his beverage. After the machine indicated his beverage was ready, he grabbed a brown cup pouring the dark coffee in it. He opened the cupboard where milk abs sugar containers laid, two tablespoons of each, he stirred gracefully as he sipped it little by little, he sat on the dining table, scrolling through his phone, he really hoped to get at least one notification from Grindr. All he just wanted to do is get his cherry popped. Watching too much porn is making him too horny.
"Troy Junior Danvers!" her voice startled him. "How many times do I need to tell you to stop starting your day with coffees?"
The blonde woman in her mid forties collected the mug of coffee from him as she glared at him.
"Mum" he wailed. "Coffee just..." he paused, thinking of something emotional. "It just gets me these days" he sat with a frown as his mum set aside the cup of coffee from him. "Mum, it understands me" he wailed again.
"What is going on here?" his grandma asked.
Nona, his grandmother had blonde hair too, guess it ran in the family. Unlike other old grandmothers, Nona had very few skin wrinkles, most times people confused her to Troy's mother not only because she looked young but because the similarities between both of them were just too glaring that even the blind man could see it. Was it Nona's aquiline nose that they both had or the same thin lips that screamed the evidence of genetic science. Sometimes, he wonders if his Nona was actually his mother, some silly thoughts he always has.
"Nona, mum took my cup of beverage" he pouted, threatening to throw tantrums.
"Why would you do that, Clarissa?" she shot a mean stare at her.
"Mum! Why would you take his side?" she whined too like a baby.
"Troy is my baby" she patted his head. "Whereas you are just too big to act like one" she huffed at her daughter.
"But, mum, he wants to take coffee" Clarissa showed her the mug of coffee, smiling sheepishly like a detective who just fixed the last puzzle to a mysterious crime.
"Coffee?" Nona's eyes widened, mildly spanking Troy's back. "But you said cup of beverage not coffee" the old lady stood there confused.
"Well, coffee is a beverage, Nona" he shrugged, smirking.
"You are just seventeen, coffee is bad for you, OK?" she tackled him with a hug.
"Yes, Nona" he kissed her forehead. "Mum, I think I'll be off to school" he reached for his backpack.
"You think or you will be off to school?" Nona asked, not wanting to fall for the same trick of cup of beverage.
"Of course, Nona! I am off to school, I am not going anywhere other than school" he shrugged not getting the message, then laughed hysterically after understanding. "Nona, I am going to school, I don't think I will be going to school"
"Nonsense" she smacked his arm. "You are going to school, do not think you would miss school"
He chuckled. "Yes, Nona, I am going to school" he facepalmmed.
"I packed your favorite sandwich" she rushed over with a brown paper bag as she tucked it into his bag, zipping the blue backpack.
He made a beeline towards the door.
"Troy, you forgetting something" Nona called his attention.
He stopped abruptly as his left foot was suspended on the mid air, he smiled to himself before running back to hug his granny. It is an old tradition she made sure she embedded in him as he grew up because Nona believed he deserved all the love he could get.
"Troy, don't ever say coffee understands you. We are family and we understand you better than yourself" Clarissa added as she held her chest, feeling the family love as she made it a group hug.
"I love you, Nona" he smiled.
"Hey, what about me?" Clarissa, playfully asking.
"You know I love you two equally" he kissed both their cheeks. "I do not want to be late for class, OK?" he disengaged himself from their grip. "Thank you for loving me for who I am" he chuckled, blowing kisses at them. "Bye, guys" he said before leaving.
"Bye, bye!" they said in unison.
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It was two years ago when Troy decided to come out to his family. He got fed up of hiding things from his family, although he got picked on by a newbie, the only person who just could not accept him for who he was continued to taunt and make his life in school unbearable. He came up with two conclusions about Tom the bully, either he was homophobic or he had inner homophobia, either ways, Troy just would not just come in peace with himself, after all, he came out to the whole school, what is stopping him from coming out to the first people he loves? He summoned courage to tell them and the earlier he came out, the better he would feel.
He sat opposite them, Nona had her red scarf round her neck while his mum was knitting with a purple wool and what she knitted was forming a sweater.
"Nona. Mum," he gained their attention. "I have something to tell you two" he placed his head down in sadness. He was not going to be optimistic about their response. He chose to have a neutral feeling incase things went south.
"Do you think he knows?" Clarissa whispered to her mother in fear as she adjusted herself.
"Let's just listen" Nona mumbled, holding her tightly.
"I have tried to be the best son a parent can ever ask for, ever since we lost dad," he gulped hard before sniffing back some tears. "I had the urge to tell myself the truth. I do not want you two to think less of me because I am still human, I love the same sex and I find boys attractive to girls. Mum, Nona" he looked at them respectively. "I am gay" he shut his eyes tight, expecting the worst.
They both looked at each other as they heaved a sigh of relief.
"We love you for who you are" Nona walked towards him as she embraced Troy, Clarissa joined.
"Hey, baby boy. You are still my Star, no matter who you love, it would never change the fact that you are my son and I wasn't taught by my mum to dump or disown my kid. I love you more for this, Troy" she grasped him tighter, crying into his blue shirt.
"Troy, I have always known you are special, unique and beautiful. Am I surprised, yes. Do I love you, yes. Will I stop loving you, never" Nona looked into those beautiful eyes of his. "And I will never stop loving you" she kissed his forehead. "I love you for who you are" she giggled to herself. "I have a gay grandson" she kicked the air in ecstasy.
"And I have a proud granny and a wonderful mother" he could not hold himself from tearing out.
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The school hallway was always rowdy, students walking into school as they cluster around themselves in groups while some would talk loudly, others would laugh hysterically or some would make a show. Here, nothing is ever peaceful especially in times like this, the beginning of the semester. Troy unlocked his locker, smiling at the reminisce of him coming out to his granny and mother, he clutched to his knitted sweater, the one his mother gave him the night of his coming out. Although his family had no idea, today marks his coming out to his family. It may sound like no big deal to anyone but to Troy, it meant the world to him. He is humming softly, as his feet tapping to the rhythm in his head, taking his geometry text book. As he locked his locker, Tom popped his head, startling him.
Tom the bully, who found it quite amusing to taunt Troy for the past two years. There was one time he pulled Troy's underwear tightly between his buttocks as a practical joke in front of the whole school. Also, the time he set up sparkles and confetti in his locker, immediately Troy opened it, it splattered all over his face. Glitters, sparkles were not his thing, Troy was not just your regular girly gay who liked glittery substance.
Sometimes Troy could not just understand why this brown curly haired boy with little biceps would deny that he is gay. He could see right through Tom, and he began to understand what internal homophobia could do to a person. Based on Troy assumptions, Tom just hate the fact that Troy came out to the school or maybe this big buffoon was just a bigoted homophobic piece of joke for a son.
"Hey, Gay boy" he wriggled his brows making Troy uncomfortable.
"What do you want now, Tom?" sounding indifferent, as he closed his locker.
Tom can carry out his tomfoolery but not today. What's happening today, well, today marks it his second year coming out to his granny and mother. This fool here is not going to spoil his happy mood.
"I know you are regretting coming out to everyone and trust me, it only gets worse when you come out. You won't be loved—"
OK, Troy was wrong, this bitch here is just as homophobic as anything.
"—everyone know your little secret" Tom, getting awkwardly close to Troy, breathing on his face, making him uncomfortable.
"OK?" trying to sound as if he cared. "Is that it, is that all?" waiting for a reply, when he did not get any, he decided to walk out. He sure did not have time for such rubbish.
"Hey, I'm not done with you" Tom dragged him by his sweater.
Troy's body moved at its volition, twisting Tom's hand to his back, rising it high before he slammed him to the ground, pinning him to the floor.
"Let go of me" Tom yelled in pain.
"I'm so sorry" not even conscious of what he did, he let go of him, walking away from the scene.
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He started noticing that he was sinking into the tiled floor which suddenly changed to black goo.
Not this again. He was not sleeping, so how the heck is this creature here and most especially, why is it here with him?
His heart throbbed as he saw that same creature, he could feel his stomach twist when he found out that he was not with his golden sword. He tried to run, it was no use trying because he was stuck in the goo and he began to sink in it.
The creature ran to Troy, who cowered in fear, peeping through his fingers, he saw another creature, more of a human with dark wings and a mask taking off the head of the creature.
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"Hope you are OK?" Troy could sense the smile underneath the mask.
"Yes, yes, I am" not realising that he was cowering on the floor back in the real world. Back in school.
"Lemme help you to the school nurse" coral red eyes pulled him up.
"Thanks" he smiled, more of a blush.
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Word count: 2542
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#MRS 🌈
