Pitch Black

For a long while, it seemed as if things went to a complete halt.

The skies looked darker. The students nastier. Brandon seemed more and more of just some sort of tape recorder that I told my woes and worries to. The secret room in which Lynn and I once shared hadn't been visited since that fateful night. As summer approached the days got hotter, making cool nights welcome, and heat lightening with warm showers were frequent, painful reminders. I got letters from my mother often asking if I was okay and if I needed to come home early, but I said no, because I needed to get all of my credits for this year. She didn't like my decision, but accepted it.

In actuality, I was staying because there was something drawing me to this school. Any other day I would've been glad to get away from Huntington's. My true and only love's body was buried here, the one man I have only ever passionately hated was here, and the snide remarks from the pig-like faces of the students constantly mocked and teased me for losing Lynn. I wanted to go back to Wales, my place of birth, and be in the only comfort I had now- family. I felt as if I was losing everything; Brandon, my connections, and even my sanity. Nowadays every insult thrown, ever piece of bad news, every smile Xavier turned in my direction... it all seemed to sink into me and disappear, hardly effecting me. I was losing myself. Instead of me being assimilated into the dark, it seemed as if things were being assimilated into me; they were becoming a part of me and my daily life. It all came as second nature. I expected it all. My lips were becoming more scarred and worn from the constant biting and so much blood released from them that they were nearly white, when once upon a time they were pink and pure, and had life. I soon began to lose what the point of life really was. I was empty; lost.

Brandon began to notice this as well. Nowadays I would tell him that I didn't feel like hanging out. I hadn't even come to any Pitch Black meetings. I spent my spare time alone in my room, either reading Moon and Light, doing homework, or sleeping. He on more than one occasion tried to coax me out of my room, but I refused each time. I just wasn't in the mood to do anything; even going to my class was a sort of automatic thing. If it wasn't, I wouldn't even bother.

Four months before the school got out for Summer break, Friday, I was eating my dinner in my dorm. My dorm mates were away at a party that was being held at the Square's recreation center. While I was eating I had Moon and Light propped up on a pillow in front of me, reading intently. I heard a knock on my door, and, expecting it was Brandon, said that the door was open.

To my surprise, it was Xavier. He was garbed in something unlike what I would expect him to wear; instead of his usual suits and official clothing, he was wearing a short sleeved black shirt that rather noticeably fit a muscular figure that was hidden by all the fancy suits, and casual jeans slightly torn in places. He waved at me, and I turned back to my food as a response. He quietly shut the door behind him and approached the side of my bed.

"You haven't been to a meeting in nearly three months." He said.

I nodded.

"Why?"

Shrug.

"Just not in the mood?"

Nod.

Xavier gave an impatient breath. "You're going to have to talk to me sooner or later Jack." He sat on the bed.

I continued to eat my food. He nudged me gently, and I pushed his hand away. But the bastard continued to nudge at me, and I set my plate down on my bedside table frustratedly and began to get up, put he grabbed my arm and pushed me back down onto the bed, entirely in a laying position. I tried to get up again, resulting in a silent wrestling battle between us, but he had me pinned.

"Are you done yet?" He said, smirking.

I sighed exasperatedly. "Get off." I commanded. He shook his head no.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing is."

"Well I guess we'll be here for a while."

I sighed again, and turned my head. I was too tired and too weary to argue or fight any longer. I just wanted to lay there. I felt Xavier shift, and something cold and solid fell on my cheek. I moved my head and saw that it was a gold necklace of an odd-looking symbol that looked like flames surrounded by two, long nailed and long fingered hands. Typical of Xavier, to wear something like that.

He apologized and tucked it back into his shirt, still keeping me pinned. "Let's go out." He said. "I'm not about to let you stay inside all night. In four months we'll be out of the school. Let's celebrate." I became suddenly aware of how close he was, so close I could smell his scent clearly. Sweet with an edge of... something fierce. I rather enjoyed it.

"I'm not going anywhere. You can get out." I said, struggling to free myself from his strong grasp.

"Hm. Alright." He finally released me, and, removing his boots, climbed up on my bed. "I'll stay here then."

I gave him a hard glare. He stared back calmly with the same smile on his face. Losing my appetite I took Moon and Light and sat on the far edge of the bed away from him.

"What part are you on?" Xavier said.

I threw the book down. "Belial, if you don't get out of my room, I'll-"

"You'll what?" He asked, scooting closer to me. "Will you yell more? Will you kick and scream?" He touched my face lightly, and gradually brought my head around to face him. "Please do. It's music to my ears."

I flung his hand off my face and took the book again. "Leave."

He chuckled, and withdrew. "You are a stubborn man, Jack."

I shook my head. "What do you want, Xavier?" I said. "Out of everyone in this school, you had to come to me. I don't know how many times I've told you to stay away from me, yet you insist on continuing. Why?"

"Simple. You're an arse. You're stubborn. But I love a challenge. You have something I want. Something I need. And I have something you want and need. And when I give you what you want and need, you'll willingly give up what I want and need. You see?"

"What would I possibly want from you, Xavier?"

"You'd be surprised." He smiled and scooted to the edge of the bed, putting his boots on. "Now are you coming or not?"

"Was I not clear the first time?"

He smirked at me. "Get dressed. I'll see you outside the castle in fifteen."

I sighed as he left the room. Who did he think he was? I already said I wasn't going to any party. I refused! Not with him. I barely liked the sight of him, the very thought! He repulsed me. He irked me. I shifted back into bed and took up my book again.

I glanced at the clock. Seven minutes had passed.

Cursing, I got up and starting getting dressed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xavier and I were at the recreation center. The lights were glowing brightly as people danced to loud played music and drinks and food were purchased. Huh. Lynn would have loved to be here, despite the many familiar and sneering faces of the students that would pull faces at us when we walked by.

Xavier found a table and urged me to sit down. "Do you want a drink? A snack?" He offered. I shook my head and stared off at an opposite direction. He went off and came back with two cups of mead. He pushed one towards me but I didn't even glance at it.

"What is it with you not wanting to eat when I offer?" He said, taking a sip of his mead. "I try to be a good friend and buy you things but you don't take it."

No response from me. The music and loudness of the party formed a pounding pain in my head. Why did I come here, I will never figure out.

He was silent for about twenty minutes. I stole a glance at him, and to my surprise he was quietly observing a painting of Huntington's when it was first created on the wall beside our table.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"This painting..." He said. "It's all a lie." He pointed to a part of the painting. "Huntington's wasn't as bright-looking as they depict in this picture. And it was raining when they first got finished with construction. It's lying on a canvas."

I looked at the painting more closely. It was the school, painted to look newly created in the background of a sunny blue sky and green grass. The polar opposite of the dark and dreary school I knew.

Xavier took a pencil from his pocket, a napkin from the table dispenser, and began to write on it concentratedly. I saw that he was drawing the school, in astonishingly fine detail, on the napkin, outlining every bush, shadow, and line that coul be seen from a few feet of looking at Huntington's. But I saw a few errors, and jumped.

"No, no." I said, putting my hand over his. "You're right about them lying, but here, there's more shadow, the sky is especially darker on this side of the school..." I guided his hand in the places I indicated, focused and intent until it looked just like the school on how I see it. When we were done, the school looked just like how we both knew it. If we held the picture up to the side of the school at a far distance, it'd look just the same.

Xavier studied the drawing, and smiled. "You have quite a hand there, Jack. I didn't know you could draw."

I shrugged. "I used to draw a lot but ever since I came to the school..." I trailed off, looking the other way. Now I was revealing my past to him, just wonderful.

"Do you, perhaps, have any old drawings I could see?" Xavier asked. "I'd be very interested in seeing them."

I gave him a sideways glance. "No... I have none to show."

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

I looked at him. "If I show you, will you leave me be?"

Xavier nodded and smiled. I stood, and together we walked back to the school and in my dorm room once again. My dorm mates still weren't there.

I went to my bedside drawers and opened the bottom one. A bunch of papers I kept hidden away lay untouched and in almost perfect condition, and as I looked at them a wave of memories rushed to me. He grabbed them and handed them to Xavier.

He looked through them with wonder in his eyes. "My, Jack, these are astonishing... the shading and coloring is so wonderful and perfect, it's like I'm looking in real life... where ever did you pick up such a talent?"

"It used to be a hobby of mine, really. I just started it up." I said, a small smile tugging at my lips from the compliments.

He finally came to a picture of Lynn that I drew one day. My smile faltered. "People too?" He asked. "This is simply stunning. It looks just like her." I muttered a thanks.

He looked at me. "Could you draw me?" He asked, setting the papers down.

I studied his face, already analyzing the details. The familiar euphoria of creativity struck me, and I searched around the room for a pencil and paper. I sat down in front of him, and he faced me, holding that familiar smile. It was a challenge to draw, but i loved a challenge. I began to put every line, every detail I saw in his face onto the paper, right down to the shadows near his straight nose. The pencil almost seemed to move on it's own, as though my eyes were connected to my arm and whatever they saw my hand would draw. It was, needless to say, an intoxicating sensation, to draw again. My frustration, my anger, seemed to release onto the paper, creating art, turning into beauty.

I finished the picture with a small shadow on the side of Xavier's smile to indicate the dimple that came with it, and handed it to him. His eyes widened.

"It's as if I'm looking into a mirror," he said in an astonished tone.

"I'll add color if you want, but I'll have to find the materials for it." I offered, setting my pencil down.

"Please do," He nodded and smiled. "I would love it."

I instinctively bit my lip. I had just done something for someone I hated... or thought I hated. I was shrouded in thought as he left with his signature smile for the night. So much charm and intelligence and such a handsomely brilliant mind. I sat on my bed and put my head in my hands, pondering. Frustrated. Trying to stop the rush of blood seeping out of my already-sensitized lip.

How long could I fight him?

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Over time, the beam of Light became one of the Moon's most trusted subjects. The Moon started to become dependent on him, though he tried not to show it. The Moon secretly hoped his brother would not find out that one of his subjects had disappeared, lest they both be punished for it.