The Will to Go On

[SlowPokemon]

What are you waiting for?

[Jub3r7]

More story!! 

Even though your readers are impatient, don't rush too much, k?

[SlowPokemon]

I know, but no one's even commented on chapter 16 yet... I knew it was bad, but was it THAT bad?

[DrP]

What are you waiting for?

for the remainder of the quarter... maybe I might have time this weekend!

[SlowPokemon]

No, I was asking Jub3r about his previous post

Your readers are waiting, Slow.

[DrP]

meh... too lazy to press the button leading to the previous page. I thought my post was the last one because it wasn't quoted or something

[Winter]

I know, but no one's even commented on chapter 16 yet... I knew it was bad, but was it THAT bad?

I called it a work of art, am i invisible?

[SlowPokemon]

I thought you meant the story as a whole. xD

[Winter]

well when you walk into an art gallery, you don't cal the building a work of art, you single out each picture instead, you know? but if you ever do finish this and make it one long novel-ish thing, then yes it'd be a work of art as a whole

[Jub3r7]

I suppose when I read a story, I'm not used to being able to communicate with the author about their writing...

But yeah, every chapter so far, including chapter 16, is good. So write chapter 17 already!!! 

[SlowPokemon]

I just did! Here it is. I wrote this chapter for me. I've been wondering how long it would be before I did a chapter like this... well, there won't be another one. At least, not unless I feel like it. Because I'm the writer. Gwahaha, etc.

It's really short. Wrote this one in 40 minutes.

Chapter Seventeen
A Most Interesting Meeting

   Lucian was walking angrily down Route 39. Those idiots. Why had he ever thought that they were all right? They were just idiots, all of them. Just like everybody else.

   It was official. There was no one he could turn to. He could only depend on himself.

   Except…

   Not everyone was an idiot. Not everyone. Lucian’s heart shrank as he thought of his now-gone love. She would never love him in return.

   You can’t trust anyone, Lucian thought bitterly. He should have learned this lesson long ago.

   A small group of boys and girls were running around, chasing each other and screaming with laughter.

   â€œTag!” shouted a little Asian boy, tapping a girl on her shoulder and running away at full speed. “You’re it!”

   Tag, thought Lucian wistfully. I remember…

   â€œAlex!” squealed the little girl. Her blue eyes shone in the almost-night air, her brown hair streaming behind her as she ran after the boy. “I’ll get you for that!”

   She laughed joyfully and ran right in to Lucian. He leered down at her.

   â€œSorry, mister!” she giggled. She reached out and struck Lucian on his knee (that was about her face height). “Tag, you’re it!”

   Lucian clenched his teeth, reached out, and pushed the little girl. She fell down and looked up with frightened shock.

   â€œYou’re it!” he shouted, and stormed away. Behind him, he heard the little girl begin to cry. He felt a twinge of guilt, which was quickly brushed away.

   It suddenly grew dark, and the full moon was his only source of light as he approached Ecruteak. Suddenly, walking towards him was a boy about his own age. Like the little girl, he had blue eyes, though his were a more solemn, sincere, bright color. He held at his side a spiral notebook. He was walking with an air of purposeâ€"but it didn’t seem as though he were going anywhere in particular.

   The Strange Boy walked past Lucian, then suddenly stopped. He turned around and ran up to meet him.

   â€œLucian…” said the Strange Boy, now walking at an even pace with him. “Lucian…”

   â€œYes,” snapped Lucian irritatedly. “That would be me. Is there anything you wanted, or can you go away now?”
   
   â€œI shall go away soon enough, trust me,” said the Strange Boy somewhat grimly. “I had a feeling I would be seeing you soon.”

   â€œHow do you know who I am?” demanded Lucian.

   â€œI just know,” said the Strange Boy simply, and Lucian somehow didn’t feel the need to question the matter any longer.

   â€œSo why are you here?” said Lucian after a period of silence.

   â€œI don’t know,” said the Strange Boy, his blue eyes piercing Lucian. They gave Lucian an uncomfortable feeling of being put under a bright light, as if the Strange Boy was looking into his soul. “There must be a reason, or I wouldn’t have come.”

   â€œThat doesn’t make sense,” said Lucian angrily. He already disliked the Strange Boy.

   â€œIt may not to you,” said the Strange Boy matter-of-factly. “But it does.”

   â€œI haven’t the slightest idea what you are talking about,” said Lucian shortly.

   â€œThere’s something bothering you,” said the Strange Boy. It wasn’t a question. “You don’t need to relive the experience. I already know. But I’m here to advise you in times when…you need it.”

   â€œI don’t need advice,” said Lucian. “Ever,” he added defiantly, realizing how childish this sounded.

   â€œAlright,” said the Strange Boy calmly. “I have some to offerâ€"just for you to keep in mind, in case you ever do need some.”

   â€œWhat is it?” said Lucian impatiently.
   
   â€œAnyone and anything can be forgiven, Lucian,” said the Strange Boy gently. “The world is not as out to get you as you might think.”

   â€œHow do you know?” cried Lucian suddenly, with despair. “You have no idea what I’ve been throughâ€"the things I’ve seenâ€"youâ€"youâ€"I hate you!” he said with as much anger as he could muster. “You don’t know anything about me and I’m not about to let you tell me how to live my life! Get out of here!” he said, but he looked deeply troubled, as if the Strange Boy’s words had upset him.

   The Strange Boy only raised his eyebrows and continued to walk.

   â€œWhy don’t you try being nice for a change?” he said finally. “Look at the glass as half-full. People will like you. It will do you good.”

   â€œHow do you know?” whispered Lucian wretchedly. “How do you know things won’t go horribly wrong? Theyâ€"they all still hate me, I’m sure of it. I know they do.”

   The Strange Boy stopped and pulled Lucian aside.

   â€œLucian,” he said softly. “There’s only one way to find out, my friend.”

   With that, he nodded in acknowledgment and walked away abruptly.

   Tears of hatred and misery welled in Lucian’s eyes. My friend…

   There was no way she would ever again think of him like that… No one would. He was sure of it. And yet…

   Something was nagging at the back of Lucian’s mind. She had thanked him…befriended him when no one else would…

   But how could someone…like her…ever, ever love a beast like him? he thought bitterly as he entered Ecruteak.

   If only… he thought wistfully.

   There was absolutely no chance of love from his one, his only…Karen.

Prize for the person who can pick up my subtle hint about this previously in the story.

[DrP]

oh woo freaking hoo! i knew about that ages ago... I kinda wanna see someone else pick up that subtle hint..

And how do you have time to write... I envy high school students for time to do frivolous things (not that this is frivolous in any manner, writing for fun won't add to my education in preparing reading for my extremely dull psych class and MY MOST FAVORITE CLASS OF ALL TIME... BUSINESS LAW!!!)

[SlowPokemon]

LOL I started at 9:18 PM and finished at 9:51 or so.

I was pretty sure I made that fairly obvious, but I wanted to more bluntly put it in there.

[Winter]

To be honest I didnt  actually catch the hint, but now I know, Nice chapter, I'm liking the Strange boy more and more

[SlowPokemon]

I hope so! At first I was kinda like, "All right, let's put him in there and see how the audience likes that," and I was feeling like it didn't go over very well... So now that I've put him in so much, I'm definitely going to expand on his background at the very end.

If DrPamplemousse already has an idea, no spoilers please!