Black Lake (1x1)

You never know when your going to die. It could happen at any moment. Just that thought alone, gave chills running down my spine. Knowing that every moment I faced death right in the face. This was a revelation when I got into a car accident at the age of six. Myself and my parents were driving to our new home out in the countryside. Black Lake, the area had a rural feeling to it. The tree's were of darker color, the area felt grimy in some way, probably from moving from a big bright city to the countryside where it rains continuously and leaves a heavy mist in the air. It's difficult to recall that feeling as a kid after the few years spent growing up in this area, it's feeling and scenery became more familiar.

But as we were driving to the new home, we ran into some bad luck with a drunken driver coming from the opposite lane, he had swerved into us, my dad cursed loudly as he spun the wheel to veer out of the oncoming truck, but since the roads were mostly dirt treading and short, our swerve turned out to nose dive off the road and into the ditch. He tried hitting the breaks to halt the cars drop down a steep hill, but the slick muddied ground didn't catch to the tires as we slammed heard into a black oak tree and flipped the vehicle.

I remember being stricken with adrenaline and fear. Seeing the lights flash in my eyes from the swerving blinded me, the thrashing around raising to the ceiling of the car made my heart leap from my chest. Being rag dolled. I felt my arms and legs twist in odd forms. I could hear the grounding of metal against wood as my best buckle snapped. As did my parents. Our car was rather cheap and aged.

When the crash landing ended with dead silence. I can only assume hours passed as I laid there, crippled and weakened. My eyes fluttering, trying to keep concious. I could see them in front of me. My mother, her body had rushed forward, hitting the windshield. Her head was turned, looking at me. Her eyes wide open. Stricken with the same fear as mine. Yet she just simply stared at me, unmoving. Unblinking. I felt tears streaming down my cheeck, though I couldn't feel the pain at first. I was too numbed and sore. My body finally gave and darkness took me.

When next I awoke, I was in a hospital. I was slow to come to what had happened. My eyes simply scanned the room. Groaning and calling out for my mother and father. It was after a couple minutes, I raised my voice louder and louder. A doctor and nurse came rushing into my room. A look of disbelief on the nurses face as to see myself awake and loudly shouting with energy. The Doctor had such a strange smile, a mix of relief and pity.

They approached my bed, as I tried to sit up or move but both my arms and legs were in casts. The doctor waved the nurse to leave the room as he sat beside me. "Joseph? Do you know where you are son?" He asked me with such a softened voice. I nodded, yet he still told me. "Your in Black Lake's Medical Ward. You were in a car accident with your parents." Immediately I felt a grip tighten around my chest. It felt like someone was squeezing my heart when I spoke. "Are they ok?" I asked in a weak pathetically dried voice.

He fell silent, the look on his face was solid blank stare away at the wall. Maybe he couldn't look at a kid in the face while saying. "Your mother passed away from the incident before the paramedics got to the accident. Your father is still alive...but he's resulted to a vegetative state from a head wound. He will no longer speak,walk or interact."

Hearing his words, It shattered me. Turning away from him and crying heavily into my pillow. I think it took a couple hours for me to calm down, my eyes dried up and reddened. My body shocked with pain when I tried moving. My arms and legs were broken, it took a couple weeks for them to heal. My family was called in to take care of the matter. But no one came to answer. My father was a shallow man who owned a large business adventure. Made millions, so he decided to retire early and move out to the countryside.

I was his only child and the heir to his fortune, only to take care of him and to have helpers carry out to plan my mothers funeral. It was several months laying in that hospital. Cold and alone, I felt so helpless so broken in my own way. I don't think I ever smiled for the longest time. After my body healed The personal assistant that was hired by the hospital to take care of my father was also granted custody over me.

His name is Kyle Daress, A simple man with aa kind heart. He helps wheel my father around town, used some of my inheritance to buy a nice house for us. Without Kyle I would have been lost in a new home with nothing but my broken father. As years passed, I attended school here in Black Lake. I didn't wish to leave though. For some strange reason, I accepted this town and area as my home.

Several years had passed since the incident. I'm still dragging myself to school, even with all teh inheritance, I needed to get out of that house. I needed to get away from the memories. Something to preoccupy myself with besides my job at the local restaurant near my house.

School was hell though, enduring the peer pressure, avoiding drinking, smoking and drugs that are given to you at every turn for the slightest amount of money. It was easy to get a hold of, to get away from the stress and delude yourself. The area was a heavy populace of druggies,alcoholics and abusers.

But I knew of one person who shinned so bright amongst the other adults. My english teacher, she was almost impossible. In the groups of thuggish, brooding individuals, she shone with a bright smile, beautiful lush eyes. He movements and her voice was enchanting. Everyone went quiet around her. No one spoke out of line unlike with other teachers.

She would put a spell of silence on everyone and stun us with her soothing voice as we worked and listened deeply. And every day I was in her class, I marveled upon her, almost wishing to talk to her and get to know her. but afterwards I dreaded being in school.

Andy grams, the biggest, thickest and muscle skulled morons in Black Lake. And I was his daily victim alogn others. Beatings, talk downs and stealing personal belongings was daily to me. He and many others learned about my life and my difficult times.
And just before my english class today, I was confronted by Andy. Without warning his thick large fist slams across my temple,grabing the back of my head, and smashing my forehead into my locker door. The whole world spun round as I colapsed to my knee's. His hand gripping hair tightly as he pulled and yanked me to the ground. I could feel the warm trickle of my blood run down my forehead and face as he spat on me while cussing me down.

"Hey there buddy, how the @!#$ you doin? You got my @!#$ing money you little S@!#!!" I felt the heavy jab of his knee down on my back. It was hard to breath as I grunted from the tugging on my hair. I could almost tear up but I had to be stronger then this. I endured it enough times.
"Left...pocket...a$$hole!" The last word gained me a swift punch to the back of the head as my nose smashed on the hard marble school floor. I felt something break as blood dripped from my nostrils.
I was losing consciousness, everything was fading away in a washy smear of colors from where I laid, I could have cared less for some reason, if that fat b@asterd killed me...

The commotion not far from my door let me know something happened. The smell let me know who it was. Once again the young boy with no one who could take care of him was being bullied. I knew I was too late to stop the damage but I could give the bully detention if I caught him.

Moving quickly from my desk to my door I looked towards the cluttering students. I never understood why everyone just watched. Any one of them could have stopped it all from happening but not one did. They never did for that fact.

A few steps was all it took to get to the students who parted out of my way the moment I approached. I saw the boy, Joseph, laying against his lockers, face covered in his own blood. Nose broken, eyes going blue, barely responsive. I quickly moved to him and sought out his attacker.

"Andy, principals office. Now." He looked like he would argue but stopped the moment I looked at him. I knew what my gaze did to the students and I knew he would listen. The blood was all over his hands and on his shirt.

"Joseph, if you can hear me, i need you to try to stand with me. We need to get you to the nurse." When I barely got a response I started lifting him up, putting most of his weight onto me. The students parted once more, allowing me to leave with the bloodied and bruised boy.

Weakness, I was pathetic. Someone like Andy would always push me around, further more in life. The weak were always trampled by those who were strong and had more power then they. I would only see my weakness, I never could find the strength to fight back or to train myself to defend against guys like Andy and his gang.

A sting of regret hit me when I heard her voice. That lavished thickened voice of hers was soothing and tainting to the ears. It gave me chills, as did it for others I assumed. Andy on the other hand. He was brazen like no other. I felt the pressure release off my back when he stood, my money was already in his pocket. If I said anything, I would most likely owe him double. Nothing big. Pocket change, a twenty now and then kept me safe from getting my face mashed in. I could breath easier now at the very least.

Andy gave a twirl on his heels, his cocky smile and brimming dark brown eyes stared her right back, but even with all his tough gutsy attitude. He wavered and glanced away while walking past the teacher to the principles office. "Sweet! A week off! Just what I needed." He exclaimed while snickering. Skipping with glee as he usual. He may be the biggest brute in school, but he had good grades and was the leading quarter back for the schools football team. No one else could be beat him, so they wouldn't simply kick him out unless he did something more drastic then bullying some loner kid.

I felt horrible, and that is the lightest way to put it. The blood was making me feel sick and dizzy. It was weird, The teacher helped me up no problem at all as I couldn't even keep myself from falling over once more. I could barely see a few feet ahead of me. The warm trickle of blood down my forehead and nose, the enlarged eyes. fixed with an angered glare and squinting through the smear of red the dripped over one eye.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered to her. I was not usually one for words. Not in this town, nor with certain people. My mess of dark auburn brown hair was a mess, my hazel green eyes tried to focus on what was ahead, but what I couldn't see. Mostly would see a pathetic pale scrawny kid with a bloodied face being hauled by a lavishly beautiful teacher. What luck I had eh?