Static Shock Fan Fiction ❯ Watch The Sky ❯ Chapter Five ( Chapter 5 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Manga-Chick 
Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for children under 17
Non Anime: Static Shock Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Psychological | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 03.19.2007 | Updated On: 04.09.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.8K | Visits: 246 | Status: Completed
Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for children under 17
Non Anime: Static Shock Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Psychological | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 03.19.2007 | Updated On: 04.09.2007 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.8K | Visits: 246 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN STATIC AND OTHER ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS! Dwayne McDuffie and WB and Milestone do in...their various ways.
Warning: profanity, darkness, slash
Chapter Five
That week was full of silence–Osgoode was still angry at Virgil for making a public spectacle of the situation. He was mortified with the taunts of his classmates, random students calling out slurs whenever he was around, bringing attention his blushes and looking at him in a new light. Though it both annoyed and relieved him, Virgil caught the hint of his avoidance and stopped calling him, seemingly ignoring him as well.
He focused on his studies more intensely, choosing to stay home rather than bother with Static’s activities–though he monitored the news and the continuous goings-on over the radio he’d invented to alert them of metahuman activity. After the incident with Static, Richard grumbled about his personality and didn’t show the same excitement he’d had about the superhero. He was also quieter than usual, skulking about and making obvious attempts to avoid Osgoode’s ire. While his parents questioned the bandages on his palms, his answers on his newest injuries were mumbled and attributed to bullies.
Osgoode kept an eye on his brother carefully, purposefully causing him stress by shadowing him and making pointed comments on Richard’s injuries. Picking on his brother was one of his favorite distractions, as it caused him to devote more energy on that rather than the situation with his best friend. He enjoyed watching his older brother squirm uncomfortably. When Richard wanted to stay on his good side, he was quieter, ‘less weird’. No more random shouts, crossdressing or annoying his father. The house was quieter in this aspect, something the others happened to enjoy.
Friday afternoon, Osgoode immersed himself in So-Com, finishing off the household’s soda supply. Richard holed himself up in his room, examining the cigarette burns on his palms. He figured they weren’t ready to reveal to the world–they were still too raw, too distinct. Rewrapping them, he listened intently to the digitalized violence from the television downstairs, and then left his room. Maggie had promised her men take-out, and was taking her time in getting home. He was intensely bored and needed some company.
The thought of his father was welcoming–Osgoode may have a good relationship with their mother, but Richard was closer to Sean. He enjoyed ‘bonding’ with the man, and liked making the man squirm. The company of his father was very much needed.
He quietly entered his parents’ bedroom, seeing that his father had at least an hour to sleep before the alarm went off. With a heavy sigh he relaxed, feeling how stressed his shoulders were as he rolled them. He then jumped onto the bed, leaping up and down and watching his sleeping father bounce. When the man grumbled upon the rude awakening, Richard flopped onto his back, awkwardly wrapping his arms around his neck.
“It’s the end for you, fat boy,” he whispered, tightening his grip so that Sean choked. “I’ll put you back to sleep, old man. I going to take your money and your woman, and then you’ll have nothing...just the way I planned whilst growing in me olde mother’s womb.”
“Get off me, Richard!” Sean snarled, flailing. “For God’s sake!”
Richard laughed, avoiding his arms deftly. He gnawed on his father’s back, at the top of his spine. “C’mon fat man, get up! Kick my ass! I’ll bet you can’t!”
“...I swear we took home the wrong kid. You can’t possibly have been the product after all the hard work I gave in fucking your mother. Get off!”
Richard loosened his grip, but punched him on the back, Sean grumbling as he caught sight of the time. He tiredly wiped his face, struggling to maintain a sense of sanity as his son continued to punch him. When Richard hit the back of his head with his knuckles, Sean finally sat up with an annoyed mutter, reaching out to snag his son into a chokehold that had Richard struggling for air.
Yawning then sniffing the air for any scent of dinner, Sean tightened his hold for a few moments before shoving Richard away from him. Hearing his son hack as he sucked in air, Sean resumed his previous position, cuddling up to his pillow. Richard once again bounced onto the bed, causing him to bounce uncomfortably. Sean groaned.
“Up, Jabba! UP! I command thee, arise! The time has come in which the sacrifice was made, and the world calls for your ugly ass-face to show itself! Haven’t you heard? Republicans are trying to take back the White House! Zounds! Greenpeace wants its whale back!”
“Go bother your mother,” Sean muttered, squeezing the pillow. “Stop jumping on the fucking bed! Goddamn it, Richard!”
“Wow, that scared me so badly, I just gave myself a wedgie...UP, fat-man! Get off your stank-ass, take a shower, and get out of my house to earn me some money! What, you think I buy my own crack? Hell no! I steal out of your wallet, and you’ve been failing me with that, even! How dare you put your hundreds into some secret bank account!”
“God...I swear...your mother must have been on crack when you were conceived...”
“If you don’t get up and parent me, I’m going to jump on you so hard, your turtle’s going to show half an hour early!” Richard threatened. He then elbow-dropped onto his father’s back, making Sean shout with an enraged roar. The older Foley twisted, latching onto his son with both arms, smushing him as he rolled his bigger frame onto the teen to pin him down. He then began jabbing his knuckles into Richard’s sides, making the boy howl as he fought to get loose.
The door to the room slammed open, both of them stilling. Osgoode gave them a cross glare. “Stop bothering dad, you incest freak,” he ordered. “Both of you sound like a couple of drunk Irish idiots, bellowing around and beating each other up. Aren’t you getting too old for that? Honestly...”
“Ozzie, lay off the junk food,” Sean growled, releasing Richard. The elder twin pulled away from the bed and slunk off around Osgoode, the younger glaring at his brother as he passed. “You’re starting to remind me of your mother, being all chubby.”
“Shut up, dad. How mother could even bother herself with you is a mystery. You’re nothing like the men she likes. She could have stayed with that science nerd she’d latched herself onto in high school and lived a better life, but you had to bully her into a relationship with your loser ass.”
“That hurts me real deep, Osgoode. Stop eating up all the junk food. How am I supposed to keep the keg full if you’re leaving all the healthy shit behind?”
“Get a life, dad,” Osgoode muttered, stalking out of the room.
Sean blinked, then rolled his eyes as he slowly eased himself into a sitting position at the edge of the bed. He then winced, rolling his shoulders. “Damn, I’m getting old.”
Though it bothered their parents that something was obviously wrong with the pair of them, they were oblivious to the problems that the twins were involved in. Neither boy volunteered information and whenever pressed, they skillfully steered around the subject.
That weekend, Richard managed to sneak out of his brother’s eye, stealing away from his home just to get a break from the tension and stress. Though he realized that the teens that had attacked him could possibly be about, he wandered along the sidewalks openly. He wanted to enjoy this time to himself before heading back to the house, where Osgoode would continue to unnerve him with his quiet stares.
Crossing through a park, Richard smoked with a mopey expression, thinking about how he could somehow solve the situation between his brother and Virgil so that Osgoode would stop frightening him with his moods. Curiously, after that night, They had left as well. The house was empty of Their presence, which was reassuring and somewhat bothersome.
He paused once he realized he could feel eyes on him, his skin prickly with the knowledge of being watched. He turned to scan the park of the culprit, taking in the emptiness of the playground and the surrounding grass areas. Frowning, he decided that the feeling of unease and caution was only because of Osgoode’s influence. He started to walk again when the ground around him turned intensely black, and the substance began to crawl up and around his legs.
Spitting out his cigarette with a surprised cry, Richard tried to leap from the sudden gooey puddle when arms wrapped around him with surprising strength. The world disappeared as he was pulled into the ‘puddle’.
Moments later he was hitting cold concrete ass first, staring up at abandoned darkness as three somewhat familiar faces glared down at him. Absolutely startled at the sight of commonly shown metahumans, Richard gaped up at them.
“See? Told you!” the shortest one cackled, arms flashing with light before shifting into twin blades that were shoved under Richard’s chin. “I told you! He’s the one that’s always with Static! Doin’ the behind the scenes things…I’m tellin’ you!”
Before Richard could fully process those words, the bright orange young woman with birdlike features loomed over him with an expression of distaste. One clawed foot kicked at Richard’s leg with annoyance. “So you’re the one making up all those things. You know what those little traps did to my arms? Asshole!”
“I–I–!”
“Chill,” the shadow man ordered, both of them pulling away from Richard with twin expressions of dislike. “Let’s hear what he has to say before we lay into him. Maybe he’s innocent.”
There was a moment of silence before all three of them burst into barks of disbelieving laughter. Richard was confused, blinking cluelessly as he wondered what they meant. Ebon, Talon and Shiv were common on the nightly news for their villainous behavior, so Richard was familiar with them in that aspect. As for what they were saying…
“We’ve been watching you,” Ebon snarled, leaning downward to flick a finger against his glasses. He’d finally gotten another pair late that week, and Richard flinched, automatically reaching up to somehow protect them. “You’ve been workin’ the scene behind Static. Ain’t been around much, have ya?”
“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Richard gasped. He broke out into a cold sweat, hands shaking as he faced the trio. “I haven’t–I don’t–!”
“Don’t you lie to us!” Shiv roared, arms flashing about. “We watched you! You think we didn’t notice you, runnin’ around like that Sullivan guy for Costello?! HAH!”
“…Erm…If I’m thinking what you’re thinking, then wouldn’t that mean I would be working for you as well?” Richard asked in confusion, Shiv pausing in mid-action to think about his words.
“Huh…Ebon? That true? He workin’ for you?” the manic one asked, Talon looking lost.
Ebon shot him an annoyed look. He looked back at Richard. “Never mind that. We ain’t bringing you here just to discuss Blockbuster’s latest. What we brought you here for is an interrogation. You tell us what we wanna know. That clear?”
“But I don’t know anything!” Richard cried out in exasperation. He didn’t care that his voice continuously cracked. “I really don’t! I’ve only met Static once, and he was a prick to me! In all honest truth, I don’t think I like him, either.”
Ebon loomed over him threateningly. Behind him, Shiv trying to explain to Talon what he’d meant. “None of your lies, now, little fly. You at a disadvantage, here. You ain’t got nothin’ on ya that’ll give us away? Give it up now, and I won’t let Talon work her magic on you. She ain’t likin’ guys too much at the moment, so she won’t be treatin’ you too nicely. I guarantee that. Show me your pockets.”
Richard slowly lifted to his feet, immediately pulling his jeans pockets out, dropping his lighter, pack of cigarettes, money, change, and gum. Shiv murmured about the health effects of smoking, tsking. Richard then took off his shoes and displayed those as well, pulling the tongues aside. “See? I–I’m clean. There’s nothing.”
Ebon grunted, gesturing at him. Talon stepped forward, frisking him briefly, making Richard recoil at the feel of her feathered hands slapping over him, the smell of animal touching his nostrils. She glowered at him, lifting his shirt to check for anything taped to him. All of them recoiled instantly at the sight of bruises and burns, Richard immediately yanking his shirt down in mortification.
“We didn’t do that to you,” Shiv gaped. “You can’t be blaming that shit on us, man. We didn’t even touch you!”
“That ain’t us, and if somethin’ goes wrong, you better not be putting that shit on us,” Ebon demanded. “We didn’t touch you. You better be clear about that!”
“You got fucked up parents, man,” Talon muttered, stepping back. Her expression was disturbed. “Adults shouldn’t be doin’ that to their kids.”
“My parents love me very much, and they’ve never laid a hand on me,” Richard muttered, self-consciously pulling at his shirt. “But you see? Nothing. I have nothing!”
The trio exchanged looks, an awkward silence descending upon them. Richard didn’t want to look up, awkwardly stuffing his feet into his shoes. As the silence continued with their startled stares, he quickly took in his surroundings, noticing that they were underground. Their hideout seemed to be located within a part of the subway system that looked long abandoned. There were various drainpipes located around the area, some dripping with some random ooze, others looking dark and foreboding. There were broken cars propped atop of concrete platforms, covered in graffiti and redecorated with bars and other random decorations. The rail trenches had been blocked over with metallic covers, chainlink fences blocking over various entrances. He didn’t know how they got in or out. It all looked so dark and foreboding, lit only by jerry-rigging of lightbulbs and generators. Melted candle puddles were everywhere, so he guessed that they’d lived here awhile.
He could hear faint street sounds above, and the place rumbled occasionally with a passing subway car located on some unknown track beyond the concrete walls, but the it gave him the impression that no one would ever be aware of what was living down here.
“Man…you think Static did all that?” Shiv then asked curiously. “That would be friggin’ awesome! You could testify! Y’know, they have programs for that. Have you tried a woman’s shelter? He could be tossed away for domestic abuse. Here, Talon can escort you to one, she been to one before and–!”
Talon smacked him across the face with a hiss as Ebon rubbed his chin. He then swept his hands about. “Anyway, he clean. But can Static track you down?”
“He doesn’t know who I am,” Richard mumbled. He gave the man a curious look. “Why would he track me down? Anyway, no one knows I even left the house, so…it’s not like anyone’s looking for me right now.”
“How long will it take for him to realize ya’ll are missin’?”
“I don’t know! I told you, I’ve never met the guy! Well–I did once, but let me tell you, he was such a prick, I wouldn’t want to meet him again. My brother is always praising him, but–!” Richard trailed off, staring at the glaring trio of metahumans and going over their demands. Something tickled the back of his brain until it hit him. He clapped his hands over his mouth, eyes widening as he pierced thoughts together rapidly. He went still. “Oh my god…my brother. He was always coming home all dirty and–!”
He clapped his hands over his mouth once more as shock overcame him, now realizing why Osgoode came home so tired, covered in soot–always with excuses, always tinkering with something involving some strange technology. The trio stared at him in silence, bewildered at his words until Talon jerked.
“He’s got a twin!” she spoke out loud, eyes widening as she looked at Ebon. “I bet he’s got a twin, or lookalike brother. I’m believing him, man. He really don’t know what we’re all about!”
“Women’s intuition? Or you still got that, now ya’ll a bird?” Shiv asked her curiously, peering at her closely.
“’Course I do! I’m still a woman!”
Ebon loomed over Richard again, who was utterly horrified at speaking out loud, but still in shock over somewhat learning Osgoode’s secret. But if he were working with Static, then who was–?
He nearly strangled himself with another gasp, once more clasping his face. If one put a face mask over Virgil Hawkins–
Ebon growled, lowering his head to recapture his attention. “You got a brother? Is that it?”
Richard stiffened, eager to get back home and question Osgoode on what he was being confronted with. His mind raced over everything he’d ever witnessed of his brother, of Virgil and his constant disappearances. Going over the brief encounter he’d had with Static, Virgil’s own uncomfortable reactions to him was just as similar as what Static had done with him. It would explain so many things!
He focused on Ebon, feeling numb. He stared at the metahuman for a few moments, reminded of his situation as he studied the shadow-man. He thought of Osgoode’s safety, the precious secret burning a hole in his stomach. He gave a stiff smile.
“…No. No. I…I’m a little…” He trailed off, trying to think fast for any excuses and lies he could give to throw them off. He didn’t want to get Osgoode in trouble–the thought was terrifying. He said quickly, “I have multiple personalities. Who knows what personality plays a part in–”
He went silent, the trio’s faces shifting into confusion and annoyance the longer the silence stretched. Just as Ebon moved to question him again, Richard let out an ear-piercing shriek. He slapped Ebon hard across the face and took on very feminine characteristics that had him clutching his clothes in dismay.
“Like, don’t you touch me!” he shrieked in a feminine voice, changing it completely from his normal to speak in valley-manner. It was so convincing that Talon and Shiv performed double-takes. “Monster! Like, how dare you steal off with me! Are you trying to, like, take my virginity?! Is that it? Oh my GAWD, like, you have witnesses! Oh MY gawd! Wait a sec–are you going to record this? Will I be some sort of porn star, like, Paris?”
“…W-w-what?!” Ebon sputtered, obviously confused.
“Oh, please, please sir–! Please let me go! I’m planning on, like, saving it for marriage, you must understand, Jessica Simpson was so inspiring and like, so many of my peers are losing it so carelessly to all these man-sluts around them and I just like want to honor and love my future husband by saving my innocence for him on our wedding night, and like I have it all so planned with this pretty pink lingerie set that I found in–!”
“SHUT UP!” Ebon roared, making Richard whimper. “What is WRONG with you?! You a nutcase?”
Richard stared up at him in fright, unsure if his plan was working. Both Talon and Shiv were looking at him with obviously disturbed expressions, and it looked as if Ebon had lost some of his earlier confidence. He swallowed hard, struggling to maintain the ‘personality’, but his mind kept going back to the realization of whom Static really was. The fact that Osgoode was involved...
His eyes widened as he realized that they were trying to get to Osgoode. The thought of harm coming to his brother was unsettling–he couldn’t let these people get to him. Even if Osgoode were Static’s obvious love interest. He had to do something to throw them off. His mind whirled with panic as Ebon stepped forward. His knees finally gave out, and Richard sat on the floor in an awkward pile, clueless as to what to do next when he heard the very faint sounds of a dog barking above ground. He stiffened for a moment as Ebon inhaled to speak.
Ebon roared out once again as Richard began gnawing on his leg, snarling like a dog. Shiv quickly shifted behind Talon, who was staring at the scene with a startled stare. Ebon managed to kick Richard away, the trio once again retrieving expressions of shock as the teen began barking at them like a dog. Above his hoarse barking, Ebon looked at Talon and Shiv, who managed to rip their gazes away from the teen to look at him.
The trio stared at each other cluelessly.
“Um…boss? He’s off,” Shiv pointed out. “I mean…coming from me…that’s pretty fucked up.”
“Ebon, man, I think…I think we need to put him back,” Talon murmured. She had to stare while Richard gnawed at his own arm, giving whimpering noises as he started to lick his skin in a soothing manner. “I don’t–I don’t think we’re going to…get anywhere with him. I don’t think any normal person would act like this…it’s way too freaky.”
Ebon looked back at the teen, stiffening. Once Richard noticed him looking down at him, he set his arm down and rose on all fours, barking menacingly. He bared his teeth, Ebon jumping slightly.
“…Boss?...Um..what should we do? I mean…”
“Take him to the mental institution,” Talon said crossly, picking at her feathers. She shot Richard an annoyed gaze as he returned to licking at his arm. “Obviously his parents aren’t taking good care of him.”
“Hey, he’s house trained! Let’s keep him!” Shiv hollered in delight, bouncing over to Richard. He shrieked once the teen sank his teeth into his leg.
Ebon blinked, Talon watching him closely as Shiv shrieked in the background, trying to pull his leg back. At a loss for words, Ebon just gaped. Talon had to delight in the man’s obvious loss of thought. It reminded her that even if his physical form had changed, the man was still a man underneath.
Opening and closing his mouth a few times, Ebon then jumped when Richard resumed the ‘personality’ of a woman once more, shrieking at Shiv to stop looking at him because he was bloated. Ebon looked at Talon. “Maybe…maybe we grabbed the wrong one?”
“I…I dunno, Ebon. This is just…too weird. He didn’t act like this when we saw him. Maybe it’s all just an act?” Talon raised her voice to speak the last loudly, looking pointedly at Richard. The teen was sweating obviously, but he looked at her, resuming exaggerated feminine movements.
“Like, are you talking about me? Are you even, like, a woman? I mean, if you are, how could you wear that horrid color combination? Are you like, color-blind an’ stuff?”
Talon rolled her eyes, looking at Ebon for some sort of guidance. Ebon looked stumped, blinking at Richard while he carefully dusted himself off, exclaiming over what a mess he looked like. He looked at Talon with a shrug.
“Let’s keep him for awhile. See what Static does,” he finally said. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh…keep him quiet. And uh…feed him. Or something.”
Hearing those words, Richard gave a panicked look at the man. Talon shrugged and looked at him with heavy uncertainty. “No. No, I can’t stay here! I mean, I take medication, and I have to take it at a certain hour–! Please, please understand that I can’t–you can’t keep me here. I need that medication to keep this all under control! I’m not usually like this, just when I am under stress–!”
“Now, you the guy talkin’ to us earlier, because I’m getting confused here. And that’s not hard to do,” Shiv added with a chuckle, lifting his pants leg to examine the bitemarks on his leg.
“What sorta medication?” Talon asked Richard suspiciously, the teen wiping his increasingly sweaty hands on his jeans. Shiv handed him a lit cigarette, coughing theatrically as he then handed him the rest of the pack and the lighter. Talon swiped the lighter away as Richard drew on the cigarette, trying to think fast.
He told her with a grimace, looking at Ebon, hoping the man would just get rid of him. Hoping that they weren’t killers. Ebon regarded him suspiciously, but he kept his distance.
“I can get it,” Talon said with a slight shrug. “I know a place. But if he’s like this, it won’t be long that he’ll be missed. They’ll be lookin’ for him.”
“You disappear a lot?” Ebon asked him.
Richard shook his head. “No, I–”
“What about your brother? He gonna miss ya?” Shiv asked.
“Where do you live, boy?” Talon demanded at the same time.
“Like…what are you talking about? Oh, ew, what is this? Why are you, like, trying to make me smoke? Is this what you criminals, like, do now?”
Ebon sighed heavily. “Put him away. Get those meds. We’ll see what Static does now that we got his running buddy. What a nut job…”
01010011
It was nearing two a.m. when Maggie finished speaking with the two policemen, Sean clutching Osgoode’s left shoulder with immense worry. Osgoode stared at the floor, unable to think of a reason why Richard would disappear for so long; his brother hadn’t even let anybody know that he was leaving the house. He felt scared and anxious, completely at a loss as to where to look for him. He’d felt completely awful as the hours passed and Richard still didn’t show. He didn’t even have any idea where Richard hung out, or who he was friends with. He had been so focused on Static and Virgil, leaving Richard to his own devices…never asking…
Sean swallowed hard as Maggie escorted the two policemen out of the house. He looked at Osgoode, who looked at him helplessly. The pair stared at each other in silence, Maggie returning to the living room.
Her eyes were red and full of worry, shoulders slumped as she worried the end of her ponytail. She sat on the other side of Osgoode, hugging him tightly. “The boys that beat him up…you don’t even know their names? You don’t even–”
“I don’t know!” Osgoode repeated in dismay. He’d told his parents countless times that he had no idea who the boys were that bullied him. “I–I don’t even have any idea…What about the police…?”
“It’s too early to file a missing persons report. Not for another twenty-four hours,” Maggie said softly, shoulders slumping further. ‘But they would keep an eye out.”
“He doesn’t do this. So why would he now?” Sean asked, voice rising slightly as he rubbed at his temples. “Oz. does he have any friends he might be with…? …Boyfriends? Girlfriends?”
“He doesn’t have any,” Osgoode said quietly, shaking his head. He knew Richard tended to pick up men, but he didn’t want to consider that option. He knew his twin was very careful in that aspect, and that situation didn’t feel right with this one. “If he does, he never told me..”
“What about Virgil? Do you think he’d–”
“They hate each other! Richard doesn’t even want to associate with him in any way,” Osgoode repeated for the countless time, grinding his palms against his eyes in frustration. “Maybe he lost track of time…I don’t know! He’s been angry at me for awhile, and…and I with him. I…I don’t know.”
The three of them sat in silence for a long while, at a complete loss as to what to do. Finally, Sean rose from the couch with a heavy exhale. “Let’s…let’s leave the door unlocked. Lights on. But go to our rooms. Let’s just…hope he’s being an irresponsible asshole and nothing more.”
“He wouldn’t do this,” Osgoode mumbled, but rose from the couch.
He headed upstairs, his head in a fog as he went over the day’s events. He couldn’t help but feel immensely guilty as he knew that he was the main reason for Richard’s sneaking out. He knew he had been pushing his brother more than usual due to the situation between them and Virgil, but he never imagined Richard disappearing like this. It was so unusual for Richard to take off for long periods of time, for not telling anybody. He’d always tell someone he was going somewhere…especially his father. Sean always had an idea where Richard was, the teen being closer to him as Osgoode was with his mother.
Osgoode slipped into his room, at a complete loss as to what he should do. While he had tried to reach Virgil, hoping to use Static’s influence in the unsettling situation, Virgil was either ignoring his calls or unavailable. In his frustration and anger, Osgoode felt that Virgil was purposefully ignoring him due to the situation that had happened that week.
He flopped onto his bed, exhaling heavily as he furrowed his brow. The places that Richard commonly frequented had employees negating any sighting of Richard that day–claiming that due to it being Saturday, there had been too much traffic in their stores for them to notice one teenager. It would take a missing persons report for them to complete a full check on security records.
Osgoode stared at his closet in silence, listening to his parents speak quietly as they walked to their room. He lifted his pillow to retrieve the shock box that he’d invented that had direct communication to Virgil/Static. He listened to the static playing through the speaker, unsure of where Static would be this night when he needed him the most. He felt hurt and lost , realizing once more how horrible it was to be alone. If he didn’t have Richard, he had Virgil–if he didn’t have Virgil, he had Richard. And now, at this point, he didn’t have either. The feeling of loneliness was incredible, and caused pain throughout his entire body.
He curled up tightly, fighting off the waves of terror and guilt, squeezing his eyes shut. He wish he knew where Richard was–he wish he knew where Virgil was. The horrible thought that they were together in some private moment threatened to tear him apart–the thought was much too agonizing to continue, and he forced himself to switch focus.
The house felt secure again–They were gone. Where They had gone, Osgoode hadn’t any idea. He didn’t even know why They showed when they did. He swallowed tightly, wondering why They had gotten so angry during the twins’ fight the other night. They had never attacked either of the twins in such a way. It had been frightening. The level of violence that had been promised onto Osgoode had been similar to an encounter with dangerous bullies. It was odd how They were pulling favors for Richard.
He furrowed his brow, unable to come up with a time in which They had behaved so threateningly. What had provoked them into such aggression?
Feeling overwhelmed, Osgoode clutched the shock box tightly, softly calling for Virgil. Upon hearing the silence on the other end, he sighed heavily and stuffed it back under his pillow, to try for sleep.
Warning: profanity, darkness, slash
Chapter Five
That week was full of silence–Osgoode was still angry at Virgil for making a public spectacle of the situation. He was mortified with the taunts of his classmates, random students calling out slurs whenever he was around, bringing attention his blushes and looking at him in a new light. Though it both annoyed and relieved him, Virgil caught the hint of his avoidance and stopped calling him, seemingly ignoring him as well.
He focused on his studies more intensely, choosing to stay home rather than bother with Static’s activities–though he monitored the news and the continuous goings-on over the radio he’d invented to alert them of metahuman activity. After the incident with Static, Richard grumbled about his personality and didn’t show the same excitement he’d had about the superhero. He was also quieter than usual, skulking about and making obvious attempts to avoid Osgoode’s ire. While his parents questioned the bandages on his palms, his answers on his newest injuries were mumbled and attributed to bullies.
Osgoode kept an eye on his brother carefully, purposefully causing him stress by shadowing him and making pointed comments on Richard’s injuries. Picking on his brother was one of his favorite distractions, as it caused him to devote more energy on that rather than the situation with his best friend. He enjoyed watching his older brother squirm uncomfortably. When Richard wanted to stay on his good side, he was quieter, ‘less weird’. No more random shouts, crossdressing or annoying his father. The house was quieter in this aspect, something the others happened to enjoy.
Friday afternoon, Osgoode immersed himself in So-Com, finishing off the household’s soda supply. Richard holed himself up in his room, examining the cigarette burns on his palms. He figured they weren’t ready to reveal to the world–they were still too raw, too distinct. Rewrapping them, he listened intently to the digitalized violence from the television downstairs, and then left his room. Maggie had promised her men take-out, and was taking her time in getting home. He was intensely bored and needed some company.
The thought of his father was welcoming–Osgoode may have a good relationship with their mother, but Richard was closer to Sean. He enjoyed ‘bonding’ with the man, and liked making the man squirm. The company of his father was very much needed.
He quietly entered his parents’ bedroom, seeing that his father had at least an hour to sleep before the alarm went off. With a heavy sigh he relaxed, feeling how stressed his shoulders were as he rolled them. He then jumped onto the bed, leaping up and down and watching his sleeping father bounce. When the man grumbled upon the rude awakening, Richard flopped onto his back, awkwardly wrapping his arms around his neck.
“It’s the end for you, fat boy,” he whispered, tightening his grip so that Sean choked. “I’ll put you back to sleep, old man. I going to take your money and your woman, and then you’ll have nothing...just the way I planned whilst growing in me olde mother’s womb.”
“Get off me, Richard!” Sean snarled, flailing. “For God’s sake!”
Richard laughed, avoiding his arms deftly. He gnawed on his father’s back, at the top of his spine. “C’mon fat man, get up! Kick my ass! I’ll bet you can’t!”
“...I swear we took home the wrong kid. You can’t possibly have been the product after all the hard work I gave in fucking your mother. Get off!”
Richard loosened his grip, but punched him on the back, Sean grumbling as he caught sight of the time. He tiredly wiped his face, struggling to maintain a sense of sanity as his son continued to punch him. When Richard hit the back of his head with his knuckles, Sean finally sat up with an annoyed mutter, reaching out to snag his son into a chokehold that had Richard struggling for air.
Yawning then sniffing the air for any scent of dinner, Sean tightened his hold for a few moments before shoving Richard away from him. Hearing his son hack as he sucked in air, Sean resumed his previous position, cuddling up to his pillow. Richard once again bounced onto the bed, causing him to bounce uncomfortably. Sean groaned.
“Up, Jabba! UP! I command thee, arise! The time has come in which the sacrifice was made, and the world calls for your ugly ass-face to show itself! Haven’t you heard? Republicans are trying to take back the White House! Zounds! Greenpeace wants its whale back!”
“Go bother your mother,” Sean muttered, squeezing the pillow. “Stop jumping on the fucking bed! Goddamn it, Richard!”
“Wow, that scared me so badly, I just gave myself a wedgie...UP, fat-man! Get off your stank-ass, take a shower, and get out of my house to earn me some money! What, you think I buy my own crack? Hell no! I steal out of your wallet, and you’ve been failing me with that, even! How dare you put your hundreds into some secret bank account!”
“God...I swear...your mother must have been on crack when you were conceived...”
“If you don’t get up and parent me, I’m going to jump on you so hard, your turtle’s going to show half an hour early!” Richard threatened. He then elbow-dropped onto his father’s back, making Sean shout with an enraged roar. The older Foley twisted, latching onto his son with both arms, smushing him as he rolled his bigger frame onto the teen to pin him down. He then began jabbing his knuckles into Richard’s sides, making the boy howl as he fought to get loose.
The door to the room slammed open, both of them stilling. Osgoode gave them a cross glare. “Stop bothering dad, you incest freak,” he ordered. “Both of you sound like a couple of drunk Irish idiots, bellowing around and beating each other up. Aren’t you getting too old for that? Honestly...”
“Ozzie, lay off the junk food,” Sean growled, releasing Richard. The elder twin pulled away from the bed and slunk off around Osgoode, the younger glaring at his brother as he passed. “You’re starting to remind me of your mother, being all chubby.”
“Shut up, dad. How mother could even bother herself with you is a mystery. You’re nothing like the men she likes. She could have stayed with that science nerd she’d latched herself onto in high school and lived a better life, but you had to bully her into a relationship with your loser ass.”
“That hurts me real deep, Osgoode. Stop eating up all the junk food. How am I supposed to keep the keg full if you’re leaving all the healthy shit behind?”
“Get a life, dad,” Osgoode muttered, stalking out of the room.
Sean blinked, then rolled his eyes as he slowly eased himself into a sitting position at the edge of the bed. He then winced, rolling his shoulders. “Damn, I’m getting old.”
Though it bothered their parents that something was obviously wrong with the pair of them, they were oblivious to the problems that the twins were involved in. Neither boy volunteered information and whenever pressed, they skillfully steered around the subject.
That weekend, Richard managed to sneak out of his brother’s eye, stealing away from his home just to get a break from the tension and stress. Though he realized that the teens that had attacked him could possibly be about, he wandered along the sidewalks openly. He wanted to enjoy this time to himself before heading back to the house, where Osgoode would continue to unnerve him with his quiet stares.
Crossing through a park, Richard smoked with a mopey expression, thinking about how he could somehow solve the situation between his brother and Virgil so that Osgoode would stop frightening him with his moods. Curiously, after that night, They had left as well. The house was empty of Their presence, which was reassuring and somewhat bothersome.
He paused once he realized he could feel eyes on him, his skin prickly with the knowledge of being watched. He turned to scan the park of the culprit, taking in the emptiness of the playground and the surrounding grass areas. Frowning, he decided that the feeling of unease and caution was only because of Osgoode’s influence. He started to walk again when the ground around him turned intensely black, and the substance began to crawl up and around his legs.
Spitting out his cigarette with a surprised cry, Richard tried to leap from the sudden gooey puddle when arms wrapped around him with surprising strength. The world disappeared as he was pulled into the ‘puddle’.
Moments later he was hitting cold concrete ass first, staring up at abandoned darkness as three somewhat familiar faces glared down at him. Absolutely startled at the sight of commonly shown metahumans, Richard gaped up at them.
“See? Told you!” the shortest one cackled, arms flashing with light before shifting into twin blades that were shoved under Richard’s chin. “I told you! He’s the one that’s always with Static! Doin’ the behind the scenes things…I’m tellin’ you!”
Before Richard could fully process those words, the bright orange young woman with birdlike features loomed over him with an expression of distaste. One clawed foot kicked at Richard’s leg with annoyance. “So you’re the one making up all those things. You know what those little traps did to my arms? Asshole!”
“I–I–!”
“Chill,” the shadow man ordered, both of them pulling away from Richard with twin expressions of dislike. “Let’s hear what he has to say before we lay into him. Maybe he’s innocent.”
There was a moment of silence before all three of them burst into barks of disbelieving laughter. Richard was confused, blinking cluelessly as he wondered what they meant. Ebon, Talon and Shiv were common on the nightly news for their villainous behavior, so Richard was familiar with them in that aspect. As for what they were saying…
“We’ve been watching you,” Ebon snarled, leaning downward to flick a finger against his glasses. He’d finally gotten another pair late that week, and Richard flinched, automatically reaching up to somehow protect them. “You’ve been workin’ the scene behind Static. Ain’t been around much, have ya?”
“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Richard gasped. He broke out into a cold sweat, hands shaking as he faced the trio. “I haven’t–I don’t–!”
“Don’t you lie to us!” Shiv roared, arms flashing about. “We watched you! You think we didn’t notice you, runnin’ around like that Sullivan guy for Costello?! HAH!”
“…Erm…If I’m thinking what you’re thinking, then wouldn’t that mean I would be working for you as well?” Richard asked in confusion, Shiv pausing in mid-action to think about his words.
“Huh…Ebon? That true? He workin’ for you?” the manic one asked, Talon looking lost.
Ebon shot him an annoyed look. He looked back at Richard. “Never mind that. We ain’t bringing you here just to discuss Blockbuster’s latest. What we brought you here for is an interrogation. You tell us what we wanna know. That clear?”
“But I don’t know anything!” Richard cried out in exasperation. He didn’t care that his voice continuously cracked. “I really don’t! I’ve only met Static once, and he was a prick to me! In all honest truth, I don’t think I like him, either.”
Ebon loomed over him threateningly. Behind him, Shiv trying to explain to Talon what he’d meant. “None of your lies, now, little fly. You at a disadvantage, here. You ain’t got nothin’ on ya that’ll give us away? Give it up now, and I won’t let Talon work her magic on you. She ain’t likin’ guys too much at the moment, so she won’t be treatin’ you too nicely. I guarantee that. Show me your pockets.”
Richard slowly lifted to his feet, immediately pulling his jeans pockets out, dropping his lighter, pack of cigarettes, money, change, and gum. Shiv murmured about the health effects of smoking, tsking. Richard then took off his shoes and displayed those as well, pulling the tongues aside. “See? I–I’m clean. There’s nothing.”
Ebon grunted, gesturing at him. Talon stepped forward, frisking him briefly, making Richard recoil at the feel of her feathered hands slapping over him, the smell of animal touching his nostrils. She glowered at him, lifting his shirt to check for anything taped to him. All of them recoiled instantly at the sight of bruises and burns, Richard immediately yanking his shirt down in mortification.
“We didn’t do that to you,” Shiv gaped. “You can’t be blaming that shit on us, man. We didn’t even touch you!”
“That ain’t us, and if somethin’ goes wrong, you better not be putting that shit on us,” Ebon demanded. “We didn’t touch you. You better be clear about that!”
“You got fucked up parents, man,” Talon muttered, stepping back. Her expression was disturbed. “Adults shouldn’t be doin’ that to their kids.”
“My parents love me very much, and they’ve never laid a hand on me,” Richard muttered, self-consciously pulling at his shirt. “But you see? Nothing. I have nothing!”
The trio exchanged looks, an awkward silence descending upon them. Richard didn’t want to look up, awkwardly stuffing his feet into his shoes. As the silence continued with their startled stares, he quickly took in his surroundings, noticing that they were underground. Their hideout seemed to be located within a part of the subway system that looked long abandoned. There were various drainpipes located around the area, some dripping with some random ooze, others looking dark and foreboding. There were broken cars propped atop of concrete platforms, covered in graffiti and redecorated with bars and other random decorations. The rail trenches had been blocked over with metallic covers, chainlink fences blocking over various entrances. He didn’t know how they got in or out. It all looked so dark and foreboding, lit only by jerry-rigging of lightbulbs and generators. Melted candle puddles were everywhere, so he guessed that they’d lived here awhile.
He could hear faint street sounds above, and the place rumbled occasionally with a passing subway car located on some unknown track beyond the concrete walls, but the it gave him the impression that no one would ever be aware of what was living down here.
“Man…you think Static did all that?” Shiv then asked curiously. “That would be friggin’ awesome! You could testify! Y’know, they have programs for that. Have you tried a woman’s shelter? He could be tossed away for domestic abuse. Here, Talon can escort you to one, she been to one before and–!”
Talon smacked him across the face with a hiss as Ebon rubbed his chin. He then swept his hands about. “Anyway, he clean. But can Static track you down?”
“He doesn’t know who I am,” Richard mumbled. He gave the man a curious look. “Why would he track me down? Anyway, no one knows I even left the house, so…it’s not like anyone’s looking for me right now.”
“How long will it take for him to realize ya’ll are missin’?”
“I don’t know! I told you, I’ve never met the guy! Well–I did once, but let me tell you, he was such a prick, I wouldn’t want to meet him again. My brother is always praising him, but–!” Richard trailed off, staring at the glaring trio of metahumans and going over their demands. Something tickled the back of his brain until it hit him. He clapped his hands over his mouth, eyes widening as he pierced thoughts together rapidly. He went still. “Oh my god…my brother. He was always coming home all dirty and–!”
He clapped his hands over his mouth once more as shock overcame him, now realizing why Osgoode came home so tired, covered in soot–always with excuses, always tinkering with something involving some strange technology. The trio stared at him in silence, bewildered at his words until Talon jerked.
“He’s got a twin!” she spoke out loud, eyes widening as she looked at Ebon. “I bet he’s got a twin, or lookalike brother. I’m believing him, man. He really don’t know what we’re all about!”
“Women’s intuition? Or you still got that, now ya’ll a bird?” Shiv asked her curiously, peering at her closely.
“’Course I do! I’m still a woman!”
Ebon loomed over Richard again, who was utterly horrified at speaking out loud, but still in shock over somewhat learning Osgoode’s secret. But if he were working with Static, then who was–?
He nearly strangled himself with another gasp, once more clasping his face. If one put a face mask over Virgil Hawkins–
Ebon growled, lowering his head to recapture his attention. “You got a brother? Is that it?”
Richard stiffened, eager to get back home and question Osgoode on what he was being confronted with. His mind raced over everything he’d ever witnessed of his brother, of Virgil and his constant disappearances. Going over the brief encounter he’d had with Static, Virgil’s own uncomfortable reactions to him was just as similar as what Static had done with him. It would explain so many things!
He focused on Ebon, feeling numb. He stared at the metahuman for a few moments, reminded of his situation as he studied the shadow-man. He thought of Osgoode’s safety, the precious secret burning a hole in his stomach. He gave a stiff smile.
“…No. No. I…I’m a little…” He trailed off, trying to think fast for any excuses and lies he could give to throw them off. He didn’t want to get Osgoode in trouble–the thought was terrifying. He said quickly, “I have multiple personalities. Who knows what personality plays a part in–”
He went silent, the trio’s faces shifting into confusion and annoyance the longer the silence stretched. Just as Ebon moved to question him again, Richard let out an ear-piercing shriek. He slapped Ebon hard across the face and took on very feminine characteristics that had him clutching his clothes in dismay.
“Like, don’t you touch me!” he shrieked in a feminine voice, changing it completely from his normal to speak in valley-manner. It was so convincing that Talon and Shiv performed double-takes. “Monster! Like, how dare you steal off with me! Are you trying to, like, take my virginity?! Is that it? Oh my GAWD, like, you have witnesses! Oh MY gawd! Wait a sec–are you going to record this? Will I be some sort of porn star, like, Paris?”
“…W-w-what?!” Ebon sputtered, obviously confused.
“Oh, please, please sir–! Please let me go! I’m planning on, like, saving it for marriage, you must understand, Jessica Simpson was so inspiring and like, so many of my peers are losing it so carelessly to all these man-sluts around them and I just like want to honor and love my future husband by saving my innocence for him on our wedding night, and like I have it all so planned with this pretty pink lingerie set that I found in–!”
“SHUT UP!” Ebon roared, making Richard whimper. “What is WRONG with you?! You a nutcase?”
Richard stared up at him in fright, unsure if his plan was working. Both Talon and Shiv were looking at him with obviously disturbed expressions, and it looked as if Ebon had lost some of his earlier confidence. He swallowed hard, struggling to maintain the ‘personality’, but his mind kept going back to the realization of whom Static really was. The fact that Osgoode was involved...
His eyes widened as he realized that they were trying to get to Osgoode. The thought of harm coming to his brother was unsettling–he couldn’t let these people get to him. Even if Osgoode were Static’s obvious love interest. He had to do something to throw them off. His mind whirled with panic as Ebon stepped forward. His knees finally gave out, and Richard sat on the floor in an awkward pile, clueless as to what to do next when he heard the very faint sounds of a dog barking above ground. He stiffened for a moment as Ebon inhaled to speak.
Ebon roared out once again as Richard began gnawing on his leg, snarling like a dog. Shiv quickly shifted behind Talon, who was staring at the scene with a startled stare. Ebon managed to kick Richard away, the trio once again retrieving expressions of shock as the teen began barking at them like a dog. Above his hoarse barking, Ebon looked at Talon and Shiv, who managed to rip their gazes away from the teen to look at him.
The trio stared at each other cluelessly.
“Um…boss? He’s off,” Shiv pointed out. “I mean…coming from me…that’s pretty fucked up.”
“Ebon, man, I think…I think we need to put him back,” Talon murmured. She had to stare while Richard gnawed at his own arm, giving whimpering noises as he started to lick his skin in a soothing manner. “I don’t–I don’t think we’re going to…get anywhere with him. I don’t think any normal person would act like this…it’s way too freaky.”
Ebon looked back at the teen, stiffening. Once Richard noticed him looking down at him, he set his arm down and rose on all fours, barking menacingly. He bared his teeth, Ebon jumping slightly.
“…Boss?...Um..what should we do? I mean…”
“Take him to the mental institution,” Talon said crossly, picking at her feathers. She shot Richard an annoyed gaze as he returned to licking at his arm. “Obviously his parents aren’t taking good care of him.”
“Hey, he’s house trained! Let’s keep him!” Shiv hollered in delight, bouncing over to Richard. He shrieked once the teen sank his teeth into his leg.
Ebon blinked, Talon watching him closely as Shiv shrieked in the background, trying to pull his leg back. At a loss for words, Ebon just gaped. Talon had to delight in the man’s obvious loss of thought. It reminded her that even if his physical form had changed, the man was still a man underneath.
Opening and closing his mouth a few times, Ebon then jumped when Richard resumed the ‘personality’ of a woman once more, shrieking at Shiv to stop looking at him because he was bloated. Ebon looked at Talon. “Maybe…maybe we grabbed the wrong one?”
“I…I dunno, Ebon. This is just…too weird. He didn’t act like this when we saw him. Maybe it’s all just an act?” Talon raised her voice to speak the last loudly, looking pointedly at Richard. The teen was sweating obviously, but he looked at her, resuming exaggerated feminine movements.
“Like, are you talking about me? Are you even, like, a woman? I mean, if you are, how could you wear that horrid color combination? Are you like, color-blind an’ stuff?”
Talon rolled her eyes, looking at Ebon for some sort of guidance. Ebon looked stumped, blinking at Richard while he carefully dusted himself off, exclaiming over what a mess he looked like. He looked at Talon with a shrug.
“Let’s keep him for awhile. See what Static does,” he finally said. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh…keep him quiet. And uh…feed him. Or something.”
Hearing those words, Richard gave a panicked look at the man. Talon shrugged and looked at him with heavy uncertainty. “No. No, I can’t stay here! I mean, I take medication, and I have to take it at a certain hour–! Please, please understand that I can’t–you can’t keep me here. I need that medication to keep this all under control! I’m not usually like this, just when I am under stress–!”
“Now, you the guy talkin’ to us earlier, because I’m getting confused here. And that’s not hard to do,” Shiv added with a chuckle, lifting his pants leg to examine the bitemarks on his leg.
“What sorta medication?” Talon asked Richard suspiciously, the teen wiping his increasingly sweaty hands on his jeans. Shiv handed him a lit cigarette, coughing theatrically as he then handed him the rest of the pack and the lighter. Talon swiped the lighter away as Richard drew on the cigarette, trying to think fast.
He told her with a grimace, looking at Ebon, hoping the man would just get rid of him. Hoping that they weren’t killers. Ebon regarded him suspiciously, but he kept his distance.
“I can get it,” Talon said with a slight shrug. “I know a place. But if he’s like this, it won’t be long that he’ll be missed. They’ll be lookin’ for him.”
“You disappear a lot?” Ebon asked him.
Richard shook his head. “No, I–”
“What about your brother? He gonna miss ya?” Shiv asked.
“Where do you live, boy?” Talon demanded at the same time.
“Like…what are you talking about? Oh, ew, what is this? Why are you, like, trying to make me smoke? Is this what you criminals, like, do now?”
Ebon sighed heavily. “Put him away. Get those meds. We’ll see what Static does now that we got his running buddy. What a nut job…”
01010011
It was nearing two a.m. when Maggie finished speaking with the two policemen, Sean clutching Osgoode’s left shoulder with immense worry. Osgoode stared at the floor, unable to think of a reason why Richard would disappear for so long; his brother hadn’t even let anybody know that he was leaving the house. He felt scared and anxious, completely at a loss as to where to look for him. He’d felt completely awful as the hours passed and Richard still didn’t show. He didn’t even have any idea where Richard hung out, or who he was friends with. He had been so focused on Static and Virgil, leaving Richard to his own devices…never asking…
Sean swallowed hard as Maggie escorted the two policemen out of the house. He looked at Osgoode, who looked at him helplessly. The pair stared at each other in silence, Maggie returning to the living room.
Her eyes were red and full of worry, shoulders slumped as she worried the end of her ponytail. She sat on the other side of Osgoode, hugging him tightly. “The boys that beat him up…you don’t even know their names? You don’t even–”
“I don’t know!” Osgoode repeated in dismay. He’d told his parents countless times that he had no idea who the boys were that bullied him. “I–I don’t even have any idea…What about the police…?”
“It’s too early to file a missing persons report. Not for another twenty-four hours,” Maggie said softly, shoulders slumping further. ‘But they would keep an eye out.”
“He doesn’t do this. So why would he now?” Sean asked, voice rising slightly as he rubbed at his temples. “Oz. does he have any friends he might be with…? …Boyfriends? Girlfriends?”
“He doesn’t have any,” Osgoode said quietly, shaking his head. He knew Richard tended to pick up men, but he didn’t want to consider that option. He knew his twin was very careful in that aspect, and that situation didn’t feel right with this one. “If he does, he never told me..”
“What about Virgil? Do you think he’d–”
“They hate each other! Richard doesn’t even want to associate with him in any way,” Osgoode repeated for the countless time, grinding his palms against his eyes in frustration. “Maybe he lost track of time…I don’t know! He’s been angry at me for awhile, and…and I with him. I…I don’t know.”
The three of them sat in silence for a long while, at a complete loss as to what to do. Finally, Sean rose from the couch with a heavy exhale. “Let’s…let’s leave the door unlocked. Lights on. But go to our rooms. Let’s just…hope he’s being an irresponsible asshole and nothing more.”
“He wouldn’t do this,” Osgoode mumbled, but rose from the couch.
He headed upstairs, his head in a fog as he went over the day’s events. He couldn’t help but feel immensely guilty as he knew that he was the main reason for Richard’s sneaking out. He knew he had been pushing his brother more than usual due to the situation between them and Virgil, but he never imagined Richard disappearing like this. It was so unusual for Richard to take off for long periods of time, for not telling anybody. He’d always tell someone he was going somewhere…especially his father. Sean always had an idea where Richard was, the teen being closer to him as Osgoode was with his mother.
Osgoode slipped into his room, at a complete loss as to what he should do. While he had tried to reach Virgil, hoping to use Static’s influence in the unsettling situation, Virgil was either ignoring his calls or unavailable. In his frustration and anger, Osgoode felt that Virgil was purposefully ignoring him due to the situation that had happened that week.
He flopped onto his bed, exhaling heavily as he furrowed his brow. The places that Richard commonly frequented had employees negating any sighting of Richard that day–claiming that due to it being Saturday, there had been too much traffic in their stores for them to notice one teenager. It would take a missing persons report for them to complete a full check on security records.
Osgoode stared at his closet in silence, listening to his parents speak quietly as they walked to their room. He lifted his pillow to retrieve the shock box that he’d invented that had direct communication to Virgil/Static. He listened to the static playing through the speaker, unsure of where Static would be this night when he needed him the most. He felt hurt and lost , realizing once more how horrible it was to be alone. If he didn’t have Richard, he had Virgil–if he didn’t have Virgil, he had Richard. And now, at this point, he didn’t have either. The feeling of loneliness was incredible, and caused pain throughout his entire body.
He curled up tightly, fighting off the waves of terror and guilt, squeezing his eyes shut. He wish he knew where Richard was–he wish he knew where Virgil was. The horrible thought that they were together in some private moment threatened to tear him apart–the thought was much too agonizing to continue, and he forced himself to switch focus.
The house felt secure again–They were gone. Where They had gone, Osgoode hadn’t any idea. He didn’t even know why They showed when they did. He swallowed tightly, wondering why They had gotten so angry during the twins’ fight the other night. They had never attacked either of the twins in such a way. It had been frightening. The level of violence that had been promised onto Osgoode had been similar to an encounter with dangerous bullies. It was odd how They were pulling favors for Richard.
He furrowed his brow, unable to come up with a time in which They had behaved so threateningly. What had provoked them into such aggression?
Feeling overwhelmed, Osgoode clutched the shock box tightly, softly calling for Virgil. Upon hearing the silence on the other end, he sighed heavily and stuffed it back under his pillow, to try for sleep.