Not About Angels (A Tom Riddle Story)

Chapter 8

"I hate you." She told him. 

He laughed. 

" I love you." She whispered. 

He laughed again. 

" I love you too." He told her, lies coming out of his lips. 

But she believed him. She believed every word. 

....................... 

Days passed. Months passed. The flowers were starting to bloom, as spring arrived, carpeting all of London with soft breezes and lush green. The rains came day after day, quenching the earth. 

Abigail clung on to him, always chasing him down. Tom Riddle was annoyed at first, that this shabby-looking little girl was always there, but slowly, he became accustomed  to her company.  

He became her world. He was a friendly face among statues, a warmth among glaciers. He made her laugh, when no one else would talk to her.  

He was her ray of sunshine in the darkness, lighting up her dull days.  

She felt a unparalleled devotion towards him, for some unexplained reason, she wanted to follow him. One day, it will ruin her. 

Whenever they called him names, she would jump in front and call them off. He would stand in the back, watching her. It wasn't because he was scared. He was not scared of them. They were just counterparts of this mundane world. They were just pieces of sand in this desert sandstorm. They are going to grow up to be beggars, servants, and street urchins. But he, Tom Riddle, was destined for a greater purpose. He was going to go places, places far away they'll never even dream of, let alone going. He wouldn't bother dirtying his hands with their pathetic tears. 

When he grew up, he would be big. Bigger than any of them, scarier than any of them. He was going to beat them down, one by one. He'll show them. He would be like the men that walked on pedestals, the men that wore invisible crowns and sat in gold thrones. They were kings, monsters, gods. They created themselves, from soot to gold, from dust to diamonds. They fashioned their own crowns, and paved their own roads. 

Gods were not born, but made. A man is only an instrument of his own shaping, after all.  

He wanted to hold the world at his fingers. 

And one day, he will, more than he could ever imagine.  

"Don't be stupid." He would always tell, her, when she stood up for him. 

"But they're hurting you." She said earnestly, her wide eyes string into his dark ones. 

"Oh, Riddle, aren't you just gonna let your little girlfriend take it all for you? Heh? Stand up and fight, you coward." Billy Stubbs spat. 

His spit landed at Tom's feet, "splat" on his worn shoes. 

" Billy Stubbs!" Abigail yelled. 

" Oh, standing up for the freak, aren't ya! Oh look, everyone! Tom Riddle's too scared to do nothin' so he lets his little wunny rabbit bite me!" Billy laughed, while others joined in mercilessly.  

" Shut up!" Abigail told him, standing her her full height, still two heads shorter. 

"Oh! I'm scared!" Billy said, pretending to back away. 

" Get up, Tom Riddle, you filthy bastard! Get up and fight me, ya freak!" Billy yelled, excited by the crowd gathered around, eager to show off to his friends.  

Abigail punched him in the stomach. The large boy didn't even move. However, it sparked his anger. 

He picked her up, by the collar, the rough fabric digging into the soft skin of her neck, leaving red marks.