The Boy Without A Name

Chapter Five

Emmett was wearily vigilant. Despite making himself slightly comfortable on the bench that was supposedly cloaked from the outside world, he couldn't help but feel depleted. He couldn't sleep since his mind had this deranged notion of being mugged or worse, slaughtered if he'd shut his eyes for even a second and he was too exhausted to convince it otherwise. It was preposterous, irrationally ridiculous to the point that Emmett wished to literally knock himself out with the help of a rock or something but that sounded insane and Emmett was too paranoid to think of any other option.

Sighing exasperatedly at his current predicament, he fished out his phone from his jeans' pocket and squinted at the screen only to realise that it was way too early to be awake. Emmett checked his notifications but he couldn't comprehensively concentrate since his eyes were way too heavy to focus on anything and it was then that he had instinctively decided to take a short nap since it was already morning and he had nothing to be afraid of, as his mind reasoned with his conscious. With a drowsy yawn, he shifted a bit on the bench, before quickly falling asleep.

But the silence could only last for an hour or so as he was startled awake by the simple ringtone of his phone. With heavily hooded eyes, Emmett tried to receive the call but he could almost feel his hand slowly losing its grip on the compact device, and it was almost a surprise when he heard a muffled voice from the other side.

"Hello?" Emmett groggily answered.

"Boo Bear!"

"Tommy?" Emmett blinked in confusion, he wasn't sure if he was hallucinating everything.

"Boo Bear, I missed you. Why didn't you tell me that you were going camping with your mates? I thought we'd be hangin' out like old times, playin' video games and such." He rambled off.

"I...I kind of forgot, Tommy. I am sorry, I had missed you too." Emmett was quite aware of the situation, his parents had lied to save their skin and he was particularly disinterested in letting himself feel something.

"Lil' bro, I just want you to have fun, eh? Hang out with your schoolmates, drink alcohol, party like a lunatic, and all that stuff, ya know? But don't you forget me, boo bear, I love only you and not talkin' to you, sucks." Tommy confessed sadly.

"I can never forget you, Tommy, you mean the world to me, uh..how's everything? Are you going to uni?" He asked almost hesitatingly.

"Oh, yeah! I am and I solemnly swear to you that I have been on my best behaviour, although I might fancy someone, I don't know, she is way out of my league."Tommy scratched his head, sighing softly.

"That is..surprising, Tommy. You have always been such a womaniser, but hey, don't give up on her, maybe she could be the one, you never know!" Emmett analysed.

"I am not that fortunate, and I don't do relationships, boo bear, you know that. But, anyway, how's Gwen? You never hang out with her, brother, it's weird." He commented.

"She's Gwen, of course, she's doing well and honestly, we do hang out, it's just that she has other engagements which require her immediate attention and as her best friend, I am supporting her like I always do."

"Best friend? I can see how truly besotted she is with you, brother, how can you not see it? Or do you need Dad's archaic magnifying glass because honestly, it is too obvious, Emmett that she is in love with you." He chastised.

"That..that is quite an assumption, Tommy. She is my best friend and to think of her like that...it's highly improper, not to mention, inappropriate." Emmett sighed as he fumbled with the buttons of his denim blue jacket. He couldn't just tell him the truth about himself, at least for now since he had a lot to figure out.

"Pfft! Sure, whatever floats your whimsical, whiny little boat. I just wanted you to come to your senses, but obviously, you are a dunderhead." He told him off angrily.

"Tommy, come on..." Emmett tried to intervene.

"I have had it, Emmett. Your tantrums are getting way out of line and I am sure that Mum and Dad would agree too. Is it so hard to accept such a sweet girl like Gwen? You don't know how easy you have it, brother. If you take a look into my life, you'd only find..well, never mind, it was good to talk to you, I'll see you whenever! Enjoy your trip." He rushed out before hanging up. 

Shattering semblance of his pre-restored solitude, he pleaded for someone to take away his pain, his heart's bane. Maybe he deserved it, he thought, the feeling of flagellation fuelling his mind's sleep-deprived state to assume the worst and Emmett was debilitated to think otherwise. Moreover, he was ravenous, voraciously famished due to the lack of food in his system. He could feel his insides begging for something, craving to at least be served a morsel, if not a measly apple. But that was too far-fetched a desire to be easily fulfilled. After all, Emmett was not living in the land of myth and magic, was he? He was only human, and that was his only superpower, as he moralised and sighed to himself.

Life was weird, and the aforementioned boy couldn't help but think about his favourite Marvel and DC superheroes. He could hear the distant chirping of birds, the flapping of winged little life as it took its first flight, or the croaking voice of a frog, looking for his mate in their house made of grass with a starry-skied roof, something that he thought was in itself, self satisfactory, since everything was but an illusion crafted with a mortal provision, everything simply seemed to be in the moment, an ephemeral notion short-lived until it would fade away and return to dust. For Shakespeare once did say-

"We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep." Emmett reminisced with a tired chuckle, the quote reminding him of the play,'Tempest' as he drifted off peacefully to a place in whose embrace, he felt securely wholesome.

After twelve hours of blissfully drooling in his fantastical world conjured up from the profound depths of his aspirations, Emmett, finally, became aware of the reality as he stretched and groaned at his sore muscles. The bench was severely uncomfortable and he had a hard time in adjusting but once he fell asleep, he couldn't bloody care about the stiffness that rather served as a nuisance than anything else. He checked the time and widened his eyes, it was 8 o'clock in the evening, in the evening?!

Never had he ever slept till the evening, he deduced as he looked for his water bottle and realised that it was almost empty when he dangerously needed to drink water for his parched throat couldn't let him live in harmony. He left the shed with a determined stance, as he searched for a tap or even a lake, that could relieve him of this insatiable thirst and even hunger, as he despondently, looked for water like a mad man. Perhaps, he was a lunatic, he thought, he surely, looked like one and since he couldn't bring himself to do anything about his present state, given the lack of choices he had, he was presumably doomed and maybe, he had made his peace with this fact.

Just as he began his lonesome, absent-minded walk towards an aimless direction, he heard something again, and only this time, it was closer than he had predominantly thought, making him cease his otherwise, lousy moments so to strain his inclusive hearing.

What could it be? 

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Author's Note-Greetings to everyone! I hope that everyone's doing well and here's chapter five for y'all. It is a bit of  a filler chapter I am quite aware of that but things are certainly going to change from here; I can vouch for that. Anyway, don't forget to vote and comment, I'd love to read your views. That  is all for today, I will see you in the next chapter till then, take care and stay safe!