Erosion of Shadows (closed for Jenn1982)

[HisPureLust]

(This story will contain a character struggling with mental illness and may be too disturbing or hit too close to home for some. Reader discretion is advised.)

"Its difficult to explain."

Cane shrugged as he looked around the classroom. It was emptying out and the pockets of empty seating had started to create a slight sense of apprehension as if he needed to go or he would be left behind.

"Well, can you try?" The adult sitting in the chair across from him asked. Her long slender legs crossed in a very professional way though unbeknownst to her, he could see a sliver of her panties from between her thighs and above the seat itself. She didn't exactly struggle to fit in the chair being as how it was designed to fit adolescents... near adults... but neither was she comfortable at the moment.

Cane assumed her discomfort had nothing to do with her current posture as he continued... growing tired of this and letting out a small sigh in resignation...

"What is the point? You won't understand. My therapist didn't so why would you?"

He didn't mean for the statement to come out quite so condescending but it had.

"I would just like to understand, that's all..." His teacher leaned forward, her large breasts shifting and making the pocket of her tits seem to fill out the opening of her low cut blouse more than it had before. Her hair fell away from her shoulder and spilled forward to swing out and towards the empty isle between them, wafting its sweet scent in his direction.

He ignored these things of course.

She then reached out and before she could place a hand on his knee he sprung up immediately, stepping out of the seat and hoisting his backpack along his back in one smooth practiced motion.

"You won't, no one will..." Cane started for the classroom door "...I'll go ahead and speak to Miss Kliene as scheduled... god forbid I miss another pointless session of therapy, but there isn't anything further for us to talk about. You asked for an assignment and I completed it. You didn't like the context but I fulfilled all the criteria you set for the task. Its that simple."

"You know that its not Cane," Mrs. Spooner responded "...but we can talk about it more tomorrow. I want you here a little earlier than everyone else. Ok?"

He nodded and fled the warmth of the classroom to the comforting chill of the hallway outside. Exhaling a sigh of relief now that he was done for that, at least for the time being. Walking down a bit to his locker he then began to enter the combination to gain access.

It was all so pointless, he thought... you couldn't treat the adults in this institution like adults and simply speak your mind or attempt to be an intellectual. If you posed questions that broke their fragile little psyche's they would brand you a lunatic, or depressive. In truth he knew his report would raise some concerns but he was merely dipping his toe in the proverbial water so to speak, to see how bad it would be. He considered it a fun experiment but garnered much more aggravation form the exercise than he had hoped for.

There would be no next time. He would simply keep this part of himself... to himself... as he had planned to long long ago.

As Cane opened his locker... he glanced several spaces down and saw another student. She was struggling to open her own locker and making quite a show of it. Inwardly he rolled his eyes but outwardly he stared at her. In that way that one does when you end up making someone very uncomfortable.

It was not intentional... it was simply Cane's way.

She was very attractive and he hadn't seen her before, which meant he had not cataloged her as he had done with every other female in school in his spare time as was his hobby.

He would need to gather some information, he decided. Couldn't have an incomplete record. What would the point of that be? The idea was as absurd as not completing his meal schedule for the week. What would he eat then? Exactly. No, he needed to at least begin an entry and then he could go on with his day.

He approached her.

"Your wasting your time...," He began in a dry monotone voice. It was deep and seemed to pierce through the mania of everyone rushing to leave school"...the more frantically you spin the higher the chance of you passing one of the numbers and thus having to start over again. The issue is not the combination but how sensitive the locks are. You need to go slow..."

Cane seized the lock from her suddenly, accidentally scratching her finger like a pissy cat reacting to something it doesn't like.

"What's the combination?" He demanded without looking at her and focusing on the lock.

She smelled nice and he felt it happening again. He struggled hard to focus.

But he knew this wouldn't end here.

 

[Jenn1982]

Mia stuffed the last few bites of toast into her mouth as she rushed out the door. A few minutes later she got to the bus stop just as the school bus pulled up. She boarded and found an empty seat as she caught her breath. The sounds of the other students were soon drowned out by a pulsating beat as music began playing through her earbuds. Unfortunately the trip didn’t take long and soon enough she was walking down one of the many halls trying to find the right classroom.

It was already four weeks into the school year but she and her father had just moved to the base a week ago. Her father’s military career had caused them to move more times than she could count and she was used to starting over in a new school mid-year. She was just grateful that this was her senior year and hopefully the last time she would have to start at a new school, at least until she went to college. She still wasn’t even sure what she wanted to do. She knew that deep down her Dad would like her to follow in his footsteps and join the military. He would never voice that though, instead he pushed for her to go to college like he knew her Mom would’ve wanted. Mia wasn’t necessarily opposed to either option but she adrift when it came to her future. She had grown up faster than a lot of kids because of her mother’s death when she was one. Her father loved her and was a great dad but his work left her to take care of herself more than normal. She realized that it was because of this that she was as independent as she was. She didn’t mind being on her own, she had learned to think before making choices, and she was self-assured. Still, she somehow felt like she wasn’t sure who she was and that left her unsure of what she wanted to do once she was an adult…well more like once she graduated high school since she had technically already become an adult in February when she’d turned 18. She wasn’t sure how other kids her age figured out what they were going to do after high school. Because they’d moved around so much she’d stopped trying to make friends years ago so she didn’t have any peers she could ask. During her junior year they’d moved twice so she hadn’t had time to make much of a plan for her future with the advisors at school. Her dad’s connections would make it easy for her to have a successful military career and her lack of social life had left her with a 4.0 GPA so getting into a college wasn’t a concern either. Hopefully she’d remain at this school the rest of her senior year and would be able to figure out what to do with the advisor’s help.

Mia spent the rest of the day navigating the building as she went from class to class. Luckily only a few of the teachers insisted she introduce herself. She spent her lunch studying in the library and other than a few glances she was left alone. In her last class she tried to focus but kept hearing the two girls behind her whispering and giggling. She couldn’t hear most of what they were saying but she’d been able to catch enough of the conversation to know they were talking about her. Apparently her dark clothes combined with her black hair and pale skin constituted her as emo as far as they were concerned. Normally she could ignore things like that but it seemed like they spent the majority of the class focusing on her and the attention made her squirm. The last bell rang and she headed towards her locker with relief. It had been years since she’d been embarrassed at being the new kid at school and she had forgotten how much she hated it. She cursed as she messed up her locker combination for the third time in a row. She felt a presence before she noticed the boy standing next to her.

"Your wasting your time...the more frantically you spin the higher the chance of you passing one of the numbers and thus having to start over again. The issue is not the combination but how sensitive the locks are. You need to go slow..."

Before she could say anything he reached over and grabbed the lock, scraping her finger in the process. She frowned at his pushiness but he didn’t seem to notice, mostly because he didn’t seem like he was really paying any attention to her.

"What's the combination?"

Normally she would have told him to fuck off…in a somewhat nicer way but she felt emotionally exhausted and just wanted to get home.

“It’s 18, 31, 8.”

 

[HisPureLust]

Cane entered the combination with a practiced speed, as if he had handled that very lock a number of times.

He opened it, handing the lock to her without turning and lifting the locker handle before popping it open with the same loud rattle that most of these kinds make... the vibrations echoing softly throughout the others till about half way down the row.

He looked at her finally, his cold steel eyes blank... seemingly void of humanity. He shook his head in annoyance, his semi spikey blonde hair keeping the majority of its shape.

"578" He uttered, albeit quietly, before hoisting his pack over his shoulder once more.

"Remember, go slow. You lose more time doing it over again, then you do doing it only once the RIGHT way."

He seemed annoyed but wasn't.

It was simply Cane's way.

"What's your name?" He asked as suddenly as he did flatly. His posture changing as he took another step towards her.

 

[Jenn1982]

The guy entered the combination she’d given him and a few seconds later she heard the familiar metallic clang as he opened it. His gaze remained on her locked even as he handed her the padlock so she spent a few moments studying him. She was just shy of 5’9” and he was still tall to her meaning he was probably 6’3” or 6’4”. He looked like the quintessential all-American jock complete with the blonde hair styled in the current trend, muscles that weren’t too small or too big, and an air of disregard for everyone else.

She heard him mutter some numbers and she was pulled from her own thoughts. She chided herself for starting to assume anything about him based on his looks and the tiny interaction they’d had so far. He did come over to help her after all.

"Remember, go slow. You lose more time doing it over again, then you do doing it only once the RIGHT way."

“Yeah, I was just in a rush to get home,” she said in a slightly irritated tone.

“Sorry…I didn’t mean to snap. Thank you for the help.”

"What's your name?”

He moved a step closer to her as he asked and she suddenly realized how close he’d already been to her.

“I’m Mia…you?”

The almost bored tone of voice he kept using made her feel like he wanted to leave yet here he was still talking to her. She wasn’t sure what to make of him but he had helped her and while she didn’t usually waste time socializing with people since she’d usually move in a matter of months she figured it wouldn’t hurt to attempt to make a friend.

 

[HisPureLust]

“Yeah, I was just in a rush to get home."

Cane rolled eyes.

"When we rush is when we make mistakes." He said quickly in response as he had many times before.

“Sorry…I didn’t mean to snap. Thank you for the help.”

He arced a brow.

"Did you snap?" He asked flatly "I hadn't noticed." He felt awkward suddenly... as if there was something he wasn't quite getting. Cane hated that, and had now had an overwhelming urge to flee this situation.

He didn't realize but he was closer to her than one would normally be if respecting personal space.

“I’m Mia…you?”

He liked her name... it was only 3 letters, but 2 syllables. It was cute but professional. Unique but not obscure.

"My name is Cane. C.. A.. N.. E. Not like the Cane in the bible or the Kane who used to wrestle."

It was a dumb comparison. Why had he made it?

He realized she was prettier than he had even first realized. She was more friendly than a e-girl but kinda looked like one. He liked this duality.

"Your very beautiful... and attractive. I want to tell you that... since people are rarely brave enough to say such things. Bravery isn't a problem i have."

He turned around and started to walk away, heading towards the building's exit. He had enough information for a new entry... he opened a little notebook and wrote something down.

#578... Mia.

 

[Jenn1982]

Mia wasn’t sure what was up with the guy. He’d been helpful but he also seemed irritated that she’d had a problem in the first place.

"My name is Cane. C.. A.. N.. E. Not like the Cain in the bible or the Kane who used to wrestle."

She couldn’t help but smile at the comparisons and how needless they were since he’d already spelled his name for her. She decided maybe he was just not great at social situations, which was weird since she’d pegged him as a typical jock and they were usually part of the popular crowd. She was about to tell him it was nice to meet him when he spoke again.

"Your very beautiful... and attractive. I want to tell you that... since people are rarely brave enough to say such things. Bravery isn't a problem i have."

It was such an out of the blue statement that Mia was frozen. Not to mention the statement was not one that was usually made in the first five minutes of meeting someone…well unless it was some arrogant creep who was sure any girl would automatically fall to her knees to suck his cock if he deigned to compliment her looks. This guy definitely did not seem to fit that description so far. And he had said it in a matter of fact way not a flirty way.

Before she could even reply he had turned around and started walking away. She still was torn on if she should respond or what she would say if she did. Not only did she normally avoid socializing with her peers she was still baffled by this guy so she was left wholly unprepared on the best way to react. A few seconds later she told herself, fuck it, and ran after him. He’d stopped and she noticed him putting away a notebook as she caught up to him.

“I wanted to say it was nice to meet you, Cane, and thanks again for helping me with my padlock….and for the compliment, it was really nice.”

“I’m not sure if we have any classes together but if we do maybe we could sit by each other. Since I’m new I haven’t made any friends yet so maybe we could get to know each other.”

 

[HisPureLust]

As he stuffed his list of all students within his back pants pocket, Cane heard someone rushing up behind him. He turned apprehensively ready to defend himself, in time to see Mia, her long black hair flowing behind her as she hurried to greet him...

“I wanted to say it was nice to meet you, Cane, and thanks again for helping me with my padlock….and for the compliment, it was really nice.”
Cane began to grow nervous. It was the second time within ten minutes and he did not like it. What was it about this new girl that made him so uncomfortable? She was very pretty but Warner High had its fair share of those. Still she made him uneasy, It was mild but any change in how he normally felt was a big deal to him. It wasn't ok. Not at all.

Knowing enough to realize it would be unfair to blame this on her, he tried to curb his reaction. Cane had been known to be a bit much. He didn't agree with that assessment but it was what he had been told.... constantly and in many different ways by many different people.

"Your welcome. I was happy to help." He looked her over head to toe, her dark apparel, pale skin and pitch black hair. Her face was perfectly symmetrical, her lips were full and her eyes were bright. She wore a kindness on her face that conflicted with grim attire he had initially used to jump to a conclusion.

In truth he didn't have many... well, any friends and while he had grown to enjoy his solitude, even require it. The idea of at least knowing that there was someone who didn't think he was a freak, appealed to him. A lot. The concept was like a revelation.

“I’m not sure if we have any classes together but if we do maybe we could sit by each other. Since I’m new I haven’t made any friends yet so maybe we could get to know each other.”
Get to know each other? He panicked. Inches closer to the school's front exit as he spoke...

"We might, I assume you got your schedule today? Let me see it." He commanded more than asked. He wasn't trying to be pushy... it was simply...

Cane's way.

After receiving a copy of all the classes Mia was in this semester he waited for her to finish getting things out of her locker before telling her his findings.

The tall 18 year old's palms were sweaty, he was happy to see their schedules shared more than a few of the same classes and was eager to share this information with her.

 

[Jenn1982]

"Your welcome. I was happy to help.”

Cane’s tone of voice seemed less irritated than it had before and Mia smiled. He still didn’t seem like he wanted to be talking to her even though he took a few moments to look her up and down. She wasn’t used to someone, particularly a guy, look her over so obviously. When she mentioned getting to know each other better he looked concerned and she wondered if he was just shy maybe.

"We might, I assume you got your schedule today? Let me see it."

His curt, to the point response threw her off and she again wondered if he was trying to get her to realize he didn’t want to talk to her. Still she pulled her phone out and opened the school app pulling up her schedule before handing him her phone.

“While you check I’m going to go grab the rest of my stuff from my locker.”

It only took her a minute or two to go back to her locker and get her things. She walked back over to Cane and smiled.

“Well, do we have some classes together?”

 

[HisPureLust]

“Well, do we have some classes together?”

He found her inquisitive response "cute" and it made him all the more happier to tell her what he had learned...

"We do in fact. We have 3 classes together. English Literature. Biology and apparently we share a Physical Education class as well."

Cane handed her phone back to her his fingers brushing against hers briefly. It was at this moment he was reminded of how nice she smelled, sweet but not in a candy or even floral sort of way. It began happening to him again and he tried to slow himself down.

"It appears we will get to know one another regardless if that's something we wish for or not."

That didn't quite come out how he had planned. He grimaced and shook his head looking towards his feet and feeling foolish. He was tired of this interaction and simply wanted to convey that he was glad they had classes together.

He scanned her face for signs that he hadn't gone as far off the mark as it seemed he had.

 

[Jenn1982]

"We do in fact. We have 3 classes together. English Literature. Biology and apparently we share a Physical Education class as well."

He handed her phone back to her and his fingers brushed hers. She would have barely noticed the brief touch but Cane seemed to almost freeze and so the insignificant moment turned into something more.

"It appears we will get to know one another regardless if that's something we wish for or not."

It was Mia’s turn to be caught off guard and she stood there speechless for a few seconds. At first she started to think that Cane was trying to make it clear he really didn’t want to hang out but then she noticed how embarrassed he seemed. The mixed signals made it hard for her to know how to respond so she kept her response evenhanded.

“I’m glad we have some classes together. It’ll be nice to have a familiar face in a few classes at least, even if we don’t really know each other,” she said with a smile.

“I guess I should probably start heading home. Thanks again for the help with my locker. Maybe we can hang out sometime.”

 

[HisPureLust]

“I guess I should probably start heading home. Thanks again for the help with my locker. Maybe we can hang out sometime.”

In absolute horror, Cane heard himself blurt out as she turned to leave...

"I should walk you home."

The suggestion hung in the air like a threat, loud and insistent. He turned his head downward and away from her, his eyes however never leaving hers.

"Its not safe, I mean. Have you heard about the attacks?"

It was true... he should know. She fell in the very same demographic of young women that had disappeared lately. Whoever was responsible had a proclivity for young women who attended this school. The very topic was the focus of his most recent paper, the same one that had inspired another more recent mandate for him to return to therapy....

As he stood there lost in thought he realized she had not yet said anything.

Cane knew he had an issue with understanding people. Truly understanding them. He often said things that were outside of modern convention and that made other's "uncomfortable". He didn't see the need for such "boundaries". He felt they stood in the way of true communication. But his understanding or lack thereof WAS the problem, after all... so he couldn't rely on his personal assessment of the situation and unfortunately needed to consider the guidance of others.

"I mean... unless you want to be alone or something."

 

[Jenn1982]

Mia didn’t get a chance to start walking away before Cane spoke up.

"I should walk you home."

She was surprised at the suggestion considering how eager it had seemed like he was to get away from her just a few moments ago. Of course he again seemed embarrassed almost as soon as the words left his mouth. Mia was reconsidering her earlier assessment of him being the typical popular jock. In particular her assumption that he had a stuck-up disregard for everyone else. She was pretty sure it was more like he was socially awkward. She could commiserate with that, at least to a degree. She wasn’t socially awkward in the way that she didn’t know how to act around others. It was more that she was always the “new kid” and so it seemed like she was always the odd one out. She had given up on trying to make friends a few years because it wasn’t worth the trouble or the sadness when they inevitably moved to a new place.

"Its not safe, I mean. Have you heard about the attacks?"

She had not in fact heard about any attacks but she’d only been in town for a week. Still, she would’ve thought it would have been something her dad or someone would’ve told her about. Then again maybe they had just happened or something. It was barely past 3pm though and the sun wouldn’t be setting for a few hours at least so it wasn’t as if she would be walking home in the dark. Were there really people being attacked in broad daylight on the street?

"I mean... unless you want to be alone or something."

She was starting to really think she was spot on with her speculation that he was actually just shy and socially awkward.

“No, I’d love the company. I live on the base, if that’s too far or out of your way though it’s okay,” she said with a warm smile, hoping he’d start to feel more comfortable.

“If you don’t mind walking me home maybe you can tell me about these attacks. We just got here a week ago so I don’t know anything about any attacks.”