Owen was sitting on the bench nearby his favorite café, as it filled the air with the smell of coffee roast, alongside with the aroma of flowers. He was patiently waiting for the place to open. Owen looked around him , it wasn’t that early in the morning, it was somewhere around 10 o’clock, where the clouds were drifting across the bright blue sky, and the birds already beginning to sing their morning song starting with their chorus of chirps.
Owen down onto his drawing, he was sketching himself as a monster, with horns and black crooked wings, he was embracing a teenage girl, who was depicted to be Rose, a girl he secretly admired in school. She was a girl in school who’s open and brave, she loves to stand up for everybody, and mainly, she’s the only girl in the school who’s hair is naturally red.
He then heard someone cheerfully skipping along the side walk, it was Rose. He panicked and quickly flipped through the pages in his book until he reached his unfinished talking ice cream comic.
“Oh, hi Owen!” Owen looked up and found Rose waving at him with a smile. He blushed slightly, not knowing what to do, he waved his hand clumsily.
“Oh, uh-m.. He-Hi!”
Rose neared him and looked down into his comic, “What are you making, this time, Picasso?”
Owen was well known in his school as an artist, he draws anything that comes in his mind into his notebook, “Well, uh, nothing much. Just making ideas for my talking ice cream Web comic again,”
She sat beside Owen, which made him feel awkward big time. She extended her hand toward the notebook, but Owen jerked back, “Can I see what you drew in that book of yours?”
Owen first tried to refuse, but after looking at Roses innocent smile, he thought maybe this could be the first step to befriend with Rose. He forced a confident smile, “Sure!”.
Rose started slowly seeing every page one by one, she gave a little ‘wow’ to every piece of his creativity, and they sounded longer the more she flipped through. Owen hearing that ‘wow’ was filling him with satisfaction, hope, and determination. He already started having thoughts of him and Rose going out together, him and her, walking together in the park, watching movies together, maybe even bowling. Rose gave a gentle poke to him, ”Owen, what’s this?”
“Which o-“ she reached the page where he was drawing his dream relationship with rose, he made yelp and snatched the notebook from her. “This, uh…” his ,mind was racing to make up an idea fast, he couldn’t just tell her it was from a show or book after that suspicious act he did. “Well, I just thought…” Rose was starting to guess what that sketch was about through his hazel eyes. Then bingo, “It’s something I wanted to do for my Web comic, where the ice cream turns into human, and he starts being friends with monsters,”
Rose looked confused, but then looked like she understood, “Oh! It was a secret for your Web comic series that you didn’t want anyone to know,” Owen nodded. “Ah I get, don’t worry,” she winked at him, “I saw nothing,”.
Owen was relieved, he heard the sound of shutters opening, the café was opening, he had another idea in his head, “Say, Rose, “ do you want to sit at the café together?”
“Oh, I’m sorry actually need to go somewhere,” she replied. Rose leapt up and stretched, “It was nice seeing you Owen Esper,” she waved a small good bye and started jogging.
Owen carefully watched her going away, after he couldn’t see her figure anymore, he lunged up into the air, throwing his hands into the air, “YES! I didn’t get a Nervous Breakdown!”. He heard someone clapping, he turned, the shop keeper was watching him the entire time, and he was applauding for his achievement. Owen blushed, and the man heartfully laughed.
Owen was walking back to his home, he started to daydream about him and Rose together, as it was, his first time he had a proper conversation with Rose. He had this feeling of not only happiness, he had euphoria spreading inside, feeling like all the negativity inside him flowing out like a waterfall. He couldn’t stop smiling, that it hurt his cheeks slowly. He clenched dear fully onto his notebook, swinging his body around, feeling like he’s now part of a musical, going with the beat if joy.
His dancing was interrupted by a child scream. He suddenly stopped and turned to his right. There were a group of teenagers picking on 2 little kids, a boy and a girl. Owen, stood there, watching the gang pushing them to the sand and picking up there toys and naming them. Owen first wanted to run, his heart couldn’t bear it, not having the power to do anything. But something came on his mind, the drawing , him as a monster, embracing Rose. Of course, this is what he wanted to be, the monsters of his own and protect anything he loves while striking fear at his foes, but he didn’t know how.
He sucked it up, and starting matching towards the evil doers. He yelled, “Hey!”
He caught the boys attention. They turned their heads simultaneously, the leader of the gang, who wore heavy clothes and bore an ugly scar on his face, walked to him “What do you want?”
Owen’s shyness started to kick up, but he held himself, “What do you think your doing to the kids?”
“Having fun, of course,”
Owen raised his eyebrows in shock, “Fun!? How does harming kids makes that fun?”
“What are you now, my dad?” the thug spat at him.
“Hey! Quit it! Or else!” he exclaimed.
“Or else what?” said the boy, raising a wicked smile.
“I’ll…” Owen tried to make up something, but he did the unexpected, “I’ll beat you,”
The thug widened his eye, “beat me!?” he started laughing, so did his friends. The kids were starting to flee, but one of the thugs grabbed them by their heads, and they whimpered. Owen, filled with anger, he used all of his might and plunged his fist into the, thugs face. Everyone, stood silent. “Oh… ow..” said the thug, in a painful tone, but then he looked back up, looking uninjured, “that doesn’t hurt’” he punched Owen in throat, which collapsed him to the ground, the gang then neared him and started kicking him. Owen tried all of his might to stand up, but he couldn’t, he couldn’t feel his muscles. He only felt tennis shoes jabbing into his ribs, hammering stomps on his limbs, and his sheer pain coming from his fingers as the gang mercilessly pressed on them, over and over again on the dirt.
1 plunged his foot onto Owen’s eye. He screeched with the pain searing through his skull. Suddenly, one of the thugs grabbed his notebook, he started looking at the pages, and he Owen heard mocks and laughs, he couldn’t see what was happening from the pain in his eye. He tried to emphasize what was happening he sound, then he heard a shred. After regaining his sight, his note book was torn in clean half.
Owen’s heart was constricted with pain. His notebook, his drawings, cut in half. A feeling of hollowness was in heart, he lost something valuable for him.
All he heard now was the footsteps of the gang walking away, laughing menacingly. The footsteps grew quieter, but not the laughs, until it immediately vanished. Owen used all of his energy to sit upright, he scanned his environment. The kids looked like ran away. He felt something dropping out from his mouth, pouring down to his chin, it was blood. He tried to stand up, it was painful, like needles is pierced through his flesh at every angle; however, he managed.
“Owen?” said a familiar voice behind him. He turned, it was Rose, with a horror struck face. Owen gasped and started to run away. “Owen, wait!” she yelled, following his tail. Owen didn’t want her to follow him. He pushed a trash can over, looking behind, he made Rose trip. His heart was screeching with regret, but he tried his best to ignore and continue running.
Owen entered his bedroom. He clumsily stood and caught his eye on drawings of Rose on his black wall. He bit his lip and threw himself onto his bed, slowly sinking into the mattress.
“Why…” he started to question himself, slowly his chest tightening, “why am I so weak…” he looked at the fist he used to punch the thug, it was bruised red, and despite the effort, he didn’t even harm him. “why is my life full of regrets”, the image of him making Rose trip onto the gravel reappeared on his mind. “Why can’t I just be strong…” he looked up, a poster from his favorite anime, called ‘Shieldmen’, he gazed at the main character, who was unleashing his ‘soul power’. “Why can’t I have something like that, soul power…”
The artwork of the poster reminded him something, his notebook, he forgot it at the park. “OH COME ON!” He bellowed, he banged his head repeatedly at the pillow.
His phone started ringing. Owen promptly slid his hands in his pocket and dug out his vibrating phone, he looked at the caller, it was an unknown number, he was about to press decline, but thought for a moment, maybe it will be another regret.
“Who knows Owen,” he said to himself, “maybe it’s a message from God saying that he’ll give me the power to control the time space continuum…” he pressed accept, “Yes, can I help you?”
“Remember me, kid?” it was the thug. Owen froze, how did he find out his phone number. “You see, I’m not done with you buddy,” he continued, “I was surprised you had the guts to punch me, so I thought, maybe you can show more for what your worth. Plus we have a deal you can’t miss,”
So many thoughts were happening in Owens head, what was happening, what deal?
“OWEN!” it was, Rose’s voice, “Just call the police! Don’t wor-“ the caller muted.
“Rose… Rose? What’s happening?” Owen was having a panic, what were the thugs doing with her? Every hair on his body was erect.
“listen kid,” said the thug, “if you want to see your friend, come over to the park we met before, and win her, or else, she’s ours to play with. You have 1 hour, and call the police, good luck finding your friend again,”
The call ended.
“ROSE!?” Owen jumped out of bed and started circling around his room, “Oh man, oh man, oh man, what do I do?” sweat started to trickle from his head to his lower back uncontrollably. He grabbed his hair and bent down to control his panic, “Breathe, Owen, just breathe,” he had trouble exhaling, he can’t handle this. The gang that were abusing the kids now have Rose held captive.
He reached for his phone to call the police, but the words echoed in his mind: call the police, good luck finding your friend again.
“God, why me…” Owen complained, “I’m nothing but an ordinary student who just loves to draw and watch anime, why do people enjoy putting pressure on me,” Owen crawled up and silently sat there on his wooden padded floor. Then something sparked inside him. “Wait, what am I doing… I’m simply just gonna regret myself even more,”
Owen stood up and looked at his bruised hands, “I may not have the strength, but…” he walked towards his window. He opened it, and he felt the soft night air brush his skin. “that doesn’t mean people win because they have the power. It’s something else,” he pondered for a moment, then he realized, “Rose is a girl who tried her best to get to know everyone and make them smile. Rose has made me smiled a lot of times, and what did I ever do for her, maybe nothing, but…
Owen Esper, this is your life. Stop believing that I need power to win, I need to think of something that I have that they don’t…” Owens blood started pumping with energy, “it’s perseverance, and determination, that’s what I have, and if I have these, then that’s all I need to help Rose.”
He turned towards his closet, “It’s time I become the monster of my monsters…”
Rose was standing there, bound by the thugs’ arms. The park was breezy, and there was only white light that came from the lampposts and moonlight. The only sounds were breathing and the ticks of the ring leader ‘s watch, who was waiting for Owen’s arrival. “Please Owen, don’t come, I don’t want to see you hurt,” Rose begged under her breath.
The thug sighed and spinner, “Well looks like your friend isn’t coming,” he said, “you know what that means?” a shiver rolled down all over Rose’s body, chilling her spines. He let out a sinister laugh. “OK boys, let’s start, “
The thugs friends started chuckling and looking evilly at Rose. She realized she was crying, a small salty tear streamed down her soft cheek, “It’s okay Owen, I didn’t want to see you get hurt,”
As the ring leader placed his hand on Rose’s shoulder, they heard the gravel move. “Huh?” they all turned to the direction of the sound. It was Owen, but he wore a dark denim jacket, his hands was in his pocket, and a hood on. He looked different.
“Aha! Here’s our lovely kid here,” he was now approaching to Owen.
“DON’T HURT HIM!” Shouted Rose, the thug ignored.
“Alright Sir Owen,” began the thug. He neared Owen, his face was hidden in the hood’s shade. He put his face right in front of Owen, with his chin up. “Go one kid, hit me with your best shot,” he chuckled.
Owen pulled out his fists out of his pocket. He lunged straight for the chin, the gang were already laughing, thinking they already won.
Rose closed her eyes, she couldn’t bare to watch this. There was BAM sound, the thug shouted, something fell on the stone floor. Rose opened her eyes, Owen beat the thug to the ground. His friends loosened their grip on her.
“How did, how did you?” one questioned.
Owen creepily smiled.
“Stop messing with us kid!” the friend charged straight at him, he swung his arm towards Owen. The attack was predictable, thus, Owen simply stepped aside, dodging his attack. Owen threw his 2 fists at the thug, he let out an ‘Oof’ and spat at the air as he plummeted to the ground with his leader.
Owen started walking towards Rose, who was still help by the 3rd thug. “What are you!?” he exclaimed.
Owen lifted the hood off of his head, he exposed his face to the audience. His irises were glowing red. He laughed, but it was different, it was deep and scary, “I’m the monster that’s gonna make you join the gravel club alongside your friends,”
The thug was lost in confusion and fear, he blurted, “OK OK! Here’s you friend!” he let go of Rose and ran to aid his friends. He tried picking them up, but stupidly failed, as he tripped.
“Just drag them!” he roared. The thug nervously nodded and started to drag his friends across the pebbles.
Rose was slowly backing away, “Owen…” she was scared from him. Owen quickly turned his head, Rose let out an ‘eep!’
Owen laughed, but his voice was back to his normal shy voice. “hehe, sorry,” he giggled.
Rose was dumbstruck, “Owen, how… how did you beat them?” Owen smiled and raised his fists. They were bleeding, but it was clenched to something. He opened his hands, there was a steel ball on each hand. “Owen, you…?”
“Yeah, I had these 2 balls which I held on, so everything I threw a punch, there would be more force and momentum, thus, knocking them out. And if your wondering where I got them, they were suppose to be king Jumbo sized marbles which I got when I was a kid, but I didn’t use them because they were too heavy,” Owen placed them back into his pockets, “Crazy I know, “
“But your knuckles are bleeding!”
“it’s fine,”
Rose stood their looking at the blood patched fists, she then questioned, “Your eyes, then, why is it red?”
“Oh these,” he raised his finger and poked his eye, then gently, removing what seemed to be contact lenses, “just contacts, to make them realize who they are dealing with,”
Rose suddenly embraced Owen, “You, you came back for me,” she said quietly, “why?”
Owen started to blush, “Well you see, I…”
“Is this the reason?” Rose held out the drawing of the monster embracing Rose. “You care for me?”
Owen was speechless, “you… found my drawing?”
Rose nodded, she pulled out piles of papers, which was his notebook gallery. “I saw you running away but when I was checking the scene you were fallen down in, I found your notebook torn, I found a band walking together, so I guessed they were the reason. I tired speaking to them, but they took the. It the rough way, and forced me to give them your number,”
Owen was open, he had nothing to hide, but his heart had this strange tickling he can’t quite get over with. Finally, he confessed, “Rose, ever since I saw you, I liked the way you are. You are confident, always smiling, and helping others put smiles on their faces, and I like it how open you are, not afraid if showing the world who you really are. And in the first day of school, you were the first one who made me smile. Rose, I-“ But before he could finish, Rose already pushed herself closed to him, embracing him tighter.
“You don’t know, how glad I am, to hear that, right?” tears of joy slid down he eyes. “Owen, thank you so much…”
Owen’s heart was yet again, filled with euphoria, but alongside it, the feeling of love, how it spread through his body like a drug, making his cells numb by realization and truth, and the comfort, of embracing Rose.
“By the way,” Rose began, “How’d you do that deep voice? “
He blushed even more, “I played as the Big Bad Wolf in my kindergarten school play, and I enjoyed using that deep voice to scare the kids,”
They both laughed together under the brightening moonlight.
“So, you wanted to go with me to your café, right?” asked Rose.
“Oh, well unlucky timing, it now closed and it won’t open tomorrow morning, so…”
“Bowling?” She suggested.
Owen raised his eyes, “that’s an awesome choice,”
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