Common Ground

Jun 18, 2010 20:44

Title: Common Ground
Prompt: Mind-Control
Medium: Fic
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Implied abuse.
Summary: AU.  Adam can understand the new kid at school, Kris, better than anyone guesses.


It took a while, but eventually, Kris began to open up. Adam could always count on finding him waiting on the front steps of school, and started to wonder if maybe Kris was waiting on purpose. He didn’t seem to have any other friends, and was just about as weird as Adam was.

At first, what Kris shared wasn't much. He was an only child. Just moved from a small community. His mom hadn't given him a choice about leaving and he really missed it.

But the more Adam heard about where Kris came from, the more Adam started to wonder if Kris didn't come from one of those crazy cult places where they all think the end of the world is coming and stuff, Adam was only in eighth grade, but he knew that kind of stuff.

Kris was tiny at twelve, and he dressed like a peasant or a farmer. When Adam pressed him on it, Kris insisted that he liked it. "It's practical," he said, and when Adam came to school later on that week in a red shirt, Kris looked scandalized.

"What's wrong with you?" Adam muttered under his breath, because he wasn't all that far away from the bullying crowd that liked to make his life hell.

"Red's forbidden where I come from," Kris said seriously.

"Red, what?" Adam asked skeptically.

"The color."

"Who says?" Adam wondered, curious now.

"The person in charge." Kris couldn't very well say prophet. That kind of thing got you beat up out here.

And instead of ridicule, Kris watched as Adam nodded, understanding.

"See those guys?" Adam asked, gesturing to the group of bad-asses.

Kris nodded.

"They've got all kinds of rules that I have to follow."

“Like what?” Kris asked.

“Like, never use the bathrooms here. Never walk by them in the hall. Never look at them. Never bump into them. That kind of thing.”

“Why?” Kris wondered, confused.

“They just like to be in control.”

“And you let them?” Kris was incredulous. Adam was big. So much bigger than Kris, and in eighth grade. He didn’t have to listen to anyone if he didn’t want to.

Adam shrugged, embarrassed. “It’s not about letting. There’s five of them, and only one of me. It‘s just easier to listen to them, you know?” he asked.

"Yeah, I guess…but they're just kids..." Kris pointed out.

"Well, your person in charge? He's just a man."

Kris rested his chin in his hand, and thought about that.

Because Adam didn't sound judgmental, Kris found he could consider it. He had been out for a while now. And he was starting to wonder some things. Like, why some of the leaders did things that made him uncomfortable, or that hurt, and said it was okay, because God planned it.

Those were the times Kris had prayed God would come and stop the bad things, but He never had. Kris never questioned it, but he knew it was never right. Maybe their leader didn’t have any real power. Maybe he just wanted everybody to believe he did, so he could control them, like those kids did with Adam.

"Maybe, you're right," Kris nodded, and got up with Adam to ride their bikes home.

title: common ground, warning: abuse, author: ficdirectory, kradam, au, rating: pg-13, words: 500-999

Previous post Next post
Up