InsaneJournal

WHO: Adam Young
WHAT: Mourning the loss of his best friend.
WHEN: Late night; near midnight
WHERE: The rooftop of the Grand Library.
RATING: Kid-friendly
STATUS: Complete; narrative
NOTES: So… yeah. It's now storming pretty crazily, in the city. By morning though, things will be fine again and aside from general damage caused by big storms, nothing will be worse for the wear. It's just the Antichrist, blowing off some steam. ♥

Having lived in Colligo as long as he had, Adam was well accustomed to the curveballs the city was capable of throwing. He had been aged up overnight, seen people become alternate versions of themselves, met several versions of Lucifer, and seen the dead return to life. Yet through all of it, there was one thing that he had always considered a constant. One certainty that he had known, as certainly as he knew his own name, would never change.

His friends. The 'new Them' as he'd long since called them. Ben, Jude, and Molly. Out of all of them, he'd been friends with Ben the longest. He considered him his best friend, without question, and Adam had always just known he would be there for him no matter what the city decided to throw their way.

Apparently, he'd been wrong.

Ben was gone. He had sensed the void instantly; he had known without even having to check the boards. Ben was gone from the city, gone from his life, possibly never to be seen or heard from again. Yes, he was back home, but at what cost? Six years that would be forgotten the moment he returned to his own time? Six years of laughter and friendship gone, just like that?

It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. Adam did his best to follow the rules. He didn't mess around in the affairs of others, he didn't take sides if he could help it. He didn't rearrange reality to suit his whims even if it would be ridiculously easy to do so. And all he asked for in return was that his friends were left alone. Yet apparently that wasn't good enough and now…

Well, now it was taking everything Adam had not to rip the city of Colligo apart. It would be so easy, too. So terribly, wonderfully simple. He could tear this little playground to pieces without even breaking a sweat. And, honestly, if it weren't for those he cared for and respected having to suffer for his tantrum he'd likely do just that. But he did have to think about those he still had left, which meant he needed to keep himself under at least a modicum of control.

This was precisely why he had opted to go to the roof of the Grand Library rather than the flats. Already dark clouds were forming overhead; ominous thunder rumbled steadily in the background. The deluge that was coming was going to be massive and, as per usual, it was going to center around its creator. So out of respect for others, he had retreated from the safe confines of his flat to a much more public location. Somewhere that he could rage, with lightning falling all around, without fear of accidentally striking anyone or anything it shouldn't. And as he stood on the rooftop and turned his face upward toward the pouring rain, with the wind whistling loudly in his ears as the trees in the nearby park bent nearly sideways, Adam poured every ounce of anger, heartache, and frustration he felt into it all.

By morning, the sun will return to the skies and plants and animals alike will find comfort in the water the storms left behind. Life will return to normal and people will continue on as they do everyday. Adam will, of course, be with them. Moving through his life in a strange little city he's long since come to call home. He'll forget about the storm, forget about the pain and anger. But he swears, as he screams his rage out into the night sky and closes his eyes against the pelting rain that stings them, that he won't forget his best friend.

And he'll be damned if he'll let this place take anyone else away from him again.