#bapbpn

On a summer cool afternoon, you and Caleb were playing in the river and discovered a strange metal object. Neither of them knew what it was so Caleb agreed to go find Zayne (since he is a child prodigy and probably would know). In the meantime, you searched for any sticks to help dig out the metallic object.

Caleb locates Zayne seated on his porch reading his book. He practically had to drag Zayne off of his property since asking wasn’t going to convince him. Zayne wasn’t the type to exert a lot of energy so he wasn’t running back to the location like Caleb was.

If only he did.

Before his arrival, a huge explosion went off. That day was the first time Zayne ran with urgency.

It was a devastating sight to see. The thick black smoke slowly rises up into the air and the earth’s surface is deeply disturbed. Off to the side Caleb is unconscious but clearly injured. As for you, you needed immediate medical attention.

. . .

When he was finally permitted, Zayne routinely visited the hospital. Each time he only brought two bouquets of flowers, but today he brought a jar full of origami stars and a portable console.

Making headway to the elevator, he went to the floor where Caleb was stationed. Caleb’s condition was recoverable, however it came at the cost of amputating his right arm. Unsurprisingly, this pushed him into a deep depression. Whenever Zayne visited, Caleb ignored his presence. Zayne knew his friend was trapped in his mind but refused to take that as a sign to give up on him. 

He heads towards his usual sitting area: the wide window with a cushioned bench embedded in front of it. Setting down the items he brought with him, Zayne took the console out of his pocket and booted up a game. 

The obnoxious “You are dead” sound cue repeatedly played throughout the hour of his stay. It has gotten to the point where Caleb groaned after hearing the sound again. Zayne, looking up from the console, stares at Caleb. “Is something wrong, Caleb? Do you need me to get a nurse?”

Caleb stayed still, refusing to respond back to him. However, there was a visible sign of annoyance on his face. 

Zayne glancing back down on his console resumed playing the game. After the next death screen, he sighed in defeat. “I don’t understand how you can play these types of games. They are unnecessarily complex despite being advertised to us.”

Zayne hopped off the bench and walked around to the right side of Caleb’s bed. Pulling himself up, he sits closely so his friend doesn’t have to strain himself to see the screen.

Caleb glances over and his eyebrows furrowed deeper. “You only have to jump the gap.”

Zayne knew that. 

“Really”, Zayne tilts his head. “Mind showing me how?”

What was a few minutes of instructing turned into an hour of collaborating to defeat the first boss. The dull look behind Caleb’s eyes was finally shining with determination and excitement.

That was the first time in 11 months Caleb has responded to Zayne. 

An array of bright orange, pink and purple hues slowly began to blanket the sky. Dusk was Zayne’s least favorite time of day because it was a signal he needed to head back home. 

Retrieving the bouquet of flowers and jar from the bench, Zayne headed towards the door.

“Hey, you left behind your *XYZ Deck!” Caleb called out after him. 

(*This is a make believe handheld console)

Zayne briefly turns around and gives a small smile. “You can have it, consider it a gift from me.”

Joy was bubbling within Zayne as he exited the hospital room. He loved playing video games with you two but he lessened the amount of time after you complained about him always knowing what to do. Since then he preferred to observe but it was still a bad habit of his to call out the mistakes you and Caleb make. 

Zayne enters the elevator and looks up to read the clock on the wall. He still had enough time to spare to make a short visit.

He presses the 11F button and stares down at the floor as the elevator quickly whisks by each floor.

Taking in a deep breath and letting it out, he exits the elevator after the ding. The smell of the hospital thickened on this floor and Zayne hated it. He once requested the staff to implement scented air fresheners to lighten up the atmosphere, but they politely declined his request, informing him that it was against their regulations

As his body auto-pilots to his destination, he stopped in front of a door and stood around for what felt like an eternity. He knew what he was going to see, yet each time he wished it was different.

He raises his hand to lightly knock on the wooden door. “I’m coming in.”

PART 2 COMING SOON