Chapter 2

Virtial headed down Linked Street, wallowing in his own misery. He was a failure, no other way to put it. And all he could do was mutter to himself how he would show all of them, every last Dulimer. He walked the the narrow grey cobblestoned street with it’s pristine square lawns and the houses all connected. This was his time to think to himself, nobody else to interfere with him, that would soon, not be the case.

“Heya I’m Jem!” Virtial nearly collapsed with the fright of the sudden voice.

Now in front of Virtial was a little boy whose hair was a somewhat bright somewhat dark shade of red, the hair apparently defied the laws of gravity. The boys features were not extraordinary, round eyes, average nose with freckles the splattered his cheeks.

“Aren't you gonna talk?” Jem asked. Virtial immediately composed himself and soon became angry.

“What the heck dude, what are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?”

“I was just trying to be friendly.” The boy looked on the edge of tears.

“Well go be friendly somewhere else, you, my friend are a creep!” Silence. And then before Virtial’s eyes the red headed boy whose name (if you remember) was Jem, exploded in tears on the side of the cobblestone.

“I-I-I was just t-t-trying to make friends. Mama told me I've been too weird and stayed home to much since we moved.” Jem said sobbing,”But you wouldn’t know what it’s like moving away from the only place you knew and coming to some Ulian city and trying to make f-friends.” And Jem proceeded to collapse on the ground, and sob.

“Hey there, stop please,” Virtial cooed, he felt like an absolute heel.”you’re okay I...I was just scared, I didn't know what to do. So I got angry.” Jem looked up quoting Virtial and said,

“Well then y-you my f-friend are a big fat JERK!” Jem screamed the last word, it was an earsplitting scream that Virtial was immediately very worried by, not because of the fact that the scream was loud, but that scream had a large amount of power to it.

“Look here,” Virtial started, “you need to calm down.” It immediately came to Virtial’s mind. A sleeping spell, not so that the boy would actually fall asleep, but so that  he would calm down.

Virtial put his hand on the boy and muttered “tranquilio” controlling his power to keep the boy from collapsing in the street. But this was soon shattered by the boy punching Virtial in the arm. He had the control, and then it was gone. The boy collapsed in a utterly deep sleep, onto the cobblestone. thanks to the punch, way more energy than average went out of Virtial and into the boy. Even when Virtial tried to wake Jem up, the spell, because of retaliation, was way too strong. Great, now Virtial had an unconscious boy on his hands. Oh joy of joys.

When Jem finally woke up he found himself in Virtial’s room. Virtial, not wanting to get in trouble over the “incident” had simply laid Jem on his bed and waited for Jem to wake up.

Virtial’s room was, in a word, quaint. there was very little to it, apart from the bed with a colorful quilt, a chalkboard on the wall and a plush chair in the corner of the room. Virtial didn’t need much, so he didn't have much.

“Where am I?” said a confused Jem. Virtial looked at him, a little worried to tell what happened. what if the kid happened to tell? What is he let out another one of those screams that were absolutely terrible? What if he told someone? Virtial could be accused of being a kidnapper or one of those people who abuse children.

“Wait...yeah I remember you, you’re that guy who went completely wacko on me!” Jem said, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. “But what happened? Why am i in your room?”

“Look it’s better if you don’t know” retorted Virtial.

“Then I’ll tell everyone I know about you, starting with my parents.” Dammit, he hit Virtial’s fears right on target . But would he really tell, Virtial wasn’t sure, but better to tell then to have a situation on your hands.

“Fine, you got me. I cast a sleeping spell on you. No, not to knock you out, but to calm you down.” Jem looked at Virtial, and then looked down at the quilt.

“That was the nicest thing anyone’s done for me.” Jem said.

“Done what, knocked you out?” Virtial said surprised.

“No, wanted to do something to help me.”

“Well to be fair kid, I sorta did it for myself.” Said Virtial, slightly flattered however.

“I know that, but you still did something that was aiming to help me. I’m sorry i got in the way and charlie horsed you in the arm, wasn't a good way to repay you was it?” Jem asked

“Well I’ll admit,”Started Virtial,”You didn't hold back."He paused then said, "Are you okay now? Not to like, make you mad or anything, but you seem calmer. If I had just gotten as mad as you did, I would be ready to punch another person once I woke up.”

“Well you see,” began Jem,”I tend to go on what my foster parents call my “rampages”. I get really mad and refuse to calm down. They don't resort to magic though, in fact I don't think I've ever seen them use any magic. They just, throw me in my room and let me rage in there. No hands on help. Nothing.”

“Wow…” said Virtial

“I know. So you doing what you did was awesome. Thanks”

“Hey don’t mention it I should apologize for screaming at you, you have no need to apologize for your rage, I caused it. Along with that, sorry for knocking you out.”

“Thanks. So whatcha doing?” Asked Jem with curiosity.

“Homework.” Was the response.

“Can I watch?”

“Sure.”

“How old are you?

“15. You?”

“9.”

And so began the very unusual relationship between Virtial and his red headed friend, Jem.