"The talk of family" [FINISHED]

[Goliath Coldan]

This was humiliating, Goliath had been told by Yen Sid that he must go see EJ Mode the Councillor about his troubling past. Goliath hated being told what to do because he hated not being a leader but a follower. Goliath just walked to the door and sighed and then knocked and walked in slowly and quietly and sat down. He just groaned a soft groan as he cleared his throat.

"Hello Mr.Mode, My name is Goliath. I was ordered here to talk to you about my past. I was forced into this.."

Goliath just sighed and leaned back in his chair and thought of where to start since he didn't really want to be here. Yen sid probably told EJ he was coming and shared info.

"I am the kid who got almost all of his family slaughtered..Only two members remain and they go here now. Broadway and Demona are their names. We changed our names after the event. This way we could try and run from it. I have managed to make friends though.."

Goliath then went quiet and waited to be noticed.

[ejmode]

EJ was going to have an off day. He could tell when he got up that morning. You know that feeling you get when you wake up and you think to yourself “Today’s gonna be the most amazing day ever!”? Yeah, EJ had the exact opposite of that feeling. Guest kept giving him this look that said “What crawled in your litter box and died?” Of course, Edward didn’t have a litter box, because he wasn’t a cat, but that’s beyond the point. He had finished dressing, and looked at himself in the suite mirror. So-dark-grey-that-it-was-almost-black dress shirt, a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, and his usual dress shoes. Everything looked normal, until he glanced at his face.

His brows were furrowed, and there were worry lines on his forehead. He was unconsciously biting his lip, something of a nervous tick for EJ. He couldn’t shake the feeling that today was gonna be a bad day. “What do you think, Guest? How do you feel about today?”

“Meow.” came the cat’s indignant reply.

EJ’s morning had been fine, by guidance counselor standards. The students seemed to be content with their day, not a single one of them came in to ask for help. On the other hand, he had a stack of class transfer papers that he had to sort through. He glanced at the names on the requests, and turned his filing cabinet. He had to pull the files on the students that were requesting transfers. While his back was turned, he heard the door open.

Whoever walked in sat in one of the small leather bound chairs and let out a soft groan. EJ waited, listening for a sound. Finally, they spoke.

"Hello Mr.Mode, My name is Goliath. I was ordered here to talk to you about my past. I was forced into this.."

Interesting, EJ thought. Normally when students just walked in, they normally had something they wanted to talk about. This boy behind him, Goliath, was apparently forced here.

"I am the kid who got almost all of his family slaughtered..Only two members remain and they go here now. Broadway and Demona are their names. We changed our names after the event. This way we could try and run from it. I have managed to make friends though.."

There it was. The thing that had been nagging at EJ all day. This kid had just confessed to being responsible for getting his family killed. Fortunately, EJ was apt for dealing with things like this. He turned around, getting a first look at this mysterious visitor.

He was tan, and had what EJ considered to be a boyish kind of face. “Good afternoon, Goliath.” EJ did some quick look ups on his laptop. “Ah. Mr. Colden. Your friends...Broadway and Demona. They’re a Mr. Doyle and a Ms. Devlin, no?” EJ’s voice took on a slight German twinge, something he had learned to suppress when he came to the states. He looked at the boy for confirmation.

“As for the slaughtering your family, as you put it, well...that’s gonna take some time...”

[Goliath Coldan]

Goliath watched at Mr.Mode as he turned and welcomed him in. He then watched as Mr.Mode began to type in something on his computer. He was probably looking up Goliath and his two remaining family. Goliath then just silently nodded as Mr.Mode asked if the two names were the real names. They hadn't used them in awhile but they were their names none the less.

"Yes, Broadway is Bert Doyle and Demona is Diana Devlin."

Goliath then began to actually relax until Mr.Mode said that Goliath himself was the one who slaughtered his family. He growled and stood up abruptly knocking the chair over and slammed his hands down on Mr.Mode's desk.

"Get your facts right! I did not slaughter my own family! An enemy family the Cullen's did! I was out getting supplies for our family and they were slaughtered in their sleep during the day! Oh and by the way doc, Demona is my ex fiance and Broadway is my cousin!"

Goliath then just huffed angrily and fixed the chair and then sat back down angrily and bent over so his elbows were on his knees and he was looking at the floor.

"My clan was full of warriors and poet's and things of that nature. We were famous in our town. We were defenders and protectors of the night. Over the course of the afternoon all but two were killed.."

Goliath then went silent and sat up straight his eyes cold and his features hard as stone with anguish,anger and mourning. He then then tried to think of the friends he had made. He had Ariel, Sally, Ozzy, Kim and a few others.

"I have found comrads here thanks to Head Master Yen sid. My friends Dory, Kim Peters, Ozzy, Sally, Ariel the captain of the swim team, and a girl named Alice. Nothing can replace what I have lost though.."

This was officially a sucky ass day.

[ejmode]

"Get your facts right! I did not slaughter my own family! An enemy family the Cullen's did! I was out getting supplies for our family and they were slaughtered in their sleep during the day! Oh and by the way doc, Demona is my ex fiance and Broadway is my cousin!"

EJ just sat back and let the student yell at him. He had found it was easier to just let the anger burn itself out, as opposed to fighting it. He closed his eyes and just tuned out the words. He could still hear Goliath yelling, he just couldn’t tell what he was saying. Finally, the boy stopped. EJ opened his eyes. “Mr. Colden, I ask that you do not raise your voice in my office. These four walls are a sanctuary for those that seek it, and I will not tolerate yelling of any sort.”

"My clan was full of warriors and poet's and things of that nature. We were famous in our town. We were defenders and protectors of the night. Over the course of the afternoon all but two were killed.."

As Goliath started talking, EJ reached into his desk and pulled out a pen and a pad of yellow legal paper. He found this the easiest for taking notes. "I have found comrads here thanks to Head Master Yen sid. My friends Dory, Kim Peters, Ozzy, Sally, Ariel the captain of the swim team, and a girl named Alice. Nothing can replace what I have lost though.."

EJ nodded and scribbled something on his pad. “Mr. Colden, may I call you Goliath?, I understand exactly what you’ve been through. Not exactly to the extent that you have, but I do understand. When I was about your age, I had the greatest life I could ask for. I had my dream job, my family had all the money it needed, and I was with the ma--the person whom I thought was the love of my life.” Edward had been about to say “the man I thought was the love of my life.” but he didn’t like to discuss his sexuality with his students. Some of them wouldn’t exactly approve, and it was his personal belief that his personal life should be kept just that, personal. He was afraid that it may get in the way of his job.

“Then a couple years later, it all fell apart. I used to live in Germany, you know. Well, long story short, I had to move here. So I get what you’re going through. Now, and I know this will be extremely painful for you, but I’m going to need you to tell me exactly what happened that day. Trust me, it will benefit the both of us.”

[Goliath Coldan]

Goliath sighed and nodded once the energy he saved for yelling had been burnt out. He listened to Mr.Mode explain to him that in a way he knew what he was going through. He nodded again when he was asked to calm down and to stop yelling. He sat up in his chair and took a deep breath through his nose and then exhaled through his mouth. It was story time and not the good kind.

"Well you see Mr.Mode, I was not there for the attack itself but I can tell you what I was told by Demona and Broadway and tell you the parts I was there for and what happened before I left."

Goliath then gulped as he thought of the gruesomeness of it all. Every time he thought of it he wanted to throw up. He just decided to start at the beginning.

"That day started like any other, My family had woken up in the late afternoon about 4:30 pm because my clan often stayed up all night training or doing our activities. We often slept during the day. I started my daily training with Broadway who I had to get out of the Library like every afternoon. He and I sparred for about an hour and then had what a normal person called lunch but we call breakfast. After that,Demona or back then Diana came over and her and I spent a few hours at our favorite field and discussed our upcoming wedding."

Goliath then clenched his hands around the arms of the chair as he remembered how Diana used to love him. It frustrated him that he had lost her. He then thought of what happened to poor Broadway because he wasn't there to protect him.

"When I got home I was asked to go to town to the market to buy food and stuff for the family. It was a long ways away from where we lived and I had to walk so I left as soon as I was asked. I had done the shopping but it was almost sunrise by the time I was done so I stopped at a hotel and rested for the night. While I was sleeping, I was told by Broadway and Demona that the cullen family in full force came to our gates and broke in while most of the family slept. Demona was up late planning the wedding while Broadway was up reading. They stormed into the castle and began killing everyone. Broadway tried to save as many as he could but a beam that had caught fire fell on him leaving a bad scar. He then was told by his soon to be slaughtered parents to run."

Goliath squeezed the chair harder almost leaving cracks in the wooden arms. He should have been there to help fight. Broadway had gotten hurt and it was his fault.

"Diana tried to save people to. She was grief stricken because she had seen her parents die and thought that since some of the forces came from the directed I headed off in I was killed before because I was the head warrior out of the Youth division. She ran off into the mountains to hide until it was over. I came home the next night and the first thing I found was my parents dead bodies. I burried as many as I could find then looked for Diana and Broadway for awhile and then headed here. Little did I know that Broadway had actually headed to Broadway to pursue his acting dreams but was turned down due to his age.

Diana...used her...womanly talents to travel..and then for some reason headed here because she heard that a dark big new student from Scotland was here and she figured it had to be me. Broadway got picked up by the headmaster and came here. So the last three survivors ended up at Yen sid Academy."

Goliath sighed hard frowning and shaking from his arms down.

"Can..I have a coke or something sir..."

[ejmode]

EJ listened to Goliath’s story, taking notes and nodding every once in a while to show he was still listening. It was kind of a gruesome tale, if it was to be believed. And it was part of EJ’s practice to believe what his students told him, within certain limits. Apparently, Goliath hadn’t been there for the actual attack, but he had heard what happened from his two friends and would remember what he could of what he actually saw. It wasn’t the best, but it was definitely a step in the right direction. It would give EJ a basis to work with to help Goliath....he wasn’t exactly sure what he was supposed to help Goliath with, but he could figure it out.

EJ very quickly learned that Goliath’s family were a nocturnal bunch, apparently having breakfast around 4:30 in the afternoon. Edward found this a little hard to believe, but it wasn’t his position to question it. He began to jot quick notes down as he listened to Goliath’s story.

Broadway in library...?

Wedding? Must ask about.

Markets open at night...?

Stormed castle, killed everyone. Maybe bring Broadway and Demona in?

Note to self: get sturdier chairs.

"Can..I have a coke or something sir..." Goliath asked, after telling EJ his tale. Edward nodded, and turned to the small red minifridge he kept by his filing cabinet. Luckily, over the past weekend, he managed to slip into town and pick up some sodas and the like. “You’re in luck. I happen to have a coke right here.” EJ said, producing a bright red can for the boy. He handed Goliath the soda and got himself out an orange Fanta. He had become addicted to the stuff since moving to the States. It didn’t compare to the Ramune his mother let him drink back in Berlin, but it was good enough. His mom, being from Japan, was always introducing EJ to Asian cuisine. His favorite was when she made Oyako Donburi, which was a fried rice dish covered in egg and chicken.

His mother had said it was called “Mother and Child Donburi”, because it was made with both chicken and egg, which was why it was EJ’s favorite. Whenever he had the ingredients to make it at home, he always thought of her, wondered if she missed him, if she was even still alive. He could feel himself about to cry, so he took a deep breath and opened his soda.

“Interesting, Goliath. Sounds to me like you’ve been through a lot. Mind telling me about your relationship with Demona? It strikes me as kind of odd that someone as young as you were would be getting married this early on in life.”

I don't think it's up to par, but here it is.

[Goliath Coldan]

Goliath nodded in thanks for the drink and quickly opened it and took a big sip. It was nice and cold. Goliath quickly began to relax as he drank from the carbonated drink. He watched E.J.'s hand move across the paper as he wrote down things that Goliath couldn't see. He was then asked a question that made him tense up. He was asked to talk about Demona. more specifically his relationship with Demona. It was a major russian roulette topic for Goliath except that every chamber had a bullet in it.

"Demona and I...We were fated to meet from the very beginning. I met her at a very young age. I had met her when I was about the age of five. She had seen me practicing my martial arts and sword play alone. I had no idea she was watching. Before she came into my life I only had one goal in life. Make my father proud. Show him I was as good as he was or even better. As I trained I heard her clapping and cheering for me. We began to spend more and more time with one another and upon entering our teen years fell in love. That seems forever ago now."

Goliath then took off his jacket showing that he was wearing a sleeveless shirt. He then held out his left arm to show the gargoyle tattoo he had on it and then pointed to it above the gargoyle it held two names. The first name had a line drawn through it. It read Garth. The name above that in dark looking font read Goliath.

"You know Mr.Mode, My family have a legend. The legend of the Gargoyle. The gargoyles were protectors of the night. They didn't go by names like we do now. They only gave the strongest of the strong a name . The others just went by brother,sister or friend. My clan followed the same goal by creating a tradition. The passing of the mark. Upon ones 18TH birthday, You would be tested in all the aspects of your training and then faced against an opponent of the clan heads choosing. I passed my test but I was not prepared for who I would face. I had to face my father. I fought hard and won and gained my mark and name as a warrior and vowed to protect those who needed me. I had trained Broadway and Demona myself. I had asked Demona to marry me after she took her mastery test. We had the plans ready...but the day never came. I still plan on Giving Broadway his mark when he turns 18."

Goliath then chugged his soda and sighed and slouched in the chair. He had told his story. Now it was time for the verdict.

[ejmode]

EJ nodded as Goliath explained about his family’s legend, and about a tradition of some sort of “mark”. He nodded to himself before opening his Fanta and taking a controlled sip. He really didn’t know what Goliath wanted out of this, because he seemed to be taking reliving that night well. He looked down at his notes, and then back at the boy sitting across from him. EJ had never once been at a loss for how to help a student, but he supposed their was a first time for everything. He set the legal pad down, and tucked the pen behind his ear. He stared at the screen saver on his laptop for a moment, trying to figure out what to do.

“I know what you’re waiting for, Mr. Colden, but you’re not going to recieve it. I don’t know what you expect of me, so I really cannot help you. You do not seem to have any sort of drastic emotional reaction to telling me about the night your family died, so I’ll ask that you please leave. I have an appointment soon, and I do need to prepare for it. I will speak with Headmaster Yen Sid on your behalf, because I honestly have no idea why he sent you here. You appear to be adjusting well, and there is nothing I can do for you. Have a good day.”

EJ tore the page of notes from the legal pad and turned to his filing cabinet to put it away. If Demona or Broadway ever came to see him, he would probably need it. But he didn’t see that happening any time in the near future. He had a next year’s class requests sitting on his desk waiting to be taken care of, so EJ decided he should start on that. He pulled the list from a pile of papers eating the top of his desk, and set it next to his laptop. He opened a document to begin transcribing the list, when he looked up at Goliath.

His fingers were still clacking away as he spoke. “Are you still here? I thought I asked you to leave, Mr. Colden. I was being entirely serious when I said I had an appointment. We are finished here, and I will not be telling you a third time.” EJ said politely, but coldly. He knew that he had to remain polite because this was his work environment, and he did have to maintain some degree of professionalism.

[Goliath Coldan]

Goliath was actually being told to leave. He was sent here to help but just because it seemed like he didn't need it he was being told to scram. What kind of therapist was this guy?! Goliath had been covering up the pain so he wouldn't actually rip the office apart! Goliath growled low and stood up and grabbed his bag angrily and looked at Mr.Mode with a dark scowl. He was starting to hate this man.

"Just because it seems like I don't need help doesn't mean I don't! If I ever see any of those Cullen bastards here I am throwing them out of a window from the top floor or maybe even the roof. Oh by the way you should ask some of the Jocks about an incident that happend about two weeks ago in the cafeteria involving a girl named Dory. One of them is still terrified of me."

Goliath then just dropped his bag and walked over to Mr.Modes desk and glared down at the man. He had a look of pure anger but just a hint of sorrow and grief. It was becoming Obvious that he was using his tough guy act to mask the fact that he actually did need help. He just spoke in a monotone type voice.

"I hope your mother is proud of you. Do you remember when she used to sing lullaby's to you to get you to sleep? Kissed your scrapes and bruises when you got hurt? Told you how special you were when you got picked on or made fun of?! You know that damn parents day coming up?! Guess who is gonna come visit me?! I get to see no one! Broadway and Demona and I are all alone and no one seems to Fu***** care! So go on thinking we don't need help!"

Goliath then just stormed away from the desk then knocking over a chair in anger and walking out of the office but just standing out in the hallway to calm down. No one realized that maybe the just tried to hide the fact that they needed people or they would fall into darkness for good.

[ejmode]

EJ smiled. His plan had worked perfectly. Goliath had gotten angry. He had shown his emotions, let go of his tough guy façade. He could not have done better. He even knocked over a chair on his way out! EJ’s smile grew into a silly grin, as he stood up and tidied his office. He tried to make it as fast as possible, because Goliath actually had left the office, and EJ didn’t want him getting too far away. He was glad Goliath had brought up family, because he could use that to get the boy to open up to him, help connect.

EJ felt the more he could relate to his students, the more they would trust him, and trust was key in his line of work. A good sense of trust was essential to being able to help a student. He always produced better results if there was a mutual trust between him and the student. He thought about what Goliath had said, about his mom. About how she had supposedly done everything a mother was meant to do. She had done all that stuff, and EJ would’ve loved to thank her for that, but through no fault of her own, she became his father’s wife, and her traditional Japanese sense of duty made her loyal to him. When EJ had left his father, he had to leave behind his mother, as well.

As he cleaned, he began to sing to himself, softly. It was his favorite lullaby, an old Japanese one his mom used to sing him when it stormed outside. Furusato, My Heart’s Home she called it.

Usagi oishi kano yama
Kobuna tsurishi kano kawa
Yume wa ima mo megurite
Wasuregataki furusato.

Finally, after he righted his office, he dashed out into the hall, where, fortunately, he had found Goliath. “Mr. Colden, wait.” EJ ran up to the boy, breathing a little heavily. He was kinda out of shape. He would have to start jogging again. Get rid of some of that flab.

“I haven’t seen my parents in eleven years. They won’t be coming to visit me on parent’s day. You aren’t the only one. And since you’ve gotten that off your chest, why don’t you come back inside so we can see what we need to do to get you back on your feet.” EJ smiled and rested his arm around Goliath’s shoulders, gesturing back towards his office.

[Goliath Coldan]

Goliath just sighed outside when he could hear the humming and singing of a Japanese lullaby. Goliath took deep breaths to keep himself from crying. It had been so long since he had heard a lullaby that he didn't sing to himself. The person he missed the very most was his mother. She was not strict like his father. She let him have fun and be a kid sometimes and when he was sad she would cheer him up by playing with him or talking it out with him. He thought about her every night and hoped that she was watching over him from the castle in the sky. Goliath looked down as he felt Mr.Mode's hand on him and just walked back into the office with him.

Goliath listened to how Mr.mode's parents wern't coming to see him and how he had to leave his mother because of her duties. Goliath just sat back down into the chair he had knocked over and looked at Mr.Mode apologetically.

"I'm sorry for cursing at you. It's just so hard ya know...I leave for a day and my entire world is destroyed around me. Broadway gets hurt, Diana runs off and has to sell her body to survive just to get here and gets her personality all twisted...My broken family is breaking even more..I have adopted two sisters I guess you could call them. I have Dory, You know the one I spoke of earlier so I can protect her from bullies and then Kim peters cause she has my same Ideals..It's just..I wish just once I had people helping me instead of me helping others.

I was made leader for a reason. I have to help Broadway..have to save Demona from herself..I still love her. More then anything though..I wish mom was here..I feel lost because I can't do it all I am just one man. Broadway is traumatized by what happened, Demona is twisted and Dory is constantly getting picked on because of her disorder. I can't help them all at once. What do I do Mr.Mode?!"

Goliath then just sighed and gripped his head in his hands in frustration. He was good at saving people this was true but who was gonna save him?

[ejmode]

EJ listened to Goliath ask him for help. EJ nodded. “Sounds to me like you could use all the help you can get. Tell you what? I’ll talk to Broadway, Demona, and Dory for you, see what I can’t do to help out. What you’ve got going on is more than one person, even someone who’s been through what you have, should ever have to deal with.” EJ untangled himself from the boy and popped back into his office. His orange Fanta was still on his desk, having only been touched the once. He shook his head in the direction of the soda, and went to open his mini-fridge.

The guidance counselor pulled out another coke for Goliath. After what Edward had just put him through, the boy definitely deserved it. He walked back out into the hall and offered Goliath the can as sort of a parting gift. “And if there’s anything else you need, don’t hesitate to drop by and find me. You should probably head off to class now.” EJ smiled as he saw the boy off.

After Goliath had left, EJ sat himself down in his seat. “Edward, my boy, you’ve done it again.” He congratulated himself as he took a sip of his Fanta. He turned to his datebook and made a couple of notes to see about getting Broadway, Demona, and Dory in to see him.

((Okay, so I know it’s not up to my usual standards, but there wasn’t a whole lot for me to do, and I figured it was as good a place as any to end the thread))