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The Talon House

Alpha and Omega


BeaStKid

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Posted

Alpha and Omega

By: BeaStKid

Chapter 1: All That Was.

"He has been hurt really bad", mumbled God All Mighty as St. Peter stood by his side.

"I know, My Lord, but it would go against all of our principles. And besides, what would we tell others? What about the consequences of such an act?" replied St. Peter in a very grave tone.

"I don't care!! It is HIM we're talking about!" God shouted back and continued in a calmer voice, "I apologize, but think about the consequences if we don't do anything."

"Whatever you wish, Sire, whatever you wish", St. Peter sighed in resignation.

*******

Meanwhile, oblivious to the hell he created in heaven, Ryan James Henderson lay on his bed, crying his heart out.

'Why? Why? WHY?!! Why me? What did I do to deserve this?' were his thoughts. He cursed the day he was born. He cursed the family he was born to. He cursed every f****** thing in this universe that had hurt him some way or the other.

It all started back when he was twelve. Hitting puberty, he knew he was different. He couldn't put what it was, but he knew. While everyone was chasing girls, including him; he checked out boys too. At first, it freaked him out. Living in a small town with a dysfunctional family can do that to you. By the time he was fourteen, he accepted the fact that he was gay. Not that anybody could have guessed. He was just an average kind of guy. Standing at 5'8 and 150 lbs, he had what you call an athletic build. He was a good student and played soccer and badminton.

It was at this time that the situation at home got so bad that he was sent to a boarding school in Newford. You see, Ryan's father was an alcoholic and his mother, a workaholic. Not a very good combination, huh!

So, a small town boy moved to a big city- to new friends, to a new life- away from the hellhole they called home.

His first day at Newford High, Ryan was a nervous wreck. He was going to such a big school for the first time. He knew, from his relatives, that the people at this school would be rich, snobbish and arrogant.

He walked up to the reception and a middle-aged woman greeted him with a pleasant smile.

"Uh…I'm Ryan Henderson and I just transferred here," he told the receptionist.

He was momentarily distracted by a pair of bluish green ayes staring at him. When he looked in that direction, he gasped, for his eyes fell on the most handsome boy he had ever seen in his whole life. He felt something else fall too - himself – head over heels over the Adonis.

"Huh?"

"I said, your classes start in 5 minutes. You better hurry. Here's your schedule and your first class is right down the hall.

"STEVE?" She called to a scrawny looking boy who was just passing by.

"Yes Mrs. Jones?" he asked stopping at the desk.

"Please escort Mr. Henderson here to his locker. What class do you have now?"

"Um…History"

"Good, he has the same, so you can also escort him to his class and introduce him to Mr. Bryce. Right?"

"Sure, Mrs. J" He turned towards Ryan. Ryan gave him one look-over and appreciated what he saw. This kid was not squarely built, he was just ok. He had brown eyes and was shorter than Ryan by about an inch. All in all, quite cute.

"Hi, I'm Steve Martin, you new here?"

"Yeah, I'm Ryan. Ryan Henderson."

"C'mon dude, we'll be late for class." With that he started walking down the hallway towards the lockers.

Ryan took a last look in the direction where he saw that guy with blue-green eyes, hoping to get another glimpse of him. He wasn't there and the disappointment showed on Ryan's face. He followed Steve to the lockers and kept his backpack in his own once Steve showed him the correct one. The rest of his stuff was being sent directly to his dorm by his parents.

He followed Steve to his class. While Ryan was not a straight A student, he still managed to get good grades. But the subject he hated the most was History. What was the point of learning facts and dates when you could always look them up in books, ain't it?

Ryan went up to Mr. Bryce and introduced himself. Mr. Bryce looked up from his work and nodded to him and announced to the class, "Children, this is Ryan James Henderson. He is new here and I expect all of you to be good to him." "Ryan, you may take your seat."

While Mr. Bryce was speaking, Ryan was busy scanning the class. His heart skipped a beat when he realized he was staring at a very familiar se of blue-green eyes. He didn't know how long he stood like that but Mr. Bryce's voice brought him back to reality.

"Ryan, I asked you to take a seat and sit down," said Mr. Bryce a little bit too sternly.

Embarrassed and blushing Ryan looked for a seat and realized that the only one free was the one next to HIM right at the back of the class.

'This is going to be a long day,' were his last thoughts before he joined the blue-green eyed guy and turned to pay attention to the class.

*******

Posted

Alpha and Omega

By: BeaStKid

Chapter 2: Friend or Foe?

The class was as boring as it could get. The only respite Ryan had was the hot guy sitting next to him. Ryan tried to strike a conversation with him but was unsuccessful.

“Hey, I’m Ryan. So I guess we’ll be sitting together now, huh?” Ryan went read as he realized what a lame thing he had said as the other guy looked at him like he was from Mars or something.

“I’m Josh, and yes, we’ll be sitting together now.” With that he turned back towards Mr. Bryce.

Ryan couldn’t understand what Josh’s problem was and he sat there staring at him for some time. He looked away, however, when he realized that Josh was looking at him with a confused expression on his face.

Lunch time rolled on and Ryan was in a daze. He couldn’t believe that he had two classes with Josh already. First period History and third period English Literature. As he entered the cafeteria, he heard someone calling him and looked for the source and saw that Steve was waving at him.

“Yo Ryan! Come on up here and sit with us, dude.”

He went up to Steve’s table and sat down next to a blonde who was busy eating from her tray. There were five people on that table including him. Steve introduced the blonde as Jessica Adams, a guy with brown hair as Kyle Singer and a brunette as Lisa Thompson. Steve had an arm around Lisa which meant only one thing- she was Steve’s girlfriend.

‘Damn, there goes a cute one’, thought Ryan.

Jessica turned towards Ryan and wolf whistled making him blush. Jessica was a looker herself, dressed in a pretty peach top which showed of her assets in a very subtle way. She had quite an ease moving around and Ryan felt a liking to her immediately. On the other hand, Lisa had more of a cheerleader type looks and was eyeing Ryan in a very apprehensive manner. Kyle looked like a cross between a jock and a nerd. He was around 5’10” and was quite muscled but had that nerdy expression.

‘Quite a diverse group.’ Ryan thought.

“So Ryan, you been to your dorms yet?” Lisa asked him while munching on her salad.

“Um, no. I came here directly. My stuff is being shipped. What about you Steve? Which dorm are you in?”

“I’m in 106, but I think it’s full. I heard 107 has vacancies, though. So I guess you’ll be placed there.”

Ryan looked around himself and saw that his relatives had been right about this school having the rich kids. He just hoped that he could blend in with them and not get too much attention. He saw Josh sitting with some jocks not far from where they were sitting. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second and Ryan felt chills run down his spine.

The bell rang and the group left for their respective classes.

Josh was in five of Ryan’s classes that day. Algebra, Physics and PE and the ones before lunch. Ryan was beat at the end of the day and dragged himself towards the reception to get his dorm number. As Steve predicted, Mrs. Jones assigned him to dorm 107, third room. He got the directions and found himself outside room 107/3.

“Room sweet room,” Ryan muttered under his breath and opened the door.

As soon as he entered, he let out an audible gasp and his backpack fell to the floor. There, on one of the two beds, with his hands behind his head and eyes closed, listening to music through his headphones lay Josh Summers!

********

Posted

Alpha and Omega

By: BeaStKid

Chapter 3: Who is that Boy?

While he lay on his bed listening to some music, Josh was pondering over the events of the day. That new kid had done something to him. The way Ryan had looked at him was a bit unnerving for Josh. He hadn't intended to stare at him in the hallway, it just happened. Like iron to a magnet, he was attracted to his boyish good looks.

Deep in thought, Josh felt a presence around him and looked towards the door. He saw Ryan standing there with his mouth open and his backpack on the floor. Time stood still for both of them as they stared into each other's eyes. Looking into those brown eyes, Josh felt something stirring inside him. Like a sleeping dragon which has just woken up, he felt the desire to hold that boy in his arms; to kiss that brow of worry off his forehead. He felt something else stir too and that brought him back to reality.

"What the f**k!!" Josh sprang up from his bed, throwing his headphones on the floor. That broke Ryan's reverie too and he blushed while looking down.

'He looks so cute standing there.' Josh wanted to kiss him right then.

"What are you doing in my room?"

"Um… I was assigned to this room by Mrs. Jones."

Josh's heart skipped a beat. "You! Uh..I mean you are assigned to my room."

"Yes, I was. If you have any problems, I can ask Mrs. Jones to…."

"Well, no. Come on in. You can take the bed over there. Don't mind the mess; I'll keep it to my side."

Ryan couldn't understand this guy. During class, he didn't even talk to him properly and now he was chatting with him like they knew each other since kindergarten. But, he didn't mind it one bit.

"So, you're Ryan right?"

"Yeah, I just shifted and it was my first day today."

"Cool. Sorry about the way I behaved in class. I am a little shy around new people."

"No sweat, dude." "So, what is the usual stuff here? I mean, how do you pass time?"

"I normally listen to music. But other guys swim; play soccer, badminton, table tennis, cricket, tennis, etc. Hell, they'll play anything."

Josh noticed the way Ryan's face lit up when he mentioned soccer and badminton. He so wanted to run his hand over that soft cheek-bone of his, feel that firm jaw line, rub his fingers over those perfect lips.

"Huh?"

"I said, I'll get my stuff." Ryan said as he gave Josh a puzzled look.

"Yeah, right."

With that Ryan got his stuff and started unpacking. Josh watched him throughout the exercise. He almost creamed his pants when Ryan bent down to put his shoes in the shoe rack at the bottom of his dresser and it accentuated his lovely bubble butt.

"I'm finished. I'm going to go check out the campus now. You wanna come?"

"Nah. I'll just kick back in the room. You go ahead."

As soon as Ryan left, Josh whipped out his boner and started jacking off slowly while thinking of Ryan's cute a**. How he wished he could kiss those juicy lips of his; run his hands over those a** cheeks while Ryan moaned out in pleasure; take his sweet, juicy c*** in his mouth and suck him dry. With that thought Josh came real hard; the hardest he could remember.

'Damn!'

********

As he roamed around aimlessly, Ryan pondered as to how he would live with this hot guy for the rest of his high school years without outing himself. He cursed his destiny as he felt that he had done nothing to deserve this.

He looked around himself. This school was huge. Set in a 30-acre campus, it had most of the sports facilities you could imagine. Just overlooking the dormitories was the soccer field. To the right of the field was the swimming pool and towards the right were four clay courts for lawn tennis. Further down, they had two hockey fields. Towards the right of the hockey fields, one could see the cricket nets and the left side housed two basketball, four badminton and two squash courts. The badminton courts were inside a huge auditorium, where the school had its morning assembly. North of the basketball courts were the school gym and the parking area. West of the lawn tennis courts, one would find himself standing in the cricket ground. The only buildings on the campus were the dorms, the gym, the swimming pool and the school building. The school building was situated west of the auditorium and was huge.

Ryan took a full round of the campus and returned back to the dorms to find Josh sleeping. He stood next to his bed for a while admiring the beautiful boy in this serene form. Josh had half a smile on his face and Ryan wondered why. He pulled a chair over to one of the two windows and sat down.

Ryan stretched his long legs and rested his feet on the windowsill. He looked forward to a new year and the fresh start that he had planned. He hoped to put the past behind him and keep it there. He didn't want the sour memories of his bickering parents to play a spoil sport here. He decided that come what may, he would neither let his parents' relationship nor his sexuality affect the wonderful life which awaited him here at Newford High.

He got up and went over to his bookshelf and took out his favorite author, Ken Follett's Code to Zero. Ryan had fallen in love with Ken's style of writing immediately after reading his book, The Third Twin. A good book had always been Ryan's weakness. Give him a book he liked and he could sit for hours and read it. He plopped down on his bed and started reading the book.

It was several hours later that he realized that his stomach was growling. He got up and made his way over to Josh's side.

"Josh. Hey buddy, wake up!" he said while shaking him.

"Huh! Wha…? What happened dude?" Josh replied after trying to rub the sleep away from his eyes.

"I was going out to catch a grub and thought you would like to too."

"Man…Great idea. I'm famished!"

He got up and brushed his hair and put on a pair of denims. It showed off his a** perfectly and Ryan couldn't help but stare. He caught himself just in time as Josh turned around. Still, he couldn't take his eyes of Josh's now exposed chest. It was well defined with a slight dusting of hair on the chest. He had a perfect set of abs and a lovely treasure trail that disappeared inside his pants. Josh didn't notice Ryan staring as he was looking for his shirt, which he soon found on the nightstand.

Josh looked towards Ryan, who quickly looked away. "Come on, let's go."

They didn't talk much on their way to the cafeteria. After getting their trays, they sat down on a bench not quite far from the exit. The cafeteria was almost empty as it was still early for someone to be having dinner.

They made small chit-chat during the course of the meal in which Josh told Ryan about his family background, his interests and other miscellaneous stuff. Ryan was pleased to find that they had complementary tastes in everything. Ryan liked to eat Chinese while Josh preferred Indian; Ryan listened to Korn while Josh was a Billie Holliday and Placido Domingo fan.

"Wow, dude. We complement each other like a couple." Ryan remarked and immediately flinched but continued while covering his faux pas, "…married for centuries."

Ryan relaxed as Josh burst out laughing. He joined him too and they sat there for a few minutes until their laughter dissolved into large grins.

"I believe you are into sports, right?" Josh asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

Ryan nodded and replied, "Yeah, I play badminton and soccer. And I like table tennis too."

"Will you be trying out for any team?" Josh inquired.

"I dunno. Maybe, but I'm not sure if I'm that good," Ryan stated.

Josh brushed his comment away. "Bullshit! That's for the coaches to decide."

Not much was said after that and the duo left for their room in silence. On the way Josh suggested that they check out the common room. It usually had a lot of action going on there. Ryan agreed and they made their way towards the common room.

The common room was situated in the basement of the dorm. It had a library, a table for table tennis, a lounge with a television and a small kitchen where you could cook some snacks. Ryan was impressed by the décor of the room.

"This was all done up by the new Warden. If you had come here a few years back, this place would have looked like s**t." Josh informed him.

"I like it." Ryan stated.

"Well, want to try some shots at Table Tennis?" Josh asked in a challenging tone.

"Why not? I bet I can beat you in a jiffy." Ryan riposted.

"Hah! In your dreams. Bring it on! Let it be a best of seven." Josh replied back.

They battled for seven straight games. They both were quite good at this game, having played it for years. The matches were close as no one could make out who would win right till the seventh game. They were tied 3-3 at the end of the sixth game and the last one was to decide the winner. As expected, it all came down to a deuce. After saving three match points, Ryan finally took the advantage and finished off the game with a smashing forehand. They had attracted a small crowd which cheered as Ryan took the winning point.

"Hurrah! I won! I beat you! What do you have to say, huh?" Ryan was beaming.

"I'll get you next time." Josh replied with a big grin plastered on his face.

"Nice game, fellas." A guy with black hair and brown eyes said to Ryan while patting Josh on the back. "Can't believe you let him beat you, Summers."

"Hey! He beat me by two points only. No big deal." Josh replied with a pout which turned into a smile.

"Losing is losing, even if it is by two points." Ryan countered and then looked at the black haired guy and continued, "Hi, since Mr. Manners here didn't feel fit to introduce me, I'll do that myself. I'm Ryan Henderson."

"I'm John. John Richardson. Nice game, by the way." John replied and then continued while pointing to two other boys who were standing with him. "And this is Mark Sanders and the one next to him is Scott Jenkins. Our small group, of which unfortunately, Josh is a part."

"Don't pay any attention to him; he's like this with everyone. You play really well. I hope you're trying out for the team." The boy whom John pointed out as Mark smacked the former on the back of his head

"Thanks but what's it with you guys and joining teams? I'll think about it but right now, I'm a bit tired; I'd rather be off to my room now. I'll catch up with you guys later. See you in the room, Josh." Ryan stated with a smile and turned to leave.

"I'm tired too. I'll also catch up with you guys later. Cya!"

Josh and Ryan retired to their room; they went to sleep after completing their assignments for the day.

*******

Over the next few days Ryan fell into a routine and really started enjoying his new life away from all the crap at home. Once or twice his parents called, just to make sure that he was all right, and that was all. Ryan didn't mind that his parents were the least bit interested in finding out how he was actually doing, rather he felt good that they weren't prying. He had no clue about what would happen if they came to know of his deepest darkest secrets. The only solace was his sister, Lizzie, who was in college. She kept in touch with Ryan and was really concerned about him.

Elizabeth Henderson was the only other person who knew of Ryan's sexuality. He had come out to her before she had left for college and remarkably, she had accepted him without any questions. Her only concern was about their parents finding about this. Ryan had assured her at that time that he would hide this fact from them until he became independent.

Ryan had tried out for the swimming, soccer, table tennis and badminton teams. While the soccer coach, Mr. Henry Thornton had kept him in the extras as there were no more vacancies, he made it to the rest of the teams. As a result of joining four teams, Ryan became quite popular, which he started liking a lot since at his last school, he was a nobody.

Josh and Ryan became best friends as the former overcame his shyness around the latter. Some teachers even began to refer to them as the twins as they seemed to be joined from the hips. While Ryan had pushed his infatuation of Josh to the back of his mind and was content with being his best friend, the same could not be said about Josh. He still harbored the crush he had developed when he first saw Ryan.

Summer paved way for the monsoons and the first term exams were round the corner before any of the students at Newford High could realize it. This resulted in a lot of late night study sessions and 107/3 was no exception. Every night, the duo would spend their extra time trying to cram as much as was possible before the final day. To beat the tensions of the upcoming tests, Josh and Ryan devised a strategy where they would play table tennis for an hour after sitting for a few hours with their noses buried into their textbooks.

On one such night, after studying for three hours at a stretch and then playing table tennis for another hour, Ryan decided he was too tired for more and retired early. It was also the same night where Josh sat on his chair, looking at the sleeping form of his roommate, brooding about the stark fact that lay there in front of his eyes.

Josh didn't know what came over him, but at that moment, with a look of utter desperation on his face, he made his way towards Ryan's bed. He stood there for a while thinking about the consequences.

'Ah! f**k it!', he thought.

He bent down over the peaceful form of the boy he had come to love from the core of his heart and ran the back of his finger from Ryan's chin to his cheeks. His face was barely a foot away from his own and he could feel Ryan's breath on his lips. Just as he was about to lower his head, he froze.

Looking up at him, with an expression which told him of confusion, horror and puzzlement, lay Ryan James Henderson

********

Posted

Alpha and Omega

By: BeaStKid

Chapter 4: Happy Times Ahead?

God was sitting in His study while He peered over a huge pile of documents. He tossed a few files in the shelf labeled ‘Out’ and sighed.

‘Tell me why I have to do all this?’ he asked to no one in particular.

It was difficult to find a chartered accountant, a lawyer or a software engineer in Heaven and as a result, He had to do His accounting the traditional way, without any help. Just as He was about to go through an important quotation for the new harps He had ordered, the door to His study flew open and a very disturbed St. Peter walked in.

“I apologize for disturbing you My Lord, but there seems to be an emergency.” St. Peter said after catching his breath. He had come running from the Heaven’s Communication Centre.

“What is it, now?” asked The Almighty in a slightly unnerved tone.

“Err…The Boy is considering taking premature retirement.” St. Peter replied cautiously, aware of the fact that how much the man in front of him disliked the ‘S’ word.

God sprang up from his chair, throwing the quotation file aside. “WHAT!!”

“Y-Y-Yes My Lord” said a cowered St. Peter.

“This is not good. Not good at all.” God was pacing up and down, obviously in a lot of thought.

“We did not anticipate this. What do you wish to do sire?” queried St. Peter.

“Send a guardian angel to protect him under all circumstances. It is still too early for us to consider the final option.” God said after a few seconds of cogitation.

“Very well, My Lord.” St. Peter left at once to follow His orders.

God sat down on His chair with a frustrated look on His face.

“They never mentioned this in the job description! I’m sure Lucifer would be enjoying a hearty laugh out of my predicament, were God’s last thoughts before He got engrossed in His files again.

********

“No Ryan!! NO!” Jessica shouted as she banged on Ryan’s door. “Go away Jess.” Ryan shouted back.

“I will NOT let you give up like this!” Jessica yelled but then continued in a more subdued voice, “Listen Ryan, I know that you are going through a bad time. We all are. But you have to hang in there, baby. Now come on, open this god damn door before I call the warden.”

After a few moments of silence, Ryan opened the door and let Jessica in. She immediately enveloped the sobbing boy in a hug.

“Hush! I’m here now. Everything will be all right.” She said in a soothing voice as tears threatened to engulf her too. She continued to pat his back in an effort to calm him.

Unknown to both of them, there stood a very pleased angel behind them, God’s very own archangel Gabriel. He was the one responsible for sending a signal to Jessica about Ryan’s condition. Gabriel satisfied that Ryan was out of danger now, returned to report to St. Peter about the turn of events.

“That was a very silly thing to think of, Ryan. Promise me that you’ll never try it again.” Jessica’s tone left room for no arguments and Ryan nodded his promise.

“Good, I have to go for my theatre club meeting now. I’ll check on you later. And I want no; I repeat no untoward incidents, O.K?” Jessica warned.

“Uh-uh.” With that assurance, Jessica left for her meeting as Ryan plopped down on his bed.

His thoughts went back to his boyfriend, Josh and to that fateful night when he had woken up just as he was about to be kissed by him.

********

Flashback #2

Ryan freaked out and pushed Josh away so forcefully that he fell down from the bed. Josh, too shocked to do anything, lay there as though in a trance.

Ryan didn’t believe what had just happened. He didn’t want to believe it, for he had acknowledged the fact that Josh was uncharted territory. He had already accepted that he couldn’t have Josh that way and now that Josh came on to him, his mind was reeling. His heart told him to jump for it, but his mind, where he had decided that he would not let his sexuality screw up his life this time round, was screaming otherwise.

As this battle was raging inside Ryan’s head, Josh got up and went over to his side of the room. He pulled up a chair and sat down facing the window overlooking the soccer field. The window gave him a perfect view of the scenery as the room was on the second floor.

Ryan sat there thinking about this latest development. Another thought went through his mind. What if this is all a joke? A trap to lure Ryan out of his closet. However, would Josh, Ryan’s best friend, descend to such low levels? Ryan was brought to reality by the sound of muffled sobs coming from Josh’s direction. All doubts set aside; he rushed to his mate’s aid, ready to comfort him.

“Josh..I um…” he began but Josh cut him off.

“I f***** up big time, dude. I didn’t mean to do that. It just… Please don’t hate me.” Josh’s tone touched Ryan’s heart to the core.

It was an overwhelming emotion and at that moment, Ryan realized that he had never stopped liking Josh. He believed he had, but he hadn’t. Over these months, that infatuation had turned to something much more. Tears started flowing freely from his eyes and he took the sobbing boy in front of him in his arms.

“Never. I can never hate you Josh. You have no idea how much I wanted that,” Ryan said.

Josh pulled back from the hug and looked at Ryan. His face had a mixture of emotions on it. Happiness, excitement, hesitance, longing all mixed into one.

“Do what?” He asked mischievously.

“This.” With that, Ryan kissed him on the lips. It was a slight peck at first, as though he was asking for permission to enter. When Josh opened his mouth to suck Ryan’s upper lip, a low moan escaped the latter’s closed mouth and it opened involuntarily.

At that moment, the moon came out from behind the clouds and bathed the room with moonlight, which until that moment was dark. It was as though God himself was blessing this couple and indeed, He was. With each passing moment, the moonlight grew stronger and washed upon the two beautiful boys locked in an embrace, kissing each other. It was a heavenly moment; a moment signifying the merging of two souls into one; a moment when the two boys looked into each other’s eyes and pledged their love for each other without uttering a single word.

Both the occupants lay in each other’s arms savoring the warmth that one got from being next to the one you love. They talked about their lives, Ryan telling him about the situation at home; about his sister; his hometown. In return, Josh told him about his life.

Josh was born and brought up in Newford. His dad, Matthew Raymond Summers, was the owner of a multinational company, MS Group of Industries. His mother, Joanne Summers, ran an annual beauty pageant and owned a company that produced an assortment of beauty products. The Summers household was, as a result, quite well off, a fact which royally irritated Josh.

Shortly after midnight, silence fell over the room as the boys went over the dramatic events of the night. Ryan, in particular, was in deep thought. Josh had flown in and totally messed up his mind. On one hand, he was ecstatic over the latest development but on the other, a little voice in his head, the same which had convinced him to take the decision of remaining inside the closet when he arrived here, was screaming that this was not meant to last and that being gay would land him in hell.

Another voice, the one that said this was right, pointed out that the calmness he received from Josh. How could this be wrong when it felt so right, right? Ryan did the only thing he could think of – he kissed the boy sleeping next to him from the back and slipped an arm under his while spooning him from behind. Josh sighed in contentment as much as his half-asleep state allowed him.

********

Josh woke up the next morning with something hard poking him in the back. He smiled, remembering the most memorable night of his life and turned towards the person who made it possible. Ryan, feeling Josh move, also came back from the land of dreams.

“Morning, sweet-chums.” Josh said as he kissed him.

“Eww! Morning breath.” Ryan joked. “And what’s with the name calling?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“The fact that the most important person in my life is in bed with me and in my arms?” replied Josh.

Ryan playfully pushed Josh back and got up from the bed. “I’m going to take a shower. Care to join?” He asked Josh seductively.

Josh responded by jumping off the bed, grabbing his towel and smacking Ryan on the a**. He gave a mischievous smile and made his way towards the bathroom with Ryan in tow.

The bathroom was not the usual communal showers. Instead they had small enclosures where one could take a bath; and they had locks on the doors. Opposite the bathing enclosures were the toilets and the wash basins. The bathroom, which was for four rooms, housed five bathing enclosures and toilets. Fortunately, the enclosure was large enough for two to three people and the duo had no problems in occupying one.

Ryan adjusted the temperature as Josh hung both their towels on the wall clasp. There was an awkward silence as they turned towards each other. Slowly and hesitantly they removed their clothes, seeing each other in a state of undress for the first time. While Ryan had seen Josh shirtless, the latter had no such luck. Ryan was very shy around Josh and Josh never went to the swimming pool.

But now, as Ryan removed his clothes, Josh could see that the boy was well-developed. Due to his active nature, he had a natural definition to his body. He had a perfect pair of pecs – not too bulging but defined. His chest tapered town to a flat washboard stomach and a slim waist – A flawless V-shaped body. He wasn’t too bad in the equipment department also. Ryan had a small bush of black pubic hair surrounding his uncut dick. He was quite well endowed which was evident even while he was soft. His p**** rested on a set of low hanging balls. Josh felt himself get hard at this perfect specimen of maleness.

As Josh undressed himself, Ryan admired the lithe figure in front of him. Josh, being an athlete as well as a tennis player had a well-defined chest, great biceps and a vigorous figure. His best feature was his abs and Josh took great pride in showing them off for they were every teenager’s dream. Josh removed his boxers and Ryan moaned in excitement as a beautiful semi-hard uncut dick came into his focus.

Both of them undressed, they got under the water hugging each other. Silence reigned supreme as Josh reached behind Ryan for the washcloth. He poured a generous amount of shower gel on it; never breaking eye-contact with Ryan for even a second. Ryan closed his eyes and a look of pleasure cast over his face as Josh slowly rubbed the washcloth over his chest. He turned him around and meted the same treatment to his back, at the same time kissing the back of his neck. Josh bent down and ran the washcloth over Ryan’s cute bubble butt, which he wanted to touch the first day he laid eyes on it. Convinced that his a** was clean, he again turned Ryan to wash his legs and then moved on towards the final prize. Using the soap as a lubricant, he rubbed Ryan’s member to full mast. He then moved Ryan under the spray and washed off the soap, all the while kneeling down.

The soap washed away, Josh took Ryan’s hard c*** in his mouth and a loud moan escaped the latter’s lips. Ryan entangled his fingers in Josh’s hair encouraging him to go further. Emboldened by Ryan’s move, Josh dove in taking the full length of Ryan’s generously sized manhood in his mouth. He worked fervently on Ryan’s dick taking him to the point of no return. Ryan tried to warn him, but Josh paid no heed to it; clearly wanting Ryan to cum in his mouth. Ryan resumed pumping Josh’s oral crevice with his dick till a wave of pleasure shot over him starting from his toes and going up till his balls and out of his c*** into Josh’s eager mouth.

Totally spent, Ryan leant on to Josh for support as the latter milked the former’s c*** dry. Recovering from his post orgasm bliss, Ryan knelt down and offered his service to Josh. Josh stood up and acceded to his demand. Ryan pleasured Josh in the same way as he had been pleasured, bringing him to orgasm within a matter of seconds as Josh was way too horny after pleasuring Ryan.

“That was awesome!” Josh panted.

Finishing their shower they made their way back to the room and lay on the bed, which was now a double bed as they had joined the two last night. Josh had a thoughtful look on his face.

“Ryan?”

“Yeah baby.”

“How is it like to live with both your parents? I mean, your parents are at home when you want them, right? How does it feel?” Josh inquired with a hint of sadness in his voice.

“Even if they are at home when I want them Josh, they seem too busy fighting. They don’t have time for us. Either they are yelling at each other, or they aren’t at home.” Ryan replied with bitterness.

“Yeah, but they are involved in your lives.” Josh stated.

“They do. But what’s the point?” Ryan retorted.

“The point is.. My parents never have the time for each other, let alone for me. When I heard you talk about yours with such resentment last night, I was surprised. I guess you never value what you have until you stop having it.” Josh sighed.

“It’s not like that. You don’t know the whole situation. It’s…. Look, let’s drop it, O.K?” Ryan too sighed and then leant in to give him a kiss.

“So, my dear boyfriend what do you want to do today?” Josh asked Ryan, who beamed at his ‘boyfriend’.

********

Life couldn’t get any better for Ryan. He was doing well in his classes, his teams were winning and above all, he had a boyfriend. With Josh’s promotion to boyfriend status, Ryan’s best friend position fell vacant. Steve was quick to fill that gap too and very soon he became an important part of Ryan’s life. Another important part became Jessica, whom Ryan came out to eventually. She took it as any great friend would and even guessed the name of Ryan’s boyfriend correctly. Yeah, things couldn’t get any better.

The only thing that can happen when things can’t get any better is – yes, get bad. Till two years after Josh and Ryan hooked up, all was well. And then, the bomb dropped.

Josh was at the State athletic meet when he fell the wrong way while pole vaulting. He fell on his head as a result of which, his spine was damaged beyond repair. He was immediately rushed to the hospital where the doctors informed a devastated Ryan that Josh’s chances were bleak.

It’s been six months since that fateful accident. Ryan completely retreated into a shell. Jessica became the anchor of Ryan’s life and offered her support unconditionally. She was there for him at the worst hours of these six months. She was also there when he tried to do himself away…

********

Posted

Alpha and Omega

By: BeaStKid

Chapter 5: The Time Has Come

God stood in His study going over the accounts of the day when the door behind Him burst open and for the second time in recent memory, the documents in His hands flew from His hands and fell to the floor. He turned to find a visibly flustered St. Peter and frowned. He braced Himself for the unpleasant news the latter was going to present.

"We have a situation at hand, My Lord." St. Peter started.

"Now what?"

"Er... The Communication lines were down and we were trying our best to repair them but as You know that we don't have any technician in Heaven, it took us a lot of time to do so and we could not receive any communication from the Command Centre on Earth but…"

"Cut to the point!" God bellowed interrupting St. Peter's rant. He was getting irritated.

"Sire, the boy is in some laboratory and has caught hold of some chemical. I'm afraid we cannot stop him in time." St. Peter whispered.

"Oh my Me! This is bad. Really bad." God said as he ran a hand through His brow to wipe the sweat that had begun to form.

"What do you suggest we do My Lord?"

"I know it is still early but I believe we cannot wait any longer. We had hoped to wait at least for a few more years, but that option has been taken away from us." He sighed and then asked St. Peter, "Is the Command Centre operational now?"

"Yes it is."

"Very well. Inform the Others that there would a be change of plans. I will be going to him myself. I also wish that you accompany me. Now hurry up. We don't have much time at our disposal." God began preparation for his departure as St. Peter left in a hurry to comply with His orders.

"What a way to end the day!" God remarked.

********

Jessica returned from her meeting to find Ryan sleeping. She didn't disturb the boy for it was seldom that she saw him so peaceful these days. As she sat there looking at Ryan, her thoughts wandered to the special bond of friendship they shared. The poor boy had gone through a lot. First the sham of a life with his parents then the bullying at his previous school and lastly being sent to an unknown place so far from his hometown. Just when he had found some happiness in Josh, he was ripped away from him. Destiny surely didn't favor Ryan.

It hurt Jess a lot to see Ryan in so much pain. Unknown to the others, she had secretly harbored feelings for him. She kept quiet, though, when Ryan came out to her. She had moved on now, putting her feelings aside and started dating. Those feelings turned to something far better. They turned into love shared between closest of friends. Jessica got up and left the room before her sobbing woke Ryan.

********

The days that followed Josh's accident were a living hell for Ryan. The doctors were of no help and Josh slipped into coma. His spine was operated upon successfully but the chances of a full recovery were dim. As a result of the fall, vertebrae of Josh's cervical had smashed into his skull and fracturing it. All seven vertebrae went through the cracked skull and severely damaged his cerebellum and the medulla oblongata. This robbed Josh of voluntary as well as involuntary control over his body. He had to be hooked to a ventilator as the damaged medulla oblongata could not control the autonomic functions of his body. The medulla oblongata was also responsible for maintaining the blood pressure, heart rate and the reflex actions. With it being damaged, Josh had to survive on an assortment of machines which were hooked onto him from all angles. The doctors stated it was a miracle for Josh to be still alive; Ryan was glad to hear it. If he could survive after all this, he could make it through with the recovery too.

Ryan visited Josh at the hospital every day and sat next to him holding his hand, praying that he would respond to his ministrations. His depression was affecting his grades and he was on the verge of being kicked out from all the four teams. No amount of coaxing by any of his friends had any result. Ryan started shutting them out and only Jessica, Steve and John were able to keep the wall Ryan had built around him from affecting their friendship.

Eight months after the accident, Josh showed no signs of recovery. On the contrary, his condition was slightly deteriorating. The doctors had given up all hope and said that it was only a matter of time before the inevitable. This news was the last straw for Ryan and he made his way towards the chemistry lab after school the next day. He had taken permission from the teacher to remain behind to practice a few experiments. During class, Ryan had heard his teacher saying that Copper Sulphate (CuSO4.5H2O) was toxic. He was just about to lift the beaker when it shattered in front of him. Startled, he reached for another beaker and that too burst before he could touch it.

Hearing the noise, the lab assistant rushed out and turned Ryan out, yelling at him for breaking two beakers of the compound. Ryan, shocked as he was, didn't stop to correct the man, quietly left the lab, and exited the building. He broke into a sprint and ran towards the front lawns where an old Air Force aircraft was kept as a memento. He sat down under a pagoda and started crying uncontrollably. Suddenly, a bright white light went out behind him and Ryan turned to look at it. The light was blinding but Ryan squinted his eyes and saw a silhouette of a man walking towards him.

"Do not cry my child, for your days of suffering are over." The mysterious person said.

********

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Alpha and Omega

By: BeaStKid

Chapter 6: Pondera Custodis.

"Do not cry my child, for your days of suffering are over," the mysterious person said.

"Huh?" Ryan said in a confused state.

"Do not be afraid of me, for I mean no harm," the man said as he could see that Ryan was about to bolt away.

"What is it that you want from me? Who are you? I've never seen you around. Hell, I can't see you right now due to that light!" Ryan asked.

The man chuckled to himself. 'The way these kids use that word these days.'

"The question is not what I want. The question is what you want. What do you want my child?" He asked Ryan.

"I-uh-I want my life to return to the way it was and I want Josh to recover." Ryan replied with a hint of hope in his voice.

"What if I say that you could have all these things? What if I say that you can have all these things and much more?" Asked the man.

"But, how is that possible? The doctors, they…"

The man cut him off mid-sentence. "I can give you what you want."

"Who are you?" Ryan asked getting irritated.

"Let me introduce myself. I am God Almighty. The one whom you have stopped looking up to. The.."

"Yeah, and I'm the reason that this world is sane!!" Ryan retorted, interrupting God.

"You have no idea how correct you are, dear one." God replied biting his own retort. That is why He didn't like to visit Earth that often. Human traits rubbed off on Him way too much. His powers and controls also reduced the longer He stayed.

"Let me explain," he continued, seeing the bewildered expression on Ryan's face.

"A long time ago, before time existed; before this universe was even created, the Gods decided to test their powers. The Creator1, The Preserver2 and The Destroyer3, according to their powers, came together and built this universe. But the sheer size was too much for the three of them to handle, hence they decided to recruit subordinate Gods. Agni4, Surya5, Indra6, Pavana7, Varuna8, Yama9 and many more came into being. Each had their own sphere of influence. When the human population started to increase, religious Gods came into existence. There are currently around 330 million Gods and Deities including incarnations of the Hindu religion alone. You must understand that each God is important and none is above or below the other. I am God the Father, of the Christian religion."

"But I'm a Hindu," an astonished Ryan said. He was trying his best to grasp what this person was saying but was being unsuccessful.

"I know that. I was entrusted by Lord Brahma, the Creator, to look over you. You see, you are very special to us," he replied. He raised his hand as Ryan was about to interrupt and continued, "After seeing the way the world was progressing, what with two World Wars, Lord Brahma prophesized that a boy will be born on the eve of the twentieth century, who will restore the balance between the sane and insane. You, dear one, are the Pondera Custodis, the Balance Keeper."

"What!! Look mister, this is a very bad joke you're playing. I'm in no mood for this and that is why I'm getting outta here." Ryan said as he rose to leave.

"This is not a joke. If you don't believe me, tell me for how long have you been in this type of a mood?" God asked

"Um.. Six months." Ryan replied.

"Not this mood. The one where you were trying to off yourself." God retorted. I had better hurry up. He thought.

"A month." He answered tentatively.

"And when was the first time you tried to do it?"

"Err.. I don't remember the exact date, but I think it was the first week of September." Ryan responded.

"The result of which was evident in the middle of the second week." God said grimly.

Ryan didn't quite get it at first but when he did, he sprang up. "Wait! You mean to say that I caused those attacks??!!" He shouted.

"No, I only pointed out the fact that whenever you are distressed, it affects the sanity of the world in a negative way. We were not supposed to tell you about the prophecy, but the latest turn of events, and you constantly trying to knock on our door has forced me to disclose this to you. As you were to take your place amongst us after you died a natural death, you were to never know of your powers. I believe Lucifer is behind all this. He has been trying to discredit me for almost a millennium but has been unsuccessful."

"You mean to say that I'm one of you. I'm one of the Gods?" Ryan said disbelievingly.

"You catch on fast. No wonder you are the sanest of them all." God joked.

"Right. Thank you for cheering me up. I'll catch up with you later." Ryan said skeptically as he got up.

"You still don't believe me, do you?" God asked.

"You expect me to believe all this crap?!! You must have gone bonkers!" Ryan said, losing his cool.

"All right, try raising your hand, palm towards the sky and think of something that you want there. Concentrate hard."

Reluctantly, Ryan did as he was told and thought about a bottle of water. To his utter surprise, a bottle of icy cold water appeared out of nowhere on his hand. He freaked out, instantly dropping the bottle and stared at the smirking person in front of him.

"Now do you believe me?" God queried.

"I think I'll have to." Ryan replied with a nervous laugh.

"I hope now you'll live your life and die naturally and then come to our doorstep. Unfortunately I had to tell you all this to stop you from trying to commit a huge blunder and plunging this world into chaos. What I have also done is to activate your role as a God. I apologize but as of now, you are one of us. Welcome aboard." God paused to let this fact sink in to the baffled youth standing in front of him and then continued, "You will complete your life cycle on Earth and then take your place with the others in Heaven. Use your gift wisely for I'll still be watching over you. Adios."

God waved a hand over Ryan's head, transferring His knowledge to him. As He turned to go back from where He came, Ryan called out to Him.

"Wait! How am I supposed to contact you?"

Without looking back, God answered, "The same way everyone does. Pray."

With that He disappeared, extinguishing the bright light behind him. Ryan stood there for some time trying to figure out what had just happened. It wasn't everyday that you realize that you are a God!!

The first thing that came to his mind was Josh's condition. Now that he had the powers and the knowledge, he could do anything. With a smirk plastered on his face, he closed his eyes and thought of being next to Josh. He opened his eyes to find himself in Josh's hospital room. His love lay in front of him looking pale as ever.

Ryan walked up to Josh and sat down next to him. He rested his right hand on the latter's forehead and willed his powers to heal the boy. After an hour of intense concentration, he heard a gasp from the boy he claimed as his life. Ryan opened his eyes to see Josh looking at him with the same amount of love and affection. Overcome with joy and happiness, he hugged Josh and clung to him as if his life depended on it.

********

The astonished hospital staff discharged Josh a week later. Ryan, Jessica, Steve, John and Josh's parents were there to take him back. A huge party had been organized at the hostel by the boys and the staff. Josh's parents had to leave the country for an urgent meeting and were unable to attend. They left immediately after dropping the lot at school.

Ryan hadn't told anyone about the encounter in the front lawns the week before. He had this inkling that God wouldn't want anyone else to know about it. He also felt that nobody would believe him. Instead, he reveled in the knowledge God had given him.

God had not only told him about the powers he had, He had given him the key to every bit of information on this planet and beyond. He felt that he had a Google running inside his head and he could answer anything. Another thing he noticed was that he had the powers of empathy and telepathy. He could also affect the elements, but not to a great extent. His greatest power, though, was of psionics. He knew that as Pondera Custodis, he could control the minds of others and while this thrilled him a lot, it also made him nervous that he had been entrusted with such a huge responsibility.

Pushing these thoughts to the back of his mind, he tried keeping up with the others as they made their way towards the common room, where everyone had assembled for the party. Josh was enjoying himself a lot as Jess, Steve and John talked animatedly trying to update him with what all he had missed during these months.

When Josh entered the room, Josh was spellbound to see the scene in front of him. The whole area was decorated with balloons and confetti, and a huge banner with 'Welcome Home, Josh' written in glittering gold. Tears welled up in Josh's eyes as he thought that while his actual family wasn't here, the people that mattered in his life were. And that was all he ever needed. He put an arm around Ryan's shoulder and the group entered the room to a huge round of applause.

Mr. Fernandez, the Warden, came up to them and congratulated Josh on his recovery. Soon, after everyone was done with their wishes, Mr. Fernandez announced that the dinner was ready. The dinner was a special deal altogether. Josh could see a variety of dishes on the table and on a closer inspection found that all his favorite dishes were present. Careful as to not overdo himself and his tummy, he ate as much as he could, enjoying the company of the ones he loved. He had been separated from Ryan during the dinner and he could see him talking to Jessica across the room.

Ryan was having a hard time keeping his excitement under control. Now that he knew the extent of his powers, he didn't want any emotions of his to affect the world even if they were of ecstasy. The only person that could match his euphoria was the person standing in front of him.

Jessica was extremely glad of the latest developments on two accounts. Her best friend had recovered miraculously. And because of that, her other best friend was back to his old self. She could proudly say that at this moment she was one of the happiest persons of the world.

The duo made their way towards Josh and plopped down, one on each side.

"How are you doing baby?" Ryan asked him. Ryan hadn't healed Josh completely because if he had, it would have caused a huge ruckus.

"Good, but a little tired too." Josh answered.

"You shouldn't exert yourself. Ry, why don't you take him back to your room and let him have some rest?" Jess said.

"Yeah, that would be good." Josh agreed.

Josh and Ryan got up and walked towards their room after thanking Mr. Fernandez for the wonderful party. Nothing was said that night as they both enjoyed each other's company and fell into blissful slumber.

'Nothing can go wrong now.' Ryan thought as he fell to the clutches of the sandman.

********

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_gods

Index

  • The Creator according to Hindu mythology is Lord Brahma.
  • The Preserver is Lord Vishnu.
  • The Destroyer is Lord Shiva.
  • Agni, the God of Fire.
  • Surya, the Sun God.
  • Indra, the God of Weather and War, and Lord of Svargaloka (Heaven) in Hinduism.
  • Pavana, the Wind God.
  • Varuna, God of the Sky, of Rain and of the Celestial Ocean, as well as a God of Law and of the Underworld.
  • Yama, the Lord of Death.

  • 9 months later...
Posted

Alpha and Omega

By: BeaStKid

Chapter 7: Normal?

God the Father took slow measured steps as He walked through the streets of Heaven. He was lost in contemplation over the latest turn of events. He knew that His decision to reveal everything to Ryan was rash, and there would be many who would question Him, but He had had no other option.

Passing by His favorite store, He smiled at the owner and continued. The Kingdom of Heaven was like any other nation state found on Earth. There were stores selling everyday goods, houses to live in, and clubs to party in and what not. All those earthlings who thought that one could only enjoy in Hell and that Heaven was filled with angels sitting on clouds with harps in their hands were in for a rude shock if and when they arrived here. God sniggered at that thought. The only difference between life on Earth and here would be that there was nothing to worry about here. No thieves, no moral policing and above all no money! Everyone in heaven worked for the pleasure of it and not for monetary gains.

Deep in His thoughts, God didn’t realize when the busy street changed into a lone one leading up to a magnificent building. The Great Palace stood imposingly in contrast to the small buildings God had just passed. Made from the finest marble and by the great architects who also created the Taj Mahal, The Great Palace was truly a sight to behold.

Taking a deep breath, God trudged up the path leading to a huge door guarded by the palace guards. The guards bowed their heads in reverence and allowed Him to enter the palace. The doors opened to reveal a large hall with a flight of stairs in the middle. Priceless artifacts and decorative ornaments lay around in strategic places to increase the ambience of the place. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling and the furniture of the drawing room was exquisite. God climbed up the stairs and walked up to the conference hall on His left.

Pandemonium greeted Him as He entered the hall as about two hundred other Gods argued amongst each other at the top of their voices around a huge conference table. A visibly disturbed Lord Brahma sat at its head. Seeing God the Father enter, He called for silence. When He didn’t get any response, He stood up and His ten heads bellowed in one voice, “SILENCE!!”

The hall immediately fell silent and all the other Gods looked at Lord Brahma, searching for the cause of His displeasure. One by one, they spotted God the Father standing by the door and slowly but steadily a murmur started which threatened to get out of hand. But before that could happen, Lord Brahma invited God the Father inside and asked Him to take a seat.

Complying with the Lord’s request, God the Father took an empty seat not far from where the former sat. Lord Brahma turned towards Him and with a stern look on all his faces, asked, “I’m sure, Father, that you have a valid explanation for your actions.”

“Indeed I have. My sources told me that the boy was constantly trying to do himself away and I was of the opinion that this would have resulted in quite a situation.”

Lord Shiva enquired, “But do you realize the risk you have taken by telling everything to a seventeen-year old? What if he did something…?”

God the Father cut Him off, “I have not divulged everything about the prophecy and the boy’s role. He just knows that he is the Pondera Custodis. Nothing more. Moreover, he is the sanest person on that planet. Do you think he would do anything which would jeopardize its existence?”

“I ask you to have him monitored at all times. We can’t risk anything,” said Lord Brahma.

“St. Peter is arranging for that as we speak.”

“Then this Council has no more to ask from you, Father. Thank You for your patience.” Lord Brahma turned to Narada and began asking Him about the situation in Afghanistan while God the Father got lost in His own thoughts.

*********

Ryan lay in Josh’s arms savoring the feeling being in love gives. His mind though, was in a flurry of thoughts, pondering over the latest twist his life was going through. It seemed to him that whenever he thought that his life couldn’t surprise him any more, it did just that with a fury, leaving him stupefied.

He never, even in his wildest dreams, imagined that destiny had such an important task in store for him. It still scared him, being Pondera Custodis. But he felt happy, for it is not everyday that you are special.

Normal classes for the occupants of room 107/3 were to resume on that morning. Due to his depression, Ryan had missed out on a lot of classes. Not that it mattered now. You could put a PhD paper in front of him and he’d breeze through it without batting an eyelid.

He got up from the bed, carefully disentangling himself from the sheets and from Josh, and started getting ready. He looked towards the sleeping form of his boyfriend and wondered what good karma he had performed in his previous life to deserve such a loving partner. Looking back, Ryan reflected that Josh was every bit of a man he had desired and even more, realizing just then how lucky he was to have Josh in his life.

“I know I am irresistible, but damn! I must be smokin’ for you to give me that look. It looks as if you’d ravish me just with your gaze.”

Ryan blinked out of the trance he was in and laughed, at the same time admiring Josh’s physique, as the latter stretched himself, putting on a show.

“As cocky as ever. One day you’ll burst, you’re so full of yourself.” Ryan joked. “Now get up or we’ll be late for school.”

“Yeah, it’s my first day after the injury and I wouldn’t want to start on the teacher’s bad side.” He paused and then added with a wink, “Care to join me in the shower?”

“Horndog.” Ryan laughed, leaving for the showers.

********

School had always been a fun thing for Ryan. He enjoyed the time he spent with his friends more than anything. Studies were just an added bonus, but it was the socializing that made school attractive to him.

When Josh came into his life and added his friends to Ryan’s, it made things much sweeter. There was a quantum leap in Ryan’s cheerful attitude. But during the days of Josh’s injury, the carefree Ryan became a shell of his former self. Now, though, even a blind man could see the glow that radiated from him as he walked with Josh towards their classes.

The boys were in grade eleven and their classes were towards the far end of the building. As such, it took them a good amount of time to leisurely walk to their destination. They made it just as the bell indicating the start of the first class rang.

First class, History, which was Ryan’s least favorite. The teacher was a jackass and that was evident from the first sentence that he heard when Ryan entered the classroom, Josh following him.

“So, I can see that Mr. Henderson has agreed to grace us with his presence,” Mr. Bryce sneered. He never liked the boy. He was too smart for his own good and despite his mischievousness, managed to get good grades; a fact that had the teacher royally pissed. “And fashionably late as usual,” he added as an afterthought.

Biting back a retort, Ryan let himself in and sat down on his usual seat at the back of the class, glad that the other students had left it empty. Mr. Bryce next noticed Josh enter and turned his attention on the poor boy.

“Look who decided to wake up?! We thought you’d never join us Mr. Summers.”

A pointed look towards Ryan effectively shut him off. Josh wanted to deal with this man himself. “Well, I had to wake up; couldn’t take any more nightmares of a certain History teacher,” he jeered at the teacher. “Now if you may allow me, I have a class to attend.”

With a smirk planted on his face, he promptly joined Ryan and faced the blackboard, cutting out the image of a dumbfounded History teacher who stood in front of it. Mr. Bryce quickly regained his composure and silenced the snickering class.

The rest of the class went by without any incident, discounting the death glares that Mr. Bryce gave the two boys sitting at the back of his class.

Next class was English Literature and also Ryan’s favorite. He really enjoyed the class and hoped to become an author someday. Josh also liked this class being an avid debater. Today they were to do Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The boys had already read this play a long time back and were actually looking forward to reading it in class.

Ms. Sanders, the teacher, was a lovely lady. She was one of those teachers that made learning fun. Always cheerful, never reprimanding anyone and always supportive, she was poles apart from the History teacher the class had just endured. Ms. Sanders had a personality that exuded love, caring and understanding; like a mother. It was no wonder that every student liked her.

Ryan and Josh entered Ms. Sanders’ classroom expecting another reprimand for the former. No teacher was happy with him owing to the long absence from classes. Ryan braced himself for the admonishment that was to follow. Instead, he found himself being pushed aside as Ms. Sanders enveloped a baffled Josh in a hug.

“Oh honey! You’re back. Thank God you’re fine. How are you feeling? Is everything okay with you? Do you hurt anywhere? How are you…?”

“Ms. Sanders….Air!” gasped Josh. Once the teacher let him go, he looked around at the few students in embarrassment and shrugged. Looking at a now sheepish Ms. Sanders, he smiled at her, “I’m fine Ms. Sanders. Thank you for asking.”

Josh gave the sniggering Ryan a shove towards their seats and sat down with a thump. The goofy grin on Ryan’s face forced him into a smile as well. Ryan’s smile was always infectious, and Josh felt himself drawn to those brown eyes each time they lit up with it. Just as he was about to lose himself again, the sound of someone clearing their throat brought him back to reality.

“Pleeeze! Get a room!” Jessica said to the pair, sitting down in front of them and then turning back.

“Hey Jess. Wassup?” Josh asked.

“Nothing much, just got off from Wacky Williams’ class. I tell you, he can make Statistics sound like a freaking soap opera!” Jessica grumbled. Wentworth Williams was Jessica’s Economics teacher.

“At least you suffered through some drama, Josh and I had to go through Boring Bryce’s class. He started off regarding my absence and then started cussing Josh. But my boy here put him in his place.” Ryan beamed.

“It wasn’t that big,” said Josh, a little pink in the face. He knew how Jessica felt about speaking back to a teacher, and he was correct when she started berating him about his misdemeanor.

“Cut it out, Jess. Bryce was mocking Josh’s injury. And you know he deserved it.” Ryan defended.

Further bickering was cut off with the arrival of Scott, John and Mark. John sat next to Jessica while Scott and Mark took up a seat behind Ryan and Josh. Their group always sat like this, and like a ritual, John pulled Jessica’s hair-ribbon off of her hair. The fight that followed was always cut off by the sound of the teacher announcing the start of the class.

As expected, Ryan and Josh both enjoyed Julius Caesar. John and Jessica kept up their banter while Scott and Mark played tic-tac-toe during class.

Yep, life is normal again, thought Ryan.

********

Unknown to Ryan and St. Peter, who was keeping a watch over the former via Heaven’s Communication Centre, a mysterious, invisible figure stood outside the classroom, looking in through the window towards the black-haired boy sitting in the second-last seat.

The figure smirked to himself, satisfied with the information it had gathered and went back to where it had come from.

********

Posted

Alpha and Omega

By: BeaStKid

Chapter 8: A Good Deed?

“I don’t like this one bit,” stated God the Father. He was sitting in the Communications Centre along with St. Peter, going through the video the latter had just recorded.

“Yes, My Lord. I also just noticed the silhouette outside the window. It is not something that should be taken lightly.”

“Whatever it is, we must be careful. We cannot take any chances with the boy. Inform her about this person and tell her to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Whoever this person was did not come to pay a friendly visit,” said Father.

********

Ryan and Josh were having lunch with their group in the cafeteria. Ever since they both became an item, their individual friend groups had merged. Not that anyone knew about their relationship, they were very careful not to let anyone get suspicious about it. To everybody except Jessica, they were roommates and exceptionally close friends.

John was sitting with Jessica on Ryan’s left and Mark sat with Scott to Josh’s right. On the other side of the table sat Steve, with an arm around Lisa, and Kyle along with some cheerleader friend of Lisa’s. Apparently, she was Kyle’s latest conquest and had introduced herself as Gina.

The conversation kept to random things like classes, teachers and girlfriends until it came to the recent attacks on the World Trade Centre. Ryan squirmed at the mention of the attacks. If what God the Father had told him was true, he was indirectly responsible for the insanity that led to the terrorists slamming the planes into those buildings.

“Who do you all think did it?” Mark asked.

“Well, don’t tell anyone, but Dad mentioned that the U.S Government has got intelligence reports of it being the work of Al Qaeda,” answered John.

“Al Qaeda? Who’re they?” asked Gina.

“I believe they are the ones in control of the southern part of Afghanistan,” John informed her.

“That’s right, but do you really believe that those Afghans would have guts to attack the U.S!” exclaimed Kyle.

“There is another theory as well,” Scott said somberly. Everyone looked at the otherwise quiet and shy boy with a bemused look on their faces. Taken aback by the sudden attention he was getting, Scott quickly continued, “It may not be true, but I read it somewhere on the internet. They said that the WTC’s were built to sustain such impacts, even when the jets had a lot of fuel in them. The way the towers fell like a pack of cards suggests foul play.”

“You gotta be fuckin’ kidding me!” remarked Steve, joining the discussion and earning a smack on his arm from Lisa due to his language. “Sorry love, but seriously, y’all don’t believe alla this, do you?”

Scott shrugged in response. Ryan, sensing this as the right time to change the topic asked the group about the upcoming Annual Function in December. “You guys doing anything?” he asked.

“Well, I’m in the dance,” Lisa answered.

“I’m in the play,” Jessica replied.

“Me too,” said Kyle and John together.

“Dance and scriptwriter for the play,” said Steve.

“Choir,” came from Mark and Scott.

“Compere,” Josh said.

“That’s great! I’m in the exhibitions,” Ryan said enthusiastically.

“Audience,” Gina drawled, making everyone roll their eyes and groan together.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period and with a mumble of ‘byes’ and ‘cya laters’, the group went their respective ways.

********

All classes after lunch had been cancelled in preparation of the forthcoming annual day. It was supposed to be special as the school was celebrating its 85th Founder’s Day this year.

The whole student body, as well as the staff and the administration, had another two months to set up and prepare for this gala event. The function was scheduled for the sixteenth of December and that would be the last day of school before it closed for the winter holidays.

Everyone could feel the excitement in the air. The mood throughout the campus was festive. The Principal wanted this function to be a memorable one and that was why he was leaving no stone unturned to ensure its success.

Josh was sitting with Ms. Sanders in a corner of the massive auditorium, preparing his speech for the event when Jamie, a boy in his class, came up to them.

“Ms. Sanders, could you go over this script for me?” Jamie asked.

“Certainly,” Ms. Sanders said, taking the papers from Jamie.

While the English teacher read the script, Jamie turned his attention to Josh. “Dude! How’s the speech coming through?” he asked.

“Quite fine indeed,” Josh replied.

“That’s great! I hope you keep it humorous like the previous one.”

Ms. Sanders cleared her throat and pointed to the script in her hand. “I don’t think this is an appropriate ending. The play is for a happy occasion and this is a bit tense in the end. Surely, you wouldn’t want to leave your audience hanging, would you?”

“Of course not!” Jamie remarked. “It’s all Steve’s fault! I told him that the ending I had written was perfectly fine, but he always has to have his own way.”

“Hey! That ending was entirely yours,” Steve said coming up behind the trio. “Don’t blame me.”

Ms. Sanders and Josh looked at each other in amusement. Quietly, they slipped away from the two boys, who continued their arguing and leg-pulling.

********

The day finally over, Ryan lay on his bed, reading a book he had borrowed from the library. Even though his eyes were transfixed on the coarse material in his hands, he had not turned the page for over an hour, a fact that was not missed by Josh.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he asked Ryan, “Babe, what’s the matter? You don’t seem yourself.”

“Huh..?” Ryan said, breaking out of his trance. “Nothing’s wrong, Josh. Why? What makes you feel there is?”

“Ever since lunch, you’ve been a bit distant, as if lost somewhere. What’s bothering you?”

“Josh, trust me, if there was something wrong, I would have already told you,” Ryan assured him with a smile. Josh could see that Ryan was lying, but he let it drop. Ryan gave him a grateful look and went back to reading his book, not even noticing when Josh left the room a little while later.

Ryan was busy in his thoughts, lost in them. The discussion they had had today at lunch had left him visibly disturbed. If he were responsible for the terrorist attack on the WTC in some way, he felt that it was his obligation to do something to rectify it.

A thought struck his mind. If it was indeed the Taliban and the Al Qaeda who had sponsored the attacks, he could…

No, that would be unethical according to him, messing with time and all that crap. But he could at least find out who did it.

His resolve strengthened after that last thought, Ryan sat in Indian style and began meditating. He focused on the day the attacks took place, bringing forth the pictures he remembered from the news. Picturing himself in one of the aircrafts, he opened his eyes.

To his utter shock and amazement, Ryan found himself sitting on a seat at the end of the aisle in what appeared to be an airplane.

Intangible and invisible, Ryan made his way up to the door of the cockpit. Throughout his way, he could feel the torrent of emotions flooding him; fear, uncertainty, horror, panic and much to Ryan’s surprise, excitement.

That must be the hijackers, he thought.

Shaking his head to clear away the emotions and blocking them out, he stepped through the closed door into the cockpit. What he saw there made his stomach churn. The captain and his co-pilot lay in a mess near the seats. They were, thankfully, alive. Two men, obviously from the Middle-East as they talked in rapid Arabic, were manning the controls.

Ryan closed his eyes and delved into the mind of the person sitting in the pilot’s seat. What he read made him gasp. These guys were planning to hit the Pentagon. He was correct in his assumption that they were Al Qaeda operatives, but he could have never imagined that they were about to destroy the most secure building in America.

It was at that moment he decided to do something. Regardless of the warning bells ringing in his head, he felt it was necessary for him to intervene. Gathering his power, he healed the injured men on the floor and knocked out the hijackers at the same time. Ryan kept the plane steady while he implanted a memory of a successful fight in the pilots’ minds, making them think that they overpowered the hijackers, saving the plane in the process. He then ‘implanted’ the same memories in the hijackers’ minds and added a plethora of bruises on them for good measure.

The hijackers, now incapacitated, lay in place of the pilots as the latter stood over them heroically. Ryan gave them their senses and retreated.

“Take that you bastards!” were the last words he heard from the cockpit as Ryan came back to his own time, satisfied that he had done a good deed.

********

Josh was sitting in the common room twiddling with the remote, idly flipping through channels. His mind was somewhere else, though. He was quite concerned as well as disturbed over Ryan’s somber mood. The fact that Ryan refused to tell him anything did not bode well with him.

Josh had purposely not pushed Ryan into telling him the cause of his brooding at that time. But now, this was eating him alive. He had to know what was wrong.

With that in mind, he got up to go to his room. Once there, he paused for just a second before entering.

********

Ryan opened his eyes and took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. He felt great on saving those innocent passengers and the Pentagon. He was able to make good use of his gift and Ryan was proud of it.

The door to the room opened and he saw Josh walk in. Ryan, happy to see his love, met him halfway. Josh opened his mouth to say something but was silenced by a big wet kiss from Ryan. Not complaining about the sudden change in Ryan’s attitude, Josh kissed him back.

“Wow!” he exclaimed when they finally surfaced for air. Josh looked at the beautiful boy in his arms. Again, his attention was drawn to Ryan’s mesmerizing eyes. Those brown orbs were filled with a passion that sent shivers down Josh’s spine.

They stood there, hugging and staring at each other for what seemed like eternity. The world outside held little importance to them as they immersed themselves in the ocean of love.

As though a switch had gone off inside him, Ryan attacked Josh’s shirt, tugging at its buttons. When they refused to cooperate, his impatient hands ripped them off, leaving the owner of the shirt shocked and in a few seconds, shirtless.

De-shirting himself as well, Ryan maneuvered, or rather pushed, Josh onto the bed and climbed on top of him, resuming his fervent assault on Josh’s lips. He unbuttoned his lover’s jeans while Josh, recovering from the shock of losing his shirt, ran a hand through Ryan’s hair.

Ryan’s attention turned to Josh’s chest and a moan escaped Josh’s lips when Ryan took the boy’s left nipple in his mouth, making it erect. Encouraged, Ryan smiled at Josh and swept a tongue over the sensitive spot, not breaking his gaze over Josh for even a second.

Ryan teased each of Josh’s nipples, making his lover squirm, before moving down towards the ultimate prize. He left a trail of kisses and paused to lick Josh’s navel and came to a halt on reaching the coarse material of the denims.

Ryan unzipped them using his teeth, knowing full well that it would get Josh worked up. His hands played with Josh’s nipple and at the same time, he slowly pulled the zipper down. Josh, unable to bear the teasing any longer, took Ryan’s hands in his and urged him to hurry.

Smirking and acceding to his love’s demand, Ryan lowered the zipper all the way. Josh raised his hips, helping Ryan to get the jeans off of him as Ryan admired his boxer-clad partner before devouring his neck.

Satisfied that his efforts on Josh’s neck would leave a nice mark, Ryan shifted so as to position his mouth over Josh’s manhood. He teased Josh’s member before removing the last bit of clothing covering it.

Josh’s engorged p**** lay in all its pristine glory beckoning Ryan to come and please it. Ryan wasted no time in thinking twice and lowered his head to take Josh in his mouth.

********

Ryan awoke the next morning with his head on Josh’s chest. Josh had an arm around Ryan and when Ryan moved slightly, Josh pulled him closer to himself.

Ryan looked at Josh’s serene face and broke into a smile upon seeing the content expression on his boyfriend’s face. Josh looked so peaceful and Ryan hoped that he could wake up like this for the rest of his life.

“Mmmm… Not that I mind, but why do I always wake up to you staring at me?”

Ryan didn’t reply, instead he kissed Josh’s nose and gave a goofy smile in return.

“I like it when you’re like this, babe. This mood suits you far better. I don’t know what it was that had you so down yesterday, but last night was awesome.

“Ryan, I hate to see you sad,” he continued. “I want to give you all the happiness that this world has to offer. I love you so much, babe.”

“I love you too,” Ryan said, hugging Josh tightly. “I have something to tell…”

All good things come to an abrupt end and so did this perfect moment. It was Mr. Fernandez who did the honors by knocking on the door and announcing that if Ryan and Josh didn’t get up in the next two minutes, they’d be late for breakfast. Rolling their eyes, Ryan and Josh replied together, “We’re up, Mr. D, go wake up the others.”

They laughed as Dennis Fernandez, the hostel warden, noisily made his way to the next room and banged on the door to wake its occupants.

“What was it that you wanted to tell me?” Josh asked Ryan.

“Never mind. I’ll tell you later.”

********

Ryan was standing with Josh and Jessica in the auditorium, talking about the upcoming Annual Function. The Principal had called for the whole school to be gathered inside the auditorium for some announcement.

The topic gradually shifted towards Josh’s injury. “How are you doing?” Jessica asked Josh.

“I still get a little tired if I exert myself. That’s why I’m not taking an active part in the function.”

“Smart decision,” Jessica decided. “I was so scared for the both of you. I’m just glad that you’re fine now and that this idiot is okay as well,” she said pointing to Ryan.

“Thanks Jess,” Ryan said gratefully. “You know how much I love Josh, and that’s why I reacted the way I did. If anything had happened…”

“Ryan!” Jessica hissed, looking over Josh and his shoulders.

The boys turned to look at the reason Jessica looked so mortified. The shocked looks on Mark and Scott’s faces were all they needed to realize that they had heard everything.

********

“Dude, just ask her!” Steve said, playfully punching John’s arm.

John sighed. “That’s the problem. I always chicken out at the last moment.”

“You don’t seem to have any hassles talking to her otherwise. I’d say go for it and leave the rest to fate. Everything’ll work out for you.”

“I sure hope so dude. I sure hope so.”

********

“Did we really hear what we just heard?” Mark asked in disbelief.

“Ryan, are Josh and you really a couple?” Scott inquired. Seeing no way out of this predicament, Ryan and Josh nodded.

“Since when?”

“May,” Ryan answered.

“Six months!” Mark exclaimed. “Six god damned f****** months and you didn’t even bother to tell us?!”

Scott put a hand on Mark’s shoulder. “Dude, calm down. It’s not as if we have been completely honest with them as well.”

The ever perceptive Jessica caught on to the hidden meaning before Ryan and Josh could. “I knew it!” she squealed.

“Yeah,” Mark laughed. “We were rather surprised that it took you that long to figure out, given how famous your ESP is around here.”

Ryan and Josh still hadn’t caught on to what was being said, judging by the looks on their faces. So, Scott had to literally spell it out for them by taking Mark’s hand in his and waving them in front of the astounded boys’ faces.

The look Ryan and Josh gave was priceless, their eyes widened in synchronization as realization dawned and the other three burst out laughing at their expense.

“Guys! Hey Guys!” Kyle came up running behind them. He paused to catch his breath and continued, “Did you hear? This just came in the news. The Northern Alliance lost the war in Afghanistan. The Taliban has full control of the country now.”

“Holy s**t!” Mark exclaimed. “When did this happen?”

“The official announcement was made an hour ago,” Kyle answered.

“I wanna see this. You coming Mark?” Scott asked. Mark nodded and left after saying a quick bye to Ryan, Jess and Josh.

“Finally! We’re alone,” Ryan sighed. “Josh, Jess, there’s something I want to tell you.”

********

Posted

Alpha and Omega

By: BeaStKid

Chapter 9: Some fun, More Problems

"Josh, Jess, there's something I want to tell you."

"What is it, Ryan?" Josh asked, concerned at the nervous look on Ryan's face.

"There's no easy way to say this and it's a little bizarre, but I hope that you'll believe me. It's just that what I'm about to tell you is so weird and…"

"Honey, stop beating around the bush and cut to the point," Jessica told him.

"Okay, I'm one of the Gods." Ryan said in a rush.

Silence reigned supreme for a few minutes in their vicinity as they digested this proclamation. It was Jessica who broke the silence. Her expression turned from shock to one of amusement.

"Right. When you said bizarre, you certainly weren't joking," she quipped.

Ryan looked towards Josh for support but got just a blank expression in response. Sighing, Ryan took hold of their arms and led them out of the auditorium to a secluded area. Making sure that they were alone, Ryan turned and said, "I knew you wouldn't believe me. I didn't believe it myself when God the Father told me Himself."

"Ryan, you expect us to buy all this bullshit you just said?" Josh asked in amusement. "Cause trust me dude, we aren't going to fall for it."

Seeing no other way to convince them, Ryan thought back to the time when God the Father had told him about his gift and in that memory Ryan found his answer.

"Alright, I know of a way that'll convince you that I'm telling the truth," he said. "Think of something that you want. Anything; but don't say it out loud, just think about it. Jess, you go first."

Shrugging, Jessica thought no harm in trying. She closed her eyes and thought about the latest edition of Rolling Stone, as that was the first thing that came to her mind.

A few seconds later, Ryan asked her to open her eyes. To her utter amazement, she saw the object of her thoughts in Ryan's hands. "Now do you believe me?" Ryan asked them. "Or do you still need proof. Josh?"

"I am so freaked out as of this moment," Josh whispered slowly.

"Ryan, when did you get to know about this?" Jessica questioned.

"A week before Josh got discharged from the hospital," Ryan answered. "How else do you think he recovered so fast, almost like a miracle?"

"You didn't!" Jessica reproved.

"Wait a sec! You mean to say that it was you who healed me? Josh asked, finally catching up to what was being implied. Ryan nodded his response.

"So let me get this straight… You are one of the Gods and have all the powers they have, right?" Jessica inquired of Ryan.

"In a nutshell, yes. But I have a role to play as well," Ryan said. He told them everything God the Father had told him that evening. He also informed them about his subsequent saving of the Pentagon.

"Wow! I knew you were special, but this, even I hadn't imagined," Josh exclaimed.

"Ryan? Did you ask Father before you came and babbled everything to us?" Jessica asked seriously. "Or even before you went back in time?"

"Uhh… No," he answered.

"Dammit! You should've at least consulted Him on this!" Jessica said outrageously.

"Leave him alone Jess," Josh came to Ryan's defense. "He came to us because he trusts us. And besides, he saved so many people from dying."

Jessica was about to argue further but was cut off by the arrival of Ms. Sanders, who was calling them inside.

"This discussion isn't over by a long shot, wise guy," Jessica warned Ryan.

********

The student body was in for a special surprise when the Principal announced a trip to the local amusement park. While there was not a big restriction on students for going out of the campus, such 'sponsored' trips were always welcome as these suited the children's already overburdened pockets. The children were given half an hour to get changed out of their uniforms and into something comfortable.

"How do I look?" Ryan asked Josh.

"Awesome as always," Josh said after giving Ryan a look-over. He threw a bag towards him and said, "Here, keep our towels and shorts in this bag."

Ryan caught the bag mid-air and gave Josh an inquiring look to which Josh replied, "There's a water park as well."

"Yep," Mark said, entering the room. "And do you know what that means?" he asked the two. "Lots of EYE CANDY!!"

"Give it a lid, dumbass. You already have Scott," Josh joked.

"And besides, I have my eye-candy right here," Ryan said, coming up behind his boyfriend and hugging him.

"Get a room both of you!" Mark jibed.

"Is this the cue for us to tell you that you are standing in it?!" Ryan laughed.

"Point well made," Mark conceded. "Now move your cute little asses or we'll be late."

As Mark turned to leave, Josh muttered under his breath, loud enough for only Ryan to hear, "If he's like this just a day after finding out about us, I wonder what the coming year and a half has in store for us?"

Ryan tried to shudder in mock fear but couldn't. He burst out laughing, Josh joining him a few seconds later.

********

Ryan was having the time of his life. It had been ages since he had gone out and done stuff like this. Sitting on the Roller Coaster with the love of his life, he was certainly on cloud nine.

If there was one thing besides a good book and Josh's body that could grab Ryan's attention longer than a goldfish's, it was spending a day on the most adventurous rides in the amusement park. His favorites were the Talon Express, a Roller Coaster, and the Coffee Cups, better known as the Crazy Cups.

While Ryan was having fun with his boyfriend, another boy was looking longingly towards his prospective significant-other; debating whether this would be an appropriate moment to tell her about his feelings or not.

John, having come to a conclusion, joined Jessica by the ice-cream parlor. His nervousness was far too evident from his sweaty hands, which he kept wiping on his shorts.

"Hey Johnny," Jessica said, licking her ice cream.

"Uh…Hi," John stammered. "Jess?"

"Hmmm?"

"Would you…Would you like to…I mean."

"Like to, what John?" Jessica asked.

"Would you like to join me on the Ferris Wheel?" John blurted out in a hurry, chickening out at the last moment.

Jessica smiled, "I'd love to."

Her smile turned into a full grin upon seeing the look of utter jubilation on John's face. She hooked her arm in his and together they joined the queue for the tickets.

A tap on Josh's shoulder made him look back. Steve was standing behind him with an amused look on his face. He stopped John from turning around and handed him a rose with a quick wink accompanied by a nod towards Jessica. Understanding the gesture and mumbling a 'thanks', John pocketed the red rose while Steve slipped away; the whole exchange going unnoticed by Jessica.

********

Steve was content with himself. He was pretty sure that John would not back out of telling Jessica about his feelings this time round and he was happy that he had helped John in this regard.

"STEPHEN ANDREW MARTIN!!" Lisa's shrill voice penetrated Steve's thoughts. She was standing a few steps away from him, with her hands on her hips. The implication of using Steve's full name was not lost to the boy and he froze in his tracks, trying to guess what had he done to attract his girlfriend's ire this time round.

"That was the sweetest, cutest and the most marvelous thing you did for John. I'm so proud of you," Lisa said, closing the gap between Steve and herself.

Steve heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh that! I thought John could use a nudge there."

"You are such a wonderful person Steve. And that is just one of the reasons why I like you so much," Lisa said before placing her lips on Steve's.

********

Ryan was walking towards the area where he had left Josh before going to buying the tickets to the water park when a voice behind him caused him to stop.

"Hello Ryan."

Ryan turned, expecting to see one of his schoolmates. That was why he was taken aback to see a man dressed in all black with a hat on his head, standing in front of him instead. The man had an eerie look to him. He was not very tall, but was stocky and well built. He was wearing a long overcoat, even though it wasn't cold at all. When he raised his head and his face came into Ryan's view, the latter gasped out loud upon seeing the ghostly appearance of the man in front of him. Right out of a vampire movie, this man could put any Goth to shame.

"Who are you and how do you know my name?" Ryan asked cautiously.

"I know you very well, sonny boy," the man replied. "You can call me Cornelius."

"What do you want from me, Cornelius?" Ryan inwardly sniggered at the unusual name. It sounded corny to him.

"I do not want anything from you. Rather, I want to give you something," Cornelius said. "Advice, I want to give you some valuable advice."

"What kind of advice?"

"I know you are special," Cornelius said. Knowing that Ryan was about to interrupt him, he hurriedly added, "Don't ask how; now is neither the time nor the place for that question. You have a wonderful gift, as is evident after you saved the Pentagon. Think about it, boy. You can save many more lives with that kind of power."

"But…"

Ryan heard his name being called from behind him. He turned to locate the owner of the voice, but couldn't find anyone he knew. He turned back towards the mysterious man. "But Cornelius, how…"

Ryan stopped in mid-sentence. The man was nowhere in sight. "Weird," Ryan mumbled before walking away, resuming his efforts to locate Josh.

********

John was enjoying himself, sitting at the apex of the ride with the girl he liked. He could see the entire park from this height. The rush of adrenaline made him forget his nervousness and he took out the rose from his pocket.

He looked at Jessica and once he had her attention, offered the rose to her. "Jessica, just as this Ferris wheel is at its peak, I feel the same way every time I am with you. Seeing you, my heart beats faster and whenever I am not near you, I yearn to be with you."

John paused for a second and then added the words he had wanted to say for a long time. "Jess, would you give me the honor of becoming your boyfriend?"

Jessica was speechless. She never thought that John would be harboring feelings for her. She didn't know what to say or do and was at a total loss for words. So she remained quiet instead.

The ride ended without either of them saying anything. John had lost the spring in his steps and was walking dejectedly, crestfallen at Jessica's lack of response. He never noticed that she had stopped walking and only got to know of this fact when he heard her voice from behind him. He turned, waiting to hear it, the rejection.

"John," Jessica called out again, making the boy look into her eyes instead of the ground. "Yes."

It took a few moments for the reality of that one word Jessica had just uttered to sink in. When it did, John's joy knew no bounds. He quickly covered the distance between them and took Jessica in her arms, lifting her off the ground.

********

Josh was standing near the entrance of the water park, waiting for Ryan. He was getting restless by the minute due to the time it was taking Ryan. Josh really wanted to go inside and have fun in the water.

When Ryan showed up a few minutes later, Josh immediately began his tirade. "Where have you been? It took you a good quarter of an hour to get those tickets. I've been waiting and going crazy…"

Josh stopped his rant when he saw that Ryan was not listening to him, but was rather in deep thought; a frown that was marking his handsome features a clear indication of his tension.

"Ryan? What's the matter, babe?"

"Huh? Nothing."

"Ryan, you promised no more secrets from me, remember? Now tell me what it is that's bothering you, and don't give me that 'nothing' crap 'cause I know that something is bothering you."

"It's just that after I had bought the tickets…" Ryan told Josh about his strange encounter with Cornelius and his cryptic words.

"I don't know what he was trying to imply," Ryan finished.

"Real simple. He was advising you to go back in time and save those other planes as well," Josh stated matter-of-factly.

"I can't do that!" Ryan said incredulously. "You know that it was an impulsive decision of mine to save the Pentagon."

"Yeah, and look how many lives you saved with that little decision," Josh countered.

"But what if something went wrong? I don't want more incidents as a result of my feelings and actions."

"Think about it, babe," Josh advised.

"I will," he said and changed the topic, "But right now, I want to get into the water and chill out."

"You said it dude!!" Josh said enthusiastically.

********

The entire student body was relaxing, tired from the day's activities. While some students chose to kick back in their rooms and take a nap, others were lazing around in the lush green lawns the campus had to offer.

Ryan, Josh and their group lay sprawled out on the grass, enjoying the pleasant evening. The topics of discussion were random, ranging from food to movies to class-work, teachers and the upcoming Annual Day.

Ryan and Josh were a little separate from the group, but not far enough so as to arouse any suspicions. Josh re-started their talk about Cornelius and his advice, trying to convince Ryan to go ahead with it. Ryan was still apprehensive about using his powers to save the planes. He had a feeling in his gut that if he changed the past any further, it would not result in something good.

"But Ryan, nothing bad happened when you saved the Pentagon," Josh kept up his pestering.

"All right! If it gets you to shut up, I'll do it," Ryan conceded, finally.

"Great. Now is as good a time as any."

"Now?"

"Yeah. What's wrong? Better do it now when you have the time. Everyone's either sleeping or out here. Go use our room; no one'll disturb you there."

"Okay."

Ryan got up to go to his room. "All the best," he heard Josh say.

********

"Oh No!" St. Peter cried out. He was in the Communications Centre with Gabriel when the red light flashed on the screen, signaling an emergency.

"Gabe, please go and inform Goddess Sarasvati to meet me in Father's chambers. Tell her it is extremely urgent."

"But why do you need to see the Goddess of Learning?" Gabriel asked.

"We would be needing Her psionic abilities. Now please hurry; we have no time to lose."

St. Peter and Gabriel both exited the Communication centre, the latter rushing to inform God the Father about this latest development while the former hurrying to give Lord Brahma's wife the message from St. Peter.

********

Ryan was sitting cross-legged on his bed, ready to enter the meditation necessary for the task he was about to do. He closed his eyes and concentrated on centering his consciousness. He never noticed the silhouette of a man outside his window. Neither did he see the look of intense satisfaction cross over the man's face.

Boss will be so happy once he gets to hear about our plan's success. Cornelius thought. Convinced that Ryan was at the point of no return, he turned away from the window, disappearing into the shadows the setting sun's rays caused.

********

Posted

Alpha and Omega

By: BeaStKid

Chapter 10: Ramifications

“Was there nothing that we could do to prevent this from happening?” God the Father asked St. Peter. They were standing outside the Conference Hall, trying to delay the inevitable.

“Nothing at all, Father. Goddess Sarasvati could not be contacted in time; she was busy elsewhere. We could not disturb the boy in the middle of his meditation without her psionic abilities to help us.”

“Yes, we could not. We would have lost him had we tried to break his ‘centre’. What about the other psionic Gods? Were they not available?”

“They were available,” replied St. Peter. “But we needed Lord Brahma’s wife, with her immense abilities, for a task this large in magnitude.”

“Hmmm… Well, what is done is done. We must face the ramifications now.”

“After you, dear Father,” St. Peter said.

God the Father opened the doors to the Hall and found Himself as the object of every other God’s intense gaze. The Hall fell into a pin-drop silence, a stark contrast to the pandemonium that had greeted Him the last time He had stepped through those doors.

“Ah, Father. Come. Come. We were waiting for you only. Please take a chair. You too, St. Peter,” Lord Brahma said, pointing to the two empty chairs next to him.

God the Father was quite surprised. He had never seen Lord Brahma ask anyone to sit on the chairs reserved for the Council. There were only three other Gods, besides Lord Brahma, who had that privilege and two of them were already sitting. Lord Vishnu encouraged God the Father with a slight nod of his head while Lord Shiva sat with an air of superiority, not even looking at the newest entrees of the Hall.

St. Peter and God the Father took the extra seats on the Council Table. The Conference Hall was set up like a parliament session, a change keeping in mind the huge attendance at this meeting. Almost every other God was present inside the Hall, watching Lord Brahma with bated breaths as He called for the meeting to begin. They knew that there was something important to be discussed, otherwise Lord Brahma would have never called for a General Conference.

“My dear Brethren, we are gathered here today to discuss a very grave issue at hand,” Lord Brahma said, his voice amplified for the huge Hall. “The Pondera Custodis used his powers on a massive scale to intervene and prevent the World Trade Centre attacks from taking place. As you all know, Pondera Custodis is a mortal at the moment and that his powers were given to him as a last resort to save his life. We were sure that he would not use his powers to such an extent, but we still made arrangements as a precaution. Clearly, those arrangements failed to do their job.”

Lord Brahma gave St. Peter a pointed look before continuing, “As a result of this act, the Pondera Custodis has received full control over The Libramen, better known as the Force of Balance. This Council requests you to keep a strong vigil on Pondera Custodis in whatever way possible. All of us with psionic abilities to remain in constant touch with St. Peter or Father and at least one of them to be with them at all times. We need all the help we can get. Thank You. I now hand over the proceedings of this meeting to Lord Vishnu.”

“I knew this would happen. Didn’t I tell you so?” Lord Shiva muttered to a grim looking Lord Brahma, who had taken His seat.

********

“Mmmm… Stop it!” Jessica said playfully, a few days later. She was cuddled up with John on the couch in the common room of Jessica’s dorm.

She was desperately trying to concentrate on the television, but failing miserably as John kept distracting her with his tongue; licking the nape of her neck in a sensuous motion, sending shivers down Jessica’s spine right down to her toes.

“Why can’t boys keep still on one channel?” The remote control was in John’s hands and he was constantly changing the programs, trying to look for something interesting.

A program caught Jessica’s attention and she asked John to go back to it. It was one of the many news broadcasting channels and John was about to change it again, after letting out a sigh of exasperation and a roll of his eyes, when Jessica stopped him.

“The Al-Qaeda, with support from the Taliban of Afghanistan has seized control of the state of Pakistan. Earlier this month, the Taliban defeated the Northern Alliance, ending a brutal war that had been going on since the fall of the Soviet Union. Pakistan’s military ruler was assassinated last night by the terrorist organization and shortly thereafter, they declared possession of the country. The Al-Qaeda and Taliban have complete control over the two nations as of now. Al-Qaeda is the same terrorist group which is believed to be responsible for the failed attacks on the World Trade Centre in September this year. The fate of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal…”

Jessica took the remote control from John and switched the television off. She got up from the couch and began pacing the room, running a hand through her hair and muttering under her breath.

“Northern Alliance defeated earlier this month? But the news came in a few days back. How can this be possible? Failed World Trade Centre attacks?” Jessica mumbled, utterly confused.

Realization hit her like a ton of bricks and she cursed out loud, startling John, who was looking at her in bewilderment. Jessica ran out of the room, still grumbling and swearing while John followed her a few minutes later.

********

The Hostel building was three stories high, housing five dorms each, except for the ground floor which had seven. Each dorm had three rooms plus a common room. There was a huge recreational area for the hostel in the basement consisting of a library, a television room, a table tennis area and an indoor badminton court.

Ryan, Josh, Mark and Scott were sitting in the rec-area’s television room, exhausted after playing several matches of badminton. The group was watching a live telecast of a rock band, being telecast from Phoenix, Arizona.

“I kinda like this new lead singer. He’s far better than the last one,” Mark commented. “He’s smokin’ hot as well!”

“Yeah, but I think the drummer gives him a tough competition,” Scott pointed out.

“Hey! The bass guitarist is way better looking than the rest. The best part is that he loves to show skin and isn’t shy to pose. Josh and I like him the best. I hear he’s quite a prankster as well,” Ryan added with a wink.

“Do you think anyone’s gay outta them?” Mark asked them.

“Hmmm… all-boys bands usually have a one-odd gay guy in them. I think the bass guitarist could be gay,” Josh thought out-loud.

“Nah! I think the lead guitarist is definitely the gay guy in the lot,” Scott declared.

“Honey, your gaydar’s never been accurate. You pegged Kyle as gay when you first met him!” Mark joked.

At that moment, Jessica stomped into the room and yanked the television’s power cord out of its socket. Shouts of protests from the boys were immediately silenced by the death glare she gave them, making it pretty clear that she meant business.

“Mark, Scott; I need a few words with Ryan; and Josh too. Could you excuse us for a while?” she spat out, her eyes fixed on the two boys she wanted to talk to. Jessica’s anger, rarely surfaced, but when it did, hell hath no fury for those who got caught in her way. Knowing this very well, Scott and Mark meekly left the room.

“Why did you do it?” Jessica demanded of Ryan, once they were alone.

Ryan was perplexed at the sudden outburst. “Do what?”

“Go back in time and stop the WTC attacks, dammit! Do you know what you’ve done?” she screamed.

“How did you get to know of this? Everyone’s supposed to forget that the attacks ever happened once the timeline’s been changed. Why weren’t your memories altered?” Ryan questioned. “Even Josh doesn’t recall anything. I asked him myself.”

Jessica looked at Josh for confirmation and the boy nodded in response. “Look Jess, if Ryan did indeed prevent those attacks, isn’t that a good thing? I mean he saved thousands of lives.”

“Saved? You idiot! He has put millions of lives at risk, probably more. You want to know why I am freaking out. I’ll show why.” She put the plug back in, switched the television on, and changed to a news channel where the boys saw the latest developments in Asia.

“Oh my…!” Ryan gasped.

“Wait a minute. This doesn’t mean that Ryan’s responsible for this mess,” Josh said.

“He is,” Jessica replied. “Ryan, you of all people, should know the Laws of Balance? How could you forget them?”

“He’s a God, for God’s sake!” Josh said in indignation. “Cut him some slack, he knows what he’s doing.”

“I don’t CARE if he’s a f****** God!” Jessica shouted back. “Gods don’t make stupid mistakes like these and bring the world to the brink of a nuclear holocaust. He ought to have been more…”

Jessica stopped in midsentence. She had just realized that the rec-area was not the correct place for a discussion like this. She moved towards the doorway that led to the library, a more private place than the one they were in, and signaled the boys to follow her, never realizing that three sets of ears had been listening from outside another door.

********

Mark and Steve had never left the television room. Their curiosity was piqued when they had seen Jessica in such a temper. She was the calmest personality in their group and was the closest to Ryan and Josh. Hence, when she stormed into the room and confronted them, Mark and Scott’s desire to know what was wrong kept them from leaving.

They heard everything, their ears on the door; each word shocking them to the core. John, who had come to the rec-area in search of Jessica, stood there with the duo as well, listening to the conversation taking place inside.

When Jessica’s voice stopped coming through the door, they realized that the group must have gone into the library for more privacy. Mark and Scott looked at each other, their eyes wide in amazement.

“Wicked!” Mark exclaimed.

“What was that all about?” John was utterly confused. He was having a hard time grasping everything.

“Dude, didn’t you just hear? It seems like our Ryan is someone special,” Mark said, his eyes beaming. “What’s up with you?” he asked Scott.

“Huh?” Scott said, breaking out of his trance. “We shouldn’t have been eavesdropping on them. It was wrong on our part.”

“As if we’re going to tell anyone,” John quipped.

“I, for one, am not going to tell anyone, anything,” Scott said.

“Same goes for me,” Mark stated.

“Me too,” John added.

“What do we tell them?” Scott asked, pointing towards the television room.

“Nothing,” John answered and the others agreed with him.

********

As soon as Ryan, Josh and Jessica entered the library, Jessica spun around and continued, “As I was saying, you ought to have consulted Father before taking such a step. Or at least you could’ve come to me.”

“Jess, I did what I felt right. Besides, I consulted Josh. Had it not been for him, I wouldn’t have even gone ahead with this idea,” Ryan told her.

Jessica frowned. “It was you who instigated him to take this step? I should’ve known.”

“C’mon Jess, Ryan saved those passengers the last time he went back in time and he saved scores of people now.”

“How do you remember…?” Jessica began.

“That’s enough, Jess,” Josh cut her off. “Ryan, what are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know,” Ryan answered.

“Why don’t you try contacting Father?” Jessica suggested. “I am sure that He’d give you the right advice. As it is, you should’ve gone to Him in the first place.”

“You’re right. I’ll try contacting Him now.” Ryan closed his eyes and prayed, trying to reach God the Father. He stood there for a few minutes, concentrating hard and requesting help under his breath.

Ryan’s brows knitted in confusion and he opened his eyes. “That’s odd. No one’s answering my prayers. This has never happened, ever.”

********

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