Jack-

"Satan! You're bloody Satan! You should rot in Hell!" My mother screamed at me while my father beat the shit out of me, my elder brother watching with sorrowful eyes in the near distance.

I eye the available flights, wondering which country I should flee to. I managed to escape successfully. I hailed a cab once I was a good couple miles away from home and was driven to the airport. The money I stole from my parents was very helpful. Glancing through all the places I could go, I was overwhelmed with happiness, even though memories of my parents still ran through my brain. I could go anywhere in the world, see any country I wanted and never come back to Ireland. I'd have to go somewhere I could start a new life at, get a job, meet some good people.

I narrowed the options down to America and started looking through the states. For a moment, I almost immediately went with New York, knowing of it's bustling society, but it seemed too crowded for my taste. I continued looking through them, from Texas to Minnesota, but none felt right to me, until I remembered another busy city that didn't sound so overbearing and is possibly my best option, hearing that it was the land of opportunity.

"May I get a one-way ticket to Los Angeles, California, please?" I asked the lady at the front desk, who searched for upcoming flights.

"You realize last minute trips cost more than planned, sir?" She countered and I nodded. "Alright, the next flight takes off in two hours. May I get your information?"

~

Mark-

"Mark! Hey, buddy! Didn't expect you to show up," My friend, Bob, admitted to me as I sat next to him at the local bar he worked at. I gave him a convincing smile that wouldn't say I just killed another person without meaning to. "What happened? You look like you got into a fight."

"If by fight you mean smacked by a door, then you'd be able to tell I lost," I laughed, tugging at my long sleeved shirt a bit that were hiding the scratches on my arms. I immediately changed the subject, "But, yeah, I decided to pop by, see how you were doing."

"I appreciate the thought. How about I get you a drink? On the house," Bob grinned, but then frowned as realization hit him. "Oh, that's right. You can't drink."

"Yeah, very unfortunate," I chuckled, then sighed. I wish I could process alcohol right, but then I'd probably be drunk all the time. "You can get me a water though."

"Alright. Here, have some peanuts," He pushed the small bowl towards me as he went to get my water. He's a bartender and good one at that, but it was never something he was actually interested in. He enjoyed law, but decided to work here in order to observe the people - it's the part he loves most.

"Thanks," I muttered and tossed a peanut into my mouth as he turned and gave me a glass of water that had a lemon slice hanging onto the rim of the cup. "How've you been?"

"I've been pretty good, thinking about returning back to Law School and getting my degree and whatnot, otherwise it's been slow," He smiled. "What about you? I haven't seen you in awhile. Are you doing alright?"

"Yeah, things have been consistently boring since I moved," I somewhat admitted. I've been spending all of my time alone, trying to keep myself from hurting anyone.

"Are you thinking about moving back? Mandy and I miss having you over for dinner."

"Awe, tell her I said hi. I kind of like the quiet around my new place. L.A. is just too busy for me," I didn't entirely lie, just skirted around the truth, something I've grown accustomed to.

"I understand that. Maybe Mandy and I will eventually move somewhere like that. We aren't ones for big cities either. How's YouTube going?" He asked and I sighed, knowing it hasn't been the same lately. I've lost the deep connection I felt towards my videos and nothing I do seems to repair it.

"It's been okay, it could be better. I love it, it's just gotten somewhat... repetitive," I admitted, glad Bob found a topic to talk about that I didn't have to lie about. "How's your channel going?"

"It's growing," He smiled, clearly happy I asked. I was the one who convinced him to start, knowing he could do well with it. "I wish I had more time to pour into it, but I don't want to quit my job here just yet. I think I'm going to give it another year, let some money flow so I can get back to law."

"That's a good idea, I hope you keep to it," I said supportively and drank some of my water, sighing a bit, knowing it was tap water. I didn't really mind though, I mean, I drank out of the hose occasionally when I was growing up as a kid. It didn't make much of a difference to me.

"Thanks, Mark. I hope you find YouTube more satisfying again someday."

"Me too, Bob," I chuckled a bit, then sighed again, knowing I had to get back home before dark. It always seemed that at night, I tend to hurt people more. "I better get going back home."

"You know, Mark? I think you should consider getting a dog, it might be really good for you. I don't like the idea of you being all alone over there. I've known you forever, you hate loneliness," Bob reminded me and I gave him a smile to show I appreciated his concern.

"Maybe if the silence becomes unbearable," I chuckled and he nodded.

"Just remember I'm always willing to make the trip to see you, maybe Mandy and I will have dinner at your place for a change," He mused, knowing I didn't cook and food was impossible to get delivered where I live now.

"Maybe," I laughed, thinking it actually wouldn't be too bad.

"I better let you get going. Don't be a stranger!" He called as I stood up, getting ready to leave.

"I won't," I promised, though I knew that was a flat-out lie.