His childhood wasn't something Gryphon liked to relive. As a child, he lived in a constant nightmare, a never-ending hell. He hated himself so much, hated who he was fundamentally. He was taught how to hate, and taught how to destroy himself.

He hated himself for his skin color. Being black wasn't something Gryphon considered bad, but everyone around him did. They made fun of his skin, rich in color and a drastic difference from the neighborhood he grew up in. He hated himself for being gay, for liking boys, for seeing guys and picturing what it would be like to hold their hands, to kiss them, to sleep with them.

Gryphon hated everything about himself. His appearance, his height, his weight, his race.

Tanner Higgins helped him hate himself. The rich, white doctor was someone who prided himself on who he was and where he came from. He'd always been dripping in money, and he knew it too. It was who he was, how he combed his hair, how he held himself.

Gryphon hated Tanner almost as much as he hated himself. The rich preppy boy had been handed everything, and he was using that power to destroy others. To abuse those who were different, just like Gryphon was.

As Gryphon laid in bed, the lights off and his back against the sheets, he recalled a time when he was in the camp, trapped. It was before he convinced himself he was no longer gay. It was before he changed himself to be someone society would like.

It was when he liked Tanner.

He'd been young, naive. And Tanner had been someone to look up to. He was handsome, with clear skin and perfect hair. He was strong, sure of himself, confident. The type of person Gryphon wished he was.

Tanner hated that Gryphon liked him.

Gryphon had been strapped into the chair, his body bloody from where Tanner had cut into him with a knife. His mantra of the day was liking boys is bad. Liking boys will hurt you. All along, it was only Tanner that hurt him.

The Tanner then was different from the Tanner now. The Tanner now wasn't strong. He was weak, he was confused, he was struggling with who he really was. And while Gryphon was convinced he was over boys, that he was no longer gay, he knew it wasn't true.

Seeing Tanner on the ground, crying, was the biggest turn for Gryphon, and he hated it. Hated that Tanner could make him feel those feelings again. Of course, Gryphon had never been straight. He'd been hiding his feelings for boys, pushing them so deep that he could pretend they didn't exist. But when he saw Tanner crying, he felt his head spin with the idea that he could wrap his arms around Tanner and console him.

Of course, he didn't. He wouldn't. But that didn't stop him from wanting it.

And of course, seeing Tanner with Polly made Gryphon's heart throb with want. Tanner, who had only shown him hatred, was so kind to Polly. So gentle, so loving, so caring. So unlike himself that Gryphon wished that Tanner had cared for him that way.

It was sick and twisted for Gryphon to want Tanner, but he did. God, he did.

He wanted those smooth, light skinned hands to hold his dark ones. He wanted to run his hands through Tanner's brown hair, to knot his fingers between the silky strands, to kiss Tanner until he too kissed back.

Gryphon wanted the opposite of Tanner: he wanted to turn the boy gay. But of course, he knew he couldn't turn anyone gay. Tanner would already have to be gay.

That wouldn't stop Gryphon from trying.

He needed a cigarette, and he needed one fast. Anxiety was crawling up his throat, so he swung himself out of bed and dug around in the pocket of his jacket for his cigarettes. When his hand closed around the rectangle box, he let out a sigh of relief.

Outside, he leaned against the side of the house and inhaled. He hated this, this dependence on nicotine, but he wasn't about to stop. It calmed him down, made him take a step back and realize what he needed to do, what needed to be done. It kept him sane, kept him productive.

"Gryphon," a small voice from behind him said, startling him. When he turned, he saw Polly, her eyes wide and wet. Like she too had been crying. This was a long night for the both of them, it looked like.

"Polly. You've had a rough night so far. Why are you up?"

She ducked her head, toeing the dirt. She looked lost, lonely. Terrified, even. Her bare shoulders shook from the cold, or from fear, or maybe both. She wasn't sure if the cold was why she felt so numb, or if it was because of the nightmare she'd had prior. Either way, she wasn't about to ask anyone for clothes.

"After that nightmare, I didn't go back to sleep. I just... pretended I did. So they would stop worrying."

Gryphon admired the way that everyone in the house treated her. They cared for her safety in ways that Gryphon had never felt before. Even Tanner, in his messed up psychopathic ways was caring.

"They don't stop worrying, Polly. They really care for you." Gryphon's voice softened, because how could it not, with Polly standing in front of him with a broken expression. So broken, it made him wonder how she was still alive. How she continued day after day, without giving up.

Admiration blossomed in his chest.

Then, without warning, so did jealousy. Jealousy because of how Tanner felt about her, despite everything. She was who Tanner wanted to be with. Gryphon ignored those feelings; pushed them back so he wouldn't have to think about them. There was no reason to like Tanner. He was cruel. He was evil. He was trying to be better, but that didn't erase what he had done.

"I know they do. Every day, I wonder why. What did I do to deserve friends like this? Minny, who cares so much about me. Even Lennard, who has no reason to care, still does. And Tanner, the man who ruined my life. He... cares in his own way."

It pained her to say this. She hated that perhaps he was changing, perhaps he did care. She wanted to think of him as the man who was heartless, punishing, but he wasn't that person anymore, even if she wanted him to be.

"Do you think we can actually do this? Do you think this will actually work?" Gryphon has his doubts, but he wanted to know how Polly felt. Did she question Lennard's motives as well, or was she just trusting? Did she have concerns?

Polly crouched low, wrapping her arms around her small body. She was shaking her head, but that didn't necessarily mean no. "Who knows, honestly. Lennard has such big plans. He has it all in his head, but their father is a powerful man. And they're kids. And we're kids. Gay kids with nothing but our stories to win people over."

Put like that, their mission sounded stupid. It sounded childish, infantile, a pubescent dream. It didn't sound valid in the slightest, and it didn't really give anyone the hope that this would work. But, Polly wasn't one to sugarcoat. Usually, her words were kind, but tonight, she was somber. She had to be.

Gryphon crouched to her level. "Are you sorry you're gay?"

Polly looked him in the eyes, her expression flat. "Of course not. I'm me. I love my gay self. But not everyone does. And those people that don't are a lot more mean than I am. And they have a lot more power than we do."

Her words were unsettling to Gryphon, mostly because she was right. Those who hated them had more power. They could and would defeat them, pummel them to nothing. The other part that was unsettling to Gryphon was that Polly lumped herself with him; she considered them both gay.

She's not wrong, his thoughts whispered to him until his head spun. He thought he'd grown past that, thought he outlived his gay years. But even he knew that wasn't possible. You couldn't outgrow being gay.

"We can't give up, though." Gryphon stood up from the crouch and offered his hand to Polly, who took it without hesitation. When he pulled her up, she was close enough to kiss, but that thought wasn't going through his mind. "I trust these guys. I think Lennard and Minny know what they're doing, and if this will make some sort of change, I'm done for that. 'Cause fuck those who are homophobic. Fuck 'em."

A slow grin covered Polly's face. "Fuck 'em."

Gryphon felt like he was back in camp, trapped in the same situation as Polly. Only this time, they were on the same team and they were going to make a difference this time. They were going to fight the systematic homophobia where it really mattered.

"It doesn't just have to be us, though." Polly continued. "I think I know a girl who would be a great asset to this team."

* * *

We ain't done yet, my skeleton children!

You all know who Polly's going to call in (;

What do you guys think of Gryphon, though? Can he be trusted? 

And what is up with this power team that just keeps growing? What should we call them?

I love you all!! XOXO