Elyah: The Secret Rebel Child

Elyah doesn't like conversing. A boy with a few words. He only speaks when spoken to and only if its necessary. He doesn't need friends for friends do not last just like formless pieces of drifting clouds.

His schoolmates find him strange for he always seems deep in thought like he was solving an incredible mystery. Deep set eyes that glows... but with a remarkable hue of darkness. Dull yet sparkling. Elyah is simply the finest looking boy in school. Fair skinned and well combed hair. His complexion was flawless just like his drawings.

Every nook and cranny of his textbooks is filled with brilliant artwork. Gruesome looking creatures to beautiful maidens. Portraits of his teachers and some of his classmates. His drawings captures these individuals in the most intriguing manner. It seems you could tell what each character is thinking just by looking at his drawings.

It was amazing how Elyah aced all his subjects even though all his time in class is spent drawing. And it came to a point where the teachers' didn't mind him not paying any attention for he topped the class in every single test. It didn't take long for Elyah to request to be seated right at the back.....alone.

Being the mystery that he was, soon all the girls secretly had crushes on him. Their wild teenage fantasies revolves around only one boy in school. Elyah became every girl's wet dream. Love letters find their way to Elyah's desk every morning. Elyah never opens any of them. He just keeps it in his bag...to be burned when he reached home. But the girls do not give up. Their infatuation instead grows...just like the hatred of the boys towards Elyah.

They just grew envious of him with the passing of each day, especially the 'cool' boys in school. If this was bloody America these boys would be the 'Quaterback Jerks'. Waiting for opportunity to come knocking. Hope upon hope that Elyah would offend them one way or another. They just needed a reason to spark a brutal hammering.

The days counted on and the examinations loomed nearer. Attention shifted from Elyah toward studies as this was a critical year for the students. The number of letters Elyah received diminished and by the time study break came...it just stopped.

Punctuality has always been a virtue of Elyah but somehow he overslept and was late for his first paper. The rain lashed out ferociously outside and his mother forced him to carry an umbrella. How he hated it but given the circumstances, freedom of choice wasn't present.

Eliza, his classmate was also late it seemed for she was as suprised as Elyah was when their eyes locked at the back of the bus. Eliza was drenched to the bone. She looked as though she was soaking in the bath tub the whole night for her skin was shrivelled at the fingertips. But she smelt good. The unmistakable smell of Gucci Rush.

Elyah's presence made her uncomfortable. They have never talked let alone sat in close proximity. Eliza is a shy girl. A geek. But she is ravishing...only the world does not know it yet....except for Elyah, for Elizah has featured in alot of Elyah's drawings. Eliza undoubtedly has eyes for the boy too but coming from a family of religous educated folks, studies was always forced upon her to be top priority.

Eliza is the daughter of a popular pastor. If her father knew she got involved with a boy, she'd probably be sent to an all girls school. Eliza did not dare look at Elyah but she was glad she wasn't one of the girls that sent him love letters. Imagine the embarassment if she was one of those girls.

The bus finally reached and they have 5 mins before the bell begins to chime. Eliza rushed down the bus first and sprinted to the traffic crossing. It was red and the rain is still beating down like a posessed drummer. But Eliza realised she could not feel the drops. She was protected by the umbrella Elyah was carrying. Though it seems like a sin for her to mutter 'Thanks", she somehow found her voice to do so. Elyah just nodded, with the same cold expression sprawled across his face.

Since that day, Eliza could not forget about Elyah. She busied herself with thoughts about him but she was simply too meek to go up and talk to Elyah. What if the rest of her friends saw them talking? What if the pretty girls who liked Elyah saw them talking? What if her teachers saw and told her father? Eliza thought about all possibilities each night and yet no action was taken.
Her love for him just remained a secret.

The exams were finally over and Elyah topped the class once again. Eliza was a close second. Then the June holidays arrived and no one gets to see Elyah anymore...at least for another solid month. To Eliza, that seemed like forever.

Eliza prayed to bump into Elyah once again in the bus on the first day of school but she was plain unlucky. She really wanted to say thank you again and probably start a conversation. Nevertheless she was just elated to see Elyah in school and for a while, her insanity just disappeared.

Eliza sat quite a distance from Elyah during recess that day. In such a way that he could not notice her. And she gazed and she gazed, like how sheeps gaze upon the fields on the opposite hills. Then the unthinkable happened.

The 'Quarterback Jerks' gathered around Elyah and sat at the same table. They were louder than usual and they started mocking verbal abuse at Elyah. Elyah remained calm as he tried to finish his lunch. Elyah did not flinch a bit nor did he skipped a heartbeat. The verbal hurling got louder till the point the whole canteen were looking at that particular table.

Elyah finished his lunch and placed his utensils down. He wiped his mouth and starting from the boy on the left, he stared at each one of them. The same hard steely glare he always had...only this time his eyes seems to have a purpose. Swiftly, he grabbed his fork and jammed it right down through the middle of the palm of the boy sitting nearest to him. The boy whinced in pain as the blood oozed out like a geyser.

A massive brawl commenced and Elyah took on all of them like a gallant prince. They were no match for his vengeful blows but it was one against many and within a few minutes, the boys managed to corner Elyah and pounded on him like hungry pirahnas.

They tore off his shirt and gave Elyah their all. Elyah was hidden in the middle of the rucus and the only traces of him was the blood that dripped from his nose unto the floor. Soon, the teachers made their way to the scene and intervened.

The boys retreated and slowly but surely, Elyah stood up, with eyes still fixated on the boys. Adopting a fighting stance, he was ready for Round 2. Anger sumberged whatever pain that fell upon him. And as the warm blood flowed down to his bare chest, only then did Elyah realise that his shirt had been ripped off.

Now this was a sight to behold. Elyah's whole chest was an art masterpiece. Intricate tattoos covered his chiselled chest and stomach...all the way to his back. Less for his arms, his whole body was not spared from the Ink. Ink the colour of his eyes.

Everything seems to fit in now. The reason he always goes to the toilet to change for P.E lessons even though all the boys changed in class. The reason why he always wore a black inner T-shirt. And somewhere at the far side of that canteen, Eliza realised the end of her dreams. No way her father was going to approve of such a boy. A boy from the other side of the tracks.

Slowly, Elizah made her way back to her classroom. Sobbing uncontrollably. Reality bites and so does love. On her desk sat a neatly rolled paper tied with the reddest ribbon. She unlaced the ribbon and saw the most beautiful drawing. There was no doubt the girl in the picture was her. It was raining and standing beside her is a boy carrying an umbrella. It was a moment stuck in time that Elizah shall remember till she aged. Below it was signed...... "Elyah...For Your Eyes Only"