Chapter Text
Oscar sighed as he stared out of the window. The endless green forests stretched ahead of him and the giant lake glittered in sunlight. He wanted to be outside. He wanted to feel the wind on his face and the bright green grass beneath his feet. He wanted to jump into the lake and make a flower crown for himself and lay down on the grass bed. But to do all of that, he had to leave the tower and he knew that Mark would never let him leave.
All he had known for the past eighteen years of his life were the four walls of the tower in which he lived and Mark, his guardian.
He turned away from the window, when he heard a soft rustling next to the flower pot full of peonies.
"Logan? Is that you? Are you hiding?" Oscar asked as he stepped towards the peonies.
He pretended to search for the little chameleon to play along and suddenly snatched up his only friend.
"Found you!" Oscar yelled delighted, nuzzling closer to the chameleon who seemed happy himself.
"Want to play again?" He asked, only to see Logan shake his head no.
"Okay, well, what do you want to do?" Oscar asked again, holding the chameleon closer to his face.
Logan pointed his tail out of the window as always when asked with the same question. He wanted to go outside.
"Yeah. I don't think so. I like it in here and so do you." Oscar shook his head, as he watched Logan pout.
"Oh, come on Logan, it's not so bad in here." Oscar protested.
Logan gave him an unimpressed look.
"What? Don't give me that look." Oscar scrunched up his brows. "I wake up, sweep 'til the floors all clean, polish and wax, do laundry and mop. And I sweep again." He paused and looked at Logan.
Logan continued looking back at him, unimpressed. So Oscar continued.
"After all that, I read a book, maybe two or three. I paint, play guitar and cook. Hmm... I sit and ponder about life, and then, ta-da! It's lunch. Then I bake, play chess, maybe work out and brush and brush and brush my hair and maybe pa-" He cut himself off, when he noticed that Logan had turned his head away and was not listening.
"Okay fine. You win" He mumbled.
He let go off Logan and let the little chameleon climb onto his shoulders as he slumped down to the floor. He pouted and moped around for a bit, until realisation struck him.
"Tomorrow night, the pretty lights will appear. Just like they do on my birthday, each year." He turned to Logan with a smile.
"Maybe, now that I am finally turning eighteen and older, Mark might just let me go." He finished with a huge grin.
"This is it! This is a very big day Logan." He giggled to himself. "I am finally going to do it. I am going to ask him."
He suddenly heard a gruff voice shout, from downstairs,"Oscar, let down your hair!"
He quickly turned to Logan and whispered, "It's time. Go."
Logan stared at him with an unreadable expression, while he whispered more urgently, "I know. I know. Next time, I promise. Now don't get him see you. Go"
He watched, a tad bit sad as his friend scurried away and disappeared.
"Oscar! I am not getting any younger down here." Mark shouted.
"I am coming, Mark!" He yelled back and ran towards the window and with no grand gestures, let down his hair. He watched for the hundredth or thousandth time as his hair, long and silky rolled down until it reached the ground. Mark tied it in a loose loop and stepped on it and Oscar pulled it up, with no struggle. He had been doing this for years now.
"Hi. Welcome back home, Mark." Oscar said, a bit breathless.
"How do you manage to do that every time without fail? It looks absolutely exhausting kid." Mark commented dusting himself off.
"Oh, it's nothing." Oscar mumbled back.
"Then why did it take so long?" Mark asked with a smile, which terrified him a bit.
He gave Mark a strained smile and relaxed when he burst out laughing. "It's okay kid, I am just teasing." He ruffled Oscar’s hair as he walked off to his room.
Oscar stood silent, while he looked at Mark's retreating form. He was a tall and imposing man, with beady eyes which always seemed to notice everything. His brown hair was a bit unkempt, maybe it was the wind. He was Oscar’s guardian. The only person who he knew in this whole world. Mark was his whole world, along with Logan.
And now, Oscar was going to ask Mark to let him go see the lights tomorrow.
Oscar nervously approached him and said, "Uhh Mark? As you know, tomorrow is a very big day."
Mark ignored him and stood infront of the mirror admiring himself. He suddenly turned to Oscar, grabbed his arms and made him stand side by side to him.
"Oscar look at the mirror. You know what I see? I see a strong, confident, powerful man. Oh look, you're here too!" Mark smiled a bit too wide, and looked at Oscar's face, which had crumpled a bit.
"I'm just teasing, kid. Stop taking everything so seriously. You are so uptight." Mark muttered, sounding disappointed.
Oscar swallowed, as he tried again, "Okay, so Mark. As I was sayin-"
Mark cut him off, as he grabbed Oscar's jaw with a hand and said, "Flower, I am feeling a bit run down. Sing for me? Would you. We will talk after."
Oscar sighed internally. He did not know why Mark would not just listen to him. But he was still asking. So he cleared his throat and sang the same lines he had sung everyday ever since he could speak.
"Flower gleam and glow, Let your power shine, Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt, Change the fate's design. Save what has been lost, Bring back what once was mine."
He watched as song's effect took place like it always would. The exhaustion clinging on to Mark disappeared. A small cut he had on his elbows healed and the few grey hairs peeking from his hair, mustache and beard vanished, as brown ones replaced them. Within a few seconds, Mark looked twenty years younger.
He watched as Mark went to the lounge chair and sat down with a pleased sigh. He had to speak now.
"So, Mark, earlier I was saying tomorrow’s a pretty big day, and you didn't really respond, So I'm just going to tell you. It's my birthday! Ta-da." He finished off, with a wave.
"Your birthday? What about it?" Mark asked already closing his eyes as he prepared himself to fall asleep on the chair.
Oscar took a deep breath and started, "Mark, I'm turning eighteen. And I wanted to ask, what I really want for this birthday. Actually, what I’ve wanted for...quite a few birthdays now..."
"Oscar please, stop with the mumbling. You know how I feel about the mumbling. Blah, blah, blah,...blah. It's very annoying." Mark gave him a stern look.
When Oscar’s face fell again, Mark sighed and said, "You do know I am just teasing. Right kid? I am saying all this for your own good."
Oscar saw something shuffle from his peonies from the corner of his eyes, and saw Logan pop his head up and gave him a thumbs up, as a 'go on' sign.
He gave Logan a weak smile and a nod and turned back to Mark, who looked like he was going to sleep any moment.
He groaned to himself and finally said, "I want to see the floating lights!"
Mark's eyes shot open, as he gave a disbelieving little chuckle. "What?"
Oscar shrunk into himself a little, as he mumbled "Well... I was hoping you could take me to see the floating lights."
Mark tilted his head as he stared at Oscar for a few seconds, making him extremely nervous and finally said, "Oh, you mean the stars."
Oscar clenched his hands at his sides and said, "That's the thing I've charted stars and they're always constant. But these, they appear every year on my birthday, Mark,. Only on my birthday. And I can't help but feel that they're, They're meant for me. I need see them, Mother. And not just from my window. In person. I have to know what they are." He finished off, suddenly feeling terrified.
Mark slowly stood up from the chair and walked off to close the window which was the only exit ti the outside world. He then turned to Oscar, and slowly asked, "You want to go outside?"
Oscar stood still breathless and trembling as Mark stalked closer towards him. "Oh, why Oscar. Look at you, as fragile as a flower. Still a little sapling, just a sprout. You know why we stay up in this tower."
Oscar took a little step backwards, as Mark came closer and whispered, "I know, but.."
Mark took another step closer, his eyes wild and a dangerous look on his face, "That's right, to keep you safe, and sound, kid. Guess I always knew this day was coming. That one day you would want to leave. Soon, but not yet."
Oscar tried a weak protest, "But..."
Mark came impossibly closer to him, effectively trapping Oscar between the wall and himself and leaned closer to his face. Oscar could see now, very clearly as his eyes gleamed unnaturally. "Shh.. Trust me pet, I know what is best for you. The world out there is scary. One way or another, something will go wrong. I swear." He paused.
"Ruffians, thugs, cannibals, the plagues, men with pointy teeth. So stop, don't say another word about wanting to leave, you will upset me. On your own, you won't survive." He gave Oscar a maniac grin as Oscar stood petrified.
"Look at you. Sloppy underdressed, immature, clumsy. Please, they'll eat you up, alive. Gullible, naive, grubby and I think, getting a bit chubby. So, listen to me, as all I have is one request." Mark looked at the terrified boy and called, "Oscar?"
Still scared, Oscar could only respond with a small hmm.
"Don't ever ask to leave this tower again. Ever."
"Yes, sir. Sorry" Oscar whispered, almost on the verge of tears. He had never seen Mark act this way and it had shaken him to the core.
Mark nodded, satisfied and took a few steps back from where he had trapped Oscar. He then said, "You know I am doing all this because I care for you right?"
Oscar just gave him a small nod and said, "Yes sir. I do."
Mark took his hand bag, which had left on the table and walked towards the window. He then turned around and said, " Don't forget what I said. You will regret it. I love you, kid. See you in a bit"
Oscar watched as he disappeared from view, and mumbled "I love you too sir. I'll be here." As he promptly slid down on to the floor.
He turned to see Logan, looking at him with an expression which could have been pity.
"I am sorry."