Set in Stone (luca x andrew)

"Y-yes, mother..."

Andrew gazed upon the frail figure laying before him, beckoning him towards the door. His heart ached to see his dear mother in such a state. He did not have much time to wallow in his despair, he was given a task. There was a mutual understanding between the two, the small town in which they resided simply didn't have the proper medicine to cure his mother's ailments, he would have to go to the city. They didn't have much money, but Andrew had taken up extra shifts in the graveyard. He was exhausted and underpaid, but it made a difference. He felt...useful. Giving his mother a glance, he softly grabbed the cross around his neck, lowered his head, and prayed. Despite her weakened state, she reached out to him and gently grabbed his free hand. "Remember how much I love you, sweet boy. You make me so proud..." her soft voice filled the air. Andrew prayed harder than before, she was truly the only one who loved him. He believed himself to be a monster, an outcast. But she was so kind, to her, Andrew was everything. He didn't know what he would do without her, so he prayed.

After finishing his prayer and taking a deep breath, he gave his mother a gentle smile and stood up, taking extra care to place her hand back down gently as if she was made of glass. The idea of having to leave his mother's side during the day was hard to push past, but he began to collect himself nevertheless. Andrew felt he was lucky, he had a job that would let him work late into the night, and he would have the daytime to care for his mother. There was never much room for sleep but that was a price he was willing to pay. Before approaching the front door, Andrew caught a glimpse of himself in a small mirror. A sharp pang of shame shook him, he looked dreadful. The long nights clearly were taking a toll on his appearance, he took a second to collect his thoughts before reaching for the front door.

The morning was crisp, to anyone else, this would be a perfect day to go outside. Andrew dreaded his trip, the sun was always so harsh. He always hated that he couldn't enjoy sunny days, it made him feel more like a freak...but he couldn't help it, the sun hurt. He knew he would have to get over it if he wanted his mother to feel any better, but deep down he knew this was all pointless. She had been sick for a few years now, he constantly wondered if she would recover. Every night and every prayer made him angrier at God. 'Why wasn't he saving her?' He wondered, 'is it retribution for her kindness towards me, a demon?' He tried to shake these thoughts from himself but still, they lingered.

He continued on his way, walking down a narrow dirt road. He passed the church and glanced at the graveyard. He knew he would be due for his shift later that night, he wasn't looking forward to it. He prayed his trip wouldn't take him long, he was actually looking forward to the train ride, a nap sounded good. The walk to the train station was lengthy, but it didn't take too long for Andrew to arrive. He wanted to get it all over with as soon as possible, he could already feel the lingering stares of the other people waiting at the station. He tried to ignore the whispers he could feel behind his back, he didn't know if they were talking about him, but his anxiety told him to always assume the worst. Being idle while waiting made Andrew's anxiety race, he could feel the sweat beading on his skin but once again he tried to shake it. Soon enough, the sound of the train arriving was enough to drown out the sound of his own racing heartbeat, and he prepared to board.

Boarding the train was easy enough, he tried his best to board as quickly as possible. Being one the first people on means by the time the last person is settled everyone has forgotten your face... at least that's what Andrew thought to make himself feel better. He settled into a seat next to a window that was as far away from any other passengers as he could, luckily, it wasn't a busy day which was a relief to him. He stared out the window, the train was still stationary and he watched as the rest of the passengers waiting at the station slowly all filed in. He could hear the faint whispers but it didn't phase him much this time, he could drown it out now. As some time passed, Andrew could feel the wheels of the train lurch forward as they slowly began to pick up the pace. This was the fun part. Keeping his gaze towards the window, he watched as the scenery began to pass by like a blur, almost like a lullaby he found himself disassociating. It was a breath of fresh air, not having to worry about anything for a little while. The faster the trees went by, the more and more Andrew found himself entranced. No thoughts, just peace.