“Because you’re blue or because you were some kind of demon child?” Harrison asked, fairly certain he already knew the answer. But maybe Jack and been an infant hellraiser…. that would raise his estimate of the man a little.
“The first one.” He closed his eyes as painful memories came back. “Although one of my f-first foster moms did call me a demon sometimes. I was eight when the Maples adopted me, and by then I was so afraid of people, it took me a week to say one word to them.”
The blue artist straightened up sharply. “L-look, I’m sure you don’t want to hear about this. We both know the world isn’t kind to people who are different, and I’d rather not dwell on it.”
Harrison frowns and exhales at that. He’d never considered that there might be a reason for Jack’s stammering shyness, that it might in fact have been a defense mechanism against a world that was often nasty and cruel to him as a child. Now he feels a little bit guilty for having judged him so harshly.
“It doesn’t bother me to hear about it, though I certainly won’t press the issue,” Harrison replied thoughtfully. ”We’ve all had our crosses to bear. Being raised in a prison kept me away from most of that kind of thing, but I can’t deny being a little jealous that you got such loving adoptive parents. You’re very lucky,” he confessed.
A hint of embarrassed color rose in Jack’s cheeks. “I have to admit, I never, ever thought I’d hear you say you were jealous of me.” He was too ashamed to meet Harrison’s eyes as he added, “I’m the one who’s always envied you. You’ve accomplished so much, and it’s so easy for you to be confident.” He gave short, weak chuckle. “Sometimes I think I’m the only one of the blue people who had that left out of them."
Jack Maple 