The Watchmen Files // The Christmas Edition // Skating and Secrets

Hello bloggers of the internet!

   Yes, I have finally gotten off of my writer's block and written the sixth chapter of the Christmas Edition. Thank you for your patience!

   But before we get to the chapter, I'd like to say that this was a rather chaotic week, thanks to a art demonstration that I did at a localish fair. If you'd like to see a drawing of Mason, blue ribbon, and some other drawings that I completed there, click here :)

Okay, enough waiting... here it is!

    The run off of tasty, cool chocolate ice cream dripped down the graham cracker cone, escaping the double scoops that had already been piled on top. A swift lick and a quick gulp later, Mason had consumed the melting drips and was licking his fingers in satisfaction.
   Looking up, he found the rest of the group still on their first scoops.
   "I don't know how you convinced me to do this," Conner mumbled as he nibbled on the second scoop of good, old fashioned vanilla. "We already ate a full dinner, and now we're having ice cream for dessert." He paused to adjust his ear-hat, then continued. "And in a ice rink!"
   Mason chuckled and explained, "It's one thing to be full, but you're never too full for an ice cream cone."
   "Well I know you're not, but you can eat like a cow!"
   "Don't you have ice cream in London?" Ava asked over her tower of strawberry flavor.

   "I don't live in London," Conner reminded her. "But yes, we do have it sometimes. But I prefer-"

   "Got the skates!" Mr. Harrison interrupted, and everyone made a move to collect their ice skates.

   "Do they ever clean the inside of these?" Conner inquired, inspecting his shoes.

   Mason shrugged, "Don't think so. I heard that you can get toe fungus from them..."

   "What?" Conner squeaked.

   "Boys, the girls need help with their skates." Mrs. Harrison informed them as she pulled a pair of little skates onto Addie's feet.

   They each took a girl and helped them with their laces, then quickly laced their own skates up and followed the group onto the rink.

   Mrs. Harrison had loved to ice skate when she was younger, so Mr. Harrison had made it a family affair they practiced every Christmas. Well, he didn't, since apparently he didn't really like it.

   She glided onto the rink, and the girls followed her, less gracefully, clinging to the barriers. Ava was slipping and sliding, but she soon enough found her balance and could stand on her own.
   Completely against what Mason was expecting him to do, Conner coasted out into the center of the rink, skating on one foot at times and doing balletic circles all on his own.

   It looked pretty impressive, as Mrs. Harrison said. "I didn't know you knew how to skate?"

   Conner smiled, and a small cloud of vapor appearing in the cool night air as he spoke. "Grace -a friend- taught me back home."

   Mason wobbled onto the ice, holding tightly to the walls. This isn't so bad, he mused, feeling brave and venturing further out onto the rink. But the second he let go of the walls, he was slipping and sliding, and soon falling. Amidst Conner's laughing and the girl's giggling, trying to get back up was the worst. He couldn't keep his feet from sliding around and making him lose his balance, and then he would fall backward onto the ice.

   "I'm going to have some pretty nasty bruises in the morning," Mason muttered to himself as he attempted to stand up again.

   "Don't worry," Conner encouraged as he glided in circles around him. "I did the same when I was learning. You might want to tighten up your laces."

   "Thanks," Mason huffed back, slowly and very carefully making his way back to the sidelines.

   Stumbling into a seat, he let out a big sigh.

   "Tired already?" Mr. Harrison queried from the seat next to him.

   "Yeah..." Mason smirked. "I probably look like an idiot, huh?"

   "Compared to him?" He gestured to Conner, moving gracefully around the rink. "Oh yeah."

   After a short pause, Mason continued. "He said he learned how to skate from a friend... Grace, I think."

   Mr. Harrison didn't say anything in return, so he tried again.

   "You knew Conner before I did. Do you know who she is?"

   There was another pause before Mr. Harrison nodded in response.

   Curious, he decided to push it a little further. "You recruited him for the Watchmen, didn't you?"

   Turning to look him straight in the eyes, Mr. Harrison wore an extremely serious expression. "So he hasn't told you?"

   There was an awkward silence. Mason shrugged, "Uh, told me what?"

   "Anything?"

   "What do you mean by anything?"

   "Who he is."

   Shifting nervously, Mason examined his skate's laces. "I know him-"

   "But you have no idea who he is," Mr. Harrison stated.

   "Look Mr. Harrison," Mason readjusted his position and changed tones. "You don't have to talk all cryptically, we're talking about Conner here. We both know him. He's a great guy-"

   "But he hasn't told you, has he?"

   With that, Mason had had it. He hated puzzles, and wasn't extremely fond of this one. He raised his voice along with a dramatic shrug, "Told me what?"

   Mr. Harrison put a finger to his lips and took a quick look around them, like he was looking for someone. "About himself. His story, who he is... what he's done..."

   "I'm okay with keeping secrets. He lets me keep mine, I do the same for him."

   "So it doesn't bother you then?"

   Mason sighed, rubbing his eyes for a minute before answering. "It might." Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Conner, smiling as he held Tessa's hands, helping her glide around the rink. They laughed, Conner's gray eyes sparkling. "But if he doesn't think I need to know, then I'm okay with that."

   Mr. Harrison nodded as Ava approached. "Forget everything I've said. It's none of my business anyway."

   "Hey Mace, you comin'?" Ava's bright smile called him away from the sidelines.

   "Yeah, just hold on a sec." After re-lacing his shoes, Mason headed out after his little cousin.

   "Oh, and Mason?" Mr. Harrison called after him.

   He looked back over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

   "Some secrets are never meant to be kept."

   Hesitating, he nodded and skated off. What does that even mean? he wondered to himself.

   "Everything alright?" Conner suddenly broke his train of thought with a smile and a innocent inquiry.

   Mason shrugged, finding it hard to look him in the eye. "Oh, yeah... everything's fine."

And there we have it! Chapter six :) Sorry, I just had to get you all curious about Conner again :) I can't wait for file two...

Well, thanks for keeping with me through writer's block. Next chapter will have to do with red shoes and a bad man... Stay tuned!

 Always Watching,

Darrion