Chapter 3

Jeremy sits alone at the breakfast table, waiting impatiently for his brother to arrive. 

When the clock hits 11:30, he decides that he's not going to wait any longer. 

As soon as he heard his brother's voice outside, he ran to the kitchen to tell him that breakfast was almost ready.

He takes a glance through the doorway to his right and sees his brother sitting on the sofa, flipping through the channels on TV.

I hope you're prepared to have an interesting day! Jeremy says cheerfully.

Do you mean a boring day?

Not exactly. Come on, get dressed and hurry! Breakfast is getting cold! He yells excitedly.

Why?

Because it smells really good in here. Don't you wanna smell it?

Sure, but what about my breakfast?

That's what I said. You can eat it whenever you want to. Just hurry up!

Grumbling loudly under his breath, he stands up and leaves the room to grab something from their shared bedroom. Jeremy rolls his eyes fondly and continues working on the breakfast. He finishes cooking the last couple of minutes and grabs two plates from the cabinet, setting them down at the dining table. He turns towards the door, hoping that his brother has finally come down when he hears the sound of the door slamming shut.

He sighs heavily and goes into the hallway, leaning against the wall. He leans against it, waiting for his brother to come downstairs, but the older boy never appears. Instead, he hears shuffling coming from the staircase.

Wait, you can't just go up there like that. You're gonna trip over him. He grins widely as he hears his brother stumbling down the stairs.

Sorryyyyy... he slurs.

Jeremy laughs at him sarcastically before walking towards the dining room. As he passes by the entranceway on the way, he sees the younger brother leaning against the wall, looking up at the ceiling.

Hey Jer. How's it hangin'?

Fine.

You know he hates it when you call him that. You always refer to him that way. What's gotten into you?

It's not even our fault! It's unfair for him to call us that when we don't even know his name...

He didn't call us. We called him.

Whatever, Jer.

I told you not to call me that. 

Oh yeah, I remember. 

Just because you forgot it, doesn't mean that we can't.

Are you trying to kill me?

Shut up. 

You're lucky I'm just teasing you. It could have gone much worse than it did.

I don't think I'd survive it if you tried to kill me though. I'd probably end up dying or something.

Don't worry. We wouldn't let that happen. Not unless you tried to kill yourself, at least.

That seems unlikely. Besides, it's not like I can kill myself either. You know I wouldn't ever do that. I mean, what would I do, huh? Kill me.

We'll see about that. Just keep telling yourself that you have no chance of killing yourself.

Ha. Ha. Very funny.

Hey, I know it's kinda hard to believe, but I swear I'm serious. I wouldn't joke about something like this.

I know. But sometimes I wonder...

What? About what?

If there was something I did to deserve something like this.

Like what?

Well, maybe... There was someone I used to love. She died a few years ago, and now I feel guilty for loving her. Do you understand? It feels like something is missing in my heart.

You're wrong, Levi. You're in perfect condition inside, if I may say so. Sure, you're still weak and your body is fragile, but your soul is strong. You've done so many amazing things. You're stronger than you realize.

You're right. I know you are. I guess... it just feels like something's missing from me, that's all.

It's not missing. It's perfect, just like you are.

Thanks, Jer. I appreciate hearing that from you.

Don't mention it, bro. I'm serious. You're fine as hell.

Thank you. You're a good friend.

You're welcome.

After finishing breakfast, Jeremy and Levi decide to leave the house since it's getting pretty late. They're both wearing dark grey suits. Levi wears a black shirt with a blue tie and matching shoes. Jere wears an emerald green button-up shirt with some black jeans and a pair of white sneakers. Their hair is neatly styled and they wear a small gold watch around e...ach wrist.

They both smile brightly and wave at their brother before turning towards the car and driving away from the city.

A few minutes later, they reach a secluded area where the mansion sits hidden by tall trees. They park the car, turn off the engine and sit in silence. Jeremy looks over to his brother, who is gazing straight ahead blankly.

I know you must be feeling sad right now, bro, but don't worry. Everything is going to be okay.

Of course, it's going to be okay. It's just a broken arm. It'll heal and all will be back to normal in no time.

I mean, look at you. You survived losing your mom and dad to hunters and you're still alive. You're such a hero.

Jer! That's not fair! I didn't lose my mom or dad. I lost my brother.

But you're still alive.

I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories.

It's alright. I'm glad you brought it up. I needed to talk about it.

So, what happened?

I don't know. One minute I was watching TV and then the next thing I knew I woke up here in my old room.

How long were you out?

Only a week. Maybe two weeks. My memory's pretty fuzzy. All I remember was finding that note, reading it... and waking up here.

Huh. Well, you had better get going then, hadn't you? Otherwise, you'll be late for school. 

Right. Bye Jer.

See you later.

Jeremy smiles at his brother and drives the car away before heading back home.