Chapter 9:Dark Memories, Dark Smiles

Fist clenched into fists, head processing all the received information leaving all tension coursing through his body. Eyes of curiosity not faltering from the stare directed at his squirming figure.

Jason, a boy who never spoke his mind out of fear. A boy who hid behind others to feel safe if not to avoid any sort of confrontation, this time, he felt cornered.

When an animal is cornered it would do anything to get out of the situation, be it bold or underhanded, one way or another, through desperation, it will claw its way out. So whether his next words were honest, a spur of the moment or simply a lie he did not know himself.

"Ill be honest with you....im nothing like you, im not as brave, decisive and im not as strategically meticulous as you are. But one thing i am is someone who tries, and right now im trying. I want to make things right, even if they end up hating me or shunning me, it stings far worse when its received from you....so pleasee" he said.

Mike was moved by his answer, although not enough to crack a smile, in his answer a few things he wanted to hear were missing and it did not sit right with him.

Answers are everything, especially direct ones, the more indirect the less validation they possess. Mike scoffed "Not only did you not answer my question you try to avoid answering too and think that mushy words will make me cast my curiosity aside? Utterly idiotic, i expected more. Although i admit your words good with words brother....they're not enough this time".

Jason smiled bitterly, "worth a shot", his smile faded, replaced with a solemn mask,

"i dont know how ill be when i face them and id rather avoid that but honestly i want to make everything better, i want to be just like him, the man he once was, who understood unity above all else" he said.

Mike did not know how to feel about his answer, but finally a smile crept to his face, earnest and true, "that's the type of answer i wanted to hear....next time answer my questions, dont try to find a round-about way to coax me"

Jason smiled, "alright then, i promise". "So tell me Mike, what now?", "you like video games?",

"Yea hahaha", "then pull the couch closer and lets play, maybe even place bets?" he smirked,

"I havent played video games in a few years, i might be a bit of a noob so im not risking my money thank you, but i will take you up on the offer"

Both boys smiled and Jason walked to the recliner and pushed it towards the tv, and thats when the duo gamed for most of the day. Idle chatter, playful mockery as well as encouragements here and there as they played their hours away.

"So why did you stop?" asked Mike, "huh?",

"why did you stop gaming?" he ellaborated, while clicking away at his controller, eyes still on screen same with Jasons'.

"Oh uhm....they forced me to give my gaming stuff away" he answered, "what? why would they do that?" Mike asked and Jason shrugged. "They said it destracted me and that our younger siblings needed it more...but i feel like it was just an excuse to take away one of the things i liked" he said.

Mike raised an eyebrow and looked at his brother, "what? we have younger siblings?",

Jason was confused for a moment, but then it came to him, "oh right uhm...remember that time we noticed how corpulent our mother was? shortly before you fled..", "yes what about it?", "turns out she was carrying child...well more then one....again" he finished.

"And who's the father?" Mike asked, Jason sighed, "a man just as cruel as the woman herself" Jason answered, his eyes on the screen, distant as the curtains of the past opened to let a light show the dread that washed over him.

"So our younger siblings, how are they? compared to our other siblings i mean" Mike asked as he went back to concentrating on the game, they were playing a race game and Jason was already far ahead, the shock that Mike had about what he was told making him fall behind, allowing Jason to have an advantage.

Jason pursed his lips into a thin line, deep in thought, yet concentrating on the game. He cleared his throat, almost hesitant to respond to his post-runaway brother.

With his voice monotone, unchanging, he answered though reluctantly. "Never judge a book by its cover is what most describes them, their charming as can be, yet they can be selfish and horrid to others as well if it suits them of course, they only do it when they want something.".

"Their kindness always has a price, if you dont pay it, they torment you until, even if you were the bravest man in existance, you would want to succumb to death by your own hand...they're less vile then our other siblings but have the potential to be even worse" he said.

Mike looked at his brother towards the end of his dark explanation, the room seeming to be consumed with a dark aura, that aura iminating from Jason, a turtored expression on his face.

Mike's car crashed, while Jason's was near the finish line and in a few seconds crossed it and won, yet none of them felt like he did. The victory was far too shallow to spread light on the darkness that had been surrounding his existance from his childhood.

"How do you feel about them?" Mike asked, though reluctant, his want to know made the words slip without much second thought. Jason looked at him and smiled. His smile was impure, vile, sinister and nerve wrecking from both the insincerity of it and the strong ressonance of the dark emotions hiding behind it.

Mike felt chills run down his spine, a loss for words and finally the second thoughts he once pushed down flooding his head. While giving his sinister smile that could make even the most happiest person lose a smile with just a glimpse, he said...

"When they were just tiny babies, i would be tasked with their care from time to time. One day when they were sleeping peacefully, i felt a thirst for blood that could only be quenched by their deaths....i supressed it...and now...-" he looked back at the screen.

" - i wish i had satisfied my urges, if not to save myself the pain and anguish they made me endure, but instead to save the world and its people from more demonic spawns of hatred born to only spread cruelty toward others".

Mike has always thought of Jason as the soft and kind sunflower boy in the family, even with the cruel acts he did to him he was aware that it was his way of survival. He hated him for that but did not feel any sort of fear to him and knew he could've easily launched a revenge ploy against him, even if it meant beating him into casts and stitches.

But this time, Mike was not so confident about whether he remained as unfearful. He did not know whether to feel sorry for Jason or to simply be frightened by his demeanor.

Mike stared at his brother with shock in his eyes, fear bubbled up in the pit of his stomach but he swallowed hard to keep it still in that very pit.

One thing was for sure, his brother was not as fragile as he was when they were children, he had grown not only a back bone but personality as well. The fact that he would dare speak of his want to take a life with his own hands. Had he became brave or simply a psychotic?

And was it a self defense mechanism he developed over the last years he lived horridly or if he was always that way but simply chose to keep it at bay. Mike cleared his suddenly dry throat and faced the screen. "Uhm...how about we play a team game next, like mobile legends maybe?" he suggested, not daring to stare in Jason's direction, or worse his eyes.

From the corner of his eye he saw Jason smile again, more gentler, making the heavy air in the room scatter, "I would love that" he replied with a light chuckle and back to the screen their attention went. No words were said, no questions were asked, all were silent during this until eventually both were in comfortable silence.

They spent the day together as well as the next. Monday came and they arrived at school together, Mike was far from the brooding loner boy in that moment, he was too lost in thought to pretend to be as cold to his surroundings or to subtly glare at the passing students.

Soon it was time for class and they went to attend, time flew by quickly and soon it was time for lunch..

Jason met up with Mike and asked that they join the girls, who left the class earlier then them, for lunch. Mike agreed, compelled to obey in some sense and off they went.

It was Monday and the drama of the party was still a prime topic, the girls still chattering about that too, though mostly by Valery. Still Joy smiled through it, while Roy kept a low profile barely seen throughout the day except for when he had classes.

The day was fillled with gossip and whispers, the only words that can be heard was either Joy or Roy. Avery and Valery were at their table eating while engaged in idle chatter when two surprising guests walked to and sat on two spare chairs on the said table.

The girls went silent and watched them, it was unexpected, the two were Jason and Mike.

Valery and Avery exchanged confused glances then stared at the boys, Mike kept looking at his food and took a spoon to eat silently while Jason sighed.

"We've resolved things, and i hope we can all be friends again" he said and both Avery and Valery smiled "of course you big luggs" she said while playfully punching Mike who was next to her,he groaned in response.

The girls did not question how they resolved their differences, they were simply pleased by the fact that they put effort and did it. And so lunch went smoothly as friends brunched and laughed together, through all the hushed whispers that surrounded them.

While they did this, in another place far far away, someone was unhappy and that someone had sinister plans in store for the brothers. Walking with grace through a beautiful hall, the thing that stood out most was the smurk painting his face and the dark laugh of a man seeking retribution.

To be continued....