3 Deluded

I walked far from the distance from where Aiden was, hoping to never get near him. It seemed like an everlasting portal or something that you endlessly keep falling out of, hoping at one point that you'd land safely and the next minute, hoping you'd even land. My brother had come to life, and every step led me to think about how or why. How is he alive? My head spins as I carry my useless leg through the snow. It hurts even now. "Useless," I mumble under my breath, hoping Aiden hadn't heard me, but apparently, he was keeping a close ear to the ground.

"What's that?" He asked. We haven't spoken to each other for what felt like everlastingness, and I was hoping to carry out a conversation with him. "What's what?" I asked wryly, slowly turning my head towards him. He slows down a bit. "Did you say something?" I try to pace myself, but he lingers ahead. "Nothing," I reply, limping. "Okay, then." His face is drained and blue. I watch him look down at his boots, my heart pounding fiercely. I want to ask him so badly, but what if he's just an imposter? What if he isn't my brother. And if he is, how did he come back? How did he find me?

"Actually," I begin, but then I freeze like an icicle. The words shove right back into my mouth. Aiden turns to me, waiting, but I quickly turn my head in the other direction to avoid looking stupid. "Well?" He asks after a while. I turn to him, now my face gloomier than ever; Tears walk on my face, marking it with stains. "Are you crying?" He finally blurts out. "I don't know what you're talking about." Now I look ridiculous. I quickly wipe my tears with the sleeves of my jacket, hoping my actions are forgettable.

Slowly, he opens his mouth. "Is this about..." He gulps. "...about me?" I look at him in a deceiving way. "No, no, Mr. Cool Guy," I say in my most chill voice. "Everything is always about you." He looks confused, but I figure it's easier if I told him straight up. "You-you! You're alive! You must've faked your death most incredulously in a way not even I could trust you!" I felt myself screaming at the top of my lungs at that point. My hands were red now, and I could feel my body beginning to tremble. I wanted to cry so loud and aggressively; It would most certainly be something worth doing. But as soon as I opened my mouth, Aiden quickly jolts towards me, hand clasped over my mouth.

"Mmmm? Mmmm!!" I tried to break free, but it was almost impossible. I kicked him several times, but his grip was tight. What is he doing? Is Aiden kidnapping me? He brings his face into mine, and a finger hovers towards his mouth. "Shhh..." He whispers. I look at him. Confused and terrorized by his actions, I stop. He whispers something else in my ear, but it's too hard to make out. I raise my eyebrows, hoping he can repeat it, except suddenly, he drags me down onto the cold and beckoning snow; his hand is still upon my mouth.

Aiden faces me, eyes widening. He held an expression of worry on his face, and I could tell something was up. I look back at him, perplexed. "What?" is what I wanted to say, but I couldn't, not when his enormous hand covered my jaws. I felt small compared to him, like an ant sitting next to an elephant. He kept lifting his head above the icy bushes and peering over the other side. And every time he did so, he drew me with him.

Sometimes, I feel like I trust him too much. I don't even know if we're on the same side. His actions are so intolerable that it sometimes pushes me to feel dead inside. It's like I was talking to his ghost instead of him. My brother has never hidden anything from me or at least has told me he hasn't.

My hands were momentarily on my sides, freely relaxed on my lap as he abruptly let go ahold of my arms. I grabbed his hand that gripped over my mouth and tugged at it, assuming he'd let go. Then, at once, he let go, and I worked him up with booming questions. "Why did you do that?!" "Shh..." He started, but I hesitantly cut him off again. "Why are we on the ground? What are you looking at?" He quickly reached for my mouth, but this time I eluded it. "No! Not again! What is with you?!" I struggle to get up, my sore and bruised leg aches, and Aiden on the other end, pulling my hand to sit.

"Stop! Will you?" He freezes and looks at me with a forceful smile. "You're going to get yourself killed." He says eventually. "What's this? You tried kidnapping me and tried to make otherwise look bad?!" He looks at me, lost. "No, no, no, listen to me..." "Stop! Just stop, Aiden! You never told me your alive! You never explained how you came back from the dead! Are you even my brother?" I can feel my tears burning my skin. This time, I look at him, now sobbing. I can feel him break character, but he sits there rubbed bitterly by my words.

Now I stagger across the snow, an image of Aiden getting smaller and smaller. I never want to look back, ever. I never want to see Aiden, even as my heartthrobs. What was he doing? Why was he acting so strange? I shake all the thoughts loose and try to find my way onto the path I had forbidden. My eyes scan for the trench that once held a bridge, but none of it was there. It was gone.

"Maybe I went the wrong way," I suggest myself as I begin to turn around. "It's funny how you've known a place for so long to forget where one specific area!" I feel failure boiling my skin. The anger continues to surge as I walk mentally into the forest. Where even was I? I look above at the trees that towered over me like a cage.

"Mark! Mark!!" I turn around to see a small figure eluding from the shadows. "Huh?" The voice gets louder and louder, and now I can even hear the leaves crunching simultaneously. "Aiden?" I ask out into the open, but only the sounds of birds answer my call. The black figure emerges out of the darkness, running so hard as their life depended on it. I quickly snap into action. "Aiden?" "No time, come! Quickly!" I look at him as he breathes rapidly. "I-I can't. My leg." I look down at the worthless thing. Aiden immediately grabs my hand. "Not now!" He drags me out of the forest.

"Wait-I," I stop to engulf the air around me. "What?" His face is red and sore. "Where are we going?" "If you would not ask questions, that would be nice. I can tell you everything later, but right now, our lives are on the line. It's not me this time. They're here to take you, too. And I would very much least like to see that happen."

My face flushes. Aiden sees this and begins to smile. "Aiden?" I finally say. I look at him, but my head is somewhere else. "Yeah?" "I'm happy to see you alive." I stop. I feel like I'm going to cry with all that's happened. Mark looks at me more seriously this time. "I'm happy to see you, too, Mark, but hey, we better get out of this madness before they find us." His voice is soft and bold.

The thought of us--together, it feels like the old days, when we were ruthless little boys. I look back up at Aiden, grinning. "Your right." But as soon as I say so, an arrow dashes towards us, striking the tree. I look at Aiden, but he's already grabbed my hand. And as our shadows fall behind us, we run into the darkness together.