UNLOCKING THE COMMON

Arthur calls us out of the blue, acting like the world is about to end or something. "I need both of you at my house right away. I have something important to tell."

What a cheeky rascal!

Arthur and I go way back, but sometimes he can be a royal pain in you-know-what.

He has a way of pushing my buttons. It is almost as if he knows exactly how to get under my skin.

I held the phone away from my ear, staring at it in disbelief.

I steal a glance at the time.

What could have been so important to interrupt our day?

Arthur hung up on me before I could explain that we were still at school.

The nerve.

My phone remains gripped in my hand as I stare at it with flaring nostrils. I mean, we are not teleporters. We can not just drop everything and magically appear at Arthur's doorstep. Life does not work that way! But who am I kidding? Arthur does not care–not one bit.

I shake my head and let out a weary sigh.

It is not like his house is a fun zone either now. That woman is currently ruling it tyrannically.

She is a true nightmare!

When will that woman disappear and give us the peace and freedom we want?

Is Arthur setting us up for another humiliation?

It would not be surprising. But it is pretty audacious.

Perhaps he wants to tell us about his sister leaving for good. Ah, the sweet serenity that would bring.

Never mind! Who knows?

If only wishes had the power to make such miracles come true.

With a sense of reluctance weighing heavily on me, I reach out and take hold of my keys, the cool metal of the keychain providing a temporary distraction. I let out a big sigh of annoyance. It's like some unseen force is pushing against me, making me go where I don't want to.

Leon and I walk into Arthur's house. My brain goes into overdrive.

"Alright, what fresh hell have you wanted to tell us?" I barely utter the words before Arthur rudely interrupts me. He twirls his phone in his hand, waving it provocatively in front of our faces.

We exchange glances, confusion etched across our features.

My eyebrows shoot up so high that they almost disappear into my hairline.

What on earth is this guy doing?

My fingers drum impatiently against my arm. "Are you kidding me right now?" I practically yell. The veins pulsate in my forehead, threatening to burst at any moment. "Did you call us here just to show off your phone?"

It takes all my self-control not to snatch that device out of his hand and fling it across the room.

Leon senses the mounting tension and, clearly not one to hold back, jumps in to voice his exasperation. "Yeah, seriously, dude. What is your deal? Are you trying to make us feel destitute?"

He dramatically retrieves his outdated phone from his pocket, brandishing it in front of Arthur like a sword. "Do you think we are broke just because we don't have the latest model?"

Arthur throws a deadly stare at Leon. It could cut through solid steel. It's a kind of look that screams, 'Are you out of your goddamn mind?'

I can practically see the shade being thrown from his orbs.

Classic Arthur always knows how to make a statement without uttering a word. And then he blurts out, "Hey, you knuckleheads!" As if thrusting his hand toward us would magically make his point clear.

His eyebrows are furrowing all over the place like caterpillars with motion sickness. And then comes the dramatic sigh. "Have both of you completely lost your minds?"

His head shook so subtly one would think he was breaking it down to some low-key beat. "Or do you want me to contemplate suicide after being subjected to your nonsensical talk?"

Seriously? This boy needs to chill.

I scoff and roll my eyes at his theatrics.

He plops down on the couch, shoulders slumped, legs spread out like he has given up on everything. A complete meltdown, if I say.

Arthur mutters about us being a pain in the butt. Is the pot calling the kettle black, huh?

Leon, smooth as butter, slides right next to Arthur. He grabs the phone and starts examining it like a detective.

Arthur slowly closes his eyes. He points at the phone. I notice the bandages wrapped in his hands.

Yesterday was a terrific day.

The thought keeps crossing my mind more times than I care to admit; it has taught me the value of every breath, every moment, and every second of life.

"This..." Arthur says, his voice trailing off as he eases his body further onto the couch, sinking in. His eyes snap open. "Isn't mine."

Leon responds with that annoyingly perfect voice of his. I can't stand how he always sounds so pleased with himself. "Mm, indeed." That stupid grin of Leon widens across his face, showing off his pearly white teeth. And to top it off, he is talking in a ridiculous accent. "Pray tell, dear sir, to whom does this thing belong? Is it a relic from the kingdom of Belle?"

I swear, Leon is enjoying all of this.

He is having fun while Arthur's blood pressure is continuously rising. Leon is practically asking for a beat-down from Arthur!

Arthur drops himself onto the shiny floor, burying his head in his hands.

As if things couldn't get weirder, the room suddenly fell silent.

Arthur, on the floor, gives us a signature death stare with those eyes of his. They stand out like whispers of fog on a moonlit night, shifting between the shades of silver and storm clouds. His dark black hair sticking out in all directions like he just stuck his finger in a socket.

I chuckle, even though I know I should probably keep it together.

And then, out of nowhere, Arthur completely loses it and starts yelling at us.

Arthur and his mood swings; one moment, he would be the calmest, chillest guy—the type to let the biggest things slide. But then a switch would flip, and he would be screaming. It is the same as walking through a minefield, never knowing when you will get hit by the explosion in your face.

He goes from zero to a hundred real quick.

"I feel like flipping you both upside down and hanging you by your knees so whatever is on your knees can return to its rightful place." He says, highlighting the 'rightful' with an exaggerated hand gesture.

Yeah, sure, because hanging us upside down will solve everything. That makes perfect sense.

Arthur's glare intensified. He grits his teeth. His hands ball up into tight fists, and I can see his nails digging into his palms. After a moment, he releases the tension with a deep breath and slowly unclenches his hands. Man, He has been giving us the stink eye for what feels like forever. His forehead creases. Maybe he is counting the seconds in his head to keep himself from snapping and killing us on the spot.

'That's likely a high chance.'

"I don't know why I'm even bothering with this." He glances at the phone for a split second and then glares at Leon. "I feel like I'm wasting my time."

"This phone," Arthur says, waving it around. I am sure he is itching to chuck it at us. "Belongs to the man who wanted to end us, found it in the jungle yesterday."

Leon snatches the phone right out of Arthur's grasp. "Just thought you should know—"

Arthur's mouth hangs open like a stranded fish.

"Whoa! Bro, it's locked." Leon expresses himself loudly and looks at Arthur, who looks back at him. "Oh, did I invite you guys over for a party?"

Like you would.

We ignore him. Our focus is entirely on this phone.

Leon's fingers dance across the screen, intent on cracking the lock. I watched him for a few moments before snatching the phone.

"Let me show you how it's done. I have watched countless videos online about unlocking phones. I know all the tricks!" I boast, titling my chin.

I try every combination that pops into my head to break through that stupid lock. And then there is Leon, just standing there, laughing his stupid ass off like he's watching some hilarious comedy show.

What a jerk!

Patience, Charlie, patience.

'Murder is still an illegal thing.'

Fighting back the urge to strangle him on the spot, I keep my eyes fixed on that phone, racking my brain for something clever—something that a killer could use as a password.

I am thinking deeply, trying to come up with genius stuff.

"Hey Charlie, have you tried '1234'?" I hear Leon's voice shouting from behind me. "It's like the most secure password ever!"

My eyes fire daggers at him.

Is he seriously kidding me with that crap?

Who in their right mind would put this common pin on their lock?

Ugh! This asshole has a talent for talking nonsense and getting on my nerves.

He grins innocently, shrugging his shoulders all casually. "Honestly, it's pretty entertaining watching you struggle. But I'm just trying to help."

"Then why didn't you do that yourself?"

"Because it just clicked in my he–" Leon cuts himself off mid-sentence, catching sight of Arthur.

"For Godsake!" Arthur's eyes narrowed. "Can you guys ever take anything seriously?" He mutters, throwing his hands up in frustration, "Idiots."

I tap out yet another attempt.

This should be easy, but it is not. It's as frustrating as trying to catch smoke with bare hands.

"Come on already, Charlie." Leon is hovering like a pesky fly, his impatience practically seeping into my skin. I can almost feel his breath on the back of my neck. "What's taking so long?"

It takes all my willpower not to turn around and give him a hard smack right across his face.

I throw him a stern look, my eyes flashing with a snarl. "Just have some freaking patience!" I take a deep breath, trying to rein in my anger.

Violence is not the answer!

Well, at least not right now.

I square my shoulders and stand my ground. "Trust me. Leon, I could do it in my sleep!" My voice is rising in protest.

Leon's eyes remain glued to the screen. "Are you nut? Hand it over to me. I'm the expert here. I will have it unlocked in like two freaking minutes." He argues, reaching for the phone in my hand.

"Will you two idiots stop messing around with the phone? You are going to erase everything on it." Arthur warns us, his voice tense. "I must have been crazy, inviting clowns over."

We three begin full-on tug-of-war, pulling and yanking the phone from each other.

'Buzz'

The sound of our doom cuts through the air, making us all shit our pants. A collective 'Oh fuck' escapes our mouths.

Our faces have gone white with fear.

We freeze, looking at each other with wide eyes. The screen goes black.