Two : 2

Breathe, Dan. 

Danen blinked and obeyed. 

Angel took her seat across from him in the recliner chair and clinked her teacup down on the hardwood coffee table. A camera mounted to the wall in front of them displayed its view on her laptop. Her best friend, Maddy, took up half the screen.

"You're more than welcome to visit after the race," she continued, but Maddy cut her off.

"No, no, I'm good with this, thank you," Her gaze shifted past Danen and found Jensen sitting at the kitchen island alone. "I don't know how you can manage both of them."

Angel raised her hand, a small gesture. Danen stood and walked into the kitchen as Jensen walked out. Taking his seat on the couch, Jensen calmly folded his arms over his chest. 

"I see," Maddy paused. She didn't even look at him. "I've always been a big fan of Jensen, but Danen has my heart." Danen inwardly cringed and reacted immediately.

A sneakered foot quickly being-

Shut up. Jensen hissed. 

"He is a fan favorite." Angel beamed. Maddy didn't seem to notice. Her eyes remained on Danen in the kitchen even as he tried to avoid her gaze. 

The room fell silent for a few moments. Angel didn't do anything to dissuade Maddy's fascination, just simply sat back with her tea and slowly sipped. She loved these kinds of interactions. A chance to showcase her prized racers. The amount of attention both boys earned her was too precious to pass up. 

"You will be watching, right?" 

Fluttering anxiety filled Danen's stomach, but he sat motionless with his hands clasped in his lap, eyes fixed on the white tiles in front of him. 

Maddy's eyes suddenly lit up. "Should I be betting on Rook or Immortal this week?"

"Rook." Angel winked and quickly set her cup down. She then stood and left the room, leaving them alone with Maddy for several minutes. Danen chanced a glance over at Jensen. He sat perfectly still, not even breathing. His dark eyes followed Angel as she returned and retook her seat. In her hand was a small, gray plastic box. 

With her back to Danen, he couldn't see what she pulled out of it, but Jensen took in a deep breath and quickly met his eager gaze.

Venom.

"Angel…"

She lifted a small rack containing three glass vials. Inside each was a thimble full of pale blue liquid. A tight ball of fire began forming in Danen's chest. 

"It's regulated, legally acquired, no strings attached. Immortal won't stand a chance, even if she pulls the same stunt as last time. We won't even need to touch her. Hell, I'm saving her life using this!" Angel put away the vials and set them on the table next to the laptop.

A fractured, transparent dome and a large oak tree. He sent to Jensen. 

As soon as she leaves. Jensen replied.

Maddy had gone quiet. She glanced between Danen and Jensen. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Maddy actually cared, whereas their mother…

"It's dangerous, honey. I know there's a lot of money at stake with this race, but last time…" 

"You want to play mother to my son? He's all yours." Angel sat back and clasped her hands over her lap. Maddy's face flushed and the ball of fire burst. 

"So you won't mind if we just go then, right? Cuz we're not people, or even your sons at this point." Danen stood from the island and walked into the kitchen. Maddy's flush drained and Angel sprang to her feet. 

"Sit down. Now." She shoved her finger into his chest and glared up at him, being several inches shorter. 

"No." 

"I said sit down."

"Yeah, and I said no."

"Guys, come on." Jensen was standing next to him now.

"You think you can perfectly dose that stuff now? What about last time?"

"He was a child, of course it-"

"That's exactly my point! All you're thinking about is your damn money, not that it nearly killed him!"

"Do not tell me how I feel! You think you can handle it better, huh, is that it? How about we try?"

"Stop it, both of you!" 

"No one could have seen Immortal winning that race, you know that! It's not his fault!"

"Had he done his job right in the first place I wouldn't need to resort to this!"

"I said shut up!" Jensen yelled and shoved Danen back, quickly stepping in between them. "Danen, move." He pushed him towards the door. 

"Go to hell." Danen muttered and yanked the door open with Jensen close behind him. 

"I'll see you there." Angel called after them.

The air was always frigid at this altitude. Weightless and free, the wild air currents could carry him anywhere. Tiny droplets of chilled water beat his face and dampened his hoodie, but Danen closed his eyes and coasted. The air rushed past his ears, ruffled his feathers, and tugged at his clothes. 

He was safe. 

The wind stripped the stress from that morning away. Even the cold rain felt welcome. It forced him to focus on each drop; a sharp shock that reminded him that he was out of that house and away from her.

You okay?

Jensen flew alongside him gazing down at the domed city of Akrisoulis. It was barely the size of a marble at this height. An empty shell of semi-functioning abandon.

Danen frowned and folded his viridian wings, effortlessly dropping out of the sky. The intense wind roared, rain pelted his cheeks like a thousand needles, and his stomach lifted into his chest in a rush of adrenaline.

The massive, cracked dome came into full focus and he shot through a large opening first. He snapped his wings open and beat hard, slowing enough to touch his feet down on the sparse grass and jog to stop. Jensen landed a few moments later.

Waterfalls of rain dumped through the cracks in the transparent dome and carved large ruts through the barren field. The newly formed streams all eventually met at the center greenhouse and its split foundation. They quickly spilled over, rushing down into the bowels of the city. 

Danen sloshed away through the mud and dead grass towards the greenhouse. The huge structure only lived up to its name because of the sheer amount of vegetation that had reclaimed it. Vining ivy covered every wall in thick mats and the grass had grown up past the windowsills. 

An acorn had washed away in a storm much like this one, and had sprouted in the cracked foundation. Its thick roots now pushed down through the city entrance staircase while its branches spread up and over the crumbling structure like a roof. 

He paced the medium sized room and his sneakers crunched stray twigs and acorns. His breath came in quick gasps and he shook the water from his wings. 

Mom dragged Jensen from the gate. People screamed but none were as loud as her. The rest of the racers had taken off, but Jensen hung limply from her arms as she ran towards the medical ward. His big brother wasn't dead. Jensen's eyes were wide open and he was crying, but he remained limp. 

Danen snatched a chunk of concrete from the floor and hurled it through one of the few remaining windows. The dirt encrusted glass shattered and the concrete landed in the soggy mud outside with a wet thwomp. He picked up another larger chunk, but a hand caught his wrist, forcing him to drop it. Danen turned and buried his face into Jensen's shoulder, who wrapped his arms around him tightly and pulled him towards the stone staircase. 

"Come on." He said quietly and let go, allowing Danen to walk on his own. 

They walked down the wide stone staircase. It ended at a platform with two main elevator shafts. The structure housed the nonfunctioning transport system, now nothing but frozen elevators. Ironically, it supported a new kind of transport system; roots. 

They forced their way through the crumbling concrete and spiraled downward around the column until eventually touching down at the foundation of level 2. Danen slipped through the largest hole in the left elevator shaft and began walking down the thick root. 

Halfway down the column, he sat on the root with his back against the concrete. His feet dangled over the edge into open air. Jensen slowly sat down next to him. 

Hundreds of floodlights in the ceiling cast their dull orange glow over the grid below them. The streets were dusted in a fine layer of dirt and every house stood exactly how their previous inhabitants had left them. Some sections were completely dark as the floodlights over the area had burned out. 

"J, I'm...uhh… I just wanted to say…"

"Hey, me too."