Welcome to Round 4 of Battle of Genre! I'll be filling in for the awfully-busy ErrorBlender this time.
Writers, if you expect people to vote on your polls and read your stories, please do the same for the other contestants!
Ai's part!
Spoiler for Cruel Fate:
Show
Sitting on the edge of a cliff, a girl in a white one piece with red laces quietly hums a tune without a care in the world. The gentle mountain winds rubs
her short, ruby hair, making it flutter freely in the air. Her scarlet pupil, ripe with energy, glows as she savors the view provided by the cliff; the peaceful town of Arludeia, with green fields as far as the eye can see, with the river’s crystal clear water flowing down the water. The view takes one breath away. As in a trance, the girl continues to hum her song whilst taking in the sight.
Breaking her daze was a call, not too far away. Carefully but surely, the girl stands up, and broke into a jog towards the source of the call. As she gets closer to the origin, the visage of the one calling her becomes visible. The one who called for her was a woman with similar features with the girl; ruby red pupil, scarlet hair, as if on fire. Though, she keeps it long, contrary to the girl. The lady styles long, red, slightly pleated skirt tied with a bow, a white jacket and braided hair, accompanied with black ribbons.
Next to the lady in white is a man sitting cross-legged. His height towers over the lady next to him, with a somewhat muscular build. His attire consists of a blue greatcoat, black trousers and a hat lies on top of his head. The back of his palm features an insignia; A shield on two sides and a pair of swords crossing the other. A broad smile crept on his face as the figure of the little child came into view. The couple of male and female sits together under the shade of the tree.
Energetically running over, sometimes skipping and hopping around, the little girl eager to join the pair of man and woman. But right before arriving, the girl tripped over and fell. Alarmed, the woman hurled over to the child while the man broke into a laugh.
“She takes over you, that clumsiness.” The slightly muscled man said, chuckling.
“No, that obviously came from you.” The concerned mother picks up her daughter, “Are you alright Kari?”
Her eyes starts to glass, but trying to look tough, the girl hold back her tears and nods fervently. Unbeknownst to her, her snot is leaking out of her tiny nose. On her head was a red mark, clumsily closed with her small palms.
Letting out a small laugh, the mom holds her hand and helps her get up, and the pair of mother and child sits next to the father…. Well, the lady did. The daughter sat on the man’s thigh, as it is her one and only special spot.
“It sure is peaceful here.” Breaking the silence was the mother, gazing at the blue sky.
“It’s a great break from the constant fighting.” The man replies, sipping a bottle of water. “It’s almost like the calm before the storm.”
Hearing this, the woman balled her hand and dunked the fist on the head of the dad. “No raising flags!”
“What was that for?!” the man responds as he massages his head. Not that it hurt him.
“Hahaha, Mum is bullying Dad!” Kari laughs as she rolls on the ground playfully.
The family of three continued the rest of their day joyfully playing around. Face of bliss apparent on each of their faces, fully enjoying the moment of peace. But peace is brittle.
As dusk approaches, the family was visited by a knight in full armor, on top of his horse. The next moment, the warrior announces;
“Your presence is needed on the battlefield, Prince Teito.”
------
No longer dressed casually, Teito in a suit of armor commented. His signature blue greatcoat still hangs on his shoulder. Contrary to the soldiers around him, he isn’t fully in a dress of armor--- he only has a cuirass, a pair of greaves and gauntlets. The rest are fully exposed; his hardened skin there for all to see. Hanging on his neck is a pendant, with a picture of his wife and daughter.
“Things are looking grim… huh.” Teito commentates as the overviews the battlefield.
The battlefield in front of him was… messy. Every step you take, you see a new corpse. Guts of the fallen everywhere. Some was beheaded, lost all of his limbs and bled to death. One passed away sitting--- with arrows on every inch of his body. The ground was soft from absorbing too much blood; the mud of the earth and blood was uncanny. Fire can be seen raging at the camps ahead, infiltrated by the enemy. Truly a sight of a battlefield.
“The enemy flanked us from the side and caught us completely by surprise.” The knight next to him reports.
“Seems like we still can turn the tides; you inform our allies. I’ll flank them in return.”
“Alone?” The knight asks in shock.
“Yes. Any problems?”
“No…no sir.”
“Alright. Get going then.”
The knight turns and gallops away upon receiving the prince’s demands. Teito meanwhile unsheathes his sword, held it upright, and brought it close to his chest. Closing his eyes, he muttered, “Mika. Kari. Give me strength.”
Abruptly opening his eyes, Teito roared a fearsome war cry, echoing throughout the battlefield, and breaking into a charge towards the enemy lines.
-----
“Hey mom, where’s dad?” Kari asks in curiosity.
“Dad’s… on an adventure.” Mika hesitatingly answers. Technically she isn’t lying, but Kari’s pure eyes makes it difficult not to lie.
Innocently believing her mother, Kari went “oh~” and going silent for a few seconds. Later, she asks again, “When will he be back?”
The question freezes her in place. Mika dazes outside the window, the veil of night covering the skies, decorated with bright little stars. In all honesty, she always worries on her husband, despite knowing his occupation and his social standing. Their marriage wasn’t really blessed by the King either; which is the reason why they’re living in a cottage, not in the palace. Despite that, they were happy together, settling in a relatively calm area.
“Mom?” Kari’s calls snap Mika back to reality.
“Soon, dear.” Mika answers, as she hopes her answer would be the truth. “Nevermind that, how about some cake?”
“Woah, cake! Yay!” Excited for cake, Kari bounces all over the cottage.
Mika serves it on the table, as Kari’s saliva overflows, eyes fixed on the cake. Suddenly, as if remembering something, Kari raises her head (with great difficulty) to tell her mother “Save some for Dad!”
A smile crept to the mother of one’s face, answering, “Will do.”
----
The battlefield is a noisy place. Swords clashing, dying screams, war cries, arrows flying. All of these sounds mixed to produce one thing; chaos. In the midst of it all, is a man, fighting between life and death. Constantly dodging, blocking, countering, with one sole purpose in mind; win, and survive. Scratch that--- survive. For the sake of reuniting with his loved ones: Kari, Mika. He swears that he won’t fall here.
Surrounded with enemies on all side, Teito brandishes his trusty sword, the other broke a long time ago. The air was tense… none dares to make a move. The fact apparent to everyone; the first strike is vital. But with fatigue weighing him down, Teito instinctively knew that he can’t win in a battle of attrition. While he still has energy, he should beat them down. So to break the stalemate, the hero pretends to slip.
Hook, line, sinker. One of the opposing soldiers lunges, aiming for a stab. With his opportunity open, Teito twists his body around and delivering a clean cleave on the neck of the soldier. As his head rolls, other adversaries charge, one after another, on all sides.
Diving under the first to charge, Teito delivers a stab under the enemy’s helmet, straight through his head. Without a wasting a moment, the warrior lifts the corpse and charge towards the other soldiers, knocking anyone down in his path. Unable to lift the corpse anymore, the hero stumbles but quickly recovers with a roll, his beloved sword in hand.
Two soldiers rush at him as he recovers from his fall, their swords falling on him. In the nick of time, he blocks both swords. While his enemies try to force him down, Teito lets their swords slide down his own; giving him freedom to kick one of the soldiers back. The other one fell next to Teito due to the momentum; the warrior spared no moment executing him.
Intimidated, the remaining adversaries stayed back. Despite his exhaustion, the hero taunts them, gesturing them to come. Seeing this, the soldiers broke into a run--- retreating.
The chaos of the battlefield has come to a halt, and instead becoming eerily quiet. As if on cue, the stars in the sky started falling one after another--- a meteor shower. As if to congratulate his survival… Teito has survived.
----
The silence of the village was broken by sudden roars, screams and cries. Smoke rises as houses catches fire. Without rhyme nor reason, the village is being sieged.
The noise outside wakes up Mika with a start. At first dazed and confused, but upon the sight of wreck outside her cottage, her brain goes into full alert. The first thing that popped into her head was Kari. Instantly, she broke into a run, hurtling her way to her room. Relief washed over her face as her eyes lay on the figure of Kari, peacefully sleeping in her bed, the ruckus outside unable to wake the child.
With a little shake, Kari’s small eyelids open. Drowsy, she tilts her head as to why her mother wakes her up in the dead of the night… until she hears the ruckus outside, and with her mother’s anxious face. Her mother puts a finger on her lips signaling her to keep quiet, and the child nods. Led by her mother, she follows her outside her house where the see the origin of the ruckus.
The chaos is at it’s apex. Men in green are plundering everything and everyone; killing without remorse, destroying property, looting valuables. Without rhythm, without reason. Screams, roars, cries resounds in the air, whilst the smell of blood, steel and smoke is thick in the air, choking anyone who breathes them in. By common bandits… or so it would seem. Unknown to the pair of mother and daughter, the bandits are there for a reason--- for them.
One of the purple bandits caught the family from behind sneakily, gave a kick right onto Mika’s back making her fall flat to the ground. Immediately, Kari kneels and worriedly holds her mother. Writhing in pain, she lies on the ground as she tries to catch the face of her assaulter. His appearance leaves her holding her breath.
Her assaulter has impressive stature, towering over the mother and child. His presence covers the other bandits--- this one was the leader. Clothed in purple robes that seemingly glistens with the presence of the moon, with brown skin… sight of him makes one quiver in one’s boots. A greater shock and despair washes over the woman as she spots an insignia on his shoulder; the Royal Hi-Knights.
The man breaks out a malicious grin.
-----
The sounds of a horse trampling the ground can be heard from a distance. Gradually, the sound gets closer and closer. Teito takes a stance in alarm, despite his exhaustion. Despite how the battlefield raged and roared, no wounds is visible on his body--- except scratches here and there. However, seeing the warrior on the horse, Teito lowers his swords as he relaxes his body; it was his friend, Renau.
Renau fought at the other end of the battlefield, and was almost routed before Teito appeared behind the enemy lines as he wrought chaos. Taking advantage of the confusion, Renau rallies his allies as they fought once more. This time, to victory. Once it was over, Renau went over to Teito with haste. A sigh of relief escapes his mouth as he saw the figure of his friend standing still on the battlefield.
As the two friends unite, a messenger, his pale white face giving them a bad premonition. As soon as the news has been passed, the duo’s face also undergoes a change; one of fear, one of anxiousness. As if knowing what each other was thinking, the two faced each other, and nods. Almost jumping, Teito rides the saddle and the two rode off--- to Arludeia.
Under siege.
------
Horror creeps it’s way to Kari’s face, looking at the man who attacked her mom. Fear rooted her in place, unable to move a muscle--- only able to whisper “Mom…”
Besides her is Mika, reeling in pain after being kicked. Her brain is blanking out, the man’s emblem being the only thing in her head. The Royal Hi-Knights are known as the most elite of the elite but also the highly sensitive secret; the King’s guard. They are known to be monsters in the battlefield; them on one means victory for they side on. Her knowledge on them stems on the fact that her husband too is part of them.
Questions rang in her mind; why? Why would the secret, elite soldiers of the King attack the village? Attack them? It didn’t make any sense…
Her daughter’s call managed to pull Mika back from her thoughts. There was no time to ponder on the little things. What was important that Kari is safe. The intimidating man stood there grinning, as if mocking her. Gathering her strength and courage, she lifts and throws herself to the man, trying to constraint his movements. At the top of her lungs, she yells “Run, Kari!”
Startled, Kari kneels in the same spot, frozen. But another of her mom’s screams sends a shock through her body, which she lifts her body up and runs away, looking back at her mother as she does. As a result, not too far from where she was, she knocked into something… rather someone. Another bandit in purple.
The bandit looks down as she raises her head to see what she bumped into. The moment the two locked sights, a chill went through her spines, every cell in her body warning her. But again, dread took over heart, immobilizing her.
“Don’t block me.” The bandit, coldly said, kicking the child away into a wall. Impact from being kicked knocked her out cold as blood flowed from her head, her body going limp with the sound of bones breaking resounding inside her.
The scene unfolded in front of her too quickly--- Mika couldn’t react to it. She could only helplessly watch in despair. The next moment, she found herself on the ground, a foot on top of her. The next moment,
A sword through her chest.
-----
The horse speeds through the mountainous terrain, at its maximum speed, kicking up an impressive amount of dust in the air in the process. Yet, it’s two rider wants it to even faster, in order to reach the sieged village as soon as possible. The view of the village soon comes into view--- bringing panic and fear into their hearts.
Smoke rises high into the night air. At this time of the hour, it should be serenely quiet and peacefully dark but instead it was hectic and bright. Crimson flames licks the villages building, screams of panic fills the air as civilian scampers everywhere, only caring about saving themselves.
Renau got himself off the horse first, intending to help the villagers escape as they are being pursued by purple bandits. He then entrusts his horse to his friend and tells him to find his wife. At first, Teito hesitates to leave his friend alone against the bandits but upon seeing his resolve, he speeds of towards his home.
Upon arriving, he was greeted with the sight of Kari being stabbed.
-----
“MIKAAAAAAA!” A scream rang out through the night, shaking the earth, blocking all other sounds.
Forgetting his fatigue, adrenaline rushing through his body, Teito jumped off the horse, rushing to his wife’s side. The bandit who stabbed her stood in his way, blocking him… not for long. In a flash, Teito unsheaths his sword, dicing his opponent before his adversary could blink.
“Mika?” whispers Teito, carefully lifting her up. Blood was flowing out of her wound like a river as he to patch it up. Her warmth was nowhere to be found.
“Tei…to?” Mika weakly answers, energy escaping her body. “You’re back…”
“Yes, I’m here.” He replies, laying her on his lap, his fingers overlapping with hers as he closely holds her hand.
“Welcome… back.” Smiling, she puts her bloodied palm on her husband’s face, leaving it’s mark.
“I love you.” Is the last thing she said before her hands slumps into the ground, her body going limp.
“Mika…?” His voice breaking as he shook the lifeless Mika. Seeing her limp body, reality hits him like a metal pipe; his wife is no more. As he tightly embraces her cold body, with tears flowing, he let out a cry that echoes through the night.
------
Dawn arrives, accompanied with rain. It is as if the earth was weeping Mika’s death. Teito sat still, with his wife still on his arms, letting the rain drench him. His greatcoat stained with blood, turning the great blue into a dark purple. Renau who had finished evacuating the villagers could do nothing to console his friend; it was a heartrending view.
After a while, the rain stopped. As if waiting for the rain to stop, Teito calls out to his friend.
“Can you… take care of Kari for me?” he asks, looking at his daughter. “She’s just unconscious. Give her this pendant.” As he holds out his pendant, giving it to him.
“But why? Don’t you want to take care of her?” Bewildered, Renau answers with a question of his own.
“Please,” the Prince begs, “I now have something to do.”
“What is it?
“Revenge.” His eyes glows darkly. “To the King.”
“The King…? But why---“ Renau cuts himself of as he saw the insignia of the man Teito slew. Hi-Knights doesn’t obey anyone else other than the King.
“I’m leaving her to you, my friend. Don’t tell her about me.” Slowly, he lifts himself and his wife up. Staggering, he walks towards the mountainous terrain.
-----
The news of the attack spread like wildfire. Citizens of other towns and villages quake in their boots hearing the name of their former Hero. He, who single-handedly massacred a village, killing anyone who obstructs him, going on a rampage without rhyme or reason. Wanted posters filled the billboard of each and every village, no matter big or small. The infamous traitor, Teito.
-----
Years has passed. At first having trouble adapting to new parents, getting over the trauma she got on the fated night. Kari has now grown into a splendid adult, inheriting her mother’s beauty and his father’s charisma. After a few years, she lives happily with her stepparents.
She also shares his father’s talent with the sword. At first fearing this talent, she was forbidden from practicing it but relents later on when she voices her thoughts on finding her mother’s murderer. And under Renau, her stepfather, she perfected her art of the sword.
Memories of the night were unclear. All she remembered was that her mother defended her and she got kicked. The next thing she remembers is waking up in a bed of his foster parents. The only thing that she has as a memento of her parents was the pendant of herself and her mother.
After her stepparents died of sickness, she was approached by a band of knights in purple, with a promise that she will find out her mother’s killer if she joins them. Without hesitation, she joins them.
Now, her first assignment is at hand.
“Will you slay the Traitor?” A voice vertebrates through the castle halls.
“Yes, your Majesty.” She answers.
Her neck bearing the insignia of the Royal Hi-Knights.
Boomerang's part!
Spoiler for Our Oak Tree:
Show
The fondest memory of my brother was from when I was 10, the time he found me hiding at the top of the oak tree.
He was 17, and for a while we never really talked. We were from different generations--He made top marks in school and was the popular jock, while I was small, skinny and never really knew how to hold my own. My parents didn’t help matters at all. They weren’t around to teach me to be a man, and when they were I was smacked around and told I was nothing but dirt. John dealt with same torment on a daily basis, but he had learned the remedy to deal with emotions...something I hadn’t mastered. I looked up to him even then, but he never noticed.
It was a sunny spring day, the rough bark was warm against my bare arm. I sat at a particularly large branch and looked up to the blue skies, allowing myself to be washed in warmth. The oak tree was the height of my house and thick around the base, but I had always been an agile kid. I could make it to the top of the tree in 30 seconds flat. The tree was a few blocks from my house, and I always came up here. Partially because I loved the sun in my face, and partially because I wanted my parents to search for me. I wanted to know that they cared enough to come find me.
When I saw the figure walking toward me, I hoped that it was my mother or father. It turned out that it was John. He looked up at me, narrowing his eyes as a scowl formed on his face, “Matt?”
I said nothing and stared back down at him, and John continued with an exasperated sigh, “What are you doing up there, Matt?”
I was still too surprised to speak. I never expected John to come look for me--Much less notice I was up here. I looked down at the ground and stood up from the large tree branch, “Get down from there right now!”
As quickly as I could, I descended the tall oak tree and looked up at him. He was at least a foot and a half taller than me, and he had a larger, more muscular build. There was a furiousity in his eyes as he stared down at me. He opened his mouth to say something and I flinched; I’ve dealt with my father enough to know that after a yell comes a vicious backhand. John seemed to notice this, and instead of yelling, he let out a sigh, relaxing his shoulders and running a hand through his hair.
He placed a firm hand on my frail shoulder, “Matt, you can’t run off like that, okay? You could...you could really hurt yourself,” John shook his head, “You know mom and dad aren’t gonna come looking, and this is the first time I actually saw you leave. Next time you might fall...or get kidnapped or, I don’t know, something!”
My shock had worn off and I nodded, swallowing hard, “You came looking for me?”
John scoffed, “Of course I did, you’re my brother! I have to look after you, in fact…” His frown turned into a small smile, “Why don’t you stick with me? From now on, I mean. At least then I know you’ll be safe.”
My eyes lit up. I never thought I’d ever hear those words from him--He seemed to be such a far away mystery to me. He was always like a celebrity, someone you wanted to know but never got a chance to. I nodded feverishly, “Okay!”
John turned, putting an arm around me and guiding me down the road, “Let’s get home, I’ll make you something to eat.”
****
It was from that moment on that I came to my brother with any problems that I had. He would wipe my tears when kids made fun of me, and make me laugh after dad would smack us around or mom would call me a disgrace. I spent sleepless nights in his room, just talking about random things--Girls, school, video games, you name it.
Further down the line, John became the one who made sure I ate. He made sure I was okay, and that I had clothes on my back. When he turned 19 and graduated (He failed 7th grade), he made sure I was able to sit in the audience to watch the ceremony. By this point, mom and dad barely were around in the morning before running off to get drunk, high and party, so I was the only one in my family that watched him get his diploma. When he moved into his new home, I still came to his house every day to eat and shower considering we had no food and no hot water.
Eventually, our neighbors finally figured out about my parents. Whether it was me walking out of my house every day and not returning til the morning, their drunken tirades, or the bruises on my face, child protective services were eventually knocking on my door. At first, I did what any 12 year old abused kid would do; I lied. But, also like any other 12 year old abused kid, I told the truth pretty quickly. They told me that I wasn't allowed to be with my parents anymore, and that I was to be put in a foster home, effective immediately. Before they do any of that, however, they look for family members to take in. I had nobody, except for my big brother John.
He later told me that there was no thought into it. He immediately said yes, no matter the stress it would put on himself. He made the spare room in his apartment into my very own bedroom, and bought all types of different sheets and furniture for me--Also all the food I could eat. During the days he was in college, and during the nights he was working at McDonalds to make a decent living for us. I didn't know then how much we were truly struggling from the very beginning, he had never told me.
The house was pretty decent compared to the shack I was living in with my parents, who had decisively left the picture after my brother took me in. They didn't even try to work to get me back, they probably thought it was more freedom to them. I looked around John's house and saw cleaned floors, bright lights and comfortable carpets and furniture. It was complete contrast to the lack of hot water and hot food, mangy carpets, torn apart furniture and floors I couldn't even see. I felt like I was in a better place there.
****
The worst decision I had ever made in my life was made under that very same oak tree that John had found me in. One of the kids in my grade had begun hanging around me in Sophomore year. I didn't have many friends, and I was feeling particularly upset. My 16th birthday marked three years since my parents had ever spoken to me, and after John got out of college he began working a full time job at a business firm. He no longer had time for those sleepless nights, or the patience for my complaints. It left me with a not-so-old reminder of my parents, and how they had neglected me. Even though in the back of my mind I knew John's reasons were pure, it still hit home and left me vulnerable. I had felt irreversibly alone when that he sat with me in my class and was friendly toward me.
Turns out, he was a rich kid who was popular. I suddenly began to have more 'friends', if you could call it that. When I wasn't stuck in my house, I was in his. This became a routine thing, either I'd be at his house or he'd be in mine, which incidentally wasn't too far away from my old house. I started to wonder why John didn't give me all the things that Troy got--It never crossed my mind that Troy's parents were just in a better position than us financially. It began the slow process of me taking things for granted because I liked to look at what others had in envy.
We had been walking down the block when I came across that oak tree. It was winter, so the tree had been left completely barren. The sun had begun to set and gave the sky a bright orange-red hue. The kid eyed me closely, hands in his pockets, "Listen, Matt...I know you've been stressed, with your brother being busy and all," His eyes darted around the empty street as he exhaled, puffs of smoke emerging from his mouth as hot air met bitter cold, "I think you should just let go of that stress--Have some fun, y'know?"
I raised an eyebrow as my friend shifted back and forth, looking straight at me as he ran a hand through his greasy black hair, "What do you mean?" I asked.
He dug around in the hand still in his coat pocket. He pulled out a bottle of prescription pills, handing them to me. I stared at them in my palm for a long time--Oxycotin, something typical a spoiled rich kid could get. He spoke once again, "When my mom broke her arm they gave her these--I started taking them. They really mellow you out."
"Troy, this--" I clenched them in my hand, shaking my head, "This is a really bad idea."
"Aw, come on!" He grinned mischievously, patting me on the shoulder, "Just take two of em and see how great you feel. You won't even have to buy the pills, man, I'll just give you some of mine I get from my dealer from time to time."
I frowned, running my finger along the base of the pill bottle. I shook it in my hand, there were only a few left in the bottle. The brittle wind blew past me, causing me to shiver under my own skin. Troy continued on, "Matt, I'm telling you, man. This'll make you forget all about John and your parents."
Troy took the bottle from me and popped open the cap. He carefully tilted it over, letting two fall into his palm before closing the bottle back up. He put the bottle in one of my hands and the two pills in the other, "Just try it," He sung.
Against my better judgement, I shoved the two pills in my mouth and swallowed hard, placing the pill bottle in my pocket. I decided that I'd try it, just for my one true friend. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to me, right? Troy patted me on the shoulder and chuckled, putting an arm around me as he guided me down the street--The same way John had done what seemed like so long ago.
----
Matt was a good kid. He wasn't perfect, but he knew right from wrong. He had morals. So why he started to hang out with those spoiled brats from his school was beyond me. At first, I blamed myself. I had been working overtime for months--Any time I was home, Matt only ever saw me up to my nose in paperwork and irritable. He was feeling lonely, and it left him vulnerable to those bad influences. He started taking the things we had for granted, as if I wasn't working hard enough to put food on the table. It took me a long time to realize that it wasn't my fault...But it wasn't his either. Matt was a damn good kid.
It started small. Matt started going out with his friends once a week, then three times, then every day if he could. Most of the time, it was without my permission while I was working. He'd delete the voicemails that said he had been absent from school, and would always run to the mailbox. I never knew that he was hiding his interim reports and teacher complaints--At least until I got to the mail first one day. It showed all of his grades. He had straight A's in the first and second quarters, but now with the third quarter over he had Four D's, two F's and a C; to put it into perspective, the C was in Gym.
I waited for him to come home from his friends house, my rage growing with each passing minute on the clock. He had grown prone to staying out late, and the smell of alcohol and pot from his room told me he wasn't always at Troy's house--And if he was, he was partying. I hadn't confronted him about it yet, but I figured now would be the time to. I decided his antics had to stop.
Matt didn't walk up the driveway until a few minutes after midnight. I watched the headlights of a car come to our house, stop, and honk as it drove off. Matt waved, a huge grin on his face. He stumbled down the gravel walkway, and when he opened the door, he nearly fell to the floor, catching himself against the wall. He narrowed his eyes at me, frowning softly, "Wah....What are you doing up?" He hiccuped, covering his mouth.
My eyes must have shown him just how serious the situation was. His expression sobered up, but only slightly. I could tell by his dilated pupils that he was drunk, "I know it's late, John, but I can--"
I threw the report card down on the table, face-up and opened, showing his grades. Matt gave it a once-over and then blinked, his eyes widening as I walked a step closer to him, "What the FUCK is this, Matt?" He was silent, staring at me, "Don't just stare at me like I have two heads!"
Matt put a hand in front of him as if telling me to calm down, "Schools just been really hard after the first semester, John. I'm sorry--"
I slammed my hand on the table, causing him to flinch, "You come into this house drunk nearly every day, you skip school, and now you're failing or nearly failing all of your classes? You're making all the bad choices you can possibly make!"
Matt scowled, "Well you haven't been helping any!" He threw his hands out in exasperation, struggling a bit to balance himself before continuing, "All you ever do is work, work, work! And you know what we get in return? NOTHING. Still just getting by."
"You think I wouldn't like for us to have a giant mansion and a bunch of cars like all of your spoiled friends?" I gritted my teeth, "I make sure you have food in your stomach and a roof over your head. What more do you want?"
Matt scoffed, turning away from him and shaking his head, "You're giving me a headache."
"Maybe it's because you're drunk."
"Well I wouldn't need to get drunk if I didn't feel like I was alone all the damn time!" Matt retorted.
I exhaled, running a hand through my hair, "You know...I never thought I'd see you become a spoiled brat."
"And I never thought I'd see you become JUST LIKE MOM AND DAD."
I didn't mean what was going to happen next. I didn't even realize I was doing it. One second, he was standing in front of me, looking up at me and spitting venom. The next moment, he was on the ground, grabbing his cheek as I smacked him clean across the face. I stared at my hand for a moment, my expression going from anger to shock. My breathing grew ragged as Matt stared at me with fiery green eyes.
"Matt, I..." He stood upright. The slap had sobered him up as tears welled in his eyes. He turned around opening the door and stomping outside. I followed him to the door, still holding my hand in front of me, "Matt, I didn't mean to!"
I walked out, watching him sprint down the street, "Matt, wait! MATT!"
****
An hour passed and I must have called his phone at least fifty times. I left him a voicemail each time, apologizing emphatically, begging him to come back home. He shouldn't be out by himself at one in the morning. I felt the tears roll down my face, my heart rate increase, and my body grow numb. If anything happened to him, it would have been my fault. I should have kept my emotions in check.
As I paced the kitchen, I eventually decided that I needed to go find my little brother. I grabbed my coat and scarf and walked out of the door. I didn't bother to lock the door--I didn't even bother to take my keys. I needed to drive to work tomorrow and I only had enough gas to take me there and back--Plus, I figured that Matt had gone to Troy's, which wasn't too far.
I walked down the lonely street with no lamps and no guarantee for my safety, exhaling softly. The only light came from the full moon up above, illuminating the path in front of me. I was able to see that tall oak tree from a few blocks away, and I decided that I should check it out. The oak tree had become a sort of safe haven from Matt, ever since he was a kid; If he wasn't at Troy's, he'd definitely be there.
I kept my hands firmly in the pockets of my jacket as I walked toward the tree. I turned my head back and forth, looking for his short and skinny figure. I allowed a faint smile at the thought of this tree--It reminded me of the time when Matt was just an innocent kid.
On a whim, I took out my phone and called Matt one more time. The incessant ringing in my ear that had grown tedious over the course of an hour and a half caused me to flinch. I waited with cold breath under the base of the tree. There was a click, and then his annoyed voice. My expression was washed with relief as he scowled, "What do you want, John?"
I went to respond, but was interrupted by a deadly voice, "Give me your money, asshole."
I turned around to see a kid, probably no older than Matt, standing in front of me. His eyes were alert and his body was frail--He looked as though he was on a significant high. He shakily held a gun, pointing it at my chest. I exhaled, giving him a faint smile, "I don't have any money."
"What?" Matt's voice called over the phone.
"Then give me your phone," He retorted, flaunting his gun once again, "I'll shoot--Don't...Don't make me!"
"Listen...Just let me finish talking to my brother."
"John, what's going on?" Matt demanded.
"HANG UP AND GIVE ME THE DAMN PHONE"
The screams at me and in my ear almost drowned out the gunshot, but it didn't drown out the pain. I stumbled backward, dropping the phone and falling flat on my stomach. I could feel the warmth of blood surrounding me as I looked up to the teenager. He stared at his gun in shock, then back at me, "I--I'm sorry. I thought--I thought the safety was..."
I coughed up blood as black dots consumed my vision. I faintly heard yelling from my phone, but I couldn't make out the words. The kid dropped his gun and promptly sprinted down the street as I turned on my back, looking up at the bare oak tree.
"What a way to go," I muttered to myself with a slight smirk.
I always knew my brother Matt was a damn good kid, no matter what he did to suggest otherwise.
----
I didn't hear the police sirens--They were basically white noise, as were the officers that continued to push against me. When adrenaline is pumping through you, physical restraints are normally neglected. That was why I was able to push past men and women much stronger (and sometimes much bigger) than me until I got to the fated yellow tape that surrounded the base of the oak tree.
When John called me, I wasn't planning on telling him where I was. I didn't even want to talk to him at all, but watching my phone light up over and over again as I sat next to Troy had become an annoyance to me. I ceased my complaining for one moment to answer the phone, and ended up experiencing the worst three minutes of my entire life.
In my drug-induced daze, I didn't fully comprehend anything that was going on--That is, until I heard the gunshot over the phone.
I felt myself sober up as I started to scream into the phone, "John?! JOHN!"
"I'm sorry...I thought--I thought the safety was," The man's voice stuttered before stopping as he assumingly ran away.
Tears had begun to roll down my face as I screamed for him, "Talk to me, John--TALK TO ME!" When I was once again met with no response, I threw my phone down in frustration, standing upright and grabbing my coat from the rack, "I gotta go, Troy, I--I gotta go."
Troy was surprised to see me in this state--He had never seen me puffy eyed and sobbing, "What's going on, Matt?"
I reached down, grabbing my phone and opening the door. I didn't even look at him, "My brother just got shot," I replied quietly before walking out.
And I ran. I ran all the way from Troy's house until I saw red and blue consume the night sky. It was at that point that I knew for sure something terrible had happened. When I made it to the Caution tape, I was only meant with confirmation of what I had feared. The body had already been wrapped and was in the midst of being carried away from the crime scene among the crimson pool that had surrounded it. It took a moment for the shock to set in; But once it did, I fell to my knees, placing my hands over my mouth and stifling a scream. Eventually, it turned into loud sobbing as I fell to the pavement.
When they stepped over the caution tape and began to carry his body to the back of the ambulance, I spoke softly, "Wake up John..." It rose sharply, however, "WAKE UP JOHN! WAKE UP!"
I grew silent, hugging myself as officers once again surrounded me, urging me to stand up and walk away from the traumatizing scene, "Wake up...Wake up..."
****
They caught the murderer. I was forced to sit in court as they charged him with first degree murder--he was sentenced with 25 to life. My expression was blank in the courtroom, and it was blank at the funeral, too. I saw many of his friends, all of which gave their condolensces to me. One of them even offered me a place to stay until I graduated, however I declined. I noticed that my parents weren't at the funeral, nor did they call me at all during the grieving process. His friends had paid for the funeral, but after it was over I never really heard from them again.
Troy, wrought with pity for my sake, kept me on my feet long enough for me to juggle a job as well as school. I stopped taking drugs from him or anyone, and partying on my part had met a crashing halt. Because if I had been better, if I hadn't let myself fall into the venus fly trap known as teenage society, my brother John would still be here today. I just felt like I was in a bad dream I couldn't ever wake up from--I blamed myself for John's death, and I still do. I realized my mistakes too late, I stressed him out and I took him for granted until he had been shot dead in the middle of the street.
John always thought the best of me, and I let him down. That's a pill that will always be impossible to swallow.
And sometimes, on the days where I feel particularly lonely, I take a road trip to that old oak tree that now has chips in the bark and branches barely holding themselves up. I climb that tree, tripping and nearly falling multiple times as I had lost the athleticism of my youth. I sit down on one of the stronger branches and pray that John will come find me like he did so many years ago.
He never does.
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