Chapter Text
Brandon
“Mom, Dad I really want these paints for my birthday.”
I told my parents that since my 15th birthday was coming up, the paints in question are on the other side of the island.
Which is why I asked, Landon on the other hand thought I was being unreasonable.
“You're not going to die if you don’t get it tomorrow, just enjoy the day, baby bro.”
I roll my eyes at him, “Lan, Don’t you want something as well? C’mon just ask.”
Our parents just chuckle softly at my desperation. “We could always order some men to get both of your gifts.” Our dad, Levi, said.
“Why? We could go together, like on a date.” Mum, Astrid, offers. Lan and I look at each other knowing what they actually mean.
Dad agreed immediately like a love sick fool.
-
- · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ··
Lan, Glyn and I, all stand together in a line.
“Alright, Your mother and myself are going out now, we’ll be back in the morning.” Dad announces.
“Why are you going so late?” Sweet Glyn asks, I don’t know if it’s because she’s only 12 but Lan and I have a pretty good idea on why.
“To star gaze, Bran you’re in charge.” Lan scoffs at that.
“Why’s my little brother in charge?” He asks with sarcasm.
“Because I trust him more and he’s only younger by 1 minute.” Dad answered him with a calm demeanor. Mom has just been smiling the entire time.
Landon takes it with a scowl and Glyn just giggles softly, while I feel my cheeks burn with slight embarrassment.
“Alright kiddos just remember Nolan is here to help you for everything. Since that’s what he gets paid for.” With that our parents say goodbye and we say goodbye back.
There is a moment of silence before I break it. “Want to play some board games?”
Landon frowns “That’s so childish.”
On the other hand Glyn happily agrees, “Yes!”
“I didn’t hear a no Lan, and I’ll go get them.” With that I left to go get them.
When I returned, both of them were sitting on the floor.
And that’s how we spent the entire night all the way till it was 8 am. Just playing random board games.
Even though I should’ve made sure they were in bed, like the reasonable one.
- · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ··
By the end of it both of them were fast asleep on the couch, I laid a blanket over them and left to make breakfast for my parents.
I was preparing the kitchen, when Nolan walked into it.
“Sir, there’s an issue that demands immediate attention.” What the hell could it be?
In my half awake body I walk towards the door. Where I find Uncle Adain and Aunt Elsa.
“Hi Uncle and Aunt” I mutter, Adain ruffles my hair obviously noticing that I was walking on no sleep.
“Hey, I think you should sit down for this, Are the others awake?” Okay I’m getting scared now. What on Earth could be so serious that I need to take a seat?
“No, they just went to sleep.” That’s when I noticed Aunt Elsa has been avoiding looking at me, her eyes looking tear stained.
I lead them to the kitchen where you can’t be heard in the living, in case they do wake up I don’t want to startle them.
After we all take a seat, Uncle starts talking. “Look there’s no easy way to put this
.
.
.
…Your parents are dead.” What? What? What? Their what?
I can’t formulate anything, Aunt Elsa starts crying again, and Uncle Adrian puts a comfortable hand on her shoulder.
“What?” That’s the only thing I can manage to say.
“Your parents were driving back, when a drunk truck driver rammed into them at full force. They died on impact.” He tells me in a shaky voice.
They died getting our birthday gifts.
They died getting the gift I wanted, and picking something random for Landon.
They died getting my selfish request.
After recomposing himself, Uncle kept talking. “There’s a lot of technical stuff we have to do now, but I’ll give you the rest of the day to break the news to your brother and sister. I know I should do it, but we have to do a lot of work for them.”
I can only nod in silence at the weight of my parents' deaths crushing the air I have left inside my lungs.
Eventually they leave to break the news to everyone else. Leaving me to tell Glyndon and Landon.
I’ll tell them when they wake up naturally, till then I need to find something to do in my room.
Surprisingly I don’t start crying, I don’t rip my room apart, I don’t yell or curse at god for being too cruel. Instead I put on a watch my mother gave me last year, it’s now one of the last presents she’ll ever have given me.
When it clicks into place I put all my focus on the ticking noise,
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
It doesn’t comfort me, if anything it reminds me of every second I robbed my siblings of having our parents, because of a stupid gift. That only I wanted.
I’m crying, no sobbing into my pillow, not to wake them. All I want to do is to go to sleep and wake with my parents back.
But I know that won’t happen, not now, not ever. Because I killed them.
-
- · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ··
I forced myself to stop crying, clean myself up, and go make them something to eat when they do wake up.
The entire time I was cooking I could almost see dad. Sometimes I’d hear him whispering an instruction.
I made a simple english breakfast, I guess the smell woke them up since they came into the kitchen like stray, tired, cats.
“Thank you Bran… Happy birthday to the both of you.” Glyn mumbles, while Lan just grunts like a cave man for some reason.
“Take a seat, Uncle Adian and Aunt Elsa wanted me to tell you something.” I say trying my best to conceal the absolute grief in my voice.
“What happened?” Landon cuts to the chase immediately, I point to the seat next to Glyn since she took it as soon as I said it. He reluctantly follows suit.
“Our parents… were hit by a drunk driver last night… They didn’t make it.” I can’t look them in the eyes. I know the anguish on their faces will be because of my selfish want.
There’s a pregnant moment of silence before Glyndon breaks it. “Brandon, this is a really bad joke.” All I can do is shake my head to show them, I’m not joking.
“Oh god!” I hear Glyn shout before breaking out into uncontrollable tears. All I can do is hear her cries, I force myself to look at them.
Glyn looks beyond heart broken, I don’t think she’ll ever be able to recover from this day. I turn my head to Landon.
He doesn’t have a single emotion on display right now, but I can feel him glaring at me as if to say ‘it’s your fault’. I try to tell myself I’m playing tricks on myself. But the more I think about it the more I believe it.
My chain of thoughts are broken by Landon throwing his plate of food towards my head, I barely manage to avoid it. “It’s all your fault! If you didn’t have to be such a brat, then they wouldn’t have gone!”
I already know that, I don’t interrupt him for a moment. If this is his way of mourning, I’ll let him mourn.
Glyn cries harder at seeing Lan melt down, She’s so young. And now won’t have our parents.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
“I never want to see you again!” With that Landon storms off to his room.
I quietly comfort Glyn, for the rest of the day.
Yay to Lan’s happy 15th.
-
- · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ··
Eventually I managed to tell my uncle that I didn’t want to stay with him, I wanted a fresh start.
He offered to stay with Grace for a while, since she’s apparently going to the states for a few years, then I can come back. I agreed since she is was one of my mother’s closest friends.
And that’s how I ended up in a two bedroom apartment with her, I told my family, it broke Glyndon even more. I can’t stop hurting her. And I told Landon through his bedroom door.
“I know you’ve had a terrible week, but it’ll get better with time.” Grace coated softly. She’s been kinder recently, most likely due to the fact by parents are dead and then 3 days later I moved to a different country.
I just nod my head quietly. “You’ll start school in the fall, until then it’ll just be the two of us.” Grace says with a grin. It makes me uncomfortable before I brush it off.
.
.
.
It’s been a few weeks since I moved up to the states, and well, I hate everything about it. The mannerless people, how they all shove each, and the bright sun that shines nearly everyday. I also recently found out that I’m in New York. I feel like I should’ve known that before coming here.
Grace keeps getting closer, she keeps comforting me more often for silly things, and she keeps praising my art that I put no effort into.
It’s like she wants something from me.
-
- · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ··
Disgusting.
That’s all I feel right now.
I found out what she wanted from me.
It was my body.
I’m trying my best to wash away all this disgusting black ink that somehow found its way towards me.
I want to rub my skin raw. Chop off every place she put her disgusting hands on me.
I want to call my family and tell them what just happened, cry in their arms, and never let it happen again.
After I finish showing not that it did anything, I call Glyn my closest sibling.
After 3 rings she answers.
“Bran? How are you?” Glyn asks politely, and suddenly the words die in my throat, I couldn’t get them out even if a gun was pointed to my head.
“Good” I chock out. “How are you?”
“Good, like today____” It’s nice hearing the day my sister had, better to know that she’s safe and sound.
After she finishes I ask about Landon “How’s Lan?” The nickname now feels foreign in my mouth, ever since that day he hasn’t spoken a word to me.
“Oh you know, causing trouble.” Glyn says with a sigh, before talking about her new drawing.
Way too soon Glyn hangs up.
-
- · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ··
“If you tell anyone about what happened, I’ll get your brother instead of you.” Was what Grace told me first thing in the morning.
She wouldn’t do it right? The look on her face tells me she’s not kidding. “Alright…” I mumble out. The way I mumble it out should put my family name to shame. I’m the mistake that keeps ruining my family's name.
She leans over and taps my cheek, I want to slap the shit out of her.
“I’ll also post the video I took, I’ll show how pathetic you were during your first time. Don’t worry, I’ll help you get better.”
I feel the black ink envelop me again, I want to go puck. I need to do something. But I can’t, I’m powerless.
Eventually she serves breakfast, I take a few bites. “Alright I have to go to work now, I’ll be back soon.” After I hear the door lock I run to the bathroom and throw up all the food that hasn’t been digested yet.
It was oddly comforting.
-
- · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ··
That’s how I spent the rest of my summer, getting raped by Grace, then calling Glyn and hearing her talk about her day.
Eventually it came to an end and I had to sign up for school. Grace chose a private school, one where they only care about your family’s influence, The King’s name doesn’t spread this far.
Apparently in U.S. terms I was in the 10th grade, which gave me plenty of opportunities to sign up for clubs and other things.
The ones I did sign up for were Student government, Lacrosse, cooking, and a painting club.
Which means I don’t have any free time. In simpler terms Grace can’t touch me as easily now.
It was smooth sailing till Nikolai Sokolov took sight of me.