FicWad

Chapter 2: Living Sin
Gerard’s POV
I walk down a street. I am alone. I think I am alone. There is nothing here except a fire. A riot of sun streaked colours and deep purples. It flickers, swaying with the wind. Alive and watching me. Bloodshot eyes follow my every move, the instruments of a killer. I see faces in the fire. The people I love...burning. I scream but there is no sound, my wordless cries are lost.

Desperately I twist and turn, but I can't move. Mikey screams, he cries and writhes in pain. I long to go to him and wrench him free of the blaze. Instead I must watch my brother die. I pull at my unseen chains but I cannot break free. I am trapped. Mikey. Fire. Death.
/]

[/My invisible guard releases me. I stumble forward into a black room. It is silent and eerie. All of a sudden I feel my hands are cold, chilly. I am holding a dagger. It has a gleaming golden hilt but its blade is far from clean. It is old and crusted with burgundy waste but it still wants more blood.

I have no control over what happens next. I walk towards the shadow in the corner. The knife leads me. The knife rises. It plunges down. The shadow falls to let in the light. Mikey's body collapses.

I woke in a cold sweat. The relief flooded through me as the realization it was just a dream struck. Mikey was still alive, still breathing. Yet I searched my hands for blood, shuddering as if they were the tools of the murderer I was only moments ago. I let escape the breath I didn’t know I was holding as no signs of the carmine liquid were detectable. It was absolute that what I had done was no more than a figment of my imagination. But my river of feelings changed course abruptly as the locked memories crept up. My old life wanted me. But did I want it?

Breakfast was a dull affair, the only cheery aspect being my excellent coffee. I sighed as I poured my fourth cup out, the gurgle of the frothy brew drowning out Mikey's footsteps. My breath hitched uncomfortably as he appeared in the doorway unannounced. Hair ruffled and clothes crumpled it was clear he had only just risen. But still his glasses were perched faithfully on the end of his nose and through foggy lenses he peered out, his eyes startlingly vivid in the morning light. He seemed so innocent, so pure; it tormented me to think of what I had done to him only hours before. It was only a dream, a horror, a nightmare that refused to cease. It didn’t matter; it would torment me one way or another.

“Morning,” I called, putting on my best charade of nonchalance. “Coffee?”
It was best not to scare him so early in his day; in fact it would be better if he never knew of the dream.

“Morning Gee,” Mikey mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Coffee sounds excellent.”

I poured him a cup, motioning for him to sit down opposite me. He didn’t need to think twice about it, in a flash he was in the seat pouncing on the unsuspecting mug. I grinned absentmindedly; his quirks were what made him the younger brother you couldn’t help but love.

“I need to talk to you,” he said after a short spell of silence. His voice quivered slightly, whether from fear or the biting cold remained unclear, but I was silently praying it was the latter.

“About what,” I asked, taking great care to maintain a calm tone. Inside I was already panicking, the perfect fit to the overprotective brother.

“I’m scared,” he whispered, his voice scarcely audible.

“What?” I choked out, my fears already seeming to materialize. No! This couldn’t be happening so soon. It had been days, barely a week since we had moved here. Mere hours when broken down and still we would never be free.

“I’m scared,” he repeated this time louder but trembling. His eyes grew wider, startled, the memory was familiar. I had seen this expression before and I remembered it well. It didn’t come from a happy place. “I’m seeing things.” I froze, this wasn’t even close to what I was expecting.

“What things?” I asked tentatively, perhaps it would be better if I never knew.
“Faces, shadows.” It seemed like he was slipping into a trance. “I can hear them too, they talk to me, they tell me...” The trance broke and so did Mikey, he gave a violent shudder, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Shhh,” I murmured; moving across the table I put my arms around him comfortingly. Gently and slowly so as not to make him feel worse I hummed a tune into his ear. I could feel his body shiver against me as I rocked him slowly from side to side, still humming the quiet melody.
“Mikey,” I finally sighed, ruffling his sleep-styled hair. “Nothing, no one here can hurt you anymore. And if anyone, anyone at all, messes with you; well they’re going to have to deal with me.” I stopped to let the words sink into him, he needed to know he was not alone.

“Gerard, you don’t have to get involved with anything.” The note of panic and pleading in his voice struck a nerve; all of a sudden my heart felt like it was breaking around me.

“Is it because...” I let go of him, pulling back to survey his face.

Mikey cut me off abruptly: “No it is not.” His voice was steady and authoritative, closing any further discussion on the point. It felt oddly forced after the tone he had been using before but I let it drop; it wouldn’t do to put unnecessary pressure on him. “I want you to focus on yourself. And only yourself. I don’t want to see you slip away any more than you want to see me get hurt. I’m 15 now; I think I can take care of myself. Besides I have the others to look out for me.”

“You’re right Mikes. My baby brother is all grown up now.” I said playfully but behind the facade I was touched. He cared more than I could ever deserve.

“Yes he is.” Mikey smiled.

Mikey’s POV
I looked at myself in the mirror. Black skinny jeans, a Misfit’s t-shirt and matching converse. Not bad. I honestly had no idea how this first day was going to go and dressing weirdly was not going to help. Being late wasn’t going to help either so I grabbed my backpack and ran outside to the car where the guys were waiting for me.
Skittles and coffee were my comfort as we rode on to school. I was surprised Frank had offered up some of his not-so-secret stash but then again he was just as nervous as I was. I could hear Ray and Gerard talking up front but to me, it was all meaningless chatter. The only thing on my mind and probably Frank’s too was the day ahead of me.

Finally we pulled up in front of the school building. My hands shook but soon I realized there was nothing to be scared of. Except for the fact that maybe no one would accept me, and they’d bully me and beat me up again and... I had to stop. This worrying was not good for me, at all.
Putting on a straight face, I waved goodbye to Gerard and Ray and dragged Frank out with me. In silence we walked up to the place where everything could change or everything could go wrong...
My first class was Algebra, ugh...why? I took the only empty seat next to a dark haired girl.

“Alicia,” she said suddenly turning around to face me. “And you are?”

“Mikey,” I replied, taken aback by her upfront approach to me. All the same I didn’t want to blow my chance with any potential friend so I threw in a polite “How are you?”

“As good as I can be in this place,” she smiled at me before winking.

I was momentarily stunned; she shifted slightly in her seat allowing me a view of her t-shirt. It was the same t-shirt as mine. Call me crazy but I didn’t believe this was a coincidence; the universe was trying to tell me something. It was what I liked to call “a sign.”

“Um...Alicia,” I asked tentatively.

“Yes?” was her curious reply.
“You’re wearing the same shirt as me.”

I held my breath waiting for the response; I didn’t want her to think I’d been staring or anything.

“Am I now,” she cocked one eyebrow upwards. “Call me crazy but I think...”

“The universe is trying to tell me something,” we finished together before laughing.

“You believe in signs too?” she giggled, her face lighting up most beautifully.

“Yeah, I do.” I grinned at her, basking in her friendly glow.

“You know Mikey, you...”
But I never did get to hear what she wanted to say because just then our teacher walked in. Believe me; she kept us working long and hard.

Frank’s POV
I groaned for probably the millionth time today. Less than an hour and I knew: school sucked. Even if I hadn’t been vehemently opposed to it from the start the way I felt about it now would not have changed. I’d already been stuffed into a locker twice by some dim-witted jocks and narrowly escaped a beating for a multitude of reasons, none of which I could fathom. If a place such as Hell existed, there was no doubt in my mind it would be this. Or perhaps Purgatory was a better suited term, a horrific state in which I would be forced to live until judgement or rather graduation. Yes, purgatory it was but that did not make it any more pleasant in my mind. I already had a ton of homework weighing down my back and a silent scream escaped my lips. I felt sorry for Mikey, if I had it this bad I could only imagine what he was going through.

I turned through the bend in the corridor, sighing as I spotted a happy couple. Maybe that would be me one day. It was both sickening yet adorable how they wore matching outfits save for the shoes which were red on the girl and black on the boy. Funny, I remembered Mikey owned those converses and I made a mental note to tell him when I got the chance. But the chance was coming sooner than I expected—
“Frankie!” called an absurdly cheerful voice. I panicked for a moment thinking of the soccer team, I wasn’t up for human football. “Here!” the mysterious person called again. I looked up from the ground and then sighed.

“Mikey,” I acknowledged, thoroughly relieved. “Who’s the-

“Alicia,” the raven haired girl said holding out her hand.

“Hi Alicia,” I said as smoothly as I could, taking her hand, it was soft and white in my rough paws. I was beginning to wonder how the hell Mikey was managing to have such a good day. It was beyond unfair but I couldn’t bring myself to be jealous of him. We were family and if he was happy, I was happy.

“Hi Frank,” she waved back at me.

Regaining my confidence I stepped forward with what I hoped was a sexy smirk.
“I know that look,” warned Mikey as I broke into a grin, trying to tug Alicia over to me.
“BACK OFF, SHE’S MINE!” he half-yelled while Alicia looked on amused. Finally recovering his manners and shreds of dignity he apologized profusely.

“It’s alright Mikey,” she smiled and nudged her hand into his. “You’re mine too, so everyone else better back off.”

“Did I miss something?” I asked, very confused. Did Mikey already have a girlfriend? Damn he was good!

“Yeah you missed three lessons with us,” piped up Mikey, having found his voice again. “We have the exact same schedule.”

“Well...” I waggled my eyebrows suggestively.

“No, I know what you’re thinking Frank, Mikey and I are just friends.”

“For now,” Mikey mumbled disappointedly.

“What was that Mikey?” she giggled and punched his arm.

I could now see that she was completely and utterly off limits. I was so glad Mikey had a friend, but I couldn’t help but wish that I had a friend of my own too. I brightened up thinking that tomorrow was a new day, with new classes and maybe even a new friend.
*
Alicia and Mikey walked home arm in arm in front of me, chatting away happily. I simply swaggered forwards with my hands in my pockets, trying to appreciate the feel of nature around me. The way the wind rustled through the trees, the leaves that fell softly from the sky: caressing the ground as they lay to rest. It was beautiful in its own way, the raw feel of Jersey. A cat cried somewhere in the distance and I chuckled. Even paradise couldn’t be perfect. This was as I close as I would get to perfect what with all the turmoil we were experiencing. But even now I could tell Ray and Gerard were going to be proud of Mikey and I for doing so well today. For most kids, it wouldn’t be a big deal to have made a friend on their first day; but in our family the little triumphs were the big accomplishments.

We turned onto the little lane that led up to the house and Alicia looked about in delight at the cosy home we shared. No sooner than I had set foot onto the stone-paved track, a black bird hopped across my path, cocking its demonic head to the side. It cawed loudly staring at me with its beady, soulless eyes. Omen was the only word that came to mind. But I shook my head, ignoring it; because not too far ahead a figure was moving. I could see Gerard at the entrance to the house. I waved but there was no response. It was then I noticed. I noticed the blood.