The Last Dainv

Chapter 239 - 241

21:30, December 22, 2053, Montreal, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue

The basement apartment always smelled of alcohol, mould, and cigarettes. Kyle sat cross legged on the couch's left side, wearing a faded gray shirt with stains a couple of weeks old. Clyde had an identical shirt, except a lighter gray and with similar stains of the same age.

Both their stomachs grumbled at the same time, audible enough that they both glanced at each other with a smile. From the intensity of the alcohol smell, it looked like they weren't going to get any food today as well.

The TV in front of them flickered. Parts of the screen had been cracked, but it was ok. It was still watchable apart from sometimes they'd need to smack it on the side whenever the screen stuttered too much.

There were only 3 channels they had available: news, news that didn't like the first one, and a travel channel.

[Reports confirm the gas explosion in Old Montreal has left three dead and seven injured. Authorities continue to investigate the cause. What could have happened? No one knows yet. Police Chief Dubois is set to make a statement tomorrow.]

Kyle scratched his nose. "Where's the remote?"

Clyde glanced on the floor and felt for it under the cushions of the sofa. It wasn't there. "Don't know."

"Kitchen maybe?"

"Probably."

"Nevermind then."

[In other news, SPVM have confirmed fifteen additional missing persons reports filed this week. The disappearances span multiple neighbourhoods and affect individuals ranging from ages eight to seventy-three.]

Glass suddenly shattered in the kitchen. Glass, bottles, lots of alcohol bottles, all crashed onto the kitchen tile floor behind the door that separated the living room.

Both boys took no time sliding off the couch. They scrambled behind the far side of the armrest from the kitchen door, pressing their backs and hugging their knees. Hopefully, this one would be over fast. The bruises from last time still hurt, and Kyle didn't want any bruises on top of bruises. That'd really hurt.

The kitchen door slammed open, hitting the back of the wall with a loud thud.

Footsteps crossed into the living room. Looks like this was going to be worse than last time.

Kyle couldn't resist peeking from the armrest. He saw her. Hair hung loose around her face. Makeup smudged all over her face. Alcohol had spilled all over her shirt and jeans, the same one she went out with 2 nights ago. Her head turned left, then right, frantically looking for something.

Them, of course.

Clyde pulled Kyle back down. The thud caused by the pull was loud enough that the woman's head snapped to their location.

The footsteps came for them, slowly, coming closer and closer. The woman sniffled. Tears poured down from her eyes.

A hand caught Kyle's upper arm, nails dug into his skin, causing it to rip and bleed. His body left the floor as she threw his bony body into the middle of the living room.

Next thing Kyle knew, something had kicked his stomach, making him retch and curl up. Stomps came from above him. He could no longer stop himself from crying. She was aiming for the bruises that were already there.

Why won't she stop? Where's dad? Did we even have one?

From the moment Kyle could remember anything, there was no dad. They never had, not that he knew of.

Another stomp caught his other leg. Kyle bit down on his lip accidentally, clenching his teeth, hoping it'd be over soon. At least it was him, not Clyde. His cheeks were even more hollow than his.

The stomps came in a rhythm, finding all the sore points of what happened last time. Flank. Thigh. Ribs. Flank. Thigh. Ribs.

"You. Fucking. Useless. Cursed. Child," she said as she kicked him.

Suddenly, the kicks stopped. Clyde was above him. "Stop. Please! He's going to die!"

"Move out of the way, brat!" The woman kicked at Clyde's back that protected Kyle. She continued doing that until Clyde had passed out, but she didn't stop.

Kyle moved his body back over to Clyde's unconscious body. Her kicks went at him next. As long as Kyle's alive, he'd take the pain.

And she continued. Until who knows how long.

Long enough that Kyle had almost passed out from the beating. When she ran out of steam, that was when he knew that it'd be almost over. Her tired kicks weren't as painful as her real ones.

The woman took deep breaths, standing over them. Slowly, she stepped back and went to the only bedroom in the basement.

Kyle heard her drop to the bed. She'd probably fall asleep in a minute. Picking himself up, he lifted Clyde's unconscious body as best as he could. He placed him on one side of the sofa and put a blanket over him.

Mom was drunk, so it's ok. She probably didn't know what she was doing. He needed to repeat that to himself every day of his life for as long as he could remember.

Placing himself on the other side of the sofa, he took the second blanket and laid down. It was cold. The blanket wasn't thick enough for Montreal winters. Still, it was something. Best to be grateful to have it than not. And some of the bruises would heal tomorrow. Definitely.

Kyle's body shook as he tried his best to sleep. The tears wouldn't stop, soaking the pillow. Stupid tears, making the pillow even colder than it should be.

The next day, 11:27.

Kyle swept broken glass into a pile near the fridge, each fragment scraping too loudly across the tile. Both boys paused. They listened first, then continued their cleaning.

When Clyde crouched by the counter, picking up a larger brown shard of the beer bottle, he made a sharp hiss. "Ow..."

Kyle looked up from where he was sweeping and moved over to where Clyde was. Pulling up his hand, he saw the cut on the finger, bright red blood pooling.

Dropping the broom, Kyle crossed to the sink and opened the cabinet softly. He pulled out the dented first aid kit and put it on the kitchen table. The kit popped open, and he pulled out the first bandaid he saw, tearing the wrapper and holding the bandaid to Clyde's bleeding finger.

"Hold still."

Kyle wrapped the bandaid around it, pressing the edges to make sure it stuck.

A creak came from the bedroom down the hall.

Both boys' heads snapped to the kitchen door. Bed springs squeaked. Footsteps. Someone was getting up.

The kitchen floor was still dirty. Glass shards scattered everywhere from plates and bottles that had shattered last night. They hadn't finished cleaning everything up yet.

Mom didn't like that. She never liked waking up to messes, and she really didn't like being woken up by the noise of them cleaning. It was her way of giving them discipline for something they should have done.

Clyde grabbed the broom Kyle had dropped and started sweeping again, faster this time. Kyle snatched up the bag and started shoving glass into it as quickly as he could, not worrying about being quiet anymore because fast mattered more than quiet now that she was awake.

A sting bit into his finger. Blood slowly dripped from it. But he couldn't stop. No time to put bandaid. They needed to finish before she came out of the bedroom.

The bedroom door opened.

Kyle swept faster as Clyde also sped up his gathering of the shards into the corner.

The kitchen door swung open. Both boys paused, looking at the woman who had just come in.

"Sorry mom." Kyle said automatically. "We haven't finished cleaning yet. Please don't get mad."

She stood in the doorway, wearing a clean shirt and a different set of pants, black this time. Mom looked at them for a moment, then her eyes turned to the first aid kit by the table.

Then, she noticed Kyle's finger, blood dripping onto the floor from it.

Kyle immediately hid it behind him.

She stepped forward and walked to the table, picking up a bandaid from the open first aid kit without saying anything.

"Let me see."

Kyle didn't move, keeping his hand hidden.

"Kyle. Your hand."

He brought it out slowly, extending the finger to her.

She took his hand in both of hers, her fingers gentle as she turned it to look at the cut. She unwrapped the bandaid and pressed it carefully over the wound.

See? Mom really did love them. Last night's pain was just last night. That's the past.

"Clyde."

Clyde set down the broom and walked over to where they stood.

She pulled them both close, wrapping her arms around their shoulders and holding them tight against her.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I wasn't in the right mind last night. I love you both so so much. I didn't mean those words. You understand, right?"

Kyle leaned into her, feeling her heartbeat against his ear through her shirt. "It's ok mom. We love you too."

Clyde pressed closer to her other side. "It's ok. It didn't hurt. We love you a lot."

She held them tighter for a long moment. After a couple of breaths, she pulled back, looking at both of them softly, then smiling.

"How about some breakfast? Want eggs?"

Kyle and Clyde nodded in unison.

That's mom. Even though life wasn't as good as what they saw on the travel channel, it was still good. Better than being out in the streets.

Mom stood up and looked at them with a sincere smile they hadn't seen in ages. "I got a new job. Client wants to see me tonight."

Kyle looked up at her. "That's great, mom."

"I'll be back by 9PM." She moved to the stove, pulled out the pan from the cabinet below, put oil in it, and turned on the heat. "Then I'll cook you dinner."

As they both walked over to the table, Clyde sat on the table waiting for breakfast while Kyle packed up the bandaid kit and put it back below the sink.

Mom got the eggs from the fridge and then started cracking them directly into the pan. The sizzling sound immediately filled the quiet kitchen. A few minutes later, she pulled out two slices of bread from the cupboard and plated them with two eggs per plate. She then put 1 more egg in the pan and plated it with 1 slice of bread.

She moved back and forth, putting the plates with 2 eggs and 2 slices of bread in front of both Kyle and Clyde while she took the remainder.

All three of them ate in peace, like a happy family. Even Clyde was smiling. He couldn't hide his stupid smile either.

When they finished, mom stood up from her chair. Kyle and Clyde stayed seated, watching as she walked to the counter and grabbed her purse.

She walked over and kissed both their foreheads, then moved to the kitchen door, looking back at them. "Don't leave the house. If anyone knocks, never answer it. Hide. Don't make a sound. Got it?"

Kyle and Clyde nodded. "We won't, mom."

They heard her footsteps move to the basement's front door. It opened and closed, and the sound of locks closing echoed in the now quiet basement.

Kyle stood up and carried the plates to the sink. Clyde grabbed the broom they'd left by the counter and swept up the last bits of glass they'd missed earlier. After a few minutes, the kitchen looked clean enough that mom wouldn't complain.

They left the kitchen and went back to the living room. Clyde went to the sofa while Kyle tapped on the power button on the TV.

The display turned on, but it was flickering and stuttering. Of course. Old TV. Kyle quickly found the special spot on where to hit it, gave it a soft smack, and three hard smacks, and the TV returned to normal.

[The investigation continues into the gas explosion at the Montreal Port. Authorities have yet to determine the exact cause, but preliminary reports suggest a methane buildup in the maintenance buildings.]

Kyle looked at Clyde and smiled. "Can't wait for dinner today. Wonder what we'll eat."

Clyde nodded, then shifted on the couch, feeling his hands through the sides. "Did we ever find the remote? News is starting to get boring."

"I think I saw it earlier while we were cleaning. Hold on." Kyle got up, walked back to the kitchen, and crouched down under the fridge. There it was. Grabbing it, he returned to the sofa, settling back into his spot.

He pressed the + button and the channel switched.

[There's evidence suggesting this was a deliberate bombing, though investigators have found no trace of explosive residue at the scene. The perpetrators remain unknown and at large.]

Kyle pressed the button again to get to the travel channel.

"Wait." Clyde grabbed his wrist.

Kyle stopped and looked at him. "What?"

"Why's that channel saying it's a gas explosion but this one's saying it's a bomb?"

Kyle switched back to the first channel.

[...methane gas buildup resulted in]

Then to the second.

[...deliberate attack, though the method and motive remain unclear.]

Kyle frowned. "That's weird."

"They can't both be right." Clyde pointed at the screen. "Same location. Montreal Port. Same time. Look, same building in the background."

Kyle stared at the collapsed structure on screen. Clyde was right. Same place.

"Maybe one of them's lying," Kyle said.

"Why would they lie about an explosion?"

"I don't know. They always say different stuff anyways. We both know one isn't telling the full story. Maybe Channel 1 just doesn't want people to panic."

Clyde tilted his head. "And channel 2 is saying it's a bomb. That's going to make people confused and panic."

"Yeah, true." Kyle switched between channels again.

Channel 1: [Fifteen additional missing persons reported this month, none have been found so far.]

Channel 2: [Three more confirmed missing persons earlier this week adds to a total of 15 people missing. What is the government doing when people are now afraid for their lives?]

"They're both talking about missing people too," Clyde said.

"Yeah, but they were already talking about that yesterday. Fifteen people missing from all over Montreal." Kyle switched back. "This one is only focusing on three people going missing."

"So what's the real story? Gas or bomb?"

"What if it's both?"

"How does that work?"

"I don't know. Terrorists are weird. Maybe they just want to blow something up and somehow made it look like a gas explosion so that people don't realize its terrorists."

"Why go through all that trouble though? Just blow it up if you want to blow it up."

"To cover something up maybe," Kyle said. That got him thinking. What would they need to cover up? A gas explosion and a bomb are both pretty big news headlines that basically drowned out the other news. Every hour was basically just about this gas bomb. All the good fluffy stories about kids finding a large pile of snow to toboggan on were gone.

Then it hit him.

"Wait. What if they're covering up the missing people?"

Clyde raised an eyebrow. "By causing an explosion? That just makes bigger news."

"Yeah, but look..." Kyle pointed at the horizontally scrolling text on the news. "Both channels just put that missing thing on that little text that no one reads. But there have been fifteen people missing just this week. That's actually a lot."

"What? You think the explosion's connected to the missing people?" Clyde asked.

"How though?"

"I don't know." Clyde scratched his head. "What if whoever's taking people blew up the port to distract everyone from looking for them?"

Kyle switched channels again. The travel channel popped up, showing a beach somewhere with clear water and white sand. But the mystery and puzzle was a thorn in his side that needed to be scratched. "Or maybe the missing people were at the port when it exploded?"

"Then why aren't there any bodies? Both channels said they haven't recovered any bodies yet."

"Exactly," Kyle said. "There's no signs of a bomb and no evidence of a gas leak either."

"Then what made it explode?"

Kyle didn't have an answer to that one. The TV didn't have one either, that's for sure. All the anchors just did was just look at their tablets and read off of what... they were told to read?

Both boys looked at each other and said, "magical gas explosion."

They both laughed at the three words. Who would ever think it was a magical gas explosion?

No one. That's who.

Magic didn't exist, but this all had the telltale signs of something that was physically impossible. There was clear proof of wreckage and burns throughout the port. But where was the leak? Or where were the bomb's remains?

"Well, whatever it is, people are looking at the explosion instead of the things scrolling in the text," Clyde said.

"So you agree with me. They're covering up something."

"That's stupid."

"You have a better explanation?"

Clyde didn't answer.

"It's working much better than anything else to cover up those 15 missing. Nobody's asking where those people went. Police Chief included."

Clyde nodded. "That actually makes sense when you put it like that. Chief's even set to make a statement tomorrow. Gotta watch that."

A sudden knock came from the basement door.

Kyle turned off the TV with the remote before the second knock even came. Both boys moved off the sofa without a word, heading straight for mom's room. It was the only room without the basement windows.

They entered her room, stepping forwards and not bothering to turn on the lights. Kyle almost slipped as he stepped onto something soft. Looking down, he saw one of mom's shirts. Dirt pressed onto the white fabric.

Shit. He'd have to clean that later or mom would notice. The knocking came again. Louder and shaking the door. Someone really wanted in.

Kyle and Clyde stood in the dark room, barely breathing. Just listening.

The knocking kept going and going and going.

Five minutes passed before it finally stopped. Footsteps moved away from the door until they finally disappeared. This was the third time this month.

They waited another full minute before moving.

Before leaving mom's room, Kyle said, "I'll be at the sofa in a bit. I'll clean mom's shirt first."

Clyde nodded.

Kyle picked up the shirt, holding it up to see his footprint outlined in dirt on the fabric. He brought it to the kitchen sink and turned on the water, squeezing dish soap onto the stain. The bubbles formed as he scrubbed with his fingers, working the fabric until the mark started to fade. Once it looked clean enough, he wrung it out and walked to the dining table, draping it over a chair to dry.

When he got back to the living room, Clyde had the TV on already. Travel channel. Something about Mexico with beaches and pyramids and restaurants that had colourful decorations everywhere.

Kyle sat back in his spot. The narrator talked about Cancun and the best places to visit there. He imagined the sun on his face, feeling the warm water, and swimming on the beaches. Clyde probably did the same.

One child looked happy in the picture, playing with his mom and dad in the water. Kyle felt himself also swimming in the water with them. He'd be fast. So fast that he'd probably be faster than Clyde. He always did have the physical advantage when it came to his twin.

And then there was the food. Meals that they'd never even had the luxury of seeing in person, like a burger and a taco. He imagined himself taking a bite of it, chewing, and swallowing as well.

Hours went by imagining himself in the places the TV showed. The small window near the ceiling got darker and darker until there was no light left. Kyle's eyes grew heavy. His head started to droop as he watched the screen.

Something nudged his shoulder.

Kyle's eyes snapped open. The room was completely dark except for the TV's travel channel now showing something about a Korean island. Clyde sat beside him, already sitting up straight and staring at the door.

"Mom's about to come back," Clyde whispered.

The key turned in the lock. The door opened.

Alcohol smell flooded the basement immediately. Strong enough to make Kyle's eyes water.

Mom stumbled inside. She walked right past them toward the kitchen without even looking their way. The kitchen door swung open and closed.

Kyle and Clyde pressed themselves deeper into the sofa cushions.

The kitchen door opened again almost right away. Mom came back out, stopping in the middle of the living room.

"Why is my shirt on the seat?"

Kyle tried to explain. "Mom, sorry. We went to hide, but—"

She was already moving. Her hands grabbed his arm, pulled him off the sofa, and yanked him into the middle of the room.

Her fist slammed into his stomach. All the air rushed out.

"I love you, you know that, right?" she said. Another hit to his ribs.

Kyle tried to curl up, but her grip kept him in place. He couldn't protect himself.

"You did something wrong though." Her knee drove into his thigh, right where the bruises from last night were. "This is discipline. Just discipline. And discipline is part of love. Right, Kyle? Right?"

Another punch to his flank. The exact same spot she'd kicked yesterday.

"Mom loves you," she kept saying. Her fist came down again. "Loves you so much."

"I love you too, mom," Kyle gasped out, tears streaming down his face. "But it hurts. Mom, it hurts."

"It's supposed to hurt, baby." She hit the same spot over and over. "That's how you learn not to touch mommy's things."

It really hurt. So much worse than last night. Wasn't today supposed to be happy? They waited all day for dinner too, wondering what she would cook.

"I love you, I love you, I love you," she said between strikes. "You just need to learn to be a good boy and not do bad things like what you did to mom's shirt."

Kyle stopped trying to speak. He just held his breath and counted in his head, waiting for her to get tired. Waiting for it to stop.

And the pain did stop.

His body started shaking. Did it? That was wrong. It was the world that was shaking. Both him and Clyde, encased by an energy that he didn't know.

Looking back at mom, she was still trying to hit him, but somehow, there was no pain. Heck, his body no longer gave in to her punches anymore.

Mom suddenly stopped punching. She fell onto the floor and crawled backwards to the wall. "What? What?"

"Mom..." Kyle tried to get up, but even though it no longer hurt, his heart was still in pain. Her eyes. There was something in them when they looked at him.

She's scared. We need to do something, Clyde thought.

Huh? Kyle thought. Right. We should.

We need to comfort her, Clyde thought.

Kyle desperately pushed himself up. One of his eyes was too swollen to even open, but still, he pushed on with Clyde holding him by the shoulder.

"Mom, it's ok. I'm sorry I ruined your shirt," Kyle said.

However, mom kept trying to crawl backwards even though she already had her back to the wall.

"Mom?"

"STAY AWAY FROM ME, MONSTERS!!" Mom shouted.

"Mom, it's us," Kyle moved in closer to try to hold her hands, but she slapped his hand away.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Where's my twins!? You demons took them away from me! STAY AWAY!" Mom shouted.

"Mom, it's still us. We're still the sons you love," Clyde said as he took one of her hands.

She tried to shake him off but couldn't, screaming all the while.

Kyle moved in closer, going in for a hug. "Mom, we love you. Please. We don't know what's happening too. We're scared. I don't care if it hurts, please, we're still your sons."

But his words fell on ears that were no longer listening. Her body had stopped moving and screaming long before he had finished that sentence.

Mom had passed out.

"Mom?" Kyle asked, shaking her shoulders softly.

Clyde did as well, but it wasn't working. "Let's get her to bed."

"Can we really?"

"But she'll get sick if we leave her like this."

"Right."

Both of them tried to lift her body up. Normally, they wouldn't have been able to, though they tried anyways. And as if they knew their own strengths, mom felt so light, so much lighter than before.

Kyle and Clyde slowly carried her to her bed. Putting her blanket over her, they tucked her in and left her room, closing the door behind them.

We should go sleep too. Tomorrow will be better, Kyle thought.

Clyde looked at him. "You say something?"

"No. I was just thinking," Kyle said. "Wait, I thought I heard you earlier also. Did you say anything earlier?"

Clyde shook his head. I did think that mom looked scared though.

"There it is again. I hear you, but your mouth didn't move," Kyle said. Can you hear me?

Yeah, I can hear you. Clyde thought. Woah, we have twin telepathy?

Woah. Kyle thought. But what's the point of it?

I don't know. We just got it somehow. Clyde thought. You ok though? You're still pretty beat up.

I need some help getting on the sofa. Tomorrow will probably be a better day. Kyle thought.

Right. Tomorrow is always better. Clyde thought.

Kyle stirred awake, hearing the door open and close. The small window near the ceiling showed mom walking back to the front yard. From the brightness of the day, it was probably around noon, so she'd be heading to her job already.

His stomach grumbled and let out a loud grumble, so did Clyde's.

Mom said she'd cook last night. She didn't, though.

Getting up from his position, he reached for the remote in the middle of the sofa by Clyde's feet. The travel channel came on, showing a family skiing down a snow-covered mountain. The big text in the bottom middle said it was Whistler, BC.

A mom and dad laughed as they raced their two kids down the slopes. All four of them looked focused on the race. The smallest one was trying her best not to fall.

Tears welled up in Kyle's eyes, dripping down before he could stop them. He tried wiping them away, but the tears wouldn't stop.

You think we'll ever get to experience what happens on the TV? Kyle thought. He wasn't envious or anything. Just once was enough, and then they could go back to normal. He'd cherish that moment forever in his head, replaying it over and over.

We will,Kyle thought. When mom gets better and her job gets better, we'll get to experience it. Maybe even everyday.

That'd be nice. That'd be really happy. Maybe even get to have a bite of burgers, Kyle thought.

Clyde was right. As long as they all stayed together as a family, their situation would definitely get better eventually. That's just how it worked. Staying together beats everything.

And then, once they both got older, they'd get jobs too and make so much money that mom would love them even more and more. She wouldn't have to drink anymore because she's just happy with them.

She'd smile like yesterday morning. And then have breakfast, lunch, and dinner with them everyday. They'd also be able to reach the stove at that time, so they'd cook her eggs and learn lots of recipes.

Clyde's stomach grumbled again, even louder than before.

We should probably get something to eat at least, Kyle thought. There's still bread left from yesterday.

But mom might get mad if we take some without asking her permission first, Clyde thought.

If we only take 2 slices, she probably won't even notice since there's still a lot of bread left in the bag, Kyle thought.

For a couple of seconds, Clyde hesitated, but then nodded.

They both got up from the sofa at the same time and walked to the kitchen. The bread was on the table where mom left it after making breakfast.

Kyle opened the plastic, pulling out two slices, handing one to Clyde and one for himself. They stuffed the slices into their mouths immediately, and in less than two seconds, they were gone.

It wasn't filling, though, but at least it'd stop their stomachs from grumbling for a while. Maybe mom would cook dinner tonight like she said yesterday.

Closing back the plastic wrapper, Kyle left the loaf exactly the way it had been before, making it look like it hadn't been touched.

They walked back to the living room, sitting down in their usual spots. Clyde then flipped the channel back to the first news channel. Chief Police Dubois was supposed to make a statement.

[After a thorough investigation, we can now confirm that the explosion at the Montreal Port was certainly caused by a gas leak. Evidence clearly suggests a methane build-up in the maintenance sector led to this catastrophic event. We are currently working with safety inspectors to implement new maintenance procedures to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.]

Do you actually believe him? Clyde thought.

Kyle shook his head. Two days ago, the news had said there was no evidence of a gas leak at all. Methane build-up was just a theory.

Now suddenly they were certain it was methane? Which story was actually true? They had no idea, but something definitely didn't add up between what they'd heard before and what the chief was saying now.

Kyle's eyes looked to the bottom of the screen where the scrolling text with smaller news stories usually ran. There was nothing about missing persons. Not even a mention of the fifteen people who'd disappeared, and fifteen was a lot of people to be missing all of a sudden.

He flipped to the second news channel. The same footage of Chief Dubois's statement played there too, with different anchors nodding along and accepting his explanation without question.

But just like the first channel, the missing persons story had completely disappeared from the scrolling text. Like those fifteen people had never existed at all.

Footsteps suddenly came from outside--someone was coming.

Kyle grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. Both of them got off the sofa at the same time and headed straight to mom's room.

Successfully avoiding the clothes on the floor this time, they both hid in the corner of the room, away from the line of sight of the door.

But instead of knocks, the lock turned from a key.

Huh? Mom should be at work, so she couldn't be coming home yet. It's probably only been an hour or two. That can't be her.

Kyle covered his ears with both hands and shut his eyes as tight as he could. Clyde did the same beside him.

The basement door opened and two people walked in. Even when he pressed his hands against his ears, Kyle could hear them shuffling in the living room. The strangers entered the kitchen but quickly went back to the living room.

The bedroom door opened.

Kyle and Clyde opened their eyes to see mom in the doorway, looking down on them from the corner. But her eyes were scary...

Maybe she was mad. It's better to comfort her.

Kyle and Clyde got up from where they were and smiled at her. But before they could say anything, she grabbed both of their arms, pulling and dragging them out to the living room.

A man stood by the door. Tall with a pot belly that hung over his belt and graying hair that was combed back. His unzipped jacket was brown leather with a soft white lining on the neck. Underneath was a white gray shirt and he wore loose blue jeans.

His eyes saw both of them, and Kyle noticed his pupils slightly contract at the sight of them, as if he saw through them.

Mom pulled Kyle and Clyde behind her, keeping herself between them and the man.

"Four thousand each, right?" she said.

Four thousand what? Kyle looked at Clyde. Clyde looked just as confused beside him.

The man pulled out a thick white envelope from inside his jacket and held it out. "Count it if you want."

Mom took the envelope and pulled out a thick stack of bills. She counted them one by one, her lips moving silently as her fingers worked on the bills.

Then she turned around to Kyle and Clyde.

"Go with the man."

"No," Kyle said, shaking his head. "I don't want to." You too, Clyde. Don't go with the man. He's dangerous.

Mom looked back at the man. "Just take them. I don't care."

Take us where? Clyde thought.

"Are you coming too, mom?" Kyle asked. Maybe they were all going somewhere together. Maybe this was part of her job, and she'd explain it all later, then all of them could laugh together.

Mom crouched down to their eye level and smiled. But it wasn't like yesterday morning's smile when she made them eggs and hugged them. This one looked stretched too tight across her face, like she was forcing it.

"I'll follow you after," she said softly. "I'll meet you later where the man takes you. Ok? Now be good boys and go with the man."

Hold on a minute. Missing persons from the TV was gone. It also said that the ages didn't matter to the kidnappers. That's fifteen people from ages 8 to 60 something. This was too odd of a situation to not see the connection.

"We love you a lot, mom," Kyle said quickly. "We'll do better, we promise. I'm so sorry about last night with your shirt. We won't touch your stuff anymore. We'll be so quiet you won't even hear us. We'll clean faster and better and we won't make any messes. We'll be really good."

"We're really sorry," Clyde said beside him, his voice shaking. "We'll be so good from now on. We promise. We love you so much."

Kyle felt tears building up again, hot and stinging behind his eyes. "You love us, right?" He needed her to say it. "Right, mom? You love us?"

So then why the fuck is she not saying it? Mom, please say it. Please.

Mom stood back up and looked at the man instead of answering.

"Just take them."

The man took them by the arms, dragging them out of the living room to the door.

"MOM! PLEASE! WE'LL BE GOOD. WE PROMISE!" Kyle shouted. "I LOVE YOU, MOM. PLEASE!"

"MOM! PLEASE DON'T THROW US AWAY! WE'RE SORRY!" Clyde shouted as both children were being dragged out.

When they exited through the door, the man stomped the ground once. The world shook again. No longer could Kyle and Clyde scream. Not just that. Their bodies limped and their eyelids started to become too heavy to keep open.

But both of them tried to fight the sudden sleep spell. A blue outline formed on both of them, and the sleepiness went away.

Again, before they could say anything to mom, the man snapped his fingers.

The world turned black.

The twins sat in a room without windows, backs to the the cold concrete walls. Both their eyes were the most swollen they'd ever been that it even hurt to blink.

Mom abandoned them. Threw them away just like that.

The last thing Kyle remembered before everything went black was her face. She wasn't even looking at them when they were screaming their love for her. She was just staring down at the money in her hand with a smile on her face.

Looking around, trying to figure out where the hell they were, nothing in this room gave them any hint. All four sides were just concrete walls. The floor was rough concrete as well. A single metal door with a letterbox-like opening sat in the middle of the wall across from them. At the other side, a single cot was placed in the corner of the room.

And then there was a TV by the wall to their left. Bigger than the one that they had at home too. Beside it was the remote.

Why would the kidnappers give prisoners a TV? Kyle thought.

Who the hell knows. At least there was something they could do. Clyde thought. Could watch it instead of dying of boredom or wanting to kill themselves.

True. Kyle thought. The kidnappers were weirdly accommodating for people who'd just stolen two kids.

Both of them pushed themselves up and sat down in front of the TV. Kyle reached for the remote beside the screen and pressed the power button.

The TV turned on, but instead of showing channels like their old one, the screen had a bunch of pictures of what looked like TV shows but were not playing any of them.

Kyle pressed the channel button, expecting it to flip through news stations or maybe the travel channel.

Nothing happened. Choosing another button to press on the remote, Kyle pressed the arrow button. Something moved on the screen. The blue outline that had appeared in the top left corner moved somewhere else to a different picture box. Pressing the right arrow again, it moved again.

Kyle and Clyde looked at each other, smiling.

This TV is fun. Didn't know TVs could do this, Kyle thought, pressing the arrows randomly again, slightly smiling at how the blue outline moved to where he pressed.

Let me try, Clyde thought. He took it from Kyle's hand and then started randomly pressing the arrow buttons, laughing as he saw the blue outline move across the screen.

Both of them took turns playing with the remote, interacting and laughing with the phone. It was fun to see something they could actually control.

When it was Kyle's turn to play with it, he tried to mash the arrow keys as fast as possible, but then accidentally hit the button in the middle of the arrows.

The screen suddenly changed. A video started playing.

Look. The TV is finally starting to show something.

Kyle and Clyde sat down, watching the screen and expecting the news or travel channel to come on.

Big red letters that said CABIN IN THE WOODS suddenly appeared on the screen. Then it cut to two men wearing white shirts, black ties, and in a room that looked gray. The men talked to each other about something they couldn't understand.

However, two men entered the picture. White shirts, black ties, a room that looked gray, talking to each other about something cabinets and drawers. Then a third person entered the picture. A woman in a white shirt telling them sternly not to fail this time.

Fail what? Kyle thought.

Dunno, Clyde thought.

Suddenly, huge red letters appeared on the screen with loud ominous noise playing in the background, causing Kyle and Clyde to jump from where they sat.

But the moment didn't last long. Right after, the TV continued showing them what was happening. Several adults on the screen talked about playing and a cabin somewhere out in the woods. Then, those adults travelled in their RV to the cabin.

Kyle and Clyde sat back down closer to the screen, completely mesmerised by what they were looking at. Instead of news stories, it was the actual stories that the news talked about sometimes, about actors showing a story on the screen.

The picture quality of the TV was also clear. No cracks or anything. Didn't even have to hit it in a special way to stop the stuttering because there was none.

The group of adults had fun on the screen in the cabin in the woods. They drank, laughed, and played with random objects they found in the basement of that cabin.

Mom always said never to touch things you don't know. These are clearly going to get punished, Kyle thought.

Obviously. They're even laughing at what they're touching. What a bunch of weirdos,Clyde thought.

Weird looking people started coming out from the trees and attacking them. Their skin was pale and flaking, and they were making a low moaning sound.

These guys are stupid, Kyle thought, watching one of the adults run into a closet but leave the door wide open. Why are they not hiding properly? They're making so much noise too.

For adults, they're not very good at hiding, Clyde thought. And those weird looking people are kind of funny. Look at how they walk.

One of the weird people on screen tripped over a pebble and fell face-first onto the floor before getting back up and continuing to chase one of the adults.

Kyle and Clyde started laughing at the people running away from the weird attackers. The adults kept making the dumbest decisions, running upstairs instead of out of the front door, splitting up when they should stay together.

Isn't this what the news people called a scary movie? Kyle thought.

Not very scary though. What's scary is how stupid these people are,Clyde thought.

This locked room is scarier than this movie, Kyle thought.

The metal door suddenly opened with a loud clang.

Kyle and Clyde jumped up and ran to the corner behind the TV, pressing themselves against the cold concrete wall.

A man walked in. Brown shirt, jeans, pot belly. The same man who took them from mom.

"Mister, where is this place?" Kyle asked, shoulders shaking.

The man didn't say anything. He just walked straight toward them and grabbed Kyle by the arm, hurting him with the tight grip.

"Mister. It hurts. Please," Kyle said, trying to twist his arm free. "Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt Clyde either."

The man didn't even bother looking at him. Just kept pulling him down the concrete hallway. More metal doors lined both sides and they stopped at the furthest one.

Pulling it open, the man walked into the room, revealing the contents of the space. Along the walls were corkboards with large needles, hacksaws, knives, and things Kyle didn't even know the names for.

Turning his head up towards the man, he begged, "Please, mister. I didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry. Whatever I did, I'm sorry, and I'll be good. Please."

The man finally spoke. "Relax. Doctor needs to look at you because of what happened the other day."

Look at him? Kyle had no idea what the man was talking about. Was it the blue thing that happened to them with mom? Though, telling him to relax made things even worse. Nothing in this room made him want to relax.

Another man walked into the room. This one wore a black leather jacket with something shiny on the chest. A badge that looked like a silver lion.

"Put the boy on the table," the black jacket man said to the brown shirt man. "Face down. Strap him."

Kyle tried struggling, but the grip got tighter, enough that it really hurt. As the brown shirt man put him face down, he felt the cold metal through the thin stained shirt he wore.

They strapped each of his limbs at the corners of the table, making it impossible to move or struggle.

Looking at where the black leather man was going, he was going for either the knife or the large needles.

Kyle? Are you ok? Clyde thought from the other room.

Kyle screamed. Something sharp suddenly pierced into his back near the right side of his upper spine. His body trembled, but the restraints stopped any movement.

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, Kyle thought.

Kyle! Kyle! I'm sorry! Clyde thought. I'm sorry, Kyle. Don't die on me. Please.

Even though Clyde was in the other room, it was clear as day that he was sobbing. He needed to stop screaming. Disassociate from the pain. That's what he'd always done.

Hey, Clyde, Kyle thought. Can you keep watching the movie and tell me what's happening? Please?

There was a pause. Then Clyde's thoughts came back. The... the adults are running. The weird people are chasing them through the woods.

The needle pushed deeper into Kyle's spine. He clenched his teeth, ignoring the pain as much as possible.

One of them fell down. The weird person is getting closer.

Kyle focused everything on Clyde's voice in his head. On the story about the stupid adults and the funny-walking weird people.

They're hiding in a shed now. There's tools everywhere.

One of them found an axe.

They're fighting back now. Using the tools.

A lot of the things Clyde was telling him became a blur. Everything hurt, but as long as he could hear his brother think, he could get through this no matter what.

Better him than Clyde.

One of them got bitten by a weird person.

The room around him started to fade. All he could remember was Clyde narrating the movie until he said it was done. Next thing he knew, he was beside Clyde on the cot with a single blanket on both of them.

5:55 PM, September 4, 2055

It's been almost ten months since that man took them from mom. Once a week in this god forsakened place, one of them would get strapped to that metal table while the other stayed in their room, narrating about what was happening in the movie.

It was the only way they could ignore the pain. The crazier the movie that the other narrated, the better it could take their attention away from the physical pain.

But it was weird. The people here fed them better than mom ever did. Rice almost everyday. Beef sometimes. There was pork, chicken, and veggies too. It was bland, but better than bread and eggs.

Kyle scooped rice into his mouth with the plastic spoon. Clyde did the same beside him on the cot. Today was beef with rice. The meat was pretty tender compared to last time.

A loud bang from somewhere above shook the walls and echoed along the hallway outside the door.

Glancing at each other, they immediately started eating faster, stuffing their mouths as quickly and swallowing just as fast. Their plates were cleaned in less than ten seconds. It was better to finish it fast than let it go to waste at what might happen next.

Another bang from above shook the walls. But different from the shaking, a low rumbling noise could be felt vibrating from the concrete. An earthquake, except earthquakes didn't usually have the convenience of happening right after gunshots from above.

Suddenly, loud footsteps came from the hallway outside their room. The steps stopped right in front of their door, and then the sound of keys clanging together came through. Someone was trying to unlock the door.

Right. It was about time they got Kyle. They took Clyde last week, and now it's his turn. Clyde already had a movie planned. Something about a slumber party massacre to keep his own sanity. Still, his shoulders shook.

It always hurt more than the last time. Always.

Clyde moved in front of Kyle. Although he was shorter, he tried his best to cover Kyle.

When the door opened, a boy stood there. It wasn't the man they were expecting. In fact, this boy had a cleaner look to him as he wore a kid sized business suit under the puffy jacket. He held a single gun, a large one. His hair was blond and his eyes were blue.

Kyle pressed himself against Clyde even more. This boy was probably sent by them.

But then why does he have a gun? Clyde thought.

I don't know. He seems dangerous though. Kyle thought.

The boy lowered the gun. "It's okay. I'm here to help."

Of course he'd say that, Kyle thought. "That's what that guy said upstairs."

"Fair enough." The boy stayed where he was by the door without coming closer. "My name's Oliver. My boss and I are taking you out of here."

Out of here? To where? Probably to another place that'd put more needles in us. Kyle thought.

"Why should we trust you?" Clyde asked.

"I don't know," the boy named Oliver said. "But your only other option is staying with that guy upstairs who locked you up in here. So what'll it be?"

Kyle and Clyde looked at each other again.

Should we go with him? Kyle thought.

I don't know, Clyde thought.

We don't really have a choice though. He has a gun.

Right. He'd kill us if we don't.

Something crashed upstairs and someone screamed before the scream cut off suddenly.

Kyle flinched at the sound, his whole body shaking. Clyde took a deep breath.

At least this boy hadn't grabbed them yet or hurt them. The men here never asked if they wanted to go anywhere. They just took them.

"Fine," Clyde said. "We'll go with you."

"Smart." The boy named Oliver stepped aside from the doorway. "Stay close."

Kyle and Clyde followed him up the stairs, staying pressed together as they climbed. Kyle kept one hand on Clyde's shoulder the whole way up. The stairs led to a kitchen that looked normal. It had cabinets and a stove and a window showing trees outside.

Compared to what was below, this looked like a normal house they saw in movies, and down there was a sterile nightmare.

A woman stood in the middle of the kitchen. She wore a black dress that went all the way to the floor and a wide-brimmed hat with four black feathers sticking out of it. The brown shirt man (though not wearing the brown shirt anymore) lay on the floor at her feet, not moving. Kyle couldn't tell if he was dead or just unconscious.

"Took you long enough," the woman said to Oliver, then turned to look at them. "Hello, boys. Ready for a trip?"

Kyle felt a chill run down his spine when she looked at him. Her deep blue eyes were even deeper than the boy who rescued them. Or maybe because even though she was smaller than the man below her, she had one of her heels poking him right in the lungs, blood seeping onto the shirt.

"They're coming willingly," Oliver said. "No need for the full witch routine."

The woman smiled. "What? It's my normal wardrobe. Anyways, car's out in the back. Let's go before they get reinforcements."

Oliver started walking and waved for them to follow.

Exiting the house through the back door, Kyle and Clyde saw the black car already waiting with the driver's side door open. They walked through the grass as the wind and the chill bit at their skin.

For 10 months, they'd been wearing the same shirts that covered their bodies. It was also the first time they had gone outside since they were taken.

The woman in black got into the front seat behind the wheel while Oliver helped them enter through the rear passenger side where a bag was also placed in the middle of the seat.

Kyle moved the bag over to the window and sat in the middle while Clyde sat beside him. Oliver then got in the car in the passenger seat himself, and the woman immediately started driving.

"Names?" she asked, looking through the rear view mirror.

Kyle looked at Clyde. They both hesitated.

Does it really matter if we tell her? Clyde thought. They can do anything to us.

I don't know... what's the point of knowing our names if they're just going to hurt us? Kyle thought.

Whatever, I'll go first, Clyde thought, then spoke. "I'm Clyde. This is Kyle."

Why'd you say my name too? Kyle thought.

Because you won't say it!

Fair point.

"Ages?" the woman in black asked.

"I'm fifteen," Clyde said, then nudged Kyle with his elbow.

"I'm ten," Kyle said, but then Clyde elbowed him hard. "I mean fifteen too." What if I didn't wanna tell them our real ages! They could use that against us!

We're twins, stupid. How are you going to be ten while I'm fifteen?

I dunno. Maybe some magic shenanigans.

These guys look smarter than that. Magic isn't real!

How are we talking then?!

"Twins, huh?" the woman said.

"Yeah," Kyle said. "So what?"

"Relax. Just asking." She turned the car onto a bigger road with actual pavement instead of dirt.

Kyle and Clyde froze up when she said that first word.

"They do look like they're like 10 though," Oliver said.

"Oh dear. Don't say that in front of the children, Ollie," the woman said with a small laugh. "We're heading to our hotel. Tomorrow, it's back to Vancouver on the first flight out."

Vancouver? That was the place with all the big snowy mountains and families laughing with each other.

"Is that where you're going to lock us up?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah, definitely going to lock you up in a 5 star hotel for now," the woman said.

Psst, Clyde. What's a 5 star hotel? Kyle thought.

I think it's a fancy hotel. I think. Clyde thought.

You don't have to say think when we're talking like this.

Well you don't have to say psst.

"Back at the main city, we got places for kids like you though," she said.

"What does that mean?" Clyde asked before Kyle could. "Kids like us?"

"Special kids," the woman said. "The kind people want to lock in basements and experiment on."

Kyle and Clyde went quiet both physically and mentally. Just like they thought. These people were there to lock them up.

I hope they don't use needles. Hopefully it's something better. Clyde thought.

Hopefully. And a wood table instead of metal so it's not cold, Kyle thought. At least for now, they weren't strapped to anything and being in pain. They did save him from being experimented on today, though.

Oliver turned around. "You want something to eat?"

They both nodded.

Oliver's eyes turned to the bag beside them. With a wave of his fingers, the bag unzipped itself and two yellow things floated from the bag, hovering in front of both of them, one each.

Holy shit, Kyle thought.

Holy shit is right, Clyde thought.

What the fuck.

What the fuck is right.

Magic is real.

Magic is real, alright.

"You guys going to take it or not?" Oliver asked.

Kyle and Clyde took the floating yellow things in front of them. Both of them asked in unison, "What is it?"

"It's a Twinkie."

"A Twinkie?"

"It's a snack that never expires. Really useful in long term missions. Try it. It's good," Oliver said.

Both of them unwrapped their own Twinkies and took a bite at the same time, as if they coordinated, earning a snicker from the woman in black. They both looked at each other after that first bite.

I don't like it, Kyle thought.

I like it, Clyde thought.

What? It's too sweet.

That's exactly why it's good.

You're weird.

Well, you're weird for not liking sweet.

No, I'm not. Your face is weird. You're making a weird face.

You want yours?

I'm still going to eat it.

Fine.

The boys ate up their Twinkies, Clyde smiling too happily after finishing the last bite.

"There's a couple more. You want?" Oliver asked.

Clyde nodded while Kyle shook his head.

"Guess we know who has the sweet tooth," Raven laughed.

While the drive took two hours, Clyde ate 3 more Twinkies from the bag and then forced Kyle to eat the 4th one even though he obviously wanted it for himself. Soon, they arrived at a large 6 story building.

Upon entering the lobby, they saw the woman in black head over to a place that smelled like alcohol.

Hopefully she doesn't hurt us, Kyle thought.

Right. But it's ok. They did give us the sweet stuff after all, Clyde thought.

Oliver brought them to the elevator and walked them to their room.

Entering the room, they saw that the whole room looked neat and tidy. No litter on the floor, no stains on the walls, no smell of cigarettes or alcohol anywhere. In fact, it smelled lemony, and Clyde was trying to figure out where the lemon was coming from.

Oliver entered the room, causing the twins to step back, shoulders shaking.

"Relax. I'm not going to hurt you," Oliver said.

He said the bad word.

Whenever someone says relax, it's always a bad thing.

"Guys, come take a shower. You stink," Oliver said, walking to the bathroom and opening it. "You know how to shower, right?"

Kyle and Clyde shook their heads. The only time mom would clean them was when she sprayed them with water from the kitchen faucet. Then she made them clean up the mess.

"Who wants to go first?" Oliver asked, turning on the water with a wave of his finger to fill up the bathtub.

Kyle stepped up. It's my turn to hurt anyways.

Want me to tell you what happened in the last movie while you're in there? Clyde thought.

Kyle nodded to Clyde as Oliver ushered him in, but what happened was unexpected.

The door to the bathroom didn't get closed. Instead, Oliver kept it open for Clyde to see. Then, Oliver had taken off his shirt and covered him with a towel, all done through magic. His body floated to the soothing warm bath, relaxing all of his muscles.

It doesn't hurt.

"Watch this," Oliver said, dropping a bright blue ball into the other side of the bathtub.

Shit. It's coming!

The ball entered the water, and the bright blue and green fizzle spread all over the bathtub. Kyle closed his eyes and raised his arms up, but again, nothing came.

"Huh?" Kyle was stumped.

"Haven't heard of a bath bomb before? It's funner than a shower, right?" Oliver said, then left the bathroom. "Now clean yourself up. You're fifteen, you should learn how to do that. New clothes also on the bed for you guys."

As Kyle began to scrub his own skin, Oliver called out to Clyde and taught him how to use the hotel's TV.

Clyde. Look. I'm swimming in the tub. Kyle had started to play with the water, splashing it everywhere, imagining himself swimming in a pool like the kid with his parents.

Come on, I'm next. Hurry up and finish cleaning yourself, Clyde said.

After a few more minutes, Kyle finished bathing. Oliver drained out the water, filled it with new water, and gave Clyde the bath bomb.

"You do the honours," Oliver said.

Clyde nodded, getting into the water and dropping the bath bomb himself. This one was a colour of dark green and orange. The funnest part was when it was fizzling, and it felt like it was scrubbing away the dirt from the skin by itself.

When both had finished showering, Oliver told them to use the dryer to dry their hair. Their hair hasn't been cut since mom left them.

"Once we're back in civilization, we'll get your hairs cut." Oliver said.

They both nodded, now sparkling clean and dry.

"Alright, you two do whatever you want. We'll wake you up tomorrow when we're ready to leave for Vancouver. Go to sleep when you're tired." Oliver opened the door to the lobby and exited, but not before telling them, "Good night."

He actually said good night, Kyle thought.

So what? You think they're actually good people? Clyde thought.

Maybe. But we'll see. Who knows what'll happen after Vancouver.

Right. Even if he's a boy, he feels like an adult. Adults can't be trusted.

No. Not just adults. Anyone but us. We don't trust anyone else other than you and me, got that, Clyde?

Stupid. That's obvious already.

9:00AM, September 5, 2059

Kyle and Clyde sat in the common room of Sterling Institute, watching the morning news on the big flat screen TV mounted on the wall. The weather woman wore the same suit since yesterday. The male news anchor they called Bob wore the same suit as well from yesterday as well. It definitely wasn't because he looked like Bob the Builder.

Coincidence?! Kyle thought

I think not!! Clyde thought.

[Breaking news this morning. A gas explosion has covered the entirety of Lake Shore West Heights. Currently, first responders are rescuing those caught by the explosion. Others are saying it was a coordinated attack. But by who? Stay tuned today as more of the story unravels.]

Boring, Kyle thought. They think everyone's an idiot? They just said a whole neighbourhood blew up. Who'd believe that?

Idiots apparently. Bob isn't very smart in the head, we both know that. Clyde thought. Mundane news should cover some fucker trying to get demon powers.

Trueee. Demon powers are the shit these days, Kyle thought. More and more idiots turning to occultism trying to skip the whole training arc. You hear Melinda got in trouble for trying to summon an imp last week?

Why an imp though? Clyde thought. Why not something cool like Destructor of the God Despair Nightmare?

Kyle almost laughed out loud but caught himself. Or the Demonic Immortal of the Nether Heaven Realms.

Both of them started grinning at each other, trying not to laugh too obviously in the common room. An asian girl was already looking at them with a death glare.

What's her problem? Clyde asked.

Pretty sure she's still mad about me stealing her pen, Kyle thought.

Idiot. It wasn't a pen. It was her tablet's stylus.

Rule #1 of Sterling Institute. See something shiny? Steal something shiny.

Rule #2 of Sterling Institute. Steal something shiny? Don't get caught.

Shut up.

No, you shut up.

Looking at the time, it was almost time for Ollie and Raven's visit. Both of them sat up from their seats and exited the common room.

The boarding house hallway was empty this early in the morning as most students were in their classes. Not them though. Kyle and Clyde had finished 1st in all their classes. Funnest one was artificing and magical engineering.

Since they entered Sterling Institute, they passed through mundane Grade 1 all the way to Aurian Grade 12 in four years. Next up was just to either choose to specialize in a discipline or start working right away. But, that was something they needed to talk to Raven about.

They also had their final report cards ready to show Ollie and Raven. All A+ across the sheet.

Thought school was going to be hard, Clyde thought.

Welp, we're just too smart, Kyle thought.

Smartiest of the smart smarts. Can't wait till we get that thousand bucks from Ollie.Clyde thought. I'm going to invest in some vintage twinkies.

The fuck are you on about? Vintage twinkies? You can't invest in something you eat, idiot.

There's a whole black market of Twinkie futures, idiot. It's lucrative.

Whatever. Let's just hurry it up.

Going through the boarding house lobby, they passed by the front desk where Alice Gregory sat reading a book, not even glancing up as they went by. She was used to them coming and going at weird hours by now.

The courtyard outside was supposed to be cold in the morning of September, but the Sterling uniforms provided climate control. Walking through, they reached the main academic building that looked like a modernized European castle but had no distinct identity apart from it looking to be a mix of British, French, German, and a strong magical flavour like automatic cleaning brooms, mops, and air freshening sigils.

Inside, they walked through the first year classroom wing where a few professors glared at them as they passed by open doors.

Up ahead, coffee wafted in their direction as they got closer through the offices. As they walked through, a man with an unlit cigarette nodded at them with a smile, and they replied in the same manner.

Guess Sir Raynor was looking at his locket again, Clyde asked.

Can't stand him. Too broody, like a bullied kid from high school, Kyle thought.

He likes us though.

Only good thing about him.

Finally, they reached the main lobby, a large open space with high ceilings and big windows letting in the morning light. Several sets of large cushy sofas were arranged in the large lobby. At least 12 sets with 4 sofas all facing a coffee table.

Kyle walked over and sat down on one of them, sinking into the soft cushions. Do you think the professors would notice if one of these chairs went missing?

Clyde sat down on the couch across from him.You willing to jack the chair just to put it in our room?

This one is super comfy though, Kyle thought. Like even comfier than our beds. I'd literally knock out in one of these.

What about tonight while everyone's sleeping? You take the chair, I keep lookout.

You don't want one?

Shit, you're right, Clyde thought for a while before replying. Alright, no lookout then. We both grab one and run for it.

Kyle and Clyde smirked at each other across the coffee table, already planning their escape route through the boarding house.

How much you wanna bet how long they take to get here? Kyle thought.

20 minutes. Like last time.

Suckers bet. I bet 1 hour.

Fine. 40 minutes. Whoever's closer wins.

Wins what?

Wins getting to choose which movie to watch tonight.

Fuck yeah.

When the 40 minute mark came, Clyde winced. Ollie and Raven didn't arrive. The two had said they would arrive by 9:20 AM. It was now 9:55 AM.

After 20 more minutes, Clyde had fully lost, but still, the two hadn't arrived.

They haven't been this late before, Kyle thought.

Right. Let's wait a few more, Clyde replied.

And then the day had gone by. For 6 hours, they waited in the main lobby of Sterling Institute. A few of their friends showed up, asking them what they were doing.

They didn't tell them. All they said was that they were just hanging out in the lobby. No point in telling their friends.

After the 9th hour, Clyde's smile had completely disappeared. So did Kyle's.

This isn't funny, Kyle thought.

You think they got hit at Lake Shore West Heights? Clyde thought.

They aren't that weak. Mundane news is also saying it's a gas explosion.

You really believe that?

Kyle didn't respond. He knew it was a lie. It doesn't matter. We already knew this was coming. We just didn't know when.

Even though we travelled together and ate at restaurants? Clyde thought.

Even then... We already knew anyway.

Right. I knew. They would've thrown us away sooner or later.

It makes sense though. We're adults now.

Still. It hurts.