The Enemy Beside Me + The Liar Beside Me (Book 1 and 2)

B2 Chapter 1

'I'VE ALWAYS WANTED to burn something, but I don't do that. That's not my gift. So I ended up eroding my bed. Some parts of the wall too. Do you like it?' Alasdair holds the new puppy aloft, showing the marks he has left on the demented wall.

The pup's icy blue eyes don't match the enthusiasm it possesses. It's the perfect gift for Eien, although his birthday isn't coming yet. Although Eien had given them false documents, he is at least honest with his birthdate. On the eleventh of February, according to his journal. Kaito's assigned team had retrieved it from his parents' abandoned house.

Alasdair should've been mad at Eien for falsifying information, but then again, he's already under their care, and what's done is done. He knows Kaito has already had weighed in the options, and the conclusion was simple: Eien is a powerful gift wielder. It would be stupid of them to let someone like him go.

What Alasdair found interesting in Eien's journal, though (aside from the gruesome details of his death), is how he wrote in the standard dialect instead of his prefecture's dialect—Tsutsuji. There had been times, though, Eien would slip back to it. One of the endearing examples is how he would alternately use ひどい (hidoi) and わや (waya) to express pain and disappointment.

The younger Eien also talked to his journal as if it were alive. Alasdair knows it's normal for anyone to do that. It does not make the boy special, but somehow, it does for him.

Will they ever punish Eien for what he did? That is up to his father, but if Kaito is thinking about it, Alasdair is sure it would not be too severe.

Why do they even spoil him this much? If it had been anyone else, Alasdair would've objected. But it's Eien, and he trusts that the younger had meant well. He was too desperate to be with Declan again.

The puppy licks his knuckles, bringing him back to the present. Without meaning to, Alasdair smiles.

Kaito has made sure that this pomsky's parents were both on the smaller size, so they all expect it won't grow too big. And Eien had made it clear to them that he detests teacup dogs. For someone who claims he's an animal lover, he preserves his love for medium to big-sized dogs. To be more specific, Eien opposes breeding dogs until they are too abnormal to function and cannot protect themselves. He also dislikes penguins and ostriches ('If you were born with wings, at least learn how to use them,' he said.) That's fine. Everybody has their hypocritical sides.

The pup whines pathetically. It eyes the stairs that lead to the long hallway. It hasn't learnt how to bark yet. 'Silly pup. You do not know how to climb the stairs yet.' He wonders what will Eien name this brown pomsky.

Eien has a week to recuperate. Jaxon suggested at least a month, but Kaito himself said the injuries he sustained aren't that serious.

Watanabe, on the other hand, has to cast his left hand. Not only his skin has been scorched. His bones have been affected too. Alasdair can't even decide if Watanabe's lucky that Jaxon had stopped himself before he could do more damage. Honestly, he's not worried about his best friend. He knows that once Eien recovers, it'll be easy to heal Watanabe. And if it's too late to save Watanabe's hand, well then, that's his fault for following Kaito instead of him.

'What do traitors get? A punishment.' He rubs his nose against the pup's. When he pulls away, it opens its mouth and lets out an inaudible yawn. 'Oh, sleepy are we? Well, I am too. But we have to visit your new master. Listen to him, okay? Don't betray him, or someone will burn you.' He chuckles. He may not adore the blond, but at least he knows that he's going to protect Alasdair's greatest discovery.

* * * * *

His old man has always been cold towards him, but there's something about Kaito today. Alasdair only exists to fulfil his role as the sole heir. So why is Kaito shooting him with dark and sharp looks? A normal son would be afraid and behave. But he doesn't know fear. He knows how to behave, though, so he sits perfectly still as he faces Kaito, ignoring the claustrophobic air in the limousine.

He doesn't want to admit it, but somehow, he relishes rare moments like this where Kaito sees him.

'How long?' It's not a whisper. It's not a scream. It's loud enough for the pup to understand that the man in front of them is not happy. The pomsky whines again, its front paws banging the cage.

Once upon a time, that face and that voice alone sent him crying. How funny that he admires and despises the same man today. 'How long what?' Alasdair protrudes one finger inside the cage. The pup licks it immediately, calming as it gets busy playing with his finger.

Kaito darts his gaze to the pup, then glides it back to him. 'You know what I'm asking.'

If both of their pride were energies that could be manifested they'd have crashed and killed the driver and the pup. 'Not long,' he says, crossing his arms over his chest, his fingers tapping on his arm. When he realises that it makes him appear nervous when he's not—Alasdair is bored, that's all—he reclines his back to the seat and hums a short tune. Once more, he lets the dog play with his finger. 'I have been experimenting. I couldn't accept how I could only crumble subjects that are alive. Don't you think I did the right thing?' Stupid, stupid, child. But he wants to hear it from him. A tiny part of him hopes that Kaito approves of it. He squeezes it before it spreads.

'Stop acting innocent. You knew you had to report every progress. That's not all. You didn't tell me about Evans and Uchiyama. What had prompted you to make decisions without my guidelines?'

You do not have a gift. What makes you think you know what we're going through? He bites the inside of his cheeks, breathing soundlessly. He should apologise, should tell him that it won't happen again. That's the right thing to do. But that will make him sound like a child, and he's anything but one.

'I had to see it all for myself,' he says. He withdraws his finger and wipes it with a hanky. The pup wails the loss of his chew toy.

Kaito doesn't say a thing. Instead, he elevates his eyebrows.

'I wanted to be sure. I didn't want to bring anyone's hopes up. Do you remember what happened to the first child we'd recruited?' Of course, who would forget about Lester Moore? He was the boy who could fly.

He had lived a short life. Lester's parents believed he was possessed and, therefore, should sacrifice his own life. So they had him drink cyanide and prayed to save his soul from Hell.

'I wanted to make sure they'd feel at ease. Safe. That no matter how their parents reacted about their gifts, they wouldn't just agree to take their own life.' He locks his gaze with his father and sends him a clear message: believe him or not, it doesn't matter. He's telling the truth.

For a long time, Kaito doesn't respond. The shadows of the buildings and the trees dance over his face, his dark brown eyes blank as he contemplates Alasdair's answer. 'Your gift?'

I wanted to make sure. No, Alasdair can't say that again. There's only one way out when you can't come up with a believable lie. Of course, that means you have to tell the truth. But who says you can't lie whilst telling the truth? 'I wanted to surprise you.'

'I don't approve of surprises.'

'Unless it pleases you.'

'Yours didn't, obviously.'

'I have miscalculated. I thought putting myself in distress would enhance my gift. Well, it did. I was right. But I was wrong to keep it from you. And for that, I apologise.'

With narrowed eyes, Kaito goes back to ignoring him.