TSFS: The Other Side's Sacrifice

Alone And Quiet

February 11th, 2018

6:30 pm

A day had gone by for William and Hazel as their plan to find Ian wasn't as precise as they thought it would be. His grandma was really happy seeing them, which led to going on walks all the time, going to the farmers market, and it wasn't until they finally settled back at her house was when she had decided to bring up the long lost brother.

"Ian.." she settled in her seat.

her eyes seemed to focus on one thing, as she was searching for answers to the problem in her head.

"He was quite the child, I must say, more mysterious then both William and Noel combined. He was always quiet, and kept to himself, though my daughter and her husband seemed to pick on him a lot."

"I noticed that he was the only werewolf in the family once in a long time, so he was right off the bat different from everyone, but I still love him dearly. I can't speak for your mom and your dad when I say that though." she went on.

Hazel and Will sat there, listening.

"Ian had moved not too far from here, he's in a cabin, all alone, near a cliff that is always surrounded by nothing, and he was just living his life there. He'd only visit a couple times a year, but nothing major, as he'd stay for dinner and nothing else."

"It'll just be the two of us. Talking and eating, even though he wasn't quite the talker. He seemed to get quieter in his life, and it's not any better since he lives in the middle of nowhere, no one to talk to, except for himself."

The stern look on Will's grandma's face was something that Hazel had never seen before. Seeing as she was serious, and you could see some slight depression and sadness hidden in her eyes talking about her grandson the way that she did.

Same with Will, as he listened to the words that slipped out of his grandma's mouth. Hearing as the thought of Ian being alone, all by himself in the quiet and cold scared both of them. They all knew that no one deserved to go through such pain, and never have no one to talk to, and have someone or company by their side.

"Does he ever talk about me?" Will suddenly asks, and the concerned expression that was mapped out on his face, turned into puzzled as his grandma continued to speak.

"Not really. I'd ask if he talked to you two in a while, and the only response that I had gotten was, well, nothing. So I assumed no." She explained.

All three of their faces appeared to be frowns, and they were huddled close together in the warm cozy closure that didn't seem so warm anymore.

"I am worried about him, dear. You two offering to go see him is very--nice of you--thought I must warn you--he is not in the best mindset." his grandma had spit out. "Someone as lonely as him could suffer from severe depression, which can lead to suicidal thoughts and well..I think you know what happens next."

The sentence had startled the two of them even more, Will's stomach dropping with guilt, as the urge to cry consumed him. He felt bad not daring to try to reach out those years, a note or a call, just to hear his voice as the feeling as at least having his presence was enough.

Though it wasn't like that as he hadn't talked to his brother in years, and he wondered greatly if he wasn't the good little boy that he always knew.

Good little boy?

He never was that way.

"But we were close--grandma--I'm sure he'd understand, right?" Will's voice was suddenly high and shaky, and if you looked closely you could see his hand slowly vibrating. It was red, red as a tomato.

His grandma reaches out to rest her hand against his cheek. "I'm sorry baby. Noel and he never got well together, what would be the difference between him and you?" her voice came out in a soft whisper, and that was enough for the rock in his throat to upburst with tears streaming down my face.

"We're different grandma. I promise." he whispered back to her. Hazel seeing Will cry, made her want to cry, as the one person that she did love was going through pain. She didn't want to see him cry, however the emotions that he had bottled up were better to let out then keep in. His cries turned into sobs, as he hiccuped his ways through his grandma's words.

Hazel had never seen him like this. The struggle of breath, and the coughs that escaped his mouth, Hazel panicked to react. "Will..." she finally whispered.

She placed her hand on his, bending down on the couch to face him. She stared up at him. "Will. It's ok--you're ok." she told him. "We're gonna go to Ian, and you're gonna talk with him. He'll probably be at least content with you and I going there to see him, right?" she asked him and he slowly nodded through the tears.

"Please, try to relax dear." his grandma rattled, getting up to try to comfort her grandson.

Hazel watched his grandma randomly get up, walking into the kitchen to take out a piece of paper and a pen. She then scrambled some words on it, which Hazel was confused about first, though it then hit her as the words were an address.

An address to Ian's.

"Take as much time as you two need dear there. Be careful." She hands the small piece of paper to Hazel, which she accepted, though his grandma held her hands in hers. "You are a good person. Caring about Will so much, going out to find his brother that he oh so dearly cares about." she spoke passionately, shaking her hands.

"But when I say be careful with Will and Ian, I also mean be careful with anyone as lots of people turn their backs against you, and sometimes you do end up dead." The advice sent chills down Hazel's spine as she nodded slowly, smiling softly at his grandma.

"Thank you."

-

Once Will had managed to calm down the two of them packed their belongings, packing it away in the car, and hugging Will's grandma one last time. She hugged them both tightly, some of her rose perfume filling Hazel's nose. The smell reminded her of the other side, which sent even more chills down her spine.

"Come back sometime." she tells Will, and he nods with a smile. "Thank you grandma. I will--we will."

"Keep an eye on her." she whispered into Will's ear, and when Will nodded and turned away, he noticed that she didn't have a smile on her face, it was rather a warning.

-

The two of them drove and drove into the sunset as the address that was on the piece of paper Will's grandma gave them, was about an hour away from them. It was already 9 pm by the time that both Will and Hazel arrived.

They looked around, figuring out that all of the things that Will's grandma had described about Ian's shelter, was right as a cabin was laid out on a cliff. It was oddly familiar to Hazel, though the small city that the two of them had ended up being in, she had never visited before.

As both of them walked up to the front door, Will spotted a dirty snowman that probably has been out since the Winter, and that Ian just never put back in. They rang the doorbell, sharing quick glances at each other as their heartbeat raced faster with each second that it took for the door to finally open.

Will's heart rate seemed to be through the roof as the door opened, revealing the long lost brother.

"Ian."