Winged

Chapter 17

"Evan! Evan! Toss the ball, buddy!" A sixteen-year-old boy called with a laugh, at a little boy. The two boys were out in a big garden, a ball in the younger boy's hands. "C'mon, mate! Just throw it away!"

Evan, the little boy, barely six at the time, laughed at his older brother who gave him a dashing smile of his. The two brothers seemed happy at the moment. Happy in each other's presence and company. They were just two brothers, the older one trying to teach the younger some skills. Like every normal older brother would do.

But thing is, they were not normal. And maybe Evan ignored this at the moment, his young mind not able to realize it, but the older boy knew that. He knew it, tried to ignore it too, trying to pretend that it was just his mind that was playing games on him. He wanted to believe that it was not true for the boy opposite him. His little brother. He was the older one in order, the one who was supposed to know everything about the family's ideals and pass it down to the younger ones. But he couldn't do that... He felt guilty about it because he was the first son. He was supposed to do the right thing. The things his parents had prepared him to do. But he couldn't... He couldn't just turn his little brother into another version of him, into another version of their father.

"What are you doing there, Nathaniel?" A woman called, appearing in the garden from a big entrance behind Nathaniel, her face beautiful but stern, her hair pinned perfectly at her head. Nathaniel closed his eyes at the sound of his mother's voice and turned around to face her, gathering the courage to do so. "Are you mental? What are you doing? Teaching Evan this game? I'm absolutely disgusted, Nathaniel."

"It's just a game, Mother..." Nathaniel shook his head, looking at his Mother as little Evan came around and stood behind his older brother, the protection he offered him inexplicable but existing.

"Don't say it's just a game to me, Nathaniel. He is a young boy and cannot understand that it does not belong to his class." His Mother told him, and it took everything inside Nathaniel not to roll his eyes at the moment.

"It's not that big of a deal... We were just having a little bit of fun." Nathaniel told her, and her lips became a thin line.

"If you want to have a little bit of fun, go teach him chess or horse riding, or sailing. And not this foolish game. Or far better, go get cleaned up for the Ball tonight. Charicklea will be there." His Mother instructed him and Nathaniel felt his heart breaking a bit as he nodded, heading towards the big manor after sending a sympathetic smile to his younger brother who just stood there, eyebrows furrowed because all he wanted was to continue playing with his brother.

"But I just want to play with Nate!" The little boy protested, and his mother sent him a stern look.

"This is not a game you shall play, Evan. And you shall not follow your brother when he tells you so. Now go upstairs, and get ready, too." His mother said and little Evan just followed her demands, going inside with head hanging. He walked through the big entrance and into the manor, going up the stairs towards his room.

Passing by the door next to his sister's room, he heard someone sobbing. It was barely audible like whoever was crying was trying to keep it quiet. Evan stopped there in front of the door and pressed his ear against the hardwood, trying to listen more. And he heard it. He heard a boy crying. He heard his brother silently sobbing in his room.

He didn't like that. He didn't like it when his older brother was sad. He didn't like when people were making his Nate sad. Especially when those people were their parents.

Evan softly knocked on the door, his childish knuckles soft against it. He didn't get a response right away. And then he knocked again. One long, two short, and one long again. 'Knock this way if you ever need me.' His brother had told him some time. And it was their secret, their code. On the other side of the door, Nathaniel stood up from the floor, wiping his tears away, opening the door after putting on a slight smile.