Two

The Quarters: Part 2

You were careful not to slip when you were following me. You knew this plan was somewhat risky, but what plan wasn't at that point? After all, Ben and I made it, so why wouldn't you and Mario?

You stuck to the back, just so you could make sure we'd all make it. Once you saw that Ben was safely across, you let out a relieved sigh. He was the only one you were really worried about. After all, his number was so high. 

However, just as you allowed yourself to relax, you heard a sudden shriek. Blinking a few times, you saw Mario, your older twin brother, lose his grip and slip off the slick fan that was hovering over the guests. Over that line of people who seemed to be mindlessly walking towards wherever they were heading.

You had to bite your tongue to prevent yourself from crying out. Then, at that moment, you were faced with a very difficult choice.

What do you do? 

People are lost all the time. You lost your parents, your home, everything. It was part of life. People mess up and get hurt or left behind. The safest option would have been to move forward and follow me, right?

But... you couldn't do that. When everything was taken from you, you always had Mario. He was your brother. Your other half. There was no way in the world you were going to leave him behind and let him deal with the situation he just fell into on his own. 

So taking a shaky breath, you muttered a soft apology to me and Ben, then slid off the fan after your brother. 

. . .

As soon as you landed next to Mario, you grabbed his arms and helped him up, when suddenly the line of people stopped. They all looked down at the two of you, then without question tried reaching for you and grabbing you as if you were a rat in a kitchen.

"W-We gotta run!" You cried, grabbing your brother's wrist and taking off sprinting through the hall. Every guest that spotted you reacted the same way, reaching out for you and trying to grab ahold of you until you were finally able to sprint through a pair of double doors, into what looked like a large dining room. Without question, you slid under a table, praying that no one spotted you. 

That's when you finally turned to look at your brother, grabbing ahold of both his shoulders and checking him for any injuries.

"Are you hurt?! They didn't get you, did they?" You frantically asked in a hushed voice.

Mario shook his head, but there were tears in his eyes.

"Hey, shh..." you whispered, pulling him in for a hug. "It's okay. I'm here. We're okay."

"No," He whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut and burying his head in your shoulder. "We're not. You jumped into danger. I-I made us lose One and Ben. T-they need you. Why'd you do that?"

"Because you're my brother!" You exclaimed, pulling back and wiping his tears away. "Mario, I'll always jump into danger with you. Besides, I'm sure One and Ben are fine. I mean... One's a one!"

"And you're a two!" Mario snapped back. "Th-they don't need me. They need you! You should've... should've..."

"Hey, don't say that," You said in a slightly harsher tone. "Who cares what number I am? Who cares about any of that? Does it really matter? No. I think it's just a dumb way of labeling people. The world should abandon the whole concept. People shouldn't be defined by stupid numbers, okay? You're my brother and the most important person in my life. Your number doesn't make you any less or more important than anyone else here, okay?"

Mario slowly began to calm down, your words finally processing in his mind. He stayed quiet for another moment, then finally nodded.

It was a brief peaceful moment, but like all good things, it was abruptly ended as the table you were hiding under was suddenly thrown aside, revealing a very angry, hungry-looking guest.