Mikkel

Part 4: Break

Mikkel opens his eyes, his muscles sore.

He sees his mother's shadow looking over them and she walks over to him.

"I knew you'd be awake."she smiles, holding a bowl of food.

Mikkel excitedly gets out of bed, going to his brother.

"Luca, wake up."Mikkel says quietly shaking Luca.

Luca opens his eyes as their mother hands Mikkel the food.

"Look, food."Mikkel says, trying to feed his brother.

Luca allows it, taking a bite.

"Eat it quickly. Hurry, hurry little ones."she says, closing the bedroom door.

...

Mikkel enters the school grounds, looking for Jin.

"Tell me if you see him over there."Mikkel says to his brother before walking more into the crowd.

Suddenly, a calling bell sounds, and Mikkel's heart falls into his stomach.

Everyone was being summoned to the courtyard.

The students begin walking in that direction, and yet as they all pass none of them were Jin.

He then runs to the court yard, seeing a hooded boy standing besides Yosef.

Mikkel begins to slightly hyperventilate as the hood was taken off of the boy.

It was Jin.

"I thought my children had learned from this."Yosef says, his hands sitting stop the well lid.

"But, this boy here, he's stubborn. Apparently he has been getting out a lot more than we think. He, and someone else."

The crowd was silent.

"Whoever has escaped with this boy, step up."Yosef demands.

Mikkel and Jin make eye contact, and Jin instantly shakes his head.

"STEP UP!"Yosef shouts.

Still nobody moves.

Yosef huffs angrily kicking Jin in the back of the leg and making him kneel.

Mikkel nearly falls as well, but Luca catches him.

"Stubborn children like this deserve no mercy. Unless the other will step up. C'mon, grant your friend mercy. Step up and I'll end his life swiftly."Yosef says, pulling out a gun and placing it to the back of Jin's head.

Mikkel wanted to turn away, but that would categorize him as suspicious.

He couldn't.

And still, no one answers.

Yosef huffs as he grips Jin's shirt, pulling him to his feet and pulling him towards the large furnace that heated the whole school.

Jin begin breathing rapidly as Yosef opens the large iron door of the furnace.

"Will no one spare him? Will the coward not step up?"Yosef asks.

Mikkel looks at Jin and again he shakes his head no.

Mikkel's shaking frame had to hide behind Luca as he sees his father's anger growing.

"Fine."

Without a second thought, Stephen throws the boy into the flames.

Mikkel's jaw drops and his eyes widen, tears falling from both of them as he hears the screams of his only friend being burned alive.

"Mikkel stop that. No emotion."Luca says.

Mikkel quickly tries to fix his face. He felt as if something inside him has broken. All these unbearable emotions clouding his mind.

The brutal loss of his best friend.

He didn't want to feel anymore.

So he won't.

He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes as he feels something drain from him.

Then he opens his eyes, his face relaxing to a nonchalant expression.

"Are you okay?"Luca asks.

Mikkel only nods.

"Yeah."

....

Mikkel looks up as he enters the cafe, he sees Tony and Alecia in the usual window seat.

He enters the cafe and Alecia instantly notices him.

"Oh look! There he is! I told you they'd be back."Alecia says as she stands.

"Hello Mikkel! Where's your friend Jin?"she asks in Russian.

"Jin..he's not coming back. He left."Mikkel says.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Come sit down with us."she smiles.
....

"M-my namé.."Mikkel squints at the writing on the paper as he tries his best to read in English.

"Name. N A M E."Tony says.

"He can't read your horrid handwriting, why didn't you let me write it?"Alecia says, taking the paper back and erasing it.

"Ah, you're a queen, you shouldn't subject yourself to such horrific labors."Tony says, making Mikkel chuckle.

"It's writing 4 words down on a slip of paper, that's hardly labor."Alecia explains before showing the paper back to Mikkel.

"My name is Mikkel."he reads in English, making Alecia clap.

"Awe, I'm so proud of you! Gimmie gimmie!"she says, pinching Mikkel's cheeks and making him laugh.

"Stop mi vida if you baby him he'll want to come home with us."Tony chuckles.

"You don't live here?"Mikkel asks.

"Oh no, I'm from New York, in America. Tony is from Spain, but we live together in new York."Alecia smiles.

"What brings you to Moscow?"Mikkel asks.

"Well hombrecito, this beautiful cafe is where I met the love of my life."Tony says, interlocking his fingers with Alecia.

Alecia chuckles, giddy like a teenager in love as she leans against Tony.

"And this beautiful cafe is where I met my handsome stallion."she flirts, gripping his jacket and pulling him closer, making him smirk.

Mikkel gives sort of a disgusted look as they begin kissing and giggling to each other.

"The stars and the moon are nothing compared to you mi belleza"Tony says soothingly in his Hispanic accent.

"And no one in this world is perfect for me like you are."Alecia says.

Is this what love is supposed to look like?

Why didn't his parents act like this?

Mikkel clears his throat and the two people attached at the mouth separate.

"My bad kid"Tony says, making Alecia chuckle.

"So, are you guys going to leave soon?"Mikkel asks, looking up at then.

"Well, we have about a week left. But that's more than enough time to teach a smart boy like you to speak English."Alecia smiles.

"I wish I could live in America with you guys."Mikkel says.

"Well, that would be lovely because of what an amazing boy you are. But I'm sure your mommy and daddy would miss you very much."Alecia says with a soft smile.

Mikkel nods.

"You're right."Mikkel says, looking down.

Tony hands Alecia a card and Alecia smiles before handing it to Mikkel.

"Hey, if you're ever in New York why don't you come and see us?"she asks, making him look up.

He takes the card and nods.

"I will."