The Five Sons of Brent Star

Chapter One

Brent Star had five sons, but only four pairs of eyes stared back at me.

His oldest son was missing from the reading of Brent's will.

I was still unaware of why I, an author, had been invited to his will reading. Brent had met me around the time he had been diagnosed with cancer.

It was his first chemo treatment where we had met me. Susan, the closest thing I had to family, was still going through her chemo treatments. Brent was sitting outside of the room, clenching his fists, his dark brown hair still full on his head.

"Is it your first time?" I asked him; I obviously knew who he was; his latest blockbuster movie had just been released the month before; it was the fourth movie sequel, a film full of action, and a lot of the critics deemed he was too old to be doing an action movie. Seeing him in person, I could see the lines from oldness creeping on his face.

"Is it that easy to tell?" He winked at me, a small smile spreading on his lips.

No one was sitting with him, which made me sad for him, a man whose pinky made more than I did in a year.

"Just a little," I paused as a nurse walked by, her white sneakers squeaking down the hallway.

I thought it was odd that Brent Star was at the same; instead of some prestigious hoity-toity clinic.

"I wish I could say it gets easier from here on out." I said to him, but I couldn't lie to him. I wouldn't.

"Are you a writer?" He nodded at the pad in my lap, my fingers wrapped around a pencil, he was directing the conversation to something other than chemo treatments.

This was something I later learned that Brent Star was a master at.

I laughed. "Something like that."

He reached over, his confidence, and getting what he wanted was easy to see in his movements. He grabbed the pad out of my lap and flipped to the first page.

"They are just short stories... Something I do for fun." I babbled on but he kept reading.

I finally went quiet and watched as he flipped from page to page. Moments later Susan walked out with her head wrap on, the normal purple hue under her eyes was back and I knew it was not a good one today. It never was a good one.

"You have talent, Cate." He had read my name on the cover of the pad.

"Thank you..." I bashfully murmured taking the pad back.

"Well I guess it is my turn to dance with the devil." He winked at both Susan and I as he walked into the room.

Susan out of breath turned to me, her eyes wide. "Was that Brent Star?"

I nodded, and hushed her, wanting to let him feel like a normal person and wanting Susan to catch her breath.

Now I sat there as his attorney was late.

None of the brothers talked, they sat quietly. Only two of them, the twins, look at me occasionally. They were all dressed differently, but I could see Brent's features in all of them; little mini mes of the great legion.

The oldest son in the room, Eli, was dressed in black dress slacks and a button up purple and grey striped dress shirt, he had been on his phone, since he entered the room that morning. I remember Brent saying Eli had some sort of desk job, I would have to look through the rest of my notes from Brent on his sons.

The next son I recognized from the photos was Luke, he was dressed in what I assumed was his typical bermuda shorts and a grey v-neck shirt, his skin had been kissed by the sun.