The Fifth Horseman

Chapter 2: The Quiche and The School

     I woke up in a sweat and checked the time. 

     6:09

     Are you fucking kidding me? WELP, I'm not gonna be able to go back to sleep. Might as well make breakfast. You may not think it by looking at me, but I'm maestro in the kitchen. As I passed his room, I could hear the audible groan of Allastair waking up. He isn't as graceful waking up as I am.
     I start to prepare the many mini quiches when I hear my brother go lazily down the stairs. He muttered something under his breath in more of a groan and I put a cup of coffee filled heavy with sugar and creamer in front of him. Even though it was piping hot, he took a large draught of it into his mouth and laid his head down on the table.
     I began talking loudly, "GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE! DID YOU GET ENOUGH SLEEP LAST NIGHT‽" He picked up his head and stared at me with his eyes still closed. He replied, "Someone didn't get the memo that mornings are for quiet contemplation. At least you brought coffee and food with your loud alarm clock ass." He put his head back down and didn't move until I put two of the quiches in front of him. 
     "This is your only saving grace, Damian. If you couldn't cook and bake, I'd have sent you away years ago." He said while eating one. I drank my tea and left him to sulk about being awake. I needed a shower. "You wound me dear brother. Anyway, have you thought about when you want us to go back to school?" I ask. 
     "Go back whenever you want." He says.
     "If we return, we return together. I won't go back until you feel good enough to." I say and look down. One of the few things we feel different about. I know he isn't ready to go back but he never will be if I don't push him to. 
     "I just- I guess- today then. I woke up early enough for it I might as well go." He sighed and downed the rest of his cup. I quickly went to refill it while he scarfed down the rest of his food. "Ten outta ten on the muffins." he says, and I chuckle. 
     "They're quiches." I say. He rolls his eyes and stands up. He takes his newly filled cup and walks to his room to get ready. "You got this, little brother." I mutter under my breath. 

     We arrive at school. Both of us having already caught up with all of our assignments, we just walk in and sit down without a word. To compare us in school, my grades have always been an A and high B average while my brother has never had anything lower than a 94-grade average at the end of the school year for any subject. Doing the school assignments gave us something to do if nothing else even though all the teachers wanted us to not worry about it. 
     To say it went dead quiet once we entered a room was an understatement. Hell, one teacher didn't even begin class until the bell was about to ring because she couldn't believe we were in class. We have a lot of classes together, but on my way to the one class I don't share with Allastair, our local bully, Pharis, decided to try and mess with me.
     "Well lookie here. One of the orphan twins has finally made an appearance." His words made everyone stop dead in their tracks. They couldn't believe that he would ever say that. That's low even for him. 
     "Don't." is all I can muster. My fist are clenched and my knuckles are already white. 
     "Listen," he starts. He moves in circles around me while almost poking and prodding me as he talks. "I know mommy and daddy's shoulders aren't there for you to cry on anymore, but big daddy Pharis is always here if you need one. I know you and that weirdo brother of yours always need more friends since you only have each other." His words are like thick acid, and I feel like I'm drowning in them. Suddenly a voice cuts through like ice and melts his words away.

     "The pedestal you've carved for yourself crumbles into isolation, where the winds of arrogance howl, and echoes mock your fading reign." Like the silence that follows after the ringing of a gong, time stood still. A good quote from Cassandra Blackwood in her book Viel Of Arrogance. Really on the nose if you know the book.
     A grown man capable of striking fear into the heart of any student in his vicinity, the principal. Except for me of course. I knew his darkest secret. Something he would never share with any faculty, let alone a student. I myself happened to only find out by complete accident due to going to a special event another state over.
     It's close up hand magic. He's gets absolutely giddy whenever he's performing his tricks. This man has PULLED ME OUT OF CLASS to show me some dumb shit magic he learned over the weekend. His smile made everyone else grimace and as he said, "I'll be seeing you afterschool, Pharis." I cringed as he pulled out a detention slip from 'seemingly nowhere.' He spoke again, "To my office, young Damian." I groaned under my breath and turned on my heel to walk in the other direction towards the office and the rest of the students scurry to class. If only they knew, right?
     I could tell he was going to be serious when he didn't immediately show me a magic trick.
     "So...." He was nervous about something.
     "Yeah. I know what you're gonna say. I don't want to hear it to be honest." Everything had already been said a million times by a thousand and one people.
     "Listen, I-" I cut him off before he could continue.
     "Don't. I got enough from the people trying to claim our estate. Bastards didn't even let their bodies get cold or even show up to the damn funeral before trying to kick us off our property and claim it. It wasn't like our parents didn't give everything they owned in their will. First them, then Pharis." I was getting heated and had stood up. Principal Egothane looked down and I felt stupid immediately. "I'm sorry Mr. Thane. I didn't mean to get so bothered." It was definitely my turn to look down.
     "Do you two need anything?" he asked simply. "I know that your family was well off, but I would be remise if I didn't offer anything to help with your grieving process."
     "Thank you but no. I- We chose to come to school to grieve. Or at least push the feeling down for now." I smiled weakly at what I just said.
     "Now I know that you know that that isn't very healthy." He sighs and I look back up to face him. "Just, are you sure you and Allistair don't need more time out of school? Your grades are fine and I'm pretty sure you could miss the rest of the quarter and still have more than decent grades." I shake my head and he looks slightly disappointed. "Alright, but if you change your mind, let me know." He says and opens the door for me to leave.
     I'm out the door and start walking to class with a hall pass in hand but turn around to tell him one more thing. "If I'm not here, then who are you going to practice your magical talents on?"
     He grins while saying, "You know of what I do on the weekends in states over, Mr. Divelis." And with that, we both leave each other's sight.

     "I'll kill that cretin!" Allistair snarled. I had just gotten done telling him of what happened earlier. "Let's just get through our last class and go home. I should've forced us to wait at least another week. GOD FU-" I shushed him. 
     "We're still in school, little brother. Don't curse so fucking loud. You'll end up in detention with Pharis. And then you'll kill him and I for one do not need for you to be taken away to a mental institute while I die slowly in the prison cell we already find ourselves in." I think I said enough words to calm him. It's never what I say but always how much. What I'm really saying is that he gets bored of me. 
     "Fine whatever. Did you get the text from Uncle Bob?" Allastair asked.
     "No and when the hell did you start calling him uncle?" Much confusion in my mind as of this moment.
     "It's nice to think of him as family even though we aren't blood related. Especially since we don't really have anyone else." He looked down as he said it. "Never mind that. He said he had some kind of surprise for us. Something to help us or some shit, I dunno." 
     "I explicitly said not to do this."
     "Hey, at least he shows that he cares. Unlike that weird priest that hurried us out of the church after the funeral. Probably had a meeting with an altar boy."
     "That isn't funny, and you know it. Fuck let's go then. I'm not driving this time." and with that we made our way to Bob's.