repressed love | ben hargreeves

6

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CHAPTER SIX

The three of us met with the Sparrows outside their house. Only Ben and Fei showed. With Luther being kidnapped by them, we were able to learn their names. Their number one was Marcus, number two was Ben, number three was Fei, number four was Alphonso, number five was Sloane, number six was Jayme, and number seven was Christopher, the cube. The Sparrows only had seven children while we grew up with eight, before Ben had died.

"You're one short," Ben pointed out that we had no Marcus with us.

"Where's the rest of your pathetic family?" Fei spoke.

"Aww, is that the best you can do?" Allison retorted.

"Last warning."

"Yeah, you don't get to warn me about shit, Flock of She-Gulls." Allison added in, getting a weird laugh from Ben before he re-composed himself.

"Whatever," Ben muttered after clearing his throat. "Where the fuck is Marcus?"

"Marcus is, uh..." Viktor began, trying to find the words to explain the predicament.

"Safe." Allison finished, gaining a confused glance from Viktor and I. "For now. But that'll change real quick if you don't do exactly as we say."

"See? I told you they have him." Fei spoke to Ben.

"I warned Marcus, but no. He said we had to hear what you had to say." Ben spoke.

"Look, he wasn't wrong, okay? We want to make things right with you–" Viktor began.

"By kidnapping our brother?" Ben interrupted him, making his point clear.

"No, that's–" Viktor began.

"Yes." Allison finished, interrupting Viktor. Allison gave us both a look, telling us to go along with it.

"If you want Marcus, give us the briefcase." I spoke up, going along with Allison.

"Look, there is a lot more going on here. The world is in trouble, and we need to work together. My brother could explain it all a lot better than me, but...it's a time-traveling problem. We caused a paradox, and that paradox is swallowing things." Viktor explained.

"Viktor, careful." I warned. They would not react lightly to finding out their brother got swallowed by something we caused.

"Lots of cows, and a dog, a few lobsters, but also people." Ben and Fei gave each other a look as Viktor continued. "Look, I know it sounds like–"

"Just give us the briefcase, like Sadie said, and we'll give you Marcus." Allison interrupted.

"What briefcase?" Fei questioned. This entire ordeal was making me nervous. A part of me felt that Ben and Fei would not agree to this. I had a feeling they knew we didn't have Marcus. My right hand subconsciously found Ben's ring, the one that was hung on the gold chain I wore around my neck. I subtly moved it around on the chain, hoping to distract myself so I don't give away the truth. I noticed Ben looking at my necklace, his ring that I was wearing, but he looked away once he realized that I had caught him looking.

"The one we left in your house." Allison responded, pulling me away from my thoughts.

"It's how we got here in the first place," I added.

Fei went to reply to both Allison and I's statements before Ben beat her to it. "Deal. The briefcase for our brother."

"Great," Allison spoke as she put her sunglasses on. "Hotel Obsidian, four o'clock sharp. Or we'll send him back in pieces." Allison quickly turns and begins leaving, Viktor slowly following after.

I turned around as well, slowly following behind the two but not worrying if I lost sight of them, I knew the way back. I kept trying to find things that made Sparrow Ben not my Ben. Different hairstyle, scar, different styles. But, deep down, past all those exterior differences, he seemed like our Ben. Out of nowhere, someone grabbed onto my arm and pulled me into an alleyway, pushing me against the wall. Ben.

"What the hell are you doing?" I pushed him off me, regaining my composure and straightening out my clothes.

He waited a beat to answer me, he was trying to read me. I had already tried doing the same to him, when we had first landed in Sparrow Academy, but he was a closed book. "Answer me this, why do you have this?" Ben reached up to my necklace, my hand wrapping around his wrist, preventing him from touching it.

"Why does it matter to you?"

He ripped his wrist out of my hand, returning his arm to his side. "Well, it is my ring," Ben pointed out, wiggling his right pinky finger that was ordained with the same ring.

"Well then, I think you can put two and two together, Sherlock Holmes." I spoke, my voice dripping with sarcasm. He gave me a look, a look that spoke I want to hear you say it, a look that my Ben always gave me. I let out a sigh of defeat, crossing my arms and leaning against the wall that was behind me. "I was close with our Ben. When he died...I kept his ring. It's the only thing I have left of him."

"How do you know he would want you to have it?" Ben remarked, still giving me the same cold stare.

I scoffed in response, beginning to walk away. At the last second, I turned back to face him. "Do you know what it's like? Do you know how it feels to have the love of your life die in your arms, while you are powerless to do anything?" I felt tears pricking my eyes, willing them to go away. I would not cry in front of him. "Everyone thinks it's so grand to have these powers, that we can do anything. But we can't stop the one person who we love from dying. He was my everything. So, until you know how that feels, you don't get to ridicule or judge me for shit." Not even giving him a chance to speak, I quickly turned and used my speed to get back to Obsidian. As much as I hate to admit it, I cried on the run back. I noticed how his cold stare melted. It was soft.