Rayne Ames Throughout the Years

Chapter 1 Family

The furthest memory he could recall was of Finn crying.

Rayne was five and Finn was three. They were spending time as a family in the patio garden as usual. The weather was clear—not a cloud in the sky so it probably won't rain this week, either. Mom's favorite rose bloomed this time of year. His favorite hammock chair was swaying gently in the wind. There was the smell of pastry and jam and coffee in the air.

Someone had the bright idea to give Finn a mirror and he got a glimpse of the back of his head for the first time. Then the wailing and crying started because Finn realized his hair pattern 'doesn't split all the way like nii-sama'. Mom softly patted Finn on the back trying to console him, while Dad laughed like a maniac. After Dad was done goofing, he gently stepped up.

"Finn, look at me." The teary eyes turned to Dad as Finn sniffled like the world would end tomorrow. Dad held out the mirror that caused this mess in the first place, "Lookie here. You two have matching eyes. Everyone will know you are siblings once they see you."

Finn stopped short and peered into the mirror. Then, he eyed Rayne carefully, "It's true! Nii-sama, we have the same eyes! It's true!"

"...it's true." Rayne affirmed. Finn let out an excited squeak and immediately rounded on Mom as if to confirm his observations. Dad was giggling again while watching his youngest son wildly waving his tiny hands in exaggerated motions like a squawking duck.

"I hope you have something ready when he sees the freckles on his face." Rayne deadpanned.

Dad pushed the cup of warm milk toward him and grinned cheekily, "It'll be fine; Rayne is such a capable older brother after all! I'm sure you'll be able to do something about it."

"So you're pushing it to me." Rayne rolled his eyes. "Cunning old man."

"Well, that's where you two got it from; your super capable and shrewd parents." Dad winked playfully. Rayne rolled his eyes but couldn't swallow the slight smile creeping on his face.

Dad usually leaves for work in a business suit and an impeccable appearance. Mom doesn't work as long as he does, but she wears business pants every time she goes out, much different than the common secretarial pencil skirts he saw on the typical office ladies.

They often brought work associates back home to discuss important matters over a meal. A lot of words were thrown around that Rayne didn't understand. Finn kept giggling at the anime running in the background without touching his food, so it was up to Rayne to feed him. Mom usually managed the conversations, and Dad played the mediator. None of the guests seemed to be bothered; in fact, they always stared at his parents with the same look Finn gave Rayne.

"Thank you for the meal, as always. Our discussions are always enlightening—I still have much, much to learn from you. Why, it is entirely possible that the chief will promote you soon!"

His parents talk a lot, but unlike the annoyance Rayne felt when they doted on him excessively, the guests always leave with a lightened look on their faces. Rayne always heard compliments after compliments about his parents despite how Dad often clowns around at home. They could take any questions Rayne had and explain them in a way he could understand. Rayne came to accept that his parents knew everything.

"We'll be back this afternoon, don't worry. We can all go out for a meal afterward to celebrate Finn getting his first uniform!"

His parents knew everything. That's why he never doubted their words. Not even once.

That was a mistake.

His parents are dead.

Rayne didn't quite understand how they died. The doctor in front of him apologized that despite his best efforts, they died. He also explained they died in an accident, but the words he used were too complicated; he hadn't gotten around to asking Mom half of what comes out of the man's mouth yet.

All he knew was that Mom and Dad were dead. They promised to take Finn and him out for dinner but now they can't. Because they are dead.

The doctor doesn't linger, either. Some people showed up claiming to be his parents' relatives, and the doctor turned his attention to them. He tried shaking Mom and Dad awake, but they wouldn't move. They still need to pick Finn up from daycare.

"Why aren't Mom and Dad back, nii-sama? Don't they like us anymore?!"

That's what I want to know too. Rayne nearly bit back but swallowed it down. Now is not the time for this. But what is this time for?

Finn started sniffling when he didn't respond. Rayne couldn't think of anything to say. "...they won't be back tonight."

And they won't be back tomorrow night, or the day after either. What will he tell Finn when the time comes?

"It'll be fine; Rayne is such a capable older brother after all! I'm sure you'll be able to do something about it."

Dinner that night was cold. They were supposed to be eating at a restaurant, not scraping together whatever was left in the kitchen.

A man in a suit came along with some people the night after. He told them he represented his parents and that it had been decided they would be staying with his uncle. He never knew he had an uncle until now.

"The money was placed in a trust according to my client's wishes. Since his children are still underage, their legal guardian can—"

Rayne didn't like the way this 'uncle' exists in their home. He didn't align the shoes properly at the entrance. He stepped on Mom's favorite rug with dirty feet. He nearly knocked over Dad's treasured photo of their family when he closed the door. The floor shakes whenever he puts his legs down. Everything about this man felt filthy.

The two grown-ups spewed words at each other without any regard for the actual occupants of the home. Ultimately, they were told to pack up their belongings before noon.

A group came by to clean out the place and put a stake in the garden. Rayne stared at the systematic way the movers grabbed each box with a strange hollowness inside. The line of workers going in and out of their home felt like an ant invasion. He couldn't stand it. But he couldn't do anything about it either.

Somewhere between the movers and the garden he heard Finn's muffled sobs as he mindlessly patted the younger on the back, much like how Mom used to.

At some point, Finn stopped questioning their parents' whereabouts. He figured out Mom would no longer pat him on the back when he cried, and Dad wouldn't lift him up as high as he could go. Rayne never told him.

Rayne didn't tell Finn the uncle likely took them in because of the money Mom and Dad left behind for them. He didn't tell Finn that Mom had pulled Rayne aside one day and entrusted him with a bar of gold buried in their garden 'just in case'. Not that it will last long if they ever end up on the street. He doubted they had ever thought of their own death before.

Promises don't mean anything. Actions, on the other hand, do matter.