The Five [COMPLETED]

Part Nine

It's night. We're sitting at the table, eating Violet's cooking, which is quite delicious. She has become the official cook for us. Mark has been showing mild interest in the art of preparing food, so she's been teaching him, too. I'm silent as I eat, thinking over the fact that my worst enemy is also my half-brother. Should I tell them? I look around at them and blink. Taking a shaky breath, I say, "Guys?" Their heads snap up, surprised that I have actually spoken. "I need to tell you something."

"Okay . . ." Lawrence says cautiously. "What is it?" There's no turning back now.

"You know . . . Dragon Eye?"

"Yeah?. . ." Matthew says.

"Well . . . him and me . . ." I trail off, looking at the ground. I swallow and look back at them. "We're half-siblings."

Shock. That's the first thing that I see on their faces. Matthew's jaw actually drops. "What!" they exclaim in unison.

I nod sheepishly.

Matthew's eyes are wide as he shakes his head. "Whoa. Wasn't expecting that. Not at all."

"I don't think any of us were," Violet murmured from her place beside him.

"I never actually knew until a couple of years ago, when I got my first letter from my parents," I say.

"Your parents sent you a letter?" Mark says in disbelief.

"Yeah, they did," I say.

"What did it say?" Matthew looks intrigued now.

"It was telling me about how much they missed me and my older brother. It explained about how they sent him off to China and how proud they are of the great warrior he's become. They abandoned him." I look down. "Just like they abandoned me." The others are silent. No-one speaks. And eventually, the topic is changed. I excuse myself and go to my dorm, where as I always do every night, think about the day's events. I lose track of time, and am woken from my trance when I hear a tap on my paper door. "Who is it?" I call.

The opened door reveals the answer. Matthew's lean frame steps into the room and quietly shuts the door behind him. He approached the bed and sits on it. And then he hugs me. Almost as if he knows the inner torment I go through every day. Surprisingly, I don't hesitate to hug him back. I rest my head on his shoulder and close my eyes, reveling in the feel of his strong arms around me. We stay like that for a while before he whispers, "Let's go."

I blindly follow him, feeling like I'm in a dream. We end up at the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom, and just as we did before, we sit at the foot of the tree. I gaze out at the twinkling lights far below, watching them dance like falling stars. A small sigh escapes his mouth. A hand rests on top of mine. "I'm still here for you," the voice whispers. "I always will be. That hasn't changed." I don't respond. I can't respond. My voice is choking me; drowning me inside. All I can do is sit there like a stoic statue, listening to this person's gentle words. They become a blur, but the mumbling seems to comfort me, in a way. After a while, I exhale.

Close my eyes.

Lean into the person by my side.

Feel arms come around me.

Return the gesture.

And stay there until the sun begins to rise.

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Surprisingly, I feel refreshed the next morning. Full of energy, life and hope. Suddenly, with a rush, I realise what I have been doing.

I've been opening up.