Finding Tristan ✓

14: Substitute

Note: My boyfriend came over to my house yesterday and we spent the whole day together, but sorry for forgetting to update! <3

"Be not deceived with the first appearance of things, for show is not substance."

Luke

My skin was pale and dirtied with dry blood and musk underneath the dim lights. I was currently laying in an awkward position on the floor, my legs bent behind me. I could not move a single muscle in my body but my head. I was still numb from the fresh set of shots that the crazy man had given me a little over an hour ago. I was glad enough that I wouldn't be able to feel too much of the pain for at least while.

It had been two weeks since the day the man with the fox mask first kidnapped me, and made me stay in an old empty room. He continued to relentlessly beat me and interrogate me about my history with Kylie. To be honest, he says that he is in love with her, but I am pretty sure that he is actually obsessed with her. I'm not saying this because of the crush I have on her, it's because the fact that he told me he's been watching over her ever since the day she moved from her hometown. That man had been one of her childhood friends before she got into that car accident with her neighbor when they were driving out to the yearly carnival.

After that, Kylie had lost some of her memory, and she had forgotten everything about him. Out of all honesty, I felt sorry for this man. He wasn't mentally challenged or anything, he was just one of those really lonely people who didn't have anyone to solely depend on. I had no idea why, but he would always tell me about the day he went to visit her in the hospital. He had explained to me how he truly felt the moment it hit him that Kylie didn't remember him, no matter what he said or did to get her memories of him back.

The door abruptly opened once again. It was slammed shut before his footsteps approached me. Earlier, I had heard him speaking to someone that sounded awfully familiar from outside of the room. I had this horrid gut feeling that continued to constantly bother me. Fear and an intense amount of paranoia was not really the ideal combination for a healthy human boy.

The man with the fox mask stood above my unmoving body. He gazed down at me with what must have been a smirk on his lips. His black gloved hands reached down to roughly grab the front of my shirt. He carried me off of the ground, my feet hovering just inches above it. "Are you ready to see something phenomenal?"

The amount of joy that was laced in his voice sickened me. I quickly shook my head and his smile turned into a deep frown. He snarled and threw me against the wall. My head smacked against the hard cement and I groaned painfully. "Well, whether if you like it or not, I have someone who will be able to take your place!"

My eyes widened in realization. "No.. It can't be!" I yelled in disbelief. The man made his way towards the door and swung it open, allowing my twin brother to briskly walk into the room. Angry tears welled up in my eyes as he stared down at me with an expressionless face.

"Maximillian Crawford!" The man in the fox mask cackled evilly.

"How could you?!" I yelled at my twin brother in fury. The adrenaline kicked in and I was able to get up on my knees. The numbing shots that the sick man gave me from earlier were wearing off. "I thought you were dead! I spent months grieving over you, only to find out that were working for him!" I felt disgusted and betrayed by my very own brother.

Max held a deep aura of sorrow in his dark hazel eyes. His lips were formed into a tight thin line. He spoke with such force in his voice. "You don't understand, Luke. I didn't want to die; I wasn't ready to accept my fate."