Survival of the Fittest

Fifteen

Derek raced to Elliot and slid to his side, holding his younger brother's shoulders speaking to him, almost yelling.

"Are you okay?! Why'd you do that?!"

Elliot could barely make out what Derek was saying. The sounds around him were dulling from his reach and his thoughts were clouded by Alphonse's horrible death.

He slowly looked up. The hooded Mage was facing away from him. Well, she wasn't very 'hooded' any longer. Then something suddenly clicked.

The patches of freckles, the way she fights, her rage growing her fighting ability.

Phelyx was no longer against the wall, but couldn't look away. He wanted to, but he couldn't.

"Th-there's so much blood..." he began to shake, and felt himself falling.

Rev in an instant, saw Phelyx pass out from the sight, and tried to catch him before he hit the concrete; but he didn't get there in time.

Phelyx hit the ground and Rev rushed to his side, quickly picking up and holding the smaller boy as he sat on the ground, crossing his legs. His hand was behind Phelyx's head as support, but felt something wet on his hand. He pulled it away and saw blood on his fingertips.

Suddenly, Elliot started to weakly chuckle.

"Long time no see huh Trik?" Everyone stopped.

The Mage looked shocked, but quickly tried to hide it with a blank face and looked away.

"I don't know what you're--"

"Come on... don't play any games with me..." he winced. "I grew up with you."

Trik's eyes widened. She hadn't recognized who he was, and she slowly turned to face him.

"E-Elliot...?"

Elliot grinned at her, but not slyly; genuinely, but not for long.

His grin quickly became a frown and his eyes looked upwards, and his body fell forwards.

Trik wasted no time in running to him, catching him, stopping him from face planting onto the ground.

She turned him and his shoulder blades rested on her folded knees as he caressed his head and chest staring into his now closed eyes.

"E-Elliot?! Come on please wake up!"

Derek crawled over to her. "Here let me look..." he gently laid his head against his younger brother's chest and listened. Trik was confused by Derek's reaction. 'Since when has he been the nice guy?'

After a few seconds, he sighed with relief and sat up again, running a hand through his hair.

"He'll live. If I get him to a hospital fast enough-" trik interrupted him. She was mad and confused, so she was yelling at him angrily.

"How should I know what you'll do?? You're the villain here aren't you!!"

Derek was taken back, and his face was filled with despair. Rev picked up Phelyx onto his back like he was giving him a piggy back ride, holding the smaller boy's legs up, and his head resting on Rev's shoulder.

"Trik, the person who was harassing us wasn't Derek! It was Alex! Look at his eyes and tell me if they're the same ones that mocked Elliot!" Rev was shouting a bit, but wasn't mad.

He was trapped in his own thoughts so deeply, he didn't have enough focus to be angry right now; his eyes looked dull. A new facial expression to everyone else.

Trik's attention drew back to Derek's eyes. She stared intently at them; they were the same raspberry color they'd been his entire life. Alex's eye color took over for many years, but his eyes were always his.

Trik's face became full of shock and regret. Now she understood.

"I-I... n-no.. Derek.. I didn't mean...!"

Derek knew Trik had loosened her grip on Elliot, and he went for it. He leaned forward and gingerly picked up his brother, standing up in the process; his face non changing.

His voice cracked as he spoke. "I'll just... take him to the hospital.. the faster we get there the better..." and with that, and clouds of black smoke, he was gone.

Trik stared at the open space Derek and Elliot once were and her head fell. She felt guilty, like she was being blamed for the death of a companion.

Rev came over to her and leaned down, obviously not being able to sit down.

"Hey.. let's go. The house misses you."

Trik gave a single nod, a hum along with it. She hesitantly stood up and followed him.

Halfway through the walk she clung her hand onto Rev's upper arm; the way she used to do when they were children.

Rev looked over a bit, and didn't even push her away. When he took his new teenage role as the "bad boy" he started pushing her away a bit, not letting her cling to him the way she always did.

Trik expected to be pushed away, but was surprised and at the same time happy he didn't. She smiled softly to herself.

"I must've missed a lot, haven't I?"

Rev laughed a bit loudly, startling Trik. "He's changed so much!"

"Ohhh yeah! We have a lot to catch up on."

"So, Elliot's a vampire? How'd that happen?"

Rev didn't respond for a few seconds. "Remember when that huge Vampire kingdom was destroyed by Korey and Alex?"

"How could I not?" Trik's voice was a bit monotone, but also intrigued.

"Elliot's a prince if I'm correct. Him and Derek are brothers, and apparently he's a hybrid from what I've seen."

"Mage too right?"

Rev shrugged lightly, because of phelyx. Mainly he didn't think phelyx would wake up; but if he did, Rev didn't want him to feel the pain of a head injury.

"I guess so. We all just found out about this today. But I think Derek knew already. I mean, The guy grew up with him."

He then processed what he said, and fixed his statement. "Well. For about four years, anyway."

Trik only nodded. "I guess I don't know much about him after all."

Trik thought for a second, then spoke again. "I guess I gotta get to know Elliot all over again don't I? Because I'm almost positive the Elliot I knew was human."

Rev chuckles a bit. " 'almost'?"

Trik smiled "You never know."