Lost in Technicolor

Questions and Trust

"Get your lazy ass up!" Erik hissed at Drake, He was more than frustrated with him and was at his breaking point. Drake had told him everything about Jade and him. It had shocked Erik for a moment, but it made so much sense that he adapted quickly. Drake had also laid down about a hundred rules, beginning with that he couldn't let Jade know that he knew, or Damien, or anyone, but especially not Jade . . . and Damien . . . and well everyone. Erik had the feeling that he hadn't told him everything, but he wasn't going to push it.

Drake hadn't moved an inch since they had returned home. At about seven in the morning his fingers had regained their color and feeling, which Drake took to mean that Jade had been taken in by someone and that they should head back to Erik's in case she came back, but it had already been a day without any sign of her and Drake wouldn't let either of them leave.

"I'm so dead," he muttered into Erik's pillow as he wallowed on his bed. "So, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so dead! I AM SO DEAD! He's gonna slit my throat with the sharpest knife he has and then command me not to die and then once he has someone stitch me up he'll do it again and again. I'm dead! Just kill me now!"

"You're being irrational, not too mention overly dramatic," Erik sighed, "you told me that he's in debt to Jade so if he hurts you, he'll hurt her which in turn will hurt himself."

"Stop being a smart ass," Drake mumbled, sitting up and looking at Erik darkly.

It sent shivers down Erik's spine to see his ghostly eyes looking at him so murderously, but he tried to meet the stare evenly. "She will show up before you have to leave. Don't worry so much."

"And when she doesn't," Drake snarled.

"Damien can't touch you," Erik reminded him.

"Ha!" Drake laughed, "He doesn't know that though."

"I still think we should look for her. I mean if she hasn't come to us yet, then she doesn't know her way," Erik said, throwing his opinion out into the air, waiting for Drake to tear it to shreds.

"I'm ready to do anything at this point," Drake sighed, surprising Erik. He stood up and reached for his coat.

"Tomorrow, Drake," Erik insisted, "it's dark."

"What are you my mother?" He growled, walking to the door.

"Jade's told me how you get without sleep and frankly I don't want you to murder me. So . . . please, we'll both get a good night's rest and as soon as the sun rises, we'll start looking for her again," Erik said sternly.

Drake turned around to face him, slowly taking off his coat, "Murder you? Over a sleepless night? Is that really what you think of me?" He sighed and hung his coat up on a hook sticking out from the wall. He seemed to be serious. All sarcasm had dried up from his voice. Mumbling to himself he said, "God, I can take one or two sleepless nights just not five in a row. I'm not a four year old."

"Not actually murder . . ." Erik trailed off, putting a hand to his aching head and sitting on his couch.

"Right," Drake said this time dripping with sarcasm from behind him.

"Look I don't think you're Damien or anything-" Erik began to say, but Drake cut him off.

"Erik," he sighed, "it's honestly fine. More than half of the people I meet mistake me for him just by looks alone. I've gotten over it."

Erik turned around to look at him. It was true; he was basically a carbon copy of Damien. He almost felt sorry for him, but quickly reminded himself that he had killed his brother. He remembered that horrible day all too well. "What?" Drake snapped, scowling at Erik's stare.

"Nothing," he said shaking his head. If they wanted to find Jade tomorrow then they'd need some sort of plan, but working with Drake was impossible and not only because they hated one another, but also because they didn't trust one another. Erik knew by the way Drake looked at him with squinted eyes and folded arms that he suspected him of trying to steal Jade from him. On the other hand, Erik didn't trust Drake to not act rashly on his temper.

"We need a plan," Drake growled Erik's own thoughts as he looked at him through those pale eyes.

Nodding, Erik said, "Well we can start with what little we do know."

"Right, and that's that she isn't within a mile from me," he muttered, rubbing his lower lip with his finger.

"Yeah, I still don't understand that," Erik replied. Drake had been as succinct as possible with the details regarding his and Jade's mysterious connection and Erik wanted to know more. Mainly because he was suspicious of Drake's motives with Jade more than ever.

"What's there not to understand?" Drake barked. "We hear each others thoughts all the time, except for when we are too far away and no matter how far apart we are if I get hurt in anyway so does she and vice versa. Very simple."

"Has it always been that way?" Erik asked, forgetting completely about the plan.

Drake's lips curled into a mocking smile as he glared down at him. He waited for him to begin shouting and throwing a tantrum, but instead he heard a sigh as Drake sat on the table in front of the couch. "Fine. Let's just get this over with. Yes, it's always been like this. She doesn't remember some of it in the earlier days, but she remembers a good half."

"And you actually do love Jade? That's not something Damien's designed to keep people off of your track?" Erik said, leaning back into the couch. He appreciated that Drake was finally answering his questions. He had't expected him to at all.

"Yes," he answered, tightening his hand into fists. It was obviously a sensitive subject, but that was to be expected since she was missing and he was worried about her.

"Why can't I let her know that I know?" Erik asked and then took a step further by saying, "I mean, what's stopping me?"

Shaking his head, Drake responded, "What's keeping you from doing something so completely boneheaded as that is her protection from Damien. Neither of you could keep it from him if she knew that you knew. Just trust me. She wouldn't be able to. Are you done yet?"

"Not quite," Erik said impatiently as Drake rolled his eyes, "you still haven't explained why Damien and Jade are linked."

Drake looked at him as if he was utterly confused, "I haven't? I thought I mentioned that in the letter, when I was talking about us needing to be away from Damien."

"No, you briefly mentioned that she supposedly has amnesia and that was here, but other than that," Erik stopped because Drake had begun laughing. Pursing his lips Erik folded his arms around his chest. What was he laughing at? Why  was he always laughing?

Slowly the laughter died to a rumble in his throat and a smile but once he looked up to see Erik's angry glare the smile melted off his face. Clearing his throat, he explained, "I'm sorry. It's not you. It's just I was so certain that I had written it in that letter and this whole time I've been angry with you for bringing up touchy subjects with her. Will you except my apology?"

Erik's held his glare, remembering how Drake had shouted at him for mentioning Damien's name and how Jade had shied away from the subject at the lighting of the tree and when he had forced her to speak about Damien how terrified she looked. He hadn't completely taken note of them at the time, but Drake's words were slowly clearing Erik's confusion. Something terrible had happened between Damien and Jade, recently, which somehow put his life in Jade's debt. "What exactly happened?" He asked coldly, "And why didn't you prevent it?"

"Why didn't I prevent it?" Drake repeated Erik with raised eyebrows, "Because she was sneaking out of Damien's house in the middle of the night to leave me to his merciless mercy and I was asleep. So frankly I didn't have an option." He then went on to relay the rest of the horrifying story to Erik, who began to feel more and more guilty for not being more sensitive about talking about Damien. Once Drake had finished the story, Erik was left speechless so he muttered, "Erik, do you want to start on the plan now? Or do you have anymore questions?"

He snapped out of his thoughts to see Drake looking back at him impatiently. "No," he admitted, "let's start."