(Nikolai)
"You must be pretty desperate... to of come to me, brother. " My voice is hoarse, it is scratchy and dry from it's lack of use over the course of the past few weeks and I couldn't even tell you the exact number of weeks that I've been held up in this hell hole of a place. For I've lost track of all time in this prison. He is silent at first, but I know that he is there and so I tilt my head back to look at him in my usual, casual and charismatic way. But he just looks back at me with that same 'ole dismal look, the one where his eyebrows are knitted perfectly together over such stern, dark blue eyes. The eye's of a Sea God, one that is and will only ever be but much more prized... than me.
Eli lifts his right hand and my sight zero's in on the keys that are held within his palm. I do my best to try to act uninterested, but my habits betray me. For I've been planning for weeks of my escape and him coming here with those keys upon his forefinger had not been apart of those plans. Resting my back against the wall again, he begins to jingle them just taunting me. "Stop it Eli, it's fucking annoying." I snap angrily, however Eli does not stop. Instead he shakes them with much more ferocity and I grow more and more annoyed with that damn clinging noise just escalating within my brain. "Will you stop that!" I finally snap at him, "I mean seriously brother, what? What do you possibly want from me? Did you seriously think that I'd just jump up like a dumb and excited dog at the sight of such a thing! Did you really think that I'd beg you on my hands and knees for my freedom or something? I mean, don't you know me brother? Don't you remember? Don't you think that I'd have a little more pride than that?" I laugh a little bit, some of it at my sorrow, but most of it at his stupidity.
He however, did not find my words to of been very funny. "I need you Nikolai and I am offering you this deal, that I will give you your freedom in exchange for a favor. But heed my words brother, that if you even dare to think about betraying me. Oh how I swear to you, that your betrayal will be the very last thing that you will ever do in this life." My hysterical laughter just bubbles up inside of me and it soon consumes the entire hall. "Oh ho brother! Did you really think that I would be that stupid? I knew that there was a catch! Because there is always a catch when it comes to the likes of you! But to think that you could ever, even possibly need me? Now tell me, what is this true reality that makes you play your hand at bluff?" However, it is Eli's silence that answers my question. For suddenly I am sitting upon my feet. My eyes grow wide, "Y-you're telling the truth?"
Slowly Eli nods, "I know that you're too smart for this Nikolai, that you'd probably have a more clever and elaborate plan to escape this prison already at your hand. That you would probably prefer to just escape on your own time, than to of help me or owe me anything. But I guess... well I guess that I had just hoped that maybe, that maybe you still had some humanity left in you." His words strike me, cold and hard as they pierce right through my skin and into my heart of stone. Sliding against the wall, slowly sinking down to the ground. I think aloud to myself and to him as well.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Eli... But my humanity left me a long time ago."
There's a few moments of silence between us, a heavy sigh on his part and a hard swallow on mine. But the silence surprises me, for Eli was always the most impatient person that I've ever known and it is in times like these that I am reminded of those moments, in which I had once loved him like a brother. However, he is still the first to break the silence.
"You know Nikolai, we could still be brothers you and I... if only you'd just let us."
Suddenly, it was as if this switch had been turned on inside of me and I was no longer my usual calm, cool and collected self. No, I was angry. Scratch that, I was furious! Lunging up upon my own two feet, I slammed myself against the barrier that is held between us and I met his face on the other side of the glass as I screamed. "No! Don't you dare even start that with me! No! You were the one that betrayed me! You and father both!"
