Self-Seeker

38

Monday

The surge of conviction Genesis had the night prior had long gone. She was now at the lowest point she had been at since the time she had been addicted to the antidepressants that were supposed to aid her in coping with killing people. Those were the type of pills that as of late, she was no longer required to take, having become accustomed with the act as if it were as common as her fortnightly shopping sprees.

Sleep was a luxury Genesis had been deprived of last night; she was functioning at eleven am on three cups of coffee - and she couldn't stand the beverage. A sign had been put up on her office door saying not to disturb her, Emily included.

Her feet were up on her desk as in her tired state, she blinked systematically at the screen of her mac computer. She had duplicated her phone screen so whatever it showed, came up on the PC. Genesis was seconds away from switching the cameras from Jazmine's house to trace Damon's location, when the man himself entered the building.

She sat upright in her chair as she saw Tyler come to greet him and they engaged in a man-hug. The men walked into the kitchen, where Genesis noticed Tyler had gotten the glass door fixed. She zoomed in and plugged her earphones in so she was able to turn the volume up louder, without it being heard from beyond her office door.

Damon had a serious look on his face, but the way he was scratching the back of his head indicated that he was nervous. Genesis listened carefully to their conversation.

"Listen man, you know you're my best friend and I'll always look out for you. But I'm not sure how to tell you this." Damon started, hesitant of Tyler's reaction.

"Hey bro, you can tell me anything. Just say it." Tyler encouraged, unsure of what it was that could be so hard to say. "Wait. You didn't get Audrey pregnant, did you? 'Cause if you di--"

"What? No. No way. It's nothing like that. I can't even believe you just said that. Anyway, it's not about your sister, it's your wife." Damon added.

Genesis cursed under her breath. What part of confidential was he struggling to comprehend, she thought? She could only hope that he didn't inadvertently reveal too much.

"Jaz? What about her?" Tyler questioned.

"Have you even seen her since the other night?" Damon asked.

"Actually, no. She said she had a conference in Boston so she's been staying there for a few days." Tyler explained, taking a seat on a bar stool, Damon remained standing.

"You don't find that the least bit convenient?"

"No, bro. I don't. Despite what you all may think based off some crazy theory her sister came up with, I know Jaz - she's my wife." Tyler stated defensively.

"All I'm saying is that you should watch your back. After what I found out about what she has been up to, she can't be trusted." Damon said.

"Well what is it that you found out? And how exactly did you find it?" Tyler questioned. Genesis squinted her eyes, waiting for Damon to uncover everything she had told him in confidence.

"Last night I was with Genesis and she showed me th--"

"Wait, what? She's the one who put you up to this? I can't believe you're siding with some deranged chick you barely know over a woman who's been your friend for how many years?" Tyler started to get heated as he jumped up off of the stool. Genesis sighed in relief, at least the conversation was veering away from the 'how Damon found this out' context.

"She didn't put me up to anything. I'm coming to you as a brother and I need you to listen to me before you get hurt."

"Get hurt? What are you trying to do here, Damon? Turn me against my own wife? You know what, I hope that the sex is really good, because clearly it means more to you then our life-long friendship. Now get out of my house." Tyler finished, shaking his head in disappointment. Damon's eyes widened at the realization that he was losing his best friend; he tried to redeem himself.

"Ty, please. If you would just hear me ou--"

"I said GET OUT!" Tyler shouted, rage evident on his reddened face. Reluctantly, Damon respected his wishes and backed away, turning on his heel as he made his way out of the house.

Genesis hung her head, it was her fault that Damon had just gotten into a dispute with someone he considered family. It was only a small percentage of the burden that came with knowing everything that she knew. One by one you would push those around you away, simply because they were too stubborn to see what was right in front of them. Soon enough, it would become clear just how lonely the world could be - even when in the constant company of other people.

Damon walked past Audrey on his way to the front door. She had clearly heard the commotion from upstairs and had come down to find out what was going on. Her face told him that she wanted to ask him something but with a shake of his head he dismissed her questioning.

Genesis took her focus away from Damon - who was leaving the house - and over to Audrey where she cautiously eyed her brother from across the kitchen. Tyler was leaning over the counter top, his chest heaving as he tried to control his breaths.

"Want to fill me in on what the hell just happened down here? You guys rarely, if ever, argue. What was all that shouting about?" Audrey asked.

"Damon is believing this crazy notion that Jaz was the mastermind of the attempted kidnapping that went down at the twins' birthday party. And it's all because he's been spending too much time with your psychopathic bestie." Tyler answered.

"Okay. First of all, that girl is no friend of mine. Not anymore at least. And second, have you considered the fact that this 'psycho' might actually be right? You know the line of work her and I used to be in, as much as I hate to admit it she was the best out of us all. Why would she make this up?" Audrey spoke with caution, she knew her brother was hot tempered.

"Seriously Auds? Not you too. That spiteful wretch hates my wife with a passion and would clearly go to all lengths to ruin her life. That's all there is to it!"

"Ty. You can't deny that Jazmine's actions have been a little sketchy recently. I've seen for myself the way she conveniently leaves the house when you're busy or even asleep. How she blatantly lies to you about where she's going. I am literally an expert at reading people and I am telling you, brother, something is not right there." Audrey explained as calmly as she could. Although he could come across as cold to those who didn't know him personally, Tyler was actually a very sensitive person.

"If you strongly believe that, why wouldn't you tell me before?" Tyler questioned.

"I had planned on mentioning it to you before I had returned to England, but at the time I had thought that she might be cheating on you. I wanted to be absolutely sure before I confronted the situation. But after all that Genesis told us on Saturday, I'm not sure what to believe."

Tyler sighed heavily, rubbing his face harshly as he leaned over the kitchen counter. Feeling sorry for him, Audrey wrapped her arms around him in comfort, she hated seeing her brother so conflicted. She rubbed his back soothingly; Genesis - still watching the two from her cameras - couldn't help but to roll her eyes.

Even Tyler's own sister that couldn't stand to be in the same room as Genesis was somewhat agreeing with her. Yet, he failed to see through Jazmine's pretence of being the perfect wife, simply having gone rogue because she's on a 'business trip'. He should be more concerned about what type of business it is that she's conducting.

Turning her attention back to the siblings, Genesis figured she'd had about enough of the ridiculous dramatics.

"I only wish I didn't have to return to England tonight. I hate that I can't be here for you Ty." Audrey continued.

The feed was cut. Genesis sat heavily back in her chair. There was something tugging at her mind that she needed to resolve by the end of the day. She could see that she was the cause of numerous people's pain due to her own selfish desires. They had been strung along in this whole affair for too long and it was clearly taking its toll on those she cared for, as well as those she didn't. Something needed to be done about it as soon as possible.