Gods and Monsters

Ch. 3 Little brothers Pt. 2

"Where have you been?" Sage bounced off the couch and the first thing he noticed was the stench of alcohol and weed.

"Dude, back up." Elias laughed, obviously fucked up. Sage was stuck staring at his little brother with his red eyes and flushed face. Elias pushed past him, falling onto the couch and shutting his eyes.

Sage removed the keys forgotten in the front door before shutting and locking it. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to yell at him but from experience, he knew that would do no good. His hands were shaking and Elias had already started snoring.

He felt like, he felt like he failed. This was supposed to stop with him. Both their older siblings had followed their mother's examples but he hadn't. He didn't want his younger siblings too, so he took on the responsibility of trying to get them to choose better, to be better.

He sat at the kitchen table and stared at the markings from markers and crayons. Elias was supposed to be the smart one. He hung out with the right crowd, the ones whose parents gave them curfews and were involved. There was no drugs or alcohol in the house to tempt a curious mind. Maverick wasn't around anymore to bring around his friends who were in gangs. Myla wasn't around bringing home different guys every week.

Sage thought Elias had seen what alcohol and drugs had done to their family, he thought he'd know better. Maybe it was Sage's fault. Maybe he wasn't around enough.

                                     ———

Marlo woke him up where he'd fallen asleep at the table. He stared at him with his big blue eyes but he wasn't his usual chatty self.

"Eli said he'll be back later."

Sage jumped up and rushed into the living room to see the twins sitting on the couch. Sage ran upstairs to their room. Elias' bed was empty. He tugged on his blond curls and cursed under his breath. He believed in allowing everyone their privacy but he wasn't really thinking when he started digging through Elias' things. There were only so many places to hide things in their crowded room. There was nothing under the mattress or hidden in the sheets. His drawers in the dresser were empty besides clothes and books. There was nothing in his shoes, nothing against the wall and bed, nothing in the desk drawers. There was nothing to indicate where his younger brother could be.

So he dressed his younger siblings and dragged them along to look for him. Sage knew all the regular spots kids went to get up to no good, Maverick had talked him into following along many times. There were kids there, but none were his brother and none knew where he was. So Sage took three buses over to the fancier side of town, he had to walk most of the way because the bus didn't go that far. The kids were complaining by now but there was nothing he could do but give them piggyback rides.

Sage knew where to go because he'd picked Elias up here before. All the houses were big and looked new, the front yards had freshly cut grass and picket fences. Kids played in the streets and the cars in driveways looked expensive.

Sage knocked on the red door. Marlo and the twins were sitting on the porch steps, hungry and tired. A middle-aged blonde woman opened the door. Sage had met her a few times and she flashed her white teeth in a bright smile.

"Sage, what can I do for you?" She asked politely, glancing at his siblings behind him.

"I'm sorry for just dropping by like this but I was wondering if Sam knows where Elias is." The woman's smile fell and her brows furrowed. Elias' best friend appeared behind his mother who turned around with a questioning look. Sam bit his lip with a guilty look. "Is he here?" He asked the kid, feeling relieved until Sam looked down and shook his head.