Adrenaline

Chapter 13

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Song: The Fire ~ The Roots
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I feel Alec before I see him, the repressed shock practically vibrating the surrounding air as I enter his room. He brushes past me, even in his current state taking extra care not to knock my side before wrapping a hand around Seth's light and throwing it across the room, no doubt ruining the power socket.

Calm him down, Athena.

"Was there any need?" Letting my question hang, I move over to the smashed glass, kicking a particularly large shard towards a more congregated pile as my brother moves behind me erratically. Without even looking at him I know his hands are in his hair, head throw back in dramatic despair. He always had a flair for theatrics.

"Was there any need? Did you not just watch the same thing I did?" Twirling me around, two large hands rest on my shoulders, his eyes - identical to mine - almost burning with unanswered questions.

"Fuck, Alec. What do you want me to say?" Shaking off his hands, I manoeuvre around the glass and into the bathroom, Alec practically snapping at my heels, grabbing the dustpan and brush before I can.

"I'll do it, I don't want you cutting yourself." Kneeling down, inches away from a stray piece of glass, he begins to collect the litter, knuckles white from self-restraint. This had always been our issue, our temperament had fucked us over dozens of times, making us oblivious to the reality of situations and instead only allowing us to see what we wanted to, which was usually death. We thrived from opposition and when the opposition gave us nothing to work with, we created it.

"Did you know that Amelia died?" Letting my body fall backwards onto Alec's bed, I roll my head to the side, narrowing my eyes at his accusing tone as he sits with his back against a cupboard, next to the dustpan filled with glass.

"No. It doesn't surprise me though - not looking back."

"Me either... you don't think-" Against my own will, I sit up, pointing at my brother with disguised warning as his eyes widen, lips clamping together submissively.

"The bomb had nothing to do with mom and dad, Al. Amelia and Daniel weren't even the targets so don't go there. Wrong place, wrong time. That's it. Capire?"

Nodding once, Alec stands, dusting invisible specks of glass from his trousers and taking a deep breath.

"Si, capisco."

A sharp knock at the door draws my attention away from Alec. I'm still not convinced he's dropped the subject, his vivid imagination being one of the few traits we don't share.

Carson Silver stands in the doorway, practically blocking out any light from the hallway with his large frame. Once recognising that our focus has been solely planted on him, he enters, briefly taking in his surroundings before sitting on Seth's bed with an annoying sense of entitlement.

"Alec and Athena Rose, am I interrupting?"

Would it matter if we said yes? I think not.

"No, Sir. What can we do for you?" Biting my tongue at Alec's obviously patronising tone, I keep a keen eye on Silvers; why is he sat so defensively? The man has his arms folded across his stomach, legs stretched and crossed, head tilted in study. He's trying to figure us out. The good thing is: that means he hasn't already, to him we're still in the game because he doesn't know our next move.

"That's a good question, Alec."

My brother, somehow seemingly aware of my previous thoughts, nods at me proudly, his lips pulled into a smug smirk which seems almost too innocent to be placed on such a sinner.