Lil' Kitty

Brothers Are Forever

1. ~Brothers Are Forever~

Skye pushed the curtains a little further, just a little, and invited in the dusky light. She sat down in that comfy chair that came with the apartment, and looked into the camera.

Like many times before, Skye took a deep breath. »Hi!« After all these years of doing the same thing, she was still nervous every time. »Like you all know, I hit a million subscribers last week. In order to commemorate this lovely occasion, I have decided to make a special video.« Skye tucked one of her escaped hair-locks behind her ear. »I've been a YouTuber for two years now, and I simply cannot believe the response I got. After all that hard work, trying to find cool ideas for videos, filming everything, hours of editing, horrible internet connection, which resulted in slow loading, I have reached something I never imagined I would.«

Skye slapped her cheeks, prepared to reveal the truth. »Here goes,« She spoke into the camera. »I've started making these videos to communicate with people, or at least to develop and work on my communication with the rest of the world. A few years back I was very shy, closed into my own imagination, I have lived of two things; Gossip Girl and cheese sandwiches from high school cafeteria.« Skye laughed. »I had developed anorexia, I didn't eat in order to silence my feelings, I had hurt myself,« She pulled up one of her sleeves and presented the viewers with a scarred wrist.

»All that was a result of bullying. Now, I'm not going to point out names because that's not what I'm like, but do know – it was excruciating. It was torture walking through that school door every day, it was torture walking down the crowded hallways, it was torture to face those people every day. I do recall a few occasions I almost had a panic attack, I also remember a few occasions I got beaten up.«

Skye stopped in the silent moment for a minute, clearing her throat. »You know,« She softly spoke. »not only girls who desire to be pretty have anorexia, not only people obsessed with being skinny have it...There are lots of reasons for it, reasons that people simply dismiss. Mine was to shut out feelings, to mute the pain. Because when you don't eat, you don't feel. You float. But one day everything changed.«

Her lips curled into a smile, for every time she spoke of him, her face revealed pieces of love hiding in the corners of her mouth, and in her green eyes. »I met him. Yes, you have all met him,« Skye tucked on the end of her sweater. »he shows up in my videos from time to time. I suspect that many of you watch my videos only to catch a glimpse of him in the background.« She chuckled with amusement. »Anyway, he taught me not how to stop my behaviour, but how to love myself. I refuse to tell you that you need someone to save you, to get you up, because not all of you can get a Lucas.«

Skye narrowed her eyes. »If you want to be saved, then get up. If you want to be told that you matter, then I tell you that you matter. You are needed. You are important. But in order to make a change, it is you who has to make the first step.«

She dropped her head for a bit, but quickly got back up. »I won't say it's easy, because it isn't. It's hard. And you may fell off the wagon every now and then, I sure did. I had promised him I'll eat properly, but sometimes I just couldn't. And I was back to my old habits. You see, this bad habit was similar to all bad habits. Much like smoking, anorexia too – is an addiction.«

A glimpse of light crashed into her eyes as she stared out the window for a second. »But I am proudly to say now, that I haven't missed a meal in a year and a half. I stopped the bullying that I forced upon myself. And I got a voice. I ain't no shy, gray mouse no more.«

A flock of wild geese flew outside her window, producing that annoying quacking sound in the distance. But Skye didn't mind. »So, this is my special video, my confession. My dark secret. Thank you so much for watching and subscribing, and as always – thumbs up!« She grinned at the camera and put her thumb up in the most geeky way.

Skye was proud of her current status, she had never dreamed of coming so far. She was now a promising YouTuber, she kicked anorexia's ass, and she was still holding hands with her high school sweetheart. She was even proud of her YouTube user-name – Lil' Kitty, which was inspired by no other than – her dashing roommate.

Almost every day she would take a stroll down the old city, passing the bronze statues of artists that turned green with rust, musicians that played music for change, and old ladies that offered her dried flowers. Art of life in the atmosphere refused to fade away.

And then he came knocking on her door.

They sat at the table, quietly twirling spoons in their cups of hot tea. A big, fat cat found its place on the lap of the newcomer, rubbing her nose into the knuckles of his fingers.

»Her name is Ash.« Skye took a sip of wild berry tea.

»She seems very, friendly.« Said Dorian when Ash drooled all over his hand.

»Sorry, she's just marking her territory, well, her ownership.« She waved with her hand and motioned towards the cat to skedaddle.

His lips tucked into a smile. Dorian's face was handsome, much like Lucas's, but the tiny wrinkles in the corner of his eyes revealed that he was older. »So, Skye,« He looked at her. »do you live here, too?«

»Mhm, yes.« Skye took another sip of her tea. It wasn't easy moving in with Lucas, especially because of her mother. She doesn't like change, and letting go of Skye was a big problem for her. But Skye suspected, that after her mom fell into a new routine, she preferred the house all to herself. The furniture stayed where she wanted, nobody accidentally placed the coffee mugs in the wrong cabinet, and nobody soaked her alphabetized towels.

Dorian arched his brow. »Aren't you two a bit young for that?«

»At least we don't have kids.« Skye chuckled at the mention of their mutual joke, the joke they told to everyone who asked them that question. Yes, they were young, but stranger things had happened.

She looked at the clock. Only ten more minutes until Lucas comes home. »Is your last name Dashwood, too?«

»No,« He said. »my last name is that of my mum – August. She never told me who my father was, until recently.« Dorian's voice slowly drowned.

»Dorian August.« She muttered to herself. »How old are you?«

»Twenty-six.«

»Twenty-six?« She expected him to be older, but not that much older. Old Dashwood didn't give them much of anything in his lifetime, but at least they inherited some good-looking genes.

»I know,« He smiled and a dimple created on the left side of his face. »I look younger. Works good with the ladies, though. So, what does my brother – «

Suddenly the door burst open, and the sound of keys rattling traveled into the kitchen. Lucas was home earlier than usual. »Man, you won't believe what crap I – « He stopped at the unfamiliar sight in his kitchen. »And, who are you?« Lucas walked over, still in his leather jacket. He was always wary of strangers, especially the ones siting in the empty apartment with his shy girlfriend. No, he did not like this one bit.

Skye stood up, calming the over-protectiveness she sensed evaporating from him. »Lucas, this is your older brother, Dorian August.« She looked at the two, staring at each other with the same, dark eyes.