Eden

Pawn

Kingsley becomes aware of his surroundings in stages, as though waking from a deep sleep, the edges of a quickly passing dream and reality still a blur.  But his body still craves warmth and rest, urging him to close his eyes once more.

He wants to give in except for the images that flood his mind, images that he knows are not dreams.

Despite the foreboding feeling and anxiety creeping back into his nerves he slowly pushes himself up, as he would any other morning.

 It takes a few moments to regain use of his faculties.

He's lying in a cot, pressed against the wall. The blanket he's covered in pools around his waist, exposing the new clothes he's now wearing, clothes that did not belong to him. He's dressed in a simple wife beater and grey sweats. He frowns as he begins to understand what has transpired.  As he's sitting there he can hear the sound of pages turning. He looks to the left and for a moment he forgets to breathe.

Isaac is there lying in another cot on his side, cradling his head with one hand while flipping pages of a book with another.

"I..Isaac" he whispers softly as though afraid he'd disappear again. He looks up at Kingsley, a slow smile spreading on his face. He doesn't seem surprised.

" I don't die that easily you know" he says with a cheshire like grin.

Kinglsey feels his own lips form into a smile mirroring Isaac, arms already outreached welcoming his cousin.His body remembers what to do and it leaves his mind racing trying to keep up with the events. His vision blurs, and the hands that were lightly pressed against Isaac's back are now clutching tightly. Kingsley is pulling his cousin close and he knows his grip must be painful by now but he can't let go.

He feels something bubble in his chest and a whimper erupts, then he's sobbing.  His body slumping letting Isaac take his weight.

'Please be real' he thinks, 'I'd do anything for this to not be a dream'. He's trembling.

"I know..... I'm.... I'm sorry King," Isaac says arms tightening around him. Kingsley thinks he can hear his voice quivering too.

'My brother'.  

They stand there for a while, tethered together like a rope.

He knows it's crazy but he thinks he can feel his soul reach to Isaac's re-establishing their bond.

He needs it, he needs his connection with Isaac like he needs air to breathe.

Isaac feels it too because he doesn't let go either and instead they remain listening to sound of the others heartbeat.

Eventually they let go.

He notices that Issac is dressed in similar clothing except he has the added matching jacket on top.

It's then that Kingsley notices that Issac is dressed in similar clothing except he has the added matching jacket on top.

He doesn't realize he's staring till Isaac is motioning for him to follow out the door.

He wants to move, but he stands there frozen, eyes wide and unblinking, focusing in on his cousin, his brother, it's unreal. But he dares to believe, as he feels warmth spread through his chest.

The inner warmth he feels inside spreads as he pulls him into a softer hug and he feels Isaacs own limbs responding by wrapping themselves around him.

He closes his eyes, breathing in. He scrunches his nose, thrown off by the smell that clings to the clothes.

Isaac no longer smells like the spices in his mother's kitchen. The smell of curry and coconut, ingredients for his favorite meal of curried goat, are gone.He no longer smells, like home.