saturday, 11th February
10:32 p.m.
“I can’t believe it is finally Christmas Eve!” a small girl exclaimed as she ran to the door and flung her arm wide open as a little boy jumped out and tackled her with joyous laughter. The two children were almost identical. They both had long light hair that came down to their waists, green eyes, full lips and round chubby faces. The boy was a couple inches shorter than his sister.
‘The last time we all celebrated Christmas together I felt like my heart would burst out of my chest. It was so beautiful’ thought a man as he stood in an office building near where the kids lived. He could hear the kids laughing and yelling through the windows as he watched them.
‘Why did I not take care of those children when their parents died? How did I allow myself to become so selfish for years on end? I never meant any harm. But still, no matter what I do I am always wrong. Always…’
A few days later
‘Oh shit!! Where did they go??!!?!’ said a young woman as she dashed back and forth searching for the child. ‘Please be okay! Please be safe!! Please please don’t get hurt!! I promise I won’t let anyone else get you!!’ She ran out of her apartment and ran across the street to the mall, screaming at all the other mothers on her way.
Two months later
Sebastian woke up in bed at 4am, breathing heavily as if he had run a marathon. He was covered in sweat. He reached over and put on his glasses, which had fallen off his face during the night. In the mirror, he saw how pale he had become. His black hair seemed greyer than usual and his blue eyes looked sunken into his skull. Sebastian sighed deeply.
‘What is happening to me….’ He turned on his side and curled himself in tight, closing his eyes tight. After another hour he fell asleep again, and for the next few nights he continued this pattern until spring break came along and he could spend some time with the family.
One week later
Sebastian looked at the clock. It read 1:42pm. “How the hell does time pass by so fast?!” he asked as he got ready for school. A knock on the bedroom door disturbed him. “Coming!” he called out.
When Sebastian opened the door there stood a tall dark haired man wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket. He had a tattoo covering most of his left arm, the letters ‘J’ on one shoulder blade and three lines going horizontally from it to form two stars on his left bicep. A large scar ran under his left eye and down his neck. When Sebastian stepped aside, he walked in and smiled softly at him. “Hello dear Sebastian. Is your mother home today?” He asked.
Sebastian shook his head. “No, she should be coming home soon though. Can I get you anything? Tea?”
“That won’t be necessary” the stranger replied as he sat on the edge of the bed. Sebastian sat down beside him.
“Can I ask why you wanted to see my mother today? Did something happen?” Sebastian frowned slightly.
The stranger chuckled softly. “Nothing bad sweetheart. You’re my daughter after all. Nothing will happen to me. Now tell me, have you noticed anything odd happening around here recently? Any strange occurrences in town? People disappearing?”
Sebastian hesitated before answering. “Well… I noticed a few things around town. My mother was talking about it too. But none of us know why, or where these people went. I think my friends are starting to get suspicious but no one wants to worry them, especially since it's only been a year ago.”
The stranger nodded slowly as he spoke. “Did your friend’s father say anything?”
Sebastian shook his head. “Not much. He said that he hadn't heard anything either…”
“Have you tried asking around yourself?” the stranger asked. Sebastian nodded.
“My mom has been telling everyone I'M fine, and that nothing will happen to me. There isn't really anybody else I could talk to” said Sebastian as he looked away.
The stranger looked thoughtful. “I’ll try asking around as well. It may be worth a look.” Sebastian looked back up at him and gave him a smile. “Thank you, Dad” he whispered before giving him a quick hug.
It's a miracle the man could even hear him above the sound of the rain outside. He stood up slowly. “I have to leave now sweetie. Don't forget to eat dinner tonight ok?” Sebastian nodded.
The stranger took a card out of his pocket, flipped it over and wrote something. “Call me if there is anything at all I can do to help. Remember what I told you.” Sebastian took the card from him carefully.
“Ok Daddy. Have a good day at work. Thanks again”
The man ruffled his son's hair before turning around and leaving. Once he was gone Sebastian locked the door and headed downstairs. His mother was preparing dinner and his sister was sitting at the dining table reading a comic book.
“Hi mom” Sebastian said. Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice. He had grown so tall!
“Good morning, sweetie! Did you sleep well?”
Sebastian shrugged. “Yeah, just tired,” he lied. He went over to the fridge and poured himself a glass of orange juice.
“Where are your friends?” his mother asked, looking worried.
“They're visiting friends and I'm not allowed to come with them. Sorry.”
His mother pursed her lips and looked away, disappointed in herself. “Well, alright, dear. Why don't you start getting changed and then we'll go get something nice to eat. How does that sound?”
“Sounds great” Sebastian responded.
After changing and cleaning up, Sebastian grabbed a hoodie on his way downstairs so that his hair wouldn't get wet while they ate. They were having a traditional Jewish meal that involved a roast chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy. It was very simple, but they still loved it.
“Sebastian honey, how about you call your friends. They are probably already waiting outside” his mother suggested after she cleaned up the dishes.
Sebastian picked up the phone. “Hey guys! We're going to get lunch at that place by the mall. It's pretty cool actually. Want to meet us there after school?”
“Yeah we'd love to” Jenson, Mikey and Will answered simultaneously.
“Alright, see you in a bit” Sebastian smiled before hanging up. “I better head out” he mumbled as he slipped his shoes on, picked up his backpack and left.
The weather forecast had been right. It had started to pour and snow was falling. He didn't mind though. It was better then being trapped inside all day anyway.
The walk to school wasn't too difficult as Sebastian kept walking in single file. He passed the small park and stopped suddenly as he spotted something he had never seen before. At first he thought it was a ghostly figure but then he realised that it couldn't be. He slowly crept forward until he could clearly see who it was.
“Mom?” Sebastian gasped quietly as he stared in shock.
A young woman lay crumpled on the ground surrounded by blood. The snow around her was soaked red by it.
Chapter 3
“Daddy! Come and play with us!” yelled a young girl with long blonde pigtails. Two older girls were running after her.
Barely taking notice of them, Sebastian ran towards his mother. As he knelt beside her, he gently touched her hand, which felt cold and clammy despite the warmth around her.
“Mama, wake up. Please. Mama please.” Sebastian sobbed quietly, shaking her gently, but she remained unconscious.
He looked around frantically, trying to find an adult. Where were the adults? They always appeared when something like this happened. “Someone help her! Someone” he sobbed.
Suddenly, a voice came from the other end of the park, where several children were playing.
“Hey! Over here” one of the little girls yelled. One of the kids came up to Sebastian with a stick in hand.
“Here, take this” she said handing him the stick. “Now push her! Push her up!” The child pushed her and Sebastian gently placed the stick beneath his mother’s back, but she did not move. She was still dead.
The children were silent now, staring sadly at their mother. They looked scared, and they seemed to shrink into themselves a little more when they noticed Sebastian watching them. Finally the older boy stepped forward. “Are you ok sir?” he asked nervously.
“What am I supposed to do?!” Sebastian cried as tears filled his eyes. “She’s dead and now I can’t do anything! I have to find someone. Anyone! Help!” Sebastian sobbed hysterically as he fell to the ground beside his mother. He looked over at the older girl. “Why don’t you go and get some water, ok? Go to the store.”
The older girl, the one who had given him the stick, nodded, turned and ran off without another word.
As soon as she disappeared into the crowd, the younger boy spoke again. “Maybe I can help. Can I touch her? I want to help. Can I try?”
Sebastian shook his head, wiping away the tears streaming down his face. “You can’t help. You don’t know what happened. If you do something wrong it might make everything worse. Do you understand? Everything would go really wrong if you touch my mother. If I let you, it might kill her!”
“Oh, ok. I’m sorry Mr Sebastian. What’s her name anyways?” The boy asked.
“Mrs Morgan. Mom. Morgan.”
The younger boy nodded. He seemed hesitant to speak, but he eventually got the courage to ask the question that was weighing on his mind ever since Sebastian called for the police.
“Is she gonna be alright now? Can I stay with her? Is she going to die?” the boy asked quickly.
Sebastian sighed softly. He couldn’t lie to him anymore. “I don’t know yet... but we're gonna try our best to help her. I promise.”
The boy nodded in understanding. “Okay then.” Sebastian stood up and walked over to the older girl who was holding a bottle of water, which she handed to Sebastian. He thanked her as he took it.
“Do you have any siblings?” he asked the younger boy. The kid shook his head.
“That makes two of us” Sebastian muttered sadly. The kid frowned.
“Doesn't that mean we should find them together? So they can be like us. That way they won't end up like you,” he pointed out.
Sebastian sighed sadly as he looked at the ground.
“I think I would rather have no family at all”
The younger boy frowned. “But if you do you won't ever need someone else to make sure you're okay. You can live life without anybody needing you. That sounds amazing!” he exclaimed excitedly.
“Yeah, maybe” Sebastian replied quietly.
“If you change your mind we could help you!” the younger boy said as enthusiastically as he could manage.
Sebastian looked down. “Thanks bud” he finally managed to choke out.
The two boys sat next to each other, silently watching as the snow continued to fall around them.
~~~~~~~
As soon as Sebastian got home he dropped his bag on the floor and flopped onto his couch. He grabbed his favorite comic book off the coffee table in front of him and began flipping through the pages absentmindedly. He wasn't paying attention at all to what was happening in the movie playing in front of him.
All he could feel was emptiness inside of him. He wanted his mama back. He was scared that he might lose her forever. He knew that he shouldn't be feeling like this, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. It reminded him too much of that awful night where they found her. It made him want to cry. His stomach hurt so badly.
He didn't even notice when he closed the comic book and pulled himself into a ball on the sofa, sobbing loudly. A few minutes later, his brother appeared in the living room.
“Sebastian, sweetheart, what happened?” Kurt questioned concerned. He put a comforting hand on the smaller boy's shoulder as he went up to stand behind him. He sat down next to his brother, wrapping his arms around him as Sebastian cried into his chest.
“It’s your mom, isn't it?” he mumbled in sympathy once he noticed his brother's tear stained cheeks.
Sebastian nodded against his shoulder.
“Did you know she was sick?”
Another nod.
Kurt sighed heavily. “Do you want me to talk to her? Would that calm you down?” Sebastian nodded hesitantly and his brother smiled. “Good. Just remember what she told you when she left.” Sebastian huffed angrily at his brother, turning his gaze away.
“Come on Sebby, just listen to me.” He paused for a minute before sighing softly. “She loves you, Sebastian. Always will. No matter what. And she knows that, you know that. We both know that. She wouldn't want you to be sad. Don't worry. I'm here for you. Always. Ok?” he finished.
Sebastian didn't say anything in reply, just hugged his brother tightly. After a moment or two his crying slowed down.
“Come on, it’s getting late. Let’s go to bed. You'll be able to sleep better tomorrow. And then hopefully you'll feel better. I promise that I’ll come and see you in the morning ok? Now, lets go.” Kurt helped Sebastian off of the couch and headed up the stairs with him in tow, pausing at the door of Sebastian’s old bedroom.
“This is it” he murmured. “Remember when I used to crawl into bed next to you? Well, today you can. But it's ok. You're not alone this time."
With that Kurt pulled open the door of Sebastian’s old bedroom and pushed Sebastian through, closing the door behind him with a soft click. Then, he climbed into bed next to him.
Sebastian curled up on top of the covers, facing away from his brother. “Night, kiddo” whispered his brother.
“Night, bro” whispered Sebastian.
~~~~~~~
After he awoke the next day, Sebastian tried to convince Kurt that he wanted to work, and so he started working at his desk. But, after spending an hour at work there, he found himself unable to concentrate on anything. Instead he kept thinking about what the little boy, Andrew, had said when he first showed up to his house.
Don't go looking for someone else to help you.
The statement echoed in his brain. He could barely focus on writing anything. Even when the words he wrote appeared in the black board, it didn't seem real.
“Kurt, are you sure you can’t give me any more advice on how to solve the case? This is hard…” Sebastian whispered while looking across the table at his brother.
Kurt shrugged as he stared into the distance. “I wish I could answer that for you” he replied quietly. “There’s really nothing we can do. Nothing has changed.”
“I know…” Sebastian grumbled as he turned away in disappointment. After sitting around for a little longer, he decided he would go home. Before leaving though, he stopped by his office. As he stood outside of his office door he heard voices coming from inside.
“No. I still don’t understand why you’re here”
“Well, it’s my job…. I thought….. You know what? Never mind. I don’t care. Get out of here”
“Wait! Why do you always act like this? You don’t have to treat me like some sort of criminal. I’m sorry that I can’t read minds. I really don’t know how to react”
“What the hell does that even mean?! Of course you can read my mind! Everyone can! I don’t care what you do! Please, just get out of here!”
“I’m sorry. Ok. I’ll be outside if you need me, OK?”
“I don’t need anyone! Just leave me alone already!!”
Sebastian heard footsteps heading towards the entrance to the library. He slowly opened the door to check to make sure it was indeed Kurt leaving the building, and when he saw that it was, he shut the door. As he listened to the sound of Kurt climbing into his car he felt angry tears well up in his eyes. He hated seeing people get upset, but he couldn’ t control it now because that little kid made him feel so sad. It was the only reason he didn’t want to go downstairs yet; because the thought of going past his parents and having to look them in the eyes caused another wave of sadness to hit him. What was going to happen to him when everyone eventually found out?
Before he could continue on with those thoughts he heard something rustling nearby and his head shot towards the sound to see that it was one of the children he met yesterday standing there with his backpack on and a smile plastered onto his face as if everything was fine. He seemed happy again.
Why would he suddenly smile again after being yelled at by his father the night before? Did he do something wrong?
The young boy noticed the look that Sebastian was giving him and immediately straightened up, looking less happy than before. However, it didn’t last long as the kid quickly grinned and ran over to the taller boy.
“Morning, Mr. Smythe!”
Sebastian was taken aback by the enthusiasm the younger boy was showing. “Uh…. Hi, uh, I’m Sebastian, nice to meet you…” He trailed off as the kid gave him his hand to shake. His hand was sweaty.
A few seconds passed before Sebastian shook the kid’s hand and let go, not daring to take his eyes off of the younger boy. The kid giggled nervously and took a step back from Sebastian.
“Oh uhm…. Do you live here or somethin’?” The kid stuttered.
“Yea,” answered Sebastian. “Why?”
“You just kinda, don’t seem like a part of the usual crowd, ya know?”
“Yeah I guess I am pretty new to this whole town, huh? That must suck.” Sebastian smiled softly.
“You know, you’re actually not as bad as you first appear. Maybe I should start calling you Smythe now.” he chuckled nervously.
“I think that would probably be for the best” commented Sebastian sarcastically. The two laughed together, causing butterflies to erupt in Sebastian’s stomach.
Just when things were starting to calm down, another voice broke through.
“Hey Blaine” said a deep voice. Sebastian glanced over to see who it was. “Hey Anderson” he sneered. The shorter boy frowned at the tone he used, but didn’t say anything in response.
“Alright guys, get back to work! You can meet again later today. I’ve already texted you guys” announced Mr. D. “Also, no one is allowed to stay over during breaks!”
Blaine looked over to the corner of the room where Kurt was sitting. He smirked before walking over to him.
“Can I sit here?” he asked nonchalantly.
“Sure” Kurt muttered without looking up at the other boy.
Blaine sat down besides him and leaned his head on the wall next to Kurt’s chair, making him flinch slightly.
“What’s your problem?” he asked harshly.
Blaine glared at him.
“I don’t have a problem,” he retorted before turning away.
Sebastian rolled his eyes. If it wasn’t for the fact that he needed to finish his report, he would've gotten up and punched the stupid smirk off of the brunet’s face.
“Are you kidding me? What happened to you? You’ve been acting weird all afternoon. You were glaring at him like a psycho the entire class. Not to mention, whenever he talked to you, you just acted like he kicked your puppy and ran away. Are you ok?” Kurt questioned as he turned back around to glare at the smirk that rested on Blaine’s lips.
“Of course I’m fine! Don’t worry about me” Sebastian sneered as he turned around to begin working on his report once again.
Blaine scowled at him before pulling out a notebook and began taking notes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been about half an hour since they first arrived at school and Kurt’s teacher was beginning her lesson about math and physics. The two boys sat quietly listening to their teacher as they scribbled down a list of problems. They had completed most of their homework and were now left with a few left to complete. As Mrs. Jacobs continued on with her lesson, Kurt’s mind wandered. Every time he looked up and caught Blaine staring at him, he felt butterflies rise in his stomach. Although, whenever the boy did turn back around to continue taking notes, he would feel his heart pound harder and faster in his chest.
After class was over, they quickly gathered up their things to head back into the building. As they entered the hallway, they were both surprised to see Rachel and Santana waiting by the exit door. They hadn't noticed that they were gone. When the girls spotted the twins, they walked towards them quickly. Rachel's bright smile almost made Kurt lose his balance as she grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Where have you guys been?" she exclaimed excitedly.
"I don't know, maybe we went to a party?" Kurt offered as he tried not to laugh at Rachel's question.
Rachel smiled at that before looking over at Santana, who stood right behind her, and then back at Kurt and Blaine.
"Did someone else come here too? Who is he?" she asked curiously.
“He came by earlier” answered Santana before looking over at Kurt, her expression changing slightly when she saw that her boyfriend had begun shaking slightly. "And you?" Santana added, staring at Kurt. Her voice sounded cold.
Kurt didn't even dare look back at Santana as he looked down at his shoes. "He… uhm.. he came by earlier," he muttered.
Santana raised an eyebrow. Something was clearly bothering her boyfriend. She looked over at her friend and then back to Kurt before shrugging. "Don't worry about him. Whatever he came here to tell us won't affect our grade."
Rachel nodded happily as she grabbed Blaine’s arm and started dragging him along the hall. “Come on!” she exclaimed.
When Kurt heard that, he felt a weight lift off of his shoulders as he followed his friends to the cafeteria.
Chapter 5
Kurt and his friends sat down on one of the tables in the cafeteria. The four of them started eating their lunch quietly. After Kurt finished his plate, he leaned against one of the cafeteria walls while Blaine ate his lunch beside him. As Blaine continued eating, Kurt stared over at him occasionally, trying to figure out why he was acting so weird lately. He wanted to talk to Blaine about it, but decided it was better to wait until he was ready.
Suddenly Kurt felt something tap on his shoulder and he turned his head to see Santana leaning forward, grinning mischievously.
"So... Have you guys seen the latest update about you and the other guy?"
Kurt looked at her confusedly. "New update?" He repeated as he pushed himself off the table and got closer to Santana. "What are you talking about?"
"Apparently some kid has managed to find out your names and stuff. He told the teacher." she explained as she leaned back. "How did that happen?"
Kurt frowned. That couldn't be true. Surely, no one would have found out about them... "Is there any proof of that?"
"Well no one else knows what you look like, but apparently there' s pictures of you and your friend in some magazines. So..." She paused. "Anyways, what'd he say anyway?"
"Um, he didn't really say much. But he did say that it's my fault that he got bullied because of me, which isn't very smart of him. He was going to tell me about how he found these photos, but it seems like he changed his mind."
"Oh..."
"Anyway, I still don't understand why he would be talking to our teacher about us. We're not exactly popular among everyone. It doesn't make any sense. And why does he have to spread that kind of stuff about us? It's completely ridiculous," Kurt rambled.
"Woah... Calm down, Hummel. I'm sure whatever it was will blow over soon enough. Just don't think too much about it, okay?" Santana stated. Kurt nodded in agreement.
Soon enough, their lunch period ended. Blaine stood up and stretched.
"Hey, we should hang out again!" He smiled at the other two. "I could bring Puck too! Since Puck seems like he likes you, he might actually listen to you. Right?"
Kurt and Santana shared a glance before nodding. "Sounds good. Text us when you want to meet up again."
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