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Chapter Nine – Kyler POV

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I awoke the next morning to Ethan’s doctor shaking me. “Sir?”

“Huh?” I rubbed my eyes and looking up at him. “Oh. Hi. What’s wrong?”

“We are moving Ethan. He’s your brother, right?”

“Yeah.” I nodded and sat up.

“Come with us, please,” he replied with a smile.

I did as I was told, following the nurse and doctor as they wheeled Ethan’s bed to the recovery unit. He was still asleep, but his color was back. He was looking healthier. It made me smile.

“I should, uh, call our mom,” I said as they locked his wheels in the new room. “I’ll just be outside the door.”

The doctor nodded and turned his attention back to my brother.

“Kyler?” Mom sounded frantic. “You’re okay!”

I smiled. “Yeah, Ma, we’re good. Sort of. Ethan had a close call with a wolf last night. Doctors say he’s going to be okay.”

There was silence on the other end. I only imagined my mother’s shocked expression and the anger that was slowly building within her.

“And you…you didn’t think to tell me this?”

“Mom, please. His wound was really bad. He almost-“

“Why, Kyler?” She demanded angrily. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have been there in an instant!”

“I know! That’s why I didn’t call!” My voice was high, pleading for her mercy. I knew this conversation wouldn’t go well. She had already lost her husband, control of the realm and her first born son. “I couldn’t risk-“

“Me using magic, right?” She interrupted.

“I….” I didn’t know how to reply. Yes, of course, we both knew that was the reason. “I didn’t want you to see him like that.”

She sighed. “I’ll be there soon.”

Before I could reply, there was a click. She was gone.

I hung my head, sliding my phone back into my pocket. “Sorry, Mama.” I glanced back at Ethan and the doctors around him. Feeling my stomach behind to rumble with hunger, I walked away to find a snack machine.

When my mother arrived, her anger had subsided. She sat by Ethan, holding his hand as he slept soundly, recovering from his traumatic night. I sat in silence, nibbling on a banana I found in a nearby snack room for guests and visitors. I didn’t want to anger her, and frankly, I didn’t know what to say.

Rory and her pack shuffled up to me, as quiet as wolves can be. Without looking up, I gave them a wave. “Hey.”

“Hey sport,” Rory replied. “You good?”

“Kinda pissed off my mom,” I said sadly. “Not the first time, and won’t be the last, I’m sure, but I’m maybe a little afraid to go back into the room.”

Rory laughed softly. “You get this bent outta shape about making your mom upset?”

“Rory!” Dennis shouted at her. “Bad time?”

“My mom has been through a lot,” I said, not giving Rory any time to reply to him. “We were looking for those stupid magical plants to bring my dad back, you know? And my other brother died in the war in the magic realm. So, uh, yeah, I’m not taking any chances.”

“Well, you got all the plants, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So, go bring your dad back to life for her!” Rory seemed overly excited about a man she had never even met.

“It’s not that simple,” I sighed. “Ethan and I need to do it together.”

Rory rubbernecked to peek into the window of Ethan’s room. “Well, it looks like you might get that chance.”

I looked up, my eyes darting to the window. “What?” I jumped up and raced to the door, slamming it against the wall as I pushed it. “Ethan!” I looked at my mom. “You didn’t…”

“Use magic?” She asked, folding her arms. “No, Kyler, I didn’t.”

Ethan pushed himself up, wincing in pain. “Wish she could give me something for the pain though.”

“I’ll get the nurse,” I said, taking a step toward the door again.

“Not yet.”

I whirled around to look at my brother in confusion. “What?”

“Let’s finish this first…”

I sighed. “I think we need to be in the realm to cast the spell.”

Ethan also sighed. “But I might be here for a while.”

I grabbed my backpack, rummaging hurriedly through it to find the book specific to our legend. “Okay, yeah, let me see.” I grabbed it and flipped through pages, Rory and friends peeking over my shoulder to see for themselves.

I found what I was looking for and read aloud, “Once all of the ingredients have been collected and both parties have returned, the spell can be created. This is a complicated process. It requires a potion to be made, which both parties must drink before casting this spell together. No urn or casket needs to be present for this, but the dead will awake in confusion. It is best if someone is nearby to assist.” I paused before reading the Latin words aloud. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ethan close his eyes, mouthing them back as I read them. He was trying to memorize them.

“I will go to the realm when you are ready,” Mom said quietly. “And I will teleport him here to show you that it was successful.”

“And if it’s not?” Rory asked. Dennis quickly elbowed her in the side, prompting a loud “Ow! Asshole!” from her. I glanced up but wasn’t phased by this banter. I had a job to do. I looked at my mother, who had tears in her eyes. I sighed. “Mom, it will work, okay? Everything has thus far.”

“Ethan almost died!” She covered her face with her hands.

“Mom, Mom, calm down, please.” I crouched on the floor in front of her. “Look at me. It will be fine. If you and Dad can do it, Ethan and I can. We have your powers, after all. Don’t worry.”

She tried to calm herself, breaking down into tears several times before finally looking at me with bloodshot eyes. “Do what you have to do. I will be fine.”

I stood up and walked away, unable to look at her in this state. God, she was pretty messed up, wasn’t she? I sighed as I pulled the plants out of my bag. Being magical, they weren’t even withered at all from being picked. They looked perfectly healthy, glistening with their magical essences as I placed them carefully on a nearby table. I found a hospital water jug, which I filled with water before carefully measuring and placing in the ingredients exactly as the book told me to. They dissolved quickly in the water, turning the liquid a magenta shade and giving off a potent steam as I mixed it to perfection.

I grabbed two cups from near the sink, filling them both with equal amounts of the potion. Helping Ethan sit up, I gave him his cup.

“Bottoms up,” I said playfully, holding my cup up. Ethan touched it with his, and we both drank the concoction down. It was sweet, like wine, with a cough syrup-like aftertaste.

“God I hate potions,” he groaned, putting his cup on the bed table in front of him.

I grabbed the book and sat on the bed beside him. “It won’t last forever. Ready?”

“Yes.”

Without a word, my mom teleported away.

“Shield your eyes, guys,” I motioned to Rory and her friends. “I don’t know what will happen, but it could hurt the eyeballs a bit.”

They nodded and covered their eyes in unison as Ethan and I began to read the spell together, ensuring our speech was clear and dictation was correct with each syllable. There was no room for error.

As I suspected, we were surrounded in a white glow for a moment, then…nothing.

“Did it work?” Ethan asked, confused.

I stood up, checking to make sure all of my body parts were intact. “I think so?” I glanced around. Everyone was still in the room, and nothing was unchanged. “I hope so?”

Within seconds, our mother and father were in the room in a flash. Mom was overjoyed, and Dad was….well, I didn’t really know what he was thinking. He looked confused, yes, but also happy.

“You did it,” he said quietly. All of the confusion left his face as he turned toward us. “You did it!”

I smiled and hugged him tightly. “You’re back.”

He held me tighter than he ever had before. “Thank you. You boys did great.” He let go and turned toward Ethan. “How are you feeling?”

“You saw us?” I asked, perplexed.

He laughed softly. “Well, yeah, I was dead. I saw everything. How brilliantly you two did with the task at hand, and how you overcame the struggles. He placed his hand on Ethan’s blanket and closed his eyes. Ethan closed his as well, relaxing under the hospital blanket as Dad used magic to heal him.

“It shouldn’t hurt too much now,” Dad said with a sly grin. “I healed you enough to ease the pain a bit, but also enough so the doctors won’t be too freaked out.” He laughed. “Okay, maybe that’s a lie. We can just say it was a miracle, eh?”

I laughed and shook my head. My father, the same Marco as ever.

“A miracle did happen.” I heard my mother’s soft spoken voice and glanced up. She took my father’s hands as they gazed at each other. Usually i was a bit awkward about their sappy nature, but today, it was warranted. Mother didn’t know if she would ever see him again, and if she didn’t, it meant she lost a son too. On top of losing her first born, oh God. I closed my eyes. She wouldn’t have survived it herself. It would have destroyed her. So, this? This was okay.

I opened my eyes and saw them kiss, and I smiled. The wolves began clapping, and i joined them, as did Ethan. Mom and Dad laughed and moved apart, playfully bowing as if they had put on a show.

Everything was….perfect in that moment.

“Kyler!” I heard at the doorway. I turned and saw Melody.

“Em!” I cried as she hugged me. “Hi!”

“I missed you!” She held me tightly.

“God, I missed you too. I was so worried that I might not see you again.” I felt tears filling my eyes and blinked them away. The last thing anyone needed right now was to see me break. As we let go of each other, I gave her a smile. “It’s so good to see you.”

Em smiled, caressing my cheek. “You did great.” She turned to Ethan. “You both did. You gave your parents their happy ending. It’s like a fairy tale.”

I saw my mother shift her weight, looking away from everyone. She turned toward the window and looked out, hiding her face from us. I didn’t understand what could be wrong. Her sons were alive, her husband was alive. Everyone was happy. What was the problem?

My father saw my look of confusion and gestured toward the door. As he walked past me, I followed.

“She did lose one of her sons,” he reminded me. Sure, it’s a happy ending for those of us who faced death and survived, more or less, but for the son she lost, it wasn’t.”

I sighed, somewhat understanding. Yet, a nagging part of me couldn’t leave it alone. “But he tried to ruin everything. He killed you in cold blood. Surely Mom understands this needed to be done right? He wasn’t going to just….stop.”

My dad nodded, closing his eyes and sighing. “It’s not that easy, Kyler.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “Orion was her everything for a good few years before she even had you. You guys only saw how he was as he got older, bullying you, making you uncomfortable, then later becoming…that, but she still sees the sweet, innocent and curious little boy she loved for so long. I understand why she is upset. In an ideal situation, he wouldn’t have died, and would have maybe changed his ways, but not every situation is ideal. We need to do our best to support her right now.”

I couldn’t help but feel a bit of resentment and anger at my father’s words. “It’s not good enough that she almost lost her other son to wolves, and she has to grieve the loss of a killer right in the room as her other son recovers from a wolf attack. Okay, cool. Good to know.”

My father furrowed his brow. “Kyler, please. This isn’t a time to be insensitive.”

“Insensitive?” I stepped closer to him. “If anyone is being insensitive here, it’s Mom. Ethan is alive, you are alive, but that’s just not good enough is it?”

My father closed the door as the others in the room started to rubberneck, hearing our conversation. Except Mom, of course, who just stood there with her hand up to her forehead, still facing the window.

My father took my arm, leading me away from the room. Once in a nearby waiting room, he glared at me. “And what exactly do you know about grief, Kyler? Who exactly have you lost that you can base your insensitive behavior on? You seem rather passionate about this, so, please, enlighten me.”

I pulled my lips back, angered by his question. “You, Dad!”

“Okay, but I am here now, aren’t I? And who isn’t? Who won’t be? Orion. Can’t you even try to understand?”

We glared at each other for a moment without a word, before I finally said simply, “No.” I turned to walk away, and my father grabbed me.

“I’m not done talking with you.”

“Well, you know what, Marco? I am. Clearly you won’t understand where I’m coming from, and I frankly don’t care to see where you are coming from. There’s no point. I just want to go see my girlfriend and my brother and forget this conversation happened.” I didn’t wait for a response before I walked away from him. I felt nothing from that conversation but more anger toward my mother. Of course, I didn’t hate her. I couldn’t. I just didn’t see how she could care so much about someone who became so vengeful and so vile. Even if he was some “sweet, innocent, little boy” at some point, he became a cold blooded killer who almost destroyed our family. And maybe, he would destroy us, even in death. I clenched my fist. “Never. I will never let you, Orion.”

A somber mood filled the hospital room as I walked in. All eyes were on me, except my mother, who was no longer in the room. I sat down next to Em, taking her hand.

“She’s in the bathroom,” Em said quietly. “What was that about?”

I shook my head. “It’s nothing.”

Em tilted her head. “Kyler, you look angrier than I’ve ever seen, and your father had…that look he gets.”

“That look?” I asked, perplexed.

“The one he gets when he’s like, very angry.” She shrugged. “Clearly you two had a heated exchange out there.”

I sighed, glancing around. I leaned in toward her ear and whispered a summary of the argument. She nodded slowly and closed her eyes. Lowering her voice, she nudged me. “He’s right, you know.”

I was surprised. “He…what?”

She put her finger to my lips. “We will talk about it later, alright?”

I sighed and nodded. “Yeah, alright.”

My father returned to the room, and my mother came out of the bathroom shortly after, her face red and blotchy, her cheeks stained with tear tracks. Okay, even if Dad wasn’t right, it felt anything but good to see Mom like this. I stood up and pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back as she sniffled, returning my hug tightly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my dad smile a little as he took a sip of his coffee. I closed my eyes and hugged Mom tighter. I felt her shake a little as she sobbed, and something within me shifted. I may not have understood her grief, but it was, in fact, very real. Whether I understood it or not, I knew I needed to just shut my mouth and let her grieve. In my opinion, Orion wasn’t worth her grief, but it didn’t matter what I thought.

We held each other for a long time, and I finally said softly, “I’m here for you, Mama.” She nodded, but didn’t say anything, simply pulling away and wiping her face.

I sat back down next to Em as Mom sat next to Dad, who took her hand. I was still dumbfounded by the whole thing. This was a happy moment. Dad was alive, Ethan survived, we did everything right.

Didn’t we? Could Orion have been saved? I sighed. No, he couldn’t. He was too far gone. He was tainted by powers that had chosen him before he was even born. Even still, he chose the path he did, caused the chaos he did, and got the consequences he deserved. Even his father, Caleb, seemed to understand that. Was he this distraught too? Come on now, it made no sense!

After another hour or so, the wolves left, hugging Ethan and I and saying their goodbyes. Ethan seemed to be a bit sleepy, so I knew it was only a matter of time before Mom, Dad and Em left too. I refused to leave. I was going to stand by my brother’s side. He needed someone, and I was fully willing to be that person. Everything was still so somber and not as it should be. I really just wanted to fix everything, but this couldn’t be fixed. We had done all we could do, and the rest was up to Mom and her own grief process.

As predicted, Mom and Dad left, after getting a phone call from Morgyn. They were needed in the realm. Great. Just what Mom needed. I sighed as they left, resting my elbows on my knees and bowing my head, running my hands through my hair. Ethan had fallen asleep. Em and I were essentially alone here.

“Coffee?” She asked quietly, rubbing my back.

“Uh, yeah, sure. Thanks.”

She stood up, tapping my shoulder. When I looked up, she was holding out her hand to me. “Come on. You need a break from this room.”

I glanced at Ethan, then back at her. She tilted her head with a smile. “He will be fine. He’s resting.”

I nodded. “Yeah, okay.” I stood up. “Let’s go then.”

We went down to the cafeteria, grabbing a small meal and some coffee and sitting down at a table.

“Kyler…” she started.

“Yeah, I know, I know. I’m being an asshole.”

She laughed softly. “I wasn’t going to say that. I’d rather use the term ‘unreasonable’.”

I shrugged, poking my food with my fork. “Same thing.”

“Orion was awful. He did unspeakable things.”

“Oh my God, thank you! Finally someone gets it.”

“But…”

“Oh…”

“She has a different connection with him. No parent should lose a child, no matter how vile that child was.” She gazed at me, resting her head on her hand. “You didn’t like him, but she loved him.”

I shook my head. “That’s the part I don’t get. There are parents who stop loving their kids for way less than murder. Not saying it’s justified, but if they can do that, why can’t she do the same after seeing what her husband and other children had to go through because of him?”

She set her fork down and thought for a moment. “Let me ask you this. Is Jade a good mom? You think?”

“Well, yes, of course. She and Dad did everything to protect Ethan and I from Orion. They gave us a great childhood, they kept us safe, and I have many fond memories. What does that have to do with anything?” I glanced around the room, surveying to make sure no one I knew was around.

“Then, that answers your question, doesn’t it? She’s a good mom, and so, she can’t just stop loving any one of you, even if any of you did despicable things. That includes Orion. You see what I’m saying? Her love for her family is unconditional. Many kids would kill to have parents like that.”

I smirked, and she realized what she said. “Oh my lord, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it like-“

“I know.” I laughed softly, taking her hands. “I know babe.”

She blushed from the embarrassment of her error. “Okay, but do you see now?”

I nodded, looking down at the table. “I guess I kinda get it. I still don’t like it.”

“Do you think they will revive him?”

I let go of her hands and stood up, my chair sliding back violently with a loud screech before falling on its back to the floor. “They had better not!” I shouted. My eyes widened and I nervously surveyed the room again. Everyone was staring at me. I quickly picked up my chair and sat back down. Lowering my voice, I continued. “Em, you don’t understand, I will kill him with my bare hands if they do that.”

Em’s face was a mix of shocked and terrified. “O-Okay…”

I sighed, taking her hands again. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted like that. I guess Dad is right. I’m a bit passionate about that subject.”

She nodded, looking back down at her food. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“I’m really sorry.”

She nodded again. “Okay, yeah, it’s fine.”

I sighed, returning to poking at my food rather than eating it. “I think they both know that Orion’s revival would cause more problems than anything. Sure, Mom may be grieving his loss, but I think she would know better than to bring him back.”

“Do you think he could make a turn around like your father did? I mean, he wasn’t a great guy his whole life.” She still wouldn’t look me in the eye. How could I blame her?

“I don’t know. From all the stories I’ve heard, my father had a motive for what he and Damien did. Not a good one, by any means, but he still had one. Orion’s ‘motive’ was actually just his whole purpose, which he embraced. It would be harder for him to turn around like that if there was no reason to. Even his parents’ love couldn’t save him.” I shrugged. “I don’t think anyone will take that chance.”

Em nodded. “I see.”

I stood up. “Babe, come here.”

She stood up and finally looked at me. I pulled her into a hug.

“You scared me when you did that,” she said, sounding frustrated. “That’s not you, at all.”

“I know, I know.” I sighed. “I’m really sorry. I guess tensions are still just running high. Not that that is any excuse.” I pulled her closer. “I won’t do that again.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“And,” I started, before hesitating. I sighed again. “Okay, I understand what you and my father are trying to tell me, alright? I will do my best to just, I don’t know, not be a dick.”

“You won’t try to understand?”

“Maybe I will, in time. Right now, I am still angry at Orion. Very angry, clearly. My mom is messed up, my dad is, well I don’t know yet, but I can’t imagine he came out of this unscathed, my brother is in a hospital bed, and the realm is…God only knows. He’s solely to blame for all of it. How else am I supposed to feel?”

She gazed at me, her blue eyes almost looking amused. “I mean, he did die in the end, so, it’s not like he didn’t get his own punishment.”

“Yeah, sure, but I’m the restorer. My brother, the protector. There was a huge burden put on us during the fight and afterwards, and I just…” I trailed off. “What if I didn’t even want to have this big of a role?”

“You are the realm’s hero, darling,” she said with a smile. “Everyone there has said so. Even Caleb said it.”

I just…stared at her, taking in her words. “Wait, really?”

“Yes!” She laughed quietly. “I wouldn’t just say that, you know? You and your brother essentially are the realm’s saviors.”

I felt…something, but I didn’t really know what it was. Something tugging at my emotions. “I…I don’t know what to say to that. Should I go back there?”

“Were you planning not to?”

“Well, no, I hadn’t really thought about it, honestly. But right now, I want nothing to do with magic or anything else. I just want to be done with it all and live a normal life of a teenager. You know? I want to think about the SATs and college, my life after college, you. I don’t want to think about magic or saving anyone else’s asses.” I sat back down. “Now I know why Mom and Dad are always so stressed about the realm. This is impossible to deal with, and it’s so small compared to what they did there.”

“I think it’s reasonable to not want to be around anything magical for awhile,” she said, touching my hand softly. “And honestly, I think your mother will appreciate you being around more, reminding her that you are there for her and Marco. I think she needs you right now, more than the realm does.”

I nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”

She smiled. “Come on, let’s go back to Ethan. Should we bring him back something to eat?”

I shook my head with a slight laugh. “Are you kidding me? He gets a full on menu filled with way better stuff than what we just got here. Makes me a bit jealous that I didn’t end up in the hospital.” I winked. “I’m just kidding. Let’s grab him a snack at least.”

We got a couple of Ethan’s favorite cookies, paid for them and headed back up to the room, hand in hand. As we stepped in, a nurse taking Ethan’s vitals informed us that visiting hours were over.

“Oh, ma’am, I was staying here with him, though. That’s my brother.” I bit my lip nervously. No, they couldn’t just tell me to go.

She looked at me, then at Em, then back at me. “Alright, you can stay, but we don’t allow more than one person to stay with a patient.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but Em put her hand on my shoulder. “That’s alright! I should get home anyway. My parents will probably be worried about me.” She leaned in and kissed me softly. “See you tomorrow?”

I gazed at her sadly. “Don’t go…” My voice was a near-whisper.

“I don’t have a choice. I’ll be here as early as they allow, okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah…alright. I love you.”

She smiled. “I love you too, Kyler.”

And with that, she left, and I glared at the nurse as I sat down in the seat near Ethan. I didn’t say anything though. I had enough conflict for one day. I put the cookies on the table in front of him and pulled out my phone, scrolling through social media. It was going to be a long night without Em.

Chapter Ten (click here)


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