Loss

A Chapter by Khance

I felt bad writing this.

"Come on in!" Mentel said as he extended his hand to Skott. The taller man smiled as he shook the mechanic's hand. He ushered for his wife to enter the hallway, but paused as his son remained standing outside. "Draike, come on in. You've met Mentel before, haven't you?" Mentel smiled reassuringly as he took a step back to allow the young man to enter the house. Draike calmly walked into the house, his eyes inspecting everything around him, which caused his father to cough uncomfortably. "We don't really get to take him to other places, the doctors are still recommending we keep him at home as much as possible.

"You're aware that I'm still here?" Draike said in a dead tone as he walked through the hallway and entered the kitchen to the right. Mentel smiled awkwardly at Skott before pushing a button on the wall to signal the door close. As the mechanic lead Jayen and Skott into the kitchen, he pushed a hand through his hair and wondered how this was going to work out. "Can I get you anything?" Mentel asked as he picked up his coffee from earlier. Skott looked to Jayen before shaking his head respectfully, "You know what she's like with my blood sugars, not allowed to even think of anything sweet."
Mentel laughed, "There is hardly any sugar content in coffee, a small cup would be fine, would it not?"
Jayen snorted, "I honestly thought you knew him better, Skott tends to put about seven spoons of sugar into any liquid that touches his lips!"
Before Mentel could respond, Draike's voice sounded out from the breakfast bar. Leaning his elbows on the smooth counter, his voice droned slightly. "I'm bored."
Skott's brow furrowed and Mentel could see that he was about to admonish his son, so before anything could be said, Mentel had an idea. "Draike, if you would like to, Osiris is out in the workshop. He's about your age, you might have something in common."

Jayen looked to her son hopefully, but instead of showing any interest in the offer, he just slid off the chair he was sitting on and started walking towards the back of the house. Mentel maintained his smile as he called after the blonde boy, "It's just at the end of the hall, you cant miss it."
When no reply greeted him, Mentel laughed nervously as he turned to regard the couple. The moment their son disappeared, their entire demeanor changed. It was as though Skott had visibly aged, his shoulders completely fell as he pulled himself into one of the chairs in the kitchen. Jayen followed suit beside him and Skott took her hand in his before he turned to look at Mentel. "He's changed. Beyond anything we could have foreseen, there is something wrong with him."
Mentel didn't respond, he just raised a hand to signal Skott to be quiet. Pushing another button on the wall, a white light emanated from the hall and formed a transparent sheet through which no sound could be heard. Skott raised an eyebrow, "Do you really think that it was necessary?"
Mentel however frowned, "I've lived here long enough to know when the workshop door opens and closes."
Skott put his head in his hands, "Mentel, we're out of ideas... we don't know what to do with him."
The mechanic was stuck for words, but after a moment, he asked a question. "What seems to be the problem with him?"

Draike smiled as he heard the soundproofing activate. Pushing himself off the wall, he continued his way to the workshop. "The smart boy that they never shut up about?" Draike said aloud as he pressed for the door to open. The sight that greeted him caused him to momentarily be stuck for words. Osiris was in the middle of the shop floor, a huge piece of machinery straddled across his back. Oil seeped down to cover his torso, but the young man grunted and forced the beast of a machine to lever onto one of the workbenches. Looking up momentarily, Osiris flashed a grin at Draike. "Just give me a few moments and i'll be done with this. Usually my father deals with customers so you'll have to excuse my surprise."
Draike walked forward and inspected the machine, "You're putting formula engines together?"
Osiris threw his weight against the metal and slid it firmly to a safe position on the table. "You know about engines?" Osiris asked with an excited expression on his face.
"Only what I've read in books, nothing special." Draike said as he reached out a hand to touch the metal. "Cold to the touch, why are you breaking them?"
Osiris' smile faltered for a moment, "I'm not breaking them, just improving them."
Draike smirked, "And who is to determine which is better, to be honest, it looks like you're butchering fine pieces of machinery and turning them into scrap. I didn't think your family could afford to be playing around with such things."
Osiris became reproachful as he stood in front of the machine, his back pressed against the metal. "Just who are you, and what are you doing in our shop?"
The young blonde man didnt lose his smile as he regarded the other trinkets around the room. "Just a lot of junk, not what I expected. I guess the thunderist's really did overestimate you?"
Osiris felt a huge pang pull at him from the inside and he found himself speaking before he realised, "...It's not junk, take that back."
Draike grinned, "Are you going to make me?"
Osiris clenched his fist and felt the anger starting to burn up inside of him. "Please, just get out of our shop."
"I honestly can't understand why my father is friend's with yours?" Draike snorted as he turned to leave. "Draike?" Osiris asked in shock, but before he could answer, the blonde boy was speaking. "The one and only, but I guess I've changed a little since you've seen me last. No longer a pathetic shadow of a human. Now, I'm a little more." With one last smirk, Draike flung a small engineering tool across the table, causing the sound to echo throughout the shop.

The noise caused Tweak to whirr to life. Startled by the sudden movement, Draike swung around and lauched his fist at the hovering machine. As his hand made contact with the metal, Draike's suit surged to life and enhanced his strength. The small machine exploded and was sent across the shop in a smoking heap. Draike, after realising what it was, laughed aloud. "As I told you, Junk."
Osiris cried out and leapt towards the smoking Tweak, his hands shook as he cradled the hot metal. Looking up, Osiris glared at the elder youth through his tears. Lowering the metal to the ground, he launched forward and tried to tackle Draike, but the older boy was ready for him and threw him against the wall.
"Why?!" Osiris shouted as slumped back, his hands beginning to shake as he tried to pick up the fragmented pieces of his machine.

"What is going on here?!" Mentel shouted as he pushed past Draike to kneel beside his sobbing son. "We were just playing." Draike said as his lip upturned into a slight sneer. "That's what you told me to do right, come down and play?" Draike said as he regarded his father standing at the door frame. "Draike, what did you do?!" Skott said in as he gripped his own son's shoulders.
"I didnt hurt him." Draike said cooly as he stared at Osiris, "Not physically anyway it would seem."
Mentel whirled around, "What happened here?!"
Draike sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "His machine jumped at me, and I knocked it away. Simple as that."
Skott looked around in confusion, until his eyes rested on Tweak. "No..." was all he said as he then looked to Osiris, clinging at the parts.
"I dont understand it, machines are machines. If he's so intelligent, why didn't he make it more durable?" Draike said with a smile.
"Shut up!" Skott reprimanded his son as he slapped him across the back of the head. "I'm sorry Mentel, I think it would be better if we just leave. I'll pay for all the repairs, I'm really sorry for his behaviour."
Mentel got to his feet and sighed, "I wont walk you out, but Skott? You and Jayen are more than welcome to visit anytime you like. But next time, leave him at home." Mentel locked eyes with Draike for a few moments before he returned to his son.

Skott sighed for a moment before looking at his worried wife. "Get your things from the kitchen." Turning back to Draike, Skott reached out and grabbed at his shoulder, pushing him forcefully toward the door. "As for you, you can wait in the car! We'll have words when we get back."
Jayen turned her eyes back to Osiris, "I'm so sorry... we'll make sure nothing like this ever happens again." The youth turned away from her words, his hands still shaking from the shock. Skott shook his head and followed his wife from the room, leaving the two Creeks sitting alone in the workshop.