Chapter Six - Black and White

By far the two most contrasting colors, and yet we still manage to mistake them.

CHAPTER SIX �" Black and White

Hawkin snuck back into the house greeted by the sound of worried voices.

At least they weren’t yelling.

Kamill still hadn’t come home and tensions were rising to a climax. Worry was plaguing his thoughts. Determined not to fall into the endless spiral associated with such emotions, he retreated to the back room where an old friend stood waiting for him.

The grand piano.

He sat down heavily on the bench, already feeling the release starting to lighten his limbs. The light hit the black keys and sent a warm, serene glow through the room. It was medicinal, calming. He took a long breath, and hummed lazily to the rhythm that echoed out when he hammered the keys. The music carried away with it, all his doubts. In the shrill upward and downward roller-coaster-like tunes he found an empty mind. Empty of everything except a girl. For the second time that day he knew things would be okay.

And then they were… mostly.

The front door crashed open and the sound of voices carried through his musical therapy.

Kamill, don’t you walk away! Where were you? You had me and your mother worried sick! Kamill! I am talking to you!” The last part was a desperate and frustrated scream. “Son! What is going on?”

A door slammed somewhere upstairs followed by someone a mix of a growl and a sigh. Hawkin assumed it was his father. His mother was probably looking at her feet holding in tears.

Kamill probably didn’t even care. Hawkin shook his head. His little brother was going through something, and he needed support. It didn’t matter what he did or said, a brother was a brother. Now was his chance to give him that support. To talk to him. He folded the wood slab back over the keys, listening to the satisfying clash of wood on wood.

“Kamill?” He said quietly. His hand rapped on the door leading into his black-haired little brother’s room. “Kamill, please talk to me. Look I…”

Before he could go any further, he was halted abruptly.

“Shut up!”

“Kamill please!”

His plea was answered with an angry growl. “I don’t want to talk to you. To anyone! But especially not you!”

“Kamill, please. I’m sorry. At least tell me what I’m doing. You can’t keep…”

The door flew open, revealing a dark mop of hair. It crashed down over one eye, concealing it entirely. The other seemed, at a glance, to be red-rimmed and furious. Hawkin thought he saw a flash of purple, but his brother tossed his head to the side, deftly concealing the other eye with more opaque hair.

“You really don’t know, do you?”

Hawkin hung his head, knowing his answer was only going to make things worse. “I really don’t Kamill.”

Something sinister flashed in Kamill’s eye, which was now visible. There was an ugly purple ring around it. “Well I wonder why. You’re so wrapped up in your own pathetic world Hawkin. How much time do you spend in the real one? None! It’s all about making everyone worship you and taking over your dad’s ‘business’. Well don’t let me get in your way!”

Hawkin opened his mouth to protest but Kamill kept going.

“That’s not even the real problem though. I shouldn’t have to tell you the real problem! But I’ve got you all figured out Hawkin. You could care less about the actual problem. The only reason it bothers you, is that you can’t stand the fact that there’s even one person out there who hates your guts! Lucky you! It’s your own brother! And you know what? It’s your fault.

For a moment, Hawkin stood there open-mouthed. What was he supposed to say to that? His eyes widened at Kamill’s harsh glare.

“Happy? I actually talked to you for once. I’m sorry,” he began in a sarcastic growl, “that it wasn’t what you wanted to hear.”

Again, Hawkin’s mouth parted to defend himself.

“Don’t,” Kamill stopped him, “Just get your two-faced self out of my sight.”

Hawkin flinched and took two numb steps backward. He felt hollow inside… as though, with those words, his little brother had reached into his chest and ripped out the one thing that was keeping him alive. The worst part was that he didn’t even know what he was doing wrong. Kamill never wanted to talk to anyone anymore.

Especially not his older brother.

“Please, just let me explain…” His voice had never felt so small. It was a final plea.

A plea that went unanswered.

It was the silence that leeched the happiness from Hawkin’s eyes until he finally turned in departure, retreating to the back room once more, where he could lose himself in a world of black and white. No cloudy grays. But even then, he couldn’t stop thinking about their exchange, and the ugly purple ring. What had happened? Was that why he was so distant? Hawkin sighed, leaning his head against the piano. He had to do something about this.

He just wanted his little brother back.

Author's Note

So, I did a massive edit on this one earlier which introduced a plothole. From now on, assume that Hawkin is not ignoring the purple ring around his brother's eye, but I haven't gotten to edit his reactions to this little addition in the later chapters.