EXTRA I. Eavesdropping

Time ticked ever so slowly as Tristan laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling. His mother sat by his bedside, scrolling on her phone and not paying him much heed. She had told him to relax and rest, forbidding him from doing anything else. Whenever he tried to speak, she would shush him, and the only time he was allowed to get off his bed was when he needed to relieve himself. He couldn't even play with his Legos or watch TV, even if it had already been a week since the kidnapping accident. However, Angela was still prohibiting him from doing absolutely anything, for he was on bed rest until the doctor said otherwise.

Actually, doing nothing and laying in bed wasn't exactly what the doctor had initially recommended. He had to change his mind, however. Angela disagreed with his suggestion and ended up coercing him until he prescribed what she thought was best for his son. How could her baby not need bed rest after what happened to him? She wasn't technically wrong; the boy did need to rest for a moment, as he was found highly dehydrated and famished, but it wasn't severe enough to require weeks of confinement to bed. It was much more pressing to asses how he faired mentally after such an ordeal, yet Angela didn't share the doctor's opinion on this matter either. According to her, she could handle it herself.

"You won't tell me how to raise my son!" she had screamed, and the poor doctor could do nothing against the hysterical mother. Considering how calm Tristan was, maybe she was the one who needed a helping hand to deal with the ordeal on an emotional level, not him. But, of course, he did not voice out this thought lest Angela snapped at him.

Thus, the child was, not too surprisingly, bored to death, and as he could not distract his mind, he was stuck with a whirlpool of thoughts swirling in his head. No matter how much he tried not to think about it, his thoughts would inadvertently return to Jake and his lost eye. Whenever the memory of his wounded brother resurfaced, the boy could not help but feel bittersweet. He had always thought Jake didn't like him much and only tolerated him, yet he didn't hesitate a moment to sacrifice himself for him. If the man didn't love him, why on earth did he do that? Maybe he had misjudged his brother all this time.

"Mom," Tristan said weakly, hiding the bottom half of his face under the blanket, "I'm feeling good today, so can we go see Jake, please?"

"No, sweetheart. Your brother is also on bed rest and needs to be left alone. He has to recuperate in peace."

The boy pursed his lips, his pouty response hidden by the blanket. 'Liar,' he thought, not saying it aloud as he was aware his mother would get angry if he did. Unbeknownst to her, he had heard the staff talk in the corridor yesterday evening. They were gossiping about the most likely reasons for Stephan cozying up to Jake and spending most of the past few days in his room, unaware Tristan's door was cracked open, and he could hear everything. Not knowing why, the boy felt his chest swelling with anger and maybe sorrow. Why could Stephan visit his brother, but he couldn't? It was unfair! Jake was his brother!

At the time, Tristan did not realize the emotion tugging at his heart was jealousy. His brother was finally showing him some affection, yet he could not meet him, even though they were staying under the same roof. Meanwhile, a man, who wasn't related to Jake in any way, could spend the days in his room without problem! How was this fair?!

Brooding, Tristan turned around in his bed and showed his back to his mother, pretending to go to sleep. Although the doctor had recommended that he rest and get plenty of sleep, he couldn't. His nightmares, which had grown in intensity this past week, were too horrifying. Jake was always hurt in his dreams, and he was always the one to hurt him. It was hard to chase the dreading image from his mind when he woke; it was haunting him. It was also why the boy wanted to meet Jake so much lately. He feared that, maybe, he was indeed wounded. These nightmares felt so real it was hard to differentiate them from reality.

As anxiety rose in the pit of his stomach, thanks to his mind wandering back to his numerous nightmares, Angela received a call. She answered and whispered, afraid to wake up her son. Because she thought he was deep asleep, she didn't think twice before accepting to leave for an urgent meeting. From what Tristan gathered, an important client was canceling a contract, and she had to contact them and try to change their mind. She seemed frantic.

Hence, all of a sudden, Tristan was left alone in his room. He slowly sat up, trying to hide how thrilled he was. His chaperone was gone… And thus, he did what every kid in his situation would do: he took the opportunity to do something he was warned not to do.

The boy swiftly jumped out of bed and snuck his way to Jake's bedroom. He avoided the staff, playing ninja, and quickly opened the door of his brother's room once he reached it. However, no one was inside. Tristan stiffened at the empty sight but didn't lose hope. His brother shouldn't have gone too far and should come back soon. He just had to wait for him. Considering how freaked out his mother had been, he should have had plenty of time before she returned to his room.

As he looked around, an idea slowly crept into his mind. If Tristan was honest, he was as curious as the rest of the staff about why Stephan fluttered around Jake like a buzzing fly. A childish scheme sprouted in the boy's head, and he quickly hid underneath his brother's bed. He was now on a spying mission! The thought made him giggle, and he eagerly waited, not minding the dusty air and floor underneath the bed.

And Tristan then waited, waited, and waited. A dozen minutes or so passed before the door was opened again. However, Jake wasn't alone and wasn't only accompanied by Stephan. No, Tristan soon heard familiar voices like Misha's and Gabriel's. He hadn't seen them in so long, and hearing their voices brought joy to him. The boy was just about to discard the spying mission and leave his hidden spot to jump on the teenager when the conversation took an odd turn, making him stop dead in his tracks. He froze as the words slowly but surely entered his ears, and his world shattered.

What..?

The child put his hand on his mouth to stifle his breathing, which grew heavier by the second. At one point, he started biting his lips, trying not to utter a sound. Tears were welling in his eyes, but he knew he couldn't sob, much less cry. Nothing would be the same if Misha and his brothers were to find him and learn he heard everything. He was afraid his reaction would let the cat out of the bag because, with the little said about Jake's previous lives, he shouldn't be sad, only confused, if not amazed. However, he knew all too well what Jake had been hinted at. Tristan's nightmares weren't nightmares; they were memories that Jake also shared. The realization hit him like a lightning bolt, and his stomach churned. It couldn't be. The conversation he was hearing must be another one of his nightmares. Please, if there's a God, tell him it was!

But time passed, and Tristan did not wake up from this nightmare. He listened with his heart in his throat until the end. Then, after a heavy silence, the people inside the room left. He waited a few seconds before fleeing to his bedroom, running away as if the Grim Reaper was on his tail. 

Once in his room, Tristan buried himself underneath the blankets of his bed and cried for what seemed to be an eternity. He muffled his screams with a pillow and hit his mattress with his tiny fists as anguish, anger, and sorrow flooded his mind. The boy hadn't been wrong: his brother didn't like him and was distant for good reasons. And yet, he still sacrificed his eye for him. He still protected him. Jake did not allow harm to befall him despite what his past selves had done. But that only made Tristan's anguish feel more agonizing, and even as his throat turned parched from all the crying, he did not feel better.

How should he act around his brothers now? Tristan just wanted to be loved by his two brothers. To him, they were akin to the pillars of his world. Even if Jake was hurt, he wanted to be selfish and not lose him. Because if he were to lose one of his brothers, his world would collapse. Why did they have to remember their past lives? It was destroying everything, and mending their relationship wasn't something he could do with a snap of his fingers. Yet, Tristan didn't want to give up. No, he refused to give up. He'd do anything to keep his brothers from drifting away from him.

So, why? Why did his nightmares have to be real…?