Birth of the Madness

"Why?" I whispered as I lost control over my tears "Why did you kill my Dad?" The strength I had earlier? I lost it, it felt as if I lost my voice.

"What?" He acted as if I wrongly accused him, his eyes widened even more "No! I didn't kill him!" He shook his head.

"Then why did you run off? You had a gun in your hand! You were there fighting with my dad!" I started firing at him with my questions without a gap.

"I will explain! If you let me" He approached me, and I stepped back.

"I didn't even know about his death!" He combed his hair back with his fingers, he was wearing a belt with a strange kind of gun in it, and he had something like pauldrons on his shoulders probably made of black leather, or at least this is what I thought.

He also had fingerless gloves on, and the first time I saw him he had an average build, a build that told me he recently started gymming but now he seemed much more muscular.

"I am so glad to see you Zinnia" He released a heavy sigh, and a tear slipped down his cheek.

"Did you know that I was your sister?" I could not stop asking questions.

He nodded "Since when?" I stepped forward.

"Since the day I learned to understand, to speak, or to listen!" He approached me "Since the day I opened my eyes, I was told you are my sister, and you knew it too!"

His last words made me lose my balance I felt lightheaded, and I collapsed down on my knees He quickly caught me and sat beside me.

I wanted to hear his side of the story so I asked "Why you never showed up then? Why everyone kept it from me and why… why can I not remember if I knew?" Then I looked at him "But you… You knew everything! Still, you killed the person I loved most?"

"I swear Zinnia! I didn't kill Uncle James!" He begged.

"How can you expect me to trust you? You showed up at my doorstep with a gun!" I gritted my teeth still trying to hold back my tears.

"I know it was wrong! I shouldn't have shown up there, especially when he strictly told me not to!" He held my hands and I let him "I can explain everything, please just give me a chance, hear my side of the story then decide for yourself." He begged.

Before we could continue to talk I heard the bell "I have to go!" I stood up.

"Zinnia please reconsider this!" I heard him calling out to me as I rushed toward the door "Please! I will wait for you in the evening!" He said.

I turned my head toward him, I did not shake my head nor did I answer him but he read my eyes.

I never missed a class in my life, this was the first time I missed one, I rushed upstairs and slipped out as fast as I could without being noticed.

When I reached the canteen Cris was standing by the table we mostly use, she rushed toward me and hugged me so tight that I felt hard to breathe, but it looked like I needed it.

"I…" I wanted to make an excuse but Cris interrupted me.

"You do not have to explain anything to me, Dom told me everything!" She hugged me again.

"I am sorry I couldn't be there!" I apologized anyway.

"I understand, it was not your fault, and you were there for me when I needed you when you actually needed someone yourself!" She looked me in my eyes "I had no idea you sleepwalk?" She said.

"Whoa! What?" I stared at her "I never sleepwalked in my life!" I tried to clarify myself but her answer made me realize she was treating me like a kid, like when you pretend to agree on something just for their happiness

"Of course, you haven't!" She nodded with a big fake smile on her face.

Before I could react I realized Dom seemed distracted, he seemed tense.

I knew he was worried about me, but I somehow felt that after talking to Liam everything would get easier so that entire day my eyes were stuck on the clock.

But still, his being worried for me like that warmed my heart, and I felt a strange spark inside me for the first time, for the first time I felt as if everything was going to be so good soon.

After all that waiting the time came when I was in my room staring at the clock, I heard a knock on my door, I opened the door, and it was Cris.

"We are going for a walk, would you like to join us?" She asked.

"I… I need some time alone" I answered.

"Is everything alright?" She asked me.

"I just miss… Dad" I lowered my eyes.

"Do you want me to stay?" She embraced me rubbing my back.

I nodded "No! You need it! Just go and enjoy please!" I insisted and she left.

I was not lying, I was missing my dad a lot since I got to meet my brother, I waited for her to leave the hallway then I sneaked through the gate, and as soon as I stepped in from the door he snapped the lights on and I realized he was waiting for me.

I felt like I started trusting him because if he was lying he hadn't been here, and he would have disappeared, but he was there.

His eyes were sparkling with happiness "I am sorry I was not there when you needed me" He took my hands in his hands, and we were sitting on the steps by the gate's fence.

"I want to know everything!" I exclaimed with excitement.

I have been trusting everyone since I moved to this side of the school just because I had no choice but this time I really wanted to trust him, with my heart and mind.

"What I am going to tell you is not easy, but at least I will feel light-headed after telling you the truth." The sparkle in his eyes was gone, there was nothing left in them but the pain of the past.

"We were happily growing together, you, me, our family, you knew I was your brother and I knew it too, we used to study, play eat, watch cartoons together, and sleep together.

But then we turned seven, it was our seventh birthday when the real horrors began, I still remember how happy we were, you were wearing this blue frock, this was your favorite color, and you were just like a cute little doll.

We were going to a mage with our family, the mage who's been blessing our kind for generations, for a phoenix it's our seventh birthday when we find our powers, and with her blessing, it gets easier for a phoenix to face the upcoming challenges and complications.

We held each other's hands because this is how we used to go out, we hopped in the car and enjoyed the beautiful views all the way until we reached our destination.

Because you were eight minutes younger I let you take the blessing first.

Everything was fine and the Mage? Her name was Avery, and she was a person who loved children, she was more than happy to see you, she held your hands gently and smiled at you, you know if you look at her normally she would look young and good-looking.

Her personality and lifestyle were always fit and flexible to whichever era she went in, we both liked her so much, and you both were smiling, you were not even frightened.

She said she would give both of us chocolates once we got over this process, she held your hands and you both closed your eyes, she took a deep breath, and within a minute you both faced the ceiling with your eyes open.

The lights around started flickering, and the entire house was shaking, I saw tension on Uncle James' face I asked him if it had happened before but he said no.

We tried to get you out of there but as soon as we rushed toward you we realized there was a strong circle of energy around the area where you both were standing, it wouldn't let us pass.

We called out your name and saw you shivering and Avery's started humming in a very terrifying way.

Your hands slipped down from her hands and you fell unconscious on the ground, meanwhile, Avery seemed possessed she started floating with her arms wide open, and her hair was blowing without wind.

She started speaking something in Latin and I have no clue what she was saying but what my Dad explained to me was something like 'A shadow is coming to consume from the youngest to the eldest, to suck all the light from the very existence, to rule the dead and those who supposed to live!'

After saying all this she fell down, more like she landed straight on her feet and very much awaken but you were still fainted.

She forbade us all to let you know about your destiny until you are old enough to handle everything because according to her there's some kind of orb that only you will know about and it was a bigger responsibility as a child.

Later she forbade me to stay with you because our enemies were after you and they had no idea about us being twins so she thought…" For a moment he stopped.

He looked at me nervously "There's a blood spell you can use to trace us! And they could use the blood of The Lady of The River" Before he could continue I interrupted him.

"She thought if they trace us by blood it will lead them to you and you will get killed so I can live!" I started feeling sorry for him, he had to put himself at risk to save me.

"Well, it was a good idea! If they had caught you back then who knows what they would have done to you!" He quickly distracted me.

"What is that orb you talking about? Can you repeat that part again?" I insisted.

"There's some kind of Orb, I do not even know much about it, but she said in the wrong hands that Orb will give birth to disasters, and in the right hands it will give birth to uncountable blessings.

And this is why she forbade me to ever see you again until the right time" He had tears in his eyes.

"I begged that I have never been apart from my sister but she said something that made me understand, she asked me 'What would you choose? Would you rather stay apart from her for a few years or would you spend fewer years with her and live the rest of your life alone?' It was a hard decision for a little kid but that kid somehow convinced his heart for the sake of his beloved sister.

And then she re-arranged both your and her own memory and according to her, she was the only one who could trace us without our blood so after removing me from both your and Brian's memories she drank a potion.

Right after she started acting like a crazy woman, she would fly all over her room and whoever tried to approach her she started breathing fire at them, this is why they call her "The Mad Dragon" now, a woman whose curtains are always on fire."

He giggled but his eyes kept blinking frequently which made me realize he was holding back his tears. I know this because I do this too, I almost jumped to embrace him and I grabbed him as tight as I could.

"The day I met you was not just the day Uncle James was killed, it was also the day when my dad was killed, he took his last breath in my hands" I heard his small gasps and his heart thumping hard.

"I was there complaining about how he could not tell me about those crows giving my dad a visit, and I was with a gun because I was ready to kill our enemies, I was there to convince him so he could take me with him! But I had no idea those crows were after Uncle James too.

That year was dark for both of us Zinnia! I lost my dad, and my… my childhood" He sighed while his voice got heavier and quavering I bet his throat was hurting because of him holding his tears back.

I tightened my grip around his shoulders he hugged me back tighter "I am sorry Liam! I misjudged you" I apologized.

"You do not have to apologize, it is not your fault, it is just our family has been suffering for ages so we had to go through something similar. But… we got this didn't we?" He smiled at me wiping my tears.