All the Bros

I was filled with relief when he chuckled.

"No worries. You're right. He did."

We remained quiet for a moment. Presumably, he was thinking about his father as much as I was thinking about mine.

"How do you think things would have been if you had a different dad?"

"Do you mean how would it be if I had a normal dad who could help me with homework and come to all my games to cheer me on?"

"That sounds like normal, yes."

"I couldn't begin to imagine. All of that seemed so movie cliché when I was younger. I guess I was jealous of 'normal' families," he said with a sigh. "I tried not to compare. It just made me angry."

"I know what you mean," I said.

"We're alike in that way," Bram said then continued, "The good thing about it was that my brothers and I became closer because of Rusty's whirlwind."

"Yes, I'm surprised by it."

"Surprised?"

"Of course. The conflict could have pitted you against one another. Maybe one would side with him at different times causing problems."

"Oh, well you just described most of my youth, but I made sure that once my bros were in junior high and high school that the time for fairy tales about Rusty had to be over. I mean, you can see that Sandy still has a little bit of forced loyalty, I suppose, and Jonah would kill for the tiniest ounce of approval, but I did everything I could to make sure they were … cared for."

I stared at Bram as he had his head bowed, deeply in thought.

"You did a good job, sergeant." That caught his attention and he instantly smiled at me.

"Thanks," he said.

"Good 'ol dads. Both of them came out of the woodwork just for us on our wedding night," I said with a laugh.

Bram chuckled heartily and said, "You have a talent for that."

"What?"

"You can bring me out of intensely dark emotional times and lighten things up. It's a great trait to have. A quality of a leader, in fact."

I laughed with cautious wonder unsure if he was messing with me but when he gave me a knowing look, I dropped my distrust.

Immediately, I was brought back to my mother and the desire I'd had to be like her. Was he saying that she and I shared qualities after all? The image of her face popped into my head clear as day just as it had in the jacuzzi.

Had it not been for the sound of a propeller I probably would have broken down in tears again. I stared up at the sky in the direction of the sound and there was a small Cessna flying very low to the ground. Bram watched it and then he nodded at me.

"Sandy?" I asked. Again, he nodded in confirmation. We watched as the plane flew off far behind Rhys's estate. "Where are they going?"

"There's an old landing strip back there. It's part of Rhys's property. I think if I'm close enough, I can grab him. Want to see me give it a try?"

"Sure!" I exclaimed. "But what about Jonah?"

"Either I can do this or I can't, which will end this experiment with plenty of time to spare. I've tested it a few times but so far, I've only gone a few hundred yards."

"Like at the hotel?"

"That's right. Although, at that time, I had no idea I could get that far. It's just a theory but I think because Nimble is connected to your drive, what you want can expand your ability. It's fascinating and difficult to explain."

"I think I understand. It is hard to put into words."

He turned and began walking, glancing at me with a playful smile. I followed him, this time eagerly, with an enthusiastic grin on my face. He caught sight of my expression, tilted his head and asked, "You like this, don't you?"

"Your Noir power? Yes! I'd love to ask you more about it sometime."

"Like what?"

"What does it feel like when you're doing it?"

"There's a strange surge of energy and then a really bright light. Every time, I feel like I'm going to go blind, but then the light is gone and there I am, where I chose to be."

"So, you can look at an area and put a mental pin down or something?"

"Yeah, exactly," he said with a tiny grin. "Would you like to come with me when I do it?"

"Yes!"

As we got to the back of Rhys's house, we could see the landing strip far off into the distance. The lights from the plane were blinking and the sound of the propeller was still loudly echoing against the nearby rock walls.

"C'mon," Bram said as he took my hand. In an instant we were beside Sandy, the propeller whirring abruptly stopped. I jumped slightly and Sandy's pilot immediately pushed us back.

"Who are you and how the hell did you get there? This plane could kill you!"

"Viktor, this is Bram and Alex. Apparently, he wants to show off his new power."

"Good to see you, Bo," Bram said with a prideful grin.

"Oh, apologies!" Viktor said, removing his hat in respect. "I heard what you did with the base. Both of you." Then he reached out to shake our hands. We both commenced with the niceties briefly but then Bram grabbed the three of us and teleported.

Just like that from half a mile away we were back at Rhys's. Bram let us go and bent over trying to catch his breath. It wasn't nearly as bad as the hotel but he was obviously strained. When he caught my eye, I tilted my head. He nodded that he was okay.

Sandy and Viktor were blinking their eyes in surprise, trying to get their bearings. Apparently, it made Sandy dizzy as he grabbed the edge of the fence that surrounded the pool.

"Damn it, Bram! What the hell did you do? I can barely tell up from down?!"

"Shit Bo," Bram said, still panting. "I had no idea that could happen. I wonder if it has to do with you flying here."

"I think you're right," said Viktor, as he frantically grasped the fence, his legs looking like they were walking on a pile of Jello. I rushed in between Sandy and Viktor.

"Are you okay?" I asked them, glancing back and forth. Sandy adjusted his arm to loop around the metal fence top more securely then looked at me.

"Alex! I wish I could hug you but, I don't think I should move."

"It's okay. It's good to see you again," I said, then pondered. What if my power could help with something small like vertigo? "Can I try something?" I asked. Sandy's head was bobbing trying to keep his eyes on my face.

"I don't know what you have in mind but whatever you want to do, do it now. I'm about to throw up."

Quickly, I held onto Sandy's free hand and tried to gain a connection with him. It was as easy as it had been with Rhys. Within seconds I was in and searching. The darkness was hard to navigate through and I wasn't sure if entering through the hand was close enough to the ears. Finally, I found his vestibular system.

Tinnitus was making it hard to focus as I weaved in and out. Finally I found the semicircular canals and after many fumbled attempts, located the endolymph. I could see that it was still sensing movement by pressing on the receptors even though the body was mostly still. When I touched the fluid, whatever I did made the noise inside his head stop.

I didn't think balance had anything to do with tinnitus but apparently it worked. It was peaceful there now, so much that I didn't want to come out but then I realized I needed to get back. My Noir part was telling me it was time to go.

When I opened my eyes, Sandy was staring at me, his mouth dropped. Obvious attempts to speak only came out as small cracks in his voice. I nodded and he nodded back.

"Whatever you did to him, do to me!" Viktor pleaded. I followed the same steps I did to help Sandy. Once I was outside, I rushed and grabbed a couple of chairs, pulling them over so Viktor and Sandy could rest.

"Are you two better?" I asked. They both nodded, both not speaking. I glanced at the fence again.

"Bram?" I called. He was upright now and walking toward us already.

"What?"

"How'd you get over the fence?"

"I jumped. If we were trying to get through the fence, that would be impossible."

"Okay, cool. I'm still learning about this stuff," I said to him.

"Me too."

"So good to see you two like ...this," Sandy said, waving his hands to both of us.

"Oh, that's right, you haven't seen us … happy," said Bram.

"This is our wedding day or night!" I exclaimed with glee. Sandy glanced at Bram and then couldn't hold back laughter.

"I'm not laughing at you, I swear. It's just ironic that Rusty is on his way to crash a wedding. He has no class."

"Sandy!?" Rhys was shouting as he was rushing down the stairs. Bram and I exchanged a glance as everyone watched him hopping and skipping out the back door.

"Rhys? Buddy, take it easy," Sandy urged.

"Oh, I'm leaps and bounds better. Alex here has a special gift."

Sandy slowly stood and stared at Rhys.

"She helped you? How? Killing the pain?"

"No, no, not something so rudimentary. She destroyed 97% of the masses in my lungs!"

Sandy's jaw dropped as he stared at all of us.

"You're going to be okay?"

"Hey!" a new voice shouted. Bram and I rushed around to the front of the estate and Jonah was smoking while walking down the long driveway. Beside him was a short woman in business attire. Her walnut-brown hair was curly and her nails long and crimson red. She was twice Jonah's age. Maybe she was a guard.

Bram teleported us to Jonah, who's surprised face was soon followed with a wide grin. "Hi Bram! Alex! Here, I want to introduce you. This is my wife Tiffany," he said with a wave. "She's a lawyer." Tiffany held out her hand and shook mine.

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"Likewise," she said, adjusting her glasses. I could see their square lenses didn't have frames.

"Just got off work which is why I'm all dressed up." She smiled and nodded at me.

Jonah jumped in, "So, I should probably tell you that Rusty has been calling me non-stop."

"For what?" I asked.

"He says he's coming here. Supposedly, it's to meet you and to see Rhys. It may be one of the last times–" Jonah stopped himself short, a hitch catching in his throat.

"Rhys is going to be okay. I can explain later but please, go on about Rusty," Bram urged.

"This visit is under the guise of a normal family get together."

"Yeah, well he's a narcissist. He'll try to make you feel like you're the one who is confused with his intentions," Bram explained.

"Where's the guard at the gate?" I asked. Just as I said that, I watched the limo roll up and stop in front of us. Both Len and Rachel hopped out, accompanied by two other beefy guards.

"Hello everyone. Meet Jan and Sammy." Rachel waved her hands at the muscular pair.