His Mission

Honesty is the best policy.

I've been glued to the couch all day. It feels like my body is paralysed and taking time to recover from years of abuse. The sky begins to darken outside when the living room door opens. Tobias walks in before noticing me huddled in the corner of the couch. He turns around to walk away and I sit up before calling out to him.

"You don't have to leave because I'm here, Tobias." He pauses before lingering in the doorway. I expect him to respond with rudeness or silence, but he surprises me by glancing over at the television. "What are you watching?" He asks cautiously. "An Adam Sandler movie." Tobias' dark eyes flash with approval and he silently swings the door shut behind him before taking a seat on the opposite couch. A small smile of victory spreads across my lips when I figure I'm making progress with him. It's small progress, but progress nonetheless.

He sits with his legs spread far apart. His arms rest on his thighs, and he stares blankly at the television screen. He doesn't laugh, even when Adam Sandler makes his legendary one line jokes. I chew on my bottom lip while feeling the need to fill the silence between us. To my surprise, Tobias is the first one to initiate conversation."Why are you sitting in the dark?" He asks me quietly.

"I can't find the energy to turn on the lamp," I respond truthfully. My body feels like it's weighed down, along with my mind. I've been sitting in the same position for hours, feeling like I'm rotting away while I come to terms with the current state of my life. My response causes Tobias' chocolate brown eyes to settle on me.

"Just because you're expected to drown doesn't mean you have to," Tobias tells me quietly. It's the last response I would have expected to hear from him. He's barely spoken to me, and when he has, it's been rude and brash. His words are meaningful, deep and unexpected. I blink in surprise before turning to look at him. As soon as our eyes connect, he looks away from me. "Why don't you take your own advice?" I ask him quietly. If I had to describe someone drowning in darkness, I would describe Tobias. His entire aura feels haunted, almost as if he's seen and done things well beyond his years. I feel the same aura around Jake sometimes, but he handles it better. The darkness seems to have invaded Tobias' entire being, consuming him through the day and night.

"How do you know I'm drowning?" Tobias asks me. It's the distant look in his eyes. It's the way he can't hold eye contact with people in fear of him feeling something. It's the way he treats everyone with disrespect so he can remain numb to his emotions. I've been tempted to live the same life myself.

"It's just a feeling," I whisper before turning my attention back to the movie. Neither of us speak again, but the silence doesn't feel suffocating. Eventually the living room door opens, and Jake walks in searching for me. He seems surprised to find Tobias sitting in the same room as me. His gaze flickers between me and his cousin before he gestures for me to follow him. "Can I talk to you?" Jake asks me. There's an urgency in his voice and a hint of desperation for me to hear him out. I pull back the blanket from my body before attempting to stand. My legs wobble unsteadily and Jake immediately walks forward to aid me. He slides an arm around my waist before allowing me to lean my body weight on him.

"Thanks," I whisper while avoiding Tobias' burning gaze on me. I can practically sense the curiosity seeping from him when he watches me struggle to do a simple task like walking. My body hasn't recovered from Trevor's abuse and I don't know how long it will take before it does. I have my good and bad moments. The worst moments are when the painkillers wear off and I'm left with a constant reminder of Trevor. It doesn't help when I remain in one position for long. My body turns stiff and it takes all of my strength to fight through it.

"Do you need help?" Tobias asks me before standing from the couch. His offer takes me by surprise. Jake tenses beside me and he lifts his head until his eyes connect with Tobias' dark ones. When he speaks, his voice is cold and harsh. "No. I've got it." Jake responds before guiding me out of the door. What terrible thing happened for them to live with such animosity? It takes me the time to walk down the hallway slumped against Jake before I gain the strength to do it independently. I gently pry myself out of Jake's hold before taking the stairs one at a time.