Genesis (Cain and Abel #1)

Chapter Twelve

One day, while the two boys were hunting together, Abel broke his customary silence to ask, "What do you think of Ruth?"

"What do you mean? I mean, Ruth . . . she's okay, I guess," said Cain. His attempts to conceal his true emotions were disarmed by his brother's snort of laughter.

"'She's okay I guess,'" he said, then chuckled wildly. "You're so obvious, Cain. Ruth is beyond okay. She's a goddess, and yet I know her future is with me, not you." He rocked back and forth with silent laughter.

Cain grew enraged. A hostile anger coursed through him at the injustice of it all. "What are you talking about? What gives you the right to claim her? She doesn't even like you, and you don't even like her!" Cain shouted, shoving his brother roughly on the shoulder. "She's mine, you hear me? She's mine! She likes me best, and there's nothing you can do about it! You're just jealous, that's why you're saying these things!"

Abel looked over to him, finally meeting his younger brother's eyes, and silenced him with a grim expression. "There are some things you'll never understand, Cain, no matter how obvious they are. Don't you get it-Ruth is the one that divides us. The one who causes you pain," Abel said. "Or had you forgotten the prophecy?"

"So what does that mean about Eve?" Cain asked. He was filled with emotions, feelings, and thoughts-betrayal, fury, sorrow, shame, frustration, and jealousy.

"Someone changes your life with pain, and someone else changes your life with love. Isn't that what Prophetess Talia told you?" Abel said.

"Talia was a fraud. You said so yourself."

"But you don't believe that any more than I do."

"No, I don't," Cain agreed, shaking his head. He let out a great shy, staring up at the sky above. The moon was a sliver in the heavens. "I always thought Eve would be the one to cause us pain since she transformed us into vampires, but maybe it is Ruth who will hurt me." A glazed look came over Cain's face, as if he was just starting to see something very important for the first time. He shook his head. "But I cannot be sure. I wish I could be sure."

Abel clapped his hand on his brother's shoulder and squeezed gently. "Just do yourself a favor and stay out of this one, Cain. Nothing good can come of jealousy, especially between brothers," he remarked.

"You would say that, Abel," Cain said. He said nothing more until they returned to camp. Ruth wasn't there, but no doubt she would be back soon; they always went away from camp to deal with personal business.

Cain plopped himself down by the fire and stuck the end of his stick into it, watching the wood smolder and smoke. "Once we get to real civilization or to Eden or wherever," he announced, "I'm leaving you forever. I won't spend my life in your shadow," Cain said, twiddled the stick roughly in the flames. "I won't be underestimated."

"There's no such thing as underestimating you, Cain, because there's not much to estimate to begin with," Abel said, a smile sneaking through his voice. It was meant as a joke, but Cain stiffened furiously.

"You'll be sorry you said that one day, brother," Cain hissed. He touched the glowing bud of fire on his brother's bare shin.

Abel cried out and hit his brother, dashing the stick away. Burns were the only few injuries that a vampire could not easily heal. "What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted. He scrambled up off the ground. "I'm going to find some water and when I get back you better have an apology for me!"

Cain smirked as his brother ran away into the forest. He noticed his brother's footprints were stamped into the dusty ground. Cain swiveled around and placed his right foot in his brother's right footprint. Cain wiggled his toes around and relished what it felt like to be literally in his brother's steps.