We All Fall Down

Chapter 32

Tommy chased after Themis, the latter running through alleyways with no clear destination in mind. Tommy waited for him to get onto an empty street, and dove straight for Themis. He wrapped his arms around Themis and hugged him tightly, pulling his wings close as Themis thrashed around with a pocket knife in hand.

“GET OFF OF ME” Themis grabbed Tommy by the cape and pulled him over his head, slamming Tommy’s back against the ground. Themis pointed his knife at Tommy, who was staring at him, mouth agape. Themis panted and glared at Tommy, his red eyes sharper than the blade between the child’s eyes. Tommy didn’t dare to let out any noise of pain, let alone breathe. He watched Themis with the same intensity and distrust as when they’d first met.

Themis’ gaze softened as he recognized the boy beneath him. He sighed and put his knife in his pocket, holding his hand out for Tommy to take. Tommy slapped his hand away and struggled to stand on his own. His preened wings were once again dirty and bent out of shape, so Tommy put them away for the time being. He allowed himself to breathe and rubbed the dirt off his arms, coughing from the dust in his lungs.

“Fucken prick.” Themis bowed his head apologetically and Tommy fixed his cape before sparing Themis more than an angry glare. “What happened back there? I think it’s about time you tell me about those earrings.” Themis sighed and nodded, motioning Tommy to follow him. Tommy followed behind, ready to grab Themis again if he tried to run. It turned out, Themis did have a destination in mind. They approached the vacant house Themis had shown him a while back. Themis opened the door and walked over to the couch, crashing down on it haphazardly. Tommy closed the door behind them and walked over to the couch, sitting on the edge of the couch by Themis’ legs.

“So, I should probably start off by explaining why I have the earrings, because it isn’t for decoration.” Tommy looked at Themis, giving him his full attention. “You know Insanity’s power, right?” Tommy nodded.

“Yeah, he can make people see, feel, and hear things that aren’t actually there. He controls it with the candle, right?” Themis nodded and rubbed his eyes.

“That’s right. But, he didn’t come with the candle. We both developed our powers late. My parent’s powers were teleportation and black hole, and his were illusion and sound manipulation. Because of our families, we were expected to have extraordinary powers, and our lives were in danger from a young age. Gangs wanted us for our powers, so I had to learn how to protect us early on. Eventually, the hero committee heard of our potential and bought us from our parents. We were assigned to The Angel, but we still didn’t get our powers. Until we turned 12. We’d snuck away from The Angel for the first of many times, and we went down to a park to try and activate our powers.” Themis swallowed thick, and Tommy put his hand on Themis’ shoulder to try and comfort him.

“It was a perfectly clear sky when we went out, but fog seemed to roll in after a few minutes. Insanity started acting weird, and his eyes were glowing. At first, we thought his power was controlling the fog. It was so cool, we were both excited. A man grabbed me by the shoulder. He tried asking if we could stop the fog but before he could, my instincts kicked in and I threw him to the ground. Only, a portal opened beneath him and he fell through. It closed immediately after, and since I didn’t know what’d happened I couldn’t do anything about it. I panicked, meanwhile Insanity was praising my portal. He hadn't seen the man, he thought I was trying to activate it by going through my self defense moves.” Themis took a deep breath.

“When I told him what had actually happened, someone called me a murderer. A bunch of voices were screaming at me, but nobody was around us. It got so loud, and I was so scared. One voice, louder than the rest, screamed at the top of it’s lungs. I thought it was in my head, but Insanity reacted to it too. Insanity’s eyes stopped glowing, and he ran off. I watched him run to a screaming child and hug him. The voices were loud, but they calmed down at the same time as the kid. He said a bunch of people were yelling at him and he was scared. Insanity at least had the thought to ask where his parents were. He didn’t remember them apparently, so we brought him to The Angel. He later became our brother, and then our intern, until he was murdered. He’d be 17 now. Maybe you two would’ve been friends.”

The old intern.. they met as kids? “Wait, the kid was hearing voices too?” Themis nodded at Tommy silently, clearing his throat.

“Yeah, now let me finish.” Tommy smiled and ran his fingers across his lips. Themis took a deep breath and continued. “The Angel helped Insanity activate his power again in a more controlled environment, and we learned the truth about it. Me and the kid were placed in isolation until we figured out how to control the insanity we got from Insanity. The Angel made my earrings to control it, though I’m not sure how it works. He made some for the kid too, but he was determined to figure it out without, said it already felt easier. I still hear the voices with the earrings, but they’re quiet. I can hear my own thoughts. Without even one earring, I can’t hear myself think. It’s worse the angrier they get.”

“So, when you lost it at the festival,” Tommy started, but was cut off by Themis.

“I was running on instincts, yes.” They sat with the information, processing everything that was said and everything that happened.

“Wait, is that what this house is for?” Themis grimaced and sat up, looking around.

“It is. I built it to work as a cage. I knew the voices were likely to be angry that I’d think ahead and trap myself so they’d make me go to this house to try and destroy it. It’s built so that the second it’s damaged, I’m dragged inside and can’t get out.” That explained the lack of security. There was no need when the only threat was himself.

“Wait, but when we first came here there was no food.” Themis looked at Tommy.

“That wasn’t an accident. You should get back to the festival. I’m heading to the tower.” Themis stood up and walked to the front door. Tommy followed behind in stunned compliance. He was the only other person who knew about this place, and if Themis couldn’t get out on his own with no food saved up..

Themis left the house, leaving Tommy frozen in the doorway.

Themis didn’t spare Tommy a glance over his shoulder to check that he’d left, and he disappeared behind a house before Tommy could react to his revelation. Themis intended to kill himself if he ever lost control over the voices.

What was Tommy supposed to do with that?