A Study In Dystopia (Fearless Vampire Killers Fanfiction)

Chapter Six

[Kellen's P.O.V.] 

I slip into the flat, silently and anxiously as always. Olli all-but-batters in the front door as she closes it loudly, and I shoot her a dark look, shaking my head. 

"Kellen! Why are ye- Oh, hi there." My dad straightens up, pasting a smile on his face as he sees Olli. He always tries to act like the pefect, doting parents when other people are around. Too bad Olli already knows everything, eh? 

"Somethin' smells like banana..." He muses, and as Olli and I step into the front room I see him rushing around in a mad attempt to clean up. Olli and I stifle a laugh at how obviously fake he's acting. Within less than five minutes, the front room is as clean as I left it before heading to school this afternoon, the kettle is boiling, and my dad is sat in his chair in the corner, smiling over at me. His grin shows his yellowed, cracked teeth, and I notice that most of them are missing. I think I'm going to be sick. 

"Dad, I was wondering if you could tell me somethings about my brother." I say stiffly. 

"Who, Adam? Ye know all there is to know 'bout the boy-" 

"No." I pull the birth certificate out of my bag, pointing towards my mother's name as I hold it up. "My mother's maiden name is Illingworth. And so my brother's surname must be that too." Or, at least I think so. "I want to know who he is." 

With Olli sitting next to me, I feel suddenly braver, and glare challengingly. Go on. I dare you to protest, make a scene, do what you would normally do if I were to ask you this on my own. 

My dad just smiles. "I've told you everything I know before, Kellie." I feel my skin crawl at the sound of that nickname. I haven't been called that since I was eight years old. No one but Adam has the right to call me that. 

Speaking of Adam, his tall, slender frame, in my mind's eye, is stood beside my dad, his green eyes glaring murderously. 

"He knows more than that." Adam tells me. "He's lying. Challenge him." I open my mouth hesitantly to speak. "Do it!" 

"You know more than you're letting on." I say quietly. My dad's eyes glare with anger for a second, but his smile just widens. I feel bile rise in my throat. 

"Like what? I've told you everything I know!" 

"Ask him if our brother's name is Luke." Adam tells me. I sigh. 

"His name is Luke," I take a stab-in-the-dark guess, "isn't it?" 

My dad's eyes widen. "Huh? I-" 

"Don't play dumb, dad. It doesn't suit you. And you're a terrible actor, so drop the façade already." 

"Don't talk to me like that." His voice hardens. 

"Good ol' dad is back, I see." Adam mutters. I have to keep myself from laughing - sometimes I forget that I'm the only one insane enough to see and hear him. 

"I will if I want to." I take a deep breath. "His name is Luke. Luke Illingworth. He's in a five-piece band called Fearless Vampire Killers. Lives in London. Played a show here recently. Pretty tall, long brown hair, blue eyes, just like me. Just like mum." 

"How the fuck-" 

"I've bloody well met him." I snap. "Fifteen times; thirteen gigs, two signings, I speak to him on Facebook and Twitter - for fuck's sake, dad, it's been right under my nose the whole time! Years of being a fan, and you only tell me now that my favourite fucking drummer is my half-brother?!" 

"That's enough. So what, who cares who yer brother is? The fact is he left, he's a fuckin' failure. All you Illingworths are the same-" 

"Well you know what?" I stand up, stuffing my brother's birth certificate back into my bag. "I'm proud to be an Illingworth. Least it means I won't turn out to be a typical Batelle." I step closer to my dad, staring him straight in his yellowed eyes. "And I have less chance of becoming a wasted, junkie cunt like you."