MR. BORN TO LOSE

12. Just a Burning Memory

All things lost will be forgiven with time, except for the loss of time itself. Who will be there to forgive?

"We need to talk." Are the last words which Dante catches before his mind decides to kick itself out of the window like salt dissolving in the sea. There was a reason why he was kicked out of the house. And he's one of those who knows why. Yet he still has the guts to tolerate him in his house, to let him roam the earth of his home, and to let Sam snow upon Donnie's land of conscience.

As they thump their steps out of the room, into a nearby study where the rest of Donnie's attitude had gathered, the low of the lights shone dimly into their skin. The books of old were carved into their respective shelves that wrapped around them like shells of an oyster. So long, but still so clean even though none ever picked them up ever again after being put. Donnie wasn't like that, Dante figured. He'd managed to pick himself up and prove himself and his worth to the family. But no, clay changes form with the power of water, but water will never clean clay.

Donnie sits himself down on a plush cushion, before asking... "What have you done?".

"Done what?" Dante looks at him confused.

A chuckle fosters up, that Donnie isn't afraid of letting out. "That's exactly what I'm asking you. What did you do to Sam now that he's avoiding me?"

"...What?" He pauses.

"Are you proud of what you did?" The elder snickers. "What did I do? I'm confused."

"Are you dumb, or are you just naive? What the fuck did you do to Sam?" With words that shatter the dark between them, Dante finally realizes what's going on. "Don't come meddling with other's business-"

Donnie's brazen sentence gets cut off by a following laugh from his younger half-brother. "Oh my god, oh my fucking god." He laughs in bewilderment. "Is this what this is about?" Dante knows how horrible of a man his brother can get, but he has never thought his brother to be a dense idiot as well, until now. And now it's Donnie's time to act confused.

"You're so fucking insecure, I feel sorry." Dante tries to cut off his laughs and teary-eyes. "I don't know what you're on to even be accusing me of shit like that. But I've never been in whatever drama the both of you have." His disbelief for the elder turns into small specks of fury hanging around in the air. "It was never my intention to intrude, but the truth will come out, no matter how much you try to cover it. What the truth is, I don't know..." He smirks, before whispering,

"Though maybe... by some chance, he managed to find out."

"...You asshole-" Donnie gets himself to stop before he punches the guy across him, as then everyone, even Sam, would know where the bruise came from.

"No one really likes to be around a self-centered fuckers all day anyway, I'm sure Sam's out there enjoying himself right now." His face sardonic, his mouth spitting out venom from the inner depths of his consciousness. Donnie can't contain what little patience he had in him anymore and pulls him by his collar. "I dare you, say that again?" Silence followed as their breaths fight like dragons puncturing fire. Dante's practically flying against the shelves, pinned to the hinges with the anger flowing from Donnie's hand.

"...This is why you were kicked out in the first place."

< >

With a single blow, all the accumulated dust flies off the old photo book like snow. Dorotea pulls back page after page, slowly because of her old age, that reveals old polaroid pictures of men and women, children and animals, amusement parks and beaches. Dorotea begins to wave her hand around one dusty photo, creating a pool of clarity packed in the cages of time. "This... This is my father." She points to one of the boys diving into a lake. Behind them, stood their parents talking in front of the acacia pillared cabin. "And... which one is Leonard?"