Zane's Second Chance (Minecraft Diaries' Fanfiction)

Chapter 24

Garroth's POV:

Why am I so nervous now? It's not like I care about him... right?

I pace around the hallway, the sounds of people going about their ways deafening in my ears. It's too loud in here, unlike the peaceful village of Phoenix Drop. Too much noise and my ears will start ringing, my heart starts pumping faster and the world unfocuses around me.

I'm just feeling dizzy, that's all. It's just a minor case of dizziness... right?

"Whoa, Garroth, calm down. You're making me dizzy." Gerald grabs my arm and shoves me onto a chair. He gives me a fascinating look as if I'm some kind of creature from a different world. People have been giving me that look lately. "We wouldn't want another person winding up in the hospital." He laughs at his own joke.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. These kids, unfortunately for me, are a funny group of people. I catch myself in the mirror right across the room and instead of seeing a tall grown man, a young boy of eighteen years replaces my appearance. I look away, shaking my head. Everything seems so confusing and it's not helping that my brother who never attempted to reach out to others after the Incident, now has his heart for someone else. Someone who looks and acts like Raven, no less.

"If you're worried about Zane, then don't worry. He's going to be fine. Just fainted, that's all." Gerald shrugs, flashing me a comforting smile.

Giving him a curt nod, I drown out the sounds around me, crawling deeper and deeper into my mind- and my thoughts. It's not like I care about him anymore... right? He tried to kill me- and Aphmau. He tortured many people in the past. He killed, tortured, sided with Father, laughed at people's pain. But he cried at his own pain, locked himself in his room in utter despair, spoke to no one because he thought nobody could ever understand him after Raven died...

"I still love him, huh." I resist the urge to laugh at my own stupidity. No matter how evil Zane can get, he'll always be my little brother whether I like it or not. And there will always be this small part of my heart that wishes he was safe and happy in O'khasis with his sister and dear friend.

Gerald nods at me, not seeming to find it weird that I'm muttering the obvious to myself. His relaxed posture, however, quickly disappears as the lady who I suppose is Gerald's mother walks towards us, running her long fingers through her long mane of brown. I soon came to realize that Xandra got her unique mixture of brown and blonde hair color from her mother and her father, although I haven't seen her father yet.

"Gerald, sweetie, Xandra's getting released out of the hospital now," the woman, Myra, says. "But she wants to visit Zane first with his new therapist, Brendan."

That name catches my attention. I knew it couldn't be Brendan from Phoenix Drop- unless Xandra somehow magically made him pop into existence right after me and I just didn't catch him, but still, that name brings back so many memories from the past. A smile edges across my dry lips, enjoying my thoughts more than reality. How I missed Pheonix Drop... And Aphmau.

Don't think about her, Garroth. Now isn't the time to get sad. You already have enough problems at hand.

"Can Garroth see Zane now?" Gerald asks, his shoulders tensing up as his mother moves one step closer to him. Noticing his discomfort, she backs away, pursing her red lips. I note the odd reaction between the two, wondering if something drastic happened between them although I don't want to barge into their privacy. It feels like an issue that they have to settle for themselves.

Seeming to notice me for the first time, Myra manages a small smile my way. I smile back at her, guessing how uncomfortable this situation is right now. "Oh, of course. Xandra's been asking you to come with her to meet Zane." Suddenly, she turns around, her smile turning upward slightly. "And there she is now."