The Companions of Time

chapter 17

~The writings of Benjamin~

My heart skipped a beat, after her little speech.
After I left, I made my way to my study in a bit of a daze, I was a bit nauseous and dizzy, but I was happy.

I walked round the room in a frantic daze. I was on a cloud, effortlessly floating, searching for something to grasp onto, something to define my reality. But I would not find it.
The love of my life could love me. She could if she tried. She could if she wanted to. Of course it was nothing certain, not in this day and age, but she could.

Potential, could, maybe.

Three powerful words that bring hope to the weary in the most bleak oppressed situation.

I hadn't realized it before. I had been alone, constantly living in the shadow of a, in appearance, greater and wiser man than me. But Hazel didn't see it that way. She broke down the false walls and revealed the true nature of my brother without fluttering an eyelash.
So I loved her all the more. 

She wasn't naive. She had read many books after all, and most likely read if tales with people who had double lives or two personalities.

I bit my lip, the world was a dark place, evil cruel. Luke could find a way to make her love him. He could and that was what scared me. Luke had darkness in him, that only a brother could see, but I couldn't let Hazel know, for women are delicate creatures, even if she was a bit tougher, she should not be burdened with such disgusting matters.

Maybe Luke himself didn't see it, not yet anyway. But the moment he tapped into it, the moment he struck the black swirling oil of his soul, he would be invincible. And that terrified me to the bone.
The thing that was so scary, was that Lucas was kind and hospitable one moment, and the next he would snap. It always had to be his way, or no way at all.

I closed my eyes and whispered a poem to myself. I could not remember its words entirely, or where I had heard it. All I remembered was the dark look on my brothers face as he had read it.
How each word struck Luke's core and drove him to read the next. Right now he was cocky, playful, arrogant. But with a single floundering step, it could turn to rage hate and anger. 

He hid those thoughts from himself, refusing to accept them. Luke was secretly kind, humble. Maybe...

We cannot say what is to come

In the darkness or the light

We do not know what frightful things

Lurk our soul at night

We cannot say exactly

Which silent stealthy few are

Living in the darkness

Who run towards dreams and hide away far

They do not speak

Their thoughts enough abide

The light molds and judges you

But in the dark you are free to hide

We used to be afraid of the dark

Of the whispers in our ear

We used to cower and turn away

Our hearts filled with fear

We are now friends with the whispers

The ones that come at night

They bring us silent comfort

No longer nightmares and fright

When you get a chance

To escape the cruel harsh light

Close your eyes and listen

Listen hard and listen right

There will be no sound

No society to tell your way

There's not a sound to tell you so

For away has gone the day

Close your eyes and listen

To the whispering darkness in your ear

Only then in the swirling darkness

Your true self shall appear

I had no idea how I knew. But something was coming, something evil. Luke would be forced to decide. We all have choices to make, we all have futures to decide. We are in control of time, of every second, every decision, every life.
We are to change the future with every choice we make right now in this year of our lord.

And to me that was the most terrifying thing in the world.

If Lucas chose wrong.

Who knows what would happen.

Every single moment of every single day, of every single person, decides what happens in the future.
If he chose wrong, time could be put in danger.

Bad things would happen, Luke had much power because of his riches, and if he used that the wrong way...

Sitting down a realization dawned on me, and something had to change.

Lucas.