Wish

Ruin

"Grayson! Grayson, wake up!"

Grayson was forced awake as someone jostled his body. His cries were silenced, and he blinked open his crusted eyes that were meshed together by the salts of his tears. 

Above him stood Ethan, his eyebrows drawn in worry and his lips pressed together.

Grayson lurched forward and threw his arms around Ethan's broad shoulders.

"Hey, it's okay," Ethan said, patting Grayson's upper back. "You were just having a bad dream."

Grayson nodded, nuzzling his face in the crook of Ethan's neck and breathing in his familiar scent. His body was warm and solid, and Grayson never wanted to let go. He didn't want to lose him again. 

Bright morning sunlight disrupted the gentle softness of dawn, forcing its way through the wooden slats of his window blinds. Grayson could hear the mellow sound of trees rustling in the wind and birds singing among their branches.

He felt warm hands touch the sides of his face, the thumbs of those hands wiping away tears that Grayson hadn't even known were there.

"Do you want to talk about your dream?" Ethan asked. He sat on the edge of the bed, watching Grayson's reactions carefully. 

Grayson hesitated. 

"I don't know," he said. "I don't know. I don't even understand what's going on. You jumped, Ethan, you died."

"It was just a dream," Ethan said. "That's all it is. That's all it ever was."

Grayson stared into his brother's eyes. His chest ached as he realized how much Ethan's very existence meant to him. He couldn't imagine life without him by his side.

"I'm going to go now," Ethan said, standing up from the bed. Grayson nodded, his heartrate finally beginning to slow. Despite the sunlight seeping into the room, he found himself drifting back into a light sleep.

"Our time together meant so much," Ethan whispered in Grayson's ear. "But it's time for me to go." Grayson jolted awake. He expected to see Ethan standing above him. He expected to see sunlight. He expected everything to be the same.

But all he saw was darkness.

He stood up, blinking rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the blackness of the room he was in. 

The air was stolen from his lungs as he realized that he was back in Ethan's empty room.

Ethan's voice rang in his ear.

It's time for me to go.

"Ethan!" Grayson yelled. "Ethan, no!"

"Grayson!" Somebody barged into the room. Artificial light flooded the room. 

"Mom?" Grayson asked weakly. "Where's Ethan? What happened to Ethan?" He could feel warm tears sliding down his face.

"Ethan?" Mom questioned, shaking her head. She slowly walked towards Grayson. Her face was twisted in hurt and concern. "Ethan?"

"My twin brother, Mom, he's my twin brother," Grayson said desperately. "Tell me what happened to him. He's your son! Where did he go?"

"Grayson, I've never told you about Ethan," Mom said softly, resting her hands on Grayson's shoulders. "How did you find out?"

"What do you mean?" Grayson said. "We had a whole life together. We made a YouTube channel, we had millions of subscribers, we had everything that two kids could ever want!" 

"Gray, you've never spent a day with Ethan," Mom said, her eyes shining with tears. "He died while I was still pregnant with you two."

"That's not possible," Grayson shook his head in disbelief. "That's not possible. How did I spend my whole life with him?"

"I don't know," Mom said. "You were probably dreaming it all. I don't know how you knew you had twin or how you knew that we were going to name him Ethan."

"I was dreaming it all?" Grayson's voice broke. His head was spinning. How had his dreams formulated an entire life between him and Ethan?

"I'm sorry, Grayson," Mom said. "I can feel that you're very upset. I think that you should go back to bed. You'll feel more like yourself in the morning."

Grayson nodded numbly. His legs mechanically walked him back to his room. His mom lifted the sheets so he could slide down into the bed. Grayson nestled into the pillow, his eyes staring straight ahead.

"Good night, sweetheart," Mom said, gently rubbing his back before exiting the room. She closed the door softly behind her.

As Grayson dozed off into a fitful sleep, Ethan's spirit watched over him sadly.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," he said softly. He knew Grayson couldn't hear him. He'd cut their communication off forever. "I was showing you what life would've been like if I'd been alive. I thought you deserved to know, but now I'm afraid that I hurt you forever. It was a good seventeen years, Gray. But it's really time for me to move on from your life. You deserve to live your own life, Gray, not mine. So this is good bye, brother. I will be waiting for the day when I see you again."