It's Your Choice| A. F.

Chapter Four

Valerie turned to him.  "I..." She hesitated.  "I'll tell you about my brother." She bit her lower lip harder.

"He's 17 years old now and he left me in our house together with daddy five years ago. When I was six years old. I cried an ocean in front of them,  but... " Valerie laughed.  "It was actually for them to stay,... But..." She smiled,  while her eyes sparkled with sadness.  "They still left me..."

Valerie sighed and looked at the skies.  "My brother didn't tell me about him leaving." She sighed.  "But he left in front of me.  He didn't even look back once."

"He left me helpless, lonely,  and useless by myself." She looked at his eyes.  "He knew I can't stand being alone." His eyes held pity. "And he knew I hate being helpless and useless. He left me with my greatest fears."

That's a bastard. Kin thought. How could he do that? 

"Well,  at least mommy came back. But,  she came back when she was gone." She smiled.

Kin looked at her. It's amazing how she can still smile will she tells her past. But her eyes,  her smile doesn't reach her eyes,  and she has this complex emotion in her eyes that not anybody can see. "Gone?"

Valerie nodded.  "She came to me with her dead body. It was...  missing many parts." She inhaled.  "So... I took the time to put mommy's body in a coffin my parents bought years before all of my life turned to an opposite direction." She exhaled. "It's amazing, really amazing,  how I was the only one that came in the funeral."

"My brother came,  a month after everything happened. But at least he came back." She smiled. "He even gave me tons and tons of money for the funeral and the years before."

"I never once touched the money he gave. After that though,  he left. And he didn't look back."

"I'm wondering, what did I do to deserve this kind of life? But I realised,  the world doesn't revolve around me. And heck did I realise that the hard way." She smiled and laid her right hand on her heart.

"I won't get hurt get hurt if I won't let  the pain sink in my heart." She clenched her left fist.

"I fell in the darkness a million times, and I stood up a million times too. The tears in my eyes are gone since I cry myself to sleep." She stopped clenching her fist and placed his right hand down. "It works as a perfect lullaby."

"I trusted my brother more than myself, because he was always there. In times of my need,  my troubles, and my happiness." She looked at the skies,  again. "Well,... he was."

Silence roared around the atmosphere while both of them was thinking of different things.

I would really give that bastard a free punch if she allows me too. Kin thought

Should I continue? Valerie thought.

"Story time's over. That's all I can tell." She broke the solemn atmosphere and smiled. Something was missing. Something oh so terrible that you would think that it was a miracle for her to still live. Something she wanted to forget-

"OK." It was all he could say after all. "I'll wait for you." He smiled and stared at her Violet eyes. "I'll wait for you to accept yourself."

Accept myself? That's funny. "Kin, " She stared back.  "Don't sink your teeth deeper. It will taste really bad. You'll end throwing up what you have digested."

"You'll end up getting hurt." Her face turned sour for a moment and she quickly changed it back to her normal,  neutral face.

She's concerned? He thought.  "I don't care. Even if I just met you for three hours,  I feel like I've known you for years already."

"I care about you."

Valerie boiled with anger when she heard the words he spitted. She hates those words.

Lies.

She kept herself calm and managed to do it. If she turned angry, he might ask questions. And it isn't the right time to talk to him about her life yet. She barely even scratched the surface. She just talked about her brother. Not her mother,  her father,  them,  and the people that caused her to malfunction for months. She didn't even tell him about her brother, that kept her from the light. He was still a stranger that she talked to as a scapegoat for her piling problems to lessen for a bit.

A scapegoat. Nothing less,  nothing more.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because I met someone just like you. He met bigger problems though. So he's changed- he changed a whole lot." Valerie still stared at him calmly,  but her inside was still in chaos and disorder.

"So you regret your choice." She stated.

"Uh-huh"

"Do you know where Blakewood went,  Skylar?" A voice asked. Skylar? Valerie turned to the voice. Skylar Leviathan!?

"I have no idea." Skylar shrugged. Speak of the devil. Kin thought and became silent. "You don't want to go back?" She whispered as she got closer to him. He looked down as he felt her breath. "Hn."

"I lost the sword and dragon." He sighed. My dignity too. 

"Wait- I think I know where he went!" The voice exclaimed. "And where is that?" Skylar sighed. "To the camp of course!  He must have found the dragon already,  while we were still searching!"

Kin looked so disappointed in himself. He brought back no dragon,  and even lost the sword. He sighed deeply and took her hand then walked away.  He found a secluded place and stopped there.

He stared at her eyes. "Look, if you want your brother to turn back at you,  the get stronger. His your feelings,  and don't tell them what you are there for.  Keep everything else unknown, ok?"

She knew this already,  but nodded anyway. "Of course I will,  brother. " She pushed him away. "Go face them." She said in a tender tone.

But the sword... He thought and looked back. "Don't worry about the sword, brother.  I'll send it to you once I found it. Just tell me where to send it."

He looked at her,  amused. "Oh,  just send it in our academy." He smiled.

Valerie sighed. "I can't read your mind, you know?"

Kin raised his eyebrow,  confused. "Hah?" She asked. Valerie face palmed. "I don't know the name of the school,..." She snickered. "Brother."

Kim's mouth formed the letter 'o'. "Idiot. " She murmured. "I'm studying at-" The bush moved,  revealing Skylar's bored face.

"Hey, Kin." He said as he took out his right hand from his frontpocket and waved it at him as a sign of acknowledgement. "I sent New away. " He yawned and placed his hand back to his frontpocket. He averted his gaze and saw Valerie.

"Valerie? "

"Both of you know each other? " Kin asked as he eyed his new friend and his friend,  but still,  friends.

Skylar was ready to answer but Valerie interrupted. "No. " She stated. "I don't know him. "

Valerie quickly walked away from the two of them.

"She knows me though. " He murmured. Loud enough for Kin to hear. "Hohoho, so both of you know each other?" He asked and saw the expression he held. It was bitterness.  "Maybe she's a tsundere." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh,  shut up. " He huffed and walked away. Kin gulped. He's in a bad mood.