Burn

Killer was gone.

Brandon glanced up at Jimmy as they walked together to training. Everyone else was in a celebratory mood after Killer was forced out. They could all breathe a sigh of relief.

But Jimmy hadn't changed at all. He was in the highest position possible, and he'd gotten rid of the one person he disliked the most. But he didn't celebrate.

Brandon had seen the scene played out in the minds of others. He'd seen the large group of Lost Landers gathered at the border ready to break through if Killer didn't get his way. He'd seen Killer leap for Mr. Smith, his dad and Brandon's, and Mr. Smith's face in the split second before he realized that his power wasn't coming forward.

And he'd seen when Jimmy leaped, knocking Killer to the ground, drawing his own knife against Killer's throat. It was a move that had only worked because Killer was actually going for Mr. Smith's throat. A normal fight between Killer and Jimmy didn't end quickly. They were both evenly matched in skill, and Killer's power which normally gave him an edge over people who were used to relying on their power to help them didn't work on Jimmy who had a power that no one really understood.

Jimmy couldn't kill him in front of his group without them rioting. And anyway, the shame of being defeated and left alive was worse.

The two brothers walked quietly side by side. Nothing had changed and yet everything was different.

It was still dark out. The sky was just beginning to lighten. They turned a corner and Brandon could see the large tree with its pink leaves near the playground. When Brandon saw it, he couldn't help remembering that day his mother had left.

Mary told him the story of the two brothers. He still remembered how she smiled and winked at him when she said, "They missed a spot."

Brandon listened for the buzz of Mary's thoughts as they walked past. Jimmy didn't want Brandon visiting her at the care center. He said because people would think he was still acting like a baby. But Jimmy lead them past here every morning. His thoughts were a black hole to Brandon, but it seemed as if Jimmy lead them past every morning with the hopes of seeing her. Maybe, in some way, he was still keeping an eye out for her. With Killer around, Brandon hadn't blamed him.

She still woke up early. He still caught her thoughts. His heart always paused in mid-beat when he caught himself or Jimmy on them.

One second before Jimmy, Brandon halted. They stood by the tree where Brandon had first met Mary. It was too quiet. Brandon didn't catch any thoughts at all.

"Brandon, stay here." Jimmy, without the benefit of Brandon's mind reading power, somehow already knew something was wrong. Some deep set instinct of his that was impossible to just train.

Brandon nodded and stood by the tree as Jimmy ran to the stone steps that would lead to the basement where Mary lived. He looked around, a chill sneaking up his spine. There was no one in sight. Usually they saw someone they knew. He stepped out from the tree, glancing around. There was something dark and ominous about the place now. Something was missing.

He glanced over in the direction Jimmy had disappeared. For a moment there was nothing, and then he saw it. Something out of place on the dewy green grass. A spot of brown, a deep unnatural brown tinged with red, moistened by the dew. It had been scrapped off, as if someone had wiped his feet either before entering or before leaving.

Brandon broke into a run then. He ran down the stairs, following the trail of prints. At the bottom of the stairs, his mind stopped.

"The brothers didn't get along very well. They used to have horrible fights, but since they couldn't use their powers to really hurt each other, they could fight for days and no one would ever win."

The only detail he could take in was Jimmy kneeling beside her, his back to the stairs. He turned, furious, more furious than Brandon had ever seen. "Get out, Brandon." He said it even as he reached back and pulled the blanket from the couch to throw over her exposed body as if he knew that Brandon wasn't going to leave.

Brandon's legs were numb. He could hardly move them. Walking back up the stairs would be impossible. The only thing he could do was walk over to her other side and kneel down next to her.

She wasn't gone. Brandon could still catch the fluttering of thoughts from her. They alternated between the warm sunny days she'd spent under the tree with them and deep dark stormy days that slowly took over her thoughts. In her mind, the hand that held hers, Jimmy's hand, was the hand of her parents, tightly holding her as the dark storm approached with a rumble.

Brandon sat on his knees next to her, afraid that if he touched her he'd bring awareness to her of where she really was. He looked up at Jimmy, taking his eyes off her for a moment. He'd never seen Jimmy cry before. It was a strangely peaceful moment in the middle of the raging storm of her thoughts. The tears fell quietly and shocked Brandon into silence. Brandon was so fascinated by this reaction from his brother, he could only watch as he felt her thoughts slipping away.

It took a second before he realized he was crying too. He wiped at his eyes as her thoughts quieted. Then it wasn't a black hole. It was nothing. It wasn't a completely dark void, it was nothing like she'd never been.

There were foot steps, anxious footsteps of a small compact body hoping down the stairs and stopping at the bottom. Brandon caught Shawn's thought. For half a moment she actually feared that Jimmy had...

"They resorted to hurting anyone who became close to the other. They burned through the whole world this way."

"It was Killer," Brandon heard himself say. "He did this."

"...I hope that you make it...
...I hope that you find your way..."

Lyrics from Closing In by Imogen Heap

Next: Chapter 15: The Walk

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I'm not done breaking your heart yet.

Also, I've been thinking about this for a while. I started a forum spring where anyone can ask me questions if they want. It's here.