Tongue Tied [BoyxBoy]

Chapter 7: Alix

"Alix, correct?" Imogen asked, as I walked beside her on the path. I slowly nodded and she let out a sigh. "Boy, aren't you the blabber mouth?" I knew it was sarcastic, but I shrugged anyhow. She smiled slightly and kept on walking.

"Iriss." She said, but I ignored her. "Why does that name sound familiar?" She seemed to think for a second before gasping and smiling in my direction.

"Do you happen to have any one who's passed away in your family?" She asked and I sighed, before nodding.

"Yeah, my brother." Wouldn't he be gone and out of Limbo? I mean, I'm no ghost, but he's been dead for four years. I thought.

She smiled again. "No, he's still here." She said, before taking my hand and running to the edge of the path, right where a cliff hung off. Just before we fell, she jumped off the edge and glided across the sky onto the next piece of land.

I fell to the ground when we landed and she stood still; immaculate and elegant, the only two words I could describe her as, ever since I met her not too long ago.

"How--?" I started, but she interrupted.

"Your brother is still here, because he hasn't been forgotten yet, but he hasn't been remembered either." She frowned, as she looked through papers in her hands. "Did you ever have a funeral for him?"

I shook my head.

Without looking at me, she said, "Speak up, I can't hear your brain rattle in your head when you shake."

"N-no. We didn't."

Tsk, tsk, tsk. "That explains it," she said, looking up and staring across Limbo. "Why?"

"What?"

"Why didn't you have a funeral?"

"Why are you asking me all these questions?"

"Just answer it." She said with annoyance and without even glancing at me. "Why?"

"We never knew he died until months later." I could feel tears forming in my eyes, as I said it and the memories came back to haunt me.

"How'd he die?" She asked, becoming calmer and more sympathetic through her voice. She knew, though, I knew that she knew how he died. She was trying something with me and I wasn't sure if I could fight it.

The alley... the bullies... the blood... so much, too much. The day, the horrible day; missing... for weeks.

The tears swelled down my face and I fell to my knees and buried my face in the ground.

"Alix, I'm not sure how to tell you this, but--," Mom said in a hushed voice.

"When's Cameron coming home? I miss him." I said, not realizing the bad news that was about to hit me. Mom looked to dad, then back to me.

"Cam is... Cam is--," she tried again, before tears filled her eyes and she fell to her knees hugging me tightly.

Something bad had happened. I finally saw it; mom would never break down in front of me, not after I came out and especially since she was basically ashamed of me, though she never admitted it. Cameron was her favorite. And I know that something horrible had to happen for her to do this.

"Did, did he get hurt?" I asked her, but she didn't say anything. She just cried and couldn't look at me. I glanced at dad, who was attempting to hold back his pain. "Dad? What happened?"

"Your brother is dead." He said, with a blood curdling cry. My skin crawled and my eyes also filled with tears.

"How?"

Mom gasped before saying shakily, "The secrets, the bullies, the--"

"Alleyway," Imogen said, as I broke down in front of her. "Says here, your brother was attacked in an alleyway, beaten, and murdered." She closed her eyes and sighed, as she continued to read. "Apparently, he was killed by his closest friends. They were then accused of murder, but the verdict was never passed because there hadn't been any witnesses.

"There was never a funeral, because the Iriss family couldn't go through with it financially and emotionally." She continued. "Cameron Iriss was betrayed, unloved, and alone. The attack happened because of some little mishap with a silly highschool party, which sent his friends to jail for underage drinking, rape, and drug abuse."

"Stop, please," I begged, as I tried to stand up; tears still streaming across my cheeks. "I can't... I don't want to hear this anymore. I've heard enough."

She stopped and looked at me, her face sullen. I knew she didn't want to read any longer anyhow. I could hear it in her voice.

I wiped my eyes before staring at her. "Where is he?"

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A/N: And she finally updates! Sorry, guys, for the slow. I've been super busy. School gets really rushed during the spring and it's getting close to the end of the year, so they're trying to get everything done. But it's spring break now, so I'll be updating more often for you guys!