As We Burn

One.

I step off of the train and into the fresh air. It's been almost five hours since the last time my lungs felt new oxygen. My legs are still a bit weak from sitting for so long and my eyes are having trouble adjusting to the brightness of the outdoor platform. It's not even noon yet, but the sun is trying its hardest to break through the grey clouds looming overhead. Carrying my bags, I walk from the platform to the stairs heading down into the station, escaping the brisk September winds. Entering the building, I pull out my cell phone to text my brother and let him know I've arrived. Almost instantaneously, he texts back that he'll be here shortly. Elliot has several cars, and I wonder which one he will be driving - I guess those are the types of choices you're faced with when you have that much money.

I spot an old instant coffee machine by a newspaper stand and make my way towards it. I usually prefer tea, but I've been up since six this morning and it still feels like I've only just woken up. I wait while the coffee pours into the blue paper cup and my eyes catch the headline of the newspaper beside me: Laurelwood University Ranks Third in Top Canadian Schools. Even though I barely count as a student yet, the headline makes me proud. Laurelwood is one of the wealthiest towns in Ontario, and its university even more prestigious. I was shocked - and lucky - when I got my acceptance letter to their photography program. It may not be the most academic program, but it's what I love. I remember the photos of the campus online; modern, cubic buildings made of different hues of blue glass with red wood accents, surrounded by well kept gardens and walkways. The only time I have ever been to Laurelwood besides today was when I was a little boy. My mom took me to go shopping at all of the local stores, but I ended up only buying a mermaid shaped bath bomb — which cost me around twenty dollars itself. It was worth it for the stunning views of Lake Ontario, though. I can still remember eating bubblegum flavoured ice cream at sunset as I watched the sailboats drift back to shore. My brother found his own luck in owning a house here, and not only because he got out of Eastview. Back home. My mother. I quickly take a sip of my steaming coffee, burning my tongue just to distract myself from the bittersweet thoughts in my head. I decide to pour a few packets of sugar into the steaming liquid, but I doubt anything could salvage it.

By the time I've finished my coffee, a matte black Audi R8 pulls up the curb of the train station, and I throw my empty cup into the recycling bin. I don't need to see who the driver is to know it's my brother. I open the passenger door, the smell of leather and cologne wafting out.

"It smells like an Abercrombie and Fitch in here," I tease as I slide into the leather seat, shoving my few bags down by my legs. I make sure my camera bag is safely at the top of the pile.

"Nice to see you too, Parker," my brother laughs.

He's barely recognizable from the Elliot I knew years ago who spent his days playing rugby, constantly covered in mud and grass stains. He's traded his sports gear for dress clothes and a long grey pea coat, his brown waves cropped short to a professional buzzcut. Even the lines near the corner of his eyes have become more defined. I haven't seen him in nearly a year; he opted out on coming home for Christmas last year, an understandable decision - one I envied. Christmas just wasn't as jolly alone with my mother and her drunken friends.

"Did you just get back from a fashion show?" I ask, the engine revving as we pull away from the train station. I've never been the type of guy who's obsessed with cars, but I feel luxurious sitting in this one. He rolls his eyes at me.

"Actually, I just had a business meeting with a potential investor," he touts. I can't dig at him for his business - Elliot has spent years of hard work getting to where he is, and I truly am proud of him. For as long as I can remember, Elliot loved coming up with new ideas, better ways of doing things. He even modified some of my old cameras to take better quality pictures. Who knew an idea for a stock trading app would take off so fast?