Skateboards and Songbirds

Chapter Twenty Three: Choi Industries

Calico sucked in a deep breath, letting the blanket fall as he rested his head on his palms, and elbows on his knees. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about the update.

On one hand- he felt as though he didn't know Kade well enough to mourn- on the other hand- he knew he was supposed to care very deeply about the boy- and had before.

But whatever made Calico attracted to Kade in the first place- he was struggling to find again.

For some reason though- he couldn't shake the desire to put things back the way they were- even if he couldn't remember how things were exactly.
Maybe part of it had to do with the way Kade's face had plummeted into despair when Calico said he didn't know him- which made Calico want to hold him close and tell him everything was going to be okay.

"Do you think he will make it?" Calico asked, looking up to see if Cyril would actually look him directly.

When Cyril locked eyes with Calico- he could see the grief in his gaze.
"You don't think so?" Calico whispered, his chest tightening because even if he couldn't remember exactly who Kade was or had been to him- he still didn't think he deserved to die.

"I don't want to think about it." Cyril admitted through clenched teeth as though he were holding back his emotions. In of itself- Cyril's reaction to the situation caught Calico off guard- as Cyril wasn't one to actually show when he cared for someone.

"I know he's pulled through much worse but . . . What if it's the end of the line for him? What if his body decides that it's had enough?" Cyril added, his voice hardly over a whisper and still managing to crack the slightest bit.

"Can you take me to him?" Calico suggested suddenly, and Cyril ran his hands through his long hair, sucking in a deep breath, obviously calculating the risks.

"I can . . . He would want to see you- especially if . . ." Cyril didn't have to finish his sentence for Calico to understand what he was saying.

"Let's go then." Calico said abruptly, not wanting to waste any more time. Maybe- just maybe- if Calico got to see Kade again- it would spark some of his memories in his own head.

Specifically the ones he wanted that would answer his question- why did he say he loved Kade Kyrell?

"Now?" Cyril stammered, following Calico out of his room as he started to walk down the grand staircase that led to the first floor below where the front door was.
"You do realize that I cannot walk out that door without getting shot right?"

Now that Calico thought about it- he probably couldn't either considering his father was merely using him as a hostage to lure Kade back into the mansion.

"How'd you get in then?" Calico turned, popping a hand on his hip- raising an eyebrow at his older brother.

"The same way Kade did before- I jumped in- broke a window in the process- but nobody heard that because this place is so damn big." Cyril started running in the opposite direction that Calico had been headed.

Calico couldn't help but sigh in exasperation- after all- he assumed that Cyril had jumped into the house from somewhere- and in order to leave the way he came- they would need to miraculously learn how to fly.

But when Cyril veered down a hall Calico didn't wander very often- he got even more suspicious.

Even then- Calico didn't say anything- merely watching as Cyril went into a library room that was next to his own old bedroom- before their father kicked Cyril out for betraying the gang.
It was surprising that Cyril's library and room were generally in tact, and not shuffled through in the slightest.