Not Broken, Not Yet | Tom Riddle

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Wow..."

"And you will be too, Julius." She said and turned to the small boy. "You will also be brave. Promise?"

He looked up on her tentatively. Then he nodded. "Yes, I will be brave."

And brave he was. For as the months passed by the young boy endured the very same treatment like the girl had, enduring the tests, the torture, every day. In a place like theirs you wouldn't think there could be laughter. In fact, you wouldn't think people such as them capable of it.

But despite all of this, the room of darkness turned into one of laughter when the two broken children found solace in the company of another. The days didn't seem so long. The sessions with the scientist and his wife disappeared into the background. There were only them in the entire world. Amberly and Julius. Siblings by choice.

"I want a cat too one day." Julius told her one night as they lay in their beds and looked up at the ceiling.

"Really?"

"My mommy had a cat. Violet." He said dreamily with a little smile lighting up the bruised face. "She is white and has looong fluffy hair. One time Violet caught a gnomey and brought it inside. Mommy was furious at her and gave it to the owl."

Amberly turned to the side to watch him. "One day you'll get a cat just like Violet. And I will have my Julius."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

He beamed at her, before closing his eyes. "Goodnight, Amberly. Sleep well."

The girl took some time answering, instead opting to look at the smaller boy whose body already was covered in bruises and cuts. He had become her whole world. Her friend and brother. Perhaps the only person in the world that could fully understand what she was going through. But she was not able to protect him from the pain and agony. No one could. She felt a lonely tear run down her cheek before answering. "Goodnight, Julius."

Our eyes met over the knife. His dark gaze impaling me with its sheer intensity. I could feel his scent surrounding me again. Peppermint and pine needles. None of us dared move as his hand lingered over mine. A shiver went through me.

He was so close. So terribly close. I knew that I should have backed away as soon as his cold hand touched mine, but I found myself frozen in place as his eyes studied me intently. There was something strange in them. Something I had only caught very rare glimpses off. A look of... Recognition.

I pulled my hand away slowly and looked away, ruining the trance in but a moment. Next to me Riddle let out a breath. "I'll do it." He said shortly and started chopping the murtlap.

In the meantime I was watching him closely, eyes roaming over his lean figure and pale hands as they worked the knife expertly.

"I can feel you watching me, Green." He mumbled, not looking back to see me.

"Am not." I said hurriedly. "Not everyone's obsessed with you, you know."

Riddle turned around slowly, watching me with an arched brow. "Wrong." He said, pronouncing the word slowly, eyes twinkling ever so slightly.

"Prick..." I muttered.

"A quite correct prick." He corrected and went back to chopping the murtlap. Some of the normal tension had eased from his shoulders. It was a strange sight. He looked almost... relaxed.

I huffed and turned around on the couch, leaning against one of the silver pillows with my arms over my chest. Riddle continued chopping, it being the only sound in the room besides the crackling of the fire. I sighed and looked up at a ceiling I was not even able to make out.