Pure

Chapter 2 - Elias

After what seemed like forever, Elias walked through the front door of his house. Alex followed closely behind, droning on about what was going to happen on the latest episode of “Gone Secrets”. It’s his fathers television series where they “hunt monsters”. His brother plays a big role in it, and had been a member since he was 15. He's almost twenty now, but he got held back a year in 10th grade. 

Elias face planted into the couch, allowing his bag to slide off his back and onto the floor. He felt the couch dip behind him and Alex finished what he was saying. There was a moment of silence before he felt Alex’s head rest on his back. This wasn’t unusual for them, as they were pretty close. Alex was a parental figure to him, as their mother had died when they were pretty young. They used to spend every second with each other, but it seems like ever since Alex started on the show, they’ve grown apart.

“You know, dad has been talking about you to everyone on set. He’s proud of you, and it breaks his heart that you don't want to be on the show.” Alex muttered into the silence. Elias sighed heavily, sitting up causing Alex’s head to fall on the couch. He looked down at him. His feet rested up against the arm of the couch and he was staring up at him with pleading eyes. 

“No.” Elias states, crossing his arms and staring down at him. 

“Please, Elias,” Alex starts, practically begging him. “I hate seeing the pain on dads face everytime he talks about you to the rest of the cast. He pretends it doesn’t bother him but I can see it does.” 

Alex looked so much like his father, it was uncanny. The only difference was the small dimples that appeared on Alex’s face every time he smiled. Elias was always told he looked like his mother, but he was only 3 when she died. He didn’t have much memory of her, but he did remember her eyes. She had one gray and one brown eye, a rare disease called heterochromia. Another thing that he and her shared.  

Unlike Elias, Alex had a very vivid memory of her and drew pictures of her almost every day. Oftentimes, when he walked past Alex’s room, he heard the soft hum of music drifting through his door. Alex was a huge party goer, and usually listened to loud, blood pumping music. When the music is soft and calming, some form of art project is brewing.

  Despite his scary looking and charming demeanor, Alex’s true passion was art. If you were to walk into his room, you would see several scarily realistic drawings. Elias once suggested to him that he should go to an art school, but he said that most artists don’t make a lot of money. He also said that he would rather inherit his fathers show, and keep art as a hobby. 

  

Elias weighed his choices. If he said no, Alex would probably be upset at him, but respect his choices. If Elias said yes, Alex and his father would be happy, and maybe this could reconnect his bond with his brother and father.

“Okay. But only one episode.” Elias answered. He instantly smiled at the way Alex’s eyes lit up. Alex shifted himself up so he could face Elias and forced him into a rib-cracking hug. Alex got up and walked excitedly toward the hallway where his fathers office was located, but stopped.  

“I think… I think you should go and tell dad. It would mean a lot more coming from you than me.” Alex said, his goofy smile still plastered on his face. 

“But I don’t-” Elias couldn’t finish his sentence before Alex happily sprinted up the stairs. A few moments later he heard a door slam. 

Elias sat on the couch for a few minutes and thought about his life choices. He sighed, and slowly approached his fathers office. He stood in front of the door for a while, coming up with what he wanted to say. 

After 3 quick knocks, he heard his fathers voice yell “come in!”. Elias took a deep breath before turning the handle and lightly pushing the door open. His father looked up from his desk and Elias swore he saw his eyes light up in excitement before quickly covering it up. 

“Hey, Elias. Come sit.” His father said, patting the seat next to him. Elias walked over and pulled back a desk chair. The sound of the wheels rolling over the glossy wood floor filled the quiet silence.

Elias' dad looked at him expectantly. He was 43, but looked like he was in his mid 30’s. He had a few wrinkles here and there, but had an overall soft look to his face. He was also fit, and refused to let his age get to him. 

“So, erm,” Elias started, not knowing exactly what to say. “I was thinking about it, and I want to join the show. Just for an episode, to try it out. You know?” Elias quickly added the last part, not wanting to give his father the wrong idea and false hope. 

Still, Elias’ father’s eyes lit up. Then, he smiled. A true, genuine, smile. Something Elias hadn’t seen for what seemed like years. Not the fake overly happy smile he had seen on the small clips of video from the show. 

Then, he hugged Elias. It was short, but genuine. Elias found himself smiling too. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a loud beep.  

“Sir, Willow would like to speak to you.” A female voice spoke. Elias’ father looked solemnly at the phone before saying: “Yes, give me a moment.”

“I’m sorry, Elias, but it's grandma.” His dad said, his smile now gone. 

“It’s okay, dad. I understand.” Elias said, still happily smiling. 

Elias quickly stood up and walked out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. He had a silly smile stuck to his face, but it quickly fell when he saw his brother with the same one standing behind him. 

“I’m Guessing it went well then.” Alex said, smiling down at him. He was ridiculously tall, which makes him even more intimidating. Elias was tall as it is, standing at almost exactly 6’, while Alex was probably 6’4”. 

“Were you out here the whole time?” Elias asked, trying to wonder how he didn’t hear him coming down the hall. 

“Yeah, pretty much.” Alex answered, shrugging and walking into the kitchen. Elias thought about following him, but instead walked the other way and up the stairs. He approached his room and grabbed the cool brass door handle. He opened the door and pushed it shut with his foot, and it made an unnecessarily loud slam. 

Elias walked a few steps forward before face planting on his bed. He watched the sun stream through his window and the calm sounds of waves lapping against the shore. He didn’t know how long he laid there for, but he fell asleep after what seemed like a few seconds.  

| Sorry this took so long to come out, I really have just been lazy. Chapter 3 is done though, and I am working on chapter 4 :) (Slightly edited on 07/03/2023)|