Payback's A Nightmare | ✔

CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FIRST

CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FIRST

"So how's life with Fitz, Brennus and Aurelia?" Evelina asked Ailill, as the two of them lounged on the green, grassy grounds of Everglen, the stately, palatial Vacker estate that had housed almost nine generations of the celebrity-like elvin family. Brennus was inside the living room, talking things over with his mother.

In the corner of her eye, Evelina could see the two young moonlarks perching on the gnarled silver branches of the weeping willow that swept over the reflective lake. Their beady eyes seemed to be studying and scrutinising Evelina and Ailill in a creepy, unsettling way, making her unable to put her full concentration onto conversing with Ailill.

Ailill squared his shoulders, not even bothering to hide his grimace--- and Evelina couldn't blame him. She noticed he had visible dark circles under his gloomy teal eyes, and sucked in a sharp breath.

"I wish I could say that everything is perfectly fine--- but I can't, because it isn't. I thought after all that which happened in the human museum, it would go back to being a slightly awkward, but still completely tolerable scene. But"---Ailill released a long, heavy sigh, biting his lower lip for a while before continuing---"it's been nothing but a mess."

He proceeded to explain what had happened since the day after the series of events at the museum. Aurelia had brought him and Brennus home to Everglen immediately, and even though it was clear that they had all wanted to retreat and take shelter under the privacy of their own bedrooms, Aurelia had still insisted that they gather together in the living room while she offered them some leftover mallowmelt as a measly lunch.

Lunch soon stretched into dinner, and dinner into supper. None of them had really felt like eating and hence only managed to stuff in some fruits the kindly gnomes had offered to them. Brennus had camped in the living room and fallen asleep. Ailill had tried to fight the overwhelming desire to succumb to his sleepiness, but in the end he surrendered and dozed off the same way Brennus had. Aurelia seemed to have stayed awake throughout the night--- drinking a tonic to keep her sharp, Ailill recalled.

"We were awoken not by the morning, but the sound of loud voices." Ailill shuddered, rubbing his upper arms vigorously, as if he was trying to scare away non-existent goose bumps. "It was simply frightening. I don't want to go into detail. But Mum and Dad were shouting, shouting so loudly that their words were completely incoherent to me. Bren said that it was actually a cover for their secret telepathic discussion--- but I didn't dare to violate the rules of telepathy enough to eavesdrop on their conversation."

"I guess sticking by the rules is still the best way to go," agreed Evelina rather grudgingly, at the same time noticing how Ailill called Brennus by his nickname 'Bren'. She folded her arms across her chest as she said to Ailill, "And things didn't really get better after that."

It was more of a statement than a question, and Ailill confirmed her assumption by nodding and smiling sadly at the two moonlarks, still motionless as they sustained their unblinking, unnerving stares at them. "Breakfast was spent without much conversation. I'm guessing that some telepathic conversations between Mum and Dad actually went on-because Brennus and I had been doing exactly that--- transmitting to each other. He used to hate me, but I don't think he does now. It's almost as if we're real brothers."

Evelina cringed at the words 'real brothers'. She remembered that fateful day in Foxfire, before everything had changed, and how Brennus had reacted to Evelina calling Ailill his brother.

"Be kinder to Ailill, okay? You're being a very bad big brother."

"He's not my brother."

"Excuse me?"

"HE'S NOT MY BROTHER!"

Brennus had been jealous of Ailill and how Aurelia and Fitz always seemed to fawn over him, like he was a newfound pearl that was too precious to be ignored. He seemed to have felt lonely, neglected, or even unjustified, and Evelina--- being an Empath--- had felt all that jealousy and hatred and rage towards his family-maybe even a tinge of sadness.