The Story of Them

The Story of Them (Xavier & Xenon): Chapter 9

"Today, in the garden, I saw your most precious flower, Xavier."

I heard the light chirping of a sparrow, and I stopped and listened. The tiny notes starting out slow and tenor, but then changing to sharp sopranos. I glanced towards the curtained window and eyed the bright sunlight seeping from beneath the thick curtains. It stopped a few inches from the thick window sill and poured onto the hard floor. My eyes began to quickly burn at the brightness and reflexively, I blinked, looking away. I sat across from my brother, near the foot of his bed, in a wooden chair Vincent had brought me from another room. It squeaked lowly if you leaned backwards.

"It was the pale flower, with the gold center. The one with rounded petals that ended in soft points. It grows on a long vibrant stem and in small bunches of no more than two or three."  

My hands were folded in my lap and I became distracted by the crimson cuff of my sleeve. My skin juxtaposed to the dark shirt made the paleness of my hand more visible. I flattened my fingers, watching the skin around the knuckles tighten, and then loosen slightly. Abruptly, I shook my head. Here I am again taking part in my brother's foolish mannerisms.

"I....tended to them..." I paused. "...they seemed to be a bit dehydrated so I gave them water."

My eyes rested on his still face and I felt a sudden shift of emotion. It felt as if my throat was going to close and I swallowed, though that seemed to only make it worse.

"Xavier...Vincent said that, maybe, you could hear me." My eyes flickered down to my hands once more then back to his expressionless face. "I am not sure how much of that I believe. I..." I took another pause. What is wrong with me?

"I want to think...I want to believe that you can...that...you are in there somewhere and I am not  wasting my time. Xavier..."

I began to feel a slight burning sensation in my eyes, similar to the feeling of the sunlight from earlier. My vision clouded and I gripped the fabric from my trousers between my fingers. What was this? Am I crying, yet again? 

"Damn't, Xavier...." my voice was barely audible. Emotion thickened it and I attempted at wiping my eyes with the backs of my hand. "You are the one making me spill these tears yet again!"

I quickly stood up, moving, standing over him at bedside. There was not a rise and fall of his chest like I was used to seeing. He, nor I, did not need to breathe, but he did so in order to feel more human. At this position, Xavier could be dead. Xavier could be dead and I would not be aware of it. Neither of us had knowledge of what "vampires" looked like as corpses, though, I safely assumed we did not look too different from when we were animated. He could be dead without a word. Vincent and I could be fighting a lost cause and we would not know it. "Vampires" do not have heartbeats. He could be dead...

"Xavier!" I shouted, reaching down and grabbing his shirt's collar, clenching it in my fists. I raised him up to eye level  and scanned his face. His body limply hung, no reaction. His head lolled backwards, exposing the paleness of his throat. 

I began to panic. Somewhere inside me, I began to panic. It felt as if the world was beginning to spin around me and he was the only stable liaison I had between this world and the next. 

"Xavier, you imbecile, wake up! You are not dead, do you hear me!" I shook him once, twice. "You are not dead! Hear me! Open your eyes!"

I could feel the tears that still continued to linger fall faster and faster. My sadness turned into blatant rage. "Xavier! You damned fool! Xavier!"

"Xenon."

I halted my deranged cries and remained still. I settled him steadily back onto his bed and held his face between my hands. My eyes darted back and forth across his face. Did he...say something?

"Xenon."

"Xavier?"

"Xenon."

No, the voice was coming from behind me. I turned to see Vincent standing in the doorway, arms folded over his chest, waiting. His face was calm and his eyes were patient. 

My mouth opened. I wished to explain my actions, but I could not. 

"Lay your brother back to bed and come downstairs." he said, leaving the doorway empty. I could hear his soft footsteps as he descended down. I turned back to my brother and cradled his head in the crook of my arm, slowly setting him in the position he was once in. 

"I am sorry." I muttered to him and left his bedside, following Vincent's path downstairs.

Tick...Tock...Tick...Tock...Tick...Tock...Tick...Tock...Tick...Tock

The two of stared at one another, well,  he stared at me. I proceeded to look down at my hands. His gaze did not make me uncomfortable, for it was soft, but  I hated the silence. He waited for my response while I did not give him one.

The grandfather clock ticked beside us as we both took residence in the main room where I often sat and read at times. I almost guffawed at the idea of me reading. 

"I am sorry." I spoke, after what seemed like an eternity of silence.

"I am sure of that, but that is not what I asked."  Vincent's voice was not scolding, but rather soft and a bit jovial.

"I...I panicked. It looked as if he was dead. I... do not want him to die."

I felt my eyes begin to prick with those damned tears again and I bit my lip.

"Xenon...you love your brother, do you not?"

I was taken aback at first and felt mild embarrassment. "I...well..I...yes."

He laughed and the sound ringed in my ears. It was a pleasant sound. 

"There is no need to feel embarrassed. I am glad you are so close to him as you are. You should cherish that. There may be a time when the two of you really need one another."

I could not help but think of the present when I heard him speak those words. I do not think there could ever be a situation more troubling than this. 

Vincent watched me for a moment longer before suddenly brightening.

"I saw you tending to a flower in the yard earlier today. I am sure you are not the type to like those things, but your brother....he likes flowers?"

I nodded, a bit confused.

"Forgive me if this is silly but, do you think it would be a joyous event if your brother awoke to a garden full of flowers given to him by his brother?"

I blinked and nodded again, slowly. "I suppose you are correct." I began to grin. "The little idiot would be so surprised to see such a thing."

Vincent smiled in agreement. "He may have to undergo rehabilitation treatment when he awakens and seeing something of that sort may help. But then again, his condition after awakening could be unpredictable."

"He will be fine, I am sure. My brother may not look it, but he is strong. He will fight his way out and be the same person he was when he went in. I believe in him."