Hello Dolly...

Independence

School was hell. Fourth grade was hell. New people were pure hell. This whole thing was such a pain in the ass.

Nicky had gone through changes, since his family's murder a year and a half ago. He'd stopped being the kid, that everyone knocked around, and walked all over. Cody was gone. His brother, his big bad protector, his best friend, was now nothing more then a rotting corpse buried six feet underground. His body buried in the cemetery.

The cemetery was located a block or two, before the new school, so Nicky stopped by to talk to his brother often. Mandy didn't like it, especially since he always went alone, but he'd been stubborn. It had been a fight that lasted three months. A fight he won, but only after he promised to get into a self-defense class.

Mandy herself, after finding a weekend job, payed for it. He knew she was doing everything she could, to be independent. Cody knew she was trying hard, to make up for their parents loss. He felt closer to her then anyone. She was his lifeline. Since Cody's death, and the few weeks after, he hadn't seen any haunting visions or scary scenes. It had taken only a few weeks for him to remember what had happened the night they'd left Mandy. He hadn't wanted to remember but it kept creeping in slowly.

He still couldn't help but feel a sense of approaching menace. Some one or some thing, was waiting. It was like there were eyes on him, nearly every hour of the day. He only felt really safe, at the cemetery. He felt a divine protection from his deceased twin. It was like, when he sat back, against the gravestone, he was in a bubble of pureness. This was his place where no one, and nothing could touch him. He was free here.

He talked about everything. He talked about transferring schools and the kids' stares, after they found out what had happened. How all their friends couldn't look at him, because he looked too much like Cody. He knew they'd never really been his friends. They'd been his brothers. Now he was just a painful reminder, of how their best friend was dead. The sympathy from everyone was welcome, for a short time. Then it all became too much. It got to the point where Nicky couldn't wait to leave the school. He didn't want to be stuck in a classroom with some of his cousins, but at least they acted somewhat normal with him.

Everyone treated him like a fragile piece of glass. They saw him as somehow breakable. The ironic thing was, he was already broken. A huge chunk of himself died, the same day Cody had. Mandy didn't treat him like some kind of China plate. She cherished him, but never coddled him. He knew she was trying to toughen him up. He was no good weak, and he wanted to be able to protect his sister as well.

On the day he left his old school forever, he had the strangest, strongest urge, to leave some kind of mark. He wanted everyone to remember his twin. That night after stealing the school keys, he snuck out and entered the school. The only thing he could think of to leave a permanent reminder, was taking the sharpest knife he had, and carving his brother's name into the schools great wall.

He took the blade and walking through the front doors, he headed straight forward. The great Wall was the first thing you saw as you walked in. It never had anything but papers on it. It was like it had been a last minute idea, to take up random space left over. He made sure to shield his features, even wore a skirt to keep everybody guessing, and he wrote the words; Cody Harrison. It was carved in huge and clear letters. No one would forget his brother. Even after years and paint covered it up, no one would forget. It satisfied Nicky, to see the big letters. He left the school building, leaving the keys behind.

The school he transferred to, wasn't what he had hoped it would be. As days went by, he hated school more and more. Not a single person knew about what had happened, yet, so for that he felt relieved. Now, he was an instant target for school bullies. He was still pretty small for his age, and didn't know yet, how to throw what weight he had in a fight. Another reason he had excepted Mandy's proposal. That way he would be able to protect himself, simply so he could be left alone.

Nicky told Cody everything. Leaning back, he would chat nonchalantly. He told him about the guys in school, how they'd gone from being major pricks to completely avoiding him. He had shown them, that he wouldn't be messed with anymore. He told Cody about the fear in their eyes as they had fled from him. He didn't like to see the fear, but it was better then seeing the complete control they thought they had over him.

Nicky had never said a single curse word. Not even when his brother and friends, said it was okay, as long as the grown ups didn't hear them. He didn't see the point in using the inappropriate language. Now he used it at every second he could. It released some kind of conflicting feeling inside him. Nothing said, I hurt, like telling someone to fuck off, or threatening to shove a stick up so and so's ass. It was a release of pent up emotions.

He never talked like that in front of his Aunt or Uncle though, he felt too much respect for them. When they weren't around, it was game on.

He sat like usual, against Cody's gravestone. He pulled at the grass. His face was bruised up and he had a cut lip. He was afraid they'd knocked a tooth out, and spat blood out every so often. No breaks, not even his jaw, he was sure. The older siblings of the kids who'd bullied him, had shown up pissed off and acting tough. He couldn't figure out why. He didn't start any of the fights he simply did what he was learning to do. They had a grudge though. One of the guys, the tallest, used to be on the high school wrestling team, and he knew what he was doing. They beat him up good, and left him on the ground bleeding. He hadn't cried though. The body pain wasn't so bad. The emotional pain was another story.

"You'd never seen his face go so pale Code. It was so funny. He went like sixty shades lighter." He chuckled "If you think my face is bad, man you should have seen the other guys." Nicky was lying, and he figured Cody knew it too. Nicky started laughing and stopped, only because his bruised ribs didn't like the movement at all. He looked up towards the sky. The clouds where darkening. There would be a storm soon, and he'd have to leave. He hated leaving.

Nicky laughed in short again. He felt his eyes stinging. Wetness slid down his face.

He wondered when the storm had started already, then realized it was his tears. They tasted salty, as each one slid down his face, trailing onto his lips. He'd swipe his tongue out and catch one, tasting it. Salty.

The next minute went by and suddenly Nicky found himself, crying and beating at the ground, demanding his brother to tell him why he had died. Why had he stayed home? Why couldn't he have gone with, like Nicky had asked? Would he be alive if he had? He hated the questions as they circled in his head.

Tears never stopped and his fist started aching. At some point he had started screaming at Cody. He hated his brother as much as he loved and missed him. He wanted to punch his brother in the face, and hug him all at the same time. He wanted to fight his twin, until both their knuckles bled, then laugh it off, like only brothers could.

He screamed at the sky "Why! Why did you leave! Why did you go and die! It shouldn't have been you," his voice cracked "why didn't you hide, or something!" His voice grew hoarse, the next words came out, like a whispered gasp, "Why did you leave without me?"

After a time his back, knees, and knuckles began aching. He picked himself up off the ground, and headed home. Cody could never answer his questions. He'd have to accept never knowing. There would only ever be, empty air to take his words and disappear. He closed the cemetery gates and walked away. He'd be back.

************

He pulled his hoodie up over his head and pushed his headphones in his ears. Turning the volume up, he blasted the music loud. He was so into his song, he didn't realize he'd been walking for too long. He pulled one bud out and looked around. It was maybe a twenty minute walk home. How had he been walking for longer?

Had he mistaken somewhere? Gone the wrong way? No, he was completely sure he had gone the right direction. So why couldn't he recognize the houses around him?

{Sorry I'm always so late with updates, I don't choose when inspiration strikes, but a can assure you, I'm working on the next chapter. Hope you all love the new chapter, and get ready for more horror...}