In Medias Res- (Eyes of Purple Book Two)

Chapter Eight

You're hurting me...

Can you please stop?

Why... did you come back...?

Oh, you just don't want to admit how much you've missed me.

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        She has that sad look in her eyes again, that wistful smirk as she glances out the window. Jeremy sits down next to her, and her hand automatically curls around his.

        "Have I ever told you the story of Brother Red and Brother Black, Jeremy Fitzgerald?" He finds that he's smiling as he shakes his head, a small turtle sitting in his lap. Her lips twitch, and she whispers.

        "Once, there a young man and a young woman, who lived by themselves on the edge of a wood. They were the best of friends, almost like siblings, and that was why they did not do anything to harm their friendship.

        "But one day, the man went out hunting."

        Now was the part where Jeremy asked questions, because that was how her stories worked. "Why did he go hunting?" Her eyes darted from the window, her head cocked to the side.

        "... They needed to feed their friends, their family... But while the man was hunting, another that looked exactly like him, came into their home and hurt her. He whispered hurtful words and left with the wickedest of smiles, and she cried.

        "When the man returned from hunting, she would not speak to him. He asked her why she was angry at him, when they were such good friends, and she repeated the words he had seemed to say to her. 'You have met my brother,' is what he replied, 'who looks exactly like I do. But I promise you, he is not me.'

        "But the next day, the man needed to hunt again, and the brother came back, this time attempted to embrace her like that of a lover. The woman fought him, and left scratches down his arms. The brother stumbled out of the house, cursing. And when the man returned from hunting, there were the same scratches on his, and she was angrier, and frightened. 'I had gotten jumped by a wolf,' he said, an apologetic smile tracing his face. 'But if it was you who harmed my brother, so have you harmed me. When he hurts, I hurt.'"

        Jeremy contemplated this. "That's a rather convenient excuse. What if it was just the man, pretending to have a brother?" She turned her head left, right, shaking it slowly.

        "It had to be his brother, because the man would have never scared her or treated her like that. They respected each other too much." Both Jeremy and his caretaker were filled with a brief silence before she went on. "The brother returned on his own one more as the man was out, and this time attempted to take her away. This time, the woman was ready, and pulled a hot stick out of the fire and burned him. The brother ran, screaming in pain.

        "When the man returned that day, he had the burn marks too, and looked at her sadly. 'My brother has hurt you, so I will go find him, and kill him. And though that will kill me too, know that I do this because of my love for you.' He did not return for two days, and when he did, the man was dragging in a struggling man with burns down his chest and scratches on his arms.

        "The man threw his brother on the floor and said, 'You have hurt her, and betrayed my trust. And for that, we will both die.' He pulled out a knife and slashed his brother through the heart-

        "And as he did, in the same place on his chest his heart began to bleed, and they both sunk to the floor gasping for breath. As he died, the woman now knew she was safe from the brother, but now her heart was broken."

        Jeremy didn't know what to say for a second. "... Why would he do that for her?"

        "Why did you save Michael?" She pointed out shrewdly.

        "Well, why did you ask me to?"

        She smirked, and Shelly yawned. "Touche, old friend. We did that because we care about him, yes?"

        "Yeah... But don't you think the man was scared?"

        "We're all scared to die, Jeremy."

(A/N: This chapter draws heavily off of a parable from The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry. It's a good book, and one that I'd recommend reading if you're into books about mental health, summer love, and/ or time travel.

Chapter art by DeviantArt user TheSarcasticRabbit)