The Hanes Enigma

Chapter One - Brynn Clough & Kim Taehyung: Endings are Beginnings

Brynn Clough 

Orange juice sloshes and splatters over the rim of the glass, staining the white tablecloth a muted citrus. I blink at the mark, head tilting slightly. It seems odd, almost a pattern. I blink again. There are six droplets which almost look like arrows pointing into each other. I chuckle, finding it fantastic that a spillage could appear so symmetrical. I lean in, trying to get a closer look but find a damp cloth thrown over the stain instead. My mother begins to ruthlessly scrub at the white material and I sigh, slouching back into my seat.

"Are you nervous, dear?"

My eyes widen. She can't have remembered, can she? She really paid attention to my grumblings of hatred for the physics test I have today? I grin, looking up at my mother and my mouth opens slightly.

"Not really, it's like the sixth date at this point.." My older sister rolls her eyes, shaking her head at our mother's insistent interest in her life.

My mouth quickly shuts and my eyes flick back to my untouched plate. I should know better than to get my hopes up.

"Brynn?"

My hopeless eyes dart to meet my mother's.

"Willow left an old dress of her's in your room this morning. Did you find it?"

I nod. It's harsh, I know. I rarely speak to my family and maybe they deserve a little more than that. But I find it hard to care. They barely know me. They never wanted to.

"And? What did you think?" My mother grins excitedly. "It's your size, isn't it?"

Willow glares at me, hating that I lose weight at the rate she gains it.

"Yeah. Not very... me..." I look away again, not needing to witness my mother's lips purse and the roll of my sister's eyes.

"Brynn, it's time you grew out of your tom-boy phase, isn't it?" My father frowns disapprovingly.

"I'm not a tomboy, I just like wearing jeans and t-shirts more than lacey, flowy dresses." I retort, earning a shocked look from my mother at hearing quite so many words leave my mouth and a disgruntled hurumph from my almost mute father. I'd say I take after him, but our quietness is the only thing that connects us and even that is with very dissimilar reasoning. My father has little to say and so agrees with my mother in practically all things. I have a lot to say and, as hard as it may be to believe at this point, can actually be quite bubbly and annoyingly loud and talkative when with the right people, but find it hard to open up when the people around me the most care little about any contribution I make to society. Sometimes I wonder if my parents decided that they wanted a back-up, just in case Willow didn't fit their expectations. And yet every time she proved her worth they cared less and less about me. I mean, who the hell calls one daughter Willow and the other Brynn. Do you want to know what it means? Hill. Yup. My sister is a magical tree with myths that include hiding and healing lost warriors on their return from battle, guiding them home and giving them shelter in the meantime. I'm a freakin hill. I call that favouritism.

***

"They said it would be sunny.." An arm slings itself around my shoulder and suddenly my day is brightened. Funnily enough, literally. The rain settles to a light patter and a rainbow begins to form somewhere in my peripheral vision. "That's better." The boy next to me grins as if he had something to do with the weather's sudden change of heart. A likely story.

"Tae.." I smile lightly, nodding to the boy.

"Brynn.." He grins a boxy smile that stretches my own out further against my will.

"I thought you were moving schools this year.." I cock my head, shoving my hands deep into my denim jacket's pockets and letting my feet fall into time with Tae's own steps. (Though, this quickly fails as his legs are miles longer than my own and I end up practically jogging to keep up.)

"I have.. I don't start until next week, though, and I wanted to say goodbye properly.." He shrugs, looking away guiltily.

"Lucky, that's a whole month less of school!" I sigh, already hating this year as much as the last, if not more what with no Tae.

"Yeah, but we don't really have breaks, so.." He shrugs, looking away guiltily.

"Don't feel too sorry for me. At least be happy one of us is getting out of this hell-hole." I sigh melodramatically.

"You'll follow me one day, I know you will." He grins.

"I know." I smile back, equally as oddly optimistic as my best friend. "Just not until after I've left school. And that's okay! I'll have that much more to complain to you about over the phone." I raise my eyebrows challengingly, waiting for a cocky retort.

"I really am sorry, Brynn. I thought you'd be coming too..." Shockingly I see genuine concern in Tae's features; an unusual sight on the predominantly playful face.

"It's not the end of the world.." I shrug. "The internet makes long-distance friendships pretty easy to keep up nowadays, grandpa."

"I guess.." He doesn't meet my eyes which confuses me further.

"So why now? Why not say goodbye closer to when you leave. You could have slept in.." I change the topic quickly, not liking how uncomfortable my best friend appears to be.

"I dunno.. Missed you..."

"You saw me yesterday.." I chuckle.

"I know, but.. I won't see you again... F-For a while! I won't see you for a while..." He looks away again. Eyes flicking in every direction except my own.

"What's going on?." I glare, coming to a halt on the pavement and folding my small arms over my chest.

Taehyung finally looks my way and shakes the sadness off his face, cupping my cheeks in his gigantic hands. "Just nervous about being the new kid, I guess. Remember last time?"

I chuckle at the thought of the somewhat over double digits Taehyung, no one ever knew exactly how old he was, spilling ketchup all over the biggest bully in the school on his first day. And even more at the memory of the miniature, 8-year-old Brynn standing strong and determined in front of him with hands on hips, a furious glare taking over the normally innocent features of the ice blonde child.

"Yeah.. Good luck with that!" I laugh and push him playfully before linking our arms and awkwardly stumbling down the road we had walked down together for over a decade. The end of an era... And the beginning of who knows what.