Mix was about to say something more, to protest and beg the older... arguing that he had this weird feeling in his stomach. That this thing, whatever it was, seemed to be bigger than Vee thought... that there was something going on. It was just a mere feeling, like when you got a gut feeling about a situation or a person... nothing Mix would have been able to logically explain and argue based on.
His chance got stolen though when the doorbell rang again, Vee smiling apologetical at him before heading to the front door... and it was not even a minute later that he could hear Dew's voice coming closer.
"Aow... what happened?" The older carefully took his brother's hands in his', looking at the scratched-up skin of his palms and the knees that showed similar injuries. " Did they..."
" It's nothing, just me being clumsy. "
Even before finishing the sentence Mix knew the older would not believe him this... half-hearted lie, but then again: he had not even tried lying properly. In contrary to Dew, Mix was aware of how easily he was seen through by his brother... so instead of spending a lot of time on crafting constructs of bullet-proof distortions of the reality, he just used whatever came to his mind in the moment.
And it was not even completely a lie in this case. Theoretically, it was because he was being clumsy and not paying too much attention about landing down there on the ground. He could have taken different ways out of the house, but instead had chosen the most direct route, to make sure he could arrive at Vee's place first and take a shower... And even though the last part of his plan had failed, Mix surely had arrived first and gotten the chance to press their best friend a little on the matter. Not as successful as he had wished it to be, but he had made one thing sure: Something was going on that Vee was aware of and Dew having asked him to keep it a secret. Even from him. Surely, it could have been to not worry Mix, maybe it was just another time that their parents had decided on things - maybe sending him to a boarding school so they would not have to see their youngest soon anymore... or just something else. In any case... no matter how long he had tried thinking of possibilities, there was not a lot of results coming out of it. Basically none.
" How about you take a shower first and join us then to prepare dinner? What do you think?"
It took a moment for Mix to react, slowly nodding his head and placing Dew's backpack in the elder's arms, before walking upstairs. Vee's offer surely had been a two-edged sword: While he was able to flee out of the conversation and being interrogated like this, his disappearance surely would give the others a chance to discuss the secret matter, something Mix really wanted to eavesdrop... and he would have, if it was not for Dew trying to raise him with 'perfect' morals. Respecting other people's privacy and boundaries, only lying when there was a good reason - just to name a couple of them.
.
.
.
" Woah... "
Dew and Vee stared at the TV blankly, their lips wide apart due to the surprise and shock of the revelations. Sure, they had been obvious to the fact that Torri was only framed as the murderer, some of the circumstantial evidence just looking a little... too god to be true. The clues leading a little too directly to her, without even leaving single doubt that it would be someone else... someone that might have orchestrated it all along, placing favourable evidence while completely stealing themselves out of the spotlight.
" I so did not see that coming, " Vee spurted out, leaning back in the couch. With his hand he turned off the monitor before moving a little closer to his best friends. But as soon as he laid eyes upon Mix' almost bored facial expression, he couldn't help but furrowed his brows. " Why are you looking like that?"
" Hm?"
The youngest looked up, meeting now both of the others' gazes while just shrugging with his shoulders. It was not that the movie was boring or something - a serial killer killing one person after another that had participated in a secret RPG online - he did find it interesting, and the plot well put together. But what Mix could not understand was their confusion, how they had not seen who the real serial killer was because they overlooked the small details.
" Don't tell me you... "
" It was a little too obvious that it was neither Torri, the last participate that was still alive, nor Reina, " he shrugged, yawning a little.
" But how? They were the only two people left who knew about the RPG. Torri, because she participated and Reina because she came across her boyfriend's chat before he was able to delete it. It was clear that the evidence pointed at Torri but that Reina, jealous of her boyfriend having a virtual affair with all the female and male participants, would orchestrate their deaths..."
At this point, Vee had crossed his arms and was eyeing the younger. In the wild west times, he would have asked for a duel next, taking a shot at each other and the quicker person surviving. But here, in the year 2021, all he could do was trying to challenge Mix' thought process and driving him into an explanation corner, out of which he would not be able to escape.
" See, there is the first mistake. Yes, it was Torri starting it all, but there was one thing no one paid attention to: Everyone just assumed that Torri wrote the RPG because she formed this thread on the website, but it was Aura that had developed the whole story and storyline before Torri stole it... So she sought revenge by killing off one character after another in the order of their importance in the RPG, to take revenge on them stealing her idea. She even left a clear sign that it was her, something no one even thought about... "
" And that would be what?"
Mix just chuckled, taking his phone out and turning on the flashlight on it. After adjusting the brightness for a while, he carefully leaned it against the TV and then stood between the couch and the phone - light illuminating him from behind.
" Her name, Aura, stands for a paranormal field of luminous multi-coloured radiation around a person or object... so as her signature she made sure that all her victims had some kind of backlight... which the detectives mistook as a spotlight being pointed at the victims - something Torri, as an actress, might do..."
Vee just stared at Mix blankly, the other's words slowly passing through his brain and it comparing all the new arguments with what had happened in the movie... The longer he thought about though, the more the explanations started to make sense to the point that he just lifted his hands up and admitted defeat.
" Alright... you win Mix. , " he finally admitted before looking over to Dew, who had been quiet for quite some time. " If he continues being like that... we should really talk him into becoming a profiler..."
" Well... my little brother is just brilliant ..."
Dew's words were more a mumble, almost as if he were caught off guard while thinking hard about something. But he tried to play it down as quickly as he could, repeating his words a little louder before he suddenly hugged Mix. Not that them hugging was something weird or unnormal but Mix surely was caught off guard by the intensity and how random it was.
" Dew...?"
" You are intelligent little brother... even if mom and dad don't see or want to acknowledge it, I am sure whatever you choose to work as later, you'll do a great job in it, " the older quietly whispered while continuing to hug Mix.
Though he was caught off guard and a little... surprised, he hugged Dew back, leaning his head comfortably against the other and for once enjoying that he was a little smaller.
" I love you Mix..."
" I love you too Dew"
***
Mix could feel a couple of tears running down his face and softly hitting Earth's arm, that he was still laying on. It was more comfortable than he wanted to admit, something he could surely get used to... but well... that wasn't the point of all this right now.
" I already found it a little weird back then... it just seemed to come out of nowhere... but, of course, I didn't think anything bad about it and just guessed that it was because of this secret... and though that was true, it surely wasn't in the way I had thought. I often thought back to that moment, that maybe if I had done something different, if I had just... I don't know..."
" I don't know what kind of person he was but... I am sure he had thought long about it... and probably nothing could have stopped him , " Earth whispered softly, both him and Mix turning towards each other before he carefully dried his friends cheek with his thumb.
" The three of us went to bed together, me sleeping in the middle and both Phi Dew and Vee sleeping on one of my sides... but when we woke up the next morning... he wasn't there. I looked everywhere in the house but could not find him, even though his bags were still there. So... I woke up Vee... we tried calling him, but he had left his phone there too... It was just really weird you know... he was a reliable person, someone who wouldn't just go somewhere without a word, especially since he knew I would worry about him... The problem was though that I had school only 30 minutes later, so Vee and I decided to split us up: while I would go to school and look for him there, he would try it at our house or at the coffee shop where he would sometimes get lunch for me... "
A shiver ran through Mix' body, remembering the end of that... memory. Remembering... how he just got ready for school and started heading there, how he had no idea that his life would take a 180° turn the moment he stepped on the schoolground. How everything he thought he had... disappeared in black smoke that day.
"Shh... you don't have to tell me more when it hurts too much."
Earth's voice was gentle and soothing, him carefully pulling Mix in his arms while they were still laying down on the rooftop. Just holding him close, letting the other silently cry in his arms and giving him a safe space. Giving him a place where he could be vulnerable, where no one would judge him for his feelings or emotions... something everyone needed.
"So, I went to school and... two teachers and a handful of students were standing there... calling the police... but all I could do is sink on my knees next to him... and stare at his lifeless body that was laying in a red puddle... I just... sat there... I hadn't realised what had happened back then, I was probably just too shocked to realise anything..., " Mix brought out in pieces, his voice trembling like a leaf in the wind that fell before it got lifted up again, only to crash on the ground in the end. " All I know after that is something Vee told me. I have no idea what happened between that moment and the morning of the funeral a week later... some things are like a weird blur while others... I just can't remember them at all..."
"That's okay... you lost someone so important to you... it is totally okay that everything is a little fishy around that day... it's okay..."
The other's hand was drawing small circles on Mix' back, both of his arms carefully folded around him so that he could hold Mix, but without making him feel trapped. Or at least he hoped so. It was just a difficult situation, not only what had happened but also... what was an appropriate reaction to hearing all that? Shock? Horror? Empathy? If it were another person telling Earth about such a memory, he would have felt caught off guard, hurriedly trying to come up with the right way to comfort the other person ... but for Mix... they had grown close enough for Earth's body just to decide on his own, picking what it deemed the best way to comfort the person he treasured in his heart.
Physical comfort. Something between a hug and being held in someone's arm, something that would not only give the other a feeling of not being alone, but also a place to feel protected and safe in. It was his primary love language anyway, and while Mix had seemingly liked words of assurance too... in those moments when he was having a hard time, physical comfort seemed to work best on him anyway.
" I'm thankful you shared that memory with me... and I am sorry you lost your soulmate... I am sure he was as great of a person as you... "
<< As promised: Chapter 26 as a thank you for this story hitting 10k in views (actually almost 10,3k ... well it's been 12h since we hit it, that's why).
Before someone asks: The movie they watched is completely made up... it wasn't planned at all but I felt in the mood to make them watch a movie and talk about it to show the ambience... That movie is completely made up, it does not exist in real life or anything... but it kinda sounds interesting for a story idea tbh...
Love, Ia >>