"The responsibilities of an older sibling- stay and die or leave and suffer?"
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The Green Bay beaches are highly unvisited,
Irene can only guess after looking at the lack of footsteps and many pointy rocks. It's not exactly a good place for relaxation, or fishing, compared to the other beaches and bays on the island. It's dark and cold, the wind blows harshly here, unlike in the city where they have the mountains and hills to protect them. It's not a perfect place to set up camp, but when has any place ever been perfect?
Irene has a tight grip on her brothers hand, almost like he would disappear if she let go. After their hugs and cries, a almost deadly kind of silence engulfed them both. Only the wind and rain is heard as they walk. Sooner or later, all this bad weather will morph into an even heavier storm, and nervousness bubbles in the girls stomach. She would much rather be back at the temple during a storm, protected by its sturdy walls. But that is out of the question now, she has left and has no plans of coming back ever again.
Irene's pace is clearly more fast and confident than Isaac's. He seems more hesitant, and that hesitance only grows at each step that they take further away from the river and the rest of this islands society. He knows that the emperor is still there at the temple, and he wonders how long it will take before anyone notices his disappearance. Irene doesn't seem like she wants to go back, doesn't seem like she enjoyed her stay here, but lately he has enjoyed it. He wasn't ready to leave, he isn't ready to leave, but technically he knows that they should. The two of them don't belong here, they were never meant to be here. Their home and life is in their own village, and neither of them were meant to leave it.
Their silence lasts a long while, all the way to the Green Bay. Isaac doesn't know what Irene has been doing during the past month, and Irene doesn't know what Isaac has done either. They stay silent, both wanting to know, and also not wanting to. Afraid of the answer. Isaac is especially afraid. He doesn't want to know what happened to Irene, what and who created those marks around her neck, that he has been eyeing for this past hour they have spent together. Who is responsible for the slight stains of blood under her lips and the small tremble of her hands? To be fair, they are both trembling. It's the cold, Isaac tells himself. It's too cold out here.
Irene hesitantly lets go of his hand. Silently they build shelter of dead wood and big leaves. It's not very sturdy and might be blown away with the storm, but it's enough. Both of them have seen worse than this. They have nothing to eat for tonight, so instead they sit under the small roof and try to keep themselves warm. Starting a fire is useless, all the sticks are wet and the ceiling above them leaks. Irene isn't supposed to smile at that, but it reminds her of home, so she does.
Outside the sun has set a long time ago. The storm gets worse and a cold settles over the bay. Isaac thinks about his warm bed that he woke up in today, and sighs. If Irene thinks the same, she won't show it. Both are too stunned to speak. For months everything has seemed like a weird fever dream, slowly turning into reality, and now that they've been reunited the dream is broken and they are grounded yet again. Grounded and hungry, Isaac sighs at that. He'll have to find food tomorrow. Maybe fish again, that's what he was good at after all. Fishing. Before coming here and becoming some sort of pet for an emperor, living at an island that's not supposed to exist. What has his life gotten to?
It's not the cold, nor the hunger that is keeping them awake though. It's the unanswered questions, the unspoken words, the wild thoughts. This past month has been crazy enough, and a moment of silence is really what the both of them need. The cold and wet atmosphere really does remind them of home, the bad conditions and hunger. It's not a good image they have of their house and life back at the village, but it's comforting. It's something familiar, something that makes sense, something that seemed so far away when they were alone and separated in a new world. A new world that now hates them, hates Irene, and might start hating Isaac soon enough.
Irene can't remember how long they have been seated there, listening to the rain fall and increase, feeling the cool wind easily push through the walls of their shelter. It's not until Isaac sighs and shudders that Irene is finally snapped out of her thoughts. She looks to the side, closely inspecting her brother who doesn't even notice. Looks for any bruises, any changes. She doesn't see anything bad, but she does see differences. Doesn't know what to think about them. He's at a healthier weight now, his eyes don't look so tired and sad as they used to. The excessive paleness of his cheeks has eased out. There are no small cuts or bruises on his skin like there used to be, his hands are rather soft than rough and his hair looks fluffy and smoother rather than hardened from the salt water.
He looks better now, and Irene is sure that she does too. Well, she used to look better. For these past two or three days she has returned to her usual look. Bags under the eyes, a tired look, slumped and unsure posture, lips bitten raw and dry, and of course the bruises around her neck and wrists, bruises on her back and knees. Bruises and bruises, just like before. So maybe it's only Isaac that looks better, but Irene knows that they have both had their fare share of good experiences on this island. She really did consider living here for the rest of her life, just a few days ago. And now she's already planning on what to do when they return home, what work needs to be done and what people she needs to see.
Hopefully nobody has noticed that she was the one who stole and broke that random man's boat. That could cause problems.
Conveniently, that's exactly the topic that makes Isaac say something.
"How did you follow me"
The familiar language hits them like a brick wall. Irene has to take a deep and calming breath before even trying to formulate an answer. She looks up at the ceiling, recalling every moment and everything she did before coming here. Before coming to this exact point and this exact question. At the time, she honestly didn't think she'd ever see Isaac again. She thought he was dead, was sure that her last family member was dead. And yet, the drive to search for him was bigger than her pessimism.
"I waited three days, then I stole a boat and went searching for you"
Irene finds it hard to formulate the words of her native tongue. It feels unfamiliar, yet familiar on the same time. She's missed it. Missed directly knowing what to say, missed pronouncing everything correctly and people understanding her and missed formulating sentences and understanding what everyone is saying without having to think about it too long. All of that seemed so far away, but now that it's in her grip again, Irene is sure that she never wants to loose it.
"You wouldn't have found me, the chances were against you, you should've stayed at home"
Isaac voices out the words that were earlier left unspoken. Irene sighs, doesn't look at him, but knows that her brother is staring directly at those marks around her neck. The ones she can still feel. Maybe he feels like Irene would never have been dragged into this if she hadn't followed him. He thinks, but knows that Irene would never have just sat in her home waiting for him forever. She's his older sister after all, and older siblings have responsibilities despite their gender or role in society.
Irene only smiles and pats him on the back after thinking in silence. She's not mad at him for expressing his concerns, she wouldn't have wanted Isaac to risk his life for her either. But the truth is, they would both sacrifice themselves for the other.
"But were the odds really against me? It seems like fate has lead both of us here. Maybe the gods are testing us, by making us go through all of these sick challenges?"
Isaac stays silent. Trembles a little. Thinks back to everything that happened and how disconnected from reality he feels. Is this real life? It's been a month and Isaac finally understands, he's felt so lost and confused this entire time, unconsciously he believed everything to be a dream.
"And you're sure this is real? Nothing here makes sense"
Irene shrugs. Maybe it's all a dream, and they'll wake up and forget about it. Maybe it's some sort of vision, or maybe they have died at sea and entered some kind of afterlife. Whatever it is though, the wind and the rain feel as real as back at home. It doesn't feel different. It might be confusing, but Irene is sure that she's conscious right now.
"Honestly? I think it's real"
Isaac doesn't say anything for awhile. He pouts, naturally, unconsciously, and fiddles with his fingers. The younger brother wants to bring up the bruises around Irene's neck and wrists, but he also doesn't know if she's ready to talk or if he's ready to hear the answer. There have been men in the city of the Gods, trying to hurt him. But the emperor stopped them in time, he had Anaxagoras looming over his shoulder and protecting him all this time. Did Irene have someone too? Was she just left unprotected and alone?
Isaac has always been taken care of, by his parents, his sister and now the emperor. But Irene has always been quite self sufficient since their parents death. Would she have allowed anyone to care for her? Would she accept anyone's protection here? Isaac feels more unsure about his sisters emotions and decisions than he ever has before.
"What happened?"
Isaac finally manages to utter out the words that have been awkwardly laying on his tongue this entire time.
"What happened to your neck...?"
Irene's hands automatically reach up to touch the bruises around her throat. Sometimes she forgets that they are there, and sometimes they burn and ache and she is forced to remember them and what they mean. It's not like the bruises are or were life threatening. But they represent the hate that the girls of the city now have for her, and that hate could be potentially dangerous. The more it grows the more violent they get. The girls that threw her to the floor earlier today are only proof of that.
"It was too good to be true, Isaac. The people on this island seemed so curious and welcoming, a little weird too, but mostly kind and ready to integrate me into their society. I'm guessing it was the same for you"
Isaac nods mindlessly. He listens to his sister with wide eyes, full focus on her words, just like he always has. Irene hums at his acknowledgement.
"These people are too different from us. I think they started realizing it too, because their curiosity turned into hatred. We really shouldn't be here"
Isaac looks down at his lap and bites his lip. What Irene is saying has some truth to it. They are different from the people here. Their language is different, their culture is different, their society is different. Everything is worse at home, but things make more sense there. Irene has, as is proved by her bruises, seen first hand how they crush down anyone that is different here. Isaac hasn't been beaten, but if it weren't for the emperor, he could've gotten badly hurt and used just because he isn't as strong as they are. They would've harmed him because he is different.
But Isaac really doesn't want to leave, at least a part of him doesn't. It would hurt too much to return to his old life, the fishing and the pain and the cold. Eventually he'd just become an old man with a gray beard and no teeth, reminiscing and mourning over the loss that leaving this island will create.
"Are you sure we can't fix it? Are you sure we can't just... stay?"
Isaac fiddles with his fingers, actively avoiding Irene's glare that burns through the cold night.
"Is what they did... unforgivable?"
The woman's hand closes around her throat and she is slammed to the nearest white wall. Irene's eyes open and close in pain, and she gasps to regain her breath from the harsh hit. But little to no air manages to get through, no matter how much she breathes. The red haired girl is right in front of her, glaring in front of her nose. And her hand, is rapidly tightening around Irene's throat. Finally realizing what they are doing, Irene claws at her hands with her own, and starts kicking, but her legs are held back by the taller's own legs. She's weaker so of course it's easy for the four women to overpower her, and it must've fed their egos too.
"Leave our city alone b*tch, you can't keep hiding at the temple forever"
Irene blinks the vision away. She clenches her fists, feeling angry, but sadly also confused. Is it really unforgivable? Maybe what the women did, in that alley, maybe that is unforgivable and something that will stick with her forever. But is what Ariadne and Thea did something that will haunt her forever? Can she even be sure of their intentions? In the end, Irene ends up getting more confused than she was before talking with her brother.
"Isaac- that doesn't matter. If they hurt me, hurt you now, how much will they hurt us in the future? How can two weak outsiders survive against them? With just one change of mind, they could kill us both, and I'd rather return home alive than die here"
Irene is right, Isaac thinks. Or is she?
Isaac isn't sure if he would rather return home alive, or die trying to stay here.
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I've made an announcement if anyone's curious about the updates and plans and stuff but overall bare with me with these late updates and shi
(Tuesday me: sorry that this chapter is delayed another day)