Planet: Eteran
First Insurgency War
AVA
It was the day before the game, and James' behaviour worsened, with Jon acting as a mediator between her brother and Rayan.
On the off chance he doesn't become a pro Starcross player, he should consider becoming a councillor.
Rayan and James had another verbal debate on the pitch, with Jon standing between them while they went back and forth. Several times he sent a pleading look her way, but she no longer found the energy to intervene in their fights. Every time I try, they rush off and won't let me help.
Yvonne plopped herself into the seat next to her while she stewed in frustration. "Alright," she said while the boys returned to practice. "I've got a list of everyone going to the campout this quad. Take a look."
Most of the Third Quad classes signed up to go, including most of her classmates. It took several hours to convince James to sign up, but all her twin needed was two winning reasons. One, time to avoid Dad. Two, to take a break from his late night studying and opportunities to take pictures with his new picture and a distinct silence for his writing.
Rayan had signed up from the tight scrawl of his signature, with Meryn's right below him in block letters.
"I'll be bringing the food to the campout," Yvonne said as Ava handed her the datapad. "Lavamallows. Katie will bring some firestar packs. I've also written down some ghost stories from the library, but I'll leave the actual storytelling to James." Ybonne turned to the pitch, where Jon kept James and Rayan a distance from each other. "Jon's sure been working them like scout engines."
"I think he has to," Ava mumbled. "He has mutiny in his ranks."
"James and Ray?" Yvonne questioned. "They're going through their 'smash our heads together because why not' phase, but ever since Rayan came to Eastpoint, James has been different. I don't know how to describe it."
"Yeah..." Ava struggled to find the right words. "It's a positive influence.
"I still won't forgive him for calling my sweater dumb." Yvonne pouted.
"Yiv, it was spring." Ava laughed. "You didn't need a sweater."
"That's no excuse. You don't call a girl's favourite sweater 'dumb'. You should know better than that." Yvonne sighed. "As long as he learned his lesson then I can't hold it against him. James especially used to be in his own little world and rarely spoke unless spoken to. Rayan also went from a turtle hiding in a shell to a lot more..." She waved her manicured fingers in the air.
"Outgoing... usually?"
Yvonne nodded while James blocked a frontliner from advancing into their home field. "Happy-go-lucky," Yvonne commented. "Until we got all these safety rules and curfew with all these soldiers hounding Eastpoint."
"I think there's some home issues happening too," Ava explained, but perked herself up when the boys left the field. Rayan headed to the bleachers, but she frowned when James grabbed his things and walked off alone in a huff.
"Hey!" Ava called Rayan. "Where's James going?"
"He just said he wanted to take a walk," he replied. "He's... He's in a mood."
"Explains the friction." Yvonne put one leg over the other. "James is an absolute thornbush when he's in a mood. If you step in his general direction you're going to get poked and bleed everywhere."
Ava laughed. "What does that make me?"
"A beautiful rose with thorns. Fuzzy ones."
"So, what about when James is in a good mood?"
"I'd say..." Yvonne hummed in thought. "A knife with a fuzzy pink handle."
A light smile graced Rayan's stressed expression. "Wouldn't a knife be more dangerous than a thornbush?"
"You clearly have never stepped into a thornbush by accident in Odaport." Yvonne tapped her wristpad. "I'll catch you two later, I've got to go meet up with Katie for our date." With a click of her tongue, she hopped off the bleachers and left Ava with Rayan.
"Rayan?"
He took the previously occupied seat and tapped his foot against the back alcove of the next row. "Hm?"
"What's going on between you and James?"
Rayan sighed. "I wish I knew myself... and that I knew how to tell you." He groaned with a scoff. "I wouldn't even know where to start. I promised I wouldn't say anything to you."
Ava frowned, then nodded. "I understand. Is he okay? I know you two haven't... been hanging out recently."
"I think he's okay. Stubborn, but okay."
Ava sat in the silence as Jon grabbed his bag and waved them down. Ava returned the gesture, but it hollowed out her bones. "Over the summer, what sort of things will we do in Odaport?" she asked, longing for the bubble of peace to mend.
"Well, I want to take you solar surfing — the salt flats are perfect for it, and you have to see them at night." He motioned with his hands. "I'll show you around the Sanctum district of Odaport." Excitement glittered through the molten golds. "Oh! I'll show you the elevator!"
Curious, she leaned forward to hear more of her first adventure. "The elevator?"
"When I was younger, I thought I could touch the celestial heavens from it," he explained. "It goes high into the Sanctum tower. You can see the entirety of Odaport, all the way to the casinos in Irenu." He folded his arms. "If you're interested, we could go see the Starcross tournament. I know you're not a fan of it, but I think it'd be interesting to see the differences between the pro leagues and school varsity matches." He hesitated. "If James decides to come, I'll take you both to the nature parks. I know he'd enjoy it."
"Great!" Ava smiled. "You're getting me excited already."
"Good." Rayan got off the bleachers. "I should get home."
"Ray."
"Yes?"
"Has your mom left yet?"
Rayan shook his head. "No, she assured me that during the summer is when she will have to leave. We have to make sure I'll have everything I need for the next school term and a way to contact her in case I need help. Otherwise, I'll be on my own."
"You won't," Ava reminded him. "You'll have your friends, James, and me."
Rayan sucked in his lips. "Yeah."
Ava got up as he hopped down the aisle. He disappeared onto the sidewalk which led all the way to his house, and she took the same route James took to get home. Nature sang around her and bounced across her thoughts. Time to herself, she wandered through the park. Kids giggled and played in the jungle gym. Ava stopped on the edge of childhood where faint memories spun around her.
Back when Dad used to smile so much more.
Each time he left, she took it upon herself to smile when he stopped, to turn to James and declare he'd return to them.
And he did.
Departures became more frequent, and smiles hardened. Ava forced it upon her lips, but it died when she left the park behind and onto the off-beaten, uncertain track ahead. Each step created the sound of doors closing her out. Goodbyes turned to a nod of acknowledgement, then shifted into silent glares which James parroted.
Ava clenched her fists when home broke through the trees. Dad sat on the front porch and smoked a cigar. "Hi, Dad."
He gave her a nod, and when she stepped into the house, a succulent roast dinner swelled within her nostrils. Janie hopped around the counter while Mom set up pots. "Mom?" Ava asked. "Is James home?"
"He said he'd be around soon," Mom replied, and Ava grinned when she snorted. "That boy is becoming his father everyday."
"I heard that, Maryse," Dad said from the porch.
"I didn't mean that in a bad way, dear."
Ava headed to her room, but faltered outside James' half-open door. Window open, a spring breeze rustled his copious amounts of paper he used for note-taking. Ava crept to his chaotic desk, where his writing notepad took up most of the space. Temptation tickled her fingertips. Ava went to step away and avoid its call, but something underneath his notepad caught her attention. Unable to resist, she pulled his writing notepad off of it.
A Sanctum flag took up the first tab. Oh, is this a Pero acceptance letter I see? Is that what he was studying for? Was he taking the prelim tests? About time. Ava rolled her eyes and flicked to another tab to snoop. Her heart dropped from the stars and back to the ground at the letter of loss instead of acceptance.
Strike Forces? Ava turned it over. What is James doing with this?
Curiosity turned into an icy chill through her spine.
Why does James have this? When did he get this?
Fear and hurt swirled in her stomach as she read through it all, for the truth. Vacuum sealed in his room at the sound of his voice downstairs, the bubble of a childhood broke apart with a hiss.
Move. I have to put it aside.
Her body refused to comply, and his footsteps came upstairs.
Why should I have to move? Why did he keep this secret? From me?
It was enough when his door swung open.
James stood in the doorframe. Hazel eyes which they shared met her, but then dropped to the Strike Forces letter. His confusion and annoyance dropped into horror. "Avie," he said and moved into his room. "I can explain—"
"You don't need to." It took all her effort not to scream. "I know what this letter is."
James raised his hands in immediate submission. "I didn't say—I wasn't going to—"
"What?" Ava stomped for him and the hurt exploded in her ribcage. "What was all of that about Dad never being around? You're such a hypocrite." Ava pushed him back into the corridor, and he stumbled. He opened his mouth, whether to argue, or retort, or something else entirely, the door broke in her ears. It suffocated her and choked her lungs while the fear and ominous dread sliced into her. Ava pushed him to the side and went downstairs, where Dad sat at the clock which refused to tick and go on with time.
It wouldn't last.
"Ava!" James called her name as she rushed out of the house. "Ava, wait!"
Ava faced him head on and wanted nothing more than to hold him for reassurance before she lost him. "Stubborn, James?" she questioned. "A hypocrite?" Ava pointed at the living room window, where Dad bobbed his head over the windowsil to investigate. "So, all that talk about how he's our father and nothing more? All that bark about how he's not a good dad because he's never around?"
"I—" James began with wide eyes.
Ava refused to let him drop every excuse under the sun. "You're the one who told me 'I never want to be like him.'" Her breath tore through her chest when she sucked it in with the sharp knives. "You always said that he complains when we make a mistake — that he's never proud of us. You always asked me why I try so hard." He opened his mouth, but the door crashed against her head and she found the strength to scream. "Maybe you should look in the mirror for once," she snapped as he came closer. "Maybe it pisses you off because you're exactly like our father."
Dad opened the door, but she turned her back on James and stomped back into the forest of Eastpoint.
Every nightmare she had of Dad never returning centralized on James, her twin brother; the person she came into the world with. But... what if he does come back... as nothing but a tag to remember him by?
Ava followed her heart into the evening scattered forest. Marble and hedges came into view while the barrier gate opened for her around the Falae property. Tears swelled into her temples when she knocked on the door.
Her plea for help never fell on silent bells.
Mrs. Falae answered, hair done in a casual ponytail. "Ava?" she asked. "It's kind of..." She faltered, and then let her inside.
Emotions in her chest exploded while trails of salt water crashed down her cheeks.
"Mom?" Rayan asked from the second landing. "Is something wrong?"
Ava peeked around Mrs. Falae where Rayan rushed down the steps, bundled in a fluffy blue housecoat.
"Rayan, can you do me a favour?" Mrs. Falae asked. "Take over for me while I make Ava a drink."
Rayan wasted no time leaping off the final steps. He put his hands around her shoulders and guided her into the warmth of the fireplace living room. "Avie," he whispered out her name. "Talk to me. What happened?"
"I found out what James kept from me." Her heart lodged into her throat and burned with bile.
Mrs. Falae returned with a steaming capsule in her hands and passed it to her. "Drink this, Ava. It'll help a little," she said and took the seat across from Ava. "Now, what's going on?"
Ava clung onto Rayan's arm, unable to find words to explain. Her horrible words twisted her tongue, and two doors shut her out.
James...
Rayan took charge. "James told me he planned on joining the Strike Forces... and I don't know why he would." Ava frowned when he trembled in her grip. "I asked him if Ava knew, and he said he hadn't told her. He made me promise not to say anything."
Mrs. Falae crossed her legs, and Ava took a sip of the capsule. Warmth slipped down her throat in a fluffy cloud and melted the ice in her lungs. "Mrs. Falae, I don't want him to go," Ava begged. "I don't know why he's doing this. I don't know if this is to spite our dad, or something else entirely." Tears joined the rest of the river down her cheeks. "I don't want him to leave me. He's a photographer, a writer, an artist. He's not a soldier."
Heavy darkness dulled the blues. "Many in the Strike Forces don't start as soldiers, Ava. It's not something someone is at first. It's something they become." Her hands rested on her lap while she frowned with an ancient weight. "I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better; but this is James' choice in the end. We can try all we like to convince him, but whatever has made him choose this path will not be so easily changed... as much as we want it to." Mrs. Falae sighed. "It's something I tell my recruits. Once you make a choice, you must be ready for what it entails — consequences and all."
But he's always frozen moments in time. He just wanted to tell a story behind them...
Did I know him at all?
"But he's always hated our dad because he's never around — because of the Strike Forces. I just... I wish I knew what pushed him to this point. If I knew, maybe he could be convinced." Ava sobbed. James, what made you do this?
Mrs. Falae frowned deeper. "Rayan, please show her to one of the guest rooms. Let her get some rest." She left the seat. "I have some extra pajamas stocked in those rooms. Feel free to use them." Ava jumped when she grabbed a coat and headed for the front door.
"Where are you going?" Rayan asked.
"I need to go tell Garrett his daughter is safe," Mrs. Falae replied. "If I know him, he's tearing his hair out and eating his cigar for dinner. Then, I'm going to have a long discussion with both Garrett and James." Mrs. Falae disappeared into the growing night.
Rayan helped her off the couch. "I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you," he whispered. "I've been trying since winter to convince him, but... he keeps running from me."
"Don't apologize. I should've known." Ava hugged herself. "He's my twin brother..."
And... I had no idea. James... what pushed you to this? What's hurting you?