Chapter 6: Challenge Accepted

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CHAPTER 6

Challenge Accepted

            Pete felt his brows automatically push together, and then his lips twitched with a smile. As much as he wanted to respect his brother and his crazy pagan beliefs, what he said about Atlasians being gods was absurd. “What?”

            Allen narrowed his eyes. “Absurd? No, they’re not absurd at all. I was journeying to see them before I was murdered. My—” Allen stopped short. He pursed his lips and quietly corrected himself. “A friend of mine required transport to Earth. Their ships travel all across the sea.”

            Pete’s frown deepened. “The sea? You mean the black sea you spoke of earlier?”

            Allen nodded. “Yes, the sea that reflects the sky. You call it outer space, don’t you?”

            Pete wanted to hurl himself in front of a bus. He loved his brother to death, but his “dictionary” didn’t seem to be working right. “Alright, so the Atlasians were sky sailors and you were going to visit them. What do you mean they’re gods?”

            Allen looked uneasy. “They’re extremely powerful. We had contact with them once, shortly after the dawn of the Great War. When Zeon finally won control of the south, we marched on Caliga in the east. The Atlasians were said to be heathens that dwelled amongst the floating islands, but when we came to them, they threatened us with strange weapons that could annihilate the entirety of Ecual. After our retreat, they fled across the sea in their strange ships to the most distant island called Atlas. Since then, they’ve been known as the Atlasians, and it’s said that each one of them is a god.”

            Pete had to dwell on this for a moment, trying to make sense of what his brother meant by “god.”

            The Atlasians possessed weapons of mass destruction, they lived on floating islands and then fled to Atlas on ships that looked like spinning pins. Evidently they were the geniuses that Pete had been waiting to hear about, but why did Allen call them gods? What was a god? Somebody powerful, intelligent and omniscient. If the Kinetics on Earth were supposedly the gods of Ecual, then did that mean that gods were people of power?

            “Okay, I guess that makes sense,” Pete muttered. “But if these things here are Atlasians, then what are true Kinetics?”

            Allen faintly grimaced. “The people here are indeed Kinetics, but they’re Atlasians, too. Anybody can become a god, brother, even humans, but I’m afraid the Atlasians were Kinetics all along.”

            Pete’s heart weighed heavy as his brother’s words sank in. Anybody could become a god, anybody could receive power and gifts and intelligence, but in the end, it was the Kinetics that received this advantage.

            No, this can’t be right, Pete thought. My father would’ve said something. He would’ve told people the truth.

            “I see so clearly now,” Allen quietly said. “We’ve been locked inside our city walls for so long that we forgot what the Kinetics even looked like. We had our defense systems, but they were built on legends and childish fears told over three millennia ago, long before the Great War even started. How could we be so foolish? How could we not know that the Atlasians were Kinetics all along?”

            Hearing this made Pete’s heart race. “Hold on, Al. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Surely you met a Kinetic on your way to see the Atlasians.”

            Allen’s eyes were dark with remorse. “You must not understand what a Kinetic is, brother. In our legends, Kinetics were the result of poor evolution, mutated humanoids who were weak and couldn’t eat, but received their strength from the souls they sucked from innocent creatures. I did meet two Kinetics, brother. One was our father and the other man killed me. He stepped on my head and crushed my skull as I cried over the death of my beloved. That’s not something a Kinetic could do.”

            Before Pete could process what his brother had said, his words seemed to come to life and play before his mind’s eye. No, it wasn’t a play, it was like a virtual reality game that Pete had no control over, and it was terrifying. He’d never experienced something so surreal and excruciating in his life.

            He was lying on his stomach, his cheek shoved into the cold stone ground while his nose throbbed and his eyes stung with tears. He was exhausted, and his heart burned with such fierce agony that it felt as though it was consumed by flames. He didn’t know why he looked at her. He didn’t understand why he gazed upon the lifeless figure of the woman he’d loved so intently that he was willing to let her go if it meant saving her from himself. But he never imagined it would be like this. He never thought that releasing her from his presence meant watching her soul flee from her bloody corpse. Why did he have to love? Why did she have to die? He couldn’t go on without her, because without this one woman, he would lose himself and give in to his animalistic ways.

            And then it happened. A miracle.

            The pressure built within his skull, his ears were crushed and he was sure he heard something crack. It was his jaw, snapping from its socket. More pain, more confusion, more relief. He couldn’t think anymore. His brain was damaged, and then, finally, it was crushed.

            Pete felt everything, from the agony of losing the one he loved to the excruciating pain of death. Reality was like a splash of cold water. He jumped and shrank back, terrified and trembling with pain. He hadn’t realized his brother’s death was so… so devastating. It was like a bad ending to a book he’d fallen in love with.

            “Pete, what’s wrong?” Kaia asked.

            Something gentle touched Pete’s shoulder, and he flinched. It was only Allen. His brother stared back with tears in his eyes. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to.”

            Pete’s throat ached. He wanted to sob, but his eyes felt dry. Could he do it? Could he cry after every horrible thing Pete had done to poor little Al? No. All he could do was try to comfort him.

            “She was beautiful.”

            A tear rolled down Allen’s cheek. He nodded, but he didn’t speak.

            Pete gritted his teeth. What was he doing? He needed to help him, not torment him. His brother was in pain, and although Pete wasn’t one to comfort strangers, he couldn’t say he didn’t understand his brother. He knew exactly how he felt, and it was torture.

            Overwhelmed with emotional turmoil, Pete stood from his chair and wrapped his brother in an embrace. It felt good, warm, like a cheerful memory long forgotten. He didn’t want to let go, and he knew as if by instinct that Allen felt the same.

            He actually died, Pete thought. My twin brother was murdered by an emotionless Kinetic god and I wasn’t there to help him.

            Father, why did you let him die?

            Pete had a newfound respect for Allen, something he never would’ve developed if it hadn’t been for the vision that’d accidentally slipped into his mind. Seeing Allen’s death—no, experiencing it firsthand—was a life altering experience he wouldn’t trade for the world. Allen was a human being, he loved more than Pete could ever fathom, and he experienced pain like no human should’ve ever had to feel.

            It was maddening, terrible in the truest sense of the word, and at once Pete regretted being so horrible to the brother he loved so deeply.

            I actually told him he deserved to die, Pete thought. Nobody deserves that. Al can be pretty freaky sometimes, but nobody deserves to experience what he did, especially such a sensitive and compassionate person like him.

            They stood in the middle of the courtyard at Charley’s Bar and Grill, embracing like they were at a funeral. Pete could barely restrain the tears. It was difficult, especially when it wasn’t his place to cry.

            Allen, on the other hand, was sobbing. “I told myself I wouldn’t mourn like this.” 

            “It’s okay, Al. You can cry. You have every right to.”

            He grabbed Pete’s shoulders and buried his head in his chest. “I miss her so much!”

            “I understand, Al. I really do!”

            “She was everything. I didn’t want to live, but she gave me a reason to. Why did she have to go? Why was I resurrected? I was going to meet her, I was going to… I was…”

            Allen stayed like this for a moment, sobbing, making the tears collect in Pete’s eyes as he tried desperately to comfort him. Pete had never lost a loved one. He’d actually lived a pretty normal life, for a halfblood Kinetic. But what Allen had experienced, the chance to actually fall in love… Pete would give anything for that. Love was something special, and to have it ripped away from him so brutally was completely unfair.

            “Pete? Pete, what’s wrong with him?”

            Pete looked up from staring at the ground and Kaia was there beside them. Her black brows were furrowed, her dark eyes glistening. She was worried.

            Pete tried to smile. “It was just a bad memory. Don’t worry about it.”

            She bit her lower lip and nodded.

            It looked like Kaia wanted to say something, or to at least try and comfort Allen herself, but before she could get the chance, Allen pulled away and wiped his eyes.

            He sniffed and tried to control his breathing. “I’m sorry. I cry so much I… I think it’s why I become so unsightly.” He forced a smile and met Pete’s gaze. His eyes were red and tears still rolled from the creases of his eyes. “Thank you, brother. And I apologize for…” He stepped back and put his hand on the table, but when he did, the electronic menu released a spark and the screen immediately died. It made Allen shriek and leap back.

            Pete took him by the shoulders and guided him away. “Come on, we should probably leave.” Pete surveyed the area. The seven other people in the courtyard were watching them. “We’re drawing too much attention.”

            Pete glanced at Kaia. She nodded in agreement. Without looking back, they turned and fled the grill.

            It took a moment for Allen to stop whimpering and catch his breath, but he seemed to lighten up when they came across a corndog stand. As for Pete, he was still pretty melancholy. Allen had already overcome the pain of death, but Pete couldn’t shake from his mind the agony and torment that went along with it.

            This must be how the Kinetics feel, he thought. They’re so paranoid about dying it’s sickening, but maybe they already know death. Maybe the reason they’re considered gods is because one day Death approached them, but after the pain came and went, Death thought the afterlife was too kind for them, so he resurrected them instead.

            “You think Death did this to me?” Allen asked.

            They were sitting on the fountain ledge at Bryant Park. Allen was on his fourth corndog while Kaia sipped her Coke.

            Pete arched a brow. “That’s a bit presumptuous.”

            Allen timidly smiled. “I never had these abilities before I died. Death was kind to me. I met a man in the afterlife, and he taught me the Secrets of the Universe.”

            Pete frowned. What was he going on about now? Deciding that his brother was most likely slightly mad, he smirked and shook his head. “It was just a thought, Al. One that you stole from my head—again. You should really stop doing that.”

            Allen grinned. “But you’re my brother, and I quite like this ability. It lets me know when people are thinking about me. Which, by the way, you do quite often.”

            Kaia was on the other side of Allen. She leaned forward with raised brows. “What? Incest?”

            Pete gagged. “Kaia, that’s disgusting.”

            Allen looked confused. “Incest? But how would we—?” Allen’s cheeks turned bright red. He looked away. Suddenly, he didn’t seem that hungry anymore. 

            Pete and Kaia exchanged glances, then at the same time, they burst into laughter.

            Pete patted his brother on the back. “Don’t worry, Al. I’m not into that sort of thing. But if I was, I’d make sure to go real easy on ya. You know, because you’re a foreigner and all.”

            Kaia caressed his knee, causing him to stiffen. “He’s no fun, is he? Of course, my bedroom is always open.”

            “Don’t fall for her tricks, Al. She’s a siren.”

            Kaia gasped. “What!” She reached behind Allen’s back and slapped Pete on the shoulder. “Take that back, you creep!”

            “Why should I? You know I’ve had a crush on you since elementary school.”

            It was a lie, of course. Pete just wanted to see how his best friend would react.

            Kaia glowered at him. “Pete, you had a crush on me once, remember? Then I told you it’d never work out because we were best friends and we could never make babies together.”

            “So now you’re chasing my brother? Real smart, Kai.”

            She smirked and made a show of running her fingers down Allen’s side. His back immediately straightened and Pete noticed him cross his legs. “I’m only doing this to make you jealous,” Kaia purred. “But he likes it, don’t you my little monster?”

            Allen looked like he was in pain. He attempted to glare at her. “Actually, this is rather uncomfortable.”

            “Hah!” Pete beamed. “See, not every guy falls for your cheap tricks!”

            “I only said it was uncomfortable, not that I didn’t like it.”

            Pete’s grin fell. Allen awkwardly smiled, tapping his foot while his hands were folded over his lap. Pete was embarrassed for him. Allen was a mess, and it was no wonder he’d fallen in love with such an attractive woman. She might’ve had an amazing personality, and Allen might’ve been a Kinetic, but a man was a man, and the girl he loved was an aesthetic goddess.

            Kaia stuck out her tongue at him.

            Pete playfully flipped her the bird and rose to his feet. “Come on, Al. Put your hands in your pockets and make due. There’s a bathroom in the café over there.”

            It turned out that Allen really did grow up in a monastery. He knew next to nothing about women, let alone about how to control himself, so of course Pete was given the burden of explaining this. He didn’t mind, though. It made him feel like a true sibling, like maybe Pete was the attractive brother that got all the girls and Allen was only just now becoming interested in relationships. Maybe if Allen hadn’t raced off to save their father fourteen years ago, something like this might’ve happened, but of course, the Fates were never so kind.

            Anyways, Allen seemed like an okay guy, he just had his problems like Pete had his. No, it wasn’t the whole emotionless Kinetic thing that got to him—Allen seemed to be in more control than he first let show—it was just how oblivious he was about everything. It was his culture, his quaint mannerisms, the way he shamelessly commented on Pete’s thoughts as if that was something people did on a regular basis. It was also pretty terrifying how calm he was. Allen had just died. His girlfriend had been murdered and Allen’s head was crushed while their father stood by and did nothing, yet all the while Allen was able to forget this while he laughed and smiled and played along with Kaia’s crude games. If becoming a god meant experiencing death and returning as an emotionless monster, then something had gone either horribly wrong or terribly right with Allen.

            Pete didn’t want to think about it. They were happy for the moment. As Pete smoked on the fountain ledge at Bryant Park, Allen and Kaia laid in the grass laughing. The pigeons were flocking all around them, like a gathering of neurotic, hungry beasts.

            Pete smiled and shook his head. “Kids.”

            In the meantime, he decided to call his mom. It was nearing three, school was getting out, and because his mom had been gone for shortly over a week, Pete wanted to make sure she was okay. He’d considered telling her about Allen, but he decided it’d make a better surprise if she saw him in person.

            He removed the thin band from his wrist, smoothed it out flat and held it up to his ear. With a simple vocal command, the wrist-phone dialed his mom’s number.

            It rang four times before going straight to voicemail.

            “… Holly Thorson is not available…”

            Pete glowered. Of course she didn’t answer. The damn woman was… well, she was still in the hunting business, but she never talked about work. She could’ve worked for the CIA and Pete would’ve never known. He didn’t mind, though, especially considering her reputation from World War Three, but sometimes he worried about her.

            The message box beeped and Pete left a voicemail. “Hi Holly, this is Officer Glass. I missed you at the rendezvous this morning and was wondering if we could talk. Call me when you get the chance.”

            Pete hung up and smiled.

            Spy games. They were the highlight of his childhood. His mom taught him everything from self-defense to Chinese, and while he was a little rusty on the Mandarin, he always made sure to put her lessons to practical use. Pete didn’t know if he’d ever be accepted into the spy world like his brilliant parents, but he was prepared for it, and it was a career he was willing to pursue.

            Now I just have to get my mom to recommend me, he thought. I wonder how she’d feel if I told her about my interaction with Kinetics.

            Pete didn’t know. He’d always wanted to tell her, but he was afraid she’d look at him differently, or worse—she’d stop preparing a place for him at the dinner table when she was home. Pete had lived a pretty independent life because of her frequent excursions, but nothing said “I hate you” like exclusion from the only family time they had together.

            Pete pursed his lips. He looked at his phone, then he looked up at Allen.

            Pete’s eyes widened.

            What the hell was going on now? How was this even right? The pigeons were gone and the two of them were standing, but their stances were far too intimate. Kaia was kissing him—after everything Allen had been through—and what was worse, Allen allowed it.

            Pete put out his cigarette and stood from the fountain’s ledge.

            He needed to do something, but….

            Their lips parted seconds later only for them to embrace, a warm and heartfelt gesture. It was sweet, actually—too sweet. Pete could smell a script from anywhere.

            Dammit, Allen, you can’t do things like this.

            Pete glanced to his right, and sure enough, Kaia’s clingy ex-boyfriend stood in a pose of outrage roughly ten feet from their location. 

            His name was Stile Cortez, and Pete knew him because he ran relays and leapt hurtles for the school’s track team. He was a grade A dick, and it took an exceptionally idiotic person to be friends with him, let alone date him. Pete remembered how possessive he was of Kaia. Every day

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