Brothers

Chapter 1: Fate


"I can't do this..."

Alexandro looked down and saw that his hands were shaking. He could feel the cold sweat cascade down his pearly flesh. He swallowed hard.

"I've done it. Master won't find out I promise you"

Somehow, Alex's brother's deep English accent always seemed so convincing. He swallowed again and took his brothers previous victim by her now bloody collar. Her smell was inebriating.

"Just a small drink couldn't hurt"

Alex swept the lifeless girl's dark brown hair away from her neck and gently shut her eyelids. It made him especially nervous when the eyes, once full of life, were now void of all human emotion and staring back at him with imagined hatred and accusation. He prepared to bite, fangs hanging low.

"Yes, eliminate your hunger brother. Let her life fill your being."

Able watched as his brother fed and when the body had finally been drained, the victims flesh now cold and white, Alex realized what he had done. The master had strictly forbidden the killing of humans for personal consumption and or enjoyment not to mention the both of them were punished. Alex knew that he had done wrong by his master.

"What is wrong brother?" Able asked, watching his younger brother sulk in his own quiet emotions.

"Nothing, I was just thinking," Alex said, dropping the limp body to the ground. The two rushed home, Able far ahead and urging his brother to catch up.

Alex knew that if his master found out they would be in big trouble, but his brother was apparently confident in their alleged innocence. Alex let his hunger get the best of him and sadly he had convinced him enough to go along as his accomplice.

"We say nothing of this do you understand?" Able said grabbing Alex by the shoulders mid run with a stern grip. He knew that his younger sibling was weak and could be easily manipulated.

"Yes...yes I understand"

Alex developed a sudden interest in a small rock on the ground. He was surely afraid but would never tell on his older brother. He knew he'd be pressured to do so if their master found out, but he told himself to not give in if that were to occur. He couldn't...

"Good. Let's go" Able said, going ahead of his brother and slowly stepping up onto the veranda of the huge Victorian style mansion. He was cautious as to not cause much of a stir.

"I see you two have finally made it back"

Able and Alex harmoniously turned to the sound of their masters voice. They hadn't noticed him sitting motionless on the veranda, eyes piercing through the darkness.

"y...yes master just getting back from our study group" Alex stuttered. He had never lied to his master before.


"I see. This means I shouldn't see any bad grades out of either of you correct?" Master said pushing his reading glasses up onto his pointed nose. His strong features always intimidated Alex.

"yes sir" Able and Alex said in harmony. They both bowed and waited for the master to excuse them. When he finally did they were both relieved. Alex grabbed his brother and hurried him off to the basement.

"Listen Alex, no one must know what happened tonight, not even our brothers. I need you to understand this or master will have both our asses. Samuel, if he finds out first." Able said. Samuel was their eldest brother and enforced punishment when master wasn't available.

The look of urgency in Able's eyes made Alex regret having done what he did. His brother had been so confident before and now he was crumbling under pressure. Pressure that hadn't even been pressuring them yet.

"You know this is all your fault anyway Able. I wanted to walk away from the girl but you... You had to have her and now I'm sucked into your shit! " Alex said banging the wall in frustration. He silently resented his brother's ability to convince him so easily.

" You do have your own free will Alex. I didn't press your lips to that girls neck." Able said starting for the door.

" You always do this to me! You get me into things that I can't get out of then...then I'm stuck feeling sorry for myself because I could have avoided the situation completely! Worst part is you don't care! You only care about yourself." Alex took a step back to process what he had just said. He had never been so angry at his brother before.

"Is that what you really think? That I only care about myself? That's the thanks I get for feeding you?" Able said pushing his brother up against the wall. The tall floor lamps shook and tumbled from the force. The other three brothers came running, their heavy footsteps alerting the two quarrelers of their actions. Able stared angrily into his brothers eyes.

"You won't make this all my fault." Able said relaxing his grip on Alex's shirt.

"It's always your fault. You never take responsibility for your actions. Like with mom" Alex said pushing his brother away.

"Should I remind the two of you that fighting amongst ourselves is detrimental to each of us." Samuel, elder of the boys, said pushing ahead of the group. He knew that if they fought, everyone would be chastised. He was responsible for making sure that peace was kept between siblings in the household.

"This is none of your business. Stay out of it!" Able said pushing past Samuel. His apparent anger was clouding his sensible judgment.

"You always walk away. You walked away from mom and now your walking away from me." Alex said, pressing out his now wrinkled collar.

"Stop talking about mom!" Able said balling his fists. There was a pause and then Able made a b line for his brother. Before anyone could stop him, he was already close enough to Alex to land a punch and he did. The shear force seemed to make the room shiver.

Alex was astonished by his brothers sudden bought of physical anger and his anger motivated fist hurt more than any of his other siblings fist ever could.

"You bastard!" Able said lunging at his older brother. His sharp white fangs protruded from his gums almost instinctively. He pinned Alex to the ground, but Alex's superior weight and size allowed him to get the upper hand quickly after.

"If you bring her up again I'll kill you Alex!" Able said, landing another punch to Alex's left side. Alex turned to spit out the blood that was flooding his mouth as his brother held him down with his weight. He reached up and with blood covered hands, pushed his brother off of him and onto the floor. Alex didn't make any further attempts to harm his brother out of anger.

"Fuck you..." Alex said, leaving the room. There was silence. Samuel, Elliot and Joshua stood in awe at what they had let happen in front of them. They had never seen the brothers fight, not even when they were mad at each other and from what they managed to gather, Able had been upset because of Alex's reference to their deceased mother. They were the only two in the house who had even remembered their parents.

Able regained his composure and got up off of the floor, shirt disheveled and hanging off his pale shoulders. His face was red and bruised.

"We're in trouble... aren't we?" Able said after a long bout of silence. The other three turned to each other and nodded. They knew what they had to do. Violence between siblings was considered unforgivable by their master and meant that the two brothers would be split apart. They couldn't let that happen. They all knew what had to be done.

Just as quickly as the two had come, they were gone again. The brothers Alex and Able, were granted leave by their eldest brother Samuel through means of bond rupture. Bond rupture was a ritual that could only be performed by the eldest brother and or master. It broke the blood bond between master and child and permitted leave to whomever was granted the special ritual. It meant that their master couldn't track either of the brothers through scent alone and any other means were slim to none.

Samuel knew from the beginning that Alex and Able didn't belong with them. They were still dealing with problems of their own, problems that no fledgling should have to have dealt with. Being a vampire meant letting go of ones former life. Alex and Able weren't ready to let go and Samuel thought it unfair of him to deny them their freedom to morn.

"They weren't ready yet," Samuel said, a soft smile forming at his lips. He stared out of the window and into the darkness. "I wish them the best. I hope they get the answers they're looking for. The answers they deserve."

Joshua, Elliot and Molokai joined Samuel. They would miss their brothers dearly.


10 years later...

The darkness had engulfed the entire small town of bitter springs. The storm had brought snow that covered everything in a thick white blanket and now small flakes fell from the sky ever so gently.

A young boy sat on a park bench admiring the beautiful scenery. There hadn't been a good snow in bitter springs since 10 years ago and he was too young to remember at that time. He enjoyed the way the small crystal flakes fell onto his face when he looked up into the sky. He enjoyed the feeling of his thick black scarf and wool hat that fit his neck and head so snugly.

In the distance, a long black limo drove soundlessly down the snow covered street. The man inside spotted the young boy by himself.

"Pull here Eustice," The man said staring at the young boy as if he had seen something in him. Something that reminded him of his past. He opened the door of the limousine and stepped out. The sound of his big black boots eroding the deep snow made a loud crunching noise that sounded throughout, startling the birds. The boy turned around to see the origin of the sound. He noticed the tall man walking toward him, hair in a long black braid that was folded neatly under his scarf. He didnt wear a coat only his black suit and red tie. He looked like a frightening business man. The boy got up to leave.

"Wait," The man said. His voice was low and endearing, but he had still heard him.

"Yes?" The boy said. He was too afraid to look at the man directly.

"Tell me your name," He said, evoking a step backwards from the young boy.

"Why should I tell you my name?" The boy asked.

"I am called Master Legolas, but mostly Master by my sons. I think it would be polite of you to properly introduce yourself now," Legolas said reaching out his hand. When he didn't get a response he knelt down into the snow.

"For years I have seen these rare snowfalls come and go. They're beautiful arent they?" Master said, staring up at the boy. He could barely contain the passion in his eyes. The boy looked so much like...

"Yes...I do," The boy said, looking up into the sky. "They remind me of... my mother."

The boy pondered on the thought of the man being called "Master". It seemed more king worthy than anything and to the boy the man appeared to be nothing of a king. Just a man.

"I see. What is your name?" Legolas said. He was hoping to provoke an answer out of the young boy.

"Its... Alexander the third, but you can call me Alexander." He said, fiddling with his gloved fingers. Master smiled. Could it have been a conicidence or pure fate that had brought this child to him. He wished to find out.

"What are you doing here child? You could catch an aweful cold," Legolas said, holding out his hand. This time the boy grabbed it though hesitantly.

"I don't mind the weather. I like it out here," Alexander said before pausing. He heard sirens in the distance and his heart skipped a beat.

"What is wrong?" Legolas said seeing the look of trepidation in the boys eyes.

"I have to admit something. I...I've run away from my foster home and now they're probably looking for me. I don't want to go back please don't make me go back!" Alexander said histerically. "I turn 18 tomorrow. If I could just avoid them until then I won't have to go back.!"

"Come with me," Legolas said, grabbing Alexander. He pulled him away to his limousine to hide him and drove away just in time to avoid the search lights and bright red and blue sirens that avidly searched for the missing boy. Legolas was lucky to have run into the boy and now be driving away with him. Alexander was like a reincarnation of his past sons and he knew that no matter what he couldn't let the opportunity get away from him. He would do right by his new son as he had already claimed him as such.


Alexander was becoming quite nervous on the count of he was driving away with a man he hardly knew. He began to think that he was making a big mistake and was hoping to go home sometime soon.

"Where are we going?" Alexander asked, staring out into the snow covered distance. It was getting darker as they drove farther and farther away.

"We are going to my home. I wish to feed you and give you a warm bed," Legolas said, smiling at him. Alexander met his smile with a look of timidity. He was afraid of what he had gotten himself into.

"No thank you sir. You can drop me here and I can walk back. I don't want to be any trouble," Alexander said. He had hoped he didn't sound like he was pleading.

"Nonsense. I wont have you walking this late at night," Legolas said, checking the locks. Alexander seemed to be on edge and he didn't want him to have a chance to escape. He had Alexander where he wanted him.


"Please I...I don't think this is a good idea anymore. I should just go home," Alexander said. The fear in his voice was apparent.

Legolas turned to look in the boys eyes.

"I'm sure your quite tired from all this. Rest your eyes," Legolas's eyes seemed to glow as he spoke this to Alexander and soon after the words left his mouth, Alexander fell into slumber. He slumped over, head resting on the seat. Master smiled.

"A new boy?" Eustice asked.

"Potentially I presume," Legolas said.

---------------------------------------------


Alexander didn't understand or remember anything that had happened to him, and when he finally opened his eyes to realize where he was he didn't recognize anything. He was in a dark room, the only light being the dim light given off by the moon through his thickly covered windows. He rubbed his eyes and slug himself to the edge of the bed he had been lying on.

Alexander realized that his feet were bare when he stepped onto the cold wooden floor sparsely covered by a soft carpet. He ran his feet along it.


"Where am I?" he asked. His noticed his door was cracked and let in a dim orange glow. Grabbing the door knob, he slowly edged his way out the door, making sure to not cause much of a stir. The first thing he noticed was the large grandfather clock sitting quietly outside of his door on the opposite side of the hallway. It was 12:00 and officially his birthday.


"Hello? Is anyone here?" Alexander said scanning around for any sighs of life. Small beautiful wall mounted lights lined the hallway, a small flame burning within. They gave off the orange glow Alexander had seen before. He continued further down the hall until he came to the staircase. He was hesitant.

Before Alexander stepped off of the first step he heard a noise something like a clatter. It startled him at first, but when he realized that no one was coming he wanted to investigate. He knew that someone had to be there and wanted answers. Right now he didn't know where he was or how he had gotten there nor did he remember much else.

"Hello? Somebody...anybody?" Alexander said walking back the way he came with cautious footing. The floor creaked lightly under his bare feet.

"Is somebody there?" Alexander said finding the source of the noise. It came from a room not to far from where he was standing. The door was cracked.

"Hello?" he said gently grasping the door handle. He looked inside and immediately ran away in the opposite direction nearly collapsing with fear....