Fate Chapter 5

~~ We continue ~~

The next morning when everyone woke up neither Massimo nor Lupe mentioned anything to do with the night before. The morning started with Kinoshita grabbing the previously bought bread and handing it out. 

“Did everyone sleep well?” She asked, walking around. She got a response with a mixture of groans of no and shrugs of sure. Everyone was looking at one another as they ate, for someone to say what to do. Sitting in an oval with Massimo and Kinoshita at the heads like back at home. 

Massimo couldn’t help but think, “This doesn’t feel right.” As he handed a piece of bread to Tocito. 

Massimo heard ringing in his ears, and voices, “Hey Massimo, Tocito, buddies, wait for mommy and daddy here, we’ll be back soon!” 

“This isn’t right!” He yelled, dropping his bread and plugging his ears.

“Riiiiiigggghhhtt back.” He saw someone backing away from him. 

“Okay! We’ll be here!” He had answered happily. 

For two hours Massimo took care of his brother, watching him as he played happily at the park they sat in, “Something’s wrong.” Massimo whispered, “I don’t even know where we are.” Tocito looked up at Massimo speaking to himself, and gave him a look of sympathy, the child was only 6, slowly making his way through life as mute. It was hard for Massimo to not worry about his brother, and how he’d grow up in such a life. 

“Hey Tocito, how’s that game you’re playing?” He asked his brother, trying to stay out of his head. He was only 14, so even if something went wrong, he wouldn’t be able to get a job, and that scared Massimo. 

Tocito grinned like a chessy cat and brought a toy over to his brother, moving it around he jumped excitedly. 

“Fun, isn’t it?” Massimo asked. 

Tocito shook his head yes, giving his toy to Massimo, before grabbing his other hand, he led Massimo to a sandbox. His bag had already been set there. Tocito started to rummage through it, although being young still, he knew few words in sign language. “I found this. Read it.” He signed, before going through the bag and pulling out a book to hand to his brother, who took it with a smile. Responding, “Of course.” 

Massimo then sat down beside the sandbox and began to read, as his brother played carelessly. He was only a child, he didn’t deserve what his family gave him, and yet he still didn’t mind, because he continued on like it was nothing. Even growing up in such an awful home, he never spent a day of his life unloved, Massimo was always there to remind him. 

… 

“They never came back.” Massimo whispered to himself not realizing where he was. 

“Hey Massimo, are you alright?” Lupe asked, very worried about their friend. When they didn’t get an immediate answer they crawled over to him and waved their hand in front of his face, “Massimo?” they asked. 

Snapping out of his daze, he looked around at the people surrounding him, giving him worried looks, then he noticed Lupe practically on top of him and flushed, “Back up.” He stuttered. 

“Oh yea, sorry.” They said backing up immediately. There was a silence which followed, with nobody willing to break it, they finished their food and Massimo looked towards Tocito for guidance. 

“What was that book you gave me so long ago, when our parents first left?” He asked. Tocito paused, thinking for a moment, and then signed something out, “You mean this one?” Then he grabbed something from his bag, setting it down he continued, “Lupe had been reading it a while ago, I lent it to them, sorry about that.” 

“No, no, it’s fine.” Massimo replied, picking up the book, “Strike the Storm.” A fantasy book, which he had probably read a million times before, about a young child, learning his place in a cruel world which he was brought up in. 

Having a sense of Nostalgia, Massimo opened the book and began to read. “Long, long ago, in a place unlike any other, there lived a boy. His name was Aiken. Being only 14 Aiken was long from learning what he needed to know.” 

He paused for a moment, “I see why I loved this book so much,” He thought before being interrupted by Kinoshita, “I think we could all enjoy some entertainment, Massimo, would you mind reading the book out loud for us?” 

Massimo looked at Tocito, who nodded at the idea, ‘why not?’ he seemed to say. Massimo sighed, looking at the group, “Sure” He said.

He began from the beginning, pausing at dramatic moments, the storyline encapsulated the group, it’s not like they had much better to do. 

Finishing the story, Massimo realized how it hadn’t really been that long, and it wasn’t very good either. The only reason he liked it at that moment was because it was familiar. Both him and Tocito enjoyed anything familiar from their past, even if it wasn’t the greatest. 

With it being over there was room for thought throughout the group, they elaborated on what they liked and disliked about the book, what their favorite parts were and why. Getting a quip from Tumura, they said, “We could be a book club in our spare time.” 

A laugh echoed among the 7 after that. With nods of agreement they all thought they could, but the thing was, they didn’t have any more books. Just the one Massimo had read outloud to them, and nobody wanted to reread it very much. 

Toinette seemed lost in thought, before Sana elbowed her, “Whatcha thinking?” They asked. 

Toinette was silent for a moment, “What if- What if we wrote our own book? Like a book about our travels like Niru did?” 

This provoked lots of thought among the group, which many ultimately agreed, but there was only one problem, “Where would we get materials to write it?” Asked Kinoshita. 

Kinoshita was always the one who thought things through more than everyone else, and was the first to notice this problem, bringing it up to everyone, and they looked at each other which shrugs. 

Soon she continued, “Sure we could spend our money on it, but we only have so much left, and we’ll need it if we continue on to Japan and Canada. If our plane doesn’t take off again and is permanently grounded, we may need to buy new tickets. Which even now, we probably don’t have enough money for.”

Toinette sighed, “Yea, that’s true. We probably shouldn’t then, at least for now. Maybe, once we make it out of here we could, maybe.” 

Sana agreed. “Maybe, hopefully.” They said leaning against Toinette, the group didn’t know what to do to take up time, so they figured sleeping again would be just fine. It was dark and cloudy outside anyway, the rain started soon. Kinoshita figured someone should stay awake to keep watch, since they were in an unknown place after all. 

Lupe and Massimo took the challenge, Lupe on the first shift and Massimo on the second, for now though, Massimo laid down with his brother and everyone went to sleep. 

…

Lupe, still awake, looked around at everyone in the group. Everyone was still and at peace, while he couldn’t be more alert. Keeping watch for everyone seemed like an easy task, until you took into consideration that his mind didn’t quite shut down when it was peaceful out. 

The rain had slowly started to drizzle around the airport and silence had been greater than ever for him. He went over to Tocito and Massimo, and picking up the book he brought it over to where he had previously sat. In one of the pages, a letter had been tucked. Lupe had chosen to ignore it in the past while reading. Then Massimo had no mention of it either when the group listened.

Lupe was out of their mind curious, and couldn’t quite put the thought down that maybe it was of some importance. Although he certainly felt bad being intrusive like that. 

Even so, Lupe began to read, “This book is written for my dear boys, who I will no longer see after today. Let it remind you that even without somebody to follow in your footsteps, you shouldn’t wander into what is ungood, for bad things happen to those who are bad, and good things happen to those who are good. Let this book be a memory of a life we could’ve had, for surely I have made many mistakes in letting this become of what it has, but I shall await the day which you may come home in new skin, without the need to hate anymore as mother has hated you. For as I am, I loved you with all my soul, but never would stand a chance against her, for she was too great of a power to not be listened to. And so I gave away what had once been mine. I understand that bad shall befall me as I have done wrong. But let it not befall you as you are only a child, one who will do great things, for Massimo, you were named, ‘The greatest.’ the moment we laid eyes on you. For your name means this, and your brother’s means ‘Quiet.’ You will be missed, so when all has fallen apart, find your equal, and become friends instead of rivals” 

Lupe gapped, he couldn’t believe what he had read, and immediately felt awful for doing so. What he had lost was little in comparison to the brothers which he had loved so much, how the boys had gone through such heartbreak, yet never knew what happened to their parents. Lupe never knew either, but they kept hoping that someday they would go back, but this seemed like something where Massimo would never return, out of spite, maybe, but mostly out of heartbreak. 

Feeling a tear in their eye, Lupe wiped it away and quickly put the note back into the book, they crept over to where the brothers lay, and put the book down. They whispered “Sorry” and turned their back. Expecting to never be forgiven for such a thing they had done.

“I guess it was only a matter of time before it happened.” They heard behind them, they froze. Feeling their body tense up, they felt movement behind them, Massimo was awake. 

They turned around, “I’m sorry! I’m so so sorry!” They said aloud, in a plea for what they had done, they knew it had been wrong. 

Massimo sighed, “It’s alright, but you have to promise me, to never, never, tell anyone what you read.” 

Lupe nodded their head silently. Unsure of what to do they looked at the ground, they hadn’t even looked back at Massimo yet. They could feel him moving behind them.

With a gasp, Lupe felt Massimo hug them from behind. Tightly, safely, not letting them go anytime soon, his arms were strong, while they were weak, he rested his chin on their head, he was tall enough to do much more than just his chin but was careful. 

Massimo felt Lupe tense up, but he never loosened his grip, with his arms around them they felt their face start to burn. “Massimo.” they whispered, “please let me go.” 

“Not now, just give me a moment please,” he answered back, he sounded vulnerable, like they had never heard before, they could feel them trembling slightly as they held on. 

“Alright,” Lupe responded, placing their hands on his and relaxing their muscles. 

~~ End part 5 ~~