True Faith pt3

True Faith pt3

“Seems that we might have an obsession for incense between the two of us” Nikolai replied almost teasingly with a playful grin.

Lucien could do nothing but grin sheepishly to his brother’s statement, knowing that it was true. No matter where he went in the world, he always had to bring some incense back with him, as if some compulsion. The same could almost be said about his fascination with angels, as apparently his brother shared that as well. The similarities between the two could have been uncanny, but they were, after all, brothers.

“Wanna finish unpacking, or wait till later?” Nikolai questioned his sibling, before glancing at the open bag on the bed, now curious to see what else was inside.

In response to his brother’s question, Lucien turned to remove a few more items before replying verbally. Six more statues followed, all depicting angels in various poses. A couple were female, but most were male. One was even holding a sword, obviously in battle with an unseen foe. Then he removed four incense burners which had the appearance of sandstone, and were again adorned with religious symbols, if not angels. Lucien placed them all out on the bed where he thought they would be safe, and resolved to find places for them later.

“I think the rest of the suitcases can wait until we get back. Then we can figure out where to put all of my things” He turned to his brother while still grinning, almost blushing now.

Nikolai, however, was simply awe struck with fascination. He shared his brother’s interests, as was evident, but never had he the money to spend on so many items as his brother had just unpacked. “Get back?” he paused for only a brief moment, pulling himself from his reverie. “Oh yeah, I thought we might go over to my friend Kayde’s house if that’s okay, and I can show you around the neighborhood before it gets dark.”

Lucien nodded “that’s fine by me” he affirmed before he pulled his shirttail out of his pants, and scooped his uniform jacket off of the bed, then slid himself into it with ease and skill. In that moment he went from appearing painfully neat, to casually comfortable; his jacket enveloped his lithe body, making it seem a size or so too large. Finally, he slid a hand through his hair to release it from the hold that hairspray claimed over it. Then he pushed it into a position that pleased him, leaving it casually neat, instead of perfectly combed.

Nikolai smirked at his brother’s actions amusedly before reaching to grab his wallet and attached chain off of the bedside stand, and then clip it to his side. “Mother dictates your appearances a lot, eh?” He said, glancing back at his brother after grabbing the pack of cigarettes that sat on his dresser beside the door.

Lucien gave a somewhat distracted nod, and then replied “Yep…”, before pulling himself from thought. “ I don’t mind it most of the time, but sometimes it becomes uncomfortable.”

“Well you don’t have to worry about that here. Wear whatever makes you comfortable, and look as you please.” Nikolai reassured before pulling open the door to make an exit.

Lucien smiled faintly in response. “All right.” He said, before exiting the room behind his brother.

Out in the light of the world once again, the day was slowly beginning to fade and give way to the evening. The sun was still well over the horizon, but the daylight would begin to retreat soon. The breeze blew gently, bringing with it a soft, cooling sensation and the lingering smells of summer; the scent of autumn was now faint to the senses.

Lucien welcomed the sunlight, as he always did, and allowed it to embrace his whole body as he followed beside his brother. He always had an affinity for the outdoors, and seemed able to enjoy even the most mundane aspects of it. While he walked, he kept himself quiet and simply absorbed the sights of the neighborhood only glancing over to his sibling every now and again.

Nikolai, on the other hand, did not so readily welcome the rays of the sun. His eyes had always been really sensitive to the sunlight, and it often gave him headaches after periods of exposure. The sun had already settled low enough in the sky for it to be a relatively comfortable intensity, so it didn’t bother him too much. As they walked, he removed a cigarette from the pack and lit it up, keeping himself quiet as well. For some reason, though, he took a bit of pride in having his younger brother at his side, following where he would be led.

Covering the road in almost every direction were large oaks trees, which seemed to make a canopy over the streets and cast welcomed shadows over the two youths. It was a nearly typical suburban type neighborhood and it was very quiet, with the exception of children playing at one house or another along the walk.

“Down that way” Nikolai pointed down the road as they crossed through an intersection “is our school. It’s about two blocks I’d guess, but you’ll get to see it up close tomorrow” He teased, making light of the new school year that was beginning the next day. “Kayde’s house is just up this way”

Lucien smiled slightly and nodded in reply “I am somewhat looking forward to it. I think going to school with you will be fun. But…” He nudged his brother with an elbow “Smoking is bad for you.” He was mildly teasing, and his expressive smile reflected that fact, but he was also being serious about the issue.

“Heh” Nikolai grinned, quite amused “you’re right. It’s a rather bad habit of mine. Perhaps I will quit if you like.” He was not used to anyone showing such concern for him.

“I would be thankful, brother.” Lucien responded softly, almost in a murmur. He was about to continue with another thought, but he was abruptly cut off by another boy’s voice. “Hey Nick!”

Off to their left was another youth that was perched upon the railing of a front porch, attached to a stone blue house. Immediately one could point out an odd attribute, his hair was snow-white, with a pure black bandana of some sort wrapped around his head. He wore a black sleeveless shirt in complete contrast to his skin and hair, and a pair of old dirty jeans.

“Hey Kayde…” Nikolai responded to the boy before he took the last few drags of his cigarette just as they reached the porch. He exhaled carefully, a stream of grey smoke blending with the clouds. He then dropped the remains and crushed them with the heel of his boot. “Sorry I didn’t call first. I just decided to take Lucien around the neighborhood, so we came here”

“S’okay” he replied before hopping down from the railing with a thud against the boards. “Had a feeling you were coming over anyway” he smirked with the weakest of laughs and then looked directly at Lucien. Now up close to the other boy, another unusual feature could be seen about him. His eyes were a stone grey, with a discernable purple tint to them, making them seem almost fluorescent.

“This your brother then?” Kayde asked while giving the boy a thorough examination with his eyes, before glancing back over to Nikolai. “Damn, you weren’t joking”

Lucien began to nod in response to Kayde’s questioning and then gave a rather puzzled expression to the boy’s last statement. “Joking about what?”

“Our mother being filthy rich” Nikolai chimed in, answering Lucien’s question, and affirming they fact that they were siblings, simultaneously.

Lucien smirked noticeably, while Kayde just snickered. “And what I wouldn’t give for just 20 bucks right now” Kayde added, in musing before turning to open the door to the interior of the house. “C’mon you two, let’s go in.”

Nikolai followed immediately, but Lucien paused momentarily to pick up the cigarette butt that his brother threw down before shaking his head and then following the other two into the house.

Kayde led them through the front room and stuffed a hand in his pocket as they passed through the kitchen. He removed a bunch of keys and began fishing through them for the proper one. They stopped near a door on the left wall, where a chosen key was shoved into the lock, and the door was carefully pulled open. Then he led them further, down dark and dingy steps; the stone walls were caked with cobwebs and dirt. He then flicked on a light, revealing a more 'neatly kept' room, in comparison to the stairs. The majority of dust was cleaned, and it was set up more like a bedroom with no bed.

There were posters strewn across the walls in chosen spots, of various different subjects, most depicting favorite bands. The most notable thing about the room, though, would be the speakers and amps set up next to a raised platform that resembled a stage. Guitar cases, a keyboard and a bass were also visible on the platform, next to some object covered with a sheet.

Lucien remained fairly close to his brother, and took up a comfortable position next to Nikolai as he examined the room. He chose not to speak unless spoken to, and because of this he kept himself mostly quiet.

“What’s with the sheet?” Nikolai asked rather abruptly, having noticed it immediately.

Without a word, Kayde reached over and whisked it away from the object it was covering and answered Nikolai with a non-verbal response. It turned out to be a drum-set, trimmed in shiny black metal, with 'Sanctuary' written in the center, also in black, with electric blue and white glow around the name. He pulled a pair of protruding drumsticks from his pocket and set them on one of the drums, then stood back and examined it with some pride.

Nikolai chuckled slightly, and nodded in approval. "Nicely done." He didn’t even bother asking his friend how much the new paint job cost, but he knew Kayde was never one to sacrifice art for a price.

Just then, the rough sound of footsteps came on the stairs as another person’s presence became evident. Feet appeared then legs and a torso, then eventually the person’s body in full. IT was another boy, and he, like Kayde, had shock-white hair but it was longer and neatly tamed, draping over his eyes. He tossed a bottle at Kayde, and then opened the other one he was holding in his hand, and took several large swallows from it. He paused for a moment to register that there was a stranger in the room and he set his bottle on the table before walking toward the group of three. "Who are you?" The boy asked of Lucien quite bluntly and directly, but not in a terribly rude manner.