True faith pt 4

True faith pt 4

Lucien paused for just a moment, seemingly caught off guard by the sudden appearance of another boy and the abrupt questioning. “Uh – I’m Lucien, Nicholas’s brother” He replied while curiously examining the other boy’s features. “Who might you be?” he responded with a question of his own.

“I’m Savan, a friend of your brother. It’s nice to meet you” He responded cordially while glancing at Nicholas, who seemed to be proudly grinning. “You two are quite the contrast.” He smirked amusedly before coming slightly closer--close enough that he could distinguish the smell coming off of his friend's younger sibling. He inhaled without sound and closed his eyes for a moment, after identifying the odor quite quickly. "Mm, he's dusty blue. How pretty. His voice feels like rain... Beautiful combination," he gave a faint smile toward Nicholas and then nodded in a way to excuse himself, going back upstairs in the same fashion as he'd come down.

“You mind getting us something to drink too, Sav?” Nicholas asked as the boy retreated up there stairs.

“That’s where I’m going as you speak” He replied with a grin.

Lucien however, was bewildered “Dusty blue?” he repeated in a curious tone towards his brother who had an amused smirk on his face. He paused a moment in reflection “…and did he just call me pretty?”

Kayde, who was also grinning amusedly, chimed in and drew Lucien’s attention “Yeah, my scent is purple”

Nicholas was making every attempt to stifle snickering on his part while answering his brother. “I’ll have Sav explain when he returns” he reassured before taking a seat in an empty chair, and offering one beside him to his brother

Lucien nodded, still curious but took a seat beside his brother in the empty chair after finally tossing the cigarette butt in the trash that his brother threw down earlier.

Kayde had already found a seat behind the drum set and was lounging comfortably. "So," began Kay, tilting his head in thought. "You ready for school?" He asked both of them, but the question seemed to be directed more toward Lucien. "I heard some teachers were being replaced over the summer," he snorted.

Lucien nodded again. “Yeah, I think I’m ready. I’ll be going into the ninth grade this year.” He paused before giving a slight smile “If the kids are anything like you guys I think it will be a nice experience”

"Well, there are some kids, you know, that I think you’ll make good friends with.” Nicholas Added to reassure his brother

“Yeah, I think you'll be fine," nodded Kayde

Just then, the basement door creaked open and the thud of sneakers on steps came. The same figure as before appeared, holding two bottles of water in his hands. He tripped on the last step, but recovered quickly and tossed a bottle at Nick and handed Lucien the other one "Sorry, they were out of soda," he said, and removed his jacket, throwing it over one of the chairs. He slumped into the same chair he threw his jacket over and lifted his foot, took off his shoe, then rubbed his ankle.

Nicholas opened his bottle, but paused. . "You should explain to Lucien what you meant, Sav," said Nicholas, chuckling slightly, recalling his first encounter with Savan's rather extraordinary condition.

"Huh?" he asked, rather absently. He had a tendency to forget he was different, considering he grew up thinking everyone was the same as him.

"He wants to know if you called him pretty," Nicholas elaborated.

"Oh," he said in reply and could not help himself but laugh. The explanation had slipped his mind. It often did. "I have a disorder," he began. "That's what the doctor calls it, anyway. I think it's a gift most of the time," he mused aloud. "When I smell something, I see color too. You smell like vanilla and roses, and that, in my head, produces a dusty-blue color. Sound produces feelings, and sometimes visions even, for me. Take for instance, your voice; I feel raindrops on my hands and face when you talk." He tried to explain it to the best of his ability. "When I was little, I believed that everyone saw what I saw. Every letter has a color. Every number has a color. It can't be any other color than what it is. Four is green. It can't be red or blue. It has to be green," he ranted slightly, and then paused. "But when I hear actual raindrops, they are gold. If I see actual gold, I feel like something is touching my neck. Not everything is pleasurable like that, though…” He finally paused in thought.

Lucien leaned his chair up on two legs as he listened to Savan’s explanation and took small sips from his bottle of water as he did so. “Synesthesia. I am familiar with it. Even in my other sch –“ Lucien, so enthralled with what he was saying, failed to pay attention to his chair leaning and toppled completely over before he even completed his statement. The first person he reached for was his brother, and his arm found a hold before he completely hit the floor, pulling them both over in the process.

Savan was rather amazed that Lucien was familiar with his condition, and in this rather out-of-it state of thought, failed to react to the chair toppling over, not realizing it until he heard the impact, even though the impact was delayed.

Nicholas on the other hand almost immediately reached for his brother to avert the fall, but was in such a position that he only managed to get himself dragged down with the other boy.

As Lucien crashed into the floor, his head smacked off the concrete with an audible sound, but mixed into the noise of the fall, it would only be noticeable to the most observant. However, Lucien did not react as if he had received any injuries, despite the fact that his head hit the floor hard enough to undoubtedly cause one. He laid on the floor only a few brief moments, soaked in the spilt water from their bottles.

Kayde jumped up. "Oh god, are you two okay?!" He asked worriedly before coming over to help. He took the bottle and set it up on the table, then helped Nicholas pull himself up away from Lucien.

Sitting on the damp floor, having removed his hand from behind his brother, which helped break the fall, Nicholas rubbed his wrist. After concluding that he hadn't injured it seriously, he stood to his feet and offered Lucien his hand. “You okay?”

Still on the floor, Lucien nodded and pulled himself up using his brother’s hand. “ I think I’m okay…” He didn’t even bother checking himself for injuries, and seemed completely un effected by the blow to his head.

"Shit," Nicholas said, trying desperately not to laugh. "I'm sorry..." He set up the chairs again, Lucien's first, and then slumped into his.

“It’s my fault for being so clumsy. I’m sorry for pulling you over too” Lucien responded with a nervous laugh.

"Do you want a towel to dry off?" Kayde asked them both.

Nicholas shook his head and dismissed the offer with his hand. "No, but I'd like more water..." he added, grabbing the bottle.”I suppose I can stop and get more on the way home. I'd rather drink it than wear it." His hands brushed gently over his shirt, trying to get the dirt that clung to the moist cloth off.

Savan sat in his chair quietly as the calamity went on, and simply watched. Unlike the others, he noticed Lucien’s head bouncing off the floor, and was quite amazed that the boy didn’t even react.

Lucien began to settle towards his chair and direct his attention back towards the rest of the room. However he would head for the floor a second time not by tripping, but fainting. It was a swift blackout and came before he had time to respond to any other concerns for his health, though unwillingly the answer did come as he collapsed towards his brother.

This time Nicholas did manage to catch him and keep him from hitting the floor with arms that slid protectively around the younger boy.

“He hit his head pretty hard Nick, I’m surprised it took him this long to react” Savan finally spoke, informing Nicholas of the situation. “He should be all right, though.”

“Damn it…” Nicholas responded before scooping Lucien into his arms to carry upstairs. “Kay-” he began to speak but was cut off.

“Use my bed, Nick.” Kayde chimed in, already leading the way upstairs to open doors for Nicholas who now had his hands full.
Nicholas followed behind Kayde, easily moving up the stairs even though he carried the extra weight of the boy. He was led to his friend’s bedroom where he laid Lucien out on the bed and examined the boy’s head for blood or any signs of injury, but he found none. “I thought you said he hit his head, Sav.”

“He did…” The other boy replied as he stood in the door frame behind nick. “he didn’t just hit his head, but it bounced off of the floor. I saw it myself..”

“Well he doesn’t even have so much as a lump…” Nicholas replied as he double checked to be sure.

“Heh, strange...” Savan mused absently.

“Is he going to be okay?” Kayde asked as he moved closer to the bed where Lucien lie, and sat on the edge.

“I think so” Nicholas responded. “At least, I hope so...” he said as he sat down on the opposite side of the bed, closer to his brother. He now felt bad that he wasn’t able to keep Lucien from getting hurt

“Not to worry Nick, I am sure that he will be just fine after he rests for a few moments.”

Nicholas nodded silently in reply and didn’t leave his brother’s side until the boy would wake up.

“I’ll go clean up the mess downstairs and bring your water back up with me.” Savan said quietly before departing the room.

“I’m really sorry about this, Nick” Kayde said softly while glancing at the blonde boy, then up to Nicholas.

“It’s all right, Kay. It wasn’t your fault.” Nicholas responded reassuringly, just as his brother began to stir.
Lucien’s fingers curled into the sheets of the bed and grasped for a hold, as if he were trying to brace himself against something, and then suddenly relaxed after his whole body tensed up abruptly.

Nicholas’ attention was immediately drawn by the moving boy. “Lucien?” He questioned softly, not wanting to startle his brother.

Lucien only responded by stirring further and shaking his head slowly side to side. “Uuuhhh” came a long winded sound from a boy as he finally opened his eyes slightly. “Wh - Whaaat happened?”

Nicholas paused and glanced over to Kayde with a slightly worried expression. “Lucien, are you all right? You scared me to death…” he paused for a moment to absorb all of the boy’s questioning.

Lucien glanced over to his brother Nicholas. “Brother?” Why do you look so strange?” He looked around the environs and then to Kayde, and finally back to his brother before sitting up in the bed. “Where are we? …And who is the other fellow?” He questioned, motioning towards Kayde.

Kayde removed himself from the side of the bed and murmured with a glance at Nicholas “Uh-oh…”

“Eh? I look strange?” Nicholas gave a highly puzzled look at the younger boy. “Lucien this is Kayde, you met him only a few moments ago, just before you fell and hit your head” he paused worriedly. “…Don’t you remember? After you fell, we brought you upstairs to his bedroom.”

“Brother, are you playing some sort of joke on me? I don’t recall meeting this fellow, but he does look an awful lot like Kayde.” Lucien paused and gave himself a glance over, then the room once more. “And why have you dressed me so strangely?” he questioned further. His speech pattern seemed altered somehow, and his accent seemed changed as well.

“Amnesia?” Kayde questioned audibly. “But he recalls everyone… how weird…” he began to muse.

“Lucien… This is my friend Kayde. I brought you over here to meet him after mother dropped you off and you unpacked some things, just to show you around the neighborhood. You really don’t remember?” Nicholas tried to explain to the boy as best he could, in hops that he would remember something.

Lucien’s eyes trained on Kayde once again, and he stared at the boy for long moments as if examining something unseen, leaving Kayde slightly uncomfortable. “Hmm” he murmured before turning back to his brother and placing his hand over the hand over his older sibling. “Silly brother…” He said softly with a smile before leaning closer and kissing the dark haired boy on the cheek. “I have known Kayde for while now. Do you mean to tease me by telling me that I have only just met him? Such a sense of humor you have.” he grinned slightly and moved his head back to wink at his sibling.

“Eh.” Nicholas flinched nervously, and couldn’t really find the words to respond with, though he was now blushing quite noticeably. “Lucien, I’m not playing a joke on you” he was quite worried about the boy’s health, but almost more puzzled at the boy’s actions, and the way his demeanor seemed to change.

“Whoa… what’s with him??” Kayde murmured, almost snickering at the affection of the boy, now beginning to believe it was Lucien who was playing the prank. “Maybe we should take him to the hospital, Nick.”

Just then, Savan returned to the room, holding two mostly empty bottles of water. “Take him to the hospital? What’s wrong? He seems fine…” He moved closer to the boys and placed the water on the bedside stand behind Nicholas.

“Savan! It is good to see you once again, though even you look strange.” He paused for a moment and looked at the surrounding youths once again. “What’s going on??” he questioned insistently before staring at Savan in the same manner he did to Kayde. “Hmmm” he hummed once more. “Is Kyran behind this? Did he do this to you?” He questioned of his brother directly, eyes intently scanning him now.

“I see…” said Savan. “You have only met me just today, Lucien. What do you mean by ‘see you again’?” He paused for a moment in consideration. “Look at the room around you Lucien. Look at the world outside the window. Does any of it seem familiar to you? It is not us who have changed, but it is you.”

“Lucien, I don’t know anyone named Kyran, but I promise you that we’ll find a way to fix this and get you back to normal” chimed in Nicholas. His hand slid from under his brother’s and found a reassuring resting place over it. He then offered a gentle tug to help the boy out of the bed.

With only a nod, the boy replied and slid himself to the side of the bed to get up with his brother’s assistance. He began to examine the room more closely, all the small details and items in it, and he started to realize that he didn’t know what a few of the items were, like the TV and the stereo. He moved over to the window and looked outside, and even the world looked different to him. The roads, the trees, and the vehicles all seemed unfamiliar. “This is not right…” He murmured before he turned around. “Where am-” He began but stopped abruptly and began to stare at something behind the three youths.

Nicholas was the first to turn around to see what it was that the boy was starting at. “What is it Lucien?” he questioned.

Lucien walked over to the object he stared at - a mirror - and began to examine himself in it with a look of disbelief. “What sort of magic is this?” He absently questioned while his fingers trailed the features of his face. “Even I appear different…” he turned to face the other three boys again then moved himself over to his brother to rest on the bed next to him. His face was blank and his skin seemed pale. It was as if he were going to faint once more.

“Lucien?” Nikolai began to question, but was cut short.

“You better catch him again Nick.” Savan warned abruptly; seemingly aware of what was to happen next.

“Lucifer…” Gasped Lucien in a long exasperated sigh, before his eyes glazed over and his body went limp once again as he passed out a second time, straight into his brother’s arms once more.