Chapter 62: Inside the head of the middle Deus

Elias’s POV

Memory/Dream (thirteen years old).

"I want my brothers" I say firmly.

"This one is very stubborn" a woman in the darker side of the room says.

She’s dressed like a doctor, she has glasses too, but she’s not a doctor. She’s evil. Very evil.

"Elias" the man says my name and I shrink back. I know he would hit me if he gets closer.

"I want my mother and father" I repeat myself.

"Ah, he’s the Siren’s skirt holder" he says with a laugh while coming closer to look at me.

His name is Julian Fletcher; he was my parents’ closest friend and second in command.

"Are you hungry, little robot?" he asks, but I stare at him with my mouth shut.

I’m starving and my stomach burns; I think someone said I have gotten an ulcer.

"Tell us everything about mommy and daddy, and we’ll let you eat. No, we’ll let you go home" Julian says.

"What do you want to do with my mom and dad?" I ask.

"Ugh, I hate how smartly he communicates. He like half human-half robot" the doctor woman says and comes closer.

Under the light, I can see her face. She looks like a pretty pig.

"He sure sounds like Siren, that block of ice" Julian says and holds up a sleeping puppy.

"I’ll kill it" he says.

I play this game with my brothers to make them do what I want.

"Go ahead" I respond.

I know it’s a mind game. If I show empathy, he’ll kill it. And he’ll bring another and another till I’m surrendered and all of them are dead.

"What did I say? He’s heartless" the woman hisses. She’s clearly disgusted with me, but I don’t care.

"Elias, you don’t care about your parents?" the man asks and I shrug.

I’ll never betray my parents like he did.

I know I’ll get out of here.

I still have the boy’s cherry blossoms in my pocket. It’s dried and dead, but it gives me the mentality of that stupid boy.

’As long as the cherry blossom is with me, I have hope’ his voice says in my head.

"We will make you talk, you little prick!" Julian roars at me. The veins stick out in his head, but I don’t flinch.

I have the cherry blossoms in my pocket. I’ll be fine.

"What will you do with the information I give? It’s not a difficult question to answer" I tell him and the woman shakes her head side to side.

"Talking to him is useless, he’ll outsmart you" she says.

"Fine then" Julian says, wearing a sly smile.

"I will help your parent’s empire to grow" the tall man squats in front of the cage and I follow him with my eyes.

He’s sweating under the A.C, that’s a clear sign of desperation for me.

His fingers are twitching; that’s a clear sign of anxiety.

No one ever feels desperate or anxious to help anyone. My parents don’t need help either. The siren and his wild captain are a strong front.

"You’re lying" I say.

"Damn it!" he shouts, throwing his phone at the cage and dropping the puppy.

Luckily, I had moved my head to the side fast enough to avoid getting hit.

I want to go back home to my parents, to my mom’s library and to my dad’s football game nights.

"You will talk" Julian points a finger at me.

"It’s either you, that hotheaded brother of yours, or that useless blonde one" he keeps yelling.

"Damien would never talk" I say calmly and Julian stops to listen.

"Kai is a baby, he doesn’t know anything. You’re wasting your time" I say and he looks at the doctor.

"We’ll use other techniques then, we’ll break you" he says.

I don’t have an answer.

He can try to break me but I love my parents more than myself.

He can do anything he likes to me, and he’ll never get an answer.

"Take him to a secluded room" he says and I keep staring blankly.

They drag me out of the cage and to a cold dark room. The moment they throw me in; I fall on a pile of things.

"Enjoy" he booms and shuts the door.

A light suddenly comes on and it’s from an old model T.V.

Through the small light, I make out scattered toys and objects.

Out of curiosity, I approach one of the boxes and suddenly, it pops open.

I fall backwards in shock.

A jack-in-the-box.

I look at the door with my heart pounding in my chest.

Why am I here and what’s Julian’s goal?

I don’t touch anything, but suddenly, the T.V starts to crackle with static noises.

I don’t like it.

The grandfather clock suddenly acts like one of those cuckoo clocks. It opens and I stare at the cuckoo bird.

What’s this place?

Everything is out of control.

The only thing that feels normal and sane is the cherry blossom in my pocket, so I slip my hand into my pocket and hold on to it.

"Eli" a voice calls and I turn around.

The person in the space with me is a twenty-three-year-old me.

"Wake up" he says and I feel myself hyperventilating.

"I don’t like this place" I mutter in fear.

"It’s okay. You will learn every object in this room and kill them before they kill you" the older me says.

"I want mom. I want dad. I want Damien. I want Malachai" I say, grabbing my hair at the sudden music box song.

"Wake up" the older me says and I open my eyes to the sound of someone retching.

Present

"Fuck" I sit up with sweat beading on my forehead and temple.

The smell of strawberry pheromones brings me out of the dream room, and the retching noise forces me out of the bed.

"Oh goddess" I hear a whine and I walk to the bathroom.

Noah is bent over the toilet bowl, one of his hands is over his belly, and eyes red.

I don’t wait for him to tell me what to do. I walk to him and start to rub his back.

"What is wrong with you?" I ask roughly and he looks up at me with almond shaped blue eyes.

"I feel so sick..." he whimpers and my heart does that thing again.

I don’t know how to feel for humans. But I feel for him.

Strange.