Page 20 of The Devils Melody
7
Lennox
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO - AGE NINETEEN
Bolting upright in bed, I startle awake to the sound of a door slamming. Rolling over, I check my phone and see it’s just after three in the morning.Who the fuck is up this early?Throwing off my blankets, I get out of bed and grab the pocket knife I keep on my dresser. I creep down the stairs as quietly as possible so I don’t wake up my dad and Grace. Taking a deep breath, I round the corner, and that's when I see him.
Kage is standing at the sink, his back facing me. He’s breathing heavily, his broad shoulders visibly shifting from the effort. What the fuck is he doing? Taking another slow step towards him, I can see every muscle in his body tense up.
“Kage? What's going on, are you okay?” I whisper, lowering my knife, but keeping it firmly at my side. I take another careful step towards the sink, not wanting to spook him if he's in another one of his moods. He’s known to punch first and probably not ask questions later.
Roughly slamming down a glass of water he must have been holding on the counter, he spins to finally face me.Our gazes lock and my eyes widen, more out of shock than surprise.
Blood spatters his face but not enough to cover the black eye he has, the dark purple hue telling me he must have been hit pretty hard. Despite how cold it's been here lately, his jacket is nowhere to be seen, and his white t-shirt is ripped at the collar. His skin is reddened as if he’s been sunburned, and is covered in what looks to be soot.
Now that I'm close enough, I can smell the thick odor of what I can only assume is…bonfire? He’s always out with ‘friends’ until all hours of the night. Thing is, my brother keeps to himself so I don't know who the fuck he could be hanging out with. But it never fails that he comes home smelling as if he walked through the pits of hell.
“Kage, talk to me bro. What trouble have you gotten yourself into now?” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I regret them. Kage’s large frame shoulders into me as he stalks out of the room. He might be younger than I am, but he’s definitely bigger than me and he could probably take me if he wanted to. He doesn't care to talk about his feelings. He never speaks about the darkness that clouds his past, and the little bits of information he has shared over the years tells me enough. Whatever he went through, it fucked him up real good.
“You aren’t strong enough to handle the truth, not that you’d ever believe me anyway. You’re all so quick to think I'm the bad guy and everything is always my fucking fault.” He’s frozen in the doorway, his back to me once again. I can tell that he’s shaking, his fists are vibrating at his sides. I don’t want to keep pushing him, but I want him to know that whatever he’s going through, he’s not alone anymore. I can handle whatever it is if he’ll just talk to me. “Well, it's fucking not. The world is a dark place and you're not readyto be enlightened. Just leave it alone, Nox. I’ll handle this shit on my own.”
With that, he stalks off up the stairs, not even bothering to try and be quiet. He’s probably going to go shower off the blood and soot before our parents see him. I just don't know how to talk to him anymore. It was a lot easier to get him to talk to me when we were younger, but it seems these days he just wants to keep to himself. He never accepts my continued offers of help, constantly saying he's better off alone. Well, I don’t fucking buy it. His stubborn ass is going to let me help him if it's the last thing I do.
The next time he sneaks out, he’ll have a shadow tailing him.
Weeks have goneby and Kage hasn’t tried to sneak out again. I’d know, I've been staying up late as shit listening for any sign of his door opening. Any little creek would have me bolting out of bed, ready to follow his ass to god knows where, but it was always a false alarm. Regardless, he’s not getting off that easily. I’ll stay every night for months if I have to.
Rolling over in bed, I check my phone again, and it's a quarter past one in the morning.Fuck.Maybe tonight isn't the night to catch him. I let out a frustrated sigh and run a hand through my hair, staring at the ceiling. Weeks have come and gone and all I can think about is why Kage isn’t making a move. It’s not like him to stay cooped up like this. He always hated being stuck inside, always itching to get out and chase some thrill, some adventure. But now? Nothing.The silence is starting to feel suffocating now that he's being overly careful and controlled.
I glance at the clock again. 2:16 a.m. I should be asleep, but the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach won’t let me rest. What if he’s planning something? What if this is his way of throwing me off, to make me think he’s not going anywhere when in reality, he’s just waiting for the right moment.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed and sit up, rubbing my eyes. I’m tired as hell, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing something. That something’s just on the edge of my grasp and out of reach.
I grab my hoodie from the chair and pull it over my head, feeling the cold air hit my skin as I step into the hallway. The house is dead quiet, not a sound except for the soft hum of the fridge. I tiptoe down the hallway, each step creaking under my weight. My heartbeat picks up as I move closer to his room.
A shadow at the bottom of the staircase catches my attention and I immediately halt my steps.Motherfucker.I know that if I open Kage’s bedroom door right now, I will find an empty room. Somehow he snuck out without me hearing shit. If he was even in his room in the first place.
Turning slowly, I creep towards the stairs, trying to stay as quiet as possible. The floorboards seem to have it out for me tonight. Every step feels as though it’s screaming for attention, but I keep going, all the while trying to track the sound coming from below. He’s close, I can feel it. He has to be.
I reach the bottom of the stairs and press myself against the wall, trying to stay in the shadows. My ears are straining now, the only sound I can hear being the quiet pulse of my heartbeat in my temples. A door clicks open onthe other side of the house, followed by the unmistakable sound of Kage’s voice. It’s low and barely audible, but it’s definitely him.
“...I told you to stay the fuck out of it, Jimmy.”
I can’t make out the rest, but it’s enough to send a shiver down my spine. Kage’s angry whispers speak for themselves, he’s pissed.
Who the hell is he talking to?
I creep forward, moving carefully towards the kitchen, where his voice seems to be coming from. I’m about halfway there when a sudden noise makes me freeze. He must have just left out the front door.Fuck, he’s gone. My mind races as I weigh my options. He’s not in the kitchen anymore, but if he’s outside, there’s no way I’m letting him get away without knowing what the hell is going on.
Without thinking, I make my move. The stairs creak under my feet as I rush towards the door, yanking it open as quietly as I can manage. My breath catches in my throat as the cool night air hits me, the sharpness of it cutting through the tension in my muscles.
I step outside, scanning the street, my eyes quickly adjusting to the dim light of the streetlamp overhead. No sign of Kage. I can hear the faint sounds of his footsteps, though, the rhythm of his walk punctuated by the occasional shuffle of gravel. He’s headed down the street.
I break into a light jog, my feet moving faster than my brain can process. I can’t lose him. Not now. Not when it feels like I could reach out and touch the truth of what’s been going on.
I turn the corner and catch a glimpse of him. His shadow moves fast, almost too quick for me to follow. He’s walking with purpose, not a single glance back. He’s wearing all black and his hood is up, hiding his face, but Iknow it’s him. I can tell from the set of his shoulders and his height. He’s always so tense and walks with closed fists, constantly prepared to strike at any moment. I keep my distance, just enough to stay hidden but close enough to follow his every step. I try to stick close to the buildings and try to blend in.
Kage’s strides are longer now, like he’s got somewhere to be. My legs start to ache as I push myself faster, but I can’t stop. We pass a few houses, the quiet neighborhood around us still and empty. My breath comes faster, but I don’t dare make a sound. I can’t risk him hearing me.
