Jasdero's Imagery Friends

Chapter 1 - A Song I Sang for You….

It had been three years since the day that they were engaged. It had also been three years since the discovery of the illness. Debitto had a decision to make, either to fulfill his soon to be wife's wishes, or

continue taking care of his only brother, whose mental health seemed to become progressively worse each month. She had been nagging for Debitto to move his twin into mental hospital since the beginning

of her pregnancy. She argued, "Well, what happens when the baby's born? I can't have that crazy man running around here!"

His rebutted, "Look, he just sits in his room all day, give him a break. It's not like he's been bothering you."

She would sneer. "Like you would know! I caught him looking at me changing into my nightgown three days ago! How innocent is that!"

Debitto grimaced. "He was probably looking for me, not you. He doesn't like you," always adding to the end, "I couldn't see why." Jasdero heard this from his bedroom upstairs. He knew that Penelope hated

him with a passion. He was the one thing that kept them from marrying, hell, even being in close contact with each other, which made him wonder how she even became pregnant in the first place.

"Debitto, either you send him the nut house, or we will NOT have this kid!" Such a mean spiteful woman... Jasdero couldn't understand how or why Debitto continued his relationship with her. She made

these kinds of threats whenever Debitto wouldn't give into her demands. His twin thought that he was too special to ever be tossed aside to fulfill that woman's spoiled brat complex, but love makes a person

blind and selfish for one's desire.

November 1

"Snow's on the ground, before it was coming from the sky, but now it's stopped crying." Jasdero uttered out loud, staring at the flakes that had collected on the front yard. "I don't know when Debitto's

showing up. He said he'd be back in a couple of hours. He took that evil woman with him. It's never fair, he's always with that woman."The voices spoke to him and he spoke back. "I know, she's so mean to

Jasdero, and Jasdero hasn't ever done anything to her~!" He continued to scan the outside world since for most of the three years he'd been at his soon-to-be sister in-law's house, the only times he had left

were to pick up his medicine with Devitto. "I'm hungry, oh hii~! Well I just can't go down there, what if Debitto and Penelope get home? All she does is yell at Jasdero. She hates me! It's not my fault she's

getting fat….." The voice he heard started to giggle, along with him. "Hehehe, if Debitto were here, he would have laughed too!" His giggling was only heard by himself and his 'friends'. The car pulled in, and

he watched as the woman with long, light auburn hair tried to exit the passenger side of the car, only to be stopped and helped out by his brother. "Let her get out on her own, she's only been pregnant for a

week," Jasdero spoke. In truth, Penelope was three months along, but Dero wouldn't know that,

"It comes with the disease, he'll start to forget time, a week will be like a day, ten years will be to him a year….."

The Doctor's voice made Debitto sad, and Dero didn't like it when his brother cried. "Her legs aren't even broken, and it's not like the baby is that big, so why do you have to help her up?" he observed. He

turned away, not wanting to see Penelope's smile. It was like seeing a tiger before it leaps onto its prey. Time passed, around fifteen minutes, according to Jasdero's approximation, making him wonder about

Devitto. Sitting on his bed he again thought aloud, "I know Debitto always checks on me after he comes home." The sound of a door opening and closing concerned Jasdero, what's going on down there? As

much as he would hate to visit anywhere else in the house because of Penelope, he wanted to see what his brother was up to.

Peeking only his eyes out from where the stairway ended, he watched the hallway fro his twin. Only looking into the dining room for a second he caught a glimpse of Penelope, she sneered. Devitto's voice

could be heard from the end of the hallway that was out of his twin's eyesight, as Jasdero waited patiently. Before he knew it, Debitto was walking back to the kitchen with groceries. Beaming from down the

hallway, his attitude more joyful than normal, He greeted Jasdero and Penelope as he set the bags of food on the dining room table.

"What's up? Decided to come visit us?" Debitto directed to Jasdero as he went over to Penelope whose grimace was plastered on her face. "Hope Ellie over here isn't trying to scare you off!" Her face was so

plastic when it smiled at Jasdero.

"I would never do that! Jasdero loves me, don't you?" Since Debitto's attention focused on Penelope. Debitto didn't see his twin shake his head horizontally. Penelope's expression just as cynical as the day

she meant Jasdero.

"Well, we were at the doctor's, and the baby is healthy," Debitto cheerfully announced as his fingers skimmed the top of Penelope's protruding stomach. Jasdero was scared to say anything, even if it was

positive. 'Ellie' as Debitto called her, would find a way to let her coldness seep into a warm hearted comment. Jasdero continued to stand on the last step of the stairway. "Jasdero?" Debitto called his brother

who continued to stare at him.

"Debitto, he's not all there, just leave him alone." He lightly pushed his fiancé's hand away and crept closer to Jasdero.

"We can go upstairs if you don't want to talk down here." Jasdero's head shook in a manner of yes.

In his bedroom Jasdero was back to being how his brother remembered him, happy. Jasdero sat on his bed, smiling with the most innocent child-like beam that always reminded Debitto why he loved him so

much. "So what did you do today?" Debitto asked as he stood in front of Jasdero's bed, playing with the light colored curtains.

"Well, I woke up just before you left, you said you'd be gone for a couple of hours, I waited, and waited, and waited, made a sandwich, and waited…." Debitto grinned.

"What else did you do besides wait?"

"The voices and I made a song up for the baby…."

"Well, can I hear it?" Jasdero smiled. He was glad that his brother's attention was on him, causing him to blush, but then he frowned.

"I don't think you'll like it…"

"Jasdero, I love you. I promise I'll like it." Jasdero again beamed before singing the lullaby.

"There was a one baby-cradle

there was a one baby in the cradle

Then the one became two

The one baby-cradle

was surrounded by the mist

One star

flickering over the graveyard

And disappearing!"

Jasdero's smile now seemed twisted to Debitto. How creepy the lyrics were, how Jasdero was singing it, and who inspired the lullaby. It rose too much concern for Debitto to not say something. "What… what

happened to the children?"

"I don't know. I guess they died, or something like that. That's what the voices told me…" Jasdero noticed the dread in Debitto's pupils. "I told you, you wouldn't like it; now you hate me just like

Penelope!" Tears rolled down Jasdero's cheeks as he knew that Debitto didn't like what he and his'friends' thought up.

"Jasdero, I don't hate you."

"Yes you do! They all said you would hate me if I sang it to you!" Jasdero shrieked.

"Jasdero…" Debitto crawled into bed with him. "Don't listen to the voices, you know I love you and you shouldn't doubt that." Debitto rested his head on Jasdero's shoulder as Jasdero wept into his pillow.

"I know, it's just that you've been treating Jasdero differently since he's been hearing his friends…" he uttered.

"I have to. You can't function without me, I guess with the baby and the wedding, I've been treating you more like a child, and I shouldn't."

"Dero doesn't mean to be useless, he wants to be smart like Debitto but no one lets him. They all say Jasdero's too stupid…" Debitto tighten his embrace.

"You've not useless or stupid, you just need help. You'd probably be smart like me if your medication continued to work." He started to rock his twin back and forth, cradling him.

"Why isn't Dero's meds working?"

"They just aren't," sighed, his smile starting to turn into a frown as he thought about what the doctors informed him. "But you're fine right? It's not like you've tried to hurt anyone."

"Jasdero has bad days." Again, terror weaved though Debitto's mind in the form of Penelope's voice.

"Well what happens when the baby's born? I can't have that crazy running around here; he might try to hurt the baby!"

"Devitto?" Jasdero tried to call his brother out of the trance. "Is Debitto okay?" As his day dreaming Jasdero became worried. The way he's looking at Jasdero was different, Jasdero doesn't like this.

"I'm sorry, I was thinking about something."

"Debitto, the voices are saying that you don't think I'm okay anymore. Tell them they're wrong." He held Jasdero, pulling him closer into their hug. "Tell them that they're wrong, please, please tell them!" All

Debitto did was hug his sick brother, since he knew what he had to do.