The Evans house was set in a wide platform covered by grass and nestled against the hill of a mountain. Two stories high, with a petty dungeon that could have held one or two princesses captive, was the signature mark that all the kids would look for when at the town. In the morning, the house's white walls would shine under the sun, and the crimson roof looked like a blazing fire coming from the house. Once the sun went down, while the house rested under the shadow, the magic of the Evans house turned dark. Even at twilight, when the windows showed lights, it could not look any less appealing.
A little bit after ten in the morning, Will dragged a garden chair to the edge of the land. He adjusted his big and round sunglasses and took off his shirt, revealing his chiseled physique, that was very well-known over the town, for every girl there would begin drooling when exposed to it. The fabric of his bright blue shorts was the perfect contrast to his pale, ivory skin. Sometimes he'd consider just taking those off too, as he referred, just like the Lord would have wanted.
At the hill's summit, well below his grandmother's magnificent house, Salem laid. Two hundred years after Will's ancestors had founded it, the town still looked like nothing more than a short strand of land with lots of stores that barely sold anything actually worthwhile. But delusion of greatness were still found at his family. For Marlena Evans, who refused to move any further than their current state, Salem was nothing less than the Earth's core. That and occasional nudity were two of lots of topics he and his grandmother would never meet eye to eye.
While the church's bells tolled down on the valley, Will let himself drop on the chair and popped open a sketch book. He bit the tip of the pencil, trying to concentrate in the image leaning against his knees: a toned male body in an emerald green shirt. He was trying to find inspiration for the multiple painting requests he had gotten since he announced he would be now selling all his creations – Will was extremely talented, everyone that knew art, knew that he was talented, and those who didn't know art, thought he was extraordinary. For his part, Will just liked painting, he liked to draw and paint anytime, especially when he was with his best friend and fellow artist, Chad DiMera. The two of them were well-known as the artsy guys in Salem High, and they were now getting a lot of orders from lots of people for any work of art to, most likely, showcase it in their houses.
Will studied the sketch he had drawn the day before. It was another boy, a blonde guy, but he was wearing a very old-fashioned suit and hat. When drawing it, he kinda felt like he knew that suit. The same would happen whenever he would drawn this blonde guy, or any guy for that matter. He had to deal with the déjà vu, and try to remember where could he have seen this suit. But whenever he closed his eyes and try to focus, the only thing he'd see was the guy from TV. He didn't know how, but he was sure that he knew him. When the guy looked at the camera, it looked as if he was looking for him, for Will.
Something stirred in Will's stomach, and he caressed his taut belly to calm it down. He didn't have the slightest clue as to how much his collapse had caused. After that he had felt too tired to apologize. Chad carried him to bed, where Will woke up sixteen hours later, ashamed about losing control and scared at his grandmother's stare. When he realized the house was empty ––his fellow housemates were already at church––, he knew he had to brace himself.
––I assume they decided not to have you committed just yet.
Will lifted his shades to the top of his blonde head and open slightly his eyes under the sun. Chad DiMera was walking through the garden. Still with a very toned body from football season, he moved with a rarely found grace in boys his size. Chad smiled the smile that made half the women in this town curse fate.
––Cover up, man! You cannot be exposing yourself like that for everyone to see.
––As if ––Will smiled and put his shirt back on––. And it doesn't seem as if anyone else is lining up to see me without my shirt on. Why aren't you at church?
Chad kneeled next to the chair and contemplated the town.
––I decided to give myself a week off from their attempts to save me from you. Did you know that there were places where they make people like you change? Where they teach people to be "productive members of society"?
––Productives to knock up Salem's girls and breed until death? ––Will asked, making Chad plop from the laughter––. But anyway, today you cannot stay long. It's probable that Marlena brings Dr. Carver after the service. What do you think if I give them a show? Teach them a lesson.
For some reason, Chad always knew when to stop laughing.
––Do you think they'll get the minister? Is it that bad?
Will gravely nodded.
––They haven't let me skip church since I got pneumonia in eighth grade. Who knows what happened last night while I was K.O.
––What did you last see? Do you remember?
Will laid back down.
––I couldn't even if I tried. I was sitting in a room, waiting for Jackson. And then he came, and… Oh god! Please don't let me have said anything inappropriate in front of Marlena!
Chad stretched and squeezed his hand.
––I thought you'd learn years ago how to not black out. How long has it been since the last time it happened?
––This Tuesday ––Will answered, in a low voice.
––What? Come on Will! Why didn't you tell me?
––I didn't want it to get out of control. I've seen the same image every once in a while for a few weeks now. Seems like I can't stop the visions anymore. And to be frank, I'm not so sure I want to ––he paused while the memory of the kiss went by his mind, followed by an anxiety wave––. It felt real, Chad. Almost as if I was really there. I think I'm losing it now.
––No, you're not ––he insisted, like a doctor to an hysteric patient––. Let's try and analyze you. Do you have any idea what's causing the visions? What were you doing yesterday when you fainted?
––Nothing much. There was this TV gossip show. They were talking about some New York rich boy whose father had died. He must have had me remember Jackson.
––Let me guess. Enigmatic and unsettling. Tall, dark and handsome?
––How'd you know? –– Will babbled.
Chad's smile was nothing short of wicked.
––Well, after so many years of not showing any interest in any guy. Who would have thought that out and proud Will Horton would fall for the man of the hour. Your mystery guy is named Sonny Kiriakis.
––How'd you know?
––Oh come on Will! The internet's only useful for two things. Gossip being one of them. The guy you're talking about hasn't stopped popping tabloids for the last few months.
Will let a pile of celebrity magazines drop to the coffee table. Chad grabbed the top one and started to read it.
––Wow, so this is your mom's stash? Why does she keep it hidden? ––Chad asked.
––And risk Marlena's wrath? ––Will taunted––. She says these are Satan's daily. My mom doesn't even read it in front of Marlena. If she were to stumble upon me with a copy of the National Enquirer, I wouldn't be here to tell.
––Well, Mr Horton, let's see if we can put this Satan's on Demand to good use. Let's see ––Chad flipped the magazine to show it to Will––. Hopefully this'll work.
––Is it really necessary? ––Will grunted, reluctant to look at the page. No matter how much pleasure his visions gave him, it wasn't worth the public humiliation of fainting.
––We're trying to reach a diagnosis ––Chad sentenced, with pretend seriousness––. Either you're getting hormone intoxication or you're irreparably crazy. Wouldn't you like to know which it is?
––You know what Marlena's gonna think of this.
Even tough Will loathed bringing up his grandmother's theory on his visions, they couldn't allow themselves to avoid it forever.
Chad didn't listen to Will's suggestion.
––I've already diagnosed you're grandmother. I'm afraid she's at a fatal stage of one of the most feared illnesses in the world –– The Old Bitch Disease. Would you now look at the freaking picture!
He shook the magazine in front of him.
Will leaned in to study the picture. Sonny Kiriakis had a face which you would typically find chiseled in marble, looking over explorers at ancient ruins or shipwrecks. Straight nose, high cheekbones, angular jaw, longish and deliciously messy brown hair and lips in a permanent grin. It could have been perfect had it not been for the brown eyes that were killing the photographer. Will realized he had seen Sonny Kiriakis before. His face had popped up in every magazine in the supermarket.
––What you do think? ––Chad casually inquired.
––He's beyond hot.
Will stopped looking at the mag and got scared when he saw his reflection in the mirror, at the other side of room. For a while there he was almost incapable to recognize his face, delicate straight nose, bright blue eyes, short dark blonde hair. He wasn't stunning, at least to himself, but he acknowledged he was somewhat attractive. An acquired taste, Chad liked to say, but until now, nobody had ever tasted it. Will was satisfied with his looks.
––He's alright ––Chad said, nodding his head slightly––. But why not go beyond the obvious? Do you feel anything with this picture?
––No ––Will admitted, with a mixture of relief and disappointment––. Absolutely nothing.
––Really? Man you're cold. Even I'm willing to admit that that dude is hot. But anyway, let's see what its being said about Mr Kiriakis. Let's see.
Chad started reading the article, following the paragraph with his finger. He cleared his throat:
––OK. Here it says that Sonny's father, Justin Kiriakis, inherited a fortune from his father, Greek entrepreneur Victor Kiriakis. Sonny got it all when his father died, a few days ago. Nobody knows exactly how much. His parents were split, and her mother lives in Italy. They don't really get along. People speculated that it had something to do with Sonny being gay, but after some sort of interview, Adrienne Johnson said that it had nothing to do with her son's sexuality, rather with much more personal issues. It seems as though, Sonny was some kind of bad seed. He got expelled from multiple schools.
––You got all that from a tabloid?
Will felt like he had parachuted directly on top of a stranger's life. He already knew more about Sonny Kiriakis' life than about any other fellow salemite.
––Yeah, terrible, right? But wait, here's where it all turns weird: remember that musician that disappeared a few months ago?
––What musician? ––Will asked––. I told you I don't read this crap.
Chad looked up from the magazines, amused at Will's innocence. He knew each of his flaws, and he knew that Will wasn't one for gossip.
––It was on the papers, Will. Don't be such a critic. Whatever, this is the musician. His name was Christopher Moore ––Chad gave Will a picture of the skinny boy with a brown rag as hair and a lost facial expression. In his forearm he had a tattoo of a snake biting its own tail––. He was a singer. They say he was very good. He disappeared after a concert in L.A. That was a few months ago. No one has seen him since.
––And what does that have to do with Sonny Kiriakis?
––He was the last person to see Christopher alive.
––So?
––So nothing ––Chad said––. But the thing is that Sonny and Christopher weren't exactly friends. And it's well-known that Sonny's kind of a player. Rumor has it that Christopher and him fought over something – or someone. People started to wonder what they were doing together the night Christopher disappeared.
––They think this Sonny guy killed Christopher Moore?
––Nah. Actually, no one believes that. It's just a coincidence. But also a juicy piece of meat for the tabloids ––Chad paused––. Anything working for ya?
Will glanced at a dozen pictures, in each, Sonny was featured with a different guy. There wasn't anything familiar in the beautiful face of the young man or his strange story. But every time Will remembered Sonny's smiling on TV, his heart seemed to race.
––I don't know ––he answered.
Chad opened his mouth to say something, but everything that came out was an exhausted sigh. No matter how much he did to help, Will and him only knew just how complicated the situation would get. Marlena Evans would be soon back from church, and there was enough time to draw some final conclusions.