~Part two! (Peter = Sealand, Scott = Scottland)

vv~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{*`* Alfred's Point of View *`*}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~vv

Let me tell you something, sleeping in trees makes your neck ache like crazy! If I were in a different situation, I would've just put on my puppy face and gotten some gentle hearted person to take me in. However, Arthur could have people looking for me or after me himself. Keeping to myself is the best option so far. I've only gotten to the rural part, away from the cities that I'm used to, and closer to the rolling hills, and jagged cliffs. Life was fine for a while the cities, until I heard word of a man searching desperately for a child that ran away. I got so frightened that he was about to catch up to me, that I pack my bags again and rush out of the busy streets, noisy cars, and high life.

This particular day I began exploring the hills and broken off cliffs of my current "home." There was one cliff that made me inch closer. It went upward then dropped low, almost connecting to the other side and another cliff. At the top you could see the city light, and when you looked over the edge, you could see sharp, dangerous rocks looming below. As the long drop down mesmerized me, a sharp cry broke my concentration and made me look up.

Up above on the other cliff, was Arthur. Panic surged through me as I became paralyzed, focusing on Arthur. "W- Why are you here," I barked, "Come to tell more lies or to join you again?" His emerald eyes narrowed and he spoke up after staring for a while.

"SHUT UP! You never let me explain!" Arthur bellowed, over the raging winds.

"Explain what? That you're a psycho? A murder or a kidnapper" I roared with fury. Fear slowly crept back into me and I started making a mental plan on how to get away. For sure he was here to get rid of me if I didn't cooperate with him.

"Wai-" He tried to yell something else but I cut him off, wanting to prove a point.

"Or how about that you were going to kill me, huh 'Father'?!" I sneered mockingly. My terror was fleeing and I was left with rage. How dare he try to "explain" to me, everything was plain and simple: He had kidnapped me as a baby and planned to kill me or use me! Using my silent fuming for a chance to speak he hollered back.

"Would you be quiet for once in your life?! Look, Oli ― Alfred, I -" He spoke and took a step forward, but there was no more land, for the cliff had ended. I watched as his eyes widened, as his body became a lifeless doll and sank down, down, down. He didn't even utter a sound, but I on the other hand, I let out a shriek.

Trying to take a step back and absorb this information, I fell backwards and landed on my bottom. "He was a terrible man he deserved that," I tried to convince myself, "The world is better off without him." All I could think of was my caring and loving father for countless years falling down, down, down. I couldn't even bear to look over the cliff to see his body.

I made the quick decision to report to the police of a dead body. Thought making sure not to tell of any relation to him, just that I heard noises and saw someone there, I also lied about my age. Thank goodness, they believed me, I do look about the age. With the money I had I got a job and an apartment to split the bills with a new friends. I began living as Alfred Jones, but after about a month or two a letter came for me. That was nothing unusual, but that it had my childhood name written on it. "Oliver Kirkland," it read. Locking my door to my room and settling down, but never looking away from the envelope. I acted as if it contained the answers to the world and would disappear if I lost sight of it. Ripping it open I saw that it was an invitation, not to any fancy party or something like that, but to a funeral.

A funeral for Arthur Kirkland.

The wind was as freezing as ice and the snow crunchy the day of the funeral for my "father." Surprising even myself, I bought a suit and set out in the chilly winter evening. I zoned out when people went up and preached the greatness of Arthur, not the person I knew, but the charming man he pretended to be. When only a few people lingered I walked up to his grave and read over his tombstone over and over. It was only until someone bumped into me that I realized I was there for a while. I moved back and apologized to the person behind me.

When I looked at the person I apologized to I saw that it was Arthur. I was about to shout something when I noticed a difference. This person had blue eyes, not green. "He must be related to him," I thought to myself.

He smiled at me, "You thought I was Arthur, didn't you? Alas, I'm not. I'm just Peter, a brother of his. One woman even thought that I was him, and had risen from the dead! Can you imagine that?" He paused for a laugh. "And you must be Oliver, since you got my invitation"

"No, I'm Alfred. Alfred Jones," I corrected, wondering on how Peter knew that name.

"Yes, I know that, but I prefer to call you Oliver, since that's what dear Arthur named you" He saw my look of surprise, for he responded that with, "Don't look too surprised, I know all about you, Arthur and I were very close." I tried, I really did, to question him, but I couldn't. "I can bet that you have a lot of question for me like, 'who am I, what was up with Arthur, and how are you so much handsomer than Arthur?' Don't worry I'll explain, that's why I brought you here!" Peter blabbered on an all I could think was that he talked a lot, and was full of himself.

"If you could please explain," I cut him off right in his rant on how much better looking he was then Arthur, "I would be very grateful"

"Why of course," Peter said, "Why don't I start from the beginning? Our family was never close, our parents were fairly wealthy, but never the kind of parents we wanted. There were 3 sons total, Scott, me, and Arthur. Scott was the heir to the money, but instead rebelled and got into gangs and drugs in high school. Our parents disowned him once they found out that he was involved with murder. That got him so angry that he got Arthur into drugs. I was smart enough to not listen to him, to stay on mum's and dad's good side. Once Arthur got involved with drugs, everything went downhill and around that time I left for a "job offer" and to get away. I came back when our parent's funeral. I saw Arthur there and took the chance to talk to him. Things took a turn for the extreme worse; he told me straight to my face that he was a serial killer and kidnapper. Arthur was absolutely mad, he raved about how successful he was and that he was better than Scott. I punched him right in the face and left again," Peter moved his gaze to Arthur's tombstone.

"Then one day I got a call, Arthur wanted me to come to him, I couldn't understand why, but being his brother, I went. When I got to his new apartment I noticed something. He seemed...different. He said to me 'I realized something I should've long ago' and collapsed into my arms. When I brought him into his room and on his bed I saw that there was a crib in his room. In there was a baby. That was you." Peter looked up at me for that last sentence, as if to emphasize it.

"Soon after he woke up and explain to me what had happened. He stopped the drugs for a while, but still drunk on the way back to his apartment he heard wailing in an alley. As he investigated he found a baby, lying in a cardboard box. Still not thinking straight he picked him up and held him, and to his surprise the baby stopped crying and instead laughed. Arthur made it to his apartment safe with the baby and fell asleep with him still in his arms. When he was awake and sober, he decided to keep the baby. He changed his ways for the baby, which he named Oliver Kirkland. Even though I disapproved of him keeping some child in need of a mother, not some maniac, I saw the way Arthur acted around him. He changed him, and that's when we grew closer I sent him money to help and he raised the child as his own." Peter smiled once more at me and walked through the snow away from the grave.

I couldn't do anything, just stay still and stare. It was like when Arthur had died, I'm powerless and guilty. Sinking to my knees I sat there as snow began to fall once more and night overtook day. As tears I swore wouldn't fall started cascading down, I started losing my balance.

"Hold on there," comforted Peter, grabbing on to me and helping me up and stand straight. "Don't think that I'll leave you here without nothing"

"What do you mean?" I questioned him, wiping away tears from my eyes.

He then explained, "I'd like to make you a preposition, come with me to find Scott. I can provide you with what you need. Or you could act like this never happened and live with no money to live, place to stay, and you aren't even 18." When he finally finished he let go of my arms and gave a smile that looked too much like a smirk.

"It sounds as if you're trying to threaten me," I start to reason, and I notice his eyes starting to narrow, "but I'll have to take you up on that offer." As a sign of agreement I hold out my hand to shake.

"Thank you Oliver dear, and don't you worry, He crooned as he whipped up his hand shook my own, "you're in good hands." With handshake I made a pact I knew would make life would become difficult and risky. On the other hand, when was life ever easy?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{*`*THE END*`*}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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