Chapter 2

" It's such a shame." Nicole remarked idly, with a brief sigh. "Anais was a good daughter. She had so much promise to her...So much...potential..." She said in attempt to show her fraud sorrow. " Oh well...It's too bad she became crazy...well...the state has no choice but to vanquish her." She said indifferently. She wasn't even attempting to act sad, as she was plainly wiping off imaginary lint off her clothing. The family was waiting outside of the courtroom, where Anais was going to be judged because of her intolerable actions. The state of Elmore was controlled under a totalitarian government, which meant that the people would have to abide by the rules or else they would be vanquished if they were deemed crazy or lunatic. This new cosmic system was considered a new era for the people, and was supposedly harmonic. The term vanquished, was just another plain and less violent way to synonym the word execute. The thought was mind boggling, Darwin would never have wanted this to happen to this family. Not at all. Gumball noticed Darwin's pensive behavior and he elbowed him in the side.

" Hey...don't feel bad. It wasn't your fault that Anais went crazy." Gumball said, looking at his face. Darwin shook his head.

" I don't care. She's my sister, and now she's going to die, Gumball." Darwin said in a raised voice. He couldn't grasp the fact why that their family member was going to die, but yet it fazed no one, not even the slightest bit as if she were a just a figment of their imagination. Darwin scoffed. "How does that not bother you? Your sister is going to die and yet..." Darwin stopped short and sighed. " Do you even love your sister?"

" I did. But because she disobeyed the cosmic laws, she needs to learn her lesson." Gumball shrugged apathetically, as if she wasn't important to his life anymore just because of one action. But it made Darwin furious.

" How could you say that?!" He rose to his feet. Darwin kept his eyes centered on his face.

" Well it's true—"

" I don't care! That is your sister you twisted lunatic!" He screamed, incompetent with anger.

" Darwin! You will never use that language again, or so help me I will lead you to the Atonement Center myself!" Nicole retorted. Darwin was urged to yell at her, but his conscious forewarned him not to. He took a deep breath and walked away, not wanting to spend another second with his family. The Atonement Center was usually for juveniles or delinquent children and or teenagers to be taught their lessons if they disregarded the rules of either the parents or cosmic law. They either starved you, dehydrated you, or any other diabolical way to make you learn your lesson, depending on what it was you broke. The words lunatic or crazy was never to be used to people who weren't deemed so, and that could be a punishable crime if it was committed twice. Darwin began to notice that until now, that maybe the change didn't begin with Gumball being sick yesterday. It was probably just the fact that Anais was beginning to act different. Whatever it was, Darwin didn't want to think too much of it.

He sat on the courtyard stairs, trying to steam off his anger by being alone. Though he heard someone open the doors behind him and approach him. Darwin had an inward sigh. What now? He thought to himself.

" Darwin?" Gumball called, sitting beside him.

" I just want to be alone Gumball."

" I'm sorry for being an idiot. I didn't know how much you cared about Anais and I didn't mean to offend you in any possible way." Gumball said with a timid hard swallow. Something about his speech made Darwin think that he had been practicing to say this for a long time.

" It's not the fact about me, Gumball. The fact that you didn't care about her anymore is what's troubling me." Darwin said with annoyance. Gumball sighed.

" I know. But the only reason why I said I did, Because there is nothing I can do to stop the vanquishing even if I wanted to. And so I didn't want to let my emotions get a hold of me. I still do love Anais, but that's not going to change the mind of those judges." Gumball said idly. The fact that Gumball was suddenly able to speak a paragraph without pausing or light stammering was what made his reply suspicious. Darwin got up and descended down the stairs.

" Where are you going?" Gumball asked.

" I'm not going to watch my sister die. Go ahead and tell mom if you want to, I don't care if she takes me to the Atonement Center." Darwin said indifferently and continued leaving.

Darwin walked back home and went over his thoughts about the recent occurring events. There was something Darwin noticed; That most people would always try to make him feel better, whenever he was upset. And not just family, strangers, teachers, anyone in general who noticed Darwin's unhappy mood. It was eerie to think about it, how much they tried to keep him happy, or do what they thought was best for him. Nicole always used the threat of taking him to the Atonement center, but she never really did do it. And always, no matter what, at the end she would always apologize for displaying such anger. It was like if they would bend their backs for him, even if he didn't want them to. Darwin shook his head and omitted the thoughts from his mind.

He walked up the porch stairs and slipped the house key out of his pocket. He accessed it into the door knob and twined it to the right, undoing the latch. He opened the door to the gloomy dark house, the light filtering through the darkness had revealed more of the dark veiled house. He closed the door and opened the curtains to bring in some sunlight. Darwin sat down at the couch with an expected boredom. He began tapping the tips of his fingers on his knee. He looked at the flat TV screen, which was a pure ebony color. He noticed his vague reflection, that had a blurry effect on it. Suddenly, the house phone began to ring. Darwin got up and eagerly walked towards it, happy for having at least something to occupy his time. He picked up the phone and held it to his ear.

" Hello?"

" Darwin! My vanquishing is tomorrow! So I don't have much tie and you need to listen very carefully!" Anais shouted at the other end. Darwin's heart sped up as he listened to her voice.

" Anais? how did you call me?"

" That's not important right now! I need you to look at the TV screen! Now!" Anais commanded. Darwin nodded as if she was in front of him and he sped walked to the TV screen and knelt down.

" What else?"

" Look in the exact middle of the TV screen! The exact middle, Darwin!" Darwin scrutinized the screen, looking in the general area of the middle until his eyes came across an obscure detail.

"What do you see?" Anais asked urgently

" It looks like a tiny...light bulb." Darwin said, squinting to make sure his guess was correct.

" It's not a light bulb, Darwin. It's—" Anais began screaming and crying out for help.

" Anais? Anais! What's happening?!"

" Darwin!" She called out on last time before the other side disconnected. Darwin was in a terrified awe. Confused about the little device that was in the TV, but sorely shocked about what happened to Anais. The door suddenly flung open and the family, who suspiciously conveniently they were to come in time for whenever Darwin was speaking to Anais.

" What happened? Darwin are you okay?" Nicole knelt down beside him. " I heard you yelling are you alright my dear?" Nicole stroked his cheek. But Darwin couldn't get his mind away from his concern for Anais.

" Anais...called me." Darwin said weakly.

" She did? Oh no. How did she get to a phone? She didn't try to turn you lunatic, did she?" Nicole asked with a sigh. " My poor Darwin." Nicole hugged him. " You'll be fine, my love. You'll be fine." She chanted eerily. Darwin glanced back at the TV, noticing from a distance the little bulb that was in there. Why was it so important? What was Anais going to say?

" You okay dude?" Gumball inquired, noticing him staring deeply at the TV.

"...I'm fine." Darwin lied. There was nothing fine about this. Anais' vanquishing was probably rescheduled even sooner than before because she had the guts to call him, and she had mentioned something that was oddly placed in the TV that had to be important because she said it was. But the question was. What was it?