7. Virgil + Alan – Torchbearer
Torchbearer, noun: One who imparts knowledge, truth or inspiration to others.
Sometimes it's easy to forget that Alan is still a teenager. He doesn't act like a teen – and that's the problem. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He takes on the mantle of the adult the majority of the time – bouts of sleep-talking and silliness aside.
So when Virgil finds him with his feet dangling in the pool and his eyes downcast, he sits beside him. He doesn't ask questions. He waits as the sun starts to dip below the horizon.
Eventually, when Alan speaks, his is the voice of a child again.
"I didn't mean for it to happen."
His voice is tiny. His throat is clogged with despair. Virgil slides an arm around his littlest brother's bony shoulders.
"You aren't to blame," he says. "Sometimes things don't go right, no matter how hard you try. Even International Rescue isn't infallible."
When Alan looks up, the sunset burns amber in his bright eyes. Virgil swallows.
"But we should be," he says. "We should never fail."
In the youngest's words, the oldest's voice echoes. How many times has Virgil had this same conversation with Scott? Too many.
"In an ideal world," Virgil says, "we wouldn't. In an ideal world, we wouldn't even be needed." He gives a soft laugh, more like a self-depreciating snort. "But this isn't an ideal world. And things do go wrong. We just couldn't get there in time, Alan. We can't be there right at the moment disaster strikes."
Alan drops his chin and shakes his head.
"I wish we could be," he mutters.
Virgil pulls his brother close again and nods.
"I know," he says. "But one failure doesn't make the other hundred successes not count anymore. You have to look at the big picture." He laughs again. This time the sound is soft, comforting. "It's the only thing that gets me through the tough days."
They stay in the dip of the sunlight for a while, watching as the stars begin to come out. Virgil doesn't want to have these conversations. He doesn't want to have to bear the torch of bad news. He doesn't want to have to see them suffer.
But he will never turn away. Someone has to.