Hey, everybody! As you know this was going to be the final chapter, but after having realized if I was to put everything in together this piece would be over 9000 words! So to avoid this I have split Chase's chapter into two halves, which means an extra chapter for you guys! Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Always two sides to a story- Part1
The brilliant light of may marking the beginning of yet another day shone through the window, making the glass seem practically invisible. The Sun streams in like an uninvited guest to a party, which for a moment made him forget the metal bars that surrounded the only source of light the prison cell allowed. Four months had passed since he, Tressler and Walter were arrested following a revenge plan against the Horsemen, and to this day Chase felt no regret on what he had done.
In his eyes, it's Merritt who should carry the guilt. Him being the very reason he had resorted to turning against everything that had once been true to his heart.
It had been another darkness filled grim day when a much wished forgotten memory returned to haunt him once more, curling himself into a ball and rocking himself back and forth he was mercilessly brought back to his childhood. A particular quote used by one of his school teachers regarding the twins ringing through his mind like a malicious earworm.
Siblings who spent their childhood together, stay together.
Then what the hell happened to the McKinney brothers?
It had started when they were kids, and in those happy, if now blurred days Chase and Merritt were the best of friends. They did everything together. Played together, ate together. They even did tricks together, which mostly involved swapping seats to confuse the teachers and their own parents.
The one moment Chase was particularly proud of was when he managed to trick his mother into feeding him lunch twice that day, which resulted in Merritt having to endure a long painful wait until dinner time. Now that was a childhood memory worth remembering.
Of course, all this was before their unexpected discovery of mentalism. And all it took to trigger it into something so massive was a simple question to begin the journey they couldn't turn back from.
"Do you love mom?"
Who would have thought a simple, innocently asked question like that could have caused such mayhem for the McKinney brother's minds? Well, whatever this unsettling vibe that came across from their fathers less than enthusiastic response signified, they were going to find out the underlying cause of it, together.
To begin with, the twins would spend an hour or two keeping an extra close eye on everything their dad did and said, Merritt, being the one to observe him thoroughly, while Chase took notes of any eye catching hints to the theory of their dad being unfaithful.
This self-proclaimed 'exposing the beast mission' then progressed into something more complex as their theories within time became increasingly logical. To ensure their suspicions were rightly placed they had set up various secret schemes, including expressing a sudden attachment to their father, which often left him feeling awkward and rushing off with a different mumbled excuse each time.
"Did you see how dads eye twitched when you asked him about mom?" Merritt had said to his younger twin brother as he wrote down their latest findings.
"Yeah and the way he stammered when making up that pathetic excuse of having to walk the dog, we don't even have a dog," Chase added, having earned himself a satisfied smile from his older brother.
From that day onwards things became more serious and awkward as not only did their father become more evasive each day, he also began to leave the house at any time of day and not come back for hours, if at all. The longest he had been gone on one of his so called 'trips' was for two whole days.
Although they both knew in their hearts that their slime ball of a father was a good for nothing cheater, it didn't prepare them for what they were to discover.
"Stop it, stop it!" Was the softly whispered chuckle that greeted Merritt and Chase when they got home from school.
Deciding to take a closer look at what they had walked into, the McKinney brothers eyes widened to the size of saucers when seeing their father passionately snogging a much younger brunette women who didn't look past her teenage years.
Everything that had led them to believe their father's disloyalty glared at them right in the face, the harsh smack of reality hitting them at full force as they came to terms with the fact that they had been right all along. At that very moment, neither twin could say they were proud to be correct.
Chase who's rage boiled through his body wanted nothing more than to burst in and give them both a piece of his mind, clenching his fists Chase was about to pull himself up to cause a commotion when he felt a hand pushing him back down by the shoulder.
"Don't," Merritt whispered, causing Chase to look up at him, unable to hide the mixture of fury and sorrow the unshed tears that lingered within his cold blue eyes. He was more in touch with his emotions back then.
Turning away from his brother's concerned gaze, he could only stare at the floor as he realized that Merritt was right, he always was.
Having been sent out to calm himself down Chase roamed the lonely, bitterly depressing yet humid streets that he remembered once being a wide avenue, alive with the lively sounds of laughter and endless chatter. Briefly turning to look around he spotted only a couple of people on the pavement opposite him walking past each other so quickly and without any eye contact, as if they were programmed to behave like everyone they came across was a potential threat.
Sighing softly to himself, Chase who reckoned he'd calmed down enough made his way home until he got unexpectedly shoved into the wall by a much older woman who hissed out a watch it, which Chase responded to by sticking his tongue out. Rubbing his arm to ease some of the pain from when it got scraped against the wall, the soft sound of paper gliding to the floor caught his attention. Grabbing it from the floor he turned it around so he could read what was on the other side.
Roy D. Bruce
Hypnotist and mentalist of the century!
The one and only man who can unlock a closed book
and read every single page of your mind using your own pad lock and key!
"I see you've taken an interest in Mr. Bruce," a voice said behind him. Turning around to look at the elderly man who had spoken to him, Chase's strong willed curiosity soon took over.
"What's a mentalist?"
"A mentalist is someone who is gifted with mental powers and is able to do extraordinary things such as mind reading, and a few can even master hypnosis."
Listening carefully to what the man had said, Chase grinned from ear to ear as an idea popped into his head, he then wasted no time in rushing back home with the poster flapping in his hand.
"Merritt, Merritt, come and look at this!" Chase had yelled as he jumped onto his older brother's bed, shoving the poster in his face.
"You know, I've been wanting to find out about how you were able to figure out so much about dad. Then I came across this poster about something called mentalism, it includes everything you were able to do. People with these kinds of skills are called mentalists!"
"A what?" Merritt questioned a few seconds after taking the poster from Chase, looking at it with tired eyes.
"A mentalist." Chase sighed when his older brother didn't reply.
"Come on bro, if you were able to figure out dad's big bad secret by reading him then who knows what you and I can discover?" This time Chase smiled when Merritt sat up from his lying down position with a thoughtful look on his face.
"I'll tell you what, give me some time to look into it properly and we can take it from there."
That following morning the twins had agreed to learn everything to do with mentalism and hypnosis, and to begin with it was a real struggle, making them almost believe it was impossible. But then it suddenly clicked, and within a year, they had advanced from not being able to a single thing regarding mentalism to successfully hypnotizing other people. This as well as correctly read their minds and dish out various secrets, which for Chase was a personal favorite.
It had taken a further two weeks before they were convinced it was the right time to finally spill the beans.
"Hey dad, look into my eyes and sleep!" Was the first thing Merritt had shouted as he galloped down the stairs, snapping his fingers once right in front of their father who unconsciously flopped in between his and Chase's shoulders.
"Boys, what are you doing?" Their mother questioned, which went ignored.
As soon as Merritt had placed their father into a trance, to begin with, they started with the small stuff, such as what his middle name was and his most embarrassing life memory. Although their skills had impressed their mom, it didn't prevent the simultaneous twisting sensation in both the twins stomachs as the daunting moment that would change everything was to come right now.
"Dad, is there anyone you're seeing at the moment?"
"Yes," he answered honestly in a monotone drone, earning a raised eyebrow from their mom.
"Male or female?"
"Female."
"What's her name?"
"Mary- Anne."
"Do you see this Mary-Anne as a friend or something more?" Merritt asked in a firmer tone of voice.
"Something more."
Now it was time for the cat to be let out the bag. "Thought so and you know what, we know for a fact you're cheating on our mom with her!" Chase yelled.
"Admit it!" Merritt spat out, glaring at his father in utter disgust.
"I am cheating on your mother with Mary-Anne."
Looking towards their mother as soon as their father had spoken fury began to fill her facial features, something neither McKinney twin had ever seen before.
After releasing their father from the trance, the next couple of hours were spent listening in on the intense argument between their parents. For Chase, in particular, one part of him felt accomplished that the truth was now in the out and open, while another felt remorse for his mother.
Unfortunately, the very next day was something neither twin could have predicted.
Their father had left them.
"Look, the kids were right, so I'm off," was all he had to say. Then in a matter of seconds, he was out that door, leaving behind a heavy silence immediately afterward.
"Mom, are you alright?" Merritt had asked with a slight stammer to his voice, as he and Chase came downstairs to offer any comfort they could give to her. However, the death glare they received in response proved otherwise.
"This is all your fucking fault!" Was the roared insult their mom hurled at the twins just as they began to make their way back upstairs.
"Mom we're sorry, we just -" Merritt was cut off from finishing his sentence as their mum did something unthinkable.
"Get out of my sight!" Then out of nowhere the second bottle of wine, their mom had consumed that night was launched towards the twins, resulting in it whacking Chase on the forehead, slicing it open which caused him to collapse on the stairs in shock.
Later that evening once Merritt had managed to sort his younger brother out in the bathroom, neither twin felt like talking, meaning they sat in total silence. Chase hadn't been able to stop shaking since the incident a few hours ago, Merritt who had been just as shocked himself wasn't going to leave his brother suffering, at least not alone.
"I propose a pact." Merritt blurted out, making sure Chase heard the seriousness in his voice. But when he silently looked up at him with fear filled eyes, Merritt took Chase's hand in his own.
"I want to make a pact that we are to always have each other no matter what happens, and as long as we have one another, whatever life hurls at us good or bad, we can guarantee we will get through it just the two of us," Merritt said in a reassuring tone, gently squeezing his young brother's hand as he spoke.
"Promise me, Chase, promise me you will stick to the pact as I intend to." Were the last words spoken that night as Chase could only feebly nod his agreement in response, he vividly remembered sleeping like a log that night.
Soon after declaring their pact officially active the twins decided it was time for a fresh start, meaning they were to run away from the building they once recognized as home to focus on themselves. It wasn't a particularly difficult decision to make. Besides, after witnessing the dramatic changes in their mom's behavior, they didn't fancy taking up the role of the punching bags whenever in her drunken rage required something to take out her frustrations on.
After drawing up a very basic plan of where they going to run away to, the McKinney brothers had wasted no time in shoving all they could into small duffle bags, including limited food supplies and a pile of cash from their mother's purse. All they had to do then was sneak out of the front door undetected, not that their mom would give a damn.
Before they knew it the twins were stood at the other side of the front door, unknowingly leading the way to a much better life for just the two of them. Watching as Merritt tossed away the keys into the nearest drain, a feeling of satisfaction that from this moment forward their lives would only improve sent a burst of joy to Chase's soul. Though the difficult thing out of all this wasn't the actual running away part, it was having to leave behind those memories that had meant something to him in the past.
But by the time he and Merritt had arrived at the bus station after an hours walk those negative thoughts that had invaded his mind vanished, especially when from the corner of his eye he got a glimpse of a bus driver who would, (with their input) give them a ride to their desired destination.
"When I snap my fingers you will sleep at my command!" Chase ordered as he ran up to the bus driver, yanking him by the arm so that he was forced to give him eye contact. But when his attempt to hypnotize the man failed, Chase grew frustrated.
Just as he was about to have another go Merritt had gently pushed him aside, then in a matter of seconds the formerly self-aware bus driver was sent into a sleepy trance.
"When I snap my fingers you are going to take us to a hotel far away from here, which you will do for free," having no choice but to silently watch Merritt give the man his instructions, Chase couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy of how his older brother was able to flawlessly hypnotise the man under pressure.
With that aside, the McKinney twins were soon on the move to the hotel far away as offered by the bus driver under Merritt's orders. Once they had arrived as far as they could be taken, wherever they were now was completely different to the dull as dishwater village they had left behind.
For instance, the one out of a hundred chance of seeing someone walk by in their village was doubled by almost ten thousand, as people swarmed the area like huge groups of flies, introducing the brothers to the game of avoid being budged out the way. Secondly, the city itself was alive with rays of light, as if someone had taken a pot full of glitter and thrown it as far as the eye could see. This along with the lively sounds of music blaring through their ears and into the open atmosphere.
Despite the obvious differences of locations, the McKinney brothers knew they had to make this work, no matter the circumstances.
"Chasey and a Mere bear, gonna make you scare bear? That's just weird on so many levels Chase." Merritt had complained during the day the twins had sat down in their hotel room, coming up with a catchy slogan for themselves.
Chase tutted at his brother's immediate dismissal of his success guaranteed idea. "Oh, come on Brosky, everyone knows that a catchy phrase gains the most attention which is what we want."
Having heard Merritt sigh to himself, Chase had grinned triumphantly when Merritt had reluctantly let him have his own way.
To begin with, they were lucky if a homeless person approached them asking for money, but as time progressed so did the attention of the people passing by. Then it wasn't too long before the brothers came face to face with their first official target.
Their fortunate (or unfortunate) target had been a couple called Renetta and Samuel, who seemed to be happy with one another. Like they did with their dad they started off with the small stuff, such as revealing they had a cat called fluffy. Then once the buzz got going, they dug deep for the major twists and turns of their minds.
The rush of excitement that tickled every bone in Chase's body as he and Merritt exposed the couple for the Janus faced cheats they were, was the moment where he was thankful he and Merritt would never sink to that level of stupidity, their brotherly love as they put it was far too close for that.
Before they knew it a boost of popularity hit the McKinney brothers as the numbers of people interested in them increased by the day, sending bursts of joy for the boys just as it would for someone who had won the lottery. For them, it felt like they had.
However, the attention of the public wasn't the only source of attention they had managed to gain. It had been a particularly successful day that they were approached by someone who didn't look to be just anyone from the public domain.
"You two go by the Mini McKinney's right?" A female voice had questioned in a soft tone, startling the brothers.
"I've seen you two perform out there, I just wanted to introduce myself as Charlene Wicks and say that you boys have taken my interest." Charlene leaned her hand out for the twins to shake, looking at her, Chase had instantly received bad vibes from this Charlene woman.
"My profession is an agent, a reliable and very skilled agent. And just so you two know, I could be your agent if you wished to extend your fame and fortune on a one hundred percent guarantee by me."
Chase had let out a sigh of relief when Merritt told her they would think about her offer, it was comforting knowing he too could sense the unfavorable auras Charlene gave off.
Now that he could confidently put the event behind him, he and Merritt were soon out and about on the streets doing their usual thing. Though sometimes when they performed, Chase couldn't help but look behind him just in case Charlene was watching.
Unfortunately, his fears of Charlene watching over them proved to be true as after yet another evening spent earning money, one man they had targeted earlier that day approached them, but this time with backup consisting of a bulky, fierce looking man with the intention of ripping the twins apart, limb by limb. Having no clue on how they were to escape the majorly alarming situation alive they had prepared themselves for the worst, when suddenly the sound of something metal viciously attacked the men, knocking them out cold.
"Boys, I see we meet again," Charlene greeted as she helped the twins up from off the floor. Chase, in particular, was all over the place, not just because of the near death experience but also due to the fact that now they would have no choice but to allow her to become their agent. Besides, no agent would save someone's life out of goodwill.
Just as he had dreaded the McKinney twins were officially working for Charlene Wicks, which meant changes were to occur. But despite those changes or necessary sacrifices for the long run as Charlene called them, it did mean they were more or less known throughout the entire city, which was something Chase had to admit wouldn't have happened without her.
So as their popularity rose for the second time in less than four months the McKinney twins had it all, but most importantly they had it together.
Until life decided to drop a bombshell on the younger of the two.
Well more like forcing him into uncontrollable fits of wall to wall vomiting, as a result of catching a stomach bug the very day they were to perform at a very good friend of Charlene's party down the street.
"We can't go to the party, Chase is sick," was the first audible thing Chase had heard as he was lead back to bed after another episode of ruthless vomiting. Exhausted and fed up, all Chase could do was weakly listen to the argument between Merritt and Charlene commence.
"You will just have to ride it solo."
"No, were a two man team, that's why the Mini McKinney's has an s on the end." Despite being clouded by sickness, Chase had managed to let out a small chuckle at Merritt's retort.
"Well, the 's' will have to be struck off for tonight! Besides, how many people in showbiz turn down a great opportunity just because of a minor setback?"
Merritt had been about to angrily reply when Chase had stepped in. "Just do it," had been his quiet, almost painful plea that he said to put an end to the pointless argument.
"Listen to Chase here, he's talking sense."
Then within the time of which Merritt literally had a few seconds to say goodbye to his ill ridden brother, they were gone. Leaving the hotel room they were currently staying at with an unbearably isolating silence, the only thing for company being the sick bucket left beside him.
After an hour or so waiting for something he wasn't sure he should be waiting for, Chase did manage to drift off to sleep, until all of a sudden a terrifying vision filled his mind, blanking out everything else around him.
He was thrown into a vision of a stage, the very stage Merritt was stood on, facing a crowd of at least over two hundred people and counting. All flowing down to the very front, eager to catch a glimpse of Merritt revealing the unknown for everyone to witness, flawlessly of course.
Though the one thing that struck him as unusual was the lack of nerves when performing. Although he couldn't exactly tell from how he spoke, but if he did feel even a tad nervous, he certainly didn't show it. In fact, he could have almost said Merritt was enjoying being the center of attention, on his own.
The majority of the vision then passed by in a blur, and when it did begin to make sense once more, he'd have done anything to make it so it didn't.
"Wow Merritt, way to go there buddy!"
"That was an incredible show young fellow!"
"Has anyone ever said how amazing you are!"
The emphasis on the word you echoed throughout the roars of applause just for Merritt to embrace.
"You were a grand success tonight McKinney!" Was the prideful statement from Charlene whose lips wore a wide smile, along with a disturbing gleam in her eye. A gleam he was more than certain to see again.
Then there it was the moment that shoved all the others into the shade. Merritt who possessed the exact same smile as the agent listened gleefully to the people showering him with praise and applause, which then transformed into cheerful chants of Merritt's name and his alone.
Just him.
No one elseā¦
Jolting upright with sweat rapidly rolling down his forehead Chase's eyes dilated just before collapsing into himself, letting out rasping whimpers. Unsure whether it was genuine fear of the nightmare vision, or the churning of his stomach causing him to react in such a way. Whatever the meaning of this hair raising experience conveyed, it was sure to have an effect on him in the mere future.
After a couple of hours spent waiting for his brother to return, eventually around midnight Merritt and Charlene had arrived back at the hotel, the only noise surrounding the room was their agents drunken singing.
"Successful then?" Chase had bitterly questioned, looking up at Merritt who seemed flustered at his tone of voice.
"Yeah, but it didn't feel right without you there," was his response, and as reassuring as it was meant to sound, somehow it didn't stop the doubts of the fact he had enjoyed performing solo from forming in his mind. Nevertheless, he plastered on a false smile and carried on as if nothing happened.
Yet it was easier said than done, especially how everything seemed to have changed since that very day. Now whenever they performed, Charlene would always call out Merritt's name in a louder enthusiastic voice than when she called out Chase's, as well as after each show she would focus her attention on Merritt when congratulating them on another successful show.
To put it mildly, it was certainly a killer to the ego, not only that but it did make him wonder if Charlene had really only wanted Merritt for her business, and just took on Chase as well to keep Merritt sweet.
Well, the answer to his pending question would come around the corner soon enough, though not in the ways he had planned the case scenario.
"This Mini McKinney thing isn't working for me anymore," Charlene had sharply informed the twins on their sixteenth birthday, the reality of the shocking revelation grating into the McKinney brothers very souls. So much for a sweet sixteen.
"I thought me and Mere bear were doing great?" Chase had questioned, giving the agent the sour look she was giving him.
"Oh Mere bear is doing just fine, you on the other hand just aren't making the cut!"
And there it was, for them both to hear loud and clear. Charlene had finally vocalized her wish to kick Chase to the curb and make Merritt the star she had always believed him to be.
"They like you, Merritt. Chasey here contributes to the act like a fly does in someone's presence, sure, the fly makes itself known by buzzing around to gain some of the attention, but in the end, it is destined to be swatted away until finally, someone decides to squash it."
Despite the fly remark hurting that tiny bit, it was soon to be forgotten when Merritt decided to bounce back and fight for the twins right to perform together.
"Well Miss Wicks, as much as it's been nice to have worked under your thumb, if you won't allow my brother Chase to be on that stage with me then we don't perform at all."
Charlene scoffed. "Fine. Though I think you've made a grave mistake there McKinney."
Just as she had begun to hastily make a grab for her phone, Chase had no option but to rush towards the fuming agent who scowled at his sudden approach.
Regardless of whether Chase should have felt discouraged or even remotely angry at Charlene's insensitive statements, Merritt had made a lot of sacrifices for him in the past so now it was his turn to return the much-owed favor. And what better way than to do it in the only way he knew best. Sweet talk.
"You know she does have a point Brosky," Chase began as quickly as the flow of words came to mind. "Wouldn't it be great to have everyone's eyes all on you, their roars of amazement ringing through your ears, particularly those from the female fans. Not to mention the sexy feeling of the wads of cash piled onto the palms of your hands. Plus you already have the experience of the whole solo thing, and I wouldn't be totally out the picture. I could be something like your manager, so I would still be part of the action just not in the same way I used to."
For a moment Merritt did look as though he was considering his brother's words, seconds later he shook his head, claiming he couldn't do such a thing to his own brother.
Sighing to himself, Chase knew he had only one option left. The younger McKinney brothers facial features transformed from his usual go lucky, cheerful expression to a death glare of pure fury, Merritt's freaked out response had been worth the worrying thoughts of hurting him.
"Okay, I'll do it," Merritt confirmed seconds later after Chase's 'change of behavior'. Charlene who had watched the entire conversation between the twins let out an avaricious smile as she tossed her phone to the side, happy to comply with the newly decided agreement.
That following evening was spent celebrating the beginning of Merritt's journey to becoming world famous as a solo act. Nothing anyone could have said or done would have changed the way Chase had felt that night.
Even if he was no longer allowed to be on the stage with him, he could say without a doubt not a single thing would change the connection shared just between them. Afterall, Merritt wouldn't let all the glory get to his head, right?
