Oh fuck.
The Visser lay on the ground, motionless, blood coming from his Andalite head.
I was going to be sick. Fuck!
It wasn't supposed to feel like this! I threw the Dracon beam on the ground and stared at the body in disgust. He was definitely dead. Not even he could have been able to crawl out of the Andalite's head before I-
Oh, it wasn't supposed to feel like this.
I ran.
Like some great coward, I ran away from the scene of my crime, trying to forget, knowing it was useless- the image of the body was burned forever in my mind.
I heard the sounds of the battle before I came upon it. I froze as I turned the corner.
Blood was on my brother's hands.
He stood over the body of a tiger- a great, large, bloodied tiger. Jake, some small part of my brain said. Dead.
It wasn't supposed-
"Alissan!" he hissed, his eyes overly bright with the excitement of the battle, the kill. "What are you doing here?"
"He's dead."
"What the tiger? No not yet- can't you still hear his heart beating? I can- it sounds like a drum," he laughed at his own stale wit and I felt dizzy.
"No, Visser Three."
He face turned pale. "What? How?"
I glared at him, my disgust turning to anger. Did he try to be this dense? Or was he really born like this? "I killed him."
He jerked his head up, his hands closing into tight fists. "Alissan, no."
"I KILLED HIM!" I yelled. "Can you hear that, with all your special hearing, little brother? I killed him!"
He leaped over the tiger's body, and I recognized the look on his face. His strength grew when he was angry.
And I didn't care.
"I can't look the other way this time Alissan. You're as bad as an Andalite. Worse- you've betrayed the people who helped make you, helped-"
"Oh, did I forget to thank them for that one?" I spat, watching him advance on me. Did he want to kill me? "You're a gutless worm, Alexxen. Pathetic! I owe no one anything, brother dearest, least of all these slugs!"
His eyes flashed at the insults and we stood face to face. "I'm sorry, Alissan. It's wasn't supposed to be like this."
I knew exactly what he meant.
"But you're too dangerous to live." And he drew back his fist. I stared at it, knowing exactly what he was going to do. Knock me out, and then a quick snap of the neck. And it would all be over for the smart twin. Brains versus bronze? Brains just lost.
But I wasn't ready to die yet.
I hit him first. My fist connected with his nose. "Ow- damn it!" I yelled, clutching at my hand. He just stared at me in surprise, totally unhurt.
"Alissan, you know I have to do this."
"Kill me, you mean? No, I don't know that you have to do this," I sneered. "Whatever happened to blood is thicker than water?"
His face was impassive as he held his fist away from me, but he didn't move towards me. Yet. "They are not our family," I whispered. "They never will be. Kill me, you know you can. But do you think you'll be able to look yourself in the mirror tomorrow. Remember the nightmares, Alexxen? They'll come back to haunt you, trust me."
He flinched and I knew I had scored a point. He used to have nightmares of fighting, reenacting battles in his head at night to such a degree that it made him almost cry, almost like he was any other boy. Only I knew about the nightmares, and they had eventually left him.
It was a low blow, and I knew it. I had no way of knowing if it was true or not. Different minds work in different ways. He had once disliked the fight- now he lived for it. Would he have any regrets over killing his sister, or would he see it as doing his part in the Yeerk Empire?
We stared at each other for a long time, and I felt so tired, so weak, so sick. I didn't even care anymore. Kill me then! I wanted to scream. I don't care!
Alexxen dropped his hand. "I never want to see you again," he said, and he sounded as disgusted as I felt. "You've got your revenge. Now go, human, live like them."
His words stung, but I swallowed my pride, and turned to leave.
I walked through the blood and horror of the battle scene, and as I did- I began to hum Phantom of the Opera.
Well, what do you think?
The Visser lay on the ground, motionless, blood coming from his Andalite head.
I was going to be sick. Fuck!
It wasn't supposed to feel like this! I threw the Dracon beam on the ground and stared at the body in disgust. He was definitely dead. Not even he could have been able to crawl out of the Andalite's head before I-
Oh, it wasn't supposed to feel like this.
I ran.
Like some great coward, I ran away from the scene of my crime, trying to forget, knowing it was useless- the image of the body was burned forever in my mind.
I heard the sounds of the battle before I came upon it. I froze as I turned the corner.
Blood was on my brother's hands.
He stood over the body of a tiger- a great, large, bloodied tiger. Jake, some small part of my brain said. Dead.
It wasn't supposed-
"Alissan!" he hissed, his eyes overly bright with the excitement of the battle, the kill. "What are you doing here?"
"He's dead."
"What the tiger? No not yet- can't you still hear his heart beating? I can- it sounds like a drum," he laughed at his own stale wit and I felt dizzy.
"No, Visser Three."
He face turned pale. "What? How?"
I glared at him, my disgust turning to anger. Did he try to be this dense? Or was he really born like this? "I killed him."
He jerked his head up, his hands closing into tight fists. "Alissan, no."
"I KILLED HIM!" I yelled. "Can you hear that, with all your special hearing, little brother? I killed him!"
He leaped over the tiger's body, and I recognized the look on his face. His strength grew when he was angry.
And I didn't care.
"I can't look the other way this time Alissan. You're as bad as an Andalite. Worse- you've betrayed the people who helped make you, helped-"
"Oh, did I forget to thank them for that one?" I spat, watching him advance on me. Did he want to kill me? "You're a gutless worm, Alexxen. Pathetic! I owe no one anything, brother dearest, least of all these slugs!"
His eyes flashed at the insults and we stood face to face. "I'm sorry, Alissan. It's wasn't supposed to be like this."
I knew exactly what he meant.
"But you're too dangerous to live." And he drew back his fist. I stared at it, knowing exactly what he was going to do. Knock me out, and then a quick snap of the neck. And it would all be over for the smart twin. Brains versus bronze? Brains just lost.
But I wasn't ready to die yet.
I hit him first. My fist connected with his nose. "Ow- damn it!" I yelled, clutching at my hand. He just stared at me in surprise, totally unhurt.
"Alissan, you know I have to do this."
"Kill me, you mean? No, I don't know that you have to do this," I sneered. "Whatever happened to blood is thicker than water?"
His face was impassive as he held his fist away from me, but he didn't move towards me. Yet. "They are not our family," I whispered. "They never will be. Kill me, you know you can. But do you think you'll be able to look yourself in the mirror tomorrow. Remember the nightmares, Alexxen? They'll come back to haunt you, trust me."
He flinched and I knew I had scored a point. He used to have nightmares of fighting, reenacting battles in his head at night to such a degree that it made him almost cry, almost like he was any other boy. Only I knew about the nightmares, and they had eventually left him.
It was a low blow, and I knew it. I had no way of knowing if it was true or not. Different minds work in different ways. He had once disliked the fight- now he lived for it. Would he have any regrets over killing his sister, or would he see it as doing his part in the Yeerk Empire?
We stared at each other for a long time, and I felt so tired, so weak, so sick. I didn't even care anymore. Kill me then! I wanted to scream. I don't care!
Alexxen dropped his hand. "I never want to see you again," he said, and he sounded as disgusted as I felt. "You've got your revenge. Now go, human, live like them."
His words stung, but I swallowed my pride, and turned to leave.
I walked through the blood and horror of the battle scene, and as I did- I began to hum Phantom of the Opera.
Well, what do you think?