Author's Note:
Thank you so much for all the kind reviews and even the minor criticism I received from a few readers. I really do appreciate it if someone tells me if I'm making a mistake, because that's the only way I can know how to improve on my writing and I really want to improve where I can.
There is something I would like to know from all of you – if you don't mind. Can you please tell me as to which characters I'm writing most according to the TV series and which ones I need to improve on? The reason why I'm asking is that I have absolutely no idea as to whether my characterisation is accurate, or at least closed to accurate, or whether I need to work on it. I really try my best, but it can become really difficult sometimes.
Anyway, thank you so much and I hope you enjoy chapter 3. It is a bit short – for that I apologise – but I promise that the next chapter is going to be long and…hmmm…interesting, V-E-R-Y interesting.
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He had barely walked a couple of feet when all of a sudden he was ambushed from out of nowhere. He was grabbed from behind and with a lot of force thrown against the wall. Without giving him a chance to defend himself someone jumped him again, pulled him up and slammed his back against the wall. The attack was followed by an unbelievable strong arm pushing against his throat, threatening to cut off his air supply.
After a few seconds he could feel the arm relenting and a surprise voice saying, "Ethan? Is that really you brother? What are you doing here?"
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Chapter 10"Brother, where have you been all this time? We've been worried sick," Jarod exclaimed, his whole face lightened up, before pulling Ethan into a fierce hug.
After a few seconds he started to register that the hug was not being returned, in fact the body within his arms was rigid and stiff.
Releasing his hold on Ethan Jarod frowned and took a step backward to stare at his brother. "Ethan, what's wrong?" he asked hesitantly.
When no reply was given he walked over to a nearby wall and appeared to press something on it. Immediately the room was lightened up. Turning around Jarod hurried back to his brother and upon seeing the state that he was in he drew in a deep breath.
"What happened to you?" he asked, clearly troubled at the appearance of the younger man.
Ethan's face was ash-white, his eyes were dull and had a calculating look to them, his hair was damp and plastered to his head and sweat could be seen running down his temples. Jarod's eyes widened when he noticed that the younger man was dressed in what appeared to be the standard theatre-issued clothes of a hospital. Also his one's one arm was in plaster, a dirty dressing was covering his one temple – blood was seeping through the material – various bruises and cuts were visible all around his face and upper body and he appeared to have received three stitches to his upper lip.
It was when Jarod saw how Ethan's body appeared to be swaying slightly from side to side that he quickly took a step forward and reached out a hand in an attempt to help. "Why don't I –" he started saying but was stopped mid-sentence by a raised hand and a loud, "NO!"
"I don't…understand?" Jarod said with a questioning frown on his face and tried to reach out to Ethan again, "I'm just trying to help."
"Where is she?" Ethan started addressing him in a husky voice. "Please, if you have her just tell me where she is!" he begged with as much volume as he was able to bring to his voice.
"What are you talking about? Where's who?" Jarod asked.
"My sister…Ms Parker –" Ethan begun, but was quickly interrupted by Jarod.
"Ethan…" he said with a sorrowed look forming across his face. Swallowing, feeling his eyes misting over, he diverted his eyes to the ground. Inwardly he thought he finally understood what Ethan was referring too – most probably his younger brother's special talent, his inner sense, had given him some sort of indication that something had happened to his sister but not what the full extent of it was.
Lifting his eyes he stared at his brother with empathy before continuing, "Something terrible happened about a week ago…I'm…uh…still investigating what exactly the cause was."
Realising that he was not making a lot of sense, even stumbling over his words, Jarod stopped talking for a second and appeared to be thinking before saying, "I'm so sorry to be the one to tell you that your sister, Ms Parker, died-"
"NO! You have her!" The emotions on Ethan's face changed from one of confusion to anger and back again.
"Ethan…" Jarod was confused too at the strange words coming from his brother, "I know this is hard to accept. I…we were all hit hard by what happened and-"
Before Jarod could finish his sentence Ethan's eyes suddenly got a vacant look to them. Cringing and grabbing hold of his head between his hands he groaned in pain before slowly sinking to the ground.
'He's not the one,' a multitude of voices whispered over and over in his head, 'He's not the one'.
Somewhere at the back of his mind Ethan registered how two warm arms circled around his waist and pulled him up gently before saying, "Come on. Let's get you over to the sofa so I can have a look at you."
After what felt like an eternity Ethan could feel the voices beginning to subside and slowly but gradually he started to become aware of his surrounding area again. The first thing that he saw was his brother's worried face leaning over his. To his surprise he then realised that a blanket was tugged warmly over his body and from the dampness across his face he could have sworn that it had been wiped with something, maybe a wet towel, only a little while before he regained his conscious hold on reality.
"How are you feeling now," Jarod asked.
"I…" He did not know how to answer the question. Instead he attempted to sit up, but immediately sank back slightly when his whole body started to protest against the sudden movement.
"Whoa…take it easy Ethan. You should try not to move…at least not just yet." Two hands pushed against his chest, gently forcing him to lay back down.
Only able to nod his head once Ethan did not say anything except to put a tired arm over his eyes. He was feeling terrible, like a train had smashed into his body, and was struggling to think clearly, but as the memories of the reason why he was there in the first place resurfaced he jumped up, ignoring the aching complaints of his body.
"Ms Parker…my sister," he whispered and as he could feel his legs beginning to waver underneath him he grabbed hold of the closest available thing – Jarod's available arm.
Jarod shook his head and licked over his bottom lip, unsure as to how he was supposed to respond to his brother's statement. As he saw his brother's legs beginning to tremble slightly he quickly reached out a hand to help him before he might fall and increase the damage to his already battered body.
"It wasn't you," Ethan continued in a whisper, almost like there had been no interruption.
Narrowing his eyes Jarod asked, "What do you mean with it wasn't me?" Without realising it the volume of his voice had gone down a few octaves too.
"The voices…my inner voice…they told me my brother took her, my sister. That she was in danger and he was hurting her. All this time I thought it was you. But it wasn't…was it? I've never really met him…maybe that's why I didn't even consider that it might have been him. That it was maybe the other one, her twin brother, that has her."
Jarod could feel himself going ice-cold at hearing the words stumbling from Ethan's lips.
As a multitude of different emotions rushed through his heart and soul he could not help but wonder, 'Can it be? Can she really be alive? Do I dare to hope? That dream I had…maybe she had been calling to me for help.'
"Ethan…" he finally asked, a bit hesitant but realising that the question needed to be said out loud. "Are…are you saying that she's not dead…that she had been abducted instead? You have to be absolutely sure about this." He could feel his heart beating at an irregular place and he was holding his breath in anticipation of the answer.
"Yes," Ethan nodded his head as he replied, "She's not dead my brother. I know because the voices told me and I trust them. She's very much alive, but in danger and in desperate need of our help." Crunching his face he added after a few seconds of appearing to be in deep thought, "I don't know what this danger is but I do know now that only person is behind this all…Lyle."