Miss.Ecofreak: here comes another chapter I've been really looking forward to update!

Zakura: why? So you can torture the Elfin-brothers (Erol and Cornelius) some more?

Miss.Ecofreak: no, It's because all since Cornelius ran away from home I wanted to put those two together in the same room to have them talk about their feelings for eachother

Zakura: feelins like: anger, hate, irritation

Miss.Ecofreak: yepp, that kind of feelings. But as I wrote this chapter I almost felt like crying, it ended up beeing rather sad

Zakura: there are quite a lot of sad parts in this story, half of Kate's family dies, she has to run away from her father and she almost lost her brother too

Miss.Ecofreak: sure, but those things are all about Kate, time to give Cornelius some bad news as well.

CHAPTER 27

BAD NEWS FOR CORNELIUS

Cornelius

The guard led us down to the lowest prison cells.

"You can just wait here" he said, "The commander is busy right now but as soon as he's finished with whatever he's doing he promised to come see you"

"Tell him to take his time, we're not in a hurry" I said, trying to ignore the screaming from above.

"A tough one eyh?" the guard said, "Sure, the commander told me you would react like that"

I looked at him in surprise, "How does he…?" I didn't need to finish the question, the commander just came in.

"Oh, but I know you Cornelius" he said with an evil smirk, "After all, I taught you everything you know about being tough".

"Erol" I snarled.

"Great, family reunion" Tetra said, "You two probably got a lot to talk about so why don't we just leave you alone?"

"You're not going anywhere traitor! Just wait till the baron finds out you let those scumbags into the fortress" Erol said to her, "He does not go easy on spies"

Tetra just stared in the ground, she wasn't used to being yelled at, but I was.

"What moron made you commander?" I asked, "I guess this is a moment for rejoice, it certainly must mean the baron's rule will be over soon"

"You laugh, but don't forget I was the best student in my class" Erol said, "At least, the second best"

Surely this had to mean the end of the world, Erol admitted he was number two? There had to be something behind this.

"You could have made a great crimson guard do you know that?" Erol asked.

"Sorry, I'm not crazy enough" I said.

"What is your problem? Are those morons more important to you than your own family?" Erol asked looking towards Kate and Tetra, and Tanya who was still on my head, "Do you want to waste all your time playing around with your stupid pet and this traitor? And who the hell are you?"

Kate looked away; she didn't want Erol to figure out who she really was, although she had changed a lot since he saw her last.

"Is she your girlfriend or something?" he asked, "Because I really didn't think you had such a bad taste"

"At least I have friends" I said.

"Even friends could be enemies" Erol said, repeating what I had heard like a thousand times from the baron's speakers, "They come and go, but your family always stays"

"And surely family are never enemies" I said sarcastically.

"Don't talk to him Cornelius, perhaps foolishness is infectious" Tanya said.

"Watch your beak or I'll chop it of!" Erol threatened.

"Why don't you try?" Tanya asked.

Erol ignored her and spoke to me again, "You don't have to join the crimson guards to help us" he said, "At least not officially. You can start by telling me what you are doing in here. I know you never break into somewhere without a reason"

"We thought we might come visit you" I said with a grin, "And it would be nice to meet the "glorious" baron as well"

"Be careful what you wish for, it might come true" Erol said, "Perhaps you've come to rescue someone? Another underground agent?"

"Nope, we only wanted to see you" I said casually.

"These guys aren't talking. Why don't we just kill them and be done with it?" the troop leader said.

"Shut up! Go see if there are more of them instead" Erol commanded.

The guard obeyed instantly and left.

"Do you see how they all obey me?" Erol asked me, "Do the underground agents do that to you as well?"

I didn't answer, I wanted to say yes but that would be a lie and a useless one as well.

"I didn't think so. The underground never appreciates good talents" Erol said, "Not like in the crimson guard; you could come in the elite troop in no time"

"Who said the underground never appreciated me?" I asked, "We don't use grading and stuff in UG. We just do whatever we want and as a reward we get fame and fortune when the baron is gone."

A lie of course, I had long since been regarded as the black sheep in the underground.

But that didn't mean I felt like switching sides.

Erol decided to try another tactic.

"Do you ever think about our mother when you're out doing mischief Cornelius?" he asked, "You really hurt her when you ran away"
I didn't have an answer to that, mom had always been so nice to me, and I didn't want to see her cry, I just…

"That's what I thought" Erol said, "And when I told her you had joined the underground she was completely devastated. I know what you thought, that they would hardly care because they got me right? Well guess what, they weren't happy at all! Even dad almost cried. They started fighting a lot and mom even blamed dad for your departure! Do you have any idea how it was being between all this?"

I turned away; both Kate and Tetra looked at me with worried looks.

"The underground always brags on that they are the good guys in this city" Erol said, "But do they consider causing a divorce a good idea?"

"They didn't?" I said shocked.

"Yes they did! And it's your fault do you know that?" Erol yelled, "I was sent back and forth between them all the time, but no matter where I was I was always ignored! They still miss each other you know, and they miss you, but whenever they try to make out they always end up fighting, over you"

I didn't know what to say, eight years earlier I might say my dad deserved a divorce, but I never thought they would actually do it.

"It's okay Cornelius" Kate whispered.

How could it? I wanted to ask her, but the words didn't come out.

"What happened to mr. tough guy?" Erol asked, "I'll leave you to think about it. But rest assured I will be back"

And then he left, shutting the door after him.

We were trapped, breaking in to the prison was one thing, getting out was even harder.

Not that it mattered, I could move my feet anyway.

Kate put her hand on my shoulder, "I know what you're going trough" she said, "You're not alone".

"My fault, that's what he said" I whispered, "How can you possibly know how I feel?"

"My parents are divorced too you know!" she said, "And it was me they were fighting over"

She gave Tanya a look before she continued; the bird got the hint and flew over to Tetra.

"I don't think I've ever told you about the night mom and I escaped" she told, "I came home from school that day and hear them fighting. My dad wanted me to join the crimson school, but my mother refused. I could hardly believe what I heard, of course I feared I might had to go to the Kg-School, but I leaving dad like that, who taught me so much, it was as if I would never be happy again"

"Your mother found another man" I said, "She was happy, my mother has no one"
"So you think seeing your mother with another man is easy is that so?" Kate asked, "I know Jake had been a good father the last few years, but before he came, before the baron. It had been me, my mom, and my father, my real father. How I wished I could go back to that time"

"Me too" I said, "Do you ever think about how life would have been without Praxis?"

"My parents would still be together" Kate said, "Mom would still be alive, and my uncle too"

"Erol and I could have become good friends" I said, "I know this might sound strange coming from me but… he would have been a good guy if it weren't for that bloody baron"

"I wouldn't have to go to that damn school" Tetra said from behind us, "Sorry, I listened to the last part of your conversation. But I couldn't help it, you're right; everything would be great without the baron"

"I probably wouldn't be yelled at by your father" Tanya said, "I think the only reason why he didn't like me was because you brought me home. He probably wouldn't prefer Erol if it weren't for the crimson school"

"Your brother would never be born" I said to Kate.

She laughed, "Maybe" she said, "Or maybe he would still be born; only we would have been full siblings instead of half siblings"

"What brother?" Tetra asked.

"Never mind that, it's a secret" Kate said, "Maybe I'll tell you one day, when the baron is gone"

"Yeah, when the baron is gone" Tetra said looking at the floor again.

Nobody said anything for a while.

I guess we were all thinking the same thing; it wasn't when the baron was gone anymore. Even after all we had done him; he always became stronger every day.

It wasn't a question of when anymore; it was a question of if.

Miss.Ecofreak: really depressive

Zakura: indeed. My parents were seperated too

Miss.Ecofreak: I doupt that can compare to this. Motherrabbits usually take care of ther offspring alone, but you could see your father every day, he was in the cage next to yo

Zakura: But I never got to hug him (cries)

Miss.Ecofreak: O.o