Underneath the Crystal Moon
a/n: I do not own labyrinth. I do not own Legend of Zelda or Hyrule Castle either. I have not received as many reviews for this story as I thought I would so far, but hopefully that will change soon. Happy reading.
Part One: Phoenix
Chapter 2
Aidan Bishop sat at his desk in the little apartment, puzzled over his trigonometry homework. He had been left to watch his brother again. His mom was a single mother, and worked two jobs to keep food on the table and keep rent paid. Aidan himself worked part time at a fast food restaurant on weekends. Little Owen hardly ever saw his mother.
Aidan was about to turn eighteen. It would only be two more months. Why he thought being eighteen would change things he did not know.
Aidan was about six feet tall. He had wavy, light brown hair that had grown so that it brushed his shoulders. His mom wanted him to cut it, but he liked it. He kept it back in a small ponytail most of the time though. It was silky and soft. Aidan liked to take care of his hair. His eyes were steel gray, and framed by long, black lashes. He knew he was good-looking, but there was more on his mind than dating the vapid girls at his school or walking around proclaiming his looks. He knew his mom wanted more for him. He wanted more for himself.
His little brother Owen bounced into the room and turned on the video game. He turned up the volume, and it made his homework that much more puzzling. He reached over and shut the game off.
"Aidan! What the hell did you do that for? I was about to finally get into Hyrule Castle!" his little brother yelled.
"Have you done your homework?" Aidan asked him, keeping his voice calm and level.
"Who cares about homework?" Owen sneered. Owen did not care about school. All he did was play video games and whine about not having enough money. Owen was only his half brother, and Aidan suspected that the drunken bastard who had fathered Owen had left hereditary traits. Like being mean and snotty.
"When Mom is not here I am in charge Owen. Go to our room and sit on your bed until I tell you to come out," Aidan ordered his half brother. Owen flipped him off and headed for their bedroom. They could only afford a two bedroom apartment, so Aidan was sharing the second bedroom with Owen. He loved Owen, but sometimes he thought Owen was beyond saving. He sighed and went back to his homework.
Owen tossed a pillow at a mirror on their wall before sitting down. Damned older brother. Aidan always thought he was better. Owen got a sneaky look on his face before opening the drawer to Aidan's nightstand. In the drawer was a little red book with gold letters on the cover.
"Labyrinth," Owen said aloud. Aidan only kept the things he treasured most in this drawer. Owen opened the book and started to read. It was some stupid tale of a girl who had gone through this maze thing after she wished away her little brother.
"Wonder if it works on older brothers, haha," Owen said. It was something to do however, so he read the book. It was very girly, and Owen found himself wanting to gag at some points.
Aidan had become distracted by a daydream. He found himself sketching a picture of a girl. She had red hair that was streaked with dark and light strands. Her eyes were glowing orbs of light, and her lips were shaped like a light pink bow. He had sketched her before. He did not know who she was or where she was, but he knew her face like the back of his hand.
His notebook was covered with doodles of mazes, sketches of the girl, castles and fantastical creatures. All the things he saw when he closed his eyes. He had always been fascinated by puzzles. There was something comforting about trying to solve puzzles. Put the pieces together, they would only fit one way. It was the total opposite of actual life. Life was all about choices. Mazes were like life. There were so many corridors, so many paths. But in the end, there was always only one exit for someone. Death. Everyone dies.
Sometimes Aidan wished that he could do something for his mom's situation. Like, if he was not around then things would be easier for her and Owen. He may not like Owen so much, but he was still his brother, and he still loved him. He found himself secretly wishing someone would take him away.
Aidan heard something break in the bedroom he shared with Owen. He stood up and ran to the room. He felt the anger rise as he looked at the sight before him. The mirror on the wall was broken. Owen looked stunned as he stared at the mess.
"What the hell happened Owen?" Aidan half yelled at his brother.
"I was tossing my baseball around and it hit the mirror," Owen shrugged.
"Mirrors do not break from someone just tossing a ball. Why did you break the mirror?" Aidan asked his brother.
"Because I wanted to. It's a stupid mirror," Owen said, shrugging his shoulders again.
It took all Aidan had to not put Owen over his knee and spank him. He did not like violence.
"You are grounded. No more video games for a week. Clean up this mess now!" Aidan yelled. Owen sneered and grabbed a piece of glass. He lunged at Aidan and caught Aidan's arm. The glass sliced through Aidan's skin pretty deep. Aidan gasped in pain as the deep red blood dripped off his arm. Owen dropped the glass and stared at the blood now dripping onto the carpet.
"I am calling the police. They will send you to juvy over this!" Aidan yelled. He walked to the phone while applying pressure to the cut. He had barely gotten the phone off the cradle when Owen came running out of his room.
"I wish the goblins would come take you away right now!" Owen yelled. Then he stared as Aidan disappeared.