Here's Chapter 15!
Another Mal chapter just for you! XD
I want to thank Tigersfury and SailorMable14 for the ideas and inspiration. Thanks guys!
And like with a couple other chapters, I worked on this more than some of the others. That's why the update is so quick.
Also, I wanted to take this moment to let you in on something. For those of you who don't know, today (December 3rd) is exactly one year since Mike's personalities pressed the reset button and they vanished along with Mal. :( SailorMarble14 reminded me of the day and I think we should never forget of the wonderful personas that helped Mike through seasons 4 and 5. After all, they are what make Mike who he is. For Chester, Svetlana, Vito, Manitoba Smith, Mal...we miss you guys. :(
Also, for those of you wondering about the end, I want to point out something. Yes I know Chester is the one who's the parental figure of the family and Svetlana is the little sister, but occasionally she does act like a mother figure sometimes. As mentioned back in Chapter 8, it's most likely that she got that charm from Mikes mother. So just that we're clear, Svetlana is both a little sister and motherly figure to some of the personalities, okay? Sorry for any confusion.
Warning! This chapter will be dark in the beginning and very sad for the rest.
Also, I want to say that although Svetlana is the little sister of the family, I feel that she's also the mother figure of the personalities just like how Chester is the grandfather figure and Mike can be parental sometimes too.
References/Songs:
Tokyo Mew Mew/Mew Mew Power Episode 20- Svetlana comforting Mal and Mal calling her "Mama".
Chapter 4- After Mal beats up the bullies the 1st time, little Svetlana reprimands him.
Madness In Me & Monster by Skillet- During the nightmare sequence.
Never Alone by Lady Antebellum - The scene where everyone comforts Mal and tells him that they'll always be there for him.
This Broken Soul By Rebecca Kneubuhl (Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night)- Mal when he's all alone before Svetlana finds him.
Next Chapter: Mike visits his cousin, Dave (TDPI), and even makes a couple new friends.
Until next time, enjoy!
I don't own Total Drama or the characters.
Chapter 15: Insanity & Mother Figure
While everyone else was getting ready for bed, Mal was up in his room watching a movie while waiting for Mike.
"Hmmm." Mal sighed in boredom, "These shows are so cliche, it's not even funny."
But he continued to watch anyway, hopeful that it will help him fall asleep at least. The movie was about a villain whom everyone thought had changed his ways but ended up turning evil again and turning against everyone he had known and cared about. For a moment, Mal felt a tad uneasy.
"Hey. That villain is like...me. Before I changed." he said to himself but shook it off, "Oh snap out of it, Mal! Those days are done! Leave your past in the past, not in the present."
Mal switched off the TV just as Mike came in and started to lay down on his bed.
"Oh gosh, am I tired!" Mike yawned and stretched his arms, "How about you, Mal?"
"Yep. I'm ready to catch some Z's as well." Mal nodded and laid down as well, "Goodnight Mike."
"Goodnight Mal." he said before falling asleep, "Sweet dreams."
But, sweet dreams will be the last thing that Mal will have. And it will be the worst dreams he had ever had in his life.
Mal was taking a walk in the mind and minding his own business without a care in the world.
"Ah, it feels so good to be a loved." he said with a smile.
Then suddenly...
AHHHHHHHHH!
A blood-curdling scream was heard in the distance and Mal, immediately knew that the others were in danger!
"Hang on guys!" he said as he ran like lightening, "I'm coming!"
But when he reached the living room, there was no one to be found.
"Guys?" he called out, "Mike! Svetlana! Mani! Where are you?!"
Mal was about to look around when he saw a trail of blood leading towards his room. Taking caution he approached the door, turned the knob...and froze in horror upon a terrible sight.
Every personality in that room, including Mike, had been slashed and stabbed to death! It looked like something from a horror movie but it wasn't. Mal felt like screaming and sobbing, but his voice appeared to be frozen with fright and could hardly move a muscle.
"Help..." said a dying Mike.
Something made Mal move and knelt down to hold Mike in his arms.
"Stay with me, Mike!" said a worried Mal, "Who did this to you?! Tell me!"
Very slowly, Mike lifted his eyes just barely enough to look at his twin brother.
"Mal, how could you?" Mike coughed out as Mal looked at him with confusion, "How could you do this to us..."
As the boy fell limp, Mal couldn't understand anything and tried to wake his brother.
"Mike, wake up!" he said with tears falling, "Don't you leave me! No!"
"Hehehehehe!" a voice cackled, "It's too late, Mal. He's gone and so are the others."
Mal stopped crying, puts Mike down, and stands up with his fists clenching. "Who are you?!" he growled, "Show yourself! So help me, I'll make you pay for this!"
"Over here." the voice said in an eerie tone.
Mal turned around to see a shadow standing against the wall and glared daggers at the stranger, "Who are you?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." the stranger shook his head as he took a step, "Don't you get it by now?"
As the strange figure stepped into the light...Mals heart stopped. It was himself drenched in blood, holding a sharp blood-soaked knife, and bearing an evil grin.
"What?" he said in a hushed voice, "B-B-But, how c-can this be?"
"Simple." the double explained, "I'm the evil you've put away for so long and now that I'm back, I can set out what I was born to do. Like you wanted, right?"
"No!" Mal shook his head, "No! No! No! That's not true! I never wanted this!"
"Well, I'm sorry but there's no other way." the double Mal took a few steps toward the original, "And now that I'm back, I don't need you anymore."
Mal wanted to run but he couldn't move. All he did was stand there as his evil self came closer with the dreaded knife, "No please! Don't do this!"
"Oh, but I want to. I really do." he grinned evilly as he raised the knife up, "Say goodbye, Mal!"
"No please! No, no, no, no, no!" Mal begged as the knife came crashing down!
"AHHHHHH!" Mal jolted screaming. He looked around and saw Mike asleep in his bed. His brow was drenched in sweat and his heart wouldn't stop racing, but he relaxed a little when he realized it was all just a horrible nightmare.
While he didn't scream very loud, it was loud enough for Mike to stir in his sleep and started to wake up. Thinking quickly Mal turned to his side, closed his eyes, and pretended to be asleep.
"Mal?" Mike yawned, "What was that noise?"
But when the younger boy saw his brother "asleep", he shrugged and laid back down. Mal, carefully turned back as soon as Mike was asleep again and tried to get ahold of his sanity.
"It's just a dream!" he said to himself, "Just stop thinking about it! Stop it! Stop it!"
His breath was shaky and he could hardly keep his thoughts together for even the smallest second. His brain was bombarded with his actions in the past, whether it was from his childhood or his time on Total Drama. Bullying his siblings, getting Mike sent to juvie, locking up his family in the mind, nearly ruining Mikes life, and every horrible thing he has done until he was sent away and came back a changed man.
This made Mal think: Would he become a monster again? Will he turn against his family and become just as horrible as he was before? That was something he never wanted to be again, but his fears clouded his mind and he knew what must be done.
"I can't stay here." he said in both sadness and fear, "There's no other choice then. I have to go away or I'll end up hurting them again."
With a heavy heart Mal went over to his desk, took out a piece of a paper and began to write. Some of his tears fell onto the page, causing some of the words to smear and he paused every other couple of minutes to wipe his eyes. After he finished writing, Mal folded the letter, placed it in an envelope, sets it on the kitchen table, and slowly walked towards the rooms of his fellow personalities.
First was Chesters room. He stopped next to the old mans bed and glanced at the picture frame on his nightstand. It was a picture of him and Mike as little children and they were smiling and sitting next to a younger version of Chester. He looked at it for a few more minutes before turning back to a sleeping and grumbling Chester.
"Chester," he said quietly, "you are the wisest and the funniest personality I have ever known. You tell the most wonderful stories, you keep the others from straying down the wrong path, and you are always there when we need it the most. You're more like a father than a grandfather to me and I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you over the years. I love you, Chester. Goodbye and don't ever forget me."
He gave Chester a light hug, left the room, and headed for Svetlanas room. Upon approaching her bed, he noticed that she was hugging the teddy bear he gave her for Christmas when they were ten years old. Mal was a little surprised that she kept it all these years but that was not his main concern at the moment.
"Svetlana, you are the sweetest little sister we could ever want. Sometimes even more than that. You are athletic, kind, caring, agile, and graceful." he took a deep breath, "I know I'm not the best brother here but I tried my best to make you happy, especially after I made you so miserable when I was evil. All I can say is I'm sorry and I love you very much, little sister. Goodbye and always be happy."
He gave Svetlana a gentle kiss on the forehead and, then, hugged her before he walked away, looked at her one last time from the doorway, and left.
Next was Vitos room and Mal could feel the weight of his sorrow crushing his heart. While passing his weights, he glanced at a paper mache medal hanging from the side. When he was five, Mal made that for Vito because he thought he was the coolest and strongest personality in the world. Once again, he was surprised that Vito kept that thing but shook it off and stood next to his sleeping brother.
"Vito," he said softly, "ever since we were kids I always thought you were great. And to me, no matter how obnoxious you can be, you are still great and strong too. I apologize if I ever made you feel weak and useless when I broke free. When I'm gone, please look after Mike and the others." he sniffled, "I know they look to you for protection because you're strong not only outside but inside as well. I love you, bro'. Goodbye and take care."
He hugged his older brother before leaving for the next room, which happen to be Manitoba Smiths room. As he walked towards the bed, he eyed a drawing on his desk. It just so happens to be a treasure map drawn by a young Mal years ago. When they were five, Mal and Manitoba would pretend to hunt for treasure and go on adventures a kid would always want to do. Mal barely chuckled at the thought and began to speak to the sleeping adventurer.
"Manitoba Smith," he said sadly, "your knowledge of wildlife and survival has always fascinated me over the years. It's because of you that Mike is still alive and able to survive in this cruel world. Next to the others, you are a highly skilled and intelligent personality who always took care of us. If not for your great skills, none of us would be even be here and I deeply regret making you burn Mikes dreams. I hope you'll continue to put your wonderful skills to great use. I love you, big brother. Goodbye and live on."
After hugging his brother, he left the room and made his way for the final one: the room that belonged to both him and Mike. He stood in front of the door and he could feel his heart breaking in two as the tears started to come down again. A couple minutes passed before he finally went into their room, but his walking was even slower than ever. Walking towards the bed, Mal narrowed his eyes at every single drawing that was on the walls of the room which made him even sadder. Every happy memory of him and Mike began to flood his mind before he reached the bed to see Mike sleeping peacefully.
"Mike," he said tearfully, "I owe a lot to you. If you hadn't tried to help me all this time...I never would be the person I am now. Even if no one else was there for me, you were." he sobbed, "You were always there for me and wanted me to be a part of this wonderful family. You are the most wonderful brother and the very best friend I could ever have. I wish I didn't have to leave you or the others, but if I don't do this...I'll end up making you all miserable again...and I don't want that. If there was another way, I can stay here and live happily. But I-I..." Mal was too choked up to finish what he wanted to say.
He knelt down beside the bed and sobbed into the mattress. But, so not to wake Mike, he took great care to keep himself quiet so his brother wouldn't hear him. After a moment, Mal rose back up and hugged Mike.
"I love you so much, my brother." he sobbed quietly, "I will never forget your kindness, your patience, your comfort, and most of all, your love. Goodbye Mike. Goodbye...forever."
Letting go of his younger brother, Mal slowly backed away never taking his eyes off Mike. As soon as he was at the doorway, Mal sprinted out of the hall and kept running further away from his family and the place he called home.
"I'm sorry!" he thought to himself, "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!"
His teary eyes nearly blinded him as he continued running into the deep recesses of the subconscious.
Back in the room, Mike stirred in his sleep and immediately woke up when he felt that something was wrong. He moved his hand and felt the left edge of his bed had a damp spot which puzzled Mike.
"What the?" he said to himself, "Hey Mal? You awake? I-"
Mike looked to see that Mals bed was missing and his brother was nowhere in the room, "Mal?!" he said a little louder, "Mal! Where are you?!"
But there was no answer and Mal was nowhere to be found. Feeling very afraid and uneasy, Mike went to the doors of the personality rooms and knocked on each one to wake his family up.
"Everyone, wake up now!" Mike yelled as he pounded hard on each door, "This is an emergency! Wake up!"
Right after that outburst, everyone came out of their rooms looking all very tired and half-awake.
"Mike, what the heck man?!" asked a disgruntled Vito.
"Do you have any idea what time it is, mate?" yawned Manitoba.
"I need my beauty sleep." Svetlana stretched her arms.
"Why did you wake us up so late?" moaned Chester.
"I'll tell you why." Mike said in a worried tone, "Mal is gone!"
"WHAT?!" everyone said in shock.
"Are you serious, bro'?!" Vito asked with wide eyes.
"Yes!" Mike nodded as he held the envelope, "I woke up and I didn't see Mal in his bed! So I looked around but couldn't find him and I found this letter!"
Everyone looked at the envelope and it had "GOODBYE" written in bold red letters. Mike opened it and began to read.
"Dear Family,
If you are reading this, that means I have already gone away. I've been doing a lot thinking and I just can't risk hurting you all again. I love you but this is the only way. I just can't risk hurting the ones I loved again. I'm so sorry, but I don't want it to happen again. Thank you for giving me a second chance but I must go. I love you all so much.
Goodbye forever,
Mal"
Once Mike finished reading, everyone was either sad, confused, or shocked because of this news.
"Is that it?" Chester snagged the letter away, "It doesn't say where he went or anything?"
"No." Mike shook his head sadly, "And I can't find him anywhere! What if he's gone forever? Why did he have to leave us?! I can't lose my brother!" he said as his eyes started to tear up.
That's when Manitoba gave him a small embrace, "Now just calm down, mate. We're going to find him and bring him back home. We're going to get our Mal back no matter what it takes! Right mates?"
"Yeah!" Vito nodded, "He's one of us and there's no way we're gonna lose our bro' again!"
"That's right!" Svetlana agreed, "Ve have to find Mal und figure out what's going on!"
"Alright, enough hollering!" Chester said, "Let's split up and look for our boy!"
"Right!" everyone said.
"Thanks everyone." Mike wiped his eyes, "You guys are the best."
"No problem, mate." Manitoba patted his shoulder, "That's what families do. Now, I suggest we split up and search every single room to see if the dingo is hiding somewhere."
"Okay. Let's go!" Mike said as he went searching along with his family.
As the others looked around the rooms, Svetlana quickly took notice to see a trail of tears leading away from their home. After looking back to the other locations the personalities had went, Svetlana followed the trail and hoped that it would lead to her lost brother.
Meanwhile, Mal stopped somewhere in the subconscious and wept so hard that his tears were forming a puddle on the floor.
"How could I do this to them?" he asked himself as he cried, "Why did I become such a cruel personality or worse...a cruel brother?! Just because I was jealous of the others, I shouldn't make their lives miserable. It's better if I just stay here as far away from my family as possible. It's the only way..." he was silent for a minute or two before he heard something.
"Mal!" he heard a voice call his name, "Mal! Vhere are you?!"
He heard Svetlana calling for him and realized that she must be looking for him. All of a sudden, Mal remembers the time that he pushed his sister away and hurt her after he turned into a monster.
Svetlana (Age 10) was walking to her room when she felt a hand on her shoulder, "Hold it, sis'!" she heard a boy say.
She turned around and saw Mal (Age 11) giving her an evil smirk which made her feel very uncomfortable inside, "Vhat do you vant?" Svetlana asked nervously.
Without saying anything, Mal shoved his sister very hard which made Svetlana fall onto the ground very hard.
"Ow!" she yelped, "Vhat did you do that for?!"
"Because." Mal answered before picking her up and knocking her down again.
"Hey! Stop it!" Svetlana yelled, "Quit it or I vill tell Chester!"
"Oh yeah, cry-baby?" Mal grabbed Svetlana by her shirt, "Well, unless you want to miss some of your teeth, you'll keep your mouth shut." he gave a dark glare at her.
"Vhy are you doing this?" she asked as tears began to form, "Vhat happened to the sweet brother Svetlana knew and loved?"
"He's gone now." Mal crossed his arms, "I'm in charge now and I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. And there's not a thing you can do to stop me!"
Suddenly, he slapped Svetlana repeatedly and continued to insult her until Manitoba (Age 14) ran towards them.
"Hey!" he said as he got in between the two, "What the heck do you think you're doing?!"
He shoved Mal off of Svetlana and she wrapped her arms around Manitoba and sobbed her eyes out.
"Manitoba!" she wept, "He vas so cruel to Svetlana! I begged him to stop but-but..."
She couldn't finish and continued to cry against Manitoba, who hugged her right back.
"Shhhh...It's okay, sheila." Manitoba tried to comfort her, "I won't let him do that to you anymore."
Then, Manitoba looked up at Mal and gave him a deep, hateful glare but Mal just smirked at his little sisters misery.
"How could you?! She's you're little sister!" Manitoba snapped, "You should respect her!"
"Yeah and I'm sick of it!" Mal snapped back, "Miss goody two-shoes here has been getting a lot of respect around here and what do I get?! A few glares and lectures from my so called "family"! And if you tell anyone about this, I'm gonna rip your guts right out!" he threatened.
"Now see here you-" Manitoba tried to say before he heard a voice.
"Hey guys!" Mike called.
The two boys turned around as Svetlana stood up and wiped her tears away. Mike (Age 11) came up to them and wanted to know what was going on.
"Hey, everything okay here?" he asked his siblings, "I heard a lot of yelling."
Manitoba was about to say something but when Mal gave him a "Don't you dare" look, he only sighed and looked down at his feet.
"Nothing mate." Manitoba said sadly, "We were just talking."
"Is that true?" Mike turned to his little sister and his twin brother.
The two nodded and Mike only shrugged and walked away leaving his three siblings alone once again. Mal gave an evil grin to Svetlana and Manitoba, who were holding each other in fear and anger.
"See you later, peons." Mal chuckled evilly before he left.
Manitoba glared at his former brother while Svetlana was shedding more tears.
"I don't think I like Mal anymore." she said sadly, "He's nothing but a monster! A cruel and horrible monster!"
"I know, sheila." Manitoba patted her back, "I know."
He took Svetlana to her room and tended to any wounds that she received from Mal. And thanks to Mals threat, they couldn't tell Chester or anyone what has happened unless they want to end up in bad shape.
Mal shook the memory from his thoughts and realized that he had to get away from his sister or something bad might happen to her and the nightmare would come true. As Svetlana drew closer, Mal got up on his feet and made a break for it.
"Stay away from me, Svetlana!" he said as he ran, "Don't come near me!"
"Vait! Mal stop!" Svetlana tried to call to him, "Mal! Vait!"
Realizing he can't run anymore, Mal collasped onto the groud as his sister finally caught up with him.
"Mal! Thank goodness!" she said as she tried to catch her breath, "Vhy did you run away? Ve vere all worried sick!"
"Leave me alone, Svetlana!" Mal said in a shaky voice, "Just get out of here!"
Svetlana was shocked at first to hear Mal snap at her, but was more concerned about the way he said it. It sounded like his voice was about to break.
"Mal?" she said as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "Vhat's the matter, dear?"
Mal didn't bother to look at his sister nor did he try to move her hand away. He just turned his head and said nothing. Svetlana took her hand and raised his head so his tear-filled eyes met hers, "Mal, look at me. Vhat's wrong?" she asked again a little more firmly.
"Just leave me alone!" he snapped again, "I don't want to hurt you again! Please, leave me be!"
"Vhat are you talking about?" she asked with curious eyes, "Vhen have you ever hurt me?"
"Don't you remember?!" he asked as his eyes began to well up, " I used to bully you when we were kids! Back when I turned...turned..." Mal couldn't finish his own sentence as a quiet sob came from his throat.
"Big brother," Svetlana began softly, "I already forgave you for vhat happened years ago. You vere just jealous because ve spent more time vith Mike und took him away from you. You must learn to let go of ze past un reflect upon your actions-"
"That's not the point!" Mal exclaimed in anguish, "I know what I've done over the years but that's nothing if I actually killed off my family! I don't want to kill anyone!"
The young teenage girl gasped in shock when she heard her brother say that, "Mal, vhat are you talking about?"
"Doesn't matter!" Mal shook his head, "You wouldn't understand..."
Then, Svetlana took one of Mals hands and placed her hand on top of his, "Please tell me, my brother." she said calmly, "I von't have my brother hiding his pain from me."
Mal took a deep breath and explained everything to his sister. The blood, seeing himself as a killer, everyone he knew either dead or seriously hurt, and the rabid fear that came afterward. Svetlana felt like crying herself but she knew she had to be strong in order to try and reason with her older brother.
"The dream must be a sign!" Mal said as heart-breaking tears streamed down his face, "I-I'm afraid that I'll...I'll be evil again!" he choked out, "What if I hurt you all again?! "
Svetlana watched her brother fall apart before her as she struggled to keep the tears from falling from her own eyes.
"I'm so scared I don't know what to do! I feel like I'm losing it!" Mal cried even more, "I don't want to go back to that awful life! WHAT AM I GONNA DO?!"
Mal buried his face in his hands as he sobbed like his whole world had been destroyed. Feeling sorry for her older brother, Svetlana wrapped her arms around Mal, stroked his hair, and allowed him to sob on her shoulder.
"Oh Mal..." she said in a sad voice, "Shhhh...Please don't cry, darling. I'm here, I'm right here. I von't let anything happen to you and that's a promise. Shhhh, shhhh. Hush now my darling, it's alright."
She felt her shoulder getting wet but she didn't care about that at all. Her main concern was the boy who suffering so much because of his past ordeals and the awful nightmare that tormented his soul.
Mals' crying went on for a few more minutes before he finally calmed down. Then, Svetlana helped him up and led him back home while keeping a steady arm around his shoulder. Every now and then, Mal would give out a shuddering gasp and wipe away any stray tears that would escape his eyes.
Once they reached the living room, the other personalities rushed to see if Svetlana and Mal were alright.
"Mal!" Mike said, "Thank goodness you're okay. What-"
Mike stopped when he and the other guys noticed Mals eyes were red and puffy, his cheeks were wet with tears, and his face was full of deep sorrow.
"Hey buddy," Vito started to ask, "you okay? What's wrong-"
"Vito," Svetlana interrupted, "I think it's best if you leave this to Svetlana." she said as she rubbed Mals shoulder, "Mal needs to be alone right now."
"Okay sheila." Manitoba nodded and lead the other two out of the room, "Come on, mates. Let's give them some alone time."
As his older brothers and grandfather left, Mike decided to stay behind with Mal and Svetlana hoping he could be of some help and comfort.
"Svetlana?" Mike asked, "Do you mind if I stayed with you guys? I want to help."
"Sure dear." she nodded as she helped Mal into the kitchen.
Mike sat next to Mal, who laid his head down on the table, while Svetlana made three cups of hot chocolate for herself and her brothers. She gives them their drinks and sits down next to Mal. But, unaware to the three siblings, three other personalities were listening from the doorway in the kitchen but did their best to stay out of sight.
"How are you feeling, darling?" Svetlana asked as she rubbed his back.
"Well, the tears stopped." Mal answered with a sniffle, "But, it still hurts inside."
"So, what happened?" Mike wondered, "Why did you run away, Mal?"
That's when Svetlana explained all the details of Mals dream to Mike, who went from confused all the way to horrified from hearing it.
"Oh Mal..." Mike said in a hushed voice, "I didn't know. Do you really feel that way?"
"Yes." Mal nodded as his voice started to crack, "Mike, you remembered what happened when I took on those bullies and when I broke free years later. Who's to say that it won't happen again?"
"It won't." Mike shook his head, "Because none of that matters anymore. You're with us now and we're never going let you go. You're not evil, you're just misunderstood."
"I know you're just saying that, Mike." Mal looked at him with tears filling his eyes again, "You all know what happened years ago and how much pain and suffering I have caused you. I'm a monster and I know it. A cruel, heartless, evil monster."
He placed his head back on the table, folded his arms and cried softly as his brother and sister could only watch in sadness. Wanting to snap their brother out of his funk, Svetlana took Mal by his shoulders and raised him up so they could see eye to eye.
"Now you listen to me, Mal." she said firmly, "First, I don't ever ever vant you to say those awful things about yourself again. You are not evil, you never were, you are not a monster, und you are never heartless. You are Mal! The vonderful brother und friend ve have known for so long! You are none of those things and don't ever doubt your self-worth like that again. Do you understand me?"
Mal nodded tearfully and tried to look away but Svetlana took his chin and raised it up so he could look at her again.
"Second, you are the most wonderful brother und personality ve have ever known." Svetlana said a little warmly, "You always been there for us vhenever no one else is around. You are truly a loyal und a loving, caring brother."
Mal just stared at his sister with the tears on his face, "R-Really?"
"Yeah bro'." Mike agreed and embraced Mal, "You are really cool and not to mention, you're my best friend in the whole world. I never forgave myself when you guys disappeared after pressing the reset button and I missed you guys so much." he said sadly, "You have always cheered me up whenever I was sad and we always played together as kids. We even made a whole mess of drawings together for years and years."
"Und you vould protect us from harm." Svetlana added, "Like vhen you und Mike vould always catch me vhen I fall during the time I started gymnastics und vould tell me stories whenever I had trouble going to sleep. Now, vould an evil boy do that?"
Mal remained silent as his brother and sister continued to speak.
"And don't forget, Vito, Manitoba, and Chester love you too." Mike added as well, "Don't you see? You've always been a good personality and friend to every one of us in this mind. So you made some mistakes in the past. That doesn't mean you can't move on and live your life."
"R-Really?" Mal asked as he wiped his eyes.
"Yes my brother." Svetlana hugged him, "Ve know you would never hurt us und ve'll never leave you."
"Not ever." Mike agreed, "That's a promise."
Mal started to rethink his thoughts and realized his siblings were right. He was never a monster to begin with, he just made the wrong choices but he still has a chance to redeem himself for the future.
"I'm sorry, guys." Mal said with a heavy and regretful sigh, "I should have never tried to run away. I realize now that I can't run away because of a silly dream. If you guys say I'm good, I'll believe you."
"That's okay, bro'." Mike smiled, "You were just scared, that's all. It's normal to feel scared."
"But ve vill always be there vith a shoulder to cry on und arms to hug you vith." Svetlana hugged him.
"Thanks you guys." Mal said softly, "I love you."
"We love you too." they both said as they hugged Mal.
After they finished hugging, Mike and his siblings looked up to see Chester, Manitoba, and Vito standing right in front of them.
"Huh?" Mike wondered, "What are you guys doing here?"
"We heard everything, mate." Manitoba said sadly, "And we can't just stand by like a bunch of useless shrimp."
"We can't let one of our own suffer like this." Chester added, "I can't stand to see one of my grandkids hurt."
Then, Vito looked at Svetlana with sorrowful eyes.
"Sorry Svet." Vito said, "I know you told us not to get involved but we couldn't help it. We were just as worried as you are."
Svetlana nodded silently in agreement as the others sat down and Vito placed a hand on Mals shoulder.
"We're here for you bro'." Vito gave a comforting smile, "And we're never going to leave you again."
Mal looked at Vito and, then, the others who gave their own reassuring smiles with Vito.
"You're a part of us, lad." Manitoba Smith said softly and patted his back, "And it's just as Vito said. We abandoned you once and we're never going to make that mistake ever again."
"You're brothers and sister are right, son." Chester hugged him close, "We may not be perfect, but we always stay together and be there for each other. That's what a family is really all about."
Mal felt a lump in his throat after Chester lets go and feels two hands on each of his shoulders.
"Do you understand, Mal?" Mike asked him, "We all love you and we care about you. And we know that you're not evil anymore and you never will be. We know you better than that."
"Und that's the truth." Svetlana nodded.
Tears started to fall from Mals already wet eyes again. But this time, they were tears of joy because he truly realizes how much he means to his family.
"Thank you." Mal smiled through his tears, "I can't tell you all how much this means to me. I love you guys so much!"
"We love you too, my dear brother." Svetlana said as happy tears fell from her eyes as well, "Und ve always vill be."
That's when everyone embraced Mal in the biggest family group hug that anyone's ever seen. After talking and reassuring Mal for a little longer, everyone hugged him one more time and headed for bed. The next day, Mal slept in while the others were doing their own thing and Mike surprised him with breakfast in bed.
After he ate, Mal just relaxed in his room and watched some TV for a while before he heard a knock on his door.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Come in!" Mal yelled.
The door opened and Svetlana came inside to talk to her older brother, "Hello Mal. How are you today?"
"I'm great." Mal grinned, "I never felt this good in my life. And I should thank you for that."
"Vhat do you mean?" she asked as she sat next to him.
"You know, for snapping me out of my depression last night." Mal rubbed the back of his head, "I was beginning to lose my sanity and all my hopes would have been trashed if you and the others hadn't helped me."
"But of course, darling." said Svetlana as she placed her hand on her brothers shoulder, "Ve vould never leave you to suffer like zhat. You are a part of Mike und a part of us as vell." she placed a hand on her chest, "Inside, ve all care for you und love you no matter vhat happens."
Mal smiled and looked away as he and his younger sister sat in silence. To be honest, whenever Svetlana talks to Mal he has a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. Not in a romantic sense like Manitoba but he notices that Svetlana can be a little parental when she wants or needs too and he thinks of her kinda of like a mother as well. However, he was too embarrassed to tell her and was afraid that she or the other personalities would laugh at him for thinking of something like that.
But, Mal had to muster up his courage and tell his little sister how he feels.
"You know Svetlana?" he began, "I never told anyone this but...to me I think of you as more than just a sister."
"Really?" Svetlana raised her eyebrow, "What else do you see me as?"
"Well," he gulped, "I think of you kind of like a mom sometimes because you are so nurturing and caring to us just like a mother would."
The Russian athlete felt a warm sensation in her heart and felt very proud to be called a mother by someone she loved very much. She knew she had that motherly charm but she never knew she could be and actual mother to anyone inside and outside the mind before. And she hoped that she can be a real mother someday.
"I-I don't know vhat to say." she said softly, "But, I am deeply honored that you think of me like that und I thank you very ze very bottom of my heart."
Mal looked at Svetlana and blushed a little, "Svetlana? Do you mind if I called you...mama? Just this once?"
Svetlana was a bit taken back and confused at first, but then she smiled and nodded. Mal smiled too and laid his head on Svetlanas lap as she placed her hand on his back.
Mal smiled happily as he closed his eyes, but tears started to form as the haunting memories of his past sins came upon his mind. He covered eyes with his arm as Svetlana rubbed his head with her other hand.
"Mama..." Mal said softly as he wept.
"It's alright dear." she soothed him, "Everything is alright."
More tears fell as Mal buried his head deeper. Mike came to check on his siblings, but when he opened the door he saw his big brother crying his heart out and his little sister comforting him. Instead of saying anything, Mike gave a warm smile to Svetlana who nodded and smiled right back.
Once Mal had finally calmed down, Svetlana helps him raise back up on the bed.
"Feelling better now, dear?" she asked in a soft voice.
"Yeah. I'm okay now." Mal took a deep breath, "I needed that. Thanks sis'."
"You're welcome, big brother." Svetlana smiled and hugged her brother, "Vhy don't you take a rest now und I'll check on you later?"
"Okay." he nodded and laid back down on his bed.
Svetlana fluffed his pillows and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "I'll come check on you later, but if you ever need anything just let me know. Alright?"
"I will. Thanks Svetlana." Mal said softly, "I love you."
"I love you too, big brother." Svetlana smiled warmly before leaving the room.
Mal was about to close his eyes when he saw Mike come in and stand next to his bed, "Mike? What are you doing here?"
"I just thought you would like someone to stay with you." Mike said as he grabbed a pillow and lays down next to Mal.
"Thanks." Mal said as he looks down.
"You're welcome, Mal." he hugs his brother.
After a few moments of silence, Mal spoke up, "Mike?"
"Yeah?" he said.
"I love you." Mal gave a small smile to him.
"I love you too, big bro'." Mike smiled back.
And the two boys napped for most of the day. Mal still felt scared every once in a while, but his family would reassure him that everything will be fine and he'll never become evil again. Mal just had to remind himself that his evil actions were a thing of the past and to not reflect on them anymore.
Also, Svetlana not only felt like a little sister but she accepted her role as a mother figure whenever her brothers need it. She even allows them to call her "mama" if they ever felt like it, but they still think of her as a little sister. Of course, just like everyone else on this planet, everyone needs a mother especially a former evil personality like Mal.
And Mal is happy with his sister either way.
And one more thing. Mal burnt his run-away letter and reminded himself that if he ever feels alone or depressed, he can always depend on his family to help him back on his feet.
To Be Continued...