SINCE DAY ONE

Three days. That's how long had passed. Three whole unpleasant days since the incident that has left Lemy in a mental state of limbo. After arriving home that very same day, he ignored all human contact and locked himself up in his room. The person he avoided more than anyone else was Lyra, much to the young woman's dismay. She didn't seem to understand what went wrong between them. One day they were so united, a lost bond having been found and repaired, now without warning the cracks had shattered it all down. No matter how many times she attempted to speak to him or even approach he would scatter away, not bothering to respond or even look in her direction at all. If they happened to be in the same room together it was because others were present and even then, he kept his distance from her. She was confused. Not just confused at his actions, but deeply hurt by them even more. Where was the boy that her father had reassured he had never stopped loving her? Where was her brother, who she had long wanted to reconnect with? She felt that something was wrong, deeply wrong. Something had clearly happened, but she had no idea of knowing what was bothering him, what was pushing him away from her.

Lyra had no idea what to do, but she didn't come back home to simply allow her brother to be like this. She needed to do something. She wanted her brother's love back. Having missed him dearly and regretting having ever left his side and venture off into unknown territory. Her heart ached for him, so much so that her joy had been drowned into a pit of sadness. She feared the worst, a fear that she had not felt for a while was bubbling up inside her.

As she stood in her room pondering the issue at hand, her mind wandered back to the conversation she had with her Aunt on that same day when everything suddenly changed.

Monday Afternoon...

"So...?"

Lyra and Lucy sat in the living room. Her aunt wanted to speak to her, for what? She had no idea. Then again both hadn't really spend that much time together, the only other person in this household with much less interactions with her was Lupa herself. Guess her aunt just wanted to catch up with her, now that nobody was around to steal her they could have a proper conversation together. Hope she doesn't ask about her sneaking into her brother's room.

"How are you?" Lucy said.

"I'm okay...?" It was hard for Lyra to ever fully understand her aunt's train of thought, even harder when she always bore that same emotionless look, her hidden eyes adding to her mystique.

"That's good."

Again, what exactly are they going to talk about? It wasn't awkward like with Lemy, but she sure took her time to form an answer and even more to ask a question in return.

"Uh...?"

"So why didn't Lemy ask you out on another date yesterday?"

What?! Lyra's face blushed hard at her aunt's nonchalant remark. She remained stoic as usual while Lyra on the other hand was radiating a series of powerful emotions all at once.

"W..w-why...why...date?" Lyra found her voice as she incredulously stared at Lucy, "That wasn't a...a...date! That makes it sound like...we... please just don't."

"Okay." Lucy replied.

"Is this the main topic of our conversation or is there more?" Lyra regained her bearings and crossed one leg over the other, an attempt to feel more comfortable.

"No. Being one to not serve the light, but dwell among the shadows I tend to notice more happenings than the average mortal can with their oblivious eyesight. It is both a gift as well a curse, but one that I take full advantage of with ease." Lucy explained her methods or beliefs, Lyra wasn't quite sure to be honest.

"You never did change huh?" Lyra gave her aunt a meaningful smile, still uncertain what the older woman was getting at.

"No, but you have." Lucy said back as she leaned towards her, "Something within you has changed dear niece."

Lyra shuffled uncomfortably. What was she implying? Lyra felt very vulnerable right then and there, Lucy simply examining her eyes, lips and overall body language. The older woman could see it again, the discomfort, not the usual she always invoked on people, but an outer force that was dwelling within her niece. Lincoln and the others failed to notice it, but nothing ever escaped this mistress of the night. Now that he got a reaction out of her, she needed to proceed further.

"You arrived with joy, but underneath that calm surface a dark force lingers about. One that is well hidden and locked deep inside your soul. But during our first dinner together as a family that creature reached out and managed to scratch the surface." Lucy told Lyra.

"W...What are you even on about?" Lyra recoiled back in response.

"Something troubles your heart, mind and soul. Your arrival brings about a strong aura of fear and doubt, and most of it all is linked to your brother." Lucy carried on the conversation despite Lyra's outburst, "Whatever troubles you, let it be known that your family is here to help. I'm here to help you, as is your father and brother, your mother despite being away from home too supports you as well. No need to bottle up this emotions that you carry on your bleeding heart when we are all here to heal you."

"I'm sorry... you're confused. There's nothing wrong with me. I don't know how you came to such conclusion, but there's nothing to worry about Aunt Lucy. What does Lemy have to do with any of this too? Everything's fine. I'm fine." Lyra firmly stated.

Both intensely stared at one another, neither refusing to budge. For Lucy, her pokerface remained intact and very emotionless despite her niece giving her a stern, yet convincing expression in return. Yes, something was genuinely bothering her, why else get defensive on the subject in hand. Her niece was good, but she was greater and could sense it through her. Whatever it was it was deeply imbedded in her to simply talk about or attempt to acknowledge herself.

"Lyra... I'm not accusing you. I'm looking out for you, we all have our problems, some small, others big, but in the end problems they remain." Lucy stood up from her seat as did Lyra after her, "But, I understand. You just got back after your long absence. I won't trouble you any further."

"Thank you." Lyra replied, with a sign of relief.

As Lucy made her way upstairs she stopped midway and looked down at Lyra who remained in place in the living room. The young woman had her arms crossed and her face had morphed to one of worry as she looked around, searching for any possible distraction to occupy her thoughts. Lucy sighed as it was obvious that she was hiding something, but at the moment lacked the necessary tools to dig it out of her.

"Lemy loves you. Whatever bothers you, it will bother him too. The bond between you two is both powerful and special, I can sense it. Don't let it slip away." Lucy stated before continuing her ascension to to her room.

Friday morning...

Lyra finished remembering that interaction and given the current circumstances, it tore her heart to know that the said bond with her brother was diminishing by the hour or each day. She refused to speak about it and now God had turned him against her. Her only brother was now ignoring her very existence. It was hurting her to see him evade her, to see him hide his face from her. What she feared the most was becoming a reality and she was powerless in finding a solution. If only he allowed her to speak to him, she just needs to speak to him.

Kharma truly was a bitch.

She reawakened from her dream state, coming back to her senses. Sitting down on her chair she'd been staring at her own reflection on the mirror, having lost her self with all these thoughts whirling in her head.

"Another day." She sighed.

Somberly brushing her hair, she could only look herself in the eyes. Eyes full of hurt, heart full of pain, a downfall of her merry self on the initial first day. Once done she crossed her arms and laid down her head on the dresser and rested her eyes. Her phone located on her bed began to ring out catching her attention.

For a moment she froze. Unsure whether to approach the ringing device or not.

Cautiously approaching her bed she picked up the mobile phone. Upon seeing the name of the caller, Lyra gave out a sigh of relief. Her nerves calmed down and her body relaxed. Giving herself a deep breath first, she tapped on the screen and answered.

"Hey mom." Lyra smiled.

"Baby! How are you? Mommy misses you so much!" Luna's voice was full of excitement.

"I missed you too and... I'm okay, for the most part." Lyra walked around to the window and looked outside.

"Is something wrong Lyra?" Luna sounded concerned now, "Mommy is here to listen."

"Oh... it's just..."Lyra searched for the right words while scoping out the streets below for one specific boy, "It's... I'm still adjusting to being back home you know? I feel like a stranger at times..."

"I'm sorry you feel that way Songbird, but goods things come to those that wait. Just wait for tomorrow, I promise to give you a proper welcome home party." Luna told her daughter.

"Tomorrow?...wait." Lyra raised an eyebrow before putting two and two together.

"Expect me around noon. Tomorrow will be a whole mother and daughter only get together!" She squealed with glee.

"Oh boy." Lyra knew just how chaotic her mother could get when it came to partying and simply just having a good time.

The Junkyard...

Lemy was in deep shambles. Full of anger and shame; all aimed at himself. Ignored her, he's been ignoring her, brushing her aside and leaving her confused and most likely hurt. The more he thought about it the more of an absolute piece of shit he was labeling himself. He didn't like treating her like this, she just wants to be there for him same as he wants to, but...after what happened, he can't trust himself around her anymore.

"Son of a bitch!"

Lemy violently started kicking the door of a abandoned car next to him. After a few more kicks he reeled back in pain, hopping on one foot as his other ached in pain.

"Motherfucker!" Lemy picked up a piece of metal and flung it at the car, breaking the window whole.

"Keep making noise won't ya?"

Lacy appeared around the corner, soccer ball in hand. Both had been meeting up in the junkyard after school for the whole week. A series of sessions in which Lacy played the role of the therapist and Lemy as the mentally unhinged patient and he truly believed to be playing the actual role. He couldn't have these talks in his own home with that many ears out and about, so this car cemetery has been converted to their private office.

"Nobody is here around this time." Lemy responded back.

"Anyways, I see that you have already started venting." Lacy propped herself up on the hood of another car.

"Yeah..."

"Is it all gone... for now?"

Lemy leaned his back against the car and slumped down a bit, "Some of it."

Both sat around not saying much. Lemy had a greta deal on his mind, but it had become a ritual to settle down and find the time to collect your thoughts first. Lacy was the first one to speak up.

"I know why you're doing it, but you can't be ignoring Lyra forever. She clearly has no idea why you're acting this way and I can see it in her face, it's hurts her." Lacy sadly said.

Lemy couldn't deny it either as he gave out a heavy sigh, "I hate it. I fucking hate brushing her off, walking away from her, not responding to her voice as she calls for me. The same voice I have so much wanted to hear again and I'm fucking ignoring it!"

Lacy silently listened to her brother's painful remarks. She wanted to hug him, kiss him, cuddle with him, but he needs to this. Needs to understand where his heart is at. She'll give him a kiss on the cheeks afterwards anyhow.

"What I said was wrong. Saying it as we both came together after sex is even more fucked up, I just can't face her after doing such a thing. I can't..." Lemy said.

"How do you really feel about her then?" Lacy probed him further, "How deep is this sudden attraction for her?"

"...I don't know."

Lemy fully slumped down to the dirt floor as he anguished on about this unwanted predicament, "I really... maybe... fuck I don't know."

Lacy played with her soccer ball as Lemy muttered in silence. He was deeply distraught about the whole ordeal. She never figured that he wanted to get it on with Lyra, but then again her and Lupa happened. Unless...it got her thinking.

"Hey bro, don't think that I'm offended or anything like that, but...were Lupa and me...well, substitutes... for Lyra? If you know...what I mean?" Lacy bit he lower lip, hoping she didn't step on a land mine for that one.

"I don't want to fuck Lyra, Lacy!" Lemy shouted, shocked at her insinuation.

"Are you sure?"

"Y...Yes!" She gave him a knowing look in return.

"W-Well...fuck...fuck!" Lemy smacked himself on the face with both hands, "That's want I'm trying to prevent! I don't want all of this to be just about that!"

"I need to know! I need...to know if this is real. If what I feel for her is real. The way I think about her, the way feel about her, how I look at her and speak to her. I need to know if it's my heart speaking...or my stupid fucking dick misbehaving!" He was frustrated at himself, not knowing if his crush for Lyra was more than just a sexual desire.

"Hey, don't rip your hair out or bash your thick skull against the pavement." Lacy advised, "Try to remember. A memory that brought about this current predicament into reality."

Lemy groaned but listened. He sat down on the ground, crossing his legs and placing his hands on his knees. Closing his eyes he began to meditate, a technique that aunt Lucy had been teaching them all as of recent. His mind was always a clusterfuck, but right now he gave it more than he usually did and truly concentrated. Searching for anything, he waited and waited with both body and mind coming together.

Soon enough memories of a distant past revealed themselves to the teenage boy. All memories rushing in, all at once. Some which he himself had no recollection of or have just recently unearthed. Before Lyra took off, the months prior to that dreadful day, their relationship had been just like this, expect in that scenario it was Lyra avoiding and ignoring him at her fullest. He remembered it, as a movie it played. Lemy would approach her and she would flee from his presence. He would attempt to speak to her and she would either walk away or muster a short worded excuse to postpone any civil conversation between the two. This went on for days which turned to weeks which lead to months. An absolute god awful experience, one he could not fix or find reason for.

Then she made her announcement.

That wrecked him. Utterly broke him. She was leaving and he still couldn't get her to speak to him at all. He couldn't take it anymore. She was going to abandoned him and not give him an explanation regarding her behavior or treatment towards him.

On the third day before she would embark on her four year journey Lemy finally confronted her and he wasn't going to let her dodge him any further more.

Four Years Ago...

"Get out of my room Lemy!"

"I'm not leaving until you answer my questions Lyra and it's my room too!"

"Leave me alone already!"

"Alone? I've been alone for the past three months already with you ignoring me and brushing me off damn it!"

"Just leave damn it!"

Lemy refused to budge, and would not comply to her orders. Both siblings stood their grounds, neither refusing to give up to the other. Lyra glared at him, her eyes piercing him with anger. Their stare down creating an intense pressure in the room. She was gone in three days, never to see her in the years to come, he needs to know everything.

"Stop avoiding me and talk already! You are leaving for California, Lyra. What happened to Michigan? Why did you suddenly choose the most farthest university from us! Why are you doing this to me?" Lemy yelled at her.

"You don't need to know anything! This is my decision!" Lyra yelled back.

"Bullshit! I don't know what the fuck happened, but pushing me aside, kicking me out of your life is the fucking issue here! Nobody just chooses to fucking renounce someone so close to them out of fucking nowhere without a single given motherfucking explanation!" Lemy's anger rose with each word he yelled out at her.

Lyra was fuming. His words clearly having a strong affect on the seventeen year old recent graduate. She turned her back to him and crossed her arms, an act of stubbornness and defiance, but to him it was the ultimate sign if disrespect. A horrible disrespect that he's been having to endure for the past few months from the one person he deeply admires and cares for more than anyone else.

"I don't care a-about... any of...this. This is my life. My choices. You have no right to dictate my future. Stop annoying me, I d-don't...want to s...see you anymore! Get out of my life you damn brat!" Her voice was firm at first, but by the end of that statement it had cracked down.

That was it.

His last straw finally broke. She truly was treating him like trash and felt no care towards her words and actions. His heart was raging in fire and the only emotions that inhabited his body were rage and sadness. He stomped towards her and firmly grabbed her by the arm. His monstrous grip crushing her arm, yet he no longer cared for her wellbeing. Yanking her limb with anger he spun her around, fully intend to yell all his pain at her face. Before he could do any of that, Lyra acted first by slapping him strongly across the face.

He let go. She stood still. His face stung and her hand hurt.

Lemy's head whiplashed with shock and he looked of into the distance, a petrified look in his eyes. Lyra herself ignored the sensation of pain in her own hand as she angrily glared at him back. Her eyes on the verge of tears, grinding her teeth and clenching her jaw, her body was burning and a strong pain in her chest combusting. Lemy slowly touched his face, still in shock at what had just happened. In disbelief of what she had managed.

Seeing his shattered expression. Lyra's demeanor quickly changed to one of pure horror and regret.

"Oh my God. Lemy...I...I.. I'm so-"

He answered her back with a closed fist.

Punching her in the midsection she leaned forward in pain, the air knocked straight out of her. It wasn't over as her brother tackled her to the ground and quickly straddled himself on top of her. Not wasting anytime and no longer caring about each other's feelings he started punching and slapping her across the face. At the moment he was consumed by the anger and resentment, all his pent up wrath exploding in her face. She tried her best to cover herself, even clawing and scratching his face in defense. He landed a heavy hit on her nose and soon enough she started bleeding out and tainting her face. Lyra couldn't take any more of this and pleaded him to stop.

"Stop! Stop! Lemy! Please stop it!"

She grabbed ahold of both of his arms and tried her best to overpower him, but his anger was too strong for her. Lemy got loose again, but now he went straight for the kill.

"Fuck you Lyra! Fuck you!"

He wrapped both his hands around her throat and proceeded to squeeze the air out of her. Fear overtook Lyra as she began to kick and flay about. She couldn't buck him off, no matter how hard she struggled. Her throat was swelling up and his powerful grip crushed her windpipe even more. It was hurting, she couldn't breath, she couldn't think, she couldn't speak. All she could do was look into the blue eyes of her would be killer, her own brother who she had neglected and mistreated for too long. His smile was gone, his kindness no more, a demonic face of pure hatred was all that he bared for her to witness.

Vision going blurry, she stopped struggling, stopped moving all together. Her arms fell to the floor as the color in her face started changing from red to purplish blue. The only thing that remained the same where her beautiful blue eyes, same as her brother's, still signaling for life. Tears ran down both ends, from Lemy and Lyra both. They were hurting both physically and emotionally. Her eyes never blinked once and never changed direction, she only wanted to look at him and nothing else.

Seeing the blue fading away from her eyes, Lemy's heart finally gave out and with a rainfall of tears pouring out from his eyes he finally let go of her throat. Lyra immediately started choking and gasping violently while Lemy got off her and kneeled away from her. Color returning back to her face, Lyra massaged her throat, choked on air and spit as she sat up on the floor.

She almost died. She could feel her body floating away. Lemy was this close to actually killing her.

Behind her, Lemy let out a soft sob, his body quivering uncontrollably. Lyra looked at him with upmost fear, but at the same time with worry and remorse. He was in pain, pain that she had bestowed upon him. Pain that led him to his breaking point, a pain that she created and which almost took her own life in the process.

"W-w-why...why...do you...h-ha...hate me?" He sobbed.

He didn't expect her to answer, not after almost murdering her. Yet while his eyes were closed and he continued to silently cry, his body was consumed by her own. From behind she hugged him, pressed him towards her chest and refused to let go. He could hear her own cries, could feel her own body shaking with raw emotions. He honestly forgot what it felt like to be hugged by her.

"I... don't hate you." Lyra sorrowfully whispered in his ear, "...I love you. I love you more than anyone else in this world. I...love you with a..all my heart and soul! I'm so sorry for hurting you! Lemy I love you, Just you, I only love you!"

She broke down on his shoulder and cried her heart out. He managed to turn his body around and hug her back. Both of them crying together. The last time both of them ever got that intimate with each other. After that day, they barely spoke to each other, but unlike the previous times anytime they got the chance to be alone in their rooms they would spend all their giving time together wrapped up in each other's arms in bed. This was their form of communication and it was sufficient enough. No words ever exchanged, just Lemy resting on her body and Lyra lovingly caressing his face, hair and back. A silent bond build on pain and regrets.

A bond that would forever tie them together.

The day came and she took off. Her final words to him, "Goodbye." and she boarded the plane.

Back to Now...

Lacy saw him shedding tears. Not aware of his surroundings at all, his mind somewhere else. Jumping of the car she walked over and kneeled next to him. Deep in thought she gently shook him from his stupor. Giving him a sympathetic smile she guessed that he got his answer.

"Everything okay?"

Lemy wiped a way a tear, "Yeah, yeah...I just remembered something." He got back to his feet, cleaning up his face.

"So?" Lacy questioned.

"I'm doing the same that she did to me." Lemy moaned.

"Like I said, everything is going to work out." Lacy hugged him.

Lemy placed one arm around her neck and hugged back. He was still conflicted about his emotions, but with a better understanding he knew that ignoring the problem wouldn't resolve anything. He needed to confront himself, understand his own heart and hope that this was all real. That what he felt for her was genuine and pure.

He also needed to discover if she could ever feel the same for him. That's what terrified him even more. The fear of rejection. He didn't want to lose her again.