AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Just a quick light-hearted chapter before the big stuff comes. Enjoy :)

Chapter 51: Blood and sand

Twenty year old Brax stood on the sand teaching eight year old Casey how to surf while Heath ran towards the water carrying his surf board.

"Heath stay where I can see you and don't go out too far!" Brax yelled.

Heath huffed, "I don't need you to hold my hand Brax! I'm not like Casey! I've been surfing on my own for years!"

Brax rolled his eyes. "Heath! It's rough out there! Be careful!"

Heath waved at his brother and yelled a straight, "fine," before he ran into the water.

Brax turned back to teaching Casey how to stand on the board correctly. Brax glanced out at Heath surfing in the water and then at his baby brother giggling as he stood pretending to surf on the sand and Brax realized what was the most valuable thing in his life, it was his family and the surf. Heath ran up to his brothers.

"You going out there Brax or you just gonna surf on the sand with Casey?" Heath laughed.

Casey scowled at Heath and hit him in the abdomen. "Hey squirt! What's the big idea?"

"Stop teasing me!"

"Stop it you two." Brax said, still lost in some train of thought.

"I'll give you teasing." Heath warned and picked up his younger brother and carried him into the water and dropped him in.

"Heath!" Casey yelled but couldn't keep himself from laughing.

Brax ran up behind Heath and pushed him into the water. "Come on you two. I've got somewhere I want to go."

"Where are we going Brax?" Heath asked when the three brothers walked along the beachside into town.

"Somewhere where I can get a permanent memory of what's important." Brax smirked.

The three brothers walked into a tattoo parlor. "A tattoo? You're getting a tattoo?" Heath asked. "Yep."

"What's that?" Casey asked. "It's where they put ink into your body to make a picture." Heath explained he loved the idea of a tattoo.

Brax spoke to the tattoo artist and explained what he wanted. After the tattoo artist instructed Brax to lie down Brax looked at his brothers and smiled. "The guy said you two can stay and watch if you like."

"Yeah!" Heath exclaimed.

The tattoo artist took a seat and took out his instruments. "You ready?" Brax nodded.

The guy cleaned down Brax's chest and got his needle ready. Casey caught sight of the sharp needle and shouted, "Don't hurt Brax!"

The guy stopped and looked to Brax. "Maybe the kid should wait outside?"

"Nah its okay, just give me a minute. Case come here." Casey slowly approached his brother.

"I don't want that guy to hurt you Brax." He whispered.

Brax grabbed Casey's hand. "He's not gonna hurt me Case, he just needs to use the needle to put the ink in my body to make my tattoo. Just stand over there quietly with Heath yeah?" Casey nodded and Heath pulled him back.

"Can we start again now?" The tattoo artist asked. "Yeah go ahead." Brax replied.

Casey hid his face in Heath's abdomen as the tattoo artist inked Brax's chest. "Heath he's making Brax bleed. I though he wasn't meant to hurt him." Casey whispered.

Heath rubbed his brother's shoulder. "Ssh Case, that's normal. Brax is okay see." Casey looked at Brax who was lying still on the bed.

The tattoo artist wiped the last of the blood off Brax's chest. "All done. I'll just put a dressing on it which needs to be kept dry for a week before you can remove it." Brax nodded and glanced down at his chest and smiled, it read blood and sand, everything that was close to Brax's heart. Brax's tattoo was bandaged and he stood up.

"Now it's my turn. I've already decided what I'm gonna get." Heath said. Brax scoffed and patted his shoulder. "Not today you're not."

"Why? You did." "Yes, but you're not getting one until your sixteen."

"Fine, but I will get one." Brax shook his head and went to pay the tattoo artist.

Whilst Heath and Brax were talking, the tattoo artist approached Casey and got him to pick out a temporary tattoo and placed it on his arm. Casey came running out to the waiting room with the tattoo artist following behind.

"Look what that guy gave me!" Casey waved his arm around. "Wow Case that's great."

"Now we're twins Brax!" Casey exclaimed. "Yeah bud." Brax smiled.

Heath shook his head. "Even my baby brother gets a tattoo before me."

"Suck it up Heath." Brax said with a laugh and Casey giggled. Brax paid the tattoo artist and the three boys walked home.