Chapter Forty-Four

Memories of our Brother

Back on the Ninjet, Monalisa laid her head on Raphael's shoulder as she held Diablo's large feather in her hand.

Raphael nuzzled his mate and kissed her hair and forehead in an attempt to comfort her, but it was difficult as he could feel the anger and devastation radiating from his mate and it still frustrated him that he couldn't talk to her to soothe her.

At the same time, he was furious that Diablo had brainwashed his daughter, making her a Disciple, and he wanted to make that raven pay for taking away his daughter.

Monalisa looked at the feather, fresh tears fell from her eyes as she remembered Diablo as Callum, the younger brother she had loved and protected from bullies, who she helped with his homework, or played games with.

Staring at the feather, she started to think back on what used to be her brother, the raven who had stolen her daughter, when he was her innocent younger brother, the one she knew she would never see again….

Flashback

"Mona? Mona!"

Monalisa was in her room looking over some notes she had taken in class as she had a few exams to revise for on Friday when she heard Callum's voice.

"What is it?" she asked as she saw her younger brother peek into her room.

"I was just wondering when you'll be free from studying?" Callum asked "Jake and I wanted to walk to the woods near the house after dinner?"

Monalisa cocked her head on one side.

Her studies were important as she was approaching the end of her second to final year at High School, but it was a lovely day and this evening sounded like a good chance to get outside and a good reward after studying.

"I'll be free after dinner." she smiled "In fact, I wonder if mum and dad will let us toast some marshmallows on the fire pit in the garden when we get back?"

Callum's eyes lit up as he thought of his favourite treat whether it was over a campfire in summer or in front of the fire in winter.

"I hope so!" he grinned "I'll go ask now!" and he quickly moved away from the door to ask their parents whilst Monalisa chuckled and went back to her notes to try and see if she could memorize anything else before her parent's called her and her brothers for dinner.

A little while later….

Monalisa sat on a deck chair along with Jake and Callum as they held some metal sticks over a firepit in the garden as the sun was setting.

Each of them had a marshmallow on it.

After Callum had asked their parents if they could toast a marshmallow, they had agreed they could, as long as they shared the sweets between them and came inside before 9pm as that was when Callum had to get ready for bed.

Monalisa had then promised their parents she would be in charge and make sure they were all inside when they promised.

Once their parents had gone back inside, the three siblings had taken advantage of the warm summer evening, roasting their marshmallows and enjoying some drinks as the sun set and stars began to appear in the skies.

"I love these late warm evenings." Jake had said "Better than the daytime sometimes."

"I can agree." Monalisa said "Its quiet, the hottest part of the day has past, and even though it's the evening, there's something about it that makes it special, like we're the only ones left on Earth."

The two boys were a little confused at first.

"What do you mean sis?" Callum asked cocking an eyebrow as he pulled his marshmallow away from the fire pit.

Monalisa looked over at Callum.

"I mean," she said "During the day, the world is awake, and the people on it are awake, and most are out making use of it, whether it be going about their business, or just enjoying the sun, the day is when it's at it's most active, but most forget to think about the later hours, how at night we can enjoy the silence, enjoy the times when it's not so busy and savour it, and we're the few who are right now."

"I get what you mean sis!" Jake said snapping his fingers "Many kids like us would be frolicking in the sunlight, but us, we find our enjoyment here in the evening, the remaining warmth, the fire pit, the stars above and each others company!"

"Exactly!" Monalisa smiled "This is us left in the world here right now, enjoying the remains of what if left of the day, and taking the time to appreciate the night."

"I'd be nocturnal if I could." Jake said as he looked at the skies "The quietness, the stillness of the night, and the stars, I could stare at them for hours."

"Me too!" Callum joined in "Stare at the stars by the campfire with you two!"

Monalisa smiled again.

"Best time of day for me in the summer." she said "Evenings like this, with you two, us against the world."

Jake chuckled.

"Maybe not against the world, but rather us alone, us left in the world as it gets ready to slumber, and we can enjoy it together."

"Agreed!" Callum said "I just wish it would never end, this evening."

"me too Callum." Jake agreed.

"Ditto!" Monalisa chimed in as she lay back on her deck stair and stared at the stars, wanting to take every chance she had to enjoy this evening before they were due to go back inside.

End Flashback

The memory was just too much for her, and Monalisa sobbed softly as she leaned into Raphael and Sephie looked over to the lizard lady and reached out to touch her hand.

As she did, Monalisa looked up and gave a weak smile, thanking her sister in spirit.

Sephie then moved from the cockpit to sit closer to Monalisa and looked at Raphael who nodded at her.

The turtle given the fact he couldn't talk to his mate, he knew Sephie would be the best one to soothe Monalisa with her words.

Sephie gave a thankful smile then leaned towards Monalisa.

"Mona?" she asked to which the Lizard Lady looked over.

"Sephie, I can't tell you how this has devastated me." she said "I never imagined he'd sink this low!"

Sephie sighed sadly yet she said nothing but let Monalisa talk.

"I thought he could be redeemed, should we ever cross paths." Monalisa lamented about her brother.

"I thought he could be brought back, he would return to us, but it seems he really is too far gone, given how he's taken Pandora under his wing, so to speak."

Sephie lowered her head.

She wanted to tell Monalisa that everything would be alright, and maybe there was a reason behind what they had seen, but she had no evidence to support that, which frustrated her, and she wanted to know the truth, if Diablo really had brain-washed the hybrid, or something else had happened, but she had no answers, and would never know until they found more evidence, or better yet Diablo himself.

She looked out the front again as she saw Devina flying in her werewolf/vampire hybrid form and prayed that by some miracle she would find something or someone and get them closer to Pandora.

Meanwhile Jake sat with Amber adjacent to where Monalisa and Raphael sat, his head resting on Amber's head, he had watched his sister's distress and it had broken his heart.

His eyes were drooping due to the stress as well as the motion of the Ninjet as it flew through the air, and through the seats he could see Devina in her Werewolf/Vampire form flying ahead leading the way and using her vision to try and find Pandora and Diablo.

As he looked, he kept thinking about the brother he and Monalisa once knew, his youngest brother, the one he had been slightly jealous of when he was first born, that he was no longer the baby of the family, the one he often rough-housed with until his parents told them both to stop doing it, then they would team up together as they got older, no longer rivals but brothers, best friends almost.

But then after Monalisa vanished, he had changed, his grief had made the brother he once knew vanish, as if he had died with her.

"Oh Callum…" he thought as he stared ahead through the window at the front.

"How could you sink so low? Are you really truly gone? Gone so far that you took Pandora from us? How could you? What happened to the brother I once knew?"

He kept looking out the front window, yet the motion of the ninjet and Amber's warmth and soft hair as well as her smell made him feel sleepy and he closed his eyes before drifting off….

Jake wasn't sure how quickly he had drifted off, but he soon heard voices around him and he opened his eyes to find himself standing beside a large sparkling lake in the sunshine.

The human man wasn't sure where he was or why he was there until he looked around and saw several kids running around and laughing.

"Wait a sec…" he said to himself then he looked down to see he was wearing a white t-shirt and yellow shorts then remembered many years ago when he and Callum had attended a summer camp together.

He looked around at the other children as they ran and played.

Some were throwing a ball to each other, some others were playing tag and some girls were dancing in a circle singing 'Ring around a roses'.

Memeories then started to come to Jake as he began to remember more about where he was and what had taken place and he looked around for Callum.

"Callum?" he looked left, right and up and down until he looked to the lake to see a familiar figure sitting on the boat dock looking at the water.

Jake's blood then ran cold as he started to remember that particular summer camp when Callum had been on the boat dock looking at the water and he had fallen in!

Jake quickly ran past the other children as they played and up towards where is younger brother sat.

"Callum!" he shouted "Callum!"

Yet Callum didn't turn around at Jake's voice.

"Callum!" Jake shouted again and ran forward just as Callum leaned too far forward and fell into the water!

"Oh shit!" Jake raced over and he fell on his belly as he slid over the wood towards the edge and reached in for Callum.

He could remember that day vividly, he had been playing soccer with some other boys at the camp whilst Callum had sat on the boat dock reading when he had decided to put his book down and look at the water but he had leaned too far forward and had fallen in and Jake had had to pull him out as he hadn't quite grasped swimming in open water.

Jake leaned down into the water to try and grasp Callum, yet his bother slipped away from him under the water, but then he managed to lift himself up and gasp for air before trying to grab Jake who reached down to grab him, yet as he did, another figure appeared from the water making Jake fall back in fright.

He was even more shocked when he saw what or rather who the figure was!

"Shredder!"

As he appeared from the water, Shredder drove his bladed hand through Callum's stomach through his back and brought his other hand on the young boy's head before dragging him under the water again and the clear water began to turn red with blood as the bubbles fizzed up to surface.

Jake gasped in horror as he stared at the mix of blood and bubbles on the surface as Callum struggled under the water.

He almost wondered whether to jump in after him until the water bubbled and frothed before a black taloned hand appeared and Jake fell back on the dock again in fear as Diablo the Raven appeared from the water, from where Shredder had dragged Callum under!

Jake blinked in shock then he saw Diablo look down at him and cawed loudly before flying away towards the woodland behind the camp.

Jake rolled over to his side as he watched his now mutated brother and how now the camp was deserted and the sun had vanished behind some dark clouds.

"Callum!" Jake shouted as he scrambled to his feet and started to chase after the Raven who flew into the woodland and disappeared through the trees.

"Wait! Stop!" Jake shouted as he tried to chase him yet as he did, he kept slipping and stumbling, unable to pick up his pace, almost like his feet weighed a tonne each.

"Callum! Callum!" he shouted as he reached the woods and despite his heavy feet kept trying to find him yet the woodland grew dark and screams of pain and terror filled the air.

"Callum!" he shouted again "Where are you?"

"You failed me Jake…"

Jake's eyes widened as he heard a voice and he looked in front of him to see Diablo standing there, his moonstone eyes staring at him coldly and blankly, no longer the same eyes he knew belonged to his brother.

"Cal…." Jake stammered.

"Callum is dead!" Diablo spat "He died a long time ago! We both know that!"

"Callum…." Jake said "Where's Pandora? Please? Where is she?"

"Pandora?" Diablo asked mockingly "Did you loose her?"

"Diablo stop it!" Jake said "Please! Don't torture me and Monalisa! Please! Where is she? We just want her home!"

Diablo glowered at Jake, his eyes blazing then he opened his beak and cawed loudly at Jake.

in fact the caw was so loud it hurt Jake's ears and he covered them and yelled as well in frustration and anger.

"Where is she?" he shouted "TELL ME WHERE SHE IS!"

But Diablo's high pitched caw just continued and made his ears hurt more and Jake screamed again in stress….

As Jake screamed again he awoke with a start and found himself back in the ninjet and Amber looking up at him worried.

"Jake?" she asked concerned "Jake what is it?"

Jake shook the sleep from his head and looked down at Amber who reached up and cupped his cheek.

"What happened?" she asked.

Jake soon calmed down as he felt her hand on his cheek and he took a few deep breaths before relaxing his shoulders and leaned into her, tears falling from his eyes.

Amber instantly wrapped her arms around him and held him close.

"It's okay Jake, it's okay, I'm here…" she soothed.

She looked over at the Knights as well as the geckolings, James, Jun and Dahlia as they watched Jake break down and she gave them the look she would talk to them later.

But it didn't take a genius to know what Jake was suffering, along with Monalisa the pain of their younger brother's actions and his betrayal, at least that's what was believed, that he had betrayed them in the worst way in stealing Pandora from them and brainwashing her.

Despite no evidence, they were certain that Diablo had Pandora in his possession by some way of manipulation, but they wouldn't know until they found him or Pandora.
They were on his trail, and they were not going to give up, not now….

Memories even though to some, they are a comfort, but to others, they are a painful reminder of what was...

Can't imagine what Monalisa and Jake are going through, especially with what they believe their brother has done to Pandora.

In Monalisa's flashback, I'm sure some of you saw some foreshadowing.