The Gemini Age: Book One

[6-1] Old Wounds - Part One

    Jade and Wilfred left the kitchen together, and Marcus watched their every step, notepaper by his hand. Jade was shorter than him in reality, yet the bold, confident way with which she carried herself suggested she was the taller of the two of them, and the quick pace of her step rivalled that of born Hot souls riding on air. Though she was not a fighter in the strictest sense, she moved like one, and her strong limbs and tight core would place her right at home in the rings he frequented. She had no visible flaws along the warm sands of her skin, but Marcus had enough experience to know that appearances never told the full story. 

    She was not forgettable, he conceded. She was also not easily fooled, as the burning pain in his side from last night's covert arena visit reminded him. 

    A tap found his shoulder and shook him from his contemplation. "I've seen that look before," Lloyd said with a smirk. "You like her. Am I right? Tell me I'm right." His face appeared under the hood of his jumper with a fiendish smile and an unfettered twinkle in his eye.

    Marcus shook his head and pushed his brother's hand away with a single swipe. "You couldn't be more wrong," he scoffed, not meeting Lloyd's hard stare. "Have you been paying attention at all? She doesn't trust me one bit."

    "Tough, protective, a little bit too wary...does all that remind you of anybody?" Lloyd slid along the counter into his brother's view, his eyes narrow and his eyebrows raised. Marcus did not flinch until Lloyd punched his arm. "Look, I get it! She's cute, and the whole Gemini thing is super cool too!" He held out his hand and imitated the sound of fire appearing in his hand, pointing to the imaginary flames with a fascinated smile.

    "It doesn't matter anyway. After a few days, we'll never see her again." Rising to grab his jacket from the sofa, Marcus saw Wilfred and Jade disappear through the front door, which clicked locked after it slammed shut.

    "That wasn't a no!" Lloyd followed his brother over the divide in the floor into the living room. He plunged his hands into the cushions of the sofa, sinking as he spoke. "How about that girl she showed up with? The one with the cool car and the awesome staff and the nicest smile..." Covering his mouth in awe, Lloyd fixed his eye on some unseen point in the distance.

    Marcus allowed himself a smile as his hands emerged from the sleeves of his jacket. "One of us likes somebody, I'll give you that much," he said, delivering a glancing elbow to his brother's side. "Come on, let's get something to eat. It'll take your mind off Penelope."

    "Penelope! That's right!" Lloyd gasped. "Wait, I don't think I ever told her my name..."

    "That's far from the biggest obstacle between you two, believe me."

    Marcus found the spare key to the apartment, and they were soon out on the streets following the thread of signs to reach the New Town. Early spring mornings always lured the locals out with the promise of warm sunlight, yet the air was unmistakably cool. The sound of footsteps clicked over the cobbles before rising to join the buzz and bustle of a weekday morning. All around the pavements, floral storefronts and communal gardens let the breeze carry their wisps of pollen away to mingle with peers in parts unknown. Behind the passers-by and pigeons of the high street, fashionable brand names stood shoulder-to-shoulder with shoddier outlets. Marcus looked over towards his brother whenever they passed another indie café that was not the place they looked for.

   Lloyd paused at a side-alley coated in old trash. "At least we didn't sleep there last night, right?" He smiled, yet his tone conveyed more relief than amusement.

    The alley was not unlike the one they had landed in outside the arena, though the skip here did not appear to leak any mysterious mud to smear over their faces. Marcus stared through the chain fence at the end to see an old sign cast against the rear wall, a sure sign that 'Bonkers!' was no longer open for business. "We haven't had to slum in an old skip like that for a while now."