Reap the Earth at Which you Stand [boyxboy]

Chapter IX

~Friday 10th November 2017~

Cold colours always worked best. They flowed better in Dakota's mind so, of course, they would work better on the sketch pad too. Blues fit well with the off-white cream of the paper, along with shades of purple and green. They had a calming effect, soothing to Dakota, working well with the silver outlines he often added as an afterthought. The pieces would look even better on black paper, but that was a rarity, a treat that Dakota allowed himself when he was truly feeling inspired.

Yet, that evening, he was thinking in shades of red. Anger flowing from his own core and onto the page below. Hues of fire and ash and blood writhed over the pages. The black pages. Inspiration came from feeling, after all, and what was better than the rage of learning your own brother was alive and well? What else could be a better time to truly allow himself the pleasure of creating a beauty of light on a sheet of darkness?

Dakota wiped at his eyes furiously when a tear fell onto the page, narrowly missing the face that he had just spent half an hour crafting. Usually, he drew birds. Birds were nice, they represented freedom and flight and independence. Dakota liked to remind himself of such things when he was feeling trapped, hence why there were hundreds of drawings of various birds all around the house. His mother thought it was a blessing that he had gifted her a few to frame but, really, Dakota had only been thinking of himself. Sometimes he just needed to glance at one of those pictures to calm himself, it was better to have access to them everywhere. No one would get suspicious then.

Dakota scowled down at the eyes staring back at him, at the innocence and the happiness and the life that taunted him with each moment he continued to look. Sometimes, the boy hated his own talent. His ability to capture reality in still form was unparalleled, he had spent years teaching himself, yet it only managed to cause torment. He had depicted Mylo perfectly, grinning with a childish glee, staring up at Akos, who towered over him, his arms encircling the boy.

Dakota hadn't intended to draw such a scene, it had simply occurred without conscious thought, his hand moving by itself, his mind clearly wanting to add to the swell of emotions threatening to drown the boy. Dakota lifted the sheet from the window sill where he had been resting to draw under the light of the moon, intending to tear it to shreds, only to find that he didn't have the heart. Instead, he tucked it away under his mattress, along with the hundreds of other drawings he wished for his parents to never lay eyes on, trying to think of something else, anything else, to distract himself with.

Dakota grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck when a twinge of pain shot through him. Last quarter moon, Vasile had said it wouldn't be pleasant to transition. Dakota knew he should have gone back, he shouldn't have even left in the first place without an explanation yesterday. He needed to be alone, that was how he coped, it was easier to calm himself down if he didn't have to worry about who might be watching, or who might get hurt.

At least the rest of his family was on a hunt that night. They had gotten some tipoff that Vasile would be out across town with Ysmael for the evening, although Dakota had a feeling he knew exactly where that rumour had begun. He would thank Vasile for that the next time he saw him, if he could even muster the courage to do so. He wasn't sure when he would be able to speak to Vasile again, they would have to meet somewhere public, Dakota just wasn't ready to see his brother yet.

It was bizarre really. He had spent years wishing just to know what had happened to Mylo. He had prayed for some sign that at least the boy had died, just for some sort of closure. Now, the minute he found out that Mylo was alive and well, Dakota lost all desire to see him. The rage had grown as the time passed. Dakota no longer pitied his brother, he was bordering on hating him. Mylo had to have known the pain his family was going through, yet he did nothing. He just sat there, not even five miles away, and did fucking nothing.