Chapter Two: New Possibilities
I sat in the window seat watching the planes take off from the airport. I always wondered where everyone was heading, carrying on with their everyday lives. I wished I had that chance, but the minute my little brother went missing, I couldn't do much. I remembered the first month that my brother was gone; it was rough on me and my father. My dad drank heavily, and I always ended up being in the line of fire.
It was early September when I came home to my father drinking his lungs out. I remained quiet, not willing to take my chances of upsetting him. But things didn't go as planned. I made my way upstairs when my father called out to me.
"Dean!" he exclaimed. I flinched, my hand on the banister. My heart pounded, worried that maybe I must have done something wrong. Slowly, I turned around and approached my dad. "Where have you been?" he said. My father was incredibly close to me and I could smell the alcohol on his breath. I flinched, ready for the onslaught of insults and pain that I was about to endure.
"I was out." I said simply.
"Out? Out where? Don't tell me you were out partying again." he responded.
"I told you I was going out on a study date with Jo," I answered. "You told me to be home in time."
"In time to get the groceries I needed," he warned. "Now where are they?"
"I didn't go to the grocery store, dad," I respond, my voice slow just to make sure that I didn't upset him anymore than I already had. "I lost track of time and-" before I could say anything more, all I could feel was my dad's hand on my face and the next thing I knew it sprawled me on the floor.
"When I tell you to do something, you better make sure you do it!" he yelled, causing me to cover my head in case he hit me again. My assumptions were correct because he kicked me in the stomach, making me cough. "This is exactly what I mean when I told you to watch your brother and you let those assholes in the black car take him away!"
"I didn't see them!" I forced myself to my feet. "If I had seen them in time, I would have saved Sam! Stop blaming me for your mistakes!" That was the biggest mistake I had ever made. He got into my face to a point where the scent of alcohol made me want to throw up.
"Go to your room, Dean. We'll talk about this later." He said in slurred words. Without waiting for an argument, I took off upstairs and slammed my door shut, locking it in place. I remembered racing over to my headboard and grabbing a blade that I attached with tape behind it. I sat down on my bed and allowed the tears to flow down as I stared at the knife in my hand. I thought about cutting myself but I didn't know if I could.
I snapped out of my thoughts and hadn't realized that we were already up and nearing New Orleans; I looked down at the scars on my wrist, already healing from the scars and bruises that were inflicted by me or by my father. But I wasn't about to let him get to me, even though he was an abusive bastard, he still cared about me which was the reason I got genetically enhanced, although sometimes I wondered if my father truly wanted me to be genetically enhanced or it was out of spite when he discovered the blades that I had stashed away. Almost instantly, he changed after that. Rarely had my father tried to hurt me, but I still couldn't get away from him when he was drunk. Once he became sober and saw the bruises and scars on me, he apologized quickly. Stating that he hadn't wanted to harm me, but I knew otherwise. Pushing those memories aside, I focused on the sky and staring off into space. I remembered I had a mission I needed to go on. If it would help me find my brother, then I would not give up.
***
Not long after I got into New Orleans, my plan landed, and it was nearly nightfall. I was tired, but I would not stop until I found my brother. We were the same. If my brother was here in New Orleans, it gave me a chance to start over, find him, and reunite with him. Then I wouldn't have to worry about blaming myself for losing Sam. The rest of the passengers on the plane were allowed off, and I followed, making my way to the conveyer belts and grabbing my bags. I pulled out my cellphone and called Claire, placing the phone against my ear and speaking into it as soon as she answered.
"Hey Claire," I said. "I made it to New Orleans. Now, will you tell me who I'm looking for?"
"She's an old lady," Claire explained. "Stands out like a sore thumb usually, she wears black ceremonial robes and her hair is red almost gray, you can't miss her, but you also can't let your guard down, knowing her, she probably has someone with her ready to take you on."
"Uh huh," I responded, listening to what Claire was saying, but I was also navigating the airport, trying to weave my way through the people. "Who would be with this lady?"
"It's usually a boy with brown hair," Claire answered. "But he's easy to miss. The boy is faster than normal and if he sees you, then he would most likely take you to that mansion."
"But wouldn't that be where I needed to go?" I asked. "It's not like she's going to be here at the airport."
"Dean, be careful," Claire warned. "Even the most skilled bounty hunter can fall into their trap." As if registering what had happened, I glanced over at one of the exists to see a young boy who looked strangely familiar. "Oh, um, one more thing, he can have two other people-" she started, but I cut her off instantly.
"I'll call you back. I think I saw something." I said, ignoring the warning. Claire protested, but I immediately hung up on her and started following the boy, who seemed to move fast, faster than even I could keep up with. No way were they going to get away from me. Little did I know things would start getting worse for me that very night I landed in New Orleans.
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