Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Philip approached an old Honda model from the 1990s. He had a helmet under his arm and his backpack over his opposite shoulder. He's been attending a riding club after school since starting middle school three years ago. It helped his brother with his crunched work schedule and Philip got to ride horses as a bonus. He walked down the long gravel driveway and went to the back of the car to toss his stuff in before sitting down in the front seat next to his older brother of 4 years, Caleb.

“How was practice?” Caleb asked, turning the car into the road, keeping his gaze forward. Philip started taking off his knee and arm pads as he drove. He turned the music he had blasting down to talk to him.

“As good as it could be,” Philip replied with a bit of annoyance.

“How so?” Caleb asks looking at Philip for a brief second before looking back at the road.

“Anna took my horse for the day” Philip huffed looking out the window

“Really?”

Philip sat up, looking out the window as they passed the farm, and he saw a horse chasing the car. A bright white horse with black speckles on his back and a long black mane. Caleb looked to where Philip was looking and his gaze softened.

“Did you take your medicine Pip?” Caleb asks calmly, making Philip look back and look at him. Caleb had a scar on his face Philip would never forget. He had a chunk of his cheek taken out and his eye missing on the right side of his face. It healed a long time ago and was now covered by his faded pink scar tissue.

He would never forget he did that to him.

“Philip?” Caleb asks again, making him zone back in.

“No..” Philip replies shyly. He watches Caleb’s body show unease as he keeps driving.

“Are you scared of me?” Philip asks meekly. His paranoia took over after that accident, and he was always scared that Caleb wouldn't love him anymore. No matter how many times Caleb denied them.

Caleb sighed.

“Philip, how many more times do I have to say that I still care so much about you?” Caleb asked slapping his hand gently on the wheel as he kept looking forward. Philip leans back on the seat, looks down, and goes quiet.

“You can’t control what you see, I know that-” Caleb began turning onto a highway, and he was cut off by the loud rev of the engine struggling to keep up the speed.

“Come on, damn it!” Caleb hisses between his teeth holding the wheel tightly.

“Why did you take Mum’s car?” Philip asks.

“Mine is at the shop for an oil change,” Caleb replied, trying his best to keep up to speed and make sure his brother stayed safe, as these high speeds could kill him if he wasn’t careful. Caleb was able to merge with traffic but he was always nervous on highways. 

“Why didn't you take your medicine? It's meant to help you,” Caleb asks, not letting Philip out of this anytime soon.

“I hate the pill; it makes me feel like a zombie,” Philip answered honestly.

“Pip…” Caleb sighed

“Why didn’t you tell me? You could get yourself hurt or-”

“Hurt somebody else?” Philip looks at Caleb mainly eyeing the scars on his cheek. His voice was quiet and a little hurt.

Caleb went silent.

“I'm not crazy; I'm not a monster!” Philip says his voice starting to break with guilt.

“I'm not saying you are, but you have to let me help you; you can’t deal with this on your own; please let me help,” Caleb begged softly.

“You need help, Pip. You already dropped therapy, and you just now stopped your medicine. What's wrong?” he added. Philip wraps his arms around his legs as Caleb exits the highway. He looked sympathetically towards him; he wanted to know what was going on in his head and desperately wanted to fix it. Ever since... The accident... Philip has been distant. It scared him. He loved his brother more than anything on this earth and he wanted him to say something, anything. 

Caleb notices the silence and breaks the ice.

“Do you want to go with me to pick up my car?” Caleb asks kindly with a sweet motherly tone. Philip nodded with a sad look.

“Okay, let's drop the car off at Grandma’s first,,” he says with a soft smile.

“I thought she was still mad at you?” Philip asks with a surprised look.

“Yeah… but I’ve been trying to show I feel sorry for what I did.” Caleb slowly nodded. After their mother died, Caleb had no place to go so he turned to his grandparents. And that... Didn't… work out. 

Philip nodded keeping quiet as Caleb drove to their grandmother’s house. As soon as he parked in her driveway Caleb and Philip went to greet her. She was still sweet and caring for them, but there was still tension between them, especially when it came to sharing a space.

“I brought back Mum’s car,” Caleb says kindly once she answers the door.

“Oh hey there Caleb, Philip, thank you. Are you going to need a ride, or are you calling the company?” she asks with a kind smile as she embraces the both of them.

“I called the company a while back, so yeah, they'll be sending me a ride,” Caleb replied when he pulled back. Followed by Philip.

“Is Philip going with you?” she asks letting them in to sit.

“Yeah, we have to go home right after,” Caleb replied with a nod, sitting down on the couch after he took off his shoes.

The house reeks of old ladies having floral prints everywhere, on the walls, curtains, carpet, and couches. There was a familiar pollen scent in the air. And on the walls were paintings made by both brothers.

“What a shame, I miss seeing you,” she says with a smile, looking at Philip, who shyly smiles back. Philip was no doubt the favorite in the family for his smarts. Caleb self-consciously knew this and was definitely jealous.

“I miss it too, but Caleb works nights,” Philip replied shyly when they heard a honk outside.

“That's our ride, let's go” Caleb sits up going to put his shoes back on as Philip follows saying his goodbyes 

Chapter Text

Caleb sat in the back seat looking out the side window with Philip sitting at the other end of the row looking at Caleb seeing his sad-looking expression. Just by looking at his face, Philip knew how Caleb was feeling as clear as day. He was bad at hiding his emotions from him but Philip let him be because whenever he did pry Caleb would immediately shut him down. He couldn't act like he didn't know why Caleb had such a long face, Caleb was a bit of an attention seeker, being seen as less than Philip would make anyone upset. 

Philip however, didn't know how to help him. He wasn't emotionally equipped with the knowledge on what to do, so he did what he thought would help.

He shuffled over to sit next to Caleb and leaned against him, Looking up at him. He knew Caleb wouldn't talk with a stranger in ear range but maybe he would get the hint that Philip cared for him. Caleb looked down at Philip with a worried expression thinking that Philip was upset or saw something. He didnt get the hint.

“Are you okay Caleb?” Philip asks quietly. Caleb nodded looking back on the window. Philip frowned but he was expecting this, Caleb was difficult to say the least.

The ride of the shop was quiet, a little too quiet for Philip’s paranoia to handle. But luckily they weren’t far from where they needed to go.

 As soon as they got there Caleb wanted Philip to stay as close as possible to him wanting to make sure he didnt hallucinate and wander off. This shop was big and dangerous. 

He had never been in a repair shop before and let Caleb do the talking while he looked around there were a ton of other cars held up like they were toy cars on shelves while they were worked on. There were a few worker he hoped were real but one stook out, he knew this person isn't real because he'd imagine him before doing different jobs in public and everytime he’d try to lure him away from Caleb. As soon as he saw this imaginary man he hid behind Caleb trying so hard to ignore this tall imaginary bearded man. Caleb knew quickly and kept him close to protect him and as they walked to Caleb’s old van.

“What do you see?” Caleb asks as he keeps Philip hidden from his imaginary bully.

“The bearded man again” Philip admitted.

“Ah, him again.. Where is he this time?”

“Over there, by that silver van” Philip pointed as he quickly got in the car.

“Bit far away, he cant hurt you” Caleb replied leaning on the car before he got in and started it.

“No without me stopping him, i’ll break his nose!” Caleb teased makeing Philip giggle.

“Knock him right out! Wham! He’d never bother you again!” he continued slamming one of his hands on the wheel as he drove off. Before he did he handed his phone to Philip to pick a song.

As Caleb drove his head was constantly moving because he was half blind. But this car drove much smoother but it smelt of cigarettes. Philip called it the cigarette van when he was younger but he hated the smell.

“You still look upset” Philip pointed out putting his phone on the stand that was attached to one of the vents and threw his helmet and pads in the back and kept his backpack under his feet.

“Im not” Caleb replied.

“You know grandma isnt-” Philip began

“I dont want to talk about it” Caleb cut him off with a harsh tone that made Philip sink down into his seat. Philip apologizes shyly.

“Its fine i just.. I just dont want you dragged into my relationship with the family” Caleb sighs.

“We are supposed to be in this together! You know my problems! Why cant i know yours!?” Philip asks with a tone close to begging.

“Your still a kid Pip, i can’t burden you with more than you can chew” Caleb replied with a much calmer tone.

“So are you! Your not even 18 yet!” Philip replied.

“Philip. Enough” Caleb growled with his teeth. Philip looked away crossing his arms. Both brothers were struggleing but none of them knew how to help each other, let alone open up to each other. 

They both were drowning with medical issues, school, and family drama. They only really had each other to lean on, but they were never taught how to properly communicate. Both had given up therapy because of how expensive it was, and Caleb had sold a wheelchair he needed and went with a cane instead, thinking that he didnt deserve a wheelchair because he would still walk despite how painful it was to continue standing or moving, especially at school. And Philip wanted to exape his current reality and skipped his medication because it made him feel normal unaware of the damage he was doing to himself in the process.

They've been growing more apart and Philip was horrified of the idea that Caleb might think he was crazy or hated him. He wasn't crazy and wanted to prove that to Caleb but couldn’t when he tried to confront his imagination and melted as soon as his mind pressed the idea that Caleb never forgave him.

The rest of the ride was complete silent other than the music in the background and as soon as they got home Caleb went to get ready for work without another word. Philip put away his riding gear and eyed the medicine jar on his messy desk. His room was quite messy and smelt of moss and rainwater. He slept on the top bunk of a gutted bunk bed and had a dresser below it with glass figures decorateing the top of the dresser. He had a lot of plants that hung from the ceiling or vines that grew on the walls. The walls had paintings he made and shelves of his brothers artwork. The walls were painted a dark grey and the wooden floor had a darker stain with a green round carpet in the middle. He had a few rain machines to drown of the sound of possible hallucinations. He liked the sound of rain too. He sighed and sat down at his desk chair and went to sketch to calm down a bit.

Chapter Text

A notification made Philip’s phone’s screen light up making him look away from his sketching.

Azriel:

“We found an abandoned paper mill! Soren says it’s at least built in the 1920s”

Philip’s face lit up as he went to reply. Azriel and his boyfriend Soren had been friends with him since kindergarten, they both were aware of his condition but unlike other “friends” he had, these two stayed and were there to support him. The three of them were definitely weird and “us weirdos must stick together” was the saying the trio took to heart. This town was old and many places lay abandoned so the three loved to explore and rob or take what they could.

You:

“Well? Do you want me over there tonight?”

Azriel:

“Well yeah! It's dark out and this mill is near the city”

You:

“Caleb’s gone rn and I don't think he will be back by tomorrow”

Azriel:

“Too busy sucking dick”

You:

“AZRIEL! THATS MY BROTHER!” 

Soren:

“Is he wrong?”

You:

“No…”

“Why are you even responding? This isn't about you lol” 

Soren:

“My bad XD”

You:

“Anyway where are you guys?”

Azriel:

“It past the old flooded graveyard, near the ocean, you'll see it is hard to miss”

Philip jumped from his chair rushing to put on clothes that would blend in. he looked in the long mirror that was attached to his closet. He looked happy seeing himself in the mirror for the first time in a long while. His chest was bubbling with excitement so much that he couldn't help but giggle to himself as he got ready. These were his first friends that were real, he had to check in with Caleb first whenever he made a new friend.

But he did take his medicine just to keep himself safe.

Sneaking out was easy, Caleb wasn't home and none of the neighbors would pay attention. The graveyard wasn’t very far away so he just booked it until he found bike trials in the mud from Azriel and Soren. That graveyard he hated the most, was mainly where his bearded imaginary bully was trying to take him. But the medicine eased it so he didn't see anything.

Soren and Azriel were waiting by a huge mill that was crumbling by the water. Philip greeted them and did what he normally would do to make sure he wasn't seeing things and that was to pinch them and see how they react. They both knew that was what Philip would do and both flinched in pain making it known they were real. They didn't say anything about that because the last thing they wanted was for him to feel guilty for doing what he needed to do to feel comfortable.

“What are we robbing? Paper?” Philip asks as he looks at the crumbling building. 

“Is that even safe?” he added looking at Soren.

“Don't look at me! we haven't been inside, we were waiting for you!” Soren replied.

“Let's just trash the place!” Azriel smiles holding up the bat he brought. Philip looked uneasy but nodded as the three went to find a way in. The front doors were chained and windows were covered by a wooden panel and when Philip brought that up Azriel just climbed the dumpsters by the side of the building and took a swing at the covered windows. Philip flinched as Soren cheered him on.

“We still need to be quiet!” Philip nervorsly states.

“We are in the woods Pip, we’ll be fine!” Soren says calmly as Azriel breaks in.

“All I hear are chickens!” Azriel mocked as he helped the two up.

The inside of the mill was gutted, nothing remained other than a few rotted cloth that hung from the ceiling. It smelt of mold and rot as the wooden ceiling panels barely held itself upright.

“Nothing here,” Philip says as he turns on a flashlight. His voice echoed through the empty mill. Soren went to spread out and Philip stayed with Azriel. They didn't really find anything that wasn't rotting away or broken parts that are as good as garbage.

“Guys? Look over here!” Soren called nervously as both rushed over to check it out. A body lay on the ground half rotted with its clothes seeming to be burned, and its face was ripped off and so were its arms and then placed over its head like antlers. The three of them were too paralyzed in terror to react other than look at it with their eyes wide in fear.

“W-W-W-” Azriel couldn't speak. Philip felt a familiar dread in his gut, the same dread when he saw the strange bearded man.

Philip gagged smelling the body’s horrible rotten smell and said.

“We can't just leave this here!”

“We can't tell the cops! We’ll get arrested too! Especially you pip!” Azriel panicked

“This finally wasn't a rage killing, this seems cultish,” Soren says pointing out where this person’s arms were.

“We have to go!” Azriel ran off followed by Philip and Soren. They darted out and got away so fast that Philip was too scared to look back. He wanted to go home, the home was safe and hopefully, Caleb would be there to help him. It was still very dark out so nobody saw them, and Caleb was still out so he didn't even know he was gone. He quickly went inside and shut the door behind him leaning back on it as the adrenaline wore off.

What was it they saw? What did those antlers mean? And why did this person die? Why? Why! 

He had so many questions he couldn't answer. And he couldnt tell Caleb or he would have to deal with Caleb’s rath. And that was something he was really scared of. 

But that bearded man seemed tied into it, was it really his imagination? Or was it something more?

Chapter Text

“Why did you even come back?” Caleb asks, lying down in the backseat of an old used car. Evelyn had caught him lying at a party rather than working like he should. She thought he was over it at this point and was ruining himself for nothing. Ever since the Titan trappers overthrew her realm, she fled here for safety, leaving her family and friends and everything she’d ever known.

“Because I still have to keep you afloat,” Evelyn grumbled, looking forward at the road ahead of her. The roads had horrible funding and were the worst to drive on.

“I thought you promised me you would stop drinking,” she added, looking back at him for a brief second. Caleb was very drunk, she was lucky she found him before he tried to get home himself. Caleb was watching the trees they passed deep into the night. And saw the leaves fall off them. 

“I need to” Caleb replied with a drunken raspy voice. He was more shy, now seeing Evelyn's mad expression made him nervous.

“No, you don't! I'm not drinking! And I had to watch my realm collapse! You're not struggling! You have a home and a job! Grow up!” Evelyn snapped. Caleb sank back feeling horribly guilty.

 “You always had a choice! I've been telling you for years to give Philip up to some kind of hospital! Don't even begin to complain about Philip to me! You did this to yourself!” she continued

“Do you even think for a second that maybe people have it worse than you? Be lucky for what you have,” she hissed. she looked in the rearview mirror to see Caleb looking at her, his eyes completely blank and wide as soon as she raised her voice. He kept in a ball, ready to defend himself if she decided to strike him.

“Im sorry..” he peeped out.

“No, you're not, if you were, you would have cut this out by now,” she replied sternly. Caleb couldn't stop, he just couldn't. He wanted to get better, it was unfair to Philip and Evelyn to have to deal with him like this. But he just couldn't stop.

“What happened to you? You used to be fun, you used to be a delight to be around,” Evelyn says. Caleb didn't respond.

What was wrong with him? What was his problem? He shared a few drinks with his father after his mother died, and he just couldn't stop afterward. He enjoyed the silence in his mind it gave him, and it made it easier for him to sleep. He couldn't remember a time that he had to himself that wasn't him trying to one-up the stress, but he couldn't tell anyone his struggles. He might lose Evelyn by talking about it. Nobody wanted to hear him, so he kept quiet. 

His father left after Philip’s first schizophrenic outburst, leaving Caleb to tend to him. He couldn’t just leave Philip, he was the only person Philip felt safe around. He couldn't just betray him like that. And Caleb still loved him; that never changed. He was able to keep Philip together for 15 years despite the stress it caused him. Caleb was still scared of him after that night; he was scared of getting hurt as badly as he was again, but he could never tell Philip that. He wouldn't take it well..

As soon as Evelyn pulled into his driveway, Caleb got up, holding his head down low with shame. He didn't say anything, fearful of making her even more mad than she was already. As he walked to the door, he kicked the fallen dead leaves in his path with a grumble, and as soon as Caleb got inside, Evelyn left.

Philip was looking around the old abandoned mill, flashlight in hand. He had a strong feeling of dread lurching in his gut that he couldn't get away even for a second. This time Azriel wasn't by his side.

“Azriel? This isn’t funny…” Philip asks out loud in worry. He took small, scared steps as he looked around for his best friend. He heard chains rattle in the distance, making him jump.

“I-i-i know that's you!” Philip moves closer to where the sound came from. Azriel wore golden chains down his baggy patched up cargo pants all the time. It was hard to miss where he was. As he ran forward now looking for his close friend, he heard his steps make a splash as he ran. He was scared to look down, but out of instinct, he did. He was stepping in dark red thick water, and it stained his black Converse.

“AZRIEL!!??” Philip screamed, begging for an answer. But he didn't get one. The mill got dark and unreconizeable, he could barely see what was in front of him. But all of a sudden, his light revealed someone lying on the stone floor. Green plaid button-up with the buttons undone to show a band shirt underneath, long camo sweatpants.. CALEB.. He moved his flashlight to the left to show Caleb’s face. His ponytail was undone, and his long curly blonde hair covered the good side of his face, but was stained a blood red when close to his other side. The wounds on the other side of his face were open, showing his blood-stained teeth further into his jaw, and his eye hung out of its socket. His entire right side of his cheek was taken out and bled out onto the floor, leaving a trail that Philip was stepping in.

Philip let out a screech, covering his mouth, letting the flashlight drop as he took a few steps back, his eyes wide with pure terror. His hands were covered in blood, his blood. A slightly tall, plump figure appeared behind Caleb; next to it was a taller, thin figure wearing a hat of some kind. 

“Whoever did this was crazy…” the tall figure says, his voice being low and squeaky, being recognized as Soren.

“It was an accident! I didn't mean to!” Philip pleaded, shaking with fear.

“All he did was care about you, and this is how you repay him?” the smaller figure snapped. He saw the golden chains come into light, it was Azriel.

“I didn't know it was him!”

“Look at YOUR hands!!” Soren yelled, stepping over Caleb, making Philip step back, looking at his blood-covered hands, but now he had a knife in his hand. Philip dropped it and saw his reflection in the knife’s shiny metal. he froze; this reflection was not his own, but someone older with piercing blue eyes and a long beard, the same bearded man he had always seen. But it was him, but a monster.

“This is all your fault!!” Azriel hissed, pointing at him. Philip shrank in fear.

“That's not me! That’s not me! I’m not crazy!” Philip repeated.

“Oh, but it is,” a much lower, honeyed voice he didn't recognize replied from behind him. Philip quickly turned his entire body to face this mysterious man who towered over him.

“You killed him,” he says. He was a much taller man with a long blue trenchcoat and a grey vest underneath and long tan pants, he had much longer hair that wasn't well groomed, tied into a ponytail, and a long beard covering his white bow tie.

“I didn't! He’s fine! he forgave me!” Philip panicked

“Monster!” 

“Crazy!” both Soren and Azriel hissed.

“Look at him!” the bearded man hissed, pointing at Caleb’s limp body on the stone floor.

“You're a monster! Like me!” he added.

“I'm not like you!” Philip quickly replied

He woke up

The world was spinning around him and the green wallpaper in his room grew the same blue eyes as the bearded man had. All stareing at him. Philip jumped in fear and leaped off the bunk bed he lay on and quickly ran out of the room. Where was Caleb?! He thought as the walls started to shrink around him. Philip gasped for air as he bolted to where Caleb's room was.

“You killed him!” the bearded man’s voice echoed through the walls on repeat as Philip tried to get the voices to stop. 

He didn't kill him, Caleb got home from the hospital and was fine after a long recovery.

Right? 

Chapter Text

"Philip?”

Philip whips his head around in a panic to see Caleb standing in the hallway wearing a maroon red bathrobe and long blue PJs. Caleb didn't know that Philip was in such a panicked state right away until he saw how Philip reacted.

“What's wrong? What do you see?” Caleb asks, trying not to show fear. But he was terrified; the last time this happened, he was almost killed. All Philip saw was the damage he did to him and the screaming voices telling him that Caleb wasn't real. 

“You're not real! I killed you! Im sorry! I'm so sorry!” Philip bursts into tears, starting to crumble from the stress. He took a step towards Caleb, and Caleb, in response, took a step back.

“You didn't kill me, remember? It was an accident, you were there when I was ready to leave.” Caleb tries to stay calm, but he hides his fear well.

“All the walls are talking…” Philip tries to go to Caleb, his safe place. Anytime he was close to Caleb, none of these fears could hurt him.

“No, they are not, it's just you and me,” Caleb replied, backing up more to the kitchen, where he kept a different type of medicine used for situations like this. Philip followed, trying to cover his ears to stop the noise.

“I'm not a monster!” Philip yelled over the voices, but they didn't stop.

“No, you're not,” Caleb agreed with a calm voice, leaning on his cane as he walked back. Philip looked at Caleb but still saw the bloody wounds covering the right side of his face.

He’s not real

HE’S NOT REAL

“You're not REAL!!” Philip hissed, going to try and attack this impostor of his brother. Caleb wasn't quick enough to dodge, Philip hit him in the jaw right where his scars were the worst and knocked him down. 

He felt Caleb’s bony cheek when he hit him and realized he made a huge mistake. Caleb's mouth started to bleed as Caleb cupped his cheek with his hand. His cane was too far away from him to grab without crawling. He could stand without it, but he couldn't get up without it. Philip saw the horror in Caleb's face when he looked back at him. But luckily, Caleb was quick enough to grab the medicine needed to calm Philip down if he did attack. He kept it behind his back to hide it from him. 

“You really are cruel” the bearded man’s voice echoed, making him flinch. Everything was so loud and overwhelming, and once again, he had taken it out on Caleb.

No wonder he hates you

Philip steps closer to Caleb. He shuffles backwards.

You’ve done enough damage.

Caleb readied the medicine, holding it tighter behind his back as Philip readied another blow.

He's not real, you killed him, remember?

Azriel paced around his room while Soren sat on his bed, both deep in thought.

“Oh my god! We found a body! What are we going to do, Soren?” Azriel bit his nails as he paced.

“We have to tell the cops,” Soren says, trying to stay calm.

“We can't! What about Pip!? They would definitely think it's him!” Azriel looks at Soren with tears in his eyes. Soren stands up and goes to hug him. Azriel hugs back, breaking into sobs.

“He's like a little brother to me… he’s schizophrenic, Soren, you know how the public treats people like him! I can't bear to watch him get hurt again.” Azriel burrows his head into Soren’s shoulder.

“He was with us, we know the truth, his older brother knows the truth.” Soren holds his boyfriend closer, giving him a kiss on the head.

“Also, little brother? Didn't we agree we adopted him?” Soren teases, making Azriel giggle. 

“Doesn't he still have the certificate you made him?” he asks.

“Yeah, he does, I think he framed it,” Azriel teased.

“I’ll text Pip, I'm sure he's not handling this well.” Azriel let go, calming down, but still held unease from what they saw.

“That's a good start, we’ll handle this together, okay?” Soren smiled, going to sneak a kiss before Azriel went to tell his moms about what just happened.

Was she too harsh? 

That face Caleb made when she lost her cool remained in her mind. She shouldn't have raised her voice. Caleb was stupid, yes, but from what she’d heard, he wasn't well. He talks so much about Philip, she has never even heard him speak about himself at all.

Oh Titan

Was that her fault? She was also struggling, too! She couldn't hear him complain all the time! Caleb never changes, he never moves on, she’d hope maybe her voice would have snapped him into reality.

Evelyn arrived at her home in an old trailer park. Her home was nice after years of work, but still needed work. She turned on the light and saw immediately on the couch her laundry basket with folded laundry that Caleb had done the last time he stayed the night. She sighed.

Maybe she was a little rough on him. 

She went to her bedroom but remembered the sheets were gone because they needed to be washed. But Caleb left a sweater that was much bigger than her size on purpose after he found that she enjoyed wearing his clothes. Mainly when he was gone. She changed into nothing and put on the sweater, putting her nose to the collar of the sweater to smell his scent of tobacco and rainwater. She lay back on the bed, looking up at the peeling paint on the ceiling. The house was silent, other than the sound of the fan running on the table next to her. It was lonely without him. She missed his comfort and care.

She was a little harsh on him.

She turned her body to pick up her phone to text him to apologize. Caleb didn't deserve that. Not at all.

Chapter Text

No reply

Azriel kept checking his phone over and over again. His moms knew he left to explore, but just now found out about the body, and now it was being investigated. 

Azriel’s room was messy with clothes he had patched himself all over the floor. His hardwood dresser by his door has a mirror behind it with pictures taped to it of him, Soren, and Philip enjoying concerts of their favorite bands or other special times they hung out. His floral wallpaper walls had his favorite band’s posters covering them. 

“It's late, Philip probably went to bed,” Soren says, lying down on the bed.

“Yeah… yeah, you're right. Maybe I can have Mum call Caleb just to check.” Azriel turned to leave, but Soren stopped him.

“Caleb is probably also asleep,” he says calmly.

“Pip says that Caleb works nights, he is most likely still at work,” Azriel replied, pulling away and going to talk to his mom about checking in. his mother said the same thing.

“You have a big heart, honey, but now we have to trust Caleb knows his brother,” his mother says kindly.

“I’ll text him and let him know you're worried about Philip,” she added. Azriel nodded in response, going back to his room.

“See? Caleb will have it handled now. Will you go to bed?” Soren begs tiredly. Azriel nodded with a smile, going to climb into the queen-sized bed. Soren snuggled into Azriel, and Azriel moved his head to rest in the crook of Soren’s neck.

Unread

Evelyn sighed, he’s drunk and probably went to bed right away. She lived in a trailer home that was falling apart, no matter how much she tried to work on it. Falling apart faster than her relationship with Caleb. They weren't even dating and they had already slept together twice. She wished she meant more to him, but he was too focused on his little brother to want anything more than a friendship.

 She was jealous, she would admit. Caleb was such a bubbly, funny person when he had to freedom to be himself. He would sob like a baby when watching old Disney films, fixated on the dumbest hobbies, and would rant to her for hours about the dumbest things. He was so happy then, before the accident. He first lost his spirit, and he lost interest in anything after his mother died his sophomore year. Now, anytime he visited, he would help her with chores and cleanup and nothing else.

Only if he knew how much he meant to her

She only snapped because she loved him; she was worried for him. If he had gone home by himself, he would have gotten hurt or worse. Killed. And he was so fine with it! It wasn't okay and wasn't normal!

Evelyn placed her phone on her chest, going through old photos on her phone. Pictures she took of them during homecoming, recordings she had of him during plays and musicals he performed in.

There was one picture that stood out, a picture of when the three of them played Jackbox on Halloween. She, Philip, and Caleb were all smiling while playing a game called “talking points,” and Caleb was in front of the TV presenting his solution to the prompt, “What to do to keep the Lorax away.” Philip was looking down at his phone with a smirk while Evelyn was the one taking the picture but she remembered she was laughing. 

Evelyn snickered as she saw it. She remembered that back before everything went to shit.

What if she called him? Maybe listening to a voice message might make her tone clear. As she went to click on his number, she got a text.

Caleb:

“I’m fine, sorry for bothering you. Do you want me to pay for gas?”

Evelyn opened the chat, seeing the text she left before, “how are you feeling?”. she replied.

You:

“Don't worry about it, you should get some sleep.”

Caleb:

“Can't; Philip had another episode; I gotta stay up to make sure he stays asleep.”

You:

“He’s asleep now?”

Caleb:

“Yes”

You:

“Are you hurt?”

Caleb:

“Yes, a little. He got me in the jaw, and now it's locked in place.”

“I'm fine tho”

You:

“Caleb!! That's not okay!”

Caleb:

“I'm fine, I’ll worry about it tomorrow.”

You:

“NO, I’ll be over to help you.”

Caleb:

“Plz don't, I can handle this on my own.”

Evelyn didn't respond before she sat up and went to put on underwear and a pair of shorts and rushed to grab her keys. She knew where he lived, and it wasn't far from here.  

She ended up speeding over, and luckily for her, she had a spare key just in case something did happen to Caleb that she would need to get in. She first saw a blood trail from the kitchen to the hallway, completely dark, and ran to follow the trail. 

She found Caleb in his room, sitting below the bed with Philip lying on the bed, curled into a tight ball. Caleb’s right side of his jaw was droopy from Philip hitting a healing spot on the hinge of his jaw, and it opened up. He held a jaw to his mouth stopping the blood.

Evelyn gasped alarming Caleb.

“What did he do?” Evelyn asked with worry but had a tiny bit of anger in her tone. Caleb couldn't speak without being in horrible pain.

“You need help, Caleb; Philip will be fine; you need to get this tended to,” Evelyn goes to help him stand. Caleb flinches at first but stands.

“Don't you even deny it, You look in pain, dear,” Evelyn added. Caleb wanted to fight her on it, but deep down, he knew she was right, and the pain was unbearable. Caleb hated that she was right; he did need help; he had been avoiding getting the medical attention he needed and completely avoided his mental health. He felt a little dizzy as he walked, but luckily, Evelyn was there to help him up and made sure he was comfortable as she quickly rushed to the hospital.

Chapter Text

“This time in my mouth!” Azriel backed up a little in his seat, opening his mouth wide for Soren to throw a grape into. They were at an old diner where they normally went for homework. At least Philip did. Philip sat between the two, writing in a notebook ideas about how and who killed that person in the mill. When suddenly a grape hit Philip close to his eye. 

“You missed,” Philip grumbled, side-eyeing Soren before looking back at his notes. It had been a few weeks since they found the body, and the case was closed after the police found no match for the killer’s DNA. Philip had been staying with Soren for a bit while Caleb remained with Evelyn to help him recover. Evelyn didn't want Philip around Caleb while he recovered in hopes that maybe Caleb would regain his spirit, but Caleb never opened up and stayed closed off. Philip grew more paranoid and upset while away but Soren and Azriel were a good distraction.

“The victim of the killer was Jacob” Philip mumbled to himself as Soren threw grapes over him. 

“Ew him?” Soren gagged, peering over Philip's shoulder to look at his notes.

“They also found a tattoo of the moon on his forehead” Philip added.

“How? his whole face was gone” Azriel caught a grape before asking.

“Apparently, it was carved into the bone,” Philip says, not lifting his head up from his notebook.

“How do you know this?” Soren asks.

“Told a cop I wanted to be one and wanted to learn how cases work,” Philip shared, looking quite proud of himself, making the couple on either side of him chuckle. 

“He couldn't help but want to explain to a kid full of dreams.” Philip smiled as he put a hand over his forehead, acting dramatic.

“You do have a baby face” Azreil teased with a snort.

“I have a what?” Philip quickly turned his head with an embarrassed blush. 

“You do!” Soren burst out laughing.

“No don't!” Philip blurts out growing more embarrassed. Soren checks his smartwatch.

“Oh shoot, Philip we need to go. I didn't realize how late it was.” Soren gets up, wiping a tear from his eye.

“Oh, what time is it?” Azriel asks, looking at his phone.

“8:30! Oh shoot, yeah, we need to go,” he added in shock. The three paid and packed up. 

As they walked, Philip was a little slower and trailed behind the two, looking at the different restaurants and shops they passed until they reached a small historic square that had a few benches and trees not lit up like the rest of the street a bit far in the distance. Philip saw someone waiting on the bench but didn't see any of their features. He didn't pay any mind to them when all of a sudden, when Azriel and Soren were a ways ahead, he saw a shorter figure wearing some kind of mask come behind the person on the bench and knock them out quietly and pick them up quickly and made a run for it. Philip couldn't believe his eyes, but if it was real, he couldn't sit and watch.

“Hey! Stop!!” Philip called after them and made a run to follow them jumping over the bench like a horse in a show. Soren and Azriel turned their heads and rushed to follow him.

“Philip! Wait! Slow down!” Soren called after him. Philip didn't listen and kept running, following the two clawed tracks in the mud.

All of a sudden, the tracks suddenly stopped when they went past the arch of the old cemetery. Philip stopped the unease growing in his gut as he looked around, panting, trying to catch his breath. Soren and Azreil came to follow.

“Philip!...” Soren wheezed. 

“What do you think your doing?!...” Azreil added out of breath.

“Do you see those tracks!?” Philip asks pointing down at the tracks next to them with fear in his tone. Both looked down, they did see those tracks and then shared the same worry with each other.

“Yeah.. yeah, we do.” Soren looked back at Philip.

“Do you think?” Azriel asks before Philip cuts him off.

“I watched it take someone by the park! This has to be a clue!” Philip trembled, now unable to find any more tracks.

“We should go, it's late, and I don't want to get lured into some kind of cultist trap.” Soren approaches Philip calmly, making Philip calm down a little, seeing his friend not in such a tense state as he was. They were nervous but they also were clueless and was thinking that Philip might be falling into paranoia.

Philip takes a deep breath looking at his closest friends who were worried for him.

“Yeah.. yeah... It's late, but promise we can check this out tomorrow? I'm sure this is some kind of clue,” Philip begged.

“Of course! I'm always down for ghost hunting” Azriel smiled.

“Not when my parents are gonna give me a lecture about how late it is” Soren added. Philip smiled and went back to his friends but looked back at the arch before he walked back home.

Little did he know he was being watched by the shadows.

“That was close…” the masked shadow sighs

“He knows too much; we have to tell Bill about this.” Another one comes out of hiding, wearing a titan’s skull with four horns, one on the top sides and the other on its jaw.

“They are kids. They won't do anything.” The first shadow comes out of hiding. 

“They better not! We are so close to releasing the collector!” the second hisses sharply, grabbing a small jar of Titan’s blood and splashing a bit of it on the arch. As the blood dripped a large portal was made, the same portal Evelyn had used many years ago to flee.

“What? Are you scared of some kids?” the first one asks as they both enter the portal carrying their sacrifice with them. 

Chapter Text

The demon realm had always been in shambles ever since the Titan trappers arrived 300 years ago.

With the power of the Arcivests, they were able to gather power quickly and wipe out thousands.

And now they have found the last remaining Collector hidden in the skull and were focused on freeing them, while they could have used Titan’s blood, the Arcivests didn't have the power to travel dimensions, so the trappers planned to give it to them as a way to spare their lives in return.

But luckily, they had an alternative; human sacrifices had been used for thousands of years, and they always worked. And the Arcivests were all collectors, and giving something to collect always pleased them. 

They just had to get rid of these disgusting Titan worshippers first.

Evelyn had left the realm years ago after her mother gave her the only vile of Titan’s blood left. She never knew what happened to her family after that and by Titan, she didn't want to know. The first night, she slept outside in the graveyard where the arch of the portal took her to stand. But the next day in the evening she was found by an adventurous bunch of elementary schoolers. Soren, Azriel, and Philip were searching for historical artifacts left by the long-dead.

Luckily, Philip was able to beg his mom to let her stay with him for a while after Azriel brought up possibly having her get together with Caleb. Caleb was too lonely for Philip to refuse. 

But that was when Evelyn met his lovely mother with a heart too big for her chest and was easily the definition of “mama bear.” it reminded her of her own mother in a way. With her kindness and generosity. And when she got to her first home since her’s was destroyed she had a wave of safety wash over her. She was fed, and clothed, but her identity as a witch was quickly revealed, and that came with questions. All of which she was able to answer honestly.

But when she met the eldest son her world changed. As soon as she entered the house she saw the head of a blonde kid around her age peer out from the staircase. He looked at her with wide brown eyes, but as soon as they locked eyes, he shyly rushed up the stairs. His mother noticed immediately and sighed.

“Don’t worry about him; he’s been through a lot these past couple of days. Give him space, and he’ll warm up to you,” she says with a low, sweet voice that Evelyn couldn't help but smile when she heard her.

“Strange though, he’s not a person who’d be shy,” Philip commented, looking a little worried as he walked up the stairs to talk to him.

“Is it me?” Evelyn asks, taking a seat at the table while the food is being prepared.

“No, absolutely not; he just came back from his dad’s place, and he-... well… Caleb normally needs time to gather himself when he comes back…” she sighed, holding regret in her expression.

“What's wrong with his dad?” Evelyn asks with a curious innocent voice. Philip’s mother looked down at the pot, her shoulders sunk, yet she kept herself gathered.

“Nothing that you would have to worry about; if you want answers, you would have to talk to Caleb,” she says calmly, not even wanting to speak of the abuse her child goes through twice a month. Caleb and Philip came down the stairs. Philip was now dressed in reindeer pajamas, and Caleb was dressed in shorts and an old space shirt that had a bit of paint at the bottom. Caleb backed up upon seeing Evelyn and she could see clear as day the bruises on his legs and the black eye he had. Evelyn’s eyes widened with sympathy.

“Why is she here?” Caleb asks shyly, staying in place while Philip takes his spot at the table after helping himself to some mac n cheese his mother made on the stove. 

“She doesn’t have a home, Caleb, so she will be staying with us for a bit,” his mother replied with a loving smile, giving Caleb some ease with her tone and calm posture. Caleb eased forward, still quite shy of this new person living with them, and sat next to Philip, away from her. Caleb didn't eat as much as Philip. In fact, he barely ate at all.

“The doctor says you need to eat more Caleb,” his mother pointed out, looking worried for him even more than she was before.

“You can have the rest of my bowl, Caleb,” Evelyn spoke up, pushing her half-eaten bowl of pasta closer to him.

“I'm not that hungry,” Caleb replied, standing up after he had finished washing his dishes. The three watched Caleb take his leave and all shared the same worried look. Evelyn looked down with a guilty look.

“I don't like it either,” Philip commented on her expression with a pout.

“I know, hun; just keep being patient, okay? Did you take your meds?” his mother asks with Philip nodding in response. Evelyn pulled her bowl back and finished eating.

“Where would you like to sleep, hun?” the mother of the two, who she later learned was named Thoedosia, asked Evelyn kindly.

“Where can I sleep? I don't mind taking the couch,” Evelyn replied.

“Well, you can take my room, or you can share a room with Caleb,” Theodosia replied.

“I don't want to rob you of a room,” Evelyn replied.

“Caleb’s room it is then, I’ll go ask him; he has a bunk bed that I still need to take apart,” she grumbled the last comment to herself as she went upstairs.

Caleb’s room was like entering a whole new realm in the house; the walls were covered in watercolor paintings of landscapes and birds, along with posters of comics and art shows. His ceiling had fairly lights of half moons, and the small ceiling fan that hung from the ceiling was always on. Caleb had made the bottom bunk for her and given her a few of his plush toys, trying to act manly by saying he didn't need them. But most were collectibles. As she lay in bed she felt at home. Maybe she could start a better life here…

“Caleb?” Evelyn asks, laying on his bed next to him, feeling his face that was covered in scars.

“Are you still awake?” she asks very quietly looking at his closed eyes. Caleb stirred, turning away from her. Evelyn pulled her hand away and watched him move, her gaze softening.

“I love you” she whispers 

Chapter Text

Caleb was naive, no doubt about it. He was bright, outgoing, and a joy to be around.

But after Philip’s diagnosis, his father left, wanting nothing to do with him.

Caleb was brokenhearted and, despite everything, could still have a father in his life.

But something changed in him, something that made him unrecognizable to Caleb. He was cruel towards him, beat him, taunted him, and made Caleb feel inhuman. But still, through the hell, Caleb was put through, he thought his father could be saved.

It wasn't until he replied to a teacher who asked him about a bruise on his cheek did he fully took in the seriousness of the situation he was in.

Police were called, and they found more than just a beaten kid; they found a fairly large amount of illegal drugs in Connecticut. And found Caleb intoxicated to “stop him from crying so much”

So, Caleb's father was shot on the spot, and Caleb was put through rehab for a couple of months, but was released early when he recovered much quicker than expected.

Every time Caleb thought of the abuse he went through, he thought it was fake, something only told by emo OC writers to gain popularity. But that was his childhood. He moved on rather quickly, but never again was so forgiving. Or at least that was what he told himself.

Until Evelyn came along.

She made him feel things that put him through his first round of abuse. He was once again as naive as he was before. He gave her way more chances, mainly because she wasn’t hurting him physically; he didn't even know how much Evelyn was hurting him mentally. She brushed him off, she ignored his needs mentally, and he just let her.

“I love you,” Caleb heard Evelyn whisper. What did that word even mean to him? It was always used as a way of exchange and was never genuine. He didn't have to feel it, he just had to say it.

Caleb returned what she said with a tired yawn. When suddenly she felt her cold face pressed on the skin of his bare back. And her arms wrapped around his stomach and her legs wrapped around his. Was he being…held? What was she doing? He thought.

“Could you please tell me what's wrong?... Please,” she whispered with a begging voice.

“Not this again…” Caleb groaned, slightly opening his eyes.

“I'm not struggling,” Caleb repeated the same words she used against him. Evelyn’s gaze softened with guilt.

“Caleb.. I was mad I didn't mean it” Evelyn says softly, pulling Caleb closer.

 “You're right, I'm not,” he says with a tone sounding dead.

“Caleb…”

“Stop… I'm tired,” Caleb hissed, raising his voice a little bit.

Evelyn sits up to look at him.

“Don't,” Caleb grumbled, side-eyeing her. He sits up and uses his cane to stand before leaning it back on the bed, going to put on a robe.

“I told you I don't need your help,” he begins sternly. 

“But you do! Me and Philip rely on you so much, and who do you rely on?” Evelyn asks, standing up, to take a step closer to him.

“So you thought kicking Philip out was the best course of action?” Caleb’s nose wrinkled with frustration.

“Philip agreed to it, just to give you some time to yourself, and he wanted to see his friend while they were in town.” Evelyn noticed him dodging the question.

Caleb hated how quiet and peaceful the house was, it made him paranoid. Caleb wasn't a very calm person, as much as he made himself seem; he was very paranoid, especially around Philip, who was very uncontrollable with his disabilities. With him gone, it made him more emotional and in a constant panicked state. 

He went silent and looked down.

“You're being paranoid again,” Evelyn says softly, walking towards him.

“You can check on him if he’s worried,” she added.

“Who do you rely on, Caleb?” Evelyn asks him, looking up at him.

Caleb sighed.

“Myself, I can't…” Caleb began.

“You can't what?”

“Everyone around me dies… or worse, get hurt. And I can't help or stop it..” Caleb admits. Evelyn can't ruin this moment again. So she stays silent other than try to open him up more. Caleb leans on the door and slides down it.

“You have me and Philip,” Evelyn says softly. 

“Philip needs me, I can't show this to him.” Caleb wipes tears from his eyes. 

“He’s 13, he’s not 5 anymore he understands”

“I can't add any more stress”

“Caleb, look at me.” Evelyn gently puts her hands on his cheeks, making him look at her. Caleb looked at the brink of tears.

“I know what you’ve gone through, I'm so sorry I made you feel like a burden, but you are not,” Evelyn says sternly.

“I love you so much darling, okay? Let me share your pain.” Evelyn sits closer in front of him. Tears slowly fall down Caleb’s cheeks.

“How do I know it's true?” he asks.

“You’ve shown me; let me show you.” Their lips met, and while Evelyn planned for a brief second, Caleb pulled her closer to deepen it with a warm feeling in his chest. Once he pulled away after another few seconds, she told him.

“You go check on Philip; this house needs tidying up,” she smiled, helping him up. Caleb had been struggling to keep the house tidy and the chores done, so Evelyn thought it would be a good step to give a new meaning to the word he had never been genuinely told. Caleb looked shocked as she cheerfully went to start with the kitchen. But nonetheless, he went to text Philip. But before he could finish typing, Philip texted him:

Philip:

“I'm fine, go to bed >:(”

Caleb smiled to himself wiping the tears from his eyes before replying

You:

“Whatever you say XD”

Chapter Text

Thanksgiving break went by too quickly in Caleb’s eyes, but he did get a lot done around the house and could pick up shifts to keep them afloat. Evelyn ended up moving in after she gave up trying to repair her home and needed the extra financial support.

The school was quite boring for Caleb, and the majority of the time, he just zoned out. He didn't have any real friends, only acquaintances from the theater club. He didn't need anyone either that would take too much time and effort to keep afloat when he was already sinking. So he didn't talk to many people.

He kept his head low, looking down at the white squares on the floor, keeping his backpack over one shoulder and moving quickly. Many people avoided him anyway, seeing the scar on his face and arm.

“Caleb Wittebane to the guidance office, Caleb Wittebane to the guidance office,” the intercom repeated with a monotone voice at the other end.

Caleb sighed with a grumble, already assuming what this was for, and made his way down the stairs to the completely other side of the building to the office. 

As soon as he checked in, he saw the old woman at the front desk look up at him the way a child looks up at an airplane, but instead of excitement, she looked at him with fear and unease. Caleb grumbled to himself, already so tired of the way people looked at him at first glance.

“Why am I here again?” Caleb asks with annoyance clear in his tone. The old lady looked back at her notes.

“We have a new counselor who was the replacement for the old one you worked with, and he wants to meet you,” she replied.

Oh great, another one to the slaughter, Caleb thought.

“This was please,” the lady at the desk says, leading Caleb to a room hidden at first glance by a few cabinets. When the door was open, the room was quite spacious, better than the other two counselors who were in offices across the hall. Made him feel less in a trap.

The lights were much dimmer and were lit by honey-scented candles, with bookshelves lining the walls with potted plants like ivy amongst the books. As soon as he came into the counselor's line of sight, he sat back in his chair with a warm smile. It made Caleb nervous.

“Caleb? is it? Come sit down. I've heard a lot about you,” he smiles, beckoning Caleb to sit on a couch a few paces away from him by the wall. Caleb awkwardly obeyed and the front desk worker shut the door behind her as she left. Caleb wasn't used to someone not looking scared of him at first; this was new and unsettling for him.

“I'm Mr Mansell, pleased to meet you.” Mr Mansell introduced himself. Caleb nodded in response, not really wanting to talk, and Mr Mansell was able to read him like an open book and started a conversation himself.

“I've talked to a few of the drama club kids; you're very well-liked; didn't you play in Mean Girls last year?” Mr Mansell was cut off by Caleb’s panic.

“NO, NO, NO, NO, we don't SPEAK of Mean Girls,” Caleb panicked, his face growing a deep red. Mr Mansell chuckled to himself.

“It seems to be a hit within the theater kids” he teased.

“What high school queer kids don't want to see a man cross-dress and wear pink?” Caleb huffed to himself.

“Suppose that's true, but what you're here for is that I have a list of concerns from your previous counselor.” Mr Mansell began flipping through his notes on a clipboard. Caleb leaned back on the couch, crossing his legs as he lowered his brow.

“Your upbringing wasn’t the greatest..” Mr Mansell thought out loud. Caleb’s nose wrinkled into a small snarl not wanting to speak of his childhood again.

“Is that it? Is that all you want me for?” Caleb spat harshly, not moving from his spot.

“No, it doesn't have to be; we can speak of this later whenever you want to, I just wanted to ask if you are safe.” Mr Mansell places his clipboard on the side of his desk.

“Of course I'm safe,” Caleb huffed, looking away.

“I wouldn't be here if I wasn't,” he added.

“Caleb, I'm not here to harm you, I'm not here to villainize you, I'm here to help you,” Mr. Mansell says, keeping his same kind and warm tone.

Caleb stood in his anger.

“I don't need anyone’s help! I'm so tired of being someone's “damsel in distress.” I don't need saving! I don't need help! “Oh, Caleb! We are here to help! We can stop your dad from hurting you! You just need to tell us!” and they don't even bother to take him out back to shoot him! NoOoOo! They had to kill him in front of me! And then they have to gull to tell ME that what i went through was SoOooooo horrible! It's the same STUPID sentence, over! and over! And the truth is if that if I had kept my stupid mouth shut, I would've-” Caleb yells as he paces around, pulling at his hair until he locks eyes with Mr Mansell. 

He froze upon seeing the pure horror on his face as he looked up at him. He had the same gaze Evelyn gave him when he told her that story to sympathize with her loss of her family and the same gaze Philip had when he saw Caleb covered in blood that night. Mr Mansell’s eyes were wide with horror, his mouth slightly open like he was going to say something, but what would he say to help after that? 

Caleb’s breathing quickened when he looked at Mr Mansell. The memories came flooding back in a huge wave and he couldn't make it stop. He could barely walk back. His legs were too shaky, and the sound of sirens couldn't leave his mind, and it kept getting louder. As soon as Caleb showed signs of a panic attack Mr Mansell got up quickly to keep Caleb upright. And moved him to sit down. He kept his hands in his and rubbed the back of Caleb’s hands. And kneeled in front of him. 

“Caleb, I'm going to need you to breathe with me, okay?” Mr Mansell asks calmly, breathing in and out loud enough to get Caleb to copy. Caleb does so, but it is a struggle.

“You're okay, you're safe, you're not going to go through that again,” Mr Mansell calmly adds. Part of Caleb wanted to believe him. But deep down, he knew he was never safe; as soon as he left this room, he’d be alone and isolated and only counted on.

Mr Mansell diverts his attention by asking:

“What is your favorite band?”

“Cosmo…Sheldrake…” Caleb mumbled, struggling to talk. Mr Mansell pulled one hand away to pull his phone out from his pocket and went to shuffle songs. A calming beat to nature plays, a recognizable tune to Caleb, and he tries to focus on the song. It grounds him well and he was able to copy Mr Mansell’s breathing enough to relax.

To Caleb’s surprise, Mr Mansell doesn't bring up what triggered him and acts like Caleb never spoke up.

“Can you stand?” Mr Mansell asks.

“Yeah, yeah I'm fine” Caleb stutters

“We can just sit if you want, I'm sorry if I made you feel pressured,” Mr Mansell suggested.

“I would like that” Caleb replied 

Chapter Text

“Isn't Caleb supposed to be back by now?” one of Caleb’s team members asked.

“Yeah, he has the tools we need for the set,” another replied. Just 20 minutes ago, Caleb remembered that he had forgotten the drill needed for the set and went to his car to grab it. The parking lot was two blocks away, so it was roughly a 10-minute walk there and back. But he was gone twice that amount, and it made members of the drama club worry.

“I’ll talk to Mr Mansell. Caleb had to have checked in with him,” one kid said as he approached Mr Mansell on the other side of the large stage they were working on. But when they got there, three other kids plus the director were also talking to him, trying to call Caleb with no answer.

Mr Mansell had a look of fear on his face, worried about what Caleb admitted and if Caleb did something to himself after he spoke with low self-esteem.

“I know! I know! Me and Cameron will go check and see if Caleb is okay,” Mr Mansell announced to the group, gesturing to Cameron, who was the theater director. Cameron nodded, placing her clipboard down to follow Mr Mansell. As the two left, Mr Mansell figeted with his hands. He knew he should have reported what had happened, but Caleb’s trust was fragile and something he didn't want to break. He remembered the distress on Caleb’s face and the stress he hid for god knows how long that all came bubbling to the surface into a panic attack he worried would cause a seizure with how much Caleb shook. As he walked, he texted his husband, needing his comfort with this, especially if they would soon find what Mr Mansell thought was the worst case scenario. 

Cameron held her phone using its flashlight to light up the sidewalk in front of them. The town had lost the budget to add more streetlights, so walking at 5 at night was like walking in the middle of the night.

When they got halfway there, however, they found a splash of blood staining the sidewalk. Both of them took a step back a chill going down Mr Mansell’s spine as they looked around, praying it was just a dead animal. But once they looked to the ditch, their eyes opened wide with terror, they’re bodies froze, and Cameron covered her mouth. 

Philip was helping Evelyn make dinner for when Caleb came home, he had just finished unpacking from the break he spent at Soren’s and was excited to see Caleb's reaction to the surprise dinner, even if it was just Mac N Cheese from a box. He knew Caleb would love it. Philip only knew how to make TV dinners; anything else he would burn, or worse, make raw. Caleb never trusted him with the stove anyway, after he imagined a bit too much while cooking and would hurt himself. But now he had Evelyn to supervise, and she was much more lenient compared to Caleb. But she didn't allow him to handle any sharp objects or the stove. Philip understood why. So instead he ran to measure ingredients and would sometimes stir when Evelyn went to the bathroom. Either way he enjoyed it.

“Caleb isn't answering my texts,” Evelyn mumbled out loud.

“He might be rehearsing,” Philip replied, looking at the clock on the stove. 6:30.

“Or he might be driving home,” Philip corrected himself, pushing down his own worry. Caleb works in mysterious ways. Sometimes he would answer his phone, other times he didn't. Philip had to just remind himself that Caleb probably forgot to answer and that he's fine and he didn't have to worry about him. Evelyn put her phone away and went to drain the water from the pot.

“That’s true. Let's just finish this,” Evelyn says softly, having Philip hold the strainer. But as soon as they put the noodles back into the pot they heard the door bell ring. Evelyn hid her ears and went to answer it.

There stood at the door the sheif, a tall, lean man with deep red hair and a small well groomed beard, he wore the usual uniform of a cop with his badge reading R. Bastion. Next to him were two other younger cops and a shorter man wearing more casual formal clothes with glasses with tear stains down his eyes. As soon as Philip saw the officers he hid behind the counter and watched from a distence.

“Are you mayhaps related or know of someone named Caleb Wittebane?” Bastion spoke with a low husky voice.

“Yes, yes i do. What did he get into now?” Evelyn asks with a little annoyance in her tone.

“Nothing i'm afraid, he was reported missing” Bastion spoke, his tone of authority staying the same. Evelyn’s face melted into shock and horror. Philip hid behind the counter falling to his knees and covered his mouth.

“We want you to know that this is being investigated, and we will report to you as soon as possable” Bastion added tilting his head slightly downwards to give respect for the greiveing family. Evelyn could barely stand.

“You.. you cant just leave me with that!.. What happened to him?!.. Do you know if he is alive?!” Evelyn begged tears in her eyes.

“We dont know ma’am” Bastion replied.

“Then what are you doing here!!?? My brother is out there!!” Philip butted in as he stood in the open inbetween the counters his bright blue eyes filled with tears, his legs shook with fear. Bastion’s nose wrinkled but he frustration was cut short when he felt his hand being held by the man next to him.

“I need him!!” Philip’s voice cracked with emotion.

Bastion’s gaze softened slightly for a secound he looked at the man he loved dearly next to him before he looked back at Philip.

“We’ll do what we can, if you see anything let us know immediately” Bastion nodded before he took his leave followed by the other cops. And lastly his husband.

When the door shut Evelyn collapsed into loud sobs. Philip froze just barely keeping himself together. He looked at Evelyn trying to process himself but yet thought:

What would Caleb do right now? Caleb would hug her and tell her everything was going to be okay. He made it seem so easy, he had a aura of comfort around him and a way with words that turned the world into rights and healed emotion with just his words.

But Caleb wasnt here, and this was the real world.

So Philip took it upon himself to act the way Caleb would. And slowly with a bit of struggle made his way other to Evelyn and hugged her tightly. He tried to hard to keep his emotion down just like Caleb but he just couldnt. He wasnt good with comfort or much of any communication skills, that was Caleb’s job. But it didnt work. He couldnt keep such a strong emotion down and ended up sobbing into her. Caleb made everything look so easy. If Caleb couldnt cry then why would he? Caleb wouldnt just sob on the floor when something like this happened. So why was he? Philip couldnt stand, his throat was dry and his eyes burned. He neeed Caleb more that ever but he was gone, Philip had to cling onto the hope that maybe he got lost or something and would be back in the morning. But even with that hope he couldnt stand. But nonetheless he still tried to act like Caleb despite it not helping Evelyn it just made her sob more when she realized what Philip was trying to do.

She pulled him closer and gently rocked him back and forth.

“Stop..stop..” Evelyn sobbed.

“He’s not gone he can’t be..” Philip sucked in a breath trying so hard to calm himself down.

“He’ll be back” Evelyn says trying to convince them both that everything was going to be okay.

“He’ll be back” Philip repeated

Chapter Text

Evelyn had left to the police station to get as much information as she could, leaving Philip locked in his room. She locked it for his own safety, but it felt like a cage now with Caleb gone. He paced around his circular carpet following the pattern on the rim. He bit his nails as he tried to put together what was going on.

Caleb couldn't be taken, that was just unthinkable. Impossible!

Philip's nails started to bleed and he started to taste the metallic taste of blood. The pain was grounding, it made him feel he was in the room but also it made him even more mad once he felt the sharp pain.

10 missed calls: 

Ever since the report, Soren and Azriel had been frantically calling him; they both were filled with deep worry.

Once his phone buzzed again it snapped Philip back into reality. He rushed to his phone that sat on his desk just below his mirror hoping somehow it would be Caleb.

But it wasn't; instead, it was another call from Soren. Philip clenched his teeth, his hands tightened into fists. Why now?! Why him?! Why Caleb?! This STUPID town took enough from him; his mother died after she got rear-ended on the highway, his father was shot, and now Caleb… beloved Caleb, was kidnapped and never returned…

When he looked in the mirror, he saw the same bearded man, his piercing blue eyes stared empty at Philip, and he felt as if his every move was watched.

“You don't need him anyway” voices whispered around him. The branches of the green wallpaper turned into eyes that stared directly at Philip with a wide gaze full of fear and rage.

“LEAVE. ME. ALONE!!” Philip roared, punching the mirror so hard that not only did the glass shatter upon impact; he punched a hole into the plywood behind it. The glass dug deep into his fist and wrist, causing heavy bleeding, but that was the last thing on his mind.

“YOU'RE THE REASON I HURT CALEB!!” Philip punched the mirror again with his opposite hand much harder this time putting another hole into the plywood. And caused the same damage to his other hand.

“Philip?” A familiar voice asked meekly behind him. Philip whips his head around to meet the gaze of Caleb standing behind him with a worried and fearful look on his face. He didn't care and didn't even notice the look on Caleb's face and just ran to his arms.

“Caleb! Your back! Your back! I've missed you so much! I thought you were gone! I knew you would come back!” Philip smiled through tears and hugged him tightly. They stood holding each other in front of the dresser for a bit before Philip pulled away, wiping the tears from his eyes only for his face to be covered in blood he didn't even know was there.

Caleb only slightly smiled in response and kneeled down, something Caleb hated to do. Philip backed up in surprise only to be pulled back into Caleb's arms. He once again felt his warmth and smell of rain. That aura of comfort came back and just knowing Caleb was safe was enough to calm him down enough to the point he wasn't shaking. And for a moment he was happy again, safe in his brother's arms with not another fear of being without him, not another fear of the world around him. The world was now so much smaller that he had Caleb back.

But Philip suddenly felt pain, not the normal cut pain, it felt like he was being crushed by Caleb's grasp and a little too much to be passed as playful. He felt his ribs being pushed inwards and started to struggle to breathe.

“C-Ca-Caleb-” Philip breathed out with a begging voice, now trying to pull away, but he couldn't get away. He panicked trying so hard to squirm from his brother's tight grasp. His face started to turn deep red.

“Caleb! Stop!” Philip croaked begging him to stop and let go.

Caleb didn't respond, and it just got tighter and Philip could no longer breathe and kept struggling until he couldn't anymore. His fighting grew weaker until suddenly.

Black.

The next time Philip woke up, he was in a void; where was he? It was just the emptiness of a black void. He couldn't move or open his eyes, he was just stuck with his own thoughts.

Was he dead.?

No, it can't be; he wouldn't be able to think if he was.

But what about Evelyn? Or what if Caleb returns? He couldn't just leave them! 

He didn't want to be in his void, he wanted to go back! He didn't want to die! Not like this at least! He needed to wake up! But how!

He needed to wake up

Wake up!!! 

He started to hear what was around him. Evelyn’s soft and caring voice, in a panic, speaking his name a few times, sounded close to tears. The soft hum of his ceiling fan, and the breeze passing through the windows with a loud whistle.

Philip let out a grunt as he felt once again that crushing pain but this time it felt much lighter, like his entire chest was just bruised. He could breathe clearer again and had some aid from an inhaler Evelyn used on him to make it easier to breathe.

He tasted the medicine on his tongue from it, a horrible yet hard-to-describe taste.

Both his arms he felt were wrapped in bandages with Evelyn holding one of them.

“Philip honey, come on, wake up!..” Evelyn begged, trying all the magic she could to heal his ribs. Philip's head felt like it was getting hit by a hammer and stayed on the floor.

He slowly opened his eyes to see that Caleb was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was glass around him,, and the dresser was moved away.

“Where's Caleb?” Philip asks, looking around the room.

“He's still gone, hun,” Evelyn responded quietly.

“But he was just here! Where did he go?” Philip asks with a soft innocent tone.

Evelyn didn't reply. Instead, she gently pulled him into a soft hug. And explained to him what happened.

After he broke the mirror the dresser lost balance and fell on him, almost killing him.

“They'll find him soon okay? I'm here now; I won't leave, okay?” Evelyn asks with a soothing calm voice. She didn't know how Caleb did it; she was incredibly scared for this kid, and yet he was the only thing she had of Caleb now. It was so hard for her to keep calm in a situation like this, but she pushed through.

Philip was the only thing she had of Caleb; if he died, then Evelyn's whole world would be destroyed far worse than any damage the Titan trappers would do. 

She needed him, and he needed her

Chapter Text

Asriel and Soren sat alone at their round lunch table. Every day, they sat at the same table, along with Philip, they would tease and gossip with each other. But today Philip wasn’t here. Evelyn had explained what happened the night before in Philip’s grief, and neither of them was equipped to know what to do. Evelyn didn't either. But nonetheless, they tried to call him, hoping to provide comfort.

Philip was clingy and had deep attachment issues. All three of them knew that. He wasn't mentally well, and with Caleb’s sudden disappearance, none of them knew what to do. Philip and Evelyn soon realized how much they relied on Caleb now that they were left with no guidance, so their sense of direction in this. Philip was able to move on from his parent’s deaths only because Caleb was there to direct him.

But Evelyn knew who took him; at the crime scene,, they found the mangled body of a witch with a dog-looking mask and wore furs. The Titan Trappers. But Evelyn couldn't bear to fight them again. There were too many and she knew their power. She had to watch them strip her away with nothing until she found her way to the human realm. He was as good as dead. But she couldn't bear to tell that Philip. She was being a coward and she knew he would address her as such. Or even worse, venture on his own to find him.

She didn't think Philip would be able to learn after what happened, and after the accident last night he had to stay in bed.

Azriel tried to call him, hoping this time he would pick up. And to both of their surprise, he did. Azriel put it on speaker so Soren could hear.

“Hey guys,” Philip answered. His voice was more scratchy than usual and full of emotion.

“Hey, Pip,” Soren replied, calm and sweet.

“How are you feeling?” Azriel asks.

“I'm fine,” Philip replied, trying to mimic how Caleb would act because Caleb was so much stronger than him emotionally. But if he were to talk about it again, he might start crying.

But both Azriel and Soren knew he was lying. But they let him know he probably doesn't want to talk about it.

“We found more leads to the case,” Azriel says calmly.

“I found more leads” Soren huffed with a chuckle.

“Well?” Philip asks, but his tone sounds uninterested.

“I found blood and fur by the graveyard. By the arch” Soren says.

“Remember how we found Evelyn at the same arch? We think it's from the demon realm,” Azriel remarked. On the other side of the phone, Philip’s eyes widened as the pieces clicked.

“But that can't be; Evelyn has the only way back and forth!” Philip replied.

“Its an entire realm! There has to be another portal door!” Azriel sounded excited for a new adventure.

“This happened right after Caleb disappeared, just like the one you witnessed,” Soren reported

“So? You think Caleb was taken into the demon realm?” Philip asks

“No, because with Caleb, it was too far away, and they wouldn't be able to take him that far without being spotted,” Azriel thought out loud.

“That is true, but there were no streetlights,” Soren added. Philip grumbled.

“Why are you telling me this without a lead?” he asks sharply

“Because we want to keep you in the loop,” Soren replied.

“I do not want to focus on that right now” Philip grumbled

“I can’t… Caleb’s gone, and I-” Philip was cut off when Azriel butted in.

“We know; we just wanted to add to your case because we’ve noticed you enjoyed it,” he calmly spoke.

“We understand,” Soren added.

Philip sighed, feeling defeated. Everything had been taken from him. And yet here he was on the couch, unable to do anything and just lying there. Caleb wouldn't do that. If Philip went missing, Caleb wouldn't rest until he found him.

Philip was failing him, again and again.

“You know how I promised us a way out?” Theodosia asked while suddenly on a call with Caleb on her way home.

“Yeah?” Caleb replied, sitting up on his bed.

He never was a knight; in all ways, he still was human. A human with flaws and feelings. Some are too unbearable to keep. For years, his mother promised a way out of Gravefield, a way to finally look forward. And Caleb blindly followed that. As all children do.

“I'm going to need to ask you a favor. Can you do it for me?” she asks, sounding distressed and panicked.

“Yeah, mom, what's wrong?” Caleb asks, standing up, sharing the same worry in his tone. 

Over the years, after finding out about the abuse Caleb goes through, Theodosa’s mental health fails drastically, and she so desperately wants to save him. But now she found a way to end the pain of both her beloved children.

“I going to need you to take the car, take Philip, and drive as fast as you can-”

“Mom, what are you talking about?” Caleb's voice started to show his fear

She couldn't bear watching her children suffer. Caleb had a painful upbringing, more painful than she could ever imagine. Philip was slowly growing more paranoid and would cry every night since the accident. And it broke her heart every night. She couldn't keep watching her beloved family break apart anymore.

“I'm so sorry, Caleb, my baby, we will meet again, and our lives will be much better.” her voice cracked with emotion. She slammed on the brakes of her car, and Caleb could only stand there in horror as he heard her scream in pain as the car screeched to a stop and cars behind her slammed into her.

How could he react? He was too late to understand and now would suffer the consequences. He got a call later in the night after clinging onto the hope she somehow survived, but she did not. The first of many heartbreaks he would soon face.

He never was a soldier, as much as he was strong, he never had the guts to end a man so brutally. The only blood he had on his hands were his own, that night he and Philip wanted to build a pillow fort together Caleb had left to go sneak snacks. But when he returned he noticed something wrong with Philip. He noticed fear in his eyes and a tense low to the ground composer.

“What's wrong Philip?” Caleb asks, looking around him.

Philip just snuck back further grabbing a stone staff behind him.

“Pip?..” Caleb grew closer.

Caleb wasn't strong enough for the pain Philip dealt to him on his own. Philip thought he was an intruder and would have killed him if his mother didn't hear Caleb's cries of pure agony.

During the hospital ride Philip was scared of approaching Caleb. But while he was extremely drugged he comforted Philip after his face was done getting stitched together. 

His whole half of his face was gone but kept his head held high.

But not for long. 

Chapter Text

The sunrise peeked through the thin floral curtains of the living room and covered Philip like a warm and bright blanket as he lay on the couch on his stomach, his arm hanging down. Ever since the accident with the dresser Evelyn made sure he was in a place where she could watch him at all times. Evelyn didn't know how to help Philip like Caleb did, but she tried her best because Philip was Caleb’s everything; if he did ever return, she knew if something happened to Philip, Caleb would lose it. When she went to go check on him, it broke her heart to see the redness under his eyes and the bruises he had because he just couldn't grieve, never had he ever lost someone so important to him.

She couldn't keep hiding what had happened to him. But how could she explain it?

She sat down at the foot of the couch and gently rubbed Philip’s back to wake him. She quickly stopped when Philip let out a groan of annoyance.

“I called you out of school today, do you want to do something today?” Evelyn asks calmly.

“No…” Philip grumbled, turning his back to her and trying to fall back asleep.

“You’ve been sleeping too much, why don't we do something fun?” Evelyn asks with a kind smile on her face.

“I don't want to,” Philip grumbled.

She sighs.

“Why don't we try and look for Caleb?” she asked and watched as Philip quickly sat up. Her smile faded once she saw just how dedicated he was to his older brother knowing full well that Caleb may have met his own demise.

As Philip got ready he started to ramble about where he thought Caleb might have gone. And Evelyn’s heart broke seeing how hopeful he was, saying how “Caleb could survive anything.” She couldn't keep hiding it from him, but maybe seeing the damage might knock his hopes down, and she could break it to him.

                                  >>><<<

Meanwhile, in a very faraway realm, in the skull of a great beast were a line of prisons all filled with Bipheds, humans, and beasts of all kinds. But only one made a loud BANG in his cell. Repeating over and over again, he kept slamming himself at the bars, trying to get the hinges off. But with days of constant pain, he started to lose hope. The rest of the holders watched him everyday jump, run, and punch the cell until he started to bleed, or the Titan trappers who guarded the cell used their magic to hurt him until he couldn't stand.

One day, while he lay on the cold stone floor, he heard a voice from the cell in front of him try to speak to him.

“Do you ever get tired?” she asks very quietly. He turned his head to look at her, a young Biphed with the head of a lamb and short white curly wool all over her tiny body.

“No, I can't, Philip could be in danger! I can't just stay here!” he got another running start at the cell and slammed his side into it. Dust fell from the wall as the cell was poorly built, and with how many times he rushed into it, it started to give way.

The Biphed flinched once she heard the slam.

“It's enchanted; a human can’t break it,” she spoke.

“So it seems..”

“What's your name human?” she asks.

“Caleb.. Caleb Wittebane” Caleb backs up once again, blood falling down his face, and his right arm hung down limp.

“Don't run at the cage anymore; you're drawing attention,” she says. Little did she know that was what Caleb wanted. He looks at her and winks, signing to her that it was his plan. Her eyes widen and she quickly stops speaking. 

As to Caleb’s plan, the guards arrive to try and shut him up; once they stand in front of his cell, Caleb braced himself, ready for the strong, painful impact of their spells.

“Shut it Human!!” they spat before they made a strong spell circle and sent Caleb flying into the wall a ways behind him. He hit the wall with a loud thud and let out a painful yelp before he fell to the ground completely limp.

The room grew an eerie silence as everyone locked in their cages waited hopeful that Caleb might get up. But he didn't; blood started to stain his bright blonde hair from his skull, and he didn't move an inch, not even fighting the pain this time.

The Biphed’s eyes widened as the rest of the members in their cages started to panic.

“He’s dead!!”

“They are gonna kill us all!!”

Children being held started to burst into tears at the sight of Caleb’s stillness. The guard froze in shock that they actually killed him, but shook it off and opened the cell to pick Caleb up to dispose of him.

“You see this!? Let this be a reminder to those who try and fight what the archivists want!” They lift Caleb up with a bit of struggle to show off his limp body. Those stuck in prison went silent, and some started to sob quietly, seeing the limp body of a 17-year-old being held up like a trophy. The Biphed looked down in grief and slowly shook her head.

Caleb was a great actor, the best in his school. He kept this act until he was pushed into a ditch with a pile of other witches doomed to die. And once the guard left, Caleb tried to get up, but the world around him started spinning.

“Stop… spinning…” Caleb stumbled putting his hand on the back of her head where he felt a long crack that was bleeding heavily. He stumbled over the mass amounts of death and gore but was in no mental state to actually take in his surroundings.

Luckily for him, he was able to climb out of the hole he was in with the little time he had. And try to walk to find a town. It was hard to stay focused as his mind was in so many places. But soon he couldn't keep going,

And the world stopped spinning.

                                    >>><<<

“This graveyard seems connected to everything” Philip looks up at the old crumbling archway that welcomed anyone who dared explore what it opened.

“Gee, I haven't been here in years.” Evelyn looks around as Philip looks around for clues.

“You said you came from another realm? How did you get here?” Philip asks.

“My parents give me Titan’s blood to flee to here, I don't have any more”

“Wait Evelyn over here!” Philip called beckoning her with a flick of his hand to follow. On the arch was a stain of bright blue that trailed down the side.

“That's Titan’s blood!” Evelyn exclaimed once she saw it.

“Someone was here! They could have taken Caleb!” Philip touched it only for it to glow and spread to the rest of the arch and dripped down to form a large orange portal. Evelyn pulled Philip back.

“I can't bring you there! If something happens to you Caleb would have my head!” Evelyn looks at Philip with a look of fear.

“He won't be here if we don't save him!” Philip fought trying to get out of her grasp.

“He's in there, and he could be hurt,” he added, elbowing Evelyn in the stomach and running to the portal once he broke free of her.

“PHILIP NO!!” Evelyn cried out rushing to follow him. 

Chapter Text

Caleb woke to the comfort of a feeling of a warm and fluffy mattress below him. But that comfort was cut by the throbbing of his head. It felt as if he had a huge weight just holding him down and shattering his thoughts into a million pieces. He couldn't take in the room around him but could identify the wood ceiling and portraits of a large family scattered on the walls but he couldn't make out the faces. He heard voices but couldn't understand the words they spoke but knew they were panicked and concerned. He couldn't panic in his confusion. He didn't remember how he got here; he just remembered the pain of being slammed into some kind of wall. Part of him still thought he was back at home and his first response was to call for his little brother. But his words were muffled and he couldn't quite form the sentences he wanted.

“You..took..hit..lay” he heard someone say but could only understand a few words. Caleb looked around to look at whoever spoke. His vision was hard to make out, but he saw a tall, lean figure with long, deep, red, fluffy hair and a hooked nose. She wore a torn green dress down to her ankles and was covered in a white floral pattern that was nice for Caleb’s eyes to process. She looked like a taller older version of Evelyn. The longer he stayed awake the more he felt. He felt the wet bandages around his face rubbing against one side of his face and it started to bug him the more he moved his head. He wanted to sit up, but his body didn't want to listen, so he stayed down on what he felt was some kind of bed, but the texture of the fabric felt off.

“Calm down… okay…” she said as she walked beside him and set a wet rag on his forehead which he hated the feeling of the sudden chill of it. Caleb couldn't process words so he just scowled at the woman who put the rag on him that he hated.

“It's meant to help” he was able to understand a little more of her kind words. And watched a faded blue circle of light glow around her wrist as she pressed her hand on the rag. Suddenly, Caleb felt a wave of calm wash over him. The overwhelming pain started to ease, and he was able to focus on who the woman was in front of him. 

She wasn't Evelyn but she looked close. Caleb’s eyes widened in fear as the room around him now looked small and cramped, with everything around him now unrecognizable, and before he could react, he was spoken to again.

“Hey, hey, it's okay, he found you in the Palistrom forest. Do you know your name?” she asks backing up a little to give him space.

Caleb paused to think before he responded.

“Ca-leb” he managed to pronounce.

“Okay Caleb, do you know where you're from?”

Caleb tried to think, but he couldn't put together the words to describe it; instead, he said.

“It's named after the first thing that was built,” spilling a fact he had held onto since he was told it in first grade by a teacher who was teaching the history of Gravesfield.

“Really?” the woman asks as if she was speaking to a small child.

Caleb nodded.

“You look like... You look like Eve…Evelyn… you're just missing the noooose” Caleb pokes his hooked nose and watches the woman’s eyes widen.

“You know my daughter?!” she steps closer. Caleb flinches and tries to hide under the covers in fear of her loud voice.

“Wait! I'm sorry, is she alive? Is she safe?!” she asked with worry but was overwhelmed by relief.

“Yeah… she’s my partner..” Caleb admitted peeking out of the large quilt. She let out a loud sigh of relief.

“Thank Titan, I thank you,” she says, uncovering him to check the bandages on his face. Caleb forces his eyes shut once she touches his face but slowly opens them once he doesn't feel the burning pain of being hit.

Philip froze in place taking in the horrifying sight of the world around him. The bark of the large pine-looking trees was bathed in a blood red or a light version of it. The ground shared the same red, the creatures around him where his worst visions came true, mangled and combined with other things that didn't belong.

Philip was snapped into the world he was in when Evelyn grabbed him by his shoulder.

“Stay close to me okay?” Evelyn looked down at Philip, who only nodded with fear covering his expression. Evelyn shared the same expression, she had never been back in years and barely knew where to go anymore. But she knew if they had any chance of finding Caleb she had to keep Philip safe no matter what.

Evelyn and Philip had a very fragile relationship. Philip wasn't the type to welcome change with his brother, but they’ve known each other for years and learned to get along over the years. But Philip just couldn't lean on her the way he could for Caleb.

As they walked, Evelyn kept her guard up, readying a spell in case she needed to, but Philip started to grow more curious as he looked around at the forest around them. The way these creatures were able to exist, with some having no eyes or mouths, surprised him. As he walked, the fear started to wear off, and when they made their way to a small town, he wondered what the people would look like.

But Evelyn wanted Philip to lay low and hide as they walked through trying to find a lead. The town was half destroyed but was busy with witches and demons that ran around trying to get what they wanted as quickly as possible as a few witches wearing long dog-like skulls were yelling at the crowd from a large podium in the square. Philip was shielded by Evelyn as they tried to blend in moving with the crowd. 

“Hey, you!” Philip heard someone meekly call through the shadows of an alleyway of two large brick buildings.

Philip turns his head and pulls Evelyn’s arm to gain her attention. Evelyn looks at Philip before she eyes the demon hidden.

“This way, it's safe from the trappers,” the figure beckoned them to follow.

Philip was hesitant but didn't know the realm the way Evelyn did. Evelyn grabbed his hand and pulled him into the alleyway to safety from the eyes of the possible trappers. Philip did not trust the figure at all; it seemed strange to him that it assumed they were hiding from the trappers when they were terrible at hiding if they even tried. He pulled away halfway through it.

“I don't trust them; they are too quick to help,” Philip whispered to Evelyn. Evelyn shook it off.

“They might be true and we could have a lead,” Evelyn replied.

“I don't like this” Philip slowed down to stay as far behind them as possible, pulling Evelyn back. Everything about this seemed like a trap, nobody would rush to help as quickly as they did. At least without a favor needed.

The alleys were like mazes with each turn making him feel more and more lost as he kept going until they found a hidden room under a broken part of the cobblestone road.

“This way,” the figure said, crawling into the hole in the street into the room below. Evelyn followed without hesitation, but Philip was more worried, he couldn't just leave on his own, so he followed in last.