|
Chapter 1 - 1-18-19-5-14-9-3
Uranium walked into a small bar. Jambon Bar. It was a place he liked to go. Sit down, have a drink. Milk, of course. But only if he sneaked out. Chromium and Arsenic, Uranium’s brother and sister, would never ever let him leave the hideout on his own. He sat down on a bar stool, his black slacks resting on the floor. He sighed and rested his cheek on his hand. Out of the corner of his eye, Uranium could see glowing blonde hair. Phosphorus. He turned his head slightly just to see a little bit more, fingering the gun in his back pocket. Phosphorus stood up and left the bar, walking quickly out the front door. Uranium stood up, slipping his brown coat with a fringe just under the chest area over his orange shirt. He followed Phosphorus, close behind him but not able to be seen. Once Phosphorus was a good distance away, he pulled out an old, rusted walkie-talkie.
Arsenic had been sleeping when his walkie-talkie started buzzing. He picked it up, brushing his white bangs away from his eye. “Hello?” he mumbled, half asleep. “It’s me, Uranium! I’ve spotted Phosphorus…and he’s alone!” Uranium squealed, trying his best to contain his excitement. “I’m following him, we’re near J-“ There was some muffled screaming and then the walkie-talkie lost the signal. Arsenic lifted himself up, his expression growing angry. “Chromium. Uranium has been captured.” Arsenic told his sister. “What?” Chromium yawned, rubbing her eyes. “Uranium must have snuck out. He said he was following Phosphorus but I think they caught him.” Arsenic told Chromium. “Oh, go back to sleep, Arsenic. He’s right up there.” Chromium pointed to the hammock above hers’, where Uranium was supposed to be sleeping. Arsenic stood up from his hammock, walking over to Chromium’s and climbing the hammocks to see if Uranium was in his. “Ow, you’re steppin’ on my knee, man!” Chromium complained. Arsenic lifted the blanket in the hammock to find…pillows. “He’s not here, Chromium.” Arsenic told Chromium. “What?!” she replied. “That dirty bastard…we need a better security system ‘round here.”
“Dammit. We have to go find him.” Arsenic jumped off of Chromium, running to the door of their hideout, and Chromium ran after him.
Arsenic’s brown boots clicked on the metal scrap floor of the ship. Arsenic, a small, plump man with white hair covering one of his eyes, had been tracking a man named Phosphorus for years with the help of his little sister and brother, Chromium, a tall, muscle-bound woman with toffee skin and black hair, and Uranium, a tall, lanky boy with tan skin and curly, blonde hair. In the year 3123, these siblings lived in a small ship that they liked to call “the Hideout.” Phosphorus was a gang leader and Arsenic had a past with him. Arsenic’s siblings knew not of what Arsenic and Phosphorus’s past was but they knew that this man must have done something pretty bad for Arsenic to be so angry at him. Arsenic had a way of hiding things from his siblings. Being the oldest sibling, he was the only one who knew what happened to their parents…and no matter how much they pushed, he refused to tell them what happened. They had followed Phosphorus and his gang to a small district called District 13880, or Prison Town. It was called Prison Town because the ship was made entirely of scrap metal and being in it felt almost like being in a prison.
Arsenic was a fierce man. He was usually playful with his siblings but he would protect them with his life. If Uranium had been captured there would surely be a blood bath soon. “We’re walkin’ straight into a trap, Arsi.” Chromium told her brother. “I know that.” Arsenic replied. “But there’s nothing we can do about it.” Chromium looked at Arsenic. Nothin’ we can do ‘bout it? God, Arsenic, sometimes I think you’re crazy. she thought to herself. Arsenic quickly took a grenade out of his tool belt, ripped out the safety pin with his teeth, hand tightly wrapped around the lever, and threw it as far as possible. It exploded, making a large dent in (but not destroying) the ground and walls of Prison Town. Two large people with machine guns jumped out from the shadows just far enough back to not be hit with the explosion and started shooting at Arsenic and Chromium. Chromium ripped off a piece of the wall and used it as a shield. “Moron.” she mumbled at Arsenic. But he didn’t hear her. He knew exactly what he was doing. Eventually the gang members stopped shooting and started yelling to their cohorts to leave since there was someone with grenades on the premises. Arsenic walked towards the gang members. “Listen, dustrats, and listen well. I have many weapons that can maim you in any number of wa-“
“Chromium, Arsenic!!” Uranium pushed one of the gang members out of his way and bounded toward Arsenic, smiling ear-to-ear. “Phosphorus is so nice! He gave me milk and cookies a-“
“Uranium! Are you hurt? Your face is bruised…” Arsenic inspected a large bruise on Uranium’s forehead. “I’m ok!” Uranium smiled. “Get out of my way.” Phosphorus told the gang members. Arsenic glared at Phosphorus, holding Uranium close to him. “Why did you kidnap Uranium, Phosphorus?” he asked. “You know why, Arsenic. So, why not just give up?” Phosphorus replied. “I’m in the right here.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You know what you did.” Arsenic told Phosphorus. “What I did? What I did?! What I did wasn’t nearly as horrible as what you did!”
“It was an accident! I didn’t mean to-“
“You keep saying you ‘didn’t mean to’ but if you didn’t mean to do it then why did you?!” Phosphorus walked away, but stopped for a moment. “Stop following me, Arsenic. I was going to be painfully nice and let it slide but if you continue to pursue me I will try to bring Chromium and Uranium back.” He glared at Arsenic for a moment, his glowing, yellow eyes looking like they’re cursing him. Then, he growled with aggravation and stomped away. “What does he mean ‘bring us back?’ What’s he talkin’ about?” Chromium asked Arsenic. “It doesn’t matter.” Arsenic replied, solemnly. “Yes it does! What does it mean?!” Chromium pushed. “I said it doesn't matter!” Arsenic yelled at Chromium. “Both of you go back to the ship. Now.” Chromium and Uranium nodded, walking back to their small ship. “That was scary…” Uranium told Chromium. “I don’t get it. He wouldn't get that mad over nothin’…what’s he hidin’? Ugh…so close yet so far…” Chromium muttered.
Chapter 2 - 16-03-’85
Arsenic paced around the Hideout. He had been awake for a few days now. The Hideout was self-driving but it still needed to be monitored, meaning Arsenic needed to be awake as long the Hideout was moving. This worried Chromium but she couldn't do anything to stop him. He was a stubborn man. “I just don’t get it.” Chromium muttered. “Why does he want to purposefully hurt himself? What’s so important about finding Phosphorus?”
“I dunno but isn’t this puppy the most cutieest squishiest adorableest puppy ever?!” Uranium showed a poster of a puppy to Chromium. “Huh? Hey, wait, where’d you get that?” Chromium asked him. “Phosphorus gave it to me, why?” Uranium replied. “I…I recognize that puppy.” Chromium mumbled. Suddenly, the ship came to a jolting stop. “We’re here.” Arsenic told them, his voice icy and flat. He looked at the poster and chuckled a bit, “You want a puppy, Uranium?”
“Yeah!” Uranium replied, “Please please please, Arsenic?”
“Sure, if you can find one that doesn’t need to eat, doesn’t need to be walked, doesn’t shed, and that I won’t be allergic to. Also known as…a stuffed animal.” Arsenic chuckled. “Aaaaw…” Uranium groaned, hugging the poster, “Wait…a stuffed animal?!? Can I get a stuffed animal?!?”
“Sure?” Arsenic shrugged. “Yay!” Uranium exclaimed. “Hold on, guys.” Chromium told them, “Where are we?”
“Doesn’t matter. This is a solo mission. You guys stay here, I’ll be back…later…” Arsenic told Chromium, then he looked at Uranium, “With a stuffed puppy.” Uranium squealed with delight. “Okay then.” Chromium mumbled, looking down. Arsenic waved to them, putting on his gas mask, and then walked out of the ship door and locked it behind him. Chromium sighed, “Any chance you know how to pick locks, kid?”
“No. But Arsenic does!” Uranium replied. Chromium looked at Uranium and rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Doesn’t matter. There’s a more appealin’ option anyway.” Chromium took a small, rusty key out of her pocket and grinned mischievously. “Hey, that’s the key to the pilot room! We’re not allowed in there, Chromium!” Uranium whined. “Uranium, you don’t start revolutions by following the rules.” Chromium replied, unlocking the pilot room.
The pilot room was a large metal room in the Hideout. On the side of the pilot room, opposite to the door, there was a large metal control panel with buttons and levers. This was used to control the ship. Right in front of the control panel was a chair that was bolted to the ground. The chair was lined with red leather and there was a large scratch on the seat. The pilot room was off limits for Chromium and Uranium, according to Arsenic.
Uranium always followed rules. He didn’t like getting in trouble and preferred to do what Arsenic told him. Arsenic’s hidden maternal side came out more with Uranium than Chromium, since Chromium was more independent and Uranium needed more attention. Arsenic treated Chromium more like a rebellious teenager than a child, the way he treated Uranium, as he was more or less their father figure, since they never knew their parents.
“What is all this stuff?” Chromium wondered, looking at a stack of dusty papers. She picked up one and read it out loud, “My Dear,
Though I so heavily fear what is happening I understand that it must be done. The future of our people depends on us. But I feel so happy that we are doing this together. I cannot express to you how much I care for you. I know times are hard and food is scarce but I promise you that I will take care of you. Please stay safe. I love you.
Sincerely…”
“Sincerely who?” Uranium asked. “I dunno. It’s ripped,” Chromium replied, shrugging and throwing the paper back onto the pile. “What is this? What’s so secret in here that he won’t let us in? Some stupid love notes?” Chromium groaned with aggravation, sitting down in the red leather chair. “Ow!” she exclaimed, feeling something metal. She grasped the large rip in the leather and felt under it. She slowly pulled out a rusty, metal key. “What the-….”
“C-Chromium…w-what is that?” Uranium asked her. Chromium felt the key. It was strangely big with a skull as the handle. She eyed the lock to the next room and headed toward it, unlocking it with the key. But there was only scraps of food in the next room. It was simply a small, barely serviceable kitchen.
Arsenic opened the door to the Hideout, locking it behind him, and walked into the Hideout with a big sack on his back. He opened the door to the pilot room. Uranium turned around and looked at Arsenic, then gasped, “I-I’m sorry, Arsenic! Super really sorry! I didn’t mean-“
“Heh…so you really did go in. Some stupid part of me thought that you might actually trust me…” He sighed deeply. “What do you mean?” Chromium asked. “I left that key where you would find it to see if you would trust me and not go in the pilot room. But I see you can’t. I suppose that’s on me.” He looked down at his feet and then looked at Uranium. “Hey, Uranium.” Arsenic smiled at Uranium and threw him a stuffed puppy. Uranium’s face lit up with glee, catching the puppy and hugging it. “I haven’t seen a stuffed pup like that since 3108 when I was 23 years old. Heh. That was….a year to remember.”
“Why?” Chromium asked. “It doesn’t matter.” Arsenic shrugged. “Anyway, I just hope you guys remember that I love you both.”
Chromium bit her lip. If he loves us so much why does he keep secrets from us?!
“What are those notes?” Chromium demanded. “What? I can’t have a secret significant other?” Arsenic asked, playfully chuckling. For a moment they looked at each other, Arsenic smiling nervously, Chromium glaring, almost locked in battle. The smell of steam and cheap scrap metal in the air. “Whatever.” Chromium mumbled. Arsenic wrapped his arm around Uranium, playfully, “Hey, bud, wanna go play?”
“Yes!!” Uranium exclaimed. They walked out of the pilot room, leaving Chromium with the letters. She looked at the letters, wondering who Arsenic’s “secret significant other” was. A strange idea popped into her head but she quickly whisked it away and went back into the food storage. She loved her brother but she knew that he was definitely not what he seemed.
Chapter 3 - Sukilti
Tristel was Chromium, Uranium, and Arsenic’s home. It was a big, burning star with three colonial rings rotating around it. These rings were huge spaceships that simulated planets. The smallest ring that was closest to the sun was the Inner Ring. The Inner Ring was a small, warm place for the particularly wealthy citizens of Tristel to live. The Middle Ring, the ring after the Inner Ring, was a nice place for the average Tristel citizen. Everyone had a job, everyone payed their taxes, everyone was happy. Lastly was the Outer Ring. The Outer Ring was a mafia-ruled world where you lived or died. There was no happy medium. In the Outer Ring, there were no laws. If you were born in the Outer Ring, your chances of getting into the Middle Ring were low but your chances of getting into the Inner Ring were nonexistent.
The Outer Ring had four big gangs. The gangs were the Solid, the Society of Liquidation, the Gas Gang, and the Plasmaspheres. The Solid worked on a strict honor system. They all wore big robes with masks and never revealed their faces or real names. They never fought someone who had their back turned and they didn’t torture their enemies ever. The Society of Liquidation worked on infiltrating the Middle Ring and Inner Ring and mugging other citizens of the the Outer Ring. They worked only for money and usually didn’t kill or maim people unless provoked to. The Gas Gang was a brutal mafia that lived for the chase. They loved to capture innocent people just to torture them and Arsenic feared this gang greatly. He was able to identify a member of the Gas Gang based on smell and he had a strict protocol for members of the Gang Gas; if Arsenic identified a member of the Gas Gang, he immediately hid Chromium and Uranium and then they slowly and quietly fled. Arsenic wasn’t one to run from a fight but the Gas Gang was a special circumstance for him.
Last of the four major gangs in the Outer Ring was the Plasmaspheres. This gang was controlled by Phosphorus. The gang members were all like family to Phosphorus and he kept them very close to him. They generally didn’t capture and torture innocent people but they were ruthless with their enemies. They often captured the loved ones of their enemies and tortured them or asked for ransom.
The Middle Ring was very hard to get in to for those of the Outer Ring. To get in, you had to pay a large fee that was simply impossible for most in the Outer Ring. Most people in the Outer Ring spent their whole lives saving up for the Middle Ring and either died before they could save up enough or were very old by the time they did. The Middle Ring was a nice place with cities and quiet neighborhoods. There were police everywhere with strict laws to keep the peace. While the Outer Ring was full of little boxes of scrap metal and ran entirely on steam, the Middle Ring was more like a planet with beautiful landscapes and long, stretching cities.
The Inner Ring was a beautiful place. Perfect in nearly every way. It was full of picturesque towns and countryside. It was very small and not many people could fit there. Luckily, there weren’t that many who were rich enough to pay the entrance fee, anyway. The Inner Ring had a strict police force and every move made by anyone was watched.
The Outer Ring was a no man’s land and the worst place to live in the Galaxy but Arsenic was tough and smart. He knew how to make it through the Outer Ring alive and he desperately loved his siblings. The Outer Ring was fueled by steam. The large, metal ship created steam as it spun, it also fed off of this steam to keep spinning. It was once as beautiful as the other rings but, as social classes set in, it had slipped through the cracks.
The one part of the Outer Ring that was minimally safe was District 56778 or the Shopping District. This was a place with lots of shops that was generally agreed upon to be a sanctuary for those in the Outer Ring. Every so often, there would be a pick-pocketer or a mugger but it was generally unusual. The Shopping District was where most in the Outer Ring had their jobs. Unfortunately, there were no places to live in the Shopping District and the commute was dangerous.
Chromium, Uranium, and Arsenic sat in a small ice cream parlor in the Shopping District. Arsenic stared out of the window. “You like chocolate, huh?” Chromium asked Uranium. Uranium happily licked a chocolate ice cream cone. “Yeah!!” he replied. Chromium smiled at Uranium but their eyes trailed to Arsenic. “Arsenic, why do you hate Phosphorus? He was so nice to me when he kidnapped me. He gave me milk and cookies!” Arsenic glared at Uranium, “We’re not going to talk about that.”
“But wh-“
“Because we aren’t.” Arsenic stood up and walked to the counter, mumbling, “I’m gonna go pay.”
“Pffft.” Chromium chuckled. “Don’t listen to him, Uranium. Never stop asking questions. The ones who question are the ones who change the world.” Chromium smiled at Uranium. “But I don’t want to make Arsenic upset.” Uranium replied. Chromium looked at Uranium and then looked down, “I think that’s the only way we can help him. We love him but what he’s doing is destructive, not just to Phosphorus but to himself. Arsenic isn’t bloodthirsty. He doesn’t like hurting people.” Chromium looked at Uranium and then at Arsenic. “At least…I hope he doesn’t…”
Arsenic walked back to the table, attaching his wallet to a chain that attached to his pocket. His gaze slowly met Chromium’s. “Hey…what’s going on?” Chromium smiled and laughed. “I’m fine,” Arsenic replied, his voice flat. He put one hand on Uranium’s shoulder and Uranium smiled at him. Their gaze met and Arsenic held Uranium close to him. “Always stay my baby, Uranium…don’t listen to people like Phosphorus. Please.” Arsenic gently stroked Uranium’s hair. He was very rarely affectionate like this and it usually meant that something bad had happened or was going to happen. “Don’t let anyone corrupt you, ever.”
Arsenic sat on the chair in the pilot room. His eyes stared into a deep abyss yet there was nothing there. He looked tired but he didn’t feel tired. He felt awake, wide awake. He didn’t look at the clock for fear of what it said, fear of how long he had been awake. The door opened and Chromium walked in, wiping her eyes on her arm. “Chromium, what’s wrong?” Arsenic asked, keeping his voice quiet. She sat on the ground next to Arsenic’s chair, putting her head on his lap. “I had a dream. A really, really bad dream,” Chromium told Arsenic. “Tell me about it.” Arsenic stroked Chromium’s hair.
“I was in a house. Uranium was there but I couldn’t quite see him. There was rubble everywhere. I was caught under a big bunch of….I dunno…metal or something. Right in front of me was a burning body. You were there, too. You were standing over the body. You looked sorta scared….” Arsenic’s eyes widened. “I don’t know why but I feel some kind of connection to the body. Th-the fire….th-the rubble….Please help me, big brother, I’m scared,” Chromium looked up at Arsenic, her eyes filling with tears, but his eyes were still staring straight ahead, purposefully distant from her. “Arsenic?” Chromium asked, shakily. Arsenic suddenly snapped back to reality and looked at Chromium. “I’m…sorry…” He shook his head. “I’m just…tired. Chromium, everything will be ok, I promise. I love you, I’d never let anything happen to you.”
The door creaked open once again and Uranium walked in. “A-Arsenic…”
“Go back to bed, Uranium,” Arsenic told Uranium. “No, Arsenic. I’m 15 years old now and I…I want more independence. I’m not a baby anymore,” Uranium replied. “Uranium, you don’t want to be an adult…being an adult sucks,” Chromium told Uranium, hugging Arsenic’s legs. “No, neither of you are adults and neither of you are going to be independent-“
“I’m not saying I want to be totally independent! I just…I want some say. I want to be able to leave the Hideout by myself…at least sometimes,” Uranium told them. Arsenic looked at Uranium. He had waited for this day. The day when Uranium was not a baby anymore and Arsenic couldn’t treat him like one. “I’ll think about it.” Arsenic looked away from the two them. “Now go back to bed.” Chromium stood up, wiping her eyes with her arm, and walked out the door with Uranium. Arsenic watched them leave. “I love you,” he whispered.
The door closed and Arsenic was alone again. He took a small picture out of his pocket. The picture featured a younger Arsenic with baby Uranium and toddler Chromium. He smiled, holding the picture to his heart. “I love you.”
Chapter 4 - Veritas
Arsenic woke up to an empty ship. It was lonely, cold. He looked everywhere for them. He looked everywhere for Chromium and Uranium…
…He looked everywhere for her. “Mom!” Arsenic yelled. “Mom, where are you?” He ran through the ship. When he was very little, Arsenic’s father and mother broke up and his father left. Arsenic clung to his mother ever since, after all, she was all he had. Her and…
Arsenic tripped, falling face-first onto the cold, metal ground. A pale hand reached out to him and he took it. He breathed very quietly, recognizing who this person was; a member of the Gas Gang. His eyes trailed up to theirs, to their bright, green eyes and sharp smile. He knew where Chromium and Uranium were. Before Arsenic knew what was happening, a bag was pulled over his head.
The dark brown, musky, leather bag was over his head for a long time and he couldn’t quite tell what was going on until a sharp boot jammed into Arsenic’s stomach. He coughed blood and gasped for air. A hand ripped the bag off of his head. Phosphorus stared at Arsenic.
Phosphorus’s brown boot stomped onto Arsenic’s face. “Tell me something,” Phosphorus told Arsenic, giving him a swift kick in the stomach. “Do you feel fine?” Another swift kick to the stomach. “Do you feel good?” Another. “Do you feel great?” Another. “Do you feel happy?” One last, large kick and Arsenic could feel his bones cracking. Arsenic coughed and sputtered, blood pouring out of his mouth. “Stop it!” a voice screamed. Arsenic looked up to see Chromium and Uranium trapped in radioactive chains. “Stop it, leave him alone!” Chromium yelled at Phosphorus. “I’ll kill you!”
“No you won’t,” Phosphorus replied, “Not after you hear what he has to say.” Phosphorus kicked Arsenic onto his back. “Go on, tell them,” he told Arsenic, putting his foot on Arsenic’s chest. Arsenic gasped for air through blood. “Phos-pher-“ he sputtered. “Talk!” Phosphorus barked at him.
“It’s time I told them anyway…” Arsenic closed his eyes. His life was crumbling before him. Chromium and Uranium would never talk to him after they heard the truth. Phosphorus would kill him. Nothing mattered anymore. “I was young. It was the year 3107. I was 22 years old.
I was a ‘prisoner of war.’ I had been taken to a jail with a bunch of other people by the police of the Middle and Inner Rings. We were the pioneers of the revolution. Life in the Outer Ring was horrible and…unfair. I looked at all the lonely people. We wanted to live like those in the Middle and Inner Rings but we didn’t have the money. How could we? We had no education, most of us had dead parents, our lives were horrible. We had to constantly be alert of being tortured or murdered by a gang. I was in the jail and suddenly we all heard gunshots and screaming. A bunch more revolutionists had come to break us out. Among the revolutionists was a kid around my same age. Phosphorus. The second our eyes met we knew we’d be together. My heart was a kick drum. We started dating, it was no more than a year later when I proposed…
I had taken some scrap metal and made a ring out of it myself. I was down on one knee, proposing the ring to Phosphorus. ‘When we first met, you were saving me,’ I said, ‘Ever since then, we’ve been a team. I want to stay a team forever. I love you, Phosphorus. Please…marry me.” Tears dripped down his perfect cheeks. ‘No, Arsenic. I’m sorry. I love someone else,” he replied. I looked at him like he had just told me that I was going to die. “I love Platinum.”
Platinum was a little man with pure white hair and a condescending look on his face. He was royalty in the Outer Ring. I hated him with every molecule of my body. I couldn’t help thinking that we could of had it all.
I was very angry so I did what seemed best at the time…I fought Platinum. It was supposed to be an honorable fight but just as he realized he was losing, he grabbed the safety pin out of one of my grenades. There was only time for a split-second reaction so I took the grenade off of my belt, threw it at him, and ran. The place exploded into fire. It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. Take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have. I walked over to Platinum’s body, looking at what I did. I didn’t mean it. I didn’t want to kill him. I heard a faint crying and looked over to see a tiny toddler and a crying baby trapped under a piece of burning debris. I ran to the children and pushed the debris off of them, picking them up and holding them in my arms. They were so tiny…you were so tiny, Chromium and Uranium. I turned around to see Phosphorus staring at me and I ran, holding you two in my arms. But Phosphorus’s men had gotten to my house first…my mother was murdered. I promised to myself that I would take care of you, protect you…and here we are now…only dust and a plaque that reads here lies poor old Arsenic. Nothing ever turns out like it should. Well, I’m sorry, Phosphorus. I’m sorry, Chromium. I’m sorry, Uranium. That’s all I have. All that was lost is revealed.”
Phosphorus looked down at Arsenic. “Why, Arsenic…why did you pursue me? Why didn’t you just leave it in the past?” he asked. “Well…at first I wanted revenge but now I don’t really know what I want,” Arsenic replied, “Maybe to just apologize.” Phosphorus looked at Arsenic. “Arsenic…I loved Platinum. I cared about you but I loved him. I can’t forget it but…” Phosphorus bent down and kissed Arsenic’s forehead. He sighed. “Let them go.” The gang members holding Chromium and Uranium let them go and the chains fell to their ankles. Chromium stepped out of the chains and ran to Arsenic. Uranium walked over to Phosphorus. “So who…are our parents?” he asked. “I am. I mean…I am your father, Uranium. Platinum is your other father. I’m not Chromium’s father, I don’t know who her other parent is. But you both share Platinum as your birth father. Arsenic’s been good to you…he’s brought you up well, stay with him,” Phosphorus told Uranium, kissing him on the cheek. “Goodbye, Uranium, Chromium, and Arsenic. Please don’t continue to pursue me.” Phosphorus turned and walked away. Uranium watched him leave. “My father…” he muttered.
Chromium helped Arsenic stand. “C’mon, Uranium. We gotta get Arsi home!’ Uranium simply stood staring. “Uranium?” Arsenic asked, coughing blood. Uranium turned and walked toward Chromium and Arsenic. Together, they walked home. A family. Not a perfect family but a loving one.
Chapter 5 - the Three of Us Against the World
Arsenic's hand rested on the ground, hanging from the hammock. His breath was pained and slow. Too faint to be healthy.
Chromium was in charge of Arsenic. She was the oldest if Arsenic died, and the only one of legal age. Things had been different since Phosphorus kidnapped them. Uranium was different. Chromium still hated Phosphorus, regardless of Arsenic's story. She had quickly forgiven Arsenic for lying. Uranium found it harder to forgive. He couldn't stop thinking about Phosphorus. The word "father" kept running through his head.
“Arsi…” Chromium asked, “Do ya ever…think about…um you know….when you’re gone? Like, really, really gone? For good?”
“Yeah, I thought about it some. Why, you scared of dying?” Arsenic replied. Her eyes trailed away from Arsenic’s. It wasn’t so much Chromium’s death that scared her. “What do you think would happen to us if you…”
“If I died?” Arsenic asked, “I dunno. I mean, you’re eighteen now. You’re of legal age. What do you think you’d do?” Chromium stared at Arsenic for a moment. A long moment. “I don’t know.”
“So…” Uranium muttered. “How is he doing?” Chromium shrugged, “There’s nothing I can do. He’s got broken ribs, I’m no doctor. There’s no way I can fix this. He has to recover on his own or…not.” She sighed deeply, blinking away tears. “He’s our…he’s our brother. I don’t care if he killed our parents, it was an accident, and he raised us. He raised us well. He deserves a little forgiveness.”
Uranium stood at the Jambon Bar. This all started when he was first kidnapped by Phosphorus. This all started with him and he had to end it.
He had been only an infant when Arsenic killed Platinum. Arsenic had raised Chromium and Uranium ever since then, but still Arsenic was their brother, even if he wasn’t blood related to them. Despite the pain of learning the truth, Uranium couldn’t erase those years of Arsenic loving Chromium and Uranium and taking care of them. Uranium remembered when he was five years old.
Arsenic put his hand to little Uranium’s forehead. “Ouch!” he said, waving his hand, pretending it was on fire, “Kid, you’re burning up.” Uranium laid in his hammock, covered by a small, colorful blanket Arsenic had sewn out of some old clothing. “Am I gonna die?” Uranium asked. “From a little fever? N’aw, kid. You aren’t gonna die,” Arsenic chuckled, running his hand through Uranium’s pale blonde hair, “You’re gonna be just fine.”
“Will you tell me a story?” Uranium asked. Arsenic looked at Uranium, mildly confused. “Uuuh sure…” he paused for a moment and then started, “Ok, well, there was this guy who liked puppies.”
“Well, that’s definitely not you!” Uranium laughed. “Oh, definitely not,” Arsenic scoffed, “Anyway, it gets better! He could never have a puppy because he was allergic. But he took meds for his allergy and got a puppy and lived happily ever after. The end,” Arsenic ended his story triumphantly and then looked down at Uranium. “That was a bad story,” Uranium told Arsenic. “Why? It had everything you said a story needed; a protagonist, a start, a happily ever after, and an end,” Arsenic replied. “Well, it’s still bad,” Uranium laughed. Arsenic chuckled, “Ok, so I’m not a good storyteller. It’s your fault for asking for a story.”
Uranium held that memory close to his heart. They had a lot of hardships in his childhood but Arsenic always made time to tuck Uranium in at night and tell him bedtime stories.
When Uranium was ten years old, he snuck out of the Hideout. The freedom excited him and he had no sense of fear of being alone, until some members of a gang attacked him. The two men grabbed him, held him down, and searched him for money and weapons. “The kid don’t have any weapons,” Uranium heard a voice say, “But I do.” Standing behind them was Arsenic, holding a grenade. The gang men were surprised and the distraction allowed Uranium to wriggle out of their grasp and run away. He never knew what happened next but he remembered hearing explosions and gunshots. In the end, it turned out that Arsenic had been following him the whole time. He gave Uranium a strong warning about running off but didn’t actually end up punishing him. “Look, kid,” he said, “I won’t always be here to beat up the bad guys. You’ve gotta take care of yourself but you can’t do that when you’re this little.” He ruffled Uranium’s hair and hugged him. “You’re still just a baby.”
“Am not!” Uranium insisted, “I’m ten now!” Arsenic laughed, “And you’re still a baby!”
Uranium sighed, he wanted to be angry at Arsenic for lying, he wanted to not forgive him, but how could he? How could he not forgive someone who worked so hard to take care of him, to protect him, and to love him?
Uranium walked home with himself. When he came home, he found Chromium sitting in the middle of the Hideout. Her long, black hair covered her face and most of her upper body. “Uranium,” she muttered, “He’s dying.”
“What?” Uranium asked. “He’s dying, he’ll be dead by morning,” Chromium replied. Uranium looked over at Arsenic lying in the hammock. His skin was white as a ghost and his breath was so faint you couldn’t hear it anymore. Uranium’s eyes burned seeing him in such a state.
Uranium decided what he needed to do was find Phosphorus. After all, if he caused this, he surely would know how to stop it.
Uranium’s black wingtips hit the floor as he ran as fast as he could. “Got some place to go?” a man dressed in all black asked him. “Yes! Very urgently!” Uranium replied, putting his hands up as the man pointed a gun at him. “Enough,” Phosphorus commanded, stepping out of a nearby building. Uranium smiled, “Phosphorus! I was looking for you!”
“Why? Did Arsenic send you?” Phosphorus asked. “Phosphorus, please, we need your help! Arsenic is dying…” Uranium fell to his knees, pleading with Phosphorus. “What…?”
Phosphorus followed Uranium back to the Hideout. He was able to stop the bleeding from Arsenic’s wounds. “It’s ok. He needs rest but he’s in a lot of pain when he breathes…he needs to be propped up with pillows and hold an ice pack to his chest, it’ll bring down the swelling,” Phosphorus told Chromium and Uranium. “And he’ll live?” Chromium asked. Phosphorus scoffed, “I’ve never heard of fatal broken ribs. Just don’t wrap a bandage around his chest, then he won’t be able to breath.” Uranium hugged Phosphorus, “Thank you!” Phosphorus sighed, “Uuh, you’re welcome…”
Phosphorus left, leaving Uranium and Chromium with Arsenic. Uranium looked at Chromium and she was crying. He hugged her and they stood there in silent agreement. “We almost lost him…” Chromium told Uranium, “We can’t let that happen again. It’s the three of us against the world.”
|
