Mohammed woke up feeling the stiffness in his back. Memories of how soft the bed Nami lent him served as a harsh reminder that he was back at home. He reluctantly got out of bed with a heavy groan and made his way to the bathroom.

On the other side of the door the sound of water showering the tiles was prevalent, and Mohammed instinctively knew that his sister was in there.

*Arabic*

"Hurry up Gresh I need to use it!" He called while banging on the door.

"Wait your turn!" She called back. Moe sighed and entered anyway.

"HEY!" She screamed, but Mohammed ignored her and went straight for the toilet to relieve himself.

"You could at least close the door, you're letting the air in!" She shouted.

"Be quiet Greshme you're gonna wake everyone up." He said giving a final shake before leaving.

"I'm telling mom!" Moe just shut the door and walked back to his room.

*English*

He got his school clothes out and even though he had been attending school in the North for the past week he still felt a sense of pride looking at it. The dark blue blazer with red streaks, and his red and blue striped tie were a constant reminder of where he was, and it never failed to put a smile on his face.

He waited his turn for the shower and got prepared for school with a big smile on his face. He took a look at himself on the broken mirror in his room feeling every bit of pride in his uniform. His Grey pants and white shirt were a part of his old uniform from Calico.

"Honey are you ready!?" His mom called from the kitchen.

"Coming!" He answered as he rushed his way there, fixing his hair in the process.

He walked in the kitchen and just as always, his sister was helping his mom with lunch.

"Your sister tells me you walked in on her in the shower earlier, is that true?" His mother asked turning away from the stove. He caught a glimpse of his sister wearing a bratty smile on her face which irritated him.

"Yeah and?" Moe answered while taking his seat in the dinner table.

"Mohammed your sister is 15 now, she's becoming her own woman. I know you feel indifferent about the situation, but you'll have to learn to give her privacy." His mother reprimanded.

Although she was shorter than Moe, he still respected her in every way. She had the same amber eyes as him, and silky black hair which she kept in a ponytail. Although very lenient she didn't take to kindly to disrespect and wasn't afraid to get physical either.

"Either way mom, there's nothing to see there so it shouldn't matter." Moe answered nonchalantly.

A spoon came flying his direction, knocking him square on the forehead. He groaned in pain before coming to his senses.

"Did you see that mom; she's trying to kill me!" Moe exaggerated holding the weapon in his hand. His mom just laughed in response, turning back to continue with breakfast.

Moe rolled his eyes, seeing the obvious favoritism.

"Where's Hassan?" Moe asked, noticing the absence of his brother in the dinner table. His mom gave an exasperated sigh before walking out the kitchen mumbling curses in Arabic.

"You look like a snobby rich kid." Greshme commented as it was only them in the kitchen.

"Don't tell me big scary Greshy was triggered by my comment." Moe teased.

"You don't get it! All the other girls in school have started developing and I still look like a twig." She complained keeping her gaze focused on the lunch she was making.

"You might still be a twig Greshme, but you're my twig and don't you ever forget that." Moe snuck up on his sister and began roughly tickling her.

With tickling being her kryptonite, she exploded in a fit of laughter, unable to control herself. She begged for him to stop, but he wasn't letting up. After a while of being violated she calmed herself down, noticing she had somehow landed in her brother's arms who carried her bridal style.

"Besides, girls who develop fast look like grannies by the time they're finished with school, so you should count yourself lucky." Moe said while placing her down. Her knees were a bit weak, but she was able to get her balance. She punched her brother in his shoulder for good measure.

"You know I hate being tickled!" She shouted.

"I love you too, Greshme." He teased, earning him an eyeroll from her.

After a while Hassan walked in with his mother behind him, whom had a displeased look on her face.

"I keep on telling you to try and wake up earlier Hassan. I know you're into all this gang nonsense, but missing school is not cool at all." Despite all her nagging, Hassan looked to be half asleep.

"I swear I can't with you children." She said as she went to finish off breakfast. Greshme finished off lunch and went to go sit next to her twin. The family ate breakfast together as was the case every day. Mohammed was offered a hostel residence, but he declined on the notion that he didn't want to spend too much time away from his family. They would catch up with each other in the mornings as they would barely have time to see each other during the day. Moe would arrive late due to the South and North being so far from each other. His mom worked day and night shifts and would only arrive in the early morning. Hassan had the neighborhood watch gang he was a part of that kept him busy during the day. Greshme, on the other hand, always had the house to herself.

"Okay kids the bus will arrive at any moment now so get going." Their mom said hurrying the twins up. Moe still had some time on him, so he was in no rush.

The twins left shortly after, leaving him and his mom in the Kitchen. She sat next to him and gave him a side hug.

“Hassan mentioned something about a girl you were with the other day. Care to explain to me what that is about?” She toyed with the knife she used to butter the twin’s sandwiches dangerously close to Mohammed’s throat.

“Sh-She’s a friend mom. Nothing happened between us!” His voice squeaked under pressure.

“You’re going to the North to make an honest living Mohammed, not to toy around with random hussies!” She stabbed the knife next to his plate. “Momma’s too young to have any little gremlin call me granny, so wrap it up or I’ll cut it up.” Moe inadvertently crossed his legs before his mother sat herself across his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck for balance.

“You know mama loves you and only wants the best for you right?” She shot Mohammed with puppy dog eyes that seemed inappropriate for a woman her age and yet they worked like a charm on him.

“Yes mama.” He couldn’t hide the groan after saying that.

"Make us proud my son. It might be wrong for a mother to say this, but without your father, you’re our only ticket out of this dump." Her tone was playful, but…

"Yes mama, I understand." Moe sighed, wearing a defeated grin on his lips.

"Good, now give mama a kiss." He shoved his mother off him before bolting for the door.

"Well looks like I need to get going so I'll see you later mama." He said hurriedly.

"Hold it right there hot shot. You will not leave this house until you give your mother a kiss you hear!?" She said chasing after him.

"Ai mama, I'm gonna be late." He lied, but she was a persistent one.

"Good luck finding a place to sleep tonight." Moe was already half-way through the door when he heard that, but it still stopped him dead in his tracks.

He sighed in defeat knowing that there was no escaping her. He turned around and looked at her smiling at him patiently.

You're lucky that you're my mother. He thought as he gave her a peck on the cheek. She was a lot shorter than him, so he had to bend down a bit.

"Good, now have a nice day at school my love." She hurriedly pushed him out the door before slamming it in his face. He rolled his eyes and turned to begin his journey to the bus stop. It was quite the distance to the border of the South, so he had to use one of the only modes of transportation there was. Headed by a Gang in Zone 3.

Moe was always skeptical of them, but they were at least professional.

He put on his headphones as he waited at the bus stop. Zone 12 of the South was the safest out of all the other 11. That's not to say that it didn't have its fair share of crime, but it would almost never happen in broad daylight. Which is why Mohammed felt comfortable enough to drop his guard a little.

After about a minute of waiting an Isuzu D-max stopped in front of him and Moe sighed to himself with a smile creeping on his lips.

"Whatchu waiting for, climb in fool." An annoying voice Moe grew to love invited him in and Moe didn't wait a second to climb in. The car sped off with Moe barely inside.

"What's up Nate." A man much bulkier than Mohammed sat in the driver’s seat, his all-black uniform hiding most of his physique.

"Screw your greetings dude, how does it feel to be the first pirate to school in the North?" Nathaniel ruffled his friend's hair, before his hand got swiftly swatted off.

"Dude, don't fuck with the style!" Moe said, pulling out a comb fixing his hair with his gaze focused on his reflection in the car mirror. Ironically enough it was also broken.

"My bad dude, it's just been forever since we last spoke. What's up with you ghosting a brotha?" Moe sighed patting his hair as a final touch.

"It feels amazing really, I was actually at a party yesterday." Moe said once he was done fixing his hair.

“Brotha what!? You never came with me whenever Devonte or Ciggy was hosting, what changed!” Moe made sure to keep his seatbelt on as the whole time he was blowing his fuse his eyes were not on the road.

Moe began reciting the events of that night, not leaving out the part where he got jumped. Even though he was re-telling the terrible bits he couldn’t help but wear a smile on his face.

“How the hell did you get out of it then? You didn’t… y’know?” Moe shook his head.

“I came close, if it hadn’t been for a lil someone.” Moe could feel Nathaniel’s eyes light up as he began squealing like a little girl.

“That look, that smile, that tone. Boy if you don’t tell me who you tapped, I swear Imma kick you out this car!” Of course, he’d be the first person to notice.

“There was this girl I met---”

“Let me guess, a dark-skinned beauty with a terrible attitude!” That description was a little too accurate.

“Who spilled?” Nathaniel instantly tensed up.

“Shit brotha you must’ve heard me wrong; I was just making an assu---”

“It was Hassan, wasn’t it?” Moe knew he hit the jackpot as Nate got suspiciously quiet.

“Lying to me is useless Nate, you know you’re terrible at it.” Nate continued his awkward silence, shriveling in embarrassment.

“Speaking of that little idiot, let’s talk about the shit you’re teaching that boy.”

“Naaahhhh, I swear I ain’t the one teaching him about hoes, they just happen to be there whenever we hang.”

“Nathaniel!”

“Not my full government!”

“How many times do I have to tell you to be careful with him about these things!”

“I know you wanna protect your lil bro and all but the kids’ 15, we knew about way more than he does at that age.”

“That doesn't mean he has to go through the same things we did.” The car went quiet for a second.

“I’m sorry Mohammed, but the South doesn’t wait for kids to grow up.”

“Would you say the same applies to Ashley?” Nathaniel went quiet again.

“Look at us arguing like a married couple.” Moe commented.

“Better gimme a kiss when you leave for work then honey.” A chuckle escaped Moe.

“As if I’d touched those ashy ass lips of yours.”

“These ashy ass lips have kissed more woman than you’ve seen in your life.”

“Yeah, glorify being a slut why don’tcha.”

“100 times better then not getting any action in years.” The car came to a screeching halt as they reached their destination. With a short moment of silence, the two burst into laughter.

"Yah you better not forget about me up there boy, or I swear I’ll grab your ass from hell and pull you back." Nate said patting his friend on the back.

"It's not like I can forget about the time I had to rescue your ass when you got stuck on a tree."

"Boy shut your ass up or must we talk about the time I backed yo ass up when you was losing that fight against Ciggy."

The two laughed together remembering those dumb moments in their lives.

"Not gonna lie Imma miss yo ugly ass mug every time I drive home."

"Now look who's talking like a pussy." Moe teased.

"Brotha seriously though. You were my brother since way back when. Now I won't have anyone to vent to when Sasha is acting like a bitch."

"Y'all are still dating? I thought she would've been done with your ass a while ago."

"Man don't be talking shit until you get yourself a girlfriend you virgin ass boy."

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The two laughed again. After a while it went quiet before Nathaniel spoke in a more serious manner.

"Ay, one last thing. Don’t let those stuck-up rich fucks tell you shit. You were born and raised in the South. Remember that." It wasn’t very often Moe saw Nathaniel’s serious face.

"Alright bet." The two saluted each other before parting. Nate had a concerned look on him, but he decided to save it for the next time they spoke.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Talk of the party that happened the previous week was a hot topic in the halls of Rosemary high. Moe left early, and he couldn't care less about what happened after he left.

He walked up to his locker and took out the books for the first few periods. While packing his books he heard his name come up from a group of girls passing by. He ignored it and continued packing his books. Throwing his bag on his shoulder he began his walk to homeroom. On his way there he couldn't stop hearing his name being brought up in conversations around him. He made it to class and sat at his desk. Wondering why his name was being brought up in other's conversations.

The homeroom teacher walked in looking exhausted and told everyone to take a seat. He caught his breath and called out Mohammed.

"Can you report to the principal's right this instant." Mr. Fry said. Moe's anxiety began to rise as questions circulated in his head.

He nervously stood up and began his trek to the principal's office.

____________________________________________

"I did what!?" Moe asked in horror. His eyes widened with shock.

"Now listen Mohammed. I am aware of your home situation, and it is one of the many reasons why we accepted you into this school. You're a bright kid with a bright future, but here in the North unsupervised violence is unacceptable." Principal Vander stated. It was only them in the small office and a confused Mohammed struggled to wrap his head around the situation.

"But I barely even touched him, that's impossible." Moe tried to defend himself. Staring at the pictures of the heavily bruised man before him. The same man who assaulted him that fateful night.

"These pictures and a few witnesses reported the fight, so there is no use lying to me." Moe's mouth hung open as he struggled to find the words to explain himself.

"But I didn't do this. I mean, yes, we fought, but that fight ended before any serious damage could be done. This...this isn't me."

"Enough Mohammed! I've already handled the situation and this topic won't go beyond this school. Nevertheless, I do advise you keep your head low from now on as to not stir up any more trouble. If I hear your name in this office again, then I'll be forced to terminate your scholarship." The bell went off signifying the start of the first period.

"Go to class and try to keep a low profile." The principal dismissed Mohammed, who walked out with a bewildered look on his face.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Nami had been hearing rumors go around the school, but she kept to herself not wanting to get involved with what ever happened after she left with Moe and May. She casually ate lunch by herself, waiting on Moe to come join her.

A shadow came over her and she sighed.

"It took you long enough, you know I'm not gonna wait for you all the ti..." She trailed off as she saw who was actually standing behind her. A brunette with an entourage following behind her.

"What do you want?" Nami asked the group of people in front of her. They all had annoyingly wide smiles that creeped her out.

"You're that dancer we saw Friday, right?" One guy asked. Nami got flustered up remembering that she danced in front of a crowd of strangers. She turned around to hide her face that was heating up out of embarrassment.

"Who's asking?" She asked not even making an effort to look at the people she was addressing.

"Holy shit dude you were awesome. Do you have a crew with you or are you a solo act." Asked one girl.

"I dance at home for fun, so I'm neither." Nami explained in an embarrassed whisper. "Wow, so you're beautiful, a great fighter and an awesome dancer? We definitely need someone like you in our club!" A guy said as he sat uncomfortably close to Nami.

"Sorry, I'm already a member of the Combat club, so I wouldn't have time to practice with you guys." Nami said, facing them with an apologetic look.

"That sucks, but we understand. This weekend we are going up against Calico in the South. If you change your mind, we can give you one of the solo battles so there won't be any need for practice. Just hit me up when you feel it's proper." The guy placed a slip of paper next to her. The group left with a guy wording out 'Call me'.

Nami was sort of a celebrity the previous year. With her getting recognition for her efforts in the Kami cup. Yes, she had fans, but she never had to interact with them as the only time her fans would see her would be in the arena. After her injury she was home schooled, so the whole popularity thing was completely foreign to her.

"Nami." She turned to see Moe stand over her.

"We need to talk." He said sitting next to her.

________________________________________________________________________________

"So, you think I'm the one spreading rumours about you?" Nami asked, her arms crossed around her chest defiantly.

"I thought you’d be better, I thought you’d be different. Clearly I thought wrong." Moe said, standing up to leave.

Nami caught him by the wrist and pulled him back.

"So, you aren't even gonna hear my side of the story!?" She grew frustrated as he didn’t even turn to look at her.

"Mohammed, I did not spread those rumors about you. I---" Mohammed ripped his wrist out of Nami's grip and walked off.

"Mohammed!" She called, but Mohammed ignored her and walked out of the cafeteria.

She wanted to chase after him, but she knew it would've been useless.

Frustrated, she turned to continue her meal while pondering the root of the issue. Mohammed at least told her what happened, which gave her a vague idea of what was going on.

Feeling her phone buzz she took it out of her pocket to see who was texting her. An unknown number with no profile picture appeared in her message board. She opened it to see two texts sent to her.

That was quite the fight between you and your man, I hope I didn't ruin things too much between you guys.

I suggest you mind your own business or else I'll make sure your buddy doesn't have a comfortable high school life. You're not in control here. The messages read. Nami instantly knew who was texting her and went straight to typing.

I take it you're the one who possessed Brian to try and get a scoop from me, right? I don't know what you want with me and Mohammed, but I swear you won't get away with it.

She sent her message, and it was read immediately. Nami scanned the room for people who were busy on their phones, but to her dismay a large number of students had their eyes glued to their phones.

If I were you, I wouldn't be making threats to someone who knows about Shinji. Nami’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of that name, but before she could type a response the person went offline.

The bell rang and it was time to move on to the next class. Nami groaned and switched off her phone, wondering who this person was and how much they knew about her.

_________________________________________________________________________

The last bell of the day rang and it was time for students to either go home or go to their respective extracurricular activities with Nami having learned nothing the whole day thanks to a certain mage clouding her thoughts. Moe's actions bothered her deeply as she hated the feeling of being falsely accused. She calmed down when she walked in the combat dojo. Telling herself that she'd talk to him once he'd cooled off.

Though the atmosphere in the dojo had shifted from the usual. Everyone's eyes were on Brian as they whispered rumors to each other. Once Nami was done changing she stole a look at Brian who seemed even more troubled than usual. What made her more curious was Duncan's absence as she knew the two stuck together like bread and butter. Something was definitely off and it became more noticeable when they were doing their mock sparring sessions. Brian moved as if he was deflated, and his mind seemed to be somewhere else.

The session ended with a few serious sparring matches and as usual neither Nami nor Brian was challenged. Everyone walked in the changing room which used to be filled with chatter and laughter, now quiet and tense. The whispers and rumor spreading had stopped so there was nothing but the white noise of the showers filling the air.

Something was off and Brian was definitely involved, Nami figured. She thought about asking him questions about the party, but the message the "puppeteer" sent her kept her from doing it. Mohammed was already skeptical of Nami and purposely putting his high school career at risk would only worsen the situation.

She sighed and waited for everyone else to leave the changing room. A habit of hers since she valued using the showers privately.

Just as she was about to walk out of her stall, she heard someone come out of theirs. Nami waited and listened to the persons footsteps. They seemed to have stopped at the stall right next to hers and flop to the floor. A deep sigh escaped their voice and Nami could instantly tell that it was Brian. A door opened and Nami heard another set of footsteps approach her stall.

She heard Brian stand up and almost immediately after that a sharp slap echoed through the entire changing room.

"I can't believe you Brian." It was the instructor speaking. Nami stayed as still as possible in order to hear what was going on.

"Son, as a parent I care about your wellbeing and your future. So please be honest with me when I ask you where you were last Friday?" Brian looked to the floor not being able to look his dad in the eye. He already knew that his dad knew everything so there was no use lying at this point.

"I was at a party, Maze was hosting."

"Why weren't me or your mother made aware of this party?"

"Because I know how stuck-up you guys can get." He answered with his eyes still focused on the floor.

"You were with Maze, correct? elaborate in what way were you with her?"

"We.... I thought that we were gonna at most spend the night together, but..."

"But what Brian?" He asked getting audibly frustrated. "I am gonna be blunt with you. If the video all the teachers received goes viral...All your hopes of becoming the Royal Knight of Newark will be nothing but a pipe dream."

Brian's eyes grew wide in shock. His throat dried and his mouth hung open.

"I came here to tell you that tomorrow will be your last day practicing with us before your suspension."

"Suspension!? But you can't!" Brian argued.

"I didn't do anything. The suspension was placed by the principal himself. If I weren't in that staff room pleading for them to be a little more lenient. Then you would have been facing expulsion. The suspension from the club is a slap on the wrist compared to that. So, consider yourself lucky." Brian was utterly speechless. His feet now rooted to the ground.

"The teachers will make sure the video doesn't spread. As long as the video isn't viral you will keep your position in the school. So, if you know anyone who has it or the source of the video report it and let it be handled by the adults." Brendan left his son in the changing room petrified where he stood.

He rested his back on the stall door Nami was behind and slowly slid to the floor. He dug his fingers in his hair, groaning as he began lightly pulling it. Nami listened to the man break down before her. It was a sad display that made Nami almost want to comfort him... almost.

Brian's phone rang, snapping him out of his depression. He answered it and tried to sound as natural as possible.

"Tiffany? Uhm, I'm still in the changing room, but I'll be out in a minute...okay I'll see you in a sec." Brian stood up and rinsed his face by the shower. He left soon after giving Nami a chance to walk out. She thought about taking a shower, but there was still more to the story, and she just had to know what was actually going on. Whatever it was, she knew Brian was the center of it all. Or that's what she thought at least.

Without taking her much needed shower, she left the changing room pursuing Brian.

____________________________________________________________________________

Tiffany waited patiently for Brian by the bus stop, aimlessly staring at the gravel below her. She heard footsteps running towards her and turned to see a reason to smile. Brian ran up to her and she immediately jumped to hug him. Brian was taken aback for a second, before returning the short girls embrace.

"I fucked up." Tiffany whimpered as tears began making a wet spot on his chest.

"It's not your fault." Brian said trying to comfort her. His hands brushed her back, feeling her tremble under her jersey. They stayed like that for a good five minutes, before Tiffany could calm down.

"I'm out of the student council. Apparently, a video leaked of us in the pool and now Duncan can't even look at me." She said still buried in Brian's chest. Brian hugged her tighter as he knew how hard of a decision it was for Duncan to make. He and Tiffany had known each other far longer than he had known her, and they always had a sibling vibe going on. He knew that decision was hard on both of them.

"It's my fault things are like this. If I didn't---"

"If you didn't what!? If you didn't kiss me!?" Tiffany cut him off, breaking their hug.

"No Tiff, that's not what I was gonna---"

"Then what, Brian!? I coerced you into kissing me, all because I am a jealous little bitch. I'm a bad friend and an even worse person." The tears began to well up again and she tried her hardest to wipe them, but they just kept coming.

Brian stepped closer and cupped her face in his palm before leaning in for a kiss.

"I was gonna say, that if I told you earlier how I felt, then none of this would've ever happened. I knew my relationship with Maze was in the rocks and that was probably because we weren't a good match for each other. I didn't kiss you because you coerced me into doing so, I kissed you because I wanted to, Tiffany." Brian's Icy blue eyes softened as they stared into Tiffany's sky-blue ones. He wiped her tears with his thumb before planting a kiss on her again. This time Tiffany wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.

A black Limo stopped right next to them, ruining their little moment. Tiffany pulled away and walked towards the car door. She froze with the handle in her hand and looked back at Brian.

"My dad is out of town for a few weeks, so how about we go to my place?" A smile sly came over Brian’s lips.

"I see you can't get enough of me." A prideful smile painted itself on his face which made Tiffany laugh in response.

"Just get in the Limo Leclue." She demanded and Brian threw his hands up in defeat.

"As you wish, my queen." He said entering the vehicle. The two rode off into the sun set and out of the bushes Nami poked out, having heard the entire conversation.

Brian, Tiffany, Maze and Mohammed. These are the people I know are involved in this so far. Could the puppeteer orchestrating this madness, be one of these people, or could it be someone playing in the shadows out to get all of us. Someone with a grudge against the popular it seems. Either way, making progress without Mohammed will only put him at risk and I won't forgive myself if I get him expelled. There must be some other way to progress. Nami thought as she tried putting the pieces together.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Mohammed had just returned home feeling insanely exhausted. He had tried to catch a quick nap in the bus ride home, but it wasn't enough. On top of that, he grew guilty for not giving Nami a chance to defend herself. Though he kept on telling himself that it was the right move as it was what he was taught from a young age.

[Cut off all snakes before they poison you.] A message left to him by his father and one of the only pieces of advice he considered useful in the South. Though doubt kept on holding him back as he remembered the few memories, he and Nami had together. Especially when she let him sleep in her house and borrowed him her turtleneck to hide his many scars.

He sighed before planting himself on his bed. As stiff as it was, at least he could lie down on it.

He stayed there for a good ten minutes before forcing himself up. His mother had the night shift, so it was up to him to make dinner. He took off his blazer and tie and walked straight to the kitchen.

He lit up the gas stove using his magic and placed the frying pan on it. He cracked a few eggs and began making some fried rice. A recipe his mom taught him. Once he was done with the rice, he made a chicken soup with some onion rings on the side.

"Show off." He heard his brother comment from behind him.

Mohammed turned to answer him, but immediately changed when he saw his brothers bruised eye and busted lip.

"Hassan, what happened!?" He switched off the fire and ran straight to his younger brother.

"What do you think?" Hassan said in a snarky tone.

"Who was it?" Mohammed asked this time dawning a more serious look.

"Just a bunch of no-bodies from school who think they can step up on my turf." Hassan explained. Moe could tell his brother wasn't telling him the full story, but he ignored it.

"If I was a mage like you and dad then all of this would've never happened." Mohammed sighed and kneeled to be level with his younger brother.

"Do you know their names?" Mohammed asked, Hassan looked like he was about to answer, but held back.

"Listen, I know you want to protect me, but you school in the North now big bro. I can't keep relying on you and Nate. You have to teach me magic." Hassan begged.

"I can't---"

"Why!"

"Because I don't know how to! When I first learned magic, I was really young, and I can barely remember how dad taught me. All I remember was how much pain I had to go through in order to learn it." Hassan groaned in anger and left the kitchen.

"Hassan!" Mohammed called out, but he was ignored. He sighed and went back to cooking. As much as he wanted to help his little brother, he just couldn't teach him how he learned fire magic. He wouldn't forgive himself if he did.

He finished dinner and called the twins to come eat. Greshme came, but Hassan stayed in his room. The two ate dinner quietly and once they were done, Moe washed the dishes while his sister prepared for bed. He tried to talk to his little brother but was stopped at the door by his little sister.

"Hassan says he doesn't want to speak to you." She said standing with the door half open.

"Argh come on Greshme, can't you just let me in." Moe pleaded.

Hassan walked up to the door and just when Moe was about to speak the door was slammed in his face with the sound of the lock clicking.

Moe sighed and just walked to his room in defeat.

____________________________________________________

Moe twisted and turned in his bed as large beads of sweat plagued his body. His heart raced a million miles a minute and his movements were overly erratic. He felt a weight hold him down making it practically impossible to breathe. He grabbed his sheets as if he wanted to tear them off and then finally, he shot up from his sleeping position. His heart raced, and his body was plagued with sweat.

He took sharp breaths as he felt weirdly out of it. As if he completed a 100-mile marathon just sprinting. He grasped his chest as his heart felt ready to jump out. This happened for a brief 5 minutes before he could finally calm down.

He got out of bed to check on the twins who, as always, were cuddled up together even though they had separate beds. Hassan seemed to have migrated over to his sister's bed which wasn't usually the case.

Just as he closed the door, he could hear loud thuds from his mother's room. The thuds came in constant intervals, as if someone was hammering a nail. He slowly walked towards the door and faint groans could be heard coming from the other side. His body began shaking intensely as if he was afraid of what lied behind that door. He took a deep breath and turned the knob, entering the room.

.

.

.

.

.

Wide-eyed, he saw his mother being held down by the throat by a shirtless man on top of her. The man loosened his grip on her and slowly turned to him, his face covered by the shadows of the night.

Fire erupted from Moe's entire body as he looked at the man with intense malice. Moe dashed towards him with nothing but killer intent riddled all over his face, but within a flash, the man countered and planted Moe on the floor while simultaneously extinguishing his flame.

He looked Moe dead in the eye with a sadistic smile on his face. His figure glowed in the moonlight as he straightened himself.

"Hello, son. I'm sorry for my violent introduction but I was still a little busy."

Moe's Jaw dropped when he saw the same amber-colored eyes that belonged only to his family. Fear befell the 18-year-old as every sense in Moe's body went into panic. He crawled slowly out of the door, his breathing erratic.

He instinctively stood up and ran towards the door, running out like a mad man. He sprinted in the cold, dark night. Running as fast as his legs could carry him.

Why! How! He panicked as he slowly descended into a mental break down. Anger, sadness, hatred and fear. These were the emotions that plagued him, accompanied by a sickening feeling in his gut. He stopped to vomit next to a sign that ironically read 'welcome home.' Memories of his past parading in his mind without consent. He continued his run not knowing where he was running to. He just ran, trying his hardest to silence the memories.

When he decided to rest again, he was in Nathaniel's neighborhood. He walked to his friend's house and knocked on the door, feeling the frigid embrace of the night for the first time.

The door opened, but he ended up staring down the barrel of a revolver.

"Mohammed?" Nathaniel asked before putting his gun down.

"I need a place to sleep."

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