"Is that you, William?" asked Kim, his voice trembling with anger. He clenched his fists, glaring accusingly at William.

"It must be you, Kim, his twin brother,"

William replied nonchalantly, without even looking up from his book. He clearly attached no importance to Kim's hostility, more interested in their striking resemblance.

"It's true, you do look an awful lot alike," he added, smiling slightly.

"Shut up!"

Kim spat, furious. He clearly wasn't here to exchange courtesies.

In a flash, he lunged and tried to punch William in the face. But as if he'd anticipated this move, William blocked the blow with a firm hand.

"Why are you trying to hit me?" asked William, raising an eyebrow, his tone still calm and indifferent.

"You turned my brother into a criminal! And I'll never forgive you for that!" shouted Kim, her face red with anger.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't take me for a fool. I know that every night you go out and steal money," accused Kim, her fists clenched.

"You've seen us steal?" retorted William, still calm.

"No, but the money you had hidden in an abandoned house is more than two kids can get honestly,"

Kim retorted. His tone left little room for doubt: he was convinced of his version.

"No wonder," thought William, "with all these nocturnal outings he's bound to find out sooner or later."

Although they went out every night to earn money, they hadn't robbed anyone. All that money had been earned through gambling, a detail Kim seemed oblivious to.

"I'm too lazy to clear up this misunderstanding. Better let Luca handle it," William thought, resigning himself to letting his friend handle the situation.

"I take it your silence means I'm right," Kim insisted, her gaze piercing.

Without warning, Kim withdrew her hand and tried to strike from the other side.

Annoyed by the confrontation, William grabbed Kim's wrist, pulled him towards him and hooked his foot, throwing him to the ground.

"Ouch!" exclaimed Kim, surprised by William's speed.

"You really think you can beat me?" said William as he sat down a little further away, his tone still calm but slightly mocking.

"If it's to save my brother, then I can!" retorted Kim as she straightened up, determination in her eyes.

"Listen to me first before you put your hand on me again," William said, his voice suddenly more serious.

"Why should I listen to you?"

"Do you really want to put your brother in danger?" replied William, raising his eyebrows.

"Explain yourself,"

"Let's assume that if we keep fighting, someone will spot us and report us to the headmistress,"

"So what? You're afraid of being reprimanded?" ironized Kim.

"Haven't you thought any further than that?" William shook his head, disappointed.

"..."

"Anyway, to sum up, we'd be asked what the fight was about. Later, we'd find out we'd stolen money from the orphanage."

"You stole the orphanage money!?" exclaimed Kim, shocked.

"Not me, but your brother Luca," William replied.

Obviously, they'd put the original money back in the safe, so no one had noticed.

"You're lying! Luca would never do such a thing."

"Kim, look at my eyes. Am I the kind of person who jokes?" asked William, his face impassive.

Seeing William's emotionless expression, Kim couldn't decide whether he was lying or not. William's silence and detached attitude only added to Kim's confusion.

"If he was really telling the truth, we could open an investigation, discover his fingerprints on the safe and catch him for theft. I can't risk getting us kicked out of the orphanage. Our parents are already too busy with their double jobs," Kim thought, weighing the consequences of her actions.

"I can see you're reluctant to answer me. If you want, we can wait here until he finishes his nap," William offered.

Luca was used to sleeping all day after going out at night.

"Well, this time I'll listen to you," Kim conceded reluctantly.

"Wise decision," agreed William, satisfied.

* * *

Luca's point of view

After my long nap of the day, I decided to join William. When I arrived, I was surprised to see Kim there too, looking visibly annoyed. William, on the other hand, was basking in the sun, looking carefree.

The contrast between their attitudes told me immediately that Kim knew what was going on.

"Hi guys," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Oh hi, Luca," William replied nonchalantly, without moving from his position.

But Kim wasn't at all in the same frame of mind. "Luca, you owe me an explanation!" he burst out.

"There's no need to get upset, Kim," I replied calmly.

"Just sit down first, because this might take a while."

"Fine," he said as he sat down, obviously upset but ready to listen.

I took a deep breath and began to tell the whole story. I explained that I had stolen money from the orphanage. However, after making money in an immoral but perfectly legal way, I returned the original sum. From that day on, William and I went out whenever we had the chance to enjoy these moments of freedom.

"But you haven't explained why you did it!" insisted Kim, her eyes piercing.

It was the key question, the one that bothered him the most. But I couldn't reveal to him that it had all been done to save him from his brain tumor.

I didn't think he could handle such a truth, better to hide it for now.

"You know Mom's been working two jobs lately, right? There's a good chance our parents have borrowed money again, forcing them to leave us alone at the orphanage. So I wanted to help them in their struggle," I invented.

Kim remained silent for a moment, his eyes plunged into mine, probably trying to detect some truth in my words.

"So this is what you look like when you lie?" he finally said. "Well, I'll keep that in mind."

What?

"You've seen it, haven't you? His expression is fun to watch," William interjected with a mocking laugh, breaking the heavy silence.

"Wait, what are you two talking about?" asked I, taken aback.

"Luca, I knew you'd done all this to cure me of my tumor," Kim revealed calmly.

"Then why did you ask me that question?" asked I, puzzled.

"To see how you'd react," he replied simply.

I was beginning to understand. Nevertheless, how had he discovered the truth about his illness?

"From the look on your face, you're wondering how I found out about my condition, right?" asked Kim, guessing my thoughts.

Wait, am I that easy to read?

"Yes, like reading from an open book," he said with a mocking tone before adding:

"And to answer your previous question, I found out the night I was rushed to hospital. I just wanted to go to the bathroom but unintentionally I ended up overhearing our parents' conversation on the subject, and by that time you were sleeping comfortably after we'd played cards."

"Why did you hide it from me?" asked I, my throat tight.

"I didn't want anyone in my family to worry even more and start treating me differently," he explained. "So I kept it a secret."

His words resonated with me. Kim had carried this heavy secret alone, as had I. We had both protected each other, each in our own way.

"Therefore, I'm going to join you," Kim declared with determination.

"Are you sure?" asked I, surprised by her sudden decision.

"Obviously, because my life is at stake," he replied with a firmness that left no room for doubt.

"In that case, we'll leave tonight," I concluded.

But Kim, seeming to have something important to add, turned to William, who was still lying on the floor, and declared:

"Before we go any further, I'd like to apologize to William for attacking him."

He stood up and walked slowly towards William, his expression showing that he was taking this act very seriously.

"Please forgive me for attacking you earlier, William," he said, sincerely.

William looked up at him, a smirk on his lips. "It's 'big brother'," he replied calmly.

"What!?" exclaimed Kim, clearly taken aback.

"I'm older than you, aren't I?" explained William with an air of false impatience.

"Yes, certainly, but..." stammered Kim, searching for words.

"In that case, add 'big brother' in your sentence to apologize," William insisted, his smile widening.

Kim hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "Fine. Please forgive me for attacking you earlier, big brother."

Hearing these words, a small smile escaped from the corner of William's mouth. He stood up slightly, then held out his hand to Kim.

"Apology accepted," said William, still smiling, before adding, "How about we go back?"

"What, in broad daylight?" asked Kim, surprised by William's suggestion.

"Don't worry, we'll just walk around so you can familiarize yourself with the surroundings... By the way, Luca, can you ask permission so we can go out?" said William, turning to me.

"Yes, I'll be right back," I replied.

I walked over to the matron, a kindly-looking old woman who was supervising us, and asked her if we could go outside. She greeted me with a warm smile, clearly pleased to see me.

"Wait, Luca," she said suddenly, stopping me in my tracks as I prepared to join the others once she'd agreed to my request.

"Do you need anything?" asked I, slightly puzzled.

"No, I just want to thank you and your brother," she replied, her smile widening.

"Thank us for what?" asked I, confused.

"For the fact that you and William have become friends,"

"It's only natural," I replied modestly.

"I really must insist. Before William arrived at the orphanage, his eyes reminded me of people from my own time."

"What do you mean?" asked I, intrigued by his words.

"As you can see, I'm an old woman," she began, "and I've lived through a dark period in human history."

She was probably referring to the last great world war. Knowing that I was still a child, she used suitable terms so as not to shock me.

"Back then, people had lost faith in humanity and a bright future. Some kept hope alive by dreaming of a better world, while others decided to leave this world. When I look at William, I can't help remembering those dark times."

"I see," I replied thoughtfully.

"But his attitude changed overnight after reading a letter."

"A letter?" I repeated, surprised.

"Yes. As soon as he arrived here, he came with a worn paper, full of stains. He held it as if it were the apple of his eye. William begged us to teach him to read so he could read this letter."

In my previous life, I had never heard this story. However, I couldn't tell if it was true or false, since this world was generated by the sanctuary.

"Once the letter was read, William destroyed it so that no one else would discover its contents. Since then, no one has really understood what he thinks. I don't know what he's been through to get to this point, but he's starting to get a taste for life, and it's all thanks to you."

"..."

"Sorry, I tend to talk too much. Go join your friends and be back before sunset," she said, smiling warmly.

I thanked her and rushed over to Kim and William, announcing that we had permission to go out.

We left the orphanage, the afternoon sun bathing the streets in golden light.

William guided us through the less-frequented lanes and paths, showing me the places he'd discovered since his arrival.

"William, why did you want to show us all this?" asked Kim, still wary.

"Because I want you to understand this place better. There are corners where you can feel safe, even when everything seems to be going wrong," replied William, with an enigmatic smile.

We continued our walk, discovering secret hideaways, forgotten parks and quiet corners.

William seemed to know every nook and cranny like the back of his hand, and his confidence reassured us.

"I think it's time for us to go home..." began William, his voice sounding like a natural conclusion to our day.

The sun was beginning to set, bathing the street in a reassuring golden light. But this tranquility was suddenly shattered by the roar of a motorcycle engine.

Two men appeared, speeding away on a motorcycle blackened by dust and time.

One of them, armed with a bat, leaned forward dangerously. Before we could react, he struck William hard on the head.

The impact was brutal, terrifying. William immediately collapsed, unconscious.

"William!"

"William!"

The bikers didn't stop there. They turned back, their faces hidden by black helmets.

Adrenaline urged me to flee, but I couldn't leave William here, wounded and vulnerable.

"In the worst-case scenario, if I died, the sanctuary would force me to go back and retake the ordeal. Anyway, this world is illusory," I thought, trying to rationalize my fear.

The idea of dying here, in this parallel world, seemed less frightening than leaving my brother and friend to their fate.

Just as the assailant raised his bat to attack me, Kim, with desperate courage, pushed me violently out of harm's way, taking the blow for me. He collapsed, his body hitting the ground with a dull violence.

"Kim!" I shouted.

Determined to protect my friends, I threw myself at the attacker, but my childlike body didn't respond as quickly and effectively as I would have liked.

The man took advantage of my weakness to strike me hard in the abdomen. The pain was unbearable, taking my breath away. I felt my legs give way beneath me and darkness invade my vision.

The last thing I heard was the attacker's footsteps approaching me, before I was plunged into silence and insouciance.