My brother was never a handsome guy, don't get me wrong, he wasn't ugly, but he wasn't handsome either.
It's strange, maybe I thought that because he was my brother, but even my friends agreed with me!
Back in school, he was quite shy and didn't interact much with his classmates.
I remember he liked to read his comic books during recess while the other kids were playing jump rope, running around, and getting dirty.
Once, I even caught some brats trying to intimidate him!
Of course, I intervened. I'm his older sister, the only person who can intimidate my brother IS ME!
I remember that after the incident, they started calling me Amelia Tyson because everyone I fought ended up in the infirmary.
Only when he became a teenager and Dad started taking him camping and fishing did he start getting interested in sports like swimming and climbing, and he began to have real friends.
After Dad was laid off from the company he had worked at for over twenty years, my brother dropped out of college and started looking for jobs in various places.
I was already married at the time and pregnant with my second child, but my husband hadn't been transferred abroad yet.
Three years later, Dad had a stroke while sleeping. The doctors said he didn't feel any pain and passed away peacefully.
When I heard the news, I came as fast as I could. I arrived almost a day later.
My little brother hardly ever cried, and when he did, it was very discreet, I think it was because Dad always said, "A real man doesn't cry on anyone's shoulder; he is the shoulder on which people cry." But on that day, my brother cried.
When it was time to leave, I was worried that my foolish brother might do something, but he made me promise to come back and see him, and I knew he would be fine.
So I came back, wanting to surprise him, and what do I find? Our old house for sale, his office saying he quit, his few friends didn't even know Dad had died, and no response to the countless messages and calls I made to his phone for almost twelve hours! TWELVE HOURS!
And just as I was about to involve the authorities, he calls me and says, "Hi, Ame, I missed you!" As if nothing had happened!
When he arrived at the hotel where I'm staying, I was ready to punch him in the face; he would be on the ground before he even knew what happened!
But then, he's not like I remembered. He's more in shape, as if he's been going to the gym for the past two years, but I knew he hasn't worked out since college.
His face was different too, more symmetrical and handsome. But what stood out the most was his skin; it had a light, healthy, and natural tan, looking soft and free of imperfections! At least I'm still taller.
"What the hell!?" I was shocked.
"Sorry for...!"
Before he could start speaking, I recovered from the shock and slapped him squarely in the face with all my strength!
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*slap* *crack*
"KYAAH!" I screamed in pain when my hand dislocated from my wrist at a 90° angle. It was as if I had hit a bronze statue with my brother's face!
"What the heck, Ame! Why did you do that!" He seemed more panicked than concerned, and oddly, that irritated me even more.
"How are you...?" I tried to speak while struggling with the pain, but he interrupted me.
He took my injured wrist with one hand while reaching his other arm around, hiding my broken hand between our bodies.
"Calm down and don't freak out; I'll explain everything later." He whispered in my ear, and immediately, I felt a strange sensation coming from his hand and spreading through my arm. *snap*
"...!" I held back a scream of pain when my wrist returned to normal, and the feeling of warmth and itching became less painful and more pleasurable.
But before it became genuinely enjoyable, Teseu stepped away and looked at me with a complicated look.
"I think it's best if we go upstairs to talk in private."
"Alright." I replied without questioning.
We took the elevator and arrived at my room.
"Where is Christopher and the kids?" My brother asked.
I locked the door and closed the curtains before replying tersely, "I came alone."
"I see. Ame, I..." I think he could see in my eyes that if he didn't start explaining soon, his face would be hit by something much harder than my hand.
"Could you let go of that pan first..."
"No!"
"Alright, can you at least sit down?" He pleaded.
"I'll stay right where I am!"
"But I..."
"Teseu."
"Y-yes?"
"Explain yourself."
Then my seemingly normal and lucid brother told the most abnormal and crazy story I could ever hear.
I really hoped he would tell me something like, "I'm involved with a drug cartel that experimented on me", or something like that.
"So, after you fell asleep in that other world and came back here, did you see a doctor?"
"No..."
"Did you talk to anyone else about this?"
"I didn't think it was necessary... it could also be dangerous for other people to know while I'm still weak."
I was getting angry again. For a moment, I thought he had hit his head or breathed in some toxic and hallucinogenic substance from that comet, but now he just seemed like an idiot with eighth-grade syndrome.
"So, after experiencing a completely improbable accident, you started having lucid dreams and constant hallucinations, sold the house you inherited from Dad, quit the job you worked at for almost 3 years, and spent all your savings on camping gear. All of this without even thinking about talking to someone to find out if you were crazy or not. Did I forget anything?"
"Talking like that, it sounds like I'm an idiot..."
"YOU ARE!" *BONK*
I couldn't hold back my anger anymore and ended up hitting his face with the pan. Only to hear an unnatural sound, as if I had hit a piece of concrete and not my stupid brother's face!
"Calm down, I haven't gotten to the best part yet."
"Calm down? Damn it, Teseu! Dad just passed away, and you act like you want to go with him! You could have some illness, be suffering from radiation, or you might even be delusional! Don't think I'll let you abandon me here alone...!" Before I could realize it, he was already hugging me. His arms were bigger than I remembered, and they were soft, contrary to what I expected, it was cozy. *sniff*
After he pulled away, and I wiped away some tears, he spoke. "I need you to do something for me."
"What?" I asked, now much calmer.
"I'm going to lie down on your bed for a few minutes, and I need you to hold my hand while I do that."
Seeing the doubt in my eyes, he continued, "Just trust me."
He pulled a chair close to the bed and lay down next to it while tapping the chair to imply I should sit.
When I sat down, he placed his right hand on my lap.
"Make sure to keep my hand wide open and keep your eyes on it until I wake up." He said, with his eyes already closed.
"And try not to blink." He added.
Seconds passed as I sat there, watching my brother's palm attentively.
A minute passed, and nothing happened. After five minutes had gone by, I began to wonder why I was doing this, but that strange, almost pleasurable sensation I felt when he fixed my wrist kept coming back to my mind, preventing me from doing anything. It was like a reminder that all the craziness he told me could be true.
Just over thirty minutes passed, and I was about to sigh and grumble about how all of this was nonsense when a silhouette formed under Teseu's hand.
It happened so quickly that I would have missed it if I weren't looking. In one instant, there was nothing, and in the next, a navy-blue stone was there! When I looked away from the shiny stone, I saw my brother's smiling, arrogant, and irritating face.
"See? Who's the idiot now..." *BONK*