Broken Past, Good Path

Notes of Blood and Powerful Emotion

                Noah Walstead sat up in bed, thinking about what Olivia had told him. It had taken some convincing to get Olivia to fetch Bradley. Even though his feelings were changing towards Morgan, he still felt a connection… a need to protect her… and no matter how he thought about it, it was dangerous for her and he was worried. He had spent a long time with Olivia already and he could feel the faint whispers of sleep calling to him. He closed his lids, resting his eyes for a brief moment, or so it seemed. He opened his eyes again after hearing the whoosh of the medical cube door open and close. He found Bradley near the foot of his bed, his face masked, leaving Noah unable to read his mood. Olivia was nowhere to be seen and Noah was glad that she respected his privacy.

                “You asked to speak with me?” Bradley questioned in a flat tone, his steel-gray eyes never leaving his. Noah nodded, cleared his throat, and tested his vocal cords.

                “Thanks for coming,” Noah managed. He cleared his throat again. “Olivia told me about Morgan,” Noah noticed a flicker in Bradley’s eyes. “Do you really think it ok?” Noah asked, making notes on Bradley’s change of behavior and the way he turned away from his bed. There was a long silence that fell as Bradley paced the room. Noah remained silent as he kept his eyes on the man.

                “I am not sure about anything anymore,” Bradley suddenly spoke, pausing in his pacing. “I have gotten word that there is a spy inside these walls somewhere.” The words surprised Noah. “It isn’t safe in here and it is not safe out there, so what should I do? What can I do?” Bradley faced Noah again, his eyes showing the only emotion on his face that spoke everything he felt. Noah lowered his head, feeling barely any pain in his chest as the realization hit him. Bradley likes Morgan. Perhaps even loved. “All I can do is believe in my abilities to protect her and give her the means to protect herself.” Bradley turned his full attention back to Noah. “I don’t like it either but what other choice is there?” The room went quiet again. Noah thought hard about all this new information and found that he also had no solution.

                “When, exactly, did you begin to like Morgan?” Noah cut in, wanting to get to the bottom of the other issue on his mind. Bradley’s face once again went blank but turned a bright shade of red.

                “I, uh…”

                “Don’t be afraid of me. You will find that I am mostly over Morgan. But I will always continue to be protective of her. Just take me as her big brother.” Noah smirked, slowly crossing his arms over his chest. Bradley didn’t look any less embarrassed.

                “That does not make me feel any better, surprisingly. Older brothers, I imagine, are protective and overbearing,” Bradley replied, his face stony.

                “Just answer the question,” Noah said forcefully, his playfulness gone. As he looked on, Bradley’s face didn’t become any easier to decipher.

                “I honestly don’t know. If I have to give an answer, it would be, that I most likely started to like Morgan from the very first day we met, but… I can’t be sure. The only thing I can tell you for sure is when I became aware, realized, and accepted that I truly do have feelings for Morgan. Which was the day I told her of your car accident and the day she said she would never forgive me if you died.” Bradley fell silent again, feeling awkward telling a near-stranger his personal feelings. Noah remained silent, his eyes taking in and scrutinizing Bradley’s form.

                “Can you tell me about the day you first met?” Noah hesitated in asking the question and he felt nervous as Bradley lowered his eyes to the floor. Noah could feel the hesitation in Bradley, even though a small smile, or grimace, appeared on his face of which he couldn’t be sure.

                “The day I first met Morgan…” For a moment Bradley’s face lighted up with an enchanted look. “She was turning nine and my father took me to her house for her birthday party. She smiled a lot then… was nice to everyone… but you could tell she hadn’t had much interaction with the outside world. Her only connection to that world was her mom,” Bradley’s face adjusted again, twisting into a saddened and pain-ridden wince. “That day she lost that connection… her smile… and her naivety,” Bradley finished, his face returning to its usual unemotional state. Noah frowned, his gut telling him there was something more to the story.

                “I am assuming you lost something as well?” Noah intruded. A muscle in Bradley’s jaw tweaked several times before he spoke again.

                “That day, I heard and saw this young, bright girl scream until she lost her voice. I saw all of the joy leave her. I was the first one to find her and I also saw a dead person for the first time. A part of my childhood was taken away. It also forced me to grow up faster than a lot of other people. I’m the one who comforted Morgan,” Bradley let out a frustrated sigh.

                “And?” Noah prodded. The muscle in Bradley’s jaw popped up and remained tense.

                “You know nothing about me. I don’t need to tell you my life’s story.”

                “…No. You don’t. However, I hope… if you truly have feelings for Morgan… that you will get over whatever happened in the past. Or, I hope that you will no longer blame Morgan…” Noah sighed, glancing down at his hands that were crossed over his sheets. When he glanced up again, Bradley’s hands were grasping the handrails of his bed, his knuckles white. However, his face was softer, a playful smirk sat on his lips.

                “Did you really come back from the dead to become a matchmaker and to read people’s minds?” Bradley questioned. Noah laughed and shook his head.

                “Of course not. I came back to watch over Morgan as a brother… and to find my own happiness. Listen… as much as I didn’t like you… if you can make Morgan happy and give her the will to live again… I will be on your side. It won’t be easy and there will be days you are so frustrated that it physically pains you… but you have to make that decision yourself.” Noah yawned at the end of this speech. He settled back into the pillows as he waved Bradley to go away, only to widen them as high-pitched beeping began to echo through the medical cube and the surrounding areas. “What’s that? Noah questioned, his eyes moving back to Bradley, however; Bradley was already zipping out of the medical cube and down the hall.

 ___________________________________________

                After dinner, Morgan Dylan stayed behind to speak with Alexandra, finding her in the kitchen ordering around some aids. The kitchen was so crowded, everyone going around with an important job to do to make sure the kitchen ran smoothly and leaving Morgan feeling promptly out of place. Even Alexandra remained busy, only sparing her enough time to inform her that they would talk later. Morgan exited the kitchen to a chorus of screams echoing off the living room walls. She slowly stumbled towards the screams, finding Jax and Ryland sitting in hunched-forward positions. Black controllers sat in their hands; their different buttons being pressed furiously. On the TV screen, a small split ran down the middle. On each side of the split was a view of an abandoned-looking warehouse. As Ryland and Jax continued to hit their controllers, two pairs of arms would pop up on the screen, both of them holding a gun.

                “Hold up a minute,” Ryland called and paused the game. “Hey, Morgan. You ready for lesson one?” Ryland turned to her, a natural smile on his face. Morgan looked curiously between Ryland and Jax.

                “Lesson one?”

                “Yea, of your training…”

                “Bradley…”

                “Let Bradley handle the hard stuff… Do you want a lesson or no?” Ryland shot back, his brow raising. Morgan felt her heart skip a little.

                “Yeah, ok,” She responded and sat between them.

                “It’s going to sound simple but it is actually hard. All we need you to do is lookout for a bad guy and tell us where he is. If it’s easier for you, you can just look at one half of the screen,” Ryland explained the rules. Morgan leaned back a little, holding her tongue on how easy the task sounded.

                “It really is harder than it sounds,” Jax added giving Morgan a nod. Morgan nodded back to him, leaned forward, and adjusted her eyes to the screen.

                “Start,” Ryland said and the unstoppable movement of fingers on buttons began again. For a moment it seemed like Jax and Ryland were the only two at the abandoned warehouse. Then, the fingers hitting the buttons picked up their pace. The men on the screenshot off round after round at a bad guy that popped up. Morgan was able to yell out a few but missed the majority. As Ryland and Jax passed the level they paused the game once more. “Harder than it looks, huh?” Ryland asked.

                “A bit. What is this supposed to help with anyway?” Morgan leaned back once more.

                “It is supposed to help you be aware of your surroundings. Later it helps with hand and eye coordination… you up for another round?” Ryland elbowed her. Morgan nodded and leaned forward. They went through another scene. This time Morgan felt her eyes adjust slightly and she was able to point out a few more of the men than previously. Ryland asked about a third-round but Morgan decided against it. She left the room all together with a chorus of screams and commands following her out the door. She paused at the glass rooms, wondering what she should do next. Ryland and Jax were playing their game. Olivia was most likely with Noah… She had no idea where Bradley went off to. Maybe he had gone to work out? Morgan sighed, walking in the direction of her room. It would be another early night for her but being alone didn’t really bother her either. However, when she turned the corner onto her hallway a shiver ran up her spine and her gut told her to turn around and run. She paused a moment, looking up and down both corridors. There was no one and there was no noise besides her own breathing and the drumming of her quickened heartbeat in her ear. After a long moment, she moved forward again, keeping a low stance in case she needed to make a quick getaway.

                As she approached her door, she could see that something had been written on it in a bright shade of red. Morgan’s feet stopped moving, not allowing her to move away or go forward any longer as the message became clear.

It is your turn to die

                The message was clear, written in a neat script, and made to look like it was written with blood. Morgan covered her mouth, a sob escaping.

                “Morgan? What is it dear?” Alexandra’s high-strung voice rang down the hallway as she approached at an alarming speed. Morgan didn’t acknowledge her but heard her gasp after seeing the note on the door. For a moment, Alexandra busied herself with something before pulling Morgan into her arms. “My child.” Alexandra tried to comfort her but seemed to be at a loss for words. Moments later, a high-pitched beeping echoed around them. The noise forced Morgan to jump and her breathing hitched.

                “Why?” Morgan let the question slip past her lips in a whisper. She grabbed onto Alexandra’s shirt with shaky hands. The maid’s warm hands ran down her back in a soothing manner, hushing her.

                “We should go… in case the person who left the message is still around,” Alexandra explained softly.

                “Morgan!” The masculine voice drifted down the hall just as Morgan’s first tear slid down her face. She wasn’t sure why but relief flooded over her at the sight of Bradley running towards her. She watched as he stopped in front of her, put a hand on her shoulder, and sucked in some air. “What’s going on?” Morgan opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words to say.

                “A message was left on her door,” Alexandra spoke for her. Bradley lifted his eyes to the door behind them and then back down.

                “Go to my room directly. I will tell Jax and Ryland to meet up with you there,” Bradley ordered. He stepped away from them and Alexandra once again began to push Morgan away. When they reached the corner, Morgan stopped to look back at Bradley. There was a curious expression on his face as he studied the note. As curiosity changed to seriousness, Bradley opened the door and disappeared inside.