Fratres

By: V. Kao

A/N: This story contains slash between characters, but nothing too intense. If I go too far with the slash, please let me know. I wish to please readers! Rated M for violence, language, sexual content, and other mature subject matter.

Prologue

He couldn't bear it anymore. The weight on his shoulders made his stomach cringe every second. A dark cloud of guilt loomed over his head, constantly reminding him of his erroneous ways. He felt like Atlas, being punished by a superior power of destiny for being silent. He had to carry the weight of the world everywhere he went. Nothing more. Nothing less.

When that yellow list was distributed throughout the school like gossiping wildfire, un-detainable and relentless, it changed everything between Amanda and him. Now she wouldn't talk to him or look at him in the hall as they passed each other between classes. But even if she didn't seem to notice him, he could very easily notice how hurt she was. He could tell by the way her face was chapped by the many tears that fell from her tormented eyes. More specifically, he could emphasize with her. And every time she passed him by, as if he was a ghost, the world on his shoulders got heavier. He felt like he was going to be soon crushed under the weight. It was like the world was punishing him for keeping quiet.

It didn't help that Charlie was holding a serious grudge against him. If it weren't for him interrupting their conversation at the bon fire the night of the beach party, and having Amanda leave, she wouldn't have been hurt by him. "You thought I wouldn't want to hear it from you. Well, you were wrong." Those were the last words that Amanda said to Kyle in the cafeteria, when Charlie was labeled something like "slut" on that meaningless yellow piece of paper. It wasn't so meaningless after all. It ruined an innocent girl's happiness, and possibly her reputation.

Kyle wondered what she would be labeled as next. The clueless girl? The cheated? The waiter? The reason why Charlie couldn't be faithful was because Amanda wanted to wait. Charlie was impatient. He wanted to frolic with other girls. But that wasn't what bothered him. What bothered him was the fact that Charlie still kept the charade of being Amanda's boyfriend. Why couldn't he be honest? Even when that list was right in front of Amanda, Charlie still couldn't admit it. "It's a joke." Why couldn't he tell her? It's not like he cared about her anymore. He just didn't want the responsibility that came with hurting a girl's feelings. Or perhaps he just didn't want to go through the break up drama. Why didn't he tell her? Why? Why did he have to keep pretending to be in love with her?

It kept nagging at him. He wished he did more. He wished he told her the minute he found out about his infidelity. Now that the truth was revealed, Charlie had shown him nothing but contempt and resentment. He gave Kyle looks of rage each time they encounter each other in the hall. It was almost as if he was about to strike, like a lion in the bush, but he walks on, chin up. Maybe he was confident that Kyle would get what's coming to him for ruining his relationship with Amanda. But even so, Kyle still held his guard up. He knows how easily Charlie could lose his temper. At the beach party, he tried to push Kyle down, but he wasn't strong enough. He kept trying. Will he try again, with even more dangerous tactics?

"Kyle!" a stern voice said from behind. "Are you concentrating?!"

He was standing in front of a table that had a tennis ball on it, his right hand hovering over it. He sighed and stopped staring at it, turning around to Tom Foss. "Sorry, I'm distracted right now. I don't think I can do this today."

"You almost had it!" Tom said, putting his hands on his shoulders. "The ball was wiggling."

"I don't think I was even aware of the ball," Kyle shook his head. "I was thinking about things."

"You were lost in thought?" Tom asked.

"I guess."

Tom sighed as well and picked up the ball from the table. "Want to talk about it?"

"I'm afraid you wouldn't understand," Kyle answered. "Besides, I don't want to distract you with my distractions." He looked as Tom was tossing the ball back-and-forth between hands. "So, how was the ball supposed to go to my hand?"

"The fundamental law of gravity," Foss replied. "In a vacuum, two masses would eventually gravitate toward each other right? That's why the planets orbit around the sun, and why the moon orbits around the Earth. It depends on the size of the masses how they move toward each other. If there is a really large mass and a really small one, the large mass would move VERY little, while the small mass will move very quickly toward the large mass. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"So…I'm supposed to gravitate the ball to my hand?" Kyle said.

"Bingo," Tom said.

"But that's impossible," Kyle said. "The reason why masses on Earth don't gravitate toward each other is the fact that everything is under the Earth's gravity. The largest mass in any given circumstances on this planet is the Earth. Therefore everything gravitates to it."

"Yes," Tom nodded. "But, remember what Adam said. You can change the world. In this case, by focusing as you did before when you walked on hot coals, you can change the gravitational field by altering yourmatter to something as if your hand was larger than the Earth. While the size of the hand will not change, the gravitational field between the hand and the ball should. It should be as though the Earth's field does not exist."

"But the Earth is five-point-nine-eight times ten to the twenty-fourth power kilograms," Kyle pointed out. "How can something as miniscule as me compete with that?"

"Remember, mind over matter," Tom said. "You're in control, not the Earth."

Kyle was frustrated. It was impossible. The Earth was almost infinitely larger than he was. It would be like an ant trying to take on a human. There was no way he could alter the gravitational field. His field was almost non-existent compared to the Earth's. The ball would always be under the command of Earth's gravity. All things are, except for airplanes and birds. Every object thrown into the air had no choice but to fall back down. It was as if the Earth was greedy, not wanting to let anything go from its domain. Kyle would be an ant going against Earth's law.

Then he remembered Amanda, Charlie, and the whole beach party incident. "Lately, it seems like I'm never in control," Kyle said darkly. "I'm going to go home. I'll try and do this tomorrow."

"Fine," Foss said in resignation. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

Kyle turned and headed to the door. But before he opened it, Tom rushed over to catch up with him. "Hey, did you tell that Declan guy about anything?"

Declan. The other part of the weight on his shoulders. Kyle felt responsible for the break up of Lori and Declan. He made him keep all of his secrets. Declan said the box haunted him, bothered him so much. He ruined him. He shouldn't have made him the sole carrier of his secrets. It was too much to ask. But he did, because Declan was the only one he could trust at the time. Now Declan was no longer his friend. He missed him. He remembered when Declan ran interference between Charlie and him before the shack fire during the beach party. When Charlie asked him whose side he was on, Declan said, "I'm on no one's side." That was painful to hear. Maybe he didn't want to admit it, but he would have liked to hear "Kyle's side."

"No," Kyle told him. "I've told him nothing. I don't think I'll get the chance to anyway. I don't think he's my friend anymore."

"Why?" Tom demanded. "Did he threaten you? Did he blackmail you?"

"No," Kyle said quickly. "Nothing like that. It's just that he knows I'm keeping things like this from him, and it's hurting him. He wants me to tell him, but I can't. I know that I can't risk exposure. And now my secrecy is messing him up. It ruined his relationship with Lori."

"Don't blame yourself," Tom said. "He's the one letting it all go to his head. Don't worry about him too much. Guys his age tend to figure things out with time. Meanwhile, do your best to keep this quiet, alright? This place needs to be undisclosed at all costs. If anyone knows we're here, we risk Zzyzx finding us."

"I know," Kyle said. He turned around and opened the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

If only he could have a stronger gravitation of a different kind. Amanda was distant now. Like a distant mass. Too far away to gravitate toward him. If only he could make himself bigger to her, make things better. Then she would start drifting toward his way again. But he didn't know how. How can he fix things? How can he set things right? How can he mend a broken heart? He didn't know.

And it made him feel diminutive compared to her. It was him being gravitated toward her. And it hurt….