Across the room, Aiden carefully packed his bag, his movements hesitant. He knew Max was hurting, both physically and emotionally. Sarah's name, the catalyst for the whole mess.
"Maybe you should skip class today man" Aiden suggested
"Those wounds look pretty nasty."
Max grunted, "Dude class starts in an hour, I can't miss another lecture."
"Look," Aiden sighed
"I get you don't want to fall behind, but you're literally in no shape. You barely slept last night"
Max shrugged "I'll be fine. Besides, fresh air might do me some good. Plus, I can't exactly explain the bruises to our professor without raising eyebrows."
"Fine," he relented, "but at least let me patch you up"
Max cleared his throat. "By the way, I know you don't remember much, but... what exactly happened back at the warehouse?" He gestured vaguely
Aiden sighed "Honestly, Max, I don't remember much either. Everything's just... fuzzy after those guys jumped us." He ran a hand through his hair
"But... how did the guys get knocked out? And where'd Mark go?" Max pressed
Aiden shook his head
"I swear, the next time I knew, I woke up here, in our dorm, with a pounding headache. That's it."
Max stared at his friend, searching for any sign of deceit. But Aiden's face held only genuine confusion, a reflection of his own turmoil
"Do you think… maybe you did something? Like, with those guys?"
"Maybe you just used all your adrenaline fighting them off," Max offered tentatively
Aiden chuckled humorlessly. "Fighting them off? Max, I wouldn't know how to fight off a fly right now."
"I don't know man, I woke up to you lying unconscious on the floor. Must have been one heck of a fight." Max replied
Aiden chuckled weakly. "Though, I don't recall throwing a single punch."
Aiden gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"But at least they're gone and we're both okay. That's what matters, right?"
"But how?" Max's voice laced with frustration. "Those guys were huge and there's no way you could have taken them all on your own"
Aiden's shoulders slumped. "I know, it doesn't make sense. Maybe the cops showed up or something"
Max responded. "They were knocked out cold, some in positions… well, let's just say a human fist wouldn't do that."
"Look," Aiden finally said, his voice strained.
"Trust me, I wouldn't hurt a fly. Literally. Remember that time I tried to swat a wasp and ended up knocking over a whole flower pot?"
"Seriously man, what other explanation is there? You think I suddenly turned into superman?"
He gave a humorless laugh. "Me? The guy who can't even swat a fly without missing?"
Aiden sighed "We've been over this man. I don't remember much after you went down. Maybe the stress got to you"
"Max," Aiden lowered his voice.
"I promise, if I remember anything, anything at all, I'll tell you. But right now, I have nothing."
Max slumped back in his chair, defeated for the moment.
Max knew Aiden wasn't a fighter – he'd seen him struggle to open a pickle jar. Yet, there he was, claiming amnesia about a situation that reeked of the impossible.
Max forced a smile. "Yeah, maybe you're right," he mumbled
Max glanced at the clock on the wall.
"we're going to be late for class if we don't get moving, we don't want to get caught unprepared, right?"
They both grabbed their backpacks and headed out the door. The weight of the warehouse incident still lingered, a shadow at the back of their minds
Reaching their apartment, Maya was greeted by the familiar sight of David reading a book by the window. Lily was curled up on the couch, engrossed in a painting.
Leo, however, was conspicuously absent.
"There you are," David said, setting his book down as Maya entered. "How was Aiden?"
"He's doing well," Maya responded, a smile gracing her lips. "He seems happy, making friends."
Lily looked up from her painting. "Did you tell him… anything?"
Maya's smile faltered. "Not yet. He seems overwhelmed with college already. Maybe when things settle down…"
The door creaked open, and Leo walked out from his room
"Leo," David began, his voice firm yet gentle.
"Mom's back. Maybe you could take those headphones off for a second and…"
Leo ripped off his headphones, "What?"
Leo's nostrils flared. "If it's about Aiden again, I made it abundantly clear I have nothing to say about that imposter."
"He doesn't need my support," Leo added.
"Don't you dare say you don't care about Aiden" Lily snapped.
"He's your brother whether you choose to believe it or not. All these years you've held onto this resentment, this jealousy, and now you want to throw it all away?"
Leo bristled "Jealousy? Where does that even come from?"
Lily's voice rose
"Don't play dumb, you've always felt like Aiden was the golden child, the one who got all the attention. But that's not true, You were just as loved, just as important."
"Easy for you to say," Leo shot back
"You were always the one who did everything right. While I…" his voice trailed off
"While you what, Leo?" Lily challenged
"While you pushed everyone away, built walls around yourself? Aiden wasn't the only one who felt like an outsider."
"That doesn't give you the right to turn your back on your family, on Aiden."
Leo threw his hands up in exasperation. "This isn't about family anymore, this is about some crazy story you cooked up to explain why this stranger suddenly showed up in our lives"
"Stranger?" Lily scoffed.
"He was a little boy who needed a home, who needed love. And we gave him that. Or did you conveniently forget about the years we spent building a life together?"
"Alright then." Leo spat.
"So, enlighten me, sis. What exactly is this earth-shattering evidence that Aiden's secretly some kind of interdimensional sorcerer? Does he levitate furniture in his sleep? Shoot lasers out of his eyes? Maybe he has a pet dragon stashed in his dorm room?"
Lily's fists clenching at her sides. "Don't be ridiculous."
"Oh, so now he's a ticking time bomb too?" Leo scoffed
Maybe you should just bubble wrap him and keep him locked away in area 51. Safer for everyone that way, wouldn't you say?"
His gaze darted to Maya, who sat huddled beside David
"And you, Mom," he said
"I reacted exactly how you thought I would. Because guess what? This whole thing is insane."
"Fine," Lily said finally, her voice hoarse.
"If that's what you want to believe, then so be it. But just know this, Leo," her voice
"Aiden is our brother. And whether you accept him or not, he's a part of this family. And if anything ever happens to him, because you refused to believe the truth, I will never forgive you for that."
With that, Lily stormed out of the living room, leaving Leo standing alone amidst the wreckage of their conversation.