9. The Unwelcome Sight

Ravi's feelings turned uneasy and restless, so he hurriedly rushed down the stairs to the front yard of his house. He immediately spotted the unfamiliar man holding a bloodstained sword.

Ravi's legs went weak as his eyes caught a sight he never wanted to see. Lying in the green grass was Daniel with a gaping wound in his abdomen, which Ravi strongly believed had been caused by the stranger's sword. His plain white shirt was smeared with a gruesome bloodstain, marring the grass like spilled red paint.

Tears that Ravi didn't realize had been flowing poured freely as he reached Daniel. He knelt down, grasping Daniel's now-cooling hand. Daniel, who was still semi-conscious, weakly blinked at Ravi, his hand returning to Ravi's gentle grasp.

"Raymond? Someone, call for Raymond. Call anyone. Please help Daniel," Ravi cried hysterically, looking around frantically for anyone who could assist, but no one was in sight. Their parents not being home only escalated Ravi's panic, with his heart racing.

There was no response from Raymond, leaving Ravi to turn to the stiff figure standing behind him. "What's wrong, Raymond? Quickly, call for someone, help Daniel!"

"But Ravi," Raymond said hesitantly, his tears accompanying his alternating gaze between Daniel and Ravi. Ravi wanted to scream, tearing apart his despair as he saw the blood flowing from Daniel's abdomen.

"What is it? Please," Ravi whispered desperately, clutching Daniel's hand tightly, channeling his hopes for survival through the grip. Where were the people when Ravi needed them so desperately?

"Ravi?" Daniel whispered faintly, nearly inaudible. Daniel's breath appeared labored as if his throat was choked, obstructing his airway. Ravi felt more powerless than ever, truly scared. The worst-case scenarios now haunted his mind, making Ravi feel nauseous.

Ravi looked at Daniel, who blinked weakly. Daniel's grip on Ravi's hand tightened, to the point where Ravi could feel his world seemingly shattering through that grasp. He continued to recite prayers in his heart. "Daniel, I'm here. You'll be okay."

"Don't cry," Daniel said with great effort. Ravi's tears poured even harder as he saw a faint smile on his older brother's lips. Ravi felt like he'd been hit hard in the head, his ears ringing. Terrifying shadows danced through his mind. Why was Raymond just standing there?

Ravi mumbled softly, "Daniel, I'll get help-"

Ravi's words were cut off as his hand was gently tugged by Daniel. Then, everything went dark.

No, wait. Daniel?

***

Ravi awoke from his slumber and immediately glanced at the clock perched on the nightstand. He stretched his tired arms as he had accidentally dozed off in an awkward position while reading a book. Ravi had probably dozed off unintentionally for two hours, leaving his throat parched.

Ravi got up from his bed and found Raymond curled up right in front of his door. Raymond quickly stood as he realized Ravi's presence.

Ravi examined Raymond's face, which was marked with tear tracks on his flushed cheeks. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "Why are you crying?"

Raymond's body stiffened in front of him as he heard Ravi start talking, causing Ravi to frown in surprise at his reaction. Raymond didn't answer; he simply looked down at the floor, which seemed more captivating to him.

"Why are you crying?" Ravi asked once more, gently, trying to get Raymond to open up. He wondered if it was Daniel who had caused Raymond to be like this. Did Daniel say something unkind about Raymond?

However, Raymond shook his head slowly and averted his gaze from Ravi. Ravi knew that something was definitely wrong with Raymond.

"Ravi?" Ravi immediately turned to find his mother calling from the stairs, and he approached her.

"What's up, Mom?" Ravi asked.

"Invite Raymond to have tea downstairs; I've just finished baking chocolate chip cookies," his mother replied cheerfully.

The corner of Ravi's lips curled up into a smile. He saw that Raymond was still determined to gaze at the floor and wasn't going to discuss the reason for his tears. Ravi gently tugged at Raymond's still-standing arm in front of the door, leading him down the stairs to join his mother.

***

At the dining table, tea and cookies were already set, prompting Ravi to drag a chair for himself. Ravi's head swiveled here and there, searching for Daniel's presence, who usually sat in front of the TV or roamed around and disturbed Ravi at this hour. "Mom, where's Daniel?"

His mother, Diana, let out a quiet cough, and Ravi immediately handed her a glass of water, which she drank down. He just noticed Diana's swollen and reddened eyes. "Mom, have you been crying?"

"No, I've just woken up. Let's eat," Diana said gently with a smile. Ravi observed how his mother's eyes occasionally fell on Daniel's bedroom door, then back to the food with a closed expression. In reality, Diana never took afternoon naps, which left Ravi wondering why his mother was lying.

Ravi didn't press the conversation further and let it pass. But he kept an eye on Diana, growing increasingly concerned that something had happened to her. Raymond, too, appeared strange; he kept staring down into his tea, stirring it absentmindedly, creating a clinking sound in their current silence.

For the first time, Ravi felt uncomfortable at the dining table with the long, awkward silence hanging in the air. He wondered what everyone was hiding from him.

"Mom, I'm going to my room," Ravi finally said, surprised by the harsh tone of his own voice.

Ravi headed back to his room, not caring whether Raymond would follow him or not. He walked to the window, gazing at the identical houses in front of him. For the past few months, Ravi's days had been confined to his home, waiting for job application calls just to fill his boring leisure time.

Ravi was snapped out of his reverie when he heard a very soft knock on the door. "Come in."

Raymond entered and stood right behind Ravi, causing Ravi to turn and face him, leaning against the window. "What's up?"

Raymond raised his head, and Ravi nearly held his breath as he looked into Ravi's eyes with their different-colored irises. They were so clear that Ravi found it hard to look away. He didn't like how his heart raced, feeling the warmth of Raymond's body in front of him. "I want to see you."

Ravi's brow furrowed in confusion at Raymond's statement, which was too difficult to interpret. Since the dining table, Ravi had felt uneasy about how his mother had sidestepped his question about Daniel's whereabouts. "Why?"

"So I can make sure you're okay," Raymond whispered.

"What do you mean?"

Raymond shook his head slowly, and his disheveled hair swayed along. Seeing that, Ravi almost wanted to run his fingers through Raymond's black strands and tidy them up. Then he chastised himself inwardly for having such abnormal thoughts about Raymond.

"I thought you wouldn't hide something from me," Ravi said cautiously.

Ravi still held himself back from looking away from Raymond. He wanted to get him to talk. However, if Raymond didn't want to reveal it, Ravi was okay with that.

"Ravi?"

"Hm?" Ravi mumbled, raising his eyebrows gently.

"You don't hate me, right?"

Ravi observed Raymond, who was looking at him attentively, his eyebrows hidden beneath his disheveled bangs, waiting for Ravi's answer. Ravi shook his head and countered with a question, "Why do you ask?"

"So I can apologize to Ravi."

The sparkle in Raymond's eyes dimmed as his irises darkened, and his gaze became unfocused. Ravi swiftly stepped forward to hug Raymond's shoulder as his body swayed forward. "Raymond?"

Ravi received no response, only the soothing, rhythmic breaths brushing against his ear, creating warmth on Ravi's cheek. There was no doubt; that Raymond had fallen asleep. But before he fell asleep, Ravi could still hear Raymond whispering anxiously, "I didn't do it."