Introducing Luke: another sneak peek/teaser

Here's something I wrote today.

Luke sighed and opened his eyes as a ray of sunlight fell across his face. He could not gather the will to move. He never could. He felt something gnawing away at his very soul- not worry or anticipation, but something darker and deeper… something that wanted nothing more than to consume him alive. Something more familiar and reliable than the beats of his own heart.

These were the moments he lived for. No one was counting on him to be strong and keep it together. In these few precious seconds were the peace and vulnerability he so longed to express.

His thoughts reached true clarity as the fleeting moment faded along with the forgotten last fragments of his dreams. The responsibility of his stature weighed down on his free-spirited chest and brought him back to the contrast-less bitter reality of his life. He closed his eyes and shut it out. He would not face this day.

He felt her next to him.. their bodies pressed together under the thin material. He smelled the sweat and grime on his body almost masking her light, intoxicating scent. He shut his eyes tighter. Their heart beats were one in perfect synchronization. The resonating vibrations of her voice seeped through her voice in her sleep. She was real. She was real. This was real.

He opened his eyes. She was gone. He was alone. Fading.

He sat up and let his face interlacedly grate into his fingers and palms. Paused. Closed his eyes. Exhaled.

The sound of Reece lifting his head drew Luke out of his haze.

“What’s wrong?”

The soft voice echoed through the receding fog in his mind. He shouldn’t have waited so long. Dwelling in honesty would lead to pain and fear.

“Get up.”

He let his hands fall from his face and rose. “Let’s go.”  He hardened himself against weak gentleness with burning anger and bitterness. “I said get up.” His voice was shaking with the rage he could never control. He glanced over at the motionless, studying expression. Reece wasn’t moving. Luke knelt on one excruciating knee and pushed himself off of the ground.  In two strides he was standing over his brother with his knife drawn. He hovered above the younger boy, ready to lunge at the first brave word spoken. He shifted his weight away from his injured leg. Reece was still silently waiting. “What! What do you want?” he could hear his words losing power. “Stop staring at me! Get up.” He condensed his shaky words into a sharp, intense order.

Reece still didn’t move. With a roar Luke hurled his knife into the floor almost too near to his brother’s head. He refused to limp as he stormed out of the room before he could see the spark of fear in Reece’s eyes.