Rocky came whipping out of the water, the others were his ball and chain. "What the hell happened to him?".

"Yeah, is he okay?" Rydel was devastatingly concerned. Ell wore an unrecognizable frown. They were a close knitted family, and I was tearing them apart without them knowing.

I could feel Ross's intensity, he was staring at me, but I couldn't meet my eyes with his. "I should go check on him." He had burned a hole in my cheek from his constant leer.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." I brought my eyes up to his for a second, just long enough for him to understand. I needed him to understand me the way Riker did, just in this moment. His head moved slightly, but his comprehension didn't match his reckless actions. He began to run after his brother. My eyes crinkled then winced as if I was going to be hit with the final blow. This couldn't end well.

"I got it," I consoled the bunch, and started slowly after the boys. I observed from a nearby palm, careful not to disturb.

Riker was pacing unsteadily along side some jagged boulders. His eyes scanned the sand, looking for something, looking for the right words to say.

Then Ross approached. At first he said nothing, leaned up against the rocks and watched Riker move. There was no gesture of friendship, Riker would try to speak, then swallow his retort, but that only made it worse. His feet stopped moving, he just stood in place and matched his brother's eyes. A simple rage that had brewed inside was now molten lava, fast, fatal, and destructive. It had consumed everything he was, so pure in his ordered world. "You want everything I want! Don't bother denying it. You don't want me to have her, when that's all I want. I don't want to have to worry if my own flesh and blood will try to sweep that damned woman away from me." I felt like a used and slobbered toy. As if 'I found her first' would ever be a justified reason to hold me. I could imagine them arguing over a Power Ranger on their living room floor with a similar gleam in Riker's eyes, Ross tugging at the arm until it came off. Then they both would mutually discard it, losing interest and find a different object to fight over.

"You know nothing about her." Ross rolled his eyes, unphased by his resentment.

"But I want to! I want to know every damn thing about her. What about you? I know you, you just want to know what's in her pants. She's important." From the ferocity of his vent, it seemed like he'd done this before, but a novice to cruelty among his kin, he was foreign to this feeling. I didn't know if he would stop short of physical violence, but his words expressed more damage and pain than any first could. I could almost see steam rise from his cardinal cheeks.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. That's up to me isn't it?" Ross scowled, he exchanged his relaxed posture to that of an ape.

The right combination of triggering steps of accumulated frustration led Riker to spiral. "You absolute piece of shit. You're a jackass, you know that don't you? Don't you! You enjoy tinkering with other people's feelings 'cause you don't have any. What the fuck." He began pacing again, although he had more blood pumping confidence in his stride.

"Screw you man," Ross began to walk off, unwavered.

"May the best man win, and he will," Riker mumbled under his breath. How dare they? How fucking dare they?

It was my turn now. I caught Ross's arm to stop him from walking away, revealing myself to them. "Where do you get off, thinking you both know what I want? Ever consider my point of view? No! You both are selfish bastards. I finally see the family resemblance, you deserve each other." I was seething, but I felt a delicate drip onto my chin. The walls that had held me up must have collapsed. Perhaps the tears would distract from my legs trembling. Why was I so weak? So susceptible to every word they said. I attempted to steady myself with my raw hand. My raw tears. My raw emotions. My lashes were already heavy, tears weighing me down like an anvil. I tried my best to hold back the sobs that ripped and clawed at my muscles. My pain was an open wound, my heart yanked in and out of my chest, I felt absolutely hollow. My sanity was disintegrating at my fingertips. Neither of them reached out to save me, the were busy being awestruck. "I'm going home." Home Home. My empty home in Valfort seemed like the most sane idea I'd thought of all day.

I darted down to the shore to grab my things. The faster I ran, the more tears rolled down my face. The tears felt like comfort, cooling off my burning face. I had admitted defeat. The mountainous climb was steep, but my determination was steeper. I was almost at the bottom when I tripped over a bulging rock. I winced in pain, my knee wasn't trickling, it was seeping, cascading down my leg and pooled on the dirt. I had to keep going, the blood gushing and spurting, leaving a trail behind me. It was more of an inconvenience than anything, due to the severe main mentally.

As I approached the main road, I felt overwhelmed. How could I possibly get home from here? My father was an expert at directions, he knew how to get there even when he didn't know where 'there' was.

I stuck my left thumb out and leisurely walked down the busy road. To pass time I could help imagining my father would pull up beside me, we'd share a laugh about how hopeless I was and I'd hop in his old truck. As if in a miracle, he did appear. A large truck, a man in the driver's seat reminded me of my father. "You need a ride somewhere?" The middle-aged man's eyes drew up and down my body. His scuffed and chaotic beard hid his smirk.

"Yeah, I'm so glad you're here. Do you know where Valfort is from here?"

"Darlin', I'll take you anywhere you want to go." He patted the passenger seat with a wink. I began to climb in, my fate was sealed.