[Dante]

     The oppressive grayness of room felt like a hungry monster ready to swallow me whole. The stress of my investigation weighed heavily on my shoulders, leaving me pacing back and forth, cracking my knuckles in frustration. I was running out of ideas. I plopped myself down on my office chair, gazing at the notice board I had before me. I intended to fill that brown board as in those detective films, but that was far from being real. Still empty, it just contained four adhesive notes adorned with my name and that of my brothers and father.

     My head ached as I tried to figure out a way to add more information on the board, those four lonely pieces of papers which could have been there for nearly a decade—I'm lying—already cried for companions, they needed colleagues.

     As I struggled to conjure up more leads, the thunderous music from Lander's party downstairs reverberated through the walls, assaulting my ears with its relentless beat. It felt as though the speakers were positioned right in front of me, each note pounding against my skull. I am sure even with AirPods and background noise cancellation it could still be heard.

     Just as I was grappling with the overwhelming noise, the creak of my door interrupted my thoughts. Lander and Boris barged in. I turned my office seat.

     "We need you, brother," said Lander.
      I groaned, "I've told you I can't participate in the party, enjoy bro." I turned back my seat.
     "Why are you so boring, come up, let's go have some drinks. You are tired, you need to disconnect for a while." Lander's grip raised me from my seat.
     "Lander."
     "You don't need to worry, I've given the workers money to shut up. Let's go enjoy." He chuckled, his voice perched with immense persuasion. "By the way, we need your help in serving."
     "Okay, but—"
     "That's all we wanted to hear." Boris—his friend—said. "Surely, it would have been a different case if we were to persuade that your other brother, Lucas," he muttered, looking at Lander.

     Minutes after serving, I found myself awkwardly swaying amidst the crowd, I saw how the multitude danced around me as if they were seasoned profesional dancers while I terribly moved my arms and legs. It was not a usual thing at home, if dad had the opportunity to see me, he had surely killed me. He saw dancing, singing and many other as unnecessary shameful stuff that losers do.

     By then, the music's volume which I found high initially was unnoticeable. Lander was right since the party made me disconnected from the case of our mother which already caused me headaches.

     The living room had been transformed into a bustling dance floor, the furniture pushed aside to make room for the festivities. The large twelve-chaired dinning table alongside the mármol kitchen island served as stay for the buffet. The wine bar that was adjacent to the kitchen served as the drinks center. The truth is that I didn't know why we had it if dad hated alcohol, but well, there it was. Lander was tasting the wine that was there with his colleagues—father's expensive wine for sure.

     After giving me a little squeak, I decided to go talk to him, I went through the dining room which was on an open plan between the kitchen and the living room, I dodged the people who were smoking indian hemp and cocaine? And I finally reached Lander at the bar.

     "B-brother, what liquor do you want?" Lander inquired, his eyes turning as if he were dizzy.
     "You know that alcohol and I aren't friends," I said, sitting on a high bench, "and it seems that I'm not the only one." I stared at him. He was definitely in another world.
     "I'm fine, brother, ready to fuck those bitches," Lander said. "W-where is that you brother? He also needs to help us with the party."

     "True, Lucas." I thought.
   
     "I don't know, he hasn't come yet, I guess."
     "Well, he ain't gonna do anything either," he said. "Fuck your a-ass D-dante, if you don't wanna enjoy with me, it's your prob..." Lander slipped through the ground and I immediately went and grabbed him up, with the aid of a comrade.

     "I think you should go lie on your bed, brother." I insisted.
     "N-no," he said, and raised a hand to let go our grip, "I'm fine brother."
     "I hope it's not the opposite," I said ironically. "Well, I'm leaving, don't get into mess, Lander."
     "I won't listen to you. Two glass cups of whisky please."

     "Uff, how annoying you get when the alcohol goes to your head." I said internally.

     I walked away from there and went up stairs to pick up my cell phone and call Lucas. When I dialed him, he told me that he was already coming with a taxi. I calmed down, and I made my mind to go downstairs again but as I attempted to do so, my attention was stolen by the opened door of father's office.

     It was a rare occurrence to see that room open, akin to the birthday of a person born on February twenty-ninth, once every 1461 days. I gulped and began to delicately rummage through the white files that where stuck on a huge closet that was directly in front of his desk. Everything was empty, the only thing that could be seen were decorations of cactus, zebras and so on, not a single significant paper. Thomas was really cautious.

     I then went to look at his desk, there was a piled column of files. I began reading the headlines of everyone and saw one that stated "Family details". I grasped that file and as I opened it the next thing I saw was myself under the desk of my fathers office. I his rapidly since Raven was approaching alongside a man.

     "Hurry up, Thomas is coming today, everything must be ready. Take that pile of documents I'll take the ones remaining on the cabinets." Raven's voice sound upset.
     "Yes, madam." That man said.

     I kept myself tight under my fathers desk, if she caught me I was dead. I began thinking on excuses I could give if she did caught me but fortunately they left the room. I waited for some minutes and came out of that hiding place.

     Before I could process the implications, I found myself locked in the office, the door was closed. I was trapped with no means of escape. Panic set in as I realized the gravity of the situation, the security cameras ominously observing my every move from the four upper corners of the room.

     I had to inform Lander to stop the feast or Thomas would scold him but there wasn't anyway to come out of the place unless with the keys. I sat and kept my head on my knees, I felt like a looser.

     "I'm dead, Lander is dead. We both are dead." I muttered to myself in despair.

[Lucas]

     After I dodged everyone in the party I hurried to my room, but before I could give a stare at my computer to proceed with the pen drive, the unbearable music stopped and at that moment the strides of everyone began to be heard leaving the house. I could see how the surge of people—our classmates—left the Darwell mansion in a haste from my balcony and it wasn't a good sign. A sudden pang of unease sent shivers down my spine. I was almost sure of what was happening.

     I went to check and from above I could see a body in the middle of the messy living room. The man was dressed in black old money style and had two bodyguards in suits behind him. Thomas had returned, and at the most inopportune moment. Lander would suffer for having broken the rules of the household. In a way, I was happy, because that party, which only made me unable to concentrate, was finally over, but on the other hand not so much, since I was sure that my father would look for a way to blame the three of us and Lander's punishment wasn't going to be an easy bearing stuff.

     I rapidly went down. Thomas didn't liked we should make him wait.

     "Good night, dear Thomas Darwell, my father." I vowed before him. Thomas' attention was dragged by Lander.
     "G-g-good day Thomas," Lander scoffed from the couch he was sitting, drunk.

     I could notice how Lander's words stirred my father to fury. The way he blurted out those words showed his disregard. Our Father removed his Sun glasses, threw me a furious glance and arranged his silver white hair with his hand. It showed us how severe the matter at hand was.

     He crouched down and took a white ceramic plate with cigarette butt, he raised himself up and dropped it harshly on the ground, making all the tiny pieces spread through the place and a stabbing sound surge in the process. "What's all these?!!"

     "Rhetorical question, Lucas, don't you dare answer," I mused.

     "Soon you'll get to know what happens when you can't obey simple instructions, fucking. Ass. Eared. Creatures." he said in annoyance, emphasizing on the last words. "Where is your brother? Where is Dante?" he asked.
    
     "He is here," Raven said and Dante came along with her. "He sneaked in your office and took this." She handed a file to my father.

     "Raven!!" Thomas yelled "I kept my office key on your hand, you're such an irresponsible... fuck."
     "But master—" she tried to justify herself.
     "Shut the fuck up!!" he said turning the leaves of that file titled "family issues".

     "Had Dante found something there," I thought.

     "I can't go out for a week and meet my house okay." He placed his hand spread over his face. "Come with Dante and Lander, each must justify themselves!! Lucas!! For not impeding your brother from conducting this party, read all the rules ten times. Now!!"

     They went rapidly with Lander held by one of the guards, he couldn't stand by his feet. The other guard was left to supervise me. I didn't wanted to know what would happen to my brothers, in some way I felt bad for them. Raven... I knew nothing was going to happen with her, just father acting again before his lover to look fair.

     "What the hell made Dante enter father's office?" I thought.

     "Read this stuff fast," the guard said making me startle and come out of my thoughts, "master is surely waiting for me."

     "Rule one. This being the dwelling place of Mr. Thomas Darwell, you have neither a voice nor a vote about whatever he decided, his voice is the last.

     "Rule two. As in the militia, Thomas Darwell's sons have to be trained in the aspects of physical combat and resistance as well as use of white weapons and firearms.

     "Rule three. Except for the high school, you can't leave. You have everything you want here at home, and if not, you can ask the workers. No one is expected to come out from here.

     "Rule four. Perfection. That simple ten lettered word. No fat people like hippos, no people who laugh out loud like hyenas, no teenagers who make noise like crickets, no bright colored clothes. Everything must be perfect.

     "Rule five. Don't help workers in their work. I pay them for something. Don't offer help to strangers where I can see you or guards can. If a grandmother drops the oranges from her basket, she is expected to take them up, no one asked her to be irresponsible.

     "Rule six. Absolute respect to your father and here I don't want any mention to any religious stuff. Also, I don't expect you having a girlfriend.

     "Rule seven. No to homosexual or feminist comments. You must be masculine in all aspects under my domain.

     "Rule eight. No to parties or other diabolical activities: alcoholism, smoking, inviting invaders home, dancing or singing. Everything is abolished, it is not allowed.

     "Rule nine. Issues related to swimming pools, jacuzzis, beaches, or whatever has to do with that are prohibited. You are prohibited to match there, except with my permission.

     "Rule ten. One acquires partial independence at twenty-five and once I check his efficiency, at twenty-six he will be free." I said that for ten exact times before the guard left.

     When I arrived at the house, the first thing that was shown were the rules but under my condition I didn't have time to take them into consideration. Everything changed on the day when Dante decided to ask Thomas about our biological mother. Thomas refused to tell us but I decided to claim that we had the right to know who our mother was. That day I spent two hours in a huge freezer with only shorts and singlet. I almost died under the zero degrees temperature, and if that was shortly, after that, they chained me in a dungeon and made me starve for a week. From that moment I learned not to complain and to give in to Thomas Darwell's decision. A lie, I still don't support him.

     The only time we could fail to abide by those rules was when he was on his business journeys. But when he was present... it's another case. Some rules were good and healthy, like depriving us from alcoholism or smoking but others violated our rights to liberty and freedom of choice and expression.

     When I was done I went to the kitchen and rapidly prepared a vegetal sandwich and went up. There was no dinner that night. I took the note out of my pockets again as I went up the stairs to go to my room. The note kept my conscience under stormy deluge and unease. I was disturbed, I didn't know what I had done to have to suffer retaliation. My cell phone rang immediately and I quickly took it out of my pocket crushing the paper at my other hand and putting it back where it was.

     "Hey, buddy, you didn't tell me anything, how did it go?"
     "Marc... what can I tell you, I found a man in the place and there was an inconvenience," I stoped, "he caught me, do you think it will be a problem? To you?"
     "Like... a man? There should be no one there, it is the property of the police," he stopped. "If he dare squeal to the superiors they might investigate, but I guess it's no big deal."

     "So, what were you doing there, computer science teacher?" I asked myself internally.

     "Well, I have the information on a pendrive, I just have to check it. I'm going into it in some seconds," I said, continuing to go up the stairs.
     "Send me a copy so I can also find out about that fearsome sect too."
     "Okay," I said, "seems you're now interested in that sect."
     "I need something to do."
     "Damn, with all the paper work you do?" I blurted.
      A laughter from Marc was heard. "Yeah but I mean a path to follow, man."
     "I understand... and it's true, Marc that day the wind took the umbrella, I can buy a new one." I took the doorknob and opened the door.
     "Oh no." Silence emanated from my phone. "It was the last gift from my father and mother. That was the last birthday we celebrated together." His tone changed.

     "Gosh. What have I done." I repressed myself internally, and a pang of guilt invaded all my body.

     "It's a joke bro." I heard and I sighed in relief.
     "Do you want to kill a person?" I asked. How could I bear the guilt of losing such an important present?
     "Sorry for that." He laughed "It's just a random umbrella, don't worry. Well, I'll contact you later. Don't forget to send me the copy." He ended the call.

    I sat on my desk and inserted the pendrive on my computer. I was eager to see the tons of information that folder would reveal.

    I hit my palm on my desk aggressively and got up from my chair on seeing the content of that folder. The information I had struggled to look for was just a hoax from the part of Harry. It just said "There's nothing here that matters you. Mad kid". I just felt like beheading that man. I gave the bad news to Marc and he felt pity towards my constant struggle in getting to the Library, but I told him not to worry, I didn't like people feeling pity for me. It only remained the CD, but the player had not come, I felt immobile, like all what I did went wrong.

     I fell on my bed in disappointed and grasped my phone. I had WhatsApp notifications. That never happened. I didn't speak to no one so I was surprised. By then my only contacts were that of my deceased Tabby and Marc. When I opened the app and the chat of the person I saw a bomb of images and thought it was spam till I noticed the first image said had a folder that said: "family issues".

     "Dante is indeed very intelligent." I mused.

    My head and back were slightly placed on my comfortable cushion headboard, my legs were crossed and covered by a white bedsheet and my eyes were kept wide opened as I read through all which was written on that file. It had a detailed documentation of the three of us.

     I couldn't help but keep my mouth wide opened as I read through every snippet of the document. The idea of my father having a child called Arthur Darwell which rushed through my head few times was erased from my head. I was Arthur Darwell.

     I quickly got up and trudged to the balcony to take in deep gulps air, while I contemplated the stars. I felt weird, and rather than getting surprised for knowing I was being lied all through my life... I felt uneasy.

     "If I'm Arthur, then how did that man knew me? He was definitely not suffering a delirium. Who is he?" I mused to myself.

     The document revealed my mother's name and Dante's mother's name and that of Lander. We weren't triplets. Dad lied to us.

Author's Note

Hey guys, how's it going? How was the chapter? Interesting? Boring? Let me know on comments. Hope you enjoyed it. If so, don't hesitate to leave your comments and votes. I'll really appreciate it. Stay tuned. Peace out. 🤙🏿