Dead Reckoning            “When I come back, I expect this room to be so clean that you can eat off of the floor, you hear me?”              To Dr. Jung’s annoyance, Kai didn’t answer immediately and avoided any eye contact with him by looking at an obvious crack in the wall next to him.              “I said, did you hear me?” he repeated with a harder voice. Kai wasn’t scared however, neither when the elder stepped away from the door until he stood in front of the eleven-year old.              “Loud and clear,” Kai answered with his eyes still averted but couldn’t do so anymore when a rough hand latched onto his chin, whipping his head up so he was forced to look the elder in the eye.              “Watch your tone, young man,” Dr. Jung grit through his teeth as he looked down at Kai, “or so help me god, you will never see another light of day again.”              Kai kept his expression neutral, only wincing when the doctor tightened his hold on his face. After another moment, the man released Kai harshly before looking around a last time and turning to leave. The younger followed him with his eyes until his back disappeared behind the heavy door that closed with a soft thud, clicks of the locks on the outside echoing through the room before silence took over. His hands clenched into tight fists when he was left alone yet again.              “Damnit,” he cursed softly to himself before releasing a long sigh and doing as he was told.              He had no other choice but to obey.              The light from outside followed his every step through the lone window in the room, making his heart clench when he dared to throw a glance towards it. How long had it been since he had a breath of fresh air?              Kai grabbed a sponge and filled a bucket with water as he mindlessly looked outside, watching the golden leaves release themselves from the brittle branches of the surrounding trees.              Too long to even remember.              The season was already shifting to Fall, leaving Kai with a feeling of emptiness to take over his body because this meant that another year had gone by without him even knowing.              It had been Fall when he came to this house with hopes that were yet to be exceeded; it had been Fall when his hopes were crushed because he had met the reality he found himself in.              The boy furrowed his eyebrows to keep himself from giving in to his tears and quickly turned away from the glass that separated him from the outside to start his chores.              It had become a daily routine for Kai. Wake up, prepare breakfast and lunch for his brother, see him off to school, wait for his father to wake up, listen to whatever the man had prepared for him to do that day and see him off too as he left for whatever job he had and finally, execute the chore. Next day, repeat. It hadn’t been set out to be his life the moment he stepped foot into this house but it was his personality and gift that resulted in this punishment.              Lay was allowed to leave the house because he was a good son—or subject, as Kai liked to call him because that was what they truly were—and did what Dr. Jung told him to. Kai, on the other hand, had managed to screw him over so many times that it resulted in the trust that elder ever felt to disappear. Because of this, he couldn’t risk his little project to escape if he allowed him to go to school so he did what was smart.              Lock Kai up in the house so he couldn’t.              The boy had fought with Dr. Jung over this because it wasn’t fair that Lay was allowed to go to school, and he wasn’t. It didn’t make sense to him either because his brother was just as much at risk to be discovered as he was so what the difference was, boggled his mind. This small contrast was the obedience both boys held; Lay listened when Kai didn’t, Lay accepted his fate while Kai fought it. It was common sense to keep the weaker link inside, but that didn’t mean that link would willingly agree.              Together with this little favoring came the switch of inner poles. Their mutations came with a certain link; their unnatural change of genetics formed a bridge between the two. It resulted in them being connected in a way that whenever they were close, the pain of mutating didn’t hurt—their sufferings stayed out until they left each other’s sides again.              Dr. Jung found this link and severed it.              He didn’t completely break them apart as this seemed to be impossible but he did manage to switch their poles so that instead of being pulled together, they were forced apart whenever they were in each other’s vicinity. The pain that used to disappear, stayed and made them suffer when they were together.              The once close and loving boys became cold and individual, their brotherly relationship disappearing together with the bond they once shared.              This all worked in Dr. Jung’s favor because Lay, his golden child, was safe from any disoriented and mind warping thoughts Kai experienced or rebelling movements that could taint him. Lay tried to reason with Kai, telling him that it was maybe better this way and that they would figure things out on their own. Kai knew these words weren’t his and that Dr. Jung had the upper hand in this situation—Lay was too innocent and easy to mold whereas Kai was as rigid as a stone.              Still not giving up, Kai eventually went with it but was well aware of their deteriorating relationship and wanted to stop it with all what was him. His surroundings echoed ‘impossible’ but his mindset was strong, he only needed a plan that would save them both.              Kai sighed and wiped his wet hands over his jeans to dry them before admiring his work. The floor was relatively cleaner to what it was and the walls and furniture were all rid of any speck of dust. Throwing the dirty water away, the boy stretched his aching limbs and walked to the stairs that would lead to the basement where his room was. He passed a cabinet when he spotted that one of the drawers that usually were shut with a lock had been left open. He shuffled over to it and moved to close it but something shimmering inside of it caught his attention.              Slowly, he reached inside and when his fingers met with the smooth surface of two objects, he carefully took a hold of them and slipped them out of the drawer. He frowned at the intricate design on the cold covers of the lockets and turned them a few times in his hands to study the small objects. He pursed his lips before opening the drawer a little more to check if it contained more, his frown deepening when he spotted a picture.              His heart started beating faster, the rushing of blood in his ears zoning any other sound out when he ran his eyes over the faces in the picture. His six year old reflection stared back at him with a small smile playing his already fuller lips whilst he sat in the lap of the man he despised the most. He angrily threw the picture on the counter of the cabinet, revealing another picture that was hiding behind it. Another smiling face that was so wide that it created a small dimple in the boy’s cheek as he too sat in the elder’s lap was revealed.              “Lay,” Kai whispered to himself as he carefully rubbed his thumb over the profile of the boy, when his eyes fell on something that hung around his neck. Taking a better look, Kai recognized it as the locket that he was still holding. Switching to his own picture, he searched for the small object and gasped softly when he saw that he was wearing it then too. “What the hell,” he muttered to himself as he tried to think of an explanation of what these necklaces meant.              He ruffled his dark hair when nothing came to him and quickly threw the pictures back into the drawer before mindlessly slipping the necklaces over his head. His heart thumped uncomfortably when the locket met with the skin of his chest, his head instantly pounding the longer it remained there. Right when he wanted to take the necklaces off, the pain subsided and left with the dimmed voices that had been haunting his mind. Kai blinked confused when he felt every single cell in his body relax with a sense of lightness that washed over his body, the heavy feeling that sat on his shoulders disappearing.              Freedom.              A feeling he thought had left him long ago resurfaced again, hugging him in a blanket of calmness. Absolute silence reigned in his head for once and it scared Kai at first because it had been so loud in there the past years, but the longer the voices stayed out, the saner he felt himself become. Clenching his hands into fists, the boy made a decision and ran towards the closet next to the door, grabbed his jacket and shoes and started exploring every crevice in the room for an escape.              “Damnit!” he cursed out loud when he saw no opportunity anywhere and ran down the stairs to his room. It was dark but there was one strip of light that fell onto the cement floor, catching his attention. Of course! Kai’s heart began beating louder and faster when realization hit him.              Acting quicker than he had ever done, he ran upstairs before coming back with a stool. He approached his mattress that laid against the wall and shoved it to the side until there was enough space for him to stand. He then dropped the stool right under the small window and carefully climbed onto it, smiling victorious when he reached it. Instantly, he slid his hands over the frame until he felt the small handle and began tugging on it. Grunts of exertion filled the air but after a few seconds, the sound of cars passing and birds chirping surrounded the boy.              If he wasn’t in such a hurry, Kai was sure that he could’ve cried over his stupidity. How could he have forgotten about this window!              His breathing fastened when he had opened the window enough for him to fit through and tried to calm himself by taking deep breaths of fresh air that blew through the hole, because he only had one chance at doing this. He closed his eyes and tightened his fingers around the edge of the window frame, mentally preparing himself for the leap.              3...2……..1              Breathing desperately, Kai jumped from the stool and clung onto the frame before stepping against the wall and climbing up until he had his head and chest through the small hole. He quickly grabbed onto the grass and grunted as he dug his fingers into the soil and pulled himself up. Tears sprung into his eyes when he saw the vibrant colors of flowers next to him and with a last tug managed to kick himself from the window.              His breathing was heavy and his heart was working overtime but he felt it all; the grass under his body, the soil between his fingers and the soft breeze of Fall that ruffled his bangs. The boy opened his eyes and met with the clear blue sky that was interrupted by occasional puffs of white clouds. A small smile spread on his lips and that only grew when he turned his head and saw dozens of flowers growing, swaying with the wind that spread their unbelievably sweet scent.              Kai loved it—loved it all and couldn’t get enough from the world around him but he knew he had to hurry.              Scrambling onto his feet, Kai frantically looked around for anything familiar but it had been too long since he had been outside, so he didn’t recognize anything. So he ran.              It didn’t matter where he was headed, he just needed to get as far away from this house as possible. Fresh air filled his lungs and spread through his body, giving his muscles the needed fuels to keep working. Kai smiled widely as he ran down the street and turned a random right, just because he finally could. He encountered various people and patches of green but he didn’t stop to admire them—he just kept running.              Freedom.              It felt like he was soaring through the sky with his wings that had been tied for too long, spreading majestically and beating