Chapter Text
“Are you excited?” Linh Song asked her twin brother, Tam Song, who had been mindlessly tapping the armrest for a couple minutes. They sat on a plane, headed to a small town of the name Atlantis. Grand name for an itty bitty town, she thought, laughing at her own joke.
Her brother paid no attention to her, seemingly zoned out while staring out of the window. His head began wobbling, his eyes slowly fluttering shut as if he was going to fall asleep. She waved her hand playfully at Tam, in hopes to bring him back to Earth. “Yoo-hoo— Tam!”
His head snapped back up, immediately jerking to Linh— though a softness was within his face. “What, Linh?”
”Are you excited?” She repeated, flashing a small smile.
He shrugged. “I guess I am. Are you?”
”Why are you even asking that?” Linh poked his shoulder. “Of course I’m excited! A whole new place! An escape from that hell of a city life!”
”Eh, yeah,” Tam nodded. The “hell of a city life” she mentioned was exactly what it meant. The city they lived in previously was incredibly hot in the Summer. Not a single cloud in sight! The thought of it had Linh exasperated again. Not to mention, Tam and Linh used to live with their parents, who were unsupportive of their identities.
A new place to live was like a breath of fresh air to them.
Linh continued, “I wonder how it’s like to live in a small town like Atlantis.”
”I was looking at the town before the plane lifted off.” Tam smiled. “It’s great.”
“How great?” She asked excitedly, her eyes blazing with curiosity.
”Well, our apartment is basically within walking distance of everything.” He answered, counting the multiple stores and restaurants available nearby. “There’s like, three convenience stores, a super market, and some thrift stores.”
”Yes!” A thrilled laugh came out of Linh’s mouth, pumping her fists ecstatically. “Anything else that’s cool?”
”Eh, some shops and little restaurants nearby…” Tam said dismissively. “We can probably check it out when we land.”
“I’m already so excited,” Linh was practically jumping with joy.
“Yeah— hopefully that excitement will last until we land,” Linh couldn’t exactly depict her brother’s tone; was it sarcastic or excited as well? She shrugged. It didn’t matter.
“Oh, it will!”
A look flickered across Tam’s eyes, concluding to Linh that he was very much being sarcastic. She hit Tam playfully, causing a small scuffle between them. Their laughter came out loud— Tam’s pleads for Linh to stop hitting him so hard echoed through the plane, all of which earned them a couple of dirty looks from the passengers nearby.
Eventually, Tam got a hold of his sister’s wrists, where he mouthed a stop. Linh smiled, flicking his shoulder one last time before opening up her book. Last word.
Tam looked visibly annoyed, but a smile couldn’t help at tugging at his lips.
For a while, they both sat in a comfortable silence. Tam was in his own world, listening to music and mouthing the lyrics under his breath. Linh smiled softly, though the music was like noise pollution to her ears, it made her brother happy. It was his safe space. She had absolutely zero interest in his rock and metal bands.
As a matter fact, Linh liked her music with no words. Her hands fumbled for her old, six year old wired earbuds in her bag. She knew they were old, but they simply played music like no other.
Every time Tam saw them, he’d laugh loudly, almost to the point of tears. C’mon Linh. His voice echoed in her head. To love is to let go.
And every time, she got defensive about them. I prefer loving by holding on, thanks.
How dare he disrespect her earbuds? They were her pride and joy. Honestly, they’ve seen every state of Linh.
Linh popped them in her ears, playing the first downloaded track on her phone. It was a Mario Galaxy soundtrack, specifically from the water level. The memories bubbled up as soon as the first beat hit. Her and Tam playing the levels, taking turns with their busted up Wii. They’d bought it with their own money, earned by doing small favors around the neighborhood.
It hit her like a flood, it rushed back like a wave of nostalgia. She closed her eyes, replaying the same memories she could remember.
”This level is too hard.” Tam whined, handing the controller to Linh.
She grabbed it excitedly, immediately playing the level. “Dude, Beach Bowl is like the easiest!”
“I get distracted by the music,”
“That’s the best part.”
“Just not my cup of tea.”
”Right. You can enjoy your screaming and clashing cymbals.” Linh snickered.
”It’s not just screaming and clashing, you nincompoop!” Tam flicked his hair dismissively. “It’s real music. And it’s cool.”
”I prefer my video game sound tracks.” Linh shrugged, turning to Tam with a playful face.
“Hey, idiot! You’re going to die!” Tam pointed towards the screen, his silver blue eyes wide.
Linh recalled the exact moment where she died, it was possibly the stupidest way possible, and Tam ended up beating the level— refusing to hand the controller to her after that.
”You can’t be trusted with the console anymore,” he smirked.
”I died once.”
“One too many times.”
So young Linh sat there, for an eternity, while Tam carefully navigated the galaxy with steady fingers. He did it all to annoy her, of course. Usually he speed ran the galaxies and levels, barely bothering to stop and listen to the beautiful music.
She loved listening to the music. All the sounds that came by. The orchestra was absolutely incredible.
Tam, evidently, hated it.
“Are you just going to sit there and do nothing?” Tam blinked, bored out of his mind, watching Linh stand there like an idiot in the middle of a world. “Just pass me the controller.”
His hand remained outstretched, waiting for Linh to plop it in his hands, but she didn’t. Frustrated, he tried grabbing it out of her hands, resulting in them fighting on the floor.
Their limbs flailed, missing punches and kicks— until Linh yelled for everything to stop. “Stop!”
Tam was out of breath. “Why?”
“The best part is coming on!” Linh said excitedly, jumping off of her brother and standing in front of the speaker.
A powerful sound of instruments with beautiful tone crashed through the calm music, the horns coming in with a sharp melody and the basses setting an empowering rhythm to follow. Tam nodded in a quiet approval, somewhat understanding what she was waiting for.
“It’s pretty cool,” Tam shrugged. “Now are you going to-“
A hand clasped over Tam’s mouth. Linh gestured at him to be quiet. They both listened carefully as the music settled down, still full and bass-heavy but fun and almost childish. The song replayed, beginning with a soft note and scaling up to a massive chorus.
“So,” Tam tapped Linh carefully on the shoulder after the fifth replay, trying to avoid any contact with her hands again, “are you going to play the game?”
She didn’t reply. Not for the sixth replay, the seventh, or the eighth. Neither the ninth, tenth, or eleventh. All the way up to the twentieth.
“I’m done,” Tam said finally, walking out of their room.
A big smile came across Linh’s face as she avoided laughing out loud. The same song that was playing then was currently playing in her earbuds. How funny.
She glanced at her brother, who was now sound asleep, a soft snore escaping out of his lips. His chest heaved with each breath. How silly is it that he’s the older brother, and he was acting like that?
Only a one 1/2 minute difference. Tam’s voice grumbled in the back of her head.
One and a half minute wiser, her mind snapped back.
Tam stared at himself in the mirror. Nothing was different. He still had a pale complexion, silver-blue eyes and jet-black hair with silver streaks.
His surroundings, on the other hand, were very different; a dark essence encircled Tam, almost engulfing him in a strange shadow. Nothing like the stiff plane seat and cold air.
A strong pine scent prickled at his nose. He blinked, watching through the mirror, confused, at the movement of the shadows.
With every blink, the shadows flickered away, almost like he controlled them.
He snorted. What the hell?
The shadows moved with him as Tam walked away from the mirror. Frustrated and puzzled, he waved his arms around in a frantic attempt to make the shadows go away. He stared, confused, as they grew bigger with his anger.
Tam spotted a bed in the corner of the room— somebody’s, probably, and he considered sitting on it to calm himself down. It felt natural— this small room, almost like it was his to begin with. Hell, Tam didn’t even have a room. Right now, his room was the plane seat. He was careful not to touch much of the belongings in the room, which felt oddly strange to himself.
He breathed in, admiring the room; its dark walls, white trims, simplicity.
Before his finger could reach out and touch the black sheets on the bed, someone had barged into the room he was in. Linh!
Her eyes immediately narrowed upon spotting Tam. “Why are your shadows all over the place? Are you getting nervous about meeting the others?”
The others? Tam raised a brow. “What do you mean my shadows are ‘all over the place?’ And who are the others?”
“Uh, Tam,” Linh looked genuinely confused. “You’re a Shade.”
”Is that supposed to help me?”
“Are you okay?” She asked with sincere concern. “Did you hit your head too hard? You control shadows.”
Since when the fuck did Tam “control” shadows? “A Shade?” He said it like it was a joke. “Are you messing with me, Linh?”
She rolled her eyes, flicking water into Tam’s eyes. Water? Tam’s mind raced. Where did she get water??
“Yeah, you’re going crazy.” Linh sighed. “The others are on their way. Fitz brought cookies. Now you should probably change that tunic before they see you and think you’re some crazy elf.”
Before Tam could open his mouth and give another confused reply, Linh walked out, closing the door softly behind her. A splash of water was heard outside his door, directly followed by a loud oops!
Water seeped through under the door. Panic washed over him, confusion settling into his gut and setting his cheeks ablaze. Who was ‘Fitz?’ Where did Linh get the water? And what on Earth is a Sha-
“TAM!!!” Linh’s booming voice sliced through his dream, shaking her brother and instantly waking him up.
“Wuh…Wha?” Tam rubbed his eyes, grogginess clouding his face.
“The plane’s about to land!” Linh was glowing with excitement. “Atlantis is going to be so cool!”
”Is that what you woke me up for?” He asked, blinking with amusement.
“Duh,” she said it like it was obvious, “did you want me to leave you behind on the plane?”
”Well—,” Tam blanked for a split second. “No,” he murmured.
”There’s your answer,” Linh shrugged.
A comfortable silence followed right after that, both of them remained in each other’s presence as always. Being this close was always natural to them. After all, they only had each other.
“Hey Linh,” Tam broke the long silence. “Let me tell you about this crazy dream I had,”
She instantly perked up. “You had a dream? You never have dreams!”
Linh looked incredibly confused by the time Tam was finished retelling his dream.
“Wait,” she raised a brow, “so you’re telling me, that in this dream, we had like— super powers?”
”Yeah.” Tam nodded, “you seemingly controlled water. And apparently I controlled the ‘shadows.’”
”Oooh, edgy. Just like you.”
Tam rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
“And… we were like ‘elves’ in this?” Linh couldn’t help but laugh. “Intriguing.”
”We looked nothing like elves.” Tam scoffed, “no pointy ears…”
”Or tall hats and pointed shoes?” Linh asked excitedly. “Were we super short?”
He shook his head. “No elf traits at all.”
“Huh,” she mumbled.
The conversation promptly ended there, besides a few excited remarks from Linh about the plane landing. Tam had been sick of it by the time plane finally landed.
“Tam, I’m so excited!” Linh said once again. “New people, new restaurants, new stores! Everything here is new to us!”
For what felt like the thousandth time, Tam nodded. His head felt like it was going to fall off at any moment. “That’s great. I’m excited too.”
The warm air instantly hit Tam like a truck as he stepped off the plane. It was warm and sunny, yet still maintained a small breeze to keep things cool. The climate here was already winning him over.
“Weather here is incredible.” Tam breathed in.
“Look at the mountains past the airport!” Linh pointed to the outskirts of the town, where big, gorgeous mountains presented themselves. Their peaks were still white with snow.
“It’s beautiful,” he murmured in awe.
The sky was bright blue, with a couple of fluffy clouds scattered in the sky. Tam stared up, enjoying the strong breeze that swept through the air. His hair blew in many directions, a twinge of annoyance flashed through him— but damn, this weather was nice.
“Your bangs are getting messed up,” Linh pointed out through a mouthful of hair. His sister definitely had it worst. Her hair was long and luscious, and it was for sure getting ruined with the wind.
“Hah,” he laughed. “Look at yours!”
Her cheeks flashed a bright pink color in embarrassment as her hands reached out to touch it, immediately feeling all the small tangles forming. “I just brushed it on the plane!”
The breeze calmed down to a soft wind that blew in between their fingers and strands of their hair. Tam took the opportunity to smooth out his bangs.
From the airport, they took their belongings and immediately took a cab to Atlantis. It was only an hour away from the airport.
“I forgot we don’t immediately land in Atlantis,” Linh grumbled.
The corners of Tam’s lips curved upward as he fought a big laugh. “Did you think we were going to land in Atlantis? Oh yeah, the pilot was just going to land in the middle of the town. There was also going to be this big welcoming party for us. Did you know that?”
Sarcasm laced his tone thickly, angering Linh and earning Tam a beating for life. After the fifth punch, he was already begging for mercy. “Okay— chill out! I was just kidding,”
“Well,” Linh smirked after punching her brother hard in the shoulder, “I didn’t find it very funny.”
”Yeah. Clearly.” He huffed in response.
The remaining duration of the car ride was quiet. The driver didn’t say much, besides a calm greeting and a question about their music taste. When they both gave completely different answers, he looked confused, and simply played what was on the radio. This satisfied none of their musical desires, but it was fair.
Linh stared out of her window, it lacked a strong tint, so she was able to see the outside world with a mostly authentic view. The busy city that was bustling with traffic, people, and tall buildings, seemed to quiet down as the taxi entered the freeway.
It was almost like giving Linh a last taste of her old life, that she didn’t really want— but it felt necessary. It was like finally letting go.
She liked the sound of that. Letting go.
Letting go of something that was once a part of you.
As they entered the freeway, a heavy weight that had been on her shoulders for her whole life felt like it had been lifted. She felt like she could sit up straight without the feeling of a burden hanging off of her. Linh stared at her reflection in the window. Her eyes were glossy, her hair tangled and disheveled, her white shirt and jean shorts were wrinkled; an appearance that would’ve never been accepted back home.
Home. Her brain almost gagged.
Back at the city, she corrected herself.
Linh could finally be herself without being suffocated. She glanced at Tam, who was staring outside of the window. He wore the clothes he always wore: alternative, different, something that screamed I am me. The outfit was inherently simple. A black graphic tee with a striped grey and white long-sleeve under, paired with a silver chain and colorful bracelets given to him by Linh. His baggy jeans were ripped, unacceptable, her mom’s voice rang in her mind.
Tam was always the rebellious one. He fought with their parents, slammed doors, sneaked out when he was grounded. To him, it was easy being himself, Linh thought. And for a while, Linh couldn’t.
Because she didn’t even know who she was.
To her, if Tam was the rebellious one, she had to be the careful one. The one that was quiet, good, and did as told.
When Tam first saw her in action, listening to her parents, he snorted. It was absolutely absurd to him.
Despite how much she sucked up to their parents, it always seemed like they hated her more. Tam was rebellious, sure, but he was their son. Linh was the daughter, born a minute and a half later, therefore making her younger and irrelevant.
Tam was forgiven. Linh was not.
And he hated it. He hated how they treated Linh.
He took the blame for most of the things she did, though none of them were dramatically out of line. Simple things: breaking the salt shaker, misplacing the batteries… things easily replaceable.
She glanced at her brother, a strong flood of gratitude overcoming her from head to toe. Tam cared for her so much. He protected her with all of his strength when times got rough. He was like a shield to her, an edgy one at that, but she couldn’t have been more grateful for a brother like Tam.
Linh smiled, staring at Tam, wondering if he ever thought about those vulnerable moments. Maybe he thought about it all the time. Or maybe it was a one-time sort of thing. Perhaps, he forgot.
It didn’t really matter. Because Linh remembered. All of it.
Her brother was her hero.
She’d never admit it to his face though.
Tam gently shook his sister awake. “Linh.”
She managed to get her first hour of sleep after staying awake on the five hour plane ride and was asleep like a statue.
“Linh!” He spoke louder, shaking his sister like a ragdoll.
Her eyelids fluttered open, her jaws parting themselves in a huge, contagious yawn that spread to Tam and the driver. “Wha?” She asked, confused.
“We’re in Atlantis,” Tam smiled. “C’mon, let’s get our stuff and go to the apartment.”
”ATLANTIS?!” Linh’s groggy attitude was immediately replaced with overflowing energy. She practically jumped out of the car, quickly grabbing her luggage and bags.
Tam quietly thanked the cab driver, paying him a hefty tip and coming around the street to meet his sister at the sidewalk.
“Oh my gosh, Tam,” Linh jumped from foot to foot. “We made it!”
His sister’s joyous presence couldn’t help but spread to Tam as well. His heart raced with shared warmth, nerves creeping at the edges but still overran with excitement. “We made it.” He repeated.
We made it.