Archive of Our Own

Cork sat at the window after school. He had done that ever since his sister had left last spring. His siblings sat on the couch next to him, watching him.

"She ain't comin' back Cork." Bricker said, getting up from the couch to grab some water for him and his siblings.

"You don't know that! Maybe she's seen the error in her ways. Helio can let her repent and stuff!"

Bricker laughed from the kitchen, thinking the idea was ridiculous.

"Ya'know she's with a… a girl right?"

Cork looked away from the window, staring at Bricker. Was this a rude joke Bricker was trying to make? He had been acting meaner ever since Kristen left. He talked weirder too. He had gained an accent after he was knocked unconscious last spring. Maybe he had a demon inside of him, or something. He'd have to ask someone. Someone other than his parents.

It was at least better than Bucky. He would just sit there. He barely responded to them when they said his name anymore. He just needed to talk to Helio about it. Helio could fix it.

"Well… She… She's just lost! Helio always finds his lost sheep, right? Maybe he just hasn't look-"

"Are you sayin' Helio hasn't actually tried? Kristen's His "chosen one" of course he's tried. You're an idiot."

Cork waved his hands in front of him, as if retracting his last statement.

"What I meant was if she like, what if she needs to be "lost" so she can come back? Like, um… Like how you have to sin to be forgiven? She just has to wait to be forgiven."

Bricker sat there, thinking about it for a second, before nodding. He at least seemed to agree with him.

"Ma dad are gonna be home soon. We should drop this, we can talk more tomorrow, 'kay?"

Cork nodded, getting of the couch to go back to their room. He signaled for Bucky to follow them. Bucky looked up at them, before slowly getting up and shuffling back to his room.

Bricker and Cork looked at each other after watching their brother walk back to his room. They both worried about Bucky when they could hear him crying over Kristen through the walls. They had seen glimpses of his room, covered with pictures of Kristen he had dug out of the trash when Mac and Donna threw them away. "When she comes back she'll want these." He had reasoned with them. They didn't want to take that hope away from him.

Cork knew she probably wasn't actually coming back, but waiting had become a part of his daily routine. Besides, if she did come back, maybe she would be happy that they waited for her. That they still loved her. He didn't really like her anymore, but Helio loves all, so he does too. He just wished he had thanked her when she saved them.

Bricker and Cork returned to their own room, laying on their beds waiting for their parents to come home.

"Brick?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think… nevermind."

Brick sat up, looking over to Cork. "Well you've already started it, might as well continue."

"I mean… Like… Do you ever think about what Kristen is doing? Is she happy out there?" Cork fidgeted with his hands.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure she's happy livin' in her sins. With her weird girlfriend and her even weirder friends. She's friends with like, a demon Cork."

"Well, I mean demons tempt everyone, right? They tempt you and me. That's why we have to go to church."

"This is different."

"How?"

"It just is!" Brick shouted at Cork.

Cork just didn't understand. Even if the demon she was friends with was Helio's plan, Kristen should be better than this. She's supposed to be the virtuous one. The one that wouldn't falter. If she couldn't do that, who can?

Cork looked at his brother, opening his mouth to speak before hearing the front door open. Donna's voice rang out throughout the house, announcing their arrival, accompanied with food. The smell of Thaco Bell filled the house, signaling the kids to come sit at the dinner table.

They didn't really talk at dinner anymore. Kristen had normally filled up their house with her wonderful obnoxious ideas. Sometimes they looked to see if her Bardita Crunchwrap was included in what their parents brought back. It never was. It felt like all Kristen's favorite foods were blacklisted from the house.

The boys reached for their dinner, earning a smack on the wrist by Mac.

"Prayer first."

The family extended their arms out, holding each others hands to say their prayer. After that, a brief moment of silence followed. Cork always used that time to ask Helio to bring her sister home as fast as possible.

Finally, they were able to grab their food and start eating. Donna spoke up, trying to start a conversation with them.

"How was class?"

"Fine."

"Anything interesting?"

"No."

That was how dinner went most days. Short sentences at the dinner table before they finished and went back to their rooms. Sometimes Donna pushed them to talk. If they complained Donna said to pray. If they had a good day she would say to praise Helio. And they did.

Eventually, dinner came to a close, and Donna got up to do the dishes, while the boys went back to their rooms.

Cork knelt before his bed, putting his hands together in prayer.

"May Helio save our souls. And may he forgive us for any sins we may have committed. In his name we pray, for only his light will help us see the kingdom of heaven. And may his light guide Kristen back to his merciful flock from where she has ran off from. In Helio's name, Amen"

Brick looked at Cork kneeling at his bed, before kneeling next to him. He tried his best to pray, but his mind kept drifting off. Why would she want to come back. She's free until she dies. She never understood them. She got to do the crafts at the harvestman camp. They were drilled on everything about Helio. And that was before they were forced to stay up. Kristen could get the pop quizzes right, while they were forced to clean everything. If there was a speck they started over.

"Brick, you okay?" Cork asked, going to wipe a tear from his face.

Brick got up, shaking his head, as if to rid himself of what he was thinking about.

"It's okay Brick, I get it. I'm sad abou-"

"I ain't sad about her! This ain't sadness! I'm MAD! She left us. She never had to! If she just listened to Mom and Dad. If she just. I don't know. She's STUPID!" Brick punched the post of his bed, trying to just feel something other than mad.

Cork just stared at him. He didn't stop his brother. He didn't know how he could.

A voice rang out from downstairs, Mac asking if they were doing alright.

"Yeah Dad, Brick just… Hurt himself on his bed is all." It wasn't technically a lie. Brick did. It just wasn't on accident. He'd tell the Bishop next confession.

"Well, if he ain't bleeding, throwing up, or dying, then he's fine."

Cork looked at Bricks hand. It had started swelling, with a faint red and purple forming around his knuckles.

"He isn't doing any of those things."

"Good. Now go to bed. Your mother and I have important things to do tomorrow."

"Yes sir."

Cork looked at Brick. He'd have to ask Bucky to fix it after their parents leave in the morning.

"We should head to bed."

Brick nodded.

Their parents left early in the morning, before the Sun rose in the morning.

Bucky was the first to wake up, and headed downstairs to make himself and his brothers breakfast. Finishing their toast and cutting it like they used to like it, triangles for Cork, and no crust for Bricker, a knock sounded from the door. Bucky walked over to the door, wondering if their mother and father was back already. It had hardly been 2 hours.

Opening the door, a bag of gold and note rested on the front porch. In A scrawl Bucky had looked at too much over the last few months.

"Bricker. Cork. Come down here."

The two brothers looked at each other in their room. Bucky hadn't spoken without prompting in at least a few weeks. Whatever was going on down there was either incredibly good, or incredibly bad. But it had to be about Kristen. Bucky would only really talk when Kristen was mentioned.

They both hurried to get dressed, with Bricker needing help with his shirt because of his now swollen hand. They ran down the stairs, hoping to see Kristen in the door.

But she wasn't. Her laughter did not fill the house. Her face did not beam at them. Her tie die shirt didn't give the house a pop of color. There was just Bucky, holding a note, with a pile of gold next to him.

Bucky didn't move. He just stood there, looking over the note. He turned the note to look at the back. Front. Back. Front.

Brick was getting sick of it.

"Hand over the note Buck." Brick snatched the note out of Bucky's hand, wincing as he held the note, going over it.

"Dear my Darling Brothers…"

I miss you guys. I wish I could see you guys. I've moved into Mordred Manor, by Kroms Dinner. If you want to stop by, I won't be there until after spring break is over. Im okay. I have a girl friend, Tracker. I think you guys would like her. Shes cool. I got my friend Adaine to mage hand 10 gold peices in your room, in case Mom and Dad come back early. Although ig if their reading this they'll find that to. You can get a treat from Basrar's. Are your favorite flavors still Peach, Cotton Candy, and Bubblegum? I wish you could answer me. You can Mail Mordred, but I still won't get it until Im back. lol. But dont forget I'll help you get out be there for you if you want. i lvoe you guys Stay safe.

Your Sis,

Kristen Applebees.

Brick looked over the page. There were small circles of weirdly dried and smudgy writing.

"She couldn't even make it look good. She's a mess."

"Don't say that Brick."

"It's true! she wrote lol. Who the Freak writes lol?? And I never even LIKED Bubblegum. I ain't 10 anymore. We're 12 Cork. I doubt your favorite flavor isn't still Cotton Candy, is it?"

"I… We haven't tried any more ice cream since she left."

"And that's her fault"

"I don't blame Kristen! Mom and Dad decides where we go, not Kristen."

"Mom and Dad are protecting us. You just can't see it cause you both are blinded by absolute love for Kristen. For no reason. Look. She crossed out the girl part. She has a girlfriend. She admits it. What's next? Bucky is actually a girl?"

Bucky tensed up in the corner of the room.

"We see you doing all the housework when mom and dad are gone it's so obvious. And I haven't hated crust since Kristen left."

Cork looked over at Bucky. He had noticed it too, but chalked it up to just him being up early. Bucky couldn't be one of those people, could he?

"Brick. You're wrong. Bucky just gets up early. And we should too so we can go to Church with Mom and Dad."

Brick stared between the two of them. "You can have my 10 gold. I don't want anything she's touched. Split it how you like. She literally says she wants to get us out. What does that even mean?"

"Maybe she just… she…"

"She's tryin' to convert us. That's what she's doing. You can lie to yourself but it's on the paper. I can read it to you again. We should just destroy the note."

Bricker picked up the note, starting to try to tear it. Bucky yelled at Bricker, asking him to stop, running up to take the note out of Bricker's hand. All their scuffle did was actually rip the note in half. Bricker dropped his half of the note, while Bucky quickly picked it up, hurrying off to his room.

"I wasn't actually gonna do it." Brick quietly whispered to himself.

Cork looked at his twin brother. His swollen and bruised hand. His cheeks had tears running down them. His eyes just looked at where the letter fell. He just grimaced. Whether it was from the hands or the recent events, he couldn't know. He and his brother used to be able to read each others minds. Ever since last spring he couldn't understand his brother anymore.

Maybe he was trying so much to be the opposite of what Kristen knew that he couldn't figure out who he really was.

Maybe there was just a demon in him.

At least they could go to church on Sunday. Tomorrow. Go to confession.