Aaron lifted a spork to his lips and nibbled on a piece of egg. He was starving, yet with him being so anxious, it was difficult for him to stomach the food. He glanced at his brothers and saw that they also toyed with their meals. Five only gazed at his tray with a somber expression; he hadn't even touched it.

Mica looked at Five and sighed. "C'mon, eat up. You know how much the Armed men hate when food is wasted. You don't wish to get in trouble do you?"

Five pouted and shook his head. "No." His voice was small.

He forced himself and took a few bites, but then stopped again. When Caesar disappeared, his appetite also vanished. Aaron set his plastic spork on his tray and looked around, making sure no Armed man was near them.

He spoke in a hushed voice. "What... do you guys think about what happened yesterday? Why was Kole so... interested in the idea of escaping? He came out of nowhere. The whole thing was just... bizarre."

Mica closed his eyes and sighed. "I think anybody would be excited about the possibility of escape. His interest is no surprise to me, but he's a moron for thinking we'd ever let him in on anything." He scowled. "He's fortunate that you two stopped me. I think I would've done regrettable things to his mind if you hadn't."

Noah stabbed his spork in a piece of french toast. "Bastard can choke and die for all I care."

"Do you think... Kole has us under his radar? You think he'd report us for not telling him about the outside?" Aaron swallowed hard, his Adam's Apple bobbing. "W-What if he does and... and we're condemned for capital punishment? What if... what if we disappear like Caesar?"

Mica looked at him. "Aaron, calm down. You're being too loud."

"I-I'm sorry." Aaron lowered his chin.

"It's okay. Just take a few deep breaths and relax. Listen closely, even if we are in his radar, I don't think he'd report us. If he does, that means we disappear, and if that happens he won't get the info he needs. If we stay cautious and watch what we say around him, we should be good."

"Piece of sewage," Noah said, angrily chomping on his food. "Who does he think he is? Son of a gun thinks he can intimidate us. I'd like to tear out his pride and force that crap down his throat. Hopefully he—"

A tray clattered against the table. They all looked up and were awestruck as they saw Caesar set himself between Aaron and Five.

Interestingly, another boy left his seat and followed Caesar to his table; yet, he kept a large distance in between them. He wore a green collar and ate by himself. The greenie appeared to mind his own business, so nothing about him really stuck out.

Caesar smiled, gazing at them with tired eyes. "Sorry, I'm late guys. The Armed men gave me lots of trouble this morning." Caesar was handcuffed with a special Fore-Light reducing material. Heavy chains hung between his ankles and made clanging sounds with each slight movement. "It's been such a long time, and... I've missed you all so much."

Aaron choked up. "Th-They let you come back?"

Mica couldn't relax his widened eyes. He had for sure assumed that Caesar was done for. "Caesar, we... thought you were dead."

Tears glistened in Five's eyes. He wept and threw himself against Caesar's chest, embracing him. "Big brother... why?" He clamped his fingers tighter onto Caesar's clothes. It was as if Five thought if he'd let go, Caesar would disappear again. "Why were you gone... for so long? I missed you."

Caesar was moved beyond words and felt himself choking up. He tried to hug Five back, but it was difficult being cuffed; so, he lowered his neck and rested his cheek on Five's head, trying his best to comfort him.

"I'm sorry I didn't come back for a while—it was beyond my control. But there wasn't a day I didn't think of you guys."

"I can't believe this is real! Holy sh—"

"Noah, haven't I told you before to never talk like that?" Caesar lifted his head. "You're picking up the Armed men's vulgar language. Everything about them is disgusting, so don't copy their ways. Please."

Noah shook his head and laughed. "Sorry, bro. You know me. Things slip out sometimes."

Caesar sighed then smiled. "I guess there's nothing I can do about it then." He carefully untwisted his water bottle and brought it to his lips and drank. "So, how have you guys been? I hope you haven't been too worried about me." He took a bite out of a hash brown.

"Are you kidding? We were worried sick! Five took it the worst, though. This is literally the first time he's smiled since you left. And now he's even eating without us needing to force him. He almost got in trouble for not finishing his breakfast the other day. Aaron and I had to eat it before any Armed man noticed." Noah giggled softly.

"Is that so?" Caesar gazed at Five and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, I made you so worried, but you don't have to worry about me disappearing ever again. I'll always be here with you. Okay?"

Five nodded while having his spoon in his mouth. Caesar lifted his chained hands and patted Five's head. "Atta boy."

Caesar turned and saw all their curious faces. He knew they wondered what happened to him. He was a bit hesitant to explain and relive the horrific events of two weeks ago, but they deserved to know. It wasn't right for them to stay in the dark any longer.

Mica opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, and bit the inside of his lip. "Never mind, it's not... important." He turned his head.

Caesar looked down and nervously tapped the table a few times. "I know you're all curious about what happened to me. Don't worry, I'll... tell you everything." He cleared his throat.

Aaron was concerned when he saw him. "But... you don't have to if it's too painful. We'll understand."

He smiled at him and patted his shoulder in appreciation. "No, it's alright. You guys are my family, therefore you deserve an explanation."

"You sure?" Mica asked.

Caesar nodded. "What kind of person would I be if I kept things from you?"

They accepted his response and nodded their heads. Even though it was painful to relive the horrific incident, Caesar told them anyway. All the events that lead to his punishment and after the fact.

"So, all this happened because of your altar?" Mica rubbed the back of his neck.

Aaron's eyes became doleful. "Why is he... like that? With all the trouble he's caused you... it's like he gets a kick out of bringing you trouble."

"I don't know. He's always been violent. But after my punishment I realized he's calmed down quite a bit."

"Good," Mica said. "He better stay that way. I'm sick of him always getting you in trouble."

Caesar smiled, but it swiftly faded away. "But that's not everything. I've been contemplating on whether or not I should tell you this other bizarre thing, but I trust you guys with everything, so there's no point in keeping this to myself."

After a short pause, Noah asked, "Well, what is it? You're killing me with suspense."

Caesar gazed at them and saw how intently they watched him. He sighed and went on to tell them the whole story about the girls. They were confused at first, not understanding what a girl was or how they were able to get into his room without getting spotted. But Caesar told them about Kara's invisibility Fore-Light. That pretty much explained how they went inside unnoticed.

Noah sat back and whistled. "Man, that's weird."

"I've told you guys about them so you would be able to protect them if anything ever happens to me. Just like you all, they are also a part of my family—my little sisters; and they're yours too."

"Little... sisters?"

"Yes, Five." Caesar patted his head. "But for you I think it's more fitting to call them big sisters. Okay?"

"Okay." Five smiled.

Even though the boys still tried to process what he said, they nodded their heads anyways and swore a pledge to Caesar.

After that, no one said anything for a long time, so Caesar used the opportunity to eat. But then suddenly, Mica spoke.

"Caesar, do you mind if I ask you... a question?" Mica clenched onto his pants, wrinkling them.

Caesar saw that Mica was serious; so, he set down his utensil and gave him his undivided attention.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Are you... still curious about the letter you found all those months ago?"

Caesar was stunned. Wrinkling the skin between his brows, he couldn't grasp why Mica would ask him about the letter of all things.

"Yeah, it's... always in the back of my mind." Caesar lifted a brow. "Why?"

"I was just curious if you're still interested in knowing its contents."

Caesar didn't have the words to express his confusion. "Where is this coming from?"

"What would you say if I told you I'm willing to search your memories and find the letter?"

"I-I thought you... despised that idea."

"I did. But that was until I realized how selfish that was."

"Who told you it was selfish? You were just trying to look out for me." Caesar shook his head. "No, you don't have to if you don't want to. Don't force yourself because of me."

"But that's the thing. I really want to." When Caesar didn't appear to budge, Mica said, "I know how badly you want to know what your caretaker wrote. Stop thinking that you're the only one that needs to sacrifice yourself. Aren't I your brother? Don't I have affection toward you—the same kind you have for me? Just let me help you do this one thing, then I swear to let you take the fall for me every time."

Caesar was quiet for a long time, but then looked up. "Promise you'll let me take the rest of the falls?" He smirked.

"You're unbelievable."

"My only concern is getting caught." Caesar scratched his arm. "I wish we were able to do this in the bathroom, but they'll never allow two red collars to use the bathroom at the same time. And maybe we don't even have enough time to do this."

Aaron cleared his throat. "I don't mean to butt in, but... there's like only two Armed men overseeing the whole cafeteria. They call in more only when there's an issue, so I'm sure they won't spot you guys right away. Mica would have to find the letter fast, though."

"And breakfast is always an hour and fifteen minutes," Noah said, licking syrup from his fingers. "The clock on that wall over there shows we've been here for around forty minutes, which means you have about thirty-five minutes to spare. You have time."

Caesar nodded, his concerns were slightly appeased. They quickly looked around, checking if the coast was clear. The Armed men were far off when they deemed it safe to proceed.

"Are you ready?"

"Haven't been more ready in my life."

Mica's hesitance was obvious as he looked down at the table with a concerned expression. Caesar placed his hands over his balled up fists.

"Thank you, I appreciate you doing this."

He shook his head. "No, don't thank me yet. Do it after I've found your message."

Caesar nodded his head. Straightening his back, Mica took a deep breath before staring into his eyes. The last thing Caesar saw before things went dark were Mica's glowing eyes—they were like vibrant nuggets of amber. 

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Here's an early chapter for you guys! Hope you enjoyed.

Also can we just admire the bro chemistry?? I need siblings like these, tbh