Sincerely
Chapter 16: Lev

I left Deckard alone in the bedroom to answer my phone, I thought it would be my mother calling because she had seen my face on the news or my name on the radio, but it was my father, someone I hadn’t talked to in almost a decade. I wondered what he wanted and why he was calling now.

I stepped out into the hall shutting the door, knowing my father would probably have some choice words for me at the least. I hit answer and put the phone up to my ear.

“What do you want?” I start not really in the mood to be berated for would I liked, I had bigger problems than that right now. If that was all he was calling to do, he was going to be hung up on very quickly.

“Levi, I need you to look after your brother for a few days,” my father stated quickly, breezing past what I had just said.

It was like nothing had happened. What did he mean by brother? I was an only child. Had he gone out and started a new family after divorcing my mother? It wouldn’t surprise me if he did.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“I don’t have time to explain, he’s not safe with me. You need to come and get him,” he continued.

“I don’t know where you are for one and two—” I started but he wasn’t up to listening to reason.

“I’ll drop him off, just tell me where you are,” he exclaimed quickly. “Keep him away from any good damn deviants well you’re at it.”

“Dad—” I tried again.

“We don’t have time to fight or exchange pleasantries, just text me the address,” he stated again before hanging up.

I guess there were no if, and, or buts about it. I was going to be stuck with a kid for who knows how long. He didn’t even ask me if I was able to take a kid for a while, just, you need to take him.

I sighed, giving him Josh’s address, I knew he’d recognize it, he liked Josh a lot better than my mother, despite him accepting me, he used to come up here and fish with him even after the divorce.

I didn’t know what I was going to do with a kid, hopefully, he was of a reasonable age to entertain himself and not get into too much trouble, Josh loved taking me fishing when I was young, but I didn’t know if he’d be up to having a kid around here now, I went looking for him to warn him before my father showed up with the kid in toe.

I found him smoking a cigarette outside in the falling snow. He glanced back at me when I opened the door.

I wondered then if my mother knew that my father had a new family or kid. I wondered if Josh knew, too.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“My dad’s coming, he says I need to watch my brother for a few days,” I state flatly to see his response.

“You have a brother?” he questions in the same mystified tone I did to my father.

“My question to him exactly, I’m guessing he started a new family after he left me and mom, I guess they fell through, too,” I state quietly watching the snowfall.

“Did you tell him what was going on and that it’s probably not a good idea?” he asks.

“He didn’t answer my questions, what makes you think he let me get a word in to tell him this is a bad time? He wouldn’t have listened anyway, why is he dropping this on me? Where’s the kid’s mother? He said to keep him away from deviants, too, what does that have to do with anything?” I inquire about the cold winter air more than Josh.

“I didn’t even know he was seeing anyone, he just used to ask and complain about you whenever he did come up here to fish, I haven’t seen him in three or four years since then, even,” he replies shrugging.

“Deckard will have to be careful, if he wants him kept away from deviants, he can’t know he is one, something tells me this is bigger than the both of us, as if we needed more trouble right now. I hope he didn’t do anything stupid,” Josh comments, throwing his dying cigarette into the snow causing the embers to die and the snow to be speckled black with ash and tobacco.

My father was prone to doing stupid things, so I wouldn’t doubt he did something stupid even if it was to protect my brother in his own words. I just wondered if it was any stupider than me fleeing the authorities with a fugitive deviant.

I also didn’t know how my father didn’t know I was on the run currently, I guess if he had problems on his own, he might not have had time to watch the news and keep himself up to date on my life.

“He kept it from me for two weeks, he only told me because it was eating away at him, not telling me. My father won’t be here for long I’m guessing, I don’t know what we’re going to do if our location gets compromised though,” I reply.

“Decide if the kid is better off going back to your father or staying with you,” he replies. “That would be the first thing, we all know how great he is with kids,” he adds sarcastically.

“I don’t want to risk any kid’s safety though,” I reply. “We have bigger problems than whether this kid should be with him or not right now, too, Josh,” I reason.

“I know but considering what he did to you and your mother, I can’t image whoever he had this kid with is fairing any better,” he comments.

“There’s no sense in accusing him of things we don’t know, I’m sure he’ll explain when he gets here, he can’t just drop the kid on us without an explanation,” I state. “I just thought I’d warn you before we have him running around this place.”

“I love kids, I wish you would have come to see me more often when you were young, but that was partially your father’s doing probably,” he replies.

“How is Deckard doing?” he asks changing the subject.

“He’s nervous, about being here. I think it’s getting to him that he’s on the run finally and that he’s not the only one in danger anymore,” I answer quietly.

“Just be there for him, he needs it,” Josh replies quietly.

“I know, I’m going back inside, it’s cold out here. Call me when he gets here,” I reply.

He nods and I slip back inside the lighthouse. I didn’t know what we were going to do with a kid, I hoped he was old enough and listened well at the least. The lighthouse wasn’t exactly a playground in this season as beautiful and peaceful as it was. I felt bad for not knowing about the kid sooner, I remember wishing I had a sibling to confide in when I was younger, I couldn’t imagine living with my dad on his own would have been pleasant, at least I had my mother and Josh, he most likely had no one if my dad was bringing him here.

I went looking for Deckard who I found looking through Carlos’ journal again. He looked up at me when I entered the bedroom.

“My father called,” I start quietly.

He looked concerned.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I shrugged, “Apparently, I have a younger brother he wants me to look after for a while. He made a comment about keeping him away from deviants, too, so when he gets here, just be careful, okay?” I warned him.

“Is it really a good idea for us to take the kid in? He already isn’t your biggest fan, why is he even telling you to watch him?” he asks.

“I don’t know, he said Seattle isn’t safe for him, that’s all I know. He didn’t even tell me his name or anything,” I reply. “I can’t just leave him to fend for himself, he’s a kid, he’s my brother.”

“I know, I’m just worried about your father’s intentions, and what risk we’ll pose to the kid by taking him on if they find us,” he replies.

“He’ll be in danger if we don’t though, too,” I reply quietly reaching up and touching his cheek. “We’ve gotten this far, I have a police radio in my sedan, we should be able to stay a few steps ahead of them. We’re also not the only ones they are looking for, Elias, Alcuin and Bailey are also a concern to them, even though none of us have done wrong. We’re doing the right thing and when they find out the truth, they’ll realize that, hopefully, that will be sooner rather than later,” I continue.

He leaned his head on my shoulder, as if avoiding eye contact with me.

“Is this really all worth it though? Wouldn’t you rather have someone who can give you everything?” he asked quietly before slowly lifting his head, his arms wrapped around his midsection, probably as an act to protect and comfort himself, but he was still looking down.

“Deckard,” I whispered taking his face in my hands and lifting up so we could see each other again, he still avoided my eyes, though.

“I have everything I want, what else do I need?” I whispered.

“Humans have different things that satisfy them than us,” he added quietly. “Pleasure, a family, I can’t give you that.”

“Deckard, look at me. I don’t want you to satisfy me in that way and I wouldn’t be able to make a family conventionally with some of the partners I would be with even if they were human. I want you, as you are, that’s all I want, okay?” I reassure him.

He looks me over before nodding.

“I promise you, you are enough,” I add, hugging him.

He returns the hug tightly.

We sit together for a few hours until Josh comes knocking, and Deckard lets me go answer the door, I see this look on Josh’s face that says, they’re here.

The three of us go back up to the main level and back out into the cold, Deckard hangs back by the door while I and Josh approach my father who is a decade older than when I last saw him, his hair on his head and in his beard is turning grey and his glasses have become thicker.

The boy looks like a younger version of me, with dark, brown hair, but he has light eyes, they remind me of Deckard’s, they must be from his mother.

“What’s your name?” I ask kneeling down to the boy’s level, he looks to be about nine or ten.

“Toby,” the boy replied.

“Hi, Toby. I’m Lev, your big brother,” I introduced myself, holding out my hand.

He shook my hand, giving a small smile, one of his front teeth was missing, making his grin a little goofy.

I stood back up turning my attention to my father.

“Go inside, Toby, be good,” my father commented nodding toward the lighthouse, where Deckard was standing watching.

Toby listened and went to the door where Deckard watched him run past, he glanced at me, our eyes meeting before he disappeared to follow the boy.

“What’s going on?” I ask once Toby is gone. “Why am I only finding out I have a brother when you need to drop him on me unexpectedly? Where’s his mother?”

“Just look after him, I’ll be back in a few weeks,” my father states.

“A few weeks? You don’t talk to me for nearly a decade and when you come back it’s just to drop off my sibling who I know nothing about and you’re still not going to tell me anything, about him or you, really?” I exclaim.

“It’s not like you contacted me after either,” he stated coldly.

“If I had would you have talked about anything other than my choice of partners and me going to hell?” I comment.

He stayed silent.

“I thought so, so don’t talk to me about not contacting you, I had an excuse, what’s yours?” I continue.

“I don’t have time for this, I’ll be back,” he comments again turning.

I let him go this time, knowing it was pointless to try and get anything out of him, I would probably have more success talking to Toby than him, he had to know something.

I watched him get back in his navy-blue car and disappear off into the falling snowstorm.

So much for getting answers. Now I was left with a kid for a few weeks, however long that was in my dad’s mind. I just had to hope no one found this place for that long at the very least. I hoped I was able to bond with the brother I hadn’t been there for, for the last decade of his life, too.

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