Ringing in the Sane

“Pete, you’re not the only one who’s confused, so shut your bloody face,” Jared replied in answer to my request.

I scowled. Pixie put a gentle hand on Jared’s shoulder and, to my surprise, Jared let him.

“Leaton’s here, Jared.” He smiled seeming to be expecting a good reaction from him.

“Yeah, you just said that.” Jared spat out the words with copious amounts of venom. “Now, where did you say he was? Your old room? Right. I need to go murder him.” He clasped his hands together and proceeded back out into the hall.

“Whaaat?” Pixie screeched and we all followed Jared into the hall. Pixie dashed out in front of what, I assumed would be, his old bedroom door protectively. “Jared, what on Earth are you doing?”

“Move, Pixie.” Jared’s voice was completely devoid of emotion - his words weren’t threatening, or even demanding. They were just words.

“No!” Pixie didn’t move. “What are you going to do to him?” His tone changed to one that proved he was their leader. “Don’t touch him, Jared.”

“Fine.”

“That means no guns or weapons or anything.”

“Got it,” Jared said stiffly. Pixie hung in front of the door warily for a few more seconds, then stepped aside and let Jared through.

Jared stood there, staring at the door, and I noticed he was trembling. He placed his hand on the doorknob, but didn’t turn it.

“Jared?” Luke asked quietly. “You don’t have to face him.”

Jared took a deep, long breath. “Yes, I do.” He opened the door and walked into the room in two long strides, where he stopped in front of a bed. Luke, Pixie and I followed suit.

Luke walked up to stand beside Jared, then drew his gun and pointed it at the man lying on top of the bed. “Leado! How could you do that to Jared?” he asked angrily.

“Luke! Gun down!” Pixie ordered.

“Sorry Pixie,” Luke said apologetically. He didn’t lower it.

“Jesus! Why does no one listen to me?” Pixie asked me quietly. Just ‘cause I’ve been locked up here for a month doesn’t mean I’m not the boss anymore.”

“Three weeks and five days, actually,” Luke said.

“Put the gun down and I may consider talking to you, mister,” Pixie replied tartly.

Leado sat up as best he could - he was handcuffed and was finding it hard to move around. “Luke? Why do you er, have a gun pointed at me?” He was incredibly calm for someone staring down the barrel of a gun.

“Yes, why do you Luke?” Jared spoke for the first time since entering the room. “I couldn’t possibly think of a reason.” His eyes didn’t leave Leado’s.

“Jared, what the hell are you talking about?” Leado started to get up, but Luke ushered him with his firearm to stay sitting on the bed. Another factor that may have played a part was the handcuffs.

“What the fuck do you think I’m talking about?!” Jared screamed at him. “For God’s sake, is your memory that bad? Or do you need me to remind you?” He looked away from Leado for a moment, and I could see tears shining on his cheeks. He turned his sad, murderous gaze back to Leado. “Tokyo. Do you remember Tokyo?”

“That’s where we met,” Leado smiled at the memory. I swear, he was the calmest person I had ever met. He just... sat there, drinking in the scene like it wasn't real.

This seemed to anger Jared more, and he made a lunge for Leado. He was only stopped when Pixie and I grabbed his arms and held him back; now he was shaking worse than ever and I could feel his pulse thumping forcefully away from where I held his wrist.

Leado continued to look blankly up at Jared. “Jared, I don’t understand! Why are you so angry at me?” When Jared did nothing but snarl at him, he looked at Luke to try and get an answer.

“How dare you even talk to him,” Luke snarled. “After all the shit you put him through!”

“What shit?!” Leado yelled. The calm was broken. “Someone tell me what I’m supposed to have done! You know, it wasn’t my fault I was kidnapped! Is that why you’re so angry, that I haven’t made contact?Well, it’s been a bit hard to do that, Jared. I would have thought you’d be happy to see me after all these years!”

“Why the hell would I be happy to see you?! You tried to rape me!” Jared snarled. “Or did you miss that part?”

Leado was stunned. “I what?! What the hell are you talking about?”

Pixie gasped. “Leado, how could you?”

“I didn’t!” Leado protested. “I swear!”

“I seem to remember you did.”

“Jared! It was my brother!” Leado said loudly. “He looks just like me!” What an unbelievable plot line, I thought to myself blankly.

Jared scoffed. “You don’t have a brother.”

“Yes, I do!” Leado insisted. “He kidnapped me two years ago, in Tokyo. Which must have been the same time as he… he... you know. I’m so sorry Jared…”

Jared was silent.

“Why didn’t you tell us you had a brother?” Luke asked.

“Because I was ashamed! If you’d met him, you’d understand. Pixie knows!” he exclaimed. “Tell ‘em, Pix!”

Jared narrowed his eyes at Pixie who nodded, confirming that he knew Leado’s brother.

Leado looked at Jared, who still hadn’t said anything. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Jared.”

Luke’s phone began to ring, scaring me half to death. “Fuck,” he swore as he saw the caller ID. “It’s Leado… um, Leado’s brother again.” He glanced at Leado and mumbled a sorry at him.

“Are you going to answer it or fucking not?” Jared said, as he ripped himself from mine and Pixie’s grip and snatched the phone away from Luke, answering it in the process. “What?” he growled.

“Having a nice trip down memory lane?”

“Yes, thank you. It’s lovely.”

“Oh good!” the voice declared gleefully. “Meet me again in the rain, Jared.”

“Sure thing,” Jared replied through gritted teeth.

“What’s his name?” Luke whispered to Leado.

“Desmond.”

“Desmond!” Luke called out. “Where are you? What do you want?”

“Double back, there’s trouble again boys.” Desmond hung up.

“What?” Jared roared. “You can’t fucking do that! Come back! Speak to me you coward!”

“Jared, clam down,” Luke said as he placed a hand on his arm.

“Let’s go,” Jared said, walking out of the door before any of us could protest.

I trotted out after him. “Jared, where are you going?”

“Outside, what does it look like?” he asked. “Jesus, you have the brain power of a louse.”

There we go, I thought to myself in relief. The old Jared’s back.

The five of us stood outside the house. Jared was muttering to himself, toying with something in his hands, I couldn’t see what it was.

“Strike the matches, if you’re restless,” Pixie said to him. “Be reckless.”

* * *

“You torched it.” It wasn’t a question.

“How did you know?” Jared asked Desmond, who had rung again while we were all in the car, driving to I-don’t-know-where.

Desmond laughed gleefully. “I read your every move, Jared. ”

“Good to know I’m so predictable.”

“You know I wrote the book.”

“You’re certainly not Shakespeare, though.”

“Always focusing on the worst of our best plays, aren’t you?”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

Jared was being so completely calm while talking to Desmond, like they were old friends. It was scary, and the hidden tension in the air was suffocating. Jared hadn’t spoken to anyone else since we had gotten in the car.

“So why do you keep calling? I somehow doubt it’s to have a chat to me and my charming personality.”

“Bet it all,” Desmond whispered so quietly I could barely hear him. “On a bolt coming out of the blue.”

“I sure will.”

“Be reckless,” Desmond said, mimicking Pixie’s voice.

Jared froze. “What?” he asked sharply.

“Over to you.”