the cute one

This wasn’t unlike Remzi. To go off the radar for a few days, disappear to wherever and remerge whenever he was done doing whatever he wanted to do. Meanwhile, their parents would be sitting in the apartment, stressing about their youngest whilst their eldest was a thousand miles away trying not to get shot. It was a surprise that one of their parents hadn’t lost their hair through pure stress.

Now Raik was the one doing the stressing, but this was a different level than before. Before he was concerned for his brother’s wellbeing. Praying he hadn’t slipped off with some friends who weren’t loyal. They were just there for a good time, even if Remzi ended up in hospital at the end of it all. Now he was scared for everyone else around his brother. Fighting the urge to drain every human he came across.

Halloween really opened his eyes to how dangerous his brother could be. Two women were dead on the bathroom floor and Remzi standing there covered in their blood. It was something that was plaguing his dreams every single night.

He brought his drink up to his lips, trying to eradicate a memory that was burnt so deep into his mind. A version of his sibling he never thought he’d see. He was trying his best to be positive about this living nightmare the pair were in. Telling himself they were going to make it out the other side, maybe a few dead humans along the way. Despite the look of disgust, he flashed at his brother before leaving the bar on Halloween he was still there for Remzi. No matter what.

Raik started his day in the Grill, sinking back drinks like they were going to run out before trawling over to Campbell’s bar to make use of his staff discount. He glanced down at his cellphone, still, no messages popping up from Remzi but still an unread one from their mom, asking how her ‘favourite sons’ were doing. He couldn’t bring himself to type out a message to say they were fine. Another lie on a mountain of lies he’d been telling his parents since they left Detroit.

He peered into his almost empty glass as if there was going to be an answer lying at the bottom. He pulled his gaze away as the female nearby spoke. “Handsome?” He said with a chuckle, “Um… thank you and hello” Eyes followed the bartender as he placed the beer down in front of the female. “Another one of these please… and I’ll pay for this lady’s drink” He nodded towards the stranger. Someone to keep him distracted from the worrying thoughts that were flooding his mind.


ROSE DAVENPORT

It was difficult to be there for someone who was so adamant of going off the rails. Remzi forged his own path years ago and refused to stray off it. A path of self-destruction and mayhem. Raik on the other hand was on a very very straight path that would only curve and bend when his brother was around. Their road trip to Vegas was full of that and in that moment he was happy to stray. He’d spent years in the military with very little freedom. Fighting hard for his country and making sure everyone came back alive. It was a heavy burden to carry, but it was lifted as soon as he was discharged. For those feRaik wanted to get on Remzi’s path. To be free and careless, but now he regrets it. So much guilt bundled up inside him that it was spilled out at the seams.

He should have followed Remzi to that stupid party and stop the idiot from drowning. Their mom was always so worried about Remzi, thinking he was going to end up dead due to his reckless behaviour. She was right and every single day Raik was left convincing himself his brother wasn’t really dead, but he was. He’d watched how quickly he recovered from wounds.

Unlike his brother though, Raik could get drunk off a normal amount of alcohol. His liver had truly taken a beating these past few months and it wasn’t about to heal itself like Remzi’s apparently did. A few more doubles and he’d be on his way. Perhaps it would help him have a dreamless night instead of waking up every hour terrified something bad had happened to his sibling or shaken away by the images of his brother from Halloween.

He had company though. Pulling himself from that sadness he painted a smile on his face as he greeted the redhead. Maybe it was time to stop being such a gentleman, as it was clearly getting him nowhere in life. “Thanks” He responded to her offer of buying the next round. “Raik” A shy smile when Rose said she was merely appreciating his life. If his skin were pale there would have been a flush of pink on his cheeks. “It’s an interesting town. Small, but quite lively” He commented as the bartender returned with their drinks, “Thanks. Just stick it on my tab” More alcohol to wash away his troubles. “How long have you lived here?” He brought his drink up for a small sip.

ROSE DAVENPORT

A smile tugged at his lips as Rose said she liked his name, “Thanks… Turkish” When he was younger his mom would tell him it meant soldier or something similar. Some self-fulfilling prophecy shit when he came home announcing to his parents he was joining the military. He shook his head, “Rose is a beautiful name” He assumed all women liked roses? At least that's what Remzi told them when they were teenagers and Raik hadn’t exactly tested the theory. Rose blew it out of the water. “Then what is your favourite flower?” He asked inquisitively.

He had probably been hanging around in the same area of town that Rose was in, but as always he was trying to stay positive about the place. Everywhere had its bad places, right? Maybe those bad places weren’t filled with hungry vampires willing to tear your throat out. Nonetheless, he chuckled, “Yeah sure, I mean, I’m not from around here but I can show you what I know so far. What kind of scene are you looking for?” Mystic Falls didn’t exactly have that crazy city vibe that people craved, but it still had enough going on. He thought coming here would be good for the brothers, but apparently not. “It’s fine… I… I like it” He’d never been the forward type, even when he was trashed he remained a little bit reserved with the women. Remzi however took the wheel on everything. Like on Halloween when he leaned over the bar to flirt with those girls. Confidence radiating from him, whilst Raik hung in the background.

It felt like they had been in town two seconds, but it was ticking close to a year now. Their mom wasn’t happy she hadn’t seen her ‘precious boys’ in twelve months. He was hoping with a daylight ring the two could head up to Detroit, but Remzi had other plans. Plans that didn’t involve Raik. He twisted his body to face Rose, “Just under a year. Came here with my brother to meet up with some of his friends but ended up staying” The same lie he’d spun to everyone who asked. The truth was Remzi wanted a daylight ring. “How about you?” He took a small mouthful of his drink, adding the large amount of liquid swirling around in his stomach by now.

ROSE DAVENPORT

He had no idea why he felt the need to explain his name at that moment. Perhaps it was because he was fuelled by a bit of alcohol and was feeling more chatty. “Born here. Parents are both Turkish though” Was if he was speaking of his dad. Every now and then he would have a wave of guilt for referring to Remzi’s dad and his dad, especially in front of his mom. At first, it probably hurt to hear him say that but Raik was only a few weeks old when his dad died. So when he started referring to Jimin as Dad, his mom didn’t make an effort to prevent it.

He grinned at Rose, “I’ll be sure to remember” His brother would forget in almost an instant. A girl could tell Remzi she hated roses a thousand times over, but still receive them every Valentine's day (although he’d never actually witnessed Remzi buying a girl anything ever unless it was a drink in a bar). It was as if their mom had taught them nothing about how to treat women. Raik obviously absorbed it all, but Remzi didn’t.

Raik’s tour of the town started as soon as they drove in and Remzi was promptly arrested. He thought it was all over for his brother, even going as far as lying to the police to cover his tracks. He was naive enough to believe Remzi would change his behaviour after that. “I’ll give you an honest tour of the place with my honest opinion on everything” Stripping away everything that had happened, the town was relatively nice.

There was a weak smile on Raik’s face. It all started as a blast, before descending into disaster. “We’ve done a fair bit of arguing but it’s been good… well, he’s not talking to me at the moment funnily enough. We had a bit of an argument on Halloween” More than just a stupid argument about who ate the last of the bread (it was always Remzi). He took a mouthful of his drink, listening to Rose. He nodded in agreement, “Yes. It’s nice to have some quiet time” Something he’d been craving for months now, but didn’t expect it to happen like this. “My brother is the complete opposite though. He likes partying and living that type of life, y’know, whereas I like calmness”


ROSE DAVENPORT

Rose was full of questions, which didn’t faze him. It was nice to meet someone who was genuinely interested in his life, rather than a female just looking to get a few free drinks. Although it had memories of his brother running through his mind as he recounted his childhood. “Detroit. Questionable neighbourhood but it was the only place they could find somewhere cheap enough to live.” His mom probably dreamed of moving to New York when they arrived, just like most did. Long walks in central park after buying a coffee from her favourite coffee shop. She probably didn’t picture somewhere like their neighbourhood in Detroit, but ultimately they made it their home. A place to raise a family and make a future. Regardless, the place was a whole lot better than where they lived in Turkey.

Unfortunately, the perception he had of Mystic Falls had slowly grown sour since falling out with his brother. “Well if you’ve seen the falls and town centre then it sounds like you’ve pretty much seen it all.” Although he only enjoyed the falls in the early morning before others arrived. “Oh really. My brother and I lived in LA before coming to Mystic Falls. Busy city with so many people.” Remzi preferred it more than Raik did. The chance to sneak out late at night to feed on humans with Leah by his side.

“Um…” He trailed off for a moment, taking a sip of his drink as he pondered over how to explain the situation to her. His brother killed two people after promising he was dealing with his urges. “I don’t really agree with his lifestyle choices at the moment. He’s gone off the rails a bit.” Which was a polite way to describe what was happening.


ROSE DAVENPORT