Post by Brandon Blaylock on Jul 24, 2006 15:08:24 GMT -5
His body was sore with the tug and tears training. Brandon moved his hand back and forth across his shoulder and narrowed his eyes whenever he seemed to glide over a knot that gave him some particular pain. He pressed the back of his head against the wall where he sat in the gym. Brandon was alone after having trained most of the day, and had stayed behind to keep practicing.
It had been at least a few weeks since he had started training with his mother. There was more than one time when Brandon wanted to quit. Each time actually, that he fell on his ass after his mother or sister Ren swung a low kick across his feet. But, each time however he could feel his strength growing and the urge to quit became less and less. This training had given a focus to Brandon that people would not be used to seeing in him. He was more quiet and more involved with his studies. An underlying maturity was starting to show itself, as well as the subtle toning in his arms and upper body from the excessive amount of exercising that he did.
Sean had been helping Brandon as well by giving him a crash course in MI training. He brought Brandon with him into the shooting range and taught him how to use a gun. Brandon of course, felt slightly put off by the automatic weapon, which was a MI issue. It didn't feel as comfortable in his hand as the daggers had felt. His aim with a gun seemed much better than his aim with the daggers, but regardless of his great aim with a firearm, after the short lesson in weaponry Brandon continued to focus more on the daggers again to perfect that aspect.
"Guns seem too easy." Brandon said, looking up at his dad.
"They are always a last resort." Sean replied, putting an arm around his shoulders and squeezing. "Pray you never have to use one."
It was still two years before he would graduate, but Brandon's thoughts were divided on what he would do with his life. Should he follow in the footsteps of his father dare to pass expectations? Should he give up altogether, and grow potatoes on a farm in Idaho? Most people wouldn't think that Brandon thought about things like that. He gave lowered expectations of himself to everyone, just in an extended effort to hide. Only a few people would know what was really going on underneath the dull grey blue eyes that seemed dimmed now after facing the world around him. Brandon wanted something more than being someone's son or brother and he was more than willing to pay the price for that.
After taking a shower and throwing back on the clothes he usually wore (classic black t-shirt, dark wash jeans, black boots and worn leather jacket), he made his way out of the school and headed towards the park. It was still early, and the curfews had been lifted for the time being. As not to arouse suspicion upon where he was going, he opted to walk instead of using his bike. Eventually, he had made his way to the park nearby. His eyes narrowed as he looked around the greenery for someone in particular. As usual, the old man sat. He was seated on a park bench near the pond, his thin fingers holding a bag of bread and tore it to throw at the ducks that waddled nearby. He had the same features that Sean and Brandon shared, with echoes of that in Maddox, Logan and Mia. Ronald Blaylock looked up and then to the side.
"Sean. Where have you been?"
Alzheimer's had started to claim the old man long ago.
"I had training. Sorry."
Brandon let Ronald call him Sean. Sean would never be willing to give the entire truth about his family's past to him and he was sure that perhaps his mother would trust him with her past eventually. Brandon had always been too curious, even if what had went on had been none of his business. These near daily exchanges helped Brandon learn, and gave an old man with many regrets some comfort.
"Sit. Tell me about your day."
"I thought you didn't like to talk to me."
"Hm. No. It was your mother that never liked me to talk to you. Says I'm a bad influence on you."
"Oh."
"So, how's that girlfriend of yours...Sophia?"
"She's fine." Brandon usually responded in one to two word sentences, agreeing with whatever the old man said. He kept referring to Sophia as Sean's girlfriend, and Brandon could only assume that it was the same Sophia who had come out as Mariella's mother. He wondered why the old man never mentioned his mother. Perhaps he was stuck in a time that was before that.
"Your mother likes her. That's odd enough."
He tossed some bread to a few of the ducks who had become impatient in waiting and started to caw at him.
"Mom's pretty mean hm?"
Mother, as in Grandmother to Brandon. Ana Blaylock hadn't changed in the past 16 years, except to get more evil as the days went on.
"...Yeah. I'm sorry kid. I'm sorry for what she used to do to you."
"Do...what?"
"She was taking out the affair on you." Ronald sniffled, then put a hand over his face. "and I wanted to stop her. I did...she just...held it over me. Just held it over me..."
"Held what over you?"
There was a long silence, with Brandon putting his hand on his grandfather's back and looking at him with concern in his eyes. Eventually, Ronald lifted up his head and looked at Brandon with a more than confused look.
"Brandon?"
"Yeah, Grandpa...?"
"Where am I?"
Brandon helped Ronald up out of the bench and started to walk towards the street. There was something that his grandfather was hiding, something that went much deeper than the abuse that Brandon had suspected had happened to Sean, and his grandfather had just confirmed. He hailed a cab and it took them to the townhouse that the geriatric Blaylocks took residence. Ana Blaylock looked out from behind a curtain and narrowed her eyes at the young man as Ronald's caregiver ran out of the house to take Ronald from Brandon and to pay for the cab. For a second, Brandon and Ana locked eyes. He wasn't allowed here without Sean by his side. She wondered how it was that Brandon found Ronald, then naturally assumed that that was where Ronald had been going every other day.
"Curiosity killed the cat." The old woman muttered as Brandon quickly walked away and back towards the school before curfew.
Everything that had happened was connected to the past, and Brandon had determined that the only way he could protect the people he loved was to find the root of the problem and eventually weed it out. He couldn't do much now, being so young but it would be a promise that Brandon had bound himself to since he saw Kano, Ren, and finally Danielle being pulled into the back of those white vans.