Chapter 5: The Brother I Lost
I read the message three times.
Not because I didn’t understand it.
Because I did.
And I hated what it meant.
“Who is he?”” Eli asked.
I put the phone down.
“Someone who knows too much.””
“That’s not an answer.””
The boy’s voice was small.
But there was something else underneath it.
Anger.
Nine years old.
And already tired of adults hiding the truth from him.
“You’re right,” I said.
I crouched down.
“I’m sorry.””
Eli looked surprised.
Most people weren’t used to adults admitting when they were wrong.
Neither was I.
“My brother’s name was Marcus.””
The room stayed quiet.
“Was?””
I nodded.
“I lost him twenty years ago.””
“Lost him?””
I looked toward the dark hallway.
“No.””
I swallowed.
“He disappeared.””
I had avoided that word for years.
Because disappeared sounded like hope.
And hope was dangerous.
Marcus and I weren’t always enemies.
Before everything went wrong, he was the person who knew me better than anyone.
He was the one who taught me how to ride.
The one who helped me build my first bike.
The one who laughed when I crashed into a fence trying to show off.
“You always hit things you’re supposed to avoid,” he used to tell me.
I smiled without meaning to.
Then the smile disappeared.
Because Marcus was also the reason I stopped believing in second chances.
The night Eli’s mother vanished, Marcus was there.
He was the one who called me.
The one who told me to come.
The one who said:
“Bear, you need to see this before it’s too late.””
I came.
And I saw everything.
Or at least, I thought I did.
“Bear?””
Eli pulled me back.
“What happened to him?””
I looked at the phone.
“He died.””
“How?””
I didn’t answer immediately.
Because the truth was worse.
“I never saw his body.””
Eli’s eyes widened.
“But you said—”
“I know what I said.””
The rain outside started slowing.
But the storm inside the house was getting louder.
I walked toward the kitchen.
I needed space.
I needed air.
I needed to understand why the past had suddenly opened its door.
Then I saw something on the counter.
A photograph.
Not old.
Not damaged.
Recently printed.
I picked it up.
My blood turned cold.
It was a picture of Eli’s father.
Standing beside Marcus.
Alive.
Together.
Behind them was the same woman from the video.
Eli walked closer.
“Is that him?””
I nodded.
“That’s Marcus.””
The boy stared.
“Your brother?””
“Yes.””
“Then why did my dad know him?””
I didn’t have an answer.
And that scared me more than anything.
My phone buzzed.
Another message.
This time, no picture.
Just a location.
An address.
And one sentence.
COME ALONE IF YOU WANT THE REST OF THE TRUTH.
I stared at it.
Eli saw my face.
“You’re going there.””
It wasn’t a question.
“No.””
He crossed his arms.
“You’re lying.””
I almost laughed.
The kid had known me for a few hours and already figured me out.
“I can’t let you come.””
“Why?””
“Because it’s dangerous.””
Eli looked at Rocket.
Then back at me.
“My whole life has been dangerous.””
The words hit harder than they should have.
I looked at the little boy standing in a dirty hoodie, holding a phone that could destroy an entire family.
He wasn’t asking for an adventure.
He was asking for someone to stop leaving him behind.
I grabbed my jacket.
“We go together.””
Eli nodded.
But before we reached the door, Rocket suddenly barked.
Not a normal bark.
A warning.
The dog ran toward the back room.
I followed.
The bedroom door was slightly open.
I was certain it had been closed before.
I pushed it open slowly.
Inside was Eli’s room.
Small.
Bare.
And on the wall above his bed were dozens of drawings.
Family pictures.
A house.
A woman.
A dog.
But one drawing made me stop.
It showed Eli standing beside someone.
Someone wearing a black leather vest.
Someone with a gray beard.
Someone who looked exactly like me.
I turned around.
“Eli.””
The boy looked at the drawing.
His face changed.
“I didn’t draw that.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Then who did?””
Before he could answer, something fell from the closet.
A small box.
Inside was a stack of photographs.
And on top of them was a handwritten note.
May you like
My name was on it.
BEAR.
