CHAPTER 01

September crept up on the Mendego family like always, though something more than the weather noticeably changed this year. Akio's moods became unpredictable, and he even snapped at his mother, something he had never dared do in the past. He would either stay out late partying with his "friends" or he'd lock himself in his room for hours, music filtering through the walls along with the occasional rustles of paper. Gavin's remaining stash of liquor seemed to be decreasing on a surprising regular basis, since upon returning to the states, he had given up his drinking habit in favor of working a steady job at the family law firm.

It was after dinner, and as always, Hiro and Kane were hiding in their shared room, soft music covering their whispered conversations. Snatches could be heard between songs, but other then that, the nature of their late-night talks remained a mystery. From downstairs, another argument concerning Akio and Julliard could be heard. The twins sighed in unison, turning their attentions back to the mural they were designing for a statewide competition. It was the perfect combination of art and poetry, and they smiled at each other over the large sketchpad that lay between them. Hiro added another line to the lower right corner before sitting up, trying his best to ignore his parents screaming at Akio. Kane continued mixing paints on his palette, casting a curious look at his brother who had moved to the bed, staring out the window with a masked face.

"I hate this," the younger twin murmured, his bright green eyes settling on a happy couple and a toddler hurrying home, squealing as it began to rain, the mother trying to juggle the bags in her hands while grabbing at her daughter's hand. The little girl's father picked her, swinging her in the moist air, causing the young child to laugh and wave her arms about. "It's Akio-this, and Akio-that, and he doesn't even give a fuck."

"Hai, I know otouto-chan," Kane replied, brushing his long ebon locks out of his face with a careless hand. With the grace of a jungle cat, the barely older teen rose to his feet, flicking the volume knob, teasing the speakers into raise their voices all the louder in song. He sat on the arm of the plush chair his brother was curled up in, and leaned against the street-watcher. "Remember when he wasn't such an attention whore?" he asked with a dry laugh, soon mimicked by his living reflection.

They reminisced as if they were nearly 60 rather then 16 in a month and a half. Red glowing letters told the hour to be 1:34am, and still the two teens had yet to close their eyes to fall into a peaceful slumber. Bitter memories soon overrode the happy ones; all the times Akio had snubbed them, pretending they didn't exist... much like their parents had begun to do not so long ago. Amaya had always tried to treat the triplets fairly, but once their eldest son showed Broadway potential, her hard work faltered, and even she succumbed to the "greatness" that was Akio Mendego. And just like that, Hiro and Kane were forgotten, their own talents cast aside.

In a short span of time, the younger siblings mastered the technique of wearing a mask, pretending they weren't outcasts even in their own house; that none of the gossip and cold looks cut their frail bodies to the quick. Only in the safety of their own room did the perfection shatter; tears were shed, words were written, and paint was splattered. And at some point, they lost the ability to care about everyone around them, including their own family. All that mattered to the twins was each other, and not even Akio couldn't break the bond with his arrogant behavior.

Four a.m. found the twins curled up on Hiro's bed, sleeping comfortably wrapped in each other's arms. Society would have scoffed at the behavior that the pair usually displayed towards each other, calling it borderline incest. Not that this mattered, for as you remember, Hiro and Kane didn't give a damn about others and their tactless comments. Unbeknownst to the snoozing teens, they were being watched. Akio had slipped into their room at one point, and was sitting on Kane's bed, his back pressed against the poster-adorned wall. The olive complexion he had gained from his father glowed faintly in the mixture of moonshine and streetlamps, but that was nothing compared to the ethereal light that bathed his siblings' ivory skin. They were beautiful; there was no doubt about that. Everyone in school recognized that fact, even if the twins weren't popular in the slightest. Many girls (and even a few guys) had approached the midnight-coifed boys; but all of them had been rejected.

'I wonder why that is...' the oldest triplet thought, his eyes dancing in the darkened room. With that, Akio got to his feet, crossing the short distance between the beds, leaning down and kissing his siblings lightly on the forehead. He whispered, "Sweet dreams," noting the smiles that graced Hiro and Kane's faces before he left the quaint bedroom to retire for the night.

School started without a hitch, save for the nightly Julliard arguments between Akio and his parents. Tonight wasn't any different; Hiro and Kane retreated to their room to finish up the mural design they were working on. Akio sighed, running a hand through his spiked hair, muttering, "How troublesome," under his breath as Gavin jumped all over him about college.

"Did you talk to the counselor today like we asked?" His son shook his head, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, a sneer adorning his olive-toned face. "Why the hell not?! Don't you want to go to Julliard? You know you need a scholarship to get in, and the counselor promised to make time to see you today!"

"Yeah, yeah. I believe we had this conversation last night, and the night before, and oh yes, the night before that as well. Hell, it seems like a conversation we've had every single night since you got home from Japan." The teen was obviously frustrated, and his voice was almost too steady, considering the way his face was contorted in anger. "I'm so fucking sick of Julliard; it's all you talk about!" Mimicking his father's voice, he continued, "Did you go to the counselor today? Did you mail your application? Are you going to do the next play? Have you thought about trying out for something in the city?"

His parents sat on the loveseat, their eyes wide revealing a mixture of shock and was that... fear? Akio's lips curled into a cruel smile, his lime eyes calculating as he gazed at the man and woman of the house. "Why focus on me, huh? What about your other sons? Don't they matter? Or did you forget about them while you were kissing my ass?"

Gavin opened his mouth to protest, but shut it again when the words died on his tongue. His wife was sitting perfectly still, dark eyes flashing with anger but her face showing nothing more. Their eldest son's accusations had not fallen on deaf ears, and their truth rang bitterly in their minds. Tired of the silence, Akio turned on his heel, tossing his goodbye over his shoulder, "I'm tired of this bullshit. I'm out." The front door opened and closed moments later, leaving Amaya and Gavin petrified on the loveseat.

Up in their room, Hiro and Kane exchanged knowing looks, shrugging idly. Turning back to the small TV and PS2 arrangement, Hiro pressed PLAY on the controller, tossing it at his feet. Kane, who was leaning against the foot of his own bed, pulled his younger brother into his arms, kissing his cheek affectionately as the opening credits of "Fight Club" began to formulate on the screen.

Akio's head lulled to one side, his normally piercing eyes taking on an unhealthy shine. His face was flushed, and his heart wouldn't stop racing. 'What the fuck...?' he thought briefly before a burst of white light erased all coherency from his mind. Pain followed shortly after, searing through his veins like liquid fire. Biting his lip hard enough to bleed, he forced himself to focus, looking down at his left arm. It appeared to be broken, the bone threatening to push through his skin. "How...?"

A sweet pink tongue darted out, licking away the blood from the triplet's chin. "Now now, we can't have our favorite star injured, can we?" a soft voice asked, something unnerving evident in the tone. "The great Akio Mendego... I wonder how the public would react if they saw you like this? Oh, my darling Akio..." A blond-coifed head dipped low, brushing the dazed boy's faintly bloodstained lips tenderly. He knew that voice... It belonged to... to... Lucky? No... that wasn't right... Lukas? Yeah, that's it. Lukas Anderson, a blond with eyes just as green as Akio's own. Could this really be the Lukas he grew up with? The sweet laughing boy who dreamed of exploring sweltering jungles and the freezing depths of oceans... this couldn't be that Lukas.

Bringing his eyes into focus once more, his foggy mind determined the teen who knelt before him was indeed his childhood friend... but that didn't make any sense. 'Why is my arm broken? Did Lukas do this to me?' A blast of icy air caused Akio to shiver. That was odd, for he swore he hadn't left the house naked... He shifted to get a better look at himself, and confirmed he was indeed wearing nothing at all. Squirming a bit more, he bit back a scream as he jarred his broken arm. He felt something sticky running down his bare thighs, and suddenly everything fell into place.