Chapter 12 

Minutes after he broke apart...Walter came back together.

A large palm suddenly shot up and snatched at Brandon’s right hand. The move was stern but not painful as Walter pushed Brandon’s touch away and stopped him from caressing his hair.

Then with a slow, but awkward withdrawal, Walter was lifting his head up from Brandon lap.

Brandon didn’t make any move to stop him, “Walter?” he called in uncertainty as Walter nearly flung his arm away with a small hiss. He seemed upset.

“I am ok now. Stop touching me.” Walter coldly replied then grew sullen and calm.

Brandon was oddly heartbroken to be met with the cold and emotionless voice of Walter once more. All animation had drained from him, his eyes were dead brown calm pools of mystery...and his face was back in its creaseless mask.

Walter easily removed himself from Brandon’s proximity. The stoic man, straitened up on the floor, loosely folded his long legs and almost as if he were afraid to cast his eyes on Brandon Walter focused his eyes down on his hands in his lap.

“I am sorry I reacted so dramatically...I think I am perhaps more moved by you then I wanted to be.” The Eldest brother slowly apologized after silence filled the space between them. His voice so dead that Brandon wasn’t sure if he was embarrassed or frustrated.

Suddenly Walter looked up and said. “I did not mean to burden you with my past. I was only trying to push upon you a simple truth. Brandon you have suffered and I have struggled with my own Supernatural abilities for a long time. Much longer then you have lived. And I can tell you, that WHATEVER you are? IT will always overshadow WHO you are.” Walter breathed and glanced away.

Then he said “Lander is a Mind Reader...and because of his powers my brother can’t function like normal Shifters in a room full of other people. Ezekiel is a Reaver....and until the day that he draws his last breaths? His Reavers blood will hold sway over him. The threat of insanity follows on his heels like a diseased mutt. But....even if we have to live in the shadows of our abilities, and deal with these tragedies?” Walter paused, straitened his shoulders and glanced back, looking Brandon in the face. “We all strive not to be devoured by them. So stop making excuses for yourself. Stop being defeated!” He growled with little inflection.

“Hey!” Brandon couldn’t help but exclaim as he cast Walter a glare. “I’m not making excuses!”

Walters eyes rolled and he replied “And yet you are hiding behind your own problems. You’re ignoring other options and simply allowing your problems to speak for you.”

Brandon went to rebuff his words, but no rebuttals arose to his lips.

With a windless feeling Brandon put a hand to his head and scratched at his temple. “I guess I did. I just.... I feel safe here with all of you, but I’m not sure if people are safe with me here. I can’t control myself. And I don’t know if I should reciprocate your brother’s feelings with so many unresolved things sitting in my way.” Brandon dropped his hands and shrugged. “My problems can’t be ignored....that’s all I know.”

Walter watched him for a moment, then he inquired. “So....What are you going to do about it?”

Brandon scoffed “I don’t really know yet.” He softly answered, then he scoffed again. “I don’t know where the answers are. I don’t want to endanger him, but I don’t want to make a mistake and hurt him....” Brandon looked away and repeated at a softer voice mostly directed to himself. “I can’t keep making mistakes...”

Then Brandon turned back and smiled at Ezekiels brother somehow not feeling the least bit embarrassed and also feeling an instant connection forming between them, even though Walter did not smile back at him and his eyes continued to reflect cool dead serenity.

What Walter had said made since, but now where did Brandon go from here?

“I guess I’m just afraid I’ll hurt him but I know that’s just fear.” he said to Walter next.

Walter scoffed looking away. Then the large Shifter rose to his feet. “Fear is nothing but a crutch. Take it from a “coward” as Lander so affectionately likes to call me.”

Walter took a breath and took an awkward step back then another step. “Well...Um....Thank you for speaking with me.” he said.

Then suddenly he tipped his head and then he was gone. Brandon made no attempt to hold him sensing that the Eldest brother desperately needed time to regain his composure.

But Brandon was sad to see him go, because he was leaving Brandon with a churning emotional bag of questions and uncertainty he had no idea how to ignore.