Tyler slammed his bedroom door shut. I swear if I get in trouble again… He glanced at the clock. When’s James gonna get home? I don't want to face mom and dad by myself again…

He glanced down at his homework, a mess of equations that seemed unsolvable to him. I'm never going to get this done. He took the old papers that scattered his desk and tried to stack them neatly, pulling his chair out and collapsing in it, the homework assigned for the day in front of him. Slowly chipping away at it, he glanced at the clock again. 4:17. He should’ve been home by now…

Tyler grabbed his phone and punched James’s number in. It rang several times, and then it had the voice at the end of the ringing telling you to call back. He was about to hang up the phone when he realized the voice was different. He remembered James saying that he would change it sometime, but didn't think he ever would. Quickly, he put the phone back up to his ear, hoping it would tell him was his brother was so late.

“Ty, go to the park. The lean-to we made a few years ago. Remember it?”

Tyler slammed the phone down and rushed down the stairs. He hastily pulled on his shoes and tugged on his sweatshirt, rushing out the door as he tried to hook the zipper together. He hopped on his bicycle and rushed to the old park, rushing past streets and endangering himself to almost crashing into a few cars.

Pedaling into the entrance of the park, he pedaled across the field, the shortest way to get to the woods on the other side, where they had made their fort. Back when our parents cared. Tyler thought bitterly.

Getting to the other side, he jumped off his bike, letting it clatter on the ground by the time he had launched himself into the forest, rushing to the fort. “James! James, where are you?” He called out to his older brother. Come on, come on. Where are you?  He scrambled into the fort.

His brother was lying on the ground when he entered the wood structure. “James? James!” Tyler crawled over, trying to shake his brother awake, then grabbing his wrist. No pulse.

Tyler scrambled to get his phone out of his pocket, quickly dialing the hospital. “James, did you leave a note or something? Why? Why’d you do it?” He frantically begin pulling things out of his brother's pockets. There’s got to be a note somewhere! He found a small piece of paper and speedily unfolded it.

Dear Tyler,

I'm sorry, I could no longer handle the difficulties at home. Don't give up. I'll be in the realm. You can find me there, though my appearance and name will be different. The name will be Jake. As for appearance, I don't know. You can't tell me my relationship to you, or anything about my past life. It's one of the rules. See you there, Tyler.

-James