November 22, 1996 4:00 am
Zodiac Family Private Forest, Malison
---------------------------------------------------

▫️ Luke:

"I didn't shoot my brother." Mike was in shock. "I didn't shoot my brother."

"What can we do?" Larkin asks.

"Stop the blood," I command. "Seven hit somewhere in his upper leg. If we don't get this wound stitched up he will die of infection. There were a lot of germs and dirt in the forest." I turn to look at them all. "Larkin, thanks for cleaning the wound, can you find me something to stitch it up with? Aspen get some pain reliever if you can find any." Then I turn to my brother. "Then Aspen, contact Ames and Seven. Tell them they have committed treason with Malison. If they show their faces I will put this bullet in their ears."

"Ok," they all reply in unison.

Larkin grabs the medical supply bag from the cabinet. We were all well educated, we knew how to stick a wound. We could all be emergency medical responders if necessary. It's a pity that only I went into the medical field as a brain surgeon. But I became the best neurosurgeon in the universe, and people speak of me everywhere.

Larkin hands me the kit, which had the name 'Nathaniel' written in the black market across the top. I remember Seven was obsessed with being a doctor when he was little. Yet, he didn't get to receive that education because I forced him into a war. This is all my fault... If Mike dies this will all be my fault. Basically, everything is going to be my fault.

I grab the stitching kit from the bag. My hands quickly pull the thread through the needle. Mike grunts in pain as Larkin digs the bullet out from his leg then dabs at his wound with alcohol, cleaning it of any bacteria.

"I found some pain reliever." Aspen comes back into the room. "But it won't take effect for about a half hour or so."

"Give it to him anyways Darling," I tell her. "This will be painful, but he will live."

Aspen places the needle into Mike's arm, injecting the medicine. Mike relaxes his muscles and the medicine flows though his blood streams.

My fingers are careful in pushing the needle in and out of the skin as I stitch the wound. Larkin holds Mike's hand as he grunts in pain from each stitch he receives. Aspen cradles his head in her lap, petting his blond hair to soothe him.

Mike is my only sibling with natural blond hair, the rest of us all had black or dark brown. It was the Zodiac family look, dark hair, and bright eyes. For a long time, I thought Mike was adopted because he looked nothing like the rest of us.

I remember when I saw the first sign of Seven in my younger brother when I dyed his hair blond as a joke, it was like he wasn't a part of the family anymore... he looked so alien. That was the first level of this madness. I can't help but think about all the mistakes I made to push him to become Seven... this is all my doing, and everyone else is paying for it but me.

"Almost done," I tell him. "Just two more stitches. Hang in there, you are doing great."

"I didn't shoot him," Mike repeats again. "I shot a tree, I didn't hurt my brother."

"Shhh... Mike don't speak," Aspen soothes him as she ties her hair back and helps to wipe the dirt from his face.

I seal the last stitch, then drop the kit back into the bag. I feel the relief come over me. I watch as Mike slowly falls asleep. He needed a good long rest now.

"Operation complete," I state like I do after each surgery I performed. I was young to be doing this practice--we all were young--Mike was nineteen, and I was eighteen... and we have accomplished more in our lives so far than anyone does in their entire lifetime.

"Larkin, help me get him onto the couch," I direct.

"Aspen?" I ask. "Did you get in contact with them?"

"Ames is on line one." Aspen tosses me his phone. "I told him to hold, assuming you wanted to do the talking."

I press the number one button after I help get Mike onto the couch. Holding the phone to my ear I listen for the line to click back.

"Ames." I state, cold as ice.

"Finally! It's you," he says back, joy in his voice. "Why did you call me?"

"You have created a problem in our family. I might have to disown you." My voice remains angry.

"What do you mean?" He's confused, almost as if he didn't know he just betrayed me.

"You're a traitor. A cold hearted traitor. First you killed Azun, and now you and Seven are planning-"

"Woooh!" Ames stops me. "I am not doing that!"

"Then what do you think you're doing?" I snap at him, trying to listen to any clues on his line.

"What? Sorry the line keeps cutting out on my end." I hear him stepping on something crunchy.

"Betrayer," I state, trying to get my point across. I feel like we were two children arguing over a toy. This was childish... foolish... just plain stupid.

"Not!" Ames yells across the line.

"Where are you and Seven? You are both traitors to us all." I try not to yell, afraid I would startle Mike. I am so angry with Ames right now, I could just kill him. He always ruins my plans. First he takes my throne, then he goes and starts a war with me.

"Our brother?" I hear him trip on something. "He's gone."

Silence on my end. What did he mean gone? Ames and Seven were allies in this as they fueled against Mike and I, did Seven ditch Ames? Why would he do that?

"Seven left," Ames states. "He left me, he told me to get out of here. Also that he never wanted to see me again. He almost killed me with his whip blade. I have cuts across my face from it."

"Where are you?" I ask, suddenly feeling very defensive of my younger brother. "You keep making the loudest noises and it's really ruining our connection."

"Walking in the forest, close to the road that's by the house," Ames says. "I never betrayed you Luke. I just didn't think you deserved to be king. I want to be king too. Why can't we both rule? You know what, nevermind, you can have the stupid throne. Nathaniel wants you dead anyways. But now, we have lit the spark that caused Nathaniel to explode."

"Good, then get your butt back over here and help us with this war you idiot... you will need to earn my trust back slowly. No funny business. I will be watching you like a dingo watches a human baby."

"Creepy analogy... but I got it," Ames says. "I'm sorry I betrayed you."

"Never mind... I'll deal with you later. Right now we need more men and women to help us fight against Seven. We need you to recruit more people for our army, so start coming up with ideas to do that." I sigh. "Also, I will tell the others not to shoot you when you arrive."

"That would be nice. Thank you for your mercy." Ames laughs. "Later Luke."

I hang up and toss the phone back to Aspen, who sets it on the table.

"Tell me if Seven calls," I command. She nods back. "Ames still stands with us, but keep an eye on him. I still don't trust him completely."

I take a seat on the couch, my hands fidgeting with one another. What do I do? I bury my face in my hands as I watch Mike sleep on the couch. He is so still. He could be dead if I didn't know better.

---------------------------------------------

I believe I sat on the couch for most of the night, drowning in my own thoughts and worrying about Mike. I wonder if there was anything I could of done to change fate, to stop Seven from happening? Now my little brothers are out somewhere plotting revenge on me.

Ames has been trying to be the king since he was first born. That's why Seven and him teamed up against Mike and me, but Mike is the oldest. He inherited the rights to the throne and I was going to be his second-in-command. If Ames wanted the throne so badly he should have been born first. This is his own dang fault.

Mike had awoken and was moving around with the help of a cane when I went to check on him. Larkin was walking close beside him, quietly encouraging him. His cane made small clicks against the wooden ground as he practiced walking. Man, would Vestry's power of healing come in handy right now. If only he wasn't banished to Earth. He would be a huge help in all this. Vestry and Azun were the only people who could talk sense into Nathaniel, without them Nathaniel makes decisions without thinking about the outcome. He will be my greatest rival. 

Ames walked through the door with mud on his boots, panting from the long journey. I study him; he had marks on his face that seemed to be placed there by something sharp. His story was pretty legit. But I wonder if he is the right material to lead this empire. Seven has betrayed us, we are in the brinks of a planetary Civil War. We need someone who can defeat Seven's revolution. Someone like me, but not me. If only I could make more of me, thats what the world needs right now.

"Why are you panting?" I ask him.

"I was running!" Ames snaps at me as he quickly locked the door. "He was following me, trying to get back at you! You don't understand it Luke, you messed up and he hates you, I hate you, the entire planet will hate you."

Before I had any time to react I hear the window break behind me and I jump out of my seat. Glass was scattered across the room. Kneeling on the ground was a figure with wings, my brother, Seven.

"Look, Seven." I held my hands up. I didn't have a weapon on me, but I could see he had his bow and whip-blade, a unique weapon that could be used as a sword but also collapsed into a whip with razor-sharp pieces of the blade on the string. "I want to apologize for everything I said and did. For what it is worth, I appreciate having you around."

Man, I hope that apology works... if not my guts will be across the wall. I don't think I have ever been more scared in my life then I was at this moment. I know Seven's full potential, and that if he wants to kill me, he is perfectly capable of doing it. All I have to defend myself and the ones i love is my words.

"No you don't," Seven laughs. He tucks his wings under his black trench coat and readying his bow. Vestry made the coat for him so he can walk around like a normal person without his wings running into everything.

"You're right. I had dreams where I staple your fingers to your face," I snap.

Seven never missed a shot with a bow, so I tried to be careful with my comebacks and distract him long enough for either my love ones to escape or until I can convince Seven not to kill me and them.

Seven looked different from when I saw him before. His shoulders were broader and his hair was now spiked to the left side of his face. His blue eyes and blond hair were the only color contrasting to his dark look topped off with black eyeshadow that was very badly speared onto his eyelids. All other clothing we wore was black. He looked more mature, less childlike, but above all, he looked dangerous.

"How about you and Mike split, leave the planet to my rule," Seven suggests. "Cause you two don't know how to rule anywhere."

"Mike and I would make the best leaders. The entire planet knows that and so do you," I argue. Our of the corner of my eyes I could see that my siblings had their hands up. Why did none of them have any weapon? Gosh, we are idiots today. I clear my throat before continuing, "besides, you have no experience leading anything."

"You two don't even trust each other to lead. You are brothers, but besides that what else?" Seven snapped. "You use Mike as your puppet, while you are behind him being the real leader! I think the whole planet knows THAT! So do you."

"We have a special relationship! Besides being brothers and partners in leading," I spat. "We finish each other's-"

"Sentences!" Mike jumps in.

"Please don't interrupt me," I snap at him. "You are correct, I am the brains, he is the muscle of this operation. But we work together. Not to mention, I trust my brother with my life."

"Of what operation?" Seven laughs and I hear the glass crunch under his feet as if he was walking on the bones of his future victims.

"Malison, our planet," I state. "We have been trained by Father to take over, and you have not."

"It's so cute how you think that this planet is yours. I almost died in the war you started, and where were you?" Seven walks across the room. "You and Mike were off hooking up with the ladies of Francium while I was dying on the battlefield! I am the one destined to lead."

"Please! That was ages ago. And you? You're just a smarty pants who like to kiss up to get what you want." I glare at him.

Seven tilted his head in confusion. He knew what I meant. He was playing dumb for me. How special...

"You know what I mean," I glare at him. "You are the youngest."

"This isn't the point I am here to argue against you. What I am trying to say is that you will pay for killing Azun," Seven states.

Ames shifts uncomfortably to my left against the wall. His shoes creak against the wooden floor. Seven doesn't notice him because his whole anger is focused on me.

"What? Azun committed suicide a long time ago." I tell him.

"You were the one that caused him to!" Seven yells at me. "You are the reason why he died."

"Is that what this is all about? You avenging your precious stupid English-major brother?"

"He is your brother too, and it doesn't matter which field he went into... you had no right to bully him! And, I am avenging everyone you have indirectly killed." Seven glares at me with blue fire in his eyes. "This universe would be so much better without you."

"Quit telling lies. We would of all died of cancer if it wasn't for me," I huff. "And I am only saying this once more: I did not kill Azun."

"Yes you did, and you are calling me a liar when you are one yourself. You are such a hypocrite." Seven blames me.

"Some act you got," I snap. "You have insulted everyone on this planet besides yourself. Congratulations."

"Our war will be legendary," Seven states. "The great, astounding, scientific Zodiac Family against Seven... This is the story they will tell in a high school history class in our near future."

I glance at Ames, he gave me the look: I told you so.

I hated when Ames was right. If I had only just listened to him a few weeks ago. He told me Seven was an exact replica of Azun and erasing his memories only delayed the outcome. He warned me that the wall will fall, that my little brother would scratch that wall himself till all the memories come flooding back. That's exactly what happened.

"If I choose to fight..." I continued to stall. I was just trying to give myself more time to think of some plan to get myself out of this situation alive.

"You will have no other choice." Seven walks over to Aspen, the girl I loved so much... and he knew how much I loved her. A sick feeling crept up on me. "Because if you don't--"

"I always have a choice," I interrupt. I move closer to them to get the idiot away from my love.

"No, you will fight me or die." Seven touches her delicate face, and anger stirred inside me. He needed to get his hands off her!!

"Still... a choice," I argue. The anger for him could be heard in the linings of my voice as I continued to speak.

"Death is always an option." Seven scrapes his fingernails against her skin, cutting into her pretty flesh. She takes a small gasp of air into her lungs.

"Don't touch her!" I scream, panicking for what he might do to my love.

"Fight me." Seven holds his arm out, pulling the sword from his side and placing it next to her beautiful pale neck. Aspen was quivering, too scared to move away as Seven grasping on her wrist.

"Name a time and place." I submit to Seven. He knew my weakness was Aspen... he knew how much I loved her and would use her against me for as long as I shall live.

"Get your army." Seven lets go of Aspen and started walking back to the window. "The facility to the east where we used to make grain into bread. I will be in the wilderness assembling my army."

"I agree. That place is away from the public." I felt like a coward. "When?"

"You will see when I am ready, and you will know." Seven smiles a crooked smile, then spread his wings and took off out the window.

—————————————————————
Thanks for sticking around! You guys are all my favorite people now!
Please vote, and comment what you like and if you see any grammar mistakes please point them out for me.

Please tag your favorite person here for good luck! (And for a chance to have a chapter dedicated to you ;)))
I dedicate this chapter to: -NiceSlytherin
Who was like my third friend here and had been so nice to me ever since!

Please tell me your thoughts on the future events of these characters!
—————————————————————