Radioactive - Book 1: Birth 🪼

Twelve

A couple of days go by and Dad hasn't come back with Matt or even told us anything that is going on. Balister came back from his trip and Nalak freaked him out because he was raiding the kitchen for meat when he had come home. I had to explain everything that had happened to him and what was going on. He was friendly enough towards Nalak but I think he would have preferred I had made a friend with a regular person, not a hidden Altered that will be taken to the Badlands soon.

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"Your oldest brother seems really nice." Nalak says, jumping up and down for some reason in my room. "Even though I can tell he doesn't like me."
"I don't think he doesn't like you, I think he's thinking more of the 'endangerment on me and the rest of the house' type of caution. I told him that I had everything under control."
"Hmm, literally." He said, flapping his hands.
I lift an eyebrow at him. "What are you doing?"
"There's stuff on the Internet that says that albinos can float. I wanna float."
"It's called hovering and you have to have been one for more than three years to develop the ability. I read up on it in my dad's files."
"Damn." Nalak said, snapping his fingers. "It would have made things so easy."
"Don't be a whiny ass..."
"You're worried about Matt, aren't you?"
"It's been three days and no word from my parents... I mean, is he okay? What's going on?"
"Why don't you just call the hospital?"
"I have and they say that I can't speak to them because of the type of room that he's in or something. I don't know. I feel like I'm getting the runaround."
"You probably are."
I suddenly hear the door slam closed and open again and walk to the balcony of the third floor.
"Matt! Matthew Achilles!" I hear my mother yell.
"What?!" I hear Matt snarl.
What they say next is at regular level so I can't hear but Nalak walks up beside me and leans on the banister.
"Achilles? That's his middle name?"
"All of our middle names are Greek mythology." I say halfheartedly as I try to listen to what they're saying.
"What's your middle name?"
"Poseidon."
"She's telling him to be careful because his wound will open if he jerks around like that, if you're wanting to know... Ramey Poseidon..." he says with a chuckle.
I look at him as he grins and scoff at him.
"Jerk, you caught me off guard." I growl, shoving his shoulder.
He laughs. "Well, if it's any consolation, my middle name sucks."
"What is it?"
"Bartholomew." He says with a roll of his bright blue eyes.
"That's not that bad."
"Compared to Poseidon? Your middle name is awesome."
"Wait, you just said something. What did you say about my brother?"
"Oh, I assumed you were trying to listen so I just said what was going on... That's what you wanted, right?"
"But what did you say? I was too busy trying to pay attention to them than to you."
Nalak makes a face. "I said she was telling your brother not to jerk around or he would open his wound. I don't know what wound..." He sniffs the air. "Mmm..."
"What?"
"Seems he's a hard ass and already ripped a stitch. Idiot."
I walk away and head down the stairs just as Matt comes up the stairs. As we see each other, he looks at me with a harsh glare.
"Matt, are you okay? What happened?"
"Don't worry about it. Just stay away from me. I don't want you to come near me." He growls, going to his room.
"But Matt, you've busted a stitch already."
Matt moves and lifts up his shirt, scoffing.
"I don't even fucking care anymore. I'm worthless anyway so who would care?"
I try to talk to him but he just goes to his room and slams the door.
"Drama much?" Nalak says and I gasp, almost tripping.
"What the- How did you get here so fast?"
"I can't float but the acrobatics is bitchin!" he says with a double thumbs up. "Anyway, your brother is a pussy."
"Hey, don't talk about him like that. He just went to the hospital and has a wound on his stomach... I... I think he might have had something wrong with his insides."
Nalak turns his head a little as if he is listening and runs his fingers through is brown-turning-white hair. He looks like an old man with salt-and-pepper hair but it's coming from the roots and going down because albinos don't have dark hair unless it's dyed.
"You mean like what happened to you? Do you think he might be an Empty now?"
"I don't know... I want to ask him but I just... I just don't know..."
Nalak stares at me for a moment when I hear a loud gurgling noise and both Nalak and I look at Nalak's stomach. He puts his hand over it and smiles sheepishly.
"I haven't eaten in a while... R, I think it's time I go to the Badlands."
"What?"
"It's not that I want to or that I don't think you can't handle me here but I'm putting your family out. I mean, I eat a lot of meat -a lot- and as the days go by, the more I eat and the hungrier I get. Soon, I may do something and hurt one of you guys. I don't want to do that and I don't want to keep putting your family in danger by being here so... I think it's time for me to go."
I stare at him in confusion and shock. First Matt's sudden hospitalization and surgery, now Nalak has to go because he could eventually eat us? I shake my head and put my hand up so he won't talk.
"Not right now... just... not right now..."
I walk away and go back up the stairs. Nothing is right anymore and I don't know where I fit in with everything.