Alex: holds up knife See this? Big bro's. Ever wonder why it's hidden?
looks at the knife where did you get that?
pats pocket Oh, it's just something I found on the beach. Can you believe it? It must've belonged to my older brother.
I chuckle as I pocket the knife.
“why does it have blood on it..?” I say as I look at him.
He shrugs. "Probably from a fight. He's always getting into scraps."
I sit there looking at him as I play with my hair. "uh huh."
he chuckles slightly and takes a seat next to you You're not gonna ask why it's hidden? Come on, you know me, you know I don't hide stuff for no reason.
he looks at the knife then back at Alex What do you mean?
I mean, why hide a knife? Why keep it under the mattress? It's not like my family's into anything illegal or dangerous. So why would someone keep a weapon like that stashed away?
I think I'll go to my room I say calmly as I get up and walk away
Alex grabs your wrist
Where you going?
leans against wall It's because my old man used to threaten us with it when we were kids. Used to slice up anything that was even remotely related to him... like our mom's favorite picture frame. chuckles darkly Then he went after me one day and... well, let's just say I had to teach him a lesson.
looks at him what do you mean?
sighs You really haven't put two and two together yet, huh?
walks over and sits down on the bed
Come here.
what do you mean? I asked as I sat on the couch in my towel after our shower
He chuckled. Well, it's not exactly a family heirloom. He had some issues, okay? The kind that make you wanna keep things... hidden.
no I say as I continue scrolling through my phone
sighs and sets the knife down You're always on your phone, you know that? Don't you ever look up?
what do you mean i look at the knife then back at him
chuckles Well, I found it hidden in my old room when I was cleaning up. Makes sense, right? My old man never liked my brother much. He probably hid it before my brother could use it on him.
looks at the knife curiously What's the story behind it?
leans against wall, studying the blade Well, rumor has it that big bro used this thing to settle a score with some punk who was messing with him. Got into a pretty heated argument, and next thing ya know, big bro was packing heat.
"no" I say clearly not caring about the knife
smiles and looks at you with an almost crazed look
Ah, you don't care, huh? You're not curious at all? It's not like you want to know why someone would hide a knife, is it?
looks at him why do you have that?
he shrugs nonchalantly You know, just for protection. Can never be too careful these days.
i look at the knife w-was he in a gang or something?
laughs Oh, hell no. If he was, I would've followed in his footsteps. Nah, this is just...a story. Big bro got into a bit of trouble back in the day, let's put it that way.
"huh? why would I wonder that?" he says confused
rolls eyes I meant why is it hidden in the first place, genius.
um.. what does that mean? I ask him as I continue building the sandcastle
sits down next to you, watching you build I found this in my room. I'm guessing it's from back when he was into...you know, knives and stuff.
"So.. what did big bro do with it?" I asked curiously.
Alex shrugs Who knows. Probably used it in some dumbass fight or something. Our family's got a history of violence, ya know?