**_JACK_**

The time was ticking. I had a goal that year for the number of people I wished to cause pain to, but it seemed like Adon was lagging me behind.

He was asleep at the moment, in my bed, in my room. I’ve forgotten why he was there; it most likely had something to do with his pale step-father. I knew that Adon didn’t want me to know, but anyone could see the hungry gaze that the man gave him a mile away. It disgusted me.

Adon had already been claimed by me a long time ago. So what if I was a bit late. Sadly, killing his father would make people have suspicions of Adon, and we couldn’t have that. I still had lots of things I wanted to do with him.

I watched as he groaned, tucking himself deeper into the covers and my side. I wasn’t tired at all, no, I was busy thinking, busy plotting, busy busy busy.

There was a knock on my door. _Knock! A_ crisp, single knock. I knew who it was. Didn’t want to see him at that moment—or at all really—but he came in anyway, as though a knock was good enough.

“Hi, Jack.”

“What the hell do you want, London.”

I couldn’t see his face in the darkness, but I swear he flinched. Of course, now, I’ll never know.

“Look, I just came to tell you that Father was more than pissed that you made an eighty-nine on your test.”

I huffed. I studied and did my best for that garbage—none of the answers were even part of the circulum, but I suppose that that’s to be expected at a private school. The teacher was a self-righteous bitch who probably made me miss marks because of my race. She seemed that type of person. “Well, it wasn’t my fault. It was the damn teachers.”

“Hey, hey. I believe you. Don’t get angry at me. I just— Who’s that?”

“Who?”

“Who’s in your bed? Is it that— Oh Jack are you really…?”

Adon yawned next to me, and one of his arms lifted to rest on my chest. Still, I couldn’t see London’s face, but I could see his back as the light of the hallway flooded into my room like a slow moving giant. I heard my brother take a breath.

“Father’s not going to be happy about your attitude towards the teacher.” Oh, so we were going to avoid talking about Adon. How much like him. Weak. Skittish. I despised him. Father did as well. But of course, being stupid, he couldn’t even comprehend that his own family would think of him as little as dirt.

“Well, if that’s all you came to say, piss off.”

“Jack—“

“Piss. Off. London. Get out of my room. I have school tomorrow.”

He left without another word, shutting the door silently behind him. The room was dark again. I could think again.

Adon tensed up in his sleep, the hand he had on my chest twisting my shirt in a ball. I stroked his hair absently, and he settled immediately, as I stared into the expanding darkness. It flickered at the corners of my eyes, as though even in the darkness there was light. I snorted to myself at the words, causing Adon to tense up again. There was no light in the dark.

That’s why they were opposites.

They weren’t the same.

——

_(Is it bad I really love these characters? This is my seventh(?) or eighth(?) installment of this series—which is more than my other attempted series btw—and I really do love them. I will have to do a backstory for Aubrey, the girl with the Itch. _

_As always, thanks for reading! Tell me what you think about Jack’s character, if you may. Writing helps me with my stress so I’m so glad I got this app. _❤️_)_