Gabriel and Daniel finally managed to sleep.
They were locked in their own nightmares — tossing, turning, drenched in sweat. What should've been peaceful rest after a tormentous night had turned into mental torture — a twisted loop of the horrors they'd escaped, only to replay in their dreams. Their minds, once a place of escape, had turned on them — trapping the brothers in what seemed like an endless prison with no exit, until…
Gabriel's alarm started blaring like a siren, growing louder with each passing second.
"Yo, my ears man," he groaned, slapping his pillow over his head while smacking the alarm with the other. Groggy, he sat up, rubbed the crust from his eyes, and let out a big yawn.
"It felt like I just shut my eyes five minutes ago. Now it's already time for school? Nah, man… this can't be real life. I must still be in a nightmare," he mumbled, before pinching himself.
"Ouch!! … guess this isn't a dream," he said, shaking his arm before dragging himself out of bed with a deep sigh.
Still half-asleep, Gabriel shuffled through his morning routine as quickly as he could. But before heading downstairs, he made sure to knock on his brother's door — something he hadn't done in forever, voluntarily.
"I'm up, Mom?" came a groggy voice from the other side.
But as the door opened, and Daniel stood there, hair a mess, eyes barely open and dribble down the side of his mouth, he saw Gabriel standing there.
"Oh, here we go," he said, voice laced with sarcasm. "What did I do now?"
Gabriel cracked a small smirk. "Nothing — nothing, little bro, relax man. I just thought maybe we could walk to school together or something."
Daniel blinked, confused, before poking his head out of the door and looking left and right to see if their mom was around. But the landing was empty.
"Wait… what, you came here on fruition? Who are you, and what've you done with my brother? You do know, alien, this isn't the norm for my brother, right?"
Gabriel laughed. "Ha ha ha, how funny. Just grab your bag and let's go."
Daniel turned to get his stuff and paused. For a second, he smiled. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.
"Maybe my luck's finally turning the corner," he whispered under his breath.
But just as he grabbed his bag and reached for his phone, that positive feeling quickly vanished. A message popped up , it was Malakie.
"We need to talk asap."
Daniel's heart skipped a beat. After what went down last night, he didn't know what to expect — but whatever it was, it couldn't be good. Still, he shoved the phone in his pocket and buried the worry deep. Gabriel was finally reaching out. He wasn't about to ruin that.
"Hurry up, man, we gotta go," Gabriel called, already heading downstairs.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Daniel replied, chasing after him.
As they reached the bottom step and turned toward the front door, they were stopped in their tracks.
Nicole stood there, arms folded, wearing the kind of expression only a mother can pull off, suspicion mixed with surprise.
"You two… stop right there," she said, eyes squinted. "What's going on?"
Gabriel and Daniel looked at each other, then back at her — caught off guard.
"What do you mean, Mom?" Gabriel asked, trying to play it cool.
Nicole's eyebrow raised. "You two are walking out the door… together. Peacefully. Without me or your father having to force you. That's not exactly normal behaviour for you guys now is it."
Daniel shrugged, trying to act like it wasn't a big deal either. "Why does something have to be going on just 'cause we're walking together?"
Nicole gave a half-sigh, half-laugh. "Because it hasn't happened in years — and every time I've told Gabriel to watch you or go with you to school, there's always pushback. So forgive me if I'm just a little shocked."
Gabriel stepped forward, putting a hand on his mother's shoulder. "I get it, Mom. But seriously — we're good. Nothing's going on."
She stared at him for a second, then looked at Daniel.
"…Alright. Well… have a good day at school. Love you both."
"Love you too, Mom," they said in sync as they stepped out into the cool morning air.
The streets were quiet, the sky painted in soft blue with streaks of orange sunlight bursting through. Birds chirped above, and the cold air — as soon as it hit their faces — helped wake up their tired eyes.
They walked in silence at first — not awkward, just thoughtful. Then Daniel broke it.
"So… what made you want to walk with me today then?"
Gabriel glanced over, then looked forward again. "I dunno. I guess… I've just been thinking a lot. I've been so caught up in my own stuff, I haven't really been checking in on you. Or even asking how you're holding up or how school's been. And that's not cool. So I figured it's time I start acting like how a big brother's supposed to be."
Daniel looked at him sideways, suspicious. "Since when did you start talking like that? All caring and mature?"
Gabriel laughed under his breath. "Since last night, I guess. It's complicated."
Daniel narrowed his eyes, thoughts racing. Something felt… off. Not in a bad way. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
This can't be a coincidence, Daniel thought.
Bug-boy saves me… I say all this stuff about Gabriel not being there for me… and now the next morning, Gabriel's walking me to school, saying the exact same things? Nah — it can't be.
He looked closer. The height. The hair. The way he moved.
Then it hit him. A lightbulb went off in his head.
Daniel stopped walking and turned to face his brother.
"You're him… aren't you?" he asked calmly, a small smile creeping onto his face.
Gabriel paused, eyes flicking left and right. "Him? Who's him?"