Koa stood in the doorway of his house putting on his leather jacket the weather hardly dropped at all it still felt like summer was chasing him. He heard soft padded footsteps behind him. He turned to see his younger brother Kio coming down the stairs wearing his fuzzy pink slippers. In his hands, he held a board game and on his face, he wore a frown.

"Are you leaving?" He asked tears about to swell up in his hazel eyes. 

"I have a date," Koa said refusing to make eye contact as he slipped on his boots.

"But you said we could spend time together!" He yelled throwing the board game at Koa it hit him in the back and burst open, little plastic pieces and playing cards flew everywhere scattering the floor.

"Kio knock it off you're acting like a child!" Koa growled trying not to lose his temper. "Clean this up, I'll be back late."

"Don't go!" Kio cried he leaped down the stairs and threw himself around Koa, he squeezed his legs and pressed his crying face into Koa's jeans. "Stay here," He muttered.

"Get off me," Koa said pulling his brother's arms off and pushing him to the ground.

Kio hit the ground with a hard thud and then looked sadly into his brother's face. Koa felt his heartstrings being tugged he wanted to apologize to his brother. He wanted to help him off the floor and give him a hug. He wanted to cancel his date and spend the whole evening with him, but he couldn't.

"Goodbye," Koa said opening the door.

"Wait," Kio shouted pulling himself off the floor and stumbling towards the door, "wait please."

Koa shut the door in his brother's face and held it closed. He could hear his brother on the other side begging him to stay. But Koa ignored him. He watched in the corner of his eye as his date Sophie came down their street. She parked in front of their house in an old chevy pickup truck and honked the horn a few times. Koa waved at her then hurried down their long driveway.

"This is a nice neighborhood," she commented with a whistle looking around the sea of expensive houses, "how can you afford to live here?"

Sophie wasn't poor but she wasn't rich either. She had light brown hair that reached her shoulders often pulled back into a ponytail and matching brown eyes. She was a farm girl born and raised miles outside the city. Koa wasn't particularly attracted to her. She was kind and rather pretty so there was no harm in taking her out.

"My mother is a lawyer."

"She must be a good one," Sophie reasoned.

"Yeah she's the best, hey can we get going?" Koa asked nervously tapping his foot.

"Alright, just let me get her started," Sophie said turning the key in the transmission several times before the truck finally started.

Sophie adjusted her mirrors before she put the car in drive, she noticed Kio standing in the window.

"Is that your brother?" She asked waving at him.

Kio flipped her off then angrily shut the curtain.

"Not the friendliest fellow, is he?" Sophie said finally pulling out of the driveway.

"He's just jealous that I got a date and he doesn't, you know how brothers are," Koa said sweat dripping down the back of his neck as he nervously rechecked the passenger mirror, making sure Kio wasn't still there.

"I know exactly what you mean I've got four older brothers myself."

"Four wow, that's a lot."

"Yeah, I always wanted a sister though," Sophie said with a sigh "so what's it like being a twin, I bet it's nice."

"It has its ups and downs," Koa said tugging on the collar of his shirt.

Koa could feel his guilt boiling inside him the same guilt he'd carried with him since summer camp. The guilt that haunted every hour of his life. It made him nauseous just thinking about it. He wished he asked Sophie to a movie because he didn't think he could eat.

. . .

Kio peeked through the curtains watching as his brother was driven away in a dirty pickup truck.

"I wonder how many guys that slut has banged in the back of that thing!" He hissed walking away from the curtain and throwing himself on his bed.

"It's not fair, what am I supposed to do? I hate being alone," Kio turned to the little blue elephant nestled between the pillows on his bed," Oh Elliot you're my only real friend."

Kio made the elephant bounce in his hands, "I'd never leave you," Kio said in a high-pitched tone pretending it was Elliot talking, "I love you."

"I love you too Elliot," Kio said squeezing the stuffed elephant.

Elliot was the twins' favorite toy when they were little. For the first five years of their lives, they slept in the same bed. But after they turned five their mother made them sleep in separate beds. And Koa was kind enough to let Kio keep Elliot. That's part of what made the elephant so special.

Koa and Kio still shared a room even though they had such a big house. They used to reason that they would be too lonely without each other but things were different now. Kio suspected Koa had plans to move out of their shared room. Something that would break poor Kio's tortured heart even more.

"I hope he stays," Kio said laying down in his brother's messy bed, the stuffed elephant under his arm.

Before Kio even realized he was sad he started to cry,  "It's not fair why does he have to leave? What could he be more fun than hanging out with me? Why do I even care?" Kio felt anger boil inside of him.

"I hate you!" Kio screamed to nobody.

"I hate you!" He screamed so loud he woke the neighbor's dog.

"I hate you!" He screamed again his face red and his throat sore, it felt good to get the words off his chest even though he didn't really mean them.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you," Kio muttered as he reached underneath his mattress.

"I hate you," He whispered as he grabbed what lye between the mattress and bed frame.

 A small but sharp knife he stole from the kitchen shortly after he came home from summer camp. He grabbed Elliot. He needed a witness. 

Kio continued mumbling under his breath about how much he hated his brother. He walked into the bathroom locking the door behind him even though he was alone. Their mother was gone for the weekend and Koa wouldn't be home for hours.

Kio pulled up the sleeve on his left arm revealing eleven ugly scars he carved into himself. Elven lines he put there to punish Koa. To prove how much he hated his stupid brother. He imagined his brother could feel the pain he felt. When they were little, they could sense each other's emotions, especially strong ones like anger and pain.

Kio held the blade of the knife to his skin and began making the twelfth cut. He screamed manically as he sliced open his own arm. The smooth silver blade separated the layers of his pale skin as dark red blood began to seep out like a popped water balloon. 

Elliot sat on the sink and watched. His eyes stuck open and his stitched mouth stuck smiling. Kio was careful not to let himself bleed for too long. He quickly bandaged his arm making sure to rinse all the blood down the drain.

He looked at his pale sickly appearance in the mirror his bloodshot eyes surrounded by large purple bags staring back at him. His dark shaggy hair sticking to his face from the cold sweat. It was Koa's face and he hated it. 

Kio left the bathroom grabbing the elephant off the toilet. He threw himself on his bed holding the animal close. He knew it was childish but it helped having something to hold. He took a few sleeping pills then laid there trying to ignore the burning pain in his arm.