I feel a little out of place as we walk through the castle to the kings' room. I still see the remnants of the castle of his ancestors the I once knew while almost everything is the castle Mitch showed me in his memories. Even having seen it in his mind's eye there is something different about physically being here that hits me with how times have changed. I am both comforted and unsettled by the Island's magic I can feel flowing through the castle giving it protections. I feel energized by the power knowing if I wanted to, I could reach out and bend it to my will... But I also feel anxious about it knowing what will happen if I were to do such a thing.
When we finally walk into the kings' room, I am amazed. For the most part it looks exactly how Mitch described it. There is the coveted pool table off to the right, and the picture of their parents is hanging on the wall beside it. Straight ahead is the balcony that was the scene of so many unfortunate accidents that are now funny stories Mitch has told me. Just to the right of the balcony sits their blue comfy couch facing a flat screen TV. The only difference now is off to the left where Brady said there were two twin beds with a bathroom door between there now stands two tree like structures designed to look like they are "growing" up on either side of the door and arching across the whole alcove. In the 'trunk' of each structure sits a twin bed while the branches above form nest that is clearly a third bed. One of the twin beds is quite obviously Boomer's as it is decorated with sport stuff that looks like the stuff I have seen in Chicago. While the other one, Brady's I suppose, looks as if it has yet to be slept in. Boz quickly scampers into the nest above confirming that it is his.
For a moment Brady and I just stand there staring at it in awe before Mitch slips up again.
"This thing is magnificent," Mitch exclaims walking over to it, "How does it stay up and hold your weight? Who designed it?"
"Brady," I quickly interrupt feeling bad quelling his honest curiosity, "They aren't a girl's father you are trying to impress!" I shoot him a questioning look double checking that he still wants to pretend to be the old Brady
"Oh! Yeah right," Mitch chuckles giving me a small nod of thanks and shaking himself back into Brady, "Seriously bro. This is AWSOME. We should have totally done this sooner!"
"I know Right!" Boomer laughs shifting slightly and I feel the tension start to rise once more.
"Hey, Brady," I break in calling from where I have stayed by the door, "Didn't you say something about a tour? Why don't you put away you stuff and then you can show me around?"
"Okay," Brady replies with a teasing lilt to his voice. He keeps eye contact with me as he tosses his backpack onto his bed and declares, "Done! Ready for your tour?"
"Brady," I reply pretending to fail at containing a laugh as I know this is him trying to act like the old him, "You can't just leave your backpack on your bed. At least put it away in a drawer."
"Fine!" Brady huffs feigning annoyance
"Man, bro she is as bad as Mykayla." Boz comments quietly thinking I can't hear him from where I stand.
Brady laughs and replies sassily, "I know right!" He knows full well that I can hear them, but I can't help but chuckle silently happy that some of the tension that started to build has lapsed into brotherhood.
Once Brady drops his backpack into a drawer, he grabs his guitar, and we head out for my 'tour'.
Brady leads us through a maze of hallways and stairwells to a little nook at the end of a practically abandoned hallway where we sit and take a breath to discuss our next moves.
"This is way harder than I ever imagined it would be," Mitch groans
"Are you regretting coming back? Are you regretting bringing me with you?" My questions are practically a whisper coming straight from my fears unfiltered.
"NO! I am not regretting anything so far. Mos especially I am not regretting brining you with me. You are the only thing that is keeping me sane right now and I just couldn't deal with..." His voice breaks for a moment softening, "with knowing that I left you there."
"If you really want them to think you are the same as when you left you know we are going to have to be much, much more careful right?" I question hesitating before continuing, "Are you sure you want to keep up a facade from them? You are struggling to act like Brady are you sure you don't want them to see you as Mitch?"
"I know we need to be more careful," Mitch moans, "I really am sure I don't want them to see me as anyone but Brady... But this is way harder than I thought. We really need to take the time to iron out who Brady is... or who he was?... who I was? I am having trouble remembering what I was like back then. And I keep almost saying too much about the way the ship worked... Ugh" Mitch buries his head in his knees
"Okay then. Let's start with the ship. All we need to do is build a new better backstory just like any other we have done. What are the rules for the story?" I prompt working to ground him in simple tasks we can use to accomplish his goal
"We need to lie as little as possible. A simple story that explains everything without holes where we are leaving out the bad stuff. It is really important I don't get caught in a lie Mykayla used to always be able to tell when I was lying and if she realizes she can't tell anymore I just know she will stop trusting me." Mitch lays out sounding more sure with a tangible goal to accomplish.
"Okay simple it is," I agree easily, "let's start from the beginning and work forward. How we met. You already told them I saved your life. Are you feeling playing the story as I saved your physical life and keep the almost drowning part of the story or do you think more emotional in the I was the first person who saw you individually?"
"How about a combination. The ship you were working on found me and pulled me out of the water half drowned. You helped nurse me back to health and we became friends. Maybe we bonded over feeling unknown? For me it was because I was always a package deal with Boomer and felt like you were the first person who saw me as just me. I am not sure how that works for you..." He trails off
"That works. For me it is because I kept transferring ships and no one seemed to see me, so I was lonely. The bottom line comes to we were both looking for a friend. Oh, that gives us a reason why we posed as twin too! If we were twins, then the company would transfer us together between ships and as a package we got better jobs. I mean it's true enough..." I suggest happy that I found a reason that wouldn't leave too many holes in my background either.
"That sounds good. Do we need anything else to fill in the holes or do you think that is good?" Mitch asks obviously considering it himself as well
"I think we should be good with that... any of our actual stories from ship should be fine as long as we are careful. We just need to avoid stories from 'dating' cruises, or anything involving management and staff..." I trail off remembering our last encounter with staff and once again feeling guilty
"Okay let's work on figuring out Brady then" Mitch quickly pulls me out of my thoughts with a task to complete
"Okay Alias 100 Brady. Let's do this " I giggle finding comfort in the profile number.
"Profile 100 Brady, I like the sound of that. Where do we start?" He looks at me expectantly
"Well, you already have a backstory, so we just need to drill down the personality, training, and schooling. Number one personality you used to be lazy, headstrong, impulsive, and cowardly... you have had a job now so we should add a touch of responsibility they will think it is weird if you are a hundred percent the same after all this time. I think the hardest two will be impulsive and cowardly because you have to act without thinking to be impulsive and you have to suppress your instinct to protect the instant it prods you to action to be cowardly.... If you can freeze instead of jumping into a fight that could actually work really well." I start drifting into musings so Mitch interrupts
"How is freezing good?"
"When you were here before if something scared you what would you do?" I ask choosing to lead him to the answer
"Run like a coward...." His face is scrunched, and I can tell he is trying but we don't actually have time for him to think it through
"When something happens you have three options Flight, Fight, or Freeze. Normally I would categorize Freeze as the worst option even if the reason for Flight is cowardice. However, you used to run so if you can temper your new instinct to fight and instead freeze, we can frame freezing as an improvement to everyone else. You freeze because now you feel of responsibility telling you to fight but are still a coward who wants to flee. That conflict inside you causes the freeze." Now he is nodding along following what I say
"We can work on that when we work on your fight training as well. Training is going to suck for you but as long as we can find time to get some physical training in before you try to fight anyone that should be pretty doable. You will have to keep a level head in any fights though because if your instincts to fight how I trained you take over you won't be able to maintain the illusion that you are still a middle school slap fighter who may have absorbed a little of what Mykayla tried to teach to you..."
Mitch grimaces, "This is going to physically suck huh? You are basically telling me I am going to end up getting hurt by taking hits I could have dodged."
"Yeah," I reply, "that is exactly what I am saying. Last stage is the hardest.... Schooling and the ability to think. You used to be a kid who refused to learn and as such could barely spell your own name but you. I am actually not sure how to help you with this one other than maybe respond with 'huh' 'what' and 'um' a lot...." I trail off, teaching him to sound smart is just a matter of giving him facts to memorize which he did great with whenever we were asked to scam a high roller by staff but acting dumber is hard especially around people you want to impress... "I guess for smarts the important thing is to think before you speak and don't try to impress anyone... If you really want this Mitch, I know you can do it you are smart and driven. Anything you want you can have." I sigh drifting into dangerous thoughts about how much truer that is than he knows.
"Thanks Is. I will give this my all, I will need to be able to fight in the King Challenge ... Although maybe by then I won't care if everyone knows a bit more about me"
"Well, I am glad you are satisfied because we finished planning just in time, Mykayla is almost done with my room and will come looking for us in a minute so we should get going."
"Isn't that room a little farther away than you can usually track?" Mitch questions but shakes his head before standing and offering me a hand up, "Never mind just remember not to say anything like that around my family. Let's go 'finish' our 'tour'."