#eh?!

Victor had a fairly normal childhood, to start, living in Long Grove with his parents and his identical twin brother Marcus. Marcus and Victor were extremely close, Victor was much more soft spoken and gentle than Marcus. Marcus had a bad violent streak, got into constant fights, a lot of them to protect Victor. Marcus didn’t really care about anyone else other than Victor, he trusted him with everything, maybe too much. Marcus told Victor what he did to animals. Victor told their parents what Marcus did to animals.

June 26th.

Victor came downstairs one night to find Marcus over their parents, knife in hand, blood everywhere. Their parents were going to send Marcus away to get help, Marcus couldn’t be away from Victor.

Victor was horrified, never more scared in his life, he screamed and sobbed and Marcus told him the plan, hands sticky with blood on Victor's face. Marcus told him that they would hurt themselves a little bit, say some stranger did it, killed their parents and left the two Pace sons for dead, but they wouldn’t be dead, they would live and be a family and never ever be split up. Victor had no one else, he was scared, Marcus was talking so loud and he trusted him, really he did, so he agreed.

Marcus convinced him they would believe them, Victor is so smart he said, they can do this together he said. A knife thrust into Victor's hand, “-aim for the shoulder, not too deep-”

Together. They are doing this together. Marcus with his own knife, Victor couldn’t look, eyes closed he thrust the knife forward.

He misses. He hears it before he sees it. He looked to see he utterly fucked up, knife in the side of Marcus’s throat. Victor apologizes, crying, freaking out, when Marcus starts to fall Victor catches him, Marcus’ knife is still up, cuts over face, neck, the knife ends up in the back of his shoulder. Both fall to the ground, Victor watches the life drain from his brother’s eyes, he lays there expecting to die, surrounded by his only family, his brother. He doesn’t. He wakes up in the hospital, stitches thick and black and bold on his skin.

He was only 13. Of course he couldn’t do something like that.

Of course not.

It was a month after in the shared bathroom of the orphanage, alone that he saw his brother in the reflection. He cried, in relief, he missed Marcus so much. A month apart from someone you spent every day of your life with for 13 years was forever to Victor. He never stopped seeing him. It felt like Marcus was part of him. He was able to work through his shit like this. He wasn’t alone, Marcus was always with him. Talking to him, Marcus wasn’t mad, Marcus was here and it was fine. Everything was fine.

The orphanage was their home, they loved the kids there and helped look after them. Marcus was such a good big brother, he gave him all kinds of advice to look after the little ones. He grew up, he went off to school, he was happy, he loved baking and learning and everything was so good. When he moved back to town to open the family bakery, things changed. He was 23. Ten years after what happened. People loved the bakery.

The whispers started. Marcus loved Long Grove, they both loved it. It was home. He didn’t like what some people wanted to do to the town. He wanted it small and sweet and like he remembered. Victor had the body. He could do it. Victor didn’t want to do it. Marcus wore him down. So many people came and went out of town, so many travelers. Marcus had been so docile and quiet for so long, Marcus missed the blood, the violence. It became habit. Victor being the sweet and soft face, the front, and when the need struck Marcus he took over and killed and maimed and was so cruel. Victor loved the town and loved his brother and couldn’t say no to him so it happened. Victor learned to accept it over time. He is 30 now. Almost ten years of doing this.

It has become easy.