HOME | DD

Description
Wilson was 15 and Adam was 11 when it all started. It was just another normal day in the Higgsbury house hold and Wilson's father was getting ready for yet another day at the University. It was barely 8 o'clock but everyone in the house was up and ready with their own plans for the day: Wilson was obviously going to go and continue some research that he had started the previous day, Alicia wanted to tidy up the house, even though it was going to get messy again before she had even finished and Adam wanted to go outside and catch some bugs and give them to Wilson to study. He was always trying to help his older brother even though he himself didn't like science that much.

“All right everyone, here are the ground rules” boomed Wilson's father. This was a usual thing that he did, telling everyone what not to do just before he left for work but, most of the time, the rules would end up being broken in a matter of minutes anyway. “Wilson, no blowing up the house, I want to be the first person to do that.” He patted Wilson on the head and smiled when Wilson's hair bounced back to it's original position.

“Adam, no driving your mother round the bend by bringing wild animals into the house. You remember what happened last time.” He patted Adam on the head just as he had to Wilson whilst Adam just smiled and nodded at the memory of that day. Lets just say that bringing a wild fox into a house when your about to have diner, is a very bad idea.

“And Alicia.” Sullivan looked at his wife and his smile instantly grew. “Try not to be too angry when the boys break the rules I just set.” Alicia just laughed and continued to smile but nodded in response.

“I can't make any promises, but I'll try” Satisfied with her answer, Sullivan took his top hat off of the stand and waved his family goodbye. Little did they know, this was the last time that they would see him alive. Oh how oblivious they where, how happy they where. But this tale isn't a happy one and I’ve only just begun to tell it.

A few hours later...

Wilson had just finished writing some notes on what happens to a live toad if you inject it with liquid nitrogen,( It had been very messy and had taken him half an hour to clean up) when he heard three knocks on the door. He removed the goggles that he had been wearing and placed them on the table. He instantly knew that it was Adam. His mother always knocked twice whilst his father would just say that he was coming in.

“Wilson!” Adam yelled. Their father had made the room virtually sound proof so everyone would always have to yell if their father hadn't heard them knock.”I've got something weird to show you!” Wilson sighed. Most of the time, Adam's definition of 'weird' was an animal with a bump on it or a bug that he had never seen before but, seeing what his brother had to show him would let him have a break from killing...er I mean 'Testing' animals.

Wilson opened the door for his brother to come in and he instantly saw that he was carrying, not an animal or bug, but a plant. The earth that had still been attached to the roots of the plant were now falling through his brothers cupped hands and were now on the once spotless floor. Yet another thing Wilson would have to clean up.

“Adam, where did you get that?” Wilson spoke calmly but also tense. Plants didn't grow in the middle of London and, even if someone bought one home, it would die in a matter of days because of the pollution the city produced. Adam turned to to his brother and Wilson heart nearly skipped a beat. In his brothers hands had to have been the most horrid and evil thing Wilson had ever seen.

First, Wilson stared at it's roots which were a deep crimson. Then his eyes creped up the plants' stem that looked like it was rotting from the inside out because it was a horrid light brown colour and the thorns that protruded out of it were a sickening yellow, the colour of rotting teeth. And then there's the main flower. The second Wilson saw it he wanted to snatch the flower out of his brothers hand's and burn it right then and there. From looking at the main flower Wilson instantly knew that it was a rose but, it's petals weren’t red or even the rare blue. They were pitch black.

“A..Adam give me the plant” Wilson held out his hands to his brother and bent down to his level. Adam just looked at his brother, then at the plant and back again, confusion evident on his face. Wilson's only thought was that he had to get the plant away from his brother. What if it was dangerous? What if it's thorns carried enough poison to kill a man or if it produced a colorless and odorless gas that could kill them in seconds? All he knew was that he didn't want to find out if it was dangerous or not, he just needed to get it away from Adam.

“What's wrong Wilson? Did I do something bad?” Adam continued to search Wilson's scared expression for a why he might have something that would have caused his brother such distress. He had never seen him like this, even when he had been close to blowing up the lab with father and himself inside, he had been calmer than he had been then. “I though that, if I got you this strange flower that was growing in the garden then, it might help you with your research.”

“Adam, you haven't done anything wrong, I just need you to give me the flower NOW.” The pleading in Wilson's voice had become more urgent and that worried Adam.” Adam PLEASE just give me-” Wilson was cut short as a loud explosion rattled the lab. Adam had practically thrown the plant to the floor and had run over to his older brother, holding his waistcoat in a vice like grip.

Now, instead of worrying about the plant hurting his brother, Wilson was more afraid of the chemicals on the shelves of the lab falling and harming Adam. The lab was one of the most dangerous place to be in the best of times so, with them being in it now, the chances of them getting seriously hurt or worse had risen considerably.

The room continued to shake and the many bottles and viles that lined the lab chimed as they hit and bounced off each other as Wilson made his way over to the table at the center of the room and pushed Adam underneath it. It may not have been the steadiest thing in the world but, at least it would stop bottles of chemicals from hitting his brother.

“What about you Wilson?” Adam yelled over the chorus of high pitched chimes. There was no room underneath the table for Wilson and both of the brothers knew it but, from the look on Adam's face, he didn't want to admit it. He didn't want to lose his brother.

Just at that moment, the room stopped shaking and the noise the bottles had been making had been silenced. Everything was quiet. The silence that had fallen over the room was unbearable so, Wilson decided to speak. “Adam” He looked his brother in the eyes and saw that he had been close to crying. His eyes were red and puffy and Wilson could clearly see the tears in his eyes reflecting the little light they had in the lab. “Are you alright?”

“Mm hm” He rubbed his eyes to get rid of the tears. “What about you? Are you alright Wilson?”
Just before Wilson could reply, their mother burst into the lab, slamming the door agents the wall in the process.

“Are you two alright?” Her voice was shaking and she had definitely been crying, the streaks of her make-up visible on her face. She ran over to the boys still crouched next to the table and embraced them in a bear hug. “I was SO worried about you.” She released her grasp on the boys and looked them both in the eye, a smile plastered on her face. “You have no idea how glad I am to know that my boys are OK.”

“Mother.” Alicia turned her attention to Wilson, still smiling at them.”Do you know what that explosion was? It would have had to have been rather close if it caused the house to shake for so long.” Alicia's expression instantly changed from being happy to being worried.

“I- I don't know what caused the explosion and you are definitely not going out there to find out. Right now, we need to get out of the lab in case something else happens.” Alicia stood up and Adam stood as well, intertwining his fingers with hers. She held a hand out for Wilson and he gratefully took it. “Come on, lets get you two cleaned up.”

“Yes mother.” The boys answered in unison. Before leaving the lab, Wilson turned to look at what damage the explosion might have caused. There were only a few cracks on the left-hand side wall and no bottles had been broken, thank god, but, something was missing. Realization hit him and as he left the lab, a feeling of dread settled in his stomach.

The flower had vanished.