#i suppose that's why alex was as drawn to nigel as he was

[laurelwen]

Alex shuffles along the darkened street, hands shoved in his pockets to ward off the damp cold.  He wonders for the hundredth time why he feels compelled to answer Nigel's invitation.  Alex still cannot explain the pull this infuriating boy has over him, the way he's trapped in the grip of his own fascination.  Nigel is insane, of course; he knows that.  But there are notes in his mad song that resonate in Alex's heart.  Maybe that makes him a little crazy, too.  

He reaches the front yard of the Colbie house to find a car parked askew in the drive, keys in the ignition, engine running, radio announcing the evening prayer.  Something is wrong here.  

There must be a way.

The thought spikes into his mind from nowhere, and he thinks for a moment it's the voice from the radio.  He pauses briefly to glance inside the car but finds no enlightenment there.  

He moves with uncertain steps up the front walk, knowing now that Nigel's parents must be at home.   He hears raised voices and feels himself drawn to the golden light beaming through lace curtains in the front window.  It takes him a few moments to decipher the tableau inside the bedroom.   He supposes this is what a normal home looks like:  the fancy patterned wallpaper, the marital bed lit by the soft glow of two lamps, the wardrobe looming tall and heavy on the far wall.  Something is wrong here. 

Nigel sits passive and still beside his mother, his bare arms tucked up tight against his torso.  Helen is agitated and dismayed as her husband paces back and forth.  The man brandishes his beloved shotgun.  

Alex cannot look away as this drama unfolds: the photos, the accusations, the growing rage.  Nigel’s father bares his teeth in a rictus of fury, unable or unwilling to listen to his wife's pleas.  Not once amid all this bluster does John look at his son or acknowledge his presence.

Nigel draws inward as the scene plays on.  He does not look at his parents.  He winces when John waves the gun back and forth.

There must be a way.

Alex flinches.  The voice inside his head is his own, but it feels as though it comes from somewhere distant.  There is no context for these words.  They nag at him like a pebble in his shoe.  

He does not understand the part he is meant to play in this story.  Perhaps Nigel needs an audience for the climax of the plot he has so cleverly constructed.  

Alex stands alone in the dark.  Something is wrong here. 

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(This is my first ever fanfic, and I will love you forever if you comment or reblog and let me know what you think!)

#it's never too late to start writing fanfiction apparently #like minds #like minds 2006 #nigel colbie #alex forbes #nigel colbie x alex forbes #murderous intent #eddie redmayne #tom sturridge #murder boyfriends #like minds fic #my fic