There were two choices on places the brothers could meet. One was the infamous Pizzeria Adagia, known for burning holes into the wallets of many. The second was the small but popular Café that sold a cup of coffee and sandwiches at a reasonable price. Standing on the corner was the one and only Drake Vance, one of the Nimbus students who were transferred to Aura Academy. He looked between the two, contemplating on which of the two should they meet at before calling his younger brother.

Would Constantine be in the mood for pizza and soda today? Or would he be in the mood for something healthier and something warm to drink. Drake stood there, ignoring the stares he received whenever the light signaled everyone to cross the street. After a minute or so, he pulled his hands out of the warmth of his jean pockets and to his jacket pocket where he pulled out a cigarette from the box. He placed the nicotine stick between his lips and pulled the lighter out of his pocket and quickly lit it up before a gust of wind could blow the flame out.

Once lit, Drake took a moment to fill his lungs with the toxic smoke before moving the cigarette from his lips and letting the smoke out. Again, he ignored the stares and the mutters of the elders around him about ruining his health and the others. Drake could care less. Everyone was bound to die. It would either be natural or an accident and he chose to enjoy himself before he kicked the bucket.

Drake looked between the pizza shop and the café, trying to make a decision so he would be able to get out of the cold weather. Already his stomach was feeling a bit upset so the thought of eating the greasy food made his mouth taste bitter and the smell of pizza sauce would definitely make his stomach churn. However, the weather was cold and Drake had lost feeling in his legs after walking around for an hour thinking. The thought of having something warm to drink and a sandwich definitely made his stomach feel at ease. That was the winner, they would meet at the Café.

He pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and held down the number 2 for speed dial of Constantine’s number before he held the phone to his ear. Drake quickly took another puff of his cigarette and jerked his hand lightly to get rid of the ash that was forming on it. He listened to the rings before sighing as he got Constantine’s voice mail. Quickly, he let the toxic smoke from his lungs before he left a message. “Constantine, it’s me, Drake. I asked you yesterday to keep this time and the next few hours free to have lunch with me. I’ll be at the Café waiting for you. Call me back or text message me.”

Once he finished his message, Drake snapped his phone shut and clicked on the button to cross the street and waited for it to turn to the walking man before crossing. He quickly finished his cigarette before he snuffed it out on a trashcan and dropped the butt into the bin and entered the café. Upon entering, he felt the warmth of the shop enter through his jacket and into his body and begin warming up his near frozen body. Drake quickly claimed a window seat for two for himself and Constantine and ordered a cup of coffee for himself and began waiting for the arrival of the younger Vance.

Constantine waited for the light to change, raising an eyebrow in slight exasperation at the weather outside. Somebody's car had done something stupid, causing a miniature traffic jam in the small town, and holding up the car that Constantine had managed to get a ride in. Not having his own car or even a bike to his name, Constantine never had much choice in transportation - it was either call a taxi, ride a bus or get a ride off someone who happened to be going into town. Considering the size of the freshman's wallet, the only real choice was to bum a ride off someone else.

Now he absently realized that his phone had been ringing, but he reached down to answer it too late; it was already going to voice mail. He dialed his mailbox and entered his password, listening to Drake's voice telling him he'd be at the café. Constantine silently informed the driver, a senior he didn't know all too well, of where he needed to be, and bolted out the door the second the boy stopped.

The Café... that was down the street a little ways from where the driver had parked. Constantine shrugged, not really caring, and made sure his gloves weren't revealing any bare skin before half-jogging down to the Café. He was grateful for his brother's choice of location; Constantine himself wasn't a big fan of the pizzeria's high prices and greasy foods, and today it would have been an unwelcome atmosphere. The Café was perfect - usually quieter than the pizzeria, and calmer as well, not to mention more reasonable prices and healthier foods.

As he neared the small café, Constantine braced himself for a barrage of memories, forgetting again that he was wearing gloves. He half-winced as he opened the door, picking up a few fragments of memories, mostly happy ones, and was thankful again that his friend had suggested gloves as an alternative to a mental assault.

He spotted Drake instantly, sitting by a window sipping a coffee. Quickly letting the waitress know he wanted a regular coffee, he assumed an apologetic grin and walked over to the table.

"Hey, Drake. Sorry if I'm late. There was some sort of accident," he explained, taking his jacket off and placing it in the chair. He felt more comfortable in his standard long-sleeved shirt; the jacket had been getting a bit stuffy. He thanked the waitress as she arrived with his coffee, and waited for Drake to speak.

By the time the younger Vance had arrived at the Café, Drake had already lost himself in his thoughts. The sounds of the music playing in the background and the chatter of the other bodies in the room had melded together and sounded like muffled noise to his ears. His right had was caught in the stirring motion as he leaned his chin against his fist. His attention was captured by life outside of the café, watching how everyone moved with life.

Drake did not even notice when Constantine sat down and ordered himself a coffee. His mind was too busy with the situation at hand and how he would explain it to his younger brother. The death of his sister was still heavy on his shoulders and the guilt he felt was immense. He could have saved her, he could have saved everyone, he could have yet he did not. Just because he was confused about his ‘visions’ and dismissed them as nightmares. “I should’ve known better…” he murmured as he stopped his stirring and took a sip.

"Hey, Drake. Sorry if I'm late. There was some sort of accident,"

His head jerked away from the window when he heard the familiar voice and turned his head to look at the source. He blinked at the sudden appearance of Constantine and offered him a warm smile. “H-hey,” Drake quickly cleared his throat as he frowned slightly when it cracked. “Don’t worry about it. You hungry?” he asked trying to get the basics of lunch finished and out of the way. “Pick anything you want, it’s my treat.” he said as flipped open the menu and skimmed through the sandwiches before closing it.

Drake slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he tried to think of a way to start off the situation. He couldn’t really start off the conversation as ‘Well, you know how mom and Michael just up and vanished? Well, we have a problem. Not until the summer but we still have a problem. We’re broke the moment summer comes around and we might not have any money to sign up for another semester.’ Drake played with the tip of a cigarette that poked out of the packet as he resisted the urge to pull it out and suck it down till he got dizzy.

When the waitress came around, Drake quickly gave her his order and drained the rest of his coffee. Once she had taken their orders and left, Drake stared at his cup for a moment before looking up at him. “Uh… Thanks for making time for me.” he started as his fingers still played with the nicotine stick. “I have to tell you something, you don’t have to worry about it but you need to know. You know how mom and Michael just up and left us?” Drake gave up, he couldn’t sugar coat the words even if his life was on the line.

“We… We’re in trouble. Once summer comes over we have no-where to stay.”

“Don’t worry about it. You hungry?”

Constantine nodded in response, smiling slightly as Drake told him to pick anything he wanted. He stared at the menu in front of him, wondering whether to take off his gloves and flip through it easily or fumble with his hands covered. Simplicity won over--Constantine slid his gloves off, shoving them into a jacket pocket.

As soon as his hands touched the menu, he was greeted with memories. Someone having their first date, a girl eating out with friends, a group of people all grabbing at the same menu, all of them trying to figure out what to eat. He managed to pull himself out of the toughts by the time the waitress came around, and gave her the order for a hot ham and cheese. Nervously, he glanced over at Derek, wondering if his older brother had noticed his brief moment of control loss (not that he didn't have a lot of them).

Constantine sipped his coffee quietly for a few moments, anticipating that
Derek had something more to say. There seemed to be another purpose for bringing him here, when they had so little money to eat out with at all. And Derek seemed bothered, fidgety - how easy it would be just to reach out, grab his wrist, "accidentally" brush him while reaching for a packet of sugar... but he had promised himself long ago that he would respect Derek's privacy. Everyone deserved secrets.

"Uh… Thanks for making time for me.”

The freshman looked up, slightly surprised. Yes, there was definitely something important underlying this lunch. Constantine just nodded, not entirely sure he had any response. 'No problem,' was one possibility, but it sounded like he was dismissing it. In truth, Constantine was equally as glad that Derek had made time for him.

“I have to tell you something, you don’t have to worry about it but you need to know. You know how mom and Michael just up and left us?"

Ah... so that was it. The issue Constantine had been avoiding, telling himself that they would come aorund eventually. To hear it in words made it seem so final, so real. "Yes, I know," he said finally, sighing, and then waiting for the inevitable end to the thought.

"We… We’re in trouble. Once summer comes over we have no-where to stay.”

Constantine looked up, locking eyes with his brother. "I know. I'd thought about it. I'd considered looking at apartments - I'm sure we could find something cheap if we tried. I was also going to..." he let his voice trail off, feeling foolish for his other idea, which had involved tracking down their mother and Michael. He half-shrugged, knowing Derek would pick up on what he had been going to say, anyway. It was better to leave it unspoken.

A small chuckle escaped Drake when Constantine told him that he knew about their current situation. Of course he would and that made things a lot easier on him but at the same time worst. It meant that his younger brother could and would probably try to help out to the best of his abilities. Which also meant that he would be distracted from his school work, which was never a good thing. Besides, the last time he had checked the minimum age requirement to get a work permit was sixteen and it would take practically a year before he could help.

"I know. I'd thought about it. I'd considered looking at apartments - I'm sure we could find something cheap if we tried.”

Drake nodded about the apartments. They would need one for the summer, one that had running water and electricity. That would be the minimum of five hundred dollars per month and Drake was not entirely sure he can pull that off when he added the basic necessities. He listened with one ear as he did the calculations in his head before looking up at Constantine when he stopped mid-sentence.

“Find mom and Michael?” he finished with a question to see if his guess was correct.

He had no ‘real’ grudge against his parents, not his mother at least. Never had she done anything to make his life miserable, besides the fact that she was rarely around. It was all Michael’s fault. He hated the man and truthfully, Drake’s life was better without them. “I don’t mind.” Drake said with a smile. “If you want to look for them and figure out where they are, go for it.”

Drake murmured a quick ‘thanks’ as his coffee cup was refilled and he began filling it with milk and sugar. “I’m planning to get a job to start saving up.” he announced as he began stirring. “For the summer and everything else we will be needing. Hopefully, I’ll make enough, if not.” It killed him at the thought of it but it was for a good cause. He would graduate soon which gave him the opportunity of working full time without worrying about school. Without worrying about school. “I’ll take money out of my savings account to get us on track and pay for your intuition.”

“Find mom and Michael?”

Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, Constantine nodded. "Though Mom is the more important part." He barely let the anger he felt at the thought of Michael occupy his visage, turning his face into what he hoped was a blank enough expression. And yet, at the same time, Constantine had seen into the his father's mind, seen Michael's childhood through his own eyes. It had almost been enough to make Constantine forgive Michael for what he did the night Constantine had gotten his letter.

Almost.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by Drake's voice. “If you want to look for them and figure out where they are, go for it.” Constantine shook his head slowly, considering it. Finding Michael wouldn't turn out well. Either Constantine wouldn't have the guts to stand up to him... or he would, and neither scenario played out well in his mind.

Constantine politely waved away the waitress who came over to fill up his coffee cup, insisting quietly that he still had enough. He was still trying to process what exactly was going on. Inside his head, he was trying to make plans - if he could get a ride into town every day with one of other students who worked, it was just possible that he might be able to hold down a part-time job and keep up with his school work at the same time. If all of that money was put into renting an apartment, and then, when the sumemr began, buying food and other necessities...

“I’m planning to get a job to start saving up... For the summer and everything else we will be needing. Hopefully, I’ll make enough, if not... I’ll take money out of my savings account to get us on track and pay for your tuition.”

Frowning, Constantine realized that he'd never considered tuition. Surely, though, Aura had some sort of program, some way his tuition could be managed without both of them going broke. Nimbus probably had, seeing as even the barely-lower-middle-class Vances had managed to send all three of their kids to Nimbus.

"I believe the pizzeria down the street will hire students of the school for a part-time job," Constantine said after a long moment of silence. He'd heard some of the other students say things like that, so it was always a possibility, and the school apparently wasn't stingy about work permits. "And then I could always look into getting a job here after school. I could get a ride with one of the other students." He mulled it over in his head, speculating. Yes, if he didn't spend on anything else, it might be just enough to finance somewhere to live.

Another waitress came by, this time with his sandwich. He took it wordlessly, wincing when a few of her memories flashed in his eyes as her finger brushed the back of his hand. Suddenly realizing how ravenous he really was, Constantine tore a chunk of the sandwich eagerly and waited for Derek to say something.