Joe Asphyxia's Forbidden Quest

The next morning, my brother Liam woke me up. "Joe! Joe!" he said.

"What?" I opened my eyes and looked at him. He was holding his hand out in front of my face. I could see the blood running through his veins on the surface of his skin. It was very faint but it was there.

"Look! Look!" He shouted. "My veins are showing again!"

I sat up on my bed and rubbed my eyes. I had fallen asleep with a book in my hands, so it took me a moment to remember where I was. We were in our room in the castle, looking out over the ocean from our windows. The sea glowed red under the light of the sun that was just rising above the horizon for another day.

The reason Liam's veins were showing again is because today is our birthday. We are twelve years old now, and that means we can go outside without wearing any clothes if we want to. The tradition started when Liam was born first, when Mother was still alive and pregnant with me. It was her idea to have us walk around naked because she thought it would be good for us to get some fresh air and exercise every day after breakfast. She wanted us to do this until we were old enough to take care of ourselves, which is why she left us here alone after she died.

It had been more than five years since Mother died, so it had been several days since either of us had gone outside without any clothes on. This wasn't always the case; when we first got here, we went outside almost every day, but as time went by, we began to stay indoors more often. Mostly because, after Mother died, there were so many unsettling events that happened to us, we didn't want to go outside anymore. What is most frightening about being here alone is that we don't understand what these unsettling events are or why they are happening to us, and nobody ever answers our questions about them no matter how much we ask.

Liam jumped up beside me on my bed, eager to show me his hands. His veins weren't showing yet, but he kept flexing his fingers back and forth anyway while bouncing up and down playfully. This made me laugh a little bit, even though I didn't fully understand why. Sometimes people do things that others may find strange or silly, but if it makes them happy, there's no reason for them to stop.

Liam stopped jumping around long enough to show me his hands again before resuming his playful antics on my bed. His excitement was infectious, causing me to laugh once more. Even though I might not entirely understand his actions, the joy and amusement they brought were undeniable.

We spent the morning like this – enjoying each other's company, laughing, and trading stories as we watched the sun rise higher in the sky. We prepared ourselves for another birthday celebration, where we would honor the tradition passed down by our mother. It was a day filled with both happiness and longing; grateful for the sibling bond we shared, and yearning for the guidance and wisdom of our dearly departed mother.

In our world, life was filled with ups and downs, moments of joy and sadness, and uncertainty about the strange occurrences that surrounded us. But above all else, it reminded us that the love between family members was a powerful force that could help carry us through even the most challenging times.