Skyler sat alone on the beach, meticulously building what he intended to be the first-ever sandcastle on the deserted island.
His cousin, Raines, sauntered over and plopped down beside him.
"Skyler, you got another brother? Someone who looks like me?" Raines asked, half-jokingly.
Skyler nodded, then shook his head slightly. "Nah, not in the face. But you guys could be twins in the height department, all tall and lanky."
"Why isn't your brother here with us in Elysium?" Raines asked, his tone casual as if making small talk.
Skyler shrugged. "Who knows? He might be in Elysium for all I know. The guy's like a walking enigma. Never know where he is or what he's up to."
Raines raised an eyebrow. "What's his gig? Why all the mystery?"
"He was a mob boss, but his gang's been dissolved," Skyler confessed, looking up with eyes that shimmered like amber in the sunlight, deep and enigmatic.
Raines turned to surprise. "Why'd he get into that line of work?"
"I wish I knew, man. I don't think he ever liked the idea of being just a regular Joe," Skyler sighed heavily. "He never got the simple pleasures but always had to be in some contest with everyone. But there's always a bigger fish, right, Raines?"
A shadow flickered across Raines' eyes.
"It seems that there are some conflicts going on in your brotherhood."
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