Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Seven
Travis' POV
I used to be different.
When I was a kid, I laughed more. Smiled more. I was the silly one. The one who made jokes at dinner and got in trouble for not taking things seriously enough. I'd put whoopee cushions on Pa's chair and short-sheet Malachi's bed and do impressions of the butler until everyone was laughing.
Pa would shake his head and tell me to be more like Malachi. Always Malachi.
Malachi who got perfect grades without even trying. Malachi who excelled at combat training. Malachi who could negotiate business deals before he was old enough to drive. Malachi who never put a foot wrong, never embarrassed the family, never gave Pa a reason to be disappointed.
I tried. God knows I tried. I studied until my eyes burned. Trained until my muscles screamed. Tried to be serious and focused and everything Pa wanted.
