Crimes of Perception (Chapter Three)
Title: Crimes of Perception
Genre: Prison Break
Author: Kate Monster
Characters: LJ Burrows, Lincoln Burrows, Michael Scofield, Sara Tancredi, Paul Kellerman
Rating: PG-13 ("Language, LJ!")
Summary: LJ is finally in a place that should be safe, with people he should be able to trust, but no place is safe anymore.
Spoilers: Through 2.07, beyond that is unspoiled speculation.
Two hours had passed before Michael and LJ emerged from the bedroom. Michael’s face looked even wearier than before, if possible, although LJ, for his part, felt much calmer.
The first thing he did was to march over to the corner where Kellerman was resting, grab the rope securing him, and tug as hard as he could.
“Ow! Hey!” the man protested. “Watch it.”
“Looks good to me,” LJ said, satisfied. He walked over to the kitchen to spoon some of the lunch leftovers into a bowl - he was hungrier than ever now. He sat down at the counter to eat, trying to ignore the silent, still menacing presence slumped in the corner. He stared down at his food. This wasn’t going to be easy.
Something hit the table with a thud. He looked up to see Lincoln standing over him, looking at him expectantly. LJ leaned over to see what had landed, and picked up a tattered paperback copy of ‘Great Expectations’.
“What’s this?” he asked, turning it over.
“Your homework assignment,” Lincoln said.
“What?” LJ asked. He saw Sara trying to hide a smile from the corner where she was working on her laptop. He had a bad feeling about this.
“No son of mine is skipping out on education.”
“Dad,” LJ said. “C’mon.” He wasn’t sure if this was supposed to be a joke or not, but nobody was laughing.
“I mean it. I’m in charge for now. I want a book report in three days’ time, and I don’t mean just a summary. I want some critical thought in it.”
“But I read it already,” LJ said, looking up. “It’s part of the freshman honors curriculum.”
His father blinked. “It is?”
“Michael,” LJ said, leaning around, “tell him!” Michael was staring out the window, and turned around in response.
“Now how am I supposed to know that?” Michael asked.
“Remember? You picked me up from school the day we had our class presentations? I had a moldy cake in the backseat.”
“Oh yeah,” Michael recalled.
“See?” LJ asked, smirking just a little.
“So then how’d you do on it?” Lincoln pressed. He wasn’t going to give this up.
“That was freshman year,” LJ said patiently. “That was the year I had straight A’s.”
“Okay,” Lincoln said, somewhat taken aback. LJ hung his head, feeling mildly guilty. At one point in his life, his father had expected a full report on his studies each week. Freshman year, he hadn’t exactly gotten that, for obvious reasons. “Okay, then I’ll let you choose. There’s plenty of books in this house, but I want something written before you were born, no pictures. Three days.”
“But… school’s not even in session now. It’s summer vacation.”
“And somebody missed the last couple months of school and is going to have to make up their sophomore year eventually anyway. Might as well get started with the academics,” Lincoln said. “Keep your skills up.”
“How’m I supposed to write a book report way out here?”
“There’s paper and pens in the desk,” Lincoln said.
“…Paper?” LJ echoed. “You’re serious.”
“Or, you can borrow the computer,” Sara chimed in. She was definitely not helping. She was sliding down LJ’s list of preferred people, and fast. And he didn’t exactly have much of a list at the moment.
“And check with me once you pick something out,” Lincoln ordered. “I’m gonna reserve veto power.”
LJ rolled his eyes and swallowed another bite of pasta and canned cheese. “Okay, fine,” he said, although actually, maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to have something to do instead of just sitting around glaring at Kellerman in the corner.
Veronica and Nick hadn’t made him do any schoolwork out here - it hadn’t even occurred to them - but maybe it was best not to bring that up right now.
“This drags out long enough,” Lincoln added, “maybe Mike can help you out with some geometry or something.” LJ glanced up to see Michael turning around at the window, and clearly from the expression on his face, he was about as excited as LJ about the concept. LJ bit his lip to avoid giving his uncle away. Michael had tried to help him with his homework before, and it never ended well. Michael wasn’t a very patient teacher.
“Some of us are pretty good at biology, too,” Sara added.
“What about you?” Lincoln asked, wandering over in Kellerman’s direction. “What have you got to bring to the table, huh? Make yourself useful.”
“Well, I’d be happy to do some history,” Kellerman pointed out, attempting a genial smile, “although I also wouldn’t blame the kid if he doesn’t want anything to do with-“
“You got that right,” LJ said. He couldn’t even listen to the man attempting to be polite, even while chained to a pipe. Just to prove his point, he grabbed his bowl from the table and walked back into the bedroom again. Maybe he could go outside to get his reading done. Anything would be better than staying in this claustrophobic, haunted place another day.
He stared at the book on the side table again. He picked it up and studied it. It was even more worn than Great Expectations, and he opened the front flap to find the carefully lettered name: “NICHOLAS SAVRINN”. The name had been inscribed with a ballpoint pen, and it looked as though it had been there for some time. The handwriting didn’t look like the careful lettering that he knew Nick to have, it looked… younger somehow.
LJ set his bowl down and sat on the bed, turning the book over in his hands. He was wrong, what he’d thought before. Nick had finished the book all right. He’d read this book many times, from the well-thumbed look of it. While his own father was in jail, no doubt. He was just in the middle of reading it again the last time he was here.
He grabbed the bowl again and carried both the book and the bowl back out to the living area. “How’s this one?” he asked, holding it up. Lincoln studied it.
“Doctorow,” he read aloud. “Okay. That’s good. He’s good. Right?” He glanced over at Michael, who nodded, distracted, from where he was reading something over Sara’s shoulder on the computer screen. “That’ll do.”
“Great,” LJ said. He tucked the book under his arm, scooped out the last bite of pasta, dumped the bowl on the counter with the other dirty dishes, and made his way outside the cabin, to the log bench outside.
The sun had just barely started to duck down beneath the trees, and he set the book down and, without thinking, almost out of habit, picked up a stick to start breaking it apart. This place had too many uncomfortable memories. During the time he’d stayed here before, he’d felt safe - as much as he could under the circumstances, but now? After he’d been held prisoner here, after Nick and Veronica’s deaths? Nothing was safe, and this place only served to remind him of it, especially with Kellerman hogtied inside and his dad and uncle wandering about like nothing was wrong. This was a dangerous place, but right now, it was also the closest thing he had to a home.
He opened the book and stared at the inscription again in the front cover. Nicholas Savrinn. He tried to imagine what Nick had been like at his age. This cabin had been in their family for years, he’d said - maybe he’d even been here when he was sixteen, too, sitting out here on this log, reading the book, not knowing that he’d be killed before the age of forty. And nobody cared. Nobody was investigating his death, nobody was going to be tried, ever. LJ didn’t even know who was responsible, and there were any number of possible killers. It didn’t have to be Kellerman.
Maybe after he was done clearing his father and dealing with Kellerman, maybe then he’d solve Nick and Veronica’s murders, too. But that was a long time away, and right now he had…
…Homework.
Sara emerged from the back door, holding a bucket. Which reminded him. “Hey, which well have you guys been using?” LJ asked. “The one out by the trees, or the one up the hill?”
“Up the hill,” she said.
“Oh, good,” he said.
“There’s another one?”
“Yeah, and you don’t want to use it.” He wrinkled his nose. “Trust me.”
She smiled slightly, nodded and continued past him, and he pulled one knee up to his chest and opened the book to the first page. He leaned his chin on his knee and started to read.
Genre: Prison Break
Author: Kate Monster
Characters: LJ Burrows, Lincoln Burrows, Michael Scofield, Sara Tancredi, Paul Kellerman
Rating: PG-13 ("Language, LJ!")
Summary: LJ is finally in a place that should be safe, with people he should be able to trust, but no place is safe anymore.
Spoilers: Through 2.07, beyond that is unspoiled speculation.
Two hours had passed before Michael and LJ emerged from the bedroom. Michael’s face looked even wearier than before, if possible, although LJ, for his part, felt much calmer.
The first thing he did was to march over to the corner where Kellerman was resting, grab the rope securing him, and tug as hard as he could.
“Ow! Hey!” the man protested. “Watch it.”
“Looks good to me,” LJ said, satisfied. He walked over to the kitchen to spoon some of the lunch leftovers into a bowl - he was hungrier than ever now. He sat down at the counter to eat, trying to ignore the silent, still menacing presence slumped in the corner. He stared down at his food. This wasn’t going to be easy.
Something hit the table with a thud. He looked up to see Lincoln standing over him, looking at him expectantly. LJ leaned over to see what had landed, and picked up a tattered paperback copy of ‘Great Expectations’.
“What’s this?” he asked, turning it over.
“Your homework assignment,” Lincoln said.
“What?” LJ asked. He saw Sara trying to hide a smile from the corner where she was working on her laptop. He had a bad feeling about this.
“No son of mine is skipping out on education.”
“Dad,” LJ said. “C’mon.” He wasn’t sure if this was supposed to be a joke or not, but nobody was laughing.
“I mean it. I’m in charge for now. I want a book report in three days’ time, and I don’t mean just a summary. I want some critical thought in it.”
“But I read it already,” LJ said, looking up. “It’s part of the freshman honors curriculum.”
His father blinked. “It is?”
“Michael,” LJ said, leaning around, “tell him!” Michael was staring out the window, and turned around in response.
“Now how am I supposed to know that?” Michael asked.
“Remember? You picked me up from school the day we had our class presentations? I had a moldy cake in the backseat.”
“Oh yeah,” Michael recalled.
“See?” LJ asked, smirking just a little.
“So then how’d you do on it?” Lincoln pressed. He wasn’t going to give this up.
“That was freshman year,” LJ said patiently. “That was the year I had straight A’s.”
“Okay,” Lincoln said, somewhat taken aback. LJ hung his head, feeling mildly guilty. At one point in his life, his father had expected a full report on his studies each week. Freshman year, he hadn’t exactly gotten that, for obvious reasons. “Okay, then I’ll let you choose. There’s plenty of books in this house, but I want something written before you were born, no pictures. Three days.”
“But… school’s not even in session now. It’s summer vacation.”
“And somebody missed the last couple months of school and is going to have to make up their sophomore year eventually anyway. Might as well get started with the academics,” Lincoln said. “Keep your skills up.”
“How’m I supposed to write a book report way out here?”
“There’s paper and pens in the desk,” Lincoln said.
“…Paper?” LJ echoed. “You’re serious.”
“Or, you can borrow the computer,” Sara chimed in. She was definitely not helping. She was sliding down LJ’s list of preferred people, and fast. And he didn’t exactly have much of a list at the moment.
“And check with me once you pick something out,” Lincoln ordered. “I’m gonna reserve veto power.”
LJ rolled his eyes and swallowed another bite of pasta and canned cheese. “Okay, fine,” he said, although actually, maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to have something to do instead of just sitting around glaring at Kellerman in the corner.
Veronica and Nick hadn’t made him do any schoolwork out here - it hadn’t even occurred to them - but maybe it was best not to bring that up right now.
“This drags out long enough,” Lincoln added, “maybe Mike can help you out with some geometry or something.” LJ glanced up to see Michael turning around at the window, and clearly from the expression on his face, he was about as excited as LJ about the concept. LJ bit his lip to avoid giving his uncle away. Michael had tried to help him with his homework before, and it never ended well. Michael wasn’t a very patient teacher.
“Some of us are pretty good at biology, too,” Sara added.
“What about you?” Lincoln asked, wandering over in Kellerman’s direction. “What have you got to bring to the table, huh? Make yourself useful.”
“Well, I’d be happy to do some history,” Kellerman pointed out, attempting a genial smile, “although I also wouldn’t blame the kid if he doesn’t want anything to do with-“
“You got that right,” LJ said. He couldn’t even listen to the man attempting to be polite, even while chained to a pipe. Just to prove his point, he grabbed his bowl from the table and walked back into the bedroom again. Maybe he could go outside to get his reading done. Anything would be better than staying in this claustrophobic, haunted place another day.
He stared at the book on the side table again. He picked it up and studied it. It was even more worn than Great Expectations, and he opened the front flap to find the carefully lettered name: “NICHOLAS SAVRINN”. The name had been inscribed with a ballpoint pen, and it looked as though it had been there for some time. The handwriting didn’t look like the careful lettering that he knew Nick to have, it looked… younger somehow.
LJ set his bowl down and sat on the bed, turning the book over in his hands. He was wrong, what he’d thought before. Nick had finished the book all right. He’d read this book many times, from the well-thumbed look of it. While his own father was in jail, no doubt. He was just in the middle of reading it again the last time he was here.
He grabbed the bowl again and carried both the book and the bowl back out to the living area. “How’s this one?” he asked, holding it up. Lincoln studied it.
“Doctorow,” he read aloud. “Okay. That’s good. He’s good. Right?” He glanced over at Michael, who nodded, distracted, from where he was reading something over Sara’s shoulder on the computer screen. “That’ll do.”
“Great,” LJ said. He tucked the book under his arm, scooped out the last bite of pasta, dumped the bowl on the counter with the other dirty dishes, and made his way outside the cabin, to the log bench outside.
The sun had just barely started to duck down beneath the trees, and he set the book down and, without thinking, almost out of habit, picked up a stick to start breaking it apart. This place had too many uncomfortable memories. During the time he’d stayed here before, he’d felt safe - as much as he could under the circumstances, but now? After he’d been held prisoner here, after Nick and Veronica’s deaths? Nothing was safe, and this place only served to remind him of it, especially with Kellerman hogtied inside and his dad and uncle wandering about like nothing was wrong. This was a dangerous place, but right now, it was also the closest thing he had to a home.
He opened the book and stared at the inscription again in the front cover. Nicholas Savrinn. He tried to imagine what Nick had been like at his age. This cabin had been in their family for years, he’d said - maybe he’d even been here when he was sixteen, too, sitting out here on this log, reading the book, not knowing that he’d be killed before the age of forty. And nobody cared. Nobody was investigating his death, nobody was going to be tried, ever. LJ didn’t even know who was responsible, and there were any number of possible killers. It didn’t have to be Kellerman.
Maybe after he was done clearing his father and dealing with Kellerman, maybe then he’d solve Nick and Veronica’s murders, too. But that was a long time away, and right now he had…
…Homework.
Sara emerged from the back door, holding a bucket. Which reminded him. “Hey, which well have you guys been using?” LJ asked. “The one out by the trees, or the one up the hill?”
“Up the hill,” she said.
“Oh, good,” he said.
“There’s another one?”
“Yeah, and you don’t want to use it.” He wrinkled his nose. “Trust me.”
She smiled slightly, nodded and continued past him, and he pulled one knee up to his chest and opened the book to the first page. He leaned his chin on his knee and started to read.