Protect Me, Love Me - Chapter 11 (Part 2)
Chapter 11
“Part 2”
^Flashback^
He was curled on a cot and crying as he tried to lock out the screaming of his cousin, Alexander, in the next room. The bed dipped and he looked into the eyes of his older brother, eyes so much like his own except for that little greenish tint.
“It’s ok… Jackie… just breathe.” Seth whispered as he laid down beside him and hugged him close. “I hate them… I hate it here.” Jack whimpered as pain exploded through his mind once again.
~~New Time~~
They were running through the thick forest that was in the back of the ‘house’. They had gotten out…escaped their dungeon, prison, and torture chamber. But now was the hard part, now they had to run because Jack knew, he knew what would happen if they were caught.
Now they had to survive…
A tree branch came out of nowhere and he tripped, scrapping his knee open and twisting his ankle. “Jack!” he heard and felt Seth, Kerra, and Alexander surround him as he sat, clutching his ankle. Kerra moved her hands over his ankle and a small light green light glowed out from under her cupped hands and Jack felt his ankle heal.
“Ok… Alexander, Kerra go left and don’t stop until you get to a town or something then get new clothes and something to eat.” Seth said and Kerra nodded but Alexander looked confused “Wait… I-I wanna stay with Jack.” He said and Jack nodded as they reached for each other. Seth shook his head “No it’s too dangerous we have to split up, now go!” he said firmly.
Alexander went to argue again when they heard dogs barking and people coming towards them. “Oh, no… go, now!” Seth snapped and pushed them towards the direction he told them to go.
At the last second Alexander and Jack grabbed each other and hugged tightly “I’ll find you, promise.” Alexander whispered in his ear and Jack nodded softly. He felt Seth grab him and pull him to the right and then they were running again.
Woods flashed across his eyesight but he couldn’t feel anything except his heart beating and hear the dogs barking. “We’ll never make it…” Seth muttered as they paused. Jack watched his older brother turn to him and saw the pain in his eyes.
“Come on this way…” Seth said and pulled him deeper into the forest and Jack heard rushing water. Jack skidded to a stop as he saw a cliff and looked down and saw rushing water and his eyes widened, they were trapped.
“Jack…” he heard Seth call him and turned saw the pain in his brothers eyes and frowned and reached for the tears that fell, confused. Seth grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hug and Jack felt Seth breathe in his scent “I love you, baby brother…” Seth whispered into his neck.
The next thing Jack was aware of was that he was falling… the next was that he was freezing and wet and he couldn’t breath. The water rushed at him and he choked on the water as he fought to swim, tried to push himself up and to safety. He felt ground and reached out and dug his fingers into the muddy earth and pulled himself up.
A scream filled the air and he looked up; he was far from the cliff but he could still see, though they couldn’t see him. Seth was surrounded by men and they were shocking him with the electric rods used for cattle.
^End Flashback^
Jack stared into his brothers face with wide eyes, full of terror and sadness. Realization shot through him as he realized that if Seth was here, Seth who was captured again by the boogiemen, then the boogiemen must be here too. “Jack…” he heard Seth say softly but all he felt was terror rush through his system, paralyzing him.
His eyes dilated and he felt Bobby, Jerry, Angel, and Darius behind him coming over and circling around them. He could feel their confusion but all he could do was stare at Seth…
Jack sat on the ground for a long second, millions of different thoughts flying through his mind… and even in that second it seemed as if time slowed because everything was clear.
He heard Bobby’s voice, which snapped him out of it slightly, “Jack? Who’s this? What’s goin’ on?” the older boy asked but Jack just shook his head. He saw something shift around Seth and his eyes widened as he saw his brother’s wings out and about. They were a deep metallic, greenish blue, that tipped black like his own wings did.
Seth cleared his throat and looked up at Bobby, though he made no move to stand up. “My name’s Seth I grew up in the foster-care system with Jack. We… haven’t seen each other in a long… long time.” He said slowly, carefully, never taking his eyes off Jack.
Shaking his head and closing his eyes Jack tried to think… what could he do? What was going to happen? He was about two seconds from bolting when Seth’s voice, in their made up language, broke through his thoughts, as if knowing what he was thinking.
Hell, it was possible that he knew, since Seth was a telepath. “Dec agaan o aklal**?” he asked and Jack’s head snapped up and stared at him, tears filling his eyes.
“What’d you say?” they heard in the background but neither was paying attention. Seth moved to him and grabbed Jack’s chin, which Jack lowered so he didn’t have to look at his brother.
“A huur or Jack… maan’n khruur maagaan.**” He said softly and Jack let out a choked sob before fell forward into his brother’s, awaiting, arms. Seth wrapped his arms tightly around him and Jack buried his face into Seth’s neck. “Ar’t osh khruul, rekhaan rhuukhaar, o’kaan taklaan.**” he murmured into Jack’s ear.
“Hey! Guy’s maybe you might wanna, oh I dunno, get off the goddamned floor.” Jack heard Bobby snap and pulled away from Seth and slowly stood. He felt Seth take his hand and sighed softly as he felt their minds touch; then he froze and his mouth dropped open.
Jack spun around and stared at Seth, accusingly, “It was you… that day when I was out getting presents!” he said lowly, though all of them heard. Seth shrugged and his wings twitched, making Jack swallow and step back, staring at them cautiously.
“Jack!?” Bobby called to him again and Jack looked up at to the oldest boy, questioningly. “What’s goin’ on?” he asked with a nod at Seth.
Feeling Seth bristle at Bobby’s tone Jack rolled his eyes and took a breath, already putting together a story they could tell. “Seth and me were in the one of the foster homes together.” He said then turned to Seth and pointed out each boy in turn
“This is Bobby, Jeremiah, Angel, and that’s Darius… he’s my friend from school.” He said and saw Seth raise an eyebrow but didn’t say anything further.
He knew that the older boys had questions but he also knew that they weren’t going to ask in public, instead waiting until after the art show.
They were walking into the computer graphic part of the building and Jack couldn’t help the awe he felt as he looked around. There were laptops set up everywhere but some had flat boards. Flat boards were equipment, a new form of technology, that hooked up to a laptop or computer and showed the image in 3D.
Seth paused a little ways in to the section and looked at Jack “I want you to meet some friends of mine…” he said causally but Jack heard the undertone in his voice.
A fluttering sensation started in his stomach and Jack knew… he knew this is what his mind and body had been trying to tell him, ‘warn him’, of. He gave his brother a confused glance but nodded and they started walking again.
Bobby, Jerry, and Angel walked slightly behind them, though they kept close to Jack, as they walked towards a family. Darius had excused himself when he got looks from the three older Mercers.
The family was normal looking enough with a mother, father, and two children, though the oldest one was a Flyer. They were standing, backs to them, facing a flat board that had a Christmas tree with a family surrounding it floating above it in crystal-like dots.
The mother had brown hair touching her shoulder blades, she was wearing a dark blue button down, silk, dress shirt with a black skirt, which went to her knees, with nice two inch heels. The father stood next to her; light brown hair, combed and gelled back, he was wearing a dark blue suite.
The girl looked about 12 or 13yrs old, Caucasian, and had waist length, curly, dirty blond hair. Her wings were a deep metallic greenish color, which looked like Seth’s except hers didn’t have any blue, they also tipped in black and seemed to surround the girl. She was wearing a black button down silk shirt, a skirt that went to her ankles, and nice, black, sandal like heels.
The boy about 11, also Caucasian, stood next to her had a crew-cut and was wearing a black suit, although he didn’t have wings there was something about the boy that made Jack’s heart stop.
“Alex, Kerra!” he heard Seth call and his throat closed up as both turned to him, their eyes… God their eyes looked so much like his own. Alexander was staring at him with a warm look in his eyes like he’d been expecting him, waiting for him.
“Hi… Jack right? I’m Kerra this is my brother Alexander and our parents, Christopher and Maria.” Kerra said with a mocking look in her eyes as she held out a hand to him.
Jack took her hand and went to say something but closed his mouth, swallowed, then cleared his throat and went to start again. Before he could say anything though Evelyn came through the crowd.
“Boys! There you are! I was looking for you. Oh… hello..” she said looking at Christopher and Maria, who smiled and the three adults exchanged confused looks. Jack made a decision then and he could feel his stomach flutter as he said his next words, knowing they would change and set everything for him in the future.
“This… this is my family; Evelyn, Bobby, Jeremiah, and Angel Mercer.” He said in a soft voice, saying the word ‘family’ as if drawing out the syllables.
He watched Seth, Alexander, and Kerra take a long look at the Mercer’s, who were staring at him in shock. “It’s nice to meet you Miss Mercer.” Kerra said softly while her parents shook hands with the baffled, though grinning, woman.
Alexander held out his hand to Jack, there too was a mocking look in his eyes, “Nice to meet you, Jack..” he said softly and when their hands touched he felt their minds melt together and heard Alexander’s voice.
# I told you I’d find you again, cousin.# Xan’s voice vibrated through his head and Jack smiled as he felt it… it’d been so long since he’d connected with anyone like this.
~~~
A half hour later everyone was standing in the front hall, though some were watching from the staircase and the balcony. The judges had set up a small stage and were announcing the winners of all the different contests. Jack was standing with both sets of his family his left hand clutched tightly in Xan’s and his right in Seth’s.
He had found out that Alex and Kerra had been picked up by a couple, who were now their foster parents, a couple months after they ran.
By the time they were picked up, though, Kerra had her wings and people were a little skeptical of the situation. They had said their biological parents couldn’t take care of them and had left them alone in a parking lot and never came back.
Everyone bought it, eventually, and after a few months of searching, and coming up empty, the Barlow’s signed papers and adopted both Kerra and Alex. The reason they didn’t meet up at school is because the Barlow’s had money, a lot of money, and sent them to a private school.
Seth on the other hand hadn’t been lucky; after getting recaptured he made a run for it again, this time succeeding. He was picked up by an orphanage four months after he got out, meaning he also had his wings, and told the police something along the lines of what Kerra and Alex told them.
He now lived with an alcoholic, shady, guy who was never around and when he was he didn’t bother Seth and Seth didn’t bother him. He wasn’t far from where Jack lived but he went to the other middle school; Seth lived four house’s in the ‘different sector’ zone meaning he had to go to one of the three different middle schools.
Jack had explained to Evelyn that he knew Seth from a foster home and she simple smiled and pulled him into a hug. When he saw Bobby, Jerry, and Angel staring at him he flushed red and looked wary… he didn’t want to jump to conclusions about how he fit into their brotherhood.
But when he felt Bobby pull him into a hug he felt himself relax and admit that this was probably the best Christmas present that he could ever imagine.
The winners were called and Jack went home… home… his home happy. He clutched his 1st place trophy/plaque in his arms and leaned against Bobby and closed his eyes. Seth told him that they were going to meet again soon. He said that they actually didn’t live that far apart so they’d be able to get to each other quickly.
End Chapter
OK… here you go I hope you guys like it!! Please read and review!!
~shadow