My awesome story (All chapters posted)

Chapter 1......

A young woman stands in her living room, holding her new born baby. She is about to cry with frustration, the baby will not stop crying. She has tried everything she can think of. He won't eat; he won't sleep, won't do anything but cry. She tries to feed him again, but he turns away from her. She lays him down, to see if he needs to be changed, but he doesn't. He only cries more as she lays him down. She picks him back up, speaking soothing words to him. But he still cries.

She starts to cry herself. Wishing that she knew what was wrong with her baby. He was only a week old; she didn't want anything to be wrong with him. She wanted to take him to the doctor, but couldn't afford it. She couldn't do anything but watch helplessly as her child continued to cry and scream in anguish.

Suddenly the woman starts to feel very strange. As if she is being lifted into the air. She wants to go sit down, but can't move from the place she is standing. She cries out as her body is thrown painfully into the wall. She drops her baby to the ground as she loses consciousness. A large vase near the woman's head comes crashing down onto the poor woman. The glass cuts her, deep gashes all over her body. Within minutes she bleeds to death. Leaving her baby lying in a pool of his mother's blood.

The baby is not crying now. He is not screaming. He is laughing. He continues to laugh, stopping only when he is exhausted.

Eight years later

Bryan sits alone in the corner of the room. There are other children at this foster home, but he does not play with them. He just sits in the corner, drawing in his notebook. His long brown hair covers his face, making it impossible to know whether he is smiling or frowning. This is what he does every day. Even when the other children go outside and play, or when the foster mom takes them to get ice cream. Bryan never joins in any activities. For this, he is dubbed a 'freak' by the older children. But he does not care.

The foster mother tries to talk to him, trying to get him to look up or say something. Bryan ignores her. She thinks the child acts this way because of former foster homes. She thinks he has had a rough life. She knows nothing of his past, other than the fact that his mother died when he was only a week old and there is no father to speak of. She knows that social services did not know the child's last name, someone decided to call him 'Bry'. She does not know anything else about this child.

When she realizes that her attempts are futile, she gets up from her crouched position and walks away. It is then that Bryan peers through his curtain of hair and grins, a malicious look on his face.

The foster mother suddenly trips, falling to the floor. A few of the kids scream as she falls onto the poker beside the fireplace. Bryan merely laughs as the woman starts to bleed profusely. The kids pay no attention to him as they try to do something to help their foster mother. But nothing can be done and the woman dies within minutes.

It takes only a few more years for no one to want this child. No foster home will take him, no one will adopt him. No one ever looks past the papers that show his history. People get freaked out by the mysterious deaths that plague the child. A death or serious injury has occurred every home he has stayed in. No one will get close to him.

Finally he is sent to the only house that will take him. The last-chance place. Mayberry house. After this, it is off to the juvenile detention center until his eighteenth birthday. Bryan has eight more years to stay in this house. Eight years until he is free from foster care.

Chapter 2



Seven years later

I sit in the park, drawing and every once in a while looking up. I don't look at anything in particular, just whatever catches my eye. A dog playing fetch with its owner, one child chasing another, a mother with her baby. These things are normal to some people, slightly enjoyable to others. I can see the beauty and the ugliness in each situation. The man loves his dog, but he hits it when he is angry. The child playing is still innocent, but he will grow up to severely injure or kill the one he is chasing. The mother loves her baby, but lies to her husband when she tells him that he is the father.

I sigh, and stare at a small dog not far from where I sit.

Today is my fifteenth birthday and this is where I want to spend it. I don't want to go back to the foster house and endure the fake smiles and cheery voices. I don't want to blow out candles and pretend to make a wish, I don't want to open presents and act as if I enjoy the gift inside. I just want to sit in the park on this beautiful day and enjoy everything that is going on around me. I would rather be here, with all of the lies and hate around me than there where they pretend to like me. Where they pretend to not be afraid of me.

I go back to what I have been drawing. Back to the beautiful boy that haunts my dreams, fills my mind and invades my every waking moment. The boy that I have been drawing constantly for weeks now. The boy I have never met.

I am careful not to mess up his eyes. The eyes that are so clear to me, even though I have only seen them in my dreams. The image of the boy's face is slightly fuzzy in my mind, but his eyes are radiant. They stand out more than anything else.

I am positive that I will meet this boy soon. I can tell by the way he gets clearer and clearer in my dreams. The way that something inside me says that, very soon, I will come across this beautiful creature.

He's a person, not a creature. And what makes you think that he would even glance at you, much less talk to you the way you want him to? The voice that plagues me asks.

"Why do you think he wouldn't talk to me?" I ask aloud.

Because you are a freak. It wouldn't take long for him to figure that out, if he is even real. He may just be a figment of your imagination. Some crazy people hallucinate, you know.

"No, he's real. I know that. And maybe he wouldn't look at me as a freak; maybe he would see me as me. As a human being."

No, he won't. Because you hide behind this facade instead of being who you are. You are too closed up from the rest of the world, Bryan. He will never get past this mask you hide behind.

"Shut up." I am close to hitting myself in the head to make it stop.

No, I want you to understand this. You will get hurt if you try to pursue a friendship with this boy. It will take only a short time for the other foster kids to tell this boy about you. About your past. About how people get hurt when they try to get close to you.

"No one has been hurt for a while and I didn't do that."

What about Katie? What about John? Didn't they get hurt?

"I didn't do that."

Yes you did. You pushed Katie in front of a car--

"I never touched her!" I argue with the voice.

Not with your hands. But you did push her. And you put the knife in John's stomach. You nearly killed them. Once the boy learns about this, he will do everything he can just stay away from you. Just like everyone else.

"I didn't do that."

Yes you did. You always hurt people. You kill people

"I didn't kill anyone!"

Yes you did, you killed your mother--

"I was hardly a week old, I didn't kill her!"

"Yes you did, Bryan. Stop lying to yourself.

"Shut the fuck up!" I yell, causing the couple near me to stare, I know they must think I am insane because I am talking to myself. I am tempted to tell the girl that her boyfriend is cheating on her with another man, her brother, in fact. But I say nothing.

I silence the voice, banishing it from my mind for now. I stare at the picture I am drawing. I stare at the beautiful face of a boy whom I have yet to meet. I frown slightly; I have failed to capture the shine of his eyes. I lift my pencil and try to fix this, but realize that if I do anything else, I will further ruin the picture. I go back to shading the hair, trying to get it right.

He will never talk to you. The voice whispered.

"I know." I say as I decide that this picture is hopeless, tear the page from my drawing book and crumple it up. Then I set it on the ground, watching as it spontaneously combusts. I watch as the flames dance, wanting to add more paper to make them last longer. But I don't. I watch it burn until it is nothing but ash. Then I scoff, disgusted with myself.

You are a freak. You are a fucking psychopath. I tell myself, picking up my drawing book and my pencil and getting up. It is getting dark; I have to go back to the foster home.

When I get there it is completely dark outside. I am late for curfew, but I know no one will notice. As soon as I open the door to the house, I know that no one is inside. I don't know where they went, but they aren't here and for that I am thankful. I walk into the kitchen, a note stuck to the refrigerator with a magnet.

Bryan,

Jason and I took the kids out to dinner. We wanted to wait for you but it got too late. We'll bring you back something, don't wait up, we're probably going to get back late.

Leah

Yeah, they'd bring me back a disgusting slab of animal fat. The foster parents don't seem to notice that I do not eat meat. When they go out to eat, they always bring me back something that I don't eat. But they never noticed when I don't eat it.

I see a half eaten birthday cake on the counter. The words on the cake had been mostly eaten, but I can tell that it used to say 'Happy Birthday Bryan' on it. There were a few wrapped gifts on the kitchen table, all to me. I am not going to open them. Not right now anyway. What's the point? I may leave them there for the other kids. I don't need anything they could give me anyway.

I go up to the room I have for myself, for now. I had been sharing it with John until his unfortunate accident. John had been sent somewhere else and now no one wants to share a room with me. Which suits me just fine. I prefer being alone anyway.

I sit on the floor and started to draw again. I draw the boy again, this time trying to figure out his name. I say a few names to myself, but they don't seem right. I am quiet for a few minutes, when I am finished with the drawing; I stare at it for a short while.

"Leo." I whisper. "Your name is Leo."

Chapter 3

The next day, Leah informs the foster kids of a new addition to our 'family'. That's how she puts it anyway. She says it is a boy, sixteen years old, seventeen in a few days. That's all she would tell us, except for his name. Which I already knew anyway. Leo Bishop. The last name came to me the night before as I was trying to go to sleep. She said he would be here in an hour or so.

The other kids seemed interested in him. They also poked fun at the fact that he would share a room with me. Not to my face of course, but I heard them all the same. I find myself nervous before he arrives. I try to tell myself that this is no different than any other new arrival, but I know that's a lie.

Not long now, before he realizes that you are a freak. The voice tells me.

"Shut up." I say before thinking.

Julia--another foster kid--thinks I was talking to her. "What?"

I just look at her until she turns away. The word freak crosses her mind.

Finally there is a knock on the door. Leo is here. Leah answers the door and the other kids sort of crowd around. I hang back, sitting on the stairs, my dyed-black hair covering most of my face. I simply observe this boy. He is even more beautiful in person. He doesn't see me, not yet. I don't quite want him to notice me while he is being introduced to the other kids. I stand slowly and silently go upstairs to my room.

I sense Leo and Leah coming upstairs. Followed by one or two of the more nosy kids. I sit on my bed, waiting for them to get here. Though I look as if I am drawing.

Leah knocks lightly on the door before opening it, she lets Leo walk in before her. The nosy kids hang back, not wanting to be in the same room as me.

"This is your new room, nothing much but it's the only free bed in the house. But if you would be more comfortable sleeping on the couch..." She trails off and I mentally kick her. Which she feels, but not to the extent I had wanted. She merely flinches slightly and glances at me, unsure of what she just felt. "Leo, this is Bryan. Bryan...be nice." Leah says before turning and leaving the room.

Leo glances at the dressers, wondering which is his. Then he realizes that the one closest to his bed is the one he's looking for. He sits his bag on the bed but doesn't start unpacking. He comes over to me instead. He holds out his hand and I hesitate before taking it. "It's nice to meet you, Bryan." He says.

I let go of his hand and push some of the hair from my eyes, looking up at him. "Nice to meet you too." I am almost afraid that he is fake. A figment of my imagination.

"How long have you been here?" He asks, just trying to make conversation.

"Seven years." I am not uncomfortable talking to him, I'm just not used to talking to anyone.

"Wow, that's a long time. Are Leah and her husband nice?"

I nod. "His name's Jason. And they are ok. Nicer than some other places I've been in."

Leo is silent for a few minutes, he looks around the room. I can sense that he is scared. Scared of being in a new place, scared that once the other kids get to know him, they won't like him. Scared that he will be sent away.

"How long have you been in foster care?" I ask.

"About a year, I guess."

"And you are already at Mayberry house? Wow. How did that happen?"

He looks at me and I can sense his discomfort. His mental walls go up, this will make it a little harder for me to sense anything about him.

"Sorry, too personal." I mutter, looking back at my drawing.

Way to go, Bry. Scare him away.

I nearly tell the voice to shut up, then realize that Leo will think I'm insane if I start talking to myself.

He starts unpacking his bag. He doesn't have much, though not many foster kids do. It only takes him a few minutes to get everything situated. Then he sits on his bed and looks at me.

I don't say anything for a few minutes, hoping that he will look away. Finally, when I can't stand the feeling of being watched any longer, I look up. "What?" I ask, trying not to sound rude.

"Nothing."

"Why are you staring at me?"

Leo looks away, a slight blush creeping onto his face. He mumbles something I can't hear. But the word beautiful goes through his mind.

"No reason." He says in a low voice.

I shake my head slightly and go back to the picture I am drawing of him. I am almost finished with it.

"What are you drawing?" He asks.

I don't want to show him this. "Nothing special."

"Can I see?" His voice is suddenly closer and I look up, surprised to see him right in front of my bed.

I bite my lip, I don't want him to see it. "Maybe when I get finished with it."

He nods and sits back down on his bed.

I finish the drawing and lean back to admire it. Not that I need to, I could draw Leo in my sleep. I look at him, he is reading a book. I don't offer to show him the completed drawing, but when he notices that I am done, he asks to see it again.

Reluctantly, I hand it to him.

"Wow," he breathes. "This is--Leo this is amazing."

"You like it?" I ask, though I can tell by his tone of voice and momentary release of his mental walls that he does.

"Yeah, I love it. But, it doesn't look like me. I'm nowhere near that beautiful." He thinks of himself as ugly and I am almost tempted to ask why. But I don't want him to be suspicious of me.

"Yes you are." I say, then mentally slap myself, so hard that he feels it and flinches slightly. He knows he felt something, he just doesn't know what.

How fucking stupid can you get? The voice asks.

Leo looks at me. "You think so?"

I lean my head down to hide a blush and nod slightly.

He's going to hate you. He's going to pretend to be flattered, but as soon as he leaves this room, he is going to mock you. Just like everyone else. Stop talking before you fuck up things worse. The voice commands.

Leo hands my notebook back and as I take it from him, I feel something strange. Something I have not felt before. It is gone so fast I almost think that I imagined it. But it leaves me uneasy just the same.

I glance at Leo to see if he noticed, I can tell by the look in his eyes that he didn't.

I don't know how I manage to fall asleep that night. I can feel Jade. I can feel this light emanating from Jade as soon as he falls asleep. It's a good thing because it means that he is having pleasant dreams. But it is distracting. I do manage to fall asleep, however. And I no longer dream of Jade.

I dream of death and dismemberment. I dream of women getting raped and children being abused. I dream of all the horrible things that go on in this world. I dream of murder, of suicide. I dream all night, of terrible things. And I wake up before the sun comes up, knowing that I will not be able to go back to sleep.

I sit up in my bed, wanting to turn the light on but not wanting to wake Leo up. I'm not very fond of the dark.

You're afraid of the dark. There's a difference. The voice tells me.

"I'm not afraid. I just don't like it." I whisper.

You're afraid.

I banish it to the back of my mind. Not wanting to hear it.

It is now that I notice the weird feeling coming from Leo. It's making me uncomfortable. I think it means he's having a nightmare, but I'm not sure. I can hear him saying something in his sleep, but I can't tell what it is. I close my eyes and try to concentrate on what he is dreaming about.

A woman is walking down the hall of her new home. She is happy to be out of her apartment and can't wait until she gets everything settled in. She knows this will be better for her family. She is looking in all of the rooms, trying to decide which she likes best. She doesn't see the little boy sitting by the stairs, waiting for her. He watches her, waiting until she is ready to leave. She told him to wait in the car, but he got too hot out there so he came in. He hopes his mom won't be mad. She is smiling as she starts to go downstairs, she still doesn't see her son. She doesn't see him until she trips over him. She cries out before tumbling down the stairs, finally landing at the bottom in an impossible angle.

"Mom?" The boys calls. His mother does not move. He is crying now, to young to know what death is, but old enough to know that his mother is hurt. He races down the stairs and kneels down by her side. "Mommy? Mommy get up!"

He doesn't see his father walk in the door. He doesn't see him until the man is standing over him and his mother. The boy looks up. "Daddy, she fell!" He cries out.

The boys father realizes that his wife is dead. He is angry at the boy. He pulls his arm back and--

I gasp and hit my head on the wall. Then I realize that I am not in that house, I am not being hit by that man. I am sitting on my bed.

He'll hate you if he finds out that you did that. That was his dream, you weren't supposed to see it. The voice nags.

I say nothing, Leo's dream still fresh in my mind.

Chapter 4

Leo sleeps until 9:24 a.m. When he wakes up, he seems confused as to where he is. Then he remembers and immediately looks at me. I stare back at him.

"Good morning." I say.

"'Morning." He mutters, sleep still clogging his mind. Whatever he was dreaming about right before he woke up is disturbing to him. I can sense that he is trying to forget the images that are still clear in his mind.

"Sleep well?"

He nods, an obvious lie--obvious to me anyway.

Leo goes to take a shower and returns a short while later. Then he sits down on his bed. He doesn't want to go downstairs. Neither do I, but for different reasons. Leo is uncomfortable around the rest of the 'family', they just don't like me and I don't like them.

"What do you usually do during the day?" He asks.

"Different things. Do you want to go to for a walk?" I ask and he nods.

We manage to get past the 'family' without being seen. We walk for a while in silence.

"How long have you been in foster care?" Leo asks finally.

"My whole life. My mother died when I was a week old and no one knows who my father is."

"Didn't you have any relatives to stay with?"

I think briefly of the lady that said she was my aunt. She was going to take care of me until her son got in an 'accident' which she blamed me for. The kid was a jerk. "No, no relatives."

"That must suck."

"I've never known anything else." I say and we are quiet again.

Leo's shoulder brushes mine and sends shivers coursing through my body. For me, physical contact is like a full on look into someone's mind. Sometimes it is disturbing, this time it makes me smile slightly. Leo is thinking about me. He wants to hold my hand but he's afraid that I will pull away and make fun of him for doing it. I wouldn't, obviously. I would like nothing more than to walk around hand-in-hand with this beautiful boy. But that is an invasion of his privacy. And while I know what he was dreaming and I can sense what he's feeling, I don't want to completely invade his mind. Plus, if I were to hold his hand, I wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything other than his thoughts. I can't block it out, no matter how hard I try.

Leo finally decides to be brave and takes my hand in his. I don't pull away, but I prepare myself for whatever is in his mind. I see nothing. This is extremely surprising to me. The only thing that changed is the way Leo feels. He was hesitant, now he is happy. I smile, this boy is different, but I like it.

We walk for a long time, not talking. But it isn't an uncomfortable silence. We are merely enjoying each others company.

"How many other homes have you lived in?" Leo asks out of nowhere.

"A lot. I don't know the exact number. What about you?"

"Only two. Not counting this one."

"How did you end up in Mayberry house after only one year?"

He doesn't want to trust me. He doesn't want to tell me, partially because I haven't gained his trust and partially because he is afraid that I will dislike him if he tells me. "Can we not talk about that right now?"

"Sure, we don't have to talk about anything you don't want to."

More silence, this time he feels as if it is an awkward silence. I don't say anything to break it though.

We eventually go back to the house, Leo reluctantly lets go of my hand. If the other kids see us, they will tell Leah or Jason. Leah and Jason wouldn't be too happy.

I go straight to my room when we walk in the door, Leo stays to get something to drink. One of the other kids starts a conversation with him. About me. They tell him to be careful, they warn him about the mysterious injuries that occur to anyone that tries to get close to me.

I close my eyes and sigh. I knew this was going to happen, but it still upsets me. I think about lashing out toward the kid talking about me, but I don't. If that kid doesn't tell Leo about me, someone else will.

As I sit on my bed, I think about Katie and John. I did hurt them, not on purpose, but I did.

On the day of her 'accident', Katie was trying to talk to me. We were outside under the shade of a large tree. She was talking a lot, which she normally did. I didn't mind, because usually she talked enough for both of us. This time, however, she kept asking me questions. About my past, former foster homes I've lived in, things I didn't want to tell her. I mainly just stayed quiet, answering her questions with no more than a few words.

The roads were busy that day, as they normally are. The shade from the tree kept moving so we did too. We ended up a few yards from the road. Katie got up to chase after a paper that the wind blew toward the street. I watched her. I watched her chase it and almost catch. And I watched her stop when she got to the road. Then I watched her pitch forward suddenly, right in front of an oncoming car.

The driver of that car will tell you that she flung herself in front of him. The other kids that saw what happened will say that she tripped. I am the only one that knows I pushed her. Despite the fact that I never laid a finger on her.

John was different. He deserved what he got. We were in the kitchen and he kept grabbing me. Trying to kiss me or take off my shirt. There were two other kids in the room, they didn't even try to help. They just watched, laughing at me. They just stood by as John kept grabbing my ass and trying to stick his hands down my pants. Finally I shoved him backwards, he only moved a few inches, but it was enough for me to get away from him. I was in the other room when John 'tripped' and knocked off the large butcher knife that was on the counter. I was sitting on the couch with another kid as John fell onto his back, the knife going straight into his stomach. The kids that were in the room with him, were blamed for the incident. They tried to pin it on me, but Brandon--the guy that was in the living room with me, stood up for me. He said that I was nowhere near John when it happened.

Brandon was the only foster kid I have ever liked. He was here for almost two years. He never made fun of me or talked shit about me, he never looked at me different like everyone else does.

He was the only kid in the history of Mayberry house that committed suicide.

It is your fault he did it.

"No it isn't." I argue, though I know it is my fault. I failed to help Brandon even when I sensed his pain. Even when he started thinking about killing himself.

Even when he told me goodbye.

"Bryan?" Brandon leans over my bed. It is around 2 in the morning. "Are you awake?"

I open my eyes slowly and look at him. He looks horrible, as if he hasn't slept in days. His eyes are red and there are trails down his cheeks where he has been crying. "Yeah, Brandon. I'm awake.

He smiles, though it is forced. "I'm sorry that I woke you up, but I wanted to tell you that I'm glad we are friends."

"I am too, Brandon."

He nods. "I love you, Bryan. You are the best friend I have ever had. You know that, right?"

I nod. "Yeah, I know."

I sit up and he hugs me tightly. I try to ignore the thoughts coming from him. If I pay attention to them, I will start to cry.

"Goodbye, Bryan." He says before letting go of me.

"Goodbye." I say as he walks out the door. I know that if I let him go, I will never see him alive again. But I do nothing. This is what he wants.

Chapter 5
When Leo comes back in the room, his mind is racing with thoughts. He is confused as to why that kid would say those things about me. He wants to know if they are true. He is hesitant to bring it up around me.

But he's not afraid of me. Not yet anyway.

He sits on his bed, trying to sort out his thoughts. I go back to the book I am reading. Trying to stay out of his thoughts.

"Bryan?" Leo asks a while later.

"Yes, Leo?" I turn away from my book and look at him.

"If I were to ask you a question, would you answer it truthfully?"

I put my book down. "It depends what the question is."

"Ok, good enough. While I was downstairs, Adam started talking to me. He told me to be careful around you, because you hurt people. What did he mean?"

I sigh. "There were two kids here that have been hurt severely since I got here. Katie and John. Katie fell in front of a car. John was impaled with a knife. When Katie was hurt, I was not near her. I was in a different room than John when he was hurt. The kids here think that I have something to do with their injuries. The kids here spread rumors, you shouldn't listen to them."

I expect Leo to be relieved, but he isn't. He seems more confused.

"What's wrong?" I ask him.

He doesn't answer for a few minutes, trying to think of the right words.. "He told me that every time you are in a home, someone gets hurt or killed."

This pisses me off and I lash out at Adam. I can feel him cringing in pain and I nearly smile, but I don't because I don't want Jade to think I'm weird for smiling after this accusation. "Adam is full of shit. He hates me and tells people things about me that aren't true. You can believe him if you want, but he is a liar." I pick my book back up and start reading again.

Jade doesn't believe me, but there's nothing else I can say to change his mind.

I can't believe you have already fucked up with him. You are pathetic. The voice says.

"I know." I whisper.

"What?" Leo thinks that I am talking to him.

"Nothing, just thinking out loud." I lie.

I don't speak to him for the rest of the day and he doesn't speak to me. He leaves the room and doesn't come back for a while. He is talking to Julie. She is telling him about me. About how weird I am and how bad things happen to people that are near me. I focus for a moment, then send a sharp pain to her head. I hear her cry out loudly and I laugh. God it feels good to do that.

Julie stops talking to Leo after that, which makes me happy.

You are fucked up. The voice tells me.

"I know." I say smiling and tossing aside the book I just finished.

I have to go downstairs to eat supper around 8. Leah and Jason have a rule where every kid has to eat supper at the kitchen table every night. This is the only time that we are all in the same room.

As we are sitting at the table, no one talks. It is not an awkward silence, but it is not comfortable either. Just familiar. We eat in silence until Leah asks Jade if he likes it here.

"Yes, ma'am." He answers politely.

"Are you and Bryan getting along?" She asks, thinking that I am freaking him out or something.

"Yes. He's very nice." Jade never once looks up from the food he is eating.

Randy--the youngest foster kid, at 10--snickers. "I've never known Bryan to be nice."

I sneer at him, not really caring. He's just a kid.

"Randy, be nice." Leah says, but she agrees with him. She turns back to Leo. "I was just wondering, because if you don't want to stay in the same room as him you can sleep on the couch."

I can sense Leo's irritation.

"Why do you keep telling me that?"

"Because, most of the kids aren't comfortable around Bryan. I just thought--" Leah starts.

I wonder if she realizes that I am right here and can hear her?

"You just thought I was like the rest of the kids?" Leo interrupts her. "Even if I did have a problem with Bryan--which I don't, but if I did I wouldn't run away from him. I try to sort out my problems. And what's so bad about him that you keep telling me that anyway?"

Leah looks at me, not wanting to say anything with me in the room. I am almost surprised at her courtesy.

"Um, if you will excuse me, I am not very hungry." I get up, not bothering to empty my plate, and leave the room.

Leah tells Leo that people are usually uncomfortable around me because I am so quiet and forlorn. And because of the way I act, though she doesn't describe it. She tells him to tell her if he wants to sleep on the couch from now on. Jade tells her--in a very hateful tone--that he is fine where he is, then he leaves the room.

He walks into our room pissed off. "Can you believe them? They are supposed to take care of you but they talk shit about you behind your back. Why the fuck do they keep you here if they don't even like you?" He paces the room, his hands clenched into fists.

"It's ok that they don't like me, Jade. I'm not very fond of them either."

"Bryan, these people are supposed to take care of you. They aren't supposed to judge you and help spread rumors about you. Doesn't it make you mad at all?"

I think of all the times I've lashed out against the kids or the 'parents' here and I nod. "A little, but I've been living with it for Seven years, I'm used to it."

"You shouldn't have to be used to it, Bryan."He says looking at me sympathetically.

I love how he thinks I'm innocent.

Chapter 6


Leo has been here a week. He still won't talk about how he made it to Mayberry house in one year and I still haven't told him anything about me. But other than that, we talk a lot. About all kinds of things, music, books, movies. Stupid things. We are talking just to make conversation, but I learn a lot about him. Not that any of it is important.

We walk a lot too. In the park, where there is a lot of shade. We have this game where we make up things about the people in the park. About their lives. Leo doesn't know it, but everything I say is true.

We are in the park again today, sitting on a bench watching the world go by.

"Have you ever had a best friend?" Leo asks out of nowhere.

I nod, thinking about Brandon .

"Do you still know them?"

I bite my lip before answering. "He died."

Leo looks at me. "How?"

"Suicide." I reply, staring at something in the distance, not wanting to see Leo's face.

"Oh my god, that's horrible. How did he do it?" Naturally Leo has a lot of questions. Questions I don't want to answer.

"Overdose. He said in his letter that he didn't want anyone to have to clean up after him."

"When did he do it?"

"About two years ago."

"Why did he do it?"

I swallow hard, not wanting to think about this. "Because he was fucking depressed! Jesus Christ, Leo, why else do you kill yourself?"

"Sorry, I shouldn't have--" His voice is hard now and I feel bad for yelling at him.

"Forget it, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I just don't like talking about him."

We are silent for a while. We get up to start walking home and Leo suddenly disappears behind me. I am about to turn to see where he went when he starts tickling the sides of my stomach. I start laughing, a lot. I am very ticklish. I run forward, to get away from him and he chases me.

I laugh and keep dodging him, he is fast, but I am faster. We keep this game up for a while. Until he stops and lays on the ground. "I give up!" He says, breathing hard.

I lay down beside him, out of breath.

We stay like this for a few minutes, catching our breath. Then Leo gets in sitting position and leans over me. He straddles my waist and puts his hands on my shoulders.

"Now you can't get away." He smiles mischievously.

I laugh lightly, "that's not fair." I protest.

"I know." He leans down and kisses me.

I can honestly say that this is the best day I've ever had.

Don't jinx it. The voice says.

Leo pulls away and starts playing with my hair. I close my eyes and just enjoy the moment. I know it won't last long.

I can feel it coming before it happens. "Leo--" I start breathing heavier and my heart speeds up.

"What?" He doesn't notice.

"Get off of me." I am now gasping for air.

He finally notices, "Bryan, what--?"

"Get off of me, now!" He moves and I push myself up until I am sitting, then I position myself so I am sitting on my knees. I wrap my arms around me and lean forward. I can't breathe, I am shivering like mad, black spots dance in front of my eyes and I clench them shut.

"Bryan, what's wrong?" Leo's voice is full of fear, he wants to go call someone for help. He starts to get up, but I reach out and grab his shirt. I know this will be over soon, I don't need any kind of help. He stays beside me, but he doesn't want to.

Gradually, I feel my heart slow down. My breathing returns to normal, I stop shaking, and my vision clears. I look up at Leo, his eyes reveal that he is terrified.

"Are you ok? What happened?"

"I--I'm fine. I just had a panic attack."

"Why?" He extends his hand and helps me up, then he holds on to me as I regain my balance. He keeps an arm around my waist as we start to walk home.

"I don't know why it happened." I say, just glad it is over.

We are silent the entire walk home. Leo is hesitant around me, not wanting to set off another attack.

Nice job, Bry. Ruin what could have been a perfect day. The voice says.

We go inside and I get something to drink. My throat is very dry. Then I go upstairs, Leo is sitting on the floor when I walk in.

I sit on the edge of my bed. "I'm sorry about what happened back there."

"It's not your fault. You scared the hell out of me though. Any idea what caused it?"

I shake my head.

Liar

"Do they happen often?" He asks and I shake my head again.

Silence follows, Leo stays in his place on the floor and I lie down on my bed. I want to tell him that I know exactly what triggered the panic attack, but I stay quiet. That's too personal and it would freak him out. I'm not telling him.

Go ahead, tell him what the man you used to live with did to you. Tell him that when he was sitting on you, he provoked memories of the countless nights that man hurt you. Go ahead, he already thinks you are a freak.

I fight the urge to scream at the voice and simply banish it to the back of my mind.

That night, I am lying in bed, trying to sleep when Leo asks: "What do you want to do when you get older?"

I think about this for a few seconds. "I don't know. I plan on going to college, after that I have no idea. What about you?"

"I want to be in a band."

"What do you want to do in the band?" I ask.

"Play the guitar." He is quiet for a minute. "Are you scared of dying?"

Where did that come from? "Not really. I mean, I'd rather live, but I'm not afraid to die. Are you?"

"Terrified. I always have been."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

I want to tell him that he will live a long life, finally dying of old age. I want to tell him that he goes very peacefully, in his sleep. But this will scare him, so I say nothing.

Neither of us talk for a long time. Eventually, his breathing steadies, telling me that he is asleep.

Chapter 7


Another week has gone by. Still no progress in getting Leo to talk about why he is here. I don't really care, I mean hell, I've kept things about me secret and never told anyone. But I want to know about him.

We are in our room, sitting on the floor. Leo is sitting in front of me, facing me. We have been talking for quite a while. But I don't notice when Leo gets silent.

"Bryan, why don't you ever talk about your past?" He asks suddenly.

"Why don't you?" I ask instead of answering him.

"Let's make a deal. I will tell you whatever you want to know, if you tell me what I want to know."

I know that what I am hiding is most likely way worse than his, but I nod anyway. "Ok, deal. But I want to ask you first."

"Why?"

"I just want to."

"Ok," he sighs.

"How did you get to Mayberry House in one year?" I ask.

He hesitates. "I--there was a few problems with the other two homes I was in. I was blamed for things that I didn't do." He talks slowly, trying to choose the right words.

"That's not a real answer. You have to tell me what you did--or didn't do. Whatever."

He fidgets a little bit and I can tell he is uncomfortable. "A kid got hurt in the first home. He fell down the stairs. I was at the top of the stair case so people assumed that I did it. But I didn't. The kid was hurt really bad, he nearly died."

"Ok, what about the second one?"

"In that house, I was their first foster kid, so there was no one else to blame. They had a dog who had just had four puppies. One day, the foster parents woke up to find the puppies--" he stops and runs a hand through his hair. "They found the puppies dead. They had been strangled. The mother dog was nowhere to be found. They finally found her in the basement, she had been gruesomely slaughtered. They thought that I did it and sent me away."

"Do you think maybe on of the parents did it?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "I don't know, I don't think so. They loved that dog more than anything else."

"So they didn't do it and you were the only kid there. I can see why they said you did it."

"I didn't do it, I could never kill an animal."

I can sense that he is lying, he just doesn't want me to know that he could do something that horrible.

"Ok, now I get to ask you a question. What did you do to end up here?"

"You want me to narrow it down to one thing or tell you everything?"

"Everything."

Suddenly, I don't like this game. "The first foster home I was in, I was there for two years. From when I was a few weeks old to when I was two. The foster parents there where going to adopt me. There was an accident one day. The foster dad was on a ladder fixing something on the roof. The ladder fell and he landed wrong and broke his neck. When his wife came outside to see what happened, she saw me standing over him laughing. She sent me away that same day. Can I stop here?"

"No, I told you what you asked."

I sigh, "I was in the next home for two more years. Until I was four. Kids kept getting hurt when they were around me. One got her finger cut off by a knife, another fell from the tree he was climbing. I was blamed for these things. They finally made me leave after a girl nearly died. She was electrocuted when she was taking a bath. The radio on the side of the bathtub fell into the water. I was in the bathroom with her but I can't remember why. Now can I stop?"

Leo shakes his head.

"I was in the next home for three years, from when I was four to when I was seven. The foster dad...Leo I don't want to do this anymore."

"Come on, Bryan. Please? I told you what you asked."

"Yeah, but what you told me isn't this bad. An injured kid and dead dogs don't compare to this."

Leo just stares at me.

"Let's talk about something else, please?" I have never told anyone about that foster home, not even Brandon. I sure as fuck don't want to talk about it now.

He doesn't say anything and I can tell that he isn't going to talk until I tell him.

I take a deep breath. "Fine, you stubborn asshole. That foster dad was--he used to...he used to do things to me. He was a bad guy, very fucking bad. He died. Someone shot him a few dozen times with his own gun. The fucker got what he deserved. After that, all the kids in that house were sent somewhere else. I was in the next house for about a year. The foster mother died, she was impaled on a fire poker. Are you fucking happy now?" I am shaking slightly.

Leo looks horrified. "Oh my god, Bryan. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you to tell me."

"Goddamn right you shouldn't have. Now I get to ask you something. What happened to your parents?" I just want Leo to stop thinking about what I just told him.

"My mom died when I was young, she fell down the stairs and broke her neck. I lived with my dad until right before my sixteenth birthday. Then he was put in jail for child abuse."

"Great, now we know about each other. Can we stop talking about this?"

"No, we may as well clear up any questions we have now, rather than bringing it up again at some other time."

"What questions do you have now?"

"Why do you talk to yourself?"

I was not expecting to hear him ask this. "What?"

"I've noticed that you talk to yourself all the time. It sounds like you are arguing with someone. Why do you do it?"

"Because I'm crazy? I don't know why I do it."

"What do you talk about?"

There's no way in hell I'm telling him about the voice, he will really think I'm crazy then. "Nothing important. Next question."

"How do you know things about people when they don't tell you?"

Damn this boy is perceptive. "I'm psychic." I saying a sarcastic tone, hoping he won't see the truth in that.

"Ha, ha. Ok, the only question I have left. Why are you so withdrawn from everyone?"

"Leo, after everything I just told you, shouldn't you know that by now?"

"That's not what I mean. Other than me, I've rarely seen you talk to anyone else. I've never seen you touch anyone else, even on accident. You close up around people and never talk to them, yet seem to know exactly what they are thinking. Why?"

I stand up to stretch. We have been sitting down a long time. Leo stands up as well.

"Leo, I don't want to talk about this anymore." I say.

"Come on, this is the last question I have."

"No, I'm done talking."

"But--"

"Stop."

"Bryan--!"

"I said no!" I shout lashing out at him. He suddenly flies backwards, hitting his bedside table and falling to the ground, landing on his hands and knees. The lamp on the bedside table tips over and starts to fall on him. I glance at it, sending it flying toward the wall. It shatters, then all is quiet.

I stare at him, realizing that what I just did is very bad. I sense someone coming up the steps to check out the noises. They are right in front of the door, I concentrate for a moment and they can't get the door open. Which surprises them, because the doors in this house don't have locks.

Leo is still on his hands and knees, breathing hard. He is scared and doesn't know what just happened. I go over to him and crouch down beside him. "Leo, I'm so sorry." I say, touching his shoulder.

He jumps back, "get the fuck away from me!" He shouts.

Leah bangs on the door, commanding me to let her in.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" I need to convince Leo that this was an accident.

"What the fuck just happened?" He asks.

"I don't know how to explain it. I'm really sorry."

He is very freaked out, I am scaring him. He looks at the broken pieces of the lamp, then at the door. "Why won't the door open?"

I sigh, releasing the hold I have on it. It flies open and Leah nearly falls because she was leaning against it. "What happened? What was wrong with the door."

"I fell. And I think the door was jammed." I can't believe Leo is taking up for me after what I just did.

"What do you mean you fell? Did he push you?" She asks , glaring at me.

"No, he didn't push me. I fell."

"I heard something break, what was it?"

"The lamp on my table fell."

Leah looks around for broken glass, finally finding it behind the door. "How did it get way over here?"

"Leah, it fell. I don't know how it got over there." Leo's voice is full of irritation.

Leah stares at me. "Did you have anything to do with this, Bryan?"

"No."

"Clean up the lamp, and try to be more careful." Leah leaves the room.

I go downstairs and get a broom, I clean up the broken glass and throw it away. When I am finished, Leo is sitting on his bed. His thoughts are racing, he has never been this confused.

Chapter 8


Leo finally convinces me to explain to him what happened. At first I don't want to, because it means that I will have to tell him about other things. But eventually I give in. I find myself telling him things I've never even considered telling anyone else. I tell him how I can do things just by thinking about them, how I know what people are thinking, how I can hurt people just by wanting to. At first, he doesn't believe me. But then he realizes that this is the only explanation for certain things. Like when he was talking to Julia and she cried out and clutched her head for no reason and how I know things about people, when they don't tell me. And how I just hurt him.

When I finish talking I feel drained. It's not every day that you confess you biggest secrets to someone you just met two weeks ago. He is relieved that I told him, but confused as to how I can do these things. But he's not afraid and for that I am thankful.

He's not afraid yet. Just wait until he thinks all of this through. He will see you for the freak you are and he will be terrified.

I don't respond to the voice, I just sit on my bed watching Leo. Neither of us speak for a long time. His thoughts are racing and he's trying to sort them out.

"Can you prove it? Can you do something to prove that you are really telling the truth?" Leo asks after a long time. I know he believes me, but who doesn't want to see something extraordinary every once in a while?

I nod. "What do you want me to do?"

"Tell me what word I'm thinking."

Too easy. "Music. Anything you want me to do that's a little harder?"

Leo hesitates before answering. Then he grins slightly. I know what he wants me to do before he opens his mouth. "Hurt someone."

I concentrate for a moment, then we hear Adam cry out loudly. There is a loud noise as he falls to the ground, clutching his head against the unexpected pain. I smile at Leo.

"Whoa. That's amazing." Leo breathes, a malicious look on his face. "You can do that to anyone?"

I nod.

Leo smiles and I am ammused by his thoughts. He is thinking of hurting people, random people, just to see them in pain.

Leo gets off on seeing others hurt.

I laugh slightly at this. Who would have thought this boy is a closet freak? A sadist?

We go out to the park, sitting on our usual bench. Leo observes people, asking me which ones are complete bastards. I tell him and he tells me to hurt them, which I do. I enjoy it as much as Leo, if not more. But there's no surprise there, it's a known fact that I'm strange.

This is how we spend the rest of the day. I point out assholes and I hurt them. Down goes the man that hits his kids, down goes the woman who is a complete bitch to anyone and everyone, down goes the man wearing socks with sandals.

It's fun to see these people scream in pain.

When it gets so dark we can't see, we go home. Leah and Jason yell at us for being late, but there's nothing they can really do about it. They wouldn't have mentioned it if Leo had not been with me. I'm constantly late for curfew, they never say anything.

That night, Leo is too excited to sleep. He is lying beside me on my bed, we have been talking for a long time. He plays with my hair absently, every once in a while, he leans forward and kisses me.

I should have told him about all this before now, he seems more open around me now. Which is always a good thing.

He kisses me again and runs a hand through my hair. Then he pulls away and gets out of my bed, he can't stay here all night even though I want him to. Leah and Jason check on all the kids a few times during the night, if they found us together it wouldn't be pretty.

The next day, Leah and Jason take all the kids out to see a movie. Except for Leo and I. They leave before we wake up, but they leave a note. I wouldn't have gone with them anyway. I rarely get the chance to be here alone. I've never been here with only Leo.

I like being home alone with Leo, it's different. We can do whatever we want. We could go upstairs and have crazy, hot sex on Leah and Jason's bed if we wanted. Not that we do, but we could.

We are in the living room, watching some stupid show on tv. Leo has his arm around me and I am leaning against him. We have been sitting here, not talking for quite a while.

Leo breaks the silence, with a very strange request. "Bryan?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you--Do you think you could..." He pauses, trying to find the right words. He takes a deep breath and finally says it. "Could you hurt me?"

I pull away from him and stare him in the eye, smiling. The boy is a masochist also? Wow, I'm learning a lot about him. "I don't think you'd want me to."

"Yeah, I do. I know that's a weird thing for me to ask you to do, but I want to know what it feels like."

I don't want to hurt him, but since he asked me to, I will. It takes only a second of concentration, then he winces and gasps loudly, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his hands into fists.

When he opens his eyes, he looks at me, then he smiles. He takes hold of my arm and pulls me toward him, then he kisses me.

For the first time since I met him, I can sense that he is truly happy.

Chapter 9



Leo has been here for a month now, I am closer to him than I have ever been with anyone. He feels the same way about me. We are together all the time, nearly every minute of every day. Leah and Jason have noticed and actually asked if we are together. Of course, we told them no. If they found out, they would freak. That would be the end of us sharing a room together. That would probably even be the end of us being in the same house. The last time Leah and Jason found out about two of the kids being together, one was sent to a different house. Only kid in Mayberry house that was sent to a different home instead of the detention center.

Today Leo and I go to the mall. He decides that he needs new clothes and he tells me that I do as well. He actually drags me to Hot Topic. He says that I will look sexy in bondage pants. I ask him where he is going to get the money to afford the over priced things.

"We don't have to buy them, I just want you to try them on." He says.

I agree to do it and we find my size. I actually have to get them in the girl's section, the men's are too big on me. I put on them on and Leo says that he has a better idea for the chains hanging from them.

We try on clothes for a while, then we leave and go browse some more stores. Leo tells me that I look hot in girl's jeans.

We leave the mall after buying some clothes from some stupid store. After dropping off our clothes at home, we go to the park, as usual. We play our twisted little game again. We have taken to choosing random people to hurt. Sometimes I choose anyone with red as their favorite color, or a dog as their favorite pet. I am aware that these people are basically innocent, but I am having too much fun to stop now.

This time we choose anyone that likes Stephen King. Leo is included in this category. I no longer hesitate to hurt him if he wants me to, which is quite often.

Now we lay in the grass, side by side. Leo's fingers intertwined with mine.

"There's a woman over there who's staring at us." Leo tells me and I look at the woman he's talking about.

"She's homophobic. We disgust her." I tell him.

"Well, in that case--" Leo leans over me and kisses me. I can sense the woman's complete and utter repulsion at this. I lash out at her for being a stupid bitch. She cries out in pain, which makes Leo press harder against my lips. Then he does something I never would have expected.

He bites me.

Not that I don't like it, I just didn't expect it. When he pulls away, there is blood on his lips and he smiles at me.

"You're a freak." I say pulling him back down to kiss me again.

We eventually go back home just to find that no one's there. I don't know where they are and I really don't care. I'm just happy to be alone with Leo.

We go to the kitchen to get something to drink. We don't talk for a while, just enjoying the silence. It's during this time that I realize that I haven't heard the voice in a while. Not that I'm complaining, I'm glad to have some peace from it.

Leo seems somewhat troubled and I start to ask about it, but I don't. If he wants to talk to me, he will.

He takes a drink of his water. "Bryan?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever wish you were normal?"

"Not really. I mean, yeah it would be a hell of a lot easier, but I don't think I'd like it as much. Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering." He comes over to me and kisses me.

I set my glass down on the counter and wrap my arms around him. He runs a hand through my hair.

Quite suddenly, there is a sharp pain in my stomach. I gasp and pull away from Leo. I look down to see a knife jutting out of my stomach. Leo's hand still rests on the handle.

I start breathing harder, screwing my face up in pain and confusion. Leo just looks at me, not offering any explanation. Not even looking sympathetic. He removes his hand from the knife handle and lets me fall to the cold, hard kitchen floor. I stare up at him, gasping for air.

"W-why?" Is all I can manage to say.

Leo kneels down beside me, "I'm sorry, Bryan." He says, kissing me.

This time, as soon as he comes into contact with me, images fill my head. I learn much too late that he is really crazy. The Leo I thought I knew is simply one of his masks. The real Leo is psychotic, murderous. He feels no remorse for what he has just done and he will feel pleasure watching me lie on the floor dying.

"Leo...please call for h-help. Please?" I have no idea how I manage to get that sentence out or why I'm pleading with him when I know it's a lost cause.

He says nothing.

The pain I am feeling now is worse than anything I've ever imagined. It feels as if something is in my stomach, tearing through me. I try to look down, nearly passing out at the dizziness that comes over me. It is nearly impossible for me to breathe now, but I keep trying. I don't want to die.

Leo kisses me again, this time he doesn't pull away for a long time. I want to reach up and push him away, but I can't move my arms. He finally pulls away and I try to take a breath, but I can't, I just choke on my own blood. I will be dead in a very short time.

Everything is going black and I wonder for a moment what happens when you die.

"I love you, Bryan." Is the last thing I hear before closing my eyes for the last time.

i feel like a freak!
lol good story
look foward to readng more!

Blaze [KF] wrote:

i feel like a freak!
lol good story
look foward to readng more!

How far did you get?

chapter 2 im still not done but so far i feel like a freak:P
ill read the rest its just so much!

got to chapter 5 earlier, then stopped reading due to laziness.
Liked it though.

Kebin wrote:

got to chapter 5 earlier, then stopped reading due to laziness.
Liked it though.

Glad you did

Who the hell is jade?

Just finsihed and LOVED it.

Kebin wrote:

Who the hell is jade?

It was a name that I had made but later on didn't like it so that's why I changed it later on. Guess I still need to edit it just tell me

Also I am writing the story from Leo's point of view

Veiwtiful_joe wrote:

Also I am writing the story from Leo's point of view

What what what!?!?
Your inconsistency... when'd it begin, and why... eh...

Okay, I have a question, kind of. 2 questions. Okay, 3. Sry, 4.

-What's up with Bryan (besides the obvious)? Is he gay, a girl, or just brotherly towards Leo? I was a little lost in that morbid tale.

-As I was going through, a thought crossed my mind: Bryan's like some kind of evil Ness. Did you get any inspiration from that (doubtful but hey)...?

-You say Jade is a name you had earlier, but I kind of got the vibe that Jade was Bryan's mind's voice's name... clarify, please?

-You say you're writing from Leo's p.o.v.... Since when, or you'll just be doing that from now on?

-What's up with Bryan (besides the obvious)? Is he gay, a girl, or just brotherly towards Leo? I was a little lost in that morbid tale.
Yea gay.

-As I was going through, a thought crossed my mind: Bryan's like some kind of evil Ness. Did you get any inspiration from that (doubtful but hey)...?
Kinda but there was mind control so I thought the power he had was ok

-You say Jade is a name you had earlier, but I kind of got the vibe that Jade was Bryan's mind's voice's name... clarify, please?

I was going to give his voice a name but dropped it IDK why. Leo is jade and vice versa just a subsitute name.

-You say you're writing from Leo's p.o.v.... Since when, or you'll just be doing that from now on?[/quote]

I am going to type this out I started in school. Ps It's a super secret chapter k

1- Thanks
2- Okay
3- Right
4- ???

I've done it finished the super special awesome chapter

Veiwtiful_joe wrote:

I've done it finished the super special awesome chapter

Where/which number is it?

Rey_J wrote:

Veiwtiful_joe wrote:

I've done it finished the super special awesome chapter

Where/which number is it?

On my Laptop/Chapter 10