Rebel High

Chapter 5

The night was rather peaceful in the household of friends. Everyone was fast asleep...all except their newest member. Poor Ezra was in the middle of a dark nightmare, thrashing around in his bad and kicking the blanket off of his body and bed.

He was in his old room at his old house. Tom's house.He had tried to runaway again, to get away from the beatings and yells, but Tom caught him. Just like all of the times before. The man he was meant to feel most safe around was more furious then Gordon Ramsey on an episode of Hell's Kitchen. He began the ruthless beating. Cornering Ezra and punching him, kicking him, choking him, whipping him with his belt, cutting him with a kitchen knife and burnt him with either a cigarette or a heated piece of metal. All of this lasted for 30 minutes, although for poor Ezra, it felt like hours. The child pleaded for his guardian to stop and for his forgiveness for being naughty...but ever beg went unheard or ignored. "This is what you get for trying to run off!!" Tom hissed as he continued the beating "I give you food!! I put a roof over your head!! Put clothes on your back" Ezra had tears in his eyes that he refused to allow to spill over "and this is how you repay me!! you'll learn to respect me boy!! And to do as I say!!" Tom finished as he entered yet another beating. After yet another thirty minutes, Tom finally left to go and meet his mates at a bar down town, leaving a beaten, bloody, crying young Ezra aloe for seven hours to cry some more before beginning to do the chores Tom had left for him.

And with that, Ezra shot up out of bed, sweat gleaming off of his forehead, his breathing short and fast. Tears had fallen down his cheek. Lucky for the boy, no one had woken up; he glanced over at the clock once his breathing was under control. It was twenty seven minutes passed three in the early morning. Ezra got up and out of bed before making his way downstairs silently; he sat at the window in the kitchen to stare up at the stars. Holding his knees to his chest, the boy lay his head on his knees in his seat. Little did he know, Kanan had woken up by some unknown force and decided to get a glass of water; he entered the kitchen and soon noticed the small curled up figure sitting by the window. This confused and worried than; why wasn't Ezra in bed?? He voiced his questions "you okay kid??" he asked "shouldn't you be in bed asleep??" the fifteen year old jumped by the sound some someone else but was calmed to know it was Kanan. The man pulled up and chair which is when he noticed the red and puffy state Ezra's eyes and cheeks were in "Ezra...what's wrong?? Why have you been crying??" he asked. Ezra was rather silent for a few seconds until finally "I'm fine, I just...I have a nightmare" he explained "I thought I'd come down and look up at the stars...it always seemed to calm me down". The nineteen year gave gave a gentle smile "why are you up??" the kid asked earning a shrug "I wanted a drink so I came down here" an idea then came to mind "you know...I was just gonna have some water...but I think at a time like this, hot coco is the way to go". They both smirked before Kanan stood and began to make the two sweet drinks, adding some whip cream, grated chocolate and a cherry; he handed one of the mugs over to Ezra as he returned to his seat. 

"Hot coco used to always help me after a nightmare when I was younger" he stated "your nightmare...do you want to talk about it??" Ezra wasn't sure but...he trusted Kanan...so he nodded "sure". Ezra explained the whole nightmare to his new guardian who was horrified; it was a terrifying dream. "But the worst part...it wasn't just a nightmare...but a memory" this stunned the man "you mean...what happened in your nightmare...actually happened to you?!" Kanan asked, although he wasn't sure if he wanted an answer. Ezra hesitantly nodded. Before either knew it, Kanan had gently pulled the child into his arms and embraced him; Ezra was taken back from the action but that didn't stop him from wrapping his own arms around the man. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that Ezra...I promise, no one will ever hurt you again" Kanan swore; Ezra pulled back so that he could look at the man "thanks Kanan...but don't make promises you can't keep". Although he wanted to question what the boy meant, Kanan didn't and decided that they had been up for longer then they should; their mugs were also now empty. After putting the two pots in the sink, they both returned to their rooms silently, soon falling asleep.