Death Reborn

Chapter 1: Two Angels

Gabriel and his older brother Micheal had to devote their lives to God. It was what their parents burned into their minds all their lives.

Micheal was known as the "Golden Child" in the family. Micheal was only twelve years old, and he already knew the Bible forward and backward. His parents always told everyone how proud of them they were for studying the Bible every day, but behind closed doors, their parents would beat Micheal if he didn't study hard enough for Holy Family Academy.

Holy Family Academy was a very high priority for Gabriel and Michael's parents to maintain the picture-perfect Christian family they wanted to be in the public's eyes. It was the most prestigious boarding school with grades from fifth grade to twelfth grade. It was also a very expensive school to go to and very difficult to get into.

Johnathon was the Mayor of Pleasantview, so he set high expectations in his sons. They had to go to Holy Family Academy together. They had to read the Bible every night before bed. They had to pray before every meal, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

It was Gabriel's tenth birthday, when he walked by his father's office and heard the sound of a whip hitting something and looked to his left and saw his brother Micheal on his knees, covered in blood. His hair was a mess, and his clothes were ripped and had a few holes. Gabriel shook with fear and froze in place. His eyes were locked on Michael's swollen face.

Johnathon stopped whipping his son with his black belt and looked up at Gabriel.

"WHAT! You wanna be next, boy? Scram!" Johnathon shouted. Causing Gabriel to run away crying.

Elizabeth opened her arms, enveloping Gabriel in her grasp.

"Did you go into the office again?"

Gabriel shook his head.

"No, I walked by, and I saw dad beating Micheal with a belt!"

"There is a reason Micheal is getting punished. You know that, right?" Elizabeth asked warmly with a sickeningly sweet smile.

Gabriel never understood why his parents would always resort to beating them whenever they did something their parents didn't like. All Micheal did was get a question wrong on a quiz. It wasn't a big deal, well, except for their parents, it was.

"Micheal is being punished because he was supposed to get every question right on his test, but he didn't quite get it right, and on top of that, he talked back to your father."

Elizabeth explained to Gabriel. Gabriel cried, knowing that he was next in the constant pressure to be perfect. To be the Saint everyone looked up to.

That night, as Gabriel was about to cry himself to sleep, Micheal walked into the room. His face was black and blue and still swollen from his beating. Gabriel sat up and sobbed when he saw his older brother so beaten and blue. Micheal hugged Gabriel and held him in his arms.

Gabriel wanted to scream, and so did Micheal. They both wanted so desperately to rebel against their parents and run away from home, but it was no use. They would have been dead or worse if they had done so. Both boys silently cried in their room until they both fell asleep.

The next morning, Gabriel and Micheal got dressed and ready for their day at homeschool. Their mother was their teacher in the meantime until they were both ready to go to Holy Family Academy. After multiple punishments, both boys dedicated most of their free time to studying.

During the little free time they had during the day, they would talk to and play with their neighborhood friends.

Their friends consisted of four boys and two girls. Tyler, Charlie, Spencer, Alex, Kate, and Victoria. Gabriel and Micheal loved hanging out with their friends. They talked and played pretend during their free time. Life was great for them when they weren't studying or in their house dealing with their parents.