Dawns Break *Slow Updates*

Chapter 3: Jasper

Running through the halls of his dormitory, Jasper rushed to Brenan's room, not wanting to delay going after Sydney any longer than necessary, but also refusing to leave without some plan formulated on how they were going to get Lucas back. The mere thought of his childhood friend brought up so many memories, but one stood out amongst the rest. One that had solidified their brotherhood for a lifetime.

"Just this once," I told myself as I ventured out of the neighborhood my mother strictly told me never to stray from. I was twelve years old, but far from a child.

Walking down a street I'd never been down before, I felt independent. The wind only seemed to agree with me as it ruffled through my shirt, making me feel like I was capable of soaring.

This small act of rebellion gave me a little taste of adventure, even if it was in the confines of a harmless Eastern town. I pretended the uniform buildings we called our homes were the jagged treacherous rocks of Shadows Peak, and that I was braving their crippling, fear-inducing might.

Everything up to this point had existed in my mind, but when a scream broke the usually still air, cracking the facade of sustainable peace, the imagery of my imagination dissapated, and I was left just a boy, listening to the cries of a woman.

No, of a woman and a boy.

Dashing down the road in search of their sources, I nearly fell at the sight I stumbled upon. A large man stood on his lawn, his legs spread in an agressive manner as he growled at the petite woman in front of him. She laid on the ground, her face cover in tears with her leg bent in an unnatural angle.

"Tommy, please, stop this!" she begged, frantically scooting away while keeping her eyes on him.

"You always make a fuss of the littlest things!" the man barked, stalking toward her threateningly. "Since you insist on crying, I'll give you something to cry about!"

In seconds, he was kneeling beside her, gripping her medium-length strawberry blonde hair. Her wails of pain reached my ears and went even further, pulling at something in my heart. A need for some kind of justice.

"Leave her alone, Dad!"

My eyes darted to the boy sprinting across their yard, his dark blonde, almost brown, hair blowing into his face as he raced to get to his father. Wasting no time, he started pummeling his fists into the monster's back, but it wasn't having the affect he wanted.

"Buzz off, you brat!"

Without releasing the distressed woman, he backhanded the kid in the face, the sound resembling that of a whip snapping in the air.

The hit knocked the boy off his feet, and as he held his stinging cheek, he looked up, his eyes connecting with mine. It was then that I realized I knew him. He was a nice guy, and I saw him a lot at school, but he was hardly approachable. The bruises he sported often tended to keep others away, including myself. But, now, seeing the situation of his homelife, I couldn't turn a blind eye.

Looking back at the man he called "Dad", I bunch my young fists, my face hardening as I decided what I'd do next. The man was still yanking the woman up by her hair, her screams only fueling his insanity, but when he raised his hand as if to hit her, I took off, attacking the distance between us.