Teenage Baby

Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

"Look, if we help each other, we can get out. There has to be a way."

Leo blinked as he watched Aaron intently, without showing any form of response. The eye-contact didn't last long, because he soon turned his face away and focused on drawing again.

Aaron patiently waited for him to speak, desperately trying to convince himself that Leo was thinking rather than ignoring, but each passing second they spent in silence proved the exact opposite. Aaron didn't lash out at him, nor did he jump to conclusions; instead, he devoted a minute to think of why he wasn't speaking. Leo could be possibly afraid of the captors. Afraid of being caught not acting like a little child.

"I know you're scared of them, but no one's here. Just the two of us. Please, talk to me, we need each other," Aaron encouraged, evening his voice as he spoke because he couldn't assure him while sounding just as equally frightened. But even so, Leo wasn't responding like something was keeping his focus efficiently blocked out.

Aaron wanted to eliminate any form of distraction, so he carefully gripped Leo's pencil and snatched it away. The intention wasn't to provoke him; he just wanted him to focus, and it did the trick, because Leo finally gave him a look.

But not a pleasant one.

The unexpected onslaught of emotion almost scared Aaron; Leo's eyes were suddenly seething with disapproval, small lips pulled together in annoyance. Aaron had originally wanted to goad a reaction, but not this kind.

"Give it back," Leo hissed, his palm spread out demandingly. Aaron knew this could potentially turn into an unnecessary scene, so he gave him his pencil back, watching as a small smile appeared again and any signs of past disapproval ebbed away immediately. "Thank you."

Like a child: easily angered, but easily pacified.

"I'm sorry," Aaron said, frowning as Leo whispered back s'okay and smiled. He'd heard normal people talk like that before, but with Leo, it sounded more like a child who still couldn't pronounce correctly. Aaron hated that he couldn't decide what the problem with that boy was-whether he was brainwashed, forced, or possibly mentally ill. But regardless of that, Aaron decided he needed to cajole him into talking. "I like your drawing. It's really nice."

Aaron earned a bashful smile, but nothing more significant. A flash of shining metal suddenly caught his attention, and it was then that he realized Leo was wearing the exact same bracelet as his own.

Reaching his hand out to the hem of Leo's grey sweater, Aaron raised it and inspected the scars on his waist. Along the right side of his stomach stood a distinctly horrible scar.

The sight of it made Aaron's lips part, pulling the air in through a shocked gasp. How had he not noticed it before?
It looked like the wound had been deep; the skin there was marred with a distinctly visible slash, ragged around the edges and pale pink.

Aaron noticed something else about it, but he didn't have enough time inspect further because Leo's hand quickly pulled the sweater down, veiling the scar along. Aaron's heart swelled when he thought of how painful it must have been for Leo to get it.

"Leo?" Aaron said. "Who gave you these owies? Daddy?"

There was a brief moment of silence, but then Leo turned to face at Aaron, disbelieving shock deep in his stare.

"No!" Leo yelled, his voice loud and defensive. Aaron gasped at the sudden noise, and his hand instinctively flew over to clamp against Leo's mouth, his eyes frantically warning him to be quiet. Leo tugged his hand off as he let out small disgruntled huff, but he was visibly less tense-like he realized that he'd overreacted. "Daddy isn't a meanie. He wouldn't do that."