In His Eyes

Prolouge

For AnnMarieThrush

A/N: I just wanted to give you guys a taste of this. It will be continued after I finish 'I'm Glad I found You' which is only five more chapters.

READER'S WARNING: THIS STORY WILL HAVE SENSITIVE SUBJECTS MENTIONED SUCH AS CHILD ABUSE. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE OR CANNOT HANDLE READING IT, PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS STORY.

I remember the first time that I saw Scott Hoying. It was after I was slammed up against a tree on the playground and I hit my head. I had collapsed on top of the roots and passed out. The people who hurt me....they ran. They were a bunch of bullies that had nothing better to do than to bully a defenseless eight year old.

But as my eyes shut, an image came up. There was no blackness. It was like a movie reel. I was seeing everything through someone else's eyes. And feeling their emotions.

It was a boy. Maybe the same age as me. He was only wearing a pair of blue jeans and he was looking in a full body mirror. He was chewing on his bottom lip as he looked over his body. He was bruised. Expect the bruises weren't tiny. They were maybe the size of an average dinner plate. His hand went to gingerly touch one of the yellowish brown ones on his ribs. I didn't feel the pain but I sensed it.

"Scott! Get your ass out of there!" The boy curled into a corner to hide away from the banging on the door. He grabbed a notebook and pen. He began writing on it.

Please help me.

Then the door was torn open. The boy screamed loudly.

"No! Dad! Please!" I watched as he was beaten without mercy by his father. When his dad was finished, the boy was left to look at his broken body in the mirror.

He picked himself up and went to sit in front of it. His face was untouched by the beating. He had fair pale skin and bright blue eyes. His hand went to touch his face. He pulled down on the apple of his cheek to pull down the bottom lid of his eye. Then he moved his hand to touch the mirror.

"I feel you. You feel sorry for me. But you're giving me strength already. Just please don't leave." He let the tears pour down his face. "Please don't leave."

That's when I woke up in the school's nursing office. I didn't know what I just saw. I didn't even know if it was real. Not until it happened again when I tried to sleep that night. It was the boy again. He was staring up at the darkened ceiling to a dirty bedroom. He sat up when he felt my presence.

"You're back." He whispered it. His eyes drifted around the room before he realized that I could see it too. "You shouldn't see that." It was dirty and was laying on the ground. He didn't have a mattress. I don't even think it was a bedroom. It was more like a closet. "I wonder if I can see what your life is like. I hope it is better than mine." I opened my eyes and I was back in my room. Back in the safety of my home. I shuddered as a weird sensation came over my body. Soon, the warmth came. I felt him staring through my eyes.

"It is better than yours. I'm sorry." I whispered too. My parents were sleeping. There was nothing in my room with a reflective surface so I couldn't show him what I look like. "You can come live with us. We live near New York. Not the really populated part but like the country side. You can get away from your dad here." I closed my eyes so I could get his response. He was staring down at his hands.

"It's gonna take me awhile. I live in California. In the bad parts. But I'll try." I saw his eyes close. But when we both had our eyes closed, we were in our minds together. "I can't see you."

"I think it's because you've never seen me before."

"Can you see me?" I moved towards him.

"You have blue eyes and blonde hair." I went to reach my hand out to touch him but a barrier separated us.

"What do you look like?" I pulled at the sleeves on my pajamas. I tugged on a lock of my brown hair.

"I have brown hair and brown eyes." He laughed.

"It's like you're my other half." I smiled. I liked that idea. "My name is Scott Hoying."

"I'm Mitch Grassi." I sat down on the black space of my mind. "Do you know what this is?"

"No. Do you?" I shook my head before remembering that he can't see me.

"Are you scared of your dad?" He sat down across from me.

"I'm use to it. It protects my mom." I really wish I could feel what his hurt skin feels like.

"Are you a superhero?"

"I don't think so." He was picking at his nails.

"I think you are."

"If so, I'm a shitty one." I gasped, covering my ears.

"You said a swear."

"Oh, sorry." We spoke for a little while longer. My eyes soon began to close though. I was getting sleepy. "You'll come back tomorrow?"

"I'll try. You'll leave tomorrow?"

"I hope. I don't know how much longer I can take this." When I came back the next day though, he was in front of the mirror. His tears were streaming down his cheeks. He bottom lip was busted and quivering. He was also completely naked.

"Scott?" I felt like I was sitting right beside him.

"My....m-my dad caught me, M-Mitch. He had a friend and they-" His sob cut him off. He hid his face in his arms. "I can't wait until I'm sixteen. Then I can get job and get an apartment or something. Just anything. I'll come find you."

"I'll be here for you."

"I wish I could hug you. You're my only friend." I couldn't wrap my arms around him. I couldn't touch him. We never met in real life. I could only see through his eyes. He looked towards the door when banging came. "Open your eyes, Mitch. Don't watch this." He kicked me out of his mind and I sat up on my bed. I ran to my parents' room.

"Mommy! Dad!" They woke up with groans.

"What, sweetheart?"

"There's a boy! He's in trouble! I'm afraid his dad is going to kill him!" My mom immediately sat up.

"Where's this boy?"

"He's in California! His name is Scott Hoying and we have to save him!" Her panic subsided.

"You having an imaginary friend like this is troubling. We need to get him a therapist." My mom spoke to my dad.

"No! He's going to get hurt! He has bruises!"

"Go back to bed, Mitch. We'll talk in the morning."

"But Scott-"

"He's not real, Mitch! Go to bed!" I ran back into my room and hid under my covers. I shut my eyes tightly. I tried to get back to Scott. But he shut me out. I could only feel his pain and his fear.

"You're real. I'm going to save you, Scott. I promise."