CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Trey's POV
I didn't quite know what we were going to come across in the FFO building, but finding Carson was definitely not what I was expecting. It was a pleasant surprise, however.
"It's been a long two years, Carson," I told him, clinging tightly to his shirt.
"Shh," he said. "I'm here now, right?"
I smiled. I always felt safe with Carson. No matter what Samuel did to me, Carson always made it feel better.
"Hey," Carson whispered. "How's your back?"
"It's okay," I said.
"How long has it been?"
"Two days."
Carson cringed. I didn't understand why. He got beaten, too. A lot worse than I did. He gently set me down. "Let's go."
I followed him down a few hallways before he stopped in front of a small door. He opened it, grabbed something, then turned back around to me. In his hands he held a small container filled with...I didn't even know.
"What's that?" I asked curiously.
He grinned, his eyes bright. "Magic."
"Wow," I muttered. "What does it do?"
"You'll see. Hey, I've got a surprise for you. Want to go see?"
I nodded empathetically. "Yes, please."
"Come on."
I skipped towards the elevator alongside Carson, wondering why he seemed so much more relaxed. He was always tense and afraid the last time I had seen him. What had changed?
We rode up to the fourth floor in a contented silence. I hummed slightly, rocking back on forth on my heels.
"All right, Trey. Close your eyes."
I did as he said, excitement building in my gut. Carson guided me along the way, stopping for a second to open a door. He gently pushed me inside. I giggled softly, unable to stay so silent and still. I could feel Carson smile beside me.
"Okay," he said. "You can open them now."
I slowly opened my eyes and gasped. "I-Is that really for me?" I asked in awe.
"You bet."
My hands flew to my mouth. I couldn't believe it. A bed. My very own bed. "Can I...can I touch it?"
Carson laughed. "Of course you can touch it. It's yours, isn't it?"
I walked slowly towards the bed, wondering exactly what it would feel like to lay on one. Probably amazing. I lightly brushed my fingers on the clean white sheets. Was it even possible for something to be this incredibly soft?
"You like it?" Carson asked me, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"What does it look like, you idiot?" I said, tears forming in my eyes.
He chuckled. I sat down tentatively, still feeling as if what I was doing was forbidden. My body, though light, still sunk down in the plushness. I yelped in surprise and Carson raised an eyebrow at me, stifling a laugh. He took a seat beside me. "Pretty cool, huh?"
"I'm starting to think that this is all a dream," I told him. "It's all so unreal."
"Yeah," Carson agreed. "It does seem that way."
I leaned against him, sighing contentedly. For the first time in what seemed like forever, I felt not only safe, but secure.
"Hey, Carson?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you show me what that magic does?"
"Sure. Take off your shirt first, though."
"Okay," I said hesitantly.
"Trust me."
I tugged my shirt over my head. A few seconds later, a soothing sensation spread over the scars on my back. I couldn't exactly put my finger on the way it felt, but it was definitely better than good. Maybe it really was magic.
"Wow," I muttered. "It's like it doesn't even hurt anymore."
"Awesome, right?"
"They let you get magic here? And they let you give me a bed?"
Carson nodded. "Of course. You get to eat every day, too."
I blinked in shock. "What?"
"Yeah. Every day."
Was he really telling the truth? The people here let us eat every single day? No way. That wasn't possible. Back with Samuel, meals were once a week. And Carson didn't even get them as often as I did.
I looked up at Carson's face. Several fading bruises could still be seen, and a few scars were visible, including a long, deep gash on his right cheek. That didn't look like it would ever go away. One thing surprised me, however. Nothing seemed recent.
"To answer your question, no, they don't hit me here. Or burn me, or whip me, or force me to do things I don't want to do," he said, his lips curling upwards.
I scrunched my nose in confusion. Everything he was saying, there was no way it was actually possible. Abuse was all I'd ever known. The fact that I was allowed to, well, be free was...I couldn't even find the right words. My vision blurred with tears.
"It's okay, Trey," Carson whispered soothingly, pulling me into his lap. He wrapped his arms around my trembling body. "Everything is going to be okay."
I cried into his shirt. Carson spoke calmly to me the entire time, his words healing the wounds in my heart. The ones that Samuel had opened.
It only now occured to me how exhausted I was. Carson sensed it, too.
"You can sleep," he told me. "Sleep as long as you want. You need it."
He carried me to the pillows, humming a soft tune. "Can you stay with me?" I asked. Honestly, I was afraid of sleeping alone in this massive bed.
"Of course," he said, planting his lips on my forehead.
I smiled sleepily, letting my body drift unconscious. Was this what happiness felt like?
~~~~~
Carson's POV
I watched Trey's sleeping form for several minutes, not wanting to leave him. I'd left him alone two years ago, and when I'd come back he had been gone.
It's not going to be for very long, Carson.
I nodded affirmatively. I needed to get this done.
Quietly, I slipped out of the room, gently shutting the door behind me. Walking down the dimly lit hallway, I let out a shaky breath. Today had been crazy. Good thing it was almost over. Almost.
I cracked my neck nervously as I pressed the elevator button. Why did I feel like something big was about to happen?
It was empty in the holding floor, of course. My footsteps were silent as I made my way towards Samuel's room. My fingers rested on the doorknob. I didn't feel ready for this. It was easier with Paul, for some reason. Maybe it was because he was my abuser, so it wasn't as hard to face him. I shook my head. That didn't make any sense. I think I was just nervous about what Samuel was going to tell me.
Without allowing myself another thought on the matter, I opened the door. The lights were already on, though they weren't particularily bright. Samuel was sitting on the corner of a bed, not seemingly fazed at all by the situation. He grinned at me as I entered—a menacing, spine-chilling grin that I remembered all too well from my own father. I winced. It hurt just thinking that word.
"Well, well, well," he snickered, leaning back against the wall. "If it isn't Carson Monteith himself."
I could feel myself tense up.
"Why'd you run away from your Daddy, Carson? Were you scared?"
My hands clenched into fists, and I had to stop myself from lashing out. "The relationship I have with my father has nothing to do with the reason why I'm here," I said evenly, struggling to stay calm. This was strange. I didn't usually react like this.
Samuel sighed. "If you're looking for answers regarding the break in, there's nothing of interest to you."
I narrowed my eyes, relieved that he didn't press further on the subject. "How can I be so sure?"
"Let's be real here, Carson. Do you honestly think Paul and I would be so dumb as to join up with a group of idiots trying to take over the world?"
"What are you suggesting?" I asked, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt. They weren't with the WIO? I had been right. There was something we were leaving out.
I was almost there. I could feel it. That one missing piece. It was close.
He waved me off. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."
"You aren't with the WIO," I said.
He shook his head. "No, I'm not."
I racked my brain, trying to come up with something, anything, but there was nothing that could possibly help me here. If Samuel and Paul weren't WIO, then what were they? And why, if Samuel was telling the truth, did they even bother with the organization? It didn't make sense.
"You aren't going to tell me anything, are you?"
"No." He chewed on his fingernail for a few seconds. "You've gotten smart, Carson. That's not good."
Hatred boiled inside of me, but I managed to keep it under control. "It's not good," I repeated. "Not for you. Don't underestimate me, Samuel. Just because my father is stupid doesn't mean that I am."
I turned on my heel to leave, but Samuel spoke again. "You do know that Paul and Vanessa didn't just have one kid, right?"
I whipped back around. "What?"
He nodded, his grin not wavering. "Why do you think he separated you and Trey?"
My heart stopped beating.
-----
I pressed my ear to the door. Paul, Vanessa, and Samuel were talking in there. About what, I didn't know. I just hoped it had nothing to do with me.
"There has to be another option," Vanessa whispered fiercely. I could tell she was on the verge of tears.
"Why do you even care?" Paul asked. "It's the only way to keep them from discovering the truth. The only way to keep us safe."
"But what about them, Paul? Isn't their safety worth more than ours?"
"They don't matter. The only thing they are is a threat to us. I'd have already killed them if you weren't so insistent."
Vanessa gasped, horrified. "How can you even say that? They're our—"
"Do not say that word," Paul growled.
"Look, can we just get this over with?" Samuel said impatiently. "I need to get on my way back."
There was an unnerving pause before I heard a chair scraping backwards. Footsteps began making their way towards the door, and I scrambled back with terror. I hugged my knees tightly to my chest, hoping that whatever he did to me wasn't worse than this morning's beating. I glanced over to where Trey slept, his chest gently moving up and down. Hopefully Samuel wasn't going to hurt him. The kid didn't deserve it. Tears were beginning to form in my eyes, but I fought them back.
Don't cry, Carson. It'll only fuel him.
I squeezed my eyes shut as Paul and Samuel entered the room. For some reason, Vanessa never watched Paul abuse me. I wondered why.
They stopped before my figure, and I tried my best not to shake too noticeably. Paul delivered a sharp kick to my shins. I breathed a small sigh of relief. So far, so good.
"Stand up," Paul ordered. I immediately did as he said. He came as close as an inch away from my face. I was absolutely terrified. He placed his hand on my shoulder, causing me to flinch. It was a bad move on my part. Paul's fist launched forward, nailing me right in the nose. Blood began pouring out. I made no move to stop it.
"Now," he said, holding my frame against the wall. He pressed the tip of a knife into the side of my right cheek. I bit my lip to keep from crying out. "I need you to go somewhere, okay?"
He began dragging the blade across my cheek, making sure it cut deep. I squirmed with pain, unable to speak. This only caused Paul to deepen the gash. "Okay?" he asked again, placing the knife on my other cheek.
"Yes, sir," I said weakly. He dropped the knife, but kept me suspended against the wall. His knee was pressed firmly under my gut, and I nearly began dry heaving.
"Go three floors down," he whispered, gently tracing his thumb down the side of my face.
You're okay, Carson. You're okay.
Paul paused a second to simply stare into my eyes. He knew it terrified me. He also knew that I wouldn't look away for fear of being dealt more physical pain. "Go three floors down," he repeated. "Stay there for ten minutes, then come back up."
I was more confused than I had been in a long time. He wanted me to go down there, do absolutely nothing, then come back up? What was the point in that? I must not have realized that I hadn't answered, for Paul delivered a hard knee to my ribs. I groaned, unable to stop myself. Surprisingly, Paul let it slide. "Leave," he growled. "Now."
"Yes, sir," I said without hesitation. I left the room, softly glancing over at Trey as I left.
Ten minutes later, when I reentered the room, Trey was gone. And so was Samuel.
-----
A strange emotion befell me, and I couldn't identify it. "You're saying that Trey is my brother?" I asked.
"I believe that is the word, yes."
I didn't say another word as I left the room. As soon as I was out, I sprinted to the staircase, not bothering with the elevators. I only slowed when I reached Trey's room. Cracking open the door, I sighed with relief when I saw he was still sleeping soundly.
"We can be a family, Trey," I whispered as I crawled into bed beside him. The boy unconsciously snuggled up to me, and I wrapped a protective arm around his body.
Even though millions of new questions swarmed my mind, I felt, in this one moment, as if nothing else in the world mattered but the little boy beside me. My brother. I know I sounded like a two-year-old, but I didn't care. Family. Brother. Those were things I'd never experienced before. I didn't know what it was like. I'd done many things in these sixteen years of my life, but this was all new to me. Was I going to be any good at it? I didn't know. What I did know, however, is that another little section of the hole in my heart wasn't so empty anymore.
I smiled sleepily. It was all going to be okay. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not for several years. But someday. Someday, it would all be okay.
*****
HEELLOO, EVERYBOODYY! Howzit? Oh, wait, it's Monday. That was a stupid question. I hope this chapter will make your day even the tiniest bit better. Probably not. At least I updated faster, right? Fine, it was still twenty days. Better than a month, though. Not by much, but still better. I'm trying really hard guys. I just had a little bit of trouble with the beginning of this chapter. I'm REALLY going to try and get the next chapter written quickly, so I can somewhat make it up to you guys.
Now, for the story. Um, well, yeah. Carson and Trey are bros! I bet a lot of y'all already figured that out, though. I kind of gave it away. But what's up with Samuel? He's not with the WIO? And neither is Paul? Like, what the heck is happening?
OMG. 13.6K reads? Is this really happening? I...can't...breath. *sobs* THAAAANNKKKK YOUUUU! You guys...there are just no words. I love y'all so so so so so much. This is insane. Thank you. Please, if you would be so kind, maybe click that vote button if you enjoyed this chapter. TY very much!
Dedication time. I'm just going to go right out and say it. Anna, just wow. I can't believe you're still with me on this. Honestly, I love you more than words can say. You've supported me since the very beginning. So, yerp, annamoriah gets the dedi on this one. You're the amazing-est, Anna!
Thank you one last time, guys! Sorry if I get really annoying, but you all mean the world to me and I want to give y'all credit. XOXO.
I'm not going to promise anything, but, you know, maybe think about another chapter soon. Maybe. I'm going to be trying really hard.
Really hope you guys liked this chapter!
:) :P :D