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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
For Julia: Because you asked so nicely.
Surprises
West coast – Sunday morning early
For the first time in a long time, Jarod slept through without being woken by nightmares. When he woke the next morning, he felt refreshed and rested. Smiling, he stretched and then placed his hands behind his head, remembering Parker’s face when he had presented the ring. Someone knocked softly on his door and he called for the person to enter.
It was Parker with a breakfast tray in her hands.
“Morning sleepyhead.”
“Hi.”
“Before you ask, I had Sydney to help me prepare the breakfast.”
Jarod smiled as he shifted into a seated position, his back against the headboard. “Parker, I will eat the grass of our front lawn if you laid it before me.”
She smiled, a lightness in her eyes that Jarod couldn’t recall noticing before. “What exactly are you implying, lab rat?”
“Nothing,” his face innocent, “Only that I would do anything you ask.”
Miss Parker placed the tray on the bed and slid in underneath the covers. Her head rested on his shoulder and she traced a finger down his chest before looking up with a naughty twinkle and said, “Anything?”
Jarod was acutely aware of the scent of her hair in his nostrils as well as the path her finger was tracing on his skin. Goosebumps formed on his skin and he had to swallow before replying, “Anything.”
She moved slightly upwards and gave him a kiss that held a lot of promise. He was disappointed as she turned away when he leaned in to deepen the kiss and she stopped him with a finger on his lips.
“First, we eat. Then…” His eyes widened as she whispered in his ear. He had never eaten so quickly in his life before.
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The Russell home
“Thank you, son,” Margaret said, smiling at J as he set the turkey on the table. J still had trouble sleeping but his mood had lightened considerably since his last session with Dr Brown. She could only pray that he would continue to heal and work through the damage that Lyle and the Centre had inflicted. She stepped closer and gave her youngest son a hug and was glad when he retuned it with a shy smile.
She heard car doors slam shut and turned, calling for Charles to go greet their guests. She had hoped that Jarod and co. would have arrived earlier so that her two sons could talk. Now they’ll have to do it after lunch. Her gaze slid over the table, making sure that everything had been set and was ready.
“Mom, I’m scared.”
She turned, aware of how difficult it must have been for J to even admit his fear. She smiled reassuringly, and cupped his left cheek with her hand. “Don’t worry, J. Jarod will not be angry.”
“But after what I did…”
Margaret pulled her son into another hug. “We all make mistakes, J. Jarod have already forgiven you. Trust me.”
He nodded and she wiped the hair from his eyes. They heard the dining room door open and she mouthed to him, “It will be fine,” before turning to greet the others.
“Hi J. How’s school.”
J felt immensely grateful at Miss Parker for greeting him first. He mumbled an answer, not really aware of what he was saying until he felt the presence of his older brother before him. He couldn’t even look him in the eye.
“We’ll talk after lunch, ok.”
He nodded. Sydney greeted him with a hug and he let it comfort him for a second.
They had all seated at the table when Jarod cleared his throat.
“I would like to make an announcement. This wonderful lady sitting next to me has agreed to marry me.”
Miss Parker couldn’t help but glow as everyone turned their attention to her and Jarod. Her ring was admired and words of encouragement and congratulations were voiced. Soon grace was said and then the atmosphere was filled with laughter and warmth as the meal was consumed.
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The Russell home
Jarod started to help his mother take the dishes to the kitchen when she stopped him and indicated to J who was fidgeting nervously on his seat. Jarod understood and so did the rest of the family as everyone started to busy themselves with clearing the dishes and moving towards the kitchen.
“J, do you want to go for a walk?”
J nodded and stood silently. Leading the way outside, he started to walk, not caring about the direction he took. They walked in silence for several minutes before Jarod gently took him by his arm and stopped him. J looked at his feet, not daring to lift his head.
“We need to talk about what happened, J?”
“I…” he cleared his throat, aware of the tears that had guiltily made their way to his eyes again. His emotions were so haywire the last few weeks that he didn’t trust himself not to burst into tears. Swallowing, he hoped not to embarrass himself in front of his brother, he continued, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
“I know, J but in the process you managed to hurt a lot of people that love you. Do you understand that?”
“Yes. I, I don’t …I mean, I just seem to do these things and then when it’s too late,” frustrated, he trailed to a stop. He lifted his gaze to meet the concerned one of his brother.
“J, what Lyle had done to us is wrong and what I allowed him to do to you is…unforgivable. But, what matters is that we move on. Lyle is dead and he can’t hurt us anymore except for what we allow him to in our minds.”
J turned away from his brother to stare at the hills that towered over them. He didn’t want to be reminded about what their dead captor had done to ensure cooperation. What he had done in the warehouse. Hugging himself, he was aware that Jarod was waiting for him to reply. He turned, his eyes hard as he replied heatedly, hoping to dull the memories with his anger.
“All this is your fault. If only you had given in…,” he stopped, snapping his mouth closed as he became aware of what he had uttered. He knew that Jarod would see what was behind the words, behind the fact that his hatred stemmed from his surrender to Lyle the second time he was taken to the room.
“Lyle had broken me before,” Jarod admitted quietly. “He told me that they had captured you and our father and that only one of you had survived. I had done things for him in order to find out who of you had survived. Lyle was very good at what he did.”
J stared, aware of the pain in his brother’s voice. “I didn’t know,” he whispered.
Jarod smiled sadly, glancing at the farmhouse. “Yeah well, it’s not something I talk about. Sydney doesn’t even know so I’ll appreciate it if you don’t tell anyone else this.”
J felt the anger drain from him as empathy for his brother filled him. “I won’t, I promise.” He paused, and then continued, “How do I make us better?”
Jarod smiled and pulled J into a hug, crushing him to his chest. “Live your life. That is they only way that we’ll beat Lyle and the Centre, by showing them that we can survive what they had done to us.”
J forgot about his pride, about not wanting to embarrass himself before his brother. He allowed the sorrow to well up and to fill his chest till it burst forth with a muffled sob. His brother’s arms only tightened and the strength behind those arms that surrounded him pulled him through his grief.
Jarod’s shirt was wet from J’s tears but he didn’t mind as his brother’s grip loosened slightly. “You ok?” he asked, keeping his voice quiet.
“Sorry.”
J stepped from him, wiping at his eyes. “It’s ok, J. We all need to let go sometimes. Believe me, it helps.”
J grinned, his eyes still bright from the tears. “I never figured you for the crying kind.”
Jarod returned the grin, giving his brother a light tap on his back. “Don’t believe that. It get’s really bad when I step into thorns.”
J laughed. It felt good to laugh. He hadn’t done that in a while and soon enough he and his brother was seated on the ground, giggling like girls over dumb jokes.
It was late afternoon when the two dusty brothers returned to the house, demanding ice-cream and hot chocolate. Parker only rolled her eyes when the ice-cream was smothered by the hot drink and then eaten with gusto.
Men.
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West coast
Jarod and Parker were seated on the beach. The stars were shining brightly, the moon full. The whole beach was bathed in the light.
“Will J be all right?”
“I believe so. It helps that he is talking but it will take time.”
“Jarod, if you ever want to talk about what my brother did…”
Jarod shifted, laying his head in her lap. He closed his eyes when she started to play with his hair.
“All I need is you.”
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The Russell home
J closed the book that Dr Brown had lent him. After the talk with his brother it had felt if an iron bar had lifted from his shoulders. He knew he still had a lot of issues to deal with but he felt up to it. He decided that he’ll go see Dr. Brown tomorrow after school. The sooner he dealt with his problems, the sooner he will shed the nightmare of the Centre and what Lyle had done.
He fell asleep with a smile on his face for the first time since his rescue from Lyle.
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Red bridge High School, Monday
“Come on, dude. Get in.”
J smiled as Pete who was keeping pace with his car next to him. “Naw, thanks. I’d rather walk.”
“It’s five miles. And besides,” he patted the car door, “this is a chick magnet.”
“I know.” Hefting his school bag, he increased his pace slightly.
“Ok man, just remember, if you don’t get a girl for the fall dance it will be your fault.”
J nodded and waved goodbye. He enjoyed the solitude of the walk and it helped him to clear his mind. Letting his mind wander, he enjoyed the slight breeze that cooled him down. He heard the crunch of wheels on the dirt road he had taken. He didn’t look up, thinking that Pete had come back to try and convince him to take a drive with him. He turned with a smile on his face and froze, terror welling up in his throat. A strange mix of fury and despair washed through J, his feet rooted to the ground.
“Get in.”
J continued to stare unbelievingly to the man in the car. He had thought him dead and although he was still very real in his nightmares, the idea had never crossed his mind that he would have survived.
“Do not let me ask you twice, Gemini.”
Lyle’s voice was soft and had a dangerous tone to it. J looked up and down the road, hoping for an escape. They were alone and suddenly he wished that he had taken Pete’s offer. His mouth was dry, his hands sweaty. He wanted desperately to run but he knew that Lyle would cut him off before he got too far. Slowly, he dropped his bag on the back seat before seating himself next to his captor.
“Put on your safety belt.”
Wordlessly he did as he was told. They drove in silence for twenty minutes before Lyle turned the car into a driveway of an old farmhouse. J could only sit numbly as the man brought the car to a standstill. He jerked in surprise when the click sounded when his seatbelt was released.
“Let’s go.”
J opened his door, stepping outside. His hand reached for his bag but a command from Lyle and he left it in the car. He walked around the back of the car and Lyle stepped up beside him. The older man grabbed him by the scruff of his neck in an obscene simulation of a friendly gesture.
“I’ve missed you.”
J swallowed, as they entered the house without Lyle loosening his grip on him. He kept his head down, aware of the indentations of the other man’s fingers on his neck. He was pushed into a couch with a command to stay put. He heard a cupboard door open and then Lyle asked him if he wanted coffee. J glanced up uncertainly, not willing to believe that this wasn’t some sort of trick. Lyle watched him out of his depthless eyes, his mouth a narrow, tight line, his body motionless. J nodded, not trusting himself to speak. His mouth was dry and tight, his muscles were in knots. Don’t panic, he told himself. Stay calm. He forced himself to breathe, slow and deep and regular, watching as Lyle prepared the coffee.
“You don’t seem to sleep well.”
Lyle’s suave voice floated through the stillness. He gave J a cup and the boy watched as the light from the window played across Lyle’s face, a friendly mask hiding the darkness underneath. Lyle moved to a chair across from J and seated himself.
“Why am I here?” he asked, and to his surprise, his voice was steady.
“I wanted to have a talk with you.”
“About what?”
Lyle’s smile was a twitch at the corners of his mouth, his gaze not leaving J’s as he took a sip from the cup. He tilted his head slightly and lifted an eyebrow, his voice soft and compelling.
“I see that you have added to your scars.”
Self-consciously J turned his arms so that the cuts were concealed from the Chairman’s son. He started to sip at the coffee in his hands and then stopped, his eyes meeting his captor’s. Deciding that it would be wiser not to drink in case it was drugged, he placed the warm cup on the floor next to the couch. Lyle studied him silently. Then he said, “I don’t need to drug the coffee. You’re already doing that to yourself.”
Lyle shifted slightly in the chair, his hand emerging from his pocket and throwing J a very familiar film packet. J looked at the little white pills he had become addicted too. His stomach clenched as he clutched the packet to his chest.
“It’s not what you think.” As soon as he said it, he wondered why he cared what Lyle thought.
“Really? And what am I suppose to think?”
J was aware that he was fully in Lyle’s control and that the man was coolly leading the conversation down a path he was not willing to go. Angry at himself for allowing the older man to dictate his thoughts, he threw the packet towards a corner of the room. On some distant plane he was aware that he had calculated the throw so that he knew exactly where it landed. His eyes drifted towards the corner before he could stop himself.
“It’s not what you think,” he stubbornly said again when he picked up the coffee and took a big gulp. The coffee burned its way down his throat but he didn’t care. At this stage he welcomed the pain. At least it made him feel alive.
“You are a lot like me, did you know that?” The suave voice was smooth and oddly comforting. “We both have learned how to understand pain and make it work to our advantage.”
J shook his head to deny what he was hearing, but Lyle brought his gloved hand up and pointed at J’s scars. “We have learned how to inflict pain and to enjoy the way it can be used to control other people’s actions.” Lyle nodded slightly, his eyes not leaving J’s. “It is time that you come to understand the truth of what that power means.”
Lyle paused, waiting for J to respond. But J had gone cold to the bone as he sensed what was coming, and he could only howl silently in denial.
“I can see in your eyes that you understand,” Lyle said, his voice softer still. “It is time to fulfil your destiny, Gemini.”
“No. You’re lying. I’m nothing like you.”
“When have I ever lied to you, Gemini?”
J was furious. He started to speak, then stopped, suddenly aware that he couldn’t recall any specific lies that the older man had told him. The lies were there, as sure as the sun that rose every morning, but he couldn’t seem to focus on them.
“If we are the same, then you would let me leave.”
Lyle shook his head, a smile settled on his face. “Not yet. You and I are first going to explore, discover and hopefully learn from each other. Then I will let you go.”
J shook his hand angrily. “I don’t’ want to talk or discover or any of that. There’s nothing to talk about.” He glared. “My parents will come looking for me if you try and hold me.”
“Do you really believe that?”
J glared, trying to ignore the doubt that Lyle’s words had created inside him.
“I am nothing like you,” he said dully.
Lyle’s gaze was flat and steady. “See it from where I’m sitting.”
“I don’t care. I’m not.”
Lyle rose and walked over to the window. He stared out at the mountains, distracted and distant. “I used to try and make the man I believed to be my father proud of me. Other people’s opinions mattered until I realised that you will be shaped by them as long as you allow that. The freedom that came when I finally realised that was immense.” He turned back to J. “If you are really truthful, you will ask yourself the question…How is it any different for you?”
“You hunted my family for years. You kept me and,” he nearly choked on saying his brother’s name, “Jarod prisoner, torturing us until we had nothing left. You made me believe that my father died. You made me hate…” he stopped, suddenly aware of what he had been saying and what he had been about to admit. That he had hated his own brother.
“The Centre created you, Gemini and therefore we are your family. You cannot escape that fact, Gemini. Even if you don’t want to admit it, you belong to me.”
J shook his head quickly. “No.”
Lyle stepped closer to the boy, his eyes hard as stone. “I wonder. Do you recall what happened the last time you and I talked?”
J swallowed. His memories were suddenly vividly real. The screams from May Lin as Lyle cut into her still haunted him even in daylight. And he remembered all too clearly his part in it. The seat next to him dipped. The cold of steel traced on his arms and he looked from where the knife was making patterns on his arms to focus on Lyle’s steel blue gaze. He shifted slightly, and Lyle’s gloved hand slid behind his head to rest once again on his neck.
“Tell me.”
His voice was soft, insistent. J dropped his gaze, watching as the knife traced one of the scars. He slightly shook his head, wanting to desperately be anywhere but here with Lyle. He gasped as the knife pushed in and broke skin.
“Tell me.”
“I…” He couldn’t. His body went taut with pain as Lyle increased his grip on his neck to hold him in place while his other hand holding the knife continued to cut into J’s arm.
“Tell me.”
The voice was dangerously quiet and controlled. J could feel the tears film on his eyes and then start to roll down his cheeks. He started to whisper, his voice so soft that Lyle leaned closer, his ear beside J’s mouth.
“I told you where to cut…the…girl.”
Lyle let him go. J watched as the man pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood from the blade. When he was finished, he offered the piece of cloth to J who took it without comment and pressed it against his still bleeding wound.
“See J, you are not so different from me.”
J didn’t reply. He was too tired emotionally to fight any longer. Lyle rose from the seat and returned a few seconds later with the packet of pills. He took one out and gave it to the boy. J took the offered pill and without a word swallowed it.
“Good boy,” Lyle said, using a deep voice and stroking J’s face with the back of his thumbless hand, “Obey my orders, Gemini, and we’ll both walk away from this with what we want.”
Lyle placed his hand over the boy’s heart where he knew his signature lay. He traced the scar through the thin t-shirt the boy wore, enjoying the feel of power he had over him. His voice was smooth and mocking when he said, “Remember, Gemini. You and I both know that you are a coward. Do as I say and your nightmares will disappear. Or else, I can introduce you to some new ones.”
J was never so glad when the pill started to work and he could escape to a world where he had never met Lyle. More importantly, a world where he didn’t need to think or feel.
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Reviews…ah, you know the rest.
For Julia: Because you asked so nicely.
Surprises
West coast – Sunday morning early
For the first time in a long time, Jarod slept through without being woken by nightmares. When he woke the next morning, he felt refreshed and rested. Smiling, he stretched and then placed his hands behind his head, remembering Parker’s face when he had presented the ring. Someone knocked softly on his door and he called for the person to enter.
It was Parker with a breakfast tray in her hands.
“Morning sleepyhead.”
“Hi.”
“Before you ask, I had Sydney to help me prepare the breakfast.”
Jarod smiled as he shifted into a seated position, his back against the headboard. “Parker, I will eat the grass of our front lawn if you laid it before me.”
She smiled, a lightness in her eyes that Jarod couldn’t recall noticing before. “What exactly are you implying, lab rat?”
“Nothing,” his face innocent, “Only that I would do anything you ask.”
Miss Parker placed the tray on the bed and slid in underneath the covers. Her head rested on his shoulder and she traced a finger down his chest before looking up with a naughty twinkle and said, “Anything?”
Jarod was acutely aware of the scent of her hair in his nostrils as well as the path her finger was tracing on his skin. Goosebumps formed on his skin and he had to swallow before replying, “Anything.”
She moved slightly upwards and gave him a kiss that held a lot of promise. He was disappointed as she turned away when he leaned in to deepen the kiss and she stopped him with a finger on his lips.
“First, we eat. Then…” His eyes widened as she whispered in his ear. He had never eaten so quickly in his life before.
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The Russell home
“Thank you, son,” Margaret said, smiling at J as he set the turkey on the table. J still had trouble sleeping but his mood had lightened considerably since his last session with Dr Brown. She could only pray that he would continue to heal and work through the damage that Lyle and the Centre had inflicted. She stepped closer and gave her youngest son a hug and was glad when he retuned it with a shy smile.
She heard car doors slam shut and turned, calling for Charles to go greet their guests. She had hoped that Jarod and co. would have arrived earlier so that her two sons could talk. Now they’ll have to do it after lunch. Her gaze slid over the table, making sure that everything had been set and was ready.
“Mom, I’m scared.”
She turned, aware of how difficult it must have been for J to even admit his fear. She smiled reassuringly, and cupped his left cheek with her hand. “Don’t worry, J. Jarod will not be angry.”
“But after what I did…”
Margaret pulled her son into another hug. “We all make mistakes, J. Jarod have already forgiven you. Trust me.”
He nodded and she wiped the hair from his eyes. They heard the dining room door open and she mouthed to him, “It will be fine,” before turning to greet the others.
“Hi J. How’s school.”
J felt immensely grateful at Miss Parker for greeting him first. He mumbled an answer, not really aware of what he was saying until he felt the presence of his older brother before him. He couldn’t even look him in the eye.
“We’ll talk after lunch, ok.”
He nodded. Sydney greeted him with a hug and he let it comfort him for a second.
They had all seated at the table when Jarod cleared his throat.
“I would like to make an announcement. This wonderful lady sitting next to me has agreed to marry me.”
Miss Parker couldn’t help but glow as everyone turned their attention to her and Jarod. Her ring was admired and words of encouragement and congratulations were voiced. Soon grace was said and then the atmosphere was filled with laughter and warmth as the meal was consumed.
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The Russell home
Jarod started to help his mother take the dishes to the kitchen when she stopped him and indicated to J who was fidgeting nervously on his seat. Jarod understood and so did the rest of the family as everyone started to busy themselves with clearing the dishes and moving towards the kitchen.
“J, do you want to go for a walk?”
J nodded and stood silently. Leading the way outside, he started to walk, not caring about the direction he took. They walked in silence for several minutes before Jarod gently took him by his arm and stopped him. J looked at his feet, not daring to lift his head.
“We need to talk about what happened, J?”
“I…” he cleared his throat, aware of the tears that had guiltily made their way to his eyes again. His emotions were so haywire the last few weeks that he didn’t trust himself not to burst into tears. Swallowing, he hoped not to embarrass himself in front of his brother, he continued, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
“I know, J but in the process you managed to hurt a lot of people that love you. Do you understand that?”
“Yes. I, I don’t …I mean, I just seem to do these things and then when it’s too late,” frustrated, he trailed to a stop. He lifted his gaze to meet the concerned one of his brother.
“J, what Lyle had done to us is wrong and what I allowed him to do to you is…unforgivable. But, what matters is that we move on. Lyle is dead and he can’t hurt us anymore except for what we allow him to in our minds.”
J turned away from his brother to stare at the hills that towered over them. He didn’t want to be reminded about what their dead captor had done to ensure cooperation. What he had done in the warehouse. Hugging himself, he was aware that Jarod was waiting for him to reply. He turned, his eyes hard as he replied heatedly, hoping to dull the memories with his anger.
“All this is your fault. If only you had given in…,” he stopped, snapping his mouth closed as he became aware of what he had uttered. He knew that Jarod would see what was behind the words, behind the fact that his hatred stemmed from his surrender to Lyle the second time he was taken to the room.
“Lyle had broken me before,” Jarod admitted quietly. “He told me that they had captured you and our father and that only one of you had survived. I had done things for him in order to find out who of you had survived. Lyle was very good at what he did.”
J stared, aware of the pain in his brother’s voice. “I didn’t know,” he whispered.
Jarod smiled sadly, glancing at the farmhouse. “Yeah well, it’s not something I talk about. Sydney doesn’t even know so I’ll appreciate it if you don’t tell anyone else this.”
J felt the anger drain from him as empathy for his brother filled him. “I won’t, I promise.” He paused, and then continued, “How do I make us better?”
Jarod smiled and pulled J into a hug, crushing him to his chest. “Live your life. That is they only way that we’ll beat Lyle and the Centre, by showing them that we can survive what they had done to us.”
J forgot about his pride, about not wanting to embarrass himself before his brother. He allowed the sorrow to well up and to fill his chest till it burst forth with a muffled sob. His brother’s arms only tightened and the strength behind those arms that surrounded him pulled him through his grief.
Jarod’s shirt was wet from J’s tears but he didn’t mind as his brother’s grip loosened slightly. “You ok?” he asked, keeping his voice quiet.
“Sorry.”
J stepped from him, wiping at his eyes. “It’s ok, J. We all need to let go sometimes. Believe me, it helps.”
J grinned, his eyes still bright from the tears. “I never figured you for the crying kind.”
Jarod returned the grin, giving his brother a light tap on his back. “Don’t believe that. It get’s really bad when I step into thorns.”
J laughed. It felt good to laugh. He hadn’t done that in a while and soon enough he and his brother was seated on the ground, giggling like girls over dumb jokes.
It was late afternoon when the two dusty brothers returned to the house, demanding ice-cream and hot chocolate. Parker only rolled her eyes when the ice-cream was smothered by the hot drink and then eaten with gusto.
Men.
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West coast
Jarod and Parker were seated on the beach. The stars were shining brightly, the moon full. The whole beach was bathed in the light.
“Will J be all right?”
“I believe so. It helps that he is talking but it will take time.”
“Jarod, if you ever want to talk about what my brother did…”
Jarod shifted, laying his head in her lap. He closed his eyes when she started to play with his hair.
“All I need is you.”
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The Russell home
J closed the book that Dr Brown had lent him. After the talk with his brother it had felt if an iron bar had lifted from his shoulders. He knew he still had a lot of issues to deal with but he felt up to it. He decided that he’ll go see Dr. Brown tomorrow after school. The sooner he dealt with his problems, the sooner he will shed the nightmare of the Centre and what Lyle had done.
He fell asleep with a smile on his face for the first time since his rescue from Lyle.
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Red bridge High School, Monday
“Come on, dude. Get in.”
J smiled as Pete who was keeping pace with his car next to him. “Naw, thanks. I’d rather walk.”
“It’s five miles. And besides,” he patted the car door, “this is a chick magnet.”
“I know.” Hefting his school bag, he increased his pace slightly.
“Ok man, just remember, if you don’t get a girl for the fall dance it will be your fault.”
J nodded and waved goodbye. He enjoyed the solitude of the walk and it helped him to clear his mind. Letting his mind wander, he enjoyed the slight breeze that cooled him down. He heard the crunch of wheels on the dirt road he had taken. He didn’t look up, thinking that Pete had come back to try and convince him to take a drive with him. He turned with a smile on his face and froze, terror welling up in his throat. A strange mix of fury and despair washed through J, his feet rooted to the ground.
“Get in.”
J continued to stare unbelievingly to the man in the car. He had thought him dead and although he was still very real in his nightmares, the idea had never crossed his mind that he would have survived.
“Do not let me ask you twice, Gemini.”
Lyle’s voice was soft and had a dangerous tone to it. J looked up and down the road, hoping for an escape. They were alone and suddenly he wished that he had taken Pete’s offer. His mouth was dry, his hands sweaty. He wanted desperately to run but he knew that Lyle would cut him off before he got too far. Slowly, he dropped his bag on the back seat before seating himself next to his captor.
“Put on your safety belt.”
Wordlessly he did as he was told. They drove in silence for twenty minutes before Lyle turned the car into a driveway of an old farmhouse. J could only sit numbly as the man brought the car to a standstill. He jerked in surprise when the click sounded when his seatbelt was released.
“Let’s go.”
J opened his door, stepping outside. His hand reached for his bag but a command from Lyle and he left it in the car. He walked around the back of the car and Lyle stepped up beside him. The older man grabbed him by the scruff of his neck in an obscene simulation of a friendly gesture.
“I’ve missed you.”
J swallowed, as they entered the house without Lyle loosening his grip on him. He kept his head down, aware of the indentations of the other man’s fingers on his neck. He was pushed into a couch with a command to stay put. He heard a cupboard door open and then Lyle asked him if he wanted coffee. J glanced up uncertainly, not willing to believe that this wasn’t some sort of trick. Lyle watched him out of his depthless eyes, his mouth a narrow, tight line, his body motionless. J nodded, not trusting himself to speak. His mouth was dry and tight, his muscles were in knots. Don’t panic, he told himself. Stay calm. He forced himself to breathe, slow and deep and regular, watching as Lyle prepared the coffee.
“You don’t seem to sleep well.”
Lyle’s suave voice floated through the stillness. He gave J a cup and the boy watched as the light from the window played across Lyle’s face, a friendly mask hiding the darkness underneath. Lyle moved to a chair across from J and seated himself.
“Why am I here?” he asked, and to his surprise, his voice was steady.
“I wanted to have a talk with you.”
“About what?”
Lyle’s smile was a twitch at the corners of his mouth, his gaze not leaving J’s as he took a sip from the cup. He tilted his head slightly and lifted an eyebrow, his voice soft and compelling.
“I see that you have added to your scars.”
Self-consciously J turned his arms so that the cuts were concealed from the Chairman’s son. He started to sip at the coffee in his hands and then stopped, his eyes meeting his captor’s. Deciding that it would be wiser not to drink in case it was drugged, he placed the warm cup on the floor next to the couch. Lyle studied him silently. Then he said, “I don’t need to drug the coffee. You’re already doing that to yourself.”
Lyle shifted slightly in the chair, his hand emerging from his pocket and throwing J a very familiar film packet. J looked at the little white pills he had become addicted too. His stomach clenched as he clutched the packet to his chest.
“It’s not what you think.” As soon as he said it, he wondered why he cared what Lyle thought.
“Really? And what am I suppose to think?”
J was aware that he was fully in Lyle’s control and that the man was coolly leading the conversation down a path he was not willing to go. Angry at himself for allowing the older man to dictate his thoughts, he threw the packet towards a corner of the room. On some distant plane he was aware that he had calculated the throw so that he knew exactly where it landed. His eyes drifted towards the corner before he could stop himself.
“It’s not what you think,” he stubbornly said again when he picked up the coffee and took a big gulp. The coffee burned its way down his throat but he didn’t care. At this stage he welcomed the pain. At least it made him feel alive.
“You are a lot like me, did you know that?” The suave voice was smooth and oddly comforting. “We both have learned how to understand pain and make it work to our advantage.”
J shook his head to deny what he was hearing, but Lyle brought his gloved hand up and pointed at J’s scars. “We have learned how to inflict pain and to enjoy the way it can be used to control other people’s actions.” Lyle nodded slightly, his eyes not leaving J’s. “It is time that you come to understand the truth of what that power means.”
Lyle paused, waiting for J to respond. But J had gone cold to the bone as he sensed what was coming, and he could only howl silently in denial.
“I can see in your eyes that you understand,” Lyle said, his voice softer still. “It is time to fulfil your destiny, Gemini.”
“No. You’re lying. I’m nothing like you.”
“When have I ever lied to you, Gemini?”
J was furious. He started to speak, then stopped, suddenly aware that he couldn’t recall any specific lies that the older man had told him. The lies were there, as sure as the sun that rose every morning, but he couldn’t seem to focus on them.
“If we are the same, then you would let me leave.”
Lyle shook his head, a smile settled on his face. “Not yet. You and I are first going to explore, discover and hopefully learn from each other. Then I will let you go.”
J shook his hand angrily. “I don’t’ want to talk or discover or any of that. There’s nothing to talk about.” He glared. “My parents will come looking for me if you try and hold me.”
“Do you really believe that?”
J glared, trying to ignore the doubt that Lyle’s words had created inside him.
“I am nothing like you,” he said dully.
Lyle’s gaze was flat and steady. “See it from where I’m sitting.”
“I don’t care. I’m not.”
Lyle rose and walked over to the window. He stared out at the mountains, distracted and distant. “I used to try and make the man I believed to be my father proud of me. Other people’s opinions mattered until I realised that you will be shaped by them as long as you allow that. The freedom that came when I finally realised that was immense.” He turned back to J. “If you are really truthful, you will ask yourself the question…How is it any different for you?”
“You hunted my family for years. You kept me and,” he nearly choked on saying his brother’s name, “Jarod prisoner, torturing us until we had nothing left. You made me believe that my father died. You made me hate…” he stopped, suddenly aware of what he had been saying and what he had been about to admit. That he had hated his own brother.
“The Centre created you, Gemini and therefore we are your family. You cannot escape that fact, Gemini. Even if you don’t want to admit it, you belong to me.”
J shook his head quickly. “No.”
Lyle stepped closer to the boy, his eyes hard as stone. “I wonder. Do you recall what happened the last time you and I talked?”
J swallowed. His memories were suddenly vividly real. The screams from May Lin as Lyle cut into her still haunted him even in daylight. And he remembered all too clearly his part in it. The seat next to him dipped. The cold of steel traced on his arms and he looked from where the knife was making patterns on his arms to focus on Lyle’s steel blue gaze. He shifted slightly, and Lyle’s gloved hand slid behind his head to rest once again on his neck.
“Tell me.”
His voice was soft, insistent. J dropped his gaze, watching as the knife traced one of the scars. He slightly shook his head, wanting to desperately be anywhere but here with Lyle. He gasped as the knife pushed in and broke skin.
“Tell me.”
“I…” He couldn’t. His body went taut with pain as Lyle increased his grip on his neck to hold him in place while his other hand holding the knife continued to cut into J’s arm.
“Tell me.”
The voice was dangerously quiet and controlled. J could feel the tears film on his eyes and then start to roll down his cheeks. He started to whisper, his voice so soft that Lyle leaned closer, his ear beside J’s mouth.
“I told you where to cut…the…girl.”
Lyle let him go. J watched as the man pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood from the blade. When he was finished, he offered the piece of cloth to J who took it without comment and pressed it against his still bleeding wound.
“See J, you are not so different from me.”
J didn’t reply. He was too tired emotionally to fight any longer. Lyle rose from the seat and returned a few seconds later with the packet of pills. He took one out and gave it to the boy. J took the offered pill and without a word swallowed it.
“Good boy,” Lyle said, using a deep voice and stroking J’s face with the back of his thumbless hand, “Obey my orders, Gemini, and we’ll both walk away from this with what we want.”
Lyle placed his hand over the boy’s heart where he knew his signature lay. He traced the scar through the thin t-shirt the boy wore, enjoying the feel of power he had over him. His voice was smooth and mocking when he said, “Remember, Gemini. You and I both know that you are a coward. Do as I say and your nightmares will disappear. Or else, I can introduce you to some new ones.”
J was never so glad when the pill started to work and he could escape to a world where he had never met Lyle. More importantly, a world where he didn’t need to think or feel.
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