Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ The Last Bearers ❯ Chapter 12 ( Chapter 12 )

Identity

This journal was given to me by my father Harou so that I could write down everything that happens to me in my lifetime because I'm not normal. Not at all. But I'll get to that later. First, all the boring crap. My name is Jayden. I don't have a surname. I don't need one. I'm just strange like that. I wasn't born under normal circumstances. Both my parents are male. Not only that, they're also twins. It sounds a bit gross but the world ended and they were the only ones left. Both of them could get pregnant but only my father Harou did. That was how I was born, along with all my siblings. I have lots of them. I'm the second. My older brother Bryan is a year older than me, more or less. Bryan is everything to me. But like I said before, I'll get to that later.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 12

Aleksei stared as Daire entered the cafeteria with Halen and Ian's mates. The entire cafeteria fell silent and every head turned to look at the three Bearers. They weren't staring at them exactly, but at the baby carrier Daire was carrying. Daire had not been seen after giving birth; he had remained in the dormitories taking care of his newborn child away from prying eyes. Now, after nearly four months, he was ready to return to the public eye.

Aleksei blinked. Halen's mate, it appeared, was starting to look uncomfortable in his uniform. Soon he would be in maternity clothes. Ian's mate told Daire something. Daire nodded and went to a table in the corner. Ian and Halen's mates stood in line and brought back food for Daire. The three of them ate their meals in silence, then headed to their lessons together. Aleksei finished his own breakfast and headed for the lesson with his fellow Breeders.

The room was noisy as it usually was before the teacher arrived and started class. Aleksei sat in his usual seat with Bryan, Jesse, and Alden. All of a sudden, the talking hushed. Aleksei looked up as Daire crossed the room, the baby in his arms. He stopped in front of Aleksei.

“Hi Aleksei,” Daire said softly.

“What the hell do you want?” Aleksei growled.

The guards shifted warily, ready if things got out of hand.

“Relax Aleksei,” Daire replied, his tone cooling considerably. “I'm not going to invade your personal bubble for very long. I just wanted to give you the chance to at least see your son before he's put in foster care.”

“Do you think I care?” Aleksei sneered.

“Of course you don't,” Daire answered. “But I don't care. I don't care that you don't care. Your opinion doesn't matter. You're just an asshole. But I know there's still some humanity left in you somewhere. It may be buried deep down, but somewhere inside, there's still a vulnerable part of you. You need to find that part of you, Aleksei, and this is a good place to start.”

Daire unexpectedly shoved the baby into Aleksei's lap. There were several horrified gasps. Aleksei automatically put his arms around the child to keep it from falling. The guards tensed, but didn't move. The whole room fell dead silent. Aleksei's eyes were fixed on the child. It looked a lot like Daire, but Aleksei could see some of his own features mixed in there. It was sort of creepy. The child had beautiful strawberry blond curls, a perfect combination of Daire's honey and Aleksei's red.

“It has a name?” Aleksei asked.

“He,” Daire stressed. “He is named Colin.”

“You pick out the name yourself?” Aleksei asked scornfully.

“Well yes, since you didn't have the decency to show up at his birth, you don't have any right in naming him. Despite the fact that you are his father.”

Father. The word stung Aleksei like he had been slapped. An image of his own father's cruelty entered his mind, followed by a realization.

Oh my god. I'm just like my father. After swearing I would never be like him, I've turned out just like him. He thought.

“Aleksei?” Daire asked, noticing the look of horror crossing his mate's face.

Aleksei rose, still holding Colin who was starting to squirm. He turned to face his mate and Daire saw the pain starting to show on his normally stoic face.

“Here, take him,” Aleksei muttered, shoving Colin back into Daire's arms.

Then, he brushed past Daire and sprinted from the room, nearly running into the teacher at the door.

“Aleksei!” Daire protested, turning around.

His mate did not appear to hear him.

--------

Aleksei didn't like how the man and his father were quietly talking in the corner together. It was like they were planning something. Finally, the two of them left their corner and came back to where Aleksei now stood.

“Get your things,” his father snapped. “You're going with Ryan.”

“Why father?” Aleksei asked.

“Don't ask questions. Just do it!”

“Y…yes father,” Aleksei stammered.

He went to his small, plain bedroom and grabbed a bag from the closet. He threw some clothes in and zipped it up. He didn't exactly have much to begin with. When he had finished, he went back out to the living room.

“Bye father,” Aleksei said. His father ignored him. “Bye mother.”

“Goodbye Aleksei,” his mother said sadly.

Aleksei didn't understand why she sounded so sad. He wouldn't understand for years the full extent of what his father had done. He wouldn't understand the idea of being bought and paid for by another man and what it was to be a slave until he was much older.

------

“Get up boy!” Ryan shouted, delivering a hard smack to his face. “There's work to be done!”

Aleksei silently scrambled out of bed and pulled his clothes on. He had learned very fast that he had to please Ryan or he would not get anything to eat.

“Breakfast is there.” Ryan pointed to the small, rickety card table that served as their dining room table.

Aleksei crossed the room to the table. There were several pieces of stale bread and a lump of yellow cheese on the table. Aleksei ate the food quickly, not even caring that the bread was harder than a boot. Ryan watched him eat.

“Come,” he ordered when Aleksei had finished.

Aleksei followed Ryan out of the small apartment they shared.

“Stay close to me,” Ryan ordered. “Don't lag.”

“Yes sir,” Aleksei replied.

Ryan's lips curled up into a sneer. “You learn fast.”

Aleksei said nothing. They walked down the streets together, through one of the better parts of the city

Aleksei had been born and raised in the slums so walking through the better part of town was a little strange for him. He was not used to seeing all the nicely dressed, well-groomed people and the impressive pristine buildings. They were in the Financial District, Aleksei recognized. There were men and women dressed in business suits and skirts hurrying down the sidewalk.

“This way,” Ryan ordered.

He turned left down an alley. Aleksei trotted after him. Ryan stopped in front of a plain-looking door that blended into the rest of the architecture. He knocked shortly on the door. Several seconds later, the door swung open and they were admitted. They seemed to be in a front hall of some sort. A plain-looking woman with black hair pulled behind her head in a severe bun led them into a large spacious room with several couches and chairs scattered around the room. In every chair and on every couch was a man, ranging in age from late twenties to fifties and there was even man who looked to be sixty.

“Is this the boy?” one of the men asked in a deep voice.

“Yes,” Ryan answered with a nod. “His name is Aleksei.”

The man turned to Aleksei. He had oily black hair and cold brown eyes. “How old are you Aleksei?”

“Eight,” Aleksei answered, raising his head to look the man in the eye.

He was not afraid of the man. He only obeyed Ryan because it got him food.

“You are not afraid of me,” the man stated calmly.

“No.” Aleksei shook his head.

“Believe me, in time, you will fear me.”

Aleksei frowned. He didn't understand what the man mean.

The man turned to Ryan. “You're sure he's not a Bearer?”

“Yes.” Ryan nodded. “I did a thorough background check into his family. He's descended from the third son of Hayden and Harou who was not a Bearer.”

“All right. I trust you.” The man pushed a button and the same plain-looking woman who had let them in appeared.

“Yes master?” she asked in a monotone voice.

“Take young Aleksei to my chambers and have him…prepared. I will be in shortly.”

“Yes master.” The woman inclined her head slightly.

She straightened up, stepped forward, and grabbed Aleksei by the arm. She was a lot stronger than she first appeared. Without saying a word, she dragged Aleksei out of the large room and through a door on the other side. They ended up in a long hallway.

“Let go of me you bitch!” Aleksei growled, pulling himself away from the woman.

The woman was silent, her grip tight. Aleksei was dragged into a small room and thrown to the ground. The woman left, slamming the door behind her. Aleksei slowly got up and looked at his surroundings. He was in a small, dark, windowless room. The walls and floor were made out of concrete. Aleksei shivered. The room was cold and damp and smelled of mold and mildew.

Aleksei didn't know how much time had passed before the door opened. Two large men entered, both of them dressed in dark clothes. Aleksei didn't see their faces. Both of them stepped forward. Aleksei stepped back. He felt his back press against the ice cold wall. Trapped. One of the men grabbed his arm, pressing one of his large hands over Aleksei's mouth to keep him quiet. Aleksei sank his teeth into the man's hand. The man grunted and let go. He brought one of his large hands around and connected it with Aleksei's head. Aleksei's head collided with the concrete wall and spots appeared in his line of sight. The other man grabbed his arm while he was dazed and pushed his sleeve up. A needle was jabbed into his forearm and some sort of liquid was injected into his body. The man let him go and he and the other man left. Aleksei collapsed. His breathing intensified. He had no idea what they had given him. Slowly, he closed his eyes and drifted off…

Aleksei abruptly awoke. He was cold, dizzy, and sick. His entire body throbbed. He couldn't move. Wildly, he looked around. He was laying on a hard bed, his hands cuffed above his head. The room was dark and damp, with a faint mustiness hanging in the air, like the room hadn't seen sunlight in ages, which it probably hadn't. There was not much in the room besides the bed and a door across from it. Aleksei shivered slightly. After a few moments, he realized why he was so cold; he was not wearing any clothes. The door opened and the man who had asked Aleksei questions earlier entered.

“Ah, you're finally awake,” he said, stepping across the small space. “I must admit, I prefer boys who are much older than you are, but I was most intrigued when Ryan spoke about you. He said that you had a lot of spirit.” The man reached out and gently stroked Aleksei's cheek. Aleksei hissed softly at the touch and twisted away. The man chuckled softly. “Ah yes. I can see that spirit Ryan spoke about. It's very admirable.”

The mattress sagged under the weight of the man as he joined Aleksei on the bed. Aleksei didn't like how close the man was to him. He closed his eyes as the man started touching every part of his body, including his private areas.

Bryan sprinted down the hallway. He had a bad feeling about Aleksei. He needed to find the redhead now. However, he seemed to have vanished.

“Come on Aleksei. Where are you?” Bryan muttered.

He paused for a moment to catch his breath. He was skipping class but he didn't care. Aleksei was more important than stupid classes. He had caught the look in Aleksei's eyes and frankly, it scared him. He couldn't explain what scared him so much.

Bryan started sprinting again. So far, he had been able to evade the guards, but he knew he couldn't be lucky much longer. He had to think like Aleksei. If he was upset, where would he go? Where would he hide? Bryan shook his head. He didn't know Aleksei that well. But he had to try and find him.

He stopped outside the bathroom. He hadn't looked there! His chest was heaving as he pushed the door open. The fluorescent lights reflected off the tile floor as he crossed the room. He caught a glance of fiery red hair and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He hurried over to the row of sinks and kneeled down. Aleksei was laying underneath the sinks curled up on the cool tile, shuddering and shaking.

“Aleksei?” Bryan asked softly. Aleksei didn't answer. “Aleksei?”

Bryan reached out and put a hand on Aleksei's forehead. The redhead was clammy. Bryan hesitated, unsure if he should get someone from the Medical Facility or not. He didn't really just want to just leave Aleksei there, even if it was for a minute or two. Bryan shifted from his knees to his butt and got himself comfortable. He didn't know how long he was going to be there so he figured he'd at least be comfortable.

-------------------

In an hour, Aleksei had barely moved. Bryan was bored and annoyed. He didn't like being a babysitter. The door to the bathroom finally opened again and Alden came in. He spotted Bryan sitting on the floor and, frowning deeply, walked over to him.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Babysitting,” Bryan answered with a faint growl. Alden shot him a confused glance. “Look.” Bryan jabbed his thumb in the direction of the sinks.

Alden squatted down and looked under the sinks. His eyes widened when he saw Aleksei laying there.

“What…?” he asked.

“I dunno.” Bryan shrugged. “I just found him like this. I think he's sick.”

“How long ago?”

“About an hour.”

“Why didn't you get help?” Alden frowned at Bryan.

Bryan glared. “Do you think I'd just leave him here when he's like this?”

“I suppose you're right.” Alden's face became thoughtful. “I wonder what's caused him to act like this.”

“Hell if I know. He's been acting odd lately.”

“I know,” Alden said softly. “Have you heard him at night?”

“No. Should I have?” Bryan frowned.

“Well…” Alden said slowly. “It's hard to say. I've heard him once during the night.”

“What did he do?” Bryan demanded, angrily running his hand through his hair.

“He got up and ran down the hall. When he came back, he smelled like vomit. I pretended that I was asleep so he wouldn't know I had heard him. He changed his clothes and went back to bed, muttering something about dreams.”

“So, he's been having nightmares?” Bryan asked slowly.

“I don't know. He would have said something...”

Bryan gave him a deadpan look. “Do you think Aleksei, of all people would say something if he was having nightmares?”

“No,” Alden reluctantly said.

“Exactly. He's a stubborn bastard, that's for sure.”

“What should we do?” Alden asked.

“I have no fucking clue!” Bryan spat.

“Okay…” Alden ignored Bryan's sudden outburst. “Let me see…well, we can't leave him here.”

“Well duh,” Bryan snorted.

“Why didn't you carry him?” Alden asked icily.

“I'm not a fucking superhero,” Bryan muttered.

“Well together maybe we can manage it.” Alden dropped to his knees and carefully crawled under the sinks. “Aleksei?” He touched Aleksei on the shoulder and was startled when the older boy flinched. He took Aleksei's arm. Aleksei gave a cry and twisted away. Alden's eyes widened. “Bryan!”

“What? What's wrong?” Bryan asked.

He crawled under the sinks and hit his head hard. He let out a long string of profanities. He stopped when he saw the scared look on Alden's face, half concealed in the shadows.

“What's wrong?” he asked again.

“Aleksei.” Alden was sounding more and more frightened by the second. “I think there's something seriously wrong with him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Watch what happens if I touch him.” Alden reached out and gently touched Aleksei's arm.

As before, Aleksei gave a soft cry that was halfway between a whimper and a curse and twisted out of Alden's grasp. Bryan's eyes widened.

“What the hell?” he muttered. He looked up at Alden, banging his head on the sinks again. He suppressed a curse. “You don't think…”

“Yes,” Alden said gravely. “I think Aleksei was molested.”

Bryan let out a low curse. He stared at Alden for a few moments, then glanced at Aleksei, and looked back at Alden. “We have to tell someone. This can't stay a secret. Aleksei will probably kick our asses for it. He may even kill us. But we have to tell someone.”

“I know.” Alden swallowed hard. Neither of them made any sort of movement; they both just stared at Aleksei. “I…I just can't believe it.” Alden's voice was faint.

“It explains a few things though,” Bryan muttered. Alden looked at him curiously. “Like why he's such a cold bastard. Think about it Alden. If he was treated like shit as a kid, he'd close himself off and wouldn't want to let anyone get near him because he'd be afraid that they'd hurt him. That's why he pushed Daire away.”

“But Daire isn't like that,” Alden said softly. “He would never hurt Aleksei. He's the kindest, sweetest kid I've ever met.”

“You know him better than me.” Bryan shrugged.

“Aleksei just doesn't see how kind Daire is.”

“Maybe he does and he just doesn't care?”

Alden frowned. “Must you be so pessimistic?”

Bryan shrugged again. “It's what I do best.”

Alden managed to smile a little.

“Come on,” Bryan said, pointing to Aleksei who was curled up into a ball. “Let's see if we can get this guy outta here.”

Alden nodded. He and Bryan moved forward.

“Let's try and roll him out,” Bryan said. “If he throws a fit, then so be it.”

Alden and Bryan gently grabbed Aleksei, Alden holding Aleksei's shoulder and Bryan holding Aleksei's hip. Aleksei twisted around, but Alden held onto him tightly.

“Easy Aleksei,” Alden said soothingly. “It's just us. Alden and Bryan.”

“No…please…hurt!” Aleksei gasped.

Bryan and Alden shared a surprised glance.

“We won't hurt you Aleksei.” Alden's tone was extremely gentle. “I promise. Bryan and I only want to help you.”

Aleksei didn't seem to hear him. He was too caught up with his own demons. Somehow, Alden and Bryan managed to roll him out from underneath the sink and came face to face with John.

“J…John,” Alden stammered. “W…what are you doing here sir?”

“One of the Breeders came to get me,” John answered. “How long has he been like this?”

“Over an hour sir,” Bryan answered, struggling to keep his tone respectful.

“I see,” John muttered. He looked at them. “You two may return to your lessons. I'll take it from here.”

Bryan and Alden both looked surprised at their sudden dismissal, but neither of them dared to defy John. They got up and brushed the dust that had accumulated on their knees and hands from being underneath the sinks. They silently headed for the door. Suddenly, Bryan stopped and turned around.

“Aleksei was molested, wasn't he?” He burst out, unable to keep it in any longer.

Alden stopped walking and turned around.

John's expression was sharp. “Did Aleksei say something?”

“No.” Bryan shook his head. “We figured it out ourselves. So I'm guessing by your reaction that he was?”

“It's not your business!” John snapped.

“So he was.”

“As I said before, it's not your business.”

Bryan's face darkened. For a moment, Alden thought he was going to attack John, but instead, he spat out three syllables.

“Yes. It. Is.”

To be continued…

Notes: Holy. Hell. I totally wasn't expecting this to go the way it did. This story is going to be a lot longer than thought. That's the second time I've unexpectedly broken a chapter off. I'm getting farther and farther from the outline I made, but whatever. I think this is much better than what I originally had planned.

Wow, Bryan is starting to freak me out a little. I wasn't expecting a more caring side of him to emerge. And then he goes all dark at the end. And Aleksei…what a piece of work that one is. I'm not sure if I should hate him or feel sorry for him.

About said redhead (hey I made a rhyme!), the reason why this side of him hasn't emerged before is because he was repressing his feelings. Which isn't good. As is fairly obvious. And the reason why he didn't freak out when Bryan touched him on the forehead was because he didn't feel threatened. When Alden touched him on the shoulder and then grabbed his arm, he was reminded of his past and the things that happened to him, which cued the freak-out by him. Just wanted to quickly explain that. Wow this was a long chapter. My chapters are getting longer and longer…