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Chapter Fourteen: If you can't run or hide, then fight!!!

Chapter Fourteen: If you can't run or hide, then fight!!!

   Ever since Dennis randomly left on Monday morning, Cass has felt suspicious, like maybe there's something that the boy's haven't told him. Finn has been staying with them for six whole days, but he's been extremely quiet. Which is very unlike him and Cass saw him trying to call Dennis, but he also got his voicemail. "Cassie, this is crazy. I'm sure that if something was going on, Finn would've told us about it and Dennis is probably just busy with work. You know how he gets." Scarlet says reassuringly. "Okay, but why isn't he answering his own brother's calls? I'm telling you we need to ask Finn about this. I know that he wants to talk about it. That's why he's being so quiet." "How do you know?" Kurt questions. "Because I know Dennis and Dennis talks about Finn all the time." Cass explains just before Finn walks inside, being the last one back from school.

"Hey guys, something wrong?" Finn asks while glancing around at all of them. "What? No. Why would there be anything wrong?" Kurt says with a nervous smile before exchanging looks with Scarlet and Cassidy. "Well when I came in, you all got quiet...and now you're all looking at each other like there's something you were talking about that maybe you don't want me to know?" Finn says with a thoughtful look. Scarlet opens her mouth to speak before Cass shushes her. "Actually Finn, there is something we'd like to talk to you about." Kurt says before giving his brother a sassy look. Cassie rolls his eyes. "Cassidy thinks that you're hiding something." Scarlet admits quickly. "Really? What does Cassidy think I might be hiding and why might that be?" Finn asks while looking at Cass suspiciously, since he saw him spying on him the other day while he was trying to get a hold of Dennis. "Well...Finn. The thing is that, ever since Monday you've barely spoken a sentence. I know that Dennis hasn't been answering any of our phone calls or texts. So I don't know if something's going on or not, but I'm sorry for accusing you of hiding something, and if you did need to talk about it. We're here. I guess I should've said that in the first place, but..." "Okay. Cassie. Geez. You're forgiven." Finn says timidly. "So?" Kurt says. "What?" "Is there something you need to talk to us about?" Kurt asks as they all give him knowing looks. Finn sighs shakily. "Okay. Fine, but if Dennis kills me for telling you all, then none of you are invited to my funeral." Finn replies nervously.

A full minute then goes by in silence as Finn contemplates how to share this secret that he's been hiding for so long. "The suspense is killing me. Just tell us already. It's not like somebody got murdered." Scarlet says before everyone laughs briefly until Finn gives them a look that suggests otherwise. "I lied to you all about why Dennis and I moved here. We didn't decide to come here because it felt like home. We just thought Ben wouldn't find us here."  Finn admits. "What do you mean?" "Who's Ben? One of Dennis' crazy ex's you're always talking about?" Kurt asks curiously. "No. It's their father." Cassidy replies. "I thought you said that he abandoned you guys?" Scarlet adds with a worried look. Finn looks at the floor while shaking his head. "No. One day he showed up after being gone for a few months and went after Dennis with a gun because he found out that Dennis got a job. His boss called child protective services when he found out that our dad wasn't around. Dennis got home before him and grabbed a few of our things before stealing dad's car. That day Dennis showed up at my school and told me we had to go, so we left and we didn't look back." Finn admits. "Wait. That was when you were like fourteen though. Wasn't it?" Cassie asks. "Yeah..." "So you didn't come here until a few months ago." "I know. I was getting to that. So get this, we were on the road for a few months before we ran out of money, and Dennis was only seventeen. So he couldn't exactly just go out and get a job." "So what did you guys do?" "Dennis called an old friend, Joe. We all went to school together actually. At the time she was living in an apartment in Massachusetts where she was attending her first semester at Harvard. She let us stay with her for a while, until her moms helped Dennis graduate highschool early, then we got our own apartment downstairs from hers. They also helped Dennis get custody of me after he got emancipated and even helped him get a scholarship. Just when things were looking up, and we thought we were safe, Ben found us. Dennis and I were out fishing for most of that day. When we got home, the apartment was trashed and Ben came up from behind us with a gun. He grabbed me and pointed it in my face until Dennis convinced him to let me go. I ran upstairs after Ben threw me into the hallway and locked me out. I was going to get Joe and call the police, but when I got upstairs her door was open and she was lying on the floor...dead. Dennis followed up after me a few minutes later. He grabbed my hand and forced me to run. We didn't even pack our things this time. We just got in the car and drove. After that Dennis stopped asking anyone for help. We moved to Atlanta for a while after that and Dennis kept us afloat until I graduated. He wanted me to get into a good college, but with the way we moved around. We both knew that couldn't happen. I had given up on going to college, but Dennis told me he wouldn't have it. He was going to get me into a decent college there in Atlanta, until dad found us again. That last time he actually shot Dennis in the stomach, but Dennis still somehow fought him off, and drove us all the way to the next state over before passing out. We stayed there in some small podunk town for a few months while Dennis recovered and came up with a plan. Then we came here." Finn explains before letting out a sigh of relief, having never told anyone the truth about everything they've been through. A few minutes go by in silence before Cassidy gives Finn a horrified look. "Wait. So where is Dennis?" Cassidy asks while standing up and walking toward Finn. "I don't know. The other night, Dennis just told me that dad showed up and he'll handle it for good this time." Finn says with a dismal expression. "What is that supposed to mean? Why didn't you just call the police?" "Ben is dangerous, Cassidy. You don't know what he's capable of. I'm telling you the police wouldn't be able to help before Ben gets what he wants. If anyone can handle him, it's Dennis. Despite all the things Ben has done, they seem to have a strange bond with each other. And besides how worried I am for Dennis, he told me that he'd meet me at home tonight." "Well you're not going alone." Scarlet says. "Yeah. It was pretty stupid of the two of you to think you could do this by yourselves." Kurt says, clearly angry at his best friend for not having told him the truth in the first place. "Kurt. I wanted to tell you sooner. I did, but this is dangerous. If Ben knew you guys were helping us, he'd kill you." Finn explains. Kurt glances at the floor before going over to him and hugging him. "I'm sure Dennis is gonna be fine." Kurt says with a knowing look earning a slight smile from Finn. Later on in the night, the group goes to the house and searches the place up and down only to find that Dennis is gone along with most of his things.