Damaged Goods

Chapter 1

"Mom! Dad! Anyone home?!"

Marcus James walked into his house and called out to the empty house, waiting to hear a response from either parent but unsurprisingly, not getting one. It was 4 pm so his dad was probably still at work and his mom probably out running errands or sitting in the horrendous traffic of downtown Vancouver, Canada rush hour. That didn't dampen his spirits at all though. At this moment, absolutely nothing could. It was a Friday afternoon and not only that, but school had just ended for the school year so the summer had officially begun! He was no longer an 8th grader, but was instead a grade 9! Finally, he was a high school student! But not before he got 3 whole months of a blissful, relaxing summer vacation, to do nothing but hang out with his friends, sleep and chill out.

As Marcus walked into the living room, he threw his backpack on the ground and collapsed on the sofa, pulling out his phone. Almost immediately, he heard a loud DING as a notification popped up on his screen.

New notification from... Robert Daniels

Marcus smiled. Not even an hour since they had left school and he was already getting a message from his best friend and teammate on several sports teams. He clicked on it to reveal a message...

Bro get to the park now! We're having a big Rugby game there!

Finishing reading the message, Marcus sighed in satisfaction and bliss. It truly was the summer. Rugby was Marcus's sport. He had been playing for as long as he remembered, and he absolutely adored the sport, and so he quickly shot off a response and ran up to his bedroom to change. However, just as he was halfway up the stairs, he heard it...

It was loud. It was unmistakable.

BANG!

Marcus jolted awake with a start, and his eyes snapped open. His head whipped around for a few moments as he tried to remember where he was. It took him a few moments, but he remembered that he was on an aeroplane, flying from Vancouver to his new home south of the border in Ohio. He let out a loud sigh and groan, putting his head in his hands and leaning back into the uncomfortable seat. Nearly 4 years had passed since that traumatic day, and not once had he fallen asleep without the horrors seeping into his mind. He wasn't an 8th grader anymore. He wasn't living in Vancouver either. But every time he closed his eyes, he transformed back into that terrified kid, hearing the gunshot for the very first time.

17 years old and turning 18 in 6 months, Marcus was a traditionally attractive boy. Or at least he was deep down. His mop of caramel hair was extremely messy and dishevelled. His piercing hazel eyes were filled with a combination of exhaustion and pain. His chiselled, muscular physique was hidden by the oversized, ratty hoodie he had on.

"You okay?"

Marcus glanced sideways and looked at his father, Louis, who was sitting in the seat beside him and staring at him worriedly, clearly having seen his son's struggles. He knew exactly what his son had been dreaming about, for it was the exact same event that had been plaguing his own nightmares every night for the past few years. The worst part was that he had absolutely no idea how to help his son either. He himself still hadn't fully gotten over what had happened, so he was definitely the wrong person to be giving advice. And no therapist Louis forced Marcus to go to seemed to have any kind of positive effect on his son either. He was stuck, out of ideas, and he was praying that this change of scene would do his son well in moving on from the traumatic events of the past.

Marcus nodded at his father, but didn't say a word. In fact, he remained completely silent for the next few hours as they landed at their new home for the first time. They had flown into Columbus, Ohio, but his father's new job had relocated to a nearby city called Lima. Marcus had no idea what to expect from the city, but for a city with a population of only 40 thousand, he didn't expect much. This was only for a year, he told himself. This was only for a year, before he finally graduated high school and would be able to leave and get as far away from everything as possible.