Our little brother

Chapter 8

*takes place as Atlas takes Alexander out of the room*

Alexander's POV:

I can barely register Atlas hand around my arm and guiding me out the room. All I can see is red. Everything around me a blur and I can faintly hear Atlas speaking to me. Soon my vision focuses and I see we're in the gym, in front of my punching bag. Atlas is taping up my fingers and putting my gloves on me, as soon as he lets me go I start hitting the bag, hard. Atlas puts on some music but all I can hear is my hand hitting the bag, punch after punch. I don't know how much time goes by but eventually I slow down, coming to a stop. Breathing heavily, a water bottle is handed to me by Atlas. Chugging down half the bottle I sit on the bench and he comes to sit beside me. Atlas doesn't say anything, he just holds my hand and squeezes it every few minutes making me feel something and not get lost in my thoughts. How the hell did this happen? One day we're playing peek a boo with our 1 year old brother and then he was gone, when we finally find him, things turned out worse than we could have ever imagined for him. He grew up without love, without a family and happiness, without us. How could anyone hurt a baby like those people did. All these years I can I remember Reid imagining Noah in all his storybooks, imagining him having a great time, filled with everything a little boy could dream of. A part of me always wanted that to be true, but another part of me knew it was only wishful thinking. Not wanting to get angry all over again I get up and walk to the shower, leaving Atlas on the bench.

*back upstairs, continuing from the end of last chapter*

Noah's POV:

M'really full now, I never had chicky nuggies before, I like them, mommy used to share her food with me, but daddy didn't like that and he put all the food behind a big lock. Even my milk was locked. Daddy said I'm a bad boy and bad boys don't deserve to eat everyday, only allowed to eat on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and only after mommy and daddy eat first. Hunter says I can eat whenever I want, and says he will never lock away food from me! I don't even have to hide any for later, I wonder if he has milk I can drink before sleepy time. "Noah we're gonna go into Sebastian's room so we can talk a little okay?" Hunter says. I look at the table, "l-leave table p-please?" I ask, hoping he won't make me sit here until the clock says one two dot dot zero zero(12:00). Hunter smiles a little at me and takes my hand, we get to Sebby's room and he sits on a chair and I sit on the floor. "You can sit on his bed Noah." "B-bed?" I ask, not knowing what he wants me to sit on. He gets up and picks me up, setting us both down on the big soft thing with all the blankets. I look at up at him with a smile, "this b-bed? Have o-one too pl-please?" I want a bed too, my old room never had one, only blankets with holes in them. "We're gonna go shopping for your new room tomorrow, you can get anything you want for your room alright? You can even pick your bed." Hunter says to me, I think my smile got even bigger, I'm going to have a big soft bed!

"We're gonna talk about some rules alright, I know you had a lot before, but we're gonna make new ones. What do you think your rules should be? All of your brothers have their own rules that we made together, so that's what me and you are gonna do too." He says. I get to make my own rules? And my brothers have rules too? Daddy says grown ups don't have to follow rules though.

"We already have 2 rules remember? First, you can go potty whenever you need to, you don't have to hold it, and second, you can tell anyone of us when you're hungry, and we'll help get you something. So how about we make a couple more rules now." Hunter says. I like those rules, maybe now I won't have any accidents. I think about my old rules, and daddy told me I can't talk everyday,and on days I can talk, only speak when spoken too. "C-can talk, no pun-ish-ment?" I say, that would be a good rule right? Hunter says of course I can talk, he also says that's a really good rule! Hunter tells me we should make a bedtime rule, right now bedtime will be at seven thirty, I ask Hunter what that looks like on the clock, he points to a big circle on Sebbys wall, it's got moving lines on it, how will this show me what seven thirty looks like?

Hunters POV:

Going over the rules with Noah is gonna be tough, he's been brought up with rules that we're harmful to him, and I don't want him to be scared of the rules we have. He doesn't seem scared of the few rules we've made, but then again, he's not scared of any of his old rules either, just the punishment that followed. Talking about bedtime with him, I suggest 7:30, I know that's early, but he needs it right now, especially since he's not exactly sleeping through the night very well just yet. It catches me off guard when he asks what 7:30 looks like on the clock, so I point to it on the wall, but he's staring at it like he's never seen a clock before, until I realize he may have had a digital clock instead. Pulling out my phone I show him that right now it's 6:45 and in 45 minutes it will show 7:30. He traces the 6:45 including the dots saying "six dot dot four five". I guess never really having gone to school, he knows the numbers 1-9 for sure, but probably has never been taught to much else. He's missed out on so much I didn't even consider how much he's missed regarding schooling. I know Atlas will slowly start working on things with him, we all will, but instead of enrolling him this year in school, we'll get him a private tutor. Once he's ready, we'll give him the option on if he wants to go to school, or continue home schooling. "Seven dot dot three zero" I tell him, making a mental reminder to buy a digital clock for his bedroom. I can only hope that all of us will be enough for him to one day move past all the trauma he's been through.

New chapter! Lol I wasn't really sure how to end this one off but I mean I ended it and it might be kinda abrupt and awkward. I also couldn't really think of any more "old rules" so I couldn't think of any new rules to counter the old ones, I guess over time while they do things with Noah they'll learn more about his past and his old rules and continue to make new rules and memories for him. Anyways next chapter should be out by Friday, it should be a fun one, all the brothers (I think) are going to be having their "sleepover" in the living room.

May xx