The Summer Fling (Poofless AU)

27 - Mrs.Minx

"One benefit of Summer was that each day we had more light to read by."- Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle

Rob's POV

Lachlan and Vikk dragged the trash bags full of cash, into the living room. Last night, when we all came back to the house I told everyone that we'll talk the money tomorrow afternoon. Now everyone full of homemade pancakes courtesy of Mama Preston was sitting on the couch.

After Vikk and Lachlan set the bags on the ground side conversation came to a close. I stood up off of the almost packed couch and walked behind the trash bags.

"Now before we get started we have something, or someone rather to address."

Everybody looked toward the boy who was eatting a candy bar. I crouched down in front of him and watched his bright brown eyes light up in fear.

"Ssh, it's okay I'm not going to hurt you. No one is going to hurt you."

The boy didn't respond to me. Maybe I should try a different approach? A smile appeared on my face as I ruffled up the boys dark brown hair.

"Could you maybe answer a few questions for me?"

The boy nodded, I reached into my shorts pocket and pulled out a packet of fruit snacks. I gave him the fruit snack as a reward for his efforts so far, which he took graciously. The kid looked like he had not eaten in weeks, maybe even months. Preston and Brandon told us about how they found him in a cage at the warehouse. Those vile bastards, do they not know what humanity even means?!

"Okay, first off what is your name?"

"I-II go by Choco."

"How old are you Choco?"

"II-I'm fifteen."

I have to be careful how I talk to him, the poor kid probably is going to be traumatized. There's no telling what those guys did to him.

"You're doing great Choco, could you maybe tell me how you ended up in that cage?"

As soon as I said cage he shrunk in fear a little bit. He started violent shaking too. Great going Rob.

"Ssh, it's okay. You don't have to tell us if you don't want to. I understand."

A couple of violent sobs shook out of Choco as he tried to gain his composure. After a minute or two he started speaking up again.

"My parents wer-re in dept to those guys. My brother was really sick and those guys had pills to make him feel better. At first they were nice and gave us the medicine for free, but then they started telling us, no yelling at us to pay them for the medicine."

He took a breath before he continued speaking again.

"They wanted eighteen grand for all the medicine they gave us, but my family didn't have that type of money. Each time they came over demanding for money they would hurt my farther, they even slapped my mother a couple of times and she was seven months pregnant. When I was taking my brother out to get some fresh air, since he can't go outside by himself there was a black van following us. But I didn't realize it until it was too late."

Tears started coming from his eyes as he continued to tell us the story.

"They pushed my brother onto the sidewalk and pulled me into the van. Oh God the thoughts I had in that van. They blindfolded me the whole trip in the van and didn't say a word to me. To have such fear inside myself kept me from saying or doing anything. After a while they dragged me into the warehouse and locked me up in that cage. I was only feed once a week, and it was scraps."