The next few days were. . . strange. Silver was introduced to Mr. Daniel Riordan, a quiet, kind man. He was shown how to use a shower, which was a super weird concept to him since at the lab they had a communal shower where it was just this huge tile room and cold water automatically sprayed from the walls. He had a hard time eating because the food upset his stomach, (his frayed nerves didn't help) and found himself throwing up in the bathroom after almost every meal.
Not to mention the sour attitudes of the boys around him. Asher was nice, and a few of the younger ones were nice, but most didn't like him. They called him weak, weird, dumb. . . he didn't know why they were being mean to him but decided to just ignore it.
Silver was actually highly intelligent, he just didn't know about some things. He'd been sold when he was 8, so he remembered most things, but had forgotten some.
On his third day, Mrs. Alexis pulled him aside as he came out of the bathroom from his secret vomiting session after he'd tried to eat lunch. She took him to his room.
"Silver, I have something to tell you." She sat down in the desk chair and Silver sat on the edge of his bed. Every time someone had started a sentence like that, it meant that something he wasn't going to like was happening. He held his breath, waiting for bad news.
"There's a man coming here to meet you. And. . . you're going home with him." She stared at him, waiting for his reaction.
"Do I have to?" He whispered, feeling his heart crack. He didn't like men, and he didn't want to go anywhere. He'd been moved around so much in the past week or so, after years of being in the lab. It was overwhelming.
"I'm sorry honey, I truly am, but yes. You have to go. We already have so many boys here that they've decided it's best for you to go." She wanted to hug him, rub his back, comfort him, but she knew it would only do the opposite. She stood to leave. "I'll give you some time alone, but he'll be here in an hour or so. I just wanted to give you a heads-up." She whispered the last sentence as she closed the door behind her, leaving him in deafening silence.
Worry invaded his body like a tidal wave. Panic washed over him as he rushed down the hall to the bathroom, feeling another wave of nausea wash over him, But this time, it had nothing to do with food.
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Roman Quinn had been in his study when he'd received a call. He glanced at the screen, a smirk tugging at his lips when he saw the caller ID.
"It's been an incredibly long time since you called me. You in trouble?" He asked playfully, waiting for his old friend to answer.
"Ugh, I know, I know. And I'm sorry to call so early in the morning. . . but I need to ask you something." Caleb said on the other end.
Roman laughed. "So you really are in trouble! What'd you do, not hide a body well enough?"
"Haha. This is serious, Roman. You know about that bust we did on that weird lab thingy about a week ago?" He paused a moment. "We pulled out hundreds of prisoners, 'Numbers' they called them. And one of these Numbers, he needs a place to go. He's young and injured, and I thought since you're so lonely. . . you could take him in?" Caleb had been the one in charge of organizing the rescue operation.
The line crackled with silence as Roman considered. He was extremely lonely, and he had plenty of room. . . but what if the kid was a bad person? What if he--
"You there? I know it's a big thing to ask, but you've been talking about finding someone--"
"I guess it won't hurt to try. . ." Roman said quietly, thinking about how nice it would be to have a companion in the house. "Wait, did you say he was injured? And how young are we talking?"
"The report says they estimate him to be around 18? They couldn't really talk to him. And yes, he's hurt. He was beaten severely what seems like just a couple of days before the operation."
Roman felt his heart beat faster. A kid? They did that to a kid? Monsters. Roman himself was only 22, but he was a protective person. Especially when it came to kids.
He got the address to the home where the boy had been placed, and called them. He spoke to Mrs. Alexis and explained the situation, and she seemed happy.
"He's been having trouble here," she said quietly. "Some of the other boys are mean to him, and he's so stressed out that he's not eating or sleeping well. I don't know how to help him." Her voice broke as she mumbled the last sentence. Roman could tell she felt guilty.
A time was decided, and Roman made the hour drive to the home. His thoughts swirled the entire time, bouncing from cursing the weird scientists who would hurt a kid, to thinking of ways he could help, to wondering if they would even get along with each other. Anxiety knotted his stomach as he he parked in front of the large house and walked up to the door, where he was met by Mrs. Riordan. She ushered him in from the cold.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Mrs. Alexis," she shook his hand. "I'm very grateful you'd do this. . . I think it will be better for him." She led him to the base of the stairs. "He's in his room right now. I talked to him about an hour ago and let him know what was going on, he seemed scared. I've noticed that he's very wary of men, so, just try to be quiet and keep your distance at first." She sent a small boy up to fetch him.
"He sounds like a scared animal," Roman remarked quietly.
"Yeah, that's about right." She agreed.
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As Silver made his way out of the room, Corbin was headed down the hall. He stepped in Silver's way, forcing him to stop. "Good, You're leaving. No one here likes you anyway."
Silver thought it was stupid for him to stop him just to say that, and he tried to ignore it, but the harsh words slipped a tiny pin into his heart. As he tried to slip past Corbin, he felt something crash into his back, causing searing pain to his wounds. He fell, and turned to look as tears pricked his eyes.
Corbin had pretended to trip, pushing his weight into Silver's back. He steadied himself theatrically, grinning wolfishly as he started to walk away. "Oops, I fell."
Silver lay stunned, propped up on his elbows as pain tore through him. He tried to move, but it was too much. He stayed still and tried to catch his breath.
He heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and tried to push himself up through the pain, but he wasn't fast enough. Mrs. Alexis gasped and crouched next to him, a young man stood behind her with a shocked look on his face.
"What happened?" She asked as she tried to help him up. He flinched and pulled his arm from her grasp.
"Nothing," He mumbled, wincing as he sat up.
The man stepped closer, crouching beside Mrs. Alexis. "Let's just sit here and talk. It might be easier--"
"I can get up." Silver said flatly as he continued to struggle. He didn't like pity, especially from strangers. He leaned on the wall and hauled himself to his feet, sharp pain making his face scrunch. He backed a few steps away, putting some space between them. He was flustered, angry at himself for being so weak. He locked eyes with the man he'd have to live with from now on.
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Roman met the boy's gaze, sensing fear and uncertainty. The moment he'd saw him lying on the floor, pretty face twisted in pain, he'd felt something wash over him. Affection. Like the need to protect the boy at all costs. His heart ached when he saw the fear in the kid's eyes; he didn't want to be a source of worry for him. . . he wanted him to trust him.
Part Eight Coming Soon
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Bury The Shadows
Teen FictionSilver has lived his whole life in terror. Sold by his addict mother to a 'facility', he is abused constantly. Until one eventful night changes his life. #3 in Panic Attacks 10/30/24