A Slip into the Past (boyxboy)

prologue

  Fifteen year old James Bennett was someone that people looked down on. His appearance left him an easy target for bullies. He was small in stature - weak and frail and shy to boot. Since James was in the sixth grade, he was disliked by everyone. If someone wasn't bullying him, they were ignoring him. Turning a blind eye to the beatings they witnessed. Tuning out the harsh words spat at him. Nobody offered him a helping hand. He was always alone. Always ignored. By everyone in this god forsaken town.

  Aidyn Summers clenched his fist as he listened to the old ladies gossip about James. "Poor boy. I hope he's okay."

  That's what everyone would say, they'd shake their head with a solemn expression as if they'd lost a family member, as if they cared about James well-being when in reality, they didn't give two shits about him when he was here. They didn't care when he passed by them on daily basis on his way home from school, his face covered in bruises. A limp in his walk as he held his arm while he kept his head down because he was too afraid to make eye contact with anyone.

  I felt a connection to this 'poor boy.' Being the target of bullies was something I was all too familiar with. Being ignored by everyone was something I familiarized with as well.

  I made the mistake in my last school - my last town, by telling everyone that I was gay. How was I to know my parents moved into the biggest homophobic town they could come across?

  I was always open about my sexuality since I came out, I've never had a problem with other people knowing. Sure some looked at me in disgust, but I was never ostracized over it. Not like how I was in my last town. The beating and the words thrown at me were something that I would never forget for as long as I lived.

  I narrowed my eyes at them, giving them a glare that practically had my eyes closed. It might have looked like a squint to them. With the way the sun was blaring down everywhere in a blinding manner, but it was anything but a squint. It was the deadliest glare I could give. I knew it was disrespectful, glaring at my elders. But, they didn't know that. It was evident when they started waving. I shot them a smile that felt more like a grimace. Hell, it could've been. I didn't know. It's not like I can see my own face right now.

  With a 'humph,' I turned on my heel and stomped my way down the sidewalk of the town of Rochfort.

  It was a small town with a population of 10, 000 people. Everyone knew everybody's business, it was something I hated about this town. Being the new guy around and all. No matter where you went, you were always stared at. People were always whispering to each other when you were around. When someone finally grew enough balls to come ask who you were, they were always so noisy about it.

  Who are you? Are you visiting? Oh, you just moved here? Where do you live? Why did you move here? What do your parents do for a living? Blah blah blah, it was all so annoying. I always had to force myself not to roll my eyes when they did. It felt like I was being interrogating every time. If they did it in a friendlier manner, I wouldn't mind answering all their questions so they'd have their daily dose of information to go gossip around town about.

  I stopped in place when I passed by the town's bulletin board. I took a couple of steps backwards and turned towards the board with a distasteful eye. Tearing off the missing person's flyer, I held it in my hand. A small picture was placed in the middle of the page of a boy named James Bennett. He was cute, in a little kid brother kind of way. I felt so protective over him from the moment I laid eyes on the flyer. It was strange because I haven't even met the kid. I just moved here eight months ago and he was long before missing by then.

  The sun had already damage the picture, leaving it almost impossible to make out. But I knew it was him, all blue eyes and blonde hair of him. I've seen this picture everywhere. No matter where you went, there was always a copy of it. It was like it was almost taunting me. The big bold letters that read, '$10, 000 dollar reward,' always caught my eye. Not because I wanted the money, but because it was so fucked up that they'd offer money. That people had to be persuaded to give information about him. They should just do it for the goodness of their heart if they knew where he was.

  James Bennett has been missing for over a year and a half. Word around town was that James always left home without a trace, coming back in the middle of night or being gone for long periods of times. No one knew where he went. The last piece of evidence found was on a trail cam that was near his home's property. It showed him entering into the forest from his backyard with a backpack on him.  

  There was all kinds of talk about what he was doing entering into the forest. The one that left a churning in my gut were the ones people uttered about him going into the forest to kill himself.

  I felt this strange pull towards James Bennett. I always had a strange overwhelming feeling that he's going to lead me to something that's going to change my life. An answer to the strange emptiness that I feel at times. I needed to find him, whether he's dead or alive because he's the answer to my missing half.

I just hope that when I find him, he's alive.