Simply An Outcast (boyxboy romance)

Chapter Two

This chapter is a flashback to when Kaden was about six-seven years old, at his father's funeral. (his father was around 23 years old when he committed suicide.) 

            

It was merely a year later, after his father’s death, when they finally worked out a date for his father’s funeral. Kaden was now only seven-years-old and living a very depressing, quiet life. His own mother couldn’t look at him, for Kaden reminded her too much of the man she’d loved and pushed away, only to have him take his own life. Claire loved her son, more than anybody ever could – but for the exception of his father – and she intended on taking care of him. But now, as she watched her son walk into the bookstore across the street, she knew she could never truly love him 100%, for he reminded her too much of what she’d lost.

            Pushing through the thousands of used books, that were scattered and layered all across the floor, Kaden found himself staring at the bindings of a navy-blue, black like, colored book. Pulling it from the shelf he stared at the glittering, bright, golden font on the cover,

Milton’s Paradise Lost

John Milton

           

           

Kaden ran his small fingers across the golden font. The letters seemed to jump up to meet his skin as he caressed the words and bindings. Opening the semi-thick book to a random page, words he couldn’t understand jumped up and out at him, catching his eyes and holding it to a certain spot on the page. Kaden stared at the awkward words, not understanding what they meant at all. Giving up on sounding some of the words out loud, he turned the page to see a man gazing down at a woman who laid deep in slumber. The man was gazing at her with a look of love, just as his father used to look at Kaden’s mother. Pulling the book close to his chest, Kaden stifled a sob, making sure he held the book close to his heart. He wanted to keep this book forever near him, for it seemed to be all he had left of his father.

*    *    *

            People were staring at him, giving Kaden looks of pity, looks of concern, and even some looks of confusion. Kaden held the book closer to his chest as his mother’s new boyfriend, Ricky, groped his shoulder. Every time Ricky touched him, he felt a bolt of fear, yet he had no idea why. The man was scary, yet not intimidating. He was tall, yet not muscular. He was a good-looking man, all except for his creepy smile. Everything about him set Kaden off. Seven, or not, Kaden knew where safety and danger stood.

            Ricky’s breath lingered on the back of Kaden’s neck, as Ricky leaned down and whispered something in his ear. “You’re father left you. You meant nothing to him, and you mean nothing to your mother.”

Something in Kaden’s chest flickered, the feeling of his heart ripping, shredding, and tearing everything else to bits. Before Kaden acknowledged it, his feet were moving and he was running through the other graves, making his way to the open cornfields. It was windy out, and the little seven-year-old boy just ran, and ran, and ran, until he finally collapsed in the middle of an open field. Wheat grass and cornstalks flowed all around him as he fell to his knees, sobs and muffled screams echoing throughout his ears. Light whispers chimed within his mind, telling him to run, to kill everything and everyone, to never forgive, and to always want revenge.