Taken by the Gang leader

The part when stuff starts to come together

I wake up chained to a wall in my underwear.

My throat is sore along with my wrists and ankles from being bound earlier.

I make no effort to pull against the chains because I am so tired.

My eyelids are heavy as I fall back to sleep.

~Flashback Dream~

I sit at the table next to my best friend Oakley.

Across from us is his mother and father while mine are at the heads of the table.

"It's such a pleasure to have you both here Katherine and Logan." My mom says, addressing Oakley's parents.

"I'm glad you're here too." I whisper to Oakley.

He smiles, revealing the tooth he chipped when he hit his head on my Barbie play house last week.

Lorna, Piper, and Maia, our house keepers, walk in with stacks of food.

They set the plates down before preparing all of our plates.

"These look gross." Oakley whispers, poking his asparagus with his fork.

"They may be gross, but they make your pee smell funny." I whisper, giggling.

His eyes go wide before he starts to shovel in the asparagus.

I giggle while my potatoes find their way to my mouth.

"Cecelia honey, mouth closed while eating food." My mom says, smiling.

"Oh Zarah, let her be. She has time to develop manners." Mrs. Katherine laughs.

Mrs. Katherine is mummy's best friend.

She comes over a lot, maybe three times a week.

Sometimes she has bruises and cuts on her face and body.

Sometimes Oakley does too.

Mommy says it's just makeup and not to worry about it but I do worry about it... A lot actually.

Oakley pokes me in my side and signals to upstairs.

I nod, finishing my food before joining him.

"Can I use your potty? I wanna see if my pee smells funny." He says.

I nod and he goes in.

I sit outside because daddy says to never enter the bathroom while a male is using it.

"Hey O?" I ask through the door.

"Yeah?" He calls back.

"Why do you always have marks and bruises on you?" I ask.

"My daddy. He gets mad sometimes at work and hits me and mommy to feel better." Oakley says.

"Why don't you leave so he doesn't hit you anymore?" I ask, confused.

"Mommy says that it's what makes him feel better and that we ought to want him to be happy because we're family." He says.

"Do you cry when he hits you?" I ask.

"Mommy usual protects me so I don't get hit, when I do though, it hurts really bad. I try not to cry because I get yelled at. Sometimes I can't help it." He murmurs before the sound of his pee hitting the toilet bowl cuts off our conversation.

Once he's done he opens the door.

"You're right this pee smells awful! Got any more asparagus?" Oakley asks laughing.

I lead him to the kitchen, laughing.

---

A few hours later his mommy comes to pick him up.

"Come along Leo." She says.

"Who's Leo?" I ask, curiously.

"I meant Oakley honey." She smiles.

I return her smile and rush forward to give Oakley a hug.

I watch as he leaves my room and I can't help think of how much he looks like Peter.