Pavlov's Dogs

Prologue.

Hey folks! So I've had this idea rattling around in my brain for a while and baby Axel and baby Raven won't leave me alone so without further ado I give you a sneak peek of Pavlov's Dogs!

Omsk,Russia 2006.

"Ubiraysya! Ne vozvrashchaysya! YA nikogda ne khochu videt' tebya snova. Ubiraysya!" Get out! Don't come back! I never want to see you again. Get out!

The boy covered his head against the blows raining down as he sped away from the angry woman before him. The door slammed in his face with aloud bang! that made the windows shake in their frames. What was he supposed to do now? Where could he go? He thought about his school friends but discounted that option when he thought about the questions their parents would ask. He had no other family to depend on, his Aunt had been the last surviving relative he knew of. He supposed it was his own fault really, he shouldn't get into so many fights, but he couldn't help it. He hated seeing people pick on those weaker than themselves. It made his blood boil, a haze of red and anger washing over him, destroying all common sense. His Aunt had warned him, had told him if he got into anymore fights she would kick him out onto the streets but he didn't listen. Now, he thought, he would pay the price for standing up against injustice.

Gatlinburg,Tennessee - 2006

Axel trembled slightly, whether from fear or anger he wasn't entirely sure. Perhaps a combination of the two. He wanted to be braver,stronger, but at thirteen he was at that awkward stage of adolescence where he was just an uncoordinated mess of gangly limbs and hormones.He tried his hardest not to listen to the awful diatribe coming from downstairs but it was difficult when they were arguing right below his room. His father was strict and incredibly 'old school' in his views, his mom, on the other hand, was not. Hence all the yelling and screaming. This time it was because she'd dared to get a job, just a couple of hours a week at the local gift shop to keep her occupied and get her out of the house a bit more. It was enough to send him into a fit of rage though. For a pastor he sure sucked at tolerance and forgiveness. In his opinion a woman's place was in the home,preferably chained to the stove and wearing something that made her look like a nun. It still baffled him how his parents had gotten together. His mom was so carefree and fun, for a mom, she shouldn't be shackled to such an asshole. He was broken from his thoughts by the sound of the front door slamming shut and he watched as his father stormed down the path that led to the church. He would comeback after dinner and act like the whole thing hadn't happened. It had happened before, too many times for Axel to count. He really must have some kind of connection with the Big Guy, either that or he secretly smoked pot in his office. 

Charleston,South Carolina – 2006

"And just where do you think you're going?!" The gruff voice sounded loud in the trailer, echoing a little in the sparsely furnished room.Marc made a face, he was so close. Had his hand on the door handle and everything. His uncle was an ass that needed to leave him be. He knew what he was doing, he was old enough to know what he wanted. He let out a sigh and turned to face the man he had the pleasure of calling family. His Uncle was about average height with dull blue eyes and shoulder length greying brown hair. Grey stubble coated his chin and his hair was a mess like he'd run his hands through it out of exasperation. He must have been about to go to bed because he was wearing red plaid pajama trousers and a faded black band t-shirt from some ancient hippy festival he'd been to."Nowhere special, just out." He muttered, hoping his vague answer would be enough to keep the old man off his back. No such luck apparently. He was ushered back to his room where the lock sounded with a distinct'click' as he was 'shut in' for the night. Marc waited until he heard the faint snores coming from across the hall before sliding his window open as far as it would go and clumsily sneaking out of it. He pulled his hood up to hide his face and shoved his hands into his pockets as he made his way towards Charleston's underbelly for the night.  

Charleston,South Carolina – 2006

Brandon shook off the hit to his jaw and responded with a jab to the ribs.His fist hit the mark and the kid went down – finally.

"Don't even think about fucking with my brother again y'hear?" He growled in as deep a voice as he could manage at eleven. He wiped his mouth, which stung and throbbed thanks to the split lip his opponent had given him, with the sleeve of his sweater. His mom was going to be pissed. Apparently it was near impossible to get bloodstains out.The woman didn't care that her son was beaten up or that her other son was beating up the bullies but God forbid they got bloodstains on their clothes. He shouldered his backpack, carefully, and made his way over to where Corey was hiding. Despite their height, Corey had managed to squeeze himself inside his locker. He hated fighting,hated the yelling and violence that seemed to follow him around like a bad penny. Brandon helped him climb out of the locker and slung an arm around his shoulder as they walked towards the busses that would take them home.

"Thanks Bran. Again. Are you OK? He didn't get you too bad did he?" Corey mumbled, guilt clouding the cerulean blue eyes that matched his own.Brandon smiled, or well tried to smile but it came off looking more like a grimace as his lip split open again.

"I'm fine, nothing an ice pack won't cure. No thanks needed baby bro, I'll always have your back." He shrugged off the pain that would likely cripple him tomorrow morning but it was worth it. After all he'd promised to always look out for his brother, and he wasn't about to break it now.

Charleston,South Carolina – 2006

Corey sighed heavily and tried, once more, to concentrate on the game in front of him. He was questing, which was normally his favourite thing to do but today it just didn't seem to hold the same appeal. His thoughts strayed, again, to the incident that happened earlier in the day. He and Brandon had been at soccer practice getting showered and changed after running around in the hot sun. Brandon was on one side and the new boy, Matthew, was on the other as they changed out of sweaty shirts and muddy shorts. Glad to be back in his jeans and t-shirt Corey made a sound of relief. It wasn't that he didn't like playing soccer, he just hated all the competitiveness that went along with it. He just didn't know how to tell his parents he didn't want to play sports anymore. He had more important things to think about –like his latest computer project. His thoughts had wandered off into the land of binary code when something weird happened. He watched distractedly as Matthew pulled his top off revealing a toned body complete with light tan. Corey felt a strange fluttering in his stomach and his mouth had gone dry. It was the same feeling he got whenever he was around Livvy with her shiny brown hair and pretty smile. Yet he was feeling like that around Matthew? God he was so confused. Did that mean he was gay? He supposed so, liking a guy usually meant you were gay as far he knew. But he still liked Livvy too. So what did that mean? Except the fact he now had a headache coming on and an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach.