RP oneshots

Haunted

-After Jim found out about the kiss-

He remembered when the paint was still fresh, and the plants didn't look like they'd been trampled by elephants. When the door was a trap to hold in all the bad, but now it was littered with scratches and holes. Local kids now went into this house, claiming it was haunted. And they were right. It was haunted with memories of everything it saw in its walls. Abuse, hatred... death. And yet, it kept standing, forcing itself to stay tall. Stay put together.
He could feel how much the house didn't want him in there by the doorknob's refusal to turn. He forced it to, anyways. The door creaked as if it were a plead for him to stay out, but they both knew he'd keep coming back. He always ended up back here. No matter how he tried, he did. Searching for answers the old place could never give.
In the last year, he'd been there twice. Once was to honor his mum, the other was to get her ring. And on the second visit, he'd smiled the entire time as he told her all the things he planned to do. Told her about the two grandchildren she'd be getting, and, more importantly, why her ring was the best possible choice. He even made sure to tell her about Jane's approval.
But this time wouldn't be like that. The shadows he cast weren't of the same man as that time. They were much different. Because last time he came here, he'd come with the intent to be done with all the walls he'd put up. To ignore every lesson his father ever taught him, and let go of the "what ifs". No, they weren't the same person. Where he'd once torn down his walls, he'd began building again- with better materials. Pain does that to a person. He could already feel the lessons play like a broken record in his head.
1. Trust no one, because people suck.
2. Never let anyone close. Only then can truly hurt you.
3. Sometimes giving up is the only way to win.
Three lessons that if a person hadn't lived in these walls their entire lives, they'd never understand the significance of.
4. Always protect Jane.
It'd been what kept him alive for sixteen years of his life. Even when he could feel the blood draining from his body- when he swore that that was the day, Jane would suddenly be his reminder. He couldn't just leave her. Not when there were kids at school making her feel worthless. When their brothers treated her like garbage.
When she could be the new outlet for the abuse.
He slipped into the sitting room, skipping the old Telly and sofa, and heading for the cabinet. Inside were all his father's treasures, but what interested him was on top. Carefully, he took it in his hands, the sounds of children's laughter echoing in his ears as he opened it.
Darci opened up the bronze lid, it's intricate detailing swirling all the way down to the base. "Japan," she'd once told Jane and him, "my mother took me with her once, and this was the only thing I'd wanted." Their brothers hadn't cared for the box, their interest was all on the chocolates inside. Jim had always wanted to know how she managed to refill it every night, keeping it from ever having even a single candy missing.
The four children watched in absolute wonder as the chocolates shone, their shiny surfaces looking more than delectable. Jim waited until Jane got one, meaning he ended up last, again. Then even waited for his mother to chose hers, before picking out an rose blossom one. Best in the world, and no one could convince him otherwise.
They came from England, after all.
Each kid munched theirs down, practically moaning at the taste. It was perfection, especially compared to their lives as nothing more than dirt on the old man's shoes. Their mother, however, would save hers for later...
Jim remembered after, too. Watching his father throw everything of hers' away- minus the box, which he claimed was nothing more than a nicknack from the oriental store a few streets down. Even after Jim had seen multiple similar boxes across their shelves, he still chose to believe his mum's story, and made sure Jane did, too.
A soft sigh echoed his lips as he placed it back in it's place, lid and all. That had been one of the few good parts of his childhood. A part he could share with the kids' at school, in hopes of not seeming worth their pity. After all, he was getting treats from across the water, who cared if he sometimes couldn't walk straight after being thrown into a wall?
He left the open room, and his steps echoed into the wood, causing sickening creaks as he ascended the steps. Those same steps that brought a twist to his stomach as he laid alone in bed at night, begging for his dad to return to his room, instead of next door's to Jane's.
He pushed past the horrid bathroom and it's gruesome memory, and then past the room he'd slept soundly in as the first grew stained with blood, all the way to his sister's room. He opened it with ease, fingers glossing over the Tiffany blue walls. He smiled at petty arguments over whether it was 'Tiffany blue', as she claimed, or more of a Robin's Egg blue. After forcing him to watch her favorite movie, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and pointing out that, on the cover, it showed the exact same colour as her room, he rolled his eyes and gave in. Besides, it made her happy. He laughed sadly, and stalked over to the bed, and dusted off the old padded chair before sitting down. His eyes skimmed the small surrounding area, landing on an old storybook. The pages danced as he thumbed through the old story.
"...and the gallant knight, with dragon slain, returned to the king, and won the hand of his lady. The end." Jim finished, and closed the book, only to look up and find Jane still wide awake.
"James, I'm not tired!" She whined, and he sighed, taking her hand.
"Janey, come on, you need to go to sleep." He encouraged, counting down the minutes in his head. Her bottom lip quivered, causing his lips to sink into a frown.
"Rest tired eyes a while
Sweet is thy Janey's smile
James is guarding and I watch o'er thee..." He sung softly, hoping to lull her to sleep. He could already tell it was working as she curled into her blankets with a soft yawn.

"Twilight and shadows fall,
Peace to His children all.
James is guarding and I watch o'er thee
As you sleep
May I watch over and May I guard o'er thee." He finished, and smiled softly at her sleeping form, her chest rising and falling slowly. He brushed back her hair and kissed her forehead. He smirked.
"Works every time... Goodnight, Janey." He whispered, slowly letting go of her hand and standing. He looked back once more, and smiled at the peace that surrounded her before scurrying off to his room before their father got home...
It was almost like he could still see his little sister, laying down for her bedtime story. Getting upset at him for calling her "little sis" and reminding him they were the same age.
"I'm an hour older..." He chuckled sadly, smiling at the memories. And then everything just- stopped. He could remember a time where, as long as Jane was happy, he was happy. When had that stopped?
He forced himself from the chair, and out of the room, but not before looking back once more. Little Janey, that's all that used to matter to him. He turned away, ignoring his brothers' rooms, and went to his parents'. It was simply decorated, all choices of his mum's, luckily.
"You always told me to watch over Jane, and I never understood why... not until that night..." He whispered into the darkness, eyes slowly adjusting to see the shadows as he crossed the room, opening to the other set of stairs that lead to the kitchen.
"You have to be her big brother, Jim.' You always told me. 'Do whatever is best for Jane... you're strong.' And I believed you, and I did..." He recounted to the nothingness around him, stepping down to the tiled area.
"You'd always saved your chocolate piece for me... then I'd break it in half to give some to Jane..." He smiled, until his eyes hit the dining room. He could still see it all. Everything that happened that night...
His eyes snapped shut before his father's fist even swung at him. He could feel the wood beneath his cheek as he slammed against the floor. The first kick only earned a grunt, but the second hit right below his ribcage, going partially under it, and he couldn't breathe for a moment.
"Mum-!" He wheezed out as he caught sight of her blonde curls. She looked on, a woeful expression on her face, but she did nothing to help him as his father's foot lashed into him again.
"I'll learn you respect, boy!" The ogre of a man snapped, pulling Jim to a standing position by a fistful of black hair. Jim's hand shot up to try and stop his father's as the man's hand ensnared the boy's throat. He could smell the alcohol on his breath, and see his dilated pupils and red eyes from getting high. Things began to grow fuzzy, but he could see the movement of his father's lips. He didn't know he was being moved until his back crashed into the wall, however. His vision grew darker in perfect time with his father's hand getting tighter. And suddenly, he was released. Thrown into a chair, which collapsed him into the bricks to, what once was, their fireplace.
"You're nothin' but a disappointment!" Was the last thing he heard before the man stumbled up the stairs to bed. Jim began to catch his breath, and could already feel his skin being taken over by blood and bruises. Why hadn't his mum helped him?!
"Oh- my poor Jim..." She pulled his six-and-a half year old body from the broken splinters of wood and jagged bricks, carrying him over to a chair so she could clean him up. He shot away from her the moment she went to press the wet cloth to the worst of his cuts.
"You could've stopped him!" Jim hissed disdainfully, glowering at his mum with all the hate he could muster. Hate that should belong to his father...
"Jim... I'm so, so sorry... l-let me clean you up-" She went to try again, but Jim stood from the chair and stepped away.
"No! You could leave him! You could stop this before it happens, but you don't! You're weak!" Her heart shattered, and it was visible in her eyes, "YOU'RE JUST AS BAD AS THAT MONSTER!" Without another word, he stormed off to bed, not caring about how stained his sheets would be in the morning. He immediately began to feel bad for what he said... he loved his mum. Tired, and weak, he went to sleep, planning to apologize in the morning.
But when morning came, she was gone. And she'd never be there, again.
A tear slid down Jim's cheek.
"What have I done?" He whispered, "I took you from Jane... a countless number of friends, and datemates... Claire... Minnie..." He was a rubbish brother. All he did was take people from Jane. If he'd never h- if he'd never said those things, their mum would still be alive. He'd always had Jane, that's what kept him going, but he also hurt her in ways that she'd never recover.
"I'm sorry, Mum... I failed."