New Life

Chapter 28

Hi all!

Before you read this chapter I just wanted to let you guys know that I rewrote Lucas' and his parents character a little bit. I wanted Lucas to have some sort of a past so I decided to rewrite his character and the characters that shaped him. So if you could re read chapter 6. This chapter (chapter 28) will explain the change in chapter 6. Also, When I first wrote this story, I was pretty young and character development was pretty much nonexistent, so this story seems a little elementary. IDK. I'm trying to fix this up as best I could without changing the plot of the story written so far, but really I do regret some of the things that has been written and I am trying my best to keep this story as consistent without writing completely absurdly.

Thanks, Anne:)

Jackson's POV *Memory Continued*

I was taken back to the Valdinis' estate and Dominic offered to take care of me there. I stayed with them for a while. I was... cautious about coming home. I was seeing, hearing, and reading things about the McDowells and I was not sure that my parents would be too happy about my return. But I wanted to go home. I expected my parents to be not even overjoyed but simply satisfied by my return. I was wrong.

Eight years had passed since I was taken from my home. I stood in front of the gates of the McDowell mansion. "I'm home," I said with tears welled up in my eyes. The old gatekeeper noticed me and teetered out.

"Did you forget that you have to use the back door?" He said with panic in his eyes.

"Excuse me?" I asked confused. It was obvious that this person didn't recognize me as Jackson, but why would he tell Lucas to use the back door? Luke was the young master of the house; he should be treated with utmost respect in this house. The gatekeeper seized my arm and tried to pull me somewhere. I stood my ground, unaffected by the weak man's efforts.

"What is going on here?" A voice said behind me. I turned around and noticed that a car had pulled up to the gate. A man in a suit was walking towards us menacingly. I scoffed at his efforts to make me cower. Who did he think I was? I spent years training with Dom, and if I could put up with Dom, I could put up with this phony son of a b*tch.

"My apologies, sir," the gatekeeper lowered his head trembling, "the young McDowell boy seemed to have forgotten his place." His place? I thought to myself. What have these monsters been doing to my brother?

"I have not forgotten my place," I said, "Have you all lost your minds? I am your master, you are the servants. Do not forget your place!" The man in the suit had the audacity to laugh. I moved quickly and in a blink of an eye I had him pinned to the ground. He wasn't laughing now. I heard the car door open and close. I looked up and saw that it was my father who had exited the car. If he was there the whole time, why didn't he say anything? I thought.

"You stupid boy!" My father shouted, lunging at me. I jumped back and my father lost his balance falling to the ground. His eyebrow twitched in anger. "You should have died! You should have been the one to die instead of my poor boy Jackson!" I stood with my mouth hanging open. What did he mean by that? What have they been doing to Lucas? My hands rolled into tights fists and were trembling in anger.

"What have you been doing to Lucas?" I barked, "Where is he?" My father's eyes full of rage widened in realization.

I sat in my father's office with my parents sitting across from me. I didn't expect a party, but I sure as hell did not expect this kind of welcome. "Jackson, my baby," my mother cooed, "how did you make it out?" My head snapped up at her bluntness. My father put his hand on her thigh signaling for her to stop talking.

"Where is Lucas?" I didn't need anything else; I just wanted to find my bother and take him away from this wretched place. "I'll be taking him away. I can't leave him here with you monsters."

"I can't let you do that," my sorry excuse for a father said, "Jackson, my boy, your mother and I have missed you a great deal. We wanted you to return to instead we got this thing. Those stupid incompetent fools couldn't even return the right son." I slammed my fist on the table.

"Don't you dare say another degrading word about my brother, or I will personally remove your head from your body," I growled. My father flinched back with furrowed his eyebrows in frustration.

"Well, since it's come to this, might as well just tell you," my mother huffed, "We only wanted you back because your grandfather wanted to leave all of his inheritance to you. But to our surprise, the thing we got back was that stupid boy. Do you know how hard it was to try and fool your grandfather that this stupid boy was his marvelous and precious Jackson? Don't think you're so special. We only wanted the money your grandfather was leaving under your name."

"Why didn't you let him go after you got the money? Why did you keep him here and abuse him?" I gritted my teeth.

"Simple," she shrugged, leaning back comfortably in her seat, "the donations. People felt so bad for our son who lost his brother. The little boy who felt so bad for abandoning his brother to survive that he could not talk or even eat. And also his doting parents who was able to love the monster that killed their other son. Do you know how much money and business deals we made on that stupid sob story? The McDowell fortune could not possibly compare." I bit my lip and dug my fingernails into my palm.

I regained what little composure I had left and said, "I am going to take my brother away from this hell hole of a place, and I will return and kill you." There was a knock at the door and my father told them to come in. The man in the suit from before walked in practically dragging Lucas in. Lucas was walking awkwardly, like he was trying to hide a limp. He was small and looked severely malnourished. He looked as if he were flinching away from everyone in the room. His head hung low but you could feel the fear radiating from him. "What did you do?" I yelled. Lucas flinched. I ran over to him and caressed his face. "Lucas, Lucas," I cried, "I'll save you. I'm going to take you away." I grabbed his hand and proceeded to make my way to the door.

(Warning: scenes of abuse)

"Lucas!" My mother's shrill voice called, "Come over here." Lucas stopped in his tracks. He pulled on his hand trying to pull away from my grip. When I didn't release his hand, he brought his mouth to my hand and bit me making me release him. He ran over to my mother and kneeled beside her. I stared in horror. My mother lifted her hand and slapped him so hard that he flew back a bit. "Lucas," she said. Lucas quickly got back on his knees and crawled back to where he was kneeling. She looked up at me and ginned evilly. "So what were you saying?" I ignored her.

"Lucas, come on," I pleaded, "Let's go. I'll take you away from this place. We can go wherever you want. Come on. Lucas."

"Lucas," my mother sneered, "Tell your brother that you don't want to go."

"I don't want to go," Lucas croaked.

"Tell your brother that you hate him," she said laughing.

"I hate you," he repeated.

"That you hate him for making you come back here instead of letting you die in that cold metal cell," she threw her head back cackling.

(End of scene)

"I hate you for making me come back instead of letting me die in that cold metal cell," Lucas looked up and met my eyes. His eyes were full of rage and hatred towards... me. "I hate you," he said again, but on his own.

"So what was that again about taking him away?" My mother looked at me tauntingly.

I knelt in front of Lucas and extended my hand, "Lucas?" He smacked my hand away.

"Don't touch me," he spat. I got up and glared at those monsters.

"Roger and Lillian McDowell," I said to them, "I will protect my brother from you monsters. I promise that I will ruin you, and when you've lost everything I will kill you."