"Where've you been? I thought you were dead! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!", the small blond boy screamed as he ran to a figure of similar stature in the distance. The smell of salt water was overwhelming as dusk approached; the water was rather choppy and loud as it crashed against the docks. The boy jumped and nearly tackled his friend, choking back tears: "Where've you been, where've you been?"

"P-peter, you s-should know w-where I've be—"

"If I knew I wouldn't be tearing up because I'm so happy to see you! I thought you died!"

"H-how? How could you ever think that…?"

Peter looked up and down his friend's body, noticing the dozens of nearly-faded scars and an immense joy filled his whole body. "He hasn't gotten to you in months, huh? I really really thought he killed you, or you killed yourself! But you're here! And alive!" Peter embraced his friend in a bone-crushing bear hug, finally allowing a few tears of happiness to spill down his face. The sun was beginning to bleed into the sky.

"How could you even think that about me? H-how cou-could you…"

"Well you didn't say a word to me for several months…I only assumed the worst…considering that last time you were within an inch of your life…"

Peter let go and wiped away a few tears with his sleeve, trying to be at least half-way mature. He looked at Raivis' arms and noticed a few scars, and quickly slid his friend's red jacket sleeve up to his elbow. Faded slashes covered the whole arm.

"You didn't do this, did you…?" A childish innocence took over Peter's person.

"N-no…"

"Then who?"

"You wouldn't understand! I w-was held cap-captive in my own home…I was tr-t-rapped wi-wi-thin my own p-p-personal hell…I don't th-tha-think you c-could unders-s-stand the things I went through…I…I…I had to try to e-eh-end i-i-it a-a-all a-an-an-and…" Raivis' voice trailed off as his stuttering intensified, forcing him into silence as tears welled up, though he didn't allow himself to cry.

"But what about me? You know you would have me when it was over…it wouldn't last forever…it couldn't." Peter still couldn't comprehend the severity of the situation.

Raivis choked out a few more words, "Y-y-you d-don't und-un-understand…" He swallowed, and tried to gather himself once more. "I… I… I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO FUCKING DIE, OKAY? Besides, even you…even you wouldn't be able to help…"

Peter felt a new sensation in his body: weakness. He felt as though he could collapse into the cool ocean, right then and there, and he would drown peacefully as the sun's light bled into the water. He felt as though he could melt into the docks. He felt he could become anything. His eyes melted and hot tears cut across his face, yet he was still unable to comprehend everything being told to him. The young boy tried to speak, but nothing came out, and he choked on the salty air, sending more and more tears down his face until he eventually collapsed onto the dock.

"How could I not help you…? I thought…"

"You don't understand, and you never will." The new coldness of Raivis' words stung.

"Raivis, I-!"

"If you really want to know, I'll tell you, okay?"

"…okay."

"B-b-but you can't tell anyone about what I t-tell you…and you have to p-promise me that you'll never b-bri-bring it up again."

"…alright."

Taking a deep breath, Raivis attempted to recount the horrors he faced, trying to keep from stuttering in doing so. "I'll try to k-ke-keep it sh-short… but… I… every time I did something wrong, whatever it was, I was bea-beaten senseless. He cut me to pieces often..." Raivis lifted his shirt and jacket to reveal huge, deep scars spanning across his torso, focusing mainly on his stomach. "H-he especially liked to stab at my stomach, because he knew how much it hurt me." Raivis smiled as tears welled up. "But…but I-Iv-I-Ivan always would treat it like nothing happened when he was done... He s-s-" Raivis was choking on air, now. "He split me open…once a week…at the very least. I'm very lucky it was just him terrorizing me, bu-but…that doesn't make the memories of the pain, fa-fade, you know? He burned me, too...he thought that my screams and whimpers were…'cute', and he'd go back over the blisters and p-peel the sk-skin back with his knife… a-an…and that…that is all I will tell you…that is all I can tell you."

Peter stood up and fell onto his friend, resting his head on Raivis' shoulder. "You never told me about any of the things that were done to you…and even now you can't tell me the full extent of things? But that's okay I guess." His voice was breaking. Raivis smiled a little and held him closer as his big, childish eyes cried softly.

He supposed that he would be okay after all, as long as he could still see those beautiful blue eyes.