HOWDEEDOODEEDERE! (That's Dragonese for "hello")
Okay, so I know a lot of you are going to yell at me for starting yet ANOTHER multi-chapter when I'm no where near finishing any of my other three *wince* but I'm too excited to wait for this one! Okay, so, in case you didn't read, this is the PROLOGUE and thus, just a little background history on how we got to where we'll be in the ACTUAL first chapter.
Yup. So have fun...
Logan fell against the wall, sinking to the floor and cowering under his father's massive frame. Tears stained his pale, hallow cheeks. He held his thin arms above his head feebly, his best defense against the onslaught of punches plaguing him, cut, bleeding skin clinging to bone. His dark blue and black knees were pulled up close to his chest.
"P-please," he begged, his voice small in the cruel darkness enclosing him. "Please, daddy, let me go!" His body quaked painfully, shuddering against the drywall. He was just so scared. He braced himself for contact, sending a silent prayer up above for the knife not to cut too deep. His eyes shot open as the searing blade broke skin.
Logan couldn't help but let out a scream-
"GAH!" Logan woke up, clutching his throbbing heart. His pulse beat wildly in his temples as he looked around the room, ragged breaths slowing as he took in the sight of his friend's sleeping faces. His brain spun back into reality as he took in his surroundings, determining he was safe in 2J with his evil dad no where to be found. He turned on his side, entangling himself further into his already knotted sheets. There was no chance of him getting back to sleep tonight, but that wasn't unusual. The nightmares were sort of expected by now. The red glare of the alarm clock taunted him, reading '3:47'.
He felt the hair on his neck stiffen as he sensed someone watching him. He looked across the room at Carlos, the Latino's eyes bright in the dark bedroom. They both had bottom bunks, mostly because they were short enough to sit up in them without knocking their heads, but also because they didn't trust Carlos to sleep up high without falling. The kid was active, even in his sleep.
"Logie, are you okay?" he asked, tired voice creaking. Logan's mind went on a whirl as he mentally prepared himself for the dangerous topic to come. He cleared his throat in the pitch black of the room, all to aware of Carlos's stare.
"It was just a nightmare, Carlos," Logan answered, taking care to not say what it was about. "Go back to sleep." There was a loud rumpling noise overhead, and suddenly James's head popped down from the top bunk. He always had been a light sleeper.
"Yeah, but, Loges, you always have nightmares, ever since we were little and even now!" Logan opened his mouth to protest, just like he always did, and shift the focus off of himself, but James wouldn't have it. "And don't you say anything else because all your tossing and turning keeps me up at night, so would you just talk to us about it so I can go to bed without waking up six times in the middle of the night?" He sounded sort of frustrated and looked completely exhausted. "The sooner you can sleep, the sooner I can." Logan bit his lower lip.
"Guys, it's fine. Just relax, they're not even that scary," he said, 'fessing up to the nightmares but lying about everything else. His two awake friends gave him skeptical looks. Thank goodness Kendall was a heavy sleeper, or he would have been found out long before now.
"Is it homesickness?" Carlos asked, pressing. Logan felt his heart speed up at the what seemed like eminent threat of being discovered. He shifted awkwardly under his covers, scratching the back of his neck.
"No," he answered, his stomach flipping. Logan felt horribly queasy. James arched an eyebrow at him, rubbing his bleary eyes and letting out a puff of air, heavy in thought. The look on his face said it was definitely too early in the morning for all this thinking, but it was also concerned.
"Um... is it with Camille?" Logan tried to shake of a bitter smile at the thought of his nightmares being caused by something as simple as girl troubles. He shook his head, ignoring the look of disappointment on James's face as he realized he had been wrong.
"Is Gustavo pressuring you too much?" Carlos questioned, a tinge of worry in his voice. Logan shook his head, face paling at just the name of the fleshy, intimidating man. James noticed and gulped.
"Am I pressuring you too much?" he asked, misinterpreting completely.
"No!" Logan exclaimed, shaking his head violently. The last thing he wanted was for James to think it was his fault. After all, he was the one to cause all this, not his friends. "This doesn't have anything to do with you guys, okay?" He gave his friends pleading looks in desperation for them to let the conversation drop and just go back to sleep. There was a pause.
Carlos rolled out of bed, walking over to the light switch and flicking it on. He came over to Logan's bunk and sat on the edge, bringing his face within inches of his own. The Latino's eyes bore into him, searching. "Logan," he started, and the taller boy's heart almost stopped at the seriousness of his tone, one so unnatural on Carlos. "Does this have anything to do with your back?" he asked, and Logan gagged.
"W-w-what do you mean?" he stammered, praying Carlos didn't know what he thought he did. After all, he had been so careful. He didn't go swimming, he always changed in the bathroom, he had never taken a group shower-
"I mean all the lines back there. Your scars?"
Logan honestly couldn't breathe. It felt like the whole world had just punched him in the gut to knock the wind out of him. Th only thought capable of running though his head was 'how did he know?'. His brain beat in time to his rapid pulse, his skull on the verge of bursting. He tried to shake off the look of a frightened animal and answer, but his mouth could only gape open and closed like a fish.
Carlos's eyes flashed with fear at the reaction he had caused in his friend. "It's okay, Logan," he tried to comfort, but then started sobbing. "I'm sorry, we were ten and it was just an accident!" Tears streamed down his cheeks. "I'm so, so sorry, I wasn't supposed to know, but I'm worried, and you just seem so scared all the time! I just wanted to help!"
Logan could barely take in what was being said, much less what was going on. Luckily, James noticed Kendall stirring in his sleep. He quickly hopped down from his top bunk, ushering the two shorter boys into the living room. Logan could hardly feel his comforting hand on his back as James stuck him down at the orange couch. He felt completely numb.
Meanwhile, Carlos was turning into a puddle of tears. "I just... I was just messing around and wanted to know why you never changed in the locker room. I didn't think it would be something so bad!" he wailed in apology. Logan listened, the horror mounting. He stole a look at James, who seemed lost. Carlos continued, "Your back was turned, you didn't see, but I did, and," he shuddered," they were everywhere!" Sobs wracked the Latino's shoulders.
"Carlos, stop it!" Logan croaked in an attempt to cu him off. He watched James from the corner of his eye as the boy band's heart throb wavered, trying to decide who to comfort. Carlos couldn't stop, and kept babbling through his tears.
'I just ran away, I didn't tell anyone, Logan, I promise, but I really wanted to! It was was so scary, and I just kept thinking about it and thinking about it, and I couldn't stop!"
"Carlos, SHUT UP" Logan shreiked, holding his hands over his ears to block out the sound of his voice, distressed that Carlos wasn't holding back. He rocked himself back and forth, biting his tongue hard as he literally bit back screams.
"There were so many, Logie! Please tell my you're okay, i've been wondering for six years if you were okay!" Then, an eerie silence coated 2J, broken only by the occasional sniff from Carlos. James caught Logan's eye and shattered the quiet.
"What is he talking about, Logan?" he asked, taking up a determined tone. Logan just shook his head, jaw tensed. That's when James grabbed his shoulders and shook him, lost in his need to know what was going on. "What. Is. He. TALKING ABOUT!" Logan just stared mutely back at him until James whipped him around. The tall, tan boy pulled up his shirt and gasped in horror.
So that's how the boys got to where they are. One traumatized, two practically shedding their hair in worry, and the one meant to keep them all together completely in the dark. Needless to say, things were bad. It was almost a wonder how things could possibly get any worse.
Of course, knowing the boys, they did.
This song makes me think of "Come So Far (Got So Far To Go)" from Hairspray. "ITS SO CLEAR, EVERY YEAR WE GET STRONGER! SO DON'T GIVE UP, DON'T GIVE IN AND JUST GET BACK ON THE ROAD AGAIN!"
So I'm pretty ecsatic for where this is going... I wasn't originally going to have Kendall not know, but I like it this way. It's gonna result in more suffering all around. YAY!
"I KNOW WE COME SO FAR, BUT WE GOT SO FAR TO GO! I KNOW THE ROAD SEEMS LONG BUT IT WON'T BE LONG 'TIL IT'S TIME TO GO, SO MOST NIGHTS WE'LL TAKE IT FAST, BUT SOMETIMES WE'LL TAKE IT SLOW! I KNOW THE ROAD SEEMS LONG, BUT, BABY, BABY, WE GOT SO FAR TO GO!"