"I do not want to go to that stupid park, especially with..."
"Listen to me boy you are going to that park and that is final!"
"But it is for little kids"
"You will listen to me otherwise you know what I will do, do you understand?"
"But..."
Before Zach questioned his father he was pushed to the wall
"Please don't" Zach cried
Scott grabbed his eldest son's throat and gradually began to get tighter and tighter and tighter
"You are going to that park, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"
Zach nodded rapidly and tried to walk out of the kitchen
"Oh and if you tell your mother about this, so help you God you will be done for, okay?"
Once again Zach nodded and walked into his bedroom trying not to make a sound You see when his mother or Gray weren't home Scott could take his anger out on Zach, he was like a human punch bag, but when they finished work or school (respectively for each person) Scott's facade of being the perfect father vanished. In fact some would say that image is important to Scott, more important than his eldest son-Image was everything to Scott.
Zach waited in his room until he heard his mother's car pull on to the drive with Gray (it was parent's evening), but he still didn't go down, he didn't want to gaze into his father's eyes nor did he want to reveal his bruises too Gray or his mother (more specifically reveal is bruises) even though Zach didn't show his emotions that well, he deeply cared for his mom and Gray, specifically cared about keeping them safe and away from his father. As far as he knew his dad did not hurt Gray or his mom in any way he didn't want it to start as Zach was leaving for college in a few years and he did not want to leave his family in a vulnerable state.
Meanwhile downstairs "Hey dad" Gray shouted as he enthusiastically hugged his father being lifted in the air
"Hey sport, how was it?" his dad asked
"It was great, the teachers believe that I have a bright future ahead of me and that I will earn a lot of income in the near future"
"Well isn't that great?"
Gray left the kitchen and left his parents to talk ,running straight for Zach's room and silently opening the door
"Zach?" he whispered "Are you in here?"
Zach didn't respond as he had fallen asleep, Gray was about to launch himself at him but he hesitated as he saw bruises around his brother's neck, by the look of it they were fairly recent Instead Gray shook him slowly
Zach flinched in fear as he believed it was his father "Oh hey Gray, what do you want?"
"Just asking to see whether you've packed your bags"
Zach pointed to the suitcase in the corner of the room and turned to his side, Gray believed it probably was not the best time to ask about the bruises on his brother's neck, It was probably someone at school as Zach didn't have many friends, he wasn't picked on per say but he did often start a fight or two.
"Oh and Zach"
"Yeah?"
"I love you"
Zach didn't respond he just nodded in silence and fell back asleep. Gray left his brother and wandered into his room being the second Mitchell to fall asleep
"ZACH,ZACH,GET UP!" Gray shouted excitedly as he was jumping on Zach's stomach, without realising it Gray was given him a lot of pain
"Okay I'm up, let me get changed okay?"
Gray ran down the stairs and had breakfast with his parents, "Well he's up now" he said with a grin.
Zach began to undress himself lifting his pure white pyjama top and tartan trousers revealing to himself an array of cuts, scratches and bruises left there by his so called father, he touched one of them and winced in pain "Zach honey are you dressed?" his mom asked
"Almost" he replied
"Well can you hurry up? We are about to leave"
Zach didn't answer and put on a pair of dark blue jeans, a burgundy T-Shirt and a gray hoodie. He walked down the stairs trying to hide the fact that he is in sever pain.
"It is okay" Karen said "It is only going to be a week or two"
Zach just nodded and put on his headphones to block out the world that hated him so much.
"Zach, honey can you take these?" he didn't respond "Zach she said again nudging him
he reluctantly took the plane and boat tickets and walked away from his parents holding Gray's hand
"Zach,? Are you okay" Gray asked softly "Zach" he tapped his arm "Are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well you held my hand, something may I add you have never done before and I also saw the markings on you neck, who did this to you?"
Zach gazed into his little brother's eyes and said "Don't worry about it"
"Well I do, it hurts me to see you suffering"
"It was just something that happened at school" hoping that Gray would not sense that he was lying
"Please do not let it happen again"
"I will try" Zach said as he knelt down to hug his little brother, "Thank you so much for caring" he said
"Well I know you would react the same if I were in your position also You are my brother and I love you even if we both don't show that often.
Gray ran towards the plane with Zach dawdling just behind him keeping an eye out for him.
Zach and Gray arrived on the island "Hey I guess that is us" Gray said as he pointed to a tall slender woman with long dark hair.
"Than I guess no Claire" Zach mumbled Zach expected Claire not to show up but he was secretly hoping for her to make an appearance for Gray's sake he has been disappointed too many times by his mother, his father, him and now his Aunt Claire. Everybody just needs to stop disappointing him.