This is a prompt from Godzilla183 and will be a 3 part series. This is part 1. Parts 2 and 3 are listed below.
2. Big Brother, Little Sister: We Look Out For Each Other
3. Big Brother, Little Sister: We Protect Each Other
Disclaimer: I do not own the Benji remake.
WARNINGS: INCEST, KIDNAPPING, VERY MINOR VIOLENCE (it's only one scene, I think)
Two siblings- both young, not even at high school age- lay together, their hands intertwined and tears on their faces. Their father had died only a few weeks ago, and their lives had been filled with more and more changes ever since. Their mother was never home; they lost the few friends they had after kids began to bully them (the children were very vulnerable after the tragic loss); their mother had even sold their father's watch, the one thing they had left of him. No friends. No father. A caring mother working multiple jobs with several hours for each shift. During that time, they had no one. Except for each other.
The siblings had grown closer after their father died, and they actually began to enjoy each other's company. They were best friends until their feelings developed into something more.
Little Sister looked up, and her lips touched Big Brother's ever so slightly before they timidly continued the kiss until it became a kiss that wasn't 'supposed' to be shared between siblings, according to society, anyway.
And yet, they didn't care about what they were supposed to do and what they weren't supposed to do. All they cared about was the love they felt for one another, the true love and care growing inside their hearts.
Two separate hearts became one on that day as two siblings fell in love with each other.
They didn't know the trials that life would bring within the next few months. They didn't know they would meet a dog that accepted them for who they were, which can't be said about anyone else. They didn't know they would be in the wrong place at the wrong time and would be kidnapped and held captive. They didn't know the fear, the terror that was coming their way.
But they did know that whatever life threw at them, they would get through it together. They loved each other like their parents loved each other. Just because they were siblings didn't change that they feel love just like you and me. They couldn't help falling in love with each other, just like we can't stop ourselves from falling in love with the boy down the street or the girl next door or a random person you met on the bus ride to work one day. They couldn't help falling in love. Their hearts were calling out for each other, and silencing their hearts would hurt them much more than giving in to what their hearts wanted.
Who says young kids can't fall in love, anyway?
Months had passed since the siblings officially became boyfriend and girlfriend, and Big Brother was walking out of school, sneaking around the corner with a fearful look in his eyes.
He sighed, thinking he was in the clear, but the minute he stepped into the open, a burly boy with wide eyes and curly hair slammed him against a brick wall.
"We had a plan, Carter," the boy growled.
"The p-plan's still on," Carter stammered, trying to push himself against the wall and get as far away from the bully as possible.
"The plan was for you to get me Bs," the bully said before holding up an assignment with an A written in the top left hand corner. "Does this look like a freaking B?"
"I just want what's best for you," Carter squeaked, trying and failing to not show the fear he felt.
"Do you know when the last time I got an A was?" the boy demanded, afraid the teacher might get suspicious and discover he was bullying someone into doing his homework for him.
"I'm sorry!" Carter exclaimed. "I'll act more stupid next time. Completely idiotic and moronic. Beyond obtuse," Carter rambled.
"That's what I like to hear," the bully replied, releasing Carter from the pin to the wall, and he turned away as Carter sighed in relief.
The bully paused. "Are you making fun of me?" he realized.
That hadn't been Carter's intention, but thinking back on his fearful rambling, he realized he might have accidentally insulted the bully. Bad move.
"You're dead this time, Carter," the bully snarled, lunging at the smaller boy.
The bully was in the middle of beating up his victim when a high pitched voice sounded from behind him.
"Get away from him!" Little Sister shouted.
The bully turned to see Carter's sister behind him, and he raised an eyebrow.
"What are you going to do if I don't… little girl?" he mocked.
"Frankie, get out of here!" Carter shouted, but Little Sister didn't obey. Frankie only glared at the bully; if looks could kill, the bully would've been dead long ago.
Frankie grabbed a metal trash can lid and slammed it against the bully's chest. Don't get me wrong; Frankie wasn't usually a violent person, but when someone harmed her boyfriend, all bets were off.
The bully stumbled, and Frankie kicked his legs out from under him in something that was a cross between a karate move and a dance move.
Third time's the charm, she thought before delivering one last blow to the bully's ribs. The bully, afraid of a little girl that was brave enough to fight a boy twice her size, dashed out of the alley and vanished down the street, limping from the kick she'd sent to his knees.
Frankie held out a hand, which Carter accepted, and Carter was pulled to his feet.
"You didn't have to do that," Carter told her.
"Yes, I did," Frankie disagreed. "You're my brother and my boyfriend. That's two good reasons to protect you. Besides, you would do the same thing for me. You have done the same thing for me."
Carter smiled as she straightened his jacket and pressed a light kiss to his lips before they exited the alley with their hands intertwined.
"Maybe we should tell a teacher about him," Frankie suggested, referring to the bully.
Carter laughed. "There's no need. I don't think he'll be bothering me again for a long time."
They took another few steps before Carter suddenly stopped, and Frankie back pedaled a few steps in bewilderment.
"What is it?" Frankie inquired.
"Look," Carter whispered, and Frankie followed his gaze to a dog with shaggy, light brown fur and the cutest eyes she had ever seen on a dog before.
"Wow," Frankie murmured, and she felt drawn to the dog as she took a step forward, but a crowd of people passed in front of her, and when the crowd was out of the way, the dog was gone.
Frankie frowned in confusion and disappointment. Where could the dog have gone on the crowded, bustling street they were standing on?
Carter patted Frankie's shoulder and pointed to a vent on the side of the nearest building. She barely saw a hint of movement inside the small space.
"I have grapefruit! I have pineapple! I have strawberry!" an elderly man with a protruding belly announced, gesturing to his fruit stand.
"I'll be right back," Carter said as Frankie knelt beside the vent, wishing the dog would come back out, so that she could see those cute, but oddly sad, eyes again.
Carter handed the man a few one dollar bills as he bought a handful of strawberries, and the man grinned.
"Thank you. You have a good day now, and be careful with the cars," the man told the young boy.
Carter smiled in return. "You, too."
Carter knelt beside his sister and rested three strawberries on the ledge leading into the vent.
Frankie and Carter aren't sure how much time passed, but just when they began to give up hope that the dog would venture out of the vent to eat the fruit, a small, black nose appeared, sniffing the sweet, red, delicious fruit before gobbling them up.
Frankie and Carter smiled at each other before continuing on their way, passing Frankie's school and walking down the street.
"You want to go to Sam's?" Carter asked.
Frankie shrugged. "Sure. It's a waste of time, though."
"You never know. Maybe he's in a good mood today."
Frankie laughed. "In your dreams. Are you coming to my recital?"
She didn't notice Carter drop a juicy strawberry on the ground.
Carter nodded. "Of course."
"I'm going to have a solo and do five piriouttes all on my own," Frankie stated, proudly. "I'll dance in New York, and I'll dance in Swan Lake, and I'll become super famous."
"Just don't become all stuck up like so many famous people these days," Carter requested. "I couldn't stand the sadness knowing my girlfriend won't give me the time of day."
Frankie chuckled. "Don't worry. You'll always come first in my book."
Carter placed a strawberry on a fire hydrant while Frankie got into a street car.
"Come on!" she called.
"Frankie, can't we walk?" he asked.
"It'll take us ages to get to Sam's if we walk," she pointed out, "and I'd like to be home before dinner."
Carter sighed and followed her onto the street car. He stared out the window in search of the dog him and Frankie had met, the one he'd been trying to convince to follow Carter home.
He didn't notice the dog jump onto the back of the street car, his shaggy fur flying in the wind as the street car rumbled through the streets.
"And someday, I'll get to go to Paris to dance!" Frankie cheered as they got off of the street car.
"Just don't forget about me while you're gone," Carter joked.
"Are you kidding me?" Frankie laughed. "You're coming with me. I don't want to be alone in an unfamiliar city."
The siblings walked into Sam's pawn shop. Sam was a cranky, middle aged man, whom their mother had sold their father's watch to, and they'd been trying to buy it back ever since. Still, Sam may be cranky, but he knew about their relationship and didn't judge them for it, even when almost everyone else did.
"Four dollars and twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight cents," Carter announced as he sat the money on Sam's counter. "So that brings the total to… thirty-four dollars and eighteen… no, nineteen cents. Not bad, am I right?"
Frankie read the expression on Sam's face. "How much more do we have to go?" she asked, not even daring to hope.
Sam barked a laugh. "Oh, you don't even want to know."
"Sam, we've been coming here twice a week for a long time," Carter begged. "At least take the watch out of the For Sale case."
"If I take it out of the case, people can't see it, and if people can't see it, people can't buy it," Sam replied.
"But we're going to buy it," Carter exclaimed. "Eventually."
"This is a business. Barely, but it is, and I told you if someone likes the watch, I'll tell you, give you the chance to buy it first," Sam offered.
"But we're at, like, thirty-four dollars and nineteen cents," Frankie pleaded, hoping that the amount was close enough to the price of the watch to count for something.
None of them noticed the shaggy furred dog looking at the kids through the grimy window of the pawn shop.
"Kids, how old do you think I am?"
"Old," Carter answered.
"A hundred," Frankie guessed, making the two males glance at her.
"You're not really helping your case," Sam told her. "Anyway, at this rate, you'll be bringing your money to the cemetery."
"I don't like the cemetery," Frankie sulked, leaning on the counter and resting her head on her arms.
"Look, kids," Sam said. "A guy came in here today. He liked the watch; I told him it ran slow."
"But it doesn't run slow. My father kept it in perfect condition; you know that," Carter rambled.
"The point is, pudding head, he's not wearing it, is he?" Sam responded.
"Oh," Frankie realized with an understanding smile. "Mr. King, of all the people I don't like in this world, I like you the best."
"Yeah," the man muttered. "You and every other woman in my life. Now, you two kids get on out of here."
"You know, we're just going to keep coming back," Frankie reminded him.
"Yeah, like a rash," Sam told her.
"See you tomorrow," Frankie called.
"Take care," Sam replied as the bell dinged when the door shut behind the two kids.
The stray dog with shaggy fur- he was a very smart dog and understood the situation with the watch based off of the conversation- watched through the window as Sam took the watch out of the For Sale case and placed it in the safe, away from the eyes of potential buyers.
The dog followed Frankie and Carter, passing a suspicious, rust colored van on the way across the street.
"I told you that was a waste of time," Frankie mumbled, kicking at a pebble on the sidewalk.
"No, it wasn't," Carter said with hope ringing in his tone. "We added more money, and next time, it will be less money that we have to add."
"Yeah, but… Carter, you're giving him your lunch money. I know you have. We want the watch badly, but you need to eat."
"I eat breakfast and dinner," Carter offered.
"Yeah, but skipping meals can lead to medical problems. Even just skipping one meal a day for a long time can have consequences. I want Dad's watch just as badly as you do, Carter, but I also want you to be healthy," Frankie said, gently.
Carter sighed, unlocking their front door. "I'll eat lunch tomorrow. Deal?"
"Deal," Frankie agreed as they shut the door behind them.
While Carter and Frankie got settled, the dog with shaggy fur rushed over to the closed door, pawing at it.
I wish I had thumbs, the stray dog thought before going around to the side of the building and pushing a dumpster under the window and making a staircase out of boxes and trashcans and other random stuff sitting in the alley. The dog hopped up the staircase and waited patiently beside the window.
Meanwhile, inside, Carter and Frankie sat at the kitchen table to get a snack, and after making a big bowl of Captain Crunch, they piled the cereal onto their spoons before laughing as they linked their arms, connecting them at the elbows. They ate their own spoon of cereal while their arms were linked before chuckling again as they swallowed.
After finishing their cereal, Frankie leaned forward and kissed Carter on the lips, deepening the kiss until one kiss became a full make out session.
Sparks seemed to fly, and fireworks were exploding behind their eyes. Carter could feel his body relaxing and becoming more energetic at the same time, and Frankie could feel warmth all through her body as she kissed her boyfriend. The feeling was intoxicating, and the two of them parted, breathless.
"Best kiss ever," Carter whispered.
"You say that every time we kiss," Frankie giggled.
Carter shrugged. "Maybe because every kiss I share with you is the best kiss ever."
Frankie laughed before kissing her brother again.
Frankie opened her eyes as she pulled away from Carter, and her eyes widened as they landed on the window; Carter frowned and followed her gaze to see the shaggy furred dog pawing at the window and whining.
"How did you even get up here?" Carter asked as he opened the window and allowed the dog inside.
"How did you find us?" Frankie wondered as they ran their fingers through the dog's fur.
"That was me, actually," Carter admitted. "I was leaving a trail of strawberries so that he would follow us home."
Frankie nodded. "I knew you were up to something. Is he a stray?"
Carter nodded.
Frankie wrinkled her nose. "A stray that needs a bath," she muttered.
Carter smiled. "Well, that's an easy fix."
Half an hour later, Frankie found herself brushing the fur of the now clean dog while the dog rested his head on Carter's lap.
"What are we going to do with him?" Frankie asked. "Mom will never let us keep him. You asked for a bulldog for Christmas, and you got a stuffed animal."
"I'll talk to her. For now, he'll stay in our room until I can convince her," Carter answered.
"Where's he going to use the bathroom?" Frankie questioned.
Carter gestured to the ground below. "If he needs to go, we'll take him down the fire escape and into the alley."
Frankie nodded. "But we'll never be able to convince Mom. Especially since she's still upset since we… came out to her about our relationship."
Carter remembered that day all too well…
*FLASHBACK*
"Mom, we have something to tell you," Carter said, "and we need you to hear us out."
Their mother frowned. "Okay?" she asked, suspiciously.
Carter intertwined his fingers with Frankie's.
"We're dating," Frankie said, bluntly.
Their mother laughed. "Funny joke. Seriously, what's up?"
"It's not a joke, Mom," Carter replied in his sincerest tone.
Their mother went still as she processed their words, and just when Carter began to hope for a hug or simply a look of acceptance, an irritated scowl passed over her face.
"You two are brother and sister! That is so wrong," she growled. "Your father passed away; I'm working multiple jobs. I do not have the time or the energy to deal with this… this… disgusting relationship, and I will not have it under my roof!"
"Are you going to kick us out?" Frankie squeaked in fear.
"No, but until further notice, Carter, you're sleeping on the couch and Frankie stays in the room. You will not be in the same room at the same time without supervision, and there will be no kissing, no holding hands. I won't even allow you two hugging. If you break any of these rules, one of you will be going to boarding school. This is your one and only warning."
She stormed out of the room, leaving her teary eyed children standing in the living room.
*FLASHBACK OVER*
"I know," Carter sulked. "Maybe we could-"
A door opened and shut inside the house, and the two of them exchanged panicked glances.
"Oh, no," they said in unison before standing and climbing through their window and into the room. Technically, it was still Frankie's room; Carter continued to sleep on the couch, but their mom had loosened the leash a little by allowing them to walk to and from school together and she trusted them to behave until she got home. She used to make their neighbors watch them until she got home.
"Where are my amazing kids that love to help Mom out?" she called.
That was their mother's way. She treated them like she always did, like that conversation had never happened, but the conversation about their relationship lingered in the air, but their mother wasn't willing to talk about it.
"Hi, Mom!" Carter exclaimed.
"Hi, Mommy!" Frankie cheered. "You're the best mommy of all the mommies in the entire world!"
"Aw," their mother said, clearly not buying it. "What'd you do? It better not have been any of that funny business."
That was what their mother called their relationship and anything to do with it, like kissing. She couldn't bring herself to call it anything else.
"No, Mom," Carter said. "That was just… a phase. It's over."
Carter and Frankie didn't like lying to their mom, but what other choice did they have? They loved their mom, and they loved each other, and the only they could keep a healthy relationship with their mom and still have a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship with each other was by lying.
"That's what I like to hear," their mother said. "Now, go put these groceries away."
"Here you go, madam," their mother said, handing a plate to Frankie. "Mushrooms on top. Carter, is all your homework done?"
"It will be," Carter replied.
"What about you, Mr. Man? Anything interesting happen at school today?" their mom questioned.
"Not really," Carter answered. "I aced my science test."
They didn't tell their mom about Frankie defending him from Pig Face. As a rule, neither of them mentioned anything that had to do with each other if it happened outside the walls of their apartment. Carter and Frankie avoiding speaking of each other entirely in front of their mom; they might let something slip, and then, one of them would be shipped off to boarding school, probably Carter. Carter never figured out why, but their mother seemed to blame him, like he'd corrupted Frankie when that was far from the case. Carter was almost convinced their mother hated him, and he had a feeling it wasn't just because of his relationship with Frankie. Carter thought it might be because he looked exactly like his dad, and it hurt for his mother to even look at him.
Carter wouldn't even tell Frankie how much that hurt.
"Fantastic!" their mom was saying as she prepared him a plate, but Carter's eyes were focused on the dog that entered the kitchen. "What was the test about?"
"Uh… the ecosystem," Carter said as Frankie tried to get the dog to leave the kitchen by shooing him out from under the table. "Yeah, food chains and whatnot."
"Whatnot?" his mother asked. "That's one word I've never heard a kid say."
"I also had a vocabulary lesson today," Carter said, trying to keep his mother preoccupied so that she wouldn't see the dog charging into the pantry before coming back out of the pantry with a Honeycombs box on his head. It would've been funny if Carter wasn't so afraid of getting caught.
"Here you go, no mushrooms," their mother said, handing him his plate.
"Actually, can I have mushrooms?" Carter asked.
"You hate mushrooms," their mother said in confusion and suspicion.
"Yeah, well, taste buds change every seven years. That's a scientific fact," Carter rambled.
"He's right, very right," Frankie agreed.
Their mother shrugged. "All right."
She scooped some mushrooms onto his plate and handed it to Carter, frowning when she noticed the nervousness in his eyes.
"What is going on with you two?" she demanded. "I want the truth. Now."
She still didn't trust them to tell her the truth about their relationship. Which they weren't telling the truth, so Carter couldn't blame her.
"Mom…" Carter said. "We are telling you the truth. We're just acting a little weird because…"
"Pig Face tried to beat him up again," Frankie blurted as Benji finally left the kitchen.
"That's what it is," their mother sighed. "Carter, who is this kid?"
"It doesn't matter, Mom-"
"Yes, it does," their mother replied.
"I mean," Carter replied, "it doesn't matter because Frankie hit him with a garbage can lid. Three times. I don't think he'll be bothering me again anytime soon."
Their mother chuckled. "Have I ever told you that you two are some of the bravest kids I know?"
Her kids shook their heads.
"Well, you are. I know it's been hard lately. Your dad dying; I'm working two jobs; you're on your own all the time, not to mention how I blew up when you told me."
Carter and Frankie were surprised she was addressing the subject of their relationship at all.
"I love you kids. I don't agree with this relationship, and I don't want it to continue, but that doesn't mean I love you any less. Life is hard right now, but no matter what happens, I want you two to be brave, okay? Can you promise me that?"
"I promise, Mom," Carter said.
"Me, too," Frankie agreed.
Their mom nodded. "Thank you."
"Why don't we name him Michael Jordan?" Carter questioned as the dog sat between him and his sister on her bed. Carter would be on the couch when his mother went to bed before sneaking into his sister's room for the night. He'd wake up early and return to the couch before their mom woke up; it was the same thing every night.
"He doesn't look like a Michael," Frankie disagreed with a shake of her head.
Carter shrugged. He couldn't argue there.
"What about… Cornipicous?" Carter suggested, reading a name from his science book.
Frankie shook her head. "Too hard to pronounce."
"Hey, look," Carter said, pointing at the book in front of him. "Benjamin Franklin had a dog. He thought they were more reliable than people."
"That is definitely true," Frankie agreed. "You and this dog are the most reliable things in my life."
"You're very reliable yourself," Carter laughed. "How about we name him Benjamin?"
"How about Benji?" Frankie offered.
"I like it," Carter said. "He's old and new at the same time."
Carter's eyes landed on a picture of their family sitting with Santa Clause. Their dad was smiling and wearing a Santa's hat.
"Dad would've let us keep Benji," Frankie whispered. "Carter, I don't want to say goodbye to Benji. I don't like goodbye. Please promise me we won't have to," she begged.
"I promise," Carter agreed, and he intended to keep that promise as he kissed his sister, gently.
"As I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord this dog to keep. And that I'll do amazing at my ballet recital. And that my spelling teacher will quit her job forever and never come back. And that Mommy won't have to worry so much. And that I'll never have to eat mushrooms again for as long as I live," Frankie prayed as she knelt beside her bed with Carter at her side.
"I pray that Mom will accept our relationship and realize that we love each other and that we can't help who we fall in love with. I know God accepts us for who we are and loves us unconditionally, so why can't Mom do the same?" Carter prayed. "Thank you."
"Amen," they said in unison before crawling into Frankie's bed on the top bunk and drifting off to sleep after muttering a quick goodnight to each other and to Benji.
"Just a quick kiss before I go to work," their mother muttered as she snuck around the couch to give Carter a kiss.
She frowned when she saw that Carter wasn't there.
She walked into Frankie's room and found Carter and Frankie sleeping in Frankie's bed, along with a…
"BARK!" Benji said.
"Carter! Frankie!" she yelled.
"Good morning, Mom," Carter mumbled, still half asleep.
"Why are you two in the same bed? And what is that?" their mother demanded.
"A stuffed animal. One that makes noises!" Carter blurted, ignoring her first question, entirely.
"I'm on to you two," their mother said. "This is why you were acting so weird. Not only are you sneaking around behind my back, but you also have a dog. Where did he even come from?"
"The street," Frankie answered. "We saved him."
"The street," Whitney muttered. "No. I am barely keeping the three of us afloat. I cannot handle one more thing! I'm taking him to a shelter, and Carter is going to boarding school until you realize that this relationship is wrong."
"A shelter?" Frankie cried. "They murder-kill dogs there."
"They do not."
"And boarding school?" Carter demanded. "You're sending me away!"
"I won't let them hurt it," Whitney said to Frankie, ignoring Carter's exclamation.
"He's not an it," Frankie said. "He's Benji. And if you send Carter away, you lose me, too."
"You named the dog?" their mother sighed. "It doesn't matter. This is my final decision."
"You know what?" Carter yelled. "I'm sorry, okay? For everything. I'm sorry you can't handle one more thing right now. I'm sorry you have to work so much. I'm sorry that I look so much like Dad that you can't even look at me!"
"Carter, that isn't-"
"No. You deny everything. Not this time. I'm sorry that you can't accept something that's different. But I'm not sorry that I fell in love with my sister. When you weren't there for me, she was! And when you weren't there for her, I was right by her side, but it doesn't seem to matter to you that we have no one except for each other right now. Dad's gone. You don't even seem to care about us after we told you about our relationship. We only have each other. And now, you're taking that away from us, too. I'm sorry you've forgotten what love is, but I'm not sorry I fell in love with Frankie," Carter said before picking up Benji and storming out of the room.
"Carter!" their mother called after him.
"Mommy?" Frankie whispered. "Do you even love Carter anymore?"
"Of course I do," their mother responded.
"Then show it," Frankie said, turning her back. "You know," she added. "He's not wrong. Dad would've accepted us, and you know it. You really have forgotten what love is."
She returned to her bed, and Whitney could hear her crying from the top bunk.
Whitney sighed. She didn't know what to do anymore. She couldn't bring herself to accept this relationship, but she knew if she kept Frankie and Carter apart, she'd lose both of them.
She wished her husband was still here.
The heavy back door shut behind Carter as he stepped into the pouring rain and set Benji down on the ground.
"Mom won't let us keep you. She'll send you to the pound," Carter murmured. "Go."
Benji didn't move.
"Go, Benji! At least you'll be free. I can't even think of letting you get locked up in a pound. Please… just go."
Carter knelt down, and Benji locked his face while Carter cried.
"I love you, Benji," he mumbled. "You're the only one that understood."
Benji barked before slowly walking away, glancing back at his owner (even if he was being forced to give the dog up) one last time before disappearing down the street.
Carter walked back inside, sat on the steps, and cried. At some point, Frankie joined him, and they cried for everything they had lost. Their dad, the watch, a good relationship with their mom, their dog, and now, they were being pulled apart because they weren't 'supposed' to be together. Like Romeo and Juliet, and we all know how that story ended.
"You told me you would eat lunch today!" Frankie exclaimed as they headed towards the pawn shop.
"I did," Carter responded.
"Then how come you have more money for Mr. King?" Frankie questioned.
"I don't," Carter responded.
"Then why are we going to see him?" Frankie asked, curiously.
"To get our money back," Carter told her.
"But… if we get our money back, how are we going to get Dad's watch?" Frankie said.
"Mom doesn't care about us. She wouldn't let us keep Benji; she's trying to keep us apart; she's sending me away. Why should I care about giving her the watch back?" Carter demanded, on the verge of tears.
Frankie didn't respond.
"Mr. King," Carter said as they walked inside the Pawn shop. "We need to talk."
"You kids, I sold the watch!" Mr. King yelled, talking to a man with his back facing the kids, and he sounded… afraid, but Frankie and Carter didn't pick up on the apprehension in his tone.
"What?" Frankie squawked. "You told us you would give us the chance to buy it first!"
"I know. I'm sorry, but I sold it. Go home!" Mr. King urged.
"I'm going to call the police and tell them you're a lying liar!" Frankie yelled, but before she could continue, the other man turned to face them, revealing a cream colored Halloween mask covering his face.
"Frankie," Carter whispered, but before he could tell her to run, the man slammed them into the wall, preventing them from escaping.
"I remember being a kid," the man stated. "I used to tell my brother over there I was going to beat him with a baseball bat," he told them, jerking his head towards another masked man. "But I never did. So when you say you're going to call the police, that's just you being a kid, right?
Carter could feel Frankie trembling beside him as she answered, "Y-Yeah. Just talking."
"I thought so," the man replied. "Now, Mr. Pawn Man, empty the safe."
"I won't do anything until you let the kids go!" Mr. King shouted.
"Mr. Pawn Man, put yourself in the shoes of two guys who would walk in here wearing these ridiculous masks. Do you think I'm playing with you?" the man growled, jerking Carter and Frankie, painfully.
Mr. King nodded and began emptying the safe. "I'll do anything you want. Just don't hurt them kids."
Mr. King handed the first criminal- the one holding Carter and Frankie- a sack of cash and a few other valuables before stepping back, waiting for him to release the kids.
"Back door," the man ordered, shoving the children down the hall. "Go!"
"Where are you taking them kids?" Sam demanded as the man pushed the siblings down the hall and out the door, calling over his shoulder and commanding for his brother to tie Mr. King up.
The man rifled through Carter's backpack and held up his ID card.
"You're gonna sit here and stay quiet for ten minutes and then forget any of this ever happened, or we're going to pay a visit to your home sweet home. Okay?"
Carter nodded, and the man attempted to restrain the kids with a rope, not trusting two kids to follow the orders he'd given them, but Frankie screamed and began to fight against him.
"Let us go!" she shrieked, hitting his face and chest.
"Frankie, stop!" Carter pleaded, but it was too late. Frankie pulled off the man's mask to reveal his face.
He was a tall, thin man with sickly pale skin, marred by dirt, and blonde hair that looked like a scarecrow's. His eyes were blue and cruel. Overall, he just looked mean.
"Don't hurt her," Carter begged. "Please."
The man ignored him and dragged them to their feet before tugging them in the direction of a rust colored van and shoving them inside.
"Mister, please!" Carter yelled. "Take me, but leave her here. She's just a kid; she won't say anything."
"No, Carter!" Frankie sobbed.
The man actually seemed to consider it, but he decided against it. The girl was unlikely to say anything if they had her brother and could hurt him at any time, but he couldn't take any chances.
"What are you doing?" his brother cried out as he appeared at Scarecrow's side.
"They saw my face," Scarecrow explained.
"They're kids," the brother pointed out.
Scarecrow yanked his brother's mask off to reveal an ugly man with stringy brown hair.
"And now those kids have seen your face, too. Get in the car."
"Help!" Frankie screamed as the men started the car.
None of them noticed Benji round the corner of the alley. His ears perked up at Frankie's yell.
Carter clung to Frankie like a lifeline, hugging her tightly as they huddled against the wall of the van.
"Carter," Frankie whimpered.
"It's okay, Frankie. I'll protect you, I promise," Carter murmured.
The brother watched them, wishing his older brother cared about him half as much as Carter cared about Frankie.
"Frankie," Carter suddenly muttered. "Look."
Frankie followed his gaze, and her eyes widened when she saw Benji chasing down the car with as much speed as he could manage.
"Dang it!" Scarecrow snarled. "Is that your dog?"
"Stop!" Ugly begged. "This is kidnapping!"
"It's more like saving our butts," Scarecrow replied as he drove faster.
"Stop!" Ugly repeated. "They're kids."
"We can't stop!"
"Yes, we can!"
A shrill ring sounded from Carter's backpack, and Ugly dumped everything out in search of the phone.
"Mommy!" Frankie shouted upon seeing the Caller ID.
"Get it out the window," Scarecrow ordered, and Ugly chucked it out of a small hole in the window beside Carter.
Some kind of parade appeared, obstructing Carter's vision, and when the criminals rounded the corner, Benji didn't follow.
"He's gone," Carter mumbled, hopelessness beginning to set in.
Frankie whimpered, and Carter pressed a kiss to her forehead as he held her, and his eyes landed on a bag of strawberries that had fallen out of his backpack.
A plan began to form in his mind.
"Syd, this isn't a good idea!" Ugly pointed out.
"What else are we going to do? Let them go to the police and tell them who we are?"
Carter dropped a strawberry out the window. He was going to drop another one when Ugly turned towards them.
"Why are you so ugly?" Frankie asked in order to distract him.
"Want to say that again?" Ugly snarled as Carter dropped another strawberry out the window.
Carter and Frankie yelped as Syd drove the van straight through a metal gate without pausing.
Carter dropped another strawberry, but this time, Syd saw him.
"What are you doing back there?" Syd demanded.
"It's just my lunch," Carter lied.
"Don't take your eyes off of them," Syd told Ugly.
They drove up to a huge, abandoned warehouse that looked like it'd been yanked straight out of a horror movie with vines growing over the walls and overgrown grass and faded paint. Overall, it just looked very creepy.
Carter and Frankie were shoved inside of the building by Syd.
"Don't hurt her," Carter pleaded, holding Frankie close to him.
"I won't hurt either of you if you don't give me a reason to," Syd said. "Tie them up in the back room. Put a tarp over the van," he ordered his brother.
"Why did you pick this place? It gives me the creeps," Ugly muttered. At least, Carter and Frankie weren't the only ones who thought it was creepy.
"Exactly. No one will come snooping around in a creepy building in the middle of nowhere," Syd replied.
Carter felt any hope he had that someone would find them go up in smoke when Syd said that.
Meanwhile, Whitney closed the doors to the ambulance, holding her phone to her ear.
"Look, guys, I'm sorry about this morning. I'm not going to send you away, Carter. I'm not going to send either of you away. We need to talk about everything, and this time, I promise I will try to listen instead of blowing up at you right off the bat like I have been. I know you two are still mad at me, but you need to tell me where you are. Call me. I love you guys, even if you have a hard time believing it sometimes."
Whitney ended her message and sighed, leaning against the ambulance.
She couldn't shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong.
"She's cold," Carter said as Frankie shivered.
"So?" Syd asked.
"Can you give her a blanket?" Carter asked.
"Why would we waste a blanket on you two brats?" Syd questioned.
"Then give her my jacket," Carter told him.
Syd ignored Carter's request when his brother asked a question.
"What are we going to do?" Ugly asked.
"We sell this merchandise and pay back the debts we owe," Syd said.
"I mean, with them?" Ugly gestured to the kids. "I didn't sign up for no kidnapping."
"Look, we owe people money, but we don't have no money, so they're going to break every bone in our body instead. Did you sign up for that?" Syd asked.
"I don't owe anything. That's all you," Ugly said, hesitantly.
"Listen here, big brother, who took care of you for seven years? Clothes, food? I found a way for us to stay on when our own parents wouldn't. What I owe, you owe. We keep the kids around until we need a get out of jail free card."
"And then?" his brother asked.
"Then we don't need them no more," Syd said.
Syd sifted through the merchandise on the table while Carter and Frankie watched, and he picked up their father's watch.
"I think I like this here watch," Syd said, walking over to the kids, as he flipped it over to look at the engraved words on the back. "To the love of my life, I love you more than the moon and the stars. Love, W. That's nice. You know, this reminds me of a watch my daddy had once."
"Give it back," Frankie begged, straining against the ropes tying her and Carter to a pillar.
"Oh," the man said. "Is this why you were in the shop today? Let me guess: your old man ran off. Your mother sold the watch. Good riddance, but you want something to remember him by."
Syd knelt in front of Carter, holding the watch out in front of him.
"Try to take it from me. Go on. Take it. Take it."
Carter didn't make any move to do so as a tear trickled down his face.
"You're a little coward, aren't you?" Syd chuckled.
"I don't want the watch," Carter said, flatly. "I want you to let Frankie go."
Syd snorted. "Not gonna happen, kid."
"We can make a deal," Carter offered. "You let Frankie go and keep me."
"Carter, no-"
Carter interrupted Frankie as he said, "I'll do whatever you want. Think about it: I'm assuming you owe these people a lot of money. So much that I doubt that stuff will pay off half of your debts. People would pay a lot for kids. You could hold me for ransom, or if you don't want to take that chance, you can sell me to some criminal on the street for good money. I won't fight. I won't try to escape. As long as I'm missing, Frankie won't say anything; she won't risk my safety like that. Let Frankie go, and we have a deal."
Syd sat in the silence. The deal was tempting…
Syd sighed. "As much as I'd love to take you up on that deal, I can't take that chance."
Syd stormed off, and Frankie turned to Carter.
"Carter, don't give yourself up for me," she whispered.
"I love you, Frankie," Carter murmured, "and I will not rest until you're home safe, even if it means staying behind. Nothing you say will change that because I know you would do the same for me."
Frankie didn't reply because she knew Carter was telling the truth.
Ugly tossed a blanket at Frankie, and Carter nodded at him in thanks before helping to straighten out the blanket over his freezing sister.
A loud bark sounded, making all of their gazes jump to the window.
"Come on! Sic him, boy!" Syd called.
"We all right?" Ugly asked.
"You, too, dumbo!" Syd ordered. "Go!'
"Benji," Carter realized.
"Benji," Frankie agreed with a small smile. Maybe they could escape- both of them- after all.
Syd and Ugly left the warehouse in search of the intelligent, determined dog that loved Carter and Frankie enough to save them, leaving the kids alone.
"Do you think they'll catch him?" Frankie murmured.
"Benji's smart," Carter said. "He won't get caught."
Carter wasn't sure who he was trying to reassure: Frankie or himself.
Seconds turned into minutes before Benji appeared in the doorway and sprinted over to Carter and Frankie.
"Benji!" Frankie cried in excitement.
"Come on, boy!" Carter begged as Benji chewed on the ropes.
The ropes stood strong. Benji would never break them in time.
"It's stuck! He can't get it," Frankie realized.
"Where is he?" Syd yelled as he reentered the warehouse.
Benji burrowed under the blanket covering Carter and Frankie and stayed as silent as possible.
"I think Rottie smells him," Syd sing-songed.
The guard dog stopped in front of Carter and Frankie and stared at the blanket while Carter and Frankie tried to act as casual as possible.
Syd yanked the blanket aside to reveal the dog sitting beside Frankie, and Benji leaped over his owners and ran while Rottie chased him.
"Don't hurt him!" Carter screamed. "Run, Benji! Run!"
Benji leaped out of an open window, kicking it shut with his hind kegs. Syd tugged on the window frame, but it was stuck; the criminal yelled in frustration and kicked a box on the floor while Benji ran and ran and didn't stopping running until he was out of sight.
"He got away," Carter sighed in relief.
Frankie felt tears fill her eyes. "Yeah, but we didn't…"
Syd growled before storming over and beginning to gather the merchandise.
"What are you doing?" Ugly asked.
"That dog is too smart," Syd muttered. "He's probably gone to get help or to lead police here or something."
"You think a little dog can do any of that?" Ugly questioned in disbelief.
"He tricked us," Syd pointed out.
"Yeah, but they're not too smart to begin with," Carter murmured to Frankie, who giggled.
"What are you two laughing at?" Syd demanded.
"Nothing," Carter said, quickly.
Syd sighed. They had bigger problems to worry about than what the kids were laughing at, so even though he knew the boy was lying, he ignored them and turned to Ugly.
"Titus, go hide the van in the woods," Syd said, throwing him the keys.
Ugly, now known as Titus, disappeared out the door, and Syd ripped two square pieces of duct tape off of a roll of the sticky stuff and slapped them over Frankie and Carter's mouths. Then, he untied them from the pillar before retying the ropes around their hands.
"Just until we get away from here," Syd promised before yanking the kids to their feet and grunting as he lifted a square piece of wood off of the ground, using a rope tied to a banister to lift it easier. With the wood lifted off of the ground, Carter and Frankie could see steps leading down into a dark basement.
"Go," Syd ordered.
Carter reached his tied hands over to Frankie and wrapped his fingers around her's as best he could before they slowly walked down the steps.
The basement was dusty and smelled like no one had been down here in ages. It was pitch black, so Carter couldn't make out anything, although he spotted some dark shapes in the room. It was probably boxes or tools or something, but it still unnerved him not knowing what it was.
A rat squeaked somewhere to their left, and Frankie cried out, although her yelp was muffled by the duct tape.
Titus joined them shortly after, shutting the trap door behind him.
The two criminals and their captives knelt on the floor, and Syd kept a firm grip on Carter's arm while Titus clamped a hand on Frankie's shoulder, although he was much gentler than Syd. Rottie, having followed Syd, glared at them, and even in the darkness, Carter could feel the dog's cruel eyes on them.
Frankie rested her head on Carter's shoulder, and it wasn't long before they heard voices.
Frankie and Carter recognized Benji's bark and one of the voices, immediately.
Their mother.
Carter wanted to scream we're here! We're here! Please! Find us! But the duct tape prevented him from doing so.
Carter's hand bumped into something in Syd's pocket, and with a curious frown, he reached inside of the pocket and felt something square with a glass screen and a rubber back in his hand.
A phone.
Carter snuck the phone out of Syd's pocket and into his own just as the voices vanished upstairs.
No.
The four of them and the guard dog waited several minutes after the voices were gone before Syd dragged Carter and Frankie to their feet and shined a flashlight at a strange hole in the wall that led into a tunnel.
"Let's go," Syd said, leading them into the tunnel.
Carter elbowed Frankie, lightly, and nodded towards his pocket. Frankie saw the shape of a phone in his jeans pocket and smiled, although no one could see with the duct tape on.
After about half an hour, Syd stopped and ripped the duct tape off of their mouths and untied their hands.
"What time is it?" Syd wondered, reaching for his pocket.
Cold panic struck Carter, and his hand latched onto Frankie's.
"Where's my phone?" Syd demanded before yanking Carter towards him and withdrawing the phone from Carter's pocket. "You took my phone!"
"I'm sorry!" Carter squeaked.
Syd raised his hand to strike Carter.
"Leave him alone!" Frankie yelled before jumping onto Syd's back. He shrugged the small girl off, easily, and she was flung into a wall.
"Frankie!" Carter cried before Syd back handed him across the face so hard, Carter fell to the ground.
"Syd, stop!" Titus ordered, and surprisingly, Syd listened.
"Let that be a lesson to you," Syd muttered. "I'm not playing around here, and I won't be lenient or gentle just because you're kids."
Carter crawled towards Frankie, giving Syd a wide berth, and after checking Frankie over for injuries, they huddled together, shuddering in the dark, cold tunnel.
"We'll sleep here for the night," Syd said. "I'll take first watch over the kids."
The four of them lay on the tunnel floor, and Titus fell asleep easy, but Carter and Frankie stayed awake.
"I want to go home," Frankie whimpered in Carter's ear.
"We'll get home," Carter whispered into Frankie's hair. "Somehow."
Carter kissed Frankie on the lips, and it was obvious the kiss was much more than one most siblings would share.
Syd grunted in disgust. "You two are dating? Of course we got the gross freaks."
"We're not freaks," Carter murmured.
Syd acted like he was going to lunge at Carter, making the kids jump, and Syd laughed.
"Pathetic, cowardly freaks," he muttered before spitting on Carter and returning his gaze to the wall.
It was Titus's turn to take watch, but he wound up falling asleep not even five minutes after Syd.
Carter nodded at Frankie, and they crept back the way they came. As soon as they were out of ear shot, they sprinted back towards the basement, their feet pounding against the earth.
The tunnel was long, and it took them almost half an hour to reach the hole in the wall, and that was running.
Carter and Frankie crawled through the hole in the wall, and Carter threw the wooden trap door open, and him and Frankie were off. Part of Carter hoped Benji was still there, but he knew it was a false hope. It'd been hours since the voices and the barking of their dog had disappeared.
Carter and Frankie ran until their feet hurt, and they had a stitch in their side, and the main road came into view, but this late at night, there were no cars.
Hands wrapped around them, lifting them off of the ground.
"Got you!" Syd yelled.
Carter and Frankie prepared themselves to be hit or even beaten, but the moment never came. Syd simply walked them back to the warehouse and through the tunnel to where they met Titus.
"I still can't believe you let them escape," Syd muttered.
"I still can't believe you kidnapped them," Titus fired back.
Syd smacked him on the back of the head. "Don't talk back to me. I'm saving our butts here, and you're almost trying to get us arrested."
Syd slammed the two kids into the wall, and Carter and Frankie turned their faces away, shutting their eyes tightly, as Syd raised his flashlight.
They both jumped at the loud smack, and they turned their heads to see that Syd had hit a spot on the dirt wall directly between their skulls, missing them by millimeters.
Syd pointed the flashlight at them.
"That was a warning shot," he whispered, his voice dangerously quiet. "The next one won't be."
Not wanting to risk the kids escaping again, Syd continued their journey through the tunnels immediately while the kids shook and clenched each other's hand, unable to forget Syd's threat as the kidnapped children continued through the tunnels without a fight.
"Go! Get on! What did I just tell you, boy? Get a move on!" Syd shouted as he shoved Frankie and Carter through the tunnel. "Come on, Titus."
Titus didn't budge from his spot at the hole in the wall (the tunnels were connected by holes dug in the walls, so people could crawl through them).
"What are we doing, man?" Titus asked.
"I know a guy," Syd replied. "He's going to buy our loot and take us up river."
"I mean, with them?" Titus clarified, gesturing to the kids.
"They're coming with us. Come on," Syd told his brother before turning and yelling, "What are you two doing?"
Carter and Frankie yelped, falling backwards onto the dirt as Syd smiled bitterly upon seeing their handprints in the dust and dirt of the tunnels.
"Well, aren't we clever?" Syd muttered as the dog barked and tried to lunge at them, but Syd held onto the leash.
The dog leaped at Frankie, and with strength Carter didn't even know he had, he kicked the dog in the chest and watched it topple backwards with a whimper.
"Do what you want to me, but don't touch my sister," Carter growled to both the guard dog and the two criminals.
"I'll admit, you got guts, kid," Syd mumbled, "but don't even try to overpower me because I only need one of you as my insurance policy, and if you want to keep that sister of yours, I suggest you obey me."
Carter swallowed and didn't reply.
"That's what I thought," Syd muttered before they continued through the tunnel.
Frankie whimpered in pain as Syd tightened the ropes around her wrists.
"Make sure they stay here, Rottie," Syd ordered the dog before stepping out of the shed he'd left the kids in with a vicious guard dog.
After exiting the tunnels, Carter and Frankie were taken to a boat yard and tied up in a shed. Syd and Titus left them in the shed, but they couldn't have escaped anyway because Rottie was guarding the only decent exit (the door, I mean. There was a window, but even Frankie wouldn't be able to fit through it).
"Carter… I'm scared," Frankie confessed. "Really scared."
Carter nodded. "Me, too. But I'm going to keep you safe. You can count on me, Frankie."
Frankie nodded, and some of the fear faded from her eyes as she bowed her head in prayer.
"Please, God," she whispered. "Please help us to get back home."
Carter watched Frankie before saying a silent prayer of his own.
Heavenly Father, if you're there… do what you will with my life. Leave me with these kidnappers; our captors can beat me until I'm in critical condition in a hospital. Take me out of this world if you want. Just please… get Frankie home safely. Please. Amen.
The two of them weren't sure how much time passed before Titus reappeared, frowning when he noticed Rottie had disappeared (when Rottie had barked and began chasing something, Carter and Frankie had had hope… but no one came to their rescue. Whatever Rottie was chasing didn't save them), and he led the two kids towards the boat.
Carter and Frankie were taken to the top of the boat where the captain- a mean man that had a permanent scowl on his face- was preparing to set off.
"You're not your brother," Frankie tried, staring at Titus. She knew there was a good man deep down inside of him, and maybe, if she could find that goodness-even just a small amount of it- he would let them go.
"My brother thinks I'm stupid," Titus said, fiddling with the envelope full of money the captain had give him. "But I can make decisions for myself."
Frankie nodded, a spark of hope igniting inside her, only to be diminished by Titus's next words.
"That's why I'm taking this money all for me and bailing," Titus told her.
A familiar bark sounded from outside, and Carter's head whipped towards the sound as his eyes widened.
"Benji!" he screamed.
His sister and his captor followed his gaze to see Benji the dog darting across the earth towards the boat.
The captain cursed and started the boat, beginning to edge away from the dock, but the rope was still tied to the dock, and as it was pulled taut, the boot shook, causing all four of them to harshly collide with the ground.
Titus darted down the steps to untie the rope and shake Benji off of them before he made it to the boat. The captain raced outside, yelling at Titus to cut the rope, while Carter grunted and climbed to his feet, grabbing the heaviest thing he could find and facing away from the captain.
"Let us go," Carter commanded as the captain appeared behind him.
The captain grabbed the back of Carter's neck in a bruising grip. "Oh, yeah? What are you going to do about it, little man?"
Carter whirled around and smacked the fire extinguisher over the captain's head before him and Frankie dashed onto the deck, leaning over the railing in search of Benji.
They spotted their mom first. She was staring at them in relief from behind the fence separating the boat yard from the dock.
"Frankie! Carter!" she yelled.
"Mom!" Carter exclaimed.
"Mommy!" Frankie shouted.
Carter's smile dropped as he realized he could no longer hear Benji's bark.
"Benji," he whispered. "Benji!" he called louder before he spotted the bravest dog he had ever known lying motionless on the lower deck. He couldn't tell if Benji's chest was moving.
Carter felt terrified tears fill his eyes as he sprinted down the stairs, leaping over anything in his path, including a rail, to reach Benji.
Carter collapsed beside Benji and placed a hand on the dog's fur. He didn't feel any movement as his tears began to fall.
Frankie appeared at his side, and Carter lifted the poor dog in his arms, burying his face, which was streaked with tears, in Benji's fur as they jumped from the deck and onto the dock. The children began strolling through the grassy field between the dock and the fence; their mother hurried to unlock the fence and ran to meet them.
Their mother looked ready to dissolve into tears when her eyes landed on Benji, but she held it together as best she could for her children as she knelt on the ground beside them.
"Oh, Benji," Carter whimpered as he and Frankie began to cry. Whitney bowed her head in grief as they mourned the greatest dog they had ever known.
Seconds later, Carter felt something soft smack lightly against his hand, and he opened his eyes, hardly daring to hope, as he looked down at Benji.
For a moment, Benji remained still, but then, he weakly wagged his tail.
"Benji!" Carter sobbed in relief, and his mother and sister followed his gaze before their faces lit up with joy as Benji whimpered and covered his eyes.
Benji licked Carter's face as Carter picked him up.
"Benji," he murmured before looking at the dog and then at Frankie, both safe and sound. His eyes found the sky as Frankie and his mom celebrated their safety. "Thank you," he mumbled, and he knew that somewhere, God heard him.
"Benji," his mom said, carrying the dog as they walked back towards the boat yard. "Welcome to the family."
"Are you still going to send me away?" Carter's quiet voice cut through the air like a knife through butter as all sound stopped at the breakfast table three days after the children and their new dog returned home.
"Of course not," Whitney assured him. "Kids, I need to talk to you. This relationship… I don't understand it, but I do understand one thing: you're better together than apart. I want to listen. To be more accepting… if you're willing to talk to me, that is. I want you kids safe and home and happy, and you won't be happy if I try to keep you apart. A mother wants what's best for her children, and this relationship is what's best for you because it makes you happy."
Carter and Frankie grinned before tackling their mother in a hug while Benji barked in excitement.
"Just tell me one thing," their mother said. "This relationship… how… what caused it? I know that doesn't sound right-"
"We understand what you're saying, Mom," Carter assured her, slipping his hand into Frankie's. "We love each other, just like you loved Dad and Dad loved you. We can't stop ourselves from loving each other."
"We love each other. It's as simple as that," Frankie told her mother.
Their mother nodded. "Not many kids find true love this early in life. Some don't find it at all. I'm glad you two found it."
Carter nodded. "Me, too."
"I love you," Little Sister whispered to her brother and boyfriend.
"To the moon and back," Big Brother agreed before the two siblings kissed, and their mom only smiled, making no move to stop them. Pulling them apart didn't even cross her mind.
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