Dear Father

Disclaimer: I do not own AHS
A/N: First of all let me thank those of you who have reviewed so far! Really enjoyed reading them. It means a lot to know what you guys think of this fic so far! Anyway, along with the story!~

Chapter 4- Problem Child

Like every morning, Lana drove Johnny to school. Unlike the children in his neighborhood, Johnny attended a private school. It made Lana feel just a little bit more sane. Johnny had attended a public school before but the outcome wasn't very pleasing. Johnny sat silently watching the world outside go by. He was very familiar with the ride there. Meanwhile, Lana muttered to herself; mostly things she had to cover at work or groceries that she needed to buy on her way back home. But to be honest, what Lana was craving the most was a nice cigarette. It had been years since she let herself have one but when the stress was too much she found herself craving one.

Johnny perked up as his school came to view. "Got your inhaler?" Lana asked.
Johnny looked to her, "Huh?" Lana parked the car along the drop off lane and looked to her son softly, "Your inhaler, baby, do you have it?" Johnny suddenly remembered and checked his pocket where sure enough the little turquoise inhaler was. He brought it out and showed Lana. "Good." She said, "And your lunch?"
"Got it." he answered.
"Okay." She said. Lana always worried about leaving Johnny alone, whether it be at school or at home. He was the only family she had, the only person who loved her unconditionally and she was very aware of that. They only had each other in the world.

It was then the bell rang and all the kids hanging outside got up and headed inside. "Alright, go on before you're late to class." Lana said.
Johnny nodded pushing the car door open. Out of complete impulse Lana grabbed his hand before he could jump out. He turned to look in to her eyes. "Johnny, please be safe." She said to him.
Johnny smiled, "I will."
"Love you." She said slowly letting go of his hand. She truly did. "Love you too!" Johnny called out as he closed the car door and hurried inside before he was late. Lana watched him go.

During recess Johnny sat on a bench by himself as the other children played. In his hands was a book he had borrowed from the library. Johnny often proffered reading then joining his classmates in rigorous games where he would sure come out losing. Little did he know, he was truly more intelligent then the rest of them. But the entire student population was oblivious to little Johnny Winters- except for a single pair of dark eyes that watched him so intently from behind the fence, hidden underneath the shadows of a shady tree. A smile brushed their lips.

Johnny was buried in his story when a heavy hand slapped the book to the ground. Johnny instantly looked up to see the sneering faces of a group of boys. They were older and taller then him therefore saw themselves superior. Johnny reached down to pick up the book but one of the boys kicked it aside. They laughed at his helplessness. The children around him did not bother to come to his aid and when Johnny tried to reach for his book again another boy pushed him to the ground. Johnny fell back, grunting softly as he fell against the hard asphalt ground and scraped his palms.

"Look at him, he's going to cry. Aren't you, Winters?" One of the boys said and all his friends laughed. Johnny's hands tightened in to fists as he looked up at the boys. His eyes were filled with anger but never fear. He remembered what his mother had said to him; he was better than they were.
"Leave me alone…" Johnny muttered.
"Or what? Your mom gonna write about it?" They teased. This made the young boy crack. He pushed himself off the ground and lunged himself at the older boy. They both fell to the ground. Yells broke out through the playground catching the principal's attention. She hurried to the small crowd that had gathered ushering children out of the way. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the scene before her. One boy held Johnny back while his friend lay on the ground spitting profanities.

"Stop!" She yelled and every child stopped dead in their tracks. "What is the meaning of this?" She demanded. All the boys pointed at Johnny. Her hawk like eyes fell upon the troubled young boy who slowly pushed his glasses back up. She frowned, "You again, Mr. Winters?"
"But-" Johnny began when she put her hand up, "Why is it always you causing problems? Do we need to call your mother again, young man?" Johnny looked around to smirking and giggling faces. He looked back at the principal and slowly shook his head. "Alright then, to the office with you!" She grabbed him by the collar and yanked him off the playground and in to the school leaving his book behind on the ground.

"We cannot continue to have problems like these, Ms. Winters." The principal, Mrs. Abigail Clayton said as she sat behind her desk. Across from her sat Lana with little Johnny sitting at her side; his head down avoiding his eyes from his mother.

Lana's temper was running thin. She had been pulled out work suddenly when she received the call from the office. Upon hearing the receptionists voice she knew it had happened again. "I understand, Mrs. Clayton, but you cannot keep blaming my son for every single fight that breaks out. It takes two to start something and in this case its obvious that it was more then two."

"Ms. Winters." Mrs. Clayton spoke cutting Lana off, "This isn't the first time your son has gotten in to trouble with his classmates, mind you."

"And this isn't the first time you haven't done anything to help prevent these confrontations." Lana snapped but regained herself, "Mrs. Clayton, I am paying extremely good money so my son can have a good education- not so he can be bullied every time you turn a cheek."

Johnny flinched at his mother's words but remained quiet. Mrs. Clayton was aghast by the reporter's words, "Ms. Winters, I assure you that we are doing everything we can to keep these boys in line."

"Well, it isn't enough." Lana said curtly, "Now, what I don't understand is why my son is the only one being punished? Those other boys need consequences as well. The blame cannot always be put on my son. I demand this harassment to cease immediately."

"Calm down, Ms. Winters." Mrs. Clayton said. She knew perfectly well what Lana's status was and what she was capable of. And her prestigious school did not need to be the gossip of the town.

"How can you ask me to calm down when my son is constantly bullied by the rest of your students? I imagined a school like this has a no tolerance policy when it comes to things like this."

Mrs. Clayton looked at her for a moment. She calmed herself and spoke matter of factly, "Our school is very serious when it comes to discipline. I assure you this won't happen again but your son must do his part to stay out of s\trouble or else-"

"Or else what?" Lana challenged her, "You're going to expel my son? On what grounds?"

"Now, now," She said, "No one's talking about expulsion." She placed her hands firmly on her desk and looked to Johnny, "Little Johnny here will serve out his punishment like the rest of the boys involved in this little shenanigan. Like I said, our school will not tolerate a problem child."

"Unbelievable." Lana said as she and Johnny left the office for what must have been the third time in that week alone. Johnny followed her down the empty hall. The school had let out over an hour ago.

"I'm sorry." Johnny said meekly as he stopped in his tracks. Lana stopped and looked back to see him standing there completely defeated. She sighed softly and went to him; kneeling down to his level, she placed her hand upon his cheek.
"Johnny," She said softly, "This was not your fault."

Johnny avoided his mother's eyes in shame, "I'm always causing you trouble."
"No, no, baby, you're not." She grabbed his hands and his attention, "Look at me Johnny." His eyes landed upon hers, "None of this is your fault. All right? You are never any trouble. Don't you ever say that." She pulled him in to a hug, "No trouble at all…" Lana drifted off in to past memories that seemed like an eternity ago.

She then stood to her feet and placed her hand out to him, "Come on, we'll eat out tonight? How's that sound?" Johnny nodded and took her hand. She smiled softly at him, "Atta boy."

"Can I have a milkshake too?" Johnny asked as they reached the parking lot. The eyes that always followed them were watching closely and listening every so intently.

"Of course you can," Lana smiled. "Anything you want." She opened the car door for Johnny and let him in. And when she looked across the parking lot to the trees, Lana got the strangest chills. There was something odd about the air that day. Something strange and uneasy. But she pushed it out of her mind and got in to the car driving off.

The shadow stepped out of the darkness and watched them go. The smirk never left his lips.

And he waited patiently for her to come out of the school. It was dark by the time she finally emerged from the large double doors and made her way in to the parking lot. She who had treated the boy so poorly. Who had scolded him without hearing his side of the story. He waltzed out of the shadows ever so casually. His hand lay patiently in his pocket even though he was raging inside; the other hand held a crowbar he had helped himself to from the Janitor's closet. It had been so long since he felt the touch of soft warm skin. He had been laying low for so long that his needs were beginning to eat him alive. But that night he would finally quiet his hunger.

He approached Mrs. Abigail Clayton with almost a skip to his step. He tried to see past reason but all he could seem to focus on was the injustice he had witnessed in the playground earlier that day. He believed every child should be loved and protected but this woman was cold and unforgiving. She had no interest to save the poor boy from the hands of his tormentors. She only humiliated him by pinning all blame on him and threatening to call his mother. He chuckled at the thought. A phone call to mommy's place of work. He never experienced those phone calls home or to his mother's place of work. But that was behind him now. If everything went well (as he hoped) perhaps his mommy would return to him. Dead or alive. He didn't care. All he wanted at that moment was to avenge the young boy.

He slowly approached Mrs. Clayton who was struggling to put her keys in her old brown town car. She mumbled to herself and stopped when she noticed the reflection of the man standing behind her. She turned around quickly but before she could get a quick glance at him he struck her with the crowbar and she fell limp on the floor. Oliver Thredson looked down at her twitching body and smiled, "There, there, Mrs. Clayton. It'll all be over soon."