"Nothing needs to be that clean."
-Eddy (Crush, Chop, and Burn)
Leo overheard his mom and Mr. Davenport talking about him on more than one occasion. His mom was worried about him. She even told Mr. Davenport about his history of depression and self harm. This angered Leo and embarrassed him at the same time. How dare she tell him! It wasn't ever supposed to happen again. No one was supposed to know. You're weak and pathetic. That's why she told. But Davenport won't care. You're not his child.
But Mr. Davenport kept a closer eye on Leo. Because he doesn't trust you, not because he cares. He doesn't want you tainting his perfect bionic children. Both he and Leo's mom tried speaking to the boy numerous times, only for Leo to slip away or tell a random excuse as to why he had to leave. They made sure he ate at mealtimes and watched him when he was around sharp items. Too bad they never thought to check your bedroom. After all, Eddy the annoying computer sees what happens in there. Right?
Leo thought it couldn't get any worse. Both his mom and Mr. Davenport were eying his every move – except the ones in his bedroom – and the Voice was becoming more and more resistant to the cuts. Leo had to cut deeper and deeper and more and more to get the Voice to stay away for more than a few seconds. But then he overheard Mr. Davenport talking to Adam, Bree, and Chase in the lab.
"Have you guys noticed anything different about Leo lately?" Mr. Davenport asked, interrupting whatever the three teens had been doing.
Leo hid where Eddy couldn't see him – he'd learned where the computer's blind spots were – and listened carefully. A part of him hoped that they'd respond in the affirmative. Maybe they would confront him, ask him the right questions, make him answer them. A part of him hoped they wouldn't. He was already treated differently because he wasn't bionic. He didn't want to be treated any more like a lesser being. Even though you are one. No surprise, there.
"I haven't noticed anything," Adam said. Chase scoffed.
"You wouldn't notice if an eighteen-wheeler ran you over," he told his brother.
"Guys. This is important," Mr. Davenport called the attention back to him. Leo listened intently. What for? Either way, it ends badly for you. Poor little baby Leo can't take care of his sad little life.
Bree shook her head. "Sorry. I haven't noticed anything."
"Neither have I," Chase added. "Why? Is something wrong with Leo?"
Yes, Leo wanted to shout. No, he wanted to scream. I don't know anymore, he very nearly whispered.
"Tasha and I have noticed that Leo's been a little off lately," Mr. Davenport said.
"Well, yeah," Bree said. "He keeps telling us that Marcus is evil," she mocked.
"Yeah," Adam laughed. "But that's just silly. Marcus wouldn't hurt a fly!" He glanced over at Chase and Bree, his serious-but-dumb expression on his face. "Would he?"
Chase rolled his eyes. "No, Adam. Leo's just jealous that we have a friend other than him."
"I'm pretty sure it's something more than that," Mr. Davenport disagreed. Leo's heart jumped to his throat. His palms started sweating. Was Davenport going to tell Adam, Bree, and Chase about his depression? Calm down before Chase hears you, stupid. Unless, of course, you want them to know how pathetic and whiny you are.
"He just wants attention," Bree brushed off Davenport's concerns. "But he'd better get over it soon."
Leo fought back tears – Pathetic. Was that really what they thought? Was he really just a burden to them? They didn't say that, but if he was just a distraction, if they didn't even notice that he was changing, then a burden was the only conclusion.
As soon as Davenport and the three bionic teenagers left the lab, Leo snuck back upstairs to his room. He added several more cuts to his collection. Burden. Coward. Pathetic. Stupid. Burden, burden, burden.
5 years ago
Leo: age 9
Leo was a bad boy for existing, but he became even more of a bad boy when he stopped daddy from killing mommy. Daddy dragged him kicking and screaming to his bedroom, leaving mommy bleeding and bruised on the kitchen floor. Daddy hit him harder than usual before ripping down his pants and underwear.
Leo didn't know what was happening. All he knew was that he was in pain. After his daddy finally left, Leo couldn't sit on his bottom anymore. It hurt a lot. He cried because it hurt more than anything else ever had.
This happened three more times before his mommy found out. His daddy was in the middle of pushing himself into Leo's bottom – it hurt really, really badly and Leo hated it and begged for daddy to stop – when mommy came home early from grocery shopping. As soon as she saw what was happening, his daddy was ripped away from him.
Mommy told him to get dressed and then started yelling at daddy. Daddy hit her but she ran to Leo and grabbed him and put him in the car and drove off. Leo tried to stop crying. Boys don't cry. That's what daddy said. Mommy kept saying sorry. At one point, she pulled over and pulled him into a tight hug, crying and saying sorry and how everything was going to change.
They got a room at a motel, where mommy called the police. Leo didn't quite understand what was going on. All he knew was that he hurt, and his mommy was hurt, and that his daddy wasn't supposed to be doing that to him. He didn't leave his mommy's side, even when the police came and asked them both lots of questions.
Leo and his mommy went back to the house after a couple of nights at the motel. Daddy was in jail. Leo didn't really know why. It was normal for kids to get hit, right? So he asked his mommy, who told him that it wasn't okay, and that they should have done this a long time ago.
A long time later, Leo and his mommy had to talk in court. Leo talked about what his daddy did to him and what his daddy did to his mommy. He didn't understand why everyone looked angry or disgusted or horrified. His mommy had said that it was wrong, but if it was wrong, they why did they stay with daddy for so long?
Some of the questions the people asked his mommy made him mad. It wasn't her who hit him! She tried to help him! She wasn't the bad person! Leo didn't really know what was happening, only that someone wanted to take him away from his mommy. He wouldn't let that happen, no matter what.
After the jury made a decision – whatever that meant – Leo and his mommy went back to the house. He asked her what was going to happen to daddy and to them. She told him that his daddy was going to stay in jail for a long, long time. That Leo would never be hurt again. Leo was more concerned about his mommy being hurt, so he hugged her. He didn't want her to be sad. But at least they were allowed to stay together.