BB's Hideout

Wednesday, 9:10 am

Near walked slowly into the rest of the house. He followed Beyond up some stairs and into a hallway. At Beyond's gesturing, he walked into the room nearest them, the only one with the door open. He heard the humming of a computer in the far corner of the room. Beyond took 3 strides across the room and plopped himself swiftly into the chair, jiggling the mouse. The desktop sprung to life, the generic Windows background stretched across the screen. Beyond had his e-mail open, Near noticed, minimized at the bottom of the screen. He double-clicked on it. What Near assumed to be his username, , popped up. 'How stupid.' Near thought. 'It's so blunt. He should have an alias or something, then later in the e-mail explain his identity.' But he didn't dare express his opinion, only watched as Beyond clicked on a message he had recently sent to a . Near pieced together that it was Quillish Wammy's emergency e-mail.

"Don't understand why people can't just all use the same damn e-mail as me..." Beyond muttered to himself as the attachments loaded. "Makes no sense...It'd just be much easier for us all...I'll be lucky if half of this gets through the shitty e-mail change." He griped, turning to his little captive. Near only stared at the computer screen, frozen in shock and horror. The e-mail contained 3 pictures of his mutilated back from different angles. The lacerations spelled out:

'To whom it may concern,

I'm having a great time with little

Nate. Thanks for letting me borrow him.

-Beyond Birthday'

The grotesque note started at his shoulder blades and ended at the beginning of his lower back.

"Think of it like a tattoo. You're probably going to have it the rest of your life, or at least a good bit of it. Except, unlike a tattoo, it'll be much more painful for the next few weeks. Every time you move your shoulders or arms, or bend over, or anything like that, you'll probably open up one of these scabs. In those pictures, it was nice and pretty and fresh, but now its all scabbed and nasty and ugly. I'm actually quite proud of it." Beyond smirked. "But now I'm just babbling. I want your opinion. Do you think it's a bold statement?" Beyond asked eagerly, looking at Near with expecting eyes. When Near stayed silent, Beyond got up from the chair and took Near's chin between his thumb and forefinger. He forced the child to look up at him, then decided that looking from a distance wasn't enough. Near invoulentarily cried out as Beyond lifted him to his feet using his thumb to press upwards on his jaw.

"What do you think, Nate?" Beyond growled into his face. The insane look in his eye had come back full-force and he was breathing heavily. 'So he's in THAT mood,' He thought wearily. On the outside he remained silent and made himself stare into the crazed eyes of the serial-murderer who currently held his fate. All at once he was tossed carelessly to the opposite wall, his face leading his quick fall. His head made impact with the wall, followed by the rest of his body. He screamed as the welts and the 'note' were slammed hard into the unforgiving hardness of the wall. Tears of absolute pain streamed from his face as he looked up to see his captor pacing slowly and menacingly around the room.

"Oh, I see. Still the silent treatment. That's absolutely fine with me," Beyond said in a tone that made it clear that this enraged him to no end. "as long as you remember this, Nate." Beyond was suddenly crouched down beside him. He was thrown into a tight embrace, Beyond putting his mouth to his neck. He whispered now, deliberately blowing hot air into his ear.

"I can make you feel emotion." He squirmed away, but was pulled back again into the vise-like grip. He gasped aloud as Beyond grazed his earlobe roughly with his teeth, and held him to his body. Near could feel both of their heartbeats, his quick and fluttering like a hummingbird's, and Beyond's deep and solid. He was hit with the largest wave of goosebumps he had ever gotten as Beyond slithered his tongue into his already-sensitive ear. Beyond went deeper and deeper into the small boy's ear canal, holding him tight enough that he was crushing his ribs. He was in excruciating pain, his scabs being torn apart by the forcefulness, but that wasn't the first thing on his mind. He was more concentrating on the warm, wet tongue that was now running from his ear to his shoulder. Beyond finished with a little love nip on his collarbone, then shoved him out of his lap.

Near fell to the ground instantly, inhaling and exhaling sharply. He didn't notice the odd breathing pattern until that moment, or the sweat that broke out on his forehead, as well as his palms.

Again proving his point, Beyond stood with a grin on his face, watching the usually so in-control-of-his-emotions adolescent floundering with the new previously unexperienced emotions that were suddenly forced upon him. He scooped Near up with ease and carried him back down the stairs, to the sheep room. He gently placed him on the carpet, before leaving him alone and locking the door behind him.