Episode X
"Hold still." An 11-year old boy said as he dabbed a rubbing alcohol soaked cotton ball onto another boy's cut.
He was several inches taller than the boy sitting across from him, complete with short blonde hair and deep greenish blue eyes.
"But it stings." Whined a young 7-year old Bean.
"I know it stings but if you don't clean it it'll become infected." The boy said as he continued to dab at the cut while Bean winced.
"This is deep…" The boy said after he was finished cleaning it. "What did you do to make him cut you so bad?"
"I broke another plate."
"Again?"
"It wasn't my fault." Bean proclaimed. "It was wet and soapy and it slipped out of my hands." He put his head down in shame.
The boy placed his hand on it.
"I know it's not your fault." The boy said. "It's his fault. Only a coward would do this to a kid. One day though, one day he'll get his…" He said with pure anger and hatred.
"Hey guys." Another boy said as he entered the room.
He was two years younger than Bean with deep rich chestnut brown hair that was short and combed back with light brown eyes and a baby-face to match.
"Look what I scored." He said with a devilish grin as he showed them three gill sized alcohol bottles; one Jack Daniels, one Jim Bean and one Johnny Walker Blue Label.
"Where did you get those?!" the eldest boy asked, sensing trouble.
"That old bastard left his liquor cabinet open when he was passed out drunk. Always wanted to know what was in this stuff to make him act the way he does." He said as he opened up the Blue Label and took a sip.
He automatically spit it out.
"Ughh…this taste awful…" He said as he wiped his mouth.
"Here let me try." The eldest said as he walked over and reached for it.
The youngest pulled back.
"No way. I can do this. Besides, I brought one for each of us. Here, you can have this one." He said, handing him the Jack Daniels. "Guess that makes this one yours." He said to Bean as he offered the Jim Bean to him.
"But…won't we get in trouble?" Bean asked.
"We're always in trouble." The youngest replied. "Besides, don't you wanna know why he is the way he is?"
Bean was hesitant.
"He's right." The eldest concurred. "The action has already been done. We can't get into any more trouble than we'll already be in when he wakes up."
Bean continued to hesitate for a while before he eventually got up and partook in the experiment.
"Why are we living like this?!" The youngest yelled as he sobbed uncontrollably.
The eldest was laying on the ground with a nearly empty bottle of Jack Daniels in his hands.
"Wha…wha…wha do you mean?" He slurred out as he lifted his head to look at him.
"Look at this! We live in this piece of shit house with a piece of shit foster parent! Every day some other kid gets picked up for adoption! Why not me huh?! Why not us?! What the fuck is so wrong about us?! I want nice adoption parents! I want toys! I want games! I want to be a normal kid!"
The eldest decided to go console him. He stood up on wobbly legs. He took a step and fell flat on his face. He tried again, same result. Walking wasn't going to work, he decided to crawl.
"Listen…listen here." He said when he reached him and had his arm around him, holding him close. "This shit…its temporary. One day we're gonna have lots of moneys. We'll do…we'll do…we'll we'll do what we want. Parents…we'll have…good ones. Ones that love us. If not…that's ok's. Because we'll have each others. You guys…my fuckin brother's man. I'll never leave you two. Isn't…isn't that right?" He asked over to Bean.
Bean was sitting off in the distance, nodding off.
"Hey." The eldest called.
Bean didn't answer.
"Hey." The eldest called again, this time louder.
Bean slowly turned his head to him, his eyes half opened and glazed over.
"Huh?"
"You…you dead?"
Bean looked over his body.
"I don't think so."
"You…you tell me…if…if you're dead…ok?"
"Ok. Oh and Jack?"
The eldest looked at him.
"My name is Bean. Jimmy Bean." He said holding up his empty bottle.
"Jimmy Bean huh? I like it!" He exclaimed with a smile. "But who's Jack?"
"You are."
"Me?"
"Yea."
"Why?"
"Because you had a Jack Daniels. So your name is now Jack Daniels."
Jack gazed at his empty body.
"Oh yea…"
"So does that make my name Johnny Walker?" The youngest asked excitedly.
"Yup. But I like Blue better." Bean answered.
"We all have names now…" Blue stated. "It's gonna be nice not to be called 'Hey' anymore."
Just then a loud bang burst into their ears as the door swung open violently. There in the doorway stood their foster parent in a drunken fury. He was a balding, heavy set man in his early 50s. Thick hair ran from his hands up to his elbows and his chest hair poked out from his stained white shirt with his hairy beer belly poking out from the bottom as well. He stood there, panting heavily in a rage as he gripped the boys with fear.
"What the fuck do you little shit's think you're doing?!" He yelled.
Blue ran and cowered behind Bean.
"Who the fuck said you could take my shit?!" He yelled loudly as he approached.
Unintentionally, subconsciously and spontaneously Jack hopped up and lunged at him in one quick fluid motion; Jack Daniels bottle still in his hand. He then slammed the bottle into the man's right kneecap, shattering it and the bottle in the process. The man cried out in pain and fell to one knee as Jack came up behind him and put the broken glass bottle to the man's jugular.
"Listen here you sorry excuse for a man." Jack said in a voice that was not his own.
It was almost a satanic sound with his once vibrant eyes growing dull and almost black to match.
"We've had enough of your shit, and we're not gonna put up with it any more. Is this why you became a foster parent? So you can feel like a big man when you beat up on children? Well we're not afraid of you anymore. In fact it should be you that should be afraid of us. If you ever lay so much as a finger on us, if you so much as even look at us the wrong way, I swear to whoever is watching over this right now I will gut you like a fucking fish. Do you understand me?"
"You little prick, when I get back up I'll…"
Bean stuffed his Jim Bean bottle in his mouth before he could finish his sentence. He then front kicked him as hard as he could in the chin, shattering the bottle in his mouth along with his teeth. Jack let go of him as the man screamed in muffled pain with his hands over his mouth as blood leaked from past his fingers.
"He asked you a yes or no question." Bean said, his voice changing too to one void of emotion.
The man shook his head yes.
"For four years we had to put up with your shit. Now you have to put up with ours." Jack said as he took his leave.
Bean and Blue looked upon the man as he rolled around in agony before they ran to catch up with Jack.
The sun was starting to go down into an orange horizon when Bean finished his story. Robin and Blue had finished up their game of fetch and were resting at the foot of the hill making shapes and things out of now present clouds.
"We should get going." Bean said as he stood up.
May didn't want to go yet. She wanted to stay and watch the sun set with him and learn more about his life; mostly the forbidden question that he wouldn't answer. As much as she wanted to stay however she felt it too awkward to bring herself to ask. Bean whistled.
"Blue, Red, let's go!" He yelled.
They both looked up at Bean.
"Race you!" Robin said to Blue.
Blue took off towards Bean with Robin not too far behind. They all began to leave when they made it to the top; Blue the obvious winner. May only had a couple more hours to spend with Bean, and she was still conflicted as to if she wanted them or not.