Of Blood Stains

The day before Darien comes back rolls around and I haven't even heard from him except from one message on my answering machine that he was doing okay and almost to the studio. It's been days since the fight down town and Jake never called me either. Legolas, Talim, and everyone else went back to where they were from and I was kinda bummed that I didn't get to spend more time with them.

"What're you doing just sitting around today?" Mom asked coming through the living room. I just sat on the couch and watched ETV, Elven TV, the station with the best Elven singers. "Arwen is at a family party and Aragorn had to visit his mom for a few days," I say. "So I've got nothing to do. I wish I had someone to call and invite somewhere right about now."

"Oh, that reminds me! Some boy called for you when you were asleep, but he sounded real young. I thought it was some joke or something at first, but he just said he'd call later. He said he wouldn't be home so he'd call you from somewhere else. He sounded kinda funny like he had a bad cold."

"Oh it was Jake!" I say. "How did he sound?"

"He was sniffing like he had a runny nose," mom said. "Was he that boy that was getting beat up a few days ago?"

"I'm guessing that was him...I don't know many other 'real young' boys that'd call me. I hope he's okay."



"Mom, I'm going to buy a new bathing suit. I need one," I say, walking out the door, but just before I shut the door behind me, the phone rings. I growl and pick up the phone.

"Hello?"

"I need to talk to Emma," says Jake's shaky little voice.

"This is her...Jake? Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not," he says. "I've been walking as far as I can from my house for an hour and these people at a restaurant let me use their phone...my, my step-dad...he...he..."

"Did he beat you?" I find myself practically yelling. "Did he beat your mom?"

Jake didn't say anything for a minute. "Just come, okay, please, I got to get away from him. I'm at the Frarini Deli."

"I will be right over!" I say.



I drive up to the deli and Jake comes walking out to my car very strangely. He leans to one side and has one hand on his hip. He gets in the car very slowly.

"Ugh," he says groaning as he sits.

I gasp when I see the large dark stain on the back of his shirt. I can't tell what it is on the back of his black shirt but I'm guessing it's...

"Blood," Jake says biting his lip.

"Let me see your back," I say, carefully lifting his shirt.

"Shit!" he screams. Then I notice the blood has dried and is now keeping the shirt stuck to his back. "It hurts. If you separate the shirt when it's dry, it hurts. Every time this ever happened, I had to take my shirt off in the shower."

"This has happened before?" I say.

He nods. "Not too often, but Theroy drinks too much and sometimes he just blows up. I hate my house. My mother drinks and doesn't fucking care. But I'll go back home like I always do. You can take me home now, I guess...he might not be drunk anymore."

"What do you mean?" I say. "Jake, I am never taking you back to your house. You're coming home with me."

His brown eyes brighten. "Really? Do I ever have to go back?"

"I don't know the laws about child abuse, but if you have to go back...I'm not gonna let you."

"Promise?" he says.

"Promise," I say. "I'm gonna try my hardest to keep you safe, okay?"

"You're a miracle Emma," he says.

"Now let's go home," I say and we drive back to my house. This is insane. Just half an hour ago I was at home bored and suddenly I promised something I wasn't sure I could do. I glanced over at Jake and I knew I had to make sure he got out of his house for good.

Somehow, though we had hardly even knew each other, I felt like he was my brother and it was my job to protect him. Maybe it was because he reminded me of my brother. All black clothes and shaggy hair.

"I don't want to hate my life anymore," he says.

"I'm sorry this has all happened to you, Jake," I say, not really sure what ELSE to say. "I know my mom will want to help though. Things will be fine. You won't have to hate life."

"I feel like a lot of trouble...I don't want to be a burden to your family," he says quietly.

"Jake, you are anything but a burden! I want to help," I say.



I walk in the house with Jake awkwardly limping in front of me. "What happened here?" my mom comes in, drying her hands with a cloth. "Are you okay?" she asks looking at Jake.

"Mom, this is Jake. His step dad has been abusing him and his mom hasn't tried to stop him. He's hurt really bad so I said we would help him out."

"Oh my god," my mom says. "We will have your father talk to Elrond, Emma. Start a bath and I'll call your father."

"Thank you, Miss," Jake says.

"Call me Emthlial," Mom says, then picks op the phone and dials dad's work number.

I take Jake and lead him to the guest bathroom. I start some bath water for him and he takes of his chucks. "You can go. I'll be fine," he says.

I laugh. "I know."

"Will Elrond make sure I don't have to go back? Would I be able to stay with you legally?" he asks.

I look straight into his sad eyes. "I hope so."

He nods. "I hope so too."

The phone rings and I walk out of the bathroom and shut the door.

"Emma, it's Darien on your phone line!" Mom yells. I pick up the nearest phone. "Darien?"

"Emma! I've missed you so much! You won't believe THIS."

"What happened?" I ask.

"I've got a deal with Bigphat records and the really good thing is, that I don't have to start till well after the summer. I have to start working in like during half the school year! This is my dream and I still have so much time to spend with you!"

"Oh, that's great, Darien!" I exclaim. "I'm so happy for you! I can't believe it! But, then again, I can believe it. You are way talented enough."

"Ahhh!" Jake yells.

"What the hell was that?" Darien asks and my mom runs upstairs.

"Jake, hun, are you okay?" my mom says.

"What happened?" I yell.

"Ah, some skin peeled. I'm okay. Do I get into my dirty clothes again?"

"No, we'll go get you some of Emma's brother's clothes," my mom says.

"Emma, who was that?" Darien says again.

"There is this abused kid that I met and he's in really bad shape. My mom and me are helping him out. I'm sure he wont have to go to his old home once Elrond hears about it, but I want him to stay with my family..."

"That's great that your mom is willing to help him."

"Yea, well I'll tell you about it later. Can you call me back?"

"Sure, babe, I love you," he says.

I smile. "I love you too."



Jake comes out in Edoran's shorts and without a shirt. "I look like a clown," he says. "But that's okay."

"Let's take a look at your back," Mom says. He turns around and mom drops Edoran's shirt that she had been holding for Jake. Her and I are both speechless.

There are big gashes all up and down his back and around them, bruises. And where there aren't gashes and bruises, there are scars, crooked, straight, all different kinds. I start crying, because it is the worst thing I've ever seen in my life. How could someone torture a kid like that? No wonder why this kid acted so depressed just in the way he talked, even when he was laughing. He was so scared up!

I glance over at my mom, who has her hands over her mouth with tears coming from her eyes too. Jake turns around. "You guys, I'll be okay," he says, as if the gashes weren't such a big deal. He was probably somewhat used to it.

"I'd give you a hug, but I'm scared to hurt you," I say.

He looks down and I can tell he is fighting tears too. "Well...I can hug you can't I?"

"Of course," I whimper, trying to hold in the tears.

He hugs me and I wrap one arm around his neck. "I love you, Jake. I'm so sorry this happened to you," I say. All of the sudden he cries really hard on my shoulder, the hardest I've ever seen any guy cry. I mean, he's fourteen and not so much of a kid anymore.

Mom pats his head. "Jake, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, that's just it..." he says. "Its just, well, no one ever told me they loved me before."



I know, this Jake stuff came really quickly and out of the blue, but that's how life is...things come unexpectedly...

I've seen this little reject boy that walks around the stores by the beach on Saturdays and he dresses in black with long sandy blond-kinda brown hair and he looks so sad. If I ever get near enough to talk to him, I will. Cause he looks so sad and lonely. And I had a dream that he was getting beat up, so I helped him. Lol, so this dream got put in the story...hope no one hates this part.

Review?

-Lauren