Chapter 9!

"Take off your shirt." Charlie said.

Adam obeyed, slowly, however.

As he did pull it off, Charlie clamped a hand over his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut at the site that he saw.

Well, you could hear a pin drop.

There were bruises. Dozens of them.

There were enough to cover Portman…twice.

Charlie slowly took the cover from his mouth.

"W-who?" He said in a very small voice.

"Riley, Cole."

"What all did they do?" He asked. The best he could, anyway, because his voice was cracking horribly.

"Assault. Molestation. Rape."

Charlie didn't understand. Adam's voice was so dull and his eyes so dry and black. No tears were traceable whatsoever. That scared Charlie. Badly.

"But why? What I don't understand is why they would want to do this at all!"

At this point, Adam looked at Charlie.

"I don't know the answer to that, Charlie."

"Adam, honey, you're scaring me. I've never seen you this calm and I'm not so sure that's a good thing, considering what's happened!"

"it's my nature to stay calm in such situations. That, and I don't know how to cry. I haven't ever since..one night..No, no, forget it."

"What, happened? Adam, please tell me. It'll help you think better."

Adam took a last look at his trembeling boyfriend, and started the story.

FLASHBACK: Adam age 12

"Dad? Mom? River?" Adam called as he walked into his house after hockey practice.

No answer. Adam sighed.

"No one's ever home in this family."

He put down his gear and walked into the kitchen. He looked around. No one was around, but he had the distict feeling that someone was watching him.

He found a note on the counter and walked over to it, read it, and a feeling of dread came over him. A lump appeared in his throat and he went pale. Tears began to form at the corners of his eyes, but didn't fall. Slowly, cautiosly, he started to turn around, but before he could do a full turn, a hand clamped around his mouth, and he felt himslf being dragged away into another room. He fought it, but whoever it was, was too strong.

The man dragged Adam into his room and threw him down on the bed, where he was tied up by two other people to the bedpost and gagged. When he got a good look around, he realised that this wasn't just any man. This was his father.

"Daddy?" He attempted. He completley forgot that he was twelve, not two.

"Hush!" He silenced his son. Adam winced.

"Well, well, well. Lookie what we have here. Adam, acting like a CHILD! "Daddy!" Please! It's time to grow up, now, son, and I think I have just the thing to help."

The two other guys snickered. His father advanced on him. Adam shrunk down as much as he could.

"Don't you cower away from me, boy!"

That's when the most horrible thing happened, in Adam's opinion.

END FLASHBACK

"He raped me."