Hmm...I have news to impart. This story...will probably have two endings. Shockhorror! But...well...I've kinda already got the angsty one figured, but people have asked for a happy one...so I thought I'd have a go. My first 'choose your own ending or read them both', really...
"Spencer?"
"Have they said anything else about Ian?" Mariah sat down beside the tall Russian, sighing.
"James has been doing some tests and...they think it -is- going to be permanent." Spencer looked away, trying to hide the look of sadness that crossed his face. "Spencer..."
"Mariah...is he locked up?"
"Boris is locked up, Spencer, I said. I haven't lied to you."
"When I get out of here, I swear, I'm going to kill him..."
"Spencer..." Spencer's head snapped back round and Mariah could see the look of defiant anger on his face.
"Are you saying he doesn't deserve to die for what he's done to us? Every time I get up I feel sick, I can't sleep for nightmares! Bryan's permanently terrified and have you seen the blisters in his mouth? Ian's DEAF! Tala hasn't even woken up yet! WHAT IF HE DIES?"
Mariah shook her head, stroking Spencer's cheek. "You can't be so angry...you can't get better unless you're happy..." Spencer snorted. "Instead of thinking about what's wrong, think about what's right! You're still all together, you have brilliant doctors looking after you, and you have us! We'll always be here for you!"
"No you won't. No-one ever is." Mariah shook her head, hugging Spencer tightly.
"When we helped you...I carried you down all those stairs...I stayed with you in the ambulance...I was with you when you woke up...I stayed! And I'm not leaving! Not even if you try to make me because you're mine now! You're my responsibility just like Bryan's Lee's and Ian's Kevin's!" She cried. Spencer stared at her for a second then held her closer.
"I'm sorry...I just...I get so angry...he won't even be punished for what he did..." He tried to fight back a sob. "And what's going to happen to us? If we get through all this? We're never going to be adopted, so what then? And what about afterwards? What if this all comes back? What if we never recover?"
Mariah nuzzled into his neck, her arms tight around him. "You can't think like that...you're worrying over things that might never happen..."
"What about Tala?" Whispered Spencer. "What if he never wakes up? What if Ian's ears never get right again? What if...W-what if..."
"Deal with everything when it goes wrong, if it ever does. It's okay. We're here. -I'm- here, you don't need to worry..." Spencer nodded, sniffling.
"Do you promise?"
"Yes."
So dark...why did it have to be so dark...darkness was bad...why was it dark?
"Bryan?" Bryan looked up at Lee, then back over at Tala.
"They said he'd wake up. Why isn't he awake yet?"
"They don't know. They're still working on what exactly that drug was, so they aren't really sure about anything." Bryan 'hmph-ed' and flumped back onto his pillows. Lee sat beside him, kissing his cheek. "James is coming back to talk to you in a bit." Bryan made a sound of dissent, folding his arms. "Bryan, you know he isn't going to hurt you."
"He's a -psychologist-."
"So?"
"Look, you don't understand!"
"Well I might if you told me!" Bryan looked around, then swallowed nervously.
"Do you promise -he- can't hear me?" Lee nodded. "He wanted...sometimes...he didn't have a girlfriend or anything...so he...he used to..." He looked around suspiciously again. "He would...I...I can't say it..." Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. "If he wanted...-that-...he would just take one of us...and...and they made you think it was okay...for a while...then you'd realise what happened and..." A fat tear rolled down Bryan's cheek. "I'm...a wh-whore...and now you h-hate me!" The Russian started to sob, soon descending into hysterics. Eventually they had no other option but to sedate him. Lee just stared at him as he slept, still unable to quite believe what he'd heard. Bryan's words floated back into his head again.
"You would hate me! You would if you knew what I am!"
Did that mean...that Bryan thought of himself as a whore? Lee felt suddenly sick. The whole situation was sick. It was disgusting. That that could have -happened-...that no-one had -known-... He clenched his fists so hard he thought his nails would go right through his hands, thinking about Boris, about how easily he'd gotten away with what he'd done, how close he'd been to killing him, so close to just getting rid of that piece of FILTH-
"Lee?"
"If I ever see Boris again I'm going to kill him."
"Lee...you can't say something like that...I already said to Spencer-"
"Then Spencer was right, Mariah! Do you know what that sick bastard -did- to Bryan? Do you know how much he tortured him?" His voice dropped to a hissed whisper. "He -raped- him!" Mariah went pale.
"He...he did what?"
"You heard me!"
Lee watched his sister run back across to Spencer, flinging her arms around him.
"Oh Spencer...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'll kill him as well! I'll kill him...how could he-? I hate him!" Spencer pulled Mariah down onto his bed, slightly puzzled.
"Mariah?"
"Please don't say he did that to all of you...that can't be true..."
"What can't be true?"
"B-Bryan said...said that Boris...Boris raped him!" Spencer's expression grew cold. "Spencer..."
"He never wanted me as much as he wanted Tala or Bryan...especially Tala. After all, you said I have to think about what's good about something...it's good that there were more beautiful people than me around." His voice was strained, and the look on his face was one of forced control. "It's good that I'm ugly. It's good that Tala taught me how to make myself bad, so -he- wouldn't want me any more. It's good...it's good that..." Spencer bit his lip hard, drawing blood. "Leave me alone...leave me alone to be -ugly- on my own..."
"Spencer..."
"GET OUT!" Spencer half screamed. "Get -out-..."
"Spencer..."
The Russian didn't answer, just rolled onto his front and buried his face in the pillow.
Kevin watched all the commotion over Ian's shoulder, embroiled as he was in a fierce embrace. The Russian was still crying, and Kevin himself found that pretty reasonable. After all, it wasn't an everyday misfortune to find out you were deaf was it? With a sigh, the green-haired boy hugged Ian a bit tighter. He was tempted to whisper something comforting to him, but it seemed pointless as he couldn't hear it...
"Kevin?" Came Ian's funny voice.
"Y-um..." Kevin leaned back, looking at Ian with a smile. He wiped the tears away from his eyes tenderly, and handed Ian a tissue to blow his nose with. "It feels...really weird...I think I'm talking but I...can't hear it...can you hear me?" Kevin nodded. "Am I...okay? Apart from my ears?" Kevin opened his mouth to reply, then paused. After some quick thinking, he pointed to himself, then to his head, to Ian, and gave a thumbs up. Ian nodded and sank against him once more. Kevin tightened his arms around the Russian, holding him close.
Mariah padded over, looking distraught. "Kevin...Boris raped them...he raped Spencer and Bryan...he...how could he do that? Why would he? I can't understand it...it's just evil!" She sat down beside Ian, making him look up in mild surprise.
"Aren't you Lee's sister?" Mariah nodded. "What's...the matter?" As Mariah tried to think of a way of explaining, Spencer cleared his throat.
"Make him look this way." He said quickly, still looking and sounding depressed. As requested, Kevin pointed over at Spencer, who signed something brief. Ian's lips pursed together, going white. "Forget you heard about it..." He said slowly, slurring. "Don't talk about it!" His voice rose to a shout and he buried his face in Kevin's shoulder again. Mariah touched his back and he squirmed, turning his head to glare at her. "Don't...touch me." Mariah stood up, going back over to Spencer.
Oh ye Gods, I get worse every time...
Anyway...um...right! Next chapter: Lee gets angry, Rei gets fed, and Bryan gets upset.
R&R please