Chapter 4:
Zack led Cody down the lobby. Cody seemed lifeless again, walking numbly behind him. Cody had stayed in their suite for about one day, and Zack thought he needed to get out and see more people. It was a school day for Zack, but Carey had let him stay home. She understood how important it was to Zack that he protected his younger twin.
Carey was highly aware of how truly vulnerable and frightened Cody had become. It broke her heart to see that her son, a once beautiful and strong individual, had been reduced to almost nothing.
The elevator dinged, and Zack and Cody headed out from it into the lobby. Cody shuddered, and Zack looked back at him in concern.
"It's ok, Cody," he promised him. "It's ok."
Cody looked up at him with those empty, hopeless eyes, and then, as if remembering, they snapped back down.
They took his SOUL. They took Cody's soul away from him, Zack thought numbly. He trembled on the inside.
On the outside though, he pretended everything was alright. "Come on, Cody. Let's go visit Maddie."
Cody didn't seem to hear him. Zack had noticed that every once in awhile he just blanked out and didn't seem to see or hear anybody. Zack hoped it would change. He hoped things would change over time.
He wanted to be the one that helped Cody.
He took his brother's hand carefully and led him over to the candy counter, where Maddie and London were standing. (Maddie still worked there, and also had another job as a baby-sitter for a rich couple. She needed the money for college, even though London volunteered to pay part of the school's tuition. London, on the other hand, didn't need the money for college. She was going to Harvard. Her dad had persuaded them to take her in. Surprisingly, London wasn't as shallow and artificial as she had been. Maddie seemed to have grown on her. She now was a mature adult, with more intelligence than she had three years before. Her dad was teaching her about the business; she was going to inherit the Tipton hotel in Boston. Her dad wished to set up another Tipton in Paris).
Zack watched as Cody did a quick double take. Well, he glanced at the girls and then drew his eyes to the ground. Zack knew what he was thinking.
Maddie was now tall and beautiful—well, more beautiful, Zack liked to say, than she had been three years before. Her golden hair was now curlier, instead of the straightened way she had kept it before. She was still skinny, but one could see she had matured. A lot.
London was taller now too. Her dark hair was long and glossy—still naturally straight, the way she liked it. Her eyes looked more intelligent and caring now, and she looked sadly at Zack, showing her pity for Cody.
"Hi Cody," London tried, glancing at Zack.
Cody didn't look up. Maddie tried to keep the atmosphere light, and ruffled his hair with her hand, the way she used to do when he was little.
The reaction was amazing.
The three of them watched in horrified fascination as Cody put up his arms in front of his face, as if to protect himself from a blow.
"Please don't hurt me," he cried, crumpling into a pile on the floor. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"Oh my God," gasped Maddie, running out from behind the counter, and trying to help Cody.
Zack got there first though. He ran his hands over his brother's back, whispering into his ear. "It's ok, Cody. It's ok. Remember, I told you no one's going to hurt you. No one's going to hurt you. I'm going to protect you."
Cody was shaking, and Maddie bent down next to him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry Cody. I'm sorry Zack." London's eyes were filling with tears.
"Did they hurt you bad Cody?" Zack was begging to know. He had to know.
Cody's eyes shifted away from his brother's pleading ones. He looked at the ground and didn't say anymore.
It was obvious they had.
xxx
After the disaster from that morning, Zack had brought Cody back up to their suite. He decided to try another attempt.
He called a couple of friends over. He warned them before they came in not to touch Cody physically in any way.
Tapeworm had been at the party, so he already knew what to expect. He glanced at Cody, and then looked sadly at Zack.
However, Bob and Jeremy hadn't seen Cody in three years, and they eagerly bounded up to him against Zack's warnings, and started questioning him.
Cody looked nervous and scared, and Zack pushed the two teens away.
Jeremy, who had once been one of Cody's closest friends, felt subdued as he ran a hand through his dark brown hair and adjusted his glasses. Bob, on the other hand, just looked a bit put off and angry, his red hair frizzing, looking sharp against his freckles. He had always been more of Zack's friend.
Tapeworm, who had been Cody's best friend besides Zack three years ago, crept up besides him and comfortingly stroked his back. "It's ok. If Zack isn't there to help you, I can, ok?"
Cody let out a small sad sigh, and Tapeworm felt like crying. He ran a sleeve over his eyes and sniffed, pretending to cough.
Cody looked up at his friend, Tapeworm—the one with the tousled, brown hair—the one who had always been there for him, and paled. "I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Tapeworm tried to convince him.
Cody felt like screaming. He did! He did! It was his fault for hurting others, it was his fault for hurting the people he loved. He didn't want to hurt his mother. He didn't want to hurt Zack or Tapeworm or Maddie or any of his other friends.
It was his fault. That was the one thing he was sureof.
xxx
The guys settled around the TV, and Zack turned on his PS2. He put in a game called City of Blood, not realizing how this would affect his brother.
The game's goal was to kill as many people as possible—in any way possible. Bob got to work, punching and shooting people. There was screaming, but for about a minute, they all thought it was from the game. And then they realized the volume was on mute.
Zack turned around and saw Cody huddling behind Blankie, screaming his head off.
"Oh my God," he gasped, realizing his mistake. He hurriedly switched off the game, and rushed over to his brother, who was being comforted by Tapeworm.
"Cody, Cody," Tapeworm was attempting to get Cody to listen to him. "Cody," he tried, putting one of his hands on Cody's shoulder.
Cody was scratching wildly, and Tapeworm let out a small yelp of pain. He brought a hand to his cheek, where a bleeding scratch was visible.
"Don't hurt me!" Cody was bawling. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"It's ok, Cody," Tapeworm ignored the blood on his cheek and turned his attention to his friend. "It's ok. I would never hurt you, buddy."
Tears were forming in Tapeworm's eyes and running in silvery streams down his cheeks, blending in with the blood.
"Oh my God, Cody. What did they do to you?" he moaned weakly.
Zack was huddling in a chair, rocking himself back and forth. This was so hard. This was too hard. He wasn't strong enough for this stuff.
"How could I be so stupid?" he asked, seemingly to himself. "Oh my God, how could I be so stupid?"
Cody was still shuddering, his face a mask of pain, and Tapeworm was hugging him close. "Oh God, Cody. Come back to me, Cody. You're still there. Don't lie to me," he said, his voice breaking in pain.
Bob and Jeremy looked uncomfortable. This was getting way too personal for them.
Cody's face was pale, his eyes still sunken and lifeless. He turned to Tapeworm.
"That's what they did to me," he said, his eyes down on his Blankie, a tear soaking into the soft fabric. "That's what they did to me."
Review? Sort of lame, I know. Tapeworm's my favorite though.