Thanks for the reviews: thephantomgal10, Samantha-Girl Scout, katiesparks, spdgirl, zombie-rodeo-frog, GoingGhost, Terra89, and the sleep warrior.
A quick note from the author: I seem to attract some weird screen names recently… No offense, of course. I'm weird too so we can all just be weird together… Katie, I totally understand the headache. I usually refer to them as Danny and DJ. It makes it so much easier.
Chapter 6: The Strange Unknown
DJ stared moodily at the ceiling, his arms crossed under his pillow. He hated this place: the smells, the looks, the sounds… Eric always brought over some new girl then they'd get high or drunk and end up keeping him awake half the night as he was forced to listen to the moaning and screaming from the other room. He rolled over, grimacing and gripping his chest. He still hadn't quite recovered from the beating those college jocks had given him. He had a really ugly bruise on one side of his chest.
He groaned and got up, grabbing his backpack as Eric and his new girl made their way toward the bedroom. He couldn't stand another night of this. He'd rather sleep on the streets. And that was exactly where he ended up when he realized Eric's was the last place he had to go. He sat on a bench in the park, staring moodily at the sidewalk between his feet. When was he going to convince himself to go back to his mother's and play the 'good boy?' He snorted, lying down on the bench. He was going to be here forever.
DJ didn't even realize he'd fallen asleep. It was cold, a chill wind blowing in from the north. He shivered, tucking his arms closer to him. "Well, at least it's not raining," he whispered. A crack of thunder made him cover his head with his arms then it began to rain. He glared up at the sky. "Thanks a lot!"
He tried to ignore it, pulling his arms and legs closer to him to gather any warmth he had left, but the rain was persistent. Before long, any small amount of warmth he'd had had been taken by the chilling rain. He reluctantly got to his feet, knowing he had to find some kind of shelter. A breeze pushed him forward, nearly making him stumble. He couldn't stop shivering, and he had a feeling he was getting sick from sitting out here. His legs barely moved, practically frozen from the weather.
He found himself in front of a huge house, and he weakly raised his head. What was he doing here? Did he know these people? He stepped forward before stumbling and collapsing onto their front steps.
"Ow…" he muttered, but he couldn't get back up. He felt like a lost little kid, and if it hadn't been raining, he would've thought the moisture on his face were tears.
He heard the door open, a small stream of light coming from the opening. A silhouette stood in the doorway, and he weakly raised his head. They were probably coming to yell and him and make him move. He opened his mouth to try to say something, to beg for warmth or something maybe, but he couldn't form the words.
"Daniel?" It was a rich, male voice. It sounded kind of familiar, like a grandparent he hadn't seen in forever. "Pamela, come quickly!" he called back into the house before bending down to the surprised and obviously ill teen. "Daniel, what are you doing here?" he asked.
DJ didn't speak. No one called him Daniel except his mom when she was mad at him. Who were these people? The man's face looked familiar as did the woman's when she finally came out and gaped at him too. The man grasped his arm, carefully helping him to his feet.
"You look like you fell in the lake," the man said as he led DJ into his house.
"Jeremie, maybe we should call Samantha," the woman said.
Samantha? That was his mother, wasn't it? No one called her Samantha. She liked to be called Sam. He blinked; the room was swimming before his eyes.
"Pamela, you heard what she had to say when she called us. She obviously felt she had to do this."
Do what? Who were these people? Where was this man leading him? He barely had the strength to move his legs right now much less climb stairs. Why were they taking him upstairs? He was led down a hall he didn't recognize into a room he didn't recognize. The man and woman carefully set him on the bed, and he closed his eyes, surprised he'd managed to keep them open so long.
"Don't worry, Daniel," he heard the woman whisper. "You'll be fine."
And that was the last he remembered.
A/N: One guess whose house he ended up at. Come on, come on. Big house, rich people named Jeremie and Pamela, places he doesn't recognize. GRANDPARENTS HE HASN'T SEEN IN A LONG TIME? I swear, if you don't get this you really need help… Let me know what you guys think of this chapter! Press the little review button at the bottom. You know you want to!