I'm back! With another chapter of JOTN. Sorry, it took so long. I needed to relax after midterms. So, this is where Desiree' decides to talk to the boys about their experiences with being kidnapped. She does a one on one with each of them, so we'll be getting a bit of a recap of some of the flashbacks and entries, which Desiree will take a look at. Speaking of, there will be more entries from a few of the boys you haven't seen before. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's. Moving on.

Chapter 12: One on One

As she ate snacks with them, Desiree' took a chance to observe them. She knew Albert was the one who wasn't taken, judging by his optimistic personality. As for the others, however, she could tell how they were feeling...

First, she looked at Harold and figured that he was the one whose leg was damaged since well, he was in a wheelchair. Next to him was Mush, who no longer had the brace, but Desiree' could still notice a bandage.

She then observed Donald next and could see visible bandages on his arms. He must be the one with the stitches... She thought.

Bucky was next to him, and the young detective saw bandages on him too, but not too many. One of the lucky ones... with the burns, however...

Bill and Russell were sitting together. The brothers. One with a bandage on his head, he must be the one who was knocked out for days. I hope his little brother is doing okay.

As soon as Desiree' laid her eyes on Rudy, she instantly knew which one he was. The rape victim... I feel so bad for him. He sure doesn't seem to have gotten over it...

After this observation, she figured that now would be a good time as ever, "Hey... so, I was hoping to talk now... if you're ready..."

Yet again, she received a silent response, as she sighed. She knew she shouldn't force the boys. It wouldn't be right if they weren't ready. And she didn't blame them for this anyways. They still needed time.

So, she decided to take a look inside the journal for the time being. She carefully read through each entry and winced whenever she read the really bad parts, especially when she got to Rudy's entry. She turned the page to see two more entries after Rudy's, one being Harold's.

Dear Journal

I'm back with more to say. The other guys said some things, but I have to mention some other things that happened while we were held captive. For one night. I think it was the eight night, that man and woman were incredibly drunk. They came in slurring and stumbling all over the place. To be honest, it was kinda funny to see them like that. I know being drunk isn't a joke, but you have to see it to fully understand.

We tried hard to keep out laughter in, but Rudy was the first to crack. He laughed so hard and loud, that alone almost made the rest of us laugh.

But the couple sure wasn't laughing. They got mad, and the woman slapped Rudy so hard, blood came out of his nose. He was left in tears, and the man punched him in the nose too. Blood was all over his sweater and vest. I know he felt embarrassed. He probably wished he didn't laugh at all. But I know he couldn't help it. I'm sure any of us couldn't have helped it.

So the couple warned us not to laugh at them again, or else it would result in punishment. After everything we've been through so far, we knew what type of punishments we could be in for. That's all I have to say for now. If I have anything else to say, I'll be back.

Later, Harold.

Desiree' winced again, feeling even more bad for Rudy. The next entry under Harold's was Russell's.

Dear Journal

Here I am again with another entry. I'm writing about what happened AFTER we got rescued. My brother was bashed in the head by those people, and they got away. I remember riding in the ambulance with Bill, watching the paramedics work on him. I kept praying, hoping that he was going to make it. And he did.

We got to the hospital and treated my wrist, back, and other injuries. My Mom and Dad came, and Momma was hugging me and crying and everything. The doctor then gave us the dreaded news... Bill was in a coma and could be that way for days. And I heard that well...

I was sad, upset... and angry. Angry at those people. I felt something I thought I only felt with Rudy... hatred. Only, instead of annoyed hate (And this is not really meant to be something directed towards Rudy, he just annoys me sometimes), it's furious hate. Those... those monsters hurt my brother, and he had to rely on a MACHINE to survive. I'm happy he's awake now... but that doesn't soften my anger any less. I hope that man and woman are caught. And when they are, I hope they get the worst and most PAINFUL punishments the judge has to offer!

Only then will they know how we FELT...

And, that's all... Russell

Desiree' was amazed at how much anger and hate one tiny little boy could express. She couldn't blame him though. Those people, whoever they were, almost killed his brother. To be honest, she might have felt the same way if it happened to her sister.

After looking up, she noticed the boys looking at her with curiosity. She smiled at them and put the journal on the table, "You feeling okay...?" She asked.

Another silent response, but there were nods of approval. After a few more moments of just staring, Harold spoke up, "Um... I'd like to talk to you..." He said.

"Really? You ready?" Desiree' asked.

"Yeah. I mean, if you're gonna help investigate... you're gonna need some help."

"Cool! Let's go outside where we can get some privacy."

With that, she wheeled the tall boy out of the room, and into another empty room. They sat at a table, and had the journal, Harold's file, a notepad, and a tape recorder, "So... you seem like one of the braver ones." She said.

Harold nodded, "Uh, yeah. I'm the oldest behind Fat Albert, and being the oldest of us that were taken, I thought I had to be the responsible one to keep everyone in check. You know, make sure they didn't lose their minds."

"That's good. So... start from the beginning. Tell me everything you know." Desiree turned her tape recorder on, and Harold began talking.

"Well... it started almost two weeks ago. We were all hanging out in the junkyard 'til it was time to go home. We bid each other farewell and went our separate ways. On the way to my house... I never mentioned this before, but I was starting to feel odd. As if someone was following me. I kept looking around but didn't see anybody... I soon saw my house in full view, but then I stopped to tie my shoes back up..."

Harold stopped for a moment to think before continuing, "And... now I remember. The second I bent down, I felt someone grab me and put this clothed over my nose... and I passed out. When I woke up, I found myself, and the rest of my friends in that basement. The man and woman came down and introduced themselves to us. They told us that they were gonna keep us like their sons... and that was when they beat the skin off our backs... and it's still sore."

Desiree nodded as she wrote down on her pad, "Uh huh... according to your records, and this journal, you got hurt pretty badly in the leg, no?"

The boy looked at his left leg, still protected by a cast, "Yeah... it got hurt twice. The first time, my friend Mushmouth was trying to get to this thermostat, and he fell and hurt his neck. The man and woman heard and came running. I took the fall and said I was making the noise, so they threw me and I landed on my knee pretty hard. After that, the woman gave me a real big cut and hurt so much. It was slightly worth it, since I was protecting my friend."

"And the second time...?" The young detective asked.

"That was the last day of our captivity. Russell was standing up for Rudy, and the man had this sledgehammer ready to strike. He used it on my leg, making things much worse. Then he tried to hit Russell, but that's when Bill got in the way and got hit instead. He was brave to do that, to save his brother."

Desiree wrote down more things, "I see... so tell me. How have things been since? I know you guys are still recovering."

"Yeah. It's been pretty hard. I've been handling it better than the others, honestly. But seeing my friends still miserable and such, it sucks. I try to remain optimistic as I can, but it's been difficult. And I hope those people are found soon. I'd hate for this to happen again."

"I know..."

"And well... that's all I have to say. The others can explain the other stuff much better than I could."

"Oh, okay. Thanks for your time, Harold."

"No problem..."

She then turned off the recorder, and returned Harold to the others, "Okay, who's next?" She asked.

The boys looked at one another, before Donald slowly raised his hand, "I-I-I'll go..." He said quietly, standing up to join Desiree' in the other room. He sat down with her, as she put another tape in the recorder, "Okay... Donald, right? I just want you to talk about what happened. You don't have to tell me everything, but anything to help find the people who took you. Let's start with the beginning. The day you got taken..."

Donald remained silent to think for a moment, before he spoke, "I-I remember... I was walking home... but before I made it there, I felt this cloth on my nose, and I passed out. The next thing I know, I'm in this scary basement with my friends. This man and woman took us, and they spent the next ten days beating us day in and day out... they hurt us real bad..."

Much like with Harold, Desiree' began recording and writing on her notepad. She listened carefully as Donald continued, "T-T-They especially hurt Rudy real bad. So bad, that I got scared, and peed in my pants. T-They weren't happy about that. So the man cut me... cut me badly! And now I got all these stitches and stuff..."

He rolled up the sleeves of his sweater to show Desiree' the stitches before he continued to talk, "And can you blame me for being scared? They hurt my best friend... I've known Rudy for a long long time. We've always had each other's back, you know... and now he may never be the same. All cause of those people. I... I really care about him..."

"I see you do..." The woman nodded.

"And... if he died... I... I don't know what I'd do... probably cry... but yeah. I wouldn't know what to do..."

Just the mere thought of losing his best friend brought Donald to tears, as Desiree' handed him a soft cloth, "I know... I understand how you feel... but he's okay. And you guys still have each other. Hold on to that friendship..."

"I-I-I will..." He sniffed.

"You wanna stop here... or do you have more to say?"

"N-No... I'm good..."

Donald got up and walked back to the other room, with some new thoughts and feelings in mind. After a few seconds, Bucky came into the room, "Hi..." He greeted.

Desiree' smiled, "You must be Bucky. Ready to talk with me."

"Sure..."

With that, he sat down, as Desiree replaced the tape with another, "Okay, much with the other two, I want you to start from the beginning, from the moment you got taken..."

"Okay. Well, uh, I remember walking home. Harold, Mushmouth, and I were walking together before we split off. I remember reaching the front step of my house before I got dragged down and in a bush... I was knocked by some cloth. When I woke up, I saw my friends, and we were in this basement with that couple. They beat us, and later gave us some weird food... we weren't sure about eating it, but I tried it first, and it wasn't that bad. Just salty."

The preteen watched as the detective wrote on her notepad, "So, according to these journal entries, some of you weren't so keen on eating this salty stuff, right?" She asked.

Bucky nodded, "Yeah... it was Russell. He thought the mean couple was trying to win us over, and he wasn't falling for it. But when they found out he didn't eat, he got whooped for it. And I mean whooped. The lady hit his butt so hard, he started bleeding..."

"My god..."

"Yeah... after that, the next few days weren't any better. They continued to torture us, broke Harold's leg, cut Donald, violated Rudy, and even burned my legs... which I still have to write about... that's a journal entry for later. And then they knocked Bill out... and that happened at the end. That's all I can really remember..."

Desiree' nodded, "I understand, Bucky. I think I have enough from you, thanks."

"You're welcome..."

After Bucky left the room, it was Mush's turn, "Are you James?" Desiree' asked.

"Yeahb. Butb myb friendsb callb meb Mushbmouthb." He replied.

"Okay, Mushmouth. I wanna talk to you, and you tell me about your kidnapping. Not every detail, but everything you can remember." She explained.

Mush nodded, and began to talk, "Wellb. I wasb goingb homeb thatb dayb... whenb Ib feltb ab clothb, andb fellb absleepb. Thenb, web wereb allb inb ab basebmentb. The manb and womanb wereb meanb. Theyb hit us, kickb usb, and Ib triedb toob turnb downb theb heatb, butb Ib fellb and hurtb myb neckb. The peopleb heardb theb noiseb, and askedb whob did itb. Then Weirdb Haroldb said itb wasb him, sob theyb hurtb him. Heb wasb sob braveb tob dob thatb for meb..."

Desiree' jotted this down, "I noticed. Harold is brave. All of you boys are..."

"Yeahb. Ib guessb web areb... that'sb allb Ib haveb tob sayb..."

"That's fine. Thanks."

After Mush, Bill and Russell came in together, "Ah, the devoted brothers. I heard you were inseparable..." Desiree' chuckled.

Bill smiled, "Yeah. And after all we've been through, we're even more inseparable..."

The brothers sat together, already aware of what they were about to do, "So tell me, what happened when you were kidnapped?" Desiree' asked.

"We were walking home... and not even a block from where we live, I saw this person grab Rus..." Bill explained, holding his brother's hand for comfort, "I tried to fight them off, but they were too strong. Then I got hit in the head, and the last thing I remember seeing was this woman putting a cloth over Russell's nose... and that's when the terror started..."

"And we didn't like it..." Russell added.

"Those people seemed to intend to keep us forever, and the days to follow were, excuse my language, complete and utter Hell. They beat us, made us eat weird food. And they beat Russell's backside so badly, he bled. Do you know how it feels to see your sibling get hurt, and you can't do a damn thing about it? It fucking sucks!"

Bill had covered his brother's ears so he wouldn't hear him curse. Desiree' nodded and jotted down on her notepad as the older brother continued, "Seeing Russell in pain pissed me off, and I vowed to keep him safe from those bastards. And you probably know this, but on the last day, the man was about to hit Russell with a sledgehammer, so I pushed him out of the way and took the hit. It hurt like nothing I've experienced, but I found comfort in the fact that I saved my brother from potential death..."

Desiree' smiled, "That's real sweet. Being there for your brother..."

Bill nodded, "Yeah..."

That's when Russell had to say, "Not to mention, I tried to help Rudy. You see, this happened after those people... hurt him, and the lady was trying to get him to eat, but he didn't want to. She then threatened him, and I thought enough was enough. As annoying as Rudy could be, I hated seeing him so weak and defenseless, I had to do something... and look what happened... I thought I would lose Bill... he may be a mean brother sometimes, but I love him too much for him to die..."

"I love you too, Rus..."

The brothers then shared a hug, as the detective gushed at the tender moment, "Cute... anything else...?"

"I think we both said what we needed to say... for now..." Bill shook his head.

"Okay. Thanks, you two. Keep loving each other..."

"We will..." Russell gave her a thumbs up.

Now all who's left is... Rudy.

Speaking of whom, he walked in after the brothers left. He seemed to be more hesitant as he sat down slowly. Desiree' smiled, "Hi... Rudy, right?" She continued when he nodded, "So... I just want you to tell me about your experience... from the beginning to the end. You don't have to explain every single detail, but just what you can remember."

The rich boy nodded as he took a deep breath, and spoke, "I remember that day... I had gotten new headphones and was showing the dudes. After that, we went home. I was listening to my music, unaware that someone was probably following me. I felt someone grab me, and I tried to get away until I felt someone hit my head. I saw blood and passed out... then next thing I know... I'm trapped in a basement..."

Rudy took another deep breath, "And I won't sugarcoat anything... our experience was crap. I'm sure you heard it from the others, but here's what I have to say! They beat the shit outta us, had us eating this weird crap which didn't taste bad, but still. Russell got his ass beat for not eating, Harold got his leg fucked up, Mush hurt his neck, Bucky got burned, and Donald... got cut up 'cause of me..."

That made Desiree' raise an eyebrow, "What do you mean...?"

Rudy looked at her with a tear stained face, "I... I'm gonna just put it this way. They raped me. They FUCKING RAPED ME! That couple decided they wanted to take away my virginity! First, the man shoved his dick down my throat and made me suck it, while his mistress forced a dildo up my ass. It hurt like a BITCH! And the taste of dick was disgusting! And then... they decided to... switch sides... and then I had a dildo in my mouth, and a cock in my ass! I... felt... broken... and..."

Just remembering the moment caused Rudy to start gagging, which Desiree' noticed quickly. Looking around, she spotted a small trash can, and dashed for it, before rushing back to the boy, giving it to him as he emptied his stomach, gagging violently, vomiting, and sobbing all at once. The woman rubbed his back for comfort. After a few moments, Rudy started to feel better as he coughed, "Thanks..." he said weakly.

"No problem... wanna stop here?" She asked.

Surprisingly, he shook his head, "N-No... I-I need to g-get this out. After they... violated me... Donald pissed his pants. He was scared, and they punished him for it... they cut him up... and I realize it wouldn't have happened... if it weren't for me... Donald wouldn't have been scared if I never got raped... it's all my fault..."

"No... no, it isn't..." Desiree' assured him as he started to sob again, "You are not to blame for this, Rudy. Those people chose to hurt you, and you had nothing to do with it... anyone would've been scared at seeing that... you were hurt, and he was concerned..."

Rudy looked at her, "He's my best friend... he could've died from blood loss..."

"I understand. And I know you're best friends... he told me. You two seem really close..."

"We are... we've been tight since age six or seven... he'd helped me and I've helped him. If anything happened to him back then... I would never forgive myself... especially if I couldn't protect him..."

"I know... well, I think I got what I needed. Thanks for your time, Rudy..."

"Um... you're welcome..."

With that, Rudy returned to the room, followed by Desiree'. In her mind, what the boys told her wasn't much. It was basically information she already knew based on the journal and files. However, she remembered one thing. Most of the boys were knocked unconscious by the use of cloths...

And it didn't just take a genius to know that they were chloroformed. That might have some leads. But for now, she just smiled, "Thanks, you guys. I think we got what we need for this investigation. If we need anything else, I'll be back, 'kay?"

The boys nodded, to which she nodded back, "Cool. I'll see you around."

"Thanks for visiting, Desiree'," Albert said.

With that, she waved and left. As for the boys, they continued to converse with each other. Rudy had sat down next to Donald and instantly felt a hand touch his. He looked up to see Donald smiling at him, "You good...?" He asked.

Rudy wasn't sure how to respond, but he simply nodded, "Yeah... I'm good..."

The two best friends looked at one another before Rudy ended up taking Donald's hand and squeezing it softly, "What would I do without you...?" He asked with a smile.

"U-Uh, I dunno. What?"

Albert smiled at the friends, before seeing Russell snuggling up to his brother, Harold talking with Mush, and Bucky smiling at pretty much everything. It seemed that, for the first time since the kidnapping, the boys were all truly happy for once. Maybe writing in the journal, and talking to a detective really helped them.

Things seemed to be working out perfectly... what a blessing that would be.

Awww. Cute moments between everybody. And talking about things with Desiree' seemed to help the boys. Plus, we learn that Bucky got burned on the legs pretty badly, which will come up in a journal entry next chapter. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you guys later. And as always, don't forget to review, please. Thank you. :)