I am honestly very surprised with the response that I have gotten with this story. I was honestly expecting maybe one review. So, thank you all.

Chapter Three

He sighed, trudging up the steps to the worn-down townhouse, with heavy feet. He was more than exhausted after another long day at the café downtown. The pay wasn't the best, but it was the best he could find, given his lack of employment and the fact that he didn't even have a high school diploma.

He had to drop out to support his family, which now only consisted of his younger sister and his dead-beat older brother, who was barely ever home. The responsibility of taking care of his sister had fallen on his shoulders after his parents' death as a result of a tragic car accident two years ago. His older brother should've shouldered the burden, but he turned to drinking and gambling. So, Kevin had taken it upon himself to support his little sister and himself.

"Kevin!" A cheerful voice greeted him, followed by footsteps, as he stepped into the house.

His tired demeanor instantly brightened up at the sight of his younger sister. The sight of her always brought a smile to his face, regardless of the day he had. She wrapped her arms around his waist. "Hey kiddo." He smiled, despite himself, and ruffled her hair. "How was your day?"

His sister pulled away from him, smiling. "It was really good. Chrissy and I painted…"

His mind wandered off elsewhere, as he pretended to listen to his sister. "Sounds like fun." He said, before glancing at the sink full of dirty dishes, internally rolling his eyes. Of course, Andrew hadn't even cleared the dishes after he came home the night before. Then again, when did he ever do anything useful around the house? Sighing, Kevin made his way over to the sink and started loading the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. When he was done, he turned his attention back to his sister.

She was in the makeshift living room, which consisted of a worn-out couch, a dirty carpet, and a broken TV set. The dingy house had seen better days. Fortunately, his parents had managed to pay off the mortgage on the house, so it was officially theirs. Still, the house could use some major renovations, but Kevin couldn't afford them on his paycheck. Besides, almost all of his money went to paying bills and buying groceries.

Lying down on the carpet, his sister was reading a book.

"Hey Mia, are you hungry?" He asked her, knowing full well that she probably hadn't eaten since that morning. He couldn't even afford to give her school lunch or give her money to buy some in the school cafeteria. If she was lucky, sometimes one of her school friends would share part of their lunch with her.

"Yeah." She turned to him, nodding her head, before going back to her book.

Kevin walked over the refrigerator and opened the door. To his dismay, the fridge was practically empty, except for a few beer cans. He had told Andrew to go to the supermarket, but of course, he hadn't. He had probably taken the money and lost it gambling. Kevin held back a disgruntled sigh. He couldn't trust Andrew to do anything.

He took his wallet out of the pocket of his jeans, hoping to find some money to buy take out. He fished out a ten-dollar bill. That would be enough for one pizza pie, which would last them about three days if they rationed it. He would get his next paycheck by then. He made a mental note to himself to pick up some groceries once he did get his paycheck and deposited it in the bank.

"I'll order a pizza." He said, walking over to the phone and dialing the local pizzeria. Once he hung up, he joined his sister in the living room.

"Where's Andrew? When is he going to be home?"

"Soon, kiddo. He'll be home soon. He's just working really hard." Kevin answered. Of course Andrew wasn't really working. He hated lying to Mia, but he knew she wouldn't understand the truth.

Besides, how could he tell her that her older brother, who was supposed to be taking care of them, was too busy throwing away what little money they had on gambling and drinks? Mia was too young to understand. Plus, she looked up to Andrew. Kevin didn't want to break her heart again, after she had just started getting over the death of their parents.

Andrew was the reason he had to quit high school and give up his dreams of becoming a detective. When he was younger, he absolutely adored watching the plethora of detective shows available on TV – from Law & Order to Criminal Minds to NCIS. It had been his childhood dream to become like the main characters and help bring justice to people who couldn't get it themselves. But those dreams flew out the window as soon as their parents died and Andrew turned to drinking and gambling his sorrows away.

Kevin had taken it upon himself to make sure Mia got the opportunities that he couldn't; that she would be able to go to college and actually do something with her life.

Mia fell silent and went back to her homework. Kevin sighed wearily and leaned back into the couch, trying to relax after a long day on his feet. Thankfully, he had the next two days off. His eyes scanned the living room and the adjoining kitchen. His eyes landed on a stack of envelopes on the kitchen table. Kevin stood up and walked over to the mail. Picking up the pile, he went through it. The electricity bill, the water bill, the phone bill, insurance payments. He let out a deep sigh. He would definitely have to ask his boss for more hours. Or find a second job. They couldn't live like this that much longer.

The doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of their dinner. Kevin put the mail back on the kitchen table, took out his wallet and opened the door. He thanked the delivery boy, handing him the ten-dollar bill and took the pizza box. He placed the box on the kitchen table and took out two plates from the cupboards. He washed his hands in the kitchen sink, before putting one slice on each plate and setting them down on the table.

"Dinner's ready Mia. Don't forget to clean your hands."

Mia got up from the carpet and ran down the hall. A minute or two later, she joined Kevin at the table. The two of them ate in silence.

"Are you done with your homework?" Kevin asked her, after glancing at the clock. Seven o'clock. Almost time to put her to bed.

"Yeah." His sister nodded her head.

"Good. Get ready for bed and I'll be there in a few minutes to tuck you in."

Mia ran off.

Kevin took their plates and put them in the dishwasher, which was now full. He turned it on, before putting the remaining pizza away into the fridge. Then, he made his way to Mia's room. She was already in her bed, waiting for him expectantly.

"Can you read me a story?" She asked him as soon as he stepped into the room.

Kevin was tired, but he relented. He walked over to the tiny shelf of books on one side of her room. Picking one out at random, he sat down at the edge of her bed and began reading it. Within minutes, Mia was fast asleep. Smiling, Kevin stood up and put the book back. He kissed her head and turned the lights off, before closing the door behind him.

As soon as he did, the front door opened and in stumbled Andrew.

"Kevin!" He all but shouted.

"Keep it down!" Kevin scolded, his voice a hushed whisper. "I just put Mia to bed."

"Is there any food? I'm starving." Andrew made his way to the fridge, opening the door and taking out the box of pizza. "Is this all we have?"

"Yes. We would have more if someone didn't blow all of the money gambling," Kevin glared at his older brother. "I gave you twenty dollars and told you to go to the market today."

Andrew rolled his eyes. "I'm trying to make us some money. I just haven't had any luck." He took a slice of pizza and slumped down on the living room couch.

Kevin continued to glare at him, as he leaned against the living room wall. "You know, you could always just get a job."

"And work for the man? Nah. That's what you're here for."

"That's what I'm here for? I should be in high school Andrew! I could be graduating this year and going to college in the fall! But I'm not. You know why? Because my deadbeat older brother lost basically all of our inheritance money gambling, so I had to go get a job just to keep a roof over our heads and pay all of the bills!"

"You need to calm down, man." Andrew said, finishing off his pizza. He walked over to the fridge and took out a beer can.

Kevin bit his tongue. "What are you doing here anyway? Did you come for more money? Because too bad, I don't have any."

Andrew just ignored him and continued drinking. "Hey, listen. Are you working tomorrow?"

"No. What's it to you?"

"Good. I want to show you something. Rodney showed me this pretty sick place today. It's a money magnet. I think our luck is finally going to turn around."

"Hell no. You are not taking me to another one of your bird-brained fast money schemes. One of us needs to be responsible about our money and clearly that has to be me."

"Trust me on this one Kev. I know we're going to make the big money. I can just feel it."

"What is it this time?" Kevin folded his arms over his chest, rolling his eyes.

"It's a fighting arena. Men fight in this arena to the death and you place bets on whoever you think will win."

"Isn't that illegal?"

Andrew shrugged. "Who cares? Just come on Kev. It'll be fun."

"Watching men kill each other? What are we, back in ancient Rome? No, thanks."

"Please. Just this one time. If you really don't like, then you don't have to come back."

Andrew pleaded. "We haven't had any time to hang out, just brother to brother, you know?"

Kevin scoffed. "Don't give me that bullshit Andrew. If you really cared about me or Mia, you would get a job and stop disappearing for days on end."

"Just come with me. I promise you won't regret it."

"Why do you even want me there? What, do you need my money? I already told you I don't have any, and even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you."

"I bought two tickets and Rodney can't make it tomorrow. I don't want the tickets to go to waste."

Kevin sighed, looking at his brother. He didn't want to go. He would've liked to spend his two days off relaxing. However, he knew he needed to go. He needed to make sure that Andrew didn't bet too much money or something crazy, like the deed to their house. "Fine." He said, giving in. "But I'm only going to make sure that you don't lose all of our money."

The next afternoon after helping Mia get ready for school and sending her off, Kevin let his brother lead them to the fighting arena. Since they didn't have a car, they had to walk the thirty minutes it took to get to the place. It was in a run-down building, way on the outskirts of town. It was further away from the town than their house was, in its dilapidated neighborhood. The entire building had a bad aura, Just looking at it brought shivers down Kevin's spine. Nevertheless the fact that men had actually died within it.

By the time they got there, crowds of people, all men, were lining up by the entrance. Most of them were old, burly men. Some were people like his brother. A few of them even nodded to his brother in greeting. Kevin rolled his eyes. All of them were they after the same thing – fast money. They all looked sleazy. Feeling uncomfortable, he shoved his hands into his pockets and made sure to pay attention to all of his surroundings. He moved to stand a little closer to his brother. Slowly the lined moved up, until Kevin and Andrew had made it to the front.

Two hefty men stood on either side of the entrance. One of them spoke. "Tickets or cash." Andrew handed them the two tickets. Kevin followed his brother inside, before the both of them were grabbed by their collars and pulled back to the entrance.

"Uh, uh, uh." The man who had collected their tickets said. "That was for seating. You still need to pay the entrance fee. $5 dollars. Gotta pay the King. Cough it up." He held out his hand.

Kevin looked at his brother. Andrew looked pleadingly back at him. Sighing, Kevin took his wallet out of his pocket and fished out the only remaining bill he had - a $5 one - and handed it to the man.

"Enjoy the show." He flashed them a smile.

Andrew quickly walked inside and Kevin didn't hesitate to follow. "Nice going. That was all of the money I had."

"Don't worry Kev. After today, we'll have a lot more." Andrew patted his back.

Kevin rolled his eyes.

Andrew led them down a musky hallway. The only sources of light were dim light bulbs, about every ten feet or so. Even then, it was difficult to see exactly where he was going. The walls were falling, with peeling, lead-ridden paint. Small puddles of water welled in corners and seeped from the walls, creating a strong presence of mold.

Kevin couldn't help but think of how shady the place was. He really hoped his brother knew what he was getting them into, but then again, when did Andrew ever. As they walked, Kevin made sure to look for any emergency exits, in case a situation called for them to escape quickly. Knowing his brother, he probably didn't have any money to pay up if they lost and they would probably have to run out of the arena as soon as the match was over.

His brother stopped shortly and Kevin almost ran into him. They stood in front of two metal doors. A man with a clipboard stood in front of them. "Who are you betting on?" The man asked.

"Whose up?" Andrew asked.

"Jason and Austin." The man said, looking down at his clipboard and jotting something down. "You both betting or just one of you?"

"Just one." Andrew answered. "I'm betting on Austin. I heard he's a fighter."

The man chuckled. "Yeah, that kid definitely is. How much?"

"Twenty dollars." Andrew said, smiling.

The man wrote something down on the clipboard, before ripping a paper off and handing it to Andrew. "Take a seat. Enjoy the show. Oh, and good luck."

Andrew took the paper and walked through the doors. Kevin followed closely behind him. They stepped inside a huge room, set up like a fighting stadium. Most of the seats were already full. Kevin was appalled at how much people had come to watch the fight. He had seen quite a lot waiting outside, but he wasn't expecting this much old men to watch. Did these people have nothing better to do with their lives than watch people fight to the death? What was wrong with them?

"Come on." His brother's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. Kevin saw that Andrew was a few feet away from him, motioning to a pair of seats in the front row.

Kevin quickly ran up to him and sat down. He felt completely uncomfortable in the arena. He regretted agreeing to go with his brother. He couldn't watch this.

"Relax." Andrew whispered into his ear. "This is going to be fun."

"How did you knew who to bet on? That Austin kid?" Kevin asked. He really hoped his brother knew what he was doing. They had no money left.

"Rodney saw him fight yesterday day. Said he's a killer. Apparently, he hasn't lost a fight since he got here."

"How long has he been here?"

"About two years I think."

"Two years?! That's crazy! How long has this been going on?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." His brother shrugged.

"So, isn't everyone going to bet on that Austin kid?"

"Nah. Rodney also saw Jason fight. Said Austin's just as good as him. This should be a hard fight. But I really hope Austin wins."

"You know that if he does, you're getting blood money." Kevin deadpanned.

Andrew shrugged. "Money's money. It doesn't matter how you get it."

Kevin didn't bother responding to his brother. Instead, he looked around the arena, if you could even call it that. The arena was about the size of a modern-day high school auditorium. Except, instead of being filled with rows and rows of seats, all angled down towards a stage, bleachers were set up in raised rows, angled down towards the center of the arena. The center was a circular area, of about fifty feet wide. It had a pair of doors on each side and a pair of guards standing by each door. Kevin looked around at the bleachers. The seats were filled with hundreds of money and blood hungry men. All of them were cheering and waiting for the fight to begin. In a space like a balcony, sat one man, smiling cheekily. He was like a mix of the Joker, the Cheshire cat, and Freddy Krueger.

His eyes met Kevin's and his smile grew even wider. He nodded at Kevin before turning his attention back to the center of the arena. His smile brought shivers down Kevin's back. He glanced away and looked around the rest of the arena, his eyes scanning the other members of the audience. He couldn't believe he actually let his brother drag him into this.

Suddenly, the cheering and chanting increased tenfold. Many men were out of their seats, fists pumping in the air, as they looked down towards the center of the arena. Kevin followed their eyes to see that the doors on each side of the arena had finally opened.

The Cheshire man spoke into a microphone. "Welcome. Thank you all for coming. For those of you who don't know me, I am King." His eyes met Kevin's and he flashed him a smile. "I am pleased to announce that for today's match, we will have two crowd favorites. One of them is personally, my very favorite fighter. You all know him. His name is Austin."

The crowd of men went wild. The Cheshire man beamed.

"The other is Jason. I hope you enjoy the show." He turned off the microphone and sat back down in his chair.

From one side a brown-haired boy was dragged was into the arena, assisted by two guards. They pushed him to his knees. From the other side, two guards came in, holding a struggling blonde. If you could even call him blonde. His hair was full of dirt and grime, it almost looked brown. The only way Kevin could tell it was blonde was because of the tips of his hair, that still remained fairly blonde. He wondered when the last time either boy showered was. They were both covered in dirt.

Both pairs of guards kept shoving the boys until they were each about one-third of the way into the fighting ring. They pushed them to their knees. Then, the guards let them go and quickly left the circle. The fight had begun.

Both boys slowly both stood up. Only then did Kevin notice the collars around their necks. What the hell, he thought. They were being treated like dogs.

Kevin couldn't help feel sympathetic for both of them. They were barely thinner than twigs, their tattered shirts hanging limply off of their bodies. Kevin could see their ribs sticking out, from some tears in their shirts. The brown-haired boy's eyes were sunken into his face. Kevin could only assume the same went for the blonde boy.

He wondered how they even got there. Was this by choice? Looking at their appearances, he guessed probably not. He glanced back at the man on the balcony, scowling at how pleased the man looked. He turned back to the center of the arena.

Both boys had each assumed a fighting stance. From his seat, Kevin could only see the face of the brown-haired boy. He looked no older than he was. His heart shattered. How could all of these people watch these boys fight each other? Those boys shouldn't be here. They should be in high school, getting an education.

Kevin thought his situation was bad, but at least he wasn't being forced to kill people.

The brown-haired boy made the first move. He threw a right, round-house punch. The blonde boy ducked skillfully. He probably had more than enough practice, Kevin thought ruefully. He stepped to the side as the brown-haired boy tried to throw another punch. This time, the blonde countered with a right roundhouse kick.

It hit the brown-haired boy squarely on the sides of his ribs. He fell to the ground, but he quickly jumped back onto his feet. The blonde moved his matted hair to one side with his hand. That was when Kevin saw a pair of brown eyes, with golden specks. Familiar brown eyes.

He gasped with recognition.

The blonde boy was Austin Moon. The pop star that had gone missing almost two years ago. He only knew about it because Mia was a huge Austin Moon fan and was absolutely bawling at his disappearance.

He couldn't believe it. The pop star was alive. The police had presumed him dead almost a year ago, but he was very much alive. How was this possible? Had Austin been here the whole time?

"Andrew! Do you know who that is?" Kevin shook his brother's shoulder frantically.

"What?" His brother turned to face him.

"That's Austin Moon! That pop star the Mia was obsessed with! The one who has been missing for two years!"

"Who?" Andrew asked, over the noise of the cheering crowd.

"Austin Moon!"

"Who the hell is that? Who cares! He's winning and that's all that matters." His brother said, turning back to watch the fight.

Kevin looked back at the fight, still not believing his eyes. How could he be the only one who knew who the blonde was? He looked back at King, his hatred for the man only growing. How could he keep Austin and Jason, and whoever else, here, when their families were probably worried sick or grief-stricken, thinking that their sons were dead? This man was a monster.

The sound of a jaw cracking echoed in the arena. Kevin turned his eyes back to the match. Austin was on top of Jason, throwing punches. One of them hit him square in the jaw. Jason moaned in pain. Austin hesitated, one fist hanging in the air.

"Finish him!" The crowd around Kevin roared, especially his brother.

Austin's eyes scanned around the arena.

He looked absolutely terrible. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was gaunt. He looked practically dead. The blonde's eyes finally landed on Kevin. Kevin gasped. The expression in his eyes was absolutely disturbing. An expression of pure sorrow and regret, of pure sadness and helplessness. It broke Kevin's heart. A boy of his age shouldn't look like that.

Austin looked back at the moaning boy below him. Kevin saw him close his eyes and turn his head to the side as he dealt the fatal blow. He was pretty sure he was the only one who noticed the single tear that streamed down the blonde's cheek.

The fight was over. He knew it. He felt Andrew grab his shoulders and shake him back and forth, celebrating the victory.

Austin was pulled off of Jason by two guards, who started dragging him away. All the while, his eyes found Kevin's in the crowd. The golden brown eyes stayed on his until the boy disappeared behind closed metal doors.

Kevin felt numb inside.

He lay awake that night, not knowing what to do. The police had stopped searching for

Austin about a year ago. But he was very much alive, albeit barely. He had seen the condition of the former pop star with his very own eyes. But, would anyone believe him if he said that the pop star was alive? Probably not. They would think he was crazy. Everyone accepted the fact that he was dead.

But Kevin couldn't just let him stay in that horrible place. The blonde's parents had probably moved on, thinking their son was dead. He wasn't, though. Kevin could only imagine how overjoyed they would be to find out that their son was alive. His friends and his fans would definitely be overjoyed as well.

Where could he go, though? Who could he tell? The hotlines had been disconnected as soon as the police stopped the search.

He could go to the police station. But would they believe him? The police chief would probably think he was crazy or delusional. He would probably be locked away. He couldn't let that happen. Mia depended on him. If he was locked up, she would probably be taken away to some foster home. Kevin couldn't let that happen.

But still, he knew he had to tell the police. Austin's parents deserved to know that he was alive. Kevin knew that if he were in that situation, he would want anyone who knew to speak up.

He didn't want to go to the station and reveal his face, though. Who knows who he would anger by telling the police about the fighting arena. That King man definitely wouldn't be happy. He had said that Austin was his personal favorite.

Kevin didn't want to put his family in danger, but he also didn't want Austin's family to think that he was dead when he wasn't. The inner detective in him knew what the right thing to do was. He had to tell the police. If he didn't, no one else would. Who knew how much longer Austin would survive?

He sighed, standing at the public telephone a few blocks away from Mia's school. He had just dropped her off half an hour ago. Andrew had gone out with Rodney the night before, celebrating his first successful gamble. Kevin knew he probably wouldn't be back for a few days. Fortunately, he had given Kevin half of the profits, so Kevin could finally go shopping for some food and pay some of their overdue bills. However, before he did that, he had to make an important phone call.

He looked down at the buttons. He had to this. It was the right thing.

Gathering up his last ounce of courage, Kevin dialed the Miami-Dade county police station.

An operator answered. "Hello. This is the Miami-Dade county police station. How may I help you?"

"Hello. I'd like the report the location of a missing person. His name is Austin Moon..."

Thank you for the support. There will probably be only two more chapters. But, it all depends on how much I write in the next one.

~ The-Queen-of-Misery