My mother cried when I told and my father threated to go and shoot the asshole that did it, I had to calm them down with a new lie. I explained the boy that raped me was arrested and in jail but I left because it gave me night terrors. I sat there as my mother cried her eyes out and pulled me into endless hugs. My father watched me sadly before he got up and stormed out of the house with a slam of the door. I pulled away from my mother and charged outside over to the grove of trees that sat at the foot of the yard. I saw the headlights of my father's car drive off down the street as he drove away from the pain. I screamed in angry and punched the tree in blind rage, Jim wasn't even here and he was still messing up my life. I bit my lip and ran my bleeding hand through my hair while footsteps approached from behind me.
"What do you want J.J.?" I questioned as I noticed the branding begin to appear again on the untainted flesh.
J.J. was my brother and knew me better from anybody else, and knew where I went when I was angry with the world. I looked over at him as he stood there with his hands in his pockets noticing my bleeding fist.
"I think you knocked the tree out," He joked as he came over and grabbed my hand.
I hissed against his touch as he brushed his thumb over the torn skin around the base of my fingers. I looked away and groaned, "Don't go all big brother on my ok? You are my younger brother, I'm the oldest."
"Says the short blonde girl." He chuckled pulling the scarf off of his neck and wrapping it around my bleeding hand.
I chuckled and shook my head, "You are an asshole, you know?"
"Yep, I know." He smiled weakly at me, "So you made mom cry, what you do?"
"I was….raped." I choked out as he stopped dead in the middle of tying the scarf.
"What…that's a joke right?"
"No, J.J. it isn't." I sighed as I looked down at the branding quickly before I pulled my sleeve down to hide it from my brother's sight.
"What's that?" He questioned as he grabbed my arm and pulled the sleeve up.
He was speechless as he tried to make out what the faint lines said, before he looked up at me with shock.
"Did he do this to you? That asshole that raped you, he did this? He cut into you too?" he choked out in anger.
"No, no." I pulled my arm away roughly pulling the sleeve down before I bit my lip. "You won't believe if I told you how I got it."
"Tell me," I looked at him as he asked honestly with no jokes in his eyes. "I'll tell mom if you don't."
I gasped and looked up at him, "You wouldn't?!"
"I will," He spoke as he turned on his heel starting to head to the house.
I grabbed his arm roughly and pulled him back, "I'll tell you but you'll think I'm crazy ok?"
"Ok, what's it say?"
I took a deep breath and pulled my sleeve up again and showing him, the outline while tracing my fingers over the curved words, "Propriety of Jim Moriarty. x x x"
He looked at me shocked before trying to hold back his laughter, "You are trying to tell me, the master criminal from Sherlock craved this into your arm?"
I looked up at him with burning passion and nodded, the look in his eyes changed as he looked over my solid expression.
"You are serious, aren't you?"
"I'm not lying… in fact I'm not even supposed to be here right now."
"What do you mean?" he questioned as his finger ran over the faint scar.
"Let me tell you the truth. The whole truth and please don't laugh."
After an hour of explaining what happened and how I could possible proof that I have a sense of sanity, my brother took in the info like a child at school for the first time. I was unsure if he would believe me because knowing him he always wanted there to be a joke. His silence brought me to the conclusion that he believes at least some of my story and didn't know what to say.
"So that's the story?" He asked, "In two weeks you will disappear back to London in a different universe and this," He mentioned the space between us, "will never have happened."
I nodded and traced the brand absent mindedly while staring up at the stars with a weak smile, "Yea and I'll never get to see you again J.J. and I'm scared…"
"Hey, Sam, it's ok. Listen even though I'm going to be gone and can't be there for you, you need to know, you are braver than you think and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. Plus you are my sister, I mean look at what you did to the tree, it is turned away in fear of you." He joked softly wrapping an arm around my shoulder.
I chuckled and wiped my eyes softly, "Did you just quote Winnie the Pooh?"
"No I came up with it myself, remember I'm a genius." He chuckled and he held me close.
"Yea you are J." I smiled as the night became still and it was the only me and him in the world.
