Chapter Fifteen
Monsters
"The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury."
-Marcus Aurelius
Special Thanks to LoveintheBattleField and Trish1573 for reviewing the previous chapter of Super Girl 2.0! To Trish1573, Endyimon will make an appearance in a surprising way.
WARNING: From this point on, the story gets darker in the second half. I still promised you a happy ending, but taboo subjects will be touched upon as a necessary evil to understand some of the motives behind the characters' actions and how certain moments in our lives can change who we are or what we become. Characters will change. Some for the better; others for the worse. I did not envisioned this story going this way, but I always allow my imagination to run free and this is the hole that it took me down. So for those of you who are sensitive towards taboo topics like murder, incest, rape, child abuse, and sexuality, you may want to stop reading at this point. For others who choose to continue, you have been warned. Here's the next chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.
Weeks had passed and the city of New Orleans and surrounding areas paid close attention as they watched endless news coverage of the Saint-Martin family asking for justice for the missing children in the area. Everyone stared at their televisions or smart devices as photo after photo appeared of the innocent children who had disappeared over the last several months.
A dark figure watched the events on television in a dark room. He frowned causing the television to explode.
Elena smiled as she stood on stage in a stadium in South Africa that seated ninety thousands filled to capacity as the crowd cheered her name.
Elena said to Mason who stood next to her with his dark shades on, "I love the sound of people chanting my name."
Mason said sarcastically, "Yes, you were never known for your modesty."
Elena felt something weird.
She said as she waved to the crowd with a smile plastered to her face, "I don't sense Mina in this world anywhere." A worried look crossed her face.
She turned her head to Mason for a moment and said, "Find my daughter."
Mason said, "It would not be wise to leave you here alone, ma'am."
Elena said, "I can handle myself. Find her."
Mason reluctantly nodded and walked off. Elena turned to the crowd that was still chanting her name. She held out her hands and lifted them to the sky. The crescent moon appeared on her forehead as a golden aura surrounded her. She closed her eyes as she felt the energy of the moon roamed through her body. The golden aura around her body started to glow brighter.
She opened her eyes and said to the crowd, "Awaken my children!" A blast of golden energy blasted from her body covering the entire stadium as everyone in the audience's eyes started to glow golden.
Evelyn stood at her locker at school. As she opened her locker, she felt a pain in her stomach. She dropped her books and ran into the girl's bathroom. The bathroom was empty as Evelyn pressed her hands against the bathroom sink. She looked into the mirror. Her eyes were golden.
Darien's hands started to shake as he took notes in his advanced physics class. He felt a pain in the pit of his stomach. He rushed out of the class as the teacher called after him and his classmates looked at him in confusion. He ran down the empty hallway to the exit. He rushed outside as his eyes started to turn golden.
Hunter was playing dodge ball with Sammy and his fellow classmates at recess. A big kid with crooked teeth was on one of the ends throwing the ball. He was easily knocking everyone out of the circle. There were only a few kids standing including Sammy and Hunter. The big kid smiled at he set his eyes on Hunter. Hunter gulped.
The big kid threw the red ball towards Hunter, who looked petrified. Hunter started to feel something in the pit of his stomach. His eyes started to turn into golden irises. His expression changed to an unfriendly one as he easily caught the ball stunning the rest of his classmates.
He then looked at the big kid with a menacing stare. Sammy looked at his friend with confusion. Hunter threw the ball towards the big kid causing the ball to hit the big kick hard in the stomach. The big kid bawled over and fell to his knees holding his stomach.
Everyone stopped playing on the playground and stared at Hunter silently with fear. Sammy asked quietly looking at his friend, "Hunter?"
Hunter watched as his classmates stared at him quietly with fear in their eyes. He gave them an apathetic stare before running off.
Sammy yelled as he ran behind him, "Hunter, where are you going?"
Sammy watched in amazement as Hunter leapt over a ten foot wire fence effortlessly. He landed perfectly on his feet then ran off ignoring Sammy's voice calling his name.
Sammy started to crawl up the high fence.
Darien and Evelyn took deep breaths as their eyes returned back to normal, and the pain went away.
Hunter was now in a dark wooded area. His eyes returned to normal. He looked around scared because he did not know where he was or how he got there.
A hand reached up to touch his shoulders. Hunter jumped and turned away. He sighed in relief when he saw it was Sammy.
Sammy was out of breath as he said between breaths, "What happened? You totally weird back there. Your eyes turned gold and you leaped over a ten feet fence like it was nothing."
Hunter said scratching his dark locks, "I don't know. I don't remember. I just felt something in my head telling me to come to the forest. Next thing I know I'm here." He looked around and felt the eerie atmosphere of the dark forest around him and then said, "Come on, let's get out of here. This place gives me the creeps."
Sammy laughed goofily, "I didn't really pay attention to where I was going. As soon as I climbed over the fence, I saw you in the distance so I followed you here. Sorry."
Hunter sighed shaking his head at Sammy then said, "That's great. Now, we are lost in the middle of nowhere. Let's try to find our way out of here." He started to walk in the direction Sammy came from. Sammy followed behind.
After walking in silence for a few moments, Sammy asked, "Why did your eyes glowed golden?"
Hunter said, "I'm not supposed to say."
Sammy said, "I thought we were best friends. I promise I won't tell anyone."
Hunter said, "I can't… my mother will kill me if I tell anyone."
Sammy said, "But you said that I was your best friend."
Hunter sighed then said, "You are but I can't."
Sammy frowned then said, "Whatever." He walked passed him.
Hunter stopped then groaned frustrated. He said irritated, "Fine, I will tell you but you have to swear on your Halo video game that you will not tell a soul or die."
Sammy said turning to Hunter as he walked backwards, "I promise."
Hunter then said reluctantly, "My mother is a descendant of an ancient community that worshiped the moon goddess Elena. In exchange for worshipping her, she blessed some of her followers with gifts. Whenever we heal, feel strong desires, or even when the moon goddess calls upon our chi or our essence, our eyes turn golden. Like a few moments ago, Elena asked for our energy of all of her worshippers around the world. I felt her calling upon my energy but I also felt something conflicting with it telling me to come here."
Sammy asked curiously, "Wow! What could it have been?" He bumped into something hard.
Hunter's eyes widen in horror. Sammy looked at Hunter confused. He slowly turned around and screamed before everything turned to darkness.
Serena paced around her bedroom as Luna and Artemis lied on her bed in their feline form. Luna, the purple cat, said, "Usagi, I do not want you to see this Darien imposter anymore. He could be working for the enemy."
Serena said mischievously, "Are you calling my Aunt Elena the enemy, Luna?"
Luna frowned then said, "Usagi, this is no laughing matter. He could be dangerous. And with the apocalypse only a couple of weeks away, we need you to focus on your duty of protecting the Earth?"
Serena asked, "How can I protect something that I do not understand with an aunt that I do not trust, a cousin who is nowhere to be found, and a cute guy who barely has time for me?" Serena sighed in frustration. "He is so obsessed with finding this Magician character that I barely seen him in over a month. He has been spending all his time with the Saint-Martin family. He has even been staying there for weeks. Mrs. Saint-Martin prepared the guest room for him. So Luna, in short, I don't think you have to worry about fake Darien?"
Artemis looked at Luna then Serena. He then said, "Well, sorry for your boy troubles but we need to focus on the crisis at hand. The end of world is two weeks from now, and we have not found a viable solution to stop it."
Luna said, "But what about the Silver Imperial Crystal?"
Artemis said, "I don't think the crystal is powerful enough to handle the forces that are going to come out of that portal when the solar eclipse arrives. Plus, the silver crystal is tied to Usagi's chi. if the silver crystal uses too much energy, Usagi can die."
Luna sighed then said, "What are we going to do?"
Serena asked, "You can tell me what is going on for start?"
Luna said, "Serena, our job is to protect you. That's all you need to know right now." Luna and Artemis hopped off her bed and ran out of the room. Serena sighed.
She said angrily, "I am so sick of everyone treating me like a fragile, weak being."
Evelyn was in the bathroom showering while Darien looked around the guest room that used to be Eric's room. He felt a weird vibe being in this room.
Darien froze when he felt something weird in the pit of his stomach again. He heard a voice said, "Darien, help us." It sounded like Hunter's voice. He shook his head thinking he was just losing it from his insomnia over the last few days.
Darien walked down the hallway as Helen and Scott were in Scott's office analyzing the disappearances of the missing children. Helen used pins to pinpoint the locations of where the children disappeared to find a common pattern. Scott looked at pictures of the missing children on his desk.
He looked at his cellphone and saw that it was going on four o' clock. Hunter usually got out of school for three o' clock.
His phone started to ring. He smiled when he saw it was Serena. He answered it and said, "Hey, princess. What's up?"
Serena said happily, "Hey, Darien, did Sammy call you?"
Darien asked confused, "No, is something wrong? I just had a weird feeling."
Serena said laughing, "No, silly. Hunter is going to stay over here tonight with Sammy. They are playing video games right now, and then they have this science project that they are working on together."
Darien laughed then said, "The volcano?"
Serena laughed, "Yes, that one."
Darien laughed, "Okay, I will let Helen know. I know she will fine with it."
Serena said, "Thanks. I just didn't want her to worry and I did not have her number."
Darien heard Helen's voice calling him downstairs. "Hey, it's no problem. Gotta go. Bye." He hung up before Serena could say bye.
He had been avoiding her for the last few weeks. He knew that what he did was wrong and he was partially using this case to distance himself from her. He was determined to get her out of his system even though he was breaking his own heart.
He ran downstairs then slowly walked into the study. Scott was sitting in his chair and Helen was sitting on the edge of his desk. They were looking at the map.
Darien was stunned as he slowly walked to the wall that was covered with a large map surrounded by old news clippings and pictures of the missing children. There were pushpins on the map and they formed an oval circle. He said to Helen, "Hunter is saying over at Sammy's aunt house. They are working on a science fair project together."
Helen smiled then said relieved, "That's fine. I was starting to get worried. I'm surprised he didn't call me."
Scott said, "Honey, you know how inconsiderate this generation of kids are."
Helen sighed then said, "I guess you're right."
Scott said to Darien, "All the missing children have lately been kidnapped in a current area of the West Bank."
Darien pointed to the center of the map then asked, "So you think the magician is somewhere in that surrounding area?"
Scott said, "It's a good shot that he is. You said a while back that the house that he kept you and the other children in was only a few blocks away from here."
Helen said turning to Darien, "I definitely think you two should check out this area."
Darien looked at Scott then said, "I could go after school."
Scott nodded then said, "I get off from work at five so that will give us a few hours to search. If we find anything, I'll let my boss know."
Darien said folding his arm, "We definitely have to keep this quiet. We cannot let him think we know his whereabouts. If he does, he will kill the children and flee. We have to keep this quiet until we are absolutely sure of his location."
Scott and Helen nodded.
Darien smirked knowing that he will soon get his revenge on the man who destroyed his life.
The next day, Serena rolled her eyes as she looked across the hallway to see Darien leaning against his locker flirting with Rebecca. He lied to her that it was over between them, and she knew that he was still fooling around with him.
Serena closed her locker and walked passed Darien and Rebecca holding her head up high and her books closed to her chest. When Serena walked passed them, Darien froze simply stared at her. Rebecca cut her eyes at him then walked out shaking her head as her clique joined her in the highway as they talked and laughed about the latest gossip on their way to class.
Darien frowned when he saw Serena flirting with some of the members of the varsity basketball team. She was laughing at some lame joke they were saying. Before one of the guys could ask Serena on a date, Darien threw the basketball at them telling him that the guys were about to play a basketball game. Serena frowned at him as Darien simply smirked at her before joining his friends in a game of basketball.
After school, Darien glanced over at Serena on the silent ride home to her Aunt Elena's home.
Serena said, "You did not have to give me a ride home. Manuel could have driven me." Manuel was one of Elena's drivers.
Darien said, "I know that, Serena. I wanted to."
Serena asked changing the subject, "How's the case going?"
Darien said, "It's going well. Scott and I have an idea of where The Magician can be."
Serena smiled then said, "That's a relief."
Serena looked confused when Darien exited off the interstate. Serena said confused, "Darien, this is the wrong exit."
Darien smiled then said, "I know that."
Serena said angrily, "Take me home, Darien. I mean it."
Darien said, "Why? Mina's gone. Sammy is hanging out with Hunter all the time. Luna and Artemis are busy trying to stop the apocalypse, and Elena and Mason are off creating new followers for Elena. That place is like a just a cold museum to you. It isn't a home, yet you want to go there."
Serena said, "And you forgot to add the guy who sleeps with me then doesn't call or talk to me again too and still sleeping with his ex-girlfriend."
Darien said, "You know it isn't like that. For the umpteenth time, Rebecca and I are history. She's dating the captain of the football team now. We take advanced physics together so I was asking her if I could copy her notes since I missed some of the lesson in class yesterday. I haven't had sex since we made love."
"Then, why are you avoiding me? I could have helped you." He gave her an amused stared. She quickly added blushing, "I mean with the class."
Darien answered turning his attention back to the road, "Because this is something that I have to do on my own. I just need space right now."
Serena asked insecurely, "Was I bad at it?"
Darien smiled then said, "You're a natural." Serena laughed as playfully hit his arm. He smiled then said, "But practice does make perfect." Serena blushed.
They arrived at his apartment as Darien held the door opened for Serena. Serena was surprised when she walked in. Darien smiled as Serena's eyes became watery.
She said happily, "It's like a dream."
Darien smiled then said, "I had this personally delivered for you. I wanted to give you a taste of something familiar."
Darien arched his eyebrows. He saw that she was crying and asked, "Don't you think that's overkill?"
Serena walked towards the table filled with desserts and the largest chocolate and vanilla banana split ice-cream sundae with cherries on top she ever seen. It rivaled the desserts she used to get back home from the Crown Parlor with Andrew.
Darien watched in disbelief as Serena quickly devoured the desserts and ice-cream sundae. She asked with her mouth full, "Do you want any?"
Darien waved his hands in protest and said, "No, sweetie. It's all for you. Enjoy!" Serena shrugged her shoulders and continued to devour the delicious desserts.
In less than half an hour, Serena leaned back on the chair holding her stuffed stomach in bliss. She sighed happily, "That was amazing."
Darien laughed at her as he leaning against the wall looking at her and said, "No, you're amazing."
Serena gave him a light laugh.
Afterwards, they spent a half an hour studying and doing their homework. Darien helped Serena with her geometry homework. Serena sat at the table doing her homework while Darien lied on his side on the floor doing his homework.
When they were done, Serena walked over to Darien's entertainment center. She opened the glass case and smiled when she saw a movie. She smiled at Darien as he stood behind the counter preparing three layered lasagna and making an Italian green salad with grapeseed oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. Darien asked not looking up as he sprinkled the cheese on the lasagna, "What is it, princess?"
Serena held up the Wizard of Oz's DVD and then asked, "Wanna watch?"
Darien looked up at the movie then her and asked, "Do I have a choice?" Serena smiled shaking her head.
Darien laughed, "Then the Wizard of Oz, it is."
Serena said happily, "Yay!"
Once Darien placed the lasagna in the oven, he came to sit down next to Serena who sat cuddled up on the sofa with her knees tucked under her. Halfway through the movie, Serena's head was resting on Darien's lap as he gently caressed her hair.
After the movie, Darien prepared a candlelight dinner as they ate their lasagna and salad. Serena smiled looking up at Darien and said, "Darien, this is amazing. I never would have guessed that you were such a great cook."
Darien laughed, "Thanks. When you live by yourself so long, it is best to learn how to cook for yourself. Fast food becomes expensive after a while." They laughed as Serena blushed.
After a moment of silence, Serena asked, "Darien, why are you doing this?"
Darien said, "Because it's been a long time since I've been this happy. I just wanted to show you how special you are to me, princess."
After they finished their dinner, Darien surprised Serena with a strawberry and crème swirled cheesecake that he made for her. Serena was amazed as he fed her bites of the delicious dessert. She then used her fork to feed him bites of the cheesecake which he thoroughly enjoyed. A few minutes later, they were stuffed after finishing off the cheesecake.
Serena started to yawn and went into the bedroom while Darien cleaned up. Once Darien was finished, he started yawning feeling tired himself as she looked at the new moon outside his window. When Darien walked into his bedroom, it was dark. He could see the silhouette of Serena's body resting under the covers on her side.
Darien hopped in the shower and took a quick hot shower. He came out with only a towel wrapped around him. He smiled when he saw Serena fast sleep looking so peaceful and calm. He crawled into bed next to her and drifted off to sleep.
Darien dreamed that he was in a dark wooded area at night time. He was wearing his jogging pants and was barefooted. He carefully walked around and saw nothing but the darkness. The only light was the moon light shining down from the sky. He felt the cold breeze of the wind brushing against the tree branches and the owl hooting in the trees about him. He could hear the cries of the coyotes in the distance. He heard the screams of Sammy and Hunter loudly begging him to help them.
Darien yelled turning around searching for them, "Where are you?"
Hunter said, "I don't know. Hurry! He's coming Darien."
Darien yelled, "Hunter, where are you? Describe what you see around you."
Hunter cried, "I don't know Darien. He's coming…."
Darien yelled, "Hunter! Hunter!"
A dark voice said calmly, "Hello, my darling boy. I received your message loud and clear. Now, your little Hunter will get the same fate that his big brother got. You should have not interfered."
Darien yelled, "Give me the boys back. You monster!"
The dark voice said, "You know where to find me. Come alone though. You know I don't like uninvited guests in our home. See you soon."
Darien quickly sat up in bed covered in sweat and breathing heavily. He saw Serena resting next him peacefully.
Darien groaned in agony as he leaned over Serena to get his phone off the nightstand. He saw that it was Helen. He groaned as he answered the phone and said alert, "Hello."
Helen said upset, "Darien, he has Hunter. Hunter did not come home last night."
Darien asked playing dumb, "Helen, are you sure? He could be spending the night at a friend's house."
Helen said, "Darien, his only friend is Sammy. I called Miss McQueen's house and Mrs. Williams answered. She said that he was not there or Sammy. She said I called her yesterday stating that Sammy was staying at my house to compete some class project with Hunter, but I never called her."
Darien looked at Serena who was still asleep. He asked as he looked down at her then whispered, "It wasn't you who called me yesterday, was it?"
He said calmly to Helen, "I'll find them. I promised I'll bring you back your son this time, Helen."
Helen felt something strange inside of her then said calmly, "Eric…"
Darien clicked off the phone.
He dressed in a black t-shirt, jeans, and shoes. He placed on his leather jacket. He then walked over to Serena who still slept peacefully in his bed. He smiled at he looked down at the angelic sight. He placed an envelope on the nightstand next to her where her pins sat. A red rose then magically appeared out of the breast pocket of his jacket. He sat it on top of the envelope. He then leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. He said softly, "Good-bye princess."
He then left out. He stopped his car in front of a dark wooded area, a half a mile from Hunter and Sammy's school. He turned out the engine and hopped out of the car.
He slowly walked through the dark forest being cautious of his surroundings. The harsh wind was the blowing around him. He could see the dark eyes of the forest creatures staring at him from the shadows. He heard the angry growl of the wolves.
He walked in the forest for over an hour and still did not find any indication of the boys' whereabouts. He heard an owl hooting and felt something approaching him from behind. He quickly turned around and ducked when he saw an owl flying past him to sit on a tree branch behind him.
Darien was stunned when he looked up and saw a tiny dark figure in front of him. He looked familiar to him. She was a little boy around the age of six.
He asked confused, "Eric?" He did not speak. He turned around and ran off. Darien ran behind him. Darien ran deeper and deeper in pursuit of the boy.
The boy disappeared in plain slight causing Darien to gasp in shock. Darien's eyes became narrowed as a rose magically appeared in his hand. He tossed the rose to the point where the boy was. It disappeared.
Darien said to himself, "A portal." He ran towards the portal and rushed in, disappearing in plain sight.
Darien looked around as he found himself underground in the tunnels. Everything was dark around him, and he saw there were three tunnels in front of him that looked the same as the others.
Darien closed his eyes and said, "Hunter, where are you?"
Hunter did not respond.
"Hunter, I am here. You just need to show me the way so that I can help you."
Hunter did not respond.
"Hunter, you are stronger than you think you are. Give me a sign of where to go."
Darien heard Hunter's voice echoing Darien's name. He opened his eyes and ran down the middle tunnel where he heard the echo.
As Darien ran down the tunnel, he saw a flash of light quickly approaching him. He saw a younger version of Helen and Scott. A very pregnant Helen looked beautiful with long auburn locks and piercing green eyes. Scott looked younger and handsome with dark ebony locks and dreamy blue eyes. They smiled as they sat on the Eric's race car bed telling him the story of the moon princess and the prince of the Earth, his mother's favorite story. Eric asked if he could listen to the baby kick. Helen smiled then nodded. The scene disappeared as Eric leaned over to listen to his mother's belly.
A second flashback appeared before him. It was a five-year-old Evelyn hogging the remote to watch Sailor Moon. He remembered looking at Sailor Moon and thinking how cool she was. He then saw an image of them at the park having a picnic. Evelyn and Scott were sitting on the blanket preparing the food while a younger Helen pushed him on the swing as he shouted out in glee as his mother pushed him higher and higher. Eric said happily looking up at the sun, "Mommy, I can reach the sky." She smiled at him.
A third flashback appeared of Eric turning his back on his father at the mall while his father brought his mother a gift for Mother's Day. He saw The Magician through the crowd. Eric smiled as The Magician started to mesmerize him with his magic tricks as people passed between them. Eric slowly started to walk towards The Magician.
Darien shook his head yelling out loud running faster, "I don't want to remember this."
A familiar male voice said, "You have to. It's time."
A fourth flashback appeared of The Magician bringing Eric to his home. He fascinated Eric with all the sweets and ice-cream he fed him. He let him watched cartoons as much as he wanted and Eric was allow to stay up all night and play video games with no sister or soon to be baby brother hogging all the attention. Eric smiled when he looked up to see The Magician take off his mask. He was an averaged middle-aged man in thirties with brown hair and green eyes like Eric. He wore a business suit because he was a broker for a financial company downtown. He also lived in a beautiful two-storied home in a safe, suburban neighborhood. Eric smiled as The Magician also named Eric. He was Eric's psychotic uncle, his mother's baby brother that everyone thought died ten years ago after taking his life and jumping off the Huey P. Long Bridge. His body was never found.
Uncle Eric asked Eric, "You're in charge until I get home from work, okay."
Eric smiled then said happily, "Ok, Uncle Eric." After Uncle Eric drove his red sedan away from his beautiful two-storied home, Eric stopped playing video games then went down to the dark basement where his uncle had children tied up and chained to the walls. Some of the children were dead from starvation, while others were now skeletons. The smell reeked of death but Eric had become immune to it.
He fed the children scraps that his uncle had fixed for them as the remaining children begging him to release them so that they could go home to their parents. Eric promised his uncle that he would not release the bad little children. They were sent there to him for being disobedient. His uncle told him if he ever freed them, he would become one of them.
Eric felt a hand grab his arm. He looked down to see a pretty, black girl who looked malnourished beg him to free her so that she could go home to her mother. Her name was Charisma. She was the most resistant to The Magician's charms as she walked to school the day she was kidnapped. She saw Eric in the car and felt like The Magician was a trustworthy adult since he had a kid riding with him so she went with them.
Eric looked down at the arm with outrage and slapped it away. The girl begged weakly for Eric to free her. Eric yelled at her, "Don't ever touch me again!"
After Eric fed the children their scraps, he slowly walked upstairs as the children cried for him to come back and free them. Eric closed the door and locked the door then went upstairs and continued to play video games.
Darien closed his eyes then said, "I don't want to see this."
One month later, he came down to the basement to find the girl was dead. Eric felt a weird pain inside of himself and begin to cry. He had seen many of the children die but her death seemed to hurt him the most. He never questioned his uncle's cruel methods but he could not understand why she had to die. He could not understand what she did so bad to die like this. He did not understand.
In outrage while his uncle was still at work, Eric desperately searched for where his uncle kept the keys to unlock the chains. He looked throughout the house searching. He walked towards his uncle's bedroom. Everything was neat and clean and the bed was made perfectly like at a hospital. He looked through the drawers and found nothing.
"Eric, what are you doing?" Eric froze as his heart started to beat faster in fear.
Eric turned around afraid and said quietly, "Nothing Uncle Eric."
Uncle Eric took something out of his pocket. Eric's eyes widen when he saw the keys in his Uncle Eric's hands. He said, "I always keep them with me."
Eric slowly started to back up. His uncle said, "I was wondering when you were going to betray me. Just like your mother."
Eric's back hit the bed. The door closed behind his uncle causing Eric to jump. Uncle Eric said, "Now, Eric I have to punish you for your disobedience. Get down on your knees."
Eric cried, "Don't uncle. I'm sorry."
Uncle Eric said calmly, "Get down on your knees and take your punishment." Tears started to flow down Eric's face as he slowly got down on his knees. His uncle started to slowly walk towards him taking off his belt then unbuckling his pants. Everything faded to darkness.
Darien cried outloud, "You bastard!"
A fourth flashback appeared before Darien. Eric was now nine-years-old. They were now in an abandoned house somewhere in Texas chained to the walls in a cedar that resembled a dark dungeon. He became immune to his uncle's advances. He let his uncle do whatever he wanted to him and stopped crying. He simply let his mind wandered to a happy place like his memories with his family. Three years had passed since the last time The Magician kidnapped a child. The story had started to die down, and the public started to lose interest in the whereabouts of the missing children who were slowly dying one by one until he was the last.
Eric was chained to a wall. He looked at the dead children's body around him feeling the urge to vomit from the ferocious smell. He was bent over with his hands pressed against the wall as his uncle thrust himself inside of him. Eric's expression was blank as he took his uncle's strokes.
In his mind, he heard a voice whispered Elena repeatedly to him. The name Elena silently escaped from his lips.
Eric felt something weird in the pit of his stomach rising inside of his body. His eyes started to glow golden. The chains slowly started to unscrew from the ceiling above him. A strange force started to take over Eric's body. Eric stated to scream stunning his uncle as the chains broke from the ceiling freeing Eric. His uncle fell backwards on the floor. As Eric swung his chains around him then tossed one at his uncle as it wrapped around his uncle's neck. His uncle tried desperately to free himself but the chains were too tight. Uncle Eric smirked at Eric then said with a psychotic laugh, "You have no idea what you have just done, boy. There is a price for her gifts. You kill me and my hell will become your hell."
Eric forcefully pulled the chain breaking his uncle's neck. His uncle's lifeless body collapsed to the ground. Eric walked naked over his uncle's numb body. He slowly ascended up the stairs. He held out his hands and the door started to open. He walked down the empty hallways. In the distance, the burners on the stove started to turn on as the leaked gas pipe started to hiss. He slowly walked out of the house in the darkness of the cold night. A match lit up causing a large explosion behind him. He walked into the middle of the road not seeing a flash of yellow lights approaching him. He turned to the lights and everything turned white around him.
When he opened his eyes, he was in a room next to the real Darien Shields watching as the doctors operate on the dying boy's body. He was transferred to another room the day after Darien died. He woke up with the urgent need to urinate. He walked in the bathroom and lifted up the toilet seat to relieve himself. He then went to the sink to wash his hands. He looked up and was shocked to see that he now looked like the dying boy from the day before. In a panic, he closed his eyes and reopened them to see he looked like Darien Shields with black hair and blue eyes.
Eric ran his hands through his hair and said, "What the hell is going on?" He looked in horror as he read the hospital tag wrapped around his wrists saying Darien Shields. He saw a young man with blonde hair in in the mirror. He turned around quickly to only see the young man was no longer there. He slowly peeped out of the room. He saw nurses and doctors walking around and assisting patients. He turned to his left and saw a creepy looking man who looked like a grandfather talking to a nurse. He freaked when he heard the conversations around him. His hearing has intensified. He heard the man asked the nurse about Darien Shields. The nurse said that she would have to check her records. Eric slowly closed the door. He looked around and saw a window. When the nurse walked in with the elderly man, she called out Darien's name but he was nowhere to be found.
His memories flashed forward to when he was fifteen. He was in a sleazy motel in New York. He was in the room with one of his regulars named Gary. He looked like an All-American guy with small town roots and values. He had the great looks, muscular body, the soft chestnut hair, and light brown eyes. He was handsome, conservative state representative in his early thirties. Gary was a traditionalist with fought for old-fashioned values in society and against the evils of immigration, homosexuality, premarital sex and abortion. In the day time, he was the perfect politician, perfect husband, and father. At night time, he enjoyed fucking guys. Eric lied about his age since he looked eighteen so the politician never knew that Eric was only fifteen. Ever since he escaped from the hospital, he went by the name of Darien.
Darien smiled as the Gary pushed him roughly against the door. He started making out with him as they ripped each other's clothes off. Darien hastily removed Gary's pants and whipped out the Gary's dick out of his boxers. He smiled as he caressed Gary's big, long aroused dick and dropped down to his knees and started licking and sucking Gary's dick as he looked up as the pleased expressions on the Gary's face. He groaned with his eyes closed as he rested one hand on Darien's shoulders for support as the other roughly pushed Darien's head back and forth on his throbbing dick.
They were now naked as Darien bent over on the edge of the bed as the man thrust his dick all the way inside of Darien's ass. Darien groaned as Gary then pulled it out and shove it right back in. He slowly started to fuck Darien as he slowly moved in and out of Darien's ass with long, hard strokes.
Darien then crawled backwards on the bed as he bent his legs towards his chest and allowed Gary to fuck him in the ass while the Gary massaged Darien's rock hard cock with his hand. The man then released himself in Darien and collapsed on top of him then rolled over. The man laughed then said, "I love fucking you, Darien." He leaned over and started making out with Darien again as he massaged Darien's cock. He then leaned over and started to lick Darien's cock and moved over Darien until his cock was dangling over Darien's lips. Darien raised his head and started to suck the man's dick until they busted a large nut and came in each other's' mouth swallowing every last drop. Five minutes later, they were both dressed. Darien sat on the edge of the bed while Gary fixed his Rolex.
Gary smiled then said, "Well, I have to get home to the wife and kids." He tossed a few hundreds on the counter then lifted Darien's chin with his hand and gave him a long kiss on the lips. He then walked out of the motel room closing the door behind him. Darien simply sat there staring at nothing in particular. It was midnight but he did not want to go home to his empty apartment yet.
On his way home, another john spotted him. Darien usually never did two johns in one night, but he had to pay the rest of his rent by tomorrow or get evicted. He was not attractive to the mild-mannered, slightly overweight middle-aged man with crooked glasses and a comb over at the top of his thin, stringy hair to cover his baldness. However, he needed fifty more dollars or he landlord would kick him out in a heartbeat.
He rolled his eyes then walked over to the man's car. He said leaning over through the passenger window, "Fifty for a blowjob."
The man quickly said, "That's a little expensive for a blowjob."
Darien said irritated, "Take it or leave it."
The man reluctantly agreed. He pulled out his wallet and handed Darien, a fresh fifty dollar bill. Darien smiled seductively at the guy causing the man to become aroused. Darien took the money then hopped in the car.
The man took him to a park that was dark and empty. The man quickly unzipped his pants and whipped out his tiny cock. Darien looked unimpressed but he quickly put on a happy face. He took the man's cock in his hands and started giving the man a mind-blowing blowjob as the man nut all in Darien's mouth as Darien swallowed every last drop.
The man dropped Darien off a few blocks from his apartment. On the way home, he passed women and men prostituting themselves on the streets. He saw couples and group of friends around college aged walking passed him seeming happy with their lives. A pretty brunette smiled as him as she had her arms wrapped around her boyfriend's arm. He smiled at her but he did not find her attractive. He walked in a small corner store with an Indian owner and an older Indian man behind a glass counter. The man looked at Darien suspiciously as Darien walked throughout the store. Darien sometimes wondered if he looked gay or could people tell what he did to make money from just looking at him. He grabbed a half a gallon of milk out of the cooler and grabbed the cheapest can of catnip that he could find. He walked to the counter and paid the man for his groceries.
He walked down the street in front of his apartment building. He saw an orange cat that he named Felix lingering around the apartment complex searching for food. Darien met Felix on his first day in New York. He could relate to the cat because he was a street cat like he was. Nobody wanted him and people often tried to kick him away if he came to close. Darien hated cats, but he would have taken Felix in except his landlord had a no pet policy. Darien was already on thin ice as it was. Darien took the cat nip out of the bag and opened it. He sat it on the ground so that Felix can eat it. Felix meowed in pleasure as he rubbed up against Darien's leg before Darien walked into his apartment complex.
He walked down the urine reeking hallway and knocked on the first door to the left. His landlord walked off rubbing his eyes. He was a tiny Indian man in his sixty. Darien said detached holding out money, "This is the three hundred dollars I owe you." The Indian man took the money and looked at Darien silently as Darien walked off.
The next day, Darien walked out of his apartment complex onto the busy streets of New York. He saw a flash of orange and red lying near a street corner. He walked through the crowd towards the street corner and saw the remains of a dead Felix splattered over the sidewalk. Someone must have run over him and kept going. No one cared about the dead cat. They kept going where they were going and did their best to avoid the dead creature. Darien looked shook up about it. He looked at his watch. If he did not get going, he was going to be late for his day job working at body shop fixing bikes. He walked off as a couple of city cleaners came to clean of the dead cat.
That night, he was at a gay club looking for someone to hook up with. He was confused about his sexuality from his uncle's sexual abuse. He tried to sleep with women, but he got more satisfaction from sleeping with men. With his looks now, he had men and women throwing themselves at him to fuck them. He even participated in a couple of orgies and threesomes, but he always found himself more interested in the guy. The music was loud and gay couples were dancing to the loud music.
Darien sat at the bar with a drink in his hand as the bartender, a cute guy with a nice body, gave him flirtatious glances. Darien felt eyes on him from behind. He slowly turned around to see the young man from the hospital six years ago. He was standing in a corner alone off from the rest of the crowd. Darien felt drawn to him.
Darien rose from his seat leaving a few bills on the counter then slowly walked through the crowd towards the beautiful man who stared at him seductively through the crowd that seemed to part. When Darien approached the man, the man smiled at Darien and walked away from him.
He led him to a dark alley outside where they were alone. The man leaned against the wall with his arms folded and one leg propped against the wall. Darien stood in front of the guy.
As Darien started to approach him and closed the distance between him, the guy said, "You're not my type."
Darien smirked as he leaned closer then said, "But you're at a gay club in one of the gayest areas in New York, and you're flirting with me from across the room." Darien leaned so close to the guy he felt his hot breath against the guy's neck. His lips started to caress the man's neck. He asked seductively, "Are you sure? I won't force you, but if you want me to turn you out, you know where to come."
Zack asked turning his head towards Darien so close that their lips almost touched, "Actually, I came to see you. It's been a long time."
Darien stiffened then asked backing away from the man, "Have we met before?"
The man said, "Yes, we have. My name is Zephyrus but some people prefer to call me Zack." Zack smiled at the last part.
Darien asked confused, "How do I know you?"
Zack said, "We met when my charge died. I was there for Darien that day. You know the kid's identity that you stole."
Darien said stuffing his hands in his pocket, "Hey, it wasn't like he was going to use it anymore." Darien started to tense up wondering whether Zack was a cop.
Zack smiled then said, "I'm not a cop if that's what you're thinking."
Darien said walking off, "You're wasting my time."
Zack asked loudly behind a retreating Darien, "How much is your time Darien?"
Darien ignored him and continued walking off.
Zack said loudly, "You hate this life, Eric." Darien froze as his heart skipped a beat. His eyes widen as he slowly turned around in shock. Zack said as he walked towards Darien, "You are ashamed of the person that you have become. You rather the world believe that Eric Saint-Martin is dead than let your family knows that you are gay. It's kind of sad that after eight years, you haven't seen them."
Darien said angrily, "Fuck you! You don't know what I have been through."
Zack said now standing in front of Darien, "You were kidnapped by a child serial killer called The Magician. He was your mother's estranged brother that everyone believed was dead. He kidnapped you along with the other local children in the area. He made you participate in his sadistic acts. You watched those children died and did nothing. He raped you until I freed you from his clutches."
Darien asked irritated, "What the fuck are you talking about?"
Zack said, "The chains breaking and unleashing your latent power of telekinesis. I did that."
Darien asked confused, "How do you know all this?"
Zack said, "I know everything about you, Eric. I freed you from your captivity now I want you to return the favor."
Darien laughed then said, "For fifty bucks, I could blow your mind. For two hundred, I'll rock your world but I don't do favors."
Zack laughed then said, "So I guess you enjoy stealing and prostituting yourself for money. You enjoy the bills piling up, the eviction notices, and eating garbage when you cannot afford to feed yourself. You know in a few years, you're going to resort to drugs like the rest of the kids on the street. One day you'll die on the streets alone and no one will give a damn about you because your family, the ones that do care, thinks you died when you were six." Seeing Felix dead on the street popped in his head for some reason.
Darien sighed then turned around and started walking off. Zack followed.
As they walked down the crowded streets of New York at night, Darien asked, "So what's this favor that you want from me just out of curiosity?"
Zack smiled then said, "You know that the world is becoming more accepting of gay people?"
Darien rolled his eyes, "I'm apolitical. I don't care about that."
Zack said, "What if I can fix you?"
Darien laughed, "You can't fix being gay just like you cannot change your race or DNA?"
Zack said, "I can. I can make you however you want to be. Your choice of your sexuality was taken away from you by your uncle. He took away your innocence and altered the choice for you in choosing your sexual preference. I can make you straight again like you want to be. I can make you rich and powerful. I already gave you the looks to attract any woman you want. You like books. I can send you the best schools. You want to become a lawyer or doctor one day; I can get you into any school that you want."
Darien laughed then said, "Let me guess. If I say yes, I have to sell my soul to the devil?"
He heard a familiar voice said, "You already did that when you prayed to Elena to save you." Darien gasped. Darien looked at Zack. He wondered if Zack really freed him or was it his prayer to Elena that did.
Zack laughed then said not noticing Darien changed in composure, "I have met him. He's actually a hell of a guy, but I don't work for him."
Darien said, "And what do you want me to do in order to get this dream life?"
Zack said, "You want the world to think that Eric Saint-Martin is dead, while I want the world to think that Darien Shields is still alive."
Darien asked, "So what's the deal?"
Zack said, "I want you to pretend to be Darien Shields. That's why I made you look like him. You're still Eric but to the world, you look like Darien Shields when they see you."
Darien laughed, "So I'm just supposed to be someone else. I mean everyone has a different DNA. I'll get caught instantly plus I don't know anything about him."
Zack laughed then said, "Speaking of that… how you faked your death, anyway, especially with a DNA test?"
Darien said remotely, "My uncle's girlfriend worked at the coroner's office. She was the one who received the body, which is one of the other dead children. She falsified the results to make it look like the dead body was mines. Then, she died in a mysterious car accident three months later after she got into an altercation with my uncle."
Zack looked impressed.
Zack said, "I have the power to create and clone a human. You have Darien's DNA. As far as Darien's history and mannerisms, I can teach you that. You're a con artist so you're good at pretending to be someone you're not. You agreed to this, you will have all the benefits of being Darien Shields including the wealth and the power. All I have to do is change your sexuality to straight and you're good to go."
Darien asked, "And what's the catch?"
Zack said, "You can never be Eric again." Darien stopped walking. Zack stopped also then said looking at Darien, "You can never tell anyone that you're really Eric. The only two people who know that you're really Eric are the two of us. You can never go back to Eric's life. You can never meet your family again. I can give you everything you want if you forget who you really are."
Darien asked, "So I could never see my mother or my little sister…."
Zack added, "…or your little brother…"
Darien smirked then said, "I never had a chance to meet him."
Zack said, "There will come a time when you are given a choice between your old life as Eric and your new one as Darien. If you do nothing, you will continue to live your life as Darien Shields and achieve all your wants and desires. However, if you choose your old life as Eric, then you'll die."
Darien laughed then said, "Then that won't be a problem."
Zack said, "Then you accept."
Darien laughed then said, "I guess I do." Zack held out his hand. Darien glanced down at him then shook it.
Darien continued running with determined eyes through the tunnel. Darien crossed his hands across his chest. He screamed as his eyes turned into golden irises and a golden aura formed around him. He uncrossed his arms as a large amount of energy blasted from his body. His ebony locks started to turn brownish. His dark blue eyes started to turn to emerald green. His legs started to become a couple of inches shorter. He was no longer Darien. He was Eric Saint-Martin.