Hey, Raven here! Updating a little during break! I'm happy to say that I can use my phone's internet to write, but I can only use it for a certain amount of time, so just for Today and maybe Saturday! But thank you to everyone for the growing interest and positive response to this story! I have to say, I'm truly blown away even with the time I have on this site. This is for everyone! There's a little more James angst in this, but we also have Kendall getting a little suspicious too! Especially with a few things he notices! Well, anyway no more delaying! Here's the latest chapter, hope everyone enjoys it and thank you again for support! Disclaimer: I don't own Big Time Rush! I do make videos for them on their birthdays, but other than that nothing! I don't own Big Time Rush! :'( Sorry if this chapter was short, but break is not just for writing! Need to spend some time with family, but I wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving! Enjoy the food, I know I will after living off college meals for six months!
It took a while for Kendall to help calm James down, but once he did the brunette was in a deep, dreamless sleep. Kendall got a call from his mom around three in the afternoon and nearly got chewed out for missing school, his teachers had called her at work when he didn't show up for any of his classes, but she soon relaxed when he explained the hard time (in little detail) his fiancee was going through. After that she wished him goodnight and to give her love and support to James when he woke up; Jen knew her son wasn't going to leave James' side anytime soon, so she allowed him to spend the night over the Diamond household. Brooke had no problem with Kendall staying over, so much wasn't said in terms of disagreement. Griffin said not a word, too busy finalizing his travel plans to glower at the dirty blonde.
James was still as a corpse in bed, laying on his back with his arms folded neatly over his toned stomach; his hair was now dry but wild and tangled, dried tear tracks glistening against his thin, flushed cheeks. Kendall had pulled the covers and some extra blankets over his fiancee's nearly naked body, tucking them well under him so he wouldn't freeze from the cold chill in the air. His breathing was faint but clear, from the raising and falling of his chest, and his face was smooth, zero emotion.
Hopefully he stayed that way, stoic instead of being plagued by nightmares.
Kendall was quick to change into some pajamas he found in James' closet (they borrowed clothes from each other on a daily basis, so he knew where to look) and crawl into bed beside him, reaching out with sad green eyes to stroke James' left cheek.
The brunette didn't react, too trapped in his dreamless sleep to feel the soft, warm hand caressing his skin.
'James, I'm so sorry. And Griffin's being an asshole. What guy doesn't let his 'son' go mourn his own sister's death? Griffin knew how close Mercedes and James were, he's just doing this to hurt James. He's more heartless than I thought...' Kendall thought darkly, biting his lower lip to fight back tears.
He knew that this would greatly effect his fiancee; first losing contact with his father, and now his step-sister dead without little chance of finding the killer? James has suffered so much, he didn't need anymore Hell to break loose.
"I'm here though; I promise I won't let you go through this alone." Kendall whispered, pressing a quick kiss to James' neck.
That's when the weirdness began.
First, James flinched; he flinched at the touch and subconsciously rolled onto his side, back to the shorter boy. Second, the area Kendall had kissed, James' pulse point, looked smeared; it was the same caramel-brown tone as the rest of James' body, but with a dark red peeking out. And lastly, long, criss-crossing lines, invisible if overlooked, ran all over James' muscular back.
'What the...?' Kendall switched on the lamp on the bedside table and carefully, slowly pulled the covers and blankets away from James; a sick feeling entered his stomach, a silent gasp tearing free from his lips.
Scars. Millions and millions of scars, red and pink and dark purple, littered the dark, smooth skin of James' back. Some were long and old, going from one shoulder to the other, and others were small and fresh-looking, bright red and badly tended to. Among the cuts were purplish bruises, some yellow from healing over time. A few of said cuts and bruises had large drops of make-up over them to hide how bad they really were, but others were bare.
'W-what is this?! Where did he g-get this scars? Oh G-God...' Kendall slid of the bed and walked over to James' side, brandishing the lamp high over his head like a torch; James didn't react to the strong light hitting his face, whole frame limp like that of a rag doll's.
Just as he feared...
There were more cuts and bruises on James' chest. These looked recent though, so he must have gotten them a day or two ago: pink twitching flesh, dried blood along a particular large and nasty cut on the brunette's left pectoral, deep scratches that were in the process of scabbing over.
The blonde felt all the blood drain from his face; who or what the hell attacked his fiancee?!
'And why...w-why hasn't he told me about this? Oh God, James...James what is happening to you? A-are you doing this to yourself, or...or are you really stringing me along? What's happening to you...?' Kendall thought in a mixture of confusion and horror.
James made a hissing sound, the gash on his left pectoral beginning to bleed again; Kendall made to grab some disinfectant and band-aids from James' bathroom but the brunette soon crossed his arms again and snuggled into the pillows, smearing red into the beige sheets.
'The smell of rust and salt...James lied, he had been bleeding that day. That's the only explanation: he either got cut up working on those cars...or Griffin is doing something to him.' At this Kendall flinched, hands shaking.
Griffin...could he be abusing James? Those cuts, bruises and welts, did he really have so much contempt for his step-son to actually put his hands on him? And did Brooke have any idea what her monster of a husband was doing to her one and only son?!
'J-James, no please let me be wrong. Please...but if I'm wrong about Griffin abusing you, then...what are you hiding from me?'
-Page Break-
"So Griffin's stopping by Los Angeles? What for?" A girl, probably nineteen years old, asked Jett with a baffled expression. Jett sighed, they at a small coffee shop not far from James' house, the two seated in a booth for more privacy.
"He had me and James kill his daughter; he's going to 'mourn her death', but that's all bull and he's just trying to pull off the heartbroken dad act out to keep his image in the clear." Jett said, the girl across from him glaring hotly and crossing her arms; she was dressed like a rocker, and had pale skin with black hair streaked with red. She was pretty, very pretty, but the look of utter disgust on her face made her usually attractive appeal go stale.
"What a sicko, he had his step-son kill his own daughter, who happened to be his step-son's sister too. So that's why you called me over to come." She said, Jett nodding.
"Yeah, Lucy this may be our only chance. Griffin will be gone for three days, that's his plan right now, and he's not leaving us any potential targets to take out in his absence. This is our chance to team up, you and me and James; we've been Griffin's dirty little secrets for too long. We've been made to be mercenaries against our will, we've killed innocent people and have had our loved ones threatened and taken away. Griffin is threatening James through his mother, friends and fiancee much like he's doing to me through Dak. And he took Camille away from you; you have no idea where she is, or if she's still alive even." Jett saw Lucy tense at the mention of her missing girlfriend.
"Don't remind me, Stetson."
"I'm sorry but see that the three of us aren't so different after all, Lu? Griffin has gotten away with too much, it's about time we get our revenge. If we team up and take him out, then our troubles are over: James doesn't risk his mom, I can go live a normal life with Dak, and we pool all our resources together to help you find Camille. But we can only do that if we act now; we kill him, and everything goes from there."
"But you're suggesting we kill him."
"And?"
"We'll be still cold-blooded serial killers, in the eyes of the police."
"No, because we forced to take all those people. We didn't want to, but it was either us doing what he said or having our families in a bloodbath. We can't seriously be charged as criminals for that." Lucy looked skeptical still, though.
"There's still a high chance we will pay a higher price than Griffin."
"I'll think of something, but you're avoiding my question: are you in or not? Are you going to team up with me and James to bring Griffin down once and for all?" Jett asked, a little impatient.
Lucy took another sip of her hot chocolate before sighing a few minutes later, dark brown eyes hard and almost pitch black.
"Okay I'm in, what's your plan though?"