(February 7, 2009)
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Beep. Beep. Beep.
Aiden stared blankly at the white walls in front of him. After living in a cement building covered in dirt for so long the white and sterile environment around him was jarring.
The last two hours were a blur of flashing lights, swirling faces, and stabs of pain as his leg was stitched and bruises attended to. His hand itched but Aiden ignored it. Pulling at the tape attached to the IV only made the machine beep angrily and brought more people into Aiden's already crowded room. His gaze flicked to the room's other occupants. Two men, who hadn't let Aiden out of their sight since his arrival, sat between him and the door.
Aiden suppressed a snort. With his leg aching so badly he couldn't put weight on it, he wasn't going anywhere by himself any time soon. Not to mention the headache that lingered from the punches to his face or how it hurt to breathe deeply. Yeah, he was really running out of here any second.
They had introduced themselves at one point but Aiden didn't pay attention to their names. One of them was a tall black haired man wearing scrubs. Aiden didn't know why he was in here when there were probably a lot of other things he could be doing.
The other blond haired man made Aiden uneasy. He was dressed casually in a polo and khakis, but one thing Aiden remembered from his introduction was that he was a social worker. Aiden hadn't said anything to them yet at that point but, after hearing the second man's occupation, he doubled down on the resolve not to talk to them at all.
That hadn't stopped them from continually trying to talk to him.
"Son," Aiden bristled at the word, "you need to tell us what happened. What's your name? How did you get hurt?"
Continuing to ignore them, Aiden tugged at the tape on his finger that kept a heart rate and oxygen monitor in place. A lovely torture device that beeped obnoxiously in time with his heartbeat. Though, if Aiden zeroed in on the beeping it made it easier to drown out the men's voices- that or focusing on the throbbing in his face and chest.
Eventually they gave up asking him the same questions over and over.
"Are you hungry?" Scrubs asked, breaking Aiden out of the mental hole he'd retreated into. Eyeing him suspiciously, Aiden slowly nodded. "'Kay. The kitchen's closed since it's so late, but we've got stuff for sandwiches on the floor. I'll be back in a minute."
Aiden watched as he left, then his gaze darted back to Polo Shirt. To his surprise the man didn't try to engage in any more conversation, only settled deeper into his chair. Fidgeting with his hands, Aiden turned away and looked out the window. He stared sightlessly outside until footsteps entered the room again. Aiden snapped his head toward the door, but it was only Scrubs with a sandwich and jello cup in his hand.
At the sight of the food Aiden's stomach rumbled loudly. He blushed but neither man commented on it. Instead Scrubs held the items out to Aiden. Aiden hesitated for a moment, waiting to ensure Scrubs didn't snatch it back.
"It's alright kid. They're for you."
Aiden didn't need any further encouragement. In a matter of seconds the food was gone. Hunger still gnawed at Aiden, but after so long on the streets it wasn't a new sensation. Plus Aiden had no intention of talking to the men, even to ask for more food.
A phone rang making Aiden jump. Polo Shirt pulled a cell phone from his pocket. He looked at the screen and shot a glance at Scrubs. "I have to take this. I'll be right back."
'Of course you will.' Aiden thought sourly.
"So are you running because someone's chasing you?"
Great. More attempts at conversation. And verging into dangerous, literally and figuratively, territory. Aiden's hand trailed the bandage wrapped around his thigh but didn't answer. 'Not only do I have aliens after me, there's gang members too.' Answering their questions would only bring either party down on him. Scrubs walked to the side of Aiden's bed. Aiden subconsciously recoiled at the movement, only to yelp in pain when the action pulled at his wounded leg. The man stopped but pulled the vacant chair over and sat down so he was eye level with Aiden.
Aiden stared down at his hands, trying to ignore the man's presence. Here he was at ten- maybe eleven since he'd lost track of the days since living on the streets- and was being more or less interrogated in a hospital room. Two years ago he would have never believed it if someone told him he'd be here. Then again a lot of things were different two years ago.
"What's your name?" Aiden still didn't answer or look up. "How old are you? Do your guardians know where you are?"
The last question produced an involuntary scoff from Aiden. 'As if I know where Dad is.'
"I'll take that as a no?"
Squeezing the bedsheets in his hands, Aiden wished the man would just go away. Forget about him. Leave. Everyone else in his life had left him, why would this man care who he was?
Scrubs let out a tired sigh. A small part of Aiden couldn't blame him. It was two in the morning. Aiden's body begged for sleep even as the fear swirling in his mind and pain running through his body forced him to stay alert.
"Those injuries didn't come from falling. Someone -or several someones from the look of it- did that to you." His voice softened. "We want to help you, but you have to work with us."
Aiden's hands shook. No one wanted to help him, that's why he'd been living on the streets for so long.
"What's your name?" He tried again.
"Aiden Romero." A different voice answered, making Aiden's blood freeze.
His eyes darted up to the door and his breath started coming in short gasps. Polo Shirt stood in the doorway holding a small stack of papers. Dimly Aiden heard the heart monitor beeping loudly near him.
"Aiden?"
Hearing his name a second time Aiden felt his limbs unfreeze. Without pausing to think through his actions Aiden threw back his blankets and tried to scramble out of the bed. Lines pulled taut on his body but all Aiden could think was, 'GET AWAY!' Distant shouts filtered into his ears, but they could have been miles away for all Aiden knew.
The world came crashing back to reality the second Aiden's left leg hit the floor. Fire burst through his thigh and Aiden's leg collapsed. Strong arms caught him before he hit the ground but that didn't comfort him. Flailing Aiden tried to pull himself loose, not noticing he yanked out the IV in his scrambling. The arms tightened around Aiden only fueling his panic.
"Hey, hey Aiden it's okay. We're not going to hurt you. It's okay, you're safe here." A man's voice repeated the sentences over and over. Slowly, the words registered in Aiden's brain. His frantic motions calmed, though a large part of that was due to his failing strength.
"It's okay Aiden, I've got you, you're safe."
Sobs suddenly burst from Aiden, startling himself as much as the man holding him. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Aiden felt the man tense beneath him- these were the first words Aiden had spoken since arriving at the hospital. "Please let go! Please let go!"
"Okay, okay." The man shifted and Aiden's breath hitched. "I'm going to set you back on the bed, okay?"
Aiden nodded emphatically. He felt himself be lifted from the ground and in seconds he was back on the mattress. The man- which Aiden could now tell was Scrubs- hesitantly let go, as if he weren't sure Aiden was going to stay put or not. Still breathing heavily, and everything in him hurting, Aiden looked up for the first time and saw six adults standing behind Polo Shirt in the doorway. He started to scramble backward again, suddenly feeling cornered.
"Hey, hey, Aiden. It's okay. They just came to check and make sure you're alright." Scrubs gestured to the others to leave. Some of the tension in Aiden's body relaxed as everyone but Polo Shirt left. "Here," Scrubs held out a cup to Aiden, who glanced furtively at the liquid inside. "It's just water."
Hesitantly Aiden took the cup and gulped down its contents. "T-thank you."
Aiden looked down and the man was quiet for a minute. "Are you running from someone Aiden?" The heart monitor started beeping rapidly again. "Aiden? Whoever or whatever it is, they can't get you here."
The man didn't know that! The Dragons had eyes everywhere and who knew if the aliens did too.
"Aiden?" It was Polo Shirt this time.
Some of the stoney walls Aiden had built around his emotions started to crack. He desperately wanted to feel safe. It had been so, so long. Several more seconds went by before Aiden nodded, keeping his gaze down.
"You are running from someone?" Aiden nodded again. "Was it the same person who hurt you?" Another nod. "Is it someone you live with?" Aiden shook his head no. "Do you live with anyone?" No again. "Aiden please, can you tell me what happened?"
"I-I-" Aiden broke off, his throat feeling tight.
"It's okay, take your time."
Aiden took a shuddery breath. "I was - I was trying to find something to- to eat and I got- I got attacked."
"Where did you get attacked?"
"The- the alley. I-I got too close."
"Too close to. . .?" Polo Shirt prompted.
Aiden licked his lips, his mouth suddenly feeling dry. "The- the Dragons' turf."
"The Dragons did this to you?"
Aiden nodded and suddenly realized how heavy his eyelids felt. Polo Shirt seemed to notice. "Thank you Aiden-"
"Levi." Aiden cut in and received a strange look from both men.
Scrubs raised an eyebrow. "Who's Levi?"
Aiden heavily shook his head. "I go by Levi." Sort of, for the last couple months. "Middle name . . ." He trailed off, fatigue crashing over him now that the adrenaline had run its course.
"Okay Levi, thank you for telling us all of this. That was very brave." Aiden suppressed a snort at Polo Shirt's words, though it didn't sound like the man was mocking him. "I have to leave now but I'll be back in the morning to ask you more questions."
Aiden nodded, his head barely off his chest. He fell asleep so quickly he didn't even hear the man leave.
.
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When Aiden opened his eyes the next morning confusion swept over him like a wave. 'Where am I? What-?' Aiden's gaze found an adult in scrubs- a woman this time- sitting in a chair by his bed and the events of the past day crashed into his memory. He shuddered- only to stop and hiss as pain shot across his ribs.
The woman looked up at the noise. She smiled. "Good morning Levi. I'm Amy and I'll be spending the morning with you. We weren't sure how late you'd sleep so we held off on ordering a breakfast tray, but we can do that now if you're hungry. Mr. Conners said he would be back around ten-thirty but that's still an hour away so there's plenty of time to eat if you want." Aiden blinked at the barrage of words but slowly nodded. Amy handed him a slip of paper. "These are the breakfast options. If you want to choose something, I can call down to the kitchen to have a tray sent up."
Aiden looked over the list, a task that took longer than he expected. Reading hadn't been a top priority since leaving home. Frustration and unease came with that realization. Instead of trying to get through everything on the paper Aiden just pointed to the picture of waffles.
"Waffles then? Do you want orange or apple juice or milk with it?" Amy took the paper from Aiden.
"O-orange juice please."
"Alrighty. I'll call down and it should be up fairly soon."
Not sure what to say, Aiden only nodded again. Amy turned toward the door and flagged someone down.
Aiden suddenly became aware of another pressing matter. Looking around the room he saw another door, presumably to the bathroom. Gingerly he pushed himself toward the end of the bed. A piercing shriek filled the room the second his feet touched the floor. Startled, Aiden fell back on the mattress. Instantly the noise stopped.
Amy rushed to the side of the bed. "If you want to get up you have to let me know. Since you fell last night they don't want you getting up alone."
'Thanks for the warning.' Scowling, Aiden waited while Amy did something by the wall. "Did you want to use the bathroom?" Aiden rolled his eyes and nodded. "Okay. Go ahead and slowly stand up now."
Biting back a retort, Aiden slid off the bed again. Keeping most of his weight off his left leg, Aiden hobbled to the bathroom. He turned to shut the door but Amy stopped it with her hand.
"Part of fall precautions means I have to be able to keep you within sight."
Aiden's jaw tightened. "No way. You saw me walk over here and I didn't come close to falling."
Amy remained calm. "How about this, we'll keep the door partially open but I'll step to the side of it to give you some privacy."
It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. Aiden hurried the best he could, doing everything to ignore his practical stalker. Within a couple minutes he was settled back on the hospital bed. His breakfast tray arrived and Aiden dove into the food. Just as he was finishing a knock came at the door and Aiden froze as Polo Shirt came into the room.
"Mr. Conners." Amy nodded in greeting before taking Aiden's tray and leaving the room.
Aiden vaguely remembered the man saying he'd be back today, and Amy had mentioned something earlier, but that bit of information had not stuck in Aiden's mind long.
"Aiden- I'm sorry, Levi- how are you this morning?"
Shrugging, Aiden let his gaze drop back to his hands.
"I know yesterday was hard for you, but I have some more questions to ask you today." Mr. Conners slid the chair over that he'd been sitting in the night before. "There's no easy way to sugarcoat it, but I need you to tell me what happened eighteen months ago when your family was first reported missing."
Aiden winced. It had already been a year and a half? Part of him was impressed he'd lasted that long by himself. Moving past that revelation that, he mulled over Mr. Connors' words. Memories of that day struck in like a physical blow.
"There have been some reported sightings of a young boy who matches your description over the months," Mr. Connors' voice jarred Aiden from his memories, "but there haven't been any of your brother or father. The forensic team stated it looked like there was a fight of some kind at your house."
Aiden chewed on the inside of his cheek. It wasn't like he could say 'aliens kidnapped my brother and probably killed my dad' without sounding like a liar or a lunatic.
"Aiden?" Mr. Conners prompted.
"I-It-" Aiden let out a long sigh. "I don't know who they were, but three- three p-people attacked us at home. My dad-" Aiden choked on the word, but something inside was so ready to share with someone what had happened, even an abridged version of it, "My dad was working on some special project. They wanted it." Aiden's eyes glazed over as he remembered the day his world came crashing down.
"Brody was outside when they showed up. They- they grabbed him to make my dad do what they wanted. I was in the barn with Dad when we heard Brody yell. He told- he told me to stay hidden while he went to face them. I couldn't see what- what happened but even with Dad's ninja skills they were too strong. I- I heard my dad saying he couldn't let his project fall into their hands right before there was- there was a loud- loud e-explosion." Aiden paused and took a deep breath. "After a few minutes I looked out and I didn't see Dad. The three goons and my brother were still there and they- they grabbed Brody. I was too scared to come out and Dad told me to stay hidden, but Brody- Brody called for me . . ." Aiden's voice cracked as he remembered the terror in Brody's cries. "I couldn't leave him alone, but it was too late. They were gone."
Aiden swiped at tears pricking the corner of his eyes. Mr. Conners handed him a tissue but Aiden ignored it. "After that I only had my dad's words to follow. I ran to the woods for the remainder of the day. I had already f-failed Brody, I couldn't fail Dad. When it was dark, I came back to the house. I grabbed what I could and started making my way to anywhere that would hide me from them."
"And you didn't come to the police?
Aiden bit back his growing frustration, though he preferred anger over his tears. "I already told you, Dad said to hide. These guys had some crazy access to info because no one but my dad really knew what he was working on. There's no way they should have been able to know. So I ran. I couldn't let them find me." Aiden frowned, 'Or the ninja steel. For whatever good that did.'
"And you haven't seen either of them since that day?"
"No." Aiden bitterly spat the word out.
"Could you describe the people that came after your dad?"
'Other than the fact I think they were aliens?'
"There were three of them at our house. I think one of them was a girl but I couldn't really tell. They were wearing these weird animal masks that completely hid their faces-"
- 'If they'd been human.'-
"-They didn't want us to know who they were. One had a white cat head with the tail that wrapped around her head. The smaller guy had a mask that was half blue, half white with horns projecting off of them. The largest guy seemed to be in charge and had a black mask with antler looking things coming off of it."
"And what was your dad working on?" If Mr. Conners thought Aiden's story was crazy he didn't show it.
Aiden hesitated briefly. "He-he didn't really tell me. A special design for some of his own ninja equipment I think. He was casting throwing stars at one point but I don't know what happened to them."
'Which is mostly true since I don't know what the school did with the steel after I left.'
Mr. Conners didn't press further on that topic. "And where have you been since leaving home?"
Grimacing Aiden gave an abbreviated account of the last several months. Other than scrounging for food and shelter there wasn't much to tell. Mr. Conners remained quiet and attentive throughout Aiden's story, occasionally asking a clarifying question. It didn't take long before Aiden finished.
Mr. Conners leaned back in his chair. "Thank you Levi for telling me all of this. My office has been looking for relatives for you to stay with but it doesn't look like you have any. Because of that the state has taken custody of you and we're going to try and place you with a family around here."
Fear clenched at Aiden's heart. He was going to be stuck with some random strangers? What if they worked for the Dragons or if the aliens found him again. Mr. Conners saw the change come over Aiden's face.
"Levi? I know it's a lot to take in, but you're going to be in a safe place. I promise."
"B-but what if they find me? The Dragons want to kill me and Dad's enemies might come after me!" Sadly it wasn't much of an exaggeration.
Understanding dawned on Mr. Conners' face. "You won't be anywhere near the Dragons. As for people who might be after you because of your dad . . . I'll have to talk to my supervisor about what they want to do." That didn't really comfort Aiden, but Mr. Conners kept talking. "The doctors said they want to keep you here one more night to make sure you're healing well and no infection sets in from the leg wound."
"What- what about my stuff?"
"Are you able to describe where you were staying? I can talk to the police department about having your things picked up for you."
Aiden had no idea where the hospital was in the city, but he described the warehouse and its surrounding location as best he could while Mr. Conners jotted down some notes.
"I'll see what I can do and tomorrow I'll be back to pick you up."
Aiden gave a dazed nod. Mr. Conners said a few other things but they went over Aiden's head. With a final pat on Aiden's shoulder, Mr. Conners left.
The day passed agonizingly slow as Aiden was left to imagine what his fate was going to be. He tossed and turned most of the night before giving up and staring at the ceiling while the light of dawn filled the room. Though he didn't know it, today would be his last day waking up as Aiden Romero.