All to Save a Brother

Author Notes: Things get worse, but they always get worse before they get better. Robert will be shown more. He still isn't a main character, but he will be a strong supporting character.

REVIEW REPLIES
Lisa: As always, thanks for the reviews. Officer Jared is an ass and will never be shown in a positive light. Enjoy the chapter.

jddbrz: I usually only do over the top tradegy. My mom worries I am a depressed person, but not true. Robert will somehow be shown in a sympathetic light. I just do not know how. i might do that next chapter. Please continue to read.


The examination went decent enough. Even though James knew Dr. Rendell, was comfortable with him, and trusted him, he still stiffened a bit when the doctor started to touch him. All he could remember was the rapes, and he had the strong urge to flee. He should have told Sebastian to come with him after all, but he did not think it would be a problem. It took way too long in James’ opinion, but the exam was finally over. He had some nasty bruises from the beatings and his anus was torn. Thankfully, there were no broken bones, but James would need to apply a healing cream to his anus every day for 2 weeks, until it was completely healed.

James was sitting up on the bed, while Dr. Rendell cleaned everything up. He did not like that he hated being touched by the doctor and Dr. Rendell seemed to know where his thoughts were. “You do not have to feel bad about hating being touched. After what you have been through, I would be surprised if you did not fear touch.”

James nodded. “I just want you to know that I do trust you.”

Dr. Rendell faced the fifteen year old. “I do not doubt that. Now, how would you like to go see your brother, and say goodbye. I am not sure how long the nurse will be able to keep him there.”

James was afraid of seeing the lifeless body of his brother. He knew he was dead, but seeing the body again would make it all the more real to him. “I want Sebastian to be there with me.”

Dr. Rendell answered, “We can go see if his examination is done.”

James slid off the bed and followed the doctor out of the room. Officer Mickey was in the hall outside his big brother’s room, but the room was bypassed momentarily. The kept searching for Sebastian and in not so long time, the boy they were searching for was walking towards them.

James left Dr. Rendell and ran to hug Sebastian, who returned the hug warmly. He mumbled into Sebastian, “Will you come with me to say goodbye to him?”

Sebastian nodded. “Of course, you do not even have to ask.”

They turned back in the direction that Dr. Rendell and James had come from, and the now trio walked back to Marcus’ room. Officer Mickey was still there, but he had been joined with his partner as well as Officer Jared. James felt anger boil at seeing the latter, blaming him for not being able to see his brother alive. Dr. Rendell put a calming hand on James’ shoulder, which helped the younger relax.

Officer Mickey smiled gently at the trio, feeling nothing but sympathy for James. Like the young boy, he too blamed his superior officer, but would not go against him. Officer Mickey moved away along with his partner to allow James entrance to the room. Officer Jared on the other hand was gazing at James with an unreadable expression. James felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny. Officer Mickey cleared his throat, and the superior officer reluctantly stepped aside.

Officer Mickey had seen the look in Officer Jared’s eyes. He too did not like the look. Something about it did not seem right and he promised himself that he would keep a watch on the superior.

At seeing his brother once again, a sob was wretched from James’ body. Sebastian was holding him in a comforting way, and James leaned into the touch.

They walked to the bed, and James sat on it. He took Marcus’ hand, and the skin was ice cold. “Marcus, I prayed I would get to see you again. I guess, in a way, I got my wish. I just wish you were still alive to see me. It was all because of you that I was saved. I know you received my visions. I just wish I could talk to you, and you can know that I am safe. One good thing about this whole ordeal is that I made a new friend, Sebastian. Both of us know how hard it is for me to make friends. Sebastian was kidnapped as well, and he had been there for awhile. I know you would like him. Although you could never be replaced in my heart, he did step up quite a bit, and protected me while he barely knew me. I have a feeling that even if you are not physically here anymore, your soul will stay with me. I know from heaven where you deserve to be, you will be watching over me. You will always remain in my heart. I could never forget the one person who gave up so much to take care of me. I love you big brother. I love you Markie. At least now, you are not in any more pain. I am not sure what I will do without you, but I am glad you are now at peace.” By the end of his speech, James was crying, but they were not the sobs they were at the discovery of Marcus’ death. They were still as heartfelt, but they were softer, as if James was afraid to be louder. He kissed Marcus’ hand that he still held, and leaned forwards and placed a gentle kiss on Marcus’ cheek.

Sebastian had a hand on James’ shoulder, but did not know what to do to lend comfort.

All of the people who had parents had been tracked down and they were starting to pour into the hospital. A young woman who looked to be in her mid 30’s walked into the room. Her eyes were a warm brown and they filled in tears at seeing Sebastian. Sebastian, who was still trying to comfort James, turned when he heard footsteps. He felt like his heart would stop beating. He never thought he would see the woman again. Forgetting about James who was still crying softly, he ran to the woman. “Mother, is it really you?”

The woman was crying openly. “My little boy, I never thought I would get to see you again.”

They were so into their reunion that they did not realize that they had the attention of the room.

The officers had walked in, and all but Jared were smiling at the picture. Even Dr. Rendell had a smile on his face, while James could not muster one. He was happy for Sebastian to see his mother, but he could not smile when his only family was gone.

Sebastian’s mother finally noticed the audience and pulled away with reddening cheeks. She noticed James and the hand of his brother that he was holding. She walked over to the young boy. “Hello young man. Were you with my son in the same horrid place?”

James nodded while sniffling. “I was the last target before they were caught.”

Sebastian’s mother’s eyes shifted towards the lifeless body, and Sebastian knew the question, but he did not want to force James to answer it. He pulled his mother to the side. “James’ parents had abandoned him when his older brother went to college. His brother had kidney cancer though, and passed away today before we were able to get here.”

The woman put her hand to her mouth. She felt such pity for the boy. “What is going to happen to him? Does he have any other relatives who will take him in?”

Sebastian shrugged. “He never talked about anyone. He could, but for some reason, I have a feeling he does not. I am not sure what is going to happen. Could you maybe ask for guardianship of him?”

His mother’s eyes watered. “You seem very close to him, and I understand that. The thing is, money is not any better than it was before you were taken. If anything, it is worse. I paid for so many private investigators to try to find you. I went into debt because of it. There is no way that I could financially support him as well.”

“I will help then, with money. I will get a job.”

His mother shook her head ‘no’. “I am not sure yet what we are going to do. If it is possible though, I want you to try to get an education. I am sure the officers will figure out something to help him.”

“I do not want him to end up in a group home, or something.”

“Honey, right now, my main responsibility is to take care of you. I cannot be worrying about a boy that I do not even know. I am sure he will be okay.”

Sebastian walked back to the boy he looked at as his little brother now. He was still sniffling quite a bit, and lent his comfort.

James turned to Dr. Rendell. “My brother was my guardian. What is going to happen to me?”

Sebastian sat up straighter. He wondered if James had heard his conversation with his mother, but it was not possible. There were too far away, and one of the perks of being a seer was not oversensitive hearing. It was a mere coincidence, or it could have been brought up by the arrival of the parents of the other captives who were freed along with them.

Dr. Rendell shrugged helplessly. He was not sure what to tell James. If he had a choice, he would become James’ guardian. He remembered telling James that if he ever had kids, he would want the kids to be just like James and he had meant it. The problem was that he was single and worked crazy hours as a doctor. There was no way that it would be a stable home life for a rape victim. James would need a lot of emotional support to overcome everything, and would need someone he trusted nearby at all times. He would not be able to be there for James when he was needed. Since he was not married, no one else could be there for him either.

Officer Jared was in the room and the doctor looked towards him. He hated the man and did not trust him further than he could throw him, but he knew that Officer Jared would get the last say in what would happen to James.

James too looked towards the officer, waiting for some information. Jared wore a smirk. “Since you have no known living relatives that would take you in, you will be put either into a children’s home or foster care.”

James stiffened. “You mean, like Robert lived in?”

Jared nodded. “Most likely, you will go to the same place that Robert is. Technically, Robert is of age and does not qualify for that, but since he does not have education because of where he has been, he will be given special permission to live in a children’s home while he goes to school. You will probably go where he goes as long as they have 2 available spots.”

James was scared. Robert was so cold hearted and distant, and he knew much of it was due to him living in the system. He did not want to end up like Robert, who closed off all of his emotions. He did not want to stop feeling. He briefly thought of Dr. Rendell, but he knew that the man was a single bachelor who worked long hours. He would not be able to take him in. He also knew that Sebastian had already asked his mother about becoming James’ guardian. He did not hear because he was a seer. He has played piano since he was eight, and his ears were very well trained from it. "Is there not somewhere else I can go?" James asked desperately.

Officer Jared smirked, but it did not seem to match with his supposedly kind words. "I am sorry young man. If no relatives step forward, there is no choice. Once in the program though, you will have a chance to become adopted or for someone to become your guardian. I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you though. People usually only take the infants and the toddlers."

Officer Mickey stepped in. "Please, there has to be something else that we can do. Both Robert and James have been through a lot. They are going to need some sort of help to get pass the entire trauma."

Officer Jared sneered. "No one asked you officer and it is the law that if a kid is under 18 with no legal guardians, they will be put into the system."

Officer Mickey looked like he was about to argue, but his partner laid a hand on his arm. He backed down. He felt such a need to help this child, but he did not want to lose his job because of Jared's vindictiveness.

James was crying, and Dr. Rendell went to hug him. "I am so sorry. I promise … I will look for someone who is willing to take you away. I will find someone to become your guardian. Until then, I will visit as much as possible."

James sniffled, but took comfort in the doctor's words. "Do you promise you will visit?"

"I will visit as much as I humanely can. At least, Robert will be there and you know him."

James looked at him as if he was nuts. "Is that supposed to comfort me? Robert is not
exactly the kindest person, and he does really like me."

Dr. Rendell was rubbing his back in a soothing manner. "Both you and Robert will be in the same situation. I am sure the two of you can put aside all of your differences. Who knows? Maybe you two will be able to become friends."

James shook his head. "I do not think that is possible, but I will try to have an open mind."

Dr. Rendell nodded. "Please try. It might make it more bearable, until I can find someone to take you away." He hugged James closer. "Please, understand, if I could, I would become your guardian. My job is not the best for taking care of a child, even in the simplest circumstances."

James laughed, but it was only slightly. "I know. I already thought about that. I do not blame you now, but I will if you do not visit me."

They shared a laugh together. Dr. Rendell promised both James and himself that he would make time to go wherever James was taken. James would not be alone and wondering what was going on in the outside world. He would not be forgotten.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

James and Robert ended up being brought to a children's home, not really well known. Officer Mickey volunteered to take them. He wanted to make sure that the boys would be safe there, and he did not trust Jared's judgment. They only kept 10 kids a time. That was really small, for some homes would keep up to twenty five or thirty at a time. There were 4 boys and 4 girls there. Robert and James would bring the number up to 6 boys. Mickey, James, and Robert all looked around, but for different reasons. James and Robert were curious about their new home, while Mickey wanted to make sure that both kids would be safe in this environment. The kids were all in their teens, for the caretakers to take care of the younger ones. They all seemed to be very clean and well kept. There was slight dirt in the playroom, but Sinstra, who ran the place, assured him that they mopped the floor every night after the kids were put in bed. There were not many things for fun besides some books. Mickey looked in the bedrooms, and saw all of the beds made up. Two people usually slept in a room. The room that had been empty before besides the beds, had the beds already made up and the belongings they had for James and Robert. Since James had lived in an actual home, he had many more things than Robert, but they got some money from the government to buy some things for the older boy.

James and Robert both left the room, careful not to touch each other in the narrow hallway. They found Officer Mickey still checking out the place; nearby Sinstra was hovering. He looked up and smiled when he saw the two boys. “Did you two like your new room?”

James shrugged, while Robert showed only indifference. “It is a room. What more can you say?”

Instead of answering Robert, Officer Mickey turned to Sinstra. “With all of these kids, I am sure you are not the only one.”

Sinstra smiled, but it seemed fake, though Officer Mickey did not notice it. “There are two others, both male, to help me take care of the kids.

Officer Mickey nodded. “I would like to meet them as well. You have already been briefed on what these children have been through. I would just like to make sure that they will be safe here. I am sure you understand.”

Sinstra shot the same fake smile. “Of course I understand, but unfortunately, both are working. You can always come back at a later time.”

Officer Mickey nodded, but he still seemed a bit unsure. “I just do not like leaving them without being sure.” He turned to the boys. “Are you two going to be okay here?”

Robert shrugged, not really caring. James was the one who did not seem to like the idea, but he nodded. James did not want the nice officer to worry about him, when there was nothing to really worry about.

Officer Mickey bent down to pull the small frame of James into a hug. James stiffened, having trouble getting used to such contact. By the time Officer Mickey was ready to pull away, James was leaning into the hug. Officer Mickey looked like he was about to give Robert a hug, but seeing the hard eyes, the officer thought better of it. While Robert stayed in the building, James walked Officer Mickey outside. The officer turned to the young boy once more. "I know that you are really scared. I promise, I will talk to the other two caretakers to make sure that you are safe here. As the doctor already told you, he will be working on finding you a home. Just hang in there kid."

James shifted, looking at his feet. "I am sorry for being such a bother."

The officer bent down for another hug, which this time, there was no hesitation on James' part to return. "You are not a bother, not in the least. Listen, if something happens that you do not like, tell someone right away. I will be checking up on you just like Dr. Rendell. Tell one of us no matter what."

The officer was not doing anything for James' nerves. "Do you suspect something to happen?"

Officer Mickey shook his head quickly. "No, do not worry. I am sure nothing will happen. If these people could not be trusted, they would not be taking care of kids for as long as they have." With one last quick hug, Officer Mickey walked down the path leading to his car.

When the officer was out of sight, James went back inside and did not see Robert. With a shy smile to Sinstra, James made his way to his bedroom and found Robert lying down.

James sat on his own bed, looking at Robert while a tense silence descended on the two of them. Finally, fed up with the silence, James went to sit on Robert's bed, making the occupant snap his head up and sneer. James sighed. "Listen, I know you do not like me. I do not know why you have a problem with me, but we are both in the same situation. It might be more pleasant if we each had a friend we could turn to."

Robert still wore a sneer. "I went into foster care when I was 7. I never had a friend and I do not need one now."

"But ... "

Robert made an attempt to push James off the bed, but he merely shifted a bit towards the floor. "There are no buts. You may be the soft kind of person who needs friends, but I will not be Sebastian for you. If you want friends so bad, make it with the others."

James knew he had promised Dr. Rendell, but no one would be able to get through to him, so giving up, James made his way out to the common room, where the other teens were located. He saw all of the boys together and decided to take Robert's advice and try to make nice with them. Taking a deep breath, he made his way over to the group.

They looked up when they noticed his approach. "Hi, my name is James."

One, with cropped raven hair and extremely tall nodded and took a step in front of the group. "What’s up? So, I am going to cut to the chase. What's your deal?"

James' face showed confusion.

The raven hair let out a sigh. "What I mean is what happened to land you in foster care in the first place."

James was uncomfortable with that question, but he thought that everyone here would have a grotesque story. "There was a kidnapping ring that forced young people to make pornographic videos. I was kidnapped, but we were rescued. My older brother is my guardian ... was my guardian. He was diagnosed with kidney cancer though about a year before. He had died about three hours before we got to the hospital. None of my living relatives wanted to take me, so I ended up here."

The tall raven hair looked at his feet. "I am sorry for everything you went through, truly. I am also sorry for making you repeat the story."

James gave a sad smile. "I could deal with everything being thrown on me, including my first time being a rape, because my older brother gave me strength, the thought of seeing him again. He was my best friend, and after all that, I have to go to foster care and do not even get to say goodbye while he is still alive."

The raven hair looked behind him, seemingly having a silent conversation with the other three boys. They all nodded though, so obviously a decision was made. He laid a hand gently on James' shoulder. "James, something here is not what it seems."

James' brows furrowed. "Do you always talk in riddles?"

The raven-hair shook his head. "Listen, we are not exactly allowed to say the truth. What we are going to tell you is that you cannot trust our caretakers. They hurt all of us and they will hurt you and your friend. They may like you two more because you will be used to it, and hopefully, in their eyes, you will not fight it."

"I would be used to it?" Realization dawned in James' eyes. "Are you talking about rape?"

The raven hair was relieved that he figured it out for himself. "The main difference is that we are not taped. It is strictly for their pleasure."

"You cannot be serious. I finally get out of that filthy warehouse, and it is going to
happen all over again." All of the boys nodded. James still did not get it. "I just came in here with a policeman. Why did any of you not say anything?"

A dirty blond hair looked incredulous. "Why do you think? Do you really think they did not threaten us to keep our mouth shut when they heard you were being brought by an officer? Somehow, they would have gotten away, and we all would have been hurt, possibly killed. In this place, it is survival of the fittest."

James was breathing heavily, near ready to have a panic attack. Just then, Robert decided to make an appearance from their shared bedroom. The blond gave the nod in the direction, making James look. Quickly, but so it did not look suspicious, he grabbed Robert's hand and pulled him towards their home. He needed to tell Robert what he found out. Even if Robert was a cold hearted and hard to get along with, he wanted the older boy to be prepared for what was to happen. Maybe, Robert would be willing to work together and hopefully get out of the place before it all started.

Robert listened silently to what James said. On the outside, he did not show any emotion. On the inside though, he too was starting to go into panic attack mode. He might act like he did not care, but he was as happy as the next guy to not be forced to make pornographic videos anymore. James finished, and Robert took steadying breaths. He asked James, "How can we stop it?"

James shrugged. He knew they had an advantage because of his seer powers. He knew it was possible for him to reach out to Dr. Rendell, but he did know that it would be harder because the bond was not as strong. He also knew that Dr. Rendell and Officer Mickey would both be visiting them very soon to check up on them. He was debating whether he should tell Robert the thing that only he did not find out at the warehouse. He could tell the Robert wanted to get out of here too, and most likely would not give away their only advantage.

He had come to a decision, and just as he opened his mouth, the door open. The two quickly jumped away from each other, and Sinstra stuck her head inside. She gave that same cheesy smile. "Hello you two, your other caretakers have just arrived. Both of them our very anxious to meet the two of you."

James looked at Robert in panic. Robert's eyes were cold, but he grabbed James' hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before pulling him to the door. It was the first sign of gentleness that James ever saw from Robert and it definitely was shocking.

In the common room, they saw the men. Both of them were very hard on the eyes being a little overweight and looking like they needed showers. Sinstra pushed them towards the men, and they reluctantly went. "Mark and Tyler, these two boys are James and Robert. Robert may be of age as we have been told, but he needs to get an education, which is why he has been brought here. James of course is fifteen. Both of you know the story already."

Both men smiled and to anyone else, they would see harmless enough. Robert, for a long time, was prisoner and James was prisoner for about a week. Both of them saw the malicious glints in their eyes and knew what they had been told was true. They shook the hands, James doing whatever he could to not tremble. The boys were not supposed to give away the truth and James did not want them to get into trouble because of him.

Sinstra turned the boys around. "Why don't you two go have fun with the other kids?"

Trying to control himself, James almost ran to group of boys, while Robert had more control over himself and stridden over.

The boys welcomed them and James introduced Robert. The tall raven hair that spoke the first time patted James' shoulder. "I never told you my name last time, but it is Daniel."

The blond too introduced himself, "I am Zachery, but everyone here calls me Zach."

A chestnut hair whose hair went down to the butt introduced himself, "i am Kyle. It is nice to meet you, but unfortunately, it is in these circumstances.

It seemed Kyle had a twin, for a chestnut hair with the same eyes, but the length being just passed the ears introduced himself, 'I am Eric. Like my brother, it is nice to meet you. I wish it could have been in a different way. By the way, James, about earlier, I am sorry about the loss of your big brother and not just because this is where you ended up. Kyle is my best friend, and I could not imagine living without him."

James gave a soft smile. "I appreciate it. Besides except when I first found out, I have been too busy to really mourn for him. I just wish I could be with the two people I felt totally comfortable talking to about it."

Kyle nodded in understanding. "Death is always hard. One good thing about this place is that you will be so frightened of being here and your whole mind being here, that you will not have a chance to sink into depression. You mindset will be simply on survival."

James shook his head no. "I would rather be in a depression and I am not that normal. Being here will probably just make me think of my brother all the more. That is what happened at the awful warehouse. The harder things got, the more I thought of him. Even now that he is gone, he will probably still be the one to give me strength."

All of the boys nodded, but the only two to really get it was Kyle and Eric. That was the kind of thing that only people with actual brothers and sisters would understand and Daniel and Zach were both only children from when they had families.

Zach turned to Robert. "You don't talk much, do you?"

Robert shook his head. "I don't. There is one thing that I have to say though. The last time I was captive, I let it happen and did not fight it. This time though, it is going to be different. I want out of here. I do not want to go through this again."

Daniel looked lost. "It is not like we did not all try to think of ways to escape. What makes you think you will be any different and succeed?"

James again thought about the ability that Robert never discovered. "I might be able to save us." All the boys turned to him, but he was looking at Robert. "Do you know how the police discovered our whereabouts?" Robert shook his head 'no'. "I am a seer and I was able to send visions to my brother. Unfortunately, it took me awhile to get strong enough so I was raped before I was able to."

Robert looked flabbergasted. "Why was I not told about this?"

James looked at him as if he was nuts. "You were a tattletale. It was our only advantage and probably the only way to freedom. We were not about to take any chances that our captors would discover and never leave me alone to be able to strengthen. Do you remember my mediating? It was supposedly to calm panic attacks. I lied. I was working on strengthening my psyche powers." At that, he turned back to the rest of the boys. "It was easier to get to my brother because of our strong bond. Unfortunately, that is no longer relevant. My brother's doctor though is also a seer. He was the one to tell me about being a seer. I have a good relationship with him, and I might be able to reach him. I am not sure though. He did promise to check up on me regularly though. Unlike you, I am not afraid. I will tell the next person who comes, either Officer Mickey or Dr. Rendell, the truth. I will not be raped again."


Author Notes: 47,081
I am planning to finish the 50,000 tonight for nanowrimo, but you may not get an update for a week or so. I have a feeling that I am going to want to take a tiny break from writing after the psychotic month, but I promise that I will continue this story. I am just going to need some time to recurperate. I hope you all continue to read, and I am thinking next chapter will be about Robert, for I want to develop his character a bit.