Aiden

Hello all, sorry for the delay I was moving out and had to postpone the release of chapter three. As I had predicted earlier, my longer chapters (uncharacteristic of my normal writing) are much harder to crank out. But I think the slow release of pressure is important to this plot. Please bare with me in this, I will release chapter four as soon as I can. Thank you all for your rates and reviews, I love them all ^^ I would like to see more in the future. Enjoy!


It took Kail four hours to get his bearings of the house. Four more to peek in all the rooms at least once which in turn had his head spinning by the time he made it back to Daniel’s study. He had counted seven bedrooms three of which he decided were guest rooms, he was staying in one. The other four were grand and elegant rooms, some almost looked a little lived in even. There were four bathrooms, two in each wing, all in different arrangements but basically the same. Only one had a shower instead of a bath, it was the furthest away from his room. He found two studies, but the other looked closer to a library than a study. The only thing that set it off was a worn desk, probably the oldest piece of furniture in the house. He had spent a great deal of his time staring at that desk, its worn wood and unpolished surface. There wasn’t a speck of dust on it, which either meant someone did a good job cleaning or it was used often. The only light was a small lamp, equal in normalcy, the smell of old book bindings permeating through the open door and into the hall. He engraved that room to his memory, he liked everything about it. And maybe if he spent enough time staring at the old books he could learn how to read. He stretched out on the short leather couch in Daniel’s study and folded his hands behind his head. Daniel had been right, he hadn’t found a single locked door, no matter how hard he looked, every door was open.




Daniel was glad he hadn’t flipped on the light when he walked into his study. His eyes adjusted as he turned on his computer, the soft glow bringing the outline of the boy to life. He was curled on his couch, which was really meant for sitting rather than sleeping, and Daniel imagined he would have a few knots when he woke up. He found Sandra the moment the helicopter had dropped him off and she filled him in on Kail’s day. He had smiled the whole time she spoke as he marveled at the boy’s curiosity. He guessed it was normal, Kail was used to knowing his surroundings well, he was sure it had saved him more times than he could count and living in his house was no different. He wondered if he had found the garden too, and the narrow stone path to Sandra and David’s house. He watched the monitor flash and load, the desktop appearing to him and telling him to work. He wondered if the soft key strokes would wake him, perhaps if he hit the keys softly he wouldn’t disturb him. He hadn’t even touched the keyboard when a sleep filled voice reached him in the dark.

“You made it back.”

Daniel smiled and wondered if he had been awake all along. Had he fallen asleep on the couch waiting for him?

“I made it back. Isn’t that uncomfortable?”

He nodded towards the couch, his hands hovering over the keys.

“No, it’s alright. Where did you go today?”

Daniel paused, his gaze flicking to the monitor as he began his work. The words came to him quickly, despite the conversation. He usually had problems talking while he worked; he wondered why that night was any different.

“I had to go to the city for a while. It’s a part of the job, but it pays for everything I have here, that you will have.”

He typed, pausing for a moment as he waited for Kail to ask him another question. When he counted to ten in his head and the boy still hadn’t spoken he continued.

“May I ask you some things?”

The glow of the monitor hindered his vision a little, he was sure the boy’s eyes had adjusted by now.

“Yeah I guess, there’s really not a lot to know.”

Daniel marveled at the ideas coming to him, the words flying from his fingertips even as his mind was somewhere else.

“Where are your parents?”

Silence. Perhaps he should have opened with something a little lighter.

“I don’t really know, and I don’t really care. They were too wrapped up in themselves to take care of me so I decided to take care of myself. I think I was nine when I left.”

He heard him shift on the couch; he wasn’t comfortable about his parents. If Daniel was good at anything it was reading people as if they were books open and unhindered to him.

“How old are you?”

There was only a slight pause.

“Fifteen.”

It was almost unimaginable. A fifteen year old boy on the streets since he was nine and parents that hadn’t cared enough to look for him? He felt the heat rising in his chest but held it down with sheer will. He would do something about it later.

“How did you end up in that alley?”

He didn’t have to specify any further, Kail knew exactly what he was talking about. So Daniel had been the one to find him after all.

“I had walked into the wrong territory. I was a little out of it from a rough morning to begin with. That was just a nice ending to that.”

His finger ran absently over the cut along his hip. It was scabbed, but held a little dip from the depth of it. He would have a nice pale scar there for years to come. It didn’t hurt him anymore, not like he had expected it to.

“Why don’t you go to bed?”

He forced himself into a sitting position, for some reason the leather of the couch seemed so warm he was loath to leave it.

“I think I fell asleep too early, I’m not really tired now. I can stay here can’t I?”

Daniel smiled, sure that the light from the computer illuminated it for the boy. His fingers stopped on the keys as he quietly closed the document.

“Do you want to see something then?”

Kail nodded, trying hard to hide his own excitement. He was sure he had examined every inch of the house, but if he had missed something he was sure Daniel was about to show it to him. He nodded to him as he watched him turn off the monitor, taking away the only light source available. Kail sat still for a moment, his eyes straining in the darkness to adjust when he felt a hand take hold of his arm and help him up. He marveled at that hand, the sheer size of it as it wrapped around his arm firmly. Not only did it swallow his arm but it was so warm, bringing a deep blush to his cheeks again as his eyes slowly found the dark outline of Daniel as he led them to the door. Light spilled over them as he opened the door, the warm golden color bringing to life his blush and confirming the hand on his arm, just above the elbow. Daniel let it fall away, taking little notice of the blush on his cheeks as they moved down the hall.

“Sandra said you explored the house today. Did you go outside at all?”

He had been so stunned by the sheer size of the house going outside to explore as well never crossed his mind. Perhaps it would have after a few days of taking in the house. Daniel took Kail’s silence as a no.

“My favorite place is outside, the most beautiful part of the house. It’s older than I am, older than David; this house has been here for over a hundred years. I redesigned its inside but I left the outside alone. I wanted it to remain the same, always.”

Kail’s interest was peaked now, he wondered if it was a fountain, or maybe a large garden or a statue. Something was outside that Daniel had found stunning just the way it was. Something beaten and battered and worn, something like him. Daniel led them down the stairs and to the large front door. Kail imagined it would make an ungodly loud noise but as he pulled it open it was surprisingly silent. The whole house was quiet, always so blaringly silent. Especially now, with its dimmed lights and dark colors. Sandra and David had probably gone home to sleep long ago, and now it was only him and Daniel in the dreadfully large house. The porch light spilled across the polished floors as they passed through the threshold and into the night. The air wasn’t as clean as in the house. It felt closer, almost damp as he inhaled the night air. Crickets sang out to them in protest of their intrusion, insects buzzed around the small light, hitting the glass making soft tinkling sounds with their wings and bodies. The pale stone steps were shining golden with the light, the small stones of the drive being first bright and then slowly dimming the further from the porch they lie. The outer yard was dim and dark, he was only able to make out the dark forms of plants and shrubs along the circle drive. A great stone wall enclosed the estate, leafy vines covering its coarse surface in a shroud. A tall iron gate barred the house from the rest of the world, untouched by the vines. Daniel led the way down the steps and into the darkness. They moved like quiet shadows along the drive and around the side of the house. Kail watched Daniel carefully, unsure of his footing as they passed from white stones to grass. He was sure in the light of day the yard was too well manicured to walk on. Shrubs lined the house, tall bristling plants and shallow flower beds; he could smell the flowery fragrance rolling off of them, the earthy smell of plants.

“I think this spot becomes so beautiful at night, you would think the light of day would make it better but the night brings it out so clearly.”

It seemed strange to hear a human voice in this place, he felt oppressed by the nature around him, smothered with the sky and the ground and every rooted thing in between. He didn’t answer him as he listened to the squeal of a gate. Daniel unhitched it from its brace and let it swing open. There was a tall iron fence reaching around the garden, as if to hug all the plants together. Leaves and vines were smothering it, roses and ivy tangling in the metal until the two couldn’t be separated. As he walked in the sheer beauty of the place made his mouth hang open. The pale light from the moon shone down on each and every plant. A small tree with pale white flowers practically glowed with dew, a stone bench welcoming him to it. Various flowers he had never seen before swayed with a small night breeze that moved the air around them making it feel like there was a little more space between his skin and the moisture. A fountain flowed quietly in the center, a simple three level made of stone that allowed the water to spill from the top and find its own path down. Manicured shrubs could be seen as well, standing darkly amidst the beauty like mourning visitors. It was such a simple garden, but the feel of it stilled the heart and sped the mind. He could feel the age of it in his bones and couldn’t fathom the different people who had walked the same path he walked, who had seen the same beauty he was now seeing. He drank it in deeply as Daniel watched him, his glittering grey eyes seeing the layers he didn’t know he had.

“Daniel…this place...it hurts.”

He turned away from it; somewhere inside him he knew he didn’t deserve it, any of it. His back to the garden he had been drinking in until it hurt, he met Daniel’s gaze.

“I can stay here can’t I? Can I stay?”

He felt the tears welling up before he even knew he was crying. He felt silly, like a child as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and arm. Daniel moved towards him, his arms encasing him as his cheek rested against his chest.

“I said before you can stay, for as long as you like.”

Kail didn’t belong in that place, he didn’t belong in the house or at the dinner table or in the bed. He didn’t belong anywhere or to anyone. He didn’t belong in Daniel’s arms, his cheek pressed to the man’s chest, his hands on the small of his back. He forced his clenched fingers to loose Daniel’s shirt as his arms dropped away and Kail stepped back.

“That’s not what I meant.”

He felt small, insignificant and ridiculous under Daniel’s gaze. He just stared at him, with those eyes that tried to scream something at him all the time. His sharp and heavy gaze that made him feel transparent was weighing on his again.

“I don’t know if I should stay here. I mean, I can’t pay for anything, I can’t help Sandra or David, I can’t even read for gods sake. Do you really want me in your house? I don’t think its right.”

Daniel stood dreadfully quiet as Kail squirmed in the dark. His long hair fell into his face, shielding his gaze in shadow. The velvet on his voice as he spoke made the hair on the back of Kail’s neck stand on end and goose flesh to rise on his arms.

“That is for you to decide. You don’t have to provide, but you can learn to help Sandra and David if that is what you want. And you can even learn to read, but that is for you to decide for yourself. Nothing is keeping you from crawling back to the alley I found you in, if that is where you feel you belong.”

Kail’s eyes fell to the ground, feeling even more childish than before.

“I don’t belong anywhere. If I can’t provide I want to do something, and reading isn’t really all that important…I just…I don’t know.”

He watched a smile shine in the darkness, his lips pulling away in an amused smirk.

“I’ll teach you how to read, it’s an important skill. I suppose we can teach you other things too, history, math, science and the arts. As for providing, do you really think you need to help? Does it really look like I need someone else to help provide for this house and my help?”

Kail didn’t answer, he felt defeated and unsure, like his insides were tied in knots. Daniel let out a long strained sigh as he pulled his hand from his pocket.

“I’ve got something for you.”

Kail looked up at him. He had just finished telling him how he didn’t deserve to stay with him and he got him something? What a nut job. He watched his hand extend to him, palm down, the fingers clasping something shining in the darkness. Kail put his hands out as the fingers released the gift letting it fall to his hands. It was lighter than he had expected and smooth. He had to stare at it for a moment before he realized it was a cell phone. His fingers flipped it open clumsily, the small screen lighting up with a picture of an old acoustic guitar.

“What’s this for?”

Daniel smiled; glad to see he didn’t reject the idea completely. Because he had decided to stay, unlike so many others, he felt a small attachment to him.

“I have to work a lot. I don’t stay here sometimes and I travel. It’s so you can reach me, whenever you want for whatever reason, no matter where I am. I know how it feels to be the only one in this house; it’s not always a pleasant feeling.”

Kail stared at the small screen of the phone, the light casting an eerie glow against his skin. The wind blew through the soft blooms, their fragrance suffocating him.

“Why can’t I go with you? We’re friends now aren’t we? You’ve saved me and taken me in and we’re friends. Right?”

He had finally found the missing piece. The boy had decided to stay while so many others took a few favors and left. But he wasn’t a freeloader; he made that clear to him. So why did he stay? He was out of place and felt awkward with him but still he was staying. Daniel smiled at him; he knew what the boy needed now.

“We’re friends Kail, but it’s for your own good that you stay here. I’ll not subject you to my life; it’ll only cause you pain and trouble. I am here as much as I can be, it is my favorite house I own, but I can’t always be here. Do you see?”

Kail ground his teeth together in his head. He didn’t like being talked to like a child, he was sure Daniel had no idea what trouble was. He couldn’t even fathom real trouble, or real pain. His fists clenched at his sides, the phone in one hand shaking.

“My life is trouble and pain. Why can’t I go? Why do you save me and clean me up just to leave me here? You confuse me and make my stomach hurt and make my head hurt but still I follow you. I don’t want to stay here I want to go with you.”

His head was spinning and his stomach was churning and his palms hurt from his nails digging into them. The phone seemed heavier than before in his hand. He liked Daniel, something about him intrigued him but Daniel didn’t want him to get close. He pulled him off the streets and then keeps him at arms length. It wasn’t fair. If Daniel didn’t want him around he would go back to what he had before, back to nothing. Daniel sighed heavily, feeling defeated by the boy.

“I’m going to find you a tutor. When you can read me a book I’ll take you with me. Until then, you will stay here, out of harms way.”

The tears welled up again inside him, but before Daniel could see them fall he ran away. His legs felt like paper but still he forced himself away. Before his mind could catch up to his body he was panting heavily, staring at a door he had opened earlier that day. He pushed it open, his heart pounding in his ears as he took in the smell of old book bindings and his fingers brushed the worn wood of the desk. He collapsed in a large armchair, his pulse falling as his chest heaved to catch up. He looked at the phone in his hand then, the silver outside lying cool against his skin. He flipped it open again, the light spilling across his face in the dark room.

“I’ll read you a book.”

He whispered to himself as he curled up in the chair, finding a comfortable position as he passed into sleep, the phone resting firmly in his palm.




Daniel sighed, his hand pressed against the worn wood of his old office. He had stood in the garden for a long time after that, he should have went to bed hours ago but his mind wouldn’t allow him to. Kail…Kail…Kail, was it really a good idea to bring him with him? The music industry was a rough place and despite the boy’s past could he really survive the harsh words of critics and tabloids? He heard David trying to approach him quietly, the man was gifted in many things but being quiet wasn’t one of them.

“You can’t be considering this?”

His head hurt as his fingers traced the familiar grain of the door.

“I already promised him David. It won’t be soon, but eventually, I will have to keep my word.”

A long sigh escaped David as he leaned against the wall; Daniel shot him a look to stay quiet, hinting that the boy was near.

“They’ll tear him apart Daniel, it’ll bring attention but not the kind Charlie is looking for. The band has fallen this year; I don’t think it’s wise or responsible to bring him into the lime light.”

Daniel rested his own back lightly against the door, his fingers rising up to his pocket in search for an old habit. David raised his eyebrows at him as he dropped his empty hand.

“I haven’t seen you do that for a long time. This is really weighing on you isn’t it?”

Daniel put his hand to his eyes, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose as he shut his eyes painfully.

“He’s staying, and I’m getting him a tutor. The boy can’t read David, can’t even read. He needs someone because no one else will rise to the occasion. He’s drawn me in and I can’t find the will to escape him. And you know what else?”

David watched him as a small smile pulled at his lips, his hand running through his hair somewhat frustrated.

“I’m writing again, what’s it been? A month, two months since I’ve been able to write? I can’t abandon him now David and he won’t allow me to.”


David sighed heavily, his hands pushing him away from the wall heavily.

“Please Daniel, talk to Charlie before you bring him into your world. If Charlie thinks it’s a good idea then I won’t question it further.”

Daniel let his hand fall away, his back feeling glued to the door. He didn't want to leave when Kail was like this, but the car would be there soon.

"Take care of him David, I'll be back as soon as I can."

David opened his mouth to speak but Daniel had already shoved away. He walked briskly, his coat billowing out behind him as his hair flowed in long tendrils down his back. He didn't want to do this, he didn't want to leave, but he had to. Kail would see, he would learn, this was for his own good




Thank you all for reading, please rate and review! Chapter four will be released as soon as I write it >.< But it will be released ^^. Bare with me in this, since I am still in the process of unpacking my things. Hope you all have a safe week, xoxox until later. Toodles!