Product of the Broken

Ch. 7


Kimber wasn't the only one who felt sick to his stomach. Cambria had sat on Nicolae's bed staring at his clothing that littered the floor for two hours. What have I done? She kept asking herself. There were so many things wrong with what she'd said and done to him she didn't even know where to begin on how to fix things. The look on his face as he'd picked himself off the floor was enough alone to tell her how he felt. He hadn't taken anything she'd bought him. As if he'd done this so many times before that he'd had it down to the dot of perfection on carrying out his exits with utmost grace that only someone as emotionally broken as Nicolae could accomplish without saying a single word.
What had made her stomach feel as if it'd been turned inside out was when Mitchell approached her in the kitchen as she mixed herself a drink. He smiled the way he normally did when he was up to something positively wicked, that mainly only humored him. Studying her quietly to himself he stood beside her as she slowed in her movements to reach for a spoon to stir her drink with. Tilting his chin up a little Mitchell's sneer grew. "Cambria sweetheart, what's wrong?" She turned to face him and rested one hip against the kitchen counter. "Mitch we both know very well you could care less how I'm doing." His eyes narrowed in a smug sort of way. "Oh come on Cam, anyone having to stare at you for a long amount of time would get the vague impression that something was troubling you"¦so why don't you tell me what's wrong. I am your husband after all, you know you can always talk to me." Cambria snorted at his words. "Oh Please Mitch I didn't marry you for your communication skills, and nothings bothering me." It was Mitchell's turn now to snort at the idiocy of her words. "No you didn't marry me for my communication skills Cam, but I can just about guarantee you married me for my money not to mention you were knocked up and desperate for someone to save your sorry ass from a half way house. If I were you sweetie I'd talk a little nicer to me, you may be my wife but that doesn't make you God." Turning her face away from him Cambria stared out the window that was above the sink. "No Mitch that would be you." She said in a tone that reeked of sarcasm. She flinched at the sound of his laughter it always made her uneasy. "Damn straight I'm God in this household, really Cam your such an open book the only reason your so bent out of shape is because your precious little whore ran away." Mitchell scanned his wife's face, instantly catching that he'd hit a nerve.
Cambria instantly tried to erase any outward sign that she cared about anything he had to say, but of course it was to late nothing really went past Mitchell unnoticed. "He didn't run away." Oh no. She thought as she saw his sneer grow into something else, triumph over her emotions. "Oh he didn't run away huh, but he's still a whore or did I not hear you when you justified he wasn't, I did some background checking on the sarcastic brat Cam, unlike you I like to know who's living in my house. Turns out quite a few people in the city know who he is or at least they used to. He's been homeless for several years now from what I gathered he just sleeps around in order to get places to stay, however some of the people I talked to said he was a very intelligent young man and that he was severely abused by his father." Cambria's eyes widened, remembering how she'd told Nicolae he was full of dirt. Mitchell stepped forward until he had his hips against her lower stomach pinning her over against the counter. "You didn't sleep with him Cam did you? He didn't charm his way into getting you in bed, because if he did Cam and even if he didn't." Mitchell said pausing his sentence to lean in his lips pressed gently against her ear "I'm going to tear him apart. I've been looking for him for a very, very long time and it never occurred to me to have my wife bring him here. Pretend to care for him and give him a nice place to live in a paycheck every week, you did a real nice job of taking him under your wing Cambria you really did sweetie I'm proud of you, because now I know he never even left the city to begin with." Cambria was totally confused as well as wanting to scream at the feeling of his hands against her arms.
"Leave him alone!" She hissed finally shoving her palms against his chest only to hear him laugh at her futile attempts. "Why sweetie? I thought you didn't care about him, you sure came off that way when you came home last night." Cambria thought she was going to break the glass in her hand; she had nothing more to say to her husband and was in no mood to handle any more of his hostile personality. Mitchell seemed to sense that their little playtime was over and he pulled away. "By the way Cam, I'm having a small get together with some friends this morning in fact I think Nicolae will be there, I'll tell him you said hello." Mitchell said as he backed away a few more steps, turning on a heel and exiting the kitchen.
Kimber tore through the house cursing as he went, almost shaking Nicolae awake. "Nicky"¦baby wake up, we have a huge problem." Kimbers voice was excruciatingly tight with worry, and Kimber was hardly ever worried. Nicolae raised his head "Don't call me that"¦wait what problem, its like 9:00am it's too early for problems." Kimber turned and began rooting through his closet finding something for them both to wear. "In our case baby it's never to early for problems to rain on our parade. Your worst enemy called this morning and more or less demanded I go to breakfast with me, he sent a freaking car over here it should be here soon. I tried to tell the egotistical weirdo that I couldn't but he wouldn't take no for an answer, and Nicolae he knows you're here, he told me to bring you with me." Nicolae's eye's widened in slight horror. "How"¦how would he know I'm here I never even told Cambria about you, she wouldn't tell him crap about anything I've ever told her anyway." Kimber raised his brow "How can you be so sure she might have had someone follow you, you can't trust her Nicolae her husbands an evil corporate brat who thinks he's more powerful then God. I'm non-religious so 'hello' that scares the bloody hell out of me when people think they can control life and death." Pulling on clean cloths Kimber lingered to apply a clear coat of lip-gloss. " Just get dressed okay? We'll figure out what were going to do when we get in the car." Nicolae did as he was told but was less then happy with the words coming out of Kimbers mouth. "We're actually going to go to breakfast with Mitchell? The guy who hates my guts and have some weird freaking obsession with you and yet claims he's completely straight, you cannot be serious Kimber!" Nicolae said raising his voice to a comfortably upset level of softly woven hysteria. Kimber didn't reply this time he couldn't bring himself to tell Nicolae the rest of Mitchell's message if his suspicions on who his assistant was, were correct.
Alice sat across from Mitchell at the large table that was placed near a large bay window in the country clubs restaurant. He felt as if the fabric of his suit was suffocating his pores. He disliked with a fiery passion having to sit with Mitchell for any long extended period of time. The man unnerved him so much he felt as if maggots were crawling behind his eyes, Mitchell however looked cool as could be almost secretly pleased over something that was only to his knowledge. Alice wanted to crawl under the table and die when he saw Kimber walking towards there table, worse yet with Nicolae not three steps behind him. He watched Nicolae just barely falter in his movements as his eye's rested upon his own. Surely he would never forgive him for having tied his soul to such a corrupt and foul man who sat inches away from him grinning like a Cheshire cat. But forgiveness was honestly the farthest thing from his mind as he watched Kimber seat himself beside Mitchell and allowed Nicolae to seat himself. Both of the younger men seemed utterly calm on the outside Nicolae looked cold as stone on the outside his expression unreadable to Alice as he openly studied him.
Mitchell's expression changed only slightly as he seemed to force himself to smile. "Nicolae I'm so glad I found you, you gave my wife quite a scare last night throwing a tantrum like that and storming off, she asked me to bring you back whatever ill will that was between the two of you is over she expects you home for dinner." He said as he laid a napkin over his lap and proceeded to scan the menu for anything that he liked. He acted as if he'd jus ask Nicolae to pass him the salt. Kimber felt his blood begin to boil; he noticed Alice was about as pleased with these words as he. Shutting the menu Mitchell placed it at the edge of the able that fake smile plastered across his features. "Oh how rude of me Nicolae this is Alice my personal assistant I take with me over sea's for the company I have there." Mitchell said watching the play of emotions flash across Alice's face. Nicolae licked his lips batting his eyelashes in slow blinking motions, reaching out he began to play with the spoon next to his glass of water and then appeared to stare off into space expertly ignoring Mitchell even though he had heard him speaking. Kimber leaned in against Mitchell's shoulder whispering into his ear "Sweetness can I have your vial please? I really need a fix...please I'll pay you later." Mitchell rolled his eye's now his façade over with. "Kimber I have told you a thousand times. Do not call me that absurd nick name it's dreadful." He said as he handed Kimber a thin vial no longer then his middle finger of white powder. Kimber slipped into the long sleeve of his shirt leaning back up in his seat and politely excusing himself to go to the men's room.

Kimber peeked under the four stalls in the men's room insuring no one was inside the bathroom with him and stepped into the handicapped stall and locked the door with a clean flick of his wrist. He wasn't a drug addict, in fact he despised them more then he did women in general which was something hard to surpass in hatred. Of course Mitchell knew nothing of his background as far as he knew and he'd never trusted the man to begin with specially after learning what he did in his free time when he wasn't destroying peoples lives financially. Dumping the pure cocaine into the toilet he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small travel size bottle of Tylenol pouring out about twenty into his palm he carefully placed them onto the toilet paper dispensers lid which was thankfully flat. Cracking each capsule apart and pouring the powder onto the flat surface he then ground it down into a finer powder until it was perfect and cautiously scooped it with his long nails into the vial. Mitchell may be rich, and he may be a totally royal asshole. But he didn't know jack about the difference in appearances with pure cocaine and crushed painkillers. Kimber put the closed vial back into his sleeve and exited the bathroom. Returning to the table he knew he'd only been gone about five minutes at best. No one seemed to have noticed or cared he'd been gone in the first place. Alice reached across the table and tried to take Nicolae's hand in his own but Nicolae only pulled his hand away and placed it off of the table.

The sunlight coming through the window near the tale was blinding as it reflected against the silverware on the table. Nicolae squinted uncomfortably against the glare, he just wanted to get away and be alone. At the same time he wanted to crawl into Alice's lap and pretend the world no longer existed. He also wished Kimber would just reach over and stab Mitchell in the face with a salad fork. He could feel Alice's inner discomfort radiating from his body as if he were a Barbie doll rigged with explosives ready to blow the place to pieces in a fragile temper tantrum of chic disgrace. Nicolae stood up and unwilling brought the whole rooms attention to himself as he numbingly reached over tipping the table clean over with a sweet little shove. The exerted effort put forth in to doing this task seemed to drain him and he felt empty as a snowy television set soon to be doomed to the junkyard. Probably a good seven hundred dollars worth of fine china and dignity was shattered in a million pieces on the floor, the tablecloth flopped pathetically off to the side. Spilled soup oozing down it's contours and staining everything in it's path with red wine, thin as skin glasses crumbled in dangerous glittering pieces around it's own blood. It was such a sad sight Nicolae almost regretted doing it. This would certainly make the lunch bill skyrocket. Mitchell had risen half way through the tables crashing descent he stared stupidly food sloshed across the front and dribbled down his chest like lazy raindrops on a window. His gaze rose to Alice's who stared back in an eerily comfortable fashion. "You'd best teach that boy some manners Alice, he humiliates me one more time I'll kill his sorry ass myself." Alice only sighed, rolling his eyes smoothly and turning his head only part of the way to gaze outside the window. " Well that'd certainly be a new concept for you now wouldn't it Mitchell"¦doing something on your own." Wiping at his suit with a cloth napkin he picked up off the floor Mitchell glared daggers at him " You'd think after years of me punishing you, you'd learn to silence that absurdly sarcastic tongue of yours."
Waiters were bustling around them now like frightened bee's trying to save the dying pieces of the queen. They're everyday routine has been disrupted and now everyone's in a panic. Trying to clean up the remaining fragments of the restaurants self-respect by scurrying around trying to salvage what was left after Nicolae's unexpected tantrum. He stood still now motionless and staring at the floor perhaps trying to unravel it's design fiber by fiber inside his mind in order to pass his time until he received his time out he seemed oddly bored now as if pitching a random fit didn't suffice in scratching away the empty space inside his stomach that was his itching boredom. He hadn't noticed Kimber standing so close to him he'd rather forgotten about his best friend, Kimber was speaking into his ear but he just couldn't concentrate on the words and he wished Kimber would speak slower or just shut the hell up one of the two. He felt artificial and wondered why none of the waiters were screaming at him.
Kimber's hand snaked up the back of his shirt and viciously pinched a piece of tender flesh around the bottom of the rib cage along his side, causing Nicolae to hiss through clenched teeth sending Kimber a hateful glare. "Good I have your attention"¦Nicky baby really if you were going to throw a pitching a fit you should have warned me"¦I loved this shirt now it has salad dressing all down it." Kimber tried to sound as mean he would normally feel about something like this but he was too worried about what they were going to do to get away from Mitchell. This problem was easily solved within a few seconds as he heard Alice's voice rise into something he could only call exasperation. " Don't you remember Mitch I never learn anything?" Nicolae shoulders sagged as he listened to Alice and Mitchell argue his level of annoyance with this situation rose even more as he watched a waiter bring their check and four mints on a tray. Kimber snatched the tray of mints before the waiter could express his opinion on the matter and chucked the check booklet across the fallen table and let it settled at the top of a nice puddle of red wine. Tearing the packaging of the mint with his teeth he offered one to Nicolae who only shook his head "Doesn't anyone but Mitchell freaking care that I just ruined this table setting? I mean no one's even yelling at me." He said throwing his arms up in a display of disgusted frustration. Kimber shrugged his shoulders sucking on the mint and cracking it in between his teeth. "I don' know baby I think these rich folk are real nut jobs, I shouldn't even be eating this stupid mint it's just going to go straight to my hips." Nicolae groaned not even wanting to get into it with him.
Chewing on the inside of his mouth Nicolae paused "Come on I hate this place it seriously sucks, I want to go back to your condo and watch movies." Kimber didn't object and took Nicolae's hand into his own they headed for the entranceway. It was about two minutes later of frenzied arguing before Alice noticed the two were gone. Crap. Mitchell noticed this as well and threw the cloth napkin down into the mess on the floor. Alice shifted his weight and rubbed his lips with his fingers ""¦So does this mean I'm fired?" Alice couldn't help himself as he watched Mitchell kick a cracked plate across the floor in a rage; giggling almost as he thought of how easy it seemed for Nicolae to just rip Mitchell's self-control apart. He knew he had to find Nicolae and Kimber tonight or tomorrow sometime soon before Mitchell did. But somehow he wasn't terribly worried about Mitchell going out to look for Nicolae right now. The spoiled man was far to furious too even see straight.
The movie was half way over and Nicolae hadn't even once looked at the television, sitting in Kimber's lap he rested his head against the other boys shoulder. Kimber stared at the television screen but wasn't really focused on what was going on in the movie. "So"¦ are you going to go back to her?" He said while never taking his eyes off the screen. "Go back to who?" Nicolae asked in a whisper his eyes closed. "To Cambria, Mitchell said you had to go back to her that she asked for him to bring you back to the house, I don't really buy it but I could be wrong Nicolae"¦she could have realized what a bitch she was being and wanted you back." Nicolae opened his eye's looking at nothing in particular "Yea sure Kim, and you can swim across the Pacific Ocean." Kimber attempted to bite his shoulder but only got a mouthful of fabric "You never know Nicky you never know either way you can play tricks on Mitchell and maybe spend time with Alice, he stays in the house when he's not over sea's you know." He didn't make a sound with Nicolae answered "I don't want to see Alice yet"¦I've seen him three times already and none of those visits have been overly pleasurable."

Immediately Kimber could tell they weren't headed for his condo. They were actually walking in the completely opposite direction, and he wondered where they were really going or at least where Nicolae was going. He was walking at a break neck pace and it was becoming too much for even him he found himself struggling to stop Nicolae. "Nicky damn it would you slow down before you." Kimber stopped in mid sentence as he watched Nicolae do just what he didn't want him to do. Tripping on a raised crack of the sidewalk Nicolae landed on one knee half sitting on the ground. Pulling him up without much assistance from Nicolae himself Kimber began dusting him off. "Baby you have got to slow down." Nicolae only turned his face away as if embarrassed by his clumsiness, but Kimber knew better. "You're going to go back to her just because that rich prick told you too aren't you that's why you're walking like a real loon?" Chewing on the side of his lower lip Nicolae paused to say. "If I don't he'll hurt Alice." Kimber scoffed at this growling almost at his response. "As if he wont hurt you? Look sweetie I know it's just a knife in the belly for you to have to see Alice be Mitchell's little puppet on strings to pay off whatever life long debts he owes him but that's his problem not yours Alice is a big boy I'm sure he knows he's in a world of hurt cause of those rich snobs."
Nicolae rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. " Kim there's a lot more to this big mess and I'm just starting to piece stuff together"¦and I'm kind of the reason he's in so deep." Kimber threw up his hands in a show of false astonish, turning around in a slow circle he wiped his mouth with his fingers, silently telling him to go on with a wave of his hand keeping his opinion to himself for the time being. Nicolae watched him his expression unwavering. "I didn't know until recently that he's the guy who's been looking for me since Alice kicked me out and disappeared from Downtown. You remember how all those brunette teens got cut up and shoved into dumpsters around like two year ago during Christmas time?" Kimber have a confused no trying to filter all this information in his brain. "I went into Downtown a little after, people on the street said some loaded guys were asking around for anyone who resembled me, they didn't have a name on me since I always lied about my name there to anyone on the street save for Alice of course. So when no one would give my name up or where I was they started gutted every brunette on the block." Scratching his head Kimber asked "What exactly did you do Nicolae? I mean whatever it was had to be pretty nasty for them to start gutting street trash." Nicolae shoved his hands inside his pants pockets as they began to walk again more slowly this time. "Mitchell had a younger brother name Julian who owned a modeling business for fashion companies and all that junk he would be about like twenty seven now, he was really no different then Mitchell as far as kindness went. He was always a little obsessed with me to say the last, I modeled for him once and made him a huge ton of money I did a shoot for some French couture collection apparently people were trying to find out who I was so they could get me on a contract and become a freaking super model or some dumb shit I didn't want to do. So he was a little angry when I walked away and didn't come back, avoided him for months and I was with Alice anyway I didn't need the money. I hated lying to Alice about where I was then anyway, but that was really beside the point." Kimber listened carefully as they stopped inside an alley to speak more privately it wasn't close to rush hour so the streets were fairly empty. One night Nicolae had been walking home alone from the fights ahead of Alice since he had to stay and collect money, he'd been told not to hang around and to just go home and wait for him. Everyone in Downtown knew better then to mess with Nicolae since word reached out he'd been living with Alice. So Nicolae knew better when he heard a car pull up slow along side the sidewalk going about the speed he was walking to keep him in it's line of vision. Finally it stopped and a man probably in his early twenties stepped out dressed to kill in designer threads like a corporate prince. Nicolae took one look and started to walk a little faster he wanted nothing to do with Julian and couldn't begin to care as to how he found him. Julian had to jog slightly to catch up with Nicolae and he gave a soft laugh as he fell into step beside him "You're a hard man to find Danny, you never left a home number with my secretary and now I can see why it's okay to be ashamed of where you live Danny I don't mind it's you I'm interested in not your home location" Nicolae stopped now and stood still before he began to fidget "Julian I told you after the shoot I couldn't work for you again modeling isn't for me." Julian rolled his eye's in a seemingly playful manner "Nonsense Danny you're a natural born beauty and you belong in front of a camera there's a lot of money involved in this business you could get out of this hellish slum and into a nice apartment uptown, a car even that'd be lovely wouldn't it? Much better then"¦wherever it is you live." He said openly showing his distaste for the area as he examined the ground around where they stood.
Nicolae bit the tip of his tongue "Julian please I have to go home it's late I can't do it for you I'm sorry okay"¦it's just not for me I don't want to do it." He said pulling away Julian's hand slipping down his forearm as he did so. "Danny I'm going to excuse the fact your young and may be used to getting your way but I need you, people are depending on me to get this new fabulous model back in the studio they wont work with anyone else I bring in Danny so the pressure is all on me and I won't take no for an answer so don't make this hard on yourself"¦what do you say?" Nicolae knew there wasn't anyone else on the street but the two of them and the cars driver. He wished now he'd ignored Alice and stayed at the fights to wait for him to finish. ""¦No Julian my answer is no."


There was no caring hesitation in Julian's voice, he was brutally honest and to the point with his opinion of Nicolae's response to his offer. "You stupid whore." Julian said slapping him sharply across the face nearly knocking the younger boy over. Stumbling slightly Nicolae held his face in one hand staring at Julian through his bangs. Julian studied the boy's expression and noted he wasn't looking at him but at something just behind him. Nicolae didn't know whom he should be more afraid of. Julian, or Alice who stood with his coat over one arm watching the two of them. How long he'd been there was unknown to him and he didn't even want to begin to think of how much he'd heard Julian say and he say to him. Luckily however Alice hadn't heard anymore then Julian's charming insult. Julian had no idea who was standing on the sidewalk across the street, "You're a gorgeous young man Danny you shouldn't waste yourself in these atrocious slums"¦ so I'm going to give you one more chance here's my card again I want you to stop by tomorrow in the morning at the office and Sheryl my secretary will take care of you, remember Danny I'm not a man you want to disappoint to many times." Nicolae numbly took the card offered to him and felt as if someone were stabbing him in the throat and he'd swallowed his own tongue waiting for the brief moments of suffocation to take over and end his wretched misery, as he felt Alice's dark eye's watching his every frail move. Julian smiled now touching Nicolae's cheek with the back of his fingers he only smiled more when the younger man flinched at his touch but forced himself not to move another muscle. Turning around he made his way towards his waiting car and opened the door sliding into the leather seat in the back. The car pulled away, leaving Nicolae to wallow in his agony. Alice was walking across the street now the closer he got the further Nicolae moved away until his back hit the brick wall of a building and he no longer had anywhere to go. He'd never seen Alice look like he did now like he wanted to kill something tear it apart and make it so it could never be put back together into any semblance of normality. When Nicolae watched Alice raise his hand towards him he let out a fearful shriek and instantly curled up as if someone burned his face. Alice ran his fingers through his hair and struggled to contain his anger that wasn't entirely directed towards Julian. It pained a part of him to see Nicolae was scared of him, scared he'd knock the snot out of him. But he wanted to know what the hell Julian was doing in Downtown talking to Nicolae like he was his employee. Nicolae took a moment to risk a look towards Alice who only stared down at him with the same royally ticked off expression. " Get up right now." He said to Nicolae who struggled to stand up knowing full well he wasn't going to receive any help from Alice. "Alice"¦I'm sorry I don't know who that guy was he just start following me." Smack, right across the face. Only this time it stung a thousand times worse then anything Julian had ever done to him. "Stop lying to me." Nicolae wanted to cry so badly he didn't know what to say or if he could even manage to get the words out of his mouth he was so choked up. His mouth opened a couple times and nothing but whimpers came out Alice was fed up with this already and didn't know whether he wanted to tell him to just go home or kick the shit out of him for lying for god knows how long. However hadn't he lied to Nicolae as well?
He tried to tell himself he couldn't be angry with Nicolae for lying because he'd been doing the same to him. But he'd been doing it to protect him from the people who he owed his short boxing career to. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't regret that choice. However there was a drastic difference in how he had lied and how Nicolae was lying to his face right now. He was doing it to protect what he thought he loved, and Nicolae was seemingly lying to save his own ass from a beating. This is how it looked to Alice and it may have just appeared that way because of how angry he was at the fact Julian was near what he thought of as his. Either way he had a problem on his hands and he had no idea how to fix it. He was sure the driver in the car had recognized him so this wouldn't take long before Mitchell found out, before he knew about Nicolae and did something terrifyingly unimaginable to him. It took him an hour to drag Nicolae to the apartment, the boy drug his heels in out of his mind with fear that Alice was going to do something awful. Alice had always hated how he had a decent idea of what the outcome of certain events would be, because he normally didn't see them himself. He wore his emotions on his sleeve and it was often his downfall as it tended to blind his judgment. He was just as scared as Nicolae only raw anger mixed into it and it caused him to do something if he'd known about before hand never would have come to pass.
Nicolae stood and watched in sheer horror as Alice went through their bedroom and picked up his clothing stuffing them into a black plastic bag. He ignored Nicolae as the boy followed him around the room totally hysterical nearly screaming when Alice only continued to collect his things. Alice suddenly stopped in place and Nicolae who wasn't paying attention to the fact bumped into him and stumbled over the corner of the bed landing on his ass. Alice turned on a heel "I want you out of this apartment right now and I don't ever want to see your face around here again do you hear me? Answer me god damnit don't just sit on your ass and stare at me like a dog Nicolae, if that's even your name or is it Danny who knows what it is I don't know what to believe anymore and as far as I'm concerned I don't want to believe." Alice threw the black garbage bag at Nicolae who only burst into tears and scrambled to his feet half falling over once again. "No, no Alice please don't do this you don't understand I didn't do anything bad I swear"¦" Alice's eyes narrowed as watched him "Shut up! I already told you I don't care you obviously enjoy working for Julian and you also seem to just love spewing lies to me." Nicolae's face was now a mixture of confusion and agonizing pain of what was playing out. ""¦What, you know Julian?" Alice only waved his hands at him "Get out"¦" Nicolae took a step towards him holding the bag "Alice please don't make me go. I only modeled cloths for his company okay? It was only cloths I swear it wasn't anything else, please Alice"¦I love you." The second the words were out of his mouth Nicolae started to move backwards towards the door. Alice was coming at him with totally disgusted disbelief written all over his face. "You love me? That's bullshit and we both know it." Nicolae hiccupped and tried to stay on his feet "But you said you loved me Alice"¦you did you said you loved me you can't kick me out if you love me." With trembling lips and shaking knee's he listened to the words that cut him to core and killed a small part of him not even his father had been able to reach. Alice got close enough to hug him to kiss him even but it was nothing so sweet. " Then I don't love you, are you listening to me? I don't love you, now get the hell out."
Nicolae had sat on the porch of the apartment stairs for an hour before he finally could stand long enough to force himself to walk the grueling distance towards the upper side of town. He never once looked back and he didn't bother taking his meager amount of possessions with him. He had to admit to himself this felt harder then when he left his empty house to roam the Downtown, because then he hadn't had anything to lose and no one who he wanted to be around. He'd believed his father had been right, at that moment in time. No one would ever love him, because he wasn't worth wasting love on. Nicolae had found himself standing in the subway station. People around him boarding onto the subway as it stalled for it's passengers to board it's interior. A woman beside him probably in her thirties stopped in place and asked him kindly if he was going to get on. When he only stared at her dazedly she looked at him sadly and handed him a five-dollar bill and asked him if he needed help getting where he needed to go. This time however he responded very softly as if he'd just found his voice "I have no where to go." The woman who he'd later learn was named Helena took his arm gently in her hand and guided him as if he were a blind child onto the train car. "Your freezing and you look like you haven't eaten in forever, come home with me I know this seems silly and rather foolish to bring home a stranger and I shouldn't but I just can't leave you here you'll get into trouble, a thin boy like you." Nicolae could only stare at her as she had him sit on a bench "Thank you." He said quietly. Helena only smiled patting his arm gently and ignoring the strange looks from other passengers at how odd the two of them looked.
When Nicolae stepped into Helena small house he knew right away he didn't fit in here. At least that's the way he felt, Helena on the other hand after learning his age and name and what he liked to eat on the train thought he belong here as if he were her family. She wouldn't take no for an answer either as far as if he was hungry or not. He found he liked Helena a lot she was very sweet but spoke her mind when it suited her. Nicolae was more exhausted then he cared to realize as the night wore on and he lay on the futon bed Helena had brought out. She was unusually kind and he wasn't used to it at all but he found it comforting nonetheless. She'd given him a shirt that was miles to long for her but fit him fairly snuggly and was a tad short she'd giggled at his appearance his borrowed sweat pants only reaching his ankles. But it was better then nothing for the time being. Helena sat watching the television as Nicolae got out of bed and came into the living room "Helena, um I just want to thank you for being so nice to me and I just wanted to know if I was allowed to come back for a little while tomorrow." Helena nodded smiling in the semi darkness of the room "Don't worry Nicolae I'm not going to throw you out I know most people wouldn't have even bothered to notice you but I can tell a good person when I see them." Nicolae gave a shy smile almost having forgotten he knew how too. " Cool, uh Helena I have a job tomorrow like just something I have to get out of the way for some people to leave me alone you understand right?" She raised a brow staring at him "It's nothing dangerous I hope" He shook his head "No, just modeling some cloths and taking pictures it's safe I just have to do this so some people will stop bugging me it's alright really." Helena's worried gaze didn't waver off of Nicolae and he knew she didn't agree with this but she gave him no complaints and told him to sleep well and she'd have him up in the morning so he'd be on time.


The moment the sun touched his face through the pores of the cheesecloth like curtain that had been drawn across the window the night before, Nicolae knew he couldn't stay here; he'd been awake for an hour now contemplating this. As kind and trusting as Helena was he just couldn't bring himself to even think for fraction of a second that he was welcome here. He also knew that if he did stay here Julian would find him eventually and he'd do something dreadful to Helena. He didn't know much about her but he knew enough to know deep down he didn't want innocents harmed just because he had a few problems.
Rubbing his eyes to rid himself of the bits of sleep still clinging to him he winced sharply as his hand grazed his cheek. He knew he probably had bruises and Julian was going to throw a fit because of it. What bothered him far more then Julian getting angry over the bruises was that Alice was the one to put them there. Stretching his arms up he ignored the fact his whole body pretty much felt like crap, he knew Helena wasn't awake yet but he could smell her automatic coffee machine working and he wasn't in the mood to rot his stomach any more then he had before so he skipped the coffee and went straight to the fridge where'd he'd been told there was fresh fruit and milk things like that. He'd never had breakfast, as a kid so the thought of having more then a glass of milk seemed to sicken him. The clock read something close to seven A.M; he knew he'd never forgive himself for not leaving Helena a note. She'd been so nice to him after hadn't acted like he was diseased. Biting his lip in thought he tried his best to write her a nice note and explaining as to why he couldn't come back but in the end he didn't know what to say to her, so he simply wrote "Thank you." He frowned slightly at the sight of his chicken scratch handwriting it would have to suffice.
The way the females in the building of the modeling agency made Nicolae so unbearably uncomfortable. They cooed and pawed over him for a good hour before he was sent off to make up. The make up artist was hardly willing to coo over him once he saw the awful purplish bruise that spread from his cheek to just under his right eye, which was thankfully not swelling. An hour and a half brought him to the studio room where cameras and lights were fixed up a set ready to go. Apparently he was supposed to be modeling something from New York, he'd never even seen pictures of New York save for what they show on T.V sometimes but he couldn't imagine what it was like to even be there, if someone asked him what the Empire State Building looked like he couldn't even begin to fake that he knew what it looked like. At the agency he just did as he was told posed and looked how they wanted him to look. It wasn't hard at all, they place you in a pose make up the frame for it get the lighting correct, and snap they take your photo a few hundred times. He'd never seen himself in the developed photo's, never really had the interest to see himself on the glossy paper wearing clothing he'd never even heard of by designers who's names he couldn't even pronounce. At the end of the day he was so tired he only wanted to curl onto the couch in the back room of the studio and sleep for the rest of his life. But sleep wasn't an option, it seemed they wanted him to sign a few papers and he dreaded this idea instantly mainly because of one thing. He couldn't read well. He could get by just fine with most things but when it came to paperwork he was basically awful. So standing there at the front desk as the clerk handed him a set of papers he stared at them dumbly and tapped the pen against his chin trying to pretend he was reading the fine print and trying to decide on something.
The clerk glanced up to see if he was done signing the papers that would give them permission to sell his photo's to the designers to use in there catalogs for fashion week. She scanned how much he'd done and found none of it was even signed yet. "Um Sweetie are you okay? You understand what the documents asking don't you?" Nicolae looked up at her as if she'd asked him to chop his own nose off. "No"¦um I don't." He said setting the down the pen. "Oh okay. It's saying that if you sign your name here on this line and again on this line then we have the right to sell your pictures to the fashion magazines." Nicolae listened closing and hoped she wasn't lying. "Really now okay thank you." He said quietly and she watched him slowly write out his name on the two lines. He wondered how red his face was at the embarrassment he felt at the fact the papers had been so simple and he'd been so challenged by them. He said goodbye to the clerk she paused before setting down the phone she'd answered while he was signing "Wait Danny you need to go see Julian he wanted to speak to you before you left the building he should be in Studio 4. It's right down the hall the door with the blue stripes." He nodded and with faintly shaking legs he made his way down the hall and timidly knocked on the door.
No one answered. Listening closely all he heard was some kind of German music playing in the background like pop music, which seemed totally out of place when you thought about Julian. Opening the door on his own he found the room was empty or so it seemed that way, it was large and seemed to have been two rooms but they knocked the wall out partly so it was like one giant room but you couldn't see half of it in the back. There was a large black couch against the right wall and camera's everywhere but no set up done. Large windows against the farthest wall, he guessed in the side of the room he couldn't see from the doorway was something like a lounge area. Going over to the black couch he sat down and decided he could wait for Julian. But when a several fifteen minutes passed Nicolae sighed heavily and decided Julian had forgotten about him and it was probably for the best. However when he stood up he heard the door opening and a voice ask if anyone was inside the room. It wasn't Julian. Panicking Nicolae went into the lounge area of the room and his heart began to race when he discovered that there weren't any places to hide save for the tall coat cabinet in the corner. This is so stupid he thought to himself as he crammed himself inside the cabinet shutting the door enough to make it appear as though someone just hadn't shut it all the way. He couldn't afford to make any noise. He felt like he'd been hit with a brick when he saw Alice come into the lounge area, he looked like he hadn't slept at all. Nicolae had to stop himself from getting out of the cabinet to go to him.
Alice had said it himself he didn't want him anymore. What he was doing here was totally unknown to Nicolae and he stayed as silent as he could as he watched Alice begin to destroy the studio room, seemingly looking for something. He bit down on his tongue until he could taste pennies inside his mouth as he heard the door of the studio open and Julian's voice ring out over the music. "What the hell do you think your doing?" Julian said as he rounded the corner into the lounge area. Alice stood still for a moment "I want to know what the hell you were doing picking up under aged teens in Downtown for your agency." Julian seemed oddly calmed by this question "The young man I picked up is hardly under aged he'll be 18 soon anyway and he's made all the choices to work for the agency on his own, besides Alice I think I should be asking you what your doing having under aged teens living in your apartment." Alice glowered at Julian "Then I'd have to answer the same as you he's almost 18, .besides how do you know who's living with me and who isn't." Julian corked his eyebrow for a moment and sat down in a chair "My brother keeps some amazingly strong tabs on you Alice, you did cost him quite a settlement deal with your crazy antics and foolish decisions in the ring. He's known about the young man since about a month ago. You should actually thank me Alice, my brother wanted to have him killed just to twist your gut. I saved your little white trash prince from the dumpsters by giving him this job though he doesn't know that or what you do either"¦does he?" Julian openly laughed as he saw he was right. "He doesn't know? That's rich it really is Alice, you always did crack me up." Alice didn't move from where he stood he didn't know how to function in this situation yet. "The kids gone anyway he ran out, so he isn't my problem anymore." Julian tilted his head to the left studying Alice's facial expression. "Now why do I get the feeling you lying somehow? Oh it might be because you care very much for that, 'kid' as you call him but it's beyond that now and you can't get him back you've made a horrible mistake because my brother can't seem to find the sympathy to rescue your disgraceful ass and let you free. You kicked him out because you care so damn much and probably sent him to his death in the streets when all along you thought you were being slick and pulling a fast one of my brother and truth be told he knew all along, life funny like that isn't it Alice?"

Alice turned his face away exhaling loudly through his nose. "Yea it's a real gut buster." Julian rolled his eye's upward towards the ceiling "You always were so primitive Alice it's painful it really is how you lack manners and sophistication." Alice turned his face towards Julian now "Well Jewels if it meant acting and looking like your ugly mug day in and day out I'd rather be a primitive bum as you so do enjoy calling me." This comment seemed to displease Julian like you might displease a cat by shaving its whiskers off or perhaps setting it fire. But he seemed to cool as quickly as Alice ruffled him " You know Danny was here today I'm not sure where went though he was supposed to meet me in here to discuss a contract with the company." Nicolae watched through the crack of the doors as Alice's back went rigid. "What was he here for?" Julian took his time answering and picked a piece of lint off his pant leg "He was modeling clothing for me, he does it so well doesn't even complain just poses and lets everyone do as they please around him. You should see his pictures Alice he's really got a career on his hands." Julian stood from his chair and went over to the cabinet his back blocking Alice's few of its contents. Nicolae sucked in a breathe of air as the door opened and Julian's eye's met his own. The older man didn't even flinch didn't say a word only reached beside Nicolae and picked up a folder on a small shelf inside the cabinet. Julian gave him a small smile and shut the door all the way. Oh god he thought, Julian knows I'm in here"¦well he tell Alice? Nicolae struggled to hear what was going on outside of the cabinet. All he could hear now was more muffled voices.
Alice held the photos in his hands lost in the sight of Nicolae wearing things he could never afford by people he didn't even know. He looked so beautiful with the makeup on almost like a girl but not quite because of his shorter hair and his pained eyes they brushed away all signs of it being to girlish. The photo that stopped his breathing for an instant was of Nicolae lying on the floor he wore only a pair of black baggy jeans. His hair flayed out behind his head a few strips of bangs across his face. Lips glossed it gave the impression he was sulking his eye's dusted with black eye shadow. Arms lying up above his head as if he were stretching as he woke from a nap in the midday sun. Julian watched Alice as he studied the pictures with unknown intent perhaps trying to remember every visual aspect of the younger man. Julian couldn't blame him really; the boy was beautiful, once you wiped away the abuse. But some people could find him beautiful even with it he supposed. Taking the photos from Alice he placed them inside their folder. "Now if you're done ruining my office with your tantrums I have work to do." Alice swallowed and it felt almost painful to him. "What's going to happen to Danny?" He asked softly hating the taste of the fake name against his tongue. Julian looked up from some papers he was glancing over on his desk "Well one of two things are going to happen, if he signs the contract and works for me until he can't anymore then he's safe no harm done to him in fact I'll make him an icon give him more money then he knows what to do with because lord knows he'll earn it with that face of his. If he refuses to sign the contract then we have no use for him and he's good as dead by morning, no one will miss him he has no family in the city and he's homeless as far as I'm concerned." Alice felt his throat tighten and his heart sink.
He was stuck in the hellhole of an existence he'd placed himself in by signing that contract with Mitchell. He couldn't bear it if Nicolae did the same with Julian. He knew what he had to do then and he found it disturbing that he felt no fear in it no sadness or regret no even an ounce of remorse. It was easy to do it really but it took all his strength, of course Julian fought, would have kicked the shit out of him if he hadn't shoved his knee into his stomach to knock the wind out of him. Alice's nose was bleeding dripping down his mouth and chin his knuckles ached the muscles in his arms burned. He didn't stop pounding his fists into Julian's face until he could no longer see anything but across the man's features. He knew Nicolae wouldn't sign that contract, he deserved so much better then he himself could offer him. He hadn't exactly meant to kill Julian it hadn't really been his intention just to beat him bloody so he'd think twice before doing anything to Nicolae. He didn't care what happened to him as long Nicolae somehow got out of Downtown and stayed out as long as he didn't know him he'd be safe happy, have a chance at life. Or that's at least what he believed. He didn't want Nicolae making the same irrational mistakes he'd made himself.
He stayed straddling Julian's body the man wasn't moving but air bubbles were forming on the puddle of flesh that was once his nose. Wheezing through broken and shattered openings the blood dripped down his cheeks and all over his face, lips swollen and split. Alice had to turn away at the sight of Julian's right eye it was totally solid red like a billiard ball. Rolling off of him he paused to look around the room and picked up the file folder he'd seen Julian place Nicolae's photo's in he reached inside and picked out the one that had captured his attention the most. Folding it gently to fit inside his jacket pocket he took one last look down at Julian. Nicolae hadn't made a sound as he'd listened to Alice beat Julian into oblivion and deep down he hoped Alice killed him. He stepped out of the cabinet when he heard Alice shut the door. He assumed that would be that last time in his life he'd ever see the other man and a part of him was quite content with that.
Nicolae shut his eyes as he brushed past the desk trying to ignore the bloody sight of the man on the floor. It wasn't as if he were a stranger to death or anything of that nature. But he knew he'd vomit if he laid eyes on Julian's ruined form. He didn't understand what kind of trouble Alice had worked himself into over the years with these people but it wasn't his problem not anymore anyway. He just wished he could have told Alice he didn't care what he did in his past. He would have loved him anyway. Nicolae left the building and didn't bother to tell the clerk at the front desk anything about Julian. He simply shrugged and smiled saying "He never came in, I guess he forgot about me I'll come by later tomorrow it was nice meeting you." He said forcing himself to talk sweetly and with so much sincerity he thought he'd be sick, but without the lack of convincing her he meant it he'd be in over his head. She only smiled back and gave a shrug "That happens sometimes, you have a nice day now Danny." He smiled once more and left without another word. He never once stepped into Downtown again he left everything behind there and without much regret left Danny there as well.
Kimber leaned more heavily against the park bench. " Alice ended up beating him to death and he just didn't know it? And just today you figured out who Julian was?" Nicolae gave a sad shrug "Well I've lived in Mitchell's house for a good three months almost, Cambria had me clean their offices in the house several times provided Mitchell wasn't home, and of course like the sneaky bastard I am I snooped around where I shouldn't have and found some family photo's. When I saw Julian in some of then I started to piece everything together but a lot of the puzzle was missing considering I didn't know how Alice fit in other then he apparently owed Mitchell a lot. Then at that charming brunch I crashed I figured it out by the way Mitchell was treating him. He thinks Alice killed Julian which is true, only he thinks I had a hand in it I was there when it happened but he doesn't know if it's true, everyone knows I was in the building that day and besides they have photo's of me. Mitchell spent years trying to find me and couldn't because I never gave my real name to anyone but Alice, I had no home or friends I mentioned so they couldn't trace me and Alice actually wasn't willing to give me up because he didn't even know where I was." Kimber kicked at a rock beside the bench "So all this time he's been looking for you to get back at Alice and you want to go back and live in his house just because you have some crush on the guys wife, excuse me if I think this is the stupidest freaking idea in the world." Nicolae wiped his mouth "It's more then that I owe it to Alice and"¦like I said there's something about Cambria she gets a little carried away I'll admit that and she's a tad more then emotional when it comes to some things but otherwise she's cool." Kimber gave him a funny look "Yuck please tell me you don't love this woman." Nicolae gave him an equally funny look "Well I don't know about that, I suppose I love her in a way but then again I still sort of love Alice so I'm in trouble as always, but there really isn't anything else to do yea know something to pass the time." Kimber laughed out loud now "Well Baby you come back too me real fast if she gets bad again or Mitchell tries to gut you in your sleep. I switched his coke around while I was in the men's room so he shouldn't be in the mood to harass you for awhile but either way be damn careful be quick and smooth like a super model." He added giving Nicolae a dirty look and licking his upper lip, causing the other boy to giggle and shove his shoulder "Oh shut up you're so filthy." Kimber stuck out his tongue as he watched Nicolae begin to step away and towards the sidewalk "You love me anyway baby, even more when I'm filthy you can't lie to me Nicolae." Nicolae only smiled and felt his stomach begin to flutter at what he was about to do. "Love you always Kimber." He said before he ran across the street, Kimber turned his back to him not needing to watch him to know he was alright.