Chapter 35: Chapter 35
Ren
As I walk to AJ's house to talk to him about whatever it is he was whining about earlier on, I think back to what that Delmonico character told me. He shared almost no information, I will admit he is tougher than I had imagined. He's definitely been raised into his profession. He still shared enough for me to understand why he was at our school today. I would have tormented him more if the bell hadn't rang. It was quite pleasing to see his subtle winces as he tried to act nonchalantly. From what I learned I still have too many questions to be satisfied. I do not understand why he refuses to find someone other than AJ. His skill set is not quite as uncommon as Raven's and Amora's; and of course my own. AJ has a family to take care of. The rest of us are not quite so…tied down.. Not to mention AJ's bullheaded-ness. Why would Delmonico wish to give himself the responsibility of Arthur James Collins?
When I reach his house; I sigh at the sight of the fallen bannister. He and I have tried to fix it time and time again, as soon as a small amount of wind picks up it falls. When I look in the driveway I notice his father's car. He wasn't supposed to be home until tonight...why would his car be here? If AJ's father lost his job there is no doubt he is in there taking out his frustration on AJ. A familiar feeling of fury washes over me. Why is scum like that man allowed to walk freely among people? He's a villain, undeniably evil. I walk up the steps and enter the house. The scene that plays before me is not an uncommon one. Mr. Collins is towering over a balled up AJ, broken glass and ceramic litters the floor and a stream of blood runs from AJ's nose. His eyes are closed while tears are slipping down his cheeks, he's grinding his teeth with words that refuse to leave his mouth. The insistent yells of "GET UP FAGGOT ." And "YOU SHOULD BE DEAD. YOU WASTE OF AIR. KILL YOURSELF ALREADY." Are filling the room, what the bastard does not know, is that AJ has tried, over and over again, and it is all his fault. That man's cowardice and malice is what sent AJ into a downward spiral of hopelessness, depression, anxiety, psychological paranoia, and uncaring impulses. That man is nothing short of an in-the-flesh monster. He's the one who deserves to be laid to waste. Not AJ.
"GET UP" his father yells again, throwing a kick into AJ's rib cage. ""YOU BRING A BITCH LIKE THAT OVER, YOU SHOW HER YOUR GAY ASS ART YOU TALK BACK TO ME AND YOU DON'T EXPECT THIS? YOU THINK I WANT A FAGGOT WITH A BAD ATTITUDE LIVING IN MY HOUSE BOY?"
AJ's screams of pain cannot be heard over the loud violent voice of the man. "Stop." he cries out weakly. He cannot breathe. AJ can't breathe. I think back to earlier that day in the classroom. 'I'm not afraid' AJ had said. His eyes betrayed him. He tries so hard to stop being afraid. Who in their right mind could not be afraid of this? The fury ignites deeper inside me. I grind my teeth, I need to calm down. My eyes catch Jason's, he hides behind the kitchen island, frozen in place with terror as he watches his brother get beat to death. I will not let this happen. All AJ has ever done is care for his family, love them, place them above himself every chance he gets. Sure he can be stubborn, overly promiscuous, conflicted but at his root, all he has ever wanted is to make other people happy, because knowing that anyone else could feel the way he does kills him even more. That monster has already killed the man AJ could have been. I walk towards Jason, the first thing I need to do is get him out of here. As I get closer I notice his arm is bleeding.. He must have gotten hit with some glass. "Jason." I whisper to him calmly, trying to help him relax. I grab his arm. The cut is deep, I try to find pieces of glass stuck in the boy's arm. When I look back into his eyes the terror has been replaced with fury.
"You should not be out here."I say to him, I understand the look in his eyes very well. It never leads to anything good.
"I want him gone." Jason says in a venomous voice. It is now that I notice that in his other arm Jason is clutching a kitchen knife to his chest, it is what pierced the soft flesh of his arm. "As do I, but if your brother has taught me anything it is that there are better ways to solve problems. Ways that do not involve knives." I plead with Jason, hoping to convince him to put the knife away, the boy does not hear me.
"He made AJ bleed, over and over again. Made him cry, made him try and leave me and Millie. I don't like him. I hate him, he doesn't deserve to be here."
Jason clutches the knife harder. Tears streaming down his face as he hears the sickening thuds as AJ's father kicks him and punches him. Screaming at him and calling him terrible names. Those are the names that keep AJ so afraid of who he is. AJ continues trying to yell stop, but the air has been removed from his lungs. Only giving him the ability to let out a silent scream. AJ's silent pleas are diminishing my self-control. My grip tightens around the handle of the blade in Jason's arm. Images of AJ are filling up my mind, images of him crying out for help. I'm watching as a helpless bystander over the years as AJ turns into something that is not him at all, only to pretend he is stronger than the growing evil that dwells in his life. I remember the day I watched him die.
The day his mother lost all hope was the day he lost all hope. She was supposed to save him from this monster. She only became nothing to him, she slowly washed out of his life but he, all at once, gave up his own humanity. This is why AJ wants to take his own life. I remember as I watched helplessly, every time AJ was struck by his father. Jason seems to be remembering similar visions. He refuses to let go of the knife, I feel the little boy's fury. The irrational kind of fury. The same type that led me to hospitalizing those girls. I remember how much it hurt AJ when I did that. My fury disappears and instead I freeze, shell shocked. I remember watching AJ over all of these years get hit and burned and kicked, I remember all the times he hurt himself, over and over again, as I did nothing except regulate his worthless medication. I am sick and tired of being a helpless bystander. I am faced with the impossible decision of turning into the monster AJ is afraid of to protect him or watching as he dies. I do not notice as Jason comes from behind the kitchen island, I do not notice as Jason walks with a purpose, clutching the knife at his side. I do not notice as Jason in his blind rage has already done what I was trying to stop myself from doing. I watch as the ten year old boy, mad with fury and fear. Stabs the knife through the fabric of a man's shirt and into his flesh, right through his heart. Jason stabs his own father once, twice, three times. Screaming and crying. I pull Jason off of him who now lies dead on the living room floor.
"Jason!" I say to him "He's gone. He's dead. Stop."
Jason steps back and looks at the body on the floor, he pales at the realization of what he has just done. AJ, still crumpled on the floor, stares in horror at his ten year old brother. I approach him carefully and crouch down next to his bloodied form "AJ?" I say softly as I rest my hand on his back, he flinches before realizing it's me. He slowly turns his head to look at me. He's bruised and bloody and crying, trembling with fear. His eyes are wide with shock. He looks at me and whispers,
"He's just like you."
I nod at AJ slightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know he was capable of that." My shock runs just as deep as AJ's. It seems to me now that I fully understand when people say the whole world stopped.
AJ weakly wraps his arms around me, "It's okay Ren" he whispers, it is as loud as he is able to speak. "He was going to kill me." AJ says with a quiet resignation. Finding a way to accept what had been done.
Jason steps from behind me, his bloody knife closed in a white knuckled grip. Jason's arms are covered in blood, along with his clothes. tears are streaming down Jason's face
"I couldn't let him hurt you anymore AJ…"
He looks down at the knife in his hand and drops it. he's shaking furiously, he takes his wobbly body and throws it onto the floor, sobbing
"I'm sorry AJ. I'm so sorry. I'm not a murderer. I'm sorry. I just want you to be okay, I don't even care if you hate me as long as you're okay. I'm sorry, I love you AJ. Please, please don't hate me."
AJ pulls away from me and immediately goes to his baby brother. All of the color has drained from his face, but he wraps his arms around Jason
. "I could never hate you Jay, everything is going to be okay, I'm going to fix this."
He closes his eyes and nods, as a confirmation to himself that he will stop at nothing to fix every mistake Jason will ever make.
"Everything will be fine." AJ whispers again. He looks back at the body on the floor.
"What's broken?"
I ask AJ this in an effort to distract everyone from the corpse. I begin to gingerly feel around AJ's body. Becoming slightly bashful remembering what it feels like under his clothes even though this is the worst timing to become aroused. Jason crawls into AJ's lap and rocks back and forth, still crying. He has wrapped his arms around AJ's neck. AJ winces as I feel around his ribs.
"Well, it is slightly difficult for me to find what is broken. So I will wait until Jason has recovered."
AJ nods. I am about to stand up, but AJ says
"Wait, Ren?"
"Yes?" I watch thoughts race through AJ's head. He almost seems like he has forgotten. "I'm sorry." He begins, "You're the only one I've ever really wanted. I just don't know how to be...that."
I shake my head, "You truly believe that I am even thinking about that at this moment? What I am thinking of, AJ, is how I am going to get rid of this body."
"I can think of at least 35 hiding places and stain removing techniques. And that's just off of the top of my head." Says a familiar voice. I turn my head to find Darren Delmonico standing in the doorway.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone