"Don't call my name, you creep!" Jason yelled from the corner that he had run to and stood in a fighting stance. He had always given Reece a hard time even though they were bruises on his body to show for his resistance. But Jason was not someone that could just stay and accept what Reece was doing to him and his brother. He was angry all the time and hated Reece with a passion.
"Then what should I call you son?" Reece asked with his head still in the position that he had cocked it into. Somehow, he disliked the fact that the boy was not compliant but at the same time, strangely enough, Reece looked forward to his squabbles with Jason.
Zed and Jason were the first set of twins that Reece had taken and he was still getting used to the whole dynamic – even though he knew how it was supposed to go. He had never been able to put up a fight with his uncle so what Jason was doing was entirely new to him. It turned Reece Berry on as he stared at Jason who stood like he was about to fight him.
Reece moved the weight that he'd been putting on his bad left leg to the right and lunged at Jason who in turn yelled and leaned forward so that Reece could run into his head.
Jason's head hit Reece's midsection before he noticed a movement from the corner of his eye.
"Where do you think you're going, Zed?" Reece asked in a voice that sounded like a growl.
He used his elbow to hit Jason on the back of his neck, watching the boy fall to the ground with a cough escaping his mouth, before he hurried to where Zed had stopped, frozen to the ground. The door had not been closed because of the lock arrangement and Zed was trying to take advantage of that.
"You are a dumb little one, are you not?" Reece asked. "Even if you go out of this room, there is no way that you can leave the house."
Then footsteps were approaching the room that they were in and Zed and Jason looked towards the door. Their eyes were wide open and even Reece waited to see who was coming to the room.
He was shocked when he saw Kim with her hair in such bad shape.
"What are you doing here?!" Reece yelled. Now they had gotten on his nerve, and the way he had yelled had stretched his delicate skin, causing a little tear at the corner of his mouth.
Reece was unhealthy and suffered from malnourishment. His bones were also not as strong as bones were supposed to be and he was paler than normal as he hardly saw the sun as a child and even as an adult now.
Kim jerked and ran back to the sitting room.
"You- You have brought another child here, haven't you, crazy man?" Jason asked still in his kneeling position with his hand over his head, rubbing on the area where he had been hit.
"They would catch you very soon!" Jason yelled with his eyes closed. He didn't know what to do with the anger that he felt within him. The man had ruined their world.
Jason would often sit in the dark with his brother – not speaking with him and buried in his thoughts as he thought about that day that Reece had taken them away from their family.
It had been during their 8th birthday – Jason recalled it like it was only yesterday. They had sung the birthday song for him and his brother and Jason had rushed inside the house to get his favorite helicopter toy – one that his father had given him that morning and flies with a remote control. Jason loved that toy with all his heart already.
Then Zed had come to him and told him that there was someone waiting to give them what they had always talked about among themselves – a PS 4 game set.
Jason and his brother had squealed and rushed outside the house. The adults were busy with barbecue, eating, desserts, and even bees. His parents were having a nice time as well with their friends and the whole place had a happy and bubbly atmosphere.
"Where is he? Is he Dad's friend?" Jason asked.
"He's in the backyard, parked his fancy car there… It looks like a sports car, Jason… You would love it. He revved it for me to hear…" Zed said, his eyes glistening with excitement.
"Is he dad's friend?" Jason asked as he allowed Zed to pull him toward the back of their house.
No one was there as the party was happening on the front porch and everyone was there. So, Jason was quite confused as to why the man was not part of the party. But he didn't think anything of it and walked to the back with his brother.
"See the car!" Zed yelled. "Come, come!"
"Who's he?" Jason asked again even though there was a smile on his face. He and his brother had been obsessed with sports cars since they were much younger and they watched channels that showed cars racing each other.
"He said he works in Dad's trucking company…"
"Oh cool."
They got to the car which was a fine one that had dark tinted windows. The car was on and the sound of the engine added to the allure of the machine.
Jason and Zed stood there staring at the car for about two seconds before the driver's door opened and a pale and lanky man stepped out.
"Hi, boys!" the man said with a smile on his face. "Happy birthday… Open the door on your side, the game is inside on the back seat! Happy birthday once again."
Zed clapped his hands with so much excitement and pulled the handle of the door. He sighted the package and absentmindedly stepped into the car. He began to peel off the gift wrapper that had been used over the carton of the game and asked his brother to come in and join him.
Once one side of the gift was opened, it caught Jason's attention and he stepped in as well to help his brother with unwrapping the gift.