34 Chapter 34 Caution Very Graphic And Disturbing Chapter! (1/2)

Joseph was 6 looking up at the man his little sister and he were placed with. It's been two weeks since they were placed here and one month since their parents were killed by the drunk driver. The man had been fine until today. He started drinking around noon. The lady they are supposed to call mom now, hid them in their room.

Joseph heard them fighting downstairs.

She screamed, ”You promised you were done!”

There was a crash and she started crying, but it's been quiet for a while now. He hasn't found them under the bed yet, but he knows they were in this room, because it was the only locked room. He kicked the door open and broke the lock. Emily was trying so hard not to cry but Joseph couldn't shush her like mom used too, or he'd hear him.

It didn't matter. He found them.

Joseph tried to run with Emily, but he grabbed her hand. Even drunk, a 6 and 4 year-old didn't stand a chance.

Why is he taking off her dress?

”NO! STOP! Don't touch her!”

He hit him so hard he didn't know what happened. He was doing something to Emily, and it was her scream that woke him back up. There's blood on his face.

”NO STOP IT!”

He kicked at him, but he ducked.

”AHHH!”

Emily's bleeding! What did he do to her?

He picks him up, and threw him out of the room. He crashed into the railing, but fall over it.

”AHHH!”

He didn't remember hitting the floor.

After he was old enough to read the report, Joseph learned that he had died. By the time he woke up two weeks after that night, they had had to resuscitate him four times on the table. His face required reconstructive surgery and his spine was damaged in the fall. He wasn't awake to attend Emily's funeral, but he couldn't tell if that was better or worse.

Due to a mix up with the paperwork, he was 20 before he could even find her grave. The scars made him ugly. The spine damage meant he couldn't play with the other kids. The fact that he didn't have real parents meant the other kids made fun of him. The lady he was placed with wanted kids, and the husband was humoring her. She wanted him to fill the hole in her life, her husband wouldn't. He never wanted to talk to him unless the social lady was there. He barely made it a year. He ran away when he was 8. His 7th birthday was apparently in the ICU. The man who raped his little sister to death, tattles on the leaders of a drug ring, so he was put in witness protection instead of jail.

Joseph liked math because it made sense when nothing else did. He became an accountant because people were going to hate him anyway, and he liked math. He never found the one. n.o.body was willing to look past his messed-up face and gimpy walk. He tried online dating some, but n.o.body wanted to meet once he sent a picture.

Joseph woke up screaming.

”Joseph! It's okay! I'm here! Please wake up!” begged Stella, as she held him, looking terrified.

He clung to her like he was dying. She stiffened as he sobbed on her chest. Flas.h.i.+ng back to what that evil man had done to his sister, he was suddenly gagging.

Letting go of her, he jumped out the carriage door. He threw up until he was dry heaving and then pa.s.sed out.

There were voices. It sounded like his dad.

”Will he be ok? What the h.e.l.l happened?”

”Sir, it looks like the a.s.sa.s.sins burnt Oranche plumes in the field over there. The smoke is known to make people drowsy and it looks like they intended to put the sentries to sleep in order to sneak in and either kill you and Joseph, or kidnap your son. If he hadn't reacted so poorly and quickly, they may have succeeded. It is a powerful narcotic and it appears young master Joseph is allergic to it. He will recover but it can cause powerful hallucinations. His screaming alerted the guards.

Joseph woke up slowly. His head felt awful and he still had the taste of vomit in his mouth. When he finally opened his eyes, Stella was way too close.

He jerked and immediately regretted it.

”Joseph! You're awake!”

”Shhh. Not so loud, beautiful.”

She paused. ”You must be fine.”

”No, I'm not. But if I don't joke right now, I'll start crying again, and neither of us want that. Shavist! What the h.e.l.l was that? Can I have some water? My mouth still tastes like vomit.”

”Here.” Stella handed me some water.

He leaned back after a good drink. ”What happened? Was it really poison and did anyone stop the a.s.sa.s.sins?”

”How do you know about that?” She seemed a little nervous.

”c.r.a.p, so that wasn't a hallucination. Did you tell me you loved me?”

”Wait, what?”

”Yeah, figures.”