24. Kaleb
Kaleb
With every move, leather bites into my wrists. But I’m desperate to get free. To get to my brother.
I cry and beg him to keep his eyes on me, but we’re past that. Kai’s eyes have gone blank, slipping into that dark place he often goes.
“Kai!” I scream, but he won’t acknowledge me.
Won’t hear me.
And it’s all my fault.
My foster dad, Frank, learnt long ago that his fists and belts don’t bother me. That any physical pain he gives to me is useless. Every time I acted out, he grew more and more frustrated with the mere fact that he couldn’t settle me.
Being the oldest out of all their foster children, me and Kai take the brunt of everything he has to offer. All the cruel, sadistic pleasure he finds in wielding his power over us, even though we are only eleven.
One day, Frank put his cigarette out on Kai’s arm, watching me the entire time. I went ballistic. Smashed furniture and glasses, and plates. Made all the other kids cry. Frank just smirked. Because he had finally found my weakness.
That night, he tied me up and forced me to watch him beat the hell out of my brother. My voice went hoarse; I was screaming so loud, begging him to stop.
Tonight is no different. Kai and I returned from school to find him slapping Millie, a new girl who’s moved into the house. Our foster mum, Sheree, accused her of stealing jewellery and was sneering at the girl whose nose was bleeding.
She can’t be older than five.
I lunged without thinking, cocking my fist back and landing it on Frank’s nose with a sickening crack.
And now, he’s taking it out on Kai, just like he always does.
My brother.
The vision of him, strapped to the bed, blurs through my tears. His small body is covered in scars, proof of his torment over the years. Proof of all my fuck-ups.
His body is like mine. Bones sticking out from lack of food. And although we are identical twins, that is where the similarities end. Because my skin… My skin isn’t tainted by scars and burns.
Frank watches me as he sucks in a deep inhale of his cigarette, smoke billowing from his mouth through our bedroom. If you could even call the hovel a bedroom.
“Let him go!” I cry, body yanking furiously to free myself. “It’s my fault, it was my fault! I’m sorry! I’m fucking sorry!”
The words rip from my chest, anguished screams that sound distant to my own ears.
“You’re sorry?” Frank murmurs, his eyes darkening with sick amusement. “Tell that to your brother.”
The scent of burning skin makes me gag, as he holds the end to Kai’s forearm. Just adding to the hundreds that already litter his skin. It barely pulls a reaction from Kai.
“Kai,” I sob, squeezing my eyes shut. “I’m so sorry, Kai.”
I’m a coward. He’s the one getting tortured, and I’m the one who can’t even look. I’m the reason he barely talks. I’m the reason he’s not like the other kids our age. I’ve ruined him. Every fuck-up is marked on his body.
I try to be good. Try to shut my mouth and be as invisible as I can to Frank and Sheree. I do everything they tell me to do. But their bar is so high that I can’t help but fail. Which means I fail Kai.
Finally, his dark eyes slide to mine. Long lashes fluttering is the only sign that he’s in pain.
“You’re okay, Kai,” I whisper, blinking through my tears. “I’m here. Please keep your eyes on me. Stay with me.”
Without his shirt on, I see everything that I’ve caused him. Sometimes Frank beats him with the buckle on his belt. Sometimes he uses his fancy knife. Sometimes it’s burns like tonight. And sometimes it’s his bare fists.
This can’t keep happening.
Fuck! This can’t keep happening.
“Yes, look at your brother, Kai,” Frank sneers. “Look at the reason why you are in this position.”
The way he sucks on that cigarette so casually sickens me. Hatred so strong makes me grit my teeth and glare back at the man.
Making him a silent promise.
This will be the last time he lays a hand on my brother. This will be the last night spent in this hell. He must see it, because his eyes flare with excitement. Taking it as an excuse to abuse my brother even further.
Continuing to burn and torture him.
For the first time, I don’t keep my eyes on my brother. I keep them on Frank. His smile grows wider with every second. He thinks he’s won.
Thinks breaking another body will end the same way every other one has. But he doesn’t notice the way every breath I take is steadier than the last. He’s too busy enjoying his own power to realise it’s already slipping from his fingers.
The promise replaces everything inside me. Whatever happens next, when the sun rises, Frank will never stand over my brother again.
Will never stand over anyone.
Eventually, he got bored with decorating my brother’s skin and left us strapped to our beds. With every bit of strength I could muster, an hour later I’m free from the belt around my wrists.
Kai doesn’t say a word as I untie him and help him to his feet. My forehead falls against his, my last silent promise of the night. Promising him that I’ll always protect him. That I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for all the pain I put him through.
With my hand in his, we sneak through the house. Just like every other painful night in this house, Sheree and Frank are high as kites, passed out in their room.
Seeing them like this, they look so weak. It makes me wonder why I haven’t done this sooner.
It makes me thirsty for their blood.
As carefully as I can, I reach into his pocket, my hand wrapping around the heavy knife. The one he has used to cause so much pain. The purple knife is his pride and joy, and it’s been plunged into Kai’s body more times than I can count.
It only makes sense that he dies from it.
Everything else goes black. I barely feel the warm spray of the blood that coats us. Barely hear Sheree’s screams before I’m turning on her and driving the knife into her body.
I slice and slash and plunge until the wet sounds of flesh are louder than my screaming.
Blood fills my mouth, coats my tongue, and drips down my body. Turning to Kai, he looks like he’s walked out of a horror movie, having joined me at some point, blood staining his entire body.
And we grin.
Present...
“What the...”
Eyes struggling to pry open, my head is too heavy to lift, rolling forward, and sagging helplessly. The world spins.
Drugged.
I know it in an instant.
My wrists are held up away from me, and when I try to move, I realise my ankles are restrained too.
Fuck.
I try to raise my chin, but it drops again. It takes every ounce of strength to throw my head back. My vision spins and blurs; darkness is everywhere, and I’m not sure if it’s the room or my eyelids.
The last thing I remember... I was trying to find Roxanne. She ran from the room after I was… bringing Kai back. And he begged me to stop her, not being able to do it himself. Then... nothing.
A hole, fragments of darkness in my memory.
Bitter anger works its way through the haze. An ache throbs in my shoulders and the restraints bite.
Someone made a mistake.
They left me alive. And, fuck, are they going to regret it.
Blinking again, I let the room focus around me. But it’s not a room that has my attention.
Two blue eyes stare at me.
Long black hair and pillowy lips curved into a cruel smirk.
“Black Cat,” I murmur, the words like gravel in my throat.
She swings her bat in her hand, and the movement makes the room spin.
“Good, you’re awake,” she croons. “Let’s see how good a teacher you are.”