Kayden & Joel: Chapter One

The sun's glare pushing through my eyelids woke me from a dreamless sleep. I sat up, pushing the tangled sheets away. Rubbing my eyes, I notived that Kayden wasn't in his bed. He usually sleeps longer than me...thats weird. I got up and went to brush my teeth, but I noticed a spot of blood on the sink as I went to turn the water on. Huh. Maybe dad got a nosebleed or something. A strange noise came from behind me and I turned around to see Kayden in the bathtub covered in bruises, blood and cuts. His eyes were wide with fear and tears leaked out of them only to be stopped by a strip of fabric that had been tied around his head as a gag. He started to shake uncontrollably and sob as I took the gag off him. His face had cuts all over it.

"Kayden! What the hell...!" I started to say but I got too choked up to finish. Who had done this to my brother?! I already knew the answer to that question. A leather collar around his neck had a heavy chain dangling from it. He was stark naked and trying desperately to cover himself..but in his fatigue, he could barely move.

"Joel..." Kayden choked out my name in a desperate sob as I untied the collar gently. It had chaffed his skin and it was bleeding.

"Hush, Kay, its okay now. I'm here." I murmured as I picked him up. He shrieked as I did this and clung to me, his shaking fingers gripping my tee- shirt as I walked to his bed. I helped him get some clothes on and cleaned his wounds for him. Through all this, he was crying silently, only whimpering when the antibacterial stung his cuts. I climbed into bed with him and put my arms around him. In this comforting action, Kayden wouldn't be able to see the fear and rage I felt.

"Tell me what happened." I whispered into his raven black hair. He shifted slightly and moaned minutely.

"Ddd...dad was ddrunk..." Kayden began, stuttering in fear,remembering what had happened. "Hhe brought a pprostitute home...but sshe diddn't satisffy him I...he...he..." Kayden covered his face with his bruised hands and muffled the loud sobs he began to emit. I gritte my teeth...it kills me when he cries. He was so close to mom...and now that she was gone, he only had me. The usual anger towards my alcoholic father skyrocketed to pure hatred as my shaking brother told me the tale that had broken him.

"He sstole her cccolar and...he...came intto my rroom...and.....grabbed me..."Kayden wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. I tightened my hug on him to give him support and love. "He put it on mme and he ppulled me tto the bbathroom and...he...he had a knife...aand he....he...."he stopped and tried to quiet his frantic sobs.

"You can stop there..."I whispered to him. This wasn't the first time Dad took out his emotions on my twin brother. I only hoped it would be the last time. I loved Kayden so much...he was my everything. I hated my father beyond words for torturing him.He had been the worst father on the planet since mom died...he isn't our father anymore. He's a monster.

"I love you Kayden." I whispered into his hair as I kissed the top of his head. He started to turn over to face me when his wrist gave out onhim and he fell onto the bed. He shouted out in pain and hugged his arm close to him as I leaned over his shaking body to see what was wrong.

"Kayden!" I cried out as I saw his wrist bent at an odd angle. He had broken it...no. Dad had broken his wrist. I took one of dad's porno mags and made a splint out of it with some strips of fabric...the same fabric that gagged Kayden earlier. I put his shoes on him and whispered to him.

"Kayden we have to go to the hospital." I put my hand on his hceek and looked into his sad brown eyes. He gritted his teeth and shook his head slowly. I sighed, if his wrist was broken it needed to heal correctly. I wiped his tears away as I pulled the sheets up to his chin.

"I guess I'll go get some help for your wrist then..." I started to say, but Kayden's cry interrupted me.

"No! Don't leave mmme! Pplease! Ddont go! i'm sccared!" He pulled me close by my shirt front. I gritted my teeth and my own tears started to roll as he cried out my name.

"Joel, Joel, pplease don't go pplease!" I gave in to his pleading and sat down beside him. I pulled his cold, broken body close. He shakily returned my embrace and he stayed in my arms as he cried to me.

"I tried to make him stop! I tried and the whore...she yelled at him and she tried to stop him he he I we dad just he coudn't stop he screamed at me he slashed me and she ran away and didn't come back with help like she said she would.." Kayden's crying and whimpering slowly calmed. He relaxed in my arms and closed his eyes. I released him from my hug and stared him in the face with my hands on his shoulders.

"We're always going to be together. I'm always here for you. Always. Forever. Why didn't you call to me?"

"I did but dad put stuff in your pizza last night before he left..." Kayden looked away. I understood his pain. I saw it too often. Every two days or so, over and over, dad would beat and rape him. Sometimes it was bad. Sometimes it was just plain insane...but this was the worst I've ever seen. I hope I never have to see it again. I cupped my brothers face in my hands and told him I loved him. His tears overflowed the boundaries of his eyelashes and he blinked as they noiselessly came crashing down his perfect face.

"I love you." He whispered back to me as we embraced again and this time didn't let go.

His body was weak and torn, it seemed, but I knew that over time Kayden would heal and wouldn't cry anymore. I knew that Dad would do it again but I didn't know why he did it and why he only did it to Kayden.

Holding Kayden close and knowing that right here would be the only place he would ever be truely happy, I was content. I had to get help for Kayden's wrist though...and I moved away from him to get up.

"Never let me go Joel..." Kayden murmured with his head bowed. With his good hand he grasped mine and I stood watching my twin brother in a small moment of silence I knew would be the most memorable. I pulled back the sheets of Kayden's bed and took his shoes off...we souldn't be going to the hospital anytime soon. Dad would take him and tell lies when he got home...which would be about two o'clock. I took my shoes off too. Kayden pulled me gently into his bed and I climbed in slowly, not to hurt him. We pulled up the sheets together and he moved closer to me. His cheeks were still wet with tears and I wiped them away. His hands were gripping my shirt on my back as he sobbed his sorrow into my chest. I put my hands on his quaking shoulder blades and kissed the tope of his head. Every single time dad this to him, he'd only cry to me. Only to me. I had only seen Kayden broken like this.

"Hush Kay...it'll all be okay. I'm here now. Hush..." I whispered. Time passed and he stopped crying, falling asleep instead in my arms. I brought him even closer to me and played with his raven black hair. In his sleep, my beloved brother shifted and rolled over. Like spoons we then lay, waiting for the hurricane to disrupt the peace.

And Dad sure as hell was a furious hurricane that day.