Love Finds a Way

“Who are you? What are you doing in my house?” The man of the house asked the mask figure sitting in front of him. But the mask figure said nothing, but looked at the daughter, Summer. “I will ask you again, who are you? What do you want?”

The man of the house walked over to the mask figure, pulled off his mask and hoodie to reveal a teenage boy. The boy had light brown hair and eyes, besides that he had lots of scratches and bruises all over his face. Summer looked at him and knew who he was. Without thinking she spoke to her father, Henry, about what she had to say.

“Father, I know the boy.” She said, going over in front of her father to get between him and the boy. But her father didn’t listen to her nor did her uncle who was the one that found the boy in her room. They made her step aside before her uncle made a suggestion.

“Brother, how about I take this boy out of this house?” Her uncle suggested, putting his hand on the nervous boy’s shoulder. Henry looked to his brother before looking at the boy who had still said nothing.

“Take him away and make sure he never comes back.” Walking away from the boy, Henry left the room and his daughter with the boy. Summer just looked at the boy as he sat on his knees in front of her.

“I know you,” She said, watching the boy pick his head up to meet her eyes.

“I know you too,” He mumbled under his breath, lowering his head back down. She got down in front of him, picking his head up with her hand under his chin. Once their eyes met she just looked at me.

“Your name, is it…” She started as a little boy with light brown hair and bright blue eyes running in on the verge of tears.

“Michael!” He cried, throwing his arms around the boy who embraced him.

“I’m sorry I left you alone, Maxx, I really am.” Michael held his brother tight as Summer started thinking but was interrupted. Her uncle pulled Maxx off his brother and pulled Michael to his feet. Watching her uncle take Michael away, brought tears to Maxx’s eyes.

“Brother!? Come back!” Maxx cried for his brother, but he was already gone from sight. He turned to Summer with tears running down his face, trying to get himself together after finally seeing his brother after four years. Summer looked to the crying child before bolting off to find Michael and her uncle. When she found them, she was in pure horror to see what was happening to him. Her uncle had him pinned to the wall, with his hands on his neck strangling him. She didn’t know what to do so she ran to find her father who was just across the hall from them. She ran down, grabbed his hand and forced him to the living room to save the boy. They got there just in time, Michael was about to pass out but luckily her father got his brother to let him go. Once her uncle let him go he held the boy, so he wouldn’t hurt himself if he were to fall.

“How dare you! How dare you harm this child!” Summer’s mother, Eleanor, came when she heard the shouting and took the boy from her husband’s arms. Taking him away to see if he was okay, Summer tagged along to see for herself. She ran behind her mother and watched her lay the boy in their guest bedroom.

“Mother?” Summer watched her mother pull the covers over Michael as he laid in the center of the bed.

“Sweetheart, we should let him get some rest. He looks like he went through quite a day.” Eleanor guided her daughter out of the room. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked at Michael as he just laid still.

It was ten O’clock at night, everyone was in their rooms sound asleep except for one person. There was a dark figure walking around the house, lurking around each corner. It walked around before entering one of the bedrooms, walking in so quietly it approached the bed. Reaching out to grab the person who laid still in the bed, it grabbed the person by the back of the neck.

“Don’t move,” the person whispered, still holding the person who laid in the bed’s neck.

“Please…don’t hurt me,” Michael stayed still in the bed laying there on his side.

“Pick one…who do you choose?” The man asked, still hiding in the dark.

“I don’t know what you mean?” Michael sat up, with the man still holding the back of his neck, with his grip getting tighter.

“You have to choose between her and your brother. Which is it going to be?” The man asked, waiting for his answer. Michael just sat there, he didn’t want to make a choice between the two of them. He finally got away and now he has to make a decision.

“Come on boy…it’s not that hard to pick now is it? You little brother? Or her? Who’s it going to be?” The man asked, leaning closer to Michael’s ear. Thinking about his options, he finally made his choice.

“I choose…her.” Letting out a sigh of relief, his neck was free and the man stepped back from her.

“Very well…your brother is mine now.” The man turned and disappeared into the darkness at the same moment that Eleanor came into the room. She heard him speaking when she was in bed reading a book

“I could hear someone walking down the hall. I thought it was you or Summer. Guess it was you.” She turned on the lap next to the bed, Michael covered his eyes for a second so his eyes could adjust.

“Agh, I wasn’t expecting that.” Uncovering his eyes to see Eleanor’s dark brown hair and eyes.

“I’m sorry about that kiddo. Are you alright tho?” She felt his forehead, smiling warmly at him as he just thought about his decision.

“I’m alright but where’s Maxx? I need to see him.” Getting up from his bed and ran down the hall to find where his brother was sleeping. He went down the hall and came to the other guest bedroom and opened the door slowly. In the room was a little boy, warm, sleeping soundly with the blankets tucked under his chin. He laid there peacefully. Michael walked over to the bed, getting on his knees right next to the bed. “I’m here for you.” Michael whispered, as Eleanor walked into the room.

“Dear boy, please go back to your bedroom. We don’t wanna wake him now do we?” She took Michael’s hands, guiding him out of the room and back to his own. Michael spent a while in his room, waiting for Eleanor to go to sleep before walking over to his brother’s room. He sat back on his knees next to the bed before falling asleep, with his head resting on the bed. The next morning, Summer was looking for Michael since he wasn’t in his bedroom plus she wanted to know what happened to him. She went around the house looking for him and she found him sleeping in his brother’s room. She thought it was very cute to see them together after four years. She walked over and tapped his shoulder to wake him up.

“Michael, it’s time to wake up.” She said, as he picked his sleepy head up and rubbed his eyes. He looked at Maxx who was still soundly asleep in bed.

“I gotta stay…” He started, quietly yawning and rubbing his eyes again. “With Maxx.”

“I wanna ask you some questions but I need you to come out of his room.” She said, taking his hand to try to pick him up but he didn’t move from the floor. “Come on.”

“No, he needs someone to stay with him.” Michael just looked at his brother, stroking his hair out of his face.

“Please, I’ll have my father stay with him if you’d like?” She said, going to get her father which was just down the hall. She got him and told him to stay with Maxx.

“Okay, I’ll stay with him for you, Michael. Alright?” Looking up to Henry, Michael got up from the floor feeling better about leaving his little brother now. He took Summer’s hand as she led him to her bedroom, made him sit on her bed.

“Okay, I want to know what happened to you? Don’t leave anything out. You disappeared for four years and now you just showed up in my room. This doesn’t line up at all with me.” She sat next to him, as she noticed a tear running down his cheek.

“I’m too scared to tell you. I-I’m afraid my brother will hear me.” He wiped the tears from his face looking at the closed door.

“I won’t tell him unless you want me to tell him what happened. I promise.” She gave him a hug which seemed to calm him down a little.

“Very well, I’ll tell you.” He took a deep breath before looking at her.

**\*\* \*\* \*\* \*\* \*\* \*\***

I was 13 years old when I stayed here with my little brother who was nine at the time. You came to me when I just finished sweeping the floor and picking up the dining room. When you came over to me, I was delighted to see you. I smiled at you, putting them broom down against the wall.

“Hey, do you mind helping me get my necklace? I lost it and I can’t find it anywhere in my room. Do you have time to help me find it?” You asked, standing in front of the doorway.

“Sure, I can help you find it.” We walked to your room and began looking around for your necklace. I looked under your bed and I found it. I reached under at the same time you got down on your knees next to me. You saw it too and you also reached under for the necklace but ended up grabbing my hand instead. We both sat up and just stared at each other for a while, both of us blushed. I gave you the necklace and got up from the floor. You thanked me and I nodded my head before walking away. I went outside to do some yard work, since I actually enjoy doing it. I was sweeping the walkway because there was so much dirt and sticks all over. I heard something coming from behind me, so I turned around to see. The second I turned around, I saw your uncle standing there.

“You,” he started as he walked closer to me. He looked angry for some reason. I immediately started to think what I had done wrong but nothing was coming to my mind. “I saw you, you little brat!”

“What have I done?” I took a couple steps back as he kept coming closer and closer to me.

“I saw you walking out of my niece’s room!” He managed to grab the collar of my shirt to prevent me from walking away anymore.

“I-I…” I was choking on my words, I don’t know why I could tell him what I was doing in her room. For some reason I was unable to tell him I was helping her look for her necklace. His eyes seemed to glow with anger like I could see a fire starting in them.

“I don’t care about what you have to say, boy!” He threw me down to the ground, pulling his belt from his waist. I pushed away on the ground but he just grabbed my leg to pull me back to him. I tried to fight back but he was too strong. He held me down on the ground as he took the belt to tie my hands together.

“What’s going on?” I cried, getting thrown over his shoulder as he carried me to a car.

“None of your business child.” Being dropped into the back of the car with a smirk on his face. While I was freaking out he just laughed at me. “They won’t miss you.”

Closing me into the small space of the trunk I started to get worried. I’ve never been in a small space like this before, and I don’t like it at all. I had no clue where I was going plus I just wanted to get out of the trunk. The ride was very long and bumpy. Almost every bump I either hit my side or my head on the side. It was terrible. I had a headache and the ride only made it worse for me and my body. I hope that somebody, at least Maxx, would notice that I was missing. I don’t expect anyone else to, I was kinda a shadow to everyone but my brother. I lost my thought when the car jerked forward slamming me into the wall again. I laid there before the light blinded me before being pulled up out of the trunk, to be honest I would rather stay there if I knew what was going to happen.

“Get on your feet!” He shouted, letting my shirt go causing me to fall to the ground. I did as he said and got to my feet. I followed him into a dark and gloomy house. I looked around and it looked just like he did. Creepy and dark. He took me to a door that had bolts and locks on the outside before taking the belt off my wrist. He opened the door, letting me look into the small closet before being shoved in.

“Stay here,” he slammed the door shut and locked me inside. I banged on the door and shouted to be let out but he must have left. Minutes turned into hours and hours into days and days into weeks. He only came and opened the door once a week. He would says the same thing,

“They’re not looking for you. They all forgot you were even there. Even your little brother forgot about you.” He would say that every week just to punish me after. He would either beat me with his belt in the closet or he would take me to the barn. He rarely beat me in the closet. He preferred take me to the barn since he said,

“I got more space and things to use out here.” He would use whatever he could find in there. Things like rope, whips, shoves, tools, and when I was smaller he would force me into the watering trough. He would hold me under until I passed out or rarely when someone came over to see him I could be free.

The four years were the same thing. Staying in the closet when he left during the day, got yelled at by him at night. Then once a week I could come out just to be beaten some more if I haven’t learned my lesson. He would yell at me and often said,

“I want to know what you were doing with my niece that day I caught you!” I would explain to him that I was doing nothing wrong with her but he wouldn’t listen to me at all. He would punch me in the face every time I tried explaining anything to him. He didn’t want to hear a word from me at all.

A couple of days ago, before I got to Henry’s house I had the chance to make a run. He had just realized he spent too much time punishing me that he was late to go somewhere. I’ve tried running off before but nobody would help me, they all kept saying that I was running from my father. I finally was able to run without him there to stop me. So I ran out of the closet and out of this dark house.

“Finally, I can see them,” I said watching the house get smaller as I kept running. There were a couple people watching me run out in my torn, bloody clothes. I ignored them with my people in my mind and nothing else. I ran into a man by accident who looked very familiar but I couldn’t put my finger on why.

“I’m sorry,” I said to the man who stood there. He just smiled at me.

“You’re fine, kiddo.” He looked me up and down before handing me his bandana. “Here you go.”

“Thanks,” I took what he handed me and cracked a smile. I looked at him but he was gone. I looked around for the man but he was long gone. I stopped looking and walked down the road, avoiding passing cars. They beep and honked at me as they passed me. I must have been in the way or something but I didn’t care. I just wanted to see my brother and I hope he didn’t forget about me. I spent most of the day running around like a lost child. I ended up getting in the town where they lived. I saw a group of people standing around and one boy looked familiar as well. He looked like me but smaller. I watched the boy walk away from the group at the same time a car pulled up to pick the child up. He got in the car and the car was gone.

“Hey!” I turned around to the group of people staying there, they were calling me. I walked over to them as they kept signing for me to come closer to them.

“You lost?” One of the people asked, looking at me concerned.

“I’m looking for Henry and Eleanor’s place.” I said, pushing my hair from my face. They exchanged looks with each other before one spoke up to me.

“Well, you see kid. They’re looking for Michael. He went missing four years ago.” They all looked at me, before one took my hand.

“I’m Michael,” I mumbled, not realizing how long I was gone. To me it felt longer than four years. They told me that I did look like him and that I looked like I had a hard time. One of the boys took his sweatshirt off, it was black and gray, and gave it to me. They pointed me in the direction of their house and told me to get a move on. I thanked them as I went to find the house. I knew where it was now, since this town was when I took Summer a couple times. She knew the people and I just went since she didn’t want to go alone. But when I got there, to the house, I came to reality when I saw the man’s car. He was here and he would kill me if he found me here. I walked around the house and found an open window. I climbed in and went to her room. I was hoping she would be there. But when I got there she wasn’t there. I had my hoodie up and the bandana the man gave me on to hide my clothes and hair.

“W-who are you,” I turned around to see her standing there. She looked scared of me but when I was about to tell her it was me. He stepped into the room, grabbed me by my neck and dragged me out. He ended up taking me right past Henry.

**\*\* \*\* \*\* \*\* \*\* \*\***

“That was that and I’m sorry if I scared you.” Michael said, looking over to Summer who looked like she was trying not to cry. She said nothing for a good five minutes before grabbing Michael into a hug.

“I’m sorry,” Summer said in between sobs while holding him tight. Michael felt bad for her and everyone else.

“It’s okay…I’m here now.” He looked up to see his little brother peeking into the room. “Come here Maxx.”

Maxx walked in just to throw his arms around his big brother crying tears of joy. Maxx was just happy to have his big brother back now, even though he was missed so much over the years he was gone. Having him back meant a lot to everyone, except the uncle.