Safe

Safe

Chapter Three

Evelyn knocked softly on her son’s closed door. She hadn’t seen him since yesterday morning, but she knew he was still in there. Why was he isolating himself so?

“Jack, dear? Please come out and tell me what’s wrong,” she pleaded.

Jack heard her and it nearly tore him up inside. He couldn’t deny her anything, none of her sons ever could. He shuffled to his door and unlocked it. Taking a deep breath to prepare himself to lie to the woman he loved most, he opened the door and put on his best smile.

“I promise you, Ma, I’m fine. Really.”

Evelyn was no fool though. She knew that phony smile from back when he had first came to her. It didn’t work then, and it wouldn’t work now. But she decided to bide her time. His brothers would be there any minute. They’d get the story out of him.

“Well, alright, but please come down and eat some breakfast.”

She knew the power she held over him, Jack concluded. She knew that he couldn’t refuse that pleading voice, and she was probably frustrated that it hadn’t gotten any tale from him. But that was one thing that he couldn’t give her. It was too shaming, not to mention that knowing anything about it could have her winding up in some kind of danger trying to help him out.

So he followed her down to the kitchen table and quietly accepted the food that she placed in front of him.

“Cracker Jack!” a voice greeted from behind him. He turned and saw Jerry walking in from the living room.

“Long time, no see, little brother,” another voice said as Angel walked in behind Jerry.

“Hey Jerry,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound too timid. He should’ve expected Ma to call in reinforcements. But he figured he could sidestep any questions Jerry and Angel threw at him, he was just glad that—

“Where’s Bobby?” Evelyn asked when she saw the two arrivals.

“He’s just parking the car,” Angel responded.

Oh no, not Bobby too. He couldn’t handle Bobby. He didn’t want his oldest brother to find out what happened. How could he admit to Bobby that he’d been raped? That he’d allowed himself to be raped repeatedly? Bobby would be ashamed of him for not being able to handle himself, to take care of himself. Oh, and if Bobby asked him, he’d get an answer. Bobby always did. He had to leave.

He shot up from the table and was headed toward the stairs before anyone could stop. However, he stopped short when he nearly collided with the very solid form of the oldest Mercer boy.

“Where are you off to so fast, you little fairy?”

Jack just widened his eyes in fright and bolted upstairs before Bobby had time to stop him. He slammed the door to his room and securely locked it behind him. He leaned against the door and slowly slid to the floor. He curled up in a fetal position and silently cried. How had he been reduced to hiding in his room and actually running in fear from his own family? His head shot up as he heard the violent banging on the other side of the door.

“JACK!” Bobby yelled. “You had better open this door and tell us what the fuck is going on!”

“Come on, Jack. We’re your brothers! You have to let us in!” Jerry shouted.

“I swear, if you don’t open up, I’m going to break the damn door down!” Angel threatened.

“Jack, do you hear us?!?”

But Jack had quit listening as soon as he had looked up and saw his room. There was a big, gray rock lying on the floor that someone had obviously thrown through the now broken glass of the window. He slowly crept towards the rock and saw the note attached. Shaking, he removed the note and unfolded it. Terror coursed through his veins as he read what it said: