DANIEL
Years ago...
“We’re going to be late for dinner.” Trevor got out of bed and searched for his clothes around the messy bedroom. “Come on, you know how Robert gets when we’re late.”
Daniel forced his thoughts to assemble. He wanted to sleep, or just be left alone.
“Get up, Danny.”
He hated being called that. The boys at the group home had always called him Daniel, and so had his mother and grandmother before that. He lifted the blanket from his naked body and rose to his feet. Without needing to look, he sensed a fresh hickey decorating the side of his neck. Kim wouldn’t like that, but fuck if he cared.
He began collecting his clothes, then realized he still had Trevor’s sperm inside him. “I’m going for a shower.”
“Be quick about it.” Fully dressed, Trevor checked on his hair in his mirror before leaving the room.
Daniel made his way to the side bathroom and entered the shower. The water started cold, but it helped push back the fog surrounding his senses.
It’s because of all the joints.
He hated smoking, yet he found himself filling his lungs and brain with weed almost every day. It was a lame way to escape his problems, but every attempt to escape for real had ended up horribly, costing him even more freedom. By now, the tracker around his ankle felt like part of his body.
When the water became warmer, he fingered himself and washed away Trevor’s remains, two loads worth. He got out and dried himself quickly. In the mirror, his dark blond hair looked too long for his liking, but Kim had insisted. The hickey on his neck seemed big and red, impossible to miss against his pale skin. He once more felt detached from his flesh, watching himself through someone else’s eyes.
His eighteenth birthday fast approached, and he dared to hope—although cautiously—that he’d be finally able to leave. He had no clue where to go or how to support himself, but living in a dumpster and eating garbage would be acceptable in comparison.
When he entered the dining room, the Mitchells were already there. Robert, sitting at the head of the table, glanced at his watch. “Cutting it close.”
“Sorry, sir.” He took the seat next to Trevor, facing Andy, who smiled at him. The table was rich with foodhe wasn’t hungry for, but he took some anyway to keep his mind sharp.
“Daniel dear, you seem tired.” Even for a simple family dinner, Kim made sure to look immaculate, from her evening dress to the way she fixed her dark hair. “Trevor, you need to do something about that libido of yours.”
Trevor chuckled and filled his plate with lobster. “Not my fault he always comes for more.”
“Your mother’s right,” Robert said as he neatly cut his meat. “He was tired today during our lesson. Let him sleep, or he’ll need to move back to his old room.”
Trevor sighed. “Fine.”
“Is that...” Kim leaned closer and pulled down the collar of Daniel’s shirt. “Trevor, I was very clear about new hickeys, wasn’t I? We have guests coming over in two days, or have you forgotten?”
“How can I forget? And it’s not like they would mind.”
“I ask for so little, yet you give me even less.” Kim glared at Trevor for a long moment before switching to an icy smile. “Starting tomorrow, Daniel will go back to his old bedroom for two weeks. Robert, please lock his door in case a certain someone wanders over there.”
“Mom, come on!”
“You heard your mother. Suck on a fruit if you can’t control your mouth.”
Andy laughed. “Suck on a fruit!”
“Be quiet, you,” Trevor grumbled.
Daniel remained composed, but it was hard to contain his joy. Two weeks of sleeping by himself sounded heavenly. Since his birthday was due to take place during that time, he wondered if that was perhaps a sign of a positive change to come.
“Daniel, did you speak with the nice lady from the bank?” Andy asked, his plate filled with a mountain of pasta. “She called again today.”
“Which lady?”
“Andy,” Robert growled, and Andy shrank in his seat.
