I dropped my backpack at the door and grabbed a banana from the kitchen counter since it was another hour until my parents could come home and feed me. Sure, I ate on the bus ride home, but two sandwiches don’t really fill me up like they used to. I peeled the banana as I walked to my room to grab some clothes before I went in the shower, it was almost the end of six grade but school still sucked. But before I could even get to my room I passed Andre’s room, and I could hear dull, sniffling sobs from behind the door.

I stood there unsure how to proceed, I don’t want to deal with him crying today, I want a nice shower and a sandwich. Awkward seconds ticked by as the crying ensued, I glanced longingly at the bathroom door only a few yards away. But my dad told me a man helped people in need, and right now Andre was in need of me.

Without knocking I twisted the knob and pushed the door open and flicked on the light to see Andre bawling his eyes out all the while sitting on his bed with his arms tucking his knees to his body. My first instinct was to tease him of crying like a little baby but I buried that down. Since Andre was in the fourth grade and I in the seventh he got home earlier than I did by a whole hour even though we went to the same school (elementary, middle, and high school are all located on the same campus.) It meant it wasn’t time for me to make fun of him, if it’s been an hour and he’s still in his room bawling his eyes out it was serious.

“G-go away” He stammered as rolled over to show me his back and hide his face.

I stood there torn between leaving and staying, Andre was still wearing his school clothes which meant he hadn’t changed out of it. Usually, he was scrambling to come and play with me when I got home, for some reason none of his friends ever came home to play with him.

“Why are you crying?” I said slowly.

This was a rare sight, I almost never see him crying nor does he see me, for that was a lesson our Dad taught us about early on, about not showing your heart on your sleeve for others would tear it out. But Andre was the opposite of me, an open-book, expressing his feelings as if he was merely clear glass portraying his emotions.

I moved closer to the bedside and said the only thing I could think of for him to talk “Andre, stop and tell me what’s up or I’m gonna eat the last of the candy in the fridge.”

That got his attention, he slowly let go of his legs and turned around slowly still sniffling to face me. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy, and tears streaked his face like the Nile river in Africa. His face was a little paler than I, as well with a lighter shade of brown eyes.

He wiped his eyes and nose with his hand and wrist before speaking “Th-they t-took my watch!” He said, almost bringing him to tears again.

I shuffled my feet nervously as I asked “Daddy’s?”

Daddy gave Andre a watch a few days ago for his birthday, but when I brought up that I didn’t get a family heirloom he just smiled. Daddy told me I would get something when I became a man. Then I was confused, how would he know I was a man much less how I would I know?

“Ye-yeah, I w-was showing them to my friends on the playground and some old guys t-took it!” He stuttered, now tears were again falling down his cheeks.

“Daddy told you not to show it off!” I said incredulously as I sat down next to him on the bed in silent support.

I don’t bring anything of value to school, mostly because I didn’t have anything of value but I knew that one time a kid took my sandwich. I never trusted anyone at school again with my stuff after that betrayal.

“B-but I wanted to show it to someone! And now this guy and his friend took my watch he’s gonna get mad at me!” He stammered in retort.

Still rooted to the spot an idea started to formulate in my head, what If I went and got it back for him?

“Who took the watch from you?” I asked him.

Andre looked at me hopefully before responding “Some guy called Donny and his friend.”

I furrowed my brows at this, Donny was a head taller than me and much stronger with big muscles in his arms! But I already made up my mind and I’m gonna help my little brother. He always was there for me and wanted to cheer me up and play when I was down and I’m going to be here for him.

“I’ll get it back Andre, don’t worry,” I said already worrying on quite how I was gonna do that.

“Really?” After nodded he jumped up with a smile that reached from ear to ear, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you” He repeated as he started to jump up and down on the bed in happiness.

“Go get me another banana before I change my mind” I teased.

He zoomed out of the room like a rocket while only falling once to the kitchen as I peeled my first banana to eat before I get the second.

The next day at school went slowly as I was waiting for P.E at the end of school, and of course, as all things are when you are waiting for something time moves all the slower. But finally as math class finished up and I turned in my multiplication sheet I anxiously made my way out the door and towards the yard. Normally we would be doing certain exercises but today was a free day and we could do whatever we wanted on the field.

The sun was blazing, already after only a minute of being in the heat a sheen of sweat coated my body. After a few moments of scanning the yard I targeted my….well target, Donny was throwing a football with his friend on the field. The glint of my dad’s battered silver watch caught my eye as Donny threw the football back. Andre’s watch, the one they stole, he wore on his wrist like a trophy for the world to see.

With my palms getting moist from not the Sun’s radiation, but of my own anxiousness I made my way towards him. I went on the outskirts of the yard though as I was still nervous to talk to him and was stalling for time. But as the minutes ticked on I steeled my nerves and walked up to him and tapped on his shoulder before his friend can throw back the football.

He turned around and glanced down at me, he really was big. Donny was at least a head taller than me and almost fifty percent wider. With wavy hair, a shining smile, and a sly tongue he was one of the most popular kids. Even all of the teachers loved him because of his talent in sports and how he put himself in positions where he looked like the good guy.

“What do ya want,” He said down to me and not just in physically as if I was someone less then him.

I stared back, another lesson from my Dad, letting people walk over you was the first step in losing yourself.

“You took my brothers watch and I want it back,” My voice much more confident that how I felt.

He chuckled to himself as he nodded for his friend to come over “Who says this is your friends watch? This is my watch, it’s nice right Joe?” He asked his friend sarcastically.

“Oh yeah, I remember when you first got that as a gift from your grandma last year,” Joe went on with it.

I clenched my jaw, drawing in my frustration and anger, “No it doesn’t.”

He smiled again coldly, “Yeah, but who’s gonna believe you? By the time you tell a teacher the watch would be long gone and you’ll never see it again. But hey,” He shrugged. “Good thing it isn’t yours huh.”

I glanced back at the PE coach who was lazily sitting on his foldable chair “supervising” us while he scrolled aimlessly on his phone. I had a choice here to make, I could either let my brother and myself down or I can do something.

Both of them grinned at me as they sensed what I was thinking, but all that did was bring out the anger and frustration before. Gripping hand into a fist, making my knuckles go white with tension and I swung at Donny’s smug face like I saw in the movies, ready to knock the bully out and claim victory.

What really happened was he dodged the punch and deftly grabbed my wrist as if he knew I was going to try and punch him in the first time. A fist crashed into my stomach, making me double over gasping for air as Donny let go of my wrist. I couldn’t catch a breath, every time I inhaled not enough air went into my lungs causing me to cough. A vicious cycle, but I didn’t fall.

“Look what you did now, tried to attack me huh? Isn’t that against the rules?” He sarcastically asked Joe who just nodded and laughed with him.

Both of them grabbed me and led me behind some trees, well half-dragged as I was fruitlessly attempting to get free each second. As I caught my breath I glanced around at my surroundings, the field was surrounded by trees. You could hide anywhere here and not be caught unless they started looking. And no one was looking for me.

“See, some people think I’m a bully. But really I just want people to know they stand, and where I stand above them.” Donny said his words strangely excited as he and Joe moved closer to me.

I gritted my teeth to prepare for what was to come, there were rumors of Donny. But that’s all they were. Rumors, by people who heard it from their friends who heard it from people who didn’t even see what happened. But rumors, that made my heart flutter. Donny motioned for Joe to leave who although hesitantly did so.

“There is this one thing that not many people know about me though, not my so-called friends, not teachers, not even my family. Although my family will learn when the time is right, and this thing I have it needs practice. And since you aren’t going to say anything about it, since if you will no one will believe you.” He said casually as he moved closer to me now only a few feet away.

I stood still, my hands slightly shook as cortisol pumped through my body sensing danger.

“So don’t scream, or something much worse than a stolen watch will happen to your brother,” he said before coming only a foot away from me.

I stared at his eyes, his face, something was off. It was as if the mask of sporty Donny fell away to reveal something beneath, something quite not on its mark. Something, deranged. A gleam in his eye and a twitch of his mouth he began.

Nothing happened for a moment, but then I began to experience it, a tingle in the base of my skull, an indescribable feeling. But it began to morph, to change, like a drill it began to push its way into me. Not through bone and sinew but through my mind, a carnivorous beast pushing its way inside me. My knee’s beneath me gave out and I crumpled to the ground. Only the growl in my throat escaped me, not a scream. Not one.

The drill was like having a nightmare come alive in your mind, it didn’t just occupy what I felt in my mind but my body. My body thought there was a parasite in its body began to attack its self, white blood cells attacked regular blood cells as if it was a virus. Then when I couldn’t take it no more something began to shake inside me, like something that lay dormant was waking.

“What is this…” Donny murmured, his words devoid of sympathy but that of curiosity, not of a persons.

The metaphorical spike inside me struck this shuddering…thing till it was silenced back into it’s dormant state.

“Interesting” he muttered before moving closer to inspect me.

The spike in me stopped, as did the pain. My body went back into equilibrium as if nothing ever happened, I glanced back up at Donny horrified and terrified.

“Don’t worry, you won’t remember a single thing soon.” He said the spike began to release its grip. Like an anvil crushing my throat being lifted slowly off.

“That’s for being such a good sport,” He said before taking off Andre’s watch and throwing it on my chest, then he sauntering off like he just came to take a piss on a tree.

I could feel whatever he did to me, the spike that drilled into my psyche, didn’t fully leave, nor did the changes it made.

The next hour or so flew by, I didn’t dare say a word to anyone what happened, nor could I. I kept my head down, and just went over and over the scene in my head as I clenched the watch in my fist the whole time. When I got home I went up to Andre’s room, to give it to him.

“Hey Andre, look what I got here,” I said as I opened the door to show him the watch.

He looked at me, then the watch in surprise, “Chase! Thank you so much!” He asked innocently as he gave me a big hug.

I hugged back feeling his warmth, like I’ve never felt it before, warming up a now cold spot in me.

“Anything for you,” I said.

Already the memory, no the nightmare of what happened was fading. Like a scream of fear the wind, it withered away. But what it left behind wasn’t what it carried, but what it left behind.

Sensing my discomfort Andre slipped out of the hug and frowned at me “Are you okay?”

I smiled confused onto why he was asking me, “Yeah, I’m fine! Why don’t I take a shower and we can go outside and play?”

At that, all thoughts of my well-being vanished, “Yeah!” before sprinting out the door.

Crazy kid, why didn’t he think I was fine? It was just like any other day, chuckling under my breath I walked to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror, noticing the dirt smudge on my face I quickly washed it off. Where did I get that?

My eyes flew open, the memory a bubble coming to the surface to pop after being kept under for so long. Tears welled up in my eyes as stared straightforward at the ceiling, ignoring all the commotion around me. I grasped the battered silver watch on my left wrist and let the buried emotions come forth.