Castian's POV

Something about the Kid wanting to hang out with me and involve me in things tugged at me. He was different from the rest. Everyone always wanted something out of me, but his aura only spoke that he just liked being around me. It made me nervous, but it also made me feel things I hadn't felt in a long time. I'm so used to being numb and isolated, having a short fuse and explosive temper.

"There's a hole you can get up here through! Just go around, the ladder looks pretty sturdy!" I walked around inside the top part of the silo he'd watched me climb up, looking around as I fixed my bandana, coming back over to the opening and calling down to Lunar. My steps carried me back around as a comfortable sigh left my throat, my foot kicking shit around, and my palms flipping a sheet of metal around, "Hot damn, you're a beauty."

The sheet lacked rust and dents and was the same size as a snowboard. The ridged edges could cut off a head if you swung it correctly, and I couldn't help but catcall to it as Floid finally reached me. He tilted his head as I strolled towards where I could keep climbing, following me as I scaled to the very top of the silo. This cornhouse was the largest of two, a beam connecting them both at an angle from the tops of them. I laughed at the Kid's face as it went pale, he could tell exactly what I was planning as he stammered, "Ar-Are you insane? Are you trying to get yourself killed, Castian?"

"No! Try not. Do or do not. There is no try," I laughed as I quoted Yoda, running down the beam and sliding on the metal sheet like I was snowboarding. I whooped and hollered as I watched the sparks fly against the contact between the metal, turning around and backflipping off the beam.

I didn't dare to lie. I'm not going to deny that I don't exactly want to live. I hope to die every waking moment. However, I am one who heavily believes in fate. I'm not going to kill myself and end my existence before Elysium decides I've been around long enough. If Apollyon wants and/or needs me, he will come to me. Until then, I'll tease that motherfucker like teasing a Sub with his or her pleasurable orgasm and make the Brat beg for me.

I grabbed another pike and balanced on the side of the smaller granary, cackling at Lunar's hands over his face as I quoted Yoda further, "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering!"

***

Lunar's POV

I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked over to Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Hayes, still hanging out with Castian as Mathis and Jax joined us at his garage and house. I was more distracted by the two in the Cadillac than my friends. Mr. Lincoln usually has a lot of focus on me when I look over at him, but today he seemed tired. He was constantly leaning his head against his seat and closing his eyes. This morning he was also avoidant and quick to head out the door. He's always alert and keeping me in sight, but these few days he's been everywhere away from me and exhausted. Mr. Hayes even had me leave him alone. I'm worried and afraid. Scared he's sick or hurt but also afraid that he's losing interest in me or is mad at me. I'm ninety-nine percent certain it's the first half, but paranoia and the hidden thoughts are gnawing at me like a pack of hyenas to a sick lion.

I hope he's alright. Something I whole-heartedly agree with, Subconscious.

Shaking my head, I turned away from the window, drawing my focus back to my friends. Jax and Castian were trying to wrestle, but Castian was pretty quick to win, so it wasn't wrestling. Mathis and I sat side-by-side, but she was messing around on her phone. I held pity for Jax. He's pretty strong and skilled with things like fights. However, Castian made him look less than a beginner and like he couldn't lift more than a kilogram. Jax was using every form of knowledge he knew on how to kick ass and Castian had him pinned within a blink.

It makes me wonder what he knows in the bedroom... Alright, that's enough. We're done.

After thirty or forty minutes, Matty stood up, her body tense and voice soft, "Ma needs us to come to help her."

I noted her mood drop and was mentally prepared. Castian seemed to get what she meant immediately and dropped Jax to the ground, his face hardening like it usually does, "Do you need my help?"

Something about his actions with these things made him mean the world to me. All of my friends are protective and supportive, but sometimes need an explanation or stay out of things until you say something. Castian, on the other hand, acted heavily like you were his Pack. If you show even the slightest bit of being in trouble he immediately becomes protective and like an Alpha. Not only that, but I'm aware he's closed off towards my friends, but he shuts those feelings down in these moments and treats them like he treats his loved ones, guarding them and giving them support and affection where needed or desired. I hope he knows how amazing he is.

Praying Mantis shook her head, quickly taking my hand and leading me out the door, not giving us enough time to speak up or argue. Her grip was painful, I had to bite my tongue down to not hiss out at the stinging of her nails digging into my flesh.

Today just isn't a good day...

The whole walk back to Matt's home was quiet, her hood up and her head down. Even though it was cold and she was shivering, she refused a ride home. She wouldn't even bust out a joke. She very rarely did this. The last time she was like this was when she found her mother bleeding in their kitchen with a knife in her arm, her father having bruised knuckles, and drinking a beer in the living room.

I'm wishing I didn't spend the night at Mr. Lincoln's...

"Wh-When we get inside," Mathis mumbled hesitantly, it was almost inaudible, but I was thankful I kept my hood down, "J-Just be on your best behavior a-and just go straight to our bedroom..."

"M-Matty, what's going on?" I couldn't mask my concern, "What happened last night?"

That's when she simply shrugged and started heading inside, whimpering as she avoided eye contact, "D-Daddy's friends have decided to move in...L-L-Like they did back when Anthien and I were kids."

I stumbled to a stop, her eyes darting at me and then to the ground as I muttered, "M-Mathis, why the fuck didn't you text me? I-I would have come straight home. I always come over when you text in need."

She looked at me, clammering before running inside, "I-I think you can guess why, Lune."

That formed a knot in my stomach, stomach acid dwelling within my throat. I hated the vile thoughts that threatened to play. I wanted to think she meant something else, but my gut pressed that I couldn't play the idiot.

Glancing at the Cadillac, I didn't even bother to give a proper look, running inside and after Mathis. It only took me less than a blink to slam the door and lock it, not giving a damn if I pissed off Mr. Lincoln or Mr. Hayes. Praying Mantis came first. If it meant myself getting hurt or punished, so be it. She's my best friend.

"Who's the pretty friend of yours, Matty Patty?" I turned to the drunken voice that spoke, almost gagging from the smell of the house as I pulled my scarf down. The place reeked of alcohol, smoke, and piss. I was guessing they all just decided to use the plants as a toilet. At the table sat Mathis' father and four of his buddies. They were playing card games while Matt's mother served them drinks, a dark-colored bruise on her cheek and a few burn marks on her throat.

"H-He's just a--,"

"I'm Lunar," I smiled at the man who had spoken, giving all of my years of acting to my best ability, playing oblivious as I shook his hand. Immediately he pulled me to him, exactly what I wanted because where he sat was perfectly in front of the mirror. The mirror sat in front of the window that they epically failed to cover, giving the two handsome gentlemen in the Cadillac a perfect view of me, "I'm Matt's best friend, we use to go to school together."

I always thought them having this mirror was stupid and pointless, but at the moment it was my favorite thing in the building. The fools were the perfect television for the outer world.

"Ah, I've heard a lot about you," The guy grinned cruelly, a twinkle in his eye and the tone of a demented sadist, "She spoke a lot about you last night, in fact. I was wondering all about such a lovely thing all this morning."

You could see him replaying last night over and over in his thick skull, a sneer flickering across his lips as he seemed entranced with it. I had to fight my hand from becoming a fist and popping him in the jaw. Every inch of my body was ready to snap in a deadly rage after taking his beer bottle and watching him choke on it.

A distracted chuckle left his grin, my attention drawn to Mathis' adamance to get me away from him. He was preying on me, a thing I knew far too much about. Giving her a side glance, I approached closer to the male, allowing him to pull my waist aggressively against his shoulder, Foolish little man.

"What are you guys playing?" I asked, already knowing it was poker but keeping that to myself as I watched them. Nibbling my lip innocently as I furrowed my eyebrows like a clueless dummy.

After eyeing them for ten minutes, I figured out the whole stack of cards and had to keep from grinning. I brushed my fingers through the guy's hair, drawing his focus immediately as I beamed, picking up a black chip and four green ones, flipping them around on my fingers so they danced in the mirror, "You've got a good stack."

I wasn't bullshitting his cards, just simply bullshitting with the chips. Black chip was the highest value, standing for Mathis' father. The green was second in value. Mathis' father is the leader and his four little henchmen. With a grin, he cocked a look at me, "Are you being my Lucky Charm, Young Man?"

"Only if you be my leprechaun," I gave a wink to him, pulling away as I flipped the black chip with my thumb into the pile of chips, joining Matty on the steps and following her to our bedrooms.

I did get her to laugh a little as I did a roll of my eyes and gave her a wink with a silent gag, showing her my phone on a call with Mr. Hayes already and her voice whispering out, "Th-Thanks, Looney Tunes."

"Don't thank me just yet," I gave her a nudge, ruffling her hair as she shut the door.

She opened her window as wide as she could get her curtains to be, sitting on the windowsill as she cracked it open just a smidge, Mr. Hayes giving a nod that I could hang up the phone. She simpered at me as I put my phone away, dancing in her spot, "So, what is going on in the world of the Rich, hm? I truly must know, do you live like a Prince, or do you live like a Princess?"

"Excuse me?" I laughed at her as she teasingly messed with her hair, acting like a gossip girl as I sat across from her, spinning in her computer chair, shaking my head at her antics, "The fuck is that supposed to mean, Bitch?"

"Oh, am I wrong?" She teased at me, hitting me with a pillow when the seat stopped twirling, "I dare you to say I'm incorrect. Do it, no balls."

"That's why I called you a bitch," I clenched my jaw at her teasingly, hitting her back with a different cushion, "You are the absolute worst, Praying Mantis!"

We kept fumbling around so much that my chair fell back, and I squealed like a little girl, making her chortle so hard she started coughing like her lungs were going to give out, "Are you alright, Lune?"

My head was dizzy, and the room was spotty, but for the most part, I was alright. I couldn't stop giggling, I'm sure we looked really stupid messing this way. I finally managed to nod, slowly calming down as she did the same, her hand reaching out and helping me up before her body pulled me into a tight hug and her face nuzzled into my chest. Resting my chin against her, I held even tighter than she was, her body trembling against my hold as I rocked her, my voice whispering, "I've got you, Matt. I'm not going anywhere."

"I-I was taking a shower when they came in," She whimpered, gripping onto my shirt so forcefully I'd be surprised if she didn't rip holes into it, "D-Daddy was mad at me because I didn't help M-Mama with the dishes. I-I was too tired from working with Cl-Clarissa all day. We spent over twelve hours, dealing with a full store and no help. Just the two of us because nobody wanted to come in. I came home and just wanted to shower and go straight to bed, Mama even told me to do so and not to worry."

"Mathis, we don't need to talk about this right now," I mumbled to her, cupping her cheeks and making her look at me with a shake of my head, "I'd rather you be alright and comfortable before you ever talk about this. Don't force yourself to talk about this."

Her tears started pouring out as she cried, "I-I was so exhausted I-I didn't even hear the bathroom door open...D-Daddy pulled my arm and yanked me out as I was reaching for a towel to dry off and started yelling. H-He was so drunk and angry and pulled my hair so hard I-I thought my head was going to yank off."

I pulled her into a tight, tight hug. Her legs gave out as she sobbed, my arms holding her up and my body slowly moving us to the floor as I rocked her, "Sh-Shh, shh. You're alright, Matty. I-I'm here, I'm here."

It took everything in me not to start bawling with her. I had begged and pleaded with the Gods never to let her have this experience, and they'd goddamn ripped her innocence away from both of us. I was in even worse pain than I was letting out... But I was even angrier. Matty was my best friend, living with a known abuser, and I didn't protect her. As punishment for letting my mind escape to bliss, her body was violated and destroyed... I was far worse than angry... I wanted blood.

It was probably stupid, but our friends would all agree Mathis was always the glue for us. None of us started talking to each other until she introduced us. Some of our friends were absolute pricks until Matty set them straight. She hardly let anything get to her. I think that's why she and Jax got along so well. He was similar to her in so many ways.

"H-H-He just kept holding me down, a-a-and letting them do things. It-It hurt s-so bad a-and then th-they forced me b-back into the sh-shower and did th-things in there, t-too! I-I-I wanted to die, I-I wish I died. I-I-I begged them to stop b-but they wouldn't! G-Goddamn it, I-I-I begged! A-All it did was make them cackle a-and fuck harder a-and go without a condom! Wh-When they were done, th-they just shoved a b-bunch of pills down my throat. I-I think they were to m-make sure I-I didn't get pregnant a-a-and then I passed out," My jaw ached as I bobbed us back and forth, her voice a murmur. She wailed, her face hiding in my chest and her tears soaking my shirt. I pulled her rigidly into my lap, my throat locked up and swelled. Elysium, it was so damn hard to not fucking cry and sob with her as she kept talking, "Wh-Wh-When I woke up I-I was still in the shower, so I-I turned it back on and just kept scrubbing and scrubbing. I-I-I still feel so fucking dirty and disgusting. I-I-I can still feel everything, and I want it to stop. Is-Is this how you felt or feel when this happens?"

"...A-A-All the time. It never goes away. Y-You're afraid of everyone and everything. A graze of hair puts you in a panic, and any looks make you think the person is preying on you. Every voice or tone is a trigger. Certain smells cause flashbacks, same with absolutely everything... You become consumed with terror and self-hatred, wanting to kill yourself or hide from the world every second you breathe. You become so paranoid and fearful leaving your room is otherworldly," My battled tears finally made their escape as I glanced at her, "After a while, you just become so numb with it all you 'learn' to stop caring but it's just your brain having little to no self-worth that you believe you deserve all the pain. It's preparing for if it happens again, but your brain says it's not an if but a when... It's suffocating, but you've learned to deal with the lack of air because everyone around you is fine within the water you're drowning under.."

I hated the words that came out of my mouth, despised the look she gave me at realizing just how much I kept shut. How all my saying and acting like I was alright was just my being numb and closed off. What I hated the most was knowing it was being heard by the two in the Cadillac. Most of all, It made me vile just hearing it through my ears. I knew it needed to be said, that she needed to hear it... but I wished I could have just kept my damn mouth shut.

"Please, let Mr. Hayes and Mr. Lincoln bring you and your mother to the Mansion. One time of this is haunting enough. One time will chip at you, and you can heal with time...,"

With a shaken breath, I whispered, a lump in my throat, "but when it becomes a constant occurrence and a repeat...You're wishing to die won't be a wish anymore. I know you, Matty, you're lively and spiritual. You're all about having a good time and being bubbly... Their purpose is to tear you apart and break you down, but they can't do that if you're not here."

She didn't seem to have a fight to stay, her head quick to nod as she latched and pleaded, "Pl-Please get us out of h-here! I-I don't want to be in this blasted house!"

"I'm not leaving here without either of you," I let out a quiet chortle, latching my pinkie with hers as my lips pressed against her temple, "Even if you were trying to eat my damn brains and Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Hayes tried to get me out of here."

"Ride or Die Bitches," She teased, wiping the tears away that leaked out, resting her head on my shoulder, "Th-Thank you for being my best friend, Lune."

"You've stolen my lines, CuntBag."