CHAPTER 4 OLD FRIEND

NATHAN'S POV

They lead me into the woods and when they decided it was deep enough Tyson pushed me on the ground.

I fell hard. "You know you'd think you would have learned your lesson by now freak!" Vicky said to me as I was staring up at them with fear,

"It seems the only way you learn is by having the message beaten into you, which is fine by us. Honestly it's always so much fun hearing you scream in pain, now lets get to the fun part." Tanya said as she and the other started approaching me,

just then someone screamed. "Leave him alone!!" I recognized the voice as Rex, my four tormentors turned around to see Maria and all of the other's with them.

"Oh my god are you ok?!" Sandra asked as she helped me up . Meanwhile Rex and the others were having a glaring contest with each other.

"This doesn't concern you new kids!" Tanya hissed,

"Picking on someone who can't even defend himself?! You bet your a*s it concerns us!!" Maria yelled at them.

Just as they were helping me out of the woods Tyson said something that chilled me to the bone. "Don't think this is over Nathan!! They can't protect you forever! All I need to do is wait!! Then we can all finish out little chat!"

I shivered as I knew he was right, they couldn't protect me forever sooner or later they'd get me.

"Hey don't let him get to you, we'll keep you safe." Jake said in a reassuring tone. I smiled for a second then remembered what they were talking about, then pushed myself out of his grip.

"Not so fast, I have questions, first where did all of you come from? Second why are you being so nice to me? You all just met me today, thirdly I heard you guys talking about this "song of silence" thing. What is it?? And why do I have it??"

They all looked very guilty and I knew they knew that they'd been caught. "Look, Nathan..... We want to tell you but we can't at least not until after tonight." Maria muttered guiltily.

"What does that mean?" I asked just suddenly tired with all the secrecy.

"Look once tonight is over and done with we'll be able to tell you everything I promise."

"Why can't you tell me now?!" I started getting angry,

"Its tradition, we have to wait until the day after your 16th birthday. I know you have a lot of questions but I can't tell you anything until tomorrow, I'm sorry."

I could tell that Maria and the other's really wanted to tell me whatever secret they know about me but this tradition thing was stopping them, and even though I really wanted to know what was going on, I had no choice but to wait.

I walked back to my house, saying good bye to Maria, jake and the others.

I saw my dad's squad car and I knew he was home, which honestly scared me to my bones, remembering my mom's threat from this morning.

I decided to sneak in through the back door, I slowly and carefully crept through the door and I thought that I was going to make it, but the moment I sensed eyes on me I slowly turned around and locked eyes with my father who was leaning against the wall near the fridge. "Hello, Nathan." He said in a deep voice that sent shivers down my spine.

I tried to make a run for it, but was met with the foot of my mother tripping me. "We got a call from your school." I turned around and saw the angry look on my mother's face. "It seems your teachers are saying you attacked them with some strange power, and that your eyes turned purple with some weird symbol on your forehead. Care to explain? Not that we'll really care." My mother said looking down at me as I tried to get up off the floor to run to the door, and just as I opened the door, I was met with my four tormentor's.

"Look who came to visit." My parents said behind me, I turned around and when I saw the look in their eyes I knew that this was planned. I tried to run to my room but Tyson caught me. "Not so fast freak!" He yelled as he grabbed me by the back of the neck, hard.

"We have unfinished business, don't we?" He snarled in my face, then he quickly punched me in the stomach causing me to double over and nearly throw up. "You still haven't learned your lesson about making up stories about my girl friend." He said with a small growl as he looked down at me.

I tried to back up intending to run, but Adler stopped me. "I don't think so." He said as he grabbed me by the scruff of my shirt, then dragged my to the living room, "Now let's make sure you've learned your lesson about causing trouble shall we?" My father said while my mother, vicky and Tanya all left through the front door. "Have fun boy's." My mom said as she closed the front door.

.........TIME SKIP 40 MINUTES.........

I could feel myself starting to lose consciousness, and I though that I would finally be free, I wasn't afraid to die I actually welcomed it.

But just as they were finished with me,  I could hear the distinct voice of my mother and Vicky and Tanya, they sounded like they were trying to stop someone from entering the house, then the door burst open and I saw someone who I never thought I'd see, someone who was actually concerned about me.

"Axel?" I tried to speak, but with my constant screaming my voice was going, "Oh my god!" He said just before all hell was about to break loose.

AXEL'S POV:

Ever since I can remember I always had a crush on Nathan, even when we were kids I always thought he was cute.

And as we grew up I found he got even cuter, I always had this protective streak towards him, it was almost like something was drawing me to him. I could never figure out what it was but I knew that someday I would need to protect him from a great threat.

When Nathan came out a year and a half ago, I already knew that I was bi and I wanted him to be my boyfriend.

But with the bullying and teasing and the false rumors that his parents were spreading to the town I knew I couldn't,

I wanted to but when I tried to put a stop to it Vicky and Tyson threatened me with my families future.

My dad and mom both work in Tyson's fathers company and his company is extremely well know, they told me that if I ever tried to actually stop them that my parents could kiss their jobs goodbye, and it would be my fault.

They said that they would also make sure that my family would wind up on the streets if I ever got in their way.

So for the past year and a half I've been forced into watching as they torment the person I love, and what's worse is that I'm forced into being Vicky's boyfriend.

I hate it with all my being, but today was Nathan's birthday, somehow I could sense that today was a special kind of birthday, firstly these new kids were sticking up for Nathan and I was actually happy because they seemed to generally care about him.

And when I saw Nathan running and Tyson and the other's coming after him I knew I couldn't stand by and watch any more so I followed them but fortunately Nathan's new friend's got to him before anything could happen.

I also secretly heard them talking about some weird stuff. Something about a "Song of Silence." Something like that, they told Nathan they couldn't tell him until after his birthday and I saw him leave for his house, with the new kids going the opposite way.

I wanted to know more but I decided to go check up on Nathan instead, but my mom wanted me home for dinner so I figured I'd eat with the family first then check up on him.

Two hours go by and when I finally get to his house I see Vicky and Tanya with his mother talking very cheekily and even laughing,

"I honestly hope they were extremely rough with him! He doesn't deserve any kindness being what he is!" Tanya spat out, my blood boiled and I marched over and the moment they saw me their eyes were wide with shock.

"Axel what are you doing here?!" Vicky said to me, "The real question is what are you doing here?" I asked Vicky as I narrowed my eyes at her already being very suspicious.

And just as she was about to answer I heard a cry in the house, I looked at the three women and I could tell by their faces that something was wrong. I moved past them and ignored their pleas for me to stop and wait, I opened the door and what I saw turned my stomach.

There on the floor curled up and bleeding, was the love of my life, he looked up at me and trembled out, "Axel?" "Oh my god!" I said just before I felt a sharp pain in my head then I could feel myself falling and as I fell I saw Nathan screaming something but I couldn't hear it.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness I saw him crawling to me and I could distinctly see purple in his eyes, he sat my head in his lap and as I looked up at him I saw him crying, I hated to be the reason for it. So I tried to wipe them away,

"Don't cry." I said as I tried to keep myself awake, he started saying something to me but it just came out muffled, I felt my eyelids suddenly becoming very very heavy no matter how much I fought back I couldn't keep them open, so with the last of my strength I told him. "Happy birthday." Then I closed my eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

NATHAN'S POV:

"Oh my god!" Axel said just before Tanya came up behind him and hit him over the head with a metal bat. I screamed out Axel's name as he plummeted to the ground, and my father and Axel's so called friend's just laughed.

I crawled towards him and when I finally reached him

I put his head in my lap and tried to keep him awake, as I cried fro him, he gently put his hand on my cheek to wipe away my tears.

"Don't cry." He mumbled, as he was fighting to keep his eyes open I told him to hang on and that he would be ok, but he just looked at me sadly and said "Happy birthday." Then his hand dropped and his eyelids closed.

"Well at least that's one less freak to worry about!" Tanya said and Tyson and the other's as well as my parents were actually laughing about the fact that someone was dying.

Then I remember all the times that Axel had helped me and tried to protect me. "You think this is funny?" I whispered as I trembled with pain and hatred. "What did you say freak?!" Adler yelled.

I gingerly put Axel head down and stoop up, still naked but brimming with fury, something in me ignited and I couldn't hold it in anymore "You think just because he tried to protect me from you all he deserved what you did to him?" I spoke softly, "Of course he did!! He was a faggot just like you, and faggots only deserve one thing to burn in hell!!" My mother screamed at me.

The anger I felt was beyond anything I'd ever felt before, when I met their eyes they looked at me with wide fearful eyes. "What the hell?" Tyson said as he and the other's started backing away from me but it was too late, my fury and anger that I'd been concealing for the past year and a half was about to come out full force.

Something in me told me to just let the pain out and this time I listened fully. I screamed and the next thing I knew a purple energy exploded from my body and my parents, along with Adler, Tyson, Vicky, and Tanya all flew back. Adler hit the wall to my right, Tyson, my dad, and my mom hit the wall in front of me, while Tanya and Vicky hit the wall to my left. They were knocked out from the force of the hit, and when I finished screaming, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted, then the next thing I know, I crash and hit the floor, my eyelids becoming very heavy all of the sudden, and I welcome darkness like an old friend.