Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2013 10:11:33 -0800 (PST) From: Eric Foster Subject: In Time part 23 Disclaimer: this story contains sexual material. If you are not 18 or over, or this is not legal in your country you should not read any further. This material may offend if you find homosexual acts offensive or homosexual acts between younger boys offensive. All similarities between this story's plot line, characters, names, places, or any other item are purely coincidence. Enjoy In Time The man sat on his front porch as he watched the sea roll in and crash onto the shoreline. The winter sun hung low in the sky and streaks of orange and yellow formed a picturesque sunset. Smoke rolled off the tip of his cigar as he exhaled one long continuous stream. His weathered fingers rested lightly on the arms of the rocking chair as it moved quietly back and forth. His elderly face and gray hair glowed in the fading light. Suddenly, his phone rang. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out to see if it was the number he was expecting. "Yea?" replied the man. "I'll be there in 10 minutes, do you have it?" asked the voice over the phone. It was foreign for sure; Eastern European or Russian. The man reached into his pocket and ran his fingers lightly over the USB flash drive. "Of course I have it, do you have the money?" "5,000 American dollars right?" "Yup, I'm on the porch. See you soon" And with that he hit the end call button and slid the phone back into his pocket. He continued to rock back and forth lightly as the stream of smoke slowly flowed off the end of his cigar. The man suddenly let out a light sigh as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. His fingers quickly went to a back compartment and pulled out a small photo. It was wrinkled and torn a little; the image of a person could be seen clearly. It was a boy who looked about 11. He had brown hair and eyes with somewhat tan skin and a bright smile, and appeared to be standing in a classroom. A small but disturbing smile appeared on the man's lips. He let out a light chuckle as he rubbed his finger over the boys face, moving slowly down, and stopped just at his waist. "I wonder what he's doing right now?" "Caleb get a move on!" Coach Hudson yelled across the gym floor. "Sorry Coach!" Caleb yelled back. It was Monday practice, and Caleb was slacking big time. He had already missed several shots, was moving slower than everyone else, and could hardly keep his part of team in line. He wasn't doing this on purpose however; he was exhausted, having slept for a total of six hours since Saturday night. How could he sleep? The 20th of the month had been that Saturday. "Ok everyone hit the showers. Allen, you're on call today" "CRAP!" Allen suddenly shouted as he turned and began heading towards the supply closet. "Caleb, I want to see you aside," Coach Hudson said. Caleb walked tentatively up to him where he stood in the lobby at the front of the gym. "What happened today?" Coach Hudson asked in a critical tone, though it sounded more worried than harsh. "I'm just a little tired," Caleb said, trying to downplay his exhaustion. "That wasn't just a little tired. How much sleep have you had?" Instead of responding, Caleb just let his eyes drift down to the floor. Coach Hudson looked at him for a while and sighed. "Go home and get some rest Caleb. If you need to miss a practice just let me know ahead of time," Coach Hudson said as he walked towards his office. Caleb was left standing in the lobby, and for a brief moment he felt a chill go through him. He was feeling cold, alone, and most of all he was slipping again. He knew very well that the letter was acting as a catalyst to his depression, and he couldn't help but feel he was to blame. After all, he was the one who asked in the first place. Caleb walked down the hall and eventually into the locker room. He didn't look up and he didn't lock eyes with anyone. To be quite honest, at that instant he didn't even care. At the worst moment, he had been reminded of his biggest mistake, which no one even knew he had made. "Caleb, are you ok?"asked one of teammates. Caleb looked up at him. He knew he could fake the emotions, and he would do it like he always had. "Oh yea. I'm fine just a bit tired," Caleb said with a small smile as his face brightened. Yet his eyes betrayed a boy who was scared, desperate, and alone. He was a boy in trouble and in need of help, but how would anyone else see? They didn't even know. His teammate looked at him a bit hesitantly but then shrugged his shoulders. "Ok, get some rest man." "I will thanks," Caleb said as he walked away. Yea right, how could I get sleep, it's still sitting there on my desk with all the others, Caleb thought as he walked up to his locker. He quickly stripped his clothing and walked over to the showers with his towel and shampoo in hand. As he walked in, he saw Martin and Alex directly across from the entrance. They were next to each other, and turned around when they noticed Caleb enter. Martin immediately had a sour look, while Alex appeared worried. Caleb looked at them both briefly but then moved over to a shower head and began to wash off the salt and sweat. He didn't care about them today. "So are you going to say anything today?" Martin suddenly said in an acidic tone. "Martin!" Alex shouted. "No," Caleb said calmly and quietly. "Why, because Alex is here today?!" Martin snapped back. "No, it's because I don't care today," Caleb said in the same quiet and calm tone. "What's that supposed to mean?" "It means I don't fucking care anymore!!" Caleb suddenly shouted in rage. He turned to face Alex and Martin, both of whom looked shocked. Without speaking, Caleb turned off the shower and walked out. The locker room was suddenly silent, and everyone looked at Caleb as he passed. He quickly got dressed and gathered his things as he started to storm away. He just wanted to be home as soon as possible, he just didn't... "Caleb..." a familiar voice suddenly rang out. It was the voice of the one who had saved him. He turned to see Alex standing close to him with a worried look on his face. "What is it Alex?" "Dude, are you ok? You seem really upset," Alex said, his voice filled with worry. "I just want to go home." Caleb turned around and began to head towards the door when suddenly he felt a hand on his right shoulder. "Is there something you're not telling me?" Alex asked. This was the first time that Alex had touched him in a while, but he felt numb. He didn't feel the same excitement race through him like he normally would. He smiled to himself and let out a sarcastically dark chuckle. "You're smart Alex. I always knew you were," Caleb said as he walked away. He walked out the front doors and let himself merge with the cold darkness outside. He felt that it was one of the few places he could escape to anymore without being bothered. He couldn't stand having the light remind him of it, not today. Caleb opened the door to his darkened room and walked over to his desk. There sat an envelope that was addressed to him. It had already been opened and the letter inside it stuck out slightly. He walked over to his desk and simply stared at it. It seemed so sick, that even after the fact he was still being haunted by him. After he left, every 20th day of every month since then Caleb would receive a letter from him. He hated it, but he never threw them away. He couldn't figure out why he kept them, since they only continued to haunt him. Maybe it was because he felt they would be useful one day? Maybe it was because it was never resolved? Or maybe he just simply wanted to wait for the day when he could painfully shove them down his throat. There were people he didn't like at all, such as Martin, but this person he truly hated. His hate for this man was so great that his feelings toward Martin were like love in comparison. Caleb walked over to the desk and pulled the letter out again. He read over the lines, and felt himself gag a little as the memories came flooding back. He couldn't even read completely through it anymore. Then he felt the feelings hit him again, and he was slipping. He tilted his head up a little and saw on top of his desk the little black box he kept. Inside was everything he needed if it happened again. He felt so tempted to reach for it. He was so sick of this. The world had betrayed him. Alex betrayed him. His mom betrayed him. He had betrayed himself, just like he always did. He had made himself believe it would all be ok the last time, this time, and now he was here. Maybe...maybe now, Caleb thought as he reached up for the box. Don't be an idiot, only stupid people would do that, Caleb thought as he moved his hand back. More the reason to do it, you are an idiot after all. What does that mean? You let him do that to you, and only a stupid person would let someone do that. Therefore you should do it, came the rebuttal in his mind. Caleb felt himself moving toward the box again but then he reached up and grabbed his hand. He let himself slowly sink down onto the desk as tears welled up in his eyes. Suddenly, he broke into a fit of sobs as his breathing came in short, staccato gasps. He just couldn't handle it. Every time he remembered, he was reminded of the failure, of his failures, of all the fuck ups he had made. "Why can't you just leave me alone?" Caleb said in a desperate whisper as the sobs continued to ravage his young frame. "I'm really concerned about him Martin," Alex said as the two boys walked into Alex's house. "Why?" Martin said flatly. "Martin! We already talked about this. I still want to try and make it work out as friends. Besides, he didn't say anything to you, and you were kind of being an ass." "I was being an ass?" Martin said a bit incredulously. "Yea Martin, you started it that time, and you kept poking him," Alex said in a reprimanding tone. "Well I didn't say anything else..." "After he left" Alex said, cutting off his sentence. The two locked eyes for a moment, and the anger passed between them. Yet each boy had the same 'why doesn't he get it?' thought that made the tension persist. "You're not over being friends with him yet?" Martin said angrily. "Dude, I'm actually worried. He seemed really depressed. I've only seen him like that one other time," Alex said, the concern resonating in his tone. Martin studied him for a moment, and could see that he was genuinely concerned for Caleb. He was angry, and he really wished that he wasn't, but he knew he could trust Alex. "When was that?" "It was towards the middle of Sixth grade year. He never said why, but he was acting really strange, a lot like he is now. Plus, he seemed really depressed, and the only times he seemed happy were when he was around me," Alex explained. "Did you ever ask him?" "I did, but he never would talk about it," Alex said in a disturbed tone. Martin looked at Alex, and he could see his mind running at a million miles a second. He knew the feeling and he knew how unsettling it could be. Martin sat down next to Alex and then took Alex's hands in his own. "Maybe he just needs time," Martin said, not sure what else to say. "Maybe. I just wish I knew what was causing it." "Alex!" Caleb shouted as he ran up to him. "Caleb, I got the text, what's wrong?!" Alex said, panic stricken. Alex had biked at full speed to meet Caleb and now his chest was heaving as he tried his best to regain his breath. He dropped his bike, ran up to Caleb and embraced him. "Listen very carefully," Caleb said in a serious but panic stricken tone. "Take this bag and hide it in your basement, don't ever let anyone see it," Caleb said as he handed Alex a bag. It was a clear zip-lock bag that contained a hoodie, a pair of sweat pants and a pair of shoes, all of which belonged to Caleb. Alex couldn't see much in the darkness, but the little light that illuminated them from an overhead street lamp didn't show any obvious problems with the clothing. "Why, Caleb what did you do!?" "Alex please, just put it in a box or in a room no one uses. I don't care where. Please Alex!" Caleb said in a desperate plea. His eyes showed despair, worry, hate, so many emotions it was as if they were all combined into one. Alex felt he couldn't say no, not when Caleb was obviously so desperate for help. "Just please tell me you didn't hurt someone..." "No, I swear to you I didn't hurt anyone," Caleb said. His voice betrayed a sense of shock that Alex would come to such a conclusion. Suddenly, a fire truck raced by a street over, its sirens blaring, and soon it was followed by another. Both trucks were heading the direction that Caleb had just come from. Alex looked and saw a plume of smoke rising up against the moon lit night sky. Alex made the connections in his head, but he prayed he was wrong. "Caleb...did..." Alex said, wide eyed, in a tone of breathless shock. "Alex, please, I'll explain everything to you someday, but please, just trust me," Caleb said, tears starting to form at his eyes. Alex sighed. "Ok, you have my trust." Caleb stepped forward and took him into a strong embrace. "Thank you Alex, you've saved me," Caleb said as he held on tightly to Alex. Suddenly he stepped back and pulled out his phone to check the time October 20th 2011, 1:47 AM "I've got to go, I'll talk to you later," Caleb said, but then he moved closer. He leaned in until his mouth was right over Alex's ear. "One day, you'll understand what you really mean to me," Caleb said in a light, but loving whisper. Caleb turned around and started to run off into the night, just as the noise of distant police sirens could be heard heading in the direction of the plume of smoke. Alex watched his figure fade into the black of the night and eventually merge with it. He turned and went back to his bike. As he rode away he suddenly saw Caleb in his go-kart blast by him as he skidded around a corner. It shocked Alex, and made him wonder what he had done. "Caleb...Caleb!" came a voice from the front of the classroom. Suddenly Caleb looked up at the board and saw the teacher looking at him. Some of the class was looking at him as well. He had been in a trance and was plucked out of it by the teacher. "I'm sorry sir, what were you saying?" "I was asking if you could answer the question," the teacher said. Caleb looked at the board, but it didn't have a question written on it, only a few problems that other students had solved and some definitions. "I'm sorry sir. I wasn't listening," Caleb said, embarrassed. The teacher looked down at the desk and sighed. "Its fine Caleb, please just try and pay attention in the future. Thomas, can you answer the question?" "15?" "Good, it is 15. Now the reason why, is if you look at the problem we....here....t..." but Caleb didn't catch the rest of the conversation. He didn't care either, since he knew he knew the material. His thoughts were in another world now. Alex was walking down the hall so he could get to his bike. The school day had just finished and he was looking forward to going home for some rest. It had been a long day, and he was a bit stressed since he had to take the writing exam that day. He knew he would pass, but the thought of not passing it and not being permitted to move onto seventh grade bothered him. He was walking down the 6th grade hall and was just about to pass Mr. Stevens' room (the sixth grade English teacher). "Well I'm not coming today!" said a voice from inside the room. It sounded angry, and extremely familiar. "And why not?" replied another voice. Alex recognized this speaker to be Mr. Stevens. Alex walked so that he could pass the door slowly enough and stopped for only a moment to look inside. There he saw Caleb looking at Mr. Stevens angrily, and then for a split moment he turned and locked eyes with Alex. His face brightened and he suddenly spoke. "Because I'm hanging out with Alex like I promised him," Caleb said loudly. "Your tutoring is more important Caleb. I'm not giving you a choice for this," Mr. Stevens said as he lowered his hand to lightly touch the back of Caleb's neck. Caleb suddenly swatted at Mr. Stevens' hand and knocked it off his neck. "Well, you know what Mr. Stevens? I don't care, because I don't ever want your damn 'tutoring' ever again!!!" Caleb shouted in rage. He ran to the doorway and grasped Alex's hand. "Come on!" Caleb said quickly. He was pretty much dragging Alex down the hall as he ran at what seemed to be the speed of light. "Caleb your parents are paying for you to...." But the voice of Mr. Stevens soon just became an echo in the halls. "Dude, where are we going!?" Alex said as he panted and struggled to keep up with Caleb. "I don't care where, just out of here," Caleb replied breathlessly. Soon they arrived at the bike racks and both boys got on their bikes and Caleb led the way. The two rode down the street and up to one of the many parks that surrounded the lake. Caleb pulled in and quickly dismounted his bike as he ran to the water's edge. He collapsed on the sand just before he got to the wave line and knelt down, panting and struggling to contain his emotions. Alex quickly came up behind him and wrapped his arms around him. Caleb started to sob and gasp. His tears streamed down his cheeks as he tried his best to gasp for air. "I just can't take it anymore dude," Caleb said in a tone of desperation. "What, what's going on!?" Alex asked, panicked by Caleb's sudden outburst. "Everything dude. I just don't want to see him anymore!" Caleb had calmed down some, but was still sobbing. Alex could make the connection, and he had a feeling he knew who it was he was referring to. "Why don't you want to see Mr. Stevens anymore?" Suddenly Caleb started to laugh a little through his sobs. But it wasn't a joyful laughter; it was sardonic. "It's a horrible joke, and you know what the punch line is?" Caleb said as he looked up at Alex. His eyes showed fear, sadness, panic, but there was something else he saw. It was denial. It was as if Caleb wasn't living in reality anymore. "What?" Alex asked. Suddenly Caleb's face changed. His expression almost looked numb. He didn't seem to be in pain anymore and in fact appeared to be at ease and calm. "I can't even tell you," Caleb said softly. He then got up and began to walk away towards his bike. Alex jumped up and was quickly beside Caleb. "Caleb...Caleb...dude where are you going?! What did Mr. Stevens do?!" Alex said in panic, trying to get Caleb to respond. Caleb stopped right as he had mounted his bike. He cast his head down and a small but wry smile appeared on his face. "You're smart Alex. Maybe you'll figure it out, cause to be honest, I don't even know anymore," Caleb said as he rode away. Alex was left standing there as he watched Caleb ride away. The wind had picked up and drew the October leaves down the street. The shadows danced in almost a demonic ritual as the orange sun cast its shadow upon the scene. Illuminate the symbol in orange as we remain silent and watch the ash rain joy "It's good to see you again Caleb, so how has your week been?" Dr. Webb asked. "It's just been another week," Caleb responded, trying his hardest to seem ok. He didn't want to talk about how he really felt. "I noticed you didn't bring any logs in?" "There was nothing to write about." It's the same as always, Caleb thought immediately after he had spoken. Dr. Webb picked up on the melancholy tone for the split moment, and sensed something else was wrong. He began to wonder if maybe he wanted to wait until a different time. He wasn't sure if the variables were the same anymore, but ultimately he decided he could at least get some information if he went forward with his plan now. "Well Caleb do you remember my question I asked you last week before you left?" Caleb thought back for a moment and remembered that Dr. Webb had asked him to think about something regarding Alex. If he thought he was as amazing as he seemed. "Yea I remember it," Caleb replied. "So what are your thoughts?" "I think Alex is just as amazing as he seems. He's more amazing than you'll ever understand," Caleb said somewhat defiantly. Caleb's response threw off Dr. Webb for a moment. His defense of Alex was at the point of infatuation or obsession, maybe worse than he originally thought. "Well, I personally wonder what his thoughts are. Would you want to know?" Dr. Webb asked curiously. "I guess I would," Caleb said in a questioning tone. "What if he could be here to tell you right now? Would you be ok if he was here to hear this now?" "Yea...why?" Caleb said confused. "Well here I'll show you," Dr. Webb said as he got out of his chair and walked out of his office. Caleb was left confused until Dr. Webb walked back in the office with Alex following directly behind. "Alex!" Caleb said in shock. "Hey Caleb!" Alex said in a cheerful and calm tone. "I feel that a dialogue will help you understand Caleb. It's a bit unorthodox but I think this will be for the best," Dr. Webb said as he sat down. Alex sat down in Dr. Webb's normal seat while Dr. Webb moved to his office chair. "So Alex, could you start off by describing what you think of as your strengths?" "Um...sure. Well I think I'm smart. I'm good at making new friends and helping out people. I'm good at getting things done, and I have a great family," Alex said. "Ok, so do you think you have any weaknesses?" Dr. Webb asked, keeping a keen eye on Caleb's reaction. "Obviously." "Could you name a few?" Dr. Webb asked. "I can get angry a bit too quickly. I don't think things through all the time. I overact around my friends, and I'm not good at helping out with drama between friends," Alex said. Dr. Webb watched Caleb with a keen eye, but he didn't get the reaction he expected at all. Caleb seemed indifferent to Alex's words. "Interesting. So Caleb, do you think what Alex is saying is pretty accurate?" Dr. Webb asked. "Obviously, and I know why you asked him that," Caleb said, his face showing annoyance. "And why is that Caleb?" Dr. Webb said, a bit surprised at his comment. "You think that if he says he has weaknesses, I'll suddenly realize that I'm making him seem better than he is. Then you'll cure me of some obsession I have with him. Am I right?" Caleb asked his voice full of indifference. Dr. Webb was surprised, but also knew it meant that he was obsessed for a different reason. It seemed contradictory to call someone perfect and yet admit they have flaws. He had to think of him as perfect for some other reason. "Actually yes. So why then? What's so special about Alex?" Dr. Webb said, trying to watch both Caleb and Alex's reaction. A wry smile suddenly appeared on Caleb's face as he looked up and locked eyes with Alex. "I don't think you'll ever understand why Alex is sacred to me. I don't even think he knows." "Sacred?" Dr. Webb repeated "Yes, sacred. What else would you call the person who saved you," Caleb said calmly. Dr. Webb's hand wrote furiously on his notepad as he made notes about Caleb's word choice and that phrase. This was practically out of the blue - not at all what he had thought. He had been sure it was just a simple obsession due to being rejected. Yet it was obvious this wasn't it at all. "Wait. When did I save you?" Alex suddenly asked in shock. Caleb kept looking down, and in a voice barely audible he spoke. "6th grade, fall semester." Suddenly, Alex's eyes went wide, and he remembered everything. "Wait...does this have to do with that old English teacher. What's his name?" Alex said as he tried to remember. "Mr. Stevens," Caleb said, visually shuttering at saying the name. Dr. Webb was taking notes the whole time, but especially noted Caleb's reaction to the name. "Who's Mr. Stevens?" Dr. Webb asked. Yet Caleb wasn't listening at the moment. The memories had started flooding back again. All the horrible things, stuff he wasn't even aware was real. His self-defense kicked in and he tried to pull back into his other reality, to the place where nothing had happened and he didn't receive the letters. But this time his attempt to escape to that place was failing. His ability to control himself wasn't working. He couldn't get himself to fake it like he was so good at doing. Caleb quickly got up and started walking out of the office. He could hear voices shouting things, but he ignored them. He was falling apart this time, and he wasn't stable anymore. His face was contorted and tears flowed down his cheeks. Somewhere he heard a voice, but he didn't care. He kept walking forward, unaware of his surroundings. Illuminate it orange, the ash will bring you joy "CALEB!!" Suddenly he felt a hand grab his shoulder and pull him back. Caleb turned around and saw Alex standing before him, his eyes filled with panic. Caleb couldn't stand anymore and collapsed into his arms as he sobbed uncontrollably. He at the very least felt safe in Alex's hands. There, he had always felt safe, as if this one boy's embrace was a temple he could reside in when he felt he was in danger. He had done it before so many times. "Caleb, what did he do to you?" Caleb looked up at the board where the star student papers had been posted. He used to be so proud to see his own paper along with a picture of him directly above it. It was of him standing in the classroom. The photo had a small tear and was a bit wrinkled, but he didn't care about the board anymore. In fact he didn't care about the class or any of it anymore. He hated every little thing about it. Yet what he hated most was the man standing in the front of the classroom, Mr. Stevens. This man who had ruined so much for him, who had shredded his last remaining innocence, and who had made his life a living hell, was lecturing the class and fooling everyone into thinking how great he was. All the students talked so nicely of him, and thought he was so cool. He had a relaxed and playful competition going. His many years of teaching gave him the wisdom to teach not only effectively, but also in a way that made his students love him. He even made jokes about him being old, which all the students thought was great. Yet to Caleb, under those humble eyes and weathered skin, lurked a monster. Everyone simply thought Caleb was just being sour and constantly snapped at him when he acted out in public against Mr. Stevens. Even the teacher himself just blew it off and would defend Caleb, saying he was just having a bad day. He only did this because he knew he was in control. In reality, he could care less. Suddenly, the bell rang and everyone started to file out of the classroom. "Ok everyone; remember to finish your drafts. Oh and Caleb, I want to see you, so stick around for a bit would ya?" Mr. Stevens said playfully. Caleb simply stared at him, spite in his eyes. As soon as the halls were mostly empty and the rest of the kids left Mr. Stevens spoke up. "So I talked to your parents today. I'm going out of town on Wednesday, so our normally scheduled meetings for Thursday was moved to today," Mr. Stevens said, a small but sinister smile on his face. "You're kidding me" Caleb said, his voice quivering and his eyes wide in panic. "I'm not, you need to get your tutoring in before I leave," Mr. Stevens said, a bit sarcastically. "And what if I tell you to fuck off?" Caleb said maliciously. "Then I'll just report you for cheating on the last test," Mr. Stevens replied. "You gave me the answers!" Caleb said incredulously. "You asked for them." "Only because you never answered any of my questions in class, never once actually tutored me, and how the hell do I study for a class I hate?" Caleb snapped back in anger. "Why would you hate my class?" Mr. Stevens asked knowingly. "You know exactly why" Caleb said through gritted teeth. Mr. Stevens only chuckled darkly as he walked away. "Well, even if you tell them that who are they going to believe? The kid who's already been labeled a trouble maker in my class and is failing it, who has been clearly defiant on multiple occasions, or the teacher everyone loves who has more tenure than the principal? Face it Caleb, you're trapped." Caleb looked at him. Although he knew that he was desperate to get out of this situation, he couldn't figure out what to do. "Well, I'm not coming today!" Caleb said in defiance. Mr. Stevens only had a bemused grin on his face as he looked down at Caleb. "And why not?" Caleb looked around, he was desperate for a reason, anything. He didn't care what. Then he looked out into the hall and saw Alex standing there. "Because I'm hanging out with Alex today like I promised him." "Your tutoring is more important Caleb. I'm not giving you a choice for this," Mr. Stevens said as he lowered his hand to lightly touch the back of Caleb's neck. Caleb suddenly swatted at Mr. Stevens hand, knocking it off his neck. "Well you know what Mr. Stevens? I don't care, because I don't ever want your damn 'tutoring' ever again!!!" Caleb shouted in rage. He ran to the doorway and grasped Alex's hand. "Come on!" Caleb said quickly. He ran off as he held Alex tightly. He needed Alex to save him again. He had done it before, and he was doing it now. It may just be convenient timing, but he had saved him the last time. He remembered the night back in September. It was the night he was ready to leave, and the black box had been his way out. He had texted Alex goodbye, since he was the only friend he cared about at the time. Yet Alex came and stopped him before he did it. He couldn't handle living in a world that had betrayed him the way it had. He couldn't handle a world where people like Mr. Stevens existed. He didn't tell Alex this was the reason he wanted to end it, but instead he confided in him. He was the one who hung out with him whenever he needed it. He was the one who kept him from quitting the world. He was the one whom he went to every Thursday after 5. Alex was the only one he had ever felt safe with. Alex was the only hope he had left. Dr. Webb had canceled his other appointments, extended the session for an additional two hours, and decided it was wise to place Caleb on suicide watch. He said he would only talk with Alex there. After a very long and emotional session, Caleb had told Dr. Webb the majority of what had happened with Mr. Stevens, the letters he kept sending him, and the threats he had used to keep him under his control. Alex stayed with Caleb the entire time, holding him in a tight embrace as he wept and sobbed several times, shuddering in fear of the memories he had suppressed for so long. Alex didn't care that Martin had called him several times asking where he was. He knew he would understand if he knew what Caleb had gone through. Alex wasn't even aware of the horrors, though he had suspected that something more was going on than simply jealousy over Martin. "First off Caleb, thank you for being so brave to talk about this. I know it's not easy to talk about it, but now we can take Mr. Stevens in for what he did to you. I'm going to talk to your Dad, and I'm going to give him my cell number so if you ever need me to talk to I'll be here," Dr. Webb said reassuringly. "Ok" Caleb said quietly as Alex continued to hold him tightly. "I also think maybe you should spend a bit of time at home tomorrow. You've gone through a lot today, and I want to make sure you're properly rested emotionally and physically. And those letters. Give them to your Dad, since those will be useful evidence against him," Dr. Webb said. "I will," Caleb replied. "Ok. Well Caleb, I definitely will see you again. This will take time, but I know you'll get through this Caleb," Dr. Webb said. Caleb then got up with Alex, who still had his hand wrapped around his shoulder as they walked out into the hallway together. Dr. Webb looked down at the several pages of notes he had taken during the extended session, and was not only amazed, but horrified at the situation. He had heard of cases like this, but the texts didn't do the psychological damage justice until you saw it for yourself. For Caleb though, it was different, and in a good way. With Alex as his 'shelter' psychologically and physically in several cases, he was able to endure what would have driven most to insanity. Though he had developed an unhealthy obsession with Alex as a result, this was at least treatable. The damage that may have occurred otherwise might not have been as treatable. He knew there would be some permanent damage, but it was nowhere near as extensive as it could have been otherwise. Alex sat with Caleb in the backyard as the two watched the sun setting, the last rays of light racing across the sky creating a cascade of pink and orange. As Alex watched the scene before him, he felt a mix of distrust for humanity, but also a hope that at least Caleb could be treated now. He knew that the road ahead for him was long, and he would have to be there for Caleb every step of the way. Alex knew Martin might be angry, but he didn't care. He would explain it to him and make him understand. He refused to abandon Caleb. "Caleb I was wondering something." "What's up?" Caleb said calmly. "I mean everything makes sense but there is one thing. Do you remember when you called me out to take that bag from you?" Caleb looked over and locked eyes with Alex. He had a very small one sided smile on the left side of his face, almost mischievous looking. "Yea I remember." "They concluded that someone had set his house on fire while he was on vacation," Alex said, knowing that Caleb clearly knew that as well. "You're a smart kid Alex" Caleb said, his face brightening a bit. "Did he know you did it?" "Probably," Caleb said indifferently "That's why he moved away?" "He didn't have the money for a new house, and he still had a property on the gulf coast in Texas. I didn't know that though. I just never wanted to see the fucking place again," Caleb said his voice now a mix of angry humor. Alex looked at him, and knew that he wasn't the type to do stuff without careful thought. He knew Caleb was the type who had to have a valid reason to do something. To be completely honest though, Alex felt he would have done the same thing had it happened to him. "Yea?" replied the man "I'll be there in 10 minutes, do you have it?" the voice over the phone said. It was foreign for sure; Eastern European or Russian. The man reached into his pocket and ran his fingers lightly over the USB flash drive. "Of course I have it, do you have the money?" "5,000 American dollars right?" "Yup, I'm on the porch. See you soon." And with that he hit the end call button and slid the phone back into his pocket. He continued to rock back and forth lightly as the stream of smoke slowly flowed off the end of his cigar. The man suddenly let out a light sigh as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. His fingers quickly went to a back compartment and pulled out a small photo. It was wrinkled and torn a little; the image of a person could be seen clearly. It was a boy who looked about 11. He had brown hair and eyes with somewhat tan skin and a bright smile, and appeared to be standing in a classroom. A small but disturbing smile appeared on the man's lips. He let out a light chuckle as he rubbed his finger over the boys face, moving slowly down, and stopped just at his waist. "I wonder what he's doing right now." "Well, I tell you what he won't ever be doing again. Suffering because of you," a voice suddenly said. Mr. Stevens looked over and saw a tall man standing there, wearing a police outfit and holding out a warrant. "Is that a search warrant?" Mr. Stevens said cynically. "Actually no. It's a warrant for your arrest. We're also about to get your friend, Vlad. I need you to place your hands behind your back," the officer said as he approached Mr. Stevens He knew there was nothing he could do, and at his age he was too old to try and put up a struggle. He simply got up and let the officer place the handcuffs on him. The officer began the pat down and took the flash drive and phone out of his pocket. "What's this?" the officer said as he held up the USB flash drive. Other officers were walking up now. They had been waiting from afar in case something went wrong. "Take a look for yourself" Mr. Stevens said darkly. The officer let out a sigh of disgust as he walked Mr. Stevens towards the black SUV that pulled up. "Mr. Stevens you're being placed under arrest for molestation, statutory rape, creation of child pornography, intent to spread child pornography, abuse of a minor..." The officer continued to read off the list. Yet Mr. Stevens wasn't listening anymore. He just watched the sun as it continued to set. He didn't even care that much, since he knew that he would spend the rest of his life in federal prison. He then thought to himself privately. So he burns my house down, and then gets me arrested, little bastard "Well you'll pay for your crimes in prison, and then hell" came the voice of a little kid. Mr. Stevens looked behind the officer and there stood Caleb. He looked younger than from what he remembered, but he was clearly standing there smiling at him. It was the same bright smile he had worn in the picture that he had kept from the achievement board. "Caleb?!" Mr. Stevens said in shock. Suddenly the officer looked at him oddly and looked behind him. There was no one there. "Who are you talking to?" Mr. Stevens looked again and there was still no one there. "I don't know" Mr. Stevens said, as he began to wonder if he was going crazy. The officer finished reading off his rights and then shut the door and began to drive away with Mr. Stevens in the back. The old man sat there and stared at the back of the passenger seat when suddenly he looked to his right and saw the Caleb again, in the exact same form as before. Except this time he was looking out the window and watching the sun set. "I wonder if you'll ever know how much you hurt me." Caleb asked in a quivering tone. "What...are you real?" Mr. Stevens asked in disbelief. "I'm pain, how could I not be real?" Caleb said as he locked eyes with Mr. Stevens again. "Who are you talking to back there?" the officer asked from up front. Mr. Stevens only looked away for a moment, but by the time he looked back, Caleb was gone again. "No one," Mr. Stevens replied, annoyed. He couldn't believe that he was going crazy. He tried to look out his window again, but when he turned back he saw him sitting there again. "You know, Mr. Stevens, I'll never let you forget, but one day I'll forget about you, and when that day comes, you'll pay," Caleb said, his face stone cold, and his voice dark. Mr. Stevens only stared at the child before him, the light behind him illuminating his hair, and for a moment, he wondered if it was death. Hey everyone. Ok so a section filled with heavy symbolism, lots of non-linear progression, and a very disturbing background of what really happened to Caleb. I know it's a dark side of "In Time" but don't worry the bright sides are just head (for a while at least before dark sides come back). So do you have questions, comments, suggestions (And please I know this was dark but if you didn't like the section try to understand that this is only one of many future sections which will be much brighter)? Well send them my way at EFoster447@yahoo.com I know this section was particularly emotionally trying, so if I somehow offended someone please understand I am not intending to by any means. So if you enjoyed this section check out my other story 'Restart' in the gay male young friends section. Also I started posting another series (though it will only be three parts long) called 'Starlit'. Currently part one is out and you can find that in the gay male science fiction section or high school section. I have to thank my editor Mike Archer for editing this part for me. I hope you guys enjoyed the story and are enjoying it so far. I hope you guys will continue to read it as new sections come out and enjoy it as well. Thank you everyone for reading.