Date: Fri, 7 May 2010 18:36:25 -0400
From: Ronyx <ronyx@woh.rr.com>
Subject: Down the Darkened Path   Chapter 10

The following is a work of fiction. Any similarities to anyone are purely
coincidental. The story is intended for a mature audience. It may contain
profanity and references to gay sex. If this offends you, please leave and
find something more suitable to read. The author maintains all rights to
the story. Do not copy or use without written permission. Write
ron@themustardjar.com with your comments. Ronyx is a prolific Nifty
author. Visit www.themustardjar.com for more stories by Ronyx.



Down a Darkened Path        Chapter 10



Questions! Questions! Questions!

Why don't they leave me alone? The questions make me see things- things I
don't want to see. When the questions stop, the nightmares begin.

Did you see them? See them! Their dark and violent features are etched
forever in my mind. They are the last things I saw and the first things I
see.

Troy laid his head back on his pillow. The two faces again emerge. Dark and
dangerous. They crawl from the crevices of the hard concrete and run at
him. He wants the dream to go away, but when he tries to open his eyes,
there is darkness- and the two ominous creatures. They tear at his face and
dig their claws into his sides. He fights back, but it only made them
stronger. It's only a dream he screams inwardly. But if it's only a dream,
why can't I emerge from it? Why is there continuous blackness?

"Give me your wallet!" One of the creatures shrieks madly. He approaches
and devours his head.

Wake up, Troy! But I can't wake up.

Then a face emerges. This time it's a young black man. But again, his face
is dark and dangerous. "I said give me your wallet!" He yells.

I fall. Heavy shoes pound my body. Excruciating pain. Wake up, Troy! My
inner voice screams out. I open my eyes- but darkness.

Get up and run. Run from the beastly creatures. But my body won't move. It
is trampled down by their heavy feet pounding wildly on my body. I hear a
voice laughing. But I can't move.

Then suddenly it is quiet. Deadly silence. I can hear my pain. I can feel
the blood gushing from my face. Deadly silence. Am I dead?

I lift my body, but it falls from the weight of my pain. I open my eyes,
but darkness. My senses are intensified. I can taste the blood oozing from
my lips. I can hear my heart pounding- perhaps taking its last beats. I can
smell the rancid urine on the sidewalk. I touch the ground, trying to raise
myself up. But one sense has deserted me. Only darkness.

I scream out, but like a tree falling in a forest, no one hears me. I am
dead and no one knows.

"Troy!" A voice shouts my name. I look, but darkness.

"Troy!" They shout again. I strike out into the unknown darkness, afraid of
the demons. They grab me and hold me tightly.

"It's alright." Again my senses react. I can smell shampoo from someone's
hair. I can feel their skin against my body and I can hear their gentle
voice telling me everything is alright. But still the darkness surrounds
me.

The darkness scares me and I shout once again. I reach for a hand and I
squeeze it twice. Then twice again, and yet again.

"It's going to be alright," they say softly. "We're going to give you
something to calm you down." Then darkness overcomes me once again and I
sleep. The demons are gone- at least for a while.

*********

Jayden rested his head on the window of Mr. Neal's large Suburban as they
drove away from the hospital. Penny was sitting beside him and she kept
looking worriedly at him. She tried to engage him in small talk, but he
didn't feel like talking.

He wasn't sure he was making the right decision by agreeing to go home and
staying with the Neal's. His life had changed so much the past two years
and he didn't think he could go through more emotional turmoil. He had
barely survived when his mother died. Living with his aunt and cousins had
been a banishment to Hell. As he looked around the truck, he didn't know
how his life would once again change. One thing he was sure of, though; he
really didn't have many options available. It was going home with Troy's
family or living on the streets.

He lifted his head and looked out the window when Mr. Neal's SUV slowed
down and pulled into a long driveway. His eyes widened as he looked out
onto the large home before him. It was enormous. The two story home was
meticulously landscaped. It was well-lit with trees and shrubbery adorning
the large front yard.

"Big, isn't it?" Penny giggled beside him. "Daddy designed it himself." He
pulled into the circular driveway and stopped beside of the steps leading
up to the arched, double doors at the front of the house.

Jayden got out of the truck and scanned the front of the home. He had never
seen anything so beautiful. He felt as if he had walked out of his life and
into a fairy tale.

"Don't be too impressed," laughed Mr. Neal as he put his hand on Jayden's
shoulder. "I have to work my ass off to pay for this."

"Wow!" Nothing else could come to Jayden's mouth as he looked around
him. He jumped when Penny grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the steps.

"Come on," she said. "I'll give you a tour. You're going to love the pool."

"Pool?" Jayden replied in amazement.

"Of course," she laughed. "I hope you like to swim. We spend a lot of time
at the pool."

"I don't have a swimming suit," replied Jayden.

Penny looked over and grinned. "We don't swim in suits." An astonished look
appeared on his face. "Gotcha!" Penny laughed. Jayden felt embarrassed when
everyone started laughing loudly.

"You don't know how many times she's used that," laughed Mr. Neal. "It's
always the same reaction." He put his arm around Jayden and led him up the
steps. "I'm sure one of Troy's swim suits will fit you fine."

Jayden again stopped when they entered the door leading into the immense
foyer. It was larger than the bedroom he had at his aunt's house. Off to
the right was the grand room. The furniture was large and ornate. There was
a large leather sofa and several wing back chairs. Colorful pictures
adorned the walls.

"Wow!" Jayden stood looking into the room. Penny grabbed his arm and pulled
him down a large hallway with smaller pictures on the wall. Jayden quickly
glanced at them, realizing they were family pictures. Several he recognized
as Troy and Penny taken what looked like several years ago.

"I'm starving," she said as she continued to lead Jayden down the hall.

"Fix your mother and me a sandwich," yelled her father. "Do you mind,
Dear?" Jayden looked back and saw them walking up a large staircase. He
assumed they were probably heading to their bedroom.

Like the rest of the house, the kitchen was immense. There was a marbled
center island. Penny motioned for Jayden to have a seat. He looked around
at the cherry cabinets and stainless steel appliances. The kitchen rivaled
any he'd seen in magazines.

"What do you want?" Penny looked at him and grinned. She was accustomed to
people staring at their home the first time they entered. It used to
embarrass her when she was younger because she always felt that her
surroundings might discourage her friends from coming around. Many times
she had to beg her friends to let her go home with them. They often felt
embarrassed because their homes couldn't compete with her lavish
lifestyle. However, Penny never felt superior to them just because her
family was wealthy.

Her parents had never let her or Troy feel that they were better than other
children. In fact, they went out of their way to make them realize that
money wasn't something that one could take for granted. Since an early age,
they had been paid a meager allowance for doing chores around the house. As
they grew older they were given more, but it often came with a price. They
were expected to do well in school, volunteer for charitable causes in
their church and community and to participate in extracurricular activities
at school. That was the main reason Troy had participated in the play.

Jayden sat with his mouth agape as he looked around the kitchen. "Jayden?"
Penny giggled. "What do you want to eat?"

"Um," he stammered. "I'll have whatever you're having."

"Good," she replied. "I'm fixing us a breakfast." Jayden looked up at the
clock. It was after nine in the evening. Penny started giggling. "Nighttime
is the best time for a good breakfast. How do you want your eggs?"

"Fried, I guess," Jayden replied. "It had been several years since he'd
eaten breakfast. His aunt always slept late in the mornings, so he usually
grabbed a bowl of cereal before going to school.

"How about a western omelet?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, sure." He didn't have a clue what he had
just volunteered to eat. He watched as Penny moved quickly around the
room. He could tell it was something she had done often.

"Can I help?" He got up and stood beside her.

She motioned for him to open a cabinet door. "Get out four plates and
coffee mugs." She the pointed to a drawer. "The silverware is there." She
pointed outside to a table on a large, redwood deck. "You can set that
table. It will be nice to eat outside by the pool."

Jayden got the plates and mugs and opened the sliding glass door. He then
stepped out onto the deck. As the rest of the house, it was large. There
was a patio table with a large umbrella. Several lounging chairs were
strewn about in no particular order. Once he placed the plates and mugs on
the table, he walked over and looked over the railing. Below was an Olympic
sized pool. There were numerous plants and trees surrounding it. Jayden
felt that he was looking down at a tropical island.

He jumped when Mr. Neal walked up and placed his hand on his
shoulder. "This is Sheila's favorite place. When she designed it, I thought
she had overdone it. But sitting out here late at night is the most
relaxing feeling. It almost makes you forget your problems." He looked
sadly at Jayden. "Almost."

"Everything is so.. so.." He looked admiringly around. "Beautiful," he
finally said. He gave Mr. Neal a puzzled look when he started laughing.

"I thought you were going to say ostentatious. It wouldn't be the first
time I've heard that."

"I don't even know what that means," Jayden responded. "It's just really
nice."

Mr. Neal put his hand on Jayden's back and led him down the steps to the
pool. "I've got a successful business," he said. "I've made a lot of money
in my lifetime." He turned to Jayden. Tears were appearing in his
eyes. "But you know what?" Jayden shook his head. "I'd give this all up
tomorrow if.." his voice began to crack. "If it would bring Troy back to us
the way he used to be." He turned and Jayden could hear him softly
crying. He felt helpless as he watched Troy's father become overcome with
emotion.

"Are you alright, Mr. Neal?"

He turned and wiped his eyes dry. "Yes, Jayden. I'm fine. Sometimes the
reality of the situation hits me and it's a little difficult."

"I know how you feel," Jayden replied. "I felt like that when my mother
died." When he saw the surprised look on Mr. Neal's face he realized he'd
said too much.

"When did she die?" Mr. Neal walked over and put his hand on Jayden's arm.

"Two years ago," he said sadly. He stepped away and looked over the
pool. The moon was shining brightly down on the shimmering water. "But I
really don't like to talk about it."

"Very well," Troy's father replied as he stepped up beside Jayden. He
looked over and saw the tears shining in his eyes. He touched Jayden's arm
softly. "But if you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm always available." He
looked over and smiled. "I helped two teens get through some rough times."
Again, his face became taut. "I just wish this was something I could solve
with some fatherly advice."

"It's going to be okay, Mr. Neal." Jayden placed his hand over
Mr. Neal's. "I haven't known Troy very long, but he seems to be a
survivor. He'll get through this."

Mr. Neal smiled warmly at the young man beside him. "I'm glad you're here,
Jayden." He reached out and pulled him into a tight embrace. "I think
you're going to be able to help my son." He pulled back as his eyes
shimmered with wet tears. "More than you probably realize right now."
Jayden tensed when he hugged him again, but soon he relaxed and returned
the embrace. It felt good to have someone hold him once again.

Mr. Neal stepped back and looked up at the house. "I guess we should go
back. I see Penny putting food on the plates." They walked up the stairs
and sat at the table on the deck. Jayden didn't say anything as he looked
down at the pool. The full moon was glimmering on the water. He couldn't
remember feeling so relaxed in two years. It was nothing like the noisy
neighborhood he had just left.

He was stirred from his thoughts when Mrs. Neal cleared her throat. "I'll
drop you off at school in the morning, Jayden, when I go to the hospital."
He looked down at the table.

"I'm not in school anymore," he said softly.

"Why?" Mr. Neal leaned over and looked at him. "I thought Claire said you
were graduating this year."

He looked up and attempted a smile. "I kind of quit."

"What?" Penny said excitedly. "How can you quit when you're so close to
graduating? I know it's not your grades because I heard Claire telling
Allison how good a student you are."

"It's kind of personal," Jayden said. He looked down at the pool. He then
excused himself from the table and walked down the steps and stood before
the clear blue water.

He heard footsteps approach and then felt a hand take his and squeeze
it. He looked over at Penny as she looked at the water.

"I love it here," she said. "When I was younger and needed to get away from
everyone, I'd come out here and sit. Troy would do the same thing. I used
to look out my window and watch him just sitting on the side of the pool,
kicking his feet in the water."

She squeezed Jayden's hand tighter. "We were here one night, like you and I
are, when he told me he was gay." She looked at him tearfully. "He asked me
if I hated him." She broke down and cried. Jayden scooted nearer to her and
put his hand around her back.

"I had a similar talk with my mother when I was fourteen," he
confessed. Penny looked at him with a surprised look. His sad expression
turned to a smile. "I even had a bag packed and hidden in my closet just in
case she said she did hate me."

Penny looked at him and smiled. "But she didn't?"

"No," he said as he looked back over the water. "She told me she still
loved me." His wet eyes shimmered in the moonlight.

"She sounds like she was a wonderful mother." Jayden looked over and
smiled.

"She was," he replied softly. Penny reached down and took his hand again
and held it.

"Tell me what happened." Jayden sighed and sat down by the side of the
pool. Penny removed her shoes and kicked her feet in the water. Jayden
pulled his shoes and socks off and did the same. They sat for several
minutes without saying anything.

Jayden looked at Penny and decided if he should explain things to
her. Since she had a younger brother, he was sure she would understand. It
also helped that her younger brother was gay and she accepted him. He
sighed, and then spent the next fifteen minutes telling her about his
mother's death and the life he had lived since that time. It surprised him
when he finished that he hadn't broken down and cried. Instead, it felt
like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

She looked at Jayden and smiled. Her eyes were moist with tears as she
gripped his hand and merely said, "Thank you." She sensed that Jayden
really had no more to say. He had said it all. To give him advice or try to
tell him things would be alright would be useless. She could tell that he
had come to terms with his situation long ago.

She stood and reached her hand to his, lifting him to his feet. "I'm going
swimming," she grinned. She then proceeded to pull her sweater off. Jayden
tried to stop her, but she began laughing. He was relieved when she had a
tee shirt on underneath. "Gotcha!" She laughed. She disappeared into a
small room off to the side of the pool. When she emerged, she walked over
and handed Jayden a pair of swimming trunks. She had already changed into
her swimming suit.

"You can change over there." She pointed to the room she had just
left. "This is one of Troy's suits." She quickly scanned his body. "They
should fit you." Jayden walked over into the room and removed his clothes
and put on the pair of red Speedos Penny had given him. He tried to arrange
the bulge that was protruding through them. He walked out of the room with
his hands in front of him.

Penny was in the middle of the pool and swam over to him. She looked up and
smiled. Jayden became embarrassed when she let her eyes roam over his
body. "Wow," she said admiringly. "You have a nice body."

"Thanks," he said embarrassedly. He continued to cover himself with his
hands.

Penny started laughing. "I have a boyfriend," she giggled. "You don't have
anything I haven't seen before. Besides, I used to swim all the time with
Troy. A teenage boy sometimes can't control himself." She turned and
started swimming away.

Jayden sat down at the side of the pool and dangled his feet into the
water. A minute later Penny came swimming back. "Aren't you getting in?"

"I can't swim," Jayden confessed. "I never learned."

Penny offered him her hand. "This is only three feet deep," she said as she
slowly pulled him into the water. "You can stand up in it. Maybe later I'll
give you some lessons."

Jayden walked around in the water, feeling the sensation of warmness on his
body. Even though the weather outside was still cool, the pool was heated
and felt soothing on his body. Penny waded over to the side and threw her
arms over the sides and let her body float in the water. Jayden waded over
and sat beside her, mimicking her movements. He felt like he was sitting in
a large hot tub. He closed his eyes and relaxed. They sat and quietly
enjoyed the water's warmth.

After several minutes of relaxing, Jayden looked over at Penny. Her eyes
were closed and her body was floating on top of the water. "Can I ask you
something?"

She opened her eyes and turned her head towards him. "Sure. What do you
want to know?"

Jayden looked around the pool and towards the house above them. "Just what
am I doing here?"

She turned her body and gave him a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

He stood up in the water. "I mean, what am I doing here? Troy's in the
hospital because my cousins beat the shit out of him; yet your family
invites me to stay here. Why?"

She stood and sat on the edge of the pool and kicked her feet in the
water. Jayden jumped up and sat beside her, looking over for an answer.

Penny looked him in the eyes. "One, you are not your cousins; and two, it's
because of your cousins you don't have a place to stay."

"I still don't know why I'm here." He insisted.

"We had a long talk in the cafeteria when Claire called us down and said
you didn't have a place to stay." She took his hand and held it. "You're a
good person, Jayden. My mother and father think the world of you. I guess
they think they owe you for helping Troy."

"But.." Jayden started to protest, but Penny put her finger to his lips.

"But it's more than that," she said. "I can't explain it, but the moment we
met you, it was like you were a part of our family. Mom adores you, and Dad
thinks you're one of the nicest young men he's ever met. And I think if
Claire were straight, she'd want you for a boyfriend."

"But I can't live up to their expectations," he said sadly.

She smiled warmly at him. "You don't have to live up to anyone's
expectations, Jayden. We're just providing you with a place to stay until
you graduate. That's only a few months away. After that, what you do is up
to you."

He shook his head. "I still don't understand why your family is being so
generous to me." She squeezed his hand tightly.

"Don't try to understand it, Jayden." She smiled. "I know it's hard to
believe from where you are, but good things happen in this world. Just
accept my family's help."

Jayden looked anxiously at Penny. "But what about Troy?"

"What about Troy?"

"What's he going to say when he finds out I'm staying here and it was my
cousins who are the ones responsible for his blindness?" She looked at him
and shook her head.

"We'll have to deal with that when the time arises." She said
worriedly. "He seems to like you, so it may not be a problem."

"I don't know," he responded. "I'll stay here a few days. I'm sure I can
find somewhere else to go."

"Where?" Penny turned and stared into his face. "You don't have anywhere
else to go." She gripped his hand tightly. "Just stay here until you
graduate. Then you can find a job and get an apartment. Daddy might even
hire you to work for him."

Jayden looked down at their hands, then back at Penny. "We'll see." He
frowned. "I still don't think this is a good idea."

Penny started to yawn. "I'm sleepy. It must be late. Let's go inside and
I'll show you where you'll be sleeping." She pulled him up. Jayden grabbed
his clothing and they walked up the stairs to the house.

He followed her through the kitchen and down a stairway off the main
foyer. He suddenly stopped when he reached the bottom. He looked around the
dimly lit room. There was a pool table in the center of the room. A bar was
located on the right. To his left a den with a large screen television, a
leather sofa and several comfortable looking chairs.

"Wow!" Jayden said surprisingly.

"We really don't use this much," Penny responded. "We each have our own
rooms, but once in a while we'll rent a movie and watch it together. Troy
used to entertain his friends down here." He followed her when she started
walking across the room, but he stopped and walked into another room off
the den. The room was relatively bare, except for a baby grand piano in the
middle. Jayden thought it was a strange place to have a piano.

Penny walked over and rubbed her hand gently along the piano. "This is
Troy's favorite part of the house. He'd come down here for hours and
practice. Daddy wanted the piano in the parlor upstairs, but Troy insisted
that he put it down here so he could play without anyone around."

Jayden walked over and admired it. "It's beautiful," he said admiringly as
he walked around it.

"Do you play?" Penny asked.

"No," he replied. "I always wanted to learn, but my mother couldn't afford
to have someone give me lessons."

"Maybe Troy can teach you," she suggested. "He gave lessons to a neighbor
girl down the street. She had a crush on him, and she stopped when he
wouldn't ask her out on a date." Jayden sat down at the piano bench and ran
his hands gently over the keys. He'd hit one occasionally, listening to it
echo around the room.

"Daddy had a designer come in and install acoustical walls. I'd come down
and sit in the other room and listen to him play. He is quite good." He hit
a few more keys and then stood.

"I guess you should show me where I'm going to be sleeping." He grabbed his
mouth just as he began yawning. He followed her as she headed across the
room and opened a door.

"You'll be in this room." She opened it and Jayden peered inside. There was
a king-sized bed in the middle of the room. A large bureau was on one side
of the room, and two wing back chairs were on the other. Several large
pictures adorned the walls.

"We really don't use this room," she said. "Mom didn't know what to do with
it so she turned it into a spare bedroom." She walked over and opened a
door and turned on a light. "You have your own bathroom." He looked inside
at the ornate fixtures and marble top counter. There was also a large
shower with sliding glass doors. It appeared no one had ever used it.

She walked over and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm going to bed," she
said. "I can hardly keep my eyes opened. We eat breakfast at seven. Mom
will drop you off at school on her way to the hospital." Jayden started to
protest, but she turned and left before he had a chance.

He turned and looked around the room. He couldn't believe that his life had
changed so much. Just a day earlier he was living in a shabby house and
sleeping on a thin mattress. He lay down on the bed. His body sunk
comfortably into the pillow top mattress. He thought of climbing out of bed
and taking a shower, but sleep overtook him before he could get up.

**********

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