Page 50 of He's the One

“On my tenth birthday, my parents had an evening planned that involved a lot of sick pleasure for them and no pleasure of any sort for me.”

Theo chomped into his lip so hard he tasted blood.

“Until then, they’d confined their abuse to my brother Dominic, but at fifteen, he was getting too old for them. They used to hit us both, but I had no idea what else Dominic had been through. I still feel guilty for not realising how bad it was for him.”

Oh God.Theo’s heart lurched.Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God.

“Dominic told me to go to my room and stay there. I did, until the sounds from downstairs stopped. I found Dominic in the lounge, sitting in our father’s chair, covered in blood. He had a kitchen knife in one hand, Dad’s mobile in the other. Our parents were sprawled face down on the floor. Mostly naked. Not moving. Gagged. Cable ties on their wrists and ankles. Blood everywhere.”

Christ!“He’d killed them?” Theo felt stupid for saying that because of course he had, but…Holy shit.

“Yes. Dominic had a stab wound at the side of his chest.” Col gave a choked sob. “He said he was dying. He told me I’d get looked after by a nice family and I said I didn’t want a nice family. I wanted him.”

“Oh Col. I don’t…” Theo could barely believe what he was hearing.

“Dominic said he’d given them the chance to say they were sorry and they hadn’t taken it, that he had to stop them doing the same to me as they’d done to him.”

Tears were rolling down Col’s face. “I told him I wanted to be with him, that I didn’t want to go into care. I asked him to kill me too.”

Theo clutched Col’s hand as tightly as he could.

“I pleaded with him. And I threw myself at him. I didn’t realise for a moment that the knife had gone into me. Then it hurt. Dominic hadn’t meant for it to happen. He was crying and sayingnoover and over again. And I saidthank you.”

“Col!” Theo was crying too now.

“It’s still so clear in my mind, always replayed in vivid technicolour. I was wearing my Spiderman T-shirt, and blue pyjama shorts and they were soaked with blood. So was I. Blood freaks me out, even on a TV screen.”

“That was why you couldn’t look at my face when my cheek was scratched.”

Col nodded. “I passed out and came round when the police arrived. One of them rushed out with his hand over his mouth and I heard him throwing up outside. I didn’t see what Dominic had done to our parents but I overheard people talking. It was shocking enough to steal my voice for a while. Dominic had… He’d cut off Dad’s cock.”

Theo tried not to flinch but…Jesus Christ.He wiped a tear from Col’s cheek.

“Dominic was brave. He still is. He was sentenced to a minimum of twelve years. None of it was fair. He didn’t deserve what our parents had done to him and he didn’t deserve to be punished like that. He should be out by now but when he was transferred to prison at twenty-one, he was attacked and killed another prisoner. After that he was sent to Marsden. Then back to prison. And recently back to the psychiatric hospital again. He’s been locked up for fifteen fucking years. He should be released soon, but… Sometimes when I see him, he isn’t anyone I recognise. Other times, he’s the brother I remember. Not turning up tomorrow when I’d booked to go and see him will hurt him and I never want him to be hurt again.”

“If the doctor says it’s okay for you to go on a car journey, I’ll drive you.”

Col’s eyes were fluttering closed.

“I’ll be back first thing tomorrow. Okay?”

But Col was asleep.

It was a while before Theo had his head straight enough to drive home. He sat in the car park thinking about what Col had said, trying not to imagine what life must have been like for him and his brother. Theo knew monsters existed, but he’d never thought he’d ever even meet someone who’d had to fight them. If Dominic hadn’t killed them, what would have happened to Col?

Yet even as he thought about it, he wondered why Dominic hadn’t told someone, asked for help, run away with Col instead of going home. He supposed Col and Dominic asked themselves the same questions.

When he got back, he went into the hall rather than to the stable block. He needed to be with someone and for once, he wanted his father and not James. Theo crept up to his father’s office and sighed when he saw light under the door. He knocked quietly.

“Just a moment,” his father called.

A few moments later when his father opened the door, Theo was on the verge of tears.

“Theo,” his father whispered.

His family didn’t hug much, but Theo walked into his father’s arms and felt them wrap around him.

“Is your friend…?” His father didn’t finish the question.

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