Page 72 of Spark

It was the weekend before I could finally go back outside, but only when Darren was home and chose the time. I’d been reading in my room when Clive told me I’d been given the go-ahead for my woodland walks, and I immediately jumped to my feet. I power walked my ass all the way down the stairs and to the back door, trying not to seem too anxious as I almost ran into the woods as soon as I was on the grass.

Safely behind the shade of the trees, I took off at a dead run, heading straight for the fox’s den. My lungs burned in my chest as I pumped my legs through the woods, hope driving me forward that my furry little friends were still alive. Reaching the den, I came to a quick stop at the tree I hid behind and peered around to instantly hunch in disappointment as I looked over the now destroyed den. Stomped out completely, nothing was left of the little burrow, just a kicked-in mound of dirt and grass.

Slumping to the ground, I pulled my knees up to my chest to rest my cheek on top of my knees. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to release all my pent-up rage on Darren’s stupid face with a spike covered baseball bat, but I knew only one of those options was available to me. Screaming would just bring my shadows to me and upset Darren, and the spike covered baseball bat wouldn’t likely end well for me. After a few moments of self-pity, I wiped the dampness from my eyes and stood up. I needed a distraction, something to take my mind off the oppression that was my life.

Walking around for a while, I finally came across the perfect branch for a bo staff hanging low from a tree. No fucks given about Darren’s rules, I climbed up the tree, jumped to the branch, and pulled it down as hard as I could until it snapped. I landed on my feet easily and pulled the remaining pieces of the branch from the tree. It was a little heavy, which was perfect, as was the length. Pulling each of the smaller branches off, I worked the branch until it became one single long stick. But it was still uneven.

Leaning the branch against the tree, I made my way over to the stream and scanned the water for the perfect rock. I had to walk up and down the stream for a while before I caught my foot on the edge of a sharp rock, scratching my ankle. Bingo. Bending down and ignoring the scrape on my skin, I wedged the rock from the muddy bank, pushing and pulling it as best I could until the mud finally released my target. The rock was a lot bigger than I thought it was. Like plucking a damn iceberg from water, it was much bigger at the bottom than I thought. But I was strong, and I carried that heavy bitch all the way back to a good hiding spot so that I wouldn’t have to worry about someone sneaking up on me.

Grabbing my branch, I whittled it over the sharp edge of the rock until the broken nubs of the smaller branches were gone, and it was nothing but a smooth, broad staff. The ends were still fucked up, but over time, I could whittle the ends to a point, but I was low on time as it was.

With only about twenty minutes left, I made my way to the middle of the clearing and tested my makeshift bo staff out. The aerodynamics were off, but the weight was good, heavier than usual, and flowed nicely in my hands. Heavier was better out here, considering it was excellent strength training. Not to mention, the next time I got my hands on a real bo, it’d be a hell of a lot lighter, which meant I’d be a hell of a lot faster.

It was easy to lose myself in the bo. Twirling it in my hand and around my body, I forgot all about everything beyond that clearing. Meditation had nothing on this. This gave me something to do, something else to focus on instead of merely the sound of my own heartbeat and breaths. I loved the feel of the bo. Even if it was uneven and rough, it was the perfect distraction.

A few short minutes later, the timer on my watch went off, reminding me I only had five minutes left. I quickly found a good spot to hide the bo in the grass and jogged my way back to the estate, emerging from the trees right on time. I found Clive and Owen standing on the patio waiting for me, and I didn’t even bother to acknowledge them as I trudged past them and into the house.

A scowl immediately lit up on my face as I saw Darren standing near the hallway with Scott, signing some papers on a clipboard and discussing something. I didn’t even hide my disgust as I walked past him, heading for my room.

“Jaden,” he said, taking my forearm in his hand. He almost sounded apologetic.

“Fuck off,” I snapped, swinging my arm out of his grip and continuing my pace.

I didn’t make it very far before I was slammed up against the wall, Darren’s hand ready to crush my throat at any moment.

“The fuck did you just say to me?” he growled, and I felt my entire body respond with heated fear and anger.

“What did you do with them?” I snarled back.

“With who?”

“My foxes! Did you kill them? You did, didn’t you!”

His gaze went from intense to furious.

“What have I told you about making accusations?” he barked, his fingers squeezing around my neck for emphasis.

I winced at his voice, chewing on the inside of my cheek to avoid answering him. I knew where this was going.

“Answer me, Jaden,” he warned, his voice turning deadly and convincing mine to quiet.

“Not to make them,” I grumbled.

“That’s right, so stop trying to presume everything around you. Whatever it is you think you might know here, you’re wrong, so stop torturing yourself with assumptions. If there’s something you want to know, ask me.”

“Yeah, right! Like you don’t enjoy leaving me in the dark! For the first couple of months, you wouldn’t even tell me where we were until I finally found out for myself.”

“I said you could ask. I didn’t say I would answer.”

I scoffed, smothering a laugh at the back of my throat.

“But you’ll never know what information I will willingly give you until you ask,” he continued, that knowing shark grin playing at the corner of his lips.

“Fine,” I said, trying to calm myself down. “Please… tell me what did you did do with the foxes?”

“Your foxes, along with all the other wild animals deemed threatening, have been relocated to a wildlife sanctuary where they can live in peace without the disturbance of humans.”

I could feel my eyes beginning to water as shock took over. He’d spared them. He had actually chosen life over death for the first time since I’d known him. I gulped back my anxiety, my dry throat burning with fear as I looked up at him.

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