CHAPTER SEVEN

Jacob sat there in the awkward silence. The only thing he could do was stuff his face with food. The sneaky glances that Chris gave him made him withdraw more into his shell.

'Uncle'. He could not remove the fact that Chris was officially his uncle from his mind.Jacob sighed and decided to pay attention to his food. He turned around to look at Helix who had tapped his shoulder.

"The steak is tasty. Try it." Helix said worriedly. Helix could clearly tell that Jacob was feeling awkward. 'The bond' Jacob thought.

Helix had explained everything to him. He could not tell if having someone else know how you was a good thing. But he definitely knew that it was a weird feeling. He could not digest the idea of someone always looking through his thoughts.

"This silence is irritating!"Chris remarked as he slid down into his chair,"So tell me, why were you on the run Jacob?"

"Shut up and eat your bloody food before it remove your teeth with a screw driver!"Helix spitted. He knew Jacob was already uncomfortable. He wished to let the kid slowly adapt to his new life. And Chris taunts was not part of the plan.

"I am just trying to bond with the boy mate."Chris said smiling maliciously from ear to ear.

"Aye, shut your dammed crooked foul mouth this ins..."

"I ran away."Jacob interrupted Helix,"I was in an orphanage that was in an anti-gay area. And I .....am gay."Jacob adjusted himself in his seat so that his eye met Chis'

"My parents dumped me there because the could not 'expel' the demon that turned me gay from me. They thought that it was God's will to abandon me. Th orphanage which i thought would be a safe haven was hell. I got lashed everyday in a circle of adults who would 'pray' for me to be healed from being not straight. I got starved, beaten , abused, publicly shamed and locked up over the period of six months I was in the orphanage. I was going to die. I knew it. So I ran."

Silence enveloped the room once more and a maid near by dropped her serving tray. Her eyes welled with tears.Chris, the whole time, did not take his eyes off of Jacob.

"Is there anything else you want to know?"Jacob asked, no hint of fear in him anymore. His trauma has sharpened and hardened him. He was unwilling to let the despise of a person he held no regard for bring him down. 'Survive' That was the only thing that his mind registered. Not fear but the will to live on.

"One thing. What makes you think that I would not kill you."

"Because you would if you wanted to kill me. You throwing jabs at me but not physically hurting me means there is something stopping you."Jacob answered.

"You have a smart mouth,"Chris said laughing,"make sure to use it properly."

Chris got up and left leaving Helix and Jacob behind . With a wave of Helix's hand the maids quickly left the dinning room and the two were finally alone.

"Did I say something wrong?"Jacob asked as worry slowly crept onto him.

"No, the opposite actually."Helix replied smiling at Jacob.

"I see." Jacob murmured as stuffed his face with the steak. The juice and the flavour of the steak filled his taste buds.

"Don't hang you head low Jacob. Your experiences make you no less of a man as my brother and I. Truth be said we are both kin to pain. So hold on to your pain. Use it as fuel for your will power. Let your feelings burn. This are the things that will always remind you that you are living, surviving and conquering. And have pride in yourself. After all, you are now a Pride. " Helix said as he patted Jacob on the head.

Maybe it was the warmth of Helix's hands or the his voice. He wasn't sure but they left him vulnerable.....weak....but....touched . He cried and cried. Emptying his heart of the tears that he held in for the last three years of his life. The pain that he always ignored stabbed his heart. The strong arms that wrapped themselves around him gave him a safe space like none he had had before. In this big rough arms he found solace.His new shelter.

"I will send a maid to start up the bath for you. Go soak up and go to sleep. You need the rest. tomorrow I will take you out so you can familiarise yourself with the area."Helix said at he gave Jacob a gentle shove into his new room. It was different from the one he was sleeping in. The one he entered had the walls painted black with LED lights installed in the ceiling. There was a desk with a three screen monitor and a comfortable gamer seat with a couple of head sets on the desk and a luminous keyboard.

The bed was huge with a dark duvet and eight pillows. It looked fluffy and comfortable. The room also had a coffee table with two couches surrounding it and opposite the a huge smart tv. There were two additional doors in the room which he had no idea where they led.

"The left on is your closet and the right is the bathroom."Helix said as if reading his mind.

"You said you could only read my feelings and not my mind."Jacob said warily.

"I can't read your mind. Your shelves and fridge will arrive tomorrow. This room is officially yours. You can decorate it how you like. I just bought what google said teenagers like in their rooms. You can also repaint and get rid of the items you don't want. There are only two sets in your closet. We will go buy your clothes tomorrow when we head into town. The head maid will assign you your personal maid. One that won't try to kill you." Helix finished, smiling at Jacob mischievously . It took a while for Jacob to understand what Helix meant.

"Isn't this too much?"Jacob asked. The most he had had in his life was a bed and a suitcase in his small inhumane room that his parents would confine him in.

"Considering I did not ask a professional interior designer to decorate it, I think it looks pretty decent."

"What about the money to buy this things?"

"Lucky for you your father's ancestors invested their fortune in projects that made them loaded. I can buy everything I want and my grand children would still have enough to enjoy themselves. On of the may reasons why I don't have a human job. Goodnight kiddo." Helix waved as he left . The door closed behind Helix and Jacob was left in the huge room alone.

"Rich people are scary."Jacob mumbled. As soon as he finished his mumble he heard a knock.

"Come in."He said trying to sound confident.

A maid entered and bowed to him.

"Young master, I am Elaine, your new maid."The maid said. She had soft strawberry blonde hair and a small tan. She didn't look older than Jacob.

"You can just call me Jacob."

"How could I do such a thing young master."She replied almost instantly. Her face gave away nothing about her.

"I insist, plus I really don't know about the master thing. I am only a teenager. Please call me Jacob."

"I am sorry but I can't do that."

An instant rejection. It was obvious that no amount of requests from Jacob could change her mind.

"I will go ahead and ran the bath for you Young Master. Please sit down and wait for me. If you like you can watch tv or play games on your computer. " Elaine said. She quickly walked past Jacob and entered the right door. Jacob sighed and slumped on the bed. He starred at the blank ceiling.

"Should I paint the wolf I saw up there?"He asked himself. He closed his eyes. Th faint smile his mother gave him came to his mind. The silent moving wind. His fathers fake smile as he greeted the pastor.

"May I take a photo of your lovely son?"The church photographer had asked his father. His father let out a huge smile saying,

"Sure thing old sport."The faint smell of earth wafted into his nose. As if on cue, his mother brightly smiled and pulled Jacobs older brother and younger siblings into a a close Huddle.

"Jacob get into the picture."The photographer cheerfully said. His mother unwillingly pulled him in and whispered,

"Smile for the picture, pose with your siblings.... won't you be a good brother."

Those words replayed in his head over and over again. In the silence of the room, he let the darkness whisper evil thoughts into his mind. The only thing he wished for his ratchet family was a gruesome death. Slowly the ill wishes in him pilled up.'You should have killed them' a voice said in his head. He had been hearing this voice since he woke up. He however put it in the back of his mind ignoring it.

"Your bath is ready."Elaines voice pulled Jacob from his trance. He thanked the girl and she left. He entered the grand bathroom and took off his clothes.

"What song shall I play"A robotic voice said from a small speaker.

"Bad liar."Jacob answered as he dipped into the bath. The heat hit his skin making his muscle loosen up. He shut his eyes letting the song sooth him.