young Dimitry

Prologue

Family bonds.

People say it is the strongest type of bond there is. That between parents and children. Between siblings. Nothing is stronger than that. Because you know your family will always be there for you. They'll have your back. You can always count on their support.

Fucking bullocks!

Family bonds are as strong as toilet paper!

Families will turn their back at you when things get inconvenient for them.

I stopped believing in that nonsense a long time ago. After what I went through there is no way I could believe in that. Not after what they did to me. My own family cast me away. My own parents betrayed me. No one knows how much it hurts to be seen as the black sheep. That was my role. Until my parents couldn't take it. Honestly. I had my problems but my folks overreacted. They never listened to me.

They shouldn't have been surprised when I finally snapped. That's what they get for ignoring everything about me except when I did wrong.

But I don't hate them. Not anymore. I moved beyond that. The past is the past and it can't be changed. And I hold no regrets or grudges. Not like I can anyhow. But that will be explained in time.

I am Dimitry Hart.

And I am what happens when a person is allowed to be swallowed by the darkness.

It was a normal day for a normal family, with normal weather, in a normal, small English town a few kilometers north of London. The father drove the car, his wife sat beside him, and in the back was young 12 year old Dimitry Hart.

"Dimitry darling, how was your day with Dr. Bartlett?" Asked Dimitry's mother.

Dimitry ignored his mother's question. For several months Dimitry had been going to therapy sessions with Dr. Richard Bartlett, a psychiatrist. Dimitry was a 12 year old boy. Much shorter for a boy his age, skinny, dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes. But he wasn't the typical 12 year old. He hardly had any friends, seldom spoke to anyone; at school he was a loner and kept to himself. At outcast.

Young Dimitry has temper problems. Even though he was the calm and quiet type he would go into sudden, violent outbursts. To the point where he injured two classmates at school. It was the school that forced Dimitry's parents into taking him to psychiatric therapy.

"Hey brat, your mother asked you a question. Answer her!"

That was Dimitry's father, Arthur Hart. He was the typical male. He was the breadwinner and king of his castle. He made the rules and everybody followed. A typical patriarchal house. He could be authoritarian but not abusive. A self made man. A businessman. His successful career had given him and his family a middle class life. Arthur was a big guy. When he was in secondary school he was a rugby player, and remained like that throughout his secondary school and university years.

Dimitry and Arthur always had problems with each other. Dimitry had no athletic skills whatsoever, nor any desire to join any sports team. Which disappointed his former jock father. Arthur hated the many problems Dimitry caused him. The fights, the outbursts, the constant psychiatric visits and therapies, it was too much money wasted on one kid. When the school administrators and psychologist advised him to intern Dimitry into a psychiatric hospital, he was more than delighted to do so, so he could stop dealing with a problematic child. But he was stopped because his wife refused to accept that.

"Arthur please. There is no need to scream at him. Please sweetheart, tell me how your therapy went today."

Dimitry's mother, Martha. She was a hard working mother, always attentive of her children's needs, and always supportive of her husband. But she was somewhat spineless, seldom questioning her husband's decisions. Except in the case with Dimitry. She loved all of her sons, but she is in constant worry of Dimitry. No matter how hard she tried, Dimitry simply refused to open up to her. But she doesn't lose hope that one day her son will be rid of his problems.

"It was okay. We just talked, like always, mum. He asked me questions and I did my best to avoid answering them."

"What? You little fiend! I am not paying a fortune so you can just go, sit on your arse for an hour and not make any progress." His dad yelled at him with an irritated and furious tone.

"…don't call me that…"

"Arthur, he will open up when he wants to. You can't force him." His mother tried to defend him.

"What are you talking about, woman? 'Open up when he wants to?' The hell with that. This little fiend should say what the bloody hell is wrong with him so I can stop throwing money down the drain."

"Stop calling me like that!" Dimitry shouted. If there was one thing he hated with every fiber of his being was being called "little fiend". He hated that, it hurt him. His father would use it every time he was angry at him, and to blame him for whatever problem was happening.

"I hate it when you call me that. I hate it!"

"Well look at you, you punk. Who are you to raise your voice at me like that? If I wasn't driving I would slap you." Arthur said.

"There will be no slapping. Violence will solve nothing." His mother turned around to check on Dimitry. "Dimitry honey don't do that. Stop biting your nails, you know that's a bad habit, and it makes you look like you have no manners."

Every time Dimitry was anxious or nervous he would start biting his nails, and sometimes even his fingers.

"Brat. I'm getting tired of that behavior of yours."

"Let's just stay calm." Martha was trying to make peace between them as she always did. "I don't want Cody to see you fighting when we pick him up."

After several more minutes of driving, and of silence, they arrived at the kindergarten where Cody went. And there he was, waiting at the front gate, little Cody. Cody was the youngest of the brothers. He was six years old. He had short, blond hair, and blue eyes. He was a sweet, cute boy.

Cody was Dimitry's light, the one member of the family he adored with all of his might. His baby brother was everything to him. Dimitry protected him from the neighborhood bullies and their older brother Sean.

Arthur opened the car's door and said, "Get in son."

"Hi daddy." Cody greeted as he entered the car, wearing a bright smile. "Hi mummy."

"Hi baby," said Martha as she smiled back.

Cody's smile widened as soon as he noticed his brother Dimitry. "Dimitry." Cody jumped into the car to hug his brother. "I missed you big brother. Did you have a nice day?"

Dimitry hugged his brother back. "Yes I did, baby brother." Dimitry kissed his brother on the forehead. He always did that, whenever he saw him for the first time in the day. Whether it was before going to school, or in case he hadn't woken up yet, after school. "Did you have a nice day?"

"Oh yeah. I got the highest grade of the whole class. The teacher even gave me a golden star." Cody talked with innocent excitement.

"That's my boy. I am proud of you son." His dad looked at Dimitry through the rear view mirror. "It makes me happy when one of my sons gives me good news, instead of just problems."

Dimitry ignored that jab.

After some more driving, the family finally arrived at their home. Their house was a Victorian-era, 2 storey house. It was a quite large house; four bedrooms, all on the second floor. The living room, kitchen and dining room were all on the bottom floor. And a custom built office space for Mr. Hart in the second floor.

Everyone got out of the car and entered their comfy home. "Boys get ready, I will be making dinner soon."

Cody went running up the stairs to his room."Yes mummy."

Dimitry didn't answer, he headed to his room.

Arthur just sighed. "What are we going to do with that boy?"

Martha answered with a worried tone in her voice, "I don't know. I just want my boy to be well. Maybe increase his therapy—"

"More?" Arthur interrupted. "He is already costing us a lot of money. That money could be paying for a nice summer cruise, like we have been planning."

"Right now Dimitry's wellbeing should be our only priority. No a holiday trip." Jesus, why couldn't she make him understand that? Her eyes started to tear up.

"Martha please, don't get like that. It is bad for you." Arthur was trying to console her.

"Hi mum, hi pops."

That was Sean, Dimitry's older brother. He was 17 year old, in his final year of secondary school, and the rugby captain. He was the complete opposite of Dimitry tall, a body built like a ton of bricks. He was popular, athletic, always surrounded by girls and the other jocks. Arthur couldn't have asked for a better son to follow in his footsteps.

"Little brat giving you troubles?" He asked.

"Sean, don't talk about your brother that way," Martha said..

"How about dad's nickname? 'Little fiend' is it?"

"Maybe it is the constant nicknames from his family that make Dimitry shut us off." Martha had had it with this type of conversation. She headed for the kitchen.

"Sheesh, what's with her attitude?" Sean asked with a sarcastic tone.

Arthur sighed. "I don't know. It is probably that trouble maker for a brother that you have. He's been going to therapy for over five months now. He's made no progress. Bet he's doing it to piss me off."

"Sounds like you are dealing with a pain in the arse, dad."

"Indeed." Arthur placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "If only he was more like you, son." He then went to the kitchen to talk to his wife.

Dimitry had not closed the door of his room, so he heard everything from their conversation; every hurtful word and sentence. He had listened to those words many times throughout his young life, but that did not mean it hurt any less.

"Idiots…and liars. They always lie. In front of me they pretend to care, 'oh poor Dimitry, he needs his therapy', 'this will be good for him', 'he will open up soon'. But behind my back is always how I am a waste of money, or a brat. They talk to me like I'm a burden." Dimitry looked at himself in the mirror of his dresser, "I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for the stupid therapies. I just want to be left alone. Why can't people just leave me alone? Why can't people stop lying to me? Even my own parents lie to my face."

Tears were rolling down his cheeks, he slammed his hands on the dresser. "I hate this!" Dimitry's voice changed, it was more serious, more colder. It didn't sound like the voice of a boy. "I hate them. I hate liars. I hate people that hurt me. Just like those two at school. They hurt me, so I hurt them back." A devious and insidious smile painted on his face. "Liars must pay. I want to hurt them… I want to—"

"Hey big brother. Want to play with me and my toys?" Out of nowhere, little Cody jumped into Dimitry's room.

As soon as he heard his little brother's voice, he went back to himself. It looked as if Dimitry wasn't aware of that trance he was in. He just wiped the tears from his face, turned to face his brother, and tried to fake the best smile he could. "Of course I will, Cody. You know I can't say no to you."

"Thanks big brother." Cody was shaking with excitement. But he did not fail to notice the wetness in Dimitry's eyes. "Big brother, were you crying?"

Dimitry cursed in his mind for not wiping the tears. "What, n-no I wasn't…well yeah I was. But don't worry about me. What do you want to play?"

Cody did not seem fully convinced, but he knew not to bother his brother with too many questions. "Well I brought my cars, so let's race."

The brothers did nothing but play. They used the cars and raced them all around the room. But Cody won because his cars, apparently, had the ability to fly. Dimitry didn't care, he just wanted to see his baby brother smile, so he put up with him.

Dimitry broke the silence. "Cody?"

"Yes, big brother?"

"You love me right?" Asked Dimitry.

"Well yeah, duh. I love you more than anything big brother."

That made Dimitry smile. "And you would never lie to me, right Cody?"

"Huh?" Cody was a little confused by that question.

Dimitry leaned in closer to his brother, "Cody, everybody lies to me. Our parents, our brother. Even the doctor. But you wouldn't do that right? I can count on you, right little brother?"

"Yes big brother. I would never lie to you."

Satisfied with that answer, Dimitry hugged his brother. He hugged him with the love an older brother was supposed to have for a younger sibling.

I am glad Cody, because if you lied to me too, I think I would lose it.