Secrets (Jason McCann/Dolan Twins au)

Prologue

Unknown POV:

He slapped her across her face. The sound echoed throughout the cold, dead-silent room. He slapped my mother. He hit my dear, sweet mother. My mother, who cared so much for me. Who woke up early each morning to make me a breakfast early enough that my father wouldn't beat her for it. My mother who protected me at all costs, even if it meant being beaten up like what was happening now. Why did he hate my mother so much?

"Stop!" I screamed, running out from behind the door where I was watching the two, running from my protection out into their bedroom. 

He looked up at me, right into my eyes, and stabbed my mother.

Her screams bounced off the walls that never felt like home. A bright crimson seeped out from her body in such a large quantity I had only seen in movies. Her knees buckled out, and she fell to the floor, catching herself with one hand, the other clutching the knife.

"You see what happens when you disobey me, boy." He said, stalking over to me.

"P-please," I said, voice shaking as i backed up against the wall. He picked me up by my neck, the air leaving my lungs but not being able to re-enter.

"Let him go, your problems are with me." My mother called, blood dripping steadily out go her.

He turned to look at my mother, his grip tightening on my neck.

"He's the reason I stayed with you, and it was the worst mistake of my life."

I kicked him where it hurt, and he let me go. I ran to my mother's side.

"Leave me, go! Get out of here!" She screamed at me. She never screamed at me. So I ran. I ran like my life depended on it, and it did.

But being 8 and slow had its disadvantages, like the fact you're easy to catch. My father grabbed my ankle and I went tumbling. My side caught the door, and I felt fire burning where it had scratched me. His fists pounded into me, making me feel agony, then numbness, and the cycle repeating with each hit. 

"Stop, please! Mom!" I screamed out for help, but no answer. I looked over toward her. She had passed out on the floor. Or maybe she was dead, I couldn't tell. The torture became too much for me to handle, as the numbness took over. I took one final glance at my mother, not knowing if it'd be my last.

---

"Jason."

I'm by the ocean as the sun is rising over the horizon. A girl stares at me. The sun bounces off of her curly brown hair, shining with every movement she makes. Her beauty could be seen from miles. She smiles at me. It's nice here.

"Jason," she calls.

I look at her, lost in her brown eyes. They feel like home. This feels like home. It's peaceful.

"Jason!" She yells at me, as an unknown force takes her away from me. The peace is broken.

No, please. Don't go away.

"Please!" She screams before she disappears from sight.

My mother appears before me as soon as the girl leaves. Panic written all over her face.

"We have to go," she whispers quietly, like if even the wind hears she'll be hurt.

"You have to hurry." Her voice is rushed as I hear a bang in the distance. It almost sounds like one of my father's guns.

The scene shakes back into the room where my mother and I had been beaten. My mother shakes me repeatedly, urging me to get up quickly. She's covered in blood, and my skin looks like an aliens. It's cover with blue, green, yellow, and purple marks. 

I stand but fall to the floor as I'm too weak to stand on my own.

"Jason, you listen here. I can't carry you, we don't have time. I need you to be strong. I need you to be brave. You have to get up, if you don't, he'll come. We both know what he'll do to us. We need to go now." She is already making her way to the window as she finishes her words.

I stand up shaking, but keep moving. It's either that, or Father will kill us. Mom is halfway out the window by the time I'm beside her. Tears stream down her face as more blood drips from her. When she reaches the ground, she hold her arms out for me to steady myself. When we get out of our house we hobble as fast as we can away from it. 

We can't take a car, he'd track us down, so we have to move as quick as we can on foot before he notices we've left. Soon enough we arrive at my mom's best friend's house. She bangs on the door as quick as she can. Ms. Dolan opens the door, and lets us in.

"We don't have much time before he realizes what has happened. We have 2 hours tops." She says rushed as she throws a stack of bills on the table. 

"I stole this from the side table when he left, it should be enough, but we have to be faster than him."

"You two clean up, you can't look suspicious at an airport. I'll get the stuff ready." Ms. Dolan hurries off, and Mom takes me to the bathroom and washes me up. 

"You can sleep now Jason. When you wake up we'll be in LA. No need to worry about the dangers of New York. We'll be safe after this." She kisses my forehead, and I fall asleep.