What I'm Not

Chapter 16

Its been about two weeks since I last saw Takara. I've tried everything to see him but nothing worked. The lock was too strong and used a passcode, the window was gated, and Takara never responded to my voice. Derrik told me that whenever he saw Takara at school, he was wearing some kind of collar around his throat.

"It isn't fair," I cried the night he was taken from me.

My mom opened the door and walked in. "Hey, sweetie. Whats the matter?"

I pointed toward Takara's room. "Dad locked him up so we can't see each other! He practically imprisoned him."

Mom's face darkened but lightened up a little bit when she handed me a bracelet. It was a little bit bulky but it had my favorite show on it.

"I saw this at the mall and knew you'd like it," she said in a strange way. "I hope you can wear it all the time like you do your other bracelets."

I slid it on.

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Two weeks. It feels like eternity without him. But then he showed up, at lunch. Something was off about him though. Then I caught it.

His once flat black hair was touching his shoulder and spiked in some places. His shirt was torn with blood stains around the holes. His eyes had bags and his brown eyes were glazed over and lost of any recognition of the world. He had scars on his face and his left arm was limp by his side.

As soon as he was within ten meters from me, his eyes shot open and he started having a seizure. He fell back and his shaking stopped. I started running to him but his scream stopped me in my tracks. He grabbed at his collar with his right hand and cried out in pain as his body shook more and more violently.

"The bracelet," he shouted. "Take it off!"

I tore off all of my bracelets and tossed them to Brianna. Without checking to see if she caught them. I sprinted to Takara's motionless body. He was breathing but he was started to bleed in various places. Blood crawled from his mouth.

"Takara! Takara!" I held him in my arms. "Takara!"

He turned to me with glazed eyes. "Dad has been a little rough with me, huh?"

Derrik came up beside me and gasped. "We need to take you to the nurse, man."

Takara raised his hand slowly and pointed toward Brianna. "Take my collar off and bring the bracelets." He grunted as we lifted him. "I need them."

We struggled to take off the shock collar but it came off and we carried him to the nurse's office. Once there, the nurse told us to lay him on a bed.

She examined him quickly. "What the Hell happened to him," she asked frantically.

I felt rage build up inside. "Our dad. He hates Takara so he abuses him."

The nurse flew through every cabinet and started treating him. "Why don't you call child rescue or something!?"

"Because Takara is adopted. They'll take him away."

Derrik ran to the toilet and lost it. I stared at Takara, praying for his survival. Holding the vibrating shock collar and bracelet in my hand.