The Skeletøn Bøy

FIVE

"A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong. When those needs are not met, we don't function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. We numb. We ache. We hurt others. We get sick". -- Brene Brown

++ C H A P T E R | F I V E ++

"I told you, Mary, leave the child alone!"

Mary shook her head as she clutched her infant close to her heart. "This one is alive, Ted! No deaths this time. No crying, no hard feelings, no heartbreak. This one is alive!"

Ted rubbed his forehead. "You're going to smother the poor child."

"Yes, with my love." Mary sighed, staring into her child's perfect blue eyes. Everything about the child was perfect, unharmed. This child survived. Everything was absolutely perfect, except for one little thing.

"We need to try again," She offered, smiling at her husband. "Then we'll have the perfect baby."

"What is wrong with Ellie?" Ted questioned, starting to grow annoyed with his wife. Ever since the death of that child, Mary had become a new woman. She'd taken on a new personality, and Ted wasn't sure he liked it. He wasn't sure Mary was the woman he married, any more.

"You know very well what is wrong with this child. We'll try again, and name the baby Adrian."

"And if the child isn't a boy?" Ted frowned, wishing his wife would stop this strange obsession with babies.

Mary looked Ted straight in the eye. "Oh, it will be a boy. And we will name him Adrian."

Anna shook her head, mortified at what had happened to her new children. "Tortured? What sort of monster is this woman?"

Adrian had gotten finished telling Anna about the many instances where he or Elliott would be physically abused. It was hard to verbalize, but it had to be done. She had to know.

"She came close to killing Elliott many times. Once, she tried to drown him in the local swimming pool. We'd been swimming alone, and Elliott accidentally splashed mother. She was so furious she struggled to keep his head under the water."

Anna covered her mouth. No wonder poor Elliott was so closed off - he couldn't trust anyone. Anna, coming from a loving family, couldn't believe that these children had suffered so much. She had assumed abuse when she took them in - they were covered in scars and bruises. But this, this was different.

"Why Elliott?"

Adrian shook his head. "Mother always said he wasn't what she wanted. That there was something wrong with him. And as I grew older, there was something wrong with me, as well. Just not to the degree of Elliott. Mat, however, was never touched. He was just emotionally abused, thankfully."

Adrian felt weird disclosing everything about their past. All of their mother's plans to kill them. Everything was out in the open.

Everything except for the secret.

"She wants you three back, you know. She came to me asking for you, threatening that she'd go to court. I really believe she will, especially if she's this obsessed with you. Obsessed with harming, at least."

"Elliott would never let that happen." Mat said, hugging himself. "He's always going to protect us. That's what he's always done. We'd be dead if it wasn't for him always coming to the rescue."