Teenage Baby

Chapter 23

Chapter 23:

The window. Aaron's last hope.

He sat still and solid in the corner of the playpen, thinking about nothing but how he needed to figure out a way from the window. If Daddy was ready to keep the door open, then he must be pretty certain there was no way he'd be able to find a boost up the fence.

So the difficulty wasn't getting out of the door, it was getting past the fence. And it made sense; what would Aaron be able to drag over, something that would give him quite a big boost up the considerably tall fence? This all had him crumpling plan A in his fist and throwing it out of his mind, disappointed with the failure.

Aaron realized he needed to focus on the window, which brought him back to the fact that he needed to go to the backyard and take a look at it again, figure out where it could lead to and how he'd get there at all.

The captors were all present around, each busy doing something of their own. Aaron's eyes darted upon them all cautiously, and they finally settled on Lou when he realized he was the only one he'd dare to ask a favor. Aaron removed the pacifier then scrambled to the side of the playpen closer to Lou and sat on his knees, both hands clutching the railing as he leant his chin against the metal. "Lou?"

Aaron's voice had been too small and nervous to even reach Lou's ears. He called again, this time a little louder, and managed to catch his attention.

Lou spun around, shaking his head questioningly as he approached and crouched down before the bars. "Yes, baby?"

"Can you take me to the backyard? I like it there, and I really wanna smell some air. Please. It's suffocating here," Aaron said, his eyes so wide and deceitfully pleading that Lou found himself weak. He couldn't say no to that innocent face, nor could he let down the desperate hope sparkling in his eyes.

"Of course baby, but... not now." Lou's heart sank at Aaron's reaction: his smile sparked for a fraction of a second, then melted down into a disappointed pout. He quickly reached a hand to Aaron's head, his fingers sinking deep into his hair and scratching his scalp.

Lou smiled when Aaron closed his eyes as he continued scratching and relaxed against the railing a little more—a response he didn't realize was a devious act Aaron put up just to wheedle him into agreement. "Look," Lou said. "When Leo wakes up and has breakfast, I'll take you both out. How about that?"

Aaron opened his eyes and smiled like a little shit. Lou was too easy to deal with.

But in the background, Mommy and Daddy frowned, because this wasn't the first time their baby would choose to go to Lou over both of them.

*_*_*_*_*

Aaron's eyes trailed up the house and found the window. Just like the last time he'd seen it, bare from protective bars and standing higher than the rest of the windows of the second floor, taunting as it balanced all his hopes of freedom precariously on nothing more stable than a feeble thread.

Beneath the window and a little to the side was a slope of brick tiles that formed a canopy to a terrace and descended to shade only half of it. Then, adjacent to the terrace and facing it directly was where the top of the iron fencing peeked up a little higher than the railing itself, yet suitable enough to step from the terrace onto it and jump down.

And then, freedom.

The path wasn't exactly easy taking in the fact that he had to walk over a descending slope of tiles, then step from the terrace to the fence. And even with the little distance separating both, Aaron found it slightly dangerous yet he was taking the risk just to maintain that tiny glint of hope that formed the only thing keeping him grounded and sane, patient enough to endure all humiliation going on.