♨Chapter Four - Hurt and Threatened♨

Trapped in a huge mansion, forced to play their grandfather's game

♨Chapter Four - Hurt and Threatened♨

99% of rumors are faked just for the soul pleasure of a group of bored students. Though sometimes, but rarely, we come across rumors that are real and alive. Those become part of the 1% that lingers behind the rest. They exist with tales of truth, sometimes dipped with a sprinkle of lies. But nevertheless, these rumors reflect the truth.

And for a boy named Yuu Taylor, those rumors couldn’t reflect more of the truth. His life was full of misfortune. As were the unfortunate lives of his three younger siblings, forced to bear the same pain.

If it wasn’t for their grandfather’s hate, they wouldn’t have to endure that kind of hurt.

***

-One year ago-

“Why do we have to?” Naoki, a small boy of Japanese descent -half Japanese- stood hand in hand with his twin sister, Yuri. The little boy, with identical blonde hair to the other three standing beside him, whined with the idea of seeing their grandfather. They were told by their father that he was a rich man, but he was also a man of honor. That was something the old man valued most and upon each of their births, they disgraced the family.

Fortunately, at least from their grandfather’s eyes, they would not carry the family name.

Yuu looked at his younger brother and sisters. The twins were only five years old, but they knew the cruelty of their grandfather. “We have to” He bent down to his brothers height, brushing the loose strands of hair from his face. “What other choice do we have? All our other relatives are too far, plus they have children of their own”

His oldest younger sister watched him with worried eyes. She knew better than the twins what it meant to go to their grandfather for help. There was a chance they wouldn’t even be offered a chance at all. But, it was all they had left. “Are you sure, Yuu? Grandfather won’t be happy”

He gave her an uneasy nod. “I...I’m not sure how this will work out. Just give me a chance to talk to him. If we don’t do this they might split us up”

“Who?” Yuri and Noaki asked in unison.

Their older siblings, Yuu and Hikari, looked at one another, then at the children. “The state. Our family. The only person who can have all four of us is grandfather...it's our only chance”

“Or we get separated” Hikari finished. With a sigh she took one of the twins in her arms and held the other’s hand. “We’ll wait here. Good luck, Yuu”

They stood outside the Ohashi mansion. The four had been standing there for almost an hour before getting the courage to go in. In the end selecting Yuu as an ambassador. He walked through the gates, looking every which way at the traditional japanese garden.

Within the distance he heard the clanks of a bamboo water pipe streaming the water into a large pond where fish swam free. Once getting to the door of the mansion, he hesitated before ringing the bell.

Only a few short seconds later, a man in a traditional kimono answered the door. “May I help you?” He asked with a strong accent.

Yuu often heard that his grandfather employed staff from Japan and kept the traditions of Japan as close to home as possible living in America, but he wasn’t expecting it to be that true.

The house itself was of Japanese decor. The roof, the tatami, the sliding doors, even the garden. All of it was like being in Japan.

Yuu nodded. “I am here to see Ohashi Yasuo” He answered with a bow.

The man in the kimono observed his actions, then let him through. “I assume to see your grandfather, Yuu Taylor?”

With another bow, Yuu nodded. Taking off his shoes at the front door, Yuu followed the man through the house to another room that was light by candle. The man first knocked, introducing the boy to the older gentleman.

“Of course” The grandfather spoke with a crisp voice. “I was expecting you after hearing about that man’s death”

Yuu resisted the urge to glare. He knew exactly who the old man referred, his father. “I came here for a request”

“I figured as much. You have already brought shame upon this family with your existence. Two of you killed my beloved daughter. Now, you seek my help?”

The boy of only half decent nodded. He sat on his knees, hands on his knees, his head down. The way his mother taught him all those years ago. “I beg of you. We need help”

“I can see that. What can you offer me that will persuade me to help?”

“We will do all that you ask of us. We will earn our keep and behave just as you please”

The old man grunted. “And why me? Surely there are others from his side of the family that would take you four in. Why come here? To bring more shame upon this family?”

“Not at all. We do not want to be separated” The four were truly unfortunate.

“Lift your head” Yuu did as commanded of him. “If you four are to live here, you may use the guest house. There will be rules upon staying here. I will be responsible for your living, as for everything else, you must provide it yourself”

Yuu looked around the man, confused. “Isn’t that illegal? Shouldn’t you be giving us basic needs like food, water, clothing...”

“You will provide those things yourself. If you do not wish to be separated, you will follow these rules unconditionally. Understand?” Yuu nodded, hiding his anger. “The four of you will remain at the top of your class. I expect each of you to be involved in some kind of school activity and club. These are also unconditional”

“How will I provide the other things?” He rose his voice unintentionally. “I’m only 15. I can’t get a job just yet”

The old man glared at him. “Do not raise your voice to me!” And with a swing from the back of his hand, Yuu had a red mark. “That is for you to figure out. I expect all of you to obey these rules. Top of your class. Clubs. Provide for yourselves. No noise. No mess. No crying. If I hear so much as a giggle from that house I will throw you four out. You have no idea the kind of shame you have brought upon this family. If the household were to even see you...as for that blonde hair of yours-”

“No. I will not dye it” The only memory of their father, the inherited color of their hair. All four had it. “I can’t”

The old man stared down at him. “Fine. That you may keep. It is disgraceful to keep the fact that you're...mixed...a secret from the others of the house. They already know of Ayano’s mistake to marry that man. Hiding her spawn should not be necessary. You may leave. The four of you will be taken to the guest house”

With another bow, Yuu turned to leave the room. He reached up to touch the tender skin, hurting and stinging as he winced. The man in the kimono led him to the front door to collect his things as well as his younger siblings. They walked the way to the guest house in silence, receiving nasty looks from the other residence as they passed.

Their home was more of a small shack. It wasn’t much of a guest house, more of a converted garage or storage shed. There was on single room, a mattress on the floor with a small kitchen around it. “The master of the house predicted you four would come here. He quickly had this place furnished”

Hikari looked at the man. “Why? He hates us, doesn't he?”

“It is not honorable to ignore the needed help from Ayano’s children. It would be a disgrace not to aid you four. But it is also disgraceful to have you four here on the land. This place was the only option” The man replied, bowing before he left them there.

The four began unpacking, placing their clothing into the one dresser in the corner of the room. “He really believes in honor, huh?” Hikari spoke, but Yuu quickly shushed her.

“Don’t speak like that. In this family his word is absolute, mom told us that, remember? We can’t go against him. That goes for the rules too”

“Rules?”

“We have to be the top of our class and join at least one school activity. It’s pretty stereotypical, but that’s what he wants. Also, he won’t be providing for us, that we have to do on our own”

“What?” Hikari sat down on the mattress along with the twins. “Provide for ourselves?”

Yuu nodded. “Food. Clothing. Basic needs like that”

“He can’t do that!” She stood up, glaring at her brother.

“He can do whatever he wants. He has us playing his game” Hikari sat back down, listening. “If we disagree or go against his terms he’ll kick us out. If that happens we might get separated”

Hikari put her head down. “How do we get that stuff?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get a job”

“But how? You're only 15”

“Anywhere. Some places hire at 15, I’ll apply at those places. We only have to do this for three and a half years. Once I turn 18 we can get out of here”

“Yuu, what about college?”

“Don’t worry about that. This is my decision. Just concentrate on school and clubs, I’ll handle the rest”

His sister looked at him in disbelief. “You're talking about getting top of your class with a job and club activities. Yuu, you’ll never have time for anything else”

He sighed. “I can handle that, Hikari. Yuri, Naoki,” The twins perked up at their names. Yuu bent down to the twins height, smiling at them. “You two have to be on your absolute best behavior here. Don’t make any noise, don’t cry, we have to be quiet here. The both of you need to work hard in school, alright?”

The twins looked at him with a puzzled look. They were only five years old, but somehow understood the situation. “We’ll get kicked out, right?”

Yuu nodded.

Since then, he got a job and worked to support them. Rent was not a concern, but food, water, clothing, school supplies, all of that was. And all of that he provided for them. At points he found it difficult to study for tests while participating in football and getting to work on time, but eventually he found a pattern and stuck to it.

All of his free time was absorbed for one single thing. His goal. His only purpose was to keep what was left of his family together, and he would gladly take the burden. And so, he played his grandfather’s little game. He scored at the top of his class, was one of the best in high school football, and worked a part time job. With each of these things, he obeyed his grandfather’s every command.

---

He waited outside the elementary school for a long while, looking around for a pair of twins, half japanese with blonde hair. Groaning, he watched the time on his phone. If the twins didn’t hurry he’d be late for work...again. He could tell that his boss was getting fed up with him being late all the time. But none of it was his fault. Hikari got held up at school because of her club and, on par with their grandfather’s rules, that came first.

So he got stuck picking up the twins from school. But, that did not mean anything good for work. Yuu had a feeling that he would get fired for sure.

“Yuu!” Yuri and Noaki called out, running over to their brother. They smiled at him, then immediately stopped upon seeing his expression.

“Let’s hurry back” But he was already about five minutes late for work.

They walked swiftly from the school back to their grandfather’s mansion. Yuu worried that he would get to work far too late, but he was also fairly certain that it didn’t matter if he hurried or not. He would still be fired in the end. Still, he couldn’t just slow down. They picked up the pace down the sidewalks, nearly getting hit by oncoming traffic, and getting to the mansion as quickly as possible. By the time Yuu got them back to the house, he was already 20 minutes late for work.

“D****t” He groaned, quickly getting his uniform on and combing his hair back as nicely as he could. The clock revealed he was now 25 minutes late. “S**t! Where’s Hikari?”

Just as he said those words she appeared in the door, out of breath. “I’m sorry. The meeting went longer than expected”

“That’s fine. You only did what I asked you to” He tapped her shoulder on his way out.

Since the beginning he told them to only be concerned with themselves. Do well in school and concentrate on club activities. He never told them to be concerned about his job or the things they needed. He promised to provide all of that, but for their agreement with their grandfather to come first.

He raced out of the house, but did not run through the garden just in case his grandfather was watching. Once he got to the road, he sprinted forward. Being the football athlete that he is, he raced down the streets to his job. He wasn’t even concerned with running through the intersection when the light was red. All he was concerned with, was getting to work. But once he finally got there, he was over a half hour late.

Looking at the building, he panted hard and out of breath. His hair, which was combed back, was sticking up in all directions as sweat caked his face. “I-I’m sorry”

The boss glared at him, grabbing his arm and pushing him outside through the employee entrance. “Look at you! Our customers do not come here to see our employees sweating up a storm and panting out of breath. Do you know how late you are? This is the fourth time this week!”

“I-know...I’m re-really sorry”

“You say that everytime. How am I supposed to employ someone who barely shows up, and when you do, you look like this!” He angrily gestured to the grime and sweat.

Yuu took a deep breath. “I apologize. It won’t happen again, promise”

“That’s what you said the last hundred times this happened. Go home, Yuu. You're fired”

Yuu blinked a few times until he could comprehend it. He knew that he would get fired for being late all the time, but he wasn’t prepared for the shock of losing his first job. “A-alright”

“I’ll pay you for this week, just because you're a good kid” His boss padded his shoulder before turning and wondering back into the restaurant.

The blonde haired boy stood there, bewildered. With a sigh, he turned around and walked back. He couldn’t bare facing his sisters and brother with the news. It meant they wouldn’t be able to eat for a while, not if he couldn’t get another job soon enough. With a bow of his head, he walked along the sidewalk aimlessly until he reached an unfamiliar neighborhood.

A few children played in the streets playing hockey or soccer, people walked around with dogs and it was peaceful. Eventually he recognized this side of town. He’d only been to the neighborhood once near the end of 8th grade. And during that time it was not a good experience.

His eyes gazed around the area once more, looking around at the children that played innocently in the streets. Families walking their dogs without a care in the world. Sometimes he wished to be back to those days when his mother and father were still around. The days he played innocently in the streets as a kid, not having to worry about money at his age. A smile came to his face as he remembered those days.  

“Tomo!” A girl yelled.

Yuu looked up. A girl was chasing a small dog who’d gotten off its leash. He quickly stepped on the end of it, catching the dog and picking it up in his arms. The dog was a husky, just a little puppy.

“Oh thank god!” The girl huffed out of breath. She reached out and took her dog back from Yuu. “Tomo, you gave us a huge scare, don’t do that!”

“Uh, hey” Yuu took a step back from the awkwardness. The girl was pretty, very pretty. Her eyes were a beautiful light blue, and her hair long and black with a wavy curl to it.

She smiled at him. “Thank you for catching him. I don’t know what I would have done if he got too far away. Oh, my name’s Miranda” Taking out her hand for a quick shake.

Yuu gladly took it, smiling back at her. “I’m Yuu. And sure, it was no trouble at all”

The girl looked at him, observing his clothing. “Work huh? I thought that restaurant was all the way up there” She gestured up the hill from the side of town he walked from.

He looked down at the cement. “I was at work...I, uh, got fired today”

“Really? What’d you do?”

“I...was late”

Miranda laughed slightly. “Well, that seems like an extreme reason to fire someone”

“Well, I was late a lot so...” Why was he telling her all this? Was it because she was pretty and he wanted to make conversation? Whatever was the reason, it had his heart skipping a beat.

She pursed her lips. “Guess that mean’s you're out of work then, huh?”

“Yup. Now I have to find another job”

She looked at the ground again, thinking. Her eyes made their way up to his as she smiled a scary grin. “How are your baking skills?”

“Baking?” Had he ever baked before? “I...don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever baked”

“Would you be willing to learn? I know someone who would love some help and it would get you a job right away” Miranda took his hand without letting him respond. She was practically skipping down the sidewalk back to a bakery that stood connected with a house. Yuu found it strange, but continued anyway.

They walked through the doors of the bakery, looking around at all the bread that sat on treys. “Sage!”

A moment later, a woman walked through the door of the main house. “What is it, Miranda?”

“You said you wanted to hire, right?”

The woman, Sage, looked at Yuu. “Yes, I did. Why? Who’s you're friend?”

“This is Yuu. Tomo got out so I went to chase him and-”

“Damnit, Miranda. How many times have I told you not to leave the house without someone with you!”

Miranda jumped at her mother's words. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t that far, I swear”

Sage sighed, calming herself down. “That’s alright” She went to hug her daughter. “Just be careful. As for this guy...” She pulled away from Miranda and looked at Yuu. “Just who are you?”

“I’m Yuu Taylor. I go to the high school just up the road”

“Taylor? Are you by any chance related to Hikari Taylor?”

“Yeah. She’s my sister”

Sage nodded. “Then I know who you are. She comes in here at least once a week to buy the bread. One of our best customers. Sure, you can work here. I’ll even give you an employee discount”

Yuu could hardly believe what he was hearing. It was like fate was looking out for him. “Thank you so much” His voice filled with thrill.

“Don’t mention it. Now, sweep” She threw him a broomstick, gesturing to the floor and noticing the confused look given to her by the boy. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I stutter? I thought I clearly stated to whip my floors. You do, after all, want to get paid right?”

“Uh, yeah”

“Then sweep. I also want all of the left overs from today on one tray. We usually give those out to friends. Next, I need you to clean the ovens, wash the windows, change the sign, and count the money in the register. Don’t take any of it, though. Alright, get to it”

After receiving the command he went straight to work. As for the woman and her daughter, they went straight into the house. Sage gave Miranda a stern eye before gesturing for her to sit down. “So you left the house without telling anyone?”

“It was just to get Tomo. He got out so I went after him”

“How many times have I told you? Stay in the house!”

“What was I supposed to do?” Miranda’s tears welled. “Stay locked up in my room like some kind of animal? I’m not like her. I’m wasn’t born like this. I was at school, hanging out with friends, walking with the sun on my face-”

“You just don’t get it. What would you have done if it happened while you were out there? Alone?”

“There are other people outside!” Miranda stood up, glaring at her mother. “Someone would have gotten help. God. You're so concerned with keeping me out of harm's way you're hurting me yourself!”

Sage was taken back by her daughter's words. She studied the glares given to her by Miranda. The same glare given to her that day. “I’m keeping you safe. Whether or not you see that doesn’t matter”

“I would rather die than continue to be locked up in this house with you” Miranda gritted her teeth, not caring to hide her hate for her own mother.

But the woman couldn’t say a single thing in response to that. “Go to your room”

“I won’t do th-”

“Go to your room!” An anger finger pointed up the stairs.

Miranda cursed at her, stomping her feet up the stairs and pushing passed Jane at the top. She slammed her door shut, pushing her face into a pillow and crying. Much like she did every night.

Jane went down the stairs to find the woman sitting on the couch with her head in her cupped hands. “You know she doesn’t like it here”

“I can see that” Sage put her head up, sighing. “Not since the first day she came here”

“Who would? Being told that you have a disease that’s eating away at your body, knowing that you could die at any moment...she isn’t like Morgan at all”

“No. She isn’t. But at least Morgan didn’t yell at me”

Jane sat beside the woman, wrapping her arm around her shoulder. “She didn’t like it here either. In a way they arent all that different”

“At least Morgan smiled once in a while”

“Morgan had Kalen”

Yuu looked satisfied at the ovens, they gave off a clean sparkle. Next were the windows, which he quickly cleaned and dried. Gathering the left overs was the easiest job of all. There were only about four or so loafs of bread and about five cupcakes, one being a large cake. After dusting off the tables he walked into the main house.

He took notice at the same thing Mia did. The family photos. He noticed that girl in the pictures was Miranda, but then she disappeared for a few of the family pictures, then reappeared. The earlier photos, seeing as they were all dated, showed the family smiling as if they were at a party. Mirada stood beside everyone, smiling. Then he noticed that she disappeared in the later pictures, only to reappear in even later pictures.

“Did you finish?”

Yuu jolted, looking away from the pictures and redirecting his attention to Sage. “I am. Here’re the left overs” He reached out his hands, which were holding the tray of food, out to her.

She looked at it, then back at Yuu. “Just keep it. Think of it as getting paid in advance. Tomorrow I need you to come back sometime before closing time”

“Closing time?”

“At 6ish. Or after, I don’t care. Just make sure you come here everyday on a school day after I close up shop to clean up. On the weekends I need you here during the day. Think you can manage all that?”

Yuu nodded. “Are there other employees?” Seeing as the bakery was rather small.

“Tristan. He goes to school with you actually, he’s a junior at the highschool so you might know him”

“I’m a sophomore. I don’t think I know anyone named Tristan”

“Hmm?” Sage eyed him, crossing her arms. “So, do you know Kalen? He really isn’t hard to miss. About this high, wears black now, kind of got an attitude”

Yuu nodded. “Yeah, I know him. Why? Are you related to him or something?”

Sage nodded. “You could say that. It’s a bit more of a complicated situation. I’ve called his parents before but he won’t talk to me. If you ever see him around tell him Sage wants to talk”

Most likely it was the look in her eye’s that made him curious. Much like Sophia, Kalen's mystery was starting to intrigue him. Still, he knew better now not to pry in Kalen’s business. “I’ll let him know then” Though he wasn’t sure when, where or how he would go about doing that.

He left the bakery with a lot more pride than he had going into the bakery. It would be a special night for those unfortunate siblings. They hadn’t eaten something that sweet since their mother was still alive. Since the passing of their mother, their father was full of deep depression. At times, Yuu had to take care of the family when his father got drunk and lounged about the house. The sight their father had turned into was too much for the children, and the two oldest would not allow their twin siblings see their father in such a state.

Once he got home, it was not a good find.

Naoki laid on the ground, shaking as the old man stood above him. Quickly, Yuu hid the food and ran up to them. “What are you doing?” Being sure not to raise his voice.

The old man glared at Yuu, grabbing his shirt and throwing him to the ground beside Naoki. “Look at this!” Gesturing angrily at a few spilled drops of grape juice. “I take you into my home and you disgrace it by staining the floor. Have you no shame? You four shouldn’t even exist, yet you do not care for making a mess of this house! A punishment will ensure you think twice before dumping a beverage on my carpet!”

He reached around for a belt, grabbing Naoki by the hair and pulling him up. “Stop!” Yuu grabbed onto his brother, pulling him into the comfort of his arms. “You can’t do this!”

“I can and I will. Or would you prefer to be separated?”

Yuu looked at the floor. “No”

“Then move aside”

“I can’t let you do this!”

The old man huffed. “The young boy stained the carpet. He must learn the consequences of his actions”

“He’s a child” Still lowering his head, he made a decision. “It’s my fault. I didn’t give him a proper cup. He can’t drink from a regular glass”

“The boy is nearly seven years old!”

“And I apologize. That is my fault as well”

Their grandfather lowered the belt in his hand. “This is your fault?” Yuu quickly nodded. “Then you are to take the punishment. You must learn how to raise these demons properly, otherwise they will not be able to survive in life”

“I accept all blame and punishment” Yuu said, letting go of Naoki and pushing him over by their sisters.

Hikari quickly hid the children's faces in her chest, watching Yuu give her a smile before the first lash. The twins covered their ears as their brother gladly received the punishment in place of Naoki.

Later that night, Yuu gave the twins the cupcakes he’d gotten from the bakery. “Where’d you get those?” Hikari demanded.

“I got a job at that bakery you go to all the time”

“Sage’s bakery?”

“That’s the one...ow”

“Sorry. Hold still” She was cleaning off the wounds on his body, each indent on his skin. Luckily he wore his shirt and none of the injuries were bleeding, just bruised up a little. “How do you get rid of bruises?”

“Hmm? I don’t know. Just leave it. As long as I clean the open wounds it won't get infected” He stood up and walked over to the sink where he splashed some water in his face.

But Hikari wouldn’t let it go. “How can you just be okay with all of this? He hit you”

“Exactly” He put his hands with hers, giving her a smile. “It was me. Not Naoki”

She gave him all kinds of expressions. “Yuu...it’s not right. He was about to hit Naoki and he really hit you. This isn’t right”

“What do you want to do, Hikari? Go and tell the police? What’ll we do then?” He threw his hands up, walked around in a pace and looked back at her. “I’ll be a junior soon. The school year is almost over. That means we only have two more years left and then I can get us out of here”

“But Yuu-”

“Let me deal with it. He won't hurt you. Not Yuri or Naoki. I won’t let it happen. The only thing you have to do is-”

“Get good grades and go to my club”

“See? That’s all you have to worry about”

He started to walk out of the room, but was stopped when Hikari hugged him. “What about me? I’m 15, I can get a job and help out-”

“I told you. That’s my burden, not yours” He turned to face her, brushing strands of hair from her eyes, kissing her forehead. “You, Yuri and Naoki should live a normal life. All I want is for the four of us to be together. And I will gladly do all I can to ensure they don’t tear us apart. We already lost mom and dad. All we have left are each other”

They went to sleep that night after eating the desserts. The twins were a little wired on the sugar, but listened to Yuu and stayed perfectly silent. They laid beside one another on the one mattress. All together. All they had left.

He really only lives for one purpose.

Author's Note

Let me know what you think!! All thoughts are greatly appreciated > Suggestions, comments, likes, anything and all. ^=^