Chapter Fourteen
Durandt nodded his head as he looked at the boy in front of him. His hair was stringy and matted to his head, his eyes seemed lifeless and dull. He was severely underweight and bruises marked his body. They had taken pictures while he was unconscious and Durandt had no idea how the boy had survived for so long. It filled his soul with disgust at how the boy's father couldn't even be bothered to ask about his son.
“Do you think you can talk about what happened?” Durandt’s voice was gentle and Lee swallowed nervously. “Your parents are in jail, they’ve been arrested. With your story, it’s unlikely they’ll ever get out of jail.”
“My mom was scared … she brought me food some days … mostly I was hungry and cold. My dad has a temper, he kept me in the cage, and beat me. Some days he’d put a collar around my neck and make me crawl towards a bowl in the corner … fed me dog food.”
“Your doctor noted plenty of old scars on your body.”
Lee blinked again. Of course, they did. “I’ve been his dog for a long time.”
“Your uncle is here, a judge has granted him temporary custody of you. He wants to take you home with him.”
“I have an uncle?”
Durandt’s heart broke for the boy in front of him. He’d never seen anything as horrific as the state of this boy chained in that cage, treated like a dog, the cuts and bruises told a story of horrors that nobody should ever live through.
“His name’s David Munroe and …” Durandt’s voice lowered to a conspiratory whisper. “He’s a good man, Lee. He will take care of you.”
Lee didn’t answer him, plainly because he didn’t believe him. Why would a stranger treat him well when his mother and father hurt him? Life wasn’t a fairy tale and everybody wanted something, nobody was just good.
Lee spent the next two weeks in the hospital and his parents were arraigned and charged in court. The judge allowed Lee’s verbal testimony as sufficient evidence to convict. Lee never saw the inside of the courtroom and Durandt was the one to tell him that his parents had been found guilty and were currently in a federal penitentiary.
It would be the last time Lee smiled for years to come. It was a smile that spoke of relief and Durandt had to blink his tears away. The boy in front of him, Lee Munroe, was a true warrior, a survivor and he hoped to God that nobody ever hurt him again.
“Hello, Lee.” The man stood by the end of his bed and he had a nervous smile on his face. Lee recognized him from the pictures Durandt had shown him but trust wouldn't come easily.
“Hello, David.”
“Your doctor says you’re ready to come home.”
Lee only nodded his head. Home. He had no idea what home was supposed to mean or represent. He had never had a home before, only a cage. Would he have a cage in David's home too? Would this cage have metal bars and a dog leash? Would this cage be of his own making in his mind warped with darkness? It didn't matter much, Lee was still in that cage even if it didn't have bars anymore.
He followed David out of the hospital and into a shiny, new SUV. Inside it smelled like new leather and he looked out of the window the entire time David drove them to his house. Lee was memorizing the route, in case he had to escape and could find a way to escape.
The first few months were hard, Lee had terrible nightmares of being back in that cage, being force-fed dog food and he was always cold. David and Cecile, David’s wife, were patient, and loving and never forced him to talk, instead they just showed him affection and understanding. At first, he hated that they cared, hated that they were nice too.
He had twin cousins, Blair and Blaine, a year younger than he was. They were mischievous boys, always getting into some sort of trouble but they looked to Lee as their silent leader, never asking what had happened to him, but sometimes just sitting outside his room and talking to him through the closed door. Lee never answered them but he lay on the floor next to the door and listened to every word they said.
Lee rarely talked to anyone and the Munroe family accepted it just as they had accepted Lee into their house. Lee also rarely showed any emotions, not on his face and not in his gray eyes, his eyes seemed dead to the outside world.
Three years went by with Lee being homeschooled, rarely going outside except now Lee partook in conversations with his family and his bedroom door remained mostly open. Lee had grown tall and filled out because now he ate three times a day instead of once a week.
“Cecile and I’ve been talking and we were wondering how you’d feel about going to school for the last two years of high school.”
“Do you want me to go to school instead of staying at home?”
“It’ll be your choice, Lee. I just think that high school has a lot to offer. There are clubs you could join, sports and friends.”
“Okay.”
David smiled and the twins high-fived each other. “It’ll be awesome having you at school.” Blaire was piling pasta onto his plate as he kept talking about everything Lee just had to do.
Lee’s first year in school went off without a hitch. People tended to avoid him because he was broody and quiet and he sat alone at his own lunch table and nobody bothered him. He wasn’t teased or bullied because he was a big teenager and Lee came to like his solitary position in school. He joined the football team and found that he was a natural defensive linesman, so he played football.
“Lee! Dude!”
“What, Blain? You look like you just won the lottery.”
Blain was clearly excited. “Rumour has it that Janey’s hinting for you to ask her to the Spring Fling Dance.” Blain was wiggling his eyebrows and Lee had no idea why. He looked ridiculous doing it.
“No thanks.”
“What the hell do you mean ‘no thanks’? Janey’s one of the hottest girls in school!”
Blaire plopped down on Lee’s bed and grinned at his cousin. “Yeah, Lee, what the hell?”
“Why would a popular, beautiful girl like Janey want to go to Spring Fling with me?”
“Uh … Lee, have you looked in the mirror lately?”
Lee frowned slightly as they both started to laugh. “I look in the mirror every day.”
“Lee … they call you THM.”
“What the hell is THM?”
Blaire grinned widely now. “Tall, hot and mysterious.”
“So … are you going to ask Janey to Spring Fling?” Blain looked hopeful.
“No.”
