PSYCHO

ROME'S POVI wish I had an idea of what I was being sent to do, but no one had said anything to me. It would have made it easier to explain to Lance that I wouldn't be available for some time.The guards sat in front and behind me while Stan sat on my side.I turned to the one in the back and asked, "Where are we going?"He didn't reply; his eyes lasered to the windshield.Right, they didn't talk to me.None of them did.They didn't relate with me in any way unless they'd received an official order from Grandfather.They treated me like an inanimate object and had no shame about it. It felt like talking to walls of cement. I wouldn't be surprised if this was also a product of Gramps' paranoia.The only one who seemed to have the right to interact with me was Stan.But I hated him so much I'd rather have a root canal surgery with no anesthesia than exchange words with him.He didn't mind my anger, though.He even seemed to enjoy it.Psycho."We're going to the place your Grandfather chose for you, boy. So shut up and sit tight."I hated to do as he said, but I had no choice.Finally, after three more hours of driving, we rolled through a high-walled compound and stopped in the middle of nowhere.The door opened, and Stan clipped behind me to get out.When I did, he tossed my duffel bag to the sandy ground and motioned to a guard.The guard grabbed the bag and poured out the contents: my Nintendo, phone, game cards, clothes, everything."What are you doing?" I burst and lunged forward to wrestle my stuff from the guard.He pushed me off and continued to sift through my bag, but I didn't give up. I punched, yanked, and yelled at him.Still, he didn't budge.Suddenly, someone pulled me off, and a shard slap sent my head whipping to the side.I resisted bringing a hand to touch my stinging cheek.I blinked, my eyes wide.Stan...hit me?"I told you to shut up, boy," he spat, his face crinkling with annoyance. "Take him to the shed and give him the rest of his things; we must leave."What?"You can't leave me here," I argued.Stan glanced at me and folded his arms over his lean chest. "Your Grandfather brought you here to be a man, boy. Don't disappoint him."The next thing I knew, another guard was hauling me by my collar."Let go!" I swung my legs, coughing as the collar dug into my throat. "Let me go!"But he didn't listen and yanked me through thick bushes until a hidden metal shed appeared.He dragged me through metal doors and threw me down. I stumbled, rubbing at my sore neck.He dropped my bag with a thump, then handed me a note. It read: "Your room is upstairs. You can change and take a look around the place."I raised my head to ask which room number, but he was already gone.God, I hated this place already. I had pretty fast legs, and I'd managed to outrun some of the guards before.But they always caught me, didn't they? I could never escape my life.Sighing, I swallowed the ball of frustration in my throat.Not wanting to wallow any longer, I found my way upstairs. There was only one room at the top, and it didn't have a door.A small bed was next to the wall in the far corner, a closet, a desk with a lamp, and a chair. Everything was made of either wood or metal.I looked up. The ceiling was a gaping hole, but something separated the inside from the outside. Was that glass?Tossing my bag to the floor, I peered around.I guess this would be my new home for the next...few days?I unpacked the little left in my bag, changed into a wife beater and cargo pants, and went downstairs.Stan had hit me.He'd done it in front of the guards nonetheless. Had Gramps given him permission?Did that mean the guards would hit me, too? The thought of suffering at their hands sent chills down my spine.I'd seen them beat a man half to death before. It wasn't pretty. At all.Descending from the last step, I halted.A group of bulky men stood in the room. I recognised some of them. They had to be guards.One man with rolled sleeves stood up amongst them and smiled at me. His teeth sparkled."Good afternoon, sir. My name is Kingsley, and I'll guard you during your stay here."I fought the trusting smile that wanted to escape. I knew better than that, so my face remained passive. "Anything else?"Slowly, his grin morphed into a straight line.There it is."I'm in charge of you, sir, so if anything you do doesn't follow what your grandfather wants..."I understood perfectly.He had permission, and he wasn't afraid to use it. His use of 'sir' was his way of mocking the hierarchy.The guards behind him looked solid and firm. One hit from one of them would take me weeks to recover.I wasn't here to have fun.Nothing good would come out of boldly doing what I wanted when I knew exactly what kind of person my Grandfather was.What I hated was his purpose for me here.He didn't just want me to become a 'man.'He wanted me to be sly, brutal, and callous.Like him.He wanted me to find faults in everything good and find the charm in everything bad.I could play this game. I'd do as he wanted but I'd never become him.No one was going to make me fold against my own will. Who cared? It's not like we acted like a real family. I was tired of wishing for it.Lifting my hand, I accepted the handshake. "Pleased to meet you too, Kingsley. I'm Rome. I'll be in your care."