~Little Tooth~

Chapter 16:

Jackson's fall

-...-

"Oliver."

Oliver Time turned from his chair at the kitchen table to see Jackson. It was 11 at night and Baby Tooth, Jamie, and Sophie were all asleep in Baby Tooth's room. Jackson was allowed to spend the night too, for he and Baby Tooth really seemed to miss each other. They were closer then siblings before hand and there was a guest bedroom anyway.

"Yes?" Oliver asked, confused because he thought the younger adult had been asleep.

"If you don't mind..." Jackson let out a sleepy sigh. "I'd like to tell you what happened."

Oliver paused before nodding his head, setting down his hot tea, and getting up. Oliver wasn't sure if Jackson couldn't go to sleep or could but...whatever.

"Would you like to sit out on the porch?" Oliver asked.

"S-Sure. Thank you."

The two walked outside and sat down on the porch steps. They gazed at the sky, which had thousands of stars and looked amazing. Oliver had almost forgotten why he was out there until Jackson cleared his throat.

"It took me awhile to notice, but Little Apple was an odd place. It was like a little world all on it's own. It never had much attention from the outside public, media, world. It probably isn't even named on the little tourist maps that they tend to place every building on. It never got donations, of which would have been really useful now that I think about it."

Oliver listened without interruption.

"They didn't send their children off to school. They could have, and it would have actually saved them money. But they home-schooled all of them. Including me." Jackson continued. "I didn't really notice anything off until I was 14. A year or so before I met Baby Tooth. I began to realize all the little hidden emotions from the adults. I noticed sadness sometimes. Anger even. I noticed that they wanted no attention from anyone outside. They didn't want nice, warm families to come a pick us up so that we had a chance at a better future.

"I began to wonder why. Who in their right minds would think this was right? I think the adults began to notice my growing suspicion because they seemed more...more hostile around me. Well, Mrs. Overland and Mrs. Hamilton didn't. They continued to be the nicest people there. I didn't feel like I was in any real danger at the time, though. It wasn't until Baby Tooth came around that I began to realize how bad of a place Little Apple really was."

There was a pause.

"I got really close to Baby Tooth really fast. She was different from the others. I had never seen her around at all. She came up out of the blue. She didn't even look like she was from around here. Her hair was an odd mixture of dull colors and her cloths. She looked heartbroken the first few weeks she was here. After those few weeks she got a bit more open and we became really good friends. Anyway, I began to ignore the odd feelings of Little Apple."

Jackson shifted in his spot.

"Well, ignore isn't the best way to put it. I spent more time with Baby Tooth so I guess the adults felt like they could act even odder without me seeing. Mr. Auditore once tried to inject some strange needle into me. When he wouldn't explain it to me I got mad and yelled at him, leaving the room. I think it was around the time Baby Tooth was learning to talk, so I think she probably heard me."

"Anyway, nothing much happened until Christmas. Christmas morning, Norm was gone. Norm was a close friend of mine. He was almost 18 and so happy about being able to go to college. He'd miss us, so decided to stay until the second week of January with us. So when I was told Norm was gone, I knew he didn't actually leave."

Oliver looked over to see Jackson's face. Jackson was starring at the ground, but his face began to show frustration. Regret, even. When Jackson failed to continue, Oliver had to speak.

"What happened to Norm?"

Jackson spoke weakly. "I think they killed him."

Jackson took a deep breath.

"And after they got Norm out of they way, I noticed their attention towards Baby Tooth. I noticed that she was their next target. They would have killed her too if you hadn't come along. She didn't notice anything, so broke down crying when you came to get her. But I knew that if she were to stay, she would die. I didn't know why Mrs. Overland was going along with letting one of her children go, but I took the chance and saved her, I guess." Jackson looked at Oliver. "I can't thank you enough for popping in when you did. With Norm taken while I was looking after Baby Tooth, I began to realize that I couldn't look after everyone. I'd look after as many as I could but they would still take one out."

Oliver felt...surprised. He watched Jackson's settle movement as the younger man looked back down at the pavement.

"So, I guess this brings me to the night I ran away."

Oliver slowly nodded his head.

"Well." Jackson took a deep breath. "We had all gotten to bed late, due to the hospital nearby overflowing. I remember one boy being left behind at Little Apple, but I don't remember much about him. I had just gotten some sleep, but I was woken up. My memory is still blurry, but I remember being dragged down the hallway and into the basement."

Jackson shivered as he went on. "They cornered me in the dark, cold room. I was freaking out, but they seemed to be laughing. I think it was Mr. Auditore and Mr. Kirkland. They talked about a few things before Kirkland left. Mr. Auditore came up to me and injected some sort of chemical into me. It was slimy green and it scared me so badly. I thought that they had finally decided to kill me off too. That was what they were doing..."

"Mr. Auditore seemed to let his guard down after I was injected, so I took the chance to run. Even when I felt shocked and weak, I was still faster then Mr. Auditore, so I was able to make it outside and hide. I hide in the city, constantly walking around in the shadows so no one would see me. I tried to get whatever was in my vines out, but it had been far too long. Whatever it was began to take effect after half a day. I wasn't able to walk so I hide myself behind a dumpster and against a cold brick wall. Same place Baby Tooth found me in."

"I'm grateful that she found me. It wasn't the two guys that beat me up that next morning that had sent me into a coma. The chemical was designed to do that. I was so tired that I couldn't defend myself when they tried to rob me. I'm kind of surprised I remember everything."

Jackson could tell Oliver was tense. Jackson knew that the man didn't want to believe him.

"The chemical sent me into a coma, and I was under for 2 or 3 years. The hospital thought it was the men who beat me up that sent me into the coma, so they didn't think they would need to provide enhanced blood checks for Mr. Auditore's specialized chemical. I learned that Little Apple took up all my medical bills. Considering how they wanted me dead, I don't know why. I'm pretty sure it sent them into bankrupt because when I woke up, they were gone. I was told that all the children were moved to volunteers' houses or the closest orphanage nearby, which was a few states over. I visited the building many times."

"I had to be taken care of because I was still 17 and unable to live on my own. A nurse took me in for the last parts of my child-teen hood and when I was 18, she helped me find my own place. She helped me find a job and everything. I now live in a small apartment and work at a small Japanese restaurant. I want to start college but I'm still having to ask for help from the nurse sometimes."

There was a pause. Oliver opened his mouth to speak, but then Jackson continued.

"Oliver...A day or two ago, I went back to Little Apple. When I was there, the wind got stronger and I was pushed towards the back of the place. It felt like someone was trying to show me something. I didn't understand until I saw a corpse in the trees behind the place. There was an old dress and a journal, and I realized I knew who it was. The corpse was all that was left of a girl I used to know in Little Apple. Her name was Alyss. She talked a lot about wonderland and wanting to see the smiling cat and funny twins. She talked about being friends with the queen of Wonderland. She had to have the biggest imagination any child ever had."

Jackson's voice showed finality to his story. "I called the cops, but I haven't heard back. They haven't questioned me or anything. I wonder if they are even taking Alyss seriously."

When Oliver realized Jackson's story was over, Oliver was in surprise. He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to believe it, but he trusted Jackson. Oliver sighed and looked up at the moon.

"Jackson...I think you should tell someone about this. Those people...they need to be arrested." Oliver spoke.

Jackson hung his head low. "I know. I want to. I'm just not sure I can handle a case when I'm the only one who knows the truth."

"You're right." Oliver nodded his head slowly. "You'd be beaten in a flash without hard evidence."

"Because of that, i'm not really sure what I should do." Jackson's hand shook. "Forget about it all or try to save the children Little Apple tried to erase forever."

"I'd like to help you, but I wouldn't have a clue as to where to begin."

Jackson looked over at Oliver again, pausing for awhile.

"Should I...should I really take this to court?"

Oliver placed his hand on the younger one's shoulder.

"That is not for me to decide. However, if you do, we'll all be here to fight with you."

Jackson sighed.

Oliver continued. "Don't let it drag you down. If you looked down In the morning Baby Tooth wouldn't let you out of bed, thinking you're sick."

Oliver then sat up.

"Come on. Get to bed. They have school in the morning so you can sleep in as long as you'd like."

-...-

"Let me go!"

"Shut your damn mouth, you brat!"

With a hard slap across the face, 15-year-old Jackson shivered in the corner of the basement, watching Mr. Auditore walk over to an old desk and speak to Mr. Kirkland. Jackson's face throbbed in pain and the tears raced down his red cheeks. His body shook in fright. He knew he'd die soon. They were going to kill him and he knew this better then breathing.

Jackson watched at Mr. Kirkland laughed at something and then walk out the basement door. Mr. Auditore was left with a case and Jackson watched as closely as possible as the man pulled out a needle. It was a small needle, but it was a needle none the less. Jackson tried to make himself smaller, his body aching. The Basement was wet, yet the boy had no idea why.

Mr. Auditore approached the boy. "Finally. I've been waiting for years to do this."

Jackson tried to get up, but grabbed the boy's left arm and shoved his weak body into the brick wall.

"-Ak!" Jackson hissed in pain.

The needle was shoved into his skin, breaking it as well as making it's way into his broken vines. Mr. Auditore pressed down on the needle and the strange, green, chemical was forced into Jackson's body. It burned his skin and Jackson whimpered in pain. When all of the chemical was in his body, Mr. Auditore dropped the boy and walked away to the desk. Jackson's arm felt horribly uncomfortable as he rubbed it. Jackson didn't feel any different. He still felt like he was going to die.

Growling at himself, he thought about how weak he was. Why was he giving up? He quietly got to his feet, and making sure Mr. Auditore wasn't looking, sprinted towards the door, having to run up a few steps.

"HEY!"

Jackson's speed tripled as he ran out the door. He felt petrified as he heard Mr. Auditore run after him. He couldn't help but let some of that pain go in a horrible scream. His feet hitting the floor made a grand echo, but didn't care if he woke up the whole town.

"What's going on!?" Mrs. Overland stopped Mr. Auditore, but the man just pushed her out of the way.

Jackson ran past the front doors and across the street, where he then stopped to hide in the back yard of the citizen's house. He made sure not to wake them up, knowing it was about 2 in the morning. His heart was going thousands of miles per hour and he felt like passing out. Staying there for a good ten minutes, he then made his way to Savannah's shopping district. He'd hide there.

-...-

Jackson's eyes were heavy, but he opened them anyway. His head hurt badly and his body felt unable to move. It took a little for him to look around, but he realized he was in a white room. He heard the beeping of a monitor. A heart monitor. To his side, he looked to see the blinding lights of the mid-day sun. He saw pictures on the walls and a lot of medical instruments.

"You're awake!"

Jackson hadn't noticed the Nurse that had walked in until she spoke. She had on a blue and white uniform and her blonde hair was pulled into a bun. She reminded him of someone. But he couldn't remember anything. After calling someone from a walkie-talkie type thing, Jackson noticed the woman look at him with a worried face.

"My name is Mary. I'm the nurse that has been caring for you for the past 2 years. It's wonderful to see you're awake finally." Mary said in a motherly voice.

"2...years...?" Jackson's voice was cracked and hoarse.

"You don't remember anything, huh...?" Mary sighed. "Once we give you a few checkups, we can talk about it. But for now..."

Mary held the boy's hand. "You're name is Jackson and you've been in a coma for 2 or 3 years. You're 17 years old. You are in good hands and i'm hear to make sure everything is alright."

Jackson, still kind of out of it and hardly able to remember anything, asked her a question.

"So, kind of like...like a...mother?"

Mary frowned. She let go of Jackson's hand and placed her hand on his forehead.

"You've waken up, but you have a fever. Here, i'll go get you some water and some real food. I'll be back in a few, okay?"

Jackson nodded his head slightly. "Okay."

-...-

The man showed Jackson another card.

"What do you see?"

Jackson, who sat in a lonely chair, with Mary at his side, looked at the card. His eyes, tired. He remember, but that remembrance only brought him pain. All he saw was pain.

"A house."

"A house?" The man asked, his glasses reflecting the light and hiding his glaring eyes. "What about this one?"

Jackson glanced at it before looking at his feet.

"A..happy, little girl."

"hm." The man switched cards again. "And this one?"

"A cake."

"And th-"

"Look." Jackson's voice begged. "Can I...you please stop this. It's...not helping."

"Jackson, I am here to help you remember. I'm also here to help you with your future as an adult."

"You're not helping me with anything." Jackson narrowed his eyes.

"Are you saying you already remember, yet you keep silent?" The man asked.

"I'm saying these dark pictures are only making me feel worse. I remember. I don't want to."

Mary's hand rested on Jackson's shoulder. " , I think we should stop for the day."

The man fixed his glasses, placing his cards down on the table.

"Alright. But Jackson, I don't know what caused you to be so silent and dark while you were remembering, but I want you to know it would be best if you just focused on your future. You've missed a lot of school..."

-...-

Jackson, now 19, stood outside the old doors of the rotting building of Little Apple Orphanage. His eyes glared at it's ghostly figure. His hands sat in his pockets as his breath escaped his mouth and fled into the air, being visible due to the cold. His nose was cold and his cheeks warm due to blood circulation. He kicked some of the snow.

"I hate you." He whispered with an emotional passion. "I hate you so fucking much!"

-...-