I probably won't be publishing this very much but I took this off my other account NorwegianLord

SPECIAL THANKS TO:  LGBTQLesbianWriter For editing this for me!

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The sun beat down on the valley. It wasn't too hot or too cold. It was always calm and peaceful.

The birds chirped in the trees, the sound of the river as it gurgled through the narrow woodlands all around him, the distant sound of the waterfall a couple hundred miles away as it fell more that 50 feet down.

Hiram always enjoyed these types of days. He could be alone and not have to worry about his mother.

The two of them lived in a small log cabin in the mountains. Their front yard looked out over the valley and their back yard was a huge balcony overlooking the waterfall that he could hear from where he was now.

There wasn't a town for miles but that only meant they had a curtain amount of electricity. But the two of them never had to pay any rent because they were off the map.

Hi always tried to google their house on google earth, but his results came back empty. It was like it didn't exist. There was no address on the house so of course it wasn't real.

Hiram was walking down the path towards a small outlook called Puffin Point. He nor his mother had ever figured out why someone had named it that yet.

Hiram soon came to the cliff that overlooked the valley around the river. He looked up at the bright blue sky. There were no clouds which bared no shade around him.

He took off his small bag around his shoulder and grabbed some peach calypso that he had. His mother rarely went out for groceries as they were so far from a city; a long trip for them to make. But when she did, she bought food in bulk.

She was out for a grocery run right now. He never went with her because they would take a long time to get home and he didn't like going out in the car. Hiram loved nature better anyways.

Just then there was a small noise from behind him and he twirled around to see a foot sticking out from the bush a little bit away from him. He carefully walked over to the bush and slowly moved it to one side to see a boy about his age if not a year or two older.

He had blond hair and a hansom face.He opened his eyes and looked up. He had emerald green eyes that seemed to sparkle in the sun.

"Who are you?" Asked the blond in front of him. "Me? What about you? There isn't another house for miles." He looked back down. "Well, I ran away from home. My parents are in the middle of having a divorce and I couldn't take it anymore." He replied and stood up and walked to a tree and faced him, leaning his back on the trunk. "My name's Ben. You?" He said as he held out his hand.

Hi grabbed it and shook. "Hiram or Hi, whichever works best." He replied as Ben smiled. "Nice to meet you." Hi stepped back and the blond spoke up again. "Anyways, what are you doing here?"

Hiram cocked his head to the side. "I live up there with my mom." He replied. "We are off the map so we don't have to pay for rent. We set up a ton of solar panels to get the electricity, but we don't have any heat, but we manage." Hiram told him.

"I don't want to go back. Don't send me back. Please." Ben looked desperate. "Oh, ok. I'll talk to my mom when she gets home." "Yes. Thank you so much." He jumped up. "But, where is your parents if you don't mind me asking?"

Hi looked over into the gorge. "My dad left us and I just have my mom. She went for the monthly grocery run. You are welcome to walk back to the house but she won't be back until 1 in the morning. It's summer luckily so I don't have school to go to so we can stay awake tonight if you want." Hiram looked at his watch. 12:30.

"We can go back home now if you want. I've been out here since 6 this morning." He said as he looked at the blond who smiled again.

~*~*~

"So what do you want for lunch? We got tuna, some chips, the last of the salad or some leftover pasta from dinner last night." He said as he looked in the fridge.

"Uh, it's okay. I'm not that hungry." Said Ben as he grabbed his phone and pushed the power button. "Oh man. Parents won't stop texting and calling me. I don't care if you miss me. I don't care what you say. I am not going home. I don't want to. I'll come home when you promise me you won't split." Ben caught Hiram's concerned look, but it went away when his phone rang in his hand. "Oh for cripes sake's!" He exclaimed as he pushed the answer button.

Hi could hear his parents over the phone. "Honey where are you?" Ben glared. "Nowhere. Absolutely nowhere." Ben's dad spoke up next. "Please come home? We are ready to call the police." "How did you leave? No one has seen you in the whole city." Ben put down his phone and clicked on the speakerphone icon. Hiram could hear the conversation clearly.

"If you must know, I'm at a friends. Don't call or text me again. Got it?" "You will not threaten us you ungrateful wench." His dad yelled making Hiram jump. Ben didn't seem fazed. "Please come home. We're so sorry." His mother was in tears, he realized, but he wasn't about to give in. "If you are done being sympathetic, I'm leaving now. You won't ever find me." "Yes we can." Said his dad. He must have seen his confused look as he said, "Tracking you using your phone."

"Nope, sorry. It won't work. I don't have data or internet where I am. Goodbye." "Wait." Yelled his mother. Ben sighed. "10 seconds." He replied. Give us a small clue?" She asked. He sighed again. "Fine," he said after a couple seconds. "I am by Puffin Point. Goodbye."

Ben then hit the end call button and then turned to the other. "You you mind if I use your counter-top?" Hiram shook his head. "But what are you going to do?" "This." The blond replied as he put the phone on the end of the corner and broke it in two using his body for leverage againced the counter.

"there. Now let's see them track me now."

~*~*~

Hiram stood by the stove stirring the cheese into the noodles on the stove. "Do you want peppers in the Mac & Cheese or no?" He asked as he turned to the blond, who, in turn, nodded. "Cool. Do you know how to cook?" Hi asked next. "Yes. I do. I was the one to cook every night at my.. home."

"Good. Can you cut two peppers into small cubes for me?" He nodded and grabbed the red peppers of the counter and grabbed a cutting board in a knife. "No prob Hi."

*

At 6:40, the door opened and Hi's mom walked in taking off her scarf in the hallway. "Hey. I made you food." Hiram yelled from the kitchen table. "I also have a friend.." He trailed off as she entered the kitchen and stopped short.

"Oh? Who is this?" "This honestly is the first time I've ever met him too. His name is Ben." Hi's mom smiled at him. "Nice to meet you." The two shook hands and his mother asked him a question that the blond didn't want to answer. "Where are your parents? I would like to meet them." "Mom!" Hiram gave her a warning look. "No. It's okay, Hi. She wants to know, I'll tell her." Said Ben as he sat back down and grabbed his fork again. "I refuse to go back to them until they promise me they won't split. I'm sick of the yelling and fighting. I ran away from home and I won't go back. I have some stuff to live out int he woods, but it won't last very long."

"Oh. I'm sorry." His mother said as she frowned at him. "How about you call your parents and tell them where you are at least. If you don't want to go back to them, I guess you can stay here. I don't mind. We have a guest bedroom for you if you choose to never go back."

*

"Here Ben. I have an extra comforter. Even though it's summer, it will still get cold at night. That's just how it is living out here with no heat." Hiram said as he put a heavy blanket in Ben's hands. "If you need anything, I am right across the hall." He replied going to shut the door, but paused and turned back around. "One more thing. My mom works Monday to Friday in the city. She usually lives at her sister those days, so she won't be home until Friday night."

Ben nodded and Hi smiled and walked out of the room, shutting the door in the process. Hiram shut the door to his room and grabbed his clean folded pj's off the hamper and changed then went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and take out his barrette in his hair. Then he walked back to his room and got into bed.

"I'm not tired yet, so I think I'll read for a bit." He got up again and padded to the bookshelf and picked out a book he read about 20 million times.

It was quiet for a couple hours but then he heard his door open and the blonde walk into his room and shut the door quietly behind him again. "Can't sleep?" Asked Hiram as he looked up at him over his laptop that was perched precariously on his knees, balancing.

*

"My mom kind of gave up on being overprotective of me once she found out where I always spent the whole day." Hiram replied. "She even took an interest in coming with me and insisting we bring a picnic lunch."

Right now, they were in the forest again, this time at Tern Point near the main road waiting for Hi's mom to bring the picnic that she oh so painstakingly put together when she found out where they were going the next day. When the two asked her why she wanted to come with them today, she replied with the same response she always did;

"I want to bond with you and your new friend. Get to know him a bit."

That's where they were now.

"Lucky you." Ben said as the smile disappeared off his face. "I go nowhere but school. My parents are overprotective of me and usually won't let me have anyone over. But when it comes to my younger brother, they let him do whatever he wants." He explained.

*

Ben was upstairs with headphones in his ears trying to block out his parents. He was very upset that, despite asking them and crying in front of them and pleading for them to stop, the didn't even though they said they would.

He had it. He grabbed a bag from under his bed and packed some clothes and opened his window. His room was on the second floor but that wasn't about to stop him. He looked out and breathed in the damp air soaked with water and the hot pavement ozone smell.

With one last look around his room to make sure he didn't leave anything that was important, he jumped out the window and landed on the front lawn with a small thump. He walked to the road and turned back to his house, sighed again and turned away and ran as far as he possibly could until he didn't have any more strength and collapsed onto his hands and knees, scraping his hands in the processes.

*

Ben woke up after the dream he had. He didn't know why he was having the same dream every night. Although it just felt right to have no one yelling or cursing at each other. He has been living with Hiram and his mother for a month now and they both loved him.

He had no word from his parents yet since he hung up and completely destroyed his phone. He was content.

When he walked out of his room it was silent. Hi's mother would have already went to work for the week and Hi would still be asleep as he always was at 6:00 in the morning. But that was fine as Ben was one who loved the silence especially in the morning.

Downstairs the sun was coming in through the open curtains making everything be bathed in the warm calm hue of the sun.

Ben walked to the window and opened it as he looked out at the valley below them. It truly was peaceful.

The breeze swept into the open window and blew his hair in his face. Ben turned away and walked into the kitchen to make some breakfast for Hi and himself. He didn't have to, but he said to Hiram's mother that he didn't want to live here for free. So he helped Hi with the chores around the house and took turns cooking with him.

Hi's mother said that next week, she needs to take Hi with her to get new glasses as his prescription was completely out of wack. Ben would be alone for a whole week at the house. And he was scared.

He walked to the fridge and peered in. There was some eggs, peppers, some grated cheese and some mushrooms. Ben grabbed it all and turned on the stove.

Once it was done, the blond set it all on the table and went back into the kitchen to grab the juice and the ketchup from the fridge. Hiram walked downstairs at 7:45 to a full dining room table full of food.

He looked to the kitchen doorway just as the blond walked through the door. "What the-?" Ben put down the drinks and looked him in the eyes. "Well? Do you like it?" Hi walked slowly to the table. "What did you make?" They sat down at the table.

"I made omelettes for the two of us. You said you didn't like mushrooms so I made one for you without them. I gave you more red peppers then me as I hate them." Ben replied as Hiram smiled.

"And also," he added, "What are you doing up this early? This isn't like you." The blond said, a tone in his voice. "Did my mom tell you that you will be home alone for a week?" The blond nodded. "Yep. You need new glasses because you are as blind as a bat without them."

Ben laughed as Hiram frowned. After a little bit, Hi laughed along with him.

*

"I wish you didn't have to leave." Hiram and his mother stood at the front door. "It will only be for a week, jeez. Calm down." Hi's mother said laughing. "Take a chill pill Ben. It's only for a week. After that, you can keep bugging me." Joked Hi. "Don't you mean, hanging out and having fun?" Ben laughed at him.

At that, the door shut and Ben was drowned in silence. He remembered his old friend Shelton, who, he knew since they were babies. He never forgot him. He missed him.He sat on the ground He was thinking of trying to contact him somehow, but he didn't know how.

Just then, the home phone rang. Not thinking about it, he answered. "Hello?" It was quiet for a few moments, then a very familiar voice pipped up from the other end of the phone line.

"I recognize that voice anywhere. Ben?"

The blond was shocked.

"Shelton?"

"Yes. It's me. It's been a long time fam. Hasn't it?"
Ben sat down on the couch. "Wow. When I'm here wanting to hear your voice, it's like you can hear my voice and call me." Shelton laughed. "I mean how did you even know where I am?" Asked the blond. It was silent for a few seconds. "I just have to warn you. Your parents have a very good way of coaxing the truth out of you. Let's just put it that way."

"Are you saying you told my parents where I am?" Ben said accusing him. "Not cool man. Not cool at all."

"Look, I'm so sorry about that. I mean, I had to. Even I was scared. I mean, we have known each other since we were kids. We grew up acting like brothers." Shelton replied. "I need you here with me, Shel."

Shelton was confused. "Where is here exactly?" He asked. 'How do I explain this?' "I am in the mountains away from civilization. I am living with two amazing people. And I think you are going to like them too." The blond said.

It was quiet for a moment. Then his friend piped up again. "I'll tell you what. They haven't left yet. I finally got my full driver's license since you left. I'm still not allowed to drive in the dark or a major highway, but I'll make an exception for you. I'll leave right now to beat your parents. They were going to leave to come and get you after your younger brother came home from school, so we got a lot of time." Shelton replied.

"Yeah, but then what? The two people who I'm living with are gone for the whole week." "Wow. Good hosts." He muttered out but Ben heard him. "Shelton, I have been living with them for a month now and my parents only now realized that I wasn't there?" Shelton stayed silent. "Sorry." He finally spoke after a few moments. "But Ben? You only were gone for two weeks..."

Hiram slammed the car door shut and followed his mother into the clinic. They signed in and his mother turned to him. "Are you going to be okay? Getting back to the hotel? Or do want to wait here?" Hi shook his head in a tired manner. "No. I'll be fine walking back. Don't worry."

"You know that makes me worry even more, right?" His mother asked him but then laughed. Hiram always believed she had a beautiful laugh.

"Alright. I'll see you after work." With that, she walked out and the door shut after her.

The eye doctor told him that his sight has worsened. "Unfortunately, if this keeps up, you will become blind." Of course, that wasn't what he wanted to hear, but he put that into the back of his mind and made a mental note to bring it up with his mother later.

He quickly paid and walked out. Here, in the city, there was no mountain air, no trees, no vegetation. In his opinion, he hated the city. It consisted of concrete and pavement. Shops lined the pavement and smelly cars rushed by him with there loud mufflers and blasting their music through closed windows. He was scared you could say.

The traffic light turned red and the walk sign came on and Hi walked out onto the road. There was no one lining up at the light yet, but a car barreled toward him and knocked him to the ground. The driver saw what he did and reversed the car away from him.

Hi got up and waved just as a boy about his age got out and ran to him. "A-are you okay? I'm so sorry. I'm in a very big hurry, you see." "No. No, it's okay. It wasn't your fault. I wasn't watching where I was going."

"What's your name if I could ask." The stranger asked. "I'm Shelton." He said to the blond. He smiled. "My name is Hiram, you can call me Hi." "Nice to meet you Hi. Listen, I need to get to the mountainside. Do you know where Puffin Point is?"

He frowned. "Can I ask why you need to go there?" He asked. 'Oh no. Ben is there all alone. Wait, maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe he is going to the point to vacation. It is a tourist spot after all.'

"Do you know someone named Ben?" Hi was shocked. "Nickoli?" Hi's voice squeaked out at a high pitch. Shelton nodded. "Parents? Family member?" This time Shelton shook his head. "Nope. Best friend. Look, I need to get to him before his parents do. Are you going to help me or not?" Hi didn't speak. Just walked over to the passenger side door and looked at him. "Let's go then. It's a long way from here." Shelton nodded and ran back to the drivers side.

They got in and drove off. "I don't suppose you can quickly pick up my mom from work? I can't leave her here. I told here I would be at the hotel when she got off work." Shelton looked at him for a split second. "Can't you just call her?" Hiram shook his head. "Oh okay fine." He said exasperated. "Thanks."

Hi took out his phone out of his pocket and called his mom.

"Hey mom? Can you trust me?" It was silent for a second. "Yes honey. What's going on? You sound panicked. "Look, we are on our way to come get you right now. So wait outside." "Wait, Hiram? What is going on? What do you mean "WE?" "It's a long story," he said as he put his phone on speaker so Shelton hear her too. "What do you mean wait outside? Honey, I'm very busy here." Hiram sighed. "Look, I know. But it's about Ben." His mother took a long sigh. "Ben will be fine. "No he won't. His parents are trying to find him. We need to get to him first." "Look, you can go yourself. I honestly don't want to get caught up in a kidnapping. Wait, I already am. You are getting kidnapped right now. Where are you?"

"Look, miss, your son is perfectly safe. My name is Shelton and I'm Ben's best friend slash big brother. It's a long story. Look, he got into my car on his own accord. Do you have a car yourself to get home?" "Yes I do. Hiram don't do anything reckless. I will meet you at the house after work. I'll take off the rest of the week to get this all sorted out. You three better be there when I get home or you are in big trouble mister." She hung up and Hiram looked at his driver. "Turn around. Step on it. Forget my mom she will meet us there."

"Right." Shelton quickly glanced at him then back to the road and swung sharply onto the interstate. "I hope you know I'm not supposed to drive on the highway or in the dark yet. So if we get stopped by cops, I'm blaming you." Hiram laughed. "Dully noted."

*

At about 4 in the afternoon, Ben got a phone call from Shelton again. "Hey. I'm just pulling onto the rad that says to Puffin Point. Are you okay? Have they found you yet?" "No. No word from them yet." It was silent for a few seconds. Shelton smiled. "I know. Don't worry I'm on my way." Shelton felt his fear over the phone. "I also am bringing you a little present." "Hey Benny." "Hiram? What are you doing coming this early?"

"Look, your friend kind of ran me over with his car an-" "WAIT, WHAT? Shelton!" "I knew this was going to happen. Look, when I get there, you can yell at me all you want, just save it for later? I'm driving right now."

"Please don't drive with a phone? I lost my parents, I can't lose you too." Ben said, his voice shaky. Shelton smiled. "My phone is on the dashboard on speakerphone. Don't worry. You won't lose me too. I promise." On the other end, Ben smiled.

*

At ten to 5, there was a knock on the door. Ben got up and opened the door. "Hey Shel." Shelton smiled and hugged him tight. "Were is your mom?" He asked Hi when he saw him lugging his bag behind him. "She will be here later around 6:30 for supper. She is going to take the rest of the week off from work." Hi replied as Shelton spun Ben around the room. The blond laughed as he was spun around.

"Can I ask something?" Asked Hiram. Shelton finally put him down and sat on the couch in the living room. The bond sat down beside him.They nodded and looked at each other. "You want to know how we know each other?" Hi nodded.

"Ben and I are biological brothers. We aren't related by blood. His parents have been married twice. Ben's father divorced my mother then remarried three years later. So, even though, we aren't related by blood, he is still my little bro." Ben nodded and laid down on the sofa and put his feet on Shelton's lap. He smiled at this as he continued on with the story.

"Hey, Ben?" He looked up at him. "It is your turn to make dinner. What do you want? I'll help." Piped up Hiram. "How about Pennè pasta with Alfredo sauce?" Asked Shelton.

"I can do that." Hiram and Ben both got up but Shelton pulled the blond back down. "Just rest. I'll cook. You need rest and I would like to talk to Hi for a little bit, okay?" Ben nodded as Shelton threw a blanket around him and walked out of the room.

The room was dark and the full moon shone through the window. Ben was laying on the bed, asleep; Shelton in bed behind him, spooning him. Hiram and his mother were in their rooms asleep. Ben was still awake, the moon shining on his face almost making him look angelic.

The blond felt Shelton move behind him and wrap his arm over his waist. Ben smiled. This was what his brother always did when he slept with him.

*

Hi sat up, his eyes crazed and breathing labored. He didn't know if he could fall asleep again. 3:00 AM. 'Maybe I should go on my laptop for a little bit. Reading always calms me down.'

Just as he was getting up to get his laptop off the desk, the door creaks open and Shelton walks in. "Hey." Hiram nodded back at him. "What are you doing up?" the ravenette asked. "Well," replied Shelton, "Ben had a bad dream and crawled in bed with me. I cuddled him for a while but now, he's asleep and I'm not."

Hiram patted a spot on his bed. "I know how that feels. My mom always does this when she's home to get me to fall back to sleep. Here." The younger was confused. "A laptop?"

Hi shook his head. "Not just any laptop. It has a bunch of stories that I've saved on it. I could read you one if you want?" Shelton nodded as he walked over and sat beside Hi on the bed. "Just a small warning, they are very long." Shelton nodded again and laid his head down on the pillow as Hiram started.

*

Downstairs the next morning, two unknown people were standing in the kitchen talking to his mother when Hiram walked in.

"Oh, good, your awake. I was just going to wake you up." Said his mom. The two standing by the fridge, said nothing. "Are they Ben's parents?" He asked. This time, the man spoke up. "Yes. We want him back. This motherfucker won't tell us where she put him!" The man yelled.

"Well, if your Ben's parents, I say go fuck yourselves." His mother gasped. "Hiram Blue! Don't use that type of language!" He looked down. "It is none of your concern where Ben is. He doesn't want to go back to you."

His mother sighed. "Go get him?" He looked at his mother. "Fine!" He yelled and slammed the door.

He walked to Ben's room and knocked. "Can I come in?" He heard a muffled yes and he walked in. Ben was looking out the window, Shelton behind him with his hand on his shoulder and Hiram had to stop himself from completely going fangirling crazy. It was very hard.

"So, what was all the yelling about?" Asked Shelton, completely oblivious. "Are you kidding me?" Hi whisper-yelled. "You-know-who's parents are here, and here you two are, acting all calm about it? Look, I know both of you are scared."

They finally turned to him and Ben sat on the bed. "We could leave. We could take a bag each and run?" Said the blond.

Just then, Hi's mother walked in. "You three are going nowhere." He winced. "You heard that?" "Of course I did. Look, Hiram," She said, coming to sit beside Ben. "I let you do a lot of stupid and scary things. Not because I know you can handle them, but because I believe in you." The three boys smiled. "But this is something I can't let you do. Kidnapping is illegal. Even for us who live out in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Ben, at least go and talk to them and tell them everything. After that, if they still want you back, this turns the matters their way. Keeping someone somewhere they don't want to be is still illegal and I can take the two to court, but I need to know first. Okay?" She asked. "I'm staying in the room too." Said Shelton putting his arm around the blond and Hi felt as if he was going to pass out. "Same." Hiram replied.

"This isn't your fight, Hi." His mother said looking at him. "It was my fight when I found Ben and when Shelton ran me-" He cut off and put a hand over his mouth. His mother didn't know that Shelton ran him over with his car and then kidnapped him to take him home.

"Yeah, that's right. Shelton? You want to explain? Why you hit, ran over and kidnapped Hiram on the way over here? Then you go and talk to me on the phone while your driving?" Said Ben, glaring at him.

"Wait, YOU WHAT?!" Yelled Hi's mother.

"Look, I know it sounds bad, but Hiram was fine. Ben, I never actually ran him over. I accidentally hit him and I reversed the car. He just popped back up and waved politely at me. When I asked him if he would come with me, he walked to the passenger side door and opened it. I never kidnapped him. He did it on his own free will." Shelton replied.

Just then, Ben's parents walked in and witnessed everything. "Get over here you wench! Yelled his dad. His mother just tried walking over to him to hug him, but the blond would have nothing of that. "You can yell at me all you want just don't touch me. You've lost that right." He replied.

"Well guess what. We don't want you back then." Yelled his dad. Hiram covered his ears as Shelton put his arms around the two boys.

"Can you stop? You are scaring Hiram over here with the yelling. At least tone down." Shelton replied, trying to sound calm and collected while he could feel Ben's body go tense and Hi as if he was hyperventilating.

"Look, I'm staying here. Whether you like it or not." Ben told his parents.

*

After Hiram's mother shut the door on Ben's parents, she turned to the three boys. "Look, Hi, I haven't been truthful to you." they all walked into the living room and sat down. Hiram was confused. "What do you mean?" He asked. "Well," she began, "I know you have never seen your dad, but his name is Rex. I was in contact with your uncle recently. He told me your dad was living with him for a while. Ever since you were only 4 years old." She replied.

"And?" Shelton asked. "And, well, your dad has passed away." Hiram couldn't believe it. He always looked forward to seeing him at least once before he went blind forever. But he wasn't about to be sympathetic. He walked out on them. Not the other way around.

"There is one more thing that I hid from you that your dad was involved in. I told you that your father walked out on us. He didn't. Why do you always think I'm so cheerful that he's gone? It was because he wasn't gone." The three boys were confused. "What do you mean, Mrs. Blue?" Asked Ben.

She smiled at them. "Your father, Hi, was a scientist. When you were born, the doctors said you would be blind. Your father refused to hear it. He made up a serum that he injected into you to slow the progress." Hiram stood up and walked to the open window that Ben opened that morning. "Well, did it actually work?" Shelton asked as he pulled Ben's head into his lap and started playing with his hair.

"No it didn't work." She said, glancing at Shelton then back at her son. "It did something different instead. A day after the injection, you had a very bad fever. Even with professional help, it never went down. A month goes by and the doctor at the hospital, said you wouldn't last another day, but you surprised us all and was back to normal suddenly. There was no explanation for it." She said.

"So, do you know why?" Hiram asked. "Actually yes I do. Your father, after further examination, put in the serum he was working on for his research into the injection instead of the stuff for treating your blindness."

"I have a question," replied Ben, "Does this mean that Hi was injected with harmful chemicals? Or something deadly?" Shelton tangled his hand into the blond's hair and tugged as a warning.

"No. His father was working on trying to harness the elements. Like the earth or how to control water. He used a couple of kids as test subjects. Gave them the same symptoms as Hiram. "I only know of one kid. Has the power to create giant wind storms and tornado's. But his symptoms were a bit different then Hi's. He could hover above the ground for very short periods of time, but then would fall to the ground. Your uncle was beside him the day he gave you the shot. He said that your father had different element vials and used one on you."

The three boys were shocked. "Which element do you think?" Shelton asked Hiram. "Fire." Hiram's mother replied, hearing them easily. "What? Do you have super hearing now?" Asked Ben as he sat up and stared at her.

She laughed such a pretty sound.

"Who was my Uncle?" Asked Hi. "His name was Ringo. When the F.B.I found out some things about their little exparament, he took all the element vials and hid them, never to be seen again. But if we could actually get our hands on the other vials, maybe we could help you." Hiram's mother replied.

"That May be true but where do we find his uncle?" Asked Shelton. His mother's smile went away. "See, that's a bit tricky. I honestly don't know. He went into hiding to escape the F.B.I."

Shelton didn't look happy. "You are telling me that the F.B.I is in on this?" Hi's mother just sighed. "No. They weren't unless something bad happened."

"Well, I for one," Hiram said standing up, "Don't want to wait until my sight gets worse. I'll find him." "Hi, sweetie, your uncle doesn't know you are still alive. He thought you had died from that fever."

"Well, I'll go with him." Said Shelton. "To make sure that he doesn't get into trouble." "Am I seriously the only one againced this? Ben? What about you?" Asked Hiram's mom. "I don't know. I'll have to think about it." The others nodded. "There is one other thing. I cannot go with you." She said also standing up.

"Why not?" Asked Hiram. "Because of certain reasons. Maybe you will find out later down the line but not now." She replied.

*

That night, Ben and Shelton were in Hiram's room, trying to make a decision. "Why don't we just leave it up to a vote." Shelton. "No. No vote. I'm going with or without either of you." "How about we wait for just tomorrow to decide. We can think about it all day." Said Ben.

They all nodded, Hi, reluctantly, and then left to go to sleep in their respected rooms.

*

The next morning, The three found a note on the kitchen bar table which read:

"To: Ben, Shelton and Mom,

I'm sorry that I'm not here anymore. None of you know what it's like when you know you are going to be blind forever. And I'm terrified, yet none of you understand. I'm so sorry that I left without waiting the extra day, but don't come looking for me. By the time you read this, I will be long gone.

-Yours, Hiram."

"I cannot believe he did this!" Ben said, irritation clear in his voice. "Where could he be right now?" Asked Shelton turning to his mother. She frowned. "My guess? His uncle's place. He has this huge mansion farther out in the mountains." "Yeah. Where?" "His place is very hard to get to. Sometimes, even I have trouble finding it. "It's in this city called Lofoten, Norway. Chances are that he took the ferry across the water."

Shelton and Ben looked at each other. "You two go," Hiram's mom said. "Also, if you see someone with platinum blond hair with a Nordic cross barrette in his hair, that is Lukas. His fiance runs the boat company. Tell him that Delilah sent you. He has the Ice element."

They both nodded. "I fear Hiram might try to do something reckless."

*

Hiram boarded the boat in Washington D.C. He was sitting next to an elderly woman and a boy about his age. The boy beside him looked nervous, as if he was never out on the water in his life. The auburnette decided to strike up a conversation with him.

"Hello?" The boy looked up at him. "What's your name?" The boy smiled. He had dirty blond hair that was spiked up. "My name is Dane. Dane Diggs. You?" He asked, holding out a hand. "Hiram." Dane's body tensed up and froze. "Hiram? As in," He lowered his voice to a whisper, "Hiram Blue?" He nodded. "So? What's the big deal?" He asked.

"I-I knew your mother.. We worked together. We were colleges." Hiram was confused. "What do you mean we WERE?" "You don't know?" Hi shook his head. "I was there with my boyfriend. At the hospital. We saw you laying there, helpless. We saw your mother being dragged away from your side. She was crying and yelling for them to save you."

Hiram looked down as the captain undid the mooring ropes. "What happened?" Dane smiled. "When your mother and my boyfriend left to talk in the waiting room, I stayed by your side. That fever? How do you think you got over it that fast?" Hi cocked his head to the side. "Because you are just like me and my boyfriend." The blond said smiling.

Hi looked around to make sure no one was listening to their conversation. When he deemed no one was overhearing anything he turned back to him. "What element?" Dane got up and moved to the very back of the boat and motioned for him to follow. It was a little chilly out on the water, what with the mist and the high waters splashing everywhere.

"Out here, we won't be bothered." Dane said sitting, Hiram doing the same. "My boyfriend's element is Ice. Mine is Electricity. How about you?" Hiram stood back up and leaned over the railing. "Fire." He replied.

Dane smiled.

*

For once, both Shelton and Ben were glad that Hiram's mother had a motorcycle for two. Shelton's car was out of gas. They wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon with that old decrepit Jeep.

They were speeding into New York now. "We were told to go past the exit and keep going until we hit Washington Lane." Yelled Ben who sat behind him. Shelton nodded and veered toward the inside fast lane. "I know she told us to hurry, but she doesn't know that I just barely started driving on the highway's." "She would have still said go. I can't drive. You can." Ben yelled over the wind rushing around them. It was silent for a couple hours. Shelton stopped at a small gas station to get more gas for the motorcycle as Ben was handed Shelton's phone.

"Why would I want your phone?" The blond was confused. "Call Hiram." Was all he said. Ben walked away from the motorcycle for some quiet. It rang one. Twice. Three times. Finally, Hi picked up.

"Hello?" "Look at the caller I.D." It was quiet for a few moments. "Goddangit Ben!" "Where are you?" On the other end of the line, Hiram sighed. "On a boat." He said bluntly.

"Look, did you know your mother has a motorcycle?" "Uh-" "Never mind that. Shelton and I are heading over there right now. We passed New York 4 hours ago. We are just refiling at a gas station."

"Oh, fine. I will wait for you at the docks. I will make someone take the 2 hour trip back on the boat to make sure you get on the right one as there is at least 9 boats that run from the same pier. He will have dirty blond spiked up hair and ice blue eyes. Tall with a black trench-coat and bright red pants. Can't miss him. He will wait for you on the pier. The three of you will get on the next boat ride over."

"Got it." Ben said as he looked at Shelton. He was waving him down. "Look, I have to go now." Hiram nodded. "Me too. We just got here. He needs to tie up the boat to let everyone else off."

They ended the call and Ben ran over to the motorcycle and jumped on. "Hi's sending someone back to the pier in Washington. He told me what he looked like." Shelton nodded and drove off, full throttle out of the gas station.

*

Hiram hung up and walked back to the back of the boat where he left Dane. "Hey." He just waved. "Well, who was it?" "My new family members. Do you hate water?" He asked. "Well, no. I just get sea sick if I'm on the boat for a long time on the water. Why?"

Hi hesitated, but only for a few seconds. "Do you mind going back to Washington to meet two of my friends? I told them what you look like." "Sure. I mean, it's only 2 hours each way. I would only start to feel sea sick 5 hours past."

"Everyone off." That was the cue. "Hi got up. "One more thing. Their names are Shelton and Ben. Ben has bright blond hair and green eyes. Shelton is taller than both Ben and I with dark blue eyes and black hair." Dane nodded as he watched the auburnette walk off the boat.

"All Aboard!"

When the boat was pulling out from the pier, he saw Hiram sitting on a bench. When they caught eyes, Hiram smiled and waved. "See you in 2 hours." Dane yelled. "Likewise."

Dane was sitting on a bench at the Washington D.C pier when two boys ran up to him full force. "Are you here for Hiram?" Asked the shorter of the two, clearly out of breath. He nodded. "Shelton and Ben I presume?" They nodded. "Good timing." Dane stood up and turned, pointing to the boat. "It's just pulling back in." The three walked to the spot where the boat would pull in.

After everyone got off, they got on. This time, a blond was sitting at the back of the boat when they got on. "Lukas?" He looked up. "How did you even get passed me?" Asked Dane. He sighed and stood up. "I missed you." He stood on his tip-toes and kissed him. "This is Shelton and Ben. This is my-" "Your boyfriend." Said Shelton, holding out his hand. "How did you-?" "Hiram's mother told us about how she knew you." Said Ben smiling at him. "How is Delilah these days?" He asked.

The two looked at each other. "The last time I saw Hiram was when we were at the hospital." "He is waiting in Bergen, Norway right now." Said Dane, turning to his fiance.

*

By the time the four got back to Bergen, it was around 7:00 at night. "We should get a hotel for the night since mine and Lukas's house is another hour away from here in Tromso." Said Dane as he walked over to Hiram, still sitting in the same spot, with a blanket around his shoulders. "Hey. I have your two friends plus my fiance Lukas."

"Shall we get going? I can get us into a hotel for the night." Said the blond with the purple eyes. They walked into a hotel and Lukas walked up to the front desk. "Go wait over there." The four nodded and went to go sit down on the couch by the fireplace to get warm.

*

Lukas walked up to the front desk. "Can I help you?" Said the receptionist. "Hi, yes. Can I get one room with a king bed and a pull out sofa for the night?" He asked politely. She turned to her computer for a few seconds then turned back to him. "Oh, I'm sorry. Every room is booked up for the rest of the week. What with the parade in Oslo for the Christening of the new baby of the royal family." She said.

He decided to use his figure againced the receptionist. Yes, they were both males, but Lukas could tell that the older male behind the counter was gay. He flirted with him.

"You know, I could show you a good time." Lukas put on his best sad-pout look on his face. "Please? I am extremely tired. Keep me awake?" He asked, leaning his body on the counter. "The man had brown hair and dark green eyes. He gulped and his breath hitched when Lukas brought his face closer to his. Lukas's hypnotic eyes were half lidded, his lips parted a little.

"I-I'll see w-what I can d-do." Lukas smiled. "Thank you so much." He said in a very seductive voice. "Here you go. Room 550 on floor 5." Lukas smiled again, which felt very awkward.

He walked back to the four, waving the room keys in his hands at them. "How did you do that?" Asked Shelton.

"I have my ways."

In the hotel room, there were two beds and a pull out couch. "My fiance and I will take the couch." Said Dane. "Hiram can take one of the two beds. I don't mind sharing a bed with Shelton." Said Ben as he walked in and shut the door. "We don't mind though." Replied Shelton as he sat on the bed closest to the air conditioning.

"Man, I like the air too you know." Said Hi as he sat down beside Shelton and tried to push him off. "If I don't like being in the city with cars everywhere and the stuffy air, why would I want the sunny side?"

"Well, in Norway, it's always chilly. Even in the dead of summer. There is always snow on the ground too." Replied Lukas as he curled up with Dane.

"Look, Ben and I have our swim suits. there is a pool if you want to join us." Said Ben, pulling out some swimming trunks. "I may as well join you." Said Lukas standing up. "What about Dane?" Asked Shelton. "He's not a big fan of going swimming. He said it's too childish. That doesn't mean that he won't let me go."

"Ok, well, what about you Hi?" Asked Ben. "I'm going to stay here. Get to know Dane, if that's okay?" Lukas nodded. "I trust you."

*

Down at the pool, Ben, Shelton and Lukas found a table to put their stuff. They see two people. One of which, was trying to push the other into the pool. The male who didn't want to go in was finally pushed in and never came back up.

"Uh, Lukas?" He nodded at Shelton. "Yeah. I see." Then he walked over and dove in. The blond grabbed the male and brought him up for air, coughing and sputtering. "Hey, Ben, grab him and hoist him up." Ben ran carefully to the edge and pulled him up, luckily, not having to do CPR.

"I'm so sorry! You didn't tell me you couldn't swim, Reeve!" Said an older male, probably a whole head taller then Dane, with colored hair. "I'm sorry. I didn't want you to worry too much." The older male turned to the three of them. "Thanks so much." Lukas nodded. "Be careful next time." He replied.

"What's your name?" Asked Shelton. "Oh, my name is Rivel. The one that got pushed in, is Reeve.

*

"So, your saying you came here looking for someone?" Asked Hiram. They were currently in the lobby of the hotel. Reeve nodded. "Well, so are we." Said Ben. "We are looking for Hiram's uncle."

Rivel looked shocked. I was there. At the hospital that day. Reeve had a fever similar to yours." He said as the other nodded. "I got over my fever fast. Then I heard about you and I knew I needed to see you." Reeve said standing up and going to sit next to Hi.

"Well, what about you?" Asked Shelton pointing to Rivel. "Oh, I don't have powers." He replied. "Neither do we." Said Ben and Shelton. Just then, Lukas stood up. "I'm going to go cuddle with Dane now. I'll see you all later." With that, he walked to the elevator across the corridor, not waiting for a response.

The elevator door shut and Ben turned to Rivel. "Do you know how to get rid of these powers?" Asked Hiram, looking hopeful. Neither of them spoke. "We know of one person. His name is Ringo. He was the one that gave Reeve the injection in the first place. He just doesn't know Reeve's alive." Said Rivel, slinging his arm around his shoulders.

*

Meanwhile, somewhere in the world, a little girl was running. She had a long pink dress, and white running shoes. Her hair was a dark brown. She lived in Spain with her parents and were vacationing in Seychelles when she got knocked over the head and woke up here.

She was currently running for her life. Her captor let her go. She was confused at first, but when she saw the shotgun in his hand, she began running. She was either going to get shot or die from the cold.

She wasn't exactly wearing clothes for the snow and ice.

The man's name was Rex Blue. He formally went by Rexton Backwood now. 13 years went by since he cut his ties with his family. Once he found out what he did to his son, that is. He couldn't take the grief and the guilt anymore. He thought that sacrifices would bring him back. He was told that his son died in that hospital that day.

Rex chased after her easily. He wanted to make it seem to her that she was safe. She wasn't.

Once she fell to the ground, he grabbed her and dragged her to a rickety old shed and tied her up.

"Tell me," he spoke to her as he grabbed her chin, "how does it feel being free?" She didn't speak to him. "Well, no matter. You won't see the light of day ever again."

She was confused as he left her sight to grab something off of a table behind her.

*TrIgGeRwArNiNg!!*

He came back into her view with a whip. "Let's hear you scream." She was whipped a few times before he got bored and grabbed another tool, a metal choker. "Sorry, but I have other things to do today so," He grabbed his shot gun and shot her multiple times, her blood spilling all over the fresh snow under her. Once he knew she was dead, he whispered, "Sorry, but I just want my precious son back." He walked to the door but paused. He turned back to the girl laying motionless. He shook his head and walked out, shutting the door after him.

*Trigger warning over*

*

Hiram was the first up the next morning. He put his glasses on and grabbed his phone. "It's only 6:00? Seriously? Whatever. I may as well go get breakfast." He said aloud as he got up and walked into the bathroom, grabbing some clothes on his way. He stripped and turned on the water. While he was waiting for it to heat up, he looked into the mirror.

God, he looked awful. Was that potato his nose? Was that his chin? He noticed his eyesight fading in and out. He shivered. By now, the water was warm and he got in.

A couple minutes later, he got back out and dried himself off and dressed. He opened the door to see no one had woken up. Hi wrote a note and placed it on his made bed and walked out of the room.

While he was waiting for the elevator, their was a woman standing beside him with a rather large hat. He looked at her and she turned to him. He quickly looked away. Her eyes were glowing red.

Just then, he was lifted off his feet and pinned againced the wall. "What the-?" Someone came up behind her with a baseball bat. She fell to the ground in a way that was clearly not human.

"Hello. Are you okay?" The stranger asked him. He nodded. "I guess I probably shouldn't play the game should I?" He asked as he turned back toward the elevator. "Now I have to wait for another one."

"Can I ask what your on about?" Hiram asked. "Sure, but where are my manners. My name is Rivel. And you are?" "Hiram." He smiled. "Nice to meet you. And to answer your question, I was playing a game called The Elevator Game. If done right, it can take you to a different universe." He replied.

"But?" Asked Hi. "But I did it wrong. The order of the floors I need to visit needs to be exactly in order for it to work. The order is 1 4 7 8 back down to 2 then up to 9 then to 4 again where the second time, this woman is supposed to get on. After that she will always press 6. After she gets off, it's up to floor 10, where you get off into another universe."

"That sounds awesome." Said Hi. "Yeah. Few warnings if you ever try this game. You need a building with at least 10 floors. Do not talk to or look at the woman who gets on. And you can't have anyone else with you. You have to be completely alone." He nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Do you want to go down for breakfast with me?" Asked Hi. "Yeah sure why not."

*

"Wait, she did that?!" Asked Rivel, completely shocked. "Yeah. Although she completely trashed her motorcycle though." Hiram laughed along with him. "Well, you are lucky." "Why?" Asked Hi.

"Because. It sounds like you have an amazing mom. My younger brother and I don't even have a mom. The only family I got is my little bro."

Hiram grabbed his mug of coffee and downed the rest in one gulp. Rivel opened his mouth to speak again when someone walked up behind the auburnette and put his hand on the shorter male's shoulder. "We are headed to the dock again." Said Lukas as Shelton came to the table with a plate of eggs and bacon. "Where this time?" Asked Ben as he popped a desert tart into his mouth.

"We are headed to Iceland. My fiance is checking out now." "Oh cool. I heard there is this huge waterfall. I want to check that out." Said Ben. "Well, you will have to go find it on your own." Said Dane as he and Reeve sat down. "What do you mean?" Asked Shelton. "Why can't you go with us?"

Dane and Lukas looked at each other. "We are only taking you to the dock and telling you which boat to get on. The rest is up to you. We have never said we were going to accompany you." Said Dane as he took a swig of Lukas's coffee.

"Wait, can Reeve and I come with you?" Asked Rivel. Shelton and Ben both looked at Hiram as if to ask him. "Why are you two looking at me?" He asked.

"Well, since Ben and I are going with you we both kind of made you the leader." Replied Shelton, giggling a bit. Hi sighed.

"Sure. It's completely fine with me."

*

"Here it is. This is the boat that will take you to Iceland. Make sure you get on the right boat, otherwise you will go somewhere you don't want to go." Said Lukas as he and Dane stepped back. "This is as far as we go now. Sorry."

"It's fine." Said Shelton. "Thanks." Said Hiram.

"All aboard!" The person driving the ferry yelled. "That's you guys." Said Dane as he and Lukas walked away.

"Come on then." Said Ben as he and Reeve got onto the boat, sitting toward the back on the top deck. Shelton and Rivel went and joined them. Hiram was following them when the old man started staring at him, this creepy look on his face. Then he turned and walked away. "Weirdo." Muttered Hiram as he walked to the stairs to the upper deck where his friends were.

*

Half an hour later, they were getting back off the ferry. It was a very quiet ride over as it was only Hi's little group and two elderly couples sitting below deck towards the front.

"Wow. This looks so picturesque. It looks like a picture." Said Shelton as he and his brother breathed in the calm brisk mountain air. "We never get this kind of scenery back home do we?" Asked Ben as he and Reeve ran toward a tall sycamore tree. Rivel laughed. "My bro and I are used to seeing snow and a lot of fog, as we live in Stockholm, Sweden, but he is always excited to see the mountains." Replied Rivel, laughing a bit.

"Also, I was looking at a map on the boat, and I think the waterfall is this way." Said Reeve, pointing Westward.

Ben and Reeve started walking that way while Shelton was taking a bunch of photos with Rivel. Just then, Hiram's phone rang in his pocket. He took it out while the others stood at stared at him. "It's my mom." He said as he answered.

"Honey, where are you?" She sounded frantic. "What's going on mom?" Asked Hi. "Look, something came up. I just found out where your father is." He auburnette couldn't believe it. "Iceland to find my uncle." Replied Hiram. "Well, your father is in Antarctica. I just found out he is sacrificing innocents to somehow get you back. He thinks you are dead."

Hiram motioned for the others to crowd around him. He put his phone on speaker. "Do you know where in Antarctica?" It was silent for a couple moments. "No I don't sweetie. But your uncle is somewhere on Iceland. Look, I have to go. Have a safe journey."

"Wait, mom-" She hung up.

"Looks like my dad is at Antarctica." He said. "Can we still see the waterfall?" Asked Ben. The others sighed.