Tom rolled to a stop. "Who the fuck is this guy?" he laughed, but Polly didn't find it funny. Neither did Minny.

Doctor Higgins walked up to the front of the car and Tom rolled his window down, not sensing the danger. And Polly understood why - he was dressed in normal clothing. Gone were the pressed suits; Doctor Higgins was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. He looked like any other college student passing through town.

Except, he wasn't in college. Polly knew this - he was far too old, anyway.

Doctor Higgins walked up to Tom's window and leaned his head in, all smiles. Polly was frozen in the back seat, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. This is not happening. This is not happening. This is not happening.

"Tanner?" Minny said, his voice strange and strangled.

"Hey, Ben." Was his response. Then, Tanner looked into the back seat, and his smile grew. "Ah, I see you found my girl."

Polly couldn't breathe. Why does Minny know him? What is he doing here?

Minny cast a look into the backseat. "What are you talking about? That's Polly. She goes to school here."

Tanner's crooked smile grew large. "Mind if I join you guys?"

Tom didn't mind. Polly did.

"No!" She blurted, and slammed the opened door shut. "If he comes in here, I am running out of this car."

Polly was trying to connect the dots. Tom doesn't seem to know him. Minny, however, does. But, he didn't know that Tanner knew me. He is just as confused.

"What is going on?" Tom's smile grew tense. "Polly, are you alright?"

As if the car was on fire, Polly clawed her way out, toppling onto the asphalt. "I am not riding in a car with that psycho." Then, to Doctor Higgins, she looked up. "And how did you find me here? How on Earth did you find me?"

Tanner placed his hands on top of the car. He couldn't stop smiling - he didn't think he'd find her so soon. And he marveled in how good she looked. Tanner noted the glow in her skin, and how shiny her hair was, now that she wasn't living with him. He noted the way her body wasn't all sharp angles, but rather was growing soft around the edges. He knew that meant she was eating more, and was healthy here.

Just seeing her made his breath catch. And then, he started to connect the dots. I don't know that guy in the front, but why was she with Benjamin? They don't go to school together - he's wearing a school uniform and she isn't.

"Polly, darling, calm down. I didn't know you were here."

She would not calm down.

"Yeah, right. Okay. Why are you here, then? Your father let me go - you can't get me now. I'm not yours!"

Her voice was shrill, and she was having a panic attack. There was a car between them, but it didn't make her feel better. She felt out of control and nervous. She felt like at any moment, she was going to wake up in his camp, in that white room, back in her torture chamber.

Minny got out of the car. "What is going on here?" He moved to Polly, standing beside her, almost protectively.

Tanner looked at Minny. "I got a phone call from dad."

Polly took a step back. "Dad? You two are brothers?"

Tanner looked at her like she was wild. Minny stared at her long enough to realize that his relationship with Tanner was not something she was comfortable with. "Yeah. He's my older brother."

Polly crammed her eyes shut. "No, you have different last names! No, no no!"

Minny reached out to her, grabbing her forearms softly. He didn't know what was happening, and he had no idea why Polly knew Tanner. Or how they knew each other.

And then, everything came toppling down on him, realization hitting him hard in his gut. He suddenly understand everything, and when he looked at his older brother, everything clicked into place.

"I took my mother's last name," Tanner called out. "I didn't know my father for years. Not until she died. That's why my last name is different."

Polly ripped herself out of Minny's arms. She looked up at him, not recognizing the boy in front of her, wearing a fancy sweater and khakis. Looking like he'd stepped out of a magazine. She jabbed a finger at him. "You knew, didn't you? That's why you wanted to be my friend all along, isn't it? Because you knew. And I was so stupid because I fell for it! I thought you genuinely liked me!"

"What are you talking about?" Minny yelled back. "I have no idea what is going on! I didn't know you knew my brother. I had no idea you went to his camp!"

She flinched. "As if that makes it better! Do you know what he does to people there, Benjamin? He tortures them! He tortured me, and you're okay with that? You're okay that your brother is a monster, raised by the same people who raised you?"

She took a staggering step back. She didn't wait for his answer. "I never want to see you again. Don't you dare come near me, you freak. You and your brother both. How could I have been so stupid!"

And then, she ran.

Polly wasn't athletic. She couldn't run very fast, or for very long, and it didn't take much time for arms to wrap around her, pulling her to the ground. Her head hit the soft dirt of the ground, and when she opened her eyes, she saw Minny above her.

"Okay, first, you can't run away from someone after dropping that, alright? Like, what the fuck, Polly. Let me explain first before you run off, deciding I'm human scum, alright?"

She didn't say anything. Fire blazed under her skin, and she wanted to punch him. She had never felt so betrayed in her entire life before, and she couldn't believe that she'd trusted him.

"My brother and I aren't close. I don't know what you know, but I was under the impression that my brother was working with a church, not abusing children. This is the first time I'm hearing about him hurting others.

"Second, my brother is years older than me. We're the same age, Polly, and my brother wasn't around when I was a kid. Believe it or not, I didn't know about him until his mother died. His mother, not mine. When we were children, I didn't know him. He didn't really live at home. And as soon as he could, he moved out to become involved in the church. So don't you dare go pointing fingers at me when you don't understand anything."

Polly looked up at Minny. "You're the one that had that compact of my face."

Minny was at a loss for words. "Yeah, okay, about that." He scratched the back of his neck and let his head fall. "I found it in my house, alright? It didn't belong to me, and when I asked my parents, they told me it didn't belong to them. When you asked me where it came from, I lied, because I knew it sounded weird. I really thought it was yours. I thought that it got mixed up in my stuff, because why would my parents own a picture of you?"

Realization dawned on Polly. "It was Doctor Higgins'."

Minny met her eyes. "Yeah, it probably belongs to Tanner. He doesn't come home often, but he comes home enough that it would make sense if it belonged to him. But, he hasn't been home since you've been here, so that makes me think it has been in my house since before then."

She shut her eyes, tears leaking out. "Minny, your brother really hurt me. He haunts my nightmares. He tortured me for years. I don't know what I believe. It's too freaky that you of all people are related to him."

They were still lying uncomfortably on the ground, with Polly underneath Minny. But, he didn't want to move. He was afraid she would run. He needed to clear this up before then, because he knew there was no turning back. If she left without trusting him, they would never be friends.

"Believe this: I have a twin brother. His name is Lennard, and he disappeared years ago. We both ran away from home as soon as we could with the idea that we would escape together. We saved enough money, putting it in a joint account at the bank. We had plans to escape, because my family is more messed up than you'd think. One morning, I woke up and Lennard was gone. So was all of our money saved up in the bank. He was just gone. For weeks, my parents took out their rage on me. Mother drank herself into an oblivion. Father was a little different, and preferred more physical ways of reprimanding me, as if it was my fault he ran away.

"I saved enough money to leave, and I did. I moved to an apartment by school, and hid there for a while. My parents were angry, and they knew where I was, but never came for me. They never showed up at school as I feared they would. They stayed away, and I was happy. I was pissed at Lennard, but that was behind me. Until one morning, I woke up, and my parents had sent me a letter.

"Your name was in it. They told me that I needed to see them. So, I went home. I found the compact. They threatened me, so I stopped living in the apartment. Then, they forced me to leave school."

Polly was very still beneath him, watching as tears slipped from his closed eyes. She didn't dare breathe. She didn't dare move. She just watched as he trembled above her.

"They threatened me with you. I didn't know how they knew you. I still don't. And I don't know what they'll do to you if I disobey them. I know that we don't really know each other that well, and I know that right now, you don't trust me. But, I'm trying to keep you safe. And even if my brother is a psychopath who hurt you, I am in no way associated with him."

Polly reached up, wiping away some tears. She didn't know what to say. She hadn't expected him to say all of that to her, lying on the ground, her torturer standing somewhere near them. It was all so disillusioning that it made her dizzy.

"I met your brother." She whispered.

Minny opened his eyes. "When?"

"He was at the camp. I went into the dining room there at the camp, with Tanner, and he was sitting there. Tanner said he was his runaway brother."

Minny's eyes shined with tears. "He took all of the money to run away to Tanner?" Minny sounded hurt and betrayed. Then, "What kind of camp was this?"

Polly closed her eyes, not daring to look him in the eye. "It was a 'pray away the gay' camp. Minny, I'm gay. I like girls. And your brother, he was trying to torture me into loving him."

Minny rolled over on his back, beside Polly, half afraid she was going to run. "My brother loves you," he said, but it wasn't a question nor a statement. It was a realization.

"He tortured me for years because of it. He has haunted my reality and my nightmares for as long as I can remember."

Minny looked over at her, grabbing her hand. "I won't let him hurt you, okay Polly? And I know exactly where he got that mentality." Minny groaned, rubbing his hand over his face. "My father is very homophobic."

Polly stiffened beside him. "What about you?"

"Well," Minny said without hesitation. "I'm still here, aren't I? I don't care that you like girls, Polly. We're still friends."

Friends. Polly decided that yeah, they were friends. Despite who his brother was, because after all, Minny had run after her. Then, as if to lighten the mood, Minny rolled over on his side, grinning.

"So, do you have the hots for Kenzie?"

Polly covered her face with the hand that wasn't holding Minny's. "Maybe."

He laid back and laughed. It was relieving to hear him laugh like that, like he was free and nothing could hurt him. It was relieving to see him so carefree for a moment.

"I can see it. She's like a fierce dragon, and you're like the princess What a dynamic."

Polly poked his cheek. "Excuse you, I am not a damsel in distress." Except, Polly knew she was. She couldn't save herself - she had needed her aunt and uncle to save her from Tanner. She had relied on others to do the saving.

She didn't want to be a damsel in distress anymore.

"Yeah, okay Princess." Then, he stood up, gathering his beanie from the ground and pulling it over his head. He held his hand out for her. "Come on up."

Polly grabbed his hand and let him pull her up. For a moment, things were alright. There was no danger, no fear. But, it didn't last long.

"Is Polly alright?"

She forgot wanting to save herself, and gripped the front of Minny's shirt in fear, her heart racing all over again.

"Dude, Tanner, back the fuck off. She's terrified of you, alright?"

Polly closed her eyes, and behind her eyelids saw her nightmares come to life. It happened so quickly, she wasn't sure if she was sleeping or awake as she fell into her memory, digging up fears from the grave.

"You can trust me, Polly. The camp is fun - there are other girls you can hang with."

Polly looked at Doctor Higgins, his smile wide and his hand stretched towards her. She felt fear creep up her spine, remembering everything he'd already done to her. He hadn't laid a hand on her, but the things he had done were just as scarring.

She recalled the movies in his office.

"I don't want to go!" She stomped her foot, looking at her parents. "Please, don't make me go. I don't want to go!"

Her parents just smiled at Doctor Higgins. "She is so excited to go! Don't let her fool you. She's ready to be fixed."

Polly whipped her head to her parents. "I'm not broken! Why can't you just love me the way I am?"

"The way you are?" Her father laughed. "Honey, you like girls. That right there is the devil's work. Doctor Higgins here is going to wash away the devil."

Polly didn't feel the devil near her, nor did she ever remember meeting the devil. "You don't understand anything. The devil has nothing to do with it - I was born this way!"

Her parents laughed. Doctor Higgins laughed. She knew there was no escaping fate.

Who knew that years later, Doctor Higgins would still be following her, haunting her from the safety of her own home. And who knew that he had more up his sleeve than what was expected.  

* * *

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