CHAPTER FIVE

"Zac, you’ve been quiet all morning," Isaac said, after speaking he shovelled a pile of scrambled eggs into his mouth quickly.

Zac stared at his plate of breakfast, and stuck his fork right through his egg and burst the yolk. "I'm just tired," he muttered. Half true. He hadn’t been able to sleep because of the pain that kept travelling through his arm – from when Don had threw him to the floor yesterday. Zac decided to not mention when he finally did get to sleep, he woke up from having a nightmare that the bodyguard had tried to kill him.

"I heard you tossing and turning all night," Taylor muttered, he took a sip from his glass of milk. Taylor looked tired too – though more likely from Zac’s tossing and turning keeping him up most of the night.

Zac let out barely audible "sorry," and he went back to playing with his food.

Taylor was fooling around with Isaac’s Discman – actually with the radio of it trying to find some suitable station where they weren’t playing the Spice Girls. "What was keeping you up?" he asked of Zac.

"Stupid pains in my arm," Zac shoved his plate away. "Not hungry," he muttered.

Isaac and Taylor glanced at each other. Isaac seemed to sense there was something wrong instantly, while Taylor hummed along to a song called ‘Perfect Day’.

"Is there something wrong, Zac?" Isaac asked, always worrying about his little brother.

Zac looked slightly to the right – a few tables away his father and Don were having breakfast and coffee, talking like old friends. How can dad not see what a creep Don is? Zac wondered. Zac absently began rubbing at his sore arm, frowning.

"Zac…I’m talking to you…"

Zac didn’t seem to hear.

"Zac," Isaac – forgetting about how much pain Zac was in with his arm – reached out and touched Zac’s arm, Zac flinched in pain and yelped.

"Oh, geez…sorry," Isaac bit his lip. "Here…let me see…" he said. "If its really bad then you won’t be able to play your drums later…"

Zac pulled his arm away from Isaac. "No, its okay, Ike…"

"No…let me see…it must be really bad if it hurts that bad," Isaac said, taking a hold of Zac’s wrist gently, he began rolling up the sleeve of Zac’s dark blue tie-dye sweatshirt.

Zac lowered his eyes to the table, he listened to the words of the tune Taylor was listening to on the Discman – it was loud enough to practically let the whole hotel hear it.

Isaac frowned. "Geez, Zac…your arm…" he trailed off. "Look at it…"

Taylor’s blue eyes widened as he glanced across, seeing nothing but a big trail of bruises lining Zac’s upper arm. "You must have fell with some force," he reached over and took Zac’s wrist and pulled the arm over so he could see properly. "You should have had this checked out…"

"Its just bruises, Tay, doctors can’t do anything for bruises, just have to wait until they go away on their own. Besides, I’ll be alright for the concert," Zac rolled his sleeve down, he could feel Don’s eyes on him. Don was probably worrying that Zac had told, Zac knew he was in for it now. If only Isaac hadn’t been so persistent wanting to see the damage.

Zac looked at his brothers. "Can we go back to the room or something?" he asked.

"Zac, all we do is spend time in that room – why don’t we go out somewhere?" Taylor asked, his mood brightened through his exhaustion, making even his eyes gleam brightly.

"I don’t feel like going out," Zac said, knowing exactly why he didn’t want to go out anywhere – because they would have to take Don with them, and Zac didn’t want to go anywhere near the guy who’d caused him so much pain the previous night. "Anyway, we still have that stupid radio show to do first."

"I meant after that…" Taylor rolled his eyes.

"Look, I don’t want to go anywhere, okay?" Zac slammed his hand down on the tabletop hard, the plates clattered vibrating along with it, and Zac got up, backed away from the table and then spun on his heel and sped off down the corridor. He could hear his brothers calling after him.

Zac found his way to the lobby, and made his way into the elevator, and slammed on the close-door button, he then slid down the wall, hugging his legs and resting his chin on his knees, he was shaking violently. Eyes wide, and darting around. Why is it like this?! Why do I feel so afraid of him?! Zac threw his head back against the elevator wall, not caring that it hurt, and knocked him silly, he just sat there. I have to tell Ike, I have to tell Tay…or someone…I could call mom…I could tell her…then she could tell Dad and dad could get the guy arrested for assault…I have to tell someone, I can’t let him…no…I can’t let him do it again…

The elevator doors slid open, Zac hoped for Isaac and Taylor to appear, but to his horror – it was the very person he didn’t want to see. Don.

"D-d-don’t you come near me!" Zac stuttered, trying to get up but staggering with the attempt.

Don stepped right into the elevator with a grace that carried his bulk smoothly as he moved. Don reached out and slammed his hand against the buttoned panel, and the elevator doors shut, and it began moving, the whirring of machinery breaking the silence.

"Why do you want to hurt me?!" Zac demanded, he scuffled into the corner, trying to get as far back as he could.

"Is that what you think I want to do?" Don asked, for a moment sounding sympathetic, speaking the way someone would to a frightened child. His voice was soothing, and soft, and Zac knew not to trust it. "Believe me, Zac, the last thing I want to do is hurt you," Don said, he knelt before Zac.

Zac was reminded of the last time Don had done this, he’d knelt down in front of him in the bathroom last night. His fear had doubled since them – worse, it had tripled now.

Don reached over and patted Zac’s hair in an awkward clumsy way, his hands heavy and clammy, Zac frowned, and tried to flinch away.

"Don’t be scared, this time…I won’t hurt you…" Don promised, he traced Zac’s bruise with his little finger.

Zac couldn’t even muster up the strength to tell the guy to get his clammy hands away from him, he was paralysed in the fear that this guy wanted to kill him for some reason. What did I ever do to him? What, he wants to kill me just because I kicked him in the balls?

Don ran his large hand over Zac’s neck. "It’s a crime you’re so young."

What was that supposed to mean? Zac wondered, he shuddered, having Don’s hand this close to his neck was not a good feeling. Is he going to try and strangle me? Was that what he meant? It’s a crime I’m so young, it’s a crime I have to die so young? Zac swallowed heard. "Get….away…from…me," he managed through short spurts of breath.

"Don’t be that way, Zac," Don said in a soft voice, he placed his hand on Zac’s shoulder and began massaging the area with a horrible gentleness. Zac struggled.

"Nuh-nuh-nuh…" Zac managed out, then with a soft "no."

Don didn’t listen, his hands continued to massage in that suggestive way.

Zac slowed his eyes tightly, forcing out the words, "get away."
Just then the elevator doors opened, and Zac, gaining enough guts, shot out, finding himself on the twentieth floor. He heard Don cry out his name and without thinking, he was heading for the stairwell, down the flights he went, Don hot in pursuit, Zac nearly killed himself twice, jumping over a banister and dropping to the next level just to get a head start, finally, Zac saw the sign that said seventh floor, he sighed in relief, just as he flew out of the doorway, and began heading down the hall, he saw Isaac and Taylor making their way into the room.

"Ike!" Zac called loudly, "Tay!" he added, he dove into the room, Isaac and Taylor looking at him with strange expressions.

"Where were you? We were just coming to see if you were here," Taylor stated.

Zac dropped down to his bed in exhaustion.

Don’t tell them, Zac.

It wasn’t Zac’s own voice in his thoughts, it seemed to be Don’s. Then Zac’s thoughts came as his own with, You know what he’ll do if you tell.

"The…the elevator jammed…I had to force the doors open, I had to come up four floors just to get here," Zac lied, feeling awkward and lost for words after this.

"Well, at least we found you," Isaac said. "Why do you look so freaked?"

"I’m just tired, and I got a little upset when the elevator stopped…" Zac trailed off.

"You’re okay though?" Isaac asked, his eyes searching for an answer.

"Yeah…" Zac nodded. "I’m fine…just…lets get going for the radio-show interview," Zac made his way across the room and grabbed his coat and pulled it on, when he turned back, Isaac was standing very close to him.

"Zac, are you absolutely sure—"

"I said I was fine, just back off, Ike, okay? I’m not in the mood for repeating myself," Zac grumbled, and began his way out of the room, stopped when he realised Taylor and Isaac were still standing watching him. "Are we going or not?"