Chapter 1

I have to get this out while I have a chance. I can hear a large group of them coming for me now. Not sure if I can survive this. This is for my sisters. I have to give them the chance to escape.

My name is Randy Selti, I’m not that strong looking though, as my master says, looks can be extremely deceiving. I am shaking, though each second, I can delay them, the better chance they have to get away.

This started about eight years ago, a peaceful evening when my parents were returning with me. They had gotten me from a friend’s house, Dad, hurrying to get home as late as it was.

We were coming around a curve, a large semi was sliding on the rain slick corner. All I remember about the actual accident was the crushing metal sound. The semi drove the front of the car into the rock face. I heard my beautiful mother scream, my dad’s loud grunt of pain, then nothing.

Next, I heard a man’s voice yelling into the car, the sound of something striking the rear of the car. A few minutes later, hands were trying to pull me out.

“NO, MOM!” I screamed as I saw that she had a lot of blood on her.

“Baby,” she said, so softly I wasn’t sure I had heard it. “Go, I’m not going to make it. Take care of your sisters. Remember you are the man of the house. Always be fair, always be kind, they are the only family you have now,” She smiled at me though I could see she was struggling to do that. “Remember to love them no matter what, promise me.”

I mumbled, nodding my head. I was then kicking back at the arms that were still trying to pull me out.

“PROMISE ME!” Mom said forcefully. It seemed she was straining to do that. “Please take care of them and yourself never let them know this is our secret. Can you do that?”

“Yes mother,” I said as large tears started to roll down my face. “Please don’t leave mom, Please I need you.”

“I am so sorry baby; I can’t be there for you now. Be there for them,” Mom said, then her eyes closed.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!” I screamed as the arms and hands finally pulled me from the back seat. I continued to scream as they managed to get Mom out next. I saw the man from the ambulance touch her neck, then look at his partner, shaking his head no.

I guess I went wild trying to get to her. I ripped my arms away from those holding me, I started hitting, kicking, biting, spitting. Then I started to throw whatever I could get my hands on. I then saw several people on the ground nursing spots where I had connected. I kept it up ‘til I felt something like a sting in my buttock. The world went fuzzy, then black as I collapsed.

I awoke not too sure how long after that. I tried to sit up, finding I was completely immobile.

“Ah! Good you’re awake let me...,” a female voice said as I growled at her. Then, I started to shake the bead trying to get free. I had almost flipped it, when several males came into the room.

Then I felt another type of sting in my arm. Dang, I thought, as the world went black again.

It seemed to be quite a while before my eyes opened again. I then came face to face with my oldest sister, Wendy.

The look of almost complete disgust was obvious on her face. “You can stop this shit. You are embarrassing the family. As soon as you’re out, we will talk about your penance. You have a lifetime to make up for, if you can,” she said menacingly.

I was shocked, though I remembered the promise I had made. “Yes mam,” I said as I lowered my head.

“Good,” she said almost with a sneer. “Perhaps you’ll learn your place soon after all, we’ll see,” she said with great disdain.

So, that started the next eight years of torture, lovelessness, mockery and being the brunt of every nasty joke. Those mostly started after I knocked on the bathroom, heard no answer and walked in on my youngest sister Trisha. She was naked, looked up and saw me. A twisted, almost evil smile came to her lips, then she screamed.

My other three sisters came running, bursting into the bathroom. I was curled into a corner behind the door, my arms over my head. Contrary to what they all saw, they all also screamed at me, throwing a few things as I tried to curl up more.

“Hey, you little pervert, why don’t you fight back? We all hate your guts, especially now,” my second sister Helen said. With that, they all kicked me a few times, then left.

I did my best not to bleed on the floor, I knew all four of them would kick me again.

I walked out after cleaning up, walking to my room. All the few meager possessions I had were on the floor outside the door. All four of my sisters were there with their arms crossed.

“So, started Wendy, “you want to act like an animal, you can sleep in the basement, AFTER you clean it up!”

“Yeah,” said Helen, “at least this way we’ll be safe from you.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” my third sister Mandy said.

“This way we can make sure that no perverts are peaking at us,” Trisha said with an almost sadistic smile on her face. “What no answer? Like always just a little coward!”

I hadn’t raised my head, hadn’t said a thing. That was all I could do. A few days ago, Wendy had me sign something that basically said that she owned me. I was only eleven. I gathered my few things and headed to the basement.

“Good,” I heard all of them say. “At least we don’t have to look at your disgusting face!”

I just nodded in agreement; I knew that the accident had messed my face up. Social services had gotten a few operations on it, so it didn’t hurt all the time. After that, I just hid the pain from them and my sisters. I really didn’t need to give them more ammunition against me.

I had hidden it very well indeed. I limped on one side from the fracture that hadn’t healed right. My arm on that side also hurt badly from a small break. Yeah, I knew I was a very ugly, freakish resemblance of a human.

I was still expected to go to the grocery store, get the mail, do the outside chores and clean the house. I’d say it was a week after the bathroom incident that I met the master.

I was struggling with all the food for my sisters when he stopped in front of me. “Hello young man,” he said. “Are you in need of assistance?”

I looked at the small Asian man, not sure how to answer.

“No sir, thank you,” I told him with a small smile.

“Ah, so polite, a very rare thing these days,’ the man said, then bowed to me.

I had heard that this was a measure of respect, so I returned his bow. A small thin smile seemed to light up his face.

“I was told that you wished to learn the art. Is this true?” He asked.

I was shocked as I looked at his face, “I would, though I am very clumsy. Not sure that you should waste your time on me, I feel so unworthy.” I again bowed to him, then turned to walk away. He was in front of me without seeming to move.

“Oh, little one, you are more than worthy,” the man said. He then reached out to slap me, so fast, I almost didn’t see it. I was even more shocked when I caught his hand.

“So, you see, you are worthy. Would you care for me to train you? It will not be easy, though it will be worth it,” the man said. I stood there, thinking it would be good to be able to defend myself.

I turned back toward the man and slowly nodded. This started an intense amount of training for almost the next eight years. The only really hard thing was keeping it a secret from my sisters.

I mean it took the first two years for me to learn the basics. Though most people would say I was fast as lighting, I felt pitifully slow compared to my master.

After four years, I actually felt that I was a little faster. I always did the best that I could. The pain and strain from the training was nothing compared to what my sisters put me through. The thing was that no matter what they did, I always met them with a smile. This actually seemed to piss them off even more.

I was sixteen going into my fifth year. I was actually toned a hell of a lot more than I had been, though none of my family seemed to notice. My attitude still hadn’t changed towards my sisters, though theirs were starting to degrade further and further. I was almost through my fifth year. I was learning to block pain.

I silently came up from the basement. I stopped when I met all of my sisters at the end of the hall. They all had a type of weapon, belts, whips, straps, even a few garden tool handles. I sighed, I guess they were going to try physical torture now.

“Come on you little pervert piece of shit! It’s time you felt the pain that your existence is causing us. If you die, then so be it!” Wendy said as she advanced upon me, swinging a belt across my chest, leaving a large welt. Then the others started to beat upon me, though I refused to fall. Then the belts, whips and poles started to break.

“What the hell!” All of them screamed, then started to back up. I was covered in marks though; I did not flinch. I, of course, just smiled then moved past them to begin my day of work.

I heard them mummering, “damnit! I thought for sure we’d put that pathetic piece of garbage in the hospital for a week,” I heard Wendy say.

Usually, I would have walked on but for once I was a little curious. I didn’t really expect them to follow me this time. “Damn it, we need to get him to sign that paper, then be out for a while,” I heard Helen say with contempt in her voice. “The sooner we get rid of him the better. If it wasn’t for him, our parents would still be here.”

“Yes, if he ever finds out that he owns all of this, then we are screwed. I do have a back-up plan though. This little contract I had him sign guarantees his cooperation,” I heard Wewndy say.

“I hate him, hate him!” I heard Mandy say with a sob. “The two most special people in the world and they died because of a cowardly excuse like him. The hell with it! I say we kill the son of a bitch tonight!”

“You know we can’t do that. If he dies before he turns eighteen, then we lose everything. I, for one, don’t want to be on the streets. I’m sure we can trick him when he’s legal, put him in jail, then forget about him,” I heard Trisha say.

I shook my head. They had degraded to the point of not caring about anything but themselves. A slight smile appeared on my face. I needed to visit the family lawyer. Yes, I could see a few startling changes that were coming. This way, I thought, I could protect them more.

I left as early as I dared, quickly heading downtown. The lawyer was surprised to see me but took me to his office. I outlined the changes I wanted, then shook his hand. He advised me it would be a week before the sisters were served with this new ad-on to their parents’ will.

I smiled as I left the building, heading to the store, hurrying to get everything. Finally, I went to the master’s house. I was immediately on guard as a hand sliced the air in front of me.

“I thought you were greatly distracted. I am glad to see I was wrong,” the master said. “Today, we actually start to train in the art. Now that you can survive.” With that, the master vanished into thin air.

My mouth dropped open for a moment, then I reached out with my feelings like he had taught me. I barely avoided a hit that came straight at me.

The master appeared in front of me, “Ah good! So you listened after all. I thought you would be a great student. Now, again!”

I smiled at the thick envelope that appeared a week later from the lawyers. I walked it in, handing it all to my oldest sister. She dismissed me without a thought. I nodded, then left the room as fast as I could.

I waited across the house as she called my other sisters. I smiled a true smile as I heard first Wendy, then the rest of my sisters shriek.

“How in the hell did they find out? He doesn’t even know! How the hell are we supposed to survive? My god, they reduced it by half. It says here that a new section of the will surfaced,” Wendy yelled.

“We’re doomed!” I heard Helen almost scream. “I am not about to crawl to that pissant piece of shit, to get money that’s rightfully mine, uh ... ours.”

I could almost feel the other three turning toward her, almost growling. “I will have this straightened out in no time,” Wendy said as she left. An hour later, Wendy stormed back into the house.

Her other three sisters got out of her way as she headed toward the basement. “What the hell did you do, you little pissant!” Wendy screamed at me.

I looked at her with my usual, what do you mean? “I’m sorry? I haven’t done anything. If you remember, I am not allowed.”

You son of a bitch,” Wendy said as she swung at me, missing. Her mouth dropped open as she tried it again, missing even more. She tried more than a few times. “Stand still, take your punishment.”

“You’re sure?” I asked.

“YES, you ass!” Wendy yelled at me. She drew back her fist.

“I wouldn’t,” I warned her. She just sneered, then struck. The look of pain on her face let me know she thought she had punched a wall.

I just stood there as she clutched her hand, “what the hell! You’re a wimp, you have no muscles! Who the hell are you? Where is that piece of shit of my brother?”

I just shook my head, then walked away.

For the next two years, I was almost completely avoided. I mean really avoided, no food, no talk, nothing. I guess they thought they were hurting me. It felt almost like normal.

I had just finished my second advanced year with my master. My master had told me that I was finally starting to move at a more normal speed. I smiled. I was glad that I was finally making him a little proud.

“Next week we start with the true acts of the art. These moves will lead you toward training as a master one day. I am sorry that I pushed you as hard as I did. It usually takes twice as long as it has. Your father was a very good friend of mine. I wish you could have known him more,” my master said, his head lowered as he talked about my father.

I bowed to the floor in honor of him and my father. “Thank you master, I try to remember all that both my parents taught me. I have to go home, as little as a home as it is.”

Master nodded, then spoke, “remember, all the hate in the world can never defeat love, especially at this time of year.”

I looked at him long and hard, remembering that it was close to Christmas, though I held out little hope. “I can only hope,” I told the master, then I left.

I got home noticing that the house was extremely quiet. OK, this was very odd, there was always someone there.

I heard the screeching of brakes outside. A moment later Trish stumbled into the house. She was bruised about her face, arms and face. For a moment, I lost my temper, for the first time in my life. I felt Trish start to try and crawl away from me.