Kevin sighed deeply shutting his bedroom door and slided against it sitting on the floor. He rolled his head to the side and stared out of the open window. Some lonely birds were quietly flying from tree to tree, a slight breeze gently moving the yellowing leaves as fall approached.

"Hey" a voice greeted him softly. Kevin smiled sadly turning towards the boy sitting on his bed, used by now to his sudden appearances. "Hey" he greeted back equally softly. They stared at eachother in silence, Kevin just drinking his presence, admiring his flawless white skin, his big open yet so ditant eyes, his raven black silky hair, his full lips. He sighed, a habit he'd gotten recently/ something he'd been doing quite often recently.

Eli had started to appear a few months ago, almost a year now. At first he was only in his dreams, appearing in the nights he actually slept and didn't have nightmares and then slowly he started to appear in his nightmares, his waking moments, always.

No one knew about him and Kevin liked it this way, he was his little secret. And probably people would've just thought he was crazy, if anyone even paid attention to what he was saying. Sometimes he too thought he'd gone mad.

Kevin didn't know what Eli was. An angel? A ghost? A projection his feverish immagination had created? He didn't know and didn't really care, all that mattered was that he was there, he was there when he needed him, he was there when no one else was.

He was there when his parents fought, he was there when his mother left, when his father started drinking too much, hitting him, discharging his frustration and anger on him, when bullies picked on him for his fragile looks, beating him up, adding bruises on bruises.

He was there, always comforting him, listening to him, letting him cry in his arms, telling him everything was going to be ok, that it would get better, giving him the strenght to go on, to take the beatings and insults, all the pain.

Why he did it though, he didn't know anymore. Not even Eli's smile everytime he came back home or woke up every morning was enough now. Kevin was just so tired, tired of this life, of this pain. Of knowing that every other morning he opened his eyes only more pain would come, that he couldn't do anything but just drag himself from one hell to another, waiting, hoping for things to get better. He almost stopped hoping things would get better because no matter how much he hoped, how hard he prayed, nothing changed. But hope was all he had left now, hope and his Eli.

"How was today?" Keving snorted "Do you even have to ask?" Eli walked closer sitting next to him on the floor. "Don't be like this..." He caressed his cheeck lightly careful not to hurt him, avoiding his broken lip, the dark bruise on his high cheeckbone, the small cut still bleeding, a few drops of blood slowly dripping down his cheek. Kevin sighed closing his eyes, pressing his hand over Eli's keeping it against him, cherishing the small contact and not caring about the minimal pain Eli's hand on his open cuts caused. At first he didn't want Eli to see him like this, but Eli had just smiled and told him he looked beautiful no matter what, so he didn't care anymore.

"Just take me away, take me away with you.." "I can't" he opened his eyes pleading "But why?" Eli didn't answer, he never did.