Arus blinked as the man stumbled when he went for the briefcase. He tensed as an image went through his mind he would rather have not remembered. He paled as the image of his father doing the same thing and pulling out a medium length metal pipe. Then the pain and fear as the image of his father beating him with it repeatedly passed through his mind.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">He was five going on six. It was late afternoon and he got home late from begging for food and some change from people. His father was pissed and drunk as usual. He managed to catch him sneaking in and grabbed him by the hair. Throwing him into the wall across from where the door fram was. He hits it with a loud banging sound. "Ah!" He screamed. Whimpering as something from the shelf above fell and bopped him hard on the head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." His father pissed and yelling. <span style="font-weight: bold">"I told you about coming home late. Didn't I warn you the last time?!"</span> He shook and said. "It was only a minute. Please it won't happen again." He tensed as saw his father raging now because he dared to answer back. He should have just said nothing. He crawled away from the wall and then stopped. Hearing the audible clicking of a  briefcase. He turned to see his father open a briefcase. Something flashed off metal in the light and the briefcase fell to the ground with a thud. His father held a two foot solid metal pipe in his hands and was storming his way. He got up and ran. Only to hear the sickening thwack of metal hitting bone. He fell to the ground. Screaming and crying as the pipe contacted with his body repeatedly. Tears trailing his cheeks and he begged him to stop. "No. Please. Stop. Please. No. Stop. I'm sorry. Please." His father cursing him over and over again......</span><br/><br/>He let out a hiss of air as he tensed visually. His body tense and his eyes had a slightly glazed over appearance. Whispering very softly in a begging plea. "No...please...stop...please...no...." Relaxing as the memory faded and he saw things other than something metalic coming out of the briefcase. Hoping no one had noticed the reaction. Watching him pull out something in a frame and set it upside down on the table. Shaking his head as he reminded himself this was not back there. He was not with his evil twisted parents. He was safe in a boarding school halfway across the world. He sees the picture and blinked as it was placed next to clippings. He realized Hannah was sitting next to him and during the flashback he had somehow pressed against her a bit. His cheeks flushed deep red. He didn't pull his hand away but he did sit up a bit. He relaxed further when he had substance to his reminders he wasn't back there.<br/><br/>He looked at her but held onto her hand gently. His face back to normal color when William had turned to look at them. He shook his head. "No. I want to stay beside my friend. I will stay sitting by Hannah." He says. His eyes filled with shock then slight anger before it became a diplomatic cool at the way he spoke to Hannah. "Don't talk to her in such a way. It isn't proper when this is her home. She graciously allowed you into her home but talking to her that way isn't how a man she talk to his host." He says in a calm and even manner that had a slight edgy tilt. He blinked and sighed. "Please don't fight. Family isn't supposed to fight over something that could easily be agreed upon if both parties take time to hear the others side of it." He says softly. He looked at him. "Why are you nervous?" he asked. He too wanted to know the answer of that.<br/><br/>"Um...sir...we are sitting down." He says softly. Seeing the picture and pulled it from the table. Staring at it in shock. "Thats my pendant. The pendant I've had all my life. How do you have a picture of it?" He asks. A tremor of shocked confusion in his voice. His eyes shot to Wiliam as he spoke. Putting the photo back where it had been. Looking at him. "Don't say that. Every time I've heard those words they have been a lie. Don't say it....please." He says softly. He pushed his glasses up and looked at him. "Will you talk then? And explain it?"