One Two Three Shatter Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Blurb

  Trademark Acknowledgment

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  About the Author

  Also Out by Rooster and Pig

  One, Two, Three Shatter

  Art from Ashes Series, 1

  Joey James Hook

  ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED:

  Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you ONE LEGAL copy for your personal reading on your personal computer(s) or device(s). You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book should not be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal everywhere except the land of UtaDenial. It is also a blatantly meanie-butt maneuver. It takes the author’s hard earned money right out of their pockets.

  Just don’t do it!

  Cover Artist: Lex Valentine

  Editor: Katherine Johnson

  Editor-in-Chief: Katherine Johnson

  One, Two, Three Shatter © 2014 Joey James Hook

  ISBN - 13: 978-1505662498

  ISBN - 10: 1505662494

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission of the publisher. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. The Licensed Art Material is being used for illustrative purposes only; any person depicted in the Licensed Art Material is a model.

  PUBLISHER: Rooster & Pig Publishing

  ONE, TWO, THREE SHATTER

  Life was harsh and cruel to Kaleb Xander from very early on, and he was never given a moment's rest to breathe and recover from the misery. Once freed from years in a cage of wrath and perverted lust, he found the real world to be a mere step up from what he was used to. Abuse was simply coming in different guises and through new avenues now.

  All it should take is one person to reach out their hand and save this lost soul - but Kaleb is more complicated than that. It'll take a miracle, and he's banking on someone to be just that for him before he gives it all up

  Word Count: 131,012

  Genre: Dark Gay Romance

  Warning: This book contains graphic language, sexually explicit content, drug use, discussion of child abuse, and violent situations. Intended for adult audiences only. Not intended for anyone under the age of 18 This book depicts a long portion of the main character's life and also contains bisexuality with the relationship on the page as a significant part of the plot.

  TRADEMARKS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following word marks and names mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Trademark – Copyright Holder

  Nike: Nike, Inc.

  Converse (shoes): Converse Inc.

  Marlboro: Philip Morris USA Inc.

  Ford Pinto / Mustang / Bronco: Ford Motor Company

  Chevy Corvette: General Motors Corporation

  Dodge: DaimlerChrysler Corporation

  Mötley Crüe: Motley Crue, Inc.

  Schecter Avenger (guitar): Schecter Guitar Research, Inc.

  Yukon Jack (whiskey): Diageo Brands B.V. / Hublein, Inc

  Jack Daniels: Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, Prop.,

  Inc.

  Bailey's: Diageo Brands B.V.

  Absolut Vodka: Pernod Ricard / The Absolut Company

  Jägermeister: Mast-Jägermeister SE

  Cointreau: Cointreau [France]

  Grey Goose Vodka: Bacardi & Company Limited

  Malibu Rum: Pernod Ricard

  Budweiser: Anheuser-Busch, LLC

  Guinness: Diageo Ireland

  Miller (beer): Miller Products Company

  7-Up: Seven-Up Company

  Starbucks: Starbucks U.S. Brands LLC

  Punisher (comic book): Marvel Comics

  Goodyear: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

  Saran Wrap: Dow Chemical Company

  Walmart: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

  The BFG: Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake

  La Sierna: 4226 East Olympic Ave, LA

  Jose Cuervo: Tequila Cuervo La Rojena, Mexico

  Patron: Caribbean Distillers Corporation Limited

  Sierra Pale Ale: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company The Crow (movie): Crowvision, Inc. / Miramax Films

  Nikki Sixx: Sixx, Nikki, Individual

  Guns N' Roses: GUNS N' ROSES

  Irish Spring: Colgate-Palmolive Company

  Old Spice: The Proctor & Gamble Company

  Those who fear love, fear life and those who fear life are

  already three parts dead.— Marriage and Morals (1929)

  by Bertrand Russell

  DEDICATION

  This book is dedicated first and foremost to my sweetheart, as all my books will be; to my family; to everyone who took a chance on Kaleb and believed in his story; to Katt and Roxy for helping me bring this world to life; to Nikki Sixx, who has been a huge inspiration for this story; finally, it's dedicated to Kaleb himself, as he's become as much a part of me as anyone or anything else.

  I would also like to thank the following bands for lending me their words and inspirations to help shape Kaleb into who he is today: Avenged Sevenfold, Linkin Park, Mötley Crüe, Sixx:AM, Blue October, Digital Summer, Carfax Abbey, Thousand Foot Krutch, Godsmack, Atreyu, Eighteen Visions (RIP), Bleeding Through, Good Charlotte, Crossfade, Seether, Lifehouse, AFI, Papa Roach, Five Finger Death Punch, Union Underground, Pantera, Tommy Lee, Metallica, Guns 'N Roses, Slipknot, Kisses For Kings, Green Day and Burn Halo.

  PROLOGUE

  THE RAIN MADE him cold. When small, fo
ur-year-old Kaleb got cold, he curled up with his mother. Alex had spent the past hour packing, and he didn't know where she was going or why. Kaleb felt upset because he couldn't curl up with her while she was running around putting everything into her suitcase. Why the suitcase, though? His young mind wondered.

  Kaleb watched her for a moment in curious silence, on the windowsill, listening to both his mother's ruffling around the room and the soft drip of the October rain outside. He didn't know which to focus on more, but his attention quickly returned to his mother.

  He moved away from the window and wrapped his little arms around himself. Walking over to his mom's bedside, he crawled up onto the plush surface, brown eyes wide and imploring as he grabbed his mother's blanket and curled up in it.

  "Where you going, Mommy?" he asked in a soft voice.

  She jerked like she'd been electrocuted, blinking once before focusing on him, her shocked expression melting into a smile as she tilted her head. She let out a soft sigh. "Just out, baby. I'll be back for you," Alex promised. He blinked, bit his lip again, and nodded, wide eyes trusting as he looked upon her. "You trust me, right?"

  "Of course I do. You're my mommy," he rationalized with a wave of his hand.

  She laughed, pushing a handful of stuff into her bag.

  His mother's behavior scared him. "Why do you need those things when you're just going out?" He paused before adding, "It's cold, Mommy. I don't want you getting sick."

  "They're dirty, baby, and I'll be okay," Alex replied with a mockery of her usual big smile.

  He could see her lower lip was a little swollen. She kissed his head, and she smelled like roses. She always smelled like roses.

  "Come back soon, okay?" Kaleb pleaded softly once his mother had packed her suitcase full.

  His mother glanced over at him, a soft look in her eye. "I'll be back, I promise," she said, kissing his head again and slipping out the door.

  He watched her. He felt something he shouldn't have in the pit of his stomach, a sick squirming that made him want to throw up. He knew she wasn't coming back.

  She never did.

  After the day she left, he began to hate her.

  ****

  Two years passed between when his mother deserted him that turbulent night and when the next big storm of his life hit.

  Kaleb's chest grew heavy through those two years of lulls, and he thought he'd become numb to whatever the big bad world gave him. He would be stronger if he went it alone.

  So wrong. He was six when his father first ripped him from his bed and immediately pinned him facedown to the wall of the bedroom he and Stevie used to share before Stevie got to go to a special kindergarten for smarter boys than Kaleb.

  The first flicker went through Kaleb as he tried to fight back with grunts and whimpers, but his movements were stopped by his father's much-larger figure. Try as he might, he couldn't get away. He even tried screaming and earned a sharp slap to the face and a grimy palm over his lips.

  He struggled against his father's body, grunting and whimpering until his father's nails dug so deep into his face, he bled. He fell silent then.

  He never screamed again.

  CHAPTER ONE

  FROM THE FIRST day of kindergarten when he came in with a split lip, to his first year of middle school when his father pulled him from the system, Kaleb hated school more than anything. There were so many questions, sidelong glances, whispers following him down the hall. No one wanted to be friends with such a toxic, surly preteen who hadn't been a part of the school system until he started high school. His father and brother had initially decided to home school Kaleb for a few years after third grade until they realized how much work it had turned out to be, then cast him into the school system sometime in high school. Most people didn't trust him. They didn't know him, so why would they give him a chance? He was an outsider.

  The first day back in public school dawned strangely cloudy, the heavy clouds hanging over Chaminade High School.

  "Kaleb? Kaleb!"

  He heard a familiar female voice and bristled at first. He whipped around to face her, dark eyes narrowed instead of widened, and found himself face-to-face with a ghost of his past. He licked his lips and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, recalling the first time he'd met Sidney McIntosh.

  "Are you okay, boy?" a sweet voice asked over his shoulder.

  Kaleb jerked bodily from the ground, practically falling back on his ass as he looked up into dark brown eyes. He swallowed hard, breathing heavily still. "Uh… yeah," he said, his voice scratchy from disuse.

  The girl tilted her head, stepping closer and kneeling down beside him. He looked down and saw she was wearing a pink and white flowered dress. All he could think of was how dirty she was going to get her dress if she knelt down beside him.

  "What's your name?" she asked softly.

  He looked at her, eyes wide. He had no practice in human contact. Stunned silent for a moment, he was unsure how to answer a simple question. "K-Kaleb," he finally replied, stumbling over his own name, and a bright smile came over her heart-shaped face. He breathed out.

  "I'm Sidney, but you can call me Sid if you want to," she said, a bashful little smile spreading over her face as she looked at Kaleb, the sun glinting off her brown hair.

  It reminded him of… chocolate. They looked like those sweet chocolates his mother used to give him. Without thinking, he reached out and caught a lock between his fingers, feeling the softness.

  Sid looked surprised by the move, but she didn't pull away, just sat back on the sand and crossed her legs, putting her hands in her lap to keep her dress down. Kaleb gave a tiny smile to her before running his fingers through the long hair spilling over her shoulder.

  "It's pretty," Kaleb told her in an unsure tone as he wrapped a lock around his crooked finger, tilting his head. He heard her giggle and he looked up at her, eyes wide as he dropped the strands. He hadn't heard laughter in what felt like years. She tilted her head at the reaction and reached out to touch his face when his own hair fell across his face.

  "What happened?" she asked in a small voice, tracing his cheekbone with her soft fingertips.

  After a second of enjoying the foreign contact, Kaleb jerked away, eyes wider than before. "I fell." His tone was so honest, Sid took the answer without question. She just frowned and moved closer to him, trying to touch his face again. He whimpered and pulled away. "Don't touch me."

  "I'm not gonna hurt you, Kaleb," Sid said softly, still moving closer.

  He flinched, moving away from her hand, and reached up, smacking it out of the way. "I said don't touch me!"

  Sid pulled her hand back at the stinging impact, looking wounded as she cradled it softly, watching Kaleb closely, eyes imploring. He looked back at her, tears springing up in his eyes again.

  "Please." His voice was soft and shaky this time as he withdrew his hands, pulling his knees closer, perching his chin on his knee. He looked at her through the curly strands of his hair, and he could tell her heart ached for him. He didn't understand the pity in her eyes.

  "Okay," Sid told him softly, nodding and putting her hands back in her lap, licking her lips as she watched him.

  It made Kaleb do the same, tasting the blood from the split as he did so. He turned his head and spat, the liquid tinged red. He wrinkled his nose in distaste.

  Kaleb looked back at Sid and caught her gaze. They stared at each other for a while, until the chill of sundown came upon them. Kaleb was the first to shiver, and then Sid followed.

  "I should go home." Sid began to push up from the sand. "This was fun. We should do this more often."

  "Okay." Kaleb had spoken before thinking, and he bit his lip after the word flew out. He slowly stood. Immediately, he rocked back on his heels, watching as Sid brushed off her dress.

  "I come here every day, so maybe I'll see you tomorrow?" she implored, looking up once her dress was straight.

  He gave a crooked little smile, hesitation makin
g it waver. "I can try." It was all he could promise, biting his wounded lip.

  She smiled brightly at him through the dimness and nodded. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, Kaleb," Sid told him before turning and skipping off in the other direction.

  He sighed and turned around, beginning the long trek home. He was in so much trouble for running away, he knew it, but he didn't care. He'd made a friend.

  Sidney—well, Sid he supposed—hadn’t changed and neither had her voice as she greeted him, "Hi."

  Kaleb didn't know what to say, so he responded with a dumb, "Hi." He had to remind himself to keep breathing, unless he wanted to hyperventilate. He thought he'd never see her again, and there she was. "You cut your hair."

  "Mhm. It was becoming a pain," Sid explained with a shrug. She brushed a hand back through her locks, rocking back on the heels of her sneakers.

  He allowed himself to run his gaze over the girl, finding she wasn't dressed like he remembered. She wore dark corduroys and a black T-shirt with a pink tiara splashed over the chest. He wore pretty much the same things he had been wearing back then, only his jeans were cleaner and black, his shirt not so thin and ripped. He still wore ripped sneakers, ones from last year so they were almost too small for him now.

  The strands of her hair still reminded him of chocolate, though, and he fought the urge to reach out and catch a shorter lock between his fingers. Instead, he just watched how it glinted under the light as he brought his bottom lip between his teeth, feeling over the difference between the tissue of his lip and the sliver of scar tissue where the split had been the last time Sid had seen him.

  "How are you?" she asked quietly.

  Kaleb looked over to her with a small smirk, shrugging as he lowered his lashes over his tired eyes. "Okay, I guess," he replied, flicking his gaze back up to her despite his own attempts not to. Sid was looking at him with something akin to curiosity, her head canted to the side, her shoulder-length hair blowing in the light wind. "You?" He had to remember, the give and take thing was how people did it.