He thought his brother was a nasty thing. He imagined that he used to be very cool and amazing. He had been that way when he was little at least. They used to hang out all the time and have awesome brotherly fights.

Dirk let out a small sigh when he thought about how well he and his brother used to get along. He closed down his computer, his only means of communication to outside of his room, and walked over to his bed, grabbing Little Cal and snuggling up for a nice nap. He wasn't even allowed to go to school and couldn't leave his room because of the large statue blocking the door.

"Do you remember that day Cal? When Bro got real mad and hit us? ...And then locked us in here.." He frowned. Yes the statue thing was totally bad ass and he was sure that others looking down on the situation would see it as humors. But it was a nightmare.

He was unable to get food on his own, he's never even been taught how to make some. His clothes had to be washed in his bathtub and god forbid to much garbage pile up in his room. He felt like a prisoner, hiding in his closet when ever he heard his brother stomping around the house on his rare trips home.

Dirk slipped his hand to the back of Cal's face, making his mouth move as he mumbled the words.

"Its ok little man, things will get better. I'll be here to protect you, I love you."

Though by the end he was trying not to sob. His brother use to tell him that when he was young but it had been so long since anyone had told him he loved him that the thought of it made him sob.

"I-It'll be ok little man.. Shh, don't cry." He made the puppet talk again, using its soft hand to pat his hair. God how he longed for human contact.

He snuggled into the puppet, hiding his face in the dolls chest as he cried.

That day.. why did it have to go so wrong? It just.. He.. He should have just kept his mouth shut..

The door had opened and closed quietly. It was nearly midnight when the older Strider had gotten home that day. Things at work had begun to pick up again at an awful rate and it was making him stressed. He walked into the house to find Dirk still up and watching tv.

"Why did that make him so angry?" The thought crossed Dirk's mind as he remembered.

His brother had yelled at him, not the kind of yell you normally get when you've stayed up past your bedtime. But the kind of yell that makes your shoulders shake and wish there was a mother that you could go running to.. To hide in her warmth and know that as long as she was there nothing could hurt you.

He screamed about how the boy should be in bed, and that he was appalled that the kid had disobeyed this one simple rule.

"And.. I yelled back that he was never here so what did the rules matter.. Remember Cal? ..I was so tired that night.."

He made the doll nod and pretend to yawn.

"Bro didn't like that.."

He walked over and grabbed Dirk's arm, pulling him off the couch and holding onto him to tightly. He yelled about how if the rules didn't matter then why didn't he just brake more of them and become a faggot then have an orgy in the bathtub.

The way he had said it was so offensive that all Dirk could think to do was to scream at him that he was one and he just might have to let the poor shit stain know it already happened. Even though it hadn't.

"He hit me Cal.. Not like when we used to play either he.. H-He wanted to hurt me.." He sniffled, wiping his nose. "I-It really hurt Cal.. A-And then he said that I was acting like a child.."

He wiped his eyes next, his lip quivering. "R-Remember? Then I-I said he was being childish.." Another sob left his lips. "A-And he said it w-was better to be childish than have a kid l-like you?"

Dirk had nearly started crying when his brother said that him but had retorted without even thinking first when he said that he was going to tell the neighbor he'd hit him, and that then he would go to jail for it.

He couldn't hold back his sobs after that, he could hardly remember what his brother had done after that because all he could remember was bits of metal, his brothers broken skin, blood, and then the wall, floor, and living room table.

He had woken up almost a day later in a pile of dried blood on his bed, the majority of things in his room broken and the door blocked by something. He cried and screamed for someone to help him, for someone to let him out. But no one did.

"Sometimes.. Sometimes I get so hungry Cal.. I-I don't know what I'm going to do I.." He looked down at the doll and brought its arms around him for a hug as he stared at his pillows.

"You're such a good listener Cal.. W-What should I do? ...I don't want to starve anymore.." He swallowed thickly and made the dolls head move again, letting it tell him that he knew how to make everything better.

He brought the puppets mouth to his ears and pretended to listen for a moment, glancing at the window, then at the computer. He was on the top floor of the apartment.. It would be enough.

"But.. Jake, he could.. H-He could help you know? He could save me.."

"Stuuuuuupid kid! You really think he would help a faggot like you? He doesn't love you. No one really does~"

"Cal.. T-That's awful.. I mean.. You love me right?"

The doll didn't respond, he just left it on the bed as he sat up, shaking it a bit. "Cal..?" He shook him again, trying to wake it up before sobbing into his hands when he remember the doll wasn't really alive. It was just him. It had always been just him and if he stayed like this it would only ever be him.

Dirk looked to the window again, still sobbing as he got up and walked over to it. "Nobody wants me here.. I-I don't belong.."

Then crawled onto the window sill, hearing his brother walk through the front door. "He'd be better off without me.."

He heard the footsteps walking up the stairs and he let out a loud sob, moving to crouch there. "What was I supposed to do..? I'm just a kid.."

The thing in front of the door was moved to the side. Dirk looked back to the opened door, pushing himself off the ledge as his brother dropped the grocery bag of birthday cake, running to the window after him.