You Think You Know

From the time Katie had met JJ went he came to town they had been fast friends. A little guarded about himself , yet funny and friendly to her. JJ moved into one of the lower class areas on the outskirts of town around the start of 7th grade. Nobody except the administration knew much about him, and nobody, even Katie knew if JJ where initials or his first name, he never answered when asked and the teachers always called him by JJ.

When JJ came to the first day of class's that year they shared a home room and found out that the schedule of class's they had where almost identical. They even where excused from phys-ed , her for a blood condition , him for no known reason, he just was excused. Through out that first year together they became great friends and study partners , but neither ever spent time together out of school because of her families position in the upper crust of the areas society , for Katie's father was a minister at the local "wealthy" church in town, and JJ came from the "other side of town" , if you have read the OUTSIDERS , you know the type of town.

The friendship grew into the second half of 10th grade, when someone started a rumor about JJ and how he dressed and why he refused to play sports at his size. Even though he ignored it all. It upset Katie, because she was falling in love with him. She told her parents about the rumors and hoped that they could be of help. When Katie's father used some of his business and personal contacts to run down the rumors, he was appalled and shocked at what he found out was the actual facts of the boy. Not knowing what to tell his daughter , he just told her that the rumors where not true , and contacted the school administration and JJ's guardians, he felt it was necessary for them to know about the rumors , because he had met the boy while at school functions, and few times at his house when Katie and him had worked on school projects.

With JJ not rising to the bait when taunted, the rumors slowly died out.

It was the week before summer break of his junior year when JJ, his past, and a good deed unfortunately collided with a tabloid sensationalist reporter.

Now JJ was a tad bit older then many of his classmates, due to turn 18 over the upcoming summer. While driving to school a day before final class's he witnessed a small school van get t-boned by an old Buick Electra 225 and get knocked onto its side, he pulled over just as Katie and her father came to the same intersection. Katie's father told her to call 911 as he and JJ went towards the accident. When they reached the bus , they realized the driver was dead and that most of the kids where unharmed and already getting off the bus thru the rear door. They looked inside the car . Finding the driver moaning and smelling like a distillery .

The cars engine suddenly started to smoke and flames flashed from it, realizing the car was going to catch fire the two turned to see if all the kids where off the bus. Katie's father told JJ to go check the bus again , that he would get the driver from the car, JJ went up to the bus and looked in , seeing that there was still a child on the bus, she appeared to be wearing leg braces and could not get up or crawl out of the bus.

More people where showing up and starting to help, and two police cruisers where just arriving, when the engine on the Buick exploded into fire and sent flames shooting over the bottom of the bus. Katie's father had pulled the driver out of the car and away from the fire when he saw that fuel was coming out of the bus's tank. He yelled for JJ to get away from the bus as JJ disappeared into it.

The police officers came running with fire extinguishers and where just approaching the bus when JJ came out cradling the young girl and as they came towards him they wondered why he suddenly dropped and balled the girl up against his chest. The fuel that was leaking from the bus flared just as he dropped and the everyone gasped as a tongue of fire came out and almost surrounded the JJ and the girl, and just as quickly, the flames sucked back. As JJ stood and ran towards the police, one of the officers told him to turn around so that he could put JJ's shirt out, because it was on fire. JJ ran up to the officer and handed her the little girl and then dropped to the ground, the officer still with an extinguisher used it to put JJ's shirt out, as well as his pants and shoes which where smoldering as well. A fire/rescue squad arrived just as this was happening and went to the burning vehicles .The police waved to them . indicating a injured person.

Before the medic arrived JJ stood up and pulled his shirt off, the younger cop, vomited and Katie screamed, both thinking that what they saw was burnt and damaged skin, which it was , but not from a fire.

As JJ turned towards Katie's scream the older officer, who was a patrol sergeant and veteran officer saw JJ's chest and had flash of memory

While the person in front of him had a back that was scarred, it was his chest that shocked him. Branded across it where the words.

poena est filiolus diligo ( pain is gods love)

While the case was from almost the other side of the country, not an officer who had more than 5 years on the force did know about it.

For two reasons, while the followers of the man where dead, the cult leader named the savior was not in custody, the other because there was one survivor of the cults sacrifices to their idea of god, and he was the one who killed the followers. All 12 of them.

Katie's father had gone too hold her , knowing that she had seen JJ and his scars, that's when he saw the camera and the reporter, and he recognized the man. He knew that JJ and his secret was about to come out. He looked down and asked Katie if JJ's home number was in her phone, she answered yes, asking why he wanted it.

Because I think JJ's guardians are going to want to know about this. Katie looked up and asked" I though he lived with his parents, though I never really asked'. Katie's father looked down at her , and shaking his head " no Katie , he does not. And I think its time I invited JJ to our home, I think he is going to need help with things."

As he stood there . Looking at JJ as they led him to the ambulance, him holding the hand of the girl he rescued. He wondered , how does someone survive what he did and be such a gentle and caring soul.

To be born to be a sacrifice, and to kill your own parents . That was the reports said, he was soon to find out different.