Never let her go

Chapter 8

Lucy POV

My heart was going a mile a minute.

My ribs and the cut on my stomach hurt like hell, and it made me want to throw up.

My brain felt like it went through a blender.

I couldn’t understand anything that was going on around me.

That nickname brought back all of the memories I had with my “imaginary” brothers.

Those were real? They are real?

No way. No freaking way. Jack must have hit me in the head pretty hard. I’m unconscious and dreaming right now. There is no other explanation.

“Lucy?” I heard my name being called and I looked at Ezra.

He was staring at me with tears in his eyes. He gave me a small smile and took my hand out of Liam’s grip.

“Do you remember anything, honey?” he asked me.

I do. I remember everything. It is just that I was told I imagined all of that. Looking back, a normal parent would have taken their child to the doctor if they imagined a whole other life and people down to the tiniest detail. It makes sense now, but back then I trusted my mother. I was 6 years old, for God’s sake.

“You used to have nicknames for all of us.” Liam said when I didn’t speak. “Do you remember those?”

I do. Of course I do. I just couldn’t find the words to tell him. I could just stare at him.

“Lulu?” Mike called me. “Say something, please.”

I turned to look at him. He was looking at me with a mixture of worry and sadness. I focused on him, trying to ground myself. I know him. He is familiar. We have been friends for years. Looking at the boys around me felt like I was in a dream. They didn’t feel real. How could they? I’ve been told that they were imaginary. I’ve been told that my father didn’t want me. I’ve been told that I’m an unlovable orphan. I’ve lived my entire life believing what was said to me. How can they be real then? How can their story be real then?

“Lucy?” Mike called me again. “Breathe. Come on, you can do it. Get out of that pretty, little head of yours and come back to us.”

He tried reaching for me, and I wanted him to. I really did. I need to feel something that’s real. I need to feel someone that I know is real.

But the boy on my left stopped him. “Don’t touch her.”

I blinked and looked at him. He looks like me. We have the same eyes. We have the same hair. We have the same nose. I remember that frown on his face. He was always frowning. Smiley and I were the only ones who could make him smile. I know him.

“Grumpy.” I mumbled quietly, before I could stop myself.

He gasped, and he turned his head toward me so fast that I was sure he would snap his neck.

His eyes filled with tears and, before I could blink, he buried his head in my neck and wrapped his hands around me. He sobbed and pulled me closer.

My ribs were hurting like hell, and it took everything in me not to scream from pain.
I felt another pair of arms around my waist and a head was placed on top of mine.

“You remember.” Noah mumbled, his voice trembling.

I looked at Liam and Ezra. They had tears in their eyes and a huge smile on their faces.
I lifted my hand and rubbed small circles on Theo’s back, trying to soothe him. I glanced over my shoulder at Noah, and he smiled at me. He kissed my temple and placed his head back on top of mine.

I’m still unsure if all of this is real.

I looked at Mike, and he gave me a big smile. “I told you that you look like them.”

“We didn’t look familiar to you when you saw us yesterday?” Ezra asked with a hint of pain in his voice.

I looked at him and cleared my throat. “You did. But I grew up thinking you weren’t real.”

Liam and Ezra’s eyebrows furrowed. Noah and Theo tensed up.

“What do you mean, honey?” Liam asked, confused.

“When we left you, I remembered having brothers.” I said. “I remembered everything. I remembered living with you, playing with you, and I remembered the nicknames I gave you. I remembered our dad. But my mom told me that kids sometimes have imaginary friends and that that’s what you were. I fought her hard in the beginning, but she was determined to make me believe that you were my imaginary friends. Eventually, I started to believe what she had told me. I learned that kids sometimes do have imaginary friends, and I believed I was one of them.”

When I finished speaking, Liam and Ezra had a murderous look on their faces. Noah was trembling.

“That bitch!” Theo growled at my neck, making me wince.

“Theo!” Liam warned him.

“I’m sorry, Sunshine, I’m so sorry.” Theo sobbed, not raising his head.

He pulled me even closer, tightening his grip on me. I had to bite my lip to stop myself from screaming. I wiggled, trying to loosen his grip on me.

“You are holding her too tight, Theo.” Noah said, pulling me away from Theo.

With all the pulling, I felt like my body was being hit by a bus constantly. But, if I remember correctly, there is no way in hell they will stop holding me anytime soon. Especially Theo. When we were kids, he was always holding on to me like he was afraid I would disappear. Which I did. I knew he would be even clingier than usual for a while. I guess I would have to get used to the pain.

“I am so sorry.” Theo whispered and raised his head to look at me.

His eyes were puffy and red. He looked broken, and it made my heart clench painfully.

“It’s okay, Theo.” I said, cupping his cheek. “I’m okay.”

He buried his head back into my neck, pulling me to him, gentler this time.

“I missed you so much.” he mumbled as I ran my fingers through his hair.

It always used to calm him down when we were kids. It amazed me how my body just fell back into old habits. It was like my muscles remembered more than I did.

“What about dad?” Liam asked, making me look at him.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

“What did she tell you about our dad?” Liam clarified his earlier question.

“She told me that he didn’t want me.” I said. “She told me he left us when I was 2 years old.”

Liam clenched his fists and muttered a swear word. Ezra sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Noah and Theo tensed up again.

“If that bitch wasn’t already dead, I would kill her myself.” Liam growled.

Wait…

He knows that mom is dead?

When did he find out? Why didn’t he come to get me sooner? I could have been living with my family all this time? Why didn’t they come for me?

Tears started forming in my eyes and a sob escaped me.