Hidden Hearts

Chapter 10. She who disappeared like a ghost

Six years later, in September, in a bus somewhere not too far away...

It had been a long journey. Hours and hours of travel by bus through state lines, using fake identities all the way so no one would find her. Leaving no trace behind, just like a ghost.

She was dead tired, not only from the trip, but from life itself. It had been too long since she had seen a light among darkness. Too long since she had taken a breath of fresh air and dreamed of better days instead of just horrible nightmares, too long since she'd lost most of her backbone and lightness of heart. The darkness that assailed her with no compassion had stolen her strength and she needed desperately for a Hero to come and save her, for once.

She was so tired, so weak.

......

Charleston...

In a room inside an old house that was going through the long, tiring and incredible process of renovation, a group of seven boys found themselves seated in a circle. Some on the ground, a couple in the bed, and the two oldest sitting in the two chairs in the room.

The main topic of discussion was the other two boys who, at the time, were in the garage of the house, dismantling another one of the family cars.

"He refuses to speak with me!" Whined Luke who was rolling in the ground like a dog.

"Do calm down Mr. Taylor and stop acting so undignified. Have we already ascertained that he is neither deaf nor mute, gentlemen?" Asked Mr. Blackbourne from his chair.

"YES! He talks in greek with that giant friend of his all the time! Although I have yet to hear him answer, then maybe the giant is mute." Continued Luke, whining dramatically.

"Man, the giant is got a name, Silas Korba. Stop being so jealous that your brother talks with him but not with you." Gabriel teased.

"We need a different approach with those two. They are so united that they keep the rest of the world away. They shut themselves inside a bubble and do not let anyone else inside." Mentioned Victor, sitting in the bed besides Kota.

"This is not healthy." Added Sean, before returning to his state of half-awake half-asleep in the chair.

"I agree, but we have tried just about everything with those two. It's been six months already." Said Nathan crestfallen, while trying to avoid Luke's madly swinging legs.

"F***! You know what the academy would say. You can't help those who don't want to be helped." Gabriel spat, growing frustrated with the whole situation. He didn't want to give up the two broken boys any more than the rest of his brothers, but he couldn't see a solution for the problem at hand. At least not any feasible one. If only she was here... No, he wasn't going to think about her. They had lost her long ago, there was no point in torturing himself over old memories of a sweet little girl he barely knew. She was only shadow in his mind these days, a ghost with deep green eyes. Someone who he'd known for only a few days and yet had changed his whole life.

"We can't give up." The words of his leader and brother brought Gabriel out of his depressing musings. He finally assumed his place as head of the family after Sang came along. "They are family. They might not acknowledge us, but we have taken them in and made them brothers. We can't give up on them." Said Kota, straightening on the bed and pushing his glasses up his nose, much like Mr. Blackbourne often does.

"I agree Mr. Lee. But if we are going to keep trying then we must all agree to keep up with a group effort. That being said gentleman let's start the vote." Said the always stoic Mr. Blackbourne, the man was a machine, always working for the best of the family, never resting or really enjoying life. Another thing that had happened because of Sang, this time a bad one. Their older brother had never gotten over the fact that they lost her and not even the academy could find the little girl. Owen Blackbourne does not deal well with failure, especially with someone who he considers family.