Little Lukas

III

Cerin POV:

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea", I said as I finished putting the last of our luggage in the trunk. Kaine closed the trunk and leaned on top of it.

"Well you already told her we were coming. It would break her heart if we back out now."

"Hearts are meant to be broken", I remarked cooly as I looked over the car seat in the back. We thought we'd have a kid sooner or later so we set everything up as fast as we could, but seeing the seat empty just reminded why we were taking this trip in the first place and Kaine seemed to notice that.

"Let's not focus on that right now. Okay we're going to go see your sister and we're going to have a good time, and then when we get back we'll handle all the rest. Sound good?"

"...I guess."

"You'll see, we're gonna have a blast", he yelled excitedly as he got in the driver's seat. I rolled my eyes and got in the passenger side. He was right, we were gonna have a good time and everything else would fall in place. I just had to keep calm and relax. Our time will come, I can feel it.

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Lukas POV:

It's been days since the ordeal in the forest but to me it felt like time had ground to a halt, and I was still trapped in that moment. My dad said that when neither of us came home they feared the worst. They were going to send out a small search party to look for us until we were dropped off by them. Amaro's family took him back home without a word and mine just...tended to my injuries and acted as if nothing had happened. But it did happen.

I wasn't the same after that. I stopped working and settled for just staying home in my room. My parents didn't seem to mind and usually left me to my own devices unless they needed me for something. I hated the looks they gave me, it made me feel pathetic, like I was nothing but a charity case that they had to walk on eggshells around. I just wanted them to hold me and tell me that it was going to be okay, but they didn't do that. They just went on with life, business as usual.

Amaro never even came to check on me, probably because his family forbade it, and if I'm being honest I didn't really want to see him either. Every fiber in my being screamed that it was his fault that all of this happened but deep in my heart I knew the truth: I was to blame too. That truth was a clear as day and one that haunted me along with my other nightmares.

I just wanted everything to stop. I just wanted to disappear. I just wanted someone to tell me that it wasn't my fault.

I was in my room still feeling sorry for myself when a knock came on the door. Softly, I told the person to come in and watched as my dad entered the room with an unusual smile on his face.

"Got a sec?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well it's my day off and I was wondering if you wanted to get out of here and do something with your old man?"

"Oh...thanks but I'm not really-"

"Lukas, you've been cooped up in here for days. Your mom's worried and frankly so am I, so you're coming with me. So get dressed, we're headin' out in a few."

I nodded to show that I understood but in truth I really didn't. How could they expect me to just go out and live my life like nothing had happened? Did they think that just because I did what I did for work that I didn't care that I was taken by force? Did they not care? All of these questions plagued my mind as I got ready, being careful to avoid my own reflection while I did so because I was too ashamed to look at myself.