Our Saving Grace

Family Meeting Part 2 - Nathan

This was turning into one fucked up night. It had started out so normal, I was still having a hard time understanding exactly how we had all ended up packed into North's trailer learning some really fucked up shit. I mean I always knew that Kate was on the dramatic side, but I had fun when we were together. Not that I ever really took the time to get to know her. I knew her body. I knew how to make her moan. I knew to never allow her to spend the night with me. I didn't know anything about her team. I didn't know anything about what kind of person she was. I didn't know anything about what type of leader she was. 

And that was the real problem here. 

I had brought someone I didn't know and had no business trusting into a house that other people called home. In doing so, I risked Sang's safety and broke her trust in us as a whole. We had told her she was safe at the beach house. And I was the one to make it unsafe for her. 

Not to mention that I had actually hit her. Yeah, everything had happened at lightening speed and I was fucking clueless at the time, but my first instinct shouldn't have been to lay hands on her. I am twice her size. I could have just stood up, placing my body between the two girls and would have effectively blocked any cat fight that was occurring. The fact that I had broken Sang's wrist just made everything worse. 

She was going to have to wear a cast because of me. Be vulnerable the entire time she heals because of me. Have to go through weeks of physical therapy because of me. 

Maybe I am no better than my father. 

I listened in silent horror as Kota describe what Sang had done through last year and felt sick to my stomach. The entire foundation of the Academy is our family groups. Family is a choice. Family first. The fact that Sang was hazed by the team that she was trying to join, shows that something was wrong from the start. How in the world was that allowed to happen? It might not feel like it at times, but the Academy has oversight. There are safeguards in place to keep us from turning into highly trained, power hungry, villains that have training to work outside of the system. 

What happened to Sang should have never occurred. 

Instead of putting us at ease, reading that damn folder has only left us with more questions. And it was the Academy Council that I was questioning. Because I really needed someone else to take a fraction of the blame that I was crushing myself with. 

"Something isn't right here," I finally said to my brothers. "The council is made up of seasoned Academy members from different teams. I am having a hard time believing people that have been doing this a lot longer than we have were able to look at those photos and listen to Sang's story and then just declare that she was lying. We don't do that. We investigate and get down to the bottom of things. Clearly we are missing something here." 

"You make a good point Mr. Griffin," Mr. Blackbourne said. "Mr. Morgan can you pull some information on the Kates and see if there is any connection between them and members of the council?" 

"What about Dr. Roberts?" Kota asked. "He is on the council and has a good relationship with Sang. Nathan is right, something isn't adding up here." 

"We should just ask Sang. Let her explain things," Silas pleaded. 

"Did you see the way she looked at Owen when he asked her to do just that?" Sean said in a sad voice. "She looked like she would rather swallow razor blades with a vodka chaser than expose her story to us and risk having another set of Academy people not believe her. You heard her, she picked Luke because she knew that he would believe her. Right now Sang thinks we are just like the council." 

"Except for fucking North. She ran right in his grumpy ass arms. How in the world did that happen?" Gabe said in a snide tone. 

"The first words North said to her was to condemn Kate and defend Sang. The first thing Mr. Blackbourne did was demand an explanation in a cold authoritarian voice. Draw your own conclusions," Victor said in a harsh sarcastic voice that wasn't like him.