Heart of Their Jewel

Chapter 10

"I guess you're right. I can only give you my side of the story as it's unfair to disclose Jewel's without her consent and also.....I truly don't know everything. She won't fully open up to anyone about what she went through," Jace said as he looked at everyone.

"How could you not know everything about her?" Nathan asked. "I thought you were full blooded siblings?"

"We are. Just let me say everything I can and it will make sense," Jace sighed so Nathan nodded. "It was hard enough telling the Toma group when I did."

"She still going to her therapist? I thought she was making good progress?" Corey questioned as he tilted his head slightly.

"She....she hasn't been seeing her for a few months. I don't know exactly when she stopped. Jewel just said she was fine and didn't want to go anymore. I said it was fine if she was truly okay which at the time it seemed like it," Jace admitted while rubbing the back of his neck.

"We will respect her decision for now and you only need to disclose your part. The information you can provide will be greatly useful on her protection," Owen stated as he adjusted his glasses.

"Well, first off Jewel doesn't remember our parents as when she was born our father was having complications with something and would rarely stay by our side. Our mother was having complications from the pregnancy and couldn't do much. At least that is what I can remember. I do remember that our father abused our mother both emotionally and mentally with the occasional physical abuse of a back hand, choking, and shoving. Our mother would rarely spend time with us kids, belittle my hard work and would praise all other kids and compare us to others.

Anyway, one day our uncle from our father's side showed up for a visit. He seemed like the cool uncle any child would want. He tried talking our parents into having us stay with him while they fix their problems," Jace started off as he had a far off look.

"Jace," Axel said to bring him back to the present.

Jace cleared his throat, "I have no clue what our parents were mixed up in but our father started coming home with bruises on his face. Our mother quit paying attention to us so I took on taking care of Jewel. I want to say two months went by before our parents loaded us up in the car in a hurry. We only had a bag each packed for us and were dropped off at the uncle's place. The next day an officer showed up to inform him that they had been in an accident and didn't survive."

"I am sorry for your loss, Jace. Were you ever able to figure out what happened?" Kota asked as he walked over and patted his back.

"I never bothered since I don't know what they were involved with. I didn't want to go digging into the past and get caught up in whatever they were. Jewel never wanted to learn more so I didn't bother," Jace said as he shook his head.

"Well did you at least get treated decently at your uncle's place?" Victor asked as he tapped a tune on his thigh.

"No. That place was our first hell. He would force me to do grunt work around the home or go down to the nearest liquor store to buy his beer and cigs. It was solely on me to take care of Jewel both with our parents and then with the uncle. When we were with him I had to attend school and leave Jewel with him. We were with him from the time she was three to six so I was seven to ten. One day after school, I got off the bus and ran home as I had a feeling something awful awaited me. When I opened the front door I was assaulted with cigarette smoke, alcohol, and male cologne. Music was blasting through the house and there were men lounging in the living room. Jewel waddled out of the kitchen in a baby two piece swimsuit, her hair in pigtails and was carrying a beer bottle in her hand. They were making her cater to them! One of the guys pinched her butt as she waddled by and said, "Can't wait till you're a little older." I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Even though I was ten, I knew that it was wrong. It also explained some of the bruises I would see on her when I would get her ready for bed," Jace explained as his voice changed to emotionless. After hearing how he found Jewel growls resounded in the confined room.

"What the fuck!" A few of the men growled out but with one look from the team liaisons everyone quickly quietened down to let Jace explain the rest of their past.

"I told my teacher and by the end of the day our uncle was in custody while we went with social services. I thought this would be our fresh start till we reached a foster home. They ripped Jewel from my arms saying she was to live there now and I would be staying in another place. Something about helping us cope from our trauma. I was taken to a foster home in the country which was a nice place but I couldn't enjoy it as all I wanted was my Jewels. After two months they allowed us to have scheduled call time. Jewel wasn't doing that well but apparently a boy a year older helped her from being bullied. As a few months went by I noticed again a change in Jewel's demeanor. She wasn't as lively and sometimes she could only whisper. The boy developed an unhealthy possessiveness of her to where she couldn't do anything without his say so. She was in that foster home for about three years. Towards the end I was receiving very few calls. Then the greatest gift I could get on my birthday was Jewel being transferred to my foster home," Jace took a moment to collect himself as the onslaught of memories crashed down on him as if he could visually see everything.

"When she stepped out of that car I began to cry. One for finally seeing my sister after so long and two....because she was in such a horrible state. She wouldn't talk, her clothes hung on her from how skinny she was, and it looked like there was bruising on her wrists. Apparently that boy controlled every aspect of her life and he would drag her around by her wrist. Once she was back with me she started to let slip what she had endured little by little but it took a very long time for her to believe me that I would never let her be taken from me again."

"How bad was it?" Sean asked with a slight tone of fear in his voice. He had witnessed plenty of patients from foster care that his mind was starting to spiral.

"That's how Mom knows her, isn't it?" Kota asked nervously.

Jace nodded then took a deep breath. Axel put his hand on his shoulder to lend him strength. "At some point what happened last night..." he sighed, "well last night wasn't the first time she has experienced that. Jewel was used as a doll for others until HE became possessive over her. It's part of why she was so dependent on him. She saw him as a knight and didn't realize how manipulative and controlling he was to her. It took a lot of time and patience for her to see what I was talking about. But it cost her. She now has severe anxiety, depression, and PTSD. "

"With everything she has endured, it made sense why he didn't allow her to join the Academy when they found them," Axel nodded. "With the things some of the birds do, well it wouldn't be good for her."

"Understandable," Sean nodded.

"Okay," Gabe nodded, "but who the fuck is he?"

Jace sighed and looked toward the room she was sleeping in, "A foster boy that was in the same house she was staying in. His name is Hale. He wasn't just possessive over her but we didn't know until she was relocated back to me. He was obsessed and that obsession has never left. It seems he had found her again. Him and now this," Jace shook his head. "I don't know if she will be able to come back from this..."