Hidden live

Part 5

Aiden POV
Aiden had never cried, at least not in front of anyone. But standing in the doorway, watching his baby sister, he could feel the tight knot in his chest loosening into something raw. Anger. Fear. Helplessness. All of it wrapped together.

He wanted to storm into the room, scoop her up, and never let her go. But he didn't. Evander had taught him patience. Trust. Even in the middle of chaos, you waited. You watched.

He knelt on the floor a few feet away, hands buried in his knees, just letting her presence sink in. Every tiny breath, every subtle shift of her fingers, told him she was alive—and that was enough for now.

He imagined the nights she must have spent alone, cold, afraid. Every imagined scream, every imagined tear—it made his stomach twist. But she was here. And he would protect her, whatever it took.

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Noah POV
Noah was quieter than the rest, the kind of brother who observed everything, analyzed it all, and held his own feelings behind a calm face. Standing across the room, he noticed the smallest details—the slight tremor in her hands, the way she pressed her knees together, the tension in her shoulders.

He remembered her laughter as a child, the way she would chase him around the yard, and the way her tiny hand would grip his for reassurance. Now that little hand was curled up in the blanket. She was a stranger and a sister all at once.

Noah wanted to speak, to tell her stories of home, of their childhood, of the things she had missed. But he stayed silent. Letting her acclimate. Letting her trust that there would be no sudden movements, no shouting, no chaos.

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Cassian POV
Cassian hated silence, and yet the quiet of the house now was almost unbearable. He paced near the window, pretending to check the flowers, pretending not to watch her on the bed. His fists clenched every few seconds.

He remembered all the times he had imagined finding her in the basement, imagining dragging the man who took her into the street, imagining—no. He pushed the images away. Now wasn't the time for revenge. Now was the time for presence.

Cassian wanted to shake her gently, tell her she didn't need to be afraid, that the world outside that basement existed. But he didn't. Instead, he whispered to himself, over and over: Just breathe. She'll breathe eventually.

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Levi POV
Levi had always been the playful one, the one who tried to make her laugh even when she was crying. He hovered near the door, unsure how to act. Should he be gentle? Funny? Quiet? He wanted her to feel at home immediately, to know that the family she had lost was still here.

But he realized quickly that this wasn't about jokes or games. This was about letting her see them, letting her know they were real, and that they weren't going anywhere.

He sat on the floor by the doorway, quietly sketching in his notebook, letting her hear the scratching of pencil on paper, a subtle background presence. Every small sound was deliberate, meant to let her know life was normal here. Safe here.

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Micah POV
Micah, the youngest, had grown up idolizing her. She had been his first friend, the sister who read bedtime stories to him and chased away his nightmares. Now he stood frozen, hands clasped together, watching the girl he had loved from afar for so many years.

He wanted to run to her, scoop her up in his arms, tell her he never stopped thinking about her. But he stayed frozen, swallowing the lump in his throat. He would wait. Wait until she was ready to reach for him.

Every so often, he thought he saw her blink at him, the tiniest flicker of acknowledgment. It wasn't much. But it was something. And in that moment, he realized he could wait forever if he had to, because she was finally here.