Sang:
“Which one of you is Mr. Blackbourne?” Marie asks.
My eyes fly to Owen as he raises his hand. “That would be me, Miss Sorenson.”
“Well, I got a phone call last night from this kind man, asking me to come to Charleston as there are some things I needed to know about my father.” Marie shrugs.
“Any daughter would be suspicious as to what their father is up to, especially after not being around much for years and then all of a sudden, boom, showing up. I heard daddyo here tell my Mom that he had told someone called Sang that they were on a business trip.”
Marie shakes her head. “I thought it was another girlfriend, so expect my surprise when I question my mother on it last night while I was packing a bag. This Sang is my sister, the reason my mother wouldn’t have my father living at home with us while I was growing up. I then go on to learn that I also have an older brother, thanks to the files Mr. Blackbourne emailed me which I read on my trip over here.”
My father has lied to everyone.
Marie continues. “I had been sitting outside in my car for almost an hour, finding the courage to come in and find out the what the hell was going on. But then I saw daddy here...” She waves her hand at our father. “...pulling his car into the driveway and walking into the house. That’s when I realized that whatever was going on was going to get sorted right now.”
Marie takes a few steps closer. “I got out of my car, walked up the steps and saw the front door open. I walked right on in and heard everything you just said.” She locks her eyes onto our father. “So basically, the reason I am here is because, like Sang, my other sister and older brother that I don’t know the names of yet, I want to know the truth. I want to stop being lied to.”
“My life has nothing to do with you, any of you.” My father spits.
“It has everything to do with us when it involves us.” Marie argues. “So start explaining.”
“The first thing you can explain is why you raped my mother, our mother.” Melody says, her eyes hard and cold as she looks at the man we share blood with.
Marie lets out a nasty, dry laugh. “So, whenever my mother argued with you when I was growing up, everything she said about you being a monster who rapes women...”
“Girls.” Melody corrects. “My mother was sixteen.”
“Girls...” Marie corrects. “Was true. Wow, you really are a fucking horrible monster. You don’t deserve the title ‘dad’.”
“I never raped your mother.” My father says, looking between me and Melody. The boys stand close behind me. I can feel myself in their bubble, the bubble that tells me I’m safe, no matter what. “She begged for it and I just gave it to her.”
“You sick, nasty bastard.” Melody spits.
“When I found out I had knocked her up, I decided then and there that I wanted that baby. I wanted to make my wife, Michelle, happy with another child as she couldn’t have any more children.”
“That blew up in your face then, didn’t it?” Marie says, shaking her head.
Our father ignores her. “So I did what I had to do. I made Hannah promise me that she would ring me when the baby was born. I got the phone call and got in my car. I thought I was too late with all the blood but then Sang came out of the womb and I took her straight into my arms. I then got the hell out of their and went home to my wife. One look at the baby in my arms and she refused me.”
He shrugs a shoulder. “I took on the responsibly of looking after her being a new born baby. I despised it. I only wanted my wife. I never wanted that child. So when Sang started looking after herself, I never got in the way. I gave her pocket money, went grocery shopping and brought her things when asked just to keep her quiet. One thing Sang was good at was always make herself invisible.”
Tears sting my eyes and I see Marie, Melody and Declan looking at me with pity and I hate that. I don’t want their pity.
“As Sang got older, I said I was going on more business trips, that was when I would return home to my wife. She knew I had Sang but refused to have anything to do with her, for the simple fact being Sang was basically kidnapped.” He starts pacing. “Then I decided I didn’t want the responsibility of her no more. I decided to leave, leaving the house to her, everything paid for until she turned eighteen.”
“And that’s when you was going to leave her out on the streets.” Declan adds. “No care about her at all.”
“I don’t care about you, or you, or even Sang.” Our father spits. “I only care about her.” He points to Marie. “She is the one child I have always wanted, with the one woman I have always loved. You three could be dead for all I care.”
“And you could be dead to me.” Marie says. “From this moment on, you are not my father. You are not anything to me. I don’t care for you, I hate you. I don’t want nothing more to do with you.”
“So right now, I suggest you leave.” Declan says.
“And never come back.” Melody adds.
I turn to my father. “You ruined my life.”
“You can get out of my house.”
“My pleasure.” I say, before storming through the bodies and up to my room.
*
Luke
Sang runs out the room and I’m immediately on her heels, telling my brothers to stay there and that I will make sure she’s okay. I hate to imagine what is going through that sweet girl's head right now. Sang goes to slam her bedroom door shut, but I’m able to stop it. I go into the room and close the door behind me.
Sang faces the wall, standing near her bed. Her shoulders shake as she silently cries. I hate that she’s crying over him, Mr. Sorenson, but then he was the man that pretty much raised her, even if he didn’t do it the way it should have been done. Better yet, left her with her twin sister and this Aunt Hayley Melody keeps mentioning here and there.
“Sang.” I whisper, approaching her slowly. I don’t want to startle her or make things worse. I simply want to comfort the beautiful girl standing before me. I place my hands on her waist and slowly turn her so she’s facing me. The sight of her broken up the way she is about breaks my heart.
Her eyes are red, tears falling from them and down her cheeks at the speed of a fast slowing river. When they reach her jaw, they drop down onto her chest and into the neckline of her top. “I...I have..n-nowhere t-t-to g-goo.” She sobs out.
I wrap my arms around her shoulders and bring her into my chest. She brings my blue button down shirt into her fists and pulls me as close to her as I can possibly get which is pretty close. Her whole body is flush against mine, fitting perfectly. Her head buries down into my chest and she holds me to her and as I hold her to me, slowly moving my fingers up and down her back. “Don’t be silly sweetie, you have somewhere to go. You can come and live with me and North at Uncles.”
Uncle won’t mind. He loves Sang more than what he loves me and North, I know that for a fact as several times he has mentioned that she is the daughter he will never have. They get on so perfectly well and I love that, I love that she gets on so well with him.
She sniffs and I’m sure she wipes her nose on my shirt. I smile into her hair where my head currently is. I can smell Victor’s shampoo and body wash which is what she last used to shower with. I love the smell of my brother on her but I would prefer my scent on her more. Is that strange? “I-I c-can’t, it’s-s not-not fair.”
“Of course you can and you will. You're coming home with me and North, Sang. You’ll be able to have your own room too. I’d be able to cook you chocolate chip pancakes every morning for breakfast and even bring you breakfast in bed.” I love the sound of that.
Sang pulls back and looks at me through her watery, bloodshot eyes. She looks exhausted now. “I’ve nev-never had breakfast in-in bed before.”
I bring my hands up and cup both sides of her face. “Come and live with me, North and Uncle and that will change. I’ll bring you breakfast in bed every morning on a tray with a bowl of fruit to keep North happy and a cup of coffee.” My thumbs slide under her eyes, catching a few fresh tears, although, I think these tears are for another reason. “I’ll even put a rose on your tray in a tiny glass vase.”
Her whole face lights up. “You would do-do that for me?”
I’m happy she’s calming down now. “Yes sweet girl, I would.” I press my forehead to hers and she releases my shirt from her fists and places her hands on my chest before slowly sliding them up and around my neck, her fingers fiddling with my hair that is pulled back into a tiny pony tail at the nape of my neck. I try not to let it show how much it affects me but I don’t think I’m getting much success in the matter. I feel the blood rushing down below at a quick rate. I close my eyes to will the blood flow down. Not now, later.
“Luke.”
“Hmm.” I keep my eyes closed, losing the feel of her fingers in my hair. It feels way to good. So, so good.
“Kiss me.” My eyes fly open and look straight into her bright green ones. Those eyes are the eyes I will get last in on a daily basis for the rest of my life. That’s a damn promise.
I smile down at her. “You sure?”
“Yes and I’ll also move in with you and North.” With a huge grin on my face, I slowly and gently place my lips onto hers, bringing her bottom lip between both of mine before doing the same with the top. This is how it goes for a few more seconds before I feel the tip of her tongue slide over my lips. I open my mouth wider and our tongues meet. I groan low in my chest at the contact. I love kissing this girl, and I love this girl. It’s official. She is sticking around for the rest of my life.
When we both pull apart, we just simply look at each other for a moment, straight into each other’s eyes. I’m about to get lost in a day dream about what our kids would look like when Sang says, “I better pack.”
I kiss her once more and then kiss her nose, her eyes and her forehead before letting her go so she can do just that. “I’ll help.”
*
Sang
A few years before my father and I moved to Charleston, our next door neighbor was selling suitcases. They were cheap and something you would need unexpectedly. That unexpected time is now. It’s a set of three so I have put all of my clothes and shoes into one, my books, CD’s and everything else I have bought for myself in another. Then in the smallest I simply put my toiletries in it with my dressing gown/towel I use after a shower.
As me and Luke were about to leave the room, I looked around the space once more. This room was the only room in the house I could feel at home in. It was my space and I loved that. Now I’m leaving it behind, another room I made mine, behind. I know it’s the right choice though.
“Are you okay?” Luke asks, setting the two larger suitcases he was holding down to take my hand in his.
I nod my head. “Yeah, it’s just every house I have lived in, I always made my room mine. I made it home, I made it my safe place and my favorite place and my quiet place. This was the one place I could be whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.” I turn my head to meet his eye. “And now I’m leaving it behind, just like I did with all my other rooms in all the houses I have lived in my whole life.”
“You can make your room at mine like this. You can make it your place.”
“But I can’t stay with you forever. It just isn’t fair.” I love, love, love that Luke is doing this for me and honestly, I don’t doubt at all that Uncle or North wouldn’t want me there. Uncle is kind of like my best friend if that makes any sense. But how long will they put up with me being around? That’s what my worry is.
“Stop worrying. Everything will work out. Take another chance Sang.”
That’s all it feels like I am doing, taking chances. I took a chance on these nine amazing, handsome, fun loving boys. I took a chance on a brother and sister I didn’t know about and I know that I’ll also do the same for Marie if she wants to know me. I want to know her, the same goes for Declan and Melody, but do they want to know me? See? I’m taking another chance. And now this? How many chances will I get?
I nod my head with a small smile. “Another chance.”
He winks and kisses my forehead before picking back up the suitcases and going down the stairs. I follow but tense up and pause when I hear the loud voice that belongs to my father. I look to Luke with wide eyes. “It’s fine, we won’t let anything happen to you.”
I believe him, I really do.
We head down the stairs and go straight to the front door with my suitcases before heading back into the family room. My father is pointing his finger at Mr. Blackbourne, anger and hate swirling wildly in his eyes. I find myself running and jumping between the two. “Stop.” I bellow at my father, surprising myself with how strong and loud the word was. I put my hands on my father’s chest and push him away. “What is your problem?”
“He is.” My father spits. “They are.” He points to each of the nine boys standing behind me. “None of them will leave.”
“And that’s because they’re waiting for me. Waiting for me to pack my stuff so I can get the hell out of this house.”
“And where the hell are you going to go Sang? You have no money, no family.”
“That is not true.” Kota says. “She has a whole family standing right here.” Kota crosses his arms across his chest, his green eyes stern and hard.
“I agree with that too asshole. Sang Baby has a whole family behind her right here. Members of this family have been looking the fuck out for her more than what you have since you moved down this fucking street.” I know North is on about Erica, Jessica and Uncle. I smile. I have a family.
“I’m also with her.” Declan says. “That’s my little sister and she’s my family.” My eyes swing to Declan, wide with many questions. He smiles at me. “You're my sister Sang and like these guys, whoever and whatever they are to you, you're family. Family comes first.”
“Couldn’t agree more with him.” Marie says, nodding her head at Declan who smiles back at her.
“I agree too.” Melody says. “Family comes first.”
I swing my eyes to my dad with hope bubbling inside me that maybe one day I’ll have a relationship with all three of my siblings. “It’s also a choice.” I briefly look back over my shoulder at the boys and their grins could light up the United States. “Family is a choice. And my choice is that you are not my family.” I step back, huddling closer to the boys. “But these guys are and so are they,” I wave my hand to Declan, Melody and Marie, “if they want to be.”
“You selfish, horrible, nasty bitch. All you have ever cared about is yourself.” He spits at me. He turns to Melody. “You, you're exactly like her.”
“DON’T YOU DARE TALK TO MY NEICE LIKE THAT.” A voice I am unfamiliar with bellows through the room. I swing my eyes round and my eyes widen at the women in front of me. Not because of the gun in her hand but because she’s an older version of me and Melody. “You speak one more bad fucking word about anyone in this room, I won’t hesitate to shoot you.”
“Fucking shit, is this some kind of family reunion?” Gabriel whispers behind me.
I’m about to ask who she is when behind her, Erica walks in followed by Uncle. “Yes, definitely a family reunion.” Luke agrees.
“Mom, what are you doing here?” Kota asks.
“I just keep seeing people show up from across the road.” Erica looks to the women beside her. “Please tell me that you’re not aiming that damn thing at my son, his friends and their girl.”
“No, I’m aiming it at him.” The women says, nodding her head to my father.
Erica looks at my father. “Oh yes, go ahead. I don’t like him.” Erica looks to me. “Are you okay sweetie?”
With wide eyes, I push back the lose strands of my hair that have fallen from my braid. “Will someone please tell me what on earth is going on.”
My father turns to me and comes stalking towards me. I stand my ground. “Look what you have done Sang. Everyone is putting their noses where it doesn’t belong. All this, it’s your fault.” Before I even realize what he’s doing, his hand flies up and connects with my cheek. I stumble back, expecting one the boys to catch me but instead, everyone moves as one to get to my father, including Melody, Marie, Erica and Uncle.
Before they could get to him though, a gunshot rings through the house. Everyone freezes.