--- Raven's POV ---
--- 2022, 15.59 p.m. ---
--- Room 219 3rd Floor ---
--- LIVINGSTONE Orphanage, New Jersey, USA ---
I'm right, the Italian Mafia really did adopt me and the twins. They have signed and paid for the adoption. As usual, the orphans that are going to get adopted is given 2 hours time (maximum) to talk and say goodbye to people. So, since I and the twins are those orphans, we have 2 hours to say goodbye to our loved ones. We just finished packing our things. My clothes, toiletries, hidden weapons, waterproof makeup, and shoes (that are packed inside shoeboxes) fit in 2 duffle bags. I placed the clothes and toiletries in the same duffle bag as the one hidden in the wall to keep the money I and the twins got.
After that, it is time for stage 2 which is to visit and say goodbye to our loved ones. My first destination will be to the library because I have to resign, then to the American Diner because I also have to resign and lastly to the gym that I've been training at for 7 years. Let's just say that I am not ready to say goodbye to them because I know that I won't be able to see them so often since I wouldn't want to bring danger to them. I should say goodbye to the dads. The people who I met in the gym became very close with me and we bonded together. Eventually I called them 'The Dads'. Some people (like Carter, Morgan, Logan, Damian and Jack) are still single but they are already 24-26 years old and the rest (Elijah, Eli, Mac, Lucian, John, Jonathan, Charles, Charlie, Darius and of course, Jose) have their own family.
I have told the twins about them and the twins met them 6 years ago. The twins are okay being around them because they get to have a guy talk. The twins are closest to Jonathan, Charlie, Elijah, Eli, Mac, Lucian and Darius while I am the closest to Jose, Charles, Morgan, Logan, Damian, John, Carter and Jack. Basically, we all are very close to each other. The oldest there is Jose who is turning 39 this year. This is the first birthday that I will ever miss out. Trust me, the Dads and those who has their own family and the one who are still single would celebrate in the gym together. Trust me the gym is not like something you preferred. It is wide open, there are some plants around which made it lively, there is a section where there are fake grass and everything is clean. After the Dads workout there with a lot of sweat, they will help clean the gym (voluntarily). So, the gym is always clean and there are no odd smells of sweat or any of that. I am going to miss those times. I bet Rocky and Rodney will also miss it. I smiled as a flashback etched up to my mind.
--- FLASHBACK ---
--- 2018, 17.31 p.m. ---
--- RAVEN'S AGE: 10 ---
--- Raven's POV ---
--- THE GYM ---
Sweat ran down my forehead and down to my neck before dripping to the dark blue mat that is placed below me. I am doing a 3-minute plank, which is the last workout of the day, with the other guys who I called the Dads. Since Jose is the owner of the gym, he takes the lead of our daily workout schedule.
"3... 2... 1..." Jose counted backwards - showing the end of the plank session.
I dropped to the ground and let out a huge puff of air. I wiped the sweat from my forehead with my right forearm. I heard the guys chuckle at my position because imagine me with a red face, sprawled on a dark blue mat with my mouth open to breathe and my gym sportswear soaked like as if I have just gone out in the rain.
"You okay there, kiddo?" I heard a voice I recognize asked above me and I looked up to see Carter and his buddies, John and Jonathan (who are identical twins).
Instead of responding with words, I just send him my thumbs up causing him and the guys who chuckle again. I huffed and motion for Carter to help me stand. Thankfully, him being his kind self, helped me to stand up. I used ASL to say 'thank you' because if I speak now, I bet I would be coughing. Carter responded me back by signing 'you are welcome' with ASL too. I taught a few of the guys about ASL and BANZSL. It is a fun thing to learn about - at least that it is what some people thought.
All of a sudden, Jonathan picked me up into a piggy back ride - causing a giggle to rise up on my throat. I wrapped my arms on his neck but not too tightly. Fortunately, his neck is not beaded with sweat as he has wiped his sweat with a small, white, square-shaped towel which is now on his usual raven black gym bag.
Jose cleared his throat - gaining the Dads' attention, "Who will volunteer to help me?"
Immediately I shot my hand up despite being in a piggy ride back, "Me! Me!"
All of the Dads laughed at me at how 'cute' I am. I huffed and put my hand back to Jonathan's neck. I could feel him vibrating with laughter so I smack him softly on the head which somehow made him laugh more. I glared at Jonathan which causes him to stop and I thought that the glare worked but it didn't because instead of looking a bit scared, he looked amused.
"Aw... Is my Ravy trying to glare?" He asked with a baby voice and I tightened my arms more on his neck.
He know damn well not to mess with me. Soon, this gesture turned into a fight. Thankfully, Jose trained me well when it comes to self-defense. I ducked under a punch sending to my way. While I ducked I used my left leg to kick him. Jonathan is quick enough to jump. He tried to kick me on the left so I ducked and rolled to the right. Once again, he tried to kick me on the right so I rolled to the left. Then, I take his leg and did a corkscrew method. I kicked my legs up and wrapped it quickly on his thigh, then I used my hand to wrap it on his foot. After they are wrapped, I pushed my legs that are wrapped on his thigh. Immediately, Jonathan fell down flat on his back. He grunted and groaned in pain while whispering some colorful words that he thought I can't hear.
"I can hear you, you know." Jonathan stopped whispering his colorful words and immediately faked a panic look.
"Holy water. I need Holy water!" Jonathan said half jokingly out of the blue making all the Dads confused.
Jose raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why?"
"I need to cleanse her ears from the words she heard from m-" Before Jonathan could say anything further, John has smacked his head.
John tsked at him and muttered, "Idiot."
"Calm down, it's not the first time I heard those colorful words. The 15 and 17-year-olds at the orphanage curse a lot." I told them and they raised their eyebrows.
John's eyebrows are light blonde, so it blends with his skin - making me have hard time to see his eyebrows. With that thought, I burst out laughing. I stopped laughing when I feel John poke me.
"What's wrong with you? Did you drink any happy drink or anything sugary?" He asked as he scanned me.
"N-no, it's just that you look like you don't have eyebrows." I said in between laughs.
I clutched my stomach and take deep breathes to stop myself from laughing too hard. Unfortunately, John didn't take the joke too well because he ended up tickling me and I screeched for him to stop.
"AnYoNe HeLp Me!" I shouted and screeched at the same time.
The Dads just pretend to ignore me. Traitors.
"I will stop if you say, 'John is very handsome and has great eyebrows.'"
I stopped laughing for a second before saying a bit to dramatically, "Never!"
"Very well..." John trailed off before he started to tickle me again.
I couldn't hold it anymore. My stomach feels like it can blow up from the laughs.
"Okay! Okay!" This causes John to stop, "John is very handsome and has great eyebrows..." He thought I was finished but I wasn't, "but I wonder why he is still single."
The Dads laughed so hard at this and John put a fake hurt face while I poke my tongue out. He then shrugged, "You asked for it."
I took this as a threat and immediately stand up - bolting with all my might around the gym without knocking anything out. After 3 minutes, John caught me by the waist and peppered fatherly kisses all over my face despite of me sweating a little.
'It is going to be hard to say goodbye to these guys if I did get adopted.' I thought.
--- END OF FLASHBACK ---
I smiled at that memory but then, I stepped out of the memory lane session when Rodney called me.
"Scar, you good?" Rodney asked me using the nickname of my middle name.
I nodded at him with a reassuring but sad smile. He and Rocky knew that I am going to miss the Dads as they are very close to me and has given me love. Love that I have not felt for a long time. I hope I can still visit them even though I have to basically fly 4325 miles with a jet or airplane. But then, when I leave I shouldn't visit them because since I and the twins got adopted by the Italian Mafia, many will aim for us and if we fly back here, some dangerous people could tail us and see that we are close to a few people who could be used as blackmail. It's best if I don't visit or don't even mention their names. I don't want them to be in danger because of me or the twins.
The twins are ranked #1 hackers in the underground. I am ranked #6 in hacking, #1 in street fighting, #2 in street racing and #1 in assassination. It took me 4 years to reach those and trust me, I got a lot of bullet wounds, stab wounds, burn marks, scars and even whip marks because I was ever hold hostage for only a few minutes before my assassinmates saved me. I used to work with someone but since it could risk my identity, I stopped working with people and just work solo. Working solo is somehow better than working together (in some cases).
The twins are ranked #1 because they could've hacked into the president's confidential missile launch and figure out the launch code. Trust me, they did it once and one of the launch code is 000139Alpha1. Quiet an interesting launch code but I still remembered it. They are so good at it and trust me, they got millions or even billions of dollars in a year. They sometimes get hired by important and dangerous people. There are times when an FBI agent wanted to hire them and there are times when even the President himself wanted to hire the twins to see what has leaked from the launch codes and other important information. The twins took the offer and got paid for $3.000.000. The president sworn to not tell anyone about the twins except for the high-ranked and most trusted people to President Joe Biden.
"Come on, let's go." Rocky told us as he sling his duffle bags just the way Rodney did.
I nodded and opened the door and exited out of the room I and the twins have been living at for the past few years. I hope that things are going to be okay. For now, I have to say goodbye to the orphans, the Dads, the Americana Diner owners (and staffs) and the library staffs and Cathy. It's going to be a long list to go and I only got 2 hours. I am not even ready for goodbyes... but oh well, this is life and not everyone I know can always stay in my life like him.
A/N:
Since the twins and Raven are hackers, I made this uhh... logo(?) for them. Tell me what do you think about their logo. Sorry if it sucks.
(Now that is the twin's logo^^^)
(And that is Raven's logo^^^)