We've arrived back at home and I'm trying to process everything that has gone on. Kidnapped by Volto, Marie is alive, my biological father killed thousands of people, my new dads lied to me and my friends cared enough to save me.
It's a lot to process and a little hard to do with my mom and all seven of my friends crowded in the living room together. We're all silent while Lily goes and gets water for everyone. I'm tired and I feel like falling asleep in Silas' lap, but the screeching tires and pounding footsteps coming up our driveway prevent that.
"Sang! Did he hurt you?" Henry says as he bursts through the front door followed by my other fathers along with Owen and Sean.
Lily steps into the room with a pitcher and glasses for the boys. "Henry! You do not get to scream like that after everything that's happened."
"Lily you don't understand. I saw what he did, we reviewed the cameras." Henry explains and my mind is going even more wild at what he could be talking about.
Lily and Henry have a stare down for a few minutes. I think they are having that silent communication. Finally Lily sets down the items she's holding and motions for me and my dads to follow her into the family office.
"Are you going to be okay Aggele?" Silas asks me sensing my frustration. I really don't want to deal with Henry right now, but I'm curious as to what he's talking about with cameras. I nod my head and get up and walk into the office just as Lily closes it behind me.
"Explain Henry and make it fast. Sang needs to rest." Lily demands.
"Cody is being held at the police station. I'm going to go down there to conduct an interrogation with him. I'm going to get every last detail about what has gone on the past years."
"Is he going to be okay? You're not going to hurt him right?" I ask him.
He sighs and looks towards the ground, "Sang, what he did was wrong."
"He didn't mean too, he was just misguided. A lot of bad things happened to his family."
"I was afraid of this," He shakes his head in frustration, "Sang I saw the tapes."
"What?"
Liam steps forward, "He had cameras all over that house, we saw what he did to you."
"He didn't hurt me." I try to reassure them.
"After you left we searched the entire house. Owen found a room with cameras. He had them all over the place. He had surveillance in all the rooms, outside, the garage. He didn't have them in the bathrooms though." My face is beet red at what I just realized. They must have seen me kiss Volto.
Henry turns towards me, "Sang, did he do anything else? Did he hurt you? You need to tell us, Owen and I are heading down to the station. Andy has him in a holding cell until we can get down there to interrogate him. If he touched you more you need to tell us."
"More?" Lily says on a gasp. "Sang, he touched you?"
"No Mom! He didn't do anything." I tell her.
Henry's not having it though, "Sang, I saw him kiss you! William you saw it." Henry says nudging William's arm.
"I saw it. Sang, you need to tell us. We'll take care of him. Make sure he pays." William explains.
"Don't hurt him! He didn't do anything." I scream.
John shakes his head back and forth and looks over at Henry, "She has Stockholm syndrome."
"No I don't! I was there for a day I can't develop Stockholm syndrome that fast. I'm just telling you he didn't hurt me."
"Sang, this wasn't a one day thing. You've been his victim since you were eight years old! He kidnapped you! Then he's trying to kiss you. When we got there you kept screaming not to hurt him. That only points to one thing." William protests.
"I didn't know what was going on everything happened so fast when you guys came in. I thought you were going to rip his arms off!"
"I damn well should have!" Henry snaps.
"No! Just because he made some mistakes doesn't mean you should treat him poorly. He didn't hurt me, there's no need to hurt him."
"He kissed you!"
"No he didn't!!" I yell as loud as I can. "I kissed him, okay?! It was nothing, I just...." I don't know how to explain it to my dad. I didn't kiss him because I liked him, I kissed him because it felt like the right thing to do. Volto was born into this situation just like me. Yeah he took it too far and yes kidnapping me was wrong, but I can understand why in his mind he felt the need to do it. He needs help and I hope he can get it through the Academy. That kiss it was a thank you for sticking by me, for saving me from my step mother and a goodbye all wrapped into one and I think he understood that. That's why it pained me when they were so rough with him. He was a victim too and I didn't want him to suffer any more. He never once lied to me, he saved me multiple times and I swear I wouldn't be here today if Cody and his dad hadn't rescued me from that shower.
I try to explain as simply as possible, "I don't like him, I don't have Stockholm syndrome. I just...he's the only one who never lied to me."
Henry sighs in frustration, "We haven't lied to you."
"Yes you did! You lied about everything!" I yell.
"Sang, it was the only way..."
I cut him off, "No, I don't want to hear excuses. I don't want to talk about this anymore." I'm waving my hands in the air like a crazy person as I storm out of the office and through the house straight out the front door and down the driveway.
I just keep walking, to where I have no clue, but it's helping me clear my thoughts and calm my temper. It's a little hard though, about a block into my walk I noticed Owen following me in his BMW. I tried to run and go through streets to lose him, but he just keeps finding me. After a twenty minute game of cat and mouse I give up and let him follow me even if he holds up traffic by driving two miles an hour several feet behind me. At least he's giving me space right?
I come across a beautiful park and notice it has a lake. There are no benches so I plant myself on the grassy area near the edge and just watch the water. I don't know how long I sat there, but I soon hear footsteps crunching in the grass behind me.
Once I hear the footsteps get closer and a shadowy figure close in my line of sight I ask him, "You here to kidnap me too?"
"What?!" Jay says in a horrified tone and his thick eyebrows scrunched together high up on his forehead.
"Nothing." I say with a small laugh.
"Had a crazy weekend I assume?"
I snort, "Something like that."
"Want to talk about it?" He offers, being the good friend that he's somehow become to me.
"No. How did you know I was here?"
"I live across the lake over there," He points. "I saw you and it looked like you needed a friend. Did you know Mr. Blackbourne is following you?" He points towards the grey BMW parked down the street.
I look over and sure enough he's still there. Did I really think he would give up? "Yeah. That's part of my problem." I tell Jay.
"Need me to take care of it?"
I laugh thinking about how Jay in his own was was my protector too. I was suspicious of him but he never harmed me and he was one of my very first friends. Even when I came back to town he looked over me. When we went to eat after cheer try-outs and Rocky was making me uncomfortable, Jay was the only one to notice and tell Rocky to stop. He knew what I needed before any of my other friends did.
"I'll be fine," I tell him, "I just feel so confused. I want to be mad, but I can't."
"What happened?" He questions as he turns to face me more.
"My parents. They lied to me. They kept secrets from me."
"Remember what I told you about secrets?"
"Yeah, 'there are no secrets that time does not reveal'. What's your point? The secret came out and it devastated me. The damage is done."
"Why did you want to keep what happened that day a secret when we were kids? Why did you tell me you wouldn't say anything if Rocky tattled?"
I turn to face him in the grass, "You saved me and I wanted to return the favor. I wanted to protect you from getting in trouble."
"You wanted to protect me." He repeats, "Maybe your parents were trying to do the same thing? Protect their daughter and they felt not telling you was the only way."
"I know, but it wasn't necessary. They could have told me and I would have been fine with it." I tell him.
He thinks about it. He doesn't know the entire story so he doesn't have much to work with, but the advice he's giving me and his company helps.
He sits back on his elbows and looks over at me, "Maybe there's another lesson to learn. I don't know what happened or what your parents did, but maybe you should talk to them. Tell them about how it made you feel."
I nod my head, "Maybe. I'm not sure I can do that just yet. I'm still sorting through everything that happened. I don't even know the whole story yet and we just had a fight over something I did." I give him a very Jay like shrug and continue to look out over the lake.
"I have a secret too." Jay tells me.
"Is it time for it to be revealed?" I tease back.
"I'm afraid I won't get the reaction I want."
"Reaction from who?" I question.
"You." He looks over at me and I wait to listen. "I like you Sang," I look down at the grass and avoid his eyes. I like Jay, but not like that. I look up when he continues, "but I know you like someone else."
"Someone else?" How would he know if I like someone else, I wonder.
"Maybe someones?" He questions dragging out the last 's' and it makes me blush. I never realized how deep my feelings are for my friends. I can't explain it, but I know I like all of them. Even Dr. Green and Mr. Blackbourne--that is when Mr. Blackbourne is being normal and not super creepy pseudo Volto. I tried to ignore it, because I know it's not normal. I thought I just liked them all because I was copying my parents or something, but maybe it's true. Maybe my feelings are real, but how will my friends take it?
"You don't think it's weird? Not normal?" I ask Jay.
"Screw normal, you like who you like. It may not be traditional, but that doesn't mean it's wrong."
I stay quiet thinking about his words. I do need to talk to my parents again. Maybe tomorrow after we all cool down. Tonight I want to spend more time with my friends. Ask them about what happened, how they found me and I also want to tell them about my past. Something I've never shared with them.
Jay and I continue to sit in comfortable silence looking out over the water. I see the sun setting and I know I should be getting home so I get up and brush off the grass from my clothes.
"Do you need a ride?" He asks as he gets up.
I look over towards Mr. Blackbourne's car, "No, I got a ride."
Jay gives me a goodbye hug then watches as I walk over and get into Mr. Blackbourne's car before turning and leaving towards his house.
I turn to face Owen in the car, "Will you take me home?"
"Of course, Miss Sorenson."
There he goes again with my old last name. "Why do you call me that?"
He looks uncomfortable at the question. "When I learned about you it sort of just grew on me. I think I prefer it, it suits you. Would you like me to stop?"
"No. I don't want to offend my adoptive parents, they've done so much for me despite their little screw up, but I think I do want to be a Sorenson. I want to prove my name wrong. Not all Sorenson's are bad people, I can show the world that."
"I think your parents will understand."
With that he takes me home. We don't talk anymore along the ride, but I know he's dying to ask me questions or maybe to explain his role in things, but now is not the time and I think he knows that.