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Now
Elisa gasped for breath when a cold calloused hand slid around her throat, squeezing, cutting off her air supply. As the seconds passed the hand grew tighter and tighter making her lungs gasp and her heart pound uncontrollably. Her hands frantically clutched at the large hand trying to pry it off her throat. A low chuckle sounded above her, and the person ran their finger down the side of her cheek making her shiver in disgust and fear, the feel of cold metal from a ring scratched her skin.
The cold bit at her skin and the twigs stabbed into her back. Raindrops soaked her to the bone with her hair plastered to her forehead and covering her eyes. She could not see much of her attacker, and black dots began covering her vision. She could see the rain around them, the stars shining brightly while her attacker with the skeleton mask glared down at her.
Get away.
Get away.
Get away!
Her eyes snapped open hastily and scanned her surroundings with wild eyes, searching for the threat. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, and she realised that it must have been early morning. Motionless bodies littered the floor, and she felt her breathing pick up in confusion and fear.
How did she get here? What had she... what had happened? Elisa shook her head trying to shake away the daze the dream had left her in. She was not there. She could not be there.
She quickly checked herself; no hand around her neck, no pain in her body, no blood on herself, no evil towering shadow; she was safe as could be. Her hand rubbed against her neck as if she could still feel the hand cutting off her air supply. She calmed down as she saw the familiar face of Alexander on the floor opposite her. His lips pouting slightly and his face clear of stress, Preston had his head leaning on the sofa behind him with Andre laying on his legs. Finley was curled up in a bean bag, the remote in his limp hand. Roman, Owen and Karson were on the other sofa leaning against each other snoring gently.
She took notice of her own position and realised they had given her a whole sofa as she had fallen asleep earlier than them. She didn't know how to feel about the fact that they had picked her up without her knowledge but brushed it aside as they had given her space whilst still making sure she felt included.
Was she really that tired that she didn't feel herself being moved? The thought nerved her as she was always a light sleeper when she did manage to drift off. Elisa hardly slept in general for reasons her past foster families and Paige never knew and could never understand. Reasons she wouldn't willingly offer to them or anyone else.
She silently stood and stepped over the sleeping bodies on the floor to get to the kitchen, careful to not jostle them in any way. But she had a feeling that these boys could sleep through anything, the complete opposite to how she functioned. Running a hand through her knotty hair she sighed tiredly at the boys who slept with not a care nor worry in the world. How could they sleep without feeling vulnerable? She would wake up at the smallest of sounds. She felt a cool breeze and lifted her head towards the darkened kitchen which must have had the windows open. Elisa wasn't fond of the dark, but her eyes had adjusted, and she didn't feel scared, so she carried on ahead with the intention of grabbing a cup of water.
However, Elisa froze when she saw a figure sat at the dining table; a figure that had its back to her and sipped from a cup calmly. Her mind immediately calculated different plans, but the one that stuck out to her told her to protect her brothers and the boys. She reached for the living room door behind her and silently shut it, she then slipped into the kitchen further and closed the door.
No way out.
"You just closed your only escape. Why?" His low gruff voice asked in the silence quizzically, not even bothering to turn around. She clenched her jaw looking around for something to use as a weapon to protect herself.
"My brothers are in there. I won't let you hurt them." She stated coolly not giving away anything as she tried to figure out who she was dealing with, protection mode activated; no fear allowed.
The man turned around slowly to face her and turned on the light making her blink from the harsh brightness before setting her glare on the man. She froze when their eyes met, and her stance relaxed. He smiled softly, curiously studying the way she stood in a defensive position before she realised who she was looking at. Elisa mentally facepalmed and looked at her father's supposed best friend Harrison. He smiled at her warmly and calmly brushed off her reaction to seeing him before speaking.
"Its late child. Why are you awake?" Elisa watched his movements as he walked around the kitchen cleaning plates away while she slipped into one of the bar stools. She didn't respond and looked down at her hands which seemed a sickly pale in the light of the kitchen. He hummed and chuckled at her stillness.
"Alexander said you weren't a chatty kid. What happened?" He teased, but his words caught her attention and she looked at him curiously. Harrison caught her expression and couldn't help but smile at her look. She looked like a lost puppy with her hazel eyes slightly sparkling and her lips pouted, adorable. He knew she wouldn't ask her questions and simply carried on talking.
"When you were younger, you were this bouncy and hyper little monkey who would run around after her brothers and the boys. They would play tag with you, and you would turn it into a game of hide and seek. You would find the best places to hide, and it would take ages for anyone to find you. Owen would be the first one panicking after the first ten minutes." He paused letting out another laugh.
"They were your knights in shiny armour and you were their little princess. The little girl they would bend over backwards and jump off a cliff if she asked them to. You were only three when... but you were the chattiest baby out of the lot. Always gurgling in another language and ordering us about with your hands on your hips, your pout and puppy dog eyes."
He grinned at the memory of watching a little angel-faced Elisa babbling to her siblings, her brows furrowed and arms flailing about as if she were talking about something serious. Her brothers watching her with wide eyes, their attention focused on her only and taking in everything she was babbling about. Almost as if they knew what she was talking about. They were typical siblings, they fought, insult, and tease each other. But when it came to Elisa, it was like they were her subjects, and they watched her every move to make sure she was always safe.
Elisa frowned at the happy expression on his face as he recalled a time that she didn't remember living. She so wanted to remember those times of rainbows and flowers that seemed to be almost a dream. But her brain was tainted with nightmares that would never go away. He was describing the life of a girl who was lost long ago, a girl who could never be found.
She blinked out of her bleak thoughts as a white mug was settled in front of her. Hot chocolate filled her senses and she sighed deeply in contentment at the warm chocolate that sat mockingly in front of her. Harrison chuckled as she relaxed and lost some of her tenseness.
"Still love hot chocolate, huh, kid? The marshmallows are in that bowl next to you. Get some sleep kiddo." She waited until she heard Harrison retreat upstairs, no doubt to a guest room, then she reached over the table to grab a few of the small soft clouds which she dropped into her drink.
Her weary eyes looked over the warm mug and noticed something that warmed her heart, something that made her ache as she looked at the design on the mug.
Our little miracle. It said in calligraphy. It could have belonged to anyone this mug, but deep down she knew this mug was hers. It was a phrase her mother always used to say to her when she would tuck Elisa in bed every night.
You are my little miracle. I love you; she would always whisper in her soft and loving voice that would always make her feel at home. Her eyes misted over but she blinked the moisture away, not allowing herself to grieve.
Crying does not solve the past, she had learnt, and so never thought about her mother again after her death. Elisa banished all thoughts from her mind and pushed the memories back into the box they had started leaking out from. There were chests in her mind that were locked shut and should never be opened, she had to remain clear-minded and that meant not focusing on certain things including the past.
She walked out of the kitchen and through the back door onto a porch, a single hammock swing swayed gently in the breeze. She settled into the fabric and watched the sky turn from a dark navy blue to soft peach and orange, the stars blending into the light sky; her cold hands nursing the warm mug.
Crying doesn't solve anything.
When Alexander woke up that morning, he immediately sought out his sister. The sister who had fallen asleep in the middle of the movie and had ended up leaning against Karson who slipped an arm around her shoulder, the little sister who mumbled in her sleep and held her arms and legs close to her body.
The little sister who was nowhere to be seen! His eyes widened in realisation when he noticed the blanket she had been using, on the floor.
He stood up abruptly knocking into the beanbag where Finley was curled up like a baby. His eyes scanned the room desperately looking for the little girl who had been asleep on the sofa a few hours ago. Preston let out a sudden snore and Alexander whirled round to slap him around the back of the head to wake him up.
Preston woke up to a flash of pain in his head and let out a loud groan of pain before glaring at his attacker who didn't pay him any mind.
"What was that for?!" He shouted, alerting the other boys. Andre sat up banging his head on Roman's knee, Roman hissed and threw his arms out, hitting Karson in the stomach and Owen in the face. Alexander waited in irritation as the boys yelled at each other and stood up grumbling.
"Right ok SHUT IT!" They turned to look at an annoyed Alexander and raised a brow at his agitation.
"Elisa is missing!" Various expressions crossed the boys' faces, but Owens was the most comical. His eyes widened in horror and his face paled, he slapped his hands to his cheeks looking awfully like the screaming man from that painting he saw once in a museum.
"MY BABY! WHERES MY INNOCENT LITTLE LISSY?!" Owen screeched like a banshee making the boys wince. They heard a tired yawn and turned to the source which had caught their attention. Finley sat up in the beanbag and grinned at the other boys, unaware of anything going on in the world like normal.
"Lovely morning isn't it guys?" Finley smiled, Roman whacked the back of his head harshly making Finley topple to the ground at Alexanders feet.
"FOR CRYING OUT LOUD GORILLA HANDS WHAT HAVE I DONE NOW?!" Finley yelled rubbing his head in pain, a common occurrence within the friendship group. Roman took a threatening step towards Finley with a murderous expression. Karson and Preston stood in front of Roman trying to prevent him from going near Finley.
"He didn't call you anything man. We have better things to do." Andre tried to interfere and save Finley from being pummelled. But Finley being Finley frowned in confusion and opened his mouth again.
"Yes, I did. I called him a gorilla." Andre facepalmed and backed off in surrender while the other boys shook their head at Finley's obliviousness and moved out of Romans way. Roman's eye twitched and he tackled Finley to the ground eliciting a cry of fear from the latter.
"IM NOT A GORILLA YA FRENCH FRY!"
"OY IM NOT FRENCH WHAT YOU ON OTHER THAN STEROIDS?"
"IM NOT ON STEROIDS EITHER YOU SCRAWNY LITTLE-"
"LANGUAGE WOMAN! GET OFF ME!"
Alexander ripped Roman away from Finley who was helped up by Karson.
"Back to the matter at hand which is so much more important than you two squabbling little girls." Owen said glaring coldly at the two boys making them shift; Mama Owen was terrifying, and they knew from experience to never cross his path when he had something in mind. Right now, it was finding Elisa.
"I'll talk to you later Roman, but for now... WHERE'S MY BABY, CUTIE-PIE, PUMPKIN, SWEETHEART, ANGELIC, LITTLE LISSY?!" Owen carried on shrieking until Alexander punched his arm to pull it together.
"Calm down. She's probably in the bathroom or something." Karson suggested being the only one thinking rationally and the boys spread out around the house trying to figure out where she was just in case, she wasn't in the bathroom.
Owen's voice was heard continuously as he panicked every time, he discovered an empty room, Roman sighed tiredly and frustrated as he thought his sister was just an attention seeker, Preston and Andre were in the kitchen getting breakfast ready for them as they weren't as worried as the older boys and Alexander were checking the downstairs rooms with Karson, muttering under his breathe about how he's already lost his sister.
Harrison casually moved into the kitchen to watch and listen to the idiots wandering around the house looking for their princess. Just like old times except this time she wasn't even hiding, and the boys were just blind bats. He wondered how long it took until-
"You guys stress too much. She's in the hammock." Finley snickered as Owen pushed past everyone to yank the door open roughly and search the porch area for his sweet baby sister.
"LISSY!" He cried loudly in relief and happiness making Elisa looked at him wide-eyed and horrified at his approaching figure. Alexander walked over to the doorway and watched his brother take the mug off Elisa, hand it over to Finley, and then proceed to lift Elisa into his arms. He chuckled as Owen squished her cheeks together making her look like a fish and cooed to her saying how much he loved her.
'Get off!" She muttered trying to get out of Owens vice-like grip, but he simply hugged the life out of her and ignored the biting insults she was throwing his way. Alexander let a small smile cross his face at the scene; he just loved to rile her up.
'I was so worried!" Owen cried, throwing his head back dramatically making Elisa wrinkle her nose in revulsion.
God he is such a drama queen, imagine what he'd be like if I actually went missing, she mused to her mental self.
"Are you CRYING?" She asked incredulously, noticing the silver gems rolling down his cheeks to which he wailed even louder and held onto her tighter. She scoffed as she managed to push him off her and stormed off inside to get some quiet in her room before she faced them again. Thoughts flying in her head faster than she could interpret them. But the main thoughts that repeated, stuck in her mind.
One, her brothers were dramatic.
Two, her brothers were idiots.
Three, they were too soft and vulnerable.
She sighed as she listened to her brothers and the boys laughing downstairs in the kitchen where she had left them. She wanted to open up to them, she did. She wanted to be able to joke around with them and stress them out as a little sister should.
But she needed to hold back; needed to stick to herself. It was like a slap to her face as she remembered her role in life, a role that was forced onto her without her permission or acceptance.
Do not cry Elisa, she thought as she tugged her hair frustrated.
Crying doesn't solve anything.
***
Growing up as the second eldest West sibling, Owen made it his responsibility to be the one his siblings could turn to whenever they needed a shoulder to cry on. He wanted to be the one that his younger siblings could look up to. Although Alexander was the eldest, he knew he was already holding so many responsibilities with keeping their siblings safe physically; Owen would keep them sane mentally and emotionally.
He remembered the day their mother left home. How his brothers and friends were all playing in the garden while their mother put Lissy to sleep. He thought back to how he had gone inside for a water break but instead heard his mum sobbing softly; a sound that would break any child's heart. Owen had abandoned his cup of water and followed the soft cries into the living room where he saw his parents holding onto each other like they were each other's lifeline.
His parents were so in love; what had happened?
To this day Owen never understood why his mother left with their sister, he never understood why she never said goodbye to him. He guessed it hurt less that way as their mothers' presence just slowly faded by time and became a distant memory. It still hurt; it was just more bearable.
Owen smiled at the last family photo they had which included their mother and Lissy. Smiles shining brightly at the camera. How he wished his family were complete. How he wished Lissy grew up with them and stayed the giggly girl she was. He ran a hand through his hair with a sigh of sadness, he would make sure she was happy here. He would fix his broken family.
It had been over two weeks since Lissy had first come home, and they had gotten nowhere with her. She would hole herself up in her room and avoid any interaction. She would roll her eyes whenever Owen or Alex tried to involve her in family game night; she would refuse to eat dinner with the rest of them, she would avoid them in the hallway and wouldn't stay for more than 1 second in the same room as them.
It's like she didn't want to be anywhere near them, and that fact hurt him more than it should. But at the same time, he had a feeling that she wanted to talk to them; she wanted to laugh and joke with them. There were small quick moments of hesitation before she always rejected them, and that was enough to keep his hope rising. She must be feeling lonely within the household even if they tried with her. He had to try even harder.
Owen pulled on a denim jacket and grabbed a rucksack before barging into her room without notifying her. She quickly put something in her bag and looked up at him with a glare that made him shiver but wonder what she was hiding.
It probably isn't important, he mused.
"Seriously?! Ever heard of knocking? What do you want now?!" She snapped angrily as Owen grinned down at her, completely ignoring her bad mood. He loved messing with her.
"We're going on an adventure! It's going to be a great one. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY! We're-"
Owen's loud and merry singing was cut off by a pillow that hit him from behind. Roman smirked in victory whilst still looking half asleep, his hair was messy, and Owen wouldn't be surprised if there was a bird nesting in there. Roman put his silver tongue piercing between his teeth, and Owen screwed up his face. Why Roman decided to get a tongue piercing, he will never understand, and Roman would always stick his tongue out at Owen as he knew it made him uncomfortable. The joys of having a brother!
"It's too early for your happiness, man. Go to sleep!" Preston whined as he walked into the room sleepily and leaned against Roman, who simply rolled his eyes and pushed against Preston's heavy head.
"Oh, sure! Let's have a meeting in my room! Who has the presentation?" Elisa spoke sarcastically and glared at the intruders in her room. Roman sneered back at her, and Preston waved her off while Owen chuckled. She went to get back into her bed, but Owen made a tutting sound and stopped her.
"Nuh-uh. We're going to the beach!" He cheered making his siblings groan, despite being the second oldest, Owen was probably the most childish.
Wow, that's rude.
"Must we?" Roman mumbled not wanting to spend unnecessary time with the stranger in the house. As if hearing his thoughts, Owen sent him a look, now he was determined to fix their sibling bond!
"Yup! So, I suggest you get changed, grab a bag with whatever you need and get downstairs before I drag you by the hair and drown you in the sea!" Roman and Preston blinked at Owens words and how he said it with a beaming innocent smile. They rushed to their room not wanting Owens' threat to come true and Owen smirked at the power he still had over them before turning to the girl. He studied her face and his smirk slipped at what he saw. Her eyes flickered to him, and she glared again; her mask back in place and the walls in her eyes had been rebuilt.
"Well? GET OUT!" She shouted and he whimpered as he ran out of the room to escape her rage; she was still a scary kid. The door slammed shut behind him and Owen thought back to what he saw.
In that one moment, that one fleeting glance, he saw many emotions. Not the stone-cold Elisa he had come to know. He saw the hesitance, the panic, worry, fear. But she hid it all and her guard came up when she saw him watching her.
She was hiding something, something that was scaring her.
Owen waited for his siblings and smiled when Lissy finally came down wearing light blue denim shorts and a white floral kaftan. Her hair was in its usual messy waves, and a cream-coloured rucksack on her back. Her hands were clenched, and her eyes focused on her feet as she refused to look at her siblings.
Alexander walked down the stairs yawning and raised a brow when he saw all his siblings in beachwear while he was in his uniform with his phone in his hand. Preston looked at him with wide eyes and looked at him in hope.
"You coming with us, Alex?" Alexander smiled and ruffled his hair fondly. Preston had always secretly looked up to Alexander and loved the times they hung out, the admiration that shone in his eyes was always a relief to Alexander and reassured him that he had raised him the best he possibly could.
"Nah. Sorry bud. I've got work. Have fun though, okay? We can go for a picnic another day if you want?" Preston nodded in acceptance and walked out the door whistling happily. Roman fist bumped him and Owen high fived him before they strolled out after Preston. Alex looked at Elisa who was hesitating, she looked torn, and he wanted to get rid of whatever was worrying her. Before he could ask her if she was ok, she looked up at him and... Smiled? Alex blinked in surprise but smiled back at her warmly. He memorised the smile she gave him, the way it made her look younger, free. It's funny how a small tilt of the lips could change the way a person looked.
"Have fun, Dove," Alex spoke softly to her using the nickname he gave her when she was younger. Her eyes softened and she nodded before giving him a timid wave and running after the boys who had already started walking. He stood there for a moment with a warm feeling, she was trying! Maybe there was hope for the siblings after all?
Owen laughed as Roman tackled Preston and dunked him into the sea. Preston managed to kick Romans legs out from under him and they both tumbled into the water wrestling and laughing at their childishness.
He turned to look at Elisa and his smile slipped slightly. She sat in the grainy warm sand watching the waves hit against the rocks that lay at the bottom of a cliff, her knees pulled up against her chest and her hair flying gently around her with the wind. He walked over and sat next to her, ignoring the way she tensed.
Elisa sat there silently, and Owen didn't push her to talk. He had a feeling that she was working up the courage to ask him something and so he wasn't going to interrupt her now. She finally made up her mind and looked over at her brother, her eyes lingering on the ink on his wrist.
"Does your tattoo have a meaning?" Owen blinked, that wasn't what he thought she would ask but he smiled anyway at her interest.
"Why do you think it means something?"
"Because you seem like the kind of guy whose really sentimental." She shrugged as if it was nothing and he grinned at her answer, she was more perceptive than he thought.
"Yeah. I guess I am... It does mean something I'll admit. Five birds... five West siblings." Owen watched her eyes soften into pools of honey as she looked at his wrist, her brows furrowed, and she lifted her small fingers to the tattoo. She lifted his wrist closer to her face and he could feel her warm breath and his skin. He knew what she had seen and swallowed feeling a sense of vulnerability.
"The bird... the small one at the end... It says-"
"Lissy. It says Lissy." Owen finished for her knowing she was in too much shock and surprise to put together a proper sentence. Elisa felt her heart warm as she stared at the tattoo with her nickname on his skin, her heart waging a war with her mind, and she didn't know how to feel.
"Why would you do that Owen?" She asked confused. Her name, she had mentally accepted that she was Lissy to Owen, was inked on his skin. Practically permanent.
"We thought we would never see you again Lissy. You were our little sister, the one that completed our sibling bond. When you left, it ripped the bond, and we had no means of connection. This tattoo was the only reminder we had of you. Alex got his first, and then when we all hit 18, we all got the same tattoo. Just in different areas. Even Preston, although he doesn't exactly have the same sentiment to his tattoo like the rest of us. We never told him what it meant, and he just wanted one since we all had one."
Her eyes widened at his answer, and she felt it hard to ingest his words. She looked over to the crystal water where Roman and Preston were seeing how long they could stay underwater. They had the same tattoo somewhere.
"Of course, Alex and Roman have their own nicknames that they gave you when you were little so instead of theirs saying Lissy above your bird, it'll say whatever they used to call you." Owen finished and they sat in silence. Her brothers had always had her in their mind. Even Roman who seems to hate her. She didn't know what to feel, what to think, what to do. Owen decided to change the subject to get her mind off the tattoo. Her face was scrunched up in what looked to be pain and he wanted to take that pain away.
"You're starting school next week. It's a boarding school as well so there will be kids from all over. Preston will be in the 6th form, which is attached to the school, so you'll have a familiar face." Elisa jumped at the thought. School? Why on earth is she going to school?
"Owen I've never been to school. Mum home-schooled me after kindergarten." Owen pursed his lips at the word kindergarten.
"I forgot you lived in America." He mumbled and frowned as he realised how far his mother had taken his sister. Did she really want to forget her whole family that bad? Then he backtracked on what she said.
"Hold up. You've been home-schooled since you were... what... 5?"
"6 actually. Mum felt better knowing I was always in her reach and home-schooled me until I was in 3rd Grade. I had online tutors, so I kept up with my studies as I moved from home to home. I'm currently doing 10th-grade work and preparing for exams." She shrugged and Owen thought about it.
"You're going to be in Year 11 here which is the last year of high school. You can then either stay on till 6th form or you can go to a college. We all went to this 6th form and then carried on to university. It's your choice then. But Alex and Paige thought it best for you to have at least one year of school. And hey, its September. You have a few months till your final exams and I'm sure you'll do great!" He encouraged her.
Elisa didn't get scared. Growing up her mother always told her to never show fear. Fear was an obstacle that she had to quickly bypass to survive. She was never scared about moving from home to home, she was never scared when she first broke her arm when she was 11. She wasn't even scared when her mother died.
But coming to England, to live with brothers her mother had taken her away from, that was scaring her. Her new life was terrifying, and she didn't know how to handle the things being thrown her way whilst still trying to keep up her guard. She wasn't worried about keeping up her grades because she knew and believed in herself that she could get amazing results.
What terrified her, was the people she knew she was going to meet. People who would no doubt try to become her friend. She already had a hard time battling off her stupid brothers. But what about people in school? Kids her own age? How was she going to survive high school? She pressed her fingernails into her palm and finally asked the question she had been wanting to ask one of her brothers since she arrived.
"Owen?"
"Yeah, Lissy?"
"Where's... Where's our father?" Owen froze at her question. She didn't know. But in all fairness, he didn't know where their mother was or why Elisa was here.
"Well, where's our mother?" He shot back calmly, she swallowed knowing that her answer would break them.
"I asked first." His lip curved and he sighed sadly.
"We don't know. Dad has been missing for years. They assume he's..." She knew what he was insinuating, and her heart pounded against her chest. Her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of what she was hearing.
"When did he go missing?" Owen closed his eyes as he tried to calculate the years that had passed since they last saw their father.
"Well... Alex was 22 when he got his job... he was 18 when he got his tattoo and I think it was a few months later so... Roughly 8 years ago dad went missing?" Elisa felt her eyes widen, her breath caught in her throat, her skin pale and she could practically hear her heart throbbing.
8 years ago, their dad went missing he said.
Could it just be a coincidence that their father went missing at roughly the same time their mother was murdered...? Maybe it was not linked and there wasn't a connection. But deep-down Elisa knew.
It wasn't just a coincidence at all.