Thirteen

"The boy isn't alone." A muscular man whispers into his head piece, trying to consult his boss about what he should do. He didn't want to be here, kidnapping a child, but he, like everyone else that worked for this deranged organisation had no choice. "There's a little girl, from what I can tell she is about the same age, maybe a little younger about age two, light brown hair and blue eyes."

"So take her too." The boss answered like it was obvious. "We can't risk her causing a scene and alerting anybody, now go and do your job."

The man watched in sorrow at the toddlers playing, completely oblivious to how their lives were about to turn out. He watches the boy chase the girl around then watches them both run after a butterfly and the second the mother of the girl turns around to deal with one of the girl's many siblings he knows it's time to strike. He walks quietly up to the children and when he's close enough he grabs both of them from behind, a chloroform rag up to each of their mouths. They were both small enough that he could carry one in each arm. Just as he was making a quick escape he heard someone shouting at him from behind.

Eleanor Walker had turned at the last second seeing someone carrying her son and her best friend's daughter away, but she wasn't quick enough. As soon as the man had realised she had seen him he took off into a sprint, tossing both unconscious children into the back seat and sped out of there, not once stopping until he made it to the airstrip four hours away where the man stood waiting for him.

Even though this man wasn't physically strong looking, in fact he was tall and lanky but by the atmosphere around him you could tell just how dangerous this man was. He was tall with dark hair and dark eyes but his skin was almost white and you could see the veins running through his skin.

Just the sight of him made your skin crawl.

"Do you have them?" The man asked impatiently.

"Yes sir." He handed over the children. "Please, please spare my children now, I have done what you asked." The man begged and pleaded.

He had torn apart two families just to save his own.

The boss stared at the begging man, only one thought on his mind. 'How pathetic.'

"I was going to." he said and the man brightened. "But I've changed my mind, you annoy me."

The man signalled for one of his many bodyguards and nodded his head towards the kidnapper and no less than two seconds later, the man was on the ground, a bullet straight through his skull.

Now the man turned to the children, originally he had only wanted the boy after all. He could easily shape him into behind a soldier. The earlier you get them the more loyal they stay but he sees bright blue eyes staring back at him, fierce and far to intelligence for a two year old and suddenly he was glad for the man. He glanced down at the bloodied mess and for a split second he regretted killing him after all he had given him what he was sure was going to be his biggest weapon.

Everleigh Taylor

Her combined with the boy and a lot of extensive training were going to make him a very powerful man.

Ceren Nox just knew it.

Auriella Everleigh Soleil

There was a tranquillity of the night that I always appreciated. Maybe it was all the nights that all the memories flooded my head. During this time, it was so much better to see the dark skies than relive all the horrors I had faced. I had snuck out onto the roof of the house with a cup of really hot strawberry tea and wrapped myself in a blanket to try and keep me safe from the icy wind.

This was a time I actually missed the city I had lived in for three years. It was way too quiet here, there were no cars or the shouts of drunk university students trying to make it back to their home. No, there was no noise until there was.

"Aren't you meant to be sleeping?" I ask softly, not needing to turn around to know who it was. We were the only ones in the house who could work on minimal sleep. We were used to the late nights and early mornings, doing things in a time where everyone else was fast asleep.

"I could ask you the same things, little sister." I scooched over and tucked my legs into myself so Grayson could take a seat next to me on the roof. "Can't sleep?"

"I did sleep for a bit but I woke up." I tell him, turning my head to look at him for the first time. I could mainly see the silhouette of his face, the sharp lines he had gotten from working out so much and the patterns of curls that fell down his forehead. One thing I could see was the blue of his eyes, even with very minimal light they stood out of his face, shining. I wondered if mine looked like that? "So where are you going?"

He froze

"I mean it's like three-thirty in the morning, it seems a little late to be sneaking out. But you're not sneaking out are you?" I wait a bit, watching the pressure dissipate from his shoulders. "You were sneaking back in again."

And Grayson Taylor was once again very tense, looking at me with panicked wide eyes.

"Everleigh..." He starts but I wave him off.

"Don't worry I won't tell anyone. Just a tip though, if you're sneaking out, try and drive up the driveway with the headlights off. It's more dangerous, but you should know the driveway by now and the lights won't wake anyone up by accident. Also change your dirty shoes before you leave the car and put on fresh ones because then it looks like you are trying to sneak out but haven't successfully done it and you get a lesser punishment, but then again you are coming up through the roof and no one else wakes up this early."

"And how many times have you snuck out before?'

I just shrugged. I had never snuck out, if I wanted to leave I left right through the front door and no one could stop me if I had my mind set on something.

"Were you crying?" He had been studying me and now with the light of the sun rising he could see the streaks down my face. And as much as I wanted to lie and say no, I don't lie. I would never stoop down to that level. I saw the liars in my life and I had vowed to never be like them.

"Not intentionally, I was just having some awful dreams."

Grayson studied me again. "They weren't just dreams, were they?"

What could I say?

"They were memories." He whispered, a knowing look in his eye and suddenly I knew there was something more to Grayson's story. More than just being a forgotten child, there was something that happened to him that he was able to relate to all the horrors in my life.

"My mind's a scary place, Grayson. I can control a lot of things, in fact I control a lot more than people realise but I would give up every little piece of power I have just to have control over my own thoughts."

"At the moment you think that it's the worst thing that has ever happened to you but then at the darkest points of the night your mind twists it into something hundred times worse, and you can't do anything to stop it no matter how hard you try. No matter what you do." He stopped speaking after that. We both sat in silence watching the sun rise higher and the colours changing from a navy blue to an orange and pink. "You know I used to hate you."

I looked at him, his head hung low in shame but the second he looked in my eyes and saw there wasn't anything more than a little curiosity he carried on.

"It's awful, I was four when you were taken. You and I were inseparable like how Gabe and Emmy are, how Eli and Ezra are and how Crew and Nole are. ANd then you were taken, my best friend just magically gone and then everything started changing. Gone was the happy little family we had. Mom and dad started working longer hours, they were never home and when they were the only one they would pay attention to was Emmeline, the only daughter they had left, but of how close Em and Gabe were he was also added into the mix. The rest of us didn't know what to do. Crew took over the role of caretaker and provider, which eventually was only provider when Nolan took over as caretaker. But when he was eleven or twelve he started hockey and that took all his time up. So with Crew working all the time and Nolan playing hockey, and Gabriel not involved I had to look after Eli and Ezra. It's not too bad, I mean they're only two years younger than me but it was a lot, Elijah barely talks and when there's a problem he doesn't tell you. Ezra I think had dyslexia and I didn't know how to help him with school, he was struggling so much. I don't know, I feel like the world was against me and so I put the blame on you, I mean my world only fell apart after you were taken."

He looked so ashamed but he didn't have to.

"Your feelings are valid Grayson, but I was a victim too. There are people responsible and I have the resources to get to them."

"That's why you're here." he says realising it. "You were happy, you had your own place and you were living with your boyfriends and your real family. You didn't need to come back here." I didn't stop him, it was good that he knew. "You said your father was a cop, you have access to the police gym, and you mentioned you've held a gun and done martial arts. There's someone coming after us, isn't there?"

"Yes."

He was a lot smarter than anyone realised and I knew he would put it together that there was something off about my sudden appearance. It was better for him to find out from me ahead of time when I know he's going to be on my side than for him to fight against me when the truth comes out.

"Are we in danger?" His eyes flicked down to the house, towards the rooms that were in the direction of Ezra and Elijah's bedrooms. Once again Grayson was worried for his little brother's protection over his own.

"No, we have teams and tech and Nate and I have spent the last week making this place one of the safest on earth. We also have people on guard cameras set up everywhere with feed being watched twenty-four seven. Nothing is going to happen to you. I won't let it."

"It seems like you had the resources to find us, why didn't you?"

"When I was first taken, Azariah and Adriano did everything they could to find out where we were from but there wasn't a paper trail. They assumed we were born into the organisation we were taken from, that one of the members had knocked someone up and they had taken us in. NITE, the people who had taken us did a damn good job at hiding us, in fact before I came here Everleigh Taylor had never existed in the eyes of the law." He watched me carefully for signs of lies but I wasn't lying. "As Lex and I grew up I'll admit we got very into tech things. Well, that's an underestimation. What I'm saying is we had the resources to find you if we wanted but we never even knew about you. Neither of us remember anything before we were taken and then we had a family who loved us, why would we think of looking?"

"Why did you say Lex?" I had? I could see the ideas spinning in his head, but I didn't say anything if he figured it out then good on him. I knew he wouldn't spread around what we talked about. "You know something."

I made a humming sound in response.

"You don't always respond to Everleigh or even Evie. It's like you aren't used to being called your own name. And Nathaniel does the same." It clicked. "You changed your name?"

"When I was seven."

"Why?"

I shrugged. "I didn't like Everleigh, I had so many bad memories attached to it. And when we were rescued we were given the option to change it. I was given the option to start on a clean slate and I took it." I look my older brother in the eye. "I trust you aren't going to share any of this conversation with the others, not yet at least."

"Of course not." He says like that was a given. I know it was but I just needed to make sure. "But why are you telling me?"

"Because you can fight." I swing my legs back and forth, rocking the swing. "I'm doing my best, Lex is doing his best and so are the people we're working with. But they have been in the town, they've followed around the others. If it comes down to it and someone is coming after you fight and fucking flee."

"D-do?"

"Do I know you drive up to the city at night to street fight?" I ask. "Yes, yes I do."

He looks at me from the corner of his eye. "You terrify me."

"Thank you."

"Not a compliment, Evie. Or whatever you go by."

"I don't mind being called Evie or Everleigh but Auriella, or Ella if you want."

"Auriella." He tests out.

"Auriella Everleigh Soleil." I answer back and once again his brain starts ticking.

"The tech genius, the one that owns Ambivalent Technologies." Just as he says that my phone beeps signalling that I have a message. His eyes fall to my phone realising I have a model that isn't even out yet, then to my wrist which also lights up, the same discovery. "What the fuck. You know as soon as I think I've got you figured out a new revelation just comes out of nowhere and I feel like I'm back on square one."

I grab my phone, answering Xander letting him know what's happening with Gray.

Everything was going as planned.

"Are you and Nathaniel actually dating?"

"No, we're married actually." I said it in a joking tone but I wasn't actually kidding.But Grayson took it as one and he snorted. The sun was now fully up but we were both tired and ready to head to bed. We were lucky it was only Sunday so we could actually sleep for a bit. I stand up and stretch my arms over my head. "Well if I'm going to have the energy to meet the last of the Taylor and Walker siblings I'm going to have to get some more sleep. I'll see you later Gray."

"See you Leigh."

"Leigh?" I pause at the door.

"Yeah, like the end of Everleigh but also from Ellie. It might be a name you're more comfortable with." Grayson doesn't show how much of a teddy bear he is.

"Well, if you're going to call me by the end of my name then I'm going to call you, Sonny." I smirk and he shoots me a playful scowl. "See if I'm called Sunshine you have to be called Sunny too."

He just points his fingers to the stairs. "Go to sleep."

I just laugh.

<><><>

"But I guess Balenciaga's always been innovative. I'm all for people expressing themselves through fashion but some of the new outfits..." I trail off and Harper Walker agrees with me. We were discussing the new line.

I loved this woman, we had found our mutual love of fashion. She had also sung the praises of Ètinceler which automatically put her in my good books even if she didn't know that was my company. Ètinceler was my baby, sure I loved Ambivalent but fashion had been something that gave me a freedom that writing codes couldn't. It gave me an escape, I can lock myself away for hours with no devices with just a sewing machine and a couple pieces of fabric.

"I'm so excited for the new Ètinceler line to come out. I've been seeing hints of the line and I'm already saving to be able to get some things."

I was going to reply but I was interrupted with the bulky blonde boy who sat next to her, sulking a little. "Shut up, Harp. You know I actually want to talk to my sister too."

The two were close, pretty much best friends. They had been born only a couple months apart and acted like siblings. Their dynamic reminded me a lot of Adelina and Alexander. Harper was older just like Adelina and wouldn't let Nolan forget it like Adelina and Alexander."

"So talk." Nolan just pouted some more.

"Now that just makes it awkward." It was funny seeing someone so big act so immature. Nolan was massive, he played ice hockey and looked like he lived in the gym the rest of the time. "Sooo, what do you do in your free time?"

"I actually don't have much free time." I told him. "I go to school and I have a job, but when I do I go out with my friends. I also travel a lot when I have the time."

"I want a job in the future where I can travel all the time." Nolan nods, thinking about it. "I don't think I want kids of my own but I want a job where I can travel around teaching kids ice hockey."

"That's awesome." I nodded, he looked passionate about ice hockey and seemed like he really wanted to spread his love for it.

"How many places have you travelled to?"

"Now that's something I don't know if I can answer accurately. I've been to every single country in Europe, most of them multiple times. I've been to most Asian countries as well, most central America. I've obviously been to the United States, but I've also been to Canada and Mexico. I've travelled around Oceania, mainly Australia and New Zealand but I've been to a couple of the smaller islands as well. Then I went all over Southern Africa at one time and a couple other African countries and a couple in South America, like Brazil and Venezuela."

"That's every continent, Everleigh." Nolan looked at me in amazement.

"Yeah, I love travelling. I wanted to be a pilot for the longest time. But I also travel a lot for work."

"You're sixteen, what travelling job can a sixteen year old get?"

"I work in tech, I know everything about computers like the back of my hand and it's something I've been doing since I was really young so big companies fly me out when they need assistance and I help them. And I also sell a lot of the coding I write. I make a lot of money doing that."

Xander walked behind me and stood behind my chair. He was on the phone talking rapidly in Italian but his voice was low. He brushed my hair off my shoulder, pulled it all to my back and continued stroking my hair while he walked. I looked up at him and his forehead was creased into a frown and he looked annoyed, a look I only see on Xander when it has to do with work.

"Non mi interessa da chi è fatto, purché venga fatto." I don't care who it's done by, just as long as it gets done. He snaps to the person on the other end of the line and after a couple more exchanges he cuts the call with a sigh.

We meet each other's eyes and I know what he's thinking. Our older siblings catch our exchange and both start laughing

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing, nothing." Harper waves off. "It's just some things never change do they?"

"Nope." Nolan shook his head, looking at us with a fond smile, leaving both Xander and I confused.

"You guys are weird." Xander scoffed but the smile didn't stay off our faces either.