Strong For Too Long Trilogy ✔️

22. A Brother Like No Other

CHAPTER 22: A Brother Like No Other

They sit around the middle fireplace. Almost all the guys were drinking coffee this early in the morning, as was Aaron, who's currently running his fingers through my hair with my head on his lap. We were all lying around the dark brown leather outside furniture. The wood sap crackling next to me while I have my legs resting on extra space on our side. No one else was lying down like I was. I close my eyes, "What are you doing, love?" I hear above me, his gentle voice close to coaxing me to sleep.

"Retracing my steps. I somehow knew where to go. I need to identify why." I murmur.

He sighs above me, "Remind me to teach you how to relax." He murmurs above me.

"What happened when you woke up at the Academy?" Branson asks from where he sits snuggling into Madison, her eyes are on the fire. Samsara and Reynolds are in similar positions.

I open my eyes, staring into the sky where sunrise was only half an hour away, "I didn't recognise a thing. Only when Sara was getting us ready for the bonfire. Then the talk with Reynolds, who by the way was just as much of a dick as the rest of you when we first met." I gesture vaguely behind me, heading soft chuckles.

"Sorry about that." Reynolds murmurs, sounding amused.

I nudge Aaron's stomach when he holds in a laugh, "Hmm?" I say, snapping my eyes to his lightened cognac brown ones, he rolls his lips in, shoulders shake in amusement. He leans down and lowers a kiss to my forehead. I close my eyes lightly, fingers brush up my hip, along my waist as he leans back, this time I turn, facing him and closing my eyes as his fingers work their magic again through my curls.

"You want to walk us through the past eight hours, young lady?" Pierce says, stepping in with Fern as they slide into the seats close to my legs.

"Maybe explain why she called you 'Dad'?" Branson says, I could practically see him shrug without opening my eyes. Aaron runs his forefinger down the slope of my prominent cheekbone, his thumb brushes back up along my ear.

Everyone is comfortably silent, awaiting an answer.

"Pierce." I murmur, saying he could start the story.

"Do you only remember the fireflies?" He asks me, softly.

I nod against Aaron's thigh.

"When more memories come, let me know." He says to me. I wondered why I referred to him as my Father, when it was George Colgate who made it sound like Pierce was Alexander's Father, and Monroe was mine.

I sigh in defeat.

"We saw the footage of you being able to defeat over twenty candidates, Eleven." Eight says, slowly. Her concern was intriguing, the red haze I felt at just seeing her close in my grasp. It made me far stronger. Defeating Candidate Zero so easily.

"Who is Candidate Zero?" I murmur.

"It would be best if you see for yourself." Fern says, slowly.

"I am far too comfortable to move." I mumble, keeping my eyes closed.

"Mom-ma!"

I groan, "C'mon, dude. I am not your-oomph." Forty smirks above me as he drops the child on my stomach. I moved on my back before sitting up and gliding the child to sit on my lap, while I lean on Aaron's open arm sliding around me. We both look at the boy we still had no name for.

"Here, it's your day." Forty says to me.

"Do we not have a name yet?" I murmur.

"Evan." I hear a soft murmur, turning to Samsara, she looks between the boy, Evan and I.