9 - The Orphan

0 0 0
                                    

It's been a week. Hudson hadn't seen The Red Rose since. He kept to his promise to and hadn't done anything reckless. He cut his midnight strolls and didn't say anything that would cause uproars. He was keeping to his promise and he would keep to his promise no matter what.

Today, the members were strolling the outskirts of Los Angeles. They had a concert at an arena tonight, but for the day they were free to roam around until it was time. They stopped at several shops, trying on different clothing, shoes, hats, and whatnot.

By lunch time, they were starving and ready to eat a bore. They stopped at a barbecue place and ordered large amounts of food, but with how active they were no wonder they were always so hungry.

Once they were done, they paid for their meal and continued roaming the streets. Fans stopped them, asking for their autographs and pictures with them. There were even some fans who asked about The Red Rose. Hudson simply replied that it is not his business to tell.

"Hudson, thanks for not saying anything reckless," Tony thanked the youngest with an appreciated nod. Hudson nodded back in response as he glanced in at the different shops.

As he walked up the sidewalk, something caught his eye, pasted to the window of a small shop. He stopped walking and looked at it curiously. It was a picture of a young girl with black hair and porcelain skin. She had a grimace plastered across her face.

"What are you looking at?" Gabe asked as he approached Hudson.

"This picture," Hudson responded as he eyed it.

The image read:

{Lost orphan. Odette is her name. If you happen to find her then please call (XXX) - XXX - XXX.}

"Odette, she's cute," Bobby commented with a smirk as he walked over to them. Hudson rolled his eyes at this as he ignored Bobby.

"Lost orphan though? How can an orphan get lost? If she was in an orphanage she wouldn't get lost," Hudson pointed out in confusion.

"Perhaps she ran away from her orphanage," Abel suggested with a shrug. The other members nodded in agreement. Just then, the store owner comes out.

"Can I help you boys?" He asked curiously.

"Oh, it's nothing sir," Michael replied with a bow.

"Um.... sir, who is this girl on your window?" Hudson asked curiously as he pointed to the picture. Tony and Parker sent him a look, but he pretended not to see it. The store owner looked at the picture and sighed.

"Ah yes, Odette. This poster has been up for 2 years now and they still haven't found her," he said with a sigh. The members glanced at each other in confusion.

"Sir, what do you mean?" Hudson asked as he glanced at the store owner.

"Well, her story is quite sad to be honest. You see, she lost her mother due to cancer at a very young age and then her father became an alcoholic, who would often beat her," the store owner started. The members listened, their expressions growing sad at hearing the story.

"She ran away from home and then was found and brought to the orphanage, but she apparently tried to escape from the orphanage twice and the second time she succeeded," the store owner went on, "She ran away from the orphanage 2 years ago. She hasn't been seen or heard from since. I assume they have given up on finding her."

"Wow, that's sad," Abel commented with a saddened look.

"Yeah, but sir, how do you know all of this about her?" Tony asked curiously and suspiciously.

"When the owners of the orphanage came to put the poster on my window, I stopped them because I didn't want them to," the store owner explained briefly, "I told them that they could only put it on my window if they went more into detail about the girl and so they did. Once I was told the story, I felt pity for the girl, so I agreed to let them put the poster." The members nodded once again.

"So, no one has seen her at all?" Bobby asked in surprise.

"Nope, not that I've heard of," the store manager replied with a shrug, "I just hope the poor girl isn't lying dead in an alleyway or a ditch or worse raped." The thought of those happening sent shivers up the members' backs.

"She's probably fine," Michael reassured the store manager, "I'm sure she's found a home and is with a good family."

"I surely hope so because after all she's been through she deserves a proper home with people who will take care of her the right way," the store owner muttered as he sighed, "Well, that's my story for today. If you'll excuse me boys, but I have a store to run. Good day." With that, the store owner rushed back inside his shop, leaving the boys out there confused.

"That was some story," Parker remarked as he let out a sigh.

"Yeah, poor girl," Tony answered with a disapproving nod, "Anyways, let's go. We still have time before the concert." The members nodded as they continued their roaming of the streets until it was time for their concert. They got ready and entered onto the stage. The music blasted on and they began to sing. With their fans cheering them on, their spirits were filled with energy.

Hudson, on the other hand, couldn't seem to get Odette's story out of his head. It was sad, of course, but it wasn't anything that he hadn't heard about other orphaned children. It was just something about the fact that she ran away from her orphanage two years ago and hasn't been seen for two years. There was something about that information that puzzled him, that got him thinking. It was as if it was hinting to something, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He got through the concert ok, without dazing off too much, but the other members could tell that something was on his mind. When the concert closed, they returned to the studio.

"Alright, I'm making dinner," Parker announced as he took his jacket off, "Any requests?" The members started barking out food requests one by one. "What about Hudson?" Parker glanced at the youngest. "What would you like to eat?" Hudson stared at the eldest for a moment before sighing.

"Um..... I'll eat something later," he answered shortly as he turned and rushed up the stairs.

"What's with him?" Michael asked curiously. The others shrugged in response.

Hudson entered his room and closed his door before sitting himself at his desk. He opened his computer and immediately searched up results for Odette. Only a couple of websites came up and most of them were news reports. Many of the sites gave out the same story that the store owner told him and his members. Nothing other than that seemed to explain what happened to her or where she was now.

He sighed in defeat. He couldn't understand why it was bothering him so much or why he was so curious about her. As he scrolled through pages, he stopped at an article. He pressed on it and up came a photo of Odette and The Red Rose along with an article.

Curious, he read through the article. By the end of the article, he was confused and uncertain. What the article said brought up a theory that perhaps Odette was actually The Red Rose because The Red Rose was introduced two years ago close to the same time that Odette disappeared two years ago.

Plus, from what the news article reports, it stated that she hadn't been seen or heard from for two years. The Red Rose, however, had been known for two years now. It couldn't be a coincidence.

"That's impossible. I-It can't be," Hudson muttered to himself as he tried to ponder over the theory that The Red Rose might actually be Odette, the orphan girl who ran away from her orphanage. He didn't know what to believe and it got him confused.

Perhaps, she is somehow linked to The Red Rose or they know each other. He didn't know, but he needed to find out and have his questions answered. He knew that he had promised The Red Rose not to do or say anything reckless, but he needed to talk her.

Taking a deep breath, he posted something about The Red Rose. Once it was posted, he sat in his chair, at his desk, and waited for The Red Rose to appear.

Snow White & The Pop StarWhere stories live. Discover now