Found and Forgotten

Chapter 13

Zeta POV

The last few days we re surprisingly very fun with Xander. He had to do some work at some points though, and that's when the grief hit again. He's also been staying with me till I fall asleep. I haven't told him that I still get them when he leaves, but I am getting more sleep then I was before.

Akira's birthday is coming up. I'm hoping one of my brothers will take me to our favorite cafe to celebrate. I really wish I could call her.

I've FaceTimed the be twins a few times. They said their trip is really boring, but they'd love to bring me back and do more fun things since I've never been. They were surprised but happy to hear about me and Xander getting along. They don't mention anything about my past, which likely means Xander actually respected my wishes to wait.

I'm excited to spend more time with the twins. I'm starting to feel like I have people again. Not that I'll ever forget my parents and Akira. I'm nervous for them to come home first. After Xander tells them what he knows, I know they'll have more questions, but I don't think I'm ready to answer them. I relive events of my pay every night, I don't want to relive them during the day too.

I walk down to an empty kitchen for breakfast. I make myself a bowl of cereal and play on my phone while I eat. Xander walks in super sweaty.

"Hey, you're up. I just got back from my run. Our brothers will be home tonight. What do you want to do today?" Xander asks me.

"It's supposed to be nice out. Maybe we can hang out by the pool?" I say.

"Sure. Let me go shower. Finish your food. We can meet out there whenever you're done.

I finish eating and go and get a bikini on. I see myself and the mirror and my scar is sticking out, looking disgusting. I decided to throw a T-shirt on for now, avoiding anyone seeing it.

I go outside and see Xander is already in the pool. I think about going in, but decide to just dip my feet first. I don't really want my scars on display again. I know he knows about them, but he didn't really see the ones on my back. I've had more than one foster family that used a belt.

"Not coming in? You used to love the pool when you were little. Always in the water, whether it was the pool or bath, you were always trying to play in the water." He reminisces.

"Maybe in a bit. I still do love the water. I was very excited when my parents wanted to move to the Carolinas. The beach might be my favorite place. Pools are great, but nothing beats the ocean." I tell him.

"Yeah. You probably don't remember, but when you were almost 2, we went to Florida for a couple of days. Father had business and decided we could come along when we all begged. You threw a fit whenever we would try to leave. Your little fingers and toes were so pruned from playing in the water. I guess some things haven't changed?" He chuckles. I guess I still have similarities to my pre-trauma self. The thought is a little comforting honestly.

We sit in a comfortable silence, both seemingly lost in our own thoughts. I'm thinking about how much my life has changed. As much as I don't want to get my hopes up, I'm starting to think my brothers could be like a family to me again. I guess it's not really there fault I had to leave.

I'm shook out of my thoughts from a splash from Xander. That whore. I kick my feet trying to splash him back, but he swam to far away. He comes closer and does it again. Without thinking, I'm in the pool chasing after him, not caring that my T-shirt is completely soaked now. We go back and forth, splashing one another all around the pool. We are full of laughter. It really took me out of all my worries for a bit.

We are just hanging out on the side of the pool. As I lean forward to grab my phone, I didn't notice my T-shirt rose up, until I hear a gasp from Xander. I look over and realize what happened. Damn, that's exactly what I was trying to avoid.

"Zeta, what happened? Were you whipped?" He asks. Time to relive another thing. Ugh.

Xander POV

My sister's back is full of scars. So many. I almost want to throw up. I've been the cause of these on other people, but seeing it on her makes me sick. These look like scars from being whipped, maybe with a belt? At least none of them look new.

"From the same foster father as before?"
I really want to find and torture that piece of shit now.

What she says next surprised me and makes me feel even sicker. "Some of them. He wasn't the only foster parent that liked belts" she says coldly.

What the hell has she been through exactly?
I don't have any words really so I just hug her and let her know how strong she is.

No wonder she has so many nightmares. No one deserves this. I start to think the worst.

"Are there any other scars?" I ask. I feel some relief when she shakes her head. "Despite being crazy, they were smart enough to make them where people wouldn't see" she added.

I nod. Not good, but at least there's not more. I'm hesitant, but I decide to ask about my worst fear. "Did any of them ever... touch you?"

"Thankfully no. One tried when I was eight, but I was able to run away through the window. I was moved back to the orphanage shortly after since he was found with drugs on him." How many people am I going to have to kill? Not that I mind. I'll actually quite enjoy it. Still, I wish my sister wasn't the reason for it.

"How do you seem so unaffected most days? I mean besides the nightmares and scars, I wouldn't have guessed you went through all of this." She is very strong. I'd expect her to be a lot more timid and scared. I mean there are signs. The small appetite being one. Overall, though, she seems like a normal teen going through the loss of her family and friend.

"My adoptive parents. They noticed the signs right away. They got me help and got me over all of my fears. They never knew about the nightmares. I hid those from everyone until you saw the other night. They had their suspicions I'm sure, but they were really good about giving me space." 

"They sound amazing. I'm glad they got you away from those people. I hate that we let that happen to you." And I mean it. I am grateful that they were there for Zeta when we couldn't be.

"Enough of this now. I'm tired of reliving the past." Zeta says. I'm sure she is.

"Of course. Thank you for telling me this." W ego inside and eat lunch, preparing for our brothers to return shortly.