𝕋ℍ𝔼 ℂ𝕆𝕃𝕃𝔼ℂ𝕋𝕀𝕆ℕ

Black Sheep 3/5

A/N: Hi! For starters I want to say that there will be no Writetober posted this year. Not only do the prompts suck (in my opinion) but I also need to focus on my college applications and classes. Sorry, but I just can't do it this year. Anyways, hopefully that means I can dedicate more time and attention to this book. Thank you for your understanding.

At some point you must've managed to drift off to sleep, because the next time you opened your eyes you were being gently shaken awake. The classical music had stopped at some point, you faintly realized as you began to wake up. When your eyes finally opened you were a little surprised to see a child, kneeling on the edge of your bed, shaking you.

When the kid saw that you were awake he grinned before hopping onto the chair beside your bed. He looked to be possibly five or six, which only confused you more. He sat in the chair, picking up a teddy bear that had been placed there, and toying with it in his lap as he stared at you. You stared back, still waking up and trying to process what was going on.

"Breakfast will be here in a few minutes." He finally informed you.

"Where are we?" You asked. He just blinked up at you for a second before shrugging.

"Mother and father will tell you that kinda stuff. They said I'm not allowed to." He answered, playing with his bear's arms. With that answer, and him clearly being interested in his bear, you took a moment to look around the room you were in.

You were laying in a large, cozy bed covered in fluffy blankets and quilts. There were practically a million pillows between you and the headboard as well as a few stuffed animals. There was a beanbag in one of the corners of the room, and the whole floor was covered in a white rug. The walls were lined with some bookshelves and there was a large desk and a desk chair on the other side of the room. Three separate doors lined the walls, you assumed a closet, bathroom and the exit.

Muffled talking slowly became more and more audible outside the room. It sounded almost like bickering. The voices were familiar but you couldn't exactly place where from. Beside you, the kid just rolled his eyes, jumping from the chair.

"I'll go get mother and father." He said, going to the farthest door and opening it. You got a peek into the hallway before your eyes locked with another person and suddenly, you were back in that room. You were still tied to a chair with those cruel eyes looking down at you as you were cut and hit. As a knife slid across your neck... As... As you froze... cold. Why were you so cold all of a sudden??

You flinched back as you felt a pressure near you on the bed, striking out when someone touched your shoulder. The blow never connected, as whoever was touching you gently gripped your wrist, slowly moving your hand to rest on their chest.

"There you go, breathe with me." A voice coaxed you. It was gentle and kind. Your mind slowly began to work again, you felt your lungs burn, forcing yourself to take a stuttering breath. Your cheeks felt wet, yet you couldn't remember if you started to cry. When your eyes finally opened again, when the world finally came back into focus, you were staring into unfamiliar green eyes. Your captor wasn't here, yet you'd already figured out where you were.

"You're Bronwyn Hartshorn." It was a whisper. You watched as her face tightened for a moment before she took a deep breath and nodded. A tense silence settled over you as you pulled your hand back, watching her warily.

"Yes. I am." She stated. "I believe... there have been some major conflicts and misunderstandings. For that, I as the mother of Colton and Calista Hartshorn, deeply apologize. My husband, Dominic, feels the same. Especially after some... details have come to light."

"Your parents said they didn't want you." The same kid said, entering the room. Bronwyn gasped and gave the kid a sharp look. You felt like your emotions had just been hit and run over by a train, yet you couldn't find it in yourself to be surprised.

"Andy, that is not the kind of thing we say." She said, picking the kid up and placing him in her lap. "Apologize."

"I'm sorry your parents don't want you." He said. Bronwyn placed a hand over his mouth.

"I'm sorry. We hoped to break the news to you a little more gently... Andy isn't at the age where he fully knows what he should and shouldn't say."

"I... I knew it. I knew they wouldn't come for me." You murmured. Despite that, it didn't make the truth of the situation any less hurtful. Now you were stuck on enemy territory with no way out. At least it didn't seem like they were trying to kill you anymore...?

There was a knock at the door before it opened. A man came in, kissing Bronwyn's temple before he smiled at you. Behind him a maid trailed in, pushing a cart with some food and a tea set on it. He didn't seem as effected by the tense air and waited until the maid left before speaking.

"Are you settling in alright? How do you like the room? I know the walls are a bit bland and the bookshelves are pretty empty, but once you feel up to it you can help decorate. Is there anything you feel you need to be comfortable in this room right now?" He asked. The questions confused you but you could barely get a word out before he pulled a small wooden tray from the cart and set it up, forming a bed tray table. He then placed the plates and a teacup onto it.

"I would offer you some coffee, but with all the fever reducers you've been on the past couple of days I'm not sure it's the best idea." He said, finally handing you a fork.

"Wait, can we go back to the room thing? Why would I need to decorate?" You asked, pushing away the sinking feeling in your stomach. "Speaking of which, what's with the sudden good cop act? What is going on?"

"Its simple, we've decided to become your new family." Dominic stated, as if it were the most logical thing in the world. Bronwyn rolled her eyes from where she sat on the edge of the bed.

"What?! Why?! Is this some sort of guilt thing? I'm fine. If anything, I'd probably be better alone." You argued, the sinking feeling returning with a passion.

"Sweetheart," Bronwyn ignored your glare, holding Andy on her lap as he played. "You deserve a family. Even if we didn't meet through the best of means and we have a lot to atone for, this could be the start of something beautiful. We want to not only make it up to you, but make you feel loved."

"Although, we should probably work on helping you move on. Calista and Colton tried to come by earlier to apologize. Do you remember what caused your panic attack so we can try to remove it?" Dominic asked. 

You couldn't see a way out right now so you had to force yourself to comply. Maybe in the future there would be some instance where you could find a way to freedom. "Eyes... Their eyes..."

Dominic blinked. His eyes were similar to theirs, but a shade lighter of blue. Just different enough to not panic you. "Well, we'll see what we can do."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ⟡ 🌑 ⟡ ˚｡ ･ ───

The next few months were hard to adjust to. Colton and Calista had eventually been allowed to visit you, although they'd been wearing colored contacts since then. The entire family seemed to swarm around you, trying their best to make you feel welcomed. Your room had been filled with your favorite books and hobbies. It would seem like a dream come true on the outside, but you knew better.

They had gotten you a phone, but it had every tracking and monitoring app on it known to man. Dominic offered you free use of his black card, but you knew he would know exactly what you ordered and any packages would be checked. The clothes you were given had little trackers sewn into the seams in places you wouldn't have noticed if you weren't looking. 

As the months flew by you felt more and more trapped. Your mind was deteriorating a little by the day. You needed to be outside alone. You needed to go somewhere alone. You just needed to be completely alone. So you 'borrowed' some clothes from Colton and Calista, waited for the right moment and the second the family was busy and focused on some major issue with your 'old' family, you slipped out the door and disappeared into the night. Hopefully, never to be found by them again.