The five year old looked down at the woman motionless at her feet. The brown eyed, blond druggie was much shorter than her dark-haired, tall daughter, and God know's Ann Ryder hadn't been a good mother to Lee, though the child loved her anyway, with the childlike ignorance every kid possessed. Lee sniffled and walked up the stairs of the run downed house, tightly clutching the stuffed wolf Hunter had given her for her past birthday. With the wolf in her left hand, she softly knocked on the door with her right. "Jack?" She called, her soft, trembling voice laced with sadness.
The door swung open to reveal a tall, intimidating boy of about 16. He looked annoyed at first, swinging his head at eye level until they shifted downward at the small child. He crouched down to her level and wiped the tears from her eyes, a look of anger and sadness in his eyes. "What's wrong Kitten?" She said nothing and the boys face grew dark. "It was the bitch again, wasn't it?" Lee nodded slowly. "God fucking dammit!" He swore slamming his fist into the old, chipped, brown colored wall. The girl gave him a scolding look even in her sadness.
"Jack, that better not have been the wall again," His twin brother, Jake said sternly. The two started to fight over the wall, forgetting the little one until she tugs on both of their sleeves.
"Please," She whimpers softly. Jack takes the little girl in his arms and walks quietly to her bed, a scene she normally wouldn't have allowed without kicking and screaming, Jake following closely behind. Jack lays her down softly on her plush pillow and pulls up the pink and purple covers to her chin. The twins each peck her on the forehead and turn to leave when she starts to cry. Jake climbs into the small bed and shifts Lee so she is in his arms to which she buries her head in his chest and lets sobs over come her.
"I'm going to check on Ann. Come down when she's asleep." Jack whispers to his brother.
"Jacky," Lee whispers innocently, "Will you save mommy?"
"I'll try pumpkin." Jack says with tears rimming his eyes as he figures out what she means. He makes eye contact with his brother and see the all too familiar look of sadness in his brother's eyes. Yes, they both hated Ann for her drug problems, but they loved Ann as much as someone should love a druggie. Those few moments when she wasn't too high to remember her name or her family, she was the sweetest person anyone could ever meet. Jack takes his time walking down the stairs, fearing what he will see. Instead of seeing the bloody scene he had imagined he saw a certain blue haired chick leaning over Ann's body with tears streaming down her face. "Who are you?"
The girl, looking only a couple years older than Jake and Jack, jumped slightly at his voice.
She tries to dart but Jack cut her off before she can. Grabbing her wrists in my hand, he looked into the sad eyes of the stranger. "Jack, let her go."
"Why should I?" Jack snarled at his older brother Jimmy. The 21 year old looks taken back at his younger brother's tone, but before he can answer, the girl flips Jack to the ground, where he howls in pain.
"Dylan, stop." Jimmy pleads, and the chick, who had her fist up, lowers her hand and flips backwards, landing on her feet in the most elegant flip Jack had ever seen. "Jack, go get your brother."
"But Jimmy!" The 16 year old whines.
"Did he fucking stutter boy?" Dylan asks harshly. Jack, though he didn't know why, felt the strongest urge to listen to the female. As soon as Jack retreated into what Dylan assumed was Lee's room, she turned to Jimmy and sighed. "She can't go into foster care. I won't allow it."
"She won't. Everyone loves that girl to pieces. Trust me when I say she'll be taken care of." Jimmy says looking at Ann sadly.
"If she gets hurt," Dylan warns.
"Why do you even care?" Jack asks angrily.
"Jack, Jake, this is Dylan. She had been hiding and lurking in the shadows since the day Lee's dad died. She will remain doing so and you will not bother her or tell Lee. Do I make myself clear?" Jimmy asks in an assertive voice.
"Why?" Jake asks, eyeing the blue-haired girl in curiousity.
"That's for us to know and you to not worry about." Dylan replied sternly.
"Wouldn't it be easier to just live here with us and be close to her?" Jack asks.
"No, I won't always be around. Just most the time, and if she were to know, she would be in danger. You are not to tell her about me." Dylan says softer than before.
"What about Ann?" Jake asks quietly.
"Leave that to me." Jimmy says before shooing the twins off to bed. Dylan looks at her older brother sadly.
"I wish they could know. I hate being so close yet so far away." Dylan says hugging the brown haired man. "I wish we weren't all in danger if I were to be around."
"You can't help who you are." Jimmy says in a hushed voice, resting his chin on her head.
"I hate who I am. I hate who I have to be when I go back. But as long as they don't know about her there won't be a problem." Dylan sniffles.
"There will come a time when that won't matter anymore. They will find out eventually." Jimmy says.
"Yeah, but this way I can hold it off." Dylan whispers, before stepping out of Jimmy's embrace, kissing him on the cheek, and heading out of the house and into the forest that surrounds the house.
"Hopefully this won't all be for nothing." Jimmy says to know one in particular as he watched her disappear from sight.
